An ancient awakening
Slowly, floating to a stop. The massive collection of strange coral uses its multiple propulsion creatures to hang above the small coral structure below it as a single huge worm like creature attaches itself to an opening directly beneath the massive vessel. Inside the floating ship if ship can be used to describe the thing a single humanoid stands his body covered by an ooglith cloaker, a living creature designed to protect from the pressure, the cold and the wet of the vast ocean, attached to the disfigured and demonic looking face another creature sits, a gnullith designed to allow the humanoid to breath under water. These things are worn underneath the vast cloak of supremacy the living creature waiving about the body of the humanoid, its yellow eyes glinting from either side of the beings shoulders.
Large horns and spikes erupt from the humanoid's body at odd angles, underneath the cloaker a hint of armour can be seen, hands free of the cloaker appear disfigured and unhumanlike, the left one crustacean in appearance, the talons of a crablike creature grafted to the wrist of the left arm. The right hand, missing two fingers the others, tattooed and scarred appear like the remains of a rotting corpse. Wrapped around both arms of the humanoid two eel like creatures rest, the Tsil short bludgeon type weapons venom less and mastered only by a rare few. A scratching noise is heard as behind the humanoid six more figures appear, all wearing ooglith cloakers and gnullits each man's face visible behind the cloaker is mutilated and bruised, large purple sacks hang beneath the eyes of these warriors and around their waists another larger eel like creature rests, this obviously the larger cousin of the Tsil a warriors choice the amphistaff, a creature capable of being used as both a spear or a whip, it's mouth full of venomous teeth with crushing power and quickness.
Walking forward all seven beings descend into the tunnel and climb down to the coral city below them, like their armour and weapons and even protective garments the tunnel is alive and the city and ship above them alive, grown by the many castes of shapers hidden away in damuteks, the shapers homes across the sea floor they grow both the cities, the coralsharks the small one manned submersible vehicles built as attack craft for the Livathi dominion. Climbing quickly the seven beings show considerable strength and within an hour they reach the small circular platform, yet another creature, which begins a quick and smooth grapple from knothole to knothole of the city, arriving in massive square where below hundreds of thousands of livathi wait, their racial similarities the same, sharp sloping foreheads, sunken eyes with large purple sacs beneath them, scarred and tattooed faces, though most have little to no signs of sacrifice or disfigurement a sign they are among the lower ranks of the society.
The platform rests before a large breathing blob, a villip specially designed to amplify the voice of the supreme overlord. Below him the crowd roar as one, each chanting the ritual prayer to Yun-Yuuzhan the ancient god of the Livathi and their ancestors. Turning to his honour guard the center being hoarsely utters a command in the native tongue of the Livathi the six men slap their right arms against their left shoulder and shout "Belek Tiu!*" Before separating to six points on the circular platform. Behind him the humanoid becomes aware of three other beings stepping onto the platform each showing different signs of faith. The first a male warrior of considerable rank, walks forward the talons of his left leg a grafted limb from an ancient Vua'ra digging deeply into the platform. Behind him walks the graceful and delicately tattooed female Shaper, the leader of the shaping castes and finally a cloaked female wearing black feline like armour, her face hidden behind the hood of her ooglith cloak, yet another living creature. Her yellow eyes shine faintly with inner power the left one taking on an animal appearance as the pupil of the eye slits open telling the man that the priestess is carrying the Plaeyrin Bolin a creature that imitates an eye but is capable of spitting a deadly neurotoxin across large distances with deadly accuracy.
Accepting their signs of respect and obedience the being turns back to the villip in front of him and directs his words to the crowd below. "Glory to the gods and honour to the livathi. It has come to the attention of the gods that we the exiled descendants of our shamed ancestors whose names will never be spoken have caught the eye of Yun-yuuzhan himself! He has gifted me a vision of our rise to glory once more! This is the time of the Livathi, the infidels above us have squandered their world in heresy for too long, and their blasphemous taint has infected the very waters that remained uncorrupted by their mechanical evil.
Yun-Yammka gifted me an order to begin preparations, the holy crusade must once again be rekindled, and the Livathi have been given a quest to reach our utopia a paradise of sacredness! The Gods have permitted us the first step in attaining our immortality and continued existence! They have granted us the gifts of sonic weaponry. Even now the shapers begin growing new coralsharks with these weapons.
