>>6127076
>Nation X

Having superpowers is cool

{Welcome everyone to Ultimate Civilization Quest. A Quest that aims to combine civilization management with superheroic action and political intrigue.

All votes will be based on Approval Voting. Meaning, you may vote for any number of options you like, and the one with the most total votes wins.

The intent is for the pace of this quest to be a bit quicker and the updates to be streamlined, though if you liked some of the denser plotting of Batquest or worldbuilding of Nationquest you can find some of both here.

I hope you enjoy.

>>6127076
>SHIELD
>ZODIAC

>>6127076
>ZODIAC
>Nation X

>>6127084
>All votes will be based on Approval Voting. Meaning, you may vote for any number of options you like, and the one with the most total votes wins.
I like this quest already.

>SHIELD
>ZODIAC

>Nation X
>Atlantis

I don't want same old boring freedom and democracy good guys nor do I want ancom hippies.

>Nation X
>SHIELD
Anarchist hippies sounds like a one-way trip to obnoxious dialogue and a lot of acid trips, I’d rather have (almost) anything else.

At least it doesn’t have an elevator pitch as stupid as “a crusade against white men” on a fucking 4chan board of all places.

>>6127083
You voted before I explained it was approval voting so feel free to add any other options if you wish.

>>6127083
Adding

>Atlantis

then


I'm going to be completely real, but SHIELD does seen a bit...bland, unless we flip evil and larp as the illuminati with flying super carriers

>>6127137
>>6127107
For clarification, each faction's "good" or "evil" level will be up to player votes.
So if you want to play SHIELD like the CIA with jetpacks Godzillas and psychics that will be possible.
The same applies to the others, there are no designated "hero" or "villain" choices when ti comes to factions.

>>6127076
>Nation X

>>6127076
>>Nation X
Seems cool

>>6127076
>Atlantis
though if that doesn't win
>Nation X

>>6127076
>SHIELD
Fuck civil rights, if you want em you've gotta earn them

>>6127137
Their description does say "no matter the human cost," whether you interpret that as self sacrifice or the cost of liberating the unenlightened masses from their own ignorance

>>6127076
>SHIELD
Only if we get to turn it into a glownigger faction and weaponize a bunch of mutants. Remember how some scientists had spliced the likes of Wolverine and Hulk into one ultimate weapon with gamma powers, adamantium, and broken regenerative powers?

>>6127076
>Atlantis
>ZODIAC

Locking for Nation X. Update tonight.

File: Ultimate X.jpg (32 KB, 1041x484)

32 KB JPG

>>6127076
>Design (D): Jay Bowen
>Alt-Text: A logo that is a stylized X inside a U. The X is made from a DNA double helix.
>Dialogue Sample: Chris Claremont

The Children of the Atom! That is what the Scientific Papers call them. And soon so will the world.
While the existence of Homo superior is unknown to much of the public a burgeoning subculture is ripe to emerge from the underground into the bright tomorrow of the new decade.
Inspired by the wave of independence sweeping the post-imperial globe, the talk of mutantdom is Nationhood.
There are many figures in the nascent movement but for now, leadership has formed around...

File: Many Leaders, One People.jpg (552 KB, 1988x3056)

552 KB JPG

>>6127574
>D: Jonathan Hickman
>Alt-Text: A chart of 18 circles numbered 1-18, arranged around a central circle with an X inside.
>Dialouge Samples: el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, Jonathan Hickman, Peter Milligan

>Professor X
A genius telepath with an upper-class heritage that dreams of peaceful coexistence between Mutants and baseline humanity. A lifetime of isolation has led to a sometimes obsessive attachment to people and a desperate need for love.
>Advantage: Alpha Class Telepathy
Prof X can read and manipulate minds, allowing near-perfect access to intelligence and secrets as long as he is physically close to his target. Due to his ethics, he rarely uses mind control, though when he does unintended consequences are possible.

>Magneto
A holocaust survivor with infinite power and even more rage. He believes in Mutant liberation by any means necessary, including violence. While brilliant at leading from behind and fighting on the front lines, his social skills are weak, preferring to rule others through force of will rather than mutual respect.
>Advantage: Omega Class Magnetism
Magneto has unlimited control over the electromagnetic spectrum. In matters of pure force, he is nigh-unbeatable.

>Moira X
While Moira has no apparent powers other than her genius genetic skills, she claims to have the mutant ability to remember past lives. She believes the only way for mutants to survive is for all of them to unify under one House, no matter the ethical differences between them.
>Advantage: Many Lives
Moira claims her past lives give her insight into how things will go “this time.” She can't see the future but her predictions are uncannily accurate.

>Apocalypse
Nathaniel Essex was once a widely respected geneticist. The day his powers activated he claimed his mind was possessed by“ En Sabah Nur” the alleged First Mutant destined to bring about The Revelation. Despite being seen by most as a delusional cultist, Essex now wishes to recruit Homo superior to form a new society built around the survival of the fittest.
>Advantage: Gene mastery
Essex is the greatest geneticist in history. He discovered the “Essex Gene,” the source of mutant power. No one on Earth knows more about mutants and their powers than he does.

>Sunfire
Yoshida Mariko is the heir to the Yoshida zaibatsu, one of several family-led corporations that had great power in Imperial Japan. Her mother died from radiation poisoning from the Hiroshima bombing and Yoshida corp was broken up during the US occupation. As a result, she resents the post-war American hegemony and sees mutant power as a way to build a new society in Japan, an evolution from both the flawed Meiji Empire and American domination.
>Advantage: Yoshida Clan
While her mutant power is solar radiation, the Yoshida clan is her greatest asset. Even after the US occupation broke up its power, the Yoshidas have a large influence over Japanese politics business, organized crime, and connections to ancient mystical sects.

>>6127580
{Vote for who the starting leader of Nation X will be.}

>>6127580
>Apocalypse
>Moira X

>>6127580
>Sunfire

Ware wa kangun waga teki wa... Resurgent Imperial Japan anyone? Avoid the fall to degeneracy and pacifism perhaps?

>>6127580
>Professor X

>>6127580
>Apocalypse

Lotta nice choices I'm not sure what to go for as i dont have a deep knowledge of these guys. Apocalypse might be nice for getting the most out of mutants if he can basically bring out their full potential and how they can best work together to create fantastical results.

Anyone have any pitches for a second choice? Sunfire and mystical shit might be fun.

>>6127580
>Apocalypse
Sunfire’s shtick is cool, but a nutty cultist with by far the most knowledge on the primary subject we’re dealing with is just too OP not to choose.

All these choices are cool, though. I hope the ones we don’t pick show up later on.

>>6127692
All charcaters and factions you don't vote for will show up elsewhere in the quest. It's a big world out there.

>>6127580
>Magneto
>Sunfire
>Apocalypse

>>6127076
>Apocalypse
>Magneto
>Sunfire

>>6127580
>Apocalypse

Locking for Apocalypse. Update Tonight.

File: Something Sinister.jpg (182 KB, 900x1254)

182 KB JPG

>>6127580
>Art(A): Pierre Loyvet deviantart.com/pierreloyvet/art/Marvel-tribute-with-Mr-Sinister-and-Apocalypse-318758430
>Alt-Text: Dr Essex, A pale man wearing a black cape with a red diamond on his head, stands in the shadow of Apocalypse, a giant blue man.
>Dialogue Samples: Kieron Gillen, Peter Gilligan, Trini Howard, Jonathan Hickman, Michael Edens, Bob Harras & Eric Lewald, Peach Momoko

You are Doctor Nathaniel Essex, the smartest man alive. And soon to be more. Yes!
After years of slaving away for lesser men and foreigners like Osborn and that annoying Austrian, you have finally perfected the Essex Factor Transplant.
Just one inoculation and you will join the hallowed halls of the Great Mutation.
You almost want to thank Oscorp for denying you Human test subjects. Almost.

*prick*

What? Nothing?! Impossible. Your calculations were perfect! At this very moment, your flesh should be brimming with the awesome potential of mutant powaagagahahahahahahah!!!!

So below
_______
ǝʌoqɐ sɐ

Defend this broken land.

The old world passes away. Together we shall forge a new one
IN FIRE AND BLOOD

Oh, bother. Didn’t all that vomit on the floor used to be inside your stomach?

On your feet base creature, even bound to your pathetic form, Apocalypse does not kneel.

Those visions I saw, the power was... delectable.

A mere echo of my eternal glory. Aeons have I shaped this world, building wonders beyond imagination. Yet each was a simple diversion compared to what I could forge from the stock of true greatness.

