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Ushgarak
Paladin
 Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Co-Admin |
USH'S STAR WARS GAME- C II VII (DARK SIDE)- The Master of the White Fortress
... which raises the question of, with the Jedi extinguished, what forces did Emperor Palpatine consider may have been able to destroy him?
In many ways, this question is a merely esoteric detail. The Emperor was eventually destroyed by forces he didn't consider a threat at all- the yearning for freedom of the people he thought under his control, and the return of the Jedi- even if just in the form of Luke Skywalker, whose compassion for his father turned out to be more powerful than anything the Emperor could conceive.
Yet examining this question from Palpatine's point of view can be quite illuminating, and indeed it raises questions about possible dangers that could still present themselves to this day. Palpatine was destroyed by the forces of the Light who, consciously or unconsciously, fought to restore the balance that the Sith had eroded. Yet Palpatine's focus was not on balance being restored, for he believed he had that under control thanks to his machinations with the Clone Wars, the Inquisition and Darth Vader. Instead, Palpatine's fears appeared to be more focussed on the possibility of the imbalance continuing- but to the benefit of someone other than himself. Palpatine's genius had been to destroy the balance of the Force from within. Giant Sith invasions of the past had shattered the Republic and killed billions but ultimately had unified the Republic against the Dark Side and, in time, democracy came out triumphant. Palpatine never invaded the Republic; he had been its glorious leader in defence against the invasion by the Confederacy and slowly turned the Repiublic itself into the Empire he wanted. He turned the system against itself, shrouding this plan from the Jedi until it was too late. By using the Republic to destroy itself, he had managed what no Sith had ever managed before- a true triumph over the Jedi- but he had never established the enormous power outside of the Republic that had been the hallmark of previous Sith threats.
The galaxy is, after all, a large and mysterious place, and the Dark Side manifests in many forms. The Sith who had skulked in the outskirts- from Ragnos to Vitiate to Malphas- had become masters of the outer darkness, often turning the evils of the galaxy to their advantage. Palpatine was not a dweller of the outer darkness but a man who spent his life at the shining centre of the galaxy. From Palpatine's view, it was these mysterious and unknown dark side forces that he thought would be his true rivals.
Take, for example, some of Palpatine's great military targets in the years cementing his power base whilst construction on the Death Star continued. First, his attention turned to Lanzar, home of the vicious Osokan race who had been so useful to Palpatine in helping him hunt down the scattered bands of Dark Siders who dwelt at the fringes of civilization- the control system he built for the Osokans later becoming his Inquisition. Once the Inquisition was established, Palpatine destroyed the unpredictable Osokans before he could himself become a target for their deadly ways.
Then consider the planet Thalos, a powerful and technologically advanced planet dominated by a Force-using matriarchy. Thalos' view of the cosmos was semantically different from the Jedi's, dwelling on concepts of Harmony and Disharmony, but the fundamentals were the same. A harmonious Thalos would keep to itself, but recent disharmonious movements on Thalos had been pondering spreading their ways out into the rest of the galaxy, and it was this that Palpatine feared. They also became a target for his Star Destroyers. Interestingly, despite their questionable ethical stances, both Lanzar and Thalos became early areas where the fledgling Rebel Alliance attempted to frustrate the Empire's plans, though those are stories too intricate to cover here.
But Thalos is more interesting to this topic not as a civilization but for one thing it produced, for Thalos was the birth world of the Lady Adelmo, a prodigy of their kind who came to embody the brutal ways of the disharmonious- and who had long been exiled from her home. This merely moved her disharmony from Thalos itself to the galaxy at large (incidentally, bringing Thalos to Palpatine's attention and therefore guaranteeing its peril). Adelmo was searching for an ancient Sith concept known as the Syphar n Kalar, something so powerful that it could conquer planets but so vague that no-one knew what it was and precious few believed it even existed. Yet Adelmo thought it did, and real it turned out to be. Palpatine certainly feared it, yet Adelmo's search came in the days before the Clone Wars started, and Palpatine was not in a position to move overtly against her, though he tried his best to influence the Jedi mission investigating her to come to a destructive conclusion.
Adelmo's propensity for causing enormous chaos in her search for the Syphar n Kalar is w ell known matter of record, but less well known is her surprising talent for searching out allies- in particular, those Dark Side fringers who Palpatine's Osokans had not yet exterminated. Indeed, had Adelmo herself been a less aggravating being in person, she may have formed a great and deadly coalition of her own, but instead she depended on manipulation and sheer power to force others into submission, a tactic which ultimately failed her. Some of these Dark Siders, however, are not trivial details but considerable topics when considering what Palpatine thought was a threat.
