Ascended

**THE ASCENDED**: Perhaps even more enigmatic than the Weavers, the Ascended appear. They were once a part of the proud Aldrath race, the dominant race when humans were still fighting with stones. As with the other sub races, they tried to prevent an implosion of their beloved culture and empire, though they took a more radical approach. Believing the Praetorians foolish for their zealotry and the Weavers misguided in their attempt to understand technology.

The Ascended understood that technology wasn’t what was killing them; it was the greed that drove it. They were the first to master the merge between a biological organism and a machine. Thus the first manchine were created. A giant humanoid robot, with a biological brain. They sought to rend their whole race of the flesh that vainly trapped them in a reality where greed and the wish for more, were the major concerns.

For this, they were cast out, as heretics. They tried to reason with their brethren, but they were lost to them. A whole culture expelled to space, they found solitude among the starts, and a new home. Their creation of the manchine would only be one of their first major achievements. As inner fighting within their group began, their leaders were troubled and feared the idea would fall apart. In desperation, they turned to a man within the group they didn’t really understood, but who had the answer for them all. Dr. Zhyr ´Radash, would seem to have a solution to the infighting. He as the first, had also created a functioning AI. Other races had experienced with these things, but none had shown lasting promise. He understood that to truly create "life", the programs needed what made species special, a soul. With principles of the manchine program, he found a way to upload a humanoid conscience and mind to an AI. His program was rejected by many, but the majority saw reason in his madness. During the next days, the race as a whole was all uploaded to the new H.I.V.E mainframe. They now act as one, with little to no infighting, all at peace with the collective mind. To this day, there is a saying: "Have you gone completely radash!". Now the race as a whole are simply called *beings*. Their empty bodies now lies in a comatose state, all in holy resticted temples dotted across their homeworld Mandela.

The Ascended are not suitable as player characters, as the race now act as one. The stats and modifiers for their androids and mechs are stated under the faction page or walker page of SW Sci-Fi's companion. For more info on the race, see The H.I.V.E. in the faction chapter.

There have been known breaches of the H.I.V.E. Law, as renegade beings do exist. Normally they are hunted down by the H.I.V.E. But few have remained hidden.

Members of the H.I.V.E. start with the following:

* **Construct:** As per SW core rule book.
* **Skill Programmed:** H.I.V.E. beings, are usually preprogrammed beings that have a certain role. Which they are normally specialized in. Their skills are EITHER d4 OR d10. This represents their shortcomings when out of their normal function. Certain programs allow a skill of d12.
* **Power Source:** H.I.V.E. beings must either be in contact with strong current of running water or in direct sunrays, to recharge their power cells 2 hour out of 24 hours. Beings never sleep.
* **High-tech:** Beings, start with a natural +5 to toughness, due to their home made armor-plates, made from the rare metal STERN.
* **HIVEMIND**: Beings act as one, when on rare occasions one being goes rogue, they are quickly cut down, and shutdown. Spirit rolls to resist collective commands are at -6.