Oh, if you want breeding stock, you picked a perfect time to burrow into my wonderful cerebellum.
The Great Mutation is at hand. We have a whole planet full of super studs and dames to build our grand empire.

OUR?!

The smell of your own cooked flesh fills the room. A hot poker of pain bursts from your forehead.
Your previously immaculate complexion fades to a rippled battleship gray.

Feel my power burn within you and know it is only a reflection of my splendor. When you drown this world beneath you, it is Apocalypse who is the Deluge!

Endopathic power flows through your veins. You can rearrange your molecules as easily as Sir Elgar could compose a symphony.
A fabulous black cape sprouts from your back. If you’re to be the Disraeli of the new world, you may as well look the part.

It is time to build the new order. How do you begin?

>The Four Horsemen
Recruit the most powerful mutants you can find to lead your Ultimate Army.

>Bar Sinister
Collect mutant DNA to build an army of clones and custom-built hybrid mutants.

>Children of the Atom
Spread the Revelation of X, forming a congregation in worship of Apocalypse.

>>6128340
>>The Four Horsemen
Sure might as well start with the captains

>>6128340
>Bar Sinister
>Collect mutant DNA to build an army of clones and custom-built hybrid mutants.
Would be a neat way to play into our knowledge of mutants.

>>6128340
>Four Horsemen
For mutants, quality matters more than quantity. If we can get a few alpha or omega level mutants, we'll deal with our enemies easily...before they start taking out Sentinels.

>>6128340
>>The Four Horsemen
However I also will support
>Children of the Atom
If at all possible like the earlier votes.

>>6128683
>>6128553
>>6128525
>>6128365
Locking for the Four Horsemen. Update within the hour

File: The Four Shall Rise Again.jpg (206 KB, 900x713)

206 KB JPG

>>6128340
>Pencils (P) & Inks (I): Pepe Larraz. Colors (C): Marte Gracia
>Alt-Text: Comic art of Apocalypse standing beneath a cloudy sky. In the sky, images of four people are visible.
>Dialouge Sample:Bob Harras, Scott Lobdell, and Fabian Nicieza

The reign of the weak is at an end! Once again, my Horsemen will rise and cleanse this planet of its false prophets and build a new age. An Age of Apocalypse.


Agreed in full old chap, but time is short. For now, we’ll have to focus on just one agent of the end of the days.

{Which Horsman do you attempt to recruit first? This will determine the focus of Nation X in the short term}

>Pestilence
The cleansing plague that will birth a new earth. The Horseman of Pestilence will focus on biological research, harnessing the powers of the mutant and superhuman for your benefit.

>War
Your master general who will crush the armies of the weak. The Horseman of War will oversee military affairs and determine a focus on armed forces for the first part of the decade.

>Famine
The great blight that will sweep away all base comforts of the pathetic. The Horseman of Famine focuses on economic affairs and will be tasked with overturning this planet’s crude financial system and co-opting key resources.

>Death
The end of all things. The Horsemen of Death will be your second in command and chosen successor. Tasked with upholding and continuing your ultimate vision of improving the planet through evolution, no matter how many lives it costs.

>>6128876
>Pestilence

>>6128876
>Pestilence
Well it was pretty much the whole point of picking Apocalypse to do the biological stuff and work on mutant powers.

>Famine
Otherwise Famine might be funny to see some mutant just get really into stockmarkets and business and government.

>>6128876
>>Pestilence

>>6128876
>Death
Might be good to solidify a plan with a second-in-command before anything else. Having someone very loyal and devoted to us would also make recruitment easier, I think. People tend to look less insane if they have loyal followers, after all.

Otherwise,
>Pestilence
Assuming we don’t actually work out a plan or anything with Death, it’d be a better idea to focus on the research.

>>6128876
>Pestilence
Is the one most aligned with our goal but, as >>6128946 said
>Famine
I'd love to see some mutant advisor going up to Apocalypse and telling him to buy bitcoin and GameStop.

>>6128901
>>6128946
>>6128979
>>6129094
>>6129110
Locking for Pestilence, update Tonight.

File: The Red Diamond.jpg (43 KB, 1041x454)

43 KB JPG

>>6128876
>Design (D): Jonathan Hickman
>Alt-Text: A diamond logo with an unreadable symbol in its center. Text beneath it reads “THE RED DIAMOND”
Dialogue Samples: Method Man, Howard Ashman & Alan Menken

I will bless the world with my pestilence. The people of this world have blood boiling with untapped power. I will harness it, and drown the Earth in my might.

But of course. Lucky for you Big Blue, the Essex Clinic has plenty of Red Diamond files on potential mutant candidates.
Now I was originally planning on using them for rootstock, but army building is a strong second. Shall we find the strongest nastiest little yanks to fill our ranks?

Tell me whelp, what do you think power is? The crude strength of the spear or rock? When the waves washed Atlantis from history, was saltwater the fittest among us? No. Power is survival. Power is adapting to an endless series of challenges. Survival is evolution. Find me the one who faces untold adversity. The one whose iron soul crashes against this planet's nightmares and stands firm. Find me this person, and you have found my Horseman.

Bravo boss. With dramatic chops like that, maybe you should be wearing the cape. You want some poor unfortunate souls?
What do you think of these?

File: The First Pestilence? Who(...).png (1.06 MB, 664x863)

1.06 MB PNG

>>6129474
>P & I: Mico Suayan. C:Rain Beredo
>Alt-Text: Comic art of The First Horseman of Pestilence, a woman wrapped in mummy bandages wearing a sundisk covering her face and a headdress shaped like cow horns.
>Dialogue Sample: Al Ewing

> Morgan Le Fay
A lifetime ago, you considered psychical research as a path to power.
Charles was a fool even before he shaved his head and ran off to Ceylon but there is potential is science-tamed superstition.
Rumors hold that Morgan has crossed the borders of time and myth and possessed a stream of derelicts across California.
If true, she may be desperate for aid, a window into the dark magicks at the heart of creation.

>Henry “Hank” McCoy
At only 18, Hank’s genetics skills may one day surpass yours, not that you’d let him get that far.
In addition to his academic scholarship, he’s a star of that ghastly spoof of rugby the continentals call football, or at least he was until the faculty found out about his performance-enhancing DNA and had him expelled.
Right now he’s a teenage boy full of potential and resentment with nothing but time on his hands.
A perfect target for exploitation and recruitment.

>Raven Darkhölme
This shifty shapeshifter is a two-for-one.
You originally had eyes on her because you wanted to carve her up to unlock the secrets of her variable DNA.
You could experiment with hundreds of subjects with a single body.
But she’s recently gotten involved in the United States supersoldier program.
Posing as a Senator’s Wife and boosting the career of a DARPA agent who suspiciously came out of nowhere.
Breaking this lady’s mysteries could give you a pass into a superpower’s secrets.
And if you fail, you’re sure to get some good specimens out of it.

>Kanon Sainouchi
This murderous little morsel is the result of a death cult training program in the Orient.
This “Hand” has existed for centuries, training assassins and counter-insurgents in service of their supposed dark god.
Kanon’s skills as a warrior are great but her true value is as a way to access the secrets of The Hand’s mystical experiments into manipulation of life and death.
Your data suggests Kanonn doesn't have the stomach for the bloodshed she’s been raised for and with her psychic powers, she is ripe to be turned into a double agent against her Japonic masters.

{Who will you attempt to recruit?}

>>6129482
>Henry “Hank” McCoy

Beast is available? May as well grab him before Xavier does. Supergenius who can rip things apart if needed is always helpful.

>>6129482
>Henry “Hank” McCoy
Well he is the only candidate suitable to actually do hi sown biological research here. Two are access to other peoples experiments which isn't bad.

>>6129482
>Henry “Hank” McCoy
what's the dialogue sample and alt-text thing supposed to mean ?

>>6129772
Dialogue samples are credits for when my writing uses dialogue from another source material.

Alt-Text is a description of the images I post so that people using screen readers or similar devices can understand what visuals I have posted.

>>6129482
>Raven Darkholme

With Mystique comes Rogue, no? And with Rogue comes the ability to collect all the powers. Hank is good, and Kanon sounds like the person that Apocalypse is looking for, but Mystique was always a good lieutenant.

>>6129482
>Henry “Hank” McCoy

>>6130316
>>6129849
>>6129772
>>6129729
>>6129489
Locking for Hank. Update tonight.

