Log:Jedi Order: We Came For Knowledge

Jedi Order: We Came For Knowledge

OOC Date: May 9, 2021
Location: Yavin IV
Participants: Rune, Vhe Tenara, Yuun and Qutha Buvu Pah (GM)

The jungles of Yavin IV contain many things, the old Massassi temple, ruins of their settlements, clues to the past of the Galaxy's many conflicts and even a few sporadically placed homes to those looking for an unexpectedly quiet place to gain peace.

"From Master Katarn's information, the coordinates for what you seek are above ground. The Massassi may have built around it, but Kyle's information suggests that something may have blinded them to the presence." Aryn's voice on a recording playing a holo-display broadcasted by Qutha's borrowed droid, Red.

"He left no notes per what this site did, but it is vital to our work where we found his ship. Follow your instincts, listen to the Force; it will guide you, and may it be with you." the voice recording ends

Paths through dense undergrowth and wending around ancient trees led further and further where the sunlight is hued green by the canopy, vines hang and birds flit between the clear spaces and ground animals lurk - watching the passage of the Jedi. A place where the environment attempts to trick the eye and the Living Force is blended of both Light and Dark in contest. Whispers try to direct to a path to deeper reaches, a threat to consume them all. Others giving sensations to turn away for safer ground. To contemplate and study. Neither seeming quite right.

Until paths are found, in the jungle foliage and a single pure note, balanced. The promise of knowledge lost, perhaps forbidden but also the call to enlightenment; to push past the fog of darkness and bring things back to where it can render aid.

It all brought the quartet to what might be mistaken for a heap of stone, matching to the rotating image being kept visible by the R5 unit. The stones surrounded by only grass and twisted, thin, vines. One inviting to walk on, the other promising treachery.

"Master Katarn and Cortess certainly pick their locations." Qutha comments, walking abreast of the droid.

"On Umbara we had to find five stones to stack....there was a carnivorous plant growing around them that decided we were the next meal. I am hoping to avoid that this time. But perhaps we should take a moment to inspect anything that will prove to be helpful. Likely of the same make." Vhe slows to begin scuffing at the ground, pulling at vines with a bit of hesitation and suspicion as she searches. Then pauses, after the third such motion and in a new spot. She humms at the back of her throat before she lowers down, squating low to begin plucking and pulling. When she is not reached for by vines immediately her motions become more insistent. "The vegetation appears to be concealing something, could be nothing, could be something, lets see what we can do."

Instead of scrabbling slowly with her hands through manual removal she draws upon the Jedis' constant companion. Vhe steps back and with the force moving through her, both her hands reach out and up from her sides as she begins to pull and tugs, vines and vegetation snapping away. It begins to clear sonework, flat and seamless until before her and further out but still within the clearing radius of her abilities there is a hump of stone that begins to protrude. This is where she focuses, her hands moving forward as the living debris and desciated vegetation are swept away and to the sides. The hump of stone at the center, the space cleared are concentric rings of dark and light colored stone and the grass/vines are peeling off like turf rolls. It'll require more work - but there's iconography and depressions in the stones but hard to tell without clearing the area.

Rune walks quietly through the forest, his hazel eyes roaming over the dense woodland, a quiet smile on his face. "This... this is what I had been intending, a peaceful, pleasant walk through something nice. Some place that was not scorched by lava, bereft of life desert, or even that last place with the unease of death that had settled on it." The latter he mentions to Vhe as the group walks. He holds his hands out to their surroundings, "This place is nice, I can see why the Jedi of old established a home here."

The air of peace doesn't last long when they delve deeper into the woods, a general sense of unease begins permeating the Force, warring with the gentle life giving nature of the Light. "Hmmm...." he remarks as they stop near the heap of stone, covered in vines and growth. That is, until Vhe begins removing said vegetation with the Force, revealing something akin to what they had encountered on Umbara. "It does look vaguely similar... do we have a pattern to emulate this time?" The younger Ysannan looks back at Yuun with a hesitant smile, his uncertainty showing in his mood.

