[Guide] Illustrated Tour of Deus Ex Machina

[lizbot]

A mysterious island, not found on any map. It has floated across the world throughout the ages, but currently exists somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle, on the border between our world and another.

Welcome to Deus Ex Machina

graphics courtesy of demon_pachabel
click on image to view a larger version

 

[lizbot]

Mystery awaits you everywhere on this island and even the shadows are not as the seem. Danger lurks in all directions,obscured by the unnatural fog that blankets the island. From on high, you can feel the malevolent gaze of death upon you.

But do not worry, for it is here that you will become Hunter rather than hunted. The cloaked figures wielding glowing weapons of magic are your leaders and allies. The monsters running wild through the fields and jungles are your prey, for you to hunt down even as the fog hides you from their sight.  

[lizbot]

When you first awaken you find yourself in a small, dark chamber. A pod. Once you step out, you see that the room is full of pods, rows upon rows of them. A few are empty but even more are full of bodies, near doll-like in their lack of life-signs. The pods themselves are a mix of strange technology and glowing symbols. You will become very familiar with such symbols, these runes, later on. But first let us leave the chamber and take a peek at the rest of...




The Life Labs and Infirmary

The combination of technology and runic magics proves to be a theme within the Life Labs. Lab techs and medics can often be found in the hallways, in various states of amusement, idle speculation, and sheer panic. This is where the majority of Deus technology is built and stored, including the pods and many of the portals used by hunters to travel.

This is also where you go to receive professional attention and major healing for wounds receive on missions and on the training grounds. If you have an injury, be sure to get it checked it out right away. Though do be careful about who to approach, sometimes the cure is worse than the actual problem.

Notes on Runes

Until recently, runes were created by days worth of chants and focusing while slowly carving into special stones. The results were powerful, but extremely limited. With the advancements of human technology, hunters use computers to write out runic codes and machines that use precision micro-blades to create runes. They still must be coded one by one, but they may now be creature much more quickly with a more forgiving process that allows for a lot of flexibility in how they function.

There are three levels to each rune

The outer rune: this is the glowing symbol that can easily be seen by the naked eye. This rune is what brings everything together, and is what describes the main purpose of the rune.
The inner runes: within that symbol, if one looks closely with a magnifying glass, they'll notice a number of other symbols within it. These smaller runes add guidelines and specifications that help to either enhance, specialize, limit, or control, the main rune.
The code: within each of the the inner runes are lines of binary code. These are what provide the link between the Deus computers and the runes in use. They allow for communication, further (and more flexible) control and specification, and remote usage.

Notes on Runic Pendants

Regular Pendants

The pendant that every hunter is given, it connects to our personnel database and lets it know who you are, and where you have the clearance to go. Also where your "home" location is so that you can teleport. But only if you can keep a clear head and stay still for long enough, it will allow you to relocate from one area to a specific area. Pendants are much like cell phones, interference with the signal can cause problems with their function. Teleportation is not something to be used frivolously, if you use it while moving, only a portion of you will get moved. Also, it pretty much kills the pendant, which are a pain to replace.

Control Pendants

These are pendants still in testing, but may still show up in field operations. They can be identified by their red glowing rune (they may sometimes appear blue, depending on which prototype is in use.) They are the hunter equivalent to a demonic contract. The balance of power in such a contract is a precarious thing, valuing both creatures' services against each other:

Demon's Balance = Mark/Contract Holder's Balance (an even service for service deal)
Demon's Balance > Mark/Contract Holder's Balance (the holder is under the demon's influence, allowing limited compulsion until the mark's balance is fullfilled)
Demon's Balance < Mark/Contract Holder's Balance (the demon overestimated the value of their own services, the difference is normally pulled from their own FEAR naturally via the contract/mark)

For demons, their contracts are seemingly simple: make a contract, and each side must fulfill their conditions. The safest form of contract for all involved is that in which the terms are clearly agreed upon by both parties. Control pendants, needless to say, don't have this kind of safety feature. Instead the "price" of the time, effort, and focus required to make the pendant is what the controller holds in their favour, to be measured against the controlled's actions under compulsion. This means that for the moment, all control pendants are of limited use.

