Public Lessons From the Dark Saint | Malachor V | [Open to WotS,LotS,TSE]

[Darth Voyance]

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Malachor V​

Malachor System, Chorlian Sector​

[MUSIC]​

The Empyrean touched softly onto the dark and jagged surface of the ruined world of Malachor V. Gushing plumes of ashen dust blew from underneath the personal starfighter of the Dark Saint of the Warlords of the Sith, Darth Voyance, as its thrusters spat vibrant blue efflux. Resting on a promontory that overlooked a gaping maw, the dismemberment plank of the starfighter slid out and its actuators whined a mechanical groan as the port door hissed open.​

Passing through a mist of ventilation vapours released from the cooling systems, Darth Voyance stepped onto the ancient Sith world. Ruinous, chaotic, and bathed in trauma that reverberated in the Force with dark quintessence, Malachor V was a daunting planet and its invisible howls spoke to the powerful empath and prophetic dreamer in the Force. She had seen the world in her visions, deep in meditation within her Dark Praxeum.​

Portents of what was to come, what could be, and of her own fate. But visions, especially of the Dark Side, are fickle, misleading and often an illusion. The Dark Side was coly cruel mistress and those who do not know how to interpret her double-tongued speech were doomed to treat her illusory falsehoods as clairvoyant truth. Darth Voyance had been scorned once by the Dark Side, fooled into the events of the Dark Kyber. She would not be fooled again. Anyone who claimed purely to be masters of the Dark Side and know its fluid nature was either a charlatan or imbecile.​

The shrewd Sith placated themselves to its ebbing powers and notorious nature, and that is why Voyance heeded its warnings and followed its commands to come to Malachor V. To see for herself what the Dark Side had truly envisioned her fate. She was deep into the territory of the Empire and Voyance knew this and knew more that, whatever rituals he used to commune with the Dark Side would attract attention. Perhaps she wanted it that way. The Dark Side revelled in sacrifices for its power.​

Voyance looked down from the precipice of the maw and saw the vast ruins of a temple and battlefield below. Following a trailing of broken cliffs, sloping ravines, and destroyed stepping blocks, Voyance made it to the floor of the maw. It was covered in the petrified remains of Sith and Jedi, ossified into ashen sculptures of torturous pain. The very echoes of the planet reeled with their soul’s howls. A powerful place indeed. Above from the mouth of the maw, the perpetual storm over Malachor V rattled with the crackling thunderous bellows of fluorescent green lightning and thunder. Churning dark clouds did battle with themselves, breaking and undulating into knew citadels of rippling light. Voyance looked down to the ash, dust and dark soil.​

She knelt and scooped a handful. Using a technique she had learned from Ashin Cardé Varanin , she applied her psychometry to the dust and drew in a deep breath. The Dark Side was carried in its aroma and it intoxicated her mind with the painful residue the events of the planet left on everything organic. The scent peaked her powers and Voyance’s presence in the Force burned bright in a raging fire – soon others would feel this and come to her. Just as she had planned.

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Tags: Devlin Dara | Eleric Hejaran | Darth Petrichor | Quintus Varro | Darth Faef​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

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To think it was her. Here, of all places. After standing in the way of the Empire they chose to go into the Empire? Well. Alina certainly wouldn't be the one to try and deal with that fact. If anything, she was here to scalp a lesson or two so she might better understand the Force more. It'd be foolish to think there wasn't anything to learn from Darth Voyance . So she arrived, in full armor to hide who she was. Given that and her Taozin Amulet, she should hopefully be an unknown.

The young Knight kept her distance, some paces away, just watching. Whatever this Saint was doing, it was affecting the flow. That was enough for her to be curious.

 

[Darth Petrichor]

Malachor V, a place Petrichor hadn't visited in many years. It was deep in the Empire's territory, and Petrichor had made it a point to stay far away from them. There was no room in the Empire for heretics, and if he were to be discovered by the wrong person, he'd certainly have a fight on his hands. And yet, here he was, returning to one of their worlds. The sky stormed above as the Acheron touched down, whipping lighting to and fro in a cacophony of thunder. The perpetual storm looming over the planet provided him with some protection against sensors, which gave him some sense of security. If he were to be discovered, it would be on his terms.

The planet was littered with ruins and death; fitting imagery of the fruits of Sith labor. How many planets had to burn to satiate their desire for power? How many would be touched by the crimson kiss of death? Petrichor could never understand the point. The Dark Side called to the powerful, but it doesn't demand accumulation of further power. Many Sith had forgotten that simple truth, and had resigned to lives of reckless slaughter.

