MAUSOLEUM END OF CAMPAIGN SABRE DUEL- Gundark vs. Kuylen

THE SET-UP: The final confrontation of the plotline is now upon the players. On the remote, dying forgotten planet of Zeiton- battleground of the Sith Wars, and quarantined in secret milennia ago by the Jedi, lest the remarkably force sensitive Zeitonians tear themselves apart with knowledge of the Force that is so lethal to them- Kuylen has found his target, the Mausoleum of Demnos, where Darth Demnos once led his cult and, so the legend goes, sacrificed himself to become one with his tomb and teach future generations of the Sith. The truth of the legend, no-one yet knows.

Deep in the bowels of the Mausoleum, the huge double doors in the wide circular room that lead to Demnos' tomb are the final obstruction between the Dark Siders and the power they seek. These doors do not yield to any conventional means, but the tablets from the planet Avalar Kuylen recovered in the first story have given him the means to open the doors by ritual.

Gundark's Jedi team has penetrated the Mausoleum at the final moments, and now she, and the Knight Roan and the Renegade Jedi Xeth, confront Kuylen, backed by Galder and Rah, at the entrance to the tomb.

As the Mausoleum starts its death throes due to Chion's activation of the nearby vengeance device, that threatens to wipe out all life on the planet, the final duels begin as the Jedi make one last attempt to stop Kuylen's seemingly unstoppable destiny.

HOW THIS WORKS: Well, everyone knows how to duel by now. But the stakes are now too high. There is no retreat from this duel. However, a loser will still be able to retreat as normal.

Another twist to this fight is that I will be inviting variable speeds, rather than making sure everyone has to duel at the same speed. Therefore, regularity of posting will make some duels faster than others!

ANALYSIS: Not good for Gundark. Gundark is well-skilled- but Kuylen is better. And he is also younger, fitter and stronger. There is actually no area in which Gundark outshines her opponent- but in swordplay she can at least put up a fight. Ideally (and what I hoped would happen) the Jedi would be tackling Kuylen mob-handed... but this is not how the Force has decided things would be!

Gundark's best hope, then, is to hang on and pray for a quick victory from one of her allies, and so some help. Should Xeth or Roan fall and someone join the fight against Gundark, she is surely doomed.

For the first time, Kuylen awaits Gundark to come to him. He sets his guard in a neutral pose, and awaits her efforts- Gundark has come to fight him, not the other way around... so she goes first.

Score: Gundark- 0, Kuylen- 0

Gundark to attack

(Thank you for the optimistic intro, evil gamemaster.....)

Kellan moved purposefully forward, blade extended. She pushed any thought of revenge out of her mind and concentrated soley on defeating her opponent. To give into her anger would be her undoing, regardless of Roan's and Xeth's support. She swung upward and across to engage Kuylen's sabre, tempering her strength in order to conserve her energy.

Your sabres start to clash as Kuylen meets your blow evenly. But on the third clash, just as you are trying to predict his swordplay, he butts his sabre hilt up into the bridge of your nose instead, driving you back...

Score: Gundark- 0, Kuylen- 1

Kuylen to attack

Kuylen twirls has sabre, smiling, and then makes a lightning fast jab at your midriff...

Kellan's eyes watered from the blow to her nose and she barely saw her blade cut under Kuylen's jab to make the block. She went into a low crouch then with the help of the Force leapt upward into a double somersault over Kuylen's head, kicking out hard with one leg toward the back of his skull.

Ahhh, it's worked again... Kuylen was feinting, Gundark! He's got you that way before. The bloe was actually going far lower than you thought, and i order to block it in time you almost fall over backwards, and Kuylen now has a height advantage...

Score: Gundark- 0, Kuylen- 2

Gundark to attack

Kellan scrambled to regain her footing, well aware that from his current stance Kuylen could easily slice her skull open. She swung her sabre very low, aiming to cut him at boot height or at the very least to cause him to loose his own footing.

Just stretching this one out, Gundy, so the others get a chance to finish first- this is the most important duel so I want it to last out the other fights.

(Most important plotwise anyway- obviously Marcus and Takuan fighting Chion to save everyone's life has a kind of imprtance to it...)

No problemo, Dr. Ushenstein....

It's no good, Gundark. His strength is overpowering you. He fends off your blows and you are kept low, as he returns to the attack...

Score: Gundark- 0, Kuylen- 3

Kuylen to attack

And now his sabre is smashing down upon yours, again, and again, and again, as you wilt under the power of his assault...

