Semai is the Corrupter, the Lord of Spite, the Master of Lies, and known by many other titles that imply his treachery and his desire to inspire rivalries and dissent amongst others. He is portrayed as a plump, blue-skinned man, his bodies covered with runes that supposedly tell the "first lies of Creation". Despite the best efforts of the Brotherhood, he has succeeded in working his way into some parts of human society, where some people see him as a jolly god of good fortune who has been banished by the Brotherhood simply because of their narrow-minded ways. This is especially more likely on worlds like Mercury, where the Brotherhood's influence is less strong, and where Semai can be passed off as another "Sage".

Semai's primary purpose is to turn humanity against itself. Like Algeroth, he has agents performing acts of terrorism, but while Algeroth does this simply to undermine faith in the Brotherhood and to inspire fear and doubt, Semai is much more conniving and precise in these operations, acting so that it will appear that one corporation has acted against another ... and even offering his services (under assumed identities, of course) to the corporations in their operations against each other. (Not that he has any cause to require payment, of course.)

This tendency is not restricted to humanity. Perhaps one of the greatest weaknesses of the Dark Legion is that Semai delights in in-fighting so much that he occasionally even fosters it amongst his own servants ... and amongst the Dark Apostles. Now that the Dark Apostles are so confident in their imminent conquest of humanity, they've become more prone to be open to fighting amongst themselves over the spoils, and for the favor of the Dark Soul ... and Semai has found this quite fascinating. He could care less about any "spoils" of conquest. He simply delights in causing trouble and watching the fallout. That said, he does not openly attack or obviously sabotage the efforts of the other Apostles, as he still has the Dark Soul to answer to - It is more his style to help the "underdog", or to strategically acquire and pass along information, in order to keep conflicts brewing.

Despite these trouble-making tendencies, of all the Apostles, Semai is most allied with Algeroth, particularly because Algeroth is the strongest challenger to Ilian's position as foremost of the Dark Apostles. Semai will do his best to lend aid to Algeroth, but his true purpose is almost certainly to encourage Algeroth to struggle against Ilian so that when the two clash, whomever is left will be greatly weakened, thus opening up opportunities for the lesser Apostles - Semai among them - to fill in the gap.

Powers of Semai

Spells used by the servants of Semai are focused upon concealment, illusion, and domination of the will. Callistonian Intruders often use a spell known as "Shroud", to surround themselves in a shield of darkness, to aid in stealth. Corrupters often delight in using the spells of "Possession" to wrest control over weak minds and force human beings to perform foul actions ... then to release control and let events unfold on their own. Nepharites of Semai often use powers of illusion to make themselves appear as other people, as part of their general plan of deception.

In addition to the five powers of the Dark Symmetry available as Dark Gifts to all members of the Dark Cults, there are also five Dark Gifts of Semai specifically available to servants of the Lord of Spite.

These are:

Weaponry

Semai makes use of some of the creations of Algeroth, but he has amassed a number of alien weapons from worlds he has conquered. Most notorious of these would be the Vassht (a quasi-organic sword that is capable of being thrown and then flying back to its owner's hand) and the Jahkt (a living disc that homes in on targets when thrown by the user).

The Vassht is a standard weapon of Semai's forces, capable of being used in melee, or being thrown a short distance as a ranged weapon. The Jahkt is used primarily by Semai's assassins.

These organic weapons are capable of dissolving if lost or captured, and Semai's servants are similarly equipped with "mortuary enzymes" like the servants of Algeroth. Unlike many of Algeroth's servants, however, Semai's subjects are not devoid of fear, and are often plagued by such human instincts as self-preservation. A bit of brainwashing is used by Semai to keep his alien servants in line, and the mortuary enzymes in their bodies are triggered by subconscious "programming" ... which sometimes backfires, if a danger should present itself that triggers an assassin's inclination to retreat (which might be perfectly reasonable), and then the enzymes kick in, and he melts on the spot. Maybe there won't be any evidence left, but the job doesn't get done, either.

Such exotic weapons as these are generally only used by Semai's non-human servants. Most of the time, his servants hiding in the cities of the humans must content themselves with "mundane" weaponry, though Semai will most certainly use his considerable resources to see that his favored servants get the best. Overuse of Dark Technology attracts attention from the Brotherhood, and therefore compromises Semai's best strength - stealth - so he isn't inclined to be too generous with it.

The Legion and the Cults

Semai makes very little use at all of the "standard" creatures made available by Algeroth. His "armies" mostly consist of human cultists, with a few alien agents providing a little extra support. The monsters of the Dark Legion are generally so far removed from anything human that Semai could not make much use of them alongside his human servants ... many of whom have no real idea of the extent of what they're truly involved with.

