Captain Nic

Captain Nic is a Teknikan soldier with ties to the Bread Cult and its leader, Paorou. Is a known Reality Bender. Most of the time, continuous Teknikan activity within Iwaku can be attributed to Captain Nic's actions, since he serves as their forward scout. With motives as mysterious as those of the Empire he serves, it is unknown why he stays in Iwaku, besides Paorou's "invitation." The unswaying alliance between Teknika and Insanity (particularly the Bread Cult) may be linked to Paorou and Nic's blood relation.

Nic is portrayed as a brown-skinned man in his forties, laid back and calm even in times of urgency - this does not mean that he never loses his temper, however. Conflict with the inhabitants of Iwaku has left him unhappy and mistrusting, particularly when it comes to higher beings and 'sub-humans.'

History
Captain Nic, though long-lived, is not as old as the Empire he serves. Not many know about what his life had been for the past millennium, but he holds a status as a sort of a living legend among his comrades and fellows, provided they even know about his prolonged existence. There are tales of his exploits, like how he lost a lover in battle, a time when he was once an Admiral, and a time when he raised a child as his own - but neither are confirmed to be true. What are known to be truths of Nic's exploits, however, is that he had participated in conflict against the Bif Clan artisans, several rebellions, the "returning" Skolian empire, and the Factions Alliance for Greater Unity (FAGU), as well as overseeing the exile of the remnants of defeated nations, and the destruction of colonized worlds.

Most notorious of these exploits took place after first contact with the FAGU, in which the Teknikan Empire, in an attempt to end the war in its early stages, decides to strike within the heart of the enemy's territory. The goal was to force the enemy into submission through sheer destructive might, and to accomplish this, a select number of Teknikan vessels were to carry atmospheric deprivation warheads - however, many Teknikan soldiers never knew about the sinister weapons until later, and those who were assigned to deliver the weapons were trusted to use them without hesitation. Nic, who was a Lieutenant at the time, was assigned to a fleet carrying such weapons. Around four fleets were fielded in the operation, and they dropped out of hyperspace in orbit around the FAGU colony of Eris, a verdant planet which served as a military, economic, and cultural hub for the Alliance. The ensuing battle was fierce - Alliance resistance was significant, but the Teknikans had arms and numerical superiority; the defenders were crushed. As the atmospheric deprivation devices were fired, however, Teknikan forces turned on each other upon realization of the genocide being committed. The deed was done, the traitors were annihilated, and the few Imperial forces that returned had plenty of blood in their hands - Nic included. The Emperor at the time had shown some amount of leniency towards these survivors; they would serve the Empire to their last or be labeled as war criminals. Given Nic's status as a Reality Bender at the time, he had a chance....

Little knew that this action would prolong the war between the Alliance and the Empire instead, and so Nic found himself spilling the blood of more fellow Terrans than he could have imagined in putting down a rebellion. There was a long road ahead of him, littered with corpses, haunted by the whispers of the dead, and cursed with the yells of the living. He would never know peace, at least, not for a long time. He felt, however, that this war was his fate, his duty.

However, most of Nic's accomplishments in his home universe meant nothing in Iwaku, or anywhere else outside it.

In Iwaku
The time came when Nic was called to a new world by Paorou, named Iwaku. They had parted ways for the longest time before then - no one knows if Paorou came from Nic's home universe, or if the brothers were not indigenous to the realms they now consider their homes.

Feeling the need to answer this call, Nic reported the discovery of the new world to the Emperor. The Teknikan Empire at the time had now mastered dimension-crossing technology, but was stagnating as a result of prolonged conflict. It had to reach out to continue its growth; an exploration of Iwaku was authorized. Nic himself was assigned to monitor this effort.

What Nic found amazed him greatly: there were diverse races and cultures, and some amount of technology - but none were at the Empire's scale. The current Teknikan Empire is backwards compared to what it was at the height of its cold war against the FAGU, but it was still advanced compared to the denizens of this lone planet. Something he didn't know is that reality bending was rampant on this world, and even a full Expedition would have a hard time even simply assisting any faction the Empire would have strong relations with. Nic now set out to rejoin Paorou, and with him, find out what the world had to offer.

Not long after Nic's arrival, Paorou founded the Bread Cult, and Nic became one of its first members. Despite the seemingly incompatible chemistry of science and dark sorcery, the Teknikans never broke their pact with the servants of the Bread God Skhone. This marked the arrival of the first Teknikan fleet to Iwaku, and it was then that Nic had learned about the Cycle - a concept he felt was quite familiar...

Others soon followed in the Bread Cult's mold, and as Nic discovered their intent, he became displeased - most of these new cults challenged the position of the Bread God, and Nic felt that conflict was inevitable. So great was his mistrust of the other significant cults that he decided never to leave the Cult unless Paorou sought livelihood elsewhere. Nic was merciful enough, however, to allow peace between cults whenever he was called to represent his own.

During these times of conflict, he had clashed with the higher beings of Iwaku - which were, almost literally (at least according to Nic), gods among men. Some of these beings were capable of nullifying Nic's powers of Bending, the most terrifying example being the Prince Asmodeus himself. Besides the uncanny capabilities of the Shapeshifters, Nic realized that this discovery had to be studied further.