>>6130548
The update is delayed until tomorrow. My apologies

>>6130691
alright

File: Beastly Science.png (1.1 MB, 700x977)

1.1 MB PNG

>>6129482
>Pencils (P): Yanick Paquette Inks (I): Serge LaPointe Colors(C): Stephane Peru
>Alt-Text: Comic art of Hank McCoy, a man with large hands and feet wearing a lab coat and goggles He is hanging upside down on a bar while looking at test tubes stored in a complex machine.
>Dialouge Sample: Benjamin Percy

Dundee, Illinois

Why the Yanks are obsessed with reproducing the tacky Scottish countryside, you’ll never know.
Hopefully, you’ll get more out of this trip than hayfever from garish topiary.

“Mrs. McCoy, thank you for taking my call, I’m...”

A stunning beast of a young man walks in and interrupts.

Doctor Michael Milbury! A genius of your caliber needs no introduction!

And this is why it pays to have an alias or seven.

“Would it be okay, if we spoke inside? I am aware there has been some... unwanted attention.”

Yes please, I’ve had enough of their contemptuous gaze. Mother, please close the door.
Tell him his power has shown him to be one of the elite. The leaders of a new age who will drag this planet by force into the...
“I’ve read your paper on genetics. Amazing work, though you misunderstand the Essex Factor.”
You read my work?! I’m a mere underclassman. Why would you ... wait, Essex factor?
“The source of Mutant abilities. Like yours. And..mine.”

With the showmanship of seaside punchman, you will your diamond to appear on your forehead.”

There are others? I had speculated but...
“Not just others, but a nation full. And with our minds together we can crack the code of this great mystery. Isn’t that a better use of your talents than throwing around a pig skin?”
I... I liked playing at Bard.
“And where did that get you? Tossed aside like so much rubbish. You save your ‘adoring’ fans from robbery and they reward you with scorn and derision. Come with me and you will accomplish far more than being a dancing ape. What do you say to that, boy?”
I say...I knew this time would come. Now it is here. And everything is about to change
Welcome, Pestilence.

File: Fin Fang Doom.jpg (3.75 MB, 1988x3056)

3.75 MB JPG

>>6131142
> Art(A): James Stokoe
>Alt-Text: Comic art of Fin Fang Foom, a giant reptilian dragon smashing skyscrapers.
>Dialogue Sample: Steve Englehart

Kinmen, Taiwan

My stars and garters! I’ve never seen a stool sample so fascinating

“Only you, McCoy could find dragon dung so thrilling.”

Though you are glad he does. The superhuman arms race is heating up.
Some teenager in Taiwan found an alien reptile, and the next thing you know, a Maoist invasion fleet was chewed up and converted into...

Skatole!
“That’s one word for it.”
You misunderstand. The surrounding wildlife is producing skatole! The source of these droppings’ unpleasant aroma. This future coprolite is mutating the DNA of the surrounding lifeforms!
“Gather some samples then, one more file for our database.”

The year has been profitable.
The boy's work on your DNA files has given you the rough sketches of a mutant army, though you’ll need more samples to fill in the blanks.
Even if they do come from East Asian shit-shoveling. But you haven't been the only one’s busy.

Your intelligence suggests the US Government is weaponizing mutants as well. This “Weapon X” program has an office in Canada worth looking into.

Professor Charles Xavier, your former student, has been spotted globetrotting, building a network of mutants for his purposes.

A mutant terrorist is also on the radar of the intelligence community. Alias “Magneto” is building some type of army.

Finally, there are reports of Mutants emerging, and then suddenly disappearing. Someone is taking these pieces off the board.
A Messenger of some mysterious force.

This competition won’t do. You must target one of these groups. Your rivals will either be brought under heel, or destroyed.

{Which Mutant faction do you investigate further?}

>Weapon X
>Magneto
>Charles Xavier
>Messenger

>>6131143
>Magneto

Weapon X is weak. We could probably solo Charles at this point because Big A will protect from mind shenanigans, but that would likely anger Magnus. Better to see if we can get him on board first.

>>6131143
>Weapon X
>>6131157
how is X weak ?

>>6131143
>Messenger

>>6131143
>Magneto
Unless Weapon X has already developed H-Alpha (Who is a splice of Hulk and Wolverine with shootable Adamantium), I don't see them helping us out right now. We can always steal their research later.

>>6131143
>Weapon X

>>6131143
>Magneto
I don't know what the Brotherhood roster is going to look like but I think nipping it in the bud will leave us more options for mutants to recruit. I think we'll also have a bit of time before the worst of Weapon X/Plus is ready

>>6131157
>>6131291
>>6131708
Magneto

>>6131209
>>6131557
Weapon X

>>6131258
Messenger


Locking for Magneto, update within 24 hours.

File: Power Unmeasured.jpg (373 KB, 1007x1216)

373 KB JPG

>>6131143
>Pencils & Inks: Andrea Di Vito. Colors(C): Laura Villari. Letters(L): Dave Sharpe. Script (S): Christos N. Gage
>Alt-text: Comic book art of a sentinel, a giant robot, fighting a man with magnetic powers, Magneto. Another mutant is killed by the sentinel. Magneto then rips the Sentinel’s head off.
>Dialogue Samples: Christos N. Gage. Simon Kinberg. Alan Davis & Terry Kavanagh

Egypt, United Arab Republic

You are Apoclaypse and you can feel the warm sand even through the skin of this sickly Northerner you call a host.
The Upper and Lower Kingdoms will always be your first home. And your first failure.
You shall see if the millennia have brought power worthy of you to the Great Nile.

“Well it may have taken enough pounds to get Churchill toasted for an afternoon, but my informant says this Magneto character should be righ-”

CRASHHH!!

Metal smashing bone. The screams of the unworthy. Blood steaming against hot sand. Yes, you remember this fondly. This... is power.
An iron colossus is storming through the desert, annihilating the weaklings before it. All except one.

Metal? The humans send metal against me, the master of magnetism? Their arrogance shall be their doom!

A sparking sensation fills the air. Static discharge stirs the desert, the steel giant rises up, and falls to pieces.
You haven’t seen power like this, rage like this, since... Her.

“My my my, how impressive. I think--”

An iron bar slaps across your host’s lips.

Silence puppet. I’ve been around enough psychics to know a possession when I see one. Open your mind to me. I would hear your master speak.

The man removes his helmet and astral projects into your host's mind.
There he stands before you. He stands before The Revelation. There can only be one response.

>You have proven yourself. You are one of the chosen who will forge our new tomorrow. Join me and guide the destiny of our people.

>When your family was slaughtered I was asleep. Trapped in darkness. I was not there for you my son. But I am here now. You don’t know your own strength, but I do. Everything they have built will fall. And from the ashes of their world, we will build a better one

>I see the real you. You hunger for honor. At times even reach for it. But it is nothing compared to your thirst for revenge.

>>6131843
>I see the real you. You hunger for honor. At times even reach for it. But it is nothing compared to your thirst for revenge.

>>6131843
>I see the real you. You hunger for honor. At times even reach for it. But it is nothing compared to your thirst for revenge.

Appealing to Magneto's better nature? We'll see if it works I guess. I have doubts.

>When your family was slaughtered I was asleep. Trapped in darkness. I was not there for you my son. But I am here now. You don’t know your own strength, but I do. Everything they have built will fall. And from the ashes of their world, we will build a better one

A new, better world where you won't need to worry about your mutant family being slaughtered for being different.

>>6131843
>When your family was slaughtered I was asleep. Trapped in darkness. I was not there for you my son. But I am here now. You don’t know your own strength, but I do. Everything they have built will fall. And from the ashes of their world, we will build a better one

>>6131843
>I see the real you. You hunger for honor. At times even reach for it. But it is nothing compared to your thirst for revenge.

>>6132182
>>6132185
>>6132309
>>6132397
>>6132406
Locking for "I see the real you" Update within 24 hours.

How are folks liking the quest so far?

>>6132440
seems interesting

>>6132440
It’s a bit hard to understand, I’m still not sure if we’re supposed to be the guy we picked or some cosmic entity possessing him. Maybe it’s just me being unfamiliar with the concept of dialogue samples, though…

>>6132440
I'd like a bit more to read, something to get a better idea of what our burgeoning faction looks like and the state of the world.

>>6132440
Another delay folks. Long workday plus a holiday ate my time. I am shooting for an update Tommy afternoon. Sorry.

>>6133092
alright

File: Welcome War.jpg (64 KB, 415x442)

64 KB JPG

>>6131843
>Alt-Text: Comic art of Apocalypse and Magneto shaking hands.
>Pencils & Inks: Andrea Di Vito. Colors(C): Laura Villari. Letters(L): Dave Sharpe. Script (S): Christos N. Gage
>Dialogue Samples: Alan Davis & Terry Kavanagh. Christos N Gage.

