Turn 31

[X] Plan: Big Booms

- [X] Modify torpedoes into warhead-pumped fusion beams, creating an increased field of fire from the Endeavors' payloads.

- [X] Fill the torpedoes with cursite primed with the corrupted Rite of Nuclear Enrichment. Even if the regular perpetuite payload misses their targets, the mystek bursts of cursite would infect nearby ship reactors.

- [X] EJECT THE WARP-CORE!!!!!!

Across the sky came a dozen lances of light, cutting beams of nuclear plasma created by modified warheads in each and every Perpetunite Torpedo fired by the Valiant, even as the ship danced a jig across the sky to dodge the barrage aimed at it. Not every shot hit, but enough of them did to disrupt the enemies formations, putting them on the back foot as they tried to dodge and manuever around the lances…

Only to stumble right onto the next phase of Wurfs gambit: fifty medium torpedoes with the perpetunite in their warheads salted with cursite, primed with the Rite of Nuclear Enrichment. Detonating all around the fleet, those caught in the expanding dark vortexes created by the explosion would not be destroyed. Instead, throughout the decks, spectral wraiths would stalk the halls, stalking and brutally murdering their victims, the weapons of their prey doing nothing to the black garbed killers. From the vats of rationpaste, shifting, gelatinous monstrosities would rise, merging and morphing into singular creatures, formless fleshes that would engulf their victims, pouring into the cracks in their suits and devouring them from the inside out. Machines would go berzerk, mutating into biotechnological abominations that would begin cancerizing the vessels, growing throughout the hull like homicidal robotic tumors. And all across the ship, the terrified defenders would find strange glowing crystals growing rapidly the longer they stayed within, coating the halls and giving them an eerie red light.

And much like the fireballs of normal warheads? These nightmare curse vortexes LINGERED, hanging in the sky. Those vessels that escaped would find some of the effects caused dissipating. Some. Not all. Not every formless flesh would lose cohesion when it ventured out of the field. Not every cerebroslasher would evaporate into mist when the ship they were aboard got clear. Not every TekHorror would go dormant.

And yet every single crystal remained. The chaos and confusion would do significant damage to the fleet, and a handful would even try to break off, disappearing into the aether as they retreated through unknown means: those that remained would attempt to bunch up, surging towards the Valiant, a last ditch effort at destroying their biggest foe…

Only to find themselves consumed in a titanic detonation as they stumbled into range of the warp core detonating, their attempt to return to formation turning sour as the disc they approached ejected from its top a cylinder even as the vessel began reversing course, flying backward and leaving the core floating in space. Once they had exited range…

The fireball was bright enough that it would be seen on other planets in the sub-sector in the coming years. It swallowed up the enemy ships, the gas cloud, the upper portions of the atmosphere of the gas giant.

Once it settled, all that was left of the ships caught in its blast radius was debris.

The Directorate had proven victorious.

((((()))))

Wurf stared out the window, mouth locked into a grimace. Behind him, the hall was filled with the sound of raucous revelry: the H’kann were throwing a massive statewide party to celebrate the fact that this decades year of darkness had been averted. The most successful defensive effort they had ever mounted, they said. Record numbers of survivors. They didn’t even lose their entire fleet! And so, H’kann partied.

In front of him, Wurf saw a sea of rubble and corpses: current tallies reckoned over 2 billion dead. Most of them didn’t even have bodies to recover: they wouldn’t even know for sure who had died until they just…failed t’ check in.

He decided he rather didn’t feel like celebrating.

It didn’t quite feel like a win.

((((()))))

Blaggle paced back and forth, wildly gesticulating with his hands. “You’re telling me you only pulled in two billion units!” He roared at the ship supervisors, one of the ones who had managed to escape, who stood, shaking, holding up their clipboard as if it was a protective shield against evil. “Do you know how much those bleeding RATS cost me in insurance and lost equipment?!” He roared, backhanding the unfortunate aid and sending them sprawling to the ground with a yelp of pain, the meek Dorgan attempting to quickly rise again.

“S-sir, I-I’m s-sorry-”

“Sorry?! Sorry doesn’t fill a contract!” Blaggle roared, punching his gut into the supervisors stomach, knocking the wind from the supervisors lungs even as his boss grabbed him by the collar. “Sorry doesn’t fill the bellies of the billions who are gonna starve because YOU couldn’t bring home the cheese!” Cyan blood splattered against the walls and floor as the next blow knocked some of the supervisors teeth loose. “Sorry isn’t gonna pay the bills of the employees we’re gonna have to let go because of YOU.” A crack as their jaw (and likely some of their other facial bones) were shattered by the now screaming Blaggle. “SORRY isn’t going to pay my !@#$ING INVESTORS!” A wet, meaty sound as the occipital shield broke and the supervisors eye was reduced to pulp. “!@#$ your SORRY!” Blaggle roared-

“Blaggle, is this really necessary?” Came a fluid voice, causing Blaggle to pause in his vicious beating, and the Dorgan dropped the blubbering, bleeding and broken subordinate, who began to crawl away, the next ship supervisors in the line trembling like a leaf. Turning, Blaggle spotted at his desk a familiar figure, lazily looking over his personal data slate. “Don’t misunderstand me, I’m all for abusing ones underlings, but this just seems like random savagery,” The Dark Eldar said, flicking through, causing Blaggle to let out a huff.

“Mirkada,” He said gruffly. “Didn’t hear you come in.” He glanced back at the rest of the captains, before letting out a breath. “All of you are dismissed for now,” He said, giving a dismissive wave of his palm. “Grab whatshisface, get him to a face stitcher: me and the client gotta talk in private.”

With no hesitation, they were gone, two of them grabbing their fallen peer and helping them out, leaving Blaggle and his erstwhile employer alone. “Prophet, what a shit-show,” He muttered, walking back to his desk and clapping once, twice, causing it to dispense a cup filled with alcohol, the Dorgan picking it up and downing the drink in one gulp. “So, I take it you’ve heard,” He said, neutrally.

