Ask Event Korriban Korri-ban-Hammer

[Nova Trent]

LEOTUS​

The fixation on the rage had been rather easy, yet now she could feel her anger growing and growing and it slowly started to feel like it was getting out of hand. There was a vision of a mysterious place, apparently where the Killiks have originated, but even if Nova saw the location, her thoughts immediately drifted off.

The master's chants still filled the ritual chamber and this immense, impenetrable darkness lingered in the room, irrevocably strong and dreadful even, yet so unbelievably alluring. With gritted teeth she held on, more and more visions soon flowing through her mind while the strain intensified.

There was a man on a battlefield, twin sabers firmly gripped before another blurry vision of someone else replaced the old thoughts. Nova quickly recognized the room and she was wondering whether the Force was now allowing them to catch a glimpse of what had been, yet she couldn't dwell on those thoughts.

The wild images were instantaneously replaced by the icy visages of her cruel parents and that was when her rage was starting to consume her. She was blinded by that feeling of power that the darkness granted her in this very moment as the Force kept flowing through her. It felt great, yet out of a sudden there was also a hint of fright creeping in, as she suddenly felt like she was starting to lose control. They had apparently received important insights, and so they could have probably stopped, but Nova felt herself unable to pull back out of the ritual, the dark Nexus seemingly enfolding its full potential in her mind.

@Phoenix

Other tags: @SlagathorTheUnknown @lizziie @Altaris @Mr. Teatime @Nevermourn

Spoiler: TLDR

Nova keeps holding on to the ritual while the anger is starting to consume her. She catches a glimpse of the important visions, yet can't stay focused

Spoiler: Roll

93/100

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Group Letous

A gift, bestowed upon those who churned their rage into fuel for the fire. Sol feels stronger, feels his ties with the force like an unyielding steel wire, tethering his spirit to the dark. There is a delight in this, a cold and burning glee. It is like a spider, creeping upon the inside of his body, drawing ever closer toward it's succulent prey. And there, he could see it, like a victim snared within the arachnid's trap. The source of the hive. In a way, there are more questions than answers. The force provides vague scenes that flitter past like the wings of a butterfly, leaving Sol grasping at the dark with a yearning spirit. There was so much here and yet it was dangled in front of his maw like a sizzling leg of meat upon a string. Out of reach, but so very tempting.

Once again, it changes, like a receding wave only to be promptly replaced with another crashing in. An armored man stood within a battlefield, where killiks and Imperials tore at one another in desperation. Twin sabers burned in his grasp, and a seething rage hissed within the Kel Dor's mind. Gone as soon as it had come, swept away like a dark gesture from the force itself. Now, another man stood before his mind, grim, and blurry, and old. It's a shock, a jolting twist, when Sol recognizes the room that they are all standing within. The nexus, this... being. Spirit, or otherwise. An image of the ancient past? But then, the force reveals more, like a curtain swept aside to reveal the dancer twirling within. The Killiks seemed to heed the call of this figure, seemed to be twisted by the will of a forgotten lord.

It is a cold feeling, of paranoia and hatred that creeps through Sol's veins like ice. Here, and now, and within this very room, something else was with them. To what end? What was the goal? The Killiks could not have Joined the dead, yet when Sol opened his eyes to peer around the ritual chamber, he sees only those that had accompanied him into the darkness. This being was not a slave, but a puppeteer. Something which seeped into the surrounding force like a poison. Sol doesn't understand it, as much as he wished he could. All he had was faithless conjecture on what he might have seen. Regardless, the problems on Korriban bled deeper than he ever could have guessed. The Killiks might not be the only threat.

If anything, they were the least threatening of all.

Paranoia burns, rage flickers, selfishness beats to the tune of his rapid heart. Something wasn't right, and perhaps Master Letous would be able to make further sense of it. Regardless, Sol had seen enough. He yearned for more information, but he would not risk opening his mind to whatever being seemed to be playing puppeteer with the Killiks, and the planet itself. The Kel Dor withdraws inward, coils the darkness like a protective serpent around his body and mind, lets his paranoia bleed into his thoughts, reason enough to disengage from the ritual. He thinks at first that he doesn't care about whether or not the rest in the group are consumed by this nexus, but then, he supposes it would not be ideal for him to be trapped down here with several newly Joined.

