Log Date: 5/10/98, 9/24/98, 9/25/98 Log Cast: Kairne Saa'thul, Urio'kosh, Shenneret Veery, Dane Noth, Paul Nighman Log Intro: Inward and onward, deeper and deeper into the crypt the five weary travellers have progressed. The search has grown all the harder for Shenner, as it seems that her exhausted mind has begun to crack under the strain of the hardships she's undergone; not only has she continued to be gripped by irrational terror, she's also begun to hear a cruel, evil voice and laughter, and has felt the floor shaking when no one else in the party has done. Panicked by Shenner's deteriorating grip on her composure, Paul has recruited Urio'kosh to help him sedate the young musician, restoring to Shenner a measure of dark, clear calm, enough that she can even try to help him in his search for the next chamber they must explore. In the meantime, the Mandalorians have made an astonishing find: the suit of armor once worn by none other than _the_ Mandalore, their ruler. A heated debate has ensued between the three warriors over which of them, if any, has the right to put on the armor and therefore proclaim themselves the new Mandalore. But as it's happened, the armor and its case have proven to be rather more useful in giving the party the path to their next destination. Little do they know that they are about to discover even more evidence of the now-dead Mandalore. And little does Shenner know that her drug-induced calm will not be able to stand up to what is about to befall her.... ---------- You climb, and climb, and climb, and finally a door presents itself. You don't even have to choose whether or not to open it, as it opens itself. Crypt - Vault Clearly this room once served as lavish personal quarters for some elite individual. It is regally appointed, the walls cover in lush tapestries, the furnishings highly detailed and hand carved pieces. There is a throne like chair on one end, a red runner leading up to it. Off to the left side there is a desk and several cases displaying fine examples of jewelry and armaments, as if weapons were as beautiful to Mandalorians as other more traditional forms of adorment. There is a small but impressive looking library as well. On the opposite side there is a decadently large and adorned bed, the frame hung with golden draperies, which enclose the sleeping area completely. Contents: Paul Nighman Dane Display case Bed Obvious exits: Lift Stairwell There is some grumbling at the sight of the stairs, but the party ascends as best they can in their weary state. The climb is long and rather arduous, but finally the top is made, even if it has reduced the limbs of some to the consistency of gelatin. Kairne emerges from the stairway and into the eeriliy silent room. Kairne has arrived. Urio'kosh emerges from the stairway and into the eeriliy silent room. Urio'kosh has arrived. And Shen, one of those who has had their limbs almost gellified, comes trudging up to the top of the stairs, finally pausing to catch her breath. She hunkers over for a moment, pressing her palms against her thighs. Dane holds his position, eyes fixed on the desicated form...he murmurs something quietly to himself in Mandalorian and looks to Kairne and Urio. Then, he takes a hesitant step forward to get a better look at the body. Standing there, just barely, Paul's eyes take in the darkened room as best they can. He reaches into his statchel, pulling out one of the last glow sticks in his possession to add a little more illumination to the room. Bed As you pull aside the draperies, you find at first what you think is a person, lying there stealthily in wait. It isn't until you look closely that you realize the figure is not moving, and is also hideously decayed and dessicated. The face is covered with a ritual looking mask of copper and bronze etched metals, strangely reminiscent of the Mandalorian faceplate, but seperate from the armor. The clothes about the corpse are clearly regal, and to anyone who was a Mandalorian during the Clone Wars, they are recognizable as being worn by only one individual ... the Mandalore himself. The mask serves as confirmation of that fact - it being the mark of the Mandalore. The Mandalore's head bears the weight of a crown, which is somewhat peculiar, and his right hand rests over his chest, sheated in a gauntlet. Display case The items have some dust on them now, but are still clearly visible. There is a handsome ancient Mandalorian saber - exquisitely designed, the guard an intricate web of metal, the signature of one of the finest swordsmiths from Mandalore's history. An astonishing necklace lays there at well, the chain a series of sparkling bright Kirstanin gems, and hanging a large circle of pure emerald Earthfire, surrounded by more Kirstanin stones. It's worth is beyond Mandalorian