Pzob's Open Terrain

Luxeria continued on, leading the men towards the temple with Vasari at her side. But something was starting to bother her. Something felt off about this place. But she felt nothing within the immediate area outside of the others either at the temple or making their approach. From what she could tell, Vasari couldn't feel anything further out. That only made the situation more unsettling and as they grew closer to the temple, that sensation only seem to grow.

Forcing it to the back of her mind, she focused herself, keeping her composure and confidence. They had finally arrived at the temple with Malvus and the rest of the troops already there. At that point, the troops with her and Vasari began moving into the mix with the rest of the soldiers by her command. Once they entered, the groups would undoubtedly split up again and she wanted to ensure all the groups were properly reformed as best they could.

Luxeria stayed back, watching her master from a distance as he interacted with some of the higher ranks soldiers. It was only when he made his way to the door that she approached, ready to enter when they opened. She said nothing as he spoke, only watched as he opened the doors, allowing them access. She turned back to Vasari for a moment before heading inside. Immediately, she felt the stink of decaying flesh fill her nose. She worked to keep herself from coughing much less vomiting. Not as fresh of death as it could have been, it still happened not too long ago. Otherwise the bodies would have decayed fully to the bones and left no smell. Rubbing her nose and trying in a futile attempt to wave the smell off, she progressed further, seeing all that Malvus was. She could only wonder what had caused this to happen. By what was gathered, nothing broke in and there was no fighting. The only amount of struggle was what seemed to be inflicted with each other. She began letting her senses run out through the area, trying to find something that lingered,
yet was met by only the same uneasy feeling.

As she suspected, they would be splitting up. There were at least nine Sith present, which would leave nine groups. At this point, she knew her and Vasari would need to split up to ensure the most ground was covered. She gave Malvus a nod, before turning her gaze to Vasari. "Think you can handle your own group?" Her words were but a whisper to her friend. She didn't wish to stir up any uncertainty in anyone about what Vasari could or couldn't do.

The ambush by the snipers is flawlessly executed. Twin blaster bolts stab toward Kaan and his soldiers as they approach the temple in perfect unison...yet it would take far more than that to stop this particular Sith Lord. Without even activating his lightsaber, Kaan redirects the incoming fire with a lazy flick of his wrist, the bolts suddenly curving at impossible angles to impact the ground on either side of him. With a look of utter disdain, Kaan focuses on one of the two snipers. With a sharp cry, the man flies off his feet, spinning through the air before coming to a stop before the SIth. Kaan raises an eyebrow at the man floating before him.

IC: ".....that wasn't very polite of you." he regards the trooper's uniform and armor, studying the emblems intently "Who are you? Whom do you serve?"

To his credit, the sniper sets his jaw and clenches his teeth, a look of sheer defiance in his eyes. Kaan shrugs and reaches out with the Force, probing the man's mental defenses. He stops short when he notices the others gathering the courtyard, in particular the taller sentient that he recognizes: Malvus. Good. He thought he had sensed him in orbit. At least there was someone here with sense. He walks past the sniper, who drops to the ground as the force holding him there suddenly vanishes. He looks confused, apparently having expected not to survive. Kaan crosses through the courtyard, seemingly oblivious to the other soldiers watching him. He climbs the stairs to the entrance of the temple and stands before Malvus, inclining his head slightly. He glances at the woman standing next to him, her lightsaber ignited, but ignores her almost instantly.

IC: "Malvus. I'm sure you're expecting answers as to my...delay. It's really an interesting story, but I'm afraid answers will have to wait. I'm just relieved that I reached you before you entered the temple." after a moment of silence, Kaan leans slightly forward "You haven't entered the temple yet, yes?" he glances worriedly toward the open entrance

Concern is etched on the Sith Lord's face when Malvus tells him they've already entered. That...was not the best news. Not with what was in there. The question was...how much to tell? Part of him still felt uncomfortable with outsiders in his home to begin with. But did it matter? If he was truly going to throw his lot in with Malvus, wouldn't that make this a first act with new allies? He scowls as he steps into the gateway, looking down at the corpses. He forces the twinge of guilt out of his mind, reminding himself again that the NoE was gone. His brothers were gone. There was only him, and he had to survive now. He composes his thoughts, and turns back to Malvus.

IC: "I think I might, at that. This Temple...this place. It was more than my home...than my order's home. As far as everyone was concerned, we built it. Raised the stones from the earth and formed it. It suited us to let others think that, but the truth as usual is more complicated. This temple is ancient...our archaeologists think perhaps as old as the ancient Sith Empire. Some far-flung outpost. The structure beneath this one was already here when we came to Pzob, and I did the rest. he points past the two newcomers, deeper into the interior Under the catacombs is a powerful nexus of Dark Side energy. It's why I chose to restore the temple here, and why its original builders chose to build it here in the first place. When connected to it, we could do unimaginable things. Wonderful, and terrible things. It was the source of our power, and that which fueled my order's empire. But it is more than simply a source of power. It is alive. It feeds as well as empowers. I fear that without my order's regular sacrifices, the ancient Sith spirits who dwell here have become ravenous...wild. If we enter, we will most certainly be in a fight for more than our lives. Did you notice something...odd...about these 'corpses'? he places heavy emphasis on the last word

He kneels next to one of the bodies. He rolls it over to its back, and points, telling them to look closely. The body's chest rises and falls with regular breathing...even with the body ripped open, blood spattered on the walls and floor around it...it is most decidedly not dead. Kaan looks up at the others, a grim smile on his face.

IC: "And yet, if you were to try and sense this man's life, you would find none. His soul, his essence, is gone. Ripped from his body by the darkness within this place. And these few morsels he motions to the piles of bodies are nothing to the horrors that now rule here, and not enough to satiate them by far. But us? We're the biggest feast they've seen in a long time. They will almost certainly try to devour us, even I who walked these corridors and called this place 'home'. You want to cleanse this place? Then we must destroy that which lies beneath. So..."

He stands, and walks into the entrance hall of the temple. With a snap-hiss, the walls around him are bathed in crimson light as his saber ignites, the Barab ore within the hilt causing the blade to pulse and burn. Kaan turns back to them, a twisted smile of utter glee now on his face.

IC: "Shall we begin?"