Contents
Haloweek - 九龙夜航
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RESONATOR
Schrödinger's Gambit
Resonance
Races
Corruptants
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- Resonance01The Mantle Of IntelligenceWe've got it all wrong. Evolution was never about adapting to an environment, no. It was about finding that 'spark', a 'something' that would bring not just biological change, but usher in a whole new epoch for what we perceived as our reality.Preface◇r e s o n a N c e
Having achieved Resonance with the remains of the broken Code of Life, whether by technological prowess or natural means, Resonators have become the next step in human evolution. They are measured by their level and type of Resonance, a new kind of biological resource that powers their unique ‘magical’ abilities. With enhanced physical capabilities and even the ability to fully regenerate limbs and organs, Resonators quickly became an elite fighting force of the Retalis Concordia Legions. They are difficult to kill, as only severe head trauma can kill them outright; nonetheless, losing vital organs such as a heart renders them completely immobilized until they can properly regenerate the organ. Resonators with the highest regeneration factor can regenerate a missing hand within an hour.
Resonance-powered abilities are also a very effective weapon against Corruptants, more so than standard KIRT weaponry. They also manifest in various forms depending on the individual:
Surge001Surge Resonance allows the user to gain a huge boost to either their strength or speed and dexterity. They gain this physical prowess through diverting and concentrating their Resonance at various parts of their body. For example, focusing all Resonance towards strength means they become slower and vice versa. They can also enhance both strength and speed at the same time, though with lesser effect than focusing on one attribute.
Galvode002Galvode Resonance allows users to enhance the Resonance of others, increasing their effectiveness by orders of magnitude. In Agents, this Resonance allows them to further enhance their own inherent Shiverskin abilities. For this reason, Galvodes must take extra precautions if they want to enhance a Machine Savant.
Scrim003Among all, Scrim Resonance is the most closely related to the corrupted sections of the Code of Life. As such, they can disrupt the swarm neural links of full-grown Splinters within close proximity. This allows for Scrims to emit mindblasts that can temporarily stun Splinters, though it would give the Scrim headaches as well. They can also ‘hijack’ up to 2 Splinters, turning them against their own kin. Additionally, Scrims are able to morph their arms into the hooks and talons of warrior class Splinters or a hardened bio-carapace of shield class Splinters. Scrims that focus on morphing gain a passive boost to their strength, making them one of the hardiest and physically strongest class second only to Surge.
Atunity004Atunity Resonance is on the opposite end to Scrim, being that they are the most in line with what remains of the non-corrupted sections of the Code of Life. They are able to ‘feel’ the presence of Resonants and Corruptants alike, though it does not amount to knowing exact positions but rather as a kind of premonition. Their main utility lies in the fact that they can tune themselves to other Resonants to mend and accelerate regrowth, using both their own self-regeneration abilities and Resonance to heal wounds. They are also capable of acting as damage syphons, nullifying a portion of physical damage that would be suffered by a fellow Resonant by rendering that damage on themselves.
Machine Savant005Resonance of the Machine Savant variety is the rarest class and is limited only to Echoes. Savants are the only force capable of utilizing WISPs that are a ubiquitous presence throughout the fallen world with the use of their resonance and mental will. When near a Machine Savant, these nano-sized particles can be made to congregate into swarms of flowing mass to physically tear, hit or obstruct. Usually jet-black in colour, WISPs will take on a faint glow that is unique to each Echo. Machine Savants can also disrupt and hijack Spliced Corruptants by brute hacking the Synthetic Cortex Mainframe of smaller Spliced Drones. It is, however, a very draining feat and the larger the Spliced, the harder it gets to hijack.
The powers of an Echo will increase in areas high in WISP density along with an increase in mental distability. Users of the Machine Savant Resonance are also encouraged to regulate usage as WISPs are a very volatile force and along with their mental disorders, they can very easily lose control over the WISPs. Unlike other Resonants, Echoes are not authorised to operate alone as they are considered ticking timebombs, capable of fully degenerating into Dissonant at any time. To prevent this from happening, Savants routinely take dissonance suppressant (DS) pills. Alternatively, if the situation is rapidly getting out of control, their ‘handlers’ must quickly inject the Echo with a Severant, essentially a specialised drug to temporarily cut the Machine Savant’s connection to the Code of Life, preventing them from warping while also nullifying their abilities for a full day.
