Ellri

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

we have no problems with your posts.

Our last post was laid to rest a good week before we finished it earlier today.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

y'know what they say... Divide and conquer.
Since the divide bit is already taken care of, then all that remains is the conquer bit.

Not that Urd is in any way eligible for doing so. She's far too much of an unbeliever.

---

on a different note... Urd was remarkably nice to the mob there... Didn't even do any real harm to anyone. (if you discount minor things like knocking someone down and half-freezing another...)

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

Look! A post!

_{Now might be the time to run for the hills.}

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

Authors

Ellri & Sundered Echo

The mood in Thale manor was dour. The lady of the house had returned the previous night distraught, and all within had quickly realised as she became beside herself with grief. Though most had slept well enough, Lanaya had only found the peace of sleep in the early hours of the morning.

And so, when waking, found herself barely refreshed at all. Even a good warm bath had barely proved refreshing. Recent events weighed heavily on her mind as she dressed - in the one and only black outfit present in her wardrobe. Her illusions made a veil of shadows to cover her face, a magical facsimile of the real thing. It was unmistakable for those looking upon her that she was grieving.

Satisfied with her appearance, Lana descended from her room on the top floor of the manor to the dining hall, where her guest would be waiting. Per her request, the Lord Thale was not present, and the servants made themselves as scarce as possible. It was to be Lana and Urd alone in silence.

There had been very little for Urd to do after the king dismissed her. She had left the palace, initially heading for the Plucked Hen, only to remember that she would be staying in the Thale manor. She spent some time wandering the city before returning to the manor, all of it rather uneventful. The rest of the day was equally uneventful.

Come the following morning, she dressed herself after making it clear that she had no need for any help from any of the Thale servants to do so. Before she could plan anything else, one of them informed her that she was expected at breakfast by the lady of the house.

Having met Lord Thale, she wondered who the lady of the house was. When she ate with him the day before, she had gotten no impression that there was a lady of the house. Suffice to say, when she did get to the dining hall, she was a little surprised to see that the lady of the house was in fact Lady Lanaya, one of her teachers from many years before. Though it had been many years, she would recognize the woman anywhere, black veil and clothes or not.

She stood there a bit dumbfounded by the shock, looking at the woman, quite put out.

“It’s good to see you well Urd.” Lana half smiled at the fellow mage across the table, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“Despite current events…” She quietly added.

She remembered the mage a little, she had taught her in the Circle. Not much, illusion had not been Urds speciality, but the girl had wanted to learn some very specific things, and that made her stand out to Lana. She also recalled that they had shared some similar views on some matters… Yet had fairly different ideas about what should be done about them.

“I have had a very long week my dear, so you’ll have to forgive me for dispensing with the pleasantries.” Lana’s tone was apologetic, but as she spoke to Urd she took on the airs of the circle teacher once again. The mannerisms were a social cue placing her respectfully as the superior.

“The murder you witnessed was that of my dear friend, High Magister Aurelia. I’m sure you are tired of reliving such a terrible scene, but if you could tell me of her last moments, I would appreciate it.”

Urd finally collected herself and looked at her former teacher in a considerably less shocked manner. “Pleasantries have their uses, but directness also has its place. There is no need for them here.”

She silent for a moment after Lanaya relayed her request. “It is fine. I do not mind.” After a quick pause, she began speaking the tale. “It was a late evening. I was out in the city, wandering as I am wont to do. I saw the woman first, thinking nothing of her. When I saw the two assassins, I initially thought nothing of them. By the time I connected the two, that the two assassins were following the woman, it was already too late. I saw one of them plunge a dagger into the woman.”

“Though I had not recognized her, I tend to take offense to people attacking other people while I am near. Thus I made my objection clear, however while one of the assassins stuck close enough for me to freeze him, the other assassin ran off. I brought my new block of ice with me to the first guard barracks I could find, then collapsed, my resources drained. When I woke back up, I was in this house.”

Lana listened carefully. It was hard to hear about her friend like this. Impersonal, and knowing the way it would end. A lesser woman might’ve broken down into tears, or otherwise been overwhelmed. But Lana was not a lesser woman. She simply set her jaw and held a stern but neutral look.

“Thank you.” She said when Urd had finished speaking. “I was informed this morning that the assassin you caught in the ice unfortunately did not survive the defrosting.” The way she said ‘unfortunately’ made it quite clear that Lana thought the misfortune was hers, not his, for in dying he robbed her of the chance to interrogate and then torture him.

“I will understand should you not wish to disclose the answer to what I ask next, but I am curious… What brings you to Nyhem?” Lana asked, her voice curious yet weary at the same time.

