Faction Snowball Jedha [GA]

[Aadihr Lidos]

​

Outfit: Field Attire | Sigil Bead Earring
Weapons: Walking stick / Lightsaber Pike | Legion Long Range Precision Rifle Mark I

"We should bring the others here! Get all the survivors together so we can defend them easier."

"Gather as many as you can, guide them here" Aadihr replied, "protect them, avoid the streets if you can."

Aris's hearing was incredible from Aadihr's perspective, but then again, Aadihr's force-sight had perplexed Aris in the past.

There was one sizeable issue with this shelter - the hole created for their entrance. What was an isolated room now had warmth sapped away via the draft into the cold streets where magic-borne creatures pursued.

Aadihr shrugged off the rifle, sliding it to the oldest member of the family huddling around the fire. "Protect yourselves if something comes through and I haven't called out. Find blankets, sheets, anything you can use to pin and cover this hole. Keep the fire hot. Use trash, furniture, cooking oils if you have to, but keep it contained."

The witchspawn were already catching up.
Aadihr clapped a hand on Aris's shoulder as he prepared to step back out into the cold "I will stay behind to guard the entrance and buy the survivors time." At least time enough for the witch-hunters and spell-breakers to succeed - Or die buying every minute he could. The source of the ice and malice was being handled by others.

Aadihr re-lit his pike, stepping back out into the snow, wind whipping his hair, scarf, and robes violently alongside the passing flurries of the blizzard.
"May the Force be with you." Aadihr called behind him as his form faded into the pale.

The Padawan had a good heart and was capable of making a significant difference, moreso than he knew. Aris could save these people, more of them than Aadihr could alone.

The creatures rushed from the pale towards the entry hole; Aadihr met them with plasma and fist, severing and bashing, dodging and intercepting as the family cover the gap in the wall for warmth.

. . .​

The wind bit through the robes to chill Aadihr to the bone, even despite the exertion of maintaining his perimeter. His breath condensed into small clouds, chest heaving as he pierced another vaguely humanoid creation.

"Come on then, Is that all you've got?!" He shouted, voice ragged and hoarse - the noise lured more of the witchspawn away from the sanctuary, towards the Miraluka knight. "Come and meet your end!"

Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

Gather them up and bring them in. Aris nodded once as he watched Aadihr. That was something he could do. Would do, even. Though the idea of splitting off from his master didn't exactly fill him with excitement. Still, it was for the best. He gave a single nod before he rushed off, the staff in his hand a blur of movement to crack into another witchspawn and send them sailing. He was quick, strong. It made it easy to get to the next group.

Not so easy to bring them back.

Aris gritted his teeth as he guided people back towards the main fire, leaping about the group to keep the witchspawn away. Keep the people safe. He was running himself ragged to do so, btu he had no intention of stopping. "There, the fire! Go, now!" He shouted, bringing his staff around for yet another of the beasts as they leapt towards another civilian.

"This is everyone close by, master!"

Aadihr Lidos

 

[Uranax]

Objective Two: Stuck in the City
//open interactions\\

SAVING PEOPLE
HUNTING THINGS​

The hab-bloc unit’s door was frosted shut. Moisture had gathered between the hinges and cracks, binding together magnetic locking seals and frying circuits. His fingers traced along the edges of it, shaking his head as he did so. Subthermal temperatures and hate-fueled winds battered against his betaplast.

White upon white, he was a ghost in the storm.

He was lesser in the Force than the jedi and heroes that scattered through the city – a mite in comparison. He knew enough to understand that he still had a presence, and those things would find him eventually. It was a matter of time, less than a matter of chance.

His kit was unprepared for this excursion, he responded in expediency instead of quality. His vibro-knife did little to chip away the hoarfrost, deep set.

He couldn’t waste time, he was insulated inside of his sealed environment, a comfortable warmth only bit into by the fiercest winds – the civilians that called this world home had no such comforts.

Hope, that is what the Jedi preached from their pulpits.

That is what he chose to believe in today.

Screams whistled through the sandstone and durasteel structure, and unsettling dichotomy with the winter.

Beasts or torrents, he knew not.

<I’m here.> His speaker-grill reported.

<Get out of sightline of the door, I’m going to have to blast it down. We will connect with Alliance evac groups soon. It’s not safe here.>

The only knowing he had of survivors were weak, fading heat signatures.

He raised his blaster, spared a glance down the hallway again, and placed a finger on the trigger.

This would be loud.

