Ask Moraband The Forgotten Ones

Ashla Ti

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Temple of the Forgotten One, Moraband

Ashla had learned that Sith, in general, were not easy to track down. And the higher up the ladder of power you climbed, the harder it became. She had been seeking an audience with this particular Sith for some time now, and a great deal of effort, luck, and stubborn refusal to take no for an answer had finally brought her here. The Marauder she had bribed, with almost half a year's worth of her stipend, had finally come through. She pitied the man, reduced to begging for scraps, a poor imitation of what a Sith should be. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't use him to get what she wanted.

She walked with purpose through the halls of the Temple. They had told her he was inside, but no had technically told her to leave him alone, and she wasn't letting this chance slip by. They said fortune favored the bold, and she was about to put it to the test. Round a corner she spotted the man she had been searching for, a smile coming unbidden to her face at finally achieving that goal. She was sure he already sensed her presence, even if she had tried to she was unlikely to succeed in hiding herself from one such as him. So she continued walking, coming to a stop a dozen or so feet from him.

"Lord Stolas," when she didn't feel herself suffocating to death for the intrusion she continued, "I learned that you were seeking the Orb of the Forgotten One." She reached back to the bag hanging at her waist, and pulled out a metallic orb from within. She had heard a story from long ago about the Sith Lord putting acolytes to the test, sending them out to seek artifacts for him. And from there he had chosen his last apprentice. So she had taken the initiative to seek out something else he might want, in the hopes of getting what she wanted.

Stepping forward she knelt before him, offering the orb to him as she did. "I won't waste your time, I didn't find the orb out of my own interest." She looked up then, locking gazes with him. "I have neither the knowledge to know what secrets it holds, nor the strength to unlock them. But what I do have is the desire to learn, and the determination to not give up. Teach me, and I will not disappoint you."

The cadre had taught her a lot, but being tactful or eloquent wasn't one of them. Blunt and to the point was the only way how she knew how to do this, and having spent half her saving hunting down that orb, and the rest on bribes, this was probably going to be her only shot. No point half-assing it at this point, she just had play to her strengths, which in this matter meant being frank about why she was here.

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Aadya Rasheer

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Aadya had never been to this temple before. Hell, she'd never even been to Moraband before. Not very Sith like but then again, there was much about Aadya Rasheer that wasn't very Sith. During those quiet times when one couldn't keep their mind from wading into thoughts that were best left buried she sometimes wondered what exactly Darth Stolas saw in her to make her worth of his apprenticeship. They were fleeting thoughts, sure, but they were there.

Standing behind one of the massive pillars that ran up and down each side of the chamber they were in, Aadya ran her fingers over deep etchings that were made long ago. Inside, safe from the elements, their reliefs were still deep and easy to read.

Wotok tsawakmidwanottoi, yuntok hyarutmidwanottoi. She pronounced the words out loud slowly, and barely above a whisper. Aadya had only begun studying the old Sith languages recently, but the translations weren't that hard to remember.

One to embody power, the other to crave it.

Another voice, one she didn't recognize, pulled Aadya's attention away from the pillar immediately. The stranger's tone was even, calculated. Not rehearsed though, just.. hollow. The shadow of confidence that clung to them did not match the words that were spoken.

Aadya's eyes narrowed to slits when the stranger finally got the point. Not with jealousy but with suspicion, or maybe that was just the lie she was going to tell herself. Unclipping her lightsaber from her side, Aadya's fingers curled around its hilt tightly, though she did not ignite the blade.

She stepped from the shadows of the pillar, her expression hard and unflinching, like it was carved from marble. It was not her place to intercede on Morgan's behalf but it would take only the slightest indication from the Darth and that would change. Though, even her silence was venomous.

One to embody power, two to crave it.


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Darth Stolas

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More than he had in a long time Morgan tended toward different forms of meditation. He even visited Old Sith planets sometimes- other than Korriban, which he avoided for several good reasons- in order to work through the hurricane of things going on in his head at any given time. The Drast method of Force use required emotional understanding that recent events had disrupted.

So there he was, sitting in an old temple with no one willing to get too close. Stolas had a reputation for general honesty, honorability, and being fairly reasonable. His unpredictable temper and fickle nature were also known, which meant him being moody kept people away.

Ashla was right, of course. Stolas knew she was here. He could hear her footsteps and sense her presence. While the Firrerreo's eyes were clearly closed, sitting on a floor cushion in his distinctive robes, the Togrutan girl would feel the heavy weight of being closely watched.

His eyes, bright gold with half-slit pupils, opened lazily above an expression of mild curiosity when she mentioned being taught. They passed over the acolyte, then the orb. Dark brows slightly rose as they spoke, a grin slowly forming on the Firrerreo's face with razor fangs flashing in the dim lighting. Stolas' left hand rose and the Orb was called to it to more closely examine.


