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Post by Amanojyaku on Jun 2, 2019 19:43:02 GMT -6
The Izzet LeagueAny sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Conversely, any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from technology. The Izzet League aims to "sufficiently advance" the Materium and "sufficiently analyze" the Warp in the name of innovation and progress. No power in the Wheel is too heretical a topic of study, even those strange quirks of fate that yield such blasphemous exaltations as the Demiurge or Perpetual. Bases of OperationsNivix is the parun's aerie, an artificial crystal sphere (the creation of which is a secret known only to the old dragon himself) in synchronous orbit with rather frightful proximity to Mechanus. Here he holds court (such as it is) with the highest-ranking magelords in the League, and personally conducts research into the Modrons, the C'tan, and the creation of the magical metals. The nature of Izzet research means that their laboratories and compounds can be found virtually anywhere in the Wheel, and aren't always obvious. Most power stations based on magic or on thermal power can be assumed to be connected with the League in some way. AlignmentsAs a general rule, the Izzet worship none before their own parun. Usually, Niv-Mizzet's precepts sound suspiciously similar to those of Corellon. But they can, sometimes, seem strangely like those of Vectron, Tzeentch, or Chaos Undivided. They are, however, never remotely similar to those of the Omnissiah. Internal CliquesMagewright's Union: Those who serve the dragon are inventors first and foremost. Most of the common Goblins and engineers believe that the dragon's knowledge is meant to be applied, and to do otherwise is heresy, for it would prove that the dragon is powerless. Magewrights design and operate experimental magitech stations for the benefit of the Wheel, for the express purpose of educating the layman on Niv-Mizzet's proofs. Sardior's Clutch: The Izzet League's armed task force is nothing less than a full legion of space marines, founded by the parun himself by culling from a mixed bag of Aasimar, Dragonborn, and Tieflings who defended Izzet interests (or more specifically, Nivix itself) during the Fall of the Eldarin. The Sardior's Clutch marines are infused with dragon's blood as a part of their initiation to active service, usually that of fire- or water-aligned wyrms or, in very special cases, the metal-aligned blood of Niv-Mizzet himself. Tech-Priests: While they aren't exactly held in high regard, there's no shortage of Tech-Priests in the League. While they can be (and often are) indoctrinated to praise the parun rather than the Omnissiah, they are rarely trusted to accomplish anything other than maintain existing projects, never to provide theories of their own. It doesn't help that most Izzet Tech-Priests are Goblins. Prominent MembersZarek is a Limulian fluxmage who's managed to zap himself more than once. He may have cooked his own brain a bit, but he's recently hit upon an amazing hypothesis: If Niv-Mizzet is the origin of the Izzet's greatness, then surely more dragons within the League would propel them all to the lofty ranks of godhood, right? There's a bit of a hitch with his experimental plan, however... two, really. First and foremost, it requires the acquisition of several dragon eggs (doubled, even, as every experiment needs a control group), and then he might need some assistance actually carrying it out, but telling anyone about his idea might prompt immolation on the spot. The current chapter master of Sardior's Clutch is a dragonborn with iridescent scales similar to the parun's, who has taken the name Karajix along with the blessing of Niv-Mizzet's blood. Quite possibly the most unconventional commander that the Izzet have seen yet, Karajix walks the knife's edge of heresy for her strange and unusual tendency to think inside the box, using such strange and unusual tactics as drilling her marines for the use of cover instead of relying solely on energy-siphon systems built into their armor, as well training those who insist on using Izzet-made plasma weapons to mitigate their weaknesses. Parun: Niv-Mizzet, the FiremindNiv-Mizzet is a truly ancient dragon, vain of his beautiful prismatic scales and even more so his keen intellect. He is an arrogant wyrm who demands not only fealty but worship from his followers, and continually redesigns the League's identifying sign to more closely resemble his own image. And, of course, he is always the smartest creature in the room, and anyone who claims otherwise is immolated for their heresy. Niv-Mizzet does not, of course, share his goals with lesser beings, and the workings of his ancient mind are nigh impossible to guess at. Most greybeards are under the impression that he seeks the C'tan's power and ancient arcanotechnology for himself, perhaps to recreate the armies of the C'tan from the War in Heaven in order to claim the Wheel now that the Syrne have gone.