For now, Sol is on guard. His senses branch outward, and his eyes dart around the room. If any who continue the ritual begin to show signs of... well, anything suspicious really, Sol would be all too willing to sort them out, and not in an entirely pleasant manner.

Spoiler: TL;DR

Sol is super sus of that last vision so he has disengaged from the ritual and is keeping a close eye on everyone, and everything around them.

@LadyRen @lizziie @Mr. Teatime @SlagathorTheUnknown @Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Crix Aran]

Group Treelanes​

Playing Good Cop wasn't too hard when you were working with Sith to play the Bad Cop - hells, they'd probably make a decent double-act in a crime solving holonet show. But it didn't change the fact that, ultimately, he was being the Good Cop to facilitate the Sith essentially torturing people for information. In the end it seemed that the one he and Tia were questioning seemed able to not answer in a way that incriminated himself too much, if at all.

The answer he got was one that didn't actually answer the question - it was an evasion. Crix's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I can only help you if you help me - stop avoiding the questions." he warned the man, "What were you doing at the holocomm terminals when the High Overseer was confronted? And what were you doing there when you were detained?"

He reached out and placed a hand against the bars as the man would be injected with a second serum.

"You're running out of time. They're not going to bat an eyelid about killing you - so talk!" he urged the man with 'genuine' sympathy, "What were you doing there?"

He stepped back and away from the Acolyte and waved both Tia and Wodan closer to Trelain. With his back turned to the detained Acolytes so that they couldn't read his lips, he spoke quietly.

"If I understand it right - the hivemind means they know what they're all thinking. In that case the first one has no reason to physically call them if he's Joined... I think we need to move on to the next."

Spoiler: TLDR

Tells the Acolyte to stop evading questions, asks what he was doing at the holocomms. Speaks to Trelain, Wodan and Tia away from the acolytes - mentions that a Joined shouldn't need a holocom to tell any other Joined or Killiks what they know so they should probably move on

@Phoenix
@GABA @Braden

 

[Kasim Din]

A more experienced Force-user might have a better sense of what was going on, and a more experienced Sith might've understood the significance of all the visions. Kasim was neither of those things. Instead, he felt like a leaf being tossed around in a hurricane.

To his left were Nova and Llolith, who burned in the Dark Side of the Force like a grease fire given water. Their signatures in the Force were far stronger than his, to the point of the Tiefling being slightly intimidated. Their earlier banter had not betrayed any of the power or danger they now espoused; what if that was turned towards him? (@LadyRen @lizziie)

Ahead of him stretched the promises of the Dark Side, letting him feed it his resentment in exchange for power; the chance to outshine his siblings. Kasim would feel the resentment he carried with him scraping against the love that he held for Amira, Imani, Altair, and the other Dins.

Because to his right... to his right was something completely different. A unique path the untrained Force user hadn't even known existed.

Although this was Kasim's first encounter with the Dark Side of the Force, Sarella's calm concentration also marked his first experience with the Light side of it (@Altaris). Curious, Kasim tried changing his focus to be more like the Jedi Knight's- he didn't want to overshadow his siblings as much as he wanted to be different from them- but just as quickly his focus was ripped away and back into the nexus of Dark Side energy that flowed around him and dominated this place.

Suddenly, this wasn't exciting anymore; now, Kasim felt like a child on an unpredictable rollercoaster that refused to let him off. He was vaguely aware of his own screaming as he struggled to not be consumed by the bubbling feelings of anger boiling up inside him that were directed towards his family; both his greatest struggle and his greatest treasure. The joyride had come to an abrupt end, and the Tiefling struggled to try to close himself off from the dark ritual; to no avail. He felt like a passenger in his own body, grappling for control with himself. And so Kasim tried to hold on, hoping that he'd still recognize himself when this was all over.

@Phoenix

Other tags: @Mr. Teatime @Nevermourn

Spoiler: Kasim's actions

Kasim continues his Force discernment after being introduced to the Light Side for the first time
Kasim begins to panic but continues the ritual, unable to end it on his own
Strain roll: 24/100

 

[Lucas Orum]

Group Ericton

Theme​

The first shot Lucas fired struck home, the spear armed Killik was thrown backward by the impact. However, as Lucas continued to squeeze the trigger, his eyes strayed from his targets for a moment to give Champion Ti a nod. Between his eyes leaving his targets and the kickback from the blaster pistol, the rest of his shots flew wide. When Lucas’ eyes flickered back to the Killiks, their numbers had been reduced by two. However, much of the ground between him and them had been crossed, the insectoids had their electro-spears lowered for the thrust.

