Private The Kashyyyk Trial

[Sen Kai]

Sen was growing in his training, he had spent many months on The Wookiee Homeworld, and was daily seeking Aric Siasides guidence when he was not occupied training other Jedi or tending to other duties. Sen was to join the Master at gondola high in the tree tops that would lead to the underbelly of the forest. He was to go hunting, to stalk the most dangerous prey of all...

On the great wooden circle platforms in the tree tops stood the hairy titans who all growled and moaned. Many of them carrying vibroswords and bowcasters, each talking among themselves as if they were forming their own hunting party. There in his Tuskan sacred robes he stood, waiting near the gondola that would take him and the Master down to the surface. There were luminous yellow lamps aglow everywhere, one even on the lift that went down into deep dark of the below realm, which even in the day was dark because of giant trees causing a perpetual shade down there. The Shadow Aspirant was preparing himself for this trial, for what they intended to hunt was going to test them in both physicality, and spirituality, one would have to fortify oneself in the Force, though there was risks in that as well, for it would be a scent that would draw the Creature out...

 

[Aric Siasides]

TAG: Sen Kai

Aric was not the “chatty Kathy” that Master Vanagor was. Make no mistake, he respected the Guardian, he was a warrior and highly capable in combat. That being said, the big man was more likely to spend hours shooting the breeze with Wookiees than Aric who would simply get the basics about this hunting party and be on his way. It wasn’t that he did not want to be there, or was being intentionally rude, but it was his nature as a Jedi who would spend the majority of their time in solidarity.

That was not his life anymore, now it was teaching, and offering the younger generation encouragement, and wisdom and all of those “cheery little bits and pieces”.

He was not on the platform at the moment, but in the dense jungle of Kashyykk, the figure moved with the grace of a predator and the quietude of a ghost. Aric Siasides, a Jedi Shadow Master, had come to meet a peculiar aspirant to the ancient order. He was a man of few words, his eyes piercing the foliage as if they could read the whispers of the leaves. His lightsaber hung at his side, a silent sentinel of his unyielding will.

"Master Aric," a tentative voice called out. It was Llahdoof, a young Wookiee. His eyes, a mix of his woodland heritage and the piercing blue of a free spirit, searched for the shadowed figure among the ferns. His breathing was steady, a testament to his training, despite the anticipation that quivered through his limbs.

"Good evening, Llahdoof," Aric said, his voice as calm as the surface of a still pond. He stepped into the dipping sunlight and onto the gondola platform that would take him up to the same holding the hunting party, his robes fluttering slightly in the gentle breeze. “Today will be a good day, will it not?” Llahdoof responded eagerly, offering words of happiness and wonder. He was not old enough for the right of passage yet, but was eagerly working toward the day he would be considered a “warrior”.

Aric was normally not “touchy feely” but could appreciate the boy’s enthusiasm and offered encouragement as they rode upward. It was not long before he was steps from his aspirant.
"Welcome to the Shadowlands, Sen Kai. Today, you begin a trial that will challenge your understanding of the Force and your place within it."

Waiting for Sen Kai to acknowledge, he would know what was at stake; Aric would explain how this was not simply a rite of passage, but a test that would determine his future within the Jedi Order. It was also a way of life for the Wookiees so taking it lightly would insult them. Aric continued, "We are to join this Wookiee hunting party. We seek an enormous creature, the Terantatek."

He knew that this might get the young Jedi's heart to skip a beat at the mention of the beast. Stories of its ferocity and size had been shared in hushed tones around the campfires of the Jedi academy. Yet, he felt a strange excitement stir within him. This would be a chance to prove himself.

Aric's gaze was unflinching. "Remember, my role is to observe and guide, not to interfere. Only when the trial is over will I speak of your actions. Are you prepared for this?"

It would be when Sen Kai responded that with a nod, the Jedi Master would activate his lightsaber, the blade sizzling to life. "Then let us depart," Aric said, and together, they disappeared into the fold of the jungle, leaving behind the echo of their footsteps and the promise of a trial that would test the very fabric of their beings.

