Faction The Eternal Pilgrimage (Jedi Pilgrims/Jedi Coalition/Outer Rim Light Siders)

[Tiland Kortun]

Eira Pechal

Despite his long affiliation with the Jedi Praxeum, Svivren Jedi Enclave, and the present successors, the Jedi Coalition, Tiland had never made it to the secretive world of Eira Pechal. Not that there was much to see, comparatively. But it was still a fascinating world, founded by survivors of a doomed colonization project and led by sn ancient Jedi Master.

He wasn’t sure what brought him here this time, but the guidance of the Force had been clear. It had guided him from world to world, from the smalls settlements and towns to here, a praxeum in one of the spring canyons.

Jedi moved about their business as he entered the gates, sensing the strength of the Force growing here, as the community developed and grew strong. Many waved and nodded, to which he responded in mind. This was where he had been brought, although he didn’t know why, not was this quite the final destination either. Yet his instincts told him to wait. There was information he did not yet know or someone who had not yet arrived. The sensation was unclear still, but he had patience, and was willing to wait.

He took a seat on the ground, not far from where he could see the canyon. Some Jedi came and spoke to him, briefly, on news of the outside world. He answered in what ways he could while his hands busied themselves with heating water on a brazier. He frowned as he considered the herbs in his bag. Was he looking for something in particular? That, he didn’t know. Clarity, perhaps. Truth. Insight. Wisdom. A revelation for his purpose. There were more than he could count.

After a moment, he selected a handful of leaves from the satchel. This was a wild world, so he picked some of the stronger tasting ones and ones most potent for clearing the mind and calming the senses to feel the flow of the Force most strongly. These he bruised in his hands and then dropped them in a small bronze bowl he carried with him, followed by a small pestle, which he used to crush and grind the leaves. The work was slow and methodical as made sure to work through the leaves evenly and to the right texture. With that done, cast a small portion into a small teapot, set above the brazier as the water heated.

Such was the way of the Force. But it would bring those it willed to be there in its time. It always did.

 

[Myri Oakheart]

The Neti, in her more human form, hefted the pack higher on her back as she trekked across the surface in the direction the Force was sending her. A breeze wafted in her face and carried the faintest hint of a familiar scent. She frowned, wrinkled her brow, and reached into the Force.

He was here already. It had been some time since they had crossed paths after the initial formation of the Jedi Pilgrims, yet it seemed the Force had brought them back together again. Not that she minded any. It was always good to meet her old Master again, when the circumstances were not violent. They could sit and drink tea in silence for hours, simply observing and feeling the flow of the Force. Yet Tiland always managed to get more about her and her experiences from that than even she did.

Experience, she guessed, as she came around the last bend in the trail to see the praxeum just ahead of her. It looked cozy enough, and bustling for such a small world. That was good.

As she approached the gate, she could just make out the familiar form of Tiland Kortun, sitting to face away from the entryway and overlook the canyon, with the tea set clearly visible, but small from this distance. That would be who the Force was guiding her to, but he wasn’t the only one. Others would be coming, she felt, though there was no indication of who they might be.

She got a few looks as she entered the gate, and warm greetings. Always curiosity and surprise to see her white hair, tattoos, and unusual ears. She slipped through them to where Tiland was.

“So the Force brings us back together, Master,” Myri said, taking a seat on her pack as she set it down.

 

[Gnoll]

One would think a being this size would make more noise, but his relatively slow movements and wide feet certainly helped. In his left hand was a stone. He liked this planet, but specifically this area, all of the nature around him felt like it gave him life. Gave him energy, yet kept him at peace. He made no attempt to hide what he was, a Neti. If anything he avoided that confusion, standing at around 4.3 meters (14 ft) most of the time he wasn't easy to miss. Even if someone didn't hear the footsteps, they would very likely see the approach.

Bring a stone, and place it as part of the temple. An ever growing, ever being made, temple. It was not as much about the structure itself, as it was about growth. That was what Gnoll believed anyway. The Jedi Order would likely never be perfected. Yet, they must strive always towards betterment. There would be those who fell to the dark, there would be mistakes even of those in the light, but the search for good was necessary. However long it took to get there.

