L O S T
- Intent: To provide Thesh with both his first taste of biological alchemy mixed with necromancy, as well as a ghastly assistant for future projects.
- Image Credit: StrangeThing/OscarRömer.
- Canon: No; However, the base species is Sluissi.
- Links:
Thesh.
Sluissi.
Bastion.
Home On The Range; Initial Alchemy Research.
- Name: The Sluiscuron.
- Designation: Sentient.
- Homeworld: Sluis Van, though it was 'created' on Bastion.
- Language: Sluissese, Galactic Standard Basic, Sith.
- Average Lifespan: 60 Standard Years, however the Sluiscuron is a product of necromancy and can be brought back with a painstaking ritual; each time this happens the Sluiscuron loses part of its sanity, and its lifespan shortens until eventually reviving it would become entirely redundant.
- Estimated Population: Unique, though there are hopes that the unique circumstances surrounding the Sluiscuron's creation can be replicated in time. This is, however, highly implausible.
- Description:
The Sluiscuron is not a creature for the feint of heart. Though derived from the reptilian Sluissi, the abomination it has become shares little more than its serpentine tail and strong upper body with its cousins. Entirely devoid of scales, instead it has tough yet perpetually sticky flesh which seems to ooze with every move it makes, and where the Sluissi have but one set of arms the Sluiscuron has two. In truth this is due to the fact that the twin embryos within the egg it hatched from fused, heavily conjoining the pair. This extra pair of arms seems to pool out of the creature's torso, in front of the original set, and as such it provides quite the unnatural image - almost as though another is fighting to escape its chest. Though the additional arms appear to be the only evidence of such, the Sluiscuron actually has two hearts, and a violent split within its personality.
Spiked protrusions jut from the creature's skull, unnaturally sharp to the touch, and where eyes ought to be there are only lifeless pits. Though often covered by the aforementioned ooze, and thus making it appear as though it is without, the Sluiscuron does in fact have a mouth, and ears which admittedly lack most of the auricle, making it hard of hearing. What it lacks where soundwaves are concerned, however, it more than makes up for in regular vibrations, the exposed nerves highly sensitive to reverberations felt through surfaces as opposed to the air itself. As with its cousin, the Sluiscuron has a forked tongue capable of picking up on changes in heat while also providing it with a sense of smell; after all, this creature has no nostrils to speak of.
Due to the Sluiscuron's inherent lack of legs, instead relying upon its 'tail' to get around, it appears to slither as opposed to walk, and will often sway in the process. As already mentioned, it possesses a high level of upper-body strength due to balancing on its tail in order to remain upright, as well as broad shoulders which its original set of arms seem to hang awkwardly from. Everything about the Sluiscuron is just slightly off enough that it can be deemed jarring, a trait which would carry over even if it possessed the scales of its cousins. Its fingers are disgustingly long, and those belonging to the second set of arms are even more so, with bone-like protrusions growing where the nails ought to and extending their reach substantially. This gives them an almost taloned effect, and while useful if provoked into fighting, for every day use it limits what the second hands are able to do. Simply put, they're simply not practical.
Attributed to the fact that the Sluiscuron is a combination of two, it is actually slightly taller on average than its cousins, coming in at around 6ft, yet its lack of scales puts it underweight comparatively. This gives it a more gaunt and slender appearance, and the exposure of its muscles leave it seeming much more toned than it otherwise would. Its tail is also notably longer than its body is tall, though in truth it's just a few inches. It is often curled around on itself when it is stationary, though it has been known to have a mind of its own, twitching and moving at irregular intervals. When it moves the tail slithers from left to right; as a result, it is never really seen taking up the full 6.2ft it ought to take up. Further unintentional mutations include one extra digit per hand and fleshy protrusions along the original arms which appear almost as if lines of flesh have been torn from the main bulk. That is not the case, though the reasoning for either of them is unknown.
- Breathes: Technically Type I, however the Sluiscuron does not constantly need to breathe the more pure air types unless it is overexerting itself and so it can manage just well in Type II and Type III atmospheres for quite some time. It cannot survive within a vacuum, however.
- Average height of adults: 1.8m.
- Average length of adults: 1.9m.
- Skin color: Deep Muscle-Red.
- Hair color: Not Applicable.
- Distinctions:
Long, Serpentine Tail.
Forked Tongue.
Four Arms; Zero Legs.
Twin Hearts.
Spiky Head Appendages.
