Ztudiez in zhe Dark Artz [Day 4, Mid Evening]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I hawe not asked vhere zuch a marwel came vrom. I did not vizh to be impozing on Lord Orethion'z graziouz hozpitality. But I zenze zhiz iz a combination of zhe old ruinz....und zome additionz he haz made zince transforming zhiz place into hiz personal eztate. Ztill, it prowidez a great chamber vor mein vork. Come, I hawe been zpending time here und zhere to make a zimple vetish."

She walked the gulf between the elevator and the grand orrery. "A zimple vork, but time conzuming, und in need of zhe right vinal ingredientz. I hawe zhe body, but now I need to lazt pieze to act az zhe conduit for zhe Dark Zide. It iz a compound vich muzt be diztilled from zeweral ozher ingredientz. Perhapz you vould like to help me in vinizhing."

(I don't have access to my books right night, but I can get to the actual roll tonight to make the fetish of fear. Jun-Tsu has enough money for it currently, and is happy to part with it. Then Shaisha can just transfer the money in gratitude or for theoretical future comissions.)

[Lord Tenebrous]

She followed behind Jun-Tsu even as her attention was more drawn to the orrery and the details that seemed obscured.

"If possible, then yes, I would like to assist. Even learn more of this process," she spoke with interest. "... At some point I should probably meet this Lord Orethion too...?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I am told he iz off vorld, vhich iz vhy he zo kindly offered hiz manze to uz. Ve are zhankful vor hiz generozity." Jun-Tsu stepped up to the alter. Upon it rested a bundle of what appeared to be deep emerald reeds, bound together with a kind of twine. The strands wove together into a thick knot. Around the knot was a woven ring and in the rings weave were what appeared to be pointed teeth of obsidian.

"Alkhemy iz zhe zcience of zhe Dark Zide. It iz compoundz und chemistry, yez, but it iz alzo zhe application of zhe Forze, to draw out impuritiez, mutate the compozition, und vinally imbue zhe vinal creation vith a connection to zhe Forze."

[Lord Tenebrous]

The knot upon the altar drew her attention as they approached. "It sounds a lot like how we attune a lightsaber crystal. No wonder it was the Sith who refined the technique of creating lightsabers, without the need for an external powersource like the sabers of old..." she mused thoughtfully while reaching out to touch the altar, stopping only to see if it was alright.

"The art of alchemy might indeed have fueled such a creation."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Zhat it might, I, like you, crafted mein own zaber, und vith Zeno," she paused at her own mention at the name, though only for a fraction of a second. "I tranzmogrivied our cryztalz vith mein alchemy. Zhough he iz var vrom here, hiz zaber ztill hold mein pover vithin it."

She was not normally one for drawing her saber, but she did so, and upon igniting it rose as a deep green light, darkening to the center where it seemed almost black. Jun-Tsu was momentarily transfixed by the blade, but roused and extinguished it, placing it back within the folds of her robes.

"Zhe cryztalz took to zhe pover qvite readily, az I recall. Zhe harder part vaz vinding zhe beazt ve needed to perform zhe ritual. Alkhemy hovewer exizted long bevore zuch modern zaberz, zo you may vell be correct."

[Lord Tenebrous]

The pause wasn't unnoticed, and she too thought back to Zeno. Who to her was a reminder of what happened to those who were weak in spirit when they dived too deep into the darkess. He was nearly driven insane over one betrayal, after all... he wouldn't have lasted long as a Sith.

And so, her thoughts were elsewhere as she looked at Jun-Tsu's saber; the green color nothing like what she had seen the Jedi wield.

"... Zeno. That's a name I haven't heard in some years now. Last I heard he married some Alderaanian princess..." her voice a bit more hushed now. "What happened between the two of you? His side of the story is the only one I know."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu continued to look over the ingredients unmoving, "It vas a school cruzh, nozhing more. I told him zhe vayz of mein vamily, zhe vayz of our coupling, zhe ritez und ritualz to vorge union in Houze Farro und to zhe Umbră-Ușoară. But he waz newer truly liztening. He vaz mein beazt, und I cannot zay zhat I did not adore our time togezher, but he zhown me az juzt a jealouz man beneazh hiz animal zkinz."

She shook her head, "He protezted zhat it vaz Rem zhat he dizpized. Zhat I vaz veak vor coupling vith him to produze Vas-Tsu. I underztand, but vhen zhe Forze whizperz you lizten to iz call. Zeno could zimply not let go, allow himzelf to be carried by zhe currentz of zhe Dark Zide. Too blinded by hiz own pazzionz. Vhat brought uz togezher ultimately drowe uz apart."

