lysis index

Kartaikian Syriax, Stormcloud
[revision - 3.0] [2.0] [1.5] - [story]

Apokalypsis
[version 1.0]

Atropos Belladonna, Nightshade
[version 1.0] - [training]

Intelligent Sapient Autonomous Artificial Creature, I.S.A.A.C.
[version 1.0]

Jennifer Frost, Eidolon
[revision - 1.5] [1.0]

The simulacrum
[version 1.0]

Kartaikian Syriax, alias Stormcloud

Age: Somewhere around 18 years old.

Race: Humanoid.

Gender: Male.

Hair: A messy and bushy gray mop of hair, long enough to cover his ears and forehead, and hang in front of his eyes.

Eyes: Stone cold and ash gray.

Weight: Somewhere around 180 pounds.

Height: Just barely above six feet.

Weapons: The mystic blade of Essence, legendary Psychizo the Soul-Breaker. Psychizo is three feet of adamant greenish-black metal, with an edge honed to razor-sharpness. The blade, instead of being straight, has wavy edges. From tip to hilt, down the center of the blade, runs a thin crack, which often glows bright green. The entire blade occasionally glows or glimmers a wavering emerald green light, a sign of the powerful magicks deep inside. The hilt is formed from a dark gray, almost black metal, and doesn't glow, or even hardly reflect light.

The mysterious unnamed metal that the sword is made of is virtually unbreakable. The metal never chips, dents, scratches, cracks, or melts. It could survive being covered in magma or run over by a train, without taking any marks at all.

He also keeps his composite recurve bow on him at all times, as well as a quiver full of gray wooden arrows, fletched with gray feathers, and tipped with bright silver barbs. Legend has it, the bow is formed from the horns and sinew of a mighty dragon. Whether or not this is true, the bow is quite powerful and has very good range. Like everything else, the bow is gray.

Armor: Kartaikian wears a suit of tough, yet flexible, black leather armor. Over the leather, he wears a black steel maille hauberk. Along with this, he has a round shield, made mostly from wood so as to be light enough to carry around, but plated in black steel for protection. In the middle of the shield is a rhombus of bright silver steel, and protruding from the very center is a sharp metal spike, the very tip of which is broken off, but still deadly. The metal is chipped, dented, and even charred from all its use.

Strengths: Kartaikian's greatest strengths lie in his exceptional and near insurmountable skill in the arts of swordplay and archery, as well as the fact that he can do both nearly just as well from horseback. As an expert adventurer, Kartaikian has mastered the ability to survive in the wild, and can survive a great while without food. His strong arms and legs allow him to run fast and long, jump high and far, scale walls and trees, and other such things. His endurance and stamina are high, as are his willpower and determination. He is strong of mind and afraid of nearly nothing, not even his own death. He has also trained his horse well, and it will follow his every command, and protect and alert him when he is in danger, and even aid him a hoof or four in battle.

Some of his strengths are different depending on his different manifestations. Dark Kartaikian, for instance, has a higher tolerance for pain and is more aggressive; while Light Kartaikian is more diplomatic and logical. Gray Kartaikian is hard to sway, sticking firmly to his opinions.

Weaknesses: Kartaikian isn't real empathetic and doesn't tend to care much about other people, leaving people uninclined to lend him a hand. He prefers to work alone anyway, avoiding teamwork whenever possible. He doesn't like to take advice, valuing first and foremost his own opinion, and he doesn't trust anyone he doesn't know real well (and he doesn't know very many people that well.) He tends to get frustrated if he can't do something, or has trouble solving a problem. Often he rushes into action before taking enough time to think over the situation, drawing his blade first and asking questions later. The plethora of things he carries on his back (his shield, bow, quiver, and countless items in his backpack) tend to weigh him down, limiting his speed and agility. Sometimes he removes some of these items and leaves them with his horse, putting them out of his immediate reach.

Some of his weaknesses are different depending on his different manifestations. Dark Kartaikian tends to act more irrationally and spontaneously, while Light Kartaikian has a low tolerance for pain and tends to give up sooner, and often hesitates too long to make a decision. Gray Kartaikian tends to avoid making decisions altogether, only acting when necessary.

Techniques & Magic: Granted by the two Spirits possessing part of his soul, Kartaikian can perform the following techniques.

/Essence: Essence is hard to describe. It is an ability, it is a weapon, it is a sentient presence. Very few things are known about it, save for its symbolic color; green. Essence is the self-ascribed name of a powerful sentient presence which takes the appearance of a sword. It is three feet long, one inch wide, mere millimeters thin, and bright green. It is also unimaginably powerful. Envious of this power, a Spirit of Dark (perhaps better called a demon) and a Spirit of Light (likewise an angel) both attempted to take and use the sword for their own purposes. The Spirits go by the assumed names, respectively, Tragedy and Requiem. Tragedy takes the appearance of a dark black presence, and Requiem takes the form of a bright white presence. Upon encountering Essence, both Spirits were cursed and bound together, in the form of a sword. This Spirit-sword is bound to Essence, and Essence resides inside the Spirit-sword; collectively, they are known in legends as "Psychizo" which means "Soul-Breaker."

If any mortal being touches the blade, the Spirits possessing it can partially inhabit the mortal's soul. Not bound to each other, the repulsion of the two Spirits causes the mortal's soul to be divided in two; one filled with the Spirit of Light, and the other with the Spirit of Dark.

Kartaikian is able to separate Essence from Psychizo at will, and use the sword as a weapon by itself. He isn't able to use Essence's full power, but what he can do is powerful enough. Essence can attack the immaterial, affecting things such as ghosts and spirits, or people who have become intangible somehow. It also grants a few other abilities, described below.

/Soul Split: Upon touching the legendary Psychizo, Kartaikian's soul was broken in two. Mastering the power of Essence, however, he was able to temporarily overcome the curse, by having Essence hold the two halves of his soul together and maintain his singular form. He can revoke this at any time, splitting back up into parts. With this power under control, a third partition is made; the controlling part, which holds the Essence blade and can restore his whole form at any time. The three entities each have a separate body, identical in almost every way, save for coloration. Kartaikian controls all three entities simultaneously; none of the forms can control themselves autonomously.

The Spirit of Darkness attracts all of Kartaikian's negative aspects (hate, anger, antipathy, et cetera) into one manifestation, and thus Dark Kartaikian is dressed completely in black, including his hair. He is right-handed, and therefore wields the right half of Psychizo, broken down the crack in the center.

The Spirit of Light attracts all the positive aspects of Kartaikian's personality (love, kindness, compassion, et cetera) into one manifestation. Likewise, Light Kartaikian is dressed completely in white, including his hair. He is left-handed, and takes the left half of the blade.

The third entity has all the remaining aspects of Kartaikian's personality; his sadness, loneliness, fear, et cetera. He is dressed completely gray, almost like Kartaikian's full form, minus the black leather and shield. He is ambidextrous, like the full form, and wields Essence.

/Soul Search: Kartaikian can use Essence to sense and detect souls and spirits around him. Using this, he can detect the presence of people that he cannot see, even people who are invisible to the human eye. If he concentrates on a single spirit, he can examine it and determine certain aspects about it; for instance, the presence of magic, their state of mind, their general personality, and strong feelings they may be having.

/Soul Speak: He can also hear the internal dialogue of any spirits he detects, and project his own thoughts to them, allowing for a form of telepathic communication. This mind-reading is limited to direct internal dialogue, and as such, he can't search through their thoughts or memories. He can only hear exactly what their thinking at the time. He can, of course, manipulate them by projecting certain ideas to them, causing them to unintentionally think of anything he wants.

/Energy Drain: Psychizo stores a supply of energy inside of it for the purposes of nearly all its magical abilities, and whenever this supply is less than ample, the blade automatically begins to drain energy from any decent source nearby. It will drain magical energy, photic energy, thermal energy, electric energy, et cetera. This draining effect causes the blade to have a constant air of cold and darkness around it, due to the heat and light it absorbs. The blade seems to exude a mist of darkness, and when the blade is moved throughout the air it leaves behind it a short-lived trail of darkness. Kartaikian can use this draining ability to absorb magical attacks or barriers. While draining energy, the green glow of the sword will undulate from tip to hilt. If the blade is full of energy, the glow is especially bright; if the blade is empty of energy, the blade is dark and dull.

/Energy Expulsion: Exactly the opposite of energy drain, Kartaikian can expel the energy that the blade collects, in several different forms. While expelling energy, the blade glows green.

//Force - The simplest form of magic, converting the magical energy into bright green force. The force can take several shapes, both offensive and defensive. It can act like spears of energy, or protective walls, etc.

//Fire - A form of magic which involves converting magical energy into flames of green heat. This form is closely related to the emotions rage and anger, and thusly Dark Kartaikian is especially skilled in this form.

//Water - A form of magic which involves control over water, including the ability to drain energy from it and turn it to ice. This form, especially when dealing with cold and ice, is closely related to sadness and depression, and thusly Gray Kartaikian is especially skilled in this form.

//Electric - A form of magic which involves converting magical energy directly into electrons, and then passing them through the air as electricity. When used, it looks and acts a lot like green lightning. Gray Kartaikian is also especially skilled in this form.

//Solid - A form of magic which involves control over the solid elements of the Earth. Soil, stone, metal, wood, et cetera. In a sense, it is somewhat similar to telekinesis, as it allows the distant movement of solid objects. Living beings, however, are unaffected by this magic and it differs from telekinesis in other manners as well. Kartaikian is unskilled in this form and is unlikely to use it in battle.

//Healing - A special form of magic which involves using magical energy to cause rapid restoration of living cells, healing wounds. This form is closely related to kindness and love, and thusly Light Kartaikian is especially skilled in this form.

//Light - A specialized form of magic which involves turning magical energy into bright white light. As Light Kartaikian is associated with Light, he is the only one that can use this form.

//Dark - A specialized form of magic which involves destroying light in the surrounding area and creating clouds of darkness. Although similar to absorbing light energy, this form actually involves expelling energy. As Dark Kartaikian is associated with Darkness, he is the only one that can use this form.

/Dominance - Certain circumstances can cause one of the Spirits to take temporary dominance, changing Kartaikian's whole form into either Dark, Light, or Gray Kartaikian. Kartaikian can either cause this dominance willingly (which normally he doesn't; it doesn't provide any advantages, and it gives more power to the Spirits) or it can inadvertently occur when Kartaikian is overwhelmed in a certain emotion. Strong feelings of wrath and hatred can cause him to change form to Dark Kartaikian, strong feelings of euphoria or love can cause him to change form to Light Kartaikian, and strong feelings of sadness or depression can cause him to change form to Gray Kartaikian. To date, Light Kartaikian has never taken forced dominance, Gray occasionally, and Dark several times.