Lucas trusted his instincts and reacted quickly, his body twisted at the hips with his knees and torso following suit. As he did this, Lucas lifted the arm which gripped the blaster pistol up at the shoulder, his saber arm tucked beneath it. The twin spear tips would slice past Lucas on either side of his torso but not cleanly. Lucas would feel the electricity from the blades crackle against the armorweave cape at his back and kiss the skin of his abdomen through his armor.

It would be then that Lucas would swing his blade.

The crimson killing edge would sweep downwards and towards the pair of Killik, looking to carve through the first one’s thorax and separate its head from its abdomen. The strike would follow through at the same angle towards the second Killik of the pair. The attack would be looking to carve through its shoulder, into its chest, and through the side of its abdomen just beneath the armpit.

The attack would seem to be bolstered by the pain that cascaded down Lucas’ torso. With the Killik committed to the attack, it would be difficult for the first Killik, if not both to evade the assault. Should his attack find purchase on both, he’d turn to see if Peedee would need his assistance. If only one was struck down, Lucas would turn to face it instead of moving to aid Peedee.

@Phoenix @The Good Doctor @Wit

 

[Altair Din]

Altair may have been taken by surprise when he was on Ruusan, but engaging with Killik up close and personal had given him invaluable insight. Though the tainted Killik broke from his grip, he watched it closely to see what tactic it would use. It was not entirely unlike what the massive one he and the Grandmaster had engaged back on Ruusan. As the Killik began to slam down on his soldiers, the tiefling coiled the Force around the men to physically yank them back. The Killik would land with a heavy thud on the three Imperials Altair couldn't save and be off balance from the useless joints.

“Fire at will!” Altair shouted at his men as they once again peppered the downed tainted with bolts where they were weakest. He didn’t stop to watch that, comming the remaining men and Aadya's at the same time, “INCENDIARY!” Several incendiary grenades were primed and thrown at the other two Killik while Altair and the others backed away. The explosions would cause bursts of flames which Altair would then use to channel the Force power that was becoming his signature move. He would attempt to amplify the results of the explosions and ignite both Killik into massive columns of flames. He had seen extreme heat and fire serve as an effective weapon against the one he fought on Ruusan and he sought to use similar tactics here.

Regardless of how his attack panned out, he shuffled back and spoke rapidly into the comms line shared with the Sith he started with, “Aadya, status? Ashla, status?” (@Logan @Wit ) He quickly spoke to them to see if any aid was needed. Despite it, Altair kept his gaze and focus ahead for any surprise attacks. For now, he kept his distance, relying on his spear and Force attacks.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Team Trelain

The acolyte further protested of his innocence, Tiamat's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise by the shouting as he saw the next needle being prepared. All she could feel from the acolyte was fear and nothing more. Perhaps he was as innocent as he claimed to be as Crix pressed in his jedi way, but still nothing of use to them. When he stepped back, Tiamat saw him wave, indicating possibly what she was thinking also. Despite him turning his back, Tiamat kept her gaze on the acolyte, the droid halting the procedure until further instruction.

The woman nodded, understanding what Crix (@Nefieslab) was describing with the hive mind. She could overhear some of what Master Trelain was telling Wodan (@Braden) and her eyes flickered from the pair and then back to the detained acolytes. Perhaps this first acolyte was just looking for a cathar tit hook-up. The woman internally scoffed, "Agreed. Lets move on." she stated, "Acolyte two..." she said and returned to the droid to send it to the next acolyte prisoner. With acolyte number two, she would issue the same instruction, blood test to check for anything significant and then the acolyte would be issued the truth serum.

She wasn't holding too high of hopes that either of the acolytes were Joined. If they were sleeper agents, then they probably didn't even know it themselves, though there had to be subtle things that one would need to notice. "He and I got some questions for you." she started, tilting her head to Crix as she continued the good cop, bad cop routine.

@Phoenix

Spoiler: tl;dr

Tia agrees also to move onto the next acolyte, and continues down the line to acolyte #2. A blood sample is taken and then given the truth serum to begin interrogation.