"But I vould newer hawe beliewed a Desvright a traitor."

[Lord Tenebrous]

Shaisha listened as she spoke, relating in some parts to what Jun-Tsu said, and in other parts she saw a clearer picture. "Mm, I won't claim to understand why you chose Remmington, to be honest, but... well, it was your choice to make, not Zeno's."

She shrugged, as if to dismiss him from her mind.

"Not a traitor. From what I understand, his family is backing one of the Alderaanian houses to return to power or something. But what he's been doing for the past years I don't know. Nar Shaddaa was the last time I saw him, and he was in a mental place he seemed unable to leave." From what she remembered of Zeno, his passion had rarely been lacking, but in some moments she remembered, he seemed to have replaced passion with other emotions.

"My apologies for asking, it was merely a question that returned to my mind after all this time when you mentioned him just now."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"It vaz agez ago now, und I cannot zee Zeno raizing Vas-Tsu bezide me. Ser Thalalas haz been a good vater zhough, und a loyal vollower of Houze Farro. He knowz our vayz, und haz partaken of our ritualz in zhe pazt. Ve zpent zummerz und vinterz of our youzh together. He iz not like Zeno, no, but he iz among a wery wery zmall group ov vhich I call true vriends."

A sigh.

"Our coupling, zhough, vaz pure opportunity. Atop zhe altar of Nudaz Minn, vizh zhe dark blade bezide uz, und all zhe zenturiez of zacrivice liwing in zhe ztone. Zhat iz vhere I conzewed Vas-Tsu. I drew out ewery lazt veztige of vive-zhouzand yearz of dark sacrivice, und gave it to her az mein virzt gift. It vaz an opportunity I could not pazz by. Ser Thalalas vaz juzt a meanz to an end, zomezhing Zeno could newer accept."

[Lord Tenebrous]

"Men do seem to think highly of themselves far too often," Shaisha gave Jun-Tsu a knowing smirk at that.

It was an odd moment of reminiscing and sharing parts of their lives that the two hadn't known about before. "... Well," she paused to gesture to the altar, "shall we?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu nodded, gesturing for Shaisha to take up a place on the opposite side of the alter. "All I need from you iz to Focuz on zhe Forze. Reach out, into zhe coiled knot," she held up the small lacquered reed amulet. You muzt fall into itz patternz. Giwe all your vill into it, und I vill be your tezher. Zenze vhat tranzpirez zhrough zhe Forze."

With that she gave no further instructions. Instead she set off to her work. With the fetishes already made, this would be a quick ritual, relatively speaking, only a couple of hours. Lifting an ampule from the table, she plucked a greasy blob from a slick metallic bowl. Placing it into a stone mortar, she began to add further ingredients. Most appeared to be types of minerals; oxcides, sulfates, sulfides, phosphates, and silicates. Each was in its own worn wooden dish being pilled upon the dark fleshy mass at the bottom of the black stained basin. When it was almost covered by the compounds, she took up her stone pestle, its end stained that same black as the basin, and she began to pulverize. The sound was wet and gritty at first. It squelched and ground against the bottom of the stone bowl.

But after several minutes it had ceased the sound, and now it was more like stone scraping on stone, as the mixture had turned into a fine paste, and as she ground, she seemed to mold the substance into a faint ball that rolled, black and dull on the bottom of the bowl.

"Qvick, giwe me your hand," when she had it, she drew Shaisha more fully over the alter, and raised a ceremonial lancet to the Sith's arm. She did so slowly, so as not to alarm. "Blood of zhe bearer."

[Lord Tenebrous]

Doing as she was instructed, Shaisha inhaled sharply and deeply as she began to focus herself - reaching out with the Forc and finding the amulet there as she watched it with half-lidded eyes. Her spirit bared itself as the intensity of the moment grew, it felt like, and for Shaisha it was as if her will fell over the focus like how the night would fall over the land.

The sounds of Jun-Tsu's grinding was like it became part of her pulse; distant and yet almost too much to bear in the silence of her own mind.

With the requirement of blood, the droning noise subsided, and she offered her hand to the witch at her urging. The lancet did not alarm her, nor the cut, or the sight of her own blood. "Blood of the bearer," she echoed.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

The knife cut quick and mercilessly, a sharp sting across the Sith's arm. Jun-Tsu allowed the blood to pour down into the bowl before she cut her own arm too let her blood pool down together. "Blut of zhe creator. Now vocuz on zhe bowl."

