New Campaign: All Cerebrates Must Die! (working title)
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:11 pm
“Daggoth is dead, along with the rest of the cerebrates. Kerrigan is the sole power behind the Swarm now. It’s possible that Daggoth could not sustain himself without the Overmind and other cerebrates to power him. We’ve suggested before that the Overmind and its cerebrates were symbiotically linked. The cerebrates were not designed to exist without their creator. That’s a partial reason behind the cerebrates’ merging into a new, singular Overmind during the early events of Brood War.” -Chris Metzen
To be honest, I never liked that idea. The Cerebrates were cool. I liked them. Some of my favourite characters were Cerebrates. Of course, it did give me an idea for a campaign, and I’ll take inspiration wherever I can get it.
All Cerebrates Must Die! (Working title) begins immediately after the death of the Second Overmind, and continues into the uncharted territories of ‘acouple months after Brood War’. I started work on it shortly after I read that interview over at SLC, but put it on hold to work on its spin-off/prequel, ACMD0 for the StarCraft Mini-Campaign Contest.
CAST:
Renegade Zerg:
Portions of the Zerg Swarm not under the control of Kerrigan or her Cerebrate.
Thadrass:
Affiliation: Currently Unnamed Brood #1
Unit: Cerebrate
Primary Directive: Primary Assault, Command
Thadrass was created by The Overmind as one of its primary combatants. Thadrass possesses a slightly twisted sense of humour, and may enjoy taunting his enemies a little too much. He sided with Daggoth during the Brood War and was enslaved by the UED. Having now fought alongside Terrans, Thadrass has found a new respect for the species, and has begun to understand them better than many of his other peers. Since the death of the Second Overmind, Thadrass has become obsessed with the survival of himself and the other Cerebrates.
Design Notes: Thadrass' Brood was originally the Geryon Brood (named after the many headed, multi-armed giant killed by Hercules), but I ended up using the name 'Geryon' for Colonel Devon's Battlecrusier in ACMD0. I might let him keep it though. After all, the Terrans did name the Zerg Broods, and coincidences like this are bound to come up sooner or later...
Elmeg:
Affiliation: Currently Unnamed Brood #2
Unit: Cerebrate
Primary Directive: Primary Support
Elmeg was created by the Overmind to provide combat support to the Swarm’s primary assault forces. Elmeg has often found himself serving alongside Thadrass, and following the demise of the First Overmind, served as Thadrass’ right hand during the Brood War. Elmeg tends to be cautious, and holds his forces in reserve until Thadrass’ calls upon them.
Arshan:
Affiliation: Alicanto Brood
Unit: Cerebrate
Primary Directive: Mining, resource collection
Arshan was created by The Overmind to find and gather resources to for the Swarm. While he is an expert at logistics and supply management, Arshan’s skill in battle is at best poor. Traditionally, Arshan avoided the battlefield, and simply provided his allies with the resources they required. Following the death of The Overmind and the resulting Brood War, Arshan has been forced into more and more combat situations, usually resulting in his defeat. Arshan fell under the sway of the UED following the enslavement of the Second Overmind, and now possesses a strong dislike of all Terrans.
Design Notes: Arshan originally appeared as a minor character in another campaign. But I kinda liked him, so I decided to use him in ACMD!.
Duath Fleet:
The Duath Fleet is assigned to defend the Protoss colonies in the Duath System. Being out of the way and being a world of little strategic advantage, Duath has suffered little during the wars. Although there was that one time...
Tarcir:
Affiliation: Duath Fleet
Unit: Dragoon
Tarcir took command of the Duath Fleet following the demise of its previous commander. He has dedicated himself to the safety of his world, and his fleet.
Design Notes: Tarcir appeared in another campaign I worked on. I never finished it though, as it got discarded it in favour of another campaign.
Ildaron:
Affiliation: Duath Fleet
Unit: High Templar
Ildaron is an elderly Protoss, who now spends his days instructing younger Protoss in combat and warfare. Following the fall of Auir, Ildaron ended up on Duath, and has since grown interested in the Dark Templar’s abilities. He now finds himself teaching both Templar and curious Dark Templar.
Emroth:
Affiliation: Emroth’s Warband
Unit: Dark Templar
Emroth was assigned to Duath after the evacuation of the Auirian Protoss to Shakuras. He has since become one of Ildaron’s students.