He walked through the path, taking care not to destroy anything as he went, his feet spread wide to allow his weight to be more distributed over the steadiest parts of the ground. He bowed his head to all as he entered, and then felt a familiar presence. "Hmmmmmm." he raised his head and turned it slowly to see Tiland Kortun and Myri Oakheart.

A deep and slow chuckle emerged from the jedi knight as he took a few large steps closer, bowing his head towards the two, before he crouched to be of somewhat closer height, even if he was still overlooking them at the moment. "Excuse me friends. But there was a scent I hadn't had in..." he paused thinking over it, "A long time."

His words were slow. His movements were slow. He saw no need to rush. Even when greeting someone he remembered from a long time ago. However he would not completely disregard Myri either, turning his head slowly to see her, "And hello. Of you I am not familiar. I am Gnoll Barr." a slow friendly smile came across his face as he looked at the two, waiting to see their reactions.

The only time you needed to rush, was if there was something that needed to be rushed to. And even then, care must be taken. Mistakes were much more common when acting too fast.

 

[Myri Oakheart]

Gnoll

If there was one thing she had not been expecting, it was to meet Tiland again. And now that had happened, a second highly unlikely event had occurred. She felt it first in the Force, a sense of stillness, like a deep pool or a mossy boulder in the wood, unaffected by what happened around it. Shortly after, it was the sensation of tremors beneath her feet. Not an earthquake, but of something very heavy walking.

She craned her head back to look behind and could have fallen out of her chair. Not because there was a very large tree carrying a boulder towards them. Well, that wasn't quite true. It was because there was a giant tree. More shockingly, the reason was because it was a giant tree, not unlike her own true form if she had wanted to change it up, but she preferred the anonymity.

He spoke and introduced himself and she considered, before speaking, choosing Neti rather than Basic to speak in: "I am Oora'nal, though I go by Myri in Basic. It is a surprise to meet another of our kind here, but certainly pleasant. I haven't met any more of us since I left my homeworld."

She switched back to Basic. "I didn't realize you knew so many Neti in the galaxy, Tiland? Any other secrets you've been hiding?"

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Tiland looked up from his tea, which now had ripples radiating out from the center of the cup that be poured for Myri. But then he smiled after a moment and waved behind him without looking, waiting for them to speak.

“Jedi Gnoll , how good to see you again! It’s been a few centuries too many since our paths last crossed!” He turned in his chair and added more water to the kettle. “I fear don’t quite have a cup for tea large enough for you that way. But this, my friend, is Myri Oakheart, to use her traveling name. She is my former apprentice, now a full knight fulfilling her own destiny.”

His eyebrows knit together at the sight of the stone. “But tell me, why are you carrying a rock like that? I don’t recall you habitually carrying a rock.”

He poured the second cup of tea and handed it to Myri, who took it without much thought. “Myri and I were just discussing possibilities for why the Force brought here. Would you have any information to shed on the subject?”

Tiland paused to consider for a moment and then grinned. “As for secrets, Myri, I have far more than I can keep track of.”

 

[Gnoll]

Gnoll grew another smile as he heard Myri Oakheart speak in the Neti tongue. He gave a nod in response. "It is a pleasure. It has been some time for me as well. But, I took a bit of a nap." nap was an exaggeration. He was 'asleep' for centuries after his battle. Gnoll was also a bit surprised to meet another of his race here, and specifically that it was with Tiland. Then again, in spite of the chances, was it really a shock Tiland would have met more?

He released another deep hum of agreement as Tiland Kortun mentioned how long it had been since they last met. That was a good while. He hummed again as Tiland saying he didn't have a cup quite large enough for him. And introduced Myri as his 'former' apprentice who was now a knight herself. "Ahh, congratulations. Perhaps you will progress faster than me. I am still a knight." he said slow as usual, "And do not worry, I shall simply take the kettle." he reached out his large hand, and two littler stick like appendages extended from his pointer and thumb as if to grab for the pot before simply watching for the reaction and returning his hands to himself. In spite of his age, well, relative age. Gnoll would never quite let humor fade.

