The Totalitary
A race of fallen angels...
The Dread Enemy featured in the Entide- the prophesied Day of Doom when all good heroes will die. One of the Guardian Class races empowered by The One to shepherd and nurture Younger races, they long since lost their way, their ideals twisted and driven mad by the natural course of survival. Thousands of years ago they rampaged through High Space, subjugating entire planets in their mad quest for "peace" and "perfection". Last sighted over four hundred years ago, they met their match on the unassuming Planet Earth and the hardy Humans found there. They have not been seen since, presumably licking their wounds and nursing their pride over how such a primitive race could have brought their campaign to a standstill.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Totalitary is composed of a variety of enslaved species, all which bear cyborganic implants that pervade their bodies. How much of the original species remains alive is unknown. The Reptilloids still bear the scars of their tampering.
Reptilloids
ReptilloidConcept1.jpg
Reptilloids Charge
by
Mardrena
Rough pencil and ink doodle
Genetics and Reproduction
The Totalitary perpetuates expansion through conversion: the process of surgically altering a victim with cyborganic implants or nanotech infusions. Individuals deemed of exceptional use to their cause are first enticed with enhancement then put through a series of operations, first removing the outermost layer of skin tissue and replacing it with metal. Initially painful, the process becomes incrementally more euphoric, as the subject embraces surrendering their former body to the cold embrace of metal.
Beware those with hearts of steel They’ll chop off your limbs and make you squeal Beware those with minds of bolts They’ll fry your brains with a thousand volts Beware those who speak in moans They’ll flay your flesh and gild your bones When the pain subsides you’ll sing and you’ll hum Because now you’ve become one of them -Captain Caroline Wendell
Additional Information
Social Structure
If any of the original race remains alive, they remain aloof, directing their forces from a distance. Commanders come from the higher echelons while simple-minded drones form the lower echelons.
Facial characteristics
The lowest echelons have their individuality stripped from them, their faces encased in metal. Upper echelons retain some semblance of their former existence and are permitted to retain their individuality.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The original race is believed to have dwelled at the outermost fringes of the Milky Way, gradually working their way inward along the arms as they sought to uplift and supervise Younger Races.
Average Intelligence
As old as Time itself, the Totalitary have a vast pool of knowledge of races both active and extinct. To them, they are the wise elder while Younger Races are fumbling infants. Those they subjugate they augment with their own technology while absorbing advancements made by the victim race into their fold.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Conversion amplifies a subject's natural abilities tenfold. In the case of the Reptilloids, they benefit from enhanced durability and agility.
Rowen stepped fully into the light. Cye’s horror intensified when he saw clearly what he couldn’t see through shadow. At first glance it looked as if the figure wore armor, but the fit was far too close. Gold colored plates covered the shoulders, elbows, knees, and collarbone. The trademark blue hair remained mostly intact, including the thick forelock hanging down between the eyes over the thin metal band that went across the forehead. The skin looked pale, almost white, and thin metal wires ran over the skin from the sides of the head to the cheek on either side, ending in three flat studs. Thin tubes seemed to go into the skin where the jugular veins should have been. The only flesh visible remained on the head, and from the neck down, gleaming bluish metal covered the body. “My God…what have they done to you?” Cye breathed, feeling sickened.Ur-Rowen
UrRowen1.jpg
Ur-Rowen
by
Mardrena
Pencil and ink drawing
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Members of the upper echelon will have their names prefixed by Ur-, symbolizing that they are of a uber or superior level of existence. Others can have their names altered with -ech.
Beauty Ideals
The Totalitary believe in perfection through subjugation. Aside from the upper echelons, everything that makes an individual unique is purged from their bodies, surgically removed or covered in metal.
"The Rowen I know would never suggest such things!” “The Rowen you know is dead!” Rowen snapped and narrowed his eyes, which Cye found he couldn’t look at directly. They disturbed him too much, the way minuscule wires flashed and plates shifted where the iris should have been. “He died and was reborn, free from human frailties and faults."
Average Technological Level
It was initially theorized that the Totalitary created burst drive technology, but this seems unlikely as they would have simply used it to conquer the galaxy in leaps and bounds. They were known to have used smaller fighter craft for harrying opposition while the bulk of their forces resided in city-sized vessels. After opposition is wiped out, they are able to erect necessary infrastructure in a matter of days.
