Private The Artefacts of Selvaris!

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

A fellow Jedi had reached out to Dreidi and she had been surprised by it.

She hadn't really interacted with many Jedi since she shifted her focus to Dathomir and establishing her own enclave and attempting to find a balance between her commitments as a Jedi as well as the commitments she was taking on as a Witch. There wasn't always a lot of conflict but there were times when it felt like Dreidi had the weight of two Force cultures on her shoulders. It was tough since she didn't really have her parents to turn to as much. Her father had disappeared from the the nether as far as she could tell and Jairdain was dealing with her own life and issues, Dreidi didn't wish to pile on with her things.

For now though, she was getting a chance to leave Dathomir, a chance to visit and new world and hopefully get a chance to make a new friend. Which was always a daunting but good process for Dreidi. She boarded her small fighter, Grisial joining her and jumping into the co-pilot seat, Dreidi checked the message she had received and saw that it was mentioned to go to Selvaris. A planet she had not visited before, which was the exciting part for herself, she had wanted to go to new worlds more often. She needed to inform Asaraa that she was visiting new locations more often since she knew her sister loved travelling as well.

Punching in the destination, Dreidi set off and looked over to Grisial, "please make a good first impression. No crazy antics today!" Dreidi was pleading with the Vulptex to just be normal and not cause her any issues.

Landing, Dreidi adjusted her attire and made sure she was looking her best. Knowing how important it was to make a solid first impression. She stepped off the ramp and headed into the enclave. Checking out the enclave and how it differed to her own that she was building. But also noting how there were similarities around them as well. Spotting Ran, she approached the fellow Jedi and gave a short bow of her head. Grisial following her and sitting down as he looked up at the stranger.

"Hi, I'm Dreidi Xeraic. You messaged me about needing some help?"

 

[Ran Serys]

Ran bowed in kind to her fellow Knight. "Hello, Master Xeraic. I can call you Dreidi, if you prefer. I am Ran Serys. You may call me Ran," The tall Mirialan introduced with a friendly formality. "And yes I did send a message." She confirmed. "I need your expertise and knowledge as a witch." Ran watched Dreidi's face. She searched for confidence. Ran was curious as to how familiar Dreidi was with Witch culture.

"Follow me to the Enclave Library." Ran suggested and began walking toward a longhouse built of a finer quality wood and stone than the others. The Enclave didn't compare to most other enclaves and temples. It was in its infancy and under construction. Every structure was handbuilt by the Jedi who called Selvaris home, and then some. No help from droids, and technology was sparse. That was Ran's intention. The Enclave was an escape, a retreat to the natural world where one could work hard and live mostly quietly until called upon by the Order or the force.

"You may know that this Enclave was recently erected under my care. But what you may not know, and what I certainly did not know is that we aren't the first force order to call Selvaris home." Ran walked and talked with a controlled excitement. "We believe the first were witches!" She declared as they crossed the threshold into the small library. "Exploring the planet, one of our Apprentices uncovered an ancient canopy village in the jungles. It was there that he found some artifacts belonging to who we think are an ancient force order of witches. I will show you what he found and you tell me what you think." Ran exchanged as she walked up to a standing wooden table that doubled as a chest. She lifted the top and revealed a rough but somehow well preserved bow with a kyber crystal glowing and embedded in the bows center grip, a dried and withered headdress made from the skin and plumage of the local fauna, and a few pieces of jewelry made of a rusty brass and adorned with a variety of gems.

Ran waited patiently for Dreidi to study the pieces in any way she saw fit, and to share her verdict. Ran wondered if the pieces might've been too ancient to tell.

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

"Please, Dreidi is more than fine! Master Xeraic reminds me of the students talking to my father when I was a child, hopefully not that old yet." Dreidi chuckled, she was at least a few decades away from that age range but it was nice to see people were keen to offer her respect and acknowledgement of her rank as a Jedi. "Do you prefer Master Serys or Ran?" Dreidi offered the same choice to the other Jedi Knight since it only seemed the polite thing to do.

There was not necessarily confidence in Dreidi's face when asked about needing her expertise and experience in witch culture, there was more curiosity and intrigue. There was a lot that was not necessarily known on the witches of Dathomir, especially surrounding the era called the Witch Kingdom of Dathomiri, where the witches were likely at their most powerful and most prominent. Dreidi was curious to see what was going to be offered for her to examine and study, especially since it could provide some insight into that era or early development of the witches.

