Gift art of my skeksona standing next to a skekified hyden done graciously by  dogburger

My Skeksona has been brought to life! SkekDris! Seems like dogburger's character of hyden is quite the perfect match for being a skeksis. Birds of a feather, pun intended! And I really do like the visual contrast between the two. My sona is composed and in control of their vices and desires, with a soft, almost friendly demeanor. Meanwhile hyden is jagged and aggressive in both appearance and in his pursuit in his desires.

Though I must confess - not sure if it's blasphemy to say this - but my Skeksona is sort of a character that exists outside of the Dark Crystal setting. ^^; I like the species quite a lot, thus I made them the basis of my Sona. They *might* work in the dark crystal setting with some tweaking, but the way I envisioned them is having them be their own character.

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A little more about SkekDris: He is a secretive dark wizard. The kind where he exists in a setting where magic is real, but so rare or shrouded in myth that the layman does not see it. He is bulky, corpulent. But there seems to be a strength hiding mass. His voice is deep, yet buttery smooth. The kind of suave where you know you shouldn't trust blindly, but can't help but fall for anyways. Fortunately for you, he does not stoop to underhanded tactics such as betrayal unless you have him convinced that you're a bastard who deserves it.

SkekDris is the kind of person who has libraries of knowledge and a millennia of arcane experience, and yet seemingly has never made any grand designs with it. He is more content to lie in the shadows, and offer his assistance promising apprentices, the unfortunate he pities, and frontmen alike. If hyden is the candle that burns twice as bright if it means lasting half as long to outshine everyone else, then SkekDris prefers to be the last candle burning at all. He is calm and patient, willing to enjoy the finer pleasures of life. For him - he has all the time in the world. His apparent immortality may explain all the blood rituals and his fascination with "draining" - in both the physical and metaphorical sense of the word. It could be debated that SkekDris has brute forced his way into vampirism through his magic; with none of the stipends a regular vampire would face. His love of gothic architecture certainly has him in love with the aesthetic already!

His manor takes on the appearance of a gothic home or small castle, though anyone who has had the pleasure of being his guest will tell you it's far bigger on the inside than what physical space should allow. His magic has bolstered his home to have a much smaller footprint than it's real space silhouette would suggest, and likewise, his home always seemingly pops up in new and interesting places. If there are two constant themes with my skeksona, it's that he is more powerful than he lets on, and that he is only seen when he wants to be seen. In this regard, he's a polar opposite to a more "traditional" skeksis. He is modest in a sense - if even for the fact that he is adopting a mask of "meekness" to obfuscate his true capabilities.

A peculiar, and often troubling sight inside his manor are the "servants" Skekdris embellishes himself with. So called "Emaciates"; these servants appear to be other skeksis - or at least bear their visage. Save for an otherwise conspicuous pot belly, the near skeletal thinness of these skeksis servants exaggerates their lanky, "skinny-fat" frames even more - which is on full display given their lack of attire save for arcane tattoos and the odd bit of jewlry. The reptilian-like anatomy of the skeksis often being the saving grace for any guest of strong modesty. Despite their frail appearance, the are much, much stronger than their physical appearance would suggest. On par with most "in-shape" individuals or even modest athletes. In addition, they wear blinding masks across their beaks, and yet their senses seem to be unhindered. It is clear their vitality has been supernaturally bolstered with SkekDris's magic. These servants are soul-bonded to the dark wizard himself. In exchange for immortality by proxy, Skekdris helps himself to their sanguine exports. Punishment for the wicked, or a 'reward' for fanatical devotion? It depends on which one you ask! Though they'll rarely mention it voluntarily, it's implied their skeksis visage may not have been the original shape of their "vessel"...

Shifting back to the Lord himself, SkekDris has innumerable shady dealings and dark practices going on in the depths of his arcane manor. Fortunately if not morality, than SkekDris has a sense of justice. It's always the worst of the bunch that find themselves on the wrong end of his blood rituals and arcane experiments. Criminals, thugs, the corrupt, and those that have personally hurt him - almost as if by a mere look, SkekDris can see the sin broiling inside a person... which just might make all the difference between having tea and being imbued with a cantrip or two - or vanishing to never return during a stay in his manor. Given his reputation for "dark" and blood magic, it seems like SkekDris is just irresistible to be sought out by those with darkness in their hearts. Not that he is upset at this arrangement mind you... he does enjoy free deliveries after all. >:)