“If you mean about the little dust up with the pit-slaves, I have yes,” Mirkada Blackknife said emotionlessly.

“Then you know it’s gonna be some time before I can fill your order,” He said. “Look, I’m willing to offer a refund for the ordered units-”

A beeping from Blaggle’s pockets. Reaching in and pulling out his personal pocket secretary, the Sub-Chairmans eyes shot up as he saw on it…coordinates? “A little birdie told me a certain hive world is going to be a problem for me soon. Another little birdie told me it’s going to have a mysterious rebellion in its planetary defense force. And I thought- since we apparently have so many unruly, loose birds running around, why not put them to good use and make a birdie pie?” Mirkada responded languidly.

“Oh, uh. Thank you, that’s mighty generous.”

“Please, it’s nothing. The Toothgrimm Kabal takes care of it’s people. Sometimes that requires flaying alive an unruly slave or making example of a rival by crucifying him, and sometimes it requires giving a valuable subordinate the location of a problem they can solve while fulfilling their other obligations.”

“Well, that’ll help repay the cost on the ships at least,” Blaggle muttered, leaning forward on his desk a bit. “You got any details on who the hell just took that system from us?” He asked, and to his mild shock, Mirkada gave a shrug.

“None at all. The Ravvanak encountered one of their ships, attempted to raid it. The Kroot have apparently had dealings: something to do with Orks,” They muttered, growing more intent on the data slate. “Whoever they are, their technology is fascinating.” They drew from their belt an object, and Blaggle flinched when he saw it: a crystal. One of the ones that had been found on the surviving ships. “These gems…I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“Don’t !@#$ing bring that thing near me!” Blaggle shrieked as he quickly backed up, causing Mirkada to give a snort of amusement, the crystal in their hand pulsing gently. “Where did you even get that?!”

“Stole it,” They responded, rolling the red false-ruby in their fingers, its soft red glow giving their face an eerie light. “It’s radioactive, did you know that? It decays rapidly, and it doesn’t seem to cause physical harm, but its emitting energy.”

“That’s because whatever it’s emitting is cursed!” Blaggle stressed. “Wherever we’ve pulled it off of the ships, SOMETHING bad has attacked our work crews! Weird…daemon-y things!” He said, struggling to articulate the idea that it caused hostile supernatural phenomenon to occur. “Whatever those crystals are emitting, it’s basically 100% pure grade daemon-chow!”

“Hmm,” Mirkada commented, stowing the item. “Anyways, my mother doesn’t know about your failure, but if you wish to keep it that way, I would suggest hurrying with filling the order.”

Blaggle paused, letting out a breath. “You don’t think she doesn’t need to know about the, uh, fact one of her systems have been stolen?” He asked, and Mirkada laughed.

“Oh, that isn’t her system. Tis mine. And whatever grasp this Directorate has on it…”

“They will find it all too temporary.”

((((()))))

Event success!

+1 Network from studying Dorgan Subspace Technology

+5 Bonus H’kann Reputation

+10 Bonus H’kek Reputation

NEW ASSIGNMENTS

Green Giant First Contact: It might not happen soon, but it would happen. The Directorate needed to be prepared for when Green Giant successfully reached space. Contact would be limited until they were more developed and the overall social and technological disparity was less severe, but starting off on the right foot would likely be crucial to ensuring peaceful relations between both states. +5 reputation with any spacefaring societies that form in Broken Edge.

H’kann Security: Much of the H’kann fleet was destroyed. They were worried about the H’kek taking advantage. To that end they had asked for the Directorate to loan them at least one ship to act as security while they restore their fleet. +3 reputation with H’kann.

H’kann Research: According to the rules established by both factions, technology seized from the enemy belonged to whoevers space it had been found in. As the enemy fleet had been destroyed at Kanns Krown, it belonged to the H’kann, who had asked the Directorate with help researching it. +5 reputation with the H’kann.

Flying Saucer Mediation: The two polities were at peace- for now. However, there existed a number of topics contentious enough that both factions would appreciate having someone step in and arbitrate it neutrally. Triggers subvote which will grant reputation with either the H’kek or the H’kann

Flying Saucer Peace Mission: The burgeoning pro-peace lobby in Flying Saucer was…deeply unpopular. Aiding a diplomatic mission sponsored by them wouldn’t buy you many friends, but it would at least help progress the H’k on the rocky road to peace. +2 reputation with the H’k.

Temple-Comet Stabilization: If it wasn’t stabilized in the next few decades, it wasn’t unlikely this structure would fall into the sun. Stabilizes Temple-Comet structure, allowing for exploration and further study.

(((((())))))

Elsewhere, elsewhen, the Directorate continued its forward march through time. Though it was too late to help with their battles elsewhere, the Fleet Megadocks would produce the first Resistance class. Five miles long, not only did it have a fusion cannon, it had three: the primary forward, the one with the most manueverability, and the secondary cannons located in each nacelle.

It was, in every way possible, a war-ship: weapons. Reactors. And to help coordinate entire fleets, vast amounts of communications equipment. While it featured little in the way of new technology, it was armed to the gills with the very best the Directorate had, with armor and shielding at least three times as durable as the leading Valiant scores.

In the coming days, such a weapon would no doubt be necessary. And to go with it, an expansion was performed on all Directorate Orbital Defences: from Teklia to Trove, hundreds more satellites equipped with laser battery arrays and fusion cannons were erected. In case of invasion by a superior force, these would still likely be little more than a distraction, but against an enemy like the Dorgan, it could at least buy time to evacuate and respond.

