Tzitzimitl

From StarfinderWiki
Tzitzimitl
(Creature)

Type
CR
19
Environment
Any
Alignment
Source: Alien Archive 3, pg(s). 122
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Tzitzimitls are ancient, titanic, enigmatic undead that bring death on a mass scale across the galaxy.1

Appearance

Tzitzimitls are skeletal undead that tower over most living creatures. In outer space, space debris and gases cling to their bodies and dance with their lightning. They do not put their feet on the ground, choosing to make no contact with worlds they intend to destroy.1

Ecology

For ages, perhaps since the beginning of the universe, tzitzimitls have been bringing devastation across the galaxy. As stars bring life to nearby planets, tzitzimitls seek to extinguish the light and exterminate life.1

Some tzitzimitls lie dormant on astronomical objects, awaiting a signal that awakens them. On some worlds, they were defeated by heroes and sealed within ancient, forgotten tombs, but can be reactivated with mighty magic.1

History

Various speculations claim that tzitzimitls are children of the Dark Tapestry, the avatars of a murdered death god, titans banished from their home plane to the Material Plane, or the creation of a dying race of giants on a massive planet orbiting a binary star deep in the Vast, who sought to exact revenge on an ancient enemy. Variations of these tales tell that tzitzimitls are what remained after the titans cast off their evil, or are the improperly buried dead of these titans. These hypotheses are just that, and no tzitzimitl has ever explained its origin.1

Society

Unknown to most, a loose cabal of tzitzimitls operate in the Vast, planning the destruction of entire solar systems. As an individual tzitzimitl is not powerful enough to snuff out an entire star, they scheme for as long as needed to do so, and work to create or seize the means needed. One such tool is the Stellar Degenerator, which they now seek to recreate after adventurers from the Pact Worlds destroyed it.1

Followers of the Devourer equate tzitzimitls to their god's avatars and either find and direct them against worlds or use magic to revive and enslave destroyed ones. A few other groups seek to worship the tzitzimitls themselves, or seek them out to destroy or harness them, eager to save their home systems or destroy others. Yet others, from apocalypse cults to necromancers, seek them out and offer their service. Most tzitzimitls see these mortals as foolish and destroy them, but some welcome them as servants and raise them as undead to make them more suitable to operations in space.1

Starship weapons that integrate a tzitzimitl's head, spine or long bones are known as tzibeams. Rare in the extreme, they usually require a destroyed tzitzimitl, although it is rumoured that some donate bones in exchange for some terrible price, and Eoxian and Corpse Fleet engineers are working to duplicate this technology.1

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Paizo Inc., et al. Alien Archive 3, 122–123. Paizo Inc., 2019

External links

  • Tzitzimitl (real-world mythological creature) on Wikipedia