 

[Llolith Uttu]

Letous

Llolith stayed in the ritual and continued to focus her energy on her rage. She felt empowered by the Dark Side around her, making her feel more powerful than she'd ever felt before. She could feel a lull - a chance to leave the circle if she so desired, but the acolyte stayed put.

But something felt off. She could feel Kasim and Nova nearby, but while Kasim seemed grounded, Nova was standing with a tense-looking jaw. Worry caused Llolith's rage to falter, and the acolyte slowly extended out a hand to bump it against the back of Nova's palm. An offer, if the other woman would take it.

Regardless of whether the gesture was accepted, Llolith continued to focus her energy on the ritual.

Spoiler: tl;dr

roll: 38
Llolith continues with the ritual, but reaches out to Nova during.

tags: @Phoenix | @LadyRen @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

GROUP ERICTON​

They were already falling behind. As Aadya moved into the security facility she couldn't help but perse her lips in annoyance. The room before her was empty but that obviously was not a good thing. It meant the Killik forces had already pushed further inside and wiped out what defenders there had been.

Not good, Aadya replied to Altair. You need to get in here now, befo-- Ah fuck!

Aadya was unable to finish her sentence as she moved closer to the blaster fire and was met immediately by the sight of enemies. Her attention first fell onto the one working the controls, the obvious primary target. Of course, there were a few other things Aadya was going to have to take care of first. Chief among them was, well, not getting shot to death.

As the troopers started to unleash their suppressing fire, Aadya used her two lightsabers to deflect a few initial bolts before diving to the side and sliding behind a nearby durasteel table.

Holstering her offhand saber, Aadya would reach out with the force to grip the table she was hiding behind. With as much strength as she could muster, Aadya would send it careening straight for the soldiers who were shooting at her. Hopefully it would crash into them and smash them into the wall, or at the very least disrupt their shooting.

As she sent her big metal projectile forward, Aadya would look to move into cover again, keeping her wits about her and her eyes trained on the enemy, ready to react to whatever may come next.

OOC: Actions in white

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Ashla Ti]

GROUP ERICTON

Ashla came to a skidding stop as she assessed the situation, ignoring the other Sith's words. As he spoke her left hand rose in front of her as she began drawing on the Force. To the Sith it might seem like she was about to launch an attack against him, but she reached beyond him. Attempting to grab one of the engineers in a telekinetic grip as her fingers clawed shut, her hand went swinging to the side, the Force following the gesture as she tried to slam the engineer into the other, hoping to disrupt whatever they were doing.

If the maneuver worked, she would turn her attention to the Sith. "I'm fine, go help Aadya." She sent a quick reply to Altair over the comms (@Sreeya), having heard Aadya's reply as well. Eyes still on the joiner, she spoke more loudly now, finally addressing him if he didn't interrupt her in any way.

"Sorry, I did not intend to interrupt. Please, enlighten me."

OOC: Actions in blue.

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Sarella]

Cerulean eyes remained closed to the physical world, and it didn’t take long for beads of sweat to begin rolling down Sarella’s pale skin. It was the clearest sign of the strain and exhaustion that washed over her, accompanied by the slightest shifts and tenses of her otherwise passive expression. The Consular was no stranger to standing against the Darkness, but nothing could prepare her for what she experienced in that moment. Nothing like the power that lingered within the depths of Korriban for millenia untold, twisted and corrupted beyond redemption.

And it took every ounce of her concentration to maintain her resolve against it.

With every moment that passed, the Darkness grew more intense in its assault - poisonous and corruptive as it sought out the sole beacon of Light within the caverns. Dark, tumultuous waves crashed against Sarella’s mind - while the whispered promises grew in volumes until they were a deafening choir, echoing over and over through her ears. They pledged everything she wanted and more - the strength to bring the War to an end at long last, if she only seized the power to do so. And it took every bit of her concentration to resist.

The Force and White Current was her ally - now and as it always had been. It flowed through her frame like a raging current, and it served as her strength against the Darkness of the ritual. It enabled the Fallanassi to find refuge within her own mental sanctuary - to keep herself centered and guarded from the poison that threatened to seep in. It flowed through her fingertips, and it manifested as a comfortable, soothing warmth that could be felt by those closest to her.

