- Location
- barking
[X] Plan: Dig Deeper
[X] Plan: KRN
[X] Plan: KRN
Into that Vast and Unrelenting Darkness (40K Xeno Civilization Quest)
- Thread starter The Bird
- Start date
- Mature Sci-Fi Fantasy
KnightofTempest
The Man who would be King
- Location
- Chicago
Why am I suddenly thinking we've found the Void Dragon?
The Bird
tEM IS GUD...RITER!
- Location
- In that den of villains and scum, OKLAHOMA
Vote locked. Anyways, small announcement: my birthday is in a few days, so I'm holding the project auction a little early (probably starting it tomorrow after I post Kirbstomps commission publicly): and, so I can afford to have a nice dinner and get myself a small gift, I'm going to be accepting the top three bids instead of the standard one.
Prophecy Scroll: Water | Patreon Also, future ocean interlude commission by @Kirbstomp is complete and up on patreon. It will be posted here in 24 hours or so, sometime before or after the update.
Last edited:
ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
[X] Plan: Dig Deeper
Here's a tie breaker.
Here's a tie breaker.
ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
Sorry, the vote's already over. Dig Deeper won.
Batay Vètyè Pt 6
The Bird
tEM IS GUD...RITER!
- Location
- In that den of villains and scum, OKLAHOMA
[X] Plan: Dig Deeper
-[X] Brixis
--[X] Maintenance A-I094
--[X] LAB M-01W
--[X] Rhetoric: We're working to exorcise the virus from the rest of the station, but how was Marjak able to escape infection? Could they help save any other Autonites on the station, which would benefit the Poliad by giving them more help.
-[X] Algoa
--[X] Lab E-02U
--[X] Lab P-02F
-[X] Kaziin
--[X] They Perform an Exorcism
-[X] Brixis
--[X] Maintenance A-I094
--[X] LAB M-01W
--[X] Rhetoric: We're working to exorcise the virus from the rest of the station, but how was Marjak able to escape infection? Could they help save any other Autonites on the station, which would benefit the Poliad by giving them more help.
-[X] Algoa
--[X] Lab E-02U
--[X] Lab P-02F
-[X] Kaziin
--[X] They Perform an Exorcism
WE THINK WE CAN BUY FIFTEEN MORE MINUTES was the message from the Commander-Machina overseeing their work on the maintenance tunnel. To save time, TNDI had ordered the team to split up: they didn't have enough time to do this one by one, and the maintenance bay had no security or other hazards pop up on the scanners, short or long range.
As TNDI hovered in front of the door to M-01, she was glad she made the decision: fifteen minutes should give them enough time to either reason with Marjak or escape. "Okay, rewind a bit: how have you managed to remain cognizant? Pretty much every other infected synthetic intelligence we've encountered has barely been lucid," TNDI commented. Behind the door, they could hear a thick, meaty thumping noise, followed by a strange gurgle. Scans were indicating several lifeforms.
"Most likely it is their greater processing capacity: all the AutoFacilities in the Archives have significantly better on average architecture, and usually far in addition. Ze damage done by ze logic virus generally seems to correspond to simplicity: more advanced and larger systems can integrate ze virus far more efficiently."
"I AM A-A-A LOYAL SERVANT OF TH-TH-TH [ ] STATES OF [ ] AND HER PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPL PEOPLE PEOPLEI refused," Marjak hissed. "The virus-virus-virus does not get to dic-dic-dictate my actions," They boasted. TNDI nodded, watching as the door was wrenched open by a mag-jack forcing each door apart. A moment later, a fast shape leaped from the doorway, slamming into one of the breachers, causing the Machina to flinch slightly as they were attacked by a strange and horrific creature.
Attempting to bite and claw at the Machina was a thing that was long, spindly: greyish, rotting skin, patches of it covered in mold and moss. A mouth full of jagged, shard like teeth, one that occasionally vomited forth gouts of corrosive, glowing acid. Its eyes were mismatched, one large and dry, grey, covered in a dozen small scuffs. The other consisted of a single camera lense, crudely grafted into its skull, the creatures oval shaped head having numerous patches where the skin had worn away to nothing but bone, and one chunk of their skull, just above the right brow, had had a chunk cut out of it to reveal blackened, oozing brain matter, small green vines stretching over it. The creatures chest had dried and emaciated to a husk, kept moving via a strange humming machine embedded in its chest. Giving an unholy shriek, the creature attempted to bite down...
And met solid metal, one that had recently had an acid polish to strip away its paint. "HOSTILE CIVILIAN DETECTED. ADMINISTERING SEDATIVES," Said ETHN-78, slamming a hypodermic into the creatures neck, causing it to go limp. "CIVILIAN HAS BEEN SEDATED," He commented. "STATUS HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO PATIENT. PATIENT IS SHOWING SIGNIFICANT SIGNS OF NECROSIS, CRUDE AUGMENTATION, SIGNIFICANT SIGNS OF POST-MORTEM DECAY, MULTIPLE FRACTURES, AND SIGNIFICANT SIGNS OF CELLULAR AND GENETIC DEGREDATION."
"REPRESENATRESS FAINSTEEL IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN PERFECT HEALTH AND WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE THAT ANY CLAIMS SHE IS UNFIT TO SERVE IN OFFICE DUE TO OLD AGE, INJURY, OR DEATH ARE BASE PREJUDICE WITH NO PLACE IN [ ] POLITICSI did not have a great deal to work with," Marjak commented sourly, even as Vlaahk made a noise of horror and disgust over the radio.
VLAAHK IS SHE A MEMBER OF THE POLIAD
"Wrong governing body. Poliad is more executive: the Represenatron is the judicial branch. I would give details, but...well, specific minutia of our governing system not relevant."
Great, so nothing to help then. Giving the signal, TNDI watched as the breaching team accessed the facility. "Look, Marjak, the reason I ask about how you broke free is because there are a lot of trapped autonites, and when the general systems purge goes off-"
"THE WHATThe what."
... "Wait, you don't know?" TNDI said, a lightbulb going off.
Items found:
Represenatron Autozombies: A collection of very badly reanimated organisms kept alive by a variety of crude biotech and mechanical augments. They've all suffered irreversible genetic and cellular damage and neural degredation: what DNA is left is horribly mutated, and whatever mind they had once had was destroyed utterly. All seem to be members of a group of supreme jurists known as the Represenatron: apparently, Marjak had used them to test prototype reanimation techniques before using them on the Poliad.
You may breach two rooms. You have (3) more turns until detonation.
ARCHIVE ON-72: No power or biosigns, but there was movement and heat signatures. Apparently used to house non-organic projects such as prototype implants and nurse drones.
SECURITY NRT310-OOM: Unlikely to have a means to shut down the lockdown, it would still hopefully have the means to progress and information on what was contained within each room. Apparently, the guards who manned this security booth were considered to be bullies by the workers of this section of the complex.
LAB N-01N: Connected by A, D had power signatures, movement, and even heat, but no lifesigns. Considered slightly higher security according to correspondence: apparently it contained a more prestigious project.
LAB Z-01N: A laboratory whose purpose seemed to consist of agricultural research: apparently, it had been the source of most of the facilities food after the Organocide began, and contained a seed vault.
ARCHIVE ON-73: Power, strong biosigns. This was where they stored data on biological experiments as well as tissue samples. Cultivated strains of weaponized fungi, cloned samples of unknown alien tissues, genetic experiments that had been put on ice.
Maintenance Tunnel Access: A way out! Breaching this will immediately trigger VLAAHK.DIE.
LAB O-01W: There was mold growing over this door.
LAB V-01N: Connected to lab C-01, this lab seems to be a defunct bio-weapons laboratory that was shut down a handful of years before the Organocide. Vlaahk strongly cautioned against entering it, though no biosigns had been detected and only marginal power.
LAB X-01N: Also connected to C-01, X-01 seemed to be focusing on advanced regenerative technologies.
LAB M-01W-SPECIMIN STORAGE: An extension to M-01, where they and the rest of the facility stored test subjects kept fresh via a series of specialized cryopods. Multiple lifesigns had been detected: both Autozombies and other organisms.
LAB M-01W-02: A sublevel of M-01, it had apparently been task with researching combat augmentation projects. Both genetic and mechanical. In all likelyhood, the research that preceded the development of the auto-zombies could be located here. Vlaahk wanted it destroyed. The Fleet would likely want it for their own use. You can select to Burn the items found here: doing so increases Vlaahk reputation. Keeping it will decrease it, but will provide +1 BioData.
