Begeren. Once a prosperous Sith world, it has been the site of numerous battles throughout the millennia. Grand halls and monuments were torn down and re-purposed by looting Republic forces thousands of years ago, before they were driven from the planet. Isolated settlements still dot the planet's surface, but the inhospitable, craggy, and desert-like terrain, along with the beasts common to many desert and Sith worlds, have kept most humanoids from colonizing. Occasional skirmishes have left debris scattered throughout the desert, and battles were fought here as recently as the Galactic Civil War. The planet is now under the control of the One Sith and is rumored to be full of all manner of priceless, ancient Sith artifacts.

The Dark Council has pushed forth to Begeren and the Grand Master, on his quest for ever more powerful items, has decreed the Clans and Houses seize anything of value. The unity shown by the Brotherhood during the beginning of this Crusade is fracturing, with the Clans and Houses growing tired and frustrated with the seemingly endless succession of battles. Tempers are flaring between former allies, with outright aggression no longer uncommon. Despite this, you have responded to the Grand Master's call—though whether it's to actually seize the items for the Brotherhood, destroy them, or use them for your own purposes, only you know. One such item, a Sith talisman, said to be inlaid with a dark side-infused gemstone, was lost in the quarries of Begeren during the liberation of the planet from Old Republic looters thousands of years ago.

The Force has drawn you here, to an abandoned quarry, in a mountainous region west of an expansive desert. Any mining equipment once used here is long gone, but the landscape itself remains surprisingly preserved from the days of the Old Republic's strip mining. Scrub brush, the only foliage present on this part of the planet, has taken root all along the sides of the quarry. The ledge overlooks a one-hundred meter drop into a crystal-clear basin of water; opposite the ledge is a more gradual, step-wise decline. The basin itself is peculiar, as no plants are growing in or around it, despite being one of the few bodies of liquid you have seen in the nearby area. A long, snaking ramp meanders down through the steps of the quarry towards the water below, beginning at the northward edge of the cliff you now find yourself on. You notice shards of gemstones crunch underfoot as you move, a hint as to the use of this quarry in ages past.

Aiden Dru wandered upon the quarry on Begeren in hopes of finding whatever Sith relic the Brotherhood was looking for. All he knew of the relic was that Taldryan wanted it, and he had the all clear to kill anyone who got in the way of his mission. Aiden had looked over the ledge to the basin below and decided that while the ramp down would be more time consuming, it would still be safer than a hundred meter drop into the unknown depths of water. He walked down the snaking path towards the peculiar basin, feeling the sharp crunch of gemstones under his boots more often as he neared the bottom.

I hope this is a sign I’m getting close to the relic so I can get back to Karufr. That should shut those Elders up. They need to get off my back about this whole ordeal. His face tightened as the thought arose.

Aiden finally arrived at the bottom of the quarry and crouched down to examine the body of water. The lack of plant life around the water seemed odd to him, but the shards of gemstone seemed more numerous. It was a possible sign that the Sith relic may be close by. Following his hunch, Aiden stood back up and stretched his arms, preparing himself for a swim in hopes of finding the relic and getting off planet as quickly as possible.

As he stared at the water, Aiden felt darkness cloud his mind. Maybe the relic is buried somewhere else… NO, he shook his head, some amateur is in my head. I wouldn’t change my mind so hastily. Angered, Aiden turned around and scanned the quarry looking for the enemy.

Aiden’s eyes darted to the numerous rocky outcroppings obscuring his vision. He assumed he was the first to get to the quarry, but clearly that was not the case. Whoever was out here must have been after the relic as well. Before Aiden could find his opponent, there was a quick burst of light in front of his eyes. The light stunned him for a brief moment, but not before he took note of which rock the power had come from. He knelt down on his left knee to recover from the sudden attack and covered his eyes with his right hand to shade it from the desert sun as he forced himself to overcome the disorientation.

But, his opponent had already maneuvered his way to another rock while Aiden was blinded. The sound of gemstones crunching underfoot alerted Aiden to another attack. From the corner of his eye, he could see a giant of a Togruta running in his direction. Vaguely, he recalled the man’s name was Lexiconus—an Arconan. The giant lashed out with a kick with his right leg, but Aiden was more aware than the Lexiconus knew and was quick to react. He used his right hand and grabbed at the Togruta’s leg mid-kick. His fingers clutched around the man’s ankle and pulled, throwing his opponent off-balance. Before the giant could recover, Aiden lashed out with his right leg at the giant’s left shin and brought him crashing to the ground. Letting go of the man’s leg, he rolled backward and into a handspring to put some distance between them.

