Chaos

Hierarchy
Occupations
Religion
Geography
Species
Bonds
Pets
Chaosian Magics

Chaos, the bane of the Four Realms, ShadowStar's complete opposite. Despite some parallels in the differing societies, there is no love, no morality. There is only evil. It does not matter what it takes to accomplish greater riches and feed their dark desires.

Hierarchy

Even though the title is "Chaos", there is a very rigid system that keeps everyone in their place and insures that operations run smoothly. The leadership hierarchy follows as thus:

• High Demonlord/Demonlady: The supreme ruler of all of Chaos's forces, marked in rank by a bonding to a royal bondcreature (in the unlikely event that there's more than one royal, seniority takes it.) Their word is the final say, and they have the ability to summon and communicate with the Nameless One herself.
• The Council of Chaos: The Council consists of four members, sometimes more if there are lesser royals. They are all equal in rank and have authority over their respective spheres, although ultimately they must all answer to the HDL. They are a 'council' largely in the sense of being of the same rank; Chaosians are not known for teamwork. The positions are as follows:
  --Demonlord/Demonlady: The DL is in charge mainly of managing Chaos's internal affairs. They're usually appointed by the HDL and may or may not be bonded to a lesser royal.
  --Hordemaster/mistress: The Lord General of Chaos, the highest rank of the army elite. They are commander in chief for all military actions and run the Hands.
  --Head Justice: Sometimes called 'the Justice' or 'Her Justice', they are responsible for the leadership of the Justices and managing of their resources, such as tracking down traitors or managing Chaos's information network.
  --Bandit King: Leader of the Chaosian Thieves, they are also responsible for the bulk of Chaos's naval power in the form of the Guild's pirate fleet.

Occupations

• Mages: Most mages in Chaos are either psy-mages, or the far-more-common bloodmages. The majority of bloodmages are vampires and demons, but there are a signifigant number of nahgam and human bloodmages as well. The biggest specialty for bloodmages is attack and war magics, and many are skilled in weapons as well. The biggest (and practically only) source of academia on Chaos Isle deals with the study of bloodmagic and development of new areas.
      There is no central leadership for the mage community, nor much internal structure, and it is heavily dominated by politics. High rises and devastating falls in power are commonplace.
• Hands of the Goddess: The Hands are units in the army of Chaos, called the Wings of the Goddess. The majority of members are the less intelligent, more brutish and crude elements of Chaos, the default occupation for creatures like ogres and trolls. Leading the Nails, the divisions within the army, are the more intelligent of the Chaotic species, as well as defecting Knights from Shadow Star. Rise in rank is determined mostly by blood rather than actual talent; demons and vampires make up the top ranks, then nahgam, then Unitarian defects, then the lower Chaosian species like orcs. Rank within the army is as rigid as a caste system, and disobedience to superior officers is often punished with death. The lower ranks are mostly kept disciplined with fear. Many officers in the army stand for bonding or are already bonded--it's the closest the army comes to a calvary and marks an officer easily. Foot soldiers rarely stand for bonding, and far fewer still actually bond.
• Messengers: These are imps, mostly. They ferry messages from squadron to squadron.
  