Yuun made it a little late but he was here, he makes his way off his ship and he quickly meets up with the others. Moving through foilage, he listened to what Aryn said, 'Follow your instincts.' he thought to himself. Following the path, keeping a watch out, he's not been to Yavin IV if he has it's been a while and honestly he is one who is cautious at times. Listening Vhe for a moment, he smiles and as she uses the force he keeps a vigil around them, he nods to Rune, "Yeah, I like it. I guess that's why I like it on Devaron as well." he grins. He goes quiet for a moment.

Following Vhe's example, from the sidelines, Qutha reaches out, eyes closed - one hand raising in self guidance as more of the grass is peeled away from the ground surrounding the hump of stones. Some rectangular lengths and others spherical, piled haphazardly at the very center of, as more of the vegetation is cleared, shows that there are likely surrounding rings of stone, possibly singular pieces extended in a dozen circular orbits.

"Puzzles and riddles." Qutha comments as he works his way towards the center. Eyes closed, tripping over a gnarl of vine and losing his concentration whilst he tries to clear away more of the rings and the central stones. Coughing out something embarrassedly when he lands on one knee with his palms on the ground. Breathing and looking to the others - partly in hope of their better luck and in hope of his situation not having been seen yet.

.*.*. Vhe sees .*.*.

They were like the worlds that spin their seeming eternity around the sun itself. But their orbits conflicted as all things must at one time or another. But when the forms and lines that created the web of shape were set in place they crafted eight walls that could be a dome if a cloth were cast over their shapes.

But the dome was not the ends, the dome was the shape to call on light and dark to call on the true contents left here to sleep for centuries.

The orbits must resume, the lines be made and again purpose will be made clear again.

.*.*. Rune Sees .*.*.

Etchings in the stone feel as if filled with gentle colored glowing light. Some in shades of blue or green and others in crimson or dark magenta. Not all is visible, with the remaining grass and vines on the massive rings of stone around the center.

"We need to build about ..eight walls or points, it appears they consist of four pieces each. There has to be a way they are constructed to stand firmly on their own." Vhe glances aside at the others and begins towards some of the uncovered pieces, her hands flickering outwards as she focuses herself on one, then another, and finally a third but that one comes a little shakily off the ground. She begins to turn them about, attempting to find how they fit together without the fourth piece. Vhe narrows her eyes, having to use the force to manipulate and the base sense of sight to aid her, the echo playing about in her head as a memory that remains to help guide her like some printed manual.

She glances back at the others but finally finds something akin to correct and carefully sets the pieces down. "Something is not right with the rings...on the ground. They have some discordance. Do they move?"

Fortunately for Q, the novice Force user was looking upward at the stones, missing his accidental trip and allowing him to save some face. "Always... I do not think there has been one time that I have had an adventure with the Jedi that riddles and puzzles were not part of the outing." Rune remarks, looking from one uncovered stone to the next. "Devaron is nice, I admit... a much better home than the wilds of Ossus." the youngest of the four agrees with a nod to Yuun, the last portion of his speech is given to Vhe as only she is well aware of the dangers of their home planet.

After a bit of assessment of the area, Rune reaches out with the Force, his eyes closing as he absorbs a general feel of the location, the ways of the land speaking through him. "There... there is more here that is not seen yet." At this he lifts a hand, eyes still closed, and begins emulating what Vhe had begun, lifting vines and refuse off the covered stones in an attempt to reveal them all. About three fourths of the rings are uncovered, the foliage lifting slowly from the rock faces to be deposited off to the side and away from the group.

Shakily to his feet, trying to breathe now and shaking his head as his fingers come to rest at his temple - unable to do more work in conjunction to the other three. Frown deepening and eyes half-lidded while he combats the small headache forming behind his eyes.

The rings definitely look like they could be moved. It would take a joint effort and doing so might clear the grass and vines entirely, though the initial movement of the rings may be difficult at first - it will certainly get easier as they proceed. Qutha looks to Vhe and Rune at first, then towards Yuun to see if they might have ideas.

The efforts of those present drawing something out of hiding, something that has slumbered for an age. The stone rings around the center feel warm, seem to give the appearance of starlight. Life seems to be flooding into them now and if one looks without really focusing, one could even make out illumination in cracks, the iconography. Sweeps of motion and color that are dull but straining as if seeking out their mates and matches.

