Forum:The Indenture
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| Forums: Index → Fan Fiction → The Indenture | 
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| The Indenture | |
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| Overview | |
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Other name(s): |
Enemy "Consensus" |
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Homeworld: |
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Focal world(s): |
Entirety of the Solar System |
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Goals: |
Establish a lasting empire |
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At war with: |
Indentural Wars |
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Average height: |
Various |
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Average weight: |
Various |
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Distinctions: |
Deployment of allied Fallen, Hive, Vex, Cabal, Taken, Void Demons, and Lightbreakers |
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Average lifespan: |
Indefinite |
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Notable group(s): |
House of Arthropods |
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Notable individual(s): |
Nezarec Reborn |
The Indenture is an imperial collective of humanity's most dangerous enemies. Bonded through understanding and trust, they have finally come together to tear down The Last City once and for all.
Origins
Initiation
Shortly after the the rebirth of Nezarec and the Void, Nezarec shorted out the abilities of both the Light and the Darkness: he poisoned the Traveler and stopped it from creating new Light; he also poisoned the Hive's Worms and stopped the Darkness from spreading. However, he decided to recruit those who held corrupted Light shards, as they matched the symbolic power balance he sought to maintain in the universe. In fact, he reached across the eons to contact Russell, the only remaining Lightbreaker commander. Nezarec revived Russell, imbued him with greater power, and assigned him with overtaking the Last City using a stronger force. When Russell finally reassembled the Lightbreakers on Phobos under a new name, the Traveler's Banished, they set out to spread chaos throughout the Solar System once more. This time, however, they would establish an order that would maintain this chaos to prevent any other authorities from rising up and taking their place, and they had the advantage, since their Corrupted Light status prevented them from being affected by the newly poisoned well of Light from the Traveler, which decreased the effects of the other Guardians' abilities. The Lightbreakers' first step was to survey the current status of their enemy from the Outer System onboard the Lightbreaker Carrier. Conducting long-range surveillance using automated Surveyor Ghosts, they placed marks on Guardians patrolling on the border of the city.
Oculus' Wrath
With their targets identified, the Lightbreakers started to close in. However, little did they know that their activity has woken the Hive, who were serving under the newly formed Wrath of the Oculus, who were keeping watch over open space onboard the Tartarus Carrier. With an expanded Ascendant Realm and having the Darkness directly imbued in them, they effectively had limitless territory and power, and the presence of any kind of Light, pure or corrupted, is viewed as a disturbance, so the Hive pursued the Lightbreakers and attacked their vessel. Both sides raced each other to the City while launching constant aerial assaults at the enemy to keep each other in check. With the Lightbreakers' superior fleet initially pulling ahead, the new God-King of the Hive, Throk Nul, summoned a squadron of his new sect of Taken, the Demented, onboard the Lightbreaker Carrier to halt their efforts. In response, Russell launched Neutralizer Ghosts and Combat Ghosts to maintain their place. This conflict caused a stalemate. Realizing this, Russell and Throk Nul commanded their respective vessels to stop the race so they could face their enemies' leaders one-on-one. Throk Nul sensed Russell's presence and called out to him in desperation for conflict, "My worm hungers ever more, warrior of Light. It puts me in pain. It senses you. It knows you. You think you're different?" Russell then led a strike force to engage him, testing each other's strength, and personally fought several days longer until they wore each other out. This was another stalemate, but this one put the conflict on hold, allowing for recovery.
