Elysian Ark

> *"Without the Ark, we drown."*
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The Elysian Ark is the main representative body of the remnants of the First Solarian Expedition in Elysium. Lorded by their despot and ex-scientist Raphael Winter, the Elysians, humans in all but flesh, have adopted the use of ERA and the worship of their own selves in order to cope with their abandonment by their Empire. Now a host of heavily cybernetically-modified humanoids confined to their Ark, the Elysians share the planet with the Saran Brood, and are in stark ideological disagreement with the Solarian Empire.

## History

The Ark owes its creation to the ingenuity of Raphael Winter, one of the two lead scientists in charge of the First Expedition. Alas, it was only the eventual demise of the Expedition, following the Crisis of '55, that catalysed the birth of the Ark. Thus did the feelings of desperation, wrath and madness - all wrought upon Winter's host, following the abandonment of the Colony - mingle with one another in order to erect an Ark, in which the humans found safety and respite. The Ark was indeed conceived to defeat the uncertainties of the abandoned colonisers, and has grown to become a symbol to them - the meaning and pursuit of existence, that which transcends the simple allegiance of any man to any worldly fellowship.

## The Ark

The Ark sits at the foot of a large ravine, and extends into the structure under the form of vast, complex and overlapping corridors. Shaped mainly out of ERA-Infused metals, the Ark hosts workshops, living halls and social hubs of all kinds, circling around a singular throne room, upon which sits Winter, his watchful eyes ever-gazing out of the Ark and towards the Elysian skies. In order to properly understand the complexity of the Ark, one must at least spend a century discovering its unending halls - a matter perfected by the heavily cybernetically-enhanced Elysians, that, while waiting for the eventual return of Solaria, contented themselves with the pursuit of perfection through ERA-assisted cybernetic enhancements, as well as the shaping of what now constitutes the foundations of Elysian society, philosophy and culture. Of course, the Ark also hosts the pearls of Elysian thought - Gehenna, capable of breaking even the hardiest souls, minds and bodies, in order to convert whatever has been put therein into a proper, fitting, and cybernetically-enhanced Elysian.

## Culture

### Ideology:

While the schism between Elysian and Solarian thought is both vivid and pronounced, some similarities between both cultures serve well to link the Elysian Ark back to its factually Solarian roots. Indeed, both Elysians and Solarians seek to attain perfection - the apotheosis of Mankind - yet the methods used to unfurl such ends differ widely. The heavy use of cybernetic enhancements is shunned by the Solarians yet canonised by the Elysians. As for perfection, the Solarians project it on the Perfect Man, while the Elysians choose instead to disregard any divinity in order to emphasise humanity's own worth in accordance to that which surrounds it. The Solarians consider the Solar System - specifically Earth - as a sacred site, being the birthplace and cradle of Humanity, while the Elysians affirm that Elysium is - due to the presence of ERA within it - the fountain of immortality to ever be cherished and protected by Mankind. While Solaria is a culture mainly centred around progress, science and social development, Elysium is preoccupied with technological advancement, rhetorics and war - all bound to the singular aspect of spreading Elysian thought as far as Humanity has ever been. It can therefore be assumed that Elysian thought is an offshoot of Solarian thought, which considers the former heretical, and that, while united in their pursuit for perfection, Elysian and Solarian thought diverge into two entirely different paths. It is also noteworthy to state that Elysian thought has been heavily impacted by the crushing hopelessness felt by the First Elysian Expedition following the Crisis of '55. This would perhaps serve to explain the reason behind Elysium's extreme approach to its relations with Solaria and methods of proselytising.

### Society:

It cannot be said that Elysian society is theocratic, as the Ark espouses no true religion and consequently answers to no god. However, the Ark's despot, and nonetheless its chief ideological prince, rules unquestioned over the Elysian people. Heavily mediaeval in its pursuit for ideological homogeneity, Elysian society is split among firm hierarchies that converge to the will of Winter.

#### The Despot:

The Despot is the sole, absolute and unquestioned ruler of the Elysian Ark. Under their guidance, the Despot will shape the very future of Elysium, and allow or deny alterations to the Elysian way of thought depending on both context and circumstance. Failing to obey the Despot is usually considered as high treason.

#### The Viziers:

The right hands of the Despot, the Viziers make sure that their Lord's will is upheld by all. They often surround and advise their Despot in a 'court' of sorts, and conjointly maintain the Ark in the Despot's absence. If a Despot loses their life, it is one of the Viziers that will eventually take their place.

