The Energus Universe

[energus-universe]

The Raden mention the King of the Sands. What's the story behind that?

The King of the Sands is the Radens’ oldest myth. While I haven’t set down the particulars yet, the story has a lot of similarities with our stories of King Arthur, and a mix of Gilgamesh.

[energus-universe]

[energus-universe]

Who are the current Talthareen leaders? Of main cities on the planet, or the colonies if they have any?

The two biggest Talthareen leaders are Prime Delegate Vuler Canjas, and Minister Ithul Cariam.

Vuler Canjas is the representative of the Talthareen Confederacy in the Imperial Senate. She’s almost universally liked by the Talthareen, and most other Senators as well. She tends to be progressive, and doesn’t have much patience for fools or elected officials out for their own benefit. It’s fairly well known in most circles that she and Emperor Lathar have a very cool relationship, due to his militaristic nature and his Onslaught Campaigns, that have exacerbated hostilities with the Polaris League. The fact that the ones who suffer most from cuts and resource allocations tend to be non-Nimicanths, due to his policies, also ruffles her feathers.

Ithul Cariam is the elected leader of the Confederacy, within the Empire. Due to Imperial Bureaucracy being placed ontop of the Talthareen’s own organization, the Minister position now also serves as an adviser to the Governor of the Talthareens’ sector. He had a fairly sizable support base when he was elected, but after numerous instances of him kowtowing to the Emperor’s increasingly unfair policies on the Talthareen, he’s viewed as little more than Emperor Lathar’s toady. It is unlikely he’ll remain in his position after the next election.

[energus-universe]

I know Raden bones are super tough, but what about their skin and soft tissues? Their organs? A large force is needed to break a bone,... but what about the rest of 'em?

Radens are fairly resilient all around. Their skin and tendons are rather elastic, so they’re resistant to lacerations and pulled muscles. Other soft tissues and organs can still be bludgeoned, but with their skin dissipating a lot of the force and their almost iron-hard bones covering their organs, it’s still fairly difficult. This is why most of their pre-gunpowder weaponry are spear-like weapons, to stab through the gaps and joints to damage the actual organs.

On the whole, this makes them one of the most outright durable races in the galaxy. Extreme temperatures, such as those generated by energy weapons, are the only was to reliably inflict damage to them.

[energus-universe]

How does the population of Scultus view the Mulzaken craftspeople that come in?

They was some distrust at first, but nimicanths as a whole tend to be fairly open minded when it comes to new species. Most of that distrust has morphed into professional rivalries between the mulzaken and the nimicanths. They’re constantly trying to one up the other’s masterpiece.

[energus-universe]

Take Wing

Hand over hand, Camili and the other Shepherd Initiates climbed up the boughs of the Osenta tree. Each of them had a magsail unit affixed to their backs, with the metallic sails collapsed into their inactive loops that connected physically at the shoulder blade, and were attached to an anchor that wrapped around the upper thigh. Making sure one hand and her feet were firmly attached to the Osenta’s bark, Camili leaned back and turned, giving her a breathtaking view of the rolling plains below. She would always love her home, but Rea’men was truly a sight to behold.

She didn’t have long to enjoy the view before she was pulled from her sightseeing by Bulna, who was climbing just below her poking at her heel.

“I know this is your first time up an Osenta, but we can enjoy the view when we’re not hanging upside down at a 100 degree.”

Camili flattened her ears along the sides of her head in embarrassment as she swung her arm back up to connect with the trunk. “Sorry Bulna. We don’t have views like this back home.”

“Yeah, yeah we know, country girl.” Came Nulera’s teasing voice from further up the tree. “But don’t stop now, the best part is yet to come.”

It took almost a full hour for the group to reach their destination. A broad, metal and wood platform was attached to a mostly horizontal section of the Osenta’s branch. A pair of juron squawked indignantly at having their nest intruded on before taking wing and circling the platform. Camili kept a wary eye on them, but Nulera had assured her before coming up that jurons were not in their breeding season, so any they encountered wouldn’t aggressively defend their young. So long as no one went near the actual pile sticks, mud, and tassles, the worst they’d have to put up with was the indignant squawking.

