Finding Your Crystal (D10 EA)

[Hatoful GM]

The selection of the crystal that will act as the focus for your lightsaber is intensely personal. If the crystal is not properly attuned to both the rest of the weapon, and the Jedi, the lightsaber will fail catastrophically.

It often takes hours for Jedi to find the right crystal, as the Force guides them to the best match. Many believe that the color of the crystal says something about the Jedi who selected it. Many in the Order select a blue or a green crystal. Red is not a naturally occurring color; it is a sign of either a synthetically created crystal, or a corruption.

Besides that, the students may choose whatever colors you wish.

(You are encouraged to post here the story of your character finding your crystal and assembling your lightsaber for the first time)

[Byron Mik]

Byron delved deep into the cave and found his crystal, it was deep in a pool of chilly waters but he knew it was his when he entered the room. He discarded much of his clothes and dove in and swam deep into the chilly waters, until there was only darkness and a shimmering green light from the crystal.

He reached out and gently pulled the crystal from the floor of the pool and swam upwards through layers of darkness. Where there had been confusion there was now calm, he knew he could balance his attachments with his duty to the Jedi Order.

This was not an ending to Byron, trainee and Jedi #4, this was simply one small step along a never ending journey. This was. What the Force called him to be and when he reached the pool’s surface he swam to his clothes and meditated on the meaning.

The final pieces of the lightsaber floating in front of him as he inserted the crystal and then reached out and out poured a green blade of justice and serenity. It hummed with power, digital after effects dancing along the length of the lightsaber.

He was truly Jedi now.

[Zizzy Roosh]

She felt the call through the force as soon as she stepped into the caves. It wasn't like her visions, those were more like the force talking to her. This was like a gentle tug on a long piece of string. A beacon of light in the darkness.

Walking through wonderous caverns of cold crystallised ice Zizzy rapidly found herself alone. Or at least none of her fellow trainees were around. She felt the presence of the force all around her, guiding her footsteps. It felt like an hour passed as she explored the tunnels, following the call. Emerging into a huge chamber she realised she had seen this place in the Vergence. The tomes had shown her the Crystal Caves of Ilum and now here she was!

Pillars filled the chamber and cast criss-crossing shadows everywhere. Or, not quite everywhere. There was a pattern, if you could see it. Pathways of light and dark, like a metaphor for the force itself. So many paths it was too confusing to look at.

Zizzy closed her eyes and opened herself up to the force. She was calm, at peace. The path became clear. She walked through the cavern, twisting and turning, but always following the light that shone brightly in her mind's eye. The terrain became difficult and she almost lost her footing a few times, but avoided falling into darkness.

Eventually the calling dimmed and she opened her eyes. She was atop a massive crystal spire. A path wound around it, although it seemed quite precipitous considering she had walked it blind. Light hit her eyes as she looked around. Directly ahead, out of reach on an inacessible pillar of ice, an Ilum crystal was delicately balanced. There was no way to reach it. Unless you could use the force...

The power of the light side vergence pulsed through Zizzy as she reached out and gently pulled the crystal through the air and into her outstretched hand. She sat down cross legged and mediated on the experience. The crystal, the hilt, the trials. It all felt so clear now. Pure. The pieces floated in the air before her as she assembled the lightsaber with her mind. Taking it into her hands she activated the blade for the first time. An orange glow accompanied the snap hiss and refracted through the giant crystal pillar, clearing the shadows from the room.

She felt the force flow through her, peaceful, serene, harmonious, and felt a new certainty - the knowledge that now, after all her trials, she was a Jedi.

[O'vala Aeser]

I wonder if I can take multiple. Something about the prospect didn't seem right to her though. In fact, something was wrong with a whole bunch of the crystals. What if I don't find one that suits me? That was the point of all this, right?

O'vala figured that that would be a sign that she wasn't cut out to be a Jedi after all. Looking at all of the others in her class, recalling the masters, the guards, Avilea, O'nera. She wondered how any of them had chosen their crystals. How O'nera had come to choose two, if it had been at the same time or not. If the masters were using the same crystals they had gotten when they had constructed their first lightsaber. What color would Avilea end up with?

Would she even become a Jedi?

Gosh, this is taking forever. Maybe I should just pick a color at random. But that didn't sit well with O'vala either. She began to fiddle with her hilt. Gosh, I made this thing bulkier than it needed to be. I wonder if it will actually help me. The youngling tried to swing it around with one hand but it felt almost awkward despite the lack of weight or blade. She figured that it would still feel awkward even with a crystal inside. Awkward in the Order, just like myself.

She gripped onto it with two hands, feeling a bit more at peace with it. Alright, fine, we'll do this together, saber. She hoped that she wouldn't get into the habit of talking to her weapon. But that conclusion seemed to help her choose which way to start walking...

"Ow!" O'vala tripped over in the dark and started tumbling down in the shadows. Her saber rolled away from her, towards yet another cluster of crystals. She grumbled and went up to catch it when she realized that something about this section of the cave called to her. She stared into the vibrant blue, soothing and yet bold, and she sighed. "Well, at least the green-skinned girl isn't getting a green lightsaber."

The mirialan started to reach for a crystal but then hesitated. She closed her eyes and moved her hand around, letting the Force guide her. All that training on the ship had helped, if only slightly. She wanted to be better. She had to be better. And without thinking much on it, a crystal started brushing against her fingers. O'vala looked it over, all the rough edges, perhaps impurities that did not make it any less perfect. She clicked it inside her misshapen lightsaber and held it up.

