SithLore

Location: Presbalin, Gordian Reach

A settled world in the Gordian Reach, known for its unique architecture. The Sith Lord known as Warvanus had found himself on this world along with his apprentice Kinta Vetasa and his protocol droid KL-PK1 , the Magnetar which was the flagship of the Warhound Battlegroup had remained in orbit. The trio had taken a firespray ship down planetside. He had tasked both his droid and his apprentice in searching their archives for specific knowledge. Knowledge the War-Bringer had hoped to use. A lot had happened in the Sith Empire recently, the Former Dark Lord Darth Blood had been taken down, usurped by his master and Warvanus’ as well Darth Tormentous. In truth Warvanus was a product of both Darth Tormentous and Darth Blood’s teachings as he had studied under both and through their instruction he had gained a vast knowledge of the Force.

He was dressed in a simple black and gray tunic, black pants with matching color boots. His hair that was down to his shoulders was in a ponytail. He did not even carry his lightsaber on him. He had also cloaked himself in the mundane, hiding his true nature from any who tried to use the Force to sense him. *Force Mask* He was a feared, vicious warrior but he was also a scholar and not often was he afforded opportunity to explore such places. He had been walking down a crowded street, many of the local artisans and merchants selling their wares on the sides of the road. Often included cultural trinkets, foods, and other necessities. Warvanus under the guise of Kell paid no attention to them. He was heading to the edge of town as he had planned to charter a speeder to explore some of the unique ruins that adorned this world. He had noted one vendor who had a few proscpective customers examining his wares , something was different about this vendor so he had decided to deviate from his course to examine the wares. He recognized one trinket as a piece of a medallion maybe, or a coin from ages long past. It was small enough to be a coin but what caught Kell’s attention was the Sith writing on it. He had picked up the coin and turned it over in his hand. It appeared to be old , he examined it further and for the moment oblivious to the others who were standing near him. He addressed the vendor but did not call him by name he just asked

“Did this come from the ruins?” He asked looking up at the merchant.

The merchant nodded

He was about to ask him more about it when a foreboding bubbled to his mind. He had put the coin down and began to look around for its source. The nature he could not deduce at least not yet. It would he knew would reveal itself. So many sentients walking about , he could drop his mask to reach out with his senses. But he would wait for the source to reveal itself….

Two weeks ago

That smell was calling him, when was the last time he ate something properly, he was wondering in this planet and yet he didn’t know the name of it. His power was lower than he thought, and still was in the verge of learning more skill, Kieran Sontebren knew from another person that he was attuned to the force, and started the study of it, the only thing he had learned by now was to sense life, he could feel if something was near him. But he wanted to learn more, and without someone to teach him that would be impossible. Yet he had to try.

That smell, he was hungry, Kieran hadn’t had a breakfast, he lurked in his pocket, only 240 credits, and had to find a shuttle to leave the planet. Why he had to order those destroyer droids, the trainer and the R2 astromech when he hadn’t a place to live, and now he couldn’t retire the order, but he needed to set a location so the droids would be delivered. He had to find a place.

That smell, he was at the market, it was not a regular market, as every city in this planed had, it was one for those who want to sell used items, mostly those second hands things that someone discharged and another person got, or for those items that were sent back to the factories because had some issues, all of those things ended there, Kieran didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, and why he was there, he just wanted to eat something, but moreover, he was searching for a ticket to leave that planet, maybe a job, maybe something that let him eat regularly. Then another thing caught his attention. It was an add:


“Are you jobless, why not joint the Market’s Raiders,
And you will earn more than a meal.”

He got to the location where the call was made, it was a small group of three finders including him and the leader of the team, the search was in the nearby ruins, when the local legend said it was constructed by an old group of Sith followers, maybe a real Sith cult. Well, this is interesting, I could get a dark inscription so I can learn more power. thought Kieran as he was in the small vehicle.

One in the site, there was nothing to see, the other two said “Finders salary”, and he learned that the salary was proportional to what he gave to the boss. If it was interesting then the pay would be better, “But yet, we need to sell it in order to pay you, and that’s the deal.” said the boss while they were in the way to the ruins.

