Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Jan 22, 2022 2:55:45 GMT -8
Kr'Naan coughed up the remainder of the bile in her throat, spitting out as much remainder of the stomach fluid as she could through the hole in her mask. She nodded her head as she reached down for the canteen. With her still-injured right arm. The Tusken girl winced as her stiff shoulder ached in rebellion to the movement. The dream world concocted by Dragus had made her forget. It had seemed so real. Instead she reached over with her left arm, knocking back the warm water and swishing it about her mouth before swallowing. Had it been real? Or some strange fantasy made up by her mind? Her head was ringing and throbbing. Every few moments it felt like she was falling even though she was sitting firmly on the ground. She had to blink to reground herself to her current position in relation to the ground. It couldn't have been a dream, could it?Kr'Naan set the canteen down for a moment to grip her head as the ringing intensified, brought upon by the speech of the Barabel in the language she had heard from his furry companions as the black-scaled reptoid spoke to Lil'Mort. Her ears did not understand it, but as the screeching note in her head reached a feverish pitch the meaning of the words came to the front of her mind. There was a delay, or something close to one, as if someone was within her mind translating the words spoken by the saurian to her in real time as they heard it and then were whispering the interpretation to the Tusken girl. The overlap was very confusing, and not something she was used to yet. Kr'Naan closed her eyes as the pressure in her head became almost unbearable. She hit her hand against her head and ran it along her masked head while applying as much pressure physically as she could to try and make the pain stop. Her head jerked to watch the spider leg hit the ground, followed by Kindness? Yes, but only for need of her continued usefulness. Still; kindness.As Dragus spoke, this time to her, Kr'Naan pressed her left hand to her head and began rocking back and forth slightly to try and ignore the feeling of her brain attempting to split apart inside her head again as the shrill pitch and tension came back. She understood what he said, and the delay and overlap of both the whisper of the voice and the actual spoken words was a bit easier to deal with already. He needed her to maintain her strength. But there was something else. Something wanted to come out. Words from the voice that only she could hear, telling her what to say. Demanding she speak in response. It would tell her how to say what was needed. All she needed to do was repeat what it said.Kr'Naan stammered and paused as she spoke, mimicking the words that were murmured to her by the voice. "Th...thank...Than...Thank. Mas...t...Mast...Master..."The Tusken girl spoke in ewokese. Broken ewokese, like a wokling just learning its first words, but still ewokese. The voice was satisfied with this result. The pain subsided for the time being, and Kr'Naan sighed almost in relief. She looked to the remainder of the spider carcass as she ripped a nice bit of meat from the inside of the leg and sniffed it before eating it. Definitely much better than sewer rats and questionable jerky. Even the haemolymph that the Barabel had heated up was delicious. She ate fast, as if she was near starved. Which, she had nearly been to be honest. This was the first proper meal she had had in days. It was as if her prayers had been answered, and so soon.Kr'Naan stammered a bit more, her tongue struggling with some of the syllables of the ewok language in comparison to her own guttural one. "Vill...age...Vil..lage. Nea...Near? Wi...th...th...With...P...Pi...Pigs" With each word the pain she felt from the muttering voice within her thoughts seemed to dull, though it did not go away. She could hear herself talking, and while she chose to say what she spoke it still felt like they were not her words. This would take some getting used to. Kr'Naan continued to eat away at the spider leg and blood broth hurriedly, as if she expected it to come to life again and run away. Who knew when she would be able to enjoy such a feast again?
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
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Post by Dragus on Jan 22, 2022 7:08:20 GMT -8
Scaled lips quivered and bloody orbs narrowed as the Great Devourer watched Kr'Naan attack the spider leg and broth with relish, causing the saurian Sith's toothy maw to salivate, dripping long gooey ropes of steaming drool from curved incisors, seeping down his chin and soiling the front of his midnight hued robe of shadow silk. He ran his forked tongue over those wet lips, slurping back the hot tendrils of salivation and smacking his jaws, attempting to compose himself. His own hunger was a ceaseless thing, but he eaten enough to temporarily satisfy his physical needs, if not the spiritual. Fortunately the child appeared to finally eat a substantive amount of something, having refused his earlier offer in the sewers of Nar Shaddaa, then having thrown up after eaten the apprentice jerky he had so carefully preserved. He was beginning to worry the tusken might be sick given its lack of appetite and repetitive vomiting. Perhaps it was a part of its physiology, some unusual method of purging waste following digestion. If he ever got his hands on another one he might have to perform a few experiments for the purpose of scientific posterity. His salivating lips peeled back into a grin and he chuckled lightly to himself at the thought, flipping the vial of spider venom between his clawed digits before slipping it into one of his robe pockets. He took his attention off the child and regarded Lil'Mort, who was in the process of packing up the camp.They were getting closer to their destination, maybe a little less than halfway at this point. Traveling through Clan Morlock territory would take about a day, then another half day from there to temple at the heart of the deep woods. Last time he had passed through this part of the forest he had been accompanied by one of his experiments, a gamorrean warped by the corrupting influence of Sith alchemy and dark science, transformed from a meager pig savage to serve as a dark side augmented bodyguard for the Hungering One. When they had encountered the mutant tribals living in this part of the forest, well, thing hadn't exactly been peaceful. In fact they had nearly been killed by the savages, until his faithful bodyguard Grognak murdered the gamorrean clan's warlord and supplanted him as the new village chief. Dragus had been forced to leave him behind at that point, but it had been amicable. That had been what, a few years ago now? If Grognak was still the boss-hog then they should be able to pass unmolested, they might even find some respite when they reached the village. However, if he wasn't still in charge...well, no sense worrying about that. He was confident it would all work out. They still had the ewok spear of power in their possession and with that he was certain nothing could stop them save for the Eye itself."Vill...age...Vil..lage. Nea...Near? Wi...th...th...With...P...Pi...Pigs" Hmmm? Breaking from his musings, the black scaled barabel returned his attention to Kr'Naan and placed a clawed hand near the side of his head, cupping his ear hole. He listened to her words carefully, deciphering meaning despite them having been elicited from a tongue that was not used to speaking the sacred language. So, his attempt at passing on some of his knowledge was at least in part successful. He didn't expect her to be able to recite passages from the Book of Hate, but if she could utter a few phrases or words, it would suffice. Now that his theory on imprinting was showing some actual results, he made a mental note to attempt further studies on the subject once he had a bit of spare time. It could come in handy the next time he needed to brainwash someone, though to be honest he still preferred the tried and true methods such as torture when it came to bending a subject to his dark will. It was just more satisfying. He tapped an impatient toe talon on the ground as he waited for her to finish getting the words out, his long tail swaying from side to side. The slow struggle to speak was almost painful to listen to."Yez, Wart." He started speaking the second she finished. "The pig village iz near and we mussst be on our bessst behaviour from here on out. I'm uncertain what sssort of reception we can expect. Fortunately while my jawa iz a little russsty, my gamorressse iz excellent." He cleared his throat with a wet cough and then began to oink, squeal, and snort a few times for practice until he was satisfied it would be sufficient. Dragus then brought his hands together with a loud clap. "Well, we ssstill have a bit of a walk ahead of uz. Bessst not wassste the daylight." What little there was.By this point in time, Lil'Mort had mostly packed up the supplies they had unloaded and began to drag the bags over to their resident pack-mule.
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Jan 23, 2022 2:00:07 GMT -8
The Tusken girl felt a deep self-satisfaction when Dragus responded to her, the feeling of elation rising from her full belly into her throat with a smile coming to her hidden face. She took no notice of the reptilian's impatience, having been too focused on the words murmured to her within her mind. Splitting her attention between the voices outside and within her head made her eyes almost go cross-eyed, but with each syllable it became less and less of a difficulty. Kr'Naan downed the last of the spider blood broth and let out a satisfied sigh as she ripped away some of the remaining meat on the leg, tilting her head back and dropping it into the hole in her mask. She did notice, however, Dragu's drool over the remainder of her meal. Kr'Naan lifted the remainder of the leg up and held it out to him. There wasn't much left after the Tusken youngling had gotten her fill, but she did not want to waste anything if her savior was still hungry. Better to offer it to him to make sure nothing was left.Kr'Naan giggled in delight at the noises that came from the saurian Sith as he dusted off his pigman-speak. It reminded her slightly of the Eopie, a pack animal popular on her homeworld, at least a little bit. Though with far less flatulence. Kr'Naan hopped up at the site of the bags, knowing they were meant for her. The Tusken girl stretched her right arm, rotating it in a small circle to try and loosen it up. It was not healed, but it was already improved after resting. She could still hold her arm in place with the weight of the bags so it wouldn't jostle around. Her legs tingled a bit as they had fallen asleep after having been sat down for so long, but as she was loaded up it almost felt comforting to have all the weight of their equipment and supplies on her.Tuskens valued covering themselves to not show any skin, and this almost felt like an extension of that. She did also wish to give her patron god cause to find her useful. There would be no complaining from her, even as the weight caused one of the heavier bags to dig into her sore shoulder. Adjusting by hopping a bit to shift the burden a bit further up on her body so offset the discomfort, soon enough Lil'Mort had the youngling fully loaded up again. A grunt of smug self-satisfaction of his own with a nod pass the ewok's teeth as he stamped the end of his spear, which he had retrieved, congratulatorily to himself.Kr'Naan spoke again in stammering broken ewokese. "In...dre...eam...dream...say...Sp...spee...speech...Cel..." There was a pause and a tilt of her head away from Dragus, as if she were listening to someone else and repeating what they said aloud. "...Cele...sti...al...Celestial?" Another pause before Kr'Naan turned her head back to the Barabel. "Say celestial...Hid...sto...stone? Use cele...celestial speech? Who celestials? En...ene...mies? Enemies?" A child was an inquisitive and curious thing. Always full of questions and looking for answers to those questions. They truly were the future, a future that could easily be influenced with answers that came from an authority figure. There was no doubt of the deity-to-be in her tone, but rather why they were using the language of those that had seemingly wronged the unborn god by depriving him of the crystal hidden in the temple: the goal of this quest.As they restarted their journey, Kr'Naan would try and stay as close to Dragus as possible, her shorter legs attempting to keep up with his far wider stride. The looks of distrust and scorn that she had given him in the first half of their hike were instead replaced by glances that almost seemed to echo a desire to please her master, to make sure that he knew she would not doubt him further. Kr'Naan did not want to pester the divine being, but now that she had been gifted this knowledge it was not something she wanted to waste. Even this soon she could feel the familiarity of the strange language sink in. With each heard or spoken word of the dialect the pain from whatever power was providing her with the translation seemed to ebb. This only made her want to use it more, in hope eventually the 'blessing' would merge successfully within her mind.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
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Post by Dragus on Jan 23, 2022 7:41:22 GMT -8
Shortly after breaking camp, the saurian Sith found himself looking up at the forest ceiling overhead, noting the sudden absence of their eight legged stalkers. The arachnids had followed them from the point of disturbing the netti grove, always watching from the branches above for their opportunity to pounce, remaining even after one of their kin became the trios morning meal. The second they entered Clan Morlock territory, however, things changed. The spiders had receded back into the forest and refused to follow them into the lands of cannibal mutant gamorreans, almost as if they were aware of how ludicrously dangerous the journey had just become. Dragus snorted derisively upon noticing this. Cowards. It's not like the boars could climb the damn trees. A proper predator must be prepared to pursue their prize until prosperity proved possible. He returned his attention ahead, stepping over roots that seemed determined to trip them up, all the while keeping an eye to their surroundings. His thermal sight viewed nothing out of the ordinary, though there was a faint odor of smoke on the wind in the direction they were going, carried over some distance but not escaping his impressive sense of smell. He looked at Kr'Naan and almost laughed out loud, clamping his jaw to remain composed as he watched the clearly overburdened child attempt to keep up with a renewed eagerness, much to his amusement.The closer they got to their destination, the more disposable she became. She just needed to survive long enough to open the way so that the crystal would be his. After that, if she was eaten by a spider or swallowed up by an angry tree, it wouldn't matter. Yet he found himself already growing accustomed to her presence. Not in the same way as he had with someone like Major or Kryptman, who were closer to partners and equals than minions, not that he would have ever admitted as such to them. Kr'Naan was more like one of his ranat assistants, useful in a surprising number of ways beyond what he needed her for. Carrying their equipment for instance, he hadn't put any thought into that, having assumed his flock would work that problem out for them. And they had, equipping the child like a beast of burden, allowing Lil'Mort to act more the part of a scout and providing Dragus with an extra set of eyes. She also appeared to be quite hardy, despite the injuries that ailed her. He could smell the lingering weakness but it didn't seem to be impairing her overmuch, though if he were to hazard a guess it was also likely what had drawn the spiders to them, their own senses probably on par with his own. There was also the matter of the vision he had briefly seen the first time they had met. Blood and sand. It had no meaning to him, yet it tickled his curiosity in the most interesting way.Kr'Naan spoke again in stammering broken ewokese. "In...dre...eam...dream...say...Sp...spee...speech...Cel..." There was a pause and a tilt of her head away from Dragus, as if she were listening to someone else and repeating what they said aloud. "...Cele...sti...al...Celestial?" Another pause before Kr'Naan turned her head back to the Barabel. "Say celestial...Hid...sto...stone? Use cele...celestial speech? Who celestials? En...ene...mies? Enemies?"
