[IC] Journal - Valeus Vexal Horuset

[Rhysand Sekker]

I have just witnessed a Trial. Utahis Udias Aayu II, one of the Aayu Bloodline, has been sentenced to spend the rest of his days in a mining colony as a slave, stripped of all lands, titles, and assets, which are to be redistributed to Sith more loyal to the Empire.

For Aayu killed a Sith Lord without proper cause, in retaliation for an illegal Kaggath-- a Kaggath that only became illegal some five years ago, where before it was, to my understanding, fully legal. But this does not matter; there are far more important things than a disloyal former Sith.
My sister has returned to her family and to the House. Dearest Xaedira. The one with whom I spent so many hours, the one who I love so dearly. And now, I am her superior. A Sith Apprentice, where she remains an Acolyte of our order. Conflict is inherent to the Sith, and it does not surprise me that conflict wages war within: we are family, but she is an Acolyte.

I am a Sith. I am her brother. I shall make her life as miserable as I possibly can.

In other news, Zeldris has returned to the House after apparently a confidential mission that eventually lead to him being caught in an ambush. It’s good to share tea with him again; we’ve exchanged news, rumours, and all else. I don’t know whether or not to consider him a friend, really.

Recently, my master has been confirmed as Sith Purifier of the Horuset Powerbase, a position that is tailor-made to her person. And I have been made her Disciple alongside Apprentice Arvanis, who has recently disappeared to Typhojem knows where. Neophyte Zynn, too, has vanished, though she’ll appear somewhere again. I’m sure of it.

And Vyrinne… I don’t know what to say. I feel this strange pull towards her, a sense of elation that only appears when I gaze upon her. It's foreign to me, but I enjoy it. I can draw power from it. It's… I'll need to do more research, perhaps I'll even ask my master.
An assassination attempt has been made on Sith Soti. And I was not there. I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! Vyrinne and I-- Why did we need to be locked into the Aeros Tower… I hate it.

Sith Soti, Vyrinne and I were watching a lesson held by cousin Vaenra on a meaningless subject when my master was called by her sister, Maerina, and asked for a private chat at Th’Asidra. My master, being the rightly paranoid person she is, already did not trust this, and ordered Vyrinne and me to accompany her. When we arrived at the Meditation Chamber on Th’Asidra -- where the blood traitor had requested her and Sith Soti meet -- we were ordered to wait outside until our master either summoned us or left the room.
Vyrinne and I chatted until we accompanied Sith Soti to the Training Room, where her sister apparently wished to learn Force Speed, a boon our master had decided to grant.

Entering, there was already two present: Neophyte Zynn and an Acolyte I do not recognize nor remember. Vyrinne and I stood near the barrier, observing the lesson. The blood traitor whined and whined. For an Aeros, she appeared to have very little ability. Yet, our master pressed on and began to teach. When she started, Apprentice Rûnil Arvanis entered and took position near the side of the room. The Lorekeeper, Sith Kaer, entered too and watched the lesson. So did Sith Tarati, though he remained near the door.

---

I hate myself.

Apprentice Vyrinne decided to go for tea at the Aeros Tower and left. I know not what happened next: I only know from reports from Acolytes.

Apparently, Neophyte Zynn, alongside the Blood Traitor and Rûnil engaged my master in a deadly spar that engulfed the entirety of the command deck. The moment my master pressed the emergency beacon into action, the Aeros Tower went to full alert and locked. Vyrinne and I had nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait for reports and pray for our master’s safety.

She lived. Thank Typhojem. She lived.

The blood traitor was killed, and Zaryaa and Rûnil took into custody. I’d expected they would be killed alongside the traitor, but they weren’t even stripped of their titles. Something which I find especially strange considering what Vyrinne discovered a few days later.

Apparently, Zaryaa and Rûnil had been committing more treason than is possible: they made a deal with Darth Vhial and allowed his troops to enter Horuset property: the Zynn Temple.

The temple is now Vyrinne’s, who has been made the Matriarch of House Zynn.
-From the journal of Valeus Vexal Horuset. It is written in High Sith IC.

[Rhysand Sekker]

The Republic lies beaten, bloodied, and defeated. Their base has been captured by the Horuset Powerbase; their troops were driven away or killed. I do not remember much of the battle that took their base and ended the war on Orsus as I was taken out rather early. I write this from a medical bed, stricken by a concussion and dotted with bruises. Still, we were victorious.

