Merji Tave Jena'tes

[Darth Prazutis]

​

​

Bastion, Ravelin, Palace of the Dark Lord
​Imperial Suite, Chambers of the Shadow Hand...

​The Imperial Palace was a marvel to behold at first sight. A crowning achievement and a shining symbol of the glory of the New Sith Empire that stood over all of Bastion. It looked beautiful from a distance amidst all of the rapidly moving traffic that gave this structure a wide berth. A massive boundary around the Palace stood as restricted airspace and only things cleared could be escorted in and out.

The Imperial Suites were noticeably quieter than normal, the absence of the Dark Lord in the Palace was felt throughout these upper levels. Wherever [member="Darth Carnifex"] went his great entourage followed. Instead a pair of Imperial Sentinels stood blocking off the Dark Lords chambers to all who might approach. The hub of activity was close by however the level right beneath in the Shadow Hands maze of chambers.

​The particular room he sat in was a small conference chamber designed for more intimate meetings of high level staff. A great black steel conference table sat in the middle of the room surrounded with ornate chairs with tall backs. The very head of the table sat a throne noticeably larger than all the others and outfitted with a control panel on its arm that controlled a variety of functions in the room including the holographic device built into the table itself.

​Darth Prazutis sat in the throne with his personal advisor Lazerus on his right, and the holographic representation of Grand Hierophant Xithyl on his left. The meetings had went on all morning with various officers and high level cabinet members, this time it was his intelligence briefing on the state of affairs for Panatha. As far as the rest of the galaxy was concerned publicly they were either dead or unconnected. But privately they still held sway. Xithyl remained on Panatha using the full force of his cult to enforce loyalty among those left on the world as well as a primary source of intelligence.

​They were about halfway through the meeting when a sharp knock came to the door and a Crownguard came into the room "My Lord your guest is inbound to the Palace." ​The man said. Darth Prazutis stood up from his throne prompting the others to follow suit "We'll continue this meeting later I've pressing business to attend to. When she arrives I'll have her here."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Bastion
Enroute to the Palace of the Dark Lord

When one receives a summons to the palace of the Dark Lord himself, to the epicenter of the New Sith Empire, one would be exceedingly foolish to refuse the request for an audience with him or the man who was essentially his second in command. Such was the case for Taeli, as a message had arrived for her to meet with [member="Darth Prazutis"], the Shadow Hand of the Dark Lord, and she had immediately set course for Bastion from Korriban... after making sure her research materials were safely on their way to the Horizon Station.

"My Lady, we are approaching restricted airspace around the palace."

She looked up from her datapad, expressionless mask in place as she regarded the adjutant. Yellow eyes were the only visible part of her face, and her dark cowled robes obscured her figure. The adjutant was nervous, as were most who encountered the mysterious masked Sith.

"Very good, Lieutenant."

The adjutant departed, making sure all was in order as they neared their designated landing pad. She had to admit at some curiosity as the summons had not stated what exactly the Lord of Death wanted with her. Perhaps it was simply to report on the current happenings among the Jedi and Alliance? Regardless she would find out soon as she felt her shuttle land, the ramp lowering and she walked down it, robes flapping in the breeze to be escorted to this meeting.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​When [member="Taeli Raaf"] finally arrived at the Palace she would be met with a group of Crownguard led by a rather hulking epicanthix with white hair and red eyes with sulfuric yellow irises. The man stood out compared to all the others through his ornate golden armor. To those with the right knowledge about the Crownguard it marked him as the Lord Commander. Unlike the other guardsman a much stronger dark side aura radiated from this man easily setting him apart from them. "No weapons beyond this point my lady." ​​The Lord Commander said. Unlike others he seemed entirely unphased by the mystery surrounding her, time spent serving House Zambrano he was used to spending time around the blackest the Lords of the Sith had to offer.

