Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Add some flavour to Firemane forces. Expand on the Kar'zun.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Combat engineers, sappers.
Permission: ARGH gear available per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here. CD-X Cryptologic Key available for Firemane per this thread. Firemane obtained a supply contract that allows it to use Fire for Effect gear here. Permission to use Tricks of the Trade submissions here.
Links: Kar'zun, Apocalypse...Not Quite Yet, Granite Guard.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Disciples of the Stone.
Affiliation: Firemane Industries, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Siobhan, Kar'zun.
Classification: Infantry. Comat Engineers.
Equipment:
Armour:
- ACS-004 Olympian Battle Armor. Commlink uses CD-X cryptologic key.
Ranged Weapons:
- MK II Boltgun
- Gravitas Launcher
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Reaper Plasma Shotgun
- ACS-205 Blackblade Modular Rifle.
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster.
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer.
- SW-12 Jack-Knife
Explosive charges and mines:
- Detonation Pack
- Ion Satchel Charges
- 52-R high-yield thermite explosive
- Sapper Charge
- Pyro Denton Explosive
- Thorium Charge
- Devastator Multi-Purpose Mine.
- Plasma Drills.
- Fusioncutters
- Lifeform Scanner
- Hydrospanner.
- Computer Spikes
- Equipment to scan and clear mine fields. Chopping, measuring, defusing, cutting and digging tools. Construction equipment.
- Can set up turrets such as DF.9, Javelin and Balista defensive emplacements (obviously requires time, suitable terrain, power generators etc.).
- APE Boltgun Ammunition.
Zik'zarka was born here. Strict controls were put in place to keep his people down. His sister became a rebel insurgent and was killed in battle. Zik'zarka was one of the Kar'zun renegades who went rogue and fled into the mountains. The Eldorai pursued them, but lacked the means to wholly subjugate them. Some of the rogues tried to pursue a guerilla campaign against the occupiers. Zik'zarka was among them, but eventually their numbers were whittled down and they settled for trying to preserve their culture and their people. He only emerged fully when the Eldorai Star Queen Tirathana VII offered an amnesty.
The Queen emancipated the Kar'zun and allowed them to return to their ancestral homelands. However, many Eldorai still resented them, fearing that the stone people would rise again...even though they had been driven to the brink of extinction. To raise funds for himself and his clan and acquire much-needed tech, Zik'zarka and his comrades became mercenaries. They found employment with Firemane. He served several tours of duty with the Company, broadening his horizons as he saw worlds - and battlefields - beyond parochial Kaeshana.
Zik'zarka has a patient but long standing resentment of the Eldorai race. He will not willingly work with them, and will not obey orders from them. This reflects the typical mind set of members of the Disciples. Two other important figures in the group are Nak'vazan and Karn'azok. Nak'vazan is a very proficient demolitions expert and often commands teams of sappers. He used to fight against the Eldorai in a resistance group and is a good deal more pugnacious towards the elves than Zik'zarka. He has some minor Force-Sensitivity, but her connection is too weak for training. It mainly manifests in flashes of insight, weak extrasensory perception, and an affinity for machines.
Karn'azok is of an older generation and has been a member of the Disciples for a long time. Kar'zun are a conservative society and so vocations often remain in the family. So she inherited it from her ancestors, who built mighty fortresses and participated in the great campaign against the Eldorai. In her time the Disciples were disarmed and served as civil engineers, but tried to keep their old traditions alive. Gruff in personality, she can hold her own in combat, but excels at construction projects. Ironically, she helped build some of the military installations Firemane set up on Kaeshana and later Tygara. She acts as second in command of the Disciples.
Zik'zarka and the Disciples have aligned themselves with Firemane Industries and House Kerrigan-Alcori. The freedom and survival of their race is an important concern for the Disciples and they believe associating with Firemane can further these goals. Kar'zun are on average orderly, law-abiding people. They rarely act rashly and tend to be methodical in action. The Disciples get on well enough with their human employers, though they find some of their customs baffling. For instance, as a whole Kar'zun do not derive any enjoyment from coitus and thus only engage in it for the purpose of procreation. On the whole they are a stoic, but friendly lot, unless interacting with Eldorai. It is not a good idea to mess with their equipment though. Or touch it without permission. They are quite protective of it.
Rather than being frontline soldiers, the Disciples are organised as units of combat engineers. In that regard they are an ideal support unit and a useful addition to the Firemane's arsenal. They operate as part of the Firemane Corps of Military Engineers. They often work alongside other units that belong to the corps, but they are a self-reliant lot that can work independently. The Disciples send part of their remuneration back to their clans to support their people. In return for their services, Firemane provides the Kar'zun with resources and tech, as the stone people seek to build a future away from the influence of the Eldorai Matriarchy. This has helped the stone people set up small colonies. The Disciples strongly dislike the Eldorai and refuse to take orders from them. Most want to move on and build a better future for their people instead of pursuing vengeance, but this does not mean they have forgotten.
