The Rite of the Long Dead: A Sith Magic theory lesson

[Pureblood-Sin]

Once more, as it had done ever since the universe breathed its first, the desert wind echoed through the Valley of the Dark Lords. Within the entrance of Ajunta Pall's tomb, it seemed to resonate with the voices of the Sith Lords who's bones have been buried here in an age long past. Kneeling in the entrance to such a place, Sin'ryk's unseeing, glyph-tattooed eyes seemed to focus on the area before him; anticipating the arrival of his next batch of students. Truly, it had been a long time since he last taught within the Tomb of the first Jen'ari; in fact, it felt as though it had been a lifetime since he had last taught at all...his sojourn as a 'guest' of the Jedi had made this so. Now, sat within the ruins of ancient glory, the Red Sith fancied himself an even more bizarre sight then before. His waist-length hair was completely unbound; the crimson tresses were caught within the otherworldly breeze. Then it would come to the tattoos that marked every inch of his flesh; marked accordingly to flow with the contours of his physique and bony ridges, one could only see them on his face, his flesh hand and the synth-flesh skin of his new prosthetic's fingers.

Once more, the Arcanist would be paving the way for his students to begin their studies in the realm of Sith Magic. Reflecting as he sat there, he pondered many things; why the students wished to study the art, whether they'd continue its study...and if they had the gift for it. The art was its own niche, one that has been carved out in a legacy with blood and madness as the instruments of creation. With the revelations Sin'ryk had in mind, he wondered if his students had the mental fortitude for it...many were the insane aspiring Sorcerers that he had to put down in the past; either broken by their own workings, or have fallen victim to a Sith spirit that ripped their souls from their flesh in seeking to occupy it. Only time will tell whether or not such a thing would come to pass.

 

[mrj9797]

Tyn swung his saber towards TZ-92C's head. As usual, the droid parried it and, to Tyn's surprise, grabbed his shoulders and flipped over him landing back to back with Tyn. TZ-92C then pivoted on his foot and swung his training saber to Tyn's left side. Tyn, who was caught by surprise, blocked franticly and ended up catching the blade with the handle of his saber staff. The Kel Dor grimaced as he felt the heat of the training saber only a few centimeters from his hands. He dived away from TZ-92C. Tumbling onto the Korriban sands, he came to a stop and quickly turned around and sent the droid flying with a blast of kinetic force energy. Panting, he got to his feet prepared to move in for a finishing blow but was surprised when his holodisk beeped. TZ-92C had gotten to his feet and had retracted the blade of his training saber."You need to work on your defence master. In a real fight I would have sliced right through the handle and continued straight on to your heart." Tyn looked distracted for a moment and then looked up from the hologram being projected from the disk in his hands.

"I know." He pocketed the holodisk and stowed his training saber in a satchel that was resting on a rock nearby and removed his real saber lightsaber and fixed it to his belt.

"Where are you going master?"

"I think that's about it for now. I have a class I need to get too."

"Ah, master Sin'ryk's magic theory class. Do be careful. I hear that Sith magic can be a little ummm..." The droid searched his language centers for the right word. "...Straining on the mind."

"Thanks, mom." Tyn chuckled and walked towards the tomb of Ajunta Pall leaving TZ-92C with his astromech droid, R9-J2. TZ-92C sighed and then turned to the nearby astromech.

"R9, are you as worried as I am that he's going to do something reckless?" The droid beeped in response. "Well I know he has had experience training with the force since childhood but the magic of the Sith is a far cry from what he was taught under the Baron Do sages." The droid gave a long low beep. "Careful driver? What does podracing have to do with Sith magic?" The R9-J2 made sequence of several high chirps and then continued on fiddling with electronical equipment. TZ-92C threw his hands up in frustration. "I give up." The training droid sat down on a rock. R9-J2 bumped into the training droid playfully and gave another series of beeps. “That’s not funny R9.”

