The Dream of Reason

[Sage Bane]

Sage Bane, Sith illusionist could plague a doomed soul with visions of abysmal monsters that were as real as the nose in front of his victim's face. However powerful those illusions were in smiting enemies with fear and panic, Sage decided it was time to learn about the creation of more tangible creatures. Illusions took an incredible amount of focus, and focus was a luxury on the battlefield. By learning Sith Alchemy, Sage could make the imaginary monsters real. The ancient art of Sith Alchemy had always intrigued the Sith Knight, and so Sage went asking around. The name that lingered on everyone's lips for Alchemy training was a young Sith Knight and academic by the name of Darth Raven.

According to sources close to Darth Raven, she spent much of her time in the library at the Sith Temple on Coruscant. So that's where Sage headed. Clad in a dark black cloak, with his face half shadowed underneath his hood, Sage opened the door to the library with a handwave and silently entered. He cast his gaze around the room looking for the Alchemist herself. She did not know he was coming to study with her, but that didn't matter.

When a favor was needed from the Hand of the Dark Lord, calenders tended to clear off pretty quickly.

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

The quiet clandestine tone of the library always drew Darth Raven away from the rest of the temple; or even the world itself. She found deep solace in reading, be it stories or notes or history or theories. Physical copies or holonotes. It matter little. As long as she had something to read and let her mind be at work Raven was content as ever. The best part was when reading would reveal a secret, or bring a new idea to mind. Raven felt the need to keep her mind at work. Ever the astute and studying student she was even before coming into the life of a force user. And why she chose the Sith over the Jedi was always something of the same answer: she knew what they told and preached was the real power. She believed in their words far deeper than the Jedi's rabble. She knew that the archives of the Sith would hold far more information than most.​

​

As she continued to read she began to feel a presence approach. She'd been sitting at a small corner of the library with a window to look out to Courascant. She occupied one of the chairs on both sides of a small table that sat in the middle. When she'd felt the presence coming closer it became all the more apparent whoever it was wanted to speak with her. She sighed before closing the book, knowing she would need to keep in mind where she left off while dealing with whoever it was coming to meet with her today.​

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[member="Sage Bane"]​

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage spied a figure engrossed in her studies sitting in a dim, windowed corner of the library. He titled his head to examine her and confirmed that she fit the description of Darth Raven. There was an empty chair at her table, so he simply slid into it, like a phantom, uncovering his dark black hood at the same time. Sage studied the diminutive woman. Black wavy hair, blue eyes, porcelain skin. Raven looked more girl-next-door than Sith Knight, but he knew full well that looks could be deceiving.

"Darth Raven I presume," he said with a polite smile and a bow of his head.

"My name is Sage Bane, and I am here to learn what you know about Sith Alchemy."

Sage spoke as if Darth Raven didn't have a choice in the matter, and well, let's face it, she probably didn't. With one degree of separation between Sage and arguably the most powerful being in the galaxy, "yes" would be the only answer that wasn't complete suicide.

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

When he'd introduced himself as [member="Sage Bane"] Raven already knew the authority and position he held. She bowed her head before saying "Very nice to have you here, Master Sage." After that he made it clear he was interested to learn in the arts of Sith Alchemy. She nodded before putting the book down onto the table and saying "I know some spells. Not many, but some. Enough that can hopefully satisfy whatever goal you hope to gain with this new power." She overlooked him for a moment, noting his very suave features. Sort of the 'cool guy in school' face and attitude. She could understand his want for power then. "I wonder, what sort of alchemy you were hoping to learn exactly?" ​

 

[Sage Bane]

"Thank you Darth Raven," he said. "A head start is all that I'm looking for, no more, no less."

When she asked him what kind of spells he wanted to learn, there was no hesitation.

"My most specialized skill as a Sith Knight is the art of illusions. I can create monsters so nightmarish, that battle-hardened soldiers have fallen dead from fright right on the battlefield. Some of these illusions are even powerful enough to kill, but the lethal ones take an incredible amount of focus. In some battles, I cannot afford to leave myself open while I'm casting. It is a weakness.

As Sage's Master Matsu Xiangu had taught him, weakness was death.

"I would like to learn how to create monsters. Tangible ones with claws and teeth, that can rend and tear a foe, without so much as a handwave from me. Can you teach me this, Darth Raven?"

