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Novin nodded as he took in the information, Good to meet you too. I myself was adopted by Clan Raxis a few years ago, although I am not a practitioner of the Mandalorian culture." Novin chuckled, "Wonderful" Novin said before looking around in the tent.
He slowly put his pistol to his side, He took off his helmet revealing his face that was currently sweaty, He chuckled. Novin slowly looked around in the tent.
"Commenor is however, one of it's allies." Novin heard, "That's good to know" Novin said.
Responding to [member="Lewis Roth"] "yes id like a reading, thank you" She walked over to the table and though a bit about her past, it was different from the normal life but not the most eventful. "I spent my child hood traveling with my father who was a grey jedi, i leaned about both side of the force and i draw upon each side depending on the situation I'm in, as well as galactic history and lightsaber combat. I have once encountered dark side users whom i have done combat with and came out victoriously but at a cost. Though still young I continue my fathers role as an explorer and scholar, researching the mysteries of the galaxy as well as lending a helping hand to those in need, but willing to make compromises when necessary. She looked to the side a bit as the others behind her continued there conversation, looks like they would be a while. "what can you tell me about my future and what it holds for me.... Sith?" She remarked looking down at the cards with anticipation.
"Very Well" he brought out a small artefact. It was a sphere with a flattened base. Lewis twisted a segment from the top and a light mist shot out, stooping about a foot away from the artefact. "Do not be alarmed everyone, it is simply a device to ensure privacy." He adjusted the dial until the sphere covered both him and Sky'ito. "This is an artefact my Grandmother used in her readings. The mist allows no sound to travel through from the outside, but you can see and pass through it unharmed. Ideally I would have also used this for Novin but I had forgotten it was in my possession."
He brought what Sky'ito said back up to the forefront of his mind. He once again tapped into his power, the transition becoming easier the second time. He let his body relax and closed his eyes.
Last time the visions had been blurred and hurried. Now that he was settled, they flowed like water through his mind. The images were random, semmingly unconnected. Each vision tickled his mind and they blended into one colour, one feeling, one aura. He prodded it with the force and it grew sharp. He hissed, but used his power to find what he sought. The force power tore out of his mind and his hands shot out. All of the cards except 3 blew off the table violently and landed neatly as a deck in his outstretched hand.
He gasped and opened his eyes. Carefully placing the cards on the table he breathed deeply. Each experience for finding the cards was different. He had no idea what he saw, but he knew it was wise not to question it. He flipped over the three cards.
"You have an interesting set of cards, it is my understanding that this combination does not show itself often"
He gestured to the first card. "The Sun on it's own can mean many things. Hope, Life, Growth, The Light Side but also Fire, Consumption and other things. It is generally seen as a favourable indicator. However when paired with the Moon" he pointed to the second card "It represents balance. Unlike temperance, which represent a balance of behaviour or skill, The Sun and Moon represent a balance in nature and the force."
"You told me that you draw from both the Light and Dark sides of the force. I think this is what the cards are refering to. Like how the Sun and Moon are opposites, so it is with the Light and the Dark."
"Any cards paired in such a way are usually given extra meaning by the third." Lewis places his hand on the third card. "The Hanged Man lies in a precarious position, where one wrong move my send him plummeting to his death. In the cards this represents a tipping point or a seesaw. The cards may mean two things. The first is that it will be difficult to maintain such a neutrality between the two forces, that eventually you will confronted with a choice. You will either have to embrace the Light and shun the Dark or vice versa. It is merely a warning however, such a future is not set in stone." He cleared his throat.
"The other option is far worse I fear. The hanged man is hunted and loved by none. The card may very well indicate enimity from both the Light and Dark. It warns that the Grey may find no place in either or worse yet, they will be hunted from both sides. This is a more literal interpretation of the card, but the cards often work in strange ways and this may or may not bear fruit."
***
He sat back, once again exhausted. He gathered the cards and placed the deck back on the table. "That is all I see Sky'ito. If you have questions, please save them for the end. I have a lot more futures to read, sorry."
He deactivated the artefact and called out. "Who was next for the reading?"