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Post by Amanojyaku on Jun 2, 2019 19:44:08 GMT -6
The Orzhov SyndicateThe Orzhov Syndicate is nothing less than a galaxy-spanning mafia, the largest and most successful "family business" on the Wheel. They are the patrons of entrepeneurs and the champions of commerce, and so long as you can pay their fees, they'll protect you from whatever cutter you might have piked off. Nearly every lawyer on the Wheel is in their pocket, after all, and even death is no barrier to service. Bases of OperationsThe Basilica Orzhova is a terrific - if a tad gloomy - cathedral standing in Sigil's Upper Ward, and the seat of the current living Patriarch. Syndicate "priests" accept "donations" in return for certain services here, as well as "tithes" from businessmen and store owners who have marked their holdings with the Orzhov's sign. Several hundred meters below, the Syndicate's own members often make "pilgrimages" to offer their own tributes to the Ghost Council, the only authority higher than their living Patriarch. Across the Wheel, nearly any city with a law practice or a shop owner with the Orzhov mark also boasts a similar dark "church" where the local branch of the Orzhov Syndicate meets. None are so grand as the Basilica in Sigil, however. AlignmentsThe Orzhov respect coin above all else, but most respect the values of civility. Most of the high-ups (including the majority of the Ghost Council) are Unaligned, while Sigmar and Cuthbert are most commonly observed for the establishment of laws to bend and the sacred contract, respectively. As the Syndicate often views death as a simple change in perspective, Luna holds more sway than does the Raven Queen, and like Acerath they bear a healthy respect for the power of secret knowledge. Internal CliquesThe Church of Deals: By far the largest and most well-known sect of the Orzhov Syndicate is the pseudo-religion that has sprung up surrounding the Ghost Council and the Patriarch. These religious trappings come in handy in spheres where the Syndicate's activities are seen as less than legitimate; in these places, the Church steps in, offering "clerical services" in exchange for "donations" to help keep their "god" happy. Legitimate Businessmen: The Orzhov protect their own, and as long as the proper dues are paid, anyone can be one of their own. Most berks who can afford those dues actually run some business or another, and pay the Syndicate for insurance against thieves. Contrary to popular belief, the Orzhov do not ask these people for shady favors in return, nor do they immediately set whatever they were protecting against on their former clients when the jink stops changing hands. Anyone who paints the Orzhov's mark on their sign, however, may as well be a part of the Syndicate, for all the favors they trade and their tendency to argue against removing them from their community. Taj: To the Orzhov, the dead are only living in a different tax bracket. Unfortunately, that tax bracket is one that most of them can't break legs in without bothering the Ghost Council... and that's where the Taj come in. The Taj are a select group of spirits bound into Orzhov service by their necromancers, given living hosts when the Syndicate has need of more versatile assassins. A few of them have gotten it into their heads that they need answer only to the Council or their bound daemons, but most are of the sort that's glad just to have a second chance at life. Prominent MembersTeysa Karlov runs a law firm in Curst, but when her uncle dies, she could very well become the first Matriarch in millennia. Wait, that's not right. For one, he's not her uncle; Teysa is a Dullahan adopted into the family, and she's understandably annoyed about the whole "succession" thing, what with her uncle not exactly being in a shape to kick the bucket any time soon. Two, there's the issue of jealous servants, and that's a recipe for disaster. Now, if she could just find her head, there might be a way to resolve all this... Nacht is the owner, proprietor, and main bartender of the Night Bogey Tavern in Sigil's Lower Ward, whose sign bears the mark of the Syndicate's protection and whose collar bears the pin of its membership. His bar is dimly lit and sports a calming atmosphere that's rather rare in the Lower Ward, though that may have something to do with having the very best Goliath bouncers his connections in the Syndicate can provide. It's the perfect place for conducting some "legitimate business," and for a fair gratuity, Nacht might even remember not to mention you were there when the lawmen come calling! And don't forget to ask about the nightly specials; the Night Bogey serves a variety of dishes made with ink from certain sea creatures, and it's the only bar on the Wheel that sells the black beer brewed from the (relatively) safe plants around