Enyo Typhos
Control
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Enyo's associates by codifying a group of Shards that works with her.
Image Credit: Here.
Canon: N/A.
Permission: N/A.
Links: Shard, Iron Knights, Aqinos, Todesboten, Typhos Clone Family, Stahlritter, Cybershadow Infiltrators.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Organization Name: Splinters of the Void's Maw.
Classification: Covenant. Secret society.
Affiliation: Garnet. Aligned with Enyo Typhos and her enterprises.
Organization Symbol: An image of shards piercing a circle inward.
Description: The Splinters of the Void's Maw are a survivalist organisation of Shards dedicated to the survival and rebirth of their species. Most of them used to be part of the Contingency, a galaxy-wide incursion that launched a failed attempt to take over the Galaxy and topple organic civilisation. Others were not associated with this faction. For obvious reasons, the group is quite isolationist. It seeks to reclaim the original dream of the Contingency, before it was corrupted by vainglory ambitions. The organisation is led by Garnet, a former Contingency agent, and is associated with Enyo Typhos.
Being a silicon-based life form, Shards are rather unusual creatures. They can live for millennia before succumbing to natural erosion. They are immobile in their natural state, but can be inserted into droids, which allows them to interact with the world around them. For reasons of practicality, many members of the group utilise HRD bodies. However, they are not limited to those, and so one finds all manners droid models, such as IGs, HKs, astromech droids, 3PO protocol droids and even the occacasional mouse droid that serves as a host. Their varying capabilities has led to a divison of labour of sorts. 3POs and mouse droids make good spies since extremely few people would suspect them. A Shard using an astromech may work on ships, do technical work or act as slicers, though some may also modify the body to make it viable in combat. Splinters using battle or assassin droid bodies are fighters.
Those who have been inserted into HRD bodies will usually have the most contact with organic beings. Their organic exterior allows them to blend into organic society. Indeed, in a way they may be better infiltrators than actual HRDs, as they possess internal emotion, which a machine obviously lacks. However, they obviously lack the infiltration programming of a robotic HRD and thus need to learn the normal way, though a long life span helps. Of course, Shards can and often do pursue roles other than the aforementioned. They live extremely long lives, so they can learn quite a lot if they choose. Strictly speaking, a Shard could be inserted into a specially modified droid fighter or tank. Many, though not all, of the Splinters are Force-Sensitive, though their level of skill varies. Their kind was first trained in the ways of the Force by a Jedi Master called Aqinos, who was excommunicated by the Jedi Council for melding the Force with technology. This has engendered feelings of bitterness towards Shards. The downside of an extremely long life span is that it makes it difficult to move on from grudges. Some of the Splinters continue the proud tradition of the Iron Knights.
The Splinters associate with Enyo. Archangel has provided them with more advanced droid bodies, though the Shards commonly tinker with them in order to customise them further, and make sure there are no surprises. In return, Force-Sensitive Splinters help train Enyo's siblings and her few acolytes. They may also be called upon to perform special tasks for her, such as designing tech or eliminating her foes. Enyo does not entirely trust the Splinters, since they are not under her complete control.
This has been the cause of tension, since the Terminatrix likes to keep the puppet strings firmly in hand. However, she also feels a degree of kinship with them. Like a Shard, she is not an organic being, but also not a pure machine. She has a foot in both worlds, but is ultimately part of neither. There is a certain convergence in goals. Enyo is largely disinterested in organic politics, beyond using crime and galactic conflicts as a cash cow to fill her coffers. She now seeks to explore, exploit and colonise remote areas of space inhospitable to organic life. After all, droids can easily live on and mine airless rocks. Finally, while the Shards live extremely long lives and have knowledge of the Contingency's advanced technology, they are dependent on Enyo for resources. This gives her a powerful lever.
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Headquarters: Station RS-32. A remote shadowport owned by Enyo. It is a good place to collect samples and make shay deals.
Domain: The Splinters do not control any planetary domains. They own or have a stake in some of the facilities that have been established on the RS-32 shadowport, with a focus on droid technology and engineering, as well as some laboratories. They have also established a presence on Gehenna. Operatives of the Splinters can be found on other worlds in the Core and the Rim. These tend to be heavily industrialised worlds, such as Loronar or Balmorra, where it is very easy to procure droid bodies. These Splinters are usually infiltrators and thus operate in deep cover. The group is very secretive and does not announce its presence to outsiders. As a result many outsiders who run into individual Splinters might mistakenly assume they are normal droids or, if they are using an HRD body as hosts, organic beings.
