Re'Lu

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The Re'lu in Deadlock II: Shrine Wars

**Re'Lu** is one of 7 playable Races in *Deadlock: Planetary Conquest* and *Deadlock II: Shrine Wars*.

## Advantages

* Command Corps can Mind Control enemy Units.
* Scouts can incite rebellions in enemy territories.
* Can see entire map and all territories.

## Description

> *From "DEADLOCK: PLANETARY CONQUEST PART II: COLONY LEADER’S GUIDEBOOK" p. 16-17*
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The Re'Lu are a symbiont race. The Re'ite is the humanoid half while the Lu'ite fang beast is the animal half. These two organisms have a strong physical dependence on each other. Most Re'ites are quite weak and depend on the strength of their fang beasts for personal defense. The Lu'ites also have a strong dependence on the Re'ite. They have no eyes and need to instinctively "see" through the Re'ite.

Re'ites and Lu'ites primarily connect telepathically. The Re'ite channels all distracting thoughts out of his/her head into the Lu'ite beast. This allows the Re'ite to mentally focus on a task and solve it quickly. The Lu'ites enjoy the telepathically projected "distracting thoughts" and find them soothing. Re'ite thought waves cause the Lu'ites to coo. Daily life in a Re'Lu settlement is quite relaxing as Lu'ite cooing sounds are everywhere. These sounds are often incorporated into Re'Lu music.

Their telepathy also lets them visualize all of the surface of a planet. They can see both the World and Settlement Views without spying units or surveillance equipment. This lets them see military units massing in territories that normally are hidden from other races. Unfortunately, their telepathy does not let them see cloaked units.

Re'Lu powers are strong enough to mind control other sentient beings. This is especially true if the target is experiencing large amounts of fear. A powerful ability during battles, most units can be mind controlled to turn on fellow units. The effect of this is permanent. If mind controlled unit survives the battle they will always fight for the Re'Lu. Re'Lu Command Corps units all have this ability. The telepathic power needed for this is huge however, and so the mind control attack must be done at a close range. Only buildings, defense systems, warheads, and militia cannot be mind controlled.

Although fear gives them total mind control over an individual, the Re'Lu can also mildly affect normal emotions. This ability lets them turn all emotions into anger. Scouts are often assigned to subvert an enemy's population. Feelings of scandal and starvation begin to cloud the minds of the Re'Lu targets. This actually causes these individuals to feel large amounts of anger -- thus lowering morale. This lowered morale spreads. As more colonists become angry they project these emotions to other individuals, causing more and more colonists to rebel against their leaders.

A supreme telepath controls all Re'Lu settlements. This individual is the Overseer. The Overseer has total control over a colony until the Supreme Hi'Jer Council feels his or her services are no longer required. Then a council of telepaths are elected to run the colony; often however the Overseer is still given a high position on this council. Their quest for knowledge never stops. The Re'Lu are very curious about the ancient civilization that was on Gallius IV. Once they get total control of the planet they will be able to carry out their archeological excavations in peace. The hope to discover if members of this race escaped the Skirineen. If they did, they hope to find any clues as to where this civilization might be now

## History

> *From "DEADLOCK: PLANETARY CONQUEST PART II: COLONY LEADER’S GUIDEBOOK" p. 17-18*
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The primitive Re'ite humanoid evolved side by side with the dog-shaped Lu'ite beast; they developed both a physical and a mental dependence to these creatures. Somewhere towards the end of the Metageisic Era Re'ite remains are found next to Lu'ite remains, indicating that the Re'ites had perhaps trained the beasts to fight for them. Early cave etchings show the Lu'ite defending the Re'ite while the Re'ite attacks a creature from afar with ingenious catapults, firebrands, and large spears. Other paintings depict the Lu'ites being given food, warmth, and shelter. The Re'ite gradually became even smaller and weaker while the Lu'ite grew larger and their fangs longer and more dangerous. At first the primitive Lu'ites had eyes, but as dependence on the Re'ite grew their need for eyes became unnecessary. Eventually the Lu'ite evolved into the sightless beast it is today.

Re'Lu civilization developed very quickly. Re'Lu began banding together, building large thought fortresses to keep out the beasts that roam Ye'Midi, their homeworld. Many historic conflicts occurred in these fortresses. The most notorious one was between Tiota Vitus, a mind wave engineer, and Calis Natronis, another mind wave engineer. Both claimed to have discovered a way to project thoughts over a short distance. They got support from different sides of the thought fortress and several Lu'ite battles happened inside the compound. Eventually Overseer Nota Nota moved in with his cadre of troops.

Nota Nota had a tough problem. Many Re'Lu demanded the insurgents be made an example of in some harsh way -- some even demanded the punishment of death. Nota Nota did not want to set a precedent of fear among Re'Lu communities, as a greater problem of creativity and innovation was at stake. Instead he ruled that both groups be ostracized on separate mountains and that any discoveries made by either group could not be allowed into the Re'Lu scientific community until all the perpetrators were deceased. Fifty-seven years passed before the last insurgent died. A group of researchers moved in to see what they had been working on for all this time. What they found was amazing. The insurgents had continued work on enhancing mind wave projections. They had created a primitive thought projector. This device made it possible to move thoughts over great distances, including outer space. Ancient Re'Lu space travel began.

The data received from telepathic exploration kept Re'lu astronomers busy. Of course the telepathic beam had limitations. Often the data received was faulty. And any kind of special field such as a quasar or a black hole would throw off the beam into a totally different direction. Physical space travel did not begin for another two hundred years, once it was discovered that the Humans had begun physical space travel.

Re'Lu contact with the Humans started when a telepathic beam contacted their homeworld, Earth. Once the Re'Lu discovered that there was intelligent life in this sector, they tried even more contact with them. The Re'Lu projected four images. They sent an individual image of themselves extending their arms in friendship, their hovercraft airplanes flying through the air, a Re'ite petting a Lu'ite, and a hovercraft landing with a Re'Lu exiting the ship. The images they received from the Humans were very disturbing. Humans were seen hurting themselves by running away and tripping. Some Humans emanated loud noises that hurt Lu'ite ears. Then there was an image of Humans detonating some sort of crude metal projection device in front of them. Of course the tiny bits of metal that this device threw would pass right through their telepathic projections. Often this weapon would be thrown on the ground and the Human would run away screaming. Many Re'Lu thus concluded that these aliens were partially insane.

The Re'Lu argued whether or not it was worth contacting these strange beings. However, the Re'Lu Overseers felt it was worth the risk. When the Re'Lu warily met the Humans on Inalga VI, their tense intergalactic relationship began. Initially they greeted each other with enthusiasm. This ended, though, when some Human activists felt that the Re'ites should release their link with the Lu'ites. Although not all Humans believed this, the Re'Lu were highly offended with this suggestion. Some Re'Lu saw the Humans only as sophisticated savages and began to regard them with contempt. These prejudices have never turned to violence until the Re'Lu and Humans started fighting each other over Gallius IV.

## Gallery

**The Re'lu in Deadlock: Planetary Conquest**