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There's a lot of spoilers if you've never played Mass Effect/2/3 Just a warning!
Name: Cabrakan (OC)
From: Mass Effect
Appearance:
Cabrakan is a Reaper (Destroyer sub-type), and like other Reapers, it bears resemblance to a mechanical cuttlefish or insect, bearing dark blue/indigo armor with an iridescent shine. Although it stands at around 160 meters, it is small in comparison to others of it's kind(Sovereign was 2 kilometers.), and levitates through the use of "mass effect" fields, which gives it the ability to take off at will.
Age: Ancient
Gender: No Gender
Personality:
Reapers are described as a million organic minds fused into a mechanical body. The essence of an entire species merged together into one individual. It is presumably similar to a sort of mind hive, and results with them usually regarding individuals with little empathy.
Origins
Many eons before mankind had came into being, there was an unnamed civilization that had created an AI to attempt to solve a problem. They had predicted that there would be an inevitable cataclysmic war between synthetic and organic beings, which would result in the descruction of all organic life. This AI was tasked with finding a peaceful solution to this problem.
After analyzing the situation, the AI decided that the only way to solve the problem without destroying either party was by preserving them in a unified form. It forcefully and systematically harvested it's creators to form the first Reapers, noting that they disproved of the conversion. In the harvesting process, the individual minds are preserved within the Reaper's neural network. The mind became much like a neuron in the brain - a part of something much larger and more complex.
The Cycle of Extinction
From there, it(now also a representation of the total Reaper collective.) developed a complex cycle in which the Reapers would monitor and lure future emerging civilizations. When the time arrived, they would emerge from their location in dark space and do the same to these new races, harvesting them to extinction and preserving them in the form of new Reapers. They would then erase all traces of their existance and start the cycle over again. Targetting only spacefaring species, the Reapers left more primitive forms of life alone, waiting for new civilizations to form from them.
This cycle has been going on for over well over a billion years, amassing and preserving countless civilizations and perpetuating the cycle. It is within this time frame that Cabrakan was created. As a smaller Reaper, it's mind was most likely comprised of a less dominant species or one of a smaller population. With the other Reapers, it continues the cycle of extinction without pause or resistance.
The Prothean Empire
Fast forward to the age of primitive man(around 50,000 years ago), and the Prothean Empire is thriving. The Protheans, like the civilizations that came before it, discovered the use of Mass Effect physics by researching the ruins of the civilization that came before them. With this new knowledge, they were able to create a galaxy spanning empire with the use of the Mass Relays. Mass Relays are constructs that slingshot ships accross wide spans of distance accross the Galaxy where a normal FTL drive would be too slow. They also discover the Citadel, a fortified Space Station within a nebula, and make it their capital.
After coming in contact with an hostile machine race, the Protheans adopt new, aggressive measures to ensure their own survival. By forcing all the neighboring races to ally with them, they create a unified force. It is because of this that the Empire is able to fend of the machine race in what is known as the "Metacon War".
Shortly afterwards, the Reapers to decide to emerge from dark space to begin their harvest during this conflict. The Prothean Empire collapses as the Reapers begin their slow, systemic harvest of all life in the galaxy. Having been warned of the Reapers' existance, the Protheans had influenced and guided younger races that showed potential (including humans) in the hopes that they would be able to stop them should the Protheans fail.
During this time, a group of Prothean scientists were also on the verge of unlocking the secrets to Mass Relay technology. However, they had to stop their research and go into cryostasis to avoid detection by Reaper forces. Although they managed to enact a countermeasure for the future civilizations after the Reapers retreated back into dark space, they too eventually died out. The Prothean extinction was complete.
The Citadel Races
(Events of the Mass Effect games)
Mass Effect 1
Fast forward to the year 2183 CE, and a new civilization is flourishing. Assisted by the technology found in different constructs left behind by the Protheans, the species that they had influenced are now spacefaring and have formed a society amongst each other. Similarly, the different species use the Mass Relay network and the Citadel as a Capital City of sorts. The different races are governed by the Citadel Council, a join-group of the galaxy's most influential races. Humanity is the newest addition to this society, and is begining to expand into different colonies and industries.
Hints of a Reaper invasion are not evident until the human colony of Eden Prime is suddenly attacked by geth and a rogue elite operative known as Saren. The geth are a synthetic race of networked AI that had rebelled against their creators, expelling them from their home world and reducing them to a race of nomads. They had remained isolated within their own space for hundreds of years, and were thought to have emerged because of the discovery of a Prothean beacon on the colony. Commander Shepard and a new stealth ship known as the SSV Normandy land to investigate a distress call from the beacon.
After a small team attempts to recover the beacon, Shepard is accidentally caught in the beacon's energy field and is given a strange vision. After pursuing Saren through various different worlds, they discover that he is actually an indoctrinated agent of a Reaper vanguard named Sovereign (or "Nazara"). They discover that the Mass Relays and Citadel are actually constructs of Reaper origin, and that they had been used as bait. By seeding the galaxy with these technologies, the Reapers are capable of directing the technological and societal paths the different civilizations take.
After having discovered that their Vanguard had been destroyed, another Reaper known as Harbinger sent a Collector Cruiser to pursue Shepard's ship, the Normandy SSV, and destroy it while it was in a remote system. Having succeeded, Harbinger then began to enact the second phase of it's plan: using the Collectors and their resources to abduct entire human colonies. Chosen for their genetic malleability and the attention brought to them by Shepard, the colonists were rendered down to their base components in the formation of a new Vanguard, a Human-Reaper hybrid. Originally intending on using Shepard's corpse as part of the amalgam, that part of the plan was foiled after one of their team-mates, Liara Tsoni, managed to sabotage the trade for the body.
Instead, Shepard was given to the pro-human group Cerberus to be take part of the Lazarus Project, an experimental test to see if they could bring the Commander back to life. After two years and untold amounts of credits later, Shepard is revived with some cybernetic implantation, now attempting to figure out why the entire colonies were being abducted by Collectors. Discovering their base of operations was accessible by the Omega-4 Relay, Shepard and a newly-formed team of specialists infiltrate and take care of the threat, managing to destroy the Reaper larva that had been growing inside the base. They also discover the grim fate of the Protheans, who were genetically rewritten as a slave race for the Reapers.
It was after this that Harbinger decided to wake up the entire Reaper fleet to begin their flight to the galaxy through their own FTL systems, giving the Council Races a few months of time to prepare. Moral Standing: Within the context of the games it would be considered Chaotic Evil, participating in a cyclical pattern of extinction almost as if it was a part of a force of nature.
Dreams: It aspires to bring order to the recurring conflict within it's own universe.
Fears: Being destroyed, as the species it is preserving will be lost forever.
Extra:
Abilities
(modified for husk conversion)
Samples:
Rannoch Reaper Conversation
Writing Sample: (A sort of Self-RP?)
It is because of their state of existence that they see the destruction of races and civilizations as unimportant in the long term. Cabrakan is no exception to this, talking down to whatever creature may choose to cross paths with it, completely confident of it's own superiority. It is cryptic in explaining it's emotions and thoughts to others, deeming them too simple to be able to properly comprehend it's motives. It isn't helped by the fact that it's kind has been perpetuating cycles of extinction without fail.
Although arrogant, it is quiet and subversive, preferring to manipulate others through it's indoctrination to do it's deeds, as it's fully aware its intentions would cause the unification of others against it. Indoctrination is a process through which a Reaper slowly begins to overtake the mind of an organic being by emitting an undetectable signal.
It is cautious to make sure it is a relative unknown, knowing full well that the element of surprise is an invaluable asset. This is how it's species have managed to continue a galactic extinction cycle for millions of years, by remaining hidden from others until it is the right time to strike. Oddly enough, It actually considers it is doing good in destroying and absorbing other civilizations as a way of immortalizing organic species, and that the victims are simply too short-sighted to understand. Despite all this, however, it usually doesn't bother interacting with individuals at all unless they do something to catch it's attention.
Naturally, considering itself to be a part of a force that guides events within it's own galaxy, it is obsessed with order, especially on larger scales. But despite this, Cabrakan does appear to have a sense of curiosity. It's an old machine, but can still be quaintly surprised.
Backstory:
Backstory:
Origins
Many eons before mankind had came into being, there was an unnamed civilization that had created an AI to attempt to solve a problem. They had predicted that there would be an inevitable cataclysmic war between synthetic and organic beings, which would result in the descruction of all organic life. This AI was tasked with finding a peaceful solution to this problem.
After analyzing the situation, the AI decided that the only way to solve the problem without destroying either party was by preserving them in a unified form. It forcefully and systematically harvested it's creators to form the first Reapers, noting that they disproved of the conversion. In the harvesting process, the individual minds are preserved within the Reaper's neural network. The mind became much like a neuron in the brain - a part of something much larger and more complex.
The Cycle of Extinction
From there, it(now also a representation of the total Reaper collective.) developed a complex cycle in which the Reapers would monitor and lure future emerging civilizations. When the time arrived, they would emerge from their location in dark space and do the same to these new races, harvesting them to extinction and preserving them in the form of new Reapers. They would then erase all traces of their existance and start the cycle over again. Targetting only spacefaring species, the Reapers left more primitive forms of life alone, waiting for new civilizations to form from them.
This cycle has been going on for over well over a billion years, amassing and preserving countless civilizations and perpetuating the cycle. It is within this time frame that Cabrakan was created. As a smaller Reaper, it's mind was most likely comprised of a less dominant species or one of a smaller population. With the other Reapers, it continues the cycle of extinction without pause or resistance.
The Prothean Empire
Fast forward to the age of primitive man(around 50,000 years ago), and the Prothean Empire is thriving. The Protheans, like the civilizations that came before it, discovered the use of Mass Effect physics by researching the ruins of the civilization that came before them. With this new knowledge, they were able to create a galaxy spanning empire with the use of the Mass Relays. Mass Relays are constructs that slingshot ships accross wide spans of distance accross the Galaxy where a normal FTL drive would be too slow. They also discover the Citadel, a fortified Space Station within a nebula, and make it their capital.
After coming in contact with an hostile machine race, the Protheans adopt new, aggressive measures to ensure their own survival. By forcing all the neighboring races to ally with them, they create a unified force. It is because of this that the Empire is able to fend of the machine race in what is known as the "Metacon War".
Shortly afterwards, the Reapers to decide to emerge from dark space to begin their harvest during this conflict. The Prothean Empire collapses as the Reapers begin their slow, systemic harvest of all life in the galaxy. Having been warned of the Reapers' existance, the Protheans had influenced and guided younger races that showed potential (including humans) in the hopes that they would be able to stop them should the Protheans fail.
During this time, a group of Prothean scientists were also on the verge of unlocking the secrets to Mass Relay technology. However, they had to stop their research and go into cryostasis to avoid detection by Reaper forces. Although they managed to enact a countermeasure for the future civilizations after the Reapers retreated back into dark space, they too eventually died out. The Prothean extinction was complete.
The Citadel Races
(Events of the Mass Effect games)
Mass Effect 1
Fast forward to the year 2183 CE, and a new civilization is flourishing. Assisted by the technology found in different constructs left behind by the Protheans, the species that they had influenced are now spacefaring and have formed a society amongst each other. Similarly, the different species use the Mass Relay network and the Citadel as a Capital City of sorts. The different races are governed by the Citadel Council, a join-group of the galaxy's most influential races. Humanity is the newest addition to this society, and is begining to expand into different colonies and industries.
