Forging a New Identity

[Darth Vulcanus]

Krag sat in the Forge Spire, watching as rivers of magma were poured into the multiple forging areas spread throughout the underground. Bastion had recently been taken over by one of the Emperor's trusted Sith. In exchange for Krag's assistance in building the complex tunnel systems and forges, she had agreed to forge Krag new armor of his own design. During his time with the Sith, he had read about the ancient Sith Lords who would wear there own personal armor that identified them and struck fear into the hearts of their enemies. Since those times, that philosophy seemed to have been almost forgotten by the Sith and Krag tended to remedy that.

In the yellow and orange light of the forge, Krag looked at a holocron in his hand that depicted the image of the armor he was to have created. The armor would be a hard mixture of ancient Graug armor designs and the ancient Sith battle armors, such as that worn by Darth Krayt. The skin would be forged using very thin layers of turadium, not fit for a proper blast door, but would be altered with Sith Alchemy to give it the strength of a large slab of the material. The armor would no doubt be heavy and restrict Krag much more than his current ultrachrome armor, but Krag was hardly one to fight with acrobatics in the first place. He would take slower movement and more defense any day.

Placing the holocron back into the pouch of his armor, he awaited for the new governess of Bastion to make her appearance.

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

@[member="Krag"]

Balaya moved about the forge as she went about it. The Spire forge was a powerful thing and she stood nearly in the nude with a heavy apron and gloves on, her mane of fiery hair behind her head as she laughed. hammered on the armor. Unlike many of the others she worked the largest forge to make the equipment. The slaves they had captured converted into the unseelie creatures who shuffled around. Their senses gone save smell and she could feel it. The darkside taint they created while they were huddled together and the powerful aura it created. The caries waters were bubbling from it as they cooled the white hot metal the forges fires thansk to the magma being ten times stronger. Being something few could truly achieve save in a forge using fire salts.

Her brow was covered in a fine gleam of sweat as the crystasteel thigh plates came into view and were pounded into shape. What has started before earlier she had been working onto to improve. To make stronger as it was set in the darkside corrupted waters and saturated. Sith alchemy being used to strengthen the metal and make it bend to her will. The imperfections in it she wanted to will away, the seams where it would go over her body gone so it looked invisible. Her armor was sitting in pieces on a rack in front of her and while it looked like a bikini those who paid attention knew she had constructed a full suit of armor. Complete with turadium for the gauntlets.

Lord krags armor was heating up still, it needed to be formed for his size and Graugs were not built like humans. He would have to get all the proper measurements fist and then she could mold it to his form. Make it sing his name as the force was put into it and her hands went back over the metal for her own armor. The thigh piece clicking into place while she took the large chest piece. Someone she couldn't remember had joked about metal bras for massive busts because it would be needed and she laughed. Now while touching the cool metal she gave a nod. Seeing lord Krag coming while she didn't need to speak just set the piece into the flames and she was letting the forge heat it up.

Her hands went deftly to the tongs while the massive cod piece came out and Balaya held it in place. The leggings for it came out with another tongue as she gave a grunt of exertion but it wasn't fully from being tired. Just like how her chest piece was made custom for her to be comfy so was this piece. it had taken several eye witnesses and talks about experience to get a rough estimate about how much metal would be needed as the force slowly poured into it with each strike of the hammer. Balaya turned her head up and nodded as she spoke and double checked with her eyes the measurements. "Hail Lord Krag."

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@[member="Balaya Zambrano"]

Krag approached the Sith, eying the massive Cod piece she had just forged. Krag was pleased with how the first comings of the armor were coming out, he was a Graug after all and he needed strong metal to keep his more sensitive parts from hitting his knees. Nodding at the woman, the massive Graug inquired into the progress of his armor "How comes the armor?" Krag asked as he put a jet black claw on a pile of materials beside Balaya's work station. Krag had high expectations for this armor, it would serve as his new identity to the galaxy just as the ancient Sith lord's armor had for them. The spikes would be perfect, the armor crafted to reflect ages of Sith and Graug glory. And the cod piece...yes the Cod piece would bulge and make Krag's already colossal appearance, even bigger.

