Caster Rifle

The Caster Rifle is the signature weapon of the Endymion Overseer and one of the most powerful weapons in existence. Its main purpose being to combat The Fallen Ones wherever they may appear, such a deadly weapon is restricted by The Order to be used on any sentient beings.

Meant to deal as much damage as possible to The Fallen Ones--of whom conventional weaponry is useless against--utilizing Vita Particle characteristics, the Caster Rifle is capable of making quick work of any defensive armor or barrier utilizing universal physics and composition. Even the lightest wounds from Caster weaponry have proven fatal in 99.99% of cases without medical treatment only available in The Sanctuary.

Design and Appearance
The Caster Rifle is capable of taking on many forms. Being constructed by the Overseer, its length, weight, output, and range are all determined by its owner's preferences. Nonetheless, it consists of standard sections that are constructed seperately before being connected together. The weapon is most often cylindrical in design, due to the fact that its ammunition comes in the form of cylindrical shells which are loaded into the chamber of the weapon.

The construction of the Caster Rifle is seen as a rite of passage. Neophytes must construct their own Caster Rifles before being allowed to participate in Legion training and moving on to more advanced stages of training, such as Overseer certification. However, many Neophytes do not construct their Caster Rifles until they are ready to become Overseers, due to the immense time, knowledge, and skill required in creating one. Vita Particle concepts required in the construction of Endymion technology are often incredibly complex and abstract, and often Neophytes spend thousands of years studying and mastering them before moving on to designing their own personal Caster Rifle.

There are no standard-issue Caster Rifles. Due to the diverse biology of The Order of Endymion, each and every Unit is required to maintain their own equipment and weaponry. In addition, each Endymion by the time they come of age to advance to become Overseers will be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. The Legion-Masters have discerned that it is much more beneficial to the Overseer to design a weapon of which they are comfortable with, rather than forcing themselves to adapt to a weapon that is cumbersome and awkward to handle.

Construction
Stated previously, the Caster Rifle is capable of assuming many forms depending upon the preferences of the operator. Nonetheless, it is composed of a specific set of parts. These parts are constructed seperately before being fitted together. Overseers take great care in constructing their weapons, paying attention to every intricate detail. Because of this, they are capable of modifying their Caster Rifles in the future in order to suit their changing styles and/or preferences.

Chamber
The Chamber section is the centerpiece of the weapon to which all other parts are attached. As its name implies, it is where the ammunition is chambered for use. Since The Order manufactures standard ammunition, Chamber sections are often the only part of the weapon that is standardized as they must compliment the correct ammunition size which reflects the respective size of the Overseer. The chamber section also serves as a miniature interface for the weapon where it will display information such as overheat temperature and remaining energy for ammunition. The rear iron sight is also located on this part of the Caster Rifle and often varies widely in design depending upon the race of its operator.

Located on the chamber section are also power capacitators in order to regulate the energy discharge of the weapon. Due to the slender nature of the weapon, these are partly exposed and resemble smaller cylinders and partly connect to the grip. The devices located on each side shape the bolt and regulate the power and range of the projectile. It is here that much of the energy discharge takes place. Energy is extracted from the caster shell and then molded within the power capacitators before traveling to the barrel.

The Chamber may sometimes be a 2-part design consisting of a rear chamber and a foward magazine well section and serves as the primary chamber. Kana Xanadu's design in particular makes use of a magazine system consisting of single-stacked magazines and more powerful capacitators. Magazine systems, though making the Caster Rifle larger and less mobile, are favored by fire-support groups as they allow thousands of rounds to be fired before having to reload.

Barrel
This section is responsible for projecting the bolt towards the target. It is here that bolt takes shape and is accelerated down the barrel towards the intended target. Relying on an advanced rail system concept, the speed and momentum of the bolt increases exponentially with the length of the barrel. However, this increased velocity and power often comes at the expense of weight and heat generated. Such factors must be taken into consideration when Overseers construct their barrels.

Located around the central barrel is a thicker, more dense sleeve. Serving as armoring, the outer shell doubles as a dispersion system, drawing expelled heat and energy away from the weapon during firing. However, due to the immense power output, such a part has its limits even despite its advanced construction. Thicker dispersion sleeves allow for more sustained and higher power fire. Nonetheless, Caster Rifles are capable of going through tens of thousands of rounds before failure and are capable of firing even when the dispersion shell section has completely failed. The front iron sights are also located in this section as well as an underbarrel laser-finder attachment meant to increase accuracy during awkward situations in combat.

Grip
The grip section is the main control system of the weapon. As its name implies, it is where the weapon is grasped by the operator and possesses a set of buttons meant for various purposes ranging from power adjustment to safety switches and more. Rather than being actual buttons that need to be pressed, the switches are pressure-sensitive and are programmed to react to the individual's biological and vita signature. In species with jointed manipulators there is often a trigger which is also pressure-sensitive rather than being an actual switch with moving parts. The reduction of moving parts greatly increases the durability of the weapon.

