Tendriculous Legion

**Dev. Status** | Conceptual

"*Well here it comes*

*Good God, here comes the night*

*Here comes the night*

*Lonely, lonely, lonely night"*

- "Here Comes the Night", by Them
The **Tendriculous Legion** is composed out of an army of creatures from a different universe with different laws of physics that grant them strange powers. With the forces invading the Earth being a faction of the strange extrauniversal creatures seeking to increase their own power at the expense of their rivals, the Legion is a terrifying neofeudalistic force from beyond the veil of reality as we know it.

## At a Glance

 **Intended Players** | Players who like to mess with their enemies.

## Background

### Walking Off Sunshine

The Tendriculous as they are called, are not native to our world, or even our universe. Inky, amorphous creatures that call a strange reality home, these beings would have likely never have come into contact with humanity had it not been for the Jade detonation in China (Norseverse) or the Combine meddling (Paradoxverse). But before one can examine how they came to know humans, one must first look at what they are. The Tendriculous do not adhere to the laws of biology as is understood by the factions of this universe, and are also obviously complex life forms, yet they lack organs and their "tissue" seems almost wholly undifferentiated save for what formations they create out of them. They can actually change their state of matter at will, forming gas clouds, solid implements, or turning themselves into puddles as is needed while actually being capable of forcibly binding their matter into other objects to take control of them - "possessing" them.

And yet, light appears to be antithetical to them, with high intensity sources having highly adverse effects on their strange and alien biology, while they seem to take comfort and solace in the night's darkness while spurning the warmth of the day. Why they can't seem to handle light is unknown, but it has consistently proven itself to be a highly effective weapon against their strange forms and those that they possess. Which has, of course, resulted in implications for the way they wage war, working frantically to snuff out whatever light sources they can find so as to shield themselves from the burning rays of day. For example, they can do little about the likes of Tesla or Spectrum weapons lighting them up save for trying to smash them. Biology is all well and good, but what about their history?

### Children of the Night

The Tendriculous evolved on a world whose name is utterly unpronounceable to the throats of non-amorphous beings and quickly ascended the food chain thanks to their amorphous natures. Spreading forth from their origin point, the Tendriculous in time developed such important things as civilization. Like humanity, they also developed such things as industry, harnessable energy, shelter and weaponry, then spread from where they began and explored all they could, becoming learned in the ways of science and the arts. Strange, alien cultures were developed and strange, alien nations were founded.

One such nation of them, known to humanity as Penumbralia, was a nation shattered by a conflict with its neighbors for the control of important resources. They were lost and alone, struggling to recover and rebuild from their defeat. But a mysterious figure came, known to the precious few who know of the lore of the Tendriculous as Tenebrous; a being that claimed that it was truly immortal and would deliver them salvation if they would but keep a flame burning with the bodies of those with the special gift to reach their minds out to others.

Both of its claims would prove to be validated. Tenebrous was seemingly unkillable and turned the fortunes of Penumbralia around completely. Where they had once been a shattered people, they were being lead to victory after victory, and many would come to see Tenebrous as being some sort of god. Others perhaps theorized that it was simply an immensely powerful psychic. But few could find a reason to explain the Dispater's obsession with keeping the fire burning at all times. Any attempts at snuffing the flame or delaying the supply of fuel were met with immediate hostility or even outright aggression from Tenebrous, so Penumbralia came to accept that this was simply something they should not touch.

Tenebrous would rule Penumbralia under feudalistic lines, dividing the land into the command of a nested series of vassals; whether they were councils or autocrats who would rule in its name. The fealty given to the Dispater was expected to be unquestioning but the supervision given to the underlings was more lax, so that the whole of society could move smoothly when direct intervention was needed, or be allowed local autonomy when it wasn't. However, to earn the wrath of the Dispater would be to live a very short life indeed, as the punishment for defiance was more often than not to be brought before Tenebrous to be devoured.

Penumbralia would grow into a great power, an empire in the darkness that would span a vast gulf of territory, but there were others who yet could challenge them in its domain. Other states remained unbowed and remained fierce foes of the supposedly immortal Dispater. Others still dared to call it a tyrant and a bully and were prepared to fight it to prove it. Such would tear apart all the hard work put over the course of so many years into making Penumbralia what it was now. Such would once again cast Penumbralia into the depths of loss and confusion. Such could not be tolerated. New avenues had to be considered now, for the future of the nation.

