The Vergence and the Temple

The Vergence and the Temple
Date of Scene:	05 January 2025
Location:
Synopsis:	Navi and the Jedi discover the ruins of an old Jedi Temple.
Cast of Characters:	159, Navi, Cayde Alexis, Annelia Belask, Pike Windu

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Athena (159) has posed:
At last.

After traveling aboard the Legacy II for three weeks, they've finally arrived on Tenoo.

The first thing to observe about this Outer Rim planet is that it's greener and more verdant that most have ever seen. There's forested land for miles and miles, an expanse of wooded mystery that one might find themselves hopelessly lost in if they're not careful.

For now, they've docked at the spaceport in Kublop Springs, the other Republic colony on Tenoo. The town is small, has a quaint feel to it, and is situated right next to a wide blue river that foams with rapids farther down.

The arrival of the Legacy II has the diminutive spaceport bustling, as dock workers and droids hurry to unload the massive passenger freighter, as well direct the colonists to the local railway, which would transport them to the Tenoo initiative's colony site.

Navi has posed:
"At least it's not jungle," Navi observes softly as she descends the boarding ramp, her recalcitrant old porter droid in tow. "I don't have any good memories of jungle worlds." Not that forests don't have their own hazards. But she doesn't know anyone who has died on a forest world.

She has taken the trouble to wear some of her small stock of new clothes for the landing, considering them more appropriate for this world (and more likely to survive). It's all utilitarian clothing, made with work and hard use in mind, or so she hopes, but it's also brand new. It's possible some of the passengers on the Legacy II won't even recognize her without her robe.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde would be one of those people who has not seen anything this green before. At least, in a natural sense. Sure, he's been to Chandrila a few times, but even the mostly agricultural planet isn't as wild as this.

    Upon disembarking, he finds himself amazed at just how many trees and how much grass is everywhere. Seriously, he doesn't think he's -ever- seen trees -that- big before. Coruscant's synthetic and cultured gardens were tiny compared to this, and not even in the nature preserves on Chandrila. He hurries to the edge of town, eager to take a closer look...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann may literally be a stereotype of herself.

    She's seen green like this before, and spent a fair amount of time in the outer rim in her time. And perhaps most damningly- she packed -light-. A few changes of clothes and other essentials and that's... really just about it. If anyone had seen her quarter in the temple, there honestly isn't much she didn't bring, despite the totality of her packing fitting in a single tightly-packed backpack.

    "Don't get too far, Cayde," she calls after the padawan, shrugging a little- she doubts the animals that would venture near the spaceport will be much danger for the lad.

    INstead she busies herself helping others get unloaded and ready to head for the train.

Athena (159) has posed:
Several droids will usher Navi and start to herd Cayde towards the railway that will take them to the colony site.

"The Tenoo Railway runs on a schedule," the droid reminds both of them. "Departure will be in exactly two minutes and forty three seconds. The next train to arrive after that will not come for another forty five minutes, so it's advised to get on the railway now."

As Ann starts to help others unload and head for the railway, she'll approached by another elder Jedi Master, the one Yarael and Yaddle had mentioned to her earlier, Oona Yutelli. She smiles at her kindly. "Marshal Belask," she says, glancing in Cayde's direction. "I hope the railway doesn't leave without your padawan..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde glances back toward Ann when she calls after him, nodding and then continuing into the underbrush outside the town. He crouches down and pushes a small shrub aside, peering behind it.

    He ignores the droids.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann glances Cayde's way as the Master speaks, chuckling faintly. "His first time this far out in the Rim. Be a strong lesson, if it does, hm?"

    She looks back to Yutelli, nodding. "Ann is fine. Going to be a long, -long- time before anybody calling me 'marshal' doesn't sound strange. How much have you brushed up on the planet? Open to any know-how you have."

    She turns to walk-and-talk to the train, still fairly casual for the time being.

    Aside from whistling sharply back towards Cayde that is. "Padawan! There'll be trees and such at the colony too, and probably more animals with trains making less noise than starships. Get on the train or you're going to miss dinner."

Navi has posed:
"They sure cut this landing close," Navi observes toward the nearest droid, as she continues to make her way toward the train. Until she notices Cayde wandering off course. Then she makes a detour to stay close to him.

"C'mon, Cayde," she says encouragingly. "The train's leaving in a couple minutes, and we need to be on it."

Athena (159) has posed:
Cayde will find a couple of rodent like looking animals behind the bush he peers at. They have soft tufts of hair on their head and are extremely cute! Oh, but they run off when he uncovers them.

"Oh, I know," Oona says with a chuckle. "But I'd hate for him to miss out on finding and exploring the ruins of an old Jedi Temple from the Old Republic era."

"Ann it is, then," she says, continuing to walk along side the younger Jedi as they make their way onto the train. "Ah-h-h yes. I didn't know much initially but while we were in transit, I did much studying. I used to work in the archives, you know. Tenoo is a flourishing cauldron of life and vigor, and as you can see, very verdant. There's an abundance of both flora and fauna, and not all of it is friendly, so Cayde should mind himself and his curiosity." A paused. "My studies have lead me to believe that the old Temple here was built upon a vergence. Which is why Tenoo is so rife with natural resources."

