Mage's Laboratory - Codex Workshop I

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Spoiler: Symbol

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a dark side sacrifice cult devoted to the Brain Demon. A sub-cult of the Cult of the Brain Demon composed of “mortals” and NFUs who do not engage in the practice of mind absorption.
• Image Credit:
  • Blood Moon Logo
  • Miriel - Nixri
• Canon: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
  • Tython Class Leviathan (House Io)
  • House Io Corvette (House Io)
  • Cult of the Brain Demon (X)
• Links: N/A

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Organization Name: Angels of the Faceless
• Classification: Dark Side Cult
• Affiliation:
  • Cult of the Brain Demon
  • House Io
  The Angels of the Faceless have a direct affiliation with the Cult of the Brain Demon and House Io. However, their first loyalty is to the Cult, with the House being second.
• Organization Symbol: See: Symbol Above
• Description: The Angels of the Faceless are a dark side sacrifice cult that is subordinate to the Cult of the Brain Demon. In this, the Angels are the armed, “mortal” wing of the Cult, serving their parent organization in the capacity of foot soldiers, social media influencers, dancers, priestesses, assassins, operatives, and gladiators. Like the Cult, the Angels practice sentient sacrifice, with a particular emphasis on flaying their victims alive, blood ritual, and torture. Such practices are believed to strengthen the Angels’ connection to the dark side and empower the Brain Demon.

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

• Headquarters: The largest and most influential convent of the Angels of the Faceless (The Dancers of the Demon) is based on the Avatar of Suffering—a Tython Class Leviathan. As such, this vessel is considered to be the Angels' primary headquarters.
• Domain:
  • Khemost
  Most convents of the Angels are nomadic or semi-nomadic, traveling the galaxy via their temple ships to ply their services as mercenaries, gladiators, and dancers. Through the ritualized arts of bloodshed, flaying, dance, and sacrifice, the Angels believe that they worship the Brain Demon and proliferate the purifying energies of the dark side through the galaxy.
• Notable Assets:
  • Avatar of Suffering - Temple Ship of the Dancers of the Demon Convent
  • Unholy Matrimony - Temple Ship of the Skin Brides Convent

SOCIAL INFORMATION

• Hierarchy:
  • Low Angels - “Excoriatarii”, “Flayer Divas”, and “Cheerflayers”
    • Initiate(s)
    • Excoriatrix Maiden(s)
    • Excoriatrix Sister(s)
    • Excoriatrix Concubine(s)
    • Excoriatrix Bride(s)
    • Excoriatrix Queen(s)
  • High Angels - “Excoriatarii Prima” and “Flayer Priestesses”
    • Avatar(s) of the Faceless
    • High Angel(s) of the Faceless OR High Oracle(s) of the Faceless
    • First Angel of the Choir
• Membership: The Cult typically prefers to fill the ranks of the Angels with normal people. While Nuetralizers, strand-casts, and other synthetic beings (who make up a large percentage of House Io's population) can be accepted into the ranks, there is a particular emphasis on bringing perfectly normal, ordinary people in and training them how to perform the rituals and atrocities of unholy worship. This ties into the Cult’s beliefs of teaching otherwise normal people with no real connection to the Force how think and behave with the dark side in mind. As such, prospective members can literally walk in to a given temple and ask to be trained. Alternatively, the Brain Demon or a particular Brain Demon cultist could visit some troubled soul in their dreams, offering them belonging and a chance for retribution on a seemingly cruel galaxy. In general, the initiation process heavily favors women over men, but there is no explicit policy that bars men from joining. Prior to becoming a full member of the Angels, Initiates are conditioned, trained, and brainwashed, with this period generally lasting a year. In order to become an Excoriatrix, an Initiate must be able to cleanly flay the skin from a sacrifice’s face, recite the prayers, songs, and catechisms of the Brain Demon Cult from memory, capture and cleanly flay their own sacrifice victim, swear an oath of loyalty to the Brain Demon Cult, and last a minute in single combat against a Model 1 Nuetralizer (or defeat the Nuetralizer outright). Consequences for failures past a certain threshold may range the gamut from non-fatal flaying (with the failed Initiate kept alive via technology or the Force and later healed) to mind wiping (making the Initiate forget that they ever attempted to join the Angels) to evisceration and outright sacrifice.
• Climate: Bloodthirsty cheerleaders. The Angels of the Faceless are notoriously vain, backstabbing, fickle, and dramatic. While alliances (often in the form of cliques), friendships, and romantic relationships do exist, most of the Angels' temples are characterized by everpresent intrigue, which can turn lethal in some cases as cliques and rivals vie for favor. Considerations such as perceived beauty, martial skill and strength, skill at the art of flaying, skill at the art of agonizing (torture), skill at dancing, the quality of sacrifice victims, and a host of other factors play a role in determining a given individual’s status. In this, the climate somewhat mirrors that of the Cult of the Brain Demon. However, outright murder of rivals is generally frowned upon. In the majority of cases, rivals are simply disgraced or disenfranchised.
• Reputation: The Angels of the Faceless have a mixed reputation within House Io. They are known for hosting drug-fueled dance and rave parties that are open to all citizens of the House, which often last entire days. In this, dance—even of the non-lethal variety—is considered to be an act of worship by the Angels, in mimicry of the dancing avatars of the Brain Demon. The longer said dance parties last and the more feverish and passionate the dancing, the better. The Angels are also known for their ritualized displays of combat, which are essentially public war dances and gladiatorial events dedicated to the Brain Demon. Like their parent cult, the Angels host public sentient sacrifice and flaying rituals of prisoners of war and civilians not affiliated with House Io. These events are almost always accompanied by controversy, protest, curiosity, and frenzied episodes of vivacious dancing which are often performed while wearing the skin of their sacrifice victims.
  
  Unlike the Cult of the Brain Demon, the Angels of the Faceless are largely unknown outside of House Io, due to the organization’s youth. However, the Angels' status as an arm of the Cult naturally assigns them a similar reputation to their parent organization.
  
  As the Angels frequently ply their services as mercenaries, they have developed a minor reputation as reliable, yet gruesome allies, should they be hired. In this, their rates are considered to be quite cheap, as the Angels rarely negotiate for outright profit and instead seek the right to ritually sacrifice enemy combatants and the coverage of their operating expenses. For many cash-strapped warlords and crime lords, it is quite easy to tolerate the disturbing sacrifice rituals of their retainers when their services are offered at such a bargain compared to other mercenaries.
• Curios: Every Excoriatrix has the symbol of the Brain Demon tattooed on their body, the location of which is chosen by the individual. In addition, each member also possesses up to two ritual knives, which are most often used for the flaying and mutilation of their victims. These are always carried on their person. Finally, many members have a personal, individualized weapon of some kind, though the Angels generally spurn long gun-style weapons in favor of energy bows, monomolecular-edged blades, vibroblades, energy blades, and more rarely, lightsabers, should they be able to get their hands on them.
  
