Private Solomon's Legacy [Prazutis]

[Darth Carnifex]

The mountain was broken.

It had been shattered by Mandalorian hand.

In the final hours of the Battle of Panatha, the Mandalorians had put into motion a series of events that culminated in the mountain's explosive destruction. Comparable to a titanic volcanic eruption, the highest peak of the Iron Mountains blew apart and coated the entire mountain range in a thick maelstrom of ash, debris, and fire. A cloud of hot ash spread quickly across the Panathan supercontinent, plunging the world in a deep winter unlike any before seen in the planet's long history.

Tens of thousands died, and the world began to suffocate. Yet even with their capital city left in ruins, swaths of their homeworld reduced to glass, and an endless downpour of ash blanketing the jungles and marshlands, the Epicanthix people did not succumb to the miseries inflicted upon them. In the darkness of Panatha's Great Suffering, the Epicanthix endured.

It was under this blanket of ash and shadow that the Dark Lord slipped back into Panatha's atmosphere. Having freed Himself from the Ashlan Crusade's grips with the aid of His Great-Uncle Prazutis, the Dark Lord moved quickly to achieve several of His short-term goals in the scant hours after His freedom. Chief among these goals was to travel back to Panatha, not as a triumphant conqueror, but as a fugitive forced to hide in the shadows of His own homeworld.

Such an indignity would be repaid in blood a thousand's thousand-fold, He would commit the names of those who had inflicted such humiliation on Him to memory. Even if it took generations, such an insult would be answered in kind.

"We're coming up on the crater."

The mechanical trill of the robotic pilot drew the Dark Lord from His thoughts, His eyes snapping over to the viewport as the silhouette of the shattered mountain materialized through the thick haze of ash. Much of the land was rendered uninhabitable, radiation spilling out to coat a quarter of the mountain range. Everything touched by the lethal radiation withered and died quickly, even the most hardy of wildlife succumbed. Those caught on the periphery had their genetic code scrambled beyond repair, deforming into mutants and other heinous abominations.

Even the Dark Lords needed to protect themselves, and so each had a pair of radiation suits on hand for this occasion. Carnifex began to slip into His own as they neared, the Geiger counter starting to tick right as He sealed Himself off from the outside world.

"Bring us down near the lip of the crater, we'll make the rest of the journey on foot."

"Affirmative."

The shuttle idled near the lip, the boarding ramp opening as Carnifex and Prazutis emerged and stepped onto the irradiated earth. The shuttle then pivoted and flew away into the distance, where it would remain until they summoned it back. Now left on their own, the two Dark Lords began their trek towards the deepest portion of the crater. Neither the Eternal Empire, the Mandalorians, or even the surviving Epicanthix government thought to journey to the shattered mountain because they believe that nothing of value remained on or in the ruined husk.

But the Dark Lords knew different.

There had been legends passed from father to son for over three-hundred years, myths of a subterranean workshop hidden beneath the Iron Mountains. A workshop that had once belonged to Solomon the Black, the source of his insidious contraptions and impossibly complex machinery. Many had regarded these tales as purely legend, having no bearing in reality. Few persisted to the modern day that held strong to the legends, believing that one day the workshop would be discovered and Solomon's secrets unearthed once again.

Carnifex had dismissed such rumors, wishful thinking of Zambranos who had fallen far from the heights Solomon had reached. He never put much effort into searching below the Iron Mountains for the workshop, focusing on other endeavors that were far more achievable in His mind.

Until the mountain was shattered.

And an ancient tunnel had been unearthed.

And something called to Him from the darkness.

Darth Prazutis ​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

The world changed.

