Throne Room
The Dark Ascent, Arx
36 ABY

3 months after the battle of Nancora; 4 months before present day

Grand Master Pravus stared through his table-mounted holo-screen at the mass of people — bureaucrats, nobles, merchants and dignitaries of allied interest groups that served the Dark Brotherhood — gathered in the main reception hall of the Dark Ascent. Weapons traffickers, crime bosses, wealthy and influential politicians, all reveling in their perceived self-importance as they received summons from the Grand Master himself. Pravus felt his gut churn with contempt at the sight of them. They smelled profit in a war not their own, and they skittered about, like a swarm of insects greedy for nourishment. They were, at best, a necessary evil, otherwise he would not have had them in his bastion.

The simple reality was that the Brotherhood needed credits to finance their war against the Collective, a war that started at the worst of times. These...people were the unfortunate outcome. The emerging war was giving them legs to stand on while the promise of wealth and power afforded them a boldness they would otherwise fear to express in the Grand Master’s presence. Pravus held them all in silent contempt before finally withdrawing from his table. He closed the holo-screen and stared through the viewport onto the city below, ignoring its brilliance against a darkening sky.

A doorbell chimed at the far end of the office, sliding aside as the tall visage of his Deputy, Telaris, walked in. He was dressed in Inquisitorius robes and ceremonial armor, specifically tailored for the occasion. There was no expectation in his eyes. Telaris knew why he had been summoned.

"You have been patient. Did you think it would come so soon?" Pravus asked, not so much as glancing towards the Deputy Grand Master.

Telaris' expression remained steadfast. He did not have to answer, since he knew that the Grand Master wasn't expecting one. "What of you?" the Deputy inquired.

"There is...more that I seek. These strings no longer play to my liking. I'm merely—" Pravus paused and stared at something only he could see, always looking ever further, trying to shape the course of things to come. "—moving on."

"It's all decided, then."

"It had been even before I called for you. Howlader has been informed," Pravus stated.

Telaris fought the urge to run a hand through his brown hair, his eyes scanning the Grand Master. Silence hung between the two men, but there was almost a perceptible shift as well. As if the scales of power no longer skewed entirely in only one's favor.

Pravus rose to his full height as air rushed into his flared nostrils. The sound was sudden, but somehow added to the tension instead of breaking it. "I wonder if you regret such a transition," he pondered alloud. "It is the way of the Sith to take it, is it not?"

Another question that bore no fruit.

Whatever Telaris' thoughts were, he kept them tightly controlled. Nor was he obligated to do anything beyond that. That time was over, and the pieces were moving once more upon the board. Only now, it would be his will that they followed.

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Written by: DGM Morgan Sorenn

Summary

• A gathering of bureaucrats, nobles, merchants, and dignitaries is being hosted at the Dark Ascent on Arx.
• In private, Grand Master Pravus reveals that he is stepping away from the throne.
• Deputy Grand Master Telaris is told that his time has come. Long may he reign.
• Back at the gathering, the various leadership representatives of the Clans are present: with the exception of Odan Urr.
• Telaris appears where Pravus should be, shocking many of the gathered to different degrees. They can’t believe it’s not butter, clearly.
• Telaris is the new Grand Master, and he says that in order to reforge the Brotherhood in the face of the threat that is the Collective, the Brotherhood needs to be unified.
• Telaris states that the Council will continue to bolster and support the Clans territories.
• Jac Cotelin has been replaced as Justicar by Dacien Victae diPlagia.
• Selika Roh has become the new Herald.
• Morgan Sorenn has become the new Deputy Grand Master.
• Later: It is revealed that a Collective spy was able to record the exchange and share it with the Collective leadership.
• Ghafa and Daggo argue over their mixed success and failures against the Brotherhood so far.
• Rath quiets them, and admits to not predicting that Pravus would just walk away from everything.
• Rath resolves that this will not stop him from achieving his goals. The Collective will not stop until the Brotherhood is eradicated from the face of the Galaxy.

Updates

Thank you, everyone for your continued patience. This fiction update officially kicks off our next story arc: The Collective. We went with this name to establish that The Collective are not a one-and-done adversary. They are a continual rival that challenges the existence of the Brotherhood. While this first Prologue doesn’t answer all of the questions you probably have, it serves as a strong base for handling some of the out-of-characters changes in the club from an in-character perspective. Namely, the transition from Pravus to Telaris as Grand Master.

For those that might be unsure or skeptic: as with any update we’ve published in the past two years, all fictions are run by the Consuls and other respective members that have their character featured. We trust the Consul’s to know their members, so please remember that we do not do anything, or use any character, without consent. We will continue to work with the Consuls to ensure parity and fairness, but ultimately the macro (main) storyline for the Brotherhood will remain firmly in the direction set by the Grand Master’s wishes. Updates will most likely come from either Vyr or myself, depending on our schedules.

The next chapter in this arc will bring us more in line with the future of the Brotherhood’s main storyline. This will help ramp up towards future events and continue to answer the question of how the Brotherhood operates as an organization in not just the face of an enemy as resourceful as The Collective, but with the lingering distrust and contempt the Clans have with each other.

Let us know what you think of the update in the comments. Do you think Grand Master Telaris has his work cut out for him? Will The Collective be the only threat to the Brotherhood? Stay tuned for more to come.

Thank you.