Swarm

+ Engage in acts of violence, devastation, and death to gain sagacity to feed on and grow more serrated

### Focal Domains

* Crag (homeland)
* Pyragate (base of Evyren)
* Thousands of other unnamed territories

### Founders

* Evyren, the Riven Matron
* Hosnatul, Breaker of Truth
* Zetharath, Visage of Strife

### Notable subdivisions

* Retinue of Evyren
* Warband of Zetharath
* Abyss of Hosnatul
* Thousands of smaller, unnamed, less notable subdivisions

## **Summary**

Swarm is one of the species in Crestseal, Storiverse.

### Overview

Originating from the planet Crag millions of years ago, the Swarm is a grisly and exceedingly ancient species that utilizes Angular, indirectly aligning with the Settler. Governed by the Dagger Dogma—a Nonlogical, macabre exploration of competitive survivalism—their entire culture revolves around the belief that they must unleash Trial—acts of devastation, destruction, and especially death—to all others, including themselves, successfully to acquire sagacity to grow in power and nourish the Larvae residing within their bodies. Alongside the Settler, the Swarm is led by a pantheon of influential individuals they regard as Gods due to their power, who derive further power and sustenance from the devastation caused by their actions.

### History

The Swarm originated from the planet Crag. Many millions of years ago, the remains of humanity arrived on Crag fleeing from a catastrophe. and started a new life there, As time went on, they forgot about their past but did know they were not native to Crag.

Years later, three sisters named Evyren, the Riven Matron, Hosnatul, Breaker of Truth, and Zetharath, Visage of Strife, acquired great power from the beings known as the Nether Gnats in exchange for following their doctrine known as the Dagger Dogma, spreading this among other humans, and feeding their Larvae which they took into their bodies from the Nether Gnats for power. They quickly expanded into including all the remains of humanity, forcing them to accept the Larvae, transforming whatever was remaining of humans into the Swarm. However, Swarm continued to identify as humans no matter how different they became.

After they unified the entire humanity under one banner, they conquered the entire planet of Crag and expanded into space shortly after. Since then, for millions of years, they have been in a constant war which they see as sacred, and have rendered untold thousands upon thousands of civilizations and species extinct.

Swarm culture developed into a singular culture revolving around the doctrine of Dagger Dogma, which teaches that persistence can only be sustained through successful Trials, and one can gain sagacity with such Trials to persist.

### Characteristics

#### Biology

The original Swarm were humans and had standard human biology. Their biology changed upon fusing with Nether Gnats and gaining power from them over the course of millions of years. As Gnats and their Larvae were insect-like, this mutated Swarm's biology in a similar way.

Swarm developed as an eusocial species, with various morphs that indicate their nature, rank, and purpose. Swarm are born similar to the way humans are, though the gestation period is much shorter, only about 50 days at maximum. Swarm newborns are akin to human babies, but their mental and physical development is much faster, and they are functional adults after a few weeks. This short gestational period and subsequent quick development to adulthood are both due to the Gnat Larvae all Swarm are symbiotic with. Each Swarm inherits its own Larvae while in the womb at their earliest stage, when they are a zygote. The power of the Larve is the catalyst for this short gestation period and quick growth to adulthood.

Swarm have three morphs. Drudge, Varlet, and Brigand. Upon birth, each Swarm is a Drudge. Only with successive acts of Trial and gathering of sagacity can they grow enough power and eventually morph into a Varlet, and if successful, eventually into a Brigand. A fourth rank, Sublime, also exists, but it is a title of a status rather than a morph.

Grown members of the Swarm are vaguely humanoid, though they are generally bulkier and taller, even Drudges are around 170m, while Varlets and Brigands are generally between 190cm to 210 cm. There is no significant difference between a male and a female Swarm, aside from a male looking vaguely masculine while a female looking vaguely feminine, in a human sense.

#### Behavior and Culture

Swarm are an extremely decentralized species and their entire culture revolves around power. Despite their differences from their ancestors, Swarm still collectively identify themselves as humans but also use Swarm to make a distinction between their current state and their ancestors prior to the Nether Gnat Agreement. They have various phenomena that they define using certain terms.

##### Terms

**Dagger Dogma**

As explained earlier, the Dagger Dogma is a doctrine that indicates persistence can only be justified by successful acts of Trial, and those who fail to Trial successfully should not exist. It is not only a doctrine the Swarm believe in, but a doctrine that has actual, tangible effects upon the reality itself. By believing and abiding the Dagger Dogma, Swarm can acquire additional abilities and greater power.

**Trial**

Trial is the term Swarm use to describe the acts of violence, devastation, and especially death a Swarm can unleash, especially if the said acts are successful. Swarm believe that successful Trials are the only reason for the persistence of a thing, their continued existence. Through successful acts of Trial, Swarm can gain sagacity.

**Sagacity**

Sagacity is one of the terms used by the Swarm, it signifies the power and capability drawn from the successful acts of Trial. Once a Swarm successfully Trials, it can draw sagacity from that act, which can be used to strengthen them, both physically and mentally, and can cause them to learn new abilities or further the development of their existing abilities.

Swarm believe in these terms vehemently, and abide by them. They do not possess the same ethics as their human ancestors, despite still identifying as humans. In fact, Swarm considers ethics to be a lie, calling it a "deceptive assurance of solace". Swarm believe that the purpose of all life is to advance, and to advance is to suppress others. The Dagger Dogma they worship and abide by has tangible affects on the reality, as Swarm can in fact gain sagacity and grow more powerful through successive Trials. Swarm individually strive to achieve apotheosis—and considers those among them who are closest to it as Deity individually. All Swarm believe that no being that is weaker than another can exist without the consent of the other. As such, the weaker Swarm obey the Stronger Swarm, who are their superiors, zealously. These weaker Swarm believe that they only exist due to the consent of their superiors and if they are killed they deserved to die.

Swarm society is both collective and individualistic. Collective in the sense that each Swarm has a morph also called a class or a caste, and duty associated with it, and they devotedly try their best to do what they must, which is mostly related to war. Individualistic in the sense that due to Dagger Dogma, each Swarm individually aspire to achieve apotheosis, and will not hesitate to attack and kill other Swarm to draw sagacity when the opportunity arises, only truly allying when bringing Trial to other civilizations, and when they are made to ally by their superiors. All Swarm have to constantly be on guard not only against other species but also against their own kin.

Alongside Dagger Dogma, Swarm worship a Pantheon of Deities, especially those among them who became Sublime Swarm—those who are Crownbearers, having carved their own Crown Palace within the Netherscape—another Scape distinct from the Middlescape, where most things exist.

#### Chain of Structure

Swarm is a decentralized species scattered across the Middlescape. They usually organize under large groups known as **Coven (plural: Covens)** that are led by either very powerful Brigands or the Sublime Swarm. Swarm have various morphs/castes as mentioned, these are as follows

* **Drudge:** Weakest and first morph of the Swarm. Each Swarm is born as a Drudge. These Drudge are the most human-like of the Swarm, and are about the same size as a human. Individually they are quite weak but stronger than pre-Gnat Agreement humans, but are less intelligent. Drudges are all biologically sterile females. They are used as cannon fodder by their superiors, who use them in large numbers to flood and subdue their foes. Possessing claws, Drudges are desperate to slash and swipe whatever they can to achieve their Trial so they can feed their Larvae and not die of starvation. They attack without much self-preservation, though more capable Drudges can use ambush strategies. The vast majority of the Drudges either die of starvation or are killed in battle before they can reach their first birthday. Drudges who are capable enough can grow stronger through Dagger Dogma, and eventually morph into a Varlet.
	+ **Damned Drudge:** Damned Drudges are a variant of Drudge created through experiments performed upon a regular Drudge by Varlets. They are similar to Drudges but slightly more intelligent and capable. They can use Selfburst, which explodes them, either by command, on their own, or upon death. They are used as mobile bombs by their superiors. Unlike regular Drudges, Damned Drudges' Dagger Dogma is in suspension and they cannot gain sagacity, they also cannot starve, thus they can live indefinitely. However, they cannot grow either and are mostly used as bombs.
	+ **Raging Drudge:** Raging Drudges are a variant of Drudge created through experiments performed upon a Regular Drudge by Varlets. They are mostly identical to regular Drudges but are far stronger than regular Drudges when enraged. In fact, they are generally physically stronger than whoever Varlet created them while enraged, and they are usually angry and extremely aggressive and hard to control, even for their masters without calming them down. They are very durable and can use devastating attacks causing shockwaves. They have a short lifespan and usually die a few days after deployment, until which they are kept in suspension. Raging Drudge's Dagger Dogma is in suspension and they cannot gain sagacity, they also cannot starve.
	+ **Riven Drudge:** Riven Drudges are Riven variants of the Drudge. They are mostly identical to regular Drudges but possess standard Riven capabilities, they also gain access to Lateral, which allows them to erase themselves and re-create themselves elsewhere. This ability functionally works similarly to teleportation, but it is different. When a Damned Drudge or Raging Drudge gets Riven, they lose their additional capabilities and become Riven variants of the regular Drudge.
* **Varlet:** The second and diverse morph of the Swarm, Varlets are foot soldiers of their respective Coven and form the backbone of its army. They may or may not appear human-like, still humanoid. They can also now change their biological sex, remain female or alter to a male, and gain fertility. They are far more capable than Drudges, who are practically nothing compared to even the weakest Varlet. Varlets are highly intelligent and masters of Proficiency Paths. They lead their Drudges in battle, fiercely loyal to the Brigands that lead them, and use various weapons in combat. Varlets who are capable enough can grow stronger through Dagger Dogma, and eventually morph into a Brigand.
	+ **Riven Varlet**: Riven Varlets are Riven variants of the Varlets. They are mostly identical to regular Varlets but possess standard Riven capabilities, they also gain access to Impetuous, which allows them to create functional duplicates by cutting themselves apart. These duplicates are as capable as the original, but weaker and temporary, and will perish after a few days, from where the sagacity gained by the duplications returns to the original.
* **Brigand:** The Brigands are a widespread, third, and highest morph of the Swarm, comprised of individuals who have surpassed the morph of Varlet and utilized their amassed sagacity to morph themselves into this formidable class. They constitute the core and ruling class of Swarm, forming their superior warriors, builders, and commanders. Vigorously shielded and equipped, Brigands are formidable warriors for Swarm's war against reality itself. These highly capable class of warriors are frequently capable of engaging and even surpassing powerful Cavils, Quakers, and all other kinds of opponents they may combat. Equipped with their blades, defenses, and rifles, a Trial unleashed by a legion of Brigands can signify calamity to entire worlds, earning sagacity and homaging to their superiors.
	+ **Riven Brigand:** Riven Brigand are Riven variants of the Brigand. They are mostly identical to regular Brigands but possess standard Riven capabilities, they also gain access to Assailing, which allows them to do double damage with each subsequent attack that hits the target, similar to a combo.

* **Sublime:** Sublime Swarm is not a morph, but rather a title denoting a status. It is the title for those who have achieved the status of being a Crownbearer through the amount of sagacity they collected; Crownbearers are those who have carved their own Crown Palace within the Netherscape, thus achieved much greater death resistance as they now can only be killed for good in their own Crown Palace. While it doesn't necessarily denote a power level, all Sublime Swarm are far stronger than all non-Sublime Swarm, even the weakest Sublime can make a quick work out of the strongest Brigands. Sublime Swarm usually are the only ones who can lead a Coven and be taken seriously by their peers. Some very powerful Sublime Swarm are effectively seen as Deity, and worshipped, especially by their own Coven.

#### The Homage Method

> *"You Drudge, newborn and lesser of the Swarm. You have yet to prove yourself. You shall participate in the doctrine of Dagger Dogma. You shall display your Trial. You shall take enough sagacity to feed your Larva and more to grow in power, and homage the rest to your superior Varlet who commands you."*
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> *"You Varlet, you have proven yourself and your Trial and have gathered enough sagacity to evolve into this position. You shall guide your Drudges in battle, you shall take enough sagacity to feed your Larva and take more to grow, also take the homages of your underlings, and homage to your own superior Brigand who commands you."*
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> *"You Brigand, proven elite of the Swarm. You have proven your worth time and time again, a master of warfare and bringer of Trial. You shall guide your Varlets and Drudges in battle, you shall take enough sagacity to feed your Larva and take more to grow, also take homages of your underlings, and home to your own superior Sublime who commands you. Remember, if you are too greedy, you might be killed, or applauded. Well done"*
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> *"You Sublime. You have been established eons ago. The most elevated of the Swarm, you have proven yourself more than any before, you have grown more than any before, you have more sagacity more than any before, and you are more serrated than any before. You possess the power to carve your own Crown Palace. You shall only homage to those you must, or you don't if you dare. Well done."*
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Swarm have an economical system known as the Homage Method, or simply Homage for short, set by Evyren, the Riven Matron shortly after Swarm's destruction of the Timecine to address the Larva hunger. All Swarm gain sagacity through successful Trials, and this sagacity is used as currency, with each Swarm paying homage to their superior through sagacity they earned, as Evyren's own edict indicates. Swarm take homage from all those below them in command, they can increase the number of people paying homage to them by siring children, increasing the amount of homage they receive in the process, though this is risky as if their descendant grows too powerful, that descendant may overtake and be the Head of that homage chain.