The war started here months ago, with two powerbases, and overwhelming Republic might. Now, it ends with the Empire victorious, and the Horuset Powerbase in the position to begin restoring destroyed infrastructure, and begin the process to extract the valuable resources that Orsus possesses. I should send Sith Soti a message -- she can probably direct me to the one eventually leading the production. Or I could ask Lord Kalkoran to assume that role myself… Options, options…

But that can all be handled later. Many have died during and in service to the war effort, from many Imperials to even a few Horuset Sith. Their deaths have not been in vain: the Empire reigns victoriously over Orsus, and I’ve heard that the Republic has withdrawn -- retreated once the ground war was lost. Good. Let them run back to Coruscant with their tails between their legs, waiting for the arrival of the Imperial Banner. We will sack Coruscant once more -- we will raze the planet and rebuild it in our design, its impurity and heresy purged.

Once the Jedi are dead, we will reign victorious over all the galaxy. The Jedi will not stop us, and without the Jedi, the Republic is lost. So will purity reign once more, and we will purge the Jedi; a reminder of what they did to us centuries ago. Their heretical viewpoints will be wiped from the face of the galaxy; order, security, and true Sith and Imperial values will reign in their place.

Now, I should rest. It’ll only worsen this cursed headache if I go on like this.

Glory to the Empire. Glory to the Dark Lord of Horuset, Victorious.
-From the journal of Apprentice Horuset, a day after the conquest of the Republic base. It is written in High Sith IC.

[Rhysand Sekker]

These are becoming more and more infrequent, not that it matters. Still, it is good to have a place to pen one's thoughts - I notice now that with my station as Assistant-Lorekeeper, my mind is ever occupied; I’m forgetful and scatterbrained. Still, I must try to write down a proper recollection of what has occurred in the recent time.

Four major occurrences have taken place:

• I have become Assistant-Lorekeeper to the Sith Kaer, with the Dark Lord’s approval.
  
• I have acquired, for the House Horuset, a ruined Mausoleum on Mantero.
  
• I have faced and defeated (but not killed) my first Jedi.
  
• I have met with my cousin, the Household Sith Cautus Horuset, brother to the Dark Lord.
  

To start with the first: I had inquired, on Orsus, with the Sith Kaer following rather helpful advice from Apprentice Arvanis (may Zyantha grant him a place of honour in her Vanguard), about the possibility of becoming Assistant-Lorekeeper. This would and has for me initiated an era of distancing myself from Sith Soti, whose Apprentice I… do not wish to be any longer. Of course, Soti does not and will not know this until it is too late, and I have found another master.

Through becoming Assistant-Lorekeeper, I have and will be able to create much-needed distance between the Purifier and myself, something which I have not been able to while assisting Soti as her Disciple.

Too, would this mean that I am truly on the path to becoming my grandfather’s heir: Krassus served as Lorekeeper once and I will succeed him and those that followed him. Sith Kaer gave me two tasks:

• To write a report on how history should be preserved and presented.
  
• To write a report on the topic of history I find most fascinating.
  

Both reports are now publicly available, in a revised manner, in the Acolyte Archives.

Sith Kaer, as expected, was rather impressed when I submitted them to her; following a meeting within the Archives of the Horuset Spire, I am now, officially, the Assistant-Lorekeeper, destined to inherit the Archives whenever she departs from the role.

Then, to the second. A while ago, following our victory on Orsus, I encountered rumours originating from the Jarsus-Laurodeno Mausoleum on Mantero, the burial moon of Serenno, where the Serennoans bury their dead. These rumours spoke of ghosts and activities, which I, as Assistant-Lorekeeper and Horuset, find rather fascinating indeed. Venturing to Mantero, I encountered in the Mausoleum a Force Ghost (which does and did explain the rumours of activity around the mausoleum). Of the Sith Lord Ryssius of the House Lecyllath. I cannot say how long I spent in the Mausoleum - for all I know it was hours, minutes, or days. All I can say is that the spirit seemed to ‘anchor’ itself to my Presence, seeming to manifest more clearly in reality, something that allowed me to play into its fears, and so engage in talks of diplomacy, of subjugation, hidden by honeyed words and well-chosen promises.

The Mausoleum now resides in Horuset's hands, although its burial chamber has been blown up by the acts of a now-dead Sith Lord. I cannot say I am surprised, the Force Ghost had mentioned the Lord’s name in our discussions. Still, there is a lot of work to be done now, of rebuilding, securing, and rebinding all.

The third is, perhaps, not the most exciting, but certainly the most fascinating. I have faced my first Jedi, a Padawan by the name of Tylath Redheart. He is young, inexperienced, and did not put up much of a fight.

