AtomicNut
YummyYummy
Universe of Origin:
Multiversial - The First Universe is unknown
Objectives:
They have but two objectives:
1) Secure all Terminals and Multiversial "Anomalies". Terminate those who oppose their path.
2) Maintain Balance to the Multiverse. Prevent any altruistic initiative by anomalies or factions that include integrating civilizations into the Multiverse. The same can be applied to those attempting to abuse of the Multiverse to spread and take over all other civilizations.
Members:
The Dark Outliners function as a form of Hierarchy. Though it isn't always representative of the weight of one's word, it does establish where one stands. Power isn't the only factor here, though some have managed to gain a certain level of respect through displays of exceptional capabilities.
The Mysterious leader of the Dark Outliners. Their identity is a complete mystery, many executives have never even seen this individual. Some believe they may be the new Dr. Claw and some rumors even suggest they don't actually exist. It is confirmed however that only Eto and the Über Etherealas well as the Elite Guards are currently aware of the leader's identity. The fact that they've managed to unite so many individuals into a rather unstable cause leaves a lot to be feared about this enigma.
The Envisioning One's direct subordinates and those who hold the most power among the Outliners. They are the people whom the leader trusts the most whether it is by personal relations or what they have accomplished. By status, they hold authority over every member, and this includes the Elite Guards unless under crisis. There are generally only two positions here and they are arguably some of the most powerful positions to hold within the entire Multiverse.
- Eto Yoshimura - Supreme Commander of all other executives and armed forces. She focuses more on the military aspects of the organization.
Possibly the most mysterious branch of the Dark Outliners. Unknown to the public, "The World" is the protective echelon of The Envisioning One and the Dark Ouliners' most formidable military assets. They are the best of the best, outdoing the strongest members of the group excluding the very leader. Their identities are kept secret to those under Executive rank due to the immense tactical advantage they present. They've always been four, but there aren't any defined limits to their numbers. Although their primary focus is to insure the survival of the Envisioning One, they are all capable of conducting their own missions if the hierarchy deems it fit.
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Executives are those who have demonstrated their value to the Dark Outliners and hold a certain level of authority over all others under them. However the weight of their word varies greatly, and can very well be put under certain subordinates despite their status. Some even may have more impact than the Head Executives under certain conditions. For most powerful or unique individuals recruited in the Multiverse, they're put as Executive. Many have accessed this position by having a large potential in power but also by the resources they hold or even a specific talent that serves as a powerful asset.
- The Über Ethereal - Grand Master of Advent and main adviser of the Envisioning One. Absent from the public as of late.
- Bambietta Basterbine - General of the Wandereich - One of the two remaining.
- Cyano Conablum - Head Scientist and CEO of Conablum Labs - Defected
All those that have recently joined, have potential to develop or are simply lacking in a field. Their position makes their voice a lot less valued but it doesn't mean their weak. Often powerful entities are placed there by lack of experience or intelligence. The contrary may also be the case. Powerful entities that have been under Executives before or during their position as an Outliner are here with exceptions.
- Misaka Mikoto - Über Ethereal's research subject. Stationed in the main Overseer Research ship. Inactive.
- Jetstream Sam - Special Operative, Status Unknown
- Apocalypse - Coerced Ally, Deceased
- Keith - Cyano's subordinate and leader of Outward - Defected
- Ruiko Saten - Potential for the Ethereal's teachings, Defected, Status Unknown
- Koloan - The Dark Outliners' very own Kolon!
- Grimlock - Captured and Enslaved within Conablum Labs
Banches - Armies - Resources
The Dark Outliners have long since expanded their forces ever since they've gained Multiversial weight. As such, they hold a gargantuan amount of resources and special military 'branches' to achieve their goals and terminate any threat to their creed. Most of these armed forces are led by Executives of the Dark Outliners, however some remain completely secret as they are under the Elite Guards' rule.
ADVENT was first created to by the aliens to assist the same Aliens in establishing their reign on earth after taking down the XCOM organization. Nowadays, the Ethereal forces are completely allocated to ADVENT ever since the destruction of the XCOM rebellion, the execution of Central Officer Bradford and the re-capture of the Commander (at least that's what the propaganda says).
As of now, ADVENT is the Dark Outliners' biggest army and branch with arguably an infinitely growing number with the unlimited resources they can gather throughout the Multiverse. As such, many mistaken it and the Über Ethereal as the leading branch of the Dark Outliners, when it isn't the case. They're arguably the sacrificial face that defends the real monstrosities behind the organization that puts the ends before the means.
Resources:
With the Multiverse at their disposal, such an advanced civilization has almost limitless resources to craft their constantly evolving weaponry and technology. They primarily use the energy source 'Elerium' to fuel more or less anything they make, like the magic ingredient that allows them to pretty much craft as they wish.
They have mastered cloning and genetic manipulation farther than most known universes. As such they can easily clone endless troops given sufficient resources but also constantly make them better with microtechnology. ADVENT also hold the infamous substance 'Meld' which essentially enabled absurdly quick gene manipulation and perfect mastery of robotics. It is child's play for them to fuse organic tissue with metal parts and create bigger and better foot soldiers through that.
Interdimensional travel is perfectly mastered, especially since joining the Dark Outliners as they've thoroughly studied the Terminals. They fleets can travel through galaxies without a problem and their equipment can adapt to any environment at a reasonable extent of course.
As for weaponry, the smaller troops usually have gauss weapons but it is clear that plasma weapons are the way to go. Any equipment on a minion self-destructs when the wielder is killed, limiting scavenging for the opposing force. Their biggest focus is creating as many Psionic capable beings to produce even deadlier and unstoppable weapons.
Vehicles:
During their invasion on earth, the aliens have demonstrated a strong use of scout UFO's and supply bridges to assault the population. It must be noted that their goal was never to destroy humanity, simply test them. The basic UFO's, even the large ones, are as fast as the swift interceptors (fighter jets) of XCOM and can easily lose them after a few seconds. Their more aggressive ships are as big as a small city (As seen in operation Progeny), while their mothership, the Temple Ship, as comparable to a small country, nothing in Earth arsenal could even dent it. Their overseer ships are exceptionally fast and can arguably fly around the earth in a few minutes, plus their durability is particularly overwhelming.
The cloaking devices used were strong enough to counter any form of readings available, concealing even the mighty Temple Ship until it just decided to show up. The amount they have now is unknown. Every Temple Ship holds a Psionic orb capable of creating a small block hole (more than enough to wipe out a planet in a few seconds).
As of now, ADVENT mostly uses transport ships to travel in high speeds on the globe. They can use them to carry multiple troops from a city to sparsely populated area in a matter of seconds.
Notable Members/Troops:
There aren't any particular figures in ADVENT with the exception of the Über Ethereal and the Speaker of the group who may as well be a puppet to the former. The distinct troops however all deserve a description as their capabilities are proof of how merciless ADVENT truly is. Before accessing Arcadia, ADVENT forces could be counted in the millions, being all connected to a hive mind, it wasn't hard to control them. As of now, their numbers could potentially be infinite. Some say it is Quantity over Quality, and in most cases it is true, though some of these entities would even make the toughest Space Marines think twice before charging in.
