Jaguada Mission Reports

[Sarias]

UPDATE: SITH TARIMRA

Report: Deployment to Outpost Q162
Deploying to Jaguada under orders of Lord Kalkoran, the Hand of Horuset, the mission was executed under my command by his will, and was attended by:

• Sith Tarimra, myself, mission lead
  
• Sith Vipion, second in command
  
• Lord Iezkon
  
• Sith Sarias
  
• Apprentice Wradaii Sutta’Qo
  
• Apprentice Rekhen
  
• Apprentice Esme Roi
  
• Apprentice Luvane Vipion
  
• Apprentice Zartilda Varrixon
  
• Apprentice Cuvao
  
• Apprentice Tenacitious
  
• Apprentice Rhave Vipion
  
• Neophyte Tse’kira Kari’da
  
• Neophyte Nivalis
  
• Corporal Javiken Wellsow
  
• Specialist Cade Haldeen
  
• Acolyte Kimora Derin
  

Mission Overview
Mission objectives were to explore the insides of Outpost Q162 and to potentially negotiate with the cultists presumed to live within, and the creature (designated Sithspawn Q162, known informally as the Quiet Speaker), presumed to be under their control.
Sith Sarias equipped the Apprentices with darts of Tyûk: a Sith Poison. In particular, it is a neurotoxin that causes paralysis for an hour and causes intense pain and spasms at the site of injection. While it has previously worked on Sithspawn, it seemed to have no effect on Sithspawn Q162.
Entry Hall
Approaching the exterior of Outpost Q162 after going over the dangers and threats present within the Outpost during the briefing, the group crossed into the first chamber, designated the Entry Hall. A square room, mostly unremarkable, with a corridor leading off to the left from the entrance: a massive blast door. Spanned across the corridor leading out of it, was a cable, which was not noticed, and caused the door to slam shut behind the group.
First Chamber
The Dark Side was heavy around the entire facility, though the presence of Sithspawn Q162 seemed dormant. Heading down the corridor, we arrived in the First Chamber, larger than the first, with a blood trail leading down the corridor and to the edge of the chamber.
The chamber itself seemed to serve as storage for the creature; a pantry or store-room, with meats and the like spread around the walls. Of particular note were a collection of bones, primarily fingers, ears, and the smallest ribs. These were laid out in the form of a smile; a recurring image. So too was the cult’s symbol featured: an eye with a drop of blood at its centre, drawn crudely on shards of metal and stone around the room.
At the source of the blood was the former Lieutenant Delwan, apparently taken by the creature and disembowelled. It was killed by Apprentice Luvane, and its death was absorbed by Sithspawn Q162. It is no longer of note. At the edge of the room, were two double doors, hiding a lift. The lift-car was dropped at the bottom, inoperable and crushed, and so a rope was dropped down, and at the instruction of myself, Sith Vipion and Apprentice Cuvao descended into the shaft, ending in a Second Chamber.
Second Chamber
Initially, it possessed only one working light, blinking red: the emergency light from the lift, bigger than the one through which the group approached. Apparently, scuttling footsteps could be heard, possibly creatures commanded by Sithspawn Q162, though if such is the case is unknown. A series of crude statues, depicting Purebloods were placed in the room, each with a number of figures lying dead at their feet with implements about them. The sculptors, presumably. Set against the wall was a metal plate, hiding a doll shaped like Sith Vipion, holding a keycard for the lift.
As the lift was activated, the red light turned green, illuminating the room. Revealed were thousands of marks: smiles and eyes, drawn crudely in red on the walls and any exposed surface. Blood was against the walls; excess in all. Sith Vipion recovered the doll and the keycard, and activated the lift, transporting the deployed forces down the shaft.
First Corridor
Unlike the Second Chamber before, the hallway into which we stepped was pristine and immaculately clean; disregarding the grimy footsteps that lead through the hallway, alongside drag marks in that same direction, towards the tertiary lift at the end of the corridor. Between the secondary lift and the tertiary lift remained a hallway with a side-room: circular, and again spotless. Within stood a singular table, on which rested a singular datapad. Within remained a single document, with several lines of text. It read:
“Our home was lost in blood and flame, our traditions lost in filth and squalor. We are the Witnesses of Lament. We watch. We wait. We act.”
From this, we have secured a name for the cult that created the creature. The Witnesses of Lament, definitely refer to their dying traditions; this possibly indicates that they are a Purist cult.
Third Chamber
At this point, Apprentice Luvane wandered off and down the lift without orders to, causing Zartilda and then Sith Vipion to chase after him, swiftly followed by myself and the rest of the deployed Horuset Forces, entering into the Third Chamber. Stepping from the lift, they came face-to-face with several shambling humans, mostly villagers and Imperial troops, likely animated through the Dark Side. Some carried the rune for ‘AGONY’ on their forehead. Engaging in swift battle, most of these were dispatched with relative ease—until one with a rune was decapitated, unleashing a mental blast about the length of the hallway, presumably intended to weaken Mental Barriers and other defences for possible attacks later, possibly from Sithspawn Q162 itself.
The room proper was large and square, with an exit to the west and an exit to the south; to the left of the lift corridor was a platform with a terminal and a rapid-fire blaster turret that opened fire on the Horuset forces as they entered the room and slaughtered the shambling humanoids. I ordered the Horuset Forces to “Clear the room”, and so they spread out and slaughtered all opposition, with Lord Iezkon bending the barrels of the turret out of shape to prevent it from firing. Once combat ended, the room could be studied in greater detail: chunks of tissue and flesh grew everywhere and nowhere like moss on a tree; flesh and blood were smeared across the walls: clear signs of the creature’s habitation. Many supplies were spread throughout the room, though these were mostly ignored due to their age. Similarly, an older tank model stood on the right of the lift corridor, clamped to the floor by claw-like instruments.
Apprentice Cuvao and I moved to the platform containing the terminal, where Apprentice Cuvao accessed it, providing a series of reports from the local rebels in the form of journal entries originally devised on an Imperial operating system. Mostly, they are unremarkable and describe several years’ worth of efforts in destabilising Imperial control in the region around Outpost Q162, most unsuccessful. Those that are notable are copied below:
Journal Entry 1:

“They’re calling the cells together! And they’ve chosen our base for the gathering point! Imagine that, our little outpost of Jaguada, meeting place of all the rebel cells across this system. I knew that moving into this place was the right thing to do. I don’t know who the new bosses are, they’re very hush-hush, but they’re awesome. They’ll arrive here very soon.”

Journal Entry 2:

“Everyone is here, and they’re all super excited. I’m not sure, though, something is kinda off about the bosses. They’re all very serious, and the other day Jel, a Duros tech one of the crews brought, touched one of them on the shoulder and they freaked out. I’ve not met many rebels who wear such formal clothing either, they almost look like imperials. Some of them even feel like Sith…”

Journal Entry 3:

There is an urgent alert sent out using old Imperial systems a day after the last log was posted. It seems to have been cancelled a mere few seconds after it was sent out.

From this, several important points can be drawn:

1. The anti-Imperial rebels were/are a tool for the Witnesses of Lament, who acted as its head for some time. They gathered the anti-Imperial rebels at Outpost Q162.
2. The Witnesses of Lament posed as Imperials and Sith; this corroborates earlier reports of Imperials arriving in Greypost (see: UPDATE: SITH VIPION #1, on the 28th of April 28 ATC.
3. A timeframe has been established for the presence of Sithspawn Q162 on Jaguada, dating back to two months before this mission; such is the time of the entries. Considering the alarm blipped and there were no further entries it can be presumed all perished in Sithspawn Q162’s first appearance.

Second Corridor
Apprentice Varrixon spotted something like paint at the end of the southern corridor; taking Apprentice Roi, Apprentice Varrixon, and Apprentice Cuvao, I went to inspect it, noting a graffitied face of the former Emperor Vitiate with crossed-out eyes, dating the facility to at least before Ziost. On the floor, there was a locked vehicle lift.

Third Corridor
Departing towards the western corridor now, the Dark Side grew stronger here: such is clearly the heart of the creature’s lair. Alongside this, the growths of flesh became more and more frequent along the corridor’s walls and ceiling, a dreadful stench filling the air. An active terminal stood at the end of the hallway, at a T-split, capable of activating the vehicle lift previously noted; this was done. To the right of the corridor, following the path right, was a further room, the Dark Side dominating the air around there, causing a collective headache.

