Glutton

The Flux affects everything it encounters, both on a physical and spiritual level. No one is quite sure how the Flux works, or why, but what is certain is that the Flux taints and twists everything in its path. The appearance of the Flux was accompanied by a host of nightmarish creatures that serve to spread the influence of the Flux to every world and dimension possible. One of the most dangerous of these creatures is the Glutton. Just as L'na are the physical embodiment of Ai, the Gluttons are the physical embodiment of the Flux.

Gluttons are parasitic in nature, feeding off of magic and converting it into Flux. Their very presence is enough to begin to drain the magic out of an area and to taint it with Flux. Of all the abominations that spew forth from the Flux portals, the Glutton is perhaps the most dangerous… since the damage it causes usually cannot be reversed. Gluttons drain magic like a leech drains blood, and the longer a Glutton is allowed to exist in an area the more its Flux production taints the place. This storing and releasing of massive Flux energies are often the opening blow of a Flux-being invasion.

Because of their parasitic and corrosive nature, Gluttons are hunted ferociously. On Apoc Earth, the Churls are especially fearful of Gluttons. Several shamans have lost the ability to cast and conjure after encountering a Glutton, finding that their magical abilities have been blocked or even severed completely by its powers. Ai, however, suffers the most from Glutton attacks. Being a plane of almost pure magic, these parasites can grow powerful in a matter of minutes — and entire sections of Ai have been lost to the work of a single Glutton.

The magical undercurrents that "guard" Ai have, understandably, reacted against this threat in an extremely violent manner. Armies of Goliaths and L'na are summoned to destroy the creature, no matter how small or weak it may at first appear. Ai often also turns the land itself against Gluttons, sending massive storms, earthquakes, and even volcanic eruptions to destroy the "infection" before it can establish itself. Conversely, The Great Machine has proved a land of famine for Gluttons due to the lack of magical energies. Those Klik who have begun being installed with Enigma Engines have been subject to Glutton assaults, however, as the engine's energy is often enough to sustain a Glutton and allow it to taint sections of the Great Machine with wild Flux energy. (There are shocking rumors whispered about of Gluttons that feed upon technological, instead of magical, energies. Such a creature would be fearsome indeed on the home world of the Klik).

Among the ranks of other Flux creatures, Gluttons hold a special place. Each horrible creature serves a role within the Flux, but few are as "revered" as the Gluttons. Many Flux-tainted beings believe the Gluttons to be "blessed" by the Flux, serving as its avatar and the medium through which it is spread. There are few within the Flux, however, that understand the nature of the abomination that they serve — and it is thus unclear whether Gluttons even understand the nature of the Flux they carry. It is obvious, however, that they derive pleasure from their spread of Flux… and as such, there is no alternative to their presence save to dig them out like the parasites they are.

Tactics: Just as Gluttons are able to produce Flux energy, they are likewise able to bend it to their will. They are also able to bend "native" the magical energies they consume to their will as well. Like other Flux creatures, Gluttons do not need to see their enemies to attack them. All they need is to perceive them, and their perception powers are considerable.

Because of their adaptable nature, Gluttons do not follow a single attack pattern or routine — instead they couple native magics with terrible Flux powers to eliminate threats to their feeding and spread. On Apoc Earth, a Glutton might combine Flux magic with Churl Earth and Fire spells to destroy a tribe. On Ai, it might instead use the Rites of Maoru to control its enemies and drive them mad with Flux powers. In the Great Machine, a Glutton can even hijack an Enigma Engine to use its Displacement Field or Null Pulse to destroy pursuing Klik. Needless to say, any encounter with a Glutton — and especially an established one — should be handled with extreme caution.