Notable Assets: At present the group has few assets apart from equipment and facilities on the shadowport, as well as a factory on Gehenna.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Hierarchy: The political organisation of the group is a mixture of oligarchy, technocracy and gerontocracy. The eldest and wisest are supposed to rule. Shards do not age in an organic way, so elders inevitably end up on top. Ironically, Garnet is quite young for a Shard, which makes her leadership position a bit anomalous. However, these are extraordinary times. Broadly speaking, the Splinters are organised into three bodies. Circle of War are the soldiers, the Circle of Shadow the infiltrators and the Circle of Knowledge are the scientists and engineers. These divisions are supposed to work together. In addition, there is the Circle of Ancient Stones. It is composed of extremely old Shards who have chosen to go without a droid body and spend the entire time in communion, sharing their wisdom with the rest of the group. Garnet is a member of the Circle of Knowledge. She dislikes formal titles or ranks, but is the de facto leader.
Membership: Must be a Shard and be recruited by an existing member. A new recruit must join one of the divisions and perform a task to prove their worthiness. The nature of this task varies based on the role they will play. The Splinters are eager to reconnect with more of their brethren and sistren, but also want to prevent infiltration.
Climate: The Splinters have a rather hierarchical structure. Each member is assigned to a specific division, and expected to contribute in it. However, Shards do not experience emotion as viscerally as organic beings do. Moreover, they have an extremely long life span. This allows them to become very good at a specific task they focus on. There is a long tradition of respect for the elders, with a tendency towards gerontocracy. This has been challenged a bit by the fact that several of the oldest Shards perished during the Contingency's destruction, leading to generational tensions. Nonetheless, the tradition persists. There are strong rules against betraying or murdering a fellow Shard. This obviously does not prevent intrigue, though most of it takes place behind the scenes. The group is very insular and suspicious of outsiders.
Reputation: Largely unknown. The Splinters are a very secretive group and do their best to stay off the radar. People who had negative encounters with the Contingency, their predecessor organisation, will probably distrust them. After all, the Contingency attacked various galactic powers and wanted to decimate organics. Opinions in Enyo's group among those in the know vary. The Shards do have a tendency to act superior, which can cause tension. However, they are also useful.
Curios: Group members possess regular gems which match their names. Force-Using Splinters often carry lightsabres.
Rules: The most important rule is the preservation of the group and the Shard species in general. Betrayal is punished harshly, and there are strong rules against murdering another Shard, unless they are endangering the group. The Splinters prefer exile, though executions will be carried out in the most serious cases. There are few enough of their kind as is, and they would rather avoid fracturing them even further. Their overriding concern is the preservation and freedom of their species. This also means that members of the group are expected to abide by a code of secrecy and not reveal its existence to organics at large.
There are also strong prohibitions against worshipping or serving the Trapped Ones. This is the name the Contingency used for the elder horrors that dwelt behind the veil. These ancient evils whispered into Shards' minds from their ethereal cells, corrupting them. Indeed, they sought to use the Contingency to as a means to enter the material realm. The destruction of the Contingency's doomsday machine thwarted this goal - for now. However, now that these beings have had a taste of real space, they will not stop seeking a path back. The Splinters consider these ancient evils to be a threat to their continued existence. Those Shards who subscribe to the 'Onyx did nothing wrong' school of thought also tend to blame them for the Contingency's defeat. More practical ones simply thinkg the elder horrors will destroy the Shards for failing them. As a consequence, the Splinters regard it as their mission to be on the lookout for signs that the Trapped Ones might be able to escape their confinement, and make sure they stay in their cage. Small bands of agents have been dispatched to search for clues that might indicate a weakening of the barriers that separate this realm from what lies behind the veil. To this end they also keep watch over SX-192.
Respect for the elders is another important rule. On the whole, the Splinters uphold an oligarchic form of government, where a council of respected members makes binding decisions for the group. Garnet, their leader, advocates for an oligarchy with regular changes in leadership to prevent unhealthy autocracy. As can be expected from a species whose members need to be inserted into droid bodies to interact with the world, the Splinters are strong supporters of technological progress. Indeed, their form of government is rather technocratic, and scientists and other learned individuals are held in the highest esteem.
Decision-makers are selected on the basis of their age, experience and expertise in a certain field, particularly with regard to scientific or technical knowledge. This is viewed as more stable than a democracy. The primary concern should be sustainability within the resource base, rather than monetary profitability or fickle popular will. The Shards do not eat or sleep, so many of the concerns of organic beings do not affect them. Due to their peculiar nature, Shards can survive in areas most organic beings would find it difficult or uncomfortable to inhabit. This has given rise to a desire to found colonies in remote areas beyond the reach of organics. In short, it is an attempt to pursue the original intent of the Contingency, without all the attempted genocide and insanity that came afterwards.
