Dominion Dread Wall (SO Dominion of Hand of the Makers)

[Darth Strosius]

Objective: Indomitable Will
Location: The Indomitable
Equipment: Lightsaber, Dagger, Armor
Tags: Dyyr T'Pada / Venn Kolis

​

The rampaging creature in his grasp was more akin to a wild and cornered beast than the more composed Venn that he knew. Whatever cabin fever or archaic ritual that had taken ahold of his friend it certainly did more than simply cloud his mind and give him these odd new 'features' that he was currently trying to dismember him with. Not even the tried and true method of slamming the Sith into something seemed to be working to get him off or even knock him out.

Either Venn had toughened up a bit or his slamming technique wasn't as effective as he thought it would be, but at least it was keeping him at bay. And then his eyes started to light up with fire, and he started screaming.

The thrashing of Venn soon reverted from against him to against himself, with Alisteri quick to drop him before the flames had a chance to leap away from their originator and onto him. Sangnir and flame weren't a good combination. "The feth is wrong with you?" He didn't know that he'd get an answer but he wasn't going to risk incineration by getting too close.

Thankfully Venn was happy to 'speak' up despite the spasming and struggling that his flaming body was currently undergoing. "Appreciate the warning Kolis!" Without hesitation or question he hurried away from his fellow Sith, leaping over a console and a couple bodies just to get away from whatever was about to happen.

Better to get to a safe distance and figure it out later than be right near the center of attention and action for the moment. He rounded the doorway and pressed himself against it, finding the hallway far less dangerous than the bridge.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

OBJECTIVE: HALLOWED HALLS
WEARING: xxx
TAG: Srina Talon

He nodded at her warning. It was instinct whether he already knew the obvious or not. There were few requests he would not oblige when spoken from the mouth of his Dread Queen. She had more than earned the right to command him as she wished, and even if she had not her small frame carried more than its size in command and poise. Srina Talon, Darth Omnia, was not one to be disobeyed. What independence she tolerated from her wolf was because she did not want mindless drones at her side. It still did not give him room to question her words.

He paused. There was something he needed to ask before it was too late. His time away from the galactic stage, from his queen, had seen Gerwald find who he was without the Confederacy. Where he though he could escape duty or the compulsive need to keep his word, the wolf found there was one promise he could not escape no matter how far he ran.

"When this is completed, I would speak to you about a promise I made which has gone unfulfilled for far too long."

Even as he suggested it, his hand reached for the ring. It was so involuntary he no longer realized when he did it. Whether she picked up on the gesture or not, the Echani would know what he spoke of. Out of anyone she knew of the strong sense of devotion he felt toward Naedira Darcrath . She was one of a handful that also knew the depth of his feelings for her.

His request did not need an answer. Gerwald simply turned as the Exarch stepped into place. He could feel the darkness she drew on as the warrioress collected the power she would require. It affected him. How could it not. The state of hit was sweet, like a delicacy he had long held back. Even as Srina's silver orbs turned to gold, the ice of Gerwald's eyes became fire. A loud shout escaped his lips as he charged toward the creatures as they attempted to break through to where the pair of them stood.

His yellow blade snapped to life again as he called wolfsbane to his free hand. Obsidian light charged the room as the plasma blade sang the familiar crescendo of its activation. Gerwald cut through the enemy as they charged through. Their bodies piled up creating an obstacle for the rest of the creatures which tried to push their way through the small opening. It was a level of control Gerwald maintained, not because of power, but because he knew war. He knew how to kill on a massive scale with a level of efficiency only few had mastered. The wolf was a product of his training and those he had called master or mentor.

"More."

Srina called out. Whether she needed more power or more time was a question Gerwald did not have time to answer. Every slash of his blades made quick work of the creatures, enough so he could lend some of his strength to his mistress. He brushed his presence against hers, it was not out of respect or asking permission. It was an act of caution. If she did not want him to intrude she would destroy him if he was not careful.

That was when he felt it.

For a brief moment he looked at the Echani. There was a sense of happiness for her, and yet there was more so a sense of understanding. Nothing would allow these creatures to succeed. Gerwald knew how fierce Srina could be, and there was only one thing he knew which could make her monstrously terrifying. His thoughts flashed back to the terrorism which the former emperor of the Eternal Empire had sparked. He remembered her anger because of the loss she had suffered as a result. It had been personal.

