Private Rejoin

[Darth Carnifex]

The magnetic winds had disrupted some of their equipment in the weeks leading up to this moment, but such difficulties had been overcome through sheer determination and ulterior methods. Utilizing the old mining tunnels of the Sith Empire, they'd burrowed back into the Tomb of Miktrull. There was little importance left to discover within the tomb, but it would be a suitable staging ground for the Eternal Father's machinations. After disabling what defenses remained operational, the servants of the Eternal Father swept into the tomb in full force.

At the end of it all, she was relocated from the secure prison behind the Blackwall into this new creche; one deprived of the Blackwall's safety. The Eternal Father spent many days and nights with His guest, studying and interrogating her on benign and sensitive subjects alike. She hung suspended in the air, kept in place by a gravitational field intrusively built into the ancient tomb floor and walls. Her body was covered with the healing remnants of dozens of bruises and cuts, the result of the horror inflicted upon her in captivity.

"I believe our companionship is coming to a close, dear Azurine." The Eternal Father's voice bounced around the tomb's acoustic walls until it faded into a whisper. "I've surmised there's little more use to you at this juncture, but you've one more role to play for me." In His hands, He bore two items. One was Azurine's communicator and the other was her locator beacon, both had been seized from her when she'd fallen into the Sith's clutches. Binding them together was no difficult task, and in a few moments He'd wired them together through the power of the Force.

Placing the device down on the floor, He activated it with a twitch of His fingers. The beacon would transmit it's signal throughout the galaxy, detectable by sensors delicately tuned to be searching for it. They would hear it, and they would come; as He anticipated they would. He would patiently wait for them to fall right into His carefully laid trap, a trap that He made no effort to conceal, but one that they could not ignore.

Not if they wanted to see Azurine Varek alive again.

With that done, the Dark Lord returned His attention to His prisoner. "More people running off to die on your behalf. How much does each snuffed out life weigh on you? You'll have to let me know, maybe after you watch the light seep from their eyes."

Azurine Varek | Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble
Aadihr Lidos | Everest Vale ​

 

[Aadihr Lidos]

Outfit: Field Attire, Earring, Bangle
Weapons: Walking stick / Lightsaber Pike | Slugthrower Rifle

The distraction prong of the Jedi advance was underway elsewhere - Aadihr's Sight scanned the battle and the ruins both, flicking the anchor of his force-sight across hundreds of kilometers within the blink of a proverbial eye.

"The others have begun, this is as good a time as any."

Tentatively, Aadihr reached through the force, to the infant bond that had formed between himself and Azurine Varek though it had diminished with time and distance. He had to check her condition - her aura, her light in the force was so altered he barely recognized her.

"It's not just the communicator - she's there alright."

The walls were transparent to him, the barriers of distance and material scarcely a hindrance for the Miralukan clairvoyant. It was what lay in wait that troubled Aadihr.

He kept the curse living in the burn of his left arm buried deep within his psyche. He must be cold, unfeeling, even as the old wound grew more painful, hotter and darker in the force. Anticipation, or perhaps a dark resonance, fed it despite his meditation.

There is no emotion, there is only peace

He focused on the mantra, but even in icy focus, cold rage seethed.

"They are definitely expecting guests."

Azurine Varek | Darth Carnifex | Everest Vale | Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

It was, without a doubt, a trap.

Kahlil took a breath as he listened to Aadihr, his eyes closed. Meditative as he simply let his emotions relax. His father had a hand in this, he knew. It wasn't the first, and likely wouldn't be the last, of Valery's Padawan's to face the Dark Lord in some way. To be captured, tortured most likely, this was something else. Something much more frightening.

Not for him, though. For Valery. He kept calm on the shuttle, on their path, for her. To let her pull from him, to keep herself calm. They would get Azurine back, without a doubt. They simply needed to be prepared for what was going to happen, though. What they were going to find.