• Justices: The center of Chaosian intelligence gathering, they have an extensive data-gathering network surpassing that of Shadow Star's Patrol. They are the Big Brother of Chaos, with members ranging from Cascadia to Sacordia, and close tabs are kept on each and every member. They are also responsible for dealing out the Nameless One's wrath when someone has earned her ire. Interrogation and torture is routine in the Justice ranks, sometimes among their own members. Rumors are whispered that the top Justices are in direct contact with the Nameless One herself. They are also responsible for dealing with Chaosian defects; most former Chaosians fear for the day when a Justice shows up on their doorstep.
      There are a good number of demons and vampires within the ranks; it's considered the dream job by some. However, its members can be most any species, although lower-ranked species may only be spies and not interrogators or hunters. Despite their extensiveness, they are not great in number; smaller numbers are easier for the top Justice to keep tabs on, and the ranks are often routinely thinned when treason is suspected. Justices are marked by a carved hoop earring; normal Justices wear silver, higher ranked ones wear gold, and the top Justice wears one of hematite.
• Thieves: Thievery has become so commonplace and natural on Chaos Isle, it has become an official Chaosian guild with ties to the government. They are largely responsible for the regular raids on Shadow Star, as well as gathering goods from other available sources as well. If it's not fastened down, a thief can steal it. They pride themselves on being much better than their Shadowstarian counterparts.
    For Chaosians, the guild is an elite group which any novice aspires to get into. If you hear someone talking about "the guild", chances are it's the Thieves. They have to aspire quickly, however; the guild is fond of taking out independants. Unlike the Shadow Star Thieves' Guild, the guild is highly structurized and ranked, second only to the Wings in organization. It is led by the Bandit King.
      Members of the guild tend to be the middle-ranked species in the Chaosian heiarchy, like nahgam and Unitarian defects. There are a few demons and vampires sprinkled in the upper ranks, but most consider such work beneath them.
      With its pirate fleet, the thieves also make up a good portion of Chaos's sea power, and will fight in the army--for a price. They're also responsible for much of the black market trade between Shadow Star and Chaos; Chaos sends illicit materials, like poppies for producing opium, and bloodmagic potions, in exchange for various Shadowstarian goods and plunder.
• The Sangre-Klarn: At the moment, there are only two Sangre-Klarn, a master and his disgruntled apprentice. Their uniforms are red and black with gold pins shaped similarly to the Eye of Ra, but studded with rubies dead center. Their power comes from the Nameless Goddess or within themselves, or blood magic. Sangre-Klarn can be any race, and even defectors from Unity.
• Civilians: The farming, slaver, administrative and merchant classes. They work by sea and on Ablatas and Sacoridia and do their best to keep the Chaos population fed and sheltered. The majority of these tend to be the middle-class species, nahgam and Unitarian defects. Orcs in the civilian groups are fairly common, however, and even ogres and trolls are not unheard of.

Religion: The Srih

The Srih is a large cult following the Nameless One; anyone allied with Chaos is allowed to join. They celebrate the existence and effects of Chaos, and often have large gatherings where leaders of the cult, called 'Ditloxi,' command the followers to participate in different rituals, often entertaining themes of blood, sacrifice, and sexual encounters.

A Ditloxi is one of up to three leaders of the Srih who has 'visions' from the Nameless One, telling them to carry out different rituals. It is rare that a Ditloxi has true visions, and most are induced by different types of hallucination-inducing herbs. They assure their place as Ditloxi usually through combat or election through a current Ditloxi, or by rare cases of divine intervention by the Nameless One herself.

There is not any other ranks within the cult, to preserve the frenzied nature of the group. Many high-ranking Chaosians, and many nobles, or those who are wealthy, are part of the Srih. They are known for lavish celebrations when the Ditloxi call for them, that may change their purpose halfway through. A ritual that begins as a gluttonous orgy may end in virgin sacrifices, etc.

The most common rituals practiced are orgies, feasts, virgin sacrifices, animal sacrifices, other sacrifices, bloodbaths (literally, fighting among the group until everyone is bleeding), random fighting matches, and, sometimes, cannibalism. Animalistic fits of the members of the Srih are greatly encouraged at any celebration.

The Srih believe that when the Nameless One grows in power, and the forces of Chaos take over the world, it will be them that are her most favored, and will be rewarded greatly by their goddess for their worship.

Chaotic Species

• Demons: The elite and royalty of the Chaos realm. They're vastly intelligent and long-lived, up to 3,000 years of age. They usually take the form of a dragon-winged faun with eather small, straight horns or curved, ram-like horns- though they can take any form they wish. Their limitations? Any druid can destroy them with relative ease- a demon's natural magic is no match against divine magic. No matter what form they take, they can be identified by their red pupils and gold irises. They are rare- not nearly as numerous as imps, but unfortunatly there are still a substantial amount of them.     Demons rank at the top of the political ladder of Chaos. However, for individuals and clans, power is tenuous and constantly changing among the various families.
  
• Imps: These small, red-winged beings outnumber any other species of Chaos. They have bulbous gold eyes, wickedly curved talons and fangs, and black leathery skin. They love pain, perhaps more than the others of Chaos- if that were possible. Their long, thin tails end in a barb that can contain poison or lash out as a cruel whip. Imps have a high tolerance for heat and flames, enough that they can stick their hands in a forge's flames and shape metal with their bare hands; consequently, they also have a very low tolerance for cold temperatures. Imps keep their homes warm; nagham/imp homes are not uncommon, and often high in temperature. Smithing is a favorite pasttime for some imps, and there are a few legends concerning imps and the fires of hell. There is some dispute among Chaosians as to the origins of imps--imps claim that they are descended from demons who bred with other species, while demons, denying any blood connection of the mass impurification of demon blood, say that imps are decended from a clan of demons who angered Her, and so she changed their forms to something more suitable.
  
