Log:Jedi Order: Specter of The Order V

Specter of The Order V

OOC Date: March 4, 2019
Location: Tython
Participants: Jedi Order: Rey, Syrus, Zandra naMuriel, Yuun, Aryn Cole, and Elrych Cometburn

Haven taken the time to decide to proceed through the cave of the 'Three Challenges' this new generation of Jedi find themselves inside the dark, wide, and echoing cave. There are dripping sounds of water. Cool, damn, and moist air breezes past them escaping back towards the entrance. It is not far before they come upon a tall wall of rock blocking their path.

Elrych lights a torch and points it up towards the cast ceiling. It's a far way up but the rest of the tunnel seems to continue on the top of the cliff. "First Challenge I presume." He murmurs, setting the torch aside so it can more widely disperse light.

Rey has a light as well, the same light she'd used to shine around inside of the abandoned Jedi Temple back when this adventure started. As they reach the wall her light goes up it as well, then back down and to the sides of the cavern corridor.

"A climb?" She asks. "This is an odd challenge..." She steps off to the right and starts to search for any other signs of additional information on the details of what they're all to do here... she's never passed 'Jedi trials' either, which is why she's not ranked as a Jedi Knight along with all the other's she's with.

Rey turns to look at the others then. "How confident of free climbing are... all of you?" She asks, knowing its something she's got a lot of experience at herself.

Zan sort of looks a bit startled, pausing to reach for the force just to see if it sets her danger sense tingling or something. "What did they say about physical, mental and force specific?" she murmurs. "I am not sure I've ever climbed anything, and certainly not like this." Dark and dank, and she too has a torch she can pull out and hold, looking around.

"Not particularly," Syrus says, looking up at the wall and sliding his bag from his shoulder and letting it drop to the floor. Then he's sliding out of his cloak and folding it over his arm before he tucks it into his satchel.

"I tended to bring ladders with me on digs that might prove to be complicated," he offers with a soft chuckle. A small ribbon is pulled from his bag and he uses it to gather his hair up behind his head.

Regarding the towering obstacle before them. He takes a moment to focus, drawing an unseen power into himself before he breaks into a sprint toward the wall, leaping off the ground. He grasps onto some hand-holds a good ways up and primes himself for another jump. Guided by the Force, the Kiffar flips forward easily at the apex of the leap and comes to light atop the cliff.

Yuun has been quiet since this started, he's been taking time to comprehend what they will be doing. Catching snippets of conversations from the others and as they come into the dark caves. He reaches for a small tactikle light. It illuminates a little better without having him draw his lightsaber from his belt. He looks around the others and he takes in the wall, "If this is the physical challenge we should do what we can to help one another as we go up without using the force."

Off from the side of the group, Aryn is analyzing the wall and tapping her chin. CLimbing was never something she was good at. The idea of freeclimbing makes her hands hurt, but she pulls her gloves on and tries anyway. She reaches up, taking hold of a small outcropping, then props the toes of her boots. Pulling herself up, the dust beneath her fingers prove a poor source of leverage and she falls backward.

THUD.

She lays there on her back for now, staring up and breathing out slowly. "I hate climbing.." It's a slow process to turn over and push up, but Aryn is dusting herself off and looking to the others and the path they've taken to see if she has success with them.

While super Syrus aparently yeets his way all the way up the rock face, it leaves Elrych to just stare at the cliff. "I like... it's been /years/." He approches the cliff right about the same time as Aryn does. He starts up and gets a few feet off the ground before his hood starts to get in the way. He tries to blow it away while reaching for a holding not too far from him. However, the distraction of the hood and the holding being /just/ out of reach cause him to slip and fall... cashing down next to Aryn with an equally loud thud.

Rey is not afar behind Syrus' climbing show. Her proficient ability at it on display as well. But she pauses half way up when she hears the others behind her struggling and she looks down to them. "I have a rope. I'll lower it for you if you're struggling." She tells them before continuing on up.

