Beneath The Frost

[Tugoro Taidarious]

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Outer Rim Territories​

Puloorn​

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War and disaster wrought destruction upon societies over the centuries, countless lifetimes worth of information and records being lost in the process. The planet Puloorn had been surveyed nearly a millennium ago, but nowadays it wasn't even present on most star maps. The dark side was on the rise, clouding the sense of those who would stand against the united Empire.

The discovery of Puloorn would be inevitable for some, the site of the Sith temple creating dark ripples in the force that spanned the galaxy. Those who answered would find themselves drawn to a large valley, surrounded by arctic mountains that loomed hundreds of meters above. Pillars, statues and monuments decorated the path towards the temple, which was recognizably Sith in design due to its ice-covered pyramid shape. A dark nexus of power was centralized within the structure, accumulated over the years gone by.

Whoever arrived first would discovery the secrets left behind, if they were worthy enough to claim them. Touching down near the valley would be a difficult task, but luckily there was a wide mountain pass with a stable surface not too far away. The journey against powerful blizzards would be strenuous, but those who made it would find the weather calming as they arrived in the dark valley.

[member='Ar'ekk'] [member="Blake Morrigan"] [member="Honas'di"]

 

[Blake Morrigan]

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[member="Tugoro Taidarious"] | @Ar'ekk | [member="Honas'di"]​

How far had she come?

Such questions were meaningless drivel, imposed upon her by a mind ever seeking answers, regardless of the consequences. Questions begat answers, after all- there was no question that could not claim one. But that did not mean it would grace her with wisdom and light, guiding her onward to glory. The threat of failure loomed there, like a beast enveloped in shadow, testing her. Blakes heart burned and she rose with purpose upon forbidden frozen sands, the cold blizzard whispering behind her in a violent whirl. How far had she come? It did not matter. She was here. Essence, Essence. Prophecy was unneeded, though she demanded it, now more than ever. Demanded such tempestuous visions, a clash of victory and defeat. Where did her steps lead, in the absence of true divination? It was here, here, with or without the pull of a dream. If such a God did exist- in mockery of everything she had known, worshiped, been chosen by -it would surely bring the answers she sought. It must.

Or else all would be for naught, and she believed she would let the darkness claim her- willingly, desperately -for she had given, had sacrificed, everything.

Was it worth it? Her own existence hinged upon this moment. For whatever reason, Blake could not deny it.

"Essence," he whispered as he climbed further, the air clearing and revealing the path forward. The temple was there; she could feel it. It rung with the unholy, a hollow bell, drawing every fibre of her being. And how she despised it, how she longed for it. Her eyes, embued with blood, could only look forward. The wind tossed her hair, caressed her body; she felt more alive, and yet more doomed, than ever before. She walked forward, her heels treading upon sacred ground, casting ancient shadows upon her.

This is where it all began.

 

[Arekk]

Cold.

Just like the nights spent in hunger, alone and in desperation of living a good life. This place wasn't like most of the planets Ar'ekk had visited throughout his years, a freezing cold that felt like death itself was giving you a kiss in an attempt to taunt you to the other side.

For a long time, Puloorn had been out of the star maps. Those with a certain attraction to the Force would be aware of its existence, the good and the evil fighting for what laid beneath its frozen mountains; darkness within the walls of an ancient temple belonging to the Sith. Whatever was being held inside could be recognized as a powerful tool sought by many and only those worthy of such gift would be able to reedem it. The ship controlled by the apprentice was modified to survive the deadly winter of Puloorn, but the weather was serene upon his arrival. The calm before the storm, he thought immediately as he looked for a place to land safely, which he indeed found just near the mountains. The first part of his plan was to set up a camp and survey the area when the conditions were better.

The idea of going out there in the cold wasn't certainly one that amused the young Jedi, bringing back the nightmares of war time, spending countless of nights hungry and alone in the battleground, expecting to survive for another day. The past is a gaping hole, he thought. You try to run from it, but the more you run, the deeper, more terrible it grows behind you, its edges yawning at your heels. Your only chance is to turn around and face it.

