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The Jedi were real? This article is part of the history of Clan Arcona and isn't part of current events.
Please do not remove this tag or the contents. These articles exist for historic purposes.
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The Abyssal TomeAn ancient tome that has been passed down by various recent Consuls, this thick leather-bound book contains the secrets of Shadowcrafting, a power exclusively held by Clan Arcona. The tome itself cuts an imposing figure, its ornate cover depicting a field of space with a curious looking pair of suns across it. The real meat of this tome, however, lies in the rituals and secrets contained within.
The Abyssal Tome was discovered by rogue Dark Jedi Master Malachai on the planet Nalasara Prime. Malachai intended to use the Abyssal Tome to destroy the Dark Brotherhood. However, his plans were ultimately thwarted by Clan Arcona after they destroyed his deep space weapons platform. Malachai was later defeated in a lightsaber duel by Tarkin and Khobai Wrathraven, but rather than suffer death at the hands of his enemies he chose to banish himself to the abyss by summoning an active gateway. Malachai has not been heard from since and is presumed to be dead.
= The Rites of the Abyssal Tome
Handed down from Consul to Consul, the Abyssal tome is the secret source of the dark power known as Shadowcrafting. Bestowed only on Clan Arcona, this ancient codex holds within it the secrets of the dark realm that exists both in the absence of light, and that shadowed aspect that haunts the souls of all living creatures. Though the manipulations of the Abyssal dimension through the Force is taught to those Arconans dedicated to learning them, certain secret arts are known only to the keeper of the Abyssal Tome, and these are shared only with those that have proved themselves worthy.
The following rituals may only be granted by the Consul of Clan Arcona to members who have gone consistently above and beyond the call of duty. The Consul, for the time of his or her tenure in the position, has access to all four rituals. Any non-Consul member, however, can never be taught, or have access, to more than two of the rituals. Arconans who attain the title of “di Tenebrous Arconae” are automatically deserving of learning a ritual, granted they do not already know two. It is expected that the Elders of Arcona who have held the title for many years would eventually have knowledge of all stated and perhaps more advanced Rites.
Abyssal Communion
This ritual requires the caster to sit in an open area that has been witness to a dark event in its past (this can be determined using the Inner Darkness power “Shades of the Past”). The caster must then be surrounded by seven individuals, standing in a circle, whose individual shadows all fall across the caster at the center (this will most likely involve some creative lighting arrangements prior to the initiation of the ritual). Whether these individuals are willing or unwilling participants does not matter, but they must remain stationary for the duration of the ritual.
The caster then must meditate for 2 hours, in silence, on the nature of true darkness while repeating a secret phrase over and over again in his or her mind. At the completion of the 2 hours, the shadows of those in the circle will separate from their owners, and seem to be drawn into the caster. For the next standard day, the caster may now extend his abilities in Shadowcrafting to all shadows, literally or figuratively, and no longer suffers the restriction of being limited just to his or her own dark reflection. This rite may only be performed once in any standard week.
Banishment
One of the most powerful and mysterious of the arts within the Abyssal Tome, completion of this ritual can throw a specific individual into the Abyss itself, never to return. The caster must procure the following items: -A physical “piece” of the target: a lock of hair, a fingernail, etc. -A black candle, made with wax that has been mixed with the venom of a Kouhun, a reptilian/insect native to the planet Induomodo [the centipede-like things that Zam Wesell sent to kill the sleeping Padme in Episode II] -A representation of the target (photo, painting, small statue, etc.)
The caster must sit in a quiet space and arrange the gathered items thusly: In front of him, the representation of the target individual. To his right, the black candle. To his left, the piece of the target. The caster must concentrate on the representation for a full thirty minutes, in which time they must consider the “whole” of the person, both physically and spiritually. This will most likely require that they be very familiar with the person in question (this ritual cannot be enacted upon random strangers). After this time of concentration, the caster takes the candle, and places it in front of the representation, and recites a secret passage from the Abyssal Tome which he will have had to memorize beforehand.