Azurine Varek | Valery Noble | Aadihr Lidos | Everest Vale | Darth Carnifex

 

[Everest Vale]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings
Tag: Azurine Varek Aadihr Lidos Kahlil Noble Valery Noble Darth Carnifex

Eve sat quietly in the rear of the shuttle, her hands clasped together in her lap, fingers curling and uncurling over the fabric of her robes. The hum of the vessel thrummed through the floor, steady and low, whilst around her the others prepared in their own ways, but Eve could barely hear anything over the static of her thoughts.

The air was thick with anticipation, like a forest just before a storm breaks. Somewhere out there, deep within the bones of the dark world they were fast approaching, Azzie was waiting. Alive, but in what state she did not know. Eve had felt her — reached for her — and recoiled at the pain she found. The memory was etched into her, but it only further fuelled her need to do this.

She took a slow breath through her nose, held it, then exhaled through her mouth. She couldn't tremble. Not now. Not when they were this close. Tigris' voice echoed in her mind. The frustration. The fear. The way she'd looked at her, like she was scared she might lose her. She didn't have to be the one to do this, her love had told her at the height of their exchange. But she did have to do this. She knew it the moment the plan was made. The moment her Master looked at her, steady and quiet, and asked her if she was ready. Even with Tigris' voice still ringing in her ears, even with the ache of their first real fight not yet dulled, Eve had said yes.

Because this wasn't about courage. It wasn't about proving anything. It was about Azzie, about one of the most important people in her life. They had all gathered for this singular purpose to bring back one of their own, to bring back family, from the maw of the beast. Eve opened her eyes and looked down at her hands. They were still. Her breathing had steadied, and the Force, despite the encroaching shadows of the world ahead, still moved through her, soft, bright, alive.

She was afraid, but love was stronger, and nothing — not even the darkness itself — would stop her from bringing her sister home.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery sat still. The hum of the shuttle was a low, steady thrum beneath her boots, but she barely registered it. Her back was straight, her hands resting motionless on her knees, and her gaze — fixed downward — was like fire behind glass. Unmoving. Unblinking.

Next to her, Kahlil's presence was steady as ever. She could feel the quiet calm radiating from him like a beacon in the dark. Normally, she'd draw from it. Reach for his hand, let their bond anchor her when her emotions surged too close to the surface. But not today.

Today, she didn't reach for him. She didn't even look at him. Her eyes were locked on the shuttle's floor, but her focus was somewhere far beyond it — deep beneath the soil of that cursed world, in the tomb that now held her Padawan.

Her Padawan.

The thought alone was enough to make her jaw clench. Azurine was strong. Brilliant. Brave. She shouldn't have been there, shouldn't have been taken — but none of that mattered now. What mattered was that she had been. And Valery hadn't stopped it. She drew in a slow breath. It was the only movement she made.

There was no outburst. No trembling. Just that quiet, terrible stillness. A storm waiting behind her amber eyes. She hadn't spoken since boarding the shuttle. Not even to Kahlil when he'd sat beside her. She trusted him. Needed him, even — not just for comfort, but for clarity as well. He was leading this mission because he had to. Because she couldn't afford to.

If she led… she'd burn everything in her path to get Azurine back. She'd tear through Sith and stone and shadow alike. She could feel it — the crackling edge of her restraint. She was here because she had to be. Because Azurine was hers. Her Padawan. Her responsibility.

And if anything had happened to her—

Valery shut her eyes briefly. Just long enough to hold the fire at bay.

No.

Not yet.

There would be time for that. There would be time to unleash everything, to burn like the inferno rising behind her ribcage. But right now, she had to stay still. Stay sharp. Let Kahlil lead. Let the storm gather behind her eyes.

