The Winds of Winter

[Ti'Tani Fay]

Theme: Into The Night

It was as she feared; another raid. Yet this one was far more brutal. The savagery and violence exhibited by the assailants marked new heights in their depravity. Witnesses recalled horrific scenes, some too gruesome to even explain; looking at the bodies littered on the street, it was evident no men (or boys) were spared. No mercy given to those who pleaded and begged. Survivor accounts were scarce, with many having fled not long after the onslaught. Only the wounded and dying remained, forsaken by all those who once stood around them. They were simply left to perish along with the rest of the city. This world was cold and harsh, as unforgiving as the it once people housed. By the time Ti'Tani had arrived, the settlement was all but abandoned; once moderate in population, now dwindling in life.

Reports state that, like shadows in the night, the attackers struck like raving beasts. They came in the blackness of night, the dark shrouding their malicious approach. Without warning or even the slightest provocation, these strangers set upon the unsuspecting settlers without a moment's hesitation. Before proper defences could be initiated, the slaughter ceased. Many lay dead, with others heavily wounded. But it didn't stop there; night after night after night, this pattern of terror would continue. Like a terrible storm at sea, the dark siders beat back the city resistance, again and again until finally... the will of the people simply crumbled into ruin.

Broken and defeated, they did not rally again. Not that it made much difference to the enemy. They attacked again, possibly for good measure - perhaps even pleasure. Who knew their twisted motivations?

Ti'Tani was tasked with finding out. But she had to move with caution. In the outer rim, the Hutts held power and they had no love for Jedi. A sad fact which was slowly spreading to other systems. The Sith had their bounties and the Senates made their stance; truly, the Jedi were without purchase in this crazy world. Yet, unlike her fellow brethren, Ti'tani could traverse the galaxy with (moderate) anonymity; her religious affiliation with the Sisterhood assured that. With no lightsaber in sight, the Lorrdian presented herself as nothing more than a nun, one who wandered in the name of Via, the Great Mother and goddess. Even after her years of service as a knight, Ti'Tani still remained loyal to her old faith. It gave her something the Jedi couldn't always bestow: hope.

It was hope that kept despair at bay, especially as the veiled lady wandered in and amongst the ruins of the city. There, she tended tiresomely to the wounded, treating their injuries to the best of her abilities; many were marked by death, she knew that much. Still, ease their final passage was a comfort. They would not fade away, lacking company. They would pass on and become one with the cosmic flow, knowing deep down someone remained by their side, till the long sleep finally came to claim them.

Ti'tani wept for each and every one of them; having always been a sensitive individual, the veiled Jedi took others suffering and made it her own, Perhaps hoping to saddle some of the burden herself. Her mentors discouraged this however, fear it left her too exposed. Too vulnerable. But such was the price of duty. Here she would remain, until the Order required her elsewhere; for now, she gained what little information she could, all whilst trying to stay warm on the forever freezing planet.
And so, like a solitary spectre, Ti'tani ambled through the snow covered walk ways. The groans of the dying sounded nearby. How it pained her. So, she turned to her only comfort; prayer.

The softness of her voice carried throughout the streets; like a lamenting procession, she moved through along purposefully, the wind stealing away at her.

"Carry my soul into the night
May the stars light my way
I glory in the sight
As darkness takes the day..."

As she sang, she entered makeshifts tents, serving water and rations; sometimes she would check a wound, treat it if needed. Her voiced seemed to soothe the war weary survivors. Her melodic words sounding almost angelic. She would continue this sequence without fault, coming to her last course as she entered one the final shelters

"Sing a song, a song of life
Lived without regret
Tell the ones, the ones I loved
I never will forget...Never will forget."

​

@Nefieslab

 

[Brandr Jarl]

Brandr was at home in the cold and, what's more, he was at home tracking prey through the ice and the snow. He was from Hoth, he was Deucalian... cold was his naturally state of being.

His preferred state of existence.

He was dressed in his armour, the same armour he had worn as he slew the men and the boys of this village, but he was covered in fur cloaks and hoods. No one would be able to tell he was even wearing armour underneath it until he was already too close for them to do anything about it.

Whereas the woman ahead of him trudged through the snow with some unnatural grace, Brandr seemed to just slink through it, almost as if the snows were naturally parting before him as he followed her.