Once up, she lowers down to her knees and pulls the satchel on her hip open to draw out a dark blue rope that is coiled up around a silver loop. She uncoils and and the silver loop is dropped, leading the way for the rope for whomever wants it. "You should be able to hold onto this and we can pull you up with it, just wrap it around yourself and walk up the wall while we pull." She says down to anyone who's wanting assistance.

Zan pauses, watching Syrus with disbelief. "Wow, that was - wow," she comments. Elrych and Aryn get blinks as well, Zan making sure they're okay. "If we have a ladder, we can make sure everyone can climb up to the top?" she offers. She uses the lesson learned to make sure she can climb without her cloak getting in the way. She starts up, with more difficulty than Syrus, but she makes a steady calm climb up.

At the top of the cliff, Syrus looks down at the others to check their progress. "Remember, Cometburn. It's not how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up to your feet. And you, Cole," he offers with a smile, looking over to Rey as she reaches the top, too. Taking one end of Rey's rope, the Kiffar moves to tie it onto a sturdy hold. "Just in case," Syrus offers to the young woman.

Yuun began to move up to the wall with the others and as he begins to climb up, he doesn't make it far before he slips on a stone missing what Rey said about using a rope. The resounding THUD is heard as Yuun hits the ground. "CRAP!" he cries as he gets up rubbing his butt, yeah he may have split the cheeks, as he hops around rubbing his butt.

"Yes, though if high enough, falling too far will prevent us from ever rising to our feet again." Aryn answers back in a matter-of-fact tone. She dusts herself off and looks to Elrych with some concern, then Yuun who falls nearby.

"Goodness!" The call for a rope is made and Aryn looks up to see the shapes moving about. There's a soft whipping/whistling noise, and the rope slaps the ground nearby. "I see the rope!" She calls and steps toward it. Cupping one hand around the rope, she tests it for durability, then pulls her gloves tighter. She latches onto the rope, staying stationary for the moment to orient the rope around one of her legs until the rope is draped over the toe of a boot. Then she pins it with the other boot, essentially locking herself in place without putting unnecessary strain on her muscles. Giving a look up, she takes in a deep breath and prepares to ascend.

Elrych is a corellian and therefore somewhat stubborn. Perhaps incredibly so. He stands, brushing himself off. Blue eyes glances towards Aryn as she prepares to use the rope. That gives him a chance to try again. Taking a deep breath he lets the force flow into him. The mystical energy energizes and flows into his muscles. They starts to ripple a bit. Moving forward he grabs onto the bare face of the wall again and starts up. He seems to be doing better and that's when his cock-cure attitude puts him in parrel. He slips then, loosing his footing, holding onto a ledge only a few feet from the top. He looks down then up, waves off any help. "I got it... just give me a second." The others will find better luck with the Rope, he is sure.

Rey looks over to Syrus and she nods her head softly to him while he secures the rope and when she looks back she sees Zandra very nearly there. "You've got it, well done, Zan." She encourages her in a soft voice.

Rey then nervously looks back down to the others and she winces as she sees a bit more struggle. "I won't let anyone fall from too far, I promise." How would she not allow that? Well... she does often throw her telekinesis prowess around, so thats an option for a Force-guided parachute if needed in a pinch.

She then looks back ato Syrus and Zandra. "The last thing I want is someone to fall and harm themselves. It would reinforce my initial discomfort with even proceeding onward through this cavern."

Zan considers that for a long moment, and she says, "I think if we work together we can do it. It - we might get hurt even on Arisnar, and we all chose to try this together." A pause. "It's not your fault - I'm not honestly sure you could have stopped most of us." Well, she may be wrong there, technically Rey probably could do. But the end results might be they'd just sneak back without her.

"Perhaps my idioms are not bolt-proof," Syrus offers back down to Aryn, turning back to grab ahold of the rope, ready to begin pulling back on it as the students below latch onto it. "I believe the Force is guiding us to victory here, Rey. If that is the case, we should not worry. All things will turn out as they should," he assures her.