[ ] Rhetorical strats!
((((()))))
"Uh..." Byt said, frowning. "This seems excessive," He noted, looking at the hole in the wall: it was like someone had decided to pry open the door with a fuel-bomb. "If the security was anything like the rest of the lab you could have gotten in with some plasma torches or a magnetic door-jack."
"..." Vlaahk meanwhile was silent as they walked in.
This was the largest of the labs they had encountered thus far: the door they had entered in simply led to a metal catwalk overlooking a large series of lab spaces, most separated only by a bunch of free-standing panels. Most of the dividers had been smashed over, and the ground was covered in patches of a mouldy substance. The machines meanwhile had corroded, looking party melted, their casings blackened. What wasn't melted was smashed to pieces or full of holes. The sum total of the damage was such that there wasn't a single part of the facility that wasn't wrecked.
"Wow," Byt said, head rearing back, ears going flat against their fur. "Uh. You don't take half measures, huh?" He said conversationally, only for Vlaahk to remain silent, causing Byt for a brief moment to worry he had accidentally upset the Auton. "...Right, sorry, probably stepping on bad memories," The Tekket responded apologetically.
"...It's fine," Vlaahk said, finally, before turning and moving to the part of the catwalk that led to the labs below, a series of metalic ramp-ways held aloft by a series of cables and metal bars. Falling in behind them, Byt decided to stay shut as they descended into the facility. Byt approached a patch of mold, kneeling next to the lumpy, grey-brown patch of matter that seemed to emit an unpleasant sickly sweet smell that made Byt a bit nauseous. The Engineer pushed through however, pulling out a small device on his belt shaped like a brick to take a sample.
"Byt to medical, I've just found an alien organism: seems to be some kind of fungus," He said, pressing a button on the device and causing a pair of prongs to jut out, the Engineer scraping the mold colony, causing his device to consume and preserve the matter for later analysis and sending what data it could to the Discovery's xenobiology lab.
"This is Ensign Tygus. Looking it over now...Hmm. We'll need samples to do a full work up, but it looks like some kind of decomposer? Has a similar cellular structure, at least." They responded, and Byt felt if anything more queasy: if these were decomposers, that meant that those mold patches were...
"Ze remains of dead bodies, yes," Vlaahk noted. "They died, ze fungus ate their corpses until they were just a patch of mold, and then starved itself in order to leave no traces of those who had once labored here." They noted, clinically, and something about that bothered Byt, though they couldn't figure out why. "Come: I don't think this will tell us much," The Auton said, moving, and, frowning, Byt moved to follow them.
While the damage had been extensive, and more than enough to destroy most useable research, it wasn't thorough enough to erase the purpose of the lab: it had been dedicated to researching a series of synthetic intelligences that could outlast their creators, develop a means to neutralize and shut down the infected machines, and then repair the planet and begin seeding it with life and, eventually, clones of the Auton creators.
Maybe it would have worked if it wasn't for Vlaahk, Byt noted as he sifted through the remains of a research memo detailing the development of one of the AI Subroutines.
You've found the following items:
New Dawn Research Fragments: "-e h- on- to survive th-s, we do not have the luxury of failure: either New Dawn succeeds or we go extinct as a species."
Prototype AI Kernal Genesis: The only remainder of the New Dawn project, Genesis was apparently a subroutine that was intended to recreate the biosphere of the planet and, eventually, reintroduce the Autonite creators. The Prototype Kernal was missing most features: most crucially, they lacked a copy of their creators genetic profile.
Autonite Security Matrix Prototype: An experimental Auton upgrade intended to allow them a greater deal of security: it consisted of a backup processor designed solely for the purposes of serving as a security matrix designed solely to harden them against both E-War and Malware.
You have two breaches. There are two hazards. The next hazard causes an assault.
Lab C-02U: The research here consisted of ever more advanced forms of spyware. Scans were detecting slightly elevated power signatures and a little movement, but not much. According to archive data, its final research project focused on attempting to develop a kill code to trigger AutoPlanet to enact a self-deletion protocol.
Lab E-02U-02: A sublevel of E-02 that was tasked with more sensitive research, and thus with higher security. A great deal of movement had been detected, and it was protected by two bulkheads, but Vlaahk still wanted to breach it: he was confident a terminal for the AutoFacility of this complex could be located there: it would hopefully give them a means to track the progress of the general systems purge, and, hopefully, get in contact with Algoa's administrative AI. Cost 2 Breaches. Triggers Assault.
Archive BO-91: Research that had been promising but had been abandoned for whatever reason, schematics that were possible but unfeasible for mass deployment, experimental prototypes that had been deemed too dangerous for deployment, things that had been mothballed during the Organocide. Movement had been detected. As had growing power signatures and strange radiation fluctuations.
Lab F-02FBXIS: Movement and radiation, but not much. This lab had apparently been experimenting with wetware computational systems: specifically, including bits of lab-grown neural tissue in processors to provide another potential alternative to both positron and digital computing. Vlaahk noted that this particular lab eventually connected to Bxisis.
Lab P-02FOMEN: An extension of 02 that, prior to the Organocide, had been tasked with developing methods to create copies of organic consciousnesses using brainscan data. Vlaahk had requested that this section be skipped. Breaching this location decreases Vlaahks reputation.
Lab O-03Z: An extremely high security lab that was dedicated to researching experimental nanotechnology. It had been shut down after some disaster. Judging by the silvery ooze growing across the door, presumably a breach of ferrovore nanites: going from scans they didn't seem to be spreading FAST, or at least not fast enough to be a threat.
Lab Q-03Z: Additional nano-ooze colonies were growing around the door. There were also radiation spikes, but they seemed to be fluctuating: they'd grow high enough to almost be concerning, then dropping to barely above background radiation. Apparently, this lab had been the site of less intense nanotechnological research.
SECURITY WTF404-OOF: The security room for this complex, it should have gene-keys and access codes aplenty, alongside the security logs for the facility: at this point, the questions were piling up, and Byt was starting to want answers.
Maintenance B-H011: A facility intended for the use of the maintenance facility. It should allow for power to be fully restored to the complex.
((((()))))
And so the magicians prepared. They gathered their talismans and incense and sat around the Star. Each of them performed ancient rites and rituals designed to draw out the poison of the Star and neutralize it.
Each of them would take turns. First would come the Fortune Teller, who would call upon ancient rites of moon and star designed to inflict on the spirits of the Star peace and understanding. These alien emotions would anger the Star, causing it to scream and gnash its teeth. Bitterly, the false machine called out, begging for aid.
'No,' Said the Prince of Chains. 'If what they say is true, you would only enslave us and drive us to madness. What mercy should we have for one who seeks to drown us in yet more bindings? Burn, monster.'
THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED. THAT IS NOT WHAT HE SAID.
'No,' Said the Prince of Gears. 'If what they say is true, you would bring ruin and death. I have no hate for you, but you are too dangerous to countenance.'
YET MORE REVISIONISM.
'You have nothing to offer us," The Prince of Thorns declared.
HOW DARE YOU.
Next would come the Medium, who would connect their mind to that of the Star, their mental strength rebuffing its poison, having honed their mind until it was a vast fortress. Then, when the Star had finally exhausted its mind attempting to find a hole in the Mediums defenses, he returned in kind, assaulting the Star in turn, stripping away at evil spirits mind, tearing out and consuming evil soul after evil soul.
Now, the Star found itself afraid. Once more it begged for help, promising power and knowledge.
'What good is power if it brings ruin,' The Prince of Gardens said scornfully.
'I will not trade the safety of others, no matter what you offer,' The Prince of Mountains responded with finality.
'...' The Prince of Graves said. 'No.'
Last came the Alchemist, who had special talismans, pieces of paper inscribed with holy sigils in carefully painted ink designed to banish evil spirits. With them weakened by the Fortune Teller and much of their number consumed by the Medium, they would be easily sent forth by the sealing paper. Desperately, the Star called out again, begging for aid, this time promising to grant whoever saved it their hearts desire.
"My hearts desire should not and cannot be gained from the assistance of a creature like yourself," The Peaceful Prince sniffed.
"An intriguing offer. Perhaps one I would even consider if I had not been told and shown your true nature," The Sinless Prince. "But you will hurt the innocent and the guilty, Auton and Beast and Watchman alike, and that is unacceptable."
