Name
Birth name: Varzyrin Zracyrvski
Alias: Acyziom Dvrawsxyir
Nickname: Poczervurac ("Worm-Eater")
Note on NamesHe goes by Aczyiom most of the time as the grand majority of people aware of him were typically friends (and enemies) on the frontier worlds. Due to how his appearance has changed with time and his desire to keep a low profile after leaving his posting, he avoids using his real name. There will be very few people who know that he is the near heroic special forces soldier.
Appearance
At roughly eight and a half feet with a large carapace-armoured body bristling with various retractable appendages, weapons, and even symbiotes, Varzyrin seems to be somewhere between a devil's coach horse beetle, mantis shrimp, phronima, and a wolf spider. His main body is covered with various segmented plates almost like living isopods and fairly broad with large shoulders connecting powerfully multi-segmented arms ending in six fingered claws capable of splitting into smaller digits. His head has the almost mask-like appearance of a mantis with the longer features of a ground beetle with four dome-like formations hiding his numerous eyes. A ghastly maze of mandibles comprises its lower half, some of which are a bit longer than human fingers and there is a small cluster of eyes where his forehead might be. Antennae and such emerge from the upper half of his head as well as shoulders, capable of retracting at will. His lower body is just as dense as his upper one with a pair of larger primary legs and a bit above them a number of complex smaller limbs with finer grasping and interacting appendages. His midsection also contains a few more arms like smaller versions of his primary ones, bringing him to around 24 limbs in total.
While he seems fully organic, a closer look reveals some of his carapace plating to be partialy metallic with a number of components looking almost bolted or otherwise integrated into his body. It adds a semi-metallic tinge to his forest floor coloured body - a splotchy, motley mixture of blackish dirt, faded leafy brown, a few strips of lighter green, and a sort of sickly faded rust-red. This causes him to look almost as if he is partially decomposed but his colour can be changed with some modifications.
Species
Vrexul
Gender
Male
Age
94
Personality
Stern, distrustful, and stubborn - he can come off as unpleasant but in spite of that, is not really hateful of people as much as he is of organizations, ideals, and movements. He has a sociable and compassionate side that contrasts his bitterness and cynicism towards the GFL. He is generally not the sort to open up about why he is the way he is beyond bringing up the cruelties and conflict inflicted upon him and his people by the GFL. He does however like to tell stories and it is one of the easier ways he has of momentarily reliving himself of his regrets. He prefers to lead when he can, often for combat or exploration scenarios, sometimes to show up others to alleviate his anger or to remind himself that he hasn't lost his edge. He isn't against taking orders and working as a team but a fear of repeating past mistakes can make him very vocal on attempting to influence or lead on decision making.
Reputation
On the frontier worlds, even after he had gone dark and drastically changed his appearance Vazyrin was something of a legend amongst the insurgents his military career began with and initially an unconformed rumours by the colonial alliance. To the GFL, he and his cells were monsters that needed to be slain. His reputation would grow after he was recruited to the military. While he and his unit was rarely in contact with rank and file soldiers, staying mostly concealed for security purposes, the rumours that surrounded him made him a folk hero to his allies and a boogeyman to his foes. A few GFL commanders know who he is but are not exactly sure of his current physical appearance while it is believed some of his colonist commanders have at least a general idea of where he currently is. The tragic end to his military career has not yet become very well known so for now, his reputation remains the same.
As "Acyziom Dvrawsxyir", he is known in some corners as something of a shifty and reclusive fellow though a reliable and overall honourable one. He has taken on jobs to help out various independent colonies, rebel groups, and a few local governments with a variety of problems whether it's getting rid of dangerous animals or battling cruel local rulers. As such, he has a pretty good reputation and is somewhat known in the further ends of the galaxy as a helpful figure in spite of the strange rewards he requests alongside his monetary payments (specific fauna or vegetation, niche animal products, specific metals and so on). He is known to certain bounty hunter guilds as an occasional customer, taking a few specific targets with impressive tenacity and proffessionalism. Rumours surround him concerning his background, mixinng vrexul street rumours with GFL propaganda for an unusual effect but they diminish in more urban worlds the further inwards to major Landrunian territories one goes.
History
Varzyin is a veteran guerilla turned proffessional soldier from vrexul controlled space, having experienced the brutal occupation of a mixed-species commune-colony and its subsequent absorption into a larger industrialized city. He had been a teacher at first, having been trapped on a world where its leaders had been forced to give up territory to the GFL wherein he found his job of educating post-pupal vrexul taken from him and forced to work in costly, dangerous mining and construction positions. As living conditions worsened and disenfranchisement grew among the growing working class, so did brutal repression against an increasingly agitated populace. His primary concern was at first survival until his students, the ones he had watched pupate and mature into adults, were the ones struck by shock-batons and electroshock bullets, many frying to death from the unhinged response of the authorities during a crackdown on a large workers strike.
