Dark Sighting

[Avo]

Dark Sighting​

Lake Natth, Ambria​

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The stench of overbearing darkness hung in the air thicker than the fog. High-beam lights from the shuttle slowly dimmed to mere ember orbs as the four robed figures slowly cleared the foliage from its landing zone. Everything about this situation just felt wrong, like moisture clinging to your skin. Rather than remaining on the outside, it lingered and seeped into your very core. Vile and disgusting. Lan couldn't wait to hurry up and get off of this barren rock. At least, not before they brought peace to these pour souls afflicted by the still lingering evil.

As the shuttle's light finally died down, the Jedi Master stepped away from the landing gate and into the moonlight. Cool gusts of air bristled the treetops above them. He pulled his dark green cloak tighter about his frame, turning to face the men and women that had journeyed with him.

"We are venturing forth into the very heart of this darkness," his raspy voice started, "We are not here to kill or exterminate. We are here to cleanse and purify this place so that these folks may live in peace once more."

The man produced a small holoprojector from his belt and held it out for them to see. With a cobalt flash, the image of a young man materialized into existence. Human, early twenties with long, blond hair and a smug grin to top it all off. He bore the trappings of a huntsman, as well as a long scar across his muzzle.

"I'm sure you've all read through your mission briefing prior to this, but I'll reiterate it all real quick. This is Geff Bendix, a young hunter and scavenger who lives in a nearby village. A few days ago, his partner was slain during one of their outings by what the locals call 'the monster.' Mister Bendix offered little description as to what exactly it was, but he claims to believe it's tied to the darkness corrupting these lands."

Lan turned off the projection, pocketing the device.

"We're to make for the village and investigate for clues before we make our excursion to find this monster." He gave them a reassuring smile, "Are you all ready?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"] - [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] - [member="Sundara Nyveit"]​

 

[Placeholder 0128]

Ambria was a place of history.

It bore scars from conflicts older than many of the races that populated the stars today. Its aura was that of a mangled prisoner banging desperately with its shackles for some kind of release. The galaxy had treated that prisoner as any emotionally detached captor would; it ignored the prisoner completely.

Aside from a brief reformation project by the Republic, Ambria had been left to rot.

Until now.

Cedric ran through the old mantras in his head for the sixth time. His presence was one of utmost calm within the realm of the ethereal, but there was a hint of chaos beneath that image of perfect tranquility. It was here at this very lake that his father had called his banners at the start of a crusade that would destroy the One Sith. It was here that his family's ambitions had finally come to light. It was here that the face of the galactic core had been changed so immeasurably.

Not a soul knew of this truth save for those who were present, and they were all dead. All save for Cedric.

"As ready as one can be when hunting a creature that quite likely crawled up from the depths of a chaos tainted lake," Cedric fired back, though his level voice betrayed his lack of true fear. That, or he'd gotten rather good at keeping such things out of his voice. His smile was thin.

"Meaning very."

[member="Lan Graendal"], [member="Teynara Jeralyr"], [member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

A bad feeling was hardly an accurate description of the general vibe Sundara got from this place. The foreboding sensation that hung over the area cast a shiver down her spine. Such shivers had her regret not preparing for the weather beyond a simple cloak. Yes, that was what was causing the shivers. The weather. Definitely not the horrible feeling she had about this place, and most certainly not that though that had entered her brain upon entering the system's atmosphere and had stubbornly remained. This would sure be a horrible place to go down.

The very idea of going down in any sense of the phrase was one she sorely wished hadn't crossed her mind. But alas, it was there now. Just like the notion that at any moment one of those weird visions that the Devaronian had no discernable control over could hit. At a place like this, she shuddered to think just what she'd see.

With a bit of a huff and a shake of the head, she turned her attention outward, focussing on the rest of the group. This wasn't the time nor place to get caught up in any apprehension, the very process of such reminding her of the Padawan she was very much trying not to resemble.That was the old Sundara and while it was still an extension of herself, said incarnation would hardly be of any use for this mission.

When the other man, another knight from the looks of it, responded Sundara had the strangest feeling that his apparent eagerness wouldn't rub off. Regardless, it was enough that at least someone seemed relatively enthused.