Tyn looked back at his two droids bickering and chuckled to himself. He had bought the training droid from R&D recently and so far, he and R9-J2 seemed unable to get along. He Turned his attention to the tomb of Ajunta Pall. It would be nice to work on his force powers seeing as TZ-92C was better suited to training saber forms than force abilities. TZ-92C was right though, he shouldn’t do anything reckless in his pursuit of power. Tyn thought back to the training he underwent with the Baron Do sages. It all felt like ancient history now. They had taught him many things but little of it was applicable to his new career as a Sith. Looking up at the sky, he channeled to force in the way they taught him. Reading the energy in the atmosphere, he decided that it was going to rain soon, a rare occurrence on Korriban. Tyn neared Ajunta Pall’s tomb and noticed master Sin’ryk. He took a moment to take in the energies of the tomb and then approached Sin’ryk and knelt on one knee.

“Acolyte Tyn Ploon reporting for instruction Master.”

 

[Xylonic]

xylonic made his way to the tomb of a junta pall where he would learn the basics of sith magic from a teacher he knee little about. xylonic was always careful when dealing with new people especially people who were fellow sith because it was only natural that the sith betray each other, but xylonic didnt really feel he really needed to worry about this class and besides it would be a great thing to learn besides practicing his lightsaber forms for a whole day. xylonic had been to other tombs on korriban before but they were the tombs of lesser with and this would be his first time traveling to a tomb that was the burial ground of an ancient sith lord. when he came apon the entrance he noticed the teach and continued walking towards him. xylonic was clad in his regular red and black robes that resembled the look of the dread guard who once served under the powerful dread masters. on his belt was his lightsaber. xylonic bowed to the teacher and spoke "greetings I'm acolyte xylonic and i am here to attend your class"

 

[Anaya Wickstrome]

Korriban. Home of the Sith and holy ground for those who wish to understand the dark side of the Force. There is much that one could learn here.

Much to learn, if you could deal with the heat and sand.

Acolyte Anaya Wickstrome made her way across the dusty fields outside the Tomb of Ajunta Pall, her light and airy dress billowing out behind her as the bright yellows and dark blues reflect the midday sun. The dress certainly made her stick out like a sore thumb amongst the black and red wearing acolytes nearby but that didn't seem to bother her much, not when her personal comfort was at stake. Her hair was pulled behind one ear and secured with a silver clasp in the shape of a small desert scorpion while cinching her wide hips and holding the outfit together is a broad strip of bright red cloth, a gold chain wrapped around the outside of this cloth holds an ornate lightsaber.

Rounding the corner and jogging up the short stone steps leading up to the tomb Anaya finally reaches the entrance and comes face to face with her instructor, a tall intimidating looking man of Sith descent. Immediately dipping into a low bow and putting a hand on her lightsaber to keep it from swinging she introduces herself.

"Acolyte Anaya Wickstrome here to serve and learn from you Master."

 

[Taz]

It had only been a few weeks sense he was stranded with three other acolytes on Sarka. All that transpired seem still in a hazing fog of his mind. However the hybrid did not have the time to rest. The winds of a changing storm were on the horizon. The cold war between the Sith, the empire and all who opposed it was coming to an end. One needed to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to sense it.

These were thoughts for another time. The task at hand was knowledge. Virion was headed to the tomb of a long dead Sith to learn from yet another Sith. The irony was not lost on the young man. However there were few if any among the living who knew the dark arts better then Master Sin. As a child, Virion learned bits and pieces of Sith alchemy but nothing compared to what would be possible under the guide of a real pure blooded Sith.

The young man made his way to the tomb. As always he walked ready for battle. His armor and weapons ever ready. As he approached the meeting spot, the hybrid took his place among the other acolytes. "Virion Morrak here to learn Master", speaking with a clam voice before bowing to the Sith Arcanist.

