Antithesis Campaign - Homeworld (Domination of the Aing Tii Hex)

[Dax Perl]

As the Sith took a step back, Dax pressed his attack, but not before the woman sent a Force push flying towards him. He allowed it to strike him, lifting him off his feet, but while flying backwards the Rogue flipped in the air, landing on his feet, slidding backwards for another foot or so. He'd never mastered Ataru, but he that didn't mean he hadn't learned a thing or two.

The woman's blade arced through the air towards Dax. One of the benefits of duel wielding, you could defend and attack. The Rogue brought up the saber in his left and blocked the woman's blade as it approached, his right singing a deadly song as it sped towards he neck, only to stop a hairs-breadth away. "The Reaper of Won Shasot." The Reaper pushed away the woman's blade and took a couple of steps back. "Your turn. Who are you and why are Sith on Kal'Shebbal?"

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Location: Kal'skebbal northern outskirts
Allies: ORC [member="Bryce Bantam"] [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Chip"] [member="Kytra Odran"]
Enemies: Unknown
People of interest: [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Boethiah"] [member="AD-Iqatar.13"] [member="The Slave"] [member="Vaylin"]
Post: 3/38

Once Janick entered atmosphere, she could sense multiple Force-signatures, indicating a rather high concentration of Force-users, higher than anything on Utapau in peacetime (but still not overwhelmingly high), encompassing the whole range of signatures between light and dark. She landed some distance north of the ruined city, sensing that it might be a good idea not to get too close to any of those Force-users: she couldn't recognize to whom they belonged. Along the dense woods, however, she had to take precautions when parking a fighter (even if devoid of ordnance) in an otherwise inconspicuous clearing. While, of course, wearing that black armorweave, strapless dress, and bracers. She did manage to walk some distance into the forest before she make her approach towards the ruined, ancient city, and then some bandits accosted her in the dense woods, looking menacingly at her and even making demands.

"Stand and deliver, milady!" the bandit screamed in Janick's direction.

With that said, Janick exploited her fears to go unseen and slip into the dense tree cover. Unfortunately, she could only remain unseen for a short time, at the end of which she needed to fire at the bandit the best she could from behind a tree, using the particle rifle that she always seems to carry with her, fitted with a vibro-bayonet for the close-quarters engagements. One bandit falls, but the others are closing in on her.

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

[member="Chip"] [member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Bryce Bantam"]

(OOC: apologies for the rambling, but I have to imagine the weird things happening look extra weird to someone looking through the lens of the force.)



Going? As in...leaving? Before he could inquire further, it came from the light. The sighted would a see a silhouette, but the blind would see...someone, or thing, handing the man a strange gem. Several tendrils. And, an aura with multiple colors, like some sort of soft-serve machine of spectral entities blended together, and then nothing as the man talked.



In the briefest flash, it was not light, but a thing. A living, moving thing that had just handed this strange man a crystal. No, a case of crystals. A case of crystals, made of a crystal of another shape, but not the same shape. He was certain the thing spun as it opened, then closed a different way, as if molting it's original layer of glass for a new--oh, that was it. He smirked. It was a case, everyone was looking at it like it a case, and opening it like was a case, but it also was an entirely different thing in the perception of the Force. He then looked inside the proverbial thing. And the literal one. The case--at least the inside bit--wasn't there, it was some where else, maybe even somewhen else, but deifnitely not where it was supposed to be. But the air was different inside the case as it was outside the case, despite the case coming from here, the inside of it and the outside of it were in different places for different reasons. Why? How? Vorhi wished he could blink in confusion. He smiled, looking at the stone inside the space inside the case that looked like they weren't there because they're not. He'd heard rumors the Aing-tii could move a thing from one place to another without going anywhere in-between, like hyperspace, but not. He chuckle as the "case" flickered into a shape not entirely like a cup of tea dancing with a vividly-color mynock, according to his mind's eye. An optical illusion for men without eyes.


He put his hand in what he thought was an opening, and felt something hard, visibly fumbling with the lid of the case twice before he got it, although it would look to others as if he was twisting his wrist at a rather strange angel as e did so, retrieving a small green gem, the size of a man's pinky, and blue ring large enough to be worn around the waist tightly or the neck loosely. He nodded. "I think these will both suffice," he said as he put the hoop around his neck, letting it hang like a hoop of somewhat wobbly glass. He place the green gem in place of one of the ornamental stone sockets on his gloves.