With a pleased grin, Krag imagined himself walking into battle with the the armor on. Everyone who dared challenge him would soon run in fear, tales of his power and the sight of his armor being enough to scare any weakling off into the underbrush. Krag would be truly menacing in this new armor, and he would fill it out quite nicely.

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

@[member="Krag"]

Balaya looked up as she finished with the metal for now at least. She brought the tongs over and set it into the silver waters with a smile on her face. The other pieces were just as big if not bigger and it made it all quite a sight to behold as she finally spoke. "It is coming along nicely Lord Krag." Her face showed more sweat as she wiped it away and pulled the chest piece from the fire, the massive one that was Krags glowed white hot from the heat as it was pounded and shaped to fit on his barrel chest. A solid piece instead of something he would have to tie together with leather. It made it stronger, more powerful but would and should limit him more. The arm pieces leaving the arm pit exposed and vulnerable.

That was a needed drawback otherwise he might just have metal scrapping under his arms and that would be irritating to the wearer. It kept her going while she went back to work and held the large piece of metal, her power flaring out and brushing across it to seep into the small imperfections and bend them. She willed it to be smooth and whole with no mistakes. There would be none as the white hot metal dulled a little to cherry red before it went into the bubbling waters. The caries seeping into it with the dark taint of Aza'zoth while Balaya inwardly laugh. The second item coming out which was her armor and the breastplate for herself was done with the turadium and crystasteel setting along nicely.

Her tongs found the metal as the cooled breastplate was measued next to her and Balaya took away the apron letting the solid piece of metal go over her self. The caries clinging to her flesh while she remained there with it for a moment before taking it off. The crystasteel on her stomach coming down in front of her while she tapped the clear metal. The force making it shimmer and dance getting a barely noticeable hue of pink to go with her skin. Her face turned around before setting it back on the armor stand and looked at the boots, thighs and now chest piece. The look of a bikini stronger but more importantly she had all the pieces assembled and finished for her equipment. The thigh and cod piece for Krag coming out to adorn another mannequin.

That made Balaya turn to the waters as she pulled the large chest piece out with a grunt. The thick metal made to be intimidating but the small parts of it where she had scored the metal. Made it ruined just enough played to her. The tongs went into the fire and pulled out the first spike as it sat there and she started to attach the smaller spikes to it as they glowed white and bonded to the metal with the force and with the marks she had made. it kept it in place for the time being until slowly she finished. Showing a deliciously wicked looked chest piece that had all the implementations to kill people. Holding off another minute Balaya pointed to the thigh and cod piece with the chest piece. "Try them on for now while your boots and leggings finish heating up. Lord Krag."

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

Krag watched carefully as Balaya forged the armor with excellent precision. The magnificent light from the magma danced around the cold stone walls of the forge as metal was dipped deep into it and then brought back out in a red hot mess that was quickly shaped by hammer and Sith alchemy. The darkside energies off of Balaya and then deep into the armor where they began to strengthen the metal and bend the imperfections like no physical tool could. Soon enough, Krag's fellow Sith was dipping her own set of armor into the magma before throwing it into a large tub of cool water.

As the armor was cooled and bended, Krag turned his attention to the rest of the forge. All around, Graug were busy at work forging barbaric vibroswords and durasteel armor that resembled the stormtrooper armor worn by the rest of the Empire's troops. The Graug, now being subject to Imperial rule, also held the same benefits that any other soldier did. They, however, would not lose their identity for the sake of better armor and so Krag made sure that each Graug was able to paint their suits in ancient Graug symbols and warpaints. Looking around, Krag saw stormtrooper armor decorated in the bones of dread spiders, some covered in dried blood that had been caked on to resemble Graug hieroglyphics. Leave it to Krag's people to make even the most advanced armor look barbaric, primitive and frightening to no ends.

Krag could see it now, the Graug would be the new backbone of the Empire and they would prove their might and superiority over the Sith's lesser soldiers. ""Try them on for now while your boots and leggings finish heating up. Lord Krag." Balaya said, her pink finger pointing to the pieces of armor.

