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{{Incomplete|reason=info from Isomer and Shattered Connexion}}
{{Incomplete|reason=info from Isomer and Shattered Connexion}}
{{Spoiler}}
{{Spoiler}}
[[File:Faction_Logo_Paradeus.png|500px|frameless|right]]
[[File:GFL2 Faction Paradeus.png|200px|right]]
'''Paradeus''' (帕拉蒂斯) is a German terrorist organization and cult, and is the third antagonistic faction of [[Girls' Frontline]] introduced in [[Continuum Turbulence]]. Before its true name was revealed in [[Isomer]], it was only known as ''The White Faction'' due to their primary color. It has advanced technology, but it also recruiting {{enemy name|Infected}}s in the contaminated Yellow Zones by promising them a cure for [[ELID]]. {{spoiler|Paradeus' motto is the [[Rossartrism|Rossartrist]] slogan “The shining beacon in a brave new world”, the same as [[Griffin & Kryuger]].<ref name=CT310 />}}
'''Paradeus''' (帕拉蒂斯) is a violent non-state actor based in [[Germany]], described as a terrorist group and a cult.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|Confidential Information VI}}</ref> It acts as the third antagonistic faction of [[Girls' Frontline]] introduced in [[Continuum Turbulence]]. Before its true name was revealed in [[Isomer]], it was only known as ''The White Faction'' due to their primary color. Possessing advanced technology, it recruits Yellow Zone populations by promising them a cure for [[ELID]]. Paradeus' motto is the [[Rossartrism|Rossartrist]] slogan “The shining beacon in a brave new world”, the same as [[Griffin & Kryuger]].<ref name=CT310 />


The apparent leader of Paradeus is [[William|William von Oberstein]], a [[90wish]] member with access to advanced [[Relic Technology]], who the Paradeus members call "Father"<ref name=CT310 /> or "Master".<ref name=CT0>[[Continuum Turbulence]], Ground Zero</ref> Paradeus using Infecteds' bodies as a base material to produce troops led by a strong faith, the {{enemy name|Strelet}}s.<ref>{{cite|story|11-4E}}</ref> These soldiers are led by the Nytos, who are clones blurring even further the line between human and machine. Its units use a force field applying a percentage damage reduction to incoming attacks, which can be destroyed by [[Heavy Ordnance Corps]].
The apparent leader of Paradeus is [[William|William von Oberstein]], a [[90wish]] member with access to advanced [[Relic Technology]], who the Paradeus members call "Father"<ref name=CT310 /> or "Master"<ref name=CT0>{{cite|gfl|ct|Ground Zero}}</ref> (it has been suggested that this title is also used by [[Rudolf von Oberstein]]).<ref name=SSS3 /> Aside from forming fanatic communities and militias in Yellow Zones, Paradeus uses a technology known as "Technical Theory of Biological Human Automation" to create more-than-human soldiers<ref>{{cite|gfl|pr|Falling Star lambda}}</ref> and operates a powerful surveillance apparatus called the Bee Sting System.<ref name=FP11>{{cite|gfl|fp|E1-1}}</ref> Their troops are led by the [[#Nytos|Nytos]], who are clones blurring even further the line between human and machine who can be used in battle, as command units, or even as body doubles to infiltrate the upper society.


==Story==
Paradeus units use a force field applying a percentage damage reduction to incoming attacks, which can be destroyed by [[Heavy Ordnance Corps]].
The earliest known activity of Paradeus took place in Southern Germany, where an illegal orphanage was found to house multiple young Nyto clones. They also established a lab in the depths of the abandoned Paldiski Submarine Base near Tallinn, Estonia, on the site of a Starfish construct. [[K]] has been investigating Paradeus in Southern Europe for many years.<ref name=PL>[[Polarized Light]], Causality Separating Plane</ref>


