Log:Jedi: Mysteries in the Sand

Jedi search for dragons on Arisnar.

OOC Date: May 30 2023
Location: Arisnar
Participants: Saito, Qutha Buvu Pah, Juria, Zev, ]], L'orera, Yuun and Rey as GM

In the heart of Arisnar's mesmerizing mesa canyon, a small group of Jedi embark on a thrilling pursuit. Grand Master Rey expertly maneuvers her speederbike through the narrow gaps between towering rock formations. Racing against time, the Jedi race towards a motion-sensor device that has been abruptly triggered, likely by one of the elusive dragons they have been tirelessly tracking.

Dust billows behind them as the speederbikes soar through the sandy landscape, their engines harmonizing with the fierce winds that howl through the canyon. Rey's senses heighten, she skillfully dodges obstacles, her focus unwavering. With each twist and turn, the canyon echoes with the exhilarating symphony of their pursuit, as the Jedi push their limits to uncover the enigma lurking amidst the ancient rocky towers of Arisnar.

Their target location is a motion sensor that was placed at the last known location of the tracking device that the Jedi had previously placed upon the two Dragons they had encountered several days previously. The Dragon that the tracker had been placed upon apparently shook the device at some point, whether intentionally or by accident. The location is itself a maze of towering rocky skyscrapers mixed in with deep cuts in the natural earth itself, crevaces and chasms that lead down in to the depths of the planet's interior, a perilous stretch of land if one were not to watch their step carefully!

The red-haired Jedi takes a moment to simply feel the vibration of his speeder bike's engine as he and the others race towards the motion senssor. Saito closes his eyes for a brief moment, atempting to calm his emotions. Whatever happens today, he'll need to be at ease, as much as pocible. He reopens his eyes after a couple of seconds, looking a head carefully as he maneovers his speeder through obstacles.

Almost leaning back on his bike, Qutha's focus being lost in the currents of The Force around him - he'd almost forgotten that his nightfalcon lacked a backrest for the saddle. Quietly chiding himself and keeping himself as 'loose' as he can, the zelosian mystic's voice comes in a dreamy tone over comms,

"Miss Rey, how likely s'it gonnar be that we's ridin' into a particularly bad day?"

He had quiet bets with himself, nothing 'solid' but the reputation of these beasts and the history of them had expectations building up despite himself.

Sporting her poncho over an all weather jumpsuit, Juria is piloting her own speeder. The sides are loaded with supplies, a large travelling backpack with extra surveying equipment, and a field research station with a portable camp prefab kit drug behind her in a hover sled attached to the back of her speeder. W1NK5, a pit-droid, is folded down into DISC form and attached to a series of straps on her left flank to be deployed once they reach their destination.

There's enough room for someone else to ride with her, albeit a little uncomfortably given the amount of equipment she's brought along. Also her poncho is going to tickle their nose as it's blown backwards into their face.

Them's the breaks tho.

Speederbikes are always a blast. Zev might have been enjoying the race through the canyons a little too much. He was leaned over the controls, focused on the path ahead, seeing the line through, feeling the bike below him, and focusing on it through the force, letting it guide his movements, even as the wind whips around him, kicking his robes out behind him in a billowing display.

The last time they encountered these dragons, it could have gone better, he'd admit. But at least the tracker had held for a while. The new motion detectors were working too, but hopefully the dragons would still be in the area when they reach it. It would be lucky if they caught them, and luckier still if they could re-establish communication.

L'orera is the (un)lucky one to ride with Juria. Lucky because she has no idea how to drive one of these things. She barely knows how to ride on one! She puts up with the poncho in the face with all of the grace she can muster.

Which isn't that much considering how funny it is that she has to keep blowing tassels away from her mouth.

Still, she bears it as stoically as she can. Which, honestly, is more than even she thought she could muster.