Following Ran to the enclave library, Dreidi and Grisial held themselves calmly and looked around the enclave, the way it was structured and the appearance of the enclave. How it differed from the designs of her own enclave but the similarities that stood out. Dreidi was making notes and seeing what she would take away from being here when designing the enclave on Dathomir further.

"Witches? Interesting," Dreidi knew that most civilised worlds were often home to Force cultures, religions and societies that were never the Jedi. People developed things differently, Jedi and Sith were now the primary Force based cultures and the one that majority of people defaulted to, but there were still witches and many others who studied the Force in a manner that did not call it the Force and did not see it in the black and white that the Jedi and Sith did. That had always been a moment of interest and intrigue to her, how others viewed it and how they practiced use of the Force that was not simply the same as the Jedi.

"Where did the apprentice find this village? Is it near a local settlement?" Dreidi held some reservations surrounding this discovery, there was an easy way to error in discoveries like this. Especially with a culture that one had little to no understanding of.

When the table was revealed to be a chest, revealing a bow and other items of importance, Dreidi's thoughts panicked slightly. "This wasn't taken from a burial ground was it?" The concern around that issue was heightened, the dangers of touching burial sites was massive, taking items from them could cause dangerous consequences. When it came to witches, things rarely remained undead if they were disturbed. "If this is truly the work of witches, then burial sites should always remain untouched. They are too sacred to be disturbed."

She could only think of the dire consequences one would face for disturbing the burial pods on Dathomir. While they were of interest and there could be several bodies in a single pod. For an outsider to come and damage them, it was far from acceptable.

Dreidi noted the bow and looked to Ran, "the bow is a Force imbued weapon. Using the wooden bow to construct a force imbued weapon is likely attempting to turn this into a proto-energy bow that is more common with witches now." Dreidi commented, "the other items are jewellery and probably important to the person, which is why I am concerned about this coming from a sacred burial site. They can be dangerous areas to deal with."

 

[Ran Serys]

"Do you prefer Master Serys or Ran?" Dreidi offered the same choice to the other Jedi Knight since it only seemed the polite thing to do.

"We are contemporaries." She said plainly. "Ran is more than acceptable." The Mirialan Jedi Knight agreed with Dreidi as they walked.

"Where did the apprentice find this village? Is it near a local settlement?"

"This wasn't taken from a burial ground was it?"

"I suppose it depends on your definition of near. The location they gave me is approximately a four day march through the jungle. A lot less by transport." Ran answered the first of a series of questions.

"Rest assured it wasn't a burial site. It was a long abandoned village by the sound of it." Ran said quickly, trying to assuage any concern. "These items themselves were stashed away in a hidden compartment of one of the assembly halls still standing," She explained. "But you bring up a good point. These are personal and important effects, why would someone leave them behind? Maybe we should visit this village ourselves and figure that out." Ran posited. It was something she'd been meaning to do since the possible artifacts initial discovery. To go there with a fellow Knight and witch seemed the best case scenario for the expedition. "What say you, Dreidi? About making the journey, and the status of these items as artifacts?" Ran asked.

Ran hoped they were the real deal. She thought if they were, they could open up a dialogue between the Enclave and any nearby covens. The Jedi always needed more allies and knowledge of the force was always welcome. It also remained that if they were, they belonged in the hands of witches and Ran was determined to return the artifacts to their rightful homes within their culture.

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

"If these are witches, then there is a likelihood that they could easily teleport from one location to another. Any travel that is less than a week is nothing." It was all too easy for Dreidi teleport miles at a time to a location she knew well, she could easily make the journey in a few seconds what it took the apprentice, as long as she knew where she would be arriving. And settlements were always common places of trade and commerce so it was very likely to be a place that was know to more than simply the villagers who occupied the settlement.

Dreidi looked to Ran with an expression that was a mix of uncertainty but serious in nature, "abandoned villages have grave sites as well. And they can be accidentally built on much older grave sites." She wasn't there to admonish the apprentice who discovered the historic artefacts, she simply wanted to be reassured that the Jedi hadn't accidentally broken any ritual seals, nor had they triggered the demise of the enclave due to witch magic that they discovered without care.

