Scar-Faced Hag
Ukatis—a rural world at the Alliance's southwestern border, nestled at the inner rim between Yag'Dhul and Janara III. This would not be the New Jedi Order's first visit to the gradually modernizing agrarian nation; the current Princess' disastrous engagement party, the celebratory Harvest Festival following it, and the attempted thievery of an heirloom crown all still live in recent memory, for better or for worse.
This, however, was one of those worse visits.
Discovered by Jedi Master Valery Noble and Princess Corazona, a dark sided Force nexus has taken the form of a river cutting through the deep forests of Faron territory. The woods surrounding this area have gradually become tainted with the ichor of the dark, spawning terrible creatures and sending the native fauna into a frenzied state. Thus, the Jedi have been dispatched to purify the nexus and quell the dark beasts that threaten nearby village of Stonegrove.
Interestingly, the nexus lies near the abandoned village of Anatol. The denizens who'd lived in this village mysteriously disappeared fifteen years ago, during a bloody civil war. While countless towns were slaughtered during this tumultuous period, what makes this occurrence particularly strange is that not a single body was recovered from Anatol. Shortly after, Cholmondeley forces prevailed in a decisive battle which secured their current reign of Ukatis. Until recently, Lord Faron, a known Cholmondeley puppet, has refused to let anyone investigate area, citing that the situation has been taken care of.
Now, the Jedi of the Galactic Alliance have come to Ukatis once more. Those skilled in manipulation of the Light may join Master Valery Noble as she seeks to purify the nexus, while those brave of heart will defend Ukatis from all manner of dark creatures.
OBJECTIVES:
The influence of the nexus grows stronger and more pervasive each day. Usually docile creatures, the native racyons have began to seek out and attack humans. As time passed, more creatures succumbed to the influence of the dark, wreaking havoc on nearby villages.
Perhaps as a response to the large Jedi presence on the planet during the recent harvest festival, the nexus has begun to spawn strange monsters. Vicious hand-like projections comprised of dark energy have surged from the tainted earth, seeking to grasp any nearby Force-sensitive being and siphon the very life from them. While the nexus is being purified, the Jedi conjuring the wall of light must be protected, and some must assist the nearby village of Stonegrove that is under attack.
Suggested for: All Jedi, GADF agents and individual operatives
Only Jedi of exceptional training and fortitude, or apprentices who are accompanied by their Master are permitted near the immediate area of the nexus. Under the guidance of Valery Noble, multiple Jedi are needed to conjure a wall of light to burn away the dark and restore the river to its natural state.
Suggested for: Jedi Knights and Masters; Padawans who have their mentor's permission
OOC: This thread is open to all NJO Jedi and individual Galactic Alliance agents. You do not need a tag to join!
Valery Noble
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Dominik Borra
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Shan Pavond
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Silas Westgard
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Lao-ta
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Cailen Corso
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Jasper Kai'el
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Dreidi Xeraic
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Ko Vuto
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Kara Jade
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Braze
As nightfall crept through the forested lands of Faron territory, so did the Jedi and their allies.
Strange things had been happening to Ukatis since the Harvest Festival. Farmers had struggled to raise healthy crops in the finicky soil for years, but the earth was now rejecting any recent attempts to grow the food their people relied on. Reports of animal attacks had popped up as well, and were increasing at a worrying rate. Normally docile native creatures were becoming frenzied, assaulting travelers and swarming homes and businesses at random.
The situation has grown significantly more dire since the Jedi touched down. It was as if Ukatis itself—or a part of it, at least—was responding to the threat of the Light, rejecting their presence.
The focal point—that Corazona and Valery had discovered some weeks ago—was a river steeped with Dark energies. A nexus, Master Noble had called it. A concentration of the Dark side of the Force that was gradually spreading its influence throughout Ukatis. It would take more than one beacon of Light to burn away the corruption.
That was how Cora had found herself standing within earshot of the rushing waters, surrounded by Jedi far more talented and accomplished than she. Given the level of danger that the nexus posed, it had been decided that only Masters and Knights would be allowed near; Padawans had to be accompanied by their mentors, who would vouch for their aptitude and be responsible for their safety.
Navigating through the forest was not an easy task, harder at night, and harder still while being attacked. Fortunately, the Jedi who'd volunteered to face the Dark creatures head-on had allowed them to get closer to the nexus. Placing a hand against the bark of a withered tree, Cora inhaled deeply. Humid air, interwoven with the ichor of the Dark filled her lungs. Her senses were sharper now that she'd left her voidstone wedding ring behind at the estate for safekeeping.
"We're almost there, I can sense-"
A pulsating mass of gloom and muck sprung from the earth, unfurling a hand-like projection. In its palm was a large, cat-slit eye, scorched amber with Darksided corruption. They eye rolled around hungrily and settled on the Princess. Cora narrowly dodged the shadowy fingers that reached out for her, but one digit managed to graze her arm, temporarily draining her strength. Stumbling back, she wavered on her feet for a few moments, but the murky hand would not let her rest—it surged forward, eager to siphon the life from the young woman, but it was quickly met with a frantic burst of Light from her hand. The phantom limb seized in pain, screamed with no mouth, and wilted to the ground where it vanished in a haze of black smoke.
