Dominion Preserved in Ambria | Galactic Alliance Dominion of Ambria & Telti

[Amani Serys]

The power of the light was enough to make the witch recoil. Eloise was freed from her clutches and returned to her master's side. But just as quickly as they had recovered, the witch had too, and sent forth tangible waves of darkness to engulf them. Amani fared better than her padawan, for what good it did. She winced and touched her forehead, feeling focus give way to an immutable sense of despair. It took a great foundation of willpower to resist the sinister manipulation. Thankfully, Amani could keep going through stubbornness alone. At least, for a time.

"Eloise?!" Amani looked back to see her padawan fleeing the scene. The knight was alone now. She grit her teeth, feeling that despair sink a little lower. Was she to die here? Brought low by a cowardly student and an obnoxious witch lingering long past her due date? Amani held her saber pike close, the light giving her some sense of stability in the chaos.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Aymeric Prendergast]

CREATURE FEAR
~Paramind... Paramind...~

OUTFIT: x
OBJECTIVE: Objective 2 - Reveal
TAG: Valery Noble

AMBRIA, STENNES NODE, AIRON SECTOR, INNER RIM

Huh… leaving them to me. I guess this is really a test, then. Approaching the tombstone, I breached through the force field, sacrificing my physical sight for a moment to trace the force essence in the area, and studying the spirit residing the tomb closer. A closer look revealed that it indeed is a pure mound of force, not a physical entity. It's a force-spirit, not a protean manifestation then. Good, that means they don't have a physical form, and I don't have to worry too much about them striking me or Master Valery physically.

As I approached, the spirit seemed to level up their mind-game. Now, not only they manipulate the environment, showing burnt dying bodies, a stark reminder of what I witnessed when I was still a child-terrorist, the spirit suddenly jumped towards me, taking the form of a mangled senate guard. I quickly tuned in into the force, using my mind to pierce into the spirit's mind, jumping back centuries, to the day of the Obelisk construction, the dark sider that they were commanding a bulk of slaves on the south side. "These spirits date back dozens of centuries ago. Dark side cultist."

That's just enough information for me to get to the meat. Pinning the spirit in force-chain, I stared directly at their essence, judging them for their transgressions in the past, and perversion of the now. Reaching for a small force trinket in my pocket, I drained the spirit of its force essence, capturing it in the trinket, before the trinket burns what's the captured soul. In no time, I captured Master Valery's side glance with my own, a small prideful smirk flashes up on my face. "Done. Now show me your way, master?" I whispered to her, a playful tone in my voice, but also a little bit of nerves, if she had found my way to be too extreme, and a curiosity to see how the lifelong Shadow would handle a similar problem.
​

​

 

[Xasha Callisto]

​

Constancia​

---

Xasha had been late to this debate but had little intention of hearing others views on it. Her government had determined that the economic hardships of rendering most high end droids unusable and violating property laws in such a way meant that she could only vote against it. Her government had already begin the process of allowing all owners of droids built off world to reregister their property on Constancia to protect their assets from this law.​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The Witch of Ambria howled with laughter when Eloise ran off. "Your apprentice is yellow-bellied!" she cackled. "Looks like it's just you and me." She attacked Amani with a whirlwind, trying to toss her around the room.

Outside, Eloise came to a halt. No longer under the Witch's influence, she was left disoriented. She shook her head as if to clear it, then snarled in anger at how easily she'd been manipulated. Turning around, she charged back into the castle...

Amani Serys​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ambria

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aymeric Prendergast

"You have quite a... unique approach," Valery said after she had closely watched him work. "You'll have to tell me more about that trinket of yours." She gestured for the item he had used to handle the spirit, but only for a moment. He wanted to see her in action, and there was quite a good opportunity for it now. The Dark Side swirled heavily around the two Jedi — the cleansing of one had been a warning to others.

They were coming.

Valery drew in a small breath and raised both her hands up by her sides, the palms facing the ground while something within her began to stir. Her way of cleansing was very old school, and the particular trick she was pulling off now was one of its most advanced forms. She purged these spirits with the Light, and everything around the two Jedi would feel this Wall of it. Dark sided spirits drew closer, and a sudden bright flash ignited around the two Jedi, casting them in golden rays.