Apocalypse (in bold): I see the real you. You hunger for honor. At times even reach for it. But it is nothing compared to your thirst for revenge.
Magneto (in red): And what do you know of revenge? Of pain?! I can sense your power. Yet you stood aside and did nothing when that metal beast murdered my brotherhood!
Do not weaken yourself with sentiment. You survived because you are strong. You are worthy. That toy was merely the first of this feeble planet's backlash against its betters. There will be more. And if you seek to avenge your fallen brethren, you will NEED more.
You would join me in my war?
If it is war you seek, War is what you shall be.

With your minds' connected you flood the mutant’s brain with memories.
He sees you crushing Aegean chariots, sees you clash with gods on the shores of Lundenburg, sees you breaking The Impaler before you.
And through this all, he learns War. Through this all, he BECOMES War.

Welcome, War
Let’s get to work.

File: Birth of the Fantastic.jpg (326 KB, 900x1367)

326 KB JPG

>>6133685
>Art: Alex Ross
>Alt-Text: Painting of the Fantastic Four. For astronauts, led by Reed Richards who gained superpowers in space.

August, 1961

The day has come. The brightest of this planet reached for the heavens and returned with the gods' fire.
The Marvel Age has begun.

Nathanial Essex (in quotation marks) “Can you believe this? I spend decades trying to crack induced mutation and some poindexter in a rented spaceship becomes a mutant by ACCIDENT!”
A MuTATE, not a Mutant. No amount of sapiens technology could recreate our natural gifts.
“I have a lab in New Mexico that says otherwise.”
I can rip you to atoms with a thought!
SILENCE!

Magneto and your host both kneel before your might.
The boy Hank does not. For all his genius, your Pestilence cannot hear your voice.

Hank (in blue): While I find fisticuffs as dreadful as the next academic, I wouldn’t faint at their mere suggestion.
Stay your tongue boy, we deal with matters beyond you.
Beyond me? How dare you? Have YOU studied Dr Richards’ work on cosmic rays? You wouldn't know a beaker from a Bunsen burner, let alone be able to hypothesize how he and his crew gained their fantastic abilities.
The question isn’t how, but when? When will the human nations of this world, in their quest to make anything a weapon, figure out how to mass-produce those changes? The first time the sapiens attempted to match our power, they used a man of rare honor. I don’t want to take my chances with whoever Jack Kennedy shoots up with cosmic particles.
“Oh that Irish letch is more likely to shoot HIMSELF up than make a super soldier of any worth.”
It's not just the US. I am the master of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. I can feel the radiation fields of the Earth like my own skin. And every day, I sense more spikes of power. Across the globe, nations and corporations are racing to have the next Ubermensch. I know where this leads, and it won’t happen again—not on my watch.
What would you do, War?
Strike while we still can. I am an Omega Mutant, the pinnacle of power. Even with our small numbers, I could take over Cape Citadel. With its Nuclear Arsenal, we could bring this planet to heel.
“Or get us all killed! Bossman, a sidebar if you will.”
Is Dr. Essex... talking to himself?
These days, I’m not sure.
“While I’m sure Tinhead here would love to go out in a blaze of glory there is a better option. I theorized that with the combination of the right twelve Essex factors, I could build you a body. One with Ultimate power.”
How many of these Twelve have you acquired?
“Two. Amusingly that magnetic blowhard with the inferior cape is one of them. But I know where five more are. The rest can’t be too hard to find. It will take time, but godhood is on the table. No need for haste.

>Attack Cape Citadel
>Hold off on direct conflict. Keep assembling The Twelve.

>>6132488
Starting with this update, I will try to make it more clear who is talking.
The perspective will sometimes shift between characters we are currently POV as Apocalypse.
When we shift POV again, I will tell you. I have also added clarification for whose dialogue is whose.

Dialogue Samples are my term for when I adapt lines of dialogue from the comics tv shows films etc.
For example, a lot of this Magneto and Apoclaysoe sequence is inspired by House of M Civil War, written by Christos N Gage.
When a post uses someone else words' I will give credit to them.

>>6132489
This post inspired me to make some bonus content. Expect it sometime this weekend.

>>6133690
>Hold off on direct conflict. Keep assembling The Twelve.

12

>>6133710
>>6135144
Locking for the 12. Update sometime this week. (The USA Election is slowing things down)

File: Magneto Files Log 001.png (79 KB, 1024x768)

79 KB PNG

>>6133690
>Design: Portograph Studio. Writer: The Hypercrisis Bro.
>Alt-Text: A table labeled Magneto Files Log 001: Electromagnetic Threats. Details of the table are reproduced in the post below.
>Dialogue Samples: Deniz Camp, Al Ewing, Stan Lee, Jonathan Hickman, Robert Bernstein, Gerry Conway, Stan Berkowitz, & John Semper, Chris Claremont.

From the journals of Magneto
With the rise of this so-called Fantastic Four, I thought it necessary to catalog all possible threats from the sapiens menace. The rise of the atomic age has brought several potential threats from all corners.

>Name: Robert Bruce Banner. Allegiance: United States. Asset: Gamma Bomb. Threat Level: Omega.
The USA’s nuclear program has expanded its focus on the so-called Banner-Ulam design. I have felt the energy waves from their tests, even across the globe. This weapon’s danger goes beyond mass casualties. I feel it is a doorway to something below us all.

>Name: Victor van Damme. Allegiance: Unknown. Asset: D̶im̶e̶n̶s̶io̶n̶ W̵a̶r̶p̵. Threat Level: Unknown.
Van Damme was once the human that gave me the most concern, his disappearance could be a blessing or a harbinger of something far more. A Roma refugee from Latveria, the USA captures his young mind to be weaponized for their "Baxter Building" program. His experiments tore time and space asunder, the energies involved felt almost mystical until they suddenly stopped. Reports of an explosion at the Baxter Building confirmed something went wrong. I am thankful his plans seem to have failed, but he has gone missing since then. A brain that dangerous and let loose in the world can bring only trouble.

>Name: Unknown. Allegiance: Wakanda. Asset: Unknown. Threat Level: Omega.
Worse than a known danger is an unknown one. The mystery terrifies me. By the heart of Lake Victoria lies a great electromagnetic void. As if every vibration in the planet's field suddenly stopped. Whatever substance has the power to do this has the potential to rend the world asunder. And whoever controls it is the most dangerous person on Earth.

>Name: Chen Liuzhou. Allegiance: Republic of China. Asset: Radiotrophic Megafauna. Threat Level: Alpha.
Liuzhou is a young boy. And like so many youths these days he was raised in trauma. Scarred by Communist China’s attacks on the breakaway “Republic” of Taiwan he somehow gains access to a massive reptilian beast. In addition to size, this “Fin Fang Foom” has been documented to be indestructible. Even worse, it feeds off radiation. In this post-nuclear world, a living superweapon that can thrive when nuked is a volatile chess piece on the board. Especially in the still simmering Chinese Civil War.

>>6135827
>Name: James Braddock Sr. Allegiance: European Nuclear Energy Agency. Asset: Environmental Ionizer.
As part of its longstanding rivalry with France, the United Kingdom has joined a US-backed nuclear energy program. While they claim their research is peaceful, I sense the destructive power of their experiments. Braddock has developed an ionizer that can call down thunder from heaven itself. If he isn't checked, he may gain power to rival the gods.

>Name: Chen Lu. Allegiance: People’s Republic of China. Asset: Radioactive Transmutator. Threat Level: Alpha.
Dr. Chen is a leading figure in China’s nuclear program. While others are focused on mastering the destructive power of the bomb, Chen’s research plans to empower the human body directly with radiation. Needless to say, an army of living A-bombs isn’t something I can let happen.

>Name: Yoshida Mariko. Allegiance: Yoshida Zaibatsu. Asset: Solar Radiation Gift. Threat Level: Alpha.
Mariko is a promising young mutant with the power of the stars. Unfortunately, she has fallen under the sway of her human family. The Yoshida Zaibatsu is growing its influence in Japan. Hopefully, I can reach Mariko before her gift becomes just another human weapon.

>Name: Curtis Connors & Farley Stillwell. Allegiance: Oscorp. Asset: Neogenic Recombinator. Threat Level: Beta.
A wounded warrior, Curtis Connors seeks to use science to heal. His partner Dr Stillwell has more deadly ambitions for their work. The Neogenic Recombinator harnesses radiation to bond the genetic codes of different lifeforms. If perfected, the sapiens could augment their genes with the abilities of any animal, or worse, those of mutants.

