Pilgrimage to the Unknown

[Darth Kravos]

Spoiler: OOC

Not necessarily looking for PvP, but I dislike DD threads on principle

Darth Kravos looked out over the dead landscape of Korriban as the sun began to set behind the mountains in front of him. He could hear the plinking of sand against his visor, pulled up by the wind and he could feel its invisible hand pulling at the robes that hung loosely over his armor. The winds howling around him seemed to almost wash out the rest of the world and he took in the moment. He felt like he was a thousand lightyears away from the galaxy, and that was where he wanted to be. Away from being Dark Lord or the burdens it carried. Normally, that was who he could be with Andraste, but their time together was limited and there were moments he needed beyond just those few times he could snatch with her.

He stared down into the gaping maw of the cave as if it might flinch away. He could feel the Darkness reaching out to him as if it extended an invisible hand in the Force. The outcrop pulsed with energy and that was precisely why he had come here. It was on the edges of nowhere, but it called to him as if it was meant for no one but him. He had come so far and he had never felt more alone than he did now. Perhaps it was a testament to the power of the darkness to corrupt and pull the mind apart from the edges, one piece at a time. He had given up everything that he had once been to be here, and why? Because no one else could do it. Some could kill better than he could, and some few may have wielded more power than him. Others could do the dark deeds in the shadows and be the knife under the cloak, but there was no one else who could fill all the roles he had taken on, and that was why he did this: he did it to stand beside Andraste, and he wouldn't have changed that. He would always be there for her, no matter what.

And for all that, he didn't know why he was here today. He was searching for something, and he would find it in this cave. And if he didn't, he would go on. Ever onward to another mission, another job, and plunged deeper into the Empire.

His own dark presence felt small compared to what he sensed inside. He could walk into a room and even those without a deep connection to the Force could sense it, but here, when compared to the cave, he was just one drop in a sea of darkness. It was both refreshing and disconcerting all at the same time. And yet, he wasn't one to pause when he was this close to taking the plunge.

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Evandrus didn't usually like hanging around Korriban.

He disliked the planet on many different levels if he was entirely honest with himself. But that didn't really matter - it was one of the focal points of the Empire and he needed to make more of an effort to get to know it, to understand it in a way that he hadn't bothered in a long time.

Speaking of things he needed to make more of an effort on...

"Why hello there!"

He grinned as he approached from the right side, right hand up in a slight wave as he approached the entrance to the cave, the focal point of Dark Side energies that dwarfed his own and that of the Dark Lord as well. Dressed in his armour, sans helmet, Evandrus walked on up to his friend before glancing at the entrance to the cave.

Seemed like a place he should be... but it was also giving off a sense that he shouldn't be here either. Which, in his experience, usually meant that he should be in there as quickly as possible.

"Is this the part where you tell me you need to do this alone?" he asked his friend even as he looked at the cave, "Because if it is..."

He glanced back at Kal,

"This is also the part I tell you that you're not alone when I'm still alive, brother."

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

But of course none other than Cregan was here. Kravos couldn't have been the only one to sense the presence here, and he certainly couldn't have been the only one who felt the presence call to him. Even at the edge of the world, there were those who were still seekers. There weren't many faces in this galaxy that Kravos actually enjoyed seeing, but Cregan's had always been one of them.

He snorted lightly as Cregan told him that he wasn't alone out here. It was very Cregan to show up even when Kravos hadn't called him. He gripped the other Sith Lord's arm at the forearm and shook firmly. No, just needed to think, he said, indicating that he didn't need to do this alone. The Dark Lord never quite felt he could let his guard down around anyone but Andraste, but if there was someone who came close it was Cregan. He didn't need to worry about the galactic war or keeping up appearances. They were still just Kal and Cregan in many ways.

I see you found your way here as well, he said, turning back toward the mouth of the cave. He didn't know what was going to be lurking inside - or if anything would be actually living in there - but the cave itself was alive. It would have answers. That was what he hoped, though the oddest thing was that he didn't know what the question was; he could just feel it inside him.