It is by order of the gods that every Livathi domain must begin preparing for the battle of glory! The infidels above must learn obedience to the gods and to respect all living creatures! We will teach them to embrace pain and that death is just the first step to reaching the gods! The slave pools will be refilled and sacrifices will be made in honour of the gods! Yun-Harla the trickster has blessed us with success a Yun-Yuuzhan bestows upon us the power to succeed! Yun-Yammka the warrior god has given us the right to replenish the yammosk lines; we will fight with honour and righteousness!
We will not be shamed by the failings of our ancestors instead we will take up the fight!" He cries as below the many voices roar "Belek tiu" and snap their right hands to their left shoulders, each dedicated to furthering the Livathi or dying with honour in battle.....
OOC: some info first 'Belek Tiu' means 'It will be done as you command' Second for the moment this is largely a closed RP, once I've finished building the base structure of the Livathi I'll begin allowing others to interact. Yes the livathi use a form of biotechnology and exist deep below the surface of the water, the huge worldship mentioned can be detected yes, but only those actively looking for it will find it. The other things the coral cities and damuteks remain largely hidden the worldship being the supreme overlord's private dwelling, a fortress if you will.
Lots of things will be explained in detail in the next few posts, for now I hope everyone enjoys reading this :)
Deep in the damutek domes of the shapers caste Mehzan yin (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Spaar/Livathi/mehzan.jpg) watches her adepts and master shapers (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Spaar/Livathi/shaper.jpg) perform the tasks of shaping following the ancient protocols they begin the heavy burdeon of shaping a Yammosk. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/Spaar/Livathi/Yammosk.jpg) The huge pit in the center of the dauteks bubbles as inside the small brain mass grows slowly, the time taken for each yammosk is different depending on the desire and use of each yammosk.
Amongst the Shapers very few warriors can be seen for the warrior caste is slowly being refilled, Livathi flow into the warrior caste intent on bringing glory back to such a powerful caste, the shamed ones and slaves of the livathi work tirelessly, caring for the yammosk, feeding the creatures around the yammosk pit and tending to the recycling systems of the living structures. Sighing Mehzan pulls her shaping cloak tighter about her the warmth of the living creature enfolding her she turns and heads back into her labs, the largest inthe damutek a sign of her mastery over shaping.
Walking to the small bowl inthe center of her lab she looks down at the tiny creature budding to life, the protocols to create these creatures only recently gifted to them by the gods. "Glory to Yun-Yuuzhan for giving us this protocol" She whispers as she continues to examine her growing project. Behind her in a small living bin many failed creatures lay destroyed, their bodies slowly being digested by the creature now serving as their home.
Behind her the door to her labs buzzes quietly, indicating someone requesting addmittance to the shapers den. Turning she strokes the villip closest to the wall and takes a step back as the face of the supreme overlord fills the screen. "I wish addmittance Shaper Yin." Is the gutteral growl of the overlord's voice. "Belek tiu" She whispers quickly and allows him to pass through the entrance ofthe damutek. Moving swiftly Mehzan quickly prepares herself to meet with the blessed leader of her people a slight flutter in her heart as the cloak of shaping flutters about her nervously.
A softer buzz at her door is cut short as she quickly allows it to open, letting Shimrra walk into her domain into the very things the gods deigned beyond the control of the Overlord. Bowing her head in respect Mehzan does not look up at her leader, following the traditions of rank faithfully. "Tell me Shaper Mehzan yin how goes the new protocol that I was blessed with obtaining?" He asks commandingly as she stares at the floor, her cloak hanging limply over her back a sign of submission.
"It goes slowly my dreadlord. The eggs hatch but the creature within is not the desired result, I feel soon I will make the right breakthrough and the protocol will be perfect. The gods have blessed us with a mighty weapon such as this to unleash on the infidels above us." Is her response a practised and well versed response. Nodding Shimrra looks at the living bin of failed shapings and then back the Mehzan. "You may look upon me" He says and she raises her head, taking in the powerful aura of command the overlord has with a brief glance before her eyes settle on the white glow of his eyes behind his gnullith.
"You will succeed in this shaping Shaper Mehzan yin for yun-yuuzhan himself said so to me. I have had another vision this day a vision of the shapers reshaping an infidel into our image, mastering the unknown protocols. Yun-Yuuzhan granted me this image because you will be the one to succeed. He has given you permission to shape without following the protocols. You will be above the protocols to find a way to shape the infidels over into the livathi.
Yun-Yuuzhan honours you Shaper Mehzan Yin, do not fail him." Shimrra says and leaves the startled shaper to try to comprehend the power vestd to her by he gods. Turning back to her work she focuses her energy into shaping her project, to complete this weapon for use by the glorious livathi warriors.....