stage one: Controller's Balance > Controlled's Balance (the controller starts out with the greater, pre-made balance of the pendant. Removal of the controlled's pendant at this point will cause their balance to be taken out of their own health)

stage two: Controller's Balance = Controlled's Balance (actions under compulsion have varying degrees of "price" making the time is takes for the controlled's Balance to equal that of the controller unpredictable. At this point we have created a failsafe, which destroys the pendant's contract once fullfilled)

stage three: Controller's Balance < Controlled's Balance (this is no longer an issue due to stated changes, but prior to this, testing showed that when the controller's balance was smaller, the control itself would switch. Leaving the one once in control under the compulsion of the other. Once again this is no longer an issue, and we'd like to thank the efforts of all our test subjects for binging this to light.)

Runic items you will become familiar with


• Pods: not only do they house sleepers, you will also use them during training courses and missions that require the use of golems. The labs have two pod rooms, one for just sleepers, the other for active hunters.
  
  
• Daggers: can create barriers and wards to deflect FEAR
  
  
• Bandages: can be used for healing in the field
  
  
• Torches: when used with your weapon, these can add some nice burnination
  
  
• Chains: weighted chains are useful of hindering an opponents movement
  
  
• Net Guns: used to capture specimens, or at least stop them in their tracks for awhile
  

 

[lizbot]

After awakening, you're then led to a classroom in the main building at the center of the complex. Full of various offices, rooms, hidden hallways, and high clearance areas, the main building is where most meetings are held, missions given, and paper work shuffled.

There's also a relatively decent cafeteria housed here. Alas, the little old woman and her Christmas Cookies have left the Island a slightly less JOYful place. While the main building houses the work end of things, it's definitely a relief to finally be shown the...



Hunter Dormitories, where you can find yourself a room along with a lot of neighbors. Hopefully you'll get someone nice and and friendly and not a loud, obnoxious one. The trainees are housed on the first floor, with small rooms, and have to share a set of communal bathrooms as well as a lounge. The next floor up, the more seasoned hunters get larger rooms. Room size among these hunters, as well as what the rooms contain, is for the most part merit-based. The better you do at home and in the field, the better your room. The next floor houses the council suites, enter this area at your own risk, but perhaps the rumored Officer's Spa would be worth the inevitable world of pain and humiliation that would also be waiting for you.

 

[lizbot]

Once you've rested up and gone through Initiation, it's time to being honing your skills by visiting one of the facility's many training areas. They vary from simple sparring courts, to highly equipped fields to pit yourself against. In addition to the more generally useful training areas, each division also has several training areas to hone specific skills in.

• Death: trains in stealth and survival skills, often involves avoiding traps and getting beaten by the division leader
  
  
• Life: fine motor skills and observation, often involves dangerous board games, trolling, and humiliation
  
  
• Sun: trains in continuous and effective attacking skills, often involves almost dying while fighting off dangerous hordes
  
  
• Moon: trains in defense, often forces its trainees to focus on only defending until they can be trusted to do so while they attack as well
  
  
• Mist: trains in all areas, often involves getting a lot of s**t from other divisions until they need you, and honing MacGyver skills

 

[lizbot]

Both weapons are now gone. The chamber is empty but the story remains and walks this world once again.

Eventually, as you begin to prove yourself as a hunter, the history of Deus will be made know to you. An advanced hunter will take a group of you aside, and lead you through a series of secret hallways, ones with a clearance level you can only dream of at this point. Soon enough you find yourself at the top of a massive stone chamber underneath the main building.

As you make your way down the narrow stone steps, do be careful not to fall, as you'd leave quite a mess down below. Glowing crystals light the chamber, and down at the bottom you find it full of light. A bright line marks a large circle on the floor, within it, a cylinder of light shines, only slightly translucent. Something stands within it, but staring at it for too long causes a queasiness of sorts. But that doesn't matter so much, as in front of it, on the outer circle, sits a rock surrounded by softly pulsing crystals. And protruding from that rock, is a sword. It's a thing of sharp, shining beauty, glowing runes, and...awareness. It is a weapon like your own, only more so.

