thewizardguy

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

- Alucard, Tyranid HQ -

@Wraithblade6@Tyki

"Hmmm? How interesting. It appears that you discard fear in favour of ignorant arrogance." Alucard smiled slightly to himself, coolly looking over Xel'Rath and his spawn. They were unsightly creatures indeed. Neither monster nor human, some form of abomination from beyond the stars, this was one creature he would have no objection to destroying. A being who devoured all in it's path in the vain name of science, and yet knew nothing of the true nature of the universe. Pathetic. But useful, perhaps. "Allow me to re-introduce myself. I am Alucard, Lord of Vampires, Herald of the Eighth." He extended his arm, and crystaline growths began appearing along it's lengths. Amber crystalline veins formed over his skin, and expanded until his entire arm seemed to be encased in a smooth amber-coloured layer. It was a rather odd change, but far more worrying were Xel'Rath's non-visual senses. For this arm appeared to suck up background radiation, psionic energy, and even the very ambient life-energy that Alucard appeared to radiate. In fact, it appeared to function exactly as Xel'Rath's own power did, at least from a superficial examination. "Thank you, Xel'Rath, for your contribution to the war effort. In return, allow me to grant you the knowledge you no doubt desire. You are hereby forbidden from exiting this planet's atmosphere. You will act as an observer to the events to come, as I wipe out the lesser races. Perhaps I shall even leave you alive to witness the rebirth of my master, and the end of all you know. It's certainly a beautiful time to be alive." He dismissed Xel'Rath with a wave, and the entire pavilion appeared to disappear from view, along with the unknown space ship that he had glimpsed nearby. No amount of searching would reveal this pavilion again, and Xel'Rath would soon find himself inexplicably back on the route to Hawaii.

---

Meanwhile, Alucard bemusedly observed the Space Marine cruiser. It appeared that his kin would not make the first move. As such, Alucard reached out with his newly gained arm. The ship seemed to tremble in the air as, slowly, it's void shields seemed to get sucked off of the ship itself. What was previously a barely visible purple orb of force was pulled into an oblong shape, before breaking apart into a series of energy streams flowing into Alucard's arm. Not an exact copy of Xel'Rath's powers, but a close approximation. He would certainly get some use out of this toy. The cruiser soon found itself losing power, the very heat being pulled from it's engines and the power being stolen from their laser batteries. Smiling, Alucard played with the ship as a child might with a house in a snowglobe, shaking it just to see the pieces fly about.

When he spoke, amidst the chaos, he could clearly be head. His voice echoed through the chambers of the escort cruiser, even as alarms blared and space marines shouted damage reports. "Now come, foolish children. I will show you now the error of your return. One who would confront their enemy unprepared and poorly armed is not a worthy adversary. I will put you out of your suffering, and turn you into a warning for the fools who sent you not to intrude upon my domain." A purple glow encased his hand as he allowed the ship to once more regain it's energy, barely righting itself before he chose to administer it's death sentence. "Jigen Tou: Dimension-Cutting Blade." As he spoke the word, his Youki manifested as a sort of interdimensional chainsaw, an immense blade slicing down from the heavens, scattering the atoms of anything struck into multiple dimensions. An unstoppable attack that could cut through anything, the ultimate technique of Touhou Fuhai. This was the weapon that could end the world, and even the meter-thick armour plating on the cruiser was nothing before it. The thin plane of purple energy would bissect the ship, slicing it neatly in half to fall into the Tyranid-infested waters below.

But, even as this weapon streaked towards them, slicing the very air apart on a subatomic scale, Mithias recognized the attack. What he would do with this revelation, or the tingling familiarity in the back of his mind, was up to him. But if he did not act his followers would soon be dead, and he himself lost to the mercy of the beasts in the water far below.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

@Flamelord

- Captain Abrams, Imperial Ambassadors -

"The Imperium does well, and I hope the Goa'Uld share such prosperity." It certainly seemed like they had the profit margin to dress out their HQ in style. Not that Abrams could really call them out on it. The Imperial Palace of old had been clad in gold and adorned with the skulls of warriors. The latest in Imperium style. Regardless, considering the previous interactions with the Goa'Uld it was important to set the best foot forward in regards to negotiation. "There has been strife between our factions, but in the light of recent events, the leaders of the Imperium of Man have decided that cooperation is the best course of action. We come here in order to ask for your assistance in the endeavour of removing the Tyranid threat from this planet, and counteracting the plans of the individual called 'Alucard'. But first...."

