Private Seeds of Change

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

Korriban. What was there to say of this primeval world, the home world of the Sith species, and now integral part of Sith history, philosophy and instruction for the rest of time that had not already been said? It was where countless Sith Lords, The Shaper himself included, had been entombed. To either have some semblance of finality or, as in his own case not all that long ago, possess and stalk from beyond death. Countless centuries had been spent excavating the planet, braving the harsh environs and even harsher fauna, all for the chance to reclaim long-lost power and vestiges of great beings that came before. As one of those great beings then it was no surprise to The Shaper that Korriban still, after all this time, held even more secrets only recently uncovered.

A cave system of supposedly immense complexity had been unearthed recently by the Sith that now gripped Korriban in their influence. Under the control of one Darth Caedes, who claimed to be king of the world, Shaper had arrived for his own purposes to the planet in relation to the caves. But perhaps, in due time, visiting this King of Korriban may not be a waste of his time if the young Sith was anything to take note of. Naturally the followers under this Darth Caedes were on guard about another Sith walking in their Master's domain but the corona of darkness that pervaded The Shaper's very step dissuaded any attempt to outright confront him. He was here only to see for himself the supposed crystalline structures present within the caves, if they were anything like the rest of Korriban they could be reservoirs steeped in the Dark Side, independent pools of energy to procure for his own uses.

So it was that The Shaper let his corona of darkness expand his senses, washing out over the harsh environs of Korriban, ruthlessly probing and examining every nook and cranny of each entrance into the caves thus far discovered but..... those are not where his attentions lay. No instead a mostly collapsed ravine, swirling with dust and sand, was where The Shaper's steps carried him. The ancient, harsh rock of Korriban hiding what his senses through the Dark Side told him to be a heretofore undiscovered entrance to this sprawling cave network. A newfound resource to be plundered and one he would, of course, see to informing this Darth Caedes about.... once he had made sure all objects fit for his purposes were collected of course. Even if this Darth Caedes was amenable to the idea of preserving their people against the infighting currently once again ravaging the Sith.... handing him possibly pieces of The Shaper's next project made the legendary Artificer shake his head.

So it was with a wave of his hand and an ease all but the greatest practitioners of the Force would find enviable several tons of rock were cast aside as a child's plaything. Once the dust had settled a yawning opening in the side of the ravine was The Shaper's answers, the shrill cry of some unnamed creature echoing from deep within, and with the light of the Whilstones upon his crown as a guide he set foot into the very bowels of Korriban. The rough-hewn, natural walls of the cave system proved passable enough, though in instances when the floor beneath his feet became anything less than ideal a telekinetic weight would crush and flatten the very earth itself into something more yielding to his passage. Similarly natural chokepoints one would normally have to squeeze through sideways were rent apart like a pair of malfunctioning doors, the air beginning to grow damp and stale the deeper he traveled The Shaper would pause at a crossroads of sorts. A half-dozen possible directions fanned out before him, as winding and uneven as the rest of the system he had traveled, stretching out before him. It was at this point, during this pause, that The Shaper felt something new to his perception through the Force. He was being followed, it seemed, by something rife with curiosity and..... bloodlust? No perhaps dispassionate interest was more correct.

Regardless he did not venture a gaze backwards, not yet, the being was obviously doing their very best to stay hidden and with the corona of Dark Side energy emanating from him like a personal sun for other followers of the dark to bask in the rays of.... it was not unexpected to pick up a straggler on occasion. With a newfound follower he did not deign to give attention to just yet The Shaper continued his journey deeper into Korriban. It was not until he began to notice the strata of the earth around him change that he noted a small crystal formation in the walls, too exposed and close to the surface, too far from any source of power, to be worth his use, but it did garner his notice for at least showing the caves had potential and, judging by the pace of his follower, the caves were not the only thing with potential. Eventually the dark, winding paths of the cave system expanded, yawning open into a large area almost akin to a vaulted room. Now yet more of the aforementioned crystal formations broke through the earth, now larger and more concentrated expression of the Dark Side, and yet still they were not enough. Yet still there was more to this cavernous 'room' than that. A pair of Tuk'ata, ancient creations The Shaper knew all too well, down to their last atom, cautiously stalked closer to the Sith Lord.