>Name: Anton Igorevich Vanko Allegiance: Soviet Union. Asset: Human Dynamo. Threat Level: Apha.
Vanko was born in Armenia as Anton Hovhannisyan and legally changed his name to fit the hallowed halls of Soviet Academia better. I am no stranger to having multiple names, but I will no longer choose titles based on assimilation or fear. Despite his heritage, he has risen in the ranks of the USSR, becoming the world expert in electricity. His latest research focuses on a portable electric generator of massive power. If he perfects his design the Red war machine could ravage the world.

>James Hudson Allegiance: Am-Cam Corporation Asset: Groundhog Armor Threat Level: Beta.
The only thing humans love more than bloodshed is wealth. Dr Hudson has worked for years in Am-Cam Corporation’s oil fields. His Groundhog Armor harnesses electromagnetic fields to piece the earth itself, unlocking new fields of oil. The only thing these suits make bleed is the planet, for now. I must ensure the technology isn't used for military purposes.

>>6132489
Thank you for the suggestion, I always wanted to do a "Hickman Chart" and this was a great opportunity. I hope you enjoy the lore dump.
(Full update in progress)

>>6135827
>>6135828
do we choose something or that's just info ?

>>6136056
Just info, this is the background I talked about earlier. The actual update is coming soon.

File: Sinister Attraction.jpg (198 KB, 758x930)

198 KB JPG

>>6135828
>Pencils (P) & Inks (I): R.B. Silva. Colors (C):Marte Gracia
>Alt-Text: Comic art of Dr Essex and Magneto talking
>Content Warning: Ableism

Apocalypse (in bold) Very well my child, bring me these twelve, and soon this world will know the face of god.
Essex (in quotes): "Well that’s tickety-boo. I have just the little orphan in mind."
Know your place, spawn. I am the master, you the hunting dog. The prey we fell will be by my design.
“Hahaha, that wasn't the first time I've been compared to a cur, but it's the first one I'll take as a compliment."
Magneto (in red): If you want to have a private conversation with yourself, you should avoid cackling so loudly.
"If it isn't the wicket witch of the west. Sorry to say The First One chose my plan over yours."
Did "He" choose your plan, or did you choose yourself?
"I beg your pardon."
It should be obvious that I of all people know would know Semitic languages. "En Sabah Nur" isn't Arabic for "The First One." It means "The Morning Light" and the grammar isn't even right.
You dare deny me?! After witnessing my greatness?!
Greatness, or the delusions of a brain wracked by experiments? Arabic didn't even EXIST in Ancient Egypt. For all I know you're a mundane scientist whose mind broke when his gift manifested."
"Mundane! I was clipping telomeres when you were in your crib."
That's another thing, exactly how old are you? I looked into your background, but I can't find any birth records, and there is an interesting gap in the 40s.
If this whelp wants to challenge me, he is welcome to.
No, our interests are aligned for now. I would ally with every madman in the asylum if it would bring my people liberation. But know this, my patience is not unlimited, if we stray too far from the path, YOU will know the meaning of war.

With that, he flew off

"God, what a-"
He is a leader among our kind. There will come a time when we clash to decide who will sit atop our new nation. On that day, the fittest shall be the victor. As they are always.
"Well if we're done with the operatics, who should this hunting dog go for?"

File: Milbury Hospital.jpg (656 KB, 1766x1041)

656 KB JPG

>>6137327
>Art(A): Pat Presely. Production Design (PD): Molly Hughes.
>Alt-Text: Concept art of the dilapidated Milbury Hospital.
>Dialogue Sample: Al Ewing

{Which of the Twelve do you attempt to acquire?}

>Charles Xavier
The most powerful mind on the planet has been a busy beaver.
Under the painfully obvious alias, "Professor X," he is recruiting a team of mutants dedicated to peace and integration.
As if those things ever existed. Will you ever be free of annoying men named Charles?
Luckily he has a shared history with Magneto you could leverage.
It will be hard to recruit the self-righteous fly rink, but the rewards would be immense.

>Scott Summers
You’ve had your eye on this young orphan for years.
Speaking of, HIS eyes are a portal to a dimension of pure force, and his head is filled with deliciously exploitable childhood trauma.
He’s currently under the watchful eye of one of your many orphanages/hospitals/test labs. You’ve raised this crop, it may be time to harvest it.

>Jean Grey
One of the greatest prizes possible. Of all the mutants you have monitored, Jean Grey has the most potential.
Her psychic powers have been calculated to be limitless. Unfortunately, she has already fallen under the sway of Prof X.
Pulling this youth from his clutches will be difficult but if you get her hands on her, you will have access to the most powerful Essex Factor in history.
You already have ideas for ideal breeding matches

>Ahmet Abdol
A professor in the young United Arab Republic, Ahmet Abdol has the fascinating theory that the gods and pharaohs of Ancient Egypt were all mutants.
The blue chap in your head can confirm that. It would be easy to get him to join your cause although his Essex factor has yet to manifest. Perhaps some induced trauma is in order?

>Yoshida Mariko
A princess of the Orient, Mariko has risen in the ranks of the Yoshida Zaibetsu, despite her gender.
Her solar power Essex factor is key to your plans, but getting access to her connections to the powerful in the Japons would be all the better.

>>6137331
>Yoshida Mariko

>>6137331
>Yoshida Mariko

>>6135829
Thanks for making it. I like these because they tell a lot for both characters, world, and gives us an idea of what we reasonably know about the world.
>>6137331
>Yoshida Mariko

>>6137497
>>6137642
>>6137644
Locking for Yoshida Mariko. I will work on the update today.

>>6137644
>>6137642
>>6137497
I am still working on the update. I must admit my output will be slower than normal for the foreseeable future. The quest is not dead, it is still ongoing.

>>6139736
no problems

File: Yoshida Fortress.jpg (210 KB, 1263x546)

210 KB JPG

>>6137331
>Alt-Text: Comic art of a traditional Japanese building complex, including a two-story pagoda.
>Pencils & Inks: Alessandro Viti. Colors: IFS

You are Yoshida Mariko of the Yoshida clan. For centuries, your family and the divine nation you call home have been linked.
From Emperors to Shoguns to Prime Ministers, Yoshida was the power behind the power—until the Americans came.
They burned the sky itself and turned your people into ash. When they took over, the mighty Yoshida Zaibatsu was humbled.
But it is a new day. The Americans' Cold War has transformed your people from monsters to be hunted to tools to be weaponized.
A capitalist rival in the East to China and the Russians is desired, so your household has reformed.
Where your weapon was once folded steel, it is now glittering coins. Your Uncle Shingen knows the family can do more.
With the bank's funds, he has allied with ancient enemies, and it seems he seeks to ally with further demons.

Magneto: Harada Shingen, thank you for your hospitality. I am Magneto, Horseman of War of the Mutant Nation. With me are the Beast, Horseman of Pestilence, and our leader En Sabah Nur, The Apocalypse.
Harada: You will address me as Lord Harada, mutant.
Magneto: I came here under the flag of peace and respect, but no bot be mistaken, no man is my lord.

The smell of Ozone fills the air. Power flows from this Magneto, a power you recognize within yourself.

Essex: Hey, hey, hey let’s calm down now. Any culture with respect for a good cuppa is one worth dealing with sand fisticuffs, isn’t it?
Harada: This fool is your leader?
Essex: Not exactly, our don is currently locked away in this amazing brain of mine. Something I’m working on a solution to by the way, which is why I am here.
Magneto: Yoshida Mariko. I know you possess the mutant gift of the Sun. Join our cause, we can build a better future, together.
Harada: You dare speak to my niece that way?! Mariko is loyal to the Yoshida!
Magneto: Loyal, or a tool? I know the Japanese are looking to expand into nuclear power, and the British reactor you imported can’t withstand the earthquakes your island is well known for. How convenient that you invested in the Japan Atomic Power just as you gained control of a source of infinite mutant energy.
Beast: Perhaps it would be best to de-escalate. Surely Mariko-San can speak for herself.
Soma: She has no need for words.


You feel them before you see them. They don’t have the inner light of the stars you can sense in every breathing thing on this globe. No.
Their hearts bear a foul and empty silence, they are walking death. They are--The Hand.

File: The Daughter who is The Sun..jpg (244 KB, 1170x1259)

244 KB JPG

>>6142286
>Art: Peach Momoko
>Alt-Text: Yoshida Mariko, a Japanese teenager holding a sword and wearing a poncho-like cape. She holds a sword and her hair is tied with an Oni-shaped charm.

