Xerithids
From Divinity
Xerithids |
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| Home Realm(s): | Taltuhim Hivelands | ||
| Notable Territory: |
Taltuhim Hivelands
Ashs
The Captain's Ship The Infestation Nexus |
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| Broods and Hives: |
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| Notable Member(s): |
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| God(s): |
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| Lifespan: | Dependent on Food Available and Morph (2 Years-Immortal) | ||
Summary
The Xerithids are Savarii’s pride and joy, although some may call them an "infestation". They’re a race of constantly evolving, heavily versatile, sentient, bug creatures growing by feasting on nearly any food source they can find as well as magic. The Xerithids can drastically vary in shape and form should they be able to eat enough and metamorphosize. Their lifespans are mostly dictated by how much they can eat and their main cause of natural death tends to be starvation instead of illness or old age. Most of their stage’s lifespans are based upon how long a Xeriphid can go before starving should they be unable to eat enough to grow to the next stage. As such, the maximum lifespan of an individual Xerithid is essentially reset after every metamorphosis.
Culture
Language
Naming
Xerithids refer to each other based on descriptions of accomplishments, physical traits or other defining characteristics. Names for xerithids are thus a written description of their being and can often change or be appended over time. To those who can speak fluent Xerithid, names are often complex sentences which physically describe the accomplishments, appearance and symbolism of a particular individual. The meaning is generally the same between the absolute and shorthand name.
Absolute Names
The Absolute Name is the full name of a xerithid. Invoking the absolute name in xerithid culture is a very powerful act, not unlike using the names of gods. Built on the cultural “Deepsoul”, the name, its meaning and the being behind it are considered to be spiritually linked. The emotions and context invoked by speaking a name also transfers to the creature who's name is being invoked. Depending on context and method of communication, it can be seen as a method of paying a tribute or tithe to someone or an attempt to assert control over them.
Shorthand Names
The Shorthand Name is a shorter and more commonly used format of the xerithid's name which usually used in casual environments. It is easier to pronounce for other species and simpler to write, it is often in a specific dialect of xerithid shorthand. It lacks the weight of speaking the Absolute Name and is often used by close peers in casual settings or by superiors speaking to their subordinates.
Xerithid Broods
The xerithids are a populous and intricate people. They share a complex, unified hivemind and, in certain situations, can transmit messages to communicate throughout their entire race hivemind. However, the xerithids are still incredibly diverse, and form various cults, sects, subgroups, broods and colonies. While many still hold great loyalty towards the “xerithid race” as a whole, and loyalty to their deities, individual relationships between colonies, roles, geography and even biology may vary from brood to brood. Some may share the same homelands and hives, separated only by role and designation, others may be an offshoot of a “mother hive”, while others may even be warring with one another and controlling totally separate lands.
Many broods are founded after xerithid expansion or campaigns into other land, where the invading force takes on new roles, names and even morphologies. The xerithids in a foreign realm often set up their own colony and, thanks to their complex metamorphosis processes and easy to alter biology, can rapidly distinguish themselves from whatever hive they originated from to better fit the lands they’ve infested. The following is a list of the largest xerithid sects, factions and colonies with accompanying descriptions of their culture, leadership, societal role and any other important factors. This is by no means an extensive list, as massive colonies may have various subgroups and offshoots, or there may be smaller, independent colonies dotted around the realms as a byproduct of xerithid infestation or separation from a mother brood.
The Song of Sorrows
The Song of Sorrows is a hive led by a coven of exclusively female xerithid magicians and Seraphs, symbolic of their culture’s emphasis on sisterhood, like the sisterhood described in their lore between their cognate deity Melancholia (or, as she’s known to them, Malǔn’ʘ-aï) and their mother-goddess Savarii. Inspired by Malǔn’ʘ-aï’s domain of music, many xerithids here are also equipped with biological instrument structures such as tymbals or hollow exoskeleton tubes that act like flutes. The brood not only use these structures to communicate, but for ritualistic songs and cultural affairs. Many xerithids of the Song of Sorrows share cricket, grasshopper and cicada motifs in their exoskeletons.
