The Deep Walkers

The Deep Walkers
(Picture originates from Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous)
Name	None, though the collective is known as Würm
Origin	World of Projections
Creator	Armorchompy
Personal Info
Age	Varies
Birthdate	Varies
Birthplace	Varies
Gender	Male
Species	Würm
Height	Varies, roughly around 185 cm
Affiliation	Würm
Family	Würm
Extra Info
Alignment	Lawful Evil
Matchups
Victories	None notable
Losses	None notable
Draws	None notable

“

Nothing remains but the creatures you have bonded with so seamlessly, and what you think might be the remains of a human consciousness directing them. You are a filthy, cambion creature built of slithering worm-like limbs branching from your core, spoken of in hushed tones even by those who worship you, and your existence is the greatest sacrifice you could make in itself.

„

Summary

The Deep Walkers are a sect of some hundred beings, once men, who once fully dedicated themselves to eldritch forces beneath the Earth. However, in conversations with the many voices from beneath, they learned of a similar, completely untouched source of power within the Moon, which they would come to call Würm, and soon moved there, to enter an even deeper fusion with it. Now, they are essentially its avatars and agents, sharing much of its hungry, ravenous conscience, and wish to fuse with it to unite its mind and free it from its slumber. For millennia, they conspired to gather the power necessary to do so by manipulating the country of Rethal from the shadows, posing as their war-like emperor.

Powers and Stats

Tier: 9-C, at least 7-C, likely at least High 7-C in great numbers, up to High 6-A with Preparation

Name: Referred to as the Deep Walkers by others and Würm by themselves. They do not have individual names

Origin: World of Projections

Gender: Genderless

Age: Varies

Classification: Würm

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Longevity, Genius Intelligence, Hive Mind (Type 2. The Deep Walkers share the majority of their consciousness with the God under the Moon, though some individuality remains. They are capable of pooling together their energies to cast spells that would be beyond their individual powers), Magic, Power Nullification (Together, the Avatars sealed away the previous Gea's power), Mind Manipulation (Together, the Avatars cast an influence on Labolas' mind to get him to follow their plans ), Enhanced Senses (Can see in the darkness), minor Fear Manipulation and Madness Manipulation (Type 3. Deep Walkers are capable of inducing great stress to those who lay eyes upon them), Inorganic Physiology and Poison Manipulation (The bodies of Avatars are effectively completely different from that of any animal, and thus unaffected by any disease or illness. In addition, their black blood is lethal to drink), Flight (Capable of walking on the air as if it were ground), Summoning and Animal Manipulation (Can summon swarms of familiars and gain a degree of control over them. They can also summon demons directly, though they do not hold control over them), Fire Manipulation (Can create magical flames and choose their spread, as well as turn off flames), Telepathy (Deep Walkers are capable of speaking telepathically, and solely communicate this way), Regeneration (High-Low), Adhesive Manipulation and Healing (Can cause wounds to heal by sealing them with an adhesive. which they automatically secrete to heal their own, when injured), Corrosion Inducement (Can cause materials inorganic and organic alike to wither on touch), Mind Manipulation, Memory Manipulation and Pain Manipulation (Can attack one's mind and wipe their memories or cause intense pain), Body Control, Elasticity and Natural Weaponry (The Deep Walkers' bodies are entirely composed of eldritch limbs that are summoned by lesser acolytes, and they can shift their composition at will to avoid harm), Instinctive Action (Can summon eldritch tentacles that will attack foes on their own), Body Puppetry (Capable of re-opening wounds that have not fully healed), Energy Projection and Empathic Manipulation (Capable of firing a beam of energy composed of eldritch energies that cause deep disgust and nausea to witness), Transformation (Can entirely replace their body with that of their demonic master), Power Bestowal, Acid Manipulation, Blood Manipulation, Density Manipulation, Biological Manipulation and Illusion Manipulation (Capable of afflicting those vulnerable with a great variety of horrible tortures, and keep them them alive through them), Intangibility (Capable of shifting through reality to become intangible), Self-Sustenance (Type 1 and 2) and Resistance to Radiation Manipulation (The Würm live on the dark side of the Moon, with nothing to feed on), Resistance to Mind Manipulation (Those with magic power comparable to one casting an effect meant to warp their mind are capable of resisting it) and Soul Manipulation (The Essence of every being in World of Projections comes from splinters of The Third's being, with The Third being a deity comparable in size and power to Gea and Lucifer, who would then go on to become entire universes. The Essence of Projection users is particularly large and more powerful than common people's)

