Velstrac

Velstracs, also known as kytons, fleshweavers, and apostles-in-chains, are a race of fiendish supernatural aliens from the Shadow Plane. They follow a sadomasochistic philosophy of self-perfection through pain, and seek to set the willing and unwilling alike on their path.

Anatomy & Physiology
Velstracs vary widely in form and ability, but they share a number of common traits. Most velstracs are humanoid in general shape, and they usually have gray or white skin and flesh. They all appear mutilated to some degree, and are often covered in self-inflicted wounds and gruesome-looking implants that may or may not have any function.

While physical and tangible, velstracs are in fact spiritual beings consisting at least partially of their home realm's essence. Because of this, they have a number of explicitly supernatural powers. They do not age and do not need to eat or sleep, though violence or suffocation can still kill them. Velstracs cannot be harmed by low temperatures, and they regenerate from harm not inflicted by silver or magically good weapons. Looking directly at a velstrac's face magically inflicts psychological trauma, the exact details of which vary from velstrac to velstrac.

Diet
Velstracs derive energy from fear and pain, which they readily inflict on themselves and others. While they do not need to eat organic food, they still possess mouths and digestive tracts and can eat if they wish.

Reproduction & Life Cycle
Velstracs do not normally reproduce sexually. Instead, they create new members of their kind out of souls that they have acquired in one way or another, usually souls that followed the velstracs' amoral philosophies in life. This is an excruciatingly painful process that usually takes centuries. Velstracs can also be created directly from living people who are willing to undergo the process. This only happens rarely, and velstracs created in this way are held in high esteem. Velstracs can theoretically live forever.

While they have no need of them, velstracs usually still have functioning genitalia. They can have sex with mortals - and presumably other velstracs - if they wish. The union of velstracs and mortals produces half-fiend offspring, regardless of whether the velstrac or the mortal is pregnant with the child.

Homeworld
Velstracs do not have a single home planet, but instead inhabit a parallel dimension called the Shadow Plane. The Shadow Plane is much like normal reality in structure, containing stars, planets, and galaxies. However, stars and other light sources are much dimmer than their material counterparts, and shadows with no discernible source are everywhere, even in the depth of space. Notably, distances on the Shadow Plane are usually much shorter than the corresponding distances in normal space, a property which can be exploited for faster-than-light travel.

Technology
Velstracs have embraced technology more than most other extraplanar species, mainly because it allows them new ways to inflict pain and modify their bodies. They specialize in implants and grafts that, while generally offering a variety of useful benefits, always inflict pain on their users. Velstracs pilot spacecraft made of metals found only on the Shadow Plane, using the Shadow Plane's shortened distances to travel faster than light in relation to normal space. While most of their weapons are normal beams and projectiles, they have also developed a sort of missile that scans the fears of those aboard a target ship and then creates a monster based on those fears aboard the targeted ship.

Society
Velstracs pursue their own individual perfections, and thus most of them live alone or in small groups. They generally inhabit personalized lairs built on terrestrial planets. Often, these lairs are hostile enough to cause pain, but not lethal injury, to their owners. Here, they pursue their tortures and experiments.

Groups of velstracs form hierarchies resembling those of organized religions. The largest groups form schools of philosophy around the teachings of velstrac demagogues, unique being of near-divine power. Weaker velstracs with enough experience and insight often attract smaller groups of followers and students.

When interacting with other species, velstracs are exceedingly dangerous. They frequently embark on raids to acquire victims for torture and experimentation, taking them by force or luring them in by deception. Sometimes they set up cults to spread their philosophies. In more violent societies, they integrate and find employment as torturers and jailers, using their position to spread their beliefs. Worst of all, the final rite of passage to becoming a demagogue is to "teach" an entire planet by inflicting eternal torment of some kind on its population.

Beliefs
Velstracs uniformly follow a philosophy laid down by Aroggus, the first and greatest of the species. Velstrac thinking centers on eight axioms called "truths." The eight truths are: All velstracs seek a unique, personalized ninth truth. In doing so, they adhere to the eight truths - therefore, their pursuits virtually always center around extreme body modification and sadomasochism. Beyond this, their paths to perfection vary wildly.
 * 1) One must never accept weakness.
 * 2) One should always strive.
 * 3) Pain is the reward of victory.
 * 4) Willpower honed to perfection is power beyond compare.
 * 5) Perfection must be imposed on anything unwilling to seek it.
 * 6) The quest for perfection must be propagated through pain until weakness is purged.
 * 7) Pain is a guide to the self and the perfection thereof, but it cannot liberate - liberation is achieved only through an application of will in which resistance ceases and suffering along with it.
 * 8) There are limits to what one can discover alone - revelations and inspirations can be found in the works of others.