#flayerverse

So, since Obyron would've been aware of the ghostwalk mantles emergency eject situation, he would know that, if he’s still alive, Zahndrekh is on Drazak. I say 'if' because, if their roles are 100% swapped and Obyron got seriously injured instead, similar to Zahndrekh, he wouldn't actually remember landing on Drazak and dying. He might vaguely know he did successfully activate the emergency protocol and it did work, but that would really be about it.

It's also unlikely he would be successfully resurrected and Zahndrekh wouldn't, given the superiority of his build, so it's also unlikely Zahndrekh died, which Obyron would hope to be the truth and would probably be agreed upon by Dagon, but this brings up the first big issue.

Thanks to all the chaos the news of Zahndrekh's presumed death had triggered, it would take a minute, even if not as long as Zahndrekh in the other au, for Obyron to find a way to contact Imotekh and request aid retrieving the nemesor. Aside from maybe petty revenge, I'd imagine the lords of gidrim have significantly less vested interest in hurting Obyron, hence the easier time getting into touch to report to Imotekh, but in that time, a question comes to Obyron.

If Imotekh agrees to helping him locate and rescue Zahndrekh, they would have to stay quarantined for a time until proved unafflicted. And what if he didn't? It's already been weeks, maybe months by this point. What if Zahndrekh's been infected? His mind was already so weak, what if there is nothing of his master left to salvage?

And then come the other problems. Would Imotekh simply allow whichever lord managed to claim the throne of Gidrim do so? Or would he send someone from Mandragora to kick things back into shape? Or...like you mused, would he delegate the responsibility to Obyron?

Obviously he’s fair enough at managing the political side of things, and while he might not be the martial genius Zahndrekh is, he could surely handle most campaigns at least as well as the rest of the court, right? And more importantly, he'd be intimately aware of the inner workings of the system as it stood, much more so than someone from Mandragora, or elsewhere within the Sautekh Dynasty.

But. If assigned to act as vargard for whoever else Imotekh would put in that position, he could certainly aid in their own understanding of all of this, as well. And, at the end of the day, Obyron is not a leader, at least not on that scale. This could be proven by going back over the reports of the stint on Doahht, he certainly performed decently all things considered, but Obyron relies too heavily on direct orders to function in the very position he stood beneath.

Simply reassigning him as the vargard of a more fitting overlord seems the most reasonable route. (And punishment less so; all things considered I'd imagine Obyron would still outperform even some of the lesser nemesors as far as usefulness goes in Imotekh's eyes)

Now, this puts Obyron in a very uncomfortable position. Technically, there is an extremely good chance Zahndrekh is alive and stranded on Drazak. Every part of Obyron's mind and instinct insists he go to him, at any cost, and bring him back. But if he's infected already, he would either be executed before he could risk spreading the curse or, depending on how quickly he'd succumbed, he'd be little better than an animal unworthy of even that much.

Yet, if he is not infected, every minute is wasting time that could change that. So essentially Obyron would have to find a way to locate Zahndrekh and discern this for himself without any of the resources Zahndrekh had available to him in the main au, at least not to do it in secrecy. And especially not under the scrutiny of a new master.

Granted, he'd likely have more freedom under someone else, given they would depend on him less, but they may also have a closer eye on his independent activity, as I feel it was likely an open secret amongst the more intelligent how much control Obyron truly had over Gidrim's throne.

Regardless, I could see him enlisting Dagon's help in trying to find a secret way to, and back from, Drazak. But that would of course take time. Probably quite a lot of it. So much so, there would realistically be no chance Zahndrekh hadn't been turned. If he still lived. And that's when I think Obyron would come to begin believing Zahndrekh as fully lost to him. And then the depression, and grief, and guilt would set in.

I think there would even come a point where he entertained a completely mad solution, to simply use the since repaired ghostwalk mantle to go to Drazak to search for Zahndrekh himself, if for no other reason than to know, even if it's sealing his own fate regardless.

If so, I think the one thing that would stay his hand is Gidrim. In a sense, it's all that's left of Zahndrekh's legacy. Surely the nemesor himself would not wish for it to fall to the vultures that populate its court. Which it undoubtedly would, eventually.