In the absence of a Severant, powerful Atunity Resonants can try to ‘correct’ a Savant’s Resonance to prevent corruption but it often costs them their life.
Codebreaker◇The theoretical manifestation of a Resonant’s deepest and strongest desires. During the direst of situations, powerful Resonants have been known to rapidly overload their Resonance based on sheer willpower to surpass all limits in one magnum opus. More often than not, their Codebreaker personifies the objects of their strongest desire rather than the empowerment of their own preexisting abilities. While the effects of a Resonant’s Codebreaker can be theoretically guessed based on preliminary analysis, no one truly knows what will happen until it happens. There have been no known instances of Resonators surviving their Codebreaker as they either perish in the process or were in an instance of zero survivability in the first place.
- Races02AeonsMatter cannot be destroyed, only transformed. In you lies the memory of aeons. If you can go beyond, you can go back.ECHO001Echo Resonators are the only Inherent class of Resonators and were originally SIN-infused humans that survived Shattered Heavens. Given that the event affected SIN-infused humans, which had been the upper class of society, by a much greater degree compared to the non-SIN Infused, Echoes are a scant minority.
The Resonance of all Echoes manifests as the Machine Savant variety and never any other. Despite having survived one of the greatest disasters in all history, it is not without repercussions. All Echoes suffer from some form of mental disorder to varying significant degrees as a result of the inversion of the SIN in their bodies. Many are plagued with hearing disembodied voices, said to intensify whenever they connect with WISPs, which echo hauntingly in their mind telling of the past lives of countless people.
AGENTS002Former child-soldiers of the now defunct paramilitary branch of the Somnias Heavy Industry Megacorporation, based in Sanctum Aaru. Before the catastrophe hit, SHI Megacorp had been secretly taking in orphans as experimental subjects, under the guise of offering scholarships, to develop cutting-edge combat technologies. Fortunately, 4 years after the project began, it was exposed by whistleblowers and the authorities shut down the project and banned SHI from any child recruitment drive. In spite of that, although SHI could not get any new subjects, research continued in secret. After Shattered Heavens, SHI Agents were integrated into the Retalis Concordia Legions to fight against the Corruptants.
Shiverskin tech (the core foundation of the AGENT Program) was arguably the primary link that resulted in the dissolution of the Somnias Agent Program. This controversial technology implants Organic Metal Nanites (OMNis) into the subject whose DNA has been irreversibly altered to accept the foreign material. While cybernetic implantations aren't entirely scandalous, the fact that Shiverskin was implemented on child subjects was the crux of the controversy. Moreso, because the process begins at a very young age. Shiverskin tech alters various sections of the subject's flesh and skin into a kind of dark matte organic metal, allowing the agent to utilize the OMNIs in a number of ways unique to their agent class (named after various birds). Before Shattered Heavens, using the Shiverskin abilities depleted OMNi density within the Agent, and if used too much, would be detrimental to their health. OMNi's could only be replaced by taking in a special supplement to regenerate supplies. However, after the discovery of Fractelum crystals, Somnias Heavy Industries found out that they could turn Agents into Synthetic Resonators via crystal implantation. Doing so altered agent physiology to the point where their bodies could utilize Resonance or standard nourishment to replenish OMNi density.
All Agent Resonance manifests the Galvode variety. Like Echoes, Agent Resonators are very few as what little remained after the catastrophe was lost when their home Sanctum of Aaru was overrun during the betrayal by the Sons of Pythagoras.
HUMAN003Humanity at it’s finest. A force to be reckoned with. Born of stardust from a million supernovas, a race of beings that seeks order despite their propensity for chaos. Curse to destroy what they themselves built, though each time, they’ve risen from the ashes stronger. But now that they’ve broken reality itself, can they once again rise above, or has it finally been broken beyond repair?
