Saturday, August 29, 2015

Alterman Backstory

The author finally has something to post, so he's doing so now. A pity he's so late, but he did warn you.


Six years prior to the series, the Somniac entered Fort Winnifred. She demonstrated her powers, and agreed to advanced testing on the condition that her family would be left alone, uninvestigated. Her terms were (ostensibly) agreed to, and research began.

Unfortunately, all attempts to replicate her powers directly failed. While she was able to safely Desynchronize other people, none of the Desynchronized volunteers were able to actually become Conductors - they’d either severely injure themselves, or simply resynchronize. And while the Somniac’s personal abilities were impressive, they weren’t enormously valuable by themselves. Another solution was needed.

Said solution came from the study of Desynchronized objects. While Desynchronized wires were capable of the same effects as a Conductor’s nerves, they didn’t have the automatic power absorption that kept a Conductor from resynchronizing, and their size made them much less efficient for multiple roles. Exploration into utilizing the Somniac’s own tissue samples...
...And then she figured out how to make stable hyperdimensional screws, rendering the whole process moot.

With the addition of a motor, objects could be Desynchronized indefinitely, by simply removing them from the normal universe. This still required some time, but Conductor technology was now viable. One of the very first projects was the Asynchronous Exoskeleton, an attempt to bypass the normal difficulties of simulating Pendulum directly.
It failed, but in a useful way. On the one hand, the Conductors it produced weren’t nearly as versatile as the Somniac, and none of them could use their powers outside of the suits. On the other, what powers they could use were quite efficient, and individual modules could be made for various applications. As a side effect, they were much closer to a safe, public release, as soon as they’d solved their production bottleneck: The Somniac herself.

As of two months prior to the series, they have, to some degree. The descendant of the Asynchronous Exoskeletons, the Alterman Suits, are still hideously expensive, but more than twelve variants have been sent for “advanced testing”, AKA the Grant Bait Gala, when the convoy carrying them is caught in a massive explosion, as it crosses the highway over Jonasberg. Most of the suits are not recovered.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Nuclear Magi

Hi. The author may not be able to update for some time, so this is prescheduled. Enjoy a slightly updated idea he had years ago!

Fusion Magi:
Powers:
  • Can initiate spontaneous fusion in any known substance that they are in contact with, initiating this in anything with the same or a higher atomic number than iron costs energy, whereas doing so with anything with a lower number than iron provides them energy.
  • The energy gained is determined by how many reactions happen, meaning that a slow rate of fusion will yield more charge than a fast one, and a lower numbered starting material can grant more power before being expended.
  • Can use said energy (usually heat and light) to do a number of things like
    • Heat areas, often explosively
    • Light areas
    • Generate large amounts of force
    • Stimulate chemical reactions (eg. keeping themselves alive underwater for hours.) An advanced use, requiring significant skill.
    • Construct objects from recently fusioned materials.
Percent of Population: est. about 45%, but only about 30% have been shown so far, as it takes either lots of training to use or a really rare mutation/deformity/brain damage, as being able to use these powers on accident* would not be a survival trait for small children.

*Fusion Magi are far more likely to use their powers unintentionally due to the abundance of fusionable materials compared to fissionables.

Fission Magi
Powers:
  • Can initiate spontaneous fission in any substance besides hydrogen, although again, in order to actually gain energy the fusioned element must have a higher atomic number than iron. Power generation and use is very similar to that of fusion magi, with the practical difference being their dependance on heavier elements, making it possible to restrain them without killing them.
  • As a side effect, it is easier for them to regulate their energy generation, and much easier to set off chain reactions.
Percent of Population: Est. about 50%, now that the powers are widely known many people are testing for these, note however that one cannot have more than one power.

Antimatter Magi
Powers:
  • Converts light into matter and vice versa. Very versatile and very rare, but cannot use their powers for anything besides matter/energy conversion, forcing workarounds.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Self Observation (Observed Universe)

Hi. Ponder the implications.

Not a man but a force.
Bound by time, but having seen the face of the future,
I have made all choices available to me,
and these I now execute.
Self Observation is a measure of last resort, a means by which a man can act as an Observer, although they remain bound by time, and cannot see the past at will. Or the present, for that matter. All that can bee seen with this technique is the future, and all that can be done is to grant themselves power and a general direction - once their vision of the future solidifies, it’s effectively happened, and they can only regain true autonomy when the vision ends.
As such, the experience is both dangerous and quite disorienting. Nevertheless, it can be a potent way to gather power, and focusing on a single task - such as meditation or juggling - dispels most of the problems. A side effect of this, many people have supplanted their need for sleep, or healing outside of combat.

Another reason Self Observation is rare is that it can be stopped by pact suppression techniques, or by the direct influence of Observers - this only applies to those unbound by time; multiple Self Observers can and have interacted repeatedly, generally in combat.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

The Fifth and Final Ended Age (Dead Messenger #5)

So evidently, this blog now operates on a later time zone. As recompense a way to celebrate, have something really cool that I forgot to post for ages!

Name: The Fifth and Final Ended Age
Other Names: The Last Dead Messenger, The King of Ended Time, The Timeless Prince, End
Species: Artificial Nephilim (Major Demon)
Known Abilities: Continuum (Dark Nature, Unique)
Known Weaknesses: Stolen Time, End Of Days (suspected)
Equipment: Unknown
Spell Arsenal: Red Queen Principle
Description: A man of indeterminate age, with clothing and features both purely black and white. Said black and white are not physically possible shades; they absorb all light and disseminate it in all spectrums for which they are absorbing sufficient energy, respectively, making it exceedingly difficult to for an unaided process his image. He was seen very rarely, and never without his intent, until his death. His powers were likewise unwitnessable until neutralised, although their effects were usually extremely obvious.
Ability Analysis: Continuum is the most powerful Nephilim ability ever recorded, and within the top three most powerful abilities ever, alongside He Who Wanders’ ability and it’s copy, Paradigm. It was used to create the Fifth Timeline, by uniformly accelerating the entire universe outside He who Wanders’ immediate sphere of influence, to such a degree that He Who Wanders was effectively frozen. This had the possibly unexpected effect of finally allowing him to reconnect with She Who Slumbers, and when he was finally able to react to this, he returned with her to their original universe. Continuum included the ability to selectively accelerate or decelerate various parts of the universe; achieving the effect of moving indefinitely fast or stopping the motion of targets, and The King also demonstrated the apparent ability to split himself into identical duplicates, each of which had access to his powers. Stolen Time is the only ability confirmed to be able to combat it, as it allows the caster to keep pace with the Last Dead Messenger. End of Days was almost certainly copied from this ability, although it displays a very different set of characteristics from what Continuum ever showed. Unlike all other Dark Natures previously displayed, Continuum does not need to be charged by killing people, and the believed reason for this is that it automatically collects a fraction of all the death magic that was ever released in his surroundings, although this is presumably limited to the portion that was unused.
Notes: The King Of Ended Time is arguably the most impressive work of Ethan Greyfield, AKA David Huntington (identity still disputed). His crowning achievement was stealing Paradigm from He Who Wanders, and using it to conquer the Fifth Timeline, but this was only possible with, and indeed that timeline was directly created by, the actions of the King Of Ended Time.

(A/N: Some explanation is necessary. Souls are not inherently bound by time, although all known vessels for them are, with up to two exceptions that depend on one’s interpretation of the Origin and the Afterworld. The reason that time travel is impossible is that it infringes on other souls; if one travels backwards more than a few instants, other souls must reassume their positions in the past, and for this to happen, all of those affected must be both willing and capable. Hence, direct alteration of one’s personal timeline is possible, but only if it does not directly affect others, as is altering the flow of time. The King of Ended Time is the first known entity to truly use this potential to its logical extent.)