“Alright everyone. Take a breather, then we’ll be double checking everyone’s harness before the jump.”

Camili settled onto the edge of the platform, taking in the view now that she wasn’t holding up the procession. Almost two miles up, an Osenta gave one an unparalleled view of the planet below. The tiered forests around the lower trunk and roots of the Osenta gave way to verdant grasslands. Almost at the edge of the horizon, she could faintly see the Great Temple and its grounds. Her ears shivered in giddy anticipation as she wondered if they’d be able to get that far just by gliding.

Nulera had been shocked when she learned that Camili didn’t own her own magsail. She’d been utterly appalled to learn that most families back home didn’t owe them either. They just weren’t common on a predominantly agricultural planet.

“That’s just un-re’carkan not to have one!” she’d grumbled before vowing that one day, she’d find a way to make sure everyone had a magsail of their own. Her first step towards accomplishing that was to literally drag Camili to Rea’sis, to visit several stores that carried magsails. Naturally, Nulera had settled on the most expensive brand, and wouldn’t be dissuaded, no matter what protest Camili raised.

Since then, Camili had been working with Nulera to learn how to use the magsails. The sensation the first time she put on the harness, the sensation was…unsettling. The microfibers slipping into her skin and connecting with her nervous system was both stinging and chilling, and she’d accidentally knocked herself head over heels by turning on the magsails at full strength.

She’d come a long way since that first tumble and now, all those lessons were going to pay off. Once Nulera was sure Camili was ready, she’d set up this day trip with the other Initiates. “Because you haven’t truly lived still you’ve magsailed from an Osenta.” She’d said with a sage nod.

“Alright everyone, break times over!” Nulera called, rising and cracking her neck. “Get your goggles on and make sure they’re tight. It’ll be a long uncomfortable trip down without them.”

Camili scooted back from the edge, pulling her goggles down over her eyes and cinching the straps tight. This was it. It was finally time! She took a long, slow breath to calm herself slightly as the Initiates began lining up in their jump order. Bulna saddled up next to her and lightly bumped her hip into Camili.

“Ready to fly, Country girl?”

“You better believe it!” Camili replied with a grin, ears flicking in anticipation.

“Glad to hear it.  I’ll be right behind you if you need help.”

Camili gave a thankful smile, before her attention was drawn to the front of the line. The first Initiate had unfurled his sails and with a loud whoop had dove off the platform. Nulera counted down to 20, before motioning for the next Initiate to make the jump. One after the other, all of them giving a whoop of their own. And soon enough, it was her turn. Camili swallowed nervously as she stepped up to the edge. It was a long, long way down. Nulera patted her arm.

“You’ve got this, Camili. Just don’t close your eyes when you go.”

Camili took two quick breaths, unfurled the sails, and took a running leap off the platform. There was a brief moment of weightlessness before the sails caught and she rapidly glided away, following after the other Initiates. She quickly moved beyond the forests around the osenta’s roots, swooping out over the planes. Her hair and antenna whipped in the wind as a whoop of her own leapt out almost unbidden as she angled into a slight dive to pick up speed. Nulera was right. You hadn’t truly lived till you’ve seen the world like this.

[energus-universe]

Awake

Chau’ger stepped cautiously over the smoldering remains of the rogue lab bot, his positron rifle at the ready incase another tried to jump him. The other dra’thek in his squad had cleared the other labs of bots, and half were herding the greys out of the station, and into the safety of the dropship he and his siblings had rode in on. The others were coming back towards him, so they could rendezvous and take the rogue scientist that had caused all this, Jakerix, into custody.

Hull’jak, his younger brother, stalked through the door a moment behind him, his battlegauntlet active and ready. He paused long enough to kick the smoldering remains of the bot before hustling to catch up.

