Sub-Skriarka

Zephala

Zephala Xenos

Veilborn Legions

Basilisks

Other Zephala Divisions

*Some music for you to enjoy while you read, by Gaston Larrouy aka La Rouille*

Map of the Sub-Skriarka Homeworld: Xa-Skriark

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The Sub-Skriarka are an intelligent species of avian-like creatures that live on the coasts around the large ocean of Xa-Skriark. They are a semi-aquatic species which lives under the ice in burrows with openings leading to the water and the surface of the ice. These creatures are community-driven, sharing giant nesting hives where they live, raise their young, and protect themselves from the hazards of Skriark. The intelligence of the creatures was only discovered upon the arrival of humanity when Teluul Mosswood began the construction of a forge world on Xa-Skriark. Through inspecting the social behaviour of the Sub-Skriarka the new Zephala Syndicate realized these xenos were sentient with an intelligence on par with that of the other Zephala Xenos, despite their primitive technology. After this discovery, a conscious effort was made to converse with these xenos, with Xandilu translators learning their language. Once a line of communication was created between the Syndicate and the Sub-Skriarka, these creatures were brought into the fold, becoming contributing members of the alliance. Often, they are seen around the forges of Xa-Skriark. Their genetically engrained understanding of light and energy makes them genius smiths of volkite, plasma and las weaponry. They are often incorporated in the squads of Seraphine Afana, as practical members of the team.

## History

What is known of the collective history of the Zephala Xenos can be found in the Zephala System

## Physiology

The Sub-Skriarka are a species of large, quadrupedal, ground-dwelling, feathered warm-blooded Xenos. They have four powerful legs, and a long, tail to aid them while they swim. With a large storage of fat and muscle, these creatures have an ursine appearance. The coating of feathers which covers these xenos is crystalline, appearing translucent when the creatures are sleeping or dead. When the Sub-Skriarka use their powers, these colours can change to any colour of the visible spectrum.

## Sub-Skriarka Sorcery

Sub-Skriarka have the power of photomancy, allowing them to control the movement of photons around themselves by using the warp. They can also create and absorb photons at will.

### Sub-Skriarka Powers

* Light Level Manipulation: The ability to increase or decrease the amount of light around themselves. They can turn a well-lit corridor pitch black to completely obstruct their own movements. They can even create a point of light so bright it resembles that of a star as seen in the void, which blinds anyone looking.
* Light Camouflage: The ability to increase or decrease the amount of light reflecting off their feathers to affect their perceived colour. They can also bend light around themselves, allowing a person to see completely past them, rendering them invisible to the eye.
* Focused Light Beams: The Sub-Skriarka can focus photons into precise beams of light which have the impact of high power las weapons and can be sustained for long periods of time. These creatures use this ability to melt through ice to create their burrow homes. These beams can be created, and controlled up to distances of 20 meters. Beyond that, they become out of range of the creature's control and dissipate depending on environmental conditions. Similar to the way imperial laser weapons lose power over distance. This ability gives them the firepower to hunt at a distance, both on land and underwater.
## Reproduction

Sub-Skriarka give birth to live young through a bizarre process. Two or more individuals gather in a chamber and use their photomancy to convert photons into matter. Each Sub-Skriarka sends out beams of light, which collide in the center of the chamber, slowly forming a new Sub-Skriarka. Through this process, some combination of the individual's knowledge is passed on to the young xenos. The more common knowledge the participants have, the more likely it will be for the new individual to inherit said knowledge.

## Planetary Culture

Through the millennia, Zephala culture has become an amalgamation of cultural influences from all across the system. With so many distinct species, one might expect a culture clash, but seemingly, the peculiar creation of the system has also led to convergent cultural practices. Despite evolving on planets separated by millions of kilometres, each species' civilization is built upon a love of the arts, especially music. After all the xenos finally assembled under the Zephala banner, what should have been a discordant mess was a harmonious symphony of art and culture.

### Refractance Display

Refractance Display is a visual art form using the powers of photomancy. Beams of light that are bounced off refractive shards of ice, strategically placed to create patterns of beautiful shape and size, these displays can create beautiful scenes, or swirling kaleidoscopes of colour. The ice eventually evaporates, leaving no proof of the piece's existence other than the shared experience of those who witnessed it. After their technological uplifting, these art pieces can also be made with synthetic materials, which are much more durable and do not degrade over time.

