OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Unit for the Shadow Knights. Expand on the Vashyada exodites. This is a resubmission of this unit, which was approved under the old Codex rules.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Druids.
Permission: They can use Firemane gear because I own the company.
Links: Vashyada, Tylania.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Circle of Izlechivat.
Affiliation: Shadow Knights, Vashyada, Sabatay.
Classification: Infantry.
Equipment:
Armour:
Ranged Weapons:
- Energy Bow
- Bowcaster.
- Lightbow
- Dart Gun (variable chemical payload).
- Ion Paddle Beamer.
- Force Imbued Blade, Quarterstaff or Tomahawk.
- Talon Vibrodagger
- Monomolecular Energy Chorded Weapons
- Wrist Bolter
- Magnetic Revolver
- Dissuader KD-30
- Renegade Blaster
- Adjudicator Slugthrower
- Sonic Disruptor
- Flechette Pistol
- Verpine Shattergun
- MSD-32
- ABC Scramblers, Smoke Grenades, Flashbang, Sonic Imploder, Dampener Aerosol.
- Force-Focusing Visor, Grappling Spike Launchers.
- Berserk.
- Taozin Amulet.
Izlechivat is the Vashyada word for Rebirth. The Circle members chose it because they consider themselves to have reborn in the fire and madness of the Netherworld. There their eyes were opened and they realised that the ways of their ancestors were insufficient. They are a hardened group of survivalists. While the mainstream Vashyada regard them as corrupted, the renegade Circle sees its kindred as too naive and hidebound. They do not get on with Vashyada who still follow the old ways. Those happen to be the majority. The irony is that the mainstream Vashyada are presently allied with Firemane, a foreign corporation led by a Dark Jedi. The Circle regards this as confirmation that their beliefs are the correct ones and the leaders of the old order are being hypocritical.
The Circle members still prefer to use modern versions of traditional Vashyada gear, but are less technophobic than their brethren and sistren. Rather they seek to integrate the old and the new. Most still dislike areas without any green and feel more comfortable in natural environments or something close to that. The technological terrors and machines many humans and Eldorai are so proud of are viewed as constructs that have also made them soft. In the end, Nature finds a way and the Netherworld Event shows how the gods can humble even the mightiest. The druids have lost the ability to use the Light for healing, but they have learned to drain someone's life force to heal themselves or others.
The Circle still has a strong respect for nature, but their veneration for it has taken on a darker, more twisted side. Mother Nature is, after all, not kind and gentle. Instead nature is defined by struggle and competition. The strong survive. The Circle has a very strong pack mentality. The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. As a result, they have a strong bond. Their past experiences have left them with a bit of a connection to the Netherworld. They are adept at sensing spots where the barriers between the material realm and the Nethere are weak. Moreover, they have an easier time finding their way through the Netherworld. Some elves find their connection to the Nether rather morbid, especially since a number of druids may be able to predict when an individual will perish. This can obviously be quite unnerving.
One of their senior members is a dark Vashyada druidess called Sabatay. She was not a member of the original group. Sabatay means Forgotten in the Vash language. She grew up close to the heart of Yarkul. In these dark forests and mountains life was a careful balance of venerating, respecting and fearing nature. Her clan had never seen a Qadiri or a Xioquo, the hereditary enemies of her race. Then one day this sheltered druidess found herself in the maelstorm of the Netherworld. At first, she tried to resist temptation. Light Side did not mean meek after all. Then she emerged on Corellia, forged by the traumatic events she had endured. Here she found a myriad people from all over the Galaxy. However, what she did not find was kindness and understanding, but greed, malice and opportunity.
Her fall from grace was a gradual one. The best kind of fall is the imperceptible one, after all. The one you do not even realise until you do not care and it is too late. Events have forged her into a militant survivalist. She is tough, cynical and self-reliant. She has not fully given up on the nature-worshipping ways, but her experiences have twisted them. The forest is not kind, after all. It is full of dangers and life. Her experiences in the Netherworld have convinced her that higher beings exist, but they are not merciful and loving. One prays to them to avoid being toyed with. The gods are not good - that is why they are gods. They do not help those who do not help themselves. Her spiritual nature and her experiences in the Netherworld have left her with a connection of sorts to the realm of the dead.
Sabatay prowled the concrete jungle of Nar Shaddaa, working as a bounty-hunter and soldier of fortune. After a stint as an enforcer for Nova Bank she came across the Circle and the Shadow Knights. Eager to reconnect with members of her kind who had walked a path similar to hers and understood her struggle, she joined them. The group is led by a druidess called Saesaf. A dedicated woman, she was once seen as a potential priestess of Tylania, but also overly aggressive and passionate. She already had experienced brushes with the Dark Side during skirmishes with a rival Vashyada clan and while fighting against Qadiri and Xioquo invaders. What she experienced in the Netherworld twisted her or, as she put it, opened her eyes to the reality of the cosmos. The time the Circle spent on Dathomir has given her a degree of familiarity with Dathomir magic, especially the sort practiced by the Nightsisters.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: The Circle of Izlechivat is a group composed of Force-Sensitive Vashyada. One could consider them the modern equivalent of druids. In terms of skill set they are specialists rather than generalists, being focused on some esoteric applications of the Force. To a large extent, their abilities are nature-themed. However, their experiences in the Netherworld have left a dark taint on the group, making them outcasts to their fellow Vashyada.
