The Lessons and Design of Cygnus Luc'idus
IC: Imperatrix Hesper
Fortress Vader — Mustafar
Mustafar.IC: Imperatrix Hesper
Fortress Vader — Mustafar
What a storied planet; steeped in history and roiling with the blazing, fiery red lava that scarred the glorious, doomed Darth Vader. These were the forge-fires of great Sith, the proving grounds where followers of the dark side tested their mettle. And it was here where the omniscient Empress waited for the arrival of yet another new apprentice: Cygnus Luc'idus.
Luc'idus was already training in the ways of assassination at the Academy on Korriban, and from what she had seen of him, she knew he would be a fine match for her training. She gazed out over the lava fields from the high vantage of Fortress Vader, the old bastion once belonging to Darth Vader. She'd had the castle restored to perfection, a pristine revitalization of its former grandeur. The floors shone like mirrors, and the black hallways were now lined with relics and artworks of bygone eras. Each was softly illuminated and labeled, like a gallery of dark arts. A shard of Vader's armor, carefully restored; a sculpture from the time of Palpatine's Galactic Empire; a curling, yellowed map of a lost tomb; the famed mask of Lord Momin, the genius behind Fortress Vader, displayed proudly (if a bit temptingly) upon a beautiful pedestal; and the Empress' own sculptures, fantastically crafted of bronzium and stone and depicting the macabre, twisted forms of Sith of millennia gone by, standing many meters tall and casting gruesome shadows upon the walls and ceilings.
All was intoxicatingly dark. These vestiges were rank with power.
The shuttle bearing Cygnus down to the planet's surface flew low over the boiling lava fields, the red glow of molten rock casting the interior of the craft in ominous, dangerous light; he would feel the subtle pulse of the dark side, beating like a heart, emanating from the planet below. His face, pale in the crimson light, would swivel in a broad sweep as he took in the vastness of Mustafar. Perhaps Cygnus would feel nervousness, apprehension. Perhaps he would feel excitement, elation, or determination. Perhaps he would feel all these emotions, all at the same time, his heart giving a jolt as the shuttle's landing on the landing strip of Fortress Vader jostled him.
Disembarking, Cygnus was guided by instinct, placing one foot in front of the other, as if they walked of their own accord, leading him into the heart of Vader's castle. He was paraded past all the beautifully displayed artworks and artifacts, feeling their seductive pull as he passed, craning to catch a look longer than a glance. Interspersed throughout the glorious works of art, stationed in the darkest shadows, were the Empress' Arch Troopers, soldiers cloaked in onyx robes and gleaming black plastoid armor, with sinister rifles held in gloved hands. Helmets obscured their faces; only a thin line of red light where their eyes ought to be betrayed that there might be people within those ultra-still carapaces of black.
Still, his feet carried him forward. Could this be some power far beyond his understanding? Some celestial hand guiding him from beyond the pale? His cloak billowed about him, and he realized it was bitterly cold, despite the seething lava that flowed beneath Fortress Vader.
Soon, he came to a door: squat, geometric, lit by one white light. He could sense that behind it, dark power lurked like a sleeping beast. Even to such a lowly acolyte, this power was overwhelming.
Before him, silhouetted in perfect profile, was the Empress of the Final Sith Order: the one called Hesper. Her hair was as golden as the dawn, and she was swathed in sanguine silk which could only be likened to the dripping of blood. Her garment spilled languorously from her shoulders and down her legs, the rich fabric sticking to her skin and tumbling onto the ground, laying like a river of crimson across the glossy black floor. She sat in comfortable repose upon a black throne, its tall back distinctly reminiscent of the spires of Vader's castle within which they met. It was placed in the very center of a circular dias, facing towards a wide window; leading to it were two catwalks, one to her right, which Cygnus stood upon now, and one to her left. Upon her shining head was the tangled, thorny black Crown of the Imperatrix— a jagged symbol of her inherited power. Her presence was astonishing, raw power radiating from her with unparalleled strength. Cygnus might feel misplaced before her; a sudden, strange, awkward sensation.
Her face was illuminated by the distant flow of molten rock and the light which shone from machines toiling away below the dias, her eyes fixed upon the fields which sprawled on all sides of Fortress Vader. It was then that Cygnus realized what felt so wrong; to approach the Empress of the Sith from the side felt unnatural. Usually sovereigns who sat upon their thrones were approached only from the front, with their sides protected by guards and trusted advisers. But there was no one of such a role in this room. Only the Empress, and Cygnus Luc'idus.
"Kneel," the Empress commanded, her voice filling the air. "Cygnus Luc'idus."
Cygnus— This is the first of the two training threads I have planned for you. This one will be an ongoing RP, where we will engage in IC lessons and tasks. The other thread will be for essay tasks.
Generally, you should finish and post your responses as soon as you are able; let's make it a goal to have RP responses and task replies up within 5 to 10 days. Keep track of your Prestige in your signature here on the forum, and in the Prestige thread in the Facebook as well.
I will not assign hard due dates— please be self-motivated.
Ground Rules and Encouragements:
- Please run any new items by me before seeking approval with TC-SC, and we will review your requests together. I trust that you recognize FSO is first and foremost about storytelling, and not about the acquisition of items. Let's ensure you're acquiring items, weapons, and equipment for all the right reasons.
- You are encouraged to focus on learning and quality character growth first and foremost. Develop a strong story, and all else will follow when it is right for it to.
- You're now the apprentice of the Empress of the Final Sith Order; I expect you to comport yourself as such in all areas of the group.
Let's begin!