### The Heart of Darkness

The Dispater had crafted a powerful military for Penumbralia, a force that would come to be called the Tendriculous Legion. It would be this army forged out of what had once been a people who had been a collection of wayward souls, their sorrow and fear forgotten as they submitted to the will of Tenebrous. They would be elevated into a warrior class so that they could exist free of the concerns of the civilian sphere. And it would be this military that Tenebrous had used to lead its people to glory after glory, the Legion seeming unconquerable as it vanquished foe after foe. However the strangest test of their forces would come as a result of a Combine expedition.

Testing the various worlds accessible to them by the power of the Astrogate, the Combine had come into the shadowy, twisted reality of the Legion. It was this incident that had broadened the spectrum of the Legion's attentions and brought the eye of the Dispater to new spheres. The Combine's intrusion into the shadow reality would unknowingly draw these two separate universes into conflict, and unlike some other realities such as that of the Ascendancy of Pyramids, the Tendriculous' home were very willing to poke into the other side for the sake of claiming it as their own. And with this new opportunity afforded to them, Tenebrous commanded that its Legion scout out the new world.

First, of course, the Combine had to be convinced that this new world was not worth permanently settling in, lest they interfere in the secretive plans of the Legion. Though with the toxic nature of their universe to intruders who were not shielded in light, the Combine needed relatively little convincing that this endeavor was going to require heavier firepower. But before they could just pack up everything and leave, the Legion struck to seize what they could of the Astrogate and put the loremasters of Penumbralia to work studying it. Study it they did, tinkering with it with all the tools that the Penumbrans could put to the task.

They finally managed to crack the secrets of the Astrogate with the benefit of all the materials they had at their disposal and their own ingenuity. While this technology would function somewhat differently than what the Combine had created, it would serve the purpose of allowing the Legion through to the other side perfectly well. With the success of the project, the Dispater commanded that a think tank be created so as to prepare the Legion for operations on the other side of the gate, giving them the leeway needed to carry out their research.

With these orders being funneled down the vassals of the Dispater, the Penumbrans were suddenly abuzz with newfound activity directed towards preparing for the crossover into the new world. Every snippet of information regarding the Combine's home was poured over by the shadowy intellects of the amorphous creatures, and they determined that their home universe would be the best possible place for the Legion to begin its expansions. With references to a hateful source of light in there, the Legion would need to come extra prepared for whatever dangers may lay on the other side.

### Let There Be Shade

At last, the Legion would begin to enter the new world through its newly built gates. A shadow in a confused and broken world had emerged, striking at the dark corners of the Earth. And yet they found that the world was a very strange place even without their presence. A convoluted underbelly of intrigue and secret wars had developed and they had just stepped into the ring. But they remained undaunted; the Dispater had commanded that they press onwards and its vassals had relayed as much to the rank and file. They would expand for the glory of Penumbralia and they would add more of this world's psychics to its pyre.

The Legion would find that while some were more concerned with the surface politics of the world, there were others who were quite capable of directing resources to oppose their efforts. Steam and clockwork-using warriors were among the first to notice the sinister forces gathering in the shadows. Masked and gas-slinging soldiers similarly engaged with the Legion quite often, other times seeming to even outright assist them in their attacks on the Earth. Machines who already had plans for this universe quickly reported to their fellows that a new force had entered the fray and needed to be fought against if their great plans were to be realized. Aliens who had come to take the planet for themselves soon showed that they were in no mood to brook competition from beings of another reality, and verminous hordes below the Earth sought to drive these newcomers before them.

Elsewhere, men from other timelines did battle with these strangers from another universe, recognizing them as bringing nothing good to the scene just as various intelligence groups started to piece together clues of a strange, as of yet faction at work and involved in numerous strange incidents. In the often dust cloud and ion storm-darkened wastes of China, surreal battles were waged as the Tendriculous launched furious probing assaults in a forsaken land that was already the site of full-scale war between the world's more supernormal factions. Often already furious engagements would be interrupted by the appearance of the Tendriculous, their variable forms streaming out into this new reality, clinging to the shadows to wage yet more war on a world that is already burdened with it. At the top of it all, the Dispater schemes as sacrifices are brought to its flame and secret bases are established for further Legion operations.

## Unique Faction Mechanics

### Possession

All Legion infantry units have a special power where they can attempt to; instead of a normal attack, try to posses an enemy. This causes the unit to inflict a sum of morale damage equivalent to its hit point total, though larger units get inbuilt resistances to possession. If multiple tendriculous are used in such a way, cheaper units can be used to possess larger and more steely minded units. Units such as commandoes are flatly immune to possession. Corpses can be possessed, but suffer severe penalties to most stats until full symbiosis is achieved, at which point they resume normal function.