Only when she complied with relinquishing any weaponry did the Lord Commander escort her through the expansive palace and to the meeting room where the Lord of Lies waited. Darth Prazutis stood wearing an ornate set of dark armor. Those initiated in the arts of magic and alchemy could just barely hear the hushed whispers of trapped souls bound to the magical cloak, their voices suppressed by the Shadow Hand's will. The hood was pulled up concealing his face beyond the pair of molten eyes "Welcome to the palace Lady Raaf I trust you weren't too inconvenienced by our protocols. Please have a seat. We have much to discuss." ​Prazutis said the smooth sweep of his hand drawing one of the large chairs out for her.

If he was being honest when [member="Darth Carnifex"] had informed him that Taeli Raaf was a double agent in the Galactic Alliance, he was both surprised and impressed. All intelligence told him that the Jedi Order trusted Lady Raaf. The Jedi Master's vaults were things of legend and they always trusted her to hide away dark side relics and holocrons to protect the world from the knowledge leaking out. It was amusing to find out that they were handing new toys to a Sith Lord who had infiltrated their ranks, a double agent who had been playing them for years. It took a certain level of cunning not just any Sith could pull that kind of scheme off. In his experience it took a certain kind of person to pull that off.

"You must be wondering why I've called you here. It isn't for another report on the Jedi your assistance is required on a certain...project. Tell me Lady Raaf what do you know of Smoke Demons?"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

She had no problem relinquishing her weapon to the Crownguard Lord Commander, and she could appreciate the decor of the palace as she was escorted to her meeting with [member="Darth Prazutis"]. The palace was a testament to the power and wealth of the Sith. Reaching the meeting room, she removed her mask once the Crownguard had left. She could hear the whispers, the mumbled screams of those that had been consumed into the creation of Prazutis's dark armor. She was very much in tune with the subtleties of magic and alchemy, having conducted numerous experiments with the later and even creating new spells for the former.

"It was no inconvenience, my Lord," she stated graciously. "When the Dark Lord's Shadow Hand calls, I would of course accept the invitation."

She took the offered seat, listening as the Lord of Lies stated why he had called her there and asked his question about smoke demons. If she was honest with herself, that was not what she would have expected to hear. Smoke demons were a particularly nasty type of Sithspawn, able to consume someone by phasing through their body, take on their victim's greatest fears. Invulnerable to blaster bolts, and only a lightsaber had been known to harm them. A project involving smoke demons... it was intriguing.

"I know quite good a deal about them, my Lord," she answered. "How to summon one, their strengths and weaknesses. As a practitioner of our more... arcane arts, I like to familiarize myself with many of the techniques created by our predecessors."

It certainly helped when she had three holocrons in her possession that were made by three of the more powerful and notable Sith magicians, but she wasn't about to advertise what she had. Rumors were one thing, facts were another.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​"You and I have that in common Lady Raaf it's important to learn the techniques of those who came before." ​Darth Prazutis said pressing a sequence of buttons on the throne's control panel dropping a viewing screen down on the nearby wall. "But there's a few things that have eluded our ancestors even us valuable questions. For example did you know out of all references to the Siqsa did you know that there is no recorded mention of just how intelligent the demons are? No Sith has attempted to talk with these creatures. They've merely been summoned in times of need and dismissed when the threats over. Let me show you something." ​Darth Prazutis said once more pressing a sequence on the control panel this time it tapped into secure video footage from lab experiments done deep in the Imperial Palace. A series of tests done in the beginnings of the project he had started.

When the video began it showed a large lab room brightly lit the walls marked with magical runes of containment. A pair of Sith Sorcerer's stood by one performing the ritual together to summon one of the smoke demons with the other standing by in support, while a third man in lab gear identified as an epicanthix sat at a nearby table. The smoke demon appeared as a towering shadowy apparition of a man easily eight feet tall, his features obscured by a milky darkness. It's predatory instincts kicked in like some animal glaring down at the man sitting in front of him. But instead of attacking the sorcerer gave the creature the order to sit down in the chair.

