The Forever Tree/M&M2e

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Hoid
Posts: 3556
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm
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[Earth-Q]A general overview! Part one of four.

Post by Hoid »

[Earth-Q]A general overview. Part one of four.
The current year is 2018 CE.

What are the Archons? What are the Epochs?
Archons and Epochs are the main breeds of superhumans native to Earth-Q. Like all superbeings in the Earth-Q universe, they’re aquatic in nature. Both breeds are heavily physically mutated, being exquisitely designed to dwell in the water. Both breeds tend to be VERY psychic. Furthermore, both Archons and Epochs are half-Fish/half-human.

Archons are physically very imposing, and their mutations are considerably more extreme than Epochs’ mutations. Archons are hulking, yet are just as aquadynamic as Epochs. There’s very little subtlety about them, however. Smashing things with their bare hands is the preferred Archon combat tactic. Their psychic powers are blunt and extremely dangerous, both to the Archon and those NEAR them.

Epochs are lithe and bizarrely beautiful, albeit in a very alien manner. Their mutations are less extreme than Archon, and they’re far less hulking. Clever planning and intricate scheming comes naturally to them. Their psychic powers are rarely flashy, and’re often extremely subtle...even hard to notice!

Archons and Epochs are Titanblooded. Therefore: though it’s yet to happen, Earth-K’s Voidgiants are interfertile with both Archons and Epochs, creating strange Half-Giant hybrids. Furthermore, though it’s yet to happen, Archons and Epochs are strangely vulnerable to Ogresymbiosis, a mutating disease from Earth-L.

What are Earth-Q’s Fish?
When capitalized, ‘Fish’ refer to the Titanblooded alien refugees of The Ark, which crashlanded on Earth in the 1600s CE. After one of their number (the Sea Bishop) converted to Christianity, public perception of Fish changed from fear and xenophobia to awe and reverence. (By this point, most Fish have long since followed the Sea Bishop’s example and become Christian.)

Fish are entirely aquatic in nature, and’re rarely humanoid. They’re hulking and highly psychic, with a huge variety of different powers. They dwell in the wreckage of The Ark, now dubbed Atlantis, because The Ark possesses the only still-functioning Clonelabs. Fish, you see, are all sterile. Without cloning, they’d have died out long ago.

Fish pay a ‘tithe’ to the surface world by taking select humans to the Clonelabs are artificially splicing these people with Fish DNA. Thus are Archons and Epochs ‘born’.

Fish are dimly aware of Earth-K’s Manifold Giants and Earth-L’s Ogres, but Fish really don’t like to talk of their savage cousins.

What are the Deepwalkers?
Though most Fish are benevolent allies to humanity, this is not universally the case. Renegade Fish and their Archon and Epoch minions seek to dominate Earth and return to the stars. Called Deepwalkers, these rebels consort with Apkallu and Tlolkku, and hoard strange technology gathered from ‘tethers’ lowered into the Infinite Roots.

Tell us about the Bluewar.
The centuries-long Cold War between Deepwalkers and humanity is referred to as ‘the Bluewar’. Consisting of guerilla tactics and surprise attacks, the Deepwalkera refuse to commit to open warfare, remaining as shadowy as is possible.

Who is Earth-Q’s imperiex?
Surprisingly, Earth-Q’s imperiex has NOTHING to do with Archons, Deepwalkers, Epochs and Fish. Known as the Man Encased in Jade, he’s actually a WWII era patriotic power-armored man.
Placeholder.

What are the Salmon of Wisdom?
Created by Earth-Q’s imperiex, Salmon of Wisdom are VERY strange, being cloned sea organisms meant to be swallowed but not digested. Taking up residence in a being’s digestive track, Salmon of Wisdom slowly mutate the host into a psychic organism. These psychics are not necessarily Archons, Epochs or Fish, however, as all such mutations are internal.

Salmon of Wisdom are part of the tithe paid by the Fush to humanity.

Tell us about Earth-Q’s Apkallu. Are there hellchained on Earth-Q?
Apkallu are active on Earth-Q, albeit primarily as weapons-suppliers to the Deepwalkers.
Placeholder.

Tell us about Earth-Q’s Starvampires. Tell us about Earth-Q’s Tlolkku.
Tlolkku are active on Earth-Q, albeit as medical support staff to the Deepwalkers. They’re only mildly interested in Archons, Epochs and Fish.

Starvampires share this sentiment.
Last edited by Hoid on Tue Jul 09, 2019 5:14 pm, edited 17 times in total.
Hoid
Posts: 3556
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm
Location: The Forever Tree

[Earth-Q]A general overview! Part two of four.

Post by Hoid »

[Earth-Q]A general overview. Part two of four.
Tell us about the current state of Earth.
Unlike many Earths in the Forever Tree, Earth-Q is a land of bright, colorful optimism, where hope reigns and humanity’s better nature is on display. This isn’t to say Earth-Q is a utopia; far from it. Evil, unfortunately, even exists in such a hopeful place as Earth-Q. Racism, sexism, homophobia, religious extremism...all are horrid realities, even here. Even some Fish are evil, given over to bitter rage at their predicament on such a backwards planet.

How do humans view Fish?
In the beginning, humans viewed Fish as dangerous demons from the oceanic deeps. Upon the Sea Bishop’s conversion to Christianity, however, this attitude slowly changed, inch by creeping inch, over the next two decades. As the Sea Bishop prosletyized to his people back in The Ark, this situation only improved as more and more Christian Fush appeared in Europe.

Nowadays, humans view Fish as brothers, comrades even. Fish are fully protected under the Geneva Conventions and anti-Fish rhetoric is widely viewed as hate-speech.
Placeholder.

How do Fish view humans?
Fish attitudes towards human beings has evolved over time.

Nowadays, Fish consider humans to be beneficent allies and close friends. (The feeling, however, is NOT universally held by all Fish, however [such as with the Deepwalkers].) Splicing human DNA with Fish DNA is considered a gesture of great honor, and is gladly performed on their ‘landbound kin’. Fish see humans aa little siblings, and feel very protective of them.
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Tell us about Fish converting to Christianity.
The Sea Bishop was the first Fish to be captured by human beings. Taken to Prague and kept as a pet, a priest taught the Sea Bishop Russian and told him of Jesus. Ironically, the original Fish religion bears striking similarities to Christianity, and so the Sea Bishop converted. The king of Prague was so moved by this conversion that he ordered the Sea Bishop released. Before returning to the seas, the Sea Bishop made the sign of the cross and promised to prosyletize to his race.
Placeholder.

Tell us about the roles in civilization played by the Archons and Epochs.
As superheroes and supervillains, of course! Being agents of change on a vast scale, Archons and Epochs feel powerful urges to meddle in the affairs of others (irregardless of ethical or moral considerations); and primitive inbuilt tribal distinctions unconsciously drive Archons and Epochs to assume colorful ‘warpaint’—-ie, costumes.
Placeholder.

Tell us about Atlantis, otherwise called The Ark.
Placeholder.
Last edited by Hoid on Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hoid
Posts: 3556
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm
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[Multiverse-wide]Court of Hod/The Pact!

Post by Hoid »

[Multiverse-wideThe Court of Hod/The Pact.
...,,..What is the Court of Hod?
...,,..The Court of Hod is a loose fellowship of supervillains from across the entire Forever Tree united in their service to the megavillain Hod of the Green Sun (an ape-god of Perpendicular-2).
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...,,..What are the goals of the Court of Hod?
...,,..Multiversal domination, obviously! In practical terms, however, Hod will happily settle for stealing an imperiex-essence, which would make him as close to a genuine divinity as is possible to achieve in the Forever Tree.
Placeholder.

...,,..Who leads the Court of Hod?
...,,..Hod himself, of course, who else? None other would dare challenge such an apocalyptic god-monster.

...,,..Who belongs to the Court of Hod?
Each parallel-Earth and each Perpendicular—-even Aion!—-has one native belonging to the Court of Hod!
...,,..James Moriarry (Earth-A). The Napoleon of Crime. He’s the Court of Hod’s Lord Bureaucrat!
...,,..Entropus Rex (Earth-B). An alien warlord! It’s the Court of Hod’s Lord Warrior!
...,,..Dra-Tendora (Earth-C). An undead horror! He’s the Court of Hod’s Lord Builder!
...,,..STONE (Earth-G). An Unentombed! He’s the Court of Hod’s Lord Scribe!
...,,..The Earth Enthroned (Earth-L). A hulking He’s the Court of Hod’s Lord Enacter!
...,,..The Ancient Bearded Tree-King (Earth-N). A gigantic tree-bodies thoughtform. He’s the Court of Hod’s Lord Huntsman!
...,,..MOLOCH (Earth-S). A devil-Apkallu scientist-sadist! He’s the Court of Hod’s Lord Interrogator!
...,,..Hod the Green Sun (Perpendicular-2). He’s the Court of Hod’s Lord King!
Placeholder.

...,,..What resources can the Court of Hod bring to bear in any given situation?
...,,..Well...just about anything really, though not always on a large scale. Money is never an issue. Superpowered thugs are easily recruitable. The Court of Hod has a multiverse-spanning spy-network. They can even field thousands of mundane human soldiers at Will.
...,,..What they don’t have, is much open authority. The Court of Hod has taken the long approach, and Hod feels it best to slowly take over key organizations in each universe by slowly infiltrating them. Superpowered violence is to be avoided...if possible. By the time Hod is ready to declare himself, his agent’s will have been placed in every organization that matters.
Placeholder.

...,,..Where is the HQ of the Court of Hod?
Placeholder.

...,,.,What is The Pact?
...,,..The Pact, a servitor-cult of the Court of Hod, is a sect of supervillain manipulators, dealmakers and powerbrokers interested in accruing as much power and influence as they possibly can.
Placeholder.

...,,..What are the goals of The Pact?
...,,..To acquire wealth, privilege and power, and to enjoy life at the expense of others. Hedonists, basically, but driven by ambition. The Pact wants more. It cannot be satisfied with what it’s acquired; it always needs more.
...,,..Of course, The Pact is far more dangerous than mere selfish hedonists. They are every one of them manipulators, liars, swindlers, schemers and powerbrokers. They don’t want to be in charge; they want to be the guy who pulls all the strings, while the real boss takes flak for The Pact’s atrocities.
Placeholder.

