#sns thoughts...

This one does not have memory problems, I'll open w that, and as far as timeline goes, it happens during the academy years. In a sort of hazing-gone-wrong scenario, Zahndrekh and Setekh had snuck out with a few other students in what was usually a pretty run of the mill game / trial for the older students to participate in.

When Zahndrekh does not return to the meeting spot in a timely fashion though, the other students quickly realize something is wrong.

Sepa, the skolopendra Setekh had brought as security, cannot track his scent very far, and the group has no choice but to abandon the search, reporting him missing the next morning. (It should be noted, the group cares less about Zahndrekh personally, and more about the consequences should it be found out they were involved in the disappearance of the son of such a powerful family. Setekh, at least, is genuinely bothered a bit.)

The details of the period of time that come after are unnecessary, Zahndrekh was kidnapped essentially by traffickers who quickly figure out he is of noble origin and wish to make the most of this rare find. He is held captive in terrible conditions and treated even worse by his captors, barring any occasions he is 'made presentable' for potential buyers.

Eventually he manages to escape, but their location is not within easy access of any more proper town or city, so he has quite a trek until he eventually finds somewhere to seek help. Even knowing a fair bit about how to survive off the land and having made sure to keep a small bundle of resources for his escape, he is in very dire condition by the point he arrives and ultimately passes out in the street, being predominantly ignored by passersby.

But not a soldier who'd been on his way back to the barracks. Neb goes to check on the collapsed stranger, feeling a strong tug at his intuition, and ultimately decides to bring him back to his shared apartment.

One of the others wakes him with an equivalent of smelling salts so he comes to disoriented and panicked, but calms quickly enough once reassured. He can't even stand on his own anymore, and Neb makes a valiant effort to get him hydrated with whatever he can. He’s very weak, injured, but to the best of his knowledge not sick, but the way he’s talking is...odd, to say the least, the small group of soldiers bemused by this young man.

Finally, Neb asks his name, to which Zahndrekh answers, including the 'house' and dynasty he hails from, and all of them perk. Neb asks if he's the academy's missing student, and now Zahndrekh straightens, nodding and enthusiastically confirming- only to then immediately beg them not to tell anyone, much to their bewilderment.

He clarifies quickly, he does not want to give any forewarning to his kidnappers, if news spreads of his survival, they will scatter. He needs to reach and speak to his 'dean' (whatever the necrontyr equivalent would be) privately, so they may be able to put and end to this group swiftly and efficiently.

They consider this, sharing looks. Neb agrees, they'll hold their tongues, but it is a minimum two day trip back to the academy without proper care for his status, and he is in no shape to travel. Let them tend him a few days, and then one will accompany him to the academy to assure he reaches it safely.

Zahndrekh agrees easily enough.

Neb insists on going to the market to procure something Zahndrekh will be able to eat as he recovers from partial starvation, and Obyron volunteers to go with him. As soon as they are out of the building, Obyron asks why Neb believes him. He makes a joke about no sandborn being able to emulate that speech pattern, then answers more seriously that he has honest eyes, he feels quite confident, and even if he isn't really a noble, he won't regret helping a stranger not die.

Obyron accepts his explanation easily enough, and the two make a game plan for the next few days. The 'captains' / whoever's in charge of the barracks don't really care much about guests so long as it doesn't get out of hand and they stay out of any restricted areas, so Zahndrekh's presence is no issue (especially given he can't move very well on his own let alone leave the apartment).

The first night, Neb is called away for patrol and asks Obyron to help him wash up, in which the full extent of his external damage is revealed. It's not dire, but not good. He also helps Zahndrekh cut off his matted hair.

Toward the end Zahndrekh breaks down crying, overwhelmed at being touched without harm for the first time in months, and Obyron gives him a moment before helping him dry off. He takes him back to his own 'room' and settles him on the cot, going to ask for Mehy's assistance in patching him up more properly.

Zahndrekh dozes through most of it, only stirring to move when directed, and then falling asleep more properly once they've finished. The present soldiers all talk with hushed voices in the common area, still a bit shocked by this turn of events, expressing worry over how things will play out moving forward. Obyron cannot stop thinking about Zahndrekh's teary confession earlier and offers to be the one to accompany him back to the academy. The others agree easily enough.