Panatha was scarred from the vengeance of the Mandalorians. The onslaught left gaping wounds in the earth of smoking glass, a capital city in ruins and a proud Zambrano king left dead. But the Epicanthix were stronger than most they weathered a storm few could survive time and time again. In the past Solomon the Black, Emperor of the Black Empire and God of the Epicanthix had a storied rise. The shocking conflict that saw his father dead, the world in flames, and House Sehat wiped out of the pages of history. But few could truly grasp how an interstellar force spilled out from the world like an endless tide to sweep over the entirety of the Pacanth Reach and beyond. It shouldn't have been possible and yet there it was. The iron legions of Solomon smashed every single force arrayed before them showering their god and people in endless victory. Well equipped with bleeding edge tech and empowered by the dark side they were nearly unstoppable. It was myths and legends about well hidden in the halls of the Zambranos, but unfounded until the mountain shattered and something beneath the surface was revealed.

When the shuttle pulled away leaving the two radiation suit clad giants alone the quiet set in. Their state of the art suits were merely one of many designs in the Kainate. A full body with a hud suite equipped to give constant environmental and scanning readings on the radiation in the area. They were presently in the red zone. In terms of other equipment he carried what little was necessary, any else such as Daesumnor he could call through the darkness. Together with his nephew their dark Dyad eclipsed any other. The Dark Lord pressed forward through the blackened crater, the ground glass cracked and split beneath their heavy footfalls. It was still hot from the assaults and had only just begun to cool and the heated vapors cast off the ground were a threat all it’s own to most people. But for a Maenan? He had endured worse. If it weren’t for the radiation he would’ve needed no exterior protection. The shards of the sundered mountain were everywhere leaving unstable mountains of rubble towering over the landscape. The closer they came the more rugged the terrain. Those that were in the way the Dark Lord utilized the force to sunder them, lifting rock and casting it aside with effortless telekinetic grips. When they were moved aside that was when they would catch a glimpse of the tunnel that formed. A gaping wound in the earth it was a jagged slice. It was clear from the hollowed earth that it was once a worked tunnel within the mountain itself, crafted before the sundering had shattered and annihilated what ornate stonework might’ve been left outside its entrance. A series of shattered bases that might’ve been statues were visible as they neared it. Braxus took the lead in stepping within the tunnel itself. It was well crafted its structure reinforced through some metal infusion. Whatever arcane designs went into its construction it was undoubtedly touched by the force and more than strong enough to weather even a falling mountain and the seismic event brought with it.

“This is no ordinary tunnel. It was forged.“

As they descended the tunnel turned and twisted deep beneath the earth so many times it could induce dizziness. Other pathways jutted out leading into the darkness some were dead ends others leading to perilous areas. It quickly became clear that they had passed into a maze complex carved into the earth. In some areas there were no lights at all while others the very stone itself cast a form of light in the form of shards that cast an azure light providing visibility. The deeper tunnels were covered with glowing panels. Through gifts of farsight, intuition and luck they made their way through this maze until they had arrived into a carved half sphere chamber. The back wall was almost entirely of a forged dull, darkened metal. a carved angular, ornate door in the center of the wall and it was presently dark. There were a series of mysterious obelisks in the surrounding area, carvings done in unknown languages on the walls. But for this door there was no control panel at all, nothing. Only a slight, hidden indentation in the wall just next to the door. The Dark Lord walked right up to the door itself and ran a hand across its surface. “This is stronger than any blast door. I doubt brute strength will get us anywhere here. We need to find the way through.”

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

They neared the gaping wound at the epicenter of the destruction, lifting aside black-husked rock with the meager applications of the Force. Underneath was elaborate stonework, protected from the elements by its seclusion underground and spared from the blazing sun above until cleansing fire uncovered it. Even at a glance, it was evident that the masonry at work was ancient beyond measure. A webwork of metal, itself only a few centuries old, was inlaid through the much older stone.

As Carnifex reached out to touch the ancient walls, He could feel that the Dark Side of the Force permeated every layer of stone and metal. Whoever had constructed this tunnel had done so with not only the aid of the Dark Side, but exclusively with the powers of darkness and rage. It reminded Him of His own great works, Malsheem's walls radiated with similar energies. But whereas Malsheem was relatively fresh, these walls maintained an anger so unfathomably ancient that millennia had refined it into something pure and almost unnatural.

