Meditation beats sitting around doing nothing [D5, MM]

[Tyllia Demici]

She travelled into the deep swamp yet again; seeking no particular place within its bounds this time. It was not the pool she sought. Nor the beast that had eluded her previously. It was merely a quiet place. A place where she could have the solace needed for what she intended to do. Literally anywhere would do; after all, the Force was strong throughout the entirety of the swamp; the Dark Side spreading its influence all around her.

What better place to immerse herself in it?

The tome's instructions had finally started to make some sense. Directions she had once thought mere idle nonsense had instead come into focus. A ritual form of meditation; she knew now how to perform it properly. How to use it to tap into the knowledge contained within the Dark Side of the Force. Or at least to try and coax it into giving her the path forward.

She picked a spot. Clear of any immediately visible predators perhaps, with some care given to defense should there be a sudden ambush, but otherwise simply... a spot.

And then she sat down, and called upon the Force.
Allowed it to flow through her, but even in this place sensed only the light.

No matter, she commanded the Force as she pleased.
She knew how to coax out the darkness, with her own sorcery.



Sacrificing part of her blood and flesh; giving of it willingly to seek the path that had thus far been denied to her.
Her eyes, as they had done before, went red as bloodvessels burst, the skin around them turning a sickly yellow and blue.

With a simple sacrifice, the Dark Side made its presence known again. She closed her eyes, and began her meditation; the special kind of meditation she had researched these past few weeks.


Meditation Force: 2eF 2 Light Side

[Using Channel Agony to sacrifice 2 wounds to gain 1 Dark Side pip]

[Deonis Harik]

Deonis had been regularly visiting the Swamp over the last few weeks and today was no exception but today he felt that familiar tug, that unconscious pull as he wandered not looking for anything but finding a familiar face. One he was slowly beginning to trust, so much as one could trust someone so tied to the dark side.

He saw her in meditation and did not disturb her but rather joined her sitting cross legged across from her and opening himself to the force meditating on its nature and his connection to it, to this place and to the person across from him.

Both light and dark presented themselves to him in equal measure, a curiously coincidental occurrence considering his recent activities and interest in both sides of the force.
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D5 meditation force roll +1 fr from swamp: 3eF 2 Light Side, 2 Dark Side

[Meiyokashi]

As the two beings sat within the swamp, guided here by some purpose, they each wandered into their own fights.

Tyllia:
viewtopic.php?f=39&t=458

Deonis:
viewtopic.php?f=39&t=459

[Meiyokashi]

Tyllia awakes first from her encounter, Deonis sitting before her still in some deep meditation. Behind him she sees the familiar pool that she once stepped into, it is smaller now and not able to be entered but it bubbles and calls to her even still.

[Perception @ Hard, 1 Setback: Tyllia]

[Tyllia Demici]

Seeing him there caused a frown. As did the sight of the pool.

She rose up, then walked over to the pool. Too small to submerge herself into. But with an undeniable draw.

Unable to see anything below its surface, she plunged her hand into it.

Perception (destiny): 1eP+3eA+3eD+1eS 0 successes, 1 advantage

[Meiyokashi]

Feeling inside the pool she grips something metallic that she can wrap her hand around fully. A cylinder of metal that is pulled free from the pool with ease.

It's old, very old, but the design despite the curved hilt is undeniable. As even over the long history of the galaxy this one design has rarely changed from it's base construction. This a lightsaber of truly ancient design.

[Stats will come later]

[Tyllia Demici]

Interesting. The hilt itself could have use to her, either for historical curiosity's sake or for parts. Of course, she had already started building her own, which seemed more appropriate somehow; though she was open to the possibility of simply making this her own somehow instead. She would have to think on it.

She withdrew it and stood up.

Ancient. Would it even function? The Force made such things possible, perhaps.

She flipped it on.

[Meiyokashi]

A deep red blade revealed itself, snapping into life with a call that was menacing in it's tone. Looking down on the blade she felt a connection to it that was hard to resist, like it called to her. This would be her blade, it was hers.

[Tyllia Demici]

"So soon, huh?" She muttered upon experiencing that feeling.

She performed a few flourishes with it, testing its feel. Its balance. If this *was* to be her own, she was going to have to make some adjustments.

"We will see, spirit. We will see."

[Deonis Harik]

At the snap hiss of blade ignition and the sound made by it moving through the air Deonis' yes snapped open and he rolled away from the sound landing in a crouched combat stance with one hand on his blade and the other on the ground.

He stayed unmoving from that pose with his eyes locked on Tyllia modulated breath coming heavy "Tyllia. Is it really you?"