Attack Potency: Street level (Noted to hold greatly superhuman strength, can snap necks, knock doors off their hinges and attack at high speeds), at least Town level, likely at least Large Town level in great numbers (Groups of Deep Walkers are capable of matching Johanna's power, and she believes that she could not fight the majority of them at once), up to Multi-Continent level (The Deep Walkers sought to fuse with the God that lived within the Moon, essentially becoming one with it) with Preparation

Speed: Subsonic attack speed (Capable of attacking faster than the eye can see)

Lifting Strength: Class 1 (Capable of snapping necks)

Striking Strength: Street level

Durability: Street level

Stamina: Superhuman. Capable of healing through grievous injuries and fight afterwards as if nothing happened. Deep Walkers have been working for decades on their plan with little rest and no distraction.

Range: Up to several meters with Elasticity, tens of meters with magic

Standard Equipment: None notable

Intelligence: Extraordinary Genius. All of the Deep Walkers were once among the most knowledgeable magicians in the world, and now their knowledge and expertise is pooled together by their hive mind.

Weaknesses: Individual Deep Walkers are relatively weak, and can be outwitted by playing on their personal weaknesses, most often hubris and greed.

Notable Attacks/Techniques:

Magic is the practice of communicating with the vast forces beneath the Earth’s crust, and getting in their favors through sacrifice or tribute either of yourself or others. They are not picky. Regardless, its practice requires more obscure and painful knowledge and more elaborate and bloody rituals to cast more and more powerful, if more damning, magics. Note that the weaker spells greatly increase in strength with the user's skill, with their speed, range and scope greatly increasing.

