Ask Knowing the Unknowable

[Vizim]

The war that the pair of Sith were about to undertake was not one of the body but of the mind. Perhaps they were being drugged by the air or maybe it was just some powerful alchemy, he didn't know. He didn't claim to be an expert on those types of things. What he did know was that he wasn't interested in dying here.

He let his mind return through everything they had done, focusing on what they had overcome to get here alive. He reached out to the darkness around them, but seemed to almost feel nothing. It was as if the Force was stifled.

Without being able to explain why, he reached out and touched his hand to the ground and as soon as he did, red symbols began to form under his hand. More symbols stretched out all around them until they covered the walls, floor, and ceiling. They weren't letters or words, but symbols, and he had absolutely no idea what they meant. It was different. Whether different was positive progress or negative remained to be seen.

I have no idea what that means, he stated bluntly after a moment.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat inhaled and let out a slow breath as she worked through the cracks in her mind that were susceptible to whatever spell that lingered in this temple. Her mind was already a fortress, fortified by the ancient albeit powerful teachings of Kravos, however, whatever lingered here either was much more powerful than either of them or there were seams in her walls that was allowing her to be vulnerable to the dark magic in these halls. She extended her senses inward, feeling along the outer edges of her own psyche, refortifying her defenses and the Force tying into her already set barriers.

It wouldn't take long before she did find the crack, the Force bending and weaving to her command as she started to gain a clearer sense of direction. Her own mind not feeling as foggy and distant as it was just moments before. However, like Vizim, the Force suddenly felt more distant, harder to grasp and manipulate under her will as though somewhere blocking it from allowing them to access their own potential.

Tia peeked open one eye and then the other as the room suddenly became lit with runes. She was just as confused as the symbols as the corridor; Vizim announced he did not know what any of them mean. Tia never got past remedial alchemy, basics, origins, but the symbols were certainly similar to what she saw in books, "Its most likely alchemy...probably also why the Force feels so bottle-necked in here." she said while tracing one of the symbols with her finger tip. She didn't know what any of it meant though, however like any writing, it was symbolic, it represented something as it communicated to them. Tiamat pulled out her notebook and quickly scribbled each of the runes, "Should we follow it?" she pointed her pen down the corridor, noting the repeating pattern of symbols.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim pushed himself back to his feet and his hand fell instinctively to brush against his lightsaber. He didn't think it would help against whatever was down here, but it somehow always managed to make him feel better. Perhaps it was as simple as "you know what you're doing, you've been trained for this" when everything else seemed... precarious.

Seems as good a plan as any, he said, shifting forward to take the first steps along the way.

He headed down the hall and could just make out what looked to be a darker blackness. No signs of the symbols or anything else. He reached out and touched it and it shattered. It was almost was if it had been made of smooth stone or black glass and he once again wasn't sure if it was real or not. It didn't really matter anymore because the only way out was forward.

There was a room inside with a variety of statues that appeared to be of ancient Sith surrounding a large central bowl that looked as if it was filled with ash and the remnants of a fire. What they were supposed to do - if anything - wasn't clear.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

There wasn't too much of an option of what to do as Vizim agreed to the idea. She allowed him to take the lead as they carried on through the corridor; her blue eyes glowed with the red of the runes that etched into the walls and she was curious if it carried a spell to seal them inside and the Force bent away from their wills. She put away her notebook once satisfied she had all the runes that were present, many of them repeating themselves in a pattern, leaving her to feel as though she were sleep walking. It felt very dreamlike, a sensation she did not recognize with the tombs or temples she had visited previously.

Tiamat paused when Vizim came to what seemed to be their path engulfed in blackness; her brow narrowed in thought as she looked behind them, trying to figure out if this were correct in their decision. She heard the shattering sound of glass and quickly turned back to look and see Vizim revealing their exit...and entrance to their new prison and puzzle. Tiamat sighed as she looked at each of the statues in the room and also noting the fire pit in the center.

