Basilicus
Worldbuilding
on a galactic scale
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This article is a record of the Golden Age of Hollowstar.
The Hollowstar Gladiator Species were created early in the Golden Age of Hollowstar by the Gold King. They spanned a wide range of interesting ideas, and for a while they dominated the arena; however, it didn't take long for others to find ways to beat them. The manufactured monsters were released onto Jungleworld to provide a challenge for anyone who landed there, in a parody of the dangerous nature of Kelosian jungles.
The gladiators were created as five basic species, each with the potential to transform twice into stronger forms.
Deadman[]
The "Deadman" was designed based on old superstitions of the dead walking; however, contrary to classical ideas of zombies, the gray-skinned Deadman could not be stopped by any mighty impact or solid wall. The Deadman was designed around a distortion of Negatron's Gift, allowing it to break down the bonds in a solid and render it soft as air. At the same time, the deadman would strengthen its own skin and weaken the forces causing pressure, allowing it to walk at full speed against hurricane-force winds. However, this was not a monumental advantage, since the Deadman's top speed of 1 MDU/STU usually forced it to wait until the enemy fell asleep before walking up and strangling him.
The Deadman's zombie-like image was strengthened by the appearance of his skin. A flawed attempt to make the Deadman grow its own clothed resulted in ragged flaps of skin hanging off its body for several months at a time before growing back into its body and forming a permanent scar. Even without the scarred growth, the deadman's dark gray skin prevented anyone from mistaking it for a Kelosian in decent light.
The deadman's period of glory ended when someone discovered that it was highly flammable. When raised to a temperature of over 30 STE, the Deadman's flesh would rebel, turning in on itself like a fast-acting cancer. The crushing operation would malfunction, releasing the forces holding the deadman's body together and converting the energy to heat. In just a few GI, the deadman's body would be no more than a pile of smoking ashes. Although the attacker sometimes suffered serious burns, a small flame was guaranteed to kill a deadman before it could react.
Stage 2: The Bubble[]
In an attempt to remove the deadman's weakness to fire, the Gold King froze its body, breaking down internal bonds and solidifying the outer layer of skin into something that could only protect, not destroy. The gaseous innards of the deadman took on the functionality of a brain, helped along with some minor and unnoticeable modifications to the base deadman design. This resulted in a gaseous bubble about four times the size of the original Deadman.
The bubble proved incredibly hard to kill. A blast of fire served only to heat its insides, causing it to expand and eventually rise into the air. Bludgeoning had no useful effect; the bubble simply bounced around. Swinging a sword at the bubble was usually a terrible mistake, for this caused it to advance to its third form. On the other hand, the bubble was even slower than the deadman, rolling along slowly by shifting its weight. It could no longer smash through fortress walls, and was generally stopped dead by anything stronger than a picket fence. Many of its battles ended in draws.
Eventually, the community of gladiators figured out a way to kill it. When heated sufficiently, the bubble would swell dangerously, straining the outer skin. While bursting it required a good thousand STE, a puncture wound at only 50 STE would cause its high-pressure contents to spread out over a large area. Thus dispersed, the bubble's gaseous brain would lose its identity, effectively killing the bubble.
Stage 3: Ribbons[]
While making the Bubble, the Gold King designed its mind-controlling third stage as a trap for anyone who attempted a bladed attack on the Bubble. However, after some time, the Gold King began sending the Ribbons into battle against teams of opponents.
The bubble was formed by cutting the bubble apart at relatively low temperatures. When the temperature of the gaseous brain was low enough, it was able to cling to the shredded remains of its skin and continue thinking. Energy that could have been used to think for months on end allowed it to fly for two to three Galactic Minutes, which was often enough to catch an opponent.
Once the Ribbons reached a target, it would wrap around that target, enveloping that target in its gaseous mind. The gas would cut into the target's system, taking over control. The Ribbons' new puppet would then carry it around, fighting in its place. If a team of opponents slipped up, the Ribbons could capture two or three of them, but in most cases the need to stay attached to its victims forced it to control one at a time.
Unlike its predecessors, the Ribbons could be harmed by most weapons, and a lone sniper could sometimes take it out while keeping his distance.