Façade

> *"This is not the last you have seen of me. Or any of my kind. The Ganymedeans are everywhere. Façade is everywhere."*
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> -"Talon", Ganymedean Bodysnatcher
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**Façade** is a secretive cabal of Ganymedeans who have infiltrate Io with the intent to destroy it. Once believed to be an infamous serial killer with a gruesome method of murder, the cabal targeted multiple people in the city of Xiros over several years to establish themselves and maintain tensions between the Ch'i and Ionians. Their invasion continued for over 20 years after the killings, during which they worked towards their ultimate goal in the destruction of Io and its people.

## Objectives

Façade acts as the first wave of the Ganymedean invasion of Io. As per their people's modus operandi, Façade operates in the shadows to slowly undermine Ionian society. They focus on assassinating targets and possessing influential people to assume positions of power to better achieve this goal. Façade operates slowly and cautiously, only going on killing sprees out of necessity.

Members of Façade often follow their own agendas and operate in different social circles. However, their end goal, regardless of what roles they have taken for themselves is unchanged. Façade, as an extension of the Ganymedeans' will, seeks to take revenge on the people of Io for the transgressions the Zeon Corporation committed against their brethren by conquering Io and exterminating its people.

## Description

Members of Façade are infamous for never having being identified due to their nature as shapeshifters. A Ganymedean Bodysnatcher's greatest strength is their ability to assume the form of other sapient lifeforms. As such, while undercover, a member of Façade is physically indistinguishable from a regular denizen of Io. However, their true appearance is truly alien.

Each Ganymedean Bodysnatcher is around 10 feet tall with a gaunt vaguely humanoid shape. Their skin is a pale blue and textured in a manner similar to muscles, with some deeper sections a deeper blue in color. Their long limbs possess two joints and end in long viscous claws. A set of spines jut out of the shoulder blades and their chest appears to wrap around the torso. Their head is oblong with two small glowing blue eyes and no mouth or nose visible.

## Organizational Structure

It is unknown what sort of hierarchy Façade operates under. According to Pinchy, Ganymedeans choose to infiltrate using small numbers, inferring that Façade has a limited amount of members on Io. Members of Façade appear to independently of one another, working towards their own objectives within Ionian society. Most members appear to be on equal footing with one another, referring to each other as "siblings". However, the Façade killings indicate that they have some form of collaborative strategy in place, though it is unknown if their objectives come from a higher authority.

## History

### Founding

It is unclear when exactly Façade was founded, or if the group had always been part of Ganymedean society. However, the denizens of Ganymede had been using covert organizations to infiltrate other planets for thousands of years, as evidenced by their conflict with the Ch'i of Callisto. In this instance, the invasion force that would become known as Façade was created in response to Ionian activity on Ganymede. As Ganymedeans hide their presence from off-world races, several mining and exploratory operations were set up by Ionians and Europans on the metallic moon, believing it to be devoid of life. One such operation belonged to the Zeon Corporation, who somehow managed to locate Ganymedeans on the planet. Zeon then captured the natives and sent them back to Io, where they would be experimented on and forcibly transfigured into an slimy amalgamation. In response to this atrocity, the Ganymedeans began a secret war on Io, sending several of their bodysnatchers to Io with the intent of revenging themselves upon its people, both guilty and innocent alike.

### Reign of Terror

Upon their arrival, the group of bodysnatchers wasted no time in integrating themselves into Ionian society to orchestrate its downfall. To do this, they required hosts to possess and bodies to draw power from. Thus began a series of mass killings in the city of Xiros on the Qethos Ark. In addition to finding suitable vessels, the Ganymedeans also targeted members of society that were sympathetic to the Ch'i, their ancient enemy. Though not yet confirmed, it is likely that the Ganymedeans wished to continue hostilities so that a war might erupt between the two civilizations. The Ganymedeans were able to murder in secret, but they left behind their victims' corpses in a state of paralysis with the face petrified in an expression of terror. Due to the widespread and horrific nature of the killings, their work drew the attention of both the Xiros Defense Force and the media.