 

[Sierrien]

This was not the sort of training that Lairiel had grown used to. She had mostly been focusing on learning how to actually use her saber effectively and on her core force powers, because to build upon her powers she first needed to shore up her foundation. Recent events with the Empress had shown her that she didn't have to time to work her way up slowly through the ranks of power. No, it was time to grab at whatever power she could get and then wield it for the glory of the Sith Empire and the Empress. The sort of Force powers that this class was supposed to introduce them to was the way she had decided to do that. She wasn't just here to try her hand at it and see if it was what was meant for her; she was here to learn and then master everything about it. With that thought in mind, it was obviously naive for her to actually think that she could learn and master such a broad subject just by mere will - but on the other hand, will was a big part of it - but she had set a high goal, because she wanted to climb high. She was through with being weak and doing what was expected of her. Today she started on the path of remaking herself in to something powerful, something to be feared and respected.

Of course, just because she had decided that today was the day she would start that - certainly didn't make it so yet. She was still just an acolyte, did not even have her own saber yet. The training saber she had been given was still clipped to her belt as she entered in to the tomb of Ajunta Pall - and what a place it was to hold a class. The wind howling through the room and the scary looking master awaiting them within; oh yes, it was certainly a fitting setting if the stories were at all true about what Sith Sorcery really was. It was a gloomy place, a frightful place - but she refused to let that fear get to her. Not today.

As she entered, her eyes moved from the master to the other acolytes in the room, but only gave them a cursory glance before her eyes were right back on the Master who would be teaching them. He was the reason she was here today, and by the Force, she meant to learn. She said nothing, offered no greeting as the others had, but simply came to stand to the side of the entrance and wait for the Master to address them first.

 

[Kaane]

Knowledge: something that had always driven the Crusader from Acolytehood to now. Whether learning how to program a simple artificial intelligence unit into a droid, studying an obscure martial art, or discovering the existential meaning of the Force itself; where knowledge was to be found, you'd find Radiant Dawn pursuing it. The only reason he felt himself tied to the Sith at times was due to their incredible repository of knowledge, and the relative ease with which he could seek it.

Today was just another example that proved how easy it was to learn certain things. A Master Sin'ryk, one whom he had studied before under a while back as an Acolyte, was offering knowledge on Sith Magics that he most undoubtedly wouldn't pass up. His long, purposeful strides were almost giddy as he barely managed to hide a smile at the prospect of what might be taught today. He knew he would be amongst the company of Acolytes, some that were possibly quite power-hungry, but he felt no shame in joining them. Knowledge did not differentiate between ranks; only the capability of minds. Besides...he had been looking recently for someone to teach his ways; this class could have easily pulled out some diamonds from the rough. While he was learning of Sith magic, he could easily do some recon and scout out a potential apprentice as well.

Soon, he was in shouting distance of the group in the dusty, rocky desert outside the tomb of Ajunta Pall. Drawing nearer, he bowed his head respectfully to them all, especially towards Master Sin'ryk. He didn't speak, not feeling the need to announce his presence. He would should the time come.

 

[Vexillar]

Raith hadn't learned from anyone in a while...a long while. Though he hardly considered himself a master of all. He knew there were still things for him to learn, things he had to explore, and things to discover. Any fool who deemed themselves without need of lessons, those who claimed they knew all, were destined for death. In this instance he was looking to expand his knowledge on Sith Magic. He knew enough to get by, though he could always use more. Arcanist Syn knew a lot more than he did, so of course he was the person to look to when he needed more information on this subject. He wasn't dressed in his robes today, however, because he found them stuffy lately. Maybe it was the unease of the past few weeks, the developments of the galaxy, or something of that nature. Either way, he hadn't worn his robes in a few days. He had, however, taken to loving his more casual clothing. Dressed in a red vest, black jeans, and sandals. His hair was a bit wet because he had just gotten a shower, and as usual Eezeo was with him. Though he doubted he'd need it, his saber was strapped to his right hip, the Yorik Coral lightly brushing against his side every now and then.