The Disciples are equipped with a variety of explosive charges, tools and construction equipment to perform their duties as combat engineers. Furthermore, they carry hand grenades, Bolters, Shotguns and sidearms. They are also armed with the modern variant of the Sarzmigar. This polearm was originally invented by the Kar'zun. After realising how cool it was, the Eldorai plagiarised the weapon and made their own version. The stone people have not forgiven this copyright infringement. They are, after all, a very lawful people and thus take such matters very seriously. Some former members of the group have returned home to their people and assumed important positions on the Arz'alor, the Kar'zun's worldship. Thus the Disciples' existence it also a way for Firemane to exert influence on the Kar'zun through the use of soft power.
It should be noted that their animus towards the Eldorai does not extend to the Tygaran elves. After all, they committed no wrongs against the Kar'zun - and often have their own reasons to dislike the often haughty Eldorai, many of whom have a tendency of treating their 'cousins' as inferiors. The Disciples have a decent working relationship with the Xioquo - those that are not overly murderous, at any rate. By Tygaran standards, the drows are extremely tech-savvy and thus they have shared interests. A number of Disciples have also formed a somewhat unusual friendship with the Vashyada.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Rare
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function:
Their primary combat function is that of a support unit. To be precise, they serve as combat engineers. This category of soldiers is also known as sappers, field engineers or pioneers. They perform a variety of construction and demolition tasks in a combat area. Their duties are not particularly glamorous, but essential for any campaign. After all, no army can prevail on manpower alone. Soldiers need tools, infrastructure, fortifications and people to build, maintain and move them.
There are a myriad obstacles that must be overcome on the battle - or be created to repulse enemy attack. Mine fields must be cleared or laid, entrenched fortifications built or undermined. Vehicles and equipment must be repaired. This is where the combat engineers come in. The Disciples are a small, but important component of Firemane's combat engineer corps. They act as force multipliers, thereby increasing the chances of allied troops to survive an engagement. Their duties in a combat zone including construction of trenches, roads, bridges, infrastructure, military fortifications, obstacles, setting up turrets, setting up prefabricated bases and so on. They can repair vehicles, machines and equipment. Moreover, they can create obstacles such as barbed wire, mine fields and other means of impeding an enemy assault.
At the same time, their skills as sappers allow them to breach enemy fortifications through use of demolitions, digging tunnels and so on. This makes them an ideal support unit for assaults on enemy strong points such as trenches and fortresses. Their skills as demolition experts also allow them to deny certain areas to the enemy, such as by laying mines or blowing up bridges. They can fulfil vital support duties in preparation for a major offensive, like constructing shelters and destroying obstacles that impede troop movements.
The Disciples are wholly composed of Kar'zun. These stone people are extremely tough, tech-savvy and have a natural affinity for engineering duties. In addition to their soldierly duties, they are also qualified to serve as civil engineers. This is particularly helpful when Firemane wishes to win the hearts and minds of a native population by improving their infrastructure through civil construction projects. The Disciples also have a strong esprit de corps, are very disciplined and hard to scare. This makes the unit very cohesive.
The Disciples are trained as infantrymen, enabling them to defend themselves. Their racial strengths make them potent in close quarters. However, they are not a frontline combat unit. Their duties lie in support, not in conducting a head-on charge. Being Kar'zun, they are very strong and tenacious, but lack mobility. Kar'zun grow stronger with age, but also slower and ponderous. This can put them at a notable disadvantage against light infantry. They also make obvious targets for snipers. Their large size also means that they take up more space in say a transport ship or armoured personnel carrier than say humans or members of a similarly sized species would. Furthermore, it makes them obvious targets for sharpshooters. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment.
The Disciples would be ill-suited as a rapid strike force or a similar unit that utilises hit and fade and attacks. By contrast, they would be an ideal backup for a more mobile unit that requires specialists to breach an enemy stronghold or, alternately, secure a position that the mobile infantry has seized. In the case of retreat, they would require support to cover them. It is pertinent to note that the Disciples bear a grudge against the Eldorai. This is not surprising because centuries ago the elves drove them to the brink of extinction. They are disciplined soldiers, so they will not attack or sabotage Eldorai on sight, unless they happen to be enemies. However, they will only work very grudgingly alongside elves, even if they are allied to Firemane. Cooperation would be extremely difficult in such a situation.
Strengths:
- The Disciples of the Stone are highly skilled sappers and combat engineers. They excel at demolitions, breaching fortifications, laying or clearing mine fields, preparing field defences, performing repairs and construction work. This allows them to undermine enemy fortifications and support or erect allied ones.