Gnoll held up the rock as Tiland addressed it, "The temple. I believe this is flat enough to stack nicely." he assumed Tiland would know, even if he did ask. He also inquired about Gnoll's idea's about the force and this place. Gnoll leaned back as he sat himself, looking into the sky before finally speaking. "The force does as it does. And when it wants us to know, we will if we listen. Possibly, there is something we need to do. Perhaps not here. Perhaps, all it is, is to talk. Or simply be." He shrugged. Gnoll wasn't one for complex assumptions about the force. "With time, we may be told."

The Neti hummed, almost like a chuckle this time, "Or perhaps your age is getting to you." he said quietly, leaning over to Myri slightly, "It's all the tea." his mouth, though hidden slightly by what could be called a beard. Was still in a visible enough grin. It was of course, only cheerful fun. "I only jest. It has been some time since I met someone I knew. Tiland is much too patient to be angered by me here."

 

[Samatharis]

​

Jedi Praxeum, Eira Pechal

Samatharis landed her X-Type nearer the Academy. Disembarking with a flutter of her soft brown cloak.

"Stay with the ship R1."

She withdrew a small wooden box from her vessel's cargo and wrapped it in fine cloth. Then she raised her soft brown hood and traversed her way to the campus. She would make only a small delivery today. Nothing more.

Yet. Just before she entered the threshold of the far-away settlement. She felt a beacon in the Force. Something was drawing her. Pulling her. Calling to her in soft white whispers. Something in the Force.

"Interesting." She mused with sharp eyes to the glittering horizon. "Mmm. Perhaps."

She retreated into the Academy to make her original delivery. Then. Perhaps. She would investigate further.


* * *

Samatharis, garbed in a long fur cloak, arrived to find Tiland Kortun , Myri Oakheart , and Gnoll . All gathered together in a very unfamiliar spot.

"Mas mychal, Good Masters." She gave a soft bow of her head, "Pardon the interruption. I was called of the Force. And yet, I do not know why."

She unveiled her soft hood and let her sharp features gaze around the area. Introducing herself as she investigated.

"Knight Samatharis. Of Juthrand Academy."

Her eyes never left the parameter and her feet stood firm with a grand warrior's presence. Yet her aura was strong in The Light. Quiet and calm.

"Is this, a special occasion?"

Her eyes flickered with a musing, playful intensity. Unsure, fascinated, and eager to discover more.

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Gnoll Samatharis

Tiland leaned back comfortably in the small seat and gazed over the chasm as Gnoll spoke, readjusting himself to the slower cadences of the ancient Neti. He sipped the tea, casually, and then sat back up again as Gnoll mentioned the temple. "The temple, you say? Not this one? It's already finished, is it not?" He merely smiled and waved off the comments about too much age and too much tea, though he laughed softly at the comment about the kettle. "But of course. Why would you not? Next time I shall remember to carry a proper cauldron around me."

He stared into the tea as he contemplated the incidences of them all coming together at the same time and the same place, especially on one so far out from the rest of the galaxy. This was a backwater world by all definition and by all intents. It was so isolated it didn't even appear on the normal maps. Only the Jedi Praxeum maps had it charted as far he was aware.

Another Jedi appeared and he poured another cup of tea. "Jutrand academy, you say? Delightful! I have only visited it briefly, and never for long. Called by the Force, you say?"

He clasped his hands together as he considered. "And is it a special occasion? I do not know, although we seem to have all been called here for some purpose. And I suspect..."

His voice trailed off. "I suspect it has something do with the stone that Gnoll is carrying." His face lit up for a moment and he stood, bowing. "Tiland Kortun, sometimes called Jedi Master. Of no permanent location, but I roam the Outer Rim most frequently."

 

[Myri Oakheart]

Myri raised her cup of tea in salute to Gnoll as he spoke. "Master Tiland told me he wouldn't grant me the rank of master until I fully mastered myself." She gave a grimace as she quoted the words. "Whatever that's supposed to mean. And so I suspect I will not be advancing much faster than you." She shrugged and laughed. "Who needs it though? I don't."