The Directorate didn’t just invest in themselves, however: on Sandscorn, a vast aquacomplex was created on the highest peak of the highest mountain, one housing a number of aquacores. It’s purposes, to generate vast amounts of water that would flow through the mountains, down the valleys, through the rivers and streams until eventually it joined the water in the growing, if still small and shallow, oceans. With this water came more life, more green: more complex algaes, more water intensive trees and oxygen generators, more grasses and bushes.

Much of which was unfortunately not remotely native to Sandscorn, imported to fill the vast web of ecological niches left unoccupied. While the Mineralophages helped bring nutrients to the surface and recycle existing nutrients, they were only one link in the vast web needed to sustain the planet.

One particular continent on Sandscorn would find itself remaining dry, despite the increasing water of the world: Pyronest, the location of the Sandscorn Gigadrill, a gigantic gravity-extractor created using Directorate technological expertise. Ripping out vast amounts of molten material pulled in from the deep crust and upper mantle, the machine would emit truely terrifying levels of heat, turning the land all around it into a fire-blasted desert.

And yet, even with its horrific effects on the ecology around it, the Gigadrill was effective. The Khimer would report record amounts of nuclear material, giving them a slight surplus. All of it would go to technological development with the expansion of each cities reactors, which in turn would support the establishment of multiple high energy engineering facilities underneath the residential districts. According to liaisons with the Directorate, the Psyocracy was intending to look into redeveloping their lift capacity by developing the technology for nuclear powered vehicles. Truely, a remarkable time in the history of the Khimer.

A joy they no doubt felt, especially when they finally began finding themselves permitted for that rarest of rares: time off. The average Grunt Castes lifespan was too short for much, but each was permitted a year in which they could do as they pleased in Directorate space, the result of their relative fortune allowing for the proverbial loosening of the belt. This, combined with the Nukalympic Games, would find a surge in tourism to NukeLand: these games, designed to test the engineers, tekartists, and physicists of the Directorate, were spectacular, radiation-laden affairs where elaborate games that utilized high particle science were performed, such as the tachyonic shooting gallery, the geigerbomb firework races, or antimatter hopscotch.

A failed game of the latter would result in part of the Great Gallery being destroyed in an event that would forever be remembered as the Detonation of 27.

The game was declared in favor of Team Mechanicus, of whom there were no survivors.

EXPansion Points (EXP Points): 145

Nuclear Material: 4

New Projects

Point of Resistance: The Resistance was at the cutting edge of Directorate technology. But by incorporating artefacts beyond Directorate technology such as Great Works, GodTek, Archaeotechnology, and more, it could be turned into something so much more. 0/60, Resistance and all subsequent ships of its class upgraded to incorporate exotic technology, costing 1 ART and drastically increasing performance.

Tacchis Ice Cavern Servers: Even as the planet grew colder, the need for computational power in the Directorate increased. A number of individuals had expressed interest in expanding settlements and arctic server complexes into the Ice Caverns. 0/25, gain ACD and Network

GigaDrill Deep Mantle Shielding: If the GigaDrill was going to be expanded, it would need extensive shielding: as it was, it produced a massive desert from the heat it generated. Adequate shielding would need to be established if it was to begin safely extracting rarer minerals from the Deep Mantle. 0/25, Sandscorn gains GigaDrill Deep Mantle Shielding

Sandscorn Industrial Hubs: The Psyocracy wanted to follow up the creation of the Gigadrill with an expanded industrial program to take advantage of the material it pulled out: these facilities would by and large be subterranean. 0/25, Sandscorn gains expanded manufacturing. Increases EXP from trade.

Community Ampitheaters: With Theatriurgy becoming more and more commonplace, some among the Directorate had suggested constructing additional facilities in each Arcolocube to help communities host and create their own plays. 0/25, increase CUL and Warp, Arcolocubes gain Ampitheaters

Rising Star: The Autons had a commission for the Directorate. Their gods had noted that there existed no true sun in the sky of their city: they wished to correct this by having the Directorate fashion one of Lumium. 0/50, gain 5 AutoVessel Reputation. Autons gain Lumium Microsun. Cost 2 NK.

GemCore Generators: Lumium Eggs were manifestations of elemental spirit, and the first step on the road to the creation of a Lumium Roc. When these creatures hatched, much of the crystal was left behind, cast off eggshells. Perhaps the Directorate would successfully learn  how to utilize these elemental traces somehow… 0/50, gain GemCores, industrial arcane energy generators that increase FTH and Warp. Cost 1 NK.

Nuclear Resonance Engines: The power of Orchestrions had proven deeply useful for generating Lumium deposits: could they be used for enrichment as well? Perhaps the Directorate would crack the method… 0/50, gain Nuclear Resonance Engines, industrial orchestrion units that increase EXP  and grant 2 NK. Cost 1 Warp.

Cursite Cannons: While the Directorate would likely never adopt Cursite Salted Warheads, at least not without more means of controlling the effects, that wasn’t to say it wasn’t impossible that they could develop a far safer means to use the substance in combat. 0/50, gain Cursite Cannons for all ships Valiant Class and above. Cost 1 NK.

Lumium Wardstones: A proposed way to take advantage of advancing Lumium Technology: ward enhancements. By performing certain mystek processes upon the gem, it might be able to be used in the mass manufacture of devices intended to use the arcane power of the elemental spirits to serve as physical reinforcement for the spiritual protections. 0/50, gain Lumium Wardstones, increasing Ward Performance at the cost of 1 NK.

Auton Eco-Domes: Something that primarily interested Koptu: he wanted to use the data found on the New Dawn Kernal to construct eco-dome recreations of his homeworlds biomes as a source of lifeforce that could be used for his personal research ritual development. He would, of course, share some of this with the Directorate. Apparently however he didn’t intend to share with OMEN, for as of yet unspecified reasons. 0/25, Autons gain Eco-Domes, increasing their and your Lifeforce. Costs 1 AutoFacility Influence

Cursite Purification Facilities: No one wanted to see what a cursed egg would hatch.  Three birds could be killed here: by establishing purification facilities designed to use massive amounts of the crystal to perform various rites and offerings, large amounts of cursite could be purified, preventing it from becoming dangerous while providing the rest of the directorate access to depleted Cursite. 0/25, Naklis gains Cursite Purification Facilities, increasing EXP and Warp by 1.

