Deus in Machina (a Warhammer 40K-setting inspired LitRPG)

THE FOUR MAIN GALACTIC SPECIES.

KEY TERMS

Apotheoserums: Biochemical compounds used outside of gene-forging to transform and enhance flesh, creating powerful warriors with stable or unstable mutations, employed by the Old Guard to craft hulking juggernauts and Warforms.

Biomechanical: The unholy integration of living tissue with advanced machinery, enabling the crafting of bio-metal flesh of adaptive armor and weapons that morph during Reptiloid shapeshifting, living vessels, and other profanities, a hallmark of Old Guard technology.

Ebon Drains: Spikes that siphon Divine energy from the cores of those empowered by Holy Theosis. This energy is used for gene-forging and apotheoserums.

Gene-Forging: The process of genetically manipulating flesh in a monstrous and unholy manner to sculpt powerful warriors and elite troops, practiced by the Old Guard to enhance strength, power, and abilities.

Neural Dominion: A hive-mind control system utilizing semi-AI (as Holy Theosis devours all true AI), Synapse-Engines assist in coordinating troops and machines of war, allowing Old Guard Neuronauts to orchestrate combat with enhanced precision as more engines in proximity amplify their power.

Neuronaut: An elite Old Guard unit, either a Gray, Pleiadean, or Reptiloid, controller of their hive-mind Neural Dominions.

Synapse-Engine: A smart, semi-AI device developed by the Old Guard to enhance neural capabilities, amplifying the Neuronaut's Neural Dominion, capabilities, and ability to coordinate combat.

Warforms: Units empowered by apotheiserums focusing on strength, creating mindless monsters only controllable through Neural Dominion.

TERRANS

Terrans, the most numerous species in the Empire of the Holy Trinity, lack the psychic prowess of Grays, the Bio-Sinusoid mastery of Pleiadeans, or the shapeshifting of Reptiloids. Their primary strength lies in rapid population growth, facilitated by the unique Cloisteranage system.

In Genitoriums, Terran children are grown in vats, allowing swift reproduction and upbringing without societal collapse. Terrans, estimated at approximately 80% of imperial citizens, vastly outnumber Grays (4%), Pleiadeans (7%), and Reptiloids (9%), sustaining the Empire's stability despite its vast scale.

Biology: Terrans are bipedal, averaging 2 meters (females) to 2.1 meters (males) in height, up to an average of 2.75 meters for Crusaders, with diverse skin tones, hair colors, and eye hues.

Reproduction and Society Notes: Terrans reproduce through viviparity or via Genitoriums, where artificial gestation accelerates population growth. The Cloisteranage system raises children collectively, ensuring rapid integration into society. Terran society is hierarchical yet flexible, balancing individual ambition with collective duty within the three estates, unlike the rigid Reptiloid castes or strange Pleiadean structures.

PLEIADEANS

The Pleiadeans, also known as Nordic Aliens or Tall Whites, are long-lived (rumored to be 600 to 1,000 years naturally, before empowerment), renowned for their eerie grace and mastery of an ability unique to them – Bio-Sinusoid, a communication method using sinusoidal waves to transmit information, wisdom, or physiological effects like healing.

Unlike the hierarchical Reptiloids, Pleiadean society is less rigid, and both more individualistic and communalistic than Terrans, but in strange and alien ways, maybe due to their natural longevity and the ability to pass on wisdom through Bio-Sinusoid. Their social units, called Communes, are collectives led by wise and ancient leaders.

It is believed, during the Age of Decadence and Sloth, Pleiadeans provided Terrans with both AI and neural-link technologies, exposing ancient Terra's rulers as shapeshifted Reptiloids.

Biology: Before genetic modification, enhancement, and gene-forging became widespread, Terrans, despite their shorter stature, were significantly more physically capable and faster of healing than Pleiadeans. As a result, Pleiadeans viewed Terrans as brutish and uncivilized, likening them to short, barbaric gorillas.

