Anya Venari
Star Queen Tirathana VII
The Dark Heart
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Primarily the Heart’s power lies in its ability to test and deceive those who enter. The trials are described below, but suffice to say the powers of illusion are very strong but very localised. Those who are attuned to the Dark Side will feel their connection strengthened when they are near it. However, this power comes at a cost, as the power of the Heart can affect the minds of all but the most prepared and resilient. Common side effects are feelings over overwhelming pride and superiority coupled with whispers of paranoia and distrust. Thus, even if a Dark Side adept passes the challenges the benefits gained can be offset by the downsides.
To one more attuned to the Light Side, the experience is more akin to being surrounded by a cold, cloying fog. Whispers of temptation and visions of the great power are common, inviting those who follow the Light to put it aside and fall. However, those who endure the trials and overcome the temptation are often strengthened by their experience.
The Heart’s effects are therefore powerful but hard to obtain and in many cases comes with significant drawbacks.
POINTS OF INTEREST
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Tygara was for many millennia a world cut off from the rest of the galaxy, but once it was not always so. Once the world was part of the ancient Rakata Infinite Empire, and these overlords used the planet to create experiments. The best known of these creations are the Eldorai and their sister races, but there were other arts perfected by the Rakata too.
On the southern continent of Yarkul a forest not unlike the one on Endor had grown up and covered most of the southern landmass. It was here that the Rakata had placed a facility for growing – and altering – the denizens of the forest to their own twisted purposes. Overtime, like so much of the Rakata tech in their prime, the power of the Dark Side started to leech out and subtly start to twist the surrounding area, turning it into a place of malevolence and hunger.
When the Rakata civil war engulfed the Infinite Empire Tygara was forgotten…almost. One ship returned from the war and secretly landed in Yarkul. This Rakata, Ul’karra, stowed a powerful artefact in the backwoods forest, a sword of devastating potential. The intention by Ul’karra was always to reclaim it at a later date, as he had stolen it from his home. He departed soon after, intending to return soon after, but he never did. Ul’karra met his end in battle far away and the facility and the sword were utterly forgotten.
However, just because the sword was forgotten did not mean that this powerful Dark Side artefact just switched off. Far from it, the Dark Side coming from the weapon, combined with the power of the area naturally and the other Rakata tech, formed a nexus of power which grew to encompass a small area of the forest. Creatures near to this nexus were warped or changed by the Force energy, whilst the area around it assumed a heavy taint of the dark energy.
When the Vashyada reached Yarkul and settled in the deep forests they eventually stumbled upon the nexus. Light Side by inclination and fearful of the mind clouding effects of the area, they called it the ‘Dark Heart of the Forest’ and shunned it. Yet, the allure of the darkness and the power it offered always drew away a handful each generation to brave the shadows. Few of these returned, and those which did were forever changed, yet the siren song continued, and each who fell added their own spirits to the nexus.
Some sort out the Dark Heart for more noble reasons however. A single tree strong in the Light exists deep in the Heart, and from its sap a balm can be made to heal poisons and injuries. For many of the shamans and druids of the Vashyada this was a rite of passage to overcome their fears and prove their strength. Many of these initiates did not return, or fell to the darkness, but those that did emerged with a greater strength in the Light, their confidence strengthened by their resolute conquering of the trials before them.
In more recent times Tylania herself, unofficial guide and spiritual leader of the Vash, has gone to the Heart several times. For Tylania it is a trial to ensure that she has truly put aside the darkness she started with and is still on the path of the Light. Sometimes she goes to rescue the lost, other times to defeat some of the beasts twisted by the darkness, but it is never an easy challenge. Ever the Heart tempts her with visions of what she might be and what she might do, but this drives the Paragon’s determination all the more.
One of those who sought the Heart was Vailkai, a Vash who followed the Light and who was a considerable healer. She delved into the Heart to find a cure for her dying brother, and after many trials she reached the Healing Tree and obtained her reward from it. The journey though a success had left its mark on the Vash and ever afterwards she would be haunted by what she saw, but would discuss it only with Tylania and others who had passed the trials.
For now though the Dark Heart is an officially restricted area. Keeping resourceful and intrepid seekers out is difficult however, so drones were initially deployed to keep watch. However, as so many of these were lost due to unexplained accidents and were too dangerous to recover, the Vash and Firemane are seeking a new solution, possibly utilising beings which are Force Dead or protected from Dark Side influence by unusual means.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a wild and interesting nexus at the heart of the forests of Yarkul. This nexus is similar in ways to the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, though also very different in the way it operates.
- Image Credit: Here.
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Vashyada, Tylania, Partuz, Rakata, Vailkai,
- Nexus Name: The Dark Heart
- Nexus Alignment: Varies. The Dark Side is strong at the centre of the Heart, but further out a more neutral aura pervades. There is also a small area where the Light burns brightly; a sanctuary or haven in the darkness.