From this point onwards, he would become a member of a now growing number of community defence groups whose street fights and brawls against corporate-backed crime organizations and hired ex-military security would quickly begin escalating into urban insurgencies that soon spread off into the unconquered and primordial wildernesses of his homeworld. He gained a reputation for adaptiveness and viscerality, appearing on a number of Most Wanted APB's but it became harder to track him the more he modified and augmented his body. It is here that he found his true calling, finding that he transferred the lessons from his own experience to those of new recruits and established soldiers, developing a reputation as a teacher as he was a fighter. The results would speak on the battlefield as the rag-tag cells he operated with struck crippling blows against an increasingly over-stretched GFL whether it was taking advantage of mass riots they'd organized and incited to assassinate key political figures or raiding the headquarters of foreign mercenaries then clearing out their stockpiles.
His successes would catch the attention of the growing armed forces of the growing colonial-vrexul alliance, soon recruiting him amidst a grand GFL push into these independent planets. With experienced soldiers in great need, he would be frequently cycled between the frontline and the rear, finding his guerilla experience and teaching background perfect for forging and leading a new wave of increasingly hardened troops unfazed by a numerically and often technologically superior enemy. It is here his exploits would become well known to both the insurgents he frequently was deployed alongside and the command chain that saw him as an increasingly valuable asset with his high rate of success. He had a trusted team he was developing that were becoming progressively more successful in eliminating high value targets whether personnel, structures, and materiel as well as crippling enemy defences and holding up larger enemy forces with clever and for a while unconventional tactics.
As the relentless advance of the enemy began to hit numerous roadblocks, the great momentum he seemed to have began to stall and he found his deployments growing increasingly difficult. Not just in terms of completing the objectives but the toll was beginning to catch up with him physically and mentally. As the GFL began to tighten its grip on territories it had taken and their civilian populace, he found himself taking riskier actions and on a number of occasions operating with his squad and more hardline mixed guerilla/military forces beyond the parameter set by command. The effects of this are controversial in terms of their effect but they were the cause of a number of short, abrupt, but shockingly violent encounters between both sides. One of these involved his team, a large civilian centre of mixed Landrunians and indepedents and a foreign-installed head of nation-state believed to have been responsible for mass tortures and executions of vrexul and any alien species aligned with them.
Naturally, the commando team took great offence to this and his particularly vicious rule. Yet in their eagerness to eliminate him and his honour guard, they were left blind to certain other factors in the area of operations. They executed a fast lightning raid upon his personal fortified mansion-palace, sowing the violent discord they were known for. Taking a detour through a secret passageway, they would enter an area of the small fortress their stolen blueprints did not indicate, discovering it later to be a training ground for younger cadets and to also hold civilian contractors. Their attempts to sneak past were offset by their hastiness and in the ensuing confusion, terrified trainees and civilians firing their plasma rifles and grenade launchers found their bodies torn apart by experienced gunfire and ripping claws as the commando unit fought to try and preserve a delicate mission quickly going to the wayside. They were only partially successful, sending much of the fortress into a panic as terrified civilians mixed with increasingly angry, agitated elite guards and a bloodbath ensued once they encountered the vrexul and his squad.
The ensuing carnage resulted in numerous casualties with the ordinary citizens mixed among hardened stormtroopers in a controversial incident that both the GFL and the colonial alliance both know little about. That is because much of the squad died, went missing in action, simply refused to give up the information, or it was kept secret. The general they were targeting is believed to have been destroyed in a large explosion from the destruction of his personal transport prior to its attempted launch but it was never found. Varzyrin was among the six of the 12 who made it out, debriefed quickly by his superiors but then vanishing from his unit and the alliance's forces. A few years later the grand counter-offensive would begin but he had long since departed the frontier and as a special forces trooper, still remains unknown to most of the galaxy at large. He has since become an "odd jobs person", taking on a variety of work for a hefty price and keeping low and out of the eye of galactic geopolitics.
Gear
Augmentative Internal NetworkHis body is drastically different from a normal vrexul's due to the sheer volume of augmentative parasites, cybernetic wiring, and foreign biomass installed into it. What makes it more impressive is that he has modified all of it to work as a unified system to simplify maintenance and allow for further enhancement of his impressive physical capabiltiies. Most of this is hidden from plain sight but within and beneath his armour is a small environment where machines, parasites, and artificial entities are in constant cooperation as a distinct-yet-singular whole. The AIN allows him to very easily adapt and modify new augmentations, implants, integrated weapons and so on as well as allow him control his own with an ease as if he was born with them. It also functions as a sort of computer system, powered by his own body, that allows him to analyse, organize, compile, and otherwise interact with data his senses and those of his parasite-symbiotes gather from the environemnt or their own databases.
