Lord Reson Forms and Shindoke Classes

I will now describe myself, as I am, per the style of the ever-popular zoological and biographical informational entries published by the being known as "The Custodian" on just about every Nava-Verse being worth talking about and then some, myself included, though unlike my incomplete and inaccurate "official" bio based on what little of me such a being as the Custodian knows or thinks he knows, consider this the real deal, coming from the legend himself…

• In my basic form, in which my body and abilities, by default, primarily channel Dark Magic as a power source, I more-or-less bear the appearance of an undead human being, with a body shape that remains much more identifiably-human than, say, the mutated form of the late Thorn. My abilities of Dark Magic, including those by which I have the power to alter living things and construct inanimate matter, are at their strongest here. I am… short, standing just over five feet in height, not that the people of the Nava-Verse could discern this based on what little I allow them to see of me and knowing of only one other specimen to measure me against. I, again, have not physically aged in terms of a human lifespan since my transformation at which time I could not have been more than twenty-five years old. I was not a particularly pretty young man while I was a normal person, and in my current state, most would call me downright hideous: my facial flesh is a rather rancid yellowish texture, marked by deep laceration scars representing the worst of the many injuries and disfigurements I, along with everyone else left on Earth, sustained at the hands of Genome. These marks remain fixed in place upon my face, appearing exactly as they did when I received them, right down to the fresh blood-red color contrasting with the rest of the life-fluid within me having gone cold and black, at all times, even when I am transformed… more on that later.

Most of my body is perpetually wrapped in a hooded, caped garment uninterruptedly woven of solidified dark energies, formed around me while I floated semi-conscious in the void while taking in those energies and being inextricably bound to my present being and powers. While I can disrobe partially by simply moving the non-fastened sections of its fabric away from where they cover me, this robe is, at its center of mass connecting to the rest of me near the top of my back, permanently fastened upon my body, and for all intents and purposes a part of it and me. When I change into one of my alternate states, my garb retracts to its aforementioned point of origin to uncover my changed form, and lingers as a few scraps of fabric dangling near by back for as long as I am transformed, growing and wrapping back around me when I revert to my regular self.

As the "normal" version of Lord Reson, I possess vastly superhuman (or, if one prefers, "extra-mortal", that being the equivalent term used in an otherwise human-less world) physical strength and stamina, which are amplified when I undergo my further transformations. My durability is rather less extraordinary; though I am far harder to kill than either a regular human or the average equivalent within the Nava-Verse, I am not as invincible, at least in my basic form, as some might assume. I am made of corporeal flesh, rough and thick though it may be, not supernaturally hard material. A blow that would cleanly decapitate any mortal would do the same to me, and my saga would end right then and there; likewise with, say, a point-blank explosion… mind you, this is disregarding the entirety of my defensive and evasive capabilities. On the other hand, many injuries that could easily lead to death for just about anyone else are mere flesh wounds for me, so long as the cause of would-be death is not instantaneous; my vital liquids long-since transmuted into a dense sludge, blood loss is not an issue for me, and I will rapidly recover from just about any wound that does not completely sever a large part of my body.

On my transformed states…

• In that which I have labelled my Primal form, I, tapping into the Primal Energies stored within me, metamorphose into a levitating being resembling the eccentric spirits known as Primal Deities. All sensations of inner warmth that otherwise remain in me evaporate as my flesh becomes marble-hard and crystalline in its texture, gaining extra-corporeal composition, and my colors fade into cold blues and greens, with spots of reddish-pink marking pockets of concentrated energy. My eyeballs grow pitch-dark to surround glowing-red pupils - a color scheme quite opposite to my orbs' regular appearance - and strange, writhing appendages form around the sides of my head and face. This is by far my most powerful form, but also my most unstable and power-draining to enter. I have only activated it a handful of times, and to this day I still do not fully understand how to control its unpredictable abilities.

