The Pyramids of Tygara (Siobhan)

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Sahal nodded seriously. “Oh yes, Lady, there are many who were freed due to your efforts, Great Liberator!”
“Yes, Great Liberator, we are many and strong! Many now would fight for you against your enemies if you raised the call.”
That would certainly give Siobhan ideas for a loyal freedman force.

Soon the forces were assembled and ready to depart. Four transports with a pair of gunships would make the strategic movement to an area some ten miles from the pyramid. They would then proceed on foot.
Some of the Qadiri were nervous of flying, being their first time, but Sahmara barked at her squad to stop being lily-livered Vash and get on board the flying machines. Her aura showed an unease she did not allow to reach her face.

When they landed amidst a hot salt plain in the early afternoon they could all see the pyramid. It loomed over the landscape like a black hole. Ones’ eyes were drawn to it as it seemed so out of place.
A makeshift camp was assembled and drones sent out to recon. They returned with the same report…nothing.

“Lady, do we wait until morning to enter, or depart now?” Sahal asked a little apprehensively.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

"The things you learn when you leave the office and see to matters yourself instead of relying on bureaucrats," Siobhan said a bit smugly. "Remember that, Sahal." There would indeed be a freedman force. She would call them the Ascended. The brave daughters and sons of Saobana. The mightiest of them would be called Primarchs and they would spread her gospel across the stars.

A time skip later and the group had landed in a hot salt plain. The pyramiad loomed over the landscape, looking appropriately foreboding. Inevitably everyone's gaze was drawn to it. In the Force, it felt like a gaping maw, a black hole that swallowed all who got close. Siobhan reached out with her senses, but came up with nothing. Indeed, the attempt caused a painful throbbing in the back of her head. It made her just a bit uncomfortable, but it did not show in her expression.

"We leave at dawn," she decided. "Set up patrols. I don't want surprises."
Meanwhile, the Karz'un was busy investigating. "Look upon my works ye mighty and despair," Kar'zakush read out after looking at the inscription of a statue.
"You never mentioned you can read Rakatan," Siobhan remarked.
"Or are you just making it up?" The Kar'zun shrugged indifferently. "It probably says something similarly grandiose." She examined the structure further. "This stone is ancient, but there is no sign of decay. Nothing lasts this long without enchantment. And it was used for this. What a waste of perfectly good stone."

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Sahal nodded seriously. "I shall, Lady!" She wasn't quite sure the lesson, but she put it aside to learn it regardless!

Patrols were set and a camp established.
Sahal took her turn on watch. Every time she glanced at the pyramid she could see it despite the night. Weirdly, it seemed like the pyramid was getting closer each time she looked back. She shook her head, that was an illusion, she must stay firm, stay strong.

However, something was gnawing at her, a background concern. A feeling that danger was near. She went to the nearest mobile outpost, which was setup with scanners and searchlights.
"Anything?"
"Nothing," the Firemane soldier said.
There was indeed no sound but the blowing of the wind...and the feeling of dread growing closer.
"Huh. That's weird."
"What is it?" Sahal asked. She looked at the machine, seeing many numbers and coloured lights, not understanding it.
"The seismic disturbances. They're picking up, but they're not originating from the pyramid...."
Sahal felt the earth move beneath her and grabbed the soldier by the collar and jumped from the tower as a giant sinkhole opened beneath it, dragging down and sucking it into the sand as though it was the depths of the ocean.

"To arms, to arms!" Sahal shouted, drawing her blade, as from out of the hole started to climb a massive shape....

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

Siobhan had not been idle. While Sahal took first watch, the Lady had been studying a datapad with what information Varosh and his people had been able to acquire. However, it was difficult for her to stay focused. Again and again, the image of her void flashed through her mind. It drew her in, devouring her like a maw.

When she pushed the image away and sought to focus her mind, the pyramid loomed above her. Undoubtedly it was just an illusion, but each time she looked, the pyramid seemed larger and closer. She frowned, putting her datapad aside and got up. Then the earth suddenly shoke. Huge columns of sand were thrown into the air. A giant sinkhole opened up, dragging a watchtower down.

Siobhan was far away and thus out of the danger, but the aftershocks caused the ground to shake. She was thrown off her sand, landing in the sand. Her hair whipped around and the sand stung her face. Luckily, she had closed her eyes. Getting up, she wiped some of the sand from her face.

