Skaulus Rax

Skaulus Rax is an RPC created by JGREAD. He became the King of the Spiders following the disappearance of Queen Spelyne. He has served as a co-founder of the Arachnid Alliance, as well as a primary antagonist in the Chima Roleplay.

## Biography

### Early Life

Skaulus lived his life in The Gorge of Eternal Depth, where he and a female spider had two children, until he was eventually evolved into a larger, smarter being by the chi Gible dropped. Skaulus, his many siblings, his mate, and their now adult children named themselves, left the Gorge through the tunnels Bliston had found, and formed their family clan, House Rax. Being the eldest living member of the family, Skaulus was the Lord of House Rax, and, along with the other Great houses of the tribe, swore his loyalty to the Queen. Soon after Spilyth overthrew the original Spider Queen and took over the tribe, Forgotten assassins killed one of Skaulus's favorite sisters. Distraught and angered, Skaulus hated the Forgotten because of this, and House Rax developed a strict anti-Forgotten viewpoint. Soon after this, Skaulus' daughter, Seris Rax, fathered a spider child to an unknown man, which annoyed Skaulus.

### A Conspiracy Unmasked

Later, the Spiders found out, to Skaulus' shock, that the renowned scientist Speli Vance was the founder of the Forgotten's new official Spider Sect, and Skaulus personally thrawted the Forgotten's plan to overthrow Queen Spilyth. With Spilyth's permission, House Rax executed Vance. Though Skaulus intended to draw out the rest of the Spider Sect by doing this, all the other Forgotten spiders seemingly managed to discreetly slip out of the Spider Caverns. Skaulus wanted to track down the traitors, but due to Queen Spilyth's xenophobic and isolationist views, Skaulus and the rest of House Rax remained underground, until Spilyth was overthrown by a witch named Spelyne.

### Changes in Leadership

Since the new Queen Spelyne was the cousin of Severix Rax, the new leadership gave House Rax even more power within the tribe. However, while not xenophobic like Spilyth had been, Spelyne still enforced strict policies for the Spiders to usually remain underground. Skaulus and his wife saw this as counter-productive, with Skaulus in particular believing that the Spiders should ally with other tribes, in light of the quickly spreading news that the Crawler Empire had been defeated by the invading Ice Hunters. When Spelyne gave a group of Scorpions led by Scorpius refuge in the Spider Caverns after the destruction of Scorpion Cavern Castle, Skaulus saw this as an opportunity to form strong relations with the Scorpion Tribe. However, Spelyne left the Outlands with her own Great House and top generals soon after, on an expedition into the Arctic Northern Regions, to search for a "Mammoth witch" Spelyne had been having visions about. When Spelyne's group didn't return, and search parties sent by the Spiders didn't find them, Skaulus and Severix Rax where appointed as the new leaders of the Spider Tribe, because of the latter's direct biological relation to the missing Spelyne. Inviting Scorpius and his scorpions to their coronation, Skaulus and Severix were made King and Queen of the Spider Tribe, with their twins, Seris and Stannis, becoming Princess and Prince.

### Creation of the Arachnid Alliance

Immediately after coming to power, Skaulus and Severix began expanding their tribe's territory, both on the surface of the Outlands, and beyond. After hearing that the rest of the Scorpion Tribe had been rescued from Icestrike's Ultimate Glacier, and had built a powerful new city-state in the Outland jungles, Skaulus and his family met with King Scorpio in Scorm City, where Skaulus and the young king agreed to a partnership between the Spider and Scorpion tribes, forming the Arachnid Alliance. Scorpio gave fire chi to Skaulus and the Spider Tribe. Severix left the Outlands then, using the advantage of fire chi to colonize the Arctic North, as well as search for her cousin. Skaulus, Stannis, and Seris remained in Scorm City to discuss other matters with the Scorpion King. Scorpio told them all he knew about the leader of The Forgotten, an apparent scorpion named Scrin. Scorpio even went on to say he suspected Scrin of having resurrected his late father, King Scorm. A spider then burst into Scorpio's throne room, informing the monarchs that Queen Severix Rax had been killed in the Arctic, by a vulture. Skaulus, horrified and enraged, declared war on the Empire of Balance, intending to utilize both the Spider and Scorpion armies, despite Scorpio's objections. Seris returned to the Spider Caverns to mobilize the Spider Army, while Skaulus and Stannis remained in Scorm City, to mobilize the Scorpion Army. Scorpio desperately pleaded for Skaulus to call off the war, bringing up the Chima Alliance—Crawler Empire War that his late father had helped initiate. When Skaulus made the point that the Chima Alliance hadn't had one of their leaders assassinated during a time of peace, this caused Scorpio to break down, and admit that he had actually arranged for his own father's murder, since Scorm had been abusive. Skaulus, seeing parallels with the Spider Tribe's frequent change in leadership, excused Scorpio's actions, stating that Scorpio was the rightful leader of the Scorpions through a natural "law of usurping". Ironically, a scorpion messenger then informed the monarchs that Scorpio's mother, Queen Scorpia, had in fact survived the destruction of the Scorpion Cavern Castle, and was now working for the Forgotten. Skaulus tried to warn Scorpio that it was likely a Forgotten trap, but the young king immediately left Scorm City on his own, to reunite with his mother.

