Post by Ryan B on Mar 25, 2013 0:03:30 GMT -5
***Images at the bottom of this post***
***Though referred to as "It" in this post, is it acceptable to refer to Gandiva as "He"***
***Though referred to as "It" in this post, is it acceptable to refer to Gandiva as "He"***
Name: Gandiva
Height: 60 meters
Mass: 55,000 metric tons
Description:
Gandiva is an ancient golem of unknown origin that can generate a massive amount of magical energy. Humans have installed a large amount of mechanical augments to restore the ancient machine to use. It appears as a pair of human torsos, one upside down and facing backwards, attached at the waist. Its surface seems to be made of blue stone and appears cracked from ancient battles.
The "Face" end of the golem is mostly whole, only missing a part of its head, while the "Mask" end is missing its face, arms, and large sections of its chest. The damaged areas on the Mask end have been replaced with human technology.
Gandiva has massive jet engines on its backs that allow it to float in the air as a means of travel, usually hovering 30 meters above the ground. The bottom end typically faces away from its opponent, and when it needs to change its attacks the entire machine backflips in the air to switch the position of the two ends. Though it is short by kaiju standards, its stone and metal body make it very dense and heavy for its size.
Its stone body, though durable, can still be damaged. If removed and held against where it originally sat, a severed piece of stone will fuse back into place. This process requires several hours worth of time and a great deal of Gandivas own mystic energy, thus allowing it to be restored but preventing repairs in the field.
Personality:
Gandiva usually operates autonomously but can be remote controlled by its handlers. It is programmed to engage its enemies from a distance with a variety of ranged attacks. Each end has different weapons available, allowing Gandiva to switch its ranged fighting style by inverting itself.
Gandiva will try its best to avoid getting into a melee battle. Although Gandiva's core exhibits sharp claws and strong arms, its arms are relatively short compared to other kaiju and it has very little reach. What's more is Gandiva's speed comes from its engines, its physical gestures are often too slow to connect reliably in close quarters. This all leads to it being easily outclassed in hand to hand combat.
Instead, Gandiva will try to deal with enemies that get too close by throwing them. Its unusual method of movement affords it significant advantages when grappling. It is able to pivot and control other monsters with far greater facility than most, and its heavy stone & metal body provide an ample counterweight for throwing techniques. Gandiva's ability to invert itself can often be used to catch opponents unaware. It is not uncommon to see it use the momentum of a flip to throw larger enemies through the air. While it is easier for the Face side to grab enemies, the Mask side can still pinch its target between its cannons.
Attacks:
- Shredder Guns:
[/li][li]Arcane Grenade:[/color] Gandiva's core generates mystic spheres in its hands which can be lobbed like explosive grenades. It is capable of throwing these up to 4 kilometers, though their low speed limits their use to bombarding slow targets and denial of area for faster targets. They detonate on impact with enough force to destroy a 100 meter area.
[/li][li]Mystic Wave:[/color] The jewel on its remaining head can project mystic energy. This beam of magical power is not coherent and focused like many other kaiju beam attacks and does not typically cut or pierce its target. Instead it's applied over a slightly wider area, causing it to crush the target under its force while also pushing them away. The mystic wave has enough power to take a 150,000 metric ton enemy off its feet and into the air (heavier targets may still be knocked over if they don't have proper footing).
[/li][/ul]
Powers:
- Flight:
[/li][li]Mechanical:[/color] Gandivas body is made of stone and metal, making it immune to poisons and toxins (acids can still cause damage). It also has no living mind, feels no fear or pain, and has the cold logical behavior of a computer.
[/li][/ul]
History:
In the late 1960's, anthropologists from the University of Mumbai discovered a unusually large energy source buried in the mountains of Tibet. Shaped like two human torsos merged at the waist, this discovery was quickly appropriated by the Ministry of Defense for potential combat applications. The artifact was clearly designed to generate and project limitless quantities of energy - but time and (presumably) past battles had left it so damaged as to be nearly inoperable.
Historians suggested that this artifact might be the source of some of India's oldest legends. They specifically thought that it might be related to the magical bow given to the hero Arjuna by the god Brahma, which he called Gandiva. The Indian government supported this explanation because it tied the artifact to Indian history, intercepting any potential claims other governments might make against the artifact.
Approximately 40% of the original artifact has now been replaced by mechanical components, including nearly all of one torso. In recent years, Gandiva has been redesigned for the specific objective of defending humanity from Kaiju attacks, on the Indian subcontinent or elsewhere.
Living Quarters:
Like the other mechs and robots on planet Ujiak, Gandiva is stored in a large hanger. The centerpiece of this hanger is known as the gantry, a massive gyroscopic frame in which Gandiva is kept. This unique dock allows Gandiva to be repaired from any concievable angle and can be used to test its durability at high rotational speeds, important factors for a machine with that uses jet powered backflips on a regular basis.
Gandivas maintainence crew, Indian engineers who were abducted from Earth along side the golem/robot, have taken advantage of the manufacturing centers of the UCA and have built a large stockpile of spare parts to keep in storage. Four extra jet packs and nearly a dozen extra shredder cannons lay at one end of the hanger. Overlooking the whole space is an office belonging to Air Chief Marshal Pavak Mehra.
The maintainence crew has also taken to building and expirimenting with a variety of new designs. Whether they plan on modifying Gandiva or building something else entirely isn't certain.