MadaM, the Equilibrium

Fire. The walls are crumbling, giving away to the flames' gentle lullaby, one-by-one-by-one. Two steel monsters dance among the inferno, surrounding one, sole biomechanical creature. It, too, dances, lacking the larger frame it had once commanded, jutting about and firing its ordinances in wild epilepsy. This is the end of the line--the arrival at a conclusion. This dance has lasted for months, even years, and spanned the stellar tapestry, but, it too, will end. Listen close, it's almost here.

Bang.

A stalking, formidable steel monster fires an ordinance from a long kinetic rifle. The Bio-Apperatum splits into two halves, the horrible grinding of its steel and flesh making a death rattle that is heard throughout the entire encampment. Cheering is heard at the confirmed kill.

The steel monsters regurgitate their puppeteers: two pilots, one aged and wearing a uniform fit with various medals and decorations signifying their rank, and another, wearing a similar uniform, but clearly much younger and of a lesser rank. These are IPS-N pilots, trained killers of Apperatum armies, and before them is the fresh corpse of an Inorganic Collective general.

The captain walks forward, the lesser pilot standing back to watch. Steel-toed boots crack the mechanical frame as the captain steps on corpse of the enemy general. A certain fury is felt, emanating from the pilot. They draw their revolver and unload the clip into the corpse, reloading, then again, reloading, then again, until nothing remains of the body but a pile of shattered lead casings, shredded organs, and dented steel.

*The lesser soldier looks on and sees something different though. Something beyond what is in front of them physically, rather, what is in front of them temporally. MadaM has their arms wrapped around them, their fingers prying open the eyes of the pilot. They see their captain, a great leader in the days to come, in charge of this planet's occupation. They see them, in a strikingly similar pose, again and again, above a different Apperatum frame. Most are still active before he unloads that revolver. Among those, most cry, scream for help. Their cries are deafening. A deluge of inorganic blood is soon to arrive, if something doesn't change. The kind of deluge that only occurs in a universe out of balance.

~~~

Fire. A bonfire in the center of the encampment crackles in a gentle lullaby. Steel monsters lie motionless surrounding the inferno, inactive between missions. The captain stands among other soldiers surrounding the fire, however, one pilot is absent, silently lying on a far-away rooftop in a makeshift sniper's nest. This is the end of the line--the arrival at a conclusion. The captain's dance across the stars has lasted for years, even decades, and spanned the stellar tapestry, but, it too, will end. Listen close, it's almost here.

Bang.

Balance. In a sense, that is the final destination of Equilibrium, a balanced, juxtaposed universe. Every tyrant has their liberator. Every mass murderer their grand healer. MadaM ensures that everything is in its right place within the universe, that everything is not without an opposite. They are believed to be one of the oldest Numen as well as one of the most all-encompassing, having dissolved themselves into the tapestry of the universe to create the grand cosmic symmetry of Equilibrium. Their current is woven deep within the universe-inescapable, even by those that devote their entire lives to escape it-however, that has come at the cost of MadaM's ability to directly interact with the mortal realm, which is drastically limited compared to that of other Numen.

MadaM & Mortals

MadaM imposes her will upon the mortal realm much more reluctantly than other Numen, however, they still have a sizable, if niche following among mortals. Their followers have an enigmatic reputation due to their actions throughout the universe, many of which are seen as callous or unsensible. Many of their followers live in pursuit of constant equilibrium, even getting cosmetic enhancements to achieve a symmetrical, idealized form.

Madam blesses a relatively selective amount of lancers, choosing those devoted to balance and equality throughout the universe. Their selectiveness makes their chosen very devoted to the cause, becoming knights of Equilibrium throughout the universe.

There are rumored to only be a handful of harbingers of MadaM, whom exact their power extremely selectively. They only tap into the Equilibrium in times of great unbalance, acting as a hand of cosmic judgement when the cosmos falls out of step.

Follower Factions

Existence weights heavy on the universe--creating an inherent imbalance, one that is counteracted by Nothingness. Eventually, Nothingness will come into balance with Existence in a beautiful balance, however, as that day in far, far away from the present, different ideals needed to be created to satisfy MadaM. Hedonia and Nihility, Preservation and Annihilation, Reminiscence and Conundra--all are ideals created to balance one another, to satisfy MadaM.

The Stasitors are the enforcers of this balance, keeping the currents of the universe in check with their counterparts. They work tirelessly across the cosmos to keep the universe in constant balance, believing precise, calculated "re-adjustments" of reality are necessary to prevent a universe that may otherwise correct itself in a more violent fashion. Their critics call them emotionless, unsympathetic killers that pontificate a baseless cause, however, the Stasitors believe their actions to be necessary to prevent a much more dramatic spilling of blood caused by an out-of-balance universe.