The XDF and media both incorrectly assumed that the killings were the work of a serial killer, who they dubbed Façade. Upon learning this, the invasion force promptly took the name for themselves. The Façade murders continued for several years, causing hysteria and fear throughout Xiros. The group also began targeting high ranking government officials, include one that was drafting a potential bill that would welcome any Ch'i who would arrive on Io. The XDF, meanwhile devoted almost all the effort an resources at their disposal to find the killer. The investigation was primarily lead by Detective Logan Horn, whose doggedness proved to be a constant thorn in Façade's side. The XDF also employed the services of Victor Valentine von Cicero, a centuries-old dhampir that was imprisoned in the Vault below the city, to assist them with his extensive knowledge in exchange for certain privileges.

### Going Dark

Feeling threatened, the bodysnatchers began to strike back at the XDF to thwart their investigation, managing to kill several prots without giving away their identities, something that deeply affected members of the force. However, beyond traces of wax left on the victims' face, the XDF failed to make any breakthroughs on Façade's whereabouts or identity. Eventually, Façade decided that they had done enough killing to ensure hostility to the Ch'i would maintain and that enough hosts had been found to allow them to influence Ionian society. However, before going into deep cover, Façade made a targeted attack against Logan Horn to break his spirit and get him off their trail.

A member of the Ganymedean cabal located Logan Horn's son and murdered them in the same manner as the other victims. The murder was observed by Logan Horn's partner, Cagan Yegoth, who was unable to prevent it. Taking this opportunity, the bodysnatcher took over Keagan, allowing it to infiltrate the XDF and undermine them gradually. Logan Horn was heartbroken by the news, and his grief greatly degraded his ability to conduct his investigation. With Logan's son as their final victim, Facade ended their killing spree. For the next twenty years, they stayed hidden and the investigation was eventually considered a cold case and a permeant stain on the XDF's otherwise prestigious record.

## Prominent Members

### Ionian Members

* **Keres Creed** - Protector with the Xiros Defense Force.
* **Dr. Ignatius Hellebore** - Celebrated Doctor of Medicine and patriarch of the Hellebore Family.
* **Kray Voldman** - CEO of the Zeon Corporation.
* **Dr. Talon** - Doctor with the Zeon Corporation and creator of the Talon Clones.

### Former Members

* **Dr. Obadiah Oshi** - Former partner of Ignatius Hellebore and the Father of Radiation.
* **Talon, Ganymedean Bodysnatcher** - Rouge Ganymedean foot soldier now loyal to Hecaton.

### Experiments

* **Hecaton** - Amalgamation of Ganymedean corpses brought to life by the Zeon Corporation.

### External Collaborators

* **Xiros Defense Force** - Law Enforcement Department for the City of Xiros.
* **Jotun Defense Force** - Law Enforcement Department for the City of Jotun.
* **Zeon Corporation** - Multinational Corporation operating out of Klaybury.

## Assumed Identities

#### Assumed by Cagan, Ganymedean Bodysnatcher

* **Cagan Yegoth†** - Sergeant in the Xiros Defense Force.
* **Unnamed XDF Protector†**

#### Assumed by Talon, Ganymedean Bodysnatcher

* **Talon†** - Clones of Dr. Talon created for Ganymedean usage.
* **Unnamed Zeon Protector†**
* **Unnamed Sorcerer†**
* **Unnamed Paladin†**
* **Unnamed Wizard†**
* **Unnamed Cleric†**
* **Unnamed Ranger†**

## Etymology

A "façade" describes an outward appearance that is inherently deceptive or provides a wrong impression about the subject. Usually, a façade will endeavor to make a person seem better or more appealing than they actually are.

In architectural terms, a façade typically refers to the exterior of a building, especially the front part, and is often considered the most important part from a design standpoint for how it sets the tone of the building. The word is borrowed from the French language, in which it means "frontage" or "face".

## Trivia

* Though Façade is the primary focus of Deadbeats, their origins from Ganymede was confirmed in Pipe Dreamers Season 1 Finale.

## Images

### Official art

A Ganymedean Bodysnatcher and member of Façade.