Divine Restoration - Dominion of Manpha [Moross]

[Vascious Relens]

The shuttle landed, and soldiers began to rise from their seats anxious to hit the ground. Like Inari, Vascious waited behind to have his own small masking ceremony which had been repeated for many years. Many had inquired about his armor over those years. Perhaps that armor had been his last link to his heritage as a Mandalorian, or perhaps it was because it increased his survival chances. Either way Vascious always had the same simple answer. It was just a part of him that had never faded away.

The Master reached over and took his helmet from the soldier that had been holding it for him. There he held it in his lap for a moment to gaze at the electronic components within before finally placing it over his head. It locked into place and the rebreather systems kicked into gear with a subtle hiss.

Amorella's uncle pushed finally himself to his feet and followed the goddess out of the shuttle along with the revivers and guards that had waited for them. They had to wait even longer still before the transports arrived. Yet Inari had stopped Vascious from following her this time as she whispered of the new task before him.

The Mandalorian simply nodded to his niece in agreement before starting to head toward the collection of lepers and guards that were forming up to enter their shuttle.

"Lord Crusader, it's an honor to have a Crusader among us in case any Sithspawn attack," exclaimed an officer among the guards that were escorting those devout to Liad. Relens simply reached out to touch the man on the shoulder with a slight squeeze before they all started to shuffle up the transport's ramp. Vascious had been silent and the man certainly couldn't see his face, but sometimes even a small recognition from one's superiors was enough to inspire courage and loyalty under pressure.

Only the Lord Crusader wasn't there to ward off Sithspawn. He was there to insure that the Crusade's interests were placed above those of mortal men. Inari wasn't sure how the lepers would behave on the planet, and apparently was worried enough about the outcome to send one of her personal body guards to oversee.

 

[Garza]

Walking to the side of the group. I felt secluded yet prominent. Walking with my blade over my shoulder. I looked up from the ground to see Neth motioning me forwards. For what, I didn't know, but I would have to do whatever he told me to do with upmost importance. "You called me sir?" I simply spoke. I didn't want to say "Lord" or "Master" as he was a God, but I also didn't want to call him out as one of the three. Seeing as this was a military operation. I saw it fit to at least say that.

@[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Teagan Jarhn]

During the transition from transport to transport Teagan remained silent, but kept close to the Goddess' side. Once seated beside the woman again she smiled and nodded, a myriad of emotions shining in the depths of her brown eyes. "He has, we train daily." The love she held for Inari's 'brother' was clear in her eyes and voice when she spoke of her patron God.

"I pray that I will not have to demonstrate what has been taught to me upon this planet Goddess..."

Soliael had taught her much, but the majority of her skills were rooted in the art of combat; it was her duty to keep him and any he held dear safe from harm. Her eyes hardened for a moment as her smile slipped away, "you are safe with me."

@[member="Amorella Mae"]

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“I did” Soliael said simply as he looked at her through his mask. He wondered what experiences she had gone through, what had brought her here to Moross, or if she had simply been born on one of the original worlds. Mentally he shrugged, he could not ask such a thing of course, he was already supposed to know. Instead he smiled a smile that she could not see and added some warmth to his voice.

“I can sense your...difference from the others.” He didn't want to call it the force in case she did not know what it was, right now he didn't have time to explain. “I want you to go out before the rest of us. Scout ahead, but be careful.”

He was essentially using the girl as bait, though he wasn't saying it. Of course he would let nothing happen to her, but he knew that the Sithspawn would not come out against a group like his so he needed someone to be alone, and since he wanted that someone to live...well the girl was the only option.

 

[Sal Katarn]

A ghostly specter of a man, Anaudius followed the Lepers through the city. Black eyes, hidden within the shadows of his cowl, observed all, but not a word, not a whisper came from his lips. Briefly, he closed his eyes, struggling to maintain focus and concentration as the agonizing pain flared up again. It felt as though he had been shoved once more into Disciple's inferno, put beneath his brother's blade, and subjected to Velok's experimentation all in a mere passing breath. He sucked in air sharply, struggling to maintain control. The pain burned, like collusion of acid and fire meant only to cause unbearable agony. Anaudius' breath grew ragged beneath his hood and his steps faltered, knees growing weak.

