~~ The Barbarian Royal Palace — Nightfall
The throne room of the Barbarian Kingdom smelled of roasted meat, spiced wine, and sweat. The torches along the stone walls burned with animal fat, casting a dim, orange glow that made the shadows dance across the carved wooden pillars. Each pillar was etched with the history of the tribe — battles, conquests, the skulls of beasts and men alike stacked beneath the iron brackets that held the flames.
King M'baku the Second sat on his throne.
Not the throne of his father — that one had been burned when the old king died. This was new. Built from the ribcage of a desert wyrm, the bones yellowed and curved, the intercostal spaces filled with gold leaf and gemstones. The seat was padded with lion skin. The armrests were the wyrm's jawbones, splayed wide, the teeth still intact.
He was massive.