While their armaments and vehicles are impressive, their most dreadful specialization is found in their cyborganic implants. Metal is used to replace anything from skeletal structure to organs, as evidenced with the Reptilloids.
Spoiler Warning: Unpublished Content!
Spacequake Ch.5"Even our young are born with these...'cyborganic' implants," Trakar lamented and turned his arm over so the Ronin could see the way the tubes entered his skin where veins should be. "Their corruption runs so deep, our race will never be restored. After we regained our free will, we vowed to ensure no other race suffer a similar fate, as I will now demonstrate to you." Trakar tilted his torso up slightly, reaching with both hands to the center seam of the breast plate covering his upper chest. The Ronin watched aghast as Trakar pried the plate open, exposing the entire chest cavity.
Instead of soft wet tissue and bone, they saw metallic ribs and a pulsating bluish blob of a sponge-like material where Trakar's heart should have been. A lattice of tubes and wires and miniature pumps formed the lungs. Tanya recoiled at the sight, burying her face in Kento's shoulder, who patted her on the back reassuringly. Ryo remained speechless. He glanced from the synthetic organs to Trakar's face, and he could see what looked like tears forming under his eyes. Trakar's face-normally bearing an indifferent expression-seemed etched with shame.
History
“Mother...” Caroline glanced at him, startled somewhat since he hadn’t referred to her that way before. “You know so much about these different races…what do you know about the Totalitary?” The way Caroline’s eyebrows shot up and her lips drew taut in a grimace indicated she knew quite a lot. “Not much...they’re...they’re boogeymen...an urban legend. Stories aliens tell to their kids to scare them to sleep at night.” Caroline tilted her palm up and shrugged. “They used to be one of the Guardian-class races; the first to achieve sentience at the dawn of time. Instead of standing back and letting the youngsters walk on their own they started acting like fussy parents trying to make everyone behave. It grew into an obsession and eventually their idea of order meant turning living beings into glorified toaster ovens. The way I hear it is a few centuries ago they headed into Sol to pick a fight, came back out with a bloody nose. No one’s seen nor heard from them since.”
Fall From Grace: Revolt Against God
There are said to be four tiers of existence in the universe: The One, who stands above all others, the Guardians, tasked with watching over developing species, the Superbeings, those who have advanced greatly but not quite at Guardian level, and the Younger Races, those who are just barely finding their footing in the Vault of Stars. Even the mighty Traghdoash were but a Younger Race themselves. When The One fashioned the universe, He empowered the Guardians with great intellect and skill, tasking them with watching over His children. Of the Guardians, only two are referenced anywhere in the Milky Way: the Totalitary and the Peh'qu'tour. It was intended that the Guardians help the Younger races learn to stand on their own then step back and let them find their own way. However, both Guardians fell to meddling with the Peh'qu'tour tampering with Younger Races on a genetic level and the Totalitary viewing a hostile collective as the only true solution to peace. In the case of the Totalitary, they initially attempted to discreetly uplift promising races, but as each race seemed to degrade into barbarism and reckless warfare, the Totalitary became increasingly disillusioned with their mission. Species they carefully cultivated would either go extinct from technological atrophy or consume one another with shocking savagery. Their despair deepened throughout the eons until finally they decided instead of uplifting they would absorb these Younger Races into their fold. At first they tried peaceful coercion, then eventually began forceful conquest."Azuro, I have seen the future! I know what comes to claim us all, and the goddesses would keep this truth hidden to preserve their own status! They expect us to depend on swords and sorcery to fight an entire race of fallen angels!? Why sacrifice ourselves needlessly in the Entide when we are capable of so much more!"-RothennSpacequake Ch. 5
"They remember this world! This was the planet that fought back! Many civilizations had given themselves over willingly to the Totalitary, but not Earth! Earth refused and rejected them! And for that...they had to be punished..."-Trankandalaktar
Drawn to Blood: Intervention on Earth
