At Hero's End

[Jacobi Wylcott]

Darth Warvanus had delivered unto the Sithspawn monstrosity a blow that none could ignore and as the beast sought its vengeance the piercing streaks of light from Sovereign’s own efforts lashed the demonic form wide open at the girth. Cries of pain resounded though to suggest this beast was undone was foolish to entertain and the massive form can after the Echani with immense speed and a desire to feast upon one so potent. The assault was drawn short however as Tormentous made his own move. Had the beast had any semblance of life preservance it would have never taken its eyes off of the Dark One.

Tormentous charged in and began his onslaught with the Jidai Maras lashing out and cutting a divot through the back plated armor. Dark blood hewed from the wound sprayed forth in a stream in companionship with further roars of rage from the beast. Tormentous ducked to avoid a backhand strike, as the appendage flew over his head he speared upwards and his mighty sword cut the rear of the creature’s bicep and tendons. Had Tormentous been a hair swifter the arm would have been taken clean off. Black arterial spray flew from the wound and the beast stumbled away, first to one knee then to both as it scrambled to rise back up to its feet and keep fighting - no notion of retreat was on its mind.

Limp now the left arm of the monster practically dangled if not for the powerful bone structure. Tormentous supposed now that it was a good thing he’d been too slow to amputate the appendage as the a bone would have resisted a clean cut and his sword may have been deeply lodged within it.

Once more Tormentous came at the beast though his advance this time was waylaid as the powerhouse of a foe reciprocated the advance. Tormentous and the monster danced in a proud display of the Dark Lord’s own natural martial talents while the monster in turn displayed its capacity to destroy and continue even after receiving a potentially fatal wound. Impacts shot rock and obsidian in all directions as Tormentous dipped and wove his way in and out of the beast’s attacks though pressed as he was he was unable to formulate a proper strike and as such only managed to deliver select cuts and slashes to the carapace. Some penetrated some did not but none offered the proper damage with which to bring this fight to a termination.

Without a doubt in Tormentous’ mind - he was offering Warvanus and Sovereign the openings they needed if not to end the fight but to begin the set up of this creatures downward spiral into defeat.

[Kell Sangros]

Warvanus watched as the others engaged this beast. The beast was strong and majestic, but they were not a match for the Trio before it. It was evident in the fact the beast started to move slower, and its attacks not quite as powerful. It might have legendary resists on Force attacks but there were other ways to bring the beast down. The Emperor had indeed provided an opening. Tightening the grip on Akaan Burkida, the blade now was acting a bit different in his hand. He could feel the tugging in his mind for more of this creature. It had tasted blood and had grown a fondness for it. It lusted after this monstrosity, it lusted to spill its blood, it lusted to take it down. It was as He thought to himself. The War Blade demanded more, and Warvanus would give it just that. More

The Force flowed through Warvanus as he stepped back into the thick of it. Dodging attacks from the beast. He dodged and dipped, and stepped aside, until he found himself behind the creature. The opening presented itself to him. He Impaled the beast again behind its leg. Akaan Burkida driven in to the crossguard, in the front of the creature the blade could be seen protruding. He had delivered a mighty blow.

The Beast howled once more , Its movements were wild and unpredictable causing Warvanus to dive and roll out of the range of an attack. Akaan Burkida still lodged in the beast. Warvanus stood up from the roll and extended his hand , and once more Akaan Burkida dislodged itself and flew back into the hand of the War-Bringer. The blade hummed in his hand its song reverberated through the mind of its keeper. Dripping with the blood of the Massive Beast. The beast could not walk like it could, The mighty War-Bringer looked for another opening, but all he could do now was keep it occupied while avoiding its attacks.

The Beast hurled a large boulder towards the War-Bringer, he drew heavily on the Force, the boulder in his perceptions, He pushed his will upon it (Combustion) as the boulder shattered in mid course. Here the Lords of the Sith would prevail, by either making the monster submit or shed it of its mortal coil, there was no third option by the estimation of Darth Warvanus.

