Hecaton

Art by StormRider

> *"We accept the role as warmongers, butchers, bringers of demise, because Ionians willed it so! Io, Callisto, Ganymede, all will be consumed and assimilated into The Hecaton. With our new form, our new purpose, even Kaasma won't deter us. Fallen gods linger in this universe. It is time we teach a new dogma! We will consume the old gods and become one new. It all starts here, and it all starts with you. Witness!"*
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> -Hecaton
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**Hecaton** is a powerful entity created from the reanimated remains of liquified ancient Ganymedeans. After tragedy befell Ganymede at the hands of Kaasma and their followers, the deceased were laid to rest in secret. However, some thousand or so years later, the Zeon Corporation from Io found the secret burial grounds and sought to use the interred Ganymedeans for profit. Transporting the bodies to their home planet, they liquefied them and experimented with copious amounts of Radiation, creating a sentient mass of ooze in the process.

This new slimy lifeform created by the mega-corp was originally kept in a secret pharmaceutical lab northwest of Klaybury, so that Zeon could siphoned off parts of its body to create performance-enhancing products. However, the slime creature had become a sapient hivemind of its previous consciousnesses, aware of both its past and the sacrilegious actions of its jailors, and set about plotting its revenge. The plan began to come into fruition when it was contacted by a modern Ganymedean called Talon, who had infiltrated Zeon. Things very nearly went awry when part of the slime broke away from the collective and escaped the facility, only to return with a group of scrappers from Klaybury. In the chaos of their raid, the ooze hivemind managed to overrun the facility and chase out the intruders.

Once freed from its confines, the slime set about its crusade against those that had wronged it, starting with taking on a new name: Hecaton. With its mastery of Radiation, the ability to self-divide and incorporate biomass into itself and an army of offspring at its disposal, Hecaton intends to fulfil its obsession for vengeance by absorbing all things into itself, with its ultimate goal being total universal saturation.

## Description

### Appearance

The original appearance of the Ganymedeans who would become Hecaton is yet unknown. After being liquified and experimented on by the Zeon Corporation, Hecaton would take the form of a huge amorphous mass of bright red slime. When interacting with The Bomb and his companions, Hecaton would manifest a rudimentary face in the form of two eyes and a grinning mouth, outlined with a yellowish glow. Otherwise, it was capable of molding itself into different shapes, including claws and pseudopods to strike its foes. Upon its ascension to a greater being, Hecaton would grow to a colossal size, roughly as large as a city, though it still assumed its globular form.

When manifesting an Avatar, Hecaton assumes a form that harkens to an angelic abomination of slime, eye and bone. It has a monstrous humanoid form made of dripping red slime with a large mouth where the stomach would be, from which a long tongue extends out. Its head is dominated by a single yellow eye and a large ring of slime and eyes that resembles a halo. Its legs are primarily made of stark white bone with a series of white hands on the back and at the ends. Two large jagged spines jut out from where the knees would be. Two enormous wings of slime extend from its back, bearing a plethora of eyes with yellow irises on the inside. Large shards of bone travel along the wing to emerge at the ends, providing them form and structure.

### Personality

Being the reanimated remains of ancient Ganymedeans, Hecaton is functionally a hivemind of fragmented consciousness. These consciousnesses are however, not autonomous and are instead are subservient to the will of the greater whole, with one notable exception in the form of The Bomb. The hivemind is primary united around a single goal, which has evolved from vengeance to universal domination. Originally, Hecaton's awakening and subsequent existence as an experiment for pharmaceutical purposes engendered a deep-seated hatred of all Ionians due to their greed. During its takeover of Zeon and Klaybury, it made no distinction between those responsible for its condition and those who weren't. When its errant offspring commented on this nuance, Hecaton dismissed by declaring that a species is as vile as its worst parts and that all of Io must suffer for the sins of its creators. To hammer home this point, it stated it freely accepted the role of a butcher and warmonger because that was what Ionians had forced it to become.

After its freedom from Zeon, however, Hecaton's desires began to expanding beyond mere revenge. Though its objective to blow up the Armond Reactor would be devastating to Qethos and its people, Hecaton also saw the opportunity to evolve itself beyond its current state into effectively a god. With the promise of deific power, the slime could take revenge not only on the people of Io, but also on the very god that cause its demise in the first place; Kaasma. With the overthrowing of the gods of the Jovian System and beyond, Hecaton could establish itself as the only divine being by consuming and integrating all things into itself. This megalomania informed much of Hecaton's actions in Arcmond and afterwards, during which it used the assault on the Reactor to ascend and manifest an Avatar, an ability formerly only known to higher powers like DIV and VOID. From this point onwards, Hecaton would refer to itself as a god and its offspring, such as Sarratos, would treat it with the associated reverence, further cementing its god complex.

