Dathomir's Darkness (Proving of Marrek)

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Dathomir, a planet of pure darkside energy and power, and the home of the Dathomir Nightsisters. Never before had Marrek been there, especially not when he was a Jedi. Given that on rare occassions during his days as a Jedi, others would travel to this planet for the soul purpose to test their will to resist the darkside. Every time they returned, they would come back with a greater understanding of the Force, and about themselves. Perhaps in his mission here the same would happen to him, or perhaps not. Either way, he didn't care at all. The whole point of this mission was to prove himself worthy of being Darth Valrum's apprentice, something he was determined to prove. So far he had spent days on Dathomir, searching for this source of Dathomir's darkside energy. Finally, he believes his search has come to an end.

He questioned the Singing Hills Nightsister clan about this source of power during his stay, but never did he get any answers. That is until one day an elderly woman approached him, and spoke cryptic words to him. At first Marrek dismissed it as insane rambling, due to it's cryptic nature. It would be only that night that he would realize that his time in exile had completely diminished his understanding of the cryptic arts. That very night at his camp, which was only a few miles away from the Singing Hills village, he sat in the dirt meditating upon the old woman's words. No one would be able to tell, but his eyes were closed behind his protective eye goggles. He sat cross legged with his four-fingered hands resting on his knees. He took in slow deep breaths, replaying the old woman's words in his head over and over again.

"Within the deepest depths of darkness you must travel. The past shall come to haunt you in your visit, there you shall be challenged to overcome your own demons. Within the caverns of the past you will discover what you seek. Your time has come...your time has come..."

What on earth could the old woman possibly have meant? She could have made it simple to understand instead of being cryptic about it. He sighed in frustration and stood up. He had to accomplish his mission...he wasn't going to leave until he did. He walked over to the small portable table he had set up nearby, and stopped one foot away from it. His dark brown robe sat on the table, with his curved lightsaber hilt resting on top of it. In addition to that, he had a glow lamp sitting on the table to illuminate the campsite. He took the lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, then he put on his dark brown robe. He pulled his hood over his head, and turned off the glow lamp so no one would find his camp. Maybe a walk would clear his mind so he could decipher the old woman's words.

He walked away from his camp, carefully watching his steps as he walked so he wouldn't trip in the dark. It was unusually dark that night...it was very cloudy, actually. Not even the light of the moon could pierce the night sky's clouds. He found this very odd, actually. This was the first night of his stay when this had happened, and he found this rather curious. As a matter of fact, it couldn't just be a mere coincidence that the night sky would become cloudly on the very same day that the old woman spoke her cryptic words to him. There must be a connection somewhere...perhaps her words would become clear to him after all. He finally stopped walking when he came to the edge of a cliff. He looked down and saw small fires from below. The fires illuminated several huts. No doubt there was a Nightsister tribe below. After a few minutes he looked up, and saw something very unusual.

There was a moutain in the background that he had never seen before, neither during the day nor during the night. He took a pair of electro-binoculars off his belt, and held them up to his protective eye goggles. He zoomed in on the mountain roughly 10x, and it came clear in an instant. He couldn't make out the small details of the mountain, but he definitely had never seen it before. The mountain was just ten miles away according to his binoculars...he could get there quickly. Perhaps tonight he would discover the source of the darkness near that mountain. He put his electro-binoculars back on his belt, and turned on his heel to head back to his campsite. If he wanted to get there quickly, he'd have to take his speeder bike to get there. Traveling there during the dead of night would be risky, but it was a risk he had to take. The entire time he spent walking back to his campsite, the more he felt less at ease with the planet. Something was definitely wrong...the presence of the Darkside was greater than ever now. This was without a doubt the night he'd discover the source of Dathomir's darkness...he could feel it.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Marrek walked into his camp, but before he went to his speeder bike he wanted to make sure everything was secured. He needed to make sure everything was in the proper container before he set off. He found eating an impossibility since he had to wear a gas mask, so he had to grind his food into a fine paste, then inject the paste into his bloodstream for nutrients. He would do the same with drinks, but he had to make sure they were non-alcaholic. Because he was injecting it directly into his blood stream, he could get drunk quite easily. After he put his injectors, food, drinks and other supplies in their proper containers, he carried them into his tent and tied the tent flaps together. He tied them up in nearly impossible to open knots, so it would take quite a while for anyone who tried to steal his supplies to undo the knots. He then turned off the glow lamp, leaving his entire camp ecplipsed in darkness. Finally he walked over to his speeder bike, hopped on, and revved up the engines.

Even though the speeder bike was small, it was fast and nimble, able to weave in and out of obstacles easily. It also had a navigation device built in, so finding the mountain would be easy. He input the coordinates of the mountain, then after a few moments the navigation device beeped, showing the directions of the mountain. If he weren't wearing a gas mask, a look of success and slight cockiness would be seen. He quickly accelerated forward in the direction of the mountains, and into the forests. He weaved nimbly in and out of the trees, letting the Force flow through him so he could navigate easier. As he rushed across the landscape, he could hear the sounds of the night. Howls, growls, chirps, and even cries of pain. These sounds actually sent a slight shiver down his spine, and made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time: Fear and doubt. He pushed these feelings to the back of his thoughts, not allowing them to make their way back. He wanted to prove he was worthy of becoming a Sith, and in order to do that he couldn't have any doubts or fears. He was determined to get through his mission quickly; he wasn't going to let anything stand in his way. After roughly an hour of zooming across the landscape, he finally arrived at the mountain. He came to a slow halt several feet away from the base of the mountain, and looked up in awe and wonder.