Over the next few days, Zahndrekh slowly regains strength and most of the others become at least somewhat charmed by his strangeness. He was in worse condition than they'd initially thought, and it's nearly two weeks before he's recovered enough just to move more properly. But he is eager, and they decide on the end of the third week, he and Obyron will leave.

By this point, Obyron has become very protective of him. He's become very watchful, helped him come down from nightmares, and lingers by him to offer aid whenever he is present in the apartment. Zahndrekh is grateful for this, and begins gravitating to him quickly in return.

They also learn a bit about Zahndrekh's family and the academy. He is in his final year, soon to become a nemesor proper, and he insists he wishes to steal them away from their positions here to serve as his lychguard once he graduates (a bit of a ridiculous thought, given they are sandborn immortals).

The time comes and they share their goodbyes, Neb receiving a particularly enthusiastic hug and reiterated gratitude for saving his life. And the two set off.

The clothes Zahndrekh has been given obscure most of his face, and Obyron does his best to appear more as a commoner than soldier. The journey is mostly smooth, though at times Obyron has to support or even carry Zahndrekh, who tires with worrying ease. But he is in good spirits, and seems to take in the experience with bright curiosity, asking Obyron questions or explaining the functions or systems behind things Obyron has never heard of before.

The true challenge awaits them at the capital, where the massive academy is based just outside of. But Zahndrekh is quite happy to share the plan he’s cooked up in the last leg of their trip.

He is too clever and I, too sleep deprived but rest assured, it would be a very Zahndrekh plan.

Which of course means it also works. But in the last moment they will be together, Zahndrekh informs Obyron that he meant what he said. They must make sure to survive so that he can come back for them. And then he is off.

Aaand of course Zahndrekh is recovered quickly and keenly, the appropriate measures being taken with detailed descriptions from Zahndrekh. His family is notified, and he receives more extensive medical treatment, and he is returned to his studies within a month's time, happily reuniting with Setekh.

I've been toying with the notion they don't really have a say over their troops on their first campaigns, so Zahndrekh cannot request The Squad until he is overlord of gidrim, mostly for the suspense, but also the fun remeeting where they get to see Zahndrekh in his most proper form after having only known him as a beaten down wretch. He’s been queer eyed...

Would also like to imagine Zahndrekh & Obyron would have a much shorter route to take before they can't resist and fall together, given Obyron's image of him as some infallible Other has been bruised a bit by seeing him in such a vulnerable state, and the whole absence makes the heart grow fonder thing, the two being reunited causing things to feel a bit more intense overall.

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.

As stated previously the premise of the au is that nearly everything else is the same, with the only real variable being Zahndrekh himself, which means that Obyron is relatively unchanged. Now, it might stand to reason it's harder to believe Obyron would remain as loyal to someone so much more difficult to appreciate, but the thing is I kind of feel like hating your boss is probably more normal for soldiers than actually caring about them. Some of these nobles are the scum of the, uh, galaxy(?), so even within canon I lean into believing Obyron essentially believed he would have to tolerate his master more than care for him upon being assigned as a vargard (not that he'd ever necessarily directly think of it this way, it would just be more general fact than anything).

Now, from the point of Yama on I actually have two different versions, much like I do with canon, one that is more what I believe to be accurate to what's presented in canon, and the other that leans more into the potential romance of Zahndrekh and Obyron. (The second one is actually many, since it's more so any divergence from what I see as my own understanding of canon, so I tend to just refer to this as 'the ship focused variant', but it's like...ship sandbox alternatives.)

I'll start with the canon leaning version, and, well. As far as being a master goes Zahndrekh isn't really that bad. Perhaps he’s annoyingly arrogant and talkative, and frankly unnerving, but going back to that initial point, this is Obyron's job. If not Zahndrekh some other, possibly much more intolerable noble. And while being his lackey and having to directly deal with him can be a pain, as a vargard of an increasingly well respected overlord, he is also granted significantly greater quality of life than he would be as a warrior or immortal.