"Visiting the location will alleviate all and any concerns I am currently carrying." Dreidi affirmed, she glad for the chance to visit the site but she was also hopeful that Ran would understand her concerns. While accidents and blameless mistakes happened, especially when no historic records are provided to avoid the errors, it was easy to blame ancient booby traps as something more sinister. All Dreidi wanted to do was avoid such misunderstandings.

Looking to Ran, "willing to journey with me? Or would you rather take a speeder?" Offering Ran the chance to experience how a Dathomiri Witch teleported.

 

[Ran Serys]

"Fair enough. I understand the concern, and your words do prove persuasive. I will no longer be satisfied with the matter without a pilgrimage from myself." Ran declared evenly while Dreidi's words casted doubt onto the apprentice's account. The fact it was so easy to bring into question told Ran just how badly she needed a Witch's knowledge. She made a note for herself, and for the future of Selvaris. Welcome all schools of thought in the force. Seek them out and give them a home away from home. Ran knew that would be a tenet of the Enclave on Selvaris going forward. Maybe they could even loan enclave members between Selvaris and Dathomir. It would be something that Ran brought up to Dreidi later, after they finished with the artifacts.

"I am willing to journey with you, Dreidi. I've never been teleported before, and if you can make that happen, that is something I'd very much like to experience." Ran confirmed. She wondered if this ability was something a Jedi could learn, or if it only really worked within a witch's sensibility and connection to the force. She'd seen the Sith accomplish similar feats, but something told Ran that the means and results would be radically different.

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

She appreciated that Ran was taking her concerns seriously. It was good to see and relaxed Dreidi, she knew that nothing here was being done out of sinister intention, rather accidental discoveries with unfortunate potential consequences. "Good to hear, having an extra part of eyes and ears could assist myself and Grisial in discovering what was going on with the village." Figuring out why a place was abandoned was also important for them to discover, since it was rare for places to be completely abandoned without an explanation.

"It will take a moment, I need to sort some things out for you to travel as I do." Dreidi pulled out a glass flask and starts quietly chanting in Dathomiri language, creating a green fluid that fills the flask and pushes a stopper on the top. Passing it to Ran, "take this, it shall allow you to travel the way I do." Dreidi stated with little explanation of how it worked, instead she focused on her next task.

Continuing her chanting, she created a circle in the air of green energy similar to the green liquid in the flask. The rough circle far from perfect in shape, she looked back to Ran. "I am not sure the distance we can travel this, but this will follow my lead and we should make it the whole way." It was clear that teleporting others wasn't as common for Dreidi as simply travelling by herself.

She jumped backwards and teleported into a puff of green smoke. Disappearing from sight, as she did, Grisial wasted no time and with a similar flask around his neck in the style of a collar, he jumped into the circle and vanished as well. The green circle remaining for Ran to jump inside as well.

 

[Ran Serys]

"Cheers." Ran said sarcastically as she downed the neon green fluid. A few hurried gulps was all it took, not that she needed to hurry. The green concoction wasn't foul tasting by any sense of the word, but still she fought back the urge to wretch. The empty glass in her hand conjured an image in her mind. A memory, one from her youth. It sprang to the forefront of her mind with an intensity.

The world looked bigger through her ten year old eyes, scarier too, as she lay unnecessarily strapped to a shiny, metallic, laboratory bed. A series of Sith scientists forced all colors of liquid down her gullet. The liquids inflamed her insides and turned her stomach. They were a large part of the mutagenizing process, and though she hated these concoctions, she could not resist her Sith Masters. Their brainwashing and sorcerous magic proved to be too strong. She was a puppet and a subject to be experimented on and stitched back together however the Sith liked.

Through the memory she still managed to hold back her sick. She regained her composure and waved it off as if to say It's fine. It's nothing. Even though that wasn't necessarily true. She was too stubborn to admit the memory had rattled her, if only a bit, in front of the virtual stranger that was Dreidi.

Ran turned her attention back to what was happening in front of her and without a word jumped into the smoky, magical rift. The feeling was brief but strange as she was pulled through time and space and transported to the treetop village where they had found the remnants of a long thought abandoned witch village.

It was a village suspended in the air, above the ground and just below the canopy, built off and supported by the strong limbs of tree branches. Half ruined homes, arrayed in intricate patterns that seemed very intentional. Ran wondered what could have ruined the village and inspired the witches to leave. A few ideas came to Ran's mind. The first was the Yuuzhan Vong. Selvaris had a history with the foreign invaders. The entire planet was once a prison colony where the native populations were hunted to eradication. The planet was largely thought cursed since and struggled to bounce back, even hundreds of years later.