I was never one to delay, he said as he stepped away and toward the cave. With every step closer he took, the feeling of cold seemed to grow. Even with the heat still radiating off of the sand, it felt as though the cave itself emanated an unnatural chill that reached beyond just the skin to deeper parts of the soul. It was inviting against the warmth and oppressive heat of the world, and Kravos no longer feared the Dark like he once had. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Evandrus didn't need to explain why he was here to Kravos - to Kal. They knew each other well enough to know that they were here for similar reasons to each other and that Cregan was going to be sticking around because Kal was here. And yeah... yeah he was going to stop referring to himself by his title now that it was just himself and his friend. Around members of the family, he was only ever going to be Cregan after all.

Gripping his friends forearm with a small smile, Cregan nodded at Kal's answer and, despite what people knew about him, didn't say a word. He didn't need to say that he understood for Kal to know that he did so he just enjoyed his friend's company... and prepared himself for the descent.

"I thought I should try and spend more time on Korriban." he admitted with a frown, "Know more about it. Just hating this planet doesn't excuse ignorance."

In his opinion hating something was better when you knew everything about it. That way you could better destroy it later if you so chose or, indeed, if it was possible. He doubted he was at the stage where he could destroy planets. He chuckled once and nodded in agreement as he fell into step alongside his friend.

"Once more into the breach dear friend."

He didn't remember who had said it but he didn't suppose it mattered. As the darkness, the cold and the Dark began to seep in with every step, Cregan drew his lightsaber. Raising it high above his head, he ignited the red blade to illuminate their path, the red light of his blade causing their shadows to extend eerily as they stepped into the cave itself - or rather, the tunnel itself. For indeed, what would have been the back wall of a cave continued with a passage that seemed to go straight down.

Cregan touched the wall, feeling grooves that were far from natural.

Something had carved this tunnel... he glanced at Kal before continuing on.

"Ten credits says it's a literal heart of Darkness."

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Plenty of other worlds to concern yourself with, he stated, offering the out for when not to be on Korriban. It was true as well. He wasn't the largest fan of the desert world either, but it had things to offer and he was a pragmatic man. He wasn't here to vacation or take in the sites, he was here because the planet had something to offer and something that he could exploit.

He made his way into the cave as Cregan moved that way as well. Cregan lit up his saber to beat back the darkness and it did something to make things more viewable. After a few more minutes, they came to a straight drop down and Kravos bent over, running his hands along the ground up to the drop. You're right, he agreed as his hands ran over something akin to claw marks. And probably right about what's down there, he added.

It looks deep, he said as his eyes ran down. He pulled a small ball of fire into his hand and cast it down into the abyss, holding it together with the Force until it crashed into the ground thirty feet below. Maybe not as deep as I thought, he said as he stood back up and pulled the Force to himself, dropping down to the ground below.

Outsiders come to my home. What do you seek? a voice suddenly called out. It sounded like a female voice, almost metallic and strained, but it didn't belong to any droid. Nor, he thought, did it belong to a true being. It seemed to echo all around them and Kravos wondered if it wasn't inside their minds. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Oh he knew there were plenty of other worlds for him to be on - but the fact of the matter was that none of them were Korriban. The homeworld of the Sith and, in many ways, the centre of the Empire. It held meaning that few other places managed to hold, in his opinion, though he was forever doing his best to make other places, nicer places, hold such positions within the Empire as well. He was, after all, the reason Lothal had gone from unknown backwater to the powerhouse it was now.

"But only one Korriban."

Nothing else needed to be said really as they looked around the cave turned tunnel. Cregan didn't like to be right most of the time - being right usually meant that the doom and gloom he had just come out with was actually going to happen and that was usually rather bad for him.

Nodding, Cregan jumped down with Kal, not at all deterred by the drop considering his mastery of the Force. Landing smoothly, he kept his lightsaber ignited to keep the light up... and immediate found the voice speaking to him in his mind. Raising an eyebrow to Kal, he couldn't help himself.

"And the literal heart of darkness appears to be female."

He let that just hang in the air for a moment.

"Feel free to dispute my assertion, please, oh friendly, slightly metallic, lady!" he paused before glancing at Kal, "I don't think she likes me."