The Light lashed out at the spirits at the same time, trapping them within until their dark side taint was purged almost in an instant. These spirits were weaker, she knew, but her methods would work all the same.

"I use various forms of Force Light to handle spirits or other corrupted entities and artifacts. Simple, but effective."

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani scowled at the phantom, "Shut up," Her dark powers were manipulating their thoughts and feelings. Eloise had run in despair. Amani had resisted the worst of it, but seemed to have fully into a bit of a bad mood. She braced herself against the wind attack, but it lifted her off her feet, striking against one of the walls.

The Jedi planted the blade of her pike into the ground, anchoring herself in place against the winds. Or at least, slowing her movement down to a sluggish drag as the plasma gradually burned through the floor. With the other hand she powered up a kinetic Force burst, and launched it at her foe.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The Witch grinned as her winds flung Amani against the wall. "Ooh, did that hurt? I sure hope so!"

Her gleeful mockery was cut short, however, as Amani slowed her body and blasted her with a burst of kinetic energy. The Witch was thrown backwards, but managed to halt her motion. The whirlwind she had whipped up fell still as she lost concentration.

Eloise returned at that moment, bursting through the doorway to find her master on the ground and the Witch looking irritated. "Look who's back for more," the ghost growled, a ghostly greenish-blue flame forming in her hand.

Before she could fling the fireball at Eloise, the Padawan stretched out her hand... and plucked the fire straight from her hand. The spirit's eyes widened, and she barely ducked in time before Eloise flung the fiery ball of energy back at her. The flames ate up a ragged tapestry behind her, spreading and setting the castle ablaze.

The Witch's lip curled with rage. "Oh, you'll pay for that," she snarled. Once again the malicious spirit attacked their minds, summoning their worst memories and failures to torment and weaken them.

Amani Serys​

 

[Aymeric Prendergast]

CREATURE FEAR
~Paramind... Paramind...~

OUTFIT: x
OBJECTIVE: Objective 2 - Reveal
TAG: Valery Noble

AMBRIA, STENNES NODE, AIRON SECTOR, INNER RIM

"Simple, but effective." I repeated her words as I sensed the echo of the Wall of Light. Her method is considered very advanced, but it boils down to the simple force light technique. "I created this trinket as a safety blanket. Some of the stronger spirits take more time to purge, the trinket just makes sure that it's done in a confined space, minimizing the cost of an error." Especially since I'm still stuck with the intermediate variation of the method. It was great that she took an interest in me, I could really learn a lot from her just from this mission alone, let alone a dedicated training program, if that's ever in her and the council's mind. That would be really perfect for my growth.

The old-school method, on the advanced level, still remains superior, after all. "Downside is, you can only do each spirit individually." It's a force-enhancing, human tech after all, it does have its limitations. Of course I could try to make an upgrade, create bigger artifacts, but that would take away from the time I could use to train otherwise, it would limit my mobility, and let's just say the truth, it's not very Jedi-like. I'm already quite an outlier by now, no need for another reason to reinforce that perception.

"If it's in a group," I glanced at the spirits we are approaching as we continue making our way towards the giant structure, getting ready to do the purging old-school style. "I'll have to defer to the usual method." Invoking a less advanced version of force light compared to the one Master Valery just used before, I elect to burn the light right in each spirit's force essence. These are slightly stronger than the previous ones, but still manageable.

That was until two, possibly stronger ones approached from the flank. "Give me a hand, Master?" I glanced at her, still maintaining the calmness on my face to let her know that I could still handle it on my own if that's what she wants to see.
​

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ambria

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aymeric Prendergast

"You made it yourself?" She raised an eyebrow and looked him over with a smirk, "I'm impressed. It's not easy to make items that can contain the Dark Side. For artifacts, we have a special kind of resin that we use to nullify them at times. But for spirits..." she glanced down at the trinket and dipped her head, "Maybe you'll have to show me how you made it sometime." She wasn't above being able to learn new things, and she hadn't ever made something quite like that.

But in combination with her existing skills, it'd be very useful.

"Well, as long as you remain aware of its limitations, it'll be a powerful item." Most spirits were alone, anyway. Hidden within their own tombs, or haunting some location tied to their death. What they were handling right now was very abnormal, so it hardly mattered to have his artifact only being able to handle a single entity.

"Give me a hand, Master?"

Valery nodded, stepped forward and raised her own hand to join in his efforts. The purging waves of light lashed out at the spirits, and those who weren't vanquished immediately retreated into the structure. They'd not be able to hide for long. "This is essentially the most straightforward work we do as Shadows — find the Dark Side and cleanse it. But a part of what we do is trickier as well. Have you learned how to cloak yourself?"

"How to truly live in the Shadows?"

 

[Aymeric Prendergast]

CREATURE FEAR
~Paramind... Paramind...~

OUTFIT: x
OBJECTIVE: Objective 2 - Reveal
TAG: Valery Noble

AMBRIA, STENNES NODE, AIRON SECTOR, INNER RIM

"I like tech and I like studying about the force." My usually dark and somber face lit up brightly, full of pride, when Master Valery complimented my trinket. It's not the most advanced of artifacts, it combines some aspect of force mastery and some technology. She looks very impressed and interested, and the fact that she wants to know how to make it feels very nice. This is The Sword of the Jedi after all, arguably the most important person of the organization I devoted my life for. "That'll be an honor, master." I scratched my hair with a grin on my face, partly proud and partly shy because of the compliments.

Dealing with the spirits with her help, the job is almost finished, yet the final push might be the most challenging of the day . We nearly cleared the area, sans a couple of escaping spirits and whatever lies in the structure. As we are approaching the structure, Master Valery brought up the topics of force cloaking. It's one of the force abilities I haven't managed to master, struggling to make it past the stationary phase. To be fair, I haven't been trained by a master that specialized in that art, most were occupied during the war with the Maw while some never came back home after. Yet, does the context even matter in the grander scheme of thing?

"I've started…" I paused, thinking carefully of my choice of words. There might be other potential Shadows Master Valery has been scouting that are much more adept in the art of cloaking, it might be the death of me. Yet, there's no way to lie, she would likely suggest for us to cloak and sneak somewhere after this. Either way, if there's someone more capable than me at this time, they should be the one inducted as a Shadow anyway. The job is too crucial to be given to anyone but the best. There's always next time, although it would be great the sooner it is. Honesty is a virtue anyway, and so is patience.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to maintain it while moving."
​

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ambria

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aymeric Prendergast

Valery smirked a little when she noticed the effects of her compliment. Shadows were often the more solitary, stoic types, so to see one get a little awkward over a compliment was quite amusing to her. "Good, I'll contact you soon and we can go to one of the artisan rooms at the Temple." Usually, they were used for construction or modification of lightsabers, but Jedi also utilized them for crafting holocrons and other artifacts.

It would have all the tools necessary to make something like what he was using.

On the topic of Force Cloak, Valery picked up on some hesitation at first, but Aymeric didn't take too long to explain that it wasn't something he had quite mastered yet. "It's a very difficult one to learn and master on your own. When I became a Shadow, we'd have a whole team of already trained Shadows who would be familiar with it, and able to instruct." She paused and glanced at him again with a soft smile.

"If you show me how to make a trinket like yours, I could offer you a lesson to learn how to cloak." It seemed like a fine deal to her, but there was one other thing she wanted to discuss.

"In addition, I suggest you figure out some type of mask or helmet as well. Not all missions require us to completely hide our identity, but sometimes we really must. For our own safety." Even just intelligence gathering behind enemy lines could put a huge target on you, after all. And it wasn't uncommon for that to spark assassination attempts or bounties. Furthermore, if the enemy becomes aware of your face, it's a lot harder to hide among them.

For that very reason, Valery couldn't just show up somewhere without Shadow gear anymore — everybody knows her face. But with a new generation of Shadows being trained, that wasn't going to be a problem anymore.

 

[Amani Serys]

Eloise returning was a welcome sight. Amani didn't notice her until the witch did, and she turned around to offer her an affirming nod. The witch tried to attack with a phantasmal flame, but it was stolen and shot back by Eloise, "Where'd you learn that?" Her master asked.

The heat sucked at the oxygen and boxed them in, making the once spacious castle interior suddenly feel claustrophobic. Smoke began to accumulate along the ceiling, and on top of it all, the witch was attempting to attack their minds again. Amani, more prepared now, focused on mentally shielding herself against the assault, "I can try to purge her again, but it's gonna take a lot of focus. Any ideas?"