Yuun loves riding speederbikes and it shows as he keeps up with the other Jedi. Having kept up with the others he does bump something and he wobbles a tbit and so he slows down quite a bit. He looks around to make sure that he's not running into anything.

ey's speederbike weaves gracefully around a colossal mesa tower of rock, its engine roaring with power. With a final burst of speed, she arrives at the side of a steep cliff where they had left the motion tracking sensor device. She skillfully kills the engine, the sudden silence a stark contrast to the intense ride. Dismounting her speederbike, she pulls her riding goggles from her face and adjusts her wind-swept clothing. As she waits for the other Jedi to join her, Rey's gaze turns to the motion sensor device lying on the ground. Kneeling down, she meticulously investigates its condition, her eyes scanning for any clues or anomalies.

\Moments later the other Jedi will begin to arrive after the high speed ride through the rocky canyons, and Rey will rise up to her full height to look upon them, scanning them with a cursory look-over before she starts to move toward the edge of the cliff overlooking a chasm amidsts the mesas all around them. The sounds of rocks quietly tumbling, and the echoing of speederbike engines still bouncing off the rock walls all around them... along with the small sounds of quiet local wildlife, lizards and little insects milling about their routines on this late evening.

"The Sensor looks unharmed." Rey will finally tell those who arrive, hopefully unscathed after that ride. "Whoever knows this kind of tech, check it out though, we need to get whatever information it has on it about what it saw. It triggered though, which means it saw something big... as it was only programmed to go off if it did."

Rey steps over to that massive gorge and spares a moment to peer down inside it, the blackness of its depths an intimidating sight to stare at for very long.

Saito would arrive a few moments after Rey. He kills the engine and tilts his head to the side,, sensing the flow of the force around him, eyes closing for a moment. "There is danger nearby.. Someone or something is watching us." he replies calmly once the other Jedi arrive. "I unforutnately wasn't here during the last incurssion.. Is there anything I should know?" the red-haired Jedi asks, pausing to make sure that all his supplies and equipment are still in his speeder bike, a hand slightly adjusting his ponytail.

Dismounted, wary, leaving his bike to idle and moving towards the sensor with a slowly refocusing as he nears and squats down to begin tinkering with the device, "Kin'a reminds me of th' early warnin' screamers we set up by the walls back home..." frowning to himself as he speaks, Qutha notes while his BD unit hops from foot to foot nearby.

"Ayuh..." as if that explains everything before a holo-display engages showing one of the dragons sweeping down and landing right on top of where the sensor is. Reptilian maw lowering to flare nostrils at the tech before it lifts back off again.

"S'pose ifn' we'se are bein' watched... either it's gonna pop out'n say boo... But ifn' it ain' I'da like t'pick out where it flew, pers'nally."

The last leg of the ride sees some of Juria's precious cargo being shaken off. It's fine, it's just some of the lab equipment that she doesn't really know how to use anyways, everything is okay. What could go wrong? It's not like it's the fresh water, oh never mind there goes the fresh water.

Once they arrive, she dismounts the speeder, and retreives W1NK5 from his carrier to deploy him down on the ground beside her. The little guy pops up and peers around curiously, padding along beside her in an awkward up down motion of his feet as he grows accustomed to the unfamiliar ground.

While Juria is peering around, kneeling to look at bits of rock, some sand strong segments of stone, and finally what appears to brushes in the dust.. "Got some faint footprints here. Kind of looks like the Dragon's, but it's pretty faint. How long ago did the tracker go offline?"

The last leg of the ride sees some of Juria's precious cargo being shaken off. It's fine, it's just some of the lab equipment that she doesn't really know how to use anyways, everything is okay. What could go wrong? It's not like it's the fresh water, oh never mind there goes the fresh water.

Once they arrive, she dismounts the speeder, and retreives W1NK5 from his carrier to deploy him down on the ground beside her. The little guy pops up and peers around curiously, padding along beside her in an awkward up down motion of his feet as he grows accustomed to the unfamiliar ground.

While Juria is peering around, kneeling to look at bits of rock, some sand strong segments of stone, and finally what appears to brushes in the dust.. "Got some faint footprints here. Kind of looks like the Dragon's, but it's pretty faint. How long ago did the tracker go offline?"