Scarytown. Parun: The Ghost CouncilEvery Patriarch that has ever sat in the Basilica (and several from before the Basilica even existed) is ultimately groomed for a position on the Obzedat, the Ghost Council comprised of the Wraiths of past Patriarchs. As new Patriarchs join their number, the oldest fade away; thousands of such Wraiths have existed since the Syndicate's humble beginnings, but the Ghost Council numbers only a few dozen. Most of them are humans, primarily the Karlov family that has been dominant in the Syndicate almost since its inception. For all that they exist beyond the veil of death, the Ghost Council's goals are simple, even to the mortal mind: Like any mortal, they want money and power. To that end, there are many personalities within the Obzedat, and many points of view. In the past, Patriarchs have been known to be almost kind, while others have been draconian bastards, and the Ghost Council often has a full spectrum of these personalities among its number.
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Post by Amanojyaku on Jun 2, 2019 19:45:20 GMT -6
The Selesnya ConclaveAll living things across the Wheel are connected. To live is to be made divine, a single note in the song of life across the universe. These are the central teachings of the Selesnya Conclave, a church celebrating the glory of life itself. The Conclave helps those with the means to help themselves. Bases of OperationsEvery few centuries, a large number of what seem to be massive seeds are launched from a remote crystal sphere. Not all of these seeds find their way to fertile soil, and those that do sprout enormous city-trees that the Selesnya refer to as "Vitar Yescu," great living citadels that become the local centers for the Conclave's interests. The crystal sphere responsible for launching these seeds is known as Vitu-Ghazi, the World Tree. As its name implies, Vitu-Ghazi is nothing so much as a single, planet-wide tree, in whose shadow the wildlife is large and dangerous enough that it might be classified as a death world if not for the influence of the dryads bringing everything into harmonious accord. AlignmentsMat'Selesnya's tenets resound most strongly with Pelor and Luna, the sun and moon whose movements shape the natural world. While they accept death as an inevitable end, it is just that; the Raven Queen is far more venerated than Nurgle among the Conclave, though both are considered heresy. Internal CliquesChorus of the Conclave: A round dozen beings make up the leadership of the Selesnya, joined in a hivemind by the Living Song. The current Chorus is made up of nine Dryads, an Eldarin, some kind of freaky elephant dude, and a giant wolf-beast; the three non-Dryads are joined to the Song by a green jewel pressed into their skulls, fragments of the parun's body. The Chorus rarely leaves Vitu-Ghazi, save for one of their number known as the Living Saint, who travels across the Wheel healing the sick and the needy. Ledev Guardians: The Conclave resents the artificial races, though they respect their right to life. Their armed militia is thus made up primarily of Elves and other "natural" humanoids, trained more for stealth and an ability to respond to a wide variety of situations with very few specialists. The Ledev take it upon themselves to patrol major routes through the Astral Sea, lending their protection to traders and private vessels as impromptu escorts. Prominent MembersTristani is the current Living Saint of the Conclave, an Eldarin who wanders between crystal spheres so often that he is actually at Vitu-Ghazi less often than the others leave it. He isn't exactly what one would call "nice," frightfully impatient at the best of times and rather brutally honest with those who cross his path. He doesn't keep it very dark that he's of the opinion that most of the injured he heals in his travels are doing it just to pike him off. Sanae Kochiya is half Dryad and newly initiated into the Ledev Guard. She's still favoring her druidic magic instead of taking up weapons, trusting the Slaad and Ophidian assigned to her as squadmates to cover for her in their mission to track down a sapling Vitar Yescu that took root on Catachan. She could probably stand the stench of the swamps; it's the humidity and the muck on her new armor that she resents. Parun: Mat'Selesnya, the Living SongLong ago, in order to save a world, more than a hundred Dryads gave their voices and their lives, in the process giving birth to a living elemental whose song would stem the tide of death that threatened their world. Mat'Selesnya is the result, a gestalt being embodying life itself, who in turn became the seed that would allow the Vitu-Ghazi to grow. Mat'Selesnya, at least according to her followers, is Life itself. To live is to be divine, and to kill is the greatest blasphemy, for in murdering another you end your own life.