Goliath's Assault
The Lightbreaker and Hive vessels slowly drifted through empty space, slowly slipping away from each other's vision, but both ended up in the same sights of another massive spacecraft: the Commandship Indominus. On this giant vessel was the newest and strongest Cabal legion: the Steel Goliaths. They immediately noticed that they had company, and rushed into combat to defend the vessel. The impact of Cabal missile strikes interrupted the recovery, thus springing the Hive and Lightbreakers back into action. The Steel Goliaths then sent in several squadrons from every infantry platoon they had: robotics, experimental Psions, executioners, and an elite heavy strike force. To further bolster their attack power, the new Cabal military emperor, Dominus Zhu'uork, even deployed their new line Goliath Tank, one of each on the opposing vessels. This put the Lightbreakers and Hive in an inescapable battle, where they had to fight on or die in the process. And to make sure neither could escape, the Commandship Indominus deployed tractor beams, pulling the Tartarus Carrier and the Lightbreaker Carrier closer in. Russell and Throk Nul directed their forces towards the tanks and the invading Cabal battle crews. Russell summoned a Void Sentinel Shield and used it to project a giant barricade that blocked incoming attacks. In his other hand, he wielded a Burning Maul to knock the Cabal and the tank out of the ship. He marched forward with lines of Frames, soldiers, and Guardians following him. Throk Nul cast terrible afflictions on the Cabal infantry aboard his vessel: poisoned blood, suppression of abilities, and physical weakness. He would use his Storm Cleaver to cut through wide swathes of Cabal infantry. However, while the tanks were damaged, they dealt heavy blows to their targets. It would take several days of more combat to fully wear down the artillery.
Prohibition's Capture
The Commandship Indominus towed the Lightbreaker and Hive vessels as it lumbered through the cosmos. Unbeknownst to the Cabal, their massive ship was detected in a spatial simulation being conducted by the Vex of the newly developed Myriad Prohibition. Once they detected this disturbance, they boarded Timeship Hades and transmatted it to the location of the Cabal ship. The inner workings of the ship are controlled by the largest and most powerful Axis Mind the Vex have ever constructed: Typhon, the Destructive Mind. It gave the ship the directive to pull the Cabal, Hive, and Lightbreakers into their new domain, the Myriad Crossworld, for erasure using a Deletion Ray. As this weapon charged up, it used stasis beams to link to its targets and lock them in place. Realizing this, the Cabal made a withdrawal, but they immediately found out that Timeship Hades would be dragged along for the ride with the other vessels they towed. To ensure their targets remained helpless, the Vex directly invaded the other vessels, and also deployed their gun emplacements and newly designed Oracles. The Commandship continued to pull away from the stasis link, but the Timeship still got dragged behind them and weighed them down. Meanwhile, the Lightbreakers and Hive suffered ambushes from stealth units, constant afflictions from support combatants, and heavy bombardment from gigantic siege engines. There was little they could do as they kept being towed and assaulted on all sides. The Vex put up such a fight that it took months for the Cabal, Lightbreakers, and Hive to pry the Vex from their respective vessels, and they had to recover for even longer.
Arthropod's Ambush
The clump of vessels continued to drift through space, and they triggered yet another enemy alert. A tripmine picked up their movements and let off a violent detonation that caused a shockwave which pushed the vessels away. Alerted by this detonation were a secret group of Fallen onboard an invisible Ketch called Arthroship Toxikor-Syn, the main vessel of a new Fallen House, the House of Arthropods. Commandeering this vessel was the House's Kell, Zanthraks. His plan was to deploy a large fleet of Mosquito gunships and modified Skiffs onboard the other vessels and use their troops to sabotage their inner workings. The Ketch deployed a giant Arc web around the other vessels to prevent them from escaping, and dragged them toward their Den under the surface of Mumbai Push for assassination. The Mosquitos easily weaved around incoming gunfire and followed up with devastating weaponry of their own. The ground troops used their newly developed combat exoskeletons to enhance their firepower, mobility, and physical toughness, with additional gadgets to increase their versatility. This gave them favorable matchups against their targets, and put up a large-scale fight against the Lightbreakers, Hive, Cabal, and Vex, lasting for up to a month. During this time, they tore off a large chunk of a Corrupted Light shard to use for energy, sabotaged a Hive ritual that was intended to continue the spread of the Ascendant Plane's corruption, stole Cabal battle plans, and shut down the Vex's Deletion Ray before eventually tinkering with it. However, the Fallen were unaware that the energy capacity for the Ketch's web casters had just ran out, which rallied them back onboard to prepare for the vessel's descent. Everyone else followed, and they landed on Mumbai Push. The remaining combatants immediately resumed the fighting on the surface.
