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The Wrathians are a species from the blighted moon of Leto’s Wrath II-C in the Grus Sector. The star around which their homeworld orbits is a colossal red giant, which is renowned for its furious coronal ejections. Leto’s Wrath II-C orbits a hydrogen gas giant at significant distance from the star. The protective envelope of Leto’s Wrath II’s magnetosphere and regular periods of eclipsing allowed life to develop on what would otherwise be a molten cinder. Despite this protection, the active star’s electromagnetic disruptions made it very difficult for the Wrathian’s society to develop reliable electronics, and they had only just entered the digital age when they were discovered by the Ascendancy in 3104 PT.
With their advanced technology, shielded systems and ordered society, the envoys of the Ascendancy were hailed as mortal gods. In awe at the marvels that the Ascendancy possessed, the Wrathians devoutly fell in line and over the next few centuries embraced Ascendancy orthodoxy, which laid the groundwork for the tragedy to come. The nobles of House Pontez were impressed at the time at how quickly the Wrathians, with their close physical resemblance to Terrans, accepted the Ascendancy’s order, and were considering allowing individual Wrathians to leave their homeworld by the time of the First Tulaki Invasion.
When the Dominion warfleets decimated the Ascendancy Navy in the Bleak Sector in 3288 PT, the Ascendancy Council desperately placed their colonies and holdings in the Trailing half of their territory on a war footing. Indoctrination broadcasts and preparedness inspections increased massively deep behind the Dominion front, and the Wrathians were earmarked for mass mobilisation as soldiers. Propaganda broadcasts and militarisation of Wrathian society whipped them into a fervour of loyalty, and all aspects of Wrathian society were directed towards preparing for the coming threat. When the threat did come in 3356 PT, the Wrathians rose to meet it – but after the Dominion gained a foothold on the moon, their Gateway portals and vast numbers of assault troops quickly put the sparsely-populated Wrathian homeworld on a desperate defensive. Opting to sacrifice themselves to destroy the invading army and blunt a significant part of the Dominion offensive, the leaders of the Wrathians directed their people in what they believed was their final act of loyalty. A coordinated network of beta radiation emitters was disseminated to the numerous exotic element mines across the moon’s surface, and simultaneously activated in an attempt to set off an explosive chain reaction that would obliterate the moon and the surrounding Tulaki fleet.
Unfortunately, impurities in the exotic mineral veins at depth prevented the reaction penetrating the heart of the moon. Rather than destroying the planet, the reaction unleashed clouds of toxic dust and gases impregnated with a poorly-understood cocktail of radioactive isotopes. Half of the invading Dominion forces perished as they retreated to their landing craft and abandoned the dying moon. It was not until the Ascendancy reclaimed the sector after the first armistice that they discovered what remained of Leto’s Wrath II-C – a blighted and poisonous world, its atmosphere lethal to unprotected lungs, wracked by storms and earthquakes. When radio broadcasts of Ascendancy propaganda were found to be coming from the surface, they were first thought to be automated systems still running, their operators long dead – but the messages being broadcast did not match anything in the survey vessels archives, and expeditions to the surface were surprised to find that the Wrathians were not extinct, but changed.
The cocktail of exotic mineral dust and radiation had a powerful mutagenic effect, and although the majority of the population perished, those who survived became genetically adapted to their toxic world. Wrathians require the poisons of their home moon to survive, and their toxic metabolisms can handle incredible hostile environments. They exude small amounts of poisonous substances at all times, which the Ascendancy has found several uses for. Wrathians retain a burning fervour to serve the Ascendancy, and their devotion to the cause is seen as unnerving to even many Terrans, particularly given their blighted origin.
Most modern Wrathians are utterly devoted to the Ascendancy cause, sometimes even to the point of madness. They enjoy participating in parades and inspections, and take pride in their uniforms and discipline. They are committed to rigid social order, and despise what they see as deviant, hedonistic behaviour or waste. Few have had the opportunity to peer behind the veil of the Noble Houses high society, but would likely be disgusted at what they saw there.
Wrathians are humanoid, and in their original form looked remarkably similar to Terrans, only with jet black skin around their hairline, which faded into more familiar Terran skin tones. Modern Wrathians retain this appearance, but are mostly distinguished by the toxic sores and weals that constantly appear across their body and slowly fade – accumulations of poisonous substances that infect the flesh. They are sickly looking as a rule, with pallid skin and patches of sores and infected skin that looks like bruises. These sores are generally a dull purple at their centre, and have a deep black area around them, and may even be spotted with their dark blue blood.
Wrathians require toxic chemicals to survive, and many wear a breathing apparatus - such as a full-face mask or lower-face mask with a breathing tube. Similarly, they tend to exude poisonous chemicals, and generally cover much of their exposed flesh when around other species so as not to accidentally poison them. Most Wrathians in mixed company will cover themselves with wrappings, clothing or bandages to keep from poisoning their comrades.
Wrathians have 1 body hit and a death count of 400 seconds – their bodies tend to be somewhat frail owing to their toxic biology, but their blood is thick and viscous, and their will to survive is strong. Wrathians unique biology makes them highly resistant to Radiation and Toxins. They are immune to any Radiation or Toxic Conditions that do not also have the Wrathian keyword - this particular immunity also extends to Conditions with the Universal keyword. They are also immune to the positive effects of some toxins, such as Glowfish Toxin.
Wrathians both require and exude toxins as part of their natural biological processes. A Wrathian character must have a physrep breathing mask or similar apparatus for delivering toxins to their system (outlined in appearance above). Without a breathing apparatus they will slowly sicken and may die. Wrathian characters can also afflict others with their toxins by remaining in close contact for a short time – this tends to induce feelings of nausea and weakness, and can disrupt the mental concentration needed to use Psionic powers or Discipline skills - this power is a Show-me lammie effect. Finally, members of other species using the physician skill to perform surgery on or otherwise assist a Wrathian without appropriate protection is a dangerous task, and may end up with the physician being poisoned (usually if a Ref is present).