imagining. There is a gauntlet with a variety of projectile weapons at it's command, an impressive hand to hand combat blade, a curved throwing Kligat, and an exquisitely beautiful tiara made of ocean blue starfires. There are a number of other pieces in the case on the lower levels, but these are clearly the prizes of the small collection. Dane moves across the room, eyes searching its contents. He then heads to the bedside and pulls the drapes open carefully with the barrel of his rifle. Upon seeing the symbology on the desicated form he lowers the weapon and looks back to Kairne and Urio, a small murmur crossing his lips before he does so.. Kairne looks about in the pack he has left, searching for any remaining glowsticks, so that the group can get as much illumination as possible. "Is that all you have Paul? I think I have one left myself.. still looking." You feel a strange tremor shifting through your body, an unpleasant sensation as if something were being physically leached out of your flesh ... and with it comes the return of panic. It's not the unnatural terror that has ravaged Shen on occasion throughout this trip, but the return to her natural state of mind. On top of that, however, is the unpleasant sensation - like the entire room were coated in a vile and toxic slime. Kairne catches Dane's backward glance, wondering what his fellow Mandalorian has found, his head lifting in an inquisitive manner. "Yes...?" Shenner, still standing there slightly hunched over, frowns to herself, registering the change in the sensations she's experiencing. Not too sure when her awareness had changed -- perhaps in the middle of sweating her way up through the climb -- she frowns darkly at... what? Lifting her gaze, she peers warily at the room at large. Dane says "I think you better see this..." Standing quietly, Urio'kosh looks nowhere. In fact, the younger Mandalorian's eyes have closed, and his hands are held out to his sides slightly, palms up. He simply breathes, his head tilted back ever so slightly, almost as if he were reveling in a breeze of fresh air. Which is less than likely. The air in this room has a heavy pungent quality to it, and it lays upon the breath ominously. Shaking his head, Paul pulls out his stick, igniting it, and then, upon Dane's words he goes toward the bed curiously .... it would have been one of the last places he looked had it not been for Dane's muttered words. He peers in then, his features creasing in surprise and recognition of the form that lays within the draperies. "I would say that this is -not- formal burial procedure for a Mandalore, yes?" Dane shakes his head slowly, eyes falling back on the corpse, "No.." he raises an eyebrow, "Definitely not..unless it some ancient custom I've never heard of before. _Burial...?_ Not at all liking the sound of that, Shenner edges up beside Paul, peers around him to the ornate bed and what's on it -- and a sharp wince creases her face. Clenching her teeth, she slams her eyes shut and jerks her face away. If the room is coated with a thick film of noxious ooze, the body lain upon the bed is the source of it, like a wound that spills out the infection. The very sight of it is enough to make Shenner gag, the a palpable menance emanating from the corpse. _C'mon... c'mon... just a dead body, seen 'em all the time in Mos Eisley, right...?_ Feeling her thoughts growing uncomfortably wild, Shen takes a stumbling step back from the bed, trying to swallow down the bile doing its best to surge up into her throat. Kairne interjects, "Perhaps.. this was neccesary in light of the Wars? To prevent the Empire from desecrating the burial?" Moving closer, Paul examines the corpse carefully, not touching it, but using his eyes with a clearly professional precision. He murmurs softly as he examines it. "No signs of struggle, the clothes seem undamaged by anything other than age, and even that is nominal. The corpse is decidedly desicated ... could have died lying here, or could have been placed after death in a ceremonial fashion, even if it's unfamiliar to us." Leaning closer, Paul gestures with one hand, indicating that he would like to touch the form, but clearly requesting permission before doing so. Dane nods in response to Kairne, "Perhaps...the Emperor would have loved to have all of this as a trophy I'm sure." Kairne nods to Dane, "Yes.. he would have.. but our people would not allow something as such.." As Paul's hand hovers over the form, you would swear that you could almost see something reaching up toward his hand in return - like a growth reaching to infect a fresh source of sustenance ... Dane looks to Paul and thyen Kairne, seeing what the doctor wants to do he says, "Paul do you have to ?" his voice is calm and even he then chances a look in Urio's direction. The hand