What a disgrace.

As Petrichor exited the Acheron, he felt a sudden surge of power within the Force. This was no regular outburst. It felt as if someone was creating a trail to follow. Whoever was responsible wanted to be found.

Petrichor followed the stream of energy toward the ruins of an old temple. As he drew closer, he could see Darth Voyance standing near her ship. He had heard of the Dark Saint, but had never encountered her before. He was curious as to what brought her here, considering her current standing with the Empire. He took his time in approaching her, ever-wary of the devious ways of his Sith brethren. A fellow outcast of the Sith Empire, on this very planet...

Petrichor had many, many questions.

 

[Quintus Varro]

Quintus was quietly forming his own opinion on Sith, the individuals and the whole, or in the current case, wholes. He found it odd in a code that spoke of breaking chains that so many were wrapped up in the power of the one ahead of them at first, and yet in the oddest way he was starting to understand it. Existing alone as a Sith enigma was not easy, and who was there to teach such an outlier? Entering as part of a group and it was only natural for the more powerful to assert the self and attempt to gain control over those weaker in the force then themselves. All Sith instead seemed to live on the precipice, always hoping to overthrow the one above for their own gains, and the one above always training those below to gain power while maintaining enough superiority they wouldn't find themselves replaced.

It was all a bit mundane to him. The focus on physical power and control over the galaxy rather then the force itself. Perhaps it was just how the mass of people were formed though, but for Quintus he had no desire to rule or change the galaxy. Only himself. He was the only one he needed to rise above and that particular conflict was never ending. So he searched for knowledge wherever it could be found, and where ever it called.

Here he heard the call from afar, even letting Arcturus Dinn know of it before he left. The young man was as thirsty as he was for knowledge, and they were still allies for a sad time. Sad only because it would end one day, like all things did. Only her whispers continued forever she said, and they had yet to lie to him.

So he found himself before Darth Voyance and not for the first time. He'd sensed her dark power once before on Exegol, and having felt it's call again he hadn't hesitated. Hesitation was a weakness among the Sith, or so it seemed to the Acolyte.

Alina Tremiru Darth Petrichor

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He'd had no intentions of coming.​

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Though he felt the call through the Force, and though Quintus had seen fit to further solidify the notion of a gathering of sorts, Arcturus Thesh had initially rejected the idea of venturing into Empire territory at the heel of some unknown. He was a busy man these days, with all of the experiments and projects and lessons he was working his way through in the wake of the Trial of Sands. He had his duties to his Master to attend to, his allegiance to the Sith Eternal, why would he waste his time on relative treasure hunts across the Galaxy?​

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And yet... Somehow he ended up there all the same. As he stepped from his vessel, not too far from the ruined temple, his eyes immediately sought out his fellow Apprentice. Quintus Varro had quick become a familiar face for the young lad, the two had often found themselves paired up and if not that then learning some great mystical thing alongside one another. Perhaps then it was in fact his urging which had drawn him to this spot, to Malachor V, among relative strangers...​

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It did not matter. For he was there. He stepped up to the man's side, and only then did he observe the others gathered. Only then did he look upon the one from whom that call had emanated from.​

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He opened his mouth to speak, to make some quip to Quintus regarding how strange this whole thing was, and yet nothing came out. It was as though his mind quickly caught up to the fact that this was new territory for him, that Maliphant was not present in any capacity, and those they now existed among were unknown and powerful. To slip up here might spell the end. It wasn't as though he himself had been directly invited, after all. Just a mere student of the Force, butting in where he did not belong.​

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Darth Voyance Darth Petrichor Alina Tremiru ​

 

[Darth Faef]

Darth Faef felt the call, and her curiosity would not allow her to ignore it. She landed her ship and made her way to Darth Voyance

 

[Darth Voyance]

Darth Voyance rose from her crouching study of the ash in her fist. Finally rising she turned her head first and rolled her golden sith eyes to look at the gathering. Creeping towards her, suspicious and foreign. Dark presences among the deep well of the abyss in the Force that was Malachor V. Voyance slowly completed her turn by facing her body to the first of the disparate ones she had attracted to her.​

The first was a masked man ( Darth Petrichor ), with a drawn hood, and a brooding menace that flamed in the force. Inquisitive and probing, Voyance eyed his approach. Her gaze then slid to an armored man ( Quintus Varro ) and a quiet figure behind him, looking to speak, but refusing to do ( Arcturus Dinn ). Then two others ( Darth Faef and Alina Tremiru ). Voyance's stare softened and her brows released their tension. Her fledgling grin grew and she smiled, its expression almost affectionate in its illusion of warmth and familiarity.​

