Ask The Byss Tower

[Iymril]

Byss l Death Enabled​

Byss was a planet shrouded in the unknown. The system itself was based around a dimming star with hyperspace routes being difficult to plot due to the ever shifting gravity wells from black holes in the surrounding systems. Arriving here had required all of the Sith to utilize the Force to guide their vessel through Hyperspace. It had been taxing but they’d made it.

Iymril stepped off their ship and onto a world that wasn’t what they’d expected on the surface level. Byss wasn’t chaotic, it wasn’t a desert world nor was it a frozen hellscape. Its landscape wasn’t filled with aggressive fauna and flora. Instead, the world was idyllic to the extreme and next to untouched by the larger galaxy.

It would likely be a haven from the rest of the civilized worlds…if it wasn’t for one thing. The insidious presence of the Dark Side. Byss itself was corrupted to the core. The world was rumored to have been the cause of so many black holes throughout the deepest parts of the deep core sector. With the ever present hunger Iymril felt, they were beginning to wonder how true those rumors are.

“Acolytes.” The Sephi stated to their charges. “Whatever occurs outside of this ship, you are not to trust it.” They explained. “Follow no voices. Ignore all thoughts of separating from the group. And keep your mind focused on why we are here.” The Sith instructed.

With that said, Iymril’s eyes turned to regard the only man-made structure on Byss, the Tower. That was their goal. The treasure trove of ancient secrets would be theirs and the power it brought would only serve to accelerate their rise to true power.

And so the first steps were taken.

@Phoenix @LouJoVi

 

[Corra]

Corra had done everything in her power to get in good with Champion Iymril. Their interests very much aligned and she had signed up for multiple Sign Casting classes already despite the fact that she was relatively well-trained in it. At least for an Acolyte.

The opportunity to go to Byss and perhaps be noticed was also one that she couldn't pass up on. As was her wont, she hit the archives to learn everything she could, but in truth it seemed mostly made up of rumors and legends. Generally, it seemed like when that happened it meant "a bunch of bad news."

Of course, she agreed, nodding her head in agreement. Yeah, because I never hear any voices, she thought to herself. Granted, those voices that she heard were more often from her dreams, but still. She didn't doubt she'd be hearing something today.

As was the way with so many of these Champion-led, Acolyte missions was not really know the plan.

Have you been here before? she asked. There was a deep darkness that still lingered here despite everything that had happened over the years. This place was stained with the Dark Side, it's quiet calling hungry gnawing at her chest. The "what-if" lingering in her mind.

 

[Chasdrym Tlin'yth]

It was no secret to the people in the Academy that Chasdrym was a devout follower of the noble art of potion making. He could spend hours silently taking notes during classes and practicing his abilities. However, the Sephi had a hunger for knowledge that needed to be sated, with potion classes not being enough.

Due to that, in a similar way to Corra, Chasdrym had also signed up to all classes offered by Champion Iymril. Sign Casting classes offered to him a new range of experiences and power that could be very useful. Especially to someone like him, who didn’t trust his lightsaber skills alone in a fight.

When the opportunity to travel to Byss appeared, Chasdrym immediately accepted it. The planet was little known, but the rumors that he heard talked about knowledge of the Dark Side being hidden here. His preliminary searches came out with nothing besides anecdotal reports. However, if Iymril believed that there was something important there, the rumors probably were true.

The older Sephi wasn’t the type to go running after fairy tales.

“Understood, sir.” Chasdrym said, after Iymril finished explaining what they should do. While he wasn’t hearing voices, the Acolyte could feel how the Darkness was covering everything around them and seemed to call for his attention. He ignored it, preferring to look at the tower in the distance, a neutral look at his face.

The knowledge stored there must be espetacular.

@Apollyon @Phoenix

 

[Iymril]

Iymril didn’t speak at first, in fact they barely heard Corra’s question. However, after a moment it did register in their mind. They Sephi allowed their gaze to cascade down to the smaller human girl. There was a moment where they simply gazed at her without speaking.

“No.” They replied. “I think we might be the first off-worlders to step foot here in a very long time.” Iymril told her.

They didn’t know too much about the young girl. She was from a Sith family and held a great interest in the arcane. She’d taken a few of their classes and did rather well, it was that keen intellect of her’s that got her accepted for this mission.

Acolyte Tlin’yth on the other hand, Iymril had worked with him on Manaan. The Sephi youth was respectful, cunning, and showed promise. They had made the short list for this endeavor early on without any real hesitation.

Iymril was relatively confident in the capabilities of both Acolytes. They were smart enough to be cautious and not blunder into potentially lethal situations. Or that’s what Iymril hoped at least.

