Faction The Hirata Reformation | Lightsworn

[Shinzou Ashina]

[ Theme ]

Shinzou Ashina

| Location | Hirata Estate​

| Objective | Homecoming​

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The call had been heard and the wandering Jedi would heed its message. Upon having received and read the message that hailed from his near-forgotten home and kin Shinzou had figured it was time to return from exile and journey from across the stars to finally come to a place he thought would be beyond his reach. Home.​

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Upon arriving at the Hirata Estate, he was met with mixed emotions from fellow kin; some were joyous to see his return, others with looks of scorn. Regardless, he came for one reason, and one alone - to offer up his blades and resolve in service of the Light. Shinzou stepped into the assembly with his arms folded across his chest, his singular eye scanning across the faces of those present. They certainly came from all walks of life, having followed their own variations on what it meant to serve the light. But one thing was certain and irrefutable despite the differing opinions present - The Sith had been allowed to recuperate their numbers after being pushed to near extinction and now like roaches had returned to infest the Galaxy.​

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His hat cast a shadow over his face as his gaze focused on the primary speaker for this meeting. Though it had been probably twenty or thirty something years since he last laid eyes on them, there was no disputing the energy and atmosphere that this individual brought was his younger cousin. A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he listened to his kin speak - This meeting was not for the pacifists or those who wished to sit back and be peaceful. It was for those who understood the gravity of the situation and were willing to put forth the sacrifice needed to make the galaxy safer.​

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[Siyndacha Aerin]

ASPECT OF FROST
HIRATA ESTATE ☛ ASHINA OUTSKITS ☛ ATRISIA
Inosuke Ashina • Henna Ashina • Ishida Ashina • Shinzou Ashina
Bernard • Kyric • Kaleleon • Sol Dara
Heinrich Faust • Tyrus Vastor • Sera Rosh • Ikon
Fallon Draellix-Kobitana • Castian Vero

"What is the sacrifice you all will make to defeat this darkness?"

Towards the rear fringe of the assembled, stood a chalk-pale woman in Echani fighting leathers, a white cloak, and the two hilts that had hardly left her side for the better part of nearly three decades, a faint downturn working into her lips at those words. The... to her more pertinent question resting on her tongue. Though she was Echani, that only went so far, a fact made clear anytime she spoke and the inflection of the former Imperial capital came out. Amplified just enough, by grace of the Force, for everyone to hear.

"What will you do to succeed in this... crusade, where Jedi for tens of thousands of years have failed?"

Her tone calm, even. This had been at the core of her uncompromising views on both the Jedi and the Sith alike for most of her life, but Sith had always invoked her disgust in particular.

"The putrid, festering infection that is the Sith," that frown deepened, "must be cut out, whatever the cost."

​

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Scorn met the reptile, hot in his eyes and dripping like acid from his words.

“Keep your virtues, I am no Jedi. You are a tool. If you will not help, if they will not,” he gestured with his chin at the bickering leaders of the so-called light side, “Then you will be discarded.”

Grimly, Tydeus looked away from the Barabel, a dismissal. In softer words, as if only to himself, he muttered “in favor of those that will.”

He did not lecture on how their justice had failed time and again, even the newly arrived Imperial Knights had proved their words hollow, their deeds frail. How else could one explain the cooption of their remnant empire by yet another Sith Emperor, whilst those they’d claimed defeated simply reemerged from the shadows.

Kaine Zambrano still plagued the galaxy, as he had for decades despite all their attempts, despite all their success. He needed to be erased from existence… by whatever means necessary.

Tydeus awaited some decision from these masters of the Force. If they continued to bicker, then they offered him nothing but gilded promises and no way to achieve any of them. How could the side of “right” be so fractured? What would it take to unite them?

 

[Alaric]

Atrisia, a world I'd heard so much about from the friends of my family, the Kobitanas. Would that I could have come to this beautiful world under happier circumstances. Would that I could stand among a crowd of Jedi in high spirits rather than fear and pain. That was what I felt permeating the Hirata Estate, and nobody could be faulted for it. Nobody but the Sith.

I had never been among such a large congregation of Jedi, and to think this was merely a renegade group of idealists, a minority among the order. It had been at my father's behest to come here. Though he had left the New Jedi Order long, long ago, he had done so for the exact same reason as the folks gathered today. Though he had left this world for the beyond, he had brought me into it so I could continue his legacy. Ashlan Crusade, Lightsworn... it didn't matter what the label was, for both movements had been conceived of the same intention: action instead of stagnation.

At first I had been reluctant, feeling out of place. Despite my parents' best efforts I wasn't a warrior. I had fought Sith, and with choked throat and heart beating wild I had slain a handful. It had never inspired a nice feeling, even as righteous as those killings could be. But here, Jedi wanted to kill for their beliefs. Some professed it, others you could simply read it on their faces or in the nodding of their heads along with the lofty speechs.

I too was moved by the words of Inosuke Ashina and Bernard of Arca. Legendary Jedi that had stood against the tide of the darkness once before, and weren't going to back down as the tide returned to shore. They spoke of duty, and I understood. My whole life had been preparing for my duty as a Jedi, up to this moment. The question I had to ask myself in the moment, surrounded by those ready with their blades: what role would I play in a crusade?