The ADVENT Captain holds a lot of power among the standard ADVENT troops. Wearing superior armor to the regular soldiers, he can take a few more plasma shots before expiring. Wielding a gauss rifle that can be exchanged for a plasma if need be, its main ability falls on its targeting power. Because most ADVENT soldiers and aliens are connected to him via the hivemind, they will be considerably more aggressive to a target he'd designate, gaining in accuracy and lethality when ganging up on the selected victim. They are arguably better shots too.
The standard trooper that relies on his gauss rifle and follows direct orders from the Captain or whatever in the hivemind guides him. They can eventually hold plasma grenades but they're somewhat frail with the weakest possible armor, taking one shot, maybe two. They're the easiest to produce and hold the highest number.
The stun lancer may seem like a pushover, but its fanatical nature makes it one of the biggest threats to have one on one. While it holds similar armor to the captain, it can sustain more damage due to its zealous behavior and lack of care of its own safety. The stun lancer holds a rifle like any other trooper, but favors a stun baton rigged with spikes to go into close range with the enemy, even if it means being exposed to their allies. The lance itself is quite damaging with its design but it also delivers a powerful hock of electricity that can easily knock out the toughest of individuals. Some may just be stunned or not even affected. However if it is to cripple mechanical enemies, they are rather efficient.
Clearly the support class of the standard ADVENT troops, the shieldbearer has the strongest armor and defenses in the organization. They also hold the same rifle as their peers but their greatest strength lies in their main ability. By spreading their shield ability, they are capable of creating an energy shield around every ally their recognize in the vicinity and temporarily enhance their defenses. It can sponge multiple small shots and cushion bigger blows like explosives. They coat themselves with it as well to enhance their already big defenses.
With XCOM's technology at their disposal and the already powerful Mectoid fully optimized, ADVENT easily produced a fully autonomous MEC trooper capable of engaging in the field without a pilot. Connected like any trooper to the hivemind, it behaves like any other trooper despite being completely metal. They can be hacked, though failing to do so in the small frame it leaves its enemies out of fire will cause it to gain enhanced capabilities or even provoke reinforcements to focus on the hacker.
Because of their frame and structure, they have superior defenses than ADVENT armor, their general resilience being large, it doesn't help that they wield extra layers of armor to many direct shots in the hopes of stopping it vain. They hold large magnetic guns that deal significant damage to the environment but also to their targets, easily piercing through tough armor and killing most exposed targets. The biggest danger they present is the mini-rocket attached on their back they can use multiple times to levels area of the field. It's without a doubt that they hold immense physical strength too due to their physiology and resemblance to the XCOM MEC. A punch could arguable kill a human in one shot.
The new and improved Sectopod is here. This time bigger than ever and capable of extending its legs to reach absurd heights and easily pick off targets with its vast array of destructive weaponry. With a plethora of weaponry, insane resilience and massive armor, it makes an amazing boss fight. Whether it is close range or long range, no amount of cover is enough to stop it as it can just step on any obstacle with little effort.
WARNING! These can be a potential threat to Player Characters! They cannot be instantly fodderized unlike many of these.
Once the most laughably frail of the aliens, now one of the most terrifying creatures one could come across, the Sectoid has went a long way with human genes added to its pool. Now even sturdier than a stun lancer with various augmentations, it is swift and efficient under fire, capable of tanking multiple shots before inflicting dangerous psionic damage to the enemy. It holds a plasma pistol on its wrist, though recent analysis shows that is appears to be as powerful as a rifle nowadays with deadly accuracy.
While being swift and more imposing physically, the sectoid gained something grander thanks to humans genes added to the mix. They can use their psi power to revive a fallen organic being and turn them into a zombie (they die if the sectoid dies), but also impose disturbances to the enemies via Mindfray. The worst however, is the fact that the Sectoid Commander lost its relevance due to the fact that they can all potentially mind control (NPC's) if they are weak enough (or weakened).
Known as the Thin Men when the Ethereal genetically modified the Viper race to infiltrate the human world. Because of their superior intelligence, they were the right candidates. Now, the Vipers are in their purest form and much more adapted to combat. They hold a plasma rifle with a bayonet to get close and personal while having an insanely powerful tongue to grapple on distant foes and pull them in to bind them. One must note than even soldiers with robotic armor were effortlessly pulled by this tongue and bound to the point where they were completely helpless.
Their physiology makes them exceptionally fast and agile as their strongest asset rests in their their swift dodging skills of enemy projectiles, managing to get through no man's land with a few scratches with enough skill. Also, they can cough out clouds of venom like their modified form.
Likely the most linear soldier in the ADVENT arsenal, the Berserker does one thing and it does it freaking amazingly: Destroy whatever is in its way. Anything without advanced armor or defenses is either dead or knocked out by this thing. Player characters be warned, Level 3 Ruiko had trouble with four of the WEAKER versions of this. The Berserker is exclusively female for some reason and she can use her ability Bullrush to run a twice the speed she already has (which is pretty big) to crash and stomp whatever is before her. She is particularly resilient and doesn't care about her safety. She will attack whatever provokes it as it doesn't know fear.
The successor to the Outsider, Codex is a female-like entity that constantly appears as though it is 'glitching' through reality, phasing from vision for a second and appearing in a somewhat different position. Being made of a bizarre fluxing energy, one would think she is intangible, but she is not. She does require however heavy damage to destroy. Remember however, that if she takes damage and isn't destroyed in the couple of seconds following the shots, she will duplicate, successfully making a clone of herself, though that would require her to split her energy into two.
The clone can double upon taking damage and also teleport anywhere wish in the nearby vicinity to surprise attack any opposition. To attack she uses a plasma rifle like most of its colleagues. The biggest power it wields however is Psi Storm that covers a large perimeter. All projectile weapons are disabled within the storm, all of them, and shortly after, it explodes, damaging and killing most fodder troops left in there.
Like its past self, the Muton is still a hulking mass of muscle existing mostly for combat. However they've gained a significant amount of intelligence and lean physical shape thanks to human genes. They're strong in any kind of range, with their physical bulk they can impale the strongest with the bayonets of their plasma rifle, or they can use their powerful tactical sense to beat opposition in a shootout. They're still capable of spreading pheromones to other Mutons, The Blood Call, to enhance their accuracy and brutality in battle. They also love grenades.
There exist the Muton Elites. However whether they've been modified or not is a mystery held by ADVENT as they remain the main protective force of the Ethereals.
One of the most frustrating enemies ever produced, the Chryssalid has kept most of its appearance since the invasion of earth. Many are still capable of the same exact thing as they did, though many have evolved to something more ... Radical. Now holding stronger shells, they can sustain more damage as well as hold the evasiveness of a Viper. If they kill a living being, or damage it, they will leave a poison that'll leave them in deep pain if they survive the attack (and slowly shut down their life functions), unless they get treated. If they die from the poison, they'll turn into a cocoon. If the cocoon isn't destroyed in the following minute, three Chryssalids will be born.