The speeder Zev is riding swoops through and then he brings it to a sliding stop not too far from the motion sensor, shutting down and hopping off, moving over to the tracker proper. As Qutha starts to get into it and pulls up the holodisplay, Zev reaches down and opens up a panel on the side, tapping a few times on a button inside, "Last signal was twenty minutes ago. It might still be in the area, even flying it couldn't have gotten that far."

The ride is ... well, it's a ride. Don't ask how a hovering speeder is bumpy, but it is. The Mirialan clings to the speeder for dear life, and manages not to fall off. She does look a little pale as she dismounts, though.

Lifting her hands to fix her bun a little bit, Rera takes a look around the canyon, golden eyes sweeping across and then up. She gasps and takes a step back, pointing. Her voice is a low hiss. "I...a shadow! It looked massive...but it's not there anymore."

She rubs her eyes, shaking her head. "Did I ... Are my eyes playing tricks?"

Why is there a such thing as deja vu? Yuun is seriously having that and he swerve away quickly to keep from hitting anyone. He stops though and he looks down at the speeder, than slowly looking around to see if anyone saw that. HOpefully everyone is so enamored by stuff they didn't realize him almost run himself into something. He looks to the others as he turns off his speeder bike and he begins to look around the area to make sure they're not being watched.

Rey steps over to where Juria found the footprint, and her eyes linger upon it for a moment as she considers the situation. But the holo-image that Qutha pulls up draws her eyes back to him. She starts walking in his direction then, her Jedi attire tabards flowing around her legs as she moves, but slows her step. She looks around at everyone, before finally to Rera. "Everyone--" She is cut off.

As the small group of Jedi gather near the cliff's edge, a sudden onslaught befalls them from above. The ground trembles beneath their feet as a massive dragon emerges, its fiery breath spouting forth from its nostrils. The dragon's colossal head peers over the top of the cliff ledge, its piercing gaze fixed upon the Jedi.

With a bone-chilling scream that resonates through the canyon, it leaps into the air, its wings stretching wide. But instead of attacking the Jedi directly, the dragon swerves skillfully, avoiding them, and descends toward a deep chasm adjacent to their gathering. Its scaled form glides through the air, a breathtaking sight, as it attempts to navigate the treacherous depths, leaving the Jedi momentarily stunned by the awe-inspiring display of power and grace.

Rey had dove out of the way, down behind a rock on the plateau that they all share, scooting her body across the dirty ground to avoid the billowing flames that roll across the ground. She watches the dragon sweep past down in to the canyon, her hands on the rock with an alarmed expression across her face...

Instinct aided by the currents of the Living Force kept him moving when the flames come, leaping to one side and rolling along the ground with potential immolation at his proverbial heels. Rolling over and over until a leg is kicked out and under him to get Qutha back to his feet with his eyes wide and his hair wildly askew for lack of better terms.

The Dragon descending into the chasm holds his gaze and after a moment the scout droid with him pops out from behind a hump of rock to scuttle towards him.

"Oh bother..."

The utterance gaining a series of expletives from the BD unit and a sharp look from the Zelosian who tries to reach out, seeking to lock onto the creature and tether it, in a fashion.

Juria peers up just moments before the dragon crests the edge of the canyon and jetsons flames across the surface where they had all been. With a deft roll, she narrowly avoids the spout of fire by scampering behind cover, with W1NK5 yelping and clammering after her. <"I'm not sure how I feel about this, I'm not designed for biological repairs!"> The little droid indicates with a 'snip-snip' sounding blink of it's single eye. "We're not here to get hurt, so you should be fine." IS that even reassuring?

Once the Dragon screams and drops down to fly through the canyon, Juria curls herself up and stands, dusting her thighs off with both gloved hands. Moving towards her speeder to grab her pack so she can sling it on and fasten it with clips to her chest. Both cords pulled to keep it tight agains ther back.

"Looks like we're going down." She says with a casual glance around and equally, situationally inappropriate, grin. Gripping the straps of her pack with both hands.

The sight of the shadow put Rera on alert, and the Force told her she was right to be. At the rush of wings, the Mirialan throws herself behind a rock, curling in on herself as the flame washes by. It's warm and unpleasant and even kind of painful, but not even her robe gets singed this time. This time.