But he remembered the power of Liad: the blessing and the curse. His pain made him stronger. And Velok's magics, for all the pain they caused him, seemed to imbue him with power beyond that of mortal men. Not of the body. No, his body felt weak and malleable, all bones and barely skin. But his mind was strong. Focusing on that strength, Anaudius pushed the pain down, bit by bit, until it subsided to a bearable level. He resumed walking.

The foul scent of the swamp clogged nostrils, smelling of decay and ruin. What little olfactory senses Anaudius had left only smelled a bittersweet odor. Twisted man. They trekked along the path toward the nearest settlement, under directions from Inari. Anaudius saw little of the gods. Still, in their mortal forms they seemed so... frail. No, that was heresy. Anaudius would not bear heretical thought, even in his own mind. He burned it out of his memory. So focused was he upon repressing this internal war, he did not hear the howling until the guards began to move.

Anaudius's eyes, black as volcanic ash, stared into the fog-laden depths of the swamp. At once, three Tuk'ata burst from the bog, fog coiling around them unnaturally. Soldiers backpedaled and the devout of Liad cried out in shock and horror. One Leper barely had time to get out a scream before the tuka'ata's unyielding jaws locked around his throat and dragged him to the ground. Just as soon as they came, they vanished. The soldiers stirred uneasily. These beasts were no mere creatures. They were sithspawn, unnaturally canny.

Once more, the beats burst forth, causing chaos and blood. Anaudius stood were he was amidst the chaos, unafraid of death. His eyes narrowed on the nearest tuka'ata and he pointed a black robed arm at it, pouring all his internal pain and misery into the pyrokinesis which leapt forth from his hand in a thin line of orange flame that struck the beast in the side. The fire consumed the beast and it stumbled into the bog, howling, only to explode as it fell in a puddle of petrol.

The other beasts quickly fell to blasterfire and other, assorted weaponry. Yet, Anaudius had slain his monster. It had felt so.... easy. Anaudius blinked beneath his cowl. He was no healer.

@[member="Vascious Relens"]

 

[Ereza]

Inari smiled with a nod, "I believe you."

The journey to the settlement went without event aside from reports on the comm of the Lepers running afoul of Sithspawn. The Reviver was worried for her people and most of all for her Uncle, but these things were not to be spoken of. "Pray for their souls," she reminded those who traveled with her, "that they are welcomed into The Great Hall in their passing. May Salee watch over them. Namasté."

The honoring echoed back over a murmur of voices around her. There was no more the Healer Goddess could offer and her devout knew this.


Arriving at the settlement the group departed their transport at the central hub. Wooden planks beneath their feet walked them overtop the mire. Around them dwellings were expertly built into the trees, from them the Shawda-Ubb emerged. It was instantly clear just how badly their community had been ravaged by the disease. Those effected were marred by blackened, blistering skin. The pain, both physical and emotional, in their alien expressions needed no words.

"The Moross Crusaders have heard of your pain and your plea for help," Inari spoke up, nearby the translator echoed her in their native tongue, "we have come to answer your call. I am Inari the Reviver and these are my Healers and my Warriors. Bring your wounded, your suffering and your ill forward."

There was a calm to her voice that seemed to spread along her words. She cast a look around as she finished and nodded to the Healers of her group, "Set up stations. Try to help those in the worst conditions first. Be wary of those in pain, the Shawda-Ubb use paralyzing venom as a defense mechanism."

"A thousand pardons, Bright One," the Archivist translator approached with a diminutive Shawda-Ubb in tow, "this is Orvanatilow Rimatuli, an elder of the settlement. He says his mate is too sick to leave her bed and asks you to see to her personally."

"Yes of course," Inari looked across to @[member="Teagan Jarhn"], "lead the way. Miss Jarhn, please collect a Healer to bring along." She turned and followed, slowly, after the Ubb as it lead the way to its home.

