STAR WARS: An Ill Wind
Session 17

INT. SITH TEMPLE - ENTRYWAY

Although the ceiling of this passage is high, the walls slope inward to create a claustrophobic feeling. As the beams of glow rods play across them, a repeating pattern of swirls and spirals is revealed, carved into the dark stone. On Pira's flank, her humming lightsaber brings out the violet tint of the stone, while Day-Lin's emerald blade gives it a sickly cast.

Footsteps echo softly as the group makes its way further inside. After a dozen meters or so the passage opens up into a large round chamber with a domed ceiling. A hole at the top opens to the grey sky, surrounded by a starburst mosaic of black and white tiles. A matching design is inlaid into the floor. Dark doorways gape like mouths around the circumference of the chamber.

A chill wind issues from the opening above, swirling around the room with a subliminal moan as it plucks at loose clothing.

Pira moves towards the wall of the chamber, preparing to work her way around the edge, alert for any who wait.

Day-Lin waits by the entrance, not taking even a step into the great chamber; his eyes flick back and forth between the doorways around the chamber's edge.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Roll PERs, Jedi guys."
Day-Lin rolls 4 dice: <5> 4 3 3
Pira rolls 4 dice: <5> 4 1 6

Breaking the expectant stillness of the empty chamber is a distant metallic clang, and a faint shout. Both young Jedi Knights look toward one of the archways.

Day-Lin places a hand over his mouth, glancing at Pira and then back at the others.

Pira jerks her head in a nod, and moves carefully towards the sound of the noise, thumbing her saber off but keeping it in her hand and ready.

Avirida glances up at Harukuk, then ahead at the Jedi, shaking her head slightly.

Day-Lin follows, keeping out of the line of fire of the doorway from whence the sound came. He keeps his saber on, but held behind and parallel to his body, out of sight of the doorway but for the ambient light.

As Pira and Day-Lin make their way down the darkened passageway, which seems identical to the one they just emerged from, a grinding rumble begins. It seems to be coming from around the next corner.

Harukuk arches a furry eyebrow, bowcaster hoisted just slightly higher than before.

Pira slides forward, ever sense alert, her boots silent on the patterned tile.

Tekkel tugs lightly on Avirida's uniform, and whispers something up to her.

Tekkel pages to Kelly and Avirida: Asking about the blaster pistols on the two dead bodies, whether we (the PCs) should take them. (assuming they're there and findable)

Avirida leans down to listen.

Avirida nods to Tekkel, breathing an answer. "Probably a good idea."

Tekkel pads back to the temple entrance to take something from beside the bodies there, then returns into the interior's gloomy confines. He gingerly offers Avirida one of the two blaster pistols he clutches, the weapons looking oversized in his small hands.

Avirida accepts the blaster pistol in question, checking it for safety and charge.

Tekkel hesitates a moment, then shows Avirida the second one so she can do the same.

Avirida checks it warily, returning it to Tekkel afterward.

There's another clang, and a snap, barely heard over the continuing low grinding. As Pira peers cautiously around the corner, she sees a shower of tiny sparks (as if from a cutting torch) from another arched doorway, a few meters down the wall she's looking along. The fall of sparks cools to invisibility before they touch the floor.

Pira looks back towards Day-Lin and the others, gesturing them closer to the doorway.

<OOC> Kelly says, "The others are now out of sight. The passageway goes a few meters away from the main chamber before the corner."
<OOC> Kelly says, "You'd have to relay through Day-Lin, if that's your intent."

The rumbling noise continues, as do the sparks. Both seem to be coming from the same doorway.

Harukuk shuffles forward, bowcaster at the ready.

Pira closes her eyes a moment, reaching out towards Day-Lin's mind.

Pira pages: Roll....?
You paged Pira with 'Half your Control plus half your Alter.'.
Pira rolls 2+2 dice: <6> 6
Pira rolls 1 die: <4>
You paged Pira with 'Nice roll, despite this apparent handicap. Go ahead as usual.'.

Pira crouches down, a shadow among shadows. */It looks like they are trying to cut a doorway or a gate open. I think we don't want them to do that. Move up here so we can take them?/*

Despite the oppressive presence that seems to lay thick as cobwebs over the Force within this place, Pira's contact comes through loud and clear.

Day-Lin looks back toward Harukuk, holds a closed fist up, opens it, and gestures him forward. He moves up a few more steps himself.

