2.2.16: Nephilim

"Nephilim" is the codename for a series of closely genetically-related insectoid races (Tetercimex sociapopulos) that call themselves the "Allied Peoples". Their home space is centered on the galactic core, though they are known to be a trans-dimensional species with the ability to exist in a parallel space-time domain known as "fluidic space". The emergence of the Nephilim in 2681 was prophesied for millennia by the Kilrathi in the ancient Kn'thrak prophecy, which foretold the dawning of an era of "great darkness" when a race of "Star Gods" would come forth to destroy all who resided in the galaxy. Their emergence marked the beginning of the Nephilim War, which lasted until the end of the 27th Century and cost untold numbers of lives. Despite their apparent defeat and eradication, it is strongly suspected that pockets of their civilization still exist and that they will be seen again at some point in the near future.
*Personality: The personality of an individual Nephilim and their function in their society is based a rigid caste system. All Nephilim belong to one of five castes in ascending order of prestige: Drone, Worker, Warrior, Overlord and Queen. Drones serve no other function than to attempt to fertilize the Queen, Workers build, farm and conduct all activities related to supporting the society's infrastructure, Warriors fight under the orders given them by Overlords (who hold nominal power over the entire race), and Queens see to the continuance of the species. The lesser castes are generally uncreative and lack personality, while the personality of higher-ranked castes can generally be summed up in one word: genocidal. Nephilim follow a code of beliefs that dictate that evolution is best served through conflict, with weaker races being eliminated by the stronger and the stronger races growing as a result. To that end, they constantly seek conflict with other races to prove their mettle. They have been known to allow particularly primitive races time to develop (as in the case of the proto-Kilrathi) and have been known to push two or more races into wars with one another, choosing then to fight the victors themselves.
*Physical Description: There are few minor differences between the various member races of the Allied Peoples; in general those differences are too minimal to even mention and are limited to minor changes in carapace or eye color. Nephilim are massive insectoid creatures, averaging about 3.5 meters in overall length and averaging about 2.5 metric tonnes, with the bulk of their mass coming from a dense, greyish-green exoskeletal structure. They have a pair of pincers that afford them motor control; they also have glands in them capable of delivering one of several nasty microorganisms, which make them effective biological weapons as well. Nephilim are primarily bipedal but are capable of quadrupedal movement, using their pincers to assist movement. Switching between forms of motion doesn't generally affect their ground speed; it most often occurs prior to an individual rearing up and roaring, used as a means of terrifying any opponents. Nephilim have two small clusters of complex eyes; these clusters are black in color and are so dense that at a distance they appear to have two simple eyes instead. They have two antennae on the front of their triangular-shaped heads that serve both as olfactory and auditory organs. Their mouth structure allows normal auditory communications, but any language they speak (including their own) will usually sound scratchy and high-pitched. Nephilim are very strong and are among the most intelligent of creatures known, a combination that only augments how dangerous they are. Nephilim have never been observed sleeping or eating; they are generally believed to be omnivorous. Reproduction occurs when a Drone fertilizes a Queen; the Queen immediately slaughters and eats the Drone when this occurs. The Queen will then lay several thousand eggs; these eggs usually hatch within two or three months. While still in the egg, the caste of individuals is determined; the exact mechanics of how this occurs are not known. It should be noted that members of other castes are capable of reproduction, but generally they are not allowed to do so unless a disastrous depopulation of the Drone and/or Queen castes has occurred and the local population has no other means of propagation. It's considered very presumptuous for a Worker, Warrior or Overlord to reproduce under any other circumstance and it's generally punished with death.
**Motor Appendages: 2
**Visual Organs: Numerous
***Field of Vision: Optimal 120 degrees forward, Peripheral 180 degrees forward.
**Auditory Organs: 2
**Olfactory Organs: see Discussion
**Gustatory Organs: 1
**Propulsive Appendages: 2*
**Reproductive Organs: 1
*Relations with Other Races: Nephilim are either antagonistic or apathetic towards other races. Those that are too primitive to be worth their time are generally left alone. Those that are advanced enough to be considered a threat are harassed, pursued, attacked, plagued and eventually erased from existence. There are some anthropologists who suggest that the Nephilim may in fact be an offshoot of the ancient Steltek race; that supposition cannot be verified though it would partially explain why the Nephilim will go out of their way to acquire pieces of Steltek technology.