They can also implant embryos on corpses and turn them into zombies as they feed the larvae for a minute until it turns into a mature chryssalid. Now the Chryssalids can burrow deep underground and attack any unsuspecting foe as they step near it.
The more aesthetically pleasing version of the floater, the Archon is more of a marketing attempt to please the human population than anything. Holding everything a floater could do: Flying, ascending high enough to land safely anywhere, firing plasma blasts. But they also hold a powerful rocket system that completely bombards an entire field with plasma rockets.
If damaged, the Archon will go on a frenzy and assault any enemy on sight with its plasma lance which can inflict considerable damage if a direct hit happens.
Possibly the most terrifying being to any opposing organization. The faceless replaced the Thin man for a good reason, its mimicry is insanely efficient. So efficient that many settlers in rebel camps couldn't distinguish them from their comrades they imitated. Using its particular structure, it perfectly imitates everything about the being's physiology while using the hivemind to have memories and reflexes/habits superimposed in its morphed body. Truly one of the most threatening covert minions. Apparently undetectable unless wanted to be (or though a long and extensive process).
Bizarre robots that are capable of turning invisible, though detectable through over means such as special visors or scanners. They primarily try to ensnare victims and gas them with oxygen suppressing smoke. The tentacles are so strong that only superhuman strength can hope to rip them off, assuming the lack of oxygen doesn't prevent that. They can also fire plasma shots from their mouths. They're mostly useful at hitting lone snipers or supports left behind by the true aggressors.
A very mysterious being that clearly indicates ADVENT's leaning toward biological warfare. Utilizing a plasma shotgun and and acid blaster, it is clear their goal is to inflict as much pain as possible to the enemy. Their armor is extremely robust and is meant to tank multiple shots while conferring it the strength of a MEC. Its suit is where lies its biggest strength however, and while the defense attributes are great, it grans it immunity to any possible and extreme environmental hazard. If the pilot is killed, the suit can enter autopilot and assault any nearby foe with its superhuman stength.
Another insanely powerful minion that has recently showed itself to decimate opposing forces. Many speculate it is the successor to the Cyberdisc, a robotic minion still used to this day with its immense speed, strong defensive and offensive capabilities.
However this thing, from what's been seen, is much more terrifying. Boasting a large plasma beam to inflict massive damage to the opposition, it already holds tremendous power without revealing it trump card. Once open, it reveals its soft interior with tentacles protruding out. The Gatekeeper employs psionic energy to sap the life force out of beings it strikes with the appendages only to resurrect them as zombies, can create a massive 'Gate' of psionic power to decimate anything nearby and revive any corpse in the blast into zombies, and of course maintain the zombies up even after death.
It is insanely robust with its armor up, arguably the strongest minion in the whole army, barring ...
Also known as 'The Elders' are the race ruling over Earth and governing the ADVENT forces. They are clearly MUCH stronger than any being listed here. An Ethereal can arguably pose quite a threat to any average member of a major faction, considering their overwhelming pool of psionic energy, will and general experience/knowledge.
But rarely will they be found in this form now, for they are plagued by a disease that forces their body into rapid atrophy after so many year, so much that even their psionic abilities can keep them alive. As such, they've created ...
The Avatars are the 'perfect' bodies constructed by the Ethereals out of the accumulate superior genes found within humans, fused with the best of genes from the other races they had enslaved. Avatars are capable of tremendous Physical and Psychic feats, with super reflexes, enhanced speed, enhanced strength, multiples powerful psionic abilities such as Mind controlling weaker and even other inferior yet strong psychics - Null lance - Rift and absolute immunity to environmental hazards as well as any psychic influence. Indeed, the bodies as so optimized that they are no longer at risk of outside psychic influences.
They are constantly evolving this project, but as of now the bodies automatically heal while being equipped with decent armor. The healing isn't insane but it can restore terminal wounds if not finished off within minutes. It can also instantly teleport and employ a weapon considered even stronger than the plasma weaponry of the foot soldiers.
Avatars are overwhelmingly powerful, and remain in somewhat small numbers.
An organization started by Eto Yoshimura herself, in an attempt to cause a Ghoul uprising within Japan. Their true motives and what their end goals involve remain a mystery, but many Ghouls have become loyal to Eto and now serve the Dark Outliners because of this. They are generally the commando units that handle the unknown and powerful oppositions due to their particularly strong physiology.
Resources:
In terms of what they can bring other than powerful manpower, the Aogiri Tree isn't extremely resourceful. The only exception being the ghoulification process brought by Dr. Kanou and enabled massive scientific breakthrough for the ADVENT branch. In all they're mostly a military oriented branch. The army itself is of about 650.000 Ghouls as of now.
Notable Members/Troops:
The Aogiri Tree was able to have artificial half-ghouls and normal ghouls mass produced thanks to the ADVENT Technology, all of which with varying types of Kagune. Without the cloning technology, it would have been impossible to produce as many since very few humans are compatible with such practices.
The Aogiri Tree rests mostly on the powerful figures leading. Excluding Eto, there are a few executives in the group that are worth mentioning and could potentially be player characters.
Tatara is the second-in-command of the Aogiri Tree and by status an extremely powerful Ghoul. According to Eto, he is capable of matching a founding member of the Alliance of Conquerors without too much hassle. However because of his position as a mastermind and commander, he's rarely been out on the field to fight despite his immense experience and power. He wields a very long and thick Kagune that's been able to counter powerful Quinque wielded by special class investigators. Not to mention he took down an entire squad with ease.
Before joining Aogiri he was once affiliated to the Chi She Lian, a Chinese Ghoul organization before they were vanquished and he was forced to flee and eventually join Aogiri.
He currently focuses his efforts on assisting Dr. Kanou in his research endeavors and further the dark and gloomy plans of Dark Outliners.
Once known as Noroi, the man who raised Eto when her father Kuzen/Yoshimura was constantly exposed to danger, Noro is the fruit of what Eto is capable of producing with her monstrous Kagune. Although it is unknown how and why he's been turned into Noro, but it is clear that his psyche is completely destroyed as seen in his behavior in battles. This however can help it in battle as he's arguably the most unpredictable thing around, randomly stopping and then attacking opponents in brutal frenzies. In terms of power, he has the same level of ridiculously powerful regeneration as Eto, if not more due to his absent mind. Because of his lack of logical patterns, he's also not as efficient as Tatara while being arguably as strong with his abilities.
His Kagune appears like a long worm or serpent with a massive mouth. It can also divide into many mall filaments to easily pierce waves of armored soldiers. Although unofficial, it has a disgustingly monstrous form that resembles a Kakuja where it is just a massive, gaping mouth with giant tentacles serving as its body.