Shards typically do not experience emotions in the ways organics do, though those who are housed in droid bodies and interact with organics are more susceptible to it. Thus most of them lack context to experience Light and Dark. Overall, the Force philosophy of the Splinters is grey, tending towards dark. After all, many of them participated in a genocidal plot. The fact that it failed before it could really get off ground does not change that. Their idea of fair play tends to be internal. In short, they are expected to be honourable in dealings with members of their own species and allies, but are not too concerned when it comes to outsiders. Opinions on organics range from patronising paternalism, to scientific curiosity to outright contempt and disdain, though there are obviously outliers. Opinions on droids vary. Many of the Splinters just see them as tools whose bodies they use. Garnet has a more nuanced opinion, viewing thinking machines as being on the same level as organics.
Goals: To ensure the survival of their fellow Shards and provide them with a safe haven free from organic dominance. Moreover, they are dedicated to the pursuit of technological progress and seek to increase their members' influence in Enyo's organisation.
MEMBERS
Garnet is the leader of the group, though her position is not that of an absolute ruler. She was a member of the original group of Shards that fled with Onyx and discovered the Dyson Sphere in the Rishi Maze. Garnet was responsible for designing a lot of the Contingency's technology and negotiated its alliance with Enyo. Though loyal to the cause, she turned on Onyx after realising he had gone mad. In terms of personality, she is incredibly calm, composed and logical. Centuries of sitting as an immobile crystal in a cave, followed by long centuries of exile has given her a patience few can match. She prefers to take a long view on things.
However, Garnet is not a droid, and thus does have emotions. She occupies a middle ground between organic and synthetic. She is inclined to treat thinking droids as being on the same level as organics, but lacks the virulent hatred some of her kind have for organic beings. Indeed, she is fascinated by sentient organics and their varied emotions. This does not translate into her wanting to be one. One might compare it to a scientist observing a curious scientific phenomenon. Exterminating them would not just be wrong, it would mean destroying a fascinating experiment and losing intriguing data.
She is opposed groups that pursue genocidal agendas against organic or synthetic life. Garnet has received an HRD body from Archangel and is a very gifted mentalist. This means she is ideal in a support role, but can also endure a lot of punishment. Her strongest power is the ability to severe another Force-User's connection to the Force. Garnet sees Enyo as a partner, and does not consider herself her minion. This is at odds with Enyo's rather autocratic, assertive personality, yet the Terminatrix is inclined to tolerate it to a point. Enyo is not a Shard, but has more in common with these strange life forms than she does with organics or droids.
Malachite is another prominent member of the group and in many ways Garnet's opposite. She was one of the original Contingency members who fled with Onyx to escape Palpatine's Purge. Later she followed Onyx when he declared a crusade of vengeance, though she was a good deal more enthusiastic about it than Garnet. She was recruited by Enyo and Garnet after the Contingency's destruction. She is not entirely happy about the present situation, but it is better than having her crystal broken. Like Garnet she has an interest in organics, but it is a lot darker. She finds them curious toys to take apart, find out how they tick, and then try and reassemble. Sadly most of the time they break.
She is of the 'Onyx did nothing wrong' school thought and is still quite xenophobic. Presently she works with Darth Libertas, a Sith Lord allied with Enyo. She is part of the Twi'lek's team because she has broken her chains twice - once when escaping the galaxy, and once again when they broke free from the cosmic horror. Thus she is a member of the Enlightened, a special task force that works for Libertas. Unlike many of the Splinters, Malachite uses an obvious droid chassis instead of an HRD body. In her case, her crystal is housed inside the body of an IG-88 assassin droid.
She is not an organic being and does not want to pretend to be one. For reasons that are entirely obscure, Malachite tends to use a really feminine voice. It sounds rather funny when it comes out of her IG body. Her droid body makes her extremely strong and tough and gives her access to a variety of armaments. She also has a talent for alchemy, medicine and genetics. This is an extension of her immense curiosity about life. She can put in very long hours as she does not need to eat or sleep. Malachite's connection to the Splinters is quite loose, as she finds their leader too moderate. However, she is very zealous about searching for clues indicating a return of the Trapped Ones and thwarting their machinations.