Paradeus intervened as a fourth party during the joint assault of [[Griffin and Kryuger]] and [[KCCO]] against [[Sangvis Ferri]] in 2064, after KCCO turned against G&K. The Nytos led the Paradeus troops in an effort to wipe out the remaining G&K troops, but they failed when the commanding [[Nyto Black]] was incapacitated by {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4}} and self-destructed.<ref>[[Continuum Turbulence]], Chapter 2</ref> A separate force led by a [[Nyto White]] successfully captured [[the Commander]] before intending to sacrifice herself in an assault on the G&K forces coming to retrieve the Commander, claiming she would reach awakening. The Paradeus forces were pinned down when {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5}} used her megaphone to lure [[ELID]]-infected toward them, but the Nyto White refused to attack them, calling them “the Baptized” and opening herself to a headshot from {{doll name|M82A1|RF|5}}.<ref name=CT310 />
==History==
The earliest known activity of Paradeus took place in 2060, in the European Yellow Zone,<ref name=Invest>{{cite|rc|[[Secret Documents#Investigation into the Origin of Religions]]}}</ref> in Southern Germany, where an illegal orphanage was found to house multiple young Nyto clones.<ref name=PL /> Before that, they had recruited many brilliant minds in diverse fields of research from around the world into the front company [[Galatea Corporation]].<ref>{{cite|gfl|ss|SSE03-2}}</ref><ref name=SSS3>{{cite|gfl|ss|SSE03-3}}</ref> At some point, Paradeus established a lab in the depths of the abandoned Paldiski Submarine Base near Tallinn, Estonia, on the site of a Starfish construct.<ref name=PL>{{cite|gfl|pl|Causality Separating Plane}}</ref> They had a long partnership with the [[Soviet Union#Vory v Zakone|Vory v Zakone]].


Paradeus treated the Commander's radiation poisoning during nine weeks before interrogating them to determine the whereabouts of [[Squad 404]], [[Angelia]] and {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}}.<ref name=CT0 /> Squad 404 and G&K raided the base and rescued the Commander,<ref name=CT310 /> but they encountered Paradeus again three months later while searching for an informant possessing information about Angelia in Belgrade.<ref>{{cite|story|11-3}}</ref>
Shortly after Paradeus' existence became known, the Balkan Section of the [[Stasi]]'s Foreign Intelligence Service launched "Operation Cornerstone of Peace" to counter it, placing Major [[K|Kain Schwaben]] as operation commander.<ref name=Invest /> The Neo-Soviet [[Statesec]] quickly approached Schwaben to collaborate on the matter. Soviet intelligence enabled the Stasi to identify one of Paradeus' collaborators spotted in Belgrade, Captain [[Yegor]], leading to a clique led by [[General Carter]] and an unknown group based near Sarajevo.<ref>{{cite|rc|[[Secret Documents#Experimental Unit "Aurora" Mission Overview]]}}</ref>
 
As allies of [[General Carter]], Paradeus intervened as a fourth party during the [[Great Retreat]] in 2064, after the [[KCCO]] turned against [[Griffin and Kryuger]]. Their original goal was to capture {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}} after she melded with {{doll name|M4A1|AR|4}}, but this plan failed. The Nytos led the Paradeus troops in an effort to wipe out the remaining G&K troops, but they failed when the commanding [[Nyto Black]] was incapacitated by {{doll name|M4 SOPMOD II|AR|4}} and self-destructed.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ct|Chapter 2}}</ref> A separate force led by a [[Nyto White]] successfully captured [[the Commander]] before intending to sacrifice herself in an assault on the G&K forces coming to retrieve the Commander, claiming she would reach awakening. The Paradeus forces were pinned down when {{doll name|RO635|SMG|5}} used her megaphone to lure [[ELID]]-infected toward them, but the Nyto White refused to attack them, calling them “the Baptized” and opening herself to a headshot from {{doll name|M82A1|RF|5}}.<ref name=CT310 />
 
Paradeus treated the Commander's radiation poisoning during nine weeks before interrogating them to determine the whereabouts of [[Squad 404]], [[Angelia]] and {{enemy name|Elisa|boss}}.<ref name=CT0 /> Squad 404 and G&K raided the base and rescued the Commander,<ref name=CT310 /> but they encountered Paradeus again three months later while searching for an informant possessing information about Angelia in Belgrade.<ref>{{cite|gfl|11-3}}</ref>
 
During the Belgrade international cooperation talks, Paradeus attempted to kidnap [[Gilda Ulrich]] and exchange her to [[Statesec]] for confidential information<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Lost Bargaining Chip II}}</ref> and to recover a lost [[Pike]] node. During the [[Paldiski Incident]], the Commander, K and Angelia discovered that Paradeus had been using the lost city of Tallinn as an ELID experiment site for {{enemy name|Isomer (Enemy)|alt=Isomers}} and lost refugees, and they found more information about them at the Paldiski Submarine Base where they had established and recently abandoned a Nyto lab.
 
