Harvest Watcher

Overview

The "Harvest Watchers" are a unique Abyssal subrace of the Outworlder Stratum race known as the Xalanti, created in the year 520 YM. Only inhabiting the region of Surutis, the Harvest Watchers were originally known as "Ellanti," which itself was once a singular Xalanti individual born within the Western True Abyss.

The entire race of the Harvest Watchers posses within themselves an innate Hemomantic Ability, capable of perfectly splicing its own Remnant Spirit into a separate entity, seemingly without limit. This split allowed the two or more entities to either act in perfect harmony with one another or operate independently.

Ellanti’s Exile

Shortly after its creation, the Xalanti were disgusted by the sight which befell them. Both it, and its fellow Xalanti were unware of its immensely potent gift, and ultimately Ellanti was rejected by its Xalanti brethren. Born with a stumpy frame and only a single eye, Ellanti’s malformed appearance was considered an insult to the Beholder race. However, the Xalanti would never countenance the slaughter of one of their own, even one as malformed as Ellanti, as their entire being was driven towards ego. Therefore, it was spared execution but not punishment. Condemned for the sin of its birth, Ellanti was cast out from its people’s home caverns and forced to flee into the depths.

After months of wandering through the dark and treacherous Abyss, Ellanti eventually stumbled upon the Cavern of Theosis; a strange and alien land bathed in a brilliant saffronus glow. Alone and cut off from its people, Ellanti wandered the forgotten paths of Theosis, veiled in shadow and secrecy.

Meeting Brother Surutis

Ellanti’s power inevitably attracted the attention of a powerful figure destined to reshape Theosis itself; Brother Surutis. Surutis was one of the formidable Epimelius who ruled over Theosis alongside his sisters. Despite his station, Surutis had grown increasingly discontent with his role. Though he wielded considerable power, he found himself overshadowed by his sisters, whose combined mastery of magical disciplines often exceeded his own. His ambition burned within him, seeking a means to assert dominance and claim Theosis for himself.

It was during one of his wanderings through the forgotten corners of Theosis that Surutis first encountered Ellanti. At first, Ellanti avoided contact, wary of the powerful figure who seemed to follow its path. Yet Surutis, cunning and persistent, recognized the potential within the young Xalanti, recognizing it as one of the powerful Beholders.

Through patience and calculated gestures of goodwill, Surutis began to earn Ellanti’s trust. He presented himself not as a ruler seeking to exploit Ellanti's power, but as simply one wishing to be its friend and as a companion who admired Ellanti’s unique talents. Over time, Surutis and Ellanti formed a bond, and their friendship soon grew strong enough that Ellanti revealed the true extent of its Hemomantic capabilities.

The Rise of the Harvest Lord

Ellanti’s power was far greater than Surutis had anticipated. Its mastery over its Hemomantic Ability allowed it to manipulate its own essence, dividing itself into multiple entities that could simultaneously act in unison or independently. Surutis quickly realized that Ellanti’s talents could provide him with the advantage he needed to overthrow his sisters and seize control of Theosis.

Using deception and careful maneuvering, Surutis convinced Ellanti that his sisters intended to destroy the Beholder out of fear for its power. Trusting Surutis and believing itself to be in danger, Ellanti agreed to aid him. With Ellanti at his side, Surutis launched a brutal campaign against his fellow Epimelius Sisters.

Ellanti’s ability to divide itself into numerous entities allowed Surutis to coordinate simultaneous strikes across multiple fronts, while its Ethnomantic influence manipulated the will of countless soldiers and Psionic beings. Surutis' rebellion would then unfold violently and swiftly.

Victory and Dominion

Surutis and Ellanti overwhelmed Surutis’ sisters, unraveling their influence and claiming dominion over Theosis. Those who resisted were simply torn apart by its thousands of bodies pure Psionic power. The few surviving loyalists to Surutis’ sisters fled into exile, unable to challenge his newfound dominance.

With Theosis under his control, Surutis crowned himself the Harvest Lord and established the Kingdom of Theosis; naming it after himself; Surutis. Ellanti, now bound by loyalty and manipulated by Surutis’ cunning influence, remained a pivotal figure in this new regime. Surutis harnessed Ellanti’s power to maintain dominance, ensuring that his will extended throughout Theosis.

Birth of the Harvest Watchers

Ellanti's role within the Kingdom of the Harvest Lord grew more complex and all-encompassing over the years. Under Surutis’ command, Ellanti was ordered to divide itself into hundreds, then thousands of individual entities. These fragments of the original Ellanti acted as an expansive and omnipresent network of spies, informants, and enforcers of Surutis' will, ensuring that the endless harvest never stammered. Ellanti’s divided entities infiltrated every layer of Theosis' society, rooting out dissent and ensuring that even the smallest hint of rebellion was extinguished before it could ever take hold. Every corner of the kingdom became a part of Ellanti's fragmented consciousness, creating a web of surveillance and influence that allowed Surutis to govern with absolute control.

As Ellanti’s influence spread, the cost became evident. The continual fragmentation of its Remnant Spirit caused Ellanti’s individual identity to erode. With each division, Ellanti became more of a system and less of an individual being. Its original consciousness, once centered in a single form, became diluted among the countless fragments. Decisions were no longer made by a singular entity but rather processed through the collective will of thousands of pieces acting in concert. Surutis’ hold over Theosis became more secure, but the being that had once been Ellanti began to fade into abstraction.