Pira edges a little farther forward, trying to get a look at their potential opponents.

Another shower of sparks, this one down by the floor, joins the first. It seems that whoever it is, they're trying to cut their way through... bars, across the doorway. The grinding noise gets louder as Pira edges along the wall.

Pira waits for the others to move up, then slides along the wall, as far forward as she can get without alerting those by the door.

At this range, it can be seen that the bars across the portal are black wrought iron, or some similar metal, with wicked spikes pointing inward. The sparks stop for a moment, as one bar is apparently cut through, then move immediately on to the next.

Pira jerks her head in acknowledgement to Day-Lin. */Ready/*?

<OOC> Kelly says, "Harukuk, you're up there also by now, with the less combat-capable ones trailing behind you."

Day-Lin nods curtly.

Harukuk snorts and rumbles something under his breath. [Why do humans always ask "ready" when they're about to do something massively unwise?]

Pira moves out into the hall, saber still not lit but lifted in readiness.

Day-Lin keeps his eyes on Pira, waiting for the move.

Whatever the Jedi and their Wookiee companion might have expected, it was probably not two figures in body armor of unfamiliar design, their features hidden by helmets with T-shaped vision slits. The one with scarlet plates over grey ballistic cloth is standing, while his female companion in purple and black is crouching at his side; both are busily cutting away at the sharpened iron bars in an attempt to escape before the sliding stone block behind them forces them up against, and through, with a result roughly approximate to a cheese slicer.

<OOC> Tekkel yikes.

The mysterious warriors register surprise as the newcomers step out, though their faces are of course unreadable. They do not pause in their cutting as the standing one asks in a filtered voice, "Come to watch us die, Jedi?"

The stone block grinds forward remorselessly as another bar is cut through. It doesn't appear that the strangers will make it in time, but they keep efficiently cutting, not sparing breath for worthless sentiment or pleas for aid.

<OOC> Pira says, "Well, *that's* not what I expected them to say..."

Harukuk says something unintellegible, gestures at the bars, and holds his bowcaster at the ready.

Day-Lin steps out, saber lit. "That wasn't our first choice," he states. "But it's always an option. Stop cutting."

Those anonymous helmets turn to share a silent look between them. After a moment, both warriors do as they're bid and step back against the advancing stone wall.

Pira says "What are you here for?"

No answer, from either of them.

Harukuk growls something grumpy-sounding. If one could guess, one would think its about timing.

Less than two feet remain now between the tips of the spikes and armored breastplates.

Pira moves forward.

<OOC> Pira says, "Clarify for me: are they on our side of the gate or a different one? Ie, are we facing the same sliding block?"
<OOC> Kelly says, "No. You're out in the hallway. They apparently stepped into the room and got caught in a trap. The spikes are pointing away from you, toward them."
<OOC> Harukuk figures if they were trying to cut their way out...

Tekkel hears the voices and moves down the corridor after the Jedi and Wookiee, to see who they are talking to; he doesn't however move past the cover Harukuk provides him.

<OOC> Pira says, "And there is a grate between us and them?"
<OOC> Kelly says, "Yes."

Pira hesitates for the briefest second, then violet light gleams on the dark gate as she lights her saber and moves it down to cut the bars of the gate.

Day-Lin glances back, covering the corridor to the main chamber.

The old iron seems to cut stubbornly, but it does cut, and much faster than the armored duo could manage. One after another, spiked bars clatter loudly to the stone floor, until an opening large enough for a person to duck through has been made.

Day-Lin suggests, unnecessarily, "Why don't you step out of there?"

The pair are already in motion, avoiding Pira's lightsaber as they slip smoothly through the breach and move aside.

Pira turns to face them, keeping them between her and Day-Lin.

Pira says "Again."

Pira says "What brought you here?"

Harukuk keeps them covered, in case they had funny business in mind. This is probably what he said to the Jedi, in fact.

The remaining spikes fit neatly into matching holes on the face of the block as it reaches the bars. Just as Pira speaks, there is a final loud CLANG of stone against metal, and then silence.

Into that ringing quiet, the female of the pair speaks. "The crystal."

Avirida flinches at the echoes of the CLANG, and eases forward well after Tekkel, watching behind as well as before.

Day-Lin says "And what is it exactly you want with the crystal?"