  One of the Angels' calling cards, any non-flayed bodies or survivors left in the wake of a raid may have the symbol of the Brain Demon carved into their flesh.
  
  The Angels believe that skins are sacred. As such, during sacrifice rituals, they will flay their victims alive, offering the victim’s life, skin, and suffering in oblation to the Brain Demon. In particular, the Angels believe that the most sacred part of the skin is the skin of the face. In this, the Angels will flay the skin of the victim’s face while they are still alive, believing that the agony and humiliation of being physically defaced are among the most potent sacrifices that one can offer to the Brain Demon.
• Rules: The Angels of the Faceless are bound by their oaths and therefore, follow the rules of the Cult. Nevertheless, they maintain a very high level of autonomy as an organization, far more than that which might be enjoyed by Sith troopers under the control of a Sith Lord. Nevertheless, within the organization itself, the Angels maintain a strict hierarchy where those on the lower rungs follow the orders of their designated superiors. Insubordination that can not be justified by right of superior strength or cunning will generally be punished with extreme prejudice.
• Goals: The Angels of the Faceless support and pursue the goals of the Cult, especially as they relate to the proliferation of the dark side. In this, they play a vital role as the equivalent of the Cult’s foot soldiers. As pertaining to their rituals, the Angels commit ritualized blood and sentient sacrifice in order to fulfill a rite that they believe will give life energy to the Brain Demon.

MEMBERS

• Alevia Io - First Angel of the Choir. A Chaplain Nuetralizer, Alevia Io was one of the Cult’s earliest advocates to House Io’s population. Since her ordeal after the Battle of Tython (where it was rumored that she struck a particularly demanding bargain with the Brain Demon), Alevia has taken this to greater extremes, to the point where she began to engage in the Cult’s sentient and blood sacrifice rituals, while devising many rituals of her own (of which include long dance parties and ritualized displays of combat). However, due to the increasing dissatisfaction within House Io regarding the presence of the Cult, the Cult’s leadership realized that they needed an army of dedicated loyalists that were loyal to them first and House Io second. Given Alevia’s history of advocacy and support for the Cult, she was the natural option for overseeing the effort. In this, Alevia was tasked with establishing the first convent of the Angels (The Dancers of the Demon), an assignment that she quickly succeeded in. As of the present, she is the undisputed leader of the Angels.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
[ Include a description of the organization's history. Who started it, how and why it was formed, modus operandi, any events tied into its creation and existence, etc. ]

 

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Spoiler

• Intent: Create a sect of Dark Jedi for the Kainate and the Sith Order.
• Image Credit: KH×SWお絵かき
• Canon:
  
  • Dark Side Adept
  • Dark Acolyte
  • Dark Jedi
• Permissions: N/A
• Links:
  
  • The Xendori Elite
  • Orladri Lovrus, Derriphan of the Xendori Guard

• Tradition Name: Informally known as the Eclipse Adepts. The institution is known as the Eclipse Sect.
• Tradition Type: Formal Order
• Tradition Focus:
  
  • Physical
  • Intellectual
  • Sensory
• Influence: Interplanetary
• Orientation: Dark-leaning
• Influence Area:
  
  • Malsheem
  • Dromund Kaas
  • Ziost
• Symbol:
  
• Description: The Eclipse Adepts are a formal order of dark side adepts and Dark Jedi associated with the Kainate and more loosely, the wider Sith Order. While they are explicitly distinct from Sith, they are more or less considered to be subordinate to the Kainate Sith Kabal (and to a lesser extent the Sith Order), with corresponding limitations placed on their practice of the dark side. In this regard, such limitations are viewed as necessary to curb the perceived anarchistic tendencies of non-Sith dark siders and those who are judged as too weak to be worthy of Sith instruction. These overarching perceptions are the primary driver behind the Sect, which ultimately functions as an institution of control intended to direct the practice of non-Sith dark siders within Kainate territory (with some exceptions) so that they might better serve the Sith Kabal and the Sith’ari—Darth Carnifex. While high-ranking Adepts are generally left to manage the day-to-day affairs, the entire organization is overseen by the Grand Lord of the Sith Kabal, with Sith Knights and Sith Lords having special dispensation to deploy members of the Sect as they see fit.

• Membership: Waste in the form of sentient lives is considered to be a hallmark of traditional Sith training. The cruel, brutal nature of Sith indoctrination frequently veers towards the excess, moving past the point of culling and embracing the pointless destruction of sentient resources as a mark of strength. While Kainite Sith Kabal academies are still extremely demanding, the senseless disposal of Force-sensitives who fail to meet the high standards of their overseers is rarely tolerated. Instead, these individuals—washouts—are typically relegated into the Eclipse Sect where they restart their training as Eclipse Novitiates. They will never be Sith, but they will still serve.
  
  However, Sith academy washouts—of which there are many—are but one stream of recruitment for the Eclipse Sect. Another avenue of admission are those individuals who do not meet the minimum midi-chlorian count to qualify for Sith training, but are still Force-sensitive or Force-attuned. Recruits are also drawn from newly-fallen Jedi (or fallen from any other light side groups) who are judged as lacking the necessary control, malleability, or strength to become Sith. In much the same manner, recruits may also be taken from the lower ranks of unsanctioned dark side groups. It is not uncommon for acolytes from the remnants of a rogue Sith Order to be relegated to the Eclipse Sect upon arrival, due to being perceived as irreparably corrupted by heretical teachings.
  