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Post by Amanojyaku on Jun 2, 2019 19:48:01 GMT -6
The Simic CombineThe Simic Combine is an organization of scholars, doctors, and intellectuals that all share a healthy obsession with the topics of medicine or biological science. They usually keep to themselves, though gladly sharing the fruits of their research with the rest of the Wheel in the form of... well, mostly medical practice that doesn't kill the hapless patient. And occasionally horrific gene-warped abominations of nature that kill their creators, break out of the lab and rampage across the city before being put down hard by passing-through Exalts, but that kind of thing hasn't happened (in a major population center) in centuries... Bases of OperationsThe heart of the Combine is the living spelljammer Novijen, usually kept in orbit just near enough to the Beastlands for ongoing study to be carried out. From here, they hope to learn enough about the strange living crystal sphere to eventually be able to land on foot and catalog its wonders in person. For now, however, Novijen is itself a subject of Simic research. Most hospitals and laboratories dedicated to biological or pharmaceutical research across the Wheel bear the Combine's mark. AlignmentsScientific knowledge is the Simic's watchword. To that end, most involved with the Combine are Unaligned, though deities associated with knowledge and change - such as Luna, Tzeentch, and Acerath - see some respect, if not reverence. Internal CliquesMedical Practices: Most of the laymen associating with the Combine are, in fact, medical practicioners, and the easiest way to locate a hospital in most civilized crystal spheres is to look for the Simic Willow displayed prominently on the building's side. Despite a distressing tendency toward experimental treatments, Simic doctors are often in high demand, if only due to the Combine's stringent education requirements. Evilutionists: Even "clergy" of the biological scientists can have heretical sects, and the Simic don't see these cutters as too far gone to call their own... even if they do study the results of the Evilutionists' rampages instead of actually stopping them. These bloods believe that evolution and adaptation can be harnessed and used at a whim, and their first recorded violent action on the Wheel coincided roughly with the discovery of the Kythons. The Evilutionist sect - made up mostly of Elves and Ophidians - see it as their solemn duty to impel the sentient races further on the path of evolution in any way they can, and if they have to murder every Kython in existence for their stem cells to do it, they probably will. Yuzhan Vorcha: Nigh on every major group on the Wheel has its militant arm. The Yuzhan Vorcha are the Simic Combine's elite task force, composed primarily of Simic-bred Kythons as well as mutants of various pedigree from across the Wheel. They are based in Novijen and trained in artificial environments as similar to the Beastlands as their parun can generate, and answer exclusively to the parun and her Host. Small squads are often sortied alongside research teams - occasionally as research teams, when they include Tau or Eldarin - sent to collect samples from death worlds. Prominent MembersMomir Vig is - uh, was - an Eldarin, among the oldest in the Combine, and the current Host of their parun. He rarely leaves Novijen, preferring to coordinate the various avenues of research undertaken on the living spelljammer from within, safely sequestered in the neuroboretum alongside the parun's mass. Which is probably for the best, as at least three Eldarin worldships have it out for him due to incidents involving mutated frogs, lizards, or snakes... Psaro, commonly known as "the Manslayer" for his actions in Dominia's former capital of Halcyon, isn't quite so ready to simply step back and allow those who scoffed at him the pleasure of ignoring him. Militantly racist and eugenicist to the core, he's currently recognized as the head of what everyone refers to as "Evilutionists," no longer welcome aboard the Novijen... but he's fine with that. Because he's discovered the first Host slumbering under Halcyon, the Aasimar known as Estark whom history