With a small, enlightened smirk The Shaper's crown would flare with light, his will winding through the Force with stygian intent, subjugating and twisting the Tuk'ata to his will before he simply extended a hand and directed them toward the follower who had, thus far, shadowed him into the depths of darkness. The snarling, gnashing beasts were only too happy to obey the commands given in the ancient Sith dialect, for that was their ready-made purpose, and bounding forward past The Shaper entirely the Sith hounds would begin to stalk and circle around their target, intent on testing her at their new Master's command. The Shaper's tone now reverberating to her through the Force in a low, curious tone.

"If you wish to plumb the depths of Korriban, you would do well to be capable of surviving it's dangers child."

Even as The Shaper left his follower to her devices with the Tuk'ata he hummed to himself, finding the presence of the Tuk'ata itself a distinguishing fact, and began to cast his senses about for the tomb they had no doubt been guarding nearby. No doubt a nexus and source for the crystals that still possessed the majority of his interest, and perhaps where he could find one that would suit his designs more aptly.

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

The Neti's insatiable curiosity had indeed been called forth like a moth to flame the moment she caught sight of the ethereal man. Even from afar, his energetic weave shone out like a beacon to her force sensitive eyes and she was immediately determined to learn more. Her work with the academy sometimes took her into the foremost portions of the kieber caves and ancient ruins to collect cave dwelling plants or occasionally tend to a grievously injured student after a trial to seek their own crystal. It was one such outing, a few hours spent harvesting bioluminescent mosses, that had granted their chance encounter when Arctus Silmar traveled through a cave system adjacent to her work site.

A'Mia stalked the stranger silently, keeping to the shadows and putting her eclectic training to use so that she moved silently, yet still he noticed her. That was her second sign this man was far more than met even her extraordinary eyes. A zing of electric curiosity coursed through her even as she was confronted by the Tuk'ata. Alusteel punch daggers were in her hands before they even started to circle and as the man goaded her, she began to slowly circle with them in a dance of predator meeting predator.

She withheld violence in favor of calling out bright and clear across the cavern. Her voice was strangely friendly despite their circumstances, polite even.

"What a shame to waste the lives of these hounds over a matter where words would suffice."

She was already honing in on which ligaments to slice in order to cripple the beasts as quickly as possible. They wouldn't make it easy but she knew she was equal to the task.

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

As the Tuk'ata continued to circle The Shaper's arboreal assailant he noted her oddly cheerful tone and offering of words as.... odd. Odd and moderately disappointing. His presence in the Force would ripple, like a great wave undulating unnaturally to stand like a towering pillar of water, before it flooded out over the cavern. A cloying, overwhelming sense of warm, smoldering darkness assailing Madrona A’Mia as if she were being embraced by the burning coals of a live forge. Senses both ancient and appraising sweeping over the Neti as The Shaper focused less on her and more on the half-collapsed entrance to a long-abandoned tomb before them. The faintest of light shining from beyond the doorway marked in the ancient language of the Sith, though the doorway itself was out of sight.

With the tomb located The Shaper would look back at A'mia with a single steel-hued eye and hum to himself. Taking in the Neti's appearance he would hiss a command through the Force to the Tuk'ata, who would begin to take up opposite sides of the Neti, the one she chose not to look directly at bounding forward and snapping at her ankles with fang and claw before the other leapt to the side, clawed the ground, and sent a spray of rock and earth harshly scattering at the Neti. The Shaper's tone was amused, if unimpressed, as his power swelled and coiled back into his body. His voice a contemplative murmur as he replied.

"You believe words will suffice, young Sith? I believe you should be more concerned with action than words, as well as prepared for anything."

The Tuk'ata were quick on their feet, and no sooner had the first snapped at her heels than it leapt back, snarling and trying to evade any reprisal launched by A'mia. The second, having never approached too close, circled back around to join it's sibling in stalking her.... only for their feet to freeze and for the Tuk'ata to cease their snarling. The Shaper's presence swelled yet further in the Force, his form now turned to face A'mia more fully, with one hand extended toward the Tuk'ata, and a small smile upon his lips as he studied her. Those cold, grey eyes boring into her before he nodded.

"Ah, I see, curiosity drives you. A commendable ambition for one so small in the Force, to seek knowledge, to seek power."

A slight turn of the head, the smallest bit of mirth behind a dulcet, rumbling purr of a deep tone.

"Perhaps a demonstration will stoke the flames of your curious nature?"

