General Lani-Colu

General Lani-Colu ¹

The Banished Scientist of Kul-Manas, Royal Alchemist of the Scarlet Horde, Lani-Colu the Shrike, Khahrahk's Butcherbird, Scarlet Champion of Lord Mantrakoukos, The Curious One, Broodmother of Alchemical Abominations

Conspectus

There are scholarly individuals within the ranks of the Scarlet Horde. At any cost they use their knowledge against Creation. One of them is Lani-Colu, former royal scientist for the kingdom of Kul-Manas.²³ She performs terrible acts of cruelty in the pursuit of scientific curiosity.⁴⁵

Illustration

Incomplete portrait of Lani-Colu from the royal archives of House Colu. It was used to print wanted posters.

Headshot of Lani-Colu's current form. It was made by a soldier who survived a siege she was commanding.

Knowledge

Traits: Lani-Colu used to resemble ordinary Kul-Manasians, but she has undergone a terrifying transformation. Her body has become large and imposing like a feathered dragon.⁶⁷ Long and thick plumage writhes around her body like tentacles. They have barbed tips to punish anyone who comes too close, and foul poisons coat them as well to inflict greater suffering. Another characteristic of her plumage is its ability to change color, and reflect immense light to blind foes or grant invisibility. The feathers continue to move when severed. Lani-Colu's beak is long and slender like a pair of blades.

Furthermore, Lani-Colu wears a metal mask over her face.⁸ Some have reported multiple glowing red eyes behind the mask. Reinforced tubes and tanks are connected throughout her body. They contain alchemical substances that assist her in battle. She wears a device that prevents reality from crumbling around her. It's usually connected to a weapon she uses that resembles a rod. The rod can slice through many things; however, Lani-Colu is able to invoke other types of damage from it such as fire or ice. Another device on her person can detect and disrupt spellcasting from others by draining their mana.⁹¹⁰

Lani-Colu is known to have more than one body that serve as disposable avatars. They are smaller than her real body. As of writing, only two types have been encountered. The first is made out of plants while the second is a mechanical construct. It's believed they are linked to Lani-Colu through a telepathic spell.

Nature: Lani-Colu is a morbidly curious individual. She is devoted to science without any regard for ethics. Everyone to her is perceived only as assets for experimentation. People who have met her report that she struggles with the concept of empathy.¹¹ Overall, there are no lines that Lani-Colu will not cross for her twisted desires.

Lani-Colu is knowledgable in multiple fields such as alchemy, mechanical engineering, and biology. She uses arcane knowledge to create a personal army of golems and homunculi. Some of the monstrosities have been identified as her own offspring. She likely modifies them while they are still eggs. Essence from the children of A'ghor¹² is used to make them strong and numerous.

The modifications Lani-Colu has done to herself makes her physically on par with a demigod. Regardless of her size, she is surprisingly agile and quick. In battle she will be a formidable opponent.

History & Associated Parties: Lani-Colu was born into the Kul-Manasian Royal House of Colu. Throughout her upbringing servants have reported concerning behavior. She was known to impale or disassemble her toys. On one occasion she stole a grimoire from her father's study, and used a spell to give life to the doll. She proceeded to torture it just to see what state inorganic beings will perish compared to those of flesh. Regardless, Lani-Colu was able to eventually become a scientist in adulthood like the rest of her family.

Lani-Colu was banished from Kul-Manas when she was exposed for experimenting on citizens.¹³¹⁴ Unfortunately, she escaped before justice could be served. The Judicial High Court of Kul-Manas issued a bounty for her, dead or alive.¹⁵ There is concern that Lani-Colu will someday return to conquer Kul-Manas.¹⁶

At some point Lani-Colu aligned herself with the Scarlet King and his followers. Her destructive ingenuity caught the attention of Lady Yoru¹⁷ and Lord Mantrakoukos.¹⁸ Yoru gave Lani-Colu the rank of cadre before she received the rank of general by Mantrakoukos. Lani-Colu is known to occassionally work with General Hatter and the Robber Barons. They often assist her in mass production.

Besides the Scarlet Horde, Lani-Colu is affiliated with Therapist from the Children of the Barrow.¹⁹ Therapist has been observed acquiring victims from Lani-Colu for experimentation. Lani-Colu's troops will even accompany Therapist in battlefields. The nature of their relationship is unknown, but it's likely Lani-Colu is interested in the research performed by Therapist.²⁰²¹

Approach: Confronting Lani-Colu will be very difficult, but Creation will be better off without her.²² If one must attack her then do so from afar. Do not fight her alone. She is likely to unleash her abominations, and they will require different strategies to defeat (see Observations & Stories for examples).²³ Most of the time it will be best to flee from her.²⁴

Other Detail: It's speculated that Lani-Colu serves the Scarlet King to test a theothanatological view of the Almighty. Some even believe that if the Almighty dies then everything will completely cease to exist.²⁵

Observations & Stories

"The Scarlet Horde sent General Lani-Colu to conquer our domain. I've heard that her time among the monstrosities of the Darkness Below has warped her appearance, which were soon proven to be true. She did not appear alongside her troops as a Kul-Manasian, but instead as a terrible dragon adorned with enchanted armor. She spewed fire, pestilence and abominations. Some of the latter were forged from our fallen peers. Their faces were stuck in a grotesque rage."

