Comparative Religion [Day 2, Mid Afternoon]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

The trek had been mildly treacherous, with the snow and the winds causing no small amount of turbulence. These were not prime conditions for this sort of journey, but the Sith witch could not waste what precious time she had. So, with the most skilled of her estate's staff navigating her transport, they braved the snowy tempest.

It took far longer than otherwise, but finally the servant announced their arrival in Old Ziost, at one of the parameter stations. Jun-Tsu waved off the attendants moves to let her out, choosing to just do it herself. She held a hand to her breast, where, beneath her voluminous robes, rested an amulet. The moment she opened the door, the whipping winds flooded the vehicle and snow blew in a great cloud.

And yet, save for a mild ripple of her vestments, the frigid squall appeared not to touch the Korrizian sorceress. Jun-Tsu smiled. Such an easy charm, with great power, a testament to the potency of her family's ways.

Into the blizzard she walked, towards the barely visible sentry station, little more than a dark silhouette surrounded by whirling white.

[Dapper Dog]

The guards did not stop her and Fa-Lei bundled in a thermal cloak followed.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu pressed on, through the snow and wind. Silently, she surveyed the area for what she could see. Visibility was limited, but in the distance rested a squat ruin, mostly intact, relatively speaking. In all honestly, it just happened to have a roof, and more than the average number of standing walls. Jun-Tsu pointed towards it, wordlessly offering direction to her sister and then pressed on.

The winds howled, and were it not for the protection of her amulet, the snow would have stung at her face. As it was however, it did little but move around, sliding off some unseen ward. Though it took several long minutes to make the trek over to cover, they finally arrived. The winds still howled and the snow still swirled, but at least here, they were away from it, only the cold able to reach them.

Jun-Tsu took a datapad from her robes and activated it, a small hologram of the ruins appearing. "Zheze are zhe latezt recordz produced by zhe Imperial Reclamation Division. Zheze are only zhe public records, but zhe vill hawe to do. Ve need to vind zhe oldezt homes. Ve need zhe wery virst to be built. Zhe virzt templez, town hallz, librariez, anyzhing. It vaz here und Korriban vhere zhe jen'jedai virzt began to ztudy, fully, zhe Dark Zide. Ve need zhoze oldezt lezzonz on how zhey touched zhe dark light of zhe Forze, und brought it into zhemzhelwez."

[Dapper Dog]

Fa-Lei nodded and reached out with the Force but saw only peace and tranquility… she frowned and said, “Und Dark iz veak here… how odd.”

OOC: She tried to reach out...

Fa-Lei - Seek: 2eF 4 Light Side

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Mein zizter, it iz not alvayz about the objectz of pover. Ewen iv zhe Dark Zide zlumberz here, itz lessonz remain."

She touched the datapad and the map drew in on one of the larger ruin complexes, bearing a passing similarity to the temples of Korriban, but far more refined, clearly more modern by comparison. "Here, ve can try to gazher zome hintz about zhe jen'jedai began to fuze Sith mysticism vith their jedai training."

It would be more than a bit of a trek, but on the plus side, it was a ruin that had already been excavated by the Reclaimation Division. They would not find any grand treasures or ancient talismans. Those like Lord Savas or Darth Arya had likely had their pick of such treasures. But talismans were easy to come by, and Jun-Tsu sought something far more intimate than some mere token or fetish. She required true wisdom.

Sou, out into the cold she went, relying on her datapad to make sure that she traveled in the right direction towards the old training temple.

[Dapper Dog]

Fa-Lei followed and said, "Vut do you mean by true visdom? their teachings... their vords?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Faith," Jun-Tsu spoke above the howling storm. "I muzt know zheir Faith. How it vaz, vhen zhey betrayed eweryzhing zhe knew to forge a new path. How zhey dizcowered zhe terrible zecretz zhat hawe brought uz here. Zecretz zhat made zhe Emperor. Zhey did zhat vithought zheir order, relying on remnantz of zheir jedai knovledge und Zith mysticism. Und yet, zhe dizcovered zome of zhe deepezt zecretz of zhe Forze....how? How did zhe plumb zuch depthz vith zo little? I muzt know how zhe reached zo far."

[Dapper Dog]

Fa-Lei nodded and then said, “Faith in zhe Umbra…”

She followed and when they came upon the structure they sought. She called upon the Force and foguth through the peace of the setting and channeled it into darkness and ripped the doors the stone slabs flying aside with ease throwing snow into the air.

She waited for Jun-Tsu.

OOC: Spent a Dark to convert the Light.

Fa-Lei - Move: 2eF 3 Light Side

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu nodded thankfully, though noted the strain such efforts took. It would be almost imperceptible to one who had not spend their life training beside them. Stepping into the cavernous silence, the former temple, was a quiet tomb to old memories. Old equipment lay near the entrance from the former excavation, with trails of unlit lights that had been driven into the stone by Imperial archeologists.

