Maykr

The Maykrs are a race of angel-like beings hailing from the realm of Urdak, which first occur in the settings and backstory of Doom (2016), albeit not clearly identified. They are later named and more fully revealed in its sequel, Doom Eternal. They are led by the Khan Maykr. Though they claim to be divine, they are neither immortal nor omniscient; whether the Maykrs have any true divine aspect to their being is currently unknown. Originating with a mysterious entity known only as the Father, the Maykrs join a species-wide collective consciousness after physical death. Through use of unimaginably advanced technology, in particular the extensive utilization of Argent energy, the Maykrs have greatly prolonged their natural lifespan. However, in the later stages of their lifespan they undergo a process called Transfiguration that appears to significantly reduce their mental acuity and physical strength.

Appearance
All Maykrs are human or larger-sized beings with no legs, usually hovering a little above the ground. Their bodies end in mechanical-looking tentacles, covered with robe-like armor. Maykr drones have no arms at all, using energy projections to attack the Slayer. Maykr angels have face masks covering their eyes completely. The arms of Maykr angels end in five-fingered hands. All Maykr angels have golden Orator Rings on their backs and likewise golden staffs, the symbols of their power. The Khan Maykr resembles a very large Maykr drone, but with lighter colors, three-fingered long arms, unfolding wings on her back (used only in combat), a life sphere believed to belong to the first Khan Maykr in her chest, and feminine facial features.

Under their armor, the Maykrs appear somewhat alien- or demon-like, with greyish-pink skin and two pairs of eyes. The armor and masks of Maykrs might serve to make them appear angelic or divine to other beings. The armor is seemingly cybernetic in nature and acts as an extension of their bodies. The only Maykrs seen without armor are the Khan Maykr shortly before her death, and what appears to be the floating, inert body of another Khan.

As a species, their most distinctive trait is their hubris; the Maykrs convinced other civilizations to worship them as gods or angels throughout a significant portion of the galaxy (especially across the ), and possibly the entire universe. The countless sentient beings destroyed to sustain their existence as a result of their alliance with Hell are of no concern to them; to the Maykrs, all life is to consider itself honored for the chance to be sacrificed for their glory. The disappearance of the Father has left the Maykrs a dying race, and one that will stop at nothing to postpone its extinction.

The Ancient Gods, Part One and Part Two feature Blood Maykrs. They are red-armored Khan Maykr-like beings with helmet crests resembling demon horns, five-fingered hands and Maykr angel spears. They are corrupted and demonized Maykrs. Samur Maykr undergoes the Transfiguration which turns him into a purple Khan Maykr-like creature with his trademark single eye and a eyeball in its abdomen.

History
In the Ligra Sultagenta, the Night Sentinels' Book of Kings, the Maykrs are said to have first made contact with the Argenta during the reign of King Etrex during a period known as the Time of Grief. Described as "porcelain beings" from a higher realm, they brought gifts of magic and advanced technology which the peoples of Argent D'Nur quickly adapted.

As a result of this contact, the Argenta began to spread out from Argent D'Nur on giant floating city-like ships throughout what they called the "Empyrean Void", which from illustrations in the Ligra Sultagenta appears to be what is otherwise called outer space. At this time they sought to spread the word of the Khan Maykr, which they considered to be an enlightened ideology.

By the later stages of the struggles against Hell in Argent D'Nur, the Khan Maykr was no longer trusted by the Night Sentinels. They had discovered that the Maykrs had forged a secret alliance with Hell, aiding the demons in finding new worlds to conquer and enslave in exchange for a share of the Argent energy produced by the demons' victims, which they used to prevent the Transfiguration and further enhance their technology. When their treachery was exposed, the Khan Maykr rallied the Argenta loyal to her to turn against the Night Sentinels and King Novik, fomenting a civil war.

The Order of the Deag promised their aid to the Night Sentinels in opening a path to the central Argent factory in Hell so they could conquer it and deprive their enemies of Argent energy, but it proved to be a trap; many of the elite warriors of the Night Sentinels (along with the Doom Slayer) were left stranded in Hell. Among their number was the Betrayer, who succumbed to the demons' temptations after being flooded with nightmarish visions of the torments his son was facing.

When news of the Hell priests' betrayal arrived, the King bemoaned his ill-advised decision to trust the Deag one final time. He states that they returned to their "mistress" after their ill deed was complete.

When the Doom Slayer destroyed the heart of the Betrayer's son and disrupted the ritual that would have put the Icon of Sin under the Maykrs' control, the seal protecting Urdak from demonic invasion was destroyed and the demons quickly turned on their "allies". By the time the Slayer returned to Urdak after the Icon's destruction, much of the former paradise had been overrun by the armies of Hell and its inhabitants corrupted. However, VEGA proved to be the lost essence of the Father, who had been restored since the Slayer's departure. He acknowledged the Slayer as an ally who could restore Urdak and stand against "a threat to all his creations".

Known Maykrs
At least five Maykrs are currently known:
 * The Khan Maykr, who is described as their leader. She is the primary antagonist of Doom Eternal.
 * Two unnamed Maykrs, which occur only in the form of statues in Argent Breach, Empyrian, and other areas associated with Argenta construction.
 * The Father, the progenitor of the Maykrs. He is said to have vanished after his essence was stolen by the Seraphim. It is revealed VEGA is the Father, or at least derived from a part of it; as of The Ancient Gods, Part One, VEGA has been fully restored as the Father.
 * Samur Maykr, a rogue Maykr who empowered the Doom Slayer as the Seraphim before mysteriously disappearing. He was formerly the chancellor of the Khan Maykr, and later took the identity of Samuel Hayden.

Aside from named or unique Maykrs there are generic Maykr drones, lesser Maykrs too weak to leave Urdak, and Maykr angels that act as emissaries. The Maykr angel was previously depicted in areas of Argent Breach and Empyrian in the form of statues, and several appear in Sentinel Prime and Urdak. Corrupted versions of Maykr angels known as blood Maykrs are seen in the trailer for The Ancient Gods, Part One.

Language
The Maykr language is illustrated in game with a character system created by concept artist Emerson Tung which consists of an alphabet of 27 characters (the first 26 matching the English language alphabet in phonetic values, with the 27th being a punctuation mark similar to a dash) and ten numerals (either 1 through 10, or 0 through 9 depending on the meaning of the final character). The actual Maykr writings which appear in-game and on promotional materials do not generally translate when using the apparent values of these characters, however, rendering only nonsense. This seems to mean that no actual was created with any consistent rules.

The appearance of the Maykr writing system seems to have been inspired by the seguloth of the , a  of  from the.

In statuary and art
As mentioned above, two forms of Maykr are only known from Argenta statuary. The first of these two is frequently depicted channeling an orb of energy between its hands. It has a semi-halo similar to the Orator Ring of the Maykr angel and characteristic Maykr tentacles are visible at the bottom beneath its armor. A second form, more ambiguously Maykr in appearance, is sometimes depicted wielding the Crucible.

Design influences
Graven depictions of Maykr angels often display their arms in an "" posture also typical of depictions of Baphomet, particularly those of the tradition.

Trivia

 * The natural appearance of the Maykrs without their armor displays some traits similar to those of the s of popular culture, including long limbs, enlarged brains, and grayish-pink skin.