“Do you remember the day the sky split open?”
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They came from above. They glowed like angels. They were beautiful.
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And then they touched the ground and there was no ground anymore. Everything that could burn began to burn. Everything that could weep began to weep. The earth burst open like the swollen belly of a sick animal, like spoiled fruit, and then came the deluge and the fusillade of lightning, and the infernal flames that drooled lava between the cracks of the fractured earth and gnawed cities down to ashes.
With each indifferent footstep, they trampled another city. With each shimmering exhale, they filled the atmosphere with smoke.
They were radiant. They sank everything they touched into the earth’s screaming mouth. They came from above.
This was the end.
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Ancients first appeared five years ago in the northernmost reaches of the planet. Divine, yet unmistakably monstrous beings, they have been wreaking havoc since then. There are six documented Ancients, each with unique appearances and habits. While each wields powers tuned to an elemental affinity, any given Ancient can appear in any given biome.
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The physical appearance of Ancients is difficult to ascertain and few photographs or videos exist, let alone Survivors. NOVUM has sworn to collect as much data as possible on these mysterious creatures.
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ABERRATIONS
Living creatures that have been corrupted by miasma before death. Aberrations spawn in areas that Ancients have traversed and if not eradicated can easily overrun cities. They are not very intelligent but possess incredible physical abilities. Luckily, regular firepower works fine against them.
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The mere presence of Aberrations causes decay and can even corrupt other living beings as their bodies are constantly expelling miasma. Once said miasma is depleted, they crumble into a dense, powdery substance.
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Survivors are those who retained their humanity even after being exposed to miasma, and are immune to its corrosive effects.
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HYMNS
The powers manifested by Survivors are known as Hymns, a term coined by some especially sick bastard at NOVUM. Ancients rarely have one mode of attack, and many possess healing or psychological means as well. Your character is free to have any power they wish, it just needs to loosely fit under one of the Ancients' paradigms.
E.g. healing abilities are not limited to one Ancient, but the methods would be different; a healing glow that emanates from their body vs being able to create healing water. Mods are happy to answer questions in-server and provide feedback during appchecks.
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SCARS
Survivors can be identified by murky purple scars present on their bodies that are unique from other physical conditions. Scars are rarely obtained directly from Ancients, but rather from miasma entering their bodies via collateral wounds. Thus, it is more likely that your character's scars are left by injuries from a collapsing building than one-v-one-ing an eldritch horror. With that said, you are free to fight the gods at your own discretion.
Observed powers have the element of LIGHT. A commanding presence that is difficult to observe and strikes immense fear in those nearby. It attacks with large scale weapons with a level of destruction akin to meteors.
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Its appearance is upright and insectoid, with several wasp-like wings protruding from its back. Those who stare directly at where its head is presumed to be have reported feeling incredible nausea and terror.
ANCIENT OF DOMINION
Observed powers have the element of FIRE. A massive beast with highly explosive power, capable of causing the magma to erupt from the earth, or to simply devour entire cities beneath the mantle. There are few cases of survivors from ground zero.
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Its appearance is reptilian, much like that of dragons in fairy tales. Easily the size of a cruise ship, it is difficult to understand how it appears and disappears so suddenly, leaving no trace apart from smoldering ruins.
ANCIENT OF RUINATION
Observed powers have the element of DARK. No one has actually seen the true appearance of this Ancient, but its chilling presence can be felt from kilometers away. Entire cities are poisoned, or simply disappear without a trace.
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It is theorized that the Ancient does not possess a visible form, or that is is entirely intangible. Rescuers have reported smelling a dry, acrid odor that lingers in the vicinity.
ANCIENT OF GLOAMING
Observed powers have the element of WATER. Agile and horribly destructive, this Ancient has rendered maritime travel one of the most dangerous activities to exist. Those on the shores can only watch helplessly as ships are gifted to the seabed.
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Its appearance is avian with a long serpentine tail. Perhaps driven by an insane urge to keep the ocean surface devoid of life, it hurtles at breakneck speeds from the skies, skewering targets.
ANCIENT OF TORRENT
Observed powers have the element of AIR. A fickle, capricious entity that seemingly enjoys watching the world devolve into chaos. Many a victim have been flung into the side of a mountain, or into the depths of the ocean, while others remain entirely unharmed.
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The smallest of all the Ancients, it is around a meter in height and closely resembles a man-made object. However, accounts of this Ancient are unreliable, and it is possible that it takes on many forms. The only thing that remains constant is the eerie jingling of bell-like chimes.
ANCIENT OF MAYHEM
Observed powers have the element of EARTH. Slow and surely unstoppable, those caught in the warpath have no choice but to flee, lest they be trampled alive. The greatest danger is from the corrupted creatures that emerge from its shadow, bloodthirsty and cruel.
This Ancient is the easiest to track as it is by far the largest of them all. With a head that extends past the clouds, all that can be seen from the ground are its spindly legs and the footfalls of carnage it leaves behind.
ANCIENT OF DELIRIUM
