2.0 - Lure of the Lost

OOC: I'm going to get this rolling. We'll assume Kaveri and Csillag will get caught up.

A few weeks have passed and the temple is now in passable shape as a safe house. Malefax and his mercenaries appear to have brought sufficient supplies to keep you going for a bit, and you've not required a trip back into civilization just yet. Heyop -- in his work out in the wilderness has also discovered an old beat up speeder, perhaps used by the mercenaries, that looks serviceable enough that it could make it back to Reles, the main city here on Spintir. He's able to get it close enough to the temple to be handy -- but obviously the final ascent isn't meant for a speeder, so there's still a bit of a walk to get to it.

Hethan has been abusing each of you in turn to spend time with the gatekeeper -- and when you all manage to find something "better" to do, she's taken to rummaging around the archives -- which the gatekeeper calls the "secondary archives". Occasionally she makes noises associated with glee and disappointment as she rummages through the detritus.

Yesterday, the gatekeeper guided you, as a group, into a secure room accessed off of the eastern archives from the main hall. Walking through a well-lit cave and up a flight of stairs, you reached a near empty holocron chamber. Inside is the holocron of the gatekeeper in what appears to be a special place. Near it are two other locations that are empty, implying that there were once three holocrons of special import to this temple. You each wonder, in varying levels of introspection, where the others have gotten off to, and why the third one managed to stay put.

Today, the gatekeeper has requested your presence in the assembly hall to discuss some matters of import. The holographic form of the Gatekeeper appears before you, a grave expression upon his face. When he observes that you are all present, his countenance lightens somewhat, but remains serious. "My young friends, I have been consulting with your mentor, as you know, and she has done much to convince me of your worthiness, especially when coupled with your actions to free the temple of Malefax's taint and your work to restore this temple to some semblance of..." he looks around, "order. It appears that in these dark times, you may be the temple's best hope. However, I am in truth no more capable than Romund or yourselves of revealing the temple's secrets. I am currently the temple's sole gatekeeper, but once I was one of three, the Curator who recorded what my fellow wrought and oversaw. The holocrons that house my fellows were lost even before Malefax arrived, however -- and without their aid, I am much diminished. In order to restore the temple, you must retrieve the other holocrons. fortunately, I sense that one of them remains nearby. If you can retrieve this first holcoron, I may be able to locate the other and restore the temple to its full functionality."

OOC #2: If there's details you'd like to quiz me on with respect to the temple, Spintir or Reles, let me know. I'll either update you in the OOC thread or find the mechanism to do so in this one.

OOC: All characters, please roll a Force (white) die. The destiny pool resets.

"By 'nearby' do you mean on planet, or in a nearby system?"

The gatekeeper nods to Urik, the question is quite reasonable. "I do not have the ability to sense very far, so it is most assuredly not off the planet. In fact, if I had to guess it is somewhere within the valley nearby -- so quite close, indeed." He pauses, as if remembering something, "This holocron was carried off by local beasts, although I do not think they were acting on their natural instincts. More likely, they were deranged by a dark side presence."

The gatekeeper also nods to Heyop. "Yes, Dagger -- I've been talking to Hethan Romund through each of you."

The gatekeeper considers. "Well, the village in the valley may have some supplies. Now that the taint of the dark side is lifted, they will no doubt be more receptive to you than they would have been. But for a true urban experience, really only Reles qualifies."

The gatekeeper first answers Csillag, "Reles isn't terribly far, some hours by speeder if I recall correctly. It is Spintir's sole spaceport so it has been settled quite some distance from the mountains in which you are now in. It's not like it's on the other side of the planet, but it is also not particularly convenient to pop by. This is somewhat by design I suppose, but those details remain unaccesssible to me without one or two of my colleagues."

To Dagger he says, ""I am not certain about distances. My abilities to detect the holocron are seriously limited, even at this short a range. My guess is the villagers will be able to provide some guidance, and nothing within the valley is terribly far from anything else. You four managed to cover the distance of the entire valley here in a few hours."

Dagger's search reveals that there are odds and ends in the items left behind by Malefax and his crew, but nothing out of the ordinary. Alas, he doesn't find anything suitably explosive at this time.

Ready to roll, the five of you set out together from the temple. It's an odd feeling, leaving Hethan behind and sallying forth as a group. Since your arrival at the temple a few weeks back, this is the first time you have all left its grounds. Working your way down e mountain, through now-lit tunnels and down the path, you pass by the bridge on your rig as you head to the village on the northern edge of the lake.

As you approach a small number of villagers bar your way through the gap in the small, frost-covered stone wall that encircles the village. They seem somewhat taken aback at your arrival and mutter to one anger before one of eir number steps forth and asks "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

OOC: The map here (another thread in this forum) provides an overview of the entire valley.