With a gesture, Captain Abrams sent one of the marines forward, who held on his hands a velvet cushion. Removing a cloth from the cushion revealed a long staff forged from a pale grey material, similar in appearance to titanium. It was topped with an image of a dragon's head, each eye embedded with a large ruby, and it's scales each hand-crafted from a strange green metal. The marine holding it stepped towards the throne, and then knelt down for one of Ba'al's lackeys to retrieve the gift. "This staff was hand-crafted by Vulkan. It contains a dual force field generator capable of withstanding even artillery fire, and will protect you from all but the most powerful weapons. It can also be used as a powerful weapon, redirecting the energy from one of the shield generators into a powerful las beam projected from the dragon's eyes. A symbol of power and protection, and a symbol, hopefully, of the Imperium's cooperation with the Goa'Uld." The symbolism had been chosen carefully, of course. An aquilla would have been too blatant a symbol of the Imperium. Instead a salamander, Vulkan's personal crest, allowing for the association but also a symbol of power in it's own right. The gift was truly valuable, a weapon far beyond the standard equipment wielded by the Imperium's super soldiers.

After seeing how Ba'al received the gift, Abrams continued, smiling as he continued on a more technical note. What followed was a lengthy explanation of the Tyranid plans of attack and biology. The Tyranid would attempt to convert any biomass they could acquire before the full battle began, and as such locations such as forests and cities became key locations. In addition, creatures known as genestealers were well known to implant humanoid creatures with special DNA-altering substances that would leave the host largely unaffected, but for a psionic connection and subservience to the Tyranid hivemind. As such he recommended regular genetic scans of all troops who came into contact with Tyranid forces, especially as infected individuals tended to possess significantly increased intelligence and combat prowess such as to better serve the Hive Mind. Such sleeper agents had been known to lie in wait and spread for years, steadily infiltrating the higher echelons of their native society, and taking command of a planet's defences. Needless to say, he also detailed the basics of their weaponry and numbers, advising the use of scorched earth tactics and not to go on the offensive. The only real way to defeat a Tyranid force was to destroy the Hive Ship, the main production chamber for the Tyranid forces. This would require a coordinated offensive from all factions, as the Tyranid were likely to array their full forces around this hive ship, and Alucard would most likely guard it in person. The main reason for the Imperium's plea for cooperation was in order to ensure that all of Arcadia's military forces would strike at this hive ship at once, a vast armada of ships to temporarily punch through the Tyranid lines and destroy their mobile HQ.

Of course, in exchange, the Imperium was willing to negotiate for a variety of permissions and land-colonialisation rights, although Abrams maintained the narrative that both factions required the assistance of the other in order to overcome the Tyranid threat. But the Imperium was also well aware that the Goa'Uld had... expansionistic tendencies, and agreed not to meddle with any further colonialisation efforts regardless of whether the Goa'Uld agreed to join. Not that the Imperium had the spare manpower to go patrolling the universe, looking for illegal Goa'Uld emigrants.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

Sorry for no posts, spent the day going to the Doctor Strange premier in the Netherlands. It was awesome! I'll post tomorrow.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

@Wraithblade6@Tyki

They appeared, the mortal fools, scrambling over his domain. Mice crawling into the exterminator's home, hoping to find bread among the poison. Led on by ignorance and arrogance, wasting their pitifully short lives on a pointless venture. He had given them seven days, and yet after but one they returned. Perhaps to beg for mercy, perhaps to beg for death. It did not matter, for there was but one end to this, their destiny was set in stone. This would end only in tears and blood. His mercy was wasted, his pity misplaced, his hesitation needless. But perhaps he could enjoy this, before he sent them to oblivion. He would let them make their speech, let them sign their songs, even as they dug their own graves. At the very least he would grant them one last play, one last show, before the end. A final chapter in this little story before the cast withdrew, and the lights went out.

At his behest, the very oceans churned, and the skies trembled. Thick storm clouds rushed overhead in unnatural funnels, and the waves roared up to form great walls of water. Xel'Rath found his great fortress dragged off course as it was battered with winds, dragged towards some distant location by immense walls of wind. A quick measurement would show that these winds could have leveled cities, and any less sturdy vehicle would have been torn to shreds. It was as if a personal super-hurricane guided them to their location, escorting them to the centre of the Atlantic Ocean, over hundreds of kilometers of churning sea. Vast beasts escorted them below the waves, some as big as the fortress itself, some bigger yet. Swarms of creatures no bigger than a human head could be seen, swept along by the twisting streams of air, dark writhing clouds of teeth and claws, flickering in and out of view as the natural world churned around them. Even for a being such as Xel'Rath it would be clear that they had entered the domain of a great power, and that power had taken notice.