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Aymeric Prendergast]

CREATURE FEAR
~Paramind... Paramind...~

OUTFIT: x
OBJECTIVE: Objective 2 - Reveal
TAG: Valery Noble

AMBRIA, STENNES NODE, AIRON SECTOR, INNER RIM

"Deal." I said to Master Valery, extending my hand for a handshake. It might not be the way I imagine, her exclusively being the teacher while I'm putting my full effort in learning from her, but I like it even better. I'm a fully established Jedi Knight, it's only fair that I provide something in return, and the fact that she can also learn something from me is as encouraging as a sign can be. That was pretty much an invitation for training, one step closer towards my goal.

"So, we're not going to sneak inside? Or are you going to flex your moves and go in first?" I asked her in a teasing tone as we approached the structure's entrance. Of course, part of me wants to see her showing off as much of what is in her arsenal as she wants to, but I do think that it's a really nice tactic for our final push too.

"There's supposed to be a stone structure inside, carved with dark side inscriptions and runes." Cleansing the stone would rid the obelisk of the dark side corruption, which was our main objective here today in Ambria. "I can take care of that while you're finishing off the spirits, how does that sound, master?" I asked Master Valery for her opinion on the approach, while showing her that I can take a proactive command on any situation I'm facing.

It could also be the other way around, I suppose, me finishing off the spirits while Master Valery sneaks back to the stone and cleansing it. Though, I like the first option better, as I can show her my proficiency in dealing with dark side structures and artifacts.
​

​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

"Where'd you learn that?"

“My parents,” Eloise replied. It was just Tutaminis, the manipulation of energy. Both the Jedi and the Sith taught it.

As the fire spread, the room began to fill with smoke. Eloise coughed, then realized it wasn’t just the fumes getting to her. The Witch was in her mind again, and her barriers weren’t strong enough to keep her out.

“What do you mean, you already know?” Eloise demanded. “You knew all along, and you didn’t tell me? You didn’t try to stop them?”

They were in Marcus’ room at the palace. Her twin brother sat at his desk facing her, still holding his pencil poised over a drawing. At her rage, he only sighed. “Mom and Dad have to do this. It's necessary for their survival. Caspian is in the same boat. It was the only way to save him from the Pharus' curse.”

“By giving him another one?!” she practically screamed. “Half of our family is consuming souls for power, and you’re telling me it’s necessary? Are you insane?!”

When Amani asked her for ideas, there was no response. She didn’t run this time, but it was obvious that she was struggling to fend off the mental assault.

“My, what interesting folks you have.” The Witch scowled contemptuously. “You left all that easy livin' and power behind to pal around with a bunch of stuck-up Jedi? Even your master thinks you're just some Sith brat goin' through a rebellious phase. But you'll come back around eventually, once you realize where you truly belong.”

Amani Serys​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ambria

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aymeric Prendergast

Valery chuckled and reached for his hand to shake it. She didn't really need or want anything in return for her training — she never did — but it was nice to learn something new herself. Technology just wasn't something she was very good with, and using it in combination with the Force was complete magic. It was going to make for an interesting session — the Jedi Shadow who seemed to know everything would be like a youngling attending their first class on a subject.

She was looking forward to being the student again.

"There's no real point in being sneaky anymore. They already know we're here." She flashed him a grin and casually walked into the core of this structure, where the remaining spirits resided. Their darkness was a constant pulse already, and she could feel them amassing to confront the two Jedi.

A good little challenge for them.

"That sounds like a good plan to me. You've already shown that you can handle spirits, so I'd like to see you handle the Obelisk. Those spirits are mine~" She rolled her shoulders, and moved ahead a little to draw attention. The Force around her immediately began to shift, and a cold wind picked up inside, as spirits of a long-forgotten past began to swirl around her. But what would have been enough to drive most people insane, hardly seemed to phase her.

<Hurry it up, before they come after you,> she told him telepathically.

 

[Aymeric Prendergast]

CREATURE FEAR
~Paramind... Paramind...~

OUTFIT: x
OBJECTIVE: Objective 2 - Reveal
TAG: Valery Noble

AMBRIA, STENNES NODE, AIRON SECTOR, INNER RIM

"I know, I just want to see you in action, master." I said playfully to her. A demonstration wouldn't help that much for my training, but what can I say? Dumb brain goes wild when friends poof, at least that’s the term the younger generation use.