As I walked cautiously through the crowd, I caught sight of some people I knew.

Distant was the rugged, war-weary face of my honorary uncle, Heinrich Faust . It was good to see him present among such fierce devotees of the Light, for I knew he had once struggled with the pull of the darkness.

Near to me was a face I certainly hadn't expected, the young scion of the Kobitana clan, Fallon Draellix-Kobitana . The young girl was like a cousin to me, trained in the ways of the Ashlan Jedi by my parents.

"Little Fallon? What are you doing here, kid? Did you come with Uncle Heinrich?"

 

[Henna Ashina]

W A R D E N
Kaleleon Inosuke Ashina Bernard Shinzou Ashina Kyric Sol Dara Heinrich Faust Sera Rosh Ikon Tyrus Vastor Starlin Rand Fallon Draellix-Kobitana @mobile posting sorry if I missed ya

Demands of the crowd sent a prophet’s gaze in search of her children. All three stood in attendance amongst the assembled. Their eldest had already taken up his sword, and would join them in battle. Her daughters would follow suit, eager to join the feast of valor - sooner than she would wish. Ishida Ashina and her host stood beside the heirs. When they had first met, she brandished her saber as a butcher would a cleaver. Time had refined technique. Like a surgeon with his scalpel, she rooted out darkness with deadly accuracy. Those amongst the platform were every bit her brood. Tython had formed an everlasting link between she and Bernard. Kyric and Sol, their successors. The words formed a lump in her throat, born of a mother’s instinct; duty pushed it down, demanding she speak.

“Every ounce of my blood stands amongst you.” Henna spoke up, looking to Kaleleon . “I do not know where their paths end, but I do know each has answered the call to serve, and will do whatever it takes.”

One such had already proved it to be true. Asmundr Varobalder had given his life on Exegol. There was no grand battle to record in their annals. There was only quiet sacrifice, a testament to the Warden’s sacred duty. The very thought it would be in vain set a fire within her.

“We stand on a precipice. The force has granted me a vision of possible paths.”

To many, the timing would seem all convenient. There would be no deception found should any look. Henna made the declaration with a voice of a thousand seers, confident in what their sight had bore witness too. She did not question why it had come after the planets invasion. It was not for her know.

“A warning. Whilst we squabble and sleep, the Sith do more than molest our temples and steal away hope. The Sith’s encroachment on Tython is an affront to the delicate balance of the world. It will take very little time to turn the nexuses away from the light.”

She had already seen it come to fruition. The planet’s wounds, sustained in its previous battle for survival, cried tears of crimson. Wrath manifested in waves. With every pulse, the nodes of energy shifted, a golden sheen becoming an ebony blacker than night. As all the beacons dimmed, so too did those across the galaxy follow.

“Should they tap their power, we will be too late. The vision he possesses for the galaxy will be discovered. We ask not for you to trust in empty promises and idealist’s reveries. I know your ears are weary of such untruths. Instead, raise up your blades along side the pure and stalwart. See the will of the force through, unshackled from chains of bureaucracy or putrefied leadership. If not for the light - then to shift the dark tides upon us.”

 

[Bernard]

Spoiler: OOC

Post quotes cut up for reader convenience rather than for interjection.

But please explain to me how dividing the Jedi Order into rival factions will help you win this war. Tell me how pointing fingers at other Jedi and claiming to be holier-than-thou will solve anything.

"A crusade against who in truth? The Empire? The Sith Order? The other Jedi who have a different value of what it means to be a Jedi? What would be a prophesized end for this crusade?

There was a strategic level to keeping their numbers small. History, too commonly, favoured the precise cut of a scalpel over the disarray of untrained hands with rusted blades. Their war would not be waged to attrition, as a slug-fest of resources, but through decisive strikes against vital targets. They had the mobility, and as Jedi the power, to pull it off. But a pragmatic answer alone did not sate the appetite of the crowd. Discussion of strategy should be done behind tents, not before a crowd.

If you want to destroy the Sith, join the fight. If you truly believe the Order is too passive, know that they are seeking new leaders to guide them as we speak. None of this reformation crap is necessary.”

You seek to bring desolation to the Darkness within all. You seek to bring Justice, vengeance, whatever it may be. Yet, you are shooting at the Jedi Order that had to face that destruction. Why not aid them? Why choose a path of greater resistance, alone?"

"The Sith Order, the Dark Empire, fallen Jedi, each one is but a symptom. We declare a crusade against the Dark Side itself, in every way it manifests. We will not rest until Balance has been restored, and the Light is all that remains.

"As for the Jedi Order, they welcome those branded by the Darkness. I cannot stand side by side with a former Sith and wonder if my ally will sink his dagger into my back. Redemption or not, a Sith cannot be trusted. The Lightsworn are Oathbound, one and all, pure in their intent to destroy the darkness. I can lay my life in their hands and know I will be among friends. That, Starlin, Kaleleon, is the reason I choose this path," Bernard spoke. There was no malice toward the Order he held in his heart. Their path simply no longer intersected with the future he envisioned.

Unable to add any more to his words, he gave way for others to speak their mind to the two, should they wish. In good time, too, as more commotion stirred closeby and made demands of his attention.