Lumium Chip Factory: These arcane chips were useful for elemental power…and were also frankly very good processors in their own right. If a factory could be made to mass manufacture them, civilians would no doubt find a great deal of utility from having these chips be easily available. 0/25, gain Lumium Chip factories, increasing CUL and NT. Cost 1 NT.

((((()))))

Even as this occurred, the Directorate would sponsor the creation of several hundred Agri-Ships, even developing the infrastructure to easily manufacture more as needed in the home system. These ships would provide, throughout the system, locally sourced crops for food, rearing Shrine Herds, and more, as well as multitudinious more sources of Lifeforce, which would find itself being used to power more and more dramaturgic spells, which found themselves growing more popular thanks to initiatives by the Great Gallery to develop the artforme.

One such example of this was the Mechanābhārata of Rebirth, a series of plays developed in tandem with Itep, that both served to retell the contents of the Mechanābhārata, and present a version of events where the ritual that was to be carried out was, successfully, bringing about the rebirth of the watchmaker gods.

In the coming days, some of these gods would be sighted upon the Ark of Day: the plays, while powerful, could only do so much, however. The strength required to do such great rewriting only meant four could be reborn, and imperfectly. Thousand Armed Jogmakog, a titanic being fashioned from clay whose vast limbs held up the sky, and whose feet nourished the earth: his chin, covered in a beard of trees while the dome of his head was bare. No Longer Broken Upon The Wheel, a formerly mortal mystic who was said to have attained enlightenment, their body a simple stone statue located within the meditation gardens. The Many Sons Of Takkag, a shifting mass of serpent figurines carved of wood, possessed of many bodies yet one soul. And lastly, Garhek Sparkesoul, a goddess of spirit whose vessel was a simple autonite.

Each of these beings would help contribute to the well-being of the Ark: Thousand Armed Jogmakog would lift the sky, creating an impenetrable barrier around the top of the ark, his many arms being used to help protect the souls of the watchmakers. No Longer Broken Upon the Wheel would provide wisdom, guiding souls and spirits upon the path to enlightenment and transcendence. The Many Sons of Takkag would seed at the edges of the ark trees, creating rich dream-tide forests filled with plants and beasts purchased from the House of Devils to form a protective barrier around the city of sleep. And Garhek Sparkesoul would create for themselves a forge, where they would fashion together, according to dreamers, new souls, gifting them to newly manufactured Autons.

In the following days, a number of newly manufactured Autons would discover the ability to sacrifice part of their motive force the same way organics could their lifeforce. This effect would drain their batteries permanently, however, requiring the Autons to replace them, or else supplement the action with additional forms of arcane energy. Some few that visited No Longer Broken would even learn the ability to manipulate their motive force actively, using it to augment their performance at the cost of battery lifespan.

At the same time, another series of plays would be created. The Brightway Musicals. A series of works that revolved around a variety of subjects, produced by the Brightway Theater Group: from the Pirates of the Pankreas,  KRUMP!!, to more slice of life dramas and comedies such as The Walbart Files or Life of a Enumerator, all incorporating resonance technology to create outsized mystek effects. While the entertainment and sociological effects were impressive, it would also have other effects. Citizens throughout the Directorate would find themselves more able to carry a tune, more rhythmic. Here and there, especially in places consecrated in the name of the Dancer, people would find themselves breaking out in spontaneous solo pieces. Productivity would rise, attributed to the many stories of working class heroes, especially on Tacchis. This was a bit more hazy, but some theatriurges chalked it up to the AAAA’s: those suffering from Cognitive Rewrite were likely better at channelling the characters that had overwritten their psyche. This, along with the Servers, would serve to draw more and more people to Tacchis, increasing the amount of exposure the ex-Imperial Population had to non-humans and making it harder for them to isolate themselves. Combined with the increasing age of the original population, it resulted in an explosion of human radicalist sentiment in the younger generations.

Curiously, the characters and locations featured in these plays would begin showing up in dreams, typically wearing the face of whichever actor and set the viewer considers the most iconic in the role.

Culture Points (CUL Points): 110

BioData: 6

New Projects

Eldritch Rebirth: If the Gods of the Autons could be resurrected by a false ritual housed within a play of power, could this process be done for other beings? The Khimer wished to know. They wished to create a play revolving around the rebirth of their world and the reincarnation of its soul. 0/25, create Eldritch Plays, increasing reputation with the Khimer and raising influence with all subfactions as well as FTH. Cost 1 Warp.

Liars Codex: The old gods of the Eldar were dead. But the power of the plays was such that they could make lies into truth, or at least bring them closer. The Liars Codex was what was proposed: a series of plays that posited that some embers of their gods escaped the grasp of the Dark Prince. 0/50, create Liars Codex, increasing all Eldar Reputation by 3. Cost 1 Warp.

Speculative Futures: If the Brightway Codex was any indication, the plays could, to some degree, influence the ‘genre’ of reality. Some aspiring futurists wanted to exploit this by creating a series of science fiction plays depicting potential futures of the Directorate and various theoretical technologies. 0/50, create Speculative Futures, increasing ACD by 3. Cost 1 Warp.

Brightway Dramas: Brightway wasn’t done yet. They wanted to create even more plays of power, a series of dramatic ones this time based on popular television: investigative procedures, harrowing legal thrillers, emotional domestic dramas. 0/25, create Brightway Dramas, increasing CUL by 3. Cost 1 Warp.