Mithias had been provided with a Light Cruiser vehicle, a 300 meter beast armed with a row of laser canons on each side. The ship had been designed to fire boarding pods at possible enemies, as well as equipped with a teleportarium. Effectively it served as a tiny Battle Barge, a small mobile headquarters for the lone company Mithias had been granted custody of. The heavy armour plating all Imperium ships came equipped with was more than capable of surviving the gale winds that dragged Mithias towards the centre of the Atlantic. But it's engines could not resist it's pull, not without pulling some daring and dangerous manoeuvre. Even as the servitors and militiamen aboard scurried around in a frenzy, the thousand space marine battle brothers silently prepared their weapons and armour. All knew that this was Tyranid territory, and that Mithias had most likely sent them to their deaths. But not one would die silent, not one would accept their fate. And they were ready to take as many of the creatures with them as possible.

---

Inevitably, both ships would arrive at Alucard's humble abode at the same time. He had planned to meet them both, and for them to meet each other. It was a rather odd sight. Both ships emerged from their own respective typhoons, battered by the harsh winds that had literally dragged them here for hours on end. What they saw was a vast whirlpool, easily a dozen kilometers across. It gaped beneath them, as if someone had drilled a hole in the planet itself, and the oceans of the world were draining away. The clouds above twisted and turned into a single immense tornado, reaching down to meet the ocean but never meeting the surface of the water. This was where the waters and the winds of the world were gathered, this was the new centre of the world. And rising from the depths was a pavilion, the very pavilion that had once hosted the Arcadian peace negotiations, now held together by twisted organic tissue. It hovered in the centre of this great spectacle of water and wind. Then, a wave of heat exploded outwards, as twin pillars of fire exploded from the centre of the whirlpool, shooting off into the sky. They began twisting and turning, spiraling around the pavilion as it was outlined in hellish flames. And from within the pavilion emerged Alucard himself. Impecably dressed in a fine black suit, red eyes glowing with power, outstretched hands holding twisting the very forces of nature to his every whim. His presence washed over the gathered beings, a wave of fear and servitude. The aura of the king, the Demon's Soul. The power of the Youko concentrated within him radiating outward. To Xel'Rath it would most likely be merely an oddity, triggering long-buried memories of fear from his newly created servants. The Space Marines were well used to such mental meddling, having faced the corruptive forces of Chaos. Most merely gritted their teeth. Mithias, however, would again feel that strange hint of nostalgia, and the urge to kneel before this figure. This God among vampires.

The man of the hour grinned widely, revealing a row of razorsharp teeth. It was all spectacle, of course. But he missed the days when mortals and monsters alike worshipped his every step, and cowered at his mere glance. He was the Lord of Vampires, the most powerful being to ever live. He deserved every ounce of their respect, and every ounce of their fear. But also, he was curious as to how these strangers would react, these odd creatures that had newly arrived on this world. He could tell, for when he had first awoken, there had been no such black spot, something he would surely have noticed.

When Alucard spoke he did not speak loudly. But all present heard him. It was a voice that penetrated steel and spoke to the very soul, a voice that even Xel'Rath could not ignore. "Greetings. You have come to my realm, and intruded upon my ocean. I gave this world seven days, and yet even now you beg for death?" He glanced in mock disapproval at the Imperial vessel. "Courage is the trait of those who overcome their fear to do what they must. Foolishness is the fate of those who ignore their mind to follow their hearts. Tell me, do you come here to challenge me? Or did you merely come here to die?" He then turns to Xel'Rath's massive floating fortress. "And, the stranger! I do not believe I have yet had the pleasure of meeting you, celestial. My name is Alucard, the God of Vampires. And I am the one chosen to cleanse this world of life. Tell me, what does a being such as yourself seek at the heart of the Multiverse?"

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

@Gentlemanvaultboy@Wraithblade6@supertinyking

- Australia -

As Firebrand arrived, he could feel a strange heat on his back. The fragments of the swords, now stored safely on his back, appeared to be heating up for some reason. It was as if they were straining against some powerful force, pushing at them, attempting to break through. In fact he could almost feel an alien presence touch his mind, feeling around it, but unable to find purchase. It pressed against him, and for just a moment, Firebrand was able to see things not quite there. An immense structure, visible even from here, in the centre of the continent. A monolith that pierced the heavens, twisting at impossible angles, freakish pipelines writhing like snakes as they bored into and through the countryside. And yet he got the feeling that these things, while certainly present and definitely real, were also only about half there, placed in a realm underlying reality, a shadowy mirror pressing to push through to this 'side'. Within this dimension, and yet not on the same... frequency, as the rest of this reality. It was a disturbing sight to behold that disappeared as soon as he saw it, the blades having apparently given up on 'dispelling' whatever force was hiding it from sight. Damien himself would notice nothing, beyond the fact that the flow of magic appeared to be disrupted around his devillish ally.

