The Naar-Di-Shav are major antagonists in the 4X strategy game Stellaris, introduced in the Distant Stars DLC.
Created by a now-extinct civilization several thousand years before the start of the game, these creatures composed of nanomachines have been trapped in the so-called "L-Cluster", a group of star systems close to but outside of the galaxy, for unknown reasons (despite what some of them might say).
Upon being released from the L-Cluster, these nanites randomly take the form of one of four different entities that range from benevolent to cataclysmic, the Gray Tempest in particular being a Mid-Game Crisis similar to the Great Khan.
Forms Of The L-Cluster Nanites[]
The Gray Tempest[]
An L-Gate, the only pathway to the L-Cluster systems.
The Gray Tempest is the most common and only objectively evil form of these nanites. The Gray Tempest is based on concept of a Grey Goo scenario, true to which they will start to expand and consume any other playable entity/empire around it once released. They will consume entire planets or civilizations over the course of just a few years and must be stopped as possible, as they will otherwise annihilate all organic life, turning once flourishing planets into uninhabitable nanite worlds. Unlike the Great Khan, diplomacy is impossible with this pack of emotionless, rampaging nanites. The only way to stop the swarm is to either go into the heart of the L-Cluster and destroy the Nanite Factory or close every L-Gate connecting to the cluster, resealing the swarm.
Dessanu Consonance[]
Acting as a involuntary neutral member, encountering the Dessanu Consonance is the 2nd most common outcome of activating the L-Gates. Superficially they resemble any other biological species and claim to be creators of the nanites. While initially perfectly friendly and even willing to help the player empire by giving them valuable minerals, alloys and research materials, their rather flimsy excuses for being trapped in the L-Cluster, the fact they don't like discussing nanites and asking that the player doesn't enter a system with a particular factory, it is quickly apparent that the Dessanu Consonance is actually the nanites in disguise. Unlike the Gray Tempest, the Dessanu have spent so many years imprisoned that they gave up on any desire for revenge. Similar to the Cybrex, they grew remorseful for killing their creators and decided to mimic them to pass the time. If turned hostile by poor diplomacy or being attacked, any populations inhabiting the L-Cluster will be killed as the utopian Earth-like worlds they were inhabiting turn out to also be made of nanomachines, at which point the Dessanu will launch a counter-offensive against your empire, similar to the Gray Tempest and even using Gray Tempest ships.
Gray and L-Drake[]
The slightly rarer and arguably only two morally good forms of these nanites. If the Gray appears it will either form a Titan that the player can use in their fleets, a smaller ship or a paragon that the player can use as an admiral. Alternatively there are the L-Drakes, colossal stellar dragons that the nanites are disguised as, which the player and other empires can tame and use in their fleets. Though unlike the Gray, an L-Drake cannot be tamed by fanatic xenophobe or genocidal empires.
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 Villains
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End-Game Crises Other Crises Spaceborne Aliens Alien Races | ||