Krag grinned, "Very well." he said as he untied the leather which held the two slabs of ultrachrome plates onto his body. One the slabs have been removed, Krag threw the heavy metal aside, resulting in a crash that seemed to shake the very stone that held the forge together. From there, Krag removed his ultrachrome until he was standing only in a black fatigue robe that was meant to be worn under armor. Grabbing the cod piece Krag fitted the piece around his groin, adjusting it multiple times to be sure that his monster member was snug. After the cod was on, Krag moved onto the leggings, snapping the strong metal around his legs and adjusting them until they were perfectly snug.

"Magnificent." Krag hissed with pleasure.


@[member="Balaya Zambrano"]

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

Balaya gave a nod of her head while she looked upon the slabs of metal he had put aside. Not the most graceful but then they weren't going for grace they were going for utility and while he stood there with the pieces she extracted the boots from the magma and held them out. The two pairs one for herself which were longer and thinner but linked by circles and the ones for Krag which were built for stomping on and crushing everything underfoot. For several minutes she worked on them as the heat cooled to cherry again and the caries flowed over them. Shaping the boots to the proper sizes and pouring the force into them. The arm sections would be last but for this right now she was laughing to herself. The power rolling off of her until they were set into the waters to finally cool.

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@[member="Balaya Zambrano"]

Krag's eyes danced around the magma as Zambrano heated the metal, shaped it and then poured the force into it with a malevolent laugh that could have easily rivaled Krag's in its frightening style. The boots that were for Krag looked as if they could crush a wookiee's skull under its heel and the metal seemed to be flawless in every way, shape and form. Krag was beginning to like this lesser, she was quite the forger and soon she could help teach the Graug to forge armor just the same as she did. Yes, great things were going to come for the Graug.

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

@[member="Krag"]

The final parts of the armor were the most important or at least her final pieces. Krag still had a helmet burning and forming. Her hammer flee upon the links and the top portions of the gloves her eyes strained now watching all of it as slowly the tips of the finger were bent and pounded into place. Her hair clinging to her body and she looked upon it all, as the long and bulky gloves came out of the fire she had a grin on her face. Balaya set it in the water and went to work on the other gloves making the designs and metal twist and bend, pushing the force into it and smiling all the while. Her energy was still there but for the moment when the final piece went into the water and she sat back.

The boots and gloves finally cooled and black while she laughed. "It is nearly done lord Krag." Taking a sip of the water brought some calmness to her heaving chest and shuddering muscles. Their tremble dissipated as she leaned back and ran a hand along the length of her armor. The gloves coming out to look intricate with Krags shaped as well. A thick needle and thread being used as the armor weave gloves were attached. Her finger tips being fitted with the small stiletto blades as they went into the fingers. The underside of her gloves being fitted with slivers under the weave while she focused on it. Krags gauntlets and arm sections the black metal all made to be an imposing sight able to use the force for additional protection. Her hands went to Krags equipment as she held them out and grinned. "They are ready my lord, all that is left is the helmet."

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

Even to Krag, who felt himself superior to most all, was impressed by the handy work of the Emperor's hand. Taking the metal up in his hands, Krag grinned and nodded to @[member="Balaya Zambrano"] with pleasure "excellent" the beast nearly purred as he placed the armor set on a stand beside him. The first piece that he took up was the chest plate, a silver and red piece of metal that fit so snugly on Krag's person that it made his slabs of Ultrachrome look ore clumsy than a blind bantha on a mountainside. The shoulder plates, connected to the chest plate, held sharp edges and spikes that would be used for both intimidation and to be used as weapons during combat. The plates covered the entirety of his neck, unlike the plates, but has an open space in the front of the neck that left it slightly vulnerable. There also seemed to be a gap between the two separate slabs of metal that made up the shoulder plates, a prime target for the enemy to strike at during combat but nothing major.

Next came the arm plates and gauntlets which fit onto Krag perfectly. The arm plates covered his arms but, for mobility reasons, the elbows of the plates were made up of a thick leather that would not hold up outstandingly to lightsaber strikes, even with the alchemy boosting it. The gloves left the palms, fingers and claws of Krag's hands exposed so that there was no hindrance to his force abilities. There were also sets of spikes on either forearm that would serve the same purpose as the spikes which sat on his shoulders. Finally came the bottom portions of the attire which covered his legs well but left a good portion of the slides and back of his knees exposed. There were also small spaces on his hips that were not armored, but overall Krag was very pleased with outcome of his armor thus far.