Confederacy of Sarin IV
During the fall of the Terran Confederacy, a small group led by members of Nova and Delta Squadron escaped from Tarsonis and established themselves on the Fringe World of Sarin IV. They have since attracted many members of the former Terran Confederacy to their banner and may be one of the largest groups of Terrans still waving the flag of the Terran Confederacy. The Terran Dominion, thanks largely to their troubles with the UED, has been unable to mount an offensive against them.
Design Notes: Some people might remember these guys from ACMD0...
Colonel Malcolm Dreys
Affiliation: Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: Ghost
A former member of the now defunct Nova Squadron, Colonel Dreys is now the commander of the Confederacy of Sarin IV. As Major Dreys, he served under Colonel Devon during the Invasion of Tarsonis. He took command of the survivors in New Augusta following the death of Colonel Devon and he led them to Sarin IV.
Captain Charlie Vidar
Affiliation: Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: Ghost, Goliath
A former member of Nova Squadron, Captain Vidar used to work as Colonel Dreys’ partner while serving under the command of Colonel Devon. Dreys keeps himself busy by working on various design projects with Captain Flynn.
Captain Casey Flynn
Affiliation: Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: SCV, Goliath
A former member of Nova Squadron, Captain Flynn once served as the Chief Engineer of Colonel Devon's Battlecrusier, the Geryon. Following their arrival on Sarin IV, then-Lt. Flynn oversaw the construction of the cities of New Tarsonis and Augusta-3. With the cities nearly complete, Flynn has begun working with Captain Vidar on various new weapons designs.
Captain Clyde Kenton
Affiliation: Delta Squadron, Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: Marine, Siege Tank, Battlecruiser Indomitable
While then-Major Dreys provided the survivors of New Augusta with a destination, Captain Kenton provided them with the means to get there. While Dreys, Vidar and Flynn left Nova Squadron following the defection of Colonel Hauler to the Dominion, Kenton and his troops still see themselves as the Terran Confederacy’s Delta Squadron, no matter where their former superiours ended up. Kenton’s Delta Squadron now serves as the primary defence force for Sarin IV.
To be honest, I never liked that idea. The Cerebrates were cool. I liked them. Some of my favourite characters were Cerebrates. Of course, it did give me an idea for a campaign, and I’ll take inspiration wherever I can get it.
All Cerebrates Must Die! (Working title) begins immediately after the death of the Second Overmind, and continues into the uncharted territories of ‘acouple months after Brood War’. I started work on it shortly after I read that interview over at SLC, but put it on hold to work on its spin-off/prequel, ACMD0 for the StarCraft Mini-Campaign Contest.
CAST:
Renegade Zerg:
Portions of the Zerg Swarm not under the control of Kerrigan or her Cerebrate.
Thadrass:
Affiliation: Currently Unnamed Brood #1
Unit: Cerebrate
Primary Directive: Primary Assault, Command
Thadrass was created by The Overmind as one of its primary combatants. Thadrass possesses a slightly twisted sense of humour, and may enjoy taunting his enemies a little too much. He sided with Daggoth during the Brood War and was enslaved by the UED. Having now fought alongside Terrans, Thadrass has found a new respect for the species, and has begun to understand them better than many of his other peers. Since the death of the Second Overmind, Thadrass has become obsessed with the survival of himself and the other Cerebrates.
Design Notes: Thadrass' Brood was originally the Geryon Brood (named after the many headed, multi-armed giant killed by Hercules), but I ended up using the name 'Geryon' for Colonel Devon's Battlecrusier in ACMD0. I might let him keep it though. After all, the Terrans did name the Zerg Broods, and coincidences like this are bound to come up sooner or later...
Elmeg:
Affiliation: Currently Unnamed Brood #2
Unit: Cerebrate
Primary Directive: Primary Support
Elmeg was created by the Overmind to provide combat support to the Swarm’s primary assault forces. Elmeg has often found himself serving alongside Thadrass, and following the demise of the First Overmind, served as Thadrass’ right hand during the Brood War. Elmeg tends to be cautious, and holds his forces in reserve until Thadrass’ calls upon them.