“Personal business.” She replied, clearly not interested in sharing any details. “So he died. Unfortunate, but not unexpected. I presume his belongings and clothes can potentially reveal some, at least.”

“No. He dressed anticipating capture it seems. He wore nothing to identify him or those who employed him.” Lana sighed. It was a morning of dead ends it seemed.

“I trust you have seen success in educating the mundanes on your travels?” She continued, interrogatively. This was a dance they had done before. Lana knew Urd shared some of her beliefs, but they had so far never quite seen eye to eye on exactly how to go about seeing them fulfilled. It had been some time however, and the world had changed. As such, she thought it prudent to ascertain once more where Urd stood on the matter of Mage rights.

“I have not had to instruct anyone about how bad an idea it is to try to burn someone alive in months, if that is what you refer to. Aside from that, I tend to avoid the uneducated masses. They rarely have much interesting to discuss, they are unclean and quite frankly, they smell.”

Lana actually smiled at that, despite her general mood at present. Of course she agreed with the young girl, commoners were rather unpleasant. Thankfully, she had long ago learned that they could be easily influenced without having to actually interact with them.

“That is good.” She stated, genuinely, before continuing, now with the disapproving voice of a teacher chiding her student for a careless mistake. “I’m sure you haven’t heard, traveling here and there as you do-” She altered her voice to be more positive “-But I have made great strides in assuring us our rightful -”

She was cut off rather rudely and suddenly as a house Thale guard burst into the room, clearly having sprinted there. “M’Lady!” He began, half bowing as he continued to speak. “A stake has been set up ‘afore the manor. There is a mob gathering, screaming about a righteous burning!”

The moment Urd heard the words ‘mob’ and ‘burning’, her head shot up, looking straight at the guard. “There will be no burning.” She said, her voice extremely firm. She had already begun to stand up, her meal completely forgotten, her eyes cold with righteous fury. “Come Lanaya. Let us teach them just how bad an idea burning is.”

This was not good. Lana leapt to her feet, and, lifting the skirts of her dress, moved swiftly towards the door in pursuit of Urd. The guard was still stammering on - something about trying to stop it - but he was immediately forgotten. Lana was just as eager to stop this terrible thing as Urd, but seeing the fire in the girl’s eyes and the immediate shimmer of magic surrounding her also set off alarm bells in Lana’s mind. This had to be stopped, but as much as she wanted to see the mundane scum slaughtered, doing so would just make things worse and it was clear Urd was on a warpath.

---

The scene unfolding in the street outside Thale manor was one not seen in Nyhem in this form in quite some time, though it was about to become more common, unbeknownst to those present. A stake had been erected - clearly rather hastily, in the middle of the street, and below it fuel had been piled. A man had been tied to the stake with thick ropes - he was clearly quite distraught, shouting something - though what could not be heard over the roar of the crowd that had developed.

The crowd, sudden and furious, was not unusual in itself. It was partially made up of those genuinely wanting to see the poor man on the stake burn, the agitators, who whipped everyone around them into a fury. Much of the crowd was normally indifferent, but eager to take up the cause that would give them a break from their repetitive lives. The remainder was made up of those who simply came to find out what the commotion was, and stayed because of the spectacle.

Atop a nearby cart, there was a hooded, cloaked man shouting - seemingly the leader or instigator of this pop up mob. Though the crowd shouted a great deal, they were quieter when the man held up his hand and began to speak. “The church has spoken!” A roar of approval from the crowd. “Sorcerers and Mages are spawns of the devil! Wicked creatures who inspire sin in everyone around them and twist their minds!” Cries of ‘burn the witch’ ‘devil’s spawn’ and ‘it’s the will of the gods’ echoed in response to the words, but ceased when the cloaked man once more held up his hand.

“This mage stands accused of using his vile powers to seduce many a man and woman to vile sins of indulgence and adultery! What shall we do with him?!”

The crowds answer was immediate and clear. ‘Burn him!’

Lana was taken aback by the suddenness of it all. She listened in morbid curiosity as the man spoke, feeling a note of familiarity in the sound of his voice, but unable to place it. At the same time, confusion gripped her. She did not recognise the man on the stake at all, yet she had met, at least in passing, nearly all the mages in the city. This combination of things left her confounded and struck into inaction for a long moment.

When she got outside, Urd could see the gathered mob standing around the stake, a man tied to it and another, hooded man standing upon a nearby cart, making the usual speeches for a lynch mob’s leader. She needed but a glance to take it all in. Though she knew many mages, Urd did not know them all. However, that was irrelevant. She didn’t care whether someone was a mage or not. Nobody deserved to be burned alive. Nobody. Besides, more often than not, uncouth villagers tended to try to burn innocents.

