A massive cataclysm has struck the universe, and destroyed most everything in its wake. The survivors are now trying to pick up the pieces, and figure out exactly what has befallen them. Gather together, lightsiders!! The darkness has shattered the peace and calm of the galaxy...and they will do anything to stop anyone from finding out exactly what has been done! This is our first sitewide RP plotline. Lightsiders, you are looking for the source of this massive event. Clues must be found, lackeys tracked down, and bits of memory discovered. Darksiders, you guys don't want that to happen....because of the one behind the whole thing is furthering his ultimate goal. Mandalorians, and non-force users, you guys can decide where you stand on this line....do you side with the Jedi, and try to discover the reasons behind the ruined universe, or will you side with the darkness, and protect those secrets. Will the secret of the cataclysmic reaping be kept under wraps? Or will the Jedi and their allies find out the truth? Your RP and writing will decide the outcome!
BATTLE ARENA
Welcome to The Saga Continues. We have a section called the Battle Arena. Here you can use your characters to fight other characters. Hone your skills and see what you are made of. Don't worry, anything that happens here, does not effect your characters in posts, so if your character dies, you can still use them over and over. Have fun and check it out!
The Saga Continues is the product of the mind of ADMIN ADI; all contents are copyright their original owners. All characters belong to their original creators, and may not be used or replicated without permission. All images are copyright their original owners. This skin Operation Mindcrime was made by pharaoh leap of Pixel Perfect and put together by ADMIN KRYSTAL
A towering pyramidal structure at the rear of the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban, the Sith Academy was made of stone and durasteel and reflected the sun framed at the apex of the structure. At the base of the Academy, the entrance was located at the top of a wide staircase and framed by two kneeling humanoid statues representing slaves bearing the weight of the Sith's power. Symbolic of a Sith's climb to power, the Academy's main hall was located just past the main doors and contained dual stair cases leading to the upper levels. The center piece of the main hall was a narrow stone monument which was carved with the faces of Sith; the statue was meant to remind students that the climb to success meant crushing those who vie for power along the way.
And the time had finally come. The valley was cleansed. The once great Academy was cleansed. Korriban had been cleansed and from its cleansing, it would be made a new. A new great empire would be forged. A new Order would reign dominant over it, only to spread its cleansing embrace to the rest of the Universe.
This was the final stage. From here in the Academy's ruins, the challenge would be issued. The Order of Ruin would be birthed and Korriban would be rebuilt.
Abaddon's fists coiled, his knuckles cracking violently in the process. The time was so close now. The galaxy would be cleansed and he would be the one to bring about the cleansing. The galaxy would be made as it was intended and true balance and "peace" would prosper. Order would be restored. This is just how it began. Whomever was truly responsible for the virus that had overtaken the universe had done the Dark Lord a favor. The virus had done the grunt work. It had laid to waist those governments and prior orders that poisoned the galaxy. The Jedi were is shambles. The Republic gone. The universe was ripe for the taking and he was set on doing just that.
Thumbing over a command on his comm, Abaddon transmitted an encoded message to the darkest corners of the galaxy. It wouldn't be impossible to receive, but those without a purpose to seek it would never think to retrieve it. The message was simple and it had a singular purpose of ill intent. it searched out those strong in the Dark Side of the Force.
::The dawn of a new age is upon us. The powers of old have crumbled and been poisoned with weakness and this weakness can not be allowed to persist. A new Order has risen and with it a new strength to press upon the galaxy. To cleanse it and have it reborn and reshaped to how it was intended. For all those who consider yourselves strong. For those with the greatest power in the Force. This galaxy will be yours. Come to center of Sith history where lords of old have taken to their final slumbers and prove yourself worthy or forever suffer the fate of all those too weak to survive the new dawn. The choice is in your hands now.::
Reaching the ancient Sith Academy the girl continued walking through the main entrance and down the eerie corridor looking neither left nor right. She muttered
"Everything they've built will fall to ash, and from those ashes, the galaxy with be born anew, as it was intended...."
Stopping a moment the young woman wondered at the words that passed her lips. She triumphantly asserted
"Well the way we see it is to bomb everything to ashes and let the Gods sort out the remains as they intendeth!"
The girl was not alone in as she would have likely felt Lord Abaddon's dark side presence as his aura rippled throughout the barren hals of the academy. They were, vacant and silent. Only a mere echo of their once great influence. Hundreds of Sith had been shaped and molded here many years ago. Before the dawn of the weak ages of the Sith. Before their numbers began to punish. That . . . that was hopefully going to change. Abaddon had a vision to see these halls flourish with activity once more. To see the Sith - his people - rise to prominence in the galaxy once again. The bed of ask had been laid. All that remained was to sow the seeds of the Order and reap the blessings from it. A rebirth for the galaxy so it could finally be as it was intended to be.
