Zombie Queen [Any OS]

[Darth Grimoire]

Putrefaction, a sent that cursed be​

Underneath coat of dust​

​

Aza'Zoth, once a majesty, now a decrepit wasteland destroyed by the centuries and by the hand that created it. Black sands and dark murky skies gazed into each other through a pale veil of whipping sands that danced in dark specters across the far horizon. Descending into its tainted atmosphere a lone fighter carrying its once and future Queen - the daughter of the Serpent Lord of Shadows, Val'Ryss Zankarr now Darth Hauntruss - drifted into a landing beside a promenade of ruined monoliths. As the ramp to the starfighter descended, out stepped Grimoire draped in a high-collared black tunic which covered her arms in black leather straps strung together as a sleeve. A pale face beset with burning red orbs surveyed the ruins sticking out from the rotting landscape like the exposed bones of a corpse.

So this. This is my inheritance. A wasteland. Grimoire growled in mental meditation. Wasteland it was but, the very air itself felt heavy. Centuries of darkside work had condensed into a permanent darkside nexus. The planet was thick with evil. No doubt the work of her infamous mother and the legendary Dark Forge that once sat upon this world. Grimoire strolled forward, taking care to take note of the statues that looked down upon her. Grotesque gargoyles, bulbous in muscle and glaring with many thin eyes. Grimoire could recall the whispers of her mother, the whispers that brought her here. Seek the throne my Ghuleh. Aza'Zoth will breath again, once the Queen of the Dead returns. The Queen of the dead? Perhaps the Queen of the vacant. There was nothing in this rubble. Not a soul, not a beast. Like Korriban. It was a tomb world for no one.

But, she did not come alone. She had called upon her mother's dark comrade [member="Darth Vornskr"]. She was told he and her mother had used this world for many dark campaigns. If anyone besides her now vanished mother knew of this world's secrets - it was he. Rubble or not. This was a gift from her creator and Grimoire smirked at the idea, of resurrecting the foul undead creatures that could sleep in the planets vast catacombs.

A fate it would be, to become a -​

Zombie Queen. ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Indeed, she was not alone.

Trailing behind her starfighter was a Santhe Corporation Sicarius-class Stealth Yacht ominously dubbed the Crestfallen, and the personal starship of the Sith Lord Darth Vornskr, Voice of the Dark Lord and now undisputed King of Panatha. The yacht descended and gracefully came to a rest on a flat hill a couple meters away from where [member="Grimoire "]'s ship had landed, the ramp slowly coming down with a hiss of hydraulics to rest gently against the barren earth. From within the shadowy confines of the vessel emerged a being draped in trappings befitting a Sith Lord, a black robe hung loosely from his muscular body while a body-suit overlaid by ornate armorplast clung tightly to his body. His head was bare, the dim sun shining on his scarred hairless scalp as his hateful eyes drew it's gaze across the landscape, absorbing all that he saw with grim indifference. Still, he managed something of a smirk as his eyes finally laid on the young woman down below, and with a skillful leap he landed next to her.

"It has been many years since I have set foot on Aza'zoth, young Queen." He absently mused as he placed a hand on a broken obelisk that jutted awkwardly from the ground an at obscene angle, his gloved fingers rubbing over the cracked obsidian surface. With a thought the obelisk shattered and crumbled into ruin, sending a tremor in the Force around them to herald the destruction. He wiped his glove of the broken shards, a deep rumble forming in his throat as he gazed upon what had become of the world.

"It must all be torn down, and rebuilt."

 

[Darth Ferus]

​

​

The Living Dead.

A contradiction in on its self. Could something dead truly be alive? Or could something alive truly be dead? Neither truly mattered, for undead existed. They had been seen by many within the Galaxy, immune to pain. Immune to hunger. Rotting and destroying what ever their masters desired. And a queen was to be crowned. The news spread, and eventually Darth Ferus had heard. The idea of such a thing was beyond interesting. He wanted to know who this woman was, and more importantly, where her throne would reside. It wasn't hard to find the planet however. The broken world of Aza'Zoth. He knew some of the planets history, but the man was never a fan of social studies. History was simply that. Focus on the future.

