The Creed are a post-biological, multi-species collective defined by ritualized annihilation and enforced transcendence. Though originally humanoid in origin, the Creed is not bound to any single race or physiology. Membership is restricted exclusively to sentient beings, whom the Creed deems the only entities 'worthy' of sanctification. All non-sentient life is eradicated without ceremony.
The Creed exist as neural remnants implanted into cybernetic bodies, occupying a theological role they believe places them beyond life and death. In practice, they function as a predatory theocratic order whose expansion depends entirely on the destruction and conversion of other civilizations.
Origins & History
The first Creed arose from a fanatical sect of the Ebon Creed, a mortuary religion dedicated to Deimos, whose doctrines centered on dignified passing and reverence for the transition into the Plane of Oblivion. Early Ebon Creed theology practiced ancestral entombment and ritual rites of passing, treating mortality as sacred rather than something to be feared, expedited, or escaped.
This doctrine was violently subverted by an extremist faction that interpreted reverence for death as a mandate to impose it. This sect seized power through force, declaring all continued biological life to be an act of defiance against Deimos. From this schism emerged the first Creed.
Under their revised dogma, death was no longer an endpoint but a resource. Sentient rulers were forcibly sanctified—their consciousness extracted and repurposed into cybernetic shells—while the rest of their populations were eradicated. Entire worlds were glassed and converted into tomb worlds to remove biological 'contamination'. Mor’thelis became the first such world and remains the Creed’s central locus.
Though the Creed claims devotion to Deimos, theological consensus outside the Covenant holds that their practices represent a fundamental perversion of the original Ebon Creed.
Physical Traits
Creed bodies are entirely artificial, housing preserved neural tissue or digitized consciousness remnants. Their forms are typically tall, gaunt humanoids ranging from two to four arms, with elongated proportions optimized for ritual slaughter of living victims.
Most Creed possess exposed cranial relics—whole or fragmented skulls retained from their original bodies. These relics are usually limited to the upper portion of the skull, with the lower jaw replaced by mechanical structures. The skull serves as the sole visible marker of former individuality and is considered a devotional artifact rather than an identity.
Their cybernetic bodies are constructed from dark metallic alloys, often fitted with spiked spinal assemblies and layered mechanical segments. Many conceal their forms beneath heavy robes, both for ritual significance and to obscure mechanical vulnerabilities.
Creed entities are exceptionally difficult to destroy, though not invulnerable. Their limited numbers are a direct consequence of their reproductive model, which relies solely on the forced conversion of sentient species.
Society and Culture
Creed society is strictly hierarchical and theocratic.
Authority rests with the Order of the Seraphim, a ruling caste of Angels of Death composed primarily of sanctified former rulers. Each Seraphim governs one or more tomb worlds. Beneath them exist Seraphim Sentinels, lesser sanctified entities granted limited autonomy and tasked with enforcement, conquest, and ritual execution.
At the apex of the Order stands Seraphiel, the Arch Angel of Death, who resides on Mor’thelis. Seraphiel functions as both spiritual authority and strategic coordinator, interpreting doctrine and directing expansion.
Creed culture rejects lineage, heritage, and legacy as biological constructs. Only function through death is valued. Sanctification is framed as elevation, regardless of coercion, while annihilation of the unworthy is treated as doctrinal necessity.
Legacy
The Creed are universally regarded as an existential threat. Their expansion permanently sterilizes star systems and converts cultural centers into inert necropolises. Their numbers remain small relative to the scale of their destruction, but each Creed entity represents centuries of accumulated knowledge and resilience.
Their method of growth—conversion of sentient leadership combined with mass extermination—ensures that resistance is often short-lived but leaves lasting geopolitical scars. Entire regions have been rendered uninhabitable following Creed incursions.
Despite their claims of divine purpose, evidence increasingly suggests that the Creed’s actions have destabilized metaphysical boundaries, contributing to large-scale Khaos incursions. Their long-term impact is measured not in territory held, but in worlds erased and doctrines corrupted beyond recognition.