 

[Garza]

@[member="Diana Moridena"] (OOC: should I tag this profile or your other one?)

I payed very close attention to the God. He wanted me to scout ahead of everyone else. As much as I liked to be alone and separate, There was a fine line between standing out of the crowd and being utterly alone. And sending me deeper than everyone else, Was like sending me to be the bait. I knew that the man didn't want to say such a thing. Every commander never wanted to tell someone "Um buddy, you're bait." I nodded my head as I tried to think of this differently. It could be a test for me. Even then, I would charge it head on.

Nodding my head only once I spoke as my pink hair fell to cover the right side of my face. "Always careful sir." I went ahead and started to walk faster than the group separating myself faster and faster. Until it seemed as though I were completely alone. Even the wind seemed to leave me. Pulling my blade from my shoulder to be ready, I activated my bright Echani Dueling shield. Letting my presence be known to the Sithspawn we were to fight.

On the outside I looked fierce and deadly, while on the inside I was still Daddy's little girl that played with dolls, and painted her nails. I worried that I could not look like the Soldier that I was trained to be. I worried that I would let my family down. Then I could hear moving in the tree's. Every cell in my body seemed to activate along with my shield into overdrive. My senses flared up because of the Adrenaline that would be making my body be ready for a fight. When and where ever it may come.

 

[Vascious Relens]

@[member="Anaudius"]

Vascious was overseeing the unloading of their transport when the first sounds of commotion had started. He moved swiftly, but wasn't able to catch sight of the Tuk'ata as they disappeared. The blasters bolts that followed after the creatures were enough to let him know what happened though. He was in place when the creatures returned. Anaudius dispatched one with ease while the other two succumbed to panicked blaster fire. Vascious certainly wasn't going to charge in with lightsabers flashing only to get pounded in the back by his own men. As such the Mandalorian waited for a few moments once everyone was sure the creatures were dead before he moved to examine the second one since the first had been reduced to slime.

"Lord Crusader, are these the Sithspawn," asked the young officer that had been tailing him just prior.

"Perhaps ... these are Tuk'ata, but they're small compared to most. No doubt whoever is behind this bred them for these marshes. They would be able to move much faster in this terrain."

The Mandalorian audibly sighed as he moved towards a nearby Shawda'Ubb dwelling to run his hands across several deep gashes that had been inflicted by claws. The next stop was to kneel next to the dead Leper that had been killed in the first attack. He mentally measured the wounds that had silenced the man so rapidly. Gears turned in Vascious' head as he analyzed the situation and thought about his options. Then suddenly he reached out and grasped the force like a flare in the middle of night. It would attract the creatures, but that was the Crusader's intention as his consciousness shot out across the marsh and forest surrounding them to probe for life and force signatures.

"I ... hmm ... yes I believe there is a nest setup nearby to keep this settlement under constant feeding. Captain, notify our other forces of the Sithspawns location here. It might not be just Tuk'ata, but that's all I have evidence of here. It's possible that they have nests setup near the other settlements. Get your soldiers setup to form a perimeter here. Don't bother sending out scouts, they'll just get picked off. I need a nine man squad to go with me to smoke out the nest. Protect the devout of Liad as they tend to the Shawda'Ubb."

The officer saluted and moved to fulfill his orders without argument. Meanwhile Vascious finally got over to the remains of the first Tuk'ata to inspect Anaudius' handy work.

"Hey dark and mysterious ... this is quite impressive. You're not useless. I could use your fire in that nest."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

As Zoey walked through the swamps a set of beasts began to surround her. They were almost hound like in appearance, though they had six legs and strange gill like appendages behind their neck. Their faces were snubbed and held back together, as if they were a real world pug. From their mouths protruded sharp and misshapen teeth. The Sithspawn were ugly beyond all belief, but they were obviously bred for one thing, killing.
One of these creatures bounded out from the swamps towards Zoey. It jumped with its mouth snarling and open, biting at her. As the creature jumped towards the young pink-haired girl Soliael appeared seemingly out of no where.