Fourth Chamber
The Dark Side grew to new heights within that chamber; a room cleared of all furniture and decoration, instead, it held a pile of corpses, a hundred at least, stewing and rotting in fermenting blood and other viscera. The corpses were covered in Sorcerous burns, knitted together and merging into one mass of flesh and limbs. In the centre of this mass was a divot in the floor, its purpose unknown, almost as if it had been scooped out.
Above this pit, impaled on a hanging spike, was a tall figure in dark robes, likely a Sith, with the purple skin of alien heritage. The corpse was as if drained of energy and vitality, clearly long-dead. The walls, too, were covered in a spiderweb-like network of flesh.
It was not studied further beyond mere observation, as I took a part of the Horuset Forces (Apprentice Tenacitious, Corporal Wellsow, and Acolyte Kimora Derin) to inspect the other corridor. This led to a generator, presumably powering (part of) the facility.
Sithspawn Q162
It is at this point that Sithspawn Q162 arrived; a writhing many-mouthed mass of black flesh and gnashing teeth, began to tear into the section of the deployed forces with Sith Vipion, seeming to primarily target Apprentice Varrixon for the moment. I ordered a retreat, and so the group began retreating back into the Fourth Chamber, with Apprentice Varrixon and Apprentice Sutta’Qo attempting to hold the line so that Apprentice Tenacitious and Corporal Wellsow, the latter of which froze upon seeing Sithspawn Q162, could get out.
In this battle, Apprentice Varrixon more than adequately showed her skill with Force Lightning, managing to injure Sithspawn Q162 somewhat. Apprentice Sutta’Qo refused to retreat, however, and was nearly killed by the Sithspawn, ending with a broken collarbone, dislocated shoulder, and flesh wounds across one of his arms. It is at this point that Corporal Wellsow and Apprentice Tenacitious enter into the scene: Apprentice Tenacitious, it is believed, attempted to shake the Corporal out of his stupor, and presumably shot a dart of Tyûk at Sithspawn Q162, though it seemed to have no effect.
Pushing out of his stupor, Corporal Wellsow and Apprentice Tenacitious advanced in tandem upon Sithspawn Q162. Apprentice Tenacitious pushed the previously-missed dart of Tyûk into Sithspawn Q162 and lost his foot in the process to one of the creature’s many mouths. Corporal Wellsow, however, valiantly pulled a grenade in his hands, setting off a second grenade on his belt, and managed to do significant damage to Sithspawn Q162, stunning it for a moment. Apprentice Tenacitious lost his feet, as previously mentioned, and fell outside of the grenade’s blast radius. Corporal Javikan Wellsow sacrificed his own life so the Horuset Forces could escape.
Making use of the stunned state of Sithspawn Q162, I managed to bring the corridor’s ceiling down, trapping the Sithspawn behind a wall of rock and metal. This ended the encounter, and trapped Sithspawn Q162 behind a wall of metal and rock, at least for the time being.
Conclusion
From this mission, we have learned several valuable things, confirmed several theories, disproven several others, and created new theories altogether. Primarily, we have learned that Sithspawn Q162 is likely around two months old, created by the Witnesses of Lament, the cult with the droplet-eye symbol. Furthermore, we have learned that the anti-Imperial rebels were a pawn of the Witnesses, and were likely sacrificed or used in the creation of Sithspawn Q162. Finally, we have learned that the Witnesses were posing as both Sith and Imperial: it is likely that they were the phantom IRS team that appeared at Greypost, seeking to investigate the school.
Considering no cultists were found in the Outpost itself, and that the Dark Side lay dormant within the Outpost until Sithspawn Q162 was awoken, it is unlikely that the Sithspawn, or at least Sithspawn Q162, is part of an active ritual. It is known, however, that it was created through a ritual, as are all Sithspawn.
My personal theory is that Sithspawn Q162 is a weapon of some kind that consumed its makers. This has yet to be proven or disproven, however.
Signed,
Sith Tarimra,
Envoy of Arcana,
Sith Lorekeeper