She wanted nothing more than to extend the Light to those around her, to bolster Kasim and the others against the tumultuous storm that threatened to consume them. But she knew better than to try. Even the slightest crack in her resolve or single step overextended, would spell disaster. For the moment, the Consular could do nothing but work to keep her own head above the waves - pouring her energies into the ritual regardless of the outcome.

All the while, Sarella allowed the visions to pass over her - taking in every detail that was presented. First the Kilik swarm, and then a figure brandishing twin blades of crimson hue. And then something darker - far more ancient.. And something that felt more real than any of the visions prior.

What it was, Sarella did not know. A spirit of the Sith? Letous? Something else? The answers were unclear, and the Consular continued to pour her focus and concentration into maintaining the ritual - attempting to decipher just a bit more.

Spoiler: TLDR

Sarella keeps doin' the ritual shit. Dice roll = 64

@Phoenix

 

[Wodan]

So at worst Acolyte one was sending information off planet, if he had been they would have probably caught that the same time he was caught. So even if he was joined, he seemed to be of little importance to their goal. Number two was in his room, again if he was a joined it would give them little information on what was happening here.

Acolyte three however seemed the most intriguing to the Firrerrian, why would someone who was joined break into the office of another joined member? If their hive mind was collected as they thought, he wouldn’t need to break in, he would have the password or the key.

Stepping away from Master Trelain, he passed the other two and headed straight for the third prisoner. Stepping close to the man so only the pair of them could hear each other he leaned into his ear. “You were caught breaking into the High Overseers chamber, correct? Why were you trying to break into the office of a confirmed Joiner? I need an answer before those with needles and lightning get to you, I can stop them if you give me some answers.” Wodan moved slightly to the side to allow the Acolyte a view of the atrocities Trelain had committed to those around them.

@Phoenix @Nefieslab @GABA

 

[Kanaloa Tau]

Group Letous​

Kanaloa sank deeper into the Dark Side in and all around him, its great waves and inscrutable eddies running through nerves and veins. The visions shifted further, becoming clearer and more focused, more discerning and specific. There were spirits- none too happy as he'd commented earlier- but he didn't exactly recognize them.

Too brief and concealed. But it was surely certain that an ancient being was here, far older and more thoroughly malicious than those he'd previously encountered. It was very like a Sith, he thought, to use an enemy for their own purposes. Kane was learning already, even if it was from the dead. Whoever it had been in life, now it was part of the same current Letous and the gathered ritual-wielding Sith were diving into.

The Wrean acolyte refocused himself, training his mind on the ritual's spiritual movements he could barely keep up with, envying the Arcane Master's sheer precision. Then again, he didn't really need to focus on all the specifics. This ritual was like an orchestra; Letous conducted and each participating member played their part. It felt so far that his shamanic method of using the Force meshed well with these more esoteric arts.

Kane felt surreally alive and connected. He could feel the planet's heartbeat through the current showing him what was meant to be known, admixed with an abstract sense of freedom. Spurred further, he continued to lend his gathered fury to Letous' ritual a while longer yet. Amber-gold eyes stared hawk-like and razor-sharp at nothing material, viewing little more than what the visions revealed.

Spoiler: TLDR

Dice Roll: 5/100 for strain
Kane vibes with the Dark Side and focuses on continuing the ritual.

@Phoenix

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Group Ericton​

The first of the tainted Killiks was felled by the First Blade. One of his dual sabers skewered the creature's brain and it tumbled to the ground as the man leapt smoothly off of its back. He spun around to assess the situation before he, without any warning or seemingly anything touching him, keeled over dead on the ground.

@Altair Din's attack in conjunction with his men produced exactly the results he was looking for. The explosion of the grenades channeled directly into the creature, saving his men from too many more deaths. The screeching and wailing of the creature could be heard for hundreds of meters around as the creatures met their untimely end.

@Aadya Rasheer's fight against the Killiks inside could have been going worse. She was fortunate to avoid being gunned down, but there was no question that she was outnumbered and outgunned. Like the battle of Thyferra, the Killik didn't care if their Joined servants perished or not.

The Killik at the controls deactivated the shields and turbolasers while the others pressed up on her. As Aadya hurled the table at the troopers, two of them were smacked against the wall, momentarily stunned but not dead. However, the other two opened fire once again immediately while the final Killik thrust its spear toward her as well. Once again she would quickly find herself overwhelmed unless she found cover once again, and the other two stunned soldiers were quickly regaining their footing in order to yeet themselves at the Champion once again.

