Zaykenspawn

Zaykenspawn

Zaykenspawn are the horrible creatures created by the monstrous man creature Zayken as experiments in his quest to Perfection. They are usually created by taking a base creature and remolding and mutating it through an unindentified process similar to Zayken's own personal evolution. In recent years, creatures have also appeared with a more arcane bent.

Herein describes some of the Zaykenspawn that have appeared to date. New ones will be described as they are witnessed.

Initial Zaykenspawn

"Zombies"

Some of Zayken's earliest experiments resulted in these creatures. Although not undead, these poor souls were men and women mutated by Zayken. They exhibited reduced intelligence, emaciated bodies and distorted features, as infection ravaged their body. They also had a slow, staggering walk, resulting from their fat and bloated lower legs, which appeared as if all the fat in their bodies had drained into their calves and feet. Although not very dangerous on their own, these tortured creatures often moved in groups and had the capacity to become Maggots, and eventually, Shriekers, Stalkers or Brutes.

A variation of these were the 'struggler' type. These zombie Zaykenspawn grew membrenous 'strait jackets' around their head and upper body as they began to pupate into Maggots. Although typically docile, if they sensed a potential meal they would begin to fight furiously against their cocoons as they stalked their prey.

Maggots

Maggots were part of Zayken's initial wave of Zaykenspawn, and were a secondary 'evolution' of the zombie types. After consuming enough food, the zombies would go into their 'struggler' phase and eventually cocoon themselves entirely. Their lower bodies, especially, became thickly entombed, as their bloated legs grew together to form a large "tail" like protrusion. Maggots were rarely encountered, as they could not defend themselves very well, hindered in the same way as strugglers until eventually becoming completely cocooned and vulnerable. Eventually Maggots would 'hatch' into Brutes, Stalkers or Shriekers.

Brutes

The Brutes made up the core of Zayken's first wave of monsters. Barely resembling their human stock at all any more, Brutes had thick, leathery, rust coloured skin, beady black eyes, and jaws that protruded far forward like the snout of a canine, making their gums and thick teeth very pronounced. With double jointed hind legs and powerful, clawed forearms, Brutes were fast and vicious, capable of tearing flesh with ease. As well, their spines seemed to extend into long, thin, jagged tails. These were occasionally used to bludgeon prey but existed primarily to augment the agility of the Brutes when they were giving chase. Brutes were also heavily built, able to withstand a fair deal of punishment before falling.

Stalkers

Occasionally Maggots would develop into Stalkers. Strange creatures with nearly featureless faces and rubbery black, slippery skin, Stalkers were quiet, extraordinary humanoid creatures that could climb walls with the ease of an insect and move with the agility and grace of an acrobat. They served primarily as spies for Zayken, but occasionally as assassins, or under his direct guidance, would sometimes join mass combat to flank foes from confusing angles, distracting enemies from the rush of Brutes and Shriekers. Stalkers have the unusual ability to bend their limbs in any direction, giving their wallcrawling a most disturbing appearance.

Shriekers

Shriekers were perhaps the most terrible thing to hatch from a Maggot - although not as directly dangerous as a Hunter, their departure from the stock they were born from displayed the extent that Zayken was eventually able to manipulate a base creature. As well, Shriekers had the ability to fly, allowing them to harass enemies from any direction. Shriekers had an appearance similar to a humanoid torso, however they lacked a head and neck, shoulders overdeveloped and nearly grown together. The arms of the base creature would split apart during metamorphosis, becoming membrenous wings, while the hind legs largely atrophied, becoming almost birdlike, if not for the rusty, leathery skin, complete with small talons, usually for gripping onto high perches. Most horrifically, between the chest and stomach of the former creature, a gaping maw formed, from which the Shriekers would scream incessantly while in combat, confusing and frightening their prey as they buffered them with swarming tactics, biting and clawing. Shriekers often accompanied Brutes, harrying foes from the air with hit and runs as the vicious Brutes pressured foes in melee.

Spiders

The Spider Zaykenspawn were similar to the Shriekers in that they were headless torsos with gaping maws in their chest - their mouths formed between the pectoral muscles, however, and they retained blackish eyes between their shoulders. Spiders also had a darker colour, and were overall much smaller, their bodies tapering more towards the 'waist' with slimmer shoulders. In place of each normal humanoid limb, Spiders had two long legs, similar to those of their namesake. Like Stalkers they could crawl on walls with ease, however they were more numerous and vicious. Spiders typically attacked by leaping upon prey and grappling it against their body as they bite and chewed through it. Not as dangerous as some of the other Zaykenspawn, Spiders were mostly worrisome only in swarms. They never worked tactically with other Zaykenspawn, perhaps because unlike the previous examples, Spiders were not born from humanoid stock, despite similarity to Shriekers and their 'mutated' appearance. Their origin, however, was perhaps far more gruesome.