Standing behind her master Alema Yin bows her head respectfully as the shaper, Mehzan Yin turns to her. "Adept, tell me the grutchin you see growing before us. How do you think we could improve on it?" Mehzan asks the young woman who looks up startled "We could try the Qoh protocol Master; I remember it being useful in the shaping of the Tsils." Comes her response her eyes a purple colour hang low in her skull, the scar of her caste riding all the way to the point of her nose.
Like all Livathi Alema has tattoos and scars over her body but like the shapers whom the majority are female her sacrifices to the gods are internal, even now she can feel the creature within her body preventing her from creating life, the one shaping the shapers were banished from doing it seems. Shivering she looks up at her master and looks earnest. "But master, the Qoh protocol is used only for weapons to be used and controlled. A grutchin is an uncontrollable weapon from history." She ventures, her heart fluttering with fear.
Cocking her head Mehzan looks at the young woman and smiles "Very good Adept Alema yin you have shown understanding of a protocols. Now tell me if we were to hypothetically have no protocols to follow what would you do?" Is the question asked of Alema cautiously the eyes of the master shaper intently studying her student. "Then... I would strive to create a new protocol one that grew the grutchin like old and made it even more fearsome." Is the response barely a whisper from the younger shaper. She knows, back in the recycling zone the maw luumar with Nuarun. Alema thinks to herself, the fear of death and heresy shining in her mind.
Smiling Mehzan steps forward and whispers softly "Do not fear the gods in these rooms adept, for we are granted by them the power to ignore the protocols. You have passed this test and shown you are willing to commit heresy in the first order to further your people's power. The overlord was correct in sending you to me." Standing back up Mehzan's voice gains its volume once more. "We may speak openly in these rooms but outside of them we must remain secretive of our shaping. The others would report us to the warmaster who would punish us for heresy. No other shapers must know of our works. I will not grant you honour should you betray me. The gods will not hear of you in the afterlife." Mehzan says coldly and Alema looks up. The master is afraid of me? She thinks before shaking her head. "My loyalty lies to you Master Mehzan Yin and the Yin domain. I am your adept your pupil I will serve you and the Livathi with glory." She whispers and Mehzan smiles.
"Then today we shall give you your shapers hand. Come." She says as the pair walk deeper into the damutek towards a small room with housing a large blocky creature and a shallow bowl. Stepping to the side of the blocky creature Mehzan beckons Alema forward. "Come the shaping ritual will be a silent one." She says as Alema steps forward her left hand outstretched and slides it gently into the opening of the creature. Shivering she feels the bite of many small teeth as they begin to chew through flesh, tendon, muscle and bone the searing pain slowly begins to rise up asthe teeth chew around her wrist flashes of red race across her eyes as the beast goes about it's business.
Embracing the pain Alema relaxes slightly uttering a prayer to Yun-Shedo the shape goddess thanking her for the chance to prove her strength. Inside the creature Alema becomes aware of the teeth meeting through her wrist and with a sharp twist she braces her self and feels more than hears the snick as her hand is pulled free. Stepping back she moves her arm from the opening staring with wonder at the bleeding stump where her hand once rested. Walking quickly to the shallow bowl yet another living creature she arm into the water, closing her eyes as creatures latch on and begin cleaning the wound.
Several minutes pass and Alema slowly relaxes uncertain if the pain has reached it's peek when something large crawls up from the belly of the bowl and with sharp quick snares buries itself deep into the flesh of her arm. Eyes closing on their own Alema become acutely aware of crablike legs digging deep, tendons and muscles attaching once more to a living thing the pain intensifying as the creature buries itself further into her arm. Then with an explosion of pain it settles against the stump of her forearm bone and buries a point into the very center of the bone sagging forward Alema drifts away the pain disappearing into the blackness of unconsciousness.
Waking several moments later Alema becomes aware of liquid running down her face, tears of shame coming unconsciously to her heartache. Standing over her Mehzan looks down and shakes her head. "Do not cry adept, nobody makes their first graft standing. There is no shame today. It will take some days for you to gain function of your hand, even longer to become acutely aware of how much stronger and sensitive it is. Rest and study for in two weeks we begin our quest to unlock the super protocols."
As the week passes Alema becomes more and more familiar with her shaping hand, the creature itself unique to the shaping caste, it's four fingers each uniquely designed, two wield sharp blades, one a sensory organ and the other a place to hold chemicals and other material. Her brain slowly becomes aware of the creatures presence and finally begins accepting information from it.