Their members are grey or dark side Force-Users. They focus on terramancy, animal friendship, and force drain. Moreover, they can use the Force for physical enhancement, utilise Force Weapon, Crucitorn and Force Affliction. They are adept at blending into forests and similar environments. Animal friendship enables them to turn beasts into allies and companions. This is particularly helpful in the wilderness or against opponents who use beasts as fighters.
However, as a tradeoff the members of the Circle lack heavy weapons such as rotary cannons, heavy repeating blasters, missile launchers or grenade launchers. Nor do they carry lightsabres. The energy bows they carry would have a lower rate of fire than a decent blaster rifle, as the arrows can be fired only as fast as the user can pull the string. Bowcasters are more powerful and accurate than the average blasters, but have a lower rate of fire, lower range and are heavier.
The members of the Circle lack the tanking abilities of more direct combat based Force-users such as those of the Jedi Guardian or Sith Warrior type. Thus their defensive abilities are fairly basic. Lacking lightsabres they cannot deflect salvoes of blaster fire or reflect it back to the shooters. Their armour is decent, but cannot protect against lightsabres as well as a suit made of Beskar or Phrik could.
They do not possess the weapons needed to go up against 'heavy' formations such as tanks. They would be vulnerable to long range bombardment and snipers. Though powerful, they are not meant to lead a charge on an enemy fortress on their lonesome. Likewise, they are not slicers, pilots, tank drivers or artillerists. They are a specialised unit of Force-Users that should be deployed as a support force to help others. While they are trained to defend themselves without the aid of the Force, ysalamiri take away their greatest advantage. Being deprived of their powers would weaken them significantly.
Strengths:
- Crack unit whose doctrine emphasises teamwork and who are adept at blending in with nature.
- Powerful warrior-druids. They are strong in the Force and excel at Earth Shaping and dark side powers such as Affliction and Drain.
- Lack heavy armour, heavy weapons or support forces.
- Being robbed of the Force deprives them of their biggest advantage.
The Netherworld Event had profound repercussions for almost every world in the Galaxy. In the blink of an eye, trillions of sentient beings were raptured and found themselves in the underworld. Great empires suddenly found their control over their territories greatly diminished. A vicious scramble ensued, as the major and minor powers struggled to regain control over their domains - or expand into those of their weakened neighbours. It was a harsh Darwinian selection. At the same time, the Force was thrown out of balance. For a while, Force-Sensitives were at great risk if they called upon it. Or unable to do so entirely.
Though isolated from the rest of the Galaxy, Tygara was affected by this calamity as well. Thus it came to pass that a number of Vashyada suddenly awoke and found themselves in the cold, foreboding underworld, having been pulled from the deep forest of Yarkul. Doubtless this was a frightening experience for the wood elves. Tylania, their prophetess and demigoddess, was able to use her powers to reach many of her lost children and guide them back to Tygara. The calamity convinced her that Tygara's long isolation was coming to an end and that it was time for her to take a more active role to guide and protect her people.
However, not all could be reached this way. Some gave in to despair and madness. Others succeeded in finding their own way out. The Circle of Izlechivat was one of those groups. The Circle did not exist prior to the rapture. Izlechivat means rejuvenation or recovery in Prosbia, the most common Vashyada dialect. It was a fitting name since the druids, many of whom came from different Vasyhada clans and thus had had little contact with each other before, found themselves in the wastes of the underworld. Their leader was a druid from the Redleaf Clan called Sasaef. A passionate and dedicated woman, she had once been seen as a promising druid and possible priestess.
Having banded together to survive these tribulations, they formed close bonds. What they experienced in the underworld challenged many of their old viewpoints. Especially since it put them into contact with various alien races they had never met before, opening their eyes to the worlds that lay beyond Tygara. However, being trapped in the Netherworld and tormented by the horrors inside left its mark upon the wood elves. Some were driven into a state of insanity and became a danger to the group, forcing it to take action against them. When they were trapped inside a maze, sirens attempted to lead them into temptation and turn them against their fellows. Safaef proved herself a determined, but increasingly ruthless leader.
The compromises that this realm forced upon them left its mark upon the members of the Circle, tainting them. It caused them to stray from the path they had been taught by the priestesses of Tylania. Their purity in the Vash, as their people call the Light Side of the Force, waned as they drew upon the Drush, which is the Vashyada word for the Dark Side. This would also diminish their ability to call upon the Light to heal themselves, forcing them to resort to dark healing instead. Their connection to the land also atrophied. To the predominantly Light Side Vashyada, the Force is all about healing, protection and preservation of nature. Thus they actively seek out and persecute those among their people who follow the Dark Side, though they do not let this turn into killing.