He looked to the others. "Follow your instincts when grasping them. These gifts will speak to us, as much as we to them. Or, maybe I'm wrong. I do tend to have strange gut feelings, after all...." he said with a slight laugh. "...how much of that is the liquor talking, I wonder?" He thumped his gourd. It was hard to tell if he was joking, genuinely crazy, or just screwing with everyone.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Location: Kal'shebbal northern outskirts
Allies: ORC [member="Bryce Bantam"] [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Chip"] [member="Kytra Odran"]
Enemies: Unknown
People of interest: [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Boethiah"] [member="AD-Iqatar.13"] [member="The Slave"] [member="Vaylin"]
Post: 4/38

She had to shoot at another bandit, aiming for the Pantoran bandit's chest, and then swiftly go back to the cover of the tree. Two bandits down, two more to go: she scored a direct hit even though she didn't have the best shot at it. And then the other two were closing the distance in the dense woods: she would also make another attempt to flee but that would give her position away, and bring her away from the, so she kited, that is, performed a hit-and-run chase throughout the forest, while she also kept hearing voices that asked her to concentrate on making it inside some location within the city limits, from which this frantic chase kept her away. And her pursuers shot blasters at her, narrowly missing her and closing in on her... If only I had a lightsaber, or an alchemized Sith sword, that would be of immense help at close quarters: I have to have a ringed strategy, such as a particle rifle for long range, and then a lightsaber or a Sith sword for the point-blank range defense, she thought.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Kal'Shebbol - northern outskirts of the ruins

The unmistakable sounds of violence carried through the dark forest. A vision of a temple faded from Dorsca's mind, and he paused, squintng between the trees. Several rough figures pursued a lone woman. The wrongness of their intentions coiled in his gut like an eel. He eyed his fish-spear and asked himself what the elders would do. When was violence justified? How often was there another way?

Keeping pace with the bandits, he closed the distance abruptly. He threw his spear - not point-first, but hard. The wooden butt crashed into a bandit's head unerringly.

Another paused and aimed a metal tool at Dorsca. A streak of red light slashed past the islander and shredded a tree. Dorsca accelerated and dropped his shoulder into the armored man's belly. The bandit sprawled, groaning.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Location: Kal'shebbal northern outskirts
Allies: ORC [member="Bryce Bantam"] [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Dax Fyre"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Chip"] [member="Kytra Odran"] [member="Dorsca Waverunner"]
Enemies: Unknown
People of interest: [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Boethiah"] [member="AD-Iqatar.13"] [member="The Slave"] [member="Vaylin"]
Post: 5/38

With another hunter taking out one of the two remaining bandits, Janick decided that the remaining bandit had to be frightened away. She thus projects her own fears onto the groaning bandit, which only amplified the bandit's own fears, not realizing that the dark side of the Force is at play here. Screaming in horror, that bandit realizes that the depth of the poodoo he landed in was just too deep to actually attempt to confront either person and thus fled the scene, clearing the path for the two of them to enter the city from that area of the forest. Also, on one of those dead bandits, Janick found a nerf leather pouch filled with pontite crystals of various colors, large enough to fit into a lightsaber, but she'd rather keep the pouch to herself and not to tell anyone the contents of the pouch, knowing it might fetch a pretty penny on Utapau, especially if alchemized. Especially as a good-luck charm that would turn red with the blood of the wearer, with the effects being dependent on the client. The tall woman then turned to [member="Dorsca Waverunner"]:

"Now that the bandits have been chased off that part of the forest, we may now enter the city limits"

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

For no reason Dorsca could determine, the final bandit ran away screaming in terror. The tall, pale woman went from pursued quarry to calm looter in moments. He watched with some interest, then secured his own take from the unconscious bandits. Their tools and weapons remained beyond him for now, but he knew enough to treat them with respect - and point the open maws at the ground.

Now, to interpreting what she'd said. Something something chase, something something forest, something something enter city. Simple enough.

"Go to broken city, yes? I go with. Why chase?"

 

[Jim Pehico]

Location: Underground Labyrinths Under the Ruins

​The mustachioed man hated a lot of things; cantinas, slavers, woman that refuse to pay him any attention. but nothing compared to being underground. Jim hated the feeling of being trapped, and if there was one thing that he was right now, it was trapped.

"R2-3Z, do you read me?" Jim pleaded into the com. Unfortunately he has no signal underground. That and his com-link might've just died. "Blasted piece of junk." Jim said putting the device in his pocket.

Jim had originally come to these old ruins looking for something that might fetch a nice penny on the black market. he's been underground for about a week and in the labyrinth for about 6 hours, wondering aimlessly around the ancient, dimly lit, maze. This trip wasn't worth a million credits. after another hour and eating a large centipede-like insect, he had found am exit. He made his way to a light, he couldn't believe it. he was out of the labyrinth.