...,,..Who leads The Pact?
...,,..Leading The Pact is a vile ‘satanic’ thoughtform named Dominic Kesses.
Placeholder.

...,,..Who belongs to The Pact?
Only the very best belong to The Pact, as Dominic is extremely discerning on who gets to join. You don’t approach them, they approach you.
...,,..Dominic Kesses (multiversal). A ‘satanic’ thoughtform!
...,,..The Deceiver (Earth-A).
...,,..Hecate (Earth-B). A gargantuan Olympian mutant!
...,,..Deus ex Machina (Earth-F).
...,,..Griffon (Earth-L).
Placeholder.

...,,..What resources can The Pact bring to bear on any given situation?
Placeholder.

...,,..Where is the HQ of The Pact?
Placeholder.
Last edited by Hoid on Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:07 am, edited 10 times in total.
Hoid
Posts: 3556
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm
Location: The Forever Tree

[Earth-V]Rustdeity...an overview!

Post by Hoid »

[Earth-V]Rustdeity...an overview! Part one of five.
The various blocs.
Most of Rustdeity was, back in pre-Catastrophe days, divided into huge political regions called ‘blocs’. Every single Bloc has since fallen into ruin, though not ruination of universal type. Each Bloc has its own special form of toxic hellscape!
The Afacara Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-Sub-Saharan Africa.
Capitol City:
.........-Ads Abab (‘Addis Ababa’).
Major Districts:
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-The Burning Obsidian Flats; Echostation Iron-synod; the Insect-Host (Ethoap tribe); Terran Spaceport.
Description:
.........-Well-Known as the genesis-point of humanity, the Afacara Bloc is empty wastes, spotted here and there with rotting cyclopean structures of unknown origin, more resembling giant titanium beehives than places for people to inhabit. Most are sealed up, and in these, strange drumming and the whine of buzzsaws can be heard any hour of the day or night.
.........-The wastes, themselves, resemble the dry deserts of the Noram Bloc. Long, long ago, the Afacara Bloc held incredible ecological biodiversity, but all that changed in the Catastrophe. Though not covered in unending city like most blocs, Afacara struggles to sustain complex life. The ozone is almost completely absent over this Bloc, making the sun seem over 33% brighter. The only lifeforms living here are desperate, cunning or hardy.
Placeholder.

The Awst Ral Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-Australia and New Zealand.
Capitol City:
Major Districts:
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-The Dreamhell; Echostation Titanium-synod; the Insect-Host (Siddnee tribe).
Description:
.........-Glassed over entirely by high-end nuclear weaponry, the Awst Ral Bloc is utterly incapable of supporting life...save for the Dreamhell, a vast floating network of cities, the populations of which universally plugged into the Datasphere and universally fallen to utter barbarism. There’re known as Ghostpeople.
.........-Ruling each Dreamhell is an Icon worshipped as a god by the floating city’s human inhabitants. These Dreamhell Icons (‘Dreamengines’) have gone mad since the Great Catastrophe, as its been centuries since they were last maintained or upgraded.
Placeholder.

The Inda Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-Bangladesh, India, Kashmir, Nepal and Pakistan.
Capitol City:
Major Districts:
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........- Copper-synod; the Insect-Host (Bang Ga Desh tribe).
Description:
Placeholder.

The Locked Sea, Region 1-4.
Old Designation:
.........-The Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Main Control Center:
Drone Facilities:
Major Skynodes:
Minor Skynodes:
Sites of Note:
Placeholder.

The Locked Sea, Region 2-4.
Old Designation:
.........-The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan.
Main Control Center:
Drone Facilities:
Major Skynodes:
Minor Skynodes:
Sites of Note:
Placeholder.

The Locked Sea, Region 3-4.
Old Designation:
.........-The Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
Main Control Center:
Drone Facilities:
Major Skynodes:
Minor Skynodes:
Sites of Note:
Placeholder.

The Locked Sea, Region 4-4.
Old Designation:
Main Control Center:
Drone Facilities:
Major Skynodes:
Minor Skynodes:
Sites of Note:
Placeholder.

The Middees Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-The Middle East and North Africa.
Capitol City:
Major Districts:
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-Echostation Aluminum-synod; the Insect-Host (Kare-O tribe).
Description:
Placeholder.

The Minlind Ajja Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-Mainland Asia.
Capitol City:
.........-Bayjin.
Major Districts:
.........-Chyyna; Core; Tibit; Vetnam.
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-Echostation Gold-synod; the Insect-Host (Bee Ging tribe).
Description:
Placeholder.

The Noram Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-North America.
Capitol City:
.........-Apple Town.
Major Districts:
.........-Alskaa; Apple; Azteca; El Ay; Kanadani; Rock; Suthrin.
Minor Districts:
.........-Tehas; Washer’s Ton.
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-Bastion; Einsteinium-synod; the Imperial Academy of Medicine; the Imperial Palace; the Insect-Host (Appa-Lue-Tchaun tribe); the Shattered Labyrinth; Tempest; Xenogen Embassies.
Description:
.........-Once the capitol bloc of Rustdeity, Noram was always at the cutting edge of technology. The Imperial Palace—-heavily guarded even now by Icons and kill-happy robots—-is found in Apple Town, a vast metropolis bordering the Locked Sea [R1]. Hit hardest by the Great Catastrophe, Noram fell the farthest. Noram, a vast urban hellscape, it’s here that squats the Arcanengine and the surrounding Shattered Labyrinth....as well as the tower called Tempest, home of the half-mythic Tempestineers.
.........-Furthermore, uncounted hordes of beastmen infest Noram’s northernmost Districts, running free and wild through the dilapidated ruins of greenhouses turned to fungus and city streets filled with wriggling things from some unknowable place deep beneath the paved-but-broken earth.
Placeholder.

The Pacacip Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-Hawaii, Japan, Malaysia, Oceania, Polynesia.
Capitol City:
Major Districts:
.........-Hawae District; Malayasar District; Nihon District; Ocean District.
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-The First Echostation; the Imperial Academy of Sciences; the Insect-Host (Hhonlu tribe).
Description:
Placeholder.

The Roosa Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-Eastern Europe, Mongolia and Russia.
Capitol City:
Major Districts:
.........-Len’s Grad; Mosvow
Minor Districts:
.........-Bul-Gerald; Rom-An-Ya; Walch-Ea
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-Echostation Cobalt-synod; the Imperial Foundries; the Insect-Host (Satpratbeerg tribe).
Description:
Placeholder.

The Sutham Bloc.
Old Designation: South America.
Capitol City:
Major Districts:
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-Echostation Stone-synod; the Imperial Gardens; the Insect-Host (Ree-O tribe); Standing Monk Pillar.
Description:
.........-In the distant, pre-interstellar period, this Bloc was a continent overflowing with life. jungles, rain forests, swamps—-it was a natural greenhouse on an epic scale. After man rose to colonize the stars, the people of Sutham turned their attention to restoring the damages they’d previously done to the landscape.
.........-When the Catastrophe hit, someone or something used mutagenic spores on Rustdeity’s breadbasket, causing it to mutate out of control. Now a toxic hothouse filled with animals, peoples and xenogen designed for primitive hunting and consumption, Sutham is no safe haven. The ecosystem may be thriving, unlike anywhere else on Rustdeity...but’s an eco-hell, full of misshappen, demonic abominations.
Placeholder.

The Suthees Ajja Bloc.
Old Designation:
.........-Southeast Asia (save for Vietnam, which belongs to the Minlind Ajja Bloc).
Capitol City:
Major Districts:
.........-Burma; Hongkongmetrlex; Kanaboda; Lay-Ous; Tie-Lund
Minor Districts:
Population:
Sites of Note:
.........-Echostation Bronze-synod; the Imperial Zoo; the Insect-Host (Soul tribe).
Description:
.........-In much better days, the much-more-sophisticated predecessors of the modern Tempestineers gathered in the Suthees Ajja Bloc to debate the current galactic situation, and to do so required the very best tech available. After the Great Catastrophe, these proto-Tempestineers died out, while the Calculatives—-the Icons that assisted the proto-Tempestineers in their research—-went feral and unleashed The Fog, a nano-cloud that transformed millions of resident biological entities into strange half-Icons stuck partway in the Datasphere. Existing as half-real monstrosities riven with broken coding, these Ghostpeople roam about the ruined cityscapes of Suthees Ajja, raising hell as they go. Meanwhile, the Calculatives exist in splendid isolation in the Godmesh, living fever-dream lives of absolute excess and absolute hedonism!
Last edited by Hoid on Sun Nov 29, 2020 9:40 pm, edited 16 times in total.
Hoid
Posts: 3556
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm
Location: The Forever Tree

[Earth-V]A general overview! Part 2 of 5!

Post by Hoid »

[Earth-V]Rustdeity...an overview! Part two of five.
Beacons of civilization.
Not everywhere on Rustdeity is a toxic mess, some bright dots of civilization do exist. These ‘points of light’ give hope that maybe, just maybe, Rustdeity may pull itself up out of its current desolation.

Bastion.
Old Designation:
.........-TAWIM (‘Terran Association of Worlds Imperial Military’) Base 8.88.
Bloc:
.........-Noram.
District:
.........-Washer’s Ton.
Zone:
.........-Si-Atell.
Status:
.........-91% functional bioelite biocreche.
Population:
.........-6,000 (99.999% biolelite mundane human). Only two superhumans live in Bastion: an Exotic named Imperious, and a biotwist psychic known as Mr. Ashcroft.
Language(s):
.........-Imperial (‘English’, albeit with several thousand years’ linguistic drift); primary.
Religion(s):
.........-Various, but mainly the Church of the Nameless God.
.........-Recently, however, a localized Cult of the Sleeping King has taken root, spurred on by ill-chosen words of a nearby cybermagus.
Leadership:
.........-Imperious, an Exotic superhuman sworn to their protection, is the official leader of Bastion...though his duties oftimes keep him very far a’field.
Notable Inhabitants:
.........-Beaumont, a bioelite mundane human and purveyor of ancient ‘lore’. May or may not be hiding secrets.
.........-Imperious (see above).
.........-Mickey, an alopecia-suffering bioelite mundane human woman, rescued by Imperious and now acting as Imperious’ voice to the folks of Bastion.
.........-Mr. Ashcroft, a male biotwist human, a rarity: a mutant blessed with telepathy, as opposed to ‘mere’ deformity! Considers himself a peer to Imperious.