*Territory: The territory of the Nephilim is both vast and complex, with the species inhabiting territory both in normal and "fluidic" space. Their nominal normal space holdings are located some ten thousand light years coreward of Kilrah with at least one major homeworld located in that area. Their fluidic space holdings have proven difficult to penetrate and there is some concern that they may use them to rebuild and reattempt an invasion of Known Space at some point in the near future. There are those who believe the fluidic space domains also serve as home to the Steltek race, though again the exact nature of the relationship between these two advanced races is unknown.
*Onomastikon: Whether or not a Nephilim has a name is solely dependent upon their caste. Drones, Workers and Warriors do not have names; they are simply referred to by a number. Editor's Note: For these characters, roll 5d10 but do not sum up the result. Instead, the character's creator may arrange the resulting numbers in any order they'd like and attach them with a hyphen to the name of the character's caste, which then becomes the character's name; an example Warrior name might look like "Warrior-17340". Only Overlords and Queens have proper names; they use a single name in order to identify themselves. Typically these names consist of a prefix followed by either one (for Overlords) or three (for Queens) suffixes. Nephilim names are very heavy on hard "X", "K", "Z", "T" and "R" consonant sounds, with "H" indicating a slight softening of the following consonant. Vowel sounds are suppressed, making Nephilim names sound like "buzzes" and nearly unpronounceable by all other races.
**Prefixes: Hkr, Hkz, Hrh, Hrx, Htt, Htz, Hxr, Khk, Kkh, Kth, Ktt, Kxz, Kzr, Rhx, Rxh, Rzz, Thk, Tkx, Trr, Trt, Tth, Xht, Xhx, Xhz, Xrh, Xtt, Xxh, Xzz, Zhr, Zhx.
**Suffixes: hh, hk, hr, ht, hx, hz, kh, kk, kr, kt, kx, kz, rh, rk, rr, rt, rx, rz, th, tk, tr, tt, tx, tz, xh, xk, xr, xt, xx, xz, zh, zk, zr, zt, zx, zz.
*Motivation: The main motivation of the Nephilim is to find other sufficiently developed species and then to fight them, proving which one is worthy of survival. Should two or more species meet their notice at the same time, the Nephilim will do what they can to provoke a war between them, moving into fight the victor once one side or the other has been vanquished. Should another race prove to be superior to them, the Nephilim will fall back to points unknown and wait, gaining strength in order to try again. In this way, the entire history of the Nephilim consists of long periods of resource gathering and construction followed by periods of prolonged conflict. They are known to seek after Steltek technology wherever it is found, stopping at little to possess it for themselves.
*Basic Characteristics:
**Size Class: C9
**Base HP: 70 (+50 AHP)
**Base HD: 62/50/64
**Physical Attribute Building Point Pool: 175
**Mental Attribute Building Point Pool: 225
**Discipline Building Point Pool: 300
**Genders: 2
**Life Stages: Adolescent at 10 years. Adult at 27 years. Middle age at 42 years. Old Age at 75 years. Venerable Age at 95 years.
**Lifespan: 99 + 9d5 years.
**Height: 2.6 + (2d5 x 0.18) meters.
**Mass: 2,023.5 + (same 2d5 from height x 134.9) kilograms.
**Speed: Runner (Biped) - 17 kph (28 m/rd); 6 (short-range combat), 1 (long-range combat)
**Trade Value: ¤1,400
**Racial Abilities and Restrictions:
***Carapace. Nephilim have a thick outer exoskeleton capable of repelling many energetic bursts; they have First Class natural Armor.
***Pincers. All Nephilim have a pair of powerful pincers which double as a means of delivering bioweaponry (6 Lethal Damage + automatic exposure to Pox (see Chapter 12.3))
***Advanced Capabilities. The Nephilim have mastered the use of travel through fluidic space and have developed advanced bioweaponry, as well as organic, living ships; a beginning Nephilim character may automatically start with 2d10 free points in any of the "Sense" Talents of their choice.
***Stuff of Nightmares. The insect-like Nephilim are feared by most other races, if not for their appearance then certainly for their propensity for biowarfare; they have the Terrifying Presence special quality and Reputation at -15.
***Survival of the Fittest. Nephilim hold that only the strongest race has the right to exist in all of creation, which they hold to the exception of all other philosophies; they have Creed at -25 as well as Intolerant (Other Races) at -25.
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Category:WCRPG