Pursuing the Arcane

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn Rask's ship set down on one of the small islands along the equator of the planet Jomark, and as it did, the Sith Lord could immediately sense what had been drawing him here. There was a powerful energy beneath the flow of this world, as strong as the seas that covered most of its surface. The Force flowed like a river through the galaxy with the currents quickening at certain worlds, and this one felt like a raging rapid.

He'd initially planned to come here alone, until he discovered another Sith in the aftermath of the battles with the terrorists whose background seemed to open him to the more arcane arts of the Dark Side as well. Although he didn't know the man well, they'd agreed to meet here on Jomark in 3 weeks time, and so here Varyn was.

His descent down the ramp of his ship was immediately met with a cool breeze over the water. The climate was perfect along this part of the planet, and it could have easily been considered a tropical paradise if anyone ever made it out this way. But even as he physically sensed the warmth, the cold, icy fingers of the darkness touched the spider web of the Force, causing an almost frozen sensation to pierce through him before it was gone. There was something evil and nefarious here, but that also meant it was dangerous and powerful.

More than anything, Varyn needed to know what it was, and he needed to know if he could use it. @Denzein

 

[Harren Skaalvarg]

If only the Varg could see him now.

Harren's former people, if any of them still lived on the frigid little ice ball known as Rhen Var, would have hated Jomark. They advocated perseverance through strife and hardship to foster strength and eliminate the weak, and on the surface there was nothing hard about this world. The temperature was warm, the breeze cool and refreshing. The waters were clear and blue and the whole world teemed with life - much of it marine. To the untrained eye it was a paradise.

To those that could see beyond the waking world, however, there was something wrong here. Very wrong.

He'd watched the impressive Nightsweeper-class Star Yacht belonging to Rask enter the atmosphere and streak across the sky towards the island Harren had set up camp on. The ship he'd arrived in, an Imperial Navy owned Crux-class fighter, was no place to spend a night in, and consequently he'd set about pulling survival gear from the craft's meagre storage compartment after he landed, making a fire pit, connecting up a small powerpack to a few light sources and securing a tarpaulin over the lee between two boulders. He'd slept wrapped in a cloak on a thin bed roll, for Harren had arrived the day previously, not wishing to keep a Sith Lord waiting. It was a pleasant experience until sleep claimed him - Harren loved the outdoors, and had dressed light accordingly - Simple black deucalian attire made of light, cool material (though with a mantle of fur stubbornly about his shoulders, as always). He was armed with his lightsaber, deucalian hunting knife and pistol - just in case.

His dreams were dark while he slept, black corridors and cruel, mocking voices. Twice he'd awoken, lightsaber instinctively drawn and ignited, only to be greeted with the sound of waves gently crashing against the shoreline, some hundred metres or so to his right. Whatever was here Harren's senses weren't attuned enough to fully discern, but it was obvious that Rask was correct. Jomark had a secret, and they were going to find it.

Having breakfasted on fish caught from the sea and grilled on his fire, Harren stood and raised an arm as the ship landed - making it easy for the pilot to figure out the most convenient landing for his master. Walking out onto the beach as the ramp lowered, Harren waited a respectful distance from the ship as Rask exited and took in the world around him.

After giving the Sith Lord a moment he approached, a brief nod of the head the only show of deference he was willing to give. Harren had never been good with the strict hierarchies of the Sith, determinedly seeing himself as equal to almost everyone in the Empire. It'd got him in trouble before more than once, but the Deucalian in him was incredibly stubborn. Harren did not kneel.

"You're right, for what it's worth. This place is hiding something. I've had dreams of a dark place, corridors and voices. I think we should heed that and start looking for caves."

His tone was firm, but not disrespectful. While proud, he was no fool.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn wasn't surprised that his fellow Sith was already here, but he was surprised to find him camping out here. The name sounded Deucalian, which brought with it all its own questions and explanations. They were supposed to enjoy the outdoors, and he half wondered if the man had arrived early just so that he could spend some time on the world.