recorded as killed in action during the War of the Monster's Fall, and entombed with him is the Secret of Evolution, the power that will propel the Dark Eldarin back to the ascendancy they had lost five thousand years ago. Λ-11 is a breathtaking work and possibly the first example of her kind: A fully-functional synthetic life-form, grown with tender care by Limulian claws and enhanced using cultures taken from the neuroboretum on Novijen. Her cognitive abilities easily match those of any Tau or Eldarin in the Combine, even if she lacks in areas of physical and communication proficiency. But, no matter; she is, after all, the first functioning prototype, and time will only tell if she'll live long enough to meet her successors. Parun: Yidhra, the Unbegotten SourceWhen most berks are told that Novijen is a "living" spelljammer, they tend to think of it as one made of Necrodermis, maybe with a fancy A.I. operating it, and leave it at that. They're only half right... Novijen is a vast organism perfectly adapted for plying the Astral Sea, a true biological wonder sheathed in a shell of Wraithbone, an organic planetoid grown around the vast and ancient neural cluster that is Yidhra. The majority of Simic biotechnology is culled from this primordial ooze's knowledge, ancient genomes employed by precursors long past for purposes that the Combine can only guess at. Yidhra itself behaves in many ways like a Symbiote, binding to a host's nervous system to share its wealth of knowledge. Its motives are assumed to be those of Life itself: Grow, adapt, survive, and procreate, ad infinitum.
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Post by GuardianTempest on Jun 3, 2019 1:19:35 GMT -6
Amadeus SyndicateThis shadowy corporation is a cross between a military-industrial complex and a colony of mad laboratories. They lack brute force, numerical power, and widespread presence of other military forces and PMCs. However, as an army mostly composed of scientists, they make up for it with brilliant ingenuity and insidious pragmatism. They specialize in digital warfare and reverse-engineering, using cyborgs as spies and decoys, sentient computer viruses that override entire mainframes, and masses of robot drones remotely-controlled by heavily-armed researchers. Any designs and equipment salvaged in the aftermath are improved upon for future use. Although relatively few in number, their personnel is highly-trained and can work in multiple fields. For example, there are inventors who create new weapons and immediately proceeds to an actual war zone for field testing afterwards. Despite their capabilities (or perhaps because of it), they prefer to remain elusive while delegating much of the dirty work to others. They usually sell their improved designs to the highest bidder and observe the mayhem from a distance. Alternatively, they start mutual partnerships with armed groups, one side gets new toys for war while the other gets willing volunteers for further testing and experimentation. Multiple incidents have been attributed to this elusive syndicate, each more sinister than the last. Embezzling funds from various megacorporations and putting the blame on each other. Overriding the military systems of an entire planet before sending a proxy army to capture it on their behalf. Responding to mass retaliation by evacuating their base, leaving only automated defenses and exploding decoys. Wiping out an entire country using a homegrown zombie plague in tandem with an artificial daemonic curse. Creating a Program as a prototype supervirus, which surprisingly decided to act on her own accord and began disobeying her creators.
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Post by Marr965 on Oct 31, 2020 14:35:42 GMT -6
Morgan Industries, originally a diamond-mining company on Théah, got a leg up on its local competition by bankrolling a significant portion of the human effort to make contact with the rest of the Great Wheel. In doing so, it branched out, creating a large number of subsidiary companies specialising in, among other things, construction, entertainment, agriculture, hydroponics and metallurgy. It even pushed its mineral extraction activities into a specialised mining company.