• Level 1: Commoner. These “magics”, if they can be even called that, can be cast by anyone with the basic knowledge required. The bubbling energies beneath the Earth resonate so strongly in humanity’s last days that many may even learn to use these by accident, or through guesswork. No sacrifices are needed, but the cost, some would say, is going down the road of magic at all.
  • Summon Familiar: You can summon a moth with a skull on its back. It dies when you wish it to.
  • Ignis Fatuus: You can create a small flame between your hands. While it burns brightly, it does not spread to matter, and can be extinguished like any normal flame.
• Level 2: Neophyte. Only dedication is needed to go this far, though some small sacrifices may help. Again, no costs are visible, though those that abandon the path will already feel tinges of guilt and regret at ever having undertaken it.
  • Control Familiar: You can control your familiar’s movement roughly, and dimly see from its eyes. If you are distracted while exercising this control, it dies. Additionally, with sufficient practice, you can summon a different type of insect or even arthropod as your familiar.
  • Ignis Delens: You can turn off any flames of your choosing, as long as they aren’t bigger than a large campfire’s.
• Level 3: Student. Sacrifices are now required, but small animals or routine bloodletting is sufficient. Your body may become slightly paler and you might find yourself thinking about your accords with the depths at any time, but you can blend in with the common folk just fine.
  • Ethereal Voice: You can speak into another person’s mind, whether they like it or not.
  • Ignis Iratis: Your Ignis Fatuus grows greatly in magnitude, and can spread wherever you wish it to.
• Level 4: Initiate. Reaching the knowledge needed for this state is difficult without interacting with cults, thus the name. Most do not make it past this state, as the blood of many animals needs to be sacrificed even to just reach it. Your eyes begin to hurt under bright lights, and you will soon not care much for the presence of those you once considered friends, if they do not share your interest in the occult.
  • Seal Wounds: A slimy adhesive appears around the seams of a wound of the caster’s choice. If it is manually closed, the adhesive will meld the flesh back together, and soon make the wound disappear.
  • Corruption: You can cause an inorganic material of your choosing to wither and fall apart slowly with contact.
• Level 5: Adept. The greatest of lines has been crossed. You have taken a human life with your bare hands and have given it to the things beneath. You may no longer feel like a human being, though you still are.
  • Scourge Mind: You can attack an enemy’s mind and cause them intense pain, and/or wipe their recent memories. Comparable magic power can be utilized to counter this attack.
  • Familiar Swarm: You can summon dozens or even hundreds of arthropods of your choosing, and control them.
• Level 6: Arbiter. Your hands are used to holding the last breaths of another human being between them, and your peers now respect you as a true master. Your bond with the powers you commune with is now deep and personal, and the thought of someone wishing them harm fills you with rightful rage.
  • Summon Limb: A tentacle emerges from your open palm, which you can control as if it were part of your body. It can stretch to up to 4 meters of length, and has sufficient strength to knock down doors or break bones. However, it is vulnerable to harm, you feel pain through it as if it were yours, and if it received too much damage, it will vanish, and you will lose all control  and feeling of your arm for a week, as if it was paralyzed. When the spell ends, a deep gash will be left in your palm where the tentacle was, but it will close in a matter of hours.
  • Great Corruption: You can now cause flesh to rot and wither with just a touch of your fingers.
• Level 7: Magister. Whatever order or religion you are in now respects you as one of its greatest members, and many ask you for guidance. Small physical changes may begin to manifest upon you. Loss of hair, sharpening of facial features, growth of nails and more. It is customary for most to hide these mutations with robes that also serve to shield from the ever more painful sunlight, though some flaunt them instead.
  • Cambion Traits: Your body can now no longer be defined as fully human. You can see through darkness easily, and animals begin to fear you. Your blood is black and you gain resistance to poisons and diseases.
  • Open Wounds: You can forcefully re-open any injury in the process of healing, or one that has left a noticeable scar, just by laying your eyes upon it.
  • Air Walking: You can walk on the air as if it were material, and ascend or descend by treating it as if there were an invisible staircase.
• Level 8: Great Magister. You are so used to the feeling of blood on your hands that you would miss it dearly if it were to stop. The mutations are growing greater and your morality no longer aligns with that of normal humans.
  • Woeful Beam: After gathering energy for roughly a second, a beam of energy shoots forward from your forehead, hands or eyes. It has about ten meters of range, and inflicts damage comparable to a bullet’s. The uninitiated who witness the beam directly will feel a deep sense of disgust and nausea comparable to eating rotting flesh.
  • Great Familiar: You can call upon any demon onto Earth directly, as long as your power is at least comparable to its. You can speak to them, however you cannot control them.
• Level 9: Supreme Magister. Entire crowds have been sacrificed in the honor of your masters and yours alike, and if any were to lay eyes upon you, they would confuse you for one of the beings you have pledged to. They may be right to, as well, since your mind no longer functions in terms of right and wrong, if indeed it ever did.
  • Summon Great Limbs: A spell similar to Summon Limb, but more advanced. Three tentacles emerge from your palm or palms, but unlike Summon Limb, they will attack anything perceived as a threat on their own, at speeds surpassing human perception. They can only stretch to about 2 meters of length to compensate, however.
  • Incarnate: You can call upon your demonic sponsor to replace your body briefly. While your power will be unmatched, you do not hold control over them, though you can see from their eyes.
• Level 10: Avatar. Nothing remains but the creatures you have bonded with so seamlessly, and what you think might be the remains of a human consciousness directing them. You are a filthy, cambion creature built of slithering worm-like limbs branching from your core, spoken of in hushed tones even by those who worship you, and your existence is the greatest sacrifice you could make in itself.
  • Cambion Physiology: Your strength is greatly superhuman, your body’s composition is ever-shifting and can break apart to avoid harm, and witnessing it in full for prolonged periods of time can cause severe mental stress even in lesser acolytes. Your biology does not even begin to resemble that of anything that walks on the earth’s surface and as such no poisons or diseases can even interface with it, and if anyone were to drink the fluid that courses through you they would die a painful death.
  • Flay Mind and Body: If they are subservient or afraid of you, a target of your choosing, or several at once, are affected by a variety of painful effects. Their blood is turned to acid and begins to bleed out of their orifices, their mind is assaulted by maddening visions of what’s deep beneath, their bones lose their hardness and become essentially liquefied, and their eyeballs become painfully vulnerable to any light. You are capable of keeping them alive and conscious throughout all of this.
  • Walk Through Reality: You are capable of entering a state in which your molecules are no longer aligned with the rest of the universe, and pass through any barriers as if they weren’t there.

Others

Notable Victories:

Notable Losses:

Inconclusive Matches: