In the Darkness there is Truth
Oculus
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
The Oculus was discovered by Sumiko Tanaka and Vaylin during an expedition to the Sith world of Athiss. Long considered a dead world by many, Athiss has in fact been a refuge for Sith Purebloods for aeons. Though neither a Pureblood nor strictly speaking a member of the Resurgent Empire that seeks to make the Sith great again, Sumiko was attracted to the world after it came to her attention, following rumours of artefacts and arcane devices that might be found in old tombs and temples. A world that had been isolated for millennia promised more considerable bounty than more well-known centres of the Sith such as Korriban or Dromund Kaas.
During her investigation, she happened upon Vaylin, who was on an adventure of her own. Realising that she could use some backup given the manifold dangers that lurked upon this world, Sumiko hired her on the spot. She found herself intrigued by the somewhat feral woman, who turned out to be quite skilled with the blade.
The two braved many hazards during their journey through the planet's jungle before they reached their destination, the tomb of an ancient Sith Lord called Apophis. A former follower of Vodal Kressh, a rebellious Sith Lord who'd made the mistake of rising up against Vitiate, Apophis had hidden on Althiss, biding his time. As the two explorers discovered, he had not entirely shuffled off the mortal coil. They confronted many dangers in the tomb, ranging from grossly mutated Sithspawn to rather sadistic puzzles, until they finally came face to face with Apophis' ghost.
The challenge was two-fold. Apophis existed on as a spirit, but had also constructed arcane devices that each housed a piece of his essence, allowing him to escape blows that would have ended his existence. Seeking to return to the physical world with a body of his own, he used his magicks to separate Sumiko and Vaylin. While the former fought the spirit in a physical battle, the latter had to defend herself against his attempts to possess her, whilst being trapped in an illusion and confronted with the apparition of her former Jedi Master.
Both dark adepts were able to reach out to one another and destroy his devices, but though weakened Apophis' spirit jumped into Vaylin. Alas, he ended up being exorcised since Sumiko considered the Zabrak too valuable an asset to go to waste. Like many souls before him, he was consumed by the sentient Sith sword Souldrinker. Subsequently, the pair decided it was only fair that they loot his remaining treasures. As a reward for her services, Sumiko gifted Vaylin with the orb. After all, given her recent experiences with illusions, it should be useful for the dark warrior.
The Oculus is an orb made of alchemised silver. Thanks to the alchemisation process, it is virtually indestructible when confronted with conventional weapons or environmental hazards. However, like all devices created or empowered by the dark side, it is vulnerable to Force Light. Apophis was a powerful mentalist and imbued the item with its power. It is meant to give the wearer an edge against opponents employing illusions. By granting them true sight, it allows them to pierce illusionary constructs. If the wearer is attacked by illusionary warriors or beasts, this gives them an edge. Likewise, it makes it easier to detect Force-users who are using techniques to either turn themselves turn themselves invisible or conceal their Force aura from detection.
However, the device requires focus and training in order to utilise it properly. More complex illusions require more time and focus. Finally, use of the device comes at a price. Not only is it difficult to remove, but rather painful. Prolonged use can be almost agonising, especially for the inexperienced. Indeed, as time passes, the eye it is used over suffers, and the user may face the risk of going physically blind. In short, it is the kind of high risk, high reward device Sith are so keen on.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To make a nice toy for [member="Vaylin"] that will serve as a reward for services rendered to Sumiko Tanaka during a quest. This device is supposed to be a boon to her against opponents utilising illusions, but is intended to be balanced by notable drawbacks.
- Image Source: Here. Silver Sphere with red fill wallpaper. Found on Picky Wallpapers. Original artist unknown.
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Ancient Sith Empire
- Model: N/A
- Affiliation: Vaylin
- Modularity: No
- Production: Unique.
- Material: Alchemised silver.
- Enhances the user's ability to resist mental attacks
- Enhances the user's ability to pierce illusions and see through illusionary constructs, scaled towards the individual's skill level.
- Sticks to the eye and thus occupies a 'slot'.
- While wearing the orb, the user finds their ability to resist mental attacks on their mind significantly enhanced.
- Imbued with the power of a powerful Sith Sorcerer, the orb allows 'true sight'. The wearer possesses a greater ability to see through and deconstruct illusions. This improves as the wearer becomes more experienced and requires a certain degree of proficiency to make it work.