The smoke demon glided across the room with unnatural speed sweeping into the metal chair its hands resting on the table as it stared down at the man in front of him. First as the scientist moved in his chair, shifting his hands to different places and raising them in the air the smoke demon mimicked his every move even through its binding to the sorcerer, the smoke demon learned. It wasn't until the man finally spoke that the surprise came "Hello. Can you understand me?" ​The scientist said to the apparition. The large demon waited simply glared down at the man unaffected by the visage of fear before speaking after minutes of silence.

"Yes."

​The Shadow Hand stopped the video just after the whispy, unholy voice rang into the air enough to send shivers down ones spine even through a recording. "I've found a path not taken by our predecessors. A trove of untapped potential. We've run a few more tests like these and the tests have been conclusive. The Siqsa have a potential greater than temporary tools. We believe by anchoring them to this world and altering the connection between Siqsa and Sorcerer we can create something greater and this is why I've called you here Lady Raaf."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

"How interesting," she said, getting out of the chair to watch the footage more closely. She had never considered the possibility that the Siqsa might have a level of sentience necessary for other roles, but now... now she could see the possibilities this meant. Perhaps it was simply still mimicking... but no, no it didn't seem so to her eye. That made her ponder the actual origins of the smoke demons, and if they had such sentience, why had they been bound to Sith spells as they were? Had the ancient Sith bound spirits or some long forgotten species, twisting them into their current form and leaving them to wander in some forgotten space between worlds, waiting to be summoned forth to serve the Sorcerer that did so?

It was possible, she mused. So much knowledge had been lost during the 400 Years of Darkness caused by that accursed plague. Listening to Darth Prazutis, her mind already started processing ways in which they could accomplish such a goal. It was an intriguing project to be sure, something that could provide very useful servants or lieutenants for the Sith.

"Yes, it could be possible," she muttered out loud. "It couldn't be bound to anything normal, it would need to be steeped in the dark side... inscribed with binding and strengthening spells to keep them present in the physical world in a more permanent fashion." A gloved finger tapped her chin in thought. "Armor might be best as it would could also eliminate their weakness to a lightsaber, and provide a large enough binding vessel."

Even during that, she could see where they might be able to adapt the species more, warp and twist them to a newer, higher form.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​As the Shadow Hand leaned back in his throne he carefully watched [member="Taeli Raaf"]'s reactions to the footage and to his words. One of his hidden skills was reading people and he could do it well. Genuine curiosity and deep interest played out on her face as she too understood the untapped potential they were working with here. It was surprising that out of all the practitioners of the dark arts none of them truly explored what they were going to. It was uncharted territory and the potential of what they could accomplish endless. Then again so much knowledge had been lost through the Four Hundred Year Darkness leaving them questions with no answers.

They would discover for themselves with these experiments.

"Armor could be used to give them physical form and to tether them to this world." ​Darth Prazutis said standing up. "If we bound them eternally to the will of their master could further serve as an anchor. Each of their number would be bound to a single master. Come walk with me Lady Raaf." ​He added waiting for her before he walked out of the doors of the meeting room. The level of the Shadow Hand was busy with traffic as officers, dignitaries, cabinet members and more worked. Everything he needed he could find in the maze of rooms located on this level, but the better laboratories were located below.

After taking her through the halls they would come to an elevator where a complex series of codes and scans were done before it shifted, taking them deeper and deeper in the palace.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

Even while she was musing aloud on the images before her, like the Sith Lord, she was subtly observing him as only raised on Lorrd could do. Internally, she had to admit some surprise that he would be interested in delving into such deeper secrets of the dark side, pushing the very boundaries of the arts. Typically, Prazutis was lumped in with the Dark Lord, two peas in a pod as it were. But no, she could tell that this was a man who enjoyed his manipulations, who was quite cunning in his own right. That made him even more dangerous... and she respected him even more for that.