“This Dark Jedi conducted various alchemical and sorcerous experiments within this tower.” Iymril began as the trio reached the footsteps of the structure. “It is possible that the descendants of those experiments still lurk within its halls.” They cautioned. “It’s just as possible that their spirit haunts this place as well.” Iymril’s eyes flicked between the two.

With that Iymril guided them up the sixty-six steps to the where the tower’s door should be. Instead, there was a wall where a door normally sat. Iymril’s eyebrow quirked slightly as they surveyed the wall.

On its surface were a trio of images carved into the surface. The first of which showed an Arkanian Dragon flying overhead a small village with a large stone nearby. The second showed the dragon as it looked down on the village from its perch on the stone, there was a small hole near the dragon’s mouth. The final image showed the village burning and the dragon flying away.

Written above the mural was a script, written in a language that seemed to shift and squirm on its own. That was likely the instructions to solving this puzzle.

“Look for clues, Acolytes.” Iymril told the pair of them as they approached the door and began to try and translate the inscription.

@Phoenix @LouJoVi

 

[Corra]

Corra listened closely to the dangers they would face, actually thinking back to the mission she had accompanied Vossari on. It didn't feel so much different from that.

She noted that he said "Dark Jedi" and not Sith, and she found herself wondering if this place dated back to the Jedi Exiles and the Andrastian era. If that was the case... then it would be an astounding find. A true treasure if they found a spirit preserved here after all that time.

She shouldn't get too hopeful.

As she looked at the carvings and the dragons set into the stone there was an unbidden memory of a man-dragon-man song she had seen on the holonet when she was a kid. Wow, not a helpful memory.

She glanced over to the other two with her almost as if she thought someone was going to hear her silly thoughts, but even the professors weren't that good. Another Acolyte certainly wasn't. It was fine.

She made her way up to the twisting letters, and although she hadn't seen precisely this before, she thought it seemed... a bit familiar.

I think I've seen something like this before, she said, head tilting to the side as her mind tried to pull back to what she had seen in the necronomicon.

She went on to explain what she could from her knowledge (13/20).

Breathe... the wrath the dragon lacks... and... all can be made clear... or... or maybe "shall" be made clear, she said, squinting up at the words as they seemed to try to rearrange even as she read them.

@Apollyon @LouJoVi

 

[Chasdrym Tlin'yth]

Chasdrym listened to Iymril explain what could be waiting for them inside the tower. His face remained stoic during the entire time, but he was wondering if these descendants could die with poison and what types would affect them. His rings were on his fingers, he only needed the opportunity.

Perhaps, after they had the place under control, the Champion would allow him to study how the surviving experiments would react to different types of toxins. Obviously, the Sephi would think about this possibility later. His focus was on their mission and the secrets that they were going to discover and the possibility of facing a spirit of a Dark Jedi.

Unfortunately, in their case his poisons would have no effect.

After they arrived at the end of the stairs, the three Sith came to face a wall with some type of carvings on it. Chasdrym stared at it with a neutral expression, but internally he was wondering how they were going to enter inside it, because there was no visible door. With Iymril’s orders, the Acolyte went to look around.

Like Corra, his attention went direct to the words that seemed to rearrange themselves. He spent some moments thinking about what she had said, trying to make sense out of it.

The young Sephi turned to the carving at the walls. “Perhaps it’s something related to the hole in the dragon’s mouth? Breathe the wrath that the dragon lacks, there is no fire in this image. However, in the next one the village is burning.” he waited for Iymril to give their opinion. After all, they were the authority here and nothing should be made without their orders.

@Apollyon @Phoenix

 

[Iymril]

Iymril was impressed by the Acolytes, who seemed to have solved the puzzle together. Or at least there was a proposed solution to the problem. However, neither of them actually moved to test their theory. The Sephi’s ears flicked and tilted back slightly in irritation.

“Initiative Acolytes.” They stated in a monotone voice. “You seize it in our world and prove your worth or you become another faceless and forgotten pawn.” Iymril told them before stepping forward.

They opened the palm of their hand and channeled the Force into a singular point at its center. Heat built until a mote of flame suddenly blinked to life in the air just above their skin. Iymril took a breath and blew into the flame. A gout of fire burned towards and into the hole in the stone.

Once the fire had been blown completely into the stone, there was a few seconds of silence. Iymril was about to tell the pair to go back to the drawing board when the stones slowly grew molten. They melted away and onto the floor, leaving an entry way that Iymril had to duck to walkthrough.