But I doubt that time would be easy for him. Willingly 'abandoning' his true master would likely tear him apart, little by little. Sometimes he would find peace in numbness, but it would never last. And the decision would weigh very heavily on him for a long, long time...

As for Zahndrekh.

I was imagining, due to the severity of the situation, toward the end of their 'final campaign', he was in a more lucid state, and if that remained the case in this variant, then I believe he would, in true Zahndrekh fashion, resort to denial.

Once Obyron 'died', he would convince himself that, surely, his resurrection protocol would've activated and sent him to the nearest point of reception and that, of course, he would be fine. However, neither Dagon nor Obyron told Zahndrekh of the emergency protocol, so he would have absolutely no clue whatsoever as to where he'd wound up.

Even lucid, I'd imagine Zahndrekh's knowledge of flayed ones to be fairly limited, and possibly complicated. So as to not be too self indulgent, regardless of if he might've had some sort of connection to the carnotite conclave, I think, similar to the severed, something about them just instinctively disturbs Zahndrekh in a way that makes it too difficult to think on at any length and thus he does not, even when he could do so while more grounded in reality.

Understandably, this becomes a problem being stranded on Drazak.

Somewhat similarly to Obyron, I think his first instinct, upon realizing the planet is infested with flayed ones, would be to find some form of shelter to keep himself isolated. Though unlike Obyron, I don't think he would take the body. At least not in the same way. I can see him dragging it somewhere, maybe propping it into a sitting upright position against something, attempting to make it look almost peaceful, and then leaving it there, instead.

Side note: even when more lucid, I like to imagine Zahndrekh is hampered slightly by his delusions. So even though he would physically be able to carry Obyron with no real trouble, it conflicts too hard with what would make sense for a biological being and mentally taxes him to do things like that, so he'll avoid them as much as possible regardless.

While isolated, but otherwise alone and 'arguably safe', he would likely begin to return to a more delusional state, and begin making excursions out into Drazak in a search for intelligent life or some means to send out an SOS. And he would desperately avoid the flayers while doing so. Living out that silent hill lifestyle fr.

Another aside: I think he'd spend the bulk of this time delusional, and while like this very actively, sort of subconsciously avoid seeing Obyron's body, though in any more clearly lucid states, he may go check on it to make sure those strange, beastly things hadn't desecrated it. Aside from perhaps a few faint blood stains of curiosity, he would otherwise likely remain untouched.

Given his 'old age' and 'general weakness', I doubt Zahndrekh would ever actually harm any flayed ones, though he may attempt to use his staff of light to scare them away from wherever he sought refuge. But I think that would mean it would take at least slightly longer for Oltyx and Yenekh to venture out and find him, and by that time I think the curse would've already sunk its teeth in.

Without awareness of it enough to fight it, and his inclination to extremely similar impulses, it would probably happen much more quickly than it did to Obyron. Though I do still think he'd begin to mentally fight it as the physical changes started, and wouldn't just like, be fully turned by the time those two located him. Just that they'd likely be able to see it in him very clearly.

That, combined with his lack of violence, would likely make them more inclined to offer him welcome more easily. And Zahndrekh, well, I could imagine Oltyx seeming...different, from the other flayers, even to Zahndrekh's distorted perception, and especially given the fact he can actually speak to communicate and willingly does so, that first meeting would probably go over not too poorly.

Oltyx would likely quickly understand the situation better once Zahndrekh introduced himself appropriately as a noble would another, he was familiar with Zahndrekh's reputation in reign even after burning the memory of actually meeting him in ruin. So he'd know the old nemesor's understanding of things are a bit...odd.

And while he may seem nervous and slightly frightened, just having someone he can talk to would probably make Zahndrekh feel significantly better about the whole situation, and he would be quite friendly, besides the overall uncertainty.

At an invitation to return with them, he would likely insist he is not yet afflicted (no offense), and that he would rather stay where he is, for the time being (though the offer is very gracious). And, of course, they'd let him be, to allow him time to come around on his own terms.

I think the stress from mentally repressing the curse would begin to cause him to oscillate between lucid and not, and leave him feeling a distinct almost constant sense of panic in the back of his mind. The gradual loss of control of his body, the parts of his delusional state that insist he is starving to death worsening as the curse continues deepening, desperately wanting to return home to rest and bathe and recover, when delusional, and desiring the comfort of those habits even when lucid.

