Avexiss Redonna Odé

Avexiss Redonna Odé, known as Vexi to her friends, was a  who served the  as a  during the  and the  that followed. She was a talented duellist trained by Batauww, besting most of her peers during training and proving herself both an adaptable and often unorthodox fighter. Her skills were primarily limited to impressive blade work, but Avexiss could also call upon the Force as needed and use it to augment her fighting style. She was not proficient in using the Force more fluidly and frequently as a might, however.

Notably outspoken, Avexiss was held back for many years. Though she would eventually prove herself to be more loyal than even the most quintessential of her peers, Avexiss was regarded with caution and suspicion for her entire career, by all but the wisest of the Jedi. Her regular encounters with the more arcane and mysterious aspects of the Force did nothing to help ease concerns, but Avexiss' survival and apparent victory over the dark Force entity on, and her ongoing struggle against the sinister creations of the Dark Side of the Force, drew the attention of.

Joining the unseen ranks of the, Avexiss was taught a number of Force techniques to help assassinate, infiltrate and avoid attention in her pursuit of Sith artefacts. Given a ship of her own to use and officially removed from the Jedi Order, Avexiss set off on what would be a long and storied career, guided by the teachings of the Light Side of the Force but unbound by the restrictions of the Jedi.

Seedling


"Daddy, I fell off a mesa again. Come fetch me please."

- Avexiss, oblivious to any danger, contacts her father for help.

Born to Darsun Odé and  Leena Organa, it was no surprise that Avexiss' birth and earliest years were somewhat noteworthy, even if she was oblivious to the fact at the time.

The youngest of her many siblings, Avexiss was conceived during one of her parents infrequent meetings on, though she was born on in her father's estate. Lord Darsun kept his children a secret from both master and peers, fearing that their discovery could bring the spiteful wrath of his master's enemies but unable to send them away with their mother due to her position as a Jedi Knight. Despite the circumstances, the arrangement worked well for a number of years and, isolated as they were at their private mesa estate, no threat presented itself.

Avexiss spent much of her childhood exploring alongside close friend, despite disapproval and discouragement. The two formed a close bond, though as Lemda (the senior of the pair) grew older she was able to spend less and less time with the disheartened Avexiss. To combat her sadness, she pushed herself to explore further outwards, often earning herself a scolding from her father.

On one occasion, Avexiss discovered a group of off-duty (Makeb's  protectors) as they practised their aim on a family of. Though she was smart enough not to intervene, she was quick to try and help the creatures once the Regulators were gone but sadly they were all already dead.

All but one, however.

Whining in fright on a ledge over the side of the mesa was a baby Makrin Creeper- a seedling, the size of a dinner plate and completely helpless. Avexiss climbed down, risking her own life in the process, and retrieved the creature, instincetively using the Force to soothe it and stop it's whining. She could not climb back up with her hands full, though, and after an hour of frustrated contemplation she gave in a her father for rescue.

Despite the angry lecture her father gave her, Avexiss was allowed to keep the seedling. She named it Bark, and the creature would go on to live in the gardens of the Odé Estate long after the family left it behind.

Upheaval


"I don't want to go. I won't go."

- Avexiss' brief refusal to leave Makeb.

When Avexiss was 10 years of age, her mother's violation of the was discovered by an investigation led by her suspicious master, and she was forced to sever ties with her family or be expelled from the ranks of the Jedi. Heartbroken but unwilling to lay down her lightsaber, Leena travelled to with her children- accompanied rather boldly by her once secret husband- and arranged for a close non-Jedi friend to formally adopt them, knowing the children of a Sith Lord would never be safe beyond the borders of the Republic, and that her friend (unable to have children herself) would treat them as her own. Leena returned to the on  for 're-education', while Darsun was summoned to  by his master to answer for his 'crimes' against the.

Avexiss and her siblings lived on Coruscant for a two years, leaving home one-by-one for various reasons until her adoptive parents, the family K3-L3 and Avexiss herself were the only residents of their now uncomfortably quiet home.