The droids continue to drone on at both Cayde and Navi monotonously, "The train will depart in one minute, and thirty three seconds. Please board at your earliest convenience."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde stares at the strange and yet very cute little furry creatures, wondering what they are. But then they dart away and other people are telling him to get back because they have to get on a train. Right...he supposes there will be even more interesting nature to look at once they arrive at the site. He nods and follows her back toward the station.

Navi has posed:
"Don't worry, Cayde. I'm sure there's more of those cute critters where we're going," Navi observes, turning toward the train and beckoning her porter droid to follow, which it does, warbling complaints rught up until they board the train.

She waves to Master Yutelli and Anne as she and Cayde approach the pair on the way to the train station. "Hopefully we can find seats close together, Masters. Anything we should know about the colony site that wasn't reported in the briefings and training courses?" she asks.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Vergence, huh? A wonder it's taking us this long to set up here, if that's supposed to be the case," Ann muses aloud, patting Cayde on the back as he catches up and letting him and the Master step onto the train first.

    "Do we have any reports on the state of the ruins? Free to enter or are we talking about putting in support beams so the whole thing doesn't come down on anyone's head?" She sets her backpack in a luggage area with a casualness that suggests she won't be all that fussed if it goes missing somehow.

    "I mean, I know I'll probably be hip-deep in paperwork for the first few days there anyways, for one. Can worry about the ruins once we're sure the people are settled in decently."

Athena (159) has posed:
"The briefings and training courses should have been adequate," Yutelli replies to Navi, "but of course, this is the Outer Rim. There will always be the unexpected. But the Force will guide us."

"Ah, well. The ruins are thousands of years old and likely mere stubs of stone at best, and the thing about them is that where they are exactly is not well documented. I tried researching deeper into this matter, but I was only able to triangulate their approximate location to a certain area." Yutelli nods. "I'm not sure, actually. No Jedi has been documented to have visited this site for at least a thousand years. As I said before, it's probably going to be the latter." Thirty seconds after they board the train, it lurches into motion, taking them away from Kublop Springs and deep into the mysterious and seemingly endless woods of Tenoo. Oona watches the landscape pass outside the window briefly, then smiles when Anne mentions paperwork. "Paperwork? Oh, Anne, not even the Marshal can be expected to do paperwork immediately after making a three week journey through hyperspace. Don't worry. I've arranged for the paperwork to be saved for tomorrow at the earliest. The security team was also hoping we could make a perimeter sweep right after we arrive, just so that the colonists can be assured they can sleep peacefully on their first night here."

The ride is eight hours long, but in comparison to how long they took to actually get to Tenoo from the Core, the journey to the colony site will feel relatively short.

Eventually, they'll arrive - it is dark, and Tenoo's two moons will shine bright against a cloudless night sky full of stars. When they disembark, they'll find that several others have already arrived before them and are starting to setup temp housing.

The site itself is beautiful in its own right - it sits a top of a massive clearing on a ridge that overlooks a deep, lush valley. What's in that valley? Only light knows, literally. It's too dark to see much other than massive trees with flat tops. But there's many sounds to be heard - chirping, chittering, squeaking, and rustling.

However, if one stares into the valley for long enough, they might notice there seems to be tiny blinking blue floating in the nebulous darkness down there.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Once they get off the train, Cayde can be found leaning over the edge of the ridge and staring into the dark valley below with those...strange little blue lights. Where they animals? Plants? There wasn't another settlement already here was there? He'd read about bioluminescence before, so that must be what they are. But he's never seen them in person...

    He starts looking for the easiest and quickest way down into the valley.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "I'm talking in terms of our first week or so here, not immediately after getting off the train," notes Ann to the Master as the group settles in for the train ride.

    As she steps back out of the train, backpack slung over one shoulder idly, she clicks her tongue a few times going over the look of the place- then goes completely silent as she focuses on the -sound- of it.

    "Wait for daylight, Cayde," she calls over her shoulder, not even looking.

Navi has posed:
Navi steals a nap for roughly four of the eight hours of the train journey. The forest starts out as interesting, but after an hour or so becomes a bit monotonous to her. Fortunately, internal alarms are easy when you've had Jedi training, and she is awake long before they stop at the colony site.

Stepping down from the train (her recalcitrant porter droid complaining as it follows her), she is almost immediately taken with the sight of little blue lights down in the valley, seemingly moving about under their own power, and yet doing so where there should be no lights or power. "Now what in..." she murmurs, studying them for a long few moments. "Some kind of bioluminescient insects? Glowflies?" she muses.

It's about then that she notices the very much non-bioluminescient Padawan looking for a way down into that valley. "Cayde, wait! It's too dark to be going exploring without a glowrod!" she cries.

Athena (159) has posed:
There's what looks like a path that leads down into the valley, but it's kind of rocky and uneven looking. Furthermore, the ledge that Cayde is standing on seems... questionably stable, as well...

Anne might notice that the doctor had disembarked after her and is watching her, brows furrowed. "You might want to try to just going over there," he says in a deceptively calm voice. "He often seems to display a penchant for ignoring verbal commands." But rather than waiting for her to respond, he walks off.