"Glancing among the others, wilds or not, we have a puzzle and it will take more than instinct. We must feel it through the Force. It has brought us this far as well as Master Katarn. Best we heed it...together it would seem. We must handle it together as a group." Her eyes flicker across each face and before she reaches for the circle she ties herself with them, finding the Force in each so they do not work against each other. Her fingers flex at her sides and her hands lift only in a sutble way from her sides. Those tips dance slowly in the air in a slow motion as she feels the rich presence of the power around them all flutter through her like some fluid stream. She the conduit and guide like the banks of a river, directing it where it needs to go and finding the one ring than the other and in her mind's eye she can sense the positions in the echo. "There.." she issues forth in a hushed tone. Like air exhaled rather than fueled with the word.

Her chin tips up and she begins to feel things move tethering herself with the three others.

With more of the stones uncovered, the sense of the Force is powerful and drawing. Rune looks between the other three, an idea forming for the lot of them. it seems Vhe feels the call as well, she voices the desire deep inside. With a nod and a smile, Rune closes his eyes as well, arms stretched to the sides and fingers askew.

He calls to the Force, willing it to work through him, through them, opening himself up as a conduit to the energy. he allows it to flow through him and the others binding themselves together to work their magic on the stones. He breathes in and out slowly, the energy catching them all, holding them together, tying them to this place and its mysteries they strive to solve.

"Vhe is right." he says simply. Yuun takes a breath and he moves over setting himself where they all have room. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, feeling the force flowing through him and around him. He lowers his head, it was time to focus and as he focus on the stones, Yuun holds out his hand and reaches out with the Force.

He can feel the stones, he could feel the plants, the trees, allows the Force to flow through him. He focuses on the stones and slowly as he takes his time, he begins to lift the stone. He could feel it pull from the ground. He can feel his body shift just a little at the weight but he remembers what Yoda told him during one of his training sessions while at the temple a long time ago. 'Size Matters Not.!' he adjusts himself a bit, "Thank you Master." he murmurs to himself.

At the last Qutha joins, heeding to the wisdom of the others as he folds his hands before him, eyes open but unseeing and allowing what will grant him sight to guide his instincts on the correct path.

It sounds like ripping cloth, the will of The Force guiding the steps of the four as they join their wills and reach out. As the rings begin to turn there is then the soft rustle of stone moving past stone with barely a grass blade space between. Each alternating direction to the other.

As the stones move so to the jedi standing on them, held in balance as the rings lift and turn. Colored light changing to white or red as the iconography and sigils match up. Casting a mixture of hues upward to the sky before again they settle, though with some give as if the Force still buoys them up from full contact with the ground.

An image like stairs spiraling through the rings, illuminated in white, pink and red. Crude images of various species with none favored walking or dancing with their hands uplifted - all reaching towards the center point with the heaps of long stone spars and spheres.

The communion of the Force continues, connecting them to each other and everything around them. Living or otherwise. "Do not let go of each other, feel the Force. We have eight points to stand up and put into correct place. Let the Force guide you." Vhe looks from one to the other and then slowly turns, reaching her hand out for the piece she was working on. Her hand rotates, palm up as she curls her fingers just a little to draw them then into the air and lets the Force guide her. Its like finding a home for the pieces, a reunion of sorts and so the grooves and spaces fit just right, snug and with purpose. As each builds upon the other, the Force is a soft hum, almost like a droning tune that is with them all.

Each peace slides into place, soft grating of stone upon stone when they do. Her other hand lifts and she guides a new piece, bringing it once more into place as the others follow, drawn by unseen pulls and lines that begin to fit and connect things correctly. They work like a symphony, sometimes slowly, other times with more certainty as the four Jedi are stronger together than alone. Soon at the height of their work its like she can feel each of them breathing and the pace she sets is in tune and harmony with every other one of her compatriots. "There...again..." There is a crook of a smile upon her lips, a gentle look at the feeling of something so in tune. "We will have the answers." She can almost feel it.