Prazutis led the way as they descended into the lightless depths. Often the tunnel careened in many directions, each one more twisting than the last. Had they lacked the intuition of a Sith, they might have found themselves lost in the subterranean labyrinth. But through their combined skills they persevered, passing through rich caverns of scintillating azure crystals, bottomless ravines that yawned into infinity, and underground groves of fungus and lichen. Such wonders beheld by none in uncounted ages, witnessed by their keen eyes in the twilight gloom.

But, at last, they emerged into a semicircular chamber. The curving wall was covered in seamless dark metal, glowing with a dull sheen that replicated the illusion of light glimmering off of a watery surface. A door served as an anchor for the center point of the wall, closed and inscribed with runes illegible to either of the Dark Lords. A series of tall obelisks were placed at even intervals before the wall, their surfaces likewise covered with the same inscriptions as the door. It was evident that they had not been used in hundreds of years, a layer of dust and detritus taking root in the runic indention.

Carnifex reached up and removed His protective radiation hood, the suit having identified marginal levels of radiation in the area; the same levels naturally occurring on any given world. He approached the door and stood next to Prazutis, red-in-black eyes scanning the door for anything that stood out to Him. Though He could read nothing, the symbols seemed strangely familiar to Him, as though He had seen them in a dream or a distant memory.

Instinctively, Carnifex slipped the glove from His right hand and placed it against a rectangular depression in the door frame. There was a deep rumbling before a sharp blade protruded from the seamless stone beneath Carnifex's hand and sliced into His palm. Blood was drawn from the wound, seeping into the stone, as a deep rumbling continued to shudder and shake the entire chamber. After a few moments, the rumbling stopped. The door then began to open, acrid and stale air pouring out to buffet the two Dark Lords as they stood before it.

Wordlessly, Carnifex and Prazutis passed through the threshold.

Darth Prazutis ​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

The doors seemed to drag open with an oppressive grind, unleashing on the air a sound reminiscent of a wordless scream once the seals were broken. The dark interior suddenly glowed as light poured from deep recesses of the chamber given life by the mysterious activation process triggered by the door. The blood seemed to flow through veins in the floor glowing with a deep crimson light through the carved stone. Inside it was a hallway of beautifully polished obsidian stone that drew in and seemed to absorb the light. In it was a beautifully carved mosaic from wall to wall, floor to ceiling with the delicate hand of a master craftsmen. Even the floors unique tiles were carved with unique designs. For students of the purest bloodline however many of the imagery was recognizable, as masters of the secretive Zambrano History these were undoubtedly the work of the Great Conqueror. The Eye of Solomon that had become the official sigil of the family back during his reign was emblazoned prominently. Along the walls on each side parallel to one another were alcoves that held titanic statues carved out of the same blackened material. Much like everything else this wasn't man made by a stonemason, this was carved through the black power of the dark side, cut by the hands of weavers of black magic. Each heroic statue of the Supreme God-Emperor Nemeroth towered oppressively above the halls their eyes blazed with unnatural sentience. For two Dark Lords they would recognize the patchwork of impressive magic that made these unique constructs deep in their core were long trapped souls enslaved by the dark god. Their demented gaze locked on the giants and their shackled fury held at bay by the presence of the purity in their blood. The long hallway ended in a wall of metal and a blast door already pulled open, within illuminated panels on the floors and ceiling poured out light. A panel seemed to glow to life and deep within was a whispy blue energy that crackled in a sheet on the floor. A relic of the Infinite Empire during its golden age of technology. A teleportation chamber. Iconography of the Infinite Empire was carved into the walls here. "As I recall the secret history of our family detailed our ancestor Solomon's discovery of the ancient site. The pinnacle of technological wonder during the golden age of the Infinite Empire. He made it his own." Braxus stated as he walked inside the halls of the small chamber. The doors pulled shut behind the pair as they stepped quietly, unafraid into the glowing blue energy and disappeared in a wash of light.