"Anything's better than just standing here, I suppose," her own response was anything but eager. On edge, yes, but not particularly skittish, a hand rose to scratch the back of her neck. "Let's just get to it."

[member="Lan Graendal"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"]​

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

Location | Lake Natth, Ambria​

Mission | Investigate Creature Sightings​

Allies | [member="Lan Graendal"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Sundara Nyveit"] |​

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Ambria hadn't appeared a particularly delightful world from orbit, but now that their shuttle was down upon the surface, firmly now upon the ground, Teynara had to admit that it didn't look nearly as unpleasant as she'd first thought. They had landed aways from a sizeable lake, their view obscured by trees that stood sentry before them, tall and swaying softly in a breeze that served to soothe and relax her - a welcome breath of fresh air compared to the filtered air offered by the shuttle's on-board atmospheric recyclers.

The idea of a creature hunting the local inhabitants was a disturbing one, and they'd been sent to investigate, as was only appropriate for Jedi. Can't let that sort of thing go unanswered, though Teynara hadn't come with the intention of hunting whatever it was to put an end to it. Usually animals only lash out when challenged for territory, or otherwise threatened. Once we know what it is, we can work out why it's attacking, and stop it. That's why she was here, after all: a xenobiologist could help with that sort of thing. And I've got plenty of Jedi to keep me safe, just in case.

It was interesting to work with Jedi she'd never been alongside before: Master Graendal was the eldest of the four, and leader of the group; Master Grayson, the tall, cropped-haired human with the intense expression; Master Nyveit, a Devaronian of lean build and the sense of a person carrying too much energy for her body to contain, though Teynara couldn't for the life of her say where she'd gotten that impression from. They all outranked her, and that was a reassuring thought, to say the least: they all had more than enough field experience to make sure they all walked away in one piece, and hopefully resolved the issues of Ambria's ambient population.

"You say monster, I say it's probably just an animal that's been scared and startled, and struck out accordingly," Teynara noted to the others with a faint smile. "Can always trust nervous locals to come up with a superstitious worry over something that's probably an isolated incident." The blonde woman shrugged, a faint movement that forced some of her long hair to brush back across her shoulders. "Come on, a dark shadow beast?" Tey smiled in faint amusement, finding the idea of it quite absurd. "We probably came all this way to deal with a wild Stava that escaped after being illegally imported."

In truth, Teynara wasn't all that familiar with the creatures native to Ambria: there wasn't much in the Archives on the topic, and it was at such moments that she wished she'd had access to the University Library back on Rudrig. Chances are they'd have had a better idea of the predatory animals native to this planet. Would have given her a better idea what they were looking for, anyway. Absent that...well, guess we'll figure out what we're looking for as we go.

Still, her Jedi companions seemed a little unsettled, for reasons the blonde hadn't been able to put her fingers on: the sense of calm that projected off them felt a little forced, in some respects, and that worried her more than rumours of some predatory animal on the hunt. Must be something about this place that bothers them. Hopefully they'd dispel any reason to fret before long. That's why we're here, right?

"Anyway, I'm ready when you three are," she said calmly, offering a sincere smile to the others. She shouldered her travel pack, just to make sure she had everything. Other than clothes and personal effects, she'd also brought a sample analysis kit and a datapad with notes on common predatory species and their hunting habits. Just to be on the safe side. "Let's try not to get eaten as we go, huh?"

 

[Avo]

Surely, if the Council had thought it necessary to attach a Master to this mission, then it was definitely of great importance to the Jedi and their cause, as well as the beings who called this place home. Villagers didn't have a tendency of directly contacting the Jedi for help with small things, so being preyed upon by a creature of this apparent magnitude seemed important enough. The overbearing atmosphere of darkness sent a shiver up Lan's spine. Best not to dwell on it for long, he thought.