Doctor Kanou appears to be a rather normal, heart warming doctor, but don't be fooled by his sweet appearances. A man dedicated in his work and passionate about the bodies of Ghouls, he has very little ethics in his line of work, often using kidnapped individuals and endlessly harvesting organs from strong ghouls to further his research and create perfect subjects. Intelligent and rather charming, he didn't have a hard time adapting to the Multiverse and serve the higher purpose his boss, Eto, was following. As of now he's part of the Ethereal's research team and has helped improve their findings and troops efficiency in general.
Ayato is, as of now, an executive among Aogiri. He strongly believes in the path of the organization as he's had enough, like many others, of being persecuted and killed for simply being a Ghoul. He does have a rather 'softy' personality and tends to be a lot of bark but has often spared or been sensitive to the plea of the weak. As such, his loyalty can be questioned if he were to be used as a player character, but as of now (according to :re), he remains strongly loyal.
Although he wasn't exceptionally strong before being an executive, he's managed to use his Ukaku Kagune in ways to cover his weaknesses and reach ranks close to Tatara and Noro, though still visibly weaker due to a clear lack of experience.
Naki was once the second-in-command of the gang known as the White Suits, though with the death of his mentor Yamori, he's taken control. The White Suits are just that, Ghouls wearing white suits and now serving under Aogiri. Naki himself has been said to be rather strong, being rated S rank. This makes him weaker than most Aogiri executives, but he compensates with backup from his gang to give him support. His Kagune has rarely been seen in battle but he is said to be as lethal as Yamori, a man who had a partial Kakuja confirmed.
Also known as Shachi, Matasaka had multiple followers before joining Aogiri and has since then integrated them. Unlike many ghouls however, he has a strong respect for humans and doesn't wish their death as much as most of Aogiri members. He values their teachings a lot actually, as he's mastered martial arts to a point where he is a lot more deadly with well articulated combos than his Bikaku Kagune in which he's rarely had to use. Because of his apparent talent in fighting, he's been deemed as strong as Noro, though he does lack the explosive power of the monster but compensates with strategy and perfectly timed strikes and counters.
One of Aogiri's berserk and quite the tragic individual, Seidou is an unstoppable monster of insanity. Wielding Eto's father's Kagune which was forced into him, he holds massive potential. With his Kagune he can fire massive projectiles beyond Bullet speed, easily killing highly trained soldiers built to kill ghouls. As a one eyed ghoul, his healing, strength, and speed are on par with Eto's, barring intelligence and overall power from his Kakuja. Speaking of which, his is but half formed, but remains absurdly powerful, easily on par with Kuzen Yoshimura's.
Like Noro, he can heal from jarring injuries rapidly and continue fighting as if he had suffered nothing. But like any ghoul, he does have a limit to that. Though considering how erratic and incoherent he is, it is impossible to tell just how close that limit is.
The Wandereich (The Silent Empire) is the Quincy army that once served the King of Quincies, Yhwach. They were concealed for a thousand years after being repulsed by the Shinigami during the Great Bloody War that continued on. However, after their invasion of the Soul Society, Yhwach achieved Godhood in the Bleach Universe but eventually perished through the sacrifice of the Shinigami. His right hand man, Jugram Haschwalth, has been confirmed to have died along with the King. This left Uryu Ishida as the only successor to the Empire, but he's been missing and a non-factor afterward.
The army, instead of disbanding, was met with the Dark Outliners quickly after the end of the war and their world in turmoil. The one who took over remains a secret to the public, but it is very doubtful that Bambietta, a surviving member in this version of the world, managed to rally them up after the fall of their tyrannical king.
Resources:
As humans with spiritual sensitivity and massive longevity, the Quincy warriors are particularly knowledgeably of magic and especially the manipulation of souls. They use 'Reishi', spirit particles found a lot in their world but also in any other world where there are dead, to create various objects and power as well as fuel their own energy. With access to portals and Multiversial tools, they can easily siphon Reishi from their world to use it in another foreign one.
When it comes to manipulation the soul, their researchers are capable of not only destroying and/or extracting them, but also creating artificial ones through the stolen research for shinigami such as Hikifune and Mayuri.
They are particularly good at manipulating a specific pocket dimension within the 'shadows' of a world and create bases right under the feet of their enemies without ever being detected. Their means to travel in and out of said dimension is either done through a specific device or literal shadows within the surface world. They create their bases entirely out of reishi too.
Notables Members/Troops:
An army composed of hardened soldiers trained for centuries in the art of war. The Soldats are the general rank of all warriors under the higher command, the foot soldiers sent into the field to deal as much damage as possible. They're capable of manipulating Reishi to perform the basic Quincy abilities, create bows and arrows out of them as their main offensive weapons though they've evolved to use more than that. They can all use Hirenkyaku, the ability to move in the speed of sound at occasional bursts, though as minions they're not particularly efficient. Finally they also, for the most part, can use Blut, the ability to run reishi through their bloodstream and harden their body to the point where they could survive being close to the sun and taking absurdly strong hits. Once again, as minions, this isn't especially strong. They're estimated to be at about 75.000.
The Sternritter (Star Knights) can do what any Soldat can do but perfected (see Bambietta Bastebine) while having impeccable skill and a specific ability linked to their attributed letter. They are the commanding officers of the Wandereich. After the fall of Yhwach, few only remained, heck only two are allied to the Outliners. It is possible that a few more lived on. Bambietta is the only known member, though it is clear someone superior to her has the real grip on the new Wandenreich.
History:
Because of the mysteries shrouding the creator of The Dark Outliners, how it started remains a secret, even to the higher ups. For the massive military might they hold, they choose to be discreet and rarely share anything other than their primary objective: Maintain Balance to the Multiverse, or so they say. The ADVENT Forces led by the Elders are the primary medium of exacting certain initiatives to prevent universes from attempting to impose their models onto other Universes. Although noble, they do have another reason behind this. They fear that through exploring too many universes with altruistic or crusader ambitions, a being far beyond anyone's comprehension would be awakened and allowed into Arcadia.
It is unknown when this organization was first created, nor if its leadership is as simple as it presents itself, but their large pool of knowledge concerning the whole system of Arcadia and the Multiverse in general suggest they have extensive experience in the subject. However they too are at a loss as to what happened in the wasted hub.
Advantages:
- Hail Koloan -
Like the Imprium, the Outliners have access to their own Kolon. Though because he's just one right now, he is charged with the task of creating prototypes and guiding research teams into producing superior weaponry at a faster rate than they would without. All the advantages of a Kolon, pretty much, except this one is corrupt by eeeevvvviiillll!
- Genetics -
ADVENT is powerful, but it does pale in comparison to certain massive organization in terms of technology and firepower. Except of course, when we're talking genetics. Having an immense supply of resources and troops, they aren't limited by research material. With the creation of Avatars and the endless progression they gain by assimilating other beings from different realms, they've truly become the champions in genetic engineering within Arcadia.
- Extensive Knowledge -
With discreet in the Multiverse all this time has allowed them to easily acquire information for a period unknown to even most of the members. The intelligence departments of the group seems well informed compared to the other two factions, and this is further backed up by the fact that they were the first to reveal the Conquerors' leader true identity. They value knowledge and information, and do their best to archive what they find instead of destroying whatever could disrupt their current ideals. They simply fear the prospect of these ideas being set loose without regulations into the Multiverse.