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

When he explained what he wanted she felt more confident she could oblige him. Her hand rested on her chin and a smile started to grow on her face as he described the sort of 'monsters' he wanted to create. When he finished she stood and said "Come with me." gesturing with her fingers. She would lead him out of the library and out towards one of the nearest balconies of the temple itself She made sure the lighting was right, the moon shining towards them, before asking him to stand to the side. "Allow me to demonstrate the sort of power you can achieve with the skill I will teach. Only to demonstrate, and then I'll allow you to decide what exactly you wish to conjure for yourself."​

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She turned with her body facing the moon so that her own shadow seemed to stretch further and further back from where she stood. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, taking the time to focus her mind and control. Her eyes had gone from steel blue to a more Sith-powered yellow. From her own shadow popped out a pair of wings made from what seemed like pure darkness. A small crow with pure red eyes flew out and perched itself on her shoulder. Darth Raven stroked it's head before allowing it to fly off. Soon it was followed into the air by ten more shadow birds. And then ten more. Twenty more. Forty more. An entire murder of crows, all cawing and flapping their wings, flew from her shadow and into the air. A total of 500 crow familiars, the constructs as they were called, flew around in almost a storm-like manner. They were all following the first crow she summoned, which was the smallest, and though it she was able to command all of them.​

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She turned back to [member="Sage Bane"] , her eyes still a laze of yellow, as she asked "Is this the sort of power you seek?"​

 

[Sage Bane]

She lead him out of the library and out on a balcony that looked out over the Coruscant skyline. The cool night air, blew back a few strands of his dusky brown hair as he watched Darth Raven conjure a raven from the shadows. Then, the ravens multiplied from one to one hundred, then five hundred. As the sky blackened with a swirling storm of Darth Raven's shadow ravens, Sage's eyes gleamed.

"Impressive," he said, pursing his lips.

The power would compliment his skills quite nicely.

"Yes, dear Lady of Ravens, this is the power I seek. Can I be taught to make creatures other than avian ones?" He looked at one of the shadow crows and with a smile, added. "No offense."

Tapping his chin, his eyes rose to one of Coruscant's four moons as he mused on his next words, and then he elaborated further.

"Does it have to be an animal of nature? Or could I make a more infernal creature that crawls upon the ground, deformed and pestilent? With beady eyes and thin razor sharp claws? Something that looks like it would crawl onto your belly in the middle of the night and steal your breath? An abomination?"

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

After [member="Sage Bane"] had given his admiration for her skills she nodded before snapping her fingers. As he spoke and asked about what sort of familiars he could create the murder of crows of shadow all veered direction back towards her. They flew up and then straight down towards the ground where they all sunk into her own shadow, becoming one with it. It was amazing to think how they all fit into one person's shadow; though given what was required Raven had always though of how much time and precious blood it took out of her to create and control all of them.​

​

Given his request for abominations and other horrific creatures she rubbed her chin while saying "I'm...unsure. The process needed requires the use of known animals of any variation. But there is a limit in terms of size. Nothing as large a say a bantha would do. It would take too much to control and keep whole. But an abomination? It's hard to say. We can certainly try." ​

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage watched Darth Raven's inky black familiars pour back into her shadow and disappear. Where did they go once they despawned? Did they live on another plane? Or did they simply cease to exist?

She wasn't sure if she could make exactly what he wanted, which was a pity. He supposed that if he wanted to, he could dabble in the creation of Sithspawn.

"I see," he acquiesced. "Well, let's get started either way, shall we?" The Sith Knight put out his arm for Darth Raven to take.

Suddenly, his eyes glimmered with a new idea. The young Hand had often been called a guard dog of the Sith, so perhaps he should have a pack.

"What about a sort of shadow hound?" he asked hopefully. "Or wolf?"