Following him through his fiefdom within the palace, making sure to place her mask back on, she saw firsthand what his retinue entailed, the inner workings of the Empire itself. It was not so different as hers, she supposed, in her various secret facilities around the galaxy. Where he had officers and dignitaries attached to his staff, she had alchemists and sorcerers. Cabinet members and bureaucrats replaced by scientists and engineers. All of them were dedicated to the furtherment and rediscovery of the secrets of the dark side.

She reasoned, in silence as they began their descent into the palace, that her actions and reputation had earned her some trust among the Dark Lord and his Shadow Hand if they were allowing her access to what lay deep within the palace. She suspected it would be much like the lowest levels of the Horizon Station her company had built or her secret lab on Valrar.

"What began your interest in the Siqsa if I may ask, my Lord?" she asked finally, breaking the silence.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​When [member="Taeli Raaf"] asked her question the Shadow Hand calmly shifted his gaze toward her "I have many pursuits Lady Raaf, unlocking the secrets of the dark side is just one of many." ​Darth Prazutis said. Every word carefully crafted in his mind before it was spoken. In truth the Sith Lord never slept these days not really. As the Shadow Hand he had many responsibilities dedicated to the Empire, to his nephew [member="Darth Carnifex"]. In addition to his own private pursuits there was simply not enough time in the day. When he took up the mantle of power sleep was one of the first things he had chosen to give up. The dark side provided him with everything he needed.

​When the doors finally opened the pair were greeted with a complex series of hallways bathed in the sterile bright light of a laboratory. It was a rather strange conglomeration of individuals walking through these halls. There were the Crownguard at key points but there were robed sorcerers with alchemists and even scientists down on this wing. All part of the research and development teams that worked with the Dark Lords on their projects. As the Sith Lord led her through the halls just a look in any of the rooms would reveal state of the art equipment and many archaic tomes, scrolls, and copies of others from across the galaxy. Make no mistake it was a paradise for sorcerers and alchemists alike.

​The Sith Lord led her into a laboratory fit for the experiments they would conduct including with a demonstration area much like the one she saw on the footage. Everything was well warded and perfectly secure to contain spirits and demons alike. "If we never seek to push the boundaries of our own limitations and what we know, we'll never move past the failings of the slain Lords of the Sith who existed before us, Lady Raaf."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

When she got his reply, it was one that she had almost expected. It was an answer, and yet it said nothing, gave nothing truly away. Her lips turned up in a half smile at the vague response, appreciating it. It was much the same as the ones she had given others when they asked about her plans, specifically Harrison. A true Sith never revealed their hand, and if they did reveal anything, it was always carefully orchestrated... and almost always it was just a small fraction of the their overall goal.

The lift opened and her smile widened, her eyes lighting up in pleasure. She didn't mind hiding that from the Shadow Hand of the Dark Lord. This was more to her liking. Finery and wealth on display were all well and good, but this was true power. It was much like her own facilities at Horizon Station or Valrar, state of the art and brimming with those wanting to push the boundaries of the dark side beyond what they were. These were the people who moved beyond petty things like morals or ethics in the pursuit of greater advances.

Following him to their destination, she allowed her eyes to wander as they passed other places of knowledge or experimentation. The secrets that were held here, that the Zambranos had collected, oh yes this was much better than anything else in the palace.

