[Restricted] Sithspawn Hunt and Study, Token Trial (Written by Apprentice Zotam)

[Sarias]

RESTRICTED

Sithspawn Hunt & Study

Apprentice Zotam

Introduction
After approaching Sith Sarias to enquire about my worth to be tested for her Proof of Speculation token and being ordered to ‘analyse the situation and make my own opportunity’. As such, I considered Sith Sarias’ position as Sith Alchemist and my interactions with her in the past. An interest in beasts, Vornskr, chemilizards and krykna spiders, and after making arrangements with my Meistras to suitable store the creature; decided to gather a team to capture a Sithspawn. However, from my experience with Sith Sarias and the requirements of the token - a simple beast hunt would not be enough. As such, it was decided that I would capture a Sithspawn and perform my own study on it - to pursue an analytical method and deduce what the creature of origin was and how it was created.

Preparation
In preparation for this Sithspawn hunt I decided to take a team of three, myself and two others and would tailor the team to their expertise.

My expertise:
Force based attacks, coordination and supportive roles.

Apprentice Korditis Sotazar’s expertise:
Melee combat, controlling combat via strength, force augmentation and offensive roles. As Sith Sarias’ Apprentice, I correctly assumed he had experience with Sithspawn.

Sergeant Thymius Rees’ Expertise:
Ranged combat, tracking beasts & people, vehicle piloting and supportive roles.

It was my belief that with Apprentice Sotazar leading the charge, myself acting as a support in melee combat and Sergeant Rees acting as a support role at range from the flank would be a formidable team.

For further preparation I remembered Sith Sarias’ Vornskr hunt where nets were provided, but not used effectively and chose to request equipment from Sergeant Rees. A large cage, nets, stun based weaponry and ordnance were requested, all except for the nets were provided - however Apprentice Sotazar was able to provide weighted and strengthened nets.


Deployment
Reports of a loose Sithspawn on Dromund Kaas reached me and the team were assembled, we deployed in a clearing of the jungle and it became instantly clear that there was little life in the area. Before us was bark torn off of a large tree. Apprentice Sotazar inspected the tree’s damage to deduce the size of the creature, discovering that it was his size but slightly larger. I examined the area through force sense, discovering only a single life form in the area at a reasonable distance away. Sergeant Rees examined the area for tracks, all three of us agreed on the direction the Sithspawn was in.

Eventually we located a depressed area with a waterfall and a river. Through force sense I wrongly located the Sithspawn - likely clouded by the active dark sided presence in the area. Korditis descended down into the lower area and a large, four limbed reptilian looking creature emerged from behind the waterfall.

Apprentice Korditis engaged it, I circled around to drop down behind the creature and ordered Rees to remain above and fire stun rounds down. The creature was susceptible to stun rounds and after Korditis was struck I used force lightning to draw its attention to me, as it closed in I produced a flash of blinding light to incapacitate it. With the combined efforts of my blinding attack, Sergeant Rees’ sonic grenade and Apprentice Korditis slashing it’s ankles from behind the creature was subdued and netted - able for us to cage it.

The creature emerged from behind a waterfall and when wounded attempted to return there, I believe this alludes to it being designed for a humid and dark environment. My initial assumptions based on this are that it is an amphibian, as it still seemed to be able to breathe air and thrive in the water.

Sithspawn Study

Visual Study
Upon closer visual inspection the creature has a large tail, two primary legs and four clawed limbs with hands; the lower two smaller than the upper two. The creature had a split lower jaw with fangs, an upper row of teeth with an elongated head that curves back with a crown of horns. See the attached image below.



Based off of simple physiological similarities, the two legs and four clawed limbs, the creature seems similar to a Gundark. However, there are also key differences. The Gundark has a single lower jaw, minor legs with single claws and not feet, primary upper limbs for movement and a smaller head with fur and ears. A Gundark also lacks the tail that this creature has - to provide further insight to the visual study blood samples have been taken from the creature and will be analysed below.

It is worth noting that the specimen also has webbed feet, gills, a scaly hide and a second set of eyelids - from this I assume that the creature’s template was that of a Gundark with modifications made later on.

