#there's also like. the impending tragedy. the doomed love. the toxicity of desire

[missholloween]

Hello LGBTQ+ community

[beyondthenova-blog1]

The Kylss

The Kylss were once the slaves of Shalas-Ixxal, the Maw Who Feeds on Hope. Now, they are free, and they oppose their former masters with every thought and deed.

Kylss are beings from beyond time and space, carried into the universe by Shalas-Ixxal to serve and attend him. Mirrors of their master, the Kylss are treacherous, cruel, and backbiting, and they plotted and schemed against him in secret. Most notably, by encouraging him to begin feeding before the Appointed Hour had come. When Shalas-Ixxal was slain, he proved too vast for death to claim, and the Klyss whispered into the ears of mortals that a prison would suffice.

Thus freed, they fled into the universe, howling and dancing with joy.

Both liner time and conceptual space are toxic to the Kylss, and they hide their true forms beneath thin wrappings of skin to prevent being withered by them. What the Kylss actually look like is a matter of some debate. Or it would be, if the Kylss didn't go to great pains to hide their existence from mortals. Outside of the ravings of madmen, fragmented documents, and ancient songs, there is no real proof that the Kylss exist. No Kylss has ever been caught and dissected. No Kylss remains have ever been found. There is no cost to great to pay to keep their secret, and every Kylss knows this.

Most often, a Kylss pretends to be a human, one of the Illuminated, or an orog. Their disguises are never quite right, and perceptive or insightful characters will be able to sense that something is 'off' about them. Fingers that are too long, a mouth with far too many teeth, even a wicked gleam in the eyes that never goes away. In times of great need and dire circumstance, a Kylss can shed this veil of flesh and assume their true form, though afterwards they are severely weakened and vulnerable to their enemies.

The true forms of the Kylss vary greatly in appearance, though all are terrifying and the sight of them instantly drives non-heroic characters temporarily insane. How this madness manifests is up the GM, but it should be appropriate to the situation, and the most typical reaction is uncontrollable fear. Heroic characters should be allowed a roll to resist the effects, and those who pass feel a brief surge of intense fear but may otherwise act normally (though fleeing is still recommended).

As a race of individuals, Kylss pursue their own agendas. Some become embroiled in personal stories of love, loss, and revenge. Others attempt to live normally or use the excuse of their impending doom to indulge in every imaginable form of hedonism. A few take it upon themselves to hunt down cults to Shalas-Ixxal, or those among his former slaves who seek to resurrect their master. Most dislike politics, but they cannot ignore the current situation within the Reach, the enslavement of their old allies, the endless conflicts, the evolution of humanity into something greater, the awakening of the Grievers - their master cast into fragments and come again.

The Hour is drawing near, but this time, there is hope.

Kylss Names

All Kylss have titles as well as names. Examples include Herald of the World's End, the Fist of the Ghosts in the Wasteland, and the Physician in Manner Both Excellent and Profane. While disguised, Kylss invent new identities for themselves, usually based on the race they're imitating. Some of them are extremely skilled at blending in, while others seem like strange outsiders no matter what form they take.

Kylss Culture

Kylss have no culture of their own. They were created to worship and serve Shalas-Ixxal, though they chafed under his rule and in time, they engineered his demise. Now, they define themselves as his enemies and jailers, though they are more like their creator than they know. A Kylss often has difficulty rising above their nature, and some never accomplish this feat at all. As an example, it would be unlikely for a Kylss to become a physician, though they would take great joy in strangling the business owners who dumped the toxic chemicals that made people ill in the first place. To accomplish good deeds, they often need to approach laterally.

Most Kylss dislike religion, including their own. While they merely consider most mortal religions to be a waste of time, they actively hunt down and slay the worshipers of Shalas-Ixxal, even if those worshipers are themselves Kylss. All Kylss sense that the crimson gears that time the universe are winding down, and in their secret hearts, they know that they will suffer greatly when their master's siblings arrive. Some turn back to them out of fear, and the Kylss do not permit such lapses from their own. These internal assassinations and religious wars have culled the number of Kylss severely, and in the modern day, few remain.

