Sitrep: Arconan forces have arrived to Zainab to combat the incursion of the old gods' forces and thwart their plans to damage the energy farms and unearth whatever it is they intend on unearthing. But opposition is fierce, and our enemies have been collecting their strength and plotting quietly, nursing wounds, after their last strike almost a year ago. Now, they attack in full force, and we must rise to meet them.

Fighting breaks out all over Tunca, in the snow and in the research labs, in cold, darkened, tiny hub homes and in fields of wind turbines and in deep glaciers. While the gods themselves seem to be out of the way and focused on their own task, their minions wreak havoc. Intelligence on the enemy is as follows:

Cultists

The servants of the old gods dream of bringing their masters back to full influence and power. They are between Journeyman and Equite in rank and their danger comes from their numbers. Most are only mildly armed and equipped, and largely comprised of Selen residents from various tribes and cities, both Selenian and not. Not much is known about them due to their secrecy and the relative mystery of these particular old gods, singaled out from eons of Selen's many pantheons. Arcona has attempted some research though since the attack on Celeste to track their motives, and gained a slim few secrets from captured enemies.

Their training and speciality varies greatly, from quiet researchers or historians to warriors and builders and fishers. Many have families, some even raised into the cults, and while the cultists tend to swear to the old pantheon in its entirety, they often were specifically vassals of individual gods or goddesses, and will show preference and blessing from them. Alla'su's followers tend to travel and work more readily with her caxqettes and often practice medicinal techniques that support their fellows, while Eulauti's are often more zealous fighters and given to arrogance and pride in battle. They will all work together, but infighting is also possible if jockeying for more power for their own god at the cost of another.

Caxqettes

The caxqettes are a species of semi-sapient, Force-sensitive creatures genetically created through unknown practices with the Force by the goddess Alla'su, their Mother who controls them. They are highly diverse pack creatures and extremely dangerous, and caution must be used in approaching them, as their terror knows no bounds. Thankfully, and unfortunately, the Arconans have encountered some of these creatures before when they and Alla'su were first freed from her tomb on the Selenian island of Atolli, and due to the efforts of those survivors and those who have attended training with them and helped disseminate the information, some is known about them.

Special Features:

• Siren Song: Every caxqette has a Siren Song ability, wherein their calls and screams create a hypnotic effect on those that hear it akin to a Mind Trick. This song sways the listener to subservience towards the caxqettes, and is used both to lull prey for food or for implantation as well as to recruit more nest guards to their ranks. This hypnosis is so strong, those that fall victim to it may turn on allies, loved ones, and even die for the caxqettes. It is particularly effective against those with strong parental instincts of their own, repurposing them for the nest and its young.
• Eatbreedkill: All caxqettes are driven by a few base directives according to their animal nature and their Mother's directive: to feed themselves and their young and fellows, to create more of themselves, and to defend their pack and eliminate threats. Some members of the species are more suited to these respective roles than others, and only some have the ability to grow eggs and implant them into host creatures.
• Adaptive Evolution: Caxqettes use genetic material from the creatures their embryos are hosted in to compile and adapt their own genome. They can take on any number of characteristics or mutations from their host species, from field mice and birds of paradise to apex predators or humanoids, and retain the genetic memory of their hosts. This trait makes the species highly adaptive and extremely diverse, and even adult caxqettes may continue to mutate randomly. Generally, no two caxqettes are the same, and features may be retained and combined across generations into chimerical amalgamations, or may be simple and relatively unobtrusive compared to its previous parental line.
• Pack Mind: Caxqettes are connected to one another in a weak sort of hive mind, and will sense when others of their species are nearby and their intentions, and can communicate basic emotions and urges this way, as well as accepting orders from their Mother. However, they can in turn also be influenced by a strong enough mental presence, particularly when separated from their pack or Mother, or when they see another creature as more dangerous. Caxqettes are naturally more inclined to ambush and luring tactics than extreme, fatal aggression, and so when not in frenzy with their packmates, are more susceptible to animal fear.

You are allowed and encouraged to come up with any mutations you wish, or base your caxqette off any Star Wars creature found in The Iron Menagerie. You may also make up your own original Selenian wildlife creature, but should bear in mind that it ought to be suited to an arctic, alpine, or underwater environment as a baseline. Images used as examples of caxqettes can be found here (PG-13 gore/creature warning).

Prompt:

Describing any venue in the area you wish, write an action-focused fiction at least 500 words in length, with no maximum, outlining a combat skirmish with an opponent as described above. Your story may be centered on your Main or Alternative character or any slotted NPCs. Wikipedia NPCs or other characters that you create or invent to tell your story are not only allowed but encouraged, but the main focus should be on a character with a Character Sheet.

Grading:

• Grading will be based on the Voice Fiction Rubric, with a heavier focus on realism adherence to the Character Sheets and the combat of the fiction.
• A snapshot of your character's loadout must be selected and submitted with your entry through the checkbox submission field.
• This competition may be completed as a solo fiction OR with a single partner as a co-op entry. If cooperative, both writers must write a minimum of 500 words, and each author's work must be distinguished in the text by color, font, etc. Only one person need submit a file, but the textbook must include both snapshots. Distinct word counts being provided is appreciated but not required.
• Preferred submission format is .pdf, .doc, or .txt. Anything in a Google Doc must be exported as a pdf for submission.
• Special note: you may request in your text box submission field to have your entry provided feedback. You may also request that the feedback be provided in ACC Judging format, according to the current version of the ACC Rubric. AKA: Atty will write you a fully broken-down judgment if you want it. This feedback is totally optional.

All participants will earn points for participation in the comp as well as Clusters of Ice. Top three placements will earn additional points towards the overall competition. Points earned will be as follows:

• 1st place will receive 3 points
• 2nd place will receive 2 points
• 3rd place will receive 1 point
• Participation will earn 1 point.

Resources:

• Previous Fiction Updates
• Selen Wiki - Under Construction
• Alla'su
• Eulauti