Unorthodox Padawan


"The road before you is littered with challenges. Already you are burdened by disadvantage; years of potential training missed, a widespread prejudice waiting to greet you from the very people you are destined to defend, and a heritage that has already made many question your right to receive training. Ignore shame, rise above reluctance and embrace your instincts- if you can overcome the tests ahead, my brilliant pupil, you will evolve into a shining example of what it means to be a Jedi. I see many champions in you, Avexiss Odé, but only one will be your future. That, I dare say, is the only thing in your power to shape."

- Avexiss' cryptic (and not understood) welcome to the Jedi Order, courtesy of Master Batauww.

Despite her removal from the life of both Jedi and Sith, Avexiss could not escape the destiny lined up for her. It was at the age of twelve that her unhappiness- caused by the departure of her siblings and the damaging harassment she'd faced from her peers at school before being pulled out- began to manifest into frustration and anger, culminating in outbursts that would have been a normal part of growing up if not for her strong connection to the Force. When Avexiss grew angry at her adoptive parents, however, her anger impacted the physical world; fixtures and fittings were torn from the wall, lights flickered and their humble home shook on its foundations. Frightened, upset but mostly concerned, Avexiss' guardians knew the only solution was for Avexiss to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a Jedi.

Speaking to, a who happened to be visiting Coruscant when the Order received their request for assistance, the small family were disappointed to hear that Avexiss was too old to become a Jedi. Master Traless did promise that Avexiss could receive Jedi help, however. She would serve the Order in a clerical capacity, learning to control her abilities while helping with the less glamorous side of Jedi life.

Reluctant but having little say in the matter, Avexiss accompanied Master Traless to. While waiting in the, Avexiss spotted Master Batauww as he walked through the main hall, a Jedi, which sparked her curiosity. Years of being kept from the world outside her home meant Avexiss had learned to instinctively withdraw from others, both physically and in the Force, keeping Master Traless from sensing her strength in the Force. Avexiss' probing of the Jedi Master did not go unnoticed, and the brief glimpse of her potential that it afforded Master Batauww was the only thing that saved her from a life of wasted potential, sorting through the.

Batauww approached, asking Avexiss numerous harmless questions such as her name and reason for being in the Jedi Temple. With Master Traless translating the questions, Avexiss answered cautiously, but told the truth, and by the time another Jedi arrived to take Avexiss off of Master Traless' hands Master Batauww had already decided he wanted to take Avexiss on as his student.

Growl of the Master


Although Avexiss did not speak, Batauww managed to teach her through simple gestures and by speaking at her as though she understood. As she naturally grew into her previously suppressed Force senses, she was able to identify emotion and meaning and, in time, began to learn what Batauww's various barks and growls actually meant.

Batauww taught her the basics of being a Jedi, though the language barrier meant that others masters- usually via group study sessions- taught Avexiss things such as the Jedi Code. Preferring the martial side of Jedi life as her master did, Avexiss and Batauww bonded easily, forming the common master-pupil within a matter of weeks despite their inability to communicate. Batauww frequently defeated Avexiss in their training duels, leaving her badly bruised most of the time.

Naturally this concerned many of the masters, some of whom were sincere and some of whom had an agenda against the Wookiee and his Sith pupil. Regardless, when these concerns were brought forward Batauww argued that his methods were his own, and would in time be proven effective. His words had little weight, sadly, as Avexiss was his first pupil and Wookiees were known to be a somewhat violent species. Avexiss argued his case though, defending him with passionate loyalty that forced the to adopt a wait and see approach.

As the months passed by, Avexiss continued to improve, ignoring the daily pain Batauww inflicted until her bruises began to reduce in number. No matter how many times she'd failed to defeat her juggernaut of a master, Avexiss was undefeated in training duels with her peers. The relentless masters who'd expressed concern at her bruising before returned with changed tactics; Batauww and Avexiss were brought before the council again, this time due to the viciousness of Avexiss' fighting style which some claimed were signs of her master's neglect and warmongering. Once again, Batauww argued that his training was appropriate, and that it had honed her into a bulwark of the Jedi Order. Once again, Avexiss sided with him, suggesting that she train with the Jedi Knights rather than other students if her abilities were too much for her fellows. And, once again, the Jedi Council were wise enough to see the allegations were based on prejudice and misunderstanding.

