Located on Sepros, the ancient Temples of Orian have served as the home for Clan Naga Sadow since the Exodus. In particular, the Temple of Sorrow was selected to become the base of operations for all of Clan Naga Sadow. The Temple has been rebuilt upon a once withered base, creating a hybrid of ancient stone and current era technology.

Within the shroud of Sepros' jungles, the spire of the Temple stands tall and menacing. It is constructed at the heart of a large clearing within the trees, with an impressive courtyard flanking it. The courtyard itself is a testament to the ancient origins of the Temple, littered with remains of the previous temple. Vines grow like slithering snakes throughout the crumbling architecture as if trying to strangle what stone remains and drag it into the dirt once more. Moss coats the stones in defiance to the elements that have stripped the stone bare throughout the courtyard. A grand staircase leads from the grassy ground to the main entrance, with secondary platforms on either side that house landing platforms. Several transport shuttles are settled upon the platforms in varying states of readiness as droids see to their maintenance.

Inside the Temple lies the main hall. The walls are shaped from a marble-like structure with elegant, flowing curves as if molded in clay. Columns line the walls leading away from the entrance towards the central chambers, supporting a balcony that stretches along the walls of the hall as a second level. Multiple corridors are seen between the columns, leading towards the Temple proper. Within these pathways reside the quarters many call home, in addition to various training rooms and small libraries.

This is the Temple of Sorrow, the heart of Clan Naga Sadow.

Black clouds surged with fury and replaced the light of the moons with shadow. The drums of thunder followed the dance of lightning across the sky with a choir of howling winds. The leaves of yielding trees softly applauded the stormborn symphony.

From a landing pod a kilometer away marched Creon Neverse, the ex-odanite, from the temple that invited him. His scan of the skies sensed the amorphous patterns of the rolling clouds to be an effigy of the palace's presence within the Force. His gaze fixed to the grand staircase upon arrival, for at the top stood a Sith clothed in black. She was Tasha'Vel, the gatekeeper.

When Creon stopped at the foot of the stairs he saw at the top a salute from her lightsaber blade. The salute served as a saberist's signal: Djem So. Shii-Cho, he read. Creon replied in kind with the stances of his own forms. The two sheathed each almost simultaneously together. Tasha'Vel drew the Dark Sword of H'kysch(link) pointed to the sky and screamed "Call Lightning" in Ancient Sith. A bolt from the sky struck the blade and as a conduit channeled power through her nervous system and out her free hand's extended fingers. It met with a spherical barrier surrounding Creon whilst he dashed horizontally and then jumped with a boost from his jetpack. A twist of his torso with his right arm reaching for the sky released whistling birds. Their screech directed Tasha'Vel's attention to destroying them. Blaster bolts fired from Creon's right arm as the jetpack kept a curved trajectory flying him higher. Her reflexes evaded them but left two holes in her cape that failed to keep up against the wind. Twin rays of moonlight leaked through a gap made in the clouds above. Like pairs of eyes shedding light upon them both.

Creon's once raised right arm slammed on a button attached to his knee-pad. It activated a miniature rocket seeking her heat. For that moment her attention split alongside her concentration to the remaining birds with lightning and a telekinetic grip on the missile. The grip was somatically channeled with the fingers around her sword's hilt. Once tossed aside to explode on the ground her brooding eyes fixed on Creon. He landed on a knee and with a fist to the ground with such strength it shook the earth and cracks in the courtyard extended from him like roots.