Geography
These xerithids are frequently found near water, making many of their hives deep underground near aquifers. The cultists of the Song of Sorrows are primarily housed around the Namaraki Cistern, the largest underground aquifer within the Hivelands. The biology of the xerithids here reflects their affinity for water, often growing water related equipment.
Deepsoul Choirs
The Song of Sorrows is lauded for their creation and use of the Deepsoul Choirs. These are covens of Deepsoul Theurges who use music and choirs as a modality for spellcasting and conducting rituals. Their songs are not only a method of casting, but also tend to empower and increase the effectiveness of their spells. Deepsoul Theurgy relies on communion with, control and enslavement of the spirit. The Song of Sorrows uses music to elicit strong emotional responses and create charged ambiances that are more conducive to a Deepsoul Theurge’s ritualistic magic. The Deepsoul Choir composes one of the most elite groups of Deepsoul Theurges currently known within the Hivelands. Legend has it that the deepest tunnels of the Song of Sorrows are alive with horrific, chilling songs and terrible rituals. Some even say the music that fills the deepest halls underneath the Namarki Cistern can drain the uninitiated of their very souls without so much as a fight.
Cultural Mythos
Long ago, the barren wastes of the Taltuhim Hivelands was a dry and arid place, with little water beyond a few stagnant pools. When the first xerithids were still growing as larvae, feeding on the severed flesh of their goddess underground, and the primordial insectoid creations of Savarii dominated the land, their culture says that the being they know as Malǔn’ʘ-aï (Melancholia, to most other realms) visited the Hivelands. Her presence brought with it the first rainfall, the first replenishment of the stagnant pools of water and the creation of rivers and aquifers as the water ran through the shattered ground of the Hivelands. It was Malǔn’ʘ-aï who is believed to have introduced rain to the Hivelands’ weather patterns.
Rains are infrequent in the Hivelands, but when they come, they help refill the stagnant pools on the surface and, most importantly, enter the xerithid’s underground aquifers through the cracks in the ground. In xerithid mythos, Malǔn’ʘ-aï is considered their closest enatic deity and is even referred to as “aunt-goddess” in the xerithid language. She is considered the second most important deity in their pantheon besides Savarii. The xerithids of the Song of Sorrows, as one may guess, meditate and conduct rituals of despair and anguish. They consider sadness one of the purest emotions to accept and nurture. Sorrow is considered a path to self discovery, it’s a source of learning and motivation for intense power. The Song of Sorrows is a colony of xerithids who seek to explore the corners of the tapestry of life, who wish to unravel the secrets of spirituality, magic and power and use anguish as a major stepping stone in their philosophy.
They push themselves willingly into pain and misery as motivation to avoid complacency and further control and spread the sweet songs of sorrow. To them, a content mortal free of misery has no reason to work or progress, and will eventually die alone and meaningless. One without regret and pain can not learn. The xerithids’ have many rituals dedicated to Malǔn’ʘ-aï, who they see as the ultimate harbinger of all their divine sorrows. Furthermore, these xerithids see intense despair and anguish as a tool of peace and anti-violence. To the Song of Sorrows, to spread despair is an act of mercy, as an enemy crushed spiritually and in great emotional pain, will not be able to fight totally and, therefore, not be brought into open warfare. As such, misery is known as a key to annex and pacify enemies without pointless waste of their lives and bodies.
Malǔn’ʘ-aï is claimed to be a deity with a strong bond to their mother-goddess and, in the Song of Sorrows culture, is frequently associated with water, despair, introspection as well as music, which is acknowledged through the colony’s Deepsoul Choirs. Furthermore, her first meeting with Savarii is claimed to be responsible for an event known as the Song of Sorrows, after which this colony is named. The xerithids believe that the first meeting between Savarii and Melancholia was done purely through song, and that the song is what, through some way, shaped the xerithid hiveminds to be as powerful and unified as the two goddess’ bond. In the mythos of the Song of Sorrows, the gentle rains of the Taltuhim Hivelands are the tears of the two gods. In some rare stories, the two sisters are even considered inextricably linked or part of one whole entity. In their folklore, the Song of Sorrows teach that rain is born when one of the two goddesses is unable to contain the grief of not currently being with her sister and can not help but miss her so much that she cries.