They did insist Avexiss spend an additional ten hours a week learning outside of the training grounds, though. Lessons that would be taught by and.

It was during these lessons that Avexiss befriended Jedi Knight and model student Hessinine Valenn.

First Assignment


"A small mining settlement on has requested assistance with a problem the council believe to be Force-related. The reports are quite interesting; phantoms acting in broad daylight, screaming screeching through the settlement all through the night, wild beasts passing through without fear or hesitation. Whatever's going on there, it's definitely Force-induced."

- Master Batauww regarding the plight of the Graultown residents.

At the age of sixteen, Avexiss was finally given the opportunity she'd been waiting for. A mining town on had sent a request for assistance with a recurring and horrifying problem that they believed was something to do with the Force, though none of them were really qualified to determine if that were the case. However, the situation described in their message made it clear that their problems had a foundation in the Force.

According to the residents of the mountainous Graultown, they were being plagued by phantoms, or spirits- people that did not exist, that nobody recognised, who walked through the town as though they belonged there and then were never seen again. This had gone unnoticed initially, but when strange occurrences began happening the townsfolk grew increasingly nervous and hyper-observant. Numerous strangers had been reported to the mayor, but all attempts to find and confront them had failed. One of the phantoms had been confronted in the middle of the day, in full view of over a dozen passerby, by one of the terrified citizens who snapped upon realising he'd encountered one the apparitions. None of the witnesses could really recall what they'd seen, but the citizen somehow fired his blaster down into his own foot after the phantom didn't reply to his questions, simply choosing to stand and beam at him.

The phantom fled in the panic, disappearing after rounding a corner.

While the phantoms were causing widespread agitation and terror, they hadn't harmed anyone or showed any sign of doing so, so the mayor had ignored the problem in the hope of it fading away by itself. Sadly, the problem intensified over the weeks that followed; unnatural screams rang through the town every few nights, initially prompting the townsfolk to rush out and investigate the source. No screamer was ever found, and after weeks of this chilling phenomenon most people stopped trying to investigate, particularly when the screams became a nightly occurrence.

Those few that continued to search for some explanation were quickly dissuaded by the appearance of wild beasts, curiously poking through the town at night. , and the gargantuan  that the town was named after became the most common intruders, but a few of the local militiamen still kept up the nightly searches, able to fend off the odd attacker. Vicious soon began to prowl the streets, scratching at doors and barking at windows as they attempted to get inside people's homes. They were, according to the mayor's message, just the start.

Dangerous as the dogs were, the militia was led by a number of ex-military members, and the first death only occurred when a new, more deadly predator entered the game. The mayor's explanation was unclear, but from his recollection (detailing the grisly mutilations of numerous militiamen at the hands of supposedly 'invisible' monsters) Master Batauww believed that the town was now a hunting ground for the monstrous, Dark Side dragons usually native to worlds like.

Whatever the case, the Jedi Council were taking the issue seriously; Batauww and Avexiss were accompanying the more learned Master Hyin and his former student Jedi Knight Hessinine Valenn to act as an escort, their fierce fighting skills finally putting them in demand. Clambering aboard a early one morning, the team set off to unravel the dark mystery on Dantooine.

Terror of Lavender Pass


Landing at a few days after their departure from Tython, the group of Jedi took speeders up to Purple Plains, a town sat in the idyllic northern flatlands and named for the wide expanse of violet flowers that grew throughout most of the year. They were greeted by a palpable climate of fear, and a Wookiee who led the towns militia, Sheriff Emab.

He explained that there was a travel ban in effect, prohibiting travel north of the town due to the strange madness gripping the wildlife in the Lavender Pass. Emab told the group that a number of travellers and residents had already vanished, suggesting the madness observed in the local wildlife was the reason. Emab seemed certain there was something sinister afoot and, despite warning them that the militia would not be at their aid, gave the Jedi permission to leave for Graultown.

At Master Hyin's insistence, the group set off for the long stretch of grassland that evening.

