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Characters / Shifting Worlds Anathemus Mythos

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The Anathemus Mythos has a rich cast of characters, many of them being really badass villains. This section is reserved for Mythos-exclusive characters. For those characters that appear in the Anathemus Mythos, but also feature in other Shifting Worlds roleplays such as Crossroads, please go to the general Shifting Worlds character page.

     Protagonists 

For Arachnos, Kanako Imrah, Sebastian Jebediah Aurion, SDM himself and other members of the so-called "Hellgate Crew", please see the main Shifting Worlds Characters page.

Blood of the Rising Sun
Souichirou Kusakabe

Wing Commander of the F Squadron, and one of the main characters in said squadron in Hellgate 2 Part 3. He leads F Squadron on the battlefield, providing valuable assistance with both his Mimic's armaments and his indepth knowledge of the General's units and tactics.

He is just one of the many whose planet was enslaved by The General and loved ones massacred, but he did not join the Rebellion immediately after that, trying instead to lead a quiet life with his sister. However, The General's forces would find him again in short time, and this time bringing the death of the last person he cared about. Left with nothing else to live for, Kusakabe joined the Rebellion.

He started out as a very rebellious and Hot-Blooded pilot who had significant problems with authority, as shown in the Xat RP, where he also appears and which is set before the events of Hellgate 2 Part 3. His evolution into the Reasonable Authority Figure he is in the latter is his Character Arc in the Xat RP.

Tropes associated with Kusakabe:

  • The Alcoholic: Was somewhat infamous for hitting the bottle a little too often in his younger years. Though considering what he went through, it's somewhat understandable.
  • Badass Normal: He does not have superpowers like the rest of F Squadron, and relies on his Mimic's basic blaster and blade. But, he has years of experience at his belt fighting The General's forces, and it shows. Anyone who tries to dismiss him for his inferior firepower will learn better - be it friend or foe.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: His world, with everything and everyone he cared about, was ravaged by The General. His sister was killed by a piece of shrapnel in a confrontation with The General, too.
  • Rebellious Rebel: Although he never outright defected, he had a streak during which he hated the Rebellion for not intervening to assist Earth-M745.
  • Rebellious Spirit: Of the Chaotic Good kind, in his younger years. He did not get along with the older, more experienced Amadeus.
  • Stepford Smiler: Kusakabe is tormented by grief due to both his past and everything he has seen in his years in the Rebellion. But you would not know that by looking at him. As Wing Commander, he cannot afford such things distract him, lest they cause the death of everyone under his command.
  • Wide-Eyed Idealist: He had some elements of this in his younger years. Notably, he resented the Rebellion for abandoning the people of Earth M-745 to Supervisor Arachnos' tyrannical rule, refusing to acknowledge the fact that a rescue would have cost the Rebellion more men than they could have saved.
Zero the Second
Mr. Owl

The (possibly) last surviving human on Paa-M912, the Planet of Shadows, Mr. Owl is a lively and eccentric goofball with a few screws loose and a pronounced lack of common sense. However, he should not be underestimated, as he is a formidable combatant who has the ability to summon multiple blades out of nowhere, and a mechanical genius. Mr. Owl is responsible for the creation of Dr. X (an embodiment of his own negative side), and as such he indirectly caused the cataclysm that devastated Paa-M912.

Tropes associated with Mr. Owl:

  • Adaptation Personality Change: He was not written as crazy in the original The War Of Light And Darkness RP. His wacky personality has been added by SDM to justify some actions which were due to SDM's young age and the lighthearted nature of said RP.
  • Author Avatar: He used to be one for SDM in The War Of Light And Darkness, but as of his appearance in the new Xat RP, this is no longer true.
  • The Cape: Despite actually wearing a cowl, Owl seems to be this - no surprise, since he removed his own dark side by force. Unusually, though, he doesn't seem to have any problem with killing, at least when it's truly warranted.
  • Celibate Hero: Many characters avoid romance, but how many characters have built entire fortresses (yes, that's a plural) solely to keep the opposite sex away? Owl did.
  • Character Development: Owl's major flaw was that in trying to be too nice and trying to destroy his dark side, he only made it stronger and eventually turned an Enemy Within into an Enemy Without unwittingly. After a verbal beatdown by Dr. X, Owl finally winds up accepting his inner darkness instead of running away from it.
  • Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Silver. His color scheme is white and gray, and his attack names usually contain the word "silver" as well.
  • Combat Parkour: He has abnormally high speed and agility both in and out of combat and is able to do things like jumping off walls and making impossibly high jumps.
  • Didn't Think This Through: Trying to embody and kill his own dark side without taking into consideration that it would know all about his plans? Building a fortress to protect humanity, without taking into account that humanity would be extinct long before he finished the damn thing? Owl has a long history of not thinking things through.
  • Dissonant Serenity: Being the last surviving human in a post-apocalyptic darkened world is no cause of distress for Owl. Nor is the very real possibility that his last surviving partner is not-so-surviving anymore. It finally breaks during the final showdown against Dr. X.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: He built his War Fortress III out of scrap, and allegedly could build a spaceship.
  • Mundane Utility: His magical ability to summon any "bladed weapon" apparently extends to shovels.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: After Owl "accidentally" builds a teleporter (right when the group needed one, at that), Ketsueki suggests that his demeanor might be an act and that he is actually a genius. Though he promptly backtracks on that conclusion and says that Owl really is as loco in the coco as he appears. The world may never know the truth.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Mr. Owl is not his real name, but a nickname brought about by his signature oversized sunglasses. His real name has been forgotten long ago.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Has his moments. Trying to expunge and kill his own dark side, while failing to realize his dark side would have the same memories as he does, for example.
Master of Nothing
Master O-Lynna

Adept Mage, later Master mage in the second Equestrian universe (later known as O(ther)-Lynna, often shortened to just "Olyn"). She did not appear as much in the universe she calls home, but when Hellgate demanded they all move on Techquestria so he has more things to kill, she followed.

