CreatureFeature

Paradise Lost

"Not only are the rumors about a Grendari bein' on this shipyard true, but it's the Gloriont. It's an honor to be in the same room as you. I've never seen a member of your species in the flesh and I didn't expect to meet the Overprelate, long may you reign, durin' my lifetime. Come down here to sample the wine? Honestly, I don't blame ya. To lose it all- home, family, planet- would make anyone feel like they need a drink. Doubly so if they've had a rough day." Doctor Raphael Vitella said to the Grendari in a polite tone before turning to head back to his quarters, his breath reeking of rum and whiskey. "What the Hell do you want? If you're a beggar or a mugger, you're shit out of luck. I drank away all the money I had on me." Doctor Vitella said to the strange man, only for the stranger to pull out a knife. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. One shout from any of us and any guards in earshot will drag your sorry ass to the security office. Pick a fight with anyone who can fight back and you will have to be patched up by my colleagues before you get tossed in a cell." Doctor Vitella said to the man with the knife in an attempt to defuse the situation. The strange man approached him, the Doctor's face turning to one of shock as he made eye contact. "Jellyhead." Raphael Vitella said as the strange man licked his blade before running at the doctor, his eyes filled with murderous intent. The Jellyhead stabbed Doctor Vitella twice and pulled out the knife, Raphael falling to the ground bleeding. "Here, Kitty Kitty. I've got a steel gift for you and your friend on the mobility scooter right in my hand." The Jellyhead said to the cat as he noticed it, walking towards the cat and the Grendari with his fingers tightly gripped around the handle of the knife, blood dripping from the blade as Doctor Raphael Vitella lay on the ground in pain.

@Flarbinia

’Not even enough space to stretch,’ Sumris idly mulled over the lackluster state of the crew’s quarters, accompanied by some irritated chitters escaping the sleek mandibles grinding against their carapace and the shallow shifting of those nearly useless wings to prevent the root from getting too stiff from walking in all the cramped passageways. They didn’t like it, but with the mainworlds being overrun by those vile bug-things, getting crammed away in some hole of a ship was the only option.

A set of wing-like membranes that had been neatly folded against their head sprang outward as they passed the departure terminal, unfolding into the open air to catch and direct sound toward the narrow hole centered near their base—a rough equivalent for ears on the insectoid. Something about a “steel gift,” and the pained groaning of a man curled up on the rough tiles they called a floor. The more they looked ahead, the worse the situation became, prompting the moth-like creature to sprint into action when their eyes caught a glimpse of a bloodied knife approaching another pair of soon-to-be victims.

Heavy sounds of sclerite smacking against steel and claws clicking against stone were quickly trailed by the mass of aggravated bug slamming into the would-be killer. Their wings gave off a low hum against their back that melded with more fervent oscillations from their mandibles scraping along tooth-like indents just beneath. It was raw, instinctual body language, screaming with intent that would soon bear fangs.

Loud and wet sounds of something tearing hit the air. Some of its hands had dug against the fiend’s scalp, while others gripped wherever they could at his shirt to pry his neck wide, and a flood of red liquid began to pour out from a chunk that was now missing. Mandibles pivoted wide from the opening of their mouth—which lowered itself to take another large bite for good measure—before dropping the body to slump against the floor.

With the immediate threat taken care of, the moth turned its gaze upon the stabbed man. It grabbed hold of a leg with one of its chitinous hands and dragged him through the growing puddle to bring him closer, and used the other two to tear into his clothes. Once the wound had been exposed, a set recoiled up toward its bloodied mandibles. A thick rope of silk had started to spin from its jaws, and the creature wasted no time in packing Vitella’s abdomen with the makeshift hemostatic dressing. It was a sticky pink, blending the fresh polymer with fluids from the “Jellyhead,” crudely being forced past the split in the Doctor’s flesh in a poor attempt to stop the bleeding. Pressure slowly built against him from the inside, and it soon became a struggle to get more of the material in.

One last sharp nip of those jagged, teeth-like shapes in its exoskeleton snipped the thread of silk once this thing was satisfied. And with the situation looking stable, they helplessly flicked beads of red from their arms while shifting to their feet. They didn't wait around to hear from the small party, opting to rush off to find a place to clean up.

Paradise Lost

Sumris

Character Description

Name: Sumris of Teriani
Species: Kiel Ettec (mutated variant of the Ettecean Moth) - A large and long-lived—though not traditionally sapient—species, found in the forests of Kikkar, is known to undergo a chimerism metamorphosis where multiple larvae coalesce into a single pupal mass. Strangely, there seems to be traces of Kiellar genotypes in this particular specimen…
Sex: Chromosome pairings seem to vary depending on where cells are sourced, though they claim to be female.
Age: 83
Role/Job: “Fake” credentials? Identity theft? Has anyone even seen one of these bugs before? Regardless, they seem to be one of our non-iced Navigators.
Appearance: Standing around 7’ tall, they appear frail and lanky behind the masses of chitin and fuzzy sensory fibers. Bulky wings fold crudely behind their back to make way for movement in less-than-open spaces, and similar membranes can unfold from their head to enable expressive body language. A set of mandibles folds elegantly along their mouth to mask the jagged teeth-like edges of their exoskeleton that allow them to eat.