Like a flash of lightning Soliael came past Zoey. He smashed into the strange Sith Spawn, driving his fist through the creatures side and grappling onto its spine. In one swift move the False God tore the monsters backbone from its body. In almost an instant the Sithspawn lay on the floor dead, its guttural death noises spurting out through the water.

“Ready yourself.” Soliael simply said as the rest of the pack closed it.

 

[Sal Katarn]

Obsidian eyes watched from under hooded robe. Vascious Relens, the Lord Crusader. So confident. A renowned warrior from a nation renowned for their warriors. Mandalorian. How far reached the arm of Moross, spanning a galaxy wide. Anaudius wondered from the depths of his shadowed hood what other galaxies waited for Moross. Progress here seemed so short. It could take a lifetime to conquer this galaxy. Many lifetimes.

The silent Anaudius nodded once in answer to Relens' query. And followed the squad into the depths of the swamp, toward the nest. The only sound he made was the rustling of his robe and his unnaturally ragged breaths.

 

[Garza]

I watched the horrid beasts that were so misshapen, It was like finding an Alien toy in a young boy's bedroom. It was just not a thing to look at with wonder. my sword had come up and was ready to slice the thing up when suddenly Neth had zoomed somewhere from behind me to literally pull out the creatures spine. I was about halfway to loosing my lunch when he did that. Still I was grateful that he did that. I turned around to face opposite of him. To stand back to back so none of these beasts could get our backside.

He simply told me to be ready. Ready as I'll ever be the beasts came to us. Two of them jumped almost immediately after he said those words. Quickly I turned my head to the one on the left and watched as he was blown back by an invisible force. The one on the right I put up my shield for the initial attack and stabbed my vibrosword into the mouth breaking the already broken teeth. Hopefully that was all that was needed to kill them.
@[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Out of the corner of his eye Soliael watched Zoey begin her fight. He knew that these sithspawn would not go down easily, but she seemed to have punctured the brain stem with her blade. Soliael simply gave her a nod, and then began his own little killing spree. The beasts were tough, that was undoubtedly true. They had thick hides and almost a ridiculous amount of survivability because of it. Thick spines covered their backs, and as Soliael moved towards another one of the creatures he grabbed one of the barbs.

Just as he did so he pressed a light key in the tip of his gauntlet. An emitter flared on his wrist, and suddenly a light-shield sprung to life. The straight orb broke out into a circle and sliced into the beast. Soliael grabbed the creatures head, and then tore the Sithspawn in two.

Its jaws bit and grabbed at nothing for a new minutes, the top portion of the creature flailing about for a few minutes. His methods of attack were brutal and harsh, but when fighting Sithspawn such tactics were quite honestly necessary. These creatures needed to die, and preferably they would do so while in pieces. Of course one would have to stay whole, for study.

He danced backwards, beginning to take apart another one of the creatures.
@[member="Zoey Marix"]

 

[Teagan Jarhn]

Teagan bowed her head in understanding of the Goddess and turned, her soft brown eyes sweeping over the Healers that had not already moved away. Catching the attention of one she signaled for the man, several years her senior, to follow her and the Goddess. With the Healer trailing behind her obediently she moved after Inari, the woman her sole focus as she knew it was her responsibility to keep her safe.


Although Teagan was dressed simply in the garb of one of the Healers helpers, beneath the simple robes she carried her weapons. The weapons were designed and created by Soliael specifically for her; she realized that she likely shouldn't have the weapons upon her given the nature of their mission, but Soliael had told her to never allow them to leave her sight. Ever practicing the techniques Soliael taught her she moved silently behind Inari, her steps light upon the planks they traveled across.

@[member="Amorella Mae"]

 

[Garza]

A sickening crunch was heard as my vibrosword broke through the neck bones of the creature. Quickly before another could jump at me I pushed with the force on the creature. Releasing my blade and leaving a black oily substance on my blade. The blade vibrated slightly in my hand as I slashed at a third beast under the chin. A forth came up to claw at me with talons that looked the size of daggers. Bringing my arm up, the shield I held made the claws side down and into the marsh dirt at my feet. With my sword I launched it once more into the mouth of the beast.