Cultists of Semai make very little use of bio-technological gifts, and are fairly stingy with Dark Gifts ... not because of any distaste for such things (as Ilian deplores bio-technological gifts) but because there is the risk of Stigmata or Degeneration ... which makes a cultist useless to Semai for the purpose of infiltrating human society.

Cultists of Semai do not acquire Dark Gifts until they have reached the third Rank. They do not receive bio-technological gifts unless they have been chosen to be considered for Transfiguring into a Metropolitan Prophet or a Dark Huntsman.

Puppets

"Puppets" are bodies with minds in a vegetable state, treated in such a way that they are perfect vessels to be manipulated by means of Control Mind or Possess. They are either poor unfortunate souls who have had their minds reduced to putty by the tortures of the Aeonian Justifiers and exposure to the Dark Symmetry, or perhaps even artificially grown bodies created expressly for this purpose. Strategically positioned and kept alive by artificial means, Puppets can be of great use to a powerful cultist of Semai - especially since they themselves do not necessarily have any sort of bio-technological implants or Dark Gifts that would make them appear as anything other than normal humans (or some sort of animal) to the Brotherhood.

The trouble with them, however, is that, being mindless, they are incapable of caring for themselves, and therefore arrangements must be made to keep them alive while not in use. Furthermore, just as it is easy for a cultist of Semai to wrest control of a Puppet, so too can anyone else with mind-control powers easily take over control - such as a rival cultist of Semai, or an Inquisitor.

Pawns

More cruel than the existence of Puppets would be Pawns. Likely, these are unfortunates who were captured by the Dark Legion and handed over to Semai to toy with. They are subjected to horrific procedures, then allowed to "escape", or else subjected to brainwashing techniques to blot out any memory of their experiences in the "tender mercies" of the Aeonian Justifiers.

Pawns are able to go about their normal lives, more or less, but their MST has been bludgeoned down to minimal levels, and they are very susceptible to mind control. It is very easy for cultists of Semai to wrest control of them by means of Control Mind or Possess, and, in some cases, a crafty Corrupter may ensure that the Pawn's mental defenses only drop when some sort of key phrase or "code" is used, so that the Pawn isn't easily taken over by rivals instead.

The Pawn may go about life normally, then suddenly be controlled by an agent of Semai in order to partake of some horrible deed ... then resume as normal, with no memory of the crime. The Pawn may also unwittingly serve as a remote set of eyes and ears for a spying Heretic.

It is unknown just how many Pawns there may be in human society, but it would go a long way toward explaining Semai's considerable wealth of information and network of contacts. Pawns are products of mental programming and brainwashing, and therefore don't necessarily have any traces of Bio-technology or Dark Gifts to set off the alarms of the Inquisition. That said, they generally can't function well in positions of great authority, and can't attain the MST required to handle such things as the use of the Art. (For that sort of infiltration, a genuine Heretic or Apostate would be required.)

Heretic Legionnaires

This is the ultimate fate for most heretics of Semai. If a cultist of Semai suffers from Degeneration, he will eventually turn into one of these creatures unless he is one of the rare few who is granted the privilege of being Transfigured and thus given a new body. One bizarre benefit of the earlier stages of Degeneration into this form is that the victim gains infravision ... but it's small consolation for the loss of sanity and self-control.

These creatures are only quasi-alive, having been so corrupted by the Darkness that they often look barely human anymore. They are driven only by greed and malice, walking about in a delusion imposed by Semai's deceit and magical abilities. Any flicker of remaining humanity is almost snuffed out, and while the irony of it is that Heretic Legionnaires are in a sense "immortal", capable of living decades and even centuries without "aging", per se, they can hardly be expected to enjoy it. (Don't ask Semai for immortality. You just might get it.)

Corrupters

Cultists of Semai who reach rank 10 or higher are known as Corrupters. While most cultists of this rank in the folds of other Dark Apostles are granted positions of leadership in temples, and so forth, Corrupters are just as often sent out into the human worlds to recruit followers. The cult of Semai is, of all the cults, the most devoted toward "proselytizing" new followers. While humans most often think of the imagery of Algeroth when someone mentions the Dark Cultists, in truth the cults of Semai are far larger than that of the other Apostles.

The Heretics of Semai known as the "Corrupters" are those most adept at seeking out the weak-minded and dissatisfied, and drawing them into Semai's fold. They are often possessed of some small ability to wield the powers of the Dark Symmetry, and perhaps even some minor enhancements to their form, but Semai is very stingy with such Dark Gifts, since they make it more likely that some passing member of the Brotherhood might detect the taint of Darkness on his servant.