- Location: Tygara, the southern continent of Yarkul.
- Affiliation: N/A
- Size: Small-Medium. The strongest (and darkest) effects are felt in a small radius near the centre, however the stronger flow of the Force can be felt for several square kilometres out.
- Strength: Strong, but depends on distance, with the strength dropping exponentially the further one goes from the very centre of the nexus. Thus, at the Dark Heart itself it would be classed as strong, a small radius around medium, and finally the influence of the Force would be weak as far as its bounds go.
- Accessibility: There are no guards or walls to prevent access, though finding the Heart is still tricky. First, Tygara is not a well-known planet, second the southern continent of Yarkul is heavily forested with few roads. Once one approaches though, they will find that the twisted paths into the Heart seem to shift and turn from one day to the next. Predators and thick webs provide additional dangers, and at the centre of it all is a powerful Dark Side nexus. Further, there is a mind bending series of trials to reach the final location.
- Description: The forests of Yarkul are twisted and thick at the best of times. However, as one approaches the Heart it seems like the trees themselves are twisted and knotted together unnaturally to block out the sun. Webs can be seen everywhere from Partuz living near the Heart. More, one might see shapes or lights out of the corner of their eyes. As one pushes closer strange monoliths with carvings will become visible. Finally, as one nears the Heart, piercing the veil of darkness is a small temple.
Primarily the Heart’s power lies in its ability to test and deceive those who enter. The trials are described below, but suffice to say the powers of illusion are very strong but very localised. Those who are attuned to the Dark Side will feel their connection strengthened when they are near it. However, this power comes at a cost, as the power of the Heart can affect the minds of all but the most prepared and resilient. Common side effects are feelings over overwhelming pride and superiority coupled with whispers of paranoia and distrust. Thus, even if a Dark Side adept passes the challenges the benefits gained can be offset by the downsides.
To one more attuned to the Light Side, the experience is more akin to being surrounded by a cold, cloying fog. Whispers of temptation and visions of the great power are common, inviting those who follow the Light to put it aside and fall. However, those who endure the trials and overcome the temptation are often strengthened by their experience.
The Heart’s effects are therefore powerful but hard to obtain and in many cases comes with significant drawbacks.
POINTS OF INTEREST
- The Seven Gates – To enter the Dark Heart one must pass the trial of ‘Seven Gates’, though these are more metaphorical than literal. Each tests or trials a different aspect of the visitor’s mind. At all times the petitioner is given the chance to turn aside. Those which press on, either for Light or Dark, can react to the trials as they wish and it is no harder for one or the other. Many fail and either go mad or perish in the trials, their spirits trapped in this place. The seven trials are different for everyone, but these are their base forms:
- Virtue – A figure entreats the aid of the adept, promising to aid them. Whether they aid or hurt the figure which turns out to be an illusion helps determine their path.
- Temptation – A mirror or vision is shown to the Adept of how they might have great power and glory if only they would step aside, fall or redeem themselves.
- Honour – A trial of battle where the adept must overcome an enemy fairly or find themselves swamped with spectral foes.
- Strength – A test of the adept’s strength in the Force. This usually takes the form of moving a barrier, but it can also be as simple as seeing sigils only visible in the Force.
- Wisdom – A conundrum which forces the adept to think and reason an answer, usually the classic 2 door scenario, but can also apply to other problems or riddles.
- Endurance – An impassable barrier blocks the adept’s path, and only through trusting themselves and the Force can they overcome it, even if their eyes think it is impossible.
- Fortitude – The final test is also the most deadly. A shadow or doppelganger the opposite alignment to the adept faces them and they must defeat them or join the lost spirits which haunt the Dark Heart.
- Healing Tree – The lone point of Light in the dark and shadowed realm is a small tree which sits apart from others. Unlike the other trees in the Dark Heart it has no webs adorning it and it grows tall and proud though no light from the sun reaches it. The strength of the Light is incredibly localised to just where this tree’s branches shade. Those who follow the Light will find it a beacon of hope and a bastion whilst those who follow the Dark will be repulsed by it. The tree has been marked over time by those acolytes of darkness who have sought to remove its ‘taint’, but ever it drives them away or regrows, for as the darkness can never be destroyed, so too is the Light eternal. The tree exudes a sap from these cuts which can heal wounds and cure disease provided it is used within a day of being collected.