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

When he offered his arm she took it, but not in any sincere sort of way. Just as a means to accept his offer, in a sense. [member="Sage Bane"] wasn't exactly Raven's type after all. When they walked and he asked about hounds she nodded and said "Of course. A small pack can be done, given enough time. You only need the necessary mixtures and parts." As they walked she veered them both to the left before running into one of the temple servants. "You go to the pits and find as many canine bones as you can. Bring it down into the labs as soon as possible, or you'll answer to me." The servant nodded before running off, she gesturing for Sage to continue with her. "I will warn that it may take time for you to fully control an entire pack of wolf familiars on your first try. It took me a few months before I was able to gain full control over my storm of crows. But give it time and you'll have control of a force that will be a manifestation of your own dark will. You'll be able to hear and see and speak through them. And, if you're strong enough, focus your own powers through them. For instance there was one time I was able to fire force lighting from my crows. Bringing the term 'storm of crows' in a more literal sense."​

 

[Sage Bane]

As Sage walked with Darth Raven, headed to what he assumed was her Coruscant laboratory, Sage began to feel his adrenaline pulsing through his thin pale frame. The Hand was excited about his shadow hounds. He pictured large red-eyed shadow beasts with teeth and claws, pouncing on his foes and ripping them to shreds. He still had so many lingering questions about the power. So he took their walk as a chance to get all of his curiosity sated.

"Do I need to perform the ritual every time I want to summon the hounds? Or is it a one-time ritual?"

He had heard of Nightsisters being able to wield this power as well.

"What is the difference between the Nightsister familiar spell and that of Sith Alchemy?"

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With both questions she answered "No." before further explaining "Once the ritual is complete you will be able to summon your familiars at any time you want. They will live within your own shadow, becoming a part of you. And, in truth, there is not too great a difference from the Nightsister familiars. A few variations here and there, and if I can recall their methods of creating theirs are....slightly less extreme." Began to descend further down into the temple, coming closer to the blows of the constructs itself, while Raven went on with "I will warn you now. While your familiars are part of you they will have limitations. If they are destroyed in battle they will return to you, but you may not be able to summon them again. Like you they will need time to recuperate, as you will to allow your mind time to reconnect with them. And only through an attack of pure lightside energy, something highly strong and effective, can they be destroyed forever. If that should ever happen you will feel a great pain, as if your soul as been torn by some unseen hand. It will be painful. And it will be something you may never wish to endure again..... I found out the hard way."​

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[member="Sage Bane"]​

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage listened closely to Darth Raven's exposition, nodding his head. Her warnings about the creatures' limitations did not surprise him. Nor did her revelation that upon the creature's destruction, the master of them would feel great pain. Pain was always the price you paid for the possession of great powers. Every trial Sage had endured since he had joined the Sith, rigorous training with Matsu Xiangu, the fitting and maintenance of his Vong biot. Not a day went by without some kind of physical pain. It showed in the young man's eyes and the creases that had began to form in the flesh of his chalk-white face.

"I am used to pain, My Lady," he admitted and with a mournful laugh added, "All of life is pain and suffering."

It was a phrase that Master Xiangu, the Final Beast, had once said to the young Hand after he had cut off his own arm in the middle of battle, and it was a phrase that echoed relentlessly in his head from that moment on.

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

She gave a little huff to his answer before saying "I try not to be so morbid, despite my own....sufferings." She said, hesitant on recalling what had brought her pain. She did not wish to go any further with it and thankfully she did not have to. By that point they'd reached the bottom-most staircase and came to the door leading into the the alchemy lab. The room, upon entering, seemed old and almost abandoned. In truth it was just not used as often as one would think. There was a small table with a large cabinet overhead, something Darth Raven immediately went to. She left [member="Sage Bane"] to watch while she gathered the needed potions and concoctions from the cabinet. Placing them on the desk and examining the she fiddled about, brushing off old labels to make sure they were the right ones while seeing if there was enough. A knock soon came with Raven saying "That will be the bones. Let the servant in and then tell hi to wait outside." While Sage did she pulled out a piece of chalk, looking to a clearing in the room and smirking.​

 

[Sage Bane]

"With all due respect, Darth Raven, it isn't morbid thinking at all. It's an acceptance of reality."

The two Sith entered a modest-looking alchemy lab. At first glance it hardly looked like the type of place in which dark rituals would take place, much less Sith ones.

"Plus, pain more closely connects us to the Dark Side of the Force," he added. "As Sith we need pain just as much as we need air and water."