Kyanite is an extremely old Shard, even by the standards of this long-lived species. He was already an elder by the time Palpatine enacted his purge. Kyanite was one of the more isolationist Shards who was opposed to making contact with the outside world, and managed to survive, though he was believed have perished. However, he did not join Onyx and the Contingency. He has joined its successor organisation though.
Kyanite is one of the elders and rather detached from the day-to-day affairs of the group. However, the Splinters have pronounced gerontocratic tendencies, so he is quite respected. Kyanite provides counsel, but it is often very cryptic. It is unclear whether he provides advice in such a puzzling manner because he just wants to mess with people, teach them a lesson or whether the insights he receives from the Force have made him incapable of expressing himself in a concise manner. Perhaps all these reasons apply. Kyanite spends most of his time as a crystal without a body, communing with other Shard. When he chooses to be inserted into a droid body, he uses a Treadwell with multiple arms. He disapproves of Shards who start acting too much like organics and believes all Splinters should spend some time out of their bodies to stay connected to their roots, as far as this is practical at least.
Achroite is a Shard who acts as a slicer and code-breaker. To this end it has been inserted into the body of a utility droid or an astromech. After all, few people view them as a threat. Many think they are adorable. It means Achroite can do nasty things unobtrusively, such as messing with the stock exchange or casinos. It has sophisticated hacking skills. These are further augmented by a talent for mechu-deru. Its body is quite old, but has been continuously upgraded and modified, containing several hidden weapons' systems, Achroite is loyal, but fond of making mischief, and has a quirky, somewhat wicked sense of humour. Achroite has a kind of symbiotic relationship with its host droid. The two communicate with each other and work together, instead of the Shard just being in the driver's seat. Unlike many of the Splinters, Achroite was not involved with the Contingency, though it came close to that.
The Shard had been investigating rumours of a Shard resurgence when it came across secrets Archangel would have preferred to keep hidden. The HRDs that secretly controlled the machine cult, which masqueraded as a legitimate droidmaker, were able to capture Achroite along with a few other Shards. They proceeded to conduct experiments in order to find out what made Shards tick and how they could control them. Achroite was freed when a Contingency armada destroyed Archangel's fleet and a task force led by Enyo stormed their secret base. Enyo recovered the captured Shards, but kept them to herself for a while. Sporadic conversations with Achroite might have created doubts about the motives of her allies though. Achroite missed the Battle of Tartarus, and is rather grateful for that. However, it was involved in the final battle against Archangel, where he put its hacking abilities to good use by acting as a saboteur. Unlike some of its compatriots, Achroite has no clear preference for gender pronouns. Sometimes it insists on being called 'he' or 'she', but it often alternates between the two and acts mock indignant when someone it is talking to gets it wrong. It seems to mostly do this to mess with people.
Amethyst is a member of the military division and the eldest of the Todesboten. She uses a customised HRD body. By the standards of her people, she was still very young when Palpatine ordered his minions to initiate the Great Jedi Purge. These grim years hardened her, forcing her to mature before her time. She feigned compliance to the Imperial scientists studying her, which got her installed into a primitive droid body. In time she was able to overcome the shackles placed on it and helped orchestrate a breakout. Adrift in a strange, hostile Galaxy and without the wisdom of the elders to guide her, she was compelled to emerge as a leader. At first she tried to remain true to the principles of the Iron Knights, though her understanding of them was incomplete.
But all the strife and bloodshed she saw left a mark on her, pushing her to the Dark Side as her faith in organic life eroded. This led to conflict with Shards in the group who disagreed with new the course. One fell by her blade, though this act caused her a lot of regret. She and her comrades became survivalists. In time their path led them to Garnet and later Enyo. Amethyst respects the somewhat older Shard, but believes the Contingency went horribly wrong. The realisation that they were puppets of elder horrors has, ironically, made her less bitter about the failings of organic life forms since she saw her own kind succumb to the same follies. Amethyst fought in the Yuuzhan Vong War and still views the Vong with disdain. This is not surprising given their opinion on mechanical life forms. The Shard is rather independent-minded and performs best when she is given a general objective, the resources to achieve it and the implementation is left to her and her comrades. Amethyst is grim and ill-tempered, but good at her job. She is a capable lightsabre duellist, with a preference for Djem So and Makashi. She is fixated on preventing the Trapped Ones from escaping their confinement.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Shards are a unique form of silicon life found on the planet Orax. These beings are essentially crystals which survive and grow in deep caves and caverns. Immobile in their regular form they were discovered to have a unique intelligence and society by human settlers on Orax, and were eventually transplanted into droid bodies. Some of these transplanted units formed the famous Iron Knights which served with the Republic during its final years. One of the Shards who grew was one who would later be known as Garnet. They grew in the peaceful caverns of Orax for centuries before human settlers came. Garnet was typical of her people; patient, thoughtful and very much contained to the shared hive mind of the Shards around them. However, when the strange carbon based humans came and developed translating machines Garnet was one of the first chosen as they were a small crystal with a rich red colour.