- Arcadia-2 Terminal Prototype -
As of now the Outliners are the only ones wielding the prototype terminal leading to Arcadia-2, having created it after the remaining Imperium followers escaped and used the only 'Train' terminal that could lead them to safety. The Outliners were capable of retrieving the 'station' left bare. They are still unsure how to approach the leaders of the parallel world and have left it as a secondary priority next to the threat of the opposing factions. Only a few people can enter through it at a time.
Disadvantages:
- Opportunists -
Being quite the neutral and opportunistic group, they aren't low on the resident psychopath department. They tend to avoid the unpredictable types, but such an eerie organization tends to attract those with eerie auras. Many members have their own agenda, even those perfectly objective and devoted such as the Ethereal aliens. Infighting and suspicion is always running rampant in the group. They are swiftly disposed of, but considering their policies regarding treason, it is clear they've had quite the few bad experiences with volatile specimens.
- Unclear Goals And Jarring Means -
While being opportunistic, they're also shady. The official banner is of course to maintain balance, but their means to approach that objective leave many to believe they aren't trustworthy. A noble cause in paper, exacted in a way that one would expect the Conquerors to employ. Gaining outside trust isn't the easiest thing for them, and it becomes even harder when their reputation becomes a factor when negotiating. Considering the amount of worlds they've destroyed due to a lack of cooperation, namely rejection to join their coalition in order to prevent any instability to the Multiverse, many wonder if they truly are for the 'good of the Multiverse'. Many executives do not shy away from displaying the spoils of their crusades against unprepared civilizations that reject their ways.
The Dark Outliners have long since expanded their forces ever since they've gained Multiversial weight. As such, they hold a gargantuan amount of resources and special military 'branches' to achieve their goals and terminate any threat to their creed. Most of these armed forces are led by Executives of the Dark Outliners, however some remain completely secret as they are under the Elite Guards' rule.
ADVENT was first created to by the aliens to assist the same Aliens in establishing their reign on earth after taking down the XCOM organization. Nowadays, the Ethereal forces are completely allocated to ADVENT ever since the destruction of the XCOM rebellion, the execution of Central Officer Bradford and the re-capture of the Commander (at least that's what the propaganda says).
As of now, ADVENT is the Dark Outliners' biggest army and branch with arguably an infinitely growing number with the unlimited resources they can gather throughout the Multiverse. As such, many mistaken it and the Über Ethereal as the leading branch of the Dark Outliners, when it isn't the case. They're arguably the sacrificial face that defends the real monstrosities behind the organization that puts the ends before the means.
Resources:
With the Multiverse at their disposal, such an advanced civilization has almost limitless resources to craft their constantly evolving weaponry and technology. They primarily use the energy source 'Elerium' to fuel more or less anything they make, like the magic ingredient that allows them to pretty much craft as they wish.
They have mastered cloning and genetic manipulation farther than most known universes. As such they can easily clone endless troops given sufficient resources but also constantly make them better with microtechnology. ADVENT also hold the infamous substance 'Meld' which essentially enabled absurdly quick gene manipulation and perfect mastery of robotics. It is child's play for them to fuse organic tissue with metal parts and create bigger and better foot soldiers through that.
Interdimensional travel is perfectly mastered, especially since joining the Dark Outliners as they've thoroughly studied the Terminals. They fleets can travel through galaxies without a problem and their equipment can adapt to any environment at a reasonable extent of course.
As for weaponry, the smaller troops usually have gauss weapons but it is clear that plasma weapons are the way to go. Any equipment on a minion self-destructs when the wielder is killed, limiting scavenging for the opposing force. Their biggest focus is creating as many Psionic capable beings to produce even deadlier and unstoppable weapons.
Vehicles:
During their invasion on earth, the aliens have demonstrated a strong use of scout UFO's and supply bridges to assault the population. It must be noted that their goal was never to destroy humanity, simply test them. The basic UFO's, even the large ones, are as fast as the swift interceptors (fighter jets) of XCOM and can easily lose them after a few seconds. Their more aggressive ships are as big as a small city (As seen in operation Progeny), while their mothership, the Temple Ship, as comparable to a small country, nothing in Earth arsenal could even dent it. Their overseer ships are exceptionally fast and can arguably fly around the earth in a few minutes, plus their durability is particularly overwhelming.
The cloaking devices used were strong enough to counter any form of readings available, concealing even the mighty Temple Ship until it just decided to show up. The amount they have now is unknown. Every Temple Ship holds a Psionic orb capable of creating a small block hole (more than enough to wipe out a planet in a few seconds).
As of now, ADVENT mostly uses transport ships to travel in high speeds on the globe. They can use them to carry multiple troops from a city to sparsely populated area in a matter of seconds.
Notable Members/Troops:
There aren't any particular figures in ADVENT with the exception of the Über Ethereal and the Speaker of the group who may as well be a puppet to the former. The distinct troops however all deserve a description as their capabilities are proof of how merciless ADVENT truly is. Before accessing Arcadia, ADVENT forces could be counted in the millions, being all connected to a hive mind, it wasn't hard to control them. As of now, their numbers could potentially be infinite. Some say it is Quantity over Quality, and in most cases it is true, though some of these entities would even make the toughest Space Marines think twice before charging in.
The ADVENT Captain holds a lot of power among the standard ADVENT troops. Wearing superior armor to the regular soldiers, he can take a few more plasma shots before expiring. Wielding a gauss rifle that can be exchanged for a plasma if need be, its main ability falls on its targeting power. Because most ADVENT soldiers and aliens are connected to him via the hivemind, they will be considerably more aggressive to a target he'd designate, gaining in accuracy and lethality when ganging up on the selected victim. They are arguably better shots too.
The standard trooper that relies on his gauss rifle and follows direct orders from the Captain or whatever in the hivemind guides him. They can eventually hold plasma grenades but they're somewhat frail with the weakest possible armor, taking one shot, maybe two. They're the easiest to produce and hold the highest number.
The stun lancer may seem like a pushover, but its fanatical nature makes it one of the biggest threats to have one on one. While it holds similar armor to the captain, it can sustain more damage due to its zealous behavior and lack of care of its own safety. The stun lancer holds a rifle like any other trooper, but favors a stun baton rigged with spikes to go into close range with the enemy, even if it means being exposed to their allies. The lance itself is quite damaging with its design but it also delivers a powerful hock of electricity that can easily knock out the toughest of individuals. Some may just be stunned or not even affected. However if it is to cripple mechanical enemies, they are rather efficient.
Clearly the support class of the standard ADVENT troops, the shieldbearer has the strongest armor and defenses in the organization. They also hold the same rifle as their peers but their greatest strength lies in their main ability. By spreading their shield ability, they are capable of creating an energy shield around every ally their recognize in the vicinity and temporarily enhance their defenses. It can sponge multiple small shots and cushion bigger blows like explosives. They coat themselves with it as well to enhance their already big defenses.