The Bug In Question

Art by Shi (Huan) Shenyu over on artstation.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

Navigation Specialist - Astrodynamics, applied mathematics, years of experience aboard the SS 2393-08—a freighter owned by the shipping company “DwarfSun Carriers”—and several industry-standard certificates. Beyond the portfolio carried by their name in the remnants of Eden’s systems, they boast many practical skills: memorized starmaps, lidar operation, and even basic maintenance of common navigation equipment, to name a few.

Quirks of Nature - The effective use of four arms and their subsequent use of that many hands comes with a small advantage in both daily and work-related life. Thick pads of chitin covering their body provide an incredible buffer as biological armor, though it still fails to compare to the well-researched and standardized body armor used by security personnel. By far the most utility they gain from their chimera physiology is in their exotic neurology, possessing a structure both capable of putting that many limbs to use and allowing them to go significant amounts of time without rest.

Weaknesses:

Quirks of Nature - With eyes developed for low-light conditions and nocturnal hunting, well-lit spaces are quite the headache for the insectoid, and their large wings make for a distinct disadvantage in some of the ship’s narrow passageways. Additionally, it makes them completely unable to even awkwardly stuff themselves into one of the onboard EVA suits without at least some amount of self-mutilation.

Background:

Backstory:

Red-stained cigarettes rested in the mud, and the thin paper had already started to melt away and return to the dirt—as all things eventually do. A sickening crunch broke through the idle sounds of grinding mandibles tearing away, and it was trailed closely by a brief wince from Sumris. There wasn’t much she could feel at this point between the shock and scorched nerves, nor could she care. It wouldn’t help, anyway.

She twitched a finger enough to kick at the butt of one of those tubes, knocking half of it away as the wet thing tore itself apart. Blasters were such a cruel weapon. The scorching-hot plasma effortlessly converted flesh to ash, but it cauterized the wound in the process. Without a sure-fire fatal shot, a poor few were left to wait—and worse than that. Think, and reflect.

All that time in the academy, the years working in the dim-lit control stations aboard corporate spacecraft, the people and faces she met along the way… Just for it to come to an end at the hands of some pirates. Boarded, blasted, and then dumped off one of their landing shuttles into some deep chunk of forest.

’What a waste,’ the thought was weary, accompanied by her gaze lazily flicking toward the sound of some shifting grass. More forearm-sized things were inching over, probably drawn in by some pheromones released by the one that had already been feasting away. Maybe they were some type of caterpillar? It was hard to say with the fucked-up nightmare fuel ring of mandibles it had for a face. She didn’t know much of this world beyond the view from the spaceport.

A dulled sigh left her lips, and the eyes of Sumris drifted shut for the last time.

And sometime later, the thing that thinks it’s Sumris of Teriani tore through the thick silks of a cocoon with large stinger-like protrusions from its upper set of arms. Tough layers of grey and black chitin existed where pale skin should have stretched and deformed under their movement, and the feel of their tightening muscles beneath that exoskeleton hinted at the absence of bone. Even stranger, though, was that none of it felt unnatural…


---


There was so much panic aboard the waves of survivors disembarking the countless streams of evacuation shuttles that security couldn’t keep up. Plenty of eyes cautiously traced the towering insectoid, but with the simple swipe of a standardized identification card at one of the spaceport’s entry terminals, any residual concern toward what was effectively an unregistered species slowly faded. Many didn’t know, and others didn’t care. The world was ending, after all.

Word spread of Eden’s remaining government scrambling to put together a crew for a colony vessel, and from there, it didn’t take much for Sumris to take on a last-minute contract.


Additional Notes
Biology:

Very little of the Kiel remains within this creature outside of a sizable chunk of their brain, which is encompassed within a segmented neural mass analogous to a number of close-knit tumors buried within the insectoid’s head. Several once-independent chunks of grey matter work together to form a singular, somehow sapient brain. A hybrid mind-melded monstrosity, some could say, but this unique structure comes with a couple of advantages—portions can be put to rest to sustain consciousness for long periods at a cognitive tax.

Other notable traits include their effectively vestigial wings, which are hindered by the weight of their mutated body structure. For the natural non-sapient variants lacking a humanoid shape, they may be large, but they are more than capable of carrying their weight. Here, they are capable of little more than poor gliding outside of specific conditions, namely low to zero gravity. Additionally, as some would notice from the reference, there are some hybrid characteristics between a moth and hornets, and some traits carry relevancy.

Psychology:

Much of their behavior will be familiar, as they seek social connections and the friendly (and sometimes unfriendly) banter that accompanies them. They do believe they are, or were, a Kiel, after all. That much will show. But by the twisted nature of it, much of their actions will carry an air of imitation, and it will only grow more extreme in instances where the kieloid chunk of their brain is put to sleep.

Some thoughts and actions are warped, showing a disconnect with empathy and sympathy, and more crude, insect-like behaviors could surface. As a quick example, let's say the party is boarded and held at blaster-point by some pirates? Self-defense is justified, right? What if you carry the cold, ruthless hunting instincts of an insect, known to actively eat their prey throughout a fight until one victor remains standing?