Ran learned that from Efret Farr and continued to eliminate her own ignorance of the planet's history by consulting what Jedi Holocrons she could.

"This is the village where the artifacts were found." Ran confirmed. "It does seem to be abandoned and because of its place among the trees, it doesn't seem a burial yard, but there is a faint echo from the past. Something traumatic did happen here." Ran thought out loud as she felt an echo in the force.

"It isn't necessary to unearth the dead to desecrate their lives. Let's retrace the apprentice's steps, and confirm the artifacts weren't uncovered untowardly." Ran said as she came to match Dreidi's pace.

"What do you make of this village, Dreidi? What do your instincts tell you?"

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

She hadn't expected the Jedi Knight to drink the concoction, it was effective holding the vial in hand. However, Dreidi supposed she hadn't made that part clear on her own end. In the future she would need to specify when something was for drinking and when that was merely optional. The teleportation had been successful which was the important part. Dreidi had shifted much faster than a speeder would allow them to travel, though when they reached the destination of the village, she needed to pause for a moment and breathe in deeply.

Transporting three people this distance wasn't an easy feat, even for someone as experienced in Magick as she was. It took her several moments to recover from the exertion. Which she didn't mind since it was time she could spend looking around the village. She felt her golden eyes studying the details of the treetop village with curiosity. This was not how villages on Dathomir were like, though, there were not trees this lush on the world. So she doubted they had the opportunity to test out something like this.

"Perhaps an attempt in psychometry would provide some insight? I am not skilled in that art, but I know enough to know it can see strong memories left in the Force." She did not wish to assume that Ran was unskilled in the power. All Dreidi would be able to sense would be the base emotions and surface level impacts. Nothing that would provide a deeper understanding. "If these witches were connected to Dathomir, then there is a lot in our history that has been lost."

There had been an empire, a kingdom that the Dathomiri witches ruled. Though evidence of such a thing had been long since lost.

Dreidi nodded her head to Ran, "I concur and I did not believe an apprentice would have been as callous as to grave rob." Giving the location another look over, she tilted her head. "It is hard to say. The Dathomir architecture is not something this world would mesh with. However, nothing stands out as impossible for a witch coven to claim as a home." She was unsure what to expect, most of her interaction with witch culture was Dathomiri and she had been learning that there were witches untethered to that world.

 

[Ran Serys]

Ran took note of Dreidi's observations on witches and of their most well known world, the planet Dathomir. Ran had never been, but it sounded like she might have a reason to visit soon. "It sounds as if the village gives little to the idea of the witches you are familiar with." Ran held a hand to her chin as if in deep thought. "But the artifact, the bow, seemed to be more promising." She paused for a greater moment in thought. "I like your idea. Psychometry. While I am not sufficiently skilled or talented in it, I am already reading the impressions the past has left on this village. Maybe together, if we focus and meditate, and fuse our talents, we can glean some information from this place." Ran suggested.

"Will you take my hand, and attempt this with me, Dreidi?" Ran asked and extended her hand. She thought touch to be a powerful ally when the force was utilized toward a goal by more than one. She also wanted to test a theory. The last time she used the force in concert with another, it had produced incredible results. Force healing in moments with two, what would've taken hours for one to replicate. Maybe the two knights and their combined efforts toward psychometry would prove just as fruitful.

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

"Yes, but that does not rule them out. Things change over time and this world is not like Dathomir, so easy to see them having to adapt to something very different." Dreidi mentioned since she was not ruling out that this could have been a Dathomir Witch village but for now, she needed to see more evidence to get a better idea. "The bow is something witches of Dathomir and those with no ties to the world hold in common. The jewellery was also something very witch in nature."

It seemed that neither of them were well verse in the art of Psychometry, however, the idea sprung inspiration in Ran and she had something to suggest. Working together to attempt to combine their talents to be able to get a better sense of the Force Echo that was stirring in this village. Dreidi shrugged, "it is our best lead in figuring out what the people here were like and what happened here for this village to be abandoned." Dreidi stated as she moved towards Ran.

Taking the extended hand, "lets see what happened then." Closing her eyes, she meditated in the moment and connected to her surroundings. Using the Force to make sense of the Force Echo surrounding this place.