What I do know is that this version of me is capable of reality-warping "miracles" that seemingly surpass what any actual Primal Deity is capable of, and with this in mind I have tried to make my every use of this transformation subsequent to the waste of an activation that was my accidental first time and excepting another occasion wherein I was forced to assume it to withstand an imminent would-be lethal injury, with generally favorable results… for me. The people of the Nava-Verse, on the other hand, would and, indeed, do based on their limited understanding of them, consider my "miracles" horrific acts of villainy… I will not necessarily deny their status as such. The first time I "properly" made use of my Primal form was to the end of neutralizing God's strongest mortal race of goody-goodies within the Prime Galaxy, the oversized Drajelaos, and the results I achieved exceeded my expectations: the Drajelao homeworld of Ultavnah was put under complete lockdown forevermore - no one was to enter its atmosphere, and no one was to leave. This would remain my most infamous act in the eyes of the Nava-Verse's denizens up until I put down that brat Connor Thorn, and to this day it stands as the single most exhausting thing I have ever done, resulting in my most painful experience since Genome's tortures. The energies that power me accumulate over time, and each magical act that I perform expends some of that energy, and normally, the "cost" is barely of consideration, and I have plenty of available power for everything I intend to do on a regular basis. The Primal form, on the other hand, requires years worth of my energy to be drained just for me to activate it, and in sealing off Ultavnah, I spent my "allowance" for the better part of how long it would take between then and the point at which God's brilliant followers finally got the bright idea of inventing a universal calendar - easily well over a century's time. I was basically bedridden for decades following that incident before finally resuming my usual machinations. The prophetic visions regarding the Multiversal Septet that I experienced during that time may or may not have been an aftershock of my utilizing this state so prominently, which I have never done to the same degree since… The thing is, I distinctly remember seeing and involuntarily thinking strange and esoteric things while in, and indeed also while recovering from, Primal form, but can never quite recall the important details of those dream-like experiences after the fact, let alone determine what, if anything, they actually mean. Yet clearly, I was able to recollect enough about what I saw of those artifacts to go out and locate them…

Now that I mention this and really think about it, I'll have to consider it further on my own time.

Yet, back now to my "Lore":

As of now, the last time I transmogrified into Primal form was during the conception stage of developing my bio-mechanical super-weapon known as Toxie #6; I believe that it would have been possible for myself in that state to perform, at the very least, a large part of the beast's process of being assembled and brought to life all at once… if I were willing to lay low regathering my powers for another half-century. As it was, of course, I was far from willing, and so in my limitless intuitiveness… not sure if I meant to be sarcastic saying that… I "merely" performed divination as to what more conventional methods and steps would be necessary to achieve that same end result. With this knowledge in mind, and though it took quite some time and resources, my ultimate instrument of terror saw completion, and the final product did not disappoint.

• My so-called Full-Demon form is, compared to my Primal form, a much more straightforward upgrade to my typical self and set of abilities. Through conscious embracement of my inner-Infernal Energy, I grow into a hulking, monstrous version of myself exuding a fiery aura and complete with the sharp horns and claws characteristic of the stereotypical fictional demons once known by my people on Earth and of many varieties of actual demon now known here in the Nava-Verse. This incarnation of Lord Reson - that is to say, of myself - is most closely comparable in both physical features and power level to this universe's "Satan" and his bastard spawn Meth Stoph.

My Full-Demon (I otherwise consider myself half-demon) form represents my peak strength and durability, at least in terms of what I can reliably control, as opposed to my theoretically more powerful yet unstable and confusing Primal form, which it is furthermore far less exhausting for me to activate and sustain than. As a Full-Demon, I gain many new Infernal Energy-based abilities - manipulating the fires of Hell and the like - along with existing lesser ones of similar nature being magnified, while my natural powers of Dark Magic, including the ability to empower and otherwise alter existing life-forms that I possess by default and which is magnified in my Primal state, are diminished or nullified.

Since my discovery of this transformation, I have undergone it during most of the few major fights I have personally participated in, including various skirmishes during my conquest of Xcythest early on and my much more recent final battle with the Nava-Verse's beloved "messiah" and my would-be rival Thorn. Only rarely outside of such combat, however, do I enter this state, for while I am in it, my mind is, by its very nature, innately filled with bloodlust and rage which increases in intensity the longer I remain in it and can potentially clutter my thinking. Then again, of course, this is hardly the proper form to be conducting diplomatic and otherwise mentally-focused personal affairs in to begin with, unless I'm going for outward intimidation.

