The Swarm

     I've mentioned the Swarm before. They're a major part of the lore of Descent, invaders from the planet Irrith acting in the role of antagonist. They're the reason that humanity took the Long Walk, and are working to systematically slaughter every human on Vall. Their magic, weaponry, and strange semi-organic technology are utterly alien to Vallish people, and the memory of their efficient slaughter at Mannimar Bay haunts the minds of every Descentian.

    Swarm biology is a subject of which little is known, as barely one hundred Swarm were killed during the Last Hours. What is known is that they are hexapod bipeds, having two digitigrade legs and two pairs of arms, which terminate in three-fingered claws. Their bodies are covered in a red-brown exoskeleton, which can withstand small-arms gunfire for a brief period. Their joints, underbellies, and the backs of their heads are the only parts left unarmored, presumably a remnant of an earlier stage of their evolution. Their heads are oblong, with three pairs of eyes on the front and sides under a chitinous brow ridge. The positioning of the eyes grants them approximately 260 degrees of vision. 

    Swarm technology is less mechanical and more organic, which is most evident in their Towers. These spacecraft/fortresses/drills are biologically similar to worms, albeit covered in a stonelike chitin. Their weaponry seems to be a form of symbiotic organism, capable of producing beams of energy that the weapon magnifies. 

    Swarm infantry are clad in a thin, silvery armor that seems to have incredibly high tensile strength. Bullets would merely ricochet off, even from close range. Beneath this armor is something akin to a gambeson made of black cloth. This provides additional protection, but also serves to pad the exterior armor. 

    The War Gods are the equivalent of tanks or artillery, though they fight exclusively at melee range. That being said, their massive stature (well over 30 feet tall) and equally massive broadswords mean their melee range is absolutely massive. They could cut a battleship in half without breaking stride. Their internal makeup is unknown, though scholars postulate that they are a similar type of organic technology to the Towers.

    The Speakers are an elite force of magic users, whose chittering calls seem to bend reality itself to their will. The initial salvo at Mannimar Bay was diverted from its target by a single Speaker dictating its will as reality jumped to comply. Each Speaker carries a strange black crystal affixed to its back, each one perfectly cut and identical to all the others. It is theorized that these are the source of their power, or at least the means by which they use it.