Following the defeat of Techquestria's Hellgate and their Hellgate's escape, all who came with him were absorbed into that world's Factory agency as "payment" for the destruction their Hellgate wrought, including Olyn.

When Tecquestria's Factory disappeared, that world's Hood took over all Factory operations. Under his orders, she, along with O-Arachnos, Executor, and that world's Arachnos, were dispatched to investigate a mysterious dimensional rift.

As the four of them wandered through the twisted mindfuck realms referred to only as "Escherland," they eventually stumbled upon Anathemus himself, disturbing him.

They were dumped into a fourth Equestria at the time engaged with the Nihilius Clan. That world's Factory immediately labelled them a threat, for they all were made up of Nihility. Only the Clan would offer them shelter, but that was because they firmly believed the four of them were "Gifts" from Anathemus, sent to assist the Clan in their campaign to kill everything.

It was then that Executor devised a strategy to allow his three friends to live in relative safety by directing all the world's hate onto him, becoming the High Lord Executor.

His strategy seemed to work, and his counterpart let the three Anathemites remain with him.

But as Executor delved into his role more and more, Olyn began to question the plan. Of the three Anathemites, she has been the most vocal about finding a way to try and keep Executor alive that wouldn't cost them their own chance at a happy life.

Tropes associated with O-Lynna:

  • Break the Cutie: She's had it pretty rough since Hellgate broke into her own world. First she had a freak-out in the Rusted Factory over what was happening, THEN she had to face the fact that she was no longer what anyone would call a living human being (much less a living being). THEN she had to kill her own friend in Executor when she had been desperately trying to figure out how to save him. The first two were handled relatively quickly (the Rusted breakdown was over by the time they left, and once she had a chance to really calm down about it she accepted that she was made of Nihility now), but the death of Executor weighed the most on her mind, and it wasn't until after Hellgate/O-Hellgate from her world was banished from Equestira-4 by the Elements of Harmony (plus a pep-talk from Princess Celestia!Luna) that she finally got past his death.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Has picked up this trait from her constant exposure to any SDM's/RF's/Executor's own caustic personality. She isn't as biting with this as they are, but it still shows.
  • Nerf: Had her power drastically reduced after the assault on the Lunar Cell, severely hampering her Nihility abilities.
  • We Used to Be Friends: Flat-out refuses to believe this in regards to Executor, even if she has to fake it externally to the Factory and its workers.

     Villains and Antagonists 

The End of Everything
Anathemus

Little is known about this mysterious deity, other than that it is the most powerful entity to ever exist in the entire Omniverse and that its only goal is the utter erasure of all existance. Anathemus is associated with, or maybe is, the realm of Nihility, a dimension of pure nothingness.

Anathemus is associated with most of the antagonists and antagonist groups in SDM's lore. The General seeks to wake Anathemus to purify the realms. The Nihilus Clan, meanwhile, believe that all existance is Anathemus' dream, and that his imminent awakening would inflict upon every living thing a Fate Worse than Death, hence their will to kill everything before that happens. It also appears that the Black Spawn has an as of yet unclear connection to Anathemus.

Tropes associated with Anathemus:

  • Dream Land: Word of God confirms that entire multiverses exist solely in Anathemus' head as he dreams. And yes, when he wakes up a Dream Apocalypse happens. This is a major motivation for the Nihilius Clan.
  • Eldritch Abomination: Anathemus has billions of facets across the omniverse. And yet He is one entity. He is not a Hive Mind, as every facet is Anathemus - the whole of him. So Anathemus simultaneously exists in every universe of the Omniverse, at once. And yet every facet is different, even though each of them is Anathemus whole. It doesn't make any sense, but that's how it is. The writer himself states that Anathemus is just too big and powerful for human logic to understand his existence.
  • God Is Flawed: according to SDM, he will be defeated, because he is just as flawed as anyone.
  • The Maker: if one goes by Nihilus Clan beliefs, the entire Omniverse exists in Anathemus' sleep, which makes him a creator deity of sorts.
  • Religion of Evil: the Nihilus fanatics - although in their case "evil", as pointed out by Executor, is relative. The Clan honestly believes they're doing what is right.
  • The Bad Guy Wins: Word of God also states that Anathemus cannot be destroyed, only delayed. Someday, quadrillions of years from now perhaps, Anathemus will inevitably win. It's all about making sure that victory comes as late as possible.
  • Top God: the very, very top. To the point that his so-called "Gifts" - beings comprized of mere fragments of his essence and wielding an infinitesimal portion of his power - are able to effortlessly wipe the floor with Arachna, an omnipotent creator goddess.
Shadow of Ruin
Hellgate

"Demonic. Twisted. Evil. Sick. Perverted. House."
—Arachnos

The future version of the sentient Scarlet Devil Mansion. Infected by the Black Spawn's Dark Spores, he turned into a monstrosity of unmatched evil. He originally went back in time in order to create a time paradox by killing his past self, using a mysterious power known as a "god aura", somehow associated with Anathemus, to rule over the universe that would have been effectively destroyed by this paradox. However, his living power source - Flandre of the future - was killed (of her own will), and Hellgate was destroyed thanks to a Heroic Sacrifice by the present-day SDM. Both SDM and Hellgate's souls were lost to Nihility.