Sliding into one of the tents after her, silent in the snow as a ghost, Brandr grinned as he leaned against a tent post, having crossed the distance to be standing only a few feet from her, his eyes silently taking in her form before they fixed to her own eyes,

"You sing well, woman." he complimented her, smirk tugging at his lips as he gestured with one hand, "Do you sing for these people? Or for yourself I wonder...?"

He rested his forehead against the tent post,

"Tell me woman... who are you? Hmm?" he cast a quick glance around, "Who are you to endanger yourself to help them, eh?"

@Esther Nyx

 

[Ti'Tani Fay]

Ti'Tani was no stranger to the cold. Lorrd was also a world of ice and snow; she had grown up amongst its tundra, had felt its chill nip at her fingertips, all whilst the winds stung at her eyes. Her numerous robes and garbs shielded her, but only a certain degree. Even her veil was now lightly misted with frost. Still, conditions could be worse. She had managed to source makeshift accommodation; from the partially collapsed shelter, Ti'Tani dolled out what aid she could offer. Be it healing, rations or even prayer. Yet with each passing day, her visitors became fewer and fewer. Terrible knowledge for her shoulder. This settlement would never recover, regardless of her ardent efforts to pick up its shattered pieces.

Admittedly, she was an uncommon figure to behold; a seemingly shapeless mass, shrouded in concealing dress. The only section of exposed skin was that of her eyes. The were a odd shade of green, more akin to pools of peridot than anything else. Their vibrant hue contrasted the starkness of her kaftan. Even her hands were covered, all in an effort to keep her dexterity. She had abandoned her lightsaber, fearing its presence would betray her allegiance; the Jedi were fast running out of allies. A sad, inescapable truth. Identifying herself as a Jedi was most assuredly a death wish; yet none batted an eye at wandering pilgrims. Their religious voyages and charitable travels. On their journeys, they would preach and pray, hoping to spread the word of their one true faith. Admittedly, it was a convincing guise, especially for Ti'Tani. Her roots with the Sisterhood yet again proved invaluable. She walked where others feared to tread.

Lost in her musings, she almost missed her visitor's entrance. Almost. His presence was none too subtle; in a city of the dead, he was very much alive. Where others had the look of defeat, he boasted one of triumph. Curious.

Lightning her meagre array of candles, Ti'tani looked towards the stranger, a shy nod greeting his compliment, "I sing for Via. I am but her humble vessel."

She was not so quick to offer her name; skilfully, she seemed to opt for a diplomatic answer, one atypical of a religious zealot. For much of her childhood, the Sisterhood was her identity. Via her only light. When away from the Order, Ti'tani fell back onto this old pretence. In today's modern galaxy, a nun was safer than a Jedi.

"Someone must offer aid; if not I, then who?" She gestured to her makeshift station, pathetic as it was. "Do you require healing, warrior? A blessing, perhaps? I can offer both, if you so wish."

She moved to stoke the dwindling fire; though sheltered from the worst of the weather, temperatures still plummeted. The small pit of weakening flames was Ti'Tani's only source of heat. She busied herself, though not once did her focus stray from the him.

 

[Brandr Jarl]

Smirking a little bit to himself, Brandr continued to track the woman with his eyes as she busied herself about making sure that the candles and the like were lit. She was, seemingly, doing nothing but ambling around but he could feel her in the Force and he knew that she was more than that.

She might act like she was sheep but if the Force was right then she had the potential to be a wolf disguised as a sheep.

He doubted it though... even with the use of the Force, this woman looked so weak and frail to him. She looked like she was about to keel over at any point from effort. She was weak for a Force user and that annoyed him. Why was she here giving aid to others when she herself was weak?

"And what, woman, is Via?" He asked, tilting his head to one side slightly, "I have never heard of them."

Aid?

"Aid? For these people?" He scoffed in amusement, "These people do not require aid - they lost. Completely and utterly, they have lost and they must pay the price for it. They cannot be coddled; they must learn the harsh reality..."

Moves to stand behind her, leaning in to whisper into her ear.

"To the victor - the spoils." he grins before grabbing at her shoulder to throw her across the room, "But you wouldn't know anything about that. Would you, Jedi?"

She might not be a Jedi but she was Force sensitive and she wasn't Dark... he didn't care about anything but that last part really. If she wasn't Dark then she wasn't Sith. And if she wasn't Sith?