 

[Rayia Si]

Azurine Varek Corazona von Ascania Thea Nyko
Objective One: Slay the Witch

---

Rayia took the proffered cream gratefully, even if she grimaced at how thick it was. The thought of it seeping into her fur had Rayia shuddering. The prospect of her fur sticking together was a true nightmare. It took long enough to comb it as it was. Still, a mussed up coat was something that the Felacatian could survive. The very real prospect of suffering from frostbite on the now frozen world less so.

——

It was indeed a very rough descent. A descent made worse by the fact that Rayia’s Felacatian gifts allowed her to sense movement in her vicinity. Meaning, that as the shuttle plunged and bucked, Rayia perceived the descent as a continuous, rapidly accelerating fall. Rayia fought to keep herself in her seat as an itch settled into the marrow of her bones. A sensation of wrongness that caused Rayia’s primal instincts to flare. Rayia’s blood turned to fire within her veins as the beast within stirred against its restraints in the wake of her panic.

Muscles and bones seemed to move beneath her skin, shearing and infusing her stout frame in undulating wriggles. Each shudder of the shuttle caused Rayia to squeeze her eyes shut and burrow her clawed fingers into the upholstery of the shuttle’s seat. The pealing squeal of crumpling metal indicating that those claws had found the durasteel frame beneath and carved jagged rents into the metal.

A feral growl hissed through Rayia’s fangs as she pitched forwards in her seat. Though incomprehensible, it carried a surefire tone of cursing. The shuttle had made contact with the surface, scraping and skidding across the ice. Rayia’s restraints had caught her, bruising her shoulders as they stopped her from being hurled through the viewport. Freezing air slipped in from the opening hatch, stealing Rayia’s breath away like plucking fingers. Ripping herself out of her seat, Rayia followed Cora and the others out onto the ice.

A question pressed its way to the forefront of her mind, as the snow and wind battered at the small group. Perhaps Rayia was assigning intent where there was none. But, based on the stories Rayia had heard of this witch, it wasn’t too far outside the realm of possibility this storm was intended to sap their strength. “Do you think she’s picked up on our presence?”

 

[Azurine Varek]

The Eye of the Storm

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords

The storm battered against them, a merciless onslaught of wind and ice that made every step a struggle. Azurine’s boots crunched against the frozen ground as she trudged forward. The chill bit at her skin, even through her heavy cloak, but her focus was fixed on the distant, dark aura of the witch’s lair. She could only barely see it through the whipping winds and battering snow. It loomed ahead like a jagged wound on the white horizon, a beacon of malice in the howling storm.

For a moment, her sharp laugh cut through the howling wind like a sharp blade, her voice full of amusement. "Profanity? From me? No, absolutely not!" She called back, her voice laced with mock indignation. Hell, half the galaxy was probably still reeling from the things she'd said in past encounters. "Force help you if you're ever around when I'm actually mad."

Azzie shrugged, still chuckling, as she turned her attention to Thea. "Let’s just say it’s not something you can explain without some graphic detail. You’d probably never look at me the same way again, and I don’t think anyone’s ready for that kind of commitment." Her laughter bubbled up again, the storm outside almost drowning it out.

Soon, she was assessing the terrain and their next steps. The storm wasn’t natural, clearly given the terrain this place should have had. The Force throbbed around them, heavy with warning, and every instinct in her screamed that they were possibly walking into a trap. Letting out a breath, she watched it curl and dissipate into the icy air, turning to the group. "Rayia’s got a point," she said, her voice cutting through the wind. "This storm isn’t just bad luck. The witch probably knows we’re here."

Azzie took a moment to steady herself, planting her feet against the icy ground and forcing her body to relax despite the storm’s attempts to rob her of warmth and resolve. She raised her voice to be above the howling of the storm, her tone firm and determined. "That doesn't mean we’re going to just walk into a trap blind." She gestured toward the jagged terrain to their left, where the ice rose and fell in uneven ridges, forming a natural path that led closer to the lair without exposing them to the open field. "We need a plan. A flank, maybe. Cora, can you and Rayia take the main path? Draw her attention. Thea and I will loop around through those ridges and come at her from the side."

Her fiery amethyst eyes flicked between them. "And we watch each other’s backs, okay? This witch isn’t invincible, but she’ll probably try to turn us against ourselves if she gets the chance. No matter what happens, we don’t give her that chance. We've got this." She gave a quick grin and nodded to the team, her presence being outwardly clear as to just why she was a padawan of the Grandmaster.

As Azzie moved forward, she glanced at the others, lips quirking in a wry grin despite the cold. "Any of you ever face down a Force-wielding storm witch before? Because I sure as hell haven't, but at least I'm great at improvising."

Corazona von Ascania | Thea Nyko | Rayia Si​

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

TAG: Open to Interactions

Seeing Corazona von Ascania 's team enter their ship was one of those moments that caused Jonyna to feel a lump in her throat.

