The Dream of Reason

[Sage Bane]

His eyes never leaving the giant undulating shadow creature, who stared back at him with those soulless glowing orbs, he turned his attention back to Darth Raven. She handed him the dagger and bade him to continue the ritual himself to round out the pack.

He grasped the hilt of the dagger and, hitching a breath, sliced the serrated edge into his own flesh, deeply enough to draw out the amount of blood needed for four more shadow creatures. Painstakingly, Sage continued the ritual, chanting the words exactly the same way each time and adding his blood to the mixture. Soon five Sith familiars born from his own shadow hunched around the room, panting and growling, their hides made of swirling dark energy, their red eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

Sage smiled widely with his chin lifted, studying his pack like a proud father.

"I shall call them the Hadzuska Rowa," he said with a sweep of his hand, invoking the High Sith language that he had been studying. He turned to Darth Raven who was watching his progress with a pleased expression.

"How do I control them, Lady Raven?"

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Ravne stood to the side and watched as [member="Sage Bane"] completed the ritual enough times to create his pack of five wolf familiars. Raven was impressed that he was picking up on the enchanting and all so easily. She had done the same though back in her first days of learning and perfecting she had made one minor mistake or another. That had been the first crow familiar she made, which was the smallest compared to all the others. Ironically that one, being her first, was the command familiar she used to send all her thoughts and so forth through to the others when using a giantic army of them.​

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She nodded when he's given them the name of the Hadzuska Rowa before he asked how to control them. "Start with the first one." she said, walking over to him. She stood behind Bane before saying "You have to feel the connection. Concentrate. Only the first one. And then visualize what you want it to do, and it shall be so."​

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage stared at his shadow beasts in wonderment as Darth Raven took her place behind him. She instructed him to start with one Hadzuska Rowa and visualize what you wanted it to do. He picked the magnificent beast on the outermost left side of the pack. Its red eyes glittered as it regarded its master with a snort. His face spread into an enthralled smile as he visualized the beast walking towards him, and offering up its shadowy head for a gentle pat. As he touched the creature's misty black form, his hand felt as if it were assaulted by in a cold and unforgiving draft from a frozen tundra. He shivered and pulled his hand away.

The illusionist was taking to Alchemy like a duck to water. His former Master Matsu had been obsessed with knowledge, and he felt as if he finally understood her compulsion to travel the galaxy to seek it. There was no such thing as knowledge for knowledge's sake. The more knowledge you sought, the more cumulative rewards you gained, whether you expected them or not.

He turned to Darth Raven, swiveling his head to face her.

"How do I give it my powers?"


[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Since [member="Sage Bane"] had become a Sith Lord it was understandable that he would take to controlling the familiars faster than she had back when she was an apparentice. Darth Raven continuted to watch while nodding as he progressed. His control was clear and fluid, a good sign. When he asked about using power through a familiar she thought for a moment before saying "Best to show you myself than tell you." A crow familiar sprang frm her shadow and found a nearby perch. She gestured to it while saying "You have to fully connect with the familiar and focus your thoughts and, by extention, your own self through it. Feel it's body..." the crow seemed to react, flapping it's wings. "...and it's mind..." It now crowed "...and finally, when you feel enough connection, you have to visualize a power of your own and using it. Only not through your hands connect to you...but the hand that is now connected with the familiar." After a moment the crow opened it's beak and fired a small stream of Force Lightning. It sparked, hitting a spot on the floor, Raven finishing with the crow flying over to her shoulder. "Never forget that the familiar is more than a construct, it's an extension of yourself, which is why you have so much control over it."​

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage's brown eyes were rapt with attention as one of Darth Raven's shadow crows beat its ethereal wings and slowly rose into the air. The creature opened its beak and a sharp bolt of lightning shot out with a pop. The corner of his lip curled up into a crooked smile.

"Fascinating," Sage mused aloud.

He turned again to one of his newly-made Sith familiars and, channeling the Force through the animal, he visualized what he wanted it to do. The Hadzuska Rowa first let out a long, keening howl, and then opened its mouth to let a bolt of Force lightning fly out at one of Darth Raven's crows. The bolt of electricity zapped the shadow bird right out of the air, and it disappeared in a puff of smoky tendrils.

Sage turned to Darth Raven and gave her a mischievous grin.

"Oops."

[member="Darth Raven"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Raven looked with a slight annoyance as [member="Sage Bane"] destroyed her crow failiar. The remains from the little puff of smoke slithered back into her own shadow. After watching this she looked back to Sage, still annoyed, before saying "Careful, Master Sage. Just because you have this power does not mean you should abuse it." Her yellow eyes beamed at him with the intent to prove what would happen for taking advantage of her. She knew more tricks about the familiars that she was not as willing to share anymore. She crossed her arms and waited for his next reaction and/or question.​