Mission Eat The Dreamer | BotM

[Surea]

"Apprentice, sent by my Master." More or less exactly what Ronar said, but Surea couldn't just let the semantics of it go. She was an Acolyte, an Apprentice. Not some champion. And her Master certainly was no Warchief. "You do not know Sith?" She tilted her head, seeming confused. Weren't the Maw in service of the Sith? Or was there some grander scheme in place she hadn't learned yet? Regardless, now she had questions she'd have to ask her master at some point.

 

[Ronar]

Ronar shrugged at the question from Surea

"I have heard stories," he replied, "But I have only recently come from the far reaches of the galaxy. I have had little chance to fight beside this warband." His hand balled into a fist as he was reminded of his lack of impact on the previous battle. This recent massacre had quenched his thirst somewhat, but he could feel himself growing restless again. He had been fed, but he was not yet sated.

"These…rebels, you are hunting," he asked, "Are there more?"

 

[Surea]

"Sith are not a warband." The fact she had to keep her master a secret was enough proof of that. Did Sith actually work together enough to even fight side by side? Surea wasn't sure. Asides from her Master, she had yet to meet another. But, Ronar seemed to answer some unspoken questions. Or at least clarify that he wasn't the norm when it came to those who'd know of the Sith in the Maw.

"Yes." More rebels, yes. Plenty more to kill. But first. Her attention turned to those she'd slain. Some were already afflicted with the Rot. Even dead, the Rot spread. She raised a hand, calling over an ember from a nearby fire. Then tossed it out. Her Rot couldn't be aloud to spread, not here. Not near allies. A spark turned to an inferno, consuming the bodies before her.

"This way." She turned, not sparing any more attention to the bodies that crackled and burned behind her. There was more work to be done in her Master's name.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Like stone," curtly replied the Dark Lord, not given to any fanciful notions that the throne was more than what it was; a chair. Now that it had been destroyed, it was little more than refuse ready to be swept away to the junk pile. Undoubtedly, someone would be along soon to carry out that very task, some menial serf or slave; whichever the Maw had in abundance. "The throne of a single world is lackluster when faced with true seats of power." Much like the Throne of Balance the Sith so often coveted, but He would not speak of such things to one of the Maw; such knowledge was better kept to one's self.

Descending the dais, the Dark Lord moved to stand a few meters away from the smaller woman. She was thin with pale skin and inky black hair, a single streak of silver breaking the monotony. Her sylvan ears and gaunt stature revealed her as one of the Nagai, a species that the Dark Lord had few interactions with. They were known to be exceptionally charismatic, and even He could feel the suggestive influence laced throughout her every word.

"I am Darth Carnifex," He announced, His words falling like a descending blade. It was a name known throughout the galaxy, striking fear into the weak-hearted and stoking the coals of ire in those whose wills were bent towards justice. More than a living legend, He was an exemplar of the characteristics the Sith were stereotypically known for; ambition, hatred, and a cruel disdain for life. Undoubtedly, His appearance lived up to everything that was spoken about Him throughout the wider galaxy.

"I would know your name, Nagai," intoned the Dark Lord, "What has brought you to this charnal house?"

Spindle ​

 

[Spindle]

TAG: Darth Carnifex

"Well, yes," there was an unspoken 'but' that sought to be voiced. The chair was just a structure without the title and power to back it up, barely symbolic and she was well aware of that. Still, she doubted any harm would've come from letting herself imagine the power of the throne was more than a facade. A thought experiment, nothing more. "Still a shame, it really brought this room together."

As the other approached, Spindle steeled herself as the sheer difference in size and stature became more and more apparent. The towering frame and dark hair cast an imposing silhouette, one Spindle had grown vaguely familiar with by holo. Even for one so often enthralled with her work, she'd be remiss not to have kept tabs on the who's who of the waking world. Names and specifics often lost before a drop of context was added to the inky fold.

"Ah, the Twice-Emperor. How very remarkable fate or force would find this meeting fortuitous." One stained, clawed hand had risen to hover over her chest, head bowing with fractional reverence. The scenery, albeit decrepit, made playing at court all the more entertaining in the given moment. "I've heard of your exploits, indeed, you who would call yourself King of Butchers. How very curious, indeed."

She paused a moment, as if the question of a name was a puzzle to be solved, head tilting to the side as she considered her own response. "You may call me Spindle, Darth. I seek, well, that which doesn't want to be found, I suppose. Though I could ask you the same question."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Ominous," the Dark Lord replied. He looked over this Spindle and found Himself intrigued. She was not like the other Mawites He had the displeasure of meeting, not that He had endeavored to frequently entreat with them. Nonetheless, He had judged the wretches of their horde and found them mildly distasteful, no better than mad dogs narrowly leashed. Sure, they fulfilled their purpose admirably, but they lacked the tact and finesse that the Dark Lord so covetously desired. This Nagai, however, reminded Him of the sort of ilk He often associated with, far grander than the blood soaked dregs around them.

"I seek knowledge," admitted the Dark Lord, "I seek that which has eluded me. My journey has led me from the farthest fringes of the galaxy to the deepest core, and now it has brought me here. It was a mere happenstance that my arrival coincided with the Maw's brazen attack. But I shall not let this opportunity go unexploited." He did not necessarily elaborate what it was exactly that He was seeking, preferring to keep His true intentions mired in obfuscation and vagueness. Despite that, it was evident that the Twice-Emperor was looking for something of great importance, to Himself and possibly to others. He had been one of the first to breach the Iron Citadel's outer defenses, and had stormed its many chambers and corridors before being confronted by its Jedi defenders.

"Tell me more about yourself, Spindle. How did you come to be in the employ of such beasts?"

Spindle ​

 

[Spindle]

TAG: Darth Carnifex

The slight figure shrugged, she hadn't considered herself ominous, more a free agent for the spirit of curiosity. Where others found terror, she found opportunity. And it seemed she wasn't alone in that regard.

With the formality of introductions over with and the threat of an altercation at least temporarily muddled, Spindle drifted away from the Dark Lord, still listening to his own explanation, but also continuing her search for the out of place. "Fascinating. Then perhaps what we seek might align in its own way." And even if the objects of their individual searches hadn't been entwined before they certainly were now.

"They ruined my would-be home. So I, in turn, made a new home out of them." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, pulling a little long, a little sharp. "Well, not exactly a home but they do serve their purpose. Nasty little things, aren't they? Almost need as much thread as my own projects." Those elongated nails continued to drift along the walls as her vacant investigation went on, scratching threads of their own until they drew to a halt.

Her eyes narrowed a fraction before enlarging with a glimmer of glee as her curiosity narrowed. "I found a secret." The singsong lilt an observation was meant for herself more than the audience of one. Her free hand twisted and contorted once more, a focal point as her senses reached out to garner a better understanding of whatever secret she'd uncovered.

"I don't suppose whatever you're seeking would be hidden away in a trapped door? No, that'd be too easy, I'd imagine. Still, how very interesting. A start of something, anyway."