Kahlil Noble Aadihr Lidos Everest Vale Azurine Varek Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Azurine Varek]

Will To Survive

Outfit: Clothing | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Whatever she could hide in arm compartment

Azzie dangled in the air like a tattered marionette, the gravity field holding her aloft without effort. The tomb's cold, ancient air wrapped around her, its weight nearly as suffocating as Darth Carnifex's words. Her dark robes were shredded, barely clinging to her frail frame, the fabric stained with dried blood and grime. Beneath them, her skin bore the stories of weeks of torment alongside much older, well-worn scars — bruises bloomed in sickly hues, cuts etched jagged lines, and her ribs protruded like broken wreckage. A thin rivulet of blood traced from her nose, dripping soundlessly to the cracked stone below, though she barely felt it beyond the stark stench of iron.

"More people running off to die on your behalf."

The words echoed, twisting like a dagger. She bit down hard, tasting the metallic tang of her own blood. He wanted her to crumble under the weight of guilt. Stars, how close she was. Even as her body screamed for rest, it was the voice within that gnawed the deepest.

The whispers in her mind were louder now—a chorus of snarling hatred and bitter laughter. Tendrils of darkness winding through her thoughts. They whispered promises of strength, of vengeance, swirling within the faces she saw in the shadows. They sang of how he deserved to be torn apart, limb by limb. Azzie tried to shove them away, but they clung to her like smoke. Worse still, their voices had started to sound more like her own than they already had before.

The amethysts of her eyes had been caged close to her pupils, partly swallowed by the sickly yellow-red that pulsed like a dying ember. It wasn't just exhaustion dimming them. The rage — it burned, unrelenting. Every second she spent suspended, unable to fight, it roared hotter and mixed with the loss of reality perception around her. Unable to stop it, her teeth clenched and a guttural scream tore from her throat, primal and furious. The gravity field quivered under the force of her defiance, the ancient machinery groaning in protest. Dust trickled from the stonework above. She hated how it held.

Azzie's breathing came ragged, each heave of her chest sending fresh jolts of pain through her ribs. The scream had taken more from her than she could spare. She tried to move, the instinct to fight surging through her trembling muscles, but the field was merciless. Every twitch, every straining pulse of effort, only drove the agony deeper. Her limbs gave way, hanging limp once more. A coughing fit wracked her, crimson specks splattering from her lips.

Pathetic. Weak. You think they'll come for you? Only to die like everyone else who came before.

Tears slipped down her dirt-streaked face. She hated them. Hated him. Hated herself.

All b̸e̷c̴a̴u̷s̵e̶ y̶o̷u̴ w̴̛͎͗͆o̵͓͙͈͌̾̃n̸͓͎̈́́'̵̜́̂t̶̮͑̊͆̃ ̵̤̰̯͛̔̒s̸̩̖͎̗̀̊̾̈́͜͝͝e̴̦͛͑̀͐i̸̮̎̈́̐͠͝z̵̹͝e̷͈͌ ̴̨̧̦̭̖̋̃́̓̉̾̾͜t̵͕̙̩̪̃̇̒̆̑͘͝h̵̳͉̼͗̍͝ḛ̸̢̖̻͓͈̰̱̚͝ ̴̱̰̫͖̫̳̯̎p̸̨̡̳̙̞̝̯̤̑̓̐͘ȱ̵̡̻̥͋͆̍͝͝ͅw̸͎̘͝ḛ̵̖̯̖͆̂̃̾̊̚r̵̡̰̖͍̋́̀̇ ̶̢͎̣̟͖̀ẗ̸̙́͊̽̈̆͘ȏ̵̧̨̬͚̞͆͝ͅ ̸͇̰͙̪̿̉̊͂̐͌͊ŝ̸̰a̴̙̟̓̇͒̀͂͌̏̕v̷̧̛̫͚̺̳͖̠͛̈́̿̈́̏̚é̶͇͘ ̵̟̽́͛͋̽̎t̶̢͇̟̥͇̘̠̐̀̾̂̆̅h̵͖͋̃́̊̋̊̈́̚ë̶͉͈̙̜̪̓́̏͜ͅm̷̡̡̫̖̥̞̖͋̏̂͊͝͝!̴̞̑̏͗̈́̋̎͗͠ͅ

Her trembling fingers curled uselessly, the nails biting into her own palms. She could still feel the flicker of the Force within her, dulled by exhaustion and torment. There was no strength left to summon it. No strength left to fight. The rage — it still lingered, so did the sorrow.