#### The Mandated:

While the concept of guardsmanship and military is foreign to Elysian culture, and that due to the intrinsically warlike nature of the Elysian people, the Ark foregoes entirely the need for a dedicated army. Every Elysian is an army of their own, yet a host such as this one still requires guidance in order to achieve a maximum census of productivity. This is where the Mandated - the elders, and most trusted of the Elysian society - come into play. They enforce the Despot's edicts, organise the Elysians into productive teams and ensure that life within the Ark goes on smoothly.

#### The Host:

The Host are the bulk of the Ark, those researchers once part of Winter's team, as well as the newborn Elysians integrated into the Ark following its discovery by Solaria. The Host comprises able men and women of all kinds, all heavily cybernetically enhanced and capable of performing a varying degree of highly demanding tasks. An average Elysian will design and fit their cybernetics according to their own personality, and ensure - through their acquired or innate knowledge - that the Ark is potent and well. The Host also constitutes the Ark's main fighting force.

Elysians, in a way, are like cogs in a machine. All easily replaceable, interchangeable, yet equally fundamental to the machine's life. Given the nigh unending lifespan of the Elysian folk, Elysian society tends to be frozen and fixated, as promotions and shifts remain largely unnecessary. This however changes during times of strife, as Elysians sacrifice their immortal shells for the fulfilment of Winter's will.

### Daily Life:

Before the Solarian Empire's return, life within the Ark consisted mainly of building and waiting. Some spent the major part of the colony's separation from the Empire honing their new bodies and discovering means with which to fit their new suits with better gear. The nature, state and usage of ERA were researched, and some catered to the solving of the Ark's most peculiar issues such as the careful balancing of artificially-made hormone regulators and reproduction. Others, however, simply locked themselves in a state of stasis, only to be awakened after the return of Solaria.

When the Ark was finally discovered, however, life began brimming anew within it, as Elysium's denizens began animating the Ark's many workshops, repair stations, agoras and Gehenna rooms. An Elysian's life is eternal preparation in order to face what is to come, and steadfast resolve when indeed does the time of reckoning arrive.

### Incubators:

The Incubators are the Ark's solution to the problems surrounding fertility, or lack thereof. Due to ERA's radioactive nature, as well as the many cybernetically-related shifts an Elysian must undergo, the Ark's citizens have become impotent. Knowing only Platonic love, the Elysians have resorted to artificial reproduction through the usage of captured Solarians. Before their conversion into Elysians, said Solarians' reproductive cells are harvested and bonded in-vitro. The foetus will then grow within an incubator, that will transmit over the course of its development the necessary nutrients to keep the foetus alive. The incubating period does not halt when the foetus grows into a proper child, however; it continues until adulthood, when the adult is finally released and immediately made to harbour cybernetic enhancements. Throughout a child's time in the incubator, it will receive a constant feed of information through a dream-like state through the use of a special device directly linked to the child's brain. This device will ready the juvenile for adult life and teach them everything they need to know in order to benefit the Ark and integrate well into its society.

### Gehenna:

Gehenna refers to a set of designated areas, rooms or facilities dedicated to the conversion of Solarian individuals into the Elysian way of life. Gehennas are notoriously known to utilise chemical, biological, physical and psychological torture in order to progressively break their victims down and reshape them in a manner befitting Elysian society. Victims are repeatedly made to drown, infected with diseases and given cancers, as well as beaten and lacerated in order to demonstrate the weakness of their fleshly bodies. Some are deprived of sleep, food or water, while others undergo surgeries without the use of anaesthetics. The process of conversion usually takes a week, at the end of which the victim has either been fully broken and reshaped or killed.

### Technology:

The Elysian Ark is the most technologically advanced society across both Apollian and Solar systems. The use of ERA has rendered the Elysians nearly impenetrable through conventional weaponry, and has bypassed bodily requirements for food and water. The entirety of an Elysian's biological body is replaced with cybernetics, with the only exception being the nervous system - connected to all of the Elysian's appendages in order to simulate touch. Blood and hormones are artificially produced by machines spread across the Elysian's suit in order to sustain the survival of the brain. As for the bones, they are replaced with ERA-infused metal, much akin to the rest of the suit. The eyes and hair glands are either replaced or enhanced, while all skin except for that surrounding the face is removed. The face is kept majorly intact as a reminder of the Elysian's appurtenance to Humanity. Artificial skin covers the bodies of some Elysians, though offers no meaningful difference - beyond aesthetics - to Elysians that choose not to do the same. An Elysian's suit must always display a shapely, well defined, muscled human body, and that to represent the acquisition of perfection through cybernetics. As for armaments, these vary in sizes, shapes, calibres and nature, and can be found either independently carried by Elysians or directly inserted into their suits. The suits are powered by ERA. As for death through combat, providing the Elysian's nervous system has not been drastically impaired prior to their felling, said Elysian's peer may be able to resurrect them by collecting the Elysian's head and returning it to the Ark for reparations.