She effortlessly reached for her magic, releasing it in the form of an illusion to enhance her own voice the moment before she started speaking. “[b]There will be no burning! Royal decree has banned burning as a method for execution.” As she spoke, the form of her wolf shade coalesced beside her, its mouth in a angry snarl, reflecting her state of mind perfectly. She moved towards the mob, not even a hint of fear upon her face as she did.

“In addition, possession of magic is no crime. There has been no trial. There will be no execution.” The tone of her voice brooked no question. She glanced at the presumably shocked mob leader. Without even so much as a gesture, her wolf shade ran forward and leapt through the air, easily clearing the distance to the cart in a single bound, missing with a bite, but nonetheless knocking him off the edge of the cart and into a part of the mob. As she could not see him at that point, she could not properly direct the shade to target the right individual. Thus, she recalled the shade, and it disappeared from where it was and appeared back at her side.

For a moment, the crowd was stunned by the new speaker. But as they realised what she was, they were spurred into new action. Though the leader did not get the chance to personally throw a flaming torch on the pyre as he was assailed by the wolf, the crowd did not need any more encouragement to do it themselves. One of the faceless mass carrying their own torch cast it upon the base of the stake - where all the fuel was piled. Flames immediately roared into being, licking at the poor man’s feet as his shouts turned to screams of terror and pain.

Lana had never before witnessed such a horrific thing and it was only as the crowd began to turn its attention towards Urd that she was shocked into action. Shouts of ‘Witch! Burn her!’ rang out, though some of the less fanatical crowd had already fled at the sight of a magical wolf in the streets. Speaking words of power - Lana raised her right hand into the air then lowered it sharply as she pointed towards the ground. A wave of Force emanated from her, flowing harmlessly around Urd before smashing into the crowd with enough strength to knock them all to the ground, but not seriously injure. Like dominos, the screaming mass fell, and the roar of people was replaced by shocked silence. Lana also amplified her voice, stating one word only in an authoritative voice worthy of a queen. “Enough!”

At the exact same moment as Lana’s shockwave hit, Urd unleashed a combination of frost and fire magic upon the now-burning pyre, instantly extinguishing it, leaving a coat of rime upon the wood and man alike. It did not end his agony, but it did stop any further fire from harming him. If anything, he would have a greater risk of harm from frostbite than from the fire. Though she had not aimed to hit him, it was far more important to kill the fire than to leave him unharmed.

After the initial wave of frost, a light drizzle of snow fell down on and around the stake. Urd staggered a little, but did not pass out from the use. It was far less intense than what she had used upon the assassin.

Those Thale guards that had avoided the shock wave sprung into action then, rushing in to restrain some of the worst looking of the agitators. Lana spoke then, in a normal, unamplified voice. “Everyone will disperse immediately, or face the judgement of the King.” As if to prove her point, a detachment of city guards arrived and began to assist the Thale men in restraining members of the incapacitated crowd. Many of the rest of them hauled themselves to their feet slowly now, and did, indeed disperse. Only the most vehement members were left, but now that the guard had arrived, Lana did not trouble herself with them.

“Fetch a healer.” She stated to the nearest Thale guard, before turning to Urd. She was worried that the girl would be still so worked up that she might lash out at the villainous men that remained. She was equal parts sympathetic and commanding when she spoke. “Urd. Let us not linger in this place.”

Slowly Urd calmed down, her magic eventually dispersing, now that the guards had come to take care of the crowd. “Yes. Let us depart.” As she spoke, her wolf shade slowly faded away to whence it had come from.

The two women departed the scene swiftly, re-entering the grand Thale manor. Unbeknownst to them, the cloaked instigator of the scene had escaped relatively unscathed, fleeing as soon he was knocked off his elevated position.

---

Once inside, Lana led Urd up to her room - the most secure and secretive place in the large house. But she did not sit or speak comforting words - instead, she turned on her heel and landed a slap on Urd’s cheek. It stung her hand, unused to such violence, but she did not show it, launching instead into a stern lecture.

“What were you thinking?” She began. “Using magic to attack the instigator? Are you trying to encourage them?! They will jump on every excuse to vilify us and it is hard enough to maintain our already fragile status of being more useful to society than dangerous without our own people reminding the mindless mundane mass of exactly how deadly we can be on a casual whim.” She paused for breath, but was not finished.

“It is not through fear that the mundanes will be rendered passive and safe. Fear will only make them strike at us. If we do violence against them, they will return the favor in kind. And before you believe we are untouchable, remember that Aurelia was superior to us both, and she was struck down in a heartbeat!” Lana’s voice cracked at this, and she immediately turned away. She had let a justified lecture turn into an emotional tirade and shown vulnerability. Her cheeks flushed red and hot, and she used the opportunity of not facing the other woman to quickly hide that with an illusion.

