Rhotuka are wheels of energy that can be conjured through the use of a Rhotuka Launcher, an artificial creation of the Nynrah Ghosts. The exact effects and properties of a Rhotuka vary by individual (and some species), but generally speaking they are first charged up within the launcher as it gathers energy, spinning it into a wheel before finally releasing it. The wheel then whirls through the air until it reaches a target, before transmitting its effects.

           The power of a Rhotuka depends on the personality of the user; For example, one individual may have a Rhotuka that spreads out into multiple explosions, while another being will have a Rhotuka that melts through all matter with a corrosive, acid-like property. A Rhotuka could switch the minds of the user and the target, or it could transmute matter itself.

           The exact ability of a Rhotuka is a direct reflection of the individual user’s soul, personality, and experiences. It is the very culmination of who they are (or at least a partof that identity), manifested in the form of an energy-wheel whose powers and properties are symbolically tied to the user. The exact nature between how a Rhotuka is influenced is not entirely understood; When creating the Rhotuka Launcher, the Nynrah Ghosts delved into a field of forces and study that they themselves did not quite understand- They could merely only interact with it, the same way a bird may use the wind to keep itself in the air without truly knowing how air itself functions.

           With very few exceptions, just about every sapient individual’s Rhotuka is unique in some shape or form. Unless two people have two incredibly identical experiences and personalities, the likelihood of two Rhotuka being the same is extremely scarce. However, when it comes to sentient creatures of some thought –such as certain species of intelligent animal- it seems that a single species will tend to produce the same Rhotuka effect throughout all members. Again, occasional exceptions amongst animal species occurs, but generally speaking, it seems that all members of an intelligent animal species yield the same Rhotuka; But as sapience increases with a species –particularly with Xians- the Energy-Wheels’ variety exponentially branches out.

           Rhotuka Launchers can come in a wide variety of shapes, with some being attached as large tools to a user, and others directly grafted into their very being. All Rhotuka interact with the nature of the soul itself, using technology not dissimilar to what one may find in an Exo-Toa. Thus, cheaper models tend to require direct attachment to a user, while the most expensive consist of gauntlets that can easily be donned and removed at will.

           Any sapient being can and will produce a Rhotuka. When it comes to animals, as aforementioned, only species of a certain intelligence threshold can yield the power of a Rhotuka, incorporating a grafted launcher into their body like any other limb given enough time and opportunity. Since AI lack souls, they themselves cannot manifest Rhotuka; Likewise, Kraata are of a very basic mindset, and their Rhotuka have the same powers as them, making a Rhotuka Launcher for a Kraata a general waste of an asset.

          Whether or not a being can use Rhotuka is a suggested litmust test for intelligence amongst living things, but the Nynrah Ghosts are not entirely certain if they should accept such a standard into practice. After all, there are multiple forms of intelligence, and it is possible that their imperfect Rhotuka launchers can’t quite adequately recognize all forms of thought; The Nynrah Ghosts themselves are not 100% sure on what constitutes intelligence, much less the exact nature of Rhotuka and how they are influenced by a user. For now, further research is being developed into the matter of Rhotuka.

          As for Rhotuka Launchers themselves, their hyper-specific programming and properties make them incredibly expensive, moreso than an Exo-Toa, and thus they are not exactly conducive for mass production. Due to the complicated programming involved, Rhotuka launchers are manufactured exclusively in Artidax. The existence of one is found only very sporadically across Xia. Thus, not many Xians are well-aware of or familiar with Rhotuka; Especially since the powers of a Rhotuka are so individualized, thus making them somewhat reliable in certain regards. Demand for Rhotuka Launchers is typically low.

           However, amongst those who DO utilize and recognize their power, interest is had towards certain individuals. As mentioned before, the exact powers of a Rhotuka are unique to a user, and thus cannot be replicated as they are dependent on the very personality and experiences of an individual. To recreate a useful Rhotuka power would involve recreating the exact same person; Itself an incredibly impossible task.

           Thus, there is a black-market for beings who exhibit useful and valuable Rhotuka abilities. A few trafficking groups have set up a program where people who are kidnapped are regularly screened through a Rhotuka launcher to see what they are capable of; If they have a useful ability that could garner plenty of profit, then the individual will be advertised and sold to groups who have a desire for that particular ability. The Dark Hunters in particular are very interested in this ‘Rhotuka Market’, looking for specific powers, or seeking to replicate them; Either by seeing how to duplicate a mind entirely (possibly through complex AI scans within Artidax), or simply by just kidnapping the individual that the power is unique to and forcing them into servitude.

           Thus, beings with valuable Rhotuka powers have high demand on the human trafficking market. Some people will be targeted and hunted down specifically if they are suspected of having a potentially valuable Rhotuka; Others with confirmed, useful abilities often find themselves bullied or blackmailed into servitude by certain organizations. Some groups will offer pay, but others will get impatient and soon resort to outright kidnapping. Brainwashing an individual into joining a group is risky, as the dramatic change in personality can change the Rhotuka they have.

           Due to the complex nature of personhood, little time and effort has been invested into figuring out the full nature of Rhotuka. Nevertheless, some psychologists have been hired to analyze trends and correlations between Rhotuka abilities and personality traits, with some organizations –such as the Nynrah Ghosts or Dark Hunters- interested in utilizing brainwashing technology, in the hopes of changing a subject’s personality to the exact one needed to unlock the Rhotuka power they are looking for. Complex simulations and mind-altering technologies in Artidax are frequently patched and updated, and discussion is made on ‘manufacturing’ a personality by raising a person entirely through simulations, all for the purpose of creating someone so identical to another individual that they have the same, or at least a similar, Rhotuka.