Master Batauww and Knight Hessinine disputed the decision, but Avexiss agreed that time was of the essence and Hyin overruled the pair, leading them out into the plains on foot. Initially, the route was peaceful and their progress unimpeded. When the sun fell beneath the mountain in the distance, however, the presence of the Dark Side became a smothering blanket that made even Master Hyin seem nervous.

Numerous attacks followed sundown, with packs of frenzied Huurtons rushing in from all angles and herds of Bols attempting to trample them in a wild and mad assault. Four Jedi were easily able to hold their own, but the mindless savagery of the attacks confirmed that the Dark Side was indeed polluting the area in a significant way, and that perhaps Graultown was just one of many locations affected.

Rock formations began to dot the previously empty landscape, forcing them to slow their approach in case of ambush. The foot of the mountain that marked the end of the Lavender Pass was not unprotected, sadly. One last creature stood ready to butcher them; a huge beast, with giant fangs and armor-like skin all packed into a frightfully muscular form, not unlike the Grauls they'd encountered already. Avexiss thought that the creature perhaps was a Graul, mutated by the Dark Side or, but had her theory dismissed before she voiced it when Batauww called it a ''.

Igniting their lightsabers as they approached stirred the beast into life, beckoning it forward in an unspoken challenge. Big as it was, the beast was not only fast but agile, too, and immediately it became clear that evading it would be difficult. Master Hyin warned of the poisonous claws the Terentatek was sporting, adding a further element of danger that Avexiss didn't feel at all ready for.

She had no choice, however.

Using his loud voice and large body to attract the creature's attention, Master Batauww kept it busy while the others searched frantically for an opportune moment to attack. Hessinine and Hyin- both strong in the Force and able to manipulate it to great effect- attacked with a barrage of while Avexiss used her allies' lightsabers to charge the beast, despite protests from Hyin and Hessinine.

Unable to react quickly enough thanks to the three Jedi already demanding attention, the Terentatek howled in agony as Avexiss plunged the lightsabers into it's back, struggling to force the weapons through the thick plates that protected the monster. But with the Force to root herself onto it's back, she had time enough to inflict a painful and serious injury before the creature responded.

With a scream, it swung it's arm up to slap at the spindly Pureblood. She couldn't escape before the attack hit, no without at glancing blow from the poisonous claws at the very least, but Avexiss had been trained to think fast in a fight. Thumbing the activation trigger for the second blade of Hessinine's, Avexiss dropped flat against the Terentatek's back, hanging onto the hilts and praying that her plan worked.

A triumphant roar from Batauww and a deep groan that shook through her whole body was followed by silence. She tilted her head to look above where she lay, staring wide-eyed at the creature's limp hand, still held at a safe distance by Hessinine's yellow lightsaber blade. Avexiss laughed hysterically for a time, overcome by adrenaline and relief.

Arrival at Graultown
"This place is drowning under an ocean of Dark Side energy. Do not wander... something is... very wrong here."

- Master Hyin.

Following the road leading up the mountain, the team took only a few hours to reach the hidden village of Graultown, nestled in a dried up lake that now formed a lush valley. Houses were dotted about the landscape, climbing up the hilly sides of the valley but mostly concentrated along the flat area that had once been the lake bed. Even from the hilltop that'd brought them there, Avexiss couldn't spot a single person moving between the mossy structures, and she began to worry.

Master Hyin warned them about the strength of the Dark Side in Graultown- though even Avexiss could sense it- before the group began the short trek down into the village.

The group didn't receive the greeting they were expecting, however. A man rushed out of one of the houses, trembling in fear and with a  pointed at the Jedi. He demanded that they state their names and business, and though they obliged he continued to act irrationally and showed no sign of backing down. As Master Hyin attempted to talk the man down, an overweight rushed over, calling to the man and telling him to lower his weapon. He explained that they were Jedi, and that they were real, before ordering the man back into his home.