Inside the tomb, the viciousness of the Killik advance had overwhelmed @Pedee. The bug on top of her kept her pinned to the ground, its multiple limbs able to pin those of the droid to the ground while the other did as planned. The shaft of the spear slammed up under the droid's head, and the Killik wrenched with all its might. There was an ear-splitting sound of metal grinding on metal before the droid's head came completely off and the Killik's stood victorious over their victim.

Meanwhile, across the room, @Lucas Orum would still have his own problems to deal with in addition to the death of his partner. Pulling his saber was a smart move, and it saved him from being killed outright. He managed to cleave through the Killik on his right, but the one to his left - because of the way his spear was positioned - meant that he was covered and the spear blocked the slash from passing through him as well.

The Killik pressed forward, using its spear to keep the lightsaber occupied while two of its taloned hands swiped under and looked to tear open Lucas's abdomen and disembowel him on the spot. Meanwhile, the other two Killiks finishing up with Pedee began to turn their attention to the acolyte and their comrade and Lucas would get the impression in the Force that he was about to be outright overwhelmed.

Down the hall, @ahsla ti would have bought she and her partners a few seconds as the technicians were flung to the side, but the Sith didn't waste any time in lashing out at her now that she had made the first aggressive move.

His saber ignited in his right hand while his left rose and lightning poured out of it, ready to fry the Champion before she even managed to "apologize."

Group Trelain​

Acolyte 1 continued to show nothing but fear and confusion, but it was beginning to break through to frustration and anger as he was injected with the second serum, seemingly the two mixed in an unusual manner. Maybe looking for Big Booty Cathar had been a mistake.

I. Don't. Know. Anything! I don't know what you people want me to say! he said, and he was relieved when @Crix Aran finally backed away and began focusing on the next lucky acolyte.

Acolyte 2 didn't look thrilled to be the next subject of @Tiamat's ire. Oh kriff, come on. I was literally just in my room. What I'm going to be detained just because I've trained with the High Overseer for years? Years. You all just arrested me because you have no idea what's going on, he said indignantly. He still looked to be in his pajamas after being dragged out of bed and hauled to the Conversation Room.

Meanwhile @Wodan had gone over to the final acolyte who simply stared at him when he approached. I broke into his office to try to confirm he was a Joiner, she said simply. Her eyes looked over to the others in the room who had been tortured in unspeakable ways, but she didn't even seem to flinch.

Group Letous​

Letous looked elated, her face etched with joy and excitement as the ritual continued. That was, until she sensed something outside the cavern. Her eyes swept to the individual who had pulled away from the ritual, a Champion, good enough.

Champion, there are Killiks in the caverns. Find them an deal with them, she said to @Sol Kenuk who - if he was wise - would do as she said (exit opportunity).

Meanwhile, even that blip in concentration didn't break the ritual as the others continued. @Nova Trent would be able to feel pain rip through her mind and whether it was physical or mental wouldn't be clear. And yet, she would sense that she was only a step away from real power, oneness with the Dark Side and it would whisper to her of omnipotence and the power to influence the galaxy however she chose.

Indeed, even if @Kasim Din managed to close himself off to the ritual, the stains on his soul would never go away. In the dark, when he lay awake on his bed at night, it would call to him. A still, small voice of temptation looking to pull him down a path of promise. And indeed, those promises weren't empty for the Dark Side could provide many things.

By the time that @Llolith Uttu reached out to @Nova Trent she would be able to feel the strain that had been put on her fellow Acolyte. She would be faced with a choice - to take on all of that strain for herself - or leave her companion to her fate. One was the way of the Sith, and the other was not. Either way, the girl would not walk away from this moment unchanged.

@Sarella was still fairing remarkably well, and the Arcane Master was not only surprised, but curiously hopeful. The Knight would have made an impressive Sith if she would simply unchain her emotions. But like the worm she was, she would continued to wriggle in the dirt rather than embrace her true potential and rise above to become something more.

Finally @Kanaloa Tau would find that the ritual was almost more fascinating than anything. He would be able to feel it pulling on him like everyone else, but his mind would not be so seized by pain or fatigue yet, and he would be subject to the same visions as everyone else.