A lone prince spoke of his plight. His tale mirrored Bernard's own. A family murdered, a world destroyed. The anger in his eyes, the venom in his voice, they found refuge in Bernard's heart. They had been constant companions for him, the same as they had now become the prince's.

"What will you do to succeed in this... crusade, where Jedi for tens of thousands of years have failed?"

Her tone calm, even. This had been at the core of her uncompromising views on both the Jedi and the Sith alike for most of her life, but Sith had always invoked her disgust in particular.

"The putrid, festering infection that is the Sith," that frown deepened, "must be cut out, whatever the cost."

Bernard descended from the platform to walk among the gathered, overhearing the Siyndacha Aerin 's words. He placed his hand on her shoulder as he walked past with a nod of approval for her message. He had feared the Knights of the New Imperial Order had all disappeared into the long night when Solipsis reemerged. It was heartening to see it was not so. Then, he continued on until he stood before the prince.

“Keep your virtues, I am no Jedi. You are a tool. If you will not help, if they will not,” he gestured with his chin at the bickering leaders of the so-called light side, “Then you will be discarded.”

Grimly, Tydeus looked away from the Barabel, a dismissal. In softer words, as if only to himself, he muttered “in favor of those that will.”

Bernard nodded to Kornon , a greeting and a thanks for his words, then he fixed the prince with steady eyes. The sorry state in which this prince came before them made him appeare like a madman, blinded by a single-minded purpose for vengeance. He knew not the pain the man felt, but he understood the rancor well. The anger he felt, the grief that consumed him, they could be remade to harmonize with something greater, however. Something that could serve the Light.

A man did not have to make himself a beast forever.

"I do not deal in virtues, but in action. The Lightsworn march on the Sith come dawn."

He extended his arm for Tydeus of Tion to take.

"Will you reforge your blade and be among them? Or must I discard the shattered pieces before me for the broken tool they are?"

Inosuke Ashina Henna Ashina Kyric Kaleleon Starlin Rand Alaric Fallon Draellix-Kobitana Shinzou Ashina Sol Dara Heinrich Faust Stennis Fel Ikon Tyrus Vastor

 

[Thelar Grayson]

THE HIRATA REFORMATION

Hirata Estate ⋆ Ashina Outskirts ⋆ Atrisia
________________________________________________________________________
​

The former Grand Marshall was, in the man's retirement, known to the young Grayson only as an uncle, a decades-long friend of his mother from their days in the Order of the Ashlan Knights, but with his emergence another title was added, befitting the older man's status as Thelar's most recent mentor. After being waylaid by the want to observe these people alone on the way in, Thelar walked up and settled into place at one side of Heinrich, arms folded across his chest, nary the difference of an inch between him and the older Ashlan - indeed, he had grown taller than his father ever was, so he was told. At times, that comparison was a burden; in others, he chose to see it differently, when all he had was knowing the long-dead Kaiser through the eyes of others.

He followed the flow of the exchange between the ringleaders and less than agreeable voices amongst the gathered, weighing them against his own beliefs and opinion in his thoughts, but his gaze was elsewhere.

"Surprising to see her here, Master Faust, wouldn't you agree?" He commented offhand, raising his chin in the direction of Fallon - having some idea of her mother's views via his own parent, but in the same moment, Alaric approaching her sent his brows creeping towards the skies above, "No way!"

Wasn't he a pacifist? For a moment there, Thelar's expression brightened with the start of a grin at seeing the guy here, but that grin was just as quickly swallowed. He hadn't met with Alaric in too long; something had to have challenged his views. Something must've changed.

But as Henna Ashina spoke of a vision and addressed them, his listening keyed over to it, then his gaze to the speaker as well. The differing views expressed here were one thing, but the voice of the Ashla speaking through its chosen medium was not to be discarded at all so quickly. As much a matter of his own faith, as anything else. And no falsehood to be heard in her words.

Thelar Grayson, Lord of Graywall, felt compelled to speak to the gathered, pulling a thoroughly cold metal tube from his hip - it was ice in his hand on this Atrisian morning.

"Few of you may share my faith, but the voice of the Ashla speaks through Her chosen vessel," he indicated the seer, singling her out with the unlit hilt in hand, fire in his voice, "heed Her words and make your intolerance of the oppressive stain of darkness on our galaxy greater than your misgivings! Lest the galaxy in its entirety suffer the consequence of your disagreements!"

He ignited his lightsaber, bathing the area around him in its golden light, and raised the blade above himself for all to see.

"Graywall stands with Hirata - the Sith cannot be abided by any measure! We will burn away the rot, once and for all!"

Heinrich Faust ⋆ Inosuke Ashina ⋆ Bernard ⋆ Kyric ⋆ Kaleleon
Starlin Rand ⋆ Eloise Dinn ⋆ Tyrus Vastor ⋆ Kornon ⋆ Nova Dainlei
Shinzou Ashina ⋆ Fallon Draellix-Kobitana ⋆ Alaric​

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

A long moment passed. The breath before the plunge. Eyes bloodshot and haunted and filled with far too much pain for a boy of eighteen met Bernard’s gaze.

Finally.

In one motion, Tydeus’ hand shot out and seized Bernard’s, fingers curling around the man’s forearm in a grip of iron.

”Remake me then,” he hissed, “so long as I cut.“

Deeds, not words, the only salve for Tydeus’ sundered soul.