Honestly, Cregan didn't care. In all likelihood this was either a creature that they were going to exploit or it was a manifestation of the Darkness of Korriban... either way, she was going to serve the Sith Empire in some manner.

Her compliance was not a factor.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Chills ran up the spine of the Dark Lord as he felt the power in the cave and heard the voice. It wasn't an inviting tone, and yet, it had called them both here all the same, hadn't it? Or perhaps it was something else that had brought them here. A force of Darkness working against another force of darkness. Whatever the reason, the Dark Lord couldn't break the impression that they would find no friends here in the cave.

It seemed that Cregan thought the same, or at least felt the desire to be inflammatory. Kravos cast a look back over his shoulder at the other Sith as he mouthed off to the voice. Something told him that that may not have been their best move.

Something is going on here, he said, opting a moment later to expand rather than just state the blindingly obvious. This isn't like the other Dark Side nexus I went to, he said. Sure, the other one had had a means of manifesting itself in a "physical" form as well, but this presence felt different. It was as if he could sense a person - albeit highly obscured - within the cave.

I think that whoever this is isn't one with the Force, he said, but they also weren't here physically. As if they had been captured by the Force itself. A long, long time ago. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Alright then.

Because that wasn't even more ominous. The idea that this Dark Side wasn't because of a Nexus and was, instead, because of someone. Someone who was strong enough in the Dark Side of the Force to act as a beacon to both Kal and himself... that was someone that Cregan was curious about.

"Now that...?" He grinned a little bit, his eyes darkening a little bit, "That sounds like someone who would be good to meet, do you agree Kal? If they're not here though I think we're going to have to go looking for them."

He raised an eyebrow as he stepped forwards, pushing on into the darkness,

"How else am I going to apologise for being rude?"

As he stepped forwards with his lightsaber raised, he paused when he realised something rather... odd. The darkness that was in front of him wasn't being pushed back by the light of his lightsaber. Indeed, it appeared as though the darkness actively resisted the light.

He just started at it for a moment before poking the darkness with his lightsaber... and found that the blade disappeared into the darkness, even though he could still feel that it was active from the humming and the vibration. Pulling the lightsaber back, the blade was still activated and still providing light, but only when out of the darkness that surrounded them. He frowned for a moment.

"What are we thinking... illusion or something else?" he asked his friend for a moment before reaching out with his free hand... and slowly pushing it into the darkness. He pulled it back from a frown as he worked his fingers, "It's cold. Like there's a breeze on the other side of these shadows - like it's just a thin film."

Cregan paused for a second before nodding to Kal,

"Didn't come this far to step away."

He stepped forwards, pushing himself through the cold film and into total, oppressively complete, darkness until he took another step and found himself instead in a rather well-lit corridor... of a Sith Temple that had definitely not been here before and probably wasn't here now either.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos watched as the lightsaber disappeared into darkness, and he was well aware that that wasn't supposed to happen. Now the two of them needed to figure out how and why. In typical fashion, Cregan stepped forward, but Kravos didn't stop him. They needed to figure this out and that meant pushing forward. He didn't wait for a signal that it was clear or not - though perhaps he should have - and a moment later, found himself consumed by a darkness so thick you could feel it.

A few tentative steps more and the darkness broke, revealing the inside of a temple that Kravos knew enough about to know it wasn't actually here. Illusion, he stated, unnecessarily answering aloud the question they'd asked earlier. What the goal of the illusion was, however, was still up for debate. Whatever is casting this is powerful, he stated. It swept far beyond either of their individual skills, and that only served to convince the Dark Lord that this was at least in part the Force itself. It bypassed whatever mental shields they each had without any effort at all.

He walked along the open space, noting how everything looked brand new, cleaned, and incredible. It felt as if it were real, and if Kravos hadn't known better, he would have thought that it was real. He reached out a hand to run along the railing of the stairs and began a slow ascent to the second level. Nearby, men and women - Sith, human, and more - roamed around. Or a vision, he said, glancing back at Cregan.