The red-armored male answers this time. "We were given the task of retrieving it. For the glory of our people." The two of them stand stiffly upright, at attention it seems, facing their rescuers stoically.

Day-Lin says "So you don't actually care if you get to keep it, as long as you retrieve it?"

<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Hey, it's worth a try. :)"

Pira watches the pair, her intent face lit from below by a violet glow.

The red helmet tilts toward Day-Lin, just so. "Our mission is to bring it back to... our world."

<OOC> Kelly says, "Notice how they do NOT say 'Mandalore'. :)"

Day-Lin says "I was afraid you were going to say something like that."

Day-Lin says "So ... bearing in mind that we may just have saved your lives ... how are we to resolve the fact that we don't want to let that happen?"

The female, her violet-lacquered helmet trailing a somewhat tangled crest, acknowledges, "We are in your debt."

"Our code demands that that debt be repaid," the other finishes.

Day-Lin says "Well. Good to know. On the other hand, it strikes me that, well, considering the sort of thing we just saw, maybe there kind of wouldn't necessarily going to be any need for one group of us to fight the other over the thing anyway by the time it got found, if you take my meaning."

There's a pause, as the two warriors again look at each other. Finally, the male answers curtly, "No."

Day-Lin says "All right, I'll be blunt."

Pira gives Day-Lin a quick startled look.

<OOC> Kelly says, "When will Day-Lin learn he should leave the fancy talkin' to Pira. :)"

Harukuk mutters something at what Day-Lin said. [Well, I didn't follow it either.]

Day-Lin says "Considering how nasty this place appears to be, possibly either you or us will get dead before anyone finds the crystal, in which case, there's no longer a dispute."

That, at least, produces two solemn nods.

Day-Lin says "Therefore ... maybe it would be smart for us not to kill each other or worry about you owing us debts or whatever, until that time?"

Day-Lin says "And ... stop me if I'm losing you here, Pira ... maybe we could consider working together until that point."

"We will accompany you, under warrior's truce," the female answers simply.

Day-Lin says "Ah hah. Excellent."

Neither of the pair relaxes much. Perhaps that has to do with the lightsabers still humming before them.

Day-Lin switches his off. "Don't mind these, just a convenient light source and all-purpose cutting tool."

<OOC> Tekkel suspects the 'all-purpose' bit is what the two are mindful of. :)
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "I'm sure they are. :)"
<OOC> Pira says, "Can I still talk to him mentally?"
<OOC> Kelly says, "Hm. Make me a new roll. Same as before."
Pira rolls 2+2 dice: <2> 2
<OOC> Kelly says, "Time has passed, and you've been talking."
<OOC> Pira says, "No, apparently."

Pira gives Day-Lin an incredulous look, and reluctantly thumbs her saber off.

<OOC> Kelly says, "The contact slips out of your grasp. You really don't like this place. It feels creepy."
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Day-Lin's thought process kind of follows the train that if these dweebs can't even get past the first booby trap, how much trouble can they be even if they make it?"
<OOC> Kelly says, "Heh."
<OOC> Pira says, "Pira thinks he is insane, but she doesn't want to squabble in front of them :)"

Pira says "After you," gesturing to the armored pair.

The man in red steps forward, announcing, "We will take point." He strides purposefully past the Jedi and their companions, followed by his own comrade.

Day-Lin says "Mind if I ask what led you to consider this the right way?"

"There weren't any bodies," the female of the pair explains calmly as she moves by, blaster carbine pointing casually at the floor for now.

<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Cute."

Pira says "Not yet, at least."

"There were two outside, posted as guards." Red stops at the mouth of the passage and looks back for a moment. "We killed them." His voice is flat, and not just because of his helmet speakers.

Day-Lin says "We noticed."

Red nods. "Come. We will show you the others."

Pira says "I'll venture there are more inside."

"Yes," Violet confirms. "Perhaps not all dead yet. Be on your guard, Jedi."

The armored warriors scarcely seem to notice Avirida and Tekkel, though they do give Harukuk a respectful distance.

Pira says with a touch of arrogance, "That is hardly something we need to be reminded of." She glances back toward the gate.

Day-Lin says "We'll be careful."

<OOC> Day-Lin says, "You'll be DEAD!"

Harukuk grunts in something of an agreement.

Avirida is content to be less than noticed. She's less likely to be shot at.

Pira's jibe provokes no reaction from the pair as they move forward on cat feet. They appear well-trained and dangerous, despite the predicament they were found in.

Tekkel asks of nobody particular, "Who did the dead people work for?"

Pira says "Good question."

Red and Violet wait at the doorway directly opposite the entrance. Unlike the other portals, this one actually has a door - a slab of the same purple black stone with a relief carving of a humanoid figure, carrying a sword in one hand and grasping something in the other (surrounded by haloes and rays of power).

Violet presses a rectangular plate on the wall, and the massive stone door moves aside with only minor noise. Good engineering...

Avirida casts a wary glance around for anything *else* moving. Good engineering is her friend only when it's on her side.

The two armored warriors step through the door before it can close again, not bothering to beckon the others to follow.

Harukuk follows behind the Jedi, bowcaster still held in a ready position.

Pira glides behind them, alert for any more traps.

Day-Lin frowns. "Avirida, can you wedge that open with something?"

Indirect light from the central chamber reveals a matching plate on the wall just inside the hallway.

The group's mysterious escorts stop a short distance up the passageway, where there seems to be at least one body lying on the floor.

Pira takes a closer look at the body, getting no closer than the pair does; trying to see what killed him or her.

It would be more accurate to say there are two halves of a body here, as the unfortunate seems to have been cut nearly in twain. Scattered around him on the floor are chunks of what looks like statuary - recognizable fragments of arms, legs, a torso. The stone is pitted and scarred by multiple blaster craters, and appears to have been blasted apart. One hand still grips the hilt and several inches of a broken stone blade.

Harukuk says "Aroo?"

An alcove in the wall, its lip slightly raised from the floor, seems to be the original location of the shattered statue.

For the first time, Red's metallic voice sounds a bit uncertain. "It's... almost as if the statue came to life."

"That's impossible, of course," Violet immediately corrects her comrade. She turns her featureless gaze to Pira.

Day-Lin says "I'd hesitate to use words like 'impossible' in a place like this."

Pira cranes her head to see down the hallway, oth sides, looking to see if there are more statues.

There don't seem to be any more in this passageway.

Avirida murmurs, "Good engineering," and sighs. "I want to go back to get something to wedge this open with."

Pira shrugs a shoulder. "There have been tales of such things. Let's keep going."

Violet kicks at one of the smaller chunks of stone. "Use this if you must." She sounds almost bored, despite the surroundings.

Avirida glances up at the stone dubiously. "I'd rather use metal," she mutters, staying back outside the doorway - just in case.

<OOC> Pira says, "Smart Avi :)"

The door begins to slide shut again on its stone rails.

<OOC> Pira says, "uhoh :)"

Pira says "The stone is here, better use it."

Tekkel looks around Harukuk to stare at the body, statue and alcove, holocamera recording it all. "Maybe the statue was rigged to swing at an intruder? And the victim's friends thought it was alive and blasted it?" He twitches and looks back at the closing door.

Pira stoops to pick up a stone forearm and toss it to Avirida.

Avirida does her best to catch it and wedge, at speed.

The door closes to a few handspans and then stops with a little 'crunch' as it fetches up against the arm.

Harukuk rumbles in Wookiee. [Had to have been a blade.]

Harukuk eyes the walls and ceiling for slots.

Avirida translates automatically, "Had to have been a blade." She peers back and forth through that handspan-crack, rather more than nervous.

A blade, or segments of one, lies upon the floor gleaming with obsidian sharpness. There appears to be blood on most of the sections.

<OOC> Kelly says, "But good thinking... because, as Violet said, it's absolutely impossible that the statue woke up and killed him."
<OOC> Kelly (will put in that bit of CGI in post-production... oh, is this mike still live?)
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "We're the guys who block projectiles that travel at light speed and pick up small spacecraft with our minds."
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Don't even talk to us about impossible. :)"
<OOC> Pira giggles.
<OOC> Tekkel figures it was the blade that the statue was carrying. Statue tilts out, arm with blade cleaves intruder, intruder's friends panic and blast away. That's his theory anyway. :)

Pira says "Can you make it through, Aviridia?"

Avirida says dubiously, "I can try," and - well - tries.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Roll your Squirming."
<OOC> Kelly says, "Just kidding. :) DEX."
Avirida rolls 2D+1 dice: <5> 2

Holding her breath, the engineer manages (barely) to squeeze through the opening. Tekkel would probably have an easier time of it, but...