Turing to her studies Alema begins to experience the smell and taste of many different acids, bases and other substances for o be a shaper she must know and identify all their ingredients by sight, smell and taste, she explores the wonders of hydrochloric acids and the taste of organic minerals before once more returning to her master's labs and the work therein.
"Welcome back adept Alema Yin." Mehzan says as she admits the young woman who looks about eagerly at the lab which has changed significantly. "You've completed the grutchin protocol master?" She asks with awe as the tiny creatures snap their jaws at her from behind their organic cages. "Yes adept, today we will begin the task of shaping new vessels for our warriors. The overlord has declared that once we secure our underwater holdings he will seek to expand to the lands above, we need more slaves and sacrifices Yun-Yammka has grown restless with the lack of war and demands blood. It is now our task to shape the new tools with which we will make war." Mehzan says as they begin the tasks of experimenting and growing new creatures........
The heart of soul of Abatoir dwells at the very depths of the ocean, at the bottom of the Mariara Trench, too deep for any but the strongest of creatures and the most solid of craft.
It wasn't always like this. When Alric first took his people from the stars to the depths of the ocean, they settled in an oddly formed crater at the bottom of the ocean. Centuries of errosion had eaten away at the ridges and made the crater almost unnoticable, however Abatoirian scientists had figured that the crater was once a monsterous affair, and utterly unnatural. Eventually, the whole of the nation had moved to the trench, but a forward station had stayed in the crater; there was too much to learn from it.
Every now and then a scout craft would find some strange metal or plastic device, remains from a titanic explosion. These bits and pieces of unknown origin filled a large museum down in the trench; or what would be a museum were it open to the public. In reality, it was more of a warehouse. Still, Forward Post #1 was far from forgotten by those who ran Abatoir.
They, of course, had been quite concerned about the coral-like things that had been sighted by their scouts out at the periphery of where they searched. For over one hundred years nobody had bothered Abatoir.
Forward Post #1 quietly prepared for the possibility that that streak might break.
Gliding through the water like an over sized shark a purple tinted blue cluster of coral watches the actions of it's prey. Above it the hunted a huge carg ship moves lazily through the water, unknowingly being a beacon of retritbution by a race of warriors.
"Are you in position?" A gutteral voice snaps as the warrior inside the coral cluster strokes a small creature known as a villip into conciousness. "We have secured our attack approach warmaster. The infidel machine is ready for plucking." The warrior responds as he dons the cognition hood which connects him to his ship, which whilst appearing to be coral is really a living creature designed by the Livathi Shapers to aid the Livathi warriors in bringing praise from Yun-Yammka the god of war.
Floating up from the sea bed where dozens of faint lights can be seen, huge whale like creatures begin moving lazily towards the undebelly of the cargo ship, in the bellies of these creatures groups of thirty warriors stand ready, their living armour donned and amphistaffs wielded. With a slight jolt the creatures bang against the bottom of the ship, as mouths open wide and begin to chew through the hull huge tearing noises can be heard by the warriors inside the creatures as finnaly they break through and the transport creatures as one open their second mouths and let hundreds of warriors pour into the belly of the cargo ship.
Moving from room to room the warriors kill those who resist and bind and gag those that surrender the more eager take to destroying anything computerised or mechanical in the ship the sounds of computer consoles smashing echo through the ship as some three hours later the vessel is empty of human life and the warriors begin to return to their transports.
Walking back along rubble strewn halls the warriors bow their heads as they pass the corpses of fallen Livathi muttering silent prayers of acceptance of their souls in the halls of Yuh-Yuuhzan and that they too might die gloriously in battle for their gods. The humans that surrendered are tagged, and taken quickly back down into the depths as the warrior transport ships move the ghost ship away from their colony and allow it to sink slowly hundreds of miles from where it was captured.
In the city itself dozens of bubble like domes keep the water out as hundreds and thousands of Livathi men and women move about some wearing warrior clothing, others the living robes of religious figures. Others yet wear the marks of slaves orshamed ones, Livathi whose bodies reject their biological implants and are doomed by the gods to servitude and a dishonourable death.
Landing quickly the small transport creatures reflecting over-sized sharps vomit up their captives who are once more rounded up and herded into a large open pen where hundreds of other humans wander about aimlessly, their cheeks puffed up with some unknown affliction. Taking each new captive sharply four warriors and a shaper slice the skin of the right cheekbone open and insert a small white pearl like object into the wound before sewing the skin back together,the captive whom through this screams in pain begins to convulse his body slwly being taken over by the creature implanted in his cheek.