wavers, clearly the xenoarcheaologist wanting very much to inspect the corpse further ... but perhaps there is no need. If the Mandalorians were not there, Paul would not have hesitated for a moment ... but propriety must take a stand here, and in deference to their customs, the Corellian manages to control his impulse, his hand hovering uncertainly. Kairne looks to Dane and Urio, then back to Paul, "Perhaps another time Paul? The Mandalore is not going anywhere.. and we are still a people with traditions.. If all bodes well with what we have and will discover.. there will be time for prosperity soon enough to allow it." Urio'kosh has turned his head, his gaze watching the rest of the group almost balefully. Pale green eyes glint oddly in the dim light, looking peculiarly bright as if back-lit. In a low growling voice, rough as if out of practice, he barks, "Don't even -consider- it -Doctor-!" Whatever the name or nature of the corpse might be, Shen can find herself thinking only one thing, and that is, _I'm gonna be sick..._ But as the others comment on whether Paul should touch the body, she looks up again... and then yelps out, stricken, "Paul no don't!" And she abruptly throws herself at Paul, wrapping her arms around him, trying to pull him back from the bed. She is trembling violently, and she mumbles into his chest, "No Paul don't..." Hazel eyes flicker back and forth between Shenner and Urio, at first affronted by the younger Mandalorians assertions that he would desecrate the body once asked not to ... and then in bafflement at Shenner's sudden shift from calmness to frantic panic. "What the ....?" "Don't touch it, k'chaiya, please, don't... don't touch it," Shen rasps out desperately, her eyes pressed tightly shut. _What the hell's wrong with me..._ Her thoughts have begun to roil again, nauseatingly so, and it's all she can do to cling to Paul and try to nudge him away from the bed. Dane steps back from the body, his gaze falling on Shenner for a moment as she grabs the doctor's waist. He then starts across the room to look at the other objects contained within. Striding toward the bed, his robes billowing, Urio'kosh settles himself next to the last Mandalore, gazing down almost reverently at the form there. He pays the retreating humans no mind, as if their retreating presence were in consequential. Pale light eyes settle on Dane as he moves toward the rest of the room, then his gaze drops once again to the figure on the bed, eyes taken in the time ravaged form. His jaw clenches and unclenches with what almost looks like grief ... "Shen? Urio?" Paul's eyes shift between the girl and the Mandalorian, but finally settle on the redhead clutching him. Grabbing her carefully by the arms, Paul lowers them both to the floor, one hand shifting to cup her face once reaching the ground. "Shen? Did the sedative wear off? It shouldn't have done so so fast," he mutters a touch bitterly, clearly his concern for her distress. "Shiisa ... Shen, take it easy alright? It's okay, it's just a corpse ... a very distinguished one, but just a husk now ...." Her complexion taking on an ashen-green tinge, the young redhead lifts fear-darkened eyes to the Corellian she's embracing. She lets him lower her down, but she only allows herself to be moved down to a kneeling position, and she thinks in numb startlement, _No, no, this is wrong, I gotta tell him...._ She swallows hard, and struggles to keep herself from babbling as she huskily pleads, "P-please, Paul, we... gotta get outta here.... just... find what you're lookin' for, and... go...! Please! We _can't_ stay here, we _can't_, it's _wrong_, this whole place is _wrong_, Paul!" So much for not babbling -- but once the words start, Shen can't stop them, and her gaze on Paul's grows increasingly desperate. Dane glances back in the direction of the Mandalore's decaying form, his arms folding and a look of serious thought forming on his features. He retains this pose for quite sometime..soon his eyes close and a hand moves to stroke his chin. Kairne moves himself closer to the bed, paying the humans less attention as he is drawn to the sight of the long dead Mandalore, someone who was once something grand and powerful, but now just the remaining shell of what used to be. Paul's hands are like a vise about her arms. "Shen, stop," he commands strongly, "We'll leave just as soon as we can ... why don't you just close your eyes and think of something pleasant, alright? I have to at least examine the room carefully ... this could be it Shen." His eyes are bright with worry and with a need to finish what he has started. To come this far and not find out the truth ... impossible. Dane starts over in Shen's directiona look of concer on his face as he speaks, "Shenner..he's right this is very important." Urio'kosh