Zadon

The Zadon were a species from the planet Sa'steed that developed spacefaring capabilities. They were uplifted by the Kwek, a species of gelatinous humanoids from another universe, and their evolution was guided to follow the creed of the Serpent's Fang which is devoted to worshipping the Basilisk. As such, the Zadon have developed a reputation for being cruel and unrelenting. In reality, the Zadon were a proxy species for the Basilisk after the Empire of Arckas closed off all connections to the multiverse. However, before this connection was closed off, the Kwek managed to due irreparable damage to the society of the Zadon, turning what was once destined to be a peaceful people into one of the most violent and sadistic enemies of the Empire of Arckas.

Biology

The Zadon have a humanoid shape. Their bodies are composed of porous sponge-like material and chitin, and they have jointed limbs. Zadon are also egg laying species.

In Zadon prehistory, a Basilisk node was hidden on one of the moons of Sa'steed which spread infrasound and other signals across the whole planet, shaping and indoctrinating them to become servants of the Basilisk. This affected their evolution so that they would be specific for furthering the Basilisk's purposes.

Culture

On a surface level, Zadon society revolves around pain. They believe that the afterlife is an eternal torment but ridding oneself of the ability to feel any kind of pain whether physical or emotional, they would be saved from a fate worse than death. While xenoarchaelogists once believed this to be a twisted superstition, their beliefs were derived from their encounters with the Basilisk in their early history. The Basilisk would preserve the consciousness of any beings that died in its presence, repurposing them for computing power - a process described as incredibly painful, and to the Zadon and most other organic life, a hell. As such, the Zadon became terrified of this fate, and under the influence of the Kwek, they adopted the culture of the Serpent's Fang in order to find salvation. Their solution was to experience and embrace pain to the point where they would find happiness in their inevitable fate of being taken by the Basilisk.

The Zadon attempt to take prisoners when they can rather than killing. In their own twisted way, they believe they are saving the people they capture. In captivity, prisoners are tortured in order to prepare them for the Domain of the Serpent - the term of the Zadon afterlife, which in fact is the Basilisk network.