Intervention
The fight between the five different enemy races continued for several hours until the sky darkened and a black portal appeared in the middle of the battlezone. They all immediately paused to observe the anomaly. An army of Void demons poured out of the portal, led by Nezarec himself. Nezarec imprisoned the Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal in their own sectors by casting magic barriers around them. He then called to Russell and his forces, "Wielders of the Corrupted Light. You have done well in cornering these monsters. Now, bring them to my dimension so we can all make an arrangement." Russell and his Guardian forces, along with the Void demons, then forced the other races into the Void Dimension, and the portal closed once everyone was inside, with Nezarec waiting on his throne overlooking the visitors. To make sure there was no resistance, he summoned his Heralds and Gatekeepers to help the Lightbreakers watch over them and make the arrangement proposed earlier.
Compromise
Nezarec started, "There is one thing I wish to know from all of you: why do you fight each other? There is a far more pressing foe than anything the universe has ever seen, a foe you have all fallen to more than once: the Guardians who follow the Traveler. They destroy your works without hesitation. They have no second thought after they secure their efforts. They do not regard your struggles. They are more dangerous to all of you than you are to each other." The Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal raised their arms in anger and directed their fire at Nezarec, but to no effect, so they eventually stop. His rebirth ritual gave him complete immunity, and he continued to address them, "You miss the point. I've seen your fates when they were involved, and even I have never successfully faced them. Because we have all been through this, I suggest we find common ground and aspire to reach new goals. Establish an order. Rally behind a new god. Carve a new Final Shape. Create a new future. Conquer new worlds. As long as you follow these principles, I will help you." Throk Nul responded, "We are the New Hive, the Wrath of the Oculus. We have the Darkness imbued in us, and we follow a new path. But what is the new Final Shape?" Dominus Zhu'uork followed, "We are the new Cabal, the Steel Goliaths. We have a united army, and we follow a new doctrine. But what new worlds are there to conquer?" Typhon was next, "We are the new Vex, the Myriad Prohibition. We have a new form, and we follow a new evolution. But what new future is there to create?" Zanthraks then stated, "We are the new Fallen, the House of Arthropods. We have a new strength, and follow a new foundation. But what new god is there to rally behind?" Nezarec answers their questions, "The new Final Shape is not only the triumph of the strong, but also the evolution of their power; it must constantly be folded into new forms. The new worlds are those which have yet to be explored, with new inhabitants and resources to control; an empire can only expand when venturing the full extent of the universe. The new future is the one which allows the infinite possibilities that have been simulated to unfold and converge; everything will eventually be as one. The new god is not a god who is transcendent of one form of power, but a god who is transcendent of all forms of power; there is only one true god. I have the means to make all of this happen, and I will ensure the Traveler and its purest Light are no more. This will only be possible through one united effort. What do you say to this?" The Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal, then realized they had a common enemy, and they learnt the full extent of each other's motives and how they will shape the fate of the universe. After a long series of past wars, they finally decided to cooperate with each other. "Good. Now, of utmost importance to this plan is Russell, the Lightbreaker Juggernaut, who seeks to establish an order of chaos, a chaos which you all can carry out in any way you wish against humanity's final stronghold. Now, enjoy yourselves."
Unity
Everyone would do their part to maintain Nezarec's new demands. The House of Arthropods would look to Nezarec as their religious sovereign, and The Void as the path they must follow; they have been assigned as scouts and assassins. The Wrath of the Oculus would bend their power to meet the standards of The Void, and look to Nezarec for guidance; they have been assigned as religious mediators and wardens. The Demented would assist the new Hive in all tasks. The Myriad Prohibition would simulate the possibilities Nezarec had spoken of and bring them together to craft a new future that suits this new collective; they have been assigned as analysts and security units. The Steel Goliaths would take the new worlds Nezarec has described and set up commands for this collective to follow; they have been assigned as military scientists and executioners. The Traveler's Banished would pillage all territories owned by humanity to make way for the settlement of this collective; they have been assigned as siege troopers and plunderers. Nezarec, meanwhile, kept his own army in reserve, amd manipulated the universe from his dimension. These actions now corner humanity to just the Last City, with no way in or out. The most dangerous foes of humanity have now joined together, and they call themselves...The Indenture.
House of Arthropods
| House of Arthropods | |
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| Overview | |
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Nobility: |
Zanthraks, Kell of Arthropods |
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Servitors: |
Toxikor, Arthropod Prime |
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Lair: |
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The House of Arthropods is a newly risen Fallen House built on heightened technological foundations. They serve as the Indenture's scouts, assassins, and reconnaissance troops, and are the first to detect the enemy.