Maybe it was just her overthinking things. Maybe she was just paranoid.

But the last time she fought that thing, it ended with her losing all of her friends. That night was seared into her mind, a night of so many mistakes. So many follies on her part, so many moments of regret.

But she had to trust them. Had to believe they could achieve what she hadn't been able to.

And she had a job of her own.

Reports were slowly coming in. Rocs and Ladybugs slowly making their way down to Jedha city, fighting the wicked storm. One thing she could take solace in was the fact that this time, she had the industrial might of the Alliance behind her. Of her company, of everything she had built since coming out of that damned ice.

And this time, she could fight the storm.

​

The ride down was anything but smooth. The Roc, loaded with three squads of the GADF's finest medics and frontline troopers, lived up to it's name. Every bit of turbulence caused the cargo speeder to shake like a roller coaster, one trooper having to be scolded for taking the luxury of a pre-flight meal which now was splattered across the floor.

Jonyna didn't pay it much mind. Her mind was meditatively focused on her datapad. 30 Squadrons of Rocs, and 7 Ladybugs, sent down in strict formation. She couldn't risk losing anyone to mid-air collisions or poor flying. She obsessively switched between radio frequencies, listening to each only a few seconds at a time, searching for any sign of trouble.

Nothing yet.

Yet.

And then they made landfall. The moment they touched down, the troopers' commanding officer began barking orders that Jonyna seemed to zone out. Instead, she climbed out and began looking to the situation around her. She could sense Aris Noble and Aadihr Lidos nearby, her heart racing at the thought of the boy getting hurt. She knew he was an extraordinary jedi, but that didn't calm her anxiety. Even if they had parted ways as master and padawan, she couldn't help but worry about the boy.

Her senses reached out. She couldn't rely on her normal abilities, controlling the wind was an impossibility with the Witch's spells still active. But she knew better than to rely on one trick. One skill. She reached out, focusing her senses on what came next.

"Ma'am?"

Her focus was broken by the sound of that same officer tapping her on the shoulder.

"Sorry, was just focusing. What's up?"

The trooper gave her a strange look at the blasé response. "We've got a family up in that building, fifteenth floor. Stairway is completely blocked off by ice. You mind giving us an assist?"

Jonyna looked over to the building, letting out a raspberry as her mind switched to that of the hero. The rebel.

"....yeah I can do that."

It had been a long time, but she was still the Firestarter.

 

[Kaga Wah-Shmah]

Tag: Azurine Varek Corazona von Ascania Thea Nyko Rayia Si Djikra Elnev​

The storm swirled. Kaga could feel it, another witch's influence pushing back against her own. A strong push, but one she could fight back against.

She had waited so long. She would not be denied her purpose. She would not be foiled by a single pretender.

But she couldn't focus for too long on that. She could feel them. The je'daii approaching. The last group that had dared defy her had been slain, wrapped in an eternal winter and laid to rest, as all things should be.

She could feel them. 4 more souls, waiting to be put down. Waiting to be frozen.

The storm swirled. As the team approached, they were met by a towering structure. Kaga had fortified herself, taken what had once been a butte of sandstone, and turned it into a towering structure of ice and stone. A hundred feet up, giving Kaga a towering view of what came next.

As they approached, the crawling death met them. Long dead creatures and those buried there rose from the ground, guarding the fortress. Covered in ice, covered in snow, frozen corpses rising to meet the Je'daii.

Kaga would not let her frozen paradise be denied. She would defeat these je'daii, and move on to the next world. Then the next, then the next.

Until all are returned to their natural state.

 

[Thea Nyko]

"Improvising, huh?" she said, the corners of her lips twitched upward. "And no, I haven't faced a storm witch before. But I've fought enough things trying to kill me to have a pretty good idea of how to deal with it."

Her gaze flicked to the ridges Azzie had pointed out, scanning the terrain with a sharp, calculating expression. "Splitting up might work, but let's not kid ourselves—it's going to make us vulnerable. If she's smart, and I'm guessing she is, she'll try to pick us off one by one. So, whatever signal we're using, it better be loud and clear."

Their planning might be pointless now as frozen corpses were rising up in defense of the fortress.

"Of course, it's walking corpses." Thea sighed, her tone laced with equal parts annoyance and defiance. "Because a fortress of normal stone wasn't ominous enough."

Her hand hovered over her lightsaber hilt, fingers twitching with anticipation as she stepped forward, boots crunching through the snow. Her fiery eyes scanned the field, taking in the grotesque figures shambling toward them.

Azurine Varek Corazona von Ascania Rayia Si