Aela Talith
The Righteous
- Intent: To Sub a Unique Location connected to my characters
- Image Credit: "Nore's Mire" by Jeremy Paillotin
- Canon: N/A
- Links: Darth Moridin
- Structure Name: Moridin's Citadel
- Classification: Citadel
- Location: Byss
- Affiliation: No One, Formerly Darth Moridin
The Dread Lord's Keep, or Moridin's Citadel as it is known by some is located within the Southern Hemisphere of the expanses of Byss. The keep itself was constructed smack dad in the middle of a trifecta of lakes. Three massive bodies of waters that could almost be described as seas in it of themselves surround this sprawling structure, and the result of this is the formation of thick marshlands. These marshes seem to sprawl for miles upon miles around the Citadel itself, stretching in all directions across the horizon.
Landing starships, passing over foot, or really attempting to get to the Citadel by any standard means is difficult and outright obnoxious, though hardly impossible. Two roads once ran from the citadel itself, one headed South, the other North. Since Moridin's death and the Citadel's abandonment these roads have slowly worn away to little but husks of their former selves. Though still standing, some portions of both roads have fallen and collapsed.
Security:
Though perhaps once well guarded, the Citadel has fallen into disrepair.
At the height of his power Moridin had created this place as a getaway if Byss were ever to be attacked. Located far from his Palace within the City and a great distance from his Manor in the North, the Citadel at one point was one of the most defended areas on the planet. Since then however most, if not all measures of protection have ceased. It's shield generators are worn and broken, it's turbo-laser turrets are decayed and broken, and even the great walls have begun to crumble.
The only thing that remains of the Citadel's once great defenses is the Sith Magic that seems to linger within. Those both of the light and dark will find themselves tested in the halls of the Citadel, power meant to kill sticking to the very stone of the fortress itself.
Description:
The Dread Lord's Keep stands as a shadow of it's former self, a hallowed ground that could be considered nothing less than an opulent memory to the man that had once dwelled within.
The Citadel is marked out of the landscape by it's worn yet sprawling appearance. Within the marshlands the Citadel sticks out like a sore thumb, it's central tower still reaching high above the bog and poking through the horizon. When one comes within a dozen miles of it they can begin to see the fortress itself, a crumbled mess of stone sitting atop the lone solid rock within the Marsh. The harsh lines of the walls seem to eek out from the rock below, and the two stretching roads that reach out from the Keep seem to centralize it even within the bog.
There is nothing pretty about the Dread Lord's Keep, nor was there ever.
Keep: The Central Keep of Moridin's Citadel is of course the construct beneath the main tower of the structure. It is here that Moridin planned to stay if Byss was ever assaulted. The Keep was constructed out of a mixture of Pure Duracrete and several different metals of Rebar, insuring that even the most powerful turbo-laser would have to carefully chip away at the building. The construction of this place was carefully detailed and designed to take a beating from everything to orbital weapons to close-range artillery.
The internal layout of The Keep further proves this, it's molding and harsh lines showing that it was made for function and not for beauty. Everything inside of The Keep still survives, the harsh weathers around the marshlands and the aging of time not having done a single thing to pull down this expertly constructed piece of the fortress. The halls themselves seem to linger upon themselves, seemingly becoming narrower and smaller as one wanders through them.
Whether this is an effect of the architecture or a lingering touch of the force is difficult to tell, yet The Keep is oddly stifling.
The Tower: Located directly above The Keep, and generally where everyone stayed, The Tower was a more fanciful construction of the Citadel.
It was here that Originally Moridin tended to stay when he wanted isolation. Though he had both a Palace within the city of Byss and a Manor in the North, the Citadel provided him with no small amount of privacy. It is here in the tower that Nemene was raised for the first half of her life until she was sent away from her homeworld. The Tower, in it's time far more cozy than the Keep, though now it stands as a desecrated ruined, most of it having fallen. The pieces that one can still climb reflect it's original purpose however, fine decorated and beautifully crafted, the spiral staircase that allows one to ascend being carved with ancient runes of the Kiffar people.
The Outer Wall: Perhaps the least magnificent of all the Citadel, the Outer Walls have all but fallen. Though small pieces of it still rim the outside of the Fortress itself, most of what had once been a sprawling parapet now stands as little more than a pile of broken stone and rock. It is clear that once the walls were hollow, allowing for travel beneath and around the Citadel itself, likely attributing to its later collapse with the ravages of time.
The Forge: In his age, Moridin was one of the few who mastered the crafting of Sith Artifacts
His creation of these trinkets was well known, and later many of the things Moridin forged would disseminate throughout the Galaxy. Most of these artifacts were created either here, in The Forge found in his Citadel or a similar one held within his manner.
The Forge of the Citadel is special in its own right, though by far does not exceed other such places within the galaxy. The singular room, furnished with everything one would require for the creation of Sith Artifacts stands deep beneath the Citadel itself, carved into the very rock of Byss. It is not hidden, but instead is simply tucked away deep inside the Citadel itself.
When one steps into this room they are nearly choked with the stench of the Darkside, a similar effect that one might feel on the planet Korriban. There is a deep entrenching of the darkside here, carved into every stone, every tool, every object within the Forge.
