Crucible | First Imperial Knights

[Resurgent Fables]

DOSUUN

Our tale takes place far from the hustle and bustle of Avalonia. This is not a tale of daring and bold fighter pilots, brave and selfless soldiers, the calculating bureaucrats, or even the intrepid and mysterious spies of the infamous FOSB.

This is a story of the First Imperial Knights. Every faction in this galaxy has a group of such men and women who use their ability call upon the Force to vanquish evil. Did you really think it would be that different out here?

Officially, the Knights are based out of Fort Excelsior, just outside of Avalonia. Unofficially, that's a lie. The Knights are based out of Castle Invictus- a sprawling compound in the far reaches of Dosuun. This is also where we shall find a group of Knights in the middle of a training exercise. The goal? To scale the treacherous Mt. Invictus with only their wits and the Force, braving the elements and the wild-life. Rumors are that there are some deserters of the now-defunct Dosuun Hegemony hiding up there as well.

Let us check up on our heroes, shall we?

 

[Juliana Alderdice]

MOUNT INVICTUS - APPROXIMATELY 200 METERS FROM BASE

"Carefully now," said Juliana loudly, so her voice would carry over the small chasm to the younger acolyte on the opposite ledge. "Take a running jump, just like I did, and we'll be here to grab you. Don't be afraid. Trust in the Force." She turned to the other man beside her and they spread out on their side of the gap, poised to grab the acolyte.

The acolyte took a few steps back, then took a running start and hurled himself from the cliff. He leaped early, and would have come short. Juliana felt the shock in the Force, but her fellow Imperial Knight and she reached out physically and in the Force, seizing the shocked acolyte's arms and hauling him up over the cliff edge. The trio clattered unceremoniously to the ground, and Juliana's fingers clawed at the other acolyte's tunic, holding him in place, then carefully stood.

"That was -- good," Juliana said as she brushed herself off. "Next time, make sure you jump at the last moment. There were a few steps left before you jumped. Are you all right?" Once they confirmed that the acolyte was fine, Juliana sent him further up the mountain path. She and her colleague turned back to the cliff at the next acolyte. "Right -- next?"

Matma Bernu | Brec Gannan | @B'rukh clan Obvupam​

 

[Brec Gannan]

MOUNT INVICTUS
190 METERS FROM BASE

I hate this.

Brec sighed, as he grasped the climbing hook that had been pushed into a crack in the mountain face, while he did everything in his power to avoid looking to the ground far, far below. The wind whipped, it was cold, and the potential for one to lose footing and fall to - arguably, even with the Force to help - their doom was very real.

I've decided I hate heights.

Dressed in a lighter version of his usual armor, with some heavier clothing for warmth, Brec watched the events above. He saw Juliana and another Imperial Knight work with an Acolyte to make a jump. Even though the Sentinel's expression was determined, Brec couldn't help but feel unease, and continued to try his best to maintain his composure in the training the group were undertaking.

Were there easier ways to reach the top of the mountain? Yes.

But would those easier ways help them develop? No.

Would stop me falling to my death, though...

Still, Brec was focused on being the support climber. He remained below everyone else, just in case, and would be in a position to assist if the worst happened. Namely, if someone fell. But so far, the Imperial Knights had proven themselves in leaps and bounds. Such a climb was not easy, it required a lot of mental and physical effort, and there was a side of the ex-Knight of Ren that was proud of them? Maybe proud was too strong a word, but it was something along those lines.

There had been a very apparent divide between the Imperial Knights and Brec, after all, due to his past with the original Force-based group that had served the First Order. The fallout from the Rens, during the ransacking of Dosuun and how they had fled, had been very detrimental to the perception of the group - even to those that hadn't abandoned the First Order, but were still painted with the same brush. But, there was some silver lining, Brec supposed, as he glanced back to Juliana and nodded to himself; at least she had seemed able to move beyond the Ren thing, so it was a start, and hopefully others would come around.

"Nice one," Brec shouted, as he tried to call over the wind. "Are we pushing up higher, or taking a break?"

Either way, Brec would continue on. He had ample reserves of the Force to imbue his body, and no lack of energy to summon. This climb was a test in many ways as to the capabilities of one's ability in the Force, too, as it required the power to be used for a lot of the journey over an extended period of time - controlled application was vital, and would help improve control.

Or not.

With a grunt, and a purposeful upward stare, Brec began to make his way after the other Imperial Knights. He tried not to think about the fact that - what with being the bottom support - there was no one to catch him, should he misplace a climbing tool and tumble...