Young, unempowered Pleiadeans can stand over 2.3 meters tall, while elder Crusaders can grow up to 3.6 meters, with elongated, gaunt frames and chalky white, unblemished skin. Their silvery hair trails like spider silk, and their almond-shaped, strange eyes (often frigid blue) glow with inner light, reflecting intense focus.

They have sharp, delicate features such as blade-like cheekbones, narrow noses, small mouths, and long, pointed ears, giving them an uncanny, near-Terran appearance.

Their limbs are unnaturally long, with extra-jointed fingers and flexible knees and elbows, allowing eerie, fluid movement that appears to glide.

Reproduction and Society Notes

Pleiadeans do not marry but form committed partnerships when a male and female choose to mate, raising their child together, then going their separate ways after. Both parents use Bio-Sinusoid to pass on wisdom, ensuring the child inherits knowledge and skills.

Cloisteranages do not work for Pleiadeans. Their form of child-rearing requires strong bonds with parents, a lot of time and effort, and their long natural lifespans allow for extended learning. Artificially created infants have no place. Only orphans old enough to be self-sufficient are taken in by other Pleiadeans, and even then, reluctantly.

Due to their low birth rates (typically two children per century per adult female), full siblings are biologically very rare, and Pleiadeans do not recognize half-siblings, viewing offspring as separate and unrelated to others regardless of parentage. There is no taboo on mating between half-siblings or the rare full siblings.

Faction Notes:

Old Guard: Only roughly 15% of Pleiadeans are Old Guard. The ones who are leverage their Bio-Sinusoid, biomechanical symbiosis, and other tech to innovate. It is believed they created the Synapse-Engine, as its design most resembles their past tech.

Specific appearances vary, but they retain the chalky white skin and silvery hair, enhanced versions of standard Pleiadean physiology, often larger or augmented with biomechanical arms and armor.

Rare, powerful Pleiadeans exclusive to the Old Guard, extremely gene-forged or bio-technologically enhanced individuals.

Leader Roles (Technocrats, Sovereigns, Exarchs, Neuronauts)

Elite Warrior Roles (Sentinels, Mechanauts, Reclaimers)

Rare Elite Threats (Monoliths, Behemoths, Apotheons)

Holy Empire: No major societal changes. Their three estates are loosened, and since they never marry and don't utilize Cloisteranages, a Crusader that fathers or mothers a child will have their mate move on their company's ship with their child.

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GRAYS

The Grays are an enigmatic, highly psychic species, renowned for their secrecy and unparalleled mastery of psychic abilities.

They are a low-population species, divided roughly equally between the Old Guard and the Holy Empire. Their society is shrouded in mystery, with little known about their mating or internal governance, as they rarely allow outsiders on their worlds or stations.

It is believed that about 25% of Grays possess some psychic capacity, though at varying degrees of power.

Biology: Grays are shorter than Terrans, averaging 1.8 meters, with lean, wiry frames and smooth, faintly glowing gray skin, lacking clear sexual dimorphism. Their large heads, supported by narrow necks, feature massive, glistening black eyes, lipless mouths, and slit-like nostrils. Their elongated limbs and clawed hands move with eerie silence. They are taller and stronger than their ancestors, who averaged less than a meter, due to millennia of gene-forging and genetic enhancement.

Reproduction and Society Notes

Little is known about Gray mating or societal governance due to their secretive nature. Their low population suggests selective reproduction definitely precluding large-scale breeding facilities like Cloisteranages.

As they're lacking overt sexual characteristics, behaviors tied to visual cues like beauty or allure may be beyond them, and blasphemy and sin tied to such are outside their understanding.

It is believed their mating might be driven by intellectual alignment or genetic optimization rather than physical attraction.

Home world: The Grays' home world is unknown. Imperial scholars believe they likely evolved on a small, low-gravity planet or moon, possibly orbiting a dim star or gas giant, with a thin but stable atmosphere, nitrogen-methane based. The environment was likely crepuscular, dimly lit, with heavy cloud cover or a twilight zone, favoring large eyes for low-light vision. Surface conditions could be arid or rocky, with shallow water bodies or high humidity but no deep oceans. The ecosystem likely rewarded intelligence over physical strength, with minimal predation and scarce resources driving technological or cognitive evolution. Their hairless, delicate forms suggest a controlled or benign climate, possibly with underground habitats or artificial environments if their planet's surface became inhospitable.