 

[Sen Kai]

The Shadowlands, what an appropriate name for what they were about to explore. For below the treeline everything was bathed in shadow, and a perfect training ground for Jedi Shadows. Sen had already benefited immensely from the training Aric Siasides had already given him in confronting his past. This Trial was quite different, the prospect of hunting a Terentaktak, a beast known to feed on the Force meant that they would be prey as well as hunters. The Tuskan Mando had faced creatures of great violence, the Krayt Dragon and the Sarlaac on Tatooine, these creatures were considered by his people to be The Judge and the Pit of Wrath, both of which he had survived. Joining a raiding party was not unknown to him either, for he did the same with His Raiders, using their numbers to take down the Dragon and seize the prize of their egg. This gave Sen some confidence, though a Terentaktak was not to be compared to the monsters of the Dune Sea, no, this Rancor Sith Spawn was capable of felling many Jedi at once. It was important not to let confidence turn to conceit.

Master Siasides words about this hunt "challenging his understanding of the Force and your place in it," made him ponder as they got on gondala and were taken to the woodland floor. Was there more than the Monster they hunted that he was going to face? Did it represent something more than a external threat? As he joined the Wookiee Hunting Party and the Master Jedi, he began to consider what he had meant by this. They were then upon forest floor and the party began to form up and begin the march beneath the great trunks of the trees that housed the homes of the Wookiee people. Sen found this world to be quite a treat compared to arid nature of Tatooine, everything was so alive, one coudl hear chirps of birds, and the noise of crickets, foilage would move and the wind blew not with grains to fill your clothing, but rather a breeze that carried fresh oxygen. The sounds of the creeks trickling was enough to put him at peace, and yet he must stay vigiliant, for what they hunted with antithetical to all he was experiencing. The balance between drinking the haromony and being ready for the heat of battle was the tension every Jedi had to master, especially a Shadow Aspirant.

 

[Aric Siasides]

TAG: Sen Kai

The air hung thick and heavy in the Kashyyyk shadowlands, a cloying blanket of humidity and decay. Twisted, skeletal trees clawed at the perpetually twilight sky, their branches draped with phosphorescent fungi that cast an eerie, sickly green glow. The very ground seemed to writhe with unseen forces, a palpable hum of dark energy vibrating beneath the soles of Aric Siasides’ boots. This was no mere forest; it was a crucible, a proving ground for the Jedi Shadows, a place where one wrestled not just with the physical world, but with the deepest recesses of their own soul.

Aric, the Jedi Shadow Master, moved with the practiced grace of a predator. He was a silhouette amongst shadows, his black robes blending seamlessly with the gloom. His face, usually an impassive mask, was etched with a quiet determination. Years of meditation and training had honed his senses to a razor’s edge. He felt the oppressive pressure of the shadowlands, the constant whisperings of the dark side, but he met it with a resolute calm, a fortress built on unwavering discipline.

For centuries, Jedi Shadows had journeyed to this forsaken corner of Kashyyyk. They came to test their strength, to confront the darkness within and without, to fortify their ability to walk the razor's edge between light and shadow without falling into the abyss. The shadowlands fed on fear, on doubt, on the faintest flicker of temptation. Those who lacked the unshakeable will to resist were often lost, consumed by the very darkness they sought to master.

Today, Aric was not alone. He was auditing the trial of Tuskan Mandalorian Sen Kai, an aspirant working to shed the troubles of his past. They were not alone either, – a hunting party of Wookiees, their powerful forms moving with a surprising stealth, their low guttural growls muted by the oppressive atmosphere. They were hunting a Terentatek, a creature whose very existence was a manifestation of the dark side, a hulking beast of muscle and rage that could shatter the minds and bodies of the weak.

The Wookiees, Aric knew, were not here by chance. Their hunting instincts were finely attuned, guided by an ancient understanding of the dark currents that flowed through Kashyyyk. They sensed the festering presence of the Terentatek, its corruption a discordant note in the symphony of the world. To them, the creature was not just a threat but a sacrilege, an affront to the natural order.

