The Beginning of the End (Rugs)

[Isan]

Rarely had Isan ventured beyond the grounds of the temple in the year since he had arrived. Days and nights had he studied. Sleep was foreign to him. Suns had become a distant memory. He only studied the Sith and what they believed of the Bogan. What they called the Dark Side of the Force. He recognized in it the essence of the Bogan... evolution. Change was the heart of that which he followed. Or at least it was one of the greatest effects of its influence. The effect he sought to spread across the galaxy and beyond. All must fall into the will of the Bogan.


This day Isan ventured forth climbing high into the ridges surrounding the temple. The desolate waste surrounding him whispered of the dark side. A quiet radiance that made the ascent pleasing as he journeyed into the fruitless mountains.

One year of knowledge. One year of learning more of the galaxy than the dark places of Vjun. Isan now felt confident to walk outside the walls of the temple and into the wilderness of this savage world. This night was a metaphorical journey. The first step into the rest of the galaxy. The first steps in spreading the will of Bogan into the galaxy and beyond.


Isan reach the peak of the great crag and kneeling down he crossed his legs. Setting his back before him he reach out and withdrew the body of the Shyrack. He could feel in its blood the darkness of this world. The ages of corruption laid upon its line. Isan drew forth a bowl and sat it before him as he lifted the Shyrack above it and with his clawed nails ripped open the flesh of the beast.

The blood poured forth and Isan's dark eyes watched as the bowl filled. When the last drops broke the surface of the pooled blood Isan discarded the corpse to the side and lifted the bowl while tracing his fingers around the rim as he chanted in an ancient tongue. He used this focus to draw the residual darkness of the planet itself into the bowl of blood and thicken it with the dark side's strength.

Now holding it with both hands Isan lifted the bowl before him and inhaled deeply. The fragrance was not like the blood of a sentient. The Shyrack blood was much more crude. While Isan would have sought the blood of something more intelligent and able to connect more to the true darkness though that which was here that would serve the purpose had other purposes. He did not feel that stealing away a potential disciple when the Sith were trying to build an army would not bode well with the Dark Lord so this... trash... would have to do.

Isan lifted the bowl to his lips and drank deeply of the darkside infused blood. He could feel the power of this world flow into him as he drank. The blood ran down his chin and fell onto his chest as he lifted the bowl high to empty the last drops that would fall freely before raking his fingers into the bowl and feeding the blood to his face.

The ancient ritual was complete and he felt more attuned to this world now. The dark whisper of the planet now buzzed louder in the back of his mind. He could sense all that surrounded him as the dark side of the force coursed through his body enhancing his connection to its tenebrous current.

Isan dropped the bowl quickly and turned his head in a flash. The dark of his eyes seemed deeper now as he scanned the area. His pupils had dilated taking on an appearance that would put one in mind of a perfect predator.

"Reveal yourself and I shall sate your curiosity." Isan spoke out into the darkness. He had known he was not along for some time. He paid little heed, however, as he did not sense directed malevolence. Though there was something about this one. Something that could make for more than acceptable company in Isan's case.

[Rugs]

With the sun low in the orange and red stained sky, and the day's last light beginning to die away, Nieraan found himself alone out in the hard, rocky grounds beyond the Temple. He was fine with that. It was good to be alone; Force only knew some of the fools in the Temple worked his nerves, and he liked being able to get out under the thumb of the various Lords and their incessant orders.

Do this, do that. That's the way it went, with the promise of some vague reward at some undetermined point in the future. So far, he hadn't caught a whiff of whatever the potential rewards might be. Part of him was annoyed.

But all in all, he was pleased with how things had gone since he decided to join the Sith Order. He still cared little for the philosophy of it all, but he could feel himself starting to make strides, to continue to sharpen his strengths and better flesh out his weaknesses. It was power that he'd come for, after all.

And he had a student now. Cadyren. The boy was the whole reason he'd wound out here, in the barren wastes beyond the Temple. Today had been another training day, and true to form, Nieraan had been relentless in pushing the boy to his limits. He'd never pass them if he wasn't pushed. The whelp had done well enough; he'd had better days, but he'd had worse as well.