His attention returned to the monsters. Killing each one as they passed through. They pushed him closer and closer to the center of the room. They were not running out of time as much as they were running out of room.

"You need to raise it now!"

Caution be damned. Gerwald added his power to hers. She could reject it if she truly desired, but why would she. His strength was raw, drawing on the blood which he spilled. The lust of a satisfied predator coursed through his veins. The wolf fed off the chaos and carnage he had caused. He could smell the iron on the air, the result of the blood which littered the decking. The more he killed the stronger and more steeped in the darkness he became.

She needed the raw power he was offering.​

 

[Srina Talon]

| HALLOWED HALLS |
| OS HYPERION |
Tag: Gerwald Lechner
_________________________________________________________​

The request of the wolf remained momentarily unacknowledged, but it was far from ignored. Srina was merely single-minded when it came to the task at hand. She knew that she held his respect. His loyalty, perhaps, through fear or some misguided sense of chivalry that her diminutive size prompted. So many times, in her tenure within the Confederacy, had taller, stronger, and more physically impressive men and women tried to impose their will upon her. Often…Before they knew who she was.

It was always diverting to see the light die in their eyes when they realized that this Echani, slight of frame, faster than quicksilver, and gentle as a vibroblade easing slowly through the heart, was their superior. She had forgotten more ways to kill than most armies would ever learn throughout their entire existence. Why?

Because there was always something new.

Srina remained within the focal point for the ship while her cold snap swept through the chamber. Intricate layers of frost began to climb metallic walls while the burning of her hands intensified as the alchemical mechanism continued to feed on what she offered. It wasn't a quick process by any means but Gerwald Lechner had been the one to volunteer to be her near-human shield. She could feel him trying to align his being with her own, as if it might speed the process, but the forever-pup did not quite understand. This was not an obstacle they could simply burn through. The device was not to be terrorized, broken, and mishandled to the point where it merely bent to accommodate her because it had no other choice. To do so could induce a fracture of the core. A breaking.

In which they would be well and truly karked.

What she lacked in training to use the device she made up for with patience. The Dread Queen felt her way through, judiciously, however sightless. Gerwald had always been a battering ram—In which everything looked like a locked door. If he could barrel through it? He would. Just like he had attempted, and failed, to run through Darth Prazutis. Even while he offered his strength, a sacrifice, for her altar he shouldn't have been able to pierce her veil. No one could. Within her lay a world of stars and secrets.

It was not for him to know.​

At being commanded to raise the ward, suddenly, the essence of her beast to call rushed through her veins. The gradual process doubled in speed and she had to grind her teeth to keep from overloading the projection unit. The golden corruption of her eyes grew brighter and her skin seemed to become even more sallow. When at last, it reached its pinnacle, a steady thrumming noise tore through the air as if it the fabric of reality had been shredded. She could feel every fiber of it—Every whispered, shadow in the dark. The eldritch creatures, star weirds, and anything else that should not be on the Hyperion began to flee from the ominous sonic vibrations.

The metal of the ship felt electric. Srina, felt electric. With a rush that felt angelic and achingly violent at the same time she pressed the ward outward and bound it. The invisible barrier solidified as if the doors of a prison cell had been slammed eternally closed. It was deafening. But in the aftermath?

Silence.

No more screaming. No more howls of a crew that fought imaginary ghosts. No more greedy fingers clawing at her psyche, searching, for non-existent weakness. There was only a disturbing quiet—And the very recent dead.

Srina Talon slowly descended the dais… But she had not let go of the Wolf. He had opened himself to her and she would follow the line of his blood-drenched power. Her hand, charred, and blistered curled into the air while siphoning his strength. She drew it toward her like one would draw poison from a wound. He would feel weaker, tired, and far more worn down than he had ever felt. Much more than he should have. The dead and blackened skin began to slough off of her flesh and melt into the air like ash. "…You are stronger, now."