Urd waited for Lana to finish her monologue before answering. Breaking into the middle of it would only make it take longer. “You may be older than me, but your experience with angry mobs is sorely lacking. Decapitating them is essential to making them possible to disperse.” She took a quick breath before continuing. “If I had wanted their leader dead, he would not be alive now. My shade could easily have gone for his throat. But that would not have worked well. I learned that the hard way many years ago. Killing a mob’s leader only fuels their fervor. Shaming the leader, however, that works well. I personally prefer to avoid a bloodbath. Especially considering that most of these people were largely here for the spectacle of it all.”

Lana did not turn back to listen, but she did listen. Urd’s words did make sense. When she finished, she turned back, a harrowed look on her face. She was too proud to apologise outright, or even blatantly acknowledge Urds words as right. Instead, she sat on the edge of her bed and continued on with what she had been about to say before the incident.

When she spoke, it was now in a much more demure manner. Exhaustion was clear, but a hint of respect also made its way into her tone. “I have made great strides for our cause in court of late. The ban on burning the King passed… That was at my prompting. In order to continue our cause across the land, I have organised a Mage's collective, that influential and knowledgeable mages might coordinate the efforts to rid the world of scenes such as the one on my doorstep now. Your skills and experience would benefit the collective greatly.”

It was as close to an apology as Urd would see.

“Hmm…” Urd answered. “I will have to think about it.” She was not even remotely ready to commit to anything like that at this time. First she would have to figure out what to do about the entire business with her family, more specifically, her father. “What is your opinion of the king?”

Lana smiled a thin smile at Urd at that question. It was unexpected, but not so much so that it left her flat footed. She decided to give a fairly honest opinion here, given that she was speaking to a fellow mage.

“He is a complicated man. He is partial to mages, which as you can imagine is a good thing as far as I am concerned. He has what it takes to win this war. Make no mistake, he is cunning, and does not limit himself like Manshrew does with claims of being the most honorable man in the world. I do not know him personally particularly well, but Aurelia spoke highly of him. He makes a good king, and if you respect him, he will respect you.”

Of course, she left out the part about her belief that he would ultimately fall to Eli Blackwell.

“I gathered as much from my meeting with him. It is good to see that my impression is not completely incorrect. What about the others in his family? What are they like?”

“Patrick, I have not met. I would think you would know him well enough, as the Lord of Cawanor. Isabel…” She paused. She had only met the woman in passing, not enough for a real judgement of character. All the same, she didn’t like the woman. “Isabel is one to be careful of. I have only met her in passing, but she did not seem friendly.”

“Thanks for the advice. I will keep it in mind.” She had hoped to learn more about her father, but got a pretty clear impression that Lana did not know much of anything about him. It certainly did not feel like a dodge, at least. “Any other people you think I should be careful about in court? Other than you, of course.” The last bit she added with a small grin.

Lana responded with a mocking, withering look. “You don’t need to be careful of me. Your goals are the same as mine. We simply don’t always agree on how to achieve them. As for the others… Well, part of the political experience is in figuring it out yourself. Now, I am weary, and have much to prepare for later today. You are still welcome in this house, if you wish, but I would like to rest now.”

“Then I will take my leave. I have other things to do myself today.” With that said, she departed from Lana’s chambers.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

Heh.

Either we did not read the @mention.... Or we knew that we didn't know when Klomster's post will be ready.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

No idea.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~| Observation Deck - Darth Nyiss’ Harrower Dreadnought |~
~| One Week Prior to the Sacking of Coruscant |~

The observation deck of the mighty Harrower Dreadnought was a large, vaulted room near the top of the vessel’s sizeable bridge tower. The entire front wall was a single transparisteel viewport, providing an excellent view of the stars beyond, and in order to ensure their majesty could be properly appreciated the room itself was dimly lit and spartan, apart from a few comfortable chairs scattered near its edges.

It’s only occupant at present was a woman, slight of figure, swathed in dark robes. She sat, cross-legged, seemingly in meditation, facing away from the grand view of the starscape and the ship's hull extending far below. She came here not for the view, though she did find it stunning, but for the solitude it offered on the busy ship - solitude that let her focus and meditate on her feelings away from constant interruptions or distraction. At this moment however, she was not meditating. She was waiting. Waiting, and planning.

The stillness was broken suddenly as a holo-projector flickered on before her, bathing the room in an eerie blue glow. She was not surprised, merely opening her eyes and looking up to acknowledge it. It displayed a hooded, robed man of a powerful build and significant stature.

This was what she was waiting for.