### Arachnid Alliance—Empire of Balance War

Skaulus and Stannis, citing a term of the treaty that had created the Arachnid Alliance, took control of a large portion of the Scorpion Army, leading it northwest, regrouping with a portion of the Spider Army in The Iron Mountains, which Severix had colonized before. Skaulus planned an attack on the Valley of Balance, but was contacted by spiders in the cities above the Spider Caverns, who informed him that Seris Rax had been exposed as a Forgotten spy, and captured. Now unfocused on the war, Skaulus and Stannis returned to the surface cities, leaving spider and scorpion generals to oversee the invasion of the Valley of Balance.

#### Intermission

Arriving in the city's jail, Skaulus and Stannis confronted Seris over the news. Seris explained that her allegiance to the Spider Tribe was genuine, and that she wanted to avenge Severix as much as the rest of House Rax. Skaulus, however, was mortified that his own daughter was a spy for his most hated enemy faction, and left the jail with Stannis, as they discussed what to do with Seris. The Forgotten then attacked the surface cities, and Skaulus commanded the Spiders' defense. However, it became clear when the Forgotten army retreated, that the attack had been a diversion, while a small force rescued Seris and her infant son from the jail. One member of that force, an ex-Forgotten spider named Solrac (who was the father of Seris' son), was captured by the Spiders while helping Seris escape. In the Spider Caverns soon after, Skaulus initiated an execution ceremony; Solrac was decapitated for his crimes against the Spider Tribe, and Skaulus returned to planning his war with the Empire of Balance.

##### Return of Scorpio

Spider troops returned to the HQ soon after, informing Skaulus and Stannis that the attack on the Golden City had failed. Skaulus declared that it had failed because the Arachnid Alliance's leading monarchs hadn't been commanding the armies in that battle. Skaulus and Stannis then remembered Scorpio, and the Scorpion King coincidentally showed up outside the surface cities, with a crashing Forgotten speedor convoy. Skaulus went to the surface to recover Scorpio, as well as his mother, Scorpia, from the wreckage. Skaulus introduced himself to Scorpia, and allowed her and Scorpio into the city, while having the spiders keep a watchful eye on the Forgotten outside. Skaulus wanted Scorpia to return to her tribe, believing that she might command the Scorpion Army that Scorpio refused to lead. However, during the meeting between Skaulus, Stannis, Scorpia, and Scorpio, Scorpia revealed that she was stuck following Scrin, and pleaded for the Spiders' help to rid her of his control.

##### Confrontation

Scrin himself then transported into the meeting room in the city. Skaulus and Stannis drew their swords and called in spider troops, but Scrin locked Skaulus, Stannis, and Scorpia in an anomalous plain of existence outside of time, where Scrin revealed that it had been Seris who'd hired the Forgotten assassins to kill Skaulus' sister in the first place. However, Skaulus didn't believe this statement, dismissing it as a lie to manipulate him. Skaulus and Stannis then found themselves back in the meeting room, with Scrin and Scorpia nowhere to be found. Skaulus, assuming Scorpia had been killed by Scrin, apologized to Scorpio that they hadn't been able to save her. Skaulus had the spiders stay on watch for Scrin.

#### Battle of the Iron Mountains

Leaving Stannis in the Spiders' Cavern Kingdom to lead the tribe, Skaulus mobilized the Spider and Scorpion armies once again, fighting the now battle-ready Empire of Balance in the Iron Mountains. The arachnids made some territorial progress, but Skaulus was soon contacted by a spider he'd left in Scorm City, who gave him a live audio recording of a conversation in the throne room, between an injured Scorpio, a spy for the Republic of the Claw, an apparently resurrected Scorm, and Scrin. In the conversation, Scorm revealed that he'd overthrow Scorpio, and terminate the Arachnid Alliance.