I think he'd probably begin talking to himself and missing Obyron very terribly around this point. Even convinced he’s alive and well, he'd begin to wonder why no one had returned for him yet. Do they believe him dead? Surely Obyron would know he isn't, right?

He would sink into a constant state of strain and fear and shame, until, eventually, he would fully succumb just to ease the burden of how fervently the curse had been scratching at the back door of his consciousness.

I don't feel Yenekh would've visited him as often as he had with Obyron. He wouldn't have worried about him as much, and likely feels it is less his place with Zahndrekh being such a highly regarded noble, he'd barely even acknowledge his presence when he'd come with Oltyx (though, in his defense, he could not communicate with him regardless). Zahndrekh wouldn't have tried to scare him off, at least, rather just sort of...request space and seem uncomfortable in his presence. And so Yenekh wouldn't press.

Once fully changed though, I think he'd stay where he is until Yenekh came to check on him again. And at that point he wouldn't be able to deny it to himself any longer. Especially not once Yenekh delicately reached out interstitially to see if he could communicate more directly now, and Zahndrekh could understand him perfectly well. Which, at least, would be a pleasant enough surprise, to learn the others could still speak and think like proper necron(tyr). At least some of them.

There wouldn't be much point in not returning with him anymore, so Zahndrekh would likely go with him, feeling a mixture of both relief at not being isolated any longer, and a deep grief at the understanding this was accepting Drazak as his home from now on.

At that point, thanks to Zahndrekh's more social nature, I suspect he would endear himself to the other fairly quickly. Perhaps he’s odd, but I can imagine Oltyx appreciating how greatly Zahndrekh delights in humoring others with his accounts of the times of flesh, how well he adjusts to the curse, that even despite being a highblooded noble he adapts to treating anyone as an equal fairly well.

All of that would smooth over much, much more quickly than it did with Obyron, especially given Zahndrekh's mind was likely eating him alive with so little stimulation, so little to do, for such a long time. But now even just being able to interact with others, perhaps aid Oltyx in planning hunts, just having something to do again would lessen the burden in his mind so much, I could imagine Zahndrekh as seeming almost entirely himself again right away. (We are skipping over how he feels when alone and lucid and with no one to act for right now <3)

So that brings up the final main hurdle. How in the hell would they be reunited??? There's any number of possibilities, it could happen entirely accidentally on campaign, Zahndrekh getting curious enough to check on Gidrim similarly to how Obyron had, or things within the empire on ramping up and getting worse and Obyron decides he would rather risk becoming a flayer for nothing if it meant being back in the only place he’s ever really *wanted to be, at Zahndrekh's side...

Which was mostly the one I was rotating. Mostly because it's fun to imagine Obyron just going 'yeah fuck this' and simply appearing on Drazak, traveling in search of Zahndrekh while word from wandering flayers makes its way back to Oltyx, and then Zahndrekh. Finding his body, positioned to look like he’s just resting peacefully, feeling such a strong wave of grief for abandoning Zahndrekh for so long, only to hear someone approaching, turning on heel with warscythe in hand, only to freeze as Zahndrekh hesitates, then continues approaching, shock flittering across his frame, attempting to utilize his vocal actuator, but only able to get out the first syllable before it fails again.

And Obyron dismisses his weapon, overwhelmed, horrified, frantically relieved, he did succumb to the curse, but he’s alive, he’s alive and right here and he seems to recognize him. Moving to fall to his knees before him, bowing, telling him he has returned to him. That it was his failing in taking so long to do so. He keeps starting half sentences, unsure of what to say, unsure of what to do, until he hears Zahndrekh move, then feels an unexpected weight. Straightening enough to realize Zahndrekh is holding him. He'd knelt down and practically thrown himself on top of Obyron, only shifting enough to accommodate as the vargard straightens more, abandoning words entirely to return the embrace.