Looking over at Zan, the man offers her a smile and says, "And Zan's right. You'd be hard-pressed to pull me away from ruins such as these."

Using the rope once the others are going up, Yuun takes the help to get up to the top, "Oh this isn't fun at all." he says as his butt is still hurting. He did land pretty damn hard when he fell a bit ago. Once he's at the top he stretches a little, "Thanks."

Aryn makes the climb bit by bit, and when she makes it to the top, she places each arm over the edge of the cliff and pulls herself the rest of the way up, groaning and rotating until she sits on the edge with her feet hanging off. Every muscle in her torso was crying out in unison, and her face was flushed. Had her hair not been pulled back, there was a chance it'd be stuck to her face. "I... need... a.. moment.." She says, out of breath, but victorious!

Elrych is trying his best to lift himself up on the one rock that he's holding onto for dear life. His grip starts to slip though as droplets of sweat work its way down his face, down his arms, and towards his palms. He slips and beings to fall. Things slow down for him a moment and he turns towards the ground. A single hand reaches out, palm forward. Thunder claps, or what sounds like it, and he is flung back up towards the top of the cliff. "Woahhhh!" He explaims before smacking against the cavern wall back up on top of the cliff and slumping into a heap on the floor. His hood is down over his face, shrouding and looks of pain. After a moment a hand raises and a thumps up is given. "I'm okay..." Said weakly and in a wimper of pain.

To their left in the continuing entrance to the tunnel. The slight howeling of wind can be heard coming from that direction.

Rey steps over to Aryn then and she offers her a canteen of water. "You did great." She says to the D'Qar native and when Yuun is up she offers him a pat on the side of his arm as well.

ITs when Elrych comes up in a less than traditional way that Rey's eyes get huge. She watches him tumble and then she winces. "I believe... that was ill-advised." She says as she walks toward him. "Are you hurt?"

Zan settle, relaxing a bit, and watching as the others make their way, one way or the other. She too winces at Elrych's unusual climbing method. "Is everyone okay?" she asks, though she is pretty sure that Rey and Syrus are. Her gaze goes to Yuun and Aryn though, a smile on her face at their success. "We're all up here - we did it," she says, sounding proud. Hey, it's only one little cliff, but still. It's a start.

Kneeling down next to the now-crumpled Corellian, Syrus reaches down to give the young man a few pats on the shoulder. "You're alright, Cometburn. Just take a moment."

Feeling his butt go back to normal, "I feel better and yes we did do great so far." he smiles as he looks too Zan than out at the others standing there. He shakes his butt a little bit, "Just a rule of thumb, try to land on another part fo your body instead of your butt, that crap hurts."

"Thanks." Aryn says to Rey, then sits up to take the canteen and drink from it. WATER! This had to have been the best water she's tasted in years; though perhaps it's because she's famished and worn out from the climb. A wave of exhaustion is thwarted, and Aryn is slowly rising up, catching Zandra's gaze and smiling. Aryn turns from the cliff and nearly jumps out of her skin when Elrych lands near her. "Goodness!" Luckily, she's replaced the cap on the canteen, otherwise water would've gone everywhere. She was about to ask if Elrych was alright, but he said he was okay and Syrus was already assuring the Corellian, he was alright. Aryn turned her attention to Rey and she offered the canteen back. "That was just what the Doctor ordered." The whipper whistle of wind in the tunnels ahead earns Aryn's attention now and she steps closer to them to see if she can feel where the wind is blowing from. Wind typically meant a way out, or that the cave structure was compromised.

"Yeah... Just my ego, I think." Elrych says pushing up into a sitting position, the finally attempts to stand. He's a bit wobbly at first. "It's no being run through by talons and almost dieing." He nods towards the exit, "Let's keep going. Thank you all..."