Human Resonance can manifest in all forms except Machine Savant.
EDENIS004During the golden years after the Awakening Wars, humanity pushed at all frontiers that had once limited mankind. One of which was the space colonization program. A certain Dr. Rebecca Eden headed a project to hybridize humans with animal DNA to develop a new race of humans that can better adapt to the lower gravitational forces that would otherwise prove detrimental to baseline humans. Though the project only worked with willing participants, progress was greatly slowed by numerous activists concerned about the ethics of such experiments. Though the hybridization was eventually successful, those who had taken to the stars were lost during the catastrophe of Shattered Heavens.
The Edenis are descendants of this branch of humans. For the most part, they are not physically superior to their human counterparts, though they have various limbs and appendages (either one or all of the following: tail, ears, nose, legs) of some form of land animal (e.g. rabbits, foxes, even horns like that of dragons).
Like baseline humans, Edenis Resonance can manifest in all forms except Machine Savant.
- Corruptants03Lt. Corelian DravisIt was a. . . writhing mass of bodies. They blotted out the land and were so densely packed we thought the hills itself were rolling towards us.Splinter001Twisted primalistic creatures, Splinters were the first Corruptants that humankind faced after Shattered Heavens. Rabid devourers, they scoured the land and laid waste to every single living organism in their path until nothing was left but a barren wasteland. Splinters propagate from Corruptant Nodes, which act more like gates than eggs. They also look like tears to another dimension, pulsing with deep red energy. A splinter. Hence the name.
Nodes spawn spontaneously on Blightland and take up to a week to fully form a Splinter. Upon hatching, a Splinter takes just one week to become fully matured, rapidly growing from the size of a medium dog into a male lion over that period. At higher levels of Blight, the maturity process is greatly accelerated. In general, Splinters are divided into 7 sub-categories:
◇ Warrior, Shield and Archer Splinters make up 99% of the bulk of the Splinter swarm. While each are equally vicious, they have developed separate unique limbs to differentiate their roles. Warrior Splinters often have elongated talons, claws and large serrated beaks with quicker more agile bodies. Shield splinters are larger, sporting huge chitin shields and bony carapaces around their limbs and forehead while archers develop the biology to shoot corrosive spines and goo at great distances.
THREAT ADVICE - Eliminate on sight. Civilians are advised to call the emergency hotline immediately upon discovery of a node.
◇ As Splinters ravage the land, they’d eventually leave it completely devoid of life. At which point the numbers would reach a critical mass wherein those among the swarm that had feasted the most would begin to moult. Shedding its outer skin, the Cruor Splinter emerges; larger, meaner, deadlier and hungrier. The Cruor Splinter would then begin attacking and eating all other Splinters around it, feeding its voracious appetite and growing ever larger until its bloodlust is satiated. Cruor’s are an uncommon sight as the hive seems to deem them invaluable assets. Sighting one usually meant that a large hive is nearby.
Extreme precaution must be taken when facing Cruor’s as they’re an amalgamation of all Splinters that they have consumed. No two Cruor’s are the same as some can shoot spines in all directions, or are incredibly brutal in the melee, while others have nigh impenetrable exoskeletons or worse, all of the above.
THREAT ADVICE - Do not engage alone. Observe characteristics and eliminate with concerted overwhelming firepower.
◇ As vicious as they are, Splinters can still be contained. Retreat your forces, let them bleed the land dry, they will eventually starve and die. Not, unless there is an Albedo. Spectral-white and one-in-a-million, they are even more dangerous than Cruor’s not for their hulking size or viciousness, but for the clear intelligence they display. It is unknown how they communicate, but under the control of an Albedo, Splinters that once rushed headlong into the attack would almost begin to move with militaristic efficiency. Nonetheless, if an Albedo is killed, all Splinters that were once under their control will rapidly degenerate and die within a day.
