Tabloid King of Korriban Weds!

[The Storyteller]

The planet Korriban has come to life with a month of celebrations to honor King Azar’ithar Shah’Zahan Emyr iv Kressh’s (@Darth Arcanos ) marriage to Thalisa Ragnos iv Sarasashi (@LouJoVi ) and Ilyan Kurvast (@Phoenix ). King Kressh is the first Pureblood to unite the entire planet under one banner in centuries. He has made unprecedented political moves by marrying a member of the Kurvast house - a family notably from the desert tribes. While this raised many eyebrows among the royal citizens of the planet, most can agree that the King is the leader that has been sorely missing to bring prosperity back to the planet.

The wedding festivities have drawn crowds from all over the galaxy with Korriban opening its doors wide for visitors. Citizens from everywhere can now learn more about the previously thought to be extinct pureblood people, experience their culture and sample their fiery cuisine! The weddings were lavish affairs, with musicians from all corners of the galaxy and hundreds of chefs from both the Core and Outer Rim worlds flying in to offer something to satisfy everyone’s palate.

Each wedding took four days and had over a thousand guests. Animals and several non-combat grotthu were sacrificed in the king’s honor to herald a prosperous life and the longevity of his line.

The generous King provided meals to all of the villages surrounding his palace city - Murzana. One can only speculate how the dynamics will take place with Thalisa raised as a princess and Ilyan coming from the desert. Rumors suggest that the Kurvast house has had decades of bitterness with the Kressh prince in the past, but perhaps this will be an effort to turn a new leaf.

The galaxy waits to see what the young King will do and how Korriban may join the wider galactic political stage!

**Camera pans to footage from the wedding ceremonies with an immaculately dressed Azar Kressh and his new wives. Only those that truly know him can tell he is entirely emotionally detached from the whole affair**

 

[Thalisa Sarasashi]

Thalisa was very aware of the situation that she was being thrown into when her father announced that she was going to marry King Azar (@Sreeya). There would be no love involved, she knew it even before her hand was offered. As part of nobility, the woman had forfeit the possibility of marrying someone because they loved each other many years ago. Her role was to produce children and support her king in everything that he did.

However, she still could enjoy the celebrations and cause a good impression during them. Thalisa was dressed in an expensive dress and wearing several precious jewels that made her look like a queen that fitted perfectly at Azar’s side. Even if it wasn’t her own wedding, the Pureblood would have come well dressed.

She really wanted to say the same about the rest of the guests. Some of them were dressed so badly that Thalisa wondered how they were allowed to enter. It was the marriage of the King of Korriban, not the family barbecue at their backyard. It was depressing to know that the elite of her homeworld had lost any sense of fashion.

There was a very old Pureblood wearing scarlet clothes! Don’t they see that it makes him look as if he was naked? His family needs to help him, without any doubt that fashion abomination was a signal of dementia.

Even with these aberrations, the celebrations were pleasant. Well, they would have been better if her fellow wife wasn’t who she was. It was frustrating, a Princess needing to share it with a desert rat. Another problem with political weddings, sometimes you need to accept anything to make peace. Unfortunately, Azar wasn’t able to marry another member of the royalty and was given Ilyan (@Phoenix), a desert flower.

In Thalisa’s opinion, she was more a cactus. It was painful to look at.

However, even cactus could blossom. She really hoped that Ilyan would leave her desert customs and would become part of the civilized society, like how a queen should be. Now it wasn’t time to think about it, though. Thalisa had seen some foreign diplomats that came to watch the ceremonies and were approaching to congratulate her. The woman was good with diplomacy and making friends with outsiders could be good for Azar’s rule. She even swallowed her disgust for the humans.

‘Ugh, how could a creature look so boring like that?’

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

It wasn't the phone call Bakar Khaldun was expecting to hear. Days had passed without word from Azar when Vossari Khaldun returned to Wrea wordlessly, with a tiny band of ice wrapped around his ring finger. He refused to explain, refused to even speak on it, as he poured himself into the work. His father had proven to be a potent blood sorcerer after all, and he distracted himself in their shared work: mastering sorcery of the Sea.

After days spent refusing to acknowledge a problem, he eventually did. He showed his father the invitation - cordial, regal, printed with the royal insignia, showing the invitation to the wedding of King Azar “Arcanos” Kressh. His father embraced him wordlessly, and, in that embrace, he let the tears fall. Yet still, that band of ice remained on his ring finger. He refused to let it melt.

Vossari understood that the King needed to do this. He told himself he understood, at least, to mask the heartbreak that the notice gave him. He receded into himself, away from the world, as he buried himself in the work of a Sith Master.

Eventually, though, the day ticked past. Vossari and Bakar enjoyed a bucket of tropical Wrean ice cream as they sat on the couch, father patting son on the arm. “We don’t have to watch this.”

Vossari waved his dad off with his silver spoon. “No, no, it’ll be…” A wave of feeling came over him as Azar appeared on screen. Empathy for his love was there, of course, but it was tied with jealousy at seeing his man with these brides. Vossari threw his spoon at the screen, and it whizzed through the hologram harmlessly.