Almost instantaneously they vanished appearing on the opposite end far beneath the surface. Their eyes were immediately met with the eruption of light and a door that slid open revealing a cavern whose size was mind boggling. A ceiling rising so far into the sky starfighters could dogfight without restriction. A monolithic pyramid like structure rose dominantly above. In front of them stood an immense sky bridge of sorts wide enough to drive an entire armored formation of tanks down. It's panels flowed with glowing light, carved deep with the old iconography of the Infinite Empire and the more recent additions of the Eye of Solomon and sigils of the Black Empire added by the sites last owner. The bridge ended at the opposite side of the massive cavern to an immense vault like, slanted blast door. It was a marvel of creation beyond comparison, engineering from a time long buried in the past. "The Iron Forge created by the Predor Kor'zul the Indomitable, once a powerful contender for the mantle of Over-Predor. The course of our species was decided from this very site he meddled with powers and molded flesh like clay from within those walls." Braxus said as the pair gazed upward at the immense structure. All along the bridge were hidden defenses implemented by the Rakata. Ancient fabrication generators that could come to live and instantly construct a variety of attack automata as if fresh off the assembly line to send wave after wave against the enemy, countless self regenerative retractable turrets hidden in walls and floors, protective shields that could slide out from wall panels and floors to block incoming fire. Later Solomon introduced his infamous guardian statues that now littered the bridge saturated in the dark side of the force, malevolent souls burning in these alchemy forged monstrosities of war ready to come to life and unleash annihilation from a bygone era, lost arts never to be seen again in nigh indestructible butchers. But the main piece of the defense that drew their eye? The immense automata dominating the opposite end of the bridge. The Annihilator Droid XRR-66, Destroyer of Civilizations, the Gatekeeper. It was an immense construct that stood on three piston like legs now lowered in a slumbering mode closer to the floor. It was the only piece of the defense still visibly glowing with life, even in such a period of low activity its eye lenses still seemed to glow with a sinister light.

Darth Carnifex​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"The cradle of creation," breathed Kaine as He processed the full scale of the gargantuan cavern. It stood among the greatest architectural and technological marvels in the galaxy, completely hidden from everything and everyone until now. A deep sense of familiarity rested within Kaine, like He had seen this place in a dream or a long forgotten memory. He felt at home here, like He belonged to be here. He couldn't explain why He felt this way, only that it was powerful and pulled on Him to walk across the bridge that spanned the gulf.

He had heard stories of the Iron Forge, it had been passed down through the Zambrano line from father to son for several generations. It had been thought lost or even destroyed, none of His predecessor's had been able to locate it despite exhaustive searching. The Iron Mountains were just too massive to thoroughly search, with thousands of kilometers of winding tunnels that stretched deep below Panatha's surface. In a way, it was fortuitous that the Mandalorians caused such terrible destruction, for it had revealed a passageway into the heart of the Old Black Empire; the very forge upon which Solomon the Black, Nemeroth the Apocalyptic, had established an undying legacy.

A legacy that lived and breathed through Him, the culmination of centuries of ambition and carefully cultivated genetic matching. Though the Zambranos had wed brother to sister, their marriages had been the furthest thing from consummated. Power was concentrated through successive generations, wealth and property viciously coveted. The progeny of these pairings were engineered in laboratories, the genes of both parents harvested and meticulously blended with other favorable genes to create a child stronger than what had come before; all impurities expunged.

"And now it stands before us, ready to be wielded once more." All that stood between them and their destiny was a massive automaton, towering over the pair by several magnitudes. Though inert, it was still an impressive display of engineering. The entire droid's body bristled with weapon emplacements, deflector nodes, and esoteric technology that straddled the line between science and magic. It was the only thing, besides the closed door, that barred their way into the Iron Forge's inner sanctum. Kaine anticipated a fight, but there was something in Him that was nagging Him to approach the automaton first; despite such an act going against His own combat logic.