Sith Soti and myself had been dispatched to defile a Jedi Shrine on the planet of Agamar, where we encountered a pair of Jedi: Padawan Redheart and his master. I moved to investigate their presence on the planet, eventually confronting them in a corridor of the shine, where I brought down the ceiling on the elder Jedi, taking him out of the fight. Admittedly, I am quite proud of that feat. Padawan Redheart proceeded to engage in a duel while Sith Soti finished her defiling of the Shrine and came to watch the proceedings; the Jedi had called for reinforcements, and although they managed to run, we were victorious in our goal there: to remind the Jedi of the might of the Sith and to defile their precious Shrine.

I am certain Padawan Redheart and myself will meet again. I shall be looking forward to it.

The most recent, and perhaps most exciting of all is the following: I have met with Sith Cautus Horuset, my second cousin, and brother to the Dark Lord Herself. I had been intending to visit the Mausoleum, to see how reconstruction was proceeding - though I had heard that the Baroness Lecyllath, who controls the Mausoleum in the name of the House, was present at the court of Count Regan, and so I ventured there.

Of course, I spoke with the Baroness, but that is not important now. What is, is that I met my cousin there, the Sith Cautus. He is... an eccentric figure, although what I’d read and listened to about him this was nothing out of the ordinary. Cautus seems… not to walk with his head in the clouds, although I very well realize this could be nothing but a façade to use me for his ends. It seemed, however, that he was genuine in our meeting: we shared tea and spoke of nothing important; he does plan to return to the Powerbase in the coming month, something I shall greatly be looking forward to. Perhaps he is one to serve; my chances with the Dark Lord seem to go nowhere, despite Rûnil’s word that I am under ‘observation’. Sith Cautus requested of me that I tell the Dark Lord of his imminent return, something which I have rightly and immediately done upon my departure from Serenno.

Something interesting occurred, however: a worker, or an experiment of some kind, was taken to the Sith by two guards, whereupon he proceeded to, I think, drain? Their knowledge. The only reason I know of this is thanks to the Darth Quorran, who’d mentioned this most fascinating ability’s existence in one of our conversations. From this, I correctly inferred that Sith Cautus’ domain is the mind - a respected place, with great potential to be useful. He has promised me tutelage in such whenever he returns, which is something that I gladly accepted. Knowledge is knowledge, after all, and knowledge is power.

Long Live the Dark Lord of Horuset. Long Live the Old Ways. Long Live the Empire.

-From the journal of Apprentice Valeus Horuset, a day after meeting Sith Cautus Horuset. It is written in High Sith IC.

[Rhysand Sekker]

Once more, these writings are becoming more infrequent with each passing day. My last entry was more than a month ago, and since then, much has transpired. Still, four main points demand special interest and remembrance:

Apprenticeship and Sith Soti

• The role of my Master and the Dark Lord
  
• The Wedding
  
• The Ascensions of Lords Tarati and Iezkon, and Sith Arvanis
  

Sith Cautus Horuset, who has taken on the moniker of ‘Narazri’ or ‘Designer’, has taken me from Sith Soti and made me his Apprentice. It is a circumstance with which I cannot be gladder: Sith Soti’s incompetence was holding me back, I’m sure that the Dark Lord realized such - but Sith Narazri made it a reality. Now, the true work begins.

The Dark Lord of Horuset desires a strong family- but at the base of such lie individuals. It is something the Dark Lord knows, and as such, she has seen fit to demand my Master, her brother, improve himself continually: she demands he shows what a Horuset should be. Strength of character is treasured: following the Dark Lord’s demands, he is sure to show such continually.

And now, we are off to war again. I cannot wait to leave these cramped walls that they have given me as my quarters on Th’Asidra, our flagship, But I tread the future too far; best to return to the past and record it.

Sith Soti and my cousin, Cadeus Horuset, have been married by the Dark Lord and have produced a child, little Xerus. I admit that I have a soft spot for children, and I find young Xerus to be an absolute dear. I will be sure to keep an eye on the child; I do not entirely trust Sith Soti and Cadeus to raise him as a Horuset should be, for neither, in my opinion, carry themselves in the way a Horuset should. Especially not after what they did to my Master at the wedding. After all, they tried to kill him there but were stopped by my Master and the Dark Lord both.

Recently, too, have Sith Tarati and Sith Kaer been, by the grace of the Dark Lord, created Lords Tarati and Iezkon both. I have extended an offer of assistance towards Lord Iezkon, but have received no response yet. So have I extended an offer to the newly Ascended Sith Arvanis, Runil, but from there, too, I have not yet received a reply.

I’ll be intrigued to hear what is required: meanwhile, I grow more and more powerful in service to the Dark Lord of Horuset.

