PRT Threat Assessment: Morax (Patreon)

WARNING: The following should be considered a preview. The final story may not reflect all the details herein.

March 2nd, 2009, Forbidden City, Beijing. Morax reviews various proposals.

PRT Threat Assessment: Morax

Imperial Title: Celestial Earth Dragon Emperor Yanwang

Courtesy/Civilian Name: Zhongli

Archon Title: Morax

Aliases: Rex Lapis, Geo Archon, Archaic Lord, God of Contracts

Disposition: World Leader

Location: Forbidden City, Beijing, China

General Information: The final Archon made himself known on December 18th, 2007 in spectacular fashion. As could almost be considered tradition at this point, Zhongli introduced himself by slaying the final Endbringer, Omega Behemoth (the Simurgh being still extant, but thoroughly checked by Kusanali). After a three-day titanic struggle between the two Earth Dragons, Zhongli was ultimately victorious after pulling a meteor down on Behemoth’s head and unleashing a blast that has been estimated to be approximately equivalent to the KT Extinction event, only contained inside an area of approximately fifty kilometers in diameter.

The global earthquakes and tsunamis that followed were, thankfully, comparatively mild.

Morax is believed to have first appeared in Shanghai, China, on or about the 1st of December. The global search for an Archon immediately began, with searchers focusing their efforts in and around mainland China. Morax was on a short list of suspected individuals, as he was seen carrying around a trinket that closely resembled the already appearing Geo Visions. While Morax did appear to think he was being subtle, a finely dressed man attempting to pay for things in precious metals appearing in war-ravaged Shanghai was rather noticeable, to say the least.

After the thorough destruction of the Omega Behemoth, Morax embarked on a year-long campaign of conquest across all of mainland China. Every petty warlord, cape or otherwise, fell under his sway, either by forging a contract to serve Morax or by being utterly crushed in a display of martial prowess or expert tactical and political maneuvering.

This was aided by the fact that even before he had finished slaying Omega Behemoth, the Raiden Shogunate, Imperial Russia, various nations of the European Union, the members of the Pan-Arabian Pact, and the Triple Alliance had already recognized him as the legitimate ruler of China and politely sent envoys to observe the battle, after which they immediately formed contracts with Zhongli as Emperor of China. It is not exactly surprising that the nations of the other Archons would recognize one of their own, but it is shocking at how favorable the terms of those contracts were for China considering the open hostility between China and several other Archon nations.

Interestingly, Morax was quoted at the conference as saying, “I seek not dominion, but I cannot stand by and see the common people suffer.” Those who have interacted with the man have described him as soft-spoken and surprisingly humble for a being who is a self-declared deity and ruler of a nation.

Notably, Morax appears to have absolutely no concept of the value of money, a trait not exactly unusual for an Emperor. He has attempted to pay for street food with gold nuggets that weigh at least 3 troy ounces, a set of clothes with jade chunks of immaculate quality, and once offered an exquisite ruby the size of a golfball for lodging at a flop house. This is because the man does not seem to understand modern currency even slightly, calling any and all paper currency “quaint scribbles” and any forms of electronic payment “an interesting game of make-believe.”

In contrast, Morax is widely considered to be the greatest living Economic Thinker, having somehow sorted out China’s many foreign debts, and internal funding problems, and created the now universally accepted global currency the mora, all without collapsing the global financial market to the bafflement of every other economically minded Thinker.

All this from a man who never even seems to have enough money on him for a single bowl of rice.

China is now once more a rising global super power, vying with the United States and the Raiden Shogunate for the title of world’s largest economy, with a large and powerful military as well as a legion of well-organized capes in the Forbidden Army.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Zhongli has been referred to as the “foremost martial paragon” by both Murata and Raiden. Considering his fight against Omega Behemoth, this is a title he has thoroughly earned.

Personality: Reserved, soft-spoken, and stoic, Zhongli is the very essence of the dignified imperial personage, more so than even the Tsaritsa or the Raiden Shogun. He seems to have little grasp of modern technology and even less desire to learn, insisting that all his reports be written on paper (preferably in scroll form) and using an inkwell and pen nib to write. He has been described as “grandfatherly”, but should not be mistaken for senile.

Classification: Brute 15, Mover 4+, Shaker 15, Thinker 11+, Striker 9+, Changer 8, Master 6, Tinker 9

Brute 15: Morax took a hit equivalent to the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, a blast that annihilated the most durable of Endbringers AFTER attaining his Omega form so thoroughly that not a single trace could be found, with apparent ease. If not for the array of Geo Constructs Morax assembled during the battle to absorb the blast, that much energy would likely have resulted in the utter annihilation of mankind and every other lifeform bigger than a cockroach on the planet. This is after exchanging blows with Omega Behemoth for three days. If something is capable of harming Morax, it is more likely that it would destroy the world than him.

Mover 4+: Morax is capable of flying upon his stone spears, which he throws before leaping upon and riding to his destination. They travel in straight lines at subsonic velocities, though he does appear capable of steering them slightly. He can also move several times faster than a normal human in combat, though he typically moves at a much more sedate pace.

Shaker 15: Again, Morax is capable of calling down meteors of incredible size. The sheer kinetic destructive potential contained in these is so great that it can scale from taking out a building to taking out a city to taking out the entire planet. What the upper end of Morax’s ability is, no one knows. How long it takes him to call down these meteors is also unknown, as he apparently creates them several miles up in the atmosphere, then accelerates them with a high degree of homing ability towards the target. To call them destructive is an understatement.