The blue lights, upon Navi's shouting to warn Cayde, start to move erratically, and then seem to disappear back into the shadows, though a few remain...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Oh...Cayde looks somewhat disappointed when most of the lights disappear. Well, maybe it wasn't worth it to go down there any more. He hesitates at the head of the path of sorts that he'd found, debating whether he should follow it or not.

Navi has posed:
"We can check out the glowbugs another night, huh? For now we've got to help set up our living spaces," Navi advises Cayde, resting a hand on his shoulder gently. "It's too dark to go down there without risking breaking a leg, anyway, and the medical bay's still in pieces aboard the train."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Cayde! Come on, you're a Jedi and we have a job to do and if I have to listen to another snippy, passive-aggressive drive-by by Cassias I'm about ready to turn to the dark side," says Ann with a seriousness on one end of the sentence and blatant sarcasm on the other.

    "To wit- surprised there's not already some settler running up to mark out the area for the settlement they had in mind. If none show up in the next minute here we'll run the edge of the ridge then sweep along the treeline, maybe set out a few people watching fires to keep the animals warded off until the housing gets a little more solid. Keep an eye out for anything you can see through the trees despite the dark, we'll mark them to investigate further in the coming days."

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona, who had disembarked after the doctor, blanches when Anne expresses her blatant distaste for the doctor, but doesn't comment.

She chuckles a bit uncomfortably in an attempt to soothe the situation and says. "The tech team ran into a couple of hiccups and are a bit delayed in getting the probe markers out, but they did manage to deploy a couple. However, I think they're likely on the west side of the site," she says. "I do have a map that spans the area, though, and it should be a rough enough idea to just start the sweep," she says. "Come now Cayde, your master beckons," she calls to Cayde. "And Navi, if you'd like to join us, that'd be much appreciated." She glances down at the map, and nods at Anne's comment. "Yes, I do think checking the edge of the ridge first would be a good idea." And she starts towards the overhang, hoping the others will follow.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    There are a few of those glowing insects still floating around down there...maybe he can lure them up here somehow. Or, at least even one of them. See, he's got this idea of trying to catch one in a bottle or something.

    But then Anne is yelling for him so he turns around and goes back to join them. [Yes master...] he signs, waiting for whatever it was that he was supposed to be doing.

Navi has posed:
"Be right there, Master," Navi calls back, moving to follow Cayde after one last look back at the odd bioluminescient insects. "We'll check out the glowbugs another night real soon, Cayde. Promise."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann smiles faintly, shrugging. "Sorry, Master. I guess the others didn't get around to telling you, but apparently I can be a lot to deal with sometimes," she says only -slightly- sardonically this time.

    "We'll walk the ridge, note promising paths down, sweep the treeline to ward off curious animals and note any points of interest, then we can follow up on all that in coming days with a better sense of the space and daylight on our side for the first few trips," she repeats for Cayde's sake.

    She moves as briskly as ever, keeping a little bit of safe distance from the edge proper, but not a -ton-.

Athena (159) has posed:
Yes, the idea is rather enticing, Cayde will notice that as they start to walk away, the lights begin to blink back into existence.

"Last one back to the site after finishing the sweep is a rotten nuna egg," Oona says to Navi teasingly. "Don't linger, dearest!"

Oona smiles. "I'm not concerned," the elderly Mirialan reassures Anne. "I do believe the role of Marshal is suiting you very well."

Then, into the woods the four of them go.

It's beautiful and serene, surrounded by the sounds of the night critters and starlight. Cayde might become distracted when some of those floating blue lights actually rise up and linger near the edge of the ridge. He'll be able to see that they're some kind of flying bug with iridescent wings. Some of them are really small, others, the size of a human fist. They seem to be curious about them.

As they progress making the sweep, Navi and Jedi may notice that the vegetation is starting get thicker and the trunks of the trees growing significantly wider as they walk the ridge...

Navi has posed:
"Duly noted, Master," Navi replies to Oona, stifling a heavy sigh. She follows Anne and Oona along the ridge, keeping a bit further back from the edge than Anne, but most of her attention is taken up by the flora and fauna, or at least what of it she can see.

"Is it just me, or are the trees here really big, even for this world?" she asks the group in general. "And the glowbugs, too? I've never seen flying insects this big."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The trees...they're bigger th an any he's ever seen. And some of the insects are the size of his fist! He's never seen any bugs that huge before.

    Cayde notices one floating lazily into a tree hollow that may as well be a small hut, it's so huge. He finds himself equally curious about them as they are of him, and he starts following it into the tree, all the while trying to see if he can touch its mind like he can with many other living things...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "I'm noticing it- I'm thinking that once we have the settlement more or less stable, and this area mapped out, we use the density of outsized trees and see if it starts getting more frequent in any particular direction- if it really is all because of this Vergence, could be a way to narrow down the location and get close enough to feel it out or scan the rest of the way," says Ann ponderously, brow furrowed a little.

    "Cayde we're not waiting up if you fall behind, best not get lost on the first night," she adds over her shoulder again. Something of a sixth sense for his meanderings at this point. "If you do lag behind, keep tabs on us your usual way at least."

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona frowns, looking pensive. "Perhaps..." she stretches her hand out in front of her. "... the... the vergence..."

"Maybe we are approaching it," she says to them. "Reach out into the Force!" she says, "See if you can locate it!"