Then she wasn't safe.

@Esther Nyx

 

[Ti'Tani Fay]

This was a dangerous man. Cold realisation dawned with each passing moment. His aura was a dark one; its depths ravenous. Briefly, for but a second, the visage of a man faltered, and in its place appeared a salacious animal. A beast. Unease crept up the Lorrdian's spine, especially as the tense encounter prolonged itself.

"Not them. Her..." Attempting to steady her nerves, Ti'tani sought to inform the stranger of her faith, her passion for it evident in her tone. "Via is the divine one. Her word is the only truth in this world. She brought us into existence, as she did the moons and stars"

Admittedly, Ti'Tani was surprised as to the stranger's lack of knowledge. Viaism was steadily growing in the galaxy; the monastic order now had sanctums and temples in nearly every star system. Some more successful than others. Originally, the faith was spread through slavery, a bleak comfort to those who's fate were sealed in servitude. Ti'Tani had been but one of many, destined to die as a helot and nothing more. Her mother would have likely faced the same prospect herself. But mercifully, they had been spared, freed by a small commune of sisters. The Sisterhood of the Glorious Radiance. As part of their worship, they periodically assisted others, from freeing slaves to administering aid on battlefields. Those grateful for their actions often ended up joining the various sect and denominations, thereby ensuring the faith's longevity. The Lorrdian was practically raised in and amongst the confines of the faith; it made her preaching all the more convincing.

"Indeed, sacrifice is a virtue of Via. But so is compassion and empathy..." She trails off, growing painfully still as he nears. She barely moved an inch, unwilling to show any hostility, especially when the dark sider made his accusation. "Jedi-?"

Ti'Tani fell to the ground, taken by surprise. Lorridans were keen observers, their kinetic ability second to none. Often, they could anticipate the actions and intent of others with nothing more than a fleeting glance, much like Miraluka with their force sight. Yet this man, this creature, had struck without warning. It was as if his moods were as incontinent as the weather. Again, Ti'Tani balked, her fear only apparent in her wide, gapping eyes. She shuffled to her feet, visibly shaken. She even grasped a nearby table for purchase.

"Please, I do not wish for violence..." For a moment, her eyes strayed passed him, their direction intent on the shelter's exit. He'd set upon her within an instant, that much was sure. He needed make the first move, it was her only hope of gaining an advantage. Honed and focused, Ti'Tani stared down her possible attacker, eyes fixed on his own, waiting for that pivotal moment; his irises narrowed, and muscles inched up ever so slightly. He was ready to pounce.

And so she moved to evade him.

With admirable nimbleness, she leapt upwards onto the far side of the table. Under her weight, it catapulted upwards, the edge making sickening contact with the advancing stranger. The wooden edge would have clipped just under his jaw, enough to render any man unconscious. At least, that's what Ti'tani expected. She waited for a moment, tense, ready to flee. When he didn't immediately move, she skirted around him, intent on leaving the shelter. "Apologies, warrior, but I am stronger than I appear..."

 

[Brandr Jarl]

Via?

Oh yes - the Goddess of the weak ones, the one who decided that they needed to have some kind of omnipotent creature ruling their lives for them. Brandr knew of the Goddess. Naturally, he believed that she was a fantasy, an invention of the weak to allow them to pretend they had the strength of something greater than themselves to rely on.

Something to be scoffed at.

This woman seemed intent on proving him right as well - cowering away from violence and pretending that she wasn't a Jedi. True, he wasn't entirely certain that she was a Jedi but it was a very likely answer as to why she was so saturated in the Light. And then, like most Jedi, she went entirely against her declaration against violence by immediately getting into some good, old fashioned, violence and visiting it upon him in an effort to make her life easier.

He had started to evade as the table came up and in the end it clipped the very edge of his chin as he fell backwards but little else. Laying on his back for a second, Brandr didn't move and had his eyes closed.

When she spoke, his head turned and his eyes snapped out, shining bright blue.

"Are you now? Let me test that."

Sitting upright, he would send the table flying through the air at her back with the Force as she began to run, using it to slow her down and to distract her as he got back to his feet and took off after her, making sure to stay far enough back to give her the illusion that she was escaping.

He enjoyed toying with his prey.

@Esther Nyx