“AGGH he didn’t have to look so handsome!” Voss yelled, to no one in particular, as he saw the fineries of Azar’s outfit. Regal silks and jewels, surrounded by flowers and attendants. So much celebration, so much joy, but…he wasn’t a part of it. It was the exact wedding he had imagined for him and Azar, and yet, all he had was a ring made of ice and a promise whispered on a midnight wind.

He felt tears forming again to pierce his cheeks but, as he looked at the video feed closer, he realized something. Among the other pieces of jewelry Azar was wearing, a small ring went unnoticed. A ring made entirely of ice, resting defiantly in the desert heat.

“Dad, I…I still love him. I can’t stop loving him.” Father embraced son again, as Vossari let out the anticipation, pain, and anxiety of this moment out together. His father never noticed the icy band that rested on Vossari’s finger. No one did. But then, no one needed to; it was only for the two of them. The desert and the sea, now distant but forever connected.

 

[Trael Osso]

In the days following the ceremony for his promotion Trael was locked in a cell. He was chained up and placed on his knees, bowing, not trying to escape or even causing a commotion. He spent his time meditating, trying to keep his mind off of everything that had transpired and all that would follow. The palace was in an uproar, something big was happening, at first he half expected his execution to be announced. Then he was released on house arrest, confined to the palace with a constant watch of Kissai sorcerers.

He spent the days leading up to, as he soon found out, Azar’s weddings wandering the grounds. He made sure to stay out of the way, favoring the gardens of the palace. He kept to himself, only conversing when someone else initiated and getting out of it quickly. He was meditating over a pond when the news of the dual weddings reached him, the water beneath him froze as he turned to regard the attendant and read the information. He burned the missive in his palm after reading it, he was instructed to stay in the palace, he wasn’t invited. He wasn’t the one marrying him. He stepped down onto the frozen water, it freezing more deeply as he walked, and headed back inside.

He sat in the corner of the room he was staying in, on the floor, silent, tears streaming down his face. Normally he would turn to Mama Dolce, Victor, or Azar when he was in such a state. Now because of his own rash actions and stubbornness he was left with no one to turn to. He was once again truly alone, a feeling he had forgotten. He sat there staring off into nothing trying to piece himself together. He would have to acclimate to this, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to fix what he’d broken with Azar. He probably shouldn’t try to, in the end he would likely end up hurting him again. Either way fix it or not he had to continue living, and as a Sith that meant building a power base. He needed to figure out where he could carve out his own destiny in this galaxy, if he couldn’t have the peaceful life he wanted with Azar, he’d ensure no one could threaten his existence ever again.

Trael was on a balcony overlooking the festivities. They were glorious, a wedding worthy of the King. Azar looked stunning as always, his clothing immaculate along with the various carefully picked accessories. Trael watched Azar and his brides, his mind wandering, imagining it was him and Voss, a reality Trael killed. One he wished he didn’t, one he could never bring back. He needed to shift his focus away from the past, or risk himself being consumed by what ifs. He needed to look towards the future, he needed to be let free. Tonight though, that task was impossible. All his mind could think of was the memories and the regrets that accompanied them. All he could do was watch as his dream was lived out by another.

 

[Karai Hekk-iv-Adas]

Karai was surprised, he had managed to get an invite to the wedding, it looked like being a Sith had its advantages. He stood observing the event as it happened in front of him dressed in another outfit, this time not stolen, and dressing traditional as he observed the grand ceremony and exchanging of vows in keeping with the customs of nobility and royalty. He kept silent as he viewed the two brides, both from completely different backgrounds. He wondered how that was going to work out. If one might try killing the other in the night of similar. Especially given the animosity between them, he could feel Thalisa obvious hatred of the other and the humans around.

Although on that point there was some agreement, he didn't much like many humans either.

He observed his king. A literal legend, this time he saw him a lot closer than previously where he had caught just a glimpse. He seemed...distant despite it being a happy occasion with much celebration in the city of Murzana. Most likely since it wasn't of love, this was political, he had seen it before with some other nobility. But it wasn't his concern, the king did what he felt he had to he thought. He stayed over the four days as to not miss a thing as it happened. He took the opportunity to take what food he could eat, he had not eaten like this before. Not on the streets where he was lucky to get even a loaf of bread on some days. But times were changing and now he was in the Korriban Academy, his luck was improving. Or so he thought.

He waited his turn before offering congratulations and a box containing wedding gifts, one for each. Each had been expertly hand made by himself. Carvings of wood and engraved in each likeness.

"I offer congratulations my king, prosperity to you and your brides." he said as he bowed, allowing a attendant to take them to the king and his new brides before stepping down and allowing the next to step up. As was the custom. He joined the celebrations after.

 

[Viper]

Viper was just about to set down his datapad when the notification beeped. It was the sound he had reserved for any holonet mention of Azar, aka Darth Arcanos. He clicked on it. It opened, and he watched the video before turning to his digital filing computer. He plugged in the datapad and saved the news report to his already copious file on Arcanos. Such a marriage is usually not for the sake of attraction. Instead, it is generally for political reasons. Still, all information can be used as a weapon if it is correctly handled. The tactical droid deactivated the computer once the file was saved and turned back to his work. There were other matters to attend to.