Alterman Extended Cast

Hi. The author isn't sure about some of these, he may take them in a different direction later.

Alterman Kess: A less prominent Alterman, her armor is a light metallic purple with gunmetal highlights. One of the largest Altermen, at the top end for strength/durability, middling endurance, and defaults to the very low end for speed, but makes up for it with her unique skill, which is something like a burst of time acceleration. A skilled fighter, she fights Jann early on and does pretty well, but they break it off when Vell interrupts.

Alterman Tem: Another less prominent Alterman, his armor is pure white, with grey and yellow highlights. Top end for speed, bottom for strength and durability, upper middle endurance. Had a very powerful static field that he had to charge by running, and although he never did much damage, he was very difficult for to catch, zapping anyone who managed to get close. At range, however, his electricity was much weaker, and he required his static field to carry much.

Vell defeated him by ripping the front of his helmet off and threatening to punch his face in, an event that caused Vell significant trauma.

Alterman Tem was a policeman in his other identity.

Alterman Liff: An earlier Alterman, killed by Jann. Her armor was light blue. Lower middle strength, speed, or durability, but still holds the absolute longest activation time on record. Her unique ability let her make solid surfaces explode when she touched them.

Alterman Kal: One of the last Altermen to activate, he was killed by Jann. His armor was a light metallic green. Upper middle for strength, speed, and endurance, but had remarkably little durability, and his special power was a multilevel camouflage field.

Alterman Rex: A mysterious black Alterman who wields a massive sword. Usually silent, but speaks in a female voice, and has some connection to the creators of the suits. Power unknown. (Heavily implied to be the Somniac, using a generation one Asynchronous Exoskeleton as a disguise.)

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.

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.

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.

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.)

The Kallen Series (Binding Universe)

Hi. The author is really sorry this is so late, so maybe he'll actually schedule the next one the day before. He hopes.

Appearance

Four legs, each connected to the circular center piece.

Feet not separate from lower half of legs, predominant red coloring*.

Legs are twin rectangles connected by the same type of joint as the shoulder, the two halves are interchangeable.

All other factors vary with model.

Movement

Generally slow, although progressively faster over most of the successive iterations.

Walking (All versions)

Jumping (Model Six and derivatives only. Quite limited.)

Skating (Model Eight and above.)

Flight (With rocket modules. Model Nine and above.)

Loadout

Standard:

Flare Lense

Shovel claws*

Rocket tubing (Model 10 and above, double as leg mounted blowtorches)

Optional:

Extra leg joint (all models)

External radar array (all models)

Torso mounted missile pods (all models)

Railgun mortar (Model 8 and above)

Version History

Model 1: Initial release. Slow, not terribly popular, quickly phased out.

Model 2: Reworked legs, significantly faster. Production ceased when a structural weakness is discovered in the new joint.

Model 3: Legs are reworked again, now resemble originals. Faster than the original, but not as much as the Model Two. Used for several years, phased out for Model Four.

Model 4: Addition of telescoping legs improves speed beyond that of Model Two, improves shock bracing. Very popular, responsible for more than twice the sales of any other model, but actually had a fairly short production run, due to the release of the Model Five.

Model 5: General performance upgrade. Somewhat popular, but not as much as it’s predecessor, resulting in reduced sales despite more than twice the production time. Production ends with the unwelcome arrival of the Model Six.

Model 6: Stripped down armor to reduce weight and profile, nearly doubled range of telescoping legs, color scheme changed to dark blue. Changes are almost universally criticised, production halted. Design is renamed the Kallen Type B, gets an updated release alongside all future models, becomes reasonably popular in it’s own right.

Model 7: Rushed to production in light of the Model Six’s failure, acts like a heavier duty version of the Model Six. Reasonably well received, but suffers limited sales due to previously alienated customer base.

Model 8: General systems upgrade. Central body reworked to allow mounting of heavier missile pods and sensors, legs reworked to allow wheels. Gets marketed for military use rather than civilian, enjoys moderate success.

