Vessh'Kul

[Gen Gravy]

An antagonist race that to become the counterpart to the Draken. A combination of the Incubo and the Cursed, two races/factions I created for the old RP. I am currently working on designs for the Vessh'Kul.

The Swarm

Vessh'Kul Azoon'la is the name given this race of insectoids by the Draken. Roughly translated into English, it means, "Eternal Swarm".

The Vessh'Kul is a race of highly intelligent insects. They come in many different varieties, from a parasite that can latch itself to a host and transform the host into a new drone, to large beetles whose hides are as thick and tough as a spaceship's hull.

The main hive of the Vessh'Kul is somewhere in the depths of space, and something the Draken seek to destroy. The Vessh'Kul have become an Empire in their own right. All that is known is that some race is cooperating with Vessh'Kul, giving them access to most of the FSA's advanced space travel technology, allowing them to expand with ease.

They are called 'the Swarm' because of the manner in which they expand. Within three days of arriving on a planet, they dominate it. They go from two or three eggs and become an army of a million strong.

The Vessh'Kul seek the perfect planet on which to bring their God back to this world. This God is called T'ch A'lak by the Drakens, an Elder God of pure evil. It is believed by the Drakens that T'ch A'lak gave birth to the Vessh'Kul Queen.

History

Not much is known about Vessh'Kul's history. The first race to survive an encounter with them was the Draken. All that is known is that they are an ancient race of insectoids.

3170, the Vessh'Kul appear within Draken territory, but are kept at bay by the Draken's powerful flames and brutish strength.

3680, a Captain Thyrr Azzin comes in contact with the Vessh'Kul. His black soul and dabbling in necromancy interests the Vessh'Kul. He is brought before the Queen of the Vessh'Kul, and offered a seat of power. He becomes Thyrr the Scarab Lord, a blend between human and Vessh'Kul, the will of the Queen on the battlefield.

3710, the Vessh'Kul awaken something that even they fear. Drakens find a black box on a Vessh'Kul ship. They will hear these last words of a Vessh'Kul officer:

"He comessss! We have awakened Him!! An alien machine that holdsssss the power to desssstroy all sssssentient life!! If our Queen obtainsssss thissssss... We want her to know that we have awoken... The Hephaesssstussss!"

3943, the Vessh'Kul arrive on Pluto, and beginning building a hive to begin their invasion of Earth and Mars.

4042, the Draken arrive on Mars and help the humans prepare for the war with the Vessh'Kul. The Vessh'Kul sends heralds to all sentient races, giving them a chance to join them in their conquest. The only race to answer their call is the Horret, another race of insectoids, who view the Vessh'Kul as an ancient race of insect Gods.

Empire

The Vessh'Kul's empire contains within it many Beast Worlds and several worlds that once contained sentient life forms capable of interstellar travel. Empirical expansion is in the form of hostile takeovers through invasions.

The center of the empire is the Vessh'Kul hive world, Huskk. A world that is completely harvested of resources, and is nothing more than a barren wasteland.

The Queen is the leader of the Vessh'Kul empire. She is a beautiful, exotic woman who with a deadly, strategic mind. The only person to meet with the Queen and live is Thyrr Azzin, who became her right hand in the invasion of Mars and Earth. The Queen's ruthless expansion methods has turned the Vessh'Kul into a dangerous force.

Military

The Vessh'Kul military is the Swarm. The main strategy of their military is a subtle invasion, usually in the form of a crashing asteroid or spaceship. The crash is meant to look like an accident or a stroke of chance, however, the crashed item usually contains within it anywhere from two eggs, to several dozen.

The ranks of the Vessh'Kul military are separated into what you might find in a typical hive of insects. The drones are the cannon fodder, usually at the frontlines. They are the most common soldier to be found. There are a few officers that use a telepathic link with the drones to give them orders. Above these officers are the Chosen. Chosen are Vessh'Kul who are picked by the Queen herself to reproduce new drones for the Swarm.

Thyrr Azzin leads the Cursed, a branch of the Vessh'Kul military composed of creatures similar to the Undeath. The Cursed are all sorts of races infected with a Vessh'Kul parasite. This gives them similar traits to the Undeath. The Cursed have a telepathic link with Thyrr.

[Zaku]

Good god you made Tyranids.

[Gen Gravy]

Hah, I feel that the Vessh'Kul started out more like the Xenomorphs from the Alien movies when I first created them. I came up with the idea of an insect race to employ in the RP when I saw Blue Gender. But it is difficult to create an insect race while trying to be original at the same time. You have the Tyranids from Warhammer, the Zerg from Starcraft, the Silithid in Warcraft, and the Scrin in C&C.