Like he was now.

His ship, a relic from his past, descended from the skies with the hum of any star ship. Landing gear would extend as it got close to the ground, and the ship would land close by by both [member="Grimoire "]'s and [member="Darth Vornskr"] 's ships. The Shadow of the Dark Lord would descend from the exit ramp, shrouded in an unassuming dark cloak. All of his features, save for his glowing red eyes, would be obscured. It had become a habit of his to hide his face and body after an.. Accident, in the One Sith's most recent battle with the Republic. A gift from [member="[/FONT][FONT=georgia]Ven'Rain Sekairo[/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=14px][FONT=georgia]"] While his jaw healed, it was badly scarred. Horrid to look at. For the sake of others, he had chosen to hide it.

A clear and respectful bow of his head would be offered to the pair, followed by his voice as he addressed them both.

"Lord Vonskr. And I assume this is the Zombie Queen, yes?" Red eyes would affix to both of them as he spoke their names, however his gaze settled upon Grimoire. He had never met this girl before, but something was familiar about her. Perhaps they had met in passing? Or perhaps she had a parent he had known. Time would explain that, as it would everything.

 

[Darth Grimoire]

Grimoire physically did not move when [member="Darth Vornskr"] reduced the large monolith into a plume of debris. But, inside her whole being recoiled and the sudden shock in force. Someone to keep a close eye on. Even if he is a trusted ally of her mother. She turned to him and approached the new pile of fine dust created by his hand. "My mother is said to have built all this." Grimoire began, revealing some her naivity when it came to the powers of rule. "But, with who and for what. There is nothing but death here." Grimoire spoke of her mother's powers and the great complex that used to sit atop this broken and bleak and landscape. She passed Vornskr and moved once again along the promenade. This dead world held a living center. But, where was it.

Grimoire turned her head slightly to look back at the old Sith Lord. "She spoke of a Throne. I must find it." she hissed. Then came another Sith Lord, more mysterious then the last. Draped in tattered cloak ([member="Darth Ferus"]) with piercing eyes. Girmoire nodded in reply to his bow and smiled at the inquiry to whether she was the Queen of the corpse world. "Not yet, my lord. But, I am told it is my destiny. This world was once the home to my mother - you may know of her as Darth Hauntruss. Before the Jedi of old tore her soul from her ancient form. She ruled this planet with an army of abominations. And now she has set me here to return it to former glory. To establish a new Queendom - as this Zombie Queen."

"But, first we must find our servants." Grimoire continued, as she began to descend into a cave like opening that held ruins that once hinted to a grand entrance, "The ones she called The Ghuleh."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Ferus."

Other than that he said nothing more to the Shadow of the Dark Lord, and merely nodded his head forward in acknowledgement and begrudging respect. He didn't particularly care for the man, but he was a man of rank and prestige that equaled his own, and so there were certain courtesies that Vornskr was obliged to extend to him. "Life is the enemy, death is our solace." He quoted a passage he had read from an ancient tome his underlings had managed to dredge up from who knows where, most likely some obscure tomb lost to the annals of history, or perhaps they pried to from the lukewarm dead hands of some merchant or occult collector. It mattered not, but those words hit him in a most profound way and were no doubt written by someone whose understanding of the Force was truly great. He had taken them to heart and often recited them when he felt they were appropriate, such as now.

In the distance gestated the shelled-out corpse of what might have been a mighty stronghold, now reduced to a couple walls of piled stone and metal reinforcement that hungrily grasped the darkened sky as if trying to haul their ruin from the dead earth. "This world was once home to a Forge of immense power. It's metal was seeped in the Dark Side of the Force, and from it's anvils we crafted weapons of dread purpose and malign sentience. But those fires ran cold many years ago, and the Forge was lost." He turned to face Grimoire and Ferus as they began to delve into the cavernous maw that festered like an open would upon the blackness of the planet's surface.

"Besides these Ghuleh, this forge is paramount to this planet's importance. If you are to rule, it must be recovered."

