LF Friends, Will Travel

Why we said yes - Kruku

The building was one of reverence, the air itself filled with the deep booming sensation of sacred energy. Stone pillars lined the giant halls, each one made of Iltrite: a black marble like substance that naturally formed embedded with precious metals. Each one was carved in such a way that they seemed to float in the dim light of the church, like stars in the night, as if the ceiling of this great place of worship was being held up by faith alone.

Zantari slowly followed the diplomat? Priest? They seemed to be one and the same here. Whichever they were, the Ghirlinn walked behind the giant figure as they moved near silently towards their destination, passing others shrouded in the dark, hunched over altars or sat along rows of pews, only the soft sound of footsteps could be heard in such a silent sacred place.

Eventually they reached the end of their journey, standing below a ceiling that stretched towards the sky with a glorious kaleidoscope of light streaming in through the thousands of stained-glass pieces. A spotlight from heaven seemed to shine upon the pair, a column of illumination in an otherwise dark building. Looking up Zantari could see the figures and pictures built within the glass, of gods and devils they didn't recognize, of demons from the stars, and prominently placed within it all; representations of Terrans.

"So what can I do for you, my child?"

The words were spoken slowly, deep and booming from the large figure that stood robed in front of the Ghirlinn. Just over 9 feet tall: bulky, wide, strong, as all of the Kruku were. Deep grey skin covered the entire person, from his three large stubby fingers, all the way down to their giant padded feet. A single emerald eye, two giant ears and a large curled trunk made up a face that poked its way out of the bright green and gold ceremonial robes.

Zantari gave a small respectful bow, their own figure just as large, hoofed and lumbering in a non-threatening way. Even with the long flowing religious coverings, Zantari could see previous injuries: dull white lines, scars criss-crossing themselves over the dark grey skin, telling a story of a time not quite as happy as this one.

"Thank you for your time, I come seeking knowledge on the Terrans and yourselves, as we have no records of your species."

Zantari had no information about the Kruku, no databases outside a brief mention of their probationary membership of the Terran Alliance. From what the Ghirlinn could tell they were not technologically strong, not even FTL capable if Zantari had to guess. The single space station they'd arrive via was clearly not of their own design; standing out like a sore thumb from the other multitude of towns and cities scattered around their singular home planet. The darkness from orbit told even more, with only a handful of their largest cities being lit up with electric lights. Zantari couldn't help but wonder how this species had managed to join this grand alliance.

"Ah. The Terrans. In order to tell the story of the little ones, one must first start at the beginning. One must first start with the demons. One must first start with the Raha."

Well that wasn't a good sign for the Kruku. Any story that started with the members of the Estorian Empire was not a good one. Zantari could already guess what the diplomat was about to say, although they weren't about to be rude and interrupt.

"A falling star is always considered a bad omen, a sign of displeased gods and woe to befall any kingdom who witnesses it, and this one was no different. They came from the heavens, two hundred and thirteen years ago they arrived, masquerading as angels but acting as demons. They call themselves the Raha, the masters, giant insects from hell itself. Weaker than us physically and morally, not that this mattered. When they arrived we didn't know of other worlds or of other species, astronomy was nothing more than looking up at the stars for navigation between towns. Our strength of flesh, mind, and steel was no match for the power of the demons and their stolen strength of gods."