Kylss tend to be lonely, solitary creatures. Groups of Kylss will quickly draw attention to themselves, and attention is another thing the Kylss dislike. Even the weakest of the Kylss are a match for squads of soldiers and smaller Warmechs, but if the humans or Illuminated learned of them, there would be no place to hide.

Notable Kylss

The Prophet Whose Eyes Regard the End - While the Kylss have no true leader, if in ignorance, you asked who it was, you would probably be directed to the Prophet. The Prophet wove the original prophecy that predicted the downfall of Shalas-Ixxal, and subtly, she ensnared him with it. It is a feat that no other Kylss has been able to match, their masters are far too large for Fate to catch, and yet the Prophet prevailed against impossibility. The Prophet takes the form of a shaman and walks in wild places, usually followed by a handful of Kylss who seek to learn from her. Others approach her for advice, direction, or bring criminals before her to be judged. To the Kylss, her wisdom is beyond reproach.

The King in Yellow/Aure Parnapey - Hastur has a day job as an assassin. Aure Parnapey (named after the Parnapey Scriptures) is well known in the Frontier and the Illuminated Empire as a gun for hire, one capable of dispatching any target. He's also an abolitionist, furious with the treatment of the orog, and the seeming indifference of the other Kylss. When the Kylss were slaves, the orog came to their rescue. When they called out for champions, the orog answered. When they were cast adrift in the wake of their master's destruction, the orog taught them to weave flesh to protect themselves. Now, Hastur is going to return those favors, even if it means personally murdering every slaver in the Reach.

The Dreamer in Darkness/Arin Parnapey - Hastur's half-brother. Where the King is bold and forward and ever-present in the world, the Dreamer is withdrawn and vanishing. Along with the Prophet, the Dreamer was one of the main conspirators against their former master. When the Hour comes at last, he knows judgement will fall heaviest on him and his brother and fear of it has quelled him into inaction.

Whispers Who Illuminate Darkness/Tasha Dohnanyi - An information dealer who lives and works in the Frontier. Istasha is a collector of things, though as time passes, she flits from one obsession to another. Once it was stamps, then comic books. Later, it was promises, and then gemstones. For a time, she found herself fixated on the brains of serial killers, trying to discover what made them tick. In the modern day, she collects information. Most know her as a strange old woman who likes cats a great deal, but in return for secrets she does not yet know, she will grant great boons.

Kylss Physiology

Kylss are, in a word, strange.

While disguised, they approximate the race they're pretending to be, enough that they can pass medical examinations. They even need to eat, drink, and sleep, though they can't die by failing to do so. A starving or dehydrated Kylss merely suffers increasing discomfort until they are able to ingest. A Kylss deprived of sleep cannot die from it, but their symptoms will eventually worsen until they laspe into a coma and are left helpless. In their mortal form, Kylss need to breathe, though all Kylss can breathe water as though it were air. Gas or lack of oxygen (in either air or water) will incapacitate them and deprivation can 'kill' their disguised form and draw out the monster below.

A Kylss' mortal form reacts normally to most circumstances and stimuli. It can gain or lose weight. It ages naturally (though a Kylss can inhabit it until it rots away completely, if it so desires). It bleeds. When it at last falls apart, or at a moment of the Kylss' choosing, they shed it and weave a new cocoon of flesh for themselves. One notable exception is that Kylss cannot sire or bear children, regardless of form.

Kylss are conditionally immortal. They cannot die from old age (though magical aging effects can 'kill' their mortal form), and they would be able to live forever, if the Hour were not upon them.

In its monstrous form, a Kylss is extremely powerful and dangerous, though some are stronger than others. Nonetheless, even the weakest among the Kylss are strong enough to take on groups of Heroic characters and emerge victroious, those who are mighty could shake the very foundations of the world. Each is unique. Some are skeletal, others are writhing masses of flesh or tentacles, or unfathomable darkness hidden behind tragedy masks. If slain in this form, a Kylss is dead forever, and as such, if truly threatened, many prefer flight to fight.

Monstrous forms are formidable, but they are vulnerable to the ravages of space and time, both of which are toxic to them. Depending on their level of power, a Kylss can remain in this form for perhaps a few days, and a week at most. After that, they will have withered away to nothingness unless they craft a new body for themselves. Once properly hidden within a veil of flesh, they can renew themselves, though this process can take weeks or months.