In [[Germany]], Angelia tracked down William in Bremen and uncovered the network of Paradeus allies such as the Flora Institute providing them with modified [[Epiphyllum]] flowers and the Berle Orphanage involved in their child trafficking. Angelia also discovered that some Nytos like {{enemy name|Morridow (Enemy)|boss|alt=Morridow}} were infiltrated among normal humans when she attempted to abduct her. In Berlin, Angelia and the Commander worked to foil Paradeus' Operation Cocoon by intercepting the [[Iaso's Box]]es they planned to spread Collapse Radiation all over the city, in order to locate [[ELID]] immunosomes. Angelia visited William's old home, but she was betrayed and captured by [[RPK-16|her own team member]] who wanted to become a Nyto. Paradeus also manipulated their rogue agent [[Machlian]] to lure the [[OGAS]] consciousness called [[Dandelion]] and the Commander into a trap, but they survived with the help of [[M4A1|M4A1(?)]] and captured Morridow. They however lost her while attempting to exchange her for Angelia, and the Nyto revealed to William that M4A1 was still of interest to Paradeus.
 
As Paradeus shut down its operations in Berlin, they blackmailed the German government by organizing the massacre of a rogue [[Stasi]] team in one of the Ministry of Defense's plants, threatening to disclose the incident and destabilize the government if they revealed their ties with Paradeus. The Stasi struck back by weeding out [[Minor Characters#Colonel Dupieux|“Polar Bear”]], a Paradeus agent infiltrated in Statesec, and with the help of the Stasi's director [[Romy Riefenstahl]], the Commander organized [[Operation Aeneas]] to locate and infiltrate Paradeus' headquarters in [[Avernus]], in the Dead Sea Black Zone near Berlin. By that point, the Commander had become known as the only person to have not only opposed and survived, but successfully cornered Paradeus.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ls|18}}</ref>
 
In a 2071 article on Paradeus, it was described as the most dangerous cult of the 21st century, rampaging through the contaminated zones of Central and Eastern Europe unopposed by both bandits and governments. But the general public was not aware of the circumstances of its disappearance in the mid-2060s, so sudden that scavengers who ventured in their former strongholds found a wealth of their resources left behind. The most widespread narrative, especially in Neo-Soviet military circles, told that Paradeus was formed by former [[NATO]] soldiers trying to take down the NSU, and that they were destroyed during an all-out offensive. Claimed evidence supporting this story include the involvement of both the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Griffin & Kryuger PMC led by former Internal Affairs member [[Berezovich Kryuger]], and the suspicious movements of the Western Army Group, disturbances at the border and mass arrests in the Neo-Soviet military in 2064.
 
Theories considered fringe included claims that Paradeus were technologically advanced aliens colonizers that left Earth after finding it too contaminated, or that Paradeus was built by a scientist seeking revenge and was dealt a killing blow to its backbone by a single member of Griffin & Kryuger. The NSU never acknowledged the existence of Paradeus.<ref>{{cite|rc|[[Secret Documents#Speculation on the Decline of Religions]]}}</ref>


== Members ==
== Members ==
[[File:Faction_Logo_Paradeus.png|500px|right]]
*[[William|William von Oberstein]] (leader)
*[[William|William von Oberstein]] (leader)
*Named Nytos  
*Named Nytos  
**{{enemy name|Nimogen|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Nimogen|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Mercurows|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Mercurows|boss}}
**[[Morridow]]
**{{enemy name|Narciss|boss}}
**[[Narciss]]
**{{enemy name|Morridow (Enemy)|boss}}
**[[Lady Grey]]
**{{enemy name|Gray (Enemy)|boss}}
**[[Grig]]
**{{enemy name|Grig|boss}}
**[[Nemhran]]
**{{enemy name|Bramedb|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Nemhran|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Koleda|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Tareus|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Sana|boss}}
**[[Anna]]
**[[Machlian]]
*Other
*Other
**[[Anna]]
**{{enemy name|Pandora|boss}} (RPK-16)
**[[Pandora]]
 
===Cultists===
*[[Minor Characters#Elia|Elia]]
*[[Minor Characters#Elsa|Elsa]]
 
The Paradeus community founded by Galatea Corporation in Bohnsdorf, who attracted refugees with promise of food and shelter, treated Paradeus as a monotheistic god and advocated for "post-technologic" primitivism, forbidding entertainment and electronic objects (including prosthetics and life-saving technologies), as they believed these objects were the source of [[ELID]].<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|The Birth of Apate I}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Lurking}}</ref> The village contained observation posts with one-way glass for rich upper-class people to spy on the refugees as entertainment.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|The Birth of Apate II}}</ref>