Personal Carapace ArmourAll vrexul have a tough, flexible outer shell but it is frequently customized for a number of tasks. Varzyrin's is a strange composite of various cutting edge alien alloys, selectively biomodified carapace plating, and complex under-layers of lattice-networked stabilizing sub-architecture and protective semi-living mesh. Capable of resisting the same autocannon rounds, plasma bursts, and high explosives that are used both by and against the vrexul soldiers, it has impressive durability and damage reduction systems whether in terms of energy ablative glands and the capability to lock up to avoid excessive damage when falling to allowing the integration of layered energy-based shielding and absorbing nutrient intake to accelerate repair.
Biomorph Encoder Module NetworkA complex series of implanted biological components, updated with a series of genetically modified lab-grown organisms and integrated organ-machines. It allows for him to "encode" a variety of additional weapons, tools, limbs, and even organs and glands among other such things into his own body with the right biocodes. When used, it redirects specially prepared mass linked to itself to take the form he needs it to. It is a complex piece of biotechnology to use and requires usually a good deal of tinkering about with various components and his own internal biology in order to prepare a particular morph. He can usually carry only a limited amount, usually taking options such as an extra energy-based projectile weapon, specialized digging claws, and a biomechanical ECM suite. There are more exotic options available though his BEMN usually has room for a maximum of six.
Sepulchral Eye Synthetic Intelligence UnitAn advanced intelligence created through a mixture of biological and cybernetic means, comprised of a series of self-sustaining augmentative parasite units that network throughout his body. They allow Varzyrin to multitask and better control his various limbs but also any independent drone units linked to his computer systems, even capable of operating for him if he loses consciousness. It is even capable of piloting vehicles and operating them independently from him. They also help with scanning, analysing, archiving, and general utility funcitons.
Void Shrine Internal Etherbiology ColonyThe vrexul have studied strange sciences once the domain of the mythic and the occult, drawing power from a shadowy dimension inhabited by monstrous entities and bizarre forces. A series of creatures and void-touched implants within Varzyrin's body generate, store, and purify this energy which typically manifests as dense cloud-like conjurations made of rotting biomatter and what appears to be self-replicating machinery, both of which have a distinctly arthropod appearance. They typically are used to form objects such as barriers and platforms and interacting typically by morphing into floating limb-configurations. Utilizing such power puts a strain on the void shrine and when overloaded, will undergo an automatic shutdown to avoid the supernatural energies breaking the threshold and irradiating him. It has a manual override but this is unsurprisingly very risky to use.
Unrelenting-Type Self-Repair SystemThis fusion of biology and technology allows for a vrexul to heal their own wounds over time when activated. It is connected to a series of nutrient packs and a series of specialized micro and macro organisms that utilize them to accelerate regeneration of lost biomass, capable of regrowing entire limbs as long as there is enough energy stored within. It can be restocked by simply eating or otherwise acquiring nutrients and can even be augmented with certain high energy injections.
Condemnation Autocannon Rifle (Wormscourger Configuration)A modification of the service rifle typically used by vrexul infantry. The original weapon, a fairly large and semi-blocky firearm derived from heavy-calibre guns mounted on security automata, has been slimmed down partially and enhanced with a series of biomass implants resembling sloping staphylinid carapace allowing it to be selectively modified through selective mutation on the fly. The wormscourger configuration is considered a carbine but is larger than most human medium to even heavy machine guns, using a bioelectro chemical firing mechanism to launch high calibre to light autocannon type rounds typically with an explosive charge. It has a slower firing rate than most rifles and hefty kickback but is known for its impressive range, armour piercing, and accuracy.
The Wormscourger variant is used by their special forces and is a little smaller with an increased though still not particularly high rate of fire. It features an adaptive feed allowing it to use foreign rounds and an even more advanced morphomutagenic frame that allows the weapon to be reconfigured from a rifle to other forms. They can include a designated marksman rifle, a carbine/PDW, a shotgun, and even a launcher. Varzyrin is also modifying it to fire beams but it is taking a while to complete.
Hellmouth Infantry Plasma CannonA high power infantry weapon based on the defensive weapons used by human allies to the vrexul. This weapon has a more curved, cynlindrical shape than most but it carries a number of carapace-like plates and almost rib or insect segment like design elements giving it a distinctly arthropod appearance. It cannot be modified to the same extent as the condemnation but it has a number of built in and additional fire modes. Typically it accelerates and launches large green-white spherical plasma blasts with a slower semi-automatic rate of fire, capable of devouring their way through heavy armour and is intended for short to medium range due to energy being leached by the environment. Said shots can be charged up to the extent they make an explosion on contact and are capable of burning enemies even when passing by. Any firing will cause it to build up heat and once it hits its limit, it will automatically activate its cooling mode and lock itself from firing further until it drops to a safe levle.