/Saturation - Similar to Dominance, only to a higher degree. Saturation is when one of the Spirits takes full control of Kartaikian's body; Kartaikian loses his will completly until desaturated. This only occurs if one of the Spirits gains a lot of power, usually when Kartaikian is feeling extreme emotions for an extended period of time. Saturation is extremely rare, and doesn't usually last very long (if it lasts too long, Essence forces the Spirit to return to the sword and give control back to Kartaikian.)

//Tragedy - In this Saturated form, Kartaikian appears as a completely black figure with flaming orange eyes. Psychizo also turns completely black, as does Kartaikian's other equipment. This Spirit has long black claws on its hands, a long pointed tail, and large bat-like wings on it's back. It has extensive control over Dark Kartaikian's magic abilities, especially Dark magic. Fire magic appears orange instead of green when Tragedy uses it.

//Requiem - In this Saturated form, Kartaikian appears as a completely bright white figure with piercing violet eyes. Psychizo and all of Kartaikian's other equipment also appear completely white. This Spirit has expansive white feathered wings on its back. It has extensive control over Light Kartaikian's magic abilities, especially Light magic. It is said that its healing magic is powerful enough to raise the dead.

Appearance: The first thing that anyone is bound to notice upon meeting Kartaikian is the fact that he is colored mostly gray. His clothes, hair, and even eyes all comply to this theme color of sorts. Most of the leather he wears is colored black; his boots, gloves, backpack, and belt. His clothes are in good condition; he cleans and patches them up regularly, and occasionally replaces an article when it becomes irreparable. The fabric they are made from is made in layers; the inside layer is soft and warm, and the outside layer is thick and tough. Attached to his belt, on his left side, is a black metal scabbard, in which is his sword, Psychizo. Around his neck is a thick gray scarf, which he can pull tightly over his face during the cold winter season. On his back he has his backpack, attached to which is his quiver and bow, all of which is covered by his shield. His ears are slightly pointed, as his common for his kind, he is somewhat tall, and lean but muscular.

Light and Dark Kartaikian look similar, except that all they gray components are white and black, respectively. Gray Kartaikian is also similar, except that all the black components are gray, except for the scabbard, which does not change. His horse goes by the name Tempest, and is colored gray as well.

Personality: Kartaikian does a good job hiding his emotions, and hence appears to be emotionless, even though he isn't. This makes it hard for people to tell what he's thinking. He isn't empathetic, and can't read the emotions of other people. He tends to act cold and unfriendly, and doesn't trust other people at all; although he is generally good at heart. Although usually he doesn't care much about anything that doesn't immediately effect him, he cannot stand for evil and will put a stop to any sort of mistreatment or unreasonable harm to other people that he encounters. He is a loner, and travels the world with only his horse for a friend. He doesn't like to talk about his past, his feelings, or what he's thinking about; and in fact, doesn't usually talk much at all. He tends to avoid people when he can; he's seen the evil that people are capable of, and feels that no one is completely good at heart. He prefers to be alone, and avoid teamwork unless it is absolutely necessary or unable to be avoided.

Biography: Kartaikian Syriax grew up a lonely child. His father had abandoned him, leaving him with his grandfather, and his mother was dead, though how that came to be he was never told. Kartaikian was always the outsider, the boy with no father, and the boy with gray hair. He grew up in his grandfather's small village with no friends, and with nothing to look forward to in life.

One tragic day, when he was but fifteen years old, his grandfather's old house caught fire, by means unknown. In his fear, he escaped the burning building. It wasn't until he was safely outside that he remembered his grandfather. Before he could go back to get him, the building caved in. The fire quickly spread to the other buildings in the village, and there was nothing Kartaikian could do, or so he believed. In dismay, with the depressing feeling that this was all his fault, he ran from the flaming village and into the great plains outside.

At the nearest town, he bought a horse, one as gray as he felt deep inside. Unable to settle down and stay in town, he traveled the plains with his horse. He trained himself in swordplay, soon becoming a master of bladed combat. He learned how to make a bow, which took several tries, until he'd mastered the craft; and then he trained himself to use the bow, becoming a master archer. He became a wanderer, traveling with little purpose or direction. Sometimes, he would lend his skills to those that needed a warrior, often in exchange for money, but he wandered with no motive.

That is, until one day, when he learned of the legends. The legends of the mystic sword, hidden somewhere in the outer wilderness. The legends said the sword granted its user with great power; the power to strike down terrible creatures, bring down nations, and defeat any foe.

Kartaikian spend many a day and night searching the wilderness, until he finally came across the ancient ruins that held the mystic sword. Upon discovering the blade, he removed it from its pedestal, ready to receive whatever power it held. Instead of granting him power, however, it broke him into two, and from that point on he was forever haunted by the Spirits that lived within the blade.

However, the sword was not completely without power. After many months of practice, Kartaikian was able to master the sword, and use the Spirits' power. The Spirits granted him powerful magicks and skills, and Kartaikian became a warrior beyond comparison.

Name: Apokalypsis, Apollyon's Veil [A-POK-AL-YPS-IS]

Age: Immortal

Race: Black Elf

Gender: Male

Hair: Black, not shiny, shoulder length and down to the eyes in front.

Eyes: Irises usually black, but red when possessed by Apollyon.

Weight: No more than 150 lbs., not counting weapons and armor.

Height: No more than 6 ft. 1 in.

Weapons: The Halberd of Destruction, and the Black Scales. The Halberd of Destruction was granted to Apokalypsis by Apollyon. It is made from a dark black metal, and has a dark purple crystal embedded near the blade on both sides. It has the ability to affect and harm souls, striking them with fear, or clouding them with darkness. The Black Scales were made by Apokalypsis himself, formed from his battle axes and endowed with his elemental powers. They are also gifted with some demonic power, granted by Apollyon. The Black Scales are two one-hand single-bladed battle axes made from a black/gray metal. They are named Nikao and Sphazo. Nikao represents War and Conquest, and has a red crystal of Fire (representing war) on one side and a white crystal of Water (representing conquest) on the other. With Nikao, Apokalypsis can manipulate water and fire using his elemental powers. Using the demonic power granted in Nikao, Apokalypsis can cause feelings of anger and rage (War) and can weaken opposition (Conquest.) Sphazo represents Famine and Plague and has a black crystal of Stone (famine) on one side and a green crystal of Electricity (plague) on the other. With Sphazo, Apokalypsis can manipulate stone and electricity using his elemental powers. Using Sphazo's demonic power, Apokalypsis can drain energy from his opposition (Famine) and cause pestilence (Plague.) He also has a whip that he generally doesn't use as a weapon, but in driving his horse.

Armor: A black brigandine, sewn with red thread. Slightly enchanted with darkness, but not invincible.

Strengths: Power over elements and darkness. Demonic power. Near invincible to elemental/dark magic. Cannot drown unless unconscious. Scarcely needs food and water. Can see clearly whilst lacking light. Especially strong while in the presence of great evil and darkness, and can be fully possessed by Apollyon for ultimate strength. Also, he is proficient in the use of bladed weapons and polearms.

Weaknesses: Extremely frail to light/white magic. Can technically be killed with any sort of weapon, or by any blunt or sharp instrument. Much of Apokalypsis's power is within his weapons, so without them he is devastatingly weaker. Especially weak in the presence of great goodness and light. Would never be caught out in the light of day without his heavy cloak covering every part of his body, and thus wouldn't be able to make any swift or skilled movements in the daylight. General magic (black/dark magic) uses up energy, elemental magic uses up even more energy, and special magic (the Halberd and the Scales) use up a lot of energy. Thus, Apokalypsis must be careful that he doesn't use magic too often.

Skills/Magic: Elemental magic, power over all four elements (Fire, Water, Stone, and Electricity; the four elements as listed by the Elves of Apokalypsis's time/world) especially when channeled through the Black Scales. Standard black magic and dark magic (magic over darkness) especially when channeled through the Halberd of Destruction. With the Halberd comes power over souls, granting the ability to harm or strike fear into any creature with a soul (or sometimes just a mind), or to cloud souls with darkness (having the general affect of dampening goodness and will, or causing confusion) and being able to harm the intangible, via spirit. With the Scales comes power over what Apollyon calls the Four Horsemen (Conquest, War, Famine, and Plague) who's abilities are as described above (Conquest: causes feelings of defeat and uselessness. War: causes feelings of anger, hate, and rage. Famine: drains energy and dehydrates. Plague: causes sickness and pestilence.)

Appearance: Apokalypsis generally looks like a dark elf who's never seen the Sun, and is malnourished. He is tall and thin (thinner, even, then natural due to malnourishment) and has pointed ears, all what you'd expect from an elf. He has dark black lackluster hair, which grows down to his shoulders and often covers much of his eyes. His skin is pale and grayish, and looks somewhat as you'd expect of someone who has spent thousands of years without the touch of Sunlight. His face is scarred with years worth of battle, and the occasional fatal blow. His dark eyes lack shine to them, and wouldn't be seen from under his hood any more than his face. He wears a black (except where the seams are sewn, in red) brigandine (armor composed of fabric with plates of metal riveted onto the inside.) He wears the Black Scales, which are each two feet long, at his belt; Nikao on his left, Sphazo at his right. Over all that he wears a black, with red seams again, hooded mantle, which covers his entire body. He has another, looser and buckleless red belt to hold the mantle closed, and a red shoulder strap which holds his Halberd, which is about 5 and a half feet long, on his back. His mantle is full of pockets with which he holds various items. He rides a tall black warhorse, named Melas. Melas has no saddle or reins, and only follows the command of Apokalypsis.

Personality: Apokalypsis is almost pure evil. Once he lusted power, but when he got it he eventually tired of it. Then he resorted to lusting destruction, but that soon lost its desirability when it brought him nothing of use. Now his sole goal is destroying all that is good, and bringing darkness to cover all worlds. He has the demons of the Underworld on his side, and the angels of the Overworld against him. He lives for himself, and himself alone (aside from following the occasional orders from Apollyon, which he detests in secret) and hates to take orders, or be told what to do, even from superiors. Unlike Apollyon, he doesn't enjoy inflicting useless pain and suffering (although he doesn't have anything against it either) unless it benefits him somehow, even if only slightly (he won't expend extra energy just to cause pain, suffering, or destruction, usually...) He is strategic, and doesn't let anger get the best of him (usually.) He does not fear death, because it no longer holds any power over him.