Letting out a low hiss from between his teeth, unseen voice beginning to chant in syllables ancient and archaic, even the Force-resistant Tuk'ata would begin to slide against one another, their firms, twisting and gurgle yelps of pain leaving them, only to go silent, their eyes to roll back and for their flesh to split open as if ruptured from the inside. Skin would begin to flow like water, organs expanding, changing, rearranging as bones fused into new and unnatural shapes. What was once the pair of Tuk'ata slowly congealing and finishing into a new form, an abomination of four legs, four claws, and a larger head filled with two Tuk'ata's worth of razor teeth. A torso that was, now, elongated and more sinuous, almost serpent-like in proportion to the legs that carried it. and with an unspoken command the new creature would snarl and lunge forward, a barrage of savage clawing strikes, driven by now-enhanced strength, raining down at A'mia in a flurry of single-minded obedience to The Shaper's single command: Kill.

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

The tall woman shuddered with anticipation, the many strands that comprised her form rustled like a thousand errant leaves on a breeze. His weighty presence within the force bore down upon her even as those bestial foes struck. The experience spurred her forward and exhilarated her, contrary to how many might perceive such a threat.

A'Mia kicked into a spin, prompted by the nip at her heels, as if she had sensed the creature flanking her. The spin served to protect her from the spray of dirt and rocks kicked up by the other creature as her hair suddenly fanned out to shield her face and eyes. These moves were completely defensive and focused entirely on taking no damage, strategic to protect her so she may strike after split second observation. The strange man's next moves gave her pause though. Dancing into a swaying viper pose before witnessing reality unfold and thread back together before her very eyes.

As Shaper turned to regard her idly he was met with the visage of a young battle ready Neti woman. Her mane of hair was loose around her and drifted almost as if underwater, she wore simple black military uniform pants and a more casual black crop top. Secured about her waist was a field work belt of two pouches and slung crosswise on her body she wore a utility bandolier. Her form was becoming less solid by the moment though she was still mostly humanoid. A'Mia was loosening the strands that comprised her body so as to be ready for anything.

But she could never have prepared herself for the awe of watching two creatures become one, knit together seemlessly by the strange man she'd followed.

No time was spared for her to mince words and perhaps that had been his desire all along. The onslaught of attacks necessitated expediency and A'Mia flowed backward in a series of parried claws and barely avoided snapping jaws. The woman's vining hair writhed with her efforts, phrik daggers joining the fray alongside alusteel and wielded with the proficiency that being a many limbed creature afforded the Neti. Her eyes were adjusting to this new form, seeking its shatterpoints as quickly as she could all while the furious thing tried to unmake her.

There! She had seen it reform, watched as its internal processes were made anew. There were some ligaments and central veins to target.

Switching from entirely defensive tactics proved challenging and the thing was able to tear a chunk of woody flesh from her arm in exchange for her to close the distance. In a flurry of blows though she aimed to savage the long front leg, shoulder and neck of the strange spawn of darkness. A’Mia moved like a dervish dancing Medusa, arms and vines whipping at lightning speed. She sought to strike out keenly at the points of weakness her force abilities allowed her to identify. As she whirled and clashed with such a terrible foe, a small smile grew upon her face and the intensity of her exhilaration gleamed in her eyes.

Arctus Silmar​

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

Abominant flesh wheeled and wrought a wrathful wrenching of retched rakes at the bark-like hide of the Neti woman. Blistering fury unbound and woven into an unnatural form, maw slavering and eyes alight with insentient malice. A slash of claws, a hunk of bark slashed free of Madrona A’Mia entirely, another slice, narrowly parried by a dagger, a third woven by with dancer-like grace and afore the fourth could strike twin fangs of the wooden warrior's own lashed out. Like to the glinting fangs of a viper the abomination before her was too slow to save itself entirely, but born of two creatures known for their agility, it was still able to twist it's undulating, unnatural bulk so that the lashing blades bit into a less vital area, missing the crucial Shatterpoints by the space of a hand.

Roaring it's fury and at the continued behest of it's Master the beast's twin heads would lurch forward in biting motions, heaving it's bulk over top of Amia's arms as it dove forward into a diving, twin-mawed bite at her face and neck. The beast was unstable from the blow it had just received, and would only graze the Neti at best, though it's sinewy bulk would launch itself past the Neti, claws digging into the deep Korribani soil as it wheeled and lashes with two stinger-tipped tails. All the while The Shaper gathered his power and, watching how A'mia moved with grace, was certain she could avoid the abomination's strikes.

But this was meant to be a true test of the curious Sith, and as the tail's finished their lashing The Shaper extended a hand and, with a guttural protestation from the Force, purple lightning would fly from his fingertips at A'mia. This blast was, however, not meant to kill the Neti, and so he put only a scarce amount of power into the exertion. It was a corrective action, a snap of the lash, as his voice echoed out to her mind in a gentle, instructive murmur entirely at odds with his actions.