Ar'ekk wanted to forget everything, infinite moments of despair and suffering stuck in his mind. Death of people he cared such as brothers-in-arms, friends, loved ones. But deep in his heart he knew he could not run from his past, not now and never because he would end up running in circles until he'd fall back down to the same hole he was trying to escape from, only the hole's grown deeper.

He stood inside the cockpit for a moment, lost in his thoughts. He rose from the seat and grabbed the equipment for the base, going outside before gearing up so he wouldn't succumb due to frostbite. The base was ready to be used, a beacon indicating the location on his datapad in case he needed to return. He looked ahead, spotting the mountain pass that would allow him to arrive to the valley. The descending walk had begun, the wind hitting the only side his mask wasn't covering completely. An eerie ambience, death looming around in expectation.

The view was bluntly clear. Not a single soul in sight, just him and the Force.

He hoped that it remained that way.

[member="Blake Morrigan"] | [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] | [member='Honas'di']

 

[Yaadri Osi-Yyn]

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It would come at a cost.​

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The Nelvaanian had arrived at the planet, with nothing but a shuttle presumably from a much larger ship. He had come to answer a call, which he felt had ringed across the entire galaxy. Knowing that he would not be alone on this endeavour he brought his prized weapon, Darkbite. It was holstered on his back, as he stomped down the ramp of the shuttle and his feet embraced the cold almost icy snow. The temperature was no problem to him, something like this was usual for the large creature, due to his homeworld. Though he was unsure what he would exactly discover here. He could sense the darkside radiating from somewhere in the distance, and that was where he was headed. A soft growl emitted from his mouth, as he slowly pushed through the oncoming onslaught of snow attempting to slow him down, though he would not allow it.​

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He continued for some time, climbing various hills and sliding down the other side. He knew how to traverse this environment. Quickly making his way towards the call, he made quick haste to get there.​

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Though something caught his eye. A woman. Not too far in the distance, he began to make his way to her. Noticing her clearing the path, he was intrigued. He began to jog lightly towards her, darting behind various pieces of ice stabbing through the ground. He then called out when not too far from her.​

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"Who... are you?" Simply, he said.​

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Revealing his appearance to her, seemingly still walking closer and closer he would tower over [member="Blake Morrigan"] easily. His eyes glared down at her, his claws extended. He could sense the dark within her, though he was clever enough to know that he could not even trust his own kind, especially not somewhere like this. So, he kept cautious, keeping enough distance between them to be able to attack and to be able to retreat.​

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@Ar'ekk | [member="Tugoro Taidarious"]​

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Time passed as the individuals made their journey across and through the mountains, each on their own path until they all would converge. [member="Honas'di"] and [member="Blake Morrigan"] encountered each other first, arriving in the seemingly ancient valley that led towards the towering Sith temple.

While they confronted each other, from across the statue and pillar littered stretch, a droid would come in to view, appearing to have come from the temple itself. It was nearly frozen, and could be seen from beneath the frost to be recognizably Sith. It was impossible to tell how long the droid had been on the planet, or how it had survived for so long. "Hopefuls, please present your identification cards before proceeding forward."

From a different era, this droid demanded identification from the Sith apprentices before they were allowed to enter the temple. This site was presumably once used for trials, to test young hopefuls before they were inducted into the ranks of the Sith, monitored by a droid of all things.

Meanwhile, [member='Ar'ekk'] had left his ship, venturing through the mountain pass, and into a hard blizzard. The closer he got to the site, the worse the weather would get, winds picking up while even more snow fell from the sky. He would find that the blizzards began to die down, the further he made it through the pass, though there was still quite some distance to be closed before the Jedi arrived at the valley.

Unfortunately, he was not as alone as he would have liked to believe, for brief white blurs could be seen through the blizzard that surrounded him, red eyes sizing the apprentice up as a pack of Jexxel circled. Their aggression could be felt through the force, pointing towards the fact that they were about to strike.