With XCOM's technology at their disposal and the already powerful Mectoid fully optimized, ADVENT easily produced a fully autonomous MEC trooper capable of engaging in the field without a pilot. Connected like any trooper to the hivemind, it behaves like any other trooper despite being completely metal. They can be hacked, though failing to do so in the small frame it leaves its enemies out of fire will cause it to gain enhanced capabilities or even provoke reinforcements to focus on the hacker.
Because of their frame and structure, they have superior defenses than ADVENT armor, their general resilience being large, it doesn't help that they wield extra layers of armor to many direct shots in the hopes of stopping it vain. They hold large magnetic guns that deal significant damage to the environment but also to their targets, easily piercing through tough armor and killing most exposed targets. The biggest danger they present is the mini-rocket attached on their back they can use multiple times to levels area of the field. It's without a doubt that they hold immense physical strength too due to their physiology and resemblance to the XCOM MEC. A punch could arguable kill a human in one shot.
The new and improved Sectopod is here. This time bigger than ever and capable of extending its legs to reach absurd heights and easily pick off targets with its vast array of destructive weaponry. With a plethora of weaponry, insane resilience and massive armor, it makes an amazing boss fight. Whether it is close range or long range, no amount of cover is enough to stop it as it can just step on any obstacle with little effort.
WARNING! These can be a potential threat to Player Characters! They cannot be instantly fodderized unlike many of these.
Once the most laughably frail of the aliens, now one of the most terrifying creatures one could come across, the Sectoid has went a long way with human genes added to its pool. Now even sturdier than a stun lancer with various augmentations, it is swift and efficient under fire, capable of tanking multiple shots before inflicting dangerous psionic damage to the enemy. It holds a plasma pistol on its wrist, though recent analysis shows that is appears to be as powerful as a rifle nowadays with deadly accuracy.
While being swift and more imposing physically, the sectoid gained something grander thanks to humans genes added to the mix. They can use their psi power to revive a fallen organic being and turn them into a zombie (they die if the sectoid dies), but also impose disturbances to the enemies via Mindfray. The worst however, is the fact that the Sectoid Commander lost its relevance due to the fact that they can all potentially mind control (NPC's) if they are weak enough (or weakened).
Known as the Thin Men when the Ethereal genetically modified the Viper race to infiltrate the human world. Because of their superior intelligence, they were the right candidates. Now, the Vipers are in their purest form and much more adapted to combat. They hold a plasma rifle with a bayonet to get close and personal while having an insanely powerful tongue to grapple on distant foes and pull them in to bind them. One must note than even soldiers with robotic armor were effortlessly pulled by this tongue and bound to the point where they were completely helpless.
Their physiology makes them exceptionally fast and agile as their strongest asset rests in their their swift dodging skills of enemy projectiles, managing to get through no man's land with a few scratches with enough skill. Also, they can cough out clouds of venom like their modified form.
Likely the most linear soldier in the ADVENT arsenal, the Berserker does one thing and it does it freaking amazingly: Destroy whatever is in its way. Anything without advanced armor or defenses is either dead or knocked out by this thing. Player characters be warned, Level 3 Ruiko had trouble with four of the WEAKER versions of this. The Berserker is exclusively female for some reason and she can use her ability Bullrush to run a twice the speed she already has (which is pretty big) to crash and stomp whatever is before her. She is particularly resilient and doesn't care about her safety. She will attack whatever provokes it as it doesn't know fear.
The successor to the Outsider, Codex is a female-like entity that constantly appears as though it is 'glitching' through reality, phasing from vision for a second and appearing in a somewhat different position. Being made of a bizarre fluxing energy, one would think she is intangible, but she is not. She does require however heavy damage to destroy. Remember however, that if she takes damage and isn't destroyed in the couple of seconds following the shots, she will duplicate, successfully making a clone of herself, though that would require her to split her energy into two.
The clone can double upon taking damage and also teleport anywhere wish in the nearby vicinity to surprise attack any opposition. To attack she uses a plasma rifle like most of its colleagues. The biggest power it wields however is Psi Storm that covers a large perimeter. All projectile weapons are disabled within the storm, all of them, and shortly after, it explodes, damaging and killing most fodder troops left in there.
Like its past self, the Muton is still a hulking mass of muscle existing mostly for combat. However they've gained a significant amount of intelligence and lean physical shape thanks to human genes. They're strong in any kind of range, with their physical bulk they can impale the strongest with the bayonets of their plasma rifle, or they can use their powerful tactical sense to beat opposition in a shootout. They're still capable of spreading pheromones to other Mutons, The Blood Call, to enhance their accuracy and brutality in battle. They also love grenades.
There exist the Muton Elites. However whether they've been modified or not is a mystery held by ADVENT as they remain the main protective force of the Ethereals.
One of the most frustrating enemies ever produced, the Chryssalid has kept most of its appearance since the invasion of earth. Many are still capable of the same exact thing as they did, though many have evolved to something more ... Radical. Now holding stronger shells, they can sustain more damage as well as hold the evasiveness of a Viper. If they kill a living being, or damage it, they will leave a poison that'll leave them in deep pain if they survive the attack (and slowly shut down their life functions), unless they get treated. If they die from the poison, they'll turn into a cocoon. If the cocoon isn't destroyed in the following minute, three Chryssalids will be born.
They can also implant embryos on corpses and turn them into zombies as they feed the larvae for a minute until it turns into a mature chryssalid. Now the Chryssalids can burrow deep underground and attack any unsuspecting foe as they step near it.
The more aesthetically pleasing version of the floater, the Archon is more of a marketing attempt to please the human population than anything. Holding everything a floater could do: Flying, ascending high enough to land safely anywhere, firing plasma blasts. But they also hold a powerful rocket system that completely bombards an entire field with plasma rockets.
If damaged, the Archon will go on a frenzy and assault any enemy on sight with its plasma lance which can inflict considerable damage if a direct hit happens.
Possibly the most terrifying being to any opposing organization. The faceless replaced the Thin man for a good reason, its mimicry is insanely efficient. So efficient that many settlers in rebel camps couldn't distinguish them from their comrades they imitated. Using its particular structure, it perfectly imitates everything about the being's physiology while using the hivemind to have memories and reflexes/habits superimposed in its morphed body. Truly one of the most threatening covert minions. Apparently undetectable unless wanted to be (or though a long and extensive process).
Bizarre robots that are capable of turning invisible, though detectable through over means such as special visors or scanners. They primarily try to ensnare victims and gas them with oxygen suppressing smoke. The tentacles are so strong that only superhuman strength can hope to rip them off, assuming the lack of oxygen doesn't prevent that. They can also fire plasma shots from their mouths. They're mostly useful at hitting lone snipers or supports left behind by the true aggressors.