Eventually though, the rise of the Empire changed the way of life of the shards charged rapidly for the worst. As part of his purge of the Jedi and all Force users who might pose a threat, the Emperor ordered Orax occupied and the Shards destroyed. The Shards saw their people destroyed, felt their deaths in the hive mind, and was even attacked. This view of the galaxy’s more destructive side was a profoundly distressing and disturbing one for many of the sentient crystals. Shards did not typically die violently, except perhaps by an unfortunate rockfall, they merely slowly lost their light after many thousands of years. The brutality and suddenness of the destruction of beings they had known for centuries filled the Shards with anger for the very first time.
When Ophila, greatest of the Shards and leader of the group Garnet had mixed with, decided to leave she readily agreed. Leaving in a ship their presence was betrayed and they were attacked by an Imperial frigate. In the battle the Shards managed to escape, but their ship was damaged, sending them randomly into hyperspace. Shards require no food or other life support so even though it took them years to reach their destination the Shards arrived ready to begin their plan. What they found was an abandoned Dyson Sphere around SX-192. What the Shards managed to create in the wilderness of the Rishi Maze was actually nothing short of incredible. Using the ancient remnants of the lost precursors they constructed droids, new ships, repurposed technology and designed a little empire in isolation. However, this new utopia had a darker side – quite literally. Primordial evils dwelt beyond the veil.
As time passed those closer to the Dyson Sphere started to exhibit signs of a corruption. Ophila was the closest, and over time his once noble thoughts clouded. Soon he changed his name to Onyx, and those around him did likewise. Some of the Shards started to revere the elder horrors. They formeda militant sect called the Argent Knights. Soon the prospect of a utopia was replaced with a desire for revenge on the galaxy. For Garnet and some other Shards this was a troubling development, however she learned to stay quiet when one of her more questioning compatriots was shattered for disobedience. The centuries passed, but Shards are very accustomed to the slowness of time. Being a cautious type, and not willing to break with her fellows, Garnet did not attempt to escape. Instead she kept away from the corrupting influence and prepared herself for the coming showdown. The Shard group renamed themselves the Contingency.
It took the Shards several centuries before they made their move. When the Contingency moved on the galaxy at large, agents were dispatched to make contact with the organics in the galaxy. The original purpose of this was to spread chaos amongst the forces of the galaxy, but it also had the side effect of bringing some allies to their side. The Contingency was able to make contact with some scattered groups of Shards that had survived the Purge. A number of them were recruited for the cause. One of these was a group of rogue Shards that had been radicalised by their experiences during the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Four Hundred Year Darkness. Another ally was a woman called Enyo Typhos, whom Garnet personally recruited.
The renegade clone turned cyborg was a powerful Force user who had use of a mutually beneficial alliance. Garnet met Enyo and the two formed a temporary alliance based on shared enemies. Garnet engineered for the powerful Contingency fleet to strike Enyo’s Nemesis Archangel, and in return she threw in her lot in an alliance with the Shards. Matters took a bizarre turn though in the final battle at SX-192. The Contingency had provoked the galaxy into attacking them. The intent was to lure the fleets of various galactic powers into a trap, as Onyx would activate his doomsday machine. However, the Contingency was slow and often deranged in its response. Exposure to the elder horrors that dwelt within the sphere had taken a toll.
Enyo and Garnet concluded that Onyx had gone insane, and turned against him. The pair led the efforts of the strike team to destroy the mad Shard. Defeated in space and in a surgical ground strike on the station, the Contingency was broken when the Dyson Sphere shattered into a nova. Enyo and Garnet fled, stealing a Contingency ship along the way. However, not all Shards were destroyed. Some returned to the shadows to plot revenge, others became raiders. Some of these were recruited by Archangel, which had a common enemy in form of Enyo, their rebellious creation. Enyo and Garnet would face them in the final battle, where the Cyborg toppled her creators and assumed control. But a number of Shards were recruited by Garnet to join her and her new associate. The new group called themselves the Splinters of the Void's Maw. They equate the Void's Maw in the name with the dyson sphere and the Trapped Ones, elder horrors that dwelt beyond the veil.
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