[member="Grimoire "]
[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"A forge? Oh my, this has become that much more intriguing." Many thoughts traveled through Ferus's mind now. At first, [member="Grimoire "]being the daughter of Hauntress. It was interesting, especially since the child did not bare the same color as the mother. Then talk on a Throne. Followed by the name of an army, or at least that's what the man assumed. The Ghuleh rang no bell in his head. But the Forge. That was something that interested him. Be it a black smiths forge to an Alchemic Basin, Ferus had learned how to operate them all. Until the mention of a solid forge seeped in the Dark by [member="Darth Vornskr"] .

Red eyes focused in on the Epicanthix. Vornskr. Once on the council of Ferus's own master, Vulcanus. Until he chose to join the One Sith. A wise decision, one Ferus should have followed instead of walking blindly to death. But that was the past. "A unique I take it. Run out of the Force? Well, I know a couple of ways to fix that. What does this Forge run on? Does it take sacrifice and blood? Or the channeling of the strongest Sith? Either way, I agree. Such a fount of power will be.. Good. For the One Sith and a future queen. An army needs weapons after all." Red eyes flicked back over to the Serpents Daughter. Ultimately, this was her decision. No matter which the Shadow preferred, he was only here to watch and assist where he could.

 

[Kenrath]

[member=Grimoire]


A small unremarkable shuttle touched down a few minutes after the arrival of Darth Ferus. Vengeance stepped down the ramp in simple black robes. He gave [member="Darth Ferus"] a bow.

"Lord Ferus I hope I am not interrupting anything important."

He then turned to [member="Darth Vornskr"] giving the man a bow.

"You look familiar to be but I don't think I have got your name." "I am Knight Vengeance."


He looked around the place with a chuckle. It was not very pretty looking but then again most places with this much dark side energy weren't. It was the way of the galaxy and Vengeance was freshly returned from the Invasion of Contruum.

He turned looking at the one with a smile.

"So tell me something." "How does a relative unknown warrant the attention of such power?" "I must admit there is something subtly familiar about you but I can't place it."

 

[Darth Grimoire]

A forge? Out of the darkness? Grimoire contemplated. A slow grin crossed her face. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Oh mother the secrets you keep. Grimoire laughed. The catacombs below the surface ruins was lined with macabre vaulted ceilings and more disfigured statuettes. The force was more oppressive here. Grimoire could feel each step she take weighed down and echoed with an uneasiness. It was foul but oddly warm and familiar. This was the force signature of her dark mother. This was the work of the ancient dark lady Val'Ryss Zankarr. Deeper and deeper into the caves of green stoned doom. Until they reach a large chamber, enormous in size and carved straight into the dark rock of Aza'Zoth. One could see the eerie resemblance between it and the tomb world of Korriban.

Strewn across the floor was graves, large stone tablets in never ending rows and across the walls slots carved in to have bodies placed in. Grimoire's dark jovial mood gave way to a stoic calm, as she glared across the chamber. "I have never been here." Grimoire hissed, "But, I know of this place. Somehow." Grimoire strolled towards one of the tomb tablets and like a lover to he romance, caressed the soft and worn out grooves that were etched across the stones. The force within here was spewing out across the chamber floor. Like her mother, Grimoire had a heightened sense in the darkside. And she was assaulted with signatures, hundreds of them. "This place is not as dead as it seems." She growled as she turned her head to stare at her company.

"No." a gargling monstrous voice rang out, "It is not. Trespasser!" the voice hissed again. "This is the home of our blessed dark lord. Leave or become an offering to our Lord of Shadows!"


[member="Vengeance"] [member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Such things are for the Queen's ears only, Ferus. When we find it's lost fragments I will bequeath my knowledge to her and her alone, no one else." He gave a hard, piercing stare at Ferus as a warning not to press the subject any further. Then came another ship to land among the already present gathering, and from it emerged someone who's face Vornskr could recall, but the name and titles had either slipped his demented mind or had been dumped due to lack of significance; as was common with those that Vornskr felt were beneath his notice. Still, his vanity was irked when the whelp did not recognize his name nor his status among the Sith, visibly manifesting as a twitch under his right eye and his mouth curling downward into a primal sneer.