The First Echostation.
Old Designation:
.........-Cape Canaveral.
Bloc:
.........-Noram.
District:
Zone:
Status:
Population:
Language(s):
.........-Binar (binary, basically); primary.
.........-Imperial (‘English’, albeit with several thousand years’ linguistic drift); primary.
Religion(s):
.........-As the central HQ of the Iron Enginseers, the natives of the First Echostation are universally atheist.
Leadership:
.........-The Holy Sire, always THE eldest male cybermagus, and the Great Mother, always THE eldest female cybermagus, rule the Iron Enginseer with a practically non-existent hand: so long as research is accomplished and science rediscovered, the two Enginseer faux-monarchs leave their fellows to more-or-less do as they please.
Notable Inhabitants:
.........-The Great Mother, a female cybermagus, is one of her sect’s twin leaders. She’s in a platonic, ceremonial marriage to the Holy Sire.
.........-The Holy Sire, a male Exotic cybermagus, is the ceremonial, platonic husband of the Great Mother. Able to summon duplicates of himself from alternate timelines that exist briefly in the Beyond thanks to an Apkallu helltech implant, the Holy Sire is slowly going insane.

The House of Michael.
Old Designation:
.........-St. Michael’s Cathedral.
Bloc:
District:
.........-ETallia.
Zone:
.........-Vata Roma.
Status:
Population:
Language(s):
.........-Alt-Imperial (‘Italian’, albeit with several thousand years’ linguistic drift); primary.
.........-Vati-Imperial (Church Latin, virtually unchanged over time); secondary, used primarily in religious services and sacred documents.
Religion(s):
.........-To be allowed into the House of Michael, one must convert to the Church of the Nameless God, specifically the COTNG’s Sanctified sect.
Leadership:
Notable Inhabitants:

Tempest.
Old Designation:
.........-The TAWSRC (the Terran Association of Worlds Space Research Center).
Bloc:
.........-Noram.
District:
.........-Apple.
Zone:
.........-Apple Town.
Status:
.........-100% operational bioelite biocreche; home base of the Tempestineers.
Population:
.........-7,000 (129 Tempestineers; 5,000 bioelite humans; 1,000 biotwist humans; the rest are various human-friendly xenogen).
Language(s):
.........-Imperial (‘English’, albeit with several thousand years’ linguistic drift).
Religion(s):
.........-Various, but mostly the Church of the Nameless God. Though not really a religion, many reject religion and’re atheists.
Leadership:
.........-The Tempestineers are, without a question, THE authority in Tempest.
Notable Inhabitants:
.........-The Demiurge, a male dreambeast beastman Tempestineer, one of only two such stormbeasts. A very powerful telepath/brick, albeit thanks to his dreamcrown and his Organisms.
.........-Tempestinaut, a female Sunsphinx Tempestineer; she’s the most powerful Tempestineer, as her Organisms turn her into a top-tier Supermanalogue. She hides her Sunsphinx status pretending instead to be a bioelite human woman.
Last edited by Hoid on Tue Jul 09, 2019 2:18 am, edited 5 times in total.
Hoid
Posts: 3556
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:52 pm
Location: The Forever Tree

[Earth-V]A general overview! Part 3 of 5!

Post by Hoid »

[Earth-V]Rustdeity...an overview! Part three of five.
Major inhabitants of Rustdeity.

Humanity: various strains of Homo sapiens.
Arcaninauts: Homo sapiens terribilis.
.........-Born exclusively in Noram’s Shattered Labyrinth, by basking in the cosmic force of the Arcanengine a regular sentient being may be transformed into a god-monster known as an Arcaninaut. Deformed and blessed with horrifyingly effective battle-mutations, Arcaninauts are mindlessly driven by the desire to inflict misery.
.........-Though still sentient, Arcaninauts are driven by that one goal, to despoil. To plunder. To destroy. It’s as inescapable to Arcaninauts as breathing. The Arcanengine literally instills this mindset into each new Arcaninaut’s very DNA.
.........-Three or so million Arcaninauts exist, currently. Thankfully, there are no Arcaninaut cybermagi or Tempestineers.
Placeholder.

biolelites: Homo sapiens sapiens.
.........-Baseline, mundane human beings. On Rustdeity, bioelites are dying out, bit by bit, generation by generation.
.........-Most bioelites have no superpowers, though exceptions—-ie, Exotics!—-obviously exist. Most Iron Enginseers and Tempestineers are recruited from bioelite stock, and many of the most powerful Arcaninauts were originally bioelites.
.........-Less than 20 million bioelites remain.

biotwists: Homo sapiens grotesque.
.........-Sadly becoming more and more commonplace as the years turn ever onwards, biotwists are human mutants, nearly none of which boast superpowers—-biotwists are, instead, saddled with horrifying deformities.
.........-Most Arcaninauts were once biotwists. Very few other superpowered groups have any biotwists among them. Biotwist Exotics do appear however rare they may be.
.........-There are a hundred million or more biotwists currently alive...
Placeholder.

Ghostpeople: Homo sapiens spiritus.
.........-Tens of millions of Ghostpeople currently exist, wild, mad and half-digital! Found exclusively in the Awst Ral and Suthees Ajja Blocs, Ghostpeople are a perfect example of the horrors AR and VR can accomplish if lef5 to run amok.
.........-A Ghostperson is a human being—-most of them biotwists—-permanently wired into the Datasphere, to such an extent the difference between biological consciousness and computer software ceases to exist. Infected with bad Code and living half in a fever-dream fantasy world, Ghostpeople no longer can discern reality from fiction. Every lie is true. Every rumor is factual. Every delusion is genuine.
.........-Thankfully, there are no Ghostperson Tempestineers.
Placeholder.

Iron Enginseers: Homo sapiens cybernetica.
.........-An organization of technicians, scientists and cyborgs, the Iron Enginseers are devoted to keeping the flickering, dying flame of science and technology alive, no matter the effort required.
.........-An Order of cyborgs one and all, Iron Enginseers are fighting a losing battle against the inertia of decay and forgetfulness. Even THEY know little of the more miraculous machines the Terran association of worlds created at its height, and cannot even maintenance others. Skynodes, for instance, are beyond the comprehension of any cybermagus, being built of human tech, xenogen tech and reverse-engineered Sunsphinx tech.
Placeholder.

Tempestineers: Homo sapiens rex.
Placeholder.

Beastmen: the savage remnant of military glory.
beastmen: generic beastmen.
.........-Baseline beastmen are simply referred to as ‘beastmen’.
.........-Goat-headed humanoids, Sapient but dim of intellect, beastmen were bred for aggressiveness and responsiveness to military discipline.
Placeholder.

dreambeasts: beastmen with dreamtechnology.
.........-A rarity, an extreme rarity, always the result of unethical cybermagus experimentation, dreambeasts are beastman cyborgs exclusively integrated with cybernetic dreamtechnology. Wired to the Godmesh and/or the Datasphere, dreambeasts are shamanic, animists even, believing, in their primitive way, Icons are spirits.
.........-Currently, less than a dozen dreambeasts exist.
Placeholder.

ghostbeasts: half-AI beastmen stuck in the Datasphere.
.........-Found only in Suthees Ajja Bloc, ghostbeasts are the beastman equivalent of Ghostpeople. Functionally, ghostbeasts share the qualities of normal beastmen as well as the unique powers of Ghostpeople.
.........-Several thousand ghostbeasts exist.

ironbeasts: beastman Iron Enginseers.
.........-Mostly too bestial to even comprehend technology, some rare few beastmen are chosen to receive cybermofification into dreambeasts. Most never make it past that point, serving as oracle-savants for the Iron Enginseers, spewing forth prophecy from datafeeds on demand.
.........-A rare few, however, demonstrate an intellect unheard of in most beastmen. THESE rare dreambeasts are further upgraded, given membership in the Iron Enginseers as an experiment. So far, these rare few ironbeasts are a stunning success. Focusing on weapons-tech, ironbeasts are front-line combatants for their human masters.
.........-Only a few dozen ironbeasts currently exist, all but two of them in the Noram Bloc.
Placeholder.

ogrebeasts: beastman Arcaninauts.
.........-Though rare, sometimes beastmen wander into the Shattered Labyrinth, and’re captured. Brought before the Arcanengine, beastmen’re no more resistant to the Arcanengine’s mutating corrosiveness and swiftly end up transformed into horrific ogre beasts.
.........-Several hundred ogrebeasts currently exist.
Placeholder.

stormbeasts: beastman Tempestineers.
.........-Two beastmen have been inducted into the Tempestineers; both are still alive, their Cultivation a recent event. One, a male named named Bor, is always in the field; the other, another male, known only as the Demiurge, stays nigh-exclusively in Tempest.
Placeholder.

xenobeasts: artificially created beastman/xenogen hybrids.
.........-Entirely artificial in gensis, only Iron Enginseers really produce xenobeasts in any real numbers. Even so, xenobeasts are rare, very, very rare.
.........-A mere handful of xenobeasts exist at any given time.
Placeholder.

Xenogen: stranded, far from home.
Apkallu: devils-made-into-physical-existence.
.........-Hell hath no fury like a xenogen literally convinced he’s a genuine devil. Driven insane by absorbing the satanic mythological thoughtforms of thousands of different human religions, the Apkallu have gone from merely evil to truly diabolical.
Placeholder.

eeffeer: remnants of a once-Mighty species, now fallen to rampant mutation.
Placeholder.

hyda: low-tier psychic enslavers of thoughtforms.
.........-Hyda were a powerful species in the Earth-V universe, but were crushed under by Terran troops early on in the association’s endless crawl forward into the galaxy at large. A species of brutal tyrants, they were spar3d extermination for one reason—-hyda have a natural psychic proclivity for capturing and binding thoughtforms. This ability was simply too useful for humanity to allow to be extinguished by way of eradication.
.........-Nearly a quarter million hyda live on Earth, mostly in the Afacara Bloc. Three hyda are currently also Arcaninauts. None are cybermagi and none are Tempestineers.
Placeholder.

masa saraq: They who lack bodies but still possess substance.
.........-Singular is massat saruq; plural is masa saraq.
.........-One solitary massat saruq is also an Arcaninaut.
Placeholder.

noQ: horrifying parasites.
Placeholder.