Someone in the crowd ignited a lightsaber with a snap-hiss. Golden light bathed them all. Burn the rot, the man cried. Another echoed the cry in the crowd. Tydeus looked into Bernard’s eyes and nodded, some understanding there.

Tydeus raised his vibrosword overhead, a vicious sneer curling up his lips.

“DAWN COMES!”

The words reverberated in the space filled with platitudes and promises, but this one was simple. They would go forth and before them, no matter their personal convictions, no matter their inner quarrels, the light would drive out the dark, the fire of a thousand suns would purge the cancer of the Sith, and day would break a bloody red. A day of judgment. A day of ruin.

Other voices took up the cry, swept up as they had been with Grayson. Tydeus wondered how many of them had lost their families, their planets, and even their students to the Sith. He could feel their pain, pulsing around him, just as he had felt the pain of all those lives on Tion as they vaporized. But this was a pain mingled with… hope.

“DAWN COMES!”

Other lightsabers ignited amidst the crowd and blazed overhead in blues and greens, in golds and silvers.

”DAWN COMES!”

Their fists pounded the sky.

 

[Starlin Rand]

”While you prattle, the Kainate fleet burned Tion and her moons. Billions are dead.”

Starlin slowly turned toward the weirdo who had wandered into the gathering with vaguely threatening demands, raised his eyebrows, then decided he’d better leave this one to the lizardmen.

"Join the fight? Knight Rand, look around you."

Starlin did as requested, glancing around at the crowd and waving his arms vaguely. He already had some inkling of what Inosuke was getting at even before the Atrisian went on. The peripheral presence of Imperial Knights in the distance only confirmed the chitshow he now found himself in.

These people weren’t just zealots—they were brainwashed. Dyed-in-the-bantha-chit, Laertia Io -esque extremists. It was in their attitude, their stance, and especially the funny way they talked, like they were in some old timey play. All of them talked that way, like they were a hivemind. Granted, he didn't know many of them all that well. Maybe some of them normally spoke in a stilted, overly formal manner. But he was pretty sure that Henna Ashina didn’t used to talk like that. So much for the pen being mightier than the sword.

At least Kaleleon hadn’t guzzled the kool aid yet. Starlin gave the redhead a meaningful glance, before turning to Bernard. "Could you speak like a normal human being, please? No more speeches. I'm trying to have an actual conversation here.”

Bernard was just… Starlin could not see past the fact that this was the same guy who once planted a bomb in a school. He hadn’t brought it up, mostly because he knew these freaks would say that those children deserved a fiery death for the sin of being born and raised under the Sith. The cold indifference of Ryv’s infamous letter was still burned into his mind all these years later, reflected now in the faces around him. But there was no use getting up in arms over a war crime from a generation ago. From the sound of it, they would be committing new atrocities soon enough.

So why was he even here, then? Oh, that’s right. Because unlike the Lightsworn, he believed people could change. That their past actions didn’t taint them forever. Tragically, it looked like that simply wasn’t the case here.

The crowd was eerily quiet. So far there had been no cheering, no applause. He wondered how many of them were actually buying into their ethos. Everyone was standing around in silent contemplation or talking amongst themselves. Occasionally someone would try to disrupt things, usually to give their own speech. Thelar Grayson started shouting about the Ashla. First the Imperials, now the Crusaders? Starlin bit his tongue. He knew from his brief time as the apprentice of Cedric Grayson that not all Ashlans were bloodthirsty jihadists. Only about 60-70% of them were. But he was sure this dude would be right at home with this bunch. They'd probably let him crucify people to his heart's content.

“Jedi, if you harbor even a single reservation toward upholding your ancestral duty; Begone from us, we never knew you."[/FONT]

Starlin laughed. "Ancestral duty? Bro, I'm a first generation Jedi. And I’m pretty sure this is the first time you and I have ever met." He shrugged. "But I won't belabor the point. I'm sorry I barged in on your meeting like this. I was... misled." He thought they were building a new Jedi Order, but in fact they were creating a new cult using bits and pieces of various militant anti-Sith groups. To be united by hatred is a fragile alliance at best.

“By the way—I think you forgot to put me on your list. I never fell to the Dark Side, but I did fight for the Sith on Dantooine. You remember Dantooine, don’t you? Jedi against Jedi. What a mess that was.”

With that, he turned to go just as Tydeus of Tion and his cronies ignited their lightsabers in the middle of the crowd.

Inosuke Ashina​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise watched Starlin leave. He lifted his head as he walked past her, meeting her gaze for a moment. She looked away, scowling.

The Padawan had questions of her own. She wanted the Lightsworn to be an alternative to the NJO, minus the cult of personality surrounding the Nobles. Everyone had talked about how they needed to take down the Sith, full of fire and zeal, but so far nobody had discussed how they were going to operate.

“Who or what is going to lead us?” she demanded, gesturing to those standing on the platform. “This sure looks like a ‘putrefied’ Council to me. Most of you are older than my Master.” She pointed to Kyric . “Or are you going to put this kid on the throne just because he’s the son of Ryv Karis?” Her lip curled as she looked the boy up and down. She could wipe the floor with him.