Insect races were always interesting because of the simple but effective strategy behind their tactics. Overwhelming the enemy with a maelstrom of pincers, claws, and fangs. I find this race to be the perfect counterpart to the Draken because of this.

I originally was going to make the Hephaestus the head of this race, but decided to keep him as an android.

[Gen Gravy]

Breeds

There are several breeds of Vessh'Kul in the ranks of their swarm. Each breed has a specific task within the swarm in ensure victory in a battle, or to help progress the swarm as a whole.

Drones

The drone is a humanoid Vessh'Kul. Drones are the most common of all the breeds within the swarm and are mass produced in order to keep the numbers of the swarm high. They have two legs and four arms. Drones run merely on animal instincts, but are very quick to learn and quite cunning. Drones are born from an egg lain by a Chosen. At the time they hatch, they spend eight hours to mature into an adult drone, which stand at about the same height of an adult Draken.

Splicer

Parasitic Vessh'Kul. Splicer are small, worm-like creatures that a drone can realese. Once a Splicer enters a host, it heads for the host's brain and latches onto the frontal lobe. From here, Splicers take control of the host, turning them into a Cursed, one of the infected under the control of the Vessh'Kul. Splicers begin to eat the brain and within a week, they take up the entire space within the host's skull. Within the skull, they turn into a pupa of the Skulker breed.

Skulker

A mantis-like Vessh'Kul, and the adult form of the Splicer. Skulkers are a dangerous breed of Vessh'Kul. They have blades on their forearms which they use to eviscerate their enemies. They have the ability to blend in with their surroundings and secrete an ooze that allows them to latch onto any surface. They are the most lithe breed of Vessh'Kul. They stand at about half the height of an adult human.

Stag

A massive Vessh'Kul to looks like a beetle. Stag are lain by Chosen and take a week to fully mature into their adult form. The Stag stand about four stories tall and have a thick exoskeleton that rivals most frigates. Stag are one of the only few organisms able to produce plasma. Stag have a horn on their head they use to spray the plasma they produce in their thorax. Unlike the plasma weapons the Draken and Undeath possess, the plasma it fires isn't focused, and is sprayed out like some insects spray acid.

Widow

A female Vessh'Kul that is similar to a spider. Widows are masters of stealth. They are the most cunning and intelligent of all the Vessh'Kul breeds. The web they weave is stronger than any known substance in the universe. This web can be used to fashion weapons and a shell to protect a Widow from harm. Widows usually work with Skulkers in the field.

Shrill

A flying breed of Vessh'Kul. Shrill can survive in space for up to a week on one breath and can fly onto planets without burning up in the atmosphere because of their durable exoskeleton. Shrill have blades along their forearms that can slice through the hulls of some small spaceships. They also can spray a corrosive acid from their mouth. The Shrill earned their named because of the high-pitched sound they produce when they fly. This sound is said to cause nausea in some species.

Envoy

A highly intelligent Vessh'Kul able to use magic. The Envoy are highly religious and command the other breeds; they typically become officers within the army. Envoys only answer to the Queen and help oversee that a Chosen's needs are fulfilled. They compose the Royal Guard, a sect within the Vessh'Kul that defends hives. Envoys are bipedal. Like drones, they have four arms and like the Shrill, they have wings. They know all languages of species they have come in contact with, allowing them to communicate with other species with ease.

Chosen

A breed of Vessh'Kul with only one purpose: laying eggs. Chosen are massive beasts that lay deep within a Vessh'Kul hive. They are the only other female breed besides Widows. Chosen have the ability to lay eggs of all breeds, except other Chosen. Only the Queen can lay Chosen eggs.

[Kyle20]

You've caught my interest in this race. Assuming we're desperate enough to be able to have 5+ characters or something of the sort, I'm sure atleast 3 of mine will probably be Vessh'Kul. Probably an Envoy, a Splicer that'll turn into a Skulker, and...I dunno. Something else. Maybe a Widow.

[Zaku]

You may not be able to if they are linked by a hive mind.

[Kyle20]

Good point, but so far Gen hasn't said that. ....so far.

[Gen Gravy]

I actually only planned for the Drones, Stag, Shrill, and Chosen to be a part of the hive mind. The nature of the other breeds calls for them to have their own mental abilities, while the others would operate more efficiently under a hive mind.

[Kyle20]

Lucky choosing on my part, then. Not all luck, though, Drones seemed too hive mindish/just mindless to me, so I wasn't considering them.