  Upon recruitment, new members start at the rank of Eclipse Novitiate, being analogous to a Sith Acolyte. Those at this rank do not have dedicated masters and are instead taught by overseers, typically in group settings. The next rank in the hierarchy is Eclipse Pursuivant, which is comparable to a Sith apprentice. Pursuivants commonly have dedicated masters and are often engaged in missions. However, in order to advance to the next rank, Pursuivants must complete (or otherwise be exempted from) the Imperial Eclipse Examinations which are detailed as follows:
  
  • Examination of Precision - A battery of assessments which are designed to test skill and competency in combat. The Sect does not mandate competency in any one weapon or art, but the most commonly taught arts (and therefore measured) are of the lightsaber or vibroblade. These tests are judged based on an objective standard, with an emphasis on proficiency in single combat and Force power execution. A composite score is given at the end to determine whether a candidate passes or fails.
  • Examination of Awareness - A series of assessments that grades the ability of the candidate to see through illusions. The exam also includes tests that force candidates to face and overcome their fears, which are elucidated via a precise, droid brain-calculated analysis where an examinee's vital signs and biosigns are measured in response to various stimuli. Much like the Examination of Precision, a composite score determines whether the candidate passes or fails.
  • Examination of Form - A regimen of tests designed to assess the constitution of the candidate's body. Pain tolerance, physical strength, responses to trauma, and other physical skills are tested and scored in a composite. In addition, all tests have a Force-active and Force-suppressed component. For example, pain tolerance is measured and scored in both contexts, wherein the Force-suppressed test the candidate is exposed to synthetic Void Stone or injected with a Force-suppressing drug.
  • Examination of Discipline - The Examination of Discipline is a regimen of tests designed to assess the candidate's willpower. In one of the tests, a mentalist will impose suggestions in the candidate's mind, who is scored on their ability to resist or defeat them. Other tests assess their ability to overcome the perceived weaknesses of morality. As with the other exams, a composite score is given at the end.
  
  After passing (or being exempted from) these exams, they may advance to the rank of Eclipse Adept, by which point their training is considered to be complete, being roughly equivalent (but in no way equal to) to Sith Knights. Finally, the next two ranks, Eclipse Ascendant and High Ascendant are master ranks, with High Ascendants occupying nine seats on the Ascendant Council. The tenth seat is designated for the leader of the Eclipse Sect—the Eclipse Derriphan.
• Motives: The ultimate, yet hidden function of the Eclipse Sect is the control and direction of dark side Force-users by de-emphasizing the primacy of the individual and fostering unconditional loyalty to the Sith'ari and the agents of His will. While individual members of the Sect may still be motivated by the desire for power, the institution is structured in such a way that any such pursuits do not encroach on the power enjoyed by the Kainate Sith. However, even with these restrictions and concealed curtailing mechanisms, individual Adepts can still become powerful in their own right, but they will likely never be afforded unique privileges granted to ranking Sith.
• Rules and Teachings: In addition to following the dogma of Eternal Rule, members of the Eclipse Sect must adhere to the following rules in all of their engagements:
  
  • Surrender to the Kainate Sith Kabal.
  • Eclipse the light.
  • Order governs passion, body governs individual, and power governs strength.
• Reputation: As the Eclipse Adepts are a relatively new organization, it has yet to establish a full reputation. However, Sith tend to view members of the Sect as subpar at best and outright disposable at worst. By comparison, outsiders often mistake them for Sith, though it is a perception that is frequently corrected by Sith and members of the Sect, with the latter being obligated to do so.
• Openness: Members are generally open about their identities and affiliations when among allies. Moreover, in many contexts, they are obligated to clarify that they are not Sith and to correct any who might mistake them as such. Failing to do so (and passively allowing ignorant outsiders or other individuals to refer to them as Sith) is grounds for extreme sanction. Finally, their teachings are only rarely shared with outsiders.

• Characteristic Equipment: Lightsabers with synthetic crystals and vibroblades are the most common weapons among the Eclipse Adepts. However, exotic weapon types, including discblades, polearms, energy bows, and yet more, are not uncommon. In terms of clothing, individuals often wear outfits or armor emblazoned with the symbol of the Sect to positively distinguish themselves as a member of the Eclipse Sect and to prevent outsiders from misidentifying them as Sith.
• Notable Force Skills: The Eclipse Adepts place a heavy emphasis on the physical and objective study of the dark side. As such, abilities such as telekinesis, Alter Environment, Force lightning, Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, Art of the Small, Force cloak, and various physical enhancement powers are common. Mentalists are less common, but not to the point of rarity. Finally, Force healers and other non-combat specialists are rare, but not unheard of.
• Notable Force Limitations: Members of the Eclipse Sect are forbidden from practicing all forms of Sith magic, Sith alchemy, Sithspawn creation, and Sith rituals. However, it is not uncommon for members of the Sect to be used as living focuses or attendants in Sith rituals. They are also barred from speaking or reading ur-Kittât, High Sith, or any other Sith ritual languages, save for common Sith phrases or parlances (i.e. an Eclipse Adept may refer to herself as Jen’jidai without punishment). Finally, while Eclipse adherents are allowed to practice mechu-deru, they are not permitted to create techno-beasts.

• Abrax Iosi - A hulking Mandallian Giant, Abrax Iosi is the first and present Derriphan of the Eclipse Sect. He was once a member of the seven Xendori Elite before the organization was disbanded in the wake of the Third Imperial Civil War. However, he was allowed to continue serving the Kainate via the Grand Army, a period in which he developed a fearsome reputation as a battlefield juggernaut while also displaying a talent for leadership that resulted in his quick ascension to the rank of Colonel. With the reclaiming of the Sith holy worlds, an influx of recruits into the Kainate Sith Kabal (and the perceived low quality of many), led to higher fail rates in the Sith academies and thus, increased waste and inefficiency. Thus, Abrax was recalled from his service in the Grand Army to oversee the founding of the Eclipse Sect, eventually leading to him being named as the Derriphan—the leader of the Eclipse Adepts.

A successor organization of the now-defunct Xendori Guard and Xendori Elite, the Eclipse Adepts were formed soon after the retaking of the Sith holy worlds. With the influx of new students in the Sith academies, the Kainate Sith Kabal oversaw an initiative to curtail sentient waste during Sith indoctrination. The Eclipse Adepts were a major component of this effort, allowing the Sith academies to maintain their high standards through less wasteful methods by funneling washouts and other failed students into the Sect. This would not only limit waste, but it would also cement the elite status of the Sith Kabal and give the Kainate a surge of manpower in the form of an army of dark siders who could augment military formations, hunt down Jedi, and ultimately, serve at the behest of the Sith Dyarchy.

To lead the Sect, Abrax Iosi, who previously served as an Xendori Elite during the Third Imperial Civil War, was christened as the first Derriphan. He, under advisement by the Grand Lord of the Sith Kabal, assembled the first Ascendant Council and built out the structure of the organization. The first temple—the Temple of the Eclipse Adepts—was constructed on Malsheem, with a number of semi-mobile satellite academies and temples established in orbit of Dromund Kaas and Ziost as the Sect expanded during its early stages. It was during this period that the secret mechanisms designed to keep overly ambitious Jen’jidai in check were refined and perfected. In effect, any such Adepts would soon find themselves in constant competition with others seeking the same power, thus keeping them dependent on the Sith.