“Darth Nyiss.” He said, hints of familiarity and formality coloring his tone.

“The Dark Council has reviewed your request, and made a decision.”

There was a heavy silence as he paused. She didn’t dare interrupt.

“We have decided to allow your requested alteration to the plan…”

“Thank you my Lord.” She said with a notes of deference and subdued joy in her rich, contralto voice.

“However, only your forces will be instructed to capture living Jedi, and the assault shall not be slowed down. Make the most of this opportunity.”

“I will. Thank you my Lord.” She said, bowing her head to the hologram.

With that, it flickered off. He needed no farewell. Darth Nyiss stood then, a smug look on her face. She had secured a place in the most influential battle of the entire war, and then made it fit her exact needs all in one fell swoop.

“Show me subject twenty-three’s latest test results.” She asked of no-one in particular. The Holo flickered on again, displaying a genome and a series of scrolling figures… As well as a recording of the latest procedure.

“You will be the first, my dear. My proof of concept. Our new volunteers will help me to refine the process. It will be glorious.”

---

~| The Sacking of Coruscant |~
~| Day 1, 11^th hour |~

The orange evening skies above Coruscant were mostly empty. A few ships moving in to take off, others moving to land, all following the traffic lanes in an orderly fashion. In the eyes of the countless citizens of the ecumenopolis, nothing unusual was happening. The violent altercations within the Jedi Temple not yet apparent even to most of those with clear view.

Then, without warning, scores of Imperial Terminus-class destroyers and more than a dozen Harrower-class dreadnoughts jumped out of hyperspace. From each ship, fighters, bombers and troop shuttles beyond count emerged, much like Killiks emerge from their hives when threatened. Within minutes, every single holonet satellite in orbit above Coruscant had been destroyed, even as the ships dropped down towards the planet's surface, starting the invasion.

What few Republic ships were in orbit were quickly annihilated, powerlessly watching in shock as the Coruscanti defense grid stood idle.

The Sacking of Coruscant had begun.

---

~| The Sacking of Coruscant |~
~| Day 1, 11^th hour |~

The temple was serene.

Almost nothing stirred within the calm scenery, save for a lone padawan walking among the timeless splendour. Xid’s footsteps echoed off the pristine stone walls and seemed to surround him. The white marble floor and colored banners reflected the Jedi orderly nature to its fullest, adding to the beauty of everything. For most Jedi, the area brought comfort and tranquility. However, it didn’t for Xid today. Instead his loneliness threatened to drown him, each step weighed down to a slow pace. While Tolun Fi’s words had eased his conflicted mind, confusion and radical emotions pounded away at his attention since the older Jedi’s departure giving him little peace inwardly. Not even meditation had helped.

Lately, he had plotted a course to avoid his wise master Sela in hope she wouldn’t sense his subtle shame and mistake it for wavering constitution. Such a thing was dangerous for a Jedi to have. His body shivered at the thought and instinctively brought the metal companion, named Navi, being carried in his arms closer to his chest. It was a comforting gesture which got the droid’s attention.

Navi buzzed then clicked his concern and tilted his hexagon body to peer up at his master. Feeling Navi move, Xid’s blue eyes lowered to meet his companion’s gaze and a gave him a half confident smile. A weak one while he replied, “I’m alright Navi. I’m just adjusting to being back in the temple.”

Xid ignored the new wave of guilt over lying to the droid, another series of whistles, clicks and beeps rushed out in reply.

“Sela has her own duties to attend to and I don’t want to bother her over something stupid.”

Navi once more beeped six times, followed up with clicks and a long whistle. Xid chuckled, nervously, at his friend’s strange language while he considered his next reply. After spending much time with the small machine, he could speak the dialect variety almost better than Nazca now who on occasion mistake a few clicks for another meaning. However, she could still speak it better than he could. Inhaling, the padawan confided within the small droid his emotional trouble brewing underneath his skin.

“I don’t...know how to approach her over the subject, Navi. I mean how do I tell her that I let a prisoner, of all things, get into my head and mess with me? Is there an instruction manual over it or what, because I’ve not found anything,” Xid admitted causing Navi to click in annoyance. A flutter of irritation and bitterness on Navi’s insensitivity toward his dilemma broke out in his voice, “Don’t give me metal lip. You wanted to know and so I told you. If you didn’t, then you should’ve kept your dialogue box silent!”

A sharp series of clicks drew a frown from Xid, “Fine.”

With that, he stopped then set the droid down upon the floor. It grumbly clicked and tapped away, scurried down the nearest corridor while it left Xid in its wake and caused the padawan to frown deeper. He knew deep inside he shouldn’t have lost his temper, but Navi’s insistence he talk to his master had gotten on his nerves. Not ready to apologize to the stubborn creation, Xid turned on heel then moved deeper into the temple’s well kept interior.

