Specters of a Sorcerer's Past: The Journal and the Petrified

Specters of a Sorcerer's Past: The Journal and the Petrified
Date of Scene:	10 March 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	The Jedi are unsettled by what they find among Tomi's belongings.
Cast of Characters:	159, 334, Cayde Alexis, 269

---

Athena (159) has posed:
The rest of the day following the events during the visitation of Tomi in the infirmary will pass rather uneventfully. Volk retired early for the evening, apparently exhausted by his endeavor. He would not be disturbed for the remainder of waking hours, despite's the Lonto woman's pleading that he perform the final examination for the items being submitted to the Bogan Collection.

However, bright and early the next morning, the Kel Dor Master would meet the same group of Jedi in the atrium of the Temple of the Kyber. He seems well rested now, but they will all be able to tell that there seems to be something weighing heavily upon his mind. Regardless, he bows in polite greeting to them. "I trust you all rested well last night," he greets.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Caius had rested, but not for overly long. His footsteps had eventually taken him back to the infirmary and contemplation of the situation and Tomi's circumstances wehre a unique conversation had taken place. There a discussion with a certain Navi had occured which offered even more insight and context tot he Jedi Knight. Following that he'd taken to walking the halls of the temple himself, thinking, exploring and otherwise keeping busy by becoming more familiar with the halls and cooridors of the structure.

Eventually, however, the time to meet has come once again and he enters the atrium and then begins approaching the Kel Dor respectfully.

"Hello Master.." he offers in greeting, along with a respectful bow and then he pauses to look to see if any of his comrades have also arrived.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde has definitely not rested well...and as much as he'd like to keep that fact hidden, it's kind of obvious. Well, more so than usual, anyway. He also bows respectfully toward Master Volk, nodding at the question in spite of his appearance.

Hal (269) has posed:
Hal is visibly tired. He has clearly not slept well, though his attempts at meditation have at least held off the worst of it. The one-eyed Jedi enters the room and affords a nod to the others assembled. At the very least the robes are comfortable enough, but Hal remains quiet for the moment and keeps to the edge.

Athena (159) has posed:
"..." The crease in Volk's brow deepens upon noticing the countenance of the other Jedi, save for Caius. Suddenly, the situation seems to weigh even more heavily upon the Kel Dor Master, though he does not comment on it for the time being.

"If there's anything else we can do to make your stay at the Temple more accommodating," Volk finally says. "Please, let me know."

He then gestures for the others to follow him towards the lift. "If the three of you are ready ... I seek your council for the second matter I mentioned previously. The items being submitted to the Bogan Collection."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Caius glances over Cayde and Hal and his eyes squint slightly. Cayde's condition doesn't exactl surprise him, truth be told. It seems to be a pattern , from what he can tell and the particulars of this situation are connected to the padawan.

Hal, on the other hand, does surprise him slighlty and he looks over the older Jedi with an upraised eyebrow ..but Volk speaks up and Caius turns to nod to Jedi Master, opting to keep his thoughts to himself for now.

"I spoke with a member of the sect known as THe Shining Brotherhood. SHe was there during the attack and knows of Tomi and also knows Cayde and Imoen.. She seemed invested and had insight into what was happening. She told me about an artifact showing Imoen visions, among other things. We were hoping to find out more about Master Tomi's age and his collection."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Oh but it didn't have anything to do with the accommodations at all. Caius probably suspected as much.

    Either way, Cayde just nods and follows the others.

Hal (269) has posed:
"All will be well, I just did not sleep well," Hal says quietly, "A good night's sleep will solve it easily enough." He waves dismissively and listens as the others speak.

"It sounds like we have a lead to follow, then," Hal says and nods in affirmation, "Perhaps, as you say, once we know more about Master Tomi, it may shrink the circle around what we are looking for, or who."

Athena (159) has posed:
"Ah, yes," Volk replies, "You mean Navi. She is a local here, familiar with many of those who work as staff at the Temple." He pauses. "I see. Well, it was no secret that Tomi was trying to recruit collectors who did not dabble in retrieving only light side artifacts. This report does not surprise me. Gethun, the vault supervisor, may know more about the collector she mentioned..." He trails off.