Now, that's very nice and cute but the reason I said it was too mean to Obyron is that, due to the flipped nature of the AU as I was imagining it, Obyron is kind of immune to the curse, at least for a very long while, but decides to remain by Zahndrekh's side regardless and this has to endure living on Drazak amidst the flayers while still being a necron with some significant repulsion to flesh and organic beings. And he has to learn how to communicate indirectly, though I do also believe Zahndrekh to have retained some ability to utilize his vocal actuator, he just needs to get used to doing so again 🙂‍↕️ so at least Obyron can directly speak with him and Oltyx.

Tactical genius requires patience, cunning, and the ability to determine the precise moment of action

Everything stays the same up until the end of their 'final mission'. Obyron realizes they aren't going to make it out of this and thinks of Dagon's warnings about using the mantle's emergency function. He'd be disobeying orders and denying Zahndrekh an honorable death by using it...

The call is a hard one, but he finally makes it, a second too late, as he rushes to Zahndrekh and activates the mantle just as whatever would've taken them out barely starts to hit Zahndrekh. They land on Drazak, Zahndrekh terribly injured and Obyron mostly spared by being on the opposite side. As soon as the disorientation passes he panics and picks his nemesor up, intent on finding somewhere safer he could potentially siphon some of his necrodermis to Zahndrekh so that he can heal. But the injury is too severe. His cores been punctured and he’s running out of time.

Given the state of things and how far they are from any known location, Obyron is confident recall isn't going to work and frantically tries to aid in Zahndrekh's healing while Zahndrekh tries to calmly scold and soothe him. He gives what final reassurances he can, fading out just before he can finish his last sentence, leaving Obyron in quiet shock.

He carries Zahndrekh's body somewhere sheltered and sits, attempting to process and come to grips with everything that's happened over the past however many months or even years by this point. And to make matters worse, it soon becomes apparent where he’s ended up.

Meanwhile. Despite the odds, Zahndrekh awakens in a resurrection forge on Gidrim, confused and panicked and with no memory of anything that happened after the ghostwalk mantle was activated. It'd been long enough for news of the fate of the overlord and his vargard to have gotten back to Imotekh and for him to have passed word on to the lords of Gidrim, along with whatever further commands he'd deemed necessary.

The first necron Zahndrekh locates is Dagon, who is just as stunned to see him, relaying that he'd been believed lost. Of course Zahndrekh is quick to ask after Obyron as well, but Dagon cannot give him any further information than what he's received.

Things quickly spiral once the others find out Zahndrekh is alive, and especially that Obyron hasn't returned with him. He spends the next however many weeks foiling plots and enacting his own just to stay alive with only the aid of Dagon and a few soldiers, the rest of Gidrim's forces having been seen overtaken by the various lords.

It's not easy, but Zahndrekh finally manages to get into touch with Imotekh, who sends an envoy to bring him to where Imotekh is currently on his own campaign for them to talk. Zahndrekh is hopeful Imotekh has heard from Obyron, but he has not, though he already has more work for Zahndrekh and...'temporarily' assigns Osirok to accompany him as a substitute in the meantime, at the very least until he'd gotten Gidrim back in order.

In reality, everyone besides Zahndrekh believes Obyron to be quite dead, but are worried this might cause Zahndrekh's fragile state to fully collapse. Osirok's primary role will be to act as Imotekh's eyes and ears to keep track of how suitable Zahndrekh is to return to his position.

While all of this happens, Obyron tries to mentally recover from the loss of his master and figure out a way off of Drazak. He'd been injured enough he can't send out any particularly strong signals, and given he’s in the ghoul stars, it likely wouldn't matter if he could. He fends off a few flayers who came looking for trouble, but he can't bring himself to leave the shelter he'd found, nor Zahndrekh's body. He’s not sure what to do about anything, stranded, lost, and alone.

Eventually, two very unusual flayers find him, and he realizes that one of them is the bone king Valgûl himself. They are both curious about his presence and angered by the harm he's inflicted on their brethren. But after a brief conversation, they come to something of an understanding. They will allow him to stay unbothered, so long as he harms no other, and he agrees so long as none attempt to harm him either.

(As they walk back, Yenekh's initial anger with the stranger had cooled, citing worries over the mind of the wayward vargard after seeing the 'corpse' of his nemesor with him. Oltyx reminds him it's none of their business, and if he turns then he will be welcome to stay, same as the others, but in the meantime, he’s clearly still too lost to grief and prejudice to be open to any sort of aid. Yenekh can tell Oltyx both wishes to protect him, and likely sympathizes with the vargard, so he drops the subject with the thought of returning to check on him again in a few weeks time.)

