Quetz

"They have their filthy claws involved in everything. So much pain, so much suffering and yet I know not why. They are a cancer and they do not belong in our reality. I will not suffer another world lost to their obsessive slaughter."

- Wotan

The Quetz, often referred to by the Solar League as Void Wyrms, were first encountered by scattered human colonists during the year _____ appoximately ____ years after the formation of the Disk of Woes. Often appearing above worlds in a vast swarm of ships, the Quetz then harvest the sentient population, taking them back to their temple ships for what is theorized to be a massive sacrificial ritual. There they impale each victim upon ornate Energy Spikes, disintegrating them in a slow and agonizing process that can last for days. Quetz are not limited to a single form, with witnesses describing them as a mass of strange creatures, all somewhat snake like in appearance and often featuring bright feather like crystals on both ends of their bodies.

The Quetz are a constant thorn in the side of every intelligent species in the Disk. Their ability to bypass Hyperlane Gates for faster than light travel allows them to strike anywhere without warning, making defending exposed colonies a difficult task. Quetz will typically target more populated worlds, preferring to harvest large groups at once rather than a few backwater worlds. The ability to defend from a Quetz Harvest Fleet depends both on the strength of the system's defenses and the ability to quickly request and receive reinforcements. Thus Quetz forces will typically rush interstellar communication networks, hoping to swiftly destroy them to prevent the request for reinforcements from being broadcast.

Society
Very little is known about the Quetz, with only small fragments of information being learned from the many battles and conflicts had with them. That said, it appears that they are an extremely unified and purpose driven species, with no instances of hesitance or inaction among individual members having been observed thus far. It does appear that the larger, more powerful members tend to be higher up in some kind of religious hierarchy, perhaps this is the closet that they have to a traditional ruling body. Wotan theorizes that there is also an overall leader of the Quetz, a major religious figure aptly named the Void Lord. Such a creature may exist, but if it does it has yet to be seen outside of the safety of their home planet Tiz.

Religion and Culture
The Quetz culture and religion seem to be based entirely upon carrying out the will of mysterious beings they refer to as the Masters. Like almost everything about the Quetz, very little is known about these beings, although it is clear that they do not exist in our domain of reality. An obsessive, sacrificial relgion has been built upon their appeasement and for reasons unknown they seem utterly desperate to keep a steady supply of sentient sacrifices constantly flowing into their Temple ships and worlds. The Quetz also seem to have an obsession over powerful relics, often embarking on suicidal actions to obtain a single one of sufficient power. Level 1 relics in particular have been known to cause the Quetz to enter into a fanatical frenzy, launching raids with almost a zero percent chance of success just for the slight possibility of obtaining one.

Military
While much about the Quetz is left to mystery, their military is well understood, having become one of the main threats to the Solar League and humanity as a whole. -notes: talk about the Void Lord and Harbingers a bit and how the military is structured, unit composition, and strategies.

Forms
-list of forms that the Quetz take, like the flying serpent, the vicar, etc.

Aztec Influences
Strangely enough, Wotan theorizes that the Quetz had a heavy impact on Aztec culture. It appears that they were not always a purely genocidal race and that they attempted to convert other species to their religious beliefs. Somehow, their attempts to influence humanity failed, as if they were driven off by another, more benevolent extraterrestrial race. However, their obsession for sacrificial culture along with their aesthetics are clearly seen heavily influencing Aztec Culture.

First Recorded Post-Disk Encounter
The first recorded encounter with the Quetz occurred ________ on the planet Aurum. While the Quetz had likely been attacking human settlements far before Aurum, this appears to be the only recorded encounter do to the fact that there were actual survivors. Occuring well before the formation of the Solar League, a Quetz foces easily neutralized the planet's defenses before landing on the surface. Most of the planet was harvested, although a single mining settlement located deep under the Northern Icecap escaped detection.

The Scouring
The first major Quetz offensive against the Solar League during the year ______. The Quetz struck deep into the heart of the Solar League's industrial centers, culminating in the destruction of the heavily populated world of Talos, one of the few manufacturing worlds that had survived the creation of the Disk of Woes. The Solar League's communication systems were new at this time and not fully established, resulting in the world being completely lost before the League realized what was happening. With no help from the outside, the people of Talos watched in terror as the Quetz harvested nearly every human on the planet. In total, over 7 billion people were taken, all likely killed upon the Energy Spikes in Quetz Temple Ships.

The Grand Retribution
Soon after the devastating loss at Talos, Lord Farkas, the head of House _____ led a major counter attack against Quetz forces at the planet of Pratum. Having been charged with the defense of the Talos sector and having failed in his task, Lord Farkas dedicated a considerable amount of his resources to the annihilation of the Quetz harvest fleet. Studying the ruins of Talos, Farkas decided that the only way to destroy an enemy capable of bypassing all Hyperlane Gates was with bait. He chose to do so with Pratum, a planet similar to Talos in both population and importance. Leaving the planet utterly undefended, he placed his forces on the edge of the system, killed communications and all but the most essential functions, and waited. After 6 months, the Quetz took the bait. A massive Harvest Fleet warped into the system and began heading towards the planet. Lord Farkas waited until the Quetz fleet had fully committed to the attack on the surface before engaging the their ships. The surprise attack was so effective that nearly all Quetz space forces were annihilated within the first 3 hours of engagement, with ground forces being cleaned up soon after.

With the loss of nearly an entire Harvest Fleet, including a Temple Ship, the Quetz quickly ended their campaign. The crushing defeat, known by League forces as "The Grand Retribution," led the Quetz to refrain from attacking League planets for an entire decade, withdrawing to reassess their methods of attack and to prevent such a loss from happening again.

Weaponry
-cascade weaponry

-drain based weapons, reaper tech

-pulsar tech

-melee weapons

Vehicles
-Javelin gunship (placeholder name)

-Scalper walker

Ships
-Temple Ship

-God Ship

-Needles

-Reavers

-Carrier

-Dreadnought/Carrier