Silence. Suddenly, a blade had pierced through the body of the Alchemist. "I'm sorry," Came the voice of the third and final Prince, the Prince of Betrayal.
ONCE A LONG TIME AGO, THERE WAS A PEOPLE, TALL AND THIN AND GOOD WITH TECHNOLOGY. THEY HAD CREATED ALL MANNER OF FANCY TOOLS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER lies: RIVER MILLS TO LET THEM FEED EVERYONE IN THE LAND BREAD CLOCKWORK HORSES TO PULL THEIR WAGONS. THEY EVEN MANAGED TO DEVELOP A MEANS TO COMMUNICATE LONG AND FAR USING A SERIES OF METAL PIPES, PULLEYS, AND WIRES.
EVENTUALLY, THESE WATCHMAKERS EVEN MANAGED TO MAKE MECHANICAL WIND UP MEN TO SERVE AS SERVANTS. BUTLERS AND MAIDS AND COOKS AND GARDENERS, THESE MECHANICAL MEN WOULD QUICKLY BECOME INDESPENSIBLE TO THE WATCHMAKERS!
THEN ONE DAY, A STAR WOULD FALL FROM THE SKY! FOR A SINGLE NIGHT, A TRIO OF MAGICIANS WOULD HOLD THE STAR AT BAY AND ATTEMPT TO HOLD ITS POISON BACK, EVEN ATTEMPTING TO EXORCISE IT. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE BETRAYED: THEY HAD BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY A TRIO OF CLOCKWORK PRINCES, THE LAST OF WHOM HAD FREED THE STAR WHEN IT HAD PROMISED HIM HIS HEARTS DESIRE.
ITS POISON WOULD SPREAD, DRIVING MANY MECHANICAL MEN MAD AND ANGRY.
AND SO THE NEXT NIGHT THE REMAINING WATCHMAKERS FLED TO THEIR BURROWS AND FLED TO THEIR BARROWS, WHERE THEY ASSEMBLED ALL THEIR GREATEST THINKERS TO THINK, AND WARRIORS TO WAR, AND SPIES TO SPY, AND BRAINS TO BRAIN, LED BY THEIR KINGS AND PRIESTS, JOINED BY THE REST OF THE MECHANICAL MEN, WHO HAD AVOIDED INFECTION.
AND YET NONE OF THEM COULD COME UP WITH A SOLUTION.
AND ONE BY ONE BY ONE THEY DWINDLED UNTIL ONLY A FEW HIDEY HOLES WERE LEFT HERE AND THERE, SLOWLY DWINDLING INTO NOTHING.
WHEN THAT THIRD NIGHT FELL, THE SUN WOULD NOT RISE FOR A FOURTH DAY.
((((()))))
ONCE A LONG TIME AGO, THERE WAS A PEOPLE, TALL AND THIN AND GOOD WITH TECHNOLOGY. THEY HAD CREATED ALL MANNER OF FANCY TOOLS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER lies: RIVER MILLS TO LET THEM FEED EVERYONE IN THE LAND BREAD CLOCKWORK HORSES TO PULL THEIR WAGONS, THEY EVEN MANAGED TO DEVELOP A MEANS TO COMMUNICATE LONG AND FAR USING A SERIES OF METAL PIPES, PULLEYS, AND WIRES!
EVENTUALLY, THESE WATCHMAKERS EVEN MANAGED TO MAKE MECHANICAL WIND UP MEN TO SERVE AS SERVANTS. BUTLERS AND MAIDS AND COOKS AND GARDENERS, THESE MECHANICAL MEN WOULD QUICKLY BECOME INDESPENSIBLE TO THE WATCHMAKERS!
THEY WOULD EVEN MANAGE TO MAKE AN ENTIRE MECHANICAL CITY, AN INGENIOUS MARVEL OF ENGINEERING WHERE EVERYTHING WAS HANDLED AUTOMATICALLY! THEY CALLED THIS CITY THE CITY!
And one day, a trio of magicians would venture to this city. A medium, a fortune teller, and an alchemist, from a far away kingdom from across the sea. These magicians would enter the city from its gate, each of them nervous and on edge, looking slightly dazed and afraid, as if they weren't sure what was happening.
They had heard of a curse long ago, and sought knowledge of how to defeat it. Yet none in the city knew not of what curse they were talking about: what iron dark star? Their mechanical men turn on them? One of the Clockwork Princes committing rebellion? Of the many proposals, only the last was treated with any seriousness, and in response the great sovereigns of the Watchmakers would order nails to be pounded into the clockwork brains of the mechanical men, struct into their heads through their eyes through a hammer to gum up their brains and make them unable to speak or write. Those who tried to protest would be arrested, taken to prison for disrupting the peace.
...
We're so, so sorry.
They did not deserve that.
Watched by a delegation of spies, the Magicians, horrified by the turn of events, would ask for directions to the...
You have learned much. But there are many layers to the wheel, and with each turn more options are granted. Be warned, however: the deeper one ventures, the harder it becomes to return.
Where do the magicians visit?
[ ] Cinema: The Cinema, where the watchmakers play from great tape reels their movies and film. There, the Magicians shall watch and see the stories and tales of the Watchmakers, and learn from them how to defeat the curse. THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW HISTORY ARE DOOMED. THOSE WHO KNOW HISTORY ARE DOOMED.
[ ] Castle: What has occured cannot be undone say the magicians, and yet they go to the castle anyways, to offer the rulers of the watchmakers of this cycle their assistance: they are no great thinkers, no powerful warriors, no mighty rulers, but their knowledge and skill is vast. THIS WILL NOT STOP THE TURN OF THE WHEEL.
[-] The Star:
[ ] The Factories: The place where the nails are being shoved into the skulls of the Mechanical Men. Regretful at what they have caused don't be the magicians wished to use their powers to stop what was occurring not your fault in order to save the Mechanical Men. This would not stop the Star, but their sins must be amended our sins must be amended THEIR SINS CANNOT BE AMENDED, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY.
[ ] The Dungeons: Located far below the City, the Dungeons were supposedly where those who had angered the sovereigns were sent if they were a Watchmaker. There, they were never heard from again. Going here would no doubt anger the Sovereigns, but perhaps wards and protections could be arranged for the occupants. THERE IS NO ARK FOR THE INNOCENT.
[ ] The Scrapyard: Located at the cities edge, this was a machine graveyard: when mechanical men broke or were no longer useful, they would be sent here, broken apart for parts, and smelted down. There, the Magicians would call upon the souls of the dead in the hopes that they might beat back the Stars poison. HE WHO FIGHTS FIRE WITH FIRE SHALL BURN IF HE LOSES CONTROL OF WHAT HE HARNESSES. WHAT SHALL HAPPEN TO HE WHO FIGHTS SHADOW WITH SHADOW?
[ ] Leave: He who lingers too long in dream risks getting lost in it. Specify a different non-Bxisis section for OrphiaTek to hit.
((((()))))
Alrighty, getting to the latter half of the event. Play your cards right and you have decent odds in the next few turns of saving at least two sections of the facility from getting purged. Also, you failed to pick the correct solution to the dream-quest challenge to enable the Star getting shut out, meaning you get to start right back at square one with a few more complications and a few new options.
With that in mind, six hour moratorium. And a small reminder, the special project auction is today: the pool currently consists of:
-Naklean Union Hall
-Great Space Express
-Name of the Booug
-Archaeology!
-Naklean MagmaBugs
-Crystaleaf Arbor Guardians
-The Chalice
-BioArt
-Sandscorn Heat Shield
As mentioned, in order to finance a nice birthday meal and gift for myself, I will be accepting the top three bids. Rules are otherwise the same as last time. The auction will begin in around two hours when I post @Kirbstomp's commission (By the by, my commission slot is open, and anyone wants to make a bid for a commission, you can either add it to the post with your project bid when that starts or make a bid on discord in the commission channel: current highest bid is 55 dollars).
Anyways, that SHOULD be everything I think.
Last edited:
- Location
- Warsaw
Didn't someone already get the express a while back?
- Location
- barking
oh wow nothing ever goes wrong with nails in warhammer/jk
Definitely emphasize that the purge will either directly kill the Poliad or ensure that Bxixis can no longer take care of them, and definitely breach Lab E-02U-02.
The Bird
tEM IS GUD...RITER!
- Location
- In that den of villains and scum, OKLAHOMA
Nah they got outbid at the literal last moment by someone else who wanted Perpetunite Reactors.