Months turn into years, and Zahndrekh occasionally lapses, forgetting Osirok isn't Obyron until he calls him by the wrong name, or turns to see him and almost physically jolts in surprise. He falls back into pace easily enough, though he must take a slightly more hands on approach keeping his court in line. He routinely sends out search parties to find Obyron, convinced he must still be alive because he'd simply know if he wasn't.

Which is, of course, the truth. Obyron had made many, many attempts at sending out signals, searching desperately for some way off of Drazak. Yenekh comes to check on him from time to time, communication is difficult at first, but it gets easier with practice, and Yenekh even offers to speak with Oltyx about reaching out to an ally in the west...but unfortunately, over their occasional meetings, by the time they can communicate well enough for him to offer, the first changes have begun, and even Obyron cannot deny them.

They become easier to accept as he accepts Zahndrekh's death and he begins to realize he has nothing left to return to on Gidrim, or even within the empire as a whole. He is still avoidant and standoffish with the others, still feeling unmoored and imbalanced. But he gradually begins to interact and communicate with a sparse few here and there, mostly Yenekh.

He holds something of a small funeral for Zahndrekh. Nothing traditional as neither he nor any of the other flayers actually remember any proper funerary rituals, but it...helps put his mind at ease. And by that point he’s changed completely, and decides to leave. He needs to reorient, find a new meaning, and he feels he can only really do so alone. And so he sets out, no longer needing the mantle to access the ghost wind.

More time passes and Obyron is finally coming into his own as a flayed one, even occasionally returning to Drazak to visit or learn more about their community. Eventually he gives in to the nagging to return to Gidrim despite himself. He fully believes he'll be disgusted to see how the other lords have ravaged it, but at least it will finally give him some closure.

Which of course doesn't happen at all when he sees Zahndrekh.

He keeps to the shadows, but he can hardly believe it at first. There he is, same as always, speaking the same, acting the same, even trailed by an echo of who Obyron used to be but is no longer. He’s mostly stunned, then as relief begins to trickle in, so does a new grief. It's almost like he hasn't even noticed Obyron's disappearance at all. The world has moved on entirely without him, without even a hiccup, if he wasn't himself he wouldn't even notice anything was different at all.

Like picking at a wound though, he keeps returning. To watch, to mourn, and some part of him even worries. What if Osirok isn't being as thorough? What if something slips through anyway? It's absurd, clearly Zahndrekh didn't truly need him at all, but he can't help it. It'd taken so long to come to terms with his loss, to find the reality to be so different has completely turned his understanding of things on its head yet again.

Some part of him is even angry. After all they'd been through, after everything he sacrificed to remain by Zahndrekh's side, it meant nothing... But he still can't deny the longing that entirely overpowers it.

It's one such visit where he notices Zahndrekh seems...distracted. Normally he wouldn't stay so long, but he follows him back to his chambers, worried. It's there he watches as Zahndrekh settles at his desk and brings up...a map. It's littered in markers he doesn't understand, but Zahndrekh scrutinizes it closely for a long while, adjusting a few things here or there, looking so uncharacteristically intense it puts Obyron on edge.

Finally, Zahndrekh sighs, leaning back in his chair and rubbing the space between his eyes tiredly. He speaks to himself aloud, yet quiet, and what he says makes it jarringly apparent all at once – Zahndrekh has been looking for him. All this time. And the longer Obyron remains missing, the heavier it weighs on him.

He’s so overwhelmed, can't even begin to fully parse his feelings, but before he realizes what he’s doing, Zahndrekh startles, jumping up and drawing his staff in self defense, causing Obyron to jolt as he realizes he’s looking at him. He'd begun moving toward him almost automatically, stepping out of the shadows, but he can hardly speak and hasn't even bothered for years, he has no idea what to say or do when Zahndrekh briskly asks who he is and what he’s doing there.

Though he doesn't get much chance to figure it out either, as almost as quickly, Zahndrekh's posture falters, staff lowering as he stares in disbelief, recognition finally coming to him. Despite his gnarled form, stained with blood and viscera, Zahndrekh truly recognizes him almost right away.