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Jan 24, 2022 2:34:21 GMT -8
Somehow surprisingly agile being as burdened as she was the Tusken girl would stop every few steps to the swing of the Barabel's spiked tail to avoid it when the appendage swung towards her, only then to speed back up to catch back up in her attempt to keep up with Dragus. Each time his tail swung she would repeat this exhaustive routine, almost like it was a game. It was a really nice surprise that she was also able to understand the speech of the ewok Lil'Mort now as well."An...cest....ors...Ancestors?" She said with a confused tone. She understood the meaning of the word but it was the lack of knowing the history of those they called the Celestials that perplexed her. Thankfully her master would fill that gap by reinserting himself back into the conversation. The speed at which the Barabel spoke caused her great strain in trying to understand at first but as he continued to speak the high pitched screech she had earlier before drowned out what it was he was explaining to her momentarily, the pressure in her head returning with a vengeance. The pain caused her to wince and raise her hand to her head. The distraction of the noise and pain caused her feet to falter for a moment, but while she stumbled she caught herself quickly. It was discombobulating at first, but as the sound and pain receded once more the delay in the translation of the ewok language became shorter, and she was able to understand some of the larger words a bit easier."Sha...man?" Again spoke with confused inflection as her eyes followed his gesture to Lil'Mort. Suddenly it made a bit more sense as to why the divine being had been wary of the seemingly normal spear. It was obviously a tool to help channel the power within the hairy being. She had seen a few rituals from shamans in her tribe, and they often used various items and constructed tools to help them in their ceremonies. Perhaps it truly was blessed with a power that could harm him? The Tusken youngling was glad that she had not followed through with striking the deity in his sleep with the weapon, replaced with a morbid curiosity to find out what such an artifact was capable of."Not Sa...nd...fleas." Kr'Naan laughed at the perceived joke about her people's ancestry. The voice gave no word for the name of her ancestors in the celestial language so she spoke in her own, though instead of the harsh guttural tones it almost resembled a more common sounding tongue. "Kumumgah." The Tusken's mind wandered for a moment to her grandfather; a Storyteller in their tribe, and his telling of those they were descended from told as cautionary tales. How long had it been since she had seen him? Not just an apparition or illusion of him, like in the recent dream, but still alive? Kr'Naan's steps slowed again. Not stopping entirely, but trailing as she reminisced. Noticing she was quickly falling behind she redoubled her efforts to keep up with the lumbering scaled being.Her speech, while still not at the level of one with a familiarity like that of her Master, was already improving. "When stone....Use...p...power...Be...Become god." There was an elongated pause as the Tusken listened to the whispers only she could hear. She nodded, seemingly to herself. "When whole...can do...any...thing?" A stifled cackle came from Lil'Mort as the perceptive ewok picked up on the deception Dragus had fed the Tusken child. The moment the scraggly ewok enjoyed was short lived however, becoming silent and crouching. Something was near. He sniffed the air. Lil'Mort gestured for Kr'Naan to come to his side, digging through the left saddle bag as soon as she obeyed. "Where's me bola?" The ewok muttered to himself. This seemed to signal to whomever he had spotted that they were made, and a dark green colored blur shot out from their cover, weaving in between the mighty trunks for cover. As soon as his hands found purchase on the rope and stone weapon, with great skill the ewok twirled the bolas and launched them at the fleeing target.The whistle of the flying weapon ended with a thwak followed by squealing as the gamorrean that had thought it could escape the masterful skill of a the ewok hunter as the scout struggled break free of the intertwined and tangled rope around its legs. Finding another reason to chuckle to himself now, he advanced on his latest prize. "Pig thought it was quick. Bola faster." Continuing his chuckle as the ewok waved both Dragus and Kr'Naan to follow as they approached the ensnared gamorrean.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Jan 24, 2022 7:01:13 GMT -8
Conversing with the child was like trying to educate a simpleton. He was mildly concerned he might have picked a dud. Sturdy though Kr'Naan was, he was beginning to get the impression she was lacking when it came to her mental faculties. Actually, that might make her a better assistant in the long run, though he'd have to do something about that flapping tongue. Perhaps cut it out, then fry it up with onions. Mmmm, it sounded delicious but given her sand obsessed culture it was probably a tough piece of meat, like dry leather. He'd have to tenderize it first. No! Slow-cooked into a stew. Now if only he had some potatoes...Drool seeped down his chin as they walked, Dragus distracted by day-dreams of the perfect way to cook a tongue, while the tusken child prattled on asking this question and that. It was no wonder that Lil'Mort was the first to detect the gamorrean in their midst. When the bola snapped around the pigman's legs and sent the scout crashing into the brush, it broke the saurian Sith from the hungry thoughts that consumed him and brought his attention back to the present. Snarling in his most terrifying fashion, the black scaled barabel bared his open maw, flashing rows of dripping dagger-like teeth. The claws of his hands tensed and he stalked towards the ensnared scout more as a predator hunting prey than a warrior approaching a downed foe. Even that bloody gaze of his was more luminous, as though those crimson orbs were boiling in their sockets. Hot rancid wisps of steam blew from his slit nostrils, while the familiar odor of rotten meat filled the clearing, emanating from the Hungering One's open mouth. Lil'Mort already had the ewok spear of power back in his boney hands, held with the stone tip to the throat of the captured porcine savage. As they stood over the green skinned tribal, a few things became evident to the scheming Sith.At a glance the gamorrean appeared to be of the normal variety found on Pzob, lacking the bone spurs, additional tusks, and elongated horns. That it was this far into Clan Morlock territory likely meant it was a scout for one of the other clans. It had been a long time since he had performed a proper study of the tribes on the planet, not since before the fall of the City of the Eye, so any markings or totems found on its person were meaningless to him. Standing overtop of the squealing savage, he leaned in until his snout was barely a hands-width from the gamorrean's face, and sniffed. His brow narrowed and he hissed, misting the scout's face with crimson flecks and burning spittle. "Weak meat..." Fear and possibly the spear to its throat kept the captured pig from taking a swing at Dragus with one of its meaty ham sized fists when the dastardly draconian dragged a finger talon across the left side of its cheek down to its jowls. Blood beaded on the cut, then ran down the side of its face in a narrow line. The forked tongue of the barabel extended and flicked over the wound, sampling the rich flavour of the pig's blood. Yes, definitely of the normal variety. He couldn't taste any corruption in its DNA. But what was it doing out here? Keeping tabs on Clan Morlock? Come to think of, that made a lot of sense. The cannibals might have built up a reputation among the other tribes in the time he was away. In any event, it gave him an idea.Stepping away from the gamorrean, Dragus approached Kr'Naan and turned her around, jamming a clawed hand into the pack strapped to her back and rummaging for a moment until he found a length of rope. He gave it a tug and when it didn't snap under the pressure of his muscular arms, he nodded and brought it over to the gamorrean, which he proceeded to kick hard in the side. The scout elicited a loud squeal and rolled over, holding its injured side. Kneeling down, the Great Devourer rolled the pig onto its stomach and gripped its thick muscular arms, grunting as he pulled them behind its back. Gamorreans were not the most flexible species so you could imagine how difficult that was. Then with some concerted effort, the reprobate reptilian bound the scout's arms with the length of rope until they were secured tightly behind its back. The pig flexed and strained but the rope held true. Shifting, the saurian Sith drove a knee into the gamorrean's back, driving the air from its squealing lungs. He then patted the alien down, checking it for weapons or anything he didn't want it to have. Tucked into the back of its furry britches he found a very basic looking stone knife, which he handed to Kr'Naan. "That lookz about your sssize." He hissed at her, before removing his knee from the scout's back and standing up. There was enough length left over from the binding to serve as a leash for their prisoner. Lil'Mort unwound his bola from its feet and hung it over his furry shoulders instead of returning it to the bag it had come from.Holding the prisoner's tether in his claws, the Hungering One delivered a harsh slap to the gamorrean's rump with the flat side of his tail blade, eliciting another squeal as he tugged on the leash. The pig struggled to its feet, almost stumbling back to the ground without the use of its hands to support it. Eventually it got its baring and it looked at the trio stupidly, snot oozing from its snout while flies buzzed around its girthy form. Meeting the beady gaze that stared from shallow pits in its skull, he extended his will through the Force, focusing his mind on the scout's and then applying pressure. It stepped back as though struck, then steadied itself and moved slightly forwards, staring stupidly at Dragus. Clearing his throat, the black scaled barabel began to converse with the pig in gamorrese."Oink." Squeal. Squeal. Snort. "Oink, oink." Squeal. Snort. Understanding dawned on the bound pig and it shook its horned head from side to side, refusing whatever command the twisted terrorsaur had just given it. Again Dragus snarled, his tail coming round so that the edge of the serrated blade capping it came under the gamorrean's throat, just a inch from its trembling green flesh. He repeated his words again."Oink." Squeal. Squeal. Snort. "Oink, oink." Squeal. Snort. Only this time he followed with a very angry... "Oink!" This time he got the reaction he wanted. The gamorrean begrudgingly nodded and turned around, offering the trio its back. Lil'Mort stepped forwards and jabbed the gamorrean in the rear with the end of his spear, causing it to jump and begin walking forwards. Satisfied, Dragus handed the length of tether to Kr'Naan and explained for her sake. "Hold on tightly. He'z going to lead uz to the village." And quite possibly serve as their offering upon arrival.