"Straightforward, aren't you?" he commented conversationally, golden eyes gazing straight into Ashla's. The orb was placed in his lap, hand laying lazily across. He didn't really care how she'd gotten it, but apparently she had the will to do so solely for a chance to talk to Stolas and, potentially, be rejected. How fun.

"I already have a student, you know." Aadya's presence was noted subtly, a slight tilt of Morgan's head as if he was listening in her direction. She didn't give off 'in a good mood' vibes either though for entirely different reasons. Slender fingers rose to wave Aadya over to himself, patting the mat next to his cushion. The grin never faded.

"Tell me about yourself. An introduction would be a good start, no?"


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Ashla Ti

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Ashla did not react when the orb left her hand and floated to the Sith Lord, ignoring the other presence she felt and then saw in the chamber as she kept her attention on Stolas. She had already known she was putting her life on the line by intruding on a Sith Lord like this, so anyone else being present did not really change much in that regard. It was Stolas who would decide her fate, so for the moment she kept her attention on him.

But when he mentioned that he already had a student, and gestured for Aadya to join him Ashla's gaze went to the woman and would follow her as she joined the Sith Lord. She had not come here with the intention of usurping her position, but she also knew that there was no reason for the woman to thing anything but that. So she ignored any animosity she felt from her, and knowing that she could do little to placate the woman at present she instead brought her attention back to Stolas.

"My name," she began in response to the request to introduce herself, "is Ashla Ti. That is the name I gave myself, for I do not know the name I was born with. I was four when I was taken from my home, and raised in a Cadre. A little over a year ago my cadre discovered that our cadre master was using us to drive his own greed, and so we killed him." She paused then, unsure how he would react to that statement. It was not something she had shared with many, after all he had been a Sith, and sharing the truth meant admitting to killing one. But she very much doubted that she could keep this truth from Stolas.

"My loyalties lie with the Sith, not with any one man or woman. No matter who they might be." The last bit was more than a little insolent, almost admitting that if it ever came to choosing between him or the Sith, she would always choose the Sith. But it was who she was. The Cadre might have been misguided, but it had instilled in her an undying loyalty to the Sith above everything else. And if he was the man she thought he was, he would already know to expect nothing else.

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Aadya Rasheer

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Aadya moved to her position next to Darth Stolas swiftly, with long strides and silent steps. Even though the stranger's attention was focused on her master, Aadya's never waivered from Ashla; expression never changing, and her eyes unblinking.

She took her seat as requested, crossing her legs underneath herself as she sat down. Aadya placed her lightsaber on the ground in front of her, the hilt clinking softly on the stone floor. It was not a threat or an establishment of dominance, it was simply stating facts without having to speak.

The last comment from Ashla almost made Aadya audibly laugh, but the young acolyte was able to maintain her composure. Well, almost - the faintest hint of a smile found its way to her lips, though it probably appeared more as a condescending smirk than anything else.

Your loyalties lie with an Order that considers you insignificant. Aadya said. The words came out of her mouth quietly, almost like a hiss, but extremely clear. You still proudly wear the shackles of those who created everything you are, the ones who manipulated and used you. Why? Despite the curiosity, Aadya's tone was venomous and hostile.

She may have taken a step out of place for her position, but Stolas had never punished her for speaking her mind. Aadya doubted that he would suddenly change his mind about it now; though, there was always the smallest part of her that feared he would.


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Darth Stolas

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Stolas possessed some knowledge of the Cadre garnered from various sources, piecemeal clues he'd strung together over time. It was one of the few groups that Morgan felt he hated. Not those it took and forged into weapons, soldiers to be used and discarded, but the masters who did the forging. The kind of person he was, he might not have cared so much if not for one specific soldier.

Dark brows lowered at the word 'Cadre', then rose slightly when Aadya sat, metal hilt making the slightest sound while touching down on the stone ground. Golden eyes stared directly across the way toward- into, through- the Cadre child. Killing one's master wasn't an uncommon sentiment among the Sith and Morgan's reaction appeared mild, a slight rightward tilt of the head. The more Cadre masters died horribly, in fact, the better. Besides, he'd killed other Sith as an acolyte. It was the way of things.


"You did not choose your path." Stated simply and matter-of-fact. Barely worth saying, perhaps, but worth hearing aloud. "Yet, still you walk." Then Aadya had her own commentary to add, voicing a question similar to what Morgan would've asked himself. It was a pertinent question.

Still, below the range of human hearing, a second's softest growl. Warning, not anger. She and Stolas had a certain level of casual openness between them. However, in this moment she was walking a fine line. Aadya knew she could speak her mind. The sound was only a reminder not to take it beyond words.