Azzie's shoulders shook as the tears came freely now, mingling with the blood that stained her face. The fight had been beaten out of her, leaving only the hollow ache of bitter, seething anguish and desperation. Yet, somewhere beneath it all, a spark remained. Faint, like the dying glow of a star long past its prime. She didn't know if it would be enough.

But for now, she clung to it.

Aadihr Lidos | Valery Noble | Everest Vale | Kahlil Noble | Darth Carnifex​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The entrance to the tomb could only be accessed through a winding, narrow mine that had been carved into the mountainside by the ancient Galactic Empire. The Sith Empire of the modern age had done little to expand the tunnel system except where it allowed the transfer of large machinery, illuminating the entire path through with electrical nodes all the way to the tomb itself. A few sparse gun emplacements had been erected at the entrance to the mines, ones which pivoted their muzzles at the oncoming Jedi shuttle and opened fire.

Unlike the battlefield further away, their landing would not have been so hotly contested. It was evident that they were being lured into the mines, that the dark architect of this trap wanted them to venture deeper into the cold earth of Zeffo. The horrors that waited within were numerous and ghastly. Sith cultists inflamed with borrowed power, Sithspawn grotesques cobbled together from different sources of meat and bone, and mechanical sentries whose blood-red photoreceptors glowed in the dim mine light.

But all were just pawns, obstacles, set in their path to slow them down; not overcome them. Nothing they would face before the tomb would be enough to be insurmountable, but neither would they be so easily destroyed. So long as the fight was desperate and bloody, it would be suitable.

Darth Carnifex watched His captive with interest, the girl's errant emotions continuing to take more and more ground within her heart and mind. She was slipping into the darkness incrementally, despite all that had been inflicted upon her. To her master's credit, she had not been so neglected in staving off the Dark Side. All she needed was a little more encouragement, and she would fall into that abyss.

Shambling from the darkness of the tomb came several Ukaynati Naminis, Elixir Familiars, alchemical creations whose flesh had been marked by meticulous incision and branding. At His silent command, they encircled the Dark Lord and His levitating captive. Reaching out, the gravitational field lowered Azurine until she was just below eye-level with the Dark Lord. Spinning her around, the Dark Lord tore away the back of her tunic until her skin was exposed.

"Pain is enlightenment." The fingers of His left hand traced the malnourished contours of Azurine's back, while His right hand produced a small instrument, one that almost look like an artist's quill. Slashing at the flesh of one of the familiars, the Dark Lord dipped the razor-sharp tip of the quill into the creature's blue-black blood. "Through pain, your mind is opened to hidden truths. Clarity as never before experienced. They'll never teach you this truth in the Jedi, they only concern themselves with overcoming pain. I will show you. Submerge you. Engulf you."

He pressed the bloodied quill against Azurine's back, and began to inscribe the first pattern.

"Devour you."

Azurine Varek | Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble
Aadihr Lidos | Everest Vale ​

 

[Aadihr Lidos]

Outfit: Field Attire, Earring, Bangle
Weapons: Walking stick / Lightsaber Pike | Slugthrower Rifle

The transparent, glass-like view of the automated gun sentries through the force began to open fire. Aadihr had given warning before the group entered the effective range of the turrets, well out of normal line of sight. The traps, defenses, and sith spawn deeper within he could not do much about, except to warn the others of their existence.

"Hold for a moment" Aadihr requested, seemingly in the middle of their approach. Just afterwards the first few bolts sailed past, well wide of the group.

Aadihr unslung his Rifle, chambered a round, aligned his trajectory, seemingly unhurried as scattered bolts fired over a kilometer away sailed past.

First shot, sailed through the space between the entrance to the ruins, hitting the dirt nearby.