He entered the tomb, his Force Signature buried beneath the heartbeat of the Force, his mind shielded, he was a cautious man, especially on the homeworld of the Sith. He didn't like taking chances, and he disliked being surprised even more. He could see the class further ahead, through the walls of the tomb. In no time he was at the designated meeting area and gave a small wave to the Acolytes and a bow of the head to his fellow Arcanist. "Hello, Arcanist Sin'ryk. It's been some time. I'm glad to see you're safe." His voice had changed since his last meeting with the Sith for sure. His voice was no longer his own, from his lips spilled his voice and the voice of Ertichu. Her heavy Dathomirian accent almost tainting his own voice. Despite the two different people speaking, the voices spoke in harmony given the fact that his own voice complimented hers perfectly.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Sin'ryk nodded his head accordingly as each of the Acolytes presented themselves; a sign that he respected them for having chosen their paths. Next to come was Crusader Dawn, who had learned under his tuition in the past. The last familiar presence was that of Vio...no Raithe; much had changed for the Miraluka and it wasn't just his name. He had risen to Master and his voice conveyed something different to it...as though another spoke through him as well. Though intrigued at the change his former student had undergone, the tattooed Arcanist had more pressing matters to attend to. Rising to his feet and giving a wave of his tridactyl left hand, the Red Sith began the lesson.

"Welcome all of you, to the tomb of the first Jen'ari of the Sith Order Ajunta Pall. Here in this place of hallowed antiquity, you will each begin the next steps of your journey as Sith. To learn the art of Sith Magic is to delve even deeper into the Dark Side, to draw upon the full expression of its power. Those who walk such a path will command great power, further bolstered by the knowledge that led you to acquiring it. Learn this though, it is a dangerous path for a student of the arcane faces perils from both within and without...yet we will delve into this later."

Leaning on his seeing stick, the Arcanist held out his flesh hand; delving deep into the Dark Side energies present on Korriban, Sin'ryk imposed his will upon its power. The Force began to sing as the energies shaped themselves into an orb of light-swallowing darkness from which purple flames licked outward. Holding it forward for his students to see, the Red Sith continued.

"Look upon what I hold, learn that it is but a sliver of the power a Sith magician could draw upon. Now then, tell me what each of you know of this great art. Furthermore, perhaps each of you would care to share with all of us why you seek to learn Sith Magic?"

 

[mrj9797]

Tyn smiled beneath his breath mask. He had been brushing up on what he could find about Sith magic in the academy’s library. “Sith magic uses the dark side’s full power. It can be used for everything from alchemy and enchanting to extremely destructive acts. I read in the library that Naga Sadow even caused a star to go into a supernova using Sith magic. As for why I want to learn it…” Tyn thought for a moment. Why did he sign up for this class? He assumed it was his desire for power but that was only the surface. Something about the dark side fascinated him. Something about the way the energies of the cave both lapped at his being gently and yet had a biting property to them. “I want to understand the dark side better sir. That and Sith magic seems like a useful skill to have.”

 

[Xylonic]

xylonic watched and listened while the instructor was talking takeing note of how hre conjured the dark side into an orb of darkness that contained purple flames. he had always been fascinated by any sort of magic or force ability that could be physically seen instead of being a ability that had no manifestation at all and seemed to be invisible like a force push or force speed which didn't wrap the wearer in any aura but just increased there speed. he then heard the teacher say that he would like to know why some of the acolytes wanted to take his class. xylonic was about to speak up when another acolyte had spoke right before he had. he waited and then replied with his own answer "im here to simply learn what i can anything to possibly give myself an edge over another being is good enough in my eyes and i am hopeing i can take what i learn here and apply it to further my studies in the dark side of the force. this as well could potentially give me the knowledge to resist such a power so that way i hope to not fall victim to the power of sith magic." when xylonic finished he gave a slight bow of his head to the instructor of the class remaining in a listening like stance to show that he was a formal sudent.