It is said that the whole is greater than their sum of their parts, and the Jedi exemplify that with their binding together with the Force. The will of the galaxy flows through them, each lifted through the shift and grating of stone, the landscape literally being rearranged through the power of the universe. Slowly, the last few pieces slip into place, a solid *THUNK* announcing the final arrival of the omega piece. Once complete, something deep inside of Rune directs him to step from the ring and back to the jungle floor. Being that instinct and the will of the Force basically kept him alive during his exile on Ossus, he is not a man to argue and moves back to the ground from the shifted stone. Once settled, he opens his eyes to peer at their new surroundings, eyes wide at the magic they wove.

The connection he felt from the others, Yuun's breathing is slow and he can feel how they are flowing together. He hasn't felt this way in a long time, he can feel his connection to the others. He didn't have to see what Vhe was doing, he can feel the pieces of the stones being moved into position. Yuun keeps his presence strong within the Force, he could sense that Rune's movements coincide with the direction of the Force which guides them.

Like a skeleton of a structure, glowing dimly in the green jungle light, the rings that support the base stones turning so that the hollow dome begins to rotate. A slow spin and the great stone rings begin to rise and shift again. Forming into a stairwell with the images carved showing a procession up to the top where the final disk of stone splits and descends, replaced by a half-sunk sphere inscribed by runes and shimmering with the essence of the Living Forth.

Qutha stands, eyes wide, mouth open. "Oh... Oh I say." blinking rapidly, Dear oh dear oh dear.

But the spinning halts at long last, the reds and whites blending together to wash the clearing in soft light and the visible half of the sphere at the top of the stairwell dome.

Vhe watches with the others, her own lips parting as the circles draw upwards to offer them a platform. "We need to be near it," she glances to the others and then moves upwards, using the stairs that have been constructed. She climbs slowly and upon reaching the sphere she reaches out and places a hand upon it, fingertips at first and then her palm curving to his surface. She lets out a long breath and the active use of the Force is released but she is still that conduit but more an inactive one. She lets the Force flow through her towards the sphere and instantly she makes a gentle sound. "Where is this place...do you see it?"

She tilts her head, eyes still closed as her multitude of braids clack and brush each other as she waits for the others to join her. "You must see this. Reach with the Force. A place with a structure just like this somewhere else...I think what we have done here is a reflection to this other location. Another piece in the puzzle."

Rune looks at the newly assembled staircase, craning his neck back to see the terminus. When Vhe speaks he nods and moves that direction, climbing the stairs one at a time until they reach the apex. Once there he looks at the sphere, eerily reminiscent of the one in the midst of the towering stones on Umbara. "Just like before, I think this will unlock the structure on that other planet, one of the six." He remarks, laying his hands on the circular rock to commune with the Force.

The young Ysannan closes his eyes and lifts his head, allowing the Force to flow through him, directing the power that is into the stone in an attempt to reach the place beyond. With all this Force usage, a thin line of sweat forms on his forehead, the novice student not used to concentrating this hard for so long. It seems that all this has been too much and he suddenly feels the Force cut from him, the living embodiment of the galaxy flees from his command leaving the young man shaken and rattled as he steps away from the object.

Yuun's eyes widens as he watches what's going on. The mysteries of the galaxy and he smiles a little. He follows up the stairs feeling the Force urging him towards the large rock, the soft light not hurting his eyes and he honestly is awed at the sight before them. Once he makes his way up the stairs, he moves around to make sure that they all have room and he closes his eyes and goes into meditation. Meditation is something that has been a skill he is able to move into quickly.

Reaching out to the stone through the Force, he could feel it's presence, his breathing slows and Yuun mentally blinks at what he sees. Taking in what he is seeing and a small gasp escapes him. He doesn't hear the others but he could feel them through the Force.

There is a heavy clunk of stone settling in place, a cooling of the air and the sudden loss of the dull glow emanating from the stones and the sphere risen from them. Quiet again but there is a serenity of balance that resonates from the ancient structure, renewed through use of the Force and commune with it.

Somewhere, the actions here are creating an equal reaction elsewhere. Another piece of the puzzle finding the point where it snugly fits and it is with that placement that there is a sensation that runs out from the stairwell dome and to those who have participated here. As if being congratulated on fine work well done and that tasks were completed.

As if something were expressing their, or its, approval of the work done and then ushering them to meet their next challenge with naught else to be done here, but with a lingering gratitude for reawakening something that had been long dormant