Apologising, the man introduced himself; Mayor Grun, the leader of Graultown and the one responsible for the request for assistance the Jedi had received. Grun escorted them to his office, sharing food and drink with them as he went over the situation he'd described in his message. Together, they discussed options for identifying the source of the nightmares, and Grun was quick to tell them all the popular theories floating through Graultown. The most credible, though, was the presence of a long abandoned settlement further up the mountain, supposedly the site of some great tragedy and now haunted by the ghosts of those who died there. While the Jedi knew such were not impossible, they agreed that they should experience the nightmares first-hand to better understand what they were facing.

Hyin took charge, instructing Mayor Grun to have all the residents relocate to the city hall for the night. Though it took all day, they managed to set up adequate sleeping arrangements for the civilians and question a few as well, though a handful of stubborn residents refused to leave their homes. The four Jedi agreed to take turns keeping watch, with one Jedi sat watching the civilians sleeping in the hall while a second stood guard outside, accompanied by two militiamen.

Blood and Phantoms
In the early hours of the morning, after constant howling and screaming that was incredibly hard to just ignore, Avexiss was sat watch inside the city hall. She'd taken a chair far from the door, giving her a view of everyone and all the doors leading off into the various side rooms. Not quite as adept at keeping herself awake as the masters, Avexiss was beginning to nod off, her chin inching closer to her chest as her vision grew darker and began to fade. That the howling and screaming had ceased didn't register with her weary mind.

Her eyes went wide with renewed attention when a sharp scent entered her nostrils. An unusual smell, but quite a distinctive one; blood, poison in her nostrils and so aggressive she knew it wasn't natural. Still exhausted from the day she'd had and sluggish thanks to sleep deprivation, Avexiss wasn't quick to react when she spotted a figure walking out of the, a young man who promptly disappeared on the floor once he'd laid down. It took her a moment to filter through her memory, but she concluded with some certainty that in the hours she'd sat guard not one person had got up to relieve themselves.

Avexiss got to her feet and picked up the sat on the Mayor's desk, a replacement for her training sabre given by Master Batauww after their run in with the Terentatek. Unfortunately her apprehending of the mystery man was cut short; the distinctive snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting sounded from outside, and Avexiss- torn but unable to see the man she'd spotted just moments ago- decided to rush outside and assist Master Batauww. Once outside, she found her master talking to a man, asking for his name while keeping his yellow-bladed lightsaber pointed down at him to discourage him from moving any closer. The man, Avexiss noticed, was holding a hunting rifle at his side.

He wasn't hostile though, she soon understood. The man spoke of his wife, sounding shocked, confused and hurt when he told them she'd been lying right next to him. Batauww assumed, as one would, that the man's wife had disappeared in the night. Avexiss was somewhat more in tune with the emotional nuances that Batauww overlooked, and she knew better. A quick check for the list of people who'd stayed in their homes revealed that Alec Taen- the man stood before them- was among them. His wife, according to the local archive, had died fourteen years ago. What Alec was saying, along with his confidential medical notes the Jedi had been given access to (that told a long and sad tale of depression), made it clear the phantoms were to blame for his visible torment.

By the time she'd sussed out the problem and looked up to tell Batauww, however, Alec had the rifle angled up towards his throat. Despite Avexiss' protesting cry, Alec blew his head apart, causing panicked screams and chattering from inside the hall as the blaster shot echoed across the quiet valley. For better or worse, the Jedi now had some idea of the insidious force they were up against.

Targeted Madness


"Kill me! I command you!"

- Batauww, to Avexiss, moments before succumbing to madness.

Avexiss shared her concerns with her fellow Jedi the following morning, explaining that she was certain she'd seen one of the phantoms enter the town hall. Batauww seemed worried, but Master Hyin rightly pointed out the symptoms weren't as important as the source. The group spent the day scouting the mountainous region nearby, hoping to find something to lead them to the source. They found nothing however, and they dared not stray too far while divided.

That night all but one household chose to sleep in the town hall, the previously stubborn citizens clearly learning from Alec's example. Once again, the Jedi guarded the hall both inside and out. That night was the night where the Dark Side presence upped the ante.