Reference point set. Aadihr for used the Anchor of his Sight where the first bullet had landed, envisioning the trajectory the previous slug had just taken, and used his slight but precise force control to navigate the tip of the barrel with a horizontal micro adjustment, then vertical.

Aadihr pulled back the bolt action, chambered another round, and fired again.

The slug soared, course curving with wind, gravity, and planetary spin. The sensory module of the first turret shattered on impact, followed by the second, third, fourth, until the entrance to the ruin and mines was silent once more.

"The approach is secure." Aadihr spoke, voice cold and distant.

He slung his rifle back over his shoulder.

There was no response from the bond. Nothing but pain. A vulnerability. Aadihr shunted it off, blocking the empathic bond, icing away any emotional transfer.

Azurine Varek | Darth Carnifex | Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble | Everest Vale​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil took a breath as he let his eyes open. His gaze traveled over the trio that had come. Padawan Vale, a close friend of Azurine and fellow student. Stronger now, but still a Padawan. Knight Lidos, a healer with romantic feelings for Azurine if what had been seen at the dance on Eshan was true. Then Master Noble. His wife, Azurine's teacher.

This was perhaps among the most dangerous group to find her, and not to the Sith that held her captive. The were on a tightrope of emotion, heading into a darkness that would drag it out. Valery and Everest he wasn't as worried about, if only because he'd been where Aadihr had been when Valery had been taken.

The amount of people Kahlil killed without a shred of mercy or hesitation was unbecoming of a Jedi, and yet he held no regrets on it. But those mercenaries that had Valery were nothing compared to what he knew his Father would do to the Zabrak if he felt it served a purpose. He set a hand on the man's shoulder as he mentioned the path was clear before stepping ahead.

"Don't fall to your emotions. Shutting them off only makes that easier when they can't be. If I see you cracking, I will send you back." It was the same for Valery. For Everest. He knew what awaited them far too well. If they weren't prepared mentally, they were going to get the others killed. The door before them ripped open as he waved a hand, casual as can be as he used it to sweep the guard just behind it.

"Point us our direction. We'll get her out."

Valery Noble | Aadihr Lidos | Everest Vale | Azurine Varek | Darth Carnifex

 

[Everest Vale]

Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings
Tag: Azurine Varek Aadihr Lidos Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Darth Carnifex

The air hit her like a wall, not in temperature, but in pressure. Heavy, ancient, wrong. Eve moved with careful, deliberate steps. The entrance ahead rose before them like the mouth of something long-dead but never truly gone, its yawning threshold dark and still, save for the lingering wisps of smoke from the now-silent turrets Aadihr had worked to destroy. She exhaled through her nose, slow and steady. Her hands flexed at her sides once before settling, one resting lightly against the hilt of her saber, not out of fear, but out of focus. Stillness, she reminded herself. Like the trees at home, like the air before a storm.

Kahlil's voice reached her, calm but firm. His warning hadn't been meant for her, not directly, but she took it all the same. The reminder wasn't lost on her, about emotion, about its risks, about staying steady in the face of darkness. And this place was steeped in it. Eve let her gaze shift slightly to the others. To Aadihr, tense and icy. There was something heavy around him, an ache she didn't understand fully, but felt deeply.

Then, to her Master, who she had never seen like this before. She hadn't spoken a word thus far. Eve could feel the fire still banked behind her silence, the kind that didn't burn wildly but smouldered, hot and waiting. The kind that came from grief that hadn't found a voice yet. She looked down, then away, and didn't disturb. She understood.

Eve drew in another breath, letting it fill her chest with cool resolve. The Force swirled around her, dense with warning, and she reached for it gently, listening, allowing the light inside of her to maintain a sense of calm. Her heart still beat faster than she'd like. Her stomach coiled with nerves. But her steps were firm.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

Her hand hovered near her saber out of readiness. Whatever was ahead, she would meet it.

For Azzie.