However, that wasn't the end of him. Not long after this, Patchouli Knowledge tried to revive SDM, but inadvertently summoned Hellgate instead. Now that he was back, albeit in his present-day counterpart's body, he set to work on destroying Gensokyo, first by putting nearly the entire mansion in a deep sleep plagued by nightmares in his Dream World, then obliterating the Youkai mountain, and then destroying Eientei, all the while impersonating SDM to fool everyone. Eventually, Hellgate's dream world was undone, and then his new power source, Patchouli, was freed from his grasp. After a final battle, Hellgate's Dark Spore was expelled out of him, leaving only SDM of the future, who lost his memory of actually being Hellgate. Before getting destroyed, Hellgate boasted that he is a God and he will return, and according to some hints SDM has dropped, this is not that implausible. After all, as The General was taking SDM away, Hellgate's theme was played...

While he has yet to return in the main Hellgate roleplay, many versions of him have figured in the Xat RP. Notably, one of them (actually two of them, one fused to the other by Anathemus) was a major antagonist, destroying the homeworld of Oneiros, Lynna and Executor, and later returning to haunt them (at least the former two) in a different dimension, now wielding several God Auras and Anathemus' powers on top of that. Hellgate was also the main antagonist of Hellgate 2.2: What If, which had the premise of SDM becoming reinfected with a Spore during the Dark Swarm battle preceding the Black Spawn's attack on Gensokyo.

Hellgate is an immeasurably powerful threat with a fearsome combination of powers. Firstly, his Kiz-Co mechanical body is more advanced than SDM's, due to being from the future. He is also more skilled in matter manipulation, allowing him to repair himself at will. Additionally, the Black Spore provides him with a massive power boost, grants him power over shadow, and an ability called the "Phantom Force", which allows him to keep operating even when his mechanics are damaged beyond repair. His mysterious "God Aura" boosts his power even further and protects him from damage. In the Xat RP, he is an even more formidable foe, wielding the power of Anathemus himself and not one but multiple God Auras.

Has nothing to do with Hellgate: London. Or a certain high school with the same name.

Tropes associated with Hellgate:

  • Casting a Shadow: With the power of the Black Spore, he is able to imbue his attacks with darkness.
  • Determinator: Just like SDM himself, if Hellgate has his mind set on something (be it revenge or simply destroying everything there is), there is no force in any universe that can make him stop. Even death is a minor setback.
  • Establishing Character Moment: His came in the very first Hellgate roleplay, but not in his first scene. He introduced himself as "SDM of the future" and did not immediately appear to be outright evil. His real establishing moment was obliterating SDM in a Curb-Stomp Battle for refusing to give him Patchouli, and then boasting about having killed all his residents in cold blood.
  • Villainous Breakdown: This sometimes happens to Hellgate when his plans are foiled. The one in Hellgate 2 Part 1 stands out, though it turns out that was actually faked all along:
    Hellgate: NO MORE GAMES! NO MORE WORDS! NO MORE EXCUSES! I JUST WANT TO SEE YOU ALL BLEED!
    • A more genuine one happens in the Xat RP, when he is banished by the Elements of Harmony:
      Hellgate: NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU CAN'T SEND US BACK! THAT ISN'T POSSIBLE!
Supreme Commander
The General

The main antagonist of Hellgate 2 Part 3, and in effect the main villain of the entire Hellgate saga.

Originally appearing as a teaser trailer at the end of Part 2 (and quickly inciting some rage from the players by calling the Black Spawn his "pet"), he soon makes his presence known in Part 3, quickly coming to decimate Gensokyo and destroy the Hakurei Border with the Black Star Cannon.

Claims to have been searching for a particular spark in Gensokyo, and found it in SDM. Also has plans for SDM, as well as his big plan to destroy the universe and reconstruct it in his image.

Tropes associated with The General:

  • Freudian Excuse: Spending your childhood in a Crapsack World with an abusive father, then serving in Kizeki Corp. only to discover that the whole omniverse is really a Crapsack Omniverse will do things to a man's psyche.
  • Invincible Villain: He seems to be this at first. Later, when our heroes get the Mimics, he gets downgraded from invincible to merely "hair-pullingly teeth-grindingly difficult to defeat."
  • Made of Indestructium: His high tier technology. Unfortunately "high tier" is everything above the standard Mook or a few of the weaker turrets and tanks. Even his scout ships are virtually unstoppable without the right equipment.
  • Really 700 Years Old: He is virtually indistinguishable from a human, but from a world where humans are far more long-lived. That's how he managed to build up his army to such epic proportions.
The Apocalypse Given Form
The Black Spawn

The antagonist of Hellgate 2 Part 2, the Black Spawn is an shapeless black tentacled entity that destroys entire worlds and leaves nothing behind. It is a Planet Eater, and is well known for seeding every planet it intends to consume with Dark Spores before its arrival. The Dark Spores are parasitic organisms produced by the Spawn which amplify the negative emotions of their hosts while smothering positive ones, turning hosts into killing machines (until the Spawn comes and calls back all the Spores into itself). This mechanism is intended to leave the planet less likely to repel the Black Spawn by weakening its inhabitants. Add to that the fact that the Spawn's armor is almost impenetrable, short of being breached by a being of divine power - and it's easy to understand that rarely does a planet manage to stop the Spawn from draining the life out of whatever the Infected have not yet killed. Hellgate himself is just an Infected Scarlet Devil Mansion, and in fact it is him being a mansion that prevents his Spore from leaving his body when the Black Spawn calls back all the rest of them (and he proceeded to tear the Spawn to pieces with the power granted to him by its own Spore).

The Hellgate crew witnesses the power of the Spawn during their foray into the Youkai Kingdom of Coronai, which existed long before mankind. Originally summoned by Vocus and his Nihilius Clan, the Spawn was successfully beaten back by Coronai's goddesses and Zoruff's sacrifice, but the kingdom was left without a ruler and so ravaged by the Infected and the Spawn itself that youkai could never again rise to their former glory.

