Oxel'xip, the Shadetailed Menders.
Oxcel'xip, the Shadetailed Menders.
Demons of the First Circle, Progeny of the Oramus Device
Oxel'xip, Shade Tailed Menders, Progeny of the Oramus Device
Amongst the ruins outside the territory of Oramus a 2nd circle Demon named Vedderhart the Dicoverer of Horizons has found an indescribable wonder. Vedderhart has not uttered this secret to anyone and has secreted this miracle of sprockets and tubes of eleven undreamt colors, what Vedderhart has named the Oramus Device, onto his floating Skyvessel the Knightsailor. Upon attempting to translate what is believed to be the Instruction new beings are plucked from the Mirrored monitor of the Oramus Device. These are the diminutive yet ingenius Shade Tailed Menders.
They appear as squirrels under two feet in height with distinctly simian like features and a vast array of fur and pigment marks. They appear from the Oramus Device wearing think uniformed suits that appear to be fashioned from artificial materials and alloys not seen since the first age, and advanced mechanisms throughout the suit. They claim their native tongue is Stych and they only speak Old Realm due to it being uploaded as part of their Acclimation Protocols. They claim the reason why they are spirits has much to do with this Acclimation Protocols birthing them into a form native to Malfeas, and thus why they are bound by summons. They believe perhaps that the Calamity they were fleeing from may have converted their very beings into Data, which the Oramus Device translated into the Essence of Creation forming them into Malfean Demons, and their consciousness is born in a spirit body composed of their original bodies and suits preserving as much as possible with their Acclimation Protocols.
They claim to be a people lost not just in time and space but Dimensions. They are purportedly travellers from another Universe. Much of their collective memory is lost but they believe their homeland may have been in danger or possibly even eradicated and that they are nomads seeking a new home for their populace, which they are uncertain of the exact magnitude of the survivors. They believe the Oramus Device must have created a Wormhole into whatever Cataclysm they were caught in. So far none of the Oxel'xip have recognized each other but they believe it may be due to memory loss combined with the potentially numberless amount of the refugees of their people. One radical theory is the Oramus Device may actually pluck a Shade Tailed Mender from a different Universe each time, with each Universe only having one Crewmember survive whatever Calamity they were fleeing. They have formed a Civilization to incorporate newly Acclimated Oxel'xip. They have formed an association where a number of their kind serves the Discoverer of Horizons, in hopes of translating more of their number with the Oramus Device, with careful plans to wait for a time when they may take it as their own without suffering the wrath of a more powerful denizen of Hell. The larger population is working to discover any method that may allow them to find their way back home. But the largest amount of them has taken to the ideal of Oxel'tot, meaning a new home. Many have spread throughout Malfeas in hopes of finding secrets to making a new home.
The Oxel'xip have discovered the hard way about Orabilis and his displeasure of forbidden knowledge when he hurled one of their greatest Scientists, Wiseeyes, into his new home as a star of Malfeas. They have taken to accumulating only portions of the Glass Libraries into each individual, or converting the data they find there into portable and separate media. Those that find their way into Creation seek to tread new horizons in hopes of finding Home. They have members currently seeking the mysteries of Creations Underground, as well as the Wyld, which is their greatest hope for finding home. Some have even made forays into the Underworld and Labyrinth. They have learned Creation holds amnesty from the horrors of Malfeas, and safety for induction into Sorcery, though they know most likely course into Creation is through Slavery, and so they are wary of Humanity and Spirits native to Creation's shores. Their wisest seek a plan involving thaumaturgy to smuggle their civilization out of Hell, while many of the Shadetails work as Menders throughout Malfeas working for Citizens and 2nd Circle Demons rising in position, while secretly acting as spy for their civilization.
The entire species varies in abilities but they all show a minimum competence in Lore, and enough Craft to have at least one dot in Magitech. They claim this is due them being Marines aboard some sort of exploration vessel. But this has resulted in all who know of them in Malfeas to refer to them as the Shadetailed Menders, due to them being usually at least competent enough to maintain and repair First Age Magitech. But the desires of Demons in Malfeas are blunt and most have found them to be easily overpowered pray, and they have spread the popular word that these Shadetails are delicious, which has yet to be proven a fallacy even in Creation. Each Shadetail fancy's themselves an expert in a certain field, and in that area they have obtained heroic regard in, resulting in 5 dots in at least one ability.
Shadetails have taken to finding or creating artifacts for use as an edge for their civilization. They have engineered repeating crowsbows, and even artifact Assault Crossbows. They have also taken to hording any artifacts they can find. Due to their spirit natures they have realized they may push their bodies to heights that would have been considered supernatural in their original forms. Their exemplars have taken to learning Thaumaturgy, and Sorcery when they leave Malfeas, and members in all realms have taken to dispersing Martial Arts knowledge amongst their civilization.