"By the Force..."

This mountain was much different from the other mountains on Dathomir. The mountain was covered with ferns, trees, and other types of foliage. However, the thing that really grabbed his attention was the fact that there was a cave opening at the foot of the mountain. He could feel darkside energies gushing forth from the mouth of the cave...it was invigorating. Marrek took a brief moment to bask in it's power, it made him feel almost invincible. He turned off the engines and dismounted his speeder. He pulled down his hood and walked towards the mouth of the cave. As soon as he stepped inside the cave, he was met with complete darkness. Without a glow rod, the only thing he could use to illuminate his way was his lightsaber. He took it off his belt, and ignited the blue blade. The blade stood at exactly 3', the perfect height for a Makashi user. He knew that after he becomes Valrum's apprentice, he'd have to change his lightsaber color to crimson. This was his last night that he would get to use the first lightsaber he ever built...it was hard to believe it still functioned. As he walked further into the cave, he noticed something very odd. There were writings on the wall, almost as if this cave were a tomb. The wall writings were written in a language he didn't recognize, which was very odd because he knew many languages thanks to his previous Jedi training. However, the strangest thing about the wall writings was that they seemed to glow an eerie emerald color. This was a very odd cave indeed.

As he walked deeper into the cave, something new drew his interest: a large obalisk. Like the walls, there were writings on the obalisk. He walked over to the stone structure, and held his lightsaber up to the obalisk. This time, it was written in a language he actually understood; it was written in the language of his homeworld, the Kel Dor language. Why would the writing on this obalisk be different from that of the walls, Marrek wondered. He silently read it to himself at first, then he read it outloud to make sure he was correct.

"You wil face the ghosts of your past..."

He couldn't help but wonder what it meant. Before he could come up with an answer, a blaster shot wizzed past his head. His reflex was to roll behind a rock and duck for cover, which is exactly what he did. He crouched down on one knee, while he supported the rest of his body weight with the other. He held his lightsaber in both hands, holding it high and back as if ready to strike. He just realized that he switched from Makashi to Djem-So subconcsiously. This was very odd...it was as if his combat training was coming back to him. However, he knew he would be very rusty since he had not seen combat in quite a while. He risked getting shot at, and peered over the rock to get a look at his attackers. When he saw who shot at him, he was filled with anger and rage. They were the slavers he and Velok had encountered on their final mission to Endor. He furrowed his brow, and jumped on top of the rock. He was instantly met with a volley of blaster fire from the four of them. He blocked the frist two shots, then jumped down from the rock, avoiding the last few shots aimed at him. He ran at the slavers, and all but one of them ducked for cover behind rocks.

The slaver that didn't take cover fired at Marrek as he charged at him. Even though he had a low level of Force Jump, he had the ability to get enough air to get him with an airal strike. He Force Jumped into the air, avoiding the first few shots, but the last one managed to catch his foot. Marrek winced in slight pain, but that wasn't going to stop him from slaying his attacker. He arched his lightsaber above his head, and as soon as he landed on the ground he brought it down on the slaver and split him in two. But instead of actually splitting in half, he disappeared in a flash of light. He paused for a moment, wondering why this happened. However, he was cut off from his thoughts when three blaster bolts wizzed past him. He turned on his heel, and ran after the nearest slaver. His attacker fired several more blaster bolts at Marrek, and he in turn either deflected or dodged most of them. A few of them nearly hit him, but missed him by barely an inch. Marrek spun his lightsaber hilt inbetween his thumb and index finger, twisted his arm behind his back as he turned his body, brought his saber around above his head, then brought it back down to his side and swung at the slaver. The slaver disappeared in a flash of light like the first one. This time he didn't pause to wonder why this happened, and turned to face the last two slavers. They fired at Marrek several times, but he twirled out of the way of the first few bolts. He held out his lightsaber to his right side and redirected a stray bolt at one of the slavers. The bolt hit the slaver in the head, and he disappeared in a flash of light.

The distance between himself and the last slaver wasn't too bad, so he could take him out with ease. He twirled his lightsaber in front of him, making for a swift barrier of defense. The slaver fired at Marrek, but the bolt was easily deflected. Marrek spun on his right heel, turning his body around for a spin attack. When he came back around to the slaver he swung at his neck, and decapitated him. Then like all the rest of the slavers, he vanished in a flash of light. Marrek took a deep breath, and continued down the cave tunnel. His foot was in slight pain, so he had no choice but to heal it. Even though he was still rusty, he still knew how to use Force Heal to a certain extent, even though it was weak. He concentrated on his burnt foot, and healed the damage to a certain extent. It wasn't completely healed, but it would be enough to help him last the rest of the mission. He continued to walk, feeling confident that he would be ready for whatever faced him now.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

(In order to avoid character confusion in this particular post, I will color-code the character's dialoge. Here's how it will work:

Blue= Marrek
Orange= Velok
Yellow= Nunec)

Marrek was truly complexed. He just faced four slavers he had encountered on Endor when he was eighteen. Every time he defeated one of them, they disappeared in a flash of light. If it weren't for the fact that he was wearing goggles, the flash probably would have blinded him. What's more was that obalisk he had seen back there. After he defeated the slavers, the stone structure just disappeared. He had actually lost track of how much time there was between his arrival at the obalisk, and where he was now. He took a datapad off his belt, and had a look at it. It was roughly 11:47 PM Galactic Standard Time, just thirtheen minutes away from the new day. Valrum was supposedly going to arrive tomorrow morning at 9:00 Galactic Standard time, and Marrek was determined to get there before Valrum would. He sighed and put the datapad back on his belt, and continued to walk down the tunnel. He noticed there was no more writing on the wall, and that the only thing illuminating the cave was his lightsaber. After about fifteen more minutes of walking, he came across a large stone door.