• Ogres: Ugly, burly brutes a bit larger than a tall human with greenish, leathery skin. They have atrocious hygene and body odor, and wear little. Their intellect is about on par with that of a human child; simple spoken commands in either Common, or more rarely, demontongue,are the best way to communicate with them. They are loyal and protective of whomever is deemed the master (usually a demon) and their only other concern is filling their stomachs. They make excellent beserker foot soldiers.
  
• Orcs: Large ogres with much more intelligence.
  
• Trolls: Tall, muscular, and lean these creatures are greatly fear by the forces of Unity. The sight of their sharp angular faces, hard greenish skin, and burning eyes are nearly enough to send even a hardened soldier running. While they have great strength and physical endurance trolls prefer to use their cunning to make the first kill and then close in for an attack. The lifespan of these creatures is not known but it's rumored their lives are about double that of a human. The only real limitation the trolls have is their lack of skill in magic use. A superstitious people, they distrust anything that deals with magic believing that a good weapon is always best. The problem with fighting a troll doesn't lie just in its strength and cunning but in the fact that its skin is hard, much like leather armor. That, and their natural ability to regenerate from wounds. No one knows the limitations that this regeneration process has but it has been noted that they can reattach limbs in a matter of seconds.
      Trolls don't have many weaknesses but they are the keys to victory when fighting trolls. The first and easy weakness to put to use is how troll's are affected by the time of day or more exactly the sun. Their weakness to the suns light causes them to slowly weaken as it nears noon, when they are at their weakest. However, this also works in reverse, after noon they slowly gain strength until midnight after which it wanes again. The second weakness is fire, either natural or magically generated flames. Their skin itself isn't so much hurt by flames but fire is the only thing that has been known to halt their ability to regenerate. If a limb is hacked off and the stump or severed limb seared with fire it has no way of being reattached or grown back. The last of the weaknesses is druidic magic. Trolls are fairly new creatures, in relation to the other races, created by the Nameless One and given her dark gifts. These gifts give them the power to regenerate and grow stronger at night but also leaves them fairly weak to an attack from a druid.
  
• Vampires and Dhampires: A species created by the Nameless One to prey on weaker species, one of her very first creations. They are not the undead of Terran lore, but powerful living creatures. Dhampires are impure vampires with another race(s)'s blood mixed in. Both vampires and dhampires are rare, and are overwhelmingly loyal to Chaos, though dhampires are more likely to turn Unitarian or neutral than their full-blooded siblings. See their page for more info.
  
• Nahgam: The nahgam are snake people: Human torsos, and snakelike from the hips down. Males' tails can grow up to fifteen feet; females' tails usually average out at about twelve feet or so. Their scales are large and glossy, usually two-toned, either matching or complimenting their hair color, which has a surprisingly wide range. Hair is conventionally grown quite long, and the nahgam are always very beautiful, in a rather scary and haunting way. Skin color is somewhat limited, often golden tan or alabaster white. Height varies, especially given how far they can lift themselves with their tails. Nahgam usually go nude but for some decorations, but when climbing or crawling, they don tunics and gloves to protect their skin. They do have a fondness for gems and elaborate jewelery and are often decent jewelers.
      Nahgam can live to be about one hundred-fifty years old, living in family units of up to ten surprisingly devoted mated pairs, give or take some children. Females carry a clutch of up to five very large eggs for ten months before laying them and tearing the shells off. Nahgam "clutchlings" usually learn to fend for themselves within five years.
      Their diet consists of small animals and whatever fruit they can get their hands on. Like reptiles, they don't like the cold -actually, they loathe it with a passion- because it makes them so slow and mentally numb, so they spend as much time as possible in the sun. Come cooler times, everyone slithers to an underground den and tangle together under woven mats to keep warm as they sleep. If the weather is stormy or cold, nahgam don't leave the den at all, which can lead to crowding and bad tempers. If possible, nahgam find ways to acquire magefire to keep them warm in times when they can't stay in a den.
      Nahgam are unique, even for Chaos: They are able to paralyze prey and people alike with their stare. It's an inborn talent, but it takes a lot of practice to learn how to properly activate it with an incantation that's a very well protected secret among nahgam. Along with that, their blood is sheer poison to anything besides a nahgam.
• Defects from Realm Unity: When a being from the Shadow Star realms defects to Chaos, they change physically as well as loyally. Their hair turns red or black, sometimes both. Their irises turn gold or red as well. Any that are bonded are the most drastically affected- their bonds grow sickly and weak, as does the bond between the two. No one knows why, but Chaos is like a drug. When a being once of or loyal to Chaos tries to go over to Realm Unity, they experience heavy, almost/sometimes deadly withdrawal resulting in the once-Chaosian's hair and eyes returning to their normal color. Chaosians born into the realm who defect sometimes have their hair change color as well, but eye color almost always changes.