Tasha'Vel sensed the Force pulling towards Creon at the draw of her next breath, and in response she suppressed his connection to counter the attempt. In contesting her to keep a foothold Creon kept concentrating, but split his attention to withdraw the blaster rifle magnetically holstered on his back next to the jetpack. On the otherside nestled near his right shoulder was a BD-8 Unit who's photoreceptors activated when the rifle was withdrawn. It scanned and stared at Tasha'Vel as she descended the staircase with the occasional dash to her swordance that repelled the stun rings coming from Creon's blaster at full-auto. When she had come too close for comfort, Creon abandoned the rifle and withdrew his lightsaber. The Sith kept her momentum of aggression with a spinning flurry of steel. After the first parry with his lightsaber, Creon's finger pulled the trigger attached to the hilt which released a blaster bolt. It's sudden surprise gave the opebing to make it's mark, sending a small shock through his target's musclulatory system. The pain stunned her for a moment, which Creon took advantage of by firing two darts from his vambraces and jumping backwards with a jetpack boost just before she was brought back to full movement.

"A combination of lightsaber and blaster pistol. Unorthodox, but not bad. I'll admit that was a surprise. But it won't work again," Tasha'Vel said.

"Oh I'm full of surprises," Creon replied.

As she felt the pain, a cruel smile played upon the Elder’s face. Playtime was over and it was time he learned a humbling lesson. Sheathing the blade, she recalled past events of wars and could hear the cries for vengeance, for blood. A seething force of rage had enveloped her body, and her cold emerald eyes blazed with fury as she immediately charged towards Creon at an incredibly insane speed. She was like a blur of hatred, barreling at him as she leapt. The Twi'lek 's arms now extended out, her fingers pointed at the man as blue lightning swirled about her hands and reached her fingers. Bolts of blue lightning crackled and sparked before propelling outwards directly at the Juggernaut.

Cursing to himself, the Equite attempted to swiftly dodge the oncoming strike, but he felt as if he were moving in slow motion and watched in horror as the blue lightning jolted into him. However, the small protective bubble protected his body from the surge of electricity enveloping around him. Then he heard the sound.

FSSSZTTT!

It was the sound of his shield shorting out from the impact of the lightning.

Without even hesitating or blinking,Tasha’vel then immediately dashed forward towards her target. Her emerald eyes glaring, staring directly into his eyes and into his very soul. Suddenly, Creon felt her hand tightly wrap around his face with a surprising strong grip. Horrified, he struggled to escape, but to no avail. His entire body refused to move away, held into place by her overwhelming power.

Then she dived.

Creon felt his body flailing as they fell to the earth together. Frantically he kicked out, trying to free himself, but to no avail. She would not let her prey escape.

In the split second before impact, using all his concentration and strength, the juggernaut felt a soothing wave rush over him as the Force surrounded his body and enveloped him in a small protective bubble. The ground around them rippled like waves as she slammed him hard. Luckily, Creon’s barrier and armor held up. Though he was winded and his body stung, he was still alive and without a scratch on his body.

Using his jetpack, he immediately punched the button to rocket backwards, causing Tasha’vel to let go of him and create distance as he fired his blaster pistol at her. Swiftly, she pulled Morra’s Vengeance, her heirloom Echani blade from its sheath and deflected the shots away from her body.

“Try again Creon.” Her menacing glare tearing into his soul. “Face your foe or die like a coward.”

Like a spark of fire his anger pulled on the Force in hearing coward echo in his mind. Tasha'Vel smiled at the success of her attempt to instigate him telepathically. The fact Creon had responded emotionally gave away two weaknesses: his emotions take priority reactively and whilst using the Force. The ignite of his fury, however, was simply supressed until snuffed from Creon's exhaustion in pouring stress to maintain concentration.

"There is no 'coward' who can stand before the Temple of Sorrows; and behold: I am here," Creon replied aloud within thought. To him, "cowardice" was giving into the emotional intellect's panicked takeover, and Creon reminded himself that he had been conditioned time and time again to remain focused.

Rain poured, lightning stroked the skies and thunder rolled. The Sith's movements seemed blurred seen by the naked eye; dashing to-and-fro left and right in a diagonal zig-zag pattern towards her prey. A lightning bolt from the sky caught the tip of her dagger's steel as she raised it. It's electrcity traveled across the blade's edge and stretched forth from it as she slashed the dagger diagonally downwards. The mark hit true across his breastplate, only for the lightning to he redirected from his suit to the ground. She shifted the dagger's tip upward; aimed to stab just below the unarmored fabric over his obliques. Yet a sudden repulsor blast punch from Creon's vambrace threw her off balance before she could strike. She recovered in a flip landing on her feet gracefully at a short distance.

