Ask Dathomir Wicked Witch of the West

[Asminys]

Darth Asminys was a stranger to the ways of magic. Long had he desired to taste its power, but circumstances had dictated otherwise on his path to power. Unfortunately for the Sith Lord, he believed his solution to one of the current problems that plagued him was a solution that would involve... magic.

Loathe to go scraping and begging for the help of another Sith, Asminys had spent many moons in the libraries of Korriban, pouring over ancient texts on magic, searching for answers. Studying the possibilities. But the answers had eluded him. At least until he had stumbled upon a text detailing an event called the Nightmare Conjunction.

The answers had begun to unfold.

Unfortunately the answers still called for one thing that he did not possess. Magic.

This need had brought Darth Asminys to were he stood in his armor, unmasked. Under the red skies of Dathomir. He had heard of it once, a distant memory spoken by the very same woman he sought today. Darth Andruil had come far since he had first met her, when she went by the name of Renfry and was merely curious about the Sith. He had recognized her as a fellow predator of the darkness, and her hunt had been bounteous. If this was her homeworld, it made perfect sense to the Sith Lord that she would do well within the Sith. The very planet was steeped in darkness and mere existence on the planet was a savage fight for survival.

He almost thought he might even enjoy this world.

But he had business at hand. He had already informed Darth Andruil of his impending arrival, and he now approached the meeting location, plodding through the red dust with heavy metal feet. Heavy footfalls heralding his arrival, Darth Asminys approached the witch of the western empire to bargain.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry had received notification that Asminys would be coming to her for her expertise, and he had been given instructions about where to find her. The palace had a small landing zone out front, and he would be able to land only a short distance away.

In typical fashion, Nightsisters watched him as he approached and gave looks that were far from enthused about him being here, but they said nothing. As he passed through the massive stone doors that lay open, he would find Renfry pacing the floor of the throne room.

She had changed a great deal since the pair had last met one another, and while they had seen one another in passing, they hadn't really spoken in some time. But she did know he had a reputation, and that made her cautious of him.

As she paced the room, she sipped from a glass in one hand and practiced a simple incantation with the other. A small, green orb flitted just in front of her as she spoke, and her head tilted back and forth in thought.

She spotted him as he rounded the corner and let the small orbit flit out of existence.

Ah, Asminys! she said in greeting, waving him in. What can I do for you? she asked. She assumed it was important or he wouldn't be here in person. Despite his general brooding demeanor, she didn't seem to let that cloud her own attitude.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Durasteel heels scuffed on the stone passageways of the palace as Asminys walked, the sound echoing lightly through the hallway as the Sith Lord approached the meeting room. No matter how hard he tried Asminys had yet to reach a level of comfort and familiarity with the crude prosthetics to where he could even begin to approach the grace and fluidity that he used to possess in his step. He glowered hatred at the guards as he passed, meeting the Dathomiri women's eyes as they looked at him unwelcomely. The hatred he showed was mostly directed inward at the clumsy beast he had become, but they would see nothing but murderous spite spitting back at them.

Maybe he should have worn the mask.

Rounding the corner, Asminys eye's settled on the diminishing flash of green. And the echo of magic that faded into nothingness beneath. His eyes lingered on the spot for a moment, shining. They swiftly turned to the mistress of magic herself as the Dathomiri Sith welcomed him cordially with a wave.

"Ren-" Asminys cut himself off, clearing his throat to cover his mistake. "Darth Andruil." He returned her greeting as he realized it was the first time he had spoken her title aloud. He enunciated the name carefully as he spoke jt, attaching it properly to her face in his mind. How embarrassing.


Straight to the point, Asminys appreciated that about the witch. At least in this moment there would be no word games. He could only hope it would last.

"I seek magic." No surprises there, Darth Andruil was the authority on magic within the Sith. "I have encountered an obstacle that I believe only magic can truly fix." Asminys has spent much time considering it, and had finally concluded in the end that no mechanical replacement would do for his lost limbs. Not if he were to operate at his fullest capacity.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She could tell that he was still not used to his legs. When they had last seen one another he had been a silent hunter, but now he struggled with the grace and fluidity he had once had. She took another sip as he addressed her, smiling almost warmly at his "mistake."

Renfry is fine when we're here, if you prefer, she said. It was the name she used primarily on Dathomir. She didn't mind if those who knew her before still called her as much here though most of the rest of the Sith knew her as Andruil.