When they'd finished, Nieraan had sent Cadyren along back to the Temple. He wanted to stay out and work on his own skills a bit. Now that was done, and the young Firrerreo was enjoying the quiet before he headed back.

He was perched on a rock, squatting like a gargoyle, but as comfortable as if he'd been made to sit like that. His hair was even more unkempt than usual from the busy day, and the white sash that hung from his waist down around his legs was stained with the desert world's rust red dust. His muscles were a little sore; even though he'd quite thoroughly dominated the day against the boy, a long day of hard work was still a long day of hard work. Still, he was content, or what passed for being content.

After a long stretch of minutes spent on his rock, looking down on the Temple with his yellowed eyes, Nieraan finally stood up and hopped down to the ground. The trio of lightsabers at his belt clinked softly against each other as he stretched and prepared to start the long walk back.

However, before he could start, he felt another being approaching in the Force. His brows knitted slightly as he reached out through the Force to better feel the being's presence. They felt like a Sith, all dark and corrupted. It was likely just another one down from the Temple.

On a sudden whim of curiosity, he decided to see what they were up to. The craggy terrain provided ample cover to watch from, so he dulled his presence a bit and moved into the long evening shadows.

Soon enough, a man came into sight. Nieraan watched with quiet interest as he found a spot, settled down, and pulled a shyrack's corpse from the bag he was carrying.

Then he drained the creature's blood into a bowl.

Then he drank it.

Few things really caught Nieraan off guard, but that happened to be one of them. His mouth was slightly agape as he watched what had to be a ritual, and his brows were deeply furrowed.
What in the nine hells...

"Reveal yourself and I shall sate your curiosity."

His brows knitted further. Honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised. Still, he sighed and stepped from the shadows, eyes glinting in the fading light.

"Yeah, I was watching," he said as he stopped, a few paces away from the strange man. His eyes flicked to the shyrack's mangled corpse. "What the hell were you doing? Why were you drinking the thing's blood?" One of his sharp fangs showed as he huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "What, some kinda new weirdo ritual craze going around the Temple I haven't heard of?"

[Isan]

"So many questions at once." Isan spoke in a even, raspy tone. "Does it disgust you? Turn your stomach onto itself?" Isan had yet to make a movement from his position. He simply turned back facing out into the open waste.

"It is no ritual from the temple. It is not even from this world. Though I found that it works equally well here as it does in my home. That creature was born here. It grew here... on this world. It carries in it the life blood of this planet. That powerful force which has made itself a home of this world. It is less appealing than the more sentient species, but it sustains and empowers none the less."

Isan's hands raised before him as he steepled his fingers. "The blood of something raised on what those at the temple call corruption of the dark side carries with it a bit of that strength. To infuse into it a greater amount of this worlds latent power brings that much more strength to it. By imbibing the blood you can become closer to this world and the forces that reside here. You can hear more than the whispers of the Bogan. You can hear its will. The will to grow. The will to change. The will to touch all things. That is our true purpose here." Isan turned back looking to Nieraan. "We are to change the galaxy. Perhaps even the universe. These Sith here our the vehicle of the Bogan in this age. A unified force of dark servants with a singular will. The dark lord knows the true will. The will to change. He practices it. For this end I have come to learn their way so that I may spread forth the will of the Bogan. The will of the dark side."

Isan motioned to the shyrack's drained body. "This creature was a sacrifice. The Bogan always requests a sacrifice. Be it life or mind. The Bogan will take what it desires. Something must always change."

Isan paused and thought for a moment. He still fell into the terms of addressing the dark side as a god. As a singular entity. "The Bogan is the dark side." He explained. "It is the name I grew with knowing the force as. It is the creative, evolving force of the universe. Just as the Ashla is what they call the light... the stagnant force of the galaxy. It looks to end change and evolution. To make all things like itself. Peace, they call it. There is no peace in blind servitude. Only the death of diversity and creativity. If the Ashla were to have its way... that universe would truly end."