Such blows to the physicality of the structure did not bother her. In pursuit of knowledge, such petty sacrifices were worth it in the name of progress. A simple generator nearby would likely supply power to the explored corridors, she opined. Though how well it worked, likely depended on how long the device had been here.

Fiddling a bit with nobs and switches, she attempted to get the thing to work.

[Dapper Dog]

Fa-Lei removed her pack and sat a miniature generator and began the tedious work of connecting it to the machinery and equipment. She said, “It vill not last, but should be long enough to do vhat ve must, honored sister.”

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I...," she was almost surprised by the forethought of her sister.

"Zhank you," she said simply. "You are, az you hawe ewer been more in tune vith mein own needz zhen perhapz I am at timez. But let uz not vazte your good planning und vize precaution."

Briskly Jun-Tsu walked down corridors and passages. She did not worry as much about the light, supplied as they were with handlights if necessary. But that was like comparing their current light to the sun. It was simply easier with the excavation lighting...for as long as it held out.

"I vizh I knew more prezicely vhat I vished, but...." she stopped for a moment, placing a hand on the cold stone. "Iv I recall, zhe early Zith templez vere arranged in a puzzle vormation. A zircutiouz route to zhe zenter where lezzonz und zhe library, zuch az it could be called back zhen, vould be."

"Und zhe mazters' chamberz.....zhey vere..." she tried to recall her years of study on Sith history. "I cannot recall if zhey are abowe or belov zhe central chamber. "A-abowe I zhink. But virst ve need to vind zhe correct route. Perhapz zhe dig already did."

While relying on her studies, she followed the lights as they wove through passages, she worried that they might be led astray, but...if these Imperial archeologists were truly worthy of the name, they knew as much or more about this architecture than a Korrizian sorceress.

[Dapper Dog]

OOC: Lore or Perception check at Average with a Destiny upgrade so 1 red and a purple, and a setback for the poor conditions of the structure.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Following the lights, Jun-Tsu paused for only a moment, peering down one of the darkened passages. She stared into the blackness, then down the illuminated path taking her to the right. Something felt wrong about that hall. Too often the light drew her closer and closer to the center, but far too directly. Something was wrong. This temple would be unlike any other if it were truly so easy. Unlike any she had lived in on Korriz, or studied those long hours in the library on Korriban. Perhaps they found a short cut, a fallen wall, or an eroded floor.

She shook her head and looked back at her sister. "Zhis vay," her voice was barely a whisper.

Into the darkness she stepped. Sith did not take short cuts. She was after the lesson, not the goal, and so she continued to follow the true way.

Knowledge: Lore (Intellect) = 1 success, 1 threat, 1 triumph

[Dapper Dog]

They find the chamber, but it is very unsound and the walls creak.

OOC: Triumph and threat used.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Without the light of the excavation equipment, the two women were reduced to their hand lights. Pressing deeper into the darkness, Jun-Tsu grew more certain she had been right. They would have come upon a wall, an obstruction, even a trap, but nothing. Each turn drew them further into the complex, but by her estimation, a portion not fully explored.

When at last the passageway opened into the vast training chamber, she smirked, "Wery clewer."

But the sound of shifting stones caused the expression to fade. "Careful zizter, ve are upon zand here, zo to zpeak."

She entered the chamber with a delicate foot, gliding her way across the rough tilework. "Zhere iz zuch qviet here." Pillars of a colonnade cast shadows across the walls with each scan of her light.

[Dapper Dog]

"Have ve found something of value?" she asked looking into the chamber.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"All knovledge iz waluable mein sister," Jun-Tsu offered. There may not have been ancient carvings illuminating the secrets of the Dark Side, or pictograms with bygone techniques of Sith deep meditation, but the chamber was untouched for countless centuries.

"Zhere iz nozhing," the witch commented, as she continued to walk with ginger steps about the perimeter. "It iz bare. But," she stopped. "Of course it vould be. How could I hawe been zo voolish."

A quiet chortle escaped her throat. "Yez. No lezzonz.....becauze zhere vere none. Pure experimentation. Zeeking zhe Dark Zide in any vay zhey could zhink of."

A pale hand rested upon the stones, the Force quiet here, restful. "Zhere iz nozhing for uz here. It iz time to zeek a new pazh to zhe Dark Zide."

[Dapper Dog]

She knelt down and picked up a stone and said, "Perhaps just coming here vas part of our path of understanding, mein honored zister."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Of zhat ve can be zertain. It haz zhown me zhe pazh vorward, of zortz. I vill need to meditate upon zhiz, und consult zhe woid engine vor guidance. I juzt pray zhat mein journey haz not begun to late."

[Dapper Dog]

“Ve are Farro, submission is not our vay. Ve vill fight until ze last,” she said proudly.