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Jan 26, 2022 2:30:34 GMT -8
Kr'Naan took hold of the handle of the stone knife in her left hand, looking it over. It was very crude, made of what appeared to just be shaped and sharpened stone attached to a wooden handle. The youngling was surprised she was being trusted with a weapon at all, given what had occurred the previous night. Still, she was grateful; bowing her head in silent thanks to her master. She could feel no love from this weapon, no care in its creation. But, it was better than not having a weapon at all, which had been a great problem when they had been attacked by the seemingly sentient plantlife the night before. Though it was no gaderffii, it would have to work until she could procure a more suitable weapon. If she could, that was. She wriggled and adjusted the sacks she carried to be able to tuck the stone knife in the belt around her waist, leaving only the hilt exposed. With only one capable arm and that one being her weaker one, as well as her load, she did not especially like her chances in a close quarters fight; but she would at the very least not die being unable to fight back effectively.The Tusken closely watched the interaction between the bipedal pig humanoid and Dragus with great interest. She took note of how Dragus seemed to overtake the being's will by gazing into his eyes. Another example of his power, though somehow the boarman seemed to be somewhat resistant to her god's influence. Kr'Naan had to bite her tongue to hold in her laughter as she listened to the ridiculous speech, though. It was borderline heretical, but for whatever reason the sight of watching the Barabel oink and squeal tickled the Tusken child. She felt as thought she was about to burst and succumb to her instincts, almost laughing aloud, but before she broke the end of the makeshift lead with which they had bound the gamorrean up with like a leash.The gamorrean turned to look back at the trio, looking upon the small being holding his bindings. Kr'Naan and the gamorrean's eyes seemed to meet, and for a moment they both shared a confused look at one another. Kr'Naan looked from the gamorrean to the rope in her hand, then back at the gamorrean. There was an awkward moment of silence. The Tusken girl flicked the rope as if it were reins on a beast of burden. This elicited an exasperated huff from his snout, letting out a small cloud of snot into the air, looking to the dark-scaled Barabel staring daggers into him. Taking too long, Lil'Mort let out a command in ewokese before giving the gamorrean's hindquarters a jab with his spear. The green-skinned swine alien jumped and let out a pained squeal before complying, marching forward.The sudden start threw Kr'Naan off a bit, and she had to widen her stride and pull back tightly. If it were not for how heavily she was weighed down, the Tusken youngling would likely have been pulled to the ground by the strength of the pigman. She leaned back at an extremely obtuse angle, leaving a small trench in her wake from the heels of her boots digging through the earth as the gamorrean seemed to have tunnel vision, refusing to move at a slower pace. Kr'Naan's foot caught a root and she was able to anchor herself momentarily, the gamorrean fighting to continue forward for a moment before looking back to the Tusken."U'orc c'rc'u!""Slow down!" Kr'Naan had spoken in the Tusken language at the creature, not that it would be able to know what the throatal speech meant, but it seemed to somewhat understand by the tone. Kr'Naan let the rope slack slightly and moved from the root which she had used to stop herself. She wiggled the leash slightly as a signal for the beastman to continue, which it would comply, now slightly slower so as not to drag the Tusken child across the ground.Kr'Naan looked to Dragus, an aura of pride emanating from her as she was able to command the hog-like being. "Not like ones see before. In dream. Less bones." She said in ewokese to Dragus, taking notice of the difference in the appearance of this gamorrean as opposed to the ones of the village she had been shown.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Jan 27, 2022 8:18:25 GMT -8
Dragus turned his snout to the side and looked down, peering at Kr'Naan with those two bloody orbs, scaled brow narrowing inquisitively as he pondered her query. His forked tongue flicked out as he caught an unusual scent wafting from the sand child, her jovial mood a change of pace from the previous mix of uncertainty and misery. He nodded slowly, eying the pig next as he did his best to explain."Obssserved that, did you? Yez, you are quite correct. There are two typez of pig men that inhabit thessse woodz. There are the onez I showed you in your visssion, which countz for only one clan that I am aware of, and all the ressst look like thiz. I asssume basssed on hiz reluctance to lead the way that he waz sssent by a rival clan to ssspy on the pigz we're looking for." Of course he could have asked the scout that specifically, but it didn't really matter nor did he particularly care one way or another. He offered a shrug of his shoulders. "We'll find out sssoon enough."And sure enough they would. The deeper they traversed into the depths of the dark forest, the more signs of tribal occupation became obvious. The trees began to thin with old stumps in their place, as though this part of the woods was regularly harvested for lumber. Animal bone totems and and skulls were hung from branches like ornaments, likely marking the border of the tribal habitation and to serve as a warning to outsiders. The captured gamorrean slowed, still moving forwards but with more caution now, as though something played on its nerves. Taking a long sniff through his slit nostrils, the black scaled barabel sought for threats, though there was nothing as of yet. Given the fear Clan Morlock seemed to be inspiring in their guide, it was likely they had something of a fierce reputation. They probably never expected someone would be foolish enough to enter their clan's territory. Even Lil'Mort was more on edge than usual, moving soundlessly as he traversed the forest with spear in hand, more at one with the terrain than any of the rest of them. The bola still hung from his shoulders, ready to be utilized if and when the time came for it. Dragus hummed a tune, not appearing the slightest bit concerned, his tail swaying to the rhythm of the song in his head.Eventually they came to a clearing in the woods. Rows of wooden spikes rose from the ground, adorned with horned skulls that shared a remarkable likeness to their prisoner. The Hungering One strode passed the gamorrean and examined one of the remains, grasping a yellowed skull with a broken tusk, examining it carefully as he ran his claws over it. Eventually he released the skull and shook his scaled head from side to side, sighing sadly."Well Grognak..." He rasped, misting flecks of crimson on the skull of his former hench-pig. "...you've ssseen better dayz."There was a rustle in the bushes ahead, then to right, followed by the left. The Hungering One stepped back and moved his left claw to the hooked lightsaber hilt hanging from his belt. Emerging from the forest brush was a number of tall muscular boars, with horns rising well beyond the norm for their kind, like a crown of crooked spears. Their flesh was such a dark shade of green that it bordered on black, and bone spurs seemed to exude from the knobs of their joints and knuckles, giving them an even more nefarious appearance. Each was holding some form of brutish looking primitive weapon, from stone axes and spears to bows with bone-tipped arrow heads. Dragus quickly lost count but knew immediately that they were well outnumbered by the mutant gamorreans. He stepped forwards and drove his right foot into the back of the captured scout's left calf, raking his foot talons across the limb and driving the squealing pig to its knees. He then gripped the top of its head with his right claw, sinking his finger talons into its scalp until beads of green blood ran down the sides of its head. He released his hold on the lightsaber hilt on his side and pointed at the mutants spread out before them with a clawed digit, then squealed something of his own in gamorrese."Oink, oink!" Snort. "Oink." Squeal. "Oink." Snort. Snort. Squeal! The mutants grew quiet, leaving the saurian Sith staring at them confused, his mouth still half open as though he was waiting for a reply. He didn't have to wait long. A rattling could be heard coming from behind the half circle that had formed in the woods ahead and to the sides of them, growing louder as something moved from behind the gamorreans of Clan Morlock. Two massive boars stepped to the side, parting to allow a thin looking sow of advanced years to pass between them. She leaned on a gnarled staff of Pzobian oak, bird bones rattling around the head of the walking stick, dangling from strips of hide in a similar fashion as the ewok spear of power. The female gamorrean was garbed in animal furs that concealed all save her thin arms and wrinkled head. Through his connection to the malevolent fey, Dragus could sense that the sow had a connection to the Force as well, deeply rooted in the corrupted land they were on. If anything her natural affinity for the wicked tendrils that bled from the very soil was greater than the Hungering One's own connection, though far from as sophisticated. She walked past the wall of towering boars and came to stand no more than a dozen feet from the scaled saurian, raising her staff above her head as she did so, then striking the butt of it on the ground as she came to a stop. The wizened crone leered at the Great Devourer with distrustful eyes, then spoke in the language of her people."Oink?" Squeal. Squeal. Snort. Squeal. Then, drawing on the primal magics that flowed through her corrupted blood, the witch... For what else could she be. ...raised her staff over her head and began to swirl it around in the air. She fed off the power poisoning the land and pulled it into her ancient body, then took hold of the very wind with an invisible hand. The sky above the clearing began to darken and the wind began to pick up, blowing powerfully as the sow seemed to command the very elements themselves. The storm grew with intensity with every passing moment and soon the devious draconian found it difficult to maintain his stance. He dug his toe talons into the soil and released his hold on the gamorrean scout's bleeding head. Raising his claws to the sky, he began to channel his own power. Dragus drew on the wellspring of hate that was the darkside of the Force, opening his black heart to the currents and unleashing the flood gates with recalled bitter resentments. Every wrong doing, every expressed word of malice and despised memory he could dredge up became a source of power to bend to his will and command against his enemies. Electrical current danced from his finger tips, bouncing from claw to claw before he released the carefully channeled currents and sent forks of lightning searing up into the sky. As the bolts of dark energy bled harmlessly into the clouds, the storm seemed to break, as though the saurian Sith's sorcery dispelled the gamorrean shaman's primitive magics. The sow's tusked jowls shook with disbelief, her beady eyes widening in shock.A sly grin revealing a mouth full of curved incisors spread across the Hungering One's face as he lowered his hands, finger talons still smoking. He stepped back and took the end of the rope lead from Kr'Naan, then stepped forwards again and kicked the bound scout in the back so that the gamorrean tumbled forwards face first into the dirt."Oink." Squeal. "Oink?" Reluctantly, the wizened crone nodded her wrinkled head and motioned with her staff past the wall of muscular boar flesh to the village just beyond. One of giant even stepped forward and took the rope leash from Dragus' hand, dragging the squealing scout towards the village. Grinning widely, the saurian Sith turned back to his comrades and hissed pleasantly."Good newz. We've been invited to the feassst."