- Excerpt from War Testimonals: Volume 23

---

"General Lani-Colu of the Scarlet Horde, a renegade of Kul-Manas, commands an army of formidable abominations. I have managed to slay a few of them, but one in particular continues to haunt me in my restless dreams.

"I encountered a homunculus that resembled a starved Kul-Manasian child. It had spindly, mechanical limbs that allowed it to creep into a refugee camp we established. A maternity tent was its target, and sprayed sleeping children with a substance that denied the mercy of death. The despicable creature dismembered them before attempting to flee, but I managed to shoot it twice with my rifle.

"The poor children continously cried out in their horrific state. As an act of mercy we burned them until ashes remained. I do not know why Lani-Colu sent that abomination to perform such an evil deed. Perhaps she wanted to observe the decline of our morale. She succeeded."

- Excerpt from War Testimonals: Volume 34

---

"I remember looking into the eyes of Lani-Colu. There was something truly terrible inside her ever since she was a child. Those scarlet eyes were empty. She never laughed or cried. Everyone struggled to read her emotions as if none existed. The warnings were always there, but her father refused to heed any concern."

- Excerpt from Anonymous Confessions from Handmaidens & Housewives of Kul-Manas

---

The following is a list of common abominations created by Lani-Colu. Numerous individuals have encountered them in the war against the Scarlet Horde.

• Scarecrows: A flesh golem infected with bacteria that causes immense fear.²⁶ The infected specifically become averse to fighting, and the idea of resisting the Scarlet Horde. They become fearful over not being subjugated by Lani-Colu. She is known to unleash this terror to ease conquest, and acquire live victims for her experiments. Sneezing and coughing are also symptoms of the disease. One must burn the golem.
• Plaguebearers: Lani-Colu's frail children are sometimes infected with multiple plagues. They will have the reanimating rot of the Gangrenous God,²⁷ the broken blood of Mekhane,²⁸ hateful flesh of Yaldaboath,²⁹ the Robber Barons' rust,³⁰ and neural agony disguised as a blessing from pain.³¹ They also have the aforementioned bacteria that causes fear, but it specifically compels you to desire infection. Not all Plaguebearers are frail. Some are brutish from the strength of A'ghor's bloodline. Overall, Plaguebearers are to be burned immediately before they cause a pandemic.
• Bombers: Daughters that hatch among Lani-Colu's progeny are often turned into Bombers. They receive cybernetic modifications that allow them to fly quickly through the air, and give birth to a living bomb above targets. They are implanted with a device that pump a fertility potion into them, which causes rapid gestation and multiple bombs to form simultaneously. There is a variant that gives birth to homunculi as reinforcements. Sometimes they deliver a Plaguebearer. However, the most dangerous variant are the ones that become effigies of the Seven Brides.³² Attacking their wings will bring them down.
• Addicts: Prisoners of Lani-Colu are often transformed with a variant of Joy, a drug by the Robber Barons.³³ They become dependent on the drug, and manipulated into fighting others for more. Their blissful torment is exacerbated by an infection of the phobia plague, which contradictly causes them to fear withdraw.^34353637 The high from Joy lasts for as long as a grain or more is inside their digestive tract. As a twisted reward, Lani-Colu extends the time Joy is in their body by implanting intestinal mimic-parasites. The mimics themselves also become addicted to Joy when it passes through them. They will be fused together by Lani-Colu, which bloats the body of the host until they burst. Addicts are used as a disposable unit in advance parties. Total disembowelment is the best way to remove the effects of Joy from them. They'll become too disoriented to continue fighting and die.³⁸³⁹

---

The following excerpt is from an untitled, unpublished essay by Lani-Colu before fleeing Kul-Manas.

As a scientist I believe in curiosity. It is science at its finest. It should not be restrained. Even if something appears to be obvious one can never be too sure. Existence is not stagnate or rigid. There is always a question that needs to be answered at any cost. Nothing else should matter to the ones who are truly curious. I guarantee that the feeling of satisfaction will be like no other.

Doubt

Some believe it might be possible for Lani-Colu to eventually betray the Scarlet Horde. Her allegiance to them seems to based on her scientific interests, not religious worship. However, others have expressed disagreement. Serving the armies of the Scarlet King grants her plenty of resources. Their lack of morals and destructive ambitions allow for her cruelty to prosper.⁴⁰

Information about the capabilities of Lani-Colu and her creations can become outdated. It is logical that she will continue to improve upon herself, and develop new horrors to unleash against Creation. Therefore, one should expect something different when encountering an abomination from her that seems familiar.⁴¹

There are conspiracy theories that claim Lani-Colu did not act alone while committing her crimes in Kul-Manas. Some have accused the Merchant's Guild⁴² of financing her horrific experiments to acquire weapons. However, there has been no credible evidence that prove any wrongdoing.^43444546

1. "We have two guests from Kul-Manas to comment on this entry: Ickis the Wandsman and Qul-Eifi the Teal Feathered Mage." - M

2. Kul-Manas is listed in the Library's Multiverse Index as LMI-89037. It's located in the Outer Realms of Creation.

3. "If anyone wishes to visit Kul-Manas I am willing to answer questions or serve as a guide." - Ickis

4. "In short, she's a delusional mass murderer." - A.B.