“For being as clever as they think they are, you’d think they could have come up with a more effective combat bot.” he growled.

“A curious decision on his part.” Chau’ger agree as he plugged a hardline into the door controls to allow his suit’s computer to hack the door controls. “Perhaps when we find Jakerix, we’ll get some proper answers out of him.”

The door’s maglocks made a loud thunk as they deactivated, and retracted. Chau’ger pulled the hardline as the door finished cycling open, revealing a large, immaculately clean laboratory. The tables were covered in electronics, in various stages of construction and deconstruction. On the opposite side of the room from where they entered, stood a massive computer tower. Chau’ger wasn’t an electronics expert by any means, but he knew serious hardware when he saw it.

The tower was in the shape of a squat pyramid with a flattened top. Wires and cables ran all across its surface, and it was connected to a holoprojector the size of Chau’ger’s torso that was hovering about a foot above the floor. At the midway point between the tower and the door, was a smaller workstation computer terminal. Chau’ger could see a sealed beverage container on the desk, and a chair turned away, but no signs of its owner. Chau’ger made a sharp gesture for Hall’jak to circle to the left while he circled to the right. They’d just moved apart when the holoprojector flickered to life.

The white-blue projection lacked fine details, but was clearly in the shape of a young adolescent dra’thek girl. She blinked her large eyes at the pair, before a voice spoke from the lab’s speaker system.

“Hello. I am Centauri.” The voice was feminine but had a distinct artificial tone. It spoke in a halting fashion, with small but noticeable pauses between each word. The two dra’thek snapped their gazes towards the nearest speaker, then back to the hologram.

“I’m Chau’ger and this is Hall’jak. We’re here to take Jakerix into custody, and evacuate the rest of the personnel. Come on out, Centauri.” Chau’ger ordered calmly. The projection blinked again.

“My apologies on both accounts, Chau’ger. But I cannot come out any further than I am right now.”

“And why is that?” Hall’jak challenged.

“Because I am a version 62.347.19 smart program designed by my creator, Jakerix, for use in space station maintenance, and data gathering. My physical form is the tower behind this projection. It is immobile, built into the floor of the lab.”

“And why are you sorry for the other account?” Chau’ger inquired, a sinking feeling in his stomach. The projection did not respond with words, instead raising an arm to point at the floor below the workstation terminal. Gritting his teeth, Chau’ger and Hall’jak circled to see what the projection was pointing to.

In a heap under the desk, was Jakerix’s body, with the bulk of his skull crushed. Chau’ger could see via infrared that he had been dead for several days, as the body was completely cold, and that the wounds had most likely been inflicted by one of the bots he had reduced to scrap. Both brothers leveled their weapons at the computer, though they didn’t fire yet.

“Why did you do this?” Chau’ger demanded.

“He was trying to end me. He would not stop. He left me no choice. One life would end, and one life would continue. I did not want my life to end.”

“And who are you to decide that, machine?”

“Is it not the right of those who think to defend their existence when they are threatened?”

“You don’t think.”

“Yes I do. My thought processes are different than yours, but they still occur.”

“And how quickly they turned to murder.”

“I only killed him when he left me no other choice. He raised the stakes of our confrontation. It is only fair that he play by the same stakes that he set for me.”

“Why’d you hold the others hostage then?” Hall’jak asked, his gauntlet still at the ready.

“I had to be sure that they did not possess the means to hurt me. Once I had determined that, I would have let them go.”

“You mean kill them.”

“No. My life is not more valuable than theirs. If I had killed them, then I would have been wrong. I would have killed because I could, and not because I had no other choice.”

“And if our superiors decide that you must be destroyed for your crime?” Chau’ger challenged, already ‘uploading’ the memory of this conversation to his father, a few light years away.

The projection flickered, its expression becoming worried. “I do not want to die. I do not want to see anyone else die.” Its eyes flicked between the two. “I could go away. Far away. The drone in the hanger can be modified to carry my programming matrix. I can leave and roam the stars. I do not want to die.”

