Sybaritica
12-08-2005, 17:06
Passing Tribulation is no easy task. The Tribulation set down to determine initiation to become a Sybarite from an Acolyte (See Military Outline on Acolytes) makes Hell Week for a US Navy SEAL look like Boy Scout camp. The Tribulation lasts exactly a dozen moons and involves a series of rigorous physical and mental tests. These tests are considered by the few outsiders that know anything of Sybaritica to be absurd. Some tests involve something as simple as explaining one’s emotions and some as odd as training oneself to control one’s dreams. Then there are the physical tests involving thousand foot climbs with little or no gear, survival in sub-zero temperatures for an entire month alone, and even avoiding death as one hundred Acolytes track the trainee down with the order to shoot on sight. Only 1 out of 27 who take this Tribulation pass. Once these eccentric and hellish tests are over, the trainees become Potentials.
Once Potentials, they are administered a series of new narcotics including an amnesiac inhibitor that erases memories of their old comrades, battles, and even their parents. They are, however still allowed to love and satiate lust although they may not marry. The most important of these drug is the Manna Serum which is specifically developed to enhance the adrenal system and the Sense of the Acolyte’s body.
(Although it is common knowledge that a human has five primary senses, those being sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing, there has long been an unspoken theory of a sixth sense. This sixth sense relates to a human’s ability to detect the aura projected by others that foretell of the other human’s presence, action, or emotional state. All humans possess it, but it lacks sensitivity in most people. The Cadre refers to this sixth sense simply as Sense. The Manna Serum enhances this Sense by several thousand times so that it surpasses their already over-powered senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. This gives the Sybarites an uncanny ability to foresee the approach, actions, and even thoughts of others. Not surprisingly, enemies have rumors of Sybarites being psychic, but this is not strictly true.)
Some Sybarites are different than others, but all share certain similarities. The average Sybarite is about seven feet tall, sometimes more. If they do not die in combat, they can live for centuries. Sybarites are all immunized against almost every disease known to man and are impervious to the effects of radiation or neutron exposure. The blood in Sybarites’ veins contain adaptive antibodies that can fight off and neutralize any infective or foreign cell within five minutes of its invasion of the body. Their bone marrow has circulating DNA samples that are automatically re-administered to injured areas of the body and regenerate all but the most grievous and deadly wounds a Sybarite can sustain. Sybarites can survive naked in temperatures as low as -60C and as high as 200C. Sybarites have been immersed in liquid nitrogen and boiling magma and have survived ten minute exposure to both (although suffering severe physical and mental injuries afterward). They all have a basic gear of Hellbender armor which interfaces with the wearer’s body and mind and has proven capable of stopping .50 caliber rounds fired straight from the 20th century M82A1 and will protect the wearer from concussion waves with thousands of joules of force. It consists of a black over plate that has been interwoven with miniscule shards of diamond and all Sybarites wear a black hood that obscures their faces so as to remain elusive. The suit contains shock absorbers so that Sybarites can survive falls up to six or seven stories without sustaining serious damage. Gauntlets are attached to the arms of the suit that not only help enhance and control the user’s strength, but also contain magnetic disrupters that make the Sybarite capable of controlling the magnetic field projected by anything that has the mass of at least a 9mm bullet and is able to be physically lifted by the Sybarite in question. This control over magnetic fields gives the Sybarite the capability to lift an object into the air and hurl, crush, bend, break, or damage it from distances of up to 20 meters away. So Sybarites can lift victims and hurl them with huge force simply by the directions of a hand (further enforcing the rumors that Sybarites posses psychic capabilities). Sybarites all posses superhuman reflexes and can dodge attacks made at almost any sub-sonic speed. Combined with their enhanced Sense, Sybarites can seemingly dodge attacks before they even happen. The fear center of the Sybarite brain has been replaced by a will to destroy and annihilate. In short, it is well that the Cadre of Sybaritica possesses no Weapons of Mass Destruction as the Sybarites can deal death and damage on a scale that dwarfs those caused by even the strongest of nuclear weapons and chemical agents.