What lay beyond was an inky blackness that seemed to devour even the light that flowed into it. There was a deafening silence that snuffed out sounds even as they flowed into the chamber beyond. The stench of countless eons of stagnation coursed out to meet the trio. It caused even the Sephi to crinkle their nose slightly.

“Excellent work translating the runes Acolyte Corra.” Iymril stated without looking back. “Good job solving the puzzle Acolyte Tlin’yth.” They continued. “Next time be sure to test your theories yourself to claim the credit.”

With that Iymril would duck to slip into the darkness beyond, vanishing almost immediately from the sight of the Acolytes once they’d entered.

What Iymril found beyond was a massive waiting chamber. There was no set of stairs or elevator. Instead there were two patches of reflective liquids on the floor. When Iymril looked into the first pool, the substance didn’t show their face or the ceiling beyond but another faintly lit room. There was the flicker of electricity across ancient constructs and low lit green flames on sconces. In the second puddle, there was nothing but darkness.

“Fascinating.” They muttered as they reached into the first puddle.

There was a moment where nothing happened. Then suddenly Iymril was jerked into the liquid and vanished from sight into the room beyond. Now within the room was clearly a long hallway with several malfunctioning jail cells. Some of which were somehow still occupied by things.

@Phoenix @LouJoVi

 

[Corra]

Even if she hadn't been the one to actually test the theory herself, Corra was still going to count it as a win. They had made it inside, and she looked to the darkness ahead. She knew there was no "trusting" the other two here, but she hoped they were at least all of one mind and goal.

She started looking around the anteroom, mostly keeping her hands to herself as she poked around the room, jumping slightly in start when the Professor was pulled into the liquid.


What the kriff! she practically squealed, no doubt to receive some flat statement in response.

Did the Professor just... get sucked in there?! she said, moving over to look into the "room" beyond. Yes, he was... in there. It seemed.

What the kriff, she silently mouthed to herself before taking a deep breath and taking the "plunge" through, now wondering to herself where the other pool led. Maybe they had to activate it somehow.

She could tell there were things in the cells still, so she went about trying to find a way to reseal the cells. If not that, then manually closing them so that they would lock up again and keep... whatever was inside on the inside. Because nothing that could live in a prison cell for thousands of years was something she wanted to meet on an uneven footing.

She fought back the rising fear within her, trying not to panic and start screaming and running, which was still not entirely off of the table. Not very Sith-like but name something more Sithy than staying alive.

@LouJoVi @Apollyon

 

[Chasdrym Tlin'yth]

Chasdrym had watched Iymril use the pyrokinesis to open the door, exactly in the way that the young Sephi had described. He would take the Champion’s counsel and would test his theories next time. However, he would still be careful when taking the lead, like he was at the moment.

After all, the older Sephi didn’t even think about the possibility of that door having a trap, something that was common in ancient buildings. It also didn’t occur to them that Chasdrym didn’t act because he feared starting a possible trap and suffering with it.

When the door melted, they were finally able to enter the building. Like Iymril, Chasdrym had to duck to pass through the entrance and soon saw the complete darkness that waited for them. He had the impression that the sun rays that entered through the opening were completely consumed by the dark.

It was poetic. A place where light comes to die, but the three were Sith.

He saw Iymril disappear inside a pool of some liquid that he couldn’t identify. If Chasdrym was a human, he would have squealed like Corra. However, the sight of his professor disappearing only made his ears fold slightly, which for a Sephi meant that he was concerned.

“It seems so.” he answered with his typical neutral tone, but Corra had already jumped in the pool. What was happening with these people? Why don't they try to understand where they were going to jump before they did it? Were they suicidal? For a moment, Chasdrym wondered about going back to the ship and leaving the two as lost in action.

If it wasn’t for the slightest chance that they could return and kill him, Chasdrym would have done it.

The Sephi jumped inside the liquid, reappearing in a room that looked like some type of prison. It was full of cells and he could see that there were creatures inside them. And the cells were with their doors malfunctioning. “The descendants of the experiments, fascinating.” he whispered, while looking at the things.

He could see how some of the creatures looked ancient, they seemed to be sick and skin was falling from their bodies. However, others looked young, as if they were born some months ago. It could only mean that someone was still doing experiments. Chasdrym wasn't going to think about it for now. He had to find the others.

They couldn't be so far away in that hallway.

@Apollyon @Phoenix

 

[Iymril]

Iymril heard the pair of Acolytes follow them into this new room with a sickeningly wet slopping pop. The Sephi was still brushing the silvery mucus from themself as the Acolytes no doubt, gathered themselves as well. The Sephi would occasionally pause to glance into a holding cell, each was filled with a fresh horror that intrigued the burgeoning alchemist.