"Keep your focus and levy your advantages, let your passion, your pain, fuel you."

With that communicated and the abomination's tails now withdrawn, it's ichor-thick blood falling to the earth in thick, grease-like splotches, it's form heaving and snarling with anger. With it's form now down on all fours the next motion of the creature was fast for it's size, it's many limbs working in tandem to launch itself forward into a quick leap-step forward, one of it's large claws looking to sweep A'mia's leg out from under her and, possibly, even grasp and tear it off.

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

​

They were a blur of ferocious motion, the pair of combatants locked into a deadly dance at the whim of Arctus Silmar . A'Mia didn't seem to register the enraged roar and shifted from offense to defense in one fluid motion. That brutal yet less effective than she would have liked flurry of blows transitioned into a backward sidestepping attempt to disengage. The hellish creature was too fast though and grazed the side of her face with razor teeth before she cracked it under the jaw with an elbow and it launched itself past her.

She circled to keep the creature well in view and in doing so exposed her flank to the stranger. There was only a moment's notice where her bark like skin seemed to prickle in warning and all at once her entire reality for a few split seconds was pain. Her vining hair and left arm had responded to shield that side of her body and in so doing took the brunt of the damage. A'Mia's skin crackled and popped, jagged streaks ran up her arm and almost a dozen snaking vines were blasted away. She was surprisingly resistant to fire but lightning was another matter entirely.

The scrappy woman flinched away from the attack and her cold gaze flicked in his direction for only a moment since she was prioritizing the most immediate threat in the room.

"Keep your focus and levy your advantages, let your passion, your pain, fuel you."

She cocked her head and he felt a wave of intrigue wash over him in response. Her mind was an icy place devoid of most emotional landscapes, but with deeply analytical curiosity abound. Given no time to respond though, her full attention returned to the fight at hand since she felt the strange man could have probably destroyed her if that was his actual desire. A'Mia was a practical soul and if it was to be a game or test that would ensure her survival she would face it with skill, devoid of fear for a grim alternative outcome.

Her visage shifted, the mane of slightly diminished vines whipped around her head in an ominous threat display as she opened her mouth in perfect mimicry, the hound's roar bellowing back at it. The beast swept at her leg and she adjusted but not quickly enough as it raked viciously from calf to ankle, tearing her uniform and making her drop into a defensive roll. Her form roiled once more and the thing that sprang up from the roll was distinctly different from the young woman who had just been there.

Her arms had elongated and her legs snapped into new shapes so that she was eerily quadrupedal. The new form provided her mobility despite previous injury and brought her level with the creature that had so captured her attention. She feigned a limp, pretending as if the back leg troubled her more grievously than it actually did, trying to lure her opponent into a charge. All while she studied it with a serene expression, four sharp blades hidden in her writhing hair, waiting to strike like so many vipers.

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The Shaper took in the stoic, cold reaction of the Neti with something akin to disapproval. What use would a being with no passion, no emotion, be to the role of Sith? Curiosity was all well and good but with no drive, no emotion, like the barren wasteland her mind appeared as there would be no fertile soil for the Sith they could become to sprout from. No fear, no passion, nothing but curiosity and stoicism, truly this Neti woman was akin to a one-legged man taking part in a race. However, as she melded and shifted her own form, The Shaper pondered if perhaps that defect could be addressed. He was certainly one of the few beings with the skill to.... fix.... Madrona A’Mia and her defect.

At least.... if she can prove she is even close to worth it.

As A'mia finished her transformation the abomination happily obliged her by charging forward, four claws raised as it lunged into the fray once more. It's next series of swipes were sloppy, savage and centered only where A'mia currently sat crouched in her new form. The creature's bestial intelligence told it that it's prey had been injured, that it possessed the upper hand despite it's own injuries. With claws raking the air and hulking form bearing down on the Neti The Shaper would turn his attention away and begin to walk deeper into the cavern. His senses cast about in a deep, murmuring command through the Force, swatting away illusions or tricks of the mind, and the air along the edge of his perception would begin to waver as if spied through heat-distortion.

Approaching the distortion and leaving A'mia to her fate against his creation The Shaper would dispel the illusion hiding the ancient tomb with a wave of his hand, the aura of darkness to the tomb like a blanket attempting to both warm him and suffocate him, but he bent it's presence to his whim and bade the ancient stone doors open, carved lattices sliding apart like the fangs of some ancient granite beast before he stepped inside, out of sight of the Neti as the door closed behind him. If she wished to continue sating her curiosity she would have to overcome her current foe and pursue the one she now sought.