"This had better work," she murmured. And with a flick, the cave was just a little bit more blue, but not in terms of mood. I wonder if I can still fail to become a Jedi at this point. But that didn't seem right either. Maybe she was one already.

[Esla Tor]

Esla stepped into the cave as the others had done and followed behind them as she found herself enthralled by the cavern before her. It was beautiful and mysterious with almost every vibrant crystal calling to her in a different way. However, it was rather easy to get lost and soon enough the entrance seemed to have disappeared from view and they were left to wander the cavern. She didn't want to get lost unintentionally and followed the others at first, but as the others found their way and separated, she found herself among fewer and fewer of her peers. It didn't take too long for her to find herself on her lonesome. She looked around and couldn't see anyone else. It seemed now she would have to carve her own path and not rely on the direction of others. The same would be true when it came to her crystal.

She wandered aimlessly at first, wondering if she had been in this cave before but on another planet. This place almost felt more mystical than actual reality and she would even believe if it was a bridge to other worlds, perhaps that was the sensation of the Force she was feeling as the bridge to all things. Each crystal looked beautiful and it was enticing to just pick up any one of them but she knew that she couldn't judge by appearances alone, that would be dangerous.

As she continued on with careful foot to avoid tripping on rocks and running into crystals. She found that was a lumicent turquoise, much the colour of a clear tropical sea. It invoked a sense of balance and peace. However, she stopped herself from reaching for it as she found herself doubting her choice. Was this the right one and what if it wasn't? Would she be foolish to choose this one without spending more time in the cave? What would the other Jedi say about her choice if she asked for their council? She glanced around once more and found herself alone. It was her time to act and it wouldn't be her first time. She deliberated in what seemed forever as she found herself thinking in circles. Perhaps, the right choice was her choice, so long as she believed in it.

Firming her resolve, she reached for the crystal and took it in her gloved hand. It didn't take much fiddling for her to install the crystal in her custom light saber. She flicked it on without much hesitation and the saber ignited, lighting the clearing and reflecting in her green eyes. There wasn't much of a ceremony but this was her graduation.

[Taime Jorel]

Taime wandered through the cavern, feeling a curious sense of peace flow through him. These caves were so different from the last one he had entered. He could sense...the harmony here? As if every crystal was singing to another and to all of the Force.

He wandered, listening to a single thread that sounded familiar. His feet seemed to know the way somehow as he listened. Almost like a lullaby he could barely remember. It spoke of the hard wood of a cradle and the softness of a blanket. A world made of both was needed. Balance, even at birth.

Finally, he came to a deep cave with a shallow pool of water. Underneath, crystals lay illuminated by small glowing fish. Taking a slow, deep breath, Taime stepped into the pool and felt the crystals resonate through him. He knelt down, letting the gentle hum guide him til it rang like a bell.

His fingers grazed over an uneven purple crystal. It spoke of blending and newness. He knew it would not be the usual color that many picked. But his was not a usual path. It seemed fitting somehow.

He reached down and with all the certainty in his heart, clasped the crystal in his hand. It came away, as if it had always been meant to.

His hands shaking slightly now, he slotted it into the hilt. He wished now that he had spent more time adorning and and creating the perfect hilt for this crystal. But then he realized. He was like this hilt. Basic, sufficient. But still room to grow. The crystal would inspire him to further heights. And he would be ready.

Standing in the pool, he ignited his saber for the first time and the purple light shone around him and bounced off the water.

"Today, I am a Jedi." He said, quietly. It filled him to the brim and he let it, waiting until the quiet was easy enough for him to depart.

[Silas Myles Pearson]

Caves were spooky... Well all the ones in silas's life had been, but then one had kind of had a dark sdide Vergence, and the other a bunch of zombies. Still this one was supposed to be totally differen, peacefuul, serence, and full of sparkling crystal. A fine change of pace, at least as far as Silas was concerned.

He was nearly overwhelemed by the sight as he entered the cavern, it was so beautiful and there were just so many of them. He had to pause for a few moments just to take it all in. Though a small part of him wondered if any jedi's crystal were ever so close to the entrance. Just walk in, and there it is, that would be a little anticlamatic wouldn't it? Shaking his head to clear away the stray thooughts Silas turned his eyes toward the depths of the caves. His crystal was nowhere near here, though he could feel it's patient pull. Apparently it didn't mind his wandering thoughts.

He was in no rush as he stepped forward, the crystal wasn't going anywhere after all, and there was just so much to take in. His winding path full of occasional stops to take in the sights took him ever deeper into the caves, though he didn't mind the time. The pull of the force and the beauty of his surrondings were all that was on his mind. Eventually though he came to his destination, a adjoinign chamber he had to turn sideways to slip into. If he hadn't been so slender he might never of made it.

The chamber on the other side wasn't large or impressive in any way, but there was a warmth to it the suffused his soul, and he knew his crstal was here. A brief look around and he spotted it, a gorgeous stone in a shade of blue. Not bright and vibrant, but gentle almost like a breeze. A few steps brought him to it, and moments more it was in his hand, sliding from it's stony home with barely any effort on his part. "Hi, I'm Silas" It was probably a silly thing to say, but it was his style. "I'll think of a name for you soon enough my friend... For now thought, lets set you in your new home.' A few moments of work and the crystal was slotted into it's place in his saber. "I made it for you, I hope you like it."

Of course the crystal didn't answer, but then Silas didn't expect it to, he did feel it though, it's presence, and that was more then enough. Taking a deep breath he ignited his new blade. Marking his end as a trainee and his bbeing as a Jedi.