Imperial banners hung throughout the location and Kravos took it all in. Perhaps this was what they were meant to build. Perhaps they would find something deeper in. Kravos only put so much weight into visions, but it was a vision that had been instrumental in creating the Empire that Andraste now ruled today. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Oh Kal would receive no arguments from Cregan - whatever the hell was going on here it was being achieved through an application of more raw power than Cregan and Kal had, likely, combined. That was a little bit concerning but the fact that said power hadn't been used to actually attack them led him to believe that whatever the voice was, it didn't want them dead. It had called to them through the Dark Side of the Force and now it was inviting them ever onwards, ever deeper.

"It wants something from us." he spoke with a small, uncharacteristic, frown, "Something with this much power doesn't call out to people without wanting something."

Which meant it had reached out and it had called Kal and Cregan Drast. Two of the most powerful Force users in the Galaxy - which meant whatever it wanted from them was likely not anything small. A vision huh? Cregan extinguished his lightsaber. This vision seemed to be fully lit as if it were an actual day-visit to a fully functioning temple.

The mixture of races was... telling.

As were the Imperial banners.

This was a vision of either somewhere in the present or it was a possible future. Either way? He was happy to proceed with his friend, following him up the stairs to the second floor. He waved in front of one of the passing Sith and the person ignored him entirely, the eyes not reacting at all.

"Vision." He hummed lightly, "Would you believe this is my first vision?"

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos nodded as Cregan stated that it wanted something from them. He agreed, but the real question was what it wanted from them. That was yet to be discovered and he had as much a thought that it might very well mean that it wanted to consume them. Did it see them as a threat? Did it want to use them? Help them? The questions were endless and he knew the only way to find the answers was to continue onward.

As Cregan mentioned this was his first vision, Kravos paused, wondering if it was his as well. He'd seen things in the cave on Dagobah, but that wasn't a true vision. What he had seen was a vision of him killing Andraste one day. It was in the warehouse where he had first seen the darkness within her. He had seen himself with yellow eyes holding a gun to her heard, tears streaming down his face as he prepared to execute her. It was a fate that had not happened, and as much as the power rested with him, it never would.

Visions are only possible futures, he said, half to himself and half to Cregan. The future spreads out into a tangled web, and any strand can be followed or left behind, he said as he walked by more of "their people" in the halls. This is a future I wouldn't mind seeing through, he said, stopping at the top of the stairs and looking down at the people below milling about and going about their business.

I think we have some building to do, he said as his hands rested on the railing. The Sith Empire is at the brink of being a force to last for a thousand generations, but we need to build, he said. He remembered Cregan had criticized him for only tearing down, and he had done a great deal of that, but now was the time to build back up. He always knew that time would come, and there was still destruction to be done, but they were positioned - and had already begun - to build up the galaxy again in the image of the Empire.

 

[Darth Evandrus]

This vision wasn't as unpleasant as he had been lead to believe visions could be.

When people spoke of visions they tended to speak of doom and gloom and the like. This held some darkness to it, naturally since it was about the future of the Sith, but it wasn't anywhere near what he had expected. He had expected a vision to be something akin to a nightmare and this just wasn't.

So far.

He didn't want to make assumptions but, so far, this looked to be a good vision of the future. Humming, he looked over some of the people and some of the design choices.

"It's not bad." he admitted with a little chuckle, enjoying looking it over, "It seems to be geared exclusively towards instruction as well - almost like there isn't a threat of being invaded. But it still has some features that mean it is prepared to defend itself. I like that."

Looking up at the high ceiling, Cregan allowed himself a small smile as he glanced at his friend,

"Don't worry about it Kal - I'm working on it." he declared firmly, looking around, "Ossus will soon be converted and we shall have a Sith Temple and a military training academy, built atop the ruins of the Jedi structures there. We are so very good at making ruins, Kal, that I imagine we shall become most proficient in building atop them."

Stepping away from the railing, he nodded to some of the students,

"Students look a bit soft." he admitted with a small shrug, "Might have to create a syllabus so they don't lose their way... and when the hells did I end up sounding all responsible, Kal?"

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos continued to walk on, listening to Cregan as he talked about what they were doing and would continue to do in the future to advance the Sith. They were building something amazing, and the more that it grew, the more the reality of Andraste's vision seemed to come true. It seemed that some visions certainly could come true.

