Xeth

[TLDunn213]

The first Xeth were created by the Yun-Xi during the Druid Necromancer Wars. It is generally believed that the Warior Xeth were created first and the Assassin Xeth came later. I am inclined to believe that it was the other way around. Given the stleth infiltration abilities of the Assassin type,  it  seems far more likely that both were created at the same time. But the Warior type was encountered first as they are shock troops and very much ment to be seen.

Warior Xeth are clearly built for combat and to be scary. The exoskeleton provides natural armor equal to boiled leather. The whole front of the head, above the mouth, is a single compound eye, quite similar to the compound eyes of the Slisty, and offering a similar host of visual abilities. While being protected by a hard clear layer every bit as durable as the rest of the exoskeleton. 

They have been reported to have biocurrent abilities and an assortment of forearm mounted spray cannons able to unleash fire, acid, lighting, and web effects. Although this seems to be on the order of a pick two type of deal as I can find no reports of any one Xeth using more than two of these abilities.

Excluding the biocurrent abilitie, which all of them seem to have. 

They also have a hive mind abilitie which makes a team of them just that much harder to deal with.

[TLDunn213]

Assassin Xeth require a subject/victim/form donor onto which the Xeth form can be grafted. Unlike the Thulien morphosis process, which is intended to erase the form donor's identity. The grafting process used in the creation of assassin Xeth is generally intended to preserve that identity. So as to better maintain the illusion of normalcy with is extremely useful in preforming their mission.

The combat form of the Assassin Xeth is more similar to the base form than the Warior Xeth. Looking basically like the base form covered in the Xeth carapace. Which in assassins is softer and more flexible being basically equivalent to hide armor rather than the boiled leather toughness of the Warior Xeth.

It is unclear exactly how quickly an assassin Xeth can switch between forms but reports tend to indicate that the change can take as little as two minutes. 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by TLDunn213

[TLDunn213]

Now to understand how we got from assassins and shock troops to the Xeth we have today one must understand how the Yun-Xi were defeated in the war.

The main flaw in their plan was the part that they saw as the most ingenious. That is using the enemy as a source of recrutes for their side. 

And to be fair it is an effective strategy, as long as you are using a process that erases the original mind completely.

Where they let their arrogance trip them up was when they tried leaving the original mind mostly intact. Erasing the personal details and relying on mind control for obedience as a way to get smarter better trained troops.

The assassin/spy Xeth were the test run for the mind control part of this plan. If they could be kept obedient while passing as their former selves and betraying those around them. Then they could be counted on to remain obedient after becoming field commander warriors. 

A clever plan. But they were not expecting to abilities of the Wrydlings.

I'll go into more detail about Wyrdlings elsewhere. But for now the important part is the Wyrdling abilitie to precive and break mind control. Along with the ability to restore erased memories. Not perfectly perhaps, but well enough that we were able to turn the tables on the Yun-Xi by sending their spies back transformed into their Field Commander state, but loyal to our side.

As Warior Xeth are made to all look alike, and given that our turncoats were still able to both here and speak into the hivemind it was quite easy for them to pick off key Yun-Xi and destroy important installations.

After all they were created to command the other Warior Xeth. Who were created to follow orders with out asking questions.

 

Now once the war was over there was the problem of what to do with a bunch of free willed Warior Xeth that couldn't be changed back into the people they were before. 

Attempts were made and there were some successes. But there were far too many failures for it to be a reasonable option.

The Assassin Xeth were a great help to their less fortunate fellows. Being able to assume their original form they were able to handle interactions with other peoples and thus make setting up a community much easier than would have otherwise been the case.

The Morlocks and Sporanids were also very helpful. Providing both resources and trading opportunities.

While some of the Xeth had been craftsmen in their former lives most were just Wariors. This however did not deture the Morlocks who were able to arrange contracts for hiring out Warior Xeth as both warehouse guards and after a time bodyguards. 

After all having a couple of Warior Xeth flanking you is quite effective at convincing most people to avoid messing with you.

After a while the demand for Xeth Bodyguards became high enough that they were having to take people who were being provided by the customers and transform them into Xeth. 

Mostly Bodyguards of the Warior type, but every now and then was a request for an Assassin type. Over time the process was improved to the point that Assassin Xeth were able to change form in seconds. Making them quite useful when more discreet bodyguards are needed. The faster change ability does not come with out it's tradeoffs, most notabl are the eyes and skintone, both of which are just not quite human.

The main enclave of Xeth is located in the city of Drumslow on the Island Continent of StriYa in the Southern Hemisphere.

Given the Hive mind abilities of the Xeth and the somewhat questionable nature of the business dealings of the people who tend to want Xeth Bodyguards it is quite likely that the Xeth Enclave secretly control most of what goes on down there. Or at the very least know about it.

Edited April 30, 2023 by TLDunn213