After gaining some distance the Obelisk Juggernaut attempted to invoke a physical enhancement of strength, speed, and all the traits he uses in a fight by the Force fueled by fury. Once again he felt it suppressed and was given a mentañ reminder to the immense pain he felt when she took absolute control. The Force was with her.

Creon tried to stay stoic as he took off his helmet and dropped it to the ground. Tasha'Vel raised an eyebrow and waited with curiosity. Next he took off his Jetpack. She was suprided when he took off the vambraces soon after.

"Lightening the load to gain speed? It won't close the distance between us," her voice echoed into Creon's head.

That wasnt it. I was the salute... He realized the salute in greeting was likely to imposed a planned lightsaber duel. Had he gone along with the duel, the Force may have been more favorable for him. But he instead took too much control thinking his mandalorian tools could do anything before the power of the Dark Side.

"Finally come to your senses?" The Sith said in jest, switching out her sith dagger for her lightsaber.

Lastly Creon removed his belt and ignited his own lightsaber before replying with, "Yes, I guess you could say that."

Tasha'Vel moved too fast for Creon to track, but the glow of her blade he could follow. Her method of movement suggested an attack pattern Creon predicted. He preemptively shifted his body and blade to block predictably her attack. She was surprised, reasoning that by her being able to move faster than him she should simply bypass his defenses. That's when she realized he could calculate precognitively ahead of her. His eyes were wide, intaking not only his honed target but all of everything encompassed within his vision.

Lightsabers danced around the courtyard. She would dash around him and occasionally attempt to poke at a potentially exposed weakness. He would remain still until he felt her commitment and spun his blade to deflect and sometimes counterattack.

Soresu she remembered.

Their duel's beginning consisted of her advantageous speed allowing her to keep herself at a distance just before choosing to strike and he conserved his energy by predicting when to react. She challenged the motion of the fight by switching to staying close relying on defensive forms and maneuvers. Creon slowly grew impatient from a standoff and showed aggressive attacks in a form she thought was Juyo at first.

Vapaad? she remembered. Oh right, that Jedi variant. Probably holding him back and should get him on full Juyo.

His aggression grew and her concentration on supression lessened slightly. She stopped focusing on it entirely in order to let linger what energy she had to maintain a depreciative hold. This allowed Creon to grow more powerful and faster in his movements, yet Tasha'Vel could conclude in easily keeping up with her defense that his bladework needed more work. It was a swift matter to disarm him of his lightsaber with a riposte when the opportunity presented itself. After its success she kept the tip of her blade at his throat.

"What did you learn?" She asked him.

A series of muscle memory employed combat maneuvers rummaged through his mind as possibilities like cards in a hand. Yet all would be in vain before the Sith who outclassed him. The fact he wasn't immediately killed meant he not only must barter for entry to Clan Naga Sadow, for the rite of combat puts the loser's life at mercy to the winner, but also his answer could cost him his life.

"I learned..." he began. "That all tools and things of matter fall privy in priority to the power of one's pull on the Force. I should have approached with the blade first after the salute, for perhaps I may not have bested you in skill would have been better blessed with a chance to show the skill with these tools more favorable for me. Thus turning the tide in the Force my way. I would never have won, but it would have been the course of fate yielding better chances of success for my intended outcome. I should've went with your flow from the beginning, and I didn't."

Tasha'Vel laughed, "Well that's definitely well thought out, I'll give you that much. You fight well enough to be expendably useful, but trade out your current forms for something more aggressive. Give fully into the Dark Side when you take the offensive and don't hold back from your Jedi habits and principles." She turned off her lightsaber and turned her back to start back up the grand staircase.