For example, in part due to Adelmo's efforts, many of these Dark Siders fled to the planet Manu where they formed a great and deadly army with a great hatred for those that had been hunting them. Their intention was to destroy this mechanism and those in charge of it, and they consisted a very real threat to Palpatine. Yet ultimately, they were no threat to him at all. How did the Sith Lord manage such a complete neutralization of such a threat?
We may never have known the full story were it not for some of the recorded exploits of another group of Dark Siders who had banded together for protection, famed for their skill and daring, if not for their foresight. They are notable for being part of the legacy of the fallen Jedi Larios Kuylen, whose exploits were no small threat to the Republic in of themselves. These Dark Siders- some of whom had known Kuylen and some of whom had become attached to the group in later years- existed mostly for their own survival but, as the Force often wills such things, found themselves constantly involved with the fallout of Kuylen's work. They engaged with many of the factors already discussed in this piece- they knew of the Osokans, of Thalos, of Adelmo- in fact, it is said they may even have known of Palpatine, though being no friends to the Republic they did not share the information.
Most certainly, they knew of- and desired- the Syphar n Kalar, and if this story has any relevance today, it is in this part. For it is said that the Syphar in Kalar was found by these Dark Siders, and maybe even used; some feel it is the Syphar n Kalar that has caused the decades of pain and suffering the galaxy continues to suffer from since this time. But it is also said that some of this band of Dark Siders survived the great cataclysmic moments that were the unveiling of the Syphar N Kalar- and they may have taken some fragment of that power with them, enough to protect themselves from Palpatine in his full Imperial power. That they fled beyond fringes of the galaxy- and the Republic may yet have to confront their legacy.
But to return to this particular example of this threat to Palpatine- the army on Manu. The group of Dark Siders had identified Manu as the origin of a plot to have them all killed; not an unusual prospect for these Dark Siders, but normally they knew who it was that wanted them dead. They had expended much effort in tracking down Manu as the source of their threat, and an encounter with the Jedi in their efforts to expose their attackers had left them in a perilous state and low on resources. They travelled to Manu in an old, beaten down freighter, blissfully unaware of the army awaiting them there (it is often noted that these Dark Siders were more in tune with the instinctive part of the Force as opposed to Palpatine's grand, planned gestures- certainly they expressed an astonishing talent of survival when running headlong into great danger).
Manu- a world only inhabitable for a short time each decade due to stellar radiation- was home to 'The White Fortress', a mis-mash of a thousand generations of pirates, aliens and wanderers who had tried to establish a permanent base on Manu during its habitable periods. Each eventually failed, and each new base was built on the ruins of the one before, creating a vast and random fortress of ruins that gleamed whitely in the piercing sun. It was at this fortress that the Dark Siders landed, and then immediately encountered representatives of the Dark Side army there, an army allied to their great general Larios Kuylen, the revealed source of the plot to destroy the Dark Siders, though they were unclear as to quite why. The Dark Siders were unprepared for such a powerful presence on the planet- and still less prepared for the fact that, simultaneous to their arrival, the Jedi were infiltrating the Fortress as well, searching for the Lady Adelmo (who was also a part of this chaotic situation). These Jedi had been a part of the Dark Siders' pasts and would be a part of their future as well, both on Manu and with the Syphar n Kalar. Yet before they met, there were more immediate problems. The Dark Siders faced a hostile arrival on landing. Normally, they settled their issues via violence, but for once this was not the optimal solution for, skilled as they were, they could not take on the entire army. They were called upon to make great use of Dark Side weapons they were not as famous for- of cunning and deception...
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
Last edited by Ushgarak on Feb 21st, 2016 at 02:25 PM
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Feb 20th, 2016 10:19 PM |
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Ushgarak
Paladin
Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Co-Admin |
"That is our destiny now."
The great hologram of Larios Kuylen, projected large enough to be seen for miles, flickers off.
So- a stand off. Before you stands a group of about a dozen men and women with their sabres ignited. Some of you are in disadvantageous positions; Galder has tried to bring a sharp blade to a sabre fight, Con and Relle are now experiencing what other people must feel when pointing guns at people protected by sabres; Gallador and Xavier are just shot of being outflanked by the force in front of you and Azarl is in a force-rock-push standoff.
Worn-face and cloak-dude continue to be the main features of your opposition; worn face guy is speaking.
"What kind of security did you think we would have here, anyway? What made ou think you could just walk in here like you own the place?"
