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| Paradus Avium
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| General information
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| Constructed:
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Unknown
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| Location:
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| Builder:
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Unknown
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| Physical specifications
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| Height:
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3 m
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| Width:
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10mx10m
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| Usage
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| Era:
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Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era
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| Affiliation:
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| [ Source ]
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- "We have yet to discern what these chambers were originally used for, but they will serve Gladius in their own way."
- ―Shadow
The secret gathering place known as Paradus Avium was discovered by Shadow and his team of Tarenti when the Sword's Sheath was first being cataloged and mapped out for use as a base for House Gladius.
Description
Walking over to the hidden panel in one of the walls of his quarters, Dralin touched his palm to it, causing a door panel to slide open next to it, which led to a winding staircase. He slipped into the dark shaft, hitting the button to slide the panel closed behind him. As Tetrarch of Praxeum- before it was reorganized into Arcano Signum, the Journeyman had been given new quarters, which held within them the most direct secret entrance to Paradus Avium, the actual battleteam’s base. Throughout the Sword’s Sheath there were secret turbolifts- five in all- that led to these hidden chambers, but instead of a turbolift descending from the leader’s quarters, there was a simple winding staircase that led to a simple hardwood door, complete with an ornate brass knob. This part of the structure was already in Sword’s Sheath before Gladius moved in, and it seemed to predate the rest of the asteroid base. In addition to serving as a meeting place for the battleteam- as well as a secret emergency bunker for the whole of Gladius- is also provided a quick junction for Arcano Signum members, a means to get from one part of the base to another without having to deal with much of the intervening space.
Turning the archaic doorknob and walking into the spacious chambers of Paradus Avium, Dralin noted that he had arrived before Ziltopia. Taking advantage of this- as it was Ziltopia’s custom to begin work as soon as she arrived- he walked over to the small kitchen area that was provided for the battleteam. Paradus Avium contained this small food-preparing area, as well as a lounge and a network-access area, all at the behest of one of the former Quaestors of the House. An adjoining chamber, however, had been converted into an enormous bunkhouse, capable of housing all the members of Gladius in the event of an emergency, and all the entrances were able to be vacuum-sealed, just in case.
--Tetrarch Dralin Fortea
History
History
While it is unknown what Paradus Avium was used for in the past, it has served as the headquarters of battle team Praxeum, and later the reformed battle team Arcano Signum, since its inception. When the Praxeum was occupying it, only the leaders knew of its existence, using it as a private meeting place as well as a means to move about the Sword's Sheath quickly. After Dralin Fortea reorganized Praxeum into Arcano Signum, he decided to use the secret headquarters as a place for the whole battle team to meet.
When Arcano Signum was disbanded under the order of the house summit, Paradus Avium continued to serve the house as it expanded to serve as the training center for all of House Gladius. Prior to the house's support to the clan on Salas V, Paradus Avium was the holdout that House Gladius craved for itself in the Sword's Sheath after the complex had been invaded by a sole Hunter. During the pursuit for the Keepers that Clan Tarentum was currently busied with, the Hunter wreaked havoc throughout the Sword's Sheath and the veteran Proton led the entire house into the Paradus Avium while the House waited for reinforcements. However, Zero Tarentae's arrival in Yridia system as well as Castle Tarentum meted out the fate of the Hunters, and the Hunter in the Sword's Sheath as well as its two comrades were destroyed by a complicated necromantic ability.
After the assault by the Hunter on Gladius, the deep sense of resentment that the house had had for the clan summit only seemed to intensify with its concern over many of the Tarentae's previous loyalties to the Keepers. When Consul Maxamillian von Oberst demanded that House Gladius support the clan in its attempt to capture Salas V, House Gladius felt the need to start becoming self-sufficient and started using Paradus Avium to house its spoils. Filling it with treasures and items that the House hoped to sell and trade, Paradus Avium came to represent the bandit identity that House Gladius started building for itself. However, when a slip up in Eden City resulted in the clan summit becoming aware of their activities, House Gladius was forced to close along with every other house in Tarentum as Oberst used the situation to re-militarize the clan. As House Gladius was force to shut down and turn the Sword's Sheath over to the Tarentum Navy to use as a listening post, Paradus Avium was filled with the last treasures of House Gladius and sealed off forever in hopes that the House would return again to claim it.