Blackened Crystal

Chapter 1. Tiresome trine

As the carriage wobbled and buckled occasionally throughout the main street of the kingdom two skeksis spoke, both of pleasantries and concerns. It has been a thousand trine after the last set of skeksis, whom had all perished whether out of extreme greed with no restraint, falling to the blade of that cursed gelfling or simply had no leader to guide them. The Emperor was the very first to perish, and merely in the same trine the rest had followed suit.

The Pontiff and the Champion, the most religious and politically powerful member of the skeksis besides the Emperor, whom had brought a gelfling, yet this was not just merely any soft and weak gelfling. He had been a warrior that once served alongside the one called Rian within the war, and betrayed him. The sword piercing through his spine had been one of the most pleasing sounds the Pontiff had heard in several centuries, he was there to witness the fall of another attempted rebellion, and was there to witness the praise this gelfling recieved when he became a commander within their army. More of his kind had arisen to join their cause against this rebellion, desiring no more bloodshed and savage war. The arathim served almost as a secret force nowadays, yet the Emperor knew they would certainly still have use.

With the now kingdom being recently constructed, each vapra clan took refuge there, near their lords. Yet not only the warriors, but the lowliest and highest of citizens. To the farmers on the outskirts to the richest near the grand palace housing all skeksis.

"Do you really desire a much more brutish outtake? I cannot help but be surprised to hear such words coming from even a gelfling like yourself."
The Pontiff sat across from the man, his robes consisting of many blacks and deep purples, the royal undergarments were silver in color, and the rings lacing his large sleeves were a striking deep velvet in color. Despite being an avid and even experienced user of the darkening he seemed not as grotesque as someone like the Authoritarian, an advisor to the Emperor whom was practically falling apart physically.

The commander, or better known as the Champion could not help but take minor solace in the Pontiff's response. His superior was willing to to ask, and be asked questions. "Yes my lord, we have already presented that of a promising past through both kind words and a strict system. Those who break the law are in need to be punished, no matter how just their actions seem."

"Making an example out of them, perhaps?"

The carriage rumbled, the rain heavy and cold. They were almost there to the destination, the holy residence of the crystal. The only gelfling to witness eyes on it had promptly been drained, but their essence destroyed. Were they being rejected by Thra? Such a thing was impossible, which only led to more questions with fewer answers. The crystal however was not at fault, it was the skeksis beginning it's abuse once again.

"An example not created through death, but one made by torture, serving in the order of lesser services." Ironically, through these many trine the order of lesser services had been transformed into that of a enslaved public group, forced to work without the promise of currency or even freedom. Each member's sentence could last anywhere between a single trine to almost a decade. Before the Pontiff to give a proper response he felt the carriage rumble, before promptly stopping. They had just arrived at their destination. Thanks to experimenting so heavily with currently contained darkening the Pontiff was completely unable to digest regular food, but like a vulture, took immense solace in feeding upon mere corpses, rotten meat, dead creatures that should have never been considered food. An obvious reason as to why he never attended to the feasts held within the grand palace, but instead locked himself away within his "holy" chapel.

It had not been long before the larger man gestured the trustee gelfling to follow. A hand reaching over and obtaining his scepter, before stepping out into the cold yet calming rain. A deep exhale came from the lord's beak-like jaws, it was always comforting to experience such a feeling. As the so called Champion made his way out of the carriage to follow his lord he could not help but imagine what it was like for someone with such power. It only made him admire them more. His mind shifted from the history of Thra's past regarding the failure of Rian. It was something he could no longer hide his enjoyment in thinking about. The grottans had been all but wiped out, including the one called Deet, and the leader of the Vapra clan was rather busy listening to the whispers of the skeksis Emperor.