So Kaine approached the droid, and it awoke as He neared. The droid reared up on all of its limbs, red photoreceptors glowing bright and menacing in the gloom of the cavern. Its weapons trained on the Dark Lord, but it hesitated to open fire. A small blue light extended from the droid and passed over Kaine's body, as though the droid were scanning Him like a medical drone. The droid spoke in a language that neither of the Epicanthix giants could understand and then stepped aside, the door to the Iron Forge slowly opening to allow them entry.

The only explanation for this strange turn of events that Kaine could think of was, "The droid scanned us for Zambrano blood, Braxus. It detects the trace amounts of Solomon that course through our veins, and has given us entry." Truly, this was another portent that the pair were well and truly on the path to their destinies, for there could be no other rationalization. Kaine started to walk forward, but then stopped for a moment and looked back at Braxus.

"Come, we shall cross the threshold together."

Darth Prazutis ​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Life breathed through ancient mechanisms as the colossal door responded to the signal given by the Gatekeeper. The main door looked much like a blast door or an immense foundry door that rose and fell from the ceiling. It was made of the same dull metal that looked the color of stone, inlaid with a crystalline material that glowed illuminating the entire intricate pattern that spread out like the beauty of a spiders web. There was a resonance in the dark side of the force familiar to much of this ancient technology and it was clear that without the right access, nothing short of a highly intensified orbital bombardment through the use of superlasers would pierce these walls. The very center of the design held the sigil of the Infinite Empire blazing in all its glory it was a clear show of pride designed to impress and intimidate. The entire door fractured in the middle and pulled apart like the great toothy maw of a beast with half of it rising into the ceiling while the other descended down into the floors below. It was impressive just how massive the place was when it was fully opened and its Gatekeeper was no longer in their path. An army could march through these doors with plenty of room for support vehicles and armored formations on the sides.

Before the eyes could catch a glimpse of the interior proper they locked on a series of massive statues surrounding the opening. They flanked either end with the last farther forward. These glowed with the resonance of the force except they were wholly different from the rest of the rakatan built pieces. These were hewn from the trademark black iron of Panatha's mountains, masterfully crafted through the clear presence of magic and heavily bathed in alchemy. The arcane powers that went into their creation were a testament to the true power of Solomon Zambrano, powers never to be seen in this world again. They were statues of his wife, son, and finally the man himself was the biggest of them all rising into the high ceilings above. The huge banners of then High House Zambrano draped down from each and covered the walls of the entrance like a parade hall. This place wasn't meant to belong to any other, as such the heraldry of the Black Empire of the period was few and far between.

Beyond these constructs there was the immensity that was the factory floor. It spread far in every direction with each step they took within the walls of this structure, it spread miles in every direction with a dizzying array of mind-blowing forges, assembly lines and manufacturing apparatus designed to construct everything from droids, tanks, armor, weapons, to starships. Many of these machines of ancient technology possessed the secrets of the Infinite Empire, might of the ancient ones and their ability to create something out of nothing and these pieces were present on the immense floor all over. The walls were pockmarked with similarly designed doors from what they were able to see, potentially leading to more manufacturing rooms and private forges. The world within glowed as they stepped in revealing the dormant, idling machines.

The Lord of Lies didn't hide his wonder at what they stood before he gazed up and outward the words seeming to fall out of his mouth "The birth of an empire, our legacy came from right here Kaine. Right from these machines." The pair walked together passing by the towering statues and moving deeper into the floors within. All around there were only the occasionally moving pieces from automated turrets, sensor orbs and other small orbs. "It was said that Solomon forged his army here and unleashed it on the surrounding systems. The forces within were unchallenged."

Darth Carnifex ​