Private Sign of the Times

[Kyrel Ren]

Deep within the bowels of the ancient citadel on Exegol Kyrel had approached the need for help. Since Solipsis’s Death and the ascension of Darth Mori as new dark lord he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that plagued him. This was only further added by the increased losses along the core worlds. He often wondered if the Brotherhood would be pushed to the brink of collapse. With this unimaginable feeling of dread he couldn’t shake from himself he would search for a way out, a way from the feeling of impending doom coming for them all, yet he didn’t know how or why.

Surrounded by the crypts and statues of the ancient and long dead Sith he waited for the prospects to arrive. Kyrel sought to control the future of the Brotherhood rather than Solipsis or Mori. By attempting this Kyrel would try to seek Allie’s from the New Sith Order. He summoned those that would viewed the War as currently a disaster. Those of which the Wrath could work with to salvage the Brotherhood, or more importantly by the time it died it would be reborn as it was always intended.

The hulking figure spent the next several hours going through different Sith Lords. However, he couldn’t find the right one on which Kyrel would actively seek in helping with his efforts regarding the future of the Brotherhood. Some were too ambitious, and there were some who lacked vision. It wasn’t until he reached the name Darth Nemris did he hope to finally achieve his aim.

Nemris was one of the newer Sith. Unlike most he had previously talked to Nemris was not born Sith. Instead his beginnings came during the early years of the War as a Jedi. The man possessed views on both sides of the Force that made him a worthy candidate. The room was dark surrounded by statues of Dead Sith. What stood in front of Kyrel looked to be a ritual bowl of sorts empty for the moment. He could hear the dark steps, and soon the darkness vanished and replaced by the mask of Lord Nemris. “Good you’ve finally arrived…. Do you know why I summoned you?” The Wrath with open the conversation with an inquisitive question.

Darth Nemris

 

[Darth Nemris]

Nemris had been summoned to Exegol, the capital world for the Brotherhood of the Maw. A world steeped in importance for the Sith, it was a world that many held in high value. Darth Nemris was not one of them. While he acknowledged the world was an important bastion of the Sith, it was a world tainted by a corrupted view of the Sith. The New Sith Order had attempted, during their occupation of the world, to fix this corruption to the ways of the Sith, but Nemris would never fully truly at ease on this world. It was on this world, though, that he felt a calling. A pull towards the distant edge of the galaxy. Something was calling to him, and he felt it most strongly in this beacon of Dark Side power.

Nemris had come to Exegol unaware of thy he had been called, but only a few minutes after his landing, he had been made aware. Sith Lords of various rank and power within the New Sith Order had gathered to Exegol, more than Nemris had seen on the world in sometime. With the pressing needs of the warfront, it was odd to see so many powerful individuals pulled back to the capital. He did not speak to them, but from what he heard, he was able to piece together a picture.

The Wrath of the Maw, Kyrel Ren, had been bringing several Sith to Exegol for a...discussion. What the subject was though, Nemris had been unable to ascertain. He was guided through the depths of Exegol, passing through corridors and chambers lined with statues of ancient Sith, or filled with servants going about the millions of tasks required to keep a citadel of the Sith active. Finally, he came to a section of the citadel, and was ushered down stairs towards the crypts deep beneath the surface of Exegol. Here, the honored or useful Sith were buried, and statues depicting those within the crypts stood as silent sentinels over them. It was a wasted thought, Nemris believed.

They were dead, what did it matter who remembered them?

Finally, he came face to face with Kyrel Ren deep within the crypts. Before the Wrath of the Maw was a bowl, a ritual bowl. It was empty, though it could no doubt be filled at a moments notice at the creatures request. The question was spoken to him moments after he emerged from the shadows of the crypts. Nemris tilted his head slightly, the hood covering his head shifting with him and revealing more of the mask he wore. At the edge of the mask, scars could be seen running down his neck towards his chest, as well as the start of a large tattoo.

"There are two reasons to summon someone. To speak with them, or to kill them. Which is it that you intend for me...?"

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel Ren waited in darkness for the next Sith to answer his summons. For once he had hoped there would be some fruitful outcome in his endeavor, for even now he couldn’t shake that a dark time would be approaching the for the Brotherhood as a whole. He stood waiting to see the man they called “Nemris.” Unlike other Sith that have come before his former affiliation with the Jedi could provide insight.