As the two approached each other, Varyn made a quick mental assessment of who he was dealing with. Sight, sound, posture, and even his presence in the Force all told the Sith Lord about the man he was meeting. He stood with confidence - perhaps a bit too much - but it was something Varyn recognized all too well. He'd seen it in many other Acolytes, and he'd seen it in himself. It was an utter self-confidence, and it was sometimes misplaced, but something told him that in this one, it might not have been. The man actually stood slightly taller than Varyn, and he had to guess the Deucalian had a few pounds on him as well.

But that was only the outer layer. Peeled back a level deeper - and far more interesting to Varyn - was something else. The man was on edge. He may not have wanted to show it - or he might not have cared - but there was something gnawing at his mind. It was confirmed a moment later, when he spoke: the darkness. It was obvious, and it was evidently what was bothering the man.

Varyn nodded in agreement. I can feel it, he said. While he hadn't experienced the dreams, he knew that something here was different. Far more powerful, old, and dangerous than either of them.

Why'd you choose to spend the night here? he asked. It was a seemingly harmless, and there wasn't inherently anything sinister about it, but the reasoning would give an interesting intsight into who the man was. Was it so he could be closer to the Dark Side? Because he liked the outdoors? Because he was chronically early to things? Or something else entirely? Varyn was as interested in learning about his partner as he was about finding the secrets of this place. People were a valuable commodity, and one the Empire had been losing much of. @Denzein

 

[Harren Skaalvarg]

No formalities, no ceremony, no posturing. Varyn Rask was a refreshing breath of air among an Order that so often stifled someone like Harren with its rules and traditions. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd insulted someone by speaking his mind out of turn, or by refusing to show deference in a place that demanded it - he knew he'd only just met the Sith Lord but he got the sense there would be less of that here. Whether or not among his peers Rask was a different beast entirely was an unknown, but out on a remote world with just the two of them and the sea life? He seemed like a well grounded man.

Rask was, thus far, the highest ranking member of the Order Harren had physically met. He'd seen the Emperor of course - on holovids and galaxy wide broadcasts, and the odd member of the Dark Council wandering the halls of the Academy on Korriban, but never shared so much as a word with any of them. They seemed so aloof, distant from the rank and file that Harren was very much a part of. Most of that was intentional he knew, the beliefs of the Sith went hand in hand with superiority complexes and needless flexing, but that only made Rask's apparent modesty that much more obvious.

The big Deucalian silently wished the man well, and that he'd not come to regret this first impression later into their expedition here. The Sith could do with a few more men of action, and a few less posers. Rask was the former, Harren could sense it - it was the largest similarity between them.

At the question, Harren shrugged. "Didn't want to keep you waiting, and Jomark sounded like a good place to get some peace. It is if you like not sleeping, turns out," He turned to walk up the beach towards the camp he'd made. "What are you expecting to find here, have you got any idea what's under this rock?"

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

An interesting reason to be sure. Varyn considered it for a moment, and then considered what he said about not sleeping. That was actually precisely something Varyn was interested in. He had heard stories of some of the old Sith Lords who never slept, merely fell into a deep, meditative trance that allowed them the benefits of sleep without ever actually being so vulnerable. He wondered if this would be a good world to practice such a thing. It certainly sounded like it.

I detest sleep, he said after a moment. There were many reasons for this, but he opted not to launch into a dissertation on the topic. They weren't here for that... at least not entirely.

He made his way across the surface of the island in no particular direction. He could feel a large, pulsating tendril of the Force, and followed its vague direction toward... he didn't know.

I have no idea, he admitted honestly. The Force had called them here, but that didn't mean he knew why or what they would find. We could go down and find a Nexus, abominations, or a manifestation of the Force itself, he said. He was interested in whatever it was they might find below, though. Whatever it was, the Force was powerful, which meant there was something to be learned.