The Spawn returns to Gensokyo in the heroes' own era, but it was now even more powerful: following its original defeat at Coronai, the General captured it, restored it and fed it other Black Spawns to evolve it into the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Nevertheless, it is defeated thanks to the Gensokyans' concerted efforts and the power of ex-Hellgate SDM's God Aura. The Spawn barely escapes with its life and sets the stage for the General's subsequent invasion. In Hellgate 2 part 3 The F-Squadron runs into that very same Spawn again and once again overcome it, yet still failing to finish it off.

Tropes associated with The Black Spawn:

  • Life Drain: how the Spawn feeds. If some of those tentacles touch you, you will drop dead within less than a second. And you will be lucky..
  • One-Winged Angel: the Spawn's ultimate form, only used against a world that is able to defend itself effectively. Abilities include Nigh-Invulnerability (again) and the power to consume everything in a massive radius into itself.
The Shadow Mage
Vocus

The man in charge of the Nihilius Clan (a death cult worshipping the ultimate God of Destruction, Anathemus), and a summoner of the Black Spawn. Originally a Generic Doomsday Villain who wanted to see the world burn For the Evulz, he was retconned into a Well-Intentioned Extremist who only wants to kill as many people as possible because he believes the entire omniverse is Anathemus' dream, and the Dream Apocalypse that would follow his waking would inflict a Fate Worse than Death upon anyone not already dead.

Vocus used a spored Zoruff as a weapon against the group, which allowed his desporing. He is the only mage not killed during the offensive on the Cultist Cave, but eventually meets his demise at the heroes' hands just before they see the Black Spawn arrive.

Vocus also appears in the Xat roleplay, where a group of alternate versions of him from different universes lead the equally multiversal (and much more powerful) Nihilius Clan. He and his men worship the heroes (who at that point have become Anathemus' creations) as Gifts sent by Anathemus to assist the Clan in their sacred purge, and is thus seen to be much more polite and even servile to them. One of his selves helps the Anathemites master their Nihility powers, but given that his knowledge of Nihility is purely theoretical he's not very good at it.

One specific member of the Council of Vocus (Vocus-Six) is the Big Bad of the Remnant Arc, opposing the Anathemites using borrowed power from Supreme Judge Valis Ail.

Tropes associated with Vocus:

  • Authority Equals Asskicking: he is the leader and founder of the Nihilius Clan. Needless to say, he is the most powerful sorceror in it.
  • The Chessmaster: For all the duration of the Remnant arc, Vocus-Six appeared to always be two steps ahead of ERAC. Then subverted, because all along he had actually been following the orders of the true Chessmaster: Valis Ail.
  • Generic Doomsday Villain: Vocus originally did not appear to have any motivation behind his atrocious actions. Some youkai just want to watch the world burn. At the same time, his sheer obnoxiousness still made him a villain one loves to hate, even though he was overshadowed in that regard by Hellgate or the General.
    • Has since been averted when Word of God confirmed that the Clan's beliefs as presented in the Xat RP are canon to their Hellgate counterparts as well.
  • Me's a Crowd: in the Xat roleplay, there is not one Vocus, there is a council of him. Every one comes from a different universe.
  • Omnicidal Maniac: it was once assumed that he wants to destroy the planet for the kicks of it, but not so much anymore as of the Xat RP.
  • One-Winged Angel: He can assume a shadowy form at will. For Vocus-Six, on top of that, Nihility emanations turn him into a pseudo-Gift of Anathemus upon death.
Doomsday Cult
Nihilius Clan

An Anathemus-centric cult of mages founded by an ancient Anathemite, Supreme Judge Valis Ail. The Clan's high hierarchy includes the Judges (a group of powerful mages who claim - falsely - to be descended from Anathemus) and Vocus (several of him). The Clan's beliefs hold it that the whole omniverse is a dream of Anathemus, and that once He awakes, everything will not merely stop existing, but will never have existed in the first place. This is assumed to be a terrifying and inevitable fate, to which death is preferrable, hence the Clan's doctrine to kill everyone and everything as fast as possible. Each mage in the Clan is very skilled in a specific element, and some have traces of other elements for usage, as well. All but one—the steel mage—are killed by the main characters.

The Clan makes a triumphant return in the Xat roleplay, where their forces are much more significant, as they are composed of individuals from multiple worlds and dimensions. This Clan has wiped out a parallel version of Gensokyo and is now attacking a parallel version of Equestria. Executor (see below) assumed leadership of the Clan, and retained the position until his death.

Tropes associated with the Nihilius Clan:

  • One-Winged Angel: the Earth Mage encases himself in earth to become a giant earth beast, the Death Mage encases himself in a hugeass skeleton-shaped construct of bone.
  • The Remnant: as of the current state of the Xat RP, most of the Nihilius Clan has evacuated under Valis Ail's orders. However, one Vocus and some forces under him have remained to fight and purge Equestria, Founder be damned. Normally they wouldn't pose much of a threat to the player characters, unfortunately this Vocus uses the power of Valis Ail, making his troops super effective against Anathemites.
  • Resurrective Immortality: Dragmire the Steel Mage, who once somehow pissed off an unknown deity and was cursed with immortality as a result - every time he dies, he is reincarnated in another universe. Except Dragmire is a Blood Knight. You can see how that particular "curse" turned out.
Fallen Friend
Executor

An SDM from an alternate dimension, he was converted into a Rainbow Factory. He and that realm's versions of Arachnos (later called Orachnos and then Oneiros), Kanako and Lynna witnessed the utter devastation of their Equestria by Hellgate (due to a major misunderstanding by Arachna, who believed he had the power to summon Anathemus and wipe the universe clean of life) and Hood's unsuccessful attempt to foil Hellgate's plans with what was effectively a genocide of half his troops. When there was nothing left to destroy, Hellgate commanded Arachnos to take them all to another Equestria where he could wreak more chaos. This is how the Factory and its employees, along with Hellgate, arrived to a much more technologically advanced Equestria. Through the perspicacity of that world's version of the Factory, it was revealed that Hellgate no longer had the power to summon Anathemus, and that Equestria had been lost for nothing. Hellgate's rampage was halted, but unfortunately not stopped for good as the plan to destroy him went awry.