The candle is then lit. The caster then takes the piece of the target, and holds it in front of his face, and says: “In my darkness, you are my victim. In the darkness will you be swallowed.” The caster then burns the piece of the victim in the flame of the candle, holding it while it burns. The caster must then cover his fingers in the ash of the item. He must then take the representation, draw a circle in ash on the target’s forehead, then place the representation next to the still lit candle. If performed correctly, the shadow cast by the representation, by the light of the candle, will briefly transform into a portal directly into the Abyss, and the representation, and the candle, will be sucked within it. Wherever the target may be, his own shadow will consume him likewise, and he will literally disappear from the physical plane. This rite can only be performed once in any standard month.
Abyssal Lightning
A caster must cup his palms to his mouth, and utter a secret phrase into the small space of darkness created therein. For the next hour, the casters hands will appear to be literal constructs of darkness, as if the were made of pure shadow. At the caster’s mere touch, a person will feel a chilling coldness run through their body. But that is merely a side effect. At will, over the hour this rite is in effect, a caster may throw bolts of what appear to be lightning, though they cause far different effects than their Force-lightning counterparts. First, the explosion of these bolts is more akin to a growling whisper, as though this power were being summoned by some ominous, feral beast. Secondly, this “lightning” does not electrocute. Victims of Abyssal lightning can suffer an array of effects, depending on their individual temperament.
None of the effects are “positive.” If the lightning strikes a relatively “good” person, the bolts will bring forth their darkest instincts, turning them into a creature of pure rage, whose only thought is to snuff out that “light” closest to them: the light within themselves. This causes the victim to become wholly self-destructive: tearing at their own flesh, beating themselves violently, slamming themselves against hard objects. All these actions and more are possible, but they will all be animalistic, and reflexive. Unless already in the possession of one, a person in this state of mind will not become so creative as to shoot themselves with a blaster, or have the patience of mind to hang themselves.
Their actions will be, in a word, bestial. If the lightning strikes a person rife with their own darkness, their mind will be filled with voices, images and hallucinations of the pain and anguish they have caused through their past actions. To “atone” for these things, the person will be driven to the very same instinct as those of a “lighter” nature described above. This rite can only be performed once during any standard day.
Summon the Abyss
Probably the most powerful of all the rituals, completion of this rite blurs the line between where our reality ends, and the Abyssal dimension begins. The caster must sit in the shadows cast by 10 darksiders (again, this will most likely require creative lighting preparations). These individuals can either be willing, or unwilling. However, if they are willing, it is best they are not told the dire consequences of participating in this ritual. The caster must then raise his own shadow around himself, in the shape of a column.
To observers, it will appear as if all the shadows are combining into the column…which they soon will be. The caster must recite the full names of all those gathered about him, and with each name recite, briefly, a dark act they have committed using the Force. The caster must then meditate on the darkness that opposes light, and the darkness within both himself and the gathered, for 1 full hour. At the apex of the ritual, the shadows of the gathered will leave their owners and seep into the dark column. However, this is not merely an absence of their shadow: their dark souls are themselves being ripped from them. In essence, the whole of the gathered darkness is being sacrificed to summon the Abyss.
This leaves the gathered darksiders, for all intents and purposes, lobotomized. After the dark souls have joined the column, an observer would literally witness a geyser of darkness explode silently from the column, shooting high into the air. At a point perhaps 3 miles above the caster, the geyser will begin to “umbrella,” and fall in the shape of a dome across an area nearly 50 miles wide.
This area is now one with the Abyss. The conditions of an area overtaken by the Abyss are, at best, merely myth. However, some conjectures have been made: Any person who has even the slightest mastery of Shadowcrafting will be raised to nearly godlike status in this melded world of reality and darkness. Abyssal entities will roam this area, creatures of pure darkness. Though a sun will still be visible through this shroud, it’s light will be darkness, and shadows will be of pale light. Further effects are unknown. It is said that the effected area will remain such for a standard year, though no one knows for certain. As well, it is thought that this ritual may only be performed once in a caster’s lifetime. It is unknown what lasting effects such a summoning would have on a caster, though.