Darkarian Hive

	Home System:	Dareikar
	Home Planet:	Darkaras
	Age Range:	Unknown†
	Psionic Type:	Psionic¥
	Language:	Telepathic, Expletun, Common
	Location:	Delta Trisector;
	Military Info:
	Leadership/Government:	Hive Based‡
	Technology Level:	14

About

The Darkarians are a race of artificially self evolved Expletun. However, the Darkarians are much more than that as they have continued the flawed path of the Expletuns by attempting to create their own species as an extension to themselves. These creations were created to show philosophically that the Darkarians were powerful and great. Where as the original Expletun creations were to improve upon the remaining natural species.

Notable Features

Non-Symbiotic Darkarians have a white-greyish skin color which is very rough, and often have a slight discoloration to the patterns of roughness. They are mostly very slim and have elongated heads with almond shaped black glossy eyes. They range in height from anywhere of just a few feet to as large as 7 feet. Horns and other resembling extrusions are also common in variation. They have very toothy grins, and long wide mouths. Their teeth are sharp and blade-like in appearance. Their hands are proportional with longer fingers which often have sharpened claws at the tips.

Darkarians are a self evolved version of the Expletun form, which is similar but much less aggressive.

History

Originally Expletuns, the Darkarians started out as only a specific faction who opposed the preservation mentality of the mainstream Expletuns. After eons of self evolution, the Darkarians have become now their own species, despite their roots.

Hive Hierarchy

The Hive is split into several groups; three belong directly to the hive as The Elders, The Spawned, and Symbionts.

The Elders

Old Blood

The highest Darkarian hierarchical rank are those who are expletuns and chose to side with Torikor and Lexis Darkaras. Throughout the years, Most of them have been able to modify themselves through technology and power psionic abilities. While there are few among them, they are among the most powerful beings in the universe possessing the combined knowledge of the hive, and tens of thousands of years of experience.

Blood Queen

As part of his drive for a perfect society and harmony in the races that were created, Blood Queens were created to birth the next iteration of Expletun descendants. Blood Queens give birth to other Blood Queens, Blood Princes, and Blood Princess, and Spawn Queens.

Blood Princes/Blood Princesses

The next iteration of Expletun descendants through biological modification and abandonment of tradition procreation to a hive. These are the first true Darkarians, being psionically bound to the Hive and resembling little of their expletun ancestry.

Spawn Queen

In a shift to a caste and hierarchical separation of creatures, it was not fit for a Blood Queen to give birth to lesser beings or creatures such as Terrors and Brovaskas. Spawn Queens were created to handle this duty. Spawn Queens are regarded among the most honored by the Spawned.

The Spawned

Terrors

Terrors resemble terran Utah Raptors with larger forarms. Terrors are extremely agile and vicious in combat. They are used for supression and situations where the Hive intends to kill or destroy instead of Enlighten.

Brovaska

Brovaska are large tank like beasts which can take a lot of damage before being killed or destroyed. They extend 10-15 feet in height, are slow moving with four legs. They are known for accelerated regeneration, even for a Darkarian.

Corrupter *

Biological suicide drones that spread a dominion disease for drone-like domination. They infect an individual. The disease usually must be contracted through direct blood contact. As such, Corruptors have bladed limbs which are coated with the disease. Corrupter (Post Torikor creation of Derricks hive.)

Catalysts

Created to extend the duration of the hive mind between hibernation as well as the total amount of beings placed under hive control. Catalysts have no psionic abilities themselves including the ability to shield their power enhancing abilities. Catalysts are generally created from a species being added to the Hive.

Cominions

Cominions are a spawned version of the Blood Princes. Humanoid and similar to Blood Prince/esses they are psionically the highest compatibility for Symbionts.

Symbionts

Originally created to add other races to the hive mind, especially those with lesser or no psionic abilities, the Darkarians realized that there was a higher potential to them than just taking over another body. Adaptive, genetically easy to manufacture for any purpose, and largely disposable, symbionts are the public face of the Darkarians doing all the bidding of the Hive mind without risking or exposing the Elders unnecessarily.