"Of that, we are of one mind, my Lord," she answered. [member="Darth Prazutis"] might know it, but to accomplish her role as spy, she had looked into past version of concealment among the Sith. None she had researched and learned would have truly helped when she had been brought before the Jedi Council for evaluation. No, she had needed to... reinvent the wheel so to speak, take apart the false light side aura spell and create a brand new version. The tattoos her former Master had required of her to get, the ones obscured by illusion around her eyes, had been the perfect anchor point for her spell... and a convenient place to hide her true power and alignment. For all intents and purposes, whenever she was among the Jedi, she truly was one of the lightest there... but the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

"We'll have access to everything we could need here. Let us begin, shall we?" Darth Prazutis said. He walked over to a nearby observation window that provided a clear view of the chamber just beyond and pressed a series of keys on the control panel. A thin metal rectangular piece of the floor seemed to retract beneath and out came another. This one held a rather complex set of masterfully drawn Sith runes in a binding circle. "I've discovered a method to bind the Siqsa to this circle freeing up our minds to concentrate on the task at hand with our...subject." Darth Prazutis stated. As a fellow practitioner [member="Taeli Raaf"] knew as well as he did that the Siqsa typically required immense concentration to both control and direct.

This often meant that a Sorcerer needed to be far removed from combat and well protected before he could set the creature loose. It wasn't a spell you used in the heat of battle. The Shadow Hand carefully focused uttering the ancient incantation in High Sith as if it was his native tongue, his hands moving in precise motions. The spell required a good deal of energy but the unique garb he wore as well as a hidden dark crystal reduced the energy that he needed to put into the spell. The very room in front of them reacted with the incantation as an inky black cloud of darkness formed in the air. It coalesced into a sphere right over the binding circle until the dark spiritual ichor took the form of a towering dark humanoid.

It wouldn't be the first time they'd have to summon the demon. But the first step began with them working on the subject.

They had a lot of work to do.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

She hung back to watch the Shadow Hand work his summoning spell, admiring and studying the binding circle that would be the subject's prison. It was... quite interesting, the work that went into the binding spell. Perhaps that would be a route they could use as they embarked upon this project. Her fellow practitioner in sorcery and alchemy seemed to have no issue with effecting the Siqsa into their realm of reality. She had to wonder if he had any items that granted him a reservoir of power to pull upon.

She had seen many examples of smoke demons in her research, but the one Darth Prazutis had brought forth was a more unique variety. Her observations were mainly of a reddish brown type of smoke, and yet the Sith Lord with her had summoned a being of darker smoke. Another interesting tidbit to store away about their project. Perhaps an individual Sith's power and personality already changed the Siqsa even during the ritual to summon them?

"An impressive first specimen, my Lord," she stated. "Shall we test to see if he shares the same intelligence as your previous subject?"

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​"Certainly. Our first step." ​He said to [member="Taeli Raaf"] walking over to the door that led into the next chamber where their test subject was. No doubt she already noticed the small differences in this Siqsa from others summoned before. Through the experiments conducted before her arrival it was evident that certain sorcerers could impact their summoned demons differently. Unlike the other sorcerers who aided in experiments before his demon was pitch black, its very darkness swallowing up everything around it.

When the pair stepped into the chamber the demon tracked their movements almost immediately, it was drawn to the presence of the master who had conjured it into this world. As soon as Darth Prazutis stopped before the creature it knelt before him silently waiting for its command. Now this was where the sorcerer would issue his kill order and the beast would dart off after its target, but they were pushing the boundary of what has been done. There was more to these demons than the Sith already knew and he was sure of it. "Stand." ​Darth Prazutis ordered, the demon complied.

"You can understand me yes?" ​He asked the demon.

"Yes." The creature replied.

​The Sith Lord simply looked towards Taeli Raaf a satisfied look on his face.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

And just like that, her expectations for this project had soared. It had stood to reason that all of the creature's kind had intelligence, but she had found that it was best to hedge against a possible aberration being the subject of research. That path only led to frustration and lost time. No, what she and [member="Darth Prazutis"] were about to embark on... it might not have a name yet, but when they were done with the Siqsa, they would have created something... extraordinary.

Now the question became for the two sorcerers how to proceed? The Siqsa might be useful, it might even be expecting a target for assassination by the Shadow Hand, but that was so... shortsighted. And fleeting as the creature before them could be destroyed with a simple stroke of a lightsaber. They would need protection, and they couldn't use just any old armor. It would need to be bathed in the power of the dark side, imbued with runes and spells to protect what they were about to do to the Siqsa, and to bind it to this plane of existence.