As the dragon creature pulls away, the green girl pokes her head out to see Juria strapping on her pack. "Is...Is everyone okay?" She crawls out, getting to her feet and dusting herself off a little, keeping eyes to the sky just in case it comes back.

It's obviously going to come back, right?

There's always that moment, right before things hit the fan, where the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. In Zev's case, ALL of his hairs stand up, and his ears go straight upright and then twist towards the location the dragon is coming from. This does give him the extra second he needs before he dives behind a rock, robes getting singed along the edge as he makes it to the (relative) safetly of the rock. He covers his face with his arms, to shield himself from the heat until it passes.

He peeks out from the rock after the flames have cleared, "I'm okay." He responds to the calls for help, "Didn't get a great look but I bet that's the one we've been tracking." He moves towards the ledge and peers over towards where it flew off.

Yuun hadn't seen anything as of yet and as he looks opposite of where the dragon is coming from. He looks around at the surrounding area near where the others are and honestly he doesn't see anything, he thinks everythign is fine until he hears Rey's words cut off. The Force warning him, and he quickly dives away as the dragon swoops in. He quickly gets to his feet and he watches the majestic, terrifying creature as he flies. Seeing the fire as it plumes outwards, Yuun blinks, "Oh ok." he calls out having this be his first time seeing this creature.

Rey quickly assesses the well-being of the other Jedi, ensuring they are unharmed after the dragon's close encounter. Satisfied that they are safe, she moves towards the edge of the gorge, her gaze fixed on the depths below.

From her cloth backpack, she retrieves climbing equipment, efficiently distributing it among her comrades. With the gear secured, Rey begins her descent into the mysterious chasm. A seasoned climber, she moves with remarkable agility and confidence, effortlessly navigating the rugged terrain. As the other Jedi cautiously follow, Rey maintains a steady pace, keenly aware of their varying climbing abilities. She stays close, ready to lend a helping hand should anyone encounter difficulties, her expertise and reassurance guiding them through the challenging descent.

But, it's a perilous descent, and one that is likely to cause quite a bit of unease amongst the Jedi climbers...

All in all it takes about an hour, and though the looming gorge gave a chilling visage to stare down at, with the fear of the Dragon returning while they were descending... it didn't play out that way.

Instead, Rey's feet touch down on the ledge of another outcropping this one at the mouth of a large cave. As far as the Jedi went down, they still did not see the actual bottom of the gorge, and instead find themselves on the lip of this cavern entrance. Rey detaches herself from the climbing line, and looks to the others. "We're good... getting back up should be the more challenging part." She states with a glance up before she looks forward again, a cool wind coming from deep within the cave itself that lies before them all. "We have to see as much of this cavern as possible, but someone make sure to set a beacon so we can easily find our way back should it get confusing within." The young woman says as she starts forward in to the cavern itself.

Battered, bruised, with a blackening eye where his face had smashed against cliff wall. Slight muttering as he unhooks his gear is piled upon by the sound of distaste personified when he looks into the cavern,

"Always in the dark..." lips continuing to move silently as he works to master the terror that wells up instinctively at the gaping nothingness of the cavern before him. Eyes closing and fingers raised to rub his temples as he seeks out the strength to see as night creatures do.

So that he won't be blind.

Or need his glow-rods to see anything at all.

"Dat-blastid... dank... gloomy... caves. Bother." shaking his head now and looking down when Oh Bother buts its head up against his shin, "Bother and blow..."

Juria is so stoke about climbing, but then she falls off the line and dies when she hits the ground.

Juria? JURIA? JUUUUURIIIIIA?! 

G.A.M.E. O.V.E.R.

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"Looks like we're going down." She says with a casual glance around and equally, situationally inappropriate, grin. Gripping the straps of her pack with both hands.

While the trip is not very graceful, using the Rey Brand of climbing gear allows the blonde Jedi to reach the bottom with only a few scraps and bruises where she keeps banging against the rocks when her boots slip, grip faulters, or a rock is totally inappropriately molesting her personage with it's being trecherously difficult to descend.