She reached a hand down onto the stone mortar as though to emphasize where to pour the Force. And as the two women did so, Shaisha felt a merging, it was so effortless, as their energies became one. Across her arms a faint mist, like vapor condensing on cool glass streamed down towards her fingers. The same phenomenon ebbed from Jun-Tsu, and where only faint droplets of blood had fallen, their wounds began a steady dark stream. But Shaisha did not feel weak, or drained. The deep red turned black, and as the two wounds poured out their viscous ichor, it settled into the bowl, but the bowl didn't fill.

With more concentration, the ebony liquid seemed instead to crawl up, acround the small ball of paste. Where once there was a somewhat mishapen mass, now rested an undulating black pearl. Shaisha could see as more of their offering cascaded across its surface like a wave on a nighttime lake.

Jun-Tsu broke her concentration first, and in an instant the great chamber seemed to come back into light. The emerald mist was gone as were their wounds. Like waking from a dream, everything seemed ordinary and calm. Though from the pearl, settled in its basin, a churning energy seemed stored. It whispered and lulled, like an anglerfish tempting its prey.

The witch ceased it and placed it into the reed amulet. It somehow seemed to ooze through the openings, yet remains solid, and the formerly brown lacquored surface seemed to wilt into a deep pitch, veins of sickly green wrapped across its surface.

"It iz done."


Fetish of Fear - Discipline (Average) = 3 success, 5 advantage, 3 light side, 1 dark side
(final total: 4 success, 6 advantage, 2 dark side)

(Boost from Void Engine, Boost from Shaisha's assistance; Transmogrify: 2 light = 1 advantage, 1 light = 1 success; channel agony +1 dark side)

[Lord Tenebrous]

There were no words that came to mind to describe the sensation and experience of this ritual. Only a feeling of the power of the true Dark Side, rather than the power of the Void.

"Marvelous..." her voice was a breathy tone, as she now beheld the result, the single word carrying more than one meaning in this instance.

"... When I sit on the Council, I would want to see such traditions returned more to the fold of our people's training."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"A vondervul idea. Only vhen ve purzue it togezher vill ve learn zhe deeper zecretz of itz zcience." She picked up the fetish and handed it to Shaisha. "Zheze are relicz, heirloomz from a time long, long ago. Und mein Houze haz been too long buzy keeping zheze traditionz aliwe zhe hawe had no time to explore und plumb deeper zhe myzteriez of itz art. Too long our librariez hawe been vithout new lore to add."

[Lord Tenebrous]

Gingerly, Shaisha took the offered talisman, and her fingers coiled around it as it rested in her palm.

"It is time that is changed." She could feel the power of the two of them combined in the fetish. It felt almost exhilirating. "The result is pleasing - and I would happily sponsor you for further work along the lines of this."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I am at your zervice, mein Lord. I am alvayz pleazed to help zhoze vorthy." Her gaze fell slightly to the fetish with a nod. "Und you hawe helped me already today. Zomezhing in zhe vay our vocuz merged, it vaz pleazing to zhe Dark Zide. Zhe talizman iz not zo difficult to make, but....I dare zay I may hawe ztruck upon a vay to improwe zhe prozezz. The balance iz juzt about right, und zhe vay zhe pearl came togezher vaz zo cloze to pervect. Juzt a minor zhivt in zhe reziepe and it vill coaleaze vith ewen greater eaze."

[Lord Tenebrous]

Her nod was approving. "While I may not have been the best student at the Academy in mastery of the Force, the past years have given me much more opportunity to grow and improve upon that strength. That our powers could come together like this... at least I know I'm in step in the right direction for my training there." She gave a half-smile at that, and put the fetish away for now.

"Looking forward to what else you might be able to create, Jun-Tsu."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I am az vell," she peered at the alter then up at the orrery as it floated above them. "You hawe potential. Knowledge und discipline is vhat you need to be truly great in zhe Forze. I could veel your vill clearly. Mein zizterz und I hawe practiced zuch ritualz zince ve ver children, vhich iz vhy ve hawe zuch eaze vizh alkhemy, but you did not hawe zuch training, yet pozzezz a keenly Focuzed mind."

"I convezz, I zhought I vould hawe to vork harder to compensate, to draw your poverz, channel zhem more. But it vaz a light burden to carry. In zo many vayz you did juzt az I had hoped."

[Lord Tenebrous]

"Thank you." Such words meant much coming from someone like Jun-Tsu.

"If you have need of my support in a future project, do let me know. It's something I would like to be part of again, to understand more of this art."