Shadetails have found that their new spirit natures have rendered them infertile to their normal breeding practices. They have however applied their knowledge of cloning to create a randomized clone of themselves to reproduce. They have discovered the data potential of both their parents lies within their essence and have developed Artifacts to randomize another specimen of that data. They do not refer to these as their children rather they refer to them as their brother or sister due to them being effectively a new potential child birthed from the potential of the donors own parents. These are incubated and awaken fully grown with genetic memory and soon develop their favored Ability to five. Some amongst Creation having been separated from their kind for too long have made the discovery that they can procreate with Mortal Squirrels, and at least one ata-beast epic talks of an ata-beast squirrelmaiden falling for a strange squirrel from beyond the horizon and starting the Stareye clan.
Summoning: (Obscurity 3/7)
Sometimes when Mortals cause a Manse to explode during a meteor shower a Shadetailed Mender may be found amongst the rubble confused but proud to be out of Malfeas.
Motivation: To Find Home.
Virtues:
Compassion 3, Conviction 4, Temperance 2, Valor 2(Members have variable numbers of virtues this is just the most common.) Willpower 7
Attributes:
Strength 1
Dexterity 4
Stamina 2
Charisma 2
Manipulation 2
Appearance 3
Intelligence 4
Wits 4
Perception 3
Abilities:
Martial Arts 2 (Fighting in tiny spaces 3) (Some Commandos have a rating of 5)
Melee 2 (Fighting Bigger foes 3) (Some Commandos have a rating of 5)
Archery 3 (In cramped spaces 3) (Some Security Officers may have 5)
Thrown 1 (In cramped spaces 3) (Some Commandos may have a 5)
War 1 (Some Security Officers or Commandos may have up to 5, and a 3 specialty in Guerrilla combat)
Integrity 2 (Perfectionist 3)
Presence 2 (Motivation 3) (Captain's and Commanders may have 5)
Performance 2 (Starlets may have a 5, with specialities)
Resistance 2 (Some Engineers may have 5 with specialty 3 in Tireless)
Survival 3 (Shelter 1, Tracking 1, Foraging 1) (Commandos may have 5)
Medicine 1 (Medical Officers may have 5)
Investigation 1 (Some Science Officers may have 5 with a Specialty of Magitech 3)
Craft Air 2, Craft Fire 2, Earth 1, Magitech 1 (Some Engineers, Chefs, and Technicians may have 5 in these or any other Crafts deemed appropriate)
Occult 1 (Some Explorers have a specialty of 3 split between Raksha, Demons, or Ghosts, Dimensional Science Officers may have 5 )
Lore 2 (Repair 3) (Science Officers and Technicians may have 5)
Athletics 2 (Security Officers, or Commandos may have 5)
Awareness 2 (Pilots and Commandos may have 5)
Stealth 1 (From bigger things 3) (Commandos may have 5)
Dodge 2 (From Bigger things 3) (Commandos and Security Officers may have 5)
Larceny 1 (Spy's may have 5 with specialties divided amongst Forging, Stealing, Locks)
Socialize 1 (Other Oxel'xip 3) (Captains may have 3)
Ride 1 (3 a particular first age device) (Pilots may have 5)
Sail 2 (Magitech Vessels 3) (Pilots may have 5)
Bureaucracy 1 (Trade 3) (Ambassadors and Captain may have 5)
Linguistics 1 (Native is claimed to be Stych, all know Old Realm Specialty in Translating 3) (Language Officers may have 5)Backgrounds:
Backing1-5 (Oxel'xip rank from Ensign to Admiral), Artifacts 1+ (Artifacts are common with all having an integrated Resplendent Personal Assistant, and their Envirosuits are often Magitech Armor from 2-5), Resources 3 (with their Science they have made a point of outfitting each Shadetail with emergency precious metal and gems for trade), Some have a Familiar or Artifact Automaton
Charms:
(Charms often stem from their Biomechanical Nature)
All have a 2nd Excellency in Craft and Lore. Most will also have at least two other Excellencies.
Call: They may activate Distress beacons for aid.
Measure the Wind, the Visors of the Shadetails can measure the motonic powerlevel of a creature
Amethyst Awareness, their Visors are nigh infinitely articulate and precise and may detect across multiple dimensional wavelengths
Hurry Home (The Shadetails may activate their transporters to beam them back to their nearest base, or vessel)
Materialize Spirit Cutting Strike (They can harmonize their Dimensional Frequency to harm other Energy Beings) Essence Plethora Reserve of Will
Host of Spirits- this is a unique version of the charm that allows them to make their cloned siblings, it requires the commitment of 15 Motes, 1 Willpower and 7 hours a day worth of work setting up a Genesis Tube Relay for the Newborn to form in. After a season of tending, a new Shade Tailed Mender will awaken from the Genesis Tube Relay upon the next Calibration, when the motes uncommit. Due to inconvenience of such a long commitment new Shade Tailed Menders are usually only created in the safety of a Colony where others may protect the Genesis Tube Relay and the progenitor.
Essence: 2 (more experienced heroes raise their essence and traits, but clones fresh from Randomization are at 2)
NOTES:
Some Shadetails will have Terrestrial Sorcery Particularly Swift Messenger, and Food from the Aerial Table, and Water from Stone, and defenses vary.
Some have mastered a TMA or even Spirit based CMAs like the 4 Virtue Styles.
Thaumaturgy is popular with the Dimensional Officers often trading knowledge in them amongst the different outposts of Shadetails, and Spys constantly seeking to obtain knowledge of such.