"Watch your tongue, mongrel, or I'll have it cut from your head" he snarled, "You stand in the presence of the Dark Lord's chosen champions, exarchs of his will, and you will know respect." He gave an even harder glare the Knight, but just as quickly as it came he interest in the man all but dissolved as they began to journey deeper into the foul earth. The high vaulted ceilings and monstrous edifices reminded him of the tombs of Korriban, and perhaps that was the intent of the architect, but moreover it also reminded him of the trappings he was so used to adorning his homes with. And the oppressive chill of the Dark Side that permeated the caverns did not bother him in the slightest, but in fact he felt more at home here in the darkened recesses than he did above with the dim sun shining on his back. More closer to the Dark Side, he supposed, his entire body dripped with dark power and so thus it was natural for him to be more at home where it was in abundance.

And then they met what he assumed was the crypt's guardians, those monstrosities left behind by Hauntruss to guard her realm from any who would intrude upon it. He stayed his weapon, this was Grimoire's fight, and he would not interfere.

[member="Grimoire "]
[member="Darth Ferus"]
[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

A secret only the Queen could hear? Now the curiosity that Ferus felt went to a whole new level. [member="Vengeance"] would get a polite nod, but otherwise ignored as red eyes focused in on [member="Darth Vornskr"] . "Secrets are a given right for Sith of any age or power. If she," His eyes shifted to [member="Grimoire "], remembering that she was indeed here. "If you wish to keep this to yourself, you are in your right. I will go so far as to help protect this secret from getting out. Sith earn such rights through power. However, Sith are also free to make their own choices. If you wish to let me know how to power this, it can become a tool fitting for all of the One Sith. I might even go so far as to make my own for all so yours can be kept to yourself." There was another bow of the Sith's head as he spoke to this future queen. "The choice is, of course, yours and yours alone."

Those would be his final words on the subject as they entered catacombs. This crushing presence, it was relaxing to Ferus. A man born of the dark, thriving in the dark, and consuming the dark couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh at such a wonderful place. It wasn't giving him peace, but a swirl of emotion. Emotion that he had not felt for some time. It was comforting to know that despite what he had done, he could still feel these emotions of power. In silence he would watch on, curious on the next move of the Queen.

 

[Kenrath]

[member="Grimoire"] [member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Darth Vornskr"]

Vengeance just looked at Vornskr as the man snarled threats and propaganda. He was bored 30 seconds into the man's tirade but his face would not show it. If there was ever a Sith cliche it was this man and would explain why Vengeance didn't know him past a minor recollection of him.

As they proceeded forward Vengeance kept his thoughts to himself listening to the two Lords discuss the unwritten rules of sharing knowledge and with whom to share it. He was not surprised at all at the stances the two men took. Vornskr an elitist was very selective and Ferus a man who had been present at several group training session less so.


When the voice spoke of trespassers Vengeance smiled pulling his saber but not igniting it. He held it in his hand spinning the hilt in between his fingers waiting and watching to see who would do what. Vengeance was here out of curiosity not for personal gain so he was in no hurry to make any moves.

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

As the voice of the guardian of the catacombs rang out and each of the group before him reacted, Xavka strode forwards from the shadows of the corridor they had just exited from. At that moment he was grateful to the fact that he was a Zabrak as it had only been his enhanced sense of smell, when compared to most beings, that he had managed to follow the group of Sith as their presences had been obscured within the blanket of Darkness that covered the area.

Silence would reign from the one armed Zabrak, him uttering no sound, as he drew up behind Darth Ferus, taking the spot he usually did when standing, or walking, with Ferus. Slightly to the side and a few strides behind him. A sign of Xavka's respect to his mentor and leader among the Assassins.

"Ay'Edar."

Xavka's voice was quiet as he greeted Ferus, choosing to not destroy the silence that filled the room. Instead, he chose to follow Ferus's lead and observe what Lady Grimoire did in the situation. He had heard of the new Queen through contacts he kept as an assassin, but Xavka had always chose to, if possible, draw his own conclusions of beings from personal observation.