Hints of a Reaper invasion are not evident until the human colony of Eden Prime is suddenly attacked by geth and a rogue elite operative known as Saren. The geth are a synthetic race of networked AI that had rebelled against their creators, expelling them from their home world and reducing them to a race of nomads. They had remained isolated within their own space for hundreds of years, and were thought to have emerged because of the discovery of a Prothean beacon on the colony. Commander Shepard and a new stealth ship known as the SSV Normandy land to investigate a distress call from the beacon.
After a small team attempts to recover the beacon, Shepard is accidentally caught in the beacon's energy field and is given a strange vision. After pursuing Saren through various different worlds, they discover that he is actually an indoctrinated agent of a Reaper vanguard named Sovereign (or "Nazara"). They discover that the Mass Relays and Citadel are actually constructs of Reaper origin, and that they had been used as bait. By seeding the galaxy with these technologies, the Reapers are capable of directing the technological and societal paths the different civilizations take.
The Citadel is discovered to be an inactive Mass Relay, which is used by the Reapers to spring their trap. As it is always used as the seat of government, the Reapers are able to "cut off the head" of each civilization, sending it into disarray. They then spend the next few hundred years going system by system and harvesting the entire population.
The reason they haven't done so now is because the Prothean scientists that had gone into cryostasis were able to kill the switch that allows the Citadel to open up. Using the Conduit (a backdoor entrance to the Citadel) they used what little time they had left to modify the Keepers, the Citadel's caretakers, to make them ignore the Reaper signal that had allowed them to return.
Sovereign, upon realizing this, had spent the last couple of thousand years acquiring allies and resources before deciding to act. With it's agent Saren and his resources, it would have Saren use the Conduit to open the Citadel and allow the Reapers to return through dark space. It makes a rush to the Citadel with the geth fleets as Saren and ground forces invade from the inside. Shepard and his crew are not far behind as they pursue him to prevent him from giving Sovereign access to the Citadel controls. Saren is killed while Sovereign and the geth fleets battle the Council defenses.
Sovereign, having implanted Saren with cybernetics, assumes control of his corpse and reveals the robotic skeleton underneath. It battles Shepard directly, needing to have direct access to the control tower to continue with it's plans. Fortunately, the Reaper's avatar is killed, seeming to stun it enough for it to lower it's shields. This gave the Council fleets(Now joined by the Human Alliance's Fifth Fleet.) a chance to use a concentrated attack to destroy Sovereign.
Mass Effect 2
The reason they haven't done so now is because the Prothean scientists that had gone into cryostasis were able to kill the switch that allows the Citadel to open up. Using the Conduit (a backdoor entrance to the Citadel) they used what little time they had left to modify the Keepers, the Citadel's caretakers, to make them ignore the Reaper signal that had allowed them to return.
Sovereign, upon realizing this, had spent the last couple of thousand years acquiring allies and resources before deciding to act. With it's agent Saren and his resources, it would have Saren use the Conduit to open the Citadel and allow the Reapers to return through dark space. It makes a rush to the Citadel with the geth fleets as Saren and ground forces invade from the inside. Shepard and his crew are not far behind as they pursue him to prevent him from giving Sovereign access to the Citadel controls. Saren is killed while Sovereign and the geth fleets battle the Council defenses.
Sovereign, having implanted Saren with cybernetics, assumes control of his corpse and reveals the robotic skeleton underneath. It battles Shepard directly, needing to have direct access to the control tower to continue with it's plans. Fortunately, the Reaper's avatar is killed, seeming to stun it enough for it to lower it's shields. This gave the Council fleets(Now joined by the Human Alliance's Fifth Fleet.) a chance to use a concentrated attack to destroy Sovereign.
Mass Effect 2
After having discovered that their Vanguard had been destroyed, another Reaper known as Harbinger sent a Collector Cruiser to pursue Shepard's ship, the Normandy SSV, and destroy it while it was in a remote system. Having succeeded, Harbinger then began to enact the second phase of it's plan: using the Collectors and their resources to abduct entire human colonies. Chosen for their genetic malleability and the attention brought to them by Shepard, the colonists were rendered down to their base components in the formation of a new Vanguard, a Human-Reaper hybrid. Originally intending on using Shepard's corpse as part of the amalgam, that part of the plan was foiled after one of their team-mates, Liara Tsoni, managed to sabotage the trade for the body.