Origins
Desperation
The Fallen in the Solar System were in their most desperate state. After losing out on the production of enhanced Ether and suffering casualties from a civil war against the Scorn, the broken House of Dusk was practically torn to pieces. Their Servitors scrapped, their Archons assassinated, and their Kell personally slain by The Guardian. The remaining nobles within the House's remnants decided to start over and build themselves from the ground up and employ more aggressive tactics of leadership. Unusually, the once-elusive and mighty House of Scorpions has suffered a similar fate with the death of their long-gone Kell, Lorkxyn, the Scorpion Kell. Those serving under him have had their chemical weapons production cut off, and their experimental Servitors have been destroyed. With no other choice, they banded with the remnant House of Dusk members and decreed a new operational ground.
Innovation
To start the reformation of their former glory, the Fallen of the newly banded House scavenged for and sabotaged scattered Cabal and City technology left over from the Red War. Remembering the past mistakes with using technology they were otherwise unfamiliar with, the Fallen had to find a way to utilize it directly without causing biological deterioration as proved during the SIVA Crisis. Their Splicers made revolutionary combat advancements, a series of unique combat exoskeletons that provide their wielders with superior protection as well as extra weapon capacity. These suits were multi-limbed and allowed their wearers to actively carry and wield larger individual arsenals, effectively arming themselves to the teeth. In addition, they began experimenting with defensive reinforcements that they could use to better fortify their operational grounds by increasing the efficiency of their traps as well as inventing a series of turrets for trench warfare. The most terrifying advancements of all were among the reinvention of a new line of heavy artillery tank called the Solpugid, and even the reintroduction of multiple Servitor-like chassis to provide stronger sustenance and full support for Fallen crews.
Operation
With a greater focus on technology that relied on jointed combat frames, the newly emerged House was slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Lost Guardian reports have claimed their bases to be built underground, interconnected by a vast network of subterranean tunnels. They have been noted to employ ambush tactics unlike those seen in previous Fallen combat forces. They wait below the surface and set up explosives to breach the surface when an intruder is detected, attacking from below and crawling out of the crater left behind by the initial detonation to take their hapless victims down. For the few appearances that have been noted, most notably the exoskeletons, this new sect of Fallen became classified as the House of Arthropods, which have remained underground ever since.
Common Units
- Mite: A small robotic drone which flies on all axes and flanks targets with its head-mounted Fang Turret, which fires a burst of charged, high-velocity Arc bolts which can deal precision damage and leave behind moderate-damage tracer beams upon impact; contact with the beams causes a debuff that inflicts periodic slowness and eventual paralysis for a short time.
- Millipede: A medium-built robotic crawler designed to keep enemy hordes under control. Loaded with chambers which release a neurotoxic gas that inflicts slowness, confusion, and haze effects. Occasionally releases a pulsating shockwave that repels targets. Explodes in a violent burst upon death, inflict a heavy poison effect on all targets in its radius.
- Centipede: A medium-built robotic crawler deployed to keep attackers at bay. Armed with a pair of Chilopod Scissors that inject a venom which drains health over time and cripples its target if the lingering damage pushes the victim into critical health levels, which knocks them down and distorts their vision for a short time. Crippled prey will be constricted by the Centipede's hooked legs if left unchecked. Striking its rear will activate a quick reflex that causes it to switch targets.
- Tick: A larger robotic drone armed with a head-mounted Web Launcher that fires contact Web Mines. Equipped with dual Scorch Repeater gatling guns that fire incendiary rounds with stacking burning effects. At low health, it opens up an Ether Drill and charges towards the player, healing itself for any damage dealt with the drill; the health will not be restored until the drone is killed. Upon death, it drops an Arc maelstrom that damages anything in its wake.
Uncommon Units
- Spider: Nimble scavengers that take up the skirmishing role in Arthropod crews. Uses their upper arms to wield dual Fang Pistols that quickly fire bursts of 8 Arc bolts at a time; equipped with Trap Dispensers on their middle arms, firing miniature Void smoke bombs which poison, slow, and disorient the player. Attacks with Fang Daggers on its lower arms with series of furious slashes. Capable of traversing vertical terrain and jumping over the player's heads in combat.