Cayde will be able sense the creature in the Force, and if he so wishes, he'll be able to convince it to come nearer. It's unusually large, and intelligent, given its an insect.

Navi has posed:
Navi stretches out with her feelings at Oona's bidding, questing silently for any sense of anything unusual... but can't really feel anything more than the hum of the Force between the lifeforms present, herself and her friends included. Maybe it's slightly stronger than usual, but there's a LOT of life around them...

"If it's here, I can't feel it, Master. Sorry," she adds softly, refocusing her thoughts. "Cayde, are you still back there?" she calls softly in the direction she'd last seen the Padawan.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde bids the creature to come right in front of him and just hover there. He stares at it...it's so large. Like the size of a small bird, even. He holds out a flat palm, trying to convince it to land on him.

    He only vaguely hears Oona talking about searching for the vergence, and only absently starts reaching out. But he has no idea what a vergence would feel like.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann pauses a moment, looking off into the distance. She looks over to Oona, then reaches out for the map to mark not a location, but moreso a direction- the one she was just looking in.

    "Well if that's not the way to the vergence I'll eat my entire robe. But let's wait for some sunlight and a better base camp before we go wandering off into the forest, get the people settled in. Priorities, and all."

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona smiles, her expression suddenly distant as she focuses on reaching out in the Force. "You may not be able to feel it Navi, but its here..." she whispers. "It's not like anything I've ever felt before..." tears form in her eyes.

Cayde might be distracted when the large insect he'd summoned suddenly hovers over to Anne and rests on top of her head briefly before flitting off. He'll be able to feel the Force is very strong here, but Anne will be find herself washed in a wave of sensation unlike any other. The feeling is like simultaneously being connected to hundreds of beings all at once. She'll feel powerful for a brief moment, and then the feeling will fade. They hadn't reached the vergence just yet.

"Yes," Oona says to Anne, "We can finish our sweep and return here in the morning to further investigate." She then taps Cayde lightly on the shoulder. "Cayde, come, let's go. We should finish the sweep, and then head back quickly. It's getting cold."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows the creature, but then when it flits off, he deflates a bit. But, he'd been so close! Maybe if he came out here alone later, they wouldn't be as flighty. And he needs to find a container put one into...

Athena (159) has posed:
Later, the next morning, the group who had conducted the perimeter sweep the night before will regroup to discuss next steps regarding what they'd felt while conducting a perimeter sweep the night previous.

A vergence in the Force, so strong and vibrant that ironically enough, even Anne was able to sense it acutely! This was good news -- a precursor to locating the ancient Jedi temple from the Old Republic era, surely. And once that temple was found -- renovations and reconstruction could begin, to build the first functioning Jedi temple on Tenoo in a very, very long time.

Master Oona Yutelli would have gathered them on the northern edge of the colony site, which is the area within the colony site that's closest to where they'd last felt the vergence in the Force.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Master Pike Windu is present. He excited that the Vergence is real. But that excitement is tempered as he opens himself up to the Force. It's like drinking from a cool and clean mountain stream.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "So, down in the valley, we think? Smarter credits might've put some more funds into climbing equipment, but I suppose there's on sure way down there, if nobody minds getting their hands dirty," muses Annelia aloud, arms crossed as she looks down at the chasm with arms crossed, thoughtfully.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The valley...right. Cayde glances down there too, following Anne's gaze. Well--he'd nearly reached the bottom himself earlier, using some of the vines that dangled off of the trees and outcroppings. Who needs climbing equipment, right? He pulls the edge of his robe's sleeves a bit further down over his hands nervously.

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona nods and smiles in greeting at Pike, then turns to Anne. "Indeed, I agree."

Then she laughs when Anne mentions needing climbing equipment. "Well, we have the Force, and that's better, isn't it? But you know, you can tell the Republic's financial liaison, Xera, that you need a few more credits for certain kinds of equipment, now. You are the Marshal, after all."

She glances over at Cayde, who is tugging on his sleeves uncomfortably. "Why, Padawan Alexis, what's wrong? Aren't you excited to find the vergence?" She starts down the path towards the ridge, heading in the same direction Cayde had gone prior to reach the valley.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu has nothing to say at the moment. He waits for the others to provide a course of action.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "-We- have it... would any civilian archaeological or engineering teams we might need have it?" question Ann simply, raising an eyebrow to Oona, before shrugging it off.

    "Well, for the moment, one thing for it," she says simply, before picking a spot and dropping herself down the edge onto a not-too-far-down ledge to begin the descent.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde doesn't respond to Oona's question. Whether he didn't hear it or is attempting to pretend he didn't hear isn't fully clear; however what is clear is that he's nervous about something.

    He follows suit after Ann, jumping down onto the plateau where she'd landed.

    The group might notice that even though this area is supposedly uncharted, it would appear that someone else has been around here recently. The underbrush is trampled in some places, and there are broken branches as well as if someone had walked through.

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona grins, amused by Anne's response. "I certainly hope so, but I don't think any of us have had time to visit the varying teams to ensure they have what they need. But perhaps that's a responsibility to be performed by the Marshal?" She follows Anne's lead, using the Force to jump down to the ledge where Anne is. "Master Windu, I believe Anne has found a way down..."