At the end of the hall the path would split. One direction would take one toward the Dark Lord that await their arrival in what served as the Dark Council chamber now fallen to ruins. the other would send them away to other facets the academy had to offer.
The almost overpowering essence of Abanddon did not pass by her unnoticed but she revealed no evidence of that knowledge. Slowing her pace subtly he passed by taking a turn and she too went in that direction. She followed catching each minute detail of the place into memory as she walked. An open doorway stood before her. The internal debate now was to cross the line or turn and walk away. Morrigan stepped confidently into the room
Korriban had changed; the planet and its culture was decaying. The Dark Lord felt a pang of silence, though it lasted no more than a second. Stone and dust- that was all they could see on the surface, yet the influence of the Sith on this world would never go away. Nexus made his way up the stairway to the main entrance- his stride was determined, slow and steady. As he reached the main entrance, they slid open, inviting the man into the cold embrace of the dilapidated Academy.
In an all too typical coincidence among her people, the girl passed by Nexus as she left. She did not even attempt to make eye contact let alone pass a word. Racing down the corridor towards the front entrance of the academy her heart beat like a jackhammer. His move was gallant but she would not have expected anything less from the man. Brows creasing she thought~I really need to remember not to think~ Heart beating like a jackhammer she bolted down the hall passing by all and straight out the front entrance in a flash
The symbolism of the architecture wasn't lost on me as I made my approach to the Academy. Strength, domination, the power to rule. From the ancient Sith to the dozen or so Orders that had been established before the cataclysm, power was all that had mattered to those who practiced the dark side. And out of all of them, only my master had ever been able to realize that power was only a means to an end. A stepping stone on the path to the true goal.
Freedom.
I passed between the kneeling statues and entered the darkness of the main hallway. Out of the dust and wind, I adjusted my tattered black robes and shook some of the dirt from the zeyd-cloth. The red grit still clung to my shoulder length black hair and pale skin, but it went ignored. My thoughts turned toward the coming meeting, wondering who had sent the invitation and who the other two that arrived were. The chances that I knew any of them were slim to none; nearly everyone had been killed in the cataclysm- thank Bogan- and I had only ever associated with a few dark siders that I considered colleagues in the first place.
So I suppose I ought to make haste to introduce myself.
When I reached the split in the hallway, I turned toward the presence of my host and immediately came face to face with a young woman. She flashed past me, staring straight ahead, and in a moment was out of sight. Staring after her for a long moment, I finally shook my head and continued on my way.
With his facade dispelled, the towering armored sith made his way through the halls of the academy, and out the main entrance. Woe to any who sought to stand in his path.
*Korriban, no matter how hard Andor tried to avoid coming back to his home world, he always found himself drawn back to its power and its legacy. But now, there was a new power rising from the ashes of this symbolic place. Andor had received a message through the darkside of the Force, and had shivered in anticipation at the destruction and chaos that was about to be unleashed upon the galaxy.*
*Andor now stood at the main entrance to the Sith Academy, his crimson eyes glowing as the low, orange sun reflected off of them. The Dark Lord let his aura in the darkside expand, opening himself up to the world around him. He started through the main entrance, sensing the presence of multiple beings from further in the temple.*
*He would find them, and together, they would begin to rule the galaxy.*
*At Tal’s summons, Ielyn arrives to ferry us. His shuttle, originally intended for platoon deployment, carries us over the wastelands of Korriban, none the poorer for our misadventure just minutes ago. Just as the barren landscape is flashing by, trivial thoughts fly across my mind. We’re fortunate to have this vehicle at our expenditure. After all, I have just wrecked the who-knows-how-many-th ship, which was itself not mine. Should this planet ever be completely abandoned, I would be marooned on this desolate world. Perpetually scavenging for scraps until I could construct some sort of vessel by which to leave the surface. How atrocious. I know that I could do it, though, and I can tell you exactly how I’d accomplish it; are you able to do the same?
