Aether's Obsession
He adjusted the segmented plates of his armor, black crystal fused to obsidian scales, and descended the spiral stair to the throne hall.
The moment he entered, the air shifted.
The three humans stood in a loose line before the Sovereign’s dais, dwarfed by the vaulted space. His father sat motionless, regal, giving them the barest nod of welcome. Vaelor took position at the Sovereign’s right shoulder, taller even than the king by half a head. Eight feet and change. A tribrid anomaly. Nocthrim horns swept back like blackened scythes. Vyrkath's scales shimmered faintly along his forearms and throat. Kragvorn bulk made his shoulders and chest seem carved from mountain stone. He knew how he