Inosuke Ashina Kyric Bernard Henna Ashina + whoever else is in charge​

 

[Fallon Draellix-Kobitana]

Location: Ashina, Atrisia
Objective: Attend meeting of the lightsworn
Loadout: here
Tags: Inosuke Ashina Bernard Kaleleon Starlin Rand Tyrus Vastor Eloise Dinn Heinrich Faust

Fallon was pleased to see Alaric, a more familiar face surrounded by all these names she only knew from books was welcome.

"Little Fallon? What are you doing here, kid? Did you come with Uncle Heinrich?"

Fallon raised her hand and waved it in front of her cousin.

"I did not see Fallon here...
...She did not sneak out without her mother's consent."

It would never work on another ashlan, but Alaric would hopefully get her attempt to be humorous, whether he played along would decide if he was cool.

She grinned, "We missed the first crusade didn't we, I think I need to do this otherwise, I don't know. I'm not a proper Ashlan I guess?" she knew it was dangerous, she knew she was walking into war, but Fallon had spent much of her childhood in the insurgency and had fought Sith face to face. She needed this in her life.

Her eyes flashed to Thelar Grayson as he lifted his saber in salute. Fallon ignited her own golden blade and lifted it, bathing her and her family in its heart and soul a small crackle of lighting ran down the blade as her devotion channeled into her electric judgement.

 

[Kyric]

The storm was upon them now.

Kyric recognized it for what it was, the very same feeling described to Tyrus Vastor over their telepathic link. Intentions raged all around the kiffar. They took the shape of pointed questions and answers, likened more to sharp thrusts and deft parries when the boy considered the implications of these discussions. He knew in his heart that this crusade would claim the lives of many–Jedi, Sith, and beyond. Could he fault the likes of Starlin Rand for his misgivings?

No, of course not. Not when the promise of death hung so heavily over the gathered warriors.

"What is the sacrifice you all will make to defeat this darkness?"

Kaleleon's final question lingered in Kyric's mind even as others took the floor. All their words blended together not long after that and fell away from his central focus, becoming more like the distant howl of the wind. The kiffar's mind remained focused on that singular question posed by the Paladin of the Adamite Tower for most of the discussion.

Sabers were soon raised and ignited. Chants taken up by the forces gathered around the Courtyard. There was dissent, of course, as others like Starlin likely deduced the desire to wage a war of extinction on the Sith was not for the faint of heart. Better for them. Kyric knew the fight to undo this organization's destruction would be long and arduous. Better to look to their wisdom when the kiffar needed keen eyes and a fresher mind. For now, he would rely on Sol Dara to help keep him grounded during tumultuous times.

“Or are you going to put this kid on the throne just because he’s the son of Ryv Karis?”

Kyric blinked several times, coming back to the moment the purple-haired girl pointed to him. "Erm... Me?" He pointed at himself, looking left and right as if completely caught off guard. "I'm only a Padawan, ma'am. But uh- Kale," the boy awkwardly edged past the others on their makeshift stage and made his way over to Kaleleon. "I wanted to answer yer question earlier. I thought a lot about it, and I'm figurin' you asked the most important question out of any of us."

The kiffar cleared his throat and met the Paladin's gaze.

"I'd give my life Kale. This galaxy deserves that."

​

Immediate Vicinity
Kaleleon | Inosuke Ashina | Henna Ashina | Bernard
Tydeus of Tion | Sol Dara | Eloise Dinn | Tyrus Vastor​

 

[Heinrich Faust]

Tags: Inosuke Ashina , Bernard , Kaleleon , Starlin Rand , Tyrus Vastor , Eloise Dinn , Thelar Grayson , Alaric , Fallon Draellix-Kobitana

Kingdom

Thelar strolled up beside Heinrich, his arms folded and carrying himself with a similar stride as his father. Heinrich Looked to him, giving him a slight nod of acknowledgement before having his gaze brought to Fallon, his eyes widening at the sight of Isla's daughter being present.

"Indeed... I imagine her mother is going to be quite displeased."

A light sigh produced itself as the former Grand Marshall spoke, followed by a bit of a chuckle.

"I suppose a transmission to Isla is in order, once we've concluded our business here."

His eyes went next to Alaric, whose presence was equally surprising as that of Fallon. What could have brought him here, Heinrich wondered. Perhaps even Geiseric and Eina felt the call... had things really grown that grim? Perhaps. With Solipsis back, there was no telling how far into darkness the galaxy would fall. Deep down, seeing the next generation of those who were his closest friends and allies, Heinrich couldn't help but to feel that perhaps history was repeating. His mind drifted to the final days of the Crusade, when the Purists and Moderates found themselves at each other's throats. Would this Lightsworn movement be doomed to a similar fate?

He prayed not...

As Thelar pledged his saber to the cause, Heinrich felt a warmth in his chest. How he missed the young man's father, yet, it was good to see the noble name of House Grayson carried on. Hopefully it would lead to a brighter future.

Drawing his own lightsaber, Heinrich finally spoke to the crowd.

"There are few times such as this, where one is given a choice between complacency and true action. And in the growing darkness, there is time for little else. I have sacrificed much in a quest to push back the evils of the Bogan, as many of you have. I see the sons and daughters of former comrades and allies among you, and it gives me hope."

His hand rose to the air, his other giving Thelar a pat on the shoulder.