The surface of the island seemed to have no pathways down, and they walked for nearly a mile before he finally found what the Force had been drawing them to. It was a hole directly down: a short drop for a Force user, followed by relative darkness. He thought he could make out daylight deeper within, which he couldn't decide if it was an optical illusion or an indication of another doorway out. I think this is our entrance, he said. @Denzein

 

[Harren Skaalvarg]

Harren let the sleep comment lie, Rask clearly didn't want to go into it and Harren wasn't the sort of man to pry into another's private affairs - yet another difference between him and the Sith mainstream. They walked together for a while in silence after that, Harren enjoying the scenery as much as looking for cave mouths - it wasn't every day one got away from the war and could just walk, out on an honest to gods adventure for once. He was enjoying himself.

They came up to the hole, it was too dark to see the bottom but Rask didn't seem concerned. Harren for his part picked up a rock, shrugged briefly at the Sith lord, and dropped it in. They waited only a few seconds before they heard a splash - water meant a safe drop, but there was no guarantee of anything more than a submerged cavern. He smiled.

"It's as good a hole as any. Whatever we find down there, good hunting."

And without any further ceremony Harren stepped into the hole and vanished into shadow.

The drop was brief, but the water when he hit it was freezing - nothing like the warm inviting waters surrounding the island. Submerging immediately, Harren opened his eyes and realised he couldn't see. Kicking up he felt his head break the surface and he gasped down a breath of air - which was similarly chilling. They were in the right place. He didn't call up, preferring to not potentially awaken any terrifying monsters that might be slumbering in the shadows. Rask would just have to trust that the Acolyte was not dead.

Treading water for a few seconds while he got his bearings and his eyes adjusted from the bright morning up above, Harren made out a narrow rocky ledge that looked low enough for him to drag himself onto. He made for it, climbing up and resting a moment on the ledge. He looked around at the opening, and realised it wasn't a cavern at all. It was the beginning of a cave network, some of which was no doubt also submerged. He was reminded, oddly, of cold dark corridors and mocking distant laughter. He shivered, feeling eyes watching him. He paid them no mind for now, waiting for whatever was out there to show itself.

"Oh yes, brother, this is the place. Let's be on our guard," He murmured, under his breath once Varyn joined him. He looked around behind him and realised the cave went further in on dry land, for at least as far as Harren could make out in the gloom. Shrugging again, he ventured in further, eventually coming to a point where the way ahead was flooded. They had no choice, their only way was down.

Deeper into the caves beneath Jomark. Deeper into the dark.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Rask]

Varyn heard the stone dropping down and splash against the water below. He hadn't been quite expecting water below, but it shouldn't have surprised him. It was likely many cave inlets were flooded with water below given the water surrounding them on every side, but he would have not expected the center of the island to be partially submerged.

He watched as the Acolyte quickly dropped into the open mouth and down with a splash into the water below. He reached out with the Force, hearing the quite rustling of the water and not sensing the characteristic chill of death. The Force could amplify the senses so that sight wasn't fully needed, and that was the power Varyn now relied upon. He could almost see the cave and its outline in his mind's eye, building his model from the sounds and pulses in the Force. It would be a brief drop, and Varyn took the plunge.

The water struck him and nearly knocked the wind from his lungs with its chill. He quashed the instinctive reaction to take a gasp of breath. His head broke the surface a moment later, and with it, he pushed to the edge of the water he'd marked out in his mind earlier, hoisting himself to the ledge.

He couldn't see the other man, but he knew he was there. He could see him even though he couldn't see him. Further down the tunnels, he could sense movement, and it wasn't either of the two Sith.

We're not alone, he projected. The other Sith would feel the words in his mind more than hear them: a shared thought. Almost on cue, something crumbled down the way. It sounded like stone on stone as if something had caused a very small rock slide. Varyn's hand reached back and brushed against the saber hilt that was now in his hand.

Then whatever it was was gone. Like a shadow disappearing into further darkness. It was as if it was a horribly twisted creature - or creatures. Almost humanoid, but certainly not human... he wasn't even sure they were sentient. But the two Sith had nothing to do but move forward, so he did. He took the first step after the monster, saber hilt clutched tightly in his hand even amidst the darkness. @Denzein