"I am pleased Zambrano...very pleased." Krag said as he admired the craftsmanship "Now that I have had a chance to see your skill, I have another item for you to forge."

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

@[member="Krag"]

Balaya looked up from her seat and rose finished with her armor, her hands finding the gloves against as she stood now in her full armor. There was only one piece left in the forge and that was the helmet. Her tongs brought out the solid piece as she set it down and took the plates, the spikes and the final pieces. Her blade scored the metal on the helmet and on the plate. She looked at it and pushed the force into it while shaping the demonic look, the horns going out and curling a little back. The sinister face taking form under the white hit metal until slowly it was formed. Then setting in the waters to cool. Her eyes drifted to Krag and she wondered what he would like for her to craft more if there was any materials left. Right now the graug were bringing materials from their world. She liked the idea of continuing their endeavors to build more weapons of war. The neutron cannons had been built for the planet. "I would welcome working on something else for you my lord."

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@[member="Balaya Zambrano"]

Krag placed the helmet upon his head, his eyes slowly disappearing behind the shadows cast by the cynical piece of metal. Now, towering before Balaya, Krag looked down upon the master forger and spoke in a voice of thunder "I require a sword, one that rivals even the strength of the great Darth Sadow" turning and marching over to a case he had brought to the forge when it was first created, Krag threw the trunk open and pulled out a series of bones from a ferocious Dread Spider that he had hunted himself. The bones were from the forelegs of a harshly tainted Dread Spider that was so powerful in the darkside that it could harness it to create force lightening (killed during Krag's first ST).

Throwing the heavy bones to Balaya's feet, Krag continued "Combine this bone with the ores to create a Sith Blade and forge me a sword that is sharper than no other, a sword that will make my enemies squirm at my feet! A blade that will suck the very lightside from the galaxy!"

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

@[member="Krag"]

Balaya looked at the bones and then at the metals. There was much she could do but forging bone.... Well she wasn't going to say it couldn't be done just wasn't as easy. She hands found them and ran along the length as Balaya thought about what kind of sword to create and they went into the fire. With some of the metal, her hands searching in chests for more pieces including a stone to sharpen it all in the end. Some electrum for flare and the guard. The hilt would be wood. That would serve best but not some cheap wood. No she dug through it until she found two pieces that would cover the tang of the blade. It would still take hours maybe even longer to do but the zeltron stood thre ready for it. "It shall be done."

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@[member="Balaya Zambrano"]

"Excellent, Zambrano." Was the Sith Lord's simple reply as he watched the master forger go to work with the bone and and metal. When finished the weapon would be laced with darkside energies that would fuse the rare ores used for Sith blades with the already powerful and tainted bone of the Colossal Dread Spider. It would make Krag's darkside signature unmistakable while it was near him, but it would be an overwhelming power that he was sure would frighten even the most arrogant of Jedi. As Balaya got to work, Krag took a seat nearby and began to breath in the very heat around him as if it were some kind of sweet narcotic. The Graug Knight wished the blade to be infused with his own energies so that he may use the blade in the same manner as a force weapon.

Closing his eyes, Krag focused on the bones and ores that Balaya had started forging and carving together. Her own dark energies were already pouring over the blade to shape it, so Krag was sure to poor every ounce of his own being into its creation so that it would become like an extension of his own arm. He could see it in his mind, Zambrano's energy appeared purple to his mind's eye and he could see washing over the blade like a heavy rain fall. However, Krag could also see his own energies that took the shape of raging fires that engulfed the blade in an inferno of evil and hate. Every ounce of rage, anger, bloodlust and savage lust that Krag had ever felt were being poured into that blade as it was slowly shaped by Balaya's hands...