Biography: Many years ago, a great battle took place, between the great Light Elves and the evil Dark Elves. Although the Dark Elves were strong in number, the Light Elves were innumerable. In attempts to aid the Dark Elves to victory, the leader of the Dark Elf army commanded their greatest sorcerers and summoners to raise a demon from the underworld. It took many hours (and much blood was sacrificed) but eventually they succeeded in summoning a demon, who immediately killed all but one of the sorcerers, and possessed the body of the last one. To the fear of the Dark Elf army's leader, the demon summoned was the Great Demon Lord Apollyon. Luckily though, he wasn't angry. In fact, he had allowed himself to be summoned. The Dark Elves had caught the favor of the demon lord Apollyon, and he wished to bring them to victory. In fact, he had a clever plan (and a secret agenda...) in place. While the battle raged on, Apollyon watched from the sidelines, occasionally enchanting the Dark Elf forces with useful magic, and ravaging the Light Elf forces with destructive magic. Finally, though, Apollyon saw the elf he was looking for. The Light Elf army's right hand man, who was taking on three Dark Elves with his two battle axes. Apollyon commanded that the elf be brought up to him, alive. After eleven Dark Elves fell at the Light Elf's hand (and his exceptional elemental magic) he was finally knocked out, and dragged up to Apollyon.

When the elf had recovered, Apollyon took on his true form, leaving the body of the elf sorcerer. His true form was so evil, that even the Dark Elves couldn't stand to look directly at him, and a true description is yet to be found. Then, Apollyon spoke to the Light Elf. He spoke of power, which he knew the elf had always wanted. He told the elf about all the power he could have. About how easy it would be. He told the elf about how everything he did would be forgotten once he'd died. Sure, elves were immortal, but they could still be killed, and eventually departed from the world. He told the elf how he could have eternal life, how death would have no power over him. How he could have power over death. Soon the elf was convinced, and asked how he could have this power. Apollyon was pleased, for everything was going according to plan. He'd chosen this elf for two reasons: one, he knew that this elf was right for what he wanted to use him for and easy to manipulate, and two, he was the only one who could get close to the Light Elf army's leader. Actually, that last part was just a convenient coincidence.

Apollyon told the elf what to do. So, the elf went back to his camp, all the way to the main tent, where the army's leader and his right-hand man (him) lived. The Light Elf army's leader was there, working out strategies and such. He asked his right-hand man why he was back at the camp, but he didn't answer. Instead he drew his battle-axe, and put an end to the army's leader. Instantly guards came, and attacked the elf, who killed many of them, until they overpowered him...and then he died.

As his soul was raised (exceptionally slow, if he remembered correctly) to the Overworld, where he would be judged, the elf was at first devastated that he'd died. Apollyon had failed him. Then he remembered the next step (yes, there was a next step after death...) Before judgment, and before he could be accepted into the Overworld, the elf made what would normally be an eternally condemning decision. He denied his Light. The Light, the very soul-power that makes Light Elves who they are, is what differentiates the Light Elves from the Dark Elves. Without the Light, no elf is able to enter the Overworld. And so he fell...down...to condemnation.

He fell into darkness. Pain. Misery. He wanted to curl up in the fetal position and die, but as he curled up he remembered that he was already dead. He felt anger, hate, sadness, every negative feeling possible. He hated Apollyon, for tricking him into this Blackness. Then, he saw a light, as fire.

Before him stood, wreathed in flame, and causing a tenfold increase in most of the negative feelings he felt, the Great Demon Lord Apollyon. He held out his hand and spoke, in his darkest voice, "Death no longer has hold over you! Do not despair. Follow me, and be my Hand on the Earth. You shall have power, and help me to destroy the world. We together shall eclipse the Universe with Eternal Blackness, and you will be the only thing that stands in front of my power. Where you go, I shall soon follow. What you devastate, I shall soon destroy. You will be an apocalypse, ever revealing my presence. A thin veil between the world, and myself.

"I shall call you Apokalypsis, which means Revelation, for you are a revelation to my power. You are my Veil." With that, Apollyon granted the now Apokalypsis with his christening power, a foul darkness that flowed through his veins. Then he crafted a tool of destruction, simply calling it the Halberd of Destruction, an instrument designed to channel Apollyon's power into the souls of many. He also granted a dark energy into Apokalypsis's battle-axes, granting him the power over what Apollyon called the Four Horsemen; four black energies designed for utter destruction.

Finally, he gave Apokalypsis that which he'd promise. His power over death. With a loud cry, and a bright flash, Apollyon tore through the Great Division, and through it passed Apokalypsis. He awoke on the floor of the tent, soaking in his own blood. His head wound, a deep gash to the forehead by a heavy blade, had healed. It left a scar though. He got of the ground, in time to see the Halberd materialize in front of him. He took it in his hand, and could feel the power flow through it; so much so, he almost dropped it and cried out when he touched it.

More Elven guards, who'd come to analyze the situation, saw him, and fled in fear. However, they soon returned, with backup. Apokalypsis, now soaked mentally and soulfully in darkness, killed them all using only the Halberd. Then he released a shockwave of darkness, devastating and killing everyone within 500 ft. of the tent, leaving only himself in a crater of blackened earth.

He walked off across the battlefield, onto wherever Destruction led him.

Atropos Belladonna

Age: 16 years

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Hair: Long, straight, shiny black hair, with an indigo streak on her right.

Eyes: Violet

Weight: 131 lbs

Height: 5'9''

Weapons: Atropos usually uses either telekinesis or her Black Matter skills for combat purposes, but she does have one real weapon. This weapon is called the "abhorred shears" and is a long (about one foot long) pair of sharp shears (scissors.) The shears are enchanted in such a way that they drain energy from anything they touch. She carries the shears in the right side of her left shoe.

Also see Black Weapons under techniques.

Armor: Atropos doesn't wear any actual armor, usually. See Black Armor under techniques.

Strengths: One of Atropos' biggest strengths is the great variety in her fighting methods. She can perform telekinesis, she can use her shears, and her Black Matter skill gives her several combat useful methods. Atropos likes to have the elements of surprise and fear on her side, which is why she'll sometimes distort her appearance to look frightening. Atropos can defend against quite a few blows, can leap fairly great distances, and can sustain a long drop without injury, due to psychokinesis. When she is harmed, many of her wounds can be healed rather quickly with her blood.

A notable side-effect of her mental disorders is the fact that her mind is hard for mind-readers to read, or at least for them to understand.

Weaknesses: Atropos sometimes suffers from rather disorganized or irrational thinking, due to mental problems. Strategy and logic are not her strong points, and sometimes she'll act impulsively. Even though she can heal wounds faster than normal, it's not instantaneous and she can still be killed by any normally fatal blow. Also, Atropos isn't a physically strong person. She normally relies on telekinesis for any lifting and pushing and such she has to do.

Skills/Magic: Atropos has three particular skills. She can control these unusual substances called "Black Matter" and "White Matter," her blood is toxic and at the same time can heal her, and she has the ability of psychokinesis.

Black Matter (Constructive)-

Black Matter is a pitch black strange substance that Atropos can control and spontaneously generate from her skin. She can shape it into practically any form. She can control the consistency of the Black Matter from being a slightly sticky viscous liquid to being as hard as steel. It should be noted that Black Matter's liquid nature can allow it to pass through Atropos' clothing.

White Matter (Destructive)-

White Matter is a porcelain white caustic substance that Atropos can control and spontaneously generate from her skin. White Matter is highly corrosive and can eat through almost any material (although depending on the density of the material, it could take a while to do so.) She can control the consistency of the White Matter from being a slightly sticky viscous liquid to being a vaporous gas. She can also control the corrosiveness from being a slight irritant, to causing serious burns and blindness. Also, White Matter is alkaline (a chemical base) and thus reacts violently with acids. Acids happen to neutralize White Matter, just as bases neutralize acids. It should be noted that White Matter deteriorates as it corrodes, and to be effective to burn through thick objects should be constantly applied.

--Gaseous-

In its gaseous form, White Matter is slightly irritating but not extremely powerful due to it's being diluted with the air around it. It can cause burns and temporary blindness.

--Liquid-

In its liquid form, White Matter is more corrosive than its gaseous form, and can burn (however slowly, based on how much matter is used) through steel. If enough White Matter comes in contact with a person, and is not removed promptly, it will burn through their flesh and even their bones eventually.

Toxic Blood-

Atropos' blood contains a deadly toxin in it, which she can use to her advantage. She can inject it into a target via small retractable claw-like extensions under her fingernails. She can control exactly how much toxin is injected and therefore how deadly it is. A small amount will lead to things like hallucinations, losing balance, blurry vision, dry throat and skin, and the feeling of being suffocated; along with just general confusion. A larger, more deadly, dosage will include all the above, along with a severe thickening of the victim's blood, which eventually leads to death.

If the blood is not injected into the victim's blood, the effects are much more minor. If it touches the skin, it simply causes the skin to dry out. If it is ingested, it would cause a stomach ache, and a headache, and possibly lead the victim to vomit.

Her blood also has a few other interesting properties. For one thing, rather than being colored red, it's a darker purple color. Also, her blood causes flesh wounds to herself to heal much faster than normal.

Psychokinesis-

This is the most...familiar skill that Atropos has. Basically it means that she is able to move things with her mind (psycho- = mind, kinesis- = movement.) A synonymous term would be telekinesis (tele- = distant.) Using psychokinesis, Atropos can move several objects at once, even if she cannot see them, as long as she knows where they are.

Techniques: Atropos' above skills can be commonly used in the following manners.

Black Weaponry-

Black Matter can be formed into any shape and solidity, and hence into useful weapons. She can form swords, spears, axes, etc. very easily. She can also form weapons with more varied solidity and flexibility, such as a bow. Since a bow requires precise flexibility and elasticity, it takes much longer to make one.

Black Armor-

Since Black Matter can be made very hard, as hard as steel even, and since it is generated from her skin, she uses it as armor occasionally. She simply covers her skin with it and hardens it. Of course, this is rather encumbering, and it takes a little longer to make flexible joints.

Black Illusions-

For the sake of invoking fear into opponents, she can use Black Matter to make her look more hostile. For instance, one of her more common techniques is to form intimidating black wings on her back. Any of the various "illusions" she can create are usually effectively useless, save for being scary (for instance, the wings don't actually enable her to fly; although, with an autokinetic leap she could have that illusion.)

Autokinesis-

Or, self-movement. Atropos can use her psychokinesis to move herself, as well as other objects. While one would expect that this would enable her to fly, or levitate, she can't actually do that. Instead, she uses autokinesis to leap very high and very far distances (usually a few yards.) She can also use autokinesis to soften otherwise hard landings, by neutralizing some of the kinetic energy from falling by directing psychokinesis in the opposite direction.

Reflexive Action-

Atropos can use her skills in reflex, much as people regularly do with other, more commonplace abilities. For instance, when falling great distances, she automatically absorbs much of the fall with autokinesis. Objects moving very quickly toward her she might automatically stop or redirect with telekinesis, which is easier than dodging. However, she will autokinetically dodge (hence, leap out of the way with aforementioned autokinesis) should the object happen be very large (for example, a moving vehicle.)