The agents of the destroyed Equestria's Factory became agents of the Techquestria Factory instead. By order of said Factory, the body of his other self was scrapped and recycled, while his soul was transferred by local Patchouli into a robot alicorn body created through the collaboration of Orachnos and the local Arachnos. This is when he became known as "Executor". Following various other incidents in Techquestria, he was one of four people (along with O-Lynna, Orachnos, and Techquestrian Arachnos (later called Tarachnos and then Terminos) who went to explore a mysterious otherworldly portal, dropping them in a strange dimension which came to be nicknamed "Esherland". After getting stalked by Nihilius, the group subsequently came face to face with Anathemus and were seemingly consumed... except they actually ended up in yet another parallel Equestria at war with the Nihilus Clan.

They promptly discovered that, following their encounter with Anathemus, they had gained Nihility powers, and the Clan now worshipped them as "Gifts of Anathemus" destined to purge the world. The four of them were taken into the Clan. In order to allow his friends to gain the paranoid local Factory's favor, Executor developed a plan that involved him becoming the leader of the Clan, while the other three "defected" to the Factory. In order to keep his ruse secret and preserve his friends' relationship with the Factory, Executor got himself fully in character and quickly achieved notoriety by kidnapping and killing Luna and orchestrating multiple attacks that ravaged major cities.

Though he and Equestria declared a truce in order to deal with the threat of Nihilius, with the latter's demise he plans on restarting the attack that was left unfinished, and permanently ensure the safety of Lynna, Oneiros, and Terminos with his death at their hands. The end of the current arc awaited the final, deciding battle between him and his Clan vs. Equestria and the three Anathemites... or so everyone thought, until he was slain all by himself during an assault on Canterlot, leaving an "orphaned" Clan behind.

Tropes associated with Executor:

  • The Chessmaster: Executor is an expert at playing his opponents. To the point that he is able to go against three Anathemites (each of those is as powerful as him) and still come very close to accomplishing his objectives.
  • Dying as Yourself: when he's consumed by Nihility, the villainous regalia that marked him as the Nihilius High Lord disappears first, so just for a moment he looks just like he used to, back when the four were still friends. Also, the Gaiden reveals that his "spirit" is his humanoid SDM soul.
  • Evil Makeover: Terminos himself actually gives him one when he becomes the Nihilius High Lord, inverting his rainbow mane's color scheme and turning one of his eyes red. He also dons a tattered cape and a spiky crown.
  • Self-Sacrifice Scheme: Executor did not go into his plan expecting to live. His death at the hands of his friends to ensure their good reputation was a critical part of the scheme.
  • Sink or Swim Mentor: when the other Anathemites return to the Clan (with the Factory's knowledge and approval, though) to develop their powers, Executor really doesn't want them to hang around him. Naturally, when asked for help mastering the power of Nihility he typically is as unhelpful as possible. Ironically, despite that he was still the source of more good advice than the Vocus in charge of training the Anathemites, who really tries hard to be helpful.
  • Then Let Me Be Evil: he invokes this trope on purpose. His official reason for taking over the Nihilius Clan is that the Factory wouldn't trust them and chased them away for being made of Nihility, so he decided that if the Factory would treat him as a monster, then he would become one.
  • Took a Level in Badass: like his fellow Anathemites, multiple times so far: upon being recreated by Anathemus as a Nihility being, upon Manifesting, upon learning to use his powers to the almost-fullest potential, and upon Awakening.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: he's lost count of the number of times he's lost his home. And then he became what he hated most (i.e. no better than Hellgate) to save his friends. He may have killed Luna, but if you don't feel some pity for the poor guy you have no soul.
Negative Entity
Nihilius

"THE DREAM WILL END."
Despite several appearances in the Xat side-RP, the full truth about this enigmatic entity continues to elude everyone but SDM himself. Due to the feeling of existential horror provoked by looking into his eyes, he was long thought to be the physical embodiment of what would happen if Anathemus were to wake, inflicting a Fate Worse than Death upon the whole omniverse, supposedly his "dream". Because of this, the Clan of the same name hates him. Nihilius himself, however, states that he is actually a faithful servant of Anathemus, given his purpose by the dark deity itself.

He has stalked the Anathemites throughout their journey through the Warped World (in the form of N-Reimu) and followed them to Equestria as well, where he used his signature Mask to take possession of Brandon Persus. After the Anathemites' Nihility powers developed, he was eventually defeated by them and significantly weakened. His attempt to reclaim his lost power by amplifying the grief and fury of Equestria's ihnabitants and then consuming it is the driving force behind the Dark Beasts arc.

He eventually succeeded at this task by absorbing despair from Lynna. After several other encounters with the Anathemites, during which he attempted (and failed) to convince them to stay out of his way, he eventually gave up and decided to deal with them by force. Nihilius attempted to destroy Equestria and clashed with the Anathemites once again, killing them by tapping into the energy he absorbed from Equestria. However, this allowed the Anathemites to Awaken to their full power and come back to life, promptly destroying Nihilius.