Well, you have come to the right place, she said in response to his comment about requiring magick, though the exact form that took always varied from person to person. And, in fact, she learned something with each person she helped.

What kind of obstacle? she asked with a quirked eyebrow. Would you like a drink? she asked, lifting a glass to indicate that he was welcome to something as well.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys took a long pause as Andruil, no, as Renfry told him that he may address her by the old name she possessed. The one from before she had earned the title of Sith, that she had cast aside. Asminys wondered if there was any significance to that. He had only possessed the one name. He had already earned his name as a Sith. Or so he thought.

"...Renfry." He finally decided on after the pause.

"I will accept this drink." He nodded slightly before getting down to business. What kind of obstacle. He thought it would be pretty obvious, though perhaps she merely wished to hear him say it. To admit to a weakness, so that she could strike him down in that moment of weakness. His eyes boiled as he indulged the paranoid thoughts before brushing them away. He had found not all was as he had expected within the Sith that he had once stumbled into, that their tendencies for harsh reprisal did not come on the mere cause of weakness.

"These mechanical legs are not suitable for my needs." There. He admitted it. He grimaced at the admission. "I have trained extensively to reach an attunement with them, but they are dead within the force to me." He continued, wondering wether she would bring him judgement or solution as his words worked their way out of his mouth.

He looked at her for a moment in consideration, recalling what she had said to him about her use of the force once. "Do they cast a light in your shadow?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

He seemed entirely uncertain of her decision to be called by her birth name. She didn't linger on it long in her own mind, however. The affirmation that it was his legs that were the issue earned a nod. She knew people adjusted to prosthetics, but it didn't seem that he had done so.

She waved to an attendant who disappeared for a moment to reappear with a glass of somewhat sweet, somewhat tart juice that was a favorite of Renfry's and handed it to Asminys.

I see, she said, looking down at the legs. She moved over toward him, bending down and reaching out before pausing. May I? she asked, deciding it cost nothing to be polite.

She reached out to the Shadow, letting her mind run through the device. She was suddenly quite thankful that she had taken the trip to Korriban to learn technomancy from the master there. She was still learning, but she could begin to sense what was going on inside. The currents flowed not unlike their own rivers, routing through various circuits and systems, pulsing with the Shadow like lightning cast from the fingers.

I've heard stories of making new mechanical legs with the Shadow and proper parts, she said, standing back up once again and not yet realizing that he intended something else entirely.

I could probably do it without too much trouble, she said, knowing it wasn't even likely to take that long. @Arclight

 

[Asminys]

A servant silently approached to place a glass of some sort of red juice in Asminys hand. His eyes watched the approach carefully, silently judging the would be assassin. Not an assassin, merely a servant. Juice in hand, Asminys nodded in response to Renfry's question. She had his consent.

Asminys closed his eyes, cutting out his sight to focus fully on his sense of the force. He hoped to get a glimmer of insight into how Renfry peered at his steel limbs through the shadow. There was a whisper of power, and nothing more to be seen.

"Mechanical legs imbued with the Shadow?" Asminys scowled in thought as he took a sip of his juice. Sweet, yet tart.

"I will try this avenue first." Asminys said after a moment of consideration, smacking his lips at the tartness of the drink while he thought. "Perhaps the use of the Shadow in its creation will be enough... I had other ideas that i would judge more drastic."

Asminys pulled out a datapad, opening it to a file section and handing it to Renfry. Pictures of the pages of ancient tomes from the Great Library of Korriban were littered with the notes and theories, medical conjecture from the dark alchemists of the Nightmare Conjunction and records of horrible experiments gone wrong.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She took a step back and took another drink again. When he mentioned "other ideas" that were drastic, her eyebrows quirked. Some sort of dark tendril based legs perhaps? It wasn't something she had worked with before, but the concept was one she had heard of.

She didn't have to guess for long, however. He provided a datapad and she began to scroll through the images. She didn't quite hide the surprise on her face as she looked at some of the experiments that had gone very, very wrong. This was not something to toy with lightly, she realized, and she also wondered where it had come from.

She was silent for a very long moment, even going over to one of the tables at the far side of the room and taking a seat while she scrolled through.

Finally, she set the datapad down and looked up at him. I'm not certain I want to get involved with those, she stated bluntly. She saw no reason to dance around the issue. It wasn't a "no" but even by her standards, those things were incredibly dangerous.