has eyes only for the corpse before him. His hand raises before his eyes, flexing and fisting, a strange smile curling across his features as he gazes down at the bare skeletal hand and then back at his own. There is no hesitation, his reach confident as he takes up the gauntleted hand of the Mandalore, removing the glove diffidently, the hand snapping off unpleasantly at the move. In Paul's grasp, Shenner has begun quivering violently. The Corellian's words strike her sharply, though, and she swallows hard, trying to get hold of herself, shooting a wide-eyed stare from Paul to Dane and back again. "Don't touch it, Paul," she implores raggedly. "Promise me you won't touch it! P-please, Paul, please....!" The Corellian is torn between the girl in his arms and the suspicious snapping sound that comes from the bed. "Easy Shen," he cajoles, but offering the girl no promises. "Dane?" he asks, imploring the older Mandalorian to help him, to watch over the girl while he looks for the supposed Force artifacts that brought him all this way, his gaze already turning back toward Urio'kosh and the bed. Kairne begins to focus on Urio's movements, watching the younger Mandalorian with great interest. Noticing his removal of the glove, Kairne's reaction is one of surprise, "Urio.. what are you doing??" Kairne reaches out to grab Urio's hand.. "We shouldn't do such things without the elders present." Dane takes Shenner's arm firmly and attempts to guide her away, "Come on Shenner give me a hand over here and let Paul look for the artifacts." He glances in Kairne's direction, the sound of his friends voice drawing his notice..he merely gives Urio a contemptuous look and then returns his attention to Shenner. At that snap, Shenner looks decidedly nauseous. Swallowing down a surge of bile, the girl grabs at Paul's shoulders, her eyes squeezing shut, but her hands locking onto his frame with desperate strength. "P-promise me, k'chaiya, you've got to p-p-promise me, you can't touch it, you _can't_....!" Even as Dane tries to pull her up and away, she clings to the Corellian's shoulders, rasping insistently, "You _can't_!" The source of the evil has shifted from the corpse to something closer. It's essence is stronger, more vital, a living breathing virus rather than a simple infection. It deliberately sends a tendril your way, licking across the surface of your thoughts like a lover's kiss. Dane glances in Urio's direction again as he begins to debate with Kairne over the glove. Slowly his eyes narrow and he puts a bit more force in his attempt to pull Shenner away from Paul, briefly making contact with the good doctor before doing so and indicating Urio with an almost imperceptable nod of his head. "Shen, please, alright I won't touch the body, just take a deep breath and focus," Paul rasps, trying to disengage himself from her grip. "Urio, what did you give her ...it's worn off already and she's even worse than before?" Paul turns to look at the younger Mandalorian, his gaze dropping to the glove, eyes widening fractionally as he softly rasps uncertainly, "Urio??" Urio simply takes a step back, putting on the glove after shaking out the hand from within it. "Why should I wait for the elders? They are not the true power. Only the Mandalore is. I cannot put on what rightfully belongs to me?" His gaze raises to stare at Kairne placidly. "Don't worry, they would approve." The pale green eyes are bright, the pupils unnaturally small considering the dim light of the room. He smiles again, flexing his fingers once again from within the glove, the smile curling his lips more fiercely. "Ahhh-hhhh, it's been too long ..." A breathless, choked whimper abruptly escapes Shenner, and she flashes a panicked glance towards the bed and the ferociously smiling young Mandalorian who has put the glove upon his hand. Between Dane and Paul's efforts, the Corellian can free himself from her clutching fingers -- and in fact, she instinctively and blindly tries to scrabble backwards, an effort halted simply by the fact that Dane Noth's strong grip is preventing her from going anywhere. Kairne takes in Urio's words, trying to decipher their meaning, "The true power is not THE Mandalore.. it is Mandalore.. the life, the people. The Mandalore is only a represenation of that circle. He does not control it.. he is controlled by it." Kairne's stare becomes glaring, his own green eyes fixing themselves on Urio. "I think, in this case, things as they are, I'll have to take a stronger hand. I really let the situation get out of control the last time," Urio muses softly to himself. "I'll do better this time," he assures Kairne with a steady smile, reaching for the faceplate with the same assurance that he reached for the glove now worn upon his right hand. Dane slips hand behind his