Arriving at the landing pad of the Sith Academy, we disembark. By and large, the conversation has idled. Is that all too surprising, though? When you start with a confession of stagnation, it is difficult to then transition into pleasantries. And let’s not forget the part I had to play in the lack of topics to discuss. Crashing a space station and walking away unscathed certainly gives license for the line, “another happy landing”, but after you say it, no one’s got any retort for you and then you’re stuck in the silence you created. That’s something they don’t show you in the movies. If only real life allowed you to do a transition-fade and get to wherever you needed to go next, that would be so helpful.*
[/font][/ul]
*As we cross the threshold and enter the cool, dark corridors, the fanciful imaginings of ‘what to do while stranded’ give way to more meaningful contemplation. Once more, it has been brought to my attention that there ample time has elapsed over the course of my hyperspace voyage; in this case, for calamity to have stricken the universe. And, as has been the tradition for countless times in years past, a new order is rising among the Sith, with yet another man staking his claim as the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Our footsteps echo within the hallways, and, in natural fashion, I allow my Force Sight to drift throughout the whole of the sprawling premises. Here and there, down hallways, training rooms, meditation chambers, libraries, personal quarters, dungeons, gathering spaces, medical facilities, dilapidated throne room...all is laid bare before me. Observing, mapping, planning. But even more than gathering information about my surroundings, this act also serves to announce my arrival. As was the case for Tal upon the space station, when my Sight falls upon you, you have a chance to sense me. As a faraway being turns its eye towards you, in that brief moment, you can realize you’re being watched. Go on, then. That’s my intention.*
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*I have examined the Academy to my satisfaction. Now, it seems, is when Tal wishes to present me before the leadership of the ensemble. So be it, if this is a necessary step towards correcting his course. He has, after all, been around this place longer. For now, I follow; only when one becomes well-acquainted is when the time to change the currents of reality is appropriate.*
[/font][/ul] *A part of that, I'm sure, is the sepulcheral theme deliberately created for the graveworld of the Sith. But undeniably, the inhabitants of this temple amount to a capacity undue the size of the structure.*[/font]
My features betray nothing, much less the good-natured laughter that threatened to burst forth. It's so rare to catch my friend in a verbal misstep that I can't help but pounce on the opportunity, but I'm sure he won't mind. After all, he's never been one to hold back his own sarcastic retort.
But, never mind all of that, because he's right, and not just about the Academy itself. Korriban was hit hard by the plague, its population- force sensitive and unwashed masses alike- devastated. As far as I can tell, Abbadon, Andor, and myself (along with the handful of visitors that had come and gone since I had arrived) were the only living beings on the planet. There could be small pockets of survivors hiding in the ruins of the few solitary villages scattered throughout the desert, perhaps, but I'd not bothered to find out for sure one way or another.
I take my time in actually answering Ryu's question, leading him further into the tomb-like interior of the Academy. The cold stone walls, the dim lighting, the emptiness that my friend had commented on- I found them all extremely pleasant. This was a place where one could think in peace, without noise or distraction. Bright light tends to give me a headache, as do crowds, and so I think that, should I choose to remain here and work for Abbadon, the Academy itself will be the most productive environment possible.
We round a corner, and I cease my stalling:
[/i] dead, my friend. I assumed you'd felt the upheaval even between dimensions, but perhaps not...regardless, something akin to a galactic extinction event has taken place. I don't know the numbers, but suffice it to say the universe has become a much roomier place lately. All the major players you remember- the Iron Fist, the Galactic and Mandalorian Empires, even the New Order of the Eye- are fragmented, their members either dead and gone or just gone.
Oh, civilization ekes by on most planets; shell-shocked survivors squatting in ruins, mostly. As far as I can tell, however, there are less than a dozen force sensitives of any note or renown left alive, their alignments split relatively evenly.
Before you ask, no, I don't know the specifics of what exactly happened. I was in Chaos when it occurred, which may have been what saved me. The sudden influx of souls drew me back to the mundane and I arrived to find the universe on fire. The short version, from what I've pieced together, is that an economic recession coupled with a plague similar to Blackwing led to widespread loss of life, which lead to total anarchy, which lead to the collapse of every major planetary government.
Welcome back, by the way."[/font][/font][/font] [/ul][/ul]
I halted at an intersection the corridor, giving Ryu time to process the information and ask any questions that might arise.
*Although not a primary objective, a healthy amount of levity is well worth the effort invested. Tal's recognition thereof — both in the sarcasm of his response and the warmth of laughter being held at bay in his voice — returns the smile to my face. And I contend that there is nothing inherently wrong with that. Look at us: two men, Sith through and through, striding with confidence deeper into the pyramidal campus of the Sith Academy, and not a concern in the slightest to what awaits us because there exists nothing in this universe capable of stopping us. Is it not well-deserved, the pleasure found in this moment? Should one not enjoy the freedom to do as we do?
After Tal's explanation trails off into a belated welcome, I consider things for a moment before offering my reply. Taking a jab at my lack of sensitivity to the events of the universe doesn't seem partiularly fair, does it? For one thing, most of my sense abilities are trained to replace sight, not to gaze at what lies far away. For another, that's a critical distinction that should be made about relativistic shielding. Time elapsed from Nubia to Korriban, for me, was on the order of an hour; in the elapsed time of the universe, the collapse of empires would have consumed about 5 seconds if it happened dramatically, and would have been unnoticeable if it was a slow decay. So if something else were to have preoccupied my attention at the right time, then I can hardly be faulted for missing it. And as we all know, it was not an incident-free voyage.