One held a vaguely humanoid shape that laid on a duracrete cot. Every time the creature exhaled, a small cloud of gnawing insects would escape from their parted lips. The bugs would chew at the creatures flesh and begin devouring it, only to be sucked back into it's lungs on the next inhale. The beast's flesh was reknitted and restored for the consumptive flies to devour on it's next breath. Iymril saw countless possibilities such an adaptation could be utilized for, internally, it made them giddy.

The next cell held a figure that's appearance and sex seemed to maddeningly shift depending on the angle of the viewer. Creating a illusion that clouded or muddled the creature's true appearance. However, this effect seemed to cause psychological fractures within it, the creature babbled incoherently. It was too wrapped in the mindlessness of countless identities being birthed and dying at every glance. This too had such amazing potential if perfected and utilized properly.

However, as the Sephi continued down the line of cells on either side of the hall, something became painfully clear. Some of these experiments were new. There were some cells that held unchanged captives within. Iymril saw hope flicker into the eyes of these tortured souls as they rushed towards soundproof transparisteel windows. They pounded in vain on their cell doors, begging for something.

However, a teenage human boy locked his eyes on Corra. He repeated something slowly over and over. There wasn't hope in his expression, that had died long ago. Instead, there was terror. There was hate. And there was reverence.

Iymril saw none of this. The baseline subjects held very little interest for them. Instead, they approached a series of data terminals linked to an ancient holoprojector. The Sephi began to work on one of the terminals until a heavy distorted image of a being appeared on the projector. Their voice was heavily distorted and spoke in what might be a code, a purposefully distorted message of some sort. Iymril's brow furrowed as they listened to each word the being said.

"Ukpeg ftkpmkpi vjg Ftcwijv qh Wpnkhg, oa wpfgtuvcpfkpi qh vjg Fctm Ukfg jcu itqyp. K jcxg dgiwp crrnakpi vjg oquv uweeguuhwn qh oa cfcrvcvkqpu vq oa qyp hnguj. K yknn dgeqog vjg rgthgev dgkpi. K yknn dgeqog c Iqf."

"The Ks are Is." Iymril mused aloud as they began to try and decode the message themself.

@Phoenix @LouJoVi

 

[Corra]

Corra quickly began to understand that as dangerous as the things down here were, they weren't a threat at present. Perhaps they would or could be later, but at the moment, they had no interest or means to attack the Sith.

Still, the horrors and abominations here were momentarily shocking to the young Sith. She who had read of such vile twisting and had certainly pursued dark knowledge... she found it a bit different to actually be face to face with it.

Not that it caused her to pull away. After the initial horror had subsided, that darker, scholarly part of her mind began to work, consumed with thoughts of what it all meant and how it could be used. The people ceased to be people and became puzzles.

She heard Iymril mention the initial clue to the puzzle, and she didn't ask "how" she just got to work, pulling out her EZPhone and beginning the translation.

Since, she said, translating the first word before realizing there were definitely more adept ways at doing this, and swapping over to a different tab on her EZPhone.

Since drinking the Draught of Unlife, my understanding of the Dark Side has grown. I have begun applying the most successful of my adaptations to my own flesh. I will become the perfect being. I will become a God, she finally read after another few moments.

Well... that's... not self-destructive, she said. If she was going to have to be the life of the party, she would be. Someone had to make up for the collective lack of emotion.

@Apollyon @LouJoVi

 

[Chasdrym Tlin'yth]

Chasdrym studied the creatures in the cells. They didn’t seem to want to attack them, at least for now. However, the Sephi would still be careful, just in case they changed their mind and suddenly decided that the presence of the Sith wasn’t welcome anymore.

He could recognize some of the species that were used to make the creatures. Most of them were sentient. The Sephi wondered how their ‘maker’ had the resources to collect them if Byss remained isolated from the Galaxy. The fact that there were some specimens that looked recent showed that whoever was behind it still had access to new samples.

“There are new specimens here. We need to be careful, there are still experiments being made.” Chasdrym said with his neutral voice, shortly before an image appeared in one of the terminals that Iymril had been trying to activate. He had no idea of what it was saying at first, but could understand that some letters could be replaced by others, such as the Ks for Is that the older Sephi mentioned.

In the end, Corra was the one that translated it. The Sephi wasn’t surprised when it sounded like a megalomaniacal declaration. “I have the impression his person is probably some type of monstrosity that survived centuries because of that Draught of Unlife.” he wondered what it was, perhaps some type of liquor from the depths of Byss? Like that stuff from the Nightsisters?

@Apollyon @Phoenix