The door frame was entirely made of stone, running along the walls of the cave. The frame was in the shape of a half-hexagon, and was 15ft in height. Within the half-hexagon were two rectangular frames that slanted at the top. The two rectangular frames held a large, double door in place. Everything was made of stone, and was a light tan color. On either of the rectangular flames there were exactly two torches, each of them lit with bright flames. Marrek held out his free hand and tried to put out the flames with the Force, but nothing happened. However, he did sense a very dark power here...moreso than anywhere else in the caves. He looked at the foot of the door, and saw a black mist slowly creep out from the door frame. He couldn't help but wonder what it was. His curiosity urged him to take a step forward, and he followed that curiosity. As soon as he took a step forward, black mist gushed forth by the bucket loads forcing Marrek to deactivate his lightsaber, and put up both his arms in front of his face to protect himself in case the mist was lethal to the breath. His robe flapped behind him from the gushes of air, and actually sent him skidding back a few inches. This lasted for about a minute before it finally ended. When he moved his arms out of the way, he saw two figures standing at least five feet away from him. He insantly recognized them as they became clearer. It was his former Jedi Master Velok, and his former Jedi Padawan Nunec Amsil. For a minute, Marrek was stunned, but then everything became clear to him. The obalisk's message, the slavers, and now the two people who ever actually meant anything to him...this was all an illusion, but an illusion that could hurt him nonetheless.

The two illusions that stood before him were actually dead-on accurate. Velok was just .66 meters tall, wearing a red robe with a tan under robe. His utility belt was essentially bare, except for the one lightsaber clipped to it. His skin was a dark grey color, and his eyes were green. He had absolutely no hair on his head at all, just like Nunec. Marrek's former Padawan was wearing a tan tunic with a brown undertunic, with tan pants and brown boots. Unlike Velok's utility belt, his had pouches and other items, along with his lightsaber. His skin was blue, his eyes brown, and his lek'ku hung over his chest. Marrek shook his head slightly and took off his dark brown robe, allowing it to fall to the floor.

"Nunec, Velok. What are you two doing here? This is no place for two Jedi."

"About to ask you the same question we were, my old friend. Only disciples of Darkness come here, yes?"

"You would be correct in saying so, Velok. I've turned to the darkside, and you won't stop me. The two of you are nothing compared to me now! Stand down, and your deaths will be quick this time."

"Master, what are you saying? You're a Jedi Knight, remember? You don't belong with the Sith, Marrek! Come back to the light. It's not too late to ask for the forgiveness of the Jedi Order."

Marrek payed no mind to the illusion's words. This was a trick to test his will-power. Even the pure energy of teh darkside tested it's followers. Marrek was a stubborn one, and wouldn't be so easily persuaded.

"This is your last chance, Jedi fools. Stand down now and allow me to pass, and I will spare your lives. Neither of you are a match for me, and you know it. I have surpassed the two of you in every way possible...I have become more powerful than either of you!"

"I'm sorry Marrek, but we can't let you continue down this path! I'm sorry, but if you won't stop then we must kill you."

"You can try, but you will fail. Your fates are sealed!"

Marrek ignited his blue blade and held it up in front of his face. He made a rapid "X" in the air, the classic Makashi salute. Velok ignited his orange shoto lightsaber, and entered an Ataru stance. Then Nunec ignited his yellow lightsaber blade, and entered a Djem-So stance. Before Marrek could make a move, Velok launched himself at Marrek. Velok held his lightsaber in one hand above his head, then swung downwards at Marrek's right shoulder. Marrek swiftly raised his lightsaber up from his side, and parried the blow. He took one step back as he made his parry, but Velok soon mounted another attack. He made a spinning swing for Marrek's legs, but Marrek quickly rotated his arm around counter-clockwise so it rotated downwards to parry the blow. He parried Velok's blow, pushing Velok's orange saber to the side. His opponent quickly Force Jumped over and behind him, landing ten feet behind Marrek. Before he could turn around to face Velok, he saw Nunec running at him with his saber held high above his head. Never before had Marrek been more thankful to be a Kel Dor, otherwise he wouldn't have the increased reflexes necessary to defend himself in time. Since Nunec was using Djem-So, and since Makashi wasn't conditioned to defend against brute strength, Marrek was at a slight disadvantage. However, Marrek was very familiar with Nunec's style, so he should have no problems defeating his former apprentice. He held his lightsaber tightly in both hands, then raised the saber over his head horrizontally, so his lightsaber would block the blow. Taking only a moment to regain his composure, he quickly turned his body and spun clockwise towards Nunec, unlocking their blades in the process. Nunec took a step back, ready to defend himself against his former master. However, Marrek did something unexected against Nunec. When he came around to face him, instead of having the pommel of his lightsaber hilt face his chest, it was facing outwards with his fist angled to the left just slightly, so instead of his lightsaber blade facing forwards, it was angled slightly towards Nunec's right lekku. Nunec didn't have time to adjust his lightsaber's position so he could better defend himself. When their lightsabers made contact, Nunec's lightsaber went flying out of his hand, and Marrek's lightsaber cut through his neck like butter through a knife. Instead of disappearing in a flash of light, his dead Padawan's body vaporized into a black mist. Marrek didn't have time to celebrate, because a few moments after he slayed his former apprentice, Velok's lightsaber burnt his back.