5. "If only there weren't so many people like that in Creation." - L.B.

6. "So she looks like a dinosaur?" - Kunj

7. "Not quite but sure." - Ickis

8. "It resembles the helmet of a knight." - Qul-Eifi

9. "Don't the Jailors and Bookburners have similar technology?" - A.B.

10. "The devices they use are called Reality Anchors and Thaumic Dampeners. You can find books about them here in the Library." - M

11. "The people in question are former servants, close relatives, and individuals from other royal houses." - Ickis

12. A'ghor is the second bride of the Scarlet King.

13. "The 'experiments' in question were quite grim. I would rather call them exercises in torture." - Qul-Eifi

14. "I agree." - Ickis

15. "The bounty is still available for anyone to claim. They occasionally raise the reward." - Ickis

16. "Besides the threat of the Scarlet Horde, I heard Lani-Colu was one of the reasons why our military has expanded so much." - Qul-Eifi

17. Known as the Third Hand of the Scarlet King. Consult her entry for further information.

18. Known as the Fifth Hand of the Scarlet King. Consult his entry for further information.

19. A group of beings that resemble plague doctors. They are known to worship the Brothers Death and other gods who are similar.

20. "So does that make her an honorary member of the Scarlet Horde?" - L.B.

21. "I guess so. Maybe Lani-Colu will appoint her as a lieutenant." - H.J.

22. "The same goes for every monster in the Scarlet Horde." - H.J.

23. "Ickis and I will love to help whenever we can. Lani-Colu has done more than enough damage to existence." - Qul-Eifi

24. "There is no shame in that. Sometimes it is better to live and fight another day." - Ickis

25. "It is an interesting topic you can find in philosophy books here in the library." - M

26. Many call it the Phobia Plague.

27. Aptly known as a zombie plague, but some call it the Yaezloi Prion.

28. More commonly known as the Clockwork Virus. Individuals who worship Mekhane refer to it as His Broken Blood.

29. Resembles a skin disease that causes the body to mutate.

30. Rust from the Robber Barons is a corrupting force that can corrode more than just flesh. It is present in their terrible factories.

31. Some groups refer to this plague as either the Neural-Pain Overstimulation Threshold (N-POT) Virus or the Nietzsche Virus. The latter is in reference to the human philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It is named after him based on his commentary on suffering.

32. "Sounds worse than a nuke being dropped on you. I would not want to be in that situation." - Kunj

33. Joy is also referred to as Gut Dust. As the name suggests, users will feel profound happiness.

34. "Lani-Colu really likes to use that fear stuff." - Kunj

35. "Fear can sometimes be the most effective motivator." - Trünan

36. "How does one experience fear while happy? Is it like an intrusive thought in the middle of a good time?" - L.B.

37. "I have no doubt that the psychological toll is immense." - H.J.

38. "Sounds cruel. Is there no way to help them? It's not fair to kill them." - L.B.

39. "How do you help someone that is attempting to kill you? Besides, death can sometimes be the most merciful thing." - Trünan

40. "She would still be a problem without the Scarlet Horde. The only positive is her having no more easy access to infinite resources." - H.J.

41. "That would certainly be wise. The only challenge will be adapting quickly to whatever new element Lani-Colu introduces. If one survives they will be obligated to share their newfound knowledge to others." - Qul-Eifi

42. The Merchant's Guild of Kul-Manas is an organization founded by powerful clans involved in multiversal trade. It is headquartered in the Great Gilded Guildhall of House Gorok. It is currently led by Guildmaster Vixis-Gorok.

43. "People with money can cover up anything." - A.B.

44. "I do not disagree with you on that, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions without certainty." - M

45. "I'm acquainted with a couple of individuals employed in the Merchant's Guild. Perhaps I should ask them some questions when there is time." - Ickis

46. "The Merchant's Guild can be dangerous if they feel threatened. Their wealth and influence is mighty. I advise everyone to be cautious when getting involved with them." - Qul-Eifi

‡ Licensing / Citation

Cite this page as:

"General Lani-Colu" by Baronjoe, from the SCP Wiki. Source: https://scpwiki.com/general-lani-colu. Licensed under CC BY-SA.

For information on how to use this component, see the License Box component. To read about licensing policy, see the Licensing Guide.

Filename: Naturalis Biodiversity Center - Natuurkundige Commissie - Art by Oort, P. van - Bird species - MMNAT01 AF NNM001000150 002.jpg
Author: Oort, P. van
License: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
Source Link: Wikimedia Commons

Filename: Design for a Lavish Headdress with Feathers on a Helmet (frontal view) MET DP824421.jpg
Author: Luigi Baccio del Bianco
License: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
Source Link: Wikimedia Commons