"Qadiri, with me!" she called out, seeing a massive shape emerge from the hole. Sahal, Sahmara and her people were already moving into action. "Sahmara, enfilade. Stay at range and get some grenades on this thing's legs," she commanded, moving towards the huge behemoth as quickly as she could, using her jetpack to speed propel herself more quickly. "Sahal, burn it." The construct appeared to be made of metal. The logical elemental power to use was terramancy, but neither Sahal nor Siobhan was an earth mage. Fire and lightning would have to do. Bolts of electricity shrieked from Siobhan's fingertips.

Kar'zakush was moving into position. Given her age and size, her gait was slow, but implacable.The Kar'zun was covered in sand and mightly irritated about this. Couldn't the abomination have waited until they were out of the sand and heat and in the shade? Regardless, the stoic Kar'zun opened up with her plasma cannon towards what looked like the head of the mechanical monstrosity. The cannon had a low rate of fire, as it needed to be charged up. However, each of its blue bolts hit extremely hard. Maybe Sahal's writer could do a tech submission?

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Perhaps they could do a tech submission!

Either way there was suddenly a giant beast towering above them, the metal plates covering it a dark and inky black. It was dark, but everyone had low light goggles or searchlights which could be used to focus on the giant machine.

If there was one advantage to this situation the monster appeared slow, relentless, but also seemed to lack any form of ranged weaponry. With this in mind as it lumbered forward it was open to being fired on.

In the case of Sahal that was quite literal. A boiling sphere of fire appeared in her hand and arced across the open sands, joining the lightning unleashed by Siobhan. Both hit the giant golem, the fires splattering over its metal body to little effect. The lightning too crawled like malevolent insects over the metal casing, but seemed to earth itself harmlessly.

At that moment though Kar'zakush fired the cannon of a weapon she held. The arcing bolt at last seemed to do some harm to the monster, punching through its armoured shoulder and arm with ease.

“Lady, I need to get closer!” Sahal called. “The fire intensity is too low at this distance.”

They also had a big hole in the creature to attack with fire and lightning too. Perhaps they could flank the beast?

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

On the positive side, a giant beast was hard to miss. Alas, it seemed to be capable of absorbing a huge amount of firepower. Fire and lightning appeared to have little effect on the golem's metal body. By contrast, Kar'zakush's plasma cannon seemed to at least blow a hole into it. Said cannon had been designed to penetrate an AT-AT's armour. It was far easier - and safer - to take down a heavy walker from afar than to fly towards it on an airspeeder in the hopes of being able to ensnare its legs with cables without getting oneself killed in the process, but this one digresses.

Regardless, Siobhan nodded. "Close in and throw a thermic lance. We'll flank it. I'll draw its focus," she declared. Perhaps she was being reckless, but Siobhan lived by the principle that a queen who was afraid of getting into a scrap was a queen of nothing. She had a frontline soldier's distrust of 'pen-pushers'. Besides, she had a jetpack. So without further ado, she activated it and soared through the air. Lightning shrieked from her hand and arced across the sand, aiming for the hole in the creature. Of course, getting close would also make her vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Kar'zakush fired once more. The plasma cannon was heavy, even for someone of her strength, and its rate of fire was appalling, but it hit hard. Sahmara and the Sepoys had taken up position and put the golem under fire. But their simple blaster rifles had little effect. The E-11 was better than a bolt action rifle or musket, but old and dated. Seeing the damage the Kar'zun had caused, they concentrated fire on it. Sahmara plucked a thermal detonator from her belt, shouted a warning to her comrades and hurled it towards the abomination.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
As the golem lumbered forward Sahal found herself directly in its path. As it brought down a massive fist to crush her she leapt aside and back. It followed her, blindly trying to crush her. As it did it lumbered straight into sight of Kar'zakush whose plasma bolt hit more solidly this time, now straight through the chest.

Although this seemed to not do much, it did have the pleasing effect of opening a nice hole just in time for Sahmara’s detonator to land, cracking and opening the wound further.

Sahal took her chance and summoned her fire as hot as she could make it, heating the insides of the beast just as it was already reeling.

Now all that was needed for Siobhan to swoop in and blast it one final time into its exposed innards and purge it once and for all!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

The golem seemed to be focusing on Sahal. That had not been Siobhan's intent. Nonetheless, an opportunity had presented itself. A hot, dry wind blew across the sandy dunes, kicking up a choking dust.

Siobhan kicked her jetpack into gear and soared through the rising column of sand. As she emerged from the shroud, she flew right towards the stone beast. She could see that it was reeling from the attacks that had struck it. Its insides were being heated up by Sahal's pyromancy.