Sunsphinx: brightest gods in the inky night sky.
.........-The Sunsphinx watched The Catastrophe unfold in the Earth-V universe with stunned silence, but what truly stunned them was the Solar Lion’s explicit ban on Sunsphinx rendering aid to said Earth-V. No explanation was given. No exceptions were permitted. Even to this day, the Sunsphinx are unsure why their god-king forbids it.
Placeholder.

Tlolkku: multiversal menace.
Wherever in the Forever Tree you go, there too are the Tlolkku.
Placeholder.

Sapient Machines: a dying breed.
Botz: Mandragora robot servants of Jax the Sleeper.
.........-Each imperiex boasts servants crafted from their own imperiex-essence. Known as Mandragora, these Minions (as per the feat) vary greatly from imperiex to imperiex.
.........-Not much else is known of Botz. Even the cybermagi are as clueless as the rest!

daemons and daimons: xenogen-made AIs that lack bodies.
.........-Xenogen-made bodiless AIs are known as either daemons or daimons, entirely dependent on attitude. Only a few thousand daemons and daimons still survive.
.........-Daemons are xenogen AIs beneficial to humanity. This soesn5 necessarily equate to evil, however.
.........-Daimons are xenogen AIs harmful to humanity. This doesn’t necessarily equate to evil, however.
Placeholder.

golems: sentient human-made robots.
Placeholder.

Icons: human-made AIs that lack bodies.
.........-The Datasphere and the Godmesh require massive computing-power to function. Rather than bog down human minds with such tedious labors, the ancients built billions of bodiless AIs known as Icons. Existing solely within the Datasphere and/or the Godmesh, Icons have no physical forms and literal regard for the material universe.
.........-Now, of course, as skynodes slowly fail, both Datasphere and Godmesh shrink, vastly reducing the Icon population with each cascading system failure.
.........-However DESPITE all this, Icons STILL outnumber golems 100-to-1, as they’re pure software.
Placeholder.

xenodrones: sentient xenogen-made robots.
.........-Vanishingly rare, less than ten xenodrones still function, with another twenty in hibernation-mode. AI-equipped robots built by xenogen science, xenodrones are, by human standards, BIZARRE. Using technologies that boggle even cybermagi, xenodrones are powerful...and unpredictable.
.........-Currently, all active xenodrones operate on Rustdeity’s sole moon, a lifeless orb named Corrosion. They descend to Rustdeity on rare cloudless nights on missions of purpose—-the purpose of which is COMPLETELY unknown.
Placeholder.

Weirdness: found even on Rustdeity.
nephilim: ‘divine’ halfbreeds.
Yes, Rustdeity has nephilim...just virtually none. With a current population of three, 5hese nephilim are also all biotwists, being the offspring of feral wer thoughtforms ‘impregnating’ themselves after eating dozens of biotwists each.
Placeholder.

thoughtforms: warped, twisted, corrosive.
On Rustdeity, differentiating between AIs and thoughtforms can be hellishly difficult, oftimes outright impossible.
Placeholder.

undead: even death isn’t the end for some.
Placeholder.
Last edited by Hoid on Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:20 am, edited 6 times in total.
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[Earth-V]A general overview! Part 4 of 5!

Post by Hoid »

[Earth-V]A general overview! Part 4 of 5!
The Sol System: a look at the home solar system of humanity.

The Orbital Shroud.
.........-In orbit around Rustdeity is a Shroud, so to speak, of dead ships, smashed satellites, annihilated space stations and, looming just within the moon’s orbit around Rustdeity, a supermassive mega-structure known as a ‘Gigaforge’.
.........-When the Great Catastrophe finally hit Terra, a whole fleet of ships arrived, some to loot and burn Terra, others to defend it. The space battle in the skies of Terra was epic, and Jax the Sleeping King himself brought an end to it, through means now long-forgotten. Now, this ocean of debris prev3nts ships from leaving Rustdeity...or coming to Rustdeity from beyond.
.........-A man-made spherical structure 1/6th the size of Luna, the Gigaforge’s original function is unknown. In superstition-laden Rustdeity belief, the Gigaforge is the shell of a sleeping deity, or the discarded weapon of a xenogen of titanic size. Lights still shine from its surface, but no signals come from it and no signals to it are heeded.

Corrosion (the Lunar Hellscape).
.........-The surface of the moon (named Corrosion) is a bombed out cemetery of Void-exposed structures littered with flash-frozen corpses, a sea of death that goes on for seemingly forever.
.........-However, it is below Corrosion’s surface where things get ugly. Riddled with miles-long tunnels no hermetically sealed, with life support barely holding out, Luna’s innards is a xenogen-infested wilderness. Xenogen are not human, and thus are not human in behavior or outlook. What thrives under the crust of the moon is like artwork by HR Giger, a non-Euclidean realm here science and biology are indistinguishable. Full of bizarre creatures rendered feral in the eyeless darkness, Corrosion is more like a nest of insects and stranger critters, than a city.

Mercury: A Dead—-Yet Moving—-Cinder.
.........-Once the mining planet in the Sol System, during The Great Catastrophe, sabotage resulted in catastrophic failure Mercury’s habitation/life support—-every single Mercurian died roasting over several horrifyingly torturous minutes.
.........-The machines, however, insulated against EMPs, kept going. Strictly non-sentient for fear of a golem uprising, Mercury’s machines continue to mine the planet. By this point, they’ve amassed a genuinely epic quantity of raw materials...just waiting, waiting for someone...anyone...to claim it for themselves.

Venus: A Planet Under Siege.
.........-A planet terraformed to be a wilderness retreat for the rich Terran elite, after a The Catastrophe, Venus reverted to being a toxic Hell...with three tiny stations full of terrified bioelites clinging on for dear life. Having fallen into isolated barbarism, these three ‘tribalhalls’ fight a never-ending battle with security-robots that no longer recognize humanity as ‘legitimate’ guests. Trying to wipe out these ‘squatters’, these machines show no hint or mercy, compassion or regret. Placeholder.

Mars: Here There Be Dragons.
.........-Dragons of steam and psychic power rove the shattered cityscape of the Red Planet. In their shadows slump the Slow Knights, hideous sub-Arcaninauts created by a half-functional makeshift Arcanemgine, waging war on a geologic timescale. Battles take centuries. A mad dash takes months. The Slow Knights are ponderous and inevitable.
.........-In the obliterated. shattered neighborhoods of the Martian evercity, chained human slaves erect ever-larger monuments to the dragon-‘gods’ worshipped by all. They follow no blueprint and catastrophic accidents are common. Most of these humans are biotwists, with a few rare bioelites.
Placeholder.

The Asteroid Belt: A Sea of Ship-Mangling Debris.
.........-In The Catastrophe, the asteroid belt was a site of major conflict, and it shows.
Placeholder.

Jupiter: Welcome to Hell. You’ll Never Escape.
.........-Jupiter still has a functioning society, but it is a society of hellish monsters. The Jupiterian moons were invaded by the Apkallu in the century following The Catastrophe, and the devil-xenogen turned turned these moons into a literal vision of Hell.
.........-Living as little more than herdbeasts caged in vast black citadels, Jupiterian humans live only to suffer for the pleasure of the Apkallu. Living lives of fear and paranoia, these humans roam the labyrinth of their prison/home, neverknowing when The Masters will come with knives and cruelty to snatch them away.
.........-Apkallu engage in absolute brutality with their herd of human playthings. Coming to Jupiter will make one realize that Rustdeity has it better than here. Unspeakable atrocities occur every day, to the jeering shrieks of easily-bored xenogen monsters.

Saturn: Where the Great Catastrophe Never Ended.
.........-Believe it or not, Saturn is nearly as bad as Jupiter...here, The Great Catastrophe never ended, two golem-led human sides fighting a conflict neither side even understands, anymore. The Tusks, who believe in a god named Jahakh, wage ceaseless war by unendingly shelling their enemies, the Rebaals. The Rebaals, for their part, believe Heaven has been taken over by nameless devils and that Jahakh is a false god. They fight by ceaselessly shelling the Tusks.
.........-Trenches crisscross each Saturnian moon, with massive gun batteries firing day and night, using an ammo supply truly epic in scope. The human soldiers’ve have all gone deaf, and the bright flashing glare of exploding missiles and flashbangs has rendered them half-blind. Patriotic music no one can hear anymore plays non-stop in tinny speakers rife of reverb, and uniforms have taken on Occult status. Superstition is rife and a pantheon of gods, based on long-dead military leaders, is upheld by Chaplains with no mercy and little sanity.
.........-Every so often, infantry howl like beasts across bullet-hell open fields, only for most get to get cut down. Only rarely is territory taken or lost. This permanent stalemate shows no sign of ever ending.
.........-Virtually every human on Saturn is a hideously deformed biotwist, with only the officer corps left as bioelites.

Uranus: Dead and Silent.
.........-Once a religious hermitage, Uranus and its moons are dead and silent, the cities bombed out and empty. Much could be salvaged here. Other than that, nothing happens here, nor will it likely eve4 happen in days yet to come.

Neptune: Life Will Find a Way...
Welcome to Neptune. Here at Neptune, we strive for excellence, both physically and mentally. We Neptunians are a thriving culture, amidst the wreckage of Sol. There’s no room for second-best, here! Come to Neptune! Neptune has food! Neptune has water! Neptune has people! Come to Neptune! We look forward to your arrival.

Please be prepared to be inoculated upon disembarking! This is a harmless process than will only take a few moments! Disease is a very
real threat. Cleanliness is Godliness, the ancients used to say. Here at Neptune, we believe this is the truth. Infection must be fought at every turn!

Come to
Neptune! We can’t wait to see you!