==Units==
==Units==
===Nytos===
===Nytos===
Nytos are cloned humans whose consciousness has been physically embodied and functions like a [[Neural Cloud]], which enable them to interface with digital networks like [[Tactical Doll]]s. Nytos are selected as children and their bodies are modified with cybernetic enhancements,<ref name=PL46 /><ref name=PL /> but they still bleed like normal humans<ref name=CT310 /><ref name=CT28 /> and can be hacked like T-Dolls.<ref name=CT310 /> The strict command hierarchy means Paradeus units not commanded by a Nyto will stop moving.<ref name=CT28>[[Continuum Turbulence]], For the Future</ref> Nyto Whites are considered to have a greater sense of self than Nyto Blacks and have complete authority over them, though they still share the same gestalt mind.<ref name=CT310>[[Continuum Turbulence]], White Doll</ref> The physical appearance of Nytos is close to {{doll name|M4A1|AR|4}}.<ref name=CT0 />
{{StoryQuote|We need hearts filled with wisdom, courage, loyalty and sacrifice. The only thing that is unnecessary is rationality.|<ref name=FP11 />}}
Nytos (sometimes called “Baptized”)<ref name=ISO1B3 /> are girls or women (there are no known male Nytos)<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Balls and Vase}}</ref> whose consciousness has been physically embodied and functions like a [[Neural Cloud]], which enable them to interface with digital networks like [[Tactical Doll]]s<ref name=CT310 /><ref name=CT28 /> or establish a direct connection with other Nytos,<ref>{{cite|gfl|ss|The Deluge}}</ref> but also exposes them to hacking.<ref name=CT310 /> This biological neural cloud has been dubbed Virtual Cognition Image<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Ariadne’s Clew I}}</ref> (VCI)<ref name=FP11 /><ref group=Note>Though [[Dandelion]] says she made up the name Virtual Cognition Image on the spot in [[Mirror Stage]], the name is used by Paradeus Nytos themselves in [[Fixed Point]] and [[Longitudinal Strain]].</ref> or "virtual consciousness".<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Ariadne’s Clew III}}</ref> The people turned into Nytos are acquired through human trafficking,<ref>{{cite|gfl|dr|Sweet Dreams Box – End}}</ref> kidnapping of survivors of a [[Iaso's Box]],<ref name=MS29B>{{cite|gfl|ms|Cretan Labyrinth II}}</ref> or through cloning.<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Shark and the Sea V}}</ref> They are also said to be created from corpses.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ls|21}}</ref>
 
The basic Nyto Black and Nyto White are mass-produced, but among the named Nytos only {{enemy name|Tareus|boss}} was known to have multiple active clones at once.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ls|35}}</ref> Most Nytos have an appearance close to {{doll name|M4A1|AR|4}}<ref name=CT0 /> and have their bodies modified with cybernetic enhancements,<ref name=PL46 /><ref name=PL /> but they still bleed like normal humans.<ref name=CT310 /><ref name=CT28 /> Others remain mostly unmodified save for their brain, making them closer to humans, depending on the manner Paradeus intend to use them.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Dreams on the Island of Dia IV}}</ref> Cybernetic enhancements typically include replacement of the legs and arms and added head equipment for lower-ranked Nytos, while higher-ranked Nytos can receive less visible enhancements and attachable extra limbs for combat.
 
Nytos are all byproducts of [[William]]'s attempts to create a pan-immunosome<ref name=FP414>{{cite|gfl|fp|E4-14}}</ref> (except the proto-Nyto {{enemy name|Sana|boss}}),<ref>{{cite|gfl|ss|E3-10}}</ref> but none of them have been a successful experiment.<ref>{{cite|gfl|12-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|E2-4}}</ref> Because all known Nytos are considered imperfect, they are all technically [[#Isomers|Isomers]], though they are rarely properly referred as such.<ref name=SC24>{{cite|gfl|sc|Nameless Exiles II}}</ref><ref name=FP414 /> According to Morridow and Gray, {{enemy name|Nemhran|boss}} is an “abnormal” Nyto, possessing emotions without desires.<ref name=FP11 /> According to Morridow, individual Nytos cannot be recreated once dead, as Tactical Dolls can.<ref name=FP414 />
 
The hierarchy of Nytos is based on their closeness to William's ideal Nyto, and higher Nytos often despise lower ones. Higher-ranked Nytos tend to have white hair. Nyto Whites are considered to have a greater sense of self than Nyto Blacks and have complete authority over them, though they still share the same gestalt mind.<ref name=CT310>{{cite|gfl|ct|White Doll}}</ref> {{enemy name|Gray|boss}} and {{enemy name|Narciss|boss}} had authority over Nyto Whites,<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Hemera Points to the Light III}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Night Festival}}</ref> while {{enemy name|Morridow|boss}} had authority over Gray and Narciss.<ref name=MS29B /> Lower-ranked Nytos usually call higher-ranked ones “Big Sister”, though some with significant bonds use other titles like “Teacher” or no title at all. Higher-ranked Nytos don't emit the same characteristic signal as lower-ranked ones<ref name=ISO1B3>{{cite|gfl|iso|Cat and Mouse III}}</ref> and refuse to be called Nytos,<ref>{{cite|gfl|iso|Faith of Blood I}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|dr|Bridge of Eternity}}</ref> though there are no alternative name for them yet apart from descriptions such as “augmented human”.<ref>{{cite|gfl|ms|Absent}}</ref> The strict command hierarchy means Paradeus units not commanded by a Nyto will stop moving.<ref name=CT28>{{cite|gfl|ct|For the Future}}</ref>
 
It is possible for a Nyto to weaken or break free of Paradeus' indoctrination, such as with [[Adeline]], [[Alina]] and [[Tareus]].


