Yol'ShoValko'Warden

[The Hive Warden]

Name: Yol'ShoValko'Warden

Species: Umphathi Paramount

Gender: Asexual

Age: 63

Height: 2.1 meters

Weight: 205 kilograms

Eyes: Bright Yellow

Carapace: Orange-Brown

Affiliation: Umpthathi Prison Keepers

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Personality: Yol'ShoValko'Warden, as a member of the higher Paramount caste, is a leader among its kind, and devoted to the survival and prosperity of the Umphathi species. All of that, in its mind, is tied directly to the success of the prison moon of Valko, the system's only draw for galactic powers. Given the stark choice between allowing its people to starve on their destroyed world or acting with whatever brutality is necessary to keep prisoners in line, it enthusiastically embraces the second option. It feels no empathy whatsoever toward those imprisoned on the shattered moon. They are resources - they should not be unnecessarily expended, but they should be strictly controlled.

Yol'ShoValko'Warden is also aware of its position in the galaxy - a minor player at best. It is calm, cunning, and conniving, working with a combination of subterfuge and iron determination to ensure that it maintains and expands its advantages. Thoroughly enmeshed in the collective of its species, it would suffer losses or even die in order to preserve or benefit the Umphathi as a whole, but recognizes that its position and capabilities put it above most examples of its species, and would gladly sacrifice legions of Jailers and even lesser Paramounts in order to achieve the same objectives. Callous and calculating, it sees the galaxy as some combination of game board and spreadsheet.

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Appearance: A hulking example of its species, Yol'ShoValko'Warden stands at over two meters tall, with a broad body encased in a thick carapace. It resembles nothing so much as a war droid or small hovertank. Emotions, insofar as the creature even feels them, are impossible to read on the features of its thick, vaguely-triangular head. Its eyes glow with a bright and eerie light, seeming to look at and through those before it - and indeed it is aware of things happening beyond its immediate surroundings. Its voice is powerful and echoing, seeming to grate along the nerves and vibrate its way into the brain itself. Even in utter stillness, it is fearsome to behold.

On the move, Yol'ShoValko'Warden is slow but implacable. Fire from even heavy blaster weapons glances off of its chitinous armor, and once it takes a ponderous step forward, it is almost impossible to drive it back. It lacks the strength of limb that the Jailer cast possesses in abundance, which is why it is always seen surrounded by dozens of these lesser enforcers, keyed to its will. If forced into combat, it focused the power of its mind on those who dare challenge it, working to cripple them from within rather than resort to the crude weapons of those it considers inferior. Healed scars along its chitin indicate the attempts of would-be escapees to kill it; all have failed.

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Strengths: Yol'ShoValko'Warden possesses heavy natural armor, making it very difficult to injure with conventional weapons. Its connection to the Force and the collective binding together its people makes it incredibly difficult to surprise or outmaneuver, as it can see through the eyes of dozens of beings at once. It can turn that same power to offense, injuring and even incapacitating its enemies without lifting an appendage. Possessed of a keen mind and total devotion to its cause, it is a shrewd negotiator and skilled tactician, willing to make sacrifices in order to achieve greater success in the long run. It is merciless, without any moral code to restrict its options.

Weaknesses: Weighed down by its armored bulk, Yol'ShoValko'Warden is slow and ungraceful. Its potent mental abilities come at the cost of physical inferiority to the Jailer caste of the Umphathi, and it is relatively weak and clumsy in material combat. Like all of its species, it suffers in the presence of bright light - its exceptionally powerful and sensitive eyes are easily damaged by sudden flashes. Its ability to coordinate many Jailers at once is counterbalanced by vulnerability as well - if many of the Jailers it is connected to are killed in a short time, it cannot easily compensate for the sensory feedback, and suffers a mental backlash that may leave it stunned or even comatose.

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Biography: Yol'ShoValko'Warden was born just as the 400-year darkness was beginning to end, a part of the Umphathi collective that was rapidly expanding after recontact with the galaxy. Yet its early days, like those of all its kind, were marked by scarcity and want. The ruined planet of Umphathia could not feed the species that had evolved upon it, forcing them to look to the stars for survival. As a Paramount, the leadership caste, Yol'ShoValko'Warden was from birth prepared to lead its people in their unending struggle. It was immediately involved in the species' only meaningful industry: the shattered prison moon of Valko, often referred to in hushed tones as "The Hive".

Years rolled by, galactic powers rose and fell, but very little changed for Yol'ShoValko'Warden. Its charge remained perpetually the same: to contain the prisoners that the governments of the galaxy found impossible to execute and too inconvenient to imprison themselves. As other Paramounts died or were reassigned, it remained - Valko was its eternal charge, until the hour its mind passed from the collective. Countless attempted escapes were foiled at its appendages, and countless acts of barbaric cruelty inflicted to ensure that the prisoners stayed in line. Through it all, food flowed from the agricultural domes and credits flowed from grateful governments.

Yol'ShoValko'Warden was helping its people to survive. The fates of all other beings it encountered were irrelevant.