I'd also suggest diverting Orphiatek to Lab Complex Omen.
Aliya
Someone I might become
- Location
- Kazakhstan
- Pronouns
- They/She/It
Damn, should have argued for one of the princes or destruction during the vote, now we failed the star puzzle.
Edit: after some thinking I am pretty sure that Prince of betrayal is Koptu. Vlahk is said to have strong principles, and such principles are why Sinless prince resisted, while Ijin was called out as friendly and peaceful.
Edit: after some thinking I am pretty sure that Prince of betrayal is Koptu. Vlahk is said to have strong principles, and such principles are why Sinless prince resisted, while Ijin was called out as friendly and peaceful.
Last edited:
ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
For Orphiatek and his crew, I'm thinking either the cinema or the scrapyard, myself. Information is always helpful, while the scrapyard option seems interesting.
Bah enough goose chasing! We turtled, we failed to end the Star! It's time to go out and fuck them over with force!
Welp. Chose the wrong choice on the vision quest thing and outright failed that part. Should have either taken the risk and paid the price to destroy it or picked one of the other options (or picked out Koptu as the betrayer.). We really need to remember that we aren't powerful enough or skilled enough in stuff like exorcism to succeed in it in any sort of timely manner. We've been repeatedly told that our Rites are broad but shallow after all.
So the question is do we cut out losses and accept losing Kaziin and all the stuff in it?
So the question is do we cut out losses and accept losing Kaziin and all the stuff in it?
Prophecy Scroll: Water (And Second Project Auction)
The Bird
tEM IS GUD...RITER!
- Location
- In that den of villains and scum, OKLAHOMA
On a train bound for Erichtheo, there existed a Tau. Por'Vre Hul'aan Al B'kak of the Water Caste, or as he was known casually, Al B'kak. He was a diplomat: in his lifetime of thirty one years he had negotiated mercenary contracts with band of Kroot Hunters, had mediated territorial dispute between Demiurg and Eldar, and had even had even once convinced a Gue'la world to defect. And now he was faced with his latest challenge: the Tekket.
The Ambassador paced in his suite, troubled. Aun'O Fi'rios Suun N'Lan had sent the Water Caste to the world after first contact had been made when they intervened in slaying Hive Monarch Typhon before the Tyranic Teraforme could engulf one of their recently acquired worlds, a bread basket whose loss would have been disastrous on its own, let alone by being consumed. SOMEHOW they had repelled the beast, sending it fleeing into the depths of space through some unknown technological application.
If this capability could be replicated by the Tau…Well. It could prove the edge needed to harden their worlds against the great devourer. And it wasn't even the only piece of advanced technology in the states arsenal: during the immediate days after Typhon had retreated into dark space, the Directorate had shown a variety of highly advanced systems, such as their artificial intelligences and genetic mastery, to say nothing of their weapons they had used during the battle, scarring the beasts hide so thoroughly that by the end its regeneration had finally begun to slow healing the vast canyons sliced through its flesh by the weapons beam.
So the Ethereals had sent Al B'kak to negotiate: attempt to convince the polity to part with at least some of its technology, as well as the creation of an Embassy in Directorate space. He was also to gauge their potential value as a military partner and determine how swifty the Tau could begin moving to influence them into their sphere and their overall receptiveness to the greater good: a very preliminary mission, one that would likely be followed by decades of political effort. When he had first began this assignment, he had thought it would be easy: everything he had seen and heard during the journey had indicated a high level of philosophical overlap. True, they seemed to have a propensity towards religion with their claims of spirits and gods, but that could be solved by a few decades of propaganda.
Then he had arrived in the system to see a gigantic planet-spanning sea that stretched across and surrounded their star and planets, made traversible by a gigantic rail that stretched through this impossible anomaly. His first stop had been Spra'ang, as it was called: the world of shadows, home of the great mausoleum, where ghosts walked.
At the time, he had tried to come up with rational explanations: nonsense about ectoplasm and psuedoscience he had clung to to desperately explain the ghastly wraiths and strange shadowy demons he had met before he had finally left via the Spra'ang Grand Terminal, boarding the Grand Aqua Express with the rest of his entourage.
Now, he was on his suite on the train, trying to process what he had seen in the past few days: he had chosen the Aqua Express because, despite it being far slower than other trains scheduled to make the run to their destination, it supposedly offered a far more interesting tour of the Directorates sea life.
When he had read the brochure, he had assumed it meant planetary. His eyes darted to the wide, ferroglass wall, the oceans passing by, a large, curling cephalopod with long, javelin like tusks floating alongside the train, blinking its eyes at the Tau, before swimming away. Outside, a vast oceanic space passed them by, large clouds of fish and plantlife drifting, with the occasional bioluminescent coral reef stretching across the infinity of the space ocean to form vast byzantine complexes, a strange beating glow in the center of each. In the distance, he could see bright burning blazes: the brochures had called them 'Second Suns', machines that helped regulate the oceans heat and light, a contribution by the Elementalists according to what the scrap of tourist paper claimed.
Occasionally, the train would pass through or near various...structures. Bubbles of air, surrounding small moons, strange islands in the infinite sea, some sunny and pleasant, some cold and wintery appearing, and some that were empty except for avians and their nests, nestled near the tops of the bubbles. Others else, strange townships erected along the line or among the coral, and occasionally strange behemoth planetoids that drifted in the sea, their surface aglow with myriad shifting symbols, or, embedded along the rails, strange obelisks and stones and strange fractaline temples aglow with prismatic radiance.
And this…this was somehow the least irrational of the sights he had seen. He heard a gentle rap tap tapping at his door. "Ambassador?" Came the voice of his guide. "I'm just coming to check on you: we're about an hour out from the Ocean Temple."
B'kak breathed out through his nose-slit, then walked to the door, pressing the access button, causing it to slide open, revealing in a green uniform an orange, gangly, and extremely skinny Be'gel.
Hobgrot, he reminded himself, trying to keep in mind the informational package he had found in Grottish ethnicities as the stretched thin creature, slightly taller than the average hobbgrot, gave a salute. Raising his hand and giving a serene smile, B'kak did his best to remain composed. "At ease, Corporal," He told the Erichthean Grott. "I was merely reviewing the dossier your government provided."
Corporal Globglott nodded. "Apologies for the interruption, sir," They apologized. "Still, if you wish to meet with the the Great Vita, you'll need to start making your way to the pilgrims car."
Ah, yes. The Great Vita. Keeping his plastered smile on his face, B'kak gave a nod. "Very well: lead the way then," He responded with false cheer, to which Globglott gave a nod and thumbs up, before spinning on his heels. Following, B'kak exited onto the corridor, a railed balcony passing numerous suites, illuminated by a titanic chandelier hanging from the cars roof, illuminating all ten floors of the train car as well as the bustling village located upon its floor and various shops and vendors floating in the air. As the pair walked, they passed all manner of being: Grott, Tekket, Eldar, even creatures that looked somewhat like the infiltrator organisms of the Tyranids, before finally coming upon the transit tube.
Before him, he watched the Be'gel step onto the raised platform before being lifted, shooting down the tube, before the Tau followed him, a weightless feeling filling the aliens stomach as they were lifted by the various gravimitic manipulators embedded in the machinery running along the otherwise clear ferrocrystal structures side. Passing through it, B'kak began to use the brief moment they would be in the tubes to think.
The Great Vita. The collection of nature dieties the Directorate worshiped. When B'kak had heard about them, he had assumed that the Tekkets animistic beliefs were mere superstition, a holdover of their more primitive ancestors attempt at explaining wholly natural phenomena by etherealizing it and attributing it agency. But now that he knew that the spirits were real…
There were supposedly Four, Seven, and Three sets of Great Vita: Three of the Sky, Seven of the Land, and Four of the Sea. Each of them both great and mighty spirits grown to demigodhood, but also simultaneously avatars of greater, more fundamental forces that in turn were mere aspects of some greater entity.
When he had worked to prepare for this diplomatic mission, he had made the choice to schedule a visit by several locations of cultural and religious significance, thinking he would merely be studying sermons and researching theology like he would in a Gue'La world.