Siobhan called upon the Force, willing it to heed her command. Power surged over her body and a forking arc of electricity shrieked from both of her hands. It was ironic for someone who led a martial order composed to a large degree of elementalists, but Siobhan lacked the talent for elemental powers. The more common Force Lightning ought to do though.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
As the lightning crawled like living spiderwebs inside the beast it finally quivered as something inside it finally overloaded. With a loud crack it fell backwards onto the sand.

In the aftermath Sahal edged towards it. “I saw these inside the pyramid. Whatever evil lies in there, Lady, it wishes to thwart us! We will defeat it though. Soldiers, double the perimeter! Two hour shifts. Sahmara, you’re second watch.”

Sahal saluted Siobhan and set to work repairing the damage and salvaging anything useful from the fallen colossus.

When matters were sorted to her satisfaction she faced the pyramid again.
“I am not afraid now, for I am champion of the queen of fire,” she whispered, holding the gaze of the pyramid.
Voices, soft, unintelligible hissed on the wind, or perhaps it was just the sand.
She turned away from it and headed back to the piquet line.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

"Whatever evil lurks in the pyramid will try to deceive you. It will prey upon you, try to get into your head you so that you are easy prey. Steel your minds, remember you are Qadiri. Strong, brave warriors who will triumph over the darkness. You will face your fear, and conquer it."

After this brief pep talk, the soldiers went back to work. Kar'zakush helped salvage what could be recovered from the fallen colossus. Because she was wary of surprises and wanted to raise morale a bit, Siobhan took up position at the perimeter instead of going to bed right away.

Standing guard was 'beneath' the supreme commander, but she wanted to be a visible presence. Moreover, she was in her own opinion the strongest fighter. Eventually she turned in after her Kar'zun bodyguard started nagging.

No attack came, but the group was not spared psychic visitations. Soft, unintelligible whispers would hiss in the wind. Images of power and riches would flash before their mind, tempting and beguiling. Others would be haunted by images of sinking into quicksand. Eventually the hour of dawn approached.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
As dawn approached Sahal paraded her squad. Fortunately none of them had been hurt in the battle of the night before. She offered a salute to Siobhan when she appeared.

They would move on whilst it was still cool, heading through the dunes to an area surrounding the pyramid which looked much like anything else around. A great doorway stood before them.
"Lady, might I have your leave to retrieve the key...should it still be there?" she asked.

For all the featureless dunes there was a small group of ruined statues, now up to their shoulders in sand. Sahal, after receiving permission, approached warily and started digging at the sand. "Here!" she said after a moment. "You three, help me dig down to the chest."
It was hot work in the rising heat, but the sand was eventually pulled away to reveal a cavity, and within a cloth bundle. The cloth turned to dust almost as soon as handled, so dry and fragile had it become. She approached Siobhan and knelt to offer the item to her.

The 'key' was a device of ancient design and art, but it bore not a scratch or sign of age. It seemed shaped like am octagonal box with much engraving and a design at the top.
"Somehow it opens like a shell, but I did not see how," Sahal said.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

Siobhan and Kar'zakush waited while Sahal and her three subordinated dug in the sand. "Ready for the ancient death machines, quicksand and malevolent architecture completely divorced from reality, my Queen?" Kar'zakush asked. She was not teasing at all.
Siobhan gave her a look. "Just as long as there are no lava pits," she muttered.
"Back in my day I participated in many a treasure hunt," the Kar'zun continued. "There was one thing that struck me, but I never got an answer. How do they maintain the death traps?"
"What?"
"Think about it. There's dust and enormous cobwebs everywhere. The whole place has decayed and no one has set foot inside it for centuries. And yet every single death trap is in perfect working order. Even those that would require power despite there being no discernible source of electricity. And if there are any beasts, they will always ready to pounce you even though they should have starved to death."
"You're a very strange person."
"When one lives as long as I, one has time to ponder all manners of questions. Especially if one is not distracted by constant mating," the Kar'zun could not help snark.
"Maybe, but my hair is still better." Before their dialogue could continue, Sahal emerged with the key. Siobhan bent down to retrieve the item from the kneeling Qadiri and pat her on the shoulder. "Good work. You hid it well," she said approvingly, examining the key to get an idea of how it worked. "What a strange item."

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The Kar’zun was quite correct. Deathtraps were something which were at one and the same time ubiquitous and yet always fully functional. One never saw one with an out of order sign on them. Presumably they were made to last or other arrangements were made at some point.

Regardless they now approached the pyramid itself. Sahal felt now as then that there was something very odd about it Not just the fact it was an eldritch black pyramid which seemed to chill the very air. Something else, something fundamental.