 

[Ran Serys]

With hands joined Ran and Dreidi meditated. Their auras crashed, calmed, and combined in shades of green. They rooted themselves in the moment and extended their feelings out wide. Like the branches of a tree the force grew, and reached outward slowly. They grabbed at the air and the echoes and found the essence of the village's memories. They sensed the pain of the past and much more. The echo of trauma struggled to take shape as neither Knight was skilled in viewing the past, but they continued through difficulty together. They worked in concert to give the echo a shape. Images came to their minds first as a blur, then unclear, and finally perfect. Perfect as the old village before them. They could see its polish and allure for a brief moment before the assault began.

It was indeed a witch village. Spells were cast to limited effect, unable to truly harm their Vong attackers directly. The assault was quick and brutal. No fire, no warning, just quick and alien evil. Bodies dropped, both Witch and Vong. Those who didn't fight fled to be hunted again. The artifacts hummed in the Jedi's minds. Flashes of a witch wielding an ancestral weapon, a mother giving her daughter one last brass ring, and a warrior's headwear hitting the ground as hard as the warrior did. The village was not abandoned. The villagers fought for it until they couldn't fight anymore.

The force calmed as the Jedi pair finished parsing through the echoes. Ran's grip was tighter on Dreidi's hand than she realized. She let it slip. The mirialan had seen such barbarism many times before, just not from the Vong.

"The echoes," Ran said softly. "They were almost a millennium old." She observed. "That was part of the Vong Occupation this planet went through. They eradicated the natives, even this coven of hidden witches. They weren't just lost to the galaxy, but to history as well."

Ran looked to Dreidi. She wondered if the echoes had affected the woman. "We have our answer as to what happened here. Is there anything I can do for you, Dreidi? Is there a tradition we can enact for the people who lost their lives here so many hundred years ago?" The Knight questioned and supported her contemporary.

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

Breathing in deeply, the vision of the witches being killed by the Vong. It was a deeply disturbing echo in the Force. There was a lot of darkness that she felt resonating in her now, as she had felt all those emotions and unable to release them for centuries. Dreidi focused on meditating her mind, releasing her emotions and remembering that they were not her emotions. Just dark echoes of a past long since faded. Once she felt her body relax, Dreidi looked over to Ran to make sure her companion was coping okay.

"It is sad to see that even here, witches were hunted and slaughtered." Dreidi knew that many witch cultures had suffered tragic demises at the hands of other Force Users. It was a shame that this was no different. That history seemed to doom people such as herself to very tragic fates. All she hoped for was that Dreidi could break the cycle, if she could.

Looking around, "it answers the question of what happened here. Though we do not know if all were killed in that fight. There could be remnants out there somewhere. At least, we can hope some survived." Dreidi mentioned. She waved her hands and green flames lit the air as a sigil began to form in the air before her. Dreidi muttering in the native tongue of Dathomiri, casting her Magick. Focusing on granting those here a chance to move onto the next life and promising to ensure history is not repeated.

"I have done what I can. Perhaps they were once connected to my people, but I am not sure. I just pray that your enclave has a happier ending than this coven was granted." Dreidi spoke in a solemn tone, mourning the loss of life millennia ago. She paused a moment long than shook off the negative energy she left.

"Is there another location you wished to inspect around here?" Dreidi asked, wondering if there was more that she could do to help her fellow Jedi Knight.

 

[Ran Serys]

When Dreidi asked if there was more Ran wished to investigate, Ran's eyes trained on the Great Hall not a stone's throw away. Its triangular threshold was elevated and implanted into the face of an ancient hollowed out tree. It was the least ruined of all the village's structures. Ran nodded her head. "One final place." She answered as she strode up the steps to the Hall. It had been seen in the echoes they had evoked, and she needed to see more.

Before she could reach its entrance, Red smoke and green fire appeared in the doorway. Green smoke shot down around the Jedi and transformed into a smattering of yellow eyed women. Ran had sensed their potential danger a second before they materialized but did not reach for her saber, instead she bolstered herself with the force.