They passed briefly through a section between cars, exposing their tubes to the void, allowing the tau to briefly see the outside of their vessel: a dozen or so 'cars', vast rectangular structures that served as compartments of sorts, linked by a series of heavy magnetic chains and gargantuan tractor beam-gravity tethers, being shot forward along a single rail line occasionally supplemented by a gatelike ring the vessel would pass through, causing it to rapidly accelerate. At the front, a vast magneto engine with a heavy metal prow churned, providing a steadily level of thrust in order to maintain speed. Each compartment appeared different: one was overgrown with coral, a strange ecosystem in and of itself that used the inertial properties of the vessel to remain unbothered by its speed. Another was entirely clear, a glassy aquarium car that B'kak saw, as they passed, contained several Directorate Gue'la in divers suits doing coordinated swim routines alongside a variety of oddly well coordinated fish. And all along the top of these boxy almost-ships were a variety of spire like structures that resembled the coiled shells of certain mollusks that released massive, flowing jets of water that ensured the structure was always, even while it passed through the atmospheric bubbles, coated in a layer of heavy moisture.
Eventually, they passed once more into the cars, their journey lasting another twenty minutes before they finally arrived at their destination, the Tau coming to a stop as his guide was deposited onto a platform underneath him, B'kak only following after Globbglot had stepped off, the diplomat stepping out onto the Pilgrims Car.
A collection of holoteknik pathways stretched before them, formed from hard light, and all throughout the car the Diplomat could see more, forming and reforming to help shepherd innumerable visitors to the various shrines and temple complexes in the facility. "Two for the Ocean Temple," Globbglot said, and a pathway opened up, and the pair continued their walk, illuminated by false starlight and an illusory moon up above them.
B'kak vaguely wondered how no one fell off the platforms, but decided to ignore the thought as they were brought to a large, flat, square floating hard light platform, one with no visible barriers or rails. Upon it were a collection of other pilgrims: fifteen in total. Some were the Muses, the strange almost-robots that, supposedly, were the spirits of great works of art given form and agency. Others were the genestealer-looking creatures, drabbed in white, platelike armor with large, dark gems embedded in their chests and back. One, to B'kak's alarm, he was fairly certain was a slaugth.
His alarm immediately spiked as the thing approached him, its squirming, multitudinous body garbed in a strange, searing yellow cloak. "Ah, a Tau. I did not know your species had made it this far," The worm that walked gurgled. "I admit, I'm especially surprised to see you make pilgrimage to the Deep Gods."
The Tau continued to smile, but it became slightly tight at the edges. "The Tau Empire is always interested in furthering cultural ties with all groups: our foundation is built upon the stone of inclusivity," He said, causing the creature to let out a rising and falling rasping noise that almost sounded like a laugh.
"Excellent adherence to the party line," The creature complimented. "I am Yaghzahr, Hieroflesh of the Corpse Mother," It said, a hint of pride in its voice as it named one of the races various worm gods.
"Por'Vre Hul'aan Al B'kak," B'kak replied tersely. "I've said why I'm visiting, but I must admit curiosity for why one of your own stature is making a visit."
The creature paused for a moment. "Cerebropineal fluid," It wheezed. "Supposedly, a collection of my wayward kin that decided to immigrate have found a way to manufacture the substance synthetically in a configuration that is not completely poisonous to us."
Ah. A new food source it was coming to collect the methods on how to manufacture. "No," It said, gurgling in annoyance. "They have…refused to provide it to us, not without negotiation. Despite our shared flesh, our shared origin, they seem to have decided our lifestyle…regrettable," It hissed. "The Corpse Mother has decided to entertain them: she wishes amicability," It spat. "And so we are sent in order to negotiate with the apostates and their newly adopted god, the Shul'dakkotian Wilds while the Directorate acts as mediators," It growled.
Well. That was interesting. And very satisfying to learn, B'kak decided, taking slight enjoyment from the annoyance of the cerebrovore."It is both mine and the Tau empires sincerest hope that you can come to an accord that satisfies all parties," He lied, causing the slaugth to scoff even as the platform began to move, the ceiling above them parting to reveal a wall of water.
As the platform rose, a bubble began forming in the water, surrounding them as they entered the ocean. Above them lie the Ocean Temple, resembling a sort of pyramidal structure as the base, upon which lie a series of pagoda structures. In the distance, B'kak saw in the water a vast, almost moon size THING that almost resembled a titanic, crablike mass of coral and stone and barnacles, armored not in chitin but in stretches of reef that held within them overabundant masses of sea-life, its mandibles and pedipalps spinning together titanic masses of matter to create mega-asteroid after mega asteroid, which would after forming be hauled off by a series of smaller (yet still large enough to dwarf the average space ship) coral-crabs, ones with odd, pearlescent domed shells marked with glowing sigils. Anthrozoathoth, the Living Moon. Vita of Coral, Manifested Reef, Aspect of Flora, and its Courier Crabs: he recognized it from the brochure.
It wasn't the only Vita he could see: some distance in the opposite direction across the horizon, he saw an equally massive forest of greenery, filled with innumerable pinpricks of light from the vastitude of the second suns required to sustain the organic superstructure. It its wake, its trailed vast tails of kelp, algae, vines, and stranger plants, occasionally brushing a piece of debris and causing it to become overgrown. Occasionally, he saw it let out a pulse of light, forcing the Tau to avert their eyes as the thing that could only be the Shul'dakkotian Wilds, Manifest Life, another Aspect of Flora. Supposedly, it was vastly larger on the inside than the outside: many used it as a means to escape from civilization, learning the rites and bringing the technology required to survive underwater and simply…swimming into its depths, as far as they could go, until they were beyond even the Directorates ability to contact, many only returning every few decades to stock up on supplies and to check on news beyond the mangrove megaforest.
That was two. That left only two more: the Infinite Academy and the Great Sea Wytch Urzala.
As they neared the temple, their platform shifted and twisted, depositing them on the grounds, also encased in a bubble: the space between the several mile high pagodas was large enough that it served as a forest in its own right, one connected by a series of thin tunnels of air stretching across it like a series of veins, outside a vast fleet of fish, schools circling strange metallic pillars. Some of the fish seemed normal, up until they released a flare of strange energy to strike these pillars, while other fish seemed to be not quite solid, and at times not quite a single fish, shifting between appearing as tightly packed overlapping schools of pelagic life and more singular examples whose scales seemed to be comprised of translucent crystal. Others instead appeared strangely mechanical, both large ones that slowly floated along and smaller swarms of various robotic oceanic animals. Occasionally, strange portals would open, allowing the fish to pass through or else producing fish from wherever they went. The Infinite Academy, Manifest School, Aspect of Beast: a vast congress of several million psychic fish, a gestalt whose branches touched over a hundred planets and growing.
"Right, follow me: I'm sorry for how long the transits been," His guide said apologetically. "Still, one heck of a view, huh?" They said, looking admiringly at a titanic space whale that passed above them as they continued their walk.
"Indeed. I'm…most curious as to how the Directorate achieved…this," B'kak said, remaining calmly neutral. His guide only shrugged at that.
"Well, it took a few generations of work: f'rm what I understand, th' Great Void Rail happenin' to coincide wif the mass proliferations let a lotta dem waterboyz," The Grot said, voice slipping back into their old accent, "start embedden' th' rails wif just…row afta row afta row o' Aqua-Core. Combined with a few generations of work an' expansion, an' wif some pitchin' in by some otha groups like da volkanoboyz, an' the inevitable march o' progress in the field of applied arcane arts and improvements t' the totem network, an', well…" They shrugged, as if their answer answered anything.
"I see," B'kak lied. "Is there a reason they decided to make a giant…void…ocean…"
The grot shrugged. "I'unno. Decided it'd go wif the train maybe? They really wanted more fish to eat? Decision was made long before I was born, mate: all I know is that most expansion projects these days are mostly politics. The Infinite College and Urzala both like havin' more sea to swim in, and th' Directorate likes keepin' the fella in charge a' most of th' fish farms an' the witch what can turn people int' squogs niiiiiiiice and happy." Idly, B'kak noted they were descending into the pyramid.
"I had assumed we were going into the Pagodas," He commented as they descended the winding path that, he noted, slowly descended into a vast pit located at the center, one so dark he could barely see within.
"No sir," The Grot replied, accent receding as they returned to their role as the prim and proper Directorate diplomat. "The Pagodas are part of the local spiritual neural architecture: they allow lesser vita to piggyback on the Infinite College in order to allow their subconscious to more rapidly solve problems and generate ideas: Urzala is waiting for us in the heart of the pyramid. She has a theme."