When he saw the man approach in the darkness, he could spit the shine of the durasteel mask he wore. No doubt the mask was a kindness to Kyrel as it covered up the scars the man called Nemris would bring with him. Feeling him through the Force he felt power, and most of all potential that he hasn’t seen in other Sith. Slowly Kyrel started to make a note to himself to keep a further eye on this Sith before him. Most of all he used in his plans to take control of the Maw when the time came.

When the man asked if he was going to die Kyrel let out a deep laugh. It echoed through the dark halls and corridors of the Citadel. He found the Sith to be amusing that he would be summoned specifically to die. This one was interesting to the Master of Ren after all. The intimidating demeanor relaxed somewhat around the Sith as Kyrel spoke. “No, you won’t die today Nemris… I’ve summoned you in hopes of discussing our future. For years we have achieved so much, and that all came crashing down on Tython with the death of Lord Solipsis. Now I fear that this War we fight is too late. That our very way of life will perish. The Maw way of life that is.” Kyrel added in showing that there was a difference between the Mawite tribes and the Sith as a whole. Some part of him showing a measure of disdain for his Sith partners.

“Surely you cannot feel it in the Force.” He continued with a sense of foreboding dread. It sounded from his voice that truly concerned him. He was a devout believer in the Mawite faith and was interested in preserving it, but in order to do that he needed the help of the Sith. He figured that today if he chose a Sith to groom under his control the Sith wouldn’t win, and still only time would tell if it all would be as the Wrath hoped for.

Darth Nemris

 

[Darth Nemris]

"War brings change and death to all who take part, and those who do not. To pretend anything can stay the same is foolish..." Nemris spoke slowly, his words cold as he looked at the being before him. Kyrel Ren was a being of power and prominence within the Brotherhood of the Maw. He was the face of the war effort more than most were, and it was by his hand that conflict continued where perhaps defeat might have been inevitable. The thing, for Nemris doubted he could still be considered a man, was powerful.

But was the monster cunning as well?

"You speak of a lost cause in the presence of those who died for its victory. You claim failure where others seen the height of our victory. Darth Solipsis is dead, but Darth Mori rules. Our enemies stand divided and at each others throats. We gather our strength and prepare to continue the war." Nemris turned his head away from Kyrel slightly, exposing more of the scarring and tattoos on his neck. Yellow eyes stared at the Wrath from beneath the metallic mask fixated to Nemris, unwavering and calculating. "Your words seem to point towards failure, and failure is not the way of the Sith, or the Brotherhood."

While his words were confrontational to an extent, Nemris was of a certain agreement with Kyrel. Only a fool would see the current situation of the war as something favorable for the Maw. Their enemies were divided, yes, but they had not forgotten the Brotherhood. The Jedi were leading the push against the Brotherhood, and the losses the Sith had taken crippled their ability to counter them. The Tribes were rebuilding, but Nemris was dubious over their effectiveness against the now battle hardened and veteran forces of the Alliance and Empire. The Final Dawn was perhaps the most useful tool available to the Brotherhood now, but they were distracted, their attention divided between the war and their activities in the Outer Rim.

Nemris agreed with Kyrel, but he would not come right out and say it. The Wrath had the power and position to shield himself from fallout should unwelcome ears be listening. "Your words hold some merit, Wrath, but what is it that you hope to achieve with them?"

Kyrel Ren

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel eyed the Sith Lord with a mix of disdain and skepticism. The Master of Ren had long since hated the Sith before he came to an alliance with Mori. The man spoke as if he was chastising the Master of Ren. Slowly his fists clenched, and he found it difficult not o silence the words the man had uttered in his very presence. Still Kyrel had to accept that in some capacity he needed the Sith to survive, hence why he had come to the lost world of the Sith.

Still there was some measure of hope of Kyrel could call it that. He hoped that if by choosing Nemris to be groomed to lead the Sith he could turn the tide of the War, and perhaps the future of the Maw. To some extent the Maw’s Wrath had recognized that for the Maw to live so did the Sith but as long as it remained under someone’s control so was the Brotherhood. Kyrel finally broke the angry silence. “Our way is War, Death, Rebirth. Such as it was known in the Hidden Maw… I fear that there will be no rebirth for us. The final battle will lead us here I can feel it in my bones. Regardless the Brotherhood will lose this war.”