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

Balaya continued to work as Krag went about in his task. She wasn't ignoring him not really but more tunnel and focused vision. She had a goala nd that was the shaping when her tongs pulled the bone out. The heat in it doing all that was needed while she pounded on it with the hammer. The force making it bendable the heat letting her make a thick blade but it still looked proper. The dull side thicker and more like a semi spiked club you could bludgeon people with while the excess bone was slowly pounded into the blade. To fold over and over and over, to have it ending in a fine cut she would need to sharpen with the stone.

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@[member="Balaya Zambrano"]

Fire, brimstone and ash was all Krag could envision as he drained his powers into the sword like a battery charging an electronic device. The sheer amount of energy that Krag was pulsing into the blade was enough be felt throughout the entirety of the tunnels under Kalee. Krag could feel himself weakening as he used all of his current energy threshold to power the sword and give it the powers that all Sith Swords possessed. By the time this sword was complete, it would be like a mobile nexus for the darkside of the force and that was exactly what Krag wanted from it.

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

@[member="Krag"]

Balaya kept at it while Krag poured more and mroe of his energy into the blade. Her hands deftly shaping with the tongs and gloves where she could the decorations to be used. Her own energy going deep into the metal while she felt the caries water feeding the darkest of taints from Val'ryss into it. Feeding the corruption of the lords of shadow into the sword so it hummed with the darkside and was folded over and over with layers of it. Finally she came away and looked adorning a ruby crystal within the hilt and guard as the fiery red quinoxi crystal. She didn't know if it was done but it was ready. They could sharpen and test it more on subjects. "The blade will have to be fully sharpened but it is ready, test it as you will on the slaves to get used to the weight."

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@[member="Balaya Zambrano"]

Looking up to Balaya, before standing up and taking his usual position high above her, Krag gave a grin of satisfaction. Taking the blade into his hands, Krag causally swung it from side to side. The force could be felt pulsing through the blade and it gave the Graug a rush of adrenaline as he imagined how cleanly it could cut through his enemies. With a deep, thunderous chuckle, Krag spoke to Balaya, "Excellent, Zambrano, I am very pleased with this weapon." turning to two of the nearest Graug, Krag roared to them in his native tongue [in Graug] "Bring me two of the slaves, my blade hungers for its first kill"

With great haste, the two Graug moved to a group of Kaleesh slaves in the far corner. Grabbing two Kaleesh, a man and woman, the warriors hauled them away from the screaming slaves who were held back by a squad of Imperial Graug Warriors who were watching over them. As the slaves were brought over, Krag motioned for his men to set them on their knees. The warriors complied instantly and forced the two onto their knees before the hulking beast, whose heavy breathing could be heard even over the cries and screams of the other slaves. The two before him, however, did not make a sound and simply bowed their heads to the ground in silence and did not even seem to breath.

Raising the sword in the air, Krag gave out a roar and then drove the blade through both slaves at a slanted angle. Even with the sharpened blade, the Sith Alchemy and forging was enough to give Krag a clean through and through on the first slave. The feel of the bone separating and the slight resistance of the blade gave Krag chills of pleasure as the blood of his victims was sprayed across his armor and the ground. The first slave died without a noise as the blade had instantly killed him with a bisecting blow, the second was not so lucky. The woman screamed out in pain and terror, even though the blade had cleanly cut through her side. As it turned out, Krag had lifted the blade in an arching motion for the executions and so only dug deep enough into the second slave to cause a lethal but slow acting wound.

As the screams of death echoed throughout the tunnel, Krag simply turned on his heel with a cynical grin across his face, "you have done well, Balaya, I am pleased." walking over to a nearby sharpening stone, Krag waved the woman off, "You may take your leave, I no longer have use for you." the beast said as he sat at the stone and began to sharpen the menacing blade....

 

[Balaya Praelior Zambrano]

@[member="Krag"]

Balaya gave a bow of her head to that, he had begun sharpening the blade which would go a long way. With it done she did not doubt his skill as a war chief of his people. They were after all built for conquest and destruction, she even recalled his large blade from when he was an apprentice and how dangerous it had been. With a bow she started walking off and looked at the slaves on the ground while speaking to the guards. "Hope you brought enough, I'll have some of the plant people we captured brought down. Maybe see if his fire skills can extend to the blade and really kill the creatures."