She meditated on the words, she herself agreed with the first two cards and there interpretation, as for the third card she was concerned and not about the second interpretation of having not place and being hunted but the first. She knew the dark side often pulled on her urging to be used more, it was something she was able to repress easily but certain events recently forced her to use the dark side more often.
She didn't know how much [member="Lewis Roth"] saw into her person but he probably knew about her sadistic side when using the dark side of the force, and if she fully gave into it, there was no telling what horrible things she would do, the seesaw description was very real for her.
At least this brought the question further int perspective, "Thank you for the reading, I need to meditate on this, i look froward to meeting you again sometime". She tuned to walk away and let someone else have a turn but quickly looked back to utter one final sentence, "for a Sith, your okay". She took back her seat and recorded the events, shed hang around for a while to ask questions before leaving , there was still much to be done at the festival.
If it's one thing that Mandalorians usually respected, it was other Mandalorians. She was relieved to see [member="Novin Jackal"] relax his stance enough to let go of his pistol. He even removed his helmet to allow them to see his face. As far as she was aware, that wasn't a common occurance. But then again, Novin was a different kind of Mandalorian. "Indeed."
Her attention turned to [member="Lewis Roth"] as he asked who was next to have their cards read. She took a look at the others gathered around and realized that it was herself. "I believe that I am next, sir." Kay walked over to the table and took the seat vacated by [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] just moments earlier. Her eyes fixated on the artifact that was now on the table. Privacy. That was just what she had wanted. Her guards remained standing where they were, but they were keeping an eye on everyone nearby.
Kay folded her hands on her lap as she looked to Lewis. Having not gone through this before, and giving the others their privacy, she was unsure of the protocol. "How do we start?"
"I am Garlen Zorabos of Ord Bostadus." He said proudly.
"Anyway what brings you to festival?" He asked highly accented before she could respond it was her turn for the reading.
"Go ahead, we finish talk later, yes?" He said as he smiled warmly. He was good at playing the politics game, its what made him the most favorite Zorabos in the past few centuries.
After writing down some note she decided to fill in the time between now and questions by chatting with the others, she didn't [member="Novin Jackal"] or [member="Raas Namal"] would want talk and [member="Tanya Thiran"] seemed to be occupied with something else. That only left [member="Garlen Zorabos"], she didnt know much about him but knew he was a powerful man and was not one to make upset, though there wasn't much else to do at the moment. Getting up performed a bow in his presence "Hello [member="Garlen Zorabos"] what bring someone as esteemed as you to the Correllian spring festival, forgive me if it is not of my business but I would think someone with your stature would not have time for something like this, I apologies if i have offended you". She tried to be a diplomatic as possible, it was a usefully skill to have in-case one came into contact with powerful people, and in this case she meant it, [member="Garlen Zorabos"] was most likely 5 times the fighter she was, maybe even more.
He addressed Lady Kay. "It is quite simple to begin with, you need to give me your name and a little bit about yourself." He activated the artefact, ensuring that he and his guest had complete privacy. "I know who you are of course. But using my knowledge of you skews the process. Better if you describe yourself, so I get an unbiased connection to your energy."
He was to treat all guests the same, that was the rule his grandmother lived by. The Queen of Commenor would be a dangerous enemy, but if her future was dire then he would not sugarcoat it. He would give the unabridged version.
His left hand twitched and his vision swam briefly. He could have sworn his saw his grandmother reach for the cards but when he blinked there was nobody there save Lady Kay. He rubbed his eyes as he listened to her response.
[member="Garlen Zorabos"] was one that she would have to speak with later. She nodded in acknowledgement of that fact as she had sat down.
She turned to [member="Lewis Roth"] as he gave her instructions. Thankfully he had turned the artifact on, but it wasn't as though she was going to reveal her own secrets to him, a stranger. Whatever affiliation that he had to whatever government or to himself, she didn't know. But that didn't really matter to her anyways.
Her name and a little bit about herself. Hmm. "My name is Kay Arenais." She gave no titles, just her first and married name. Her titles didn't define her afterall. Or at least she didn't think so. Her eyes drifted down to the pile of cards while she spoke. "I'm stubborn and have an addiction to tea. The first helps me to survive in a Galaxy that likes to crush those that value their freedom from oppression. The latter helps to break the ice in conversation and to give me comfort. Duty comes first before myself. My life is not without sacrifice and I've accepted that. My reach expands yet there may come a time when I can step away and enjoy my husband's daily company. Yet I worry that history will repeat itself and that my path will once again crumble at my feet."