- Pantopod: Subterranean troopers which burrow underground and perform ambush attacks. Equipped with Excavator Claws on their upper arms to rapidly dig away at the surface they stand on and bury themselves beneath the ground; the dig site is traced with a toxic exhaustion cloud which poisons and disorients anyone that passes through it; the claws double as melee weapons that can administer this toxin directly to the player. Uses its middle arms to wield a pair of Fang Blitzer submachine guns which fire a constant flurry of fast-moving homing Arc projectiles. Has a pair of Drainage Blades of their lower arms that skewer all targets in range and drain their health to critical levels.
- Scorpion: Versatile troopers that are deployed for reconnaissance and assassin roles. Uses its upper arms to wield a Sting Rifle which operates like a Guardian's scout rifle and can deal precision damage, but fires venom-tipped cartridges that inflicts a stacking poison-damage debuff which also blurs the player's view. Throws Sting Grenades with its middle arms, littering the battlefield with highly damaging electric surges. Equipped with sickle-like Stinger Blades on its lower arms to perform charged sweeping attacks that have a long reach and high-damage output. Can use a cloaking device that gives it complete invisibility until attacked, which will disable the device for a short time.
- Yellowjacket: Sleuth-type troopers equipped purely for stealth and silent takedowns. Can leap to greater heights, teleport in unpredictable intervals, scurry on the ground to close the distance, and turn invisible at will. Equipped with wrist-mounted Sting Crossbows on their upper arms, which injects a venom that cripples the target short a short time. Throws Colony Sapper grenades which emit an electric pulse that paralyzes and blinds targets. Armed with Sting Daggers on their lower arms that deal additional damage when attacking from behind. Equipped with an Arc shield.
Rare Units
- Myrmecian: Extremely aggressive, armored troopers equipped for heavy melee combat. Wields Poison Maces in their upper arms that inflict a heavy poison effect. Uses Arthrogrippers in their lower pairs of arms to snatch targets at close range that can either snap targets' limbs and leave them disfigured, fully constrict their targets to death, or bring them in range of a back-mounted Stinger Cell injection device that skewers the victim and inflicts with a rapid-damage venom. Will constantly teleport towards the player. When damaged, they smash the ground to release a pulsating shockwave. Equipped with a Solar shield that deflects kinetic damage sources.
- Harvestman: Large, armored, commander units packed with heavy weapons and a variety of defense gadgets to provide utility and suppressive fire for Arthropod squads. Armed with dual shoulder-fired Arthropod Coils on their upper arms, firing a hail of seeking Void microrockets which temporarily suppress Guardian abilities upon detonation. Equipped with Scorch Repeaters on its middle arms to fire incendiary rounds which inflict stacking burning effects. Attacks with Arthropod Lances on its lower arms to perform forward thrusting attacks that can break Guardians' shields and pierce multiple targets. Sprays slowness and disorientation gases. Void-shielded.
- Vinegaroon: Massive, circular support drones which are worshipped by the Arthropods and are equipped with the essentials to sustain the rank and file of Arthropod battalions. Armed with a directed energy weapon in its eye, firing slow, but powerful seeking Web Rockets which release Web Mine spheres upon detonation. Equipped with four mechanical arms which attack with independently rotating Scorch Repeaters. Unleashes a sustained beam at close range which drains the player's health and heals itself. Comes with a teleportation device and built-in shield rays that fully heal and shield all nearby Fallen. Equipped with a Void shield.
- Hornet: Massive circular heavy weapons drones built for suppression of hostiles and designed for area denial. Uses its central eye to fire a Decay Phaser beam cannon that creates a large suppression dome upon impact; coming into contact with the beam will cause a brief period of bleeding. Equipped with chambers on its body that fire a barrage of Stinger Missiles that inflict a heavy stacking poison effect; the chambers can also release Solar rays that blind and burn any targets in their path. When on low health, it will release a pulse that gives nearby allies faster movement speed. Equipped with a teleportation device and Sawblade Extensions for close combat. Packs a Void shield.