What surprised her, was that Tiland and Gnoll knew each other. But perhaps she shouldn't. If there was one thing Master Tiland was good at, it was knowing people, especially others who wander as the Force guided them. She shifted in her seat as the newcomer approached and grinned.

"Myri Oakheart, Jedi Knight. Also itinerant. Primarily out of the Susefvi chapterhouse." She gave a nod and sat up straighter as they started speaking about the stone. She leaned over and shifted through her backpack, pulling out a datapad and sorting through the praxeum information.

She grinned after a moment and held it up. "I think things are making sense. With the temple Gnoll mentioned. it's an in-process temple where those looking to be teachers in some way take a pilgrimage to the site, carrying one stone, which they lay as a symbol of how their work is never finished."

As she spoke, the world seemed to blur for a moment as she caught a glimpse of a series of figures climbing up a long, mostly empty slope. In a moment, it vanished and she was back in the main world.

"Oh," she said after a moment. "It seems to be why we were called here."

 

[Gnoll]

Gnoll appreciated the patience that Tiland Kortun also had for him. Gnoll might look old, and to most races, he very much was, but he had a great many centuries left before he would meet the force, should he not be pushed there. Which was possible. Gnoll hummed in response to the matter of a temple, "A temple unfinished, always growing." he responded simply. Time would bring with it explanation.

He smiled in response to Tiland's comment on bring a cauldron, "True hospitality of an old Master." he said. In truth he really did have respect for Master Tiland. In spite of some of his light joking, he fully considered him someone worthy of the title he had.

The Neti chuckled deeply in response to Myri Oakheart speaking about how she must gain the title of master. But not needing it. "Mmm, we don't truly need any titles. As for yourself, time will tell you one day. Whether it is while you still have a material body or not, it really shouldn't matter." he said. He was of course referring to after 'death' if it could be called that. If it was to be, then it would come in its own time. Whether that meant now or later.

Another approached them, also a presence in the light. "Ahhhh, another Knight. Master Tiland has a gathering. I am Knight, Gnoll Barr." he tipped his head towards her as he looked down, shutting his eyes momentarily in the process. His movements remained as slow as ever. She asked about a special occasion, and it was one of the others that spoke first.

Master Tiland referenced the stone in Gnolls hands, which he held up in the tips of his fingers if Samatharis had not yet seen it properly. Myri went on to speak about the temple. He smiled as he saw her reaction, he had heard of some who saw things. And he wondered if that was what she had seen. He spoke again, "One stone per person. Choose it, bring it, and place it. Each to expand upon the last not just physically, but in the force. Adding onto the temple every time if only by a small increment." He smiled, "Similar, I would say, to the order itself. Each Jedi after another adds to the order, and while my stone may be larger than most, it is no more great on its own account. "

 

[Samatharis]

Samatharis blinked a few times in disbelief. She was rather befuddled by the explanation given by the others.

"Oh? I... See. Hmm. Interesting."

She gave a sour nod towards the stone Gnoll held. Then quickly looked about the area again. Wondering if the nudge of the Force she had felt was indeed entangled about this... Erm. Strange ritual? Maybe?

Anyway. She needed a moment. Samatharis examined the others here present. As if taking them in for the time. Musing coarsely over their every feature. Their every decoration. The uniqueness of their species and their metaphysical presence in the Force. Hmm. Interesting. Only to once again sigh and nod. Unsatisfied. She sensed no dishonesty though. Only a strange kind of sense and a mildly amusing invitation.

"Well." She eventually shrugged. Sounding completely defeated. "Sure. Why not."

Then she frowned and touched her soft lips harshly.

"Erm. ...Tree people first."

Yeah. Perhaps someone else should do the honors?

Gnoll | Myri Oakheart | Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Samatharis Gnoll

Ah, visions of the Force. That elusive, mysterious experience so desired by many Jedi, and yet so rare. The fact that his student had received such a vision brought a faint smile to his lips, though he hid it behind the cup of tea. She would sense his satisfaction and already she had given a nod of recognition.