Kieran, as it was his first time there, just trusted his instinct, and let the other two went to the eastern direction, maybe they knew that the western one was emptied or had nothing of value, still something told him to go there, he grab a shovel and walked contrary to the other two, once he entered in some sort of a room, he found several holes, Seems they were here, but still I have a feeling that something is buried here, is like a call. Kieran started digging in a one of the hole, but found nothing, then he continued in another and another and another, the only thing he found in the entire day was a rusted ring. When he returned everyone was smiling for their findings, they got several items and by the face of the leader there were good, when turning to Kieran and examining the ring, he just said “This will give you just enough for two meals, you need to find something else if you want to earn more.”


One week ago
Kieran, Chur'synda the twi'lek, and the bothan girl Kai Krey'Lya made themselves acquaintances. Kieran’s goals was to use them to learn more, nothing else, he didn’t want to be their friends, it was not in his nature, nor his main goal. They went to search the ruins three times a week, the rest they spent in the town drinking and talking. That night the boss called them, they were going to another location, a new site, with better pay.

The next day the group mounted in the vehicle, the travel, as the boss said, was going for roughly 36 hours, as traveling in ships inside the planet was forbidden to that team. After a brief rest, the team started the search in the new ruins, it was like a temple, very old, Kieran heard that it was like 10 thousand years old, but still the infrastructure was good and solid, the team just heard to keep their eyes and ears wide opened, since in this site there were active traps.


One week ago

Last week Kieran felt sorry for his teammates, but he was angered by the sadistic boss who knowing all the traps, he just were there for the treasure, and even they couldn't get any valuable, only a small coin with some old inscription, but the man got what he deserved, as Kieran remembered his anger fueled him, as if something erupted from his inside, in a moment he was arguing with the boss, and a second later he was just there with his hands in his boss’ neck, the body didn’t respond, it was motionless, and Kieran got a new quest, find the coin, it had some value to him, he couldn't know exactly what, how or why, but something was calling him out, so he moved towards the man who was the boss’ partner and seller, and then, he felt something, something else he hadn’t felt for a long time, it was a something alive, but a stronger wave from the rest of the people around, Kieran Sontebren; the 1.80 meters tall naboo, with curled dirty blond hair and light blue eyes, pearl-white skin, well-built body, perfectly hidden inside his heavy battle armor and also he carried a DH-17 heavy blaster, even it was a standard issued military grade blaster, it was perfect clear nobody cared that he was carrying one; wasn’t able to locate exactly the point, and was thinking what was that.

The closer he got to the seller, the stronger he felt the sensation, what was that, was it what he was thinking, another force user or it was just his imagination, and unconsciously he try to send a force wave, something to catch the attention of that person, he knew he wasn’t trained, but something had to be done.

Warvanus had found another trinket to examine that piqued his interest. He turned over the faded triangle stone about the size of a medallion in his fingers. It possessed nothing significant and it was this that Warvanus found curious, the more he turned it over in his fingers the more he was convinced this was a fabrication of something artifact. In his mind it was worthless but he would let the merchant peddle his wares unless he tried to push the object to him, then the merchant would die. The merchant had paid Warvanus no mind and was focused on a young couple eyeing an old silver ring.

Even being masked in the mundane (Force Mask) something ebbed at the back of his mind. Not danger, at least not to the War-Bringer. It was almost as if the Dark Side was whispering to him. Something was about to happen. The only word that bubbled to his mind was Opportunity. With that he dropped his Force Mask technique. Once it was down he was fully open to the Dark Side as his senses were assaulted with something. He reached out through the Force in an attempt to pinpoint the source. He physically turned around and watched the crowd. It was a effort he surmised that came from another Force user who had some training, but it was mostly raw in the power he felt. A Force Sensitive on a Sith world became the War-Bringer’s top priority. He deepened his concentration in an effort to find the source, the crowds were making difficult but this Force user could in theory sense him as well and maybe he would come to Warvanus. He would make himself known as Finding this Force Sensitive was paramount, by the Emperor’s decree any Force Sensitive in the Sith Empire was to be treated well. He stepped away from the merchants table and began to head towards the general direction that he perceived the source to be originating from.