Marrek groaned in pain and stumbled forward a few feet, being careful not to trip over his own two feet. Marrek deactivated his lightsaber for a moment, then rolled to the side. He emerged on the floor, crouched down on one knee. He activated his lightsaber yet again, and Force-flipped at Velok. He landed a few feet in front of his former master, and swung downwards from the left at a downwards diagonal angle, then he spun on his heel, crouching down in the process then made a wide sweep for Velok's chest with his lightsaber. Velok blocked both of these blows, then Force Pushed Marrek back several feet. Marrek landed on the floor, hard, and found getting up to be nearly impossible. Marrek had dropped his lightsaber in the process, and it was lying away from him by a few feet. When he looked up, he saw Velok launching himself at him to deal a killing blow to his former apprentice. Marrek was determined not to lose, so he focused on his lightsaber that lied a few feet away, and Force Pulled it back to his hand. He held it up, making sure the emmiter was pointed towards Velok. When the time was just right, he activated the lightsaber and ended Velok's life. Velok was impaled by the blue lightsaber, and he slowly began to vaporize into a black mist. Marrek was triumphant...by killing the two people who meant the most to him, he had proved to himself that he had the willpower of a Sith. He chuckled slightly to himself, then deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. He struggled to his feet, groaning in pain as he got up. He turned to face the gargantuan door, and paused for a moment when he saw it slowly slide open. Once it was all the way open, he walked inside the door and was met with a rush of cold air and immense darkside power. He had found it, he knew it.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Now finally he felt his search had come to an end at last. He had found what he was looking for: the source of Dathomir's darkness. He found himself in a large cavern with a high ceiling. This particular cavern was much much different from the others. The ground was covered with dirt and rock, but the walls were covered with ice. When he looked up at the wall opposite him, he was startled for once during his visit to this planet. Encased in ice was a giant rancor, and mounted on the rancor was a Nightsister. From where Marrek was standing, the Nightsister looked very old...at least in her mid sixties. Marrek looked away from the ice encased mountain rancor and looked at the center of the room. There was an ice ecnased pedestal in the center of the cavern and it was holding a large crimson crystal. He walked over to the pedestal in facsination and curiosity. The crystal seemed to glow as he approached it, almost as if it were calling to him. This was without a doubt the source of Dathormir's darkside energies, he could feel the power flowing forth from the crystal. The power was unlike anything he had ever felt before...he felt as if he were at Dathomir's center. He stopped roughly two feet away from the pedestal, and carefully examined the crystal.

He was enammored with the jewel; his gaze was locked with the impressive diamond. He had in essence, discovered the source of Dathomir's darkness and accomplished his mission. However, he wanted to bring a small sample back to Valrum in order to impress him. He knew it was not necessary, but he was determined to prove himself worthy of becoming a Sith. He took his lightsaber off his belt and ignited the blue blade. However, before he cut off a small part of the crystal, he wondered if this would effect Dathomir's darkside energy at all? Marrek didn't think it would affect the planet at all. After all, it was very possible that the crystal had a connection to Dathomir that couldn't be severed no matter what. With that thought in mind, he cut off a small part of the crystal, and caught it in midair. He put the crystal in one of his pouches, but before he could deactivate his lightsaber the very ground beneath his feet shook. Soon after the ground began to shake, he heard the sound of cracking ice. He look up and saw the large ice wall holding the rancor cracking, slowly breaking apart. Soon enough he noticed the rancor had begun to blink and slowly began to move. Soon the ice wall completely shattered, and the rancor let out a monstorous roar, and the nightsister who had mounted it let out a terrifying war cry. Marrek backed up a few feet, taken back by the sudden resurrection of the Nightsister and her rancor.

"Who dares intrude the sanctity of the Nevermore Caverns?!"

"I am Marrek Exquisitus Korr, a former Jedi Knight, and currently a Dark Jedi. I have come here to seek the source of Dathomir's dark power to prove I am worthy of becoming a Sith. Are you the one who created the illusions that attacked me?"

"No, I did not create those illusions, not personally. The caverns alone invade your mind and discover your past, bringing your inner demons to life to test your willpower. The fact that you have made it this far means you have passed your first two trials."

"Trials? What are you talking about?"

"Everything you have faced here tonight, all the foes you have slain, were created to test your skill and willpower to survive. So far you have passed, and now it is time for your final trial. For your final test you must face me and my rancor...you are he first one to ever make it this far. Let us hope you survive this final trial."

"Spast!" Marrek thought. "How the Hell am I supposed to fight a rancor?"