Location: Kal'shebbal northern outskirts

once his eyes readjusted to the light, he walked toward the direction he thought his ship to be. After walking for 10 minutes, he suddenly heard a scream of terror come from about a half a mile away. As he trekked towards the area, he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen, he then heard a very gruff voice. Jim ducked for cover.

"Go to broken city, yes? I go with. Why chase?"

Jim drew his blaster and peeked around the corner, he didn't seem to be the talkative type, however his companion a dark mysterious brunette seemed to be more his style. He had definitely seen her somewhere before, however he can't place his finger on it. Jim was not the one to remember names. He didn't remember much from his meeting with her, so he holstered his blaster and put his hands up coming out of his hiding place and walked toward the beautiful lady and the burly man.

"Excuse me folks, but would you happen to know where a lowly scoundrel can get a drink around here," Jim said showing off his signature smirk with his hands remaining up. "Preferrably somewhere that serves Lum on the rocks... shaken, not stirred." Jim said, winking at the tall beautiful woman.

[member="Dorsca Waverunner"] [member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Location: Kal'Shebbal Northern Outskirts
Allies: [member="Dorsca Waverunner"] [member="Jim Pehico"]
Enemies: Unknown
Post: 6/37

"Chase treasure in the broken city, you mean" she blissfully told [member="Dorsca Waverunner"].

At the time, she was not suspecting another person from those visions also somehow found his way through the underground labyrinths of Aing-Tii: [member="Jim Pehico"], whose blaster was drawn but did not cause Janick to take any aggressive action in the dense forests surrounding Kal'shebbal. And yet, all three of them were closing in on the city limits, where riches were ripe for the taking in various forms: long-lost alcoholic vintages, rare lightsaber crystals, or other long-lost treasures. Perhaps those things are to be found in the labyrinthine catacombs of the ruined city, she thought, while guiding the three people towards their entrance, while back-tracking Jim's trajectory in the Force that led him to get out of those catacombs, hoping that the whole trip was not for nothing. At this point, the visions start to fade in her mind, meaning that they are closing in on the treasure, or whatever reason the Force had to send them tramping through the catacombs of the place.

"With a bit of luck, there may be some hidden lum reserve under a rock"

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Jim Pehico"] [member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Dorsca caught every fifth word or so. Drink, lum, treasure: that was about it. Glancing back at the unconscious bandits, he followed Janick farther into the ruins.

Their purpose seemed to be alcohol and profit, and those were things he could respect in certain contexts. The short-haired man had an impressive moustache. The brunette had an impressive... initiative. All things considered, in bandit-infested woods, traveling alone might not be his best idea.

"Why they chase you?" he said to the brunette. "What treasure is?"

 

[The Great Narrator]

Spoiler

This is Bryce, new character and place introduction.

​

Homeworld - Present Day​

​

"This please is so cold. I remember when they would play upon the sand, dig the earth with only their bare hands, and grow life giving food as if it was rain from the cloud filled sky. Why did you leave my side children, was I go so long. Did you not believe me when I said I would return and save you? Were the lies of the death cultists so strong that it blinded you to the truth."

"I have seen what you have become, what she wants to make you into. I can not allow that. You are my creations, my children and I will not let you go. Not while I still have a champion. Soon he will return and we will fight for your very souls..."

Spoiler

OOC: New NPC and world created, Bryce will be leading the first explorers through in his next post.

Also feel free to create some lore gear. I only noted one item you would find in my previous post. A type of void suit made out of gloves powered by a crystal, and a breathing mask. Feel free to create something else but be sure it is crystal based to keep with the them. Next post will take us to the adventure zones so be ready!

[member="The Slave"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="AD-Iqatar.13"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Antherion"] | [member="Boethiah"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Iron Giant"] | [member="Thane Drexel"] | [member="Joza Perl"] | [member="Delila Castillon"] | [member="Dax Fyre"] | [member="Aeshi Tillian"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] | [member="Chip"] | [member="Kytra Odran"] | [member="Janick Beauchamp"] | [member="Vorhi Alestrani"] | [member="Dorsca Waverunner"] | [member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[NightSister]

The Reaper of Won Shabot. She'd not heard the title before, but in truth a name would've been similarly useless. But she needed to get him talking, as much to slow the pace of his attacks as to figure out the intent behind them, so she talked, unnaturally calm - as though she wasn't measuring the distance between herself and [member="Dax Fyre"], calculating where to pounce, as though every fiber of her being wasn't caught up in holding up her end of the fight, as though they were just standing there, talking about something meaningless like the weather.