Isan reach for a loose stone as he cleared the space before him. "The Bogan grants many gifts to its faithful. To those who delve to understand the universe and its place within it." He sat the stone before him and placed its hands to the side. As he closed his eyes he reach out with the force to change the make up of the matter before him. The benign stone before him changed by the channeled will of the force to something more combustible. Something to burn and light up the night. With the acceleration of the atoms the temperature of the matter raised and fire leapt forth lighting up Isan's face. The pale tattoos streaking across his features were now visible as he raised his posture and warmed his hands with the blaze.

Isan motioned before him inviting Nieraan to join him at the fire. "For what purpose have you found yourself here on this world? Surely something lead you to walk the halls of the temple. Perhaps the search for purpose? A quest for understanding?"

[Rugs]

Nieraan watched the fellow before him with wary eyes. The man didn't seem to be new to the Sith, but Nieraan didn't recognize him at all. He'd never even heard of him; and surely someone that had a way of drinking blood would catch notice in the Temple.

Right?

As the man spoke on, droning on about some philosophical something or other, Nieraan watched him, observed him through the lens of his yellow eyes. What's he getting at? He understood the meaning behind the words--he wasn't stupid, after all--but why the speech? Almost sounds religious.

At the end of his talk, the man grabbed a stone and placed it before him. Nieraan stayed where he was, still watching with a look of passive interest with his arms folded across his chest. Then something incredible happened.

The stone changed. Fire leapt up from it at the mysterious man's will. Even the normally-unshakeable Nieraan felt his eyes widen a bit at the sight. "Wha... What the hell?"

Fire from a rock. Even when he was invited to come sit at the fire, he didn't move, his eyes still warily on the man. How the hell did he do that? Some sort of Force power, no doubt. But what kind of ability allowed such a feat, to be able to turn rock into something that could burn to make a campfire.

After a few moments of hesitation, Nieraan sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy black and blue hair. His arms fell to his side as he moved to sit at the fire, across from the man. For a few moments longer, he just sat there, looking at the fire. Looking at the man. He was still wary.

Thin features. Pale tattoos that were only compounding the thought floating in the back of Nieraan's mind that he did, or had, belonged to some cult or religious order. Physically, Nieraan figured he could take them. But there was more to the two of them than just their base physical strength and ability. He could not tell which of them was stronger, but in the Force, Nieraan could feel enough to know this man was no pushover, as if his feat with the rock hadn't been enough.

Need to be careful with this one. Least 'til I get a better read on him.

"I came here for the same reason so many other people are here," he finally said. He looked at the fire for a while, and then up at the man sitting across from him. "Power. I don't give a damn about the philosophy. I don't care about the Jedi, but I will learn the secrets buried in this place, and I will grow stronger. I have my reasons for wanting it." His eyes glowed softly with the fire's reflected light, like those of some predator.

"And what about you? Who are you, anyway?"

[Isan]

"The secrets here... they are not buried. They sit calmly on the surface willing to give it up to those who know how to listen. The pursuit of power can only lead to madness. It will inhibit your growth. Instead of seeking to control you should seek to understand. Only then will you truly have the power you seek. When it is not imperative to your pursuit it will come to you." Isan's lips curled up in a twisted grin.

"I am Isan of Vjun. I was to be a priest, yet the order fell to the hands of a usurper. One who forced change instead of influencing it. The order was dying. The ways that were would have been forgotten. So I brought the sacred knowledge here. I seek to change the universe. To spread the will of Bogan to all worlds so a new age may come. One where instinct and emotion rule. Where poison is just another word for sustenance. Growth and creativity must rule. The Ashla may not succeed. I have heard its influence reaches deep and the Jedi are its fist. If they serve the Ashla then they are my birth enemies. With a shared foe and an active stance the Sith have become my new home. Many are the ways here. Knowledges from many orders and philosophies. It is the heart of Bogan in this age. It shall be the vessel for evolution. That is why I am here."

Isan looked out across the darkened horizon. "Have you ever travelled to Vjun? It is a world not unlike this one. A world where ancient secrets wait for those who would come. Seeking to challenge those who would seek. A grand tomb for those who would become gods." Isan's eyes returned to Nieraan. "It is wise to honor the ancients. For their experiences will unravel for you the secrets."

