defy the tyrannous stars
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To submit a base of operations for AiE Jedi in SJO space.
- Image Credit: Shrine of the Rising Phoenix by TitusLunter
- Canon: /
- Links: /
- Nexus Name: Our Sacred Lady of Martyrs
- Nexus Alignment: Light
- Location: Ruusan
- Affiliation: Shattered Jedi | Silver Jedi Order
- Size: Small
- Strength: Strong
- Accessibility: This shrine is extremely isolated and guarded in rotating teams of two, often by stealth specialists capable of remaining completely undetected. A narrow stair carved into the side of canyon rock forms a precarious path up to a cracked opening in one of the Valley's massive carved guardian statues.
- Description: Little more than a cavity excavated from an already sculpted mountain, visible erosion in the stonework that went into its construction belies just how old the Force shrine truly is. There is room enough for broadening steps that lead up to an altar still echoing with light from the Valley's now mostly dormant Force nexus.
NEXUS EFFECTS
Feeding off the dormant greater nexus that is the Valley of the Jedi, this Jedi shrine has been infused with relics preserved from a fallen New Jedi Order and contains a faint echo of the broken Coruscant Temple nexus. Within the shrine itself those sworn to the lightside are granted Force valor with minimal concentration, while darksiders' danger sense and ability to think predictively is numbed.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Sentinel Ledge
The top of the Narrow Stair widens out into a plateau level with the shrine's entrance. Just enough space for a handful of people to stand at one time, due to the way the ledge juts out over the Valley it makes for a natural lookout post. It has a clear view of the shrine's approach and concealment from any surveillance from below, so long as the watcher is hunkered down.
Altar Chamber
Not much larger than a modest atrium, the shrine itself is a raised central platform surrounded by shallow steppes and capped with towering obelisk statue. A calming light radiates from between the obelisk's twin spokes, bathing those who step into its presence with the healing touch of the lightside. Although seemingly ancient and long abandoned, many of the wall sconces appear freshly maintained and a set of bedrolls can be found next to a modest power cell in one of the far corners.
Artifact Vault
Disguised by an old fashioned trigger mechanism built into one of the wall sconces, a simple twist is enough to reveal a narrow hidden stair leading to a sparse basement level underneath the altar proper. This is the artifact vault, one of the largest surviving repositories of Galactic Alliance era New Jedi Order relics still maintained by exile monks.
Mountain Passage
Another hidden portal within the artifact vault itself leads through a snaking hand dug tunnel just wide enough for a single humanoid. This exit route through the other side of the mountain the shrine and its concealing statue are carved into is the only example of recent construction. It was created along with several other safe houses across the galaxy so that hunted Jedi would be able to use the shrine as a haven along the way to their new life in safer space.
SECURITY
Rating: Low
The shrine is guarded at all times by a pair of fully trained Jedi Knights, usually a Sentinel and a Guardian. However, due to the lack of any other defensive measures, these warriors are meant to serve as lookouts and keepers of the hidden Jedi valuables within. Its main defense is its secrecy, even a modestly sized team of soldiers would have little trouble storming the altar.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Originally constructed nearly two thousand years ago during the Army of Light era, the shrine that would become known as Our Sacred Lady of Martyrs was abandoned for over a millennia before it was rediscovered and catalogued in 848 ABY by a New Jedi Order ExplorCorps team and logged with the official records on Sullust. Originally any knowledge of the successful expedition was thought to have been wiped out when the Sullust temple was destroyed, only to be recovered later by scavengers after the Fall. This is one of the main reasons it was selected as a possible safehouse location, as there was no record of its location during the time that Taeli Raaf was Grand Marshal of the Order.
Now the long forgotten shrine is used for worship once again, but more importantly than that it serves as a safe house and meet point for those few surviving Jedi loyal to the fallen Alliance. Many of the refugees who make the pilgrimage are simply using its remote locale for safety before being relocated to worlds under the Silver Jedi or New Republic's protection. Some are even from neutral worlds that border the Sith Empire where practicing the Jedi religion has been declared a serious criminal offense.
The shrine's watchmen are also one of the main point of contacts between the Shattered Jedi network and the masters of the Silver Order. Communication is handled through couriers to ensure security, when a message needs to be delivered a broadcast pulse is sent out and a transport arrives not long after with a replacement guard.