Glory to the Empire. Glory to the Dark Lord of Horuset.

-From the journal of Apprentice Horuset, a few days after the departure to war. The translation into Basic is not IC.

[Rhysand Sekker]

Why is it always that the projects spearheaded by Apprentice A’tul are remade time and time again, and that each incarnation fails and falls to greater depths than the last? Might it be that the Apprentice’s ideas really are not that good? Gods know. Regardless, the Horuset Curriculum, once composed of Lord Iezkon, Sith Mitina, Sith Saltaeon, Apprentice A’tul, and myself, has been remade once more for its failure - this time under the strict guidance of Sith Arvanis. Apprentice Nyrithe has been made an Assistant-Overseer, which I trust will curb A’tul’s power-hungry, autocratic desires by some great margin.

As such, I have aligned myself with the Apprentice, which I trust will have productive results. Too, have I received permission to teach from Sith Arvanis, who gave me blanket permission to teach:

• The Force and general Force Abilities
  
• History
  
• Sith Philosophy
  

I, of course, will use this to the fullest: my teachings shall be those of the Powerbase. In this same vein, Apprentice Nyrithe, the nascent but already far more impressive Assistant-Overseer, reached out to hear my thoughts on a Household Interpretation of the Sith Code - which was uploaded to the Powerbase’s intranet today - and she requested a list of documents that might assist in teaching. Of course, I was all too glad to provide such:

Philosophy:

• The Sin of Modulation, by Darth Horuset
  
• Qotsisajak, by Apprentice V. Horuset
  
• A Compendium of the Dark Side, by Lord Tokiai
  
• An Essay on Purity, by Lord Tokiai
  
• Strength and Purity of the True Sith, by Apprentice V. Horuset and Sith Soti
  
• The ‘Traditionalism’ series, by Neophyte Orgkez
  
• Traditionalism: the True Ideology, by Apprentice Z. Ignia
  

Blade-Combat:

• The Art of the Lightsaber, by Lord Tokiai
  
• The Blademaster's Guide to Shii-Cho, by Sith Mitina
  

History:

• A Golden Age, by Apprentice V. Horuset
  
• Historical Preservation and Presentation, by Apprentice V. Horuset
  
• Essay on the Prophecy of the Sith'ari, by Acolyte C. Valorin
  

Miscellaneous:

• Beginning the Warrior's Path, by Lord Tarati
  
• An Essay on Force Apparitions, by Darth Horuset
  

In addition to this glad news and cooperation, I have spoken with my Master, Sith Narazri, about Ascension. We both think that it is time for me to step out into the light from the shadows to serve the Dark Lord of Horuset as a Household Sith in my own right. Yet, the decision now lies with the Dark Lord herself - or so I presume - and I will do as she wills me to.

Glory to the Empire. Glory to the Dark Lord of Horuset.

-From the journal of Apprentice Valeus Horuset, a few days after the abolition of the Curriculum. The translation into Basic is not IC.

[Rhysand Sekker]

Entry 16: Annals, Acolytes, and Ambition

Too much has occurred since I last touched this journal to write rather than to reminisce, to properly recount it all accurately. But I shall make an effort nonetheless. So I shall start where I should start: at the beginning. Since I last wrote in this journal, I have Ascended to be a Household Sith in my own right. I have become Sith Tarimra, Sith Lorekeeper of the Horuset Powerbase. My Sith Trials are not worth mentioning: they both pushed me to the limits, and both nearly killed me. But I have persevered and now stand among the Household Sith of the Powerbase.

I have since seen Sith rise and fall. I have in my time as a Household Sith taken on five Apprentices, three of which remain with me now. Those who no longer serve me are Viren Sekker and Zartilda Varrixon, Both were Neophyted during the events of Dubrillion, which I shall not recount for they are well-known. Apprentice Sekker now serves as an Apprentice to Darth Horuset, and Apprentice Varrixon stands as an ‘Apprentice’ to the absent Sith Narazri. The Apprentices that serve me now are Merikh Fyse, Esme Roi, and Tse’kira Tel’kyria Sekker. I admit I am somewhat disappointed in myself that there is not a Pureblood among them. Such wastes of potential. Nevertheless, I am pragmatic and I will not be held down by the lacking potential of those that serve me. I will forge them all into Sith worthy of the powerbase, such is my pledge and duty. After the events of Dubrillion, I was taken on as an Apprentice to Lord Kalkoran, the Hand of Horuset, who reforged me into a Sith worthy of the powerbase. I owe much to my Master, and so I shall serve him and his goals; such is my duty as his Apprentice and foremost servant. Then there is my wife, Lord Saltaeon. While there is little love between us, we do care for each other. That much became clear when she informed me that, should I die, she would do unto my killer ten times what they would have done to me. We are not passionate, but we are loyal. The future of House Saltaeon depends on it.