At the knock on the door, Sage was instructed to let in the servant who would bring the necessary bones. The servant scurried in and deposited the bones on the middle table, then scurried back out again. Sage looked over Darth Raven's shoulder curiosity. She seemed to be drawing something.

"What kind of bones did you say these were again?"

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Raven was on her knees carefully drawing out the ruins and seals and so forth needed for the familiar spell to work. As he the bones were brought in she only glanced up for a moment before [member="Sage Bane"] had asked. "Canine. As I said. Not to worry though. No matter where they came from when this is over they'll still be wolf-like in apperance." She continued to work until the seal was finally finished, Raven standing and dusting herself off before gathering both the ixtures and s ahndful of bones. She placed them all on the ground and began to mix the in together. The bones were placed in a neat and seperate order before being doused in the alchemy mixtures. A green haze began to spew from it all before Raven stood and said "One more thing." She drew a knife from her pocket and indicated for Sage to give her his hand.​

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage watched Darth Raven draw a painstakingly detailed seal in chalk on the floor. Onto the seal went the bones, placed in a neat an intricate pattern. Almost beautiful. Next, the alchemist took a plethora of potions and liquids from the shelves, and poured a mixture of the chemicals on the bones. The bones sizzled and the pile began to emit a greenish smoke that wafted through the laboratory.

As Darth Raven turned to the Hand of the Dark Lord, something shiny flashed in her hand. A sharp knife was brandished. Then Raven asked him for his hand. He should have known this was coming, as almost all Sith rituals involved bloodletting. He cleared his throat and then placed his hand in hers, palm facing upward. With an edge of intensity in his brown eyes, Sage waited to see what Darth Raven would do next.

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With his hand in place Raven took the knife and made a small pick on his finger. She turned his hand downward and allowed but a single drop to fall into the mixture. That appeared to be all that was needed. She let his hand go before putting the dagger away and holding out her hands. She closed her eyes and began to recit the incantation that, as she spoke, drew in all the haze and mixtures and so forth into one large conoction that began to move.​

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"Redde haec ossa, ligabis ea in umbra, ex vita nova cudere sanguinem obtulerunt."​

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By the time she came to the last verse [member="Sage Bane"] would see his own shadow being drawn into the mix before feeling a sudden ping. The mist of green finally subsided enough for both of them to see a large shadowy beast emerge from the center. The bones were gone. The seal of chalk was gone. All that stood there now was a large brutish wolf familiar, made from pure shadows and with two beaming eyes of red.​

 

[Sage Bane]

A prick of the knife violated his skin, and with a flush spreading up his cheeks, Sage drank in the pain like a sweet wine. His gaze followed the drop as it plopped into the pile of bones, adding his own dark essence to the alchemical mixture. Then Darth Raven extended her hands in front of her body and began to chant.

Sage could feel a stirring on and around the fetid pile, and saw the green mist thicken. During the last verse of her incantations, something very strange happened. It was as if his shadow was pulled from his body and poured into the mixture on the floor. The act itself felt like a very subtle ripping at the fabric of his soul, and it caused the young Hand to grit his teeth from the discomfort. It wasn't painful, necessarily, just different.

Finally when the green haze subsided, there stood a magnificent canine shadow best, shaped like a wolf, with glittering red eyes. It looked cruel and hungry, and best of all, it was all his. He smiled widely at the beast, matching it with a wolfish grin of his own.

"It's beautiful," he said with a tinge of amazement in his light brown eyes.

He whipped his head excitedly to Darth Raven. "How many can I have in a pack?"

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Raven smiled, having pleased one of the hands of the Dark Lord. The wolf was a beauty to behold. While she had not seen any others aside from crows Darth Raven herself had heard of the many different beasts that were created into familiars. She recalled how her master had taught some empress of a lesser known planet the same trick, allowing her to create up to three different familiars; two being a crow and wolf as Raven and [member="Sage Bane"] , while the other was a giant serpent. Now able to see one for herself Raven was supried and astounded by the huffing, furry beast.​

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When he asked Raven looked to the bones and counted, giving an estimation of "I would say up to five. For now. But if you plan to make more you'll need time before you can summon all at once. For the time being only one each time. I can, of course, try to help you with controlling them. Though, if I may, I'd like you to have the honor of trying for yourself." She held out the dagger and said "Only one drop needed for each."​