As we enter the obelisk, Master Valery takes on the dark spirits gracefully, not even bothered by the mind games and terrorizing tactics they invoke upon her. Meanwhile, I use force speed to quickly leap towards the central stone structure that seems to be the heart of this obelisk.

Pressing my palm on the cold, black, oily structure, I could, through the force, quickly skim upon the history of this structure, the atrocities that took place here, the endless pit of trapped souls in this gargantuan obelisk. It was horrible, the dark side, what it does to clueless opportunists, the amount of power it harbors, and the massive destruction it always brings to the galaxy. It is such a shame, that people of the Alliance, tucked in safely in the middle of the Core Worlds, always seem to forget, or downplay, or humanize the dark side and those who are corrupted by its darkness. The good dies from suicide, not by murder. The dark side will only take over if we start to tolerate adjacent practices and spare the practitioners. Of course, there are exceptions, but in most cases, you don't let a plagued soul survive to spread their sickness to the masses.

<On it master.> I replied to her with my less than perfect telepathic communication skill. Drawing upon the power of Ashla, I blasted the light through my palm, into the stone structure, the light seemingly doing their job as the oily surface dried up, the freezing surface heated up, and the black carved inscription and runes were cracked with light escaping from the inside. It wasn't easy, holding my full concentration on the proceedings, having to completely ignore the impending threat of the dark spirits that must've noticed my holy intentions.

The stone structure inside of the obelisk is reduced to ashes as the light completely overpowered the dark, another win for the God of Light. It does take most of my power, however, and as the proceedings are done, I slided down on my ass, holding the weight of my body on my arms while throwing my head backwards, panting heavily for my exhaustion.
​

​

 

[Amani Serys]

Eloise just couldn't keep up against the Witch's mental barrage. Something they could train on in the future, Amani framed it optimistically. The Witch was focused on undermining her padawan, even trying to tempt her to darkness. "Focus on me Eloise!" Amani said, trying to ground her. She raised a hand, trying to hit the Witch with her own telepathic attack.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Shut up,” Eloise growled, though it wasn’t clear whether she was talking to Amani or the Witch.

The Witch’s mind was a tough nut to crack, but Amani did manage to find an opening. “Get out of my head, Jedi!” the ghost roared in anger, lashing out wildly with a broad blast of telekinetic force. Eloise, now freed from all distraction, dodged the attack and began using Tutaminis to tear the very essence of the spirit asunder.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"You first!" Amani released her hold as another telekinetic blast came their way. She was struck by it, but Eloise was free and dodged the attack. Amani rolled back and hit the wall, a dull pain aching across her body. She stood up and saw Eloise now fighting back, seeking to tear apart the spirit's essence.

Her master slowly came forward and focused her energy into one final surge of Force Light. Together, between Amani and Eloise, the Witch was on the back foot.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ambria

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Aymeric Prendergast

Valery rolled her eyes a little at his comment, "I'll do my best not to disappoint, but you should join me on more action-packed missions if you want to see that." She chuckled and quickly refocused again to face off against the last of the spirits. She had already used a Wall of Light once to take out some spirits, and she was planning to do the same again. Just with far more raw power thrown into the ability.

Not a single spirit could be allowed to remain.

First, it required her to head straight into the center of all this darkness, and draw as many of them out as she could. They wouldn't be able to physically harm her, she knew, and that knowledge gave her a lot of strength over them. All they could do was attempt to break down her mind and soul, but the Jedi Shadow wasn't easily taken over.

Her hands began to rise again, and all around her, the Force lit up like an inferno, casting the entire Temple in a bright light that burned away whatever darkness it touched. The Obelisk was out of range, deliberately so, because it allowed her to save her strength and use it against the spirits instead.

By the time it was over, she felt at peace.

The spirits were gone, and the Obelisk's darkness no longer lingered everywhere — they had both done their jobs. "Well done," Valery said with a forehead covered in sweat. She wasn't quite as exhausted as he was, but she was also trying to hide it a little more actively. She could rest up later, back at home.

"I'm not going to have to carry you out of here, am I?" she joked with a smirk.