The group now saw a quartet of people: a Zabrak male, a red-haired human woman, a Firrerreo male, and a female Devaronian standing in front of a trio of other beings whose silhouettes were fuzzy. They would be able to feel their anger and hatred drawn from them and directed toward the Devaronian, though they would see no Killiks in this vision. The spirit or man seen previously in the vision was nowhere to be seen and those who reached out to find him would find that he seemed... distant. Eternally far away.

OOC: @LadyRen @lizziie @Mr. Teatime @SlagathorTheUnknown @Altaris anyone choosing to continue with the ritual, please roll a third d100 for strain, tag me, and include it in your next post. Participants can still leave the ritual if they so choose. You know the drill at this point.

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Group Letous

Darkness permeated the cavern as the ritual continued, and Sol remained guarded, paranoid of the danger that could rest not in the physical sense around them, but in what lied within this nexus. But even as anger hissed through the currents of the force, there was an unbroken light gleaming like hot fire. The Kel Dor's eyes are drawn back to the Jedi as her warmth permeates the chamber. He can't help the bitter taste of bile that rests so boldly upon his tongue, of long forgotten regrets, and pain indescribable. Loneliness that had cracked his youthful resolve and festered into hatred that boiled like molten glass.

The vocals of Master Letous snaps the Kel Dor back into focus, and he drags his mind out of memories that threatened to drown him. Killiks in the caverns. Perhaps they intended to disrupt the ritual. Regardless, it was something to be dealt with, and Sol had been the chosen soldier to handle it. He supposed that would be his benefit, or his curse, for pulling away from the ritual. But fighting over-sized bugs seemed preferable to having his mind stolen from him in a dark ritual beneath Korriban. Sol inclines his head, wraps his talons around the glinting hilt of his lightsaber, and makes his way out of the chamber as ordered.

Spoiler: TL;DR

Sol follows orders and leaves the ritual chamber. [EXIT THREAD]

@LadyRen @lizziie @Mr. Teatime @SlagathorTheUnknown @Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Kasim Din]

Kasim found that he couldn't close himself off from the ritual, which left him no choice than to continue it. A new frustration bubbled to the surface; white-hot rage of a completely different variety than his earlier resentment towards his family; he felt anger at his powerlessness.

Forcing his jaw to snap shut, Kasim managed to re-exert control over himself to some degree, to the point that he was no longer yelling. The tiefling realized that if he wanted to be anything other than a passenger in his own life that he needed to make a choice; if the Dark Side offered a chance to be more than he was? It was more than any other opportunity he'd been given. This place wanted to show him promises of power? If that was the case, then it was about time he took it.

The ritual was asking him to pour his anger at this Devaronian, whom he'd never met. Fine. But, we'll do it my way he thought to himself, focusing his anger like a white-hot needle. Kasim would try to burn through the haze covering the other three figures before turning his attention to the Devaronian. She was weak, and she would not stand in his way.

@lizziie @LadyRen @Mr. Teatime @Altaris

@Phoenix

Spoiler: Kasim's actions and roll

Kasim gets a grip on himself and chooses more darkness
Kasim finds motivation in his anger at feeling helpless
Kasim tries to make out the other 3 fuzzy figures before focusing his anger on the Devaronian woman

Strain roll: 9/100

 

[Llolith Uttu]

Master Letous

Llolith could feel the strain Nova was undertaking, but she took a hold of the girl's hand regardless. She couldn't say what exactly was prompting her to reach out. The Sith were selfish. They didn't help one another unless it benefited them, and they let others stumble and fall without looking back. But that wasn't how things were like back home, so it was just her first instinct to reach out.

She felt it immediately. Her whole body cried out under the stain on the ritual, but she did her best to keep herself on her feet.

Spoiler: tl;dr

roll: 77/100
Llolith reaches out to Nova and attempts to take on the strain she appears to be going through.

tag: @Phoenix

 

[Nova Trent]

Leotus​

If that was what true power felt like, why was it so painful? The strain of the ritual deteriorated and it felt as if she would continue holding on, she would be ripped apart from the inside. A tormented cry escaped her as she kept holding on at first, the pull of the dark side growing stronger and stronger and yet ever so painful.

Holding on was tempting, especially because she slowly felt like her own power was growing until it got limitless. Would this ritual made her stronger? Stronger like the rest of the acolytes, perhaps even stronger than most champions? She felt as though she would become powerful beyond belief if she would just manage to endure the pain for a little longer...