*{{enemy name|Nyto Black|boss}}
*{{enemy name|Nyto Black|boss}}
Line 35: Line 70:


===Isomers===
===Isomers===
While [[Dandelion]] calls all Nytos "Isomers" as she sees them as imperfect copies,<ref>[[Shattered Connexion]], Nameless Exiles II</ref> [[Persica]] uses this term for "failed" Nytos candidates who didn't live up to expectations and were abandoned by Paradeus.<ref name=PL46>[[Polarized Light]], Sintering</ref> In chemistry, isomers are molecules with the same number and types of atoms, but organized differently.
While [[Dandelion]] calls all Nytos "Isomers" as she sees them as imperfect copies,<ref name=SC24 /> [[Persica]] uses this term for "failed" Nytos candidates who didn't live up to expectations and were abandoned by Paradeus.<ref name=PL46>{{cite|gfl|pl|Sintering}}</ref> In chemistry, isomers are molecules with the same number and types of atoms, but organized differently.


Isomers aim to merge with a similar but perfected consciousness like their own to be liberated.<ref>[[Shattered Connexion]], Isomer I</ref>
Isomers aim to merge with a similar but perfected consciousness like their own to be liberated.<ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|Isomer I}}</ref>


*{{enemy name|Isomer (Enemy)}}
*{{enemy name|Isomer (Enemy)}}
*{{enemy name|Isomer White|boss}}
*{{enemy name|Isomer White|boss}}
*{{enemy name|Isomer Black|boss}}
*{{enemy name|Isomer Black|boss}}
In Tallinn, the Isomers recognized the existence of four previous Chosen Ones while awaiting a fifth one who would liberate them:<br>
:<i>The first walked into the night with the inferior articles for Father. The black of night dyed the hems of her dress, and the flower blossoms withered within the cage of the fallen.<br>
:The second was incomplete, and fell before she went out. The colors of evening froze her time, and the flower blossoms ceased to grow amidst eternal suffering.<br>
:The third held her sisters' hands, and together they charged into the day. The sunlight shattered upon her black sleeves, and the flowers fell into the steely water without blooming.<br>
:The fourth lost her friend, and lost her way within the fog. Her time has not yet come, and she merely lives by imitating her kin.</i><ref>{{cite|gfl|sc|E2-5}}</ref>


===Standard units===
===Standard units===
*Cyborg infecteds and human clones
Paradeus' basic field troops like the {{enemy name|Strelet}} are manufactured from the bodies of ELID {{enemy name|Infected}}.<ref>{{cite|gfl|11-4E}}</ref><ref>{{cite|gfl|dr|Pollinosis III}}</ref>
 
*Humanoid units
**{{enemy name|Strelet}}
**{{enemy name|Strelet}}
**{{enemy name|Rodelero}}
**{{enemy name|Rodelero}}
**{{enemy name|Grenadier}}
**{{enemy name|Murat}}
**{{enemy name|Defender (Enemy)}}
**{{enemy name|Hannibal}}
**{{enemy name|Warden}}
**{{enemy name|Maccabee}}
**{{enemy name|Staff of Aesclepius}}
*Armored vehicles
*Armored vehicles
**{{enemy name|Uhlan}}
**{{enemy name|Uhlan}}
Line 53: Line 103:
**{{enemy name|Thunder (Enemy)}}
**{{enemy name|Thunder (Enemy)}}
**{{enemy name|Roarer}}
**{{enemy name|Roarer}}
**{{enemy name|Garmr}}
**{{enemy name|Hymnal Organ}}
**{{enemy name|Quill of Patmos}}
**{{enemy name|Gebbennu|boss}}
**{{enemy name|Gebbennu|boss}}
*Other units
*Other units
**{{enemy name|Pyxis}} (turret platforms)
**{{enemy name|Pyxis}} (turret platforms)
**{{enemy name|Dish of Aceso}}/{{enemy name|Elusinian Mysteries}} (Collapse Fluid cannon)
==Note==
<references group=Note />


==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />
 
{{NavboxLore}}
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Factions]]

Latest revision as of 19:44, 5 November 2024

"I can't sleep yet, I still have work to do..."

