Xill

Civilization and Culture

History

Erebus was the seat of an empire that fell under ruin some 12.000 years ago, before the empire of Dwarves rose to take its place. The empire of _Placeholder_. The city of Erebus was it's seat of power, and it was in that city that the ritual that ended the thousand year empire took place. _Placeholder_ had well and truly dominated the continent, and had advanced further in technology and magical application than any other civilization before or since. The denizens of Erebus in life were the Xill, an insectoid, reptilian race whose only shortcoming in their eyes was their short lives. The Xill attempted to remedy this flaw with their immense magic, and grant themselves eternal life, but no such thing comes without a price. The matriarch doomed their race the day those arcane words were spoken, and the ritual complete. The Xill do have eternal life, but at the cost of their souls.They had a sort of hive-mind, controlled by the matriarch. The xill domesticated a large species of tarantula known now only as the Xill Spider. These were used both for their silk, but also as mounts and beasts of burden, due to their strength and speed. Xill spiders were so integral to Xill society that the image of the spider is inscribed on their coinage, and a large section of the city is dedicated to hatching and training the best specimen. The Xill hive-mind caused them all to congregate in a single ever expanding city, building layer upon layer beneath the earth.
With the matriarch destroyed, the Xill no longer suffer ambition. Instead, they cling to their tomb, fiercely protective of the wonders they created in life.

EXTINCT