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 3, 2022 2:22:40 GMT -8
Kr'Naan nodded understandingly as Dragus briefly explained the difference in the gamorrean they had leashed. Something she did understand was conflicts between rival tribes and clans. When one had neighbors that were not so friendly it was best to keep an eye on them. Sometimes those spies were captured; either to be later traded for something of value or killed as an example to others. She had seen many examples be made of those who dared venture into R'Crurak tribal lands without permission. The Tusken girl wondered which the pig-man she now held the bindings to would become.The approach was uneventful, but there was an unease as they crossed into what was obviously territory of the gamorreans they were looking for. The atmosphere seemed to change, a feeling of habitation that came along with the changes in the forest's makeup. A downed tree, clearly chopped. A visible trail in the foliage and underbrush from being well-travelled. Kr'Naan could feel the hair on her neck stand on end. Even without the gift of the Force, she could sense that they were being watched. Of course, it was just an instinct brought on by general paranoia, but still.The suspicion was proven as they entered the clearing with the piked heads of fallen boar-men, on display as an example to all who came across them. Kr'Naan remained quiet, watching the treeline for anyone and tightening her grip on the length of rope of their prisoner in case he tried to make a break for it. As they came before the display of skulls she watched as the barabel examined a particular one as if he recognized it by the features etched upon the bone.Speaking in ewokese to Dragus. "Trap?" Before he would have a chance to answer, a rustle from just into the forest from where they stood. As the gamorreans revealed themselves to the party, Kr'Naan swapped the rope to the grip of her injured arm's hand, reaching down at the knife that had just been given to her by her master.Luckily it did not appear that she would need to use it, as she watched the interaction between the tribal pigs' shaman and Dragus. Her jaw went slack as she watched her master display what was surely only an ounce of his power, shooting lightning into the sky to overpower the storm summoned by the pig-witch. With the seriousness of the situation she hadn't even registered the comedy of him speaking in gamorrean, which had so far drawn snickering from the Tusken girl. As the situation became calm(er) and they were seemingly welcomed into the territory of the pig tribe, Kr'Naan realized she had been holding her breath, and exhaled as Dragus turned to her and took their captive's tether from her grasp, handing the unmutated gamorrean over to their new acquaintances.Speaking in ewokese once more as she did her best to stay at the left side of Dragus. "Feast?" Kr'Naan said in a cautious tone. She just hoped the food was cooked."They kill your disciple? The piked head?" She continued in ewokese as they walked. "Shaman kill them?"
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
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Post by Dragus on Feb 3, 2022 7:59:11 GMT -8
Slowly raising a clawed hand to his head, Dragus kneaded his scaled brow with his finger talons while he closed his eyes, attempting to rub away some of the irritation arising in him as a result of Kr'Naan's ceaseless questions. Sensing his mood, the saurian Sith's additional appendage rose up from his backside and angled the tip of the serrated blade capping the end so that the point was aimed at the tusken child. Like the tail of a scorpion the flexible limb reared back and prepared to strike. He had thought bridging the language barrier they previously suffered from would alleviate the child's need to repeatedly flap its gums, but all it seemed to be doing was asking question after question. He had been ignoring her for the most part, but he was fairly certain that every single thing she had said in the last few moments had been a question. Make no mistake, it wasn't that he hated answering questions. There were few things he enjoyed more than hearing himself speak and explain things. What was frustrating was the questions themselves. If Kr'Naan had asked about something of interest, such as the tribal hierarchy of the gamorreans, the totems decorating the encampment, or even the significance of the display of abilities that just transpired...that all would have been worthy of conversation. Instead she asked asked about poor deceased Grognak, as if that was even remotely important anymore. He certainly wasn't going to waste his time inquiring about it.It took a surprisingly concerted effort to ease his cocked tail and lower it back towards the floor. He removed his hand from his brow and opened his eyes, shaking his head before regarding the tusken with his bloody gaze. "I don't know. What doez it even matter?" His right hand came up and formed a claw pointed towards the spike where Grognak's yellowed skull was mounted. Summoning a measure of power into his claws, Dragus reached out with the Force and wrapped an invisible hand around the remains of his former bodyguard, then pulled. The skull snapped free of the fibres holding it in place and flew across the clearing, slapping into the black scaled barabel's extended palm with a hard smack. Gradually he began to squeeze. "He'z no ussse to me anymore." Fractures began to spiral out across the skull, until finally the remains cracked and shattered in his hand, bits of yellowed bone falling from between his fingers.It was perhaps not the most respectful way to honour a hench-pig that had served him adequately over the years, but it was important to make the point clear to the child. If someone was no longer useful to him, they could expect to disposed of and forgotten.He lowered his hand and let the remaining bone shards crumble to the ground, then stepped over them as he headed towards the village behind the gamorrean boars still keeping a watchful eye on the interlopers. The settlement was surrounded by a large palisade of wooden spikes half as tall as the trees of the surrounding forest, which had been cleared back away from fence. As they passed through a large swinging wooden gate, a number of primitive dwelling could be seen, crafted from a combination of stone, mud, sticks, and brush. Bones and gamorrean skulls could be seen worked into the hut walls in several places, a grisly reminder of the clan's preferred diet. A number of boars were dumping stacks of hewed lumber into a pile near the centre of the village, while four sows appeared to be assembling a large wooden spit. Lil'Mort strode up to the sows, puffing out his scrawny dark furred chest as he did so, then began to try to share some of his engineering expertise with the female pigs. His people had some experience in cooking sentient game. Dragus looked around the small village, if you could even call it that, and noticed the distinct lack of elders and children. Other than the clan shaman, he didn't see any pig that looked more than thirty summers. On the flip side of that coin, he counted maybe three children of varying ages, ranging between five and ten. They were kicking around an old stormtrooper helmet with a skull still stuck inside. One of the children kicked the helmet towards Kr'Naan.As for Dragus, he approached the shaman from earlier who was standing near a wooden enclosure they had tossed the captured scout into. As he neared her, he began to squeal inquisitively, motioning with a clawed digit to the sparsely occupied settlement.Squeal. Squeal. "Oink. Snort. Squeal. "Oink, oink?" The wizened crone, still learning on her gnarled staff of pzobian oak, turned her ancient head and regarded the village with sad eyes and a heavy heart. She squealed in reply, explaining a few things that only the linguistic lizard would understand."Oink." Snort. "Oink." Squeal. Snort. "Oink. Oink oink, oink." Squeal. Snort. Upon hearing her explanation, the Great Devourer blanched, not that anyone could tell given that he was covered entirely in black scales and wasn't capable of turning red. Had there been another barabel or sentient lizard alien nearby, they might have noticed the pheromonal change in the reprehensible reptilian, but seeing as that wasn't the case it was for his knowledge alone. Excusing himself, the saurian Sith returned to the tusken's side and explained what he had just learned."Apparently the reassson there are ssso few gamorreanz here iz becaussse the village sssuffered a nasssty outbreak of sssnout-pox a while ago, shortly after the lassst time I visssited." He raised a clawed hand and rubbed the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed as he explained further. "I maaaaaay have been resssponsible. When I waz here lassst they tried to breed with me, thinking they could gain sssome measssure of my ssstrength and create a new more powerful shaman, I sssuppose. Unfortunately genetically we're jussst not that compatible, and all they managed to accomplish waz to contract a interspeciez transssmitted infection. It wiped out the elderz and mossst of the children. If you look closssely, mossst of the boarz have pox ssscarring on their snoutz."
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 4, 2022 1:00:09 GMT -8
Kr'Naan was quiet as her master crushed the skull of his former disciple with his power, watching the fragments and dust fall to the ground. There was a tickle in the back of her mind, and the feeling of unease returned as she tried to make sense of the feeling. The root of this disquiet in her mind came from the same voice that her lord had implanted into her mind, but it was different. There was an seething anger to the words she heard whispered to her. She turned her head, mumbling something unintelligible in her native language to the voice. There was a pause before she turned to Dragus to speak."Betrayal." She said in ewokese before trying to elaborate. "He was yours. And if they killed him, they should pay for their...in...inso" Another pause as she listened to the voice repeat the ewokese word in her mind. "...Insolence?" Her tone was indicative her unsureness of the actual meaning of the word, but the voice was confident it was correct. Her grasping of the ewok speech was continuing to improve as well, or at least the melding of the implanted understanding was bettering as she continued to use the language. The Tusken girl did not trust this tribe of pig people. Some of it was almost certainly born of a jealousy of the trust that her master seemed to place in them. No, trust was not the correct word. Indifference? They seemed to be helpful, and so he would use them. Just as he was using her for his own ends. This she understood well enough, and was happy to do so at this point. But besides that there was also the general distrust she had of those not of her own. A byproduct of the tribal mentality of her people. All unknowns were potential enemies until they weren't. The R'Crurak were a small tribe, but despite their small numbers they had existed for millennia defending their lands and culture with a ferocity that made many wary of venturing into their domain. This was born out of good amount of paranoia of strangers. With her uninjured arm free of holding onto the lead of the prisoner, her hand stayed near the handle of the knife she had been gifted by her master.After being shown a place where they could sleep by their "guides", Kr'Naan was quick to unshackle herself from the packs to unladen herself of the gear, setting them against the wall of the mostly empty hut. She could once again move with far less difficulty. As she stepped out, she saw Dragus go with the female pig-witch, speaking to her in the squealing speech of their people. Again, the Tusken youngling was less than amused at the site of her lord carrying on in the ridiculous excuse for a language. She was too busy carefully watching the inhabitants of the small village, just as many of them kept a watchful gaze on the new arrivals as well.As the kickball substitute was punted in her direction, her masked head moved downward to follow its patch as it rolled to a stop just in front of her. Kr'Naan looked up at the young porklings with the cold look of her hidden face, staring at them for a moment before turning her head and walking away without returning the plaything to its owners. Kr'Naan walked diagonally from the little dwelling, her eyes on the largest of the gamorreans as they leaned on the enclosure of the captured scout, taunting the prisoner in their language. Her master had described this place as a place to rest and relax before the last leg of their journey, so why was she so on edge?Her anxiety eased slightly as her master came back to her from his discussion with the mystic pig and explained the reason of the number of pigmen in the village. Still, the distrust she felt did not go away completely It was all so....."Kr'uyr'ur'ruk.""Convenient" She said, mostly to herself, in her native tongue. Still loud enough for Dragus to hear. She corrected back to ewokese so he would understand."Convenient." She said as her hooded face caught the looks of the children she had scorned earlier. The gamorrean younglings seemed to be chatting amongst themselves and more than once they looked back in her direction, which the Tusken ignored as she returned her attention fully back to her master. "Would they lie? The shaman tested your power. Maybe to know what she would face and find weakness?" Shamans, while highly respected and valuable to most Tusken tribes were still the recipients of a great deal of suspicion and adversity, for good reason. They commanded the power of Tatooine, of the gods themselves. A single shaman could turn the tide of a battle. Kr'Naan knew this too well from the stories her grandfather had told the youngling of her mother. Kr'Naan's fingers wrapped around the hilt of the stone knife tucked into her belt, though she did not draw it. Her expressionless mask was focused now on the decrepit gamorrean female.Back by the prisoner pen, squeals and grunts of victory was heard as the prisoner was slain in an unarmed battle to the death between it and one of the mutated pig warriors. Having been victorious they now had dinner, and the slain foe was soon carried out of the pens to be prepped for stuffing and roasting. Kr'Naan was disappointed she had missed it, but Lil'Mort began stamping his ewok spear of power on the ground in anticipation, his fuzzy mouth practically overflowing with saliva.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Feb 4, 2022 8:19:06 GMT -8
Listen to that distrust. Kr'Naan's talk of betrayal, reciprocation, and lies was almost heartening for the Hungering One to hear. It was the sort of paranoid speculation he would have expected out of an apprentice, save for the fact that he didn't take apprentices, the rare few exceptions aside. They never lasted very long anyways. It showed a sharper mind then he would have expected from a child, let alone one that came from such humble origins. Of course it also displayed a lack of understanding of his religious beliefs and values, which was no fault of her own. The ways of the Sith were considered unnatural by many. It's why it suited him so well.