This time as the blade went in the beast fell back. i had to let go or I would have been pulled down with it. As another came for me I used the force to speed up a punch centered into the stomach where I could feel bones crack and watching the beast fly back into a tree to break it in half. Reaching at my waist I drew my beskad. Gripping it in both hands I brought the blade down on the head of a beast. Cleaving into the skull. The added weight of the sword and my swinging could break the raw and very thick hide that covered the beasts.
@[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Ereza]

Stepping into the dwelling the Shawda-Ubb elder lead them back through the ornately carved and weaved walls of vines and roots. Inari and the others were forced to stoop as the Ubb were not a nearly as big as even the average human. When they reached the back room she found Orvanatilow Rimatuli's mate laying upon the bed, the majority of what visible body covered in the dark plague.

Inari frowned and beckoned the Healer in to examine.

After a few minutes the Healer gave a grim diagnosis, "The antidote will clear up most of it, but I'm afraid it won't save her left arm. The virus has infected the bone and I'm afraid it will continue to spread if we do not amputate."

"Do we have the necessary tools for this?" Inari questioned, sparing effort to cover the sinking sensation of her chest from showing visibly on her face.

"I have everything here, Bright One, but I will need your help in assisting with her pain during the procedure. I cannot administer anesthesia while she is this sick or it may kill her. I could also use assistance in the procedure itself..." the Healer looked across to Teagan.

Nodding, Inari quietly asked the translator to take Orvanatilow outside during the proceedings. The last thing they needed was for him to accidentally paralyze them while they worked.

When the ailing Shawda-Ubb was prepped Inari moved to sit at her bedside, shielding the Ubb from the view of what was about to become of her arm. The Reviver tried to maintain a look of calm, though battling the frown that pulled at her face was much harder than she thought.

The Healer passed a lasberblade to Teagan, effectively a very small version of a lightsaber not much larger than a butterknife, often used in hospitals for these sorts of procedures, "Make the cut just below the shoulder joint. Go slowly so it cauterizes the veins or she'll bleed out." He leaned then and gave a nod to Inari.

The Goddess lifted a hand to the squashed face of the Ubb female and began the process of emitting soothing, calming energy to drown out the agony that would soon follow.

@[member="Teagan Jarhn"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

The God of Knowledge was apparently just as capable of bringing death as the god of war. The Sithspawn kept assaulting him, and every time one of them bounded towards him he ended its life almost instantaneously. The gauntlets on his hand protected him several times from one of the creatures bites. Quickly Soliael disposed of the rest of the beasts, carving out parts of their major organs and leaving them to die.

Then the last creature pounced towards him. Soliael caught it, grabbing the creature by the throat and holding onto it tightly. Then in one swift motion Soliael snapped its neck to the side, killing the creature and leaving it whole. The god of knowledge let the Sith Spawn drop into the murky water, and then looked over to the girl with the pink hair. Surrounding her were several corpses of the same creatures that lay scattered in parts all around Soliael. She gave her a nod and a smile, she had done well.

Within a few minutes more of his crusaders came up behind them, reinforcing the area. This was of course not all the Sithspawn, there were probably dozens maybe hundreds more, but this was a good start.

The next step would be study. Soliael looked down at the whole creature before him, and then once again waved for the pink haired girl to come over.
@[member="Zoey Marix"]

 

[Garza]

I looked around the both of us to see all of the Sithspawn we had killed. A few were broken in parts, others had stabs or cuts in them. One had my vibrosword in its mouth and another had my Beskad in its head. Stepping on its face I yanked back the blade from the head with a sick sound that only brains and blood would make. With the end of my tunic I wiped the blood and gore clean from my blade and replaced it in its sheath on my hip. Walking over to the Vibrosword I tried to pull it out of the head, but as I did, I found that the blade was bent alittle to the right. Goes for how much the blade is worth to me now.

