Initial Steps

[Shade of Decay]

Morning came on Bastion, light shining through open windows. Each scattered ray lit up the room that it came into, and as the warmth on his skin rose, the Sith within was pulled from his meditations back into the world of moving and doing. With a grunt he stood, discoloured skin seeming nearly translucent under the scrutiny of the sun; with a shrug, a robe concealed it all. "Vexok savaka," he muttered to himself, stepping over to his door. Get up, there is work to do.

The street below was nearly empty. The streets near the Sith academy often were, at such early hours; the common folk didn't wish to disturb the Sith, and many Sith were kept busy with meditations, or practicing their lightsaber skills, or other works. Still, there were some beings scurrying around. Some Sith, from acolytes up to lords, engaging in errands either for their betters or themselves. Droids, moving about, carrying loads for their masters. Even some of the non-Forceful members of the empire, who had their own jobs to go to, or to come home from. The walking Sith glanced at one, who seemed to be having trouble staying upright even as he walked along. Coming closer, he could tell it was mere tiredness, not drunkenness.

Vexok savaka, Grotthu, he thought, looking at the man. Not condescendingly or contemptively, as some Sith would; it was merely a statement of fact. Those without the Force were servants and slaves to those who had it, regardless of what they might actually think their lot in life to be. He made eye contact with the tired man, who quickly straightened and moved onward, with a faster, surer pace. The Sith could nearly smell the adrenaline and fear coming off the man.

He made his way to the academy proper, stopping at the entrance when the guard questioned him. Name and rank, the Sith thought, somewhat boredly. "Tsisaar Taral, Knight of the Sith," he replied in a flat tone, and the academy was made open to him. As he walked inwards, he, too, shook off the last vestiges of the previous night from his mind. His explorations in the Force, his own studies into the state of his own body and his own mind.

He was not just a Sith, trapped in a decaying body, with a mind that strayed further from the light of sanity every day. He was Tsisaar Taral, Knight of the Sith. And today he had tasks to pursue, studies to engage in, and guidance to give. Vexok savaka, he thought at himself once more. Get up, there is work to do. The same phrase that he'd heard nearly every morning since he first saw and comprehended the light of life, let alone that of day.

He made his way through the academy quickly; in one corner, he could still smell the stench of the charred rat from nearly a week before, when he'd met with a different acolyte, for a different purpose. But the academy wasn't meant to have good airflow; it was meant to be stifling, heavy, to break down the acolytes just as much as their instructors would, before they were built again into Sith. He was not surprised.

Quickly he found his way to the dormitories, and even quicker to a room that had recently been filled. Inside it, before even opening the door, he could sense the presence of another being. One he'd brought to the academy mere days before; somewhat unsurprisingly, this being was sleeping. Were he any other acolyte, he'd be on the roof, learning the basics of lightsaber combat, or he'd be in a different room, learning how to control the Force. This acolyte, however, had not been brought in among masses of others. He'd been found specifically by the Sith that now stood outside his door.

The Sith who would train him, educate him, guide him; and hopefully find a use for him, in other pursuits beyond those of just the Force.

The door swung open, and Tsisaar stepped into the room, looking down at the boy. [member="Azriel Mortii"], one of the freshest acolytes of the Sith Brotherhood.

"Vexok savaka," he growled, his deep voice reverberating in the room. Get up, there is work to do. And indeed there was.

 

[Fozzybear]

Wrong Account

 

[Azriel Mortii]

[SIZE=10.5pt]To say that Azriel was not really getting used to the fact that he was actually on another planet considering this was the first time he had ever lived anywhere other than the Nar Shaddaa ghettos, never mind leaving the planet. To say that he fully hadn't really adjusted to the planet and the fact that he was still recovering from the hyperspace jump was a definite. As much as he did appreciate the fact that he had been re-located to the Sith Academy, he did expect it to be a little bit nicer however, he had overheard from one of the acolytes that the whole point of the Sith Academy was to make sure that the apprentices and acolytes were not in comfort in order for them to hone their skills and the lack of comfort added to their anger. Yet still, it was much better and quieter on Nar Shaddaa and while the people we were still quite rude and rather annoying, it wasn't a huge deal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Azriel wasn't too sure what he was going to expect from the Sith as from what he had heard from their legends and from some of the whispers in the Nar Shaddaa. They had quite a reputation that they were going to be rather violent which Azriel wasn't too sure if this was kinda gonna be the place for him. Afterall, he was able to use the force well enough however, he was not too sure that he was up for any sort of combat. However, it seemed that Tsisaar wasn't that sort of person anyway so he thought that he was going to work well with that sort of master. However, he was definitely going to try hard to impress and help out his master. After all that was the only way that he could repay him for helping him out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]So when the Sith came to his door, Azriel stirred from his slumber quickly looking to the door, noting the appearance of [member="Tsisaar Taral"] at the door. Azriel quickly threw on his apprentice robes and hurried alongside his master, fixing his hair in the proccess, sorting it from a bed head messy state to a slightly messy state. [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]"What do we have planned today Master?"[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] He asked curiously, looking at Tsisaar with curious but yearning eyes. He had a first for knowledge and he was sure that this Sith, the one that rescued him would be able to uphold this wish. [/SIZE]

 

[Shade of Decay]

Azriel stirred quickly, looking over to see Tsisaar waiting. It didn't take the boy long to get out of bed and throw on his outer robes, falling into step beside Tsisaar as the elder Sith began walking down the hall. "Work," came the terse reply. He walked on further, taking a few seconds before elaborating. "You've taken long enough to acclimate, I feel. It is now time that your training begins." The Khil fell silent again, thoughtfully stroking one of his facial tendrils as he walked.