But even that might not be my crowning achievement. I doubt I have reached my crowning achievement yet, for I will always push to greater heights, beyond my limits, and above my weight. I digress. I have become a member of Darth Horuset’s Conservancy. I am the Envoy of Arcana, responsible for the Spheres of Ancient Knowledge, Expansion and Diplomacy, and Mysteries, represented in the powerbase by the titles of Sith Lorekeeper, Sith Sorcerer, Sith Preserver, Head-Overseer, Sith Harbinger, and Sith Claviger. Alongside Lord Saltaeon, Sith Vipion and (provisionally) Sith Leive, I now govern the Horuset Powerbase at the direction of Darth Horuset and Lord Kalkoran. It is a position I did not think I would ever reach (and one I will need to show father the power of), but I find that even then I am not content. My victory in becoming Envoy of Arcana has not satisfied me. I will have more. But to reach for more, what I have now will need to function properly. And while much already functions, there are several cogs in the machine that refuse to turn or be oiled.

My Apprentice, Tse’kira, serves now as the primary Overseer of the powerbase, in charge of Acolyte education. She will be the Head-Overseer when she Ascends, and so my grip on that section of the powerbase shall be absolute. But while the Overseer Branch technically functions, it requires constant oversight. Constant clarification. Constant moderation. Once Apprentice Tse’kira Ascends, I shall take a step back and only act when consulted or requested for a judgement, but until that point, I shall remain involved utterly. The education of the Household Acolytes shall not falter, despite how much some seem to wish for it. Then there is the Sorcerer Branch. I shall go into more detail about this at a later point. For now: it is frustrating and will be over soon.

Despite the fact that the education of the Acolytes falls under my purview and that of the Overseers below me, my disgust for the vermin that crawl through the powerbase knows no bounds. They are pathetic, hopeless creatures who seek to make hope for themselves. They will need to fight for each scrap of knowledge imparted upon them by my grace; they will kneel and beg to be broken and reforged by the indomitable will of my vision. The reality of the hopefuls that call me ‘my Lord’ is a cruel one. But cruelty brings pressure, and through pressure, the weak are crushed and the strong forged into more than they were. The strong rule. The weak perish. That is the mandate of the Overseers under my guidance.

Glory to the Dark Lord of Horuset. Never Waver; Never Relent.

- From the journal of Sith Tarimra, Valeus Horuset

[Rhysand Sekker]

Entry 17: Failure

I failed. I was a fool. I hate myself. Did I really think that would work; to ambush him within the Horuset Estate itself in broad daylight? The worst part is, yes, I did. I fully expected it to work. IT WORKED FOR TEMEKEL.

TEMEKEL TEMEKEL TEMEKEL

I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself.

I WAS A FOOL. A RABID FUCKING DOG. I WAS A DIMWITTED, FUCKING IDIOT. AND IN DOING SO, I HAVE ENDANGERED NOT ONLY MY POSITION BUT ALSO THAT OF JOSLAE.

I’m honestly surprised Lord Kalkoran let me live. I suppose I still hold some use to him. I wonder if I should end it myself, or if he or Zotam will reach me first.

What a failure have I become. What a fool I have always been. Darth Horuset was right. I am a series of stupid mistakes that is unworthy of Her bloodline. Would it be better if Zotam took my place? Maybe Lord Kalkoran’s interference was a sign.

The next few paragraphs are illegible; with crossed-out sentences and ugly writing. What is legible is pure delirium; half-finished sentences and clearly the writings of a madman. It is like someone has taken a dagger to the book and sent it to work on only this single entry.

You’re a fool sometimes, Valeus. But you’re not useless. Lord Kalkoran keeps you around. He could have killed you, on the Balcony, and you would not have resisted. He could have, but he didn’t. Does that not prove that you have value to him? That you’re of use to him if nothing else? You’re a member of the Conservancy, a Household Sith of the Horuset Powerbase. You’re married to possibly the most beautiful woman in the powerbase. If that does not indicate that you are a rising sun still, nothing does. You are a phoenix, Valeus. And phoenixes die and are reborn. A phoenix is immortal. Be immortal. Take this hurdle for what it is, a hurdle. And, next time, overcome it.

Yes. That is what I will do. I will persevere; I have died politically with this misstep, and I will be reborn greater and more beautiful still.

I will never waver. I will never relent.
— From the journal of Sith Tarimra, Valeus Horuset