"Have you begun to wonder if we really never left that red room where we started? That pit, the hall, now this..." she said glancing to Vizim to gauge his reaction and thoughts as she brushed her fingers along the bottom of one of the statues, looking for any clue to their purpose.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

The thought crossed my mind, he agreed. It was difficult if not impossible to know for sure, but it was quite clear that whatever situation they were in currently wasn't normal and that meant anything was on the table.

He bent over near the bowl of fire and looked at what had been burned inside. It looked like there was still wood inside and he frowned before reaching out to feel it. It was... wet? How and why? Perhaps to prevent them from lighting it, but who had been down here ensuring that it remained doused in water? And where did the water come from? It would have evaporated after all these years. Who was watering the water?

I wonder if... but before he could finish his sentence the statue that she was touching began to move as if animated by some supernatural force. It took a swing at the red-headed Sith as the others began to move as well. Oh come on...

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He was thinking similar and it brought some ease to the Sith woman as she observed the statue closer. However, as Vizim looked closer at the fire pit, Tiamat froze in place, feeling a rumble beneath her fingers and the stone cracking at the base of the statue. She slowly looked up as one hand reached for her saber and started to back up, "Um, Vizim..." her voice held much concern to what she was observing as the statue came to life. Strangely, this was not the first time a statues have come to life when doing sithy things for her as she remembered how her curiosity led her to a tomb on Moraband.

She clearly recalled the others came to life too and sure enough she wished she had not remembered that because several more statues were removing themselves from their base. Tiamat ducked from the large stone arm coming over head and she ignited her saber, looking to draw them away from Vizim but the chamber was only so big.

"I'll keep 'em busy, you figure out that pit or whatever-" she jumped back from the large stone fist coming down to where she once stood, "Just hurry up!" she shouted as she grasped the stone arm with the Force and swinging the statue into another that decided to charge at the woman. There was a loud bang from the stone clashing with stone but it didn't seem to slow any of them down. She swore one even look disappointed in the small chip in its carved robes.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

He leapt up as the statues started to move, his saber leaping to hand and lightning with the power of the Force. He swept it around in a single, fluid motion and hammered into the torso of one of the statues. It crumbled under his blade, but even so it seemed intent on pasting itself back together somehow.

Right! he shouted, but the problem was he didn't really know how to get the mechanism activated.

He grabbed one of the logs and started rubbing it against the severed portion of the statue, hoping that it might absorb the water, but it didn't. He didn't say it was a good idea, but some of these Sith rituals never made any sense!

He swore as the statue took another swipe at him. Surely there was a way to produce some fire from them or... something.

More swearing, more jumping back, more attempts to think of how to get through this thing.

Keep buying time! he shouted, sure that she wouldn't be thrilled about his declaration.

He reached out to the Force, channeling fire through his hand and trying to roast the log that he'd replaced in the fire pit. It wasn't working!!

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Keep buying time?!

Easy for him to say as two of the statues looked to corner Tiamat, flanking her from both sides. She wasn't sure what he was doing over by the pit, it was like as though he struggled to get a fire going or something. The last she checked, it wasn't that difficult, but this place seemed to write its own rules as to how it will do things. She allowed the statues come closer, both raising their arms to slam the small human beneath, but with a jolt of the Force, she rolled out from underneath, the floor shaking with the intensity of the hit from the statues. That didn't mean she was free from their antics as she seemed to roll into the path of another who took interest in the red head.

The woman grasped the statue with the Force and threw it over head behind her, the rubble crashing into pieces of stone which she hoped the jumbled mess would give them a breath as they tried to form back together as one piece. It was just in time to see another statue turn its attention back to Vizim and with a jutted palm, the energies of the Force sent it backwards into the wall. It was almost as though these things were out for blood.

Tiamat paused and blinked, scrambling over to the pit to see the wet logs that seemed unaffected by the fire burst from Vizim, "Does it need blood?" she questioned already reaching behind to grab a small utility blade from her pack's pocket. It seemed ridiculous and sithy, but this place was just that.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim was getting real angry about this stupid log. He was not going to be defeated by a log. Fine, so it wasn't really the log that was the problem, it was the stupid Sith Lord who had made this stupid place with its stupid wet logs.