By the time the Circle of Izlechivat had escaped the Netherworld through a portal, their experiences had changed them. They found themselves on an unknown forest world, similar and yet different to Yarkul. A overwhelming grief and sorrow overcame them as they stepped through the portal, as they remembered what they had lost. However, they soldiered on. Saseaf, who was by now their unofficial leader, took charge, proclaiming they had done what was needed to ensure their survival. The deep forests of Dathomir contained wonders and terrors alike. Their experiences in Yarkul and skill at taming wild beasts helped them survive.
Inevitably they came across natives. The Circle encountered both the lightsided Witches of Dathomir and their dark twin, the Nightsisters. If they had made the acquaintance of the Dathomiri under different circumstances, they would have bonded with the Witches. However, though their first encounter with the Nightsisters was a hostile on, Sasaef came to respect their strength. After seeing the light and dark of the sky people, the Circle concluded that the light was hopelessly naive and passive compared to the despair and darkness of the Dark. Nature was struggle and Mother Forest was not kind. Their martial skills earned them the grudging respect of their Nightsister attackers.
Eventually they were able to secure transport with some merchants who occasionally came to Dathomir to trade with the locals. However, Tygara was unknown to the offworlders. Even if it had not been, the druids would not have had the means to pay them to fly them there. Having only a limited amount of items they could barter, Saraef used her powers to 'persuade' the foreigners to help them. Thus began what could be described as an odyssey. For a while they were caught up in the chaos of the One Sith-Republic War. Doubtless the horrors of industrialised warfare had a profound effect on them.
For slaughter on such a scale was unknown to the Vashyada, both due to lack of technological development and a culture of restraint. Now they were exposed to conflicts where thousands upon thousands of sentient beings could be slaughtered in a matter of days and witnessed weapons' systems that could level entire cities.
It was a very shocking experience that made them question many of their old values. For a while they covered their costs by acting as mercenaries. They also tried to seek out more peaceful ventures, using their powers of plant surge to make things grow and thus help agriculture on devastated worlds. But these activities became rarer over time. Their talents were more suited to destruction than peaceful creation. The gods seemed to reward destroyers and punish peacemakers.
One group of smugglers tried to rip them off by promising they could bring them back to their homeworld, but then turned out to be slavers looking for chattel to sell on the market. However, though largely ignorant of modern tech, the druids turned out to not be the helpless prey the slavers had thought and were able to overpower their attackers.
When they rescued the cartel's captives, they realised that there were fellow elves among them. However, these elves were less hardy, spoke a different language and had different traditions. They were not Vashyada, but Eldorai. From them the druids learned about Kaeshana, its destruction and the Eldorai exodus. Some of them had been agents of the Shadow Knights, a group of Eldorai renegades.
Seeking to connect with people who were kin and sensing an opportunity, the Circle joined them. However, life among the Shadow Knights was far from idyllic. Living conditions in the nomad fleet were cramped, resources were scarce and rationing was in effect. The renegades often had to resort to raids to sustain themselves. Moreover, the coalition was fractured along ideological lines, with three major blocs vying for influence.
This impeded coordination, as charismatic leaders from radical parties sought to take control over portions of the fleet, threatening to split it into mini fiefdoms. The nomad fleet suffered in confrontation with raiders such as the Kraal due to this. Civilians increasingly resented being treated as second class members of society that were denied full political rights. The mobilisation of workers into labour brigades also aroused discontent. There were calls to 'finish the revolution' - whatever that meant.
These conflicts were exacerbated by the fact that the Eldorai lack a liberal tradition - or a tradition of resolving disputes peacefully through debate and compromise. Their culture tends to become extreme in implementing a mode of government, be it republic, theocracy or monarchy. In addition, there is a strong disposition towards glamourising violence that is performed in service of a 'righteous cause' and a tendency towards ideological hairsplitting.
Furthermore, revolutions are not conducive to moderation, as they favour the radical element. The need to band together for mutual survival could supersede historical grievances for a while, but not indefinitely. Internecine strife escalated and erupted into violence. The junta succeeded in imposing its will. Some Shadow Knights were banished or left the fleet of their own volition to pursue their fortunes independently, contributing to the Scattering of the Eldorai people. Other renegades were executed, as the Shadow Knights regard long-term incarceration as wasteful and, in a way, cruel.
Ironically, the Tygaran formations, long disdained by more xenophobic Eldorai as primitives, played an important role in the resolution of the conflict. Lacking a clear attachment to any of the Eldorai-centric parties, they were wild cards whose services did not come for free. The Circle of Izlechivat was one of these units and put itself at the disposal of the military régime and the Archon who headed it. Being a good support unit, they helped suppress the rising. Their abilities to drain or debilitate opponents were particularly useful in the fight. However, their actions pushed them further away from the teachings of their foremothers as they drew upon the Dark Side to slay their enemies.
By the time the Circle ran into loyalist Vashyada again, there was a large gulf between them. While the mainstream Vashyada regarded them as corrupted, the renegade Circle regard its kindred as too naive and hidebound. The Circle still had a respect for nature, but their veneration for it had taken on a darker, more twisted side. Mother Nature was, after all, not kind and gentle.
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