His emerald eyes inspected his crew. All were unfamiliar faces but their presences were more than familiar in the Force. He felt them radiating its light, tiny little blemishes as far as this coven of evil was concerned. The first was Cedric: a tall man who didn't seem to talk much, and when he did, it was always in high spirits. Their sour knight of the group was the Devaronian Knight, verbally expressing her desire to move quickly. Lan felt the apprehension and understood completely. And lastly was the baby of the team, Padawan Jeralyr. Youthful, quick to smile. All in all, a very diverse team that he already trusted with his life.

Lan gave them a grin, "I've heard that Jedi don't make for very tasty snacks. Let's be sure to keep it that way."

And with that, he turned towards the thick underbrush of the forest and gestured for them to follow. Their journey had began.

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"], [member="Sundara Nyveit"], [member="Cedric Grayson"]​

 

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“I’d much prefer if it’s really just a frightened Nuna,” Cedric offered Teynara a playful smile. The lake’s effects were heavy upon his mind, and reaching for for a lighter mood seemed to be the only way he could deal with it properly. The youth hadn’t spent much time with his trio of compatriots.

There was Lan, an older master that had been friends with his father in years long passed. Then there were the girls, both of which he was having trouble recalling names for. He took a moment to mull that over, cursed internally, and shrugged. They were good enough company out here in the detritus of the lake’s exterior, names or not.

“They can taste alright if you cook them properly,” Cedric cracked a faint smile as he followed Lan into the underbrush. His thoughts drifted to the world’s history, or moreover his family’s history. What had his father seen in this place? Why come here before setting the coup in motion?

Perhaps it was simply the lake and the nexus of power it provided, but Cedric doubted that. His father had never been foolish enough to take in raw strength he didn’t understand simply to have it.

Unless he had understood what he was doing.

A frown flitted across Cedric’s once patrician features.

“My family’s visited this place before. Nothing good ever came of it - we can’t afford to underestimate the power that the lake holds. It can pull you in if you aren’t careful.”

His gaze shifted to the padawan for a moment. Was it wise to bring the girl to such a place? Part of him doubted such thinking; another part understood the lack of numbers that the Jedi were suffering from. She had come simply because there was no one else that could come. Not enough students were being trained to match the deficit of dead knights and traitors.

Dark times indeed.

Something felt off. Cedric stood a little straighter and peered out into the din. Only shadows lingered to greet him.

Hmmph.

[member="Lan Graendal"], [member="Teynara Jeralyr"], [member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

"I hear it's all about cooking evenly." Morbid topic aside, the jokes eased whatever tension there might have been, the territory that came with working with relative strangers. Sundara had met the Padawan, Teynara, before. The others, she'd possibly seen in passing here and there, might've heard their names once or twice, certainly not enough for them to stick. Regardless, she welcomed their company, especially seeing as they seemed to have a much clearer idea of the objective and terrain than she.

"Then let's hope we all know how to swim." Or that none of them get pulled in to begin with. That'd be great. Fantastic, even. Of course, Sundara had a feeling that wasn't a luxury they'd get to experience. If the lake wasn't that big of an issue, the council wouldn't have sent such a large group, not giving the already dismal state of the Order's numbers. No, all clues pointed to a potentially trying quest for all of them. Sundara wasn't exactly keen on finding out just how trying it would be.

As they trekked on into the forest, she was careful in positioning herself. Being in the back wasn't particularly appealing, so she favored a position in which she could at least mostly see the rest of the group in her peripherals.

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Lan Graendal"]​

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

| [member="Lan Graendal"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Sundara Nyveit"] |​

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The others accepted her humour in the spirit it was intended, which pleased Teynara. Some of the Jedi she'd worked with were rather emotionally-reclusive, and tended not to respond to jokes and quips, simply believing it better to keep focused to a crazy level, and internalise any tension they might feel, without expressions designed to relieve it. Crazy, really: cutting yourself off from your emotions makes you something less than human, rather than transcendent, as they would hope. Tey still didn't understand it, but she suspected she'd missed something somewhere there.

As for Sundara's thought about them all being able to swim...she really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Teynara could swim, absolutely, but her typical attire of a tunic, long ankle-length skirts and the reliable boots that most Jedi wore would undoubtedly hinder her in that respect. Certainly couldn't swim at the sort of speed needed to flee something trying to eat me. Chances are she'd end up flailing at a slow speed, assuming she didn't get tangled up with her own clothing and drown. Not a good way to end a mission like this, she reflected morosely.

