Shadowkith
Shadowkith are sub-human mutants trapped on the Foundling World of Grace in the Koronus Expanse.[1b]
History
The Shadowkith were once humans - immigrants to Grace who were once crime lords, exiled Imperial nobles or their slaves. The Rogue Trader Aspyce Chorda, who had discovered Grace, set up opulent palaces protected by void shields and made sure that the world was amply supplied with food and luxuries, then invited a myriad of wealthy individuals from across the Calixis Sector to live there, protected by Grace's isolation and the fact that only Chorda and her trusted subordinates knew where to find it. Due to their protection from Imperial judgement, the nobles and criminals of Grace led lives of decadence, self-indulgence, and cruelty not found in many other places in the galaxy.[1a]
Warp storms would, at one point, completely cut off Grace from the rest of the Expanse and destroy the world's supply ships. The residents had food enough to last a few years, but Chorda's secrecy ensured that, even after the storms dissipated, nobody came to rescue or resupply them. When the food started to run out, they began raiding each other's palaces. When it was finally gone, the galaxy's elites resorted to cannibalism - first of their own dead, then they began murdering their slaves too. Grace could only support the growth of a watery fungus and the nobles had relied on Chorda exclusively for supplies before the storms.[1b]
Their devolution occurred with remarkable speed - a phenomenon that continues to baffle xenobiologists. Grace's fungus has never conclusively been found to contain any mutagenic properties but their cannibalism alone cannot be the sole reason for what the Shadowkith have become.[1b]
Biology
Shadowkith are still humanoid, but possess particularly pale skin. Most are emaciated, with leathery flesh covering lean muscle and sinew. Though their bodies and heads resemble those of humans, they have altered to the point that they are recognizably no longer human.[1b]
Society
What passes for Shadowkith society revolves around the need to eat. They hunt in packs, and devour anything that they come across, like vermin. They will not fight a foe that they don't have the numbers to defeat however, and will flee if they can't overcome an opponent,[1b] however, they will not leave good meat behind, and will attempt to recover any corpses that they can.[1a]
Culture
The intelligence of individual Shadowkith varies greatly, and seems to change based on how regularly and well they have eaten. Those who can obtain meat manage to retain the majority of their former intelligence, while those who subsist almost entirely on Grace's flora, are little smarter than beasts.[1b]
The few Shadowkith capable and willing of communication share one cultural touchstone universally - their shame at what they've had to do to survive. Despite this shame, these more intelligent Shadowkith display a lot of cunning in luring fresh meat to Grace, using what few vox-casters that still function to cry for help or promise visitors access to the decadent wealth of Grace from before the storms.[1b]
They are also able to display a certain amount of cruel mockery, as they have been known to mimic the cries of distress that draw people to Grace right as they're about to kill and eat them.[1a]