They're going to call you "Professor Evandrus" in no time, he said as Cregan spoke about syllabi and other teaching items. The Dark Lord thought perhaps he would have been best at teaching and bringing up the next generation of Sith. He seemed to have stayed surprisingly out of the grips of true darkness, but then, he knew that there were likely things Cregan had done that he wasn't comfortable with. Evils unseen. They all had.

As they looped around the upper level, the two came to a room that seemed different. Outwardly, it looked like any other, but it felt different. It had a presence that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than darkness. A clawing cold that reached out to the two and Kravos pressed onward, pushing the door open only to find himself back in the dark cave once again as soon as he stepped through. Ahead was a being who looked as if she might have been a woman at one point, but her body now looked almost as if she were made out of stone. As if she had become one with the cave long ago, sitting on a small stone "throne" of her own. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Professor huh?

Cregan chuckled a little bit at the very idea that he could be a professor. The very idea that after everything, after every he had done, everything he had been a part of, that he could be something as simple as that. Something and inherently innocent and pure as a teacher, someone who's sole purpose was to prepare the next generation and nothing else.

"If they do I'll have to remind them of my true title." he commented instead with a small smile, "Because a professor...? I'm past that stage, Kal."

And he wasn't going to be able to go back to when professor might have suited him down to the ground.

Oooo... okay so the cold and the Dark were a lot stronger here and that could not be doubted. He took a moment to just... feel it. It sank into his bones, permeating his entire body. By all the Gods and the Force itself - this was what people meant when they said "chilled to the bone". It wasn't cold, it was the sheer Darkness and what it sucked out of the atmosphere and out of you yourself. Staring ahead, Cregan paused upon seeing her.

The woman of the cave.

"You show us... a possible future." he called out to her as they approached slowly, cautiously, "A future that seems almost ideal. Forgive me - but I find that more suspicious than anything. What do you want from us?"

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos kept moving forward toward the stone-woman, listening as Cregan began to speak. The Dark Lord said nothing for now, making a slow advance to see this woman here and what she wanted from them.

Are you always this brash? the woman asked, rising from her "throne" and walking around to the other side. She moved as if she didn't care at all that they were here. She was more than willing to let them make the first move. Even as they walked on, the rocks on either side of them cracked and crunched until it became clear that there was something there, and yet not there.

The stones rose up and began to walk around, taking the form of very, very large cat-like creatures. They paced around the room, walking behind both the Sith Lords as the woman began to talk. I brought you here because you fascinate me. You are building something that surpasses what any Dark Siders have built before you and I want to know why. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Was he always this brash?

Well that was a fairly easy question to answer but loudly declaring "yes" was probably not the smartest move. Of course it was kind of something he would usually do so it might be something that was expected... but he knew better. Besides... there was something more than a little bit more pressing.

The cat-like creatures were something he focused on for now. They looked physical but then everything looked like it was physically present despite the fact that he knew they were not. Still - this was the Force.

Physical threats were often the least dangerous when the Force was involved.

"Why are we building?"

Well that was a question that he hadn't really expected, all things considered.

He glanced at his friend for a second before answering.

"To build something better and to ensure that it lasts for thousands of years." he declared to the woman firmly, proudly, "We build so that the Galaxy can know peace and order and strength under the rule of Andraste. Under the rule of her children. And their children. A Galaxy where the Force is used as a catalyst for change - not observed and monitored like the Jedi do, but harnessed for the betterment of the many."

Cregan looked the woman in the eyes.

"We are building it and the building will never stop - because the Galaxy needs the Empire. And we shall build it because the safest hands are still our own."

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

Darth Kravos stood watching the woman's pets as they began to circle the pair but didn't flinch. He knew that if the time came for them to attack there would only be a split second to respond, but if that was the intention, wouldn't this "woman" have attacked already? No, she wanted something from them, he just didn't know what, and her cryptic questions weren't helping him determine what it was.

His attention was drawn back to the woman from her pets as she began to laugh. it was a cold, harsh sound at best, and gave the impression of anything but warm and happy. You think it will stand for a thousand years? You think she and her children will stand at the helm of an Empire? the woman asked. She stretched out her hand and immediately Cregan would begin to see flashes of futures yet unexplored.

Red bladed warrior clashed with red bladed warriors. Men cut each other down in the name of the "Empire" but in reality, it was only their own vain ambitions that drove them forward. They wanted to gain the upper hand in the galaxy and it would rip the Sith apart. He would see many more worlds burned and scorched in the wars to come. Millions on billions would be killed in the wars to come.

That is what is to come of your precious Empire. How long can this band of cutthroats be held together through one Empress's sheer willpower alone? Even if she beds three of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy? she asked. No, High Judge, I think your Empire will not last. You had best grab what power you can while you can, she said.

As soon as she said it, Kravos could feel his veins run cold. There was no fiery rage, only the silent, sterile understanding that this woman would need to be eliminated. She would drive a wedge into the Empire if she could. If she couldn't break the two of them she would call others, and Kravos wouldn't abide that. With almost imperceptible movement, Kravos's saber was suddenly lit in his hand and bathed the room in deep red. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Well he had always been told that he was funny but there was something about her laugh that set his teeth on edge and made him want to murder someone. It like like nails on a chalkboard but worse somehow. His grip on his lightsaber tightened despite himself... normally he had a better grip on his emotions but there was just something about this woman and about the atmosphere of this entire place that just... irked him.

It was only getting worse however.

She was showing outright disrespect towards the Empire and the Empress and that was something that neither himself nor Kal would tolerate and if she thought they would then she had another thing coming. Watching her hand warily, Cregan tensed as he prepared himself to react to any Force attack... and then the vision hit.

It battered against his mental defences and he grimaced as he felt the vision wash over him. Red sabers clashed against one another in a seemingly never ending wave of chaos and pain... and then his defences clamped down and the vision ended as his lightsaber activated.

He was angry now.

"ENOUGH!" He roared, the Force pooling in his left hand as he glared heated at her, his usually blue eyes now yellow and golden, "Enough of your games and your insults! You will tell us what it is you want from us - now - or we will force it from you before we find some way to tear you from the Force itself."

He still knew how to cut people off from the Force... an adaptation of that might serve them well here and now.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Kravos]

It was immediately clear that the woman wasn't going to be having any of the two of them. They were completely unreceptive to her and had a dogmatic, closed minded view of things. Blind loyalty was enough to make her stomach turn and her "lips" turned up in a sneer. Wretch. I'll do nothing for you, she said, blasting a near-visible wave of the Force at the two even before she finished speaking.

The "cats" leapt almost simultaneously and Kravos's blade swirled through the air, plunging into the belly of one as he stepped to the side, letting its leap miss him entirely. Even as he did, it didn't seem to stop the creature. A yelp and the crunching sound of stone scraping stone was followed by the creature climbing back up as another of its friends moved in from the other side. It was clear that the two Sith Lords were fighting someone of immense power and only cleverness would win the day.

Even as Kravos swept around and plunged his saber into the face of a second cat, a third moved toward him from behind. He was aware of its movements but had yet to react, leaving Cregan the opportunity to keep his back clear that the two of them might be able to figure out how to kill these things before they were eaten alive. @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Cregan scowled at the woman.

"You misunderstand." He whipped his blade around, slashing along the side of a pouncing cat-creature, the blade carving a deep trench through it's body as it passed him, "We aren't asking."

Lashing out with the Force, he lassoed the Force around the neck of the third cat-creature, the one behind Kal, and slammed it's face into the ground violently. He didn't stop however, doing it again and again with as much violence and strength as was possible, causing the skull of the creature to crumble as he finally released it.

The one he had scored down the side attacked again and Cregan declined attacking, instead falling back so that his back was to Kal's own back, leaving them with a full view of the room and all parties between the two of them.

"How do we kill her?" he asked his friend as he lashed out with a Force push, sending the cat-creature skittering backwards, "I think we might be able to cut her off from the Force... if this is her real body."

That was kind of an important thing to find.

@Phoenix