Finally, the Eclipse Adepts would come to represent a manifestation of the unceasing industrial power, brutal efficiency, and dark side autocracy of the Eternal Rule doctrine. The crude ambition, avarice, and anarchism often manifested by non-Sith dark siders would have their inherent contradictions leveled against them, so that they would ultimately come to serve the Sith Dyarchy.

 

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Other Projects - WIP Slot 3

 

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A Hound of the Phantasmagoria Covenant.​

• Intent: To expand on a formal order of the Reach of the Dark Lord, initially created by Darth Carnifex .
• Image Credit:
  
  • Darth Carnifex - Logo
  • Priestess - Real-Time
• Canon: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
  
  • Description (X)
• Links: N/A

• Tradition Name: The Hounds
• Tradition Type: Formal Order
• Tradition Focus:
  
  • Psychic
  • Spiritual
• Influence: Minor–Interplanetary
• Orientation: Dark
• Influence Area:
  
  • Malsheem
  • Dromund Kaas
  • Ziost
• Symbol:
  
• Description: The Hounds are a secretive and psychically formidable order of Force-sensitive assassins and hunters that serve the Kainate, operating at the fringes of both space and sanity. Unlike conventional Sith agents, they do not stalk their prey through physical pursuit. Instead, the Hounds project their minds across vast interstellar distances, reaching across the void to infiltrate and hunt their targets wherever they may hide.
  
  Their work is not done with lightsabers or blasters, but through mental intrusion, spiritual corruption, and psychic warfare. They are trained to pierce the veil between minds and realities, walking in dreams, disturbing meditations, and seizing control of weaker wills. A Force-sensitive marked by the Hounds may experience visions of red-eyed beasts stalking them in mirrors, feel themselves watched while alone, or suffer fits of terror without cause. These are the signs that the Hounds are on the hunt.
  
  This terrifying method is made possible through a dark discipline known as Transplanar Projection, an esoteric fusion of ancient Sith sorcery and alchemical enhancement. Hounds undergo brutal initiations involving the shattering of their original identity—often involving death and rebirth in Sith alchemical crucibles—which reforge their souls into sharpened astral weapons. Their physical bodies are held in deep meditation vaults, submerged in nutrient vats or suspended in obsidian cradles, while their minds are set loose upon the galaxy.
  
  The Hounds are led by the Alpha, a being who has long since ceased to be a discrete consciousness and instead exists as a gestalt predator-mind made up of all former Alphas. This composite entity binds the Hounds together psychically and coordinates their hunts across space, whispering through the blood-soaked currents of the Force.
  
  Those hunted by the Hounds rarely see their killers coming. Sometimes, they are found dead in locked rooms, eyes wide in terror, minds burned out. Other times, they vanish entirely, believed to have been consumed by the astral predators that stalked their dreams.
  
  The Hounds are not revered even among the Sith. They are feared. Even among the Dark Side, they are seen as abominations of will and identity, reminders that in the Kainate, individuality is a weapon—and sometimes, it must be unmade.

• Hierarchy:
  
  • Hound Hierarchy
    
    • Alpha
      
      • The collective consciousness of all previous Alphas, the Alpha is a gestalt predator entity that directs the Hounds’ hunts. Responsible for the overarching direction of the order, the Alpha rarely intervenes directly. Instead, its will is enforced by the Dream Lords below it in the hierarchy.
    • Dream Lord
      
      • The Dream Lords are generally the oldest and most powerful Hounds, each overseeing a Dream Covenant (a group of Hounds and their retinues).
    • Hound
      
      • Fully initiated Hounds, capable of executing independent Transplanar hunts. Each has at least three senior Attendants and may have several Understudies.
    • Leashed
      
      • The Leashed are Hounds-in-training. Although they have survived the initiations and the shattering of their original identity, they are only allowed to hunt under supervision of a True Hound or Pack-Lord. Only after they complete a successful solo hunt and receive the sponsorship of a Dream Lord may they ascend to full independence. However, failure—too often and too flagrant—will see their minds unmade.
  • Attendant Hierarchy
    
    • Prime Attendant
      
      • The highest-ranking mortal (non-Hound) in a Hound’s retinue. The Prime Attendant speaks for the Hound when their body is unable, effectively representing them in realspace.
      • Leads the secret rituals to recall a Hound from the hunt. However, if the Hound dies, the Prime is expected to either take their place or die trying.
    • Devoted
      
      • The Devoted are highly trained Attendants who perform specific roles in a Hound’s retinue. Most serve in these roles for life and never ascend to become Hounds. Many Devoted are non-Force-sensitive, recruited for their skills, knowledge, and capability. As servants, they provide indispensable services to the Hound in both physical and metaphysical matters.
        
        • Physiomancer
          
          • A doctor, healer, medic, or Sith alchemist-biologist who maintains the Hound’s body, ensuring that it does not succumb to decay.
        • Ritualist
          
          • Conducts the ceremonies that send the Hound hunting within the astral planes. Ritualists are highly trained and must have strong mental shields to avoid being consumed by the Hound’s psyche. They are often the first to blame if a Hound’s mind is lost to the void.
        • Proxy
          
          • If a Hound’s body is too withered to speak or move, an Attendant may serve as their mouthpiece, delivering their words (or threats) in the material world.
        • Guardian
          
          • Responsible for protecting the Hound’s physical form from realspace threats. Often recruited from the ranks of the Immortal Legion or the Eclipse Sect.
  • Understudy Hierarchy
    
    • Marked
      
      • Understudies selected for potential Hound ascension. The Marked undergo frequent mental fracturing rituals and trials to prepare for Transplanar projection, honing their souls into astral weapons. Many lose themselves before the completion of their training.
      • The Marked perform menial, but vital tasks: preparing alchemical baths, memorizing incantations, guarding the Hound’s chamber, and yet more.
    • Forgotten
      
      • The Forgotten encompass those Marked who washed out of training, but were not killed. So long as their only crime is failure, they are spared from being relegated as ritual, training, or experimental fodder, instead utilized as menials and servants.
  • Unranked
    
    • Offered
      
      • Prisoners used for alchemical experiments or as test prey for young Hounds.
    • Consumed
      
      • Prisoners used as psychic fuel to power certain astral projection rituals.
• Membership: Ascension into the formal order of the Hounds comes through two distinct paths—the Attendant's Path and the Marked’s Path. The former path—the Attendant’s Path—is slower, but more stable. Candidates on this path work their way up from the ranks of the Marked to become Ritualists, Guardians, or Proxies, before eventually rising to the position of Prime Attendant. When the sitting Hound dies or is irreparably broken in the course of a hunt, the Prime is expected to take over the position, often absorbing the memories of the broken Hound in the process. In contrast, the latter path—the Marked’s Path—generally produces less stable and controlled Hounds. The Marked skip the Attendant’s phase entirely, instead undergoing direct mental unmasking via Sith alchemy and torture. This path is far more lethal—most Marked die or lose their minds during initiation. Those who survive are often feral, requiring heavy conditioning from Dream Lords. Nevertheless, the Kainate authorizes the direct ascension of the Marked for when lethal, disposable Hounds are required for high-risk missions.
  
