The Dark Academy on Korriban

Jun-Tsu and Rem shot across the landscape on their shared speeder through the Valley of the Dark Lords. Bobbing easily around the obstructions, Jun-Tsu looked for that familiar pyramid where they had met the shade so many weeks ago. A massive hand, fallen from one of the great statues lay to one side of the valley, while part an ancient landslide lay to the other. Chunks of buildings long since destroyed or buried littered the canyon floor, and outbuildings or ante-chambers slipped into archaic caves.

Finally the pyramid came into view. One of dozens, she knew it well both from feel and by sight. The light rain obscured the top in a curtain of mist, but there was no mistaking it. Zipping through, they came to a slow stop near those puzzle doors where the shade had appeared.

Pulling the speeder out of the rain, she looked to Rem, "I hope zhis vorks."

Remmington nods. "For all the trouble we went through I hope so to. Well time waits for no one as they say." He gets out of the speeder and waits for Jun-Tsu before they approach the doors.

She dismounted smoothly, and readjusted her robes once she had. With a deep breath she hoped that this would work, though if the rumors of the sword were true they were giving up a great treasure that many in the academy would likely have killed for. And possibly did. Meanwhile, the two of them, not swordsmen, gave it over to the soul of an ancient Sith king.

She smirked.

This is how artefacts were lost and appeared in the most intriuging of places. Part of her wondered if she should amend some note in the library in hopes of providing breadcrumbs for one who might have better use for the sword than a dead king.

Remmington takes out the Sword of the Conqueror and studies it thoughtfully. "You know just the other day Overseer Thaine sent an acolyte to find this as well as myself and some others on a suicide mission. I am going to enjoy denying her this treasure."

He approaches the door of the temple and holds out the sword in his hands. "Oh great spirit of Nundas Min, Sith King of old. We present to you the Sword of the Conqueror."

The witch was just behind him. In some ways it felt as though Rem had earned this far more than she, and thus she was happy to leave the appeasement and presentation to him. Of course, she was Sith and would gladly take advantage of the moment to indulge in some exploration of ancient lore.

The voice echoes, “Place my tribute on the altar.”

The doors ease open with much scraping and shuddering.

There was a moment's hesitation. She couldn't quite figure out why. She had, the day after their first venture here, returned and sat in this very foyer for two hours waiting for a sandstorm to pass. Still, it was more comforting then since the apparition hadn't decided to make itself known. She had slipped in, gotten the Void Engine, and was done.

She took a cleansing breath and steadying her mind, she stepped forward wondering where inside the tome the alter might be. The architecture and layout would be far older than even the ways of the Farro. Possibly hundreds of thousands of years older. She still hadn't gotten a precise date of Nudas Min's reign. At least no closer than what the Void Engine had said.

The interior was indeed archaic, primitive and old. It reeked of age and stone, of ages lost in time by simply the passage of time. The interior is musty and warm and draped in shadow but there seems to be an altar in this antechamber stained red with the most ancient of blood.

"Ah, yes, zhe blood rituals of zhe early Sith. Ve know zhem vell." She quickened her pace as she approached the alter, ascending the blood-stained steps to the font. She ran a hand over the worked stones and red-soaked etchings.

"Exquisite."

Jun-Tsu feels the phantom warmth of blood and the Void Engine vibrates softly against her.

"Yes, zhiz place is bathed in the Dark light, blessed by the Umbră-Ușoară. A part of her almost felt like drawing the arcane device from her robes, but she couldn't be certain what might happen or what the spirit might do to find it moved from its resting place, and it was too great a treasure to lose.

She considered it silently and finally drew it from its hidden pocket. Held fast in her hands, one rested at its bottom the other at its top. "Zhiz iz vere zhe sacrifices vere made to zhe Void Engine, to vhat zhe zhought vas a god. Zhey transformed it, consecrated it in zhousands of sacrifices until it vas an infinite pool of the Umbră-Ușoară."

Remmington nods and smiles as the doors open. "Very well. I hope you have much to share with us."

He enters the temple and looks around with wonder. He notices the object that Jun-Tsu is carrying. "This place is truly impressive. I am glad we got in. So that is the Void Engine? A lot smaller than I thought it would be."

He comments on it and studies it for a moment before looking for the altar.

"It iz complex, und ewen I do not know much of it." She clutched it to her chest as she took a step back from the raised stonework.