As the group continues the would come upon a wide open chamber. As they shine their lights around they would notice the top shines back. This is a big Diamond Chamber, likely once mined by the Jedi for practical or trading perpouses or even some other settelers before them. There is no usual exit here. Instead there is an old mining cart elevator big enough to fit the whole group. Unfortunatly its on the ground level where they are. There is a chain attached to the top which goes all the way up to the top of the Chamber where the weight for the elevator is. A basic pully system. The entrance to the rest of the cave is about half way up the cavern wall accessable only by that elevator. There are scattered and loose rocks all about.

Rey accepts the canteen back from Aryn and places it back on the side of her belt beneath her exterior robe. She then moves with the rest to the next chamber further in and she keeps her light at the ready as the pass into it.

The light beam on her handheld device shines around and catches some of the glittering on the cavern walls. She's intrigued by that, but she keeps scanning and searching taking in the rest of this elevator system.

"Odd." She says then before she looks back to everyone else. "We can operate this... very old bit of machinery, or I can lift you all up there. It depends on what you're comfortable with most."

Zan gives a look around, curiously. "It looks a little broken," she offers, with a laugh. "But it's another get up higher thing - how interesting." She looks up and frowns as the top shines back at her light. "How very interesting. Should we - I think I'd like to try to make it at least get us up there. do you think we could lock it there in case we have to come back the same way?" She doesn't believe that for a moment, but one never knows. "Only with us ready in case of accidental lift malfunction?"

Stepping into the champer, Syrus once again looks enthralled. "Curiouser and curiouser," the man remarks, his dark eyes taking in the machinery with great interest. Kicking a hip out, the man rests his hand on the butt of his lightsaber, listening to everyones plans.

Yuun didn't being a canteen, he mentally kicks himself a bit. "Can I get some of that water?" he asks. "I better get used to better preparing for things like this." he sighs a bit. Rubbing the back of his head, he walks along with the others and as they come to the elevator, he looks at it. "I'm not all that technical inclined, but maybe we should." he says as he looks to Zan. "Anyone with skills to get this working?"

Aryn approach the light and tugs the protective barrier for doors open. Being that it appears to be a mining lift, the doors are separated from their horizontal union. One booted foot presses one half of the door down while she pushes the upper half of the door skyward, opening the way onto the lift. She intends to take it up. She's not had the kinds of experience the others have with the Force, and can you blame a worn out girl for sighing in relief when she's found a lift. That was an improvement over climbing!

Elrych has a hand to his head as he staggers along in the back of the group. "Man... it's big-woah" He looks up to notice the Diamonds. "Shiney..." Then he notices the elevator and the second level entrance. "Well there's a couple way we can do this. There seems to be a basket on the other side where they would pile weights to make it go up." He points out, "So we can pile in, put some rocks in the counter weight basket and get up there... or we can pile in and just lift ourselves up. Or Rey, I, even Syrus can lift us all up one at a time. I'm thinking the point here is the use of our Telekinetic powers..." What an astoot observation. Firstly, Rey walks past Yuun and she detaches the canteen again and offers it to him. "Keep it." She says softly with a smile before she then moves toward the lift itself. She reaches out and pops the arm on the front of it open with a loud metal clang and then raises it up before she motions toward it.

"We'll do the counter weights." She says then to Elrych. "Everyone pile in, lets hope it can hold our weight." She looks up again at the devices that put the machine together. "Its not overly complicated, but its... very old. We'll be fine though." She says then before she herself steps onto the lift and starts to roam her eyes around for all the proper rocks to use. "It looks like they've scattered the rocks mostly around the base of the cavern walls."

She aims her light around the base of the walls to indicate where the heaviest of stones are laying. "Once you're on, try to grab on and bring it over to the basket for them."

Zan grins at Rey and nods. She considers. "Should we all get a rock? Or just get in the lift?" she'll go wherever, all things considered.

Stepping onto the lift, Syrus looks at where Rey is shining her light and nods. He straightens his tabard and waits for the rest of the group. "So far, so good, y'know?"