  In the Understudy hierarchy, the Marked—the rank from which all Hounds are drawn—are typically recruited from Sith Academies, newly created strand-casts, or direct recruitment of young Force-sensitives from the population. The Forgotten are those Marked who faltered and ultimately failed in their training, but were not killed.
  
  No matter the path, initiates typically undergo three stages to become Hounds. The first stage encompasses the mental fracturing rites, during which the initiate's identity is broken down and rebuilt with the instincts of an astral predator. Although initiates do not explicitly lose their identities during this stage, memories of their lives prior to the rites are often warped. As part of this process, initiates receive new names, which are awarded upon completion of the rites.
  
  In the second stage—the Dreamwalking Trials—initiates are trained to stalk prey across astral planes and navigate the spaces between minds. Here, they learn the fundamentals of Transplanar Projection. They may be sent to hunt illusory prey (often "simulations" of a past hunt's victims), in which they must track, corner, and "kill" these phantoms using only their mind. Additional trials come in engagements with live prisoners who have been designated as training fodder— psychically tagged as prey. The initiate must haunt them—invading dreams, inducing paranoia, and finally, burning out their mind. In these trials, speed matters less than artistry; a candidate's skill is measured by their ability to prolong the hunt, drawing out the prey's suffering.
  
  The final stage is the first solo hunt, which Hounds-in-training (Leashed) sometimes spend years preparing for. Tasked with hunting a low-profile target, the candidate must demonstrate the ability to independently and successfully execute all four stages of a hunt. These are the Marking (the target is identified and a psychic link is forged), the Crossing (the Leashed's mind is hurled across the astral planes, often arriving as a half-seen horror), the Haunting (the target is subjected to escalating despair, encompassing nightmares, phantom whispers, and waking hallucinations), and finally the Kill (the candidate must sever their target's connection to the Force, burn out their mind, and/or drive them to self-terminate). Upon success, the Leashed is bathed in the target's dying terror, then ritually anointed as a Hound.
  
  The Attendants are not considered to be part of the formal order of the Hounds. For those individuals who rose from the Understudy hierarchy (by taking the Attendant's Path), the Attendant hierarchy is generally regarded as a transitional phase in their career. However, many Attendants do not fall under this category. Instead, their recruitment into the Attendant hierarchy comes directly, encompassing many different backgrounds. For example, Physiomancers are typically drawn from non-Force-sensitive doctors, medics, and surgeons, though Dark Side healers and Sith alchemist-biologists are also recruited to serve more powerful, senior Hounds. Guardians are recruited from elite soldiers in the Immortal Legions, the Adepts from the Eclipse Sect, or other sources (including mercenaries and combat-optimized droids). Given their status as an organization under the direct purview of the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Hounds enjoy special dispensation to draw select personnel and individuals from the Immortal Legions and the Eclipse Sect, with few restrictions. Recruitment for other (rarer) Attendant specializations comes from a wide range of sources, through formal and informal arrangements. In general, Hounds are authorized to bring individuals into their retinue for any reason.
  
  Of particular note, some Forgotten may rise from the Understudy hierarchy to join the Devoted (typically as Ritualists or Proxies), thus joining the Attendant hierarchy. However, due to their previous failure to pass the psychic conditionings, trials, and rituals of the Marked, they are barred from becoming Prime Attendants.
  
  Finally, the Unranked encompass prisoners, criminals, traitors, and deviants. In general, failure alone does not see individuals relegated to this status.
• Motives: As agents of Darth Carnifex’s Eclipsing Mission, the Hounds serve in the capacity as the Sith’ari’s unseen extraplanar enforcers. Their actions are driven by a fusion of fanaticism, predatory instinct, and transcendent malice. Thus, the Hounds’ motivations are as much philosophical as they are visceral, shaped by Eternal Rule and their connection to the gestalt predator-mind of the Alpha.
  
  • Devotion to the Sith’ari
    
    • The Hounds view Carnifex as the absolute apex of existence. He is the perfect hunter, the undying will, and the Dark Side incarnate. Thus, their loyalty to Him encompasses not just obedience, but worship. Every mind they break, every soul they shatter, is treated as an offering to Him.
  • The Hunger for the Hunt
    
    • The Hounds are addicted to the kill, not for bloodshed, but for the psychic euphoria of dominance. Transplanar Projection is their rapture—a state where they are closest to the Dark Side, unshackled by the limits of the flesh.
    • The more powerful the prey, the greater the ecstasy of their terror.
  • Transcension
    
    • The Hounds almost universally despise the limits of the flesh, sometimes regarding their bodies as little more than prisons. Their greatest fear is being permanently trapped in flesh, reduced to a brute swinging a blade.
  • The Alpha’s Will
    
    • For the Hounds, the Alpha’s voice is their tether and their chains—they cannot disobey it, nor do they wish to. In this, individual Hounds often regard themselves as fragments of a greater predator. To defy the Alpha is to cease being a Hound, and thus, to cease existing.
    • A Hound that is severed from the Alpha risks losing themself to the endless void.
• Rules and Teachings: In addition to their adherence to the dogma of Eternal Rule, the Hounds have several distinct core doctrines that guide their practice:
  
  • The Unmaking of Self
    
    • The Hounds believe that individuality is an illusion. Although a Hound’s singularity as an individual is not explicitly purged (although some eventually go on to take this step), all initiates undergo psychic dissolution during their mental fracturing rites. Their memories, emotions, and identities are stripped away and ultimately reforged into astral weapons. The Alpha is viewed as the embodiment of this doctrine: a gestalt consciousness, where all former selves are consumed into a single, predatory will.
  • Darth Carnifex as the Sith’ari
    
    • The Hounds worship Darth Carnifex as the living Dark Side incarnate, the apex predator of all planar dimensions. They believe that his rule is inevitable, their hunts weaving his dominion into the fabric of fate to further the Eclipsing Mission.
  • The Flesh is a Vessel
    
    • The physical form is ultimately a temporary vessel for the mind. In this, the flesh is one-dimensional—limited to only a single plane of existence. The true self is the astral killer, which when honed, is capable of traversing planes via Transplanar Projection.
    • Attendants are blessed, for they serve the Hounds’ true selves (the projected mind).
  • Fear is the Only Truth
    