It started as a slow hiss escaping his scaly lips, then soon rose in volume and length, repeated over and over as the lizard began to laugh. Not a dark chuckle or a cruel jeer, but genuine amusement, causing the black scaled barabel to fold slightly at the waist as the laughter rose from his belly and roared from his toothy maw. He crossed an arm over his stomach to contain himself, then kneeled down on one leg as his eyes watered and he brought a claw to one scaly lid, wiping away a tear. He reached out with his other hand and placed it on the tusken child's shoulder, steadying his kneeling form.
"Siss, Siss, Siss!" His forked tongue flicked in and out from between curved incisors, crimson flecks misting the front of Kr'Naan's mask and goggles. "Oh Wart, your sssavage upbringing haz left you with sssome ssstrange ideaz, my dear." He wiped the tear taken from his eye on her shirt and then held the claw up as he made his point. "Betrayal iz the ssspice of life, it should be encouraged, nurtured even. Whatever end sssaw poor Grognak to an untimely demissse, it wouldn't have happened if he had proven himssself ssstrong and capable. Maybe they did kill him, ssso what? Good, I sssay. They sssaved me the trouble of having to kill him myssself when he inevitably would have proven unworthy. I'm certainly not going to punish thessse pigz for acting within their nature." How to put it in a way that would be more relatable to her? Ah, of course. "Would you ssseek revenge on a krayt dragon for eating a bantha, hmmm? Of courssse not. It'z what it doez."
Removing his hand from her shoulder, he placed it on his knee and pushed himself back up to a standing position, leaning on his tail for added balance. The trembling bout of laughter had passed and he grew more composed by the second. He squeezed his fists tightly, listening as the knuckles popped beneath his scales, then unclenched his hands. Dragus allowed his bloody gaze to travel from one side of the encampment to the other, absorbing and processing all that he saw. Perhaps there was something to what Kr'Naan was saying, but you didn't get a title like the Great Devourer without being a bit arrogant. Despite the overwhelming numbers and size of the mutant boars, as well as the shaman's stronger connection to these lands, Dragus simply couldn't fathom the idea that anyone here truly posed a threat to him. His ego would not allow it. He put his clawed hands on his hips and pulled back the folds of his robe to either side in order to reveal the weapons hanging from his belt. On the left side, there was his hook ended lightsaber hilt, a silver cylinder that would easily smote anything on the planet should he choose to utilize it. On the right side hung Bloodeater, the alchemical axe crafted in the fires of Mustafar by his genetic counterpart, more than a match for any weapon made from sticks and stones. He looked over at Lil'Mort who was helping prepare dinner, strapping the gamorrean scout's fresh cadaver to the spit for future roasting. The ewok spear of power rested on the ground beside him as he worked.
With these tools in his possession, especially the last mentioned, he felt invincible. He was not concerned about the pigs at all. So he shared as much.
"The shaman iz welcome to look for weaknesss, dear Wart, but she will be hard presssed to find any. I've ssstood before the front gatez of the Corellian Jedi Academy and faced the strongessst memberz of their Order, on my own..." And was soundly defeated. "I've fought in the junglez of Myrkr against Clan Australiz and faced down the bodyguardz of a Mandalore..." And was subsequently forced to flee the planet. "I've dueled and ssslaughtered powerful championz of the darkssside, sssuch az Eradomonz and Gaiscioch Dearg..." First one could have gone either way, and didn't you poison the second guy before fighting him? "Every foe faced I have defeated, from giant robotz to monstrouz beastz, to hordez of the undead..." Almost killed you, almost killed you, and yeah, they came pretty close to killing you. "Ssso pleassse, be at eassse, Wart. Believe me when I tell you, there iz nothing for me to be concerned about from a sssimple hedge witch."
As though on cue, one of the sows tending to the cooking pit had managed to get a fire started, which appeared much cause for celebration around the small settlement. Hollowed out horns were handed out around the camp, with a hardy looking boar delivering a overfull horn to Dragus' waiting hands, filled to the brim with some noxious smelling liquid.
"Thank you." He said, before bringing the horn to his scaly lips and pouring the liquid into his mouth. He swished it around with his forked tongue for a few moments, then spat it out onto the ground before wiping his lips with the sleeve of his robe. "Thisss..." He upturned the horn and dumped the remaining contents onto the ground. "...iz poissson. You may be on to sssomething, child. While I am sssure there iz nothing to be concerned about, I sssuppose it would be prudent to keep an eye on our hostz."
Yeah, he probably should have slaughtered the village out of caution, but he was really really looking forward to some roast pig...
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 5, 2022 0:26:15 GMT -8
Kr'Naan tried to calm herself of these thoughts as Dragus tried to reassure the Tusken child that he was at no risk of danger here, but she could not. The dull pain of the voice in her head suddenly became loud and sharp, causing her body to tighten in response to the pain as she fought through the pain to listen to her master's words. The presence in her mind was not pleased but soon the pain bothered her less and less as the words of revenge and retaliation ebbed once more into barely decipherable whispers of actions that the child should enact upon the pig-people. Kr'Naan locked eyes with Dragus.Speaking in ewokese to Dragus. "Depend on bantha. And on Krayt." Hunting Krayt dragons was a common practice as a rite of passage into adulthood in Tusken culture, depending on the particular tribe's beliefs. Her tone was dark and serious, as she turned once more from the saurian Sith back to the sow sorceress. "Not trust them. Gut feeling." This time the old gamorrean took notice of the murderous intent in the child, turning towards the diminutive Tusken youngling with her black beady eyes. Whatever passed as the equivalent to a smile, the wrinkled crone did, bowing her head slightly with a raise of her brow ridge before turning her head back to the business she was attending to with her cohorts. Kr'Naan turned back to Dragus and shook her head in profuse apology at the insinuation the boarmancer would find a weakness in the incomplete divine being.Jabbering in ewokese. "Forgive. Did not mean....no, not find weakness. But look for. Plot to defeat. Stop ascension. Shamans not trust." But he had failed before, many times in fact; it was spoken of in the oral histories of her people about Hakusar. For eons he had been kept at bay by the other gods and mortals working in tandem to prevent the unborn Krayt god from realizing his true potential. Who else but shamans could work with the gods to achieve such a feat? Dots began to connect in her mind as she connected the barabel's fear of the ewok's spear as well as the ability for the pig witch to challenge him in any capacity. The conclusion was She was a threat. She needed to be eliminated, for the safety of her master.Yeeesssss. Whispered the voice in her mind, the voice more coherent than before, slightly startling the Tusken girl. The voice sounded surprisingly similar to her master's, but they were still distinct enough to tell apart. Kiiiiill heeeerrr. Kr'Naan wrestled against the voice to keep her focus but absentmindedly her hand had begun to draw the stone knife from its place tucked in her belt, and her fingers were wrapped around the crude handle in a death grip. With considerable effort she removed her grip on the wooden haft. A cold feeling seeped down from her mind and down her spine as she released her handhold, going down into her toes, leaving an uncomfortable feeling throughout her body. Her chest felt tight, and her breath quickened for just a moment as a warmth filled her torso. It was Kr'Naan calmed herself as she and Dragus sat as the fire started. The Tusken child listened intently as she was regaled with the tales of her master's great exploits. The Tusken youngling had no idea what any of the names and places were that Dragus spoke of, but they sounded like amazing and incredible accomplishments the way he embellished them, not that she could tell that he was doing so. Tusken history was passed orally, her grandfather having been a storyteller of her tribe, and so this was a welcome event. She was reminded of the many countless evenings she had sat with the other uli-ah of her tribe as the stories of their people were repeated to them as they had been for countless generations before. A tear fell from her left eye, caught by the inner fabric of her mask, and her bottom lip quivered as she held back more tears at the comfort of such a familiar occurrence.A nervous yet hopeful tone in Kr'Naan's voice as she spoke in ewokese to Dragus. "Can you tell me more of your deeds, Master?" The touching moment of listening to the objectionable ophidian go on and on about how great he was was interrupted as he was brought a horn of...something. Before Kr'Naan could interject she watched as Dragus drank, and promptly spit out, its contents; pouring the rest onto the ground after revealing it to the poison. An intense fervor overcame the Tusken and in an instant she was up on her feet, her eyes watching the swine that had brought the poisoned potation to her lord. Her eyes widened in rageful expression as she watched the sow servant stop by the side of the elderly enchantress, speaking something in hushed tones that Kr'Naan could not make out; not that she would have been able to understand it anyway. The pig witch turned her eyes from watching the burning scout roasting to look to Dragus and Kr'Naan, raising the horn of grog of her own with a slight nod of her head to the pair. Kr'Naan's hand went once more to the knife at her side, moving her right leg forward to step to the heretical hog that had tried to poison her master. A high pitched ringing began to drown out all the other noises of the uncivilized shindig of pork-folk and a red haze crept in on the edges of her vision.Dooo iiiiit. Whispered the voice in her mind. Her stride was stopped before it could begin as a black-scaled hand caught hold her arm and firmly sat the Tusken girl back down on the ground where she had previously been. Kr'Naan turned to her master in confusion as the rage-caused red haze began to retreat from her sight. Why had he stopped her? His eyes gleamed with excitement and his lips curled to reveal his fangs in a twisted, knowing smile.Speaking in ewokese with a confused tone. "What is it, Master?"