[member="Darth Ferus"] | [member="Grimoire "]| [member="Vengeance"] | [member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Grimoire]

[member="Darth Vornskr"] [member="Xavka Duquo"] @Vengeance [member="Darth Ferus"]

From the Darkness, Rises a Succubus​

And usurps the Throne​

Grimoire paused and glared into the dark distance. A monstrous form materialized beyond the shadow of a obelisk. It was huge deformed beast. Towering above seven feet and covered in bulbous but formed muscle lumps. The beast exuded power and visceral strength. But his flesh was tainted a decaying grey and facial features nearly eroded into skeletal base.

The ghoul strode forward and his dead glowing eyes surveyed the gathered group. His teeth clenched and slit lips cracked to reveal a growl. "Begone interlopers!" He cried out. And as he did his brethren of similar monstrosity awoke. Their jirrating and moving, revealed their numbers. They were everywhere hidden in slot tombs in the walls and floor. These were the Ghuleh, once members of an ancient Bogan Cult which Darth Hauntruss, once Val'Ryss Zankarr had warped into her personal army of powerful undead abominations - doomed to slumber until her return. "We only follow our Lord of Shadows!"

Grimoire's initial awe gave way to a cruel professionalism. One drilled into her by her mother -The Lord of Shadows - Grimoire approached the leader of the ghuleh and stared into his eyes. Her aura bleed out and embraced his. Not in a crushing doom but a gentle caress. He would know who she was. "Your Lord of Shadows is no more..ghuleh!" Grimoire growled. The beast took it as offense and lunged to cleave her in twine with his sharpened bone that protruded from his fingers. Grimoire in a reflexive gesture raised her hand and through the force warped her brutal grip around the creatures head. She fell even further into darkness, her mother's well taught darkside channeling techniques bolstered her grip.

"She has vanished. And all that is left of her is me." Grimoire hissed as she forced through pain the ghuleh to kneel. "I AM HER HEIR...I AM YOUR LORD...I AM YOUR QUEEN!" Grimoire belowed. The beast recoiled and Grimoire let all of her oppressive force powers dive into him. The beast writhed in pain and then slumped only to raise his head. He knew. This was the flesh of his Lady Lord. This was the offspring of Val'Ryss Zankarr. The ghuleh nodded and Grimoire relented. He rose and cried a shrilling bark. "Hail to the new ZOMBIE QUEEN, LORD OF THE GHULEH AND AZA'ZOTH!"

"Hiss, hiss hiss." Grimoire laughed as the other ghuleh heralded the new Zombie Queen of Aza'Zoth. Grimoire turned her head so that her eyes rolled to meet the face plate of Vornskr. "Show me where the Forge was once held. I will feed on what clues I can sense and then I will reclaim what is mine!"

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance tucked his saber away with a sigh. It looked like there would not be any fighting after all. Part of him was glad and another part of him was disappointed. he tucked his arms behind his back as he watched the exchange between the "Zombie Queen" and ............................ well the temperamental one. Then it hit him.......the hissing..........he had heard it before. As he stood there he thought back searching through the myriad of memories in his mind. Where had he heard that before. After a few minutes he simply shrugged talking a step or two back wondering why he had come and maybe a little bit wishing the shadows would take him.

The whole affair reminding him way he detested the pursuit of power and position. Even in this place among these people they were tryign to establish who was important and who did not matter.

[member="Grimoire "][member="Xavka Duquo"] [member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Certainly, Zombie Queen." said the enigmatic Vornskr with a respectful bow, his tall frame practically bending in two with the effort before he snapped back up to his imposing height. He turned towards a distant opening in the cavern, and pointed his finger into the gloomy abyss. "The Forge was constructed deep within the catacombs of the planet, a labyrinth from which those that descend are doomed to be lost forever even with the Force as their guide. Only the Lords of Shadow know of the Forge's location, and the meanings to discern the pathway through the dark." It just so happened that Vornskr was considered a Lord of Shadow, part of the entourage that had followed Val'Ryss in a pilgrimage to relocate the planet of darkness. Among those present only he had the knowledge of the darkened core, and only he could be their guide.