back and grips the but of his pistol, using Shenner's form to conceal his actions. "Urio!" barks Paul, jerking away from Shen and Dane, oblivious to Shen's recoil. His gaze is focused solely on the glove, his hands reaching for it with a desperate sort of effort, like that of a man spotting a bomb and trying to reach it in time to defuse the thing before it goes off. Only two thoughts exist now in the mind of Shenner, in the midst of the panic that's surged up into her mind: flight, and the safety of Paul. As he reaches for Urio'kosh's now-gloved hand, she howls an incoherent protest, and attempts to fling herself out of Dane's grasp, towards Paul, her young face full of terror. Kairne opens his eyes wider, taking facing Urio clearly, "Better this time? What do you mean by this? Has this journey affected your mind?" Kairne reaches for Urio, tryint to turn him directly towards himself, "What is happening here Urio. What have you done?" The sound of distress is in Kairnes voice, but backed by a strong conviction to understand what is going on. Dane tightens his grip and the flinging shenner and starts to step back away from the scene so as to get the girl out of immediate danger, "Shenner..." he says, that tone of command returning to his voice, "Come with me..-now-" With one hand Urio grasps the face plate, relieving the corpse of the burden. With the other gloved hand, he merely raises it with a flicking gesture. Paul's hands are mere inches away, but the Corellian is suddenly jerked backward, landing heavily on the ground with a sharp yelp of pain. "I told you not to touch Doctor," Urio chides lightly, his gaze never leaving Kairne's. "I have been waiting for someone worthy to make this journey for a long time." The pale eyes narrow upon Kairne as he rumbles, "I do so hope you will choose to support my return to power. You can be annoying at times, almost pendantic, but you do have a strong streak of courage and wisdom at your core. I could use such warriors in my army. We are survivers Kairne, I respect that you made it through the war intact." "_Paul_!" Shenner shrieks -- or she would shriek, if she could produce sound of any volume. Every ounce of her strength is thrown headlong into trying to break free of Dane's hold, the command in his words unheeded as the girl sees Paul thrown back by apparently... nothing. Dane frowns gravely as he watches the doctor fly back, he then lets Shenner go to him, eyes fixed on Kairne for a signal. Slowly he begins to manuver into a better position to respond in case the signal does come. Behind Urio'kosh by a good six feet now, cradling his arm, the Corellian seems otherwise unhurt. His face is screwed up as he hisses to himself, "Shiisa, shiisa, shiisa!" Hazel eyes uncrimp to peer at Urio's back, a shudder running through him at the strength of the man. He didn't even see the gauntleted hand move, though he rubs his chest which burns from the strike. Kairne is taken aback at Urio's words, angered at first, then confused, then amazed. A barrage of emotions is run through at the sound of them. "What is this nonsense you speak? Mandalore has passed, and is no more.. The 'Thul served him and fought for him, until he was no more.. How can you be what you call yourself now?" Kairne's gaze never leaves Urio, searching for something he once knew long ago that would unhide things. "Mandalore survives because we survive.. and when we surive..." A tiny animal mewling noise is the first sound Shenner makes as she scrambles towards Paul, her hands reaching for his shoulders, her only thought to tug him to his feet and flee with him. "Come on Paul, let's go, we gotta go, please, c'mon, k'chaiya," she babbles then, voice cracking. Your throat seizes up, closing in about itself, the effort of breathing too much for anything else. There is a cruel laugh that insinuates itself within your mind, something that whispers, "Silence child." Shenner staggers to a halt just behind the Corellian, shock and fright flooding anew through her features. A strangled gasp slips out of her, her eyes go painfully wide, and the hands she'd been pleadingly extending to her beloved fumble now at her throat. "... we prevail," finishes Urio. Picking out some of the flesh and hair clinging to the inside of the mask, Urio'kosh places it on, self crowning himself in a way as he intones gravely, "I -am- the Lord Mandalore. I live, and so Mandalore lives, to be reborn into the power it so rightly deserves to wield." Eyes narrowing on Kairne, he rasps, "Brother Warrior, you know that I stood with you at the battle of K'roth." His gaze shifts over toward Dane as he nods knowingly, murmuring, "And you were just a child, ranging too far amongst The Teeth when we first met." Dane raises a skeptical eyebrow, his eyes falling on the cursed Urio's