- Zopherinid: Colossal circular defense drones that bolster themselves and nearby Arthropods with superior protection. Surrounded by a shield powered by miniature drones. Adapts a random elemental shield when its drone shield is broken. Can briefly project a barrier in front of its eye to block and deflect incoming damage. Slowly regenerates health when out of combat. Its chassis is completely immune to kinetic damage. Automatically teleports upon taking damage and will follow it up with an Ether Link that grants itself and the linked Fallen increased damage resistance, movement speed, health regeneration. Armed with a Arthropod Tracer beam that latches on to its target and inflicts them with a constant debuff that reduces their weapon and ability damage by 100%.
Deployments
- Web Tripmine: An enhanced variant of the Trip Mine built to better defend key areas. Immediately detonates when something is caught in its laser trigger, blinding and slowing their targets.
- Arthropod Mine: An enhanced variant of the Web Mine designed for stronger area denial. Releases a pulse which knocks targets upward when activated, and unleashes a Void web which poisons, slows, and disorients their victims.
- Shock Turret: A gun emplacement that fires a stream of Arc energy that shocks its targets. Equipped with a searchlight to track and mark targets.
- Scorch Turret: A gun emplacement that fires arcing Solar bombs that leave flaming spots in their wake. Equipped with a searchlight to track and mark targets.
- Null Turret: A gun emplacement that fires a hail of Void bullets that shred any targets they lock on to. Equipped with a searchlight to track and mark targets.
- Decay Turret: A gun emplacement which fires a flurry of poison-tipped flechettes which deal lingering damage. Equipped with a searchlight to track and mark targets.
Reinforcements
- Mosquito: A highly mobile gunship meant to provide support fire for deployed Arthropod crews. Deployed alongside Arthropod Skiffs. Armed with dual nose-mounted Scorch Repeaters and a head-mounted Stinger Missile multiple rocket launcher. Equipped with a Drainage Beam that holds their target in place and drains their health.
- Arthropod Skiff: A deployment vessel equipped with utility weapons. Sprays slowness gas, disorientation gas, and corrosive fumes on the battlefield. Armed with hull-mounted, rotating Arthropod Mortars which fire large shells that contain highly-damaging poison gas canisters. Deploys Arthropod crews as well as Strider heavy assault constructs and Solfugid artillery tanks.
- Strider: A heavy assault tripodal construct built for active destruction. Uses a deflective carapace that ricochets all incoming damage back towards the player. Armed with a nose-mounted Stinger Autocannon that fires a stream of explosive shells that release poison gas in a small radius. Follows up with an Arthropod Bomber warp cannon that fires a high-speed warp projectile that blasts through Guardian shields and leaves behind a pulsating shockwave that knocks its targets back. Will skewer any close combatants with its sharp-tipped legs, killing them instantly. Can occasionally teleport and rotates elemental shielding between Arc, Solar, and Void.
- Solfugid: Giant, multi-legged, mechanical constructs designed for heavy assault, area denial, and fire support for the House of Arthropods' armies and chokepoints. Armed with a Scorch Phaser turret that fires a massive, charged beam with a high initial blast radius and impact damage followed by sustained damage and rapid burning effects; this turret is mounted with a Feedback Salvo, which fires Arc missiles that inflict blinding and shocking effects upon detonation. Equipped with an underbelly Arthropod Drill which creates a massive spread of corrosive fumes as well as a head-mounted Scorch Repeater and a nose-mounted Arthropod Coil. Uses metal segmented chelicerae to crush targets at close range. Can stomp the ground with its legs to create highly-damaging shockwaves. When one of its legs breaks, it temporarily reveals its core, but deploys Sting Grenades and Mites to keep attackers away.
Wrath of the Oculus
| Wrath of the Oculus | |
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| Overview | |
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Purpose: |
Imperial Occult |
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Champion(s): |
Throk Nul, God-Eater |
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Realm: |
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The Wrath of the Oculus is a newly risen Hive brood built on a reformed Sword Logic. They serve as the Indenture's religious sect, supportive troops, and wardens, and are the ones to initiate the attack.