As she approached the door she found it harder to keep herself moving forward. She was afraid, but she was fighting the rising anxiety. However it was more than that, a supernatural aura of despair she felt.

Only Kar’zakush and Siobhan seemed unaffected, or at least they were hiding their feelings better.

They came to a short flight of stairs leading to the door. As the Kar’zun marched ahead Sahal paused, looking where the heavy guard stepped. She sank a little into the sand each step. Sahal ran forward and knelt down, probably surprising the Kar’zun.

There was another step below the level of the sand. She dug at the sand more. There was another step, and another down into the sand.

She looked up at Siobhan with a puzzled, yet slightly worried look. “The steps go down further…this isn’t the whole pyramid. Who knows how much is buried beneath the sands?” she asked rhetorically.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

Deeper and deeper they went. Suddenly Sahal dashed forward. For a moment, Kar'zakush wondered what had gotten into her. Then the Qadiri knight suddenly started digging. Realising what she was doing, the Kar'zun took up position to guard her in case threats pounced from the shadows. However, no demons or droids emerged to face her plasma cannon. This was a shame. Kar'zakush did not like sneaking about and playing games with shadows. It was one of the reasons raiding old tombs had soon lost its lustre for her.

Sahal's efforts revealed hidden steps. "That's not good, but hardly the worst thing we might discover," the Kar'zun responded. That did not sound very encouraging.
"Whatever it is, we shall find out soon enough. Steel your mind, Sahal. Fear is the enemy you must face - and conquer," Siobhan stated authoritatively. "Trust in yourself, and your Zari. This place was built by people. Very powerful, evil people, but still people. Ergo we will overcom it."

The aura of unease only grew. The air was heavy with it. It was unnaturally cold inside the corridors of the pyramid. There were no whispers, no voices coming from the aether, urging them to commit murder or tempting them with riches. Not yet anyway. But there was simply a feeling of wrongness; a presence that was filled with despair and terror. Once the trio had passed through and continued their descent, the door behind them seemed to vanish. Instead there was only a wall, as if there had never been a door in the first place.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The majority of the Qadiri soldiers were left to stand guard outside. The close quarters of the tunnels were not made for many people, and besides there was no sense dragging in those who were not adequately prepared.

Sahal of course went, but also Sahmara insisted on going.

As they passed into the tunnel the door seemed to vanish behind them. They were alone, but not in darkness, as the walls seemed to very faintly glow and luminesce.

Finally, passing numerous Qadiri skeletons – some with rather distressing injuries on their bones – they came to a vast door. This door seemed to be made of the same solid black stone or metal as everything else. Of note was that there was no electronic key or interface, but rather a five pointed star like depression in it.

“He did something with the key to make it open and slot into that,” Sahal reported.

“The slave returns. Is this your new Mistress?”

The voice startled Sahal and she looked around. There was no one there.

“No collar now, but she has an invisible leash on you. What a shame that such a strong one as you tags along with this human despot….”

Sahal ignored the words, though she wondered if anyone else heard them.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

"She does not love you. She never will. She only loves the way you adore her. You're just a pet." The whispers were persistent, if nothing else. Bit like annoying co-workers.

Regardless, Siobhan approached the black stone door. There was no interface or keypad, but a five pointed star. As she walked towards it, the voices reached out to her. "Why do you persist in indulging your pets? They are your toys. They exist only to please you and feed your power. You are a goddess among men."

"And a goddess is not swayed by voices," she muttered. "Be ready," she said in a louder tone before she folded the key into the seven pointed star. The door opened as if a hidden mechanism had been activated.

However, once the party crossed the threshold, they would be struck by tremendous white noise. Enough to make it feel like their skulls were about to burst and their eardrums to shatter. As if by magic, the entire corridor was bathed in darkness. It was an unnatural form of darkness, for even night and infrared vision would have trouble piercing it. Shielded by the dark, monsters moved.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

This whisper hit a nerve with Sahal. It was, probably, her greatest fear. The fear that Siobhan did not actually return her affection…but was merely using her loyalty and would discard her once her usefulness was ended.
She fought that down though. She had more important things to consider.

Suddenly the halls went dark. Sahal was no fan of the dark, but she had a solution to it.
“Kashara shine your light upon us!” she cried and held up her hands. Fire flared from them, filling the air and illuminating the darkness. She almost wished she hadn’t.

Beasts, part machine, part organic, were waiting in the shadows and pounced as the light flared. Sahal barely avoided one charge and was knocked to the ground. The lights flickered but did not go out. Instead she drew her blade and slashed at the beast, but could not pierce its armoured hide. Growling, it turned towards her….