Do you even know where to access some of these creatures? she asked. Her hesitations were rooted not only in her life as a Nightsister but also one as a Sith. These... creatures had all the same toxic hallmarks of AMS, but worse.

Drastic is correct, she agreed. @Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys watched carefully as Renfry examined the data he had given her. He thought he detected a hint of shock in the queen's expression as she studied some of the data he had gathered. He understood her trepidation, he was uncertain of this path himself. It was indeed... Drastic.

"They are intimidating." The Sith Lord admitted freely. Even he knew what he suggested might be a touch mad. Perhaps he was mad, his brain steeped in the darkness for so long that it had begun to boil from the heat. What he knew with certainty though was that his current situation was wholly unacceptable, an obstacle that he would surmount through any means no matter how drastic.

"I have coordinates to a possible lead..." Asminys revealed the information hesitantly. He was not about to lay all his cards on the table, especially if Renfry decided the task was too much for her ability, shepherding a broken Sith through the many hazards of Wild Space. He considered her earlier proposal once more before making a decision.

"I would bargain with you." Asminys stated, his mind settled on a decision. "For mechanical legs of shadow and steel, worthy of the hunt." Perhaps she would understand his meaning, the queen was a hunter in her own right. "And I would bargain with you for knowledge, the technique to see and manipulate machines dead to the force." He knew everything he wanted from her would come for a price, such was the way of the Sith.

Asminys did not expect the Queen of Dathomir to give knowledge away for free.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry reached up and rubbed a palm against the side of her forehead. She still wasn't saying "no" and the mechanical legs were certainly the less dangerous of the two. But she also knew that it wasn't what he wanted. She didn't know him well, but she knew his type well. He was not unlike the Nightbrothers of Dathomir.

I doubt the mechanical legs are what you'd like, but we will try, she said. And he wanted to learn to manipulate machines? That could be arranged. That was not one of her techniques that she held more zealously to and it meant that he would be able to better care for the extremities should he go that route.

She stood up and grabbed her cup again, draining the remainder of it before setting it down. The legs and the technomancy I will do in exchange for a future favor of comparable value. I do not know what, she stated. Likely some form of military or combat support, though it was difficult to say. He may yet acquire some information she desired in exchange.

If we pursue the other route, the cost will be much higher. Is this agreeable? she asked, stopping at a door leading out of the throne room and turning to face him. If they were to proceed it was best to have the decisions sorted up front.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Asminys grimaced. Renfry was right. What he really wanted was his old legs back, but that was a possibility that the force denied them. For this day he would settle for 'better than before' and strive for a more complete solution later. To find a way to be whole again.

The cost came and Asminys was almost disappointed. Material items would have been easy to trade and Asminys suspected Andruil had as little interest in them as he did. Material wealth was easy to take. Skill, knowledge... Favors. Those extracted a much less favorable commitment from him. While costing him nothing in the present, it meant a debt that he would owe her later.

"Yes." Asminys said after a few fleeting moments of calculation. A small favor would be worth the price of more compatible legs, and if Andruil were to indulge him in the drastic plans he had brought before her, then he would likely owe her several times over. That would be the least of the costs if he followed that path.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

He agreed to the price, and that was settled. Though precisely what this would ultimately entail was difficult to tell. If he was satisfied with the mechanical legs, then that would be quick and simple, but she doubted it.

She pushed on through the door she had stopped at, descending a long series of tunnels until they came out of an exit deep below. They were not truly under the mountainous area, but at its base. The red sky could still be seen occasionally peering between the rocks that seemed to cover them most of the time. Somewhere between tunnels and open sky.

To their sides were occasional pits of large size and muddy floors. There was a darkness that clung to this place as if it had been the site of many deaths over the years and it would be unmistakable to Asminys in the Force.

Eventually they came to a room that was more secluded but still relatively large. Several tools lined the wall as well as papers and writing instruments. In the center of the room was something between an altar and an examination table. Mostly altar, though.

Take a seat, she said, motioning to the altar-table. She reached up and began to bind her hair back behind her so that it would not get in her way, but continued speaking.

What exactly are you wanting these legs to do? And how are the current ones functioning? she asked, hoping to get a better grasp of what was going on. Were the legs quality? Were they cheap? Was there anything he liked about them?

