King Caesar Intro: Millenia before the first bricks of Babylon were conceived, there lived a paleolithic human culture of great prosperity and strength. They excelled in mathematics, astronomy, engineering, and art, and at some point, they discovered the Earth’s greatest secret; kaiju. These beasts, seen either as primordial gods or undying demons, were avoided for the most part. Towards the end of the ancient culture’s reign, though, it seems they eventually became curious and confident enough to attempt to control the creatures. Beneath the polar ice caps were found two well-preserved fossil kaiju. So well-preserved, in fact, that they seemed to be only dormant rather than dead. And so, the people removed them from their icy tombs and began repairing their battle-damaged bodies. One beast, an ancient feline, was reinforced with stone and became revered as a possible future guardian. The other, a giant bovid, was clade in metal and designed to be a force of conquest. These divisions only grew over time until civil war, and a number of other causes, destroyed mankind’s first great civilization. The two beast-gods were sealed away, and their activation systems were lost for many thousands of years… Story: It was 1974 when one of the creatures was rediscovered by FATHOM. The previous year had seen the organization’s first expedition to Skull Island, after which was gleaned much new information of not only the island itself, but the wider world of the kaiju. The Iwi had kept many ancient records and artifacts from the island’s previous society, as well as some that seemed to have been exported to the island from an unknown paleolithic culture. These included two small statues representing unknown kaiju, along with several manuscripts and diagrams on their form and function, as well as possible coordinates to their locations. This led a separate expedition to the island of Okinawa where, in a hidden cave at the northern tip of the island, was discovered the still-dormant feline kaiju. The cave was found thanks, in part, to an old Azumi family that maintained the local shrine. The head of the family explained to FATHOM that the monster was an old family secret passed down through the generations, and was revered as a guardian spirit. Though reluctant at first, FATHOM was eventually given permission to study the creature, whom the family referred to as “King Caesar”. It was deduced over the next few decades that the miniature statue was somehow meant to be used as a means of activation. Said activation, according to the partially-translated old manuscripts, mentioned that King Caesar was to be awakened “When the red moon sets, and the sun rises in the west”. The other bull-like statue was also examined, but the old coordinates were too weathered to reveal to location of the second monster… After the exposure of kaiju to the general public, the hidden Temple of King Caesar was among the declassified facilities, and proved to be controversial as many felt it was irresponsible to maintain a potentially living kaiju within a nation’s boundaries without its’ knowledge or permission. This debate would drag on for several years until shortly after Godzilla’s defeat at Skull Island. Paektu Mountain, at the border between China and North Korea, had shown a steady increase in volcanic activity for the past few years since Godzilla’s first appearance. This culminated in an eruption that spewed forth a massive cloud of ash that rose into the sky like a great black mountain. A geological survey then stumbled upon a sleeping metallic kaiju within a huge cavern exposed by the eruption. FATHOM, at this point, had been under scrutiny by many governments, with a few even sending spies to gather classified information on the long-secreted kaiju. The statues and their alleged power to reactivate the modified kaiju were among these guarded secrets, which had unfortunately been discovered by a North Korean agent a few years earlier. Acting on this information, the North Korean government seized the new creature, which was technically within their territory, as soon as it was discovered. Over the next few months, and despite pleas from FATHOM and many other countries, a massive operation was carried out to move the dormant beast, which had been dubbed “Pulgasari”, towards the capital city of Pyongyang. Meanwhile, a more covert operation was launched to steal the statues from FATHOM. The operation was successful, and both statues were taken back to North Korea. Caesar’s was to be used as a bargaining chip, and Pulgasari’s was to lend control over the dormant bull when he awakened. Things did not go according to plan. The ritual worked, and Pulgasari indeed awakened. But he had been designed as a weapon, and perceived the little bipedal figures as enemies. He laid waste to Pyongyang and even appeared to grow stranger as he consumed the metal infrastructure of the city. Before a major counterattack could be launched, he escaped into the sea and began heading south…towards Okinawa. During the chaos, the statue of Caesar was recovered and rushed back to the island. As Pulgasari moved further out to sea, a nuclear strike was launched and scored a direct hit to the bull monster, the mushroom cloud rising like a western sun. This, combined with the setting harvest moon to the east, perfectly coincided with the return of the remaining statue to the Temple of King Caesar, leading to the reactivation of the second kaiju. Immediately upon awakening, Caesar appeared to imprint on the head of the Azumi