Private Kings of the Nightworld (Empyrean)

[Darth Carnifex]

Drums echoed across the sweeping pavilions and broad causeways of Jutrand, buoyed by the choral hymn of a thousand throats crying out as one. Black and red banners fluttered in the caustic breeze, ashes raining from the sky as well over a hundred pyres roared hungrily atop bronze braziers carried upon the backs of hulking monsters with gnarled and knubby gray skin; crisscrossed by endless scars carved by the lashing whips of their cruel drivers. They trudged along in a massive procession through the city streets, the great and terrible Imperial Citadel looming before them like the monument to a long dead god.

At the head of this great parade was a massive palanquin, shouldered by gargantuan elephantine humanoids garbed in rich black fabric. The litter was thirty meters by thirty meters, so large that it well took up the entire width of the street. A canvas of shimmering silk crowned it, concealing the figures within from sight. Well over three dozen slaves tended to those seated within, a menagerie of hedonistic bureaucrats and haughty Lords of the Sith. But at their center was their most revered sire, elevated above them on a bench chiseled from ancient black wood and inlaid with golden runes. Several slaves were seated around Him, while one was placed directly in front of Him. They swayed from side to side, their eyes unfocused and their mouth agape, as wispy tendrils of sickly green mist curled out from their body and slipped into the gesturing fingers of the man seated upon the throne.

Darth Carnifex partook the vitae of the slave as would one who sampled the finest wine, drinking in their essence with a well-honed and discerning taste. Slowly, but surely, the slave withered to little more than a desiccated husk before His eyes, crumbling to the floor in a pile of dust and bone. Another was brought before Him, and He began to drink in their essence as well. He would not rise until the palanquin reached the palace, His movements effortless and without sound as He departed the litter and strode forward into the great and mighty citadel. Six figures shadowed His movement, dressed in thick red cloth; the Dzunkissai. Through them, all intention was revealed to the Dark Lord, and no lie was kept safe. The summons were intriguing, if not concerning, and the Dark Lord would leave little to change.

For they were all intents and purposes still enemies, but the Dark Lord of the Kainate and the Dark Lord of the Eternalists would yet meet face-to-face once more. Not as adversaries, but as leaders of the Sith; tentative as the truce between them was. Neither would afford to show weakness, and it was no wonder that the air within the palace was thick with tension. Carnifex adorned Himself in the regality of a warrior-king, powerful in stride and confident in skill, His lightsaber hung freely from His waist. Such mortal instruments were not His only weapons, for His ally was the Dark Side of the Force; and a powerful ally it was. It coursed through every fiber of His being, energizing every limb with power beyond the understanding of mortal men, easily called upon at a moment's notice.

The great doors, adorned with friezes depicting events both factual and mythological, opened at His approach, and He stepped beyond into the chamber of the Dead God.

Into the heart of the Worm.

Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

There upon stood the antagonist of mortality, the man who had conquered Death through sheer force of will and anger. Within him roiled the culmunation of thousands of Sith, a fight that was obvious in the tension and depth of his aura - all the while, his black heart beat as a roiling cloud from the large wound that still persisted along his person. For a few moments, as the Twice-Emperor approached the current Emperor, the Dead God would truly look dead - a corpse befitting the throne he sat upon.​

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Until he stirred from slumber eternal.​

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He rolled forward in his seat, fingers clenching at the stone as he slowly brought himself to stand - from his Throne he looked down upon the Twice-Emperor with a flat, blank expression. Most would assume the Sith would be all snarls and teeth facing another that threatened their authority, but at the peak that these two were it became less important to bite at the throats than to poison the well. Both understood this well enough - but the sanctity of the Empire, neither could afford it and they knew it.​

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A Sepulchral priest known for attending Empyrean motioned for them to follow as Empyrean led the way - to a more private meeting room far from the prying eyes of seers, technologic spies, or the random search of warlords intent to upend their power struggle. The halls were more complete than they ever had, completed only a few months before despite years of construction - now becoming a wonder of the Galaxy in its fortitude and danger. Wealth littered the alcoves and walls, many plundered from worlds conquered, but many more a resurgence of art from the Sith following the many decades of war that saw the last Empire fall.​

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"How fairs the Holy Worlds?", Empyrean said as all but the sepulchral and the Emperor's remained.​

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"New faces are making themselves known, Darth Carnifex - a new generation hopes to bite at our heels."​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord followed the Emperor, until they were removed from any potential prying presence. Walls within the chamber held audio dampeners, which silenced any sound from permeating into and out of the room. The room itself couldn't even be detected by sensor equipment, and all existing architectural readouts of the palace did not betray it's existence. They were essentially in a dead zone, cut off from the wider galaxy for the duration they spent inside. And, for this brief time, they ceased being detectable through the Force.