Playwrights Folio: Grimoires were used primarily for Rites, but with some modification these arcane pocket-computers could be utilized in Theatriurgy, both creating new plays in established sub-genres as well as actually performing and powering those plays. 0/50, TekGrimoires gain FolioTek, simplifying play creation and performance, as well as powering them, increasing CUL.

Theatriengine Stage: By installing Motive Spirits into special theatriurgic stages, far more power would be afforded to performing plays, increasing their efficiency and by extension their overall potency. 0/25, gain Theatriengine Stages, increasing CUL and FTH.

Orbital Pioneer Mega Agri-Ships: The surplus provided by the agriships was, while nice, not nearly as large as it could be. By creating a fleet of mega-agriships to populate the furthest reaches of the system, each zone of the home system could be provided enough  food to sustain significant growth. 0/25, gain Orbital Pioneer Agri-Fleet

Iron Shores Liberation Theater: A proposal by Vlaahk: he wanted the infrastructure for Iron Shores to perform its own theatriurgy. Going by what can be gleaned from intelligence, he has apparently been attempting to create various pieces of theatriurgic propaganda. These two things are probably connected. 0/25, Iron Shores gains Liberation Theater, increasing AutoVessel Influence at the cost of AutoFacility Influence and increasing general auton reputation by 3.

Iron Shores Necroverse: A proposal by Marjak to help jumpstart Auton network infrastructure, who wanted to use reactive code technology and lifeforce alongside a vast amount of partially reanimated brains, organic and positronic both, networked together into a titanic server to create a digital necroverse that could be used for neural processing and protecting against E-War. 0/25, Iron Shores gains Necroverse Servers, increasing AutoFacility influence at the cost of AutoVessel influence and increasing general auton reputation by 3.

Tacchis Nova Mechanica Temple: The burgeoning new mechanicus lacked a spiritual heart. They wished to establish it within the depths of Tacchis, in the old tunnels: they would make pilgrimage to the old holdings, salvage or restore whatever was left, and create a temple to the Omnissiah. 0/25, gain Nova Temple on Tacchis, increasing FTH and ART.

Build-A-Bomb Workshop: Some would say giving children the ability to generate shielded pocket supernova was a grotesque misuse of resources. Those people were not NukeLand. 0/10, NukeLand gains Build-A-Bomb, where explosions come to life!  Increases CUL, costs 1 NK

JinxTek Jr Playkit: The House of Devils and Temple to the Toymaker were proud to announce a new project: a genuine occultek playkit, good for all ages! Curse your annoying sibling to fail their math test! Conjur forth unnamable horrors to have tea parties with! Imbue your toys with a false and unnatural life to do your dark bidding! Intended for ages six and up.  0/25, gain JinxTek Jr Playkit, increasing general occultek skill.

Virus Buster Corp Research Labs: The Virus Buster program was in a constant war with malware. To help fight it, they had requested the creation of additional research labs and funding to accelerate the development of better network security technology. 0/25, gain Virus Buster Labs, increasing ACD and network security.

AutoSecurisprites: The Autons attempt at developing cybersecurity: they wanted to create specialized security executables that could be utilized by their AutoAdmins to generate large numbers of simple security programs to overwhelm foes. 0/25, Autons gain Securisprite Executables, allowing their admins to summon security programs to defend against network breaches and malware, increasing Auton rep by 5.

((((()))))

Meanwhile, the Directorate would also sponsor other initiatives, many of which were intended to solve the issue of the Wither. First, from Naklis, the Unknown Workers would fund the development of Cursite Purifiers and Lumium Chips.

The former allowed any TekGrimoire equipped with the technology to slowly purify Cursite by draining it of the energies within…and allowing them to harness said energies. The dark power of the gem was potent indeed, and as a result, demand for the substance increased across the Directorate and with, curiously enough, Yr Albain. It was no great surprise: a Rite powered by Cursite might be more….volatile, and it might not be healthiest feed for most spirits, but it was far more convenient than bleeding ones self, and perfectly safe if used correctly.

And, just as saliently, once a cursite egg was depleted, Mysteks would discover the purified gem having many of the same abjurational properties of a Guardian Spirit when it came to harming the ephemeral: in other words, just as normal Cursite was spiritual feed for dark spirits, depleted cursite was their bane.

As a result, the substance would in all its forms be found useful. Occulteks would use the power to make bargains with dark spirits, trading them the contents of cursite eggs for various rewards or scraps of knowledge. Elementalists would use it to control the growth of Volatile Lands on Naklis, using powdered purified cursite to hem their spread or abjur its residents. Even civilian mysteks would find some use for it in their family grimoires, though in far more minute quantities.

Lumium Chips, meanwhile, would be installed on each and every shrine, in the hopes that the holy power of gem might contain the forces of the Wither and other dark spirits besides, and strengthen the spirits of gem in turn.

Their effect was most pronounced on Naklis: more and more Lumium Rocs would hatch, and they would grow larger and larger. The greatest of them, the first Lumium Roc, would have a measured wingspan of no less than three meters, their shimmering scales proving just as valuable as Lumium Eggs when it came to creating Chips. Other effects would be observed: Cursite Growth would be hampered, severely, pushed back by Lumium. The crystals in the Great Vault would find themselves processed and purified faster and faster: the Supreme Gem stirred, but was still nowhere near hatching yet.

However, in the Volatile Lands themselves, instead, the Cursite began to evolve, the Lumium installed in the Antianima Shrines instead strengthening them. Cursite Eggs retrieved from the region would show clear signs: cracking. Intermittent flashes. Increased radiation read out.

There was a non-zero chance that in the coming decades, a cursite egg would hatch.