The elderly Mirialan Jedi looks around, noticing a branch has been savagely broken at the point at which it intersects with the tree. "Well, who or what could have done something like this...?"

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann pauses, looking at the muddled ground... and lets out a breath of a chuckle, smirking. She reaches over and pats Cayde on the back- firmly enough to 'encourage' him to step forward ahead of the rest.

    "Alright then, trailblazer. You clearly couldn't wait- so you get point, since you've seen at least some of this before."

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu follows the others, jumping down to the ledge, the Force providing a soft landing.

    "Master? Something wrong?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde flushes when it becomes quite apparent to the others that he'd been here before. But he nods and steps ahead, following the trail he'd created...

    Well, to a point. That is, the point at which he'd not seen a cliff and nearly fallen into the gorge.

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona smiles, looking pleased pleased. "Oh nothing," she says cheerfully to Master Windu. "Just a teaching moment between Anne and Cayde. I'm sure it will be the first among many here on Tenoo." She laughs softly.

When Cayde suddenly pauses, Oona urges gently, "Well, what's the matter, Cayde?" she asks. "Your Master was right, where should we go next?"

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu nods at his colleague before turning to Cayde.

    "Padawan? What are we looking for?"

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Cliff, huh? Looks a bit scuffed around here. Bit of late night trouble with the exploring?" questions Ann, smirk having not yet left her face. "I did say to wait for daylight."

Navi has posed:
Navi had overslept. In her defense, she'd had a longer and more frustrating night than anyone. Except Cayde, perhaps, but in her mind that was very much open to debate!

By the time she catches up with the others, they're well into their trek. "Look out below!" she calls softly, dropping to the ledge on which they are standng.

"My apologies for being late," she says to the others, blushing faintly. "Did I miss anything important?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde shifts uncomfortably as the others press him for direction, glancing downward where several broken vines are hanging. Well, that's where he'd gone before. But it was obviously too long of a drop. The naked eye can't even see the bottom from here, the foliage is too thick.

    <...Sorry Master> he projects when Ann starts teasing him, his face flushing even deeper now.

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona glances over at Navi as she arrives. "Oh, dear," she says to the young Sephi girl. "Are you alright? You look as though you hardly slept last night," she says.

She chuckles at Anne's teasing reprimand, then turns to Cayde, "Well? Perhaps you'd like to tell us what really happened at this point?"

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Not about shame, Cayde- about learning," says Ann simply, waving it off. "And a -little- bit of my amusement. That aside- bad cliff there. Let's walk the ridge and find a better spot- or mark it off the map as a dead end, shall we?"

Navi has posed:
"You must be a terror at guessing games, Master," Navi replies softly to Master Oona, blushing faintly. "My sleep was indeed troubled and sparse."

Looking to the embarrassed Cayde, and Anne, she nods. "I agree, Marshal," she says softly. "Hopefully there's a better way down. And don't try to climb down on those vines. Even if they do reach the bottom, they won't take much weight. I don't even like to imagine trying to climb back up on them."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde glances at Oona, and then back down over the cliff. Wasn't it obvious? Besides that, she can likely pick up on his memories of the event. If it hadn't been for Navi, he might have been hanging there all night. Or worse yet, might have fallen.

    He nods at Ann's suggestion, glad to have the pressure taken off of him.

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona laughs at Navi. "Well, make sure you rest up well tonight," she tells the young Sephi girl. "It's only day two of being on the Outer Rim, can't have you getting tired."

Then she nods at Ann. "I've already marked this particular spot on the map as a poor means to descend into the valley," she says. "But it looks as though there's another path this way," she says, using the Force to push aside some of the brush to reveal another slightly overgrown walkway that leads downward into the gorge. But then she looks back at Cayde. "I would like to hear what happened, though. Use your words," she says. "Never a bad time for lesson in communication." She pats his head gently.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu brings up the rear of the party as it descends into the valley.

Navi has posed:
"I couldn't agree more, Master. If I'm not needed, I may retire early. I might be able to make up what I lost. If I'm not disturbed again," Navi replies. At least she doesn't look significantly at Cayde as she speaks, instead moving to follow Master Oona.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann nods, reaching out to hold the brush aside with her arm.

    "Good sleep's only going to be more important here, really. Fewer people to pick up the slack if we need you for something," she adds, mildly. She doesn't comment on Oona stepping in with Cayde- for now.

    "A whole pathway, hm? Might be time for those engineers to shore this up sooner than we thought. Clear some of the brush and tidy it up for easier travel."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows the rest of the group toward the path Oona has located.

    <I fell down> he projects toward Oona, in response to her question. Well, that was what happened, plain and simple.

Athena (159) has posed:
As they continue down the steep, somewhat prickly path down into the gorge, that overwhelming sense of the Force being strong here will grow, as the trees and plants around them seem to just get bigger and bigger.