[Silas Karn]

Grievous, near mortal wounds nearly hobbled the Terentatek. Between the mighty blows from both Tormentous and Warvanus the spawn had nearly lost limbs at the least and its life at the most severe. Everything was in place as Sovereign targeting the left arm that had been nearly hewn completely by the powerful strike of the Dark Lord his self. Augmenting the mastery of his chosen art to its fullest the High Priest lashed out across the ephemeral (Enhance Skills).

The great serpent he had manifest launched itself untethered by mundane physics and bit deep into the blood drenched wound of Sovereign’s choosing. Unlike the previous assaults by the Sith this did not prompt a chorus of cries or guttural howls of pain. Yet as the deep pools of pure void hue of the priest’s eyes caught the light of day the spawn halted its attacks. The Terentatek stumbled in confused agony as the vile supernatural poison took hold.

Despite its own body employing natural toxic and corrosive spines, tusks, fangs, and claws its flesh its innards did not hold resistances to poisons not of its own kind. “Call for a small task force of soldiers. This monster is beaten.” Sovereign called out to Warvanus as he continued to focus. The difficulty now would be not allowing the spawn to die whilst still caging the beast. Shutting down the various systems of its body would render it helpless true, however many of those same systems were vital to its survival. Not even the Sovereign was confident of his capacity to stave the creature’s demise with sorcery alone.

The same legendary resistances it held might thwart attempts to bind its existence to such unwieldy flesh. “Lord Tormentous, I’d say this feat raises your name above almost any that came before you. A Terentatek, a name spoken in fear by Jedi. A fine companion to your Massassi I’d wager…” With that the High Priest fell silent. The remaining task would require the entirety of his remaining mental fortitude. Stamina consumption would be a dire consideration as well. A few slaves would likely lose their lives in the fulfillment of this task. Though the Sovereign had finished the battle it had come at the hands of the stalwart front line efforts of titans.

[Jacobi Wylcott]

Reeling back from an avoided strike the monster suddenly fell silent. This phased the Dark One little as his sense of battle held the tenant of no hesitation. Before he understood the beast was subjugated he took his sword on another bloody trench through its still capable underarm. This cut was not fatal nor further debilitating but it was a hewn gouge nevertheless.

Settled now the Dark One stepped away from his new prize. This beast would make a fine specimen indeed. Though not exactly as the Lord Sovereign supposed. Turning to the High Priest he noticed the ongoing efforts and he nodded with a heavy exhalation of his own lungs. He was breathing hard, the trial of this beast had taken much. Approaching the High Priest he sank the Jidai Maras into the surface of the volcano and rested his left hand on the pommel and from there he used the sword as a lightning rod to further amplify - no - to magnify his power.

The Dark Side of the Force came to him in a tidal swell of energy and he bathed in its glory despite the pain it brought him to wield in such a substantial amount. Therefore he used this power to channel into his own means. He used two fingers to draw the great and dire circle which begat the summoning of his sorcerous ways. Black ethereal smoke remained where his fingers passed and they stuck heavily in the air as whispers of great Darkness challenged that which was of the natural order.

As unnaturally as could be imagined the more minor wounds upon the Terentetek began to seer with smoldering heat and blood boiled as the lesser wounds knitted together and welded shut. The process was no doubt agonizingly painful. From there Tormentous turned his attention to the artierial wound he’d caused. It wasn’t within his means or ability to heal but he could stay the outpouring of blood long enough for the units Warvanus was summoning to arrive that perhaps they could stabilize and keep this thing from expiring. The artery flared with smoke as a gout of boiling blood shot out and then the vein sealed in fire and smoke. Other wounds needed tending but they would have to wait. (Repair, Sith Sorcery)

He turned his attention now to that which Sovereign was accomplished in. The affliction delivered was vile and proved its worth. But to assume this beast was incapacitated fully would have been foolish on their part. (Sith Sorcery) His hand went to work and etched lines within his circle’s circumference and as he drew these lines in his circle so did smokey black ink lines appear on the body of the terentetek.