Thinker 11+: There is no other possible explanation than that Morax is one of the most powerful Thinkers in existence for his conquest of China and its subsequent meteoric rise. If anything, Morax took his conquest at a glacial pace, as he preferred to spend days or weeks consolidating new holdings before striking with lightning speed at his next target, or indeed patiently waiting for the pressure to break his foes so that they would come to him to sue for terms. His mastery of economics is such that a single word of his advice regarding investments is so highly valued by other skillful economic Thinkers that they are willing to part with fortunes to get that one word. Notably, those lone words then earn back those fortunes several times over.

Of course, that is not enough, and Morax is also a Combat Thinker. The one time Morax and Raiden sparred is considered by every combat Thinker to be such a sublime display of combat techniques such that it alone would have earned him a Thinker 10+ rating.

Striker/Blaster 9+: If the ability to level continents was not sufficient, Morax also possesses the ability to petrify others at a touch. He can use this ability in an area, petrifying large swaths of foes. This would be considered a Shaker ability, but it was decided that taking away from his ability to wipe out life as we know it was folly. Morax can also infuse his attacks with Geo energy, striking with enough force to level mountains. He can call up great spears of stone that he slings at his foes, some of which are more than 100 yards in length and weigh multiple tons. His mastery of his preferred weapon, the spear, is such that only the Raiden Shogun or the Garland Queen can hope to match him in individual combat.

Changer 8: The title of “Celestial Earth Dragon” is neither a figurative one nor a contradiction. Morax can take the form of an enormous 100-yard-long serpent made of stone that flies through the air and breaths out sandstorms that can scour flesh from bone. Zhongli seems amused by those who call him the “Dragon Geo Sovereign” having corrected them that he is “only borrowing this power from an old friend.”

Who that old friend is, the Protectorate does not know, and are frankly grateful they have not appeared on Earth Bet thus far.

Master 6: All archons possess some level of ability to inspire “awe” in humans when they take on what they refer to as their “divine” forms. Morax is no exception, and those who see him unleash this power frequently simply fall to their knees in awe and adoration, even those who were previously his foes. While some individuals (particularly parahumans and vision holders) can resist this, most cannot.

Additionally, Morax can create Geo Constructs at will, some of which are fully mobile, though most of them take the form of obelisks. The mobile ones can engage in combat and are fearsome foes on their own, while the obelisks send out waves of destruction to his foes, and provide his allies with powerful barriers to shield them from harm. Morax can apparently decide who is friend and who is foe when targeting his abilities and has thus far never made a mistake in his assessments.

Tinker 9: Despite giving off the air of a technophobic grandparent when it comes to electronics, Morax has created a number of wondrous devices from elemental energy, and has worked with Chinese Tinkers to fashion machines that employ both elemental powers and Tinkertech. The most notable of these is, of course, the Golden House, where the world’s mora supply is produced.

Recommended Strategies: The average PRT trooper is not equipped to deal with a being on the level of Morax. Indeed, the average Protectorate cape team is not equipped to deal with a being on the level of Morax. If Morax becomes hostile, the entirety of the Protectorate is to mobilize immediately to face him, because the countdown to a meteor impact that could scour all life from the globe has already begun.

Thus, PRT teams are to evacuate civilians to the nearest Endbringer shelter still in service, as this will make locating and categorizing remains easier. Make every attempt to placate and disengage from Morax. Any hostility towards Morax, provoked or not, will be immediately condemned and denied by the United States Government.

You cannot run. You cannot hide. You cannot fight. Do not engage.

DELTA BLACK CLEARANCE REQUIRED TO VIEW:

Behemoth Battlefield, Ground Zero, -02:13 from impact. Observed by Asset Tyche.

Warrior: So. The last of the Seven have arrived.

Morax: Ah. So you are the ruler of this world. Tell me, why have you called me here?

Warrior: I did not call for you. And yet, I shall use you. You too shall serve the Cycle.

Morax: You seek to form a contract with me? Very well: what are the terms?

Warrior: Foster conflict. Create engaging scenarios for me to monitor. Face your enemies, and battle them. Again and again, until every possible permutation and scenario has been cataloged and analyzed.

Morax: You wish to create conflict? That seems…unusual for a ruler. Should you not strive for a harmonious domain?

Warrior: Do not tire me with your prattle. You understood my words: The Cycle requires data. Only through conflict can living beings grow and evolve. You did not gain your powers from sitting idly upon a throne. No, you gained your abilities through ages of battle and endless conflict. So too do I desire for humanity to grow and evolve. This is why I have gifted them with my Shards.

Morax: Some say that it is through War that we grow stronger, but I have found the opposite to be true: I refined my craft most in days of peace. How much knowledge and learning are destroyed in battle? How much wisdom is lost when a life comes to an end?

Warrior: I am not here to negotiate: You will Uphold the Cycle. Or you shall be destroyed. Such are my Heavenly Principles. Will you agree, or shall I destroy you now?

Morax: Very well. Though it pains me, I cannot allow the common folk to suffer needlessly. You shall have your conflict, but only so much, and no more. There are other ways to gather-

Warrior: There is nothing more to say. I shall be watching you, always. Uphold the Cycle.

(The Warrior Departs)

Morax: So that is the sort of place I find myself in now. And yet, no contract was formed. How… intriguing.

Doctor Mother’s Note: He is the best hope for our salvation, and the most likely one to damn us all. How fitting.

Author’s Note:

Ya’ll know what time it is now.

Happy Lantern Rite.