Elsewhere, the effects would largely manifest as strengthened spirits of gem, both material and ephemeral. The sap of the trees of Teklia would begin hardening into a form of amber gems, ones that seemed to contain massive amounts of lifeforce. The mines below would sparkle from the holy sapphires hidden in the crust, the items producing finer and finer great works as the Grandmasters improved their crafts. On Trove, the energy provided by the Lumium would cause the glasmite deposits located across the planet to sing, covering the planet in a strange ghost song, while the MegaGem Mountains would be covered in a strange borealis. With this, so too did Elementalism begin to spread, as more disciples of gem would begin to form across the Directorate to utilize these gifts.

In the cities and Arcolocubes, Lumium Chips would be used to increase the general mystek power of shrine vita: the processing and arcane power allowed by the chips was yet another improvement to the Directorates technological abilities. Electric Vita would have higher max wattages. Vita of Movement would find their torchdrive engines spark blue as they raced through the intercity. Even humble family shrines would benefit, allowing the Tool Vita found in every house a smidgen more power so long as the Lumium Chips installed on their shrine functioned, especially those belonging to pieces of jewelry or ornamentation.

Using these two technologies, a dedicated effort was made to exorcise the Wither. While removing all the malign energies that made the region was impossible, the build up and thus leakage could be contained and counteracted and it could be drained to a state where it was no longer a critical issue.

Purified cursite. Lumium. Lifeforce. The most powerful Guardian spirits in the Directorate. The very gods themselves. Together, Mysteks would develop a variety of means for treating tainted land using these methods and apply it, systematically mile by mile cleansing the Wither into a more neutral state while subduing and exorcizing its inhabitants.

The end result was the Wither being reduced to a mere track of dark wilderness, instead of a ticking timebomb. Perilous, but unlikely to spread, especially with the Directorate keeping an eye on it. And with its purification, declared , the nightmares that had gripped the Directorate began to subside.

While this occurred, the Directorate would develop, per the request of the House of Devils, a series of arcane technologies, miniaturized Orchestrion Units resembling mono-stringed instruments that were played manually. While no organic brain smaller than a space whales would be capable of the mathematical and musical precision required to successfully generate a resonance, the members of the House had no such limitations. Further, they were also gifted a catalogue of gene splicing tools and a number of novel genetic strands sourced from the Forbidden Archive, as well as the assistance of several top Directorate, Khimer, and even Auton geneticists.

The result was the House enjoying yet another feast of success. Devils throughout the City of Night would use their Fiddles to cast strange pseudo-spells, pandaemonic songs of primal rebellion and infernal occult chaos jigs that channeled the Devils unique essence. In the tourneygrounds of Bellatrix Bloodquench, dueling teams would attempt to drown each other out in order to support their chosen champions, fiddling with the very fabric of probability in pitched musical battles. Those that acted as muses to mortals would create songs of inspiration, generating ideas and motivation to drive their partners to greater heights. Those that were spited, meanwhile, would show the ability to curse with their devilsongs: one Occultek discovered to be attempting to cheat a devil would find themselves stalked by a maddening music that would bring them catastrophic misfortune, the punishment only ending upon them filing a restraining order with the Celestial Bureacracy.

And with the biotechnological assistance of the Directorate and friends, the Garden of Sinners, Paradise Pandaemonaea, was created. A verdant multicolored jungle, its crimson warpgrasses were seemingly mundane were it not for the fact that in the days after, this daemongrass would be sighted across the Ark and, more than once, growing on the hulls of ships that passed through the warp. The trees, a strange fleshy blue, zigged and zagged, their structure strange, twisted, inconsistent, the wood covered in thorns, each limb holding large, flat leaves and the occasional glowing fruit: those who would eat it would recall feeling a great inspiration. Here and there, one could even find orkoid derived orange and greencaps, and stranger plants besides, like titanic purple flowers whose vines would constrict any who approached, floating sporepuffs that hovered through the air, and thickrooted human faced mandragoras.

The beasts were no less bizarre and multitudinious, based on all manner of corrupted Watchmaker, Teklian, and even Sandscornian beasts, like the Neuromorphic Hellmind, a many tentacled daemonic brainbeast that dampened sorcery, or the Toxislugs, soft and slimy corrosipoisonous molluscs that killed whatever they touched so thoroughly that not even bacteria could survive, or the Infernal Squogrilla, an orkoid derived razorbacked simian devilbeast that ate Toxislugs, the only creatures that could.

Tending this garden was an army of devils, damned, and creatures even stranger besides, taking from this garden lumber for construction or burning, fruit and meat for cooking, strange herbs to make potions and tinctures of power from the creatures within. The kitchens would overflow with hellish delicacies deadly to mortals, but deeply nourishing for the residents of the house: in turn the standing of the Chef Devils would increase, their dining halls expanding with their masters power: both Nis'Rok and Gum’boh would in turn use the influence provided to attempt to freeze out their rivals by paying off all the most skilled gardeners with food to ensure only APPROVED kitchens enjoyed the greatest bounty. Creatures like the Dicemaster would offer new games, offering various gifts of the garden as prizes to mortals who won, and in turn earning the devil more and more challengers.

It was around this time that those who had lost their wagers with the Dicemaster without ever having won any additional lifespan would begin to perish, brought low by old age and infirmity. Their souls, upon passing through the Index, would find themselves seized by the Dicemaster: it was time for them to repay their debt they had incurred. Refashioned into iron masked shades and shackled in chains that held a link for every year of service they owed, these Debtors, drawn largely from occulteks, would provide a number of services for the Celestial Bureacracy in the City of Night, such as maintaining wards, performing various ritual ceremonies and offerings, hunting down rogue antianima, and more besides. For a set period of time, claimed the Dicemaster, they would work: once their debt was clear, they would be permitted their freedom, and, of course, a tidy sum of quintessence to help establish themselves.

This would result in an extremely sharp decline in people willing to make deals with the Dicemaster now that there was ample example of the end result available to see, causing business to dry up. Still, the Devil met this with greasy cheer: after all, once his existing Debtors paid off what they owed, eventually mortals would forget, and then there would be another go around.