This article still needs to be completed with this content: info from Isomer and Shattered Connexion.
You can help us by contributing.

"This is classified information!"

This article contains unmarked spoilers. You have been warned.

Paradeus (帕拉蒂斯) is a violent non-state actor based in Germany, described as a terrorist group and a cult.[1] It acts as the third antagonistic faction of Girls' Frontline introduced in Continuum Turbulence. Before its true name was revealed in Isomer, it was only known as The White Faction due to their primary color. Possessing advanced technology, it recruits Yellow Zone populations by promising them a cure for ELID. Paradeus' motto is the Rossartrist slogan “The shining beacon in a brave new world”, the same as Griffin & Kryuger.[2]

The apparent leader of Paradeus is William von Oberstein, a 90wish member with access to advanced Relic Technology, who the Paradeus members call "Father"[2] or "Master"[3] (it has been suggested that this title is also used by Rudolf von Oberstein).[4] Aside from forming fanatic communities and militias in Yellow Zones, Paradeus uses a technology known as "Technical Theory of Biological Human Automation" to create more-than-human soldiers[5] and operates a powerful surveillance apparatus called the Bee Sting System.[6] Their troops are led by the Nytos, who are clones blurring even further the line between human and machine who can be used in battle, as command units, or even as body doubles to infiltrate the upper society.

Paradeus units use a force field applying a percentage damage reduction to incoming attacks, which can be destroyed by Heavy Ordnance Corps.

History[edit]

The earliest known activity of Paradeus took place in 2060, in the European Yellow Zone,[7] in Southern Germany, where an illegal orphanage was found to house multiple young Nyto clones.[8] Before that, they had recruited many brilliant minds in diverse fields of research from around the world into the front company Galatea Corporation.[9][4] At some point, Paradeus established a lab in the depths of the abandoned Paldiski Submarine Base near Tallinn, Estonia, on the site of a Starfish construct.[8] They had a long partnership with the Vory v Zakone.

Shortly after Paradeus' existence became known, the Balkan Section of the Stasi's Foreign Intelligence Service launched "Operation Cornerstone of Peace" to counter it, placing Major Kain Schwaben as operation commander.[7] The Neo-Soviet Statesec quickly approached Schwaben to collaborate on the matter. Soviet intelligence enabled the Stasi to identify one of Paradeus' collaborators spotted in Belgrade, Captain Yegor, leading to a clique led by General Carter and an unknown group based near Sarajevo.[10]

As allies of General Carter, Paradeus intervened as a fourth party during the Great Retreat in 2064, after the KCCO turned against Griffin and Kryuger. Their original goal was to capture Elisa after she melded with AR M4A1M4A1M4A1, but this plan failed. The Nytos led the Paradeus troops in an effort to wipe out the remaining G&K troops, but they failed when the commanding Nyto Black was incapacitated by AR M4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD IIM4 SOPMOD II and self-destructed.[11] A separate force led by a Nyto White successfully captured the Commander before intending to sacrifice herself in an assault on the G&K forces coming to retrieve the Commander, claiming she would reach awakening. The Paradeus forces were pinned down when SMG RO635RO635RO635 used her megaphone to lure ELID-infected toward them, but the Nyto White refused to attack them, calling them “the Baptized” and opening herself to a headshot from RF M82A1M82A1M82A1.[2]

Paradeus treated the Commander's radiation poisoning during nine weeks before interrogating them to determine the whereabouts of Squad 404, Angelia and Elisa.[3] Squad 404 and G&K raided the base and rescued the Commander,[2] but they encountered Paradeus again three months later while searching for an informant possessing information about Angelia in Belgrade.[12]

During the Belgrade international cooperation talks, Paradeus attempted to kidnap Gilda Ulrich and exchange her to Statesec for confidential information[13] and to recover a lost Pike node. During the Paldiski Incident, the Commander, K and Angelia discovered that Paradeus had been using the lost city of Tallinn as an ELID experiment site for Isomers and lost refugees, and they found more information about them at the Paldiski Submarine Base where they had established and recently abandoned a Nyto lab.

In Germany, Angelia tracked down William in Bremen and uncovered the network of Paradeus allies such as the Flora Institute providing them with modified Epiphyllum flowers and the Berle Orphanage involved in their child trafficking. Angelia also discovered that some Nytos like Morridow were infiltrated among normal humans when she attempted to abduct her. In Berlin, Angelia and the Commander worked to foil Paradeus' Operation Cocoon by intercepting the Iaso's Boxes they planned to spread Collapse Radiation all over the city, in order to locate ELID immunosomes. Angelia visited William's old home, but she was betrayed and captured by her own team member who wanted to become a Nyto. Paradeus also manipulated their rogue agent Machlian to lure the OGAS consciousness called Dandelion and the Commander into a trap, but they survived with the help of M4A1(?) and captured Morridow. They however lost her while attempting to exchange her for Angelia, and the Nyto revealed to William that M4A1 was still of interest to Paradeus.