Bonds

Yes, Chaosians sometimes bond. A bond is the only source of affection, and the only target of affections, most Chaosians will have - and that affection is never admitted. Chaosians are divided on the subject of bonding. Some view it as weakness- bondpairs are easy to torture, as they each feel what the other feels. Some think of it as strength- gargoyles and demonsteeds are powerful aids in war and good protectors. Even an orc would hesitate before going up against someone with a Chaos bond. Royal bonds in Chaos are marked by their black coloring, with red highlights. All Chaotic bond-names end in -us.

• Gargoyles: These strange beings are usually scaled and dragonlike, but with none of the dragon's sinewy grace. Instead, gargoyles have brute strength and armor-like scales, a squat, ugly body, huge bat-like wings, and vicious claws and teeth. Their heads are blocky, but vaguely like a dragon's, as is their squat body and thick, muscular legs that end in curved, poisoned talons. Their tails are like an imp's.
  
• Locans: The Nameless One liked what the Creators did with the sijaer (see: Animals) and decided to mimic them a bit. She came up with the Locandracs, a species looking much like a cross between a gargoyle and a water dragon, but with tentacles and the ripping teeth of a sijaer. A thick and blocky head with red compound eyes and rows of shark teeth, long draconic neck, sharp claws on clumsy and short front legs, a bulky middle, with the tail breaking into the tentacles of a squid.
      They have no ability to produce the ink cloud of a squid so they must fight or flee with the chance of pursuit because they have no way to cover their retreat. Their compound eyes can see almost any direction, but impair their depth-perception and distort their vision. However, they can see something coming up behind them and use their tentacles to sqeeze a creature to death. Its only known blind spot is just under its belly, close to where the tentacles join the rest of the body.
      They reproduce like a fish, by choosing a mate (no chases), laying gelatinous eggs in the water, anchoring them to kelp or something and then guarding them against predators until they hatch and either go wild or choose a bond. So far, none of these creatures have been reported wild off of Shadow Star coasts and it is believed that they are naturally just hunters with very little loyalty one way or the other. They won't attack anything but prey unless directed by a bond, but are extremely ferocious when they do. Intelligent, but by no means a good thinker as far as planning beyond what to do today.
  
• Demonsteeds: Demonsteeds are horses with batlike wings, and scaled bodies. They have either two or three horns on their foreheads, and thin, whiplike tails which are poisonous. They are carnivorous.

