The Xenologist—Ssslithar of Sauron

Commonly perceived by the public as just another member of Stormchild's rogues gallery, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that he is much more than that. Like Prospero, Ssslithar claims to be an extraterrestrial, but unlike Prospero his appearance and methods are sufficiently alien to convince the government, as well as Stormchild, that his statement is true. The UK files all information on the Xenologist and his doings with the mysterious Department K (an organization so secret that even those who study variant activity have nothing more than that name), while propagating the story that this creature is just another extreme example of delusional variance.
    If the story he has given to Stormchild is to be believed, Ssslithar is a trained xenologist from the planet Sauron, sent as part of a long term science/xenology mission; he was one of hundreds sent to habitable worlds to explore the native flora and fauna in evolution, going into hibernation from time to time, and collecting millennia worth of data. Unfortunately, his ship was thrown off course and he crash landed on Earth. Lacking any way home, he decided to act upon his mission here, charting human evolution. The Sauroni firmly believed that there was life on other planets, but that they were the only intelligent speces, so Ssslithar was set somewhat aback by the natives—he still isn't sure they're really smart, and considers humans akin to the primate pets of his home world.
    (This is questionable—scattered rumors exist that the Xenologist has actually been on earth since the time of the dinosaurs, and some postulate that it was his meddling that killed them—part of a failed or perhaps ongoing terraforming effort. Keep in mind these are rumors at best—the blanket thrown over his activities makes speculation on Ssslithar's motives extremely difficult.)
    Despite his questions as to human intellect, he loves watching their evolution. Ssslithar is fascinated by humanity's primitive grasping at tool use and its wonderful array of strange mutations. To facilitate this, he'll engage in experiment after experiment, pitting variants against one another, or providing pieces of advanced technology to see what the monkeys do with it, or running heroes through hoops to see the limits of their powers.
    He did this sort of thing to Stormchild for a while, eventually becoming quite fond of the boy. Stormchild truly believed that the Xenologist had reformed during the last years of his life, but officials now believe that the Sauroni had merely found it more beneficial to follow this one up-close for a time. When Stormchild died, he went back to his experiments. He's a scientist, through and through, and cares nothing for humanity. He assumes eventually the Sauroni will come, or he'll find a way to transmit his findings back home. For him, his job is his life.
    Ssslithar stays in London because his spaceship is buried at the bottom of the ocean a few miles off the coast. He isn't fond of the weather, and confines his trips to land to the summer months. Judging from brief descriptions, the Xenologist's ship is a form of Bussard Ramscoop and Light Sail construction nowhere near as fast or efficient as Plovian drives, but probably more comprehensible to human scientists. Since Sauroni seem to be incredibly long lived and radiation resistant, the slow and dangerous nature of such a construction would not hinder them.
    It has been postulated that much of the low-end variant technology appearing in Britain since after the war has been based on the Xenologist's captured equipment, modified for human production and use. Exactly what Department K is, and what part they may play in this dissemination of technology, is not clear. The Xenologist apparently doesnt care about primates using his discarded equipment, perhaps seeing it as part of the experiment. If the android used by Legs Zimeckis is any indication of what Ssslithar is willing to toss aside, then the Sauroni's technical achievements must be vast indeed.
     Most of Sslithar's presumed variance comes from his access to and familiarity with highly advanced extraterrestrial technology. Personally, he is a seven foot tall bipedal lizard, complete with tail and armor potent enough to resist firearms. He is inhumanly strong and tough, heals very rapidly and is outfitted with natural weaponry, including a long retractable spike on his tail, which he also uses as a manipulating appendage. Taken on his own, Ssslithar would rake as a Beta level variant at best, but given his technology, theres no adequate way to scale this creature against humanity.

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