Zahndrekh is stunned, but then when he moves toward Obyron and Obyron steps back, he becomes frustrated, demanding to know where he’s been all this time. It's tense, and Obyron struggles to communicate. But he manages to step into the light to allow Zahndrekh a better view as he translates that he’s 'sick'. Zahndrekh mostly keeps his distance at Obyron's silent request, trying to insist they can help him, only to become frustrated all over again at Obyron's denial. Zahndrekh eventually manages to piece together this 'disease' is incurable, and that Obyron had stayed away to prevent him from falling ill, but he’s clearly still incredibly conflicted.

Ultimately he sinks into a chair and tries to come to terms with the fact Obyron is alive but unable to return. That despite the miracle of his survival, they are now still separated permanently regardless. Obyron attempts to comfort him by lingering as he processes, and Zahndrekh finally sends him off with the insistence he'll figure something out, and the quiet request that, at the very least, Obyron come visit again, even if he must keep his distance.

^ I have gotten massively carried away. TLDR; this leads to talking everything out extensively w Dagon and Obyron coming to visit semi frequently, which evolves into the two gradually becoming closer again as they better understand Zahndrekh doesn't seem particularly susceptible to the curse and Obyron becoming something of a protective shadow to Zahndrekh once again, although with much more freedom to do what he pleases, even come and go as he sees fit. Which, of course, ultimately leads to Obyron insisting his fealty to Zahndrekh in a very. Intense way, that Zahndrekh just...can't willfully misinterpret. Besides. With no one believing Obyron to be alive, it's a much easier kept secret.

I've wanted to figure out how to better utilize Osirok for a while now, which was specifically why I sent him to Gidrim w Zahndrekh in that au. He feels like a generally heavily overlooked character which is a shame, considering there aren't many other characters we know of who have a direct tie to Imotekh.

More generally (not just in that au) I've been considering him to be sort of like the inverse Obyron, as far as role goes. Underutilized by Imotekh to the extreme (doesn't even usually take him with him when he’s on the ground, or sends him to handle something more independently) or tasked w staying on Mandragora to oversee the lords and nemesors / field any important information.

I kind of see Imotekh treating him more like an assistant than a vargard, just sort of handling anything Extra, or using him as a sort of proxy nemesor on larger campaigns. I don't necessarily believe Imotekh to be resentful of him, quite the opposite, he’s just very efficiency-focused, so rather than drag Osirok where he is not needed just bc that's what his role is Supposed To Be, he'll place him in roles that better move the machine as a whole.

As far as personality goes, I do generally imagine the necron(tyr) did pay mind to temperament & suitable roles based also on one's personality. Which is to say, I could imagine most vargards generally tending to be more stoic and task oriented. So a bit like Obyron just in how he’s more of a 'going through the motions' type, but definitely not the drama queen he is.

Ive been imagining him a bit like a working dog who isn't quite stir crazy but isn't particularly happy w what he’s assigned more often than not. He'll do it! But damn man. Mostly, more than anything, he hates individual responsibility even more than Obyron, and hates being tasked w handling the lords / nemesors / crypteks / etc whenever Imotekh leaves that sort of thing to him. He's competent w it for sure, but mostly that's just because it's usually reiterating things these individuals already know but are being stubborn abt lol

Definitely prefers aiding on campaigns, and I see him as having at least a few others he regularly interacts w on good or decent terms (perhaps lychguards, maybe crypteks) so Imotekh giving him those kinds of jobs also provides him w a bit more opportunity to be social, making him a little less isolated than some other vargards.

Within the flayer au, I like to imagine Osirok was pretty familiar with Zahndrekh & Obyron after so many years of them being amongst Imotekh's favorites, and that he & Obyron had something not unlike a friendship. More like solidarity I guess, work pals. Osirok would be one of the few individuals Obyron really could talk to on more even standings, who also understood Zahndrekh's 'eccentricities' and sympathized. Unfortunately both of them would never Just Talk About themselves so it's mostly just like a 'sigh & a meaningful shoulder clasp' type of thing.