           The following is a list of individuals and their unique Rhotuka abilities;

Roodaka- Reconstitutes and drastically mutates a target permanently into an entirely different creature. The victim’s new form is completely random, and can either be useful or debilitating. Some mutated bodies are non-conducive towards an environment, or living in general, thus killing off a victim in addition to physical trauma from the transformation. It is possible that a target’s specific mutation is unique to them, similar to one’s own Rhotuka ability; However, Roodaka is skeptical of this idea.

Sidorak- Makes targets incredibly loyal to Sidorak, as a manifestation of his leadership skills and natural charisma. Victims will obey any and all commands by Sidorak for a few hours, before the effect eventually wears off.

The Shadowed One- Victims are subject to madness in the form of a mental illness, whose symptoms are dialed up to an exaggerated, debilitating degree; Examples include depression, schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar disorder, etc. The effects will eventually dissipate, but trauma from the horrific effects tends to inevitably linger afterwards.

Ancient- All physical coordination of a target is completely scrambled; For example, if a victim attempted to move their arm, their neck may begin moving instead. The effects will eventually wear off after a while.

Amphibax- Renders all water within an approximately mile-wide radius unable to support the buoyancy of any thing; Anything in water affected by her Rhotuka lose their ability to float and will begin sinking unless deliberate swimming attempts are made. Additionally, Amphibax can charge and spin her Rhotuka within her launcher, which can turn the affected water it touches into a devastating whirlpool. The effects wear off after a few hours.

Airwatcher- Solid material becomes soft, malleable, and incredibly sticky like chewing gum, with most things that come into contact with the affected matter sinking into it like quicksand. Objects affected by Airwatcher’s Rhotuka can still be torn apart in this state, but the incredibly sticky, clinging properties makes such things difficult to handle. The effects wear off after a few hours.

Spinner- Targets lose all sense of balance and begin stumbling about; The effects wear off after a few hours.

Guardian- Transmutes all non-gaseous matter it passes through/impacts against into a fragile glass.

Kahgarak- Creates a temporary opening into the mysterious dimensional plane known as the ‘Zone of Darkness’

Visorak Spiders- Paralyzes victims by interfering with their nervous system, collapsing and numbing a target as their bodies become unresponsive to the brain’s signals; Certain organ systems, such as the respiratory or circulatory system, remain somewhat active to prevent a target from dying. The effects wear off after a few hours. Other, alternative abilities are also present, but less frequently utilized.

Gatherer- The memories of a target are scrambled as they interfere with the victim, randomly trapping them within various past experiences with only a dim, dream-like awareness of what is going on.

Sentrakh- Renders targets intangible for several minutes before the effect wears off; People and creatures affected can somewhat float around in this intangible state.

[Basically it’s like Moody Blues from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure]

There are plenty of factors that can affect how Tracker’s Rhotuka works. It HAS to be activated at the site where the sample was separated from the target; Likewise, if used on a piece of clothing, the spinner may instead track the rest of that clothing instead. To cover her weaknesses, Tracker is usually assigned a bodyguard or two, and with her own brilliant detective and tracing skills, can figure out where her target is based on clues she finds along the path. Tracker can then send a Dark Hunter ahead of her to the predicted location; Upon locating her target, Tracker usually leaves the task of apprehending them to her bodyguard. As for where Tracker’s Rhotuka is... Either her chest opens up Keetongu-style, or it’s a separate tool not pictured- I haven’t fully decided.

(Yeah, I plan to adapt G1 Tracker’s pet bull to RaE, but as Tracker’s primary bodyguard. It might still be a bull, or be completely reimagined while still somewhat faithful to the original design.)

Designing Tracker and translating the original, not-so-great G1 design was definitely fascinating for me. I went through a number of revisions, including a more cowboy-esque look, but ultimately I decided I wanted to keep Tracker’s mutated appearance, and from there I settled on her being an insectoid being. Her face is the gray Vortixx head with acid-green eyes, and silver pieces, but all reimagined to be like a mantis head. She’s got chest spikes and shoulder spines, and her right arm has four claws; Mimicking the four prongs of G1 Tracker’s twin Vorahk staff-pieces. From there, I decided to make Tracker’s left arm a reflection of her other one, with extended claws reminiscent of the original’s and a Fiddler Crab’s.

The original G1 Tracker had long, spindly legs bent backwards, so I went for a more digitigrade look to accomplish this. It also had large, protruding gray pieces on the thighs, so I adapted them as little pouches strapped to RaE Tracker’s thighs where she stores things. It’s not too obvious, but Tracker also has a lower set of fore-limbs with claws on the end, meant to mimic the original design and those inexplicable blades it had along the lower torso.

As for RaE Tracker’s color scheme... It’s about the same as the original design, mostly gray, with some black, red, and silver speckled throughout. She has acid-green eyes; As for her thighs, I’m not sure how to work with the inexplicable, concentrated green-and-blue. It’s probably going to be a different shade of green and blue, and it could be ‘shorts’ that Tracker is wearing, or painted tattoos, or just her natural carapace’s color. I still want to keep the colors, and adapt them to the best of my ability, so perhaps I’ll try distributing the green and blue across Tracker’s body more evenly.