Chimera

A species of variously hybridized creatures found throughout the Web of Worlds. They are aggressive creatures, rarely intelligent and almost always belligerent towards humankind.

The Dark Goddess Tyr is credited with their creation; in the scriptures of the Tyranids, Chimera are sometimes employed by the Goddess as hounds, messengers or guardian beasts.

Kupopolis Legends

Tyr actively uses the Chimera as her agents and messengers in the World of Titans. They are her agents, scouts, emissaries and messengers. Knowing that they are blessed by their Goddess' love, the Chimera often lord their position over the lesser Titans.

There are a number of different strains of Chimera:

• Chimera Duplex (Twofold Chimera)- The least among these creatures, they resemble little more than hawks with a serpent's tail in place of talons. They are the smallest among the Chimera, and as such serve most often in the thankless capacity as Tyr's scouts and spies.

• Chimera Triplex (Threefold Chimera)- One of the more common of the Chimera, these creatures are roughly man-sized and have the body of a lion, the wings of a Dragon and two heads: one a lion's, the other's a goat. Their lot is rather unglamorous, as they are typically employed as stock guards or workers in Tyr's temples throughout the World of Titans.

• Chimera Quadruplex (Fourfold Chimera)- A beast only slightly larger than the Triplex, it has the body of a large goat, the wings of a dragon, and three heads from its forequarters: a lion's, a goat's and a dragon's. Fourfolds command groups of Threefolds, and are often placed with them as temple guardians or labor overseers.

• Chimera Quintuplex (Fivefold Chimera)- The least among the elite Chimera, these beasts are ten feet long. Their body is composite, with the forequarters of a lion and the hindquarters of a goat. They boast dragon's wings, and four heads: at the forequarters, the heads of a lion, goat and dragon, and their tail is a fully embodied serpent.

• Chimera Sextuplex (Sixfold Chimera)- The greatest among the Chimera, the Sixfolds are Tyr's personal guards. These awesome beasts are fully 20 feet long, and most are a match for all but the most powerful of Titans or Dragons. Sixfolds are six-headed: a serpent for a tail (with head), and the forequarters boasting heads of a lion, goat, dragon, hawk and boar. Like the Fivefold, their bodies are composite, with lion forequarters and goat hindquarters.

Common Powers

Depending on their body parts, a Chimera has many magical gifts at its disposal.

• Wings: All Chimera have wings, which allow them to fly. With the exception of the Twofold Chimera (which has hawk's wings), all Chimera boast scaly dragon wings.
• Serpent Parts: Possessed by the Twofold, Fivefold and Sixfold, serpent parts indicate the ability of a Chimera to produce a powerful venom that is often fatal to mortals. This venom can be delivered by a bite, or it can be spit at great distances. Contact with Chimera venom has proven it to be mildly caustic, burning the skin where it touches.
• Hawk's Head: Possessed by the Twofold and the Sixfold, a hawk's head imparts the Chimera with supernatural vision, including the ability to see details at great distance, nightvision, and the ability to pierce illusions.
• Lion's Head: Lion-headed Chimera (which includes all strains but the Twofold) have the ability to issue a powerful, magical roar. This roar can inflict magical fear on mortals, but the sonic shockwave is also enough to paralyze an average human.
• Goat's Head: Goat-headed Chimera (all strains but the Twofold) possess magical powers of regeneration. They are also able to consume and subsist on virtually any substance. Goat-headed Chimera are able to, in this way, check foods for poisoning by sampling them; many influential Tyranids protected their followers by employing Threefold Chimera as food tasters. One of the more mundane features of the goat-headed Chimera are their horns. The horned goat's head combined with Chimeric strength made them excellent living siege weapons, since the Chimera's reinforced goat-skull could withstand a severe amount of trauma without harming the beast.
• Dragon's Head: The Dragon's head is a mark of status among the Chimera. The first strain of Chimera with any real power or influence over its fellows, the Fourfold, is also the lowest-ranking dragon-headed member of the Chimera family. Chimera with dragon heads are capable of employing a fiery breath-weapon. They are also often magically gifted, being able to either study the spellcasting traditions of mortal wizards or receive blessings as members of Tyr's priesthood.
• Boar's Head: Possessed only by the Sextuplex Chimera, the boar's head is thought to give the Sixfold beast tremendous strength and vitality. Sixfolds are known to fly into berserk rages during combat; during such episodes the Boar's head is plainly in control of the action, goring with its tusks and foaming at the mouth as it squeals.

Transmigration and Promotion

While each of the separate strains of Chimera are capable of breeding more of their kind (but not crossbreeding with each other), it is also possible (with the involvement of Tyr) for a Chimera to be "promoted" into a higher strain. Tyr is known to have done this in instances of exceptional individual Chimera meriting greater station. Tyr's guardian Malphas is said to have been born a lowly Twofold, and risen over the course of centuries to serve by the Goddess' side as the most powerful of the Sixfolds. It is also suggested by some that Razboynik was originally born a Chimera, and was promoted above Sixfold status into a true Titan.

It must be noted that demotion is also possible for Chimera who anger Tyr or otherwise prove themselves unworthy of their current station.