A very mysterious being that clearly indicates ADVENT's leaning toward biological warfare. Utilizing a plasma shotgun and and acid blaster, it is clear their goal is to inflict as much pain as possible to the enemy. Their armor is extremely robust and is meant to tank multiple shots while conferring it the strength of a MEC. Its suit is where lies its biggest strength however, and while the defense attributes are great, it grans it immunity to any possible and extreme environmental hazard. If the pilot is killed, the suit can enter autopilot and assault any nearby foe with its superhuman stength.
Another insanely powerful minion that has recently showed itself to decimate opposing forces. Many speculate it is the successor to the Cyberdisc, a robotic minion still used to this day with its immense speed, strong defensive and offensive capabilities.
However this thing, from what's been seen, is much more terrifying. Boasting a large plasma beam to inflict massive damage to the opposition, it already holds tremendous power without revealing it trump card. Once open, it reveals its soft interior with tentacles protruding out. The Gatekeeper employs psionic energy to sap the life force out of beings it strikes with the appendages only to resurrect them as zombies, can create a massive 'Gate' of psionic power to decimate anything nearby and revive any corpse in the blast into zombies, and of course maintain the zombies up even after death.
It is insanely robust with its armor up, arguably the strongest minion in the whole army, barring ...
Also known as 'The Elders' are the race ruling over Earth and governing the ADVENT forces. They are clearly MUCH stronger than any being listed here. An Ethereal can arguably pose quite a threat to any average member of a major faction, considering their overwhelming pool of psionic energy, will and general experience/knowledge.
But rarely will they be found in this form now, for they are plagued by a disease that forces their body into rapid atrophy after so many year, so much that even their psionic abilities can keep them alive. As such, they've created ...
The Avatars are the 'perfect' bodies constructed by the Ethereals out of the accumulate superior genes found within humans, fused with the best of genes from the other races they had enslaved. Avatars are capable of tremendous Physical and Psychic feats, with super reflexes, enhanced speed, enhanced strength, multiples powerful psionic abilities such as Mind controlling weaker and even other inferior yet strong psychics - Null lance - Rift and absolute immunity to environmental hazards as well as any psychic influence. Indeed, the bodies as so optimized that they are no longer at risk of outside psychic influences.
They are constantly evolving this project, but as of now the bodies automatically heal while being equipped with decent armor. The healing isn't insane but it can restore terminal wounds if not finished off within minutes. It can also instantly teleport and employ a weapon considered even stronger than the plasma weaponry of the foot soldiers.
Avatars are overwhelmingly powerful, and remain in somewhat small numbers.
An organization started by Eto Yoshimura herself, in an attempt to cause a Ghoul uprising within Japan. Their true motives and what their end goals involve remain a mystery, but many Ghouls have become loyal to Eto and now serve the Dark Outliners because of this. They are generally the commando units that handle the unknown and powerful oppositions due to their particularly strong physiology.
Resources:
In terms of what they can bring other than powerful manpower, the Aogiri Tree isn't extremely resourceful. The only exception being the ghoulification process brought by Dr. Kanou and enabled massive scientific breakthrough for the ADVENT branch. In all they're mostly a military oriented branch. The army itself is of about 650.000 Ghouls as of now.
Notable Members/Troops:
The Aogiri Tree was able to have artificial half-ghouls and normal ghouls mass produced thanks to the ADVENT Technology, all of which with varying types of Kagune. Without the cloning technology, it would have been impossible to produce as many since very few humans are compatible with such practices.
The Aogiri Tree rests mostly on the powerful figures leading. Excluding Eto, there are a few executives in the group that are worth mentioning and could potentially be player characters.
Tatara is the second-in-command of the Aogiri Tree and by status an extremely powerful Ghoul. According to Eto, he is capable of matching a founding member of the Alliance of Conquerors without too much hassle. However because of his position as a mastermind and commander, he's rarely been out on the field to fight despite his immense experience and power. He wields a very long and thick Kagune that's been able to counter powerful Quinque wielded by special class investigators. Not to mention he took down an entire squad with ease.
Before joining Aogiri he was once affiliated to the Chi She Lian, a Chinese Ghoul organization before they were vanquished and he was forced to flee and eventually join Aogiri.
He currently focuses his efforts on assisting Dr. Kanou in his research endeavors and further the dark and gloomy plans of Dark Outliners.
Once known as Noroi, the man who raised Eto when her father Kuzen/Yoshimura was constantly exposed to danger, Noro is the fruit of what Eto is capable of producing with her monstrous Kagune. Although it is unknown how and why he's been turned into Noro, but it is clear that his psyche is completely destroyed as seen in his behavior in battles. This however can help it in battle as he's arguably the most unpredictable thing around, randomly stopping and then attacking opponents in brutal frenzies. In terms of power, he has the same level of ridiculously powerful regeneration as Eto, if not more due to his absent mind. Because of his lack of logical patterns, he's also not as efficient as Tatara while being arguably as strong with his abilities.
His Kagune appears like a long worm or serpent with a massive mouth. It can also divide into many mall filaments to easily pierce waves of armored soldiers. Although unofficial, it has a disgustingly monstrous form that resembles a Kakuja where it is just a massive, gaping mouth with giant tentacles serving as its body.
Doctor Kanou appears to be a rather normal, heart warming doctor, but don't be fooled by his sweet appearances. A man dedicated in his work and passionate about the bodies of Ghouls, he has very little ethics in his line of work, often using kidnapped individuals and endlessly harvesting organs from strong ghouls to further his research and create perfect subjects. Intelligent and rather charming, he didn't have a hard time adapting to the Multiverse and serve the higher purpose his boss, Eto, was following. As of now he's part of the Ethereal's research team and has helped improve their findings and troops efficiency in general.
Ayato is, as of now, an executive among Aogiri. He strongly believes in the path of the organization as he's had enough, like many others, of being persecuted and killed for simply being a Ghoul. He does have a rather 'softy' personality and tends to be a lot of bark but has often spared or been sensitive to the plea of the weak. As such, his loyalty can be questioned if he were to be used as a player character, but as of now (according to :re), he remains strongly loyal.
Although he wasn't exceptionally strong before being an executive, he's managed to use his Ukaku Kagune in ways to cover his weaknesses and reach ranks close to Tatara and Noro, though still visibly weaker due to a clear lack of experience.
Naki was once the second-in-command of the gang known as the White Suits, though with the death of his mentor Yamori, he's taken control. The White Suits are just that, Ghouls wearing white suits and now serving under Aogiri. Naki himself has been said to be rather strong, being rated S rank. This makes him weaker than most Aogiri executives, but he compensates with backup from his gang to give him support. His Kagune has rarely been seen in battle but he is said to be as lethal as Yamori, a man who had a partial Kakuja confirmed.
Also known as Shachi, Matasaka had multiple followers before joining Aogiri and has since then integrated them. Unlike many ghouls however, he has a strong respect for humans and doesn't wish their death as much as most of Aogiri members. He values their teachings a lot actually, as he's mastered martial arts to a point where he is a lot more deadly with well articulated combos than his Bikaku Kagune in which he's rarely had to use. Because of his apparent talent in fighting, he's been deemed as strong as Noro, though he does lack the explosive power of the monster but compensates with strategy and perfectly timed strikes and counters.