As though neither no longer existed.

Carnifex's eyes beheld the splendor in which Empyrean decorated his halls, opulence which mirrored His own. Try as they might, the two leading figures of the Sith had more in common than not. They even had pledged to defend the same woman, albeit in different circumstances. "The Holy Worlds still spin through the void, Darth Empyrean, as they have always done. The people upon them are as loyal as is tolerable, and their tribute flows into the coffers of the Order. Worlds outside the Caldera are falling in line as well, most of them. There are a few who bought into illusionary ideas, but they are handled swiftly. They are coming to realize that defiance is not an admirable quality."

The world of Atorra had been one of these worlds to defy the Sith, buoyed by the false belief that they could resist their overtures and turn away their envoys. Their reckoning had come within several rotations, as the sky above the world became filled with endless rows of star destroyers. The people below huddled in fear, the unfathomable fleet above remaining a permanent fixture for several more rotations. Slowly, the sky above grew more crowded as orbital fixtures came to join the distant destroyers. What they could not have imagined, was that these fixtures were a form of orbital mirror. They harnesses the thermal energy of Atorra's star, and amplified it several hundred fold back at the planet itself. The firestorms raged for months.

"Many come to the Holy Worlds seeking to make their name known. I keep watch over all of them. Some believe that the distance from Jutrand allows them to act without regard, and they see the lax guard I put up around worlds such as Korriban as an invitation to conspire. I welcome this conspiracy, it draws those who might disrupt the Order to the surface. They will not realize their misjudgment until far too late." His eyes narrowed at Empyrean for a moment, seeking to gauge the other's thoughts. "Do you find this new generation worrisome?"

Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"Good.", he offered simply in return, the group turning off into a separate series of hallways.​

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"On the contrary - I do not. I encourage division to a point; and yet, so many go about it so poorly. They bandy to any disgrace of a Sith in hopes to pad out their memberbase, as though their conspiracy could be built on quantity over quality. It is a foolish thing, to rely on those who failed not only the Order, but themselves.", he said with a slight snarl.​

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"Let them conspire. In time, when they show their hand, they will be dealt with.", he mused as they finally made it to the room in question - smaller than the traditional Dark Council chamber, but rather a small sitting room adorned in artifacts retrieved from the Ashlan Crusade - many too dark in their composition to ever be purified or destroyed by their attempts. Historical things, many sat in transparisteel glass carved along its edges - and yet, it did nothing to stop the incessant wash of aura they each gave off.​

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Holy trinkets bathing a room in dark power, it was as close to a spa as they could come to as Sith Lords. Comforting, strengthening; a grandiose display of wealth and opulance beffitting the Empire. Empyrean moved to a seat carved with its traditional ruins, ones that eased his soul and made the constant pain of his being subside for a time. As he sat, so too did his aura retreat and his face seem to relax.​

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"I did not truly bring you here to speak about upstarts. It is traditional, expected, and intended for them to hate their Emperor - no Sith should be happy in their place below, they should only fear the strength of those above them until they no longer have to. Rather, I brought you here to speak about something more dangerous."​

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"I'm going to bring war to the Holy Worlds.", he offered flatly.​

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"Border raids, skirmishes, pressure on the Corporate Sector and hyperlane - I'm going to draw the Jedi to you, so that we might tactfully kill as many of their newest generation as we can. In time, the fall of their Jedi will open a direct war path from the South into their heart; while their conventional forces are busy dealing with the Mandalorian resurgence."​

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Darth Carnifex​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"The Sith need outlets for their aggression, otherwise they turn their swords inward. The weakest willed among us will draw first blood, it is in their nature." The Dark Lord of the Kainate understood Sith nature better than most, save for present company. He'd been keeping a close eye on every Sith that moved through the Holy Worlds and their surrounding territories, His gaze encompassing many worlds simultaneously. The threads of fate were tightly woven around many individuals, but whereas some threads were destined to be cut short; there were several who had greater destines to come. They were the ones to watch, and Carnifex made sure they were well-monitored.