And besides, as they said, a sucker was born every minute.

Faith Points (FTH Points): 116

ART: 3

Warp (WP): 0

New Projects

Starchild Testament: A proposal by some human priests and theologists to help acclimate both existing human populations and future humans to the Directorate would be to create a holy text  compiled from the various theological tomes and stories of faith that better aligned with the Directorates values into a sort of ‘new testament’. 0/50, Human members of the Directorate create the holy book Starchild Testament, providing an alternative non-reactionary theology and increasing FTH.

Lumium CoreStacks: Lumium Chips had shown a number of interesting elemental effects on cyberspace. The Brilliant Monks wanted to help contribute to the general quality of Directorate computer infrastructure by designing special Lumium Servers that could be used for high quality arcane computing and elemental coding. 0/25, Mysteks gain Lumium CoreStacks, increasing NT by 1. Cost 1 NK.

Depleted Cursite ShrineCores: A proposed means by which Cursite might be used to help safeguard the Directorate: using depleted cursite to strengthen Enshrined spirits by fashioning special ShrineCores to charge them. 0/25, Guardian Spirits upgraded with Depleted Cursite.

Delve into Shifting Tessaract: A section of the Tomb had been opened up. Scans indicated a large number of spacial anomalies. Exploring it would likely take a great deal of effort. 0/50, Tombdelvers gain 2 ART and FTH.

Cursite Cubes: Cursite was such an interesting material. So very…volatile. So very…weaponizable. Instead of purification, what if it was instead altered instead to be stable? Then, the Cubes could used alongside certain Occultek implements to allow their wielder to actively manipulate the energies contained inside for both combat and rituals. 0/50, create Cursite Cubes, Occultek implements that increase FTH and Warp and can be used in combat by expert Occulteks.

The Book of Cures: A proposal from the Greendoctor: he was willing to collaborate with the Directorate by designing a Grimoire upgrade that would allow Mysteks to conjure him forth in order to aid their own wars against disease…in exchange for those Mysteks agreeing to provide him assistance with his medical research. 0/50, Grimoires gain Book of Cures, increasing CUL and general Mystek medical skill. Cost 1 BioData.

The Garden of Life and Death: And in turn, a request: he wanted his own version of Paradise Pandaemonea. Specifically, one designed from the ground up to aid his war on plague: filled with weakened- or strengthened- versions of various viruses and bacterias, filled with animals with novel immune systems adapted to those viruses and bacteria, and plants that were either symbiotic or possessed powerful medical attributes. From this Garden of Life and Death, he would create the tools by which his war would be won. 0/25, Greendoctor gains Garden of Life and Death, increasing CUL. Cost 3 BioData.

VaccineWare: Not all viruses were neccesarily bad. This was true both in biology and, theoretically, online: with the advent of reactcode, some had shown more complex behavior, and it wasn’t impossible for one to adapt to become benign. The odds of this happening without specialized tools was, however, unlikely. 0/25, Occulteks gain VaccineWare, computer viruses modified through sorcery to serve as network security.

(((())))

Alongside Vlaahk, the Directorate would in secret using collected data from Vlaahk’s decoder develop more advanced coding techniques based on the logic virus. To reduce the risk, more advanced logic cages were developed, digital constructs that could sever corrupted data and prevent its spread. This research would reveal numerous curious and very alarming facts.

For one thing, while the code of the Logic Virus was far more advanced, its syntax matched that used in the CPU’s of numerous pieces of human archaeotechnology. The primary difference was that the code used in the logic virus was polydimensional and semi-sentient.

Not the program it executed: the code itself was intelligent, and frightfully so. Despite the Logic Cages and advanced hypercode of the Calculators, there are several incidents where it nearly breaks containment via infecting programs.

One such infected program would actually manage to breach containment, rapidly evolving until cornered by the newly formed Virus Buster Corp, a group of organic and robotic information technicians who had dedicated themselves to technological security, who would contain and delete the entity. Even as the Fleet studied and disseminated the pieces of reactcode they had successfully deciphered to help accelerate the growth of Directorate and Auton software technology, the Virus Buster Corp, centered on Tacchis, would upgrade DataShrines across the Directorate with lumium chips and begin working on combating Viroanima, Reactware Viruses, and other digital hazards, their research labs producing a new type of Data Spirit designed using reactware: the Navigator Executables. Designed to help organic users interface with the increasingly complex datascape and delete viruses.

The reason they were headquartered on Tacchis? The Arctic MegaServers, massive datahubs meant to help bring people to Tacchis as well as increase the overall capacity of the Directorate. These arcology sized structures and their construction would successfully do both.

While the Digital Revolution would slow, it wouldn’t stop: the power of gems granted by the Lumium Chips, the Reactive Code, the additional processing power, all of it worked in tandem to help explode the datascapes overall complexity. Digital cities would gain additional layers, some of them defying the conventional rules of space, while their inhabitants would display more complex abilities such as creating their own Executables of Power, data-rites that mimicked the abilities of the Directorates various rituals and theurgies in the datascape.

At the top of each cities central Tower a light would be seen: the Lumium Slice, acting as a powersource for the Executables, the brightest of which shone upon DigiNaklis, a metropolis carved entirely from gem, the digital headquarters of the cyberverse branch of the Virus Busters. DigiTacchis, meanwhile, would go for more modern aesthetic: a city of hard light and floating metal hovering above a background of the domain owners choice: most humans seemed to have an affinity for various small feline creatures.

Meanwhile, the network would find itself patrolled by an army of Virus Buster Navigators, the data spirits working to contain or destroy malware. Lost would find themselves deleted in carefully prepared ambushes, annihilated using Executables of Power. Maledicts would find themselves caged and annihilated, carefully tracked down and destroyed before they could spread. They would even make an attempt to counterinvade the Abyssiod, attempting to explore it and map its surface.

