Anya Venari
Star Queen Tirathana VII
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Add some flavour to the royalist Eldorai forces.
- Image Credit: Here. Only decent source link I get is the 40k lexicanum. Tineye gives me an invalid link and one that leads to Reddit. The image is an Eldar Dire Avenger from Warhammer 40k. According to a footnote on the page I linked, the image is from a 40k sourcebook. The soldiers in this submission would have a far less elaborate helmet than in the image though. Content of this post assisted by [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
- Role: Infantry.
- Links: Eldorai, Eldorai Exodus from Kaeshana, Four of a Kind.
- Unit Name: Sciiac Reserve Battalions.
- Affiliation: Eldorai Matriarchy, Star Queen Anya Venari, Vaena.
- Classification: Infantry.
- Stormtrooper armour (modern equivalent).
- A280 Blaster Rifle or T21.
- Flechette launcher.
- Mk2 bolter (replaces blaster rifle/light repeater).
- DC-17 hand blaster.
- Grenades, thermal detonators, det charges.
- MGL-1.
- Vibroblade
- Vibroknife.
- Availability: Uncommon
- Deployment: Minor
- Unit Experience: Trained
Strengths & Weaknesses: The Sciiac Reserve Battalions are composed of Force-Sensitive Eldorai. They are used to light infantry tactics, especially in an urban warfare scenarios. Their training emphasies disciplined fire over blazing away. They can be deployed in large numbers. In addition, they have received basic Force training in telekinesis, as well as fire and ice elemental abilities.
However, though Force-Sensitive, they have only been instructed in the basic uses of these powers. No member of the Reserve has a skill that goes beyond that of an initiate. More experienced Force-Users would surpass them in terms of raw power, skill and experience, forcing the Reservists to rely on numbers if they find themselves facing such opponents. Lacking strong defensive abilities, they cannot tank heavy attacks like more powerful Force warriors would be able to. They are brave in the field, but lack the experience of more seasoned soldiers.
Moreover, they are only equipped with relatively basic weapons and equipment. They lack heavy armour, powerful weapons or integrated heavy support. They are often given the unglamorous roles, such as clearing mine fields, garrison duty, scouting and conducting forlorn hope charges. More elite units such as the Angelii receive their pick when it comes to new gear, while the Reserves receive a lower priority rating. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment in form of air or artillery strikes. The same applies to formations of heavy armour such as tanks, especially in open terrain. To be at their most effective, they will require support. For obvious reasons, they do not carry lightsabres, but are also barred from using the Sarix, the energy sword used by the Angelii. They wear the equivalent of modern stormtrooper armour. This is good against blasters, slugthrowers and small arms fire, but leaves them vulnerable to heavy weapons, powerful explosions and lightsabres.
Description:
One of the few advantages the Eldorai have over humans, aside from their longer life span, is the fact that a higher proportion of their population are Force-Sensitive. In most cases, this manifests in empathic or persuasive abilities or blind luck. However, a select number have a stronger connection to the Force and can actively harness it. The best Force warriors are recruited by the Angelii, the royal guard corps. Due to the Eldorai's misandrist beliefs, this corps is composed solely of women. But the Angelii are not the only unit of Force warriors at the disposal of the Matriarchy. The Sciiac Reserve Battalions are another. Less elite, less glamorous, less powerful and less well-paid than the Angelii, they provide a larger pool of warriors.
Sciia is the Eldorai word for both the Force and the soul. Those who are able to harness the Force are referred to as Sciians. The religious among the Eldorai believe that Sciians have been blessed by the Great Goddess Ashira. Their gift allows them to tap into their inner flame and use it to shape the world around them. Under Eldorai law, all Force-Users must receive training to control their powers. While those who are not conscripted by the Angelii are free to live their lives, they are lightly monitored and must participate in exercises on a regular basis to hone their skills. They remain on call in case of emergency. This is the pool of recruits the Reserve Battalions draw their members from. In addition, they include regular soldiers who have a Force connection but were not recruited by the Angelii and former Angelii. In contrast to the royal guard corps, they let men in. This is one of the reasons conservative Eldorai look down on them.
While the Sciiac Reservists have been around in one form or another for centuries, they were often neglected by the Matriarchy. Traditionalist Angelii regard them as inferior and officer postings to the Reserves are unpopular due to being regarded as less prestigious. In spite of this, individual units have often served bravely, but their accomplishments were dismissed. Every Eldorai schoolgirl has heard the story of how at the pass of Thermiscyra, a host of 100 Angelii faced a numerically superior Kar'zun army. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the Angelii fought until they were annihilated. They went down in history as martyrs and heroines of the Eldorai Matriarchy. However, only a few Eldorai know the story of the 3rd Lakaen Provincial Auxilaries.
Raised as emergency units during the desperate war, this unit contained male and female Eldorai Force Users drafted in to aid the army. Though despised and patronised as 'ameteurs' and 'too soft' this