Her eyes were drawn up to Lewis' own then."What do you see?"
His mind was drifting, perhaps one of the more benign effects of reading the future. He closed his eyes once more and drew on the power. The first experience had been difficult, the second easier. In this third time, the power rushed into him. He spasmed and convulsed, his eyes flying open but showing nothing but the white of his eyes. It almost overpowering, but he stayed on the edge of sanity.
Her name, Kay Arenais, swam before his vision. It was a weighty name, grown heavy from the amount of times it was spoken. The second name, Arenais, formed a colossal and immense network. The web stretched out, connecting millions of lives, some with just the faintest touch and others with strong bridges that could not be burned.
But he was not here to get trapped in the web so instead he examined her first name, Kay. This was the core of her being, it belonged solely to her. He saw a neatly pressed and folded uniform, grey and militaristic. An image of a young Kay appears and walks away from it. It burns to ash. He saw three houses on a foundation. The foundation cracks, crumbles and falls away. Each house slid away in a separate direction. He saw a lightsaber crack, a red light spills from its interior. He saw a crown, dipped in blood and... and...
Lewis screamed, an excruciating fire burned in his eyes. His hands rapidly swept over the cards and he caught three between each finger of his right hand. He placed the cards face up in front of Lady Kay and waited for the pain to subside. It didn't take long fortunately, but his sight seemed to have darkened slightly. He ignored it for now, he would have deal with it later. He viewed the three cards that lay on the table.
"Hmmmm a favourable set of cards, at first glance, but these cards often have hidden meanings." He gestured to the first card. "The Hierophant is perhaps the least complex. It can represent a figure of power, perhaps referring to you directly. It also represents order and stability."
He then moved his hand to the next card. "The chariot is more difficult to interpret. At its core it represents battle, victory. If we pair it with The Hierophant then perhaps this means that you will gain a true victory through combat or maybe through restoring order."
"Your final card, Strength is only given meaning by the first two." He pointed to the third card. "It is difficult to interpret because, on its own, its meaning is rather ambiguous. Using the scenario I just proposed, Strength could either represent a need for strength or the gain of strength."
"Going back to the Chariot, however, I can see two other possible representations. The first is travel and when tied to the other two cards it may represent a difficult journey, either spiritually or physically. This, again, may be directly related to you or may refer to the course of peace and order in the galaxy."
"The final representation of the three cards is the bleakest option. In this case, The Hierophant represents you and the Chariot represents adversity. As the Chariot is often associated with battle, it is likely that this could mean a violent confrontation. The Strength card may indicate your enemy is strong or you need strength to face them. This matters little however, for if one has strength then the other must be strong as well."
"To summarize, the cards may represent a struggle for order in the Galaxy, a difficult journey or an arduous and violent encounter."
***
He sat back and relaxed, massaging his temples. An idea sprang to mind and he smiled. "You have a difficult future to read and I realise interpretation might be difficult. My Grandmother used this for when her power became a burden." He brought out a kettle and a small burner. He swished the kettle around to indicate it was full and placed it on the burner. He then moved it and the burner outside the mist. Turning the burner on; he grabbed a small satchel from his belt. "We have a tea plant at the Roth manor, my Grandmother would drink it often. I have some of the leaves here." He put the leaves in the kettle and produced 8 mugs from his rucksack as well as a small container of milk. "Not the most formal affair I realise. I had brought the tea along to aid in my readings, but you are welcome to have a cup".
He deactivated the artefact and called out to the surrounding members. "Can I have the next person please? Oh, and there is also tea for those who want it".
Kay nearly got to her feet as [member="Lewis Roth"] screamed. Just seeing the whites of his eyes was disturbing in itself. Was it all some kind of trick? She had read about such things in her mystery holo-novels, but had never seen it happen in person.
