Nuclear Beasts

E.D.E.N. and other concepts

The Ecological Development and Enhancement Network.

I'd like the ability to add new Beasts in later. Thus, the game background needs some reason why the Beasts might be separated. There should be hints that there are other Breeds out in the wastes, waiting to be contacted.

Hm.

Perhaps the "real enemy" is the alien ecology slowly consuming the south. An isolated A.I. in the Verde started creating animal servants. First, shock troops to fight the monsters that were entering the area and hunting the regular animals to extinction. Followed by support troops and scouts to coordinate their activities. Finally, humanoid Beasts to take the place of Man and reactivate His creations.

There are hints that there are other Edens and other Breeds of Beast elsewhere in the wastes.

There are Exterminators patrolling the edges of the Verde, but they don't come into the green area. They tend to kill Beasts on sight, but any creature that presents an ID card will be ignored as a civilian (so long as they don't attack the robot, of course). The Exterminators slaughter the alien life forms mercilessly.

The Gates of Eden might even be a real place: a set of incredibly large blast-doors leading (presumably) to an underground complex. They've been shut for generations. No new Beasts... no new instructions. God has fallen silent.

The psychic powers would have been developed to help in their struggle. Rending was one of the first ones devised and it appeared with the First Generation of Beasts. Other, stranger abilities were developed later.

Another option is that the first Beasts were slaves and the High Beasts (the third generation) did indeed rebel against their maker and slay "him". Alternately, the A.I. may have felt that creating the High Beasts fulfilled its obligations to humanity and it shut itself down. I could use the White Wolf method and treat several different beliefs as possible truths.

• The Beasts were created as slave/weapons. The High Beasts were too much like Man and destroyed the A.I. that made them.
• The Beasts were created to preserve their species from extinction. The High Beasts were an attempt to recreate Man. The A.I. mysteriously shut down (or at least ceased all communications) shortly after the third generation was released. It may have done so because the Beasts had begun to develop psychic powers.
• The Beasts are a cultural blank, much like the races in Albedo. Their origin is an utter mystery to them. Ancient legends say that each new generation would travel to the Verde from the south in a trance; when they awoke, they remembered nothing of their past. Beasts who tried to follow their route back never returned. The legend of Eden was invented to explain it all.
• The A.I. that created the Beasts is still around, but has cloaked itself in mystery and enigma. A priesthood of Wolves (the First Folk) still guard and worship it. Once in a great while it actually issues a command, but for the most part it remains silent. It may well have gone mad. The Caretakers might serve as its secret police/spies.
• There were three sacred places from which each generation issued. Each group was created separately, but made peace when they encountered the other Breeds. Those places are sealed now. No one knows how many other such places there are, spread across the country.

Posted by Kiz at June 9, 2004 04:31 PM