"Who are you?" The woman who materialized before the threshold asked in a thick accent Ran had never heard before. It was slow, round, and authoritative. "And why do you disturb this ancient place?" The woman continued as she accusingly aimed a gnarled staff at Ran and Dreidi. The other women took a neutral stance but Ran could tell they were on alert and ready for anything. They wore rags that barely covered their bodies. Their faces were covered in ceremonial paints, and their fingers were like claws. Was it evolution or corruption? Ran could feel a dark presence wash over these women.

Ran eyed Dreidi and nodded. A way to say follow my lead. "I am Ran Serys, Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order. And we do not seek to disturb this pla-" The mature woman who led the band in conversation lifted her stick up. The bones that hung from it rattled, a way to interrupt and silence Ran. "And you? Why have you disturbed this place? Touched it with the force today, as has not been done in generations!" She corrected angrily. The leader looked at Dreidi and waited for her answer.

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

Dreidi followed Ran's gaze to the largest building in the empty village, it was likely one that would hold historic knowledge and could give them some clues to what the witches were doing here and what they saw in this world to make it a home. Usually there was a reason to the methods of witches, Dreidi had seen. As they approached, foreign presences were gathering and as the beings came into sight, Dreidi had already pulled out her ichor sword, lit with green Dathomiri flames as she held it. Not shifting to an aggressive stance yet but highlighting her presence of someone who was not just some Jedi.

Looking to Ran, letting her take the lead with the interaction since if these were witches that lived here for generations then they were ones that Ran would have to work alongside with to ensure that the enclave she had built here would be a success. Dreidi noted the sharp claws and the aggressive tone that the witch held. Speaking directly to Dreidi, her Dathomiri accent became more pronounced as she took a step forward and spoke in basic to avoid confusing the situation. "I am Dreidi Xeraic. I am a witch of Dathomir and this Jai... Jedi, is with me. We merely wished to understand what occurred here and used the Force to sense the memory that strongly preserved here."

"We are not here for a conflict, Ran wishes to understand the history and embrace the diversity that Selvaris has in Force cultures, like your own." Dreidi stated, then took a step back to allow Ran to speak again and interact with the witches. Hoping her words would lower the hostilities of the witches, Dreidi dreaded the idea of having the fight them. She was never someone who would jump to fight fellow witches and rather attempt peaceful talks, even at the detriment of her life.

 

[Ran Serys]

Ran watched as a look of recognition crossed the accented woman's face. Dathomir? The woman mouthed with a faraway stare as Dreidi continued her introduction. A few of the other women whispered to each other excitedly as Ran thought she saw their mouths echo their leaders. Witches the lot of them, that was obvious, but what was their interest in Dathomir? Ran needed to erase her ignorance. She knew too little of the galaxy's other force traditions. That was why they were there though, they just needed to be given the chance to learn, and where better to learn from the source.

The witches listened to Dreidi then glared at Ran as if she were prey. She glared back at them. Her gaze was steely yet unconcerned. She wasn't prey, nor was she a predator. She was a bulwark whose presence they'd have to get used to.

"That is why you sent thieves? To understand." The head witch questioned.

"Students." Ran corrected. "Learning about and exploring the planet. Anything taken was done so through ignorance of your presence. What we thought was an archaeological find seems to be an item in your care. We can return the items and make this right." Ran offered and explained the misunderstanding.

"Let it be so." The witch agreed. "What of the student?"

"What of them?"

"They're punishment."

"There will be no punishment. They did a good thing. They've inadvertently given us this meeting and what can come from it."

The witches whispered amongst themselves curiously. While the witch holding the staff stared at the Jedi, the entire time her mind was turning. She tapped her staff on the step and the other witches were silenced.

"What will come from it?" The witch questioned.

"Understanding, cooperation, and peace." Ran answered plainly but with meaning.

"We shall see." She said ominously. "Our clan will talk and decide whether or not we accept your offer of cooperation and peace. My daughter, Zirra, and two others will find you and inform you of the verdict." The witch informed. "It has helped that you brought one of Dathomir with you." She neglected to inform whether it would help one war or the other. As Ran looked at Dreidi she decided it'd be a positive.

"Do you want to set a time and place to meet?" Ran offered as the witches started to disappear in plumes of smoke again.

"Don't worry. We will find you." Ominous again.

As Ran believed the witches were out of earshot she spoke. "Are the witches on Dathomir just as mysterious?" The question was half rhetorical and half real. She took one last look around before she offered a suggestion to Dreidi. "Let's get back to the Enclave. We'll need to inform the others of our contact with these witches."