Morgan's brows rose toward Ashla and he gestured vaguely toward Aadya at his side. It was a good question.


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Ashla Ti

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"I am insignificant." Having let the silence linger for a while, she finally answered, her eyes on Stolas, though her words answered Aadya as well. "I am too weak to break free of those shackles. But while I might still wear the shackles, they don't weigh me down, they challenge me. To strive against them, to overcome them."

Her eyes briefly drifted to Aadya, curious to see her reaction, before returning to Stalos once more. "I was raised on a lie, but within that lie there was the mote of a truth. I walk this path because I seek that truth, the true meaning of being Sith. The Order that created me might not have been the one that I raised to believe in, but I believed in it. And I still do." She paused for a moment, wondering how brave, how foolish, it would be to say what was on her mind. But she had talked this path so far, hiding what was on her mind or lying about it would be a step back.

"The weak don't get to decide how they die. But till I die I will walk down this path to grow stronger, and seek the truth I believe in. And if the Sith aren't what I believed in then I'll make them so, or die trying."

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Aadya Rasheer

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She'd heard it, the whispered thunder of a growl from Stolas, but she did not steal a glance towards him to acknowledge it. Her ears had twitched ever so slightly, so he would know that she had, but for just a few eternal seconds Aadya considered ignoring her master's warning.

Her skin shimmered with the faintest of silver, a clear indication to anyone familiar with Firrerreo that a slag of rage boiled in her gut. It faded as Aadya finally exhaled, not having realized she had been holding her breath, jaw clenched tightly, back teeth grinding. She answered Stolas with her own murmured snarl. Concession to his warning, however acrimonious her tone.

I know what it is like to search for meaning. Was all she said, her tone still icy, but with rage subsided to a low boil. Aadya understood seeking truth no matter the cost. It's that search that had lead her to where she was right now, and despite still wanting to rip Ashla's spine out, it felt hypocritical to pretend like she didn't.

Truth be told, Aadya wasn't sure what her place was in this scenario. So for now, she would say no more. Her gaze would stay locked on Ashla, though it had softened ever so slightly.


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Darth Stolas

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Aadya's begrudging response to his warning was met with approval. Or at least he didn't have any further warning to give, which for Morgan was essentially the same thing. Rather he listened to the Togrutan acolyte's answer. Words and phrasing were habitually picked apart to some degree.

Stolas had no comment on anything Ashla said for what might seem a very long time, in truth only a few seconds of absolute silence. The Firrerreo's expression was pensively contemplative. Ashla's general attitude over certain things was vaguely familiar. Morgan didn't feel like thinking about whether or not that had any influence on a decision to teach the girl, but it wasn't a non-zero chance.


"There are as many answers to your question as there have ever been Sith," Morgan said evenly. He stood lazily from his seated position, bringing the orb up with him palmed in his right hand, turned around, and unceremoniously began to walk further into the temple. The Firrerreo headed toward a lantern-lit alcove that lead to a set of downward stairs. Below their present room was an ancient ritual room that required the orb now in his possession to fully unlock.

He neither told them to stay where they were, nor to follow.


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Ashla Ti

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Ashla, not as familiar with Firrerreo physiology as some, noticed Aadya's skin shimmer but ignored it as a simple trick of the light. She did though acknowledge Aadya's response with a nod, before turning her attention back to Stolas. She waited, for moments that seemed to drag, for the Sith Lord to respond. When he finally spoke she was just glad it wasn't to turn her away. Given the circumstances this was probably the best she could hope for.

As he rose and began walking, Ashla followed him with her eyes as he made for an illuminated alcove and vanished beyond. Wondering what to do next, she jumped to her feet and followed. She wasn't sure if she was meant to follow, but being bold had brought her this far, might as well let it see how far it would take her.

OOC: sorry for short post, brain running on empty.
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Aadya Rasheer

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Aadya stood shortly after Stolas, rising to her feet gracefully and without sound. Her lightsaber floated lazily through the air and back into her hand, Aadya clipping it back in its place. She waited for Ashla to move, wondering if the girl would hesitate or follow her instincts. She was satisfied when it appeared to be the latter.

Following behind Ashla, Aadya watched the girl. Her gait, her posture, her aura all said said more than any words possibly could. You could learn much from the things that people didn't say, the unconscious way they acted, held themselves. It was something Aadya never really understood until she had met Stolas. It was perhaps his most important lesson.

As they entered the ritual room, Aadya raised her eyebrow questioningly, wondering what Stolas had in mind for them here. The Darth was never very forthcoming with his plans, something that vexed her to no end. For now, she remained quiet, though Ashla would be able to feel the calming of Aadya's aura - the murderous intent that had been so evident before fading into something much less.

Looking to her master, Aadya tilted her head questioningly, eyebrow raising in expectation.


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