- The unit is composed of Kar'zun and thus has the typical strengths of their race. Kar'zun are literally walking rocks, which makes them incredibly strong, tough and resilient. This makes them particularly potent at close range. They also have formidable mental strength, being almost impossible to dominate with the Force. As a result, they resist mental attacks with ease.
- They are a support unit. They can defend themselves, but their roles lies in support of allies, not in frontline offence or defence. They are at a disadvantage against heavily armoured vehicles unless they have been able to prepare the battlefield by setting up turrets, laying land mines and so on. This is obviously not practical in direct combat. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment.
- They possess the typical weaknesses of their race. Kar'zun are slow and ponderous. In battle, an opponent can use this to their advantage, as more agile enemies can outmaneouvre them. Light infantry and infantry mounted on speeders could wear them down with hit and fade attacks. Their size also imposes limitations on how many of them can be deployed in say an APC or transport ship, as they take up more space than say a human. The Disciples are not well-suited for stealthy operations. Kar'zun are big and quite distinctive, after all.
The Kar'zuns are a silicon-based race of rock people who originated on Kaeshana along with the Eldorai. They are strong, tough and honourable, but also a wounded people. The rivalry between both races was fierce and they warred for centuries, before the Eldorai Queen Ariane the Great wrested victory from near-certain defeat and crushed the Kar'zun, after the Eldorai had been driven to the brink of defeat.
Relations were poisoned for centuries when she enacted a near-genocidal campaign and her successors forced the Kar'zun into reservations. Under the new, liberal regime of Queen Tirathana VII, the Kar'zun were emancipated and given territory of their own. However, purists on both sides refuse to forget old grudges. When an army of Kar'zun zealots, who had fled Kaeshana a long time ago, invaded the planet and tried to wreck it with an asteroid, the Kar'zun community on the planet sided with the Eldorai, gaining greater rights in return. During the Exodus, Firemane lobbied for the Kar'zun to be saved and was able to ensure that many of their people were evacuated, though some elected to stay.
Despite being allowed by the Star Queen to return to their ancestral homelands, a significant number elected to travel the stars. Ironically, their Eldorai foes would eventually follow in their footsteps by embracing a nomadic life style after the devastation of Kaeshana and the abandonment of Tygara. The Kar'zun's superior strength and durability makes tough, albeit very slow-moving warriors, which is why several have become mercenaries or bounty-hunters. They are almost impossible to mentally dominate through the Force, skilled artisans and weaponssmiths and very resistant to cold and heat.
It was only natural that they would make great warriors and engineers. Over time, a number of them ended up serving House Kerrigan-Alcori. The Granite Guard, a force of power armoured heavy infantry, is one example. The Disciples of the Stone are another one. Whereas the Granite Guard is a new unit that was created by Siobhan to give herself a cadre of loyal, dependable guards and heavy infantry, the Disciples have a long history. Indeed, they have been in existence for centuries. For more than two thousand years the Eldorai and Kar'zun warred for dominion over Kaeshana. It all began when the Kar'zun defeated the Eldorai Queen Aegina and sacked Santaissa. This caused the fractious Eldorai to unite under a single Queen, the first 'Star' Queen. Some gains were made by both sides, thousands fell, and technology improved.
For a while the Kar'zun held sway. They took advantage of internal strife among the Eldorai, who warred amongst themselves for the crown, to attempt to stake a claim to all of Kaeshana. Their King, Arz’alor, seemed unstoppable. The Disciples were right in the thick of things, helping the Kar'zun take fortress after fortress. In this time they developed a rivalry with the Cadalthors. This Eldorai noble house prided itself on its rigid commitment to orthodoxy and belief in the Eldorai's manifest destiny. It came to a fight at the Tyrus Pass. The Kar'zun were able to lure Lady Nassana Cadalthor, a fierce warlord, and her troops into a valley. Thereupon the Disciples set off demolitions on the mountainslides to cause a rock slide and block any escape. The battle was a massacre. Showing that her words were not hollow, Nassana shared the fate of her soldiers. Taking down several enemies, she tried to fight her way to the Kar'zun commander, but was slain. House Cadalthor declared Nassana a martyr and swore vengeance.
Finally, the tide turned, when Ariane Saedaris took control of the Eldorai and launched a holy war against the Kar'zun. The Kar'zun troops fought with ruthless skill, but in the end the Eldorai prevailed. The result of the Battle of Az’vakarz was a total defeat of the Kar’zun. Indeed, that name means Death Sorrow, and the King was slain in battle. At the climax of the battle, when fortune was turning against the Kar'zun, even support troops like the Disciples entered frontline combat. After the Kar'zun offensive was broken, the Disciples served as a rear guard. They fought valiantly, holding off superior Eldorai attacks to buy their comrades time and enable them to flee. They were able to inflict significant casualties on the enemy through use of artillery cannons, Sarzmigars, explosives and shotguns.