Origins
The Rise
The Hive pantheon has been in extreme shortage. With no remaining God-Kings or Worm Gods, the Formless One was the only force the Hive could look to. They decided to use the power of the Darkness more directly and take their Sword Logic even further. They tithed to the Deep itself and drew their strength from there. This allowed the Hive to be greater imbued with the Darkness, and even control it. This corruption drastically warped their physiology, mutating and distorting them to the point of insanity, but when the transformation was complete, the Darkness within finally settled, and was within their control. The newly-spawned Hive used this power to build new foundations that would revolutionize the Hive religion, including a rewriting of the Sword Logic as well as inventing greater means of conquest and, most importantly, a shift in balance within the Ascendant Plane.
The Revolution
The forerunner of these changes and the mastermind behind the Hive's evolution, an aspiring Oculus Enforcer named Throk Nul, was the most powerful member of this new brood. He was the new God-King of the Hive, and was in a high-enough rank in the pantheon to set the new foundations. He maintained the ultimate goal of creating the "Last True Shape" of the universe, but altered the means to do so. Since dark power now constantly seethed within the Hive themselves, the standard for gaining greater power took a far more sadistic turn: the New Hive would detain and torture their enemies in battle while actively siphoning their abilities via parasitic link. This would come to affect nearly every denizen of the Solar System, especially hapless Guardians who got snatched from below and their Light drained from them. Throk Nul described the process as follows, "Your essence, your very being...they shall be mine."
The Conquest
To fit the New Sword Logic, the New Hive developed weapons, technology, and tactics to match the reformed ideals. They were designed to "bind" to their victims and grant themselves overwhelming advantages over their foes. Even the Ascendant Plane itself had been altered to meet expectations: throne worlds became interconnected in such a way that those who possessed the largest throne worlds would expand the size the Ascendant Realm, causing it to spread its corruption across the cosmos. This corruption also gave rise to a new branch of Taken called The Demented, twisting them to new ends and giving them access to untold abilities, and even strong enough to corrupt those without a will of their own. Throk Nul and his legion then engaged in ritualistic experiments which crafted throne worlds for himself as well as his most devout followers: his sons Nalthris and Yolthur, his consort Xovanath, and his brother Balgoth. Vanguard reports of the corruption classified this new sect of Hive as the Wrath of the Oculus.
Common Units
- Oculus Servant: A scrawny devilish figure that fills the lowest rung of the Oculus hierarchy. Spits Poison Goblets that damage the player over time. Attacks with fast melee combos using Arc Swiper claws, which inflict a bleeding effect on their targets. Can tackle the player to the floor and brutally bite the player's neck, injecting a venom which stops recovery.
- Oculus Raptor: Winged creatures that drop from the sky and wreak havoc on Guardians down below. Attacks with Hell Slasher talons. Will occasionally screech to disorient the player as well as drop toxic spores that quickly damage the player. When on low health, it will congregate with other Raptors and create a Ruin Vortex that send the player flying upward. Shooting the vortex will cause all the Raptors within it to scatter and die.
- Oculus Watcher: Elusive, thin-figured foes that are used to spy on and assassinate threats to the Oculus' reign. Armed with enhanced Soulfire Rifles which fire bolts that haze their target's sights upon landing a precision shot. Striking it with a melee attack will inflict the player with a brief poison effect from a red gel-like secretion and grant the Watcher increased movement speed for a short time. Can quickly sneak around Guardians deliver lethal melee attacks from behind.
- Oculus Ranger: A more dedicated marksman of the Oculus' forces that prefers extreme long-distance combat. Will vanish and teleport to another long-range location if approached at point black. Armed with an Arrow Caster multipurpose rifle that has three distinct fire modes based on engagement range: charged, high-impact blinding Arc bolts for long-distance; semi-automatic burning Solar bolts for mid-range; and a poisonous Void shotgun-style spread for close range.
Uncommon Units
- Oculus Sorcerer: Aggressive tacticians donned in dirty flying robes, using demonic magic to exploit their foes' weaknesses in combat. Surrounded by an Oculus Harness aura that slows everything inside. The aura has six tentacular projections that can perform sweeping melee attacks that knock Guardians down for a short time; toppled Guardians who do not get back to their feet in time will be grabbed by the projections and constricted to death; shooting the projections will briefly destroy it and free the player. Unleashes charged Void beams that cut through Guardian shields.