The Lady in the Room

After witnessing a Spider fleeing into an open window on the second floor of the Broken Dagger, Quincy and Ariane broke into the sealed room to which it corresponded. Inside they discovered the horrible creature there. The shape of a woman, her legs and arms had grown into long, tentacle root like appendages which webbed around the room. She appeared to be grown into the corner of the room, unable to move. Her eyes and tongue were missing, and the creature could do little more than writhe and moan in apparent agony. As well, her skin was slick and blood red, creating a flayed appearance. Most gruesomely, from her distended womb the monster perpetually birthed small Spiders, which would flee into the wood and quickly grow, hunting food to return and feed their horrid 'mother'. Disgusted by this scene of torture and gore, Quincy and Ariane slaughtered the Spiders present, and mercifully, the woman herself. This creature hinted at an important detail - Zayken's inability to create new life without reshaping that which already existed.

The Gatekeeper

Upon reaching Kanpar Village, the heroes from Myrken discovered that the village gates were sealed with heavy chains. In their center, a tormented creature had been grown into a living lock, exhibiting fleshcraft similar to the Lady in the Room. Its apparent purpose was simply to warn and demoralize any would be saviours. The creature posed no physical threat, however, and was soon put out of its silent misery.

Mason

Originally, Mason appeared to the people of Myrken as a well-meaning soldier looking to help save the village of Kanpar from Zayken. However, the heroes that followed he and Sawyer to the village soon discovered the extent of Zayken's abilities. Mason seemed to transform almost instantaneously from a normal human man into a towering, winged monstrosity, with an appearance somewhat similar to an archtypical demon. He was slain shortly after, however his deception and cunning was a sign of just how advanced Zayken's creations had become. Mason was also the first Zaykenspawn capable of infecting other creatures like Zayken himself, with the only other one to date being Shyntei/Myuu.

The Golem

After learning some of the secrets of Zayken, the heroes of Kanpar made their way to the home of Hammon, the wizard who had created Zayken in his mad quest to fashion the perfect lifeform. There they battled one of Hammon's old guardians, a stone golem that was being reanimated and puppeteered by a parasitic Zaykenspawn.

Sawyer/Phantasm

Sawyer originally came to Myrken to seek aid in freeing her home village, Kanpar, from Zayken. On the journey to the village she began to exhibit signs of infection, which she warded off through faith and strength of will, going so far as to cut away infected parts of her body. It was discovered in the confrontation with Mason that she had been infected by him, to misdirect suspicion away from himself. In the final confrontation with Zayken, she turned completely into one of his monsters, but retained enough presence of mind to turn on him, martyring herself in that battle.

Later, a strange creature began to lurk around Myrken, which was eventually revealed to be a partially mutated Sawyer, apparently risen from the dead. With no memory between her death and coming to her senses in Myrken, only Zayken can say for sure what the secret of Sawyer's revivification might be.

Shyntei/Myuu

Intended to be the 'final' Zaykenspawn, Zayken realized his own shortcomings and inability to achieve Perfection, as he was based on a human template and thus inherently limited and flawed. Predicting his own death, Zayken snatched the elven woman Seramille from the group of Kanpar heroes, and made her a part of his own body, ripping off her lower legs and forearms to grow her into a living pendant on the chest of the 'Zayken Perfect' form he had achieved for that final battle. During this confrontation, Seramille visibly went through pregnancy, but Zayken was killed and apparantly buried before any birth could take place. However, as the heroes left, they did not hear a child's cry...

Born into a cradle of loneliness and death, Shyntei grew quickly, absorbing knowledge at an astounding rate. She taught herself to read, particularly the journals of her father, and eventually this half-elven Zaykenspawn set out towards Myrken as he had, biologically compelled towards Perfection, though not truly understanding this.

In Myrken, Shyntei, still a largely feral and childish lifeform, was met with horror and violence for her monstrous appearance and animalistic behaviour. She soon learned to hate all life that was not like her, and as her father before her, began to mutate creatures to be more like herself. Unlike Zayken, however, Shyntei sought not to lord over all life, but to elevate it, and be a peaceful queen, beloved by her subjects.

After his rebirth, thanks to the machinations of Audmathus, Zayken attacked Shyntei, disgusted by her soft heart. He absorbed a great deal of her essence and ability, leaving her crippled and weak, and destroyed her hive. Shyntei was rescued by a group from Myrken, and when she awoke childlike and frightened, her mind ruined by the trauma inflicted by her father, she was rechristened by Biske, who had called her 'mutant lady'. In attempting to mimic the words, she took on the name Myuu Tanlay.

Although Myuu still lives, she has become a cynical and dark creature. When she was last seen, she was following Zayken, claiming that although he was a horrible monster, there was no other place for her. However, she has exhibited a desire to rebel against her father, albeit subtly. Myuu relentlessly abuses various narcotics and alcohols to escape her painful existance, but her metabolic and regenerative abilities limit her capacity to be affected, especially in the long term.

Rebirth

Since his original attack upon Myrken, death, and rebirth, Zayken has begun to create new, more advanced Zaykenspawn. Few of these have been closely examined to date. Some are described here.

Torment

This massive creature seems to be many humanoid figures fashioned and grown together into a giant brute. Although it does not seem to speak, the gigantic beast howls in constant agony, and the word 'torment' is carved across its massive back, perpetually bleeding a thick black ichor. Torment is massively powerful and seems to be able to reshape itself to some extent, as well as being extremely adept at burrowing, allowing the creature to appear nearly anywhere.