for a time in an attempt to dicern the truth.. Paul's eyes crack open to take in the scene, the arm throbbing, but not seriously reinjured. He stares with slitted eyes at Urio and Kairne facing off, his gaze shifting between the three Mandalore's, confusion and a strong streak of alarm flickering in his gaze. It takes a moment for Shen's gagging sounds to catch his attention, and turning he blanches, rasping, "Shen? What's wrong?" Shenner doesn't answer. Instead, her legs give way beneath her, sending her to fall sharply to her knees, while she paws frantically at her throat. Her panic-stricken gaze locks on Paul and stays there in unspoken terror. Kairne searches his memory backwards in time, through winding tunnels happiness, cayons of deep regret and pain, and twisting rivers of what was. 'Can this be he who I knew so long ago, the one that I would haven given my life for if I could..' Kairne closes his eyes and shakes his head, trying to grasp clearness out of the muddy waters of memory. Dane glances in Kairne's direction briefly, his mind lcearly not made upa s to the validity of this Mandalore...he continues to watch the man for a time, lost in contemplation. As Kairne struggles between doubt and faith, present and memory, Urio'kosh turns toward Dane, considering the doubting soldier. "You did turn out to be a fine warrior, just as I had thought when I dragged you out of that hole. I can't help but wonder if your friends were so fortunate, or if the war took their lives due to their lack of bravery?" Dane speaks quietly, his voice carrying little emotion, "If you know so much..why is it that you don't know of thier fates? I don't know how you know what you do..but my trust is very small of you Urio....if Urio you be...Or is Urio just a vessel for a long dead spirit?" "Your childhood friends?" the Mandalore asks almost incredulously. "What do you take me for, a mind reader?" The voice is mellow and assured, the face hidden by the faceplate, the expression that may be behind it unreadable. "I am Mandalore, not omniscient. I do not know what happened to everyone of my subjects." Gesturing to the bed, he notes, "And as you can see, I did not fare so well myself." Turning back he ends the confusion by stating bluntly, "Urio was a necessary sacrifice." Dane nods, "Well...I have seen the Mandalore predict things before and see things he wasn't present for..." he glances to the bed, "Yes..how is it you live then?" Paul clasps Shenner's arms, hands moving to her mouth as he murmurs, "Shen? What's wrong? Are you having a fit?" He can recall that in times of extreme emotion can bring on epileptic type fits ... perhaps she's swallowing her tougue? He reaches down with one hand, jerking roughly at his belt to give the girl something to bite on, the only solution that comes to mind at the immediate moment. "Hang on," he rasps. Stroking the glove almost lovingly, the Mandalore murmurs, "The Sith Lords, in their folly to destroy the Jedi, gave me the opportunity to rise again. Fools. All of their descendents will feel my wrath now. Like the Firebird of your clan, Mandalore will rise again to crush all opposition." He glances backk toward Kairne, the faceplate offering a blank look. Once Paul is speaking to her, his hand at her face, Shenner manages a few tiny strangled gasps of breath. She tries to open her mouth, to answer him, but all that comes out of her is a terrified whimper. The belt slips free, Paul offering it Shen, murmuring, "Bite down on it honey, I'll see if the med kit has something." He turns then, exasperated by the "chatting" Mandalorians, barking sharply, "What is -wrong- with you?! Shenner's choking and you're talking about a lot of mumbo jumbo ghost stories and possessions? Urio, you're not fooling anyone!" Although he loathes to leave her, Paul makes a move for the nearest medical kit, cracking it open for anything that might be useful. Desperately, Shenner grabs at the belt and obediently bites it. But she can be heard to whimper again as Paul moves away from her, sinking from her knees down into a hunkered, shivering ball on the floor. Paul's voice snaps Dane's attention onto Shenner's plight, his face turning into a mask of anger, "Stop this...." he reverts his gaze to Urio, "Why are you assaulting the girl? I've seen the dark Jedi use this before...I've had it used on me. She's no harm to you." If Dane hopes that ordering Urio will accomplish something, he is sorely mistaken. The faceplate turns back again, the voice cooling replying, "You are ordering me? Think carefully .... I would prefer you were with me, but I certainly do not need you." Then, as if he decided to magnanimous he adds, "She can breathe ... I was growing tired of her constant hysterical prattle. There will be no permanent damage." [To be continued...]