-
And so we begin!
Don't make my written-decades-later history above there a giant paradox by getting yourselves killed here trying to take on the whole Fortress at once. You have a series of challenges ahead of you to make your way to the command spire of the Fortress and find the master you seek- this test is your first. Choose your words carefully.
[Note- more details on game start-up in the discussion thread)
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
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Feb 20th, 2016 10:19 PM |
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Lord Melkor
Senior Member
 Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Confusion |
[I think we should just say that we are rogue force users, heard about Kuylen and want to join them, I will have Gallador say it if you agreed. Of course we not mentioning that Kuylen wanted us death].
[Though the problem is why we pretended to be merchants - maybe we can just say that we were not sure of the rumors and wanted to be careful before revealing ourselves.
Gallador is best liar here with subterfuge.]
__________________
Yet the lies that Melkor, the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days.
"… his name is Melkor, Lord of All, Giver of Freedeom, and he shall make you stronger than they."
Sauron to Ar-Pharazôn
Last edited by Lord Melkor on Feb 20th, 2016 at 11:16 PM
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Feb 20th, 2016 11:11 PM |
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Newjak
I am Beyond Power
 Gender: Male
Location: United States |
I'm liking the second option. Tell them we heard about this place and that we wanted to investigate it. Hopefully they won't want to torture to gain information about how we heard about this place 
Or perhaps we could see if the Seer would be willing to help us out with this one. She is after all affiliated with the LAdy
__________________
sig by Rao Kal El
Last edited by Newjak on Feb 20th, 2016 at 11:54 PM
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Feb 20th, 2016 11:48 PM |
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REXXXX
Networking
 Gender: Male
Location: San Diego Moderator |
Go for it, Gallador. If anyone can talk us out of this, it's you.
__________________
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Feb 21st, 2016 07:56 AM |
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Lord Melkor
Senior Member
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Confusion |
"Well, calm down people, no need to kill each other, while we have so many true enemies - Jedi and Osokans!"- Gallador raises his voice, which has quite enchanting effect due to his Force mastery and charisma.
"Well, we certainly did not want to appear like we own this place, didn`t we act humbly? Nor did we know about the security here and what really takes place in the White Fortess".... he glanced around with a grin.
"We heard vague rumors about Kuylen being here from our contacts, but certainly did not expect to find so many force users here...this is trully amazing! We were also hunted, forced to hide, by the Bureau and those abominable pigs. The Force has guided us here, maybe this is a chance for us to join with you and bring doom to our many enemies, as Kuylen said!"
[Another question to consider - should we tell our real names or not?]
__________________
Yet the lies that Melkor, the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days.
"… his name is Melkor, Lord of All, Giver of Freedeom, and he shall make you stronger than they."
Sauron to Ar-Pharazôn
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Feb 21st, 2016 09:51 AM |
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Ushgarak
Paladin
Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Co-Admin |
Well for one of you, at least, that's not a choice.
"Hey!" says one of the unnamed ones. "Isn't that Galder Starkiller?" Galder's reputation merit kicks in- and in this situation, it's a massive boon.
Worn-guy rolls his eyes.
"I can see why you guys are famous for killing and not for planning. You could have started a damn war here!" He sheaths his sabre, and the others do the same, one at a time.
"I can see you're the brains of the operation," he says to Gallador, which I am afraid mandates a response from Rand ASAP...
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
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Feb 21st, 2016 01:49 PM |
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Newjak
I am Beyond Power
Gender: Male
Location: United States |
Xavier lets a small snicker escape his lips when Galaldor is called the brains of the operation. "Now that remark might start a war," Xavier says to no one in particular.
Also Xavier's plan from the other thread of shouting here is Galder doesn't seem so bad anymore.
__________________
sig by Rao Kal El
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Feb 21st, 2016 02:02 PM |
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Lord Melkor
Senior Member
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Confusion |
"Actually Master Rand here is the Senior among us, I am his advisor." - Responds Gallador, pointing at Rand with respectful nod, not wanting to make them look like fools with bickering.
__________________
Yet the lies that Melkor, the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days.
"… his name is Melkor, Lord of All, Giver of Freedeom, and he shall make you stronger than they."
Sauron to Ar-Pharazôn
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Feb 21st, 2016 02:30 PM |
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Ushgarak
Paladin
Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Co-Admin |
An action you can actually take as you don't (yet) have megalomania...