Once they were accomplished the lines shattered from their smoke like cage and began to glow bright and yellow. Bindings. In finality the Dark One spake outwards and gave his new manifestation its name. “Odojinya.” Unbreakable mesh entwined the beast and ensnared it in totality. Where the Lord Sovereign subdued the creature, the magic technique of Odojinya stayed the beast in a more permanent fashion. If the beast was also a Force Wielder then its connection to the Force would also be utterly and completely severed so long as it remained under Darth Tormentous’ will.

Now in the final moments it would be for the arrival of a recovery team to bring this beast back to the lair of the Sovereign.

[Kell Sangros]

Warvanus observed both the machinations of both Sovereign and Tormentous. Each one here very powerful in their own right, but collectively the three were unstoppable. They were the core of the Sith. Warvanus had sheathed Akaan Burkida and spoke into his commlink, giving his command the highest level of priority. His will would not be denied. For one to deny his will would suffer a painful violent gruesome death at the hands of the War-Bringer. As they waited the adrenaline had died down, Warvanus began feeling his injuries. “A Sith Equates himself to pain” he reminded himself. Pain was power. He was Master of his pain. His body did need repair but He could keep himself sustained for now but would need to visit the medical bay, since he did not have the ability to repair his own injuries.
He slowly approached and looked up as the troop carriers could be spotted closing in.

One of the carriers landed, and once it had landed a dozen troopers disembarked from the carrier. The second one acted as backup in the event something went awry. Captain Tarfroth approached Warvanus. “Your men will secure the beast and deliver it to the Lord Sovereigns stronghold” he commanded. The men would obey and began securing the beast. A group of four disembarked pulling along an electric cage.

Warvanus watched as the efficiency of the troops was something to be admired, these were the Emperor’s troops to be stationed on Moraband required only the best. Most graduates from the Sith Military Academy where members of his defunct Dawn Patrol Special Forces unit were key instructors, all except Widow. She became Warvanus’ apprentice.

Warvanus was a learned man, he had studied his share of lore. He had an idea on what that beast was but he had never seen one in the flesh. It had to be a Terantatrak he was sure of it. Now a new prize for the Emperor.

[Silas Karn]

‘Odojinya,’ Tormentous had given name to the art the Sovereign had long employed yet never fully understood. As the pair of the greatest sorcerer’s of the age and likely stretching several millennia back it seemed where one lacked the other always stood proud. The High Priest took note of the name as there was great power in names when it came to the greatest tool in the Sith arsenal. With their work completed and the spawn caged the Sovereign called for Nil. The assassin droid was swift to arrive with a shuttle and with it the priest would soon claim true rest.

The loss of time was irrelevant compared to the marvels this new Triumvirate had accomplished. Half a day would pass as the Terentatek was pinned several hundred meters behind the build site of Sovereign’s still unfinished tower. Adorning his self in not only his complete armor but silver robes bearing the Sovereign’s crest adorned within that of the Dark Lord’s the priest looked the part as he departed his chambers. Tormentous and Warvanus were soon to arrive even as the High Priest met with the game keepers that had been assigned to stand watch over the emperor’s latest prize.

“Go to the tombs and bring forth the two largest specimen of Tuk’ata you find there!” Sovereign’s command startled the men that quickly contacted the needed hunters to fulfill the priest’s wishes. The next goal for the Sith was clear despite the immense difficulty of its fulfillment. As not even the combined pool of wisdom and potency of the Triumvirate held the capacity to simply create life. Not even the greatest of sorcery could achieve birthing a new existence from nothing. The emergence of the Sith spawn was cyclical and only required the necessary parameters to be met.

This limitation was a known element to the High Priest and the catalyst behind his request. The Tuk’ata’s own survival on Moraband was a marvel unto its own. It had long been theorized that they could feed from the very essence of the Force in order to sustain themselves. Living amidst the harsh, nearly inhospitable environment of Moraband lent heavy weight behind such suppositions. As Tormentous and Warvanus arrived to join the priest in his work the Sovereign set them each to a task. To Warvanus it was given to prepare two six meter ritual circles wrought through sorcery and set with four gems birthed from the sacrifice of life.