family. Afterwards, though, he was targeted by U.S. and Japanese armed forces. He engaged them ferociously in battle, though many of his attacks seemed to be in defense of the Azumi family and small town not far away. Appearing to sense something, he began making his way towards Okinawa’s capital, Naha. A perimeter was set up around the city, but it would turn out to be the wrong side. Pulgasari, red hot and more powerful than ever, reemerged just offshore of the city. The stone cat wasted no time engaging the metal bull, and even seemed to intentionally move the fight away from the city. After a long battle, Caesar managed to put an end to the bull monster via decapitation, tearing the metal-infused spine from the body. He sustained heavy damage himself, though, and by the time the dawn came, he had slipped into dormancy once more, frozen like a statue on the shore… Abilities: King Caesar is a remarkable feat of both evolution and ancient human engineering. His physiology places him within the clade Felidae, possibly sharing a most recent common ancestry with the Machairodontinae (saber-toothed cats). Exact placement is difficult, though, due to the kaiju “genetic-drift” phenomenon. Regardless, Caesar is both powerful and graceful. He has been clocked at over 200 miles per hour in the open, and can clear a 300-foot building from a standing leap. Each paw is equipped with retractable, razor-sharp stony claws that can slash through less heavily-armored hides like tissue paper. His most effective and precise weapons are his sword-like saber teeth, each one harder than diamond and able to bite through most rock and metal surfaces. Used together, these teeth and claws can grapple and take down prey and enemies up to twice his size. Caesar is sometimes referred to as a “stone-age cyborg”. Indeed, much of his body has been enhanced or replaced with masonic structures designed and implanted by a long-lost race. Much of the implants are centered around the head, neck, upper torso, arms, and flanks, providing a flexible and durable layer of armor. These structures are mostly composed of igneous and metamorphic rock, though any farther classification is somewhat harder to answer. Atomic structure is often crystal-like and displays unusual electromagnetic and self-regenerating properties. This self-regeneration seems to be a byproduct of merging with the kaiju’s biology, and remains under investigation. Also implanted within his skull are three crystal eyes of a particularly unusual and unknown material, thought by many to be photonic computers of some kind. The two on either side project an electromagnetic energy field that fluctuates greatly, but seems to most often surround Caesar’s anterior region. Most forms of electrical, thermal, photonic, or nuclear energy that enter this field in the form of lightning, lasers, etc., are redirected through the right eye and expelled through the left. Caesar has precise control over where exactly such energy can be redirected and will sometimes use the static energy generated by his own body to double or even triple the redirected power. It is speculated that the energy field may amplify existing static in the air, making lightning strikes the most common type of redirected energy. The central eye also generates a strong electromagnetic force, though rarely seems to interact with the energy field of the other two eyes. When under significant pressure, Caesar is able to project a beam of very potent green energy from this eye. As this drains his energy significantly, though, he only uses it as a last resort. Character: Since awakening in the 21st century, King Caesar seems to have designated the island of Okinawa as his new territory, which he stalwartly defends. His crystal eyes are sensitive to very specific patterns and wavelengths of light, which is the method by which he conserves energy. He can reactivate whenever an imminent threat is detected via his other sharply developed senses, but otherwise only reactivates during the autumnal equinox. During this time, if there is no danger to his land, he makes a round trip of the island before resuming dormancy. If a threat is detected, though, he is an equally brutal and precise fighter. He spends much time sizing an enemy up before pouncing on any perceived weak point. He has shown a high degree of tactile cunning, which may be due to either his implants or hunting experience as a normal kaiju. Either way, the result is the same. The only inhabitants of the island that he seems to take a personal interest in are members of the Azumi family that have known of him since at least the 13th century. Throughout the time between his discovery by FATHOM and the disclosure after Godzilla’s resurgence, the family’s rituals were heavily documented, including songs, dances, and gestures performed near the central eye. Increased energy readings were recorded from the eye during these performances, as well as low-frequency rumblings that seem to accelerate his healing, and are thought to have played a role in Caesar’s imprintation on the family. These rituals continue to be performed by the head of the family (a young priestess at this time) during reactivation and dormancy cycles, which has helped keep the kaiju content. As no other feline kaiju of his type are known, it is not clear whether his species was social. If so, then his bond with the Azumi may be more than artificial programming. ---------- Apologies for the delayed posting. Yesterday was much busier than expected. ---------- King Caesar is copyrighted by Toho