Centuries ago during one of the bloodiest upheavals to have ever occurred in Human history, the Totalitary set their sights on this backwater world, bringing their colossal city-ships into the heavens above the plain strewn with slain warriors. Feudal lords and vassals looked to the heavens, horrified at the strange craft streaking through the sky. The Totalitary proclaimed themselves liberators and saviors, offering Humans a place in their ranks. The mightiest lord of the time, Hai-Riyo the Sun Emperor, flat out rejected this offer and he and his vassals-who possessed powerful mystical armors-fought fiercely against incursion. At the same time, Emperor Talpa of the Nether Realm viewed the Totalitary as meddlers and directed his four Dark Warlords-themselves gifted with mystical armor-to slaughter the invaders. While these powerful warriors held their own, the Totalitary seemed capable of fielding limitless numbers. Unknown to the Human defenders on the ground, far in the heavens the Transgalactic Gate created by Eyurodin disgorged thousands of pegacorn warriors from Thanged, led by Memner the Sky King. Meeting briefly with Kaosu the Ancient One, Memner pledged to defend Earth, what he dubbed the "Oldworld". Murdina Lockehart, bearer of the Armor of Typhoon, soon joined the fray, calling upon Hai-Riyo and Anubis to parley. Realizing only a single decisive blow would purge the Totalitary from the heavens, the ten Armor Bearers would pool their powers unto Hai-Riyo, forming the Armor of Gea, the "World Armor"."We never should have come here!! You expect us to depend on swords and sorcery to fight against the Totalitary!?”-Dhr Aurir
Taken Behind the Woodshed: Full Retreat!
The Totalitary already did not know what to make of these Armor Bearers and the spectacular powers they wielded: capable of wiping out entire squadrons of fighter craft in a single blow. The introduction of the Armor of Gea complicated things further with Hai-Riyo downing entire city ships with a mere gesture. At some point, through unknown circumstances, Hai-Riyo went mad and destroyed both city ships and his own troops. While the Totalitary had managed to drive the Thangien forces from the field by targeting Memner, they themselves were forced to withdraw entirely from the planet after suffering overwhelming losses. Never before in all of the billions of years they had marched unopposed had they seen such powers wielded by Younger Races. They retreated to their base of operations to analyze their defeat and recoup their forces. Talpa, seething over the Totalitary's intrusion and the loss of his opportunity to claim the Mortal Realm, dispatched his Dark Warlords through a Nether Bridge to fight the Totalitary on their very doorstep. Initially shocked that these individuals had managed to follow them through the Vault of Stars, the Totalitary proved themselves far more deadly than anyone anticipated with numbers beyond comprehension. Realizing his folly, Talpa ordered his forces to withdraw, losing three of his prized generals in the process. While he was able to reclaim their spirits and their Armors using dark sorcery, the outcome would force both sides into isolation for the next four hundred years. Back on Earth, the greatest of the surviving lords at the time decreed that all mention of the Totalitary be stricken from history, forcing his vassals to swear an oath of silence and that any who broke this vow be executed. Even theatrical depictions of the mystical Armors were swiftly punished. Only those who were there that day and still live know the truth of what unfolded in the heavens. While he viewed this as a mercy to humanity, believing the truth would cause undue panic amongst the populace, it could also be argued that this negatively impacted humanity's development and defenses.Prophecy of End Tide
Still reeling from the loss of Memner and the ferocity of the Totalitary, Roth, Thangien Goddess of Victory, began making preparations for the Totalitary's future return. She seeded within the Thangien culture a prophesied end of days where the people must lay down their old grudges against the Thunthen and unite against the Enemy. However, she knew these two races alone could not stand against a Guardian Class. They needed others to join the coalition, and a unique race to unite them. It would take over four hundred years for Planet Thanged to reestablish contact with Planet Earth, and for Roth to find the champions she so desperately sought...Spoiler Warning: Unpublished Content!
Spacequake Ch.10"Hey Cyebrid," The alien-possessed human turned around and smirked, amused by the nickname the Ronin had coined for him. "You're one of these 'Elder Races', right?" Ryo asked. Cyebrid shrugged and waved a hand through the air.
"Ehh, not quite. More of a Younger Race on the cusp of Superbeing status. You could say 'Adolescent': just now getting the keys to the first car and all..." he chuckled.