Taking the canteen, "Thank you Rey." he says to her and he drinks the water sating his thirst. The dark skinned initiate caps the canteen and tucks it away. He looks up to see where they are going and he nods his head to Rey. He walks over and gets into the elevator.

"Alright... Let's test it out..." Elrych says moving into the elevator with the others. He reaches out a hand towards a smaller boulder. It starts to rise slowly and floats up and up until he has it hovering just above the counter weight basket. It starts to become a bit more clear that this might have been specifically designed for someone with the powers of the Jedi. As Elrych lets the boulder go, The Lift shutters and rises slightly from the ground only few feet. Not enough to prevent any straglers from getting on. It seems sturdy enough. "Alright... it works."

Rey watches the others join her inside the lift and then she places her hands on the side railing as she scans the cavern. She looks over to Elrych as he starts the process off and she moves to join in, her hand raising up just a little in front of her waist, her palm out and her fingers apart...

Three rocks begin to move, they swirl around one another and tumble over each other as they progress through the air like they're holding hands and dancing in a circle together until she deposits them into their proper place.

"This actually isn't that terrible of an exercise, admittedly." Rey then says with just the hint of a smile on her lips.

Zan stops once in the lift, watching Elrych as he manages to get a rock. She watches Rey as well, curiously. And then she decides she should try one too, so she concentrates, and selects a rock, just a medium sized one. She starts the process, the rock starting up off the ground and then she moves, and so does the rock, crashing back to the ground. That gets her to wince, distracted, and mumbling under her breath.

Gripping the collar of his tabard with one hand, Syrus lifts the other one out towards a collection of larger rocks. They shudder softly and begin kicking up dust before they're lifted off of the ground by the invisible hand of the Force. Lacking the same flourishes and finesse as Rey's, Syrus' collection of rocks float lamely through the air, dropping into the basket after them.

Once on the lift, Yuun looks at the others and seeing that Elrych and Rey have begun lifting the rocks, then Syrus. He winces when he sees Zans rock drop, he too begin to concentrate holding his hand out to grip a medium sized rock as well. It begins to shake and lift, but after a moment it drops back to the ground as he loses his concentration.

Aryn isn't nearly as skilled or as practiced as the others when it comes to moving objects with the Force. She has a good understanding of how the Force feels when she draws the energy to her and emits it in a way to influence her surroundings. This shows when a rock lifts up slowly, uneasily, but Aryn struggles with the concept and technique and ends up failing to lift the rock to where it needs to go. She sighs, disappointed.

"It requires patients and communication... and conentration. I don't think darksiders have a lot of that." Elrych says with a bit of a smirk and or smile towards Rey. He reaches out a hand and picks up two more rocks at the same time. "The three of you, try again. One more should get us there. Together, try to lift the same rock." He's not as refined as Rey with his rock floating abilities, more like Syrus. Direct, unfancy, dropping the two boulders into the basket. If one were to look up they were almost there. Just one more rock...

After Rey gets those three stones into place she steps back to let the others try and she observes them. She listens to each of them and watches the ones who struggle closely. She doesn't speak up until just after Elrych. "Those who fall to the ways of the Dark side of the Force, tend to have an easier time with acquiring the use of powers like this... with all of it in fact." She tells, all of them, as she settles in at the back of the lift.

"Its the draw of that power coming quicker that helps pull good people, to go very bad. So I've read, at least. The lust for power is something many people cannot say no to and once they have reached a level of being as powerful as they think they're able to get? It doesn't stop. The lust for it only grows deeper and more... desired. This is why the Dark ways will always pull on you--on all of us--because its alluring to learn these seemingly frustrating things, quicker."

She then pauses and offers a light smile. "You're all doing just fine too. Never believe otherwise. Mothing about this is easy, and the greatest things in life are the things that we have to struggle the most to achieve."