Teynara caught Cedric staring at her rather intently, a thoughtful expression on his face, perhaps the tiniest hint of worry furrowing his brow. That he does this while mentioning the danger of this place suggests that maybe he feels I won't be able to handle it. He was probably right to, all things considered: her abilities as a Jedi were minor, to say the least. I don't see the danger they seem to feel, but perhaps that also means it won't be as big a threat to me as it is to them. Still, if a Jedi Knight felt she might be at risk, it would be wise to take that onboard.

Walking as they were was interesting: despite the grave nature of their mission, and the risks apparently involved, Teynara found that she was enjoying herself. The hiking left her calves burning with the exertion, and she enjoyed the way it reminded her to enjoy the exercise. Fitness training was encouraged at the Enclave, but this was something a little more natural: not regimented, but simple necessity. Have to find fun where you can, huh?

"What makes you imagine that the villagers will have much to tell us, Master?", she asked, directing her question towards Lan, since he was leading the mission. "If they'd seen anything useful, they'd probably have formed a hunting party to deal with the creature themselves." Chances are, they're suspicious of something and are letting their paranoia run wild. The Force alone knows what kind of wild Bantha chase they're likely to send us on. "Bringing us here is probably an over-reaction to a perfectly normal phenomenon."

She knew her scepticism was likely to annoy someone before long, but she had a scientist's mind far more than that of a trained Jedi: they relied on intuition and understanding that she wasn't yet able to tap into, so her own thoughts tended towards rational analysis beyond any sense of mysticism. And it would be strange indeed to find something that a party armed with hunting blasters couldn't handle. If there was such...well, perhaps the Master's warnings of danger would be appropriate indeed...

 

[Avo]

The thick bristles and brambles were not unlike the ones he'd seen on Kashyyk or Felucia. A decade long exile that he had undertaken following his failure as a young knight had seen him grow into more of a hermit than anything. An experienced hunter and woodsman, a survivalist both in spirit and in mentality. It was difficult living that reclusively and biding his time only through the guidance and teachings of the Force and several holocrons he possessed, but he felt he was a better man for it all. As the Jedi troupe made their way through the dense forest, Lan snapped little branches from trees or carved X's in them with a small knife.

Best not to get lost out here, he thought.

Birds of the night cawed high above, predators waking for their feeding times roared and howled in the distance. Far enough away to not pose a threat but close enough to make you shiver and keep your wits about you.

Morbid humor aside, this trip was going swimmingly (no pun intended). The padawan's question sounded off behind him. He didn't turn to reply but raised his raspy voice over the sound of boots crunching through grass and sticks.

"Because they sent their best hunters, one of which was slain and the other barely lived to tell the tale." He shifted his pack against his shoulders. "If another Master and myself perished somewhere, would you send padawans to discover what happened, or would you summon greater men and women to answer the call?"

Lan cleared his throat, eyeing the moonlit brambles before them. "The Force guides us in mysterious ways. We are meant to be here and we must heed its call." A lopsided grin brightened his features, "The dark side permeates this place and we're not just here to ward off this creature, but to cleanse the stench from it."

[member="Teynara Jeralyr"], [member="Sundara Nyveit"], [member="Cedric Grayson"]​

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

As the night continued its course, Sundara had to wonder if it was wise for them to travel by the night. The normal predators weren't of little consequence. Surely, the team was more than skilled enough to deal with the natural flora and fauna. Her concern, however, lied with the unknown. If this creature was so powerful as to deal so much damage to the locals' best, it seemed unsavory for them to risk encountering the beast in the night.

"If you and another master were to die, I wouldn't send the next folks out in the night." Sure, she was about as knowledgeable about this mysterious creature as the next one, but it seemed fair to assume the lack of light wouldn't be doing them any favors. "We haven't exactly got the masters to spare as it is."