"Tomi is less than a hundred years of age. Which, for his species, is not quite middle aged. But I believe what you are wondering is whether he had been alive during the Battle of Jedha, to which the answer is, yes. He was young, but was an initiate Sorcerer at the time. As to his collection... well, you shall see it today."

There's a slight hesitation when Hal mentions what they may be looking for, or who. "...yes." he says quietly. The elevator then chimes, indicating that they've arrived on the correct floor. The doors open, and Volk quickly steps out.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Master Volk.." begins Caius, slowly at first but then more evenly, "I think it is safe to say that ...there is something potentially at work here. The battle we witnessed was probablythe Battle of Jedha... and the memory and trauma that is keeping Tomi trapped was enveloped by fear and terror and darkness. What would drive someone of his station to attempt to sieze an artifact from the temple and what happened that is so gripping it's got him locked into a state of mind so dark it nearly consumed all three of us?"

Caius pauses at that and then finally says, simply, "If there's something we need to know to help Tomi and also protect the temple from any future attempts...I think we should know it."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows Master Volk out of the elevator, frowning when it seems that he's not saying everything he knows about Tomi. But, he assumes the elder Jedi must have his reasons.

    Well anyway, Caius does a pretty good job of questioning him without being...disrespectful.

Hal (269) has posed:
Hal tries to read the master, but realizes quickly that it is going nowhere as he instead listens quietly, absorbing what the others say.

"Whatever we must do, we should do," Hal says, "Do we know of any complications?"

Athena (159) has posed:
A look of pain passes over Volk's expression, and suddenly, he looks very tired. "These questions are ones we may never know the answer to," the Kel Dor replies, sounding both cryptic and weary, "but dark side can be very alluring. No one is exempt from the temptation of power it offers," he says.

He shrugs at Hal's comment, but the one eyed Jedi may notice that he seems to grow uncomfortable. "Not that I know of," he says. "Tomi was a rational man..." But again, all three of them may get the sense that Volk is being purposefully ambiguous once again.

"Come," he beckons. "We will have a look at his belongings." He starts down the dimly lit hallway, which is barren of anything save for light fixtures. He leads them to a small room at the end of the hallway, a storage unit of sorts. It's full of shelves of varying heights and widths that are riddled with items obscured with canvas tarp.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
A look of mild frustration touches on Caius' face now as Volk continues to be evasive. His eyes narrow slightly and he slows to let Volk move ahead while falling in closer step with Hal and Cayde..

"This isn't the only time there's been evasiveness about matters here.." he says under his breath but loud enough for Cayde and Hal to hear him. The first true signs of him being ruffled slightly since being here it seems.

But he doesn't press further just yet and walks with the other two the storage room and once there begins looking over everything carefully.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows the others to the small, dimly lit room. Volk is still being evasive, but again, maybe he has a good reason to be. Although Caius seems frustrated by it. But perhaps they should look through Tomi's belongings first, and see what may come up.

Hal (269) has posed:
"All are susceptible to teh dark side's allure," Hal says in agreement. "But if we are to make wise decisions, we need to know as much as possible, lest we err due to missed hints and clues."

Athena (159) has posed:
Volk frowns at Caius' muttering but doesn't comment, however, when Hal says that they must know as much as possible, the Kel Dor replies, "We must not chase ghosts," he says, "and stir up fear mongering over something buried too deep in the past for us to investigate." He then leads them over to a table on the far right, not too far away from the door. Lying on the table uncovered are a variety of artifacts and relics, ranging from oddly shaped pendants to tomes of flimsiplast journals. Most of the relics do not strike any of the Jedi as terribly dangerous, some of them do look like they might have once been powerful dark side artifacts but as time wore on, had gotten damaged and therefore mostly drained of their sinister effects.

