[IC] Journal - Valeus Vexal Horuset

[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.