They continued on their way, with Master Graendal going about, marking the way in which they were traveling from. One could only trust that all four of them would be following this route much later. Hopefully, each would be walking on their own, too. At the moment, there wasn't a particular sense of doubt towards the survival of this party, just a general concern.

"What sort of injuries did the survivor have?" She wondered aloud. Just the slightest clue of what they were dealing with could very well mean the difference between life or death. Sundara was willing to use any advantage she could possibly get a hold on. "Let's just hope this creature is prepared for what's coming its' way." In that moment, Nyveit was both grateful and concerned about the lack of certainty she had about all this. She could almost feel a vision coming, it was only a matter of when. Of course, it would be just her luck that they'd hit at the most inconvenient of moments.

[member="Lan Graendal"] | [member="Teynara Jeralyr"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"]​

 

[Placeholder 0128]

"She has a point," Cedric gave Sundara a slight nod. There were far less Jedi running around than there had been five years ago. Their numbers were so low that one could say it almost resembled a new purge, though the killing had been slow rather than instant. The majority of the Jedi Order had not perished in some grand betrayal, nor had they given up their weapons after being confined by the civilian populace. No, the Jedi had suffered due to fifty long years of almost endless war.

More force sensitives were being born than ever before, and the majority of them lacked the willpower to resist the dark side's call. Thus the Jedi had been sundered, a problem that had only been exacerbated by their disunity.

Cedric's thoughts shifted toward the next generation, and the men and women that would teach it. He realized that he was in the perfect age category of experience to be one of those men.

But I'm still learning things myself. I may have a powerful connection with the force, but I'm not great master.

But I know enough to teach a student...

The cracking of brambles beneath their feet yanked Cedric from his thoughts. "I hope it's not a Vornskr."

[member="Sundara Nyveit"], [member="Lan Graendal"], [member="Teynara Jeralyr"]

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

| [member="Lan Graendal"] | [member="Sundara Nyveit"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] |​

There is that, Teynara thought. Master Graendal had a way with words, all right: sharp, to the point, and leaving absolutely no room for doubt. Although his words weren't exactly comforting, at least it was fair to say that she knew where they stood. Although they technically did send a Padawan along, albeit not alone. His words were, in some respects, quite a damning indictment of what some of the more senior Jedi expected of those among the student ranks: less competence, perhaps even trending towards incompetence. That part wasn't reassuring in the slightest.

As for 'cleansing the stench' of darkess, Tey had to admit that she had no idea what the elder Jedi was talking about, not that she was surprised by that. Many of the Jedi spoke of things that were beyond her knowledge or awareness, and all three of the more senior Jedi reacted to this world as though there were some underlying threat here that somehow failed to register itself to her senses. And so is that what must be cleansed here? Removal of whatever it is that has their hackles raised? Not a question she'd get an answer to, she felt, so it was better to keep her mouth shut.

Master Grayson's point amused her, though: from what she understood of them, Vornskr weren't the sort of predators you played around with on a whim, and if they were to encounter one (which she deemed unlikely), it was doubtful that any of them would survive. No playful predator, to nip at your heels, that one. A Vornskr wouldn't play with its food: the first you'd know of it would be the claws digging into your back as it knocked you off your feet and tore out your throat.

"Hardly likely to be that, Master," she said in response to the older Jedi. "Vornskr aren't native to Ambria, and Myrkr isn't likely to see any of them exported." True, they might well have seen a few of the ferocious predators exported off-world, but surely a place like Ambria would be unlikely to be their destination? It didn't seem the type of place to have zoos full of exotic off-world creatures for the viewing pleasure of rich inhabitants. Quite the opposite, really. "Though if the danger is as Master Graendal describes, perhaps we're really dealing with a predator pack mistaken for a single animal. That would explain a lot."

That would make more sense, to her mind. Sending out your best hunters, they'd be alert for a predator that might hunt them in turn, so even as one were attacked, the other ought to have been able to handle it. If they'd been attacked by a group of animals, like a pack of Vask-wolves...that would definitely have been enough to handle two hunters, and certainly explain the dangers. Could be just as well that the Council sent four of us, rather than a pair. We might be dealing with more than we bargained for.

That would, as she figured it, be just their luck.