## Beliefs

### Yent̪ʘazəħas cʎ̝̊ʼa cʎ̝̊ʼu r̥ʌʈʂʌ Variations

The Zephala people maintain a monotheistic religion centred around the Yent̪ʘa, which they believe exists in physical form as the Bounty Trees, which lay at the center of their cities. This religion is called Yent̪ʘazəħas cʎ̝̊ʼa cʎ̝̊ʼu r̥ʌʈʂʌ, or Yent̪ʘa for short. The religion is also followed by Zephala humans, who call it Yentha's Bounty. Central to this religion is the concept of interconnectedness with the plants and animals of their home planets. Yent̪ʘa teaches all to appreciate the gifts received from the world and never to waste a gift received. The practitioners of Yent̪ʘa understand that Zephala provides everything they need to survive; therefore, they must take care of the system in turn. When the god Yent̪ʘa revealed its presence to the Zephala xenos in their time of need the belief in the religion strengthened. Yent̪ʘa, as a religion, is highly adaptable, changing with the times. Flexibility is present even in some of the most restrictive tenets. These tenets are common in each world, with variation depending on the practicing species and planet. The SanZik follow all the core tenets of Yent̪ʘa, but the Sub-Skriarka sect stresses the following beliefs:

#### Protect the Yent̪ʘa Tree

Yent̪ʘa trees exist on Yemaya but serve much less of a purpose to the Sub-Skriarka's lives. On most planets, these trees make up a large part of the food chains they are a part of, but on Xa-Skriark, where the temperature is so low, these trees have adapted and evolved to horde their resources rather than share freely. Because of the intense weather, Yent̪ʘa trees are only found in the planet's south, close to the world's largest body of liquid water. Though there are running rivers of fresh water further north, it is more likely the appetite of these greedy trees would be unsustainable during times of drought and they would die. Skriark Yent̪ʘa trees are seen as figures to be appeased, not praised. Food sacrifices are made to these trees, halting and reverting the spread of their roots. When not properly fed, the Yent̪ʘa trees spread into more territory, possibly used by the residents of the planet, destroying buildings and burrows alike. For this reason, the Yent̪ʘa trees are avoided, with population centers focused far away from them. This has shaped the planet's opinion of the god Yent̪ʘa into one tainted by fear.

#### A Good Burial

Sub-Skriarka are not buried. Because of the subzero temperatures of the planet, burial leads to the preservation of bodies rather than decomposition. Instead, the bodies of the Sub-Skriarka are fed to the ravenous bounty trees. Every settlement donates the bodies of the dead to the trees nearest to them, with multiple cities often donating to the same place. The bodies of the most important, highest contributing members are converted into light, which is allowed to travel skywards, becoming part of the perpetual aurora surrounding the planet.

#### Limit City Growth

The cities of the Sub-Skriarka are limited by environmental factors rather than by religion. They must be close enough to water to be able to access it but far enough not to be within the grasp of a Yent̪ʘa tree. Sub-Skriarka coastal cities are made in large caverns under the ice, with the structural stability of these ice caves being the main limiting factor of their size. Any larger and these cities would be buried in millions of tonnes of ice. Even in modern times, the cave cities can only expand so far, with new materials not being strong enough to reinforce the cave walls and ceiling. Many of the Sub-Skriarka have moved north, far away from the Yent̪ʘa trees, living closer to, or in the established forges of the Xa-Skriarka techpriests.

#### Combat Chaos

The Sub-Skriarka believe in combating chaos through any means. Like the other species, these xenos fight chaos because they know the evil influence it has on people, and the eventual destruction it will bring upon the galaxy. Unlike the other xenos, the Sub-Skriarka are pushed towards this goal because they fear their god Yent̪ʘa. They believe the destruction of chaos would finally sate Yent̪ʘa, allowing the species' expansion on their home planet. They also believe that if such an otherwise benevolent god can be forced to such desperation in harsh conditions, it would be even worse if the Gods of chaos took over, replacing Yent̪ʘa as their planet's patron god. No amount of appeasement would be able to stop the annihilation of their plane in that case.

## Society

Sub-Skriarka society is a meritocracy where the highest contributing individuals of the settlement make the governmental decisions for said settlement. The metric used to measure this merit depends on the city, with coastal Sub-Skriarka basing merit on fish caught and tribute gathered, while those in the forges base merit on technological discovery or skill with various manufacturing techniques. The ability to create is now seen as a much more important feat for the survival of the planet, boosting the efforts of the forge class to the heights of planetary power. The Sub-Skriarka who work with the Xa-Skriark tech priests are the ones who make the decisions for the species, with the others of the species showing unquestioning loyalty.

## Combat Doctrine

Many of the Sub-Skriarka sent out into the galaxy are attached to Veilborn Marine squads, where they help maintain weapons. They look like unassuming companion creatures with little intelligence, but this outward appearance makes them skilled in information gathering. They are especially useful when aiding the Seraphine Afana. When accompanying these marines, the xenos roam in and around the Afana fortresses while listening to the conversations of those around them, relaying the things they learn back to their squads. People often let their guard down when they believe they are in the company of a creature which cannot understand them.

With the power to create beams of light and manipulate the light around themselves, the Sub-Skriarka are powerful defensive and offensive troops. They use their light manipulation abilities to camouflage themselves and their allies, rendering themselves invisible. A large group of Sub-Skriarka can even hide the approach of a large deployment of warriors. This power can be extended to cover traps and pitfalls, making them talented in ambush fighting.

## Weapons and Equipment

### Armour

Sub-Skriarkan warriors only occasionally wear armour, preferring to be completely out of the line of fire rather than protected by it. When they do wear armour, it is a power armour with the energy source of their own creation. With the powers of the warp, they can keep the power cells of their suit fully charged, making a built-in reactor obsolete.