The cards were picked, layed out in front of her and she listened carefully. Combat, restoring order. She had helped to stabilize Commenor and helped it to prosper. That had to have been it.
Kay listened further as Lewis explained more. Travel. She had done plenty of that and will continue to do so. Yet spiritually, she had gone through the ringer and was still not yet completely recovered.
The final interpretation didn't exactly give her a lot of hope. She worked hard at maintaining neutrality so that there would be no incentive to attack herself or Commenor. So hopefully it was just meant as a representation of her struggle to maintain that Order.
As Lewis mentioned the difficulty at reading her future, she had a guess as to why that might be. She held back certain parts of her from him. There were secrets that she kept close and not one person knew them all, not even her husband. Maybe she'll have to remedy that the next time.
Tea! Oh wonderful, glorious tea! She picked up a cup and was eager for it to brew. "Thank you kindly. I hope that you are alright. Your screams were....highly unexpected. I'll have some questions for you later."
Kay got to her feet as tea was offered to the others and he asked for someone else to have their turn. She headed back over to [member="Garlen Zorabos"] with her cup in hand, quiet as [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] was engaged in conversation with him.
While Kay went off to get her fortune, a young woman came towards Garlen, though the one guard, was at first wary of the woman, Garlen called him off. The woman spoke very respectfully to Garlen. Typically the ruthless Garlen would not bother talking to a regular civilian however, at a public setting you need to make it so people like you.
"I just like regular people, enjoy festivals. They make me remember a time that was much simpler." He said smiling. "We talk later, I do believe it is my turn for fortune." He said as he walked towards the card reader.
Lewis looked up as the large man took a seat at the table. He smiled absently but said nothing. There was a throbbing sensation behind his eyes and his head felt like it was stuffed with steel wool. He activated the artefact and turned to the man.
"Apologies for the delay, I'm not feeling well after the last couple of readings." He looked down at the table and rubbed his temples. He face must be ashen, his eyes were probably hollow. He had decided beforehand that he would stop when he reached this point. His grandmother warned him that if pushed too far, the reader could decend into madness.
"It's far too late now, dear".
He head snapped up with a painful click. He could have sworn he heard his grandmother speak from the empty seat at the table. He looked back at the man, hoping he didn't look as crazy as he felt.
"I'll need you to give me your name and a brief summary of yourself, then I can read your future."
"Of course i won't keep you" She stepped to the side an allowed [member="Garlen Zorabos"] to enter the field with [member="Lewis Roth"] to conduct his reading from him. She herself went picked up a cup of tea, enjoying the aroma before sitting back down, sipping it slightly as she looked back over the notes she took from [member="Novin Jackal"] and her own reading. She didn't think she'd get to witness or hear the other fortunes, and prying into their personal life would have been rude so she had to make do with the information already recorded. 'Maybe i should try and talk with the Mandaloiran, looks like his seen a lot in his day, though he also seems like the guy who gets pissed off at force users easily, hmmmm, i wonder why that is'?
"My name is Garlen Zorabos, Supreme Ruler of Ord Bostadus." Garlen said proudly. "The Zorabos clan has ruled over Ord Bostadus since the first Galactic Civil War. Recently, I've completed a 200 year-old mission to complete the Bostadian Clone Army. As for my goals... My goals are to expand Ord Bostadus's influece in this chaotic universe. I wish to grow as powerful as, Commenor, someday." Garlen said nudging towards Lady Kay.
"Let's see, I was made fun for my size when I was a child. Which led me to alcoholism as a young adult, while my father was still Supreme Ruler of the planet. That is good enough for reading, yea?" Garlen asked.
"Yes that's a good amount thank you. Lady Kay can't hear you, this device" he gestured towards the artefact siting on the table "prevents any sound from leaving the sphere of influence. Thus, ensuring privacy."
He was feeling better. He was feeling great, actually. His headache was gone and so was his fatigue. This was how he knew something was truly wrong. He wasn't so much 'seeing' people anymore, more like feeling them through the force. Strange shapes shifted past his vision. "Curious" he muttered. "I haven't started yet." He dipped into his power and...
