The Symbiont

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The Symbiont skulks amidst the umbra.

The Symbiont is an ectoparasitic saurian organism of unknown origin. It was last scene before the Schism, where it apparently latched onto the Scorned King and granted him enhanced physical strength and abilities. It is ostensibly considered the darker half of the Scorned King’s biological form and psyche, as it is physically more disturbing and malignant. Despite this, the creature is deemed a close ally of the Scorned King by tablets and scrolls.

Origin

“Kriechen strains are quaint and enigmatic, however even this beast amazes me. It embodies the fact that the Kriechen’s forms are limitless in potential,” – Kriechen Lifeforms and their Ecology

The Symbiont’s only recorded appearances in history are in ancient and archaic ecology scrolls documenting the pest lifeforms found infesting Aesoteric infrastructure. Mistakenly assumed a Kriechen martial mutation, the Symbiont was merely a footnote in multiple studies involving Kriechen behavior and mutation. Only a few images of the creature have been captured, and almost all photographers have remarked on the similar scars found on the creature; which proved that the Symbiont was a singular migratory organism instead of a successful Kriechen strain.

The theory that the Symbiont is an archaic and intelligent Kriechen was completely debunked when multiple ancient carvings depicted imagery of the beast. The carvings were dated to be extremely ancient, possibly originating from the pseudoforms of the Dredge. Which means that the Symbiont vastly predates the Aesoteric and most importantly the Schism. As the Kriechen first escaped containment and began mutating towards the end of the conflict. Among other reasons, including a distinct body structure, exotic locomotion capabilities, and veneration by the Scorned King himself, the likelihood of the Symbiont being a Kriechen is exceedingly low.

Ultimately, the true origin of the Symbiont is entirely unknown. The creature was elusive, preferring to scuttle in abandoned and lightless Aesoteric architecture. Now, as the creature has bonded with the Scorned King, its capabilities and origins have become more shrouded with mystery than ever previous. All theories on the creature’s origin cannot be confirmed nor denied as the Scorned King’s proxies refuse to elaborate on anything, and previously documented images and other things of interest are too vague or obscure to interpret.

Description

While there are multiple photographs displaying the entity, little actually provide anything clear. As all documented photos have caught the creature both in movement, and in extremely dark spaces. From what little can be acquired from both depictions, photographs, and descriptions, the creature can generally be described; albeit vaguely.

The Symbiont is quadrupedal and saurian, with a build similar to Hemidactylus frenatus. The entity has two frontal locomotion appendages, also used for grasping and human-like in appearance, that are vastly longer than its hind locomotion appendages. These limbs have been described as muscular, although other accounts describe them as emaciated. Both depictions and photographs may suggest that the former description is more accurate. The Symbiont’s hind legs are far smaller², and are “akin to an arthropod’s”¹.

Its torso and tail follow a similar template, being similar to Hemidactylus frenatus, although the tail is far longer in the Symbiont’s case. The tail of the Symbiont is roughly two thirds longer than the body. Strangely, the tail appears to end in some form of archaic bio-firearm.

Footnotes

  1. In the ecological book “Kriechen Lifeforms and their Ecology”, the Symbiont’s hind legs are described as arthropodal in nature.
  2. Analyzation of photographs dictates that the hind limbs of the Symbiont are far smaller than their frontal appendages.

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