"My name is Aria," she answered, blade snapping back to meet his in the same instant he drew his own back. Her thoughts were already leaping ahead to the next part of the question - they were on Kal'Shebbal. Did he mean there were more Sith here? Should she lie, make something up about why she was here? - "I. . .don't know how I got here."

She'd never been a very good liar.

"You don't like Sith, then?" This time she didn't attack, but she held her saber warily, ready to defend the second she had to. "So you're. . .what?"

 

[Dax Perl]

There was one difference between the way Dax fought, and how some others fought. He didn't think. Not to say that it was a reflection of hus life, which he pursued with equal blind daring, but in combat, it was better to act instinctively.

"I...don't know how I got here." Under normal circumstances, Dax would've called the woman a flat out liar. However, considering the fact that the Aing-Tii had just teleported him onto the planet, he was willing to give the woman the benefit of the doubt...how any Suth got on the planet was a matter to be investigated later.

As her blade lanced forward again, Dax let his own blade angle back ever so slughtly, so that her momentum would carry forward. Ducking down, he avoided the deadly blade and slipped past the woman quickly turning, aiming to give her a quick kick to the rear.

"Its not that I don't like Sith." he'd tell the woman, "I've even dated one of you. But you guys tend to leave death in ruin behind." As to what he was...well even he didn't know anymore...

[member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin's fight with Kytra was over sooner than she thought. The pair traded blows, lightsabers clashing against one another in a flurry of attacks. Though as the Lorrdian went for an overhead strike, Vaylin crouched and sweeped her leg out, knocking Kytra off her feet. Taking advantage of the moment, the Zabrak summoned the Force to her hands and slammed it against her opponent. Kytra was sent flying backwards, towards and past the treeline of the jungle.

She remained waiting, just incase the woman returned from wherever she had landed. But there was nothing, so Vaylin turned her attention back to where [member="Aria Vale"] was.

Vaylin eyed her Master's opponent, [member="Dax Fyre"] as he attempted to make some distance between them.

The Zabrak was some distance away, to Dax's back but within Aria's vision beyond him. So Vaylin moved, minimizing her presence in the Force as best she could and closed the distance.

As she neared Dax, Vaylin held her blade at the ready, intending for a strike against the man's back the moment she was close enough.

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim looked over to the burly man "Yes, my friend! Treasure! Gold and ancient booze as far as the eye can see!" Jim then remembered something "Booze..." Jim muttered to himself,

"A great captain... greater booze... And the greatest boobs I've ever seen!" Jim said excitedly figuring out where he knew her from. "Hey you're that alchemist from that cantina on Utapau! Yea the one giving away the free booze." Jim said happily at first, and then he remembered a little further.

"You realize those allergic reactions caused me to go through alcohol withdrawl! They weren't that bad that night, but the next morning. the next morning your sorcery almost killed me." Jim said slightly irritated. Jim then thought about it some more going through the drunk memories of that night.

"Did I try to get with you when I was drunk? I faintly remember attempting to." Jim said trying to reminisce. He looked back at the woman slyly. "I surely would've remembered if we did get together." Jim smirked.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
[member="Dorsca Waverunner"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Location: Kal'Shebbal Northern Outskirts
Allies: [member="Dorsca Waverunner"] [member="Jim Pehico"]
Enemies: Unknown
Post: 7/37

"Ancient dinnerware here: stay close and the ancient, unopened booze will be close by" she told Dorsca while they just got started.

[member="Dorsca Waverunner"] did not realize that it took 1) more mental resources than usual and 2) some Force-energy to actually be able to triangulate and back-track from whence Jim came. By now there are more crystal-inlaid items laying around in those ruins, undisturbed for so long: the first batch she could find comprised crystal stemware, thick, clear, alongside porcelain plates adorned with nova crystals. And nova crystals as well. I had the greatest boobs he had ever seen? I might be pretty, just that there are millions with very similar boobs to mine in this galaxy, Zeltron or otherwise, she thought, while pondering what [member="Jim Pehico"] just said, and also realizing that not only Jim was in her visions pertaining to this place, she was in that bar with him when she served that alchemized lum. And also that she had a client for whom strapless dresses are considered exotic, but that's a function of Pau'an culture, where cleavage is usually not a common thing to see in other people and for whom the cleavage of other species is a curio.