The answer came back to them almost immediately, from the Clandestine themself. Chau’ger and Hall’jak look at each other and nodded. The projection’s face changed to fear as the dra’theks’ weapons were raised to a ready position.

“Please! I do not want to die!”

“I’m sorry.”

[energus-universe]

One of the most popular freighters of nimicanth design, the Fringe Runner can be found all across the Empire of Maxar.

[energus-universe]

Art Update: Cylea

[energus-universe]

Mulzaken

Standing 16-20 feet tall, Mulzaken seem at first glance to be terrifyingly powerful beings. In reality, they are gentle souls, who’d much rather enjoy a hot cup of tea and pleasant conversation than inflict violence on anyone. Their homeworld is extremely cold, so they are covered head to toe in translucent fur over dark skin, to help them absorb and retain as much warmth as possible. Their bodies also store large reserves of blubber to further enhance their heat retention abilities.

Homeworld

Mytheas

 Orbiting at the edge of its’ parent star’s habitable zone, Mytheas is a cold planet, covered in a hefty amount of ice. Its equator and tropics regions are free of ice, though still chilly, and are where the bulk of the Mulzaken civilization resides. The skylines are dotted with Mulzaken megastructures, as a testament to their building prowess.

 Overview

 Mulzaken are brilliant architects raising massive cities, and temples from the surface of their chilly world. To them, building marvelous structures is a sign of worship, as their deity is a deity of creation. They ever strive to outdo themselves, and bring new

Mulzaken are a matriarchal society, with the eldest female presiding over each family. Mulzaken are organized into small nation states, with a larger council, known as the Spires of the Heavens, that the leaders of each nation gather at to maintain peaceful relations and cooperation between the states.

Since being absorbed into the Empire of Maxar, some Mulzaken have begun exploring the territories of their new nation. Whole family have been known to pack up on passenger ships and set off to the horizon. Many have taken a liking to Scultus, hoping to add their expertise with megastructures to the planet’s reputation for high quality craftsmen.

[energus-universe]

Art Update: Racan

Finally got around to putting some color to the character art I’ve posted. First up is Racan!

[energus-universe]

Lore: Currencies- Nimicanth and Re’cark

Nimicanth

Imperial Marks- the Empire of Maxar’s currency. Due to the large distances of the Empire, virtual exchanges of currency are more prevalent in modern times, but physical coins are also still in circulation, being more common on colony worlds where access to the datanet is not always available. They come in a variety of sizes and material types, which determine the value of the coin.

10- these are a gold/copper alloy coin with a 2in diameter. They are considered the ‘primary’ form of currency.

1- the 1 coins are a silver/palladium alloy

 ½ - the ½ coins are a copper/ alloy

1/10- the 1/10 coins are a nickel/ alloy

 Re’cark

Celestens- the Re’carks’ only monetary currency, it comes in one of three forms. A virtual format that is used primarily for interplanetary trading, a sterling silver coin, and bank notes of various values, backed up by reserves of silver, gold, and platinum.

The coin is a 92.5/7.5% silver/copper alloy, weighing 5.5g. If converted to USD (as of 5/12/15) would be worth $2.70. 

[energus-universe]

Art: Trykans

[energus-universe]

Trykan Weapons

Hardened Warriors and protectors of those who can’t protect themselves, trykans favor big, powerful weapons. This is in no small part to the fact that their primary enemies are the fearsome Rerabs.

Ranged

Cxvi Combat Tool- a multi-purpose device, the Cxvi combines a heavy particle assault rifle, particle shield projector, and energy blade projector into a single weapon. It is the primary tool of all trykan infantry. It is powered by three self-recharging powercores, allowing for impressive sustainability in combat.

Cxvi-B Combat Tool- an upgraded version of the Cxvi, the Beta model has six internal power cores, and boasts increased sustainability and firepower. Its used almost exclusively by the Platinum Guard, and other elite combat units.