Attention! Attention! Attention! This is Sgt. Miko of the 3rd Sol Legion. Do not come to Neptune! Neptune has been compromised. Repeat, Neptune has been compromised. Necrotic alien reptiloids have landed, and are seizing control of the moons’ facilities. Do not listen to any broadcasts stating otherwise! Do not listen to other broadcasts stating otherwise! Neptune is compromised! Nep—-

SHRKKKKKKK

Welcome to Neptune. Here at Neptune, we strive for excellence, both physically and mentally. We Neptunians are a thriving culture, amidst the wreckage of Sol. There’s no room for second-best, here...

The Kuiper Belt: Bastion of the Mi-Go!
.........-Though the Cthulhu Mythos is currently focusing on infiltrating the Earth-E universe as its top priority, this has not prevented the mi-go from placing listening stations in the Kuiper Belt. Taking advantage of the looming threat of CipherOmegaFinal, the mi-go keep an eye on the Sol System.
.........-The Mythos will not strike here for centuries to come. But, when they do, they’ll be prepared. Such is the way of the mi-go...

The Oort Cloud: Armageddon, Delayed!
.........-CipherOmegaFinal...NOT a name people on Rustdeity are remotely familiar with. This is a shame, because CipherOmegaFinal is the greatest weapon humanity ever designed, and it is threaded throughout the Oort Cloud as a hidden agent of universal DOOM.
.........-A thread billions upon billions upon trillions of miles long and threaded throughout the Oort Cloud, Cipher OmegaFinal is a psychic weapon built from the hollowed out body of a dead thoughtform-turned-cosmic-entity. Entering the Sol System from beyond triggers the thread’s defenses, assaulting the intruders (if sentient) with Mind Blast 60, or (if machine) with Datalink 60 (Extras: Attacks).
.........-Leaving the Sol System triggers sensors that register you as enemies to Man, so re-entering the Sol System triggers the attacks listed above.
.........-Until the proper psychic command-codes are given, CipherOmegaFinal registers nothing and no one as valid to enter or leave the Sol System.
Placeholder.

Interstellar Space: A Silent Mystery.
.........-What happened to the wider universe? What became of the million-world-strong Terran association of worlds? No one knows. Every now and again, Rustdeity will receive some strange, inexplicable signal, some unknowable chatter, only to never hear that signal ever again. No signals sent into space have ever been returned.
.........-Perhaps they’re all dead, out there? Or...perhaps not.
Last edited by Hoid on Tue Nov 10, 2020 10:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The Forever Tree/M&M2e

Post by Hoid »

WIIIIIIIIISE FWUM YOUW GWAAAAAVE!
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[Earth-Q]A general overview! Part three of four.

Post by Hoid »

THE HELLINGER ACADEMY [Earth-Q]
Theme Song: “Victorious” by Panic at the Disco.
Located on Earth-Q in the Forever Tree, the Hellinger Academy, run by a combined staff of Fish and regular ol’ human beings, takes care of the training of new Epochs, Archons and other superhumans native to this reality. Located on Hawaii’s Big Island, right on the beach, new superhumans, most of them college-age, arrive each summer to begin training and homing their new powers.

Firmly allied with the heroic idealism of the Sea Bishop and maintained by generous donations of both the United Nation and the Fish ‘city’ of The Ark, the Hellinger Academy has a student body—-on average—-of one-hundred twenty, most of which are Archons and Epochs. There, instead of regular college-level schooling, Hellinger students instead study how to work in the three dimensional environment of underwater, usage of their newfound powers, ethics training and tutelage in the primary two Fish languages. Though other such academies exist around the world, Hellinger has the highest esteem attached to its name.

Hellinger Academy Teaching Staff
Alan Montrose, a male mundane human being, who teaches diving classes and is the coach for the school’s water polo team. Demanding and harsh, but ultimately fair. An American.
Benjamin Haftcroft, a male mundane human being, who is a Unitarian Universalist minister and the school’s chaplain. He also teaches theology and philosophy. Extremely warm and open-minded. An American.
Danielle MacGovern, a female mundane human being, who teaches oceanography. The stereotypical absent-minded professor. A Canadian.
Babwambu, a male Fish. Teaches classes on the use of psychic abilities. He cannot speak verbally, and has a great disdain for very loud people, be they Fish or human. From The Ark.
Jose Alvarez, a centuries-old Epoch and former Spanish Christian knight. Utterly unkillable, Alvarez teaches a special class for students that have a hard time controlling their powers. Currently a Spanish citizen.
Lawrence Billinger, a male Archon, able to swim at impossible speeds and gifted with highly toxic nematocysts. Teaches first aid. A bit arrogant, but otherwise likable. A French-Canadian.
Loki Danversson. A mundane human being from Scandinavia, Loki teaches two classes: criminology and cybersecufity. A stern, unpleasant man.
Megan Magare, a female mundane human being, headmistress of the Hellinger Academy. Cold and unlikeable. A Russian.
Olifaunt the Sessile, a female Fish, teaches a class on everything Fish-related. Often hilariously clueless on human pop culture, but she takes it in good stride. From The Ark.
Umbuch Uwumbe, a female Fish of immense height, who teaches the superpowered equivalent of phys-ed (especially in how to successfully utilize superstrength in a world of regular people). Hyper-aggressive, but friendly. From The Ark.
Xavier Cortez, a mundane human being, teaches classes on the repercussions of a superhero’s life. Was married to an Epoch superheroine, but they divorced under ugly circumstances related to her heroic career. He is also Hellinger’s PR-guy. Is a Spanish citizen.

The Other Staff Members
Charlene “Charlie” Jaine, a female mundane human being, a school secretary. An American.
Elizabeth Cape, The American UN liaison with the Hellinger Academy. Considered a nosy person who simply cannot let well enough alone. Suspicious of everything and everyone.
Ga Harab, a male Fish, the Hellinger IT guy, keeping the school’s xenotechnology in fighting trim. Standoffish and brusque—-a trait borne of his rare lack of psionics (considered a disability among Fish). From The Ark.
Hu Puachut, a male Fish, he is head of school security. He can psionically warp matter by touch! From The Ark.
Jonah Huller, a male mundane human being, school janitor. He desperately wishes to become either an Archon or an Epoch—-an obsession that may one day be used by more sinister individuals... A Norwegian.
Kelly Ambrogino, a female mundane human, the school counselor and licensed therapist. An Italian citizen.
Madeline Thurstrom, a female mundane human being, school nurse, trained in xenomedicine as well as more traditional practices. Warm and friendly and somewhat An American, she has dual citizenship in The Ark, one of the few mundane humans who can claim that distinction.

First-Year Students
This consists of seventeen students (aside from students portrayed by players):
Aaron Keft, a male Epoch. He has the power to slow time down while his personal timeflow remains the same—-effectively simulating superspeed. A complete and utter nerd. His girlfriend is Sarah Daviens. An American.
Adam Piele, a male Epoch. He can form bladed weaponry from his hands and feet, and, yes, even his head. A jock, through and through. An American of Polynesian descent.
Ashley Johns, a male Archon. A hulking brute, Ashley’s simply got superstrength. An American.
Chelsey Wainwright and Churutuur Bamwaab, an Exotic psychic and her Fish best friend. Chelsey can switch minds with others, and Churutuure can eject his consciousness and build a new body for himself out of stray molecules. They’re the very best of friends; she’s British, he’s from The Ark. They count as a single student, considering their unique bond.
Chester Arkady a male Epoch. He has powerful telepathy, but has over a dozen subsidiary brains to assist in moving his ridiculously long serpentine body. A solitary student, he’s no friends. A Ukrainian citizen.
Clarice Bennington, who’s a female Archon. A hulking, powerfully built piscine Amazon warrior-woman, in addition to superstrength Clarice May speak to all aquatic lifeforms, sentient or non-sentient, irregardless of language-barriers. British.
Esther Reubens, a female Archon. She’s blessed with massive regeneration, eternal youth and the ability to cause massive growth in coral reefs. She’s a woman with a vision, determined to restore Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. A citizen of Israel.
Eugene Herbert, a male Epoch. A humanoid jellyfish, with incredibly poisonous nematocysts and the ability to devour virtually anything, even dangerous and/or otherwise inedible things. He’s fat and lazy, and is extremely laid back. A Canadian.
Garfield Li, a male Archon, this hulking brute can explosively fire scales sharp as monofilament blades! He’s a bit of a bully. Originally a Chinese citizen, now a naturalized citizen of America.
Hiro Yasuchi, a male Archon, this vastly obese superhuman can inhale gasses, bloat up, then expel that gas, all in order to fly in a straight line at high speeds. Picked on a lot by the other students, who call him ‘Captain Flatulence’. Japanese.
Joelene van der Kroft, a female Epoch. Her body is disjointed, each limb floating separate from her torso—-including her head! A clumsy jokester. Dutch in origin.
June Manchester, a female Epoch. Insanely flexible and superhumanly gifted as a contortionist, June is secretly working for the Deepwalker Fish. British citizen.
Matthew Stirry, a male Exotic, he can take on the qualities and powers of other superhumans—-not just Archons And Epochs! An American.
Omubuwu Moc, a male Fish, going to Hellinger to learn about humanity. He’s an oroborous—-a serpent devouring his own tail—-and, when submerged in water, contains a dream-Resonance all his own within the sacred loop.
Prash Hashdar. East Indian in citizenship and Hindu, religiously. Male Epoch. This statuesque pillar of taut muscle and perfect features has only two arms, but is covered in gills from which just shy one hundred hands can slither forth!
Yvette Standing Hawk, a female Epoch. The most powerful student at Hellinger, Yvette can shapeshift into basically any aquatic lifeform. An American, but from a Navajo Reservation.
Zachery Tane, a male Archon. A stunningly beautiful-yet-hulking feral with outrageously colorful scales, Zachery can alter the pigmentation and colors of people and things. A more useful power than you think. French in origin.