Blood Study
After consulting Apprentice Valeus for his expertise he agreed to assist me with analysing the blood sample, setting up the equipment and running the test based on my assumptions whilst I observed.

No percentages or other creatures could be identified, which Apprentice Valeus stated can be an occurrence when Alchemy has been used. However, the blood test did confirm that the baseline DNA of the creature was that of a Gundark - confirming my original hypothesis. Traces of reptilian and amphibian DNA were present but unidentifiable - as such I theorise that some form of breeding was used to create the creature rather than direct genetic manipulation.

Sorcerous Study
With the aid of Apprentice Valeus as an anchor, in case the dark sided nature of the specimen was overwhelming, I performed the Rite of Scrying on the vial of blood. It took quite some time to pierce through the veil of corruption but visions were experienced and knowledge retrieved.

I heard an echo of a name, Lord Drikthorin, who was likely the man who imbued this creature with life. I saw an aged figure leading the ritual that I will elaborate on next, I believe this aged man to be the alchemist.

The vision that I saw was a strange one, several creatures all being led into what seemed to be a ‘breeding pit’ with an alchemical ritual surrounding it. Of the creatures that were entered I recognised only the Gundark, the others were strange and twisted beings which had reptilian, amphibian and mammalian features. I believe that the Sithspawn that I captured was a final iteration of a long, alchemically fueled, selective breeding process where creatures were repeatedly bred under the influence of the dark side and morphed into Sithspawn until the final creation was born.

Conclusion
From the various avenues of research, visual, blood and sorcerous studies I have confidently confirmed; the species of the original creature, the method of the Sithspawn’s creation albeit simplified from my observations and the creator himself and perhaps even how the Sithspawn escaped. Furthermore, the creature is not a ‘full’ sithspawn as it was not life created through alchemy but instead life modified by it.

The visual study suggested that the original creature was a Gundark, modified for certain purposes, the blood tests confirmed this as did the visions experienced in the sorcerous study.

The blood study confirmed the assumptions of the visual study and gave further considerations for the Sorcerous study.

The Sorcerous study further verified the assumptions from the visual study and also provided visions of a ‘breeding pit’ which led to the creation of the final Sithspawn.

It was also revealed that the alchemist who created the creature was an aged, and corrupted alchemist, by the name of Lord Drikthorin. I believe that in his aged and weakened state he created a beast that he could no longer control, and thus it managed to escape and wreak havoc upon his facility.

I suggest keeping the creature in a humid area, or even in a body of water, should you intend to keep it alive long-term.

I hope this report satisfies, and demonstrates an analytical approach.

Addendum - Behavioral Study
During the capture of the creature it was noted that it was extremely aggressive and it’s territory marked with large claw marks that helped us track it - this along with the obvious appearance suggested predatory and territorial instincts. We had entered its territory and as far as it was concerned, we were either prey or competition. Upon sufficient wounding of the beast it attempted to flee back into the dark cave behind the waterfall, suggesting that it had not been purged of all natural emotions - it still possessed a survival instinct that any natural born creature has. The urge to flee to a ‘safe space’ when under threat.

Upon capturing and caging the creature I investigated it’s needs and requirements as it was my intention to present Sith Sarias with a live specimen, finding that it was most suited to semi-aquatic conditions in a solution no different to Kaasian rainwater; making it rather easy to keep alive, though it likely requires more specialised conditions and more space in order to thrive. During this phase, and the visual study, I noticed that the creature was hyper aggressive when not appeased with food - further suggesting predatory instincts; when combined with the results of the visual study, a gundark being the template creature, this seems like a logical and inherited trait.

When feeding the creature it was noted that it was entirely carnivorous, ignoring anything that wasn’t meat. It preferred uncooked food that bled, alluding to a predator’s digestive system. Furthermore it was noted that whilst it was happy to eat meat from mammalian or reptilian creatures it seemed to have a preference toward fish meat; a trait possibly inherited by whichever reptilian and oceanic predators were used to give it the scaly hide and other aquatic features.

Finally, during the initial stage of the scrying study, I noticed that there seemed to be something missing in the creature’s presence. An absence that wasn’t filled by the dark side that created it; I theorise that this is a possible force wound from a broken force bond - having killed its creator.

Original Document