The Devourers

Chaos · Night · Soft Kh · Hard Zar

Mokh-zahr

Chaos Night Soft Kh Hard Zar

"What is unguarded is already lost."

Philosophy

You wait, watch, and exploit. You gain more from enemy mistakes than from your own successes. Your victories are sudden and often inexplicable.

The Pronunciation Dispute

The Devourers speak softly and strike hard. Their theology inverts the Watchers' formula for opposing ends: where Watchers use hidden knowledge to preserve order, Devourers use it to exploit weakness. The soft 'kh' represents patience and concealment; the hard 'zahr' represents the sudden, decisive moment of consumption. They believe the gods created a world of predators and prey, and that morality is simply a story prey tell themselves.

Tendencies

Strong ambush and exploitation bonuses
Gain more from enemy mistakes than from own successes
Hard to predict, hard to trace, hard to hold accountable

History

The Devourers' origins are appropriately obscure. They claim descent from the scavenger-priests who followed ancient armies, performing rites for the dead and—according to their enemies—helping create more dead to perform rites for. What is certain is that Devourers have appeared throughout history at moments of collapse, growing strong where others grew weak. Devourer doctrine holds that competition is the fundamental law of existence, and that mercy is simply delayed defeat. They are not cruel—cruelty requires emotional investment they consider wasteful. They are simply efficient. When asked why they take from others, Devourers typically respond: "Because you let us."

Notable Events

The Feast of Fallen Standards

Following a major battle between Shaper and Breaker forces, Devourer scavengers claimed more territory than either combatant. Both sides were too exhausted to object.

The Patient Creditor

A Devourer merchant house extended loans to a struggling kingdom for three generations, then called them all due simultaneously. They acquired the kingdom's entire treasury without drawing a single weapon.

Scholarly Commentary

"History is written by those who failed to notice us."

— Silence attributed to Kharos the Unseen

Kharos may or may not have existed. The Devourers consider this uncertainty a feature.

"Most Devourer 'sources' are hostile accounts written after the fact. Attempts to compile Devourer doctrine tend to end abruptly or contradict themselves—sometimes within the same paragraph."

— Academic observation

"We do not hunt. We simply wait where prey will eventually arrive."

— Devourer teaching

Relationships

Natural Allies

The Watchers The Whisperers

Traditional Rivals

The Architects The Shapers