You can always tell if a company is a Morgan Industries subsidiary: their names are simple and to-the-point, telling you what they do and that they're owned by Morgan Industries. Morgan Robotics, for instance, makes robots, while Morgan Aerodynamics builds aircraft of all kinds. Morgan Industries is generally well thought of among human-controlled Spheres. They have a reputation for supplying products and services which are of good quality, if possibly rather expensive. However, they have a less-than-stellar reputation among other races, with accusations of species-motivated discrimination being levelled at the megacorp when it became clear that not only are all the directors human, but non-humans are routinely passed over for promotions and raises in favour of their human colleagues. HeadquartersGiven its strongly pro-human stance, one might think that Morgan Industries would base itself on Théah. Surprisingly, it doesn't, instead having elected to base itself in Sutafu, where Morgan Sea Platform floats. Morgan Docks and Morgan Port are important links to the rest of the Sphere and Wheel, and most of the buildings important to the running of the company are in Morgan Plaza. AlignmentsMorgan Industries employees are universally in the business of making ever-more-obscene quantities of money for Morgan Industries, and, as such, many hold to the acquisition of profit as their central ethic. However, there's a place in Morgan Industries, or one of its subsidiary companies, for followers of pretty much every god. Even followers of Malal have been known to enter the employ of Morgan Industries. Internal CliquesGiven the vast number of Morgan Industries subsidiaries, it would be pointless to enumerate all the internal cliques and power struggles. However, the most important ones are as follows. Morgan MinesMineral extraction is where Morgan Industries started out, and the mining branch of the megacorp still holds significant internal political power. Morgan Mines branch offices are present on many worlds throughout the Great Wheel, and mineral extraction is still a significant money spinner for the company. Morgan EntertainmentIf Morgan Entertainment were named honestly, it would be called Morgan Propaganda. While most of the media it produces have high production values and are of excellent quality, there's an undeniable vein of pro-Morgan sentiment running through them. Morgan ConstructionWhenever a Morgan Industries subsidiary wants to build a branch office, Morgan Construction does the job. This grants it a level of internal power far higher than it would, at first, appear. Morgan Data SystemsIf you need a server, a database or a hacker, talk to Morgan Data Systems. Their information technology is cutting edge, and they are willing to use it to turn a profit. Morgan InterstellarIncorporated at the start of Théah's first steps offworld, Morgan Interstellar was named before humans discovered that it was within a Crystal Sphere. As the Morgan Industries subsidiary specialising in void travel and spelljammers, it has a level of control over Morgan Industries' inter-Sphere activities second only to Morgan himself. Notable EmployeesRhys StrongforkA company man through and through, Rhys still has an ambitious streak, wishing to be the next CEO of Morgan Industries. Currently, he's the CEO of Morgan Data Systems, a position which gives him a surprising amount of power. He's naturally a hard worker, and his cybernetics permit him to work even more effectively. Recently, he's been responsible for the development of a controversial new technology, a remote hacking tool which lets someone else plug so that the user can play. Suzanne FieldingIn her position as CEO of Morgan Collections, Suzanne has a solid working relationship with Rhys. She's a notable hirer of "freelance security specialists" and "supplemental resources", tending to run what would be a skeleton staff if that was all she had on tap. Instead, her pool of outsourced talent more than quadruples her available manpower, allowing her permanent employees to run control and command for the field teams. CEO: Nwabudike MorganNwabudike Morgan both owns and runs Morgan Industries - the company's name is not just an affectation. Morgan is, by his own admission, a lot older than he appears. He himself has said that he plans to live forever, and given that he has been the owner of Morgan Industries for its entire existence - from its lowly beginnings on Théah right the way to the current day - he appears to be on track. Certainly, those who've attempted to remove him from office have failed.
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Post by Marr965 on Aug 13, 2021 15:49:09 GMT -6
The Kir'ko Some would consider them to be refugees, while others would consider them terrorists. Either way, the loose coalition of arthropoids called the Kir'ko are known for a few things. Firstly, they claim a mission of vengeance on the ones that enslaved them. Secondly, they willingly accept members of any arthropoid race. Finally, their most common recruiting method is through the assaults they carry out on owners of arthropoid slaves, a group they extend to the queens of vespid hives.