Exposed, Toughened Flesh.
Perpetual Body Ooze.
Elongated Fingers; Bony Protrusions.
Pits For Eyes.
Auricle-Less Ears.
Nose Bridge Without Nostrils.
Hidden Mouth.
Slithering Gait.
- Races: Not Applicable.
- Strengths:
Perpetually Hungry For Knowledge the Sluiscuron will try to Learn All That It Is Exposed To forever with its nose in some book (so to speak, it listens to the audio variety), and is deemed an Excellent Tutor And Study-Companion by its Creator because of this.
Reborn After Death through a mixture of Sith Alchemy and Necromancy, much of its more humanizing side has lessened. It can Go Weeks Without Food so long as it does not over-exert itself or fall prey to injury, and likewise it Requires Much Less Pure Air than its cousins, able to Last Several Days In Type II and Type III Atmospheres again though this is significantly lessened if it over-exerts itself, namely due to its twin hearts.
For a short time after death The Sluiscuron Can Be Revived by its Creator in an arduous ritual, though its lifespan will be shorter than it had initially been; for example while it may initially have 60 years to live, after its first revival it might have just 50, and then 35, and so on. This can be done as many times as it takes for the revived lifespan to become negligible.
The Sluiscuron is Able To Feel Even Acute Vibrations through its somewhat exposed nerves, and will often rely on these to navigate. It is also able to Smell Through Its Tongue though given it lacks a real nose it does not give it any real edge. While its twin hearts are for the most part more of a burden than a blessing, the Odd Placement Of Its Hearts means that anyone who intended to kill it by stabbing where the heart should be would be more likely to miss.
Though it is also somewhat of a hindrance the Sluiscuron's appearance is horrifying to most, making it to where Most Would Not Wish To Tangle With It In Combat due to appearances alone, and hardly anyone would stand in his way if he truly wanted to get somewhere.
- Weaknesses:
The Sluiscuron is littered with Random Mutations that are either redundant or hindrances, largely a byproduct of both its conjoined state as well as the ineptitude of its creator. From spiny head protrusions, to bony extensions to its fingertips, and even the twin hearts which do little more for it than Raise Its Blood Pressure whenever it exerts itself too much, this creature is truly one of a kind, and replicating both the good and the bad would be borderline impossible.
As such, this makes it Entirely Unique It is without kin', or the possibility of offspring, and while it can be pulled back from the cusp of death if its creator is fast enough each time it does so it will drastically cut its longevity. Eventually the Sluiscuron will fizzle out into nothingness, without descendants.
Lacking Eyes The Sluiscuron is entirely blind, forcing it to rely on other senses - some of which, such as its Limited Hearing - are almost just as useless. It also has No Nose meaning it has to rely on its forked tongue in order to smell. Add to this the fact that its mouth is hidden behind gross flesh, which causes a Reluctance For The Creature To Speak and you have a somewhat sensory depraved individual.
Not to mention the fact that the Sluiscuron is a Horror To Look Upon earning it an inherently Bad Reputation (which may be well deserved) and makes it so that it Cannot Venture Freely Without Judgement Or Persecution which severely limits where it can go and what it can do. For the most part the Sluiscuron remains indoors At It's Creators Beck And Call tied to a solitary life of servitude. Even with its somewhat tough skin, the Lack of Scales leaves it More Prone To Taking Damage in combat scenarios, and its Inability To Naturally Heal Without Consuming Large Amounts Of Flesh makes this particularly dangerous.
Within its mind the creature is Constantly Battling Itself and is stuck between two differing personalities. Since Reviving It Lowers Its Sanity (And Longevity) it stands to reason that this conflict will only worsen with time. The Sluiscuron was Not Forged For War and as such its effectiveness in battle has not been honed, both on a biological and societal level, meaning that any fight it finds itself in will be generally stacked against it from the off.
This creature is wholly carnivorous, and Consuming Plant-Based Matter Will Severely Upset Its Stomach as it cannot digest high levels of fiber. At the end of the day, the Sluiscuron is a product of Sith Magic and Alchemy and as such it is Highly Susceptible To Lightside Damage as with all similar creations.
- Diet: Carnivorous; Though it does not have to feed unless recovering, the Sluiscuron has a diet consisting solely of meat... And more specifically flesh. It has been known to gorge on entire animals, and sometimes fellow sentients who fall in battle, in order to regain strength and begin its body's natural healing process (which is as slow as its cousin's, yet will not begin without sustenance). Every once in a while the Sluiscuron will unexpectedly hunger for flesh, without any notable cause. Outside of this, it also enjoys the occasional bone to crunch and is particularly fond of marrow.