Zahndrekh is brilliant, sometimes sickeningly cruel, but not really wantonly. He’s not beating his servants and strangling the living conditions of the peasants of any planets within his domain. He’s...decent, in some regards. Mostly the targets of his twisted games are other nobles, and its usually only when said targets get their own troops involved that anyone 'innocent' suffers by Zahndrekh's hand, and what else do soldiers do but live and die by the whims of their superiors? He might also target planets, but commoner casualties are the price of any war, that would hardly be any different even if Zahndrekh was as careful of sparing others as possible.

More than anything Zahndrekh seeks control, not death and destruction for its own sake. His only enemies are those that threaten his control or his life, and those are, overwhelmingly, other nobles.

So this is all to say, maybe he’s more careless about innocents than Canon Z might be, but he’s not really going out and slaughtering billions for funsies, that's not really the fun part for him at all. It's all about mental stimulation, strategy, war, not just death. Like mentioned in the post predominantly about him, it's already fairly well established the higher up you are in the necrontyr ladder, the less important the individual life becomes. Aside from their own of course. But it's all kindling. This wouldn't change much between this AU and canon, and thus the bulk of what might truly disgust Obyron isn't really an issue even with Evil Z.

Maybe he finds his sheer lack of empathy in the moments he relishes in victory or revenge to be a bit appalling, but again, he’s a noble, I suspect that's just kind of expected.

On a personal level, I feel the early years would see Obyron much more stressed than in canon. Zahndrekh is unpredictable, and while I've laid it out all quite neatly above, actually living and sharing a space with him, serving directly beneath him, being his most trusted weapon and extension of his will would put Obyron at every disadvantage should Zahndrekh simply decide to show another facet of his cruelty.

He’s a very unsettling person to be around, both because of his conflictingly cold nature and warm behavior, the temper he sometimes loses a handle on, and his uniquely high level of intelligence. It's virtually impossible to tell when he’s being sincere or when he’s playing with someone, so by extension, it's virtually impossible to tell just how rotten he might really be.

But...as the years grind on, I think that expectation for the other shoe to drop would lessen. He'd come to gradually just take Zahndrekh at his word (or rather actions) that he really did value Obyron as a servant and had no otherwise ill intent for him. I would also like for there to be a few moments that both build his trust and give Obyron a touch of clarity to Zahndrekh's nature sprinkled in over the years, the tiniest moments of Zahndrekh allowing himself to be vulnerable around Obyron because he really does trust him.

By the time of biotransference, I could almost see his feelings on Zahndrekh being similar to canon, he would more or less fully trust Zahndrekh with himself, but likely wouldn't be as fond of him. Love him? Unfortunately probably, but I think there would be a part of him also regularly revolted and / or exhausted by him lol

And, as far as the actual work goes, Obyron would likely actually have a somewhat easier time than in canon, because of Zahndrekh not adhering strictly to the honor code and also having a more dangerous reputation enough that he’s targeted less on average. Things probably get done much more quickly and efficiently, even if more brutally.

Though I will also say, especially in the early days, I could see Zahndrekh as occasionally 'testing Obyron's loyalty' by including him in his games, which really likely would test Obyron's loyalty, and patience, and frustration tolerance. But this would happen less with time, and therefore become something moved past.

But there's one very crucial similarity. It's rooted in what I'd mentioned in that other post, the comparison of a lonely child pulling legs off a bug? As Obyron comes to better understand Zahndrekh over the years, there is a...somewhat disturbing 'truth' lying beneath Zahndrekh's behavior. In a lot of instances, most instances even, Zahndrekh is being sincere.

It's kind of horrible how much he relishes in playing his games, in 'winning', really in how he sees the 'world' overall, but the truth of the matter is that...he’s detached. This is his only real avenue for connecting with the world around him, at least in his own mind. There's an almost childlike simplicity about it all that, the more Obyron comes to build this understanding, the more sympathy he feels for him.