    • The Hounds do not kill for its own sake. They haunt, driving prey to madness before the end. Their victims must know despair before death, so that their fear might feed the Dark Side. As such, a quick kill is commonly regarded as wasted potential.
  • Purity of the Unbound
    
    • Transplanar Projection is regarded as a sacred act, viewed as an expression of purity and power of which only the worthy may partake. In the same vein, the Hounds view physical combat as beastly and debased. True power is manifested in the ability to strike from planes beyond perception, leaving prey to drown in despair before death.
• Reputation: As a secretive psychic order, the Hounds do not carry a public reputation. Their existence is effectively classified to all but the highest echelons of the Kainate. However, by those individuals that are aware of their existence, they are viewed with a mix of suspicion and fear. Although they are not technically Sith, their position as direct agents of the Dark Lord affords them immense privilege not normally afforded to Sanctioned Heathens.
• Openness: Individual Hounds generally maintain a cloistered existence, seldom venturing beyond their temples and meditation vaults. However, on select occasions, a Hound may relocate their meditation cells to other areas, often starship and forward operating bases, in order to facilitate coordination with non-Hound allies. In such instances, they will have additional Guardians in their retinue to ensure the security of their person.
  
  Although a Hound's tolerance to outsiders varies by individual, they will generally avoid interaction with those unconnected to their mission. If compelled to engage, they will typically identify themselves in deliberately vague terms—often as "Agents of the Sith'ari's Reach".
  
  Finally, a Hound will not share their teachings with outsiders under any circumstances.

• Characteristic Equipment: The Hounds disdain conventional weapons, relying instead on psychic implements, alchemical relics, and trophies of their hunts. Their tools are extensions of their transcendent predation, designed to facilitate their extraplanar activities.
  
  • Sigil of the Hounds
    
    • A burned brand that depicts the symbol of the Hounds on a Hound’s flesh, marking them as a sanctioned hunter. The sigil is branded to the Hound’s skin upon the successful completion of their first solo hunt. It emanates a faint luminescence while the Hound is engaged in Transplanar Projection and for a short period after. The glow is known to be particularly radiant after a successful hunt, in which case it is informally referred to as “the glow of a predator well-fed”.
  • Trophy Eyes
    
    • Glass orbs containing the last memories of a Hound’s most notable prey. Hounds typically have these orbs created to mark the victim of their first successful hunt, and for hunts of any particularly notable or resilient targets thereafter. The orbs are often studied by Understudies as a means to learn hunting techniques.
  • Book of the Howling Void
    
    • A living grimoire that contains a record of every successful hunt. Copies are limited in number and are kept under heavy guard in the archives of the Hounds’ temples.
  • Voidhook
    
    • A barbed, needle-like implant driven into the base of a Hound’s skull. It acts as a psychic anchor, intended to prevent the Hound’s mind from being lost to the void.
• Notable Force Skills: Masters of Transplanar Projection, the Hounds specialize in illusions, mind control, dream manipulation, phantom projection, and mind projection. They can manifest these powers across vast, unfathomable distances, so long as they have a viable psychic link to their target.
  
  • Force Phantom
  • Dark Illusion
  • Dreamscape
  • Force Projection
  • Dream-Walking
  • Force Shadow
  • Summon Fear
  • Alter Mind
  • Mind Control
    
    • Mind Twist
    • Suppress Thought
    • Force Fear
    • Force Illusion
    • Force Corruption
    • Force Persuasion
    • Force Confusion
  • Sever Force
  • Drain Knowledge
• Notable Force Limitations: The Hounds wholly eschew the physical aspects of the Force. Lightsaber combat, telekinesis, body enhancement, and elemental manipulation are rejected. Naturally, this makes them rather unsuited to direct combat, which they leave to the Guardians and other divisions of the Kainate.

• N/A

Born out of of Darth Carnifex’s vision, the Hounds emerged as blades from the dark, unseen until they had already struck. Their origins are not chronicled in grand decrees or celebrated in Sith annals, for they were never meant to be known. Formed out of necessity, the Hounds were a response to the limitations of flesh-bound assassins and the vulnerabilities of mortal agents. Where blades and blasters failed, where spies and saboteurs were too easily caught, the Hounds were crafted to be the answer—a force that could not be stopped because it could not be perceived.

Their creation was not a singular event but a slow, deliberate formation. The first Hounds were drawn from the ranks of the broken—failed Sith, captured Jedi, and those rare few whose minds were already half-lost to the void. They were reshaped in alchemical crucibles, their identities shattered and reforged into something sharper, hungrier. The Alpha came later, a gestalt entity born from the devoured consciousnesses of the first masters, forming a chorus of predator-minds bound by Carnifex’s will. Under its guidance, the Hounds grew from a scattered few into a silent number, their influence spreading like a stain across the Kainate territories and beyond

Their first hunts were experiments, testing the limits of the Hounds powers in Transplanar Projection. Heretic Sith awoke screaming, their sanities unraveled. Rebel leaders vanished from locked chambers, their bodies left hollow. Soon, the Hounds became the Dark Lord’s preferred instrument for targets who required not just death, but erasure—proof that no one, no matter how hidden, was beyond the Reach of the Sith’ari.

However, the Hounds were never meant to be celebrated. Even among the Kainate, they are spoken of in hushed tones, if at all. They are the nightmare the Sith pretend that they do not wield, the abomination they rely upon but refuse to name. Their temples are hidden, their rituals unrecorded, their existence a rumor even to the high-ranking individuals occupying the Kainate Grand Council. To be hunted by them is to vanish from history; to become one is to surrender to the Dark Side entirely.

They leave no monuments, no records of glory—only the echoes of screams in the minds of those who survive their passing. And in the end, that is all they need. The Hounds do not seek remembrance. They are the teeth of the Sith’ari, and their only history is written in the terror of the fallen.

 

[Mellifluous Magenta]

Spoiler

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: Create a specific breed of Arkanian Offshoot.
• Image Credit: Eos of DawnSphere. Miss Universe. Vote like!
  