"Follow me, but know that if you stray from our group you shall be lost forever. And a light source is useless, the darkness swallows all light... Even your lightsaber will prove ineffective." And thus with no light source, nothing to illuminate their descent into the cold hungering dark they began their trek through the shadows. The way was winding, rocky, and the sounds of distant creatures rumbled in the blackness. The pin-pricks of distant eyes watching the ground could be seen through the gloom, but only barely and when one attempted to focus their vision the eyes would disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. However; soon enough they reached a dead eye marked with faintly glowing runes inscribed in an ancient dialect that had long since gone unspoken.

But he knew the words.

He slipped the glove off of his right hand, and placed his bare palm against the strangely warm stone of the doorway. The runes glowed brighter, briefly illuminating their surroundings in a pale green glow.

"H̠͙͚̬͉͈ͅͅu̢̳̖̻̕ ̵͎̟̜̲z̸̪a̷̷̺͔͉̼͓̝̖͝ ̺̗͞͠ṋ̞͉i̛̘͈͉̙̙͚̮̭͟͠'̴͡҉͉̟̤̟a̞̕͢h̢̫͚̻̬̲u̼̥͠r͖͍͈̗̥̗͍̀͢ ҉̖̘̖͓̟̣̼̩ͅi̷̩̬'̶̟̦̬̰à̙̪̰̹͙̰͔͙͈͝ ̛͈̣͙͝u͍̟̗i̷̸̠̖̻̣̖̠̫̜ͅ'͙͙̠a̬̦͔̭̠̦͉̖̩r͚͓̀͝s̛̻̯̭̲̫̤͍͠ ̴͈ͅa̷̕҉̩̰̣͎į̢̥s̸̛̗̜͇ ̷̩̟͕̭̖͈̻͕ͅa̛̱̝͠ ̢͜͏͉̮̪ú͔̘͈̺͡h͚̗͎͈͉͝n͓ŗ̹̠͖̣͇̠̺͟u̹̜̭̠͞s͕͈͉̰̘͎̭̞̀͢,̼̼̺̟̣̣͞ ̨̙̰̝̺͕͙̟͟͠p̜͚͇h̛̜͙̥̺͕͠u͟͡҉̖͎̫̦s̶̯͇͖r͏̗̗͔ ̛͖̫͇̲͉̘s҉͇̟̥͚̞̞̖͟u̴̻̙̘̦̟̲h̻̪̤̜̫͈̠͢ş̯̻̲̮͈̟ ̛͔̺͙͖a͚̦̤̲̱͙ͅ ̣͔͕s̤̜͓u̵͖͖ ͔̝̣̱́͝z̨̛͔͍͖i̬̻̞͢ͅ'҉̨̞͟á̵̗̟̙͔͡u̢͏̞h̢͈̗̞͙̮͖͈r̡̬̫̙̺̠̪̩͙͘̕ ̛̗͉̪̰̰͠a̭ ̖͙̺̬̻̻̬̜̀͜͝u͉̜̲̻̥̼̗͇͢͟ù͇͎̲̰͕͖̭̝͞h͞͏͕̰̱̻r͎̻̰̮̀̕p̴̤͓̣̗͕̖̜͢͜h͏̻̣̱̯͉̹ ̨̛̥͓͕̜̭̹͔i̞̝'̡͍̘͟a̧̼̞̜̟͙͕̥̜ ̵̸͍̤̟n̫̤i͏͏͖̗̞̖͔̫̗̦ͅ'̢͞҉͈̮̪̞̼a̴̩̘̯̘̱̫̹͍r͎̹̙̝͕̹̞̳̕͘̕.̙̥͚̮̦̖͙͜"​

​

​

There was a pause, and then with a great rumble the doorway receded into the rock to reveal a great and mighty chamber where lava flowed freely from aqueducts built into the cavernous walls. Smithing tools lay scattered about the ground as they entered, empty stations dotted the corners with some projects hung on racks still unfinished. The center of the chamber was elevated, and where a great and mighty forge would have stood there was a vacant space.

"This was where it was held, and where it must be returned."

[member="Grimoire "]
[member="Vengeance"]
[member="Xavka Duquo"]
[member="Darth Ferus"]