The Enlightened

The Enlightened are joined Spawned Symbionts and Hosts of any race (Darkarian, Ordained, Chosen, Expletun, or even animals of non humanoid nature, etc.) This joining is called enlightenment by the Darkarians, and results vary from symbiont to symbiont. The Enlightened by far make up the largest population of Darkarians. Estimated at least to be 85% of Darkarians, the Enlightened are the most common form of Darkarian encountered.

The lords

The lords represent the lesser leadership structure of the Enlightened. Their psionic nature make them powerful and skillful. The different ranks of the lords are generaly representations of their power and abilities, with the Hive giving favor and status to the more powerful. The lords are in order of power : Masterlords, Highlords, Overlords. Lord quality symbionts joined with a Cominion Spawn are known as Cominion Lords, and are the most common lord symbiont/host combination seen, and are generally the most powerful.

Dominion lords are a construct of the Masterlord Derrick after the fall of Torikor, and is currently exclusive to his brood. They are used in conjunction with Corrupted and Corrupters with their specific purpose.

Minions

Minions make up the larger work and operational force of the Darkarian hive.

Myrminion

Myrminions are the captains of the hive. They are generally regarded as the elite warrior class of Enlightened. Occasionally lesser spawned symbionts are joined with Cominions to create Myrminions.

Minion

Minions are the most common form of general enlightened beings. They are used for general populations to attach them to the hive mind. Minions are the worker class of Darkarians.

Assassins

Assassins are used for infiltration and termination of key Political figures. When Darkarians take over civilizations they first take out the political structure by first abducting key and trusted personnel, then binding them with a symbiont for an inside operations. Assassins vary from all other symbionts in that they are able act and operate as the host body. Normal enlightenment creates a whole new being from the joining of Host and Symbiont, with neither being in 'control'.

Drones

Lesser expendable symbionts. Used for hazardous non-technical work and operations. Heavily used as soldier fodder with little to know psionic abilities outside of enhanced regeneration. They are simple symbionts and easy to procreate by Spawn Queens.

Wayward

Occasionally, although rare and at great cost, enlightened beings have been recovered by their respective factions and the symbiont successfully removed, leaving the host alive and the symbiont destroyed in the process. Warywards are noted by their remaining attachment to the hive despite the removal of the symbiont, as all symbionts irreversibly modify the host. The degree of modification is dependent on the duration of the hosts enlightened state. Most Wayward end up committing suicide for a variety of reasons, the most documented being madness caused by their ability to still hear the hive mind, and being driven to hive obedience. Proximity and psionic suppression have shown to have positive effect on these symptoms. Waywards are also known to return to the hive, although reenlightenement is not always guaranteed.

The Ordained.

Prior to the full realization of the Hive, with the Chosen rebelling against the Expletuns as a whole, both the Preservers and the Darkarians found themselves on the losing side. Quick to engage the Chosen on the same terms, the Darkarians created their own chosen which they refer to as the Ordained. The Ordained are generally regarded on same terms as Cominions, being equal in compatibility with Symbionts and their psionic abilities. While not considered to be Darkarians as a Species, they are aligned with the Hive and are ruled by Darkarians entirely.

Sycophants

Sycophants are known races who worship and follow the hive without actual hive integration. The ordained are known Sycophants, as well as the Servittians, who are used commonly due to their easy to manipulate genetic structure. Sycophants are heavily used for Enlightenment, but are not enlightened as a whole.

Known Abilities

Metamorphasis, Extreme Regeneration, Mind Domination, Body Domination, Hive Mentality

Known Darkarians

• Talorn

Talorn was the first known Darkarian of the New Era. A Masterlord leader of the hive, his initial drive for conquest set the tone of the Hive during its rebirth as aggressive and relentless. While the Hive never intended for him to maintain his position as ranking lord over the Symbionts, his drive and motivation were critical for the hive, and he is honored among them for it. Talorns host is a future Marccus_Vagen.