The more I know, the better I can tailor the final product, she said. @Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Darth Asminys followed as Renfry led him deeper into the palace. Deeper and further down, near the base of the mountain by Asminys estimates. During one section of their descent they passed several large muddy pits. They reeked of death and darkness within the force, his senses driving the hair on the back of his neck up as they passed. It was nothing unfamiliar to the Sith Lord, but the body reacted to death as it does.

Eyeing the altar as they entered the ritual room, Asminys scanned the walls, noting the various instruments and materials. Categorizing them in his mind. Weapons, threats. Materials and their value. Regarding the altar once more as Renfry motioned for him to sit, he eyed it warily for a moment before finally moving to rest on the altar, heels hitting the side of the alter heavily as he sat upon it.

"The current ones function as well as any normal organics legs might." Asminys muttered moodily as he considered their specifications and how unsatisfied he was with them. They might function well for a regular human, but he was no normal man. Perhaps for a normal human they might not be too bad. But they were not suited for a god.

"I require precision of movement, strength, and agility. The ability to jump long distances with them, to run and weave and engage in nimble footwork." To dance the dance of death He thought to himself as he spoke. "They must be as lethal and ruthless as I." He wasn't sure if he was asking too much of mere mechanical legs. He probably was.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry's jaw snapped open and closed several times, clicking her teeth together in thought after he finished speaking. She either didn't notice or didn't care that he seemed uncomfortable with their location. She was relatively used to people being wary of her, and he in particular had always been a cautious one.

Okay, let's see what we can do, she said. She extended her hands and started to focus on the legs before she stopped. No, he wanted to learn and he needed to be able to tend to the legs himself. This was "teaching" not just "me doing."

Plus it was a chance for her to practice. The best way to learn was to teach, and she was still relatively new to the powers of technomancy herself.

You are familiar with lightning and/or electrokinesis? she asked. He was a Sith Lord and she guessed the answer was "yes." If it wasn't, then this would become more complicated, but she proceeded under the assumption he was experienced enough to know that skill.

This is based largely on that. First, reach out and feel the electricity pouring through your legs. Trace it everywhere. Add your own energy. Follow it through. Find everywhere that it flows and let it consume your mind, she instructed, waiting in silence for him to do just that.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

After a moment of hesitation Asminys finally lay down on the altar as she had instructed. Renfry didn't seem bothered by his hesitation and he lay there as she clicked her teeth together. A nervous tic, a witchy spell, or perhaps she just had something stuck in her tooth. Whatever the reason for the mastication, Asminys awaited the witches attention.

She spoke a vague and un-reassuring word that made Asminys remember that she had never done this before. He watched as she started to focus before stopping, and beginning instruction. He almost rolled his eyes, he was here for legs, not lessons. Except he was here for lessons, he remembered. He blinked as his head pounded slightly, a minor headache.

"Yes." Asminys stated plainly in reply as she asked of his familiarity with electricity. He listened to her instructions intently and nodded before closing his eyes to lay defenseless on the table. He took a moment to relax, to focus. Mind traveling outwards, down to the base of his stumps where the metal legs fused. He focused.

At first, nothing. Silence in the darkness.

And then he heard it. Felt it. The tiniest of buzzing within the force. Power. Electricity traveling through conduits, merging and twisting as it powered the different parts of his mechanical legs. He observed this for a time, memorizing the pattern before pouring power into the system.

A knee sparked and puffed smoke as darkness poured into the legs, electricity surging in overload before shutting down.

"... too much." Asminys grunted as he sat up, fiddling with a few switches inside the leg to power them back up.

Once more Asminys closed his eyes. Focusing. Feeling.

Electricity buzzed through the wiring of his legs, and Asminys could feel the difference from before. A few circuits lay dead, cut off at the knee where the power surge had fried them. This time he applied only a small amount of power, filtering out as much of the anger within him as he could before letting the force flow. The legs twitched slightly, unbidden as the undamaged sections surged with power, humming audibly.

"They should be resistant to power surges as well." Asminys spoke aloud from his prone position, further adding to the considerations for the legs Renfry would craft, if it were possible.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She watched as he focused on the legs, letting his mind travel over them and letting himself become one with them. She crossed her legs and sat on the floor, focusing on what he was sensing as well.

The first time I tried it, I fried the datapad I was working on, she stated. She, too, had tried to use her own power to overcome her shortcomings in technique. Ultimately, it did not work. He reactivated the legs and she continued to focus as well, letting him take the lead in the exploration.

