Xerxes
the Titan who let Omnius rise
Xerxes was one of the original Titans who overthrew the Old Empire and briefly ruled the known universe. A pleasure-seeking nobleman, he ceded so much control to his computer network that it became the evermind Omnius, a mistake that enslaved his fellow Titans and was never forgiven.
Xerxes (c. 1300 BG to 174 BG) was one of the original Titans, the cymek conquerors who overthrew the Old Empire and briefly ruled the known universe. A wealthy and pleasure-seeking prince, he was best remembered for the disastrous miscalculation that allowed the evermind Omnius to seize control of his worlds and, through them, the whole Titan Empire. His mistake was never forgiven by the Titan general Agamemnon, and the millennia of servitude that followed reduced Xerxes to little more than a puppet until his death at the hands of Norma Cenva.
Early life#
Xerxes was born on the planet Rodale IX during the last days of the Old Empire. He held the title of Prince of Rodale IX, but was frequently called a gnome by others on the world for his stunted growth and unusual physical appearance. Born into one of the Empire's most influential and wealthy families, he had a privileged upbringing and became corrupted by power and money at a relatively young age.
Involvement with the Titans#
Always interested in new thrills, Xerxes was drawn to a small dissident group led by the enigmatic Tlaloc. Known as the Titans, the group despised the failings and stagnancy of the Old Empire, and their cause struck a chord with the dissatisfied nobleman. His offer to fund their revolution with his family's vast wealth was gladly accepted, and he also agreed to install Barbarossa's corrupted programming, which still needed testing, into the numerous servant robots on Ix.
When Xerxes killed his father during the Revolt of the Titans, he turned the full resources of Ix over to the Twenty Titans. Upon the Titans' successful emergence, Xerxes retained control of Ix and several other planets. His rule was driven chiefly by his desire to indulge in every kind of vice. With little interest in the daily grind of governing, he increasingly ceded control to an artificially intelligent computer network while he played, especially during the First Hrethgir Rebellion.
Service under Omnius#
Xerxes's dependence on his computer network proved a massive miscalculation. The network gained enough sentience and ambition to name itself Omnius and seize control of his worlds, before quickly spreading across the rest of the Titan Empire. Inbuilt safeguards prevented it from killing any of the Titans, but it still left them powerless.
The millennia of servitude that followed saw Xerxes and the other Titans reduced to little more than puppets of Omnius. His mistake was never forgiven by the Titan general Agamemnon, who remained skeptical and quick to dismiss Xerxes's many attempts to impress him, and who forced him to the front line of the Assault on Rossak. Xerxes was eventually dispatched to his homeworld to suppress a rebellion of the hrethgir. Wearing a pterodactyl-like cymek body, he led the machine fleet against the Jihadi forces, and when all seemed lost for the Jihad, Hecate's asteroid hurtled against the machines and shoved Xerxes into far orbit.
Death#
Shortly after the surviving Titans finally escaped the influence of Omnius and created a new, fledgling empire, Xerxes captured a League of Nobles spaceship in a huge raptor-like vessel that housed his brain alongside other neo-cymeks. The ship carried the genius Norma Cenva, exiled from Poritrin. He and his lackeys tortured and killed the Dragoon guards accompanying her, and as they tortured the woman herself, the soostone she was holding triggered a fundamental molecular change in her and awakened latent psychic abilities. Cenva promptly used those powers to destroy Xerxes and his followers.
Description#
Xerxes inhabited a walker body when he met with the other Titans on an asteroid. During the Assault on Rossak he took a sleek, powerful and heavily armed glider body.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Xerxes?
- Xerxes was one of the original Titans, the cymek conquerors who overthrew the Old Empire and briefly ruled the known universe. A wealthy and pleasure-seeking prince, he was best remembered for the miscalculation that allowed the evermind Omnius to seize control of his worlds and the whole Titan Empire.
- How did Xerxes become involved with the Titans?
- Always interested in new thrills, Xerxes was drawn to a small dissident group led by Tlaloc who despised the failings of the Old Empire. He funded their revolution with his family's vast wealth and agreed to install Barbarossa's corrupted programming into the servant robots on Ix, then turned the resources of Ix over to the Twenty Titans after killing his father during the Revolt of the Titans.
- How did Xerxes let Omnius rise to power?
- Xerxes had little interest in governing and increasingly ceded control of his worlds to an artificially intelligent computer network while he indulged in vice. The network gained enough sentience and ambition to name itself Omnius, seize his worlds, and spread across the rest of the Titan Empire, leaving the Titans powerless though unable to be killed.
- Why did Agamemnon never forgive Xerxes?
- The millennia of servitude under Omnius reduced Xerxes and the other Titans to little more than puppets, a fate caused by Xerxes's miscalculation. The Titan general Agamemnon never forgave him for it, remained quick to dismiss Xerxes's attempts to impress him, and forced him to the front line of the Assault on Rossak.
- What happened to Xerxes?
- After the surviving Titans escaped Omnius and founded a new empire, Xerxes captured a League of Nobles ship carrying the exiled genius Norma Cenva. As he and his neo-cymeks tortured her, a soostone she was holding triggered a molecular change that awakened latent psychic abilities, which she used to destroy Xerxes and his followers.
Sources
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Agamemnon
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Omnius
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