It has proven inevitable that the Manna Serum, although it enhances all adrenal functions by over a dozen times, will always favor a certain aspect of the system. Thus in some Sybarites, their strength will turn out to be the most enhanced. The weakest Sybarite ever seen was able to pivot the back end of an oil tanker. The strongest could juggle three oil tankers in a single hand. Those whose enhanced adrenal systems favor physical strength are called Juggernauts. Juggernauts tend to be the taller of the Sybarites and, because of their unmatched strength are the best at manipulating magnetic fields (in order to lift an object from a distance, a Sybarite must be capable of lifting the object with their hands as well). Their Hellbender armor is modified to be capable of stopping even more firepower and force, but they are slower than the rest of the Sybarites as well.
Some Sybarites’ adrenal systems favor speed. These Sybarites are called Couriers. The slowest Sybarites (usually Juggernauts) can only run a constant twelve miles an hour. The fastest Couriers can achieve up to 75 mph without stopping for hours. Their Hellbender suits are decreased in weight and protection for added mobility. Couriers tend not to be as strong as other Sybarites.
Some Sybarites adrenal systems favor stability and self-control. These Sybarites are called Specters. The operations completed on Specters leave them with an unstable DNA helix although the rest of their body is very stable and has high stamina. They are always the last to give up, the last to die, and never alter their resolve. Specters are capable of remaining in a fixed, immobile position without so much as blinking for days. They have the highest tolerance to pain and are the most elusive of Sybarites. Specters’ blood and temperature systems are similar to that of reptiles and they can decrease their body heat to show up negative on thermal sensors. Although not as fast as Couriers, their adrenal compounds tend to slightly favor speed to strength and their armor is slightly lighter than normal but contains a shielding device that makes them appear as insects on radar. Specters are issued a special syringe that can transfer the DNA helix of one person to their own and because of their unstable DNA compound, they can willfully choose to take on the appearance of any of the DNA helixes in their matrix. They are also issued with the Destiny long rifle which fires a round similar to that fired by the Guardian rifle except in the 12.7mm size. Specters, because of their steady hand, never miss a target.
There are stories that the Cadre have refused to either confirm or deny of a Sybarite so powerful that he could destroy all of the others by himself. This Sybarite has been named The Redeemer. Sightings of this Redeemer have been reported among the survivors (of which there are few) in a Sybarite attack. From the information gathered, The Redeemer’s regenerative abilities are constant so that he will live, not only for centuries, but theoretically forever, given he does not die in combat or by any other unnatural means. His adrenal system was not boosted in one category but was rather enhanced in all categories and greater than that of any other Sybarite. There are wild rumors of this Redeemer being able to lift and throw massive skyscrapers, outrun cyclones, and disappear in sunlight. The very existence of such a being discourages heretics and rebels and no doubt many pirates and terrorists have met their gory and terrifying demise at the hand of this elusive figure. The Redeemer, it would seem, is Sybaritica’s Weapon of Mass Destruction.
Once Potentials, they are administered a series of new narcotics including an amnesiac inhibitor that erases memories of their old comrades, battles, and even their parents. They are, however still allowed to love and satiate lust although they may not marry. The most important of these drug is the Manna Serum which is specifically developed to enhance the adrenal system and the Sense of the Acolyte’s body.
(Although it is common knowledge that a human has five primary senses, those being sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing, there has long been an unspoken theory of a sixth sense. This sixth sense relates to a human’s ability to detect the aura projected by others that foretell of the other human’s presence, action, or emotional state. All humans possess it, but it lacks sensitivity in most people. The Cadre refers to this sixth sense simply as Sense. The Manna Serum enhances this Sense by several thousand times so that it surpasses their already over-powered senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. This gives the Sybarites an uncanny ability to foresee the approach, actions, and even thoughts of others. Not surprisingly, enemies have rumors of Sybarites being psychic, but this is not strictly true.)
