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Post by Whill High Shaman Furas on Feb 27, 2013 1:10:03 GMT -8
*The planet was once geographically varied, as Tython's continents were marked by plains, hills, mountains, and even canyons, and for much of the planet's history, Tython was a particularly verdant world. However, by the year 1990 BBY, all hyperlanes to Tython had become unstable and forgotten, and the planet itself had been devastated—the planet was covered by a constant layer of storms, and its surface was the color of ash, with barren plains where immense forests had once stood.*
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Jul 18, 2013 9:23:58 GMT -8
This is the last time I take vacation advice from a wookie. Tython, he said. Lush, plentiful forest, he said. What he didn't say was the fact that it never ended.
Six hours I've been here, bashing my way through the thick underbrush with my walking stick. I really should have stuck to the walking paths. I see one uxibeast that I decide to follow for ten minutes, and then I've gone and gotten myself lost. Not to mention the fact that the uxibeast got away before I could watch it a little more.
But still I continue, making my way through the forest, up one hill, down the next, up another steep slope. I'm too old for this, I think to myself. My bones are aching, and I'm tired.
After fifteen more minutes, the Force deems it fit to hand me a reprieve. I see the trees thinning up ahead, and I know I've made it to the edge of the forest. As I clear the tree line, I see about fifty yards of clearing that I cross much easier than the forest.
Upon crossing the clearing, I see something that just cannot be true... Somehow, in all of my wandering, I've made my way to the top of a cliff, with no clear way down other than the way I came. I look down, and it is well over 300 yards down a vertical wall to the ground below.
Oh that's not even fair.
With a sigh, I turn around and sit in the grass away from the cliff, defeated. I need to regain my strength before I head back. If the way I came was the only way down, I would need all of my energy.
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Jul 18, 2013 11:48:06 GMT -8
As the elder man turned around to sit in the grass, another man stood just on the outskirts of the forest. He had white robes on, his hair cut in a top knot, the braided length resting over his right shoulder. His hands were clasped in his sleeves in front of him, and he had a placid look on his face. He stood perfectly still and seemed not to have even a hair out of place. His brown eyes locked onto the eyes of the elder man as he spoke, his accent lilting
"I would suggest you were lost, but I fear that no man is truly lost, only on a different path for a time."
He deftly stepped forward, walking towards Hiro. His right hand came out of his sleeve, palm open, and he swept it down and across, indicating a small camp just to his right, a tea pot suspended over a small fire
"Please, have a seat. I would hear your tale"
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Jul 19, 2013 9:48:07 GMT -8
The voice I heard surprised me... I thought I was all alone out here in the wilderness. I looked up and saw a short man in all white looking and speaking to me.
Am I dead? Is this white-clad man my maker?
No. It's too damn hot in this forest for me to be dead. I shook my head, and responded as the man stepped forward.
I have no destination to speak of. It is impossible to be lost with nowhere to go.
As the man motioned his hand over to his camp, which I had completely missed somehow. Maybe my eyesight really was leaving me. I looked back at the man and smiled as I climbed off the ground to join him by the camp. As I sat on a tree stump, I noticed something...
Something... familiar.
I looked down at the pot that was warming on the fire, and my eyes widened. I inhaled deeply, letting the wafting scent of the pot fill my nostrils. With a smile on my face, I looked back at the man.
Is that... It smells like... Yes, it is! I haven't had kopi tea in ages, but I would never forget such a delicious scent.
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Aug 12, 2013 9:06:30 GMT -8
He smiled and motioned with his right hand for Hiro to have a seat, his left still held at his waist. He made his way to the camp himself, his legs folding underneath him. He reached out and poured some tea, offering Hiro the first small cup with a polite nod, then poured himself one. He looked at the elderly man with a Stick and smiled
"So, what brings you to the wilds of Tython? As I said before, you look lost. Which, as you said, is only relevant if one has a destination."
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Aug 12, 2013 9:36:48 GMT -8
I sat down, only after the man offered me a seat. I folded my legs in front of me, laying my walking stick down on my right side. I took the first cup of tea that the man offered to me, and nodded in thanks as I held the cup under my nose, letting the aromatic scent fill my nostrils. It made my mouth water, but I waited politely, allowing my gracious host the opportunity to have the first drink.
I have spent the past many years making my way across the galaxy, hoping to see much of what it has to offer. What about you?
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Aug 12, 2013 13:09:44 GMT -8
He took a sip of his tea gently. He looked down at his cup and then set it aside. He turned his brown eyes on the Elder man across from him and thought for a moment. He nodded once, then twice, almost for himself, folding his arms in their sleeves once more
"I like the outdoors. No traffic."
He grinned at Hiro, a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Aug 13, 2013 9:20:22 GMT -8
I took a sip of the tea, and closed my eyes as the taste brought a simple feeling of joy flooding to me. With a sigh of happiness, I opened my eyes again and looked over to the man as I gave a slight chuckle in response to his statement.
Truth. Much calmer here. A man could easily forget his past in a place like this.
There was a faint smile on my face, but it didn't last. You know when someone tells you not to think of a purple elephant, and then you realize what the first thing to come to your mind is? In a wave, memories of my past were returning to me... Memories I had blocked out for a reason.
In an attempt to hide the frown that grew across my face, I lifted the cup of tea up and took another sip.
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Aug 21, 2013 9:03:11 GMT -8
Orfao was a master at reading situations. He had to be. The man carried no Lightsaber after all. He caught the slight frown and arched an eyebrow at the Old Man across from him, tilting his head slightly to the right. The man looked tired, despite the jovial demeanor. Orfao looked closer. Hiro looked Old, but not too old. Perhaps he was older than he actually appeared, but he looked like he had led a hard life. If one knew where to look. And he did.
"Tell me your story"
He reached out and grabbed his Tea, sipping quietly, watching closely.
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Aug 21, 2013 10:14:47 GMT -8
I looked around for a moment, taking in the surroundings. We were in the middle of nowhere, with no other sentient forms of life to be seen. He wanted me to share my story, but it was a story that I didn't want told. And yet... There was something about this man. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he seemed. Receptive. Genuine.
Trustworthy.
Well, if you've got the time...
And so I told him. Everything. How I began my life in a clan of warriors. How I spent my youth training to be a Jedi. How I abandoned the life in favor of less... noble vices. I told him about my family, about the children I had, and the children that were lost.
I told him how I helped to build empires, and even watched as others fell, some even solely by my hand. As time passed in my life, the only constant was that I was always there. Watching. Fighting. Surviving. I walked in the light and the shadows for years, and I continued to do so now.
I told him how I had spent the past few years disappearing, shying myself away from the rest of society. For all intents and purposes, I did not exist to anyone anymore.
I spared no details as I told the man. At the end, he knew my name, he knew my past, he knew everything about me. I would consider that to be dangerous information in the hands of most, but still this man felt different. It felt like my anonymity was something he would guard with his life.
Once I finished, I paused for a long moment, lifting the cup to my lips for a drink of tea. After I swallowed it, I took a deep sigh, and spoke again, now that he knew everything.
So what do we do now?
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Aug 22, 2013 6:18:18 GMT -8
He looked long and hard at Hiro. He had heard stories of this man and his 'Brother'. He had been there when one had stepped fully into the light. The Force did not judge this man, so why should he.
"I was there when one of the darkest souls in the Galaxy stepped from the Darkness into the light. He fought back to back with the Grand Master to defend an Academy not his own...against his own......"
He paused at this, watching Hiro......
"Who am I to judge your past deeds? If the Force deems you worthy, then that is my entire opinion on the matter."
He paused for a moment, looking Hiro over once more. Then he smiled. That little enigmatic smile that spoke volumes while saying nothing
"More tea?"
He held up the tea pot with one hand, eyebrow arched
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Aug 22, 2013 9:35:30 GMT -8
A faint smile crossed my face. It was nice to not be judged by the deeds of my past. With a simple nod, I extended my tea cup out towards the man.
Please. And what is your story, friend?
As he filled my cup, I pulled it back and raised it, taking another sip.
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Sept 13, 2013 6:24:32 GMT -8
He looked the other man in the eyes for a moment before speaking....His lilting accent drifting across the plateau
"My story is a rather boring story. As my name suggests, I am an orphan. Trained by the Jedi since I can remember. I chose the path of non violence. I only fight if I have to, and I do not use a weapon. Form Zero. To fight without fighting. The art of avoidance. I came to Tython to meditate and clear my mind and soul."
And it was true. His was a boring story. A quiet man of soft demeanor, Orfao would avoid violence when ever he could
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Sept 20, 2013 9:36:40 GMT -8
Non violence? That would be a welcome change of pace. And a boring story wouldn't be a bad thing either.
I sighed, setting the cup down on the stump between us.
Decades of needless fighting... Where has it brought me? All that I once had has been lost to me. My home is gone. My brothers are gone. My children are gone. I have nothing.
I looked off to the trees for a moment, burying my sorrows inside myself. With the sadness gone from my face, but not from my heart, I picked my cup back up and raised it to the man across from me.
But at least I have good company, and good tea.
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Chloro
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Post by Chloro on Sept 22, 2013 23:21:16 GMT -8
It took several hours of high orbit sensor sweeps to pick out several possibilities, starting from Hiro's last known landing position. Tython's was sparsely populated and it made the task of picking out two isolated humanoid figures an easy enough task. Visual recognition confirmed the presence of Hiro with another, white-clad figure.
The green light winked on and Chloro was ejected into space, spiralling down into the planet and making a shallow ballistic re-entry, heading straight for the target. It was terrifying. The Baskillisk War Droid gilded down on its pre-programmed path, while she hung on for dear life. She hated flying. Her breath rasped all too loudly in her ears. She froze and brunt at the same time. The War Droid rotated, giving her a dizzying view of lush green planet below, her target highlighted by display.