Oona nods at Anne's comment. "Once we finish our excursion here, we can send them here with the path I've charted on this datapad thus far," she says. Then she falls back a bit, coming into stride with Pike and beckoning for Cayde to do the same. She gives Cayde a pointed look, but doesn't press the issue further. "Let's have a look at your hands, yes? Perhaps Pike can do something for you."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When Oona directly requests him to show her his hands, Cayde flushes again and hesitates, but eventually he reluctantly pulls the sleeves of his robes back up. Navi probably wouldn't be surprised to find that his hands and part of his lower arms are still quite swollen and full of hives. It looks like maybe he had received some treatment as there are still a few shreds of bandages on them but it appears most of them had either fallen off or have been torn off (one way or another). The only difference now is that some of them are broken open, likely from scratching.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu has a look, careful at first not to touch Cayde. But then the Jedi Master gently takes Cayde's hands in his and recites his usual mantra.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "It's only been a day. Let them settle their homes, then start trailblazing. Not all of them are quite so divested of things and comforts as we're meant to be," suggests Ann, shrugging a little. Her glance back at Cayde is a -little- reproachful, but her focus is clearly on the path ahead as the group moves.

Navi has posed:
Navi sighs at the sight of Cayde's hands. "As best I could tell, the swelling is just an allergic reaction," she says, moving closer to Pike and Cayde. "Thank the Force no anaphylaxis was involved. I did what I could with analgesic cream and bandages, but they just won't fix everything. By the way, I don't recommend trying to bandage someone's hands and arms if they're asleep."

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona shakes her head when Cayde shows her and Pike the rashes on his arms. "Thank you for that," she says to Navi, "No wonder you were so tired this morning..."

When Windu begins reciting his mantra to heal the young padawan, she says, "Thank you, Master Windu," and gently pats his shoulder in gratefulness.

Then she turns to Anne. "Oh, of course. I heard they'll be settled by tomorrow morning, so we can expect them to start work on the path down here by tomorrow afternoon or evening at the latest."

Eventually, they'll reach the bottom of the valley, and find themselves surrounded by trees with trunks thicker than a large penthouse in Coruscant is wide, surrounded by leaves five arm spans long. Then, at some point, they espy what must be the ruins of the old temple - several stone structures, covered in moss, protruding from the ground. Behind it, enshrouded by hanging vines, is a gloomy but grand looking building, still standing but missing parts of its walls here and there. It's huge, however, and even the lowest part of the broken wall is too high to Force leap over.

And somewhere nearby, they'll be able to hear the sound of something really massive moving between the trees, crushing undergrowth as it walks...

Pike Windu has posed:
    "I sense something. An animal, I think. I advise caution."

    Windu's lightsaber finds his hand, though it remains inactive.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Probably a big one, if it's anything like the trees. Shame we don't know what it might eat, might be a good way to go for peace with the fauna," muses Ann aloud, frowning a little. "Oh, and nobody goes inside those buildings 'till we've given them a solid kick to make sure they won't collapse from a sharp exhale in the wrong spot."

Navi has posed:
Navi freezes at the sound of some kind of large animal moving around. A VERY large animal. "That sounds really big," she observes softly. "And possibly unfriendly. Maybe we'd better go back..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Once Pike has finished the ritual, the reaction does recede, at least for now. Cayde brushes off what remains of the bandages and nods. [Thank you Master] he signs.

    As they approach the ruins, he stares at how enormous the wildlife here is. He has truly never seen nature like this before. But there is a creature...something big. And it doesn't like them. He tries to reach out into its mind, attempt to calm it and persuade it that they are not a threat and mean it no harm.

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona doesn't reply to anyone's comments, she's in awe of the ruins surrounding them. "How these stones have stood the test of time is beyond me..." she murmurs.

Meanwhile, Cayde's coaxing works, but the gargantuan creature still emerges. It's massive! The size of a full grown rancor. Four legged, furry, and three horns perch atop its head with a pushed in snout. It seems to find the temple grounds its territory, and while it now no longer sees them as a threat and isn't going to attack, it's still pretty bent on not letting them get any nearer to the ruins. Which poses a bit of a problem...

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu is in awe of the creature. But it is in their way.

    "Cayde, distract it...or something."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When the massive creature emerges, Cayde stares up at it. He's -definitely- never seen anything like that before, not in person, anyway. What was it? He starts to dig deeper into its mind, attempting to now convince it to leave this territory because there's a better one somewhere else. Somewhere else far away. -Very- far away...

Navi has posed:
"Master, why did you say that?" Navi whispers urgently to Master Windu. "Every time we tell him to do something like that, it tends to go badly..."

She reaches out to try to touch the creature's mind, intent on understanding it and possibly finding a way to get it on their side...

Athena (159) has posed:
Cayde and Navi's attempt to persuade it to leave works a little too well. It seems to fascinated by the fact that there's something else better, farther away, and since they're friends, it might as well let them in. It starts running in that direction. However, when it starts running, its massive footfalls shake the ground and cause the stone pillars near and around them to tremble.

Then, moments later, all the pillars begin to fall, all at once. "Look out!" Oona cries, as massive stones begin to plummet to the ground.

Navi has posed:
"Oh, frell..!" Navi cries softly as the creature gallumphs away, both from the feeling of the earth shaking under her and the sight of the pillars of the ruined temple beginning to crumble! She has a pretty good idea what comes after crumbling pillars... total collapse!

She hastily gathers the Force to her, tweaking and enhancing its flow between herself and the ground, in preparation for a leap for life. But as she does, a little voice from the Force cries out to look to the others around her...

Which is when she realizes that Master Windu and Anne won't be able to get clear in time...

