Post by Melissa Foxworthy on Dec 1, 2007 21:00:10 GMT -5
When Earth's population drastically increased, humanity attempted to colonize Mars. During the colonization, they discovered two alien technologies: the Bacillus and the Crusnik nanomachines. The colonists installed the Bacillus in their bodies which transformed them into Methuselahs. They installed the Crusnik in the bodies of four test tube babies: Seth, Cain, Abel and Lilith whose enhanced bodies were the only ones able to survive the procedure.
When the colonists returned to Earth, a war broke out between the Methuselahs and the humans who had remained on earth. Abel, Cain, and Seth took the Methuselah's side—while Lilith supported the humans' side. The continuing war eventually led to "Armageddon," the apocalyptic event that happened 900 years before the start of the story. During the war, Cain went insane and killed Lilith. In grief, Abel took her body to the Vatican where she was buried. Abel remained at her side, weeping for her, for 900 years.
At the start of the story, the vampiric Methuselahs, still a major political and military force, continue to wage war on the "Terrans," as they call regular humans. The Roman Catholic Church is a major military power determined to protect humans from the Methuselahs, with its seat of power based in the Vatican. The Methuselahs have their capital of Byzantium, which is surrounded by a field of particles to filter out UV radiation, protecting the Methuselah population.
Both groups use "lost technologies," such as airships, missiles, and computers, to engage in a cold war with one another. A third great power, Albion also plays a role in the war, with its superior arsenal of lost technology and weapons and higher level of manufacturing ability versus the Vatican.
While the novels, manga, and anime series all cover the same basic story and feature many of the same characters, they do have some minor and major differences. Each has its own unique variation on the major story arcs, and in general the novels give the most detail concerning the political elements and background information on the stories.
Dietrich von Lohengrin as he appears in the manga adaptationEvents also sometimes occur at varying points in the story, depending on the adaptation, and some events are not found in all three adaptations. For example, the anime series has a few introductory style episodes before the start of the Star of Sorrow arc, while the manga starts immediately with Abel's meeting of Esther and Dietrich. The Neumann brothers and their related story elements are found only in the novels.
Some characters are also unique to each adaptation. Sister Noelle, whose death devastates Abel in the anime series, does not exist in the manga series. Alternatively, the anime and manga adaptations make no mention of Tres' two "brothers." There are also some differences in character appearances, personalities and relationships between the versions. In the anime series, Dietrich_von_Lohengrin's cold, evil nature is reflected in his appearance, while in the manga he has a softer, bishounen design that is incongruous with his actual nature.
[edit] Humans
The humans, referred to as Terrans by the Methuselah, once attempted to colonize Mars after a massive population explosion. While on Mars, they discovered the Bacillus and Crusnik nanomachines. When the Bacillus nanomachines were embedded in humans, they were infected with a virus that changed them into vampires who had to feed on blood to survive. The vampires -- now called Methuselahs -- and the humans ended up in a war against each other that resulted in Armageddon. 900 years later the surviving humans are still trying to recover from the war's devastating affects while trying to find ways to co-exist with the Methuselah despite the distrust and hatred still evident on both sides. The Vatican serves as the primary leader for the people in the on-going struggle for peace with the Methuselah, and in dealing with rogue factions from both sides that would like the war to continue.
[edit] Methuselah
The Methuselah are formerly human, vampire-like creatures that have been infected by the Bacillus nanomachines. When they are first infected, they show no signs of the virus. However, once the the virus begins to manifest itself, the new Methuselah gains a prolonged lifespan, as well as superior strength, speed, and healing ability. However, they also develop a craving for human blood due to the virus constantly destroying their red blood cells. Unlike vampires of myth, Trinity Blood's Methuselah can have children, which will inherit the condition, and they can eat and enjoy normal food. However, they must avoid sunlight, as it will burn them to death, and silver bullets can cause them serious injury and death.
In addition to their athleticism and stamina, Methuselah also posses varying individual powers. Most frequently, this power manifests itself in the form of a blade that that comes out of the arms, claws, or even as sharp, prehensile hair. Some Methuselah display the ability to fly, while others also have displayed an ability to control some elemental powers such as fire and ice.
While the Crusniks have the ability to regenerate lost limbs by feeding on blood, it is unknown if the Methuselah have the same ability. They do, however, appear to be able to survive horrific wounds as long as their hearts have not been destroyed.
[edit] Crusniks
Cain, Crusnik 01, in his Crusnik formThe four Crusniks are vampires who feed on the blood of other vampires. They possess immense power and destructive potential, are easily able to overwhelm even the deadliest of Methuselahs, and have enough power to raze whole cities. Because their life spans are longer than that of normal vampires, they have the experience and ability to hold high positions of power. During the Human-Methuselah war they were commanders, and afterwards two of the three remaining ones took up leadership roles.
Whereas the Methuselahs are either born or infected, the Crusniks are unique beings created as a result of an experiment at the Mars Colonization Project. Cain, Seth, Abel, and Lilith are the only Crusniks in existence. They were tube babies created for the Mars Colonization Project by the UNASF with genetically enhanced bodies. They were infused with the Crusnik nanomachines that were found on Mars as their enhanced bodies were the only ones capable of surviving the procedure. The exact circumstances behind the infusions of Seth, Abel, and Lilith are unknown, while Cain's infusion was done by Seth to save his life after a fatal accident.
Crusniks possess unique attributes that separate them from Methuselahs. For instance, both Abel and Cain sport angelic wings and can fly quite easily. Crusniks can transmute their blood into weapons and often possess psychokinetic powers. Abel can generate powerful bio-electric fields while Cain can use psychokinetic waves to pulverize objects and enemies and to generate barriers. Seth can reduce people and objects to dust using sound waves.
In order to activate his Crusnik powers, Abel usually has to issue a verbal command to the nanomachines in his body. For example, he may say "Nanomachines: Crusnik 02 - __% Limitation Activation, Approved." The exact wording of this command varies amongst the novels, the manga, and anime, and between the original Japanese and the English translations. In the anime, neither Cain or Seth have demonstrated a need to do this in order to activate their powers.