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
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Post by Dragus on Feb 5, 2022 7:50:14 GMT -8
It was obvious to Dragus that his small cloth shrouded companion was in thrall to the dark whims of the forest, though he doubted very much that she was aware of it. Her incensed mood and exuded paranoia were easy signs to spot, but there was more to it than that. When he looked at her, not with the crimson glowing orbs of his physical eyes but rather in an etheric sense, he could see the wicked tendrils of the land slowly encircling her spirit. Those black currents rose from the ground like the roots of trees, invisibly entangling her as they sought to twist and corrupt her soul, just as they had with everything else within this darkside tainted realm. Something similar had happened to the saurian Sith when they had fought through the neti grove earlier in their journey, though he had the good fortune to be carrying a corrupting influence of his own on his right hip, powerful enough to break the entrancement. Kr'Naan, especially given her magical ineptitude, had no defense save what the Hungering One could provide her. Likely eating the spider earlier hadn't helped either. Not only did the forest have its spiritual barbs in her, but having consumed something that had been physically warped by the corrupting influence of the lands, without a penchant for manipulating those malevolent currents...well, it was no wonder that she was effected.When the tusken rose from her seat, he could see the murder in her eyes, noting the intensity with which she gripped the knife handle tucked into her belt. The Hungering One's lips parted and his eyes widened, following her hateful stare to the shaman, who appeared deep in some scheme of her own. Despite the obvious treachery taking place, killing the sow might prove problematic for them, and yet...how could he deny Kr'Naan her first kill? This was a very special moment in a young girl's life and important to her development. He remembered his own first bit of murder quite vividly, recalling those events with something akin to fondness. He decided then and there that he would not prevent her from pursuing this course of action, though if she continued as she intended surely she would be smote by the witch's power before she even got close. A little guidance was perhaps required. He grabbed her arm with an outstretched claw and pulled her back into her seat at his side, watching her masked covered face as he sensed the rage glaze diminish. His lips curled into a knowing smile, spreading wide across his face to reveal a mouth full of daggers."Not yet." He whispered to her softly. "Tonight, when she sleepz." He eyed the crude knife in her belt, then reached over and gave it a tap with one of his claws. "That will sssuffice, but it'z misssing sssomething." Casually so as not to draw attention, he reached into the folds of his robe and retrieved the vial of spider venom he had harvested earlier, concealing it within the palm of his hand. He placed his hand down on the log serving as their bench and slid the vial over from his hand to hers. "Apply a few dropz of thiz to the edge of the blade. Be careful not to prick yourssself when you do, or it will be your corpssse we'll be finding in the morning."He wondered if this was what it was like when a parent took their offspring on their first hunt, not that he could speak from personal experience. Dragus' first moments of life were spent alone in an abandoned cloning laboratory, having only awoken due to an unintended malfunction. No mother, no father...well, not in a true sense. All alone, unwanted and unloved. There had never been anyone to hold his hand and guide him. Everything he had experienced since had been a result of his own doing, his own pursuit of perverse pleasures and a desire for power. Speaking of which..."Then bring me her ssstaff." He added. It was entirely likely that the rest of Clan Morlock would be none-to-pleased to find their shaman butchered at the hands of outsiders. Possessing the witch's mostly ceremonial totem would possibly compel them to obey the devious draconian, or at the very least, inspire enough fear in them to allow the trio to leave unmolested.It was around this time that the rhythmic beat of drums could be heard. Several of the muscular tribes-pigs could be witnessed smacking hide drums with wooden sticks and with the flat palms of their thick ham sized green hands. Lil'Mort waddled over to Dragus and Kr'Naan, carefully carrying three horns between his furry paws. As he came close, the black scaled barabel leaned in and sniffed the contents sloshing about within, then straightened and nodded approvingly. He took one horn for himself and handed the other to the tusken. Bringing the horn to his lips, he imbibed half the contents of the rustic container, swallowing and smacking his lips to show that this time it was safe. It was all the encouragement that Lil'Mort required, who proceeded to empty his horn in record pace before swaggering over to the open casks it had come from to get more. The effect of the fermented mushroom juice was quick to kick in. The Great Devourer's vision grew fuzzy and he swore the fire took on a greenish tinge as his slavering jaws trembled in anticipation of the slowly roasting pork. He looked up at the sky, watching the bright green orb drift below the forest canopy as daylight waned and the evening set in. He clinked the bottom of his horn against Kr'Naan's and stood up."Tonight, Kr'Naan, not before. Until then, enjoy the festivitiez." Taking out his meltmassif flute, the saurian Sith placed the musical instrument to his lips and began to play a tune, joining his dark melody with the tribal drums. He danced around the fire as he played, the wicked edge capping the end of his tail slashing this way and that through the air around him, causing the savages to give the scheming saurian a wide berth.
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 6, 2022 2:00:16 GMT -8
Kr'Naan slid her hand over the phial, lifting it slightly for a moment to inspect what it was before tucking it safely away inside of her garb. She nodded to the black-scaled barabel to acknowledge and affirm his instructions and the conditions for the Tusken to murder the sow sorceress."Thank you, Master. I shall not fail you." She said quietly in ewokese as she bowed her head in submission to the saurian Sith. Kr'Naan took hold of the horn of mushroom grog she was handed and swirled it around a few times, staring deep into the contents in slight disgust. She looked to Dragus as he downed the contents of his own rhyton. She would sit quietly and watch the fire. It was at this point that she actually noticed what it was that the mutant tribe of swine-men were roasting over the fire: the scout they had captured. They ate their own race? The Tusken girl recoiled slightly at the thought. Maybe she could find something slightly less sentient to dine on. What she would not give for some strips of roasted hubba gourd right now.As Lil'Mort returned with more fungus brew, he also returned with was unmistakably a nice healthy chunk of rump from the succulent hindquarters of the roasted scout. The haggard bear plopped down where Dragus had been sat moments prior. The ewok offered the wooden plate with juicy derriere over to Kr'Naan, to which the Tusken waved her hand and head simultaneously to show she did not want any. Shrugging, the scraggly furred brigand began to chow down on the meat he had secured for himself. All Kr'Naan could do was stare in horrified awe."It was sentient. How can they...and you eat that?" She decried in ewokese to the noshing ewok. Lil'Mort nodded his head, the wise bear understanding the Tusken's plight. He chewed, loudly, and swallowed, also loudly, the pieces of pig-flesh in his mouth. The wok let out a satisfied belch and then hammered his left fist onto his chest to help him clear his throat before speaking.Lil'Mort spoke plainly and straightforward to the Tusken youngling in ewokese. "They the cannibals. Not me. Pig is pig." Lil'Mort spoke in between licking the tips of each of his three furry fingers. "Taste ten..." Licking his pinky. "No..." Licking his index finger. "...Eleven herbs and spices." Licking his thumb and nibbling beneath his fingernail. Lil'Mort wafted the plate in front of the Tusken girl's hooded face to let the scent of cooked flesh saturate the air she breathed. "Try?" Kr'Naan hesitated, tempted by the logic of the ewok. After all, it wasn't cannibalism if you were not the same species, right? Still, something did not sit right in her stomach about this. Lil'Mort again drifted the wood platter laden with roasted hog haunch in front of the Tusken girl, making a cooing sound as if trying to lure a baby to eat. Slightly annoyed, Kr'Naan lifted her left hand up from her lap and tore off a bit of meat with her gloved fingers. She brought it up to her mask and sniffed it. It smelled fine. In fact, it smelled wonderful. Kr'Naan hesitantly inserted the morsel into her mouth and chewed.The Tusken girl was taken aback at how delicious it was. Lil'Mort only nodded his head once matter-of-factly before ripping off another small amount for the Tusken to have to herself as he recontinued his devouring of the torched tuchis. While the Tusken girl would nibble away at the piece of roasted gamorrean she would not, however, imbibe in the mycelium malt.Kr'Naan would continue to watch from the bench keeping an eye on both her master as he danced and performed around the fire, as well the pig-witch. The elderly swine did a little jig before the fire, shimmying and shaking her wrinkly frame, rattling both her own skin and bones as well as the talismans and ornamental baubles she wore. With her right hand, her left holding her staff, the forest hag pulled a sparkling dust from a pouch, blowing it into the fire.The fire flashed a mix of bright neon green and blue and a from the flames sprang out a spectral form of a summoned spirit which flew up into the air and twirled around itself in a show high above the gathered crowd, being nothing more than a party trick. Kr'Naan's skin went pale beneath her thick clothing. None of the other mutants seemed to mind the appearance of the wraith as it flew around, as if it were a natural occurrence. The phantom descended in an arc down into the crowd several times, only to climb back up into the air to resume its performance. Dumbstruck, all Kr'Naan could do was stare, that is until the specter dived down in her direction. Kr'Naan fell backwards from the bench she sat on as the shade swooped down overhead. The fear of the Suns put into her, she remained still on her back for a moment; saying a prayer to her patron god before lifting her head and trying to spot the revenant, which had returned to dancing in the air above the fire.Kr'Naan climbed back onto the bench she had been spooked from, and now had three things to keep her eyes on as the party continued.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
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Post by Dragus on Feb 6, 2022 12:37:53 GMT -8