Tropes associated with Nihilius:

  • The Corrupter: he is the force behind the Dark Beasts of the eponymous arc. He acts as one during the battle with Dark Beast -Celestia-, where he constantly fans her anger to prevent the heroes from awakening her true self. Thankfully, it does not work.
  • Detachment Combat: his final form has limbs to spare and can send them to beat up enemies of their own. Those detached limbs can shapeshift.
  • Gotta Catch Them All: and by "catch", we mean "unleash people's innermost negative feelings and turn them into monsters so they have to be killed and he can subsequently power himself up with their grief". That's just how Nihilius rolls. Thankfully, his plan is foiled thanks to the power of the Elements of Harmony, allowing some Beasts to be purified instead of killed, leaving Nihilius "incomplete".
  • Flunky Boss: in the first phase of the final battle, he summons shadows of the previous bosses associated with him, such as the various Dark Beasts.
  • Hero Killer: he is to blame for Princess Celestia's untimely death in the finale of the Dark Beast arc.
  • Hopeless Boss Fight: every single battle with him until the Anathemites Manifest. Also one phase of the final battle, until they Awaken.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: he pulls a magnificent and terrifying one in the third phase of the battle against him, and uses the energy he has drained from the plane to effortlessly kill all of the Anathemites. Thankfully, this causes them to Awaken.
  • Interface Screw: in Xat, he and those he infects only speak in scrolltext at the bottom of the page instead of inside the chat window as normal.
  • Just Following Orders: when questioned about why he wants to destroy every dimension, he simply says that is "his purpose" bestowed upon him by Anathemus.
  • Killed Off for Real: seemingly averted, but SDM claims he won't appear anymore in the Xat RP at least.
  • Magical Eye: staring into his eyes inflicts existential horror, conveying the feeling of being less than nothing.
  • Marathon Boss: the final battle with him has four phases (including the hopeless one) and lasts several hours.
  • One-Winged Angel: his Manifested form could count as this. And the Manifested form itself has its OWN One Winged Angel form.
  • Villainous Breakdown: he is, to speak mildly, distraught when his attempts to regain his full power are distrupted by the Rainbow Factory's agents.
The Founder
Supreme Judge Valis Ail

An ancient Anathemite (he states that he is millions of years old) and the founder of the Nihilius Clan. His physical form is nothing but a mass of shadows inside a Nihilius Clan robe. As he roams many worlds, he rarely graces any particular branch of the Clan with his presence for long. He affirms that he received a message from Anathemus stating that "the one named Nihilius shall save the multiverse from the end of the dream", and created the Clan to exactly this effect. He considers the entity named Nihilius to be an imposter, and the Anathemites to be "accidents" rather than Gifts of Anathemus.

At first, it seemed that over millions of years, Valis Ail's power had grown out of proportion, as he seemed to be able to effortlessly create and recreate worlds and crush Anathemites. However, it has been hinted that his speciality is actually to counter the power of other Anathemites, while lacking in power compared to them when opposed to anything else.

As the Founder of the Clan, Valis demands the utmost respect from those who behold him, and has an unnatural ability to instill obedience in others, even other Anathemites. Being infinitely powerful as he is, he considers very few things to be worth his time. Fighting the Anathemites does not seem to be one of them, and at the end of the Nihilius Clan arc, he and most of his forces leave Equestria of his own free will. Or so it seems. In reality, he orchestrated the Nihilius Remnant all along.

Tropes associated with Valis Ail:

  • Deal with the Devil: Valis' offers to the Anathemites were purely intended to make them easy pickings when the time came to fuel the Lunar Cell.
  • Faux Affably Evil: For a guy whose regular day consists of slaughtering millions of people, Valis actually seems to be a pretty reasonable guy. He actually pulls his forces out of Equestria as promised, not even going into the wish granting. Given that the whole premise of the Nihilius Clan is actually salvation, this may be a case of Justified Trope. Or maybe because he can solve any problem with nary a snap of his fingers, he does not even see any benefit to being brutal. Except in reality he actually betrays absolutely everyone, from the Anathemites to even his own forces.
  • Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Though he has a backstory that ties him into the RP, his existance was not foreshadowed in any way. SDM came up with him on the fly because he wanted the attack on the Clan base to pose a challenge to the Anathemites.
  • Make a Wish: He makes several offers of the sort to the Anathemites. First of all, he gives Executor's memories to Terminos. He also offers Oneiros and Lynna to restore the old Equestria thye lost at the hands of Hellgate, and gives Terminos a way back to Techquestria. Lynna refuses, Terminos refuses because Lynna refused, but Oneiros accepts his offer and leaves the party. He did keep his promise, but he brought Oneiros back to Equestria just in time to fuel the Lunar Cell.
  • Manipulative Bastard: And how. He liberally uses both his Compelling Voice and his scheming skills to accomplish his goals, manipulating events and altering the truth to get his way. If it serves his goals, he will even betray his own Clansmen, while continuing to manipulate them from the shadows, by taking the shape of the beloved High Lord Executor no less!
  • The Man Behind the Curtain: he seems obscenely powerful when first encountered, but in reality is probably only obscenely powerful against Anathemites.
Power-Hungry Rebel Leader
Saito

A supporting antagonist in Hellgate 2 Part 2, she is the leader of the rebel youkai forces under the power of the Black Spawn's messengers in Gustaf's time. She claims to be very powerful, and led many an attack on Gustaf's army (including an attack on Coronai itself), but is mocked by the main characters. In a fit of rage she creates a large ball of darkness, whicih is only just kept away by Arachnos's Voidwebs. She disappears while Arachnos does this, however, appearing in Gustaf's throne room to do battle with the king himself. They both fight for 50 days, destroying the castle itself, before she is finally killed by Gustaf.

She is also Akuko's mother, and her death is why the latter bears a lot of resentment toward the main characters.