He'd noticed in the days before that the acolyte did not have the emotions that fueled most other acolytes. Hatred, anger, contempt, arrogance, despair; these all seemed foreign to the boy's demeanour. What little of such emotions and passions as Tsisaar had felt in the boy dissipated as soon as he was claimed, his parents disposed of...and what had they been replaced by?

Admiration, the Sith almost felt. An urge to please. Fondness, contentment.

The meek and servile emotions that the Jedi sought to encourage, but which provided nothing to a Sith but chains and weaknesses.

How, then, shall I drive him to break them? he wondered, within the recesses of his mind. Especially when he had chains and weaknesses of his own; he'd begun subconsciously using the Force to modulate his breathing, as the walking he'd done had already left him feeling winded. Pained. The decaying flesh that made up his being slowly rendering itself more and more useless. A mind, his own mind, in which he'd somehow nearly lost himself on various occasions.

And yet, he had chosen to train a boy.

He stirred himself from his contemplations and stopped; the pair now stood outside the academy, inside the large courtyard. It was still empty; it likely would be, for some time.

Tsisaar glanced around for a suitable spot. Upon finding it he strode over, still silent; off to the side were chunks of stone, likely from when parts of the academy had needed refurbished. Areas of it were constructed in a very old manner. He stretched out a hand, and the chunks floated in the air around him. "Repeat after me," he commanded his apprentice, finally speaking again. "Repeat, and carve the words into the very depths of your soul. You'll find that the course of your life depends on them, far more than you now know." His voice was harsh, raspy; it often grew such these days, when he exerted himself, when he spoke. More degeneration.

"Peace is a lie. There is only passion."

[member="Azriel Mortii"]

 

[Azriel Mortii]

Azriel hurried alongside the elderly Sith, struggling to keep himself going after waking up for his sleep and stupor. It always took him forever in the morning to get up and fully functional so he desperately tried to stop himself from yawning as he walked alongside [member="Tsisaar Taral"] as he knew that the ailing master would not appreciate the fact that he was still tired and sleepy, despite the fact that he had plenty of sleep during the night. He had to make sure that he was at least able to take in any of the information that the Sith Master was going to share with him.

Once he had properly started to wake up, he practically had to stop himself skipping alongside his master in excitement of what he was going to learn from the man. Afterall, the master was particularly adepts at Sith Alchemy and studies in the force and that appealed to Azriel more than swinging around a lightsaber with the high risk of actually hurting yourself. He would much rather learn the fundamentals of the force instead of learning how to swing a hot sword around. Yet still, it was impossible to read or plan ahead for what the Sith might do, yet still he had to make sure that he was able to achieve anything that the Sith wanted. From what he heard about the Sith in general and what they could do if someone was unable to meet their expectations.... well Azriel didn't want to be on the recieving end of that.

However, Azriel kept himself to himself and continued to walk alongside Tsisaar until they reached the vast courtyard outside the Academy. However, what the Sith urged the apprentice to learn was rather confusing to him however, he couldn't exactly do what his master commanded of him. "Peace is a lie. There is only passion." He repeated back, giving it a few seconds so that he could ask his question. "Master. Why is this an important phrase for the Sith?" He asked curiously, hoping that he didn't offend his master at all.

 

[Shade of Decay]

Tsisaar didn't speak for a moment; as Azriel repeated his words, one of the chunks of stone came over, settling itself upon the ground before them. He hadn't expected Azriel to question it so quickly; however, it wouldn't be much of a problem. Whether he explained the code all at once, or in its various parts, was a non-issue. "Peace, true peace, as the majority of beings in the galaxy understand it, is unattainable," he replied. "The Jedi espouse peace, freedom from emotions and wants. This is stagnation." The other chunks of stone grew closer still, floating in a loose hemisphere around the pair.

"Passion fuels life. The urge to survive, to be better, to compete, to win; these things drive life onward, be it for the individual or for a larger civilization. These passions also beget the emotions that we feel. Hatred, anger, love, happiness, triumph, despair. And these passions, these emotions, in turn feed the Force in us. The Dark Side relies on them, it stokes them to greater heights, which in turn enables us to draw more power." He held out his left hand, and with a small amount of focus, sparks and arcs of lightning started to play along it, in between his fingers, slowly filling the air with the scent of ozone.

"Sith seek to create order, and stability. But we also constantly strive to better ourselves, calling on our passions for power. This is why peace is a lie. Conflict, passion, these are the underlying truths of existence. Truths we understand and harness for both our benefit, and that of all life." The sparks disappeared, and he withdrew his hand. Another stone made its way slightly out of the revolving hemisphere. "Now, again," he commanded.