Kyrel spoke as if a prophet of doom. He studied the Sith Lord carefully, and while he had heard tales of Jedi turned Sith he was still wary. Kyrel had always been born of darkness but to be a servant of the light slipping into darkness was something else entirely. “Even as Warmaster I foresee that the outcome is grim for the Maw. Truth be told I rather kill the lot of you.” He said finally being honest to Nemris by showing his hatred of the Sith as a whole. “But I since I cannot satisfy my bloodlust entirely, I will indulge in my faith to the Maw and the Avatars. This of course leads us to where I implore you for your help in saving the Brotherhood. Save the Sith and you save us all.” He spoke the fanatic conviction in his tone echoed through the dark room.

Darth Nemris

 

[Darth Nemris]

"And now we find the truth of the matter..."

Nemris had been curious as to what the full purpose of this meeting had been for, but now details had finally been revealed. The dislike the Wrath of the Maw held for the Sith was known but not openly spoken of. In truth such things mattered little. Hatred was the way of the Dark Side, and to truly hate one another in the Darkness was but a matter of normality. Nemris expected this hatred, and he could understand it. But the words of the Wrath revealed more to the Sith.

"You do not seek an ally in this endeavor. You see the end coming, and you blame the Sith for it." Nemris spoke his words quietly, eyes lingering on the Wrath only briefly before they began to look around the room, seemingly disinterested. "Perhaps you are correct. It is difficult to look upon the actions of the former and current Dark Lords of the Sith leading the Brotherhood and be completely sure of their motives. The drive for personal gains and desires runs strong in the Dark Side. The Dark Voices are the strongest, in theory, so their will is dominate, their desires are dominate. Perhaps that is the problem."

Nemris began to walk then, slowly circling the altar and bowl that stood between he and Kyrel. "You see the self destructive drive of the Dark Voices as the curse, the stain upon the Brotherhood. I see a danger for the continuity of the Sith. I am not a fool to assume the Civil War saw the end of our rivals. Even now there are rumors from the Outer Rim; a growing darkness and tales of evil. If the New Sith Order is to survive, we cannot continue to course of self destruction and galactic devastation that has ruled us." Nemris finished his circumvention of the altar, and came to stand face to face with Kyrel, his eyes locking with the other creatures own.

"You seek a servant, a pawn to be used to reforge the Sith in a way that suits you. I desire to save my kind from their fate. I can help you achieve your goals, to save your Brotherhood, but I will not be a slave. The Sith shall not bend the knee to the likes of you and your followers. You seek submission, but I offer cooperation..."

Kyrel Ren

 

[Kyrel Ren]

In order to work fully with Nemris Kyrel had to mention his own prejudice towards the Sith. The irony would be that he himself had embodied the best of the Sith, and still denounced being called one or being associated with them. Still he stood here in hopes of steering away control of the Brotherhood away from the machinations of the Sith, and yet his dilemma was that the New Sith Order must live in order for the Brotherhood to live. He kept silent and listened to the insight that Nemris spoke of.

The Wrath of the Maw would find himself nodding slowly. Kyrel would mimic Nemris’s own pacing in a circle around the altar they stood before. The way the man spoke he wondered if Kyrel had judged him too quickly based on his prior affiliation to the New Jedi Order. His pacing would stop when Nemris would stop, in a way Kyrel was trying to have an angle over the Sith. Just as he described it in a way Kyrel sought to control the Sith through Nemris.

When the man finished his thoughts Kyrel began to speak once more. “You are more perceptive than I gave you credit for Nemris. If I cannot kill you all, or I cannot trust controlling the Sith… If the Maw, if the Sith is to survive this war than cooperation is the only path… I will accept the offer of cooperation in hopes of preserving our very way of life. For I fear rivals have arisen, and our enemies will not stop until the Brotherhood and the New Sith are eradicated.” His tone took a grim turn as he thought of the disastrous way the War has turned out thus far.

Darth Nemris