Second-Year Students
This consists of eleven students (aside from students portrayed by students), which are:
Dennis Trayson, a male Archon. A vast millipede-like trilobite, Dennis is hulking, slow and gifted with an internal furnace hot enough to smelt iron. Standoffish and cruel, he’s a sociopath just waiting for the right time to explode into hyper-violence.
Erin Walks-the-Clouds. A female Epoch. Erin has the power to become lighter than air or denser than diamond, but nowhere inbetween—-it’s got to be one extreme or another. In her nearly gaseous shape, Erin has qualities reminiscent of a comb jelly; in her super-dense form, she becomes much more human-looking, much more muscular and colored obsidian black. She’s American, from a Sioux Reservation.
Fiona of the Henge. A female Epoch and an Exotic, too! A pagan Irish druidess already many millennia old, Fiona spent centuries in hibernation before she was rescued by the Sea Bishop. As an Exotic she is ageless and can hibernate for centuries at a strength; as an Epoch, she can control mundane fish telepathically.
Garrison Hooks, a male Epoch. A living illusion, ‘reality’ is mutable for Garrison. Deeply schizophrenic, he’s on powerful meds and visits the school counselor daily. Unstable, but blessed with a prodigious imagination. Garrison and Nils Roerghan are secretly romantically involved.
Harriett Reynold, a female Archon. With neither arms nor legs, this whale-like giantess can actually burrow through the earth as if it were the ocean. Socially awkward, but full of hope.
’Hook’, a female Epoch, covered on quills that she may load with any natural poison by simple act of will! An amnesiac without records of any kind.
Hrafn Sigismund—-a male Archon, this hulking brute can gestate a perfectly human drone, lay it in an egg, then, seven days later, hatch a perfectly mundane non-sentient copy of himself (which he can then psychically possess). A Swede.
Khonshu Enkidu, a male Archon. He is a self-necrokinetic, and can change from a regular human being into a massively bloated, obese undead piscine horror!
’Red’ Joshua Prince, a male Epoch. A strange tripod-like oceanic insect, Red can warp nonliving matter with a touch, ands a mildly skilled telepath.
Shelton Wayneswright, a male Archon. A huge specimen, Shelton has a massive upper body and arms, with anti a tiny head and an undersized lower body. He walks on his knuckles like an ape. Gruff and standoffish.
She-Wolf. A male Archon. A vaguely canine horror, Wolf can regenerate from virtually any injury and can run or swim at several times the speed of sound. He can change his gender, ands masquerading as a girl during his time at Hellinger. A Mongolian citizen applying for American citizenship.

Third-Year Students
This consists of sixteen students (aside from those students portrayed by players):
Deiter Gyrich. Male Belgian Archon. Deiter is a literal eel, of ridiculously length, and cannot breathe air, anymore. Curses and resents his superhuman status. Mildly electrokinetic.
Eileen Gobb. A female Archon. Though slender and graceful, Eileen’s toweringly tall. She is extremely noticeable, but not terribly powerful. An American.
Ezekiel Aether, a practicing Wiccan priest, this Archon is nearly indestructible, thanks to the ridiculously thick armoring his body possesses. He’s a slowpoke, and has a hard time swimming, but, as he can easily breathe water, this is only a mild inconvenience. American.
Gadwulku Bam, a female Fish studying human culture—-a reverse of most of Hellinger’s student body.
’Han’, a male Epoch able to peer into other dimensions by assuming increasingly-more-Alien piscine shapes—-but he can’t actually go to these places, only view them. A Chinese citizen, Han’s public records have been sealed by UN Security Council decree! Rude and only mildly sociopathic.
Helga Yurieztkov, a female Epoch. Possessed of lithe grace, other than her ability to breathe saltwater, Helga is only barely superpowered. A Romanian citizen.
Jordan Reese, a female Exotic. A mundane human, Jordan is permanently psychically bonded to a non-sentient Fish suffering from an incurable neural disease rendering him unintelligent.
Mara Collins...a female Nephilim, she can control water telekinetically, and can breathe both freshwater as well as saltwater. American, though born in Israel.
Matthew Fer, a male Nephilim, born of a fisherman and a siren mythological thoughtform, he is mistaken for an Epoch.
Nils Roerghan, a technically male Epoch, Nils can swatch forms from a male with superstrength tona female form with dozens of arms. Nils and Garrison Hooks secretly a romantic couple.
Obo Obo Olo—-a male Epoch, he can sprout additional limbs, including additional heads, then reansorb them at Will. A citizen of Liberia.
Rachel Chen, a female Archon. She can ‘switch places’ with alternate versions of herself from the Beyond. All her forms are huge and superstrong, but vary wildly in every other aspect.
Raoul Hernandez, a male Epoch, able to ‘swim’ from dimension to dimension!
Thor Danversson, a Swedish mundane human being and much younger brother of Loki Danversson. Thor has been elected to undergo metamorphosis, but, as the waiting list is years-long, was allowed as a student despite his m7ndanity. Thor’s a massive inferiority-complex vs all other students!
Timothy Timms. A male Epoch, he’s perfectly human, save for the third eye set in his forehead. He can expel this third eye as a tiny piscine monstrosity, and remotely pilot it at theoretically infinite range. Considered an outcaste, for his very weak powers and very light physical mutations.
’Zen’ Yolanda Yawkes, a female Archon. Yolanda can emit a pheromone that inhibits aggression...and also makes you VERY sleepy. These pheromones can only be emitted when Yolanda balloons up like a puffer fish.

Current Graduating Glass
This consists of only three students (other than any students portrayed by players):
Michaela Chen, a female Epoch. She can imitate the physical properties of shipwrecks, transforming herself into rusted, corroded, unkillable monstrosities. She’s bipolar and, like Garrison, sees the school clounselor daily.
Nils Rogan, a male Archon. A massive and b.ind hulk, Nils sees through echolocation, and can split apart into billions of tiny fish then later recombine. Another jock, but a friendly one.
Sarah Daviens. A female Archon. She can turn from a completely mundane human form into a mollusk-like horror and back again. A nerd, she and Aaron Keft are dating.
Last edited by Hoid on Sun Apr 18, 2021 5:58 pm, edited 20 times in total.
Hoid
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[The Beyond]The Voice

Post by Hoid »

[The Beyond]The Voice
I stood upon the threshold of Infinity and beheld the Beyond spread out before me like jewels upon a silk pillow. The endless, pernicious, wondrous change fed my imagination, and that, in turn, fed my skylink rings..

I held out my hands, fingers splayed, all six skylink rings at the ready. Each ring possessed a fragment of He-who-is-now-Dead, and were plucked from the chakra points of the Corpulent. Would it disgust you to learn the skylink rings are made of the giblets of the Creator’s flesh and fat? It shouldn’t. Even a single ring possesses the power to rearrange whole worlds; with all six, I was almost as powerful as an imperiex.

I focused my will on the roiling Beyond, and intoned my intent: “I WOULD COMMUNE WITH HE WHO MADE US ALL! HEAR ME, MAKER OF WORLDS, FROM WHATEVER GLOOMY HELL YPU SLEEP WITHIN: ANSWER ME ONE QUESTION, AND I SHALL LET YOU REST ONCE MORE!”

For a long time, nothing happened, but I was patient. I focused my will. Slowly...ever-so-slowly...the Beyond ceased its churning, and assumed a pliant shape. Now came the hard part: to conjure up the dead Gardener of the Forever Tree, the Seeder, the Planter, The Farmer of the Onlytree. My mind filled with doubts. Was there anything left to contact? If so, would It be sane enough to communicate meaningfully? Most of all, was I even smart enough to COMPREHEND an answer?

For a long time, the Beyond was still and dead and quiet as the grave. My will focused ever outwards, and sought a memetic core that might not even exist, anymore.

A dot of black appeared in the multicolored Beyond, and, within seconds, it had grown beyond all comprehension. The Beyond roiled back to motion, and my skylink rings burnt out, one by one, crushed under the wave of raw anti-possibility.

That’s what the black was, you understand: anti-possibility, un-reality, the very opposite of Useful Oblivion. It was time run out, entropy fulfilled, the reaper come at last. It was The End. What had I done? What had I unleashed?

As the black spread and engulfed absolutely everything, something massive and old and malevolent stirred in the nightmare of congealed nothingness. It was larger than whole worlds, and I was but a mote next to It.

It spoke. <[ASK.]>

I had succeeded! I could not stand, and my flesh was unraveling without the protection of my skylink rings, but still I shouted, “O FATHER OF WORLDS, WHERE IS YOUR HOUSE? WHERE DID YOU REST YOUR HEAD? WHERE, IN THE FOREVER TREE, IS HOME TO YOU?”

The response was instant. <[HERE.]> The black imploded, and the communication was severed. The Beyond regenerated instantly, and became chaos, again. My rings were still dead, though my pendent began the work of re-knitting my wounded flesh.

I saw it only for a second, but I knew my question had been answered. Earth-B. Italy.

It was time to pay Our Father a visit....
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[Earth-Q]A general overview! Part four of four!

Post by Hoid »

[Earth-Q]A setting overview! Part four of four!
Interstellar Fish
Where are the Fish from?

Fish has been among the stars for so long and have spread so far they themselves are no longer certain. They exclusively colonize worlds where livable, inhabitable oceans predominate, with a special focus on worlds that are entirely (or nearly entirely!) covered in seas.

What is the Stars Reef?
Interstellar Fish belong to a star-nation called the Stars Reef. A participatory democracy, akin to ancient Athens, the hyper-abundant use of psionic s assures every Fish an equal say in things.

Of course, like ancient Athens, when the Stars Reef goes to war, they temporarily abandon this governmental paradigm for a military dictatorship. When a war is ended, power is returned to the average Fish citizen.

The Stars Reef is spread out across Orion’s Arm, in the Milky Way Galaxy. It contains tens of thousands of worlds and several hundred conquered non-Fish civilizations.

All Fish are automatically considered citizenry of the Stars Reef, and this also includes Archons and Epochs.

Are interstellar Fish aware of events on Earth?
They eventually became aware, yes. See below for more detail.

How technologically advanced is the Stars Reef?
Very. Not quite on the same level as the Apkallu, Starvampires, Sunsphinx and/or Tlolkku, the Stars Reef is nevertheless countless millennia ahead of 21st Century Earth.

For cultural and religious reasons, AIs are prohibited, and semi-sentient machines’re tightly regulated and monitored. Cybernetics are abhorred, but cloning is acceptable, and even encouraged. A crippled Fish would not have a cyberlimb; instead, a new entire appendage would be grown from stem cell cultures Fish have in great abundance.