She could sense the break as well, and she smiled smirked slightly as he said that they should be resistant to power surges as well. It was all a rather tall order.

Stay focused, she said, not a comment on what he had just said but rather on what she was about to do. He needed to feel the way that she interacted with the legs, knowing that in many cases the quickest way to learn a new technique was to watch someone do it.

The legs began to come apart in pieces. The electrical circuits breaking apart delicately and reconstructing. Even the shape of the legs changed as screws and panels began to alter, changing in ways that rivaled the finest factories in the galaxy.

Now came the tricky part. As she put the circuits back together, it would be up to him to truly connect to the limb. The Dark Side was not inherently a path that led to building things up, which would make this all the more difficult for the Sith Lord.

Focus on your own body. The flow of energy through your nerves. The way the Force permeates everything. Permeates you, she said, bringing the connecting circuits closer and closer to his flesh.

Let it flow from you into the connection points of your legs, she said. How well it bound to him and how it turned out would largely rely on him. Controlling himself and his energy.

@Arclight

 

[Asminys]

Darth Asminys listened quietly to Renfry as she spoke, feeling the changes that went through the circuitry of the legs, spotting the voids where mere metal lay and moved and shifted. Concentrating on the connections that slithered and snaked under the metal, shifting and changing as darkness and magic infused them.

It was difficult. Asminys could feel so clearly the ebb and flow of life through the stumps of his legs, where the energy that inhabited him travelled down and bounced back from the where its flow was cut short. Muscles ended short, every flex straining to influence further muscles that were no longer there. Nerves that sent phantom sensations as they grasped for the ever familiar limb that had once connected to them. A shadow of pain where mechanical legs now tried to connect to said nerves, active but dead to true feeling.

He grasped for the flow of electricity and darkness that now buzzed through the otherwise unfeelable mechanical legs as they disassembled below him. It was fleeting a fleeting connection that broke almost as soon as it opened. He tried again. The threads where nerves and wires connected were grasped with fine fingers, rather than the sledgehammer fist of power he had brought to the process at first.

A slight grunt of pain escaped the Sith Lords clenched teeth as he brought flesh and metal together. Metal twisted and reformed, circuits reshaping and connecting with nerve and muscle as Asminys twisted the darkside through them, forging them to his essence and pouring his power into them. Lighting crackled from his body in spare bursts as the metal twisted and darkened in its shade, while growing sleek and polished as Renfry guided the process and Asminys fulfilled it.

When he had entered the room he had thought of how he might want his legs to be. That of a predator, strong and tireless. In this moment of pain and transformation however, all those thoughts were forgotten. What he truly wanted...

Was his own legs back.

A grimace formed silently on his face as he continued to craft, almost unconsciously. Crafting did not come easy to the generally destructive Sith. He did not know artistry or machines in any in depth sense. What he did know was his legs, how their muscles ran under skin, how blood pumped through them and how they moved. He even felt their shadow now.

Darkened metal formed to fill that shadow, bones of rod and circuits, muscles of mechanical fiber, blood of electricity and veins of wire.

The phrik bracers that Darth Asminys wore on his arms unbuckled and floated downwards, melting as they met the crackling knees and shins. A polished black "skin" formed over the internal workings of the legs, spiraling and twisting down to form a cover that accentuated the "real" look of the legs and feet, with gaps that carved the contours of flesh to give some visibility to the internals.

Wiring and sensors twisted down from the ankle joint, forming the base of the feet as they formed and flowed. He could feel a pulse of power surging through him. From his body to the legs below it flowed in a circuit as nerves tingled in a familiar recognition. Myomer muscles formed, touch sensors studded the feet and a fine polish of dark alloy creeped across it to create a skin.

The shadow of his legs felt almost complete.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry watched as his legs came into themselves, her own touch providing little of the support in order to create them. She placed only a guiding hand here and there as they were formed. Placing things slightly back on track whenever they began to stray.

After only a few minutes more, the legs were all but complete, and Renfry looked down at the legs.

It isn't your original legs, but it is an improvement, she said, looking back down over them. She looked with the eye of an artist, knowing that even as she was helping him she was honing her own skills.

See how they do for you, and then we can revisit your other idea, she said. She still wasn't convinced, but that would come later.

If that's all, then I have other work to do still, she said. She wasn't sure if he required something else today, but she doubted there was much more to do other than give him time to acclimate.

@Arclight