Magneto: Ninjas. How quaint.
Soma: I am Grandmaster of The Hand, a member of the Broken Wheel this world turns upon. I could end you with a thought. Do not try me, Erik.
Magneto: You dare...
Beast: Perhaps the Horseman of War could do better than antagonize a room full of people with sharpened ninjatō!
Soma: And none of them metal, we have studied you Magneto.
Magneto: And I you. I know how the Japanese underground collaborated with the Axis powers.
Soma: We allied with those that were strongest, and when they failed, we found ... new partners. Blood and conquest is the way of all people. The bombs your kin planted in Egypt are proof of that.
Magneto: I have no kin but Mutantdom!
Soma: But you have allies. The Hand too has been involved with mutant affairs. Mariko is but one of our prospects. We would be interested in working with your “nation”, if your good faith could be proved.
Essex: Now we’re talking. You can always trust the chap in the silken robe to have a good head on his shoulders.
Soma: We have an enemy. He goes by the juvenile name of Lord Dark Wind. A devotee of false gods and a dead Empire, he has gained much wealth selling his childish dream to those stuck in the past.
Beast: I don’t see how a revanchist author is any of our concern.
Soma: He uses his wealth to fund superhuman research. We have learned he developed a formula for an ultimate weapon. Join us in striking his fortress and The Hand and the Yoshida Clan will count Nation X among friends.
Harada: The Shinobi speaks out of turn, but he speaks true.
Magneto: I didn’t take this cause to be a sapiens mercenary! If you people were dedicated to true power, you would be led by the woman sitting here who could burn you all to ash!
Harada: Disrespect us again, and it will be the last words you ever speak.

>Magneto implores Mariko to take over the Yoshida Clan.
>The Mutants agree to join the raid on Lord Darkwind.
>Magneto attacks The Hand

>>6140058
Full disclosure, the quest updates will likely be at an irregular pace. I am working back up to one update every 24-48 hours.
Week-long delays should no longer happen.

>>6132440
I genuinely forgot it existed after the first update and am just getting back into it now. Digging it, though, even as reader rather than player.

>>6142317
I am glad you are enjoying it.

>>6142289
>The Mutants agree to join the raid on Lord Darkwind.
Sidebar mentally with Magneto, and let him know it's just to give him more time to work on Mariko and for us to seize this "ultimate weapon" for Nation X.

>>6142289
>The Mutants agree to join the raid on Lord Darkwind.
>>6142290
alright, thanks

>>6142334
>Magneto implores Mariko to take over the Yoshida Clan.

>>6142334
I'd support that. Though I am tempted to do the implore option now.

>>6142334
>>6142373
>>6142378
>>6142711
Locking for raiding Lord Darkwind. Update this week .

>>6143885
waiting warmly

>>6143901
+1

File: Near the Coast of Hokaido.jpg (50 KB, 707x141)

50 KB JPG

>>6142289
>Alt-Text: Comic art of a Shinden-zukuri complex. A caption reads “Near the coast of Hokkaido.”
>Pencils: Klaus Janson & William Johnson. Inks: Klaus Janson & Mike Migmola. Script: Denny O’Neil. Letters: Joe Rosen

You are Nathanial Essex, host of Apocalypse. Currently trying to avoid getting sucked into a war when your entire nation consists of three and a half people!

Essex: Magneto, care to join me in the Astral Plane? I think a telekinetic mind meld will help to fix the flint.
Magneto: Very well. Excuse me, gentlemen.

He takes off his ridiculous helmet and instantly, your minds join.

In the Astral Plane.

Magneto: I refuse to run errands for those who allied with my butchers.
Essex: You’re stuck in the past old boy. Think of the future. Their flaming princess is our ticket to ultimate power. The more time we spend with the Yoshida’s the more time you have to turn hertour side.
Magneto: You speak truly, but Mariko’s power will be for mutant liberation, not your experiments.
Apocalypse: She wields the fire of the gods. Rest assured, Magneto. Her flame will burn away the weakness of the old ways.

Back at the Yoshida Fortress.

Essex: It’s decided, we will join your raid.
Soma: As expected. Our agent Kannon will be our representative for this mission. As I said, this will not be our first involvement in Mutant affairs.
Harada: And Mariko will ensure Yoshida interests are served on this mission.
Kannon: The target is an Island off the coast of Hokkaido. Our shinobi tell us security should be light because it is the week of Obon.
Beast: Ah, the Japanese festival of the dead.
Essex: And if security ISN’T light?
Kannon: We’ll give them more bodies to celebrate.

The Hokkaido Coast

Kannon: I can sense five guards. They’re frustrated they aren’t home with their families.

What a fabulous little specimen. You’re practically salivating at what you could do with your hands on that psychic brain.

Kannon: Everyone prepare.

Mariko inspects a small knife.

Kannon: You bring that tanto on every mission. It's a waste of space when you shoot fire.
Mariko: It belonged to my mother. Her spirit watches over me in battle.
Kannon: Don’t get sentimental. It gets you killed. There’s no Hell or reincarnation. I know firsthand. So make sure you’re not the one in the ground.
Beast: I do say, I have some reservations. Despite my atavistic figure, violence does not become me.
Magneto: You were born a mutant, Beast. YOUR LIFE is a battle. It's time you learned that.
Essex: Yes, yes, everyone’s had their pre-battle gabs. If we’re all sorted let’s get this Far East Mystery weapon.
Kannon: From our perspective, YOU’RE in the East.

The brat flips to the fortress gate. Your furry lab assistant follows and Magneto levitates you and Mariko down by your metal accoutrements.

Kannon: I’ve cut the locks, go!
Magneto: Stop. I sense- metal!

About twenty ninjas emerge from the shadows.

File: Flames of the Ancestors.jpg (101 KB, 516x650)

101 KB JPG

>>6146517
>Alt-Text: Comic art of Mariko swinging a tanto. She and the blade are covered with energy. Above her, the energy forms the shape of the head of a horned woman.
>Art: Peach Momoko
>Dialogue Sample: Chris Claremont

Kannon: I don’t understand, I can’t read their minds!
Beast: I suppose reason is out of the question?
Ninja: 殺してしまえほ!
Beast: I’ll take that as a no.

A flurry of blades, blood, and fur fills the gates. Lucky for you, shapeshifting is a lovely power for escaping danger.

Magneto: Cowardly snake! Slinking away from combat.
Essex: You’re one to talk! Why is the master of magnetism faffing about the air instead of stopping the army using METAL weapons?!
Magneto: To see the children thrive. See how Beast applies his analytic mind to strike the human’s weak points? I’ll make a warrior of him yet. And of our young prospect, I believe her potential is only just emerging.

Kannon: マリコ、助けて!

Then it hits you. One of the greatest joys you’ve experienced in life. Witnessing a new Essex factor.
From the girl’s small knife, massive flames emerge forming the shape of a horned woman. The enemies before you are burnt to dust, alongside most of the fortress you were meant to raid.

Mariko: haa...haa...haa.
Kannon: The mission is over, we need to leave.
Magneto: Not so fast, young lady.

He puts a hand on the hyperventilating living nuke.

Magneto: You did well tonight. You can take pride in who you are, not the name given to you.

The blowhard lifts a hand and a safe flies through the ashes before crashing in front of you.

Magneto: I can sense the magnetostrictive delay lines in their computers. The formula should be stored here. With my supreme magnetic powers, I can read this computer “brain” as easily as a boo- NO!
Mariko: Magneto! What happened?!
Magneto: Their weapon is a metal called adamantium- impervious to physical and mental force. It is how they blocked their minds from our ally’s view.
Essex: What a spectacular material. I don’t see why it's given you the pip.
Magneto: Someone was here before us. The United States Government looted this formula. The files state they are experimenting with bonding it to skeletons.
Beast: Impossible! No one could survive such a procedure.
Magneto: No human. Your insidious military is experimenting on live mutants.
Mariko: That’s horrible! American evil is boundless.
Magneto: Not just America. All human governments are the enemy. The US is merely the first to exploit us this way and I will ensure they are the last.
Essex: Are you seriously proposing a war against a superpower?
Magneto: Look around you! Look at what we can do. WE are the only superpower that matters. We shall tear down the walls of this military abomination and liberate our people.

>Agree to attack Weapon X. (The USA and SHIELD will become your enemies)
>Refuse Magneto ( Magneto will challenge you for leadership of Nation X)

>>6146518
>Refuse Magneto ( Magneto will challenge you for leadership of Nation X)
it's still too soon for that

>>6146518
>Agree to attack Weapon X. (The USA and SHIELD will become your enemies)

I think if we did it in the right way It'll be okay. We have Magneto and I suppose we have anyone Magneto could convince to fight and make trouble.