"I will give you that…", the wintry, beautiful, deadly rose murmured while coming to stand before the lupine as his prowess waned like the phases of the moon and became part of her. It was temporary. But, it would be enough. The Echani would take of him until he was forced to his knees before her out of sheer exhaustion. "…But so am I."

The same hand that continued to pull on the connection they held, newly healed, settled against his temple. Her expression was vacant but there was something in her touch that seemed to simulate some form of compunction. It was a rare sight. "It is not safe. It is not time.", Srina spoke, though, Gerwald would no doubt have difficulty understanding. The Echani rarely spoke in riddles, preferring bluntness, and brutal honesty. From his temple, she drew knowledge…And erased it. Srina did not bury it, no, not where it could one day be retrieved. It wasn't safe for either of them.

Srina would not let him suffer her demon.

When she finished blending the ragged edges of a memory removed, causing it to fade into the background, forgotten, she spoke soft words to rewrite what encompassed only seconds of understanding. Srina redoubled her efforts and pinned the veil in place to ensure such a mistake would not occur a second time. It hid everything. Scent, power, and presence. Only the vast storm cloud that was Srina Talon would remain.

"You protected me. We raised the barrier. You gave your strength to the cause and it took much more than we initially anticipated…"

She paused. Severing, the connection so that she could give him time to recuperate and find his footing. The new memories would settle and fill the space left behind. It would make sense, considering, nothing was truly lost of the moment. It was a lie hidden within the truth. The easiest, to keep intact. When brilliant blue-fire eyes finally met golden suns, she inclined her head.

"But, we managed. For your sacrifice… I will grant your wish."

 

[Venn Kolis]

Dyyr T'Pada Darth Strosius
THE SITH ORDER
Dominion of the Hand of the Makers: Dread Wall

~The Ring~ ~The Torch~
Bridge of the Indomitable
​

Alisteri fled out the bridge doors to escape the inferno quickly building around Venn's body. Haijin-Rel was still convulsing, but he seemed to have screamed Venn's throat hoarse. He made no sound as a thick miasma of shadow came lurching out of his mouth, his nose, his ears, to float into the air just above the boy's head. Then the body simply slumped to the floor.

Blinking hard, Venn staggered to his feet, dazed. His entire body ached, the pain in his neck made him want to cry. But he couldn't stop now. He was so close. Before him in the air swirled the inky black Star Child, like a small dark nebula. No vessel to possess, no stars in his depths. Sun-starved and in pain, it moved about the blazing bridge of the Indomitable, searching for escape.

Venn took a step towards the false alien god. His legs shook, threatened to give out. Extending his hand, something shot into his grip from across the room, serving as a cane to catch his fall. It was the glass rod he had alchemized minutes ago, from the shattered shards around the room.

"Where... do you think... you're going... old friend?"

Gods, but talking felt like agony. Blood was running freely over one eye as Venn raised the glass rod into the air. The circling flames began to spiral around the room, as Venn chanted in a painful croak.

"Naethur... erentîr... jamêđi rith Pirêm."

The firestorm was being drawn in towards Venn's new wand, and Haijin-Rel along with it. Without a mouth, the Star Child could not protest or scream in defiance. The clear glass of the rod became clouded, blackened, dark. Writhing in rage. Trapped.

The deafening roar of the fire gave way to silence. The walls, floors, it was all stained with soot and ash. The corpses of Alisteri's foes had been atomized in the blaze. In the cold silence, Venn held the shadowed wand to his forehead. Eyes closed, the young man whispered what might have been a prayer.

"Suffer me now."

Then he collapsed. The wand fell beside him, rolling a short distance away. Exposed, helpless, alone: Venn, for the first time in months, slept soundly.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

​

OBJECTIVE: HALLOWED HALLS
WEARING: xxx
TAG: Srina Talon

It had taken more of his strength than the wolf had anticipated. Gerwald could feel his white haired mistress drawing on his strength in a way that had been eerily reminiscent of his encounter with the mountain. Gerwald loathed to even think Srina Talong could be capable of such horrors, but the truth was it was within her to do so if she wanted. The woman was a powerful being, more so than most gave her credit for. Gerwald knew, and it was why he still moved with an air of caution in her presence.