Instead, Shepard was given to the pro-human group Cerberus to be take part of the Lazarus Project, an experimental test to see if they could bring the Commander back to life. After two years and untold amounts of credits later, Shepard is revived with some cybernetic implantation, now attempting to figure out why the entire colonies were being abducted by Collectors. Discovering their base of operations was accessible by the Omega-4 Relay, Shepard and a newly-formed team of specialists infiltrate and take care of the threat, managing to destroy the Reaper larva that had been growing inside the base. They also discover the grim fate of the Protheans, who were genetically rewritten as a slave race for the Reapers.
It was after this that Harbinger decided to wake up the entire Reaper fleet to begin their flight to the galaxy through their own FTL systems, giving the Council Races a few months of time to prepare.
Dreams: It aspires to bring order to the recurring conflict within it's own universe.
Fears: Being destroyed, as the species it is preserving will be lost forever.
Extra:
Abilities
- Indoctrination Info & Permissions
- Defenses: As a starship built for shrugging off volleys from several fleets, it's armor is very resilient. It's not clear whether it has shields like larger Reapers, but I'll just assume it doesn't while in the city. While attempting to simply attack it would be difficult as it's defenses are resilient, it does have a weak spot. The cannon/eye that is used needs to take a moment to prime before it fires. If it is hit with enough firepower it can disable the Reaper and lead to it's death.
- Weapons: Although the codex mentions several surface laser-systems, they are never shown so I'll leave them out. It has a main weapon which is a large mass accelerator. It uses a liquid metal mixture as ammunition and accelerates it to near the speed of light to create a destructive beam. If the object is able to avoid being cut, it is buried under the stream of molten metal.
(modified for husk conversion)
Samples:
Rannoch Reaper Conversation
Writing Sample: (A sort of Self-RP?)
The ink of the Well began to shift and froth, the amorphous lump elongating to a graceful arc resembling the shell of a massive arthropod. Claw-like legs uncurled from what appeared to be the head. Several pairs of beady, glowing eyes stared from the front section of the creature. The ink began to evaporate and reveal the glittering iridescent color of the indigo armor plating. Several stripes of light were flickering in between segments of plates and over the round dome of it's underbelly. This and the shifting joints of its legs were the only evidence that the creature was, in fact, mechanical.
There is a large, sheared rip on the unarmored metallic belly of the creature. Black ink was bleeding from it onto the ground, red arcs of electricity occasionally pulsating across it's chassis. The legs shifted slightly, having covered what gaping tear was now seeping onto the concrete. Whatever it was, it appeared to be fairly seriously wounded. It lay softly on the ground, seemingly immobilized from whatever was damaged organ that was pooling from it's body. Despite it's size, it seemed to be more like a leaking artifact than a living threat.
A psychological gravity well appeared to surround the creature, as any mind that got close enough would soon discover. You begin to feel a small amount of pressure. There is a tiny, scratching, persistent thought telling you to get closer, to investigate, to get near it's grasp. Do you listen?
--
The thought becomes a whisper, distinguishing itself as foreign. It is an invisible promise, assuring cosmic reward for cooperation. Vision begins to get blurred as the creature shifts slightly, flickering between it and brief flashes of white light. It returns in small intervals as you get closer. Should you continue?
--
The pulses shorten, becoming constant. The light fades to a majestic vision of a spiral galaxy, slowly turning through massive forces within its body. Several silhouettes lay peacefully dormant, observing the graceful arcs of the universe. You can feel the internal workings of the creature. You can hear the tugs of millions of voices, your companions. The whispers say you can be with them. It can be yours.
--
The image fades away. The creature continue to spill, the ink beginning to pool at your feet. Red electricity spits violently over the opening. Shall you help the voice?