For everyone.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

The ramp hissed, the wind howled, and Valery was gone. Before the metal even fully touched the dirt, she moved — a streak of fire and fury, a blur of motion ignited by weeks of torment and silence and guilt that no longer had anywhere to go but forward. She didn't speak —She didn't need to. The fire in her eyes said everything.

Her boots hit the ground hard and fast, already propelling her into a spinning pivot that brought her straight through the first wave of cultists. Her lightsaber ignited with a scream of plasma, violet light carving arcs through smoke and flesh alike. One step, one cut — the first crumpled. Another breath, another movement — two more followed.

She moved like a storm contained in skin — precise, aggressive, but elegant, every strike fueled by the blazing control she clung to with iron discipline. The Force danced with her, around her, inside her, turning her into a weapon honed by fire and bound by purpose.

A Sithspawn lunged from the shadows — twisted, wrong, alchemized rage. Valery pivoted low, sliding beneath its swipe, her saber sweeping upward in a crescent of purple heat that split the creature open from sternum to skull. No hesitation, no wasted energy.

Everything was deliberate.

She turned on the heel of her boot and sent another cultist flying with a crack of kinetic force, slamming him into a wall hard enough to leave blood behind. Her saber flashed again, striking down a mechanical sentry mid-charge. Sparks rained. She never looked back.

By the time the rest of the team had fully descended the ramp, Valery was already ten paces ahead, cutting a path toward the heart of the tomb.

Silent and focused.

The storm had broken open. And nothing that stood in its way would stop her.

Kahlil Noble Darth Carnifex Aadihr Lidos Everest Vale Azurine Varek ​

 

[Azurine Varek]

Will To Survive

Outfit: Clothing | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Whatever she could hide in arm compartment

Azzie wanted to move. Wanted to speak. Her body was too broken, too exhausted to react, hanging limp as she was lowered. Say something, damn it! Spit in his face, curse him, fight back! But her throat felt like it had been sanded raw, her limbs filled with lead. The rage was still there, simmering just beneath the surface, but it was buried under layers of exhaustion and agony so deep she could barely think through them.

Then she saw them. The creatures—misshapen, shambling things—circled her like carrion birds waiting for their meal. At first, she thought they were more ghosts, like the ones that had haunted the edges of her vision for days. Delirium had painted the faces of the dead into the shadows, had whispered their names in the silence. She had seen too many phantoms in the dark to tell the difference in her exhausted delirium.

Her stomach twisted as Carnifex slashed one of them, its foul blood spilling dark and thick. She expected the creature to howl in pain, to react in some way. It barely did. She saw it shudder, but not as something wounded—more like a beast that had learned to endure suffering as easily as breathing. Azzie's mind swam; it was not just madness. They were real.

Her breaths came shallow and uneven. She wanted to snap at him, tell him to shut his damn mouth, but the words died before they could form. Her body was betraying her at every turn. Especially when the quill touched her.

What the hell?!!

It was not the sharp agony of a blade nor the blunt force of a strike. It was something worse. A slow, insidious carving, cutting her open layer by layer. The blood he used burned, sinking into her wounds like fire and ice entwined. It crawled beneath her skin, through her veins. The symbols he etched did not simply mark her—they seeped into her, embedding themselves in ways she could not yet understand. Everything that had come before felt like childsplay compared to this. She was slipping, teetering on the edge of something vast and all-consuming. Darkness coiled around her, wrapping her in its grasp.

For a moment, even if it was only a small one, she could feel it like a tiny spark in the dark waters. Aadihr. It was hard to focus on, and there was another that didn't quite burn as bright, though it was overshadowed in her brain. But she felt him, and for a fleeting second, hope that sparked within her.

Until it vanished. Not gone completely—blocked? Azzie couldn't tell as it faded to the background, its remnants slipping through her fingers like sand. Her chest heaved in ragged desperation, her mind clawing at the space where Aadihr's presence had been. She tried to cling to it, pushing at it almost like a caged animal clawing at its cage.

No... come back. Don't leave me—please!

The pain continued, cutting off her continued attempts, and the scream that ripped from her throat shook the whole cavern. Rocks tumbled; statues cracked under the weight.