• Sortic

Wife of the Host and Symbiont Talorn who was slain by Kerok Seccour.

• Xetra

• Derrik

History is going through some retcon

• Sklavus

The Darkarian Name for the Enlightened Human Chance Modaine. The Symbiont is a HighLord.

• Dylocke

The Darkarian Name for the Enlightened Metorian Kerok_Seccour. This is one of the oldest known Darkarian Symbionts, and leader of the Hive Spawn. In an attempt to sway the odds in the Darkarian favor, the Darkarians had the Symbiont implanted in Kerok Seccour as a child as a potential way to control the USI. Little did they know that shortly after, the Expletuns themselves implanted their own Symbiont, Phoenix.

• Cerreon

Darkarian high lord responsible for the conquest of the Galactic Alliance.

• Torikor

Now known leader of the hive. The first of the Elder Darkarians who has been seen and recorded. Also is the head of the Darkarian Royal Family. One of the few known Elderblood Darkarians who are known by name, appearance, and position.

Hibernation

Darkarians and their Hibernation

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It was noticed that Darkarians had to hibernate. The interval of hibernation was proportionate to the number of darkarians in the hive and their activity. The more active the hive was, the quicker and longer the hive had to hibernate.

Torikor was extremely powerful, but he noticed that after developing the hive Mind and its song/poetry, it was extremely taxing to maintain it. During periods of rest, he regained his strength but the hive began to lost its focus. It was then he found he could foce the hive to rest when he did, and it was an improvement. However given the distances involved and the rate at which the hive was growing, something had to be done.

During early biological experiments with the spawned, a discovery was found with a certain iteration to enhance the psionic abilities. Originally spawned were altered/enhanced versions of their ancestral race.

In a trial on connecting these experiment trials to the hive, Torikor found that he had much more power or expansion when exercising his own abilities. While the implications were obvious for enhancements of their own skills, these trials specifically gave orders of magnitude extensions of hive propagation, especially within the ancestral species of the trial.

These trials at this point became known as Catalysts. At this point, Catalysts were created in order to exert the hive mind for specific races, and were created to handle specific population sizes that were introduced into the hive.

Two variations of catalyst were created. One of which pinpointed hive propagation to Symbionts (And thus the creation of the overlord) and the other was introduced into Elderblood (expetun enhanced) which targeted psionics in general.

The one side effect of Catalysts, is that catalysts seamed to be unable to access their own psionic potential themselves. While receptive of psionics such as telepathy, they were otherwise lame psionically, and only could be used like an amplifier.

In the beginning, just before Catalysts, psuedo-hibernation occured on a nightly basis to match up with his rest cycles. After Catalysts, they were able to go years before hibernation was required.

During hibernation, all spawned and symbiont's were generally effected by the Hibernation cycle. At times it has been documented that small groups of Darkarians broods could remain out of hibernation, but would then be required to enter hibernation after a period of time. It is thought that the propagation and maintenance of the Hive mind (or Mindsong as they call it) is extremely taxing. however this technique was used to ensure protection of the Hive during its hibernation periods.

Other Information

Age Range

Age range is largely unknown due to the inability to accurately record natural life and death cycles of the Darkarian Hive. It is speculated at the Elder types Darkarians are able to live indefinitely through its psionic ability and ability to change their biological structure. A few rare observances have also indicated that Symbionts live up to several thousand years, and Spawned have a life cycle of possibly only several years, long enough to accomplish specific tasks. Since Spawned are generally used for hazard work, it would make sense that not a lot of resources are put into their ability for long lasting life.