Between dancing and playing a musical melody from his meltmassif flute, the delighted draconian laughed merrily and took the occasional swig of fungal brew, each sip distorting the world around him that much more. Despite the good time he appeared to be having, the mutant boars still gave him space, staring cautiously at the glinting dagger slicing the air with every sweep of his long tail. It wasn't that he was entirely carefree or unconcerned about their hosts, he was well aware the peril they potentially faced if the mood turned against him, but he had appearances to keep up and manipulations of his own taking form despite what it all might look like. As he swayed in rhythmic fashion, spinning and leaping around the changing fire, something sinister was taking place. His will was extended through the transmitting material of the flute, carried on the wind as a musical tune that infected the minds of those that could hear it. Every time he neared a villager and played a note on his flute, those sunken beady eyes glazed over as snot oozed from their snouts, staring stupidly as though entranced. The moment he moved on the fugue vanished from their minds and they were again absorbed by the tribal drumming and festivities, unbeknownst to the savages that his corrupted seed had taken root in their primitive brains. He carried on like this until the shaman's magical powder seemed to breathe life into the flames of the pit and sent a wraith into the air, terrorizing and teasing those present in equal fashion.A wraith! How wonderful, he thought. It was a rare thing to rest his eyes on an ethereal remnant these days, ever since he and Mortale had last parted ways some years ago. No doubt if the Lord of Death were in attendance, there would have been thrice as many spirits present. They had always seemed drawn to his brother, as though he were a bridge between this world and the one beyond.He played to the wraith now, focusing his mind on the swine spirit that danced above the fire, green mist rising from the flames and spreading out to engulf the ground at their feet. Dragus' bloody gaze held the spirit's own, and they stared at one another, both seeming to call to the other. Like a snake charmer, the Hungering One swayed from right to left, his movements so precise he was practically a metronome. The wraith slowly began to sway as well, moving to match every hypnotic motion of the barabel. Its green tinged translucent form began to lean across the fire until its face was barely more than an inch from the saurian Sith's, staring menacingly as it held his gaze. Struck by the sheer malevolence of the otherworldly presence, he stopped playing his flute for a moment and whispered to the spirit, almost seductively."Beautiful..." He hissed, leaning in for a kiss. The moment his lips parted, the wraith wailed and surged forwards, pouring into the Great Devourer's open maw. Dragus staggered back, appearing stunned as the evil spirit entered his body and asserted its dominance, bathing his black scales in a glowing green shroud. Those bloody orbs of the barabel burned brightly as though possessed by witch fire, flaring and dominating his features. On the opposite side of the fire, the wizened crone with her rattling staff watched with eyes of malice and a knowing grin. The dagger filled mouth of the Sith opened and let loose a piercing shriek that was equal parts ghostly wail and porcine squeal, while his claws raised to sky and the wraith reveled in its domination of the host body it found itself in. Then he turned on his companions, peering at Kr'Naan and Lil'Mort with burning green eyes, fangs dripping with hunger.Lil'Mort lowered the bone he was gnawing on, noticing the mad gleam in the eyes of his master for the first time. Loose paws let the bone fall, smacking off his furry knee before ending up in the dirt at his naked feet. Fumbling nervously as he reached over his shoulder, the emaciated ewok drew the spear of power into his hands and held it out in front of him, stone spear tip pointed towards his shepherd. It was unfathomable that he would ever seek to do harm against the alpha of his flock, and yet, something was clearly wrong with the tainted terrasaur. A snarl erupted from Dragus' throat followed by a low growl as he began to walk towards them, saliva dripping from his jaws as he approached, hunger in his eyes and death on his breath. Before the stalking serpentine Sith could come within a half dozen feet, he stopped, seeming to struggle to move any closer."No..." "No one..." There was Dragus' familiar reptilian rasp, but there was another unnatural voice as well, both competing for use of his tongue. "He'z holding..." "No one left..." "...the ssspear, you fool, the..." "...alive!" Ethereal smoke rose off his black scaled form as an internal battle was taking place within the defiled draconian's body. The wraith, now clearly summoned with an ulterior motive other then as a party trick, struggled desperately to turn the Hungering One on his comrades, yet the reptilian refused to budge. His fear of the ewok spear of power was far greater than any malevolent compulsion from a being not bound to this physical plane of existence. Unbelievably to the witch who glared at what transpired from her place on the opposite side of the bonfire, the wraith seemed to be losing against the saurian's sheer stubbornness. The green bale fires in his eyes diminished and faded, replaced by luminous beacons of bright red, even as the sickly green aura grew smaller and smaller. Dragus opened his mouth and let out another shriek, only this time as his jaws split apart and his maw revealed itself to the darkening sky, the spirit tried to escape. Half emerged from his glistening teeth, the dark entity clawed at the air, attempting to pull itself free. Down at his sides, Dragus' own claws rose up and sunk themselves into the incorporeal form as though it were a thing of flesh.Oh no you don't. I'm not done eating. His snout narrowed and a wet squelch could be heard as he began to suck, his forked tongue encircling the spirit trying to slither from his hungry mouth and drawing it further in. With a slurp he swallowed it down further, until only fat ethereal sausage fingers could be seen trying to stop his powerful jaws from snapping shut. CRACK! His snout shut forcefully and for a moment the world seemed to grow quiet. Even the tribal drumming had ceased as all eyes in the village turned towards the Great Devourer who had just proven the reason for that particular title. A green puff of smoke escaped his nostril slits and Dragus let out a belch that echoed across the forest, loud as a rancor in heat. He blinked a few times, clearing some of the residual phantom fumes from his eyes before turning back to the gathering who he now noticed were all staring at him. Crossing an arm across his chest, he bowed to the villagers, who erupted in surprised cheers at the show they had just been witness to. Peering over at the shaman, the Hungering One offered her a shrug of his shoulders as though to say... Better luck next time. ...then took his flute back in hand and began to play for the amusement of those in attendance. The boarmancer's wrinkled face contorted into a mask of rage and she retreated into her hut alone, the curtain serving as a door swishing closed behind her.
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 7, 2022 2:11:14 GMT -8
As Kr'Naan got back up, she watched in sheer terror and fascination as her master not only attempted to seduce the apparition with song, dance and flattery, but then proceeded to be possessed by the shade; forcefully, as it moved quickly to assert dominance over the body it had claimed. She could do little but watch as the black-scaled barabel was taken over and a ghastly green glow replaced the usual dark red glow of his eyes. Thankfully, the change was not permanent, as the ewok Lil'Mort was able to seemingly use the spear in his possession to help Dragus in expelling the intruder of his corporeal form. Was this where they would meet their end?Just as quickly Kr'Naan saw as her mighty god showed his prowess over such an insolent and meager assay at defeating him as the tables were quickly turned on the wraith; the summoned spirit attempting in vain to vacate and flee from the unwilling, and very hungry, host it had mistakenly tried to make its own. Instead, it now found itself the saurian Sith's next meal as he prevented it from leaving his open muzzle and forcing it back in like he was slurping up a spaghetti noodle. It was hard to look away, and all in eyeshot of the event ceased what they were doing to stare, many slack jawed, as one of the newly arrived travelers devoured the sow sorceress's phantom whole.Kr'Naan blinked in disbelief for not but a moment until she snapped back to the present. It was the cheers of the other bystanders who were none the wiser as the ignorant mutant pig-kin believed it to be part of the performance.Kr'Naan grabbed her head as a familiar ringing and pressure came to the forefront of her mind, overtaking her thoughts. The sssow Whispered the voice so similar to her master's. Kr'Naan grabbed the bench which she had fallen behind and pulled herself up from the ground, catching a swiftly moving pig-crone as she made her exit from the main party as the raucous cheering and fawning over Dragus continued by the simple pig-people. The Tusken would not let her get away. Without saying a word to Dragus or Lil'Mort the Tusken ducked off into the brush by the side of the camp, sticking to the shadows and she herself shadowed the pig witch back to the boar beldame's hut. Kr'Naan watched as the gamorrean shaman entered her humble hovel, the Tusken girl drawing the stone knife she had in her possession. She stopped as she made it to the entrance and coming to a pause as she would peer through the veiled entrance to see inside to spy the position of her prey and began to reach inside for the vial of spider venom also gifted by Dragus to the Tusken youngling.Before she could, spot the pig priestess Kr'Naan was lifted from her position by mystical Force, pulled inward by invisible wind, into the waiting wrinkled and spotted hands of the elderly gamorrean witch, who caught the young Tusken by the throat and held her aloft. Aided by supernatural forces, the hog hag was surprisingly strong, able to keep Kr'Naan upright as she began to squeeze the young Tusken's throat as she held it just below the slave collar the uli-ah wore. Kr'Naan attempted to bring down the stone knife she had in her hand to stab into the gamorrean witch, but the crone quickly countered with her other hand which held her staff, using the artifact to project more of her occult power and hold back the child's attack. Kr'Naan grabbed at the gamorrean's arm which held her above the ground with her other hand, kicking at her to no avail."Oink!" Spoke the gamorrean enchantress as she stared deeply into Kr'Naan's masked face. Squeal."Oink." Grunt. "Oink oink." The snouted shaman snorted at the Tusken youngling. Thinking fast as the life was literally being squeezed out of her, Kr'Naan reached down with her free hand to reach inside her garb where the vial of spider venom still was, as she had been unable to retrieve it. Uncorking the container with her thumb, she splashed the contents at the face of the porcine priestess. The pig witch squealed in agony as the poison instantly blinded her as it got into her eyes. Her concentration broken, she dropped Kr'Naan to the ground as she frantically tried to rub the poison out of her eyes while Kr'Naan rubbed her neck and coughed as she tried to recover her breath. In a far better position than her foe Kr'Naan was back on her feet in naught but a moment, knife poised and ready to fight. The female gamorrean swung her staff wildly, her vision permanently gone from the spider's venom, continuing to shriek and squeal in rage and suffering. Kr'Naan watched for a moment, waiting for an opening in the pig witch's blind attacks.This fight was over. As soon as she saw her opening, the gamorrean priestess turning her back to the Tusken in her blindness, Kr'Naan jumped onto her back and sank the crude blade, repeatedly, into the base of the back of the fatty neck, stabbing continuously until she got to the spine. The gamorrean bucked and reached but it was already too late. Once she felt the weapon find purchase in something hard Kr'Naan twisted it like a wedge until she felt a snap vibrate through to the wooden hilt.Kr'Naan would reappear back at the main gathering of the village, the resumed sounds of the drums and the feast having drowned out the battle between the uli-ah and the sow sorceress. Drenched in dark red blood spatter up and down her arms as well as her front, in her left hand she carried the staff of the pig priestess and in the right the now broken handle of the crude stone knife she had used to kill her; the actual blade of the knife resting in between the upper vertebrae of the crone's neck. Another hush fell over the gathering of porky persons as their attention now came to the small fully covered being covered in sanguine fluid and carrying their shaman's mystical staff. Kr'Naan stopped before Dragus and dropped to her knees, both due to exhaustion and in submission, as she lifted up the staff to present it to her master.Speaking in ewokese in a firm tone of pride to Dragus. "It is done, Master."