That being said, I could imagine Osirok actually being a bit wary of Zahndrekh. I think he'd fully trust Obyron, in as much as he could, but there's something about how competent Zahndrekh is despite the delusions that wouldn't sit right w him. So long as he remains loyal to the Sautekh, it's not really something he needs to concern himself w, but I don't think he'd buy into the crazy schtick like everyone else. At least not as much.

Over time though, I think it'd wear down a bit, and mad or not, Zahndrekh is more or less harmless. Maybe it doesn't sit right how much he also puts on Obyron, unintentionally or not, but eh, that's what they're there for, in the end.

So when Imotekh assigns him 'temporary' Vargard of Zahndrekh, suffice to say, he wasn't super stoked, but had No Idea what he was really being signed up for. Given he’d Also still be reporting back to Imotekh on how things were going on Gidrim, it was kind of the now-or-never moment where he thought he might find out the truth of the odd nemesor's delusions...but this was not the case.

It kept him very busy, that's for sure. He'd never envied Obyron, and even w Zahndrekh 'now better understanding' how treacherous his court is, it's still a lot more involved than he'd expected. Luckily with the practice he'd gotten over the years of serving Imotekh in various roles, he can handle it better than most, but the more involved he gets, the more he starts to...somewhat understand Zahndrekh.

The delusions, whether fully real or not, are something of a coping mechanism, and especially when he accidentally mistakes Osirok for Obyron only to get very disoriented when he realizes, he starts to really see Zahndrekh more in the light others generally cast him: an old man well out of his depths doing what he can to keep his head above water. It also helps him better understand why Imotekh sent him specifically to Gidrim. For as useful as Zahndrekh is as a nemesor, his mind is fragile, and Obyron had played a big role in holding it together.

He does know about Zahndrekh still searching for Obyron, which goes a long way in softening him to Zahndrekh a bit. But it also worries him. Because once he can't deny the truth that Obyron's gone gone any longer, it's likely it'll be the last push over the edge, and he'll either have to put Zahndrekh down himself, as per Imotekh's orders, or someone else will beat him to it. It's a particularly unpleasant game to play, working so hard to keep Zahndrekh alive only to know it's a waiting game until he, most likely, has to kill him himself.

So, suffice to say, when he finds out about Obyron not only having been infected by the curse and regularly returning to Gidrim to...literally just spend time w Zahndrekh, he is super conflicted!

He’s a loyal creature, not reporting this to Imotekh is very difficult...but at the same time, they'd been doing this for however long by this point, and the curse hadn't made itself known on Gidrim aside, so...is it really dangerous? Zahndrekh had stabilized on a more personal level and had even been back to prior levels of efficiency again, so really, who is it hurting?

^ guy who definitely didn't develop a soft spot for this insane annoying grandpa

I'd mentioned it briefly in that reply on bsky, but I feel like Obyron having burned away so many of his memories of the time of flesh would very much complicate his transition into a flayer.

By this point, most of his understanding of biological life would be from Zahndrekh's delusions, xenos, and old nagging instinct he likely wouldn't be able to directly pinpoint. Like, he'd know they used to need to breathe, but wouldn't really be able to actually remember breathing, so in a similar situation like when they first touched down on doahht in severed, he might not even know the strange sense of panic and tension in the back of his mind is specifically related to breathing, though he'd likely at least be able to identify it as ancient instinct.

That being said, I think that would make it even more difficult to accept the changes in instinct and behavior as the 'curse' really settled in. He’s already lost so much of himself, I feel like the fear of becoming a mindless animal would be nearly petrifying at times. It would make him fight the impulse to feed, to be near anything flesh or living. The desires would repulse him violently, at war with his higher thought and what little sense of self he'd be desperate to cling to.

For so long he was reliant on Zahndrekh's direction, even indirectly. He always knew his purpose, and when all else failed he could rely on Zahndrekh himself to intervene. Much in the same way Yenekh felt lost and helpless after being exiled, I could imagine Obyron would feel a very similar sense of disorientation and fear. Just missing Zahndrekh's presence for a few months in severed had him on the verge of full panic, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to cope with the idea of Zahndrekh actually being permanently gone on top of being stranded on Drazak.

