I drew this up before recalling that they (Or one of them at least) have already appeared. It's been banded around the IRC for a bit and refined from the original
They then sat for a while before I figured out what they could be used for. The Metaverse Incident. Partly because It might give a fic I've been kicking for a while a shot in the arm by having antagonists with an actual goal that's 'interesting' rather than a simple 'Hurr Make Money'. You've got an AR system with no protections in it because the designers never expected it to need them, what can you do with it?
They're a hammerdrop on the plot. Literally.
After that, they're up for grabs as open characters.
Who eventually chases them down and brings them to heal? Who actually built them? And what happened to this person?
Also. I blame Rob. He introduced me to this series.... IT'S HIS FAULT NOT MINE!!one. And I couldn't think of many other 'enemies' who'd fit the bill required.
------
The Wolkenritter first appearred towards the tail end of 2015, taking part in the Zwilnik raid on Baptistina Station, catching the defenders completely off guard with their capabilty. Only the timely intervention of fate kept a disaster from occuring. It was still the deadliest single incident since the fall the the Dark Tower. Based on their performance, Great Justice analysts concluded that they were some form of dedicated combat CI. For a time, rumours flew that they were even genuinely capable of 'magic' and that some Boskone mad had gone off the deep end and come up with something wild. The truth wasn't discovered until their creator was finally tracked down and brought to justice in 2019.
The Wolkenritter were tough, fast adversaries, with spectacular pyrotechnics accompanying fully-drawn holographic 'magic' circles. The effects show served to wholly demoralise Fen forces fighting back against them, especially those familiar with the source material. They also had the sense to withdraw from combat when it looked like there were at risk of being defeated, making analysis of their body construction beyond cursory visual and sensor observations almost impossible. By all accounts, they were a one-on-one match for Great Justice elite forces.
They were most often spotted escorting thionite shipments. They launched regularly offensive raids against GJ bases, waystations and patrols to clear a path and divert attention from shipments. It was in the course of one of these shipments that they came across Len Gale. A girl, injured in the crossfire. Seeing themselves honourable warriors, they took her with them, hoping that their master would help heal her injuries. A broken back left her unable to walk.
He refused, seeing the girl as a liability.
Being 'Knights' with a code of honour, they refused to murder her in cold blood. Instead, as a compromise, she was taken into their personal care.
Gale sowed the first seeds of doubt in their minds. Gale's reaction to her father's death caused them to sprout and take root. It was Gale who first asked them to consider what a 'Knight' would do, as opposed to a stone-cold killer. She became their moral compass as they started to question what they were being ordered to do.
Meanwhile, The Space Patrol and Great Justice began a search for the kidnapped daughter of a slain base Commander. After three months, with the Wolkenritter's help, Gale was able to get a message out, which could be traced back to source.
Called to account for their actions, they were found only partially responsible due to extreme coercion and manipulation, and were subject to probationary oversight as condition of their release into society. They must regularly maintain contact with local Patrol detachements and inform Great Justice of their movements.
Aware that they killed her parents and the hurt that this caused, they swore fealty to Gale, choosing her as their master and moral compass. It was part atonement, part gratitude for her help in overcoming their creator. Gale herself, has recovered fully from her injuries and has forgiven the Knights for the death of her parents. While she accepts their need to feel responsible to her, she hopes one day that they'll be able to live for themselves.
The Wokenritter are keen to make amends, while finding their place in the 'verse. They are honourable warriors, glad of continuing peace while continuously preparing for war. They have taken students interested in studying and developing their martial arts, and stand in the reserve ranks of Great Justice ready to defend the weak at request, as a true Knight should.
After a short spell living in Crystal Hiroshima, they moved to Shin-Azubajuban for privacy's sake. Both to hide from those who think the Wolkenritter should still be brought to justice, and from those who take fandom just that little bit too far.
==
The Wolkenritter are human. The Wolkenritter *were* human. While the majority of Boskone leaders were pleased with the Berserkers, ultimately they were being defeated by their lack of intellect. Once the horror value passed, they were easy to defeat as they were incapable of thinking tactically. The Wolkenritter were an attempt to avert this, by creating a powerful cyborg warrior, absolutely loyal to their master but still capable of planning, thinking and reasoning tactically. They retained their free will, with their loyalty ensured by a web of lies, indoctrination and a Knight's code of honour specifically created to make them controllable by their master.