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
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Feb 21st, 2016 02:39 PM |
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REXXXX
Networking
Gender: Male
Location: San Diego Moderator |
Galder smirks and shifts from an aggressive, stabby stance to a friendly, playboy shrug. But he waits for Rand to talk, not wanting to stir the pot at this exact moment.
__________________
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Feb 22nd, 2016 01:42 AM |
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General Zink
Bane
 Gender: Male
Location: Evil high-backed chair |
Rand, for once, is grateful to have Galder along in a social situation.
"Indeed," Rand says firmly. "I lead this group, and I see our reputation precedes us. Not just young Starkiller here.
Assuming his role as Master, Rand gestures for everyone to put away their weapons. He had not reacted so brashly as his colleagues, and kept his lightsaber tucked into his robes. He then folds his arms in front of him and assesses the group of presumably Dark Jedi before him with his oily black eyes.
"As my student states, we did not suspect the full extent of this operation. I'm quite impressed."
__________________
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Feb 22nd, 2016 04:43 AM |
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Newjak
I am Beyond Power
Gender: Male
Location: United States |
Xavier feels uneasy about letting Rand get away with calling himself the leader of the group. As he puts away his lightsabers.
That squid is trying to be something he is not. We should end him now for this
Xavier keeps control of his darker sides reckless ambitions. Until Xavier realizes that if Rand is considered the sole leader than all interactions with higher ups may go through the squid. Xavier remembers back to the prison and all of sudden he isn't too comfortable with the thought of that situation happening again. Xavier hopes that Rand isn't too keen on trying to fight him at this moment.
"Well Rand is quite wise but he does not solely make the decisions for the group," Xavier interjects before adding. "But yes this is quite an impressive gathering."
__________________
sig by Rao Kal El
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Feb 22nd, 2016 02:07 PM |
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Bardock42
Junior Member
 Gender: Unspecified
Location: With Cinderella and the 9 Dwarves |
Con will put his blaster away, but won't say anything, since everyone else does already.
__________________
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Feb 22nd, 2016 04:08 PM |
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REXXXX
Networking
Gender: Male
Location: San Diego Moderator |
Galder winces at Rand claiming leadership of the group.
"Rand knows the Dark Side, but he doesn't know how to lead," Galder snickers, jabbing at the old fallen Jedi Master for his arrogance, as they always do, irrelevant to the situation. He then turns to the assembled Dark Jedi before him and his colleagues. "So, you've heard of me. Tell me what you've heard! How does Kuylen feel about his apprentice these days? Hmm?"
Inside, Galder roils with anger, knowing that Kuylen assembled this army WITHOUT HIM.
__________________
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Feb 24th, 2016 08:56 AM |
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Ushgarak
Paladin
Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Co-Admin |
"We know you killed Emperor Rivas, for a start," he says. "And they say you wiped out the leadership of the Golden Serpent. Also that things near you tend to blow up. But don't expect any special treatment here. The General gives the orders- and we haven't heard any about you."
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
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Feb 27th, 2016 11:14 PM |
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Lord Melkor
Senior Member
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Confusion |
"We all were present when Rivas fell to our swords and most of us were when we killed the Lantarnas family."
"Anyway, why won`t you tell us what are the rules here. I am Gallador". He extends his hand to the worn-face.
__________________
Yet the lies that Melkor, the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days.
"… his name is Melkor, Lord of All, Giver of Freedeom, and he shall make you stronger than they."
Sauron to Ar-Pharazôn
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Feb 27th, 2016 11:20 PM |
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Ushgarak
Paladin
Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Co-Admin |
"The Force may care about details like that, but people won't," he says. "I am Alvan." He does not extend a hand,. "The rules here are simple. Follow orders, maintain discipline, or die."
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
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Feb 28th, 2016 12:44 PM |
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Newjak
I am Beyond Power
Gender: Male
Location: United States |
Xavier looks over Gallador get his hand shake ignored before turning his gaze back to Alvan. "Thanks Alvan those rules are good to know. I am Xavier Kolarn. You mention the General. This sounds like an army more than a simple gathering. Who issues the orders and assigns roles here in that case?"
__________________
sig by Rao Kal El
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Feb 28th, 2016 12:50 PM |
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Ushgarak
Paladin
Gender: Male
Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Co-Admin |
"You've got the general at the top," he says, "and then on the next level down you have his five commanders, each overseeing a share of that level. Then each of them has five people like me to enforce order down at the bottom."
__________________
"We've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg grinds everybody into Jawa burgers and not one of you buds has the midi-chlorians to stop her!"
"You've never had any TINY bit of sex, have you?"
BtVS
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Feb 28th, 2016 01:08 PM |
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