How does the Stars Reef view Archons and Exemplars?
As citizens. Earth is far from the only planet where Fish have willingly hybridized themselves with the natives, creating superpowered peoples.

No, what makes humanity unique is how easily they have Fish DNA and RNA spliced into their genetic codes. No other civilization the Stars Reef has ever encountered is as easily genetically altered as the inhabitants of Earth.

In the wider galaxy, Archons and Epochs are simply considered Fish and’re given full citizenship in the Stars Reef.

How does the Stars Reef view other strains of Titanblooded?
With fear and disdain.

Fish acknowledge they are Titanblooded, but the fact that their blood can be synthesized into TEGS (Titanblooded Exponential Growth Syndrome), a horrifying mutative disease, is a grim secret they dearly keep at great cost.

How does the Stars Reef view Apkallu?
The Stars Reef is terrified of the Apkallu, fully believing Apkallu to be the very devils the Apkallu claim to be! To be clear: the Stars Reef has a shoot-on-sight policy, regarding these self-made demons!

How does the Stars Reef view Starvampires and Tlolkku?
Starvampires? They are seen as cosmic blasphemies in need of swift genocidal extermination.

Tlolkku? They are seen as irritating rivals with way too powerful technology in their sole possession.

How does the Stars Reef view Sunsphinx?
Awe and a little bit of envy, plus a bit of frustration that Sunsphinx have never agreed to hybridize themselves with Fish DNA—-indeed, they don’t NEED to, as every single Sunsphinx is ALREADY superpowered!

How does the Stars Reef view imperiex?
To be honest? Fearful awe. Fish don’t worship imperiex, but they do respect them!

-

Earthbound Fish
What is The Ark? Where is The Ark?

The Ark is the island-sized colony ship used by the Fish to attempt to colonize Earth. It got shot, down, and it’s engines were breached and had to be ejected into deep space to save all life on Earth.

The Ark landed five miles to the north of the northern-most island of Hawaii. The UN recognizes The Ark as a sovereign nation.

How did The Ark crash-land on Earth? Is The Ark ever going to fly again?
It got shot down. Tlolkku fighter-pods blew it out of the sky, but didn’t pursue. This is something the Tlolkku have come to deeply regret.

Unfortunately, by having to eject the engines, the crew made certain The Ark would never be spaceworthy EVER again.

How many Fish live in The Ark?
At this point? 3 million.

How does The Ark govern itself?
The same way the Stars Reef governs itself.

Have Earthbound Fish been in communication with interstellar Fish civilization?
In a word, yes. Communications were reestablished in WWI, with the advent of radio. The Stars Reef almost invaded Earth under the mistaken assumption their Earthbound kin were enslaved by humanity, but the Sea Bishop undertook a daring infiltration mission and established a clear line of contact. The invasion was called off, and The Ark once again became part of the Stars Reef.

Then why don’t they leave?
Home is home. After several centuries on Earth, The Ark’s Fish have come to regard this planet as their home, and have no real desire to leave it.

How assimilated into human culture is The Ark?
Very much so. Fish are quite open culturally, and most of them have long ago converted to Christianity. Fish enjoy watching human broadcasts, have their own subaquatic movie theaters, nightclubs, sporting events and so forth. They freely teach their language to any who ask, and The Choosing is open to just about anybody.

What is The Choosing?
Not everyone who requests to become an Archon or an Epoch is automatically granted the request (though anyone can make the request).

The first factor taken into consideration is genetics. Can the applicant survive the process? Can a hybridization even take place? Is it likely they will develop superpowers? Will they mutate out of control? These factors are determined first.

Next is age. If the applicant has yet to go through puberty or is still going through puberty, he or she will have to wait until they are fully adults. Even Deepwalkers adhere to this.

Next is psychology. Can the applicant survive the strain, mentally, of such a drastic transformation? Fish sometimes have a hard time perceiving human mental illnesses, and sometimes mentally ill applicants get forwarded when they really should not be forwarded. Plus, the Deepwalkers are, by definition, MUCH less picky, in this regard.

Next is the opinion of various Earth governments. If an applicant is a citizen of a specific country, then that country’s government is consulted. Many Communist regimes, for instance, have consistently denied applications from their own citizenry, lest the populace grow too powerful to control. Surprisingly, the Middle East is the exact opposite. Fish are viewed by most schools of Islamic thought as djinn, and thus may be saved by following the Muslim faith. Thus, the Middle East is surprisingly lenient with their citizens’ applications!
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[Multiverse-wide]The Qimrri species!

Post by Hoid »

[Multiverse-wide]The Qimrri
* What’re the Qimrri?
The Qimrri are a race of highly bioluminescent sentient magical birds and beasts, once capable of great sorcery, but now, trapped within the magic-dead environment of the Forever Tree, have had that essence turned into something horrific.

Qimrri are beautiful, lithe and grand, each one a melange of bright neon colors framing an idealized animal body. Qimrri forms are always either bird-like or are akin to land-based mammals. Their speech is melodious and invigorating to hear, and they each innately have a dancer’s easy grace.

In their home reality, Qimrri are powerful magic-users. Here, though, they have seen that power warp into something new and hideous.

* Wait...what? Magic?! I thought you said the Forever Tree has no magic?!
The Forever Tree has no magic, no. But the Qimrri, from beyond the Beyond, are from a multiverse that does have magic, and lots of it.

When Qimrri are pulled through the Oblivion Flock Wormhole I to the Forever Tree, their magic dies, and, to sustain themselves, Qimrri instinctually begin feeding off the lifefoce of entire planetary biomes. Wherever they settle, the land turns to muck, and drought and famine soon follow.

* So...where’re they from, then?
As the Oblivion Flock Wormhole only goes one way, does it matter?

Suffice it to say, the world the Qimrri are from is one of wondrous magic, ecological purity and high adventure.

Of interest, the Oblivion Flock are not of the same mysterious home multiverse as are the Qimrri.

* So...what powers do Qimrri possess?
In their home multiverse, the Qimrri were an apex species, having brick powers, regeneration, grossly slow aging and the ability to adapt to any ecosystem, even temporarily gaining flight or the ability to breathe water as was necessary. And that was before one took their sorcery into consideration. Qimrri had Innate wizardly Powers, and these powers simply grew stronger as a Qimrri. The very eldest Qimrri were basically cosmic entities.

Once pulled through the Oblivion Flock Wormhole, however, these abilities remain active for forty-three hours, before imploding. Magic is lost entirely, and is replaced with the Withering. Their neon glowing colors turn dull and cloudy, and their raw strength and hyperevolutionary adaptability diminish furiously, becoming vague shadows of what they once were.

What weaknesses do Qimrri possess?
Well, first and foremost, without magic Qimrri begin generating the Withering, which is enough of a weakness, to be honest.

The more technologically advanced a weapon is, the likelier it is to do severe damage to or even kill a Qimrri.

* What is the Withering?
Cut off from the magic in their home multiverse that sustained their vast power, psychic centers in the Qimrri brain resort to feeding on the ectoplasm of healthy ecosystems, turning lush land into radioactive sludge. This process, which the Qimrri cannot control, is referred to as ‘the Withering’.

* What are Illutstones?
Demimachines from a much earlier iteration of the Forever Tree, when the Worldfather yet lived, the six Illutstones (“ILL-UT Stones”) each was made to scrub the Forever Tree Clean or lingering magic. The Worldfather had included sorcery in earlier iterations of the Forever Tree, only to eventually grow dissatisfied with it. He created the Illutstones to soak up magic and devour it. He succeeded in this task.

The Illutstones do not contain magic, but they give off an echo that acts as magic for staving off the Withering. A Qimrri who possesses an Illutstone suffers all effects normally occurring to a Qimrri in the Forever Tree—-except for the Withering. An Illutstone-wielding Qimrri is no longer a danger to planetary ecosystems!

* Could new Illutstones be created?
Sadly, no. The Worldfather made only six of them and took the secret of their creation with him to the grave. Even Changecubes can’t do it!

* What is a Qimrrisire?
A Qimrrisire (Qimrrifather If male, Qimrrimother if female) is a Qimrri who holds an Illutstone and is thus immune to the Withering. Qimrri worship Qimrrisire as gods, but the truth is, Qimrri are not anything resembling genuine gods, instead simply being Qimrri who possess Illutstones.

* Why did the Oblivion Flock create their Wormhole to trap Qimrri in the Forever Tree?
Why does the Oblivion Flock do anything? To foment chaos, increase entropy and hasten the coming of the Permanent death of the entire Forever Tree. Loyal servants of utter nothingness, the Oblivion Flock bends its immense psychic technology to the task of multiversal dissolution.
Last edited by Hoid on Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[All the parallel-Earths]The Four Rights of the Imperiex!

Post by Hoid »

[The parallel-Earth’s as a whole]The Four Rights of the Imperiex
THE FOUR RIGHTS OF THE IMPERIEX
THE FOUR RIGHTS, AS A WHOLE
What are the Four Rights of the Imperiex?
Programmed into their very imperiex-essence, the Four Rights of the Imperiex are four rights, privileges and limitations are imperiex save the Gatekeeper and the Solar Lion are strictly bound by. And even the Gatekeeper and the Solar Lion are still bound the Four Rights in a lesser fashion.

The purpose of the Four Rights is to enforce cooperation, yet prevent cosmic civil war.

Can the Four Rights be subverted or overcome?
No. Obedience to the Four Rights is hardcoded into every single imperiex-essence, even the imperiex-essence held by the Solar Lion.

Can the Four Rights be altered or edited or redacted?
No. The Solar Lion spent centuries building each imperiex-essence and made certain they were unalterable, once made.

THE FOUR RIGHTS, THEMSELVES
RIGHT ONE OF FOUR: The Right of Defense
What is the Right of Defense?
The Right of Defense states an imperiex may use whatever resources he, she or it considers valid, in order to defend the universe in question, make or break Alliance with non-imperiex as needed, and so forth.

