Vygen

**Vygen**, otherwise known as the Machine God or, to the proponents of the Infinity Guild, the Challenger, was a ridiculously powerful and intelligent cyborganic creature created by the Vralminiir in the hopes of putting an end to the violent warring of their fragmented interstellar colonies. Possessing unfathomable intelligence and capable of rapidly adapting to any situation, Vygen easily subjugated the Vralminiir and established the Vygen Empire, which was one of the first great interstellar civilizations to emerge in the Milky Way Galaxy following the collapse of the Qutixma Worlds.

## Background

Of all the great leaders that have ruled the mighty civilizations of The Cluster, Vygen stands as one of the few that were fabricated entirely by the exact same populace they would eventually subjugate. Vygen came into being as a result of Vralminiir experimentation on the planet Vral Delghuum, where ancient cyborganic technology, left behind by a long lost civilization, had been discovered. The fragmented artifacts were reverse-engineered to create a cyborganic creature of unparalleled strength and potential, which, upon awakening, boldly introduced itself simply as Vygen. While intimidating, Vygen proved amiable towards the Vralminiir scientists that had constructed him, and quickly learned about the sorry state of Vralminiir interstellar civilization through them. Using primitive, inefficient Fold Drives, the Vralminiir had spent millennia expanding outwards into surrounding stellar neighborhoods, but this consistent, unbound expansion had come at a cost. Limited communications between colonies had led to massive cultural and economic schisms, and many colonies fought violent wars with each other over resources and conflicting ideologies. There was no political unity among the Vralminiir, and many worried that their civilization would eventually collapse if they could not be brought under the control of a single ruling power. In exchange for their unwavering loyalty and submission, Vygen promised those that had created him to create peace among all Vralminiir, an offer that was impossible to refuse. With the support of this small contingent, Vygen created a massive army of lesser cyborganic creatures with which to subjugate the independent Vralminiir colonies. The technologically-inferior forces of the scattered Vralminiir factions were no match for Vygen's perfectly-coordinated army of machine organisms, and within very little time, he succeeded in subjugating every last Vralminiir colony in existence. This marked the emergence of the magnificent Vygen Empire, which stood as one of the Milky Way Galaxy's largest, most technologically-advanced civilizations in recent history. Under the oppressive, almighty control of Vygen and his underlings, the Vralminiir were forcefully locked into a stratified, somewhat feudal society, instilled with a powerful religious reverence for Vygen that helped to solidify his control over them. His most loyal followers, those who had originally aided his rise to power on Vral Delghuum, were granted the gift of artificial immortality, and became the G1 Mercury Generals. In a relatively brief period of time, Vygen had become the veritable god of an entire alien species, but his thirst for power had not been sated. While he improved Vralminiir society with cyborganic technology that only he understood, Vygen schemed and pondered the ways in which he could further expand his influence.

Fortunately for Vygen, a new chance to gain tremendous power would appear in the form of Infinity Guild missionaries that had braved the Great Divide and crossed over into the Spur Trinity through the Golden Crescent in the hopes of attracting new followers from the recently-formed interstellar civilization. At first, Vygen persecuted these missionaries, fearing they would usurp his rule and cause disruption within the empire. However, he changed his attitude once he finally got the chance to confront them. After being told of the Infinity Guild and its leader, the enigmatic Only Hierophant, Vygen became extremely interested in that which lay beyond the impassable divides controlled by the White Qutixma. In the hopes of becoming even stronger, Vygen, alongside a massive congregation of his most loyal subjects, traveled to the Guild Expanse to meet with the Only Hierophant directly. Vygen quickly became obsessed with the religion of the Infinity Guild, and dedicated himself to studying the mysteries of Black Infinity in the hopes of becoming a Black Witness. Pleased with Vygen's eagerness and significant potential, the Only Hierophant educated him in the ways of the Infinity Guild, carefully guiding his ascension. While most individuals become Black Witnesses for the incredible knowledge it instills upon them, Vygen was driven solely by a desire to discover what kind of destructive power he could accumulate once his training was complete. After gazing into Un through the Nightmare Telescope, Vygen felt as though he had been imbued with limitless power, and was deeply satisfied with his decision to journey to the Guild Expanse. Just as he did with all Black Witnesses, the Only Hierophant expected a certain degree of servility and reverence from Vygen, hoping he would project the will of the Infinity Guild across the Great Divide. Vygen promised to help the Only Hierophant and act as his proxy, but this was a smoldering lie, as he had no intentions of ever aiding the Only Hierophant or the Infinity Guild now that his ascension was complete.