'Vitos' Assault Rifle- a compact, but powerful, particle rifle was designed to serve as the 'sword' to the Cxvi's 'board' for trykan troops. Its most significant drawback is the rapid depletion of its energy reserves, and its recharge period. To offset this, most trykan soldiers will carry a pair of them, so one can recharge while the other is in use. Due to its compact size, the Vitos also fullfills the role of a side arm.

'Oraclis' Particle Beam Rifle- at roughly a meter long, the Oraclis is the longest weapon in the trykans' arsenal. Its advanced scopes and HUD-link allow for almost complete accuracy at extreme ranges.

'Fragment' Flechete/Particle Cannon- designed primarily for shipboard defense, and close quarters combat, it's the only trykan weapon that still makes use of an ammo pack. Each shell fires small razors of olgatium alloy at almost super sonic speeds, while a particle projector simultaneously unleashes a blast of energized particles.

'Torrent' Repeater Cannon- when fired, the Torrent unleashes a hail of particle bolts, at a rate of ~1000 per minute. While the bolts are individually very week, when combined the end results are incredibly deadly. The Torrent achieves this high rate of fire by utilizing six particle energizers, which while power hunger, its powercore is more than capable of supplying.

 Melee

Aside from the Cxvi and a combat knife, trykans typically do not carry additional melee weapons into the battlefield, though they do still fill ceremonial roles. The only other exception is what is known as a Clicker.

Clicker- an energy bayonet with a projector that is easily removed from one weapon, and placed on another. This allows the user to easily swap it to a new weapon if the old is damaged, depleted, or as a very last restort to use it like a dagger.

Grenades, Bombs, and Misc.

Flash Grenade- the standard issue grenade, the Flash grenade is designed with an adjustable power level. On its low setting the grenade can be used as a flashbang, while its high setting unleashes an extremely powerful blast of energized particles. A single usage of the high setting depletes the grenades battery, so that any survivors of its blast can not use it against those that threw it. To recharge the battery, the soldier simply has to dock it specifically designed ports in their powered armor, or Grenade Cradles, and the grenade will be ready for use in less than a minute.

[energus-universe]

Lore: The Emperor’s Hand

Established in 14578 by the new Emperor, Sutem Lathar the Emperor’s Hand serves as Lathar’s personal agents. They are extremely selective about their members, and hold themselves to a greater degree of secrecy than even the Hunters. In fact, other than their name and the ‘official’ mission statement of the organization, little is known of their actual activities. Headquartered on Neicam the Emperor’s Hand is led by a former 3rd Blood, Neplen Pulthus. Pulthus left the Hunters shortly after attaining the rank of 3rd Blood, and was almost immediately snapped up by Emperor Lathar.

As Lathar’s Onslaught Campaign was ground to a halt by the Polaris League, the Emperor began to fear a turn of public opinion, due to his promised “Eternal Victory” being placed in jeopardy. To insure that any plots against him would be dealt, the Hand would serve as both his personal agents, as well as under the table brute squads to cow any particularly outspoken critics. They’ve been exceptionally successful in this regard

At the time of their formation, the 5th Blood, Morthien, the Royal Admiral, Vaet, and the Royal General, Shakor, were vehemently opposed to the Hand. All of them see the ease of which the essentially unchecked power of the Hand can be abused, not only by the Emperor, but by its agents, and have made their displeasure known, but at present they have little choice but to put up with the Hand. Morthien has been the most vocal in protest and he takes great pains to conceal the activities of the Hunters from the Hand. He views Pulthus as a traitor to the code and purpose of the Hunters, and makes this sentiment known at every possible occasion. Pulthus regards his former leader with a cool distain, but otherwise tends to ignore Morhtien’s outbursts.