The task was complete, and Gerwald fell to his knees. She had not let go him, why? His mind raced with several possibilities. Had he offended her in some way? His eyes fell to the blackened hand which rested at her side. He understood. She needed to heal. It was what he told himself anyway. Srina had mended him, nursed him to health and strength. If she required his life essence to heal, then it was not his to withhold, not from her.

Her touch was gentle, nothing like the cruel and painful hand of Darth Prazutis. Gerwald could have leaned into it as though they were lovers if they had been, but then she began to speak. It was not time. It was not safe. Gerwald did not understand what she meant. She was a direct creature. Riddle and mystery did not suit her, especially with him. Srina had always spoke her mind when dealing with the wolf knowing his stubborn and thick headed nature often demanded it.

Golden and yellow tainted orbs rolled back into his head. For a moment everything went black, and the next icy blue eyes were staring back at the Echani. The barrier had been raised. They had succeeded. It had taken more of him than he knew.

“That explains why I seem to have lost some time. I don’t remember collapsing,” he said.

He stood as the final part of what she had said registered. She would grant his wish. Gerwald was certain she knew, but he had not asked directly. He nodded.

“Naedira has been trapped for too long, and no matter how much power I gain, I cannot break what the Mountain has done to her.”

Was it an admission of weakness? Gerwald did not think so. He had survived much. During the time Srina had known him he had gone from a fledgling in their order to Lord Commander of the Knights Obsidian. The wolf was not weak by any definition of the word. What he needed was simply still beyond him, but it would not be beyond her. If there was anyone who could undo what had been done, it was Srina. Gerwald’s only hesitation was how much the woman had changed.

“It is not without its risk, however. The beast has changed her, consumed her. Save for what part of her is bound to this ring. Even then I doubt she will remember anything about her time before, or the promise which was made to her.”

Gerwald looked around the room, at the carnage the pair of them had caused. His lips curled into a smile as the scent of iron hit his nostrils once more. The wolf was hungry for the hunt, and cursing it was trapped on a ship.

“It was good to be by your side again. It is where I belong.”​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Objective: Indomitable Will
Location: The Indomitable
Equipment: Lightsaber, Dagger, Armor
Tags: Dyyr T'Pada / Venn Kolis

The temptation to peek around the corner and catch a glimpse at what exactly was happening on the bridge now that he was gone, but rather than look he chose instead to stay in place and use his other senses to try and discern what Venn was up to. It was far safer that way given how his friend had a habit for lighting things on fire. Much like how he seemed to be doing so right now.

The main thing that he felt was pain, some still seeping off of the slain cultists littering the bridge but most coming off of the other Sith in powerful waves. Then one became two, one simply Venn and the other being that strange presence that had pervaded the form of his friend throughout their little bout on the bridge. Well that was certainly new. As his friend spoke he could almost feel the heat of the flames even all the way behind the doorway and it only grew hotter.

"Venn if you burn down this fething ship-" His muttered complaint was interrupted by the roar of a great flame like the thunder of an incoming storm, heat and flames flickering out of the vacant doorway as it spread across the bridge.

As silence returned to the bridge of the Indomitable Alisteri took a moment to quickly pat down the small fire that had briefly set his sleeve alight before he peered back into the sight of the carnage. All that remained now was Venn, and a rolling wand that the masked Sith stopped with a quick step before it got too far away. The corpses were gone and his friend seemed exhausted given his current state of unconsciousness.

For a moment he considered trying to rouse Venn from his slumber. Then he glanced at where the now-absent bodies had been only a minute ago and decided against it. "You know, I was hoping to get a warm welcome the next time that we met." With a sigh he plucked the wand from the floor and strode over to stand beside his sleeping friend. "Perhaps you had even come to your senses and agreed to the proposition I gave you aboard the Acerbitas. I suppose I shouldn't have hoped that high."

He knelt down to tuck the odd wand into the pockets of the Sith at his feet before hauling him onto his shoulders with one hand. The other tapped on his helmet's commlink as he walked over to the nearest intact console. :"This is Darth Strosius to all Tsis'Kaar forces in and around the Indomitable. Let it be known to all, this ship now belongs to the Pale Lady. Aureole kia tave Tsis.":