The following are specialized varieties of Shindoke employed by the Arcane Order. The Imp-demons in service to Lord Reson boast an elaborate caste system distinct from and with more drastic differences between classes than the subsets among their more common brethren's populations. All of these "special" Shindoke are all moderately-to-heavily-armored, bearing "uniforms" based on class, with a combination of traditional protective garments and materials irreversibly and seamlessly bonded to their bodies through an unknown process that has never been verifiably witnessed but has been observed, through studying of various carcasses, to be much more refined and effective than comparable body-augmented procedures practiced by other factions. With even most of their higher-ranking classes seen as expendable, these Shindoke are conditioned during their training to see to their specific duties with almost blind single-mindedness, and only very rarely have their enemies managed to capture any alive. All of the Arcane Order's Shindoke collectively operate under the command of their strongest member and one of Lord Reson's primary lieutenants, Luccey.

• Shindoke Expeltross: A class of Shindoke that specializes in the handling of heavy and otherwise advanced demonic weaponries such as the Death Tooba and the Bion-Buster and tends to most commonly be sighted during raids on settlements that call for mass-building-destruction and/or large numbers of civilian casualties on the attacking parties' part. This rank is categorized as a moderately high one for the lowly Imp, and is generally bestowed based on factors of both technical intelligence lifting strength. The Expeltross' psychological protocols demand that maximum damage output comes as the first priority in battle with self-preservation as an immediate second, ensuring that these Shindoke are ruthlessly aggressive but not stupidly reckless. They are, furthermore, trained to make free use of underhanded tactics including elements of combative stealth, and can frequently be found as snipers or operating long-range artillery at a safe distance from the target zone. It is surprisingly rare for Expeltrosses to blow themselves up, purposefully or otherwise, with their powerful weaponry, a statistic that testifies to their skill with such equipment.

• Shindoke Deepender: One of the highest non-leadership Shindoke ranks, Deependers are heavy-duty soldiers "made from" specimens who have already exhibited exemplary strength and stamina and thoroughly conditioned to boost these traits even further. Trained to endure long tours of duty and/or missions in very harsh environments, Deependers have frequently been encountered on the front lines during most of the major recorded conflicts involving the Arcane Order, commonly leading small packs of their lesser brethren and tending to prefer close-range combat using their claws, melee weapons and shotgun-type armaments. However, their training and conditioning also calls for them to be proficient in all varieties of weaponry to ensure their competence in any situation, and unlike most other classes of their kind, these Shindoke are both able and willing to pick up and use any mortal-made armaments they find in the middle of a fight. The Deepender is also the only "regular" Shindoke caste within the Arcane Order, excluding the Dukes and Sub-Lords, which unlike it are formally recognized as "leaders" and much less common, to possess the authority to command its inferiors to execute specific and drastic combat formations and other tactics through a series of coded battle cries.

• Shindoke Darkdood: The default elevated rank/class given to the smaller and speedier Shindoke among the Arcane Order's elite soldiers. Darkdoods are relatively common agents on all fronts of the Order's operations, amounting to something along the lines of craftier, more agile counterparts to regular Shindoke foot soldiers most of the time, with a few special abilities and programmed tactical maneuvers that are somewhat rare to see used. The very large (for a Shindoke) singular horn atop the Darkdood's head is in fact an artificial augmentation to the creature, and is infused with explosive Infernal Energy charges which are initially latent, activated mentally and detonated upon hard impact. In desperate situations and in keeping with the tendency of Reson's Shindoke to never give themselves up alive, Darkdoods may skewer opponents headbutt-style while detonating their charges, killing themselves and pretty much any target short of a high-ranking Angel in terms of durability in the process. Them using their horns to impale foes minus the explosive element as a non-suicidal attack, while possible, is rarely seen as it is not a very practical tactic.