Before he could even think of an answer, the rancor swept at his feet with one of its mighty claws. Marrek deactivated his lightsaber and rolled backwards, avoiding the beast's attack. The best way he could think to fight the beast was to lead it into a trap, but how? Perhaps trapping it inbetween the doors that led into this cavern would be the best tactic. He quickly turned on his heel and ran in the direction of the door. He could hear the beast's footsteps behind him. They boomed against the cave walls, nearly making him go deaf. He didn't want to turn around to see how close the beat was, he really didn't want to know. The only thing he was concerned about was getting ahead of the rancor and over to the door before the rancor and it's rider could. Before he knew what was happening, he found himself being held by the rancor, and slowly being lifted up towards it's gaping mouth. He wasn't about to let himself become a snack for an overgrown lizard. He struggled to wrench his left arm free, he just had to do it. After what seemed to be an eternity of struggling, he managed to free his left arm from the rancor's grasp. He threw the lightsaber into the air and caught it backhand style. He ignited the blade and plunged it into the rancor's wrist, forcing the great beast to let him go.

Marrek fell to the floor with a thud, and he looked up to see the rancor roaring in pain. He quickly got up and started to run towards the door. Then he heard another thud hit the ground, and he turned around to see it was the Nightsister. Apparently she had fallen off the rancor, and was about to be crushed by the great beast. Marrek looked at her with cold emotionless eyes from behind his protective goggles as the rancor stepped on it's former rider. Obviously the Force wanted him to survive for some reason. He wouldn't pause any longer; he was wasting precious time. He deactivated his lightsaber and put it back on his belt, continuing to make a run for the door. He knew it wouldn't be long before the rancor took up the chase again, so he had to move quickly. After another minute of running, he finally found himself outside the door. He quickly turned around, and could see the rancor slowly approaching. He didn't know if he could do it, but he would have to give it a shot. He held out both his hands, and focused on the doors that were hidden away in their respective frames. He groaned loudly and started to slowly move his hands together, almost achingly pulling the doors shut with the Force. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his brow as he struggled to pull the doors together to crush the beast. Suddenly he heard the deafening roar of the beast, and the stopping of the two stone doors. He opened his eyes and saw the rancor smashed between the two stone doors, slowly dying between their pressure. He took in several deep breaths. He couldn't believe he actually did it. He sighed a little bit and turned around, picking up his dropped robe along the way. It was time for him to return to his camp and await Valrum's arrival.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

On his way out of the cave, he found it much easier to get out than it was to get back in. After he finished the witches' trials, no more illusions came after him. This was a positive sign, but on the other hand he wondered what would happen to this mountain now that it's guardians were destroyed. Would anyone be able to enter or find this mountain ever again? Since the old woman told him of the mountain, then the Nightsisters must have known about this place, and merely did not wish to tell him because he was an outsider and a male. Their sexist attitude towards males was well known, since they enslaved the males of their culture for several of their...needs. Marrek's thoughts were interrupted when he stopped to shudder slightly, then he continued onward. The possibilities about this cave were endless, especially since he noticed a few irregularities about the crystal he had seen. It would appear that there were a few cut marks on it, almost similar to the marks left by his lightsaber when he cut off a small piece of the crystal. Perhaps this mountain was used as a proving grounds for the Nightsisters. As a matter of fact, that was most likely the case if nothing else.

He continued to think about the possibilities of these caves until he finally exited the mouth of the cave. He took in a deep breath of the crisp Dathomir night air and couldn't help but sigh to himself. Just as he was walking to his speeder bike, he heard the tangling and untangling of vines, and the creaking of trees. He looked over his shoulder and saw the vines and trees on the mountains creep down to the ground. What he was watching right now was truly a spectacle of nature...he couldn't believe what he was watching. This went on for about twenty minutes, and it left the mountain completely bare. Soon the ground began to rumble, and the mountain began to literally crumble to pieces. He didn't want to be there to get crushed by an ensuing avalanche, so he quickly ran back over to his speeder bike. He quickly hopped on and pulled his hood over his head before revving up the engines. He remembered how to get back to his camp so he needn't use the navigational system. He quickly accelerated into the forests, leaving the crumbling mountain far behind him. There was no doubt in his mind that he was the cause of this. The fact that the nightsister and the rancor having been killed were the entire reason for the mountain's collapse. But then again, if that were so it probably would have collapsed while he was inside. However, even though the mountain had crumbled to rubble, he could still feel the power of the darkside coursing through the planet's core. Perhaps the mountain crumbling was meant to happen.

After an hour, he finally arrived at his campsite. He parked the speeder bike a yard away from the rest of his camp and turned off the engines. He spent roughly twenty five minutes getting back to his camp. Once he got back, he turned on the glow lamp and set to work on unding the knots he had tied to keep others out of his tent. It took him roughly ten minutes to undo each of the knots, and he was satisfied to see that his supplies were still sitting in the tent. He carried each of the containers out and set them down on the ground. He opened up one of the containers that held his food pastes and food injectors, and set to work on filling up three of the injectors with a different paste for each one. He rolled up the sleeves of his robes and of his tunic. He then took the injectors one by one and injected the pastes into his bloodstream one by one. He injected the pastes five minutes in between the other, otherwise it could cause damage to his body. After cleaning off the injectors and put them back in their containers. He sat down on the ground and rolled his sleeves back down, then took the chunk of a crystal out of the pouch he put it inside. He held it in the palm of his hand, carefully examining it. He rolled it in between his fingers, admiring the dark red jewel. He was very tempted to replace the crystal inside his lightsaber with this one, but he didn't have the tools to do so at the moment. He put it back in the pouch on his belt and criss crossed his legs as he sat on the floor. All that was left to do was to await Valrum's arrival. He decided to sit there and meditate the rest of the night as he waited for Valrum, in an attempt to deepen his connection with the darkside. He planned to remain like this all night until his master arrived...he didn't need sleep, he had gone many nights without it in the past.