"Collect your things and come inside. We have some work I think you're capable of handling."

Rising and steadying his breath, Creon felt the Force course within him as fire blazing throughout his veins, giving him renewed resolve. Dusting himself off, he quickly ignited his lightsaber in one hand and fired off a few more shots from his blaster as he charged towards her.

But she was no fool. Bounding backwards, she dodged his blaster shots with ease before she flung her hands outwards towards the rock wall, curved her hands, and ripped out several large hunks of rock.

The kinetic force from the rocks slamming into Creon was so great, it winded the juggernaut, but didn’t knock him over. He withstood the first onslaught, but she wasn’t finished. The Elder raked her hands across the air and carved out more rocks, giving him a second, third and fourth hailstorm of rocks upon his body. Dents formed in his armor with every battering strike.

Her emerald eyes blazed with fury as Tasha’Vel glared menacingly at her opponent. More rocks flew at frightening speed and then pieces of durasteel from the ground flew upwards at Creon, keeping him in place.

Dust from the rocks now made breathing more difficult for the Juggernaut. He began to feel himself weaken, his stamina beginning to wane.

Marcus taught her well.

Wear out your opponent before striking.

Seizing the moment, she violently flung her hands to the other side of the wall, picking up a large, extremely heavy slab of durasteel and hurled it right into Creon. Having been weakened from the previous onslaught, man and slab went flying against the opposite wall,pinning him tightly.

His lightsaber and blaster clattered to the ground as he quickly put his hands up to keep from being squashed.

Squirming, the Obelisk thrashed his body attempting to escape, but every time he moved the pressure increased. He was a bug against the wall at the mercy of the Marauder.

No!

Letting a primal cry erupt from his mouth, the Equite thrust his hands against the solid rock wall as he violently pushed back. His mouth frothed as his dented armor plates creaked under the immense stress. They buckled and bent inwards, breaking under the weight. Like shivs, the plates stabbed into his body as he struggled, grunted and kept pushing with all of his might.

The immense pressure from the large slab slowly suffocated him, while his breathing became more labored with each rebelling push. Still,he continued to fight despite his severely dented armor caving against him. Until finally…

Crrrraack!

The slab finally split asunder, freeing Creon from his prison. Panting heavily, he fell to his knees catching his breath as his arms were like jelly. Frailty now washed over him while his rage subsided. Raising his hand, the Equite called his lightsaber to it. It blazed brilliantly as he attempted to rise, but was spent. All of his energy, depleted. He tried to muster any leftover strength he possessed and managed to fling his lightsaber at the approaching Twi’lek. She laughed cruelly as her blade deflected the blow, casting Creon's lightsaber to the side.

"Kneel, Worm.”

Her voice commanded obedience and he felt himself kneeling against his will to the Daughter of Sadow. A wicked smile dawned upon her face.

He was powerless and useless against her now. The painful truth now showing on his face.

Slowly and painfully deliberate, she strode up to the exhausted man on his knees. His wrathful eyes watched and his mouth scowled at her approach, but there wasn’t a thing he could do to stop her.

Any ounce of strength he had left evaporated, completely used up. His armor that he thought would save him,was severely dented and cracked to the point it needed repaired. He had nothing left to call upon to protect himself.

He scoffed in disbelief. Just what kind of power did she possess that he didn’t?

Now before him, Tasha’vel drew her blade once again, and swung her blade upwards, the dragon headed handle gleaming as she struck Creon.

SHHHNK

Metal met flesh as Creon’s right cheek bore a deep bleeding slash across his face. Her eyes met him directly, fiercely piercing into his very soul.

“Let this be a very humbling lesson to you Creon. You are more than your tools. The next time you challenge a Daughter or Son of Sadow, make sure you are prepared better. There are others who are far less merciful than I.”

With that,she wiped her blade, sheathed it and walked away waving her left hand in the air.

“Congratulations,you passed. Report to the Overlord’s office tomorrow.”