Blood? he thought to himself. Oh, that would be so cliche, but also was rumored to be a key component to Sith alchemy.

He grabbed one of his own knives and slit his arm, letting it spill down into the bowl. Within moments, the bowl burst into flames and the statues withdrew from their assault. At the far side of the room, another door opened leading into another room.

How many rooms are there here? he grumbled, though this one felt different... almost alive. Was there still a Sith spirit down here? Oh, that was bad news, right?

What do you know about Sith spirits? he asked.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Vizim seemed to be on the ball, as he cut open his flesh and spilt blood onto their pyre. Tiamat rolled out of the way of an incoming stone fist, the statues seemingly ganging up on her as she came to the foot of another. She gasped as it raised its foot, but stopped and slowly retreated back to the stone columns in which they had been resting. The redhead looked around, saber still raised as the pyre glowed crimson. She let out a long sigh and extinguished her saber as another door opened up; she shared the same displeasure that they were seeming to not go anywhere.

Tiamat pulled out some gauze from her pack and took Vizim's arm, quickly wrapping it as they continued, though a bit hesitant as she could feel something nearly living in dark adjacent room. Vizim asked about Sith spirits and Tiamat recalled the one she encountered in the tomb on Moraband, which lead her to a bit more poking around in archives about the subject.

"They're annoying." she stated flatly, "They typically want an exit via flesh and bone, but in order to remain, they are generally connected to something in the tomb or the room they reside." Tiamat explained as they entered, torches light sporadically around the domed room. It certainly looked like a tomb, the walls were ornate with reliefs describing in sculpture of the deceased their accomplishments. The redhead walked closer to the center of the room and gazed up at the peak of the dome, but it gave no hint to a world outside the temple.

She kept walking, seeing if she could spot another door, but as she crossed, a cold started to fill and soon both Tiamat and Vizim would hear the soft cry of the siren that resided presently.

Have you come to seek my gifts?

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim was startled when the Sith Lord stopped to help him bandage his arm. He was fully expected to have to patch it up himself and was already reaching for his own medpac for yet another one-armed patch job when she came over to start helping him.

Thanks, he said, flexing his hand to make sure that everything was still working properly. The pain was dampened by the bacta, but he noted the injury for whatever coming trouble they would inevitably have.

Great, he said as she mentioned they were trouble. They had worked together enough by this point that she would probably be used to his cynical grumbling, but he was a man who always expected the worst. Particularly when the worst was being mentioned.

As they made their way into the next room, his suspicions were confirmed by the voice of... whoever that was. He wanted to just say "yes" and skip right to the fighting, but he knew that wouldn't be wise. Maybe they could outsmart it or better yet, find out what in the room it was connected to before they had to fight it.

We came because we were drawn. Were we drawn by you? he asked. Could you ask ghosts direct questions? Did they answer?

My knowledge is only for the worthy. You have traversed this temple and tomb, but your resolve is in doubt. What will you sacrifice?

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat was at the point also that she just wanted to punch her way out of the temple; the ghost was going on with its riddle and Tiamat hated riddles. They were just pointless and usually had some stupid answer that made her, well, punch the closest thing to her. Well, presently that will either be the ghost, or Vizim...

The woman glanced at him and then back at the ghost who decided to answer his question with another riddle and an insult. Given they painfully trekked through the temple of cliche's, it seemed unsurprising that there was more before they would get a prize, if it even existed. "What type of sacrifice does this spirit desire?" she asked, knowing it probably would not go well given she was just throwing more questions at the ghost. Tiamat glanced at Vizim and then looked around, hoping he would catch the clue as to not look obvious and keep searching for the spirit's source.

"How do I know what you have to offer in knowledge is worth this sacrifice? You're dead, doesn't seem like too much wisdom can exist with something that cannot rest when it is time." She was probably taunting the ghost but at this point, Tiamat just wanted an exit from this place.

@Phoenix