Magneto has the proof of their live human/mutant experiments, with espionage against their ally Japan. Leak it all over the world to start all kinds of domestic troubles, they probably won't abandon the project it but they'll look bad/incompetent. They would also want to pick everything up and move it incase the location was found. When they try to move it we smash and grab what we can.

Ideally the USA will be busy dealing with the fallout atleast for a little while.

>>6146518
>Agree to attack Weapon X. (The USA and SHIELD will become your enemies)
Could get a Sniktbub or two out of it.

>>6146604
>>6146601
>>6146549
Locking for Attak on Weapon X. Update within the next two days.

>>6147357
Get hype!

>>6147357
sure

>>6147357
waiting warmly

>>6147357
QM?

>>6147357
bro ?

>>6150229
>>6151422
He'll be back sooner or later. Probably just fighting writer's block again. I've seen it once or twice, we're not dead here.

File: Base X (Base Ten).jpg (241 KB, 1200x840)

241 KB JPG

>>6146518
>Art: Mark Goerner
>Alt-Text: A giant dam holding back a lake.
>Dialogue Sample: Steve Englehart
>Content Warning: Anti-Irish Bigotry

You are Apocalypse, The First One, Bringer of The Revelation.
For aeons you have walked through hosts, tearing down the rot of mankind to fertilize a glorious tomorrow.
This Magneto is arrogant, filled with untempered rage, but he speaks truth.
The Americans seek to be the new masters of the world.
With guile and cunning, they have bent their betters, the mutants, to be tools in their quest. The Strong serving the weak.
This abomination must be stopped.

Apocalypse: Speak host, our will shall be done.
Essex: Well I do suppose the Yanks will have all manner of genetic goodies to plunder.Beast! Prepare my battlecape and ready the gin, we go to war!
Kanon: YOU go to war. The Hand agreed to ally with your nation, not to join a doomed crusade.
Magneto: If your leaders are too narrow-minded to see the future of the planet's new masters, I won't waste time enlightening them. They shall witness when the time comes. But I DO intend to hold them to our bargain. I know your network has spies across the globe, we will need intelligence for this raid.
Beast: Mariko-San, surely you see this facility for the atrocity it is. As Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing.”
Mariko: My place is with the Yoshida, beyond that, nothing matters.
Magneto: Very well, the three of us will take down an empire. Though Ms Kanon, instead of trying to pry into my mind, I suggest you pry into the goals of your so-called Grandmaster.
Kanon: How did you-

Magneto taps his helmet.

Magneto: Lord Darkwind isn’t the only one who knows how to block a telepath.

Alliance Acquired
>The Hand
>Available Assets: Intelligence Network. 1 Beta-Level Mutant

>The Yoshida Group
>Available Assets: Influence on Japan. 1 Alpha-Level Mutant

Alkali Lake, Alberta, Canada

Beast: You would think a project of such importance would be on American soil.
Essex: “Handsome Jack” doesn't want to get his pretty hands dirty. Leave it to an Irishman to hide his shame.
Magneto: Stay your tongue, Essex. Racism is unbecoming. ALL humans are equally beneath us. In this case literally.

Magneto raises his hand, and every radio in Kananaskis County shuts down.
The lakewaters shudder. A garish attempt to cling to relevance rises from the depths.
Beast: My Stars and Garters.
Magneto: I’ve knocked but they haven’t opened the door. Shall we teach our hosts manners?

The base cracks open. Sheets of metal twist into a staircase that stretches to your feet.
As the three of you walk in, bullets bounce harmlessly off magnetic shields.
Guns are torn away from the frightened boys they thought could stop you.
Guided by his magnetic senses your Horseman of War takes you to the core of this base's power. The Adamantium Chamber.

Magneto: no...

>>6151599
>>6151599
{Due to markup errors I cannot delete posts for the time being, please ignore this update. The corrected updated will be posted below.}

File: Base X (Base Ten).jpg (272 KB, 970x679)

272 KB JPG

>>6146518
>Art: Mark Goerner
>Alt-Text: A giant dam holding back a lake.
>Dialogue Sample: Steve Englehart
>Content Warning: Anti-Irish Bigotry

You are Apocalypse, The First One, Bringer of The Revelation.
For aeons you have walked through hosts, reaping down the rot of mankind to fertilize a glorious tomorrow.
This Magneto is arrogant, filled with untempered rage, but he speaks truth.
The Americans seek to be the new masters of the world.
With guile and cunning, they have bent their betters, the mutants, to be tools in their quest. The Strong serving the weak.
This abomination must be stopped.

Apocalypse: Speak host, our will shall be done.
Essex: Well I do suppose the Yanks will have all manner of genetic goodies to plunder.Beast! Prepare my battlecape and ready the gin, we go to war!
Kanon: YOU go to war. The Hand agreed to ally with your nation, not to join a doomed crusade.
Magneto: If your leaders are too narrow-minded to see the future of the planet's new masters, I won't waste time enlightening them. They shall witness when the time comes. But I DO intend to hold them to our bargain. I know your network has spies across the globe, we will need intelligence for this raid.
Beast: Mariko-San, surely you see this facility for the atrocity it is. As Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing.”
Mariko: My place is with the Yoshida, beyond that, nothing matters.
Magneto: Very well, the three of us will take down an empire. Though Ms Kanon, instead of trying to pry into my mind, I suggest you pry into the goals of your so-called Grandmaster.
Kanon: How did you-

Magneto taps his helmet.

Magneto: Lord Darkwind isn’t the only one who knows how to block a telepath.

>Alliance Acquired
>The Hand
>Available Assets: Intelligence Network.1 Beta-Level Mutant

>The Yoshida Group
>Available Assets: Influence on Japan.1 Alpha-Level Mutant

Alkali Lake, Alberta, Canada

Beast: You would think a project of such importance would be on American soil.
Essex: “Handsome Jack” doesn't want to get his pretty hands dirty. Leave it to an Irishman to hide his shame.
Magneto: Stay your tongue, Essex. Racism is unbecoming. ALL humans are equally beneath us. In this case literally.

Magneto raises his hand, and every radio in Kananaskis County shuts down.
The lakewaters shudder. A garish attempt to cling to relevance rises from the depths.
Beast: My Stars and Garters.
Magneto: I’ve knocked but they haven’t opened the door. Shall we teach our hosts manners?

The base cracks open. Sheets of metal twist into a staircase that stretches to your feet.
As the three of you walk in, bullets bounce harmlessly off magnetic shields.
Guns are torn away from the frightened boys they thought could stop you.
Guided by his magnetic senses your Horseman of War takes you to the core of this base's power. The Adamantium Chamber.

Magneto: no...

>>6151602
Sometimes, you just have t let the error go.

File: Weapon Death.jpg (967 KB, 1988x1926)

967 KB JPG

>>6151605
>Art: Barry-Windsor Smith
>A naked man with metal claws in his knuckles floats in a tank with machines plugged into him.

The room smells of an abattoir. Bodies lay burnt and lacerated around you. Molten metal flows in pipes through the walls.
The pathetic humans huddle in fear. Save for one. At the center of the room, naked and bursting with power lies your prize.

Magneto: What have you done?!

The bravest of the humans stands.

Hines: The impossible! Man and weapon united as one! A perfect killing machine. No memory, no passion other than what we give it. That commie pervert in the desert thought he became death, but no. Icreated it.

Magneto: Then Allow me to reunite you.

The machines burst into shards and fly at the scientist.

Essex: Magnetooohh---STOP.

The metal falls to the ground in a steel rain.

Magneto: I see the puppet is no longer in control.

Apocalypse: I speak through this vessel.
Beast: Dr Essex, what in the blue blazes is happening?
Magneto: As far as you have known him, “Dr Essex” has been possessed by the mind of En Sabah Nur, the so-called first mutant.
Apocalypse: Called? I have been called many names. Kali Mata. Aten. God. This age will call me Apocalypse, for I bring The Revelation.
Beast: This is nonsense.
Apocalypse: You witness the power of your kin daily, yet doubt mine? Behold!
The figure in the center of the tube awakens and bursts from the electric shackles in a flurry of rage. Metal claws slice from his knuckles.