The Kir'ko would describe themselves as an "egalitarian meritocracy with a primary mission of protecting the rights and privileges of arthropoids across the Great Wheel". Those hit by their strike forces would describe them as "those bloody bug terrorists that kidnapped my workforce" or, more likely, "don't you point that gun at me! Don't you dare point that gun at-" shortly followed by a gunshot and the sound of assorted viscera impacting the closest surface.
Many of the Kir'ko are Trox, although Formians, Limulians and Vespids are also sizable minorities and small numbers of Arachne, Embri, Entobians, Felen, Scarabyn, Slugs, Thri-Kreen and Vermiurges are also counted among their numbers. It's even rumoured that a few Cravers have been spotted in their strike forces, although no reported sightings have ever been confirmed.
The Kir'ko have, thanks to their raids on gene-labs and biopharma production facilities, a sizeable amount of genetic manipulation equipment, which they make frequent use of as part of their rejection of bonds and forced restrictions. As a result, Kir'ko appear in a much wider array of forms than even their racial diversity would indicate.
Bases of Operations The Kir'ko don't have a centralised command system, instead operating as a loose coalition. While they may have waystations and supply posts, most oversight is carried out on an ad hoc basis, with those responsible for overseeing projects taking both the credit and the blame for the end results.
Alignments While a lot of the Kir'ko hold to Khorne, Malal or Lolth in seeking vengeance, others hold to the more hopeful Tzeentch, Sigmar or Luna. Some hold to the message of liberation and the just use of power that Bahamut espouses, while a few keep to Pelor's ideals of alleviating suffering and bringing low the evils that once oppressed them.
Internal Cliques With the lack of centralised power the Kir'ko have, cliques seem to form and disperse almost at will. That said, two broad trends can be identified.
Vengeful A large number of Kir'ko hold that vengeance against their former masters is what the Kir'ko represent, and tend to pursue that goal above others.
Compassionate Another major group within the Kir'ko holds that, rather than vengeance, supporting the oppressed and abused arthropoids they recruit should be their primary goal.
Prominent Members The Harbinger Dark rumours occasionally surface among arthropoid slaves in Crystal Spheres with highly stratified societies. The Harbinger, a hulk of insectoid flesh kept aloft by its own psionic might, is claimed to possess astonishing mental prowess and devastating sorcerous abilities. Supposedly, it's the result of a magical merging of the souls of many nascent arthropoid psykers, implanted into a genetically-engineered body that further enhances its mystic potential, but no-one who's ever seen it is telling, most often because they're dead.
The Tormented Not so much an individual as a sub-group within the Kir'ko, the Tormented are escaped (or rescued) biological experiments. They come in a wide variety of shapes and races, but they share three things in common: a history of abuse and scientific torture, the desire to punish their abusers and tormentors and the inherent sorcerous power to achieve that. While almost all of them are amputees, they are equally frequently the recipients of mechanical (or biological) augmentations, such that no two Tormented look the same.
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Post by Amanojyaku on Sept 6, 2022 0:27:38 GMT -6
The Slaad Lords of ChaosFor all of their boasting, the Slaadi are as they claim... an ancient people, whose inception predates the end of the War in Heaven. That leaves a lot of history, a lot of mistakes... and a lot of old leaders, who still make a claim to power. The Slaad Lords of old are no more, the glorious mantle they once held long since passed down to the Slann who now run the show - poorly, in their eyes. But, some of them yet live, and their descendants are right to fear them. Ssendam, Lord of InsanityThe first, the eldest, the greatest of the Slaad Lords, and the one who sees her people's current state as promising, Ssendam is madness incarnate. She is the looming terror that gnaws at the back of every Slann's mind, the golden pressure of the Warp that threatens to snap every slaad's sanity like so much dry kindling. A monadic being, it is said that she appears now as a bright blue brain suspended in a translucent golden slime, the warp-borne mutation of her original golden body, and that the pressure of her august presence is enough to fracture the mind of anyone who approaches her. For all of her power, however, she is by far the least dangerous of the Slaad Lords... godly