A Small History Lesson from Dr. H

You have seen those of the world of Halloween, creatures out of our myths and legends, and many were created from those stories. And yet...there are creatures that spawned those stories themselves, through deed and action. These days, such are nearly non-existent, but there was a time before Halloween, when these creatures walked this world. Some hid in shadows, others...worshiped as gods.

There was eventually a war, and through sheer force of numbers and the power of belief, humanity won. But certain creatures were slow to withdraw, they lingered among us to both their woe and ours. Listen well, goslings, for this is the story of our origins. Also...this is a lecture, not a discussion. Any questions or comments while I am speaking will be ignored.

Now, we were talking wars, weren't we? While the defining war of human and monster was long over, the creatures still fought amongst themselves, occasionally using humanity as a tool or weapon in such conflicts. One such was a long, bitter feud between a coven of powerful reapers and one of the Unseelie courts. The reapers' numbers had decreased until only a handful of the most powerful remained, and in a moment of desperation, their leader came up with a dangerous ploy to bolster their numbers once again. To arm humanity in a such a way that even a small number could be effective against these former gods. To capture and turn his enemies into weapons using the most of dire of magics. Yes...you see where this is going, I should hope?

The reaper found a young man, with a bit of something extra. An ability to look into shadow and see what was reaching hungrily towards him. The young man was brave, charismatic, of noble lineage, and for the reaper's needs, absolutely perfect. And so, he captured the Unseelie court's greatest knight through means most foul, and transformed him into a Weapon of Power. Approaching the man as a mentor of great wisdom and prophecy, the reaper gave the weapon to the young man with tales of his own greatness and the terrible evils of the Unseelie creatures. The boy rose to power, and drew to him others of similar abilities who the reaper armed as well, with his special Weapons. There were battles, both small and great, some are still spoken of even in this day.

Yes, trainees, meet the sword Excalibur. He was not the first such weapon to be given unto human hands in this way, simply one of the more powerful. You may have heard stories of great and fabled weapons passed down from the gods into mortal hands for one reason or another. Though we've only found a handful ourselves, we have reason to believe they still exist. In the future you may even find yourself on a mission to find and retrieve such a weapon, but that is for another day. Though many Unseelie were indeed slain, the reaper underestimated Excalibur and yes, the man we know in these times as Arthur. In a moment of betrayal from other quarters, as Arthur lay dying, on that cusp between life and death, the Weapon was able to communicate and bond with the human. The reaper's lies and use of the man were laid bare, the seeds of vengeance were firmly planted, and Excalibur did something that would forever make it outcast in it's own lands: it shared the knowledge of how to make others like it. And so, with patience and cunning...they turned the reaper's own strategy against him.

As if on cue, the inner glow briefly grows more transparent, allowing a glimpse at what would have been a simple wooden staff, were it not for the intense purple aura that flares before the bright blue once again covers it up.

The staff, Merlin, ladies and gentlemen. Many have tried to wield it over time, but alas, never survived the attempt. He's nursed something of a grudge against our kind, you see? And we have yet to find a reliable way to ah...place him in a more amenable mental state. I can see it in some of your eyes, but cast it from your sweet little minds, we are not knights. You are not a shining hero on a white steed, out to slay dragons and rescue fair damsels. The knights died out long ago, and those that didn't became something that could survive the ongoing threat without further empowering said threat. They became those who could stalk the shadows within the shadows. Who could silently and quietly do what needed to be done without drawing further attention to themselves or their prey. They became Hunters.

After Arthur, no one has since been able to bond with Excalibur, and over time, the knowledge of how to transform the creatures of FEAR into weapons and partners for ourselves was lost. Until now...but again, that's for another time. But despite the lack of partner, Excalibur still aids and protects us even today. While containing the staff, he also maintains our barriers and helps empower our portals.