"What can you tell us about the Totalitary?" Ryo queried. Cyebrid frowned and folded his spindly arms over his chest, closing his eyes and sighing heavily in dismay.
"Now there's a cautionary tale, if ever I heard one...They were originally one of the Guardian Races. When The One crafted the universe, he entrusted care of the Younger Races to the Guardians. They were supposed to serve as guides, nurturing development, but each race they supervised would descend into chaos and ultimately collapse. This happened so often that eventually they grew tired of such staggering loss of life and wanton destruction. They fell deeper and deeper into despair before finally abandoning their original directive and seeking to enslave all lesser lifeforms.
"Widespread loss of life is a tragedy, of that there is no doubt, but it is the way of things, sad though it may be. The Totalitary stopped being able to see things that way, and their despair consumed them entirely. It is never the role of the parent to hover about their child and intervene incessantly. The child must learn to walk on their own, and eventually the parent steps back to watch from afar," Cyebrid splayed his fingers and turned his palms up, waving slightly.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Formerly of the Guardian Class, the Totalitary views all other lifeforms-even Superbeings-as inferior and intended only for subjugation. There is no negotiation or overture of peace. No trade or threat will deter them.
While I am gladdened that the Ronin Warriors have found kindred spirits to aid them, I can only pray it will be enough…they will need these precious allies if they are to defeat an enemy to whom the very concept of free thought and will seems as an affront… Kaosu shuddered under his robes as he vividly recalled the sky clogged full of otherworldly vessels that loomed larger than cities, and Hariel and his Ronin Warriors and Anubis and his Dark Warlords fighting united with Mardrena the Great against the shambling metallic hordes on the ground while Memner’s people fought desperately against the foe in the sky.
“That does it, no more Mr. Nice Cye! You’re going to give me answers!” Cye turned his weapon around and plunged it into the conduit holding the canopy in place. He wrenched the blades from side to side, slicing the panel loose, then grabbed a ragged edge with one hand and shoved it away. Cye reached down, expecting to grab a cloth uniform. His fingers brushed against smooth metal plate, not that different from the armor he wore, though considerably less bulky. The metal covered head swiveled around at an impossible angle and craned back to look at him. Glowing white lenses stared at his face. Cye stared back in disbelief, not sure what to make of the thing sitting in the cockpit, or even what to call it.
"I saw the world taken over in less than a day, and you and all the others were dead.” Cye didn’t see fit to tell what happened to Rowen, fearing Ryo would find it more unsettling than he had. “Ryo…I saw her.” Cye didn’t need to elaborate on who he meant by “her”, as Ryo nodded understandingly. “She showed me things…things I don’t completely understand, but things that are real.” Cye crossed his legs and set his hands on his knees, averting his gaze. “Entide will happen in our lifetime, and the Ronin Warriors will have to fight in it, but the battlefield isn’t going to be Thanged.” Cye looked at Ryo worriedly. “It’ll be Earth.”
Origin/Ancestry
Guardian Class Race
Lifespan
Indeterminate
Average Height
Varied
Average Weight
Varied
Average Length
Varied
Average Physique
Conversion will take the natural qualities of a specimen and dial it up to 11. A human may become more intelligent or athletic, a lesser beast more savage and swift.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Cyborganic implants typically appear as gleaming metal with accents of blue, red, green, or gold. Upper echelons are allowed to customize their new bodies to their liking.
“Though your armors have rebelled against their true Master, these weapons were crafted with potent magic, magic that I will bend to the Dynasty’s will in time!” “Rrrrgh! Bautan! Don’t be a fool! This is no time for your ridiculous power schemes! The Totalitary are returning!” Anubis shouted. Bautan’s skin paled more than should have been possible and his eyes widened in genuine concern.
Ryo saw Anubis standing alone on the edge of the bluff staring out at the city. Ryo walked over to him. “You didn’t say you knew what they were called…” “That is what they called themselves…and it seemed to suit them…” Anubis said in an exhausted sigh. “Know this Ryo; they will not care about good or evil, righteous or wicked. They will see us and they will call us imperfect and they will try to change us to suit their whims.”
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