"While I readily acknowledge that I have great boobs, there are easily a few more people, spacers even, with that kind of boobs. As for... alcohol withdrawal? The stuff I alchemized back there might be useful for catching pirates; pirates often drink like crazy, they are vulnerable when suffering from alcohol withdrawal. What you describe here is nothing exceptional for alcohol withdrawal and could also happen to pirates, too"

 

[Thane Drexel]

Temple Sanctum Sanctorum

[member="Bryce Bantam"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Chip"] [member="Vorhi Alestrani"]

Thane watched in amazement as a silhouette of an Aang-Tii teleported in a trunk with the exact gear that Bryce wore to guard him from the elements and even the vacuum of space. He didn't know where to start, so many questions rolled through his mind a mile a minute. Then Vorhi stepped up first to the trunk, the blind leading the blind, heh.

He fumbled around for a moment until he gained the parts and assembled them on his person. Thane followed suit, grabbing the breathing mask, gloves, crystals and donned each part. He guessed at how it would work, the crystals must activate some type of force field, protecting the wearers from the extreme pressures space brought upon a body.

He hoped he was wearing it right, the crystals glowed, but he didn't know if that meant it was turned on or whatever it was supposed to be doing.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

The hell Bryce had been through was still fresh on his soul. Those who had brought them all here to this moment had failed to break him, but they had surely tried. His attitude was as cheerful as usual but those who knew Bryce better would find something different about him. Those who remember the struggles of Demonsgate or Kal'Shebbal would have seen this before. A heavy burned weighted by Bryce, he felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and like atlas was resigned to carry it alone.

No one here knew the deals he had made to secure the safety of so many. The price he may have to pay later down the line. Yes those who knew him best would see the weight he carried, but little else. Bryce was built like that. Able to compartmentalize that which he needed, pain in this bucket, joy all around. He would choose how to deal with each, and that which he had not the time for was placed aside till later when he could properly work through it. Alone and on his own time.

For now there was the mission, that alone was driving him. Every second they waited, the greater the risk for... something worse to happen...

"Look I know we still have others left to come but if you trust me I need you all to walk into that light. On the other side is... a friend of sorts. She will be able to direct you better till I can join. There is little time to lose, if you are ready we need to make haste..."

Bryce motioned for Jorus and Vorhi to take from the box.

"Unless you have cold weather, low atmosphere gear then take a Vlo'vehsa. Just as Thane did put it on and activate the field using the crystal on the gauntlet. When you get to the other site Theresa will be waiting for you. Mind what she says but one warning I can give is every promise she makes comes with a cost. Do not make a deal lightly with her..."

Spoiler

OOC: First party is cleared to move to Homeworld, make sure all hands and arms are inside the ride while you are in motion, this is where the fun begins, have fun. Everyone else make you way to the temple when you are able. Will save a spot for ya.

Also feel free to create some lore gear. I only noted one item you would find in my previous post. A type of void suit made out of gloves powered by a crystal, and a breathing mask. Feel free to create something else but be sure it is crystal based to keep with the them. Next post will take us to the adventure zones so be ready!

[member="The Slave"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="AD-Iqatar.13"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Antherion"] | [member="Boethiah"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Iron Giant"] | [member="Thane Drexel"] | [member="Joza Perl"] | [member="Delila Castillon"] | [member="Dax Fyre"] | [member="Aeshi Tillian"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] | [member="Chip"] | [member="Kytra Odran"] | [member="Janick Beauchamp"] | [member="Vorhi Alestrani"] | [member="Dorsca Waverunner"] | [member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim was looking under more rocks near the dinnerware as Janick talked.

"I haven't been this sober since the academy." Jim muttered to himself as he looked

Once Janick finished talking he looked back over to her.

"Well I'm glad my pain was able to help us out, doll." He said slightly sarcastically. "As for the Alcohol withdrawl how are we going to get close to them without them noticing us?"

He then looked under a rock and there it was! An ancient bottle of booze. Beautifully preserved and aged to perfection. He struggled opening the cork however he eventually got through and started chugging it. Jim looked like a newborn suckling on his mother's teet after not eating all day... or night.
Jim finally had to gasp for breath and poured the rest into his flask.

"Well you were right about the lum doll, let's hope you're plan works out as well." Jim smirked. Feeling slightly selfish he offered the two a swig from his flask.

[member="Janick Beauchamp"]
[member="Dorsca Waverunner"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Jim Pehico"] [member="Janick Beauchamp"]

Their conversation pattered like spring rain and washed over Dorsca without soaking in. He caught perhaps every fifth word. With a grunt and a nod, he accepted Pehico's flask. He took a moderate drink and passed it back.

"I come place because dream." He pointed his spear at the main temple ruins. Through the trees, a party was audible: sometimes he caught glimpses of tattooed Twi'leks dancing. "Is go inside."

With a companionable nod to both Pehico and the brunette, Dorsca headed deeper into the ruins, aiming for the great temple's main entrance.