- Oculus Guard: Vengeful soldiers who are rarely encountered and are only called upon when the Hellspawn's wishes haven't been fulfilled. Has a pair of muscular exoskeleton arms and a pair of leaner, lobster-like arms. Armed with a Starfire Cannon which fires a constant, rapid stream of highly damaging explosive Void blasts as well as a one-handed Hell Warhammer which slams the ground and breaks the player's shields in one hit. Lobster-like arms use pincers to grab Guardians and crush their necks to asphyxiate them; shooting the arm in use will free the player.
- Oculus Gatekeeper: Melee bruisers who are sent in to aggressively pursue objectives that stand in their path. Armed with dual-wielded Cleavers that have extended range. Charges toward their opponents while blocking with their swords, which both negates and deflects incoming damage, before unleashing a double slash that inflicts a bleeding effect. Becomes immune to a certain damage type for a short time after being struck with it. Equipped with randomly rotating elemental shields. Can constantly regenerate its own health while in and out of combat.
- Oculus Paladin: The supportive heavy infantry that keeps the Oculus armies alive and in top shape. Armed with an enhanced Arrow Caster multipurpose rifle that has greater fire rate and projectile speed. When faced at point blank, it will use its Arrow Caster to fire a stasis beam that slows its targets. When hit by any attack, it envelops a random elemental shield around itself and nearby Oculus forces, granting all shielded units with an increase in health, damage output, movement speed, and attack range as well as access to innate health regeneration. Equipped with a deflective Hive Shield.
Rare Units
- Oculus Brute: Large beasts that often accompany Gatekeepers in a rush of melee combat. Unleashes a series of punches that can break the player's shield and greatly delay recovery. Charges at their opponents and knocks them back with a shoulder ram attack. Can slam the ground to unleash a line of fire that quickly burns away at its targets and briefly slows them down. Has a chance to grab the player in their hand and crush them to death in the blink of an eye. Rapidly regenerates health while attacking and gains increased movement speed when on low health.
- Oculus Entangler: Beastly demons who have started to learn the dark arts of the Oculus' sorcery. Pummels its targets with a series of ground punches that disorient the player and knock them around. Can teleport itself to another location as well as teleport the player closer to itself. When the player is teleported, they are detained, slowing their movement to a halt. Breaking free from the detainment center will cause the Entangler to enter berserk mode, where it regenerates all of its lost health and gains the ability to fire Darkness Blasts and Axion Darts that shock and poison their targets respectively. Equipped with a randomly rotating elemental shield.
- Oculus Judge: Large, corpulent walkers who keep order amongst the Wrath of the Oculus' rituals and are entrusted with their dark arts. Will raise an arm with a black orb in hand and shortly smash it, creating a Hell's Smite blast which deals heavy damage in its radius and distorts the view of afflicted players. Fires a Void beam which attaches to any Guardian it hits and inflicts a slowness effect until contact is broken. Casts Arc lightning strikes that inflict shocking effects and occasionally throw Dispel Grenades which temporarily disable all equipped weapons and abilities upon detonation. Can occasionally fly in the air and unleash rapid Darkness Blasts; creates a shockwave upon landing on the ground.
- Oculus Enforcer: Hulking behemoths that supplant the command role using powerful weapons and spells. Wears armor plating that reduces kinetic and energy weapon damage by 75%. Armed with a Fiery Snatcher whip and a Storm Cleaver greatblade. The whip burns its targets on hit, sends out waves of sundering flames, and entangles and scorches the player; the greatblade blinds targets on hit and sends out shocking electric pulses on a ground slam. Equipped with a back-mounted Oculus Bombard that fires arcing Void explosive shells which cripples, poisons, and suppresses all targets in its radius. Surrounded by a Hellfire Aura that constantly burns away at everything inside. Occasionally casts a focused meteor storm that tracks its target and leaves behind a large gout of flame that burns and slows its victim. Can occasionally fly around with its massive wings to gain the high ground, and creates a rippling shockwave when it lands. Teleports short distances and marks the player, rallying all nearby Oculus units to attack the marked target.
Deployments
- Hell Vestige: A more powerful Vestige employed by the Oculus to function as both troop summoners and enemy trappers. Releases a Void detonation when approached and starts to hold players in place and damage them over time s