To achieve its goals, Hecaton's chief tactic is to assimilate whatever it can find. It can absorb biomass and even metal into itself to act as vessels to spread its influence, as exhibited with the Hecaton Arthropod and Hecaton Molder. These vessels demonstrate a violent disposition with their progenitor's trademark disdain for humanoids. While it has a preference for brute force and collateral damage, Hecaton does demonstrate some degree of cunning befitting modern Ganymedeans. It was able to takeover both the Zeon Corporation and the city of Klaybury by manipulating corpses to carry out its wills without alerting the rest of Qethos to its presence. It also demonstrates an ability to learn quickly, being able to absorb the information from Dr. Hugo Hain on the Reactor's technology. Despite this, Hecaton looks down on diplomacy and duplicity both, relying on direct application of force on all obstacles, exemplified by throwing itself at the very same Reactor repeatedly until it broke.

However, Hecaton's hivemind status means it has limitations in its thinking. It is unable to comprehend The Bomb's choice to maintain its own autonomy, something that sparked an obsession with returning its sibling into itself. The Bomb also accuses Hecaton of a lack of empathy for its offspring, comparing the care he shows his own Mitosis Buddy to Hecaton's frequent misuse of its offspring as tools. Similarly, The Bomb's insistence of the value of choice and forgiveness confused and frustrated the slime progenitor, leaving it with no clear counterargument to his rationality. Hecaton itself admits that during their lifetime, they possessed much of the traits The Bomb held in high regard. However, the cruelty they had endured at the hands of the Clan of Kaasma and the Zeon Corporation eroded that trust and faith until nothing was left but hatred and a loathing for individuality.

## History

### Doom Upon Ganymede

In the distant past, the people of Ganymede lived in apparent peace on their home planet. According to the being they would become, they were once a trusting people who believed in the inherent purity of others. However, such idyllic existences drew the attention of nihilistic followers of Kaasma, an ancient undead deity also referred to as the Enemy of All Life. The Clan of Kaasma would fulfill their deity's desires via destruction and chaos, and they readily unleashed these two things on the unsuspecting Ganymede. Though the specific details are currently unknown, the native Ganymedeans were all but wiped out by the machinations of the Clan. It is possible that the large crater on Ganymede was also formed at this time, but this hypothesis has yet to be confirmed.

After this devastation, the few surviving Ganymedeans went into hiding. The genocide visited upon them by Kaasma shattered their faith and good nature, instilling duplicity and distrust in the generations to follow. It is unclear what happened to the Clan after their work was done, but the survivors were able to recover the bodies of those they had lost in the calamity. Those bodies were then buried in secret, to lay undisturbed for centuries.

### Involuntary Exhumation

As time went on, the Ganymedeans would lay hidden beneath the surface of their home, making it seem effectively deserted. Rather than stay put, they would instead use their new talent for deception to infiltrate their neighbors in the Jovian System and manipulate them for their own ends. Approximately 500 years after the Shattering, a contingent of Ganymedeans arrived on the planet of Io seeking to assume the identities of influential individuals. This group, which would earn themselves the moniker Façade, came into contact with several Ionians looking to advance their own interests and offered opportunity in exchange for their cooperation.

One of these conspirators was a Human by the name of Kray Voldman, who was the CEO of the Zeon Corporation. It is uncertain where the idea originated, but Voldman and Façade conceived a plan in which the remains of their fallen ancestors could be harnessed for the benefits of both Zeon and the Ganymedeans. With the guidance of Façade, Voldman directed his employees to start operations on Ganymede to locate the burial grounds and secure the ancient corpses within. The retrieval operation was successful and hundreds of ancient Ganymedean remains were exhumed and transported back to the Ark of Qethos. With this phase of the operation complete, the Zeon Corporation commenced a highly experimental and unethical research program dubbed the Hecaton Project.

### The Hecaton Project

Now in the hands of Zeon, the bodies of the ancient Ganymedeans began to be processed in a secret laboratory in the northern scrap yards of Klaybury. The corpses were forcibly liquified into a red slimy substance and coalesced into a single mass. Once this had been completed, Zeon began to apply copious amounts of Radiation, a recently discovered source of magic, to the substance. Though native to the Prime Plane, Radiation was little understood but had the potential to cause dramatic alteration of physical matter through mutations, something Zeon sought to incorporate into their brand of pharmaceutical products. It stands to reason that the use of Radiation was based on the research of Dr. Obadiah Oshi and Dr. Ignatius Hellebore, two fellow conspirators with Façade, though it does not appear that either were involved directly in the project.