::Asset Recovery Consultant #303, you have been cleared to recover your target. Approach, stun and repossess. Estimated time...::
Chloro closed the channel and activated the manual controls. They, their numbers and performance managers had her permission to kill themselves.
Her element of surprise was gone, but it suited her fine. She wanted fear and uncertainty. She wanted to flush her quarry and get them on the run. Circling around, she buzzed overhead and activated her cluster mine dispenser, dispensing hundreds of green proximity butterflies into the jungle canopy in her wake. The way off the cliff was denied.
The War Droid accelerated, gaining altitude again and prepared to make her next sweep. The entire payload comprised of highly illegal incendries.
She was planning on starting a fire...
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Sept 23, 2013 9:18:14 GMT -8
Orfao merely nodded, sipping his tea. It was at this time that his ears picked up a rather peculiar noise coming from above them somewhere. He looked up and noted the War Droid and arched an eyebrow, a quizzical look on his face. He looked over at Hiro and spoke over the top of his cup.
"You don't see that everyday. Friend of your's?"
He sipped his tea quietly, watching as the jungle suddenly erupted in fire among the tree tops.
"The Whills are not going to be happy with a fire on their planet"
He of course spoke of the celestial like beings that watched over the Universe and made their ethereal home on the rock that he and Hiro were currently sipping tea on the edge of a cliff next to a jungle while a Bassilisk War Droid dropped explosives in said jungle. Yup. Just another typical day in the life of Orfao the Fatherles.
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Sept 23, 2013 9:29:10 GMT -8
I heard the sound too, and it took me a few moments to realize where it was coming from. As I looked up, I saw the shadow soar across the sky, raining objects all over the forest. He reached out through the Force, allowing it to explore and speak to him. He looked back down and poured himself more tea, blowing away the steam that was rising from his cup as he ignored the object overhead.
Doubtful, I don't have many friends... I hate people way too much.
I took another sip, feeling the warmth flow through my body as the other man spoke of the Celestials. This was their home planet, and they probably wouldn't take kindly to vandalism here.
They are gonna be maaaaaaaaaaaad...
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Chloro
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Post by Chloro on Sept 23, 2013 21:00:01 GMT -8
Up, up, into the sky. The Basilisk was a living thing under her heel, bucking and heaving with the slightest twist of the controls, engines screaming. She grinned wildly, rising above the fear and claustrophobia that she always felt. The entire machine rattled as she glided slowly around, locked on and made another pass overhead.
A metallic pod jumped free and lazily wobbled forward before silently exploding mid-air into a noxious, rapidly expanding opaque haze that descended like mist onto the forest. As Chloro's War Machine faded into the distance, it became unnaturally silent, the sounds of wildlife extinguished as the crippling nerve agent paralysed anything with an electrolyte-based nervous system on contact, leading to a quick and painful death by asphyxiation. This stuff had been used to rapidly depopulate entire cities and would have made the entire area an ecological blackhole for the next 80 years had not the weapon technicians diluted her solution to retard the fatality period, giving her a narrow window to recover her target.
Her mouthguard started to buzz in sync with Hiro's heartbeat as the orbital operation centre started feeding her data about his vital signs. Another clock started to tick, but it was far less distracting that a display. Better yet, she could taste the results of her work and she was salivating in anticipation already. Her target was duck soup.
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Post by Orfao The Fatherless on Sept 24, 2013 6:38:14 GMT -8
He silently watched a cloud of noxious gas spread over a portion of the jungle behind them and sighed quietly as he felt the life inside either extinguish, or just pass out. He idley wondered why this person was destroying the jungle. It was getting mildly annoying. He looked at Hiro once more
"Why is this person destroying the Jungle? It is confusing to me. This is a good way to REALLY irritate the Whills. This universe makes no sense"
He sipped his tea once more, watching the machine fly through the air, loudly destroying the serenity of the open patch of ground near the cliff where they sat
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The Holy Man
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Post by The Holy Man on Sept 24, 2013 9:57:46 GMT -8
It never does.
I took another sip of my tea, closing my eyes, immersing myself in the Force. I could feel everything, from my heartbeat to the tiny droplets of poison falling through the sky. The Force was reaching out for me, telling me everything that I needed to know.
I could feel the person connected to the shadow in the sky. I could hear her machine. I could hear her heartbeat. I could hear my own heartbeat.
That meant only one thing.
How good is your telekinesis?
I opened my eyes and set my tea down on the stump. As pleasant as this was, the moment was over. Now, something else was happening. This threat that was destroying the forests of Tython wasn't here for the planet. It was here for me.
I stood, looking up at the sky, seeing the haze of fog descending upon us.
Because a barrier to keep that poison from killing us would be helpful.
I closed my eyes again, feeling the Force flowing through existence around me. With a deep inhale, I brought it towards me, feeling its warm embrace growing with each moment.
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