Tropes associated with Saito:

  • Shadow Archetype: to Gustaf, of sorts. He is the wise ruler of the greatest kingdom on Earth. She is a maniac leading an army of lunatics intend on seeing the world burn. Unsurprizingly, the two end up battling. And kill each other.
Stain of the World
Akuko

Daughter of Saito. Bears quite a lot of resentment towards the main characters for having a hand in her death. During the thousands of years between Saito's death and her appearance, she was heavily prosecuted for being a youkai by humans, building up quite a bit of hatred for their kind.

SDM claims that her story will be WAY darker than any story he's done so far. It's bad enough that Arachnos breaks down into tears whenever it's mentioned to him.

Tropes associated with Akuko:

  • Avenging the Villain: She is out to avenge her mother, the Dark Spore-infected leader of the Coronai Rebellion.
  • Eye of Newt: Because she lacks formal training, Akuko cannot use magic in the same way other characters do. She needs to expend magical reagents to cast her spells.
  • Misplaced Retribution: She is going after the main characters, who did fight Saito but did not kill her. The real perpetrator, King Gustaf, is long dead.
Shadow Of A Madman
Dr. X

A conglomerate of all of Mr. Owl's accumulated negative emotions which Owl tried to manifest into a physical form and kill. However, Dr. X escaped and became Owl's Arch-Enemy. Because he is formed purely of negativity, Dr. X is a pure evil monster with a desire to exterminate everyone and everything, especially Owl. He succeeded in using an interdimensional portal to cast Paa into eternal darkness overrun by shadow beasts (killing all of the humans there), but was eventually defeated by Owl and the crashlanded Sayan Squad and Vulture crew. Like Owl, he has the power to conjure weapons out of nowhere, but his combat style is focused on slow and overwhelming attacks.

Tropes associated with Dr. X:

  • Break Them by Talking: He constantly reminds Owl that he is a part of him and that everything he has ever done is Owl's fault. He eventually succeeds at temporarily breaking Owl in the final confrontation between the two... but he didn't count on Owl emerging all the stronger from it.
  • Casting a Shadow: Draws much of his power from a portal to the Dark World, which gives him power over darkness and an army of shadow beasts he controls. His machines are also often infused with darkness to make them stronger and tougher. However, when the portal is destroyed, he loses those powers.
  • Create Your Own Villain: Owl very literally created him in an attempt to kill him, which went horribly wrong. X never misses an opportunity to remind Owl that if he had not been so stupid, none of the catastrophes X wrought about would have happened.
  • Enemy Without: Was initially Mr. Owl's own dark side until Owl had the bright idea to manifest him into reality and attempt to kill him.
  • Evil Makes You Ugly: While he has the same facial features to Owl's, he is also significantly more repugnant, with glowing eyes and a disgustingly moist and clammy skin texture.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Just like Owl, only his access to vastly superior resources allowed him to take his craft above and beyond. Including a flying, space-worthy fortress. He also seems to rely on machinery for combat more than Owl, who tends to prefer his own skills.
  • Genius Bruiser: He'll blast you to bits with a robot of his own invention one minute, and tear you apart with his brute strength and summoned weapons the next.
  • Hannibal Lecture: Above all, X loves to torment Owl with the fact that he is part of him. Owl eventually gets sick and tired of that and turns it on him, retorting that X is right, but that this is all he is - a redundant shadow of Owl with no reason to exist.
  • Mighty Glacier: Whereas Owl is nimble, fast, but can't take a beating, X is slow and trudging but crushes the opposition with immensely powerful blows. Word of God says this was intentional to highlight their opposition.
  • Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: Dr. X is not really a doctor. Owl just called him this because it sounded badass. He is an Evil Genius though.
  • Shadow Archetype: He is all the piled up evil Owl had repressed over the years and then tried unsuccessfully to destroy. He and Owl are simultaneously similar and opposite: they have the same face but one has a thin wiry body while the other is burly, they have the same power but opposite fighting styles, and one is associated with the color white and the other with black.
Empirical Grandmaster
Mr. Hood

The leader of the Grandmaster's Empire, Mr. Hood has been a near-constant presence in every version of Equestria from the very first. He initially was meant to be a sideline observer to events, but was pulled into the thick of things when the Hellgate of Equestria-1 believed him to be making a stake in the balance of power that existed at the time. Upon learning of his newfound place, he was made Superintendent directly below the Factory and Hellgate themselves, a position he held here and in Equestria-3.

His participation in Equestria-2 is a lot more spotty, as his most notable act is of reportedly causing a mass homicide of his forces in some attempt to counter Hellgate (although there have been comments about the true validity of this event).

The Hood of Equestria-3 may not have been as prolific as the Hood of Equestria-1, but was still prominent due to being pushed to the top of the ladder in the Factory due to his Hellgate being de-spored and the SDM inside the Factory being forcibly removed by his Patchouli. Due to the current status of Equestria-3, however, it is unknown as to what else he will do.

The Hood of Equestria-4 (which is the same as the Hood in SW proper) has barely had any screentime; however, he has been supplanted by Cpt. Hood, a version that is under the command of The General and captains The General's Head, serving as an antagonist for the Sayan Squad once they completely left the world of Equestria.

Tropes associated with Mr. Hood:

  • Dragon Ascendant: When both Hellgate and The Rainbow Factory in Equestria-3 are removed from play, Hood takes over the reins due to being 3rd-in-command behind both of them.
  • The Heavy: Though The General is clearly the one behind nearly everything moving the Xat RP forward, Cpt. Hood is the one who is at the forefront of the omniversal stage due to his position in the Head.

     Supporting 
The One-Thousandth and First Youkai King
Gustaf Coronai

The king of Coronai prior to Saito's attack. Enlisted the aid of the main characters at his daughter's insistence, and acted as a helpful royal figure.

A prime example of nobility actually fighting, he helped defend Coronai from Saito's attack, but eventually is killed in his throne room when she and him face off.