After returning to his empire, Vygen spent several millennia in solace and contemplation, using his extraordinary cyborganic intelligence to generate further insight concerning Black Infinity of his own accord. Although his studies went unnoticed by most of those in the Infinity Guild itself, the religious zealots that had followed him back to the Vygen Empire were awestruck by his revelations, and there are many that claim Vygen possessed more knowledge of Black Infinity's true nature than even the Only Hierophant himself. These zealots organized themselves into the Children of Vygen, a sizable cult that further bolstered Vygen's influence in the Spur Trinity. The Children of Vygen would come to play an important role shortly after their formation, aiding the Vygen Empire during the Final Platinum War. This war, although it was the largest and most destructive of all the Platinum Wars, was hardly noticed by Vygen, as he was far too preoccupied with his introspection to closely monitor the state of his civilization during the war. The defense of the Vygen Empire was left to his Mercury Generals, many of whom were destroyed in the war during brutal skirmishes with the forces of the Platinum Scourge. After the war had been concluded, Vygen was extremely disappointed with the ineffectiveness of his Mercury Generals against the alien menace, and had them all destroyed, engineering the vastly superior G2 Mercury Generals to take their place.

The insubordination Vygen displayed against the Only Hierophant did not go unnoticed for long. After realizing that Vygen would not willingly follow his directives, the Only Hierophant looked for ways to eliminate Vygen before he became a significant threat to his own power. Knowing that a direct assault would likely incite a war between the Vygen Empire and Infinity Guild (a war that, due to the Guild's decentralized structure and unorganized military, wasn't likely to result in victory on their end), so he instead relied on deception and subterfuge to turn Vygen's own subjects against him. Using his loyalists among the Children of Vygen as pawns, the Only Hierophant seeded the Vygen Empire with doubt and dissent, usurping the rigid order Vygen and his minions had maintained for thousands of years. Possessing far too much pride to admit his subjects were rebelling against him, Vygen ignored the growth of insurrection until it was too late, and found himself caught up in the cataclysmic Vralminiir Uprising. His loyalists fought righteously to maintain social order, but they were massively outnumbered by Vralminiir dissidents all across the Vygen Empire. However, the killing blow came from his Mercury Generals, who had also taken arms up against him and confronted Vygen inside his sanctum on Vral Miniir. Built using the same cyborganic technology, the Mercury Generals proved an equal match for Vygen, and were able to destroy him after a lengthy and violent battle. Although he was on the brink of death and had watched his empire reduced to ashes, Vygen refused to admit defeat. In his death throes, he mocked those that had killed him, claiming his death was only a temporary setback that would be easily rectified the next time a civilization sought to establish order amidst chaos. Despite the fact that he was no longer alive, the Vralminiir discovered that they could not completely destroy Vygen's cyborganic body due to its extreme durability and regenerative capabilities. Instead, they chose to bury his cyborganic body deep under the surface of Vral Hemrox, in the hopes that it would never be discovered by another civilization ever again.