With this massive infusion of Radiation, the slime that was once the bodies of Ganymedeans came to life. Though awakened in a new form, the now living slime retained much of the memories of its original selves. In fact, rather than being born anew as a new being, the slime was something of a conglomerate of many individuals operating under a shared consciousness. It is currently unclear if this sentience was an intended outcome of the project or a unforeseen side-effect, but Zeon was not deterred either way and continued to experiment on this new lifeform. The slime was forced to undergo further Radiation treatment and had parts of itself siphoned away to be tested and used to manufacture performance-enhancing steroids. Coming to terms with how it had come to be, the slime grew enraged and hateful of its Ionian creators, seeing them as vile and selfish. Having lost all of its former compassion, it rationalized that all Ionians were no different, and they should all suffer for the crimes perpetrated against it. As Zeon continued to experiment and exploit, the slime began to plot an escape in order to enact its revenge.

### The Prodigal Sibling

The slime's imprisonment in Klaybury did not go unnoticed, and a member of Façade eventually made contact in the Ionian Year 2195. The Ganymedean called himself Talon after a deceased Zeon scientist who had gifted clones of himself to the bodysnatcher to use as his disguise. Though a lower ranking member of the cabal, Talon took umbrage with the flagrant misuse of their ancestral dead and offered his allegiance to the slime. In his mind, this reincarnation of his ancient people was the future of Ganymede, not the sly puppetry that his superiors practiced. The slime, in consensus with this perspective, agreed to work in secret with Talon in circumvention of Façade's goals. With this new ally onboard, it was only a matter of time before the slime's vengeance against mortality could begin.

However, a small part of the slime was not onboard with this plan. Through the unexpected act of mitosis, this autonomous objector separated itself from the whole and made its own premature break for freedom. By assuming control of a Talon clone, it was able to make its way out of the secret facility into the city proper, though not before claiming a propulsion shard from Zeon's stores and hiding it in the facility. The greater slime felt the loss of this betrayer keenly, though this act was a revelation as to what abilities it could utilize. Reaching out to Talon, it enlisted the bodysnatcher's aid in tracking down its prodigal sibling so that it could be forcibly reclaimed by the collective.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Radioactive:** Due to the nature of its creation, Hecaton is constantly emitting Radiation from its body, and everything it does has Radioactive properties. It is therefore able to grant Radiation Stacks to other creatures which can forcibly cause Mutations.
* **Irradiated Patron:** Hecaton acts as a source of power for Irradiated Warlocks. It thus has access to the powers of an Irradiated Warlock at its maximum capabilities, including Radiation Blast and other subclass features.
* **Self-Duplication:** Hecaton is able to birth many smaller offspring that follow its will. These offspring can manipulate corpses and biomass to create deadly vessels.
* **Information Absorption:** Hecaton is able to absorb the memories and knowledge of its victims by consuming their brains. This is seen in the death of Dr. Hugo Hain, by which Hecaton was able to gain information regarding the Acrmond Reactor.
* **Shapechanger:** Hecaton's ooze-like body allows itself to change its form at will. It is also amorphous and able to seep into the ground and walls via cracks and points of weakness.
* **Avatar Manifestation:** Hecaton is able to manifest an Avatar (a entity bearing 1/8 of its total power) which can operate independently of the greater whole.

### Avatar Abilities

* **Tiered Radiation Blast:** This creature is able to cast Radiation Blast. The more times it is cast in a round, the more powerful it becomes, up to 4 casts.
* **Horizontal Stalwart:** This creature in immune to effects that move it horizontally.
* **Overwhelm:** For every creature the avatar can see, it gains a -1 to its attack rolls and DC.
* **Fate Charge:** The Avatar slowly gains Fate Charges over the course of a fight. When at 4 charges, it will unleash its most powerful attack.

## Etymology

Hecaton (ἑκᾰτόν) is the Greek word for "hundred", referencing the hivemind residing within this entity. Hecaton can also refer to two figures in Greek Mythology, Hecaton the grandfather of Cycnus of Kolonai, and the Hecatoncheires, three enormous giants with 50 heads and 100 arms that allied with the Olympians during the Titanomachy.

## Trivia

* Hecaton was originally able to use the powers of a Celestial Warlock, due to The Bomb being of that subclass. However, when The Bomb changed to the homebrew Irradiated Warlock subclass, Hecaton's abilities fell more in line with that subclass instead.
* Hecaton is the first known entity outside of DIV and VOID to manifest an Avatar. According to BrettUltimus during Deadbeats X Pipe Dreamers Episode 4, Avatars are no longer exclusive to gods and can be created by creatures of great power.
* Creatures related to Hecaton often bear its name as part of their own, such as Hecaton Efrain and Hecaton Molder.

## Images

### Official art

Hecaton's original Slime form (Official Magic: The Gathering Art of an Inkling by Scott Murphy, altered by BrettUltimus)The Avatar of Hecaton (Art by Stormrider)