[Darth Valrum]

*Darth Revan had waited long enough. By giving the task of finding the source of Dathomirs mysterious taint of the Dark Side, this would prove if Korr was indeed worthy to learn the full nature and grasp the power of the Dark Side. If Korr succeeded in his task, then Revan would take him as an apprentice. But if Korr had failed, Revan would leave Korr behind as quickly as he had came. Breaching the planets atmosphere, Revans took manual control over his fighter ship and flew across the thick jungle and mountain lined planet. He could feel a difference from last he had been here. It was a small change, he wouldnt have noticed the difference unless he searched for it, but it was their, like a faint scar.*

*Revans controls pulled up a small map on the screen to reveal a few locations that looked like large camps on the screen. Pulling the controls forward, his ship lurched downward to the surface, making an easy landing in a small patch of a clearing. The glass slowly slid off the ship above Revans head. Climbing out of the cockpit, Revan jumped to the ground below making a small thud as he landed. The glass from his cockpit slid back into place and made a small hiss as it sealed the ship back up. Revan pushed out with the force. The Dark Side was present, it swirled around Revans own being in the force, recognizing him from the war. Revan wasnt surprised that it remembered him, t he force was alive, but he was surprised by the whispers it gave. He could feel the presence of others, a small horde of them to his right a couple of kilometers away.*

*Setting out in the direction, he made his way through the thick jungle; all the while basking in the aura of the Dark Side this planet naturally gave. It strengthened him, made his senses keener, sharper, faster. Upon the arrival to the camp he looked around. There were huts every which way, and a vast majority of the people around were women. <i>Night Sisters</i> Revan thought to himself. He had read about them in the library in the Sith academy on Korriban, but had never witnessed them, even when he was here to fight the war. But this was deep in the jungle, Revan battled on the bridges and the beach shores, so he was not surprised by their presence now.*

*Striding forward into the camp, his black cloak flowed behind him like a graceful shadow; his lightsaber hooked to his belt and softly bouncing behind his cloak as he walked. Addressing the nearest Night Sister he asked about the presence of a Kel Dor. The Night Sister had recalled of one and pointed to the west, to the deep and unknown jungle where a dark and powerful mountain held its ground. Revan turned around to set off towards the mountain, his black cloak whipping around to follow behind him as he trailed off deeply into the jungle.*

*Revan stretched out with the Dark Side again to find the presence of the Kel Dor. Before too long Revan has felt a small presence in the direction the woman had pointed to. It was a man, and he was alone. Korr no doubt. Revan began to set off towards the presence. Perhaps Korr had completed his task, he had no doubt he has, otherwise he wouldnt be alone in the middle of the jungle; he must be waited for Revan to make his report. Revan smirked, he hoped this was true, for Korrs sake. A few meters away, Revan breached a small clearing of trees and found the camp. Korr was meditating in the center of his small camp. Revan was eying him suspiciously. The moment of truth was at hand.*

"Report."

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

It has been such a long time since Marrek had felt this way...he felt as if he were one with the Force. However, this time it was different, this time he felt as if he were one with the Darkside of the Force. It was truly invigorating, he couldn't believe the unbelievable power he was feeling right now. However, he knew he couldn't harness it, not yet anyways. He needed more training before he could actually harness the power of the Darkside and utilize it to it's fullest extent. Just the mere thought of unleashing the power of the Darkside made him feel unstoppable. But moreover, this particular meditation session was rather peaceful and quiet. No longer was his mind plagued with memories of Nunec and Velok. They were dead to him, body and soul. Now the only reason he keeps them in his memory is to remember how weak they were, and how they deserved to die the way they did. His entire meditation trance was centered upon pondering these things, and time seemed to fly by. It seemed like a short ten minutes had gone by when he heard Valrum's voice, when in truth it was several hours. He oppened his eyes and looked up at Valrum. Without wasting even a second he quickly rose to his feet, and gave him a short bow.

"I spent three days and two nights here, and didn't find a thing that could possibly pass off as the source of Dathomir's dark power. I asked the Nightsister tribe to the east of here, and never did I get any answers. On the third day I was here, an old woman spoke cryptic words to me. On my third night here, I found a mountain I had not noticed before. When I traveled inside the mountain cave, I was faced with ghosts of my past...illussions, but illussions that could do damage to one's person. I will regail you with details later, but here is the fruit of my labor..."

Marrek moved aside a flap of his robe, and opened up a single pouch on his belt. In the process he revealed his curved lightsaber to Valrum, but he didn't care. At least this way Valrum would have a good idea of what lightsaber style(s) he was already accustomed to. He reached inside it and took out the crimson crystal he had recovered from the cave, then closed the pouch. He held it out in a closed fist, then unclenched his fingers and held the crystal in the palm of his hand. The crimson diamond actually seemed to be darker in the morning sun, as if it were adverse to the light. It truly was a crystal of the darkside; anyone with a connection to the Force would feel it's ominous aura emmenating from it. He couldn't help but wonder if Valrum would take the crystal or not. He was actually reluctant to allow Valrum to have it, since he found it. He couldn't help but have a feeling of ownership over the crystal.