Some Sybarites are different than others, but all share certain similarities. The average Sybarite is about seven feet tall, sometimes more. If they do not die in combat, they can live for centuries. Sybarites are all immunized against almost every disease known to man and are impervious to the effects of radiation or neutron exposure. The blood in Sybarites’ veins contain adaptive antibodies that can fight off and neutralize any infective or foreign cell within five minutes of its invasion of the body. Their bone marrow has circulating DNA samples that are automatically re-administered to injured areas of the body and regenerate all but the most grievous and deadly wounds a Sybarite can sustain. Sybarites can survive naked in temperatures as low as -60C and as high as 200C. Sybarites have been immersed in liquid nitrogen and boiling magma and have survived ten minute exposure to both (although suffering severe physical and mental injuries afterward). They all have a basic gear of Hellbender armor which interfaces with the wearer’s body and mind and has proven capable of stopping .50 caliber rounds fired straight from the 20th century M82A1 and will protect the wearer from concussion waves with thousands of joules of force. It consists of a black over plate that has been interwoven with miniscule shards of diamond and all Sybarites wear a black hood that obscures their faces so as to remain elusive. The suit contains shock absorbers so that Sybarites can survive falls up to six or seven stories without sustaining serious damage. Gauntlets are attached to the arms of the suit that not only help enhance and control the user’s strength, but also contain magnetic disrupters that make the Sybarite capable of controlling the magnetic field projected by anything that has the mass of at least a 9mm bullet and is able to be physically lifted by the Sybarite in question. This control over magnetic fields gives the Sybarite the capability to lift an object into the air and hurl, crush, bend, break, or damage it from distances of up to 20 meters away. So Sybarites can lift victims and hurl them with huge force simply by the directions of a hand (further enforcing the rumors that Sybarites posses psychic capabilities). Sybarites all posses superhuman reflexes and can dodge attacks made at almost any sub-sonic speed. Combined with their enhanced Sense, Sybarites can seemingly dodge attacks before they even happen. The fear center of the Sybarite brain has been replaced by a will to destroy and annihilate. In short, it is well that the Cadre of Sybaritica possesses no Weapons of Mass Destruction as the Sybarites can deal death and damage on a scale that dwarfs those caused by even the strongest of nuclear weapons and chemical agents.
It has proven inevitable that the Manna Serum, although it enhances all adrenal functions by over a dozen times, will always favor a certain aspect of the system. Thus in some Sybarites, their strength will turn out to be the most enhanced. The weakest Sybarite ever seen was able to pivot the back end of an oil tanker. The strongest could juggle three oil tankers in a single hand. Those whose enhanced adrenal systems favor physical strength are called Juggernauts. Juggernauts tend to be the taller of the Sybarites and, because of their unmatched strength are the best at manipulating magnetic fields (in order to lift an object from a distance, a Sybarite must be capable of lifting the object with their hands as well). Their Hellbender armor is modified to be capable of stopping even more firepower and force, but they are slower than the rest of the Sybarites as well.
Some Sybarites’ adrenal systems favor speed. These Sybarites are called Couriers. The slowest Sybarites (usually Juggernauts) can only run a constant twelve miles an hour. The fastest Couriers can achieve up to 75 mph without stopping for hours. Their Hellbender suits are decreased in weight and protection for added mobility. Couriers tend not to be as strong as other Sybarites.
Some Sybarites adrenal systems favor stability and self-control. These Sybarites are called Specters. The operations completed on Specters leave them with an unstable DNA helix although the rest of their body is very stable and has high stamina. They are always the last to give up, the last to die, and never alter their resolve. Specters are capable of remaining in a fixed, immobile position without so much as blinking for days. They have the highest tolerance to pain and are the most elusive of Sybarites. Specters’ blood and temperature systems are similar to that of reptiles and they can decrease their body heat to show up negative on thermal sensors. Although not as fast as Couriers, their adrenal compounds tend to slightly favor speed to strength and their armor is slightly lighter than normal but contains a shielding device that makes them appear as insects on radar. Specters are issued a special syringe that can transfer the DNA helix of one person to their own and because of their unstable DNA compound, they can willfully choose to take on the appearance of any of the DNA helixes in their matrix. They are also issued with the Destiny long rifle which fires a round similar to that fired by the Guardian rifle except in the 12.7mm size. Specters, because of their steady hand, never miss a target.
There are stories that the Cadre have refused to either confirm or deny of a Sybarite so powerful that he could destroy all of the others by himself. This Sybarite has been named The Redeemer. Sightings of this Redeemer have been reported among the survivors (of which there are few) in a Sybarite attack. From the information gathered, The Redeemer’s regenerative abilities are constant so that he will live, not only for centuries, but theoretically forever, given he does not die in combat or by any other unnatural means. His adrenal system was not boosted in one category but was rather enhanced in all categories and greater than that of any other Sybarite. There are wild rumors of this Redeemer being able to lift and throw massive skyscrapers, outrun cyclones, and disappear in sunlight. The very existence of such a being discourages heretics and rebels and no doubt many pirates and terrorists have met their gory and terrifying demise at the hand of this elusive figure. The Redeemer, it would seem, is Sybaritica’s Weapon of Mass Destruction.