Anything beside his own mind he could rely on is gone, and as the curse begins to take hold, he’s at risk for losing even that much. A fate worse than death. A monstrous beast at risk for bringing others to the same end.

But then there is Yenekh.

Different, certainly. But as he continues visiting Obyron, as they slowly build a form of communication, it becomes increasingly clear the bone king is not the only afflicted who has retained any level of himself. As a matter of fact, besides the hunting, Yenekh is...as much himself as any of the others who are so lucky as to have retained their minds through biotransference. Certainly more so than his own lychguard even.

And he is patient. He does not insist, does not bring flesh near him, and maybe he wasn't sandborn, as Obyron was, but Yenekh seems to truly understand what it means to be a servant who's lost their master. Their very reason for being.

And more specifically, I think there would also be quite a bizarre tangle of grief through this process. The flayer curse, the longing sickness, it calls them back to their lives as beings of flesh. Reawakens and coddles long dormant instinct and desire. Of being alive. I can't imagine how many times Yenekh says or does something that reminds him of Zahndrekh.

How odd it must be. To realize Zahndrekh was so alike to the flayers. That he believed and spoke of things in a way as if they were still alive, eyes, not oculars, sighing, laughing, pretending to drink, armor and body, not necrodermis. And the flayed ones are so similar in this way of life. How fine was the line between them? Was Zahndrekh's engrammatic damage really just some latent form of the curse?

It wouldn't matter anymore, but I don't imagine it would make the grieving process much easier. But once he finally accepted the curse and began allowing himself to change more, I think Yenekh's support would be crucial. Helping him understand the various sensations and impulses he no longer remembered, calming him when the dysphorakh reared its awful head. Once they could communicate via interstitial connection, I think it would make things significantly easier overall, but it would likely be many, many long years of adjustment.

I think feeding might be one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome. The deep instinct to maintain himself for Zahndrekh's sake would be so strong, that final step to succumbing, to really being something else now, would be...steep. He would likely only do it in total privacy, alone, but with time he'd get comfortable with at least being seen with the remnants of gore all over himself, even if he would probably force himself not to wear any flesh properly for longer still.

Even after fully coming to terms, even after reconnecting with Zahndrekh, I think he'd just be worn very thin from everything, and would be very elusive to most. Yenekh would be a rare exception, and I suspect he'd also be willing to entertain his invitations to socialize a bit more on the rare occasion, but he will remain predominantly distant with everyone else but Zahndrekh. A bit of a loner, but he'd lurk on the fringes sometimes.

  I was initially just going to make a joke abt Obyron having a few tricks to get his husband closer as well, but then I started thinking about it and got visuals of Zahndrekh trying to clean the inside of his "brace" and realizing how dirty the whole thing is.

  He exclaims his shock and horror at how poorly Obyron's been taking care of himself then gets to work with much more haste, reaching deeper around his neck and chest cavity, lightly tugging cables and wires, brushing up against sensory nodes, asking in bewilderment how Obyron even got the underside of his "brace" so dirty, until his arm is almost all the way inside him, and he accidentally tugs a flux cable as he’s scrubbing and Obyron moans, getting Zahndrekh to freeze as he realizes how, ah, bold he'd accidentally gotten in his focus.

  Only to then realize and fix a glare on Obyron, face plates nearly pressed together like this, and Obyron shifts just enough to pull Zahndrekh's weight forward and off balance, 'shuddering' at the cables his arm catches internally, earning a gasp and a scolding from Zahndrekh, he needs to be more careful or he might make him jostle the brace out of place!

  Obyron reassures in a low voice that it's very solidly attached, bringing one hand up to support Zahndrekh's back in this new position, besides, he thinks he missed a spot.

  And so Zahndrekh continues "cleaning", more slowly and deliberately, as Obyron starts to gently tease his claws around Zahndrekh's thighs and hips, only causing him to jerk and shiver while he works more.  They go on like this, until finally, a couple of thin trails of oil and flux running down his spine and mixing with what blood stains hadn't been reached yet, lubricant dripping down Zahndrekh's thighs, Obyron hoists Zahndrekh up and lays him where he'd been seated, neither of them lasting very long with how much they'd worked each other up, both smeared everywhere with old gore, lubricant, and even a little of Obyron's flux...