STanding in the tallest spine of the colony fortress Warmaster Vua Lah clicks the talons of his grafted leg anxiously as behind him the scraping of armour on shell catches his attention. "Yes captain?" He rasps as he turns the warrior laying face down on the floor flinches as the warmaster digs the spur on his heel into the top of his head, a sign of anger and willingness to accept an offered sacrifice. "Warmaster, we have failed to relocate the metal beast that spotted our scout vessels days before. Yun-Harla has decieved us and demands repayment for her treachery. Yun-Yuuhzan would welcome my sacrifice as payment to the trickster goddess should you deem it worthy." Comes the muffled response to the warmasters Question.
Looking over his shoulder Vua waches a small villip whose feautres take on those of the Supreme Overlord. "Yun-Yuuhzan accepts Vua. Send this one to the gods." IS The soft echoing voie and Vua bows his head. "Belek Tiu" He whispers as he drives the spur on his heel deep into the skull of the prone warrior, sending his brother to the gods. Turning back to the VIllip Vua once more casts his gaze to the floor as his spurr detaches itself from the skull of the dead warrior with a meaty squealch.
"We will locate this abomination my Dread lord and we will silence it's defiling evilness in the name of Yun-Yammka and the Livathi!" He says and the Overlord just nods "See that it is done. The Executor grows weary of waiting on the tasks of warriors supposedly blessed by the trickster goddess." Wincing Vua bangs his left hand against his right breastbone as the Villip inverts and Shimrra's image leaves the room leaving behind a feeling of cold dread in the stomach of the Warmaster.
OOC: Yes, I attacked a ship, no unless the ship got off a transmission nobody knows about this. Yes I will accept someone getting a transmission. No I will not accept you instantly knowing where the ship is, where the colony is or what attacked the ship. Investigate, there's some distinctive bite marks in the hull of the ship. RP something fantastic and you might be Rewarded but I officialy declare this thread mostly open.
The coral vessel glides silently through the water the propulsion dovin basal, barely even exterting it's gravitic anomalies the vessel following the current as behind it the huge living troop vessel follows and along either side of it glide a protective screen of coral fighters, a full squadron to protect a single warrior ship. Above them yet another metallic abomination floats on the surface of the water, ignorant to the threat stalking it below the water.
As one due to the yammosk co-ordinating the attack the coral fighters and the troop creature curve upwards, their paths no longer shadowing but now intercepting the ship above them. Gaining speed the Malatok troop analog creates a bubble of air in it's stomach to protect the warriors as it's mouth opens wide huge teeth glinting in the faint reflective shafts of sunlight near the surface of the sea.
With deadly force the malatok drives it's teeth deep into the bottom of the ship, breeching the hull and killing men in the belly of the ship as it's mouth chews through and allows the warriors within it's belly to pour fourth amphistaffs held at the read. Roaring to Yun-Yuuhzan the warriors fall upon the ships crew, slaughtering them mercilessly as they go, those that fight and kill livathi warriors are dispatched with honour or captured for sacrifice later.
Two hours pass and finnaly the ship begins the slow, almost graceful plunge into the ocean itself, the cargo destroyed the sailors dead or bound with blorash jelly and taken back into the malatok analog and whisked away to the strongholds of the Livathi, the coral fighters turn about and fire superheated rocks of plasma, causing the ocean to boil and hiss around them at the sinking hulks, disintergrating the metal abomination before it can corrupt and defile the ocean floor beneath them.
Standing at the villip choir of the Embrace of Pain a Livathi frigate analog Warmaster Vua Lah listens to the report of a Livathi warrior, telling the success of the recent raid on the infidel ships. "We suffered many glorious casualities and sent many infidels to the gods warmaster, Yun-Yammka would be proud of the blood he has been given." The warrior says his voice reflecting the deep fanaticism in his eyes.
"Good commander, see to it that those you capture are fitted with Coral seeds and sent to work in the fields, the shapers have granted us new weapons to use in our crusade against the infidels. Old weapons lost have been granted to us by the gods. The shapers work tirelessly, soon we will have more coral ships and the shapers are confident we will be granted the power of atmospheric flight again. Yun-Yuuhzan has stolen from the shaper godess all she knows." The warmaster states his own voice deep with fanaticism.
"Go now and deliver the worthiest of the infidels to Mehzan Yin in the shaper Damutek zone, tell her The Warmaster brings a mighty gift to her." Snapping out 'Belek tiu' the commander's image dissolves into the jelly like substance of the Villip as it inverts and Vua Lah turns to survey the ocean floor before him, a faint trace of a line idicating the path of an infidel machine through the water.....