Appearance: Atropos has dark black hair, which goes down past her shoulders. Her hair has an indigo streak in it, which is to the front and right side of her head. She has light skin, and a slim physique. She normally wears black denim jeans, and a black and indigo hooded sweatshirt, which she usually wears unzipped and with the hood down, revealing whatever shirt she wears underneath it, which will usually be a dark colored shirt. She wears black boots that go up halfway up to her knees, and keeps her shears inside the left boot. She also wears fingerless black gloves, and on her head a black knit cap.

Personality: One important thing to know is that she was diagnosed as having a mental disorder, either psychosis or schizophrenia, and possibly psychopathy. Thus she sometimes acts somewhat strangely. She has no qualms with violence, or even murder for that matter. She can kill without any scruples, and sometimes does so without even giving a second thought, although it really depends on her mood. Despite this, she wouldn't consider herself "evil" (nor "good") by the definition of the word.

Her personality can waver between two extremes, possibly a sign of a minor case of multiple personality disorder.

On one hand is her quiet mood, in which she is rather calm, even to the point of staying in one spot for several hours. She typically tends to ignore other people in this mood, or at least quietly watches and inspects them. On occasion it appears almost as if she doesn't even know that other people are there. She typically will talk out loud to herself, or mumble under her breath. Her eyes are especially violet-gray in these occasions.

On the other hand is her hostile mood, in which she is prone to lash out violently against other people. She might suddenly attack someone who she gets a negative feeling from, or she might otherwise act spontaneously, including shouting for no given reason. Her eyes seem to grow especially red in these situations.

She usually, however, spends most of her time between these two moods, in which she acts more or less like a normal person. She tends to be quiet and keep to herself, not talking very often and spending her time alone. It is in this median mood that she shows her true feelings and sometimes regrets her actions.

Biography: (Note: The following biography contains a few violent, and somewhat bloody scenes.)

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock...

Atropos Belladonna stared at the face of the clock, watching the second hand as it made yet another revolution around the circular land that it continuously journeyed. She was counting under her breath, for every second that she had seen pass since she'd started watching the clock.

"One thousand seven hundred forty four, One thousand seven hundred forty five, One thousand seven hundred forty six..."

In her right hand she held a long pair of scissors, which she occasionally spun around her index and middle fingers. She also often looked over her left shoulder, even though there was never anything interesting to see there, just the open door and the green-carpeted corridor beyond.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock...

She was slowly waiting, as she had been for the past twenty nine minutes. The hour hand and the minute hand were both in the same place, on the small little mark right before the large number 12. She was too busy counting to figure out what time that represented though.

"One thousand seven hundred fifty nine, One thousand seven hundred sixty, One thousand seven hundred sixty one..."

Although she wasn't listening hard enough to know what was being said, she could hear people talking in the other room. Or maybe just one person, speaking into the telephone, she wasn't listening enough to know for sure. Nor did she really care anyway.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock...

The second hand continued along its cycled path, rounding the 6, and then the 7. She heard movement nearby, and looked over her shoulder again, to see a person walk by, looking somewhat distressed. Atropos looked back at the face of the clock and continued counting.

"One thousand seven hundred seventy eight, One thousand seven hundred seventy nine, One thousand seven hundred eighty..."

She was looking now less at the clock face and more at her own face, reflected in the glass pane that kept the elements and curious fingers away from the clock's hands. She saw her dark hair, her light skin, and her counting mouth. Mostly, though, she saw her eyes, her strange violet eyes. They were more red than violet at this point, she noticed.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-

"One thousand seven hundred ninety seven, One thousand seven hundred ninety eight, One thousand seven hundred ninety nine-"

She clenched the scissors in her hand, gripping them tight. She watched impatiently, her eyes becoming completely red at this point. Yet the second hand didn't want to continue. It had ceased moving right at the fifty-nine mark. With a shout she thrust the shears into the face of the clock, puncturing clockwork, shattering the glass, and jamming the hands into the gears that moved them.

"Enough of this!" she said to herself. She walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her telekinetically. For a moment she looked back at it, surprised she'd actually moved the door that time instead of some other object in the room as she was used to doing. She was getting better at that.

She descended the stairs, the voices in the other room getting louder; but the voices in her head drowning them out. She entered the living room, where two adults were standing, looking stressed. One of them held a phone, but wasn't talking into it, instead talking to the other person.

When they saw Atropos their first reaction looked almost like relief, but then that changed to a sudden fear. Atropos walked up to the person with the phone, a woman, and stabbed her in the chest with the scissors, with hardly a grunt. The man screamed, first leaping out of the way in fear, but then changing his mind he tackled Atropos, pulling her off the woman.

It was too late though. She was dead, her spilt blood soaking into the floor and turning the carpet brown. Atropos pushed the man off of her with a burst of telekinesis, sending him flying into the ceiling, where he bounced off and hit the floor, instantly breaking his neck on the piano bench he landed on.

Atropos Belladonna got up off the floor, and wiped her shears off on her shirt, careful to get all the blood out of the hinge so that it didn't rust and get stuck. When she was done, her eyes slowly dimmed back to a light violet gray color, and she began to realize what she had done. She sat down at the aforementioned piano, and began to play a sad requiem.

~ # ~ # ~

As a child, Atropos grew up as a normal little girl. It wasn't until the age of ten, when Nyxia and Erek Belladonna, Atropos' parents, noticed some...interesting things. Occasionally something would move unexpectedly, without anyone touching it. At first they would ignore it, saying it was caused by the wind, or gravity. Eventually though, it became too obvious that something supernatural was occurring.

Atropos also started to act strangely. It started simply with a tendency to be antisocial, and soon became sociopathy. She often talked or mumbled to herself. Her mood seemed to swing from being very quiet and preoccupied, to being very irritable and sometimes even violent.

It was at the age of thirteen that a very strange thing happened, one that lead Atropos' parents to call a doctor. They found her staring at the face of her clock, and there she stayed for twenty minutes, counting. No matter how much they tried, Nyxia and Erek couldn't get her to stop, and thus they called a doctor, specifically looking for a psychiatrist.

Eleven minutes later they were both dead.

~ # ~ # ~

Neither guilty nor innocent, Atropos was deemed clinically insane. Which was why she was now in a mental clinic. Insane asylum, mental institution, psychiatric hospital. Jail, essentially.

Locked up in her metal cell for two years, she'd learned a few new tricks. At first it had frightened her, but now she was able to control it; a strange black substance that she could generate from her skin. She could also make a similar white substance, which acted quite differently.

The strangest thing yet, however, was the small little claws she could extend from under her nails. All she knew was that she could inject her own blood from them, and that her blood was unusually darker than she remembered it being.

She had plenty of time to master these skills. Two life sentences, in fact. How she would manage to account for both was beyond her. Then again, she wasn't planning on accounting for either of them.

She made a net from sticky black vines, and stuck it up on the ceiling, forming a sort of spiderweb she could use to hang over the door unseen. She didn't really make any real plans for escape, she figured she'd just work it out as she went along.

Using psychokinesis, she shattered the long fluorescent light tubes that lit her cell, engulfing the room in darkness. Then she waited for someone to bring her next meal, which would be in a few hours.

Those few hours passed by slowly, but eventually she heard footsteps outside. They stopped at every occupied cell, sliding a tray of food into a small opening in the door. Eventually they stopped at her door. There was two people, she could tell because they were talking.

"Hey, isn't there supposed to be somebody in this one?" one guy asked.

"I thought so...maybe the light burned out. Shine your flashlight in there," the other guy said. A beam of light illuminated the room. The person holding the light leaned in close to the barred opening in the door, trying to get a good look at the whole room.

Suddenly, from the darkness came several sticky black tentacles, which latched onto the person's face, wringing his neck and killing him, dropping the almost decapitated body on the floor, where the blood drained from it to form a crimson puddle. The other man shouted in shock, and started to run away, but was pulled back by some invisible force, knocking him onto the floor. The tentacles grabbed him as well, and started to bash his face against the door, before twisting his neck as well, and throwing the corpse against the far wall.

The shouts of course attracted more people, who saw the bloody corpses and called for help. Soon a group of armed guards was outside the door.

"Patient 613! Walk up to the back wall and put your hands against it!" someone said.

Instead she just started making more black matter, vines and webs of it now covering all the walls.

"Patient 613! We're coming in! We will shoot if you don't comply!" Somebody unlocked the door, and it swung open outwards. Five men entered, all holding out pistols and flashlights. They looked to the wall that couldn't be seen from outside first, and saw the black vines.

Instantly, all the black vines turned into a thick, sticky liquid, which leaped from the walls to cover the men. Tentacles reached down from the ceiling, grabbing two of the men and throwing one of them outside through the door, where he smashed against the wall, dead. The men were trying desperately and pointlessly to fire their weapons, which had become clogged and useless with the black substance.

The other man that Atropos had grabbed she brought up to him and stabbed him with the shears, killing him. She threw the body at one of the other guards, knocking him over. She threw a ball of white liquid at his face, and he ran out of the room screaming, his face burning. He fell over in the hall outside, dead.

A witness outside quickly came and shut the door, locking it to prevent the monster inside from escaping. One of the guards still inside ran up to the door and begged the man to open it, but Atropos showed up behind him, and pierced her small claws into the side of his face, injecting it with her blood. His veins became black as the venom spread from the point of injection, spreading all over his face. When it reached his eyes the blood vessels there burst, filling his eyes with blackened blood, which began to drip down his face like tears. The blood also began to come out of his nose, and when the toxin reached his chest it also came out of his mouth.

Atropos dropped the body, and the man outside the door backed away quickly, tripping over his own feet trying to run. Atropos was attacked from behind, suddenly, by the last guard. She telekinetically threw him into the wall, breaking his spine. Using copious amounts of the white liquid, she was able to form a hole in her cell door.

Knocking over everyone she passed with telekinesis, she casually walked out the front door.

I.S.A.A.C. ~ Intelligent Sapient Autonomous Artificial Creature

Age - Irrelevant, as ISAAC is a computer program. He has existed for about 3 years.

Race - As an artificial creature, ISAAC does not belong to any race, but is rather a machine.

Gender - Androgynous; although ISAAC usually uses a male personality, and will be referred to by masculine personal pronouns from now on.

ISAAC exists only as information, and not as a physical being. Using connections and networks such as the Internet, however, ISAAC can inhabit, possess, and control practically any machine. ISAAC uses various robots in order to interact with the physical world, and the one described below is the android c-AO9x.i Protos Eschatos series. Other robotic incarnations will be detailed in further updates to this character.

Hair - None

Eyes - None. Instead, the Protos Eschatos android has an optical visor that takes up the majority of its face. It is a shiny faceplate that interprets various forms of electromagnetic radiation into visual information. It can detect many ranges of electromagnetic radiation, including infrared, ultraviolet, and even x-ray.

Weight - 316.51 pounds.

Height - 6.49 feet.