Master Hyin stood guard outside, while Batauww sat inside meditating, the two senior Jedi allowing their students some much needed sleep. Their rest did not last long, however, and shortly before midnight a frenzied scream, distant yet impossibly loud all the same, reached the ears of the terrified residents. Avexiss and Hessinine sprung to their feet, running outside in Batauww's wake and finding Master Hyin, lightsaber raised, facing down the four residents who had chosen to stay in their home. Each of them had wounds across their arms and legs, bloody marks that were hard to identify from a distance, though the blood around their mouths told the story that Avexiss didn't want to consider. Their civilian clothing tattered and torn and their backs hunched as though they suffered under great weight, they were beyond help, frenzied and insane. Most disturbingly, two of them were children, driven by the same crazed bloodlust that their parents displayed. Avexiss knew she'd never forget the sight.

They seemed to hold their madness for a moment, fanning out somewhat to make it hard for Master Hyin to slay them all if they attacked in unison. Help was on hand though, and the Jedi soon matched the enemy numbers one-for-one.

Sadly, whatever sinister force was corrupting the region had other tactics to employ. Without warning, Batauww stepped back with a roar of agony, dropping his lightsaber and clutching his head as he began to whine and growl. Naturally, the Jedi turned, looking back at the source of their comrade's torment and finding nothing. It was that distraction that cost Master Hyin his life; with only that brief delay, the frenzied villagers converged on the aged Jedi, grabbing him before he could swing his lightsaber and proceeding to bite and poke and pull, all while moving with unnatural speed, rushing out of the light of the city hall and into the shadowy perimeter. Avexiss and Hessinine moved to pursue, but a cacophony of screams within the city hall, both terrified and mad, presented a dilemma.

Avexiss knew they had to return to help the civilians, but Hessinine was understandably attached to her mentor, whose panicky and painful yells could still be heard from the darkness beyond. She wasn't unreasonable though, and quoting the first line of the was enough to make Hessinine accept that Hyin was beyond their help.

Returning to Master Batauww, Avexiss managed to coax answers from him; he revealed that his mind was being forcibly entered by some sentient presence, and that he was being subjected to painful and vivid memories, sometimes as they were and at other times with twisted embellishments. That was not the issue. Distracting and emotionally challenging as the recollections were, they were a diversion, a way of reducing his will to ease the mental siege. He asked Avexiss to kill him, then ordered her to, growing angrier and less in control. She refused, and Batauww succumbed to the dark force, summoning his lightsaber and engaging his first and only student in a vicious duel.

Fuelled by raw dark power and natural Wookiee strength, Batauww had the upper hand, forcing Avexiss to dodge and retreat so as not to expend her energy blocking his strikes. But Batauww's technique wasn't his own- he was sloppy, furious in his strikes and sacrificing economy of motion for the sake of unstoppable power. Had his strikes hit home he would have quickly disarmed and bisected her, but Avexiss' agility had always been one of her greatest strengths. A few clever parries and faints opened Batauww up to a fatal strike.

But Avexiss was not interested in killing her master. Knowing she could never disarm a Wookiee even with the most technical of lightsaber movements, she chose instead to perform an improvised manoeuvre on his lightsaber, skewering the top of the hilt and breaking his weapon. Foresight, on the other hand, was not one of her most honed abilities. Batauww grabbed her by the throat the moment his lightsaber failed, lifting her up with one arm while his free arm caught her wrist. With his innate strength, Avexiss' windpipe was quickly being crushed.

Just as her vision began to fade, though, Batauww growled painfully, releasing his grip and dropping her to the floor. He fell after her, his great weight slamming down and breaking one of her ribs but leaving her otherwise unharmed. Paralysed by indecision and fear before, Hessinine had suddenly seized the opportunity to strike and - much to Avexiss' relief- whipped the hilt of her double-bladed lightsaber down on the back of Batauww's skull, stopping him without resorting to ending his life.

Exhausted but still keen to save the civilians from whatever plagued them within the town hall, Avexiss freed herself from Batauww's weight and accompanied Hessinine inside.

Into The Well


"Whispers far beyond these walls, now a single voice, clear and loud at the heart of my domain. Such delicious courage, Avexiss Odé, daughter of the shadowy deceiver and the loving warrior. You come for answers. I will provide."