I might as well use it alittle more and get all that I can out of it now then just waste it. Walking over to the God, Neth, I deactivated my shield with a slight pop. I let the Vibrosword hang in my grasp as it was too bent to fit into the sheath on my back. I wiped the gore from my slightly pink and white skin as I stood next to him. "Now that we know what we are fighting, what would be the best course of action to capture one of them?" I was all for killing the sons of bantha's but to catch one would not be my strong suit.
@[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Vascious Relens]

@[member="Anaudius"]

[Feel free to continue and drag me along if I take to long to post]

It didn't take long for the soldiers to carry out their orders and setup a perimeter around the settlement. Vascious, Anaudius, and a squad of those soldiers left that perimeter to hunt the beasts that had plagued the area. The Mandalorian had a general idea of which way to go and warned them to keep their eyes open.

The fog that billowed up from the terrain and around their feet was unnatural. Coupled with the unsteady terrain, it would make hunting the creatures very difficult. The Shawda-ubb had found the worst place to build their lives, but at least their planet was in a strategic position for the Crusade to liberate them. A couple of the men with them tripped over concealed roots, but the Lord Crusader managed to keep his footing as they moved along.

"That fire you manifested is quite impressive. In all my years I was never able to do what you just did. You might have found your talent," spoke the Crusader towards Anaudius. The Mandalorian had slowed down to investigate a chasm big enough for a man to jump into. In the distance other faint outlines for more openings in the soil could be seen.

"Alright Sergeant keep one of your fireteams up here to cover anything that tries to escape. Send the second team down with us. Prey to your gods, but don't forget that the Tuk'ata don't play by their rules."

With that Vascious pulled out his two lightsaber hilts and crossed his arms over his chest before jumping down into the chasm before him. The Mandalorian slid down a dirt and rock lined tunnel that had many claw adorned paw impressions from where the beasts had entered and exited their lair.

At the bottom the Lord Crusader pushed himself up onto his feet and scanned around the immediate area with his eyes. It was a bit of a tight squeeze and he had to duck down. Nevertheless the Master could feel their presences. They were going to be in for a fight.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael frowned slightly, unsure of what to do next. Capturing one of the beasts alive wouldn't be all that difficult, depending on how they went about it of course. He gave it some thought, and then looked to the corpse of the creature at his feet. This one was dead of course, he had seen to that, but its body could be used for study which was an excellent start. With a slight hint of annoyance on his face Soliael motioned to one of his crusaders.

“Bring the creature back to camp, take it apart and let me know what you find.” Most of his soldiers were Disciples of Knowledge as well. They were trained in a hundred different tasks, he was positive that one of them knew how to properly do an autopsy...and if not they would figure it out.

The soldiers complied without a moments hesitation or question. They scooped up the corpse of the dead Sithspawn and headed back towards camp. Soliael Meanwhile walked a little bit further away from the pink haired girl, stepping onto the thick root of one of the tree's. Claw marks embedded themselves in the dark moist wood the tip of one of these claws embedded deep in the wood, the beast had sprung from here. Soliael touched it, concentrating as best as he could.

A flash of something went through his mind, like an ancient memory. He saw the memories of the claw. Where the beast itself ahd come from, and the journey it had taken to get here. In an instant Soliael knew his next move.

This particular Sithspawn had been young, only hatched recently. There was a nest some miles from here, and that would be where himself and the girl would go. “We go to the source.”

Soliael said as he waved for her to follow.
@[member="Zoey Marix"]

 

[Teagan Jarhn]

Teagan had never done anything even close to what was now being asked of her and as she watched the Healer and Inari make their preparations she felt a nervous knot forming in her stomach. Just relax....You can do this... Unlike Inari, Teagan had paled considerably, but she did exactly as the Healer instructed. Moving closer she took the offered laserblade, swallowing as she did so.

Still controlling her breathing she activated the surgical tool and positioned herself to help prevent her hand from shaking or slipping. The laserblade cut into the ill Shawda-Ubb's flesh like it was nothing and the smell made her stomach roll. Unable to pause she continued on as the Healer had instructed, her breathing slow and measured as she struggled to steady her stomach.

I won't let them down.

@[member="Amorella Mae"]