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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8107450" data-attributes="member: 30538">Vulcan<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-H3WC82H/0/d8878470/S/3304119-warworld%201-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Main body<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-GQVzfbh/0/6a5532fb/S/Imperiex_Prime_1-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />DroneIn 1859, the French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier hypothesized that certain perturbations of the orbit of Mercury could be explained by the presence of a small planet between it and the sun. While he met with an amateur astronomer, Edmond Lescarbault, who claimed to have observed such a planet, most other researchers would fail to confirm these observations. Decades later, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity offered an explanation for the oddities of Mercury's orbit which did not rely on the presence of another planet, and so Vulcan, as the hypothetical world had been named, retreated into the realm of phlogiston and luminiferous aether. Sightings were dismissed as having been mistaken glimpses of other stars and even sunspots.Lescarbault's observation was not such a mistake, but rather a glimpse of something much more terrible.The entity known as Vulcan is roughly 850 kilometers (528 miles) in diameter, and constructed from hyperdense metals more advanced than any current space-faring civilization can manufacture. It moves through space and hyperspace on no predictable pattern, sometimes (as in the 19th century) passing through inhabited star systems and taking no action, and sometimes dispatching enormous humanoid drones to visit the inhabited planets of those systems and begin a procedure that drains the vital energies of these worlds and their inhabitants. This kills them slowly, over the course of weeks or months, unless the drones are prevented from doing so.Vulcan itself is as close to indestructible as anything in the known regions of the universe can claim to be. While certain vessels used by the Dark Side can devastate an unshielded planet, such as Earth, within a relatively short amount of time, not even these ships are capable of actually destroying a body on the size of a planet. And Vulcan possesses shielding, and is made out of material far more durable than the natural materials of a planet.The drones are considerably more vulnerable, and Vulcan apparently has a limited number of them. Some sources claim that it attacked Daath in the mid 1970s, and was repelled after the recently arrived Abraxas destroyed eight of its drones before they could damage the dark world's ecosystem, prompting the wandering planet to depart. (This is supposedly the reason that he was invested as the effective ruler of Daath by Ananke.) This should not be taken as evidence that Vulcan can only create eight drones at a time; even if it was limited in that way in the past, that was more than forty years ago, and it has had ample opportunity to improve upon itself.Vulcan is also the entity whom Eradicaton regards as his master, to whom he intends to offer the worlds of the Sol system as gifts. Vulcan has no idea of this being's existence, and will likely give him no more attention than it does any other being. Its motive appears to simply be to satiate its need for energy, but surely an entity such as this could gain all the energy it needs from solar sources. When questioned, the being's drones have claimed to be serving a higher purpose than that, but refuse to answer any questions about the nature of that purpose, claiming that no other entity could appreciate their concerns.Overcoming Vulcan, as opposed to simply defeating its drones and sending it to flight, will likely require finding a way to board its structure and make one's way to its core, where the living entity who controls it -- what remains of the Olympian named Mulciber -- can be found. Neither the journey to that place nor the battle to be fought there will be easy ones, and the whole affair borders on a mythic accomplishment.Vulcan Drone -- PL 16Abilities:STR 18 | STA -- | AGL 0 | DEX 6 | FGT 12 | INT 10 | AWE 6 | PRE 1Powers:Automaton: Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Protection 8, Impervious 12 - 70 pointsDatalink: Radio Communication 4; Comprehend Languages 4, Activation (Standard Action, -2 points); Comprehend Machines 2; Quickness 8, Limited to Mental; Senses 3 (darkvision, radio) - 39 pointsEnergy Manipulation: Array (40 points)<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Destructive Beam: Ranged Damage 20 - 40 points</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Energy Counter: Nullify Esoteric Power 20, Broad - 1 point</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Energy Drain: Burst Area 2 Weaken Stamina 14, Activation (Standard, -2 points) - 1 point</li> </ul>Gargantuan: Permanent Growth 16 (Strength +16, Protection +16, Speed +2, Intimidation +8, Stealth -16, Dodge -8, Parry -8), Innate - 49 pointsThrusters: Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 18 pointsAdvantages:Accurate Attack, Assessment, Eidetic Memory, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Startle.Skills:Expertise: Galactic 5 (+15), Expertise: Science 6 (+16), Ranged Combat: Energy Manipulation 6 (+12), Insight 7 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+15), Perception 8 (+14), Technology 6 (+16).Offense:Initiative +0Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 18)Destructive Beam +12 (Ranged Damage 20)Energy Counter +12 (Ranged Nullify 20)Energy Drain -- (Burst Area Weaken Stamina 14, Resisted by Fortitude)Defense:Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 24, Will 14.Totals:Abilities 64 + Powers 218 + Advantages 5 + Skills 22 + Defenses 26 = 335 pointsComplications:Sustenance--Motivation. Monologues About The Deeper Meaning of Their Actions.</blockquote>

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