Arshan:
Affiliation: Alicanto Brood
Unit: Cerebrate
Primary Directive: Mining, resource collection
Arshan was created by The Overmind to find and gather resources to for the Swarm. While he is an expert at logistics and supply management, Arshan’s skill in battle is at best poor. Traditionally, Arshan avoided the battlefield, and simply provided his allies with the resources they required. Following the death of The Overmind and the resulting Brood War, Arshan has been forced into more and more combat situations, usually resulting in his defeat. Arshan fell under the sway of the UED following the enslavement of the Second Overmind, and now possesses a strong dislike of all Terrans.
Design Notes: Arshan originally appeared as a minor character in another campaign. But I kinda liked him, so I decided to use him in ACMD!.
Duath Fleet:
The Duath Fleet is assigned to defend the Protoss colonies in the Duath System. Being out of the way and being a world of little strategic advantage, Duath has suffered little during the wars. Although there was that one time...
Tarcir:
Affiliation: Duath Fleet
Unit: Dragoon
Tarcir took command of the Duath Fleet following the demise of its previous commander. He has dedicated himself to the safety of his world, and his fleet.
Design Notes: Tarcir appeared in another campaign I worked on. I never finished it though, as it got discarded it in favour of another campaign.
Ildaron:
Affiliation: Duath Fleet
Unit: High Templar
Ildaron is an elderly Protoss, who now spends his days instructing younger Protoss in combat and warfare. Following the fall of Auir, Ildaron ended up on Duath, and has since grown interested in the Dark Templar’s abilities. He now finds himself teaching both Templar and curious Dark Templar.
Emroth:
Affiliation: Emroth’s Warband
Unit: Dark Templar
Emroth was assigned to Duath after the evacuation of the Auirian Protoss to Shakuras. He has since become one of Ildaron’s students.
Confederacy of Sarin IV
During the fall of the Terran Confederacy, a small group led by members of Nova and Delta Squadron escaped from Tarsonis and established themselves on the Fringe World of Sarin IV. They have since attracted many members of the former Terran Confederacy to their banner and may be one of the largest groups of Terrans still waving the flag of the Terran Confederacy. The Terran Dominion, thanks largely to their troubles with the UED, has been unable to mount an offensive against them.
Design Notes: Some people might remember these guys from ACMD0...
Colonel Malcolm Dreys
Affiliation: Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: Ghost
A former member of the now defunct Nova Squadron, Colonel Dreys is now the commander of the Confederacy of Sarin IV. As Major Dreys, he served under Colonel Devon during the Invasion of Tarsonis. He took command of the survivors in New Augusta following the death of Colonel Devon and he led them to Sarin IV.
Captain Charlie Vidar
Affiliation: Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: Ghost, Goliath
A former member of Nova Squadron, Captain Vidar used to work as Colonel Dreys’ partner while serving under the command of Colonel Devon. Dreys keeps himself busy by working on various design projects with Captain Flynn.
Captain Casey Flynn
Affiliation: Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: SCV, Goliath
A former member of Nova Squadron, Captain Flynn once served as the Chief Engineer of Colonel Devon's Battlecrusier, the Geryon. Following their arrival on Sarin IV, then-Lt. Flynn oversaw the construction of the cities of New Tarsonis and Augusta-3. With the cities nearly complete, Flynn has begun working with Captain Vidar on various new weapons designs.
Captain Clyde Kenton
Affiliation: Delta Squadron, Confederacy of Sarin IV
Unit: Marine, Siege Tank, Battlecruiser Indomitable
While then-Major Dreys provided the survivors of New Augusta with a destination, Captain Kenton provided them with the means to get there. While Dreys, Vidar and Flynn left Nova Squadron following the defection of Colonel Hauler to the Dominion, Kenton and his troops still see themselves as the Terran Confederacy’s Delta Squadron, no matter where their former superiours ended up. Kenton’s Delta Squadron now serves as the primary defence force for Sarin IV.
As for the names of Broods, I can give you some ideas. The most of the names of Broods were given to them by the Terrans from mythological gods, monsters and demons, but in some campaigns (as Fall From Grace, EDAST and Celestial Irruption) the Brood has the name of its own Cerebrate, and in others, the names are invented (Sennith). Examples:
How good, everyone has risen from rank (less Kenton). He he he 
Thanks, Thal! More secrets and mysteries. He he, this keeps gettin' better and better. 