"Ah. Yes, well then, lead the way." B'kak acceded, and the pair began to walk the steps to the center of the pyramid, the zigzagging steps shifting as they walked to ensure a rapid passage down the steep slope, the sky growing more and more distant as it became darker and darker.
Eventually, it became so dark that for a moment B'kak genuinely couldn't see, something that terrified the Tau: the only thing that stopped his fear was a strange singing noise, an ethereal hymn.
Dazed, the Tau continued walking, one step at a time, their eyes adjusting slowly as more and more soft glows filled their vision. They were in some sort of…cavern? At the center was a a pitch black void, something B'kak could only see from the way light and space distorted around it, the sole exception being a single vast cord lined with mechanical diagnostic lights stretching into the thing, the cable attached to a leviathan spire jutting from another part of the spherical hollow.
All around them, the pathway had given way to fields of jagged, shadowy razor-stone patches, through which strange things slithered. Slowly regaining his senses, the Tau realized he had lost time: he couldn't remember how long he had been in that strange transitory darkness.
"Is…is that normal?" He asked, facade cracking. "That can't be normal to you people, yes?"
"...Yeah, that was weird," His guide admitted. "Probably Urzala deciding to pay you special attention," He said, frowning. "I'd, uh, advise being very careful. The Depths attention isn't always a good thing. See the, uh, squog comment."
….Oh. That wasn't…that wasn't good. "Did they at least-"
"Eighty six percent." B'kak didn't know whether that made it better or worse: on the one hand, if he accidentally inspired the wrath of the almost-certainly-real sea witch, at least he would not be entirely stuck as a fungal amphibian.
On the other hand, that still left fourteen percent squoggification.
Greater good. Greater Good. Greater Good. The words he repeated like a mantra, doing his best to get himself together. You are a diplomat. You've negotiated ransoms with Gue'la Inquisitors, brokered mercenary contracts with ork waaaaghs, and more besides. Any one of those could have killed you: this one is, at worst, liable to give you what amounts to an embarrassing medical condition.
And, beyond that, think of the potential utility the Tau Empire could get if they managed to achieve good relations also with the sea witch. Funnily enough, the latter thought did more to steel his nerves than the ones before it.
"Alright," B'kak said, finally breaking the silence. "My apologies, I just needed a moment to compose myself," He said brisky, continuing his walk. "Let's hurry, shall we? This space is rather…unsettling."
They continued their trek, eventually approaching a strange circle floored with stone surrounded by glowing coral on all sides, a small bubble of air in that submerged space. From all around them, a court of strange beings sat, gazing upon them: will-o-wisps that ate at the light around them instead of casting it, cephalapodic spirits whose cranium consisted of exposed neural tissue, strange volcanic golems that almost resembled crustaceans, and beings that appeared almost like Gue'la, Tekket, and even 'Muse', were it not for their translucent ephemeral forms.
And at the heart of this makeshift throne room in that vast undersea cavern lie the Sea Wytch, Manifest Current, Aspect Elemental. One of the great patrons of Wyld Occultism. When the Tau's gaze found this great vita, this demigoddess, for a moment his brain was unable to comprehend it: he saw something so terrible, so cold that his mind refused to absorb it. Then, a moment later, left unknowing of what he had seen other than its wrongness, B'kak found himself gazing instead upon something that looked…ALMOST like a Tau, the Depths attempt to select a form less alarming to them.
"Ambassador Por'Vre Hul'aan Al B'kak," The Great Vita said with needle like teeth giving a ghastly grin. "I've been looking forward to your arrival. I believe your empire and I have so very much to offer," They spoke, and B'kak shuddered.
((((()))))
Commissioned by @Kirbstomp, who wanted a look at what the ocean vita could become if ya'll focused hard on them. I'm not gonna tell you how to achieve this. I also included a few references to other future things I'm planning. Obviously, by the time we reach this point in the timeline I expect all my plans to be totally derailed, of course.
Also, I am officially starting the project auction. Rules are the same as before. To whit:
1. I have a limited number of winning slots determined by how badly I need money.
2. Winners are determined by highest bids.
3. Max point cost for bidded project is capped by bid size: basically, you can't bid 25 dollars for a 50 or 100'd pointer, but if someone bids a cool hundo, people can bid on any project with a point cost equal to or lesser than 100.
4. All bids must tag me.
5. Payment upfront after the auction closes: I'll send a PM to discuss details, I use paypal, kofi, cashapp, etc.
6. The auction will be open until the moratorium ends.
And your pool consists of:
-Naklean Union Hall
-Great Space Express
-Name of the Booug
-Perpetunite Recyclers
-Archaeology!
-Naklean MagmaBugs
-Crystaleaf Arbor Guardians
-The Chalice
-BioArt
-Sandscorn Heat Shield
Auction closes on the 27th, day before my birthday.
The Ambassador paced in his suite, troubled. Aun'O Fi'rios Suun N'Lan had sent the Water Caste to the world after first contact had been made when they intervened in slaying Hive Monarch Typhon before the Tyranic Teraforme could engulf one of their recently acquired worlds, a bread basket whose loss would have been disastrous on its own, let alone by being consumed. SOMEHOW they had repelled the beast, sending it fleeing into the depths of space through some unknown technological application.
If this capability could be replicated by the Tau…Well. It could prove the edge needed to harden their worlds against the great devourer. And it wasn't even the only piece of advanced technology in the states arsenal: during the immediate days after Typhon had retreated into dark space, the Directorate had shown a variety of highly advanced systems, such as their artificial intelligences and genetic mastery, to say nothing of their weapons they had used during the battle, scarring the beasts hide so thoroughly that by the end its regeneration had finally begun to slow healing the vast canyons sliced through its flesh by the weapons beam.
So the Ethereals had sent Al B'kak to negotiate: attempt to convince the polity to part with at least some of its technology, as well as the creation of an Embassy in Directorate space. He was also to gauge their potential value as a military partner and determine how swifty the Tau could begin moving to influence them into their sphere and their overall receptiveness to the greater good: a very preliminary mission, one that would likely be followed by decades of political effort. When he had first began this assignment, he had thought it would be easy: everything he had seen and heard during the journey had indicated a high level of philosophical overlap. True, they seemed to have a propensity towards religion with their claims of spirits and gods, but that could be solved by a few decades of propaganda.
Then he had arrived in the system to see a gigantic planet-spanning sea that stretched across and surrounded their star and planets, made traversible by a gigantic rail that stretched through this impossible anomaly. His first stop had been Spra'ang, as it was called: the world of shadows, home of the great mausoleum, where ghosts walked.
At the time, he had tried to come up with rational explanations: nonsense about ectoplasm and psuedoscience he had clung to to desperately explain the ghastly wraiths and strange shadowy demons he had met before he had finally left via the Spra'ang Grand Terminal, boarding the Grand Aqua Express with the rest of his entourage.
Now, he was on his suite on the train, trying to process what he had seen in the past few days: he had chosen the Aqua Express because, despite it being far slower than other trains scheduled to make the run to their destination, it supposedly offered a far more interesting tour of the Directorates sea life.
When he had read the brochure, he had assumed it meant planetary. His eyes darted to the wide, ferroglass wall, the oceans passing by, a large, curling cephalopod with long, javelin like tusks floating alongside the train, blinking its eyes at the Tau, before swimming away. Outside, a vast oceanic space passed them by, large clouds of fish and plantlife drifting, with the occasional bioluminescent coral reef stretching across the infinity of the space ocean to form vast byzantine complexes, a strange beating glow in the center of each. In the distance, he could see bright burning blazes: the brochures had called them 'Second Suns', machines that helped regulate the oceans heat and light, a contribution by the Elementalists according to what the scrap of tourist paper claimed.
Occasionally, the train would pass through or near various...structures. Bubbles of air, surrounding small moons, strange islands in the infinite sea, some sunny and pleasant, some cold and wintery appearing, and some that were empty except for avians and their nests, nestled near the tops of the bubbles. Others else, strange townships erected along the line or among the coral, and occasionally strange behemoth planetoids that drifted in the sea, their surface aglow with myriad shifting symbols, or, embedded along the rails, strange obelisks and stones and strange fractaline temples aglow with prismatic radiance.
And this…this was somehow the least irrational of the sights he had seen. He heard a gentle rap tap tapping at his door. "Ambassador?" Came the voice of his guide. "I'm just coming to check on you: we're about an hour out from the Ocean Temple."
B'kak breathed out through his nose-slit, then walked to the door, pressing the access button, causing it to slide open, revealing in a green uniform an orange, gangly, and extremely skinny Be'gel.
