Unreviewed On Forbidding Passage

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: A scroll with a Sith sorcery ritual for tactical and strategic interdiction.
• Image Credit: Paul Carstens
• Canon: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Links: Sith sorcery, interdiction

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Media Name: On Forbidding Passage
• Format: Scroll in a protective case
• Distribution: Rare
• Length: Medium
• Description: The scroll describes a hyperspace interdiction ritual of Ashin's invention. The interdiction effect looks like murky-to-golden ripples of distortion overlaid in space, either a flat plane or a three-dimensional area depending on how the ritual is conducted.

SOCIAL INFORMATION

• Author: Ashin Varanin
• Publisher: The Aksifas
• Reception: The ritual was not particularly controversial in an ideological sense, except that some readers objected to anyone having the ability to block a hyperlane. At a practical level, some commented that the Blackwall - which was raised shortly after the ritual's creation, while Ashin was writing the scroll - did it better. Ashin had many thoughts on this.

FORMAT INFORMATION
This was a scroll written on parchment. Both ink and parchment were archival, stable and durable. The metal cases were ornate and tough.

EVENTS

• Event Name: The Arda interdiction, 902 ABY
• Links: So Close to Something Better Left Unknown
• Participants: Ashin Varanin with her pilot/tattoo artist Jaccath (Massassi) versus Brooke Waters with her pilots Ako (Selkath) and Tomaas Starchaser (Corellian).
• Overview: Ashin tested the ritual by blocking a jump vector in the Arda system that connected to Tash-Taral. The interdiction snared Waters' ship. They sounded each other out warily and resolved it through competing rituals and negotiation. The route from Arda to Tash-Taral remained completely blocked, but Arda was still accessible from other directions.

CONTENT INFORMATION

• The first section of the scroll covered preparation of the ritual materials, including quantities of blood (preferably one's own) and several large, carved, deployable totems (preferably carved personally out of wood, stone, bone, or some other pure and fundamental substance that is difficult to find on sensors). This section warned that the ritual was best conducted by a seasoned master of the Force, and promised horrible fates to the unprepared.
• The second section of the scroll covered deployment of the blooded totems in a flat plane or a three-dimensional area, using a ship's airlock, cargo bay, or drone launching capabilities. With enough preparation time and effort, the ritual's effect could be scaled up comparable to interdiction from a dedicated interdictor ship or interdiction minefield, or scaled down for tactical use. While the ritual could provide standard interdiction (pulling ships out of hyperspace or preventing them from jumping), it could also be much stronger (causing damage) or much weaker (causing ships in hyperspace to be aggressively slowed down rather than yanked from hyperspace entirely). This section also described how the ritual caster could reinforce their interdiction through incidental use of the Force.
• The third section covered use cases, including standard interdiction, protecting a base or planet, blocking specific vectors and routes, interrupting shipping, and dropping the totems mid-escape to prevent pursuit. It warned that anti-interdiction technology like HIMS would allow a ship that encountered this interdiction to keep going as with any other interdiction. It also warned that the Force had a life of its own and was not predictable technology, no matter how dry and precise the scroll's language, and many kinds of strangeness might apply. A ship wreathed in Force Light or carrying a large number of ysalamiri, for example, could pass through this interdiction while suffering only turbulence.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Ashin Varanin developed and tested this ritual in 900-902 ABY based on her long familiarity with Force storms. She first used the ritual to wall off certain valuable areas from potential interference by witches she took seriously. She also used it to protect trophies, assets, and resources that she had stockpiled for inheritance by her children ( Ibaris Varanin , Quinn Varanin , and Noelle Varanin ) and grandchildren. In 902, she wrote the scroll (and had a few copies made) for their use and as part of their legacy. While Ashin was open about having developed this capability, she kept the technique private except when sharing it was of great advantage.