To Tormentous the far more difficult task of chaining a soul in the center of each circle. Tearing the spirit from a test subject and binding it in ritual to act as the fulcrum for the transmutation of the Tuk’ata. As these tasks were completed the Sovereign ordered the Terentatek moved, still caged, placed before each of the territories designated for Warvanus’s ritual circles. Beyond this the Sovereign knelt in front of both territories facing the caged spawn. Drawing his hands together the High Priest opened the domain of the Sith’s ancestral memory and true might (Sith Sorcery). Everything would soon be prepared. The Tuk’ata would be bound by the same chains that the Terentatek could not elude and their inherent similarities in relation to the Force used to mutate their flesh break their form and raise them up as spawn in kind.

[Jacobi Wylcott]

In the several hours it had taken to return and take some time to heal and rest the monster had been transported to the Tower of the Sovereign in which this place would keep it until otherwise it necessitated. The tower was a far cry more fitting for the High Priest than his original setting which was in a simple cave in some dank old tomb. Now the Sovereign was set to a place where he could entertain his practise without the incursion of simplifications curse.

The Lord Sovereign had been able to ascertain the methods necessary for the next and final task here today. Essentially a clone without the process of cloning and via the use of Sith magics. Replicas, abhorent monstrous abominations that should have never been. What the trio were doing was a crime against life itself - and not one of them would hesitate to do it again. As the Lord of War made his own preparations in the creation of the zones of influence which would take the better part of an hour and a half - each - for they were extremely intricate in their construction and the rights involved had to be done to a precise measure. As he did these things so did the Emperor already begin his own toiling task.

He stood before the twin circles in a triangle between the restrained Tuk’atas who were placed within the circles Warvanus prescribed but before them and he himself stood there with the Jidai Mara stuck into the earth being used as a conduit. Both arms outstretched and palms up in mimicry of his sword’s stance, his meditations ceased as he sensed the time had come. Bringing his hands together not unlike Sovereign’s claim to the unreal - Tormentous did not touch his hands together. His fingertips touched and them he expanded his hands open. As he did a sphere of dark shade erupted from nothingness. Small at first but it grew in time to frame a size as big as a man’s torso. The sphere hovered in place over the top of Jidai Maras.

One by one Tormentous approached the area between the sphere and the respective Tuk’ata. With the eccentric bonds of his willpower made manifest (Sith Sorcery) he chained the sphere to the first beast with a tether of black smoke. The second was next and chained they were - prevented from expiration.

Something inside Tormentous stirred. This method was almost exactly parallel to the acts utilized to tether his own soul from beyond the void to tear him back from the gates of Manda and dragging him back to this realm where he was forced to suffer at the Dark Side’s whim.

Now it was for the Lord Sovereign, High Priest of the Sith to conclude his mystics and see this to its conclusion.

[Kell Sangros]

After overseeing the troopers he had called in, and after seeing them depart, Warvanus now had matters to attend to. The War-Bringer had returned to the Sovereign’s tower. There Warvanus had spent the next couple hours like Tormentous had, by freshening up with rest and healing up, the time he had spent devoted to healing, was not enough to fully mend his broken ribs but they were mended enough and he felt strong enough, not that he didn’t before but he could now begin the next phase of their work.

The Sovereign had given him his task, while his experience with Sith Sorcery was not at the level of the Emperor and the High Priest he knew his assigned task and how to perform it. He had work to do, and he wasted no time in getting down to it.

First thing he did was he selected four beings. Two from the Emperor’s own entourage who kept to the shadows, one from the High Priest’s and one from his own hoard. He had selected two from the Emperor’s because as the Lord Emperor he was to have the double portion, double rewards, double blessings from the Dark Side of the Force. He drew Akaan Burkida its hungry blade humming in approval and desire for what it knew it’s Master was about to do. One by one He plunged the blade into each of their chests. Each one died from the wound. He next then relieved the mortal husks of their hearts. They had no need of them now.