Ozo, meanwhile, was exposed for the first time to the full blast of Australia's aura. It nearly blasted him off of his feat, as if attempting to compensate for it's other failures. A voice blasting full tilt in the back of his mind, filling his thoughts with visions overlaying his own sight. There was nothing here, no reason to stay. He had made a mistake by bringing these two here, and they needed to go back. They needed to go back now. It was overwhelming, lacking the subtle touch that had nearly turned Damien, attempting to simply blow his defences apart and steer him in the right direction. And without any inherent defence, Ozo would soon find himself convinced that his two new friends needed to be sent back to somewhere else. By any means necessary.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

@Flamelord

Within the Stargate universe, the Goa'Uld solve many problems through extensive research. Discovering new tech, or nicking someone else's tech, is a great way to develop countermeasures to a particular foe or strategy. Knowing your enemy can make the scientific difference between complete victory and utter defeat, regardless of numbers.

If you want a more creative solution, then study your enemies, and attempt to discover a scientific counter. Regardless of what form the Tyranid may take there is always at least one weakness to their current state, which can be exploited. And when facing an opponent like Tyki, knowing how their assimilation works might assist you in developing a countermeasure. Perhaps a defensive field that hinders this process somehow, better protecting your troops/vehicles.

I encourage any and all factions to attempt to 'advance' in terms of technology, and to develop counters to your opponent. Military science is often as a game of chess, but with many more players.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

@Flamelord@Tyki
To interject:

Tyki's standard troops possess the ability to absorb a small amount of energy, but at nowhere near the rate of Xel'Rath. Therefore, a sufficiently powerful energy weapon will still wipe out his troops. And a weapon of sufficient power (re: death star, nuke to the face, etc.) can still overwhelm Xel'Rath's energy absorption and kill him/it.

Certain elite troops, such as Nim, carry a nigh-indestructible forcefield that can protect them from all but the most potent of weapons, but can only be maintained for 10 seconds. It'll make pretty much anything below Nuke level pointless, but it has a stunningly limited duration. A version with a 10-minute duration and an even higher damage cap can be found on his main fortress, allowing it to tank massive amounts of enemy fire for the duration.

However, despite the fact that you CAN kill Tyki's characters with energy weapons, they are still highly resistant to them. And their nature is very different from that of the Ascended beings in the Stargate universe. They are material beings who possess limited control over energy/matter, instead of relying on the more ki-esque powers of the Ascended, who are also nonphysical entities. As such I doubt a weapon designed to fight Ascended beings would function against Xel'Rath and his ilk.

Lastly, no dickmeasuring. Tyki's faction is momentarily weaker than most pre-existing factions due to being newly formed, but will be allowed to consolidate it's position in Hawaii, and gain greater power swiftly.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

@Tyki
Faction Accepted.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

Regardless, I doubt Letter Bee will be staying. It's unfortunate, as I find him to be a generally skilled roleplayer, but some things simply are not meant to be.

Multiverse Rising: Reborn

@Letter Bee
Personally, I find that someone who finds everything that in-canon implies that a religion could be used for evil (not even that the people participating in it are evil) is offensive is in and of itself ludicrous. There are entire churches devoted to informing the world that, outside of any fictional sense, anyone who does not worship Jesus is inherently evil, and therefore deserves to burn in hell. The Bible itself is explicitly offensive to anyone not part of the religion. If we're talking about a piece of fiction that demonizes a group of people I would argue that your religious texts are more offensive than anything 40K can offer. The Emperor was a scientist who believed Religion to be a tool for superstition and chaos, and was correct, so he removed it. In-universe his actions were logical and just, and you cannot call him evil because you interpret his actions as representing an out-of-universe bias or are offended by the implications the in-universe act has in relation to your real-world beliefs.

This has been a long-running discussion which I have no intention of revisiting, but you should learn to seperate the actions of a character in a work of fiction from any real-world interpretation of the meaning behind those actions. You should also learn that some universes simply have religions as being used as a tool for evil, live with it. There are plenty of fictional universes where Christianity can be weaponized to kill demons or whatever. But demanding that every work of fiction in the universe depicts your favourite little group as being exclusively nice is simply not realistic. By those standards you wouldn't be allowed to print any religious texts whatsoever, nor vampire stories where holy water is used to fight vampires, or anything in a similar vein.

If you wish to have a serious discussion about theology and it's application in modern pop culture I would be happy to oblige. Hit me up on skype or send me a PM, and we can both debate our points. But this is not the time or the place, and therefore I declare this argument ended on this page, for the moment.