Tropes associated with Gustaf:

  • Mind Control: the King can apparently take control of his own subjects, presumably for a better coordination of the army's actions.
The One-Thousandth and Second Youkai Queen
Mia Coronai

Gustaf's daughter, able to send people into the past and the future—which is how the main characters went back in time in the first place.

After the rule of Coronai was passed onto her by her father, Mia was soon captured by Vocus and the Nihilus clan as they traveled to aid another city, but was soon reclaimed safely.

Despite seeing the effects of the Dark Spore and hearing about the warnings of the Black Spawn, she and Zoruff dismiss these claims as they send the main characters back to their timeline. However, they get interrupted in their travels to see Coronai be destroyed and Mia killed by the Spawn (if indirectly). She still manages to send them back to their own time with her dying breath, however.

Tropes associated with Mia:

  • Awesome Moment of Crowning: Nope. Instead, her beloved father crowns her Queen of a collapsing wartorn kingdom as he is dying before her eyes.
    King Gustaf: Long... live... the Queen...
  • Break the Cutie: she sees the kingdom ravaged by the rebels (and then the Dark Spored youkai) and witnesses her father's death. And then, just as the invasion seems repelled with the help of the player characters and the three goddesses of Coronai, the Black Spawn arrives. The best friend she had left, Zoruff, is forced to pull a Heroic Sacrifice to repel the Black Spawn, but not fast enough to save Coronai from crumbling apart. Oh, and then she dies. Horrifically. All the while thinking she has failed her father and her kingdom. Damn you, SDM. Damn you.
  • Time Master: Mia can speed up the flow of time (and probably slow it down, though that's not shown). She can even pull people out of the timestream.
The Guy Nobody Remembers
Zoruff

Originally cast as a Dark Spore-infested youkai sent to act as a distraction for the main characters, he eventually comes to earn Mia's trust, become her 2nd-in-command and most trusted advisor, and eventually a sacrifice to defeat the Black Spawn in his time and fufill the legend.

Tropes associated with Zoruff:

  • Brainwashed and Crazy: when first introduced, he's under the influnce of a Dark Spore. Our heroes beat that out of him, though.
The Three Goddeses
Ami, Thayla, Gressalarye

The three Goddess of Coronai. They and the main characters met up when both groups were trying to purge Goruntuaff, and despite a slight mishap in the middle of the purging, they eventually suceed. However, this is relatively short-lived, as all three goddesses are killed by the Black Spawn. Only Ami was able to be found, and thanks to Kanako Imrah, was entombed in a diamond tomb that survived to be found underneath SDM itself.

Tropes associated with The Three Goddesses:

  • Escort Mission: the player characters protect the three as they are charging a spell to purge the Dark Spores from the infected in Goruntuaff.
Base Commander
Amadeus

Commander of the rebellion. Formerly under The General's command, and even sharing his vision, he became disillusioned with the idea, and broke off to fight The General along with some of his loyal retainers.

Thanks to his unusually long life, he has been able to oversee much of the rebellion's progress, and has helped it build toward becoming a veritable threat to The General's plan.

Tropes associated with Amadeus:

  • The Atoner: He is part of the Rebellion to atone for the atrocities he has comitted as part of Kiz Co and The General's forces.
  • Reformed Criminal: Used to be a part of first Kizeki Corp, and then The General's forces until he finally realized that purifying the universe is not worth the suffering caused as a byproduct.
  • The Chains of Commanding: The main reason why he is a commander is so that someone else does not need to be:
    "I'm the one that organizes the missions. I'm the one that tells everybody where they're going and what they're doing. And it's my decision to make regarding... who is probably going to die."
  • Tranquil Fury: It's not very easy to piss Amadeus off. But if you do anger him... he won't need to lay a hand on you or even shout at you to make you wish you hadn't.

    April Fools 
DISTURBING, TWISTED, EXECRABLE, SICK, PERVERTED HOUSE
Heavendoor

"I SHALL SPREAD MY LOVE FROM HERE TO ETERNITY! ALL OF TIME AND SPACE SHALL TASTE THE LOVE OILS OF SDM!"
A joke character created by SDM for April Fools Day 2014, intended to parody Hellgate, particularly his original introduction. "Heavendoor" introduced himself as "SDM of the past" (as opposed to SDM of the future Hellgate), and appeared at first to be a much nicer version of SDM. At first. When disturbing facts about him came to light, both iconic heroes and iconic villains of the Hellgate Saga united against him.

Joke lore states that he is infected by a "Pink Spore" from the ultimate tentacle rape monster, the "Pink Spawn".

He is currently planned to be part of an "Anti-Hellgate Mythos" to be used for every April Fools Day in Shifting Worlds from now on.

Tropes associated with Heavendoor:

  • Affably Evil: He is the complete reverse of SDM. While SDM comes off as a Jerkass at first sight but can actually be a pretty decent guy, Heavendoor seems like a nice guy at first, until he starts forcing his "love" on you.
  • Bigger Is Better in Bed: Completely averted. Him being a mansion, engaging in sexual activities can full well kill his unwilling partners.
  • Care-Bear Stare: One of his powers is to use cutesy imagery to induce feelings of peace and contentment in his victims, presumably to leave them vulnerable for his "lovin'".
  • Enemy Mine: He is so utterly vile that he manages to make completely incompatible beings (namely SDM, Hellgate, and several deities) ally together to destroy him.
  • Gag Penis: He has a proportionately-sized dong that shoots wet concrete (inspired by a joke occasionally made about SDM himself).
  • Shout-Out: To Hellgate, obviously. His introduction closely mirrors Hellgate's original introduction in the Mental Shift (complete with SDM talking to himself across separate threads) and Heavendoor can be seen as a sort of Mirror Universe counterpart to Hellgate (and SDM as well).

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