"This is only a small sample from the larger crystal I found in the cave. I am most certain that the large crystal is the source of Dathomir's dark power. If it weren't, then it wouldn't have been so well guarded. I had to kill a rancor in order to escape from the cave with this crystal fragment; I nearly became a rancor's dinner, but as you can clearly see I escaped alive, and I am proud to report that I killed it as well. So...now I must ask if I have proved myself worthy of becoming your apprentice?"

[Darth Valrum]

Darth Revan could tell that the hopeful Del Kor was just that by his sudden leap to his feet. Revan smirked as Korr did not waste any time. This pleased Revan very much, he hated it when people wasted his time. Time was of the essence, never to be wasted. Revan's smirk became a smile. Removing his hood with a hand, he let it fall to his back, revealing dark eyes. Revan's features were different from other Sith. The eyes of Sith were remembered to hold greed and sometimes insanity which lead to the common stereotype of the Sith to be known as greedy, insane, and irrational force wielders. But Revan's gaze always held something different, inside Revan's eyes held power, leadership, and a thirst for a deeper grasp of the Dark Side not out of greed, but out of knowledge. His face was similar to ivory, a physical mark to the power of the Dark Side that was within Revan. His hair was white, almost silver, and it hung down perfectly straight to his mid chest, perfectly aligned without a hair out of place. He pursed his lips at Korrs words.*

"Darthomir was once a home world to the over populated species of Rancor. They thrived in packs, and were not the solitary creatures we have believed them to be. But many died off, few exist now. The ones you met, the Night Sisters, have the ability to wield the force, and though they do not use it like the Sith, they tend to share some of the same sides as us. I know nothing of a mountain, but from your words, it was obviously no doubt a training grounds for Night Sisters to prove their worth. The one you fought within must have been the guardian of the mountain, and when she perished i am not surprised the mountain followed suit; they must have been connected in some way."

*His eyes momentarily opened wide at the crystal but returned to normal size; this was the source of power that had felt out of place before when Revan had flown over the planets surface. Revans hand outstretched to the blood red crystal in Korrs palm, his eyes flickering up to see Korrs eyes wince with slight remorse as it left his hand. Revan could feel the Dark Sides pull on Korr, no doubt it called to him. He could read the reluctance Korr had to give it up. Revans eyes snapped down to the crystal in his hand and rolled it around slightly in his palm. Sending a probe to the crystal with the force, it sent a strong wave of Dark Side energy for such a small item. This was not the source of Dathomir, but it was proof of Dathomirs unusual tie to the Dark Side. Revan doubted Korr would find the source to the Dark Side here. He doubt he could himself. He looked back up to Korr and placed the crystal in his hand.*

"Planets have no single source to attest to their alignment of the force. Over time, people, creatures, or even items of certain power will be the source of a Planets Dark Side energy. In fact, you found the source of the planets Dark Side energy before you went into the mountain itself. The Night Sisters. Their great ancestors were here long before the Jedi, or even the Brotherhood of Darkness. No one can be sure, but the Night Sisters are the best guess to hold ownership to the reason of the Dark Side Energies here. Before anyone in this galaxy lived, the Night Sisters ancestors were still tied to the Dark Side of the Force. It is best assumed that the planet had absorbed their energies over millions of years. The mountain you discovered must have been made by great amounts of Dark Side energy from the Night Sisters clan, used as proving grounds. This crystal is one of very few that grow in the mountains. They are extremely rare, and worshiped by the Night Sisters clans for eons on end. They have absorbed the Dark Side energies as they grew deep within the planets core, rarely to be discovered and gathered. This is why this fragment is so strong with the Dark Side. Because it is a fragment, i doubt it could possibly absorb more Dark Side energy, but for a piece so small, it holds great power. Hold onto it. It might be of further use to you later. You have passed my test. I will take you as my apprentice. But you are warned, if you try and kill me, i will kill you without hesitation or mercy. Your training will also be great, requiring endurance, strength, patience, obedience, and skill. Without these, you will be nothing to me, and nothing to yourself."

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

Marrek was slightly surprised when Valrum put the crystal back in his hand, however at the same time he was thankful. He knew one day he'd be able to make good use of this crystal and it's immense power, but only when he had a better understanding of the darkside. He closed his hand into a fist and opened his pouch yet again and put the crystal back inside. He quickly fastened up the pouch again, and looked back to Valrum as he listened intently to his words. He knew Valrum was right; the real source of the planet's darkside energy were the Nightsisters, and the crystal was just a conduit. He was surprised he hadn't figured this out sooner. Now he understood that during his Exile, he had forgotten much of his training of the Force. He wasn't necessarily ashamed of himself, but more disappointed. When Valrum said he would take him as his apprentice, he wasn't surprised at all. He knew almost all along that Varlum would take him as his apprentice. He took a few steps back, and got down on one knee while supporting his weight with his other foot. He rested his arm on his knee so his hand was dangling. He bowed his head in respect for his new master and took in a deep breath.

"I will not disappoint you, my master. I will devote myself to the teachings of the Sith, as well as yours. I look forward to harnessing the power of the darkside to it's fullest extent, my lord..."

While he may have forgotten most of his Force training, putting up mental barriers was something he could never forget how to do. All the while when he spoke he put up walls around his mind so Valrum couldn't read him after he was finished.

