Knights of the Old Republic: The Last of the Sith(Master Essenu's Group)

[Insight]

Urcala rises from her sitting position and crosses to Master Essenu. "Mistress," she says, "The most obvious path is not always the wisest, would you not agree?"

Without waiting for a reply, the Miralukan continues. "I have sensed through the Force that our most likely course of success is to not be tempted into aiding Master Kanas. I know this is difficult, but sometimes, isn't the most difficult path also the path that leads to success? We must not opt for what seems the most tempting of these two possible paths. It will lead to disaster."

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

After a few moments of thought, Master Essenu nods, "Your words radiate with wisdom, Urcala. We shall continue on with our task. If there is any urgent trouble on Rollan, Master Kanas will ask for assistance. To Korriban."

She then turned back to the console, reprogramming the coordinates and preparing for the jump to hyperspace.

((OOC: Unless there's anything else, we'll be on our way to Korriban.))

 

[Vendetta]

Aalun nods his agreement, feeling rather foolish now for his own suggestion. He had not used the force to guide his decision... he would not forget this lesson.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

The trip to Korriban was short, uneventful, and quiet. Master Essenu seemed to be lost in her own thoughts and sat in the cockpit staring out into the blue swirls of hyperspace for the entire trip. After leaving hyperspace, the dead brown planet of Korriban seemed to hang in space. All of them felt a distinct precense in the system that grew stronger the closer the ship got. It was very obvious that the Force was strong in this place.

Master Essenu brought the ship down near a larger collection of ruins(which seemed to cover most of the planet in one form or another). The ship found a fairly comfortable resting space on the rocks above a gigantic valley. As the ship had passed over, towering statues could be seen, each at tall as some of the greatest mountains in the galaxy, all carved into the valley's walls. The spot was chosen to set down on because a walkway of sorts had been seen that wound its way down the valley...back and forth until it finally reached the deep bottom below.

It wasn't long before Master Essenu led the two of you out of the ship and onto the dull rocks of Korriban. From where you stood, it was impossible to see the valley that you knew was there, but you could see the walkway that went downwards. If Rhen Var had been a dead planet that truly felt dead...Korriban was a dead planet that felt very alive. Somehow, amongst all of the rocks, there was something here. Alive. Living. The planet itself seemed to radiate in the Force. Altogether, it amounted to giving everyone a very worrying feeling of being watched.

"I will not let either of you travel here alone," Master Essenu spoke quietly, much more so than usual, "We must be very careful here. It is rumored that Exar Kun unearthed a great Sith spirit here...I would not doubt that there are more. Hopefully, there are clues to where my bro-...to where the lost Jedi are."

((I will have a picture of the valley itself scanned up for you guys tommorrow so you get a better idea of things. ))

 

[Vendetta]

"Mistress, if Aalun may be so bold... do you know anything about this place beyond what myth and sense tells us?" Aalun attempts to center himself in the force and reach out with his senses, trying not to be overwhelmed by the living force flowing from the vary planet itself.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

The Jedi Master sighs and shakes her head, "I do not. After Ossus was lost, so were many of the great Holocrons which might have provided more insight than rumor gives us. This planet is polluted with evil. I fear that to find what we must we will all have to confront it, whether we are ready or not."

She paused and started over towards the edge of the valley, looking down the endless depths in the odd way that Miraluka looked at things. Not looking down, but feeling down. After a moment, she turned back to the other two and said quietly, "The Force tests every Jedi all through their life. Even a Jedi Master is tested at every turn. Hold to the Light in this place, as down below there is much Darkness."

Aalun:[sblock]Being the only one with eyes has an advantage, as you can see a series of booted footprints in the light dust over the rocks. They lead to the pathway down into the valley and disappear when the dust fades away. Despite there being no other starship anywhere near, someone has been here recently for those tracks to remain.[/sblock]

 

[Vendetta]

"Mistress, if Aalun my be so bold, there are footprints that lead down into the valley. Aalun is no master scout, but they look fairly recently." The Gand says politely.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

"The best course of action is likely to follow them, don't you think?" Master Essenu had an uncharacteristic smile on her face with that, stepping over to where Aalun was and looking quietly down the path that led deep into the valley below. After asking Aalun to lead the way(because he can follow the tracks), the three venture down the narrow rock path.

Down they walk, passing statue after statue. The walls are lined with great monoliths, openings to pathways inside(though how they are to be reached so high up is a mystery). It takes nearly ten minutes to reach the bottom, which is covered in old, crumbled ruins, and skeletal corpses. Off on all sides at the ground level are large doorways, sealed with great stone tablets. Moreso than ever, the Force can be felt thick in the air...heavy and dangerous. Every so often, there almost seems to be a voice in the soft winds that blow through the deep canyon.

Aalun's eyes see that the tracks he had been following are much easier to see here, as the dirt is thick over the rocky ground. The tracks wander everywhere, from opening to opening and back and forth. Many of them look recent, and it seems that whoever made them has explored much of the area.

 

[Vendetta]

Aalun describes what he sees and looks around to see if he can determine the probable destination(s) of the tracks and then describe that to Master Essenu.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

From the look of the tracks, the most recent head to a nearby stone tablet against the far left valley wall. Master Essenu takes a few steps forward, looking around a moment before turning back towards Aalun, "I believe that you are going to have to lead us, Aalun. You have the ability to see both through the Force and through your eyes...we have only the Force," she paused a moment as there was a crackling noise off behind some nearby rocks.

Silent to listen, and obviously trying to also see, it took only a moment before the crackling became an odd constant. Out from behind the large rock, a figure stepped out. For a moment, Aalun could only see a disturbingly thin humanoid figure in tattered robes and an ancient armor. It carried a rusted and old weapon in its hand...and a turn allowed the dim light that dropped into the canyon to show it to be a rusted old sword. The new light also showed a disturbingly clear view of the humanoid.

Or rather, what had likely once been a humanoid. Now, standing there in that ancient, dully engraved armor, Aalun could see a walking skeleton. The deep black pits where its eyes had once been looked straight to the Gand, a hauntingly empty look on its face, frozen in a deadly grin. In another moment, four of the closer skeletons that had been laying on the ground got to their feet. Each were similarly attired, one of them holding a sword with only half a blade.

Though they said nothing, the Force said enough. Pure hatred had begun to radiate from the ground itself, now centering around the five skeletons. Quietly, Master Essenu spoke over her shoulder, "The Force tests us all day after day. Listen to it, and you will have the clarity to make the right decisions. Never resort to violence unless there is no other choice. But when confronted with the brunt of the Dark Side...many times violence will be the only course of action."

((Initiative time. Urcala 21. Aalun 17. Master Essenu 11. Skeletons 1. So, the order is just as written there. Urcala, Aalun, Master Essenu, then the skeletons. Attached is a map for reference. Scale IS correct, so one square = 2 meters. Note that the Xs are the rocks. Actions?))