Reproduction

While Dark Queens give birth to both male and female Darkarians alike, the question arises on darkarians being created outside of the scope of their society. While its possible it can happen, the likelihood is that doesn't given the hierarchy and society that the Darkarians live in. Commonly, like most societies, Darkarians, symbionts alike, will join in a marriage of sorts. This is usually seen as a companionship or mutual beneficiary reason. Love and romance aren't not prominent emotions in the non Elder ranks of the Darkarian Hierarchy. If a two symbionts hosts did mate, they would create the species equivalent from the hosts. The mind of the offspring would be permanently tied to the hive link itself. These would be most likely have an average of their parents psionic ability. They would still be of the Hive, and want to do its will. Given the fact that most Elders wouldn't WANT to mate with anything other than their own kind, the possibility still exists. Had an Elder mated with anything other than a Darkarian Elder, would result in an Half Elder. While most likely shunned by the Hive, they too would be bound to the hive. Given the dominate nature of the Darkarian Elders, the offspring would look like an Elder, however would not have many of the traits or the psionic ability. Spawned Darkarians don't have the ability to mate, and are gender Neutral. Symbionts don't have the ability to mate (only through their hosts), though carry gender characteristics and will often only want a host of that same characteristic.

The Enlightenment Process

NOTICE - THE BELOW MAY BE GRAPHIC.

Enlightenment is basically a surgical process in where a Darkarian Symbiont is placed in a host. Symbionts, when implanted, usually take up the space where the heart and a lung are (as most species have their heart and lungs in the same place).

The Darkarians do have a ceremonial process in which this occurs. The process of enlightenment is very demonic and sadistic, at least to everyone except the Darkarians. The Darkarians have this idea that to become a Darkarian one must fully feel the whole process...

For normal drones, minions, assassins, the person is strapped to a platform and the the Enlightener, which is a Darkarian Elder, typically a Prince, produces a blade either in or from one hand and slices open the host. The Symbiont is then placed on top of the fresh wound, and it consumes the hosts heart (eating it). The symbiont takes the place of the heart and the wound is sealed through the regenerative properties of the Symbiont. Female Darkarians never do the enlightenment.

For lords, the host is placed on an Alter, and an Elderblood performs the ritual, however uses a Darkarian Blood knife instead of transforming an appendage to a blade.

In essence, the host is killed , only to be reborn as a Darkarian. Death is a purging of a previous existence and the rebirth is Enlightenment.

Due to this process, those who are retrieved from enlightenment usually commit suicide. Enlightenment is a very intense process, not only physically as we can see, but also psychologically as the Symbiont binds itself to the host in many ways. Darkarians actively seek death for lords who overcome Enlightenment.

Other classes of those who overcome Enlightenment are of no concern as the symbiont was expendable in the first place.

The Returned. These are those who have been rescued from enlightenment, or overcome enlightenment. In most situations this refers to a removal of the symbiont, and its complete destruction.

As noted above, those that do are likely to commit suicide. They can also go insane and many other severe psychological problems are extremely common (one out of 3000 may have a semi-normal existence.) One very severe problem with those who overcome Enlightenment (the returned) develop a condition known as "Yearning". This is where a the host suddenly desires to return to the Hive and become reenlightened. This condition occurs in about 1 in 5. Another condition common with the returned is conjoining. This is where even though the symbiont is gone and destroyed, the returned still hear the psionic will of the hive. And lastly, another major condition is visions. The returned, still susceptible to psionic eddies of the hive, hallucinate and see visions of Darkarians.

Post enlightenment is very horrifying. While USI counselors and therapists have been working on these conditions, there are no absolute cures for the psychological impact.

The Darkarian Chosen

While the Chosen races, The Akerians,Metorians,and the Nephatsu, were created prior to the division of the Expletuns into the factions of the Darkarians and the Preservers, the Darkarians first experiments were with their own separate species creations.

Like the original three chosen, the first of the Darkarians creations were not tied into a collective mind or intellect. In fact, the creation of the Weren happened prior to the development of the Hive Mind. It was due to their perceived failure with controlling the Weren, that the Hive mind was first conceived. Later, the Faulyn, Sauren, and the Scipicants were created as bidding servants of the hive. <headertabs/>