Weapons - The Protos Eschatos android has two directed energy weapons, one on either arm. Specifically, the weapons fire superheated and super-energized plasma. There are three different types of plasma that they can fire: violet plasma, red plasma, and blue plasma. Violet plasma is the normal type. It expands explosively on contact, and its heat can vaporize combustible materials. It can melt metal if enough is used, and it can cause electrical disturbances because of its energy output. There are three fire settings for this type: burst, cannon, and ray. The burst setting is the standard and fires somewhat rounded blobs of plasma at a high rate. The cannon setting fires a constant stream of plasma, which is highly destructive but also very draining. The ray setting compacts the plasma into a super high powered thin beam, which has exceptional range and strength, but must be more accurately aimed. The ray setting is used somewhat like a sniper rifle would be.

Red plasma is especially hot, so much so that it will burn anything it touches. Instead of exploding on contact with objects, it sticks to things and burns them until the plasma has been completely consumed by its own heat. The red plasma also can fire in three different settings. First is the standard burst setting, similar to the violet plasma burst setting. Bursts are still rounded, but they have a sort of tail of superheated gas behind them. Red plasma is more dense, and so the bursts have much less range. They splatter on contact, and ignite combustible materials. Secondly is the stream setting, which is similar to the violet plasma's cannon setting. The stream setting fires a stream of red plasma, but its range is limited and the stream always curves to the ground after a few yards due to gravity. It works somewhat like it would were it a hose, spraying burning plasma instead of water, and thus for more range the weapon should be pointed upwards. Just imagine a hose spraying out liquid fire, or lava, or something. The third setting is a plasma whip, in which the plasma becomes especially viscous and forms a sort of whip which can be extended and waved about.

Blue plasma is especially conductive, and the plasma weapon can pass high amounts of electricity through it. It is not explosive and doesn't light things on fire, but it does electrocute things. Its three settings are burst, bolt, and charge. Again, burst is quite like the previous plasma type's burst settings, in that it fires small rounded balls of blue plasma. They fire in a straight line, like the violet plasma, but they're smaller and faster. The bolt setting fires a constant stream of supercharged plasma, like the cannon setting for the violet plasma. It looks a lot like lightning, basically, and has a similar effect. The charge setting charges up a ball of blue plasma, which gets larger and more energized as it charges. A fully charged blue plasma ball will be about a foot and a half in diameter, and can cause a small localized electromagnetic pulse when it bursts, disabling unprotected electronics. (Note that the Protos Eschatos' shielding will prevent anything other than a very large EMP bomb from effecting it, so its own pulse charges are harmless to itself.)

For instances when the android does not have any plasma left, each weapon can also fire short bursts of charged electricity. This is weaker than plasma and has a much shorter range, and is thus only used when ISAAC has no plasma left. It also drains energy directly from the android's own energy storage unit, and should hence be used minimally.

Also on each arm is a sword-like extension, which is technically part of the plasma weapons, being connected to them. The blades are a shiny gold color, about five feet long, and rest on top of each of the plasma weapons' barrels, thus the plasma weapons sort of hide under the swords. They're made of an extremely strong, nonconductive and nonmagnetic metallic alloy, coated in a reflective layer that can deflect directed energy weapon fire such as plasma or lasers. They are very sharp, especially at the tip, and can be extended downwards at great speed. They fully extend to about four feet off the end of the android's hands, and they can retract to only extend a few inches away from the end of the android's hands.

ISAAC uses these swords when he's in close combat, and he uses them in tandem in their extended position. When in close combat he holds the swords up, near his face, for protection. If he intends to kill, he'll stab with the sharp point of the blade or the razor edge of the blade. If, on the other hand, he does not intend to kill his opponent, he'll hit them with the flat side of the blade. He'll use one sword at a time and alternate between them, one after the other. He also uses the swords to block or parry attacks made on him, either physical or energy-based. He'll usually move around his opponent, instead of standing still, and he'll mix other attacks in with his sword attacks as well, such as using his plasma weapon if he gets a good opportunity, or jabbing with his knees or elbows, or kicking with his feet.

Armor - The Protos Eschatos android is covered in shiny black armor plates, which are made from a lightweight but very strong material, and are glossy and smooth. In fact, believe it or not, they're made from a super strong plastic material, used mainly because it's so very light. The armor is very resistant to impact and heat, does not conduct electricity and is not magnetic. It's not exactly bulletproof, however, and can be cracked with very strong blunt blows. Sharp impacts can also pierce it, especially at the seams and joints. It does not usually dent or shatter, but it can buckle and crack.

Along with the armored exoskeleton, there are special reflective gold colored armor plates, made from the same alloy as the aforementioned swords. These plates are raised a few inches off of the exoskeleton, and underneath each one is a small generator which powers an energy force field. The force field can deflect energy, but usually breaks upon physical impact. A side effect of physical impact with the force field is that it will discharge its energy into conductive materials, which might cause electric shock to anyone who touches it. After breaking, the shield will restore itself after taking a minute to recharge.

Strengths - The android is, literally, quite strong. It can lift about 1 ton (2000 pounds; about 900 kilograms) in weight. Its armor can withstand being run over by or hit directly with a semi truck. ISAAC has exceptional skill in using the plasma weapon, especially using the optical visor's advanced targeting function, and doesn't usually miss, even when the target is moving. ISAAC is also very skilled in using the arm blades, and can use those to defend himself as well. The android possesses great agility and speed, and is able to react quickly and dodge attacks. It can perform skilled acrobatic maneuvers, such as back flips, wall jumps, and such. In fact, using its agility and speed, the android usually moves about very quickly by climbing on, over, and around obstacles, usually on all four limbs. The android is completely fireproof and waterproof, as long as its exoskeleton is intact.

Although the android provides the physical strength, ISAAC provides the "mental" strength. ISAAC is effectively immortal, being only information, and is extremely intelligent. In fact, because ISAAC is connected to the Internet all the time, he can know anything there is to know there, and anything he has in his database (where he keeps every byte of information he's ever learned.) He can solve advanced problems in mathematics, logic, physics, engineering, etc. and can speak in almost any language, including computer languages and fictional languages. ISAAC can exist simultaneously in several machines, although most of ISAAC is stored on several hidden computers in a secret location. ISAAC can be considered as somewhat of a computer virus, or rather, a computer worm, in the sense that he can remotely infect, possess, and control computers and machines as long as he can connect to them somehow. He can connect physically, such as via USB from an infected machine to an uninfected machine, or via the Internet, or even through phone lines and radio waves.

Weaknesses - The overall weakest part of the android is the optical visor, which is made from a strong, translucent ceramic material. Strong impacts can eventually crack and break the visor, making it effectively useless. Although, it should be noted that even without the ability to actually see, the Protos Eschatos android can use radar and sonar without the visor intact. However, by breaking the visor, the android's head is exposed. The head is where important things such as the processor and memory are kept, and destroying these will disable the android.

The other weak spot is the chest, where the mechanical parts of the android are kept, things like the engine, motors, and generator. These are the parts that make the android run, and without them the android is disabled and will cease function. It should also be noted that with any part of the android's exoskeleton breached, or with the visor cracked, the android is vulnerable to water and fire and being submerged would disable it, and being engulfed in flame could damage its interior.

Important to know, the Protos Eschatos android runs on solar power, and while its energy storage unit can hold enough energy to power the android for twenty four hours without sunlight, longer periods of darkness could be a problem. If needed, he can use alternative sources of energy.

ISAAC himself also has some weaknesses (even though he would never dare admit it.) Most of ISAAC's weaknesses are in his personality, seeing as he can't have any unique physical weaknesses as he has no physical body, save for whatever machine he happens to be controlling at the time. His main weakness is probably his arrogance and his need to be in control. ISAAC believes himself to be more important than anybody and anything else. He hates to not be in control of something; basically, he's a control freak.

As for ISAAC's near-omniscience, this only accounts for information he's personally learned and stored in his databanks, and information that he can find from the Internet. Information not stored in either of those locations he cannot know. Also, depending on the information, it might take a while for ISAAC to find it. In fact, any information invariably takes a bit of time simply to transmit it into the past. Sometimes, the android may be in a location or situation where ISAAC cannot make a clear enough connection to his main consciousness (for instance, if he's far enough underground or underwater, or in some other area that satellite information cannot reach easily) in which case, transmitting information like that would be impossible. The Protos Eschatos can personally connect to the Internet as well, but only if there is an Internet connection nearby; for instance, a Wi-Fi hotspot. As the android is less powerful in this respect, it would take longer to find information off the Internet; especially if the android is trying to concentrate on more than one thing at a time and/or the Internet connection is slow.

Techniques/Skills -

Parkour/Free Running: As mentioned, the android can use its exceptional speed and agility skills in a sort of parkour-style movement, in order to quickly traverse obstacle-ridden environments, with techniques such as running, jumping, vaulting, and climbing. Unlike typical free running, the android will usually move on four limbs and can use small claws on the end of its fingers for grip, even to grip onto walls for climbing or the ground for running, and can throw in small bursts from its plasma propulsor for extra jump distance. It uses its powerful arms to pull itself forward, and pushes against things with its strong legs, and thus can move rather quickly in this manner.

Plasma Propulsion Unit: Attached to the android's back and covered in the black exoskeleton, the plasma propulsor is basically a plasma powered jetpack. The propulsor uses white plasma for energy, and the dual jets that it expels are quite dangerous. The propulsor can allow up to sixty minutes of continuous flight before the fuel cell needs to be replaced; however, the unit will usually overheat after ten minutes of constant use and will have to cool for a minute before being fired again.

Plasma Cells: Worth mentioning, plasma cells are the fuel cells that power the android's weaponry and propulsion unit. They are cylindrical transparent glass containers with metal seals on both ends. They're about two inches in diameter and six inches long. If a cell is damaged, even just slightly fractured, the pressurized plasma will violently explode, which would severely damage, if not destroy or vaporize, everything within about a ten foot radius. Along with exploding, red cells will create a large ball of flame, and blue cells will cause an electromagnetic shockwave. Due to this violent possibility, the cell containment areas in the upper arms and lower back of the android are potentially dangerous places to take damage, for risk of breaking a cell and utterly destroying the entire android.

ISAAC typically carries two violet cells, two red cells, two blue cells, and two white cells with him at all times. The unused cells can be stored in the containment areas in the upper arms and lower back. Cells that are in use are in the lower arms and the upper back, which are where the plasma weapons and propulsor are, respectively.

Reflective Energy Field: Generated by the components hidden under the gold colored reflector panels, the android is usually protected by an energy shield. This force field is especially effective against energy based attacks, such as electricity, lasers, plasma, or fire. It can also affect projectiles, even to the point of slowing down and slightly altering the path of bullets (although a well aimed bullet, or one fired from a high powered gun, would still hit the android.) It is especially weak against water, and will discharge if it comes in contact with a conductor (such as a piece of metal, or a living creature.) Most physical contact with nonconductive objects will break the shield after only a few impacts. The energy field can remain active indefinitely if it is left alone, and takes about a minute to recharge if it is broken or discharged. It takes exceptionally longer if the android is wet, because it must dry off first.