Lewis's Reading
DARKNESS
The world was pitch black, he could see nothing. He was standing in a void devoid of light. He probed out with the force but couldn't tell if he felt nothing or felt everything. This was a completely different experience from all the other readings. A cold fear seeped into his body.
He picked a random direction and walked, hoping that there would be some change. There was no difference if the never-ending darkness but small, almost inaudible whispers rose up around him. He took two more steps and stopped. He felt a prickling at his back. He reluctantly turned around.
His Grandmother stood before him, wearing a cruel smile that never crossed her face in the real world. "I told you, years ago, not to embrace my power". The darkness shifted and now she was upside-down. Or was he upside-down? "I told you that it could give great power, at the cost of your sanity." She was to the left of him now, her smile stretching her face to abnormal limits.
"But you missed your Grandmother, the only person who never expected anything of you. The only person who never gave up on you when you were taken away. The only family who shared your gift of the force". She was behind him now, whispering in his ear. "Was this truly ever to be your final honor to your Grandmother? Or was this a pathetic grasp at power?" He twirled around but she was gone. She cackled in the distance, a high strangled sound he'd never heard from her before.
Three tarot cards appeared before him. "This is what you wanted, is it not?" He gulped and nodded. He took a step forward to grab them but they ducked out of reach. Every step he took moved them farther away. "Tsk tsk tsk. Taking things without asking, Kira was a poor mother to raise you so." She appeared out of the darkness and snatched the cards.
"If you want these, you'll repeat after me. I am a slave to the Sith." He repeated the sentence. "I am a slave to the Sith." She walked closer. "I am a slave to the Cards." "I am a slave to the Cards". She took another couple of steps; the cards were almost in reach. She whispered her final line. "I am a slave to the Force..." A chill flooded through his whole body. He convulsed and twitched. The phantom that posed as his Grandmother grinned wider and cackled loudly. He was spinning and turning. The darkness was enveloping him. He was... he was...
***
His eyes burst open and he stumbled out of the chair. He was in the tent, at the Corellian spring festival. He sighed and strode back to the table. "Sorry about that. That reading was...trying..." Something was wrong. Something at the back of his mind. Everthing seemed normal however, so he dismissed it. He looked down at the table. He'd carved three furrows in the table, each one under a card.
"Here are your cards." He flipped each one over.
"You have a very unique set of cards, one that does not often show." he pointed to the first card. "The cards were originally made on a planet that hadn't explored the galaxy. The World represents everything, which is what all they thought existed. Rarely does this mean anything else."
He moved his hand to the next card. "The moon can represent multiple things. On it's own, it may represent night, an actual moon, so on and so forth." He cleared his throat. "When tied with the World card, it can take a very specific meaning. On a planet the moon may seem to travel opposite to the Sun. However may planets can testify that this may not be true, indeed they may have multiple moons."
He pointed to the third card. "The third card is the fool, not the sun. Without the sun for balance, the moon may very well represent deception or unpredictability. Now, for the Fool."
He tapped the third card. "This card requires careful interpretation. On the surface, it can be taken literally, that the person in question is the fool. But it is a tricky card and rarely reveals what it really means. When tying it to the other cards I think it leads to this conclusion. The galaxy is about to made a fool of, through decpetion and subterfuge. It will come from an unexpected, or forgotten, frontier. It is also tied to you, as the cards were read for you. The question is, are you the one to be fooled? or do you do the fooling?"
***
He sat back down. "Don't take it personally. I just read the cards, I don't make judgements." He'd figured out what was wrong. He couldn't do anymore readings, he had to deal with this now. He had to make sure he wasn't overreacting.
He disabled the artefact. "I won't be doing anymore readings, apologies for those who were waiting". He could see everyone. He could hear everyone. He could even smell a few of them, a sweaty odour from few and perfume from the nobles. But he couldn't feel them through the force. He couldn't sense anything.
He couldn't feel the force.
OOC:
Sorry for the long post, I was using it to flesh out this character as well. He no longer feels the force, so I can't do anymore readings. If you want to react to Lewis being force dead that is fine (make sure you are force sensitive for continuity sake though) otherwise you can hang around in the thread and chat.
Thanks for participating in this unusal little RP.
- Lewis Roth
P.S. Bio may take a while to update with this new info.