- Shadowed Mere – Passing the Healing Tree a visitor comes to a shadowed lake which encloses the Dark Heart’s core. This lake is always still, and the ripples of one crossing swiftly fade to a stillness. The water is inky dark and at first glance offers no reflections of anything. However, if one stares into the water they see faces, visions, shapes, the past, the future, old friends long gone. Everything they see is true – but when, where and how it is interpreted is the trap many fall into. Prophecy is often a curse, and many who have stared into the mere are left only with confusion or despair. Falling into or ingesting the water is said to give one prophecy, though in reality it is a curse which lets one see their own death. With this in mind several small boats litter the shore for one to cross, some rotten, some sabotaged deliberately.
- Temple – At the centre of the Dark Heart is a small ‘Temple’, though in reality it is merely an alien structure. This structure, despite millennia in the forests is completely undamaged and untouched. No plants grows upon its walls and animals shy away. This structure is Rakata in origin and houses an artefact within from the Infinite Empire. There is not other usable or salvageable technology here.
- Artefact – The very centre of the Dark Heart, and the cause of the Nexus itself is an artefact of Rakata origin. This artefact, a sword of darkest black metal, sits embedded in an altar, waiting. This weapon, a variant similar to the later Sith Swords enhanced by alchemy, has considerable power, though not enough to overthrow empires. Many have tried to take it, and all have failed. It is claimed that it can only be drawn by the true heir of the Infinite Empire, and some surmise this is one of the Paragons. However Tylania has rejected such notions on the basis that strange aliens distributing swords is not a basis for sustainable government.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Tygara was for many millennia a world cut off from the rest of the galaxy, but once it was not always so. Once the world was part of the ancient Rakata Infinite Empire, and these overlords used the planet to create experiments. The best known of these creations are the Eldorai and their sister races, but there were other arts perfected by the Rakata too.
On the southern continent of Yarkul a forest not unlike the one on Endor had grown up and covered most of the southern landmass. It was here that the Rakata had placed a facility for growing – and altering – the denizens of the forest to their own twisted purposes. Overtime, like so much of the Rakata tech in their prime, the power of the Dark Side started to leech out and subtly start to twist the surrounding area, turning it into a place of malevolence and hunger.
When the Rakata civil war engulfed the Infinite Empire Tygara was forgotten…almost. One ship returned from the war and secretly landed in Yarkul. This Rakata, Ul’karra, stowed a powerful artefact in the backwoods forest, a sword of devastating potential. The intention by Ul’karra was always to reclaim it at a later date, as he had stolen it from his home. He departed soon after, intending to return soon after, but he never did. Ul’karra met his end in battle far away and the facility and the sword were utterly forgotten.
However, just because the sword was forgotten did not mean that this powerful Dark Side artefact just switched off. Far from it, the Dark Side coming from the weapon, combined with the power of the area naturally and the other Rakata tech, formed a nexus of power which grew to encompass a small area of the forest. Creatures near to this nexus were warped or changed by the Force energy, whilst the area around it assumed a heavy taint of the dark energy.
When the Vashyada reached Yarkul and settled in the deep forests they eventually stumbled upon the nexus. Light Side by inclination and fearful of the mind clouding effects of the area, they called it the ‘Dark Heart of the Forest’ and shunned it. Yet, the allure of the darkness and the power it offered always drew away a handful each generation to brave the shadows. Few of these returned, and those which did were forever changed, yet the siren song continued, and each who fell added their own spirits to the nexus.
Some sort out the Dark Heart for more noble reasons however. A single tree strong in the Light exists deep in the Heart, and from its sap a balm can be made to heal poisons and injuries. For many of the shamans and druids of the Vashyada this was a rite of passage to overcome their fears and prove their strength. Many of these initiates did not return, or fell to the darkness, but those that did emerged with a greater strength in the Light, their confidence strengthened by their resolute conquering of the trials before them.
In more recent times Tylania herself, unofficial guide and spiritual leader of the Vash, has gone to the Heart several times. For Tylania it is a trial to ensure that she has truly put aside the darkness she started with and is still on the path of the Light. Sometimes she goes to rescue the lost, other times to defeat some of the beasts twisted by the darkness, but it is never an easy challenge. Ever the Heart tempts her with visions of what she might be and what she might do, but this drives the Paragon’s determination all the more.
One of those who sought the Heart was Vailkai, a Vash who followed the Light and who was a considerable healer. She delved into the Heart to find a cure for her dying brother, and after many trials she reached the Healing Tree and obtained her reward from it. The journey though a success had left its mark on the Vash and ever afterwards she would be haunted by what she saw, but would discuss it only with Tylania and others who had passed the trials.
For now though the Dark Heart is an officially restricted area. Keeping resourceful and intrepid seekers out is difficult however, so drones were initially deployed to keep watch. However, as so many of these were lost due to unexplained accidents and were too dangerous to recover, the Vash and Firemane are seeking a new solution, possibly utilising beings which are Force Dead or protected from Dark Side influence by unusual means.