"As the Graywall stands, so to will the followers of Ashla's Light. May the hold of the darkness over this galaxy chip and shatter, and may all evil melt away as this new day approaches."

His emerald blade ignited, held above his head alongside the others.

"DAWN COMES!"

​

 

[Tyrus Vastor]

<<I could write a book about all the things I remember about my father.>> The thought hung between them as Kyric collected himself. <<I guess, more than anything else, he made my siblings and me feel safe. He turned our corner of the Suicide Slums into a haven. Whenever I saw him take up Resolve, his saber, it was like... the most beautiful dance, Tyrus. Like stars colliding in an explosion of blinding fury.>> The boy fabricated an impossible display of color carved from nothing by the clash of emerald and ruby sabers. <<His will was the storm that blew through the Sith Empire, yet at his side, you felt like you were caught within that storm's very eye.>>

On the outside Tyrus seemed in a reflective pause. His visage hidden behind his glare shades he wore night and day. Outwardly he was calm but inside his heart ached at Kyric s words. They were ripe with emotion and memory and it was exactly what the young man needed. The Korun gave no telepathic response in return but nodded to Kyric from the back of the room as he continued to listen and observe the conversations and arguing points of other Jedi. Another time.

After some time, when Tyrus felt the urge to make himself known, the Korun stepped forward pushing through the small throng of Jedi. Each of them came from different planets and orders but were willing to answer this call. As for Tyrus himself, he was interested only in actions. Words were only needed when the individual needed to trap idea's. Many ideas had been trapped today but action was still lacking in his sight.

he kiffar cleared his throat and met the Paladin's gaze.

"I'd give my life Kale. This galaxy deserves that."

That's what I am afraid of. Tyrus felt his jaw grow stern as he tried to shove the prospect from his immediate thoughts.

" Everything gets a return. I believe they are asking for help. And something tells me that is the nicest they can say it. Dont take a genius to understand the need here." Tyrus looked Starlin Rand up and down as he passed by him. He was not made for this fight and so are some of the others. The Korun shook his head as he continued and then slowly took off his glareshades to reveal his eyes. Eyes that reflected Tyrus's darkness and light. His past as a sith and present as a jedi. Redemption. One light brown and the other stained with the sulfuric touch of darker origins and yet both in tandem stared at Bernard and Inosuke Ashina . Then there was Kyric among them as well. I hope you really understand what this means. They all seemed to be the heads of this reformation and so Tyrus would address them directly and then everyone else. " But I'll spell it out. Everyone in here as their reasons for wanting to answer this call. Chaos knows I have mine and its with the meek living thousands of levels under the stagnation of Coruscant. The people most you dont even know exist and the surface don't care for. Call it duty, honor, ancestors, justice or zealous fervor. It dont fething matter. But everyone should know what that means too. It means giving up your very blood and vitality, sacrificing a piece of yourself. One I hope you all accept will be gone. People will die and may never see change. Everything gets a return." He spoke aloud and nodded to himself.

" Don't understand yet you, But find out you all will. My blade is yours. " He said in Korun.

Tags: Bernard Inosuke Ashina Heinrich Faust Fallon Draellix-Kobitana Eloise Dinn Kaleleon Tydeus of Tion ​

 

[Kaleleon]

Bernard Kyric Starlin Rand

It was time to make a decision.

Bernard sought to destroy the darkness and "bring balance." Yet there was something that got at my chest. As if completely destroying the Darkness, was only going to destroy the light. As both sides were of the same coin. The same chip in which the world, the galaxy, the known existence was bound upon. Yet, there was a novelty in wanting to curb the destruction of such great things. Beautiful things. Breathing in deeply, even as others answered my question, they were not truly answers.

"We will do all we can." is all I got in return. What was your all? What was that as a sacrifice? Nothing concrete. Nothing formed as the foundation as to how far one would go. Nothing to directly state how much one was willing to go through, in order to see this through. Half promises, were not promises. Half truths, were not truths. I shook my head. These people, these Jedi were disillusioned at the idea. They didn't know what it was to be like the first exiles of the New Jedi Order. How far many of us were willing to go.

I breathed in deeply. Watching as Starlin looked to me. A look of almost pity for being here. For him to assume that I was here to dissuade them from going down this path. His own agenda was here in support of the Alliance. I understood why. When you have been part of it for so long, change was difficult. It always will be. Yet, here I was. Searching for the answer to all of this. Would they be willing to go to the very end? Not the end of the crusade, but THE END. I searched within myself. Was this worth the prices given before us? Yet, there was a singular set of words from a younger voice. One that pulled me from my contemplation.

Kyric.

He wanted to answer my question earlier. Even stating that the question I posed was the most important of all that had been asked of this day. The formation of a "New Dawn." Looking to the child of the man who I had revered for so many things. The legacy of a man who I would have gone to the Netherworld for. Yet in that moment that I looked upon him, I did not see just Kyric. It was like Ryv's face overlapped his sons as the voice from both spoke to me.

"I'd give my life Kale. This galaxy deserves that."

Almost the same words HE had spoken to the Silver Jedi, and the New Jedi Order so many years ago. I chuckled a little as this. My eyes closed for a moment. Letting his fathers face and voice fade from the young man. I opened my eyes, knowing exactly what I had to do. I had found my one and only true answer to the question I sought. There was a conviction, a vigor in his voice that I knew oh so well. When a man truly said words that he would stand behind.