That the only value and drive Zahndrekh has for existing is to constantly keep himself engaged like this is...miserable. But what makes it worse is that, for someone in his position, he’s not really wrong. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he’s not wrong enough for it to matter, for any change to come of it. His position, level of intelligence, loneliness, and lack of empathy really does almost sever him from true connection, and it's why he’s so open and trusting with Obyron. Obyron is one of the only people he can actually completely just trust, and has proven this time and time again.

He’s been both roughly shaped and abandoned by their society as a whole, which seems to be very common for particularly unlucky nobility. There's such a heavy emphasis on individualism for them, everything about their social structure is so heavily leaned into what you can get out of others, what benefit they serve you, so for someone like Zahndrekh, with an especially ruthless upbringing, there's little to no room for...anything else.

All he has is war, legacy, despite there being a part of him that craves more. That craves companionship. And the more clearly Obyron sees this for what it is, it makes him much softer on Zahndrekh, in his own mind. He might be monstrous, but, well, he's Obyron's monster, and...bitch and moan as he might, he doesn't actually mind so much. Usually.

But it's much more complicated in the ship focused variant.

Even in the 'canon aligned' version, one of the most unsettling things about Zahndrekh in the early years was how he would skirt along the line of flirtations and...implications, every so often. That was one of those 'facets' Obyron was worried about. He couldn't tell if Zahndrekh just found it fun to make him uncomfortable, or if he was actually, to some degree, stating intent it was only a matter of time before he acted on.

While in that version, it is a bit cruel at first, but turns into genuinely fond teasing, in the ship oriented version, the latter is actually true...sort of.

One of the flaws with their canon relationship, as I see it, is the way both of them tend to assume or avoid a lot of things about each other. They've locked themselves in this cycle where, they're so familiar with each other, but by so rarely if ever communicating properly, any assumptions tend to distort their understanding to a degree, and the more this cycle goes on, the more it can distort and destabilize.

Obviously this is massively compounded by immorality, so back in the times of flesh I don't see it as having as much room to flourish into that sort of a train wreck, especially without the additional pressures of...everything else going on at that point. But still, I see this as always being a pattern they fell into.

With these two in this AU, this is a very relevant part of their dynamic, the assumption, understanding, misalignment carousel.

One of Zahndrekh's greatest strengths is puzzling others out to a frightening degree, but he’s often looking for very specific tells. He doesn't really understand how biased he is because most of the people he’s attuned to are other nobles. So while he’s typically very good at reading others, there are things about Obyron he either misunderstands or doesn't view in the same light as Obyron would.

Obyron, unfortunately, does find him attractive. So when Zahndrekh flirts with him, and receives perceived positive response, he feels more confident gradually leaning into it. It's what they both want, after all, and it could also even work in his favor, as far as sowing loyalty, if he’s providing an incentive for Obyron like getting to have fantastic sex with his hot boss.

To other nobles, sure, of course it would appear he’s just capitalizing on having an extremely attractive vargard at his beck and call, but he knows Obyron wants this and clearly enjoys it. And that's pretty much where the thought ends. Any nerves Obyron displays just read more as anxiety about getting caught, or worrying about unintentionally showing disrespect Zahndrekh might punish him for.

Now the problem is that he does. Obyron does enjoy it, Zahndrekh never presses him to do anything disgusting or too degrading, so for the most part, once he’s finally made that final push to actually 'inviting' Obyron and they start fucking, it's...pretty much just good, if a bit intense, sex. But the thing is, Obyron didn't feel like he was offered an invitation, he knows he was ordered to please his master. It's more a happy accident it isn't awful for him.

So things between them start off significantly more tense, with a very toxic power imbalance situation going on, but also a genuine sort of misunderstanding as well. Still, it puts them at a significant disadvantage for things to grow into something better, because of this carousel. They keep thinking they're learning to understand each other better, but they're basing these understandings off, usually incorrect, assumptions.

As the years tread on, Zahndrekh grows more comfortable and confident in their relationship, while Obyron feels more and more like a beloved pet that Zahndrekh entirely enjoys wielding such power over. The novelty wears off, and Obyron begins to genuinely resent him. This is in no way helped by the way Zahndrekh leans into the master / servant thing, in what is a playful and fond way to him, but a degrading and antagonistic way for Obyron, even going so far as teasing him publicly on occasion. Never to an outrageous degree, but certainly something so improper to even vaguely imply that he really only gets away with it so easily because of his blood and reputation.