But self-defense is not a topic worth pursuing in the light of more pertinent matters. What catches my attention the most is the repression of life brought about by the collapse, and the opportunity that is already presented. Yes, there is an interesting fork in the road before us as to what our next steps could be. In my mind, there is a clear indication of what ought to be done. Nonetheless, this decision does not rest with me.*
[/ul]*I savor these next words, with what little light exists highlighting my exposed teeth in a savage grin.*
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*I cannot understate how important it is to know the theory, and to understand the supporting principles. Yet, if they are never deliberately practiced, if they remain merely pleasant-sounding ideas, then they are truly useless to you. When you use them, you come to understand them in a fashion that trasncends the purely theoretical. Consider when you first learned to read: you memorized the letters and you memorized how the words looked. But what about when you first encountered a word you did not know? At that moment the principles of what you had memorized were put to a practical test. It was so long ago that I am sure you do not recall the feeling; however, I can assure you, it is the same as you will feel now.
Apply what you have memorized. If you do not familiarize yourself with the path when it is well-lit, how can you expect to know how to find it when fog conceals it from your eyes? If you desire not to lose the Way, then follow it at every opportunity.*
I watched Ryu silently, expressionless. I knew better than to dismiss his line of questioning out of hand; while we both had a tendency to idle chatter, plumbing each other for ideas and opinions, his tone told me this was more than that. It's unlikely that his is an idle curiosity. More probably, he is urging me to work through each of the options presented, interested not in the what but the why.
Very well, I will humor you, Ryu, as it seems that doing so always ends up being in my best interest. Often my perception of the world around me is flawed, until you force me to approach things from a different angle. And so my silence continues, as I let my mind work. When I do begin speaking, my tone is distracted- not a presentation, then, but a narrative of the path my thoughts are taking, a casual tone the only evidence of the supreme trust and openness I share with just one being in the entire universe.
[/font]I struggle for the words to convey what I'm feeling, while the route my mind takes remains a precarious one, twisting and turning on its way to the final destination. "Unimportant."
The prophecy that the Way is built on is very clear. 'Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.' Peace, of course, being stagnation, a lack of growth and change. The quiet death. Passion, the will to struggle, to dominate, to improve. It is passion that I lacked, and a lack of direction, both of which you have restored in me with your mere presence. I don't know whether that's funny or pathetic or both, but I suppose a like mind is critical, even for Lapay. Likewise, if the denizens of the universe have passion, they will struggle to survive without my intervention. If not, they weren't really worth saving in the first place, were they?
But the important part, the basic concept that has eluded me for so long, is the second line of the prophecy. 'Through Strength, I gain Power.' Working backward, it was this massive oversight that lead to the loss of my ambition. I failed to increase my power despite repeated attempts, and lost my Way. But had I stopped and thought it through, it would have been as clear as day. I should have trusted in the formula, rather than seeking to blaze my own path." A derisive smile curled my lips, and I knew I had failed to keep the bitterness from my expression. Ah, but there is little I despise more than owning my mistakes, especially to this man, whose opinion is the only one that I value.
"You see, Ryu, I have no intention of lending a hand either to this universe's salvation or its destruction. My only goal now is to acquire more strengths, to bolster my power. I will set these fledgling Sith on the correct path to victory, so that, when I have ascended to godhood, perhaps there will be amenable disciples awaiting my return. Afterward, however, my sole concern will be remaking myself, into something more fitting of a Lapay. And I know exactly where we will begin...
Ah, I'll tell you later. Come on, I'll introduce you to Abbadon, the Sith'ari."
His arrival was sudden, unannounced, and filled with contempt. The outbreak of Plague on Kiffex was a drop in the bucket of his rage, but the single instance set off a chain reaction that culminated when he received the challenge that drew him to Korriban. Alkor moved like a Spectre through the Halls of the ancient Sith Academy, causeway painted with the corpses of those who came before.
The scenery was a recent addition, which he became aware of as their tormented souls remained close to their bodies. Powerful, unnatural, corrupt power had settled over this place, power that felt all too familiar. Could this be his path to vengeance?
The Demon of Corellia would have his answers soon enough.
He came bereft of weapons, but only a fool would think him any less dangerous. Those strong in the Force would taste his hatred, his malice, and the utter rage that twisted the natural order around him as he moved.
It was far more subtle, controlled, and subdued than it could have been. He was a pulsar of death, of murder. The sensation that sloughed off him were the strands of life he had cut away from his victims. This man was a murderer above all else.
And those souls called out demanding satisfaction in his place.
"Who dares," he uttered quietly, "presume to call the children of darkness to this place?"
His words echoed through the Force, reaching out to Abbadon and his ilk.