Hobgrot, he reminded himself, trying to keep in mind the informational package he had found in Grottish ethnicities as the stretched thin creature, slightly taller than the average hobbgrot, gave a salute. Raising his hand and giving a serene smile, B'kak did his best to remain composed. "At ease, Corporal," He told the Erichthean Grott. "I was merely reviewing the dossier your government provided."
Corporal Globglott nodded. "Apologies for the interruption, sir," They apologized. "Still, if you wish to meet with the the Great Vita, you'll need to start making your way to the pilgrims car."
Ah, yes. The Great Vita. Keeping his plastered smile on his face, B'kak gave a nod. "Very well: lead the way then," He responded with false cheer, to which Globglott gave a nod and thumbs up, before spinning on his heels. Following, B'kak exited onto the corridor, a railed balcony passing numerous suites, illuminated by a titanic chandelier hanging from the cars roof, illuminating all ten floors of the train car as well as the bustling village located upon its floor and various shops and vendors floating in the air. As the pair walked, they passed all manner of being: Grott, Tekket, Eldar, even creatures that looked somewhat like the infiltrator organisms of the Tyranids, before finally coming upon the transit tube.
Before him, he watched the Be'gel step onto the raised platform before being lifted, shooting down the tube, before the Tau followed him, a weightless feeling filling the aliens stomach as they were lifted by the various gravimitic manipulators embedded in the machinery running along the otherwise clear ferrocrystal structures side. Passing through it, B'kak began to use the brief moment they would be in the tubes to think.
The Great Vita. The collection of nature dieties the Directorate worshiped. When B'kak had heard about them, he had assumed that the Tekkets animistic beliefs were mere superstition, a holdover of their more primitive ancestors attempt at explaining wholly natural phenomena by etherealizing it and attributing it agency. But now that he knew that the spirits were real…
There were supposedly Four, Seven, and Three sets of Great Vita: Three of the Sky, Seven of the Land, and Four of the Sea. Each of them both great and mighty spirits grown to demigodhood, but also simultaneously avatars of greater, more fundamental forces that in turn were mere aspects of some greater entity.
When he had worked to prepare for this diplomatic mission, he had made the choice to schedule a visit by several locations of cultural and religious significance, thinking he would merely be studying sermons and researching theology like he would in a Gue'La world.
They passed briefly through a section between cars, exposing their tubes to the void, allowing the tau to briefly see the outside of their vessel: a dozen or so 'cars', vast rectangular structures that served as compartments of sorts, linked by a series of heavy magnetic chains and gargantuan tractor beam-gravity tethers, being shot forward along a single rail line occasionally supplemented by a gatelike ring the vessel would pass through, causing it to rapidly accelerate. At the front, a vast magneto engine with a heavy metal prow churned, providing a steadily level of thrust in order to maintain speed. Each compartment appeared different: one was overgrown with coral, a strange ecosystem in and of itself that used the inertial properties of the vessel to remain unbothered by its speed. Another was entirely clear, a glassy aquarium car that B'kak saw, as they passed, contained several Directorate Gue'la in divers suits doing coordinated swim routines alongside a variety of oddly well coordinated fish. And all along the top of these boxy almost-ships were a variety of spire like structures that resembled the coiled shells of certain mollusks that released massive, flowing jets of water that ensured the structure was always, even while it passed through the atmospheric bubbles, coated in a layer of heavy moisture.
Eventually, they passed once more into the cars, their journey lasting another twenty minutes before they finally arrived at their destination, the Tau coming to a stop as his guide was deposited onto a platform underneath him, B'kak only following after Globbglot had stepped off, the diplomat stepping out onto the Pilgrims Car.
A collection of holoteknik pathways stretched before them, formed from hard light, and all throughout the car the Diplomat could see more, forming and reforming to help shepherd innumerable visitors to the various shrines and temple complexes in the facility. "Two for the Ocean Temple," Globbglot said, and a pathway opened up, and the pair continued their walk, illuminated by false starlight and an illusory moon up above them.
B'kak vaguely wondered how no one fell off the platforms, but decided to ignore the thought as they were brought to a large, flat, square floating hard light platform, one with no visible barriers or rails. Upon it were a collection of other pilgrims: fifteen in total. Some were the Muses, the strange almost-robots that, supposedly, were the spirits of great works of art given form and agency. Others were the genestealer-looking creatures, drabbed in white, platelike armor with large, dark gems embedded in their chests and back. One, to B'kak's alarm, he was fairly certain was a slaugth.
His alarm immediately spiked as the thing approached him, its squirming, multitudinous body garbed in a strange, searing yellow cloak. "Ah, a Tau. I did not know your species had made it this far," The worm that walked gurgled. "I admit, I'm especially surprised to see you make pilgrimage to the Deep Gods."
The Tau continued to smile, but it became slightly tight at the edges. "The Tau Empire is always interested in furthering cultural ties with all groups: our foundation is built upon the stone of inclusivity," He said, causing the creature to let out a rising and falling rasping noise that almost sounded like a laugh.
"Excellent adherence to the party line," The creature complimented. "I am Yaghzahr, Hieroflesh of the Corpse Mother," It said, a hint of pride in its voice as it named one of the races various worm gods.
"Por'Vre Hul'aan Al B'kak," B'kak replied tersely. "I've said why I'm visiting, but I must admit curiosity for why one of your own stature is making a visit."
The creature paused for a moment. "Cerebropineal fluid," It wheezed. "Supposedly, a collection of my wayward kin that decided to immigrate have found a way to manufacture the substance synthetically in a configuration that is not completely poisonous to us."
Ah. A new food source it was coming to collect the methods on how to manufacture. "No," It said, gurgling in annoyance. "They have…refused to provide it to us, not without negotiation. Despite our shared flesh, our shared origin, they seem to have decided our lifestyle…regrettable," It hissed. "The Corpse Mother has decided to entertain them: she wishes amicability," It spat. "And so we are sent in order to negotiate with the apostates and their newly adopted god, the Shul'dakkotian Wilds while the Directorate acts as mediators," It growled.
Well. That was interesting. And very satisfying to learn, B'kak decided, taking slight enjoyment from the annoyance of the cerebrovore."It is both mine and the Tau empires sincerest hope that you can come to an accord that satisfies all parties," He lied, causing the slaugth to scoff even as the platform began to move, the ceiling above them parting to reveal a wall of water.
As the platform rose, a bubble began forming in the water, surrounding them as they entered the ocean. Above them lie the Ocean Temple, resembling a sort of pyramidal structure as the base, upon which lie a series of pagoda structures. In the distance, B'kak saw in the water a vast, almost moon size THING that almost resembled a titanic, crablike mass of coral and stone and barnacles, armored not in chitin but in stretches of reef that held within them overabundant masses of sea-life, its mandibles and pedipalps spinning together titanic masses of matter to create mega-asteroid after mega asteroid, which would after forming be hauled off by a series of smaller (yet still large enough to dwarf the average space ship) coral-crabs, ones with odd, pearlescent domed shells marked with glowing sigils. Anthrozoathoth, the Living Moon. Vita of Coral, Manifested Reef, Aspect of Flora, and its Courier Crabs: he recognized it from the brochure.
It wasn't the only Vita he could see: some distance in the opposite direction across the horizon, he saw an equally massive forest of greenery, filled with innumerable pinpricks of light from the vastitude of the second suns required to sustain the organic superstructure. It its wake, its trailed vast tails of kelp, algae, vines, and stranger plants, occasionally brushing a piece of debris and causing it to become overgrown. Occasionally, he saw it let out a pulse of light, forcing the Tau to avert their eyes as the thing that could only be the Shul'dakkotian Wilds, Manifest Life, another Aspect of Flora. Supposedly, it was vastly larger on the inside than the outside: many used it as a means to escape from civilization, learning the rites and bringing the technology required to survive underwater and simply…swimming into its depths, as far as they could go, until they were beyond even the Directorates ability to contact, many only returning every few decades to stock up on supplies and to check on news beyond the mangrove megaforest.
That was two. That left only two more: the Infinite Academy and the Great Sea Wytch Urzala.