A detachment of the Disciples deliberately cut itself off from escape by blowing up a bridge in order to keep the Eldorai from pursuing their retreating comrades-in-arms and wounded. In doing so, they knowingly sacrificed themselves to save their battle brothers and sisters. Driven by religious fervour, the Eldorai showed no mercy to their hated foes. It is said that upon being cornered and ordered to submit to the Eldorai, the commander of the Disciples is said to have responded with the words: "The Disciples die and do not surrender". Thereupon the Disciples went down fighting to the last Kar'zun. Celestyne Cadalthor avenged the Battle of the Tyrus Pass by leading determined charge, supported by artillery, and put them to the sword.
The Kar'zun had been routed and the Eldorai were now indisputably the dominant race of Kaeshana. However, Ariane was not content. She wanted to completely crush them, no matter the cost. Tens of millions of Eldorai and Kar'zun would die in the bloody war. The Eldorai sacked Vak’zahr, the Kar'zun capital, killing any Kar'zun they could find. Remnants of the Disciples fought a rear guard action in the battle for the capital and for years afterwards. By the time the fighting had come to an end, the unit had been decimated. It took decades for the Eldorai to fully subjugate the Kar'zun. But their victory was a total one. The few surviving stone people were deported to reservations far away from their homelands. They were also disarmed. In a shocking near-genocide, the Kar'zun were driven to the brink of extinction. Ariane's daughter ended the slaughter, but they were not allowed to return to their ancestral habitats.
This time period represented a decline for the Disciples. Kar'zun were not allowed to bear arms. So in the time of submission they fulfilled a role as civil engineers. In that capacity they tried to help ensure the survival of their people by building up infrastructure - as far as that was possible in the alpine and tundra regions they had been banished to. Ironically, the Eldorai would also call upon their services. Some members of the unit deserted to join rebel groups or leave Kaeshana to become mercenaries. The Disciples tried to keep the old traditions and the memory of their race's past glory alive, preserving as much lore as possible to pass on to the next generation. Things changed for them in the last two decades, as more outsiders came to Kaeshana and more liberal voices rose among the Eldorai. Queen Tirathana VII emancipated them. Moreover, Firemane took an interest. A number of Kar'zun joined the corporation, seeking a chance to use their skills and escape the influence of the Eldorai.
When Kaeshana was devastated by a huge asteroid, Firemane lobbied for the Kar'zun to be given a place in the exodus fleet. As part of Siobhan's deal with the Kar'zun's elders, the Disciples would aid with construction projects related to the exodus fleet and the colonisation of Tygara. Thus a tentative partnership was born. The loyalty of the Kar'zun contrasted rather strongly with the deceit of many Eldorai aristocrats and religious militants.Targeted by Eldorai religious fanatics who believed a cleansing could avert the destruction of Kaeshana by appeasing Ashira, they were compelled to take up arms again. Although the Kar'zun were not supposed to perform military roles, they were soon drawn into combat.
When the Disciples of Stone were reconstituted as a military formation, Zik'zarka joined them and rose through the ranks to become their leader. Firemane utilised the Disciples in its Tygaran brush fire wars and later dispatched a contingent of Kar'zun engineers and warriors to Atrisia as part of its peacekeeping force in the aftermath of the Galactic Alliance's liberation of the world. There they participated in reconstruction work, helped provide humanitarian relief and security. A small detachment of them participated in the Battle of Kaeshana.
Following the Battle of Kaeshana, Lady Kerrigan made their unofficial role a formally recognised one. Tarissa Cadalthor, an Eldorai Duchess, had tried to seize the throne and instigate a purge of all non-Eldorai and 'unbelievers'. After her scheming was uncovered, Siobhan executed the noblewoman in front of the Eldorai Council of Nobles. She distrusted the Eldorai and decided not to indulge them anymore. This resulted in her arming her Tygaran sepoys with modern weapons and seeking closer ties to the Kar'zun clans. This caused discontent among several Eldorai nobles and clerics, but they needed her a lot more than she needed them. Indeed, it is likely that their protests only emboldened her. The stone people reaped the benefits.
In practice the Disciples had been armed for a while, but now their role was made official. They were put on retainer by Firemane. Their role was later formalised after negotiations between Lady Kerrigan and the Kar'zun elders. They would serve as part of Firemane's corps of military engineers. For a while the Disciples answered to foreign officers, but this was soon abolished because they worked better without humans or aliens trying to tell them what to do. As a result, all the officers in the unit are Kar'zun who have been drawn from and promoted in it. Today, the Disciples are still in Firemane's services. The stone people seek a home to settle on without the risk of interference from the Eldorai, where they can rebuild their civilisation and heal from the calamities of the past. Firemane has agreed to aid them in return for initial investment and tech.
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