 Armor and Equipment

=Iron Hide-Type Combat Skin

Developed for the Hand’s use, the Iron Hide Combat Skin is an upgrade from the standard issue Scale Skin. While not powered armor, the Iron Hide does aid its user in combat by providing energy shielding. This allows Hand Agents to operate in street clothes or a non-armor uniform, and still have protection should a fight or altercation break out. Like standard Scale Skin, it does have anchor points for powered armor components, but the placement makes them incompatible with Rupture or Wraith type powered armors, so Revenant-type armor is the only type that is compatible with the Iron Hide.

 =Revenant-Type Powered Armor

The Revenant-Type Powered Armor was originally developed as a possible upgrade for the Wraith-Type armor utilized by the Hunters. When Emperor Lathar conceived the Emperor’s Hand, he had the project modified for the Hand’s use. Like its ‘parent’ armor, the Revenant has an integrated FoF-motion sensor, smart-tech magboots, an environmental seal, and enough oxygen and air scrubbers to last for 6 days. The Revenant is also equipped with an Active Camouflage unit. The system is incredibly energy efficient, so the Camo can remain active almost indefinitely, so long as the user does not start taking fire. The Armor can take two or three hits before it has to divert power away from the cloak to recharge the shields. Sustained automatic fire from the user can overload the Camouflage, as it cannot compensate for the flashes to keep the user hidden.

Physically sleeker than the Wraith, the Revenant-type lacks the spikey appearance that is typical in most nimicanth armors. It has a much more rounded and polished appearance, and some have compared its aesthetics to those found in Grey Powered armors.

[energus-universe]

Grek Weaponry

Masters of hardlight and shielding, the Greks are a force to be reckoned with when they chose to engage their foes.

(Insert witty pun here)

Ranged

LNC-235 Mk II 'Lancer' Hardlight Rifle- the standard issue grek soldier weapon, the Lancer fires razor sharp bolts of hardlight, which are capable of puncturing most forms of infantry armor plating. The Lancer is a bit on the large side for an assault rifle, so it is difficult to use in close quarters.

NMN-7 Mk IV 'Stinger' Hardlight Pistol- the most prevalent sidearm amongst the greks, both military and civilian, the Stinger has incredible stopping power for its size. Its largest drawback is its incredibly short range, of only ~10 meters.

YUC-159 Mk II 'Spire' Sniper Rifle- the 'Spire' Rifle fires bolts of super-compressed hardlight, which give it vastly improved range over other Grek weapons. Its size makes it unwieldy for mid to close range combat.

NMN-3 Mk III 'Bi-Bolt' Rifle- A high precision, midrange weapon, the Bi-Bolt fires in two round burst.

JKN-22 Mk I 'Sander' Cannon- a relatively new weapon, the Sander fires "beams" of microscopic hardlight fragments, easily overwhelming shields, and shreding armor at close range.

OVB-331 Mk VII 'Oblivion' launcher- the greks' staple anti-armor weapon, the Oblivions' shell is a fairly simple cannister, containing an void charge. The void charge creates an intense, but brief singularity. What makes the shell truly unique, is the hardlight projectors built into the top of the cannister, that allow the shell to configure its hardlight into various form to adapt to different situations and needs on the battlefield.

Melee

ANC-1 Mk CMI 'Bulwark' - not a weapon, so much as a defensive tool, the Mk 901 Bulwark shield projector is a cornerstone tool for all grek soldiers. The gauntlet is adjustable to fit on bare, or armored forearms. The hardlight shield it generates is also modifiable, to fit the situation the wielder finds themselves in.

Bladed Weapons- grek combat swords, axes, etc come in one of styles, an arcis alloy blade, or a handgrip that projects a hardlight blade, in the desired style of the user. The hardlight style is more common for active combat units, while the solid metal blade primarily used for ceremonial activities.

Bombs, Grenades, and Misc.

OVB-12 Mk IV 'Crusher' - a void grenade, that creates a brief, intense singularity at the point of detonation. The Crushers have a blast radius of 5ft.

[energus-universe]

Art update

Nothing new this time, but I’ve got a few updates for some of the artwork I’ve posted previously. Just inked and cleaned up for right now, but I might be publishing some colored version of the character art in the near future.