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Feb 9, 2022 10:03:08 GMT -8
Sniff. Sniff. Nostril slits widened as they detected an all too familiar scent. Blood. Near-luminous sockets turned crimson hued orbs on the killer as she approached, scaled lips peeling back over sharp teeth and curling up into a grin of pure pleasure, his forked tongue flicking the air to savour the precious aroma wafting off his child slave. As she dropped to her knees he thought she was about to collapse, until her arms rose above her head, holding out the shaman's staff in offering to the Great Devourer. He lowered his flute, the drums had already fallen silent as the tribe turned their beady eyes to the blood soaked vision before them. Dragus extended his right hand and wrapped his claws around the middle section of the staff, taking it from Kr'Naan's hands and holding it up for the entire village to lay witness to. He gave it a rattle for added effect."Oink, oink..." Ya know what? No, no more oinks. I'm just going to tell you what he said. Translated from Gamorrese: "Your shaman is dead, slain at my command. She thought herself powerful, yet her magics were paltry when compared to my own. Her body was frail, so weak even a child had no difficulty ending her pathetic existence. This is how far Clan Morlock has fallen in the eyes of the gods. For too long have you placed your faith in conjured tricks and illusions, rather than trusting in the strength of your arm." Lowering the staff, he held it in front of his face, examining the gnarled piece of pzobian oak. He closed his eyes and extended his senses, feeling the length of wood in his mind as he probed and prodded at it, attempting to discern anything special about the witch's badge of office. There was a strong connection between the staff and the forest, that much he could tell for certain. Likely this was due to its origin; the staff had clearly been crafted from one of the trees surrounding the village. There was some residual potency in the object, which he suspected was a result of using it as a medium, a means for the shaman to channel the Force without drawing those corrupting currents into her own body. He had already seen what prolonged exposure to the taint could do, between the giant spiders and the obvious mutation the villagers suffered from. Without the staff, had the shaman regularly used her abilities, she would have been warped into something unrecognizable even to these dimwitted savages. He turned the staff around in his hands, running his claws over the worn surface as he debated what to do.There was a part of him that wanted to keep it. Unremarkable as it was, the totem would make a unique addition to his collection of fetishes and trophies. On the other hand...In one smooth motion he took the staff in both hands and brought it down on his knee, snapping the object in half as it cracked upon his scales and sent wooden splinters to the floor. He then tossed the two halves into the cooking pit at the centre of the village. Green flames erupted from the fire, releasing a piercing shriek into the night as whatever power remained in the object was consumed, then receded. Gasps rose throughout the village, though all eyes remained locked on Dragus, uncertain what the saurian Sith might do next. He didn't leave them waiting long. Turning back to his audience, he continued squealing in pig-speech.Translated from Gamorrese: "Clan Morlock must be ruled by the strong!" He clenched his fist, knuckle joints popping audibly. "A new warlord must rise. But who shall claim this title?" He turned his head, seeming to meet the eye of each individual member of the clan simultaneously. "You? Or perhaps you? Only the strongest is worthy to rule. Prove yourselves in battle and let the gods decide your fate!"Malice dripped from every squeal and snort, fueling the savage nature of the gamorrean tribesmen. He could see the bloodlust in their eyes, the desire to prove themselves the strongest, the desire to rule. To his right he heard a pained squeal and turned his attention to it. A boar dropped onto the ground, a gaping wound squirted blood where his head should be. The missing body part hit the ground a second later and rolled into the clearing, stopping at Dragus' talon tipped toes. Stepping over the fresh corpse was a massive boar holding a bloody stone axe, still dripping with the beheaded tribe-pig's life fluids. It was enough to incite the entire village to battle. Squeals of rage and fury roared from tusked jowels as the boars began to turn on one another, challenging their fellows to combat as they vied to prove themselves the strongest. Spears and axes shed blood all around them, while those responsible for causing the chaos were largely forgotten about. Dragus cackled at the violence taking place and casually walked back over to an exhausted Kr'Naan. Lil'Mort had his spear in his paws and was standing sentinel over the girl, though it was largely for show. The gamorreans seemed more interested in killing each other than trying their hand at those responsible for the death of their former leader. The black scaled fiend put his clawed hands on his hips as he looked down at the tusken, still pleased with the results of her efforts."Excellent work, Wart." He hissed, reverting back to ewokese. "A little sssloppier than I waz hoping for..." Noting the ample amount of blood soiling her attire. "...but you performed your tasssk az inssstructed. The boarz will be ssslaughtering each other all night while they try to decide who their next leader should be. We might az well get sssome ressst while we can, and I believe there iz a free hut available." He motioned towards the shaman's former residence with a flick of his tail as he finished.Without waiting for them, Dragus stepped over the gamorrean head at his feet and began to walk towards the shaman's hut. He side stepped a pair of tussling boars with crossed stone axes, then plucked a half full horn from the hands of one of the savages that had already fallen. Humming merrily, he dumped the contents into his mouth and continued on through the hide curtain at the front of the former leader's humble abode. |
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 18, 2022 0:03:13 GMT -8
Kr'Naan raised her head to watch Dragus speak to the tribal swine-folk in their language as he held aloft the now dead shaman's staff. The Tusken child remained silent despite the comical squeals and oinking the Barabel vocalized to the gamorreans. Growing increasingly weary as the adrenaline from the fight between herself and , she only noticed Lil'Mort coming to her side after he placed a paw on her left shoulder; the ewok tightening his grip for a moment before loosening it and returning to a chest-puffing stance of protection over the Tusken, spear firmly in hand. She felt a reassurance from the fuzzy being's gesture, and felt ease come over her even as Dragus snapped the trophy from her kill which she had presented to him in twain.As the tribe of gamorreans devolved into a miniature civil war for supremacy amongst themselves, however, she was slightly confused; at least until Dragus explained in ewokese that they were fighting to determine who would be their next leader. Kr'Naan laughed at the thought as she slowly stood up.Speaking in ewokese. "Leader of what? If they all kill each other there will not be anyone left to follow whoever wins." She paused. "Unless that is what you wanted? As penance for their actions?" She did not need an answer to this question, thinking she discerned a glimpse of her master's true punishment for the tribe's betrayal of his grace, following a heretical attempted usurper. Kr'Naan rubbed her neck just below the slave collar she still wore, where the gamorrean witch had strangled her. Her mind then flashed to the feeling of the knife piercing the spine of the gamorrean female, the snap of separating the vertebrae, killing her, and other various parts of the short battle. She did not feel remorse over the kill, but it still stuck to her mind. Maybe because it was still fresh? Having just happened, maybe it would fade over time.Kr'Naan hurried to keep up with Dragus as he went off without waiting for herself or his ewok companion, though her legs and feet were dragging slightly. She had to dodge a grappling pair of gamorrean warriors fighting so as not to be caught up in the clash, but she made it unscathed. The Tusken youngling was nearly at her limit physically, and yet she still was attempting to push herself to not be left in the dust of the black scaled Barabel.Speaking in ewokese. "She sensed me outside when I was about to apply the venom you gave me to the blade. She used her magicks to lift me up. It got....messy." The full aftermath which was on display as the saurian Sith entered the swine sorceress's former abode, which was still home to her corpse. Blood spattered the ceiling, walls, and floor. A thick puddle had formed around the body of the dead gamorrean shaman, which had seeped from the ghastly wound at the base of the cadaver's neck. The eyes were half-melted and the skin around bubbled and red from the venom attack. It was a messy kill indeed, to say the least, performed by one lacking experience. Kr'Naan rushed in front of Dragus at the entrance of the hut.Speaking to Dragus in ewokese. "I will clean this up, Master, and bring our packs here." Kr'Naan bent down and wrapped her arms in a half-nelson around the front of the deceased gamorrean shaman, so that the open leaking wound faced away from her, and slowly dragged the remains outside, rolling them into a bush. After which she dragged her feet to the first hut they had been designated. Something caught her attention. On the wall of the outside of the hut there was a strange marking in red paint, still wet. It looks mystic in appearance, but had it been there before? Or was it some sort of curse that the gamorrean witch had placed on the hut when they hadn't notice? Kr'Naan wrapped her arms around the straps of their packs and inch by inch lift them for a few moments, waddling towards their new dwelling, and then setting them down to rest.In between the murderous raucous of the other tribal pig people, Kr'Naan looked around for a moment as she thought she heard a rustling nearby, but saw no one. Hurrying as she felt goosebumps on her skin like she was being watched, she finally dragged their bags to their new hut.The dead-tired Tusken would sit on the ground, using the packs as a pillow and promptly pass out. The dulcet tones of Lil'Mort using a hollow stick he found as a straw to slurp up the blood on the ground lulling her to sleep.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,409
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Feb 18, 2022 9:21:00 GMT -8
"Messsy, indeed. Siss siss siss!" Cackled the saurian Sith lord darkly in a series of serpentine hisses, still revealing a wide hungry grin as he watched Kr'Naan drag the corpse out of the hut. His eyes lingered on the hide curtain as it flapped in the breeze following the tusken child's temporary departure to dispose of the body, his thoughts reflecting on the slave girl.It was odd traveling with a humanoid companion once more. How long had it been since the last time? A decade? Certainly at least. Since then it had only been the Great Devourer and his bestial aids, who were perhaps more at ease with his savage habits. Kr'Naan lacked Major's talents and Kryptman's vulgar charm, but she made up for it in her own way, pre-emptively seeking to please him rather than being ordered to do so. While he found her constant need to understand his motives and intentions irritable, especially seeing as she can now vocalize them in the form of ceaseless questions, he knew in time that child-like curiosity would fade as she came to understand him. In murdering the shaman she had proven herself more capable than even he had expected. He had only allowed the attempt because there were other children within the village that could fulfill her role once they reached the temple, yet despite the odds against her, she had not failed. She hadn't even shirked at the thought of spilling blood... He scratched a claw against his chin. Perhaps it was simply the way of her people, or perhaps he owed the slavers on Nar Shaddaa some thanks for exposing her to the wide array of cruelty available in the galaxy. Kr'Naan had even tried to kill him during the first night in the forest, for which he should have felt only anger but instead was full of pride at the wellspring of darkness dwelling inside her, desperate to be nurtured. It was safe to say she was growing on him.Like a Wart. Dragus broke from his musings and looked around the hut interior, spying the shaman's cot and a ample supply of thick furs piled atop to warm the former occupant's old bones. He slid one arm out from the sleeve of his midnight hued robe, followed by another, before removing the garment completely and placing it in a folded pile of the ground. He then unclasped the belt around his waist, weighed down by the weapon hanging from either side, and dropped that beside the cloak with an almost careless disregard for his precious treasures. Ordinarily disarming oneself when in hostile territory would be considered recklessly unwise, but so far as he could ascertain there was only one beast in the woods that would require more than his fangs and claws to dispatch, and he hadn't smelled it since they entered this part of the forest. His tail twisted around in front of him and he grabbed the end, unlocking the clamp that secured the serrated length capping it and dropping that unceremoniously to the floor as well. He then plopped down on the shaman's cot, draping his tail over the side along with one muscular leg, as the bedding was just a smidge too small for his thicker form.Briefly he looked up as the tusken returned, dragging their supplies in which she placed in a pile and used for her own comfort as she appeared to quickly drift off to sleep, lullabied by Lil'Mort's slurping of blood. Dragus waited for the ewok to finish before summoning his furry flock mate over to his side with a commanding hiss. As the sentient servant came within arms reach, the lecherous lizard plucked his aide from the ground and took him into his claws, resting Lil'Mort on his chest as he pulled one of the animal furs over top of them. He held the ewok as a child might hold a teddy bear, clinging to it for comfort or perhaps to satisfy some perverse desire. It was hard to say. His own enhanced senses were constantly tickled by the scent of spilt blood taking place outside, though he did his best to ignore his appetite and focus on the sounds of smashing stone axes instead, relying on the tribal warfare as one might a white noise machine. Within moments he had drifted off, sweetly dreaming of violence and terror.Those vile imaginations projected from the slumbering saurian, expanding slowly as a creeping aura to infect the village and those few that still dwelled within its palisade walls of felled timber. Those already engaged in savage acts would find their bloodlust rekindled and enlarged, while those who slept would find their dreams full of dark visions.
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