- Due to the qualities of Sith alchemy, the orb is virtually indestructible, unless Force Light is employed.
- One-eyed. The orb sticks to the eye while it is worn. Thus the user cannot use the aforementioned eye to perceive the real, physical world. This can be a problem in battle since they are stuck using one eye to look upon what's actually real. Moreover, removing the device takes time and is impractical in battle.
- While the device allows true sight, giving the user a greater chance to see through the fog of deceit an illusionist may try to engulf them in, this comes at a price: The device causes a good deal of pain. Bottom line, the longer the user wears it and draws upon its power, the more painful it becomes. The same applies to sudden removal of the device. Prolonged use can be damaging to the physical eye one is wearing it over.
- It burns. The Sith magicks the device was imbued with are potent, but sufficiently strong blasts of Force Light will render the orb powerless. In addition, the feedback caused by a successful attack will mush the eye of the user if they are wearing the device at the time.
- Being an item imbued with Force energies, the orb is utterly useless if the wearer is close to ysalamiri. Likewise, its efficacy will be significantly reduced by Voidstone and such. On the bright side, the same would happen to any illusions summoned by a hostile magus.
The Oculus was discovered by Sumiko Tanaka and Vaylin during an expedition to the Sith world of Athiss. Long considered a dead world by many, Athiss has in fact been a refuge for Sith Purebloods for aeons. Though neither a Pureblood nor strictly speaking a member of the Resurgent Empire that seeks to make the Sith great again, Sumiko was attracted to the world after it came to her attention, following rumours of artefacts and arcane devices that might be found in old tombs and temples. A world that had been isolated for millennia promised more considerable bounty than more well-known centres of the Sith such as Korriban or Dromund Kaas.
During her investigation, she happened upon Vaylin, who was on an adventure of her own. Realising that she could use some backup given the manifold dangers that lurked upon this world, Sumiko hired her on the spot. She found herself intrigued by the somewhat feral woman, who turned out to be quite skilled with the blade.
The two braved many hazards during their journey through the planet's jungle before they reached their destination, the tomb of an ancient Sith Lord called Apophis. A former follower of Vodal Kressh, a rebellious Sith Lord who'd made the mistake of rising up against Vitiate, Apophis had hidden on Althiss, biding his time. As the two explorers discovered, he had not entirely shuffled off the mortal coil. They confronted many dangers in the tomb, ranging from grossly mutated Sithspawn to rather sadistic puzzles, until they finally came face to face with Apophis' ghost.
The challenge was two-fold. Apophis existed on as a spirit, but had also constructed arcane devices that each housed a piece of his essence, allowing him to escape blows that would have ended his existence. Seeking to return to the physical world with a body of his own, he used his magicks to separate Sumiko and Vaylin. While the former fought the spirit in a physical battle, the latter had to defend herself against his attempts to possess her, whilst being trapped in an illusion and confronted with the apparition of her former Jedi Master.
Both dark adepts were able to reach out to one another and destroy his devices, but though weakened Apophis' spirit jumped into Vaylin. Alas, he ended up being exorcised since Sumiko considered the Zabrak too valuable an asset to go to waste. Like many souls before him, he was consumed by the sentient Sith sword Souldrinker. Subsequently, the pair decided it was only fair that they loot his remaining treasures. As a reward for her services, Sumiko gifted Vaylin with the orb. After all, given her recent experiences with illusions, it should be useful for the dark warrior.
The Oculus is an orb made of alchemised silver. Thanks to the alchemisation process, it is virtually indestructible when confronted with conventional weapons or environmental hazards. However, like all devices created or empowered by the dark side, it is vulnerable to Force Light. Apophis was a powerful mentalist and imbued the item with its power. It is meant to give the wearer an edge against opponents employing illusions. By granting them true sight, it allows them to pierce illusionary constructs. If the wearer is attacked by illusionary warriors or beasts, this gives them an edge. Likewise, it makes it easier to detect Force-users who are using techniques to either turn themselves turn themselves invisible or conceal their Force aura from detection.
However, the device requires focus and training in order to utilise it properly. More complex illusions require more time and focus. Finally, use of the device comes at a price. Not only is it difficult to remove, but rather painful. Prolonged use can be almost agonising, especially for the inexperienced. Indeed, as time passes, the eye it is used over suffers, and the user may face the risk of going physically blind. In short, it is the kind of high risk, high reward device Sith are so keen on.