Faction Notes:

Old Guard: It is believed they created Neuronauts through their psychic power and tech, a shared role through all three Old Guard species.

Appearances slightly vary between normal Old Guard Grays, but they're often larger or augmented with biomechanical arms and armor.

Rare, powerful Grays exclusive to the Old Guard, extremely gene-forged or bio-technologically enhanced individuals.

Leader Roles (Primarchs, Dominars, Oracles, Neuronauts)

Elite Warrior Roles (Psykerions, Harbingers, Zetacs)

Rare Elite Threats (Goliaths, Titans, Colossi)

Holy Empire: Their Crusader Companies operate similarly to Terran structures.

REPTILOIDS (AND THEIR CASTE SYSTEM)

The Reptiloids are a shapeshifting, oviparous species (with viviparity in cross-species mating). Their society is divided pretty evenly between the Old Guard (a secular, bio-tech-focused coalition of Reptiloids, Grays, and Pleiadeans), and the Holy Empire.

The caste system centers on packs led by female Rulers (Matriarchs). All castes except Workers can shapeshift.

The Old Guard leverages biomechanical symbiosis and gene-forging, creating visually distinct roles for special elite members, and maintains traditional pack structures, while the Holy Empire has slightly modified pack structures.

Biology: To non-Reptiloids, Rulers (male and female) and Soldiers are indistinguishable. Normal Reptiloids of these castes have elongated skulls with jade scales mottled with amber, slitted golden eyes, and ridged crests arcing backward like crowns of bone, and can shapeshift to mimic aliens.

Reproduction Notes:

Reptiloids reproduce through oviparity (laying egg clutches) or viviparity (live births in cross-species mating, producing offspring fully of the mated species). Outside of viviparity, their mating is almost exclusively incestuous.

Faction Notes:

Old Guard: All Reptiloids are vengeance-focused, but Old Guard Reptiloid Matriarchs emphasize vengeance beyond reason, while Holy Empire Rulers frame their authority as Divinely ordained. Their societies rely on machine labor. Three ancient and storied prime packs rule the vast majority of Old Guard Reptiloid packs.

Rare, powerful Reptiloids exclusive to the Old Guard, extremely gene-forged or bio-technologically enhanced individuals.

Leader Roles (Archons (m), Viziers (f or m), Overlords (f or m), Neuronauts (m)).

Elite Warrior Roles (Stalkers, Borgs, Enforcers)

Rare Elite Threats (Devourers (f), Draxians (f), Leviathans (f or m))

Gene-forging and biomechanical symbiosis create distinct appearances, especially for those in unique roles, such as female Rulers, warped into Devourers, engineered for slaughter, wielding unholy power.

A Devourer's true form is a towering, serpentine frame of jade and obsidian scales with pulsing amber veins, ragged spiked crests, venomous green eyes, four biomechanical spider legs with monomolecular claws, and a whip-like tail with bioelectric conduits. Their forms integrate living alloy armor and crystal-like tendrils, wielding powerful weapons, employing a more powerful version of Ebon Drains to siphon Divine energy for gene-forging and apotheoserums.

Male Rulers (e.g., Archons, Viziers, Overlords, Neuronauts) may have similar enhancements tailored for their role.

The leadership enhancement chain progresses Reptiloids through increasingly potent augmentations, culminating in roles like Overlord, Archon, Vizier, or Neuronaut. Each stage builds on the previous, integrating advanced gene-forging and biomechanical tech to enhance power and capabilities. The process is time-intensive, requiring years of adaptation to withstand the strain.

For instance, most special units typically begin as Chiefs, progress to Lieutenant, then Captains, then Commanders, and eventually are empowered as Masters before attaining their final form of Overlord or Archons, etc.

All Neuronauts and some other units advance through a different, separate chain.