Once at the bottom, she's got tears in her beloved poncho, and is down a life.

Plus her ammo reset.

Playstation 2s, amirite?

"I've got a beacon." Juria turns her back pack enough to retrieve a small spiked beacon that she stabs into the ground and turns on. As well as some chem-lights that she passes out amongst everyone, a handful for each. Enough to create some omenous green light. "I have food and water too. And a portable toilet. Just incase you get the urge to do your business."

Going down hill isn't great. Going down a cliff is even worse. Zev manages to get bounced around a bit as he whacks off the wall, but eventually manages to get his descent under control and hops his way down, reaching the floor of the cave. Caves like this always need his ears going full tilt since he can't see a thing.

Hearing as Juria offers the portable toilet, he tilts his head a bit, "You think of everything, huh? I'm good though" He replies, moving a bit deeper into the cave to give it a listen out to the depths.

Rera is not very ... physically adept. This happens when you spend your youth in a basement instead of out and about learning how to climb and run and jump. Thusly, if it weren't for the gear, she would absolutely be an exploded mess of goop on the stone floor. As it is, she slipped and bounced a lot on the way down, so she's beat up and bruised as she unhooks.

Juria is prepared for everything, and her Padawan is absolutely not surprised. Not one bit. She takes the offered chem lights, pocketing all but one, which she cracks on, gives it a shake and the green glow emanates, casting her own green skin in a weird shade.

Rey and the other Jedi venture deeper into the gaping maw of the massive cavern, their footsteps echoing through the vast expanse. They pass by a series of peculiar rock formations, their unusual shapes and textures captivating their attention.

Suddenly, a putrid stench assaults their nostrils, and the sound of skittering echoes in the shadows. Reacting swiftly, Rey activates the chem light she was handed, its soft glow illuminating the surroundings.

To their astonishment and growing unease, a horde of crimson beetles, the size of large canines, comes into view. Wings fluttering menacingly, the creatures turn around, their collective aggression directed towards the Jedi. A wave of dread will wash over the Jedi, as the blood-hued beetles do not seem remotely friendly toward their new visitors! The first two of the large creatures raise up on to their spindly hind legs as their bodies expand, and they belch out a wash of sticky black filth toward the Jedi explorers!

Dark caverns, giant bugs spewing nasty goop and he didn't think to have his saber out before they came marching in here.

"Getta hold've y'se'f..."

Chiding as he darts to the side, to put himself between the bugs and Rera, the only one here without her own lightsaber... She does have a whifflesaber, but... it's not the same.

"Consarnid..." muttering to himself still and bringing the glowing blue blade of his saber up and his stance shifting more to aspects of Soresu over his preference of Makashi. Expression evening out as he takes breaths and his lips keep moving in silent mantra of the Guardianss of The Whills, with whom he has studied for so long in line with his training with the Order.

"Reckon's gonnar be one'a them days..."

Juria's eyes light-up when seeing this red beetles, even though she also reaches for her saber. Ducking to the side when one of them spits black goop at her that hits the wall near where she was standing. Even this hostility isn't enough to stop her from being fascinated. "Try to leave enough of them for me to collect some samples?" She says to the others, the aqua blue blade mixing aquawardly with the glowing green chem lights.

She positions herself out a bit wider from Qutha, a front line that will seperate the bugs attention. Hopefully, they're a lot like other bug species and highly attracted to light!

"This planet is amazing."

One moment, Rera is standing in the dark, illuminated by chemlight. The next, BUGS. Her eyes shoot wide, and she yelps in base, animal fear. One of them spews goop her direction, and she throws herself to the side. Just in time to not get gunked.

That stuff could be acid! Or poison! Or poison acid!

From her perch on the ground, still clutching the chemlight, she lifts her free hand and tries to summon the Force to push the angry insect away. She can't find that calm center. It won't come.

Luckily other people have lightsabers!

Eww. Bugs. Zev lets out a faint grumbles under his breath as he reaches a hand down to his side and grabs his lightsaber off of his belt, the dark blue blade igniting and lighting the his face. Entering a dangerous cave hunting dragons and not having your weapon out and ready to go, rookie mistake.

He moves around to his right side, bringing the blade up into a defensive stance as he tries to keep eyes on the crimson bugs, "What do you think, hunters or did we stumble onto a nest?" He asks, shifting his feet a bit to be ready to counter-strike if the bugs attack him.

As the four large beetle creatures surround the Jedi, their menacing presence amplified, they unleash torrents of glistening black ichor from their mouths, aiming to overwhelm the wayward travelers.

Reacting swiftly, Rey gracefully sidesteps two of the acidic attacks, her agility and precision on full display. With a swift gesture, she flings out her hand, using the Force to send one of the bugs hurtling backwards into the darkness, momentarily relieving the pressure on the Jedi.

Nevertheless, the remaining creatures continue to skittle and scuttle in the shadows, their ominous forms illuminated by the glow of the chem lights and the flickering lightsabers now brandished by the Jedi, as they stand united against the encroaching darkness and the relentless onslaught of the beetle creatures.

Ducking and pirouetting to the side when acidic goo is hwoarf'd at him, Qutha's passage is marked by the scrabble of heavy work boots over stone, knocking loose gravel out of his path and accompanied by a set of trills and bleats from Oh Bother who made the mistake of jumping onto the zelosian's back when the bugs had come out of the dark.

"One wit' th' Force..."

Saber cleaving through the midst of one to send its bisected body to either side of the orchardist in the wake of his advance,'

"N'Th' Force is wit' me..."

A turn on one foot and a sweep of the saber in a tight half-spiral cleaves the next in turn, the defensive stance shifting to aspects of form two. All the while seeking to keep front focused on the remaining insect while it buzzes and beetles around.

Zev's lightsaber flashes and humms as he swings through the air after one of those large bugs. His first swing misses, this thing is remarkably fast as it flies around and spews goo. Goo that Zev does his best to evade it and avoid it, ducking and swinging upwards, missing again as it zips away, "Someone pin it down!"

The lightsaber wielding Jedi are a comfort. Still, Rera feels like she needs to do her part. She draws a deep breath, trying to center herself, and she closes her eyes, feeling the fury of the bugs through the Force.

Choosing one at random, she lifts her arm, letting the Force flow through her, and she unleashes a telekinetic shove. The Force actually decides to help her this time, sending the targeted beetle-thing tumbling end over end away from her.

She'd be excited if she wasn't so frightened.

A hush descends upon the cavern, the echoes of battle fading into the air as the threatening blood beetles are dispatched by the Jedi. Rey steps over to her fellow Jedi, checking on each of them to ensure their well-being. Her gaze softens as she nods affirmatively to L'orera, having observed the young Jedi's display of power. Rey turns her attention to her, speaking gently,

"The Force is your ally, L'orera. But the fear you feel now is holding you back. Trust in your abilities, and let go of that fear... you will be surprised at what you can do, should you trust in the Force." With a renewed determination, Rey takes the lead, moving towards the front of the cavern. There, she discovers the source of the beetles' interest?a large pile of animal droppings. Curiosity piqued, she examines the scene, her mind already racing with questions about the significance of this unexpected discovery in the depths of the mysterious cavern.

She turns back to the others, assuming they likely know what this mound of droppings is as well, her chem light held up at her side to illuminate her facial features, and the display before her. "Dragon sized?" She asks the other as she spares a look up toward the rocky ceiling high above, plenty of space for a Dragon to fly through this cavern tunnel. "We need to keep going, I think..." Rey says as she turns just in time to see figures stepping out of the dark. 

Five figures dressed in red hooded cloaks, armored with plates on their shoulders of a deep obsidian that shines in the light from the Jedi's equipment. The five figures stand tall, looming as they stare at the Jedi, each one holding a obsidian hued long sword, each long sword glowing with a brilliant bright blue edge to the blade's otherwise black-as-night surface.

"Jedi." The leader of the five masked figures says through a voice altering vocalizer. "You are not meant to be here..."