Technological Terror
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a Dark Side Spirit for the Dzara
- Image Credit: Link and Link
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Name: Helwraith
- Designation: Sentient
- Origins: Created by The Dzara
- Average Lifespan: Usually indefinite, unless cut short by violence or starvation.
- Estimated Population: Scattered
- Description: Ephemeral, malicious officer-caste spirits created by the Dzara.
- Breathes: N/A
- Average Height of Adults: 2-2.5 meters
- Average Length of Adults: N/A
- Skin color: Usually translucent blue, red, pink, or purple.
- Hair color: N/A
- Distinctions: Ghostly form, high intelligence, possessive abilities
- Races: N/A
- Force Sensitivity: All
- Ghostly: In their natural state, Helwraiths are incorporeal. As such, they can pass through solid obstructions, operate at full capacity in air, water or vacuum, and shrug off many conventional forms of weaponry.
- Master of Puppets: Helwraiths are naturally inclined towards skill in the arts of possession and mechanical alteration, and are capable of turning these abilities on almost anything or anyone available, friend or foe.
- Adrenaline Rush: Helwraiths are capable of pushing any such possessed victims or devices past their natural physical limits, though not utilizing their learned skills with great efficiency.
- Dimension-Walker: Helwraiths are capable of transporting themselves to and from the Netherworld/Chaos, as well as bringing others along with them.
- Dispelled: Helwraiths cannot enter or exist within the radius of a Force-Nullification effect, nor possess anyone inside such areas.
- Exorcism: Being Dark-Side spirits, Helwraiths are vulnerable to Force Light, and other similar concentrated Light-Side manifestations.
- Bred For Purpose: Helwraiths are not actually free-willed beings. They are unable to engage in direct treason against the Dzara, nor to choose non-Dark Side alignments or utilize Light-Side abilities. Their nature is a fixed and immovable quantity.
- Computer Virus: Helwraiths are vulnerable to ion weaponry, and doubly vulnerable when possessing a machine or electronic device.
- Diet: Living Force energy
- Communication: Spoken languages (usually Galactic Basic), Telepathy
- Technology level: Helwraiths, being a young species, have no technological standard of their own. Nonetheless, they are capable of adopting and using the technology of other peoples and factions.
- Religion/Beliefs: As a rule, Helwraiths hold nothing sacred but their allegiance to the Dzara's triune leadership. These persons are held in near-deific reverence, and their commands obeyed without question. Other than this, their individual beliefs and ideals might vary wildly, though they universally encompass destructive Dark-Side related philosophies.
- General behavior: Generally speaking, these creatures care only for power (as one might expect from such a being) and their standing within the Dzara's Great Chain. When not occupied with the duties of their station, they are often found conspiring against one another. Nonetheless, they are fully sentient beings, and may take a liking to any number of interests or pastimes. Given their nature, these most often include aggressive, competitive, or strategic entertainments.
Despite its short time with the Dzara, the Firewisp has shown itself to be surprisingly useful and versatile. However, as with any naturally-occurring (or perhaps, supernaturally-occurring) creature, its shortcomings are many and varied. Never one to be deterred by the apparent limits of the universe, Helix set out on the bold and questionable road of altering (and where possible, improving) such spirits.
Utilizing a combination of sorcerous rituals and barely-understood arcane science, the Helwraith was born. Typically, Helix could not resist the urge to attach his name to this scientific breakthrough.
The resultant creature possesses a strange, alien grace, and an equally strange appearance. Like their predecessors, Helwraiths are largely physically insubstantial. They can freely pass through solid objects or energy barricades, often fading in and out of visibility as they do so. Energy bolts, slugs, and all manner of other weaponry simply pass harmlessly through them, though strong ionic or electromagnetic energies can weaken or destroy them.
Likewise, they seem entirely unaffected by gravity, and can gracefully fly or hover under their own power in air, water or vacuum.
Helwraiths do not possess any known finite lifespan, but can be destroyed by a variety of violent means, or if they fail to feed regularly. Helwraiths (perhaps unsurprisingly) feed on the Living Force, an energy they siphon from living and conscious beings. All are Force-sensitive, though they cannot at any time learn to use Light-Side abilities.
Helwraiths, like their primitive forbears, have a strong affinity with the arts of possession. Unlike them, however, these creatures bear not only far greater intelligence and judgement, but the ability to possess inanimate objects.
Their possessive attacks are far more difficult to defend against than those of their smaller cousins, and they can often prove a challenge even those trained to resist such attacks. Nonetheless, sufficient willpower and focus can and will repulse these attempts. Should they succeed in seizing a body, these creatures gain access to their host's mental faculties and Force powers, though not their memories or skills.
Interestingly, this fine control often leads to the creatures possessing friendly personnel and equipment. While having a sadistic monster rooting around inside one's brain may seem undesirable (and it is), there is a method to the madness. As with the Firewisp, Helwraith possessees exhibit significantly-increased physical attributes. Such persons can shrug off grievous wounds, run or fight for days or weeks without sleep, and snap bone and armor with their bare hands.
As such, Helwraiths can (at least in the short term) make their host dramatically more dangerous and capable, while still allowing them to retain full control of their will and faculties. Of course, humanoid bodies were not designed to operate at this capacity, and Helwraiths do not actually prevent damage to a host. Their ability to push a body past any natural sane limits can cause significant long-term health problems, or even death, as normally-fatal wounds will still take full effect if and when the creature leaves.
For example, a possessed soldier might fight on despite blood loss, dismemberment, or even decapitation, but will expire instantly when the entity ceases its attentions, returning the body to its normal operating limits. As such, Helwraiths attempting to keep their hosts alive for any length of time only push them to a very limited extent.
This ability to enhance the combat prowess of friendly troops is made more interesting by the Helwraith's ability to possess inanimate objects, including advanced technology. This has lent these creatures great success as emergency engineers and repair crewmen, as they are capable of keeping a machine running even when operation should not be physically possible. A possessed droid, for example, will remain operational despite the clear loss of its central processor, or a possessed starship engine might continue propelling the vessel despite being largely destroyed.
Of course, they can readily perform the reverse to enemy weapons and technology, turning them against their masters with glee (at least until forcibly expelled). This expulsion is best achieved with strong electromagnetic pulses (such as ion weaponry) which can not only eject the spirit from its housing, but harm or kill it in the doing.
As they are creatures created from the energies of the Netherworld, Helwraiths can return there easily enough, and bring other creatures with them if need be. This is of dubious use at first glance, as whatever challenges one might be facing in the physical galaxy will almost certainly pale in comparison to what one might find there. Nonetheless, this ability's practical applications are under exploration.
Being creations of the Dzara, these creatures are exclusively seen within their ranks. They are intelligent and reasoning beings, but are nonetheless created for absolute obedience to the Dzara's leadership, and will sneer at attempts to command them by anyone outside the Chain's ranks. This unprecedented full-sentience (a rarity for Helix-created creatures) is an unfortunate necessity, but one tolerated by Dzara command.
Given their very useful natural skillset, these creatures usually enjoy significant status and privilege within the Dzara. In many cases, they rank just below the Dread Three (Helix, Lirka Ka, and Darth Nefaron) themselves. As such, it goes without saying that they tend to be prideful, arrogant, and manipulative, constantly jockeying for more power and status.
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