Vortigaunts

ALIEN LIFEFORMS

Vortigaunts

Either enslaved by the Combine or scrimping in the outlying areas, Vortigaunts are an endangered species.

Vortigaunts are an intelligent alien species, thrust onto Earth from the border world Xen during portal storms just before the Combine occupation.

There is no in-character process for joining this faction. Potential candidates will be contacted by the administration team based upon their observed ability to roleplay coherently.

Background

Enduring enslavement on both Earth and Xen, the Vortigaunts are a refugee species, most with the simple goal of survival. A distinctive feature of their anatomy facilitates a connection with the "vortessence": an invisible life-force that weaves across the universe. Through management of their "vortal equilibrium", many Vortigaunts trained themselves to manipulate this energy.

A majority of Vortigaunts were either culled or re-enslaved during and after the invasion; an unpredictable component and potential threat to the Combine's terrestrial network. If any remained, they scattered into the now-uninhabited wilderness, awaiting the opportunity to free their kin from bondage.

Enslaved Vortigaunts

Enslaved Vortigaunts live in squalor alongside the human inhabitants of Combine urban centers, designated to perform menial and laborious tasks with little to sustain them. The shackles imposed upon them disrupt their innate ability to harness the vortessence, all but stranding them without any tether to their life force or kin. A result of this isolation, Enslaved Vortigaunts comply stoically and avoid conspicuousness in the face of the futile premature resistance. All know that their time will come, sooner or later.

Vortigaunt Slaves must remember these fundamentals to guide their roleplay:

• Your bonds render you disconnected from the Vortessence and the Vortigaunt consciousness. You are alone and severed from your vital teachers, scholars and kin - the only ones who are with you share your same misery.
• You are in a perpetual state of danger and servitude. Do your best to preserve yourself whenever applicable.
• Your people have been enslaved for eons and understand that it is better to obey than make themselves a target. Petty acts of disobedience only serve to get you killed and harm your kin around you.

Rules

These rules must be followed by all Enslaved Vortigaunts to preserve the integrity of the faction. Violation will result in removal of the whitelist.

0. Use common sense. Do not roleplay in a way that is obviously unfitting of a Vortigaunt.

1. While shackled, you are prohibited from going against direct orders set by Overwatch Forces or actively conspiring against the Combine.

2. Do not go out of your way to cause trouble or chaos for no reason.

3. You must remain in-character and conduct your roleplay professionally and to a good standard.