[Rugs]

Nieraan snorted as the strange man talked. He barely knew the man, this Isan of Vjun, and already he sounded too much like a philosopher. Words, words were what he gave Nieraan, repeating things he'd heard before.

I know how to grow, he silently chided. I'm not a child.

"Yeah, I've been to Vjun before," Nieraan muttered with a bored shrug of his shoulders. "Someone needed killing, and I got called to make it happen. Didn't seem to be much to the world, but I didn't see much. A city. Lots of acid rain." Again he shrugged, looking at Isan steadily. "Just another dead rock like this place."

For a while, Nieraan fell quiet, staring at the fire with a distant gaze. Something in Isan's words caught him, still nagged annoyingly at the back of his mind.

"You said I shouldn't pursue power," he finally said, looking up at the priest, or whatever Isan was, "at least not as a goal in and of itself. Understanding--that's what you say I should be looking for." He stretched his hand out slightly before him, looking down as he idly flexed his thumb and fingers. Electricity arced briefly between his fingers as he let his mind turn over what Isan had said.

"Understanding of what?" His yellow eyes flicked up from his fingers to Isan again. "I know what the Dark Side--your Bogan or whatever--is. I've tasted the depths and submerged myself in its power."

The corners of his lips turned up into a sneer and he chuckled lowly, down in his throat. "But what, some philosophy? Religion, even?" He laughed again. "You've got the wrong guy for that. Sorry. Like I said, I'm here for the strength. I'm here to better learn to mold the Force as I will it. The ancients..." Nieraan paused, head tilted slightly to one side as if considering before he shrugged again. "Well, I'll put it this way: if they have secrets to share, I'll learn them. But I'm not about to go start offering sacrifices to people who have been dead for thousands of years either."

Nieraan sat up and leaned back a bit on his rock, keeping a steady gaze on Isan all the while. "Call it a difference in personality, if you like."

[Isan]

"The sacrifice is not for the ancients. It is to attune yourself to the will of the dark side and hear their guidance. Then you will learn the value of understanding. To simply grasp at the power a superficial knowledge will give you will rip you apart. The dark side is a power of change. It is evolution. It will change you in ways you could never imagine. Have you met the one that calls himself Cho Wroth? His state is what happens when one does not seek to understand, but only control. In the end it will control you. If you understand the power then you will be able to understand its effects. Instead of it changing you you will change by your own will."

Isan looked at the fire before them and reach his hand toward it. As his hand neared he focused the force onto the blaze. The fire began to flicker as he focused on the raw energy and slowed the flow of it. Calming the excited molecules within the flame the fire greyed as its light died and where the fire flickered a moment before there was only stone in its shape.

"There is much you can do once you understand this force. And with little fear of what it may do to you in return. Eager to bend it will flex if your will is similar. Though once you seek to break its will it will show you just how much a part of it you truly are and just how easily it can break you." Isan pushed the stilled flames lightly tipping it over.

"The force is at war with itself. Bogan fighting to overcome the stagnant force that is Ashla. You see it as the dark against the light. It is a war that all are involved in and we just happen to have a greater role than most."

[Rugs]

Nieraan snorted. "Yeah, I know who Wroth is. Don't think there's a person in the damn Temple that doesn't unless they live under a rock." He knew the Noghri better than he liked. Isan had a point though, he supposed.

"Fair enough, but Cho's problem is that he's Cho." He shrugged noncommittally and knitted his brows slightly as Isan killed the fire. How is he doing that? What skill is he using?

"Cho is the type of fool that thinks himself an instrument of the Force's will." A roll of the eyes told what Nieraan thought of that. "All you have to do is listen to him babble on and that's pretty clear. As strong as Wroth is, he's submissive, and a fool. As long as someone gives him orders, he's happy, like a dog."

Nieraan leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and looking at the stone that sat where there'd been fire only a moment ago. "Wroth sees his role as a tool to be used at the wielder's discretion. Whether he thinks himself a tool for a person or the Force, I don't know, but I can tell you that's not an outlook I share." His yellows eyes glanced briefly up at Isan.