Pira says "All right. Let's keep going."

Avirida rubs at a couple places of lost skin, and checks the stability of the wedged door once more before reluctantly moving away from it.

Led by the pair of warriors, the group makes its way to the other end of the passage and down a few steps into a sort of anteroom. A spiral staircase in the center leads further into unknown depths. Running all round the walls of this room is a ledge with humanoid skulls resting on it, cheekbone to cheekbone. Two other stone doors, to left and right, lead out.

Pira sighs. "It seems likely that down is the correct path."

Day-Lin says "Figures."

Violet sounds dubious. "All we found down there were more of those skulls. Catacombs."

Tekkel walks around the room, peering closely at the floor and steps.

Pira says "Did you try left and right?"

The dust of ages lies thick upon the stones, showing footprints of more recent passers-through.

"Locked," Red states.

<OOC> Tekkel says, "Does any part of the floor look more worn than the others, indicating a well-used path?"
<OOC> Kelly says, "PER roll, Tekkel."
Tekkel rolls 3D+1 dice: <4> 6 1
You paged Tekkel with 'More footprints around the stairs. Only one track each to the doors.'.
Tekkel pages: Footprints in the dust, or worn stones?
You paged Tekkel with 'Lots of footprints plus faint but noticeable wear.'.
Tekkel pages: So the stairs down seem to have seen a fair bit of use, but not the doors?
You paged Tekkel with 'Right.'.

Pira's saber flicks to life. "We'll take care of that."

Tekkel holds up his hands, chirping, "Wait! The floor's only worn around the stairs down. I don't think the doors have been used much at all."

Pira hesitates. "Would the crystal be in the most trafficked part of the temple?"

Tekkel then lowers his hands, holocamera and all, looking a bit embarrassed. Quieter, "I don't know. What did they do with it?" He looks at the others, including the two armored figures.

<OOC> Kelly says, "You could try thinking back to your 'memory'."

Violet looks at her companion, then at the Jedi, and finally says, "It was the property of the god-king whose temple this was. The legends say that it brought great power and long life."

Pira says slowly, "Down."

Pira says "Tekkel is right."

<OOC> Pira should have remembered, it was a force duel, someone always has to go into the pit :)
<OOC> Kelly says, "Yup. :)"

Red leans cautiously over the hole in the floor, pointing his carbine down the stairs.

Pira looks to Day-Lin. "Don't you think?"

Day-Lin says "I'm afraid you're probably right."

<OOC> Day-Lin says, "And doesn't THAT come in the tone of someone having his teeth pulled."

Avirida glances across at Day-Lin, looking visibly impressed.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Well, what now?"
<OOC> Pira says, "We go doooooooown :)"
<OOC> Kelly says, "Marching order. :)"
<OOC> Avirida looks tempted to be last. Or second last. Right behind Tekkel. ;)
<OOC> Pira says, "I think that might be wise :)"
<OOC> Pira says, "But we should probably have one of the jedi bringing up the rear. As a thousand D&D games have taught me :)"
<OOC> Avirida laughs!
<OOC> Tekkel laughs.
<OOC> Kelly says, "Not one of the Mandaloreans?"
<OOC> Tekkel is happy to be near the middle.
<OOC> Avirida says, "Jedi, someone, Tekkel, someone, Jedi? Discounting the Mandaloreans. ;)"

Pira murmurs to Day-Lin "Do you want to follow our friends down? I'll take the rear guard."

<OOC> Pira says, "On the theory it was HIS clever idea to ally with them :)"

Day-Lin says, ironically, "Most kind of you to offer."

<OOC> Avirida says, "Mandaloreans, Day-Lin, Harukuk, Tekkel, Avi, Pira, check. :)"

The red warrior takes point again, his comrade looking back once at the rest before making her way carefully down the spiral staircase.

[Day-Lin's player had to get up early, so we cut it here.]

[From the pre-game check-in:]

Long distance to Tekkel, Avirida, Pira, and Day-Lin: Kelly takes a headcount.
From afar, Tekkel checks. Yep, head intact!
You paged Tekkel with 'For now... ;)'.
From afar, Tekkel grins. Uhoh? ;)
You paged Tekkel with 'Only the penitent mouse will pass.'.
From afar, Tekkel shrieks with laughter.