Kravyad
Six-armed blue naga NPCs of the Iron Tangle's HR department who hypnotize disembarking workers and eat a few per shift.
Story so far
Once a shadowy rumor, the Kravyad are revealed through Madison's telling to be blue, six-armed naga-like NPCs — non-combatants, part of the Iron-Tangle's human resources department under an initiative to boost productivity. They hypnotize the dwarves and other crew disembarking at stop 435, hold them in a dazed 'pre-production stupor' for eight to twelve hours (erasing their between-shift memories so they never request time off), then funnel them through a portal that returns them for their next shift. As payment they are permitted to eat one or two dwarves per shift, and Madison's 'gold armband' scheme secretly flags troublemakers as safe to devour.
Crucially, their return portal is lifebound: it snaps shut if the Kravyad dies, so Daniel-Bautista's trapped survivors at 435 can only escape through it by keeping the creature alive — a dilemma when the cornered, defenseless Kravyad threatens suicide.
Appearance
A blue-skinned, six-armed naga-like figure — serpentine below, humanoid above — per Madison's description.
Role
A lifebound gatekeeper of the employee portal home — deadly if provoked, indispensable if kept alive.
Relationships
Sources — 2 recorded facts, by chapter
- Dark-magic handlers in charge of 'employee return' at stop 435 — who prepare disembarking train crew for the memory-wiping portal home.
- Six-armed blue naga NPCs of the Iron Tangle's HR department who hypnotize disembarking workers and eat a few per shift.