“Xid,” a familiar female voice spoke from his intended direction, “Is everything alright, you don’t often fight with Navi.”

Surrounded by several younglings, each ranged from six to ten, stood beside his master as Sela continued to size him up. Despite how many times he had looked her over, examined her features, he could never play her origins. She was dark skin with several of her dark hair tied into corn rows and pinned into a ponytail at the back of her head, neatly kept from her face. A human youngling broke the quiet when he noted where Navi went, “Was that a droid? Aren’t they forbidden to be used by Jedi?”

Xid shook his head, “No actually, but they are frowned upon. Many Jedi believe dependance on machinery is a weakness, however we use our lightsabers for everyday combat and they are machines as much as they are tools. Currently, I’m a Jedi Mechanic by official title. Navi was my first creation and a very dear friend of mine, though he can be a handful sometimes.”

“I sensed conflict in your peace of mind during your conversation, were you two fighting?” Asked a young Kiffar female from behind the boy, her eyes curious and filled with empathy for his swirling emotional state.

Xid assumed she was gifted with empathic abilities much like an old friend of his, his lips cracked into a smile over the touching concern, “Yes, sadly. Not everyone, droids included, will work in perfect harmony. I just need time before I apologize for snapping at him.”

“Why did you snap at him?” A female human this time became the investigator while Sela idly watched, her own connection already gained the information she needed to know her padawan was troubled.

About to answer, his reply was interrupted. A deafening roar rumbled through the temple and immediately their eyes were drawn to a fixed location, somewhere into the darkness down the hallway. Unknown to them, a shuttle craft had plowed into the doors and shook the very foundations to their very core. All over the Jedi’s once peaceful home, debris and rubble fell to the floor threatening to smear any distracted Jedi.

Xid barely noticed the dreadful tingle at the back of his mind, his focus more on what was happening farther down the hallway. The only evidence were several dancing lights in the darkness and faint sounds of screams reverberated through the walls. Something was dead wrong. Above him, a large piece in the roof cracked then started to fall. Alarmed to the danger, Sela’s head snapped up. She wasted little time as her palm centered her force in her palm then jerked it out at him, “Children get back! Watch the ceiling, parts are coming down!”

Xid made a soft cry of surprise when her push caught him right on the side. He skidded across the floor and into the far wall, his figure stunned briefly on impact. Breath was knocked from him, his lungs filled by pain instead. He gasped and once more filled his lungs with air then released to steady himself. The kicked up dust started to fade as the force within him began to twist with a sick, uncomfortable feeling. A dark foreboding spread throughout their very veins until he couldn’t shake it. Xid gave a harsh cough to clear the dirt from his chest, his body weakly brought himself onto his feet with heavy effort. His spine still flared with the sting from his clash into the wall while he tried to ignore it, his eyes cleared in time to spot a dark figure casually stroll into view.

A Sith.

Her steps, bold and insulting the very righteousness of the place, drew all eyes on her direction. For the first time in a long time, Xid spotted distaste on Sela’s expression. Her lips tighten into a frown and her hand reached for her lightsaber, eyes narrowed on the new arrival. Her tone held no softness when she touched her hilt as she addressed him, then the younglings, “Xid, take the younglings somewhere safe.”

Her eyes turned to him when he started to argue. They were cold, hard and most of all, dangerous. It silenced him quickly from any further protests and gained a nod from him. Determined not to waste anymore time, he began to usher the younglings to run down the hallway. One by one, they vanished down the hallway farther into the temple’s tained scenery.

---

~| Jedi Temple shuttle pad |~
~|Day 1, 11^th hour |~

Elation filled Jewel as her troop shuttle touched down on the landing pad jutting from the side of the Jedi Temple. This was the heart of her foe, and she was poised to rip it out. Even if she had not had the chance to join the surprise assault that involved crashing a shuttle through the front wall of the temple, she was still participating in what may have been the single most meaningful and prestigious attack of the entire war.

She was first off the shuttle, her armored boots clanging against the metal of the landing pad, her lightsaber in hand. The Coruscanti wind caught her crimson hair as she stalked towards the still open blast doors into the hangar housing various Jedi shuttles and fighters. Several blaster armed temple guardsmen rushed forwards to engage her while one sprinted towards the door controls. They hadn’t even had time to shut the thick doors yet. Now they never would.

