So i have a small PBP rouge trader/ deathwatch game going and have decided to have it take place in the Jerico reach. The one big change I want to make to the setting is to replace the generic chaos middle war front with one that is against a still living Yu'Vath empire. ( Yay now we have a chaos worshiping xeno race in a setting about killing xenos! )

Anyhow the story goes that the Yu'Vath originally came thru the warp gate when they expanded into what is now the Calixs/Khronous sectors and that when they where driven out they left via the same gate and turned it off behind them ( this is what caused the maw to become impassable for so long) Having returned to what was a much more docile area to recover, the Yu'Vath masters went into a species wide meditative trance. With the reactivation of the warp gate, the pulses of the Hadex anomaly have awoken the Yu'Vath to find the forces of the Empire once again invading their space. ( at this point history resumes itself, with the betrayal of the crusade, splitting into 3 fronts etc. )

So the idea for the species is a sort of mix between the Tholians and the Borg. I'm thinking large Crystalline aliens that control their vast amounts of slave labor thru the use of tiny pieces of crystal that work to create absolute loyalty in there subjects. While the person still retains free will and their own personalities, they will always do what there masters want, and not only think it was there idea to do so, but with religious fever as well. There are also they more specialized soldiers that are infected with much higher levels of these crystals that give them enhances combat abilities, but at the cost of their mind ( somewhat like a more intelligent battle servitor, but with the silicate trait instead of machine and weapons modified from Stars of Inequity)

Combined with a large number of troops more than willing to die for them, their constructs, and access to powerful warp based technology They should be a fairly dangerous foe.

Thoughts, critiques, ideas, inane internet forum ranting that i have destroyed the universe leave below.

If you have Deathwatch: Rising Tempest it has a warp denizen race called the Ganathaar. I once thought to use them as Yu'Vath and while I didn't they did give me some good ideas on how to run them. It's a good read. Also look for the thread on Egarians, Yu'Vath, and Rak'Gol. I think it was Erathia who posted thoughts on it that I still use in my campaign today. Another good read.

The post EK refers to is here: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/125062-the-egarian-dominion/?p=1302634

Also the Eisenhorn book Malleus has a mining colony corrupted by a crystal called the Lith (great imagination there Abnett); the human residents even insert bits of it into themselves. Might help you design your guys.

Thanks guys.