She grabs each of them by the arm and draws heavily on the Force as rocks tumble and rain down around them, and a moment later she and her two friends are sailing well over ten feet above the ground, tumbling to the earth over forty feet away!

When the world stops tumbling, she finds herself looking up at the sky, her whole body aching from the strain. She will definitely be feeling /that/ tomorrow...

But at least Anne and Pike are alive! She'll take that victory. She tries to ask if they're safe and unharmed, but all that comes out of her mouth is, "...ow."

Pike Windu has posed:
    Navi's effort saves his life. But Pike still catches some falling debris. Sitting up, he holds his head in his hands.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As the ground shakes, Cayde jumps away from the falling debris. However, he lands on a slope of some kind, causing him to slide out of control down into a chasm between the temple ruins and some kind of cavernous space below. Fortunately, it isn't too far of a fall to the rocky bottom...

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona manages to leap away to safety in the nick of time. When she sees that Anne and Pike carried away to safety by Navi, she quickly makes her way over to them. She rests her hand on Pike's head gently for a moment. "Master Windu, are you alright?" Then she looks to Anne. "Anne? Is--"

But then she notices that she can't find Cayde. She frowns. "Where's Padawan Alexis...?"

Cayde may find himself scrabbling around in the dark for a few moments - it's pitch black down here and smells musky. But as he starts to get a better sense of what's around him, he may notice that somewhere deep inside this cavernous space, there's some tiny pinpricks of light. They seem to be embedded in the wall...

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu is seeing stars. It will take a moment for his head to clear. He shakes his head.

Navi has posed:
Navi groans softly from where she's lying. "I think I'm okay," she calls softly, not immediately realizing that no one had asked her. But she groans just a little louder at Oona's question.

She sits up slowly, grateful that the world stops rocking back and forth after a few moments. "I doubt he's far away," she says wearily, kneeling with some effort and attempting to stand.

As she rises cautiously to her feet, she calls on her telepathic training. <CAYDE! Where are you?!>

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann pushes herself up to her feet, dusting off- she took a few hits, but she's always been fairly insensible to hurt, ever since she was a youngling and padawan- something that surely caused Master Windu no end of grief at the time.

    After hearing Oona, she straightens up and shouts; "Cayde! Sound off your saber if you can hear us! The noise and the glow will help us orient to you."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde stumbles around in the dark for a few seconds, but then he notices those tiny pinpricks of light in the walls. They're...like stars. They're so beautiful...what are they?

    He approaches them, trying to get a closer look. Are they part of the rocks? Or maybe, they're creatures of some kind. As such, he reaches out into the Force, to see if they are indeed alive or not. Unfortunately, since he's so focused on these little lights, he doesn't pick up on Navi's attempts to contact him or Anne's shouting from above. And perhaps alarmingly for Navi, she can't seem to feel his presence, at least not among all the other life signs in this teeming patch of forest.

Athena (159) has posed:
When Pike shakes his head, Oona gives him a concerned look and offers the other master a helping hand.

"What a relief," she says to Navi. "You've been having it rough the past forty eight hours," she says. "I'm sorry..."

After Pike and Navi have recovered at least to some degree, Oona wanders over to the front wall of the temple. "Cayde!" she calls out. "Can you hear me?"

She then runs her hand over the dusty surface of the structure, revealing ancient aurabesh text. "The pillars were a defense mechanism," she murmurs softly, "when disturbed, they'd all fall, barring the way to the Temple, deterring anyone who might try to invade. This Temple must have been active during the Great Sith Wars," she says softly. "At least we know at least parts of it still work." She looks around, frowning, and noticing that there's no doors on this front wall. "How curious... I wonder how they got into this Temple at all. There doesn't appear to be any kind of visible entrance," she says, carefully examining the rest of the ruins.

The pinpricks of light are not creatures, but Cayde will find that they seem immersed in the Force. As he draws nearer, he'll see that they're glowing outlines on the wall in front of him. The text is ancient aurabesh, and right below it is what appears to be three indentations in the wall, shaped curiously like kyber crystals. The orifices are glowing...

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu attempts a Force healing on himself. But his head is still jumbled for him to concentrate enough to channel the Force

Navi has posed:
"Well, knowing that, should we be deterred, Master?" Navi asks. "We might need heavy equipment to get inside this temple after those pillars came down. And there's still no sign of Cayde." At Oona's apology, she just shrugs. "I'm used to it. But y'know, when we get back, tell Doctor Cassias that he's inherited the 'Keep Cayde out of Trouble' role for the next 48 hours. I'll relieve him afterward, if he's still sane."

She begins to search carefully around the fallen pillars, using her collapsible staff to probe the ground at times for weaknesses or overgrown holes. It's several minutes before she finds an anomaly.

"Masters! There's a slope over here!" she calls to them, waving her free hand over her head. "And it looks like the ground's been disturbed partway down it!"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde examines the ancient text, fascinated. He'd studied it a little bit some time ago, but not enough to really read it. Still, he recognizes some glowing kyber crystal shaped carvings in the wall below the writing. Could this be a secret door or something? He puts a hand into one of the indentations, reaching out into the Force again to see if there is something behind the wall.

