The Colossus Project

Under Construction - Please come back later

OOC Background

The Colossus Project is a headcanon created by the writer for Oni de'Phor, Balmung, to go along with his backstory. It was formed in 2013 around the time of A Realm Reborn when the character it intended to be used for was created. It has since flourished into an engaging side story for both its writer and those who join along with it. It has continued on from the time of its creation to make an interactive role play experience with a sci-fi flare to the current FFXIV universe. With the launch of Stormblood, even more material has been given to the writer for use, and more roleplayers are welcome to join in if they wish. Contact Oni de'Phor in game on the Balmung server for details.

It is also acknowledged that this headcanon has not been stated in game and is within its own RP bubble universe. Similar stories by other players or the story itself do not coincide without express permission of the respective owners of each story.

IC Background

Named for the continued research into more advanced models of the Colossus style automation, The Colossus Project was founded at the turn of the new century for the purpose of developing more advanced technologies to implement into human-like automation by IIIrd legion scientists. When efforts on standard vanguards had been exhausted, a push to use humans to hold the automations was proposed to researchers. Initially put down as unethical, the researchers who founded the project altered their methods to develop prosthetic body parts for injured conscripts. These prosthetics would be studied for use in the larger automations to obtain a more natural movement for a bipedal mecha. Mortality rates settled in at 40% for the first subjects fitted with false arms, legs, eyes, etc, due to their already sick nature upon arrival. Each successeful surgery designated the person with a number, and they would be kept within the Garlemald facility to study.

By year 1540, the project developed a number of advanced limbs. Mortality rates had dropped, and more healthy individuals were being inducted into the project. Conflict with nearby Eorzean societies fed a number of conscripts into the project, some injured enough to justify a surgery, but sturdy enough to survive. By this year, the project had created over 300 successful subjects. The new models of the Colossus were developed shortly after, but the original founders of the project pushed for the research to continue. Despite its name, the project yielded no new models of the Colossus automation, and instead began to focus on the study of their subjects' aetheric nature for further use. The subjects of this project contributed to many genetic advances in the IIIrd legion.

What puzzled some facility workers and inspired a number of scientists was the behavior of some of the human subjects who survived their procedures and lived into adulthood. While not every subject experienced this, many began to have mental changes that researchers wrote off as a result of confinement. Some subjects had taken to more animalistic tendencies, cannibalism, and compulsive needs to hunt both wildkin and man. Every subject present fell into a culture where a hierarchy existed, as well as their own sub-language. Subjects of this project often speak with poetic metaphors that mean much different things, which they used to keep information among themselves, and at times, confuse their handlers.

Some subjects have since been moved out of the facility and into castrii scattered around the continents. Notably, Castrum Occidens and Castrum Solus contain the majority of remaining subjects.

Important Figures

Officers

Lillium pyr Sylvanius

Currently an optio, Lillium pyr Sylvanius heads the section of subjects housed at Castrum Occidens. A roegadyn sea wolf woman who worked her way up through the ranks, she became the overseer of The Colossus Project as part of her promotions, in hopes to weed her out. She received her demotion to optio due to the escape of one of her units, and her subsequent failures to capture him. However, as no one else saw to take her current position, she was permitted to continue to lead the group. The subjects refer to her as "Mother", but the subjects will refer to any female officer by the same title.

Lysander sas Theius

A Garlean native who originally worked under Lillium as one of her many soldiers. He was known among his men to abhor the concept of the project, and wished that resources and money did not have to be wasted on keeping altered conscripts alive. His repeated submissions to the government for mass euthanasia met the same end as Lillium sought to repeal each one, and succeeded. At some point, and to the bewilderment of his colleagues, Lysander changed his outlook on the subjects and pushed for more augmentations after his unauthorized experiments on unit #0201AB. Due to being a male officer, the subjects refer to him as "Father", but his title holds more weight now than before. Promoted to tribune after extensive strides in prosthesis development with the subjects, he overtook Lillium's rank when she was demoted to optio. He moved to Castrum Solus, along with roughly half of the remaining subjects, to continue his controversial research.

Subjects

Oni de'Phor

Labeled #0168LS (Lightning Spear). See the full wiki page here. A hyurian midlander man who was labeled as the project's first disposal-type unit, for he could fit into no other category at the time. He would be the first of six total disposal-type units who worked as executioners on the field and in the facility. In 1578, he escaped a transport ship bound for Occidens, and eluded recapture long enough to cause Lillium's demotion to optio. He was briefly caught by Lysander sas Theius, re-purposed, and released. He is still currently in Eorzea.

Glace Silencieuse

Labeled #0178FB (Frost Blade). Glace/Frost's character is not owned by the Colossus Project's founder. Please see their wiki here. An elezen duskwight man who is one of many combat-type units found at Castrum Occidens. One of the most loyal subjects to Lillium pyr Silvanius, he works under her guide, as well as other missions. Initially sent by Lillium to aid in the capture of #0168LS, his field missions gradually changed with time. Now he assists in attempting to rescue the subjects taken by Lysander and return them to Occidens.

Leera Sarmantoix

Labeled #0305 "One", formerly thought to be #0201AB, Leera is a young, duskwight man who serves as an disposal-type unit directly under Lysander sas Theius. He is seen as both a lapdog to the tribune and leader of the taken subjects. He is currently working to assist Lysander in recruiting new subjects and creating stronger ones. He was Lysander's first surviving subject of experiments performed outside of the Colossus Project template.

Subject Culture

Through the years in captivity and after a number of experiments, the human subjects housed at the initial facility in Garlemald, as well as in neighboring castrii, developed their own culture and hierarchy. While the ranking system was created by Lillium and her workers, the weight of each rank and tier developed into the system that exists today by the subjects placed in them. The people inducted into the project were from no specific race or country, making the group as a whole a melting pot of Spoken.

Hierarchy

Subjects are broken down into tiers and categories. Tiers list from one through three, with one being the lowest degree of alteration, and three being the highest. While there is no set procedure that determines which tier a subject falls into, a subject can be classified into said tier once they have undergone major surgery or received numerous smaller procedures. Full details on tumblr.

Within each tier are subject types:

Basic - Every subject is this rank upon surviving their first surgery

Medic - A basic unit which can perform healing by some means or another

• Restoration - A medic unit augmented to specifically heal other units, but cannot heal themselves
• Regeneration - A medic unit altered to specialize in self-healing and tissue growth

Defense - A basic unit with more focus on armor and endurance

• Panzer - A defense unit modified heavily enough to be fully coated in armor at the least

Combat - The most common unit. A basic unit specialized for fighting

• Warmaker - A combat unit specialized in large-scale combat and sweeping battle fields clean
• Survivalist - A combat unit used for stealth and longer battles, modified to have enormous longevity in a fight

Accessory - A basic unit modified enough to warrant a new category.

• Augmentation - Any accessory unit afflicted with nanobots automatically becomes this type

Disposal - Any failure to bring a basic unit into the above categories results in this type

• Executioner - A disposal unit specialized for single-target killing