THREAT ADVICE - Eliminate by any means necessary
◇ Rarest of all, is the elusive and dreadful Umbral. Most of what is heard about the Umbral Splinter is a midnight-black twisted monstrosity that despite being large, was incredibly quick and could attack in multiple directions. Whole platoons have reportedly gone missing, even those reinforced by Resonators. Survivors tell of responding to distressed calls for help in the midst of the ruins of the Old World only for their comrades to be taken apart by a shadow creature.
THREAT ADVICE - Do not engage. Inform command immediately.
Spliced002Twisted progeny of Nebulon Inc., which were once at the forefront of innovation for Artificial Intelligence, the Spliced are corrupted machines AIs of the Old World. After learning what can happen to AIs when exposed to the effects of Blight, humanity was quick to shut down and decommission all automatons and machines that utilised AI systems, particularly the more complex ones. But there were still millions of such machines scattered in the ruins of the fallen world, from lowly Drones to the Throne-class Spliced that were once AI that ran entire cities. Other than their erratic and destructive behaviour, Spliced can be distinguished by the twisted clinging veins of pulsing energy that often wraps around their Nebulon Cortex (the mainframe that houses their AI supercomputer). Destroying the Nebulon Cortex is the only surefire way to ensure complete destruction of a Spliced. Interestingly, the Spliced do not seem to work in cadence with the other Corruptants, seemingly serving no one but some corrupted version of their prior directives.
Spliced can be subdivided according to their computing power, in order from lowest to highest:
Drone > Imperator > Prelate > Throne
It is important to note that Spliced threat levels go beyond the physical. Imperators and Prelates infesting large automatons may be an imposing threat, but a Throne with access to the security systems of an entire city would pose a much greater danger.
THREAT ADVICE - Stay clear from Spliced domain where possible. Backup from multiple Machine Savants is advised when engaging corrupted Thrones.
Decoded003Among all of the Corruptants, the Decoded are perhaps one of the least understood, second only to the Fractals. It is theorised that the Decoded stem from an amalgamation of all possibilities of imagination manifested by the power of the corrupted Code of Life. Similar to a Resonator’s Codebreaker, the Decoded can materialize from intense will, memory or emotion; though they seem to have a preference for traumatic experiences. There are no designated sub-categories of Decoded as they can range from being harmless and transient to catastrophic threat levels. Powerful Decoded are even able to cause a sudden increase of Lagrange Particles, bringing the Blight up to a Level 3.
THREAT ADVICE - Do not engage. Inform command immediately.
Dissonant004The antithesis of all that a Resonant stands for. The Dissonant are corrupted versions of Resonators. When a Machine Savant Echo overextends their powers they would either die in a huge release of energy or degenerate into a twisted mirror entity of themselves. Dissonants are more powerful than Resonators, possessing all of their unique abilities, able to spawn Splinter nodes and can even warp reality to their will. They are fanatical, often referring to Fractal entities as a kind of ultimate god and thrive on sewing chaos. While not confirmed, there is increasing evidence that Dissonants possess the power to corrupt non-Machine Savants into lesser Dissonants. To date, there has been no capture or confirmed kill of a Dissonant.
A few of the known Dissonants are: Historia Apostle Of Lies, Lucretia Maiden Of Bloodstained Tears and Claudeleth First Of The Fallen.
THREAT ADVICE - Do not engage. Inform command immediately.
Fractal005Fractals are theorised to be a kind of omnidimensional superbeing that caused the destruction of reality in conjunction with the infamous Boundless Universe project. Understanding of what they are is severely limited as humanity has not had to opportunity to fully study the Fractelum Megaliths after the arrival of the Corruptants. Other than the brief period wherein the RCL managed to secure Fractelum Megalith Alpha and the distorted reports of a soldier during the chaos of the Betrayal, there has been no other source of information regarding the Fractals. There is also a running notion that the Fractals and the Fractelum Megalith’s are one and the same. Despite all the uncertainties, one thing is certain: the powers of a Fractal are beyond what mere mortals can comprehend.
Code by Nano
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