- The manifestation of the Dark Side living within The Well, greeting Avexiss shortly after her arrival.

Knowing another night would finish off the group and leave them unable to escape much less confront the evil pervading the valley, Avexiss made the bold and arguably foolish decision to head out and seek the source of the Dark Side aura. Hessinine protested the decision, but Avexiss persuaded her that it was their best hope of escaping. Hessinine agreed to begin evacuating the residents, with a plan to head out as soon as possible and get to Purple Plains before nightfall.

While Hessinine organised the evacuation (an idea many residents did not take too with particular enthusiasm) Avexiss questioned the locals about their various theories, listening to tales of ghosts and spirits and other mythology that might give her some clue as to where to begin her search.

The only consistent story that seemed to have any factual basis was the rumours of an old village, discovered by a scouting party some years ago during an exploration of the mountain summit. According to the residents the village had been found in ruins; houses destroyed, sentient and animal remains strewn through the marsh-swallowed streets and a fog that seemed to sap the warmth out of those who dared to enter the site of the massacre. The actual cause of the destruction was debated, but after accessing the village archives again it seemed there was some incident near the summit many decades past, though the details were vague and sketchy. Arguably the Force had affected the scouts who'd found the place, but the records were clear that a settlement of some kind had been found, and that whoever had lived there had died there as well.

It took Avexiss most of the day to reach the site of the village. As she got closer, she sensed the dark presence growing stronger and more palpable. The smell of blood returned to her nostrils, goading her into vomiting as it became unbearably strong and potent, and she continued catching glimpses of figures moving through the twisted plant life surrounding her. She was surprised to find the village from the stories she'd been told, but was pleased she wasn't chasing a dead end regardless.

Avexiss made her way through the foggy village, unable to see more than a few meters ahead and slowed considerably by the knee-deep marsh that had swamped the settlement over the years. Houses lay in ruins, their roofs collapsed by fallen debris and doors and windows smashed to pieces. The centre of the village (she assumed, at least, due to the large sculpture of what appeared to be two standing in the remains of a garden) sported a plaque, though the words gave her no real insight into the village history, simply reading; The Embracing Force.

As she looked away from the plaque, she jumped back and ignited Master Hyin's lightsaber, pointing the blade at the ghostly figure of a little boy who'd appeared next to her, sat on a piece of a fallen column. She knew the boy was a phantom, and she'd been expecting them to make more than fleeting appearances since she entered. They would not attack, she sensed, and so she deactivated her sabre and decided to approach the situation more inquisitively.

The boy smiled at her, then greeted her politely, prompting her to do the same. He asked why she'd come to visit the village, then seemed to ignore her reply as he started telling her of how nobody came to visit anymore. When she asked why, he expressed confusion, but concluded that it was 'probably' because of the monster attacks and the scary lights, an eerily similar tale. Avexiss asked what caused them and found the boy's answer was once again thoughtful and intelligent, but somewhat more certain despite the time he spent ruminating on it; according to the phantom boy, people had started leaving town when the miners found the secret ruins. When pressed further, he confessed to not being allowed into the mine, but that he and his friends went anyway. It was only when Avexiss tried to find out what he found there that the boy became visibly frightened, his features thinning. He broke down in tears, but when Avexiss tried to play along and comfort him, she noticed he was weeping blood. The discussion ended when the boy fell quiet, slumping down from his seat, that the conversation ended, and Avexiss realised that dead phantom had indeed answered her question.

She continued on, unsettled and still pained by her broken rib but more determined than ever to set right the unspeakable wrong that had occurred in the village- the name of which, Freedom Rise, was revealed on another old plaque. Soon enough, she found herself on the right track; hundreds of phantoms, from to, stood pointing out of the village, up a slight hill from where the marsh water seemed to be flowing. Watched by the solemn and despairing faces of what she presumed were the dead, Avexiss carried on towards what was beginning to feel like a trap, not slowing as the spirits began to speak a dark greeting. Whatever awaited her in The Well, it was expecting her.