Model 9: Balance and power supply upgrades, rocket module made feasible for legs. Very popular among civilian enthusiasts, but suffers limited sales among them due to cost.

Model 10: Minor overhaul. Many systems streamlined, rockets now included by default. Sells reasonably well, but not exceptionally so.

Model 11: General systems upgrade. More emphasis placed on distinction between civilian and military modules. Networking between autopilots refined significantly.

Model 12: Networking further refined. Letheium core made legal with licence.

*Exception: Model Six and derivatives.

Vanka (Observed Universe)

Hi. Maybe this scheduling thing will become a regular thing? Hmm. Anyway, sorry for the nonexistent editing, I don't have time to fix it at the moment.

Vanka was from a poor-but-honest family, and didn’t have a sufficient means of support upon leaving it. Lacking a job, and with no better options, she signed up for the military. She was acceptable in boot camp, but certainly not exceptional enough to qualify for sniper training or officer pay, which she needed if she wanted more than the barest necessities, let alone to help her family. So when she was offered the option to sign up for experimental Power testing, she happily accepted, on the premise that it would be fairly simple, reasonably nondangerous, and not require surgery, as well as provide Special Operations pay and benefits. All of this was technically true. Technically.

In the deeply classified comedy of errors that followed, she was subjected to an attempt to exploit Self Observation as a Power source while still allowing adaptive thought, thereby removing the primary problem with that ritual. To this end they split her mind into Phantoms, with the instances identical save for being about half a second off from each other, and set them to take turns between controlling her body and Observing it. This produced rather less impressive power levels than hoped, and introduced a very slight pause time as the personas shifted roles. They attempted to solve these by adding more iterations, the latest of which would always shift from power generation to movement modeling right before it took control, allowing optimized, graceful movement.

This was a mistake.

Vanka is now host to more than twenty copies of herself, incredibly graceful and fluid in her movements, and utterly incapable of aiming guns at combat ranges. Her Grace lets her see and use the best future muscle movements for a task, but makes her sight a number of successive viewpoints, all from slightly different positions, and slightly different points in time, rendering it impossible to accurately aim at any moving target smaller than a shed. In response, she has been equipped with a few homing attacks, and a heavy melee Power loadout, although they’ve skimped a bit on the defense aspect due to her Grace doubling as a way to assist dodging, by allowing her to choose the movements that minimize wounds.

She was then handed to Akabane’s squad, as part of the ongoing project there, and so far, she seems to be doing quite well, although they haven’t been able to attract any long term Observers--current speculation is that they need at least one more member, if they’re following the old conventions, and for best results they want someone with a fair bit of power but not much experience with it.

Powerset Analysis

Title: Special Commando Vanka Kavusa

Roles: Defective Supersoldier, Team Girl, Melee Specialist (Martial Arts Chick), Supporting Family Back Home

System: Reformed Timed Boundary (Maxwell Variant)

Estimated Level: 35

Boundary Strength: 1100

Boundary Cycle Speed: 120

Strength: 180

Sight: 10-90(special)

Base Resilience: 90(total: 140-200)

Power Capacity: 60

Power Generation: 50 per Cycle

Ability Focus: 5

Preferred Range: Melee

Special Traits: Self Possession x23 (Instinctive Grace, Inhibited Aim, Rapid Movement, True Seer, Automatic Evade, Power Well, Phantom Aura x23)

Active Abilities: Phantom Shield, Winter Missile, Burst Strike, Demonhammer, Legion Breaker(charge dependant, 3-7 cycles)

Other Forms

Vanka Natural: A bonus boss, Vanka manages to deactivate her Phantoms, allowing much better aim and the benefits of her manual levelling. Mid level, more of a miniboss than a standard bonus boss.

Vanka Actual: Another bonus boss, Vanka reactivates her Selfpossession, and becomes significantly stronger. Acts as a stronger version of her from her mandatory fight, in the same vein as Akabane Reload. Vanka Actual, Kurlin Rave, and Akabane Reload are also a bonus boss together, and provide one of the most difficult fights in the game.