(I'll just be slowwwwwwwwwwing this down a bit more, I think...)

(Don't worry, Gundy, I have a feeling that Roan will be joining you soon enough. I'm not doing too well against him.)

Kellan knew that sooner or later one of Kuylen's blows would get through. She had to retreat a bit, or at least try. Rather than pushing upward against his sabre and fight gravity, she spun hard to her left and actually rolled in a series of somersaults to put some space between herself and Kuylen. Springing quickly to her feet, she then leapt with a burst of energy from the Force back toward Kuylen, as he would not expect to immediately re-engage him, she swung down hard toward his shoulder, seizing a brief element of surprise.

Oooh, nice try, Gundy, VERY nice try... Kuylen finds this by no means easy, almost going off-balance as he follows you. You almost knock him back with your counterstroke but his greater strength saves him, and he shoves you back...

(Round drawn- goes with attacker- unlucky, Gundy!)

Score: Gundark- 0, Kuylen- 4

Gundy, the energy from the Vengeance device is feeding back into this place. You notice now cracks along the walls- and debris falling from the ceiling! Tne feet away, Roan and Galder are duelling on a piece of floor that has come loose, one end sinking into the cavernous ground below, the other half, that they are on, raising into the air at a steeper and steeper angle!

A piece of debris falls between you and Kuylen, giving you a brief respite.

"You should never come after me, Master Gundark!" says Kuylen. "The Force was merely leading you to your doom! You should have stayed back in your shell in Coruscant! You won nothing at Avalar..."

It is at this point that Xeth defeats Rah in the fight nearby, sending Rah sprawling into an opening chasm. Xeth now joins this fight, which means both sides lose a point- although Gundy cannot actually go into negative.

Score: Gundark/Xeth- 0, Kuylen- 3

Xeth to attack.

Xeth stares into the gaping pit momentarily, watching his opponent fall, then turns to Kuylen and Gundark.

"Kuylen, it is you who is being led to your doom. I shall see to it personally," Xeth hollers at the evil man over the rising noise.

Xeth paces about Kuylen, gathering his attention, staring him straight in the eye. He puts Kuylen between himself and Master Gundark.

"Your destiny shall not be met, whatever it may be."

Xeth charges at Kuylen, unleashing a series of fast and furious blows, undaunted by the obvious fact that he is no match for Kuylen. The fast blows aim for his chest, but Xeth suddenly drops low and slashes for his legs, then brings his yellow blade up through the legs towards Kuylen's groin.

(Gundark, assisting attack would be most appreciated. Remember our first duel together? Let's try not to get in each other's way.)

I'll give Gundy a little bit to react...

Seems not...

Kuylen fights like Doku at this point, Xeth, Blade in one hand, he falls back, intercepting every blow of yours with apparent ease, and then in an unexpected move, as you make a clinch with his sabre, he makes a force push that roughly shoves you to one side, as he closes back on his primary target...

Score: Gundark/Xeth- 0, Kuylen- 4

Kuylen to attack, Gundark to defend. Match point to Kuylen.

Kuylen twirls his sabre twice, and then, as you raise to your feet, Gundy, he advacnes his guard forcibly into your sabre, to drive you back...

Note that as neither Light Side player has won a round, the 'loser' if Kuylen wins will be the one who has lost the most rounds, currently Gundark.

"The Force has never lead me to doom, Kuylen", she threw back at him. She allowed him to drive her backward, then hit the brakes, jumping hard left, swinging outward toward his neck. "I followed you here to complete my mission. Duty. Commitment. Concepts that are unknown to you." She stabbed now with words as well as with her blade.

"It was never your 'mission' to follow me here, Gundark!" says Kuylen, enagaing your blade in a twist. "No Jedi would ever be ordered to Zeiton! I know you, Kellan... you let the Force guide you where you WANTED to be guided... you didn't care for anything other than trying to finish what you started!"

Kellan kicked out a foot to catch Kuylen's leg, pushing hard against his blade with her own. "What I started was put to me by the Supreme Chancellor," she spat. "I HAD to follow this to its conclusion, no matter what. I will not turn away and return to him OR the Council with empty hands."

Kuylen starts to force you back towards an outcropping of broken rock.

"You won't be returning to the Council at all, Gundark. Yours and your fellows will be the first deaths of many... at the hands of my ascension to true power... you cannot stop me. it is my destiny to succeed!"