Alternate

An Alternate (Art by Avargus)

> My dear children... Go, and let us show these clay monkeys our power, and exchange their identities for better and more powerful versions. While you guys replace the clay dolls... I'll take care of the other guy.
>
> **Satan to his Alternates.**

**Alternates** are a species of malignant shapeshifting entities that have come to power relativity recently, though some legends depict them as being around since before the Great Flood. The three documented types of Alternates are known as **The Duplicates**, the **Unspeakables**, and **the Flawed**.

## Overview

Due to both their actions and their myriad of appearances, Alternates have garnered the attention of various groups and individuals which have gained a newfound eternal animosity towards them for their malevolent acts and psychological assaults. The effects of experimentation twisted these ancient shapeshifters into actively violent and malevolent beings. It is unknown how long these experiments endured, but once Satan was finished with them, he unleashed a legion of the alternates upon the world.

## History

### Primeval Shifters

When exactly they were created exactly is unknown. However, they were created as a very powerful and chaotic type of shapeshifter, being similar to common shapeshifters, but much more bloodthirsty and amoral than them. They were created by Satan, also known as The Devil, who created them with the intention of them replacing every human on Earth just for his "fun". Alternates are able to shape-shift and assume someone's full identity. While Satan had his alternates' plan to replace humans, he had a plan to replace the Son of God as the Savior of mankind, planning to kill Jesus when he was born in the 6th or 4th year before the Common Era, and be worshiped as God. It is believed that he tried to do the same when trying to pick up Moses' body, before being stopped by Joshua.

### Great Flood

As a result of this, it would make them, more or less, agents of a separate entity, ones that are members of many cults around the world. In the distant past, the Alternates did not move against any of the tribes of man but hid amongst them in order to observe and study them as a way to properly fit amongst their ranks whilst also gaining information then pass it over to their creator himself.

This mission, however, came to an abrupt end with the coming of the Great Flood which threatened to destroy all in its path including the Alternates. Their creator was among those that watched the construction of the Ark which would house all the world's creatures including Noah and his family. He realized that the Alternates would not survive the Almighty's wrath and sent only one of these creatures aboard the ark, one that Noah himself would not immediately notice at first, but before he could perceive what was to come, it would be too late.

### Unseen Observers

After the Flood, the Alternate that survived quickly evaded Noah and his family and awaited until the proper time where the Earth would be once again populated by humans. As centuries pass, the Alternates multiplied and spread across the world, hiding in the shadows for many millennia and fostering cults as they went. While massive numbers of their kind were wiped out by the Flood, they would eventually reemerge under the leadership of Satan, who witnessed the annunciation of Mary regarding the virgin birth of her son Jesus Christ by the archangel Gabriel.

The Alternates have even infiltrated polytheistic society as well something that has garnered the attention of the gods and as a result had the Alternates be killed with extreme prejudice at the hands of their warriors or other lesser gods. Nevertheless, slowly but surely, these creatures continued on, growing, infiltrating groups, kingdoms, tribes, and swaying the minds and hands of kings, nobles, and other individuals. Some of the more grounded supernatural individuals, be they intelligent monsters like vampires and werewolves or even lesser gods have encountered these creatures then destroyed them on sight.

Among mortals, the paranormal foundation sees Alternates as an imminent threat to global security and have imprisoned several of these shapeshifting creatures in an attempt to find out what their true purpose is on Earth. Through information extracted from these imprisoned alternates, multiple hotspots of alternate activity have also been located across the world, with one such hotspot being a town in the United States known as Mandela County.

## Description

physically, many alternates take the form of nearly exact duplicates of humans, albeit with minor differences such as reflected features, lighter or darker skin tones, a more defined jawline, lighter colored hair, missing birthmarks or other such differences. These sorts of Alternates are commonly referred to as Duplicates and should not be confused with Doppelgangers.

Some alternates, however, have forms that mimic mythological entities from various different pantheons and even occasionally are able to copy some of their powers. These alternates are very high ranking amongst their kind, usually serving as their leaders, nobles or even generals. These beings almost always take on the forms of beings that there are multiple instances of, such as Dragons, Yokai, Spirits or Ghosts. These alternates are known as the Unspeakables.

On occasion, the process of an Alternate taking on a set form is interrupted by an outside force or finishes prematurely. These Alternates in particular may somewhat resemble duplicates of individuals but have radically exaggerated or biologically impossible features such as faces perpetually obscured by shadow, lacking faces altogether, arms so long they drag behind them, oversized heads or even being upside down but behaving as though they were right side up. While still just as capable of killing as other alternates, these alternates are known as the Flawed, and are treated by both Duplicates and Unspeakable with great disdain, and often forced to do menial labor or even serve as suicide troops. Some alternates have even been known to torture the Flawed for their own amusement.