Blade
One of the signature and distinguishing features of the weapon, the blade section composes a single thick edge running along the length of the weapon that is often located underneath the barrel sections. The blade attaches to the barrel and grip sections and is also where the power core is located. Crafted with utmost care, the blade section is extremely durable and is used as both an offensive and parry weapon in close quarters combat. Often forming a front guard for the grip, the opposite tip contains a hook that can be used as a multi-tool device both in and out of combat.

A notable feature of this section is its ability to charge itself using the exhaust generated from firing the bolt, stored in excess in the power capacitators. Often displaying a dim hue of light when charged, the blade's cutting power is increased exponentially. This increased cutting power has allowed Endymion to slice through the divine flesh of The Fallen Ones with ease. Overloading the blade will cause a projection upon the material blade, greatly extending its reach and allowing the Caster Rifle to be used as a makeshift blade. However, many Endymion still choose to pair this weapon with a Variable Blade due to its advantageous versatility as a close-quarters weapon.

Power Core
Located in the "hilt" area of the blade near the grip, the power core regulates the functions of the weapon and allows for the charging of the blade. It resembles the cap-like device found on the SBAS and functions in exactly the same way.

The addition of the power core is a relatively new feature in the Caster Rifle designs. Older rifles needed to be charged by a caster shell, due to a lack of an internal power source. The Power Core makes up for this disadvantage, allowing the caster shell's energy to be completely diverted to being used as ammunition for the weapon. This has increased the ammunition capacity of the weapons significantly, allowing Overseers to fire more rounds before reloading.

Primary Systems
Despite not having any hard-wiring, the Caster Rifle is considered an electronic weapon by Endymion standards. The rifle itself, in addition to a few moving parts, requires a circuit system in order to function. The Caster Rifle, like all Endymion Vita Technology, utilizes the Block Circuit System. The material of the weapon itself involved in the construction of the weapon forms the network through which the operating system flows through. This material, while doubling as armor, creates a nearly infinite motherboard that is able to function despite extensive damage so long as a significant portion of the weapon remains. The elimination of any internal circuits and systems speeds up the already laborous construction process of the weapon, and also greatly increases the durability of the weapon.

The Caster Rifle is uniquely entuned to its operator's life force signature, rendering the weapon useless to anyone who is not the operator and original designer. Additionally, any Overseers registered in the Order are able to wield their comrades Caster Rifles through imprinting via regular registration of their weapons in their legion armories.

Caster Bolt
Consisting of a blue to aqua-colored bolt of energy, the bolt is formed in the barrel from energy stored within the capacitators and chamber and directed at the intended target. The size of the bolt varies on the diameter of the barrel and the size of the operator. Its velocity is lightspeed, far beyond what most sentient beings can percieve, but has been able to be blocked or evaded by The Fallen Ones. Endymion have also trained themselves to be able to defend against Caster weaponry in the event that they must fight against their own.

The damage inflicted by the projectile is massive despite its small size. In all instances where it has been used against sentients, even the highest-grades of intergalactic armor have been completely compromised with only one shot. Injuries sustained from Caster Rifles, no matter how minor, have often led to death due to the caustic nature of the weapon and its ability to compromise the Existence Streams which make up the life force of the individual. Wounds from a Caster Rifle prevent any sort of tissue regeneration at the site of the damage. As the bolt compromises the Vita structure of the victim and spreads throughout their body, the entire biostructure fails and the victim quickly disperses into numerous particles of light. Some Endymion have been able to reverse the damage to their own Vita structures in order to allow their bodies to regenerate, but this technique takes immense skill and time to learn and is not possible for many sentients who populate the universe. However, it is often rare that victims die from their injuries as the impact force and heat generated alone from the bolt is adequate enough to kill most beings instantly.

The Caster Shell
All Caster technology is powered by this universal device. Resembling a small cylindrical shell with armor plating along its length and two Gen-Plug systems on each end, the caster shell serves as the ammunition for the Caster Rifle. Older versions of the Caster Rifle required the shells as a power source. The division of contained energy meant that each shell contained few shots the operator could utilize. This issue has since been solved with the addition of the Power Core to the Caster Rifle design.

The shell provides a Caster Rifle with a large amount of power. Even with the staggering power requirements of the models used by the older generation of Endymion, the weapon was capable of firing repeatedly before exhausting its power supply. The current model of the Caster Rifle can fire 500 bolts from a single shell, although the numbers vary depending upon the operator's forging skill and weapon settings.

The caster shell can also be recharged by "opening" it to the air. This however drains the surroundings of Vita energy and is highly discouraged by the Order unless absolutely necessary. Nonetheless, Endymion Overseers carry numerous shells with them, although it is often rarely needed.