Apocalypse: I sense your rage young one, and I intend to temper it. In time, Death shall be your name, and Death you shall bring.
Magneto: And yet you deny this mutant vengeance. I swore never again. I will prove myself truthful in their blood!
Apocalypse: Vengeance shall be had. The fittest among these humans, those of agile minds and brutal cunning, will serve our nation, building our towering future.
Beast: You speak of enslavement.
Magnet: No. I understand now. Not slavery. Reparations.

The metal shards warp into chains, coiling around the scientist's necks.

Magneto: Let this day stand as Mutant Year One! And this former cage of our kind as the first capital and fortress of our glorious nation. Long live, Nation X!

Asset Acquired
>Base X (Base Ten)
>Available Assets: Posthuman Research. Adamantium Reserve. 2 Beta-Level Mutants, 2 Alpha-Level Mutants,

End of 1961. Start of Mutant Year I

>>6151608
Ironically, the original error was quite mild, and I probably would have let it go, but half the update being bold was a bit too much.

>>6151608
>>6151554
>>6151422
>>6150229
>>6149252

And that readers is the end of the first year of Ultimate Civilization Quest.
I originally planned for the first "volume" to cover all of the 1960s, but I have run out of steam.
Hopefully this end for Year I was a satisfying payoff and a tantalizing set up.I am going to take a break to re-adjust myself.
Ultimate Civilization Quest will return. While this thread is still up please feel free to ask questions and give feedback about this or any of my other quests.
The more information you give me the better I can make the quests (and the better I feel.)
Thank you all for joining me through this. I hope to hear from you both now and in the future!

>>6151611
I'm really enjoying it, glad I caught up with it, and eager to return to it. That said, any of your quests coming back is always welcome, and Batquest is till my fave.

>Questions
Does this ending confirm that Apocalypse is a real entity and not a product of Essex's imagination?

Not a complaint, but just curious: why is Sinister/Apocalypse seemingly more diverged from their comic counterpart than the other options in >>6127580? Or did they have hidden "twists" too?

>>6151612
>Does this ending confirm that Apocalypse is a real entity and not a product of Essex's imagination?
The answer is no. En Sabah Nur COULD be a real ancient entity possessing Essex, or it could be a psychological manifestation that Essex is using his powers to embody.
This Sinister/Apocalypse dynamic takes cues from The Original Ultimate Comics version of the characters.
This setting is a mix of The Original Ultimate, Reboot Ultimate, and Classic Universes with a healthy pinch of Age of Apocalypse (due to player votes).
When we get to 1962/ Mutant Year II we will see more of these dynamics.

>>6151611
Thanks for running, I'm not very familiar with much X-Men lore so its been a neat story to follow.

>>6151611
really liked the setting and as someone that know the mutants from the cartoons and some films, I won't be able to tell any divergences from the canon. btw you should archive this since you're ending here and we can vote while it's fresh.

Because of the relative shortness of this thread, the annotations will take less juice than usual so I will do them here. Perhaps for the rest of this quest, I will annotate by ‘year” instead of thread. I kind of like the “Chapter” set up the Years bring, I may experiment with that in future quests

>>6127076
The quest is named “Ultimate Civilization Quest” in homage to minisies of the original Ultimate universe which tended to just be “Ultimate” with a word added after them.

This is the map of the world as seen in the current Ultimate Universe. That setting is a big influence on this one, with its focus on different political spheres of influence.

The Great Wheel was a group of legendary secret agents that appeared in Jonathan Hickman and Alessandro Vitti’s Secret Warriors Vol 1 #25, though they were referenced earlier in Hickman’s chart in Dark Reign the List Secret Warriors.

I combined the concept of Hickman’s Great Wheel with his international council from Ultimate Invasion, then wrapped them up in the Cold War geopolitics many Marvel characters were born from. Hopefully, it captures the vibes of those stories in a fresh way that feels natural to the setting.

The Great Wheel “holding up the earth” like Atlas and them metaphorically falling due to “Marvels” rising was a poetic way for me to reference the shift fo Atlas Comcis to Marvel Comics being associated with the dawn of most Marvel superheroes. “Marvels” ad an in-universe term for superpowered beings is from the Kurt Busiek written “The Marvels” which like this quest, has a “real time” look at the evolution of the Marvel universe.

“Nation X” was a story arc/concept from when Nick Loe was editing the X-Men books written by Matt Fraction, Mike Carey, and Peter David. It has since become a somewhat recurring name for Mutant nation-states across the Marvel mythos.

The other factions will be annotated when they show up. (And they all will.)

>>6127574
The Children of the Atom is a tagline for the X-Men Chris Claremont came up with, stemming from the original idea that the atomic age caused the rise of Marvel mutants. It has since become an epithet for mutants overall akin to 'Caped Crusader" for Batman.

>>6127580
This chart is of "The Quiet Council" the leaders of mutant-dom from the Hickman-led Krakoa Age of the X-books. They debuted in House of X #6 by Hickman, Pepe Laraz, Marte Gracia, David Curiel, and Clayton Cowles. I use it to represent the concept of multiple mutant leaders. As you may have noticed, Hickman's work greatly influences this quest.

>>6151931
I should really check out the new Ultimate Universe. it does seem pretty neat.

>>6151931
>>6153491
>>6153493
Thanks for the notations! I do appreciate the incite into how the sausage is made.

>>6128340
Dave Cockrum and Chris Claremont created Dr. Essex/Mr. Sinister, though his backstory would change wildly from the original idea.
Marc Silvestri first penciled him. Essex working for Oscorp and the idea of Apocalypse possessing him were both taken from the original Ultimate Universe version of him written by Brian K Vaughn.
In this quest, it's unconfirmed if Apocalypse is real or not.

The “Austrian” Sinister refers to is Adolf Hitler. Essex was first shown working with the nazis in Weapon X (Vol. 2) #14 written by Frank Tieri.
Essex’s British Supreamcist leanings are taken from how Kieron Gillen wrote him viewing Victorian Britain at the pinnacle of human civilization

Essex discovered the X gene in the main Marvel universe, which he dubbed the “Essex Factor.”
(As seen in Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix Vol 1 #1 written by Peter Milligan).
Due to his ego, he never calls it the “X gene” in this quest. Sinister giving himself an X gene is from Powers of X #5.
His powers have traditionally been vague and ever-expanding.
Later writers leaned into this by having him graft different abilities onto himself.
This version’s mutant power (to start with) is shape-shifting.

When Essex's powers kick in, his personality shifts from a classical Victorian gothic egotistic evil science archetype to the campy dandy he was portrayed as since Gillen wrote him.
There were two inspirations for the persona switch.
The first is the movie version of Deadpool written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick.
He was a sarcastic asshole before he got his powers but goes full fourth wall breaker once they emerge.
The second was Gillen’s writing in Immortal X-Men vol 1 #8, a Dr. Jeckl and Mr. Hyde homage that had a similar difference between the “Human” Dr Essex and the monster Mr Sinister.


When Essex gets his powers he has visions of various Apocalypse related quotes.
The “So below/ as above” line is from Excalibur vol 4 #1 written by Trini Howard.
That was from a grimoire written by Apocalypse stating the rise of mutants on earth would cause a shift in magical powers, a deliberate inversion of the quote “As above so below.” The upside-down text was also used in that book.
“Defend this broken land” is the third law of Arrako, an ancient mutant society Apoclayose was affiliated with.
This comes from the Hickman written X-Men (Vol. 5) #14.
“The old world passes away. Together, we shall forge a new one, in fire and blood” Is one of many badass lines Apocalypse had in X-Men the animated series.
This one was from “Come to Apocalypse” written by Michael Edens, story edited by Eric Lewald, and consulted on by Bob Harras.
I tried pretty hard to capture Apoclaypse’s poetic bombast from that show. I hope I did.

Apocalypse’s dialogue here hints that he is trying to reclaim something he lost. More on that in later installments.

>>6128340
>>6155685
The Great Mutation is what Essex called the coming rise of mutants back in Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix.

Apocalypse branding Sinister with his iconic diamond mark and granting him powers is from that same miniseries.

Apocalypse was created by Louise Simonson and Jackson Guice in X-Factor vol 1 #5.

Sinister’s in-character deep love of capes was established in Power of X #5.

The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse are a team inspired by the Biblical four Horsemen first written by John of Patmos.
They debuted in X-Factor vol 1 #15 by Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, Bob Wiacek Petra Scotese & Joe Rosen.

Bar Sinister is a domain ruled by clones of Mr Sinister. It debuted in Secret Wars # 2 written by Hickman.

The Children of the Atom are a mutant cult created by Peach Momoko for her current Ultimate X-Men series.
They are named after the pre-existing epitetand led by a “Prateor” who is very similar to Mr Sinister.