 

[Vexillar]

Raith had waited to see if any of the Acolytes had other answers before speaking. He didn't wish to steal the show or any such thing. When it seemed no one else was going to comment, he spoke up. "Indeed. Sith Magic can be used for a myriad of things, especially the destructive. However, we should not ignore it's other potentials. Dealing with the dead, creating illusions, the manipulation of people. Sith Magic is indeed a useful skill to have, but the danger is that if you don't properly learn it, if you don't respect the power you wield, it will consume you in an instant, and you'll be nothing more than a stain on the ground." He shrugged as he spoke, the Dathomir accent almost making it sound pleasant. "As far as it's combat applications, it's useful, though one of the flaws is the time it will take you to cast spells. Since you'll need to cast while defending yourself." He only threw that bit in there because it seemed like Tyn was highly interested in the more...aggressive applications of this power.

Raith? He didn't care for such things. The power to destroy a star was unquestionably outside of his interest zone. He wouldn't need to destroy a star if he could command thousands. Of course he didn't need Sith Magic for that, but it helped. It always helped. "As for why I'm here...well because you know more than I do. Simple as that." And it was the truth. Sin'ryk knew more than he did, and so why not get additional training where he could? He fell silent again, hoping to have pushed one of the other people into answering the marked Sith.

 

[Taz]

Virion stood as he listened to a few of the reasons for the others. The two Masters made the most sense of course. It was a deadly art, always pulling and drawing you ever closer to the abyss. He found it much more interesting that the very man who welcomed him to this order was also taking a course with the Red Sith. It was more amusing to the more because of his stance on the Force in general more so then his need to further his education of the dark arts.

It shouldn't of though really. Life with or without the force was a struggle. If you did not continue to learn, continue to adapted, life would swallow you whole. As it did with his tyrant father. So caught up in his own greed and power over a tiny tribal populous, he could not fathom a slave girl taking not only his life but his very soul. Thus way the young man was here.

"I have tasted the art first had Master, according to my mother an adept practitioner. It is this very art that aided in giving me life. I wish to further understand how that could be possible and further my limited skill in the alchemy side if possible. As Master Raith said. You are the far most expert currently in the order. One would be a fool not to at least learn some knowledge from such experience and skill", the young man spoke calmly and firmly before bowing in respect.

 

[Sierrien]

Her eyes shifted over everyone else in the room, listening to their reasons for being there. There were some varied answers to be heard, though most of them were just a desire to be stronger. That was hers as well, truth be told. It was why she had sought out this class and gone through the trouble of applying and getting herself here. However, with that being said - she had reasons for wanting that power. Just wanting power was enough for some, but for her the power was just a means to an end. She had goals in mind, and this was something that would help her meet that goal. She wasn't exactly sure how much of that she was supposed to actually say now that they were being directly asked about it. She kept quiet until she was the last one to speak, and then finally decided to break her silence with an answer of her own.

"I don't know anything about it yet. I'm here, however... To gain power, that I might be of use to the Empress. War is coming." She left it on that, a determined look on her face as she stood firmly still, her eyes on the ball of magic that the master teaching them had summoned. She had never seen anything like it, and she wanted to learn more, so she fell silent with that. She was ready to watch and learn, to do whatever she had to do in order to learn all that she could.

 

[Kaane]

Dawn smiled faintly as he watched Master Sin'ryk create that ball of dark flame...though it was mere prestidigitation compared to the powers that lay within the grasp of the experienced Sorcerer, it was still an impressive sight to behold. And even the most low-grade, simplistic, showiest application of Sorcery had its uses. Show an orb of pure dark energy to a group of frightened, cowardly criminals, or inexperienced Padawans, and suddenly, the will to fight is sucked out of them before the battle even begins. Just the threat of power is strong enough to sway the wills of many; even then, sorcery was capable of much, much more.