Geography

The island of Chaos is small, about the size of Oahu. It is an arid desert of an island, barren and rough, strewn with huge rocks. Most of the sparse plant life consists of dzuku, a creeping, fast-growing vine that seems to be able to grow in practically any environment. Infrequent plots of crops can also be found, often raised by thieves as a side source of income. Poppies grow the best, propelling the underground trade to Shadow Star. There is a dormant fire mountain on one part of the island, and the city of Dralche is on its slopes. The shores of Chaos Isle alternate between coves of sand and steep cliffs pockmarked by innumerable caves.
    The island itself is barren, riddled with caves and underground caverns, highly unfit for farming or even suitable drinking water at times. Chaosians despise the fact they cannot overcome the forces that keep them largely pinned on this tiny place. Only recently have they been able to stake out a supply base on Sacoridia, one of the larger and more fertile continents close by. This is where metal, wood, stone, and food come from to better the lives of and strengthen the Chaosians. Other supplies are routinely stolen in massive raids on fleets and farms from the outer edges of ShadowStar Island. Inland villiages are occasionally attacked as well, if the defenses are weak and there is a quick escape route by river to the sea.
    Scoriada has weather much like the West Coast of the USA. Residences are a mile away from the mine, with the Lord Overseer's being the fanciest.
    The most notable part of the city of Dralche is the towering castle in which the royals and highest-ups in the government reside. Demons own most of the land aboveground, a symbol of their power and position on top. Vampires also own a good portion of land, but due to their weakness to sunlight, they tend not to use or own as much. Most vampire lands have massive mound-like buildings covering them, protecting the vampires from the sun and giving them a place to live. Nahgam own a small portion of land as well, and many act as caretakers for vampiric lands. It is rare than any defect or lower Chaosian species will own land aboveground. Unlike Shadow Star, nightfall has little difference on the activity of the city; business and pleasure proceed practically around the clock, though demons are known to typically favor daytime and vampires the night.
    The upper levels of the underground are most typically occupied by the middle-class of Chaos; usually nahgam and Unitarian defects, which make up a substantial part of the Chaosian population. A good number of them have jobs in the Justices, Thieves' Guild, or the Wings, but the majority are civilians. Poverty is pretty common. Day and night are hard to keep track of underground, so like the surface, activity tends to take place around the clock.
    The middle levels are largely for agricultural purposes. Yes, Chaosians farm; the staple of Chaos island is a fungus called Qarnak. Also in the middle levels are raised the staple meat: Jituq. Jituq are a cross between bats and rabbits. They have bat wings and senses, and reproduce like rabbits. Their bodies are larger and more muscled than large jackrabbits. These creatures live off the poisonous underground plant called Marniqol, which looks similar to Qarnak, except its growth looks like a vine and it's a darker color.
    The lower levels of Dralche are little more than pits of mud and rock, occupied mostly by orcs, ogres, and trolls, who don't apparently mind the lack of creature comforts. These are the lowest levels inhabited, pitch black except for an occasional flickering magelight, damp, and covered with maaosu, a moss that smells like it would be delicious, but is poisonous to pretty much every creature that has had the misfortune of eating it. There is little in the way of organization or buildings, except for the prisons which are kept in the lowest level, a psychological torture on many levels.
    Below that, only a brave few have ventured down, and few return to tell about it. It is rumored that the Nameless Goddess herself lives in the deepest parts of the earth, and below are nameless creatures never seen by even the Chaos lords.
    Directly south of Chaos Isle, just off the eastern tip, is a much smaller island called Ablatas. A supporting community for Chaos, it has a marginally better climate and land for farming, and also train units for the army. The vast majority of the inhabitants are Unitarian defects, although there are a few families of nahgam as well. Demons and vampires shun the place as inferior. Its only city, barely large enough to be called as such, is named Shoku.

Pets

• Snarks: Snarks are vicious little feline critters with roughly 46,000 teeth. They're malleable and seemingly boneless, so they can flatten themselves to squeeze through obstacles, but still inexplicably cute and cuddly. At least, until they latch their jaws on to your hand and break half the bones therein.
• Stabbies: Stabbies are round creatures about the size of a watermelon, with long tails, bat-like wings, large white eyes and a gaping maw, and large, sickle-like forelimbs which give them their name. Despite their appearance, they are highly intelligent. Their favorite pasttime is to stab people with their long claws when it is the opinion of the stabbie that the stabbed has done something extraordinarily stupid, and they are not above turning this pasttime on their 'masters'. Like snarks, they are carnivorous and generally much cuter-looking than they should be. They do not talk, aren't telepathic, and make no noise except for a high-pitched 'kekeke' sound when they have just or are in the process of stabbing.
  Stabbie picture and stabbie sketch by tiakall
• Headhuggers: A strange little pet that is largely stomach, brain, and tail, they have circular mouths on the ventral side of their body with razor sharp teeth for latching onto and cutting through skull, a long straw-like tongue, as well as a supple tail with a whip-like end, both of which are extensions of their central nervous system. They insert this tail into their host's to hijack the body of their prey, while their tongue proboscis receives information from their host's brain. The host will live, conscious, as long as the headhugger doesn't eat vital parts of their brain. Their limbs are tipped with a sharp, hard substance, which they use to grapple onto the head of their prey, and are notoriously difficult to be removed as a result. The only time they release from their host willingly is to find a new host, if they're getting hungry.
    Often preying on jituq, headhuggers are often seen attached to their heads and hopping around in control of its body. Due to their need for symbiosis, they are often considered more dangerous to have as a pet, as they see little difference between jituq and any other species. Everything is potential prey. This, combined with an intelligent nature, makes them a highly valued, but highly feared pet. Even those headhuggers who are most loyal to their owners will sometimes turn on them. As long at their owner gives them a steady supply of hosts, and doesn't let the headhugger get hungry, they can be relatively tame. Telepathic, but usually not talkative. They often try using their host for communication.
  Headhugger picture by Zodi