"That was…close." Cora gasped, pressing a hand against her chest to steady the erratic beating of her heart. She hadn’t imagined that one of the beasts would be able to break the line of Jedi defenders, but the Dark worked in insidious ways.
These monsters were attracted to the Light, sensing it within the Jedi. Around the perimeter of the nexus, Jedi fought to push back the creatures and protect those who would be performing the Wall of Light ritual.
It was not just the forest that was overrun with strange beasts fueled by the Dark. A village at the edge of the woods, Stonegrove was being overrun by frenzied racyons and Dark monsters. A grain silo has been destroyed, its contents combusting into flames that threatened to overtake several homes. Screams rang through the smoldering air belonging to both villager and creature alike.
As Cora refocused her attention on the river in the distance, she felt the gentlest of whispers echo in her mind. Tendrils of darkness would brush the minds of the nearby Jedi, attempting to lure them into the river.
C̴̳̭̲̬̮̰̘̎̽O̴̢̧̳̲̮̹͇̯̭̣̠͖̓̈͋̈̎̊̑̈̋́͂͋M̸̛̻̩̖̹̘͕̩̀͌̏́̔̅̓̽̿͐̊͜͠Ḙ̶̘͍̥̗͖͆̈ ̸̡̹͖̖̫͍͔̳̜͕̺͇̲͚͚̐̈̃͘͜Ț̸͍̝̩̘̞͔͕̇̊̏́̋̆̽͑̀́̌̀͝͠Ô̶̧̠̬͎̜̳̠̠͉̠͔̲̔̈ͅ ̸̨̡͕͕͈̝̬̺̭̯͔͇͈̪̼͖̫̐͒̌̎̏́̓͒̀͘̕̚̚M̶̡̡̜̼͕͓͔̩͔̯̘̪͐̆̀̈́͜ͅĘ̸̡̛̰̰̜͉̖̞̜̜̪͕̲͎̼̠̊̓́͒ ̵̺͖͕͚̣̓̏̈̏͊̄̈́̿̾̑̈́͘̕͠͝A̷̡̓͂̒̿͐͐̇̇͛̂́̅̕̕͝ͅN̵̛̛̝̙̓̎̉̏̇̆̊̿̆D̵̛̞̖̐̍̆̃͋͗̈̌̅̓̿͆̕͘͘ ̴̨̭͉̮͔̟̜̰̮͙̞̺̝̳̘̿͆͊̐͘̚͜I̵̡͙̱̬̻̺̤̼̺̱͖̩͙̖̟̞͍͑̈̓̍̿͐̊͋̾̄ ̶̧̛̮̖̯̦͎͙̱̠̟̩̯́̄͐͐͌͊́͌̓̏͒̀͘͘͠͠Ṡ̵̫̻̩̲͉͇̲̜̱̞̀̊̈́̄̋̈́̋̈́̂͐̚͝ͅH̸̡̛̯̘͍͎̞͖̦͍̥̱̮͓̑͗͌̆̓̍͒̓̊͗̄͑̔͜͝͠ͅÄ̷̩̹̙́̉͒̑̂̊̏͌̿̾͗̊̕͝L̴̨̡̧̲̬̮̼͈̣̳̯̰̗̙̆̊͊̓̅̋̈́̊̄̀̇͂̕̕͘͜L̸̮͙̞͖̹̩̰͎̈́̍̒̿̾̈́́̊͜͝͠ ̴͕̩̪͈̻̍͑̃̎̓͑̓̓͋̉̈́͒̈́Ṁ̷͕̪̳̤̄̄̈̽̓́͂̎͐̓̏͗̚͠͝͝A̷̡̡̢̛̭̘͚̗̙͚͙͆͌̒̇̑̊̀̆̂̒͋Ḱ̶̙͍̱͓̯̲̬̣̈́͂̌̆͋͆̂͑̏̚͘͝͠ͅͅĘ̸̱͕̗͚͈͙͖̫̜͙̣̞́̐̕͝ ̴͉͔͙͎̞̘͙̀́̈́̈́Y̴̪͌̍͋̒͛̇͌̽̊̈́̒͐̈́͘O̸̢̡̡̙̮̘̠̫̱̣̣͂̕Ų̵̧̢̞̳̌̅̾̇̓̍͂͘ ̵͙̯͇̀́P̴̛͓̱͓̻̩̬̟̭͂̋̂̊̑̏̈́̄̾̕͝͝O̸͔͉̱̱̣͍̥͔̘͉̽̑͑͛̐̋͌͂̏̐̄́̂̚͘͝͝Ẉ̴̨̛̖̘̩͎̝͎̗͓̞͍̤̔͂̔̀̊̔̇̄̉̾̃̔͘͘̕͜Ẽ̷̺͕̠͔̂̐̓͊̊̑́͂͗͆̄͘Ŗ̴̢̣̟̱̻͙̲̝͇̩̓̒̓͐͘̕͘͝F̷͎̥̗̙͉̉̈U̸̞͍̖̻̼͖͎̜̲͍̯̜̟̦̫̜͘L̷̟̺̪͎̰̝͖̄̂̀̍͆͐͑̂ͅ
”Come to me and I shall make you powerful.”
Needless to say, the Jedi would have their hands full.
”Come to me and I shall make you powerful.”
Needless to say, the Jedi would have their hands full.