Dark Huntsmen

These are usually unfortunate soldiers captured on the battlefield, subjected to the corrupting influence of the Dark Symmetry and magical brainwashing, whose spirits are broken, whose minds are clouded in lies, and whose bodies are warped with necrotechnology (courtesy of a little helping hand from Algeroth). They are then often set back out on the battlefields as traps for their fellows. Many a time, there has been a "wounded" soldier calling for help, and then it turns out to be a servant of the Darkness, turning on his former comrades ... or else a soldier thought dead who returns to his buddies ... and then goes on a murderous rampage.

These incidents have spread distrust amongst veterans, to the point where they may not even lend help to a genuinely needly individual, or may shoot a comrade come back after being thought dead. (Indeed, Semai has actually engineered such situations, sometimes arranging for a doomed soldier's life to be spared, with nothing being done to him by way of corruption, simply because the suspiciousness of his miraculous survival spells out possible doom when he returns to his own kind ... maybe even interrogation by the Brotherhood.)

Dark Huntsmen appear to be human, and possess their old memories, but they have been warped into believing their old comrades to be enemies ... or sometimes possessed of even more sinister psychological programming, still possessed of their old personality, but programmed to "snap" at some sort of mental trigger, and go berserk without warning. Their bodies, however, have been altered -- If a Dark Huntsman is shot, his flesh blows away, revealing squirming, worm-like fleshy growths under his skin, and other features that clearly aren't human. He's almost impervious to pain, and possessed of superhuman strength. Dark Huntsmen typically have a fairly short "life-span", however ... On rare occasion, Semai's psychological programming fails, and most of the time, he wouldn't be inclined to just give a human super-human strength and abilities and send him on his way. Sure, once the Brotherhood catches a whiff of this, that soldier is going to be in for a world of hurt, but Semai still doesn't like giving out freebies, so the Huntsman will likely be programmed to simply melt after a certain time period.

There are also some cultists of Semai who actually volunteer for transformation into Dark Huntsmen. If their human identities have not been compromised, they may be placed back into society ... otherwise, they may be given a new identity and sent out to lead the unwary astray.

Cultists of Semai of at least Rank 3 can qualify to become a Dark Huntsman for a cost of 20 Heretic Advancement Points, but only if they bear no signs of Degeneration or Stigmata. The Cultist is then given the opportunity to acquire Bio-technological Gifts (as with a Cultist of Algeroth) - If any Stigmata develop, special treatment is made to remove any trace of the corruption, but the Cultist is no longer allowed to acquire any more Bio-technological Gifts, and is out of consideration to become a Dark Huntsman. (No, he doesn't get a refund of those points.) If the Cultist is able to make it through three Bio-Technological Enhancements without developing Stigmata, he is deemed to have a chance of surviving the process of becoming a Dark Huntsman, and is Transfigured. There is a good chance, however, of being driven mad by the process ... which makes for a fine Dark Huntsman, but a lousy PC. (In such a case, the PC would become an NPC.)

Aeonian Justifiers

These creatures are a bizarre hybrid of DNA from an alien insectoid race and that of humans. They are somewhat humanoid in shape, with conical crowns and faces split into insectoid mandibles, with long, claw-like fingers ... and an innate mental programming to gain pleasure from inflicting pain. From the moment that an Aeonian Justifier is hatched from its egg, even while it's still dripping with birth-ichor, it is draped with its blood red robes and given a small puppy, kitten or human infant to torture. Justifiers are trained in the use of all sorts of tools of torture, and their claws are capable of injecting a serum with varying toxin levels regulated by the Justifier's own biochemistry -- to either be fatal or merely pain-inducing. (It prefers the latter.)

Justifiers, despite their quasi-humanoid appearance, and not being technically "undead", are not completely sapient, as their thought patterns are wholly dedicated to the desire to inflict pain, and they have to be kept in line by their Dark Legion captors. If one should be engaged in combat, the Justifier will be more focused on finding a way to inflict pain than actual damage to its opponent, and it can be so distracted in its desire to inflict pain that it can be standing there, clicking in pleasure as it torments a victim, even while someone else is plugging it full of lead with a Bolter, dying before it can pry itself away long enough from its "fun" to defend itself.

While Semai has his uses for Justifiers, they are not interrogators, and they don't really care who or what they torment, so he doesn't keep all that many of them around. Their application is fairly limited, and they mainly exist just because they are such horrific abominations, but also because they are - if under strict supervision - very useful in brainwashing and other mental toying with prisoners' minds.