Aiden smiled with excitement as the fight started to pick up. “It’s about time someone volunteered for a beating. I was beginning to get bored out here.” He grabbed for his stun batons, taking one in each hand as he spoke harshly to the Togruta. “A bit of advice, amateur. Make sure your opponent is actually weakened before rushing to your own demise.” He stepped back, waiting for the Togruta to get back to his feet. Lexiconus rose silently and stared at Aiden’s twisted smile. His eyes seemed to question why he was being allowed to recover. Aiden seemed to read the question in the giant’s eyes. “Don’t question my intentions,” he said. “Grab your lightsaber and prepare to fight!”

A surprised look came across Lexiconus’ face as he reached for his lightsaber and brought life to the red armory blade. A rush of excitement washed over Aiden as he heard the ignition of the Togruta’s lightsaber. He rushed in quick, before the giant even had a chance prepare an attack, and rolled along the floor striking Lexiconus in the left shin with his baton as he did so. The strike brought Lexiconus down onto his left knee, briefly immobilized. Aiden rose up and turned quickly, running toward Lexiconus again and delivered a blow to his back. With a harsh thump, Lexiconus dropped his lightsaber, turning it off in the process, as his hands hit the floor in front of him. Aiden turned and looked down at his opponent as he gasped for air and decided to let him catch his breath in hopes for an actual challenge.

Merely stunned from the trauma of attacks thrown by Aiden, the Togruta slowly rose to his feet, shrugging off the collection of gems that slithered over his back and arms. Lexiconus glared at his opponent, slamming his hand down into the dirt to grasp the hilt of his lightsaber. The dust of the gems fell from between his fingers as the Arconan rose and unleashed the crimson blade, pointing the tip at Aiden with the pommel tucked against his hip.

“Only fools run where Krath fear to tread,” Lexiconus’ words ushered from his cold lips.

The Inquisitor had spent many hours researching this Sith Talisman, one of the last chronological relics from the time before the Rule of Two and the legacy of an unknown Sith Lord. The power was clearly cluttered and potent: turning sand into gemstones, crystals and diamonds. The diamond residue also turned to lightsaber crystals, but the Talisman’s effect on a Force user’s ability was unknown.

Lexiconus used the silence between them to his advantage. Raising his arm slowly above his head, the Arconan opened his hand and flicked his wrist at Aiden. The Marauder thought he could be quicker and retaliated by trying to throw a blast of Force energy first, but the expected spark sputtered, instead of jumping from his fingertips. The Togruta sprinted forward like a comet, swinging his glowing blade down with hopes of cleaving his opponent’s baton in half. Instead, Aiden twisted deftly and jabbed the baton against his fist, causing him to drop the armoury lightsaber.

Lexiconus was, inevitably, too slow and began to receive the second baton to his stomach in a quick flurry. The Qel-Droman felt the raw shock of the blunt end of the baton like a poor day in the training arena. Slowly falling back onto his knees, the Arconan closed his eyes to the pain and focused deeply. He tried to channel his energy, chanting and whispering words to focus himself, grunting with pain on each hit. But he refused the chance to fall so easily. He summoned the Force first to dull the pain in his beaten body. Then, with a slight flick of his hand, he channeled his rage and threw a blue bolt of energy towards the Human, the shock blowing Aiden back like a ragdoll. Lexic grabbed his lost lightsaber once more and rolled back from the Human, panting slowly, seeing he regained his stance once more.

Lexiconus was, however, much slower this time. The Warden recovered, then rushed again towards him, fury and anger set like stone into his eyes. Preplanned in his mind, the repeated use of Aiden’s baton against the Inquisitor's arm was merciless. With each hit, the baton felt heavier and more painful against it. The Togruta slowly crawled back, towards the sheer drop of the quarry, watching as gems spilled over the lip and fell into the watered chasm below. He regained his grip and waited as baton came down once again. Quick as a flash of lightning, Lexiconus grabbed Aiden’s wrist, restraining him.The Sith then used his own power of the Force, striking his opponent in the chest to deliver a jolt of energy and somersaulted back to regain his stance and focus.

As Aiden recovered, the Inquisitor opened his palm towards him once more, concentrating on his mind, seeping inside, deeper than before to find something fearful. The Togruta then presented the terror of the Dark Side in front of the Marauder’s eyes, the illusion began to manifest

“You should be cautious of the mysteries of the Dark Side,” Lexiconus panted, focusing stressfully on retaining the haunting image.