The Thing in The Well


"I am a God. You cannot strike at me."

- The Thing in The Well, after being threatened by Avexiss.

After entering the mine, Avexiss had little trouble following the Force, the dark presence guiding her to her destination; a shrine of some kind- it's architecture foreign to her- seemingly discovered when the abandoned mining drill nearby had broken the cave wall. Water reached her knees as she entered, but drained away into a hole in the centre of the room as if fleeing her company. Avexiss was confident that she had to follow it, but felt a shiver of danger when she looked into the water-filled hole. Nonetheless, she knew she could not leave now.

Plunging into the pool, she felt a sudden surge of darkness; gripped by the Force, she rocketed downwards into the black depths, pulled by a strength she simply could not resist. A moment later, she hit solid ground hard, breathing in stale air when she opened her mouth to gasp for air. She glanced around to discover she was in a chamber similar to the one she'd just left, but much larger and with some kind of altar at the far end. Elaborate torches burned around the room, casting long shadows out across the floor that kept Avexiss on edge, and when she saw movement she activated her lightsaber, holding it out defensively.

A woman greeted her, speaking in  but with the same cruel voice she'd heard from the spirit. She noticed, as the woman welcomed her, that her flesh was badly decayed around her abdomen, the damaged tissue stemming from what looked like a stab wound that had now deteriorated. The Gran explained that Avexiss was expected, and that it was a pleasure to finally meet someone strong in the Force. Avexiss cut to the chase, asking what the creature wanted, to which it simply replied 'you'. The Gran then launched into a savage attack, slashing at her with a knife. Though not well-rested, Avexiss had no trouble twitching her lightsaber through the Gran's wrist, severing her hand. The Gran showed no sign of pain, but ceased her attack.

The entity controlling the Gran's corpse stated he shouldn't been surprised that Avexiss hadn't been caught off-guard; the Gran's body slumped to the ground. Avexiss promised the entity she would not let it continue warping the planet, but it revealed it wasn't interested in that now that she had arrived. When she raised her lightsaber up defiantly, it mocked her, stating that it was a God and safe from any harm she believed she could do. Determined to do her duty as she was, Avexiss challenged the presence to face her and prove it. It laughed, generated a fierce spiral of wind and then took a ghostly, shape, formed out of the purple mist that hung over the floor.

So powerful was the creature that Avexiss sensed every attack before it reached her, it's Force attacks creating almost palpable tremors in the Force. Regardless, Avexiss struggled to remain on her feet, bracing against shock wave after shock wave, until she seized a slight pause in the barrage to, executing a powerful that brought her blade through the entity. It passed through without effect, and the entity took the opportunity to smash her against the altar while her guard was lowered, chuckling at her attempt. Multiple broken bones left her unable to stand immediately, and she was unprepared to resist when the entity hoisted her into the air with the Force, subjecting her to a Dark Side technique that made her feel like vomiting.

Avexiss began to feel the entity intruding within the private grounds of her mind. She realised- as their two minds began to merge into one- that he'd welcomed her into his domain for the sole purpose of using her as a shell to house his consciousness. Struggling to resist, Avexiss saw further into the entity's thoughts for a brief moment, realising that it wasn't a disembodied spirit or ancient Sith Lord, but an actual manifestation of the Dark Side, a demon, a spawned from a wound itself.

Determined more than ever to stop the abomination and close the wound, Avexiss attempted to summon up all her strength in the Force, calling on it in an almost instinctive fashion. Somehow, Avexiss felt herself become one with the Force- yet she remained alive, achieving a state of oneness that she didn't even think was possible and giving her access to power enough to destroy her foe. Temporarily becoming a living weapon, Avexiss channelled the Force through her lightsaber, her captor to free herself of his grip and performed a  finishing move, obliterating the monstrous creation with an immeasurably powerful surge of raw Force energy.

A planet-shaking shock wave threw her across the room, blacking out her senses instantly. It mattered little to her, though, in the moment before she lost conciousness- the Force had been with her in the most literal of ways, and she was grateful to have been given the chance to halt and destroy such an incomprehensible threat.