"But, I see your point." Nieraan shrugged again. "I realize the power of understanding. Trust me."

In a moment of curiosity, he reached out his hand and tapped the side of the stone. It was cool to the touch. Not warm, as if it'd only just been burning. Nieraan's gaze flicked up again as his mind worked.

"So what is it you see as your role, pray tell? To spread the will of the Dark Side and stop the Light or something along those lines, right?" Sitting up straight again from the rock, he lifted a brow slightly as he looked at Isan. "Unless I'm understanding what you said earlier wrong?"

[Isan]

"I wouldn't call my role to spread the will. The will is already there, you see. That pure, raw emotion is the essence of Bogan. It is what sparks that change. I just wish to encourage it. I guess you could say it would be to uninhibit the galaxy. With that the change will come quite easily. Things would be able to evolve at their natural rate."

Isan was watching Nieraan's curiosity with the the flame. "It is the art of weaving. I believe it is known more commonly as art of the small. Whatever the name it is simply seeing the change that is possible and inciting it at an accelerated degree. All basic essence is capable of becoming something else. All is able to meld with other things. Fire burns away substance and in its consumption of it it becomes it itself. That energy has its own substance as well. To blend the two and slow them the flames themselves return to solid substance and become latent in their energy. It is all cyclical though always changing. I suppose you could call it a theory of chaos. Unstable at its heart, but always adapting to what is more fitting for it among its surroundings. From my line it was how we defined ourselves. Our skill with the art proved our strength and understanding."

[Rugs]

"Alright, fair enough," Nieraan muttered to Isan's answer of his question.

However, it was the second thing the man said that caught Nieraan's ear. "The art of weaving..." he muttered, brows knitting slightly. Art of the small. He'd heard of the power only once, and didn't have a very good understanding of what it could do. but from what he did know...

Endless possibilities. He looked at Isan, thinking. And he knows how to use it.

"I've heard of the skill before, by the other name you mentioned. Art of the Small. A fearsome ability. Very, very potent in the right hands. You're... lucky to know it." With a quiet sigh, he leaned onto his forearms further. The temptation was there, to ask to be taught the skill. But Nieraan was wary of such a thing; the last time he'd been taught something was far from pleasant, and he wasn't exactly trusting of the types that filled the Temple. Still, he supposed it was good to know that Isan knew such a thing...

"So, you seek to 'uninhibit the Galaxy,' as you put it. Tell me, what might that involve? Just from your own point of view." Nieraan looked steadily at the tattooed man. "You have a goal, but once you actually leave the confines of the Temple, what do you do?"

[Isan]

"Release that opposing force to the change. Let the skies grow as they wish. The oceans will dance and the creatures shall consume. Survival will come to the strong and only the strong shall survive. Or those who can evolve with the galaxy. Evolution is a lethal force. Passionate in every way."

Isan considered the second part of the question. What was he to do once he left the temple? "I will need someone to travel with. I know little of ships and though it is said the one who brought the art traveled the stars without a vessel it is beyond my comprehension. Though from there I can touch the worlds and they will change. Perhaps even the heart of the Ashla serving Jedi. What better gift for the Bogan to change those who would oppose its life giving force? I can think of little."

[Rugs]

Nieraan snorted softly through his nostrils as a crooked, lopsided smirk slowly grew across his face. "You need a partner to ferry you around. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

"So what of when you find a Jedi, if you find one? Hm? You know as well as I do that they won't just accept whatever it is you want to feed them. Not willingly." He looked idly down at his fingers again, as he toyed with making sparks dance between them. "Not if they're a real Jedi, anyway.

"What will you do then? Fight them? Kill them? Capture, maybe?" Nieraan looked up at Isan, though he continued to absentmindedly produce lightning around his hand and wrist. "They'll try to turn you or take you in, or kill you if you piss 'em off enough. But I'm sure you already know that. You seem smart enough, anyway."

Nieraan's canines showed briefly as he pursed his lips, thinking. Here was an opportunity to get out of the Temple, perhaps. He wouldn't complain, though he wondered if Isan would think he would be towing a boy along rather than a man of Nieraan's actual age, with as young as he looked to be. Not that that should have mattered; he wasn't doing anything to hide his strength in the Force.