But the journals... there's something about them. They're very worn, and it's clear that out of all the relics and items here, they had seen the most use by Tomi.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Caius says nothing more when it's clear Volk is not going to elaborate. Somethings msut be discovered on its own, it seems. Then, perhaps, the equal dangers that withholding information causes, can be discussed. For now, he lets the matter drop and instead turns his attentions to the items themselves.

"Do we know what Tomi was actually after?" he asks, while starting to approach the journals themselves and then glances down to them to take a look if he's able.

"The artifacts are being sent, but what about his writings?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde goes over to the table and with the items and sits down. Is that...flimsiplast? He doesn't think he's even seen that much flimsiplast all piled up together in one place like that before.

    He pulls out one of the tomes, starting to thumb through it curiously, before just opening to a random page.

Hal (269) has posed:
"There is a difference between ghost chasing and clearing up dead ends," Hal says, "But yes, there are aspects of Tomi we will need if we are to pursue. Can you at least give us relevant information so that we may pursue carefully?" he asks.

Hal nods to Caius, "Indeed, perhaps there is something we can build upon. Or perhaps use to eliminate an option, which can sometimes be just as useful."

Athena (159) has posed:
Volk frowns at Hal, his expression pensive and worried. But he does not further comment.

"He had a compulsion to investigate the matter in which his brother died," Volk explains to Caius. "Perhaps he thought understanding the dark side would provide answers that no one else could."

Upon closer examination, the three of them may notice that there are a great many journals, stacked neatly together and bound with a leather cord. The journal that Cayde is looking at seems to be a private diary of sorts from when he was young, or about when he was young. It's written in Arkanian, so Cayde won't be able to read it, but there are a few pictures adhered neatly to the pages, of Tomi, his brother, and a few of the other younglings belonging to the Sorcerers of Tund. They had been very close, from the looks of it.

The journal Caius has picked up is, perhaps to his surprise, not full of writings, but drawings. The Convocation Representative had an artistic knack, apparently. But these drawings... they're rather grotesque. They appear to all be of some kind of ... being, that's very terrible to look at. And every page is covered with drawings of this... creature, or person. Some look like slight variations of one another, while others look wildly like nothing any of them will have ever previously seen in their lives before.

Volk frowns. "What a strange obsession..."

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
The dark haired jedi frowns slightly as he looks over the pictures.. "Yes..." he agrees with Volk, studying them for a time and then setting them down.

He looks disturbed. Pensive as well but then opts to try another tact with Volk though Caius exchanges a glance with Hal before doing so.

"Master Volk...I'm have to agree with Hal. Now we came because we wanted to help Tomi and also discover what he was after and hopefully prevent a repeat of these events. I don't think looking into any possiblity or clue is ghost chasing. Look at this.."

He shows the images to the others once again for emphasis. "..We use art to express ourselves, yes? I even suggested it to Cayde as a means to help him? So what is on Tomi's mind? The terror and fear coming from whatever killed his brother. This cannot simply be coincidence. A knight, a gifted padawan, and a master had to flee before we were taken in by that darkness as well. Surely you can tell us a little more..." He sets the images back down, "It might help us save Tomi."

Hal (269) has posed:
"Ah, there it is," Hal says and nods in understanding, "That is usually the way it gets its hooks in you." He frowns and sees what the others are looking over.

"The upside is that what drew him in, a connection to his brother, is not a liability for us, as we do not have such a connection. In fact, our strongest connection to this whole thing is simply Tomi himself, but not so strong of one that we would use any possible answer, we are more bound to our rules than that."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde studies the pictures, assuming this must be Tomi and his companions when they were very young. Yes, he thought it resembled the younger version of Tomi he saw when he'd entered the man's mind.

    He starts flipping through, looking for any other pictures since he can't read Arkanian.

    The young padawan at the disturbing images in the other journal Caius was looking at. It seemed Tomi had become obsessed, consumed even, with finding answers about his brother's death. So much so that he couldn't move on with his life, and even sought to break the rules of his order.

    Well, that was why the Jedi Order forbade attachment to the things--and people--of the mortal world.