Instead of a series of instances where they grow closer over the years, in this version, things only get worse until an event that finally breaks them of the cycle, at least temporarily enough to make a change for the better (not unlike Severed did in canon). Since the ship variant is sort of paradoxically several potential variants in a trench coat, the exact event could vary depending on mood or inspiration.

But the initial 'event' idea, even one of the earliest specific sequences I got with these two, is a situation in which Zahndrekh has been captured, and his captors believe Obyron could even be an ally, given the way their relationship looks...to pretty much everyone else but Zahndrekh. And with some convincing, he goes along with it. Maybe he has had enough. Why put himself through this if he doesn't need to? He could finally be rid of Zahndrekh.

And this leads to a situation where Obyron is left alone with him, permitted to do whatever he sees fit, while Zahndrekh is bound and helpless, terribly weak from poor keeping conditions, but believing Obyron had been leading the captors on to this point so he could free Zahndrekh and give him any information he's gathered so he could form a plan for their escape.

This is not the case. Obyron, for the first time in all the years they'd been together, is honest with him, telling him he agreed to help them willingly, he has no intention of helping Zahndrekh, the fact he is so arrogant as to believe that alone is enough to make Obyron even angrier, asking how he could possibly believe that after the way he’s treated him all this time. He muses that perhaps he should put Zahndrekh through similar treatment so that he can understand even a fraction, weighing that against just finally killing him and being rid of him.

Zahndrekh is so bewildered, he can only think to argue weakly, seeming to believe the enemy has simply gotten inside Obyron's head and twisted his thoughts around, that Obyron loves him, he knows this, he doesn't want to do this, other similar sentiments. To get him to stop, Obyron smacks him, and in his current condition, it's enough fracture Zahndrekh's jaw and send him to the ground.

Finally seeing the first beginnings of reality dawn on Zahndrekh turns the anger from fire to ice, and he drags Zahndrekh back to where he was, still internally contemplating what to do with him, disgusted, not actually wanting to go so far as to 'punish' Zahndrekh himself, but there's something about the scene, as Zahndrekh starts shaking and can't look him in the eyes, visibly disoriented and terrified, impossibly fragile in every sense, that his earlier pleading starts to trickle back in to Obyron's mind.

Did he really believe all this time that Obyron loved him? Was he just desperate to try and manipulate his way out of this? Given his current state, that doesn't seem so. And as he watches a drop of blood roll down from the wound on the side of Zahndrekh's face, the reality of the situation begins to come into focus.

Zahndrekh...actually thought he loved him. Actually thought they were something to each other rather than a belonging and its owner. And, frankly, aside from the mental strain of how he'd be understanding their 'relationship', Zahndrekh had never really treated him terribly (an aside from Me but that's by necrontyr standards let's not get crazy here).

The point is. He comes to...the beginning of his realization about Zahndrekh's nature more canon adjacent Obyron does much earlier on. And slowly, he kneels before Zahndrekh and apologizes, undoing the binds. Zahndrekh was right. They'd just gotten into his head. He apologizes, and, still seeming quite disoriented, it takes a moment for Zahndrekh, staring at him, trembling and wide eyed, before he shifts forward into the awaiting embrace, nodding as Obyron continues apologizing and soothing him, until he’s finally stopped shaking.

Once he’s calmer and rested for a bit, Zahndrekh reorients seemingly quite easily, believing Obyron readily and quickly adjusting back into forming a plan for their escape. And despite still feeling almost insane for making this call, there was some part of Obyron that revolted against the idea of harming his master to begin with, and is relieved to fall back on following his orders.

And...despite everything, there is also a measure of curiosity. Was he wrong? Did Zahndrekh just masterfully manipulate him into doing exactly as he wanted? Or is his intuition right? Is there more to this than he'd realized before? Thus begins the period where things actually start to shift into something better.