Muse

It is unclear exactly what Muse is. Unlike most of Zayken's minions, she is not monstrous in the least - in fact, she is quite delicately beautiful, with pure white flesh gently painted in elaborate black designs. Muse is always garbed in a fanciful red gown, traced with beautiful gold hemming, with a matching silk scarf. But most peculiar about her is that Muse is incorporeal, able to move through the air with ease and pass through objects. This leads to the assumption that Muse is in fact a sort of ghost, but she is undeniably a creation of Zayken. Muse appears to have limited mental capability, struggling to express her thoughts in a vocabulary entirely monosyllabic.

Witnesses

Little is known about these servants of Zayken. They are entirely subservient to him, however seem far less bestial than many of his past creations. Always dressed in black, hooded robes, they wear faceless white masks with a jagged black streak painted where the left eye should be. They fight with lengths of chain hidden in their sleeves, and can throw bony spines as well. They are cunning and intelligent foes.

Umbrals

Umbrals are similar to the Witnesses, in that they conceal their faces in featureless masks, however the Umbrals wear black ones, and long coats rather than robes, better suited to their acrobatic combat prowess. Beneath their masks, Umbrals are eyeless, with oversized mouths lined in needle-like teeth. Most notably, each Umbral has two different arms - the right one thick and hard, and the left thinner and more humanlike. From each hand the Umbrals can extend claws - a single long, thick talon from the right hand, behind the wrist, and the fingernails of their left hands extend into five long, razor blades. As well, they have long, slender tails, which they usually hide under their coats, tipped in wicked, venomous stingers. Umbrals have entirely black skin, so dark they almost seem like shadows. In fact, anywhere an Umbral goes, the ambient lighting dims slightly, allowing themselves to obfuscate themselves almost perfectly in dark places, like living shadows. Umbrals are a clear sign that Zayken has in fact begun to mingle eldritch secrets with his mutation processes.

Lashers

Monstrous steeds used by Zayken and his minions, Lashers are huge, catlike abominations. They stand approximately nine feet at the shoulder and are almost sixteen feet in length, their long, thin tails adding another ten. These tails are viciously barbed at the tip and very quick, partially lending to their name. It can also be attributed to their tongues, of which Lashers have two, each ending in a thick hooked talon, ideal for snagging prey and pulling it into their gaping maws. Lashers otherwise have an appearance similar to large, hairless, jungle cats, with mottled black/blue skin that blends into forests well at night. Their heads are almost eel like however, with a row of eyes on either side. Lashers also sport two massive, membrenous wings from their sides, and two smaller ones just above their hind legs for maneuvering, allowing them to carry Zayken and his troops anywhere they may need to go.

Second Generation

Another category of Zaykenspawn are the spawn of Shyntei. Although not created personally by the efforts of Zayken, they can be considered 'second generation' Zaykenspawn.

Wraiths

Created by Shyntei in the image of Zayken, Wraiths had masks of bone, and their curled wings gave them the appearance of wearing tattered black robes. Wraiths were Shyntei's messengers and spies, capable of flight and speech. In a conversation with Quincy, a wraith revealed that he remembered his previous life, but after his rebirth as one of her creatures, felt no attachment to it.

Judges

Judges were massive brutes clad in a thick shell which covered most of their body like that of a turtle. They would extend their heads only to scream mad obscenities from their elongated mouths as they attacked enemies with their huge, armoured fists. Squat-legged and heavily armoured, Judges were a dangerous foe, but were to slow to pursue foes. They typically guarded sensitive areas, like the hive and Shyntei's grove.

Butchers

Huge, skeletal creatures, Butchers were things of nightmare. Eight feet tall with four arms ending in claws and vicious blades, Butchers were fast and dangerous. Like Zayken's Brutes, their long doublejointed hind legs allowed them to make amazing leaps, however they were much faster and smarter than the Brutes.

Stranglers

Similar to Zayken's Stalkers, the Stranglers were black skinned creatures that crawled about in trees, over walls and ceilings, and were generally spies or assassins for Shyntei. Unlike Stalkers, Stranglers had distinct facial features, particularly an oversized mouth full of jagged teeth. Stranglers also appeared to have no real bones in their arms and legs, and their arms could stretch to startling lengths, allowing them to clutch at their foes (contributing to their name). They also had a playful streak, often enjoying to taunt enemies with their agility and freakish expressions. Stranglers were silent, however, and would not stick around for a fair fight.

Children

These small creatures, with overlarge heads, small bodies and shelled backs, were the workers that created and maintained Shyntei's hive. Although they were not dangerous, if threatened they could spit thick webbing (usually used to build the hive) which could ensnare enemies long enough for them to escape and help to arrive. The Children also exhibited qualities of their namesakes - particularly playfulness and reliance upon the Matrons.

Matrons

These unusual creatures bore a resemblance to Shyntei herself, however they spoke only in her strange language. Their sole purpose was to birth the Children and to care for them. Like the Children, they lived only inside the hive, as they had no effective combat ability.