Callistonian Intruders and Sundancers

These creatures are members of an alien race conquered by Semai, raised from birth to be killing machines in the service of the Dark Apostles. They are short, standing four to five feet tall, but very wiry with a dense muscle structure and a high metabolism. Their race of origin was very human-like in appearance, though possessed of a light bluish skin and glowing red eyes, and possessing sharp fangs. They are, in essence, living vampires, unable to digest solid foods.

They typically cover their faces in ornate masks, covering the glow of their eyes with visors. Callistonian Intruders are armed with the Vassht and Shakht, plus a small silenced version of the Kratach, sent on commando missions to perform assassinations "up close and personal". Callistonian Sundancers are armed with the Tzoteth sniper rifle (again, a weapon based on the Kratach design), performing assassinations from a range.

Those Callistonians in Semai's service have been significantly altered, lacking lips and having an "undead" appearance in keeping with that of most servants of the Darkness. In truth, they are living, breathing beings, and capable of feeling fear. To offset this, they have been extensively brainwashed to suppress most emotional responses, and their numbers have been carefully culled so that only those possessed of a genuinely corrupt heart will live to adulthood.

Metropolitan Prophet

This creature is a radically altered Heretic who has been granted an unusual chance to become a very powerful servant of Semai, while still acting within human domains. The Metropolitan Prophet appears to be a normal human, though he is exceedingly dense. (One giveaway of a Metropolitan Prophet in disguise is if a car's tires sag visibly and the frame creaks when he gets in.) The Heretic can mentally trigger a dramatic transformation, where his body will abruptly swell and transform, turning him into a red-skinned, muscle-bound collosus, possessed of considerable strength. (In "human" form, he may be fairly dense, but his strength is not fully optimized.)

Metropolitan Prophets act as terrorists on what are ultimately suicide missions -- the transformation is only one-way. However, it wouldn't be something beyond Semai not to inform his servant of this little fact. And, there's the slight possibility that a Metropolitan Prophet who exceeds the expectations of his superiors and performs his mission flawlessly - and somehow survives - might be given a chance to go back to the necro-labs to have his "disguise" restored, or else he might just live the rest of his life as a big ugly muscle-bound thug that can't pass for human.

Like so many other servants of Semai, the Metropolitan Prophet is pumped full of mortuary enzymes, so that if he is slain, the evidence won't last long.

Cultists of Semai who reach at least Rank 3 and who possess no signs of Degeneration or Stigmata may be considered for Transfiguration into a Metropolitan Prophet for 30 Heretic Advancement Points. Once this is completed, the cultist looks perfectly normal (though he's quite a bit heavier) but he is a living time-bomb, capable of bursting into horrific form at will.

Desparytes

Desparytes are, in essence, lesser Nepharites - those who are worthy of Transfiguration, but not the great glory accorded to others. Their lot is to serve as commanders of Semai's few forces on the battlefield, and to serve as lieutenants to the Nepharites. Their forms are fearsome and their abilities remarkable, but they do not possess the strange ability to rework matter that Nepharites of Semai do, and they are not as powerful.

Nonetheless, Desparytes are still creatures to be greatly feared, and they are just as immortal as their greater brethren. In appearance, they often resemble Callistonian Intruders, though of greater stature, and with bodies branded with runes that represent the First Lies of Creation.

A cultist that has attained a Rank of 7 or greater may qualify for Transfiguration into a Desparyte, for a cost of 40 Heretic Advancement Points. There is a significant chance of not surviving the process of Transfiguration, but the risks are comparatively still less than those for becoming a Nepharite.

Nepharites of Semai

Nepharites of Semai are quite possibly the most human-looking of all of the Nepharites, remaining approximately human-sized, and lacking any distinctive horns or other such inhuman features, though they still often possess blue skin covered with tattoos, and gruesome features. Nepharites of Semai often disguise themselves, perhaps dressing up in an Inquisitor's robes or taking on the guise of respected officials in order to lead humanity astray and to start conflicts. They are also the weakest of the Nepharites in terms of raw combat abilities, though their strength is in subtlety, not brute force. Nepharites of Semai possess a special ability to warp and corrupt inanimate objects by touching and focusing on them, and they can do this to living beings as well, though on a more spiritual level. The impure in heart can be molded like putty in the hands of a Nepharite of Semai, and turned to do his bidding.

To become a Nepharite is the ultimate honor for a cultist of Semai, and a cultist may qualify for the tests required for such a Transfiguration if he is of at least Rank 10, and spends 50 Heretic Advancement Points for the honor. The process of Transfiguration into a Nepharite is quite painful and grueling, and there is a significant chance of not surviving it. But for those who do survive, they have achieved immortality and power matched by none ... save for all the other Nepharites that are still above them in the hierarchy.