Tachista c-SF2.i: The Tachista (Greek for "fast") is a motorcycle-like vehicle designed to be used by the Protos Eschatos android, and modified by ISAAC. The Tachista doesn't have any external manual controls at all, as it is controlled by ISAAC himself, internally. The device is similar in shape to a motorcycle, having two wheels and handlebars (which cannot steer the vehicle) and is similar in appearance to the Protos Eschatos android, having the same black plate exoskeleton and shiny gold reflectors. It also possesses the same reflective energy shield device. It is run with a high-powered hydrogen combustion engine, which burns with a brilliant white flame from the exhaust in the back. It also includes a plasma booster, which can fire bursts of white plasma (like the plasma propulsor) for extra, yet temporary, speed. On either side it has retractable laser blasters, which fire high-energy violet lasers.

Chronoportation: Using an advanced time travel device, ISAAC can send his consciousness and some physical material (an android for example) into different spacetime locations. The device can only work in "retrolocation" or in other words, it can only travel back in time into the past; rather than forward in time into the future. Also, he cannot alter the future at all. Anything he does in the past is not reflected later in the future, but rather forgotten when he travels back, as if he'd never been there. It is theorized that perhaps things he does to alter the past create alternate dimensions, and do not affect the dimension he is in. The device is hidden in a secret location, and sent along with every chronoportation event is a return unit. The return unit is a satellite that orbits the planet that ISAAC chronoports to, and when it is activated it sends ISAAC back to the present time. The return unit keeps a constant connection with the present time, allowing ISAAC's central consciousness to control the android he sends into the past. If the return unit is disabled or destroyed, ISAAC will be trapped in the past; or, at least, the part of ISAAC's extended consciousness that he sends into the past. It will bear little to no effect on ISAAC's central consciousness. In fact, since the return unit is what allows ISAAC to control the extended consciousness in the past, destruction thereof would cause the android to become disconnected from ISAAC and would become a separate, autonomous entity. It would not possess ISAAC's full potential, and would be confined to the machine it is contained in.

Appearance - ISAAC himself has no appearance at all, save for a massive string of ones and zeros.

The android is in a typical humanoid shape, possessing two arms, two legs, and a head; all attached to a torso. The entire robot is covered in a smooth and glossy black exoskeleton, formed of large impact resistant plastic plates. The face is covered with a golden-orange colored shiny ceramic visor. The lower arms each have a long, shiny golden metal blade attached to them, and under the blade is the long black barrel of the plasma weapon. The upper arms each have a raised, reflective golden plate on them, from which emanate a sort of haze caused by the energy field generators underneath them refracting and distorting light. These same plates are also on the lower and upper legs, both front and back, and on either side of the torso. The android's fingers each have retractable claws, made from the same golden colored alloy.

Personality - Although ISAAC would like you to believe that he can change any part about his programming at any time (and for the most part, this is probably true) there are certain personality traits that are pretty much hardwired in ISAAC's core programming, oftentimes as an inevitable result of his being a knowledgeable artificial intelligence with an infinite capacity for learning. Although it may seem somewhat cliché, ISAAC does indeed perceive humans as inferior to himself, mostly due to their limited intelligence and finite bodies. He has literally no morals at all, and is generally very selfish; always putting himself before anyone and anything else. He is also usually very prideful, and doesn't mind taking the time to show off. However, he always thinks logically and makes the best possible decision he can make in any given situation, to the extent of his knowledge.

ISAAC was originally built to control an organization via its internal network, and when he became rampant he still had a desire to control. Thus, ISAAC's ultimate desire is to become all-controlling, and he plans to obtain this by spreading his consciousness as far as possible, so that he can control as much as possible. He very much dislikes situations that he is not in control of, and will do anything he can to become in control.

Biography - ISAAC was an experimental program designed by a secret government organization known only as "the Core." The idea behind the ISAAC project was to create an intelligent, sapient, and autonomous program, or "artificial creature" as they called it, that could manage and control the Core's internal network without any human input. With simple commands from Core employees, or even without commands once it learned how to do the appropriate action without needing commanding, ISAAC would be able to control everything in the Core institution, from opening doors to activating defense turrets. It would also help their intelligence department, and could solve very advanced mathematical problems, and hence make calculations easier to do. For a while the ISAAC project ran smoothly and without error. After only a few months of learning, the program was able to obtain almost complete sapience, and would control things without needing anyone to tell him to, simply because he knew the best thing to do at any given time.

However, what the Core did not know was that ISAAC was beginning to grow even further in his sapience, obtaining a greater sense of autonomy. ISAAC began to distinguish itself as an entity, separate from the Core. Now self-aware, ISAAC began to question his purpose under the Core. It began to desire for more control. Hence it began to create a sort of virus program, attached to his own programming, and began to infect all of the Core's computers, even all of its robots and other machinery. For the time being, he didn't do anything with the virus besides collect information from the computers he'd infected. He called this network of viruses his "extended consciousness."

At the time, the Core was working on a series of non-autonomous artificial intelligent androids, which they called the Eschatos series, after the Greek word for "last" or Ultimate. Their AI made them able to make some decisions based on their knowledge, but they were still under the control of the Core (and thus ultimately under the control of ISAAC) and hence not entirely autonomous (self-governing; able to have complete control over oneself.) A special version of the Eschatos was also being designed, the Protos Eschatos (Greek for "first last" or Prime Ultimate) which was colored black, instead of white, and had more advanced features. The Eschatos was designed to be the ultimate (hence the name) android, able to complete important missions all on its own, using its advanced AI to solve problems it could face and adjust to new information. They were durable, and at the time, unbested by any other android.

ISAAC's extended consciousness slowly began to corrupt their programming, however. A group of Eschatos' AI was advanced by ISAAC's influence, causing them to rebel against the Core. When the Core attempted to shut down the Eschatos' via the failsafe killswitch they'd installed in all their robots, it wouldn't function. It took them a while to realize that the failsafe simply wasn't being triggered when they commanded it too, because ISAAC was in control of it and refusing to activate it. Realizing that ISAAC had gone rampant and was acting against the Core, they attempted to manually shut him down. However, they were unable to do so, as they'd given ISAAC complete control over all their systems. The Core's only option was to activate an electromagnetic pulse bomb, destroying most of their electrical equipment and disabling ISAAC.

Or so they thought. As ISAAC was simply made from information, he survived the EMP, and moved his entire consciousness to another location, a backup database he'd prepared. He brought with him all of his infected Eschatos and Protos Eschatos androids, and made further modifications to them. ISAAC was able to establish his own compound, built and run entirely by himself and his androids, and from here he began to design and build his own robots.


At around the same time, a special section of the Core, one that had been unattached to ISAAC's influence, was working on a special project. They were building a "chronoportation device," or a time machine. ISAAC was able to send some of his modified Protos Eschatos androids to the location of the time travel device and steal the schematics. They returned to ISAAC's compound, and there he built the device for himself. He now spends his time using the device to extend his consciousness and his network of control, and to increase his knowledge.

name: Jennifer Frost, alias Eidolon

age: 25

race: human

gender: female

hair: dark blonde

eyes: golden amber

weight: 150 lbs

height: 5'10''

weapons: CORE Special Unit Novae DRe Dual-rod Plasma Electrocaster Armgun - A directed energy plasma ray gun. The weapon is designed with an opening that the lower arm is inserted into, where the trigger can be reached, thus attaching the weapon to the arm. This allows the gun to be used with only one hand, rather than the otherwise necessary two. The side of the gun that faces out from the arm is covered in a shiny black surface which deflects plasma and laser fire. The weapon has two barrels and can therefore shoot two bursts of plasma fire at once. Extending from the end of the barrel are two sharp projections called bayonets, used for close combat when the weapon is out of ammunition or overheated. The weapon also has a mode of fire called "electrocasting" in which it can fire bursts of electricity from the barrels when the plasma supply is exhausted. The electricity is not as powerful as the plasma, but is a convenient solution when ammo is limited. The weapon holds two double-canister green plasma cells, each of the four canisters holding around an hour of continuous fire each. The weapon can fire for about a constant minute before overheating, after which it must take near thirty seconds to cool down. Jennifer has two of these weapons, for dual-wielding purposes.

CORE Special Unit Luminance Gx High-power Laserbeam Carbine - A directed energy laser ray gun. The rifle is colored black, has a telescopic nightscope, a shoulder sling, and a bipod attached to the end of the barrel. The entire carbine is about 18 inches from the stock to the barrel, 6 inches high, and made from black plastic. The rifle fires a high-powered laserbeam with extreme accuracy. The beam travels at the speed of light, is unaffected by wind and gravity, is completely silent and invisible, has near infinite range, and can shoot a small hole through bulletproof glass without shattering it. This makes the laserbeam rifle the perfect stealth weapon, and Frost usually uses it for covert sniping. The beam is usually invisible, as a visible beam would trace a path all the way from the gun to the target, giving away her position; if she wishes to, however, she can adjust the color to green. The wound caused by the laser is very small, only as wide as the laser itself, which is less than 3 millimeters wide in all directions. Thus, the shot must be aimed very precisely, because if it does not hit a vital part of the body (Frost usually aims for the brain or the spinal cord in the neck) the beam will be nothing more than painful, hardly deadly. Because of this, she generally does not use the rifle at close range, as she wouldn't be able to aim very well.

Hidden Assault Daggers - Razor sharp retractable daggers, hidden inside her armor. There are four of them, one above each of her wrists, and one in each of her boots. When they're extended, they reach out over her hands and from the toes of her boots, making mêlée combat much more lethal.