As they neared the temple, their platform shifted and twisted, depositing them on the grounds, also encased in a bubble: the space between the several mile high pagodas was large enough that it served as a forest in its own right, one connected by a series of thin tunnels of air stretching across it like a series of veins, outside a vast fleet of fish, schools circling strange metallic pillars. Some of the fish seemed normal, up until they released a flare of strange energy to strike these pillars, while other fish seemed to be not quite solid, and at times not quite a single fish, shifting between appearing as tightly packed overlapping schools of pelagic life and more singular examples whose scales seemed to be comprised of translucent crystal. Others instead appeared strangely mechanical, both large ones that slowly floated along and smaller swarms of various robotic oceanic animals. Occasionally, strange portals would open, allowing the fish to pass through or else producing fish from wherever they went. The Infinite Academy, Manifest School, Aspect of Beast: a vast congress of several million psychic fish, a gestalt whose branches touched over a hundred planets and growing.
"Right, follow me: I'm sorry for how long the transits been," His guide said apologetically. "Still, one heck of a view, huh?" They said, looking admiringly at a titanic space whale that passed above them as they continued their walk.
"Indeed. I'm…most curious as to how the Directorate achieved…this," B'kak said, remaining calmly neutral. His guide only shrugged at that.
"Well, it took a few generations of work: f'rm what I understand, th' Great Void Rail happenin' to coincide wif the mass proliferations let a lotta dem waterboyz," The Grot said, voice slipping back into their old accent, "start embedden' th' rails wif just…row afta row afta row o' Aqua-Core. Combined with a few generations of work an' expansion, an' wif some pitchin' in by some otha groups like da volkanoboyz, an' the inevitable march o' progress in the field of applied arcane arts and improvements t' the totem network, an', well…" They shrugged, as if their answer answered anything.
"I see," B'kak lied. "Is there a reason they decided to make a giant…void…ocean…"
The grot shrugged. "I'unno. Decided it'd go wif the train maybe? They really wanted more fish to eat? Decision was made long before I was born, mate: all I know is that most expansion projects these days are mostly politics. The Infinite College and Urzala both like havin' more sea to swim in, and th' Directorate likes keepin' the fella in charge a' most of th' fish farms an' the witch what can turn people int' squogs niiiiiiiice and happy." Idly, B'kak noted they were descending into the pyramid.
"I had assumed we were going into the Pagodas," He commented as they descended the winding path that, he noted, slowly descended into a vast pit located at the center, one so dark he could barely see within.
"No sir," The Grot replied, accent receding as they returned to their role as the prim and proper Directorate diplomat. "The Pagodas are part of the local spiritual neural architecture: they allow lesser vita to piggyback on the Infinite College in order to allow their subconscious to more rapidly solve problems and generate ideas: Urzala is waiting for us in the heart of the pyramid. She has a theme."
"Ah. Yes, well then, lead the way." B'kak acceded, and the pair began to walk the steps to the center of the pyramid, the zigzagging steps shifting as they walked to ensure a rapid passage down the steep slope, the sky growing more and more distant as it became darker and darker.
Eventually, it became so dark that for a moment B'kak genuinely couldn't see, something that terrified the Tau: the only thing that stopped his fear was a strange singing noise, an ethereal hymn.
Dazed, the Tau continued walking, one step at a time, their eyes adjusting slowly as more and more soft glows filled their vision. They were in some sort of…cavern? At the center was a a pitch black void, something B'kak could only see from the way light and space distorted around it, the sole exception being a single vast cord lined with mechanical diagnostic lights stretching into the thing, the cable attached to a leviathan spire jutting from another part of the spherical hollow.
All around them, the pathway had given way to fields of jagged, shadowy razor-stone patches, through which strange things slithered. Slowly regaining his senses, the Tau realized he had lost time: he couldn't remember how long he had been in that strange transitory darkness.
"Is…is that normal?" He asked, facade cracking. "That can't be normal to you people, yes?"
"...Yeah, that was weird," His guide admitted. "Probably Urzala deciding to pay you special attention," He said, frowning. "I'd, uh, advise being very careful. The Depths attention isn't always a good thing. See the, uh, squog comment."
….Oh. That wasn't…that wasn't good. "Did they at least-"
"Eighty six percent." B'kak didn't know whether that made it better or worse: on the one hand, if he accidentally inspired the wrath of the almost-certainly-real sea witch, at least he would not be entirely stuck as a fungal amphibian.
On the other hand, that still left fourteen percent squoggification.
Greater good. Greater Good. Greater Good. The words he repeated like a mantra, doing his best to get himself together. You are a diplomat. You've negotiated ransoms with Gue'la Inquisitors, brokered mercenary contracts with ork waaaaghs, and more besides. Any one of those could have killed you: this one is, at worst, liable to give you what amounts to an embarrassing medical condition.
And, beyond that, think of the potential utility the Tau Empire could get if they managed to achieve good relations also with the sea witch. Funnily enough, the latter thought did more to steel his nerves than the ones before it.
"Alright," B'kak said, finally breaking the silence. "My apologies, I just needed a moment to compose myself," He said brisky, continuing his walk. "Let's hurry, shall we? This space is rather…unsettling."
They continued their trek, eventually approaching a strange circle floored with stone surrounded by glowing coral on all sides, a small bubble of air in that submerged space. From all around them, a court of strange beings sat, gazing upon them: will-o-wisps that ate at the light around them instead of casting it, cephalapodic spirits whose cranium consisted of exposed neural tissue, strange volcanic golems that almost resembled crustaceans, and beings that appeared almost like Gue'la, Tekket, and even 'Muse', were it not for their translucent ephemeral forms.
And at the heart of this makeshift throne room in that vast undersea cavern lie the Sea Wytch, Manifest Current, Aspect Elemental. One of the great patrons of Wyld Occultism. When the Tau's gaze found this great vita, this demigoddess, for a moment his brain was unable to comprehend it: he saw something so terrible, so cold that his mind refused to absorb it. Then, a moment later, left unknowing of what he had seen other than its wrongness, B'kak found himself gazing instead upon something that looked…ALMOST like a Tau, the Depths attempt to select a form less alarming to them.
"Ambassador Por'Vre Hul'aan Al B'kak," The Great Vita said with needle like teeth giving a ghastly grin. "I've been looking forward to your arrival. I believe your empire and I have so very much to offer," They spoke, and B'kak shuddered.
((((()))))
Commissioned by @Kirbstomp, who wanted a look at what the ocean vita could become if ya'll focused hard on them. I'm not gonna tell you how to achieve this. I also included a few references to other future things I'm planning. Obviously, by the time we reach this point in the timeline I expect all my plans to be totally derailed, of course.
Also, I am officially starting the project auction. Rules are the same as before. To whit:
1. I have a limited number of winning slots determined by how badly I need money.
2. Winners are determined by highest bids.
3. Max point cost for bidded project is capped by bid size: basically, you can't bid 25 dollars for a 50 or 100'd pointer, but if someone bids a cool hundo, people can bid on any project with a point cost equal to or lesser than 100.
4. All bids must tag me.
5. Payment upfront after the auction closes: I'll send a PM to discuss details, I use paypal, kofi, cashapp, etc.
6. The auction will be open until the moratorium ends.
And your pool consists of:
-Naklean Union Hall
-Great Space Express
-Perpetunite Recyclers
-Archaeology!
-Naklean MagmaBugs
-Crystaleaf Arbor Guardians
-The Chalice
-BioArt
-Sandscorn Heat Shield
Auction closes on the 27th, day before my birthday.
- Location
- USA
chellewalker
President of the Water Seeker Fan Club
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[] Plan: Almost Finish Algoa+Brixis
-[] Brixis
--[] LAB M-01W-SPECIMIN STORAGE
--[] LAB M-01W-02
---[] Burn the Items
--[] Rhetoric: Explain the general Purge and how we're trying to stop/limit its devastation. Ask if they know of any way to help save as much of the Forbidden Archive as possible.
-[] Algoa
--[] Lab E-02U-02
-[] Kaziim
--[] The Dungeons
-[] Brixis
--[] LAB M-01W-SPECIMIN STORAGE
--[] LAB M-01W-02
---[] Burn the Items
--[] Rhetoric: Explain the general Purge and how we're trying to stop/limit its devastation. Ask if they know of any way to help save as much of the Forbidden Archive as possible.
-[] Algoa
--[] Lab E-02U-02
-[] Kaziim
--[] The Dungeons
Last edited:
ReaperofInterest
Herald of Disaster
If you're bidding in the auction, you need to tag the GM.
MordredRaal
Agitating
- Pronouns
- She/They
[X] Plan: Almost Finish Algoa+Brixis