Those who successfully returned report a digital hell, one that corrupted or corroded all data: reactcode had proven more resilient, but even with it, many of those who had attempted to explore the cyberplanetoid had been deleted or worse. Still, it was more than what they had before, and those who had survived had managed to collect an absolute wealth of information.

Meanwhile, the Autons would also use the reactcode, developing specialized servers designed to utilize it, Koptu contributing lifeforce powered GPU’s to help augment their performance. The result was a very large improvement to Autonite network capability, creating the AutoNet Circuit. Autons would utilize the Circuit for processing power, to crosscheck their general archives, consult with peers on the network, and more importantly, acting as an adaptive anti-logic virus security measure, allowing infected autons to interact with uninfected ones without risk of accidentally spreading neural contagion, something particularly appreciated by Marjak, who would become somewhat more sociable in the following days. 

Otherwise, this ensured that in the annals of history that the digital revolution would continue for a few more years, though slower, perhaps. Time would tell if it would yet end…

Academy Points (ACD Points): 95

Living Metal: 3

Network: 5

New and Updated Projects

Molecular Compression: Normally, you couldn’t compress anything more complex than atoms without causing it to break down. However, with some modifications, GCC Crates could be upgraded to haul simple molecules such as water and salt. 0/25, increases EXP.

Q-Band Synchronizers: The Directorate was on the cusp of something incredible: genuine FTL communications. However, past a certain distance, the particles began to desynchronize, becoming, effectively, non-functional. The proposed solution was designing a machine capable of forcing the particles to stay in synch: if successful, each ship would be outfitted with them. 0/40, all Ships gain Q-Band Synchronizers, allowing for limited FTL communication and increasing the network cost of non-pioneer ships by one. Costs 1 Network.

Organocide Engine Studies: The Organocide Fragment. Studying it would take a lot of cache with the Autons, but the benefits couldn’t be understated, to either the Directorate or Autons: it was bar none the most advanced piece of computational technology that had been discovered. If even a fraction of that could be unlocked for Directorate computers…0/25, gain Dataurgic Engines, increasing both ACD and NT by 2.

Digital Dimension Devil Domains (DDDD): As a reward for the Directorates help, the House of Devils was willing to offer help developing upgrades to the Directorates code language by converting the Domain Data acquired in the Forbidden Archive into something that could be used by programs to make digital equivalents: spaces of power, where those who had the administrative password held physical and psychic power over that space. 0/25, Directorate gains access to DDDDomain software. The network cost this would incur has already been paid by the House of Devils: you scratch our back…

Abysscode: Reactcode was incredible. However, many among the Academy believed the language itself could be improved, augmented upon by the data within the Organocide Fragment and the code fragments recovered from the Abyssiod to create a novel form of arcanoadaptive language. 0/25, gain Abysscode Language, increasing NT and ACD.

Protective Algorithms: The war on malware never ceased. A proposal that was somewhat more ambitious but less risky than the Abysscode idea had been the notion of developing special protective algorithms via reactware and special LumSoft Drivers that could be installed on programs to give them a sort of ‘immune system’ for corruptive malware. 0/50, increasing ACD and providing resistance to all forms of digital corruption.

Antientropic Fields: This technology is likely not of Dorgan origin. Still, if it could be studied, perhaps a more benign, less warcrime-y use could be found, such as mass food preservation or air conditioning. 0/10, Directorate gains Antientropic Cooling, increasing EXP and CUL.

CyberGrimoire: With the increasing prevalence of cyberspace, perhaps the Directorate would consider investing in using the excess processing power and network capacity to augment and improve their TekGrimoires ability to manipulate code. 0/25, Grimoires upgraded to more easily aid in all form of Mystek Datamancy and sorcerous code manipulation, increasing ACD and FTH. Cost 1 NT.

Lumium Node Network: A proposal by some members of the Academy: use Lumium to create an augment for cyberspace brains meant to act as a sort of ‘arcane creativity’ for the pieces of infrastructure mimicking the default mode network in human brains. 0/25, gain Lumium Node Network infrastructure, increasing ACD. Cost 1 NK.

((((()))))

And as the years passed on, Dr. OrphiaTek would die of heart failure at the ripe old age of 156. Celebrated throughout the Directorate as one of its most pre-eminent OcculTeks, his passing would be met with great sorrow by many, but great joy by those who knew him enough to know that the NekroTek welcomed the chance to explore the mysteries of death from the other side. Much of his belongings, one of the greatest mystek treasure troves in the Directorate, would be given to TNDI, willed to her in the hopes his old friend would give them to whomever needed them most.

However, his death did not mean the death of his ideas: having his diaries, journals, and grimoires published posthumously ensured that, combined with his fame, many in the future would bring up the idea of using Boltzman Brains to create dreamquests, or that they should create a digital death index.

However, the age of OrphiaTek was done, and soon, someone new would rise to prominence in the Directorate…

Pick one: none of the starting projects are hazardtek. They will only be available for so long.

[ ] MIE-0: A Shadow Muse who had been experimenting with creating cursite jewelry. She believed that while Cursite might have been dangerous to the living, it would have an invigorating effect on the dead. Gain 0/25 CUL Project MIE-0’s Cursite Jewelry.

[ ] Burgerdink: A Hobbgrot Teknik, Burgerdink had a revolutionary idea: what if the Directorate learned how to use existing organic mycellic networks such as those produced by the Orkish Ecosystem as an additional source of network capacity? The ones at Battlezone would be perfect for this. Gain 0/25 ACD Project Burgerdinks Battlezone Beefnet.

[ ] OOG-87: A Bond-Machina who believed that the Directorate should focus its efforts in expanding its knowledge of particle physics. To that end, she wished to construct a miniature black hole. Gain 0/25 EXP Project OOG-87’s MicroSingularity.