[Tyllia Demici]

Tyllia slowly turned around, the blade still ignited and her eyes possessing an unnatural reddish-yellow coloration that was slowly fading. She stared at him for a few moments; an uncertain edge hanging in the air; before the blade was withdrawn and the red glow vanished.

"I take it your meditation did not go as well as mine," she said calmly, "Did you not know the proper technique?"

She looked at the hilt in her hand, then back at the small pool.

"I suspect there was only one of these in there, but perhaps something else remains in there for you."

[Deonis Harik]

"I doubt it." He growled as he stood slightly reassured but still guarded "the creature did not take a liking to me, it seemed my will was too strong for it. It said I was a threat because it couldn't control me. We fought. It took your form. I beat it." He was breathing heavily his voice sounded strained.

"Be careful. It is using you. I think it is a trapped soul. One strong in the Force that wishes to return."

[Tyllia Demici]

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Of course it is," she stated, a disapproving tone in her voice. "And I in turn will use *it*. A simple transaction. A calculated risk. Ambitions can not be achieved without such things."

She regarded him. "Do you think me so weak-minded that I would let it control me?"

[Meiyokashi]

As Deonis woke he noticed his shadow shift, lessen. Like a darkness left it. This darkness seeped out of his shadow and traveled across the ground and into Tyllia's. Something that was accompanied with the loss of that supernatural feeling between the two.

What effects or connection might remain would be utterly their own.

[Deonis Harik]

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Of course it is," she stated, a disapproving tone in her voice. "And I in turn will use *it*. A simple transaction. A calculated risk. Ambitions can not be achieved without such things."

She regarded him. "Do you think me so weak-minded that I would let it control me?"

"I believe it at least believes it is possible. It gave you a lightsaber but tried to kill me. Or harm me in someway at least." The literal connection was gone but he still felt a connection by shared experience if nothing else.

"You would not be the first to agree to something they couldn't handle. In the name of power. Even for a good cause. I understand ambition. I understand drive. But is it worth it if you lose yourself? And risk not accomplishing your goal at all?"

[Tyllia Demici]

She did genuinely consider it for a moment. And the future along with it. This immediate feeling of 'ownership' of the blade too, was odd.

"Then," she said after a drawn out moment of contemplation, "You can stay near, watch me, step in if it changes me too much."

[Deonis Harik]

Deonis nodded walking closer to her "I can do that. But if I am to be your safe guard we will need to learn as much about eachother as possible." Realistically he just needed to know her but an exchange of information was likely more appealing than just her telling him everything.

He drew close to her and sat "I'll start." He reached up and undid the clasps on his helmet and then pulled it off revealing crimson skin and burning yellow eyes looking back at her. If anyone was to recognize his species it would likely be her. He was a pureblood Sith, a relic of a bygone era, and likely one of the last in the galaxy.

He waited to gauge her reaction before seeing how much he would need to explain.

[Tyllia Demici]

The gesture of revealing his face was, of course, a sign of trust. She understood the significance of that.

But as for the significance *beyond* that?

Such knowledge was ancient. Lost. And Tyllia had grasped only vague threads of such lore. There might've been a vague sense of recognition; some images or descriptions she'd stumbled across. But truly grasping the significance of his features? Unlikely. It likely showed in her expression, like she almost had it... but not quite.




Lore (do i know anything about the Sith species), not sure what difficulty, so let's make it Daunting: 1eP+1eA+4eD 0 successes

[Deonis Harik]

Recognizing her expression he began to explain "I am one of, if not the, last of my species an ancient species called the Sith. That name likely sounds familiar because it was my ancestors that first showed the renegade jedi in the old republic thousands of years ago the ways of the dark side. They had an Empire but slowly they were bred until there were few of us left. Some left Korriban and settled other worlds in small groups surviving but never thriving again. One of these groups was on the planet Tsung where The Emporer found us, I was just a younling when I was taken to be raised an trained on courscant, a piece of curiosity to the Emperor."

He explained in a smooth low courscanti voice no longer inhibited by modulation of the helmet. "I ran away, aided by a Clone that had guarded me and together we survived, until he didn't anymore. So I took his armor, made it fit me, and wear it for him, to remember him."

[Tyllia Demici]

She took that information in. Processed it. She had known bits and pieces of it; fragments that could have meant anything but that now had some context to them.

"...I see," she said, looking down at the hilt in her hand again and wondering whether its origins are closer to their own time, or to the time of those first renegade Jedi.

The dark side flowing through her so strongly in the moment made it difficult to muster any compassion for his story; even if she recognized on some level that she *should*.

"...Thank you for telling me that."