Jewel sprung into action, leaping forward and igniting her lightsaber - sliding between and around most of the blaster bolts the troopers fired at her, deflecting the few accurate enough to risk hitting her lithe form. Before the troopers knew what was happening she was among them, pirouetting, stabbing, slashing. She completed the last killing blow in seconds and on the backswing her weapon left her hand - spiralling through the air towards the hapless soldier running to the door controls. She watched with a sinister smile as the telekinetically guided weapon neatly bisected the poor man barely half a meter from the button that would’ve sealed the doors and blunted the assault from this angle.

As quickly as it had left her hand, her weapon returned, and she finally paused to turn and admire the horizon of the latest conquest of the Sith Empire. The glorious orange made the whole city seem ablaze. Terror flooded in waves through the Force from all around as the populace and Jedi alike flew into a panic.

It was glorious.

She took only a moment to admire the scene however, before turning her attention back to the present. Many Sith and Imperial soldiers alike were disembarking from the shuttle - her apprentice among them. They all worked for Darth Nyiss and their orders were to capture as many Jedi as possible alive and intact. The Darth had been very specific about the importance of that last part. Normally it might’ve irked Jewel, but the rewards would be well worth it.

She took a moment to meditate on the location of the nearest Jedi, pacing as she did so. There was a large group not far from here, if she was not mistaken. She would claim them first. Motioning for her apprentice to follow, she marched swiftly into the halls, stepping over corpses and rubble alike without any concern.

In short order she found the Jedi, a stern looking, dark skinned human, standing before fleeing Younglings and an inexperienced looking young man. She ignited her lightsaber.

---

~| Jedi Temple entry Hall |~
~| Day 1, 11^th hour |~
~| Shortly after shuttle crash |~

It had been a rather boring week for Nimm Deenia after her master recalled her from the most recent mission to acquire artifacts. But it could always have been worse. She had spent her time following up the rumors of some Jedi supposedly having discovered one of the lost holocrons, but had unfortunately not made any significant progress on the case. But that was a case for another day.

On this day, she had finally got the chance she had hoped for all these years: a chance to show the Jedi that they would not be safe anywhere, that the Empire’s reach was endless. Though it meant temporarily serving under the command of a Sith Lord rather than Nyiss herself, she had not hesitated for even a moment upon being offered the chance to serve in the cadre of warriors who would crash into the Jedi Temple entry hall. It was simply delightful to see the look of fear on their eyes as she and her fellow Sith ignited their blades mere moments after the shuttle came to a halt and opened up.

But that was nothing compared to the feeling of cutting short the lives of Jedi in the battle that followed. That brought her true pleasure. Even now, as the fight in the entry hall was all but over, she and the other Sith split up, heading out into the corridors of the Jedi Temple, seeking to either capture or kill all within. But that was not her only goal. Her contacts had informed her that the Jedi had a vault wherein they kept holocrons. Stolen Sith holocrons. That, quite simply, would not do. Her master had given her specific orders about that. Not that Darth Nyiss truly had needed to do that. The chance alone to find and recover such was by itself enough to motivate her. No doubt, others might also seek to recover them, but that was irrelevant. She would get there first. She would find the best ones. Then she would claim them all. Some for her, the rest for her master.

None would stand in her way for this. No Jedi, no Sith. Though she did not like it, she would do her best to capture any Jedi she encountered, though. Her master wanted those for some project of hers. She knew better than to ask what project it was. If her master desired her to know, she would be informed. If not, then prying would only end poorly. After the vaults, she would naturally go on to capture Jedi. At least some. Granted, if they proved troublesome, she would… incapacitate… them.

---

~| Nar Shaddaa, Docking bay 32 |~
~| Day 3, 6^th hour (Morning) |~

Nar Shaddaa. A seedy, and dark moon just off the Nal Hutta planet and home to the worst scum the galaxy had to offer. Rather fitting, Elias Tol thought as he held onto the straps holding him in place within the shuttle coming in for a landing. The metal walls rumble and vibrated, the intensity rose then fell when they began to grind into a stop. Elias smirked at the irony of the whole situation while he recalled the reason they were here. Intelligence from their Captain Vebra that one of Nyiss’ apprentice, a Twi’Lek named Zora Nox, had fallen from the Darth’s good graces and currently been sulking around the smuggler’s moon. Out of their last few targets, she would likely hold information over the coordinates for the Darth’s complex and then they could end years of searching. He only hoped their information was correct that the Twi’Lek was using a bar for a base of operations.

His hand adjusted the strap across his right shoulder, injured in the past, as a pain fluttered across its surface causing him to grit his teeth. He swayed his eyes over Captain Vebra and recalled the first time he met the scarred Zabrak and how he had been all new to the concept of killing those gifted with the force. In the past he would’ve called any individual set on killing a Darth, a suicidal Kerf heading into the fire to become a steak. Now, after training with their current captain, he felt they had a chance but there was still a high chance they might not come back from the mission and each knew it well.