He would be perceived in the Force as a inferno of power. For now he would not incite a panic while restraint would be fun he had to use restraint. He wanted this being to come to him. He would either find the being worthy or not, if not he would just kill him. If he was worthy, well if he was found worthy then his or her life would be forever changed.

Neila... the name that came to his thoughts, and he just turned back when he was a little boy, he remembered how he lost his family, his father, mother and five years old sister, and probably he lost his former lover Neila, the only thing he remember about her was the golden hair and the small blue sky eyes, her temper and that she called him ‘Praetus’.

Waiting, he was a little impatient, in that crowd there were somebody that could respond to his call, or whatever that was, Kieran knew that he can barely tap in the power ahead, and he wanted to learn how to reach his full potential, learn how to control it, but what was his goal, would he wanted to go back to his home planet and claim it to him in revenge for his family and friends, would he wanted to seize control of a system or yet, the entire galaxy. What he knew now is that things was set in motion and now he couldn’t stop the flow.

Then he felt it, it was a powerful demonstration, he felt it like a candle in the dark, not, it was not a candle, it was like a rising star, warmer, but then turning to be hotter than anything else, it was burning his senses, it was flooding his body, he must find the source of that, maybe it was the master he was looking for.

With one hand prepared to get one of his blasters, yet he new if the source was a truly master of the force and saw that he was in danger Kieran would be dust and no one to be remembered, so he must be cautious on his approach, as he walked and he focused on the source, that many people in the market was making difficult to him, but Kieran’s previous training payed off, he could distinguish what he was looking for from the mere normal people, he let the force guide him, and unwillingly a word escaped from his mind “Master”.

Warvanus watched the crowds which were beginning to thin, making it easier for the War-Bringer to pin-point the source. Then he saw the source. He folded his hands behind his back and started to approach him, his lightsaber was concealed but he had no intention of drawing it. He was on a Sith world where Tormentous’ rule was absolute and he was the Emperor’s personal servant it meant he answered to nobody but the Emperor himself. He had studied at his feet, and on his own and under his predecessor Darth Blood. He was in no immediate danger here and he knew this as he made the approach to the man, getting closer now. He would definitely see him approach him now. His walk and demeanor were not threatening.

He did see his hand start to go for one of his blasters, he took no aggressive action.He just shook his head and told the man “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, It won’t end well”

With that he stood ten feet away from Kieran and waited to see what he would do next.

Kieran saw a man dressed in a simple black and gray tunic, black pants with matching color boots. His hair was down to his shoulders in a ponytail, coming to him. The man just shooked his head and told Kieran “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, It won’t end well.”, probably he was referring to Kieran’s hand placed near his blaster, and knowing that in this planet was ‘peaceful’, he calmed down and let the man get closer to him, but as always he was searching the site for an escape exit if the events turned violent.

Kieran knew that the Force brought him there, and maybe that man was the key to start fulfilling his objectives in order to reach his immediate goal. Maybe that man was going to teach him how to tap in that boiling energy that flowed in his body. He would trust him, well, not, trust is a thing he forget to do a long time ago, he may place certainty on him, maybe a little of conviction or assurance, but that depended if the man was in position to teach him.

He tried to test if the man had the power within him, he heard that some people had the power to read minds, or catch words from other minds, Kieran didn’t have that power, but he in the past he knew of somebody that had it. Right in that moment Kieran made a thought, but intended as if he was talking to the person in front of him “In the Dark we see the light.”, if the guy was the one, then he would catch the phrase and train him, if not, then Kieran must find another master.

He approached the man, he stopped just five feet from him. His posture had not changed. By all appearances he looked to be unarmed. He looked the man up and down, as if evaluating him, as he was sure the man was also doing. He had remained open to the dark side as he did so.

“In the Dark We See The Light” the phrase had bubbled to his mind. He did indeed pick it up from the man. He looked at him. Silence lingered a long moment. Then spoke.