It was, their creator believe, a simple way to control very complex beings.
4 subjects were chosen. Their identies were utterly erased, and replaced with the template It is believed the Metaverse AR system on Genaros may have been used. The identity of The Wolkenritter was chosen as it was ready-made and formed a compelling fiction, while being able to strike a memetic cord within Fenspace. They believed they were the last Belkan Knights, final survivors of a pre-human space-born civilisation. They believed it was their solemn duty to protect and serve their master, a belief that was held up by the weight of ages behind them.
They truly believed their abilities were magical in nature, pre-dating the human civilisation on Earth.
Instead, their bodies have been augmented by cybernetics beyond the 75th percentile, giving them beyond-human resilience, strength and reaction times, while incorporating built-in flight capabilities and neural augmentations. Many of the technologies used in their construction had been leaked to the Boskone over the course of 6 months by a traitor within the Cyber Confederation. Their weaponry was augmented with built-in speed-drives and inertia control technology. The 'magic' was little more than laser emitters built into their armour.
They are all networked through their implants, capable of instantaneously trading thoughts and information, maintaining an enhanced situational and tactical awareness. Even sensory data such as touch, smell and sound can be shared [Or Witheld] among them at will. Reinforce, the only 'true' CI among them and actually a Boskone Light Cruiser, acts as the central node, supporting and routing the others while providing full data analysis as needed. As a security measure against rebellion, they were incapable of surviving without this mutual mind-link.
Their operating software has been modified to allow them to exist independently of the link if they wish. Although no-longer bound by it, they choose to maintain it nonetheless, being 'used to the company'. Being seperated from it for any length of time makes them uncomfortable.
Ultimately, the link would prove their undoing. Once the protocols were properly dissected by the hacker-underspace, it was possible to poison the link with bad data, ultimately forcing them to surrender by revealing the truth of their existance to them in a way they couldn't ignore. It shattered their brainwashed illusions once and for all and forced them to confront the fact that they weren't who they thought they were head-on. Freed from their master's control, at the encouragement and urging of Gale, they surrendered peacefully to Great Justice.
So far, only Vita's original identity was confirmed, as being a first-year student originally missing from Hogwarts named Penelope Buckfast. The original identity of the others remains a mystery. Together, they concluded that the people they were created from have effectively died in the process, and that each of them is a whole, new person. This hasn't stopped others searching them out seeking closure.
-----
Based on fictional characters, to a point. Allows others to predict their their actions and personality to a certain degree. Their voices however, are their own. Signum especially speaks with a noticeably higher and sharper pitch.
The Wolkenritter are advanced Cyborgs, with all the attendant bonuses and problems.
Their weapons and armour are heavily waved, synchronised with the wearer's mind. Effectively, they're a part of the owner's body.
Built into their armour and equipment are a number of devices intended to specifically imitate the effects as seen in the anime. It's smoke and mirrors, to disorient and disrupt the enemy.
The Wolkenritter can share information between themselves. Sensory information, tactical data, positioning and mapping, with Reinforce as the central node.
They are sworn by choice to protect and defend Gale.
They still follow their own private Knight's Code, attempting to live up to Gale's expectation. Its creation may have been a lie, but its existance is a truth nonetheless.
==Quirks.==
The Wolkenritter are linked together. While they can now seperate if they especially desire privacy, seperating from the link for too long makes them uncomfortable. Like keeping someone alone for a few days.
The Wolkenritter require regular extensive maintenance to their systems from someone with skill.
They have to call their attacks out loud, to active some of their cyber abilities. In general, these correspond spell names. It's a serious flaw built into their systems.
They are still lawfully under probation, and are required to report their progress regularly. Due to their nature, violations may be harshly dealt with.
They absolutely refuse to use virtual reality systems.
They themselves have long since decided not to keep searching for their original identities. At best, it will be awkward. At worst, many of those they might be related to won't like what they've become. Nobody knows what happened when Vita met her actual parents. It's kept absolutely private. This hasn't stop people with missing relatives from seeking them out in the hope of at least finding out what happened in the end.
