Xicotl

From HollowWiki

Xicotl, Primordial Of Earth, Slumbering Extinction


First seen as part of the Dissonance Theory arc.

Known Appearances

Xicotl takes its primordial form in the image of the flora stretching across the planet of Hollow. As such, it has four known stages, and a prophesied fifth stage.

Seedlings

Having repeated this cycle several, if not hundreds of times before over the course of the millions of years since Hollow first formed under Kazfash's light, Xicotl's base form comes in the concentrated magic seedlings scattered across Lithrydel. Buried miles beneath the surface, these seedlings are warded from divination spells or other means of discerning its location so that it may grow safely over the course of hundreds of years. These seedlings serve to host Xicotl's essence, and will germinate and take root wherever it decides to seek out devotees.

Tangled Growth

In times when Xicotl has been forgotten, the germinated seeds have the ability to touch the minds of those within an undetermined range. As Xicotl is sentient during all its forms, it can use its innate telemancy to tangle itself in minds, to find the simplistic desires of mortals and exploit the voids within their hearts with false promises. Under the surface, seedlings germinate and take root once faith has been established, growing into a tangled mess of thorny vines that protect its ‘heart’, the core of the plant. In this state, it continues to grow until the vines stretch for miles and miles, and until the center mass of the plant is too big to be shrouded by the tangling mass.

Age of Hunger

Once fully grown, the plant begins to crave its first Feast, a phenomenon where the creature will capture humanoid races with the intent to eat them- though the less lucky are instead enslaved and transformed mindless beings known in this day as ‘thralls’. After each Feast, Xicotl goes into a thousand-year hibernation that fortifies the thorned root-structure further. With or without thralls at its disposal, the plant will shift its roots towards the surface, breaking through rock and stone as easily as it could dirt. After its fifth Feast, the roots become fortified to the point of being able to bear the weight of its core, allowing Xicotl’s heart to be carried along its system if it detects a threat. This is a very energy-draining effort to do so, and so most who attempt to study Xicotl will not be able to detect this ability of the primordial until it is too late.

Flowering Extinction

The initial breaching of ground is first so ordinary, so mundane, that most who gaze upon its flower believe it to be a unique seedling that was brought in by a migratory bird. Once at the surface, this terrible plant begins to bloom, releasing mind-warping spores into the air. If Xicotl believes the area to be suitable, it will emerge completely, creating a fissure larger than any mortal kingdom as its thorned mass migrates through the surface. At its known final form, Xicotl’s thorned roots weave themselves together to create a gargantuan tree, its branches raised high as though to absorb all the light of Kazafash above as it prepares to open the largest flower of them all, one that will be carried on the winds and take over the minds of everything. While its flower is in the process of growing, waves of sonic and telemantic energy are sent out as far as 200 miles or 320 kilometers, the likes of which no mortal without primordial experience will have ever felt. These waves compel mortals to come to Xicotl and sacrifice themselves in the name of growth and power. Whether willed by the gods or not, Xicotl is always driven back into the ground or destroyed before the final flower blooms, leaving only the warded seedlings behind and forcing the cycle to repeat itself once more.

Xicotl, Complete

If Xicolt is not stopped and allowed to propagate, not a single inch of Hollow will be safe from its spores. At the zenith of its strength, the spores can affect the most hearty saurians to the most stubborn drows miles below the surface, transforming them too into mindless thralls. Those that refused to bend to its psychic enslavement are destroyed and added to the collective mass of the Xicotl Tree, which towers over the clouds as if reaching for Arh’Nuk and Valaane, trying to absorb a new target just out of reach despite them being completely devoid of life.

Rumours

Currently, there is little known about Xicotl despite the horrific scale of destruction which accompanied it's appearance in Frostmaw. Even those who who witnessed the sordid affair, or suffered friends and family being consumed by the ravening earth were given little insight to it's motives. It's seemingly fathomless appetites have led some to question whether it's some ill-begotten avatar of The Ogre-kin's Hungering God, though others are less certain- the nightmarish images of friends turned into vine-ridden foes having fomented theories of an entity originating from Perdere.

What scarce information is known is closely guarded by the Warriors Guild, in their efforts to suppress any future attempts at beckoning the creature forward.


Origin

The Primordial Of Earth is not from the mortal plane of existence, but rather exists as the eldritch incarnation of the Plane of earth. This maddened manifestation was, at some point, called forth through the devoted supplications of it's followers- and yet, for reasons yet unknown, it returned this act of fervent devotion with an act of apocalyptic proportion. Even in the reduced state it taken form as, it set about consuming and extinguishing all life in the afflicted regions- with such stark efficiency that it eventually saw itself starved of both biomatter, and worshippers.

A process that saw it wither, it's seedlings spreading into the ground until the faint vestiges of it's cult could once more prepare the circumstances necessary for it's return.

Domain & Influence

As a Primordial, Xicotl's Dominion over earth is significant, to the point that it's manifestations have inspired a certain sense of awe, even when strictly limited to the use of imperfect vessels.

In fact, it's plausible that it's original summoning had benign motivations- having perhaps been seen as a lord of crops, nature or fertility- in a world that was far harsher than current times. And yet, whilst that theory certainly may explain how it's worship could have initially gained traction- the said can't be said of it's more long-lived acolytes, or recent thralls.

For some, simple awareness of the dread being and it's cataclysmic cycle would serve as motivation enough- to curry favor with the creature in the hopes that it might allow them to survive the feast which would follow. And no doubt there were some which in their folly followed in the hopes of touching upon some hidden strength- to consummate their agenda before they were inevitably consumed.

That said, the vast majority of it's disciples are held within it's thrall far more literally- their consciousness subsumed by the thing- their devotion held in check until both body and spirit collapses into desolate ashes.

Thankfully, with it's recent defeat- Xicotl's capacity to attract new followers has been greatly diminished, it's sphere of influence relegated to the crater at the core of the City Of War - it's focal point being the relic it had been sealed within, the great sword known as Vesper, now made nigh immovable due to the tremendous burden it carries.

Still, the risk it poses may not be truly resolved, for the possibility remains that outside in the world- there may exist some poor souls who were afflicted by it's tainted ichor, or carry vestigial memories of it's poisoned promises.

Disposition

Despite being a higher entity, the Primordial is not pre-disposed towards communicating with the masses. Some have mistaken this for mindlessness- reducing it's mechanisms to the actions of a organism simply going through it's natural process.

And yet, those who survived the attack on Frostmaw were subjected to something. Within the oppressive field of it's mental corruption there was -intention-. Muddied, no doubt, but within the chaos there was a will guiding the carnage.

The truth of the matter, is that Xicotl has long since gone mad- A direct result of it's long imprisonment, the countless consciousnesses which have imprinted themselves within it's mind, and the endless nightmares coaxed up by them during it's many prolonged slumbers.

Sworn Enemies

- The Requital - Nomadic elven extremists native to the Southern Sage.

- The Warriors Guild- If their fight against it hadn't made that abundantly clear

Notable Followers & Pact Holders

Currently Extinguished?