They, of course, escape and recover and Zahndrekh seems to have genuinely forgiven and moved on from that little 'slip', even when Obyron tries to apologize more properly. Zahndrekh just laughs, insisting he knew Obyron would come to his senses, and it was by his skill they managed to escape intact, so alls well that ends well. He suspects Zahndrekh is mostly just desperate to pretend it never even happened at all

And Obyron begins trying to understand things from Zahndrekh's perspective, as well as testing where he thought the boundaries lied before to see just how genuinely Zahndrekh believed them companions more than pet and master. Obviously this weighs favorably toward companions.

Direct communication is still...not great. But with a little work on Obyron's part, and with a clearer view of the bigger picture, he begins to feel much more comfortable with things. He truly is safe with Zahndrekh, as vile as he may be, he cares for Obyron deeply. His understanding of reality and position within it are...complicated. But now that he knows this, and now that he’s 'in on the joke' so to speak, things become much easier for him and he can relax into happily serving Zahndrekh as opposed to feeling like he’s just a particularly amusing toy.

(The brunt of the work of course falls on Obyron, because of course it does, but, in fairness, Zahndrekh kinda wasn't actually doing that much wrong, it was mostly context, perception, and lack of trust that led to Obyron feeling miserable </3)

I'm kind of glancing over some aspects here and there, it's really kind of fucked up, but also tragic and bittersweet, and once they get through that and things start to actually progress for the better for a change, they both start to have more fun with tormenting the other nobles and having great sex aside 👍

I also want to take a moment to clarify, how accurate is Obyron's understanding of Zahndrekh's whole 'skewed reality' situation? Debatable, though as is the case with canon as well, I do believe he sees Zahndrekh in a more innocent light than is truth. Is Zahndrekh truly that un-self aware? Yes and No, it's tricky because of his whole denial thing. To some degree he’s incredibly self aware, to another those blind spots are one of his greatest weaknesses. While not as extreme as his delusions post-biotransference, there is a very strong thread between the two.

But, that being said, he does care about Obyron very much and really does want them to share in this whatever they have. He feels too divorced from the concept of love as he understands it to correlate his own feelings with it, but if asked, he'd offer some two halves of one whole metaphor, ykwim? And is it also somewhat unhealthily codependent? Oh yeah absolutely. They're very much weird about it, even at their best, but they're weird about it together and in the context of wh40 it's actually still kind of wholesome, similar to canon.

Generally I see the necrontyr as naturally having subtle claws, like, not full on talons, but sturdier than fingernails and pointed / curved. And I also love imagining Zahndrekh as being a very big accessorizer, as I'm sure would likely also be pretty common for those of his standing. Not a lot of large pieces, mostly more intricate, tasteful, at least the causal-wear stuff.

How these two thoughts are related is that I love imagining Zahndrekh with that type of jewelry that is worn on the hands, that caps the claws and extends chains to rings and / or the wrist (I'm sure there's a proper name for them but I don't know it), but specifically usually only on one hand at a time (usually dominant hand, which I perceive as his left), while the other gets its own style (rings, bracelets, etc).

I think it's cute and suits him, it's very pretty, a little dangerous, probably makes a pretty sound when he picks up a glass. Again, it's elegant, for fashion not function.

Despite resenting it, he won't cut it, and eventually after a brief talk in one of the gardens, Zahndrekh offers to do it himself. With a little back and forth he manages to convince Obyron, and the next day he returns with the necessary tools.

There's a moment of silence, heavy with anticipation, broken quietly at first, growing quickly louder, until Edge suddenly appears, volting himself off the roof to land precisely beside Stretch's chair.

"Yes, my love?" Smiling brightly and a little breathless

Levi follows shortly after, yelling as she fires a string of arrows straight toward Edge

"havin' fun?" Entirely casual, while Edge easily deflects the arrows with a line of bones

"Oh, tons, my love," raising a row of bones to throw Levi off balance while she summons more attacks

"good. don't get too bruised up, 'kay?" Edge jumps aside, to draw the attack away, blocking it and then lunging back as he sends out a counter

"Of course, my love," and he clicks a quick kiss to an expectant Stretch before turning swiftly on heel and sprinting straight toward Levi-

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