1And?....
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
They then sat for a while before I figured out what they could be used for. The Metaverse Incident. Partly because It might give a fic I've been kicking for a while a shot in the arm by having antagonists with an actual goal that's 'interesting' rather than a simple 'Hurr Make Money'. You've got an AR system with no protections in it because the designers never expected it to need them, what can you do with it?
They're a hammerdrop on the plot. Literally.
After that, they're up for grabs as open characters.
Who eventually chases them down and brings them to heal? Who actually built them? And what happened to this person?
Also. I blame Rob. He introduced me to this series.... IT'S HIS FAULT NOT MINE!!one. And I couldn't think of many other 'enemies' who'd fit the bill required.
------
The Wolkenritter first appearred towards the tail end of 2015, taking part in the Zwilnik raid on Baptistina Station, catching the defenders completely off guard with their capabilty. Only the timely intervention of fate kept a disaster from occuring. It was still the deadliest single incident since the fall the the Dark Tower. Based on their performance, Great Justice analysts concluded that they were some form of dedicated combat CI. For a time, rumours flew that they were even genuinely capable of 'magic' and that some Boskone mad had gone off the deep end and come up with something wild. The truth wasn't discovered until their creator was finally tracked down and brought to justice in 2019.
The Wolkenritter were tough, fast adversaries, with spectacular pyrotechnics accompanying fully-drawn holographic 'magic' circles. The effects show served to wholly demoralise Fen forces fighting back against them, especially those familiar with the source material. They also had the sense to withdraw from combat when it looked like there were at risk of being defeated, making analysis of their body construction beyond cursory visual and sensor observations almost impossible. By all accounts, they were a one-on-one match for Great Justice elite forces.
They were most often spotted escorting thionite shipments. They launched regularly offensive raids against GJ bases, waystations and patrols to clear a path and divert attention from shipments. It was in the course of one of these shipments that they came across Len Gale. A girl, injured in the crossfire. Seeing themselves honourable warriors, they took her with them, hoping that their master would help heal her injuries. A broken back left her unable to walk.
He refused, seeing the girl as a liability.
Being 'Knights' with a code of honour, they refused to murder her in cold blood. Instead, as a compromise, she was taken into their personal care.
Gale sowed the first seeds of doubt in their minds. Gale's reaction to her father's death caused them to sprout and take root. It was Gale who first asked them to consider what a 'Knight' would do, as opposed to a stone-cold killer. She became their moral compass as they started to question what they were being ordered to do.
Meanwhile, The Space Patrol and Great Justice began a search for the kidnapped daughter of a slain base Commander. After three months, with the Wolkenritter's help, Gale was able to get a message out, which could be traced back to source.
Called to account for their actions, they were found only partially responsible due to extreme coercion and manipulation, and were subject to probationary oversight as condition of their release into society. They must regularly maintain contact with local Patrol detachements and inform Great Justice of their movements.
Aware that they killed her parents and the hurt that this caused, they swore fealty to Gale, choosing her as their master and moral compass. It was part atonement, part gratitude for her help in overcoming their creator. Gale herself, has recovered fully from her injuries and has forgiven the Knights for the death of her parents. While she accepts their need to feel responsible to her, she hopes one day that they'll be able to live for themselves.
The Wokenritter are keen to make amends, while finding their place in the 'verse. They are honourable warriors, glad of continuing peace while continuously preparing for war. They have taken students interested in studying and developing their martial arts, and stand in the reserve ranks of Great Justice ready to defend the weak at request, as a true Knight should.
After a short spell living in Crystal Hiroshima, they moved to Shin-Azubajuban for privacy's sake. Both to hide from those who think the Wolkenritter should still be brought to justice, and from those who take fandom just that little bit too far.
==
The Wolkenritter are human. The Wolkenritter *were* human. While the majority of Boskone leaders were pleased with the Berserkers, ultimately they were being defeated by their lack of intellect. Once the horror value passed, they were easy to defeat as they were incapable of thinking tactically. The Wolkenritter were an attempt to avert this, by creating a powerful cyborg warrior, absolutely loyal to their master but still capable of planning, thinking and reasoning tactically. They retained their free will, with their loyalty ensured by a web of lies, indoctrination and a Knight's code of honour specifically created to make them controllable by their master.
