Episode I: Darkness Beneath the Sands

The galaxy stands at the height of the High Republic, a golden age of peace and prosperity.
From their temple on Coruscant, the Jedi Order are a beacon of light shining across countless worlds, bringing compassion and wisdom.
But even in this golden age, shadows linger beneath the surface of forgotten worlds.

Master Xota Vey has been having dark visions of her homeworld, Iktotch, and something dark stirring beneath the sands.
But there is light in these portents as well. The faces of three young jedi standing against the darkness and starting a journey that could change the face of the galaxy.

Now the three padawans prepare to journey to the storm-wracked moon of Iktotch at their masters' behest.
Where among the endless canyons and howling winds, they will face tests of body and spirit, that will forge their destinies as Jedi Knights.

The story so far

This write-up is a streamlined summary of the extended session that took place during Exalted Summit 2025. See Discord for more granular, but less organized notes.

The padawans meet on Coruscant after being informed by their respective masters that Master Vey, a Jedi Master on the Council, had seen them in a vision together on her home world of Iktoch, where she sensed a growing darkness best kept at bay by the three Padawans in her vision. So, the three aspiring Jedi Knights would be dispatched to Iktoch to investigate, with an understanding that interviews following their ordeal would determine their ascension to knighthood. With five days to prepare for their departure, the three padawans use the time to train, research the planet's history, and procure supplies. Among other things, they learn the reclusive Iktochi inhabit a rugged moon, govern themselves via a democracy that is slowly integrating into the Republic, and near-universally possess pre-cognitive abilities to varying degrees. The latter is thought to be due to the possible presence of a very large Force vergence. Near the end of the preparation period, they have a meeting with Master Vey.

At the meeting with Master Vey, Vu is quick to ask the Jedi master about sources of suffering on Iktoch. To Vu's dismay, Master Vey tells her that following the gradient of suffering may not lead to the darkness the padawans seek to uncover, because suffering is a common and accepted part of every day life on Iktoch - the people do not begrudge their plight. Instead, Master Vey urges the padawans to seek "something old and buried", and to keep an open mind about whether that premonition refers to a physical object or intangible concept. More concretely, Master Vey also reveals the presence of a rural tribe (known as windcallers) south of the Iktochi capital, Ankhala. Master Vey tells the group that the tribe may be willing to share the location of a temple belonging to a now-defunct sect of Force-users known as Windcallers.

When their preparations are complete, the padawans depart for Iktoch on a shuttle provided by the order. They arrive at a dock connected to the moon by a space elevator, noting several others dotting the moon's surface on their way in. To their surprise, they are greeted by the Iktochi leader, High Seer Luthen Core. Following a perfunctory greeting, Luthen ushers the padawans into the care of his aide, Taal Jal. Taal Jal gives the padawans a tour of the city and shows them to their hotel, an uncomfortably well-appointed affair for the padawans used to more austere surroundings, though a welcome surprise for Jeksindravos. Before Taal Jal leaves, the Jedi quiz her about the best way to leave the city. She recommends a bantha and suggests a vendor. That night, the padawans go to Wanderer's Rest, a tavern where locals and off-worlders are known to mingle.

At Wanderer's Rest, Vu and Jek talk to two locals - one a city dweller, the other a traveler (Iktochi who travel between settlements spreading information, news, and wares). They learn from the locals that mining operations around the moon are operated exclusively by off-worlders. While arrangements with the mining interests are favorable overall, occasional raids do take place, creating the need for a security force. Security for the mining operations is provided by the local government as part of an arrangement with the mining companies, whose own security forces proved rather too reckless for the clairvoyant, careful Iktochi. Before parting ways with the locals, Jek and Vu convince the traveler, named Dagio, to accompany them south in two days' time (when the weather will be clear). They agree to meet at dawn at the city's south gate.