He surveyed the Acolytes, listening to their answers...most of them involved power. Well, at least they were being honest about it...anyone who came here for a reason other than gaining power was fooling themselves. Even Master Raithe, or V as he still called him in private, was here for it. But of course, the Master had the clarity that perhaps some of the less seasoned Acolytes lacked, and unlike them, he knew precisely beforehand what he was dealing with. Calculated, as usual...and his sobering statements were definitely worth listening to. Dawn just hoped the Acolytes took his advice to heart.

He soon realized it was his turn to speak, and he shrugged, offering a succinct answer of his own: "Well y'know...I like to keep a well stocked mental library...and a well-stocked arsenal, sir," he added with a bit of a sly, yet playful smirk on his face.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Listening as each of his students spoke and extinguishing the orb of power within his hand, Sin'ryk nodded accordingly before speaking.

"Remember those reasons, let them be your anchor as you wade deep into the ocean of knowledge that comprises Sith Magic."

The Red Sith then promptly gestured for his student to follow him into the Tomb of Ajunta Pall. No sooner had they strayed deeper into its ancient confines, he felt the power of the Dark Side wash over him like a glorious wave; a most welcome sensation indeed. As they walked towards the sacrificial chamber that was used to educate the Acolytes of Vitiate's Empire, the Arcanist then prompted forth another question.

"As we make our way to the chamber, perhaps some of you would care to ask questions? Do please bear in mind that some of them will come up in the next part of my lecture; yet I wish you to ask questions so as to stir your minds into action so as to be more receptive to the message which I hold for you. Such a thing will be necessary as you delve deeper into your own studies."

 

[Xylonic]

Xylonic followed behind the instructor of the class as they walked into the tomb and the deeper they went into the tomb the greater the dark sides presence could be felt. Xylonic liked this it fueled his emotions as hooked about the tomb looking as ancient stone statues and what was words written in ancient Sith language. Xylonic could not tell what the ancient words meant as they walked through the tombs because he had not properly studied the launguage matter of fact he had not even attempted to learn how to speak the launguage which he now found to be a bad thing on his part. He heard the instructor say if anyone had questions to ask but xylonic was to fascinated by the tomb to even think of a question to ask the only thing that ran through his mind was that he would most definitely be going into other tombs to find lost secrets because now in this tomb his curiosity was going wild.

 

[mrj9797]

Tyn walked with the group, observing the carvings on the walls. He put a hand on a carving and felt the dark side energies mix and resonate with his own. He wanted to go deeper, dive headfirst into the darkside but was wary after hearing what the others had said about being cautious with Sith magic. He turned his head to master Sin’ryk and asked. “What is the best way to tap into the power of Sith magic without losing one’s mind?”

 

[Taz]

Virion walked among the rest of the students. What little he knew of Sith Magic was gifted to him by his mother and she herself admitted she was but a novice in the arts before taken by the slavers and sold to the hybrid's father. Thus far he had many questions, most were to focus on the alchemy side of the art but he did not want to limit his knowledge. He would walk among the Masters and take in all he could, as much as they wished to share. If wanted to dig deeper on a topic he would wait to cover it in more privet company. After all, the winds of change were blowing a refreshing breeze through out the order, it might be best not to give ideas of his plans to too many.

 

[Vexillar]

He followed the class in silence, the question asked did summon an arched brow from him though. Oh this one would be one to watch for sure. It was a question of someone who had seen the flaws in power, and didn't wish to make the same mistakes as those who had come before him. It was a question that wasn't about obtaining power, as much as it was about how to hold onto that power. Unfortunately, there was, to Raith's knowledge, no true way to explore every nook and cranny of Sith Magic and not be consumed. When you play with fire, you get burned. That was just the nature of things. He expected that the other Arcanist would agree as much, but waited before answering. After all, he was not the master here, he was not the instructor, merely a student, and he knew better than to speak out of turn. Besides, if there was a way he was interested to know what it was.