Additional info/Direction:

By no means am I intending to write some horrific monster lurking within our crew, biding time until they can ruthlessly put them through their paces. They are very much a part of the team, but I’m playing for some drama around their nature. Sure, they might eat a chunk of a living pirate or two to put them down, but let's not focus on that too much! There will be much more fun in the lies, twisted truths, and eventually they’ll get caught up in them.

Paradise Lost

Character App

Character Description

Name: Sumris of Teriani
Species: Kiel Ettec (mutated variant of the Ettecean Moth) - A large and long-lived—though not traditionally sapient—species, found in the forests of Kikkar, is known to undergo a chimerism metamorphosis where multiple larvae coalesce into a single pupal mass. Strangely, there seems to be traces of Kiellar genotypes in this particular specimen…
Sex: Chromosome pairings seem to vary depending on where cells are sourced, though they claim to be female.
Age: 83
Role/Job: “Fake” credentials? Identity theft? Has anyone even seen one of these bugs before? Regardless, they seem to be one of our non-iced Navigators.
Appearance: Standing around 7’ tall, they appear frail and lanky behind the masses of chitin and fuzzy sensory fibers. Bulky wings fold crudely behind their back to make way for movement in less-than-open spaces, and similar membranes can unfold from their head to enable expressive body language. A set of mandibles folds elegantly along their mouth to mask the jagged teeth-like edges of their exoskeleton that allow them to eat.

The Bug In Question

Art by Shi (Huan) Shenyu over on artstation.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

Navigation Specialist - Astrodynamics, applied mathematics, years of experience aboard the SS 2393-08—a freighter owned by the shipping company “DwarfSun Carriers”—and several industry-standard certificates. Beyond the portfolio carried by their name in the remnants of Eden’s systems, they boast many practical skills: memorized starmaps, lidar operation, and even basic maintenance of common navigation equipment, to name a few.

Quirks of Nature - The effective use of four arms and their subsequent use of that many hands comes with a small advantage in both daily and work-related life. Thick pads of chitin covering their body provide an incredible buffer as biological armor, though it still fails to compare to the well-researched and standardized body armor used by security personnel. By far the most utility they gain from their chimera physiology is in their exotic neurology, possessing a structure both capable of putting that many limbs to use and allowing them to go significant amounts of time without rest.

Weaknesses:

Quirks of Nature - With eyes developed for low-light conditions and nocturnal hunting, well-lit spaces are quite the headache for the insectoid, and their large wings make for a distinct disadvantage in some of the ship’s narrow passageways. Additionally, it makes them completely unable to even awkwardly stuff themselves into one of the onboard EVA suits without at least some amount of self-mutilation.

Background:

Backstory:

Red-stained cigarettes rested in the mud, and the thin paper had already started to melt away and return to the dirt—as all things eventually do. A sickening crunch broke through the idle sounds of grinding mandibles tearing away, and it was trailed closely by a brief wince from Sumris. There wasn’t much she could feel at this point between the shock and scorched nerves, nor could she care. It wouldn’t help, anyway.

She twitched a finger enough to kick at the butt of one of those tubes, knocking half of it away as the wet thing tore itself apart. Blasters were such a cruel weapon. The scorching-hot plasma effortlessly converted flesh to ash, but it cauterized the wound in the process. Without a sure-fire fatal shot, a poor few were left to wait—and worse than that. Think, and reflect.

All that time in the academy, the years working in the dim-lit control stations aboard corporate spacecraft, the people and faces she met along the way… Just for it to come to an end at the hands of some pirates. Boarded, blasted, and then dumped off one of their landing shuttles into some deep chunk of forest.

’What a waste,’ the thought was weary, accompanied by her gaze lazily flicking toward the sound of some shifting grass. More forearm-sized things were inching over, probably drawn in by some pheromones released by the one that had already been feasting away. Maybe they were some type of caterpillar? It was hard to say with the fucked-up nightmare fuel ring of mandibles it had for a face. She didn’t know much of this world beyond the view from the spaceport.

A dulled sigh left her lips, and the eyes of Sumris drifted shut for the last time.

And sometime later, the thing that thinks it’s Sumris of Teriani tore through the thick silks of a cocoon with large stinger-like protrusions from its upper set of arms. Tough layers of grey and black chitin existed where pale skin should have stretched and deformed under their movement, and the feel of their tightening muscles beneath that exoskeleton hinted at the absence of bone. Even stranger, though, was that none of it felt unnatural…


---


There was so much panic aboard the waves of survivors disembarking the countless streams of evacuation shuttles that security couldn’t keep up. Plenty of eyes cautiously traced the towering insectoid, but with the simple swipe of a standardized identification card at one of the spaceport’s entry terminals, any residual concern toward what was effectively an unregistered species slowly faded. Many didn’t know, and others didn’t care. The world was ending, after all.

Word spread of Eden’s remaining government scrambling to put together a crew for a colony vessel, and from there, it didn’t take much for Sumris to take on a last-minute contract.