This can even be understood from the xerithid language, which roughly translates rain into “The Ascendant Tears of One”, referring to the tears coming from being “one” or lonely. Some say the rain is a sign that Melancholia is thinking of her sister or her nephews, while others say it is Savarii lamenting her separation from her sister and weeping over the fact that she is not there at the moment. A cloudy and thunderous day with no rain, for the xerithids, signals that two goddesses are currently together.
The Shriek Behind the Veil
The Shriek Behind the Veil is a unique brood of xerithids that differs rather significantly from other xerithid hives. The most striking and immediately noticeable difference are the masks worn by The Shriek. The face plates and the chitin helmets of the xerithids in this brood are intricately carved and decorated to resemble varying terrifying visages: this can include monsters, mutilated creatures or even more abstract symbols or words citing terrible truths and traumatic memories. This practice is seen as paying homage to Sinrael and her domain of fear. Manually carving and decorating one’s chitin is seen as a sacred ritual, even the older Xerithids who can metamorphosize on command engage in this practice, despite being able to freely transform. Many of the xerithids of The Shriek also seem to have evolved chitin helmets that cover much more of the xerithid’s face and are larger compared to those of other hives, reminiscent of a masquerade.
Geography
Another notable difference of this hive is geography. They do not have a home hive within the Taltuhim Hivelands. Instead, their single major stronghold is found within TSU’s realm of Ashs. Back in the Hivelands, their presence is felt, but they do not control a home nest. Their presence in xerithid society is instead in the form of smaller covens and groups known as Communes of the Veil, which build their sanctuaries and ritual grounds within other hives. Oddly enough, within xerithid society, the Shriek Behind the Veil does the opposite of promoting strife. Within their hivemind, the Shriek often acts as neutral intermediates and mediators between various broods.
Guardians of the Infestation Nexus
The purpose of the Shriek Behind the Veil is to ensure fair and efficient use of the Infestation Nexus portals, managing neutral grounds or killing the odd xerithid that risks poisoning the hivemind or hurting their kin. The Shriek Behind the Veil is both a hive and an important military and mystical group. They often act as guards and lore keepers of the rituals related to the Infestation Nexus and their denizens. It is often the responsibility of the representatives of The Shriek Behind the Veil to summon Infestation Gateways, guard them and handle the mystical rites and upkeep related to Savarii’s demiplane, such as communion with the Infestation Vectors. The Shriek Behind the Veil is usually one of the first hives to enter strange lands to set up a foothold and Infestation Point, either for themselves or in support of another partner colony. As part of their duty as weavers of discord and fear, as well as their military responsibility as vanguards of the xerithid hives they work with, The Shriek Behind the Veil specializes in infiltration and assassination. They orchestrate precise killings and sabotage, weakening the enemy as well as identifying and providing support to those who are at odds with their society or spurned by their people to promote rebellion and further dissonance.
Cultural Mythos
The Veil, to the xerithids, is not necessarily the same as all other gods, but a rule of nature. As gravity keeps their feet planted on the ground, as the stars shine to dictate day and night, as magic influences the mortal realm and as their worship feeds the gods, the Veil is the force between emotion and physicality. Sinrael is predominantly the sovereign of instincts and “emotional truths” as they’re known to the xerithids. Fear, discord, confusion, terror, pain… these are all considered objective, irrevocable feelings that are fully planted within mortal truths.
Every victim of torture feels pain, every creature develops an active fear of what can do them or their hive harm and discord is the primitive truth and base instinct that rules when hivemind is not imposed. Should they have any familiarity with divine concepts, they’d consider Sinrael more so the result of a ritual or an effect of the collective belief of gods rather than an independent god that had been birthed. The terms Sinrael and The Veil are used interchangeably within xerithid language. In the nascent years of the xerithids, when they worshipped only Savarii and had not subsumed any cultures, Sinrael approached the first xerithid colony within the Ashs pretending to be Savarii and asked them to cannibalize a religious leader. Despite the intended discord, the xerithids eagerly and willingly followed the command and the death of the priest soon called the Hive-Goddess’ presence to the area as well. While other cultures may consider a force telling them to eat their priests as the work of some conscious, evil deity, the xerithid lore explains that this was their first “crossing” of The Veil. While still guided by some mystical force, the orders they were given was the desires and thoughts of their collective hivemind directly speaking to them. Now, the term to “cross the Veil” is to cross the tangible with the intangible. Deepsoul Theurgy, demiplanes, spirits… all of them are examples of this. Within the xerithid culture, emotions, souls and skills are deeply intertwined with body and strength in a single entity known as the Deepsoul which is always in flux up till a creature’s death. It is one whole entity which responds to the changes in each of these mediums. They do, however, still note the difference between tangible and intangible aspects or “self truths”, the things they can not prove exist to anybody but themselves or those linked to them by a hivemind.