One of Aogiri's berserk and quite the tragic individual, Seidou is an unstoppable monster of insanity. Wielding Eto's father's Kagune which was forced into him, he holds massive potential. With his Kagune he can fire massive projectiles beyond Bullet speed, easily killing highly trained soldiers built to kill ghouls. As a one eyed ghoul, his healing, strength, and speed are on par with Eto's, barring intelligence and overall power from his Kakuja. Speaking of which, his is but half formed, but remains absurdly powerful, easily on par with Kuzen Yoshimura's.
Like Noro, he can heal from jarring injuries rapidly and continue fighting as if he had suffered nothing. But like any ghoul, he does have a limit to that. Though considering how erratic and incoherent he is, it is impossible to tell just how close that limit is.
The Wandereich (The Silent Empire) is the Quincy army that once served the King of Quincies, Yhwach. They were concealed for a thousand years after being repulsed by the Shinigami during the Great Bloody War that continued on. However, after their invasion of the Soul Society, Yhwach achieved Godhood in the Bleach Universe but eventually perished through the sacrifice of the Shinigami. His right hand man, Jugram Haschwalth, has been confirmed to have died along with the King. This left Uryu Ishida as the only successor to the Empire, but he's been missing and a non-factor afterward.
The army, instead of disbanding, was met with the Dark Outliners quickly after the end of the war and their world in turmoil. The one who took over remains a secret to the public, but it is very doubtful that Bambietta, a surviving member in this version of the world, managed to rally them up after the fall of their tyrannical king.
Resources:
As humans with spiritual sensitivity and massive longevity, the Quincy warriors are particularly knowledgeably of magic and especially the manipulation of souls. They use 'Reishi', spirit particles found a lot in their world but also in any other world where there are dead, to create various objects and power as well as fuel their own energy. With access to portals and Multiversial tools, they can easily siphon Reishi from their world to use it in another foreign one.
When it comes to manipulation the soul, their researchers are capable of not only destroying and/or extracting them, but also creating artificial ones through the stolen research for shinigami such as Hikifune and Mayuri.
They are particularly good at manipulating a specific pocket dimension within the 'shadows' of a world and create bases right under the feet of their enemies without ever being detected. Their means to travel in and out of said dimension is either done through a specific device or literal shadows within the surface world. They create their bases entirely out of reishi too.
Notables Members/Troops:
An army composed of hardened soldiers trained for centuries in the art of war. The Soldats are the general rank of all warriors under the higher command, the foot soldiers sent into the field to deal as much damage as possible. They're capable of manipulating Reishi to perform the basic Quincy abilities, create bows and arrows out of them as their main offensive weapons though they've evolved to use more than that. They can all use Hirenkyaku, the ability to move in the speed of sound at occasional bursts, though as minions they're not particularly efficient. Finally they also, for the most part, can use Blut, the ability to run reishi through their bloodstream and harden their body to the point where they could survive being close to the sun and taking absurdly strong hits. Once again, as minions, this isn't especially strong. They're estimated to be at about 75.000.
The Sternritter (Star Knights) can do what any Soldat can do but perfected (see Bambietta Bastebine) while having impeccable skill and a specific ability linked to their attributed letter. They are the commanding officers of the Wandereich. After the fall of Yhwach, few only remained, heck only two are allied to the Outliners. It is possible that a few more lived on. Bambietta is the only known member, though it is clear someone superior to her has the real grip on the new Wandenreich.
History:
Because of the mysteries shrouding the creator of The Dark Outliners, how it started remains a secret, even to the higher ups. For the massive military might they hold, they choose to be discreet and rarely share anything other than their primary objective: Maintain Balance to the Multiverse, or so they say. The ADVENT Forces led by the Elders are the primary medium of exacting certain initiatives to prevent universes from attempting to impose their models onto other Universes. Although noble, they do have another reason behind this. They fear that through exploring too many universes with altruistic or crusader ambitions, a being far beyond anyone's comprehension would be awakened and allowed into Arcadia.
It is unknown when this organization was first created, nor if its leadership is as simple as it presents itself, but their large pool of knowledge concerning the whole system of Arcadia and the Multiverse in general suggest they have extensive experience in the subject. However they too are at a loss as to what happened in the wasted hub.
Advantages:
- Hail Koloan -
Like the Imprium, the Outliners have access to their own Kolon. Though because he's just one right now, he is charged with the task of creating prototypes and guiding research teams into producing superior weaponry at a faster rate than they would without. All the advantages of a Kolon, pretty much, except this one is corrupt by eeeevvvviiillll!
- Genetics -
ADVENT is powerful, but it does pale in comparison to certain massive organization in terms of technology and firepower. Except of course, when we're talking genetics. Having an immense supply of resources and troops, they aren't limited by research material. With the creation of Avatars and the endless progression they gain by assimilating other beings from different realms, they've truly become the champions in genetic engineering within Arcadia.
- Extensive Knowledge -
With discreet in the Multiverse all this time has allowed them to easily acquire information for a period unknown to even most of the members. The intelligence departments of the group seems well informed compared to the other two factions, and this is further backed up by the fact that they were the first to reveal the Conquerors' leader true identity. They value knowledge and information, and do their best to archive what they find instead of destroying whatever could disrupt their current ideals. They simply fear the prospect of these ideas being set loose without regulations into the Multiverse.
- Arcadia-2 Terminal Prototype -
As of now the Outliners are the only ones wielding the prototype terminal leading to Arcadia-2, having created it after the remaining Imperium followers escaped and used the only 'Train' terminal that could lead them to safety. The Outliners were capable of retrieving the 'station' left bare. They are still unsure how to approach the leaders of the parallel world and have left it as a secondary priority next to the threat of the opposing factions. Only a few people can enter through it at a time.
Disadvantages:
- Opportunists -
Being quite the neutral and opportunistic group, they aren't low on the resident psychopath department. They tend to avoid the unpredictable types, but such an eerie organization tends to attract those with eerie auras. Many members have their own agenda, even those perfectly objective and devoted such as the Ethereal aliens. Infighting and suspicion is always running rampant in the group. They are swiftly disposed of, but considering their policies regarding treason, it is clear they've had quite the few bad experiences with volatile specimens.
- Unclear Goals And Jarring Means -
While being opportunistic, they're also shady. The official banner is of course to maintain balance, but their means to approach that objective leave many to believe they aren't trustworthy. A noble cause in paper, exacted in a way that one would expect the Conquerors to employ. Gaining outside trust isn't the easiest thing for them, and it becomes even harder when their reputation becomes a factor when negotiating. Considering the amount of worlds they've destroyed due to a lack of cooperation, namely rejection to join their coalition in order to prevent any instability to the Multiverse, many wonder if they truly are for the 'good of the Multiverse'. Many executives do not shy away from displaying the spoils of their crusades against unprepared civilizations that reject their ways.