Sheathing the Warblade he stood over them all and drew on the Dark Side. (Sith Sorcery) He began to chant some incantation as he willed the four hearts to rise from the corpses. As each heart floated the incantation grew louder he traced in the air the runes each time in the direction of one of the hearts. He could feel them now in his perceptions the chanting rose (Sith Alchemy) He imbued each of the hearts with the Dark Side in each one he poured his cruelty, hatred for the weak, he poured into it his sense of duty , and his blind unflinching loyalty to the Emperor and the Dark Side. As he did this the hearts began to glow and through the fires of his will he re-shaped them. The chanting was no longer his voice but the disembodied voices of many as one by one the hearts transformed into what at first glance looked like gems. Warvanus did not know how much time had passed but when he came back to himself were the four gems, all forged by sacrifice, each one a life.

Warvanus next then drew out two six meter circles in sand. He then infused them with the Dark Side (Sith Sorcery) he had drawn runes in each of the circles and now he traced those same runes in the air as he did so the runes in the sand as well as the circles themselves began to glow with a faint crimson glow but as Warvanus deepend his focus the glow grew in brightness. He then took two of the gemstones and placed them on the runes using the Force (Telekinesis) in one circle, and then the other pair in the other circle. With the stones placed Warvanus drew a new set of runes in the air as once more he began a new incantation. The circles, the runes, the gemstones themselves glowed bright crimson. Warvanus had each hand extended towards the circles his hands facing palm outward his fingers arched as talons each hand creating invisible patterns. Slowly he came back to himself, his task completed. He was unaware of the passage of time.

He stepped back, and admired his handiwork. And then observed the rest of the ritual, he would assist where needed but the rest of it was left to the High Priest this was his realm much like the battlefield was Warvanus’. He wondered if any would be able to feel what was about to happen, surely those in the Academy would feel a surge of the Dark Side. As quickly as the thought came he cast it aside. Time to wonder such things later.

[Silas Karn]

The seals were set, the souls were bound, and the inscriptions engraved within the ritualistic circles. Standing to his feet the Lord Sovereign outstretched his hands towards the Tuk’ata and bound them with the same craft that had undone the Terentatek. Finally the moment was at hand. Looking to each of the Sith that had aided him thus far the High Priest brought forth the domain he had opened and set it amidst the three creatures.

Using both Tormentous and Warvanus as anchors, Sovereign called forth the profane energies. Forming a tether between the three beasts the priest then began the meticulous process of morphing the bodies of the Tuk’ata and using Sith Alchemy to mutate their flesh to that of the Terentatek. Pulling the crystals Warvanus had formed and knifing the gems into the broken forms of the Tuk’ata the Sovereign harnessed their life force. Magnifying the potency of his own craft through the focus of the crystals the High Priest then pulled the bound spirits into the flesh of the transmutation.

This resulted in a massive surge of growth, as the Tuk’ata were painfully wrought to match the size of the existing Terentatek. Unexpectedly this resulted in the implosion of the creature to Silas’s right flank. Of course life and death held no meaning in the midst of such powerful practitioners of Sith Sorcery. With not but a flourish of his right hand the Sovereign imbued the shattered form with one of the crystals Warvanus had forged. As Tormentous had bound a soul to the flesh the Tuk’ata was denied its expiration as its body rebounded in size and reconstituted.

The two hulking mutations, profane transfigured beasts soon took the visage of true Sith Spawn. Straining to maintain the chains that bound his creations in place the Sovereign dissolved the remaining crystals into their newfound flesh. Soon the aura surrounding these newly birthed Terentatek shifted to match the foreboding of their progenitor. “Swiftly, we must cage these two. If their tenacity should match their mold we risk disaster the longer the closer we come to their completion!”

The High Priest shouted his orders and such demands were rapidly met as two massive pens were brought next to the beasts. It took the combined efforts of the Sith Lords as well as the soldiers and tamers that had been assembled to move the newly minted Terentatek to their enclosures. “All the territory north beyond the gates of the citadel shall be granted to serve as the epicenter of further ritual set to duplicate the successes achieved this day.” Not settling for even the immensity of the day the Sovereign moved seamlessly to the next phase of schemes the Echani had planned several steps of. Of course such matters would need to wait for another day.