"You may be superior to me now, master," Marrek thought. "But eventually I will surpass you, as the apprentice should. Treachery is the way of the Sith; they always end up betraying each other in the end, and I will be no exception. Once I surpass you, I will not hesitate to challenge you for superiority. Enjoy your position of power for now, master, because it won't last forever."

After a little while he rose to his feet and took in one more deep breath. It was time to let go of his most prized posession: his Jedi lightsaber. He pushed a flap of his robe out of the way, and pulled his lightsaber off his belt. He ignited the blue blade and held it up to his face, and executed his final Makashi salute with this lightsaber. After a few moments of mental preparation, he deactivated the lightsaber and threw it behind his back. He didn't look back to see where it landed...he didn't want to. He planned on building a new one anyways, a Sith lightsaber with his new crystal. He tilted his head in a slight bow of respect for Valrum, then rose.

"I am ready to depart whenever you are, master."

[Darth Valrum]

*His smirk vanished from his face. He had no further praise for his new apprentice. But he could feel something within his apprentice, a sense of shielding within his mind. A slight probe of the force reached out to touch the mind of his apprentice, it was shielded well, but not well enough to block a Sith Lord out from a mind of an apprentice. He pulled his probe back. He would not need to read his mind for this. A smirk once again returned to his face.*

"Your mind is well protected, your thoughts hidden. But you are not strong enough yet to block me out. By reaching into your mind, i was blocked. This could only be for one reason. You plan to kill me. *He smirked again a bit wider this time, giving faint evidence like he was pleased.* As you should. When you surpass my abilities, my wisdom, my power, then you should step up to claim the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith. *His smirk vanished.* But i have had many apprentices before, and i am still alive and stronger each and every day. Your challenge must come eventually. It is the way of the Sith to be treacherous. In time, if you did not show signs of these capabilities i would kill you where you stand. But you show them even now. You are wise, my young apprentice. But you are nothing compared to me for now, and for a very long time. Do not think your pathetic attempts to shield your mind can not be pierced by myself. If you were wise, you would not think of such things while i am near. That will be your first lesson. Your thoughts can betray you, even when you think they are safe. The Jedi can read your thoughts, the Sith like myself can as well. You must control them by riding your mind of them until you are alone. Else you might as well say them out loud. So far you are proving yourself worthy of being my apprentice, but make no mistake. If you try and seize the Mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith before you are ready, i will strike you down until you are nothing left. Now rise my new apprentice. Your path has just begun. Keep up, i wait for no one. Show weakness, hesitation, mercy, and dishonor, and you will be left behind for good. If you fail me, there will be severe consequences."

*He smirked as his apprentice stripped himself of his lightsaber.* "You will build a new lightsaber soon. The crystal in your hand will serve as the crystal required for your blade. Find the materials needed and construct your new lightsaber. That is your first task, i will not help you with it. The lightsaber should be apart of you, that is why you must do this alone. For now, we shall depart. You have much to learn."

*He wheeled around crisply on his heel and set off in the direction through the thick tree lines to his ship. Much started to run though his head. His own training from his masters, his own self training. Much needed to be taught to his new apprentice if he were to one day surpass him and seize his mantle. Revan was the key to Korrs future, and without him, Korr would be nothing. But Revan planned on making him strong, forging him into something great. This would lead to Revans downfall, and he knew it would happen if Korr was truly a Sith. But Revan had tricks up his sleeve if Korr was to turn on him, he expected he would, and waited for this day to approach him.*

ooc- Congrats. Now, A few things. You are doing very well, i highly approve. But i have to say these few things as a RPG Mod on this sight. Your character should only know the basics of force powers, push, pull, heal, jump, etc, the very basics. Now because your an apprentice, you can not have an apprentice of your own, nor do you have the title of Darth. These must be earned by going through trials. These trials will not take place until i myself and a few select others deem you ready for them. Also, it is ok to be able to shield thoughts, or have any other type of small advanced ability that defines your character, but do not think in any way shape or form, that you can shield your thoughts against myself, or other Jedi Masters or advanced Jedi knights. No offense, its just highly trained Masters on both sides, even the Grey Jedi such as Garyn Fett, will all have the ability to read your thoughts, no matter how powerful you claim your shield to be. But once you become stronger, such as gaining the title of Jedi Master, Sith Lord, Dark Lord of the Sith, Jedi Grandmaster, etc, only then will your shield truly be able to block out the minds of others. Think of it this way, dont say your thoughts unless your willing to risk the people you RP with to be able to read your own thoughts. Like Luke did to Vader and vise versa at the tale end of ROTJ. Again, you are doing very well, but dull things down for a bit. EVERYTHING, and i mean from learning blade forums, to new individual powers, to thoughts, to blade attacks, everything, MUST be RPed out.

And im proud of you for thinking of treachery so soon. You have been doing your reading on Banes books rather well.

[Marrek Exquisitus Korr]

OOC: Like I said, I have little to no experience RPing in forums, so this will be a learning experience for me. But I do look forward to learning more along the way, so any advice you have to offer me will be much appreciated. I completely understand that in order for my character to progress, everything has to be RP'ed out. I came into this forum with a full understanding of that, so I will be patient.

Hey, I was thinking of betrayal way before I started this thread, lol.

[Darth Valrum]

Yes, i will let you know if you need to change things, or things your should know. Thats apart of my responsibility as a RPG mod here, not to mention your Master here in RP. But for now your doing well. But we have much to do.

Heh, good. You had better. But i doubt it will come into play for a very long time.