"Tell you what, Isan," he finally said after a few moments. "To tell you the truth, I don't really give a damn about turning Jedi or spreading the will of the Dark or any of that. But, if you can take give me the opportunity for some action, I might be willing to help you out." The lightning stopped abruptly and he flexed his fingers. "That is, of course, provided that you can take care of yourself. I despise babysitting."

[Isan]

"I will likely not have to find them. I suspect they will come in search of me." Isan looked up. His dark eyes seemed like that of a predatory beast as they met Nieraan's. "Then they will learn the truth. They will follow it. If not their bodies then their minds shall at least tell us their secrets." A sinister grin spread across his lips as he looked up to the stars.

"Out there lie more secrets than are buried here. More lands waiting to change at our touch and lend us their strength. Certainly there is action to be found out there. There is much to learn. Much to discover." Isan turned to Nieraan. "I grew on Vjun. The womb of the Bogan grows many things there that will devour you if it has the chance. Powerful things. Have you wandered into the dens of the beasts here? Those are the creatures that rest in the seas of Vjun. Dwell within the caverns. If I can rest easily with those beasts circling my pillow I believe I can take care of myself."

Isan looked again to the sky. "When do you want to leave? I will leave the decision to you. I have no pressing matters here currently."

[Rugs]

"Good. I might have to change my mind if it turned out you can't handle yourself. But, seeing as that isn't an issue..." Nieraan shrugged and stood, stretching out his muscles from sitting on the little stone. He turned away from Isan, so the man was sitting off to his right, and walked over to the edge of the bluff and looked out over the valley that the Temple was nestled in.

For a while, he looked up at the sky, at the stars and planets that were scattered out before them. "When to leave?" He shrugged again. "I don't care, really. Not like I have anything important to do around here." Beyond seeing to Cadyren's training, but that wasn't something to worry about right now. "We could leave tomorrow for all I care.

"How soon can you be ready to go?"

[Isan]

"All I possess is with me now. I am ready at any moment." Isan looked back to the path that would lead to the temple. "Though perhaps I should gather some things." The blood from the creatures here would likely be the most suitable they would come across for some time. "How large is the vessel?" He inquired. Knowing how much storage would be available would allow him to know how much he should hunt tonight. It wasn't too hard to take down the shyracks and they yielded plenty of blood for his purposes.

[Rugs]

"How big is the ship?" Nieraan looked back over his shoulder to Isan with a brow lifted. "Hell if I know. I don't know what we'll be going in yet." Shrugging, he turned back to look out over the Valley. "It'll need to be large enough for the both of us, some supplies... maybe to hold a few more people if you feel like capturing someone."

Truthfully, Nieraan wasn't too terribly familiar with the kind of vessels they had available. He could fly them, sure, but he supposed a bit of looking around was in order before they started packing to head out. "Tell you what. Two days. That'll give me time to look things over, and give you time to gather whatever it is you want. Two days, and we'll head out."

Once more, he turned to look over his shoulder at Isan. "How does that sound to you?"

[Isan]

"Two days." Isan nodded in confirmation. "It will be plenty of time. The more room we have the better, in fact. Perhaps we will find other kindred spirits in our travels. Or perhaps, as you said, we will find those who require coercion."

Isan looked out across the horizon. "Two days. I shall meet you on the steps of the temple."

[Rugs]

Nieraan grunted affirmation to Isan's words. "Right. See you then." Sparing a final glance to Isan, he turned away from their little meeting spot and started back down the rocky path to the Temple.

As he walked beneath the darkening sky, his mind wandered and turned over the encounter with the man. Isan interested him, on a certain level; especially with that strange ability he had. But on another, he was cautious, and wary, as he was well to be around any member of the Sith. Doubly so because he didn't know Isan at all.

Had he found an ally today? Perhaps. Time would tell, but in the mean time, he wouldn't trust Isan further than he had to. Of course, if they were to go looking for some Jedi to catch, he might have to trust the priest quite a bit.

We'll see, he thought, gazing up at the stars with a quiet sigh. We'll see.