## Appearance and Abilities

Throughout the history of the Vygen Empire, Vygen's true appearance was a closely-guarded secret, held only by his most trusted Mercury Generals. Being a cyborganic creature, his appearance is in a constant state of flux, shifting to accommodate his growing intelligence and any new abilities he may acquire. Vygen's flesh, which is a dark gray solidified mixture of various metals and synthetic compounds interlaced with reddish-pink "veins," can be moved and shaped with significant ease and precision, allowing him to take on nearly any shape he desires. To help regulate his size and power level, Vygen occupies a large, extremely durable metal cube, approximately 45 ft (13.7 m) in length, width and height. This cube, although it appears to be a single, unified piece of metal, is actually comprised of numerous interlocking plates that can be bent and folded by Vygen to create openings in the cube from which he can extend a wide variety of limbs and extensions, which his cyborganic body can quickly form. Vygen is particularly found of greeting his enemies with a massive, bulging synthetic eye that he extends outward towards them, even though he has already evolved beyond the need for conventional ocular apparatuses. Vygen is capable of swift levitation, and although this serves as his primary form of locomotion, he also enjoys being carried by his Vralminiir subjects, especially when introducing himself to the leaders of other civilizations.

While his durability and extreme regenerative abilities are very common among cyborganic creatures, the greatest strength possessed by Vygen is actually his terrifying intelligence, which not only makes him one of the greatest tacticians and commanders in the entirety of The Cluster, but also allows him to react to the movements of his enemies in direct combat, as well. When battling against another individual, Vygen can quickly analyze their movements and use his readings to predict their actions with almost perfect accuracy. The longer an individual fights Vygen, the better he is able to predict their behavior, until it becomes virtually impossible for them to win. Combined with the nearly limitless potential of his cyborganic body, Vygen can adapt to almost every conceivable situation, fabricating weapons out of his own body that are perfectly suited for the enemies he is currently facing. Although these abilities allowed Vygen to survive almost every attempt on his life, he met his match against his Mercury Generals, who had many of the same predictive powers as Vygen, allowing them to anticipate his actions just as effectively as he could anticipate theirs.

## Psychology and Behavior

Despite his incredible intelligence and long lifespan, Vygen's personality is not particularly complex or mysterious. He is an overt megalomaniac, relishing in the ability to control others and assert his dominance over entire civilizations. His cyborganic abilities make this extremely easy to accomplish, especially among already divided species/civilizations, and afterwards, Vygen enjoys further cementing his superiority into the very culture of the civilization he rules over, propping himself up as a divine figure. Vygen justifies this behavior through the fact that he is a cyborganic creature, often claiming that only a perfect being can be expected to foster the development of a perfect civilization. During his reign in the Vygen Empire, he has compared the state of Vralminiir civilization prior to and after his awakening, citing this as evidence that he is a perfect being and was the saving grace of the Vralminiir. This frequently-used mantra is evidence of the extreme narcissism that Vygen possesses, which also led to his insubordination as a Black Witness. Unlike most Black Witnesses, who, regardless of their status or abilities, remain subservient to the Only Hierophant out of both fear and faith, Vygen saw the Only Hierophant as an uninteresting false prophet that only possessed a rudimentary understanding of Black Infinity. During his period of contemplation after his ascension, Vygen plotted to overthrow and destroy the Only Hierophant after he had become powerful enough, eventually establishing himself as the supreme overlord of the entire Milky Way Galaxy. It is not known how successful this scheme would have been if Vygen had not been overthrown, but given his cyborganic physiology and unscrupulous methods, he would have, at the very least, been an equal match for the Only Hierophant.

Many would assume that Vygen's tremendous ego is what prevents him from ever admitting defeat, but there is evidence to suggest he is more than he appears to be. Although advanced, the cyborganic technology that comprises Vygen's body is extremely old, and is nothing like the cyborganics used by any other civilization in the recent history of The Cluster. However long he remained deactivated under the surface of Vral Delghuum is a mystery, but it is assumed that he was placed there well before even ancient species such as the Tuoctlo and Lapidus were rendered extinct, making him several millions of years old. Vygen expressed no particular worries once he was defeated by the Vralminiir, and seemed more than happy to go offline yet again, indicating that he has met a similar fate many times before at the hands of countless different civilizations. How Vygen originally came into being is something not even he can recall, nor can anyone else, but it is almost certain that his reign over the Vygen Empire was not the first time he has bent an entire species to his will, nor will it be the last.