"Dunno" says Edna. "He always seems very preoccupied. Almost like our mission isn't the first thing on his mind. Seems a little odd for a Dark Jedi. He certainly values his friends too much for my liking. Friends do nothing but get in the way of the task in hand. He should have let Chion kill that guy and be done with it"
Kuylen nods, as if that part of his life was now sorted out.
The shuttle launches a few minutes later, and begins the slow glide through the atmosphere. This atmosphere is so thick it is almost like sludge, and even the adapted shuttle has to make slow progress down.
Eventually, you land on a small landing pad in an enclosed area protected by a forcefield, covering the excavation site. From here it is a short walk to the Monastery.
"Atnosphere check is good," says Kuylen, checking the life-support readings for outside. "We'll be safe inside the force bubble." He opens the shuttle door.
Quam steps out after Kuylen, sniffing the foul air.
"What an incredible smell you discovered....." Quam mumbled as he walked in, all senses on full alert. He was wearing his black robe covering all of his body. Lumps of something solid are discernible underneath it, Quam has come prepared as always.
When the small group draws close to the Monastery, Quam finds the main entrance closed and locked. He slowly turns to Kuylen. "You have a key to this door or do we require more.... drastic measures?"
Of course, what the Sith call a Monastery, you would call a battle fortress...
Much of it is still crushed and buried under the ice. Even that that has survived is broken and battered, its considerable defences overwhelmed by the Sith force that destroyed it.
The entrance, through a tunnel of ice, has vast statues either side of long forgotten people. All of you can feel the waves of power coming from the insides. It is a very eerie feeling. It is more than enough to unsettle and panic any being without intense mental discipline. Luckily, you are all trained Force adepts.
Fortifications surround the area, though you walked through a breech. These fortification are interesting, designed to withstand sabre assaults. The are all roofed, with thin slits in the middle and top, wide enough to admit a sabre but not a man. This is to discourage those who would seek to climb the fortifcations, but prevent anyone from force jumping over the top. You can still see the long sabre marks on the walls where battle took place here.
Kuylen extends his hand and uses the force to pull a switch on the inside of the gate, causing it to slowly sweng open, without the slightest bit of noise. Amazingly, the Monastery is still powered after all these millenia.
"Most of the monastery is still breeched, but we will have to pass the mirror tests again to get inside," he says
Quam and Edna, during the earlier excavation work you went through these tests before. They were desgned, simply, to stop Sith acolytes progressing into the inner parts of the Temple until their training was sufficiently advanced. Now they perform a very useful function for you- they only allow those on the Dark Side through them.
They are simple, almost childish tests that often involve a mirror version of yourself or your friends. To pass, you simply have to display the instincts and thoughts of a true Dark Sider. No learner and certainly no Jedi can pass through the mirror tests. There is no penalty for failing; they simply won't let you through if you fail.
One rule though- you have to take them alone. Powerful Sith mind tricks inhabit these halls, and even if you hold hands with someone as you try to pass the tests, a moment later you will lose track of them, until you are on the other side.
The archive is on the other side of the mirror tests. Before, all that was beyond them were a few antechambers and a ton of ice. Now, virtually all of the surviving rooms of the Monastery should be there.
You prepare, each of you, to go through the mirror test alone.
"Anyone see Krisha?" asks Kuylen, suddenly. She is, indeed, gone.
(MOD NOTE- By the way, I have the geography and make-up of the Sith Monastery already pretty much set out, it being the final location of this part of the game. So you can't make many in-post changes if the actual physical composition of the place, I am afraid. Also, don't go expecting a ton of booby traps- this place was basically a school, after all.)
"Chion?" asks Kuylen. Chion simply shrugs, wihich takes him some time.
"Was she actually on the shuttle?" asks Kuylen. Silence.
"Well, there's no time to do anything about her now," says Kuylen, hurrying through the Great Hall. There are two grand staircases leading off to either side but you all know the secret entrance, that yields to a force push, in between the stairs, that leads to the mirror tests.
(ALL the controls around here are force operated. It is a facility entirely built for force adepts).
Edna eyes Quam sitting on the floor. He always liked to take his test after her. Did he have something to hide? Or did he simply have some sick interest in her own test. She decides to find out.
"After you!" She gestures towards the test, giving a smug smile and then makes to busy herself inspecting the gadgets on the wall.
Or maybe now...
There is no literal 'mirror' in the test, but there is a large black hemisphere, hollow side facing you, on the wall in front of you as you approach it, from which the test forms.
Gald, as you slowly approach the 'mirror' an image forms... of yourself, wearing black robes. Your double quickly ignites both lightsabres and rushes to attack you!
(BTW, no need for a seperate thread for this fight).
Quam, you wait at the hemisphere for a few moments, but nothing seems to happen. Irritating. You hear someone walking up behind you. It is Krisha.
"What exactly do you think you are doing?" she asks.
Edna, Chion gives you another one of his horrible smiles, and approaches the test for himself. This leaves you alone with Gald's creepy friend...
After Gald stands in front of the hemisphere for a few seconds, a double of him instantly appears in the dark. It ignites one lightsaber and rushes at him. Gald quickly wips out his lightsaber and blocks the first blow, then returns the favor. The double squeels out in pain, but quickly gets back on its feet. It now has a large lightsaber wound across it's right arm. The double, "Redlag," as Galder later named him, grinned evily and slashes at Gald.
Gald dodges and flips over the clone's head. He makes a stab for it's back, but Redlag blocks with a swift manuever. Then, as an answer for trying to kill him, Redlag takes out the other lightsaber. The green blade glows, but not with the light of Gald's real one. It glows in a more sickly green, while the red one glows brighter than ever. Gald looks around while he takes out his second lightsaber. They are now in the darkest part of the hollow. They can only tell where each other are by the glow of the lightsabers and the Force.
EDITED
Sorry, Rex, but these tests are ALWAYS done alone. The others don't even notice you doing it- it's just dark to outsiders. Unless you quickly become a Sith Master and 're-wire' the tests, of course... which ain;t going to happen.
Rex, your double seems to block in a very predictable manner... all you have to do is wait your chance to slip by his guard.
-
"Funny," says Krisha to you, Quam. "And you are always saying that *I* am impatient. You'll never get ANYWHERE with that attitude. And you know it. Maybe it's just because you don't like talking to people?"