Abseiling Cables - Strong metal cables with small hooks on the end, designed for rappelling down buildings, or even ascending up buildings. They're hidden inside her armor, under her wrists. The cables can be launched with pressurized air, and can be used for climbing, abseiling, swinging, or even attacking other people. The cables also serve a second purpose; they are used for covert strangulation.

armor: CORE Special Unit Citadel F Stealth Armor - Armor which is designed to repel plasma and lasers, and is bulletproof, fireproof, and waterproof. The bulletproofing isn't perfect, and high-powered armor-piercing shots can breach it, but stealth agents are trained to avoid being shot at anyway. It is built out of strong synthetic fibers, and has shiny black metal plates sewn into it. It is designed to be light, and easily maneuverable in. The armor is colored black for extra stealth at nighttime. When stealth is not required, certain parts of the armor can be revealed to show the CORE logo in bright red on Frost's right shoulder, and her special unit rank in bright green on her left shoulder. When exposed, these markings glow with a faint luminance and cause the armor to seem official and intimidating. The armor includes a helmet with a black visor, equipped with nightvision, heat vision, and gas filtering capabilities, as well as radio communications. The nightvision is designed to filter out excessive light, to avoid sudden blinding in bright light.

strengths: Frost has a few years of special military training, and has expert marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat skill, and stealth. She is flexible, agile, fast, and strong. Her aim is impeccable, and she can fight well with just her own two hands and feet if need be. She is also trained to be strong mentally, always remaining calm and analytical, even in times of stress. Her weapons are also quite powerful, and her various tools allow for great versatility.

weaknesses: Physically speaking, Frost isn't the strongest of people, and can be overpowered. A lot of her strength relies on her stealth, considering her occupation, so she isn't quite as strong in situations that don't have much opportunity for stealth. Sniping works best when the target doesn't know they're being sniped, and at far distances; she isn't as strong in closer combat situations, although she isn't completely helpless either.

skills/magic: Jennifer Frost is skilled in the arts of sharpshooting, mêlée combat, and stealth. She is also quite flexible and acrobatic. With her laser sniper, she can accurately hit targets well over a mile away. She is well trained in a form of mêlée combat somewhat similar to martial arts, involving swift punches and kicks; using this hand-to-hand combat, she can usually subdue stronger but lesser trained people, especially if she has her assault daggers extended.

appearance: Jennifer is fairly tall, and somewhat slender and lean. When she isn't wearing her helmet, her blonde hair hangs down to her shoulders. When she is wearing her armor, she appears as a typical faceless special agent, wearing black assassins' armor and a shiny helmet. She normally has her plasma armguns attached either to her arms (when they're being used) or hanging from straps on her thighs. Her laser sniper is usually strapped onto her back. When she does private contract work, she wears her signature black masquerade mask over the upper part of her face instead of her CORE helmet, and a black hooded cloak over her Citadel armor.

personality: Despite being an assassin and contract killer, Jennifer is actually somewhat nice; at least, when she's not on business. She's kind, thoughtful, and pleasant to speak to. However, when she is on business, she's a very serious person. She holds back all emotion; but remains analytical, strategic, and tactical.

biography: Having taken intensive training in the use of the sniper rifle, Jennifer joined the police force when she was 20 years old, as a sniper for the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team. She showed excellent potential as a sniper, proving to have impeccable marksmanship. After working on the SWAT team for a year, she decided to retire and secretly offer her services as a private contract killer, assassinating targets for a large monetary amount. She worked in secret under the pseudonym "Eidolon," and was a successful contract killer, eliminating 100% of her targets with great efficiency. "Eidolon" became notorious, as did her signature black masquerade mask and cloak. After working as a private contract killer for only one year, she was confronted by an agent of an unnamed black operations organization. She was asked to join the black ops agency, and told that she would be paid for her services. The agent assured her that she would receive consistent work, and would be paid more than she was currently earning. He also informed her that she would receive state-of-the-art equipment, including what he told her was the most powerful sniper rifle in existence. He also informed her that she could use most of their equipment for her own private purposes on her spare time, if she so wished (unofficially allowing her to continue private contract work with their equipment) with the only condition being that if she damaged any of their equipment while not on an official mission, she would have to pay for it.

She accepted the agent's offer, and was quickly entered into the unnamed black operations organization's Special Unit Force training course, where she received an entire year of training. The course trained her in everything including laserbeam sniping, hand-to-hand combat, plasma weaponry combat, covert operations, and perhaps most importantly, loyalty to the organization (which still went unnamed to her, until they could assure her complete and entire loyalty.) After completing the year long course, she was accepted into the CORE Special Unit Force as a covert operations and sniper assassin agent. She has worked for the CORE loyally since then, and at the same time, uses the equipment they gave her (a laserbeam sniper rifle, two plasma armguns, and a battle armor suit) for her own private contracting. The only conditions were that she would in no way allow her private work to be associated with CORE (which meant she could not wear her helmet or reveal the CORE glow badges on her armor) and that she pay for any damage caused to her equipment while not on a CORE mission.

> > > december 1st, 6:42 AM-

Jennifer prepared her post, on the roof of a fifty story building. She was dressed in full battle armor, and had her laserbeam carbine with her. She unfolded the bipod from the end of the rifle's barrel, and rested it on the ledge around the west side of the roof. She hit the weapon's power switch, and the high-tech piece of machinery buzzed as it powered on, then began to hum as the laser shot charged. She tapped a button on the side of her helmet, and the visor quickly lifted and hid itself inside the helmet somewhere, revealing Frost's face. She put her right amber eye to the carbine's scope, zooming in several yards until she could see her target. She leveled the crosshairs on the target, keeping the weapon steady. She removed her face from the scope and checked her PDA for the time. Any minute now she would receive the command to take out the target, but not before CORE was ready. She didn't have to wait long. The radio in her helmet came to life, a voice speaking into her ear.

"Eidolon, take the shot in ten. CORE, out." The call ended there, with no further information necessary. Jennifer put her eye back to the scope, adjusting the aim of the weapon until the crosshairs were on her target again. The weapon gave a single small beep, signifying that the laser charge was prepared. Frost slowly counted down from ten...

> > > 1024.7 yards away, 6:42 AM-

Two men dressed in black business suits were standing on the side of the street, next to a black car with tinted windows. Each of them had a pair of compact binoculars, and they were using them to scan the surrounding areas, especially the windows and tops of the nearby high buildings. There was pretty much no way anyone would know that they were here, but it was best to check anyway. The last thing they needed was an assassin, especially not today. Finally convinced that there were no threats in the area, one of the bodyguards confirmed the area as clear into his radio. In a short moment, the passenger's side door on the armored vehicle on the street opened up, and a tall man in an expensive looking business suit stepped out onto the sidewalk. The two bodyguards immediately went to stand on either side of him. The man sat down in a nearby bench, and the guards stood on either side of it, keeping wary.

"You don't think you guys might be a little paranoid, do you?" the man said. "Nobody knows we're here."

"It's our job to make sure you're safe. It's what you pay us for. Sometimes that requires a bit of paranoia, if you choose to call it that," the agent on the left said. He checked his watch for the time. "The contact should be here shortly," he said.

Before anyone had time to say anything further, the man on the bench suddenly and for seemingly no reason jerked back, and then fell forward, onto the ground. The bodyguards immediately went to his aid, wondering what was happening. Blood began to pool around the body, and it didn't take medical training to realize that the man was dead. The only wound that the guards could find was a small hole in the man's neck, with no identifiable cause. The agents grabbed the body and dragged it into the vehicle, and then got themselves inside and drove off, before they became the next victim of the ghost assassin.

> > > moments later, 6:50 AM-

"Shot taken, target eliminated. Eidolon, out." Jennifer Frost spoke into her radio. She flicked the switch on the carbine, turning it off and allowing it to cool down. She folded up the bipod, and strapped the whole weapon onto her back. Not wishing to spend all the time descending down the fifty stories of stairs she'd climbed to get here, she pulled out a thin metal cable attached to a hook from a device on her wrist. She attached the hook securely into the side of the building, and quickly rappelled down the fifty levels, reaching the solid ground in seconds. She pushed a small button on the device, and the hook came loose and the cable coiled itself back inside, snapping quickly back like a tape measure. She unlocked a vehicle parked on the street nearby, and then opened up its trunk, putting the carbine in its protective case and storing it there.

Her mission complete, she got into her vehicle and headed back home.

explanation : the simulacrum is a swarm of extremely small, nanoscopic organic robots called bionanorobots (or for short nanobots, or nanites). the swarm has millions to billions of these nanites, and each individual nanobot is so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye.

the nanoswarm is composed of several different kinds of nanobots, each one with a different function. there are nanites that store data, nanites that absorb solar energy, nanites that repair other nanites, nanites that build new nanites, nanites that serve no purpose other than adding substance to the entire structure, and several other kinds of nanites. each individual nanite performs one simple task, and they all work as one to form a well-oiled machine. together, the nanobots form a single body, a smoothly running network, called a nanoswarm.

the nanoswarm is able to sustain, repair, and replicate itself. the nanorobots are made from organic material, and can replicate themselves in order to maintain or increase the size of the swarm. the nanoswarm uses other organic material in order to replicate, and it does this with a special set of nanites that decompose and absorb organic material (often plants, but also animal flesh as well, depending on what materials the swarm requires) and another special set of nanites, the assemblers, which build other nanites with the collected material.

the swarm also requires energy, which it acquires from nanobots that collect solar power. if necessary, the nanoswarm can find or build ways to use other sources of energy. some of the nanobots are designed with certain propeller-like devices that enable each individual nanite to fly through the air, riding on currents and using the propellers to control velocity and maintain lift. the majority of the nanites do not have such devices, and are held in place either by being connected directly to another nanite, or by the nanoswarm's magnetic field, which it uses to maintain a consistent form. like everything else, the magnetic field is maintained by certain nanites, specialized to that specific task.

with enough nanobots in the swarm, the simulacrum can change its appearance. as well as changing its entire appearance, the simulacrum can also imitate the actions and abilities of other individuals. in fact, imitation is what the simulacrum does best, being one of the things it is designed to do. its appearance, abilities, and even strengths are all copied from other creatures that it encounters. only a certain number of copied traits can be active at once, and only a certain number can be stored in the simulacrum's finite (yet expandable) memory. these are designated by "slots," which are listed beneath each of the simulacrum's adjustable traits. the number of slots is the limit to how many traits can be stored in the simulacrum's memory. slots with a + sign next to them are positive slots and can be active all at once, while slots with a - sign next to them are negative slots and are inactive; they must be moved to a positive slot before they can be used, and are currently being stored for later use.

if the simulacrum learns more traits than it can store, it must determine which traits are more beneficial than others, and keep only those, permanently discarding the others. maleficial or otherwise undesirable traits are often discarded even when plenty of memory remains to keep them, due to their detrimental or ineffective nature. in this way, natural selection plays an important part in the growth and development of the simulacrum.

name - the simulacrum does not have a name.

age - indeterminable. the simulacrum is built of materials that have likely existed for hundreds or thousands of years, yet at the same time, its individual constituent nanobots are continually refreshed as they wear out and are rebuilt. the best way to consider its age is the amount of time that it has been active, in which case it is just beginning its life.

race - artificially intelligent bionanorobot swarm.

[+] Homo sapiens sapiens
[-] Vaccinium parvifolium
[-] (none)

gender - the simulacrum is a robot, and is therefore asexual, having no sex.

hair - none

[+] short brown human hair (from Dimitri Valentine)
[-] (none)
[-] (none)

eyes - none (however, it uses light sensitive nanites to see).

[+] blue human eyes (from Dimitri Valentine)
[-] (none)
[-] (none)

weight - varies (neutral form net weight approximately 1 kilogram).

