The Gleam of Kiirium

The Gleam of Kiirium was a poem purportedly penned by the Croke poet Asenec in the days leading up to his death in 244 BBY. This poem, composed as part of The Despotica literary collection, told the tragic story of a nameless female soldier sworn in service to Xim the Despot, recounting her experiences fighting in the Second Battle of Vontor. A Tundan version of the poem existed at one point and served as the source material for the Galactic Basic Standard translation produced by Kiekal Zzoh.

In stark contrast to Asenec's usual style of authorship, "The Gleam of Kiirium" was largely bereft of many of the revolting themes and sickening tropes that had characterized the Croke's body of work. Instead, the poem was possessed of a significantly more somber and romantic tone, leading some critics to surmise that the work was not actually composed by Asenec himself. Some theorized that "The Gleam of Kiirium" was the work of an anonymous admirer of the Croke's who had published the work in an effort to make the poet more accessible to a wider audience, while others posited that the poem was an expression of redemption indicating that the Croke had not ended his dark and hate-filled life without a glimmer of light. More recent speculation suggested the poem's origins could be traced to an authorless tome unearthed at the Great Duinarbulon Mausoleum, though the archaeologist in charge of the dig, Henrietya Antilles, purportedly rebuffed such claims.