The newcomer seemed less enthused, which brought another smile that twitched at the ends of his mustache. He waved a hand idly in the air and picked up the cup of tea, extending it to her.

"Why the rush, Knight Samatharis? We are here, we have tea, and there is no urgency that I sense in this call. Come, sit, have some tea."

He smiled broadly and turned to the others, letting his gaze rest on each of them in turn. "You speak wisdom, Gnoll. As I would always expect from one of your experience."

Ancient hands wrapped around the cup of tea he held as he lifted it to his lips, considering it. "I did wonder what it was that brought us together and why the Force called us." Another smile quirked across his face. "Though as much as I regret it, the Force rarely calls us together to drink tea. Though the reason for this, I cannot hazard a guess."

He shrugged. "So, perhaps we shall drink tea while we contemplate the reasons for this call."

 

[Myri Oakheart]

Samatharis Gnoll

Myri raised an eyebrow at whether she would have a material body or not by the time she mastered herself. She hoped that wouldn't be the case, because for a Neti, that would be a very, very, very long time, unless she was killed in battle. Not that it meant very much to be a Jedi Master when she didn't belong to a formal order with a strict hierarchy. But still, it frustrated her to not have that level.

Which, ironically, that frustration was exactly the problem. It was something she was working on with her intentions in meditation and training. Come to terms with herself and her own shortcomings. Accept them and let them go. It was not something particularly easy for her.

"Where did you learn about this ritual?" Myri asked, directing it to Gnoll. "I never would have thought to look it up had you not mentioned."

 

[Gnoll]

Gnoll smiled at the raise of an eyebrow given by Myri Oakheart. Her challenge was greater than his, and he was far more willing to take time getting to master, or at least, getting called one. Though he didn't know just who he would ask such a question to. Perhaps Tiland. Or perhaps he would simply be told. Much of Gnoll's challenge to reach the rank of master lied in actually strengthening his skills in the force. That was something that only took time and effort. Hers was a more complicated task.

Samatharis had a less slow way of acting, and seemed to have less certainty. "There is no need for confusion. You must simply go from one thing to the next as time passes." he said. These were not necessarily very helpful, yes they were advice. But they primarily helped people with personalities closer to Gnoll's, even if they didn't have the patience, it made sense to him.

Tiland Kortun was also in no rush. Quite content to have tea for now. He also complimented Gnoll who gave a nod and simple smile under 'the beard' "Thank you." he responded. Indeed he was right though, the force was not usually interested in simple sessions for tea. Those were for people's own time, though Gnoll was inclined to believe that even something so simple could fall in line.

Myri asked Gnoll a question about where he learned the ritual. He let out a hum in thought looking at the sky, "Traders know many things they do not understand the value of. I heard it first from one of them, then did my own studies."

He folded his arms together thinking still, every action taking its time, "When we reach the time, each may gather their own. And we may all bring them together. Such action may take up little time of our own, but, it will take up its own time for much longer. Thus we have increased the time of our actions."

 

[Samatharis]

Sam listened as Gnoll described moving from one thing to next. Well. That didn't seem very hard at all. Hmm. Interesting.

She shrugged and moved to join Tiland Kortun for tea. Being from Rulon, a metropolitan human world, she preferred caf. However, the ritual of tea was not lost on her and considered a welcome sight indeed. Not like today required strong caf anyway. She smiled and gave the old man a nod.

"I'm all from a warm drink while contemplating. Thank you."

She remained standing however. Even as Tiland served the group. Still unsure of how to acquire her own stone just yet. Mmm. Perhaps the Force would provide a clue?

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Samatharis Gnoll

"Fascinating," Tiland said, considering the meanings of the various words. His hands busied themselves making some more tea as he contemplated the meaning of the events that brought them all together. He poured another and passed it to Samatharis and leaned back in his seat as he considered.

"Please, sit," He pulled over another chair and set it against the table. "So, Samatharis, tell us about yourself. Gnoll I know from a few hundred standard years ago. Myri was my apprentice for many years."

He tapped his chin for a moment. "You were at young Caedyn's meeting on Jutrand, were you not?"