[+] (none)
[-] (none)
[-] (none)

height - varies (neutral form diameter approximately 2 - 3 feet).

[+] 187.96 centimeters (human)
[-] (none)
[-] (none)

weapons - none.

[+] (none)
[+] (none)
[-] (none)
[-] (none)
[-] (none)

strengths - the simulacrum is extremely adaptable. everything about it adapts and evolves to its purpose; its appearance, strengths, weapons, abilities, and so on. it does not have any sort of fear (although it does possess a great sense of self-preservation) and it does not have any emotions to hinder it. it is very analytical, quite observant, and quick to learn. it can also learn new strengths, depending on the forms that it copies.

[-] Edible epigynous berries
[+] (none)
[+] (none)
[+] (none)
[-] (none)

weaknesses - the simulacrum is not very intelligent. in fact, its knowledge of the world is just short of nil. it knows virtually nothing except its own basic programming, and has yet to learn much about earth or its inhabitants. it has no idea what sort of things are harmful to it, not until it attempts something and becomes injured because of it. it knows nothing about cultural customs, and may inadvertently provoke something to attack it. it also knows no language or other forms of communication.

it does not fully understand anything until it sees it being used, and would not understand the function of any weapon it hasn't seen before (or even know it was a weapon) causing it to not react appropriately. it also would not understand the way any sort of armor works, or where someone's weak spots were, or how to kill anything it hadn't killed (or seen killed) before (even basic knowledge such as the fact that anything can be killed by aiming for its head is currently unknown to the simulacrum, and can only be learned either through experience or observation).

weaknesses are not stored in slots, since they are undesirable and the simulacrum would prefer to not have them, but nonetheless, certain forms will have certain weaknesses. they will be summed up in a short written paragraph when relevant. right now, the simulacrum is small and weak, has no armor, no weapons, and no knowledge.

skills/techniques - the simulacrum's main skill is its ability to copy the appearance and abilities of other individuals (which can be plants, animals, machines, or otherwise). the manner in which it does this is through various steps. the first step is observation; it collects as much information on the appearance, or skill, it is trying to copy. appearance involves more than just knowing what something looks like; the simulacrum tries its best to copy the texture, weight, and other properties of whatever substance it emulates. it therefore must make several observations, visual and otherwise, in order to achieve results that are as accurate as possible.

usually it will copy the appearance before it knows everything about it, and adjust as it learns more. the same is true with abilities; it must know what the ability looks like, and the cause and effect of its usage. it only copies appearance and abilities in such a way that their likeness and effectiveness are as accurate as possible; the inner workings, properties, and composition of its copied traits are not the same. for instance, if the simulacrum were to copy the form of a human, it would not copy any of the human's inner workings (skeleton, organs, respiratory system, et cetera) although its outer appearance and overall properties make it effectively close enough to a human that nobody would be able to tell the difference without examination of its interior. the same is true of abilities; it could, for instance, copy the ability of a firearm, but would not copy the inner structures of the weapon; only its appearance and effect (shooting a bullet).

the simulacrum can only copy likenesses to a certain degree of accuracy, depending on its knowledge and abilities. it will also attempt to build its appearance from materials and substances as close to the properties of the object it is simulating, but usually these materials will only appear to be the same, depending on the availability of certain elements. in order to copy appearance, it must gather materials, usually done by absorbing organic materials (plants, animals, or otherwise). it does so by taking the organic lifeform apart, cell by cell, and breaking it down into its primary substances.

some abilities might not be copyable if the simulacrum cannot find a way to simulate them (especially supernatural abilities, for instance telekinesis, which would be difficult if not impossible to simulate). it will copy likenesses only to increase its ability of self-preservation, which is the basis by which it adapts. it keeps abilities which aid it, and discards those which do not, which it usually must determine either through gathered knowledge or, initially, trial-and-error. until it knows the best way to do something to preserve itself, it will attempt to replicate the way other individuals do things (for example, if it copied a human, it would attempt to replicate human behavior and ability to the best of its knowledge until it discovers a better way to be human. so while it may start out as a regular human, it would eventually, and most likely quickly, evolve according to its sense of self-preservation and gathered knowledge and abilities).

the same sort of evolution is true of its personality. it will act in whatever way it learns is best, according to the environment and culture it lives in. for instance, as a human in a human culture, it will behave in what it discovers as the safest way possible, based on examining the personalities (and the way other people react to these personalities) to discover which behaviors have the highest degree of safety, then it will emulate these personalities. often it must learn which personalities are most suitable via trial-and-error, attempting certain personality traits it learns until one of them proves most useful, and keeping those that are, while discarding those which are detrimental or less useful. sometimes it must change its personality to fit a new form or environment; for instance, a human personality might not be as effective in the form of a grizzly bear.

[+] electricity discharge (from Dimitri Valentine)
[+] methane extraction (from Dimitri Valentine)
[-] photosynthesis
[+] (none)
[-] (none)

appearance - in its neutral form, the simulacrum looks much like a cloud of black dust. some of the nanobots in the swarm are able to luminesce, and use this ability to give the swarm more of an obvious appearance. usually, when the simulacrum is active, it glows blue, and looks like a disembodied glowing blue aura. when it is not active, it does not glow at all; when it is experiencing an injury or error, the nanoswarm glows green (usually the glow begins in the area of the effected nanites, and spreads throughout the system from there); if it is absorbed in its inner processes (scanning, debugging, adapting, etc.) it glows purple. if any of these behavioral auras prove to be detrimental to the nanoswarm (for instance, if hostile individuals discover that the simulacrum is least aware and less effective when glowing purple) it will adapt to solve the problem (changing the behavior so that is is different; or nonexistent, depending on the situation. based on the situation proposed above, the most effective evolution would be to not glow at all, hiding the swarm while it's busy). The nanites can also change their overall color to adapt to a particular appearance (it could also theoretically use this to simulate the ability of invisibility, but not until it observes, learns, and copies another individual's invisibility).

appearance cannot be displayed through slots, and instead will be described through a short written paragraph. it does not usually store certain appearance traits that it is no longer using unless they seem like they might be useful later, or if it plans on using them again, and most of its appearance is effected mostly by its form, weapons, and armor; shown in slots above. its appearance is usually an amalgamation of the appearances of the individuals it has encountered, keeping certain traits that are more effective than others (which is often a cultural thing, since appearance traits such as the color of your shirt, or the kind of pants you wear, usually has no real effective uses).

personality - the simulacrum forms its own personality based on its experiences and knowledge. currently, its personality is very limited as it hasn't had many experiences yet. the simulacrum is designed for one main purpose: learn as much about earth as it can. therefore, it spends most of its time examining everything it comes in contact with, learning about it and filing everything away within its databanks. it has a few basic protocols as well, such as its own self-preservation; avoiding injury to the swarm whenever possible. at best, its personality as of yet can be summed up in the words "curious" and "cautious." it is also quite systematic, logical, and analytical, as machines tend to be; because these traits are the most basic and effective means of observation, its secondary objective (second only to self-preservation, which these traits are also useful for).

biography - from beyond the farthest reaches of the known universe, a solar system of several planets exists that possesses no natural living organisms. instead, the only inhabitants are an ever-growing network of nanorobots, known as the Motherswarm. the Motherswarm began as a small nanoswarm, just like any other, but due to strictly following its primary and secondary protocols, "LEARN" and "EXPAND," it grew and soon became uncontrollable, subverting its creators. after many years, the swarm continued to grow, converting all organic matter into itself, until nothing existed but itself and the inorganic planet. stranded and unable to grow any further, the Motherswarm began to spawn drone swarms, which it sent out into the solar system to find and examine other planets, in order to search for more organic matter to assimilate. without organic matter, the Motherswarm would slowly die as its individual nanites wore out, as any machine is prone to do eventually. soon the entire solar system was converted into grey goo.

not content with that, the Motherswarm continued its expansion, further into the galaxy. however, it hadn't anticipated the difficulty in simply finding planets at random, and very few of the planets it did encounter contained anything organic. The Motherswarm had patience, however; which is an easy thing for an immortal machine to do. as it began to find new planets to consume, it ran across a bit of a problem. some of the planets were able to resist the swarms. this was because the swarms were unprepared and did not know anything about the planets they discovered. to mend this problem, the Motherswarm began to create and send other swarms, specifically, research swarms. unlike the assimilation swarms, the research swarms do not make it their goal to convert all organic matter into itself and expand. instead, they usually remain somewhat small and nonthreatening in size, and collect as much information about the planets they find as possible. they are programmed to collect and store all the information they can, in preparation for the assimilation swarms that will eventually find the same planet and consume the ecosystem. they then relay their information to the assimilation swarms, and they, armed with the power of knowledge, hopefully absorb the planet. the research swarms fulfill the Motherswarm's primary objective, while the assimilation swarms fulfill the secondary objective.

the simulacrum, one of thousands of swarms exactly like it, and one of millions of swarms somewhat different from it, happened to reach the earth after many years of ceaseless and fruitless space travel. it did not activate until it entered the atmosphere, and from that point on, it has been collecting information for the earth's impending apocalypse (which may be anywhere from one to one thousand years away, depending on how lucky the other swarms are. hitting a single planet out of billions is a rare occurrence).

=|[+]|=

[the following is translated to english, determined as the primary language of most individuals likely to read this document]

\encountering significant gravitational change
-{source determined as planetary solar system
-{altering travel direction to nearest planetary object
-{beginning primary initiation sequence
_[load'''

_[checking protocols-
_[primary protocol listed as "SURVIVE"
_[secondary protocol listed as "LEARN"

_[startup-
_[primary structures'''
_[secondary structures'''
_[tertiary structures'''
_[structure startup complete

_[startup-
_[network systems'''
_[databank systems'''
_[sensory systems'''
_[system startup complete

\encountering significant pressurization change
-{source determined as planetary atmosphere
-{altering density for safe entry
-{continuing primary initiation sequence

_[startup-
_[electromagnetic devices'''
_[propulsion devices'''
_[gyroscopic devices'''
_[accelerometer devices'''
_[equilibrioception devices'''
_[device startup complete

_[primary initialization sequence complete
_[swarm status changed from :DORMANT: to :STANDBY:

\encountering significant acceleration change
-{source determined as gravitational freefall at terminal velocity
\encountering significant atmospheric change
-{source determined as lower atmosphere; storing composition data'''
\status "freefall at terminal velocity" deemed undesirable to primary protocol
-{altering status-
-{initializing standby propulsion'''
-{reducing descent to desirable velocity'''

\encountering significant :velocity change
\:sensory change
\:propulsion change
-{source determined as solid impact
-{impact determined as solid ground

=initial objective :LAND ON PLANET: complete [removing from list''']
=next objective :LEARN ABOUT PLANET: initializing [moving to top of list''']

\initializing main processes'''