What limitations or qualifiers does this Right possess?
The Right of Defense has several limitations:
1. No imperiex may call upon aid from the Infinite Roots. Even the Gatekeeper and the Solar Lion are utterly bound by this precept. No good comes from the Infinite Roots.
2. No imperiex may use time travel to defend their universes. Time is delicate, as messing with it even with the purest of hearts can lead to absolute catastrophe.
3. Calling upon the Beyond must be done with utmost care. The resources of the Beyond are infinite, but chaotic in the extreme. Due caution must always be exercised.

RIGHT TWO OF FOUR: The Right of Dominion
What is the Right of Dominion?
The Right of Dominion means each parallel-Earth, in a very literal sense, is the personal property of the imperiex in question, and cannot be unlawfully taken away, compromised or subborned.

How do you define that, though?
The Right of Dominion has several components:
1. No imperiex may invade, subvert or corrupt the will, sanity, mind, soul or safety of any other imperiex and their dominions. Imperiex may not wage war on imperiex. No secret mind control, no subtle psychological manipulations, no blackmail and certainly no invasions.
2. No imperiex may set foot in another parallel-Earth without the consent of the residing imperiex. Standing invitations may be freely given however, as some imperiex are friends, romantic partners or relatives of each other.
3. And finally, each imperiex has the right to close off their parallel-Earth from outside influences, as subject to enforcement by the Sunsphinx, the Sungods, the Timewardens and the almighty Solar Lion himself. This right is somewhat porous, allowing for individual travel, but large-scale movements would be prohibited.

RIGHT THREE OF FOUR: The Rite of Hospitality
What is the Right of Hospitality?
All imperiex have the right to freely make use of the Great Grey Reading Room, and can expect to be safe and unharassed whilst there. Violence, treachery, harassment and bullying are flat-out impossible.

Even the Gatekeeper and the Solar Lion are completely bound by the Right of Hospitality.

What permutations and limitations exist, concerning the Right of Hospitality?
Yes. Several.
1. Only imperiex may enter the Great Grey Reading Room uncontested. Any non-imperiex brought along as a guest must be vetted.
2. An imperiex may only bring one non-imperiex with them on a visit to the Great Grey Reading Room. This individual may only visit once, ever. The Solar Lion is completely exempt to this only in regards to Sunsphinx, who he may bring as guests as many times as he sees fit.
3. Nothing may b taken from the Great Grey Reading Room. The Hidden Scripture must remain out of non-imperiex hands.

RIGHT FOUR OF FOUR: The Right of Rescue
What is the Right of Rescue?
The Right of Rescue states any imperiex asking his, her or its fellows for aid must be helped.

Does the Right of Rescue have limitations or qualifiers to it?
Yes. Several.
1. If an imperiex is facing a crisis of their own, they may legitimately ignore this request for aid. One’s own Designate always comes first.
2. Only a maximum of three imperiex may be so compelled to render aid. This is to prevent imperiex from led into traps by traitors or conspirators.
3. The Gatekeeper cannot be compelled at all, unless compelled by the Solar Lion. The Solar Lion cannot be compelled, save if he is the only imperiex being asked for help, in which case he must give his aid.
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[All parallel-Earths and the Rootthrone]The Red Men!

Post by Hoid »

[All parallel-Earths and the Rootthrone]The Red Men
* .......... What are the Red Men?
.—————.The Red Men are a breed of superhuman, only three per parallel-Earth, that’ve empowered by the extradimensional Red Mantle. Red Men all have virtually identical powersets, mainly being incredible brute strength.
.—————.Red Men are known—-and feared!—-by multiverse-savvy individuals throughout the Forever Tree. They’re either the greatest of heroes or the worst of villains!

* .......... Who are the Red Men?
.—————.The Red Men are an organization of bearers of the Red Mantle under the command of the higher-order Intelligence Calling himself the Red Eyed King. They consider themselves restorers of balance, and commit either great good or great evil as the situation demands. Thus: sometimes heroes and sometimes villains.
.—————.The Red Men furthermore consider themselves a religious order, and see themselves as priests/priestesses of the nameless weaver of destiny which sits on high in the dimension known as the Rootthrone.

* .......... What is the Red Men’s ultimate goal?
.—————.To be succinct: a perfect cosmic balance between good and evil, law and chaos, self and society. In universes where evil reigns, the three local Red Men become mighty heroes. In universes where righteous justice reigns, the three local Red Men turn into the worst kinds of evil.

* .......... Who—-or what—-is the Red Eyed King?
.—————.The Red Eyed King is a higher-order intelligence, originally from Earth-C, who took upon himself the role of arbiter of total cosmic balance. He was given permission to carry out this task by the Solar Lion, but was warned the Solar Lion would not protect the Red Eyed King from any potential imperiex retribution.
.—————.The Red Eyed King is a cosmic brick of unimaginable proportions, boasting a raw strength exceeded only by a select few imperiex. He is absurdly mighty and has never known defeat.
.—————.Gifted with a bronze mirror by the Solar Lion that allows the transfer of a Red Mantle and therefore the creation of a Red Man, the Red Eyed King travels the entire Forever Tree, selecting three human beings from each universe to be that universe’s Red Men. When a Red Man dies, the Red Eyed King begins hunting for a replacement.
.—————.The Red Eyed King dwells in the universe known as the Rootthrone, and attends the mad ravings of the nameless weaver of destiny!

* .......... What is the Red Mantle?
.—————.An energy field generated by the higher-order intelligence named the Red Eyed King, the Red Mantle exists three to a single parallel-Earth. It grants the recipient vastly greater musculature and immense, almost ridiculous levels of strength.
.—————.The Red Mantle requires the nameless weaver of destiny to function. Should the blind idiot god of the Rootthrone ever truly die, all Red Men would immediately be stripped of the Red Mantle and the powers it gives its hosts.

* .......... How does one earn the Red Mantle?
.—————.To be simple and forthright: the Red Eyed King selects you for it. It is not hereditary. It cannot be stolen or leeched or usurped. Only death frees you of it. Consent is required for empowerment, but, other than that, empowerment is for life. Furthermore, only humans, superhumans and half-humans can receive a Red Mantle and survive the experience.
.—————.But what earns you the gaze of the Red Eyed King? That...is a mystery. There seems to be no common element amongst the Red Men, other than that they are at least partly—-if not wholly—-human. Some are chosen for genetic phenotype; others for personality; others for accomplishments; and still others for no discernible reason whatsoever—-seemingly chosen at random.

* .......... Can the Red Mantle be taken away?
.—————.No, with only one exception. Normally, only death separates a Red Man from his, her or it’s Red Mantle. However, should the nameless weaver of destiny that lairs in the Rootthrone die, then—-on each parallel-Earth!—-the Red Mantle ceases to function.

* .......... What powers does the Red Mantle grant?
.—————.Red Men possess impossible strength, usually ballooning up with an absurdly overwrought musculature and gaining a dark red pigmentation and hair color. This is generally it, but this brawn is immensely powerful.
.—————.Red Men chosen from the ranks of preexisting superhumans gain far less physical might from the Red Mantle, but keep whatever powers they had prior to inheriting the Red Mantle.

* .......... Can only mundane human beings become Red Men?
.—————.Not at all! Regular men and women can become Red Men, but this is not a universal constant. Mundane people become the most personally POWERFUL Red Men, but the diversity of powers preexisting superhumans possess can be awfully tempting in a potential recruit.
.—————.Being human, just evolved to Space God status, Sunsphinx can be given a Red Mantle. This is something the Red Eyed King assiduously avoids, as he fears the wrath of the Solar Lion.
.—————.Mundane humans who wield superpowered Devices and Gadgets as their sole powers count as fully superhuman for the purposes of the Red Mantle. So, Eibon, a Changecube-wielder on Earth-C would receive a much weakened Red Mantle as if he possessed his own powers, instead of being reliant on his Changecube to perform superhuman acts.

* .......... Do the children of Red Men receive any benefits at all, if conceived after their parent(s) gain(s) the Red Mantle?
.—————.No. They gain nothing, other than have a mother and/or father of godlike power. The exception, of course, are the offspring of Red Men who were superpowered pre-Red Mantle. In this instance, hereditary is treated as if the Red Mantle simply wasn’t present.

* .......... Do Red Men exist everywhere?
.—————.No. They can only be found on the various parallel-Earths. They can wander and adventure anywhere in the Forever Tree, though they feel a powerful urge to remain on their native parallel-Earth, as that Designate is theirs to balance cosmically.

* .......... Could a Red Man become an imperiex?
.—————.In theory, yes. However, the Solar Lion would refuse to do so. If it were to happen, the results would likely be apocalyptic!

* .......... Does the Red Eyed King have a Red Mantle?
.—————.No. He doesn’t need one, nor would he ever waste one on himself.

* .......... Where do Red Men go when they die?
.—————.To the Primordial Deeps, same as everyone else. They receive no special treatment, as, in death all are rendered equal.

Red Man Power Set:
The following power set is for a mundane human imbued with a Red Mantle.
Powers: [143pp.]
Immense Might: Enhanced Attributes: Strength +20, Constitution +10. [30pp.] Super-Strength 40 (Feats: Countering Punch, Thunderclap). [82pp.] —- [112pp.]
Virtually Indestructible: Immunity 1 (aging). [1pp.] Protection 12 (Extras: Impervious 18). [30pp.] —- [31pp.]

Past the template above, powers revolving around brute strength and raw durability may be added on at the GM’s leisure. Keep in mind mundane humans transformed into Red Men tend to be vastly powerful, built on 300pp to 400pp.

The following power-set is for a superhuman being who receives a Red Mantle.
Powers: [60pp.]
Armored Physiology: Immunity 1 (aging). [1pp.] Protection 10 (Extras: Impervious 2). [12pp.] —- [13pp.]
Greatly Enhanced Might: Enhanced Attributes: Strength +10, Constitution 6. [16pp.] Super-Strength +15 (Feats: Thunderclap). [31pp.] —- [47pp.]

For superpowered humans who become Red Men, this is all the Red Mantle gives you. No customization is permitted.
Last edited by Hoid on Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
MacynSnow
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Re: The Forever Tree/M&M2e

Post by MacynSnow »

Now, i've been binge watching Buffy:The Vampire Slayer(i personally despise Angle:The Series writer's room, as they were the reason for the Writer's Strike) and all of Cobra Kai so i've got an intresting question for you Hoid: what world would Buffy be in? ;)
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