The Gardens: Perhaps a bit of a misnomer, the gardens of the Citadel are a portion of the Structure that is best avoided by most living beings. In his lifetime Moridin held a close relationship with several Yuuzhan Vong, not the least of which were a handful of Master Shapers.
He had known these beings for a long time, and their craft had aided him more than once, with his right arm having been a biot in it of itself. Knowing their usefulness, and somewhat endeared to the strange class of aliens, Moridin allowed the Yuuzhan Vong Shapers free reign of a portion of his citadel. Over the years this 'Garden' that the Shapers had created became overgrown. Many biots have spread all around the Citadel itself, creating an odd sort of jungle within the walls and surrounding the keep.
The Vault: Though he created many Artifacts in his time, Moridin manged gather even more.
These artifacts that he took unto himself were sourced from many corners of the galaxy, the Outer Rim, the Tingel Arm, the Caldera, pretty much everywhere Moridin went he ensured he took something. The Vault of the Citadel is one of the many repositories of these stolen trinkets.
Though it is not known what is inside, it could be reasonably said that many odd and dangerous things could be found within the Vault of the Citadel. It is unlikely that Moridin left behind anything too powerful upon his death, though one could reason that venturing into the vault itself could render wondrous gains. Never one to make it easy however, The Vault stands as one of the most well protected areas of the keep.
The room itself is surrounded by meters thick Durasteel, it's great stone door is crafted and honed with Sith Magic, and the lingering stench of danger seems to cling to the room itself.
The Roads: The roads which stretch from the Citadel are not really unique or all that interesting, though they are worth mentioning due to their function. These two roads which stretch in opposition directions, north and south, stand as the only easy means of accessing the Citadel itself.
They were constructed during Moridin's reign on Byss, made of duracrete, stone, and various metals. They stretch for miles through the swamps, eventually reaching smaller towns and cities. Over the decades they have begun to crumble and fall, entire sections having been razed by powerful storms or other things.
The Dread Lord of Byss, otherwise known as Darth Moridin ruled his world for nigh on four centuries.
This time stretched over the Gulag Plague and beyond, though not far. During these years Moridin conducted himself as most Sith would. He demanded tax and tribute, but mostly stayed out of the populaces way. After his decimation of the populace he allowed the world to recover, spending time away in stasis and well as upon other worlds traveling with companions.
It was after these years, when Moridin finally returned to Byss itself, that he ordered the construction of the Citadel.
Though he had always been a pragmatic ruler, Moridin understood and came to realize that things were beginning to change. The Gulag Plague had subsided, and the Galaxy was slowly beginning to turn over the wheel. People were once again interacting with other worlds, planets were starting to sign trade treaties, and very quickly people were coming together. Though it would take nearly another half century for the Republic and Sith Empire to reform, Moridin knew that it was only an eventuality.
He had long ago taken up residence within the Emperor's Old Palace within the city limits of Byss, as well as having constructed a more solitary manor within the North, but these were quickly found lacking when the idea of an invasion began to form in the Dread Lord's mind. To stop this the Citadel was created, a bastion of defense that would allow Moridin to buy himself time to either fight back, or escape from whoever was assaulting his world.
The Citadel was constructed with all haste, a healthy mixture of slave labor and paid workers quickly constructing the expansive project.
When it was finished Moridin's Keep stood as a Fortress capable of defending against even the most powerful assault. It's shield generators, high walls, and Turbo-laser turrets would be sure to keep away all but the most dedicated attackers, and it's surroundings would ensure difficulty in maintaining a siege. The Citadle stood ready for any and all attacks, though perhaps to the dismay of it's builders it would never see anything of the sort.
Though The Citadel was completed nearly twenty five years before the formation of The Republic, no attack ever came to Byss. The planet itself was located deep within the Core, hyperspace-routes to and from it being difficult enough to traverse that no raiders or Galactic Government ever really cared too much about it.
When the Sith Empire formed, Moridin abandoned his home in a way. Granting authority over the planet to a new Government, Moridin placed a Governor at the head of the world and allowed it to thrive on it's own, maintaining his base of power through simple land-holdings and financial means, though mostly leaving the world alone even as it was consumed by the influence of the Galactic Republic. He visited the world often enough, entering his Citadel or Manor in order to forge this trinket or that, but sadly through all that time nothing ever truly came to bear onto Byss.
Eventually time continued to flow, and as is the fate of all things, Moridin met his end.
Upon his death Byss stayed mostly unchanged, with his Son and Practical Daughter assuming the throne in his place.
The two never ventured far from the Palace within the city however, Moridin's Manor and Citadel sitting unused and untouched. Eventually the One Sith came for Byss, and like before the Citadel sat untouched. By then even the Shapers had abandoned the sprawling structure and slowly the stone facades and walls began to crumble. Unprotected from the powerful storms that often raged within the marshes and with no maintenance the Citadel slowly began to fall apart.
Decades passed, and the stones of the foundation began to shift. The walls crumbled, the tower fell, and slowly The Citadel became a shadow of it's former self. As the stones began to collapse and the walls began to fall, the Citadel somehow clung together. The darkness that loomed around Byss and that bore its way to the heart of the fortress lingered.
There it now sits, within the marshes, holding desperately to the memory Dread Lord.
