Thecons

Gaseous black phantoms, the Thecons were thought to be alien invaders, presumably from some other planet. They were responsible for the terrible Bitter Invasion. Most of the population of Yinram was wiped out between 15,997, when the Bitter Invasion began, and 16,301, when the last Thecon was finally destroyed. At some point during the Bitter Invasion, a method of destroying Thecons was discovered, and gradually refined. The resistance started around 16,037, with people reclaiming territories from the Thecons over the course of centuries.

## Rathelle, the Blackheart

Although some say there was a great Thecon leader that rose the Thecons up, this is utter nonsense. It was a blackheart. It's mother had infected the queen, but the blackheart, named Rathelle was unable to steal lifeforce from her brother, Prince Joniel, for reasons unknown. Thus, she planned to have her brother killed by letting the Thecons in. Then, she thought, she would be able to steal life energy from her "parents" and not have to worry, as she would ascend to the throne. It is unknown how she died, but it is said she achieved maturity in the Bitter Invasion, and that Joniel was not present when the Bitter Invasion began, returning later with an army from the surrounding areas. He was said to have spent a lot of time looking out his window as a child. A popular YA series called *The Joniel Trilogy* theorized this version of events: One of the Psyder's had bonded with him, but the blackheart stealing life force continually cut the bond with him. Thus, the Blackheart was actually getting lifeforce, but since her brother was not weakening, she didn't know it. The Psyder continued to mature, and it was able to reveal everything to Joniel the night before the invasion. Thus, he ran from home to muster an army, and fully bond with the Psyder. The plausibility of this theory is controversial, but it makes for a good read.

## Destroying Thecons

Destroying Thecons is no easy task, although as methods were refined, the process become more and more refined and efficient. It was also true that different thecons had different power levels, some being easier to dispatch than others. The process begins with a complex sealing ritual. This sealing ritual is most easily performed during the day, and was estimated by General Tarkuss to be about 10 times more difficult during the night. The thecon must be blasted with some powerful energy, be it fire, electricity, or some magical force. One person, designated the Shaman, engages in verbal combat with the Thecon, using the Thecon's own alien black magic against it. Backup chanters offer support to the shaman. Lanterns, candles and sticks of incense arranged in special patterns called Sealing Ciphers also helped with the ritual, though they were not always essential, depending on the powers of the thecon being sealed. If successful, the thecon is trapped in a special box called a Thecon Capsule. The capsule can be made of several different materials. Gold, clostrum, carved bone, and redsilk were known to be powerful barriers for holding thecons. Every thecon had a twin thecon, and both twins needed to be sealed before either of them could be destroyed. Symbols called Theconsignia appeared on Thecon Capsules which indicated which Thecons were twins. To destroy a thecon, the two sealed twin's capsules simply had to be placed next to each other. When obliterating, the sealed thecons make an incredibly loud booming sound, like thunder, and caused shock waves, which gave people in the area headaches and temporarily impaired vision.