#### Infighting's End

Deciding that Scrin and Scorm needed to be killed to restore stability to the Arachnid Alliance's leadership, Skaulus returned to Scorm City with a portion of the Spider Army, marching into the castle, and telling the scorpion civilians that he was there on official business. Skaulus burst into the throne room, declaring his arrival to Scrin, only to see that Scrin was being attacked by a scorpion with Phoenix armor that had sprouted wings. Scrin created a portal to an unknown alternate dimension during the struggle, and the scorpion pulled him through, causing them both to disappear. Scorm then fell unconscious. Skaulus mused that a Forgotten seemed to have finally stood up to Scrin. Skaulus picked up Scrin's briefcase, and realized that the scorpions could not be allowed to find out about their true king's revival, since Scorm had said that he'd terminate the Arachnid Alliance. As such, Skaulus regretfully had his spiders immediately gun down the two scorpion guards who'd been present in the throne room. However, Skaulus refused to kill Scorm at the moment, since executing an unconscious man went too far past his moral limit. Skaulus had Scorm imprisoned in a secret cell in the castle, as the Spider King tried to figure out an honorable way to execute him. In a conspiracy to prevent the scorpions from finding out about Scorm's return, Skaulus captured the Republic spy, framing the rogue scorpion for the injuries Scorm had inflicted on Scorpio (who was currently in a coma in the castle hospital). Skaulus then had his spiders execute the spy in the city square, to the cheers of the scorpion citizens. As Skaulus prepared to leave the city once more, a spider informed him that Scorm had been broken out of his cell by a female spider, who also had fire wings. Skaulus reasoned that the spider might've had the same motives as them; keeping the scorpions from finding out about Scorm's return. Skaulus had the spiders keep watch for the woman and Scorm either way.

#### Battle of The Grassy Plains

Skaulus and Stannis led the Spider and Scorpion armies to the Grassy Plains of Chima, under the guise of wanting more territory, and Imperial forces came down from the north to intercept them. However, the true reason for the attack was to destroy the Empire's leadership. Though Lord Vamprah of the Brotherhood of Vultures didn't come, Leopard King Leodus was present, and Skaulus used a strategy that successfully separated Leodus from his Imperial Knights. Skaulus and some of his forces surrounded Leodus, who killed all the spiders in that group except for Skaulus and Stannis, who were able to defeat him together. Skaulus declared that his wife was now avenged, but he and Stannis had to retreat as the Leopards caught up, leaving the war at a stalemate.

### Journey into the Wastelands

After recuperating the spider and scorpion forces from the Grassy Plains in the Spiders' surface cities, Skaulus took a part of that force north, leaving Stannis in charge of the Spider Caverns once more. Skaulus sought to colonize the mostly uncharted Northern Outland Mountains, hoping to eventually make the region a powerful country owned entirely by the Arachnid Alliance. Skaulus and his colonizers flew over the gorge that divided the "Wastelands" from the Outlands using troop transport Stinger-copters, and established a colony at the southern edge of the mostly unexplored region. While in a Stinger-copter scouting ahead, Skaulus saw four beings fighting in the mountains; what looked like three Ice Hunters, and a lion wearing Imperial Knight armor. Determined to keep the Empire of Balance from colonizing the Northern Outland Mountains, Skaulus had the pilot of the Stinger-copter fire warning laser blasts between the fighters on the ground. However, the mammoth angrily blasted the aircraft with a focused magic storm that Skaulus hadn't expected. The exploding Stinger-copter spiraled down into the mountains, but Skaulus survived the crash. Skaulus stumbled out of the helicopter, and was met by a transformed Malgus, who appeared to now have fire powers in addition to his ice powers. Malgus ignored Skaulus' pleas for mercy, wanting revenge on the Spider King for his interference. Malgus slashed Skaulus with his fiery scythe multiple times, diminishing the spider with each strike, until Skaulus was rendered a pile of ash.

## Appearance, Gear, and Traits

**Appearance:**Wears a gold crown that originally had silver in its gem slots (the silver has since been transformed into red gems by fire chi), and the suit of Phoenix armor identical to all other non-fire tribe Chimians who've plugged fire chi. In addition to that common suit however, Skaulus wears a large brown cape (which he'd taken off before plugging fire chi, to prevent it from being transformed), printed on the back with the family crest of House Rax. Skaulus has two legs, and does not have four additional spider legs on his back.

**Weapons and Gear:**Gold Fire Vengious sword, and the canon spider blaster from the rock flinger set (now transformed from a venom shooter into a flamethrower).

**Personality:**Skaulus is sometimes vain and arrogant, but is usually serious and a good leader. His philosophy on war is similar to that of Scorpix, although Skaulus is less willing to negotiate. Skaulus despises the Forgotten, and sees them as a terrorist faction.