The idea of war in the Holy Worlds intrigued Carnifex, He could see the advantages and the dangers. Drawing the Jedi to the Holy Worlds threatened them again, but it also drew the Jedi's gaze away from the main center of Sith power in the Outer Rim. It also would keep the forces of the Holy Worlds sharp and battle-tested, and Carnifex had many ideas for how to create blood-soaked quagmires for the Jedi to tire themselves in. But it would also divert a lot of Kainite military power, but with the new technology He was pioneering it wouldn't be too much of an issue. Not when His limitless legions could be moved instantaneously across time and space.

"There are worlds in and around the Holy Worlds that had garnered the influence of those who may yet seek to supplant your throne. Diverting the Jedi's hammer blows there could prove advantageous to both of us, Empyrean. Let their worlds soak the hardest blows, and watch as the Jedi's strength wanes against paltry sacrificial worlds. I have already drawn the Jedi's eye to me, they will believe they strike at the heart of our Order again. But they will not see the knife to their throat until it is too late."

Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Despite his metallic, dead expression, he seemed to sharply glance towards the Twice-Emperor, a brief pressure similar to their clash on Mustafar in terms of will and surging of pressure; like the weight of a star bearing down on him. It would not harm the Sith Lord, he was far beyond such a meager thing, but it was tangible and concerning regardless;​

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"Darth Empyrean, mind that you respect the Emperor when you speak to him, Darth Carnifex.", he mused before turning back to the table. As though nothing of the sort occured, he continued.​

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"I am going to entrust much of this to a certain Sith you've declared King of Korriban; Darth Caedes . He has shown himself most capable; but more importantly, by giving him more leeway in these matters, we drive the attention of these upstarts away from us and to another of the next Generation. When their blades strike out, let it be amongst themselves.", he said idly.​

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"More importantly, my wife has brought something up to me. She respected your Empire, the iron grip you had thrust upon the Sith to consolidate in their totality. For all your mistakes, you held an Empire together with minimal political turmoil until it suddenly had much. A build up of pressure perhaps. I want your advice, were you so giving, do you believe our Empire should return to a more totalitarian, unified state? I've split - the warmongers keep us strong in their efforts, and yet our attentions seem little to divest from fighting amongst ourselves."​

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Darth Carnifex​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Darth Carnifex let the comment go unchallenged, save for the faintest smirk that touched His lips. It was a game between them, one that had been raging for many, many years. Carnifex would refer to Empyrean without the honorific prefix of Darth, and Empyrean would chastise Him for it. He'd done the same when he was Maliphant, with the same result.

"Darth Caedes is suitable. He's made great strides on Korriban since his appointment, although his proximity to the malcontents might twist his perception." The Dark Lord had been keeping close tabs on the major players within the Holy Worlds, especially those He'd relinquished entire worlds to. Conspiracy bred in the dark, and the Dark Lord preferred to keep His subjects illuminated; blinding them to what His actions were leading to.

"The Sith Empire was unwieldy, it was too large and could not pivot sufficiently in response to emerging crises. Beyond that, the Imperial military class had been allowed too great of leeway, too much was given to them, and they grew entitled and neurotic. They believed themselves as the sole proprietor of the Empire's victories, that all the reward should belong to them. Buoyed by delusions, they broke the Empire into fragments which devoured one another. But their mismanaged abomination of an Empire has crumbled into dust, and we Sith yet remain. Who still champions the standard of Irveric Tavlar? No one, they don't even remember his name."

He gestured vaguely, "This new Empire must remain agile, adaptable, if it is to survive. The Sith do not sit well with prolonged periods of inaction, they require outlets for their anger, their pain. If it cannot be thrust upon another, it will be thrust upon ourselves. Likewise, the Imperials must never be given a place of privilege in our Empire, they must be made to toil for generations. We will long outlives any of their number among our ranks, our vision spans centuries, theirs spans only a decade."

Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"I recall it's descent. A needed reminder, in the end, that the future marches ever onwards.", he mused, considering that infact, none had mentioned the name of the First Imperial and rumored Sith'ari in some times; for all this grand achievements in such short a time, the military man had fell away into dust with only a few old enemies to remember his name.​

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"Perhaps you are correct - an internal strife keeps that blade of the Sith sharp, if only by sharpening it on our own bones. Soon enough, we will see how this warlord state of ours deals with conflict on a greater scale than internally."​

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Darth Carnifex​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Truth can only be found in conflict. In victory or death, the Sith will live on." Maxims that every learned Sith had come to memorize, especially for ones as powerful and knowledgeable as Carnifex and Empyrean. "The Order is set upon by great opportunity. Ophidia's end draws near, and with her defeat the security of the Sith will be assured. The time has come to recast the Order as an Empire, as it has in the past. Lady Talon will attest that I no longer possess machinations for the throne, that time has passed. You must concentrate power around the throne, centralize the state into something that can withstand the coming tumult."

The Dark Lord of the Kainate slowly retrieved a datachip, placed it on the table and sped it towards Empyrean. "I have given much thought to the organization of government, Darth Empyrean. Within lies all of my findings, as well as a blueprint for a future government the Sith could utilize. If our roles were reversed, this is what I would do."

Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Empyrean had known for some time Carnifex had lost his taste for mortal riches - in his search to find out why the man had abdicated from the Empire once before, he had found that truth. To realize that Empire's were often more trouble than their worth - especially as ones eyes drifted beyond the mortal plane to far stretching truths. Empyrean watched as the man slid a chip of information on it over, never considering that this was a trapping of his design.​

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With his dead fingers he plucked the drive from the table and looked it over, sliding it into a fold of his robes to be retrieved later.​

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"Thank you.", he said, perhaps for the only time to another Sith of their ranking. More often he only scowled and aggravated, it was the game of predators to show their teeth after all.​

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"The Order will be brought to heel, that much is true. A restructuring is in order."​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord of the Kainate had written at length on the matters of governance and the concentration of power in the Sith. He'd reevaluated Sith-Imperialism and adapted it to the new understanding He possessed in the wake of the Sith Empire's failure. The Sith would again assume total primacy of the state, all power derived from them alone. At the top would be an Emperor, the greatest among the Sith Order, who would appoint a council of Lords to serve at his discretion. This Dark Council, borrowing well-regarded terminology from the past Sith Empires, would have no set numbers, but would rather expand and contract at the pleasure of the Emperor.

It would be the Dark Council that would oversee the numerous ministries that would constitute the central organs of the Sith Empire. These ministries were more rigid in their scope, being created to administer the civil, military, and intelligence apparatuses that would inevitably arise from the new state bureaucracy. The Dark Council would appoint ministers themselves, the Councilors forced to jockey for power among the ministries and thus struggle against one another rather than consolidate their power to contend with the Emperor. The Sith were defined by their relationship to conflict, and then would just as easily sharpen their blades upon the bones of their fellow Sith as they would upon the bones of their enemies.

Simultaneously would exist an Imperial Assembly, or perhaps an Imperial Senate or Congress, although the Dark Lord favored terms that distanced themselves from similarly named institutions found in the Alliances and Republics of the galaxy. The Assembly would serve two purposes, and would thus be divided into two chambers. Largest among the two would be the Chamber of Nobility; comprised of the governors, guildmasters, and landed gentry that lorded over the planetary systems within the Empire's territory. Smallest would be the Chamber of Corporations; designed to house the representatives of the various corporate entities that aligned with the Sith Empire. Above all, the Dark Council would chair the Assembly.

The Order itself would be separate from the central government of the Empire, being it's sole religious and scholarly institution. In this too would the Dark Council vie for influence and control, dividing themselves along schools of thought and lineages of philosophy. Already, factions had taken root among the wider Order, remnants of the factional dispute that had characterized the early days of the renewed Order following the old Empire's defeat. Undoubtedly, this would continue within the confines of the new Empire.

This Sith-Imperialism of a new kind would become the bedrock upon which this new Empire is christened, so long as it was implemented by the Emperor. There would be very little reason to mistrust the structure, for it heavily favored Empyrean's position and even worked to divide those who would oppose him. But, the Corpse-Lord could be unpredictable, especially with the Worm residing deep within him. Carnifex was cautious, but confident.

"The future belongs to the Sith, as does all else across creation."

Darth Empyrean ​