"Extraordinary," she voiced aloud, slowly walking around the Smoke Demon. "Your previous subject was not an anomaly of nature, but a representation of its kind in general."

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​As the Shadow Hand stood back watching the reaction of [member="Taeli Raaf"] as she circled around the demon he couldn't help but grin. The possibilities for this project were simply endless they were in uncharted territory. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered in setting the groundwork for what would become something new. The Siqsa at its base was an assassin plain and simple one that took a good deal of concentration to maintain and one that had a simple task: kill. But for what they were doing it was so short sighted of it to think that way. They needed something that wasn't just an instrument but something that could wield instruments. Something that could kill and lead with equal measure.

Above all they also needed a method to unbind the Siqsa from their master in such a way that they didn't rely on his concentration to maintain their presence on this world while still keeping them bound to service. They would need both protection from assault and something to bind them here. The first step in this project would be the armor. Fortunately before the arrival of [member="Taeli Raaf"] he commissioned the best armorsmiths the Sith Empire had to offer for this very special project. "As you have figured out by now the first step of our project begins with the armor. I had some of the very best armorsmiths craft something just for the occasion for us to begin with." ​Darth Prazutis said, opening a channel to the attendants waiting nearby with the creation "Bring it in." ​He ordered.

Not long after the doors shifted open and a pair of lab assistants brought into the chamber an armor stand containing a rather wicked looking set of dark armor complete with a black cloak.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Even as she had been circling and admiring, her mind had already been fabricating the ritual to bind the Siqsa to the armor that [member="Darth Prazutis"] had produced for the occasion.

It would be a modification to the existing binding circle on the floor, a six part diagram to draw the Siqsa through each piece of the armor and anchor it there. A second ritual circle, either in the helmet or within the breastplate would be done to both bind the new creation to a specific Sith... it would require the blood of the one it would serve. Yes, that would do the trick.

The only problem that would remain would be keeping one's concentration on the Siqsa, but a few variations to Prazutis's current runes would fix that.

"We're going to need blood for this," she stated. "A fee modifications to our existing rune binding, split into six different diagrams inside each piece of armor will bind it effectively."

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​A murderer's grin formed on his face at the mention of blood "That won't be an issue." The Shadow Hand turned away and spoke into his comlink and not long after a few lab aids brought in several prisoners wearing nothing but rags. They were enemies of the state and were not considered to have rights according to the Imperial codex. It was simple enough to have some brought here quietly when freshly spilt blood was needed for Sith rituals.

"As for the runes that was precisely just what I was thinking. It'll turn the armor itself into an anchor and keep it bound to this world."​ He added. The two of them were each masters of the dark side and these fields in their own rights. Together the arcane etchings would be without flaw, and they would give way to the creation of a scourge on this world. They would break ground towards new developments never seen before. The aides brought in the appropriate tools into the room next laid out on a rolling lab table for them. If he was one thing it was always prepared at all times, especially for projects such as these.

"Would you like to begin?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

She watched as the poor saps that would offer their blood for a higher purpose were brought in. Prisoners of war, likely former Silver, Alliance, or even Dominion soldiers and officials that had foolishly resisted the Sith Empire's expansion. They should take joy that their final moments would be used to push the boundaries of the two masters of the dark side's knowledge. There was no higher calling for those who resisted after all, at least in her opinion.

She was impressed by the efficiency of Prazutis and his aides, as well as the tools on display. Walking slowly over, she picked up a ritual Sith knife, regarding it quietly. Exquisite craftsmanship, and alchemized even by the feel of it. All the better. She would have to invite him to Valrar at some point so he could see her main alchemy lab in operation. Taking the knife, flipping it between her fingers as she walked, she neared the first man. She vaguely recognized him... a captain from the Silvers, Mirial or Ziost... it didn't matter. Either one brought up rage within her, Mirial because the Silvers had helped allow the zombies into the protected zones and Ziost because... only the Sith should control the world.