“In the Dark We See the Light” is a Jedi saying. He began “I pefer, Peace is a Lie, There is only Passion” as he had recited the first line of the Sith Code. Before he could speak he continued.

“The Force is with you, I can feel the power in you, I can tell you have had some degree of training” he unfolded his hands “By the Emperor’s Decree any citizens within the Sith Empire who have a affinity for the Force should be given the chance to develop their potential”

Just as he spoke two Sith troopers began to approach the pair. “I did not know why I had come here until I felt your presence, and now that I have felt you through the Force my purpose became clear. So here is the deal, pass my test and you will have the chance to study under the Hand of the Emperor” he looked at his hand as if examining his fingernails. “Fail and you will be just another hopeful”

With that he stepped back and the troopers advanced on Kieran, both drawing blaster pistols.

Warvanus watched, how would Kieran handle the situation? He observed with interest. If Kieran defeated them, he would train him. If he did not then he would be just another dead hopeful. But he suspected he would prevail as Destiny swirled around him like a maelstrom. He could be a great force to reckon with.

’You have to think, and think quickly’, thought Kieran as his two opponents arrive from different sides, the second sun was about to end it’s cycle of the afternoon, and soon it will be pitch black, only several stars were going to be seen around as the planet were entered in what they called the void, a small anomaly in the space-continuum as the teachers told him. In reality it was just that in that part of the year the planet was facing in their nights a vector with three black holes that were just five light years away. Physicist and astronomers were arguing how much time was left of the system as they didn’t have an agreement, the first said that it was just ten thousand years according to the gravitational pull, but the astronomers said it would be in a million year.

“The Force is with you, I can feel the power in you, I can tell you have had some degree of training” said the man that was in front of him as he unfolded his hands “By the Emperor’s Decree any citizens within the Sith Empire who have an affinity for the Force should be given the chance to develop their potential.” Just as he spoke two Sith troopers began to approach the pair. “I did not know why I had come here until I felt your presence, and now that I have felt you through the Force my purpose became clear. So here is the deal, pass my test and you will have the chance to study under the Hand of the Emperor” the man looked at his hand as if examining his fingernails. “Fail and you will be just another hopeful.”

The troopers advanced on Kieran, both drawing blaster pistols. Maybe they didn’t noticed that Kieran was carrying also two DH-17 Heavy Blaster (inventory) concealed. Kieran closed his eyes and just felt the approaching soldiers, as if his connection with the force were telling him where or when they were going to attack. But mostly it was his expertise in that kind of scenario. Kieran grew up in a harsh environment, and was used to that kind of situation. With a swift movement he raised the arms with the weapons in his hands and fired them towards the soldiers. He didn’t want to kill them, but probably they were going to kill him, so he didn’t care if those two were going to die. As soon as he fired he attempted to move his body and expected to do much harm so the action would fold quickly.

The shots rang true as each one struck a trooper in the chest, he did not kill them, but they would not pose a threat anymore. Warvanus had watched and studied the man. He had used instinct, drew on the Force and with no hesitation acted. He approved. He took a step closer, and another step until he stood right with the two fallen troopers. Warvanus looked down, and with his boot crushed the neck of the first trooper, then the second one. They were beneath his notice and not worthy of him using his connection to the Force to end their static pathetic lives. After his work was done he looked up at the man in front of him.

“This opportunity will not come a second time” he began “Is it your will to join your destiny now and forever to the Order of the Sith Lords? , if so I will show you the path to power and through that path” he paused as if studying him and peering into the Force.

“It is not an easy path, but if you come through the fires alive you will be a tempered force to be reckoned with, Make you decision now, what say you?”

He waited for the man to give his answer, if he accepted then he would be under Darth Warvanus’ protection, his house, his power base until he himself ascended to becoming a Sith Lord himself. If he refused then he would be killed, it was the way of their order. The Strong ruled the weak. The man already had little training already so this was a boon in Kieran’s favor. He would train him the same way he had been trained and like his own Master would reward him for displayed loyalty and competence. He would follow Tormentous’ example there. All that was needed was a decision from the potential apprentice of War.