This is the inspiration for the carving of their chitin to resemble various horrors. The Shriek Behind the Veil worship terror with greater reverence than all other xerithids. By changing their body in life, they are also changing their Deepsoul, to greater become a master of the truest emotions. When meeting Sinrael, “god” was not the first descriptor that crossed the xerithids minds, save for her impersonation of Savarii. Instead, she was seen as a force or creation that was linked to the presence of gods, yet wholly distinct from them. Perhaps their inexperience with other gods influenced this categorization, who was one of the first gods’ influence they encountered that wasn’t their Mother-God. Perhaps it was merely their cultural acceptance of Sinrael’s demands that led them to associate her with their "truths". Whatever it is, the truth is that the xerithids considered the Veil not to fully be a god, but some force of nature that both separated and linked the tangible aspects from the intangible aspects of the Deepsoul.
The First Nox'Rael
The Veil, while worshipped and considered some entity within the world of “deities” is not truly a xerithid god. Sinrael is instead a “Nox’rael”, a term based on her own name (as she is the first of her kind discovered by the xerithids) which roughly translates to “natural phenomenon” or “natural law”. This designation also explains why, beyond the hidden sanctuary of The Shriek Behind the Veil (known as Vyl’Nekros) in Ashs, there are few hives solely populated by the Shriek or xerithids who solely have Sinrael as a cognate deity. Instead, The Shriek’s method of worship to Sinrael is much more down to earth and practical, and separate from their worship of other xerithid gods like Savarii or Melancholia. By taking roles as assassins, lorekeepers of demiplane rituals and custodians of infestation points and working to cross intangible emotion with the tangible world, they strengthen Sinrael and wield the powerful truths of the first Nox’rael.
Terminology
Hivespirit
It can be found under different names such as Dissentionism or Savariism, however they all refer to the Religion stemming from, and pertaining to, Savarii.
Enatic Deity
While almost every xerithid worships Savarii as both a god and a mother/father, certain hives or sects claim a patron deity of sorts which they strongly incorporate into their culture. Due to their strong familial and hive focused themes and beliefs, these dieties are called enatic deities, occasionally distinguished as cognate or agnate deities depending on gendered depictions.
Mother Hive
Also known as "Mother Colonies" or "Mother Broods". This refers to the hive, brood or otherwise larger faction from which another xerithid brood has stemmed from. The use of family centric language is a large part of Savarii’s followers and the xerithid’s native tongue.
Deepsoul
A Savariian concept that replaces the "soul" or "spirit" that other religions believe in. While many can functionally treat it as "the soul" from other cultures, the Deepsoul also combines concepts like a being’s identity, willpower, mind and knowledge, magical ability, societal role and power. To the xerithid culture of strict hierarchy and drastically variable forms, one's role, body and skills are inextricably linked to who they are and as such are considered part of the Deepsoul. As such, xerithids still believe that one's skills are spiritually linked to them and that influencing the body can also leave a mark on the spiritual world. This is serves to further drive the unyielding xerithid desire to feast and grow, as they believe that the more they eat and evolve in the mortal plane, the stronger their spirit will be in the afterlife, granting them increased power and influence and being raised up into the xerithid pantheon as various demons, demigods, ghosts or other mythical being.
Deepsoul Theurgy
A magic that focuses on controlling, harnessing and stealing a xerithid cultural concept known as the Deepsoul. The magic was founded by Savarii and is widely practiced by the Xerithids. It is used for manipulation, combat, empowerment, feeding and more.