Heights are not for me. Nope.

Matma Bernu | Juliana Alderdice | B’rukh clan Obvupam​

 

[Arianna Sarreti]

MOUNT INVICTUS
210 Meters from Base

​

Whoever thought this training exercise was a good thing must hate the lot of them... or at least that was what it felt like to the young Sarreti.

But if truth be told, the challenges presented to the First Imperial Knights today on the icy mountain face were nothing compared to the ones of tomorrow or even those going forward they all would face individually and together as a Force Corps group. This would test not only their teamwork and skills but their inner will to overcome obstacles both natural and of their own making.

Mind over matter, Ari. You must focus on the here and now. Let the Force flow through you, around you, and in you, she'd been told time and time again. Well, that was easier said than done when one was freezing! Her teeth were chattering as the wind went seemingly right through her thermal bodysuit that was under the lightweight armor worn for this expedition.

The Imperial Knights were separated by ten meters with safety ropes. Arianna was third from the bottom. She tried hard to keep moving upward in a timely fashion so as not to bunch or stall the others below her, but this was the first time the Coruscanti had ever climbed. The quick impromptu lesson on how to climb and use the tools provided was a bit overwhelming. Hopefully, she was doing it right.

Hopefully...

The novice took another carabiner from her utility belt and was in the process of clipping it onto the next anchor when the person above her knocked a block of snow down into her face. The distraction was enough that she momentarily lost her footing sliding downward a few meters until the rope went taut and stopped her descent.

"Sorry, so sorry!" Ari called out.

Resurgent Fables | Brec Gannan | Juliana Alderdice | @B'rukh clan Obvupam​

​

 

[Resurgent Fables]

As you can see, our heroes being pitted against the elements, and giving it as good as they've got. Unbeknownst to them, some old enemies of the First Order are watching them closely...

Ripper put down a pair of binoculars, chewing his mouth. "You're right, Mindbender", he grunted, turning to the hooded figure surrounded by a crew of motley soldiers who had clearly seen better days by the state of their uniforms. "I sees the laser swords- Jedi or somethin'." He turned around to face the hooded man. "You sure you wanna do this?"

Mindbender unveiled himself, revealing a scarred visage of a once-handsome humanoid. "Don't make me make you walk off the carking cliff, you stupid schutta", he hissed, causing Ripper to step back. He turned to the assembled group. "We ruled this sector, once. The Dosuun Hegemony instilled order. We saved Dosuun from itself. Then that little schutta Yvarro ruined it."

He motioned to the group of Knights. "We must rid them of their group of protectors. We kill them first. Then we go up that mountain and kill everything up there- so, basically some children and some troopers. When the Knights fall, we will put this false regime in the ground, starting with Fortan herself. Then Yvarro."

Mindbender reached out with the Force, scrambling the perceptions of the Knights, confusing them, instilling fear. He turned to the group of beraggled soldiers. "Fire that RPG! I want them buried under 10 tons of snow and rock NOW. Extra portions to the sniper that takes out the traitor Ren first."


Juliana Alderdice | B’rukh clan Obvupam | Brec Gannan | Arianna Sarreti

 

[Juliana Alderdice]

MOUNT DOOM INVICTUS
200 METERS FROM BASE

"Is it possible," Juliana began curiously, calling over to Brec Gannan, "that you're afraid of heights? You? The man who basically crashed a lander into a deranged Sith cult's superweapon and charged into the breach? You? Who faced down some lunatic who kept trying to scare us off with a raven vision? Afraid of heights?"

She offered a cheeky grin and rubbed her gloves hands together for warmth, but it wasn't working. She felt cold all over.

"I think we should keep going," said Juliana. "If I sit down, I don't think I'm going to want to get up again. Good God, it's cold," she hissed. She turned and headed towards the pathway up the mountain. She glanced towards the ledge, then back down to the path before doing a quick double-take back out towards the ledge.

"What's that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at a faint glow twinkling in the distant darkness. It seemed to be growing brighter -- no, not brighter, but closer. The Force whispered a warning, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "Everyone down," she cried, pulling on the Force. She flung her arms out, willing a physical manifestation of the Force to push at the rocket, but it didn't go as planned, and in her inexpert panic her effort was badly controlled. Rather than repelling the RPG, she merely deflected it, sending it downwards so that it impacted the mountain two dozen meters below their level.

The mountain trembled violently.

"What the hell?" she gasped.

Arianna Sarreti | Brec Gannan | Matma Bernu | B’rukh clan Obvupam | Resurgent Fables​