she might be, but there's only so much a blind idiot can do. Ygorl, Lord of EntropySsendam's second is one who wields the power of death and destruction, the undead, entropic reaper known as Ygorl. He appears as a blackened skeleton wielding a massive grimscythe, riding aback a skeletal dracolich and cackling madly over the Slaad Empire's descent into decadence and dissolution. Ygorl is said to have taught mortals the art of necromancy in the wake of the War in Heaven, and may have inspired the creation of the Doomguard with his scythe that rends reality itself. Further still, when Ssendam acts, it is Ygorl at her impetus; while Ssendam's power is the greater, Ygorl is the one lucid enough to direct it. Rennbuu, Lord of ColorsAccording to the Slaadi's history, Rennbuu was the third Slaad Lord to rise in the chaos of the War in Heaven, one who allegedly had the power to change a slaad's colors and with them their inborn abilities. In him, the lowly green bullywugs could become hulking red or blue warrior slaadi, neon pink neraph monks could be reforged into glorious ebony or alabaster Slann, and the greatest of slaadi would ultimately fear being reduced again to tiny green tadpoles. This power was never seen before Rennbuu, and with his ascension as a daemon prince, it's likely that it will never be seen again among slaadi. Rennbuu appears as a fine-scaled neraph with constantly changing skin colors, and a shock of white hair crowning his skull, dressed in fine robes befitting a Slaaneshi hedonist. Chourst, Lord of RandomnessThe slaadi were at the height of their power at the end of the War in Heaven, secure under Rennbuu's reign, but his ascension broke them, sent out the first ripples of a soon-to-be shattered empire. No true Slaad Lords would appear for thousands of years... not until the first group of daemon princes calling themselves the Four Horsemen of Hades rode to the fore, a band whose mission statement was the intent to keep things "interesting" on the Wheel after the War had ended. Riding in their wake was a chalk-white neraph, a renegade slaad who seemed to wield the chaotic whims of the Warp themselves. Chourst united the fractured empire one more time in the Horsemen's wake, only to be lost to the whims of his own dice soon after. Wartle, Lord of FormlessnessIt is the height of irony that the most recent of the Slaad Lords in history may not be a slaad at all. Demonstrably insane even by slaadi standards, Wartle's form melts and flows like water, mutable and mutagen. Wartle has no interest in the slaadi anymore... he tried before to change them, to make them something that could once again contribute great things to the Wheel. But now, broken and fragmented as they are, the slaadi are of no use to him, and so the Wheel as no use for them. His goal, then, is to change the slaadi... into something other than slaadi, which may yet improve their chances of survival. Tzeentch might actually approve. Syzygy, Lord of TimeRelatively unknown by historians, the latest in the line of Slaadi claiming the title of "lord" will tell you, in no uncertain terms, that he simply has yet to be born. Syzygy is a great silver toad - two, really, one inverted over the other with heads overlapping - with power over the flow of time... thus, the title given to his followers. He seeks, ostensibly, to unite his fractured people in a glorious New Slaadi Empire, but so far all he's been seen to do is lock a crystal sphere into endlessly repeating the same two weeks in late summer. Why he's done this, even he doesn't know... Bazim-Gorag, Lord of FireThe hulking, two-headed Bazim-Gorag is a newcomer to the Wheel's political scene. By which one means to say they've only recently come roaring out of the Abyss to spend their hordes of flaming frogs on Cadia's defenses. He is a toad who stands taller and broader than most Goliaths, cloaked in a veil of Warp-fire, whose voices call always for the pyromaniacs of the Wheel to join him in burning down all that is to see what may rise from the ashes.
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Post by thecursedkatana on Jun 23, 2023 19:52:23 GMT -6
Can someone help flesh out some already established factions?
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Post by Traskus on Jul 5, 2023 18:28:26 GMT -6
Uh, which ones?
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Post by insertnamehere on Jul 5, 2023 18:38:41 GMT -6
Obviously the one's he's talking about. What? Were you not able to glean what he clearly wants from his incredibly detailed and nuanced request?
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Post by GuardianTempest on Apr 7, 2024 20:57:08 GMT -6
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