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Selvaris
Outfit: Jedi Oufit
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword, Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Ran Serys

It seemed that these witches knew of Dathomir and its culture, it was curious and Dreidi was definitely intrigued to learn more about them. There was doubt that it would be easy but Dreidi was also someone who tended to tolerate the greyness that witches usually operated within. Allowing some of the more dark personalities exist without protest. Something she had developed from being surrounded by Sith who wanted to do good, and being trained by a Nightmother, a branch of witches considered more akin to the Sith and Dark Siders.

Chuckling at the question posed by Ran, "some times. Depends on who you ask." Dreidi smirked and then nodded her head, "yes, it will be good to inform your enclave of what is going on. Especially since the student might still be in some danger." Dreidi began casting another teleportation circle in the air for them both to jump through.

"Also, heads up, disappearing doesn't mean a witch is always gone. We sometimes like to just simply turn invisible and linger, see what is said when others believe we are not around." Dreidi mentioned, figuring that since the witches were actually still on Selvaris, she might as well give as much information to Ran as she could on what some witches were like. "I just hope they take your offer serious and accept it. There's enough conflict in the galaxy as is, rather avoid getting into another one."

 

[Ran Serys]

“Good to know.” Ran replied as she looked into the empty spaces the witches left behind them. She didn’t touch the force to try and detect any subterfuge. She thought the action could’ve been perceived as an insult if detected. Instead Ran just kept going and trusting that peace was preferable to conflict in the eyes of the witch clan.

“I hope so too,” She agreed with Dreidi. “I came to this planet in search of peace. If I can’t find it here, I’ll pack up and go someplace else. There is enough fighting in the galaxy.” Ran admitted. “Thanks for coming with me, Dreidi. While this was all unexpected, having you here might’ve been to this planet’s benefit. Their leader said it helped their decision to have a witch from Dathomir here. Let’s just see in which way it helped.” Ran meant it. She wasn’t sure if she would’ve felt as secure in this situation while more ignorant and alone.

“Let’s head back. If time permits, we can have a meal and maybe I can ask if you’ll tell me more about the force through the witch’s lens.” Ran suggested as she readied herself for the wonder of teleportation behind Dreidi once more.

Dreidi Xeraic​

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Coruscant
Attire: Jedi Attire
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Nightsister Energy Bow, Ichor Sword
Tag: Ran Serys

It was a smart move for Ran to not attempt to sense if they were still lingering around. Dreidi didn't check on the presence because she assumed it would not benefit them in either matter. If they lingered then they would hear two people wanting peace, if they had vanished then she wasted time trying to hunt ghosts. There were other ways she could spend the time and ensure that Ran was able to keep calling the planet home. "I am not going to stand and let you be removed from the world you are calling home, Ran." Dreidi stated sternly.

"However, I am glad to hear you are not wishing to seek a violent end to this matter. That will work in our favour. A war would be detrimental to them in the long run." The witches were unlikely to be large in number. Once she stepped through the teleportation circle, she whisked them back to the enclave. In the room that they had left in. Dreidi breathed in deeply.

"Food sounds good to me." Dreidi answered to Ran once they returned. She looked to Grisial who nodded his head, "and in terms of helping you with my perception. Perhaps it would be easier if I stayed here for a while. Help you out with the training and getting to understand these witches as a whole enclave?" Dreidi offered, her enclave was still in the works and she had the available free time now.

It was up to Ran though, Dreidi didn't want to overstep.

 

[Ran Serys]

Perhaps it would be easier if I stayed here for a while. Help you out with the training and getting to understand these witches as a whole enclave?

"I won't say no to an offer like that." Ran answered somewhat astonished. She believed it was a generous offer, and an offer she'd be a fool to pass up.

If the Jedi Enclave on Selvaris was going to work, Ran believed she needed Dreidi's insight on the witches now more than ever. The last thing Ran wanted was more conflict and she believed together she and Dreidi could avoid that fate and achieve so much more. Ran wanted the Enclave to be a safe place not just for the Jedi, but for all of Selvaris' natives. Dreidi could be her ambassador to the Witches, just as Efret Farr was the enclave's ambassador to the new Vong.

"Come, Dreidi." Ran smiled at her new comrade. "I'll make you my famous River Qwewt stew, and we can arrange some accommodations for your stay."

Dreidi Xeraic​