But then there was a touch. A very familiar touch even and it completely broke her focus. Her eyes had been closed and her pain-stricken cries were still echoing through the cave, but all of a sudden her focus was broken and she tumbled backwards a step while she gazed into Llolith's face (@lizziie). There was a definite hint of frustration and anger in her face, even though she was also slightly grateful about not having to experience more pain.

What had she done though? Was Llolith trying to steal that power that had been promised to her?? Nova's mind ran wild for a second as she just stared in disbelief. She felt indescribably drained, yet the pain was at least slightly fading away. But was the fuck was the blonde acolyte doing?!

Nova still had her hand and so she began yanking her away, wanting to pull her out of the ritual. It was partly because she did not want to see her friend suffer, but also because whatever the dark had promised her just a few moments ago, she did not want anyone else to receive. "Let go!" she yelled loudly, wanting to break her focus, but she was uncertain of the results. Also, she was quite startled about the latest visions she had seen before she had left the ritual.

Spoiler: TLDR

Nova gets interrupted by Llolith and stops participating in the ritual. She then tries to break Llolith's focus too though, not wanting her to suffer but also not wanting her to see what she had just seen

@Phoenix

Group tags: @SlagathorTheUnknown @Mr. Teatime @Altaris

 

[Crix Aran]

Group Treelanes​

Well they had three of them and only two of the captured acolytes still remaining to question so Crix saw no issue with letting the acolyte he didn't know to warm up the third one. Chances were that they were all going to be questioning all of them at one point. They needed to make sure that there weren't any Joiners involved - there might, after all, be more than one.

It did, however, seem unlikely that all three of them were Joined... for now.

His mind was open to the idea.

Still, he was stilling the good cop so he didn't move onto the second acoloyte straight away - instead he moved back to the first one and nodded to the Sith with a small smile.

"I believe you - its alright." he said in a reassuring manner, turning back to the rest of the group, "Can we get some water or something for this one? Just something to try and calm the nerves, you know?"

The thing about good cop was that no one believed it if you were a dick when you ended the conversation. Instead he reaffirmed his Good Cop status by looking after the first acolyte before moving onto the second acolyte.

"You trained with the guy for years? Wow that's impressive." he 'congratulated' the acolyte before shrugging slightly, "So there must have been a reason why you didn't alert the rest of the academy when he started acting suspicious. Because surely someone who worked with him for years would be the first person to notice, right? So..."

He grinned a little bit.

"Lets talk about why you didn't want to talk then and you don't want to talk now, shall we?"

Spoiler: TLDR

Asks for water for the first acolyte to drink - reaffirm good cop points
Questions why the acolyte who had trained with the Joiner for years didn't notice the Joining. Or, if they did, why they didn't say anything

@Phoenix
@GABA @Braden

 

[Altair Din]

ERICTON
​

Altair winced at the shrill cries of the dying Killik, but he couldn’t help but be pleased with the results. He glanced around at the soldiers near him and he saw disbelief in their eyes. For a moment they looked from the dead Killik and then to Altair. The men began to cheer and raise their arms, bolstered and inspired at the tactical methods that allowed them to take down the monsters all under Altair's command. It wasn’t often that Imperials were seen as anything more than fodder, and it was clear these men would never forget the day a Sith yanked them from harm’s way and kept them at a distance from enemies. Morale was at an all time high with the soldiers and they would take on any challenge that day. He glanced over towards the First Blade to see if he needed assistance only to see him make eye contact and then randomly fall over very much dead. Altair's jaw dropped, "This is Champion Din. First Blade is down," He stated across the channels, "I repeat. First Blade is down. All idle forces under his command to me."

The tiefling wasted no time, leaping right over the dead and burning Killik to storm into the building where Aadya was. Altair practically skidded into the scene right next to her as her attackers leveled their weapons. Without pause, he coiled the Force around the Killik and attempted to yank it to the side to put it directly in the trajectory of the incoming fire from the two troopers and also throw off its aim with the weapon.

“Fire at will!” He called out to his men again as they aimed and began to fire towards the other enemies in the room. It was understood that everyone not part of their group was Joined. Altair didn’t look at Aadya when he spoke, “Still like me bein' your knight in shining armor, eh DiDi?” He quipped as he aimed his spear towards one of the vulnerabilities between the Killik’s armor and thrust towards it.

@Logan @Phoenix