Zan glances at Rey and does try again. She's struggling, finding it hard to get any rock to move more than a bobble today. But she does keep trying, her turn to be stuborn. She manages to get a rock, and starts to raise it up. In fact, she might even get it more than an inch off the ground, up a couple feet. And she's straining to get it higher, trying really hard, but the rock seems to be refusing to budge. "Come on, stupid rock," she grumbles, somehow managing to not wipe her forehead. She tries half jumping as she strains, but still the rock does not move.

Yuun is holding steadfast, he is trying as hard as he can to keep his focus on the rock. His hand shudders a little as he keeps the hold of the rock and not letting it drop.

Aryn attempts the feat again, displaying some design of control over the force, but no technique in exacting an influence over the rock she is lifting up. It gets off the ground, levitating up as if carried by some unseen force, but once it reaches a certain height, Aryn can get it no further. After several attempts, her focus begins to fail her, and her concentration breaks once more. The rock falls, and she lets out a labored breath, leaning to one side, exhausted from the effort.

As the three try their best, Elrych steps in and helps them along, pushing the rock with them up and over into the basket. "Great job guys, I'll give a lesson back on Arisnar. We can learn at your own pace." The lift rises perectly level with the exit. Once the group of Jedi explorers disembark, it's not far to the final location. There is a large door here with Five key holes. There are two alters on either side of the door dug into the out croping of the cave. Candles burn illuminating several pegs with different symbols on them. When inspecting the door, each key hole has its own symbol but none of them match any of the others in the room.

Elrych scratches the back of his head. "Well okay then... what do all these mean?"

Rey disembarks with the others and she walks alongside with them toward the next challenge. As they enter into this room she shuts off her light when there is already fire lit in sconces on the walls. "Hmm..." She audibly emits as she starts to pace around and tentatively move toward the keys, then to the key holes.

It only takes her a second before she lifts a key up. "Emotion and Peace." She says. A smile comes across her lips and she looks to the others. "Do these sound familiar to anyone else?" She then asks.

"I believe we've gone over something related to this... fairly recently." She then states as she walks toward the sockets for the keys, choosing the one she believes her key belongs within.

Zan's jump may not have helped and certainly Elrych's encouragement did. Zan manages to get a second wind and her rock makes it over and into the ballast basket. She ends up leaning against the wall or whoever is next to her, a little out of breath. "That is still hard," she mumbles. And then they are off along the hall to the next place. Candles, pegs with symbols, and locks - keyholes with symbols that don't match anything. She glanes at Rey at what she says, and then she smiles. "You are right. And look this one is Ignorance. And - there's a key here that is knowledge." She follows, collecting a key and bringing it where she thinks it goes. IN so doing she also shuts her light off, so she can get the key. "I'm sensing a pattern here."

"Hrmm, well...they look like..." Syrus begins, studying the symbols. "Huh." He tilts his head, looking back at the rest of the group. "I've got nothing," he says, shrugging softly.

Yuun looks at the door and the locks, and as he moves closer to the door. He stands there looking at the locks and he sees the one that calls to him, and he walks over to where the key for Serenity. He walks over to the keyhole for passion. He stops as he looks at the others for a long moment, "Do you all know what we need to do here?" he asks.

As the group gets wise to the trick of unlocking this particular door Elrych goes in search of the one symbol he does know, that which means The Force. "It's the Jedi code, stick the keys in the hole." He grabs the key and makes his way to the door. Once the final key is stuck inside there is a loud rumble. Dust rises from the door as it starts to move, slowly cranking up. What is revealed is a vast grassy field settled inside the caldera of a volcano that is no longer active. Steep mountain sides leave this visage traped to anything but Avians. Off in the distance there is a stone worked building settled into the side of the mountainside. It is the light forge. Just beyond it is the old cave entrance, covered up by rubble and rocks. It would take some serious firepower to get rid of that.

As the group explores the Lightforge they would find the three holograms taken from the bridges at the Temple. That of Masters Cala Brin, Garon, Jard, and Ters Sendon. What is more interesting though is that of a Holocron. One of Grand Master Satele Shan. If asked, Yeon would allow it to be taken back to Arisnar but the other holograms must remain.