Athena (159) has posed:
Volk seems to grow even more uncomfortable. "...it is ghost chasing," the Kel Dor Master says, "his brother's death was a mystery and that is all. Some questions were not meant to be answered, and are perhaps best left unanswered," he insists.

"Perhaps he was not as rational as he seemed," he continues. "Perhaps his grief drove him somewhat mad and he hid it well. I would not put it past him. He can don and discard demeanors as quickly as he changes his clothing." He shifts his gaze to Hal. "That could be all it is," the Kel Dor says, "his connection to his brother drew him into fascination with the dark side. But we cannot unravel the mystery of this brother's death. And I do not think helping him to understand what happened will save him."

Cayde will find other pictures, all similar in nature. But Tomi and his brother are a constant in every image.

Suddenly, Cayde will find himself harassed by a tiny rodent, which hops up onto the journal he's looking at, tears several pages out with its teeth (including the one Cayde is looking at) and then scurries off, towards the back of the storage unit!

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"With all due respect, Master, certainly if our goal is to save Tomi and help him out of his coma before it's too late - being able to help him come to terms with the very vision that seems to have jailed him might be--"

Suddenly, rodent aggro.

Caius blinks but manages to react quickly, reaching out with a swift gesture of his hand and cupping it slightly to reach through The Force to grab hold of the scruffy thief and lift him. Certainly any of them could have managed that task but Caius just happened to be a hairsbreadth faster on the reaction time.

"Whoa there! I didnt' realize ancient journals was in the local rodent diet."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Hmm...Tomi and his brother. Tomi and his brother again...and again. Perhaps this journal could be better analyzed by someone who understood Arkanian. He was about to close it up and move on, when a rodent just jumps onto his lap and steals some of the pages.

    Cayde sighs, and gets up to go after the animal and try to Force pull it back toward himself. Why were there pests around here that bold, anyway? But Caius handles it anyway.

Athena (159) has posed:
For some reason Volk seems to be relieved that the rodent had interrupted Caius' train of thought. "Ah... yes, those are rather common in Jedha, unfortunately, they're a bit difficult to rid the Temple of completely. It's mating season, she's likely trying to build a nest."

When Caius lifts up the mouse, it squeaks pitifully and lets go of the flimsiplast pages it had grabbed. And before either Cayde or Caius can react, the door to the room opens, causing a gust of air to rush in and scatter the pages!

Akiren enters. "Master Volk," she says, bowing politely, "one of our contacts brings news regarding the whereabouts of some of the relics that went missing during the raid," she says.

When Cayde gets up to go after the rodent or perhaps retrieve the scattered pages, he might notice that there's an elongated box tucked behind some shelving in the back of the room. One of the pages has fallen next to it...

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
IT was indeed a good distraction as Caius doesn't continue on that last subject matter but instead holds the poor mouse steady, waiting to let Cayde, Hal or Volk recover the papers. When they're dropped anyway, he releases the critter, expectijng it to go scurrying off.

Just then, the wind sends the loose documents flying and Caius just shakes his head but then folds his arms into his robes as Akireu speaks concerning the raid. He doesn't track the movement of the papers himself though the other two may react to it.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde was about to go back to the table, but then the door opens suddenly and causes the pages dropped by the animal to scatter. The padawan goes to pick them up, and notices the odd oblong shaped box sitting on the floor behind the shelves.

    Huh...what was that doing all the way back here? He crouches down and opens it. If he saw Akiren enter, he doesn't acknowledge as he's not even in line of sight of the door any more.

Athena (159) has posed:
The mouse does indeed go scurrying off when Caius drops it, back into a dusty corner...

"Right," Volk says, glad for the pivot in topic. "What word have you received," he asks the Lonto woman.

She begins to elaborate about a remote location in the Outer Rim, but Caius may be left wondering why Volk had wished to change the subject completely, despite the importance of the topic...

When Cayde opens the box, he may be horrified at what he sees. Inside the box is a stone figure in the exact likeness of Tomi's brother. But it isn't a pleasant one. His expression is one that is one of pure terror and agony, and parts of the stone figure are missing, seeming to have dissolved away into ash that's gathered in eerie little piles all around it.