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

For the night was dark and full of terrors. In this case, they were cybernetic abominations. They were tall, big and mean. Anyone sensitive to the Force would sense that their auras were...twisted. As if their very nature had been warped. Kashara, or Sahal's Zari at any rate, had filled the air with light, giving the party some illumination. The eyes of the beasts glowed a fierce crimson. The abomination Sahal had engaged raised its huge greatsword and brought it crashing down towards her...

And met Siobhan's ignited lightsabre. The sabre glowed with a burning purple light. "Sahal, move." Behind her helmet's faceplate, there was evident strain on her features when she parried the ferocious blow. The effort pushed her back. Siobhan got no reprieve, for the beast came at her. The Countess ducked to avoid a massive overhead cut. In response it activated a gadget inside its gauntlet, causing Siobhan to suddenly be be struck what passed for an imitation of a telekinetic slam.

The abomination lunged at her. Siobhan willed herself into motion. Pressing her body to the right, she deflected the abomination's blade away and launched a precise cut towards the arm that had been thrust towards her. Sparks flew when she introduced her lightsabre to the beast's wrist. The abomination's hand hit the floor.

The beast charged; she stepped back. Lightning shrieked from her left hand. Electricity crawled over the abomination, and did nothing. In fact, it did worse than nothing. The monstrosity's Pyronium circuits absorbed the electrical onslaught, feeding into specialised converters. In short, it consumed the energy to strengthen itself.

Its eyes glowed brightly, and then a crimson beam emanated from them. The scarlet ray of blazing heat struck. For a moment Siobhan seemed to vanish in a cloud of red, then her body was rammed into a wall. Smoke coiled from her armour.

Meanwhile, Kar'zakush faced off against another one of the mechanical monstrosities. She had fired her plasma cannon, but the beast was surprisingly quick and got close. She blocked a strike with the heavy weapon, then dropped it and pulled out her Phrik hammer. Holding Ashira's Maul with both hands, she proceeded to bash it.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Sahal rolled swiftly aside so the massive blade struck the ground, kicking up sparks. To her feet she leapt, then saw the effects of the lightning, and the strengthening of it. Sahal was not sure if her fire would do the same, however she had seen what the radiant blade had done to the beast. Unfortunately she did not have one such as that.
What she did have however was a vibroblade. Shocked at seeing her Lady struck, Sahal moved forward. It was vital she drew its attention.

Crying aloud a challenge she moved forward to attack. Striking with all her might her blade struck its side but sprung away, turned by its unnatural hide and armour. Still she did not relent, instead she called aloud a prayer to Kasahra in Zandri as she fought. Using her speed she avoided its attacks, but was still unable to inflict a great wound to the beast.

Finally, when parrying a blow it caught her a heavy punch which jerked her head back. Her vision swam and blood dripped from a cut above her eye. As it stepped forward to deliver the killing blow however Siobhan would have had the time she needed to come to her knight’s aid….

XXX

Kar’zakush meanwhile brought down the hammer and the guardian blocked with its sword, but the Kar’zun was both stronger and more wily. It tried its repulsor gauntlet trick on her, and Kar’zakush pretended to stagger back. It was a ruse though, as when it charged forward to cut her she caught the beast’s arm with one hand whilst her other slammed the Maul into its knee.
Ramming the haft into its face she brought the maul down with a sickening crunch onto its head and it slumped to the ground.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

The techno-organic beast was lacking a hand. However, it could still hit with the stump and had one functional hand left. Whether the mechanical monstrosity could still feel emotion was up for debate. Either way, it closed in on the Qadiri knight, ready to deliver the killing blow.

Then blaster bolts soared through the air. It was extremely difficult to be accurate with the E-11, a sub-standard rifle that could only have been approved by an Imperial military bureaucracy that really wanted to cut corners and thought that it could drown in its enemies in hordes of stormtroopers. However, Sahmara Jai Saobana was a Qadiri.

One shot hit its shoulder, another struck its right eye and another went wide. The eye lacked the heavy plating of the rest of the behemoth's body, and so it was shot out. The cybernetic creature seemed to grunt as its eye darted towards the little elf who had dared to fire on it.

Then suddenly it staggered when Siobhan brought the power of her mind to bear. The Lady's armour was smoking, but she brought her massive telekinetic hammer crashing down upon one of the beast's leg. Seemingly angered, the beast swayed, dropping down to one knee. Its heat ray fired once more from its remaining eye.