STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Home

I'll take cover.

You spin away as the burst comes down. The lasers tear apart the corner of the wall next to you, spewing splinters and flame about, but you avoid the shot.

When you look out, Quam has disappeared through a door at the top.

I guess I follow him up.
I'll quickly sense the door, and push it open with the force before I go through it though. (Only if I can do it without burning a force point).

Like as I run up the stairs, push the door open.

You rush up after Quam, your feet thumping the steps. The door flings open when you push it with the Force, and you storm through, lightsaber raised and ready.

You emerge into a large room bathed in moonlight. Said light comes down through a latticed glass ceiling, leaving several dark corners in this large empty room.

Well, almost empty. A series of plinths run up the sides of the room in straight lines, like a museum exhibition.

I will move through the room, but keeping alert for Quam flinging something at me.

Your boots clip lightly against the polished stone floor.

"What do you hope to achieve, Master Jedi?" Quam's voice comes from somewhere.

"I think my goals are quite clear. But what I cannot fathom, is what you think you can accomplish. At best, you have alerted the Republic to your presence. Even if you defeat me, you are on a Republican world, in the center of the Galaxy. What can you hope to do?"

"I'm encouraging entropy," Quam taunts from the shadows. "As you say, I'm on a Republic world... and I've begun an open rebellion against the Republic. The Red Rain already existed before I helped their little cause. They won't succeed here, not in a direct fight with CorSec. And not without me. But their message, my message, will spread."

"There is no entropy, only balance."

Roan will continue to move through the room, cautious for any flying objects or a Fling that might come his way.

"Hah! Mindless dribble only a Jedi could spew. Do you honestly think that the Republic represents balance in the Galaxy? The Senate only serves the interests of the well-to-do and the Core worlds. Everyone else suffers."

Stepping through the room, you pass the plinths, wary that Quam might use the artifacts on display to batter you.

"I don't pretend to be a people's hero. I just find their malcontent useful. People flock to men and women who offer them answers, or chances to fix their situation. That's all I did here on Corellia, and it's what I'll do elsewhere."

Most of the artifacts on display appear to be abstract art pieces of Corellian make. But toward the end of the room, under a spotlight, you find a piece that catches your eye.

A blank stone tablet.

I'll take a look at the tablet, still keeping an eye out

It is a very old tablet, hewn from dark stone.

A specific skill will tell you what it is...

S/F or something esoteric like Law? Maybe Jedi Lore?
Now I'm just naming skills...

Five successes on your Jedi Lore check indicates you probably knew what it was the minute you saw it.

When Master Kellan Gundark accepted you on the expedition out to Zeiton, to stop Kuylen and his followers, she gave you some backstory on what had happened up to that point. Kuylen first came on the radar when his crew plundered the Sith monastery at the mythical Sith world of Avalar, buried under millennia of ice.

Kuylen's followers were interrupted by Gundark's team of Jedi Knights, but they did get away with a number of stone tablets, engraved by Sith monks of old. They only show their writings when touched by someone in tune with the Force...

Ooh damn. Roan is tempted to snag it, as it would be an invaluable addition to the Jedi archives and really shouldn't be out in the universe. Roan puts that out of his mind though and continues to move through the atrium.

Moving on from the tablet means that Quam's attack strikes you unexpectedly, as you did not expect the way in which he attacks. You had squared yourself, prepared to dodge if he bombarded you with the plinths or the museum pieces, or to recover had he bodily flung you... but instead, he greets you a different way.

You hear the crackle and turn on the spot. Not fast enough. An arc of lightning strikes your torso and pain racks your body, bringing you to a knee. The energy courses through you, illuminating your skeleton and burning across and under your skin before dissipating. The pain ceases; the burst of lightning proved brief.

Quam advances from his dark corner, one hand raised to you, fingers curled as claws. He clutches the black hilt of a lightsaber in the other, and grins widely.

"Neat trick, wouldn't you say?" Quam taunts. "You won't stop me from leaving here, and you're stupid enough to have followed, Jedi. This won't be quick..."

Lightning?! Lore tells it that the Sith could concentrate their hate into tangible energy to strike down their foes. You could not imagine how Quam would have... ah, but the Sith tablet...

Either way, Quam raises his hand again.

Roan ignites his saber and moves towards Quam, in a guarded pose ready to intercept the lightning.

(Some wishful darkie thinking there?)

(Actually! Ush granted Quam approval to use Force lightning shortly before he stopped playing more than ten years ago.)

Prepared now, you get your lightsaber into position before the lightning jumps from Quam's fingertips. The lightning strikes your saber with some strength but dissipates quickly, crackling weakly out of existence.

Quam frowns, seemingly not impressed with his own efforts. Rather than try again, he lowers his hand to his belt, and brings it up again with an all-too-familiar snap-hiss!. The core of his lightsaber's blade comes out black, with a sharp lavender-hued glow around it, almost like a black light. The hilt itself glints, inlaid and decorated with silver and gold- a vain man's weapon.

"I've bested many this way," Quam taunts, flourishing his lightsaber. "I'm sure you're handy with a blade, but I doubt you had one of the most lethal swordsmen in the Galaxy for a teacher!"

(Ah! I knew Ush had said it was possible through those tablets, but I didn't know anyone had actually done it.)

"And I'm sure he taught you everything he knew. Kuylen never held anything back from his followers."

Quam certainly won't stand for an insult, so he comes at you first!

THE SET-UP: Having sussed his identity, Roan and a contingent of CorSec officers stormed the mansion of Lord Fenring, really the Dark Jedi Quam Ak-toh, an old familiar of the fallen Knight Larios Kuylen, trying to rally a cultist group and a transplanted warrior society to launch terror attacks against the Corellian government. Quam has kidnapped Roan's Padawan and plans on escaping justice; Roan plans on stopping him.

HOW THIS WORKS:

Each turn, duellists exchange lightsaber blows, trying to beat their opponent's guard and score a points until that final blow is struck to win the duel. One player is made the attacker, though who the attacker is changes each round.

There are three moves you can make, based upon the three physical stats of Strength, Agility, and Dexterity. You add your rating in chosen stat and apply it to your Lightsaber score, which makes for the final score of your attack.

There are two complications- first, some moves are better than others. Strength gets a bonus against Dexterity, Dexterity against Agility, and Agility against Strength. Said bonus is worth two points. Second, your chosen move has an inbuilt extra power of +0 (Weak), +1 (Normal), or +2 (Strong).

At the start of each duel, each combatant chooses six moves, choosing no more than three of each type. The strength of each hand is randomly determined; there are more weak moves than normal, more normal than strong.

Highest score wins each turn. In the event of a draw, attacker gets the point. First to five wins, so long as they are winning by two clear points. If not, duel continues until that gap is made. Winning by more points can have worse consequences for your opponents.

ANALYSIS:

Very even! Quam completed his training under Kuylen and a proven duelist, while Roan is a fully-fledged Jedi Knight training a Padawan. Roan's short-coming could be his lack of specialization, physically speaking, but he's known to play it smart...