The growl of the shuttle came to an abrupt halt when their pilot finally landed the shuttle craft. A loud mechanical hiss echoed through the cramp space while each man or woman—about nine individuals total—reached for their straps, then unhooked from them and rose upright. Elias paused long enough to bend down for his blaster and duffle, picking up the image they had gotten before departure. Zora didn’t look very different from common Twi’lek with smooth, blue skin and a smuggler’s outfit that showed she knew how to use her sex to her advantage.

Adjusting his strap on his good shoulder, Elias followed the other soldiers dressed in various civilian outfits out the hatch and down the ramp. The port was busy as normal causing him to keep his blaster close at hand. Thieves, smugglers, and other scum roamed the clustered city port in their duties, shuttles and small ships leaving or arriving for illegal transactions elsewhere. Everything appeared filthy and stank to some degree adding to the grimy underworld feel to the moon.

As they stood there, huddled there, all of them waited for orders from their Captain and the Jedi battlemaster that had joined their cause.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

We did start scribbling on a post a while ago... but it kinda got delayed as we're nearing the IC launch of our own RP...

As soon as that's up and running, we can start pestering @sundered Echo into working on it again.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

we could probably nitpick over all sorts of things for weeks on end for your sheet, @Vesuvius00, but that would be nitpicking, and @fallenreaper would not be pleased about that fact. Besides, we've all got that deadline. And your sheet is pretty decent now that those minor issues from last time have been taken care of.

Thus, would you kindly put it in the CS tab, as it is within the appropriate parameters for approval?

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

@vesuvius00@phoenixWhite@demonic Angel

Ashmir

• We would’ve liked to have more of the known flaws listed in the flaws section, but its a minor thing, really. Approved, we say. Approved.

Shiri

• Pyrokinesis - Power not approved. Following GM discussion, it has been determined that it will not be approved either. Would you please remove the two references to that power?
• Training in Force Stealth is usually done by a skilled practitioner, rather than a holocron, due to the restrictions on it in the Jedi Order. (this is not an objection to her having the power, mind you. That bit is already approved.)
• A month is a bit too long for the announcement to be delayed. A week tops is more plausible. (just replace “month” in that section with “week”. Quick, easy change.)
• Nice, long list of flaws.

Talon

• First of all, to help lingual improvement, we’ll point out those grammar mistakes we’ve noticed:
  
  • “Appearence” → appearance
  • Specially made → custom-design
  • “Instead of a shirt the teenager like to wear a vest” like → likes
  • “The less that’s able to be snagged” that’s → that is
  • “now inside the cell I will use to help steal important things from the guards.” I will use to → I will use it to
  • “Guess the woman thought it was best to place the best one into the fire then the potential amateur messing everything up” then → than
  • Nar shadda → Nar Shaddaa
  • For flow, it is recommended that small numbers are spelled out, rather than using numerals.
  • “They seemed to understand and nodded as a response allowing me to leave from their sights for now.”
    leave from their sights → leave their sight
  • Some uncapitalized uses of the personal pronoun “i”.
  • “Though when the woman’s sassy personality peek through the shadows” peek → peeks
  • “With the combined stubbornness of my pc’s as well as” pc’s → PC
  • At least one instance of double space between words.
  • Plural form of Jedi is Jedi. Its a funny word like that. Same goes for Sith.
  
  
  These errors should all be quick fixes.
  '
  '
• When using the metric system to show things like the height/weight of an individual, there is no need for more than one decimal space.
• Scars like the ones you describe would most likely be more visible on a being without fur, though it could be noted that at least on humans, hairs growing in such places can at times have differing color. Just a thought, not something that must be changed.
• The descriptions of individual force powers seem to be based on her time as a jedi only, yet the paragraph above that implies she used the force prior to that too. It might not have been refined back then, but it was still used.
  It appears you do not fully understand what tutaminis is. Look here for more details about that. And/or ask Ellri/Echo in the chat.
• The Jedi not using the Force much is nonsense. The Jedi use the Force just as much as the Sith do. Its how and why that differs, not how much. (3rd last bio para)
• For early-level lightsaber training, the Jedi Order provides training sabers. These have strengthened containment fields, Something that renders them non-lethal. They still sting somewhat and burn a little when exposure to blade is prolonged, but they do not cut off any body parts.
• You’ve worked in numerous other flaws throughout the sheet. We’d really appreciate seeing some of them listed. For example, how she is rather naïve at times (which resulted in things like the “blood traitor” stuff.)
• “Personally I would like to give her captor to chase from the younglings area” her captor to → her captor a chance to