  • Unable to find exact credit.
• Canon:
  
  • Arkanian Offshoot
  • Arkanian
• Permissions: N/A
• Links: N/A

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Name: Arkanian Offshoot 202
• Designation: Sentient
• Origins: Arkania
• Average Lifespan: 500 GSY
• Estimated Population: Rare - ~5,000
• Description: Luxury products of Arkanian genetic engineering, Arkanian Offshoot 202s are eerie, unnerving, yet delicate creatures of precision and inhuman grace. Possessing wide cheekbones, long, slender necks, and deeply hollow cheeks, their appearance is that of feline grace, gaunt elegance, and serpentine inhumanity. They excel in roles where precision, aesthetics, emotional sensitivity, and intellect are paramount, making them nigh-indispensable within Arkanian high society.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

• Breathes: Type I
• Average Height of Adults: 1.4-1.9 meters
• Average Length of Adults: N/A
• Skin Color:
  
  • Alabaster
  • Pale
  • Tan
  • Brown
• Hair Color:
  
  • Alabaster
  • Blonde
  • Black
  • Brown
  • Red
• Distinctions:
  
  • Four Digits on Hands and Feet
    
    • Retractable Micro-Serrated Pads
      
      • Each finger / toe has retractable micro-serrated pads for sheer-force adhesion. In practice this allows for scaling smooth surfaces and ultra-precise tool adjustments.
  • Elongated Cervical Vertebrae
    
    • Although not present in all Offshoot 202s, a number of individuals have a subtly extended neck, lending their appearance a serpentine aspect.
  • Hybrid Muscle Fiber Composition
    
    • Superfine Myofibrils
      
      • Ultra-dense, slow-twitch fibers with 0.000001mm contraction precision, allowing for the adjustment of force in nanogram increments. These also function to suppress micro-tremors, even after long periods without rest.
    • Elastomeric Biopolymers
      
      • Artificial protein strands woven into muscle tissue, acting as self-tightening "living cables" that automatically adjust tension and recoil while stretching. Notably, these biopolymers serve an additional purpose in preventing muscle fatigue.
    • Neural-Filament Bundles
      
      • Dedicated nerve clusters in each muscle fiber bundle, allowing for direct synaptic muscle control and instantaneous correction without conscious thought.
  • Enhanced Visual Perception
    
    • Dynamic Iris Aperture
      
      • Their pupils can dilate / contract instantly, optimizing light intake.
    • Enhanced Flicker Fusion Threshold
      
      • Owing to their high-speed optic neurons, they can process visual data at ~1000+ frames per second.
    • Tetrachromatic Cone Cells
      
      • Allows for a wider range of color perception, including ultraviolet light. Their color vision extends beyond the standard visual spectrum.
    • Thermochromatic Rods
      
      • Rods are laced with thermoreceptive proteins, allowing for infrared and temperature-sensitive vision.
    • Adaptive Pupillary Shutters
      
      • Semi-translucent membranes in the eyes slide horizontally to block excess IR / UV in bright environments or to dilate in darkness. The latter function notably creates a reflective glare.
    • Optic Neural Processing
      
      • Their lateral geniculate nucleus has dedicated channels for processing IR / UV stimuli, preventing sensory overload. Specialized neurotransmitters also sharpen wavelength discrimination, allowing them to distinguish a 0.1 nm color difference.
  • Seemingly Unblinking Eyes
    
    • Although their eyes blink periodically, it is not visible and occurs only rarely.
  • Enhanced Reaction Time
    
    • Myelinated Quantum-Nodes
      
      • Nerve fibers are coated in bio-engineered superconductive proteins, enabling near-lightspeed signal transmission.
    • Spinal Reflex Bypass
      
      • Threat responses may skip brain processing, routing instead through dedicated ganglia clusters in their spine for instant counteractions.
  • Iridescent Blue-Green Blood
  • Eidetic Memory
  • Dark Sclera
  • Subvocal Humming
    
    • Not known to serve a specific purpose, a faint, ultrasonic resonance carries when they speak, generally detectable only subconsciously. As such, their voices can be eerie and unnerving, without listeners knowing why.
  • Hibernation Trance
    
    • Can enter a low-metabolism trance state, often used for reducing caloric demands during travel.
  • Wide and Angular Cheekbones
  • Deeply Hollow Cheeks
  • Hyperfluid Joints
    
    • Multi-Axial Ball Sockets
      
      • Gives joints markedly enhanced rotational capability. With their joints’ ability to articulate in 360 degrees (and at times beyond that), they can move in ways that would see a normal humanoid dislocate.
    • Elastic Tendons and Connective Tissues
      
      • Tendons and connective tissues are elastic, able to stretch and retract in the manner of biopolymer springs, allowing for instant recoil without strain.
    • Liquid-Cartilage Lubrication
      
      • Self-replenishing synovial fluid infused with engineered cells reduces wear and tear to almost zero. Stiffness, friction, and fatigue are effectively eliminated.
  • Porcelain Skin
    
    • Skin is smooth, poreless, and slightly reflective.
  • No Body or Vellus Hair
  • No Body Heat
  • Odorless Physiology
    
    • Sterile Sweat Glands
      
      • Sweat is composed of 99% water + electrolytes, with no lipids or proteins for bacteria to break down.
    • Self-Sterilizing Dermis
      
      • Skin secretes lysozyme peptides that instantly kill odor-causing microbes on contact.
    • Engineered Scrubber Cells
      
      • Engineered cells neutralize volatile organic compounds before they can evaporate. These cells also scrub VOCs from the bloodstream before they reach the lungs, preventing halitosis.
    • Digestive Byproduct Neutralization
      
      • Intestines contain probiotics that convert sulfurous waste into odorless inert salts. A hyper-optimized liver breaks down remaining volatile organic compounds 100x faster than that of baseline Arkanians.
• Races: N/A
• Force Sensitivity: High
  
  • Roughly 75% have greater than 8,000 midi-chlorians per cell.

Strengths:

• Machine Muscle: Offshoot 202s have muscles that are engineered for nano-scale precision. Unlike normal humanoids, their muscles do not utilize graded muscle activation. Instead, their musculature activates only the exact fibers necessary, eliminating wasted motion. So precise are their muscle fibers that they can write several pages worth of text on a single grain of rice, provided that magnification is available and the tip of the writing implement is fine enough.
• Snapshot Replication: Syngergizing with their eidetic memory, Offshoot 202s have adoptive muscle memory. They can replicate another individual’s movements after witnessing them performed only once, as muscle memory is encoded within the fibers.
• Contortionist: Offshoot 202s possess hyperfluid joints, giving them the ability to move in smooth, eerie fashion. Of particular note, some have learned the ability to dislocate their joints at will, allowing for extreme flexibility rivaling (and at times exceeding) that of the Vahla.
• Kinetic Marionette: Their frictionless, hyperfluid joints and inertialess, ultra-precise muscles allow for zero-lag neuromechancial feedback and instantaneous motion response. In effect, they can change direction mid-movement without deceleration, lending them an eerie, marionette-like grace. These same anatomy structures allow for limited kinetic energy absorption and rerouting, allowing incoming force to be translated directly into controlled motion along new vectors. A blocked punch’s energy could be redirected to fuel a backflip. However, it should be noted that their kinetic energy redirection abilities are limited to low-grade impacts such as punches, kicks, and low-height (<6 meters) falls. Like any other humanoid, hammer blows will shatter bones and sword strikes will shear through unprotected flesh.
• Emotional Mirror: Offshoot 202s are nigh-perfect mimics, lie detectors, and emotion readers. Their facial muscles (zygomaticus, corrugator, mentalis, etc.) have elastic, ultra-responsive fibers, allowing for twitch-level precision in replicating facial expressions. Neurologically, their brains are optimized for emotional perception and mimicry. Their premotor cortex and inferior parietal lobule contain clustered, redundant neural pathways that fire both when they observe an emotion and when they "replay" it. When mimicking or mirroring emotions, their brain releases specialized “emotion sampling” neurotransmitters, creating a brief, synthetic version of the emotion they are copying. Finally, sensory inputs from a humanoid target (e.g., seeing a smile), can trigger an instant, autonomic facial response wherein they mirror the emotion.
• Unliving Signature: Given their odorless physiology, Offshoot 202s leave no scent trail for animals, scent trackers, or chemical trackers. In addition, their lack of body heat while at rest renders them hard to pick out via infrared or thermal sensors.
• Synaptic Overdrive: Offshoot 202s have parallel-processing neural architecture, allowing them to perceive, analyze, and react to threats with nigh-zero latency. In practice, their average reaction times measure in the single-digit milliseconds.

Weaknesses:

• Overheating: The synovial fluid within their joints can overheat with a large number of redirections of high-momentum forces in a short period of time, since a small percentage of the absorbed kinetic energy is lost as waste heat. In extreme cases, joint lubrication can fail as the synovial fluid becomes watery, losing its frictionless properties. This can result in grinding friction and stiffness, causing the joints to revert to baseline humanoid-like movement. In addition, excessive energy storage from heavy impacts can overstretch the elastomeric fibers, causing tears, twitches, or spasms.
• Underheating: The synovial fluid within their joints can be too underheated to function effectively, as well. In extreme cold environments (often below freezing temperatures), the lubricating fluid within their joints can thicken, causing stiffness.
• Flash Strike: Sudden high-intensity IR sources from flash grenades, strobe lights, and other high-light sources can cause retinal bleaching (temporary loss in IR / heat vision) and painful pupil spasms. In addition, they generally need to wear eye protection on planets with hot, blue suns.
• Emotional Backwash: The ability of Offshoot 202s to mimic emotions can be weaponized against them, especially if they lack strong emotional regulation. In theory, a target could fake pain or agony and in turn make an Offshoot 202 feel real pain as specialized “emotion sampling” neurotransmitters react by a synthetic version of pain. In addition, the use of multiple contradicting emotional stimuli (e.g., laughing while grimacing) can desynchronize their mirroring.
• Social Dysfunction: The ability Offshoot 202s to constantly detect lies can result in eroded trust. Some see deception everywhere, becoming paranoid and manipulative as a result. In addition, some struggle with sarcasm or idioms, as their brains are engineered to prioritize facial expressions or micro-expressions above all else.
• Uncanny Valley: Especially perceptive individuals may sense that Offshoot 202s’ emotions are fake and scripted, due to the precision, perfection, and uncanny mimicry of their emotional responses.
• Caloric Consumption: Offshoot 202s’ demanding, ultra-precise biomechanics need roughly 3x the caloric intake of a baseline humanoid in order to maintain health. They require high-sugar, nutrient-dense diets in order to prevent hypoglycemia. Prolonged starvation will force their body to consume elastomers for fuel, degrading performance.

CULTURE

• Diet: Omnivore
• Notable Communication:
  
  • Arkanian
  • Galactic Basic Standard
• Technology level: Galactic Standard - Space
• Religion/Beliefs: As religion is not a prominent part of Arkanian society, Offshoot 202s reflect this. Thus, they are generally not religious and do not hold superstitions. However, it should be noted that those 202s who are incorporated within the Kainate are known to worship Darth Carnifex and Darth Prazutis .
• General Behavior: Designed for high-status service roles, Offshoot 202s typically work in roles where aesthetics, intellect, and precision are paramount. In Arkanian society (and often beyond), they may serve as interrogators, surgeons, diplomatic attendants, and spies. However, even in these fields they are extremely rare. It is Arkanian high society where their numbers are more concentrated. In Arkanian courts they are commonly displayed as “living art”. In this capacity they may recite poetry, play music, dance, or pose motionless for hours as “living statues”. Arkanian nobles may also take them on as genetically tailored companions and confidants.
  
  In terms of their specific shared culture, 202s almost universally value strong emotional discipline and regulation, due to the mechanisms behind their mimicry and mirroring abilities. Children and newly created individuals (since many are made, not born) are trained to regulate their emotions as soon as possible, a practice which continues throughout the lifespan.
  
  Although capable of having children, many 202s are manufactured specifically for their roles, often being grown directly as adults and thus bypassing childhood. Those who were created as part of the same batch may perceive each other as siblings, especially if they were created from the same genetic material. However, it should be noted that manufactured 202s are not clones. Their genetics are effectively randomized to ensure that each individual is different.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Conceived within various Arkanian genetic engineering laboratories, the very first Arkanian Offshoot 202s were created during the final decade of the eighth century after the Battle of Yavin. Originally the product of a number of the Arkanian geneticist Suni Nes, after a long string of failed subjects the Sith Healer Vestara VII oversaw the refinement and stabilization of their genome. Her services came with the condition of the Kainate being granted license to produce Offshoot 202s, in addition to research data for a number of other Offshoot and “pure” Arkanian variants.

With full stabilization of their genome, it did not take long for Offshoot 202s to become an uncommon fixture within Arkanian high society. Unlike many Offshoots variants which were bred for industrial work, 202s saw use in high-status service roles. More darkly, their ability to pick out micro-expressions made them ideal for roles as spies, interrogators, and mentalists. A small number of 202s were also produced within the Kainate, albeit only on an experimental basis.

However, given their exclusive, luxurious status and the extreme difficulty of their creation, Offshoot 202s are rare, even on Arkania. They are essentially nonexistent within the greater galaxy and their numbers in the Kainate are within the tens. Nevertheless, representing the pinnacle of Sith and Arkanian genetic engineering, Offshoot 202s are poised to become an eerie symbol of the relentless pursuit of genetic perfection.