Following the conversation with the locals, the two Jedi go back to their table and regroup. The rest of the visit to the tavern is uneventful, although there is one off-worlder who recognizes the group as Jedi. Following their dinner, they make a few more stops. After a brief visit to the central government building (the Nexus of Wisdom), the Padawans go to a temple (the Wind Sculpted Gardens) to meditate. Despite Teral being the one with formal training in Foresight, all three Jedi experience vivid visions during their meditation sessions.

Teral witnesses a storm raging over a perfectly flat, black ocean. When lightning strikes it, the lightning continues into the surface, turning it purple and eventually disappearing. Teral, flying over the ocean in his vision, eventually finds a cave with a red glow inside. At that point, he splits into two, with one version of himself entering the cave, and the other declining to do so. The cave's red glow diminishes when the former version enters it, while the latter Teral (who does not enter the cave) sees the glow become more intense.

Vu foresees two dancers behind a curtain of falling sand, one clad in back and red and other in blue and white. They are initially dancing in harmony, but the dancer in black and red starts speeding up and growing larger. At the same time, the blue-and-white-clad dancer grows ever smaller. Increasingly frantic, the dancer in black and red begins to damage the surroundings. Vu realizes she has also split in two, with one version of her growing smaller and the other growing larger. Small-Vu goes to save the dancer in blue and white from being trampled by the larger dancer (in black and red), but Small-Vu finds she is too small to meaningfully help. Meanwhile, Large-Vu approaches the one clad in black and red, but can't tell whether she's about hug or fight the larger dancer.

Jek's vision begins with him arguing with Dravos and failing to notice a sandstorm. The storm casts Jeksindravos into the air, where they split into three copies. The first copy's Dravos grabs something to save himself, leading to Jek's death. Similarly, another copy does exactly the opposite, with Jek's grasp at a safety hold leading to Dravos's death. Finally, the third copy's heads agree that they need each other to survive and neither grabs anything. Jek awakens before he can see the outcome of the third copy's decision.

Vu mentions the visions during breakfast the following morning, but Jek is clearly uncomfortable discussing the matter in front of Dravos; Teral agrees to talk later. After eating, the padawans head to the east gate to obtain a bantha. Jek takes the lead on negotiating, although his ability to haggle over beasts of burden ends up leaving something to be desired. While Jeksindravos is occupied by the deal-making, Teral and Vu discuss their visions and remark on the similar motifs. Skeptical of their bantha purchase, which comes from a vendor primarily selling "to the food and beverage industry", the padawans continue onto the central bazaar. There, they buy six more energy packs to barter with in the windcaller settlements outside the city. Teral spots an Iktochi man wearing black obsidian neck pendant filled with lightning. Curious about the undeniable similarity of the pendant to his vision, Teral follows the man to a building outside the bazaar but declines to pursue him inside of it.

After the market, the padawans visit the city's main museum, known as the Temple of the Wind. They begin at the ancient history section, where they learn, among other things, that a giant obsidian meteor crashed into the planet in ancient times, leaving a giant obsidian sea covering ~1% of the moon's surface. The moon's harsh sandstorms began to intensify around the same time. While studying the obsidian exhibit, Vu notices another person wearing a lightning-filled obsidian pendant. Although the person retreats hastily when Vu asks them about it, Vu uses the Force to persuade them to stay and chat. While Vu interrogates the museum-goer, Teral uses the Force to get a closer look at the pendant. Although he doesn't see anything scientifically significant, he feels a connection to the Force in the stone. After a moment, however, the museum patron notices that his pendant has again become visible and flees the scene, seemingly embarrassed. Further perusal of the museum reveals that the moon's ancient windwalkers were almost certainly Force-using monks.

Strategizing at the hotel after the museum, the padawans conclude that it would be useful to find out more from Taal Jal before leaving the city. Jeksindravos manages to convince Taal Jal to go to dinner with them. Meanwhile, Teral uses the Force to Seek out both of the Iktochi who were wearing lightning-filled obsidian necklaces. Interestingly, Teral senses them both in a similar direction at a similar distance away - possibly in the same building.