If there was anything I could do to make it so that Kyric would not perform those same actions as his father, then I would do it. I saw the hope of this one man shining through all of the others. An ethereal purpose not dissimilar to his legacy. Nodding to the man, I had found my own conviction. My own purpose within this group. There was someone who knew what the true price of a crusade was. Someone who really actually thought of what the consequences would be. A smile spread across my face.

"Hold that price before you Kyric. Few are willing to see that through."

Reaching for my belt, I pulled a crossguard hilt from beneath my poncho. Holding it aloft, it was the blade of my people. The Blade of the Paladins. And for it, It would bring about this New Dawn with a purpose. Raising it high before Kyric, This promise was not that of the Crusade. This was not a promise of bringing balance. It was a promise to someone who I had failed. This promise was one I knew I was going to keep. Not just to Kyric, but his father. Giving the man space to become his own.

The blue flames ignited from the weapon. The brilliance of a Sunfire Sword and the roaring of its power. Úrion was ignited to join those who had done so before me. Yet my words were not loud, or boisterious. They were here for one person alone. Not the Crusade. It was only for that person I shared this vow of my life for. A vow I would uphold.

"To a new dawn."

 

[Ishida Ashina]

THE DAUGHTER OF DUTY
ATRISIA | HIRATA
LEADER OF THE COMPANIONS | BEARER OF THE RING OF JUDGEMENT

Ishida remained silent through the posturing, the questions, the accusations, the camaraderie, and the skyward sabres. Calculative evaluation levelled across those gathered in the snowfall. These faces, she did not know.

These were all strangers. These unknowns promised fealty, conversion, devotion, and power. Their boots were caked in mud, and their cheeks flushed rosy red. They did not look like warriors, and they did not sound like warriors. Scholars with swords filled the courtyard, these with tongues sharp as a katana's edge.

But they felt like they could be — they could be warriors. There was an air of transformation thick within the courtyard, and she didn't like the feeling, but she recognized it. And more than that, she saw the power in it. Moments like these were opportunities. They could bring new alliances, new empathy, and a new and broader sense of being together in a single tribe with purpose. Or they could be the poison that ran through human minds for decades to come and welcomed ancient wars onto new and bloody battlefields.

Her face tilted up to the grey-clouded sky, and winter's wet whisper slipped on her skin. She hadn't felt the snowfall of Atrisia in years. The steady snowfall brought a sense of calm and quiet, blanketing the world in a peaceful, white embrace. It would melt soon and reveal that which gathered beneath. In a few rotations, temperatures would rise, and new life would bloom—bright, green, and strong.

The snow needed to melt quicker and let the sprouts shoot up.

Weathering the seasons demanded patience that evaded the daughter of Genichero. Since separating herself from the New Jedi Order and stepping into her role as Lord of Light, she and Castian built a life that made her accustomed to consulting only one other, and that instruction unquestioningly adhered to by a hundred others. They operated from planet to planet, hunting the shadows, unencumbered by the demand for democratic dialogue. Unprovoked by an outright command, Ishida's army on the perimeter murmured amongst themselves. Through their tether, she felt their restlessness building. It amplified her own. Her sword was pledged, it had always been meant to carve through evil. Each of their blades followed hers. If the white glow of her blade pointed to the sky, in an instant, it would be mirrored tens of times over along the outskirts of the gathering. She was accustomed to the instantaneous.

Not words. Words, words, words — this had to be the most she'd ever heard her brother speak ever (!) and even though this forum had taken less than an hour and many voices and swords joined, it still felt too long. Much longer, and the purpose could be diluted. Misdirected to those who'd crawled from places unseen just to be heard for the sake of attention.

"Give them a forum, and they discuss," Ishida murmured voicelessly through a thin sound wave that wound directly within her brother's range. Her eyes flickered to Henna, who spoke of blood and paths and filled herself with immeasurable conviction. "Give them reasons, and they are convinced."

From within the crowd, there was a call for retribution. Ishida flicked her gaze pointedly in that direction, her eyes narrow and calculative. Then the tone shifted, and a unanimous understanding reached that it could not always be night — and that it would take all those gathered to bring the light of dawn.

"Give them their fight, and see if they own it."

Only harmony of belief and unity of action would see the Lightsworn triumph against darkness.

---

Inosuke Ashina | Shinzou Ashina | Henna Ashina | Castian Vero | Kyric | Bernard | Kaleleon | Starlin Rand | Tyrus Vastor | Thelar Grayson | Heinrich Faust | Fallon Draellix-Kobitana | Eloise Dinn | Tydeus of Tion | Alaric | Siyndacha Aerin | Sol Dara | Ikon | Nova Dainlei | Kornon

​

 

[Castian Vero]

Unlike Ishida Ashina Castian actually liked people. Just standing around them gave him energy, inspiration. It made him feel part of a larger cosmic construct. Each facing the same direction even if they were going about it differently. Standing here and listening to them, he felt more hopeful that there would be something done about the march of the Sith.

Worlds like Tion burned to the ground. Planets like Tython lost to the shadows.

And the Galactic Alliance seemed more than happy to just... continue as it was. A meandering beast, a behemoth that had once carved through the One Sith, was merely... resting now.