It is utterly horrifying, and Cayde may suddenly get the feeling that it isn't just a likeness. It -is- Tomi's brother. He had died this way. For some reason, looking at the ashy grey figure of Tomi's figure will fill Cayde with unspeakable dread, to the point of him perhaps feeling ill.

Hal (269) has posed:
Hal listens quietly and looks at the stone figure and his expression betrays his concerns. "That is not good." He remarks darkly. His hand almost leaps to his lightsaber, but his discipline keeps his hand steady. "What are we to do with this?" he asks.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Caius has indeed not forgotten but he also knows not to push his luck. Volk is a Master, and if he likes it or not..this wouldn't be the place to continue to press him into a full on debate, or even worse, an arguement on the merits of withholding information with such potential dire consequences looming overhead. Especially with a non Jedi present so...

For now he just watches, eyes narrowing a touch...until he hears Cal and notes Cayde's actvities.

Upon seeing the remains, his eyes open slightly wider and then narrow with a deep set frown to his face. There's no mistaking who it is.

"Preserved since The Battle of Jedha somehow.." he mutters and then he glances to Hal, "I dont' know.." he admits, "But...I think it's clear we need to know more about how he died and what Master Tomi was hoping to accomplish..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde gulps enough to prevent himself from vomiting. It's a strange feeling, and it doesn't quite make sense. How could this figurine literally -be- Tomi's brother? Maybe, Tomi created it after he died. But why would he want to remember a horrible moment like this? Perhaps it had been part of his research.

    He doesn't notice Hal looking over his shoulder until the other Jedi speaks up. The padawan turns around, shrugging. Maybe Master Volk knew something about it? His gaze wanders over to the Kel Dor.

Athena (159) has posed:
Akiren is about to share a pair of coordinates when the attention of the three Jedi is diverted towards the grotesque stone figure that Cayde had accidentally stumbled upon.

Volk whirls around. "Cayde, why did you--!" He rushes to the Padawan's side and elbowing him aside gently, closes the box hastily.

"Nothing," he says too quickly in response to Hal's question. "We will discard of it and speak no more of it."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns when Volk elbows him aside. But why hadn't it already been discarded, then? Why was he so eager to hide this from them, without explanation? He looks up at Trassa, his gaze inquisitive, and the older Master will be able to tell that he's just wondering all the why's one can possibly wonder.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Caius draws in a breath and then lets it out slowly, clearly taking a moment to both center himself and also keep his rising annoyance at Master Volk from being visible.

"As you wish< Master." he says simply to Volk's light rebuke and sharp movements to put an end to any investigation on that front.

He -attempts- to slyly pick up one of the scattered drawings that are on the desk, trying to absently, tuck it into his robes. "We will drop this thread.."

For now, lingers in the air of course. He most certainly has no intention of dropping this thread.

"We'll speak later.." he mutters towards Hal, "After you've rested more ..of course.."

He turns for the exit.

Hal (269) has posed:
"That... bodes poorly," Hal states grimly nd looks at Volk. He looks to Caius and nods firmly, "Indeed, rest will do me some good, and by then I should be ready to go to pursue" he gestures around the room, "this."

Athena (159) has posed:
Volk's expressions softens when Cayde looks at up him inquisitively, confused. "I'm sorry," he apologizes softly.

He notices as Caius moves to take one of the scattered pages from the journal, but actually makes no move to stop him. Instead, he just sighs. He seems ... spent.

"Indeed," he says quietly in response to both Caius and Hal. "We shall speak, and rest will do all of us some good."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde sighs...right. That 'sleep' thing that he can barely do these days. He glances back at that box again, but then tells himself that Master Volk must surely have a good reason for not wanting them to know about the statue. Still, it seemed odd, if they were trying to help Tomi, it was clear he was trapped in the traumatic loss of his brother. If they couldn't investigate that, then how else could they help him?

Hal (269) has posed:
Hal frowns and nods as Volk speaks and looks to Caius and Cayde as well, giving each a nod before saying, "Until we speak again, I shall rest." With that, he departs.