Darth Voyance looked down at her clenched fist and gently separated the curled fingers allowing the ashen sand to stream between the cracks. The streams of sand fell and the grains caught in the whistling winds of the ruins were carried off in ghostly currents mimicking smoke. She watched every grain fall from her fingers and as they did she spoke to the others.​

"So you heard it too?" said Darth Voyance, "The call of this place? A ripple in the Dark Side...strange is it not? For a dead world such as this to have a voice in the Dark Side, still vibrant, loud, and full of melodies of profane powers. Do you hear it? It's the voices of the dead."​

The last grains fell from Voyance's hand and she clenched it into a fist again. Bringing the fist to her nose she breathed the last vapors of darkness and let out a moaning sigh. She looked to the others once more and shrugged with a curt nod.​

"But...where are my manners," Voyance coyly said, "I am Darth Voyance..." she continued with a small bow of her head, "And who...dark sisters and brothers...may you be?"

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OOC NOTE: Much apologies. Rebellion and Faction Admin work has gotten in the way, but I am very excited (with the free time I have) to explore Malachor V and the Dark Side with you all). A further NOTE: This Thread is set weeks before the Rebellion of Ninn.)​

 

[Quintus Varro]

Death was no barrier to the dark side of the force, of that at least Quintus was sure. Reasonably sure at least. He knew who she was, he'd even seen her before in the flesh on Exegol, and yet still he was uncertain. Death might not be a barrier to the dark side, but he was quite certain it would be a barrier to him, but her calling had not felt like death.

Her smile though gave him pause as she seemed almost warm, motherly even for a moment. At first he simply considered not believing it, but then realized it simply didn't matter if it was true or not. He didn't care if she looked like a celestial, if she had knowledge to partake of he would be willing to learn still. Soaking up the dark side energies around him he could hear the dark whispers in his ears clearly here. Like a lover's tempting touch at his ear he yearned to hear more of it's corruptive touch.

"I am Quintus, an Acolyte and Sith." He said them as if they were separate things completely. He was indeed learning and still an acolyte, but he knew already he was Sith. He could feel the chains always, and where once he'd walked in fear now he accepted the pain and fear as strength.

Darth Voyance Darth Petrichor Alina Tremiru Arcturus Dinn Darth Faef

 

[Darth Petrichor]

Petrichor could feel the Dark Side wafting through the air as Darth Voyance spoke. It seemed to swirl around her very presence, as if she were a conduit for the Force itself. He took a moment to simply listen, processing each word as they left her lips. There was indeed something special about a place like Malachor V. There had been thousands of years of death on this planet. Countless years of destruction seemed to pile onto each other, as if the Sith were erecting new temples on top of those that were already present. It was a fitting analogy for the legacy of the Sith.

He could hear the whispers of the dead calling from the dust and rubble. Their stifled cries echoed throughout the planet; a choir of damned souls hidden beyond the eternal void. Their voices were but a drop in the greater cosmic pool of the Force, yet ever-present. Petrichor tuned their resonance out for a moment, coming back to the situation at hand.

He took a minute to assess the others that had gathered. It seemed that the planet had called more than one to its desolate surface. Every one of them had the air of the Dark Side around them. Petrichor kept a wary eye on each of them as he listened to the Dark Saint, aware that he was still in Empire territory. Turning toward the Dark Saint, he finally allowed himself to speak.

"Indeed... the Dark Side tends to linger in such places."

He took a step forward, maintaining a constant air of calm caution.

"I am known to many Sith as the Dark Heretic, but you may call me Darth Petrichor."

He resumed his usual silence, turning his attention to the others that had arrived. There were many here he did not recognize, and he was quite interested in finding out where their allegiances fell. Perhaps this journey would prove to be more fruitful than anticipated...

Quintus Varro Alina Tremiru Darth Faef Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Darth Voyance certainly knew how to put out the theatrics. And yet, Alina cared not for flowery words or mysticism. Her arms crossed over her chest as she listened to a familiar voice. Surprise filled her gaze as she saw Quintus Varro and Arcturus Dinn here. Allies under the Worm, enemies of the Empire. So many enemies of the Empire freely walking around. Arrogance at it's prime.

"Tremara." She had no intention of giving her real name. Her modulated voice rang out from under the mask as she awaited whatever was going to happen here.