Aric watched and followed as they pushed deeper into the gloom, his senses reaching out, seeking not the beast itself, but the underlying disturbances that heralded its presence. He felt the weight of the dark side pressing against him, a constant temptation to give in, to embrace its seductive power. The whispers grew stronger, insidious promises of strength and control, echoes of the dark path he had fiercely resisted his entire life. But Aric had learned to see these whispers not as a source of fear, but as another trial, another test of his commitment to the light.

He paused. A shudder ran through the ground under the soles of his boots. It was a raw, primal vibration that spoke of immense power and terrifying rage. The Terentatek was close. He could sense its massive, pulsing heart, a dark wellspring of corrupted energy. The Wookiees had already engaged, he heard their frustrated roars mingled with the beast’s guttural bellow.

As Aric moved through the tangled undergrowth, he saw the hunting party engaged in a chaotic dance with the beast. The Terentatek was a sight to behold – a hulking mass of scales and muscle, its twisted limbs ending in cruel claws, its eyes glowing with a malevolent red light. It swiped at the Wookiees with terrifying force, each blow sending them crashing through the dense foliage. The Wookiees, outnumbered and outmatched, were fighting with the raw fury of cornered beasts. They clawed and bit, their powerful bodies slamming against the Terentatek, but they could not overwhelm it.

Aric recognized that the Wookiees’ strength, their unbridled anger, was playing right into the Terentatek’s game. The creature fed on such emotions, growing stronger with every strike, every roar of fury. It was a living embodiment of the dark side, its existence tied to the negative emotions of those who dared to approach. This was not a battle of physical strength; it was a test of will, of discipline, of the ability to control one’s own internal darkness.

Aric stepped into the fray, his lightsaber hissing to life in his hand, a beacon of blue light cutting through the oppressive gloom. He moved with a flowing grace, weaving through the chaotic melee with ease. He did not strike with fury, but with precision, using the Force to anticipate the Terentatek’s every move, deflecting its claws with almost contemptuous ease. He saw them, the brief glimpses of fear flickering in the eyes of the Wookiees. This battle was not just for them, it was for him too. The shadows were rising within them, feeding the darkness that threatened to consume them.

"Control your anger!" Aric’s voice resonated with the calm of a storm’s eye. It was a soft, yet authoritative murmur that cut through the deafening roars of the Wookiees and the chilling bellows of the beast. "Do not let it feed on your fear!"

The Wookiees grunted, their eyes locking onto his, understanding the gravity in his words. They began to regroup, moving with more focus, their attacks more coordinated, their movements more precise. Aric, sensing the shift, pressed the attack, using the Force to create openings, guiding the Wookiees into positions of advantage.

This was the true test of a Jedi Shadow—not just to face the dark side, but to lead others through it. It was not simply about wielding a lightsaber, but about controlling the darkness within, turning it into a source of strength instead of a weapon of destruction.

The battle raged on for what felt like an eternity. The air was thick with the stench of sweat, blood, and the cloying aroma of decay. Finally, as the first hints of dawn began to pierce through the oppressive gloom, the Terentatek stumbled. Its movements became slower, its bellows weaker, its strength waning as its feeding source was being cut off. With a final, desperate effort, Aric struck a precise blow with his lightsaber, piercing the heart of the creature. The Terentatek released a final, chilling roar before collapsing to the ground, its body dissolving into a cloud of dark dust. In the creature’s demise, the deep hum of the shadowlands seemed to recede slightly, the darkness not completely gone, but diminished.

Aric stood amongst the Wookiees, each of them panting, their bodies bruised and bleeding, but their eyes clear and bright. He nodded to them, a silent acknowledgment of their bravery, then turned back towards the heart of the shadowlands, his duty unfinished. He moved deeper into the shadows, aware of the constant tug of the dark side, ever present. The victory was not in the death of the beast, but in the knowledge that the Wookiees, and he, had held strong, keeping the dark at bay, even if just for one more day. The shadowlands would always be a place of trial, but for this day, Aric had proven that even in the darkest of places, the light could still prevail.

Looking back at Sen Kai, he shrugged half-heartedly as if he was picking up a cup. “This is not the one you are looking for.” You needed to see and prepare what you were facing.