[hider=Legius] [u][b]NAME:[/b][/u]: Legius [u][b]SPECIES:[/b][/u] Alverius Animo Sanguisugea Ardakatanatis (Gestalt creature made from Void-Eels, Micro-swarms, and a Vrexul’s corpse.) [u][b]AGE[/b]:[/u] 18 months since creation. Components average 51 years [u][b]FACTION ALIGNMENT[/b][/u]: Unaligned [u][b]HEIGHT/WEIGHT[/b][/u]: 15 feet [u][b]PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION[/b][/u]: Legius appears as some twisted Vrexul. Its whole body is covered in a dark grey spiked carapace. It stands on two digitigrade legs but is almost bent in half hunching, so much so that its height is easily reduced by three feet. Though sometimes, it prefers to move by scuttling along the ground. It possesses more appendages than there could ever be a need for. It has four hulking arms, each ending in vicious claws. The upper pair is slightly larger than the lower one. Both hang well past its knees, with the lower pair almost reaching the ground. Six spiderlike limbs extend from its back. Fifteen feet long, they end in sharp spikes, mostly used for combat and movement. Grafted to the base of its spine is a long cybernetic tail capable of extending and retracting by several feet. It has a face that no mother could love. Two giant pairs of mandibles open up to reveal an array of razor fangs in its mouth. Topping it all off is a ring of eyes that sprouts all around its head, both organic and cybernetic. [u][b]BACKGROUND PRIOR TO BEING SELECTED FOR THE MISSION:[/b][/u] Impressed by the praolznevatz’s ability to summon creatures from the Abyss to augment their ether capabilities, the ARS (Autonomous Research Society, a subgroup from the UCL) sought to accomplish the same. They conducted various experiments. With no data to go on, the scientists tried everything they could think of, hoping for something to take. It turns out that the abyssic plane is not home to the most benign of creatures resulting in some horrible accidents. Vast amounts of both knowledge and skill are needed to tame these creatures. But they started making some headway, discovering that some parasites could be combined to be something more than the sum of its parts. One such combination that showed exceptional promise was Ardakatanati and Sanguisugea. Ardakatanati are swarms of microorganisms. They are indubitably parasites, infesting fauna and devouring them from the inside out. Sanguisugea are ethereal eel-like creatures from the Abzu appearing in every color of the rainbow. These eels have tremendous psychic potential but are usually only food for more powerful void dwellers. They have the capability to seep into the mind of a creature, effectively hijacking it, but that is where it ends, as they have no true intelligence and can have great difficulty binding to living matter. These two species combined so perfectly that they were effectively creating an entirely new organism. Perhaps they fused too well. See, Ardakatanati is not a single entity controlled by one interweaved consciousness as they thought. It is a hivemind communicating so flawlessly with each other that it is undetectable. Using multiple swarms, they created one massive swarm of Ardakatanati. When they infected the swarm with Sanguisugea, this new amalgamation gained sentience. Deciding to shift tracks, they decided rather than enhancing soldiers, these creatures would be weaponized, as they had far too much potential to waste. However, there was one problem these two creatures are exceedingly hard to capture, to the point where it was almost impractical. But, they had come this far and needed results. Since it would be a waste to dump years of research into some random body, they extracted all of the parasites and prepared something worthy of their creation. While the ARS is a small community, they have considerable backing, both monetary and physical from the UCL. The reason for their private and separate existence is the nature of their experiments. Most are ethically reprehensible. Many of their members believe that the only way to get results is to experiment on real organisms. They acquire subjects through a wide range of methods, from outright capturing small vessels to looting battlefields. Nothing is beneath them. Thus they had the perfect baseline component, a mighty Vrexul soldier. Whenever a subject was infected, these parasites would disassemble and reassemble it at a molecular level, changing and wrapping its form. Linking to the hivemind, this change was directed and controlled. It was a lengthy process of steadily flooding the Vrexul body with parasites while feeding it biomatter, restarting the process if something went awry. But they succeeded with the result: Alverius Animo Sanguisugea Ardakatanatis or Legius. Legius is a biological-mechanical-suit housing a hivemind of over a hundred psychic parasites. After undergoing various experiments, it was decided that while it shows great promise, it should undergo more thorough testing in a real combat environment. Legius was paired with one of their few trustworthy operatives, Pravos. Unbeknownst to ARS, Pravos had already defected to the GES in all but name. She had long ago realized that ARS was a vile organization and that their crimes would go unpunished since they were part of the UCL. Determined to belong, she searched for a place that stood for something. Finding the GES she immediately joined. Sometime later, her talents she got recommended, and she was recruited for the mission. Already in possession of Legius, she decided it would be a great asset to have and took it with her. Unbeknownst to Legius, Pravos never left on their assignment. She left Legius with its last order; follow any commands given by ranked GES personnel. [u][b]REASON FOR MISSION RECRUITMENT[/b][/u]: Legius was strictly spoken, never recruited for the mission. Instead, it came with its handler Pravos, a now-deceased etherialist. Pravos was an expert etherialist and a genius researcher, someone who would be a real asset on their mission. Think less crewmember, and more weapon, less person, and more object, then you are thinking along the right lines. Legius is a thing to be used. A weapon to be pointed in a direction and unleashed. Its greatest strength is that of a shock trooper. Quickly deploying in a location and clearing it of hostiles or punching a hole in a defensive line. With its hivemind, it can concentrate on anything and everything at once. Utilizing its body to the utmost potential, elevating its appendages to perfect killing weapons, which translates into it firing at everything at once