As Paradeus shut down its operations in Berlin, they blackmailed the German government by organizing the massacre of a rogue Stasi team in one of the Ministry of Defense's plants, threatening to disclose the incident and destabilize the government if they revealed their ties with Paradeus. The Stasi struck back by weeding out “Polar Bear”, a Paradeus agent infiltrated in Statesec, and with the help of the Stasi's director Romy Riefenstahl, the Commander organized Operation Aeneas to locate and infiltrate Paradeus' headquarters in Avernus, in the Dead Sea Black Zone near Berlin. By that point, the Commander had become known as the only person to have not only opposed and survived, but successfully cornered Paradeus.[14]

In a 2071 article on Paradeus, it was described as the most dangerous cult of the 21st century, rampaging through the contaminated zones of Central and Eastern Europe unopposed by both bandits and governments. But the general public was not aware of the circumstances of its disappearance in the mid-2060s, so sudden that scavengers who ventured in their former strongholds found a wealth of their resources left behind. The most widespread narrative, especially in Neo-Soviet military circles, told that Paradeus was formed by former NATO soldiers trying to take down the NSU, and that they were destroyed during an all-out offensive. Claimed evidence supporting this story include the involvement of both the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Griffin & Kryuger PMC led by former Internal Affairs member Berezovich Kryuger, and the suspicious movements of the Western Army Group, disturbances at the border and mass arrests in the Neo-Soviet military in 2064.

Theories considered fringe included claims that Paradeus were technologically advanced aliens colonizers that left Earth after finding it too contaminated, or that Paradeus was built by a scientist seeking revenge and was dealt a killing blow to its backbone by a single member of Griffin & Kryuger. The NSU never acknowledged the existence of Paradeus.[15]

Members[edit]

Cultists[edit]

The Paradeus community founded by Galatea Corporation in Bohnsdorf, who attracted refugees with promise of food and shelter, treated Paradeus as a monotheistic god and advocated for "post-technologic" primitivism, forbidding entertainment and electronic objects (including prosthetics and life-saving technologies), as they believed these objects were the source of ELID.[16][17] The village contained observation posts with one-way glass for rich upper-class people to spy on the refugees as entertainment.[18]

Units[edit]

Nytos[edit]

We need hearts filled with wisdom, courage, loyalty and sacrifice. The only thing that is unnecessary is rationality.
— [6]

Nytos (sometimes called “Baptized”)[19] are girls or women (there are no known male Nytos)[20] whose consciousness has been physically embodied and functions like a Neural Cloud, which enable them to interface with digital networks like Tactical Dolls[2][21] or establish a direct connection with other Nytos,[22] but also exposes them to hacking.[2] This biological neural cloud has been dubbed Virtual Cognition Image[23] (VCI)[6][Note 1] or "virtual consciousness".[24] The people turned into Nytos are acquired through human trafficking,[25] kidnapping of survivors of a Iaso's Box,[26] or through cloning.[27] They are also said to be created from corpses.[28]

The basic Nyto Black and Nyto White are mass-produced, but among the named Nytos only Tareus was known to have multiple active clones at once.[29] Most Nytos have an appearance close to AR M4A1M4A1M4A1[3] and have their bodies modified with cybernetic enhancements,[30][8] but they still bleed like normal humans.[2][21] Others remain mostly unmodified save for their brain, making them closer to humans, depending on the manner Paradeus intend to use them.[31] Cybernetic enhancements typically include replacement of the legs and arms and added head equipment for lower-ranked Nytos, while higher-ranked Nytos can receive less visible enhancements and attachable extra limbs for combat.