Athena (159) has posed:
"We are not Sith," Oona says, "So I don't think so. The Jedi of the Old Republic had reason to believe that their enemies at any moment might attack their strongholds, thus the need for these types of defense mechanisms."

When Navi points out there's a slope that ends in a large hole, she hurries over there, and peers down into it. "Cayde?" She calls out again. "Are you down there?" She looks over at Navi and Pike. "I can sense him in the Force," she says. "Come, the three of you, quickly!"

There is indeed something behind the wall, whatever he's standing in front of is some kind of door. When he puts his hand on it, the stones around him begin to move and shift with a loud grinding sound. Soon, he'll find himself standing front of what appears to be two great double doors, flanked by the panel with the glowing, kyber crystal shaped indentations.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu begins silently reciting his mantra. At first it is a mumble. Then his words become clear.

Navi has posed:
Navi needs no additional instructions. She takes a pocket high-intensity glowrod from a pocket of her jacket and switches it on, bathing the interior of the slope in light as she advances carefully into the opening.

"Cayde! Can you hear me? We're coming to find you, okay? Just stay put!" she calls down the tunnel, hoping Cayde is conscious and able to respond.

Then she remembers that she's telepathic, and tries to nudge him that way as well. <Cayde! Can you hear me?>

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Maybe a tracker..." Ann mumbles to herself as she proceeds into the cave with the others- presumably referring to the errant padawan.

Navi has posed:
"Or a leash... I may have enough spare leather to make something like that, if you could provide the necessary metal tackle to attach it," Navi adds, also in a murmur, off Ann's mumbles.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde's eyes widen as there a distinct grinding sound. He takes a few steps back as the stone shift around him, revealing tall stone double doors. Excited, he approaches them, searching for a way to open them. Sometimes ancient temples had complex locks that required a skilled Force wielder to open the way.

    But just then, he hears Oona and Navi shouting after him, and feels Navi's mental touch as well. <Yes...I found a door> he answers her.

Athena (159) has posed:
"yes... it does seem your Padawan has a penchant for wandering off," Oona says, frowning. They begin to descend into the cave, and will find Cayde standing in front of the large glowing double doors. Navi may recall that this kind of door required kyber crystals to open it. Presumably that's what the glowing indentations on the left side are for.

But the sound of the creature they'd encountered before can be heard baying in the distance. "Pike, dear, will you keep watch?" Oona asks, lifting her head up at the sound. "Hopefully the creature doesn't return..."

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike raises his saber hilt in acknowledgment. He reaches out with the Force to get a bearing on the beast...

Navi has posed:
Navi rolls her eyes. "If you only knew, Master," she says softly. "I remember something about these doors needing Kyber crystals to open, but not much more. See, there's the sockets for the crystals. Do we have any? Besides the ones from our lightsabers, anyway?"

She winces faintly at the sound of the creature in the distance. "Or at least if it does, it's in a good mood."

Athena (159) has posed:
"Yes!" Oona says, "You're absolutely right, Navi." She beams at the young Sephi girl. "Excellent memory," she says with a chuckle. "And congratulations, Cayde, I believe you've found the entrance to the ancient ruins. However, next time, you ought to try to be a bit better about telling your Master where you are."

She then glances at Navi, "I do believe these doors need kyber crystals to open. But there's some ancient aurabesh here," she says, drawing closer to the panel. "Let me see what it says."

She places a hand over the ancient aurabesh above the panel with the glowing kyber crystal shaped indentations in it, tracing the lettering gently, her brow furrowed. "... I believe it's saying that in order to open the doors, a specific kind of kyber crystal must be placed in the center socket." She points at the middle one, which is glowing a different color than the other two. "And if I recall correctly, these types of doors, if they required a particular type of crystal, usually it would be a pontite crystal." Her brows furrow. "The closest planet with such crystals is... Ilum." She looks to Anne, Navi, and Cayde.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns at the sound of the creature's call in the distance. No, it shouldn't be coming back. After all, he'd convinced it there was another better habitat somewhere else. And given how dense the forest is in this area he was certain it would find something.

    But when Navi mentions the kyber crystals it dawns on him. Oh, right...the slots must be for the crystals. He was about to start disassembling his own saber, but then Oona reveals that they would need a special type of kyber crystal, and the best place to get one was to go back to Ilum. Well, he hadn't been there for years. And wasn't that many parsecs away? Maybe there was another way into the temple...

Navi has posed:
"That may present a small problem, Master... or maybe a not-so-small problem," Navi observes, nodding back the way they'd come from. "We can't go forward, but we may not be able to go back. We'd better get going if we don't want to get cornered in here," she adds, starting back in the direction they'd come from.

Athena (159) has posed:
Oona nods. "We'd best head back now. I'll contact the Council -- perhaps the Force guides us to certain places for certain reasons! Master Yoda had informed me one of the younglings I had found while I was a Seeker will be part of a group going to Ilum to find their crystal soon. He invited me to go along, and since it appears that we'll need to do some of our own kyber crystal hunting, we could join them on Ilum and perhaps even allow some of the older ones to join us in our search for a pontite crystal after their trial."

She smiles. "It will be good to return to Ilum after all these years," she says with a wistful sigh.

Then she starts back up the slope, back the way they'd come and towards the path that leads back to the colony site.