At one point did giant's wrath turn into giant's lament? Only pushing forward by momentum and nothing else.

"Don't judge them too harshly." He whispered softly in Ishida's ear. Castian didn't know exactly what went on in that furious little mind of hers, but he could wager a guess with the way her eyes were darting from one talker to the next. She had never enjoyed talking. "They all come from different walks... different situations... but all of them wish to help."

Desire was not enough, even an eternal optimist like Castian knew this.

"We can assist them. Perhaps help them avoid the mistakes that we made when we began." It was funny how it went. Before they got here, he had been the one to stem Ishida's interest in committing utterly. Reminding her of the responsibility they had to their own people and their own war. But now that they were here their roles switched so organically that it was almost imperceptible.

Maybe that's why it worked so well.

In any given situation you needed someone to be the reason (cold, hard, detached) and someone to be hope (optimistic, bright and light).

Inosuke Ashina | Shinzou Ashina | Henna Ashina | Kyric | Bernard | Kaleleon | Starlin Rand | Tyrus Vastor | Thelar Grayson | Heinrich Faust | Fallon Draellix-Kobitana | Eloise Dinn | Tydeus of Tion | Alaric | Siyndacha Aerin | Sol Dara | Ikon | Nova Dainlei | Kornon

 

[Alaric]

​

"You are a funny child, Fallon, but a child nonetheless." I smiled down at her and her attempt to utilize a Force mind trick on me.

"Ashlan, Jedi... It doesn't matter what you call yourself. You belong to the Light. And I agree. What good would the sacrifices of our forefathers be if we let the Sith reverse them with such ease? I just hope you know what you're signing up for, youngling."

Those words echoed in my head. I hoped I knew what I was signing up for. The fervor, the piety, the chanting... it made that pain and sorrow mean something. Every Jedi in the room who had seen the horrors of war against the Sith chimed in to the call for a new dawn. But I remained quiet, observant, but above all reserved.

I wondered if it were not only Fallon and I who were out of place here. Who else might have been caught up in the rising tide, and whoever they were, were they ready to do their duty?

My father had watched the Sith bombard Ession from a holoscreen in the Jedi Temple, helpless to stop the genocide of his people. He left the order and pledged himself to Cedric Grayson not knowing what path it would lead him down. It had ultimately turned out for the better, for it was on that path of righteous Light that he had fallen in love with my mother, and helped to save the galaxy from Darth Solipsis. I think that was the reason above all else that I had come to Atrisia, because it wasn't about choice, but necessity.

Fallon Draellix-Kobitana

 

[Eloise Dinn]

So the Karis boy wasn’t their leader. Just a Padawan. But no one else stepped forward to announce themselves as the one in charge. No one answered her questions. No one seemed to care.

Her eyes scanned the lineup of people on the platform. The way they acted, like they were above everyone else. They wouldn’t look at her. They acted like she didn’t even exist.

She felt a gentle pressure on her mind, like a hand pushing through a heavy curtain. It was Starlin, asking for permission to send his thoughts. Reluctantly, she granted it.

<The NJO has gotten pretty good at hiding kids’ identities. If you weren’t underage, you’d be on their list.>

Eloise stood frozen even as she snarled and snapped inside. <Shut up.>

Sure, he was right. But she had come here because she saw herself in these Lightsworn. They wanted to destroy the Sith. They weren’t going to hold back. These people were supposed to be on her side, and she theirs—yet just as Starlin had said, they were treating those who would have been their staunchest allies like enemies. Because they didn’t meet their personal standards of what a Jedi should be.

As if they were anything remotely close to the Jedi ideal themselves.

Despite the lousy vibes, was she going to stay? She pictured herself as one of them. Trying to prove herself worthy to these clowns. Man, feth that!

“I can fight the Sith anytime I want, in any Light Sided faction that will have me,” she growled, almost to herself. “I don’t need you.”

She turned on her heel and walked away, shoving aside men and women chanting and waving ignited lightsabers around as she went.

 

[Bernard]

Bernard took the man's arm with a satisfied nod.

An unnatural sensation shot up Bernard's arm the moment the prince's hand touched it. The hair on his arm stood on its ends, hidden only by the fabric of the tunic. Something snaked its way through the physical sensation where their arms met. A dark, dreadful chill which felt like it drank in his very vitality.

Bernard's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but the opportunity to more closely examine the phenomenon disappeared as the crowd proclaimed its rallying cry.

DAWN COMES. Their voices filled the courtyard, their myriad sabers illuminating the night. The Lightsworn had been forged. Together, they would walk into the long night that befell the galaxy, as the Light's grace demanded.

Even then, Bernard could sense division in the hearts of some. A few rejected the Lightsworn's message outright, while others still held doubts in their minds. This was their right. The Lightsworn would by no means be a perfect answer to the question the Darkness asked, but determination would see them through to the end.

The war between Darkness and Light knew no mercy for those who tread lightly inbetween the lines. In time, none were spared the burden of choice. Bernard had made his.

The Arkanian raised his blade and let its cyan hue join the others' under Atrisia's night sky.

"Dawn comes," he spoke.

Tydeus of Tion Kyric Inosuke Ashina Henna Ashina Kaleleon @anyone else in the vicinity