"Through passion, I gain strength."

[member="Azriel Mortii"]

 

[Azriel Mortii]

When Azriel had asked about what this phrase he meant to the Sith and how this was so important to the Sith. Afterall, while most new acolytes would probably not even question it in fear of their masters reaction however, that would not just suffice for Azriel. He had to know why the Sith rallied around this mantra and what it meant to them and what it meant in the practical essence. However, he was rather curious that the Sith Master seemed to be a little shocked that he was questioning this so quickly. However, he watched as the opposite Sith thought for a quick moment before offering his explanation on what that this meant to him and the principles behind them which interested the boy.

[SIZE=10.5pt]Azriel stood for a moment when and thought about the information that had been given to him. He knew that the Sith was correct as passion was the defining factor for everything in life and from the brief information that he learnt about the Jedi and the Sith, he was sure that it was a recipe for disorder and disaster due to the fact that they suppressed emotion. How could you hide something that defines you as a person and is a central part of life. However, Azriel couldn't help but let out a loud oooooo[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] when he saw the cool lightning arcing round the Khil's fingers which he couldn't help but hide the fact that it interested him. So childish, yet still it was rather cool. He was only a man [/SIZE]after all[SIZE=10.5pt].[/SIZE]

Azriel couldn't help the fact that he was curious however, he knew that the Sith would probably prefer that he followed his order first before he did anything "Through passion, I gain strength." Azriel repeated again with a quiet tone before he decided that he was going ask another question. "So Master. So the Sith seek order and stability, yet they also want conflict. Are they not the complete opposites of each other." He also asked inquisitively before he decided that he needed to ask his master another question. "So Master, what are we planning to do today if you don't mind me asking? is it history of the Sith or do you have something else in mind?" Azriel asked again before offering a meek and quiet "sorry" for bothering the master. He probably had a plan in mind, after all, why would he train him if he didn't.

[member="Tsisaar Taral"]

 

[Shade of Decay]

"They seem contradictory, but they aren't completely in opposition," Tsisaar replied, keeping his impatience out of his voice. "Take this empire for existence. It is stable, it is orderly, and it is a dominant power in the galaxy. At the same time, Sith still test themselves against one another. They still do battle with each other." He glanced over at Azriel. "There are even those who stick to older practices, apprentices killing their masters as a test of their strength, an assertion of their dominance." Though he doubted Azriel would ever do that.

He turned back to the floating stones, setting the second down of the small pillar he was making. "Conflict strengthens everything, including our Order. The weak are driven out, purged. Thereby are the Sith made stronger, and are better able to rule—therefore, creating order and stability. It is the doom of the weak to serve the strong, and the duty of the strong to rule the weak. This is the way of things." Another stone floated its way over, outside the hemisphere.

"Through strength, I gain power."

[member="Azriel Mortii"]

 

[Azriel Mortii]

When Azriel was listening to Tsisaar, he immediately noted that the Sith was so able to answer his questions and direct them back to the topic at hand. When he thought that he had pointed out a loophole in the Sith's code and thinking, it was clear that he had done nothing of the sort as he knew that the Sith was probably expecting such an answer and it was rather interesting to hear the Khil explain it to him. However, he was rather shocked that there was the practice of killing your master. How could anyone live in that sort of scenario? Would that not be the wrong thing to do for the Sith Order and helping it grow? "Master, why would apprentices kill their masters? Isn't that a little bit of defeating the purpose of making a good Sith Empire?" Azriel asked, horrified at the thought of the Sith Apprentices killing their master's. He would have thought that this would have been a unique relationship however, it seemed that the Sith operated differently.

Azriel looked at the at the floating stones again and watched them float and form the small pillar. From what he heard, he was sure that it was more rooting out the weak or the cancer from the Sith and then making the Sith more powerful and stronger while lacking in numbers. Hmmmm , he could see the logic of that."So the Sith believe that if you are not strong, then you are doomed to be a lesser thing? How do the Sith measure that? Is it through skill in combat?" Azriel asked curiously. It was important for him to know what that meant as he needed to make sure that he wasn't one of the weak. That he could not stand for and he was not going to let himself get to that status.

"Through strength, I gain power."

[member="Tsisaar Taral"]

 

[Shade of Decay]

"If the student becomes stronger than the master, is it not his rightful duty to take his master's place?" Tsisaar posed, in response to Azriel's earlier question. "Or even just to test himself against his master, and see how well he has actually learned? Such was the view of the Rule of Two, and of other Sith orders before it...though not with so much importance as Bane's order held in the practice." The third stone set itself down upon the pillar, while Tsisaar continued to address his apprentice.

"Combat is not the only measure of strength. Your knowledge, your facility with the Force, your skill with the lightsaber, your abilities in combat, but also your resources, your words, your allies, these can all show your strength. And the greater your strength, the more power you are able to claim for yourself. Up to the level of Darth Carnifex, even; the strongest among us, as well as the most powerful because of it." A fifth stone separated itself out from the rapidly-depleting cloud surrounding the pair, hovering ready to take its own place.

"Through power, I gain victory."

[member="Azriel Mortii"]