With one quick motion, the knife flashed across the man's throat.

"I think so, my Lord," she said, looking down with contempt for the dying man.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Impressive.

​It was only when the Lady of Secrets [member="Taeli Raaf"] picked up the knife that her true, dark self reared its head. She showed some of it in her utter passion and the curiosity of an alchemist, a sorcerer when they spoke about their grand designs for the creature. One of the uncanny gifts of the Lord of Lies was the ability to read body language and the subtle nonverbal cues that were easily missed by lesser eyes. The way the knife twirled in her hand it practically danced between her fingers. This was the cunning skill of an experienced master and an aficionado of the blade, someone who enjoyed what they did.

Then she killed him.

The subject was one of many prisoners of war taken and sentenced to the seven factory worlds of Kol Huro. It was an ingenious plan created by himself, the Emperor, and others of the Imperial High Command. These prisoners were denied all rights and were not considered imperial citizens, so those like the one before them were sentenced to work to death building war machines for the Imperial Military. In some ways it was a mercy and others it was a far worse fate. There was apathy in her eyes as she brought the man down with a blade over his neck. The look of a woman who could've cared less about those who were supposed to be her comrades. They were all deceived.

The aides standing by quickly jumped into action bringing forth containers to collect the blood, whispering soft incantations to preserve its state for what was to come. Once a sufficient amount was drained the Shadow Hand dismissed them and the corpse with the wave of his hand. If the two individuals conducting this experiment were intermediate level sorcerers they'd take an exhausting amount of time redrawing the circle in its exact form and splitting it up into multiple pieces working to make sure each one was perfect. One mistake when working with this level of magic and alchemy and it could be catastrophic, even one word off or mispronounced could be a death sentence.

But they weren't intermediate level sorcerers.

​The Dark Lord flashed a murderous grin on his face as he turned back to look at the Siqsa that was pulling a portion of his concentration, the creature stood silently inside its circle its eyes tracking him. The armor was prepared for them and flipped around, as they needed to draw the inscriptions of the circle on the inside. The blood would act as the ink they would use, the power of fresh life being snuffed out still pulsed through the red liquid. When the process was completed it would deepen into a hardened, dark engraving.

​He looked down at the binding circle with the writing instrument in his hand picturing the splitting of the artifact in his mind before he spoke. "I've got it. We'll need a few small alterations to the circles designs." ​Braxus said reaching over to touch Taeli's head with two fingers. It wouldn't be an intrusion so much as a projection into what he was picturing. When it came to experimentation like this they needed to be absolutely certain they were on the same page and nothing was more accurate than a shared thought.

If she agreed he would fill the instrument up with fresh blood and begin on the helm first.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Her blatant murder did not go unnoticed, and while the Lord of Death's aides collected the blood, the other prisoners... or sacrifices were herded to the side of the room. She felt the eyes of the Shadow Hand on her, appraising her cool disregard for the life of the man she just took. While, up until this point she had been showing her academic interest, he would now have an understanding of why she was a Sith... and an inkling into just how dark that went.

The vision granted to her by [member="Darth Prazutis"] was much along the lines of what she had designed in her head for the binding. There were a few slight rune changes, but the overall effect would have been the same. Their vernacular was different, but she chalked that up to a possible bleeding effect from Panathan culture and language structure forming into a hybrid with Sith symbols. All the same, she understood it perfectly alright and it met her approval.

"Perhaps a double layer on the outer edges of the binding runes," she added, producing a fine tipped brush and dabbing it into the blood. "Would reinforce the spell, make it last longer without degradation."

That was her only comment before she started to work, her smaller hands able to manipulate the brush better for painting the binding runes to the inside of the gauntlets.