It was, their creator believe, a simple way to control very complex beings.
4 subjects were chosen. Their identies were utterly erased, and replaced with the template It is believed the Metaverse AR system on Genaros may have been used. The identity of The Wolkenritter was chosen as it was ready-made and formed a compelling fiction, while being able to strike a memetic cord within Fenspace. They believed they were the last Belkan Knights, final survivors of a pre-human space-born civilisation. They believed it was their solemn duty to protect and serve their master, a belief that was held up by the weight of ages behind them.
They truly believed their abilities were magical in nature, pre-dating the human civilisation on Earth.
Instead, their bodies have been augmented by cybernetics beyond the 75th percentile, giving them beyond-human resilience, strength and reaction times, while incorporating built-in flight capabilities and neural augmentations. Many of the technologies used in their construction had been leaked to the Boskone over the course of 6 months by a traitor within the Cyber Confederation. Their weaponry was augmented with built-in speed-drives and inertia control technology. The 'magic' was little more than laser emitters built into their armour.
They are all networked through their implants, capable of instantaneously trading thoughts and information, maintaining an enhanced situational and tactical awareness. Even sensory data such as touch, smell and sound can be shared [Or Witheld] among them at will. Reinforce, the only 'true' CI among them and actually a Boskone Light Cruiser, acts as the central node, supporting and routing the others while providing full data analysis as needed. As a security measure against rebellion, they were incapable of surviving without this mutual mind-link.
Their operating software has been modified to allow them to exist independently of the link if they wish. Although no-longer bound by it, they choose to maintain it nonetheless, being 'used to the company'. Being seperated from it for any length of time makes them uncomfortable.
Ultimately, the link would prove their undoing. Once the protocols were properly dissected by the hacker-underspace, it was possible to poison the link with bad data, ultimately forcing them to surrender by revealing the truth of their existance to them in a way they couldn't ignore. It shattered their brainwashed illusions once and for all and forced them to confront the fact that they weren't who they thought they were head-on. Freed from their master's control, at the encouragement and urging of Gale, they surrendered peacefully to Great Justice.
So far, only Vita's original identity was confirmed, as being a first-year student originally missing from Hogwarts named Penelope Buckfast. The original identity of the others remains a mystery. Together, they concluded that the people they were created from have effectively died in the process, and that each of them is a whole, new person. This hasn't stopped others searching them out seeking closure.
-----
Based on fictional characters, to a point. Allows others to predict their their actions and personality to a certain degree. Their voices however, are their own. Signum especially speaks with a noticeably higher and sharper pitch.
The Wolkenritter are advanced Cyborgs, with all the attendant bonuses and problems.
Their weapons and armour are heavily waved, synchronised with the wearer's mind. Effectively, they're a part of the owner's body.
Built into their armour and equipment are a number of devices intended to specifically imitate the effects as seen in the anime. It's smoke and mirrors, to disorient and disrupt the enemy.
The Wolkenritter can share information between themselves. Sensory information, tactical data, positioning and mapping, with Reinforce as the central node.
They are sworn by choice to protect and defend Gale.
They still follow their own private Knight's Code, attempting to live up to Gale's expectation. Its creation may have been a lie, but its existance is a truth nonetheless.
==Quirks.==
The Wolkenritter are linked together. While they can now seperate if they especially desire privacy, seperating from the link for too long makes them uncomfortable. Like keeping someone alone for a few days.
The Wolkenritter require regular extensive maintenance to their systems from someone with skill.
They have to call their attacks out loud, to active some of their cyber abilities. In general, these correspond spell names. It's a serious flaw built into their systems.
They are still lawfully under probation, and are required to report their progress regularly. Due to their nature, violations may be harshly dealt with.
They absolutely refuse to use virtual reality systems.
They themselves have long since decided not to keep searching for their original identities. At best, it will be awkward. At worst, many of those they might be related to won't like what they've become. Nobody knows what happened when Vita met her actual parents. It's kept absolutely private. This hasn't stop people with missing relatives from seeking them out in the hope of at least finding out what happened in the end.
1And?....
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?