### Matter shift

Whereas the Red Alert 3 engine was confined to singular special abilities, the new engine will allow for multiple special abilities. This will include phase changing, where Tendriculous units can go between solid, liquid, and gaseous states. Solid states are the only state in which they can fully attack an enemy, liquid form allows for concealment (reduced range at which they can be spotted) in darkness, while gaseous form allows them to possess enemy units. State changing takes time however; during which the Tendriculous is immobile.

### Spurners of the light

The Tendriculous Legion makes full usage of lighting and and the day-night cycle. If exposed to light such as daylight, searchlights, or the like without a host, Tendriculous units start taking damage over time. Similarly most energy and flame weapons deal extra damage to tendriculous units, even if they are possessing a host.However, in dark conditions the Legion's units can slowly recover lost health.

### Void Field

The Legion can set up zones of control that block out light, severely reducing most illumination effects in effectiveness (generally limiting them to a smaller area), while protecting "naked" tendriculous units inside even during daytime. Similarly, the healing of Tendriculous units is accelerated in this terrain; infested as it is by the stuff of their home universe, and enemy units within it suffer noticeable damage over time unless protected with illumination that banishes the damage over time.

### Corrupted Ground

The longer an area remains under a void field, the more toxic and dangerous the land becomes to beings not of their universe. Water is replaced by a toxic black ichor, the air becomes dangerous to breathe, the soil brooks no native life. Ground under a void field goes through stages of toxicity. The more toxic the terrain, the more dangerous it is to cross them. Toxicity remains even after a void field is pushed away or if light had been brought into the field, though the toxicity decays.

## Units and Structures

*"Let me illustrate this with a simple analogy. You, in front of what AURA device you used to connect to this forum, feel the need to answer the call of nature. Going to the toilet, however, you notice that some of the darkness has congealed into something more solid, a puddle on the floor. Then you try the usual light tricks to see if it's really just a shadow or if someone left an oil stain on the floor, but the solid blackness moves away from all your lights. Eight seconds later, the blot of darkness starts to move to form a deadly shape with only hateful eyes of white to identify it; but those quickly trigger your mind to flick the light switch, causing the blot to disappear for now. Now, in another scenario: imagine yourself outside with a light switch that only functions for 12 hours..."*

- Highly-rated story from AURA thread "sans slumber". Said poster did not post for five weeks after this was made.
### Buildings

*"...complete absence [of] photons. Location status estimated to be drifting towards permanent senescence. Shadows slowly losing coherence..."*

- Datalog 64h

### Defences

***"SUBMIT TO THE CHILL OF THE GRAVE"***

- Psychic message to Kumun forces assaulting a Tendriculous base

### Combat Forms

*"Hell is not hot and fiery, but dark and chilly; devoid of its devils, for they are here..."*

- Shellshocked Conduit veteran

### The Possessed

These pre-possessed troops offer a means for the Legion to do operations even in daylight or into illuminated safe zones. Possessed troops still take additional damage from energy and flame weapons, but are fearless as the possessing Blot will leave behind the body of their victims upon their deaths and make an attempt to steal flesh once again.

*"Uh sir, Henri's gotten back up, oh god why is he purple and black now? Mary mother of Christ, why are his eyes glowing...Henri, snap out of it, it's me, Madeline! H-Henri?!"*

- French peacekeeper sergeant Madeline
*"So much fear, so much **noise**."*

- The corpse of Henri

 File:IconProtectorate.png | Revenant

### Vehicles

*"No, they **are** not made up of shadows. Shadows **are** made up of them."*

- Ragnarr Laufey, Fylkirate Drengr

### Aircraft

*"Copy that. Weapons locked. Making another pass. We should have this area cleared up in a jif-Oi why's it gotten dark all of a sudden? Command, are you reading me? Call me a loonie but I think I'm seeing monsters... oh bugger."*

- BUAC squadron leader on a clandestine mission to deal with reports of the living dead

### Watercraft

***"UPDATE**: We have lost contact with four of our own* Yari*-class submersibles near the Antarctic Sea."*

- Imperial missive

## Behind the Scenes

The Tendriculous Legion are based on all manner of stories of darkness and the dangers of travelling to realities with divergent laws of physics, and owe a considerable intellectual debt to Metroid Prime 2's Ing horde and dark world.

****Tendriculous Legion****Paradox Annihilation Faction