"But zhere iz time to discuss zhat later. Lay zhe svord on zhe alter und let us zee vhat ve have done."

Remmington nods and lays the Sword of the Conqueror upon the altar. "An offering befitting a king, O great Sith King Nundas Min."

After laying the sword on the altar he takes some steps back to where Jun-Tsu is and waits to see what happens.

The ruined structure rumbles with dust ad dirt falling from the slanted ceilings. The floor shudders and groans as the blade is laid on the alter. A darkness fills the chamber, unnatural and oppressive.

A voice whispers, “I accept this offering.”

Remmington looks over to Jun-Tsu clearly pleased. "Should we ask now?" He checks with Jun-Tsu on her thoughts since this is more her area of expertise.

"It may be bezt to zimply explore und zee vhat ve can find. It haz let uz in, now ve must do zhe vork." She stepped down from the altar and began to look over the ceremonial chamber. From what she had heard from Lord Savas this place had not been opened in thousands upon thousand of years. They were the first meaning no raiders or few, at the very least, may have found it.

"Be quick ser Thalalas, ancient lore avaits." She set out to begin searching the pyramid, or what much or little remained intact and unburied by tens of thousands of years.

"Shall we split up for search together?" Remmington asks. "If it is the latter then let's meet back here in about 2 hours?" He suggests.

He'll head off to explore more of the temple once they decide.

"Vhichewer you vish. I'll be zearching zhis vay. You may join me if you vish," she pointed to one of the side chambers that she thought might lead to some kind of ambulatory. Usually those contained powerful relics; bones of powerful sith, or objects infused with their power. Then again, that was only in those tombs that Jun-Tsu had been in. This one was far older.

"May be a better idea to stick together for now since we don't know how big this place is or what else it may have in here." Remmington says thoughtfully. Just because they got permission to explore did not mean that there is nothing dangerous in here.

He makes sure to take out his datapad to record anything of interest they find as well as make notes for himself.

Most of the chambers were little more than simple storage rooms with precious materials that had long ago decayed into nothing. Ornate tapestries and sweet foods for what the savages believed would be an afterlife of plenty. Instead, it amounted to a pile of rot that even now had turned into nothing but dust. The layout was certainly different than she was used to and so she left the center of the complex heading for what might have been servant tombs.

"Zhis place iz far more ancient zhan zhose of mein family. Itz layout, ewen zhough zimilar, iz radically different. It zhows how var zings can drift ower a hundred zhousand years. V'once v'one of zhe great Sith Kings, his empire fell zo completely after hiz death."

"Well nothing lasts forever as they say. Though artifacts left over form the Infinite Empire seem to be giving that colloquialism a run for it's money. This temple is way too huge. Though I guess befitting of someone who was a Sith king." Remmington comments as they look around.

He looks over at Jun-Tsu with an unusual seriousness. "If we find anything useful here. After I get any use out of the artifacts here I will probably hand over most of them over to you Jun-Tsu. I sincerely wish that your family avoids the same fate that befell mine. So I want to do anything and everything that I can to help ensure the future of House Farro."

"Rem," she said somewhat surprised at his continued faithfulness to her House. She could think of nothing to say immediately and so a silence fell between them as the thought on it

"Rem, I....you know your House isn't truly dead. You're still here. And House Balmung could be brought back...slowly. House Farro thrives....it'z just smaller zhan it vas, but ewen now we are beginning to grow." She stopped for a moment to look to Remmington. "You should be zelfish just v'once in a vhile und let House Farro help you for a change."

Remmington shakes his head. "House Balmung has never produced anyone on our founder's level. Plus when you are too successful the other House's become fearful and target you. My father Lord Sieg, was probably the last with enough power and skill to be considered worthy to carry the name of the House. Everyone else has either no interest in continuing the House or no power to do so. That does include myself."

He approaches Jun-Tsu and places his hands on hers and holds them firmly. "I think trying to protect you and your House counts in that selfishness Jun-Tsu. You never asked for my help yet I am pushing it onto you. I mean it when I said I wish to ensure the future of your House which does include producing heirs."

He looks Jun-Tsu in her eyes. "An heir with the bloodlines from 2 Houses. Plus this temple is seething with Dark Side energy. Can you imagine what such a child will be like?"

OOC: Just to be sure we are coming back to finish this investigation?