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

​

The shapeshifter waited until just the right moment, allowing the beast to feel certain it had cornered her. The thing bore down upon A'Mia and she rolled onto her elongated back to greet it with kicking feet and slashing blades. It had superior size and weight but she had dexterity from long practice in combat with exotic weapons and opponents.

The beast went for her neck again, the weak place for most species, and she took the hit without fear. Using their proximity she grappled its forepaws in hands whose fingers elongated to twist around, ensnaring and keeping the enraged creature close. Even while being savaged by the thing's jaws and pain fired through her body, she kept a cold focus on bringing her blades down in tandem with devastating precision. Having gotten a good enough read on the beast to make a very simple mental schematic, she used her superior kinesthetic awareness to drive four blades into its eyes.

It writhed in its death throes and she grunted in the effort of shoving the thing off her. She used the momentum to roll up and over her kill, looking for all the world like a proud predator. Her serene face gazed down at the thing as she wiped here blades clean on its in damaged chest. She was covered in ichor and her own green, sap like blood but the thrill of battle had passed and so too had its fleeting emotions.

A'Mia was eager to pull the thing apart right then and there but the creature was going nowhere and the other object of her intense curiosity was moving away. She reshaped her form back to mostly humanoid despite the new wounds and cuts along her pant leg uniform. It took only moments to divert more healthy tissue to her wounds and though she was still injured, she could move and function as normal. She followed the strange man, no longer trying to hide her movements but still cautious.

"How did you do that?" She called out with bright curiousity when she felt certain he could hear.

Arctus Silmar

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

As The Shaper took in the ancient, stale air of the tomb before him his eyes idly roamed up the carved pillars and cracked stone before him. The ancient language of the Sith present describing the one interred as "Lord" and "Master" along with the other usual platitudes levied onto a ruler of the Sith. Shaper was not disrespectful, far from it, given that he was all but a walking piece of history himself he took a moment to place a hand upon a cracked and crumbling pillar, noting the growing abundance of the crystal formations that had initially drawn him here beginning to form, and expended a bit of effort in shaping the pillar back to it's proper form. Restoring the cracked and aging obelisk to pristine condition for truly no other reason than his reverence for the past.

This brief pause in his journey allowed the Neti from before to enter the tomb behind him, loudly demanding knowledge from the ancient Sith, and earning nothing but an idle glance over his shoulder as the light of his Whilstones flared over the dark internals of the tomb, an idle wave of his hand igniting the air and bringing an amber glow to the long unused torches present along it's walls. When The Shaper deigned to respond to the curious creature he would turn and incline his head toward her, his expression hard and unimpressed as he took in her wounded demeanor. His voice a low, echoing murmur from the Force around them.

"Is it a habit of yours to demand knowledge of your betters without any respect?"

There was a subtle sense of biting dissatisfaction and reproach in his tone, though nothing truly venomous, as he was not dissatisfied with her curiosity. Quite the opposite. It was only her approach that left much to be desired in his eyes. But that, perhaps, could be refined with time. If he cared to invest Turning back to the pillar now mending by his hand he would begin walking again, fully expecting the curious Neti to fall into step behind him, a subtle flexing of his abilities in the Force emanating from him that caused the torches that lined the walls to flare to life several meters in front of the them as they descended deeper into the tomb of this unknown Sith Lord of the past. The Shaper said nothing else, his focus still primarily on retrieve an effective enough sample of the crystals present for his works, the Neti woman only earning a fraction of his attention.

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

​

The lithe woman froze as his unimpressed expression washed over her and she took in his words. A'Mia's eyes widened upon fully seeing his visage, having only captured glimpses before. The energetic weave that comprised his form was one of the most complex and powerful she had been in such close proximity to. She had already known that his power far exceeded her own untrained skills one hundred fold if not exceedingly more. But what evidence of action had not driven home for her, the sight of Arctus Silmar beneath her gaze did impart a mighty lesson.

Carefully she stowed her blades within the somewhat reduced mass of her hair and slowly took a knee. She planted one fist upon the ground and laid her other forearm across her knee as a soldier might. While the man continued his exploration of the tomb, A'Mia ran through a series of acceptable responses before alighting upon one which she hoped would convey both deference and her own strength of character.

"Apologies. I am A'Mia, medical officer of Korriban. I seek knowledge wherever I go, and was blinded by the font of wisdom you so clearly are."