- Communication: Verbal; While it may be hard-of-hearing, the Sluiscuron is still capable of holding a conversation, admittedly a janky one at best owing to the split in its personality, almost as though the two Sluissi it was formed from are battling internally. It has a firm understanding of Galactic Basic Standard, and Sluissese, as well as rudimentary knowledge of ancient Sith. Of course it is also well versed in paralinguistics, often falling back on gestures in place of speaking which it finds frustrating due to the flesh which covers its mouth. On top of this, it is capable of receiving instruction through telepathy - though the Sluiscuron is not able to reciprocate this method.
- Technology level: Galactic Standard, though it struggles to use most modern devices with its secondary arms due to the bony protrusions.
- Religion/Beliefs: The Sluiscuron in its present state is both an avid follower of the Sith - though it is not belonging to the Order itself - as well as its creator; the latter is who it defaults back to, however, if ever there is a conflict of interest. It views its creator as a mortal might a God, despite knowing first hand how flawed its creator truly is. This is because it was brought back from the brink of death, and believes that should it face untimely demise again the creator will once more work its magic.
- General behavior:
For the most part the Sluiscuron is a very solitary creature, preferring to remain within its small domicile or at the side of its Creator rather than venturing out into the greater Galaxy. Being that it is one of a kind, it has no people and no real culture to belong to, no traditions to exhibit, no young to rear, and both its sterile state and hideous visage make it to where romantic advances are non-existent. It is an extremely intelligent creature, with a thirst for information, and will often be found in libraries and archives listening to audio-recordings of books or being read to by lowly servants.
With that in mind, however, one must not forget that the Sluiscuron itself is little more than an agent of its Creator, a servant and assistant in kind, and while it may retain a free mind and whims of its own it is ultimately beholden to whatever its Creator asks of it. It has a genuine love of bones - particularly the marrow housed within - and will often be found carrying one upon its person, or dangling from its robes. It has no fantastic ambitions or desires, outside of expanding its mind, and as such is usually unphased by its Creator's needs. For all it's horrifying appearance and mannerisms, the creature itself is actually not one that is inherently inclined toward violence. While it will attack in defense of itself and its Creator it is more likely to act passively and apathetically in the fact of charged or tense situations.
The Sluiscuron came into being quite unintentionally.
Discovered while still an egg, it was dutifully cared for until the day it hatched; it was then that things were turned on their head. The tiny Sluissi was an unsightly abomination from the get go, born with more limbs than it ought to have been, missing most of its scales, and lacking many of its core features such as its eyes, outer ears, and nostrils, there was truthfully no way that the creature was ever going to survive more than a few hours.
But the boy who had unearthed the egg, and dotingly watched over it, was not willing to let that be the end of its story. He had at the time taken quite a nose-dive into Sith Sorcery, studying biological alchemy and the twisted effects of necromancy in intense detail, and practicing both in their most basic forms. Under the watch of his Master, who purposely remained hands-off throughout the entire process, the boy expedited the ageing process of the creature in hopes that it might have a better chance at survival.
His inexperience led to a whole multitude of problems, from various random mutations, to the loss of the remaining scales, and eventually the creatures death. It had grown substantially during the process, however, and instead of the pity he had previously had for the Sluissi the boy now felt only curious intrigue, and a desire to see what else his lessons in the Force could provide.
Through a series of complex rituals the creature was eventually risen anew, and immediately he knew that it had become something else entirely through the various acts of meddling he'd undertaken. Spines and elongated bones protruded in places they previously hadn't, that sinewy flesh toughened up, and the creature gained a genuinely fear-inducing presence. Darkness permeated the creature; he soon discovered that it did not want for food hardly as much as it ought to have, and as the weeks pressed on he found within the creature - which he'd dubbed the Sluiscuron - quite the scholarly companion.
His hideous creation longed to learn more, and in turn that which he learned was often relayed back to the boy, though most of the time he was unable to retain it as the Sluiscuron seemed able to yet even so the creature's patience and genuine appreciation of knowledge led him to become a rather excellent tutor.
While Thesh had not created a monster of physical prowess, able to fight his battles, or keep him from harm, he'd still created something, and that was an agreeable first step in his chosen path.