Too weak to make it stop. Too weak to hold on. Go on, do onto him what he's done to you!

A sob wracked through her. No. Not yet. Not completely alone. The other presence was brighter now, a different kind of bond, but there nonetheless... a last grasp before the black waves swallowed her whole. She reached for Valery, reached for them both of them (even if the other was strained). It was a feeble, broken thing. She could barely stretch her mind toward it. She reached anyway, sending out whatever fragmented plea she could muster. If Valery was still there—if she could still feel her—then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't disappear completely as it closed in.

I don't want to die. I don't want to die!

Aadihr Lidos | Valery Noble | Everest Vale | Kahlil Noble | Darth Carnifex​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The path to the tomb was fraught with horrors. Black-robed cultists armed with blade and gun, singing discordant hymns even as they were hewn to pieces. Twisted abominations wrought from tormented flesh, whose singular purpose was to kill and propagate. Armored automatons belching flame and plasma. Each one filling the cold, stagnant air of the mine with the cries and thunder of battle. But none of them, in truth, could ever truly contend with the powers arrayed before them.

Those with enough cognitive capacity to know this embraced their fate, gladly selling their lives in the name of the Eternal Father. The rest were either compelled or programmed to obey, never knowing anything different. It would have been shocking to some to see just how young the cultists who stalked the mines were, barely adults in their own right; their lives enslaved to the cruelty of the Eternal Father.

The tomb itself was unguarded, the gate leading into the inner sanctum left unbarred. They were an expected guest.

Darth Carnifex had spent that time working on His canvas, casting new runes into the flesh of Azurine Varek through the instrument He wielded deftly in His hands. Throughout it all, despite her screams and pleas, the Dark Lord had only rarely spoken. Whenever He did, it was to impart some new monstrous wisdom born of His philosophy. One of the familiars lay dead beside Him, succumbing to it's wounds. Another had taken it's place, already pocked with a dozen lacerations.

"They'll be here soon," He crooned, His voice a venomous whisper. "Your valiant saviors, so selfless. I wonder if they truly believe that. The tabulation of how many they sacrificed for one person will be enlightening, won't it my dear?" Another cut, completing one more pattern. The ancient runic language of the Sith was entirely geometric, and that carried over into the runic sorcery of the Kissai. Powerful lines, sharp angles, no swooping or curvature in any pattern devised by those primordial scribes.

He'd gotten halfway through another pattern before He paused, head pivoting slightly as He sensed something. "Ah, didn't have time to finish. What a pity. Let us welcome our guests then."

Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble | Azurine Varek
Aadihr Lidos | Everest Vale ​

 

[Aadihr Lidos]

Outfit: Field Attire, Earring, Bangle
Weapons: Walking stick / Lightsaber Pike | Slugthrower Rifle

The dust kicked up from the ricochet of the slug was the only warning as split second later the small, dense metal projectile sped through the hall, over the altar and the figure of Azurine Varek - directly into the blood-quill implement in the grip of Darth Carnifex , leaving a handful of splinters scattering through the room.

Valery Noble had already largely cleared a path, Kahlil Noble provided a source of stability for Aadihr and Everest Vale as they steadily approached behind the Grandmaster - the sword and shield of the Jedi earned their namesake.

Aadihr pulled back the lever, ejecting the spent round and chambering a new slug.

As for Azurine Varek ...
He could set her free of the pain he had felt vicariously this whole time. One press of the trigger could cease the torment.

He iced out the thought - froze himself to the core, replacing stray thoughts with cold, unfeeling logic and implementation.

He would never allow himself to be vulnerable again.

Aadihr lifted the barrel and fired once more, kicking up another cloud of dust from the ricochet point the moment after he pulled the trigger.

The projectile sailed towards the altar - aimed at the heart of the dark presence that held Azzie captive - Darth Carnifex .

Azurine Varek | Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble | Everest Vale | Darth Carnifex​