Males lead scientific and engineering efforts, crafting biomechanical armor and weapons that morph with shapeshifting, captain ships, or lead troops normally or via Neural Dominion using Synapse-Engines (smart semi-AI) as Neuronauts..

Elite Soldiers (e.g., Stalkers, Borgs, Enforcers) the same. Normal soldiers are often enhanced by apotheoserums and forced into Neural Dominion for hive-mind coordination.

Workers are repurposed as shock troops, enhanced with cheap apotheoserums and controlled via Neural Dominion, transforming them into mindless Warforms.

Holy Empire: Rulers govern Crusader Chapters, with male Rulers acting as captains of Kill Packs (Crusader Companies). Grand Matriarchs, often Seraph-Hierarchs, form councils to rule Chapters. Matriarchs never become Crusaders, focusing solely on leadership roles.

Male Rulers act as captains/marshals of Crusader Kill Packs.

Soldiers form the core of Kill Packs, fanatically loyal to male Ruler captains. They may temporarily fill captain roles but prefer subordinate positions.

Workers are heavily culled, deemed soulless by the Reptiloid Pontifex Maximus, their killing considered no more sinful than destroying an object.

Cultural Notes:

Matriarchs are the political and spiritual core. Male Rulers are extremely loyal, intelligent, and ambitious. Alates are revered as harbingers of expansion, their emergence seen as a favorable omen. Disciplined yet ferocious, Soldiers value honor through combat. Viewed as tools, Workers have no cultural identity. Machines perform the bulk of labor, especially complex and skilled labor.

Ruler Caste

Role: The apex of Reptiloid society, Rulers govern packs, which range from small enclaves to massive armies. Each pack is led by a single female Ruler, known as a Matriarch (as all females are known, even non-Matriarchs), who commands absolute loyalty, supported by one or more male Rulers based on the pack's size and influence.

A female cannot become a Matriarch without at least one male of the Ruler caste, emphasizing their interdependence. Male Rulers serve as captains, lieutenants, scientists, technicians, or occasionally warriors, handling most intellectual and leadership roles. Non-Alate males mate exclusively with their pack's Matriarch, and the number of male Rulers hatched often determines the pack's growth and power.

Daughters: Alate daughters leave to found a new pack, ruling under their mother, who becomes a Grand Matriarch.

Upon the Grand Matriarch's death, her daughter-led packs split into independent units.

Non-Alate daughters (rare) assist their mother's pack without mating. They may earn their own pack through merit, carved from their mother's pack. If the mother dies before granting a pack, non-Alate daughters typically join a sister's pack or seek a powerful Grand Matriarch's pack.

Biology: To non-Reptiloids, Rulers (male and female) and Soldiers are indistinguishable.

Alate Caste

Role: A distinct caste of winged Reptiloids tasked with founding new packs. Alate males are born first and kept segregated until a female Alate hatches. She then departs with all hatched male Alates to establish a new pack, transitioning into the Ruler caste upon its founding.

Biology: Alates are visibly distinct with functional wings, leaner frames, and vibrant markings that fade when they become Rulers. They possess shapeshifting. Alates shed wings upon becoming Matriarchs.

Soldier Caste

Role: The martial arm of Reptiloid society, Soldiers are bred for combat, defending packs or waging wars of conquest. They serve almost exclusively under male Rulers, executing orders with brutal efficiency. They excel as non-commissioned officers (NCOs) or minor lieutenants but lack the drive for major leadership roles and fall apart if too much leadership or responsibility is placed on them. They are sterile males

Biology: Sterile males who, to non-Reptiloids, exactly resemble Rulers.

Worker Caste

Role: Historically, the docile labor force, Workers handle menial tasks like construction, resource harvesting, or basic maintenance. Lacking intelligence for more complex roles, they serve as a disposable underclass without agency or ambition, easily replaced with more effective and productive robot-labor.

Biology: Small, wiry, with simple scales and no shapeshifting ability. They are sterile, numerous, and the majority of hatchlings of clutches, though their modern roles are very limited.