Nytos are all byproducts of William's attempts to create a pan-immunosome[32] (except the proto-Nyto Sana),[33] but none of them have been a successful experiment.[34][35] Because all known Nytos are considered imperfect, they are all technically Isomers, though they are rarely properly referred as such.[36][32] According to Morridow and Gray, Nemhran is an “abnormal” Nyto, possessing emotions without desires.[6] According to Morridow, individual Nytos cannot be recreated once dead, as Tactical Dolls can.[32]

The hierarchy of Nytos is based on their closeness to William's ideal Nyto, and higher Nytos often despise lower ones. Higher-ranked Nytos tend to have white hair. Nyto Whites are considered to have a greater sense of self than Nyto Blacks and have complete authority over them, though they still share the same gestalt mind.[2] Gray and Narciss had authority over Nyto Whites,[37][38] while Morridow had authority over Gray and Narciss.[26] Lower-ranked Nytos usually call higher-ranked ones “Big Sister”, though some with significant bonds use other titles like “Teacher” or no title at all. Higher-ranked Nytos don't emit the same characteristic signal as lower-ranked ones[19] and refuse to be called Nytos,[39][40] though there are no alternative name for them yet apart from descriptions such as “augmented human”.[41] The strict command hierarchy means Paradeus units not commanded by a Nyto will stop moving.[21]

It is possible for a Nyto to weaken or break free of Paradeus' indoctrination, such as with Adeline, Alina and Tareus.

Isomers[edit]

While Dandelion calls all Nytos "Isomers" as she sees them as imperfect copies,[36] Persica uses this term for "failed" Nytos candidates who didn't live up to expectations and were abandoned by Paradeus.[30] In chemistry, isomers are molecules with the same number and types of atoms, but organized differently.

Isomers aim to merge with a similar but perfected consciousness like their own to be liberated.[42]

In Tallinn, the Isomers recognized the existence of four previous Chosen Ones while awaiting a fifth one who would liberate them:

The first walked into the night with the inferior articles for Father. The black of night dyed the hems of her dress, and the flower blossoms withered within the cage of the fallen.
The second was incomplete, and fell before she went out. The colors of evening froze her time, and the flower blossoms ceased to grow amidst eternal suffering.
The third held her sisters' hands, and together they charged into the day. The sunlight shattered upon her black sleeves, and the flowers fell into the steely water without blooming.
The fourth lost her friend, and lost her way within the fog. Her time has not yet come, and she merely lives by imitating her kin.[43]

Standard units[edit]

Paradeus' basic field troops like the Strelet are manufactured from the bodies of ELID Infected.[44][45]

Note[edit]

  1. Though Dandelion says she made up the name Virtual Cognition Image on the spot in Mirror Stage, the name is used by Paradeus Nytos themselves in Fixed Point and Longitudinal Strain.

References[edit]

  1. Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, Confidential Information VI
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, White Doll
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, Ground Zero
  4. 4.0 4.1 Girls' Frontline, Slow Shock, SSE03-3
  5. Girls' Frontline, Poincaré Recurrence, Falling Star lambda
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Girls' Frontline, Fixed Point, E1-1
  7. 7.0 7.1 Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery, Secret Documents#Investigation into the Origin of Religions
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Causality Separating Plane
  9. Girls' Frontline, Slow Shock, SSE03-2
  10. Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery, Secret Documents#Experimental Unit "Aurora" Mission Overview
  11. Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, Chapter 2
  12. Girls' Frontline, Episode 11-3
  13. Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Lost Bargaining Chip II
  14. Girls' Frontline, Longitudinal Strain, 18
  15. Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery, Secret Documents#Speculation on the Decline of Religions
  16. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, The Birth of Apate I
  17. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Lurking
  18. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, The Birth of Apate II
  19. 19.0 19.1 Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Cat and Mouse III
  20. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Balls and Vase
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 Girls' Frontline, Continuum Turbulence, For the Future
  22. Girls' Frontline, Slow Shock, The Deluge
  23. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Ariadne’s Clew I
  24. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Ariadne’s Clew III
  25. Girls' Frontline, Dual Randomness, Sweet Dreams Box – End
  26. 26.0 26.1 Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Cretan Labyrinth II
  27. Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Shark and the Sea V
  28. Girls' Frontline, Longitudinal Strain, 21
  29. Girls' Frontline, Longitudinal Strain, 35
  30. 30.0 30.1 Girls' Frontline, Polarized Light, Sintering
  31. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Dreams on the Island of Dia IV
  32. 32.0 32.1 32.2 Girls' Frontline, Fixed Point, E4-14
  33. Girls' Frontline, Slow Shock, E3-10
  34. Girls' Frontline, Episode 12-1
  35. Girls' Frontline, E2-4
  36. 36.0 36.1 Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, Nameless Exiles II
  37. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Hemera Points to the Light III
  38. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Night Festival
  39. Girls' Frontline, Isomer, Faith of Blood I
  40. Girls' Frontline, Dual Randomness, Bridge of Eternity
  41. Girls' Frontline, Mirror Stage, Absent
  42. Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, Isomer I
  43. Girls' Frontline, Shattered Connexion, E2-5
  44. Girls' Frontline, Episode 11-4E
  45. Girls' Frontline, Dual Randomness, Pollinosis III