It does possess other firing modes however. The most common is a flamethrower-like mode that widens the barrel and belches forth like dragon's breath, limiting its range further in exchange for devastating energy bursts that can incinerate a whole squadron in seconds. A lower-output hyperspray mode is available, utilizing a minigun like collection of barrels to spit out an inaccurate but harrowing degree of rapid moving bolts. For concentrated piercing power, a sustained beam configuraiton is possible wherein the plasma energy is fired as a single column of light. This mode generates the highest heat but at medium to slightly longer ranges can burn right through certain vehicle armour. Varzyrin is attempting to find the parts to modify it to be converted into a particle weapon as well.
Desecrator Fragmentation CannonFunctionally a shotgun, this weapon's main body is essence a large cylindrical tube placed within a body that looks like a large spinal millipede, connected to two rails partially resembling beetle elytra by a series of interconnecting limbs and a fairly large handle and grip. Also known as a "flak cannon", this fires by detonating spherical explosives within a blast chamber and channeling both the blast and the numerous white-hot fragments outwards. It is useful from short to medium ranges with considerably higher armour piercing than shotguns ytpically get. It can also launch these explosives as well where they function identically to fragmentation grenades. They typically use a specialized normally inert pillbug like organism's egg-clusters as its shells but can fire synthetic rounds as well. It is possible to convert it to a makeshift grenade launcher though it is not as effective as dedicated versions.
Vitriol Integrated Personal Defence WeaponsBodily mounted weapons integrated into a vrexul's carapace with his on his side. They are scaled down versions of a powerful squad automatic weapon common with vrexul soldiers, between a submachine gun and a carbine in terms of size. He has four of these limb-weapons, resembling somewhere between a centipede and a mantis in shape with notable bendable joints along their body allowing for a variety of firing angles. They use a bioelectric firing method to rapidly launch numerous spines grown in special birthing chambers that at closer ranges can shred through lighter armoured targets and weaken the defences of tougher ones. He has modified his own to be able to electrify the rounds as well as to combine them into larger mini-cannons capable of firing larger spines effective up to short-medium ranges, allowing him to stun his targets and overload automatons and shielding more easily at closer ranges. He has a pair of barrel attachments he can use when he combines them to become a pair of small cannons wherein they are converted to a lighter version of the machine gun they were based on, increasing their range and stopping power. For those purposes he tends to carry the upscaled machine gun spines with him.
Intransigence Integrated Light Launcher CannonsA duo of small turret-like biomechanical cannons that typically emerge vrom Vazyrin's shoulders, capable of launching explosives long distances with higher accuracy than throwing, modified shotguns, or underslung attachments. Typically they use biological high fragmentation rounds, made in a simliar manner to the vitriol's but with greater blast power to launch a larger amount of fragments outwards. They can easily take in a variety of other explosives such as conventional HE, incendiary, smoke, EMP, and so on. He is currently attmepting to find the components allowing them to launch guided and missile/rocket type munitions.
Terrormaw Sickle-BladesLarge hand-held weapons resembling lengthy insectoid bodies curved almost like the hook of a question mark and ending with semi-biological carapace-blades infused with specialized metallic alloys. He has four of these blades that when combined with his long arms and immense strength, can easily tear through a fully armoured trooper and any of their squadmates. The curving blades can also straighten out or curl further, allowing them to "grip" enemy weapons or turn into straighter swords. They have a void-reactive series of veins running through them that allows them to channel the power from the void shrine to infuse themselves with unearthly, wrathful power that greatly increase their lethality.
Ravener-Class Patrol CraftA lengthy gunship resembling something like a long black-clad
triop with pointed sensor and gun protrusions emerging from what would be an eerily smooth body. This alien vessel has an eerily flexible tail and multiple legs it can use to crawl across the ground as well when not using its anti-gravitational thrusters. It is armed with a series of bio-particle cannons and can create sub-organisms that can be launched as homing missiles. For defence it has the ability to interfere with and conceal itself from scanners as well as specialized bio-electric signal projectors and chaff-launchers, creating electromagnetic disturbances and interfering with targeting or lock on systems. This is Vazyrin's primary way of getting around but it also serves as a mobile base for him, containing ammo-replicators, a medical station, a powerful computer system, a nutrient-paste culturing device, and a number of storage sections.