In time, Ellanti’s original form was lost entirely among the thousands of fragments. No one could say which, if any, of the countless forms retained the true essence of the original Ellanti. Its identity dissolved into a faceless network of influence and control. The small Beholder, once a singular and unique being, had become an extension of Surutis' will; omnipresent, powerful, but without identity. What remained of Ellanti was a system rather than a being, a network rather than a mind. And as Ellanti faded into obscurity, Surutis’ dominion over Theosis became absolute.

With this loss of identity, the name Ellanti would be lost to time, and the beasts that came from it were now only known as the "Harvest Watchers," the ever vigilant eyes of the Harvest Lord.

Physical

Appearance

The Harvest Watchers possess a distinct and unsettling physical appearance, marking them as a unique subrace of the Xalanti. Unlike typical Xalanti, who are large and imposing beings, Harvest Watchers are significantly smaller, not even a 1-20th the height of the Beholders. This reduced stature gives them an almost stunted appearance, a fact that originally marked them as malformed and weak among the Xalanti. However, their compact forms are surprisingly dense and durable, with powerful musculature hidden beneath their hardened exoskeletal plates.

Their most defining feature is a single, massive eye at the center of their face, radiating with a bright, fiery glow of deep saffron and amber hues. Unlike the multi-eyed visage of typical Xalanti, the singular eye of the Harvest Watchers is viewed as a deformity and a mark of weakness. The eye’s jagged, uneven edge gives it a natural, almost organic quality, while the vertical slit pupil pulses with an inner light that seems to shift and flicker like embers.

Adding to their unsettling appearance are the stubby tentacles that emerge from their chests and sides, short and muscular tendrils which writhe constantly as if searching for something unseen. Despite their stunted appearance, the tentacles possess a surprising degree of strength and sensitivity. They are capable of latching onto surfaces, gripping prey, or even channeling Hemomantic energy. When Ellanti or its fragments are agitated or threatened, the tentacles will pulse with the same amber glow as their eye, becoming rigid and extending outward like grasping vines.

Ethnomantic Abilities

The Harvest Watchers, as a subrace of the Xalanti, grants them near unmatched potency of Psionics through their respective Ethnomantic Abilities. Through the manipulation of the collective consciousness, Ellanti and its fragments are able to suspend themselves above the ground, floating effortlessly through the air. hen in motion, the Harvest Watchers drift eerily, their forms shifting and twisting as if caught between dimensions. The space around them distorts subtly in response to the constant hum of Psionics emitting from their person, creating an unnatural aura of ominousness.

Their Ethnomantic Abilities extend far beyond levitation; by tapping into the subconscious thoughts of the beings around it, the Harvest Watchers can project overwhelming waves of psychic energy. This can take the form of direct psychic assaults. rupturing the minds of enemies and leaving them in catatonic stupors, or with more subtle manipulations, influencing decisions and altering perception. A single Harvest Watcher is capable of mentally dominating entire groups of individuals, reducing them to hollowed puppets acting under its will.

In battle, the Harvest Watchers become terrifying instruments of psionic warfare. They can generate crushing fields of psychic pressure that implode organic matter, or create barriers of pure mental force capable of deflecting magical and physical attacks alike. Their psionic screams are capable of shattering bone and warping reality, reducing entire battlefields to chaos within moments. The Harvest Watchers’ ability to fragment and multiply enhances this effect, as hundreds of coordinated psionic projections can strike from multiple angles simultaneously, overwhelming even the most prepared defenses.

Perhaps the most insidious aspect of their psionic power lies in their ability to reshape memory and identity. Through subtle Psionic pulses, the Harvest Watchers can erase entire portions of a sapient being’s mind, implant false memories, or fracture their sense of self. A victim under the influence of a Harvest Watcher may no longer know friend from foe, or even their own name.

Behavior

Silent Watchers

The Harvest Watchers unilaterally operate as silent sentinels over the population of Theosis. They hover wordlessly above the cavernous expanses, palace halls, and rural settlements, their single eye scanning the abyssscape with unblinking precision. Their presence alone is enough to instill fear and compliance in the hearts of the population. Even without direct confrontation, the people of Theosis have learned that the gaze of a Harvest Watcher is not merely a passive observation, it is a conduit through which Surutis' will is enforced. The Watchers’ ability to project psionic influence means that even those who attempt to hide treachery in the depths of their mind often find themselves exposed.

Ellanti’s fragmented consciousness operates like a vast neural network, transmitting information Psionically back to Surutis in real-time. If even a whisper of rebellion is detected, the nearest Harvest Watcher will begin to converge, bringing with it an overwhelming psionic force capable of dismantling threats before they fully form. The population has grown to fear not just the physical presence of the Harvest Watchers, but also the invisible web of Psionic surveillance that ensures their loyalty.

The Watchers rarely speak, and when they do, it is through a unified telepathic voice that seems to resonate from the depths of the mind itself. The words carry the unmistakable presence of Surutis’ will, leaving little doubt to the consequences of defiance. Those who have encountered the voice of the Watchers often describe it as a hollow, alien sensation — as if their thoughts were no longer entirely their own.