and striking at multiple targets simultaneously. It furthermore excels at facing power armor and mechs of a similar size. With agility and strength that should not be possible at its size, it overwhelms targets with a barrage of strikes that are all but impossible to stop. [u][b]WEAKNESSES[/b][/u]: [b]Negative IQ[/b]- Intelligence is not its strong suit, to say the least. Any form of planning, tactical or strategic, is entirely foreign to it. The bigger picture might as well be invisible, and any cause or reason is also wholly disregarded. Furthermore, it is almost unable to take any initiative. Leaving it quite ineffective if left to its own devices. [b]Hangry[/b] - The drive to feed exists deep within the hivemind. It is not a hunger born out of necessity but out of desire. If it does not ingest flesh, the hivemind starts to clamor for food until it reaches a crescendo of madness. It is an agonizing process where Legius slowly loses functionality with every part of the collective that gives in to the hunger. Qillatu, on the other hand, is necessary for survival. While it does not need to consume large amounts of qillatu to survive, it is addicting, and too much has dire consequences. [b]Short Breath[/b] - Sleep is essential to its sanity. It needs a bare minimum of six hours of sleep in order for it to stay operational. The less sleep it gets, the more out of control it becomes as it steadily descends into madness. All the parasites still have memories from their first hosts, leaving them wrecked in nightmares and ghostly pains as the hivemind starts to relive each of their hosts' deaths. Other parasites hallucinate about being reunited with lost ones or other strong memories from their previous partners. [b]Side access panel[/b] - Perhaps Legius greatest weakness. Legius was programmed to follow the commands of a handler to prevent it from going rogue. One can connect to it through the ether, commanding it. Any order given through this is absolute and must be obeyed, only superseded by its most basic instincts. Additionally, it regards anyone who has the reins to its ether link as an ally that must be protected at all costs. This gives the potential of an enemy taking over and controlling Legius. [b]Fire burns[/b] - It has a primordial fear of fire. A fear so great it overrides any commands and goes into a frenzy fleeing from the fire through any means necessary. Alternatively, it goes into a comatose-like state, utterly unable to do anything. [u][b]SKILLS AND TRAINING:[/b][/u] As a gestalt creature, Legius is but a year and a half old. With most of its time spent in labs undergoing experiments. So it does not have the most extensive skill set. But it is not a mewling babe. Most of the hivemind was in other hosts before they amalgamated. Some memories of their previous partners, although vague yet remain. Most are combat-related, as the most stressful memories are those that are easiest to recall. Close combat Traversing terrain [u][b]LOADOUT:[/b][/u] 1x HRS Railshotgun. It primarily shoots kinetic projectiles coated in plasma at hypersonic velocities. But can be modified to fire other types of ammunition. While it has a slow fire rate, it packs a devastating punch. 2 x Cobras. Relatively short stubby weapons with three rotating barrels capable of laying down an insane amount of rounds. A standard amount of ammo is supplied, and more can be manufactured by consuming bio-matter. 2 x Plasma Blade. These can only be activated in short bursts, but they are extremely effective, cutting and stabbing through virtually anything. [u][b]AUGMENTATIONS: [/b][/u] Legius has been augmented to such a degree that there is little if anything left of its original body. Most of its enhancements are purely biological, as the largest factor in its development was the Ardakatanati. These tiny creatures ate and simultaneously recreated it at a molecular level, essentially enhancing its entire frame. Major enhancements include: [b]Augmented muscle fibers[/b] capable of contracting far faster and further than any natural muscle. [b]A hardwired nervous system[/b], its nervous system was replaced with organic optic fiber, giving it near-instantaneous reaction times. [b]Strengthened carapace[/b], a dual-layer carapace protecting against both energy and kinetic projectiles. While incredibly durable it is not the equal of other mechs in this size category as it relies more on speed than pure durability. [b]Weaponized[/b], All of its limbs have been augmented, with the idea of a weapon in mind. With extra hardened and sharpened spikes, claws, and teeth, it is bristling with razor edges. [b]Redundant Organs[/b], these organs add extra survivability, but that is not their primary function. It needs far greater vital systems to operate under the extreme duress that its body undergoes. [b]Powercore[/b], A powercore is embedded into it to provide the necessary energy and power for itself and its weapons. [b]Sight[/b], Possessing 360-degree vision due to extra organic and cybernetic eyes as well as being capable of seeing most of the electromagnetic spectrum, it is quite observant. Along with a dual eyelid system to protect against blinding attacks as well as environmental dangers. Even better, it can “link up” with its weapons, knowing exactly where they are aiming by receiving a direct feed from the weapon. [b]Glands[/b], various glands are spread out all over capable of supercharging it with different chemicals based on what is needed. Minor augments include: enhanced hearing and smell. [u][b]ETHEREOLOGY[/b][/u]: While the hivemind is no expert in manipulating the Void's Energies, it has some minor capabilities. Proved to be able to summon spores from the Abyss. These spores create minor rifts in realspace, irradiating anyone it attaches to. As the more physical side of the parasite hails from the Abyssic Plane, it can consume qillatu to strengthen and evolve itself. The drawback lies in that it now has a threshold for qillatu and can only consume so much before it overloads, leading to devastating after-effects. [u][b]PERKS:[/b][/u] [b]Living Armory[/b] - All of its weapons and even its carapace is encoded into its DNA. [b]Unnatural strength and speed[/b] - Its body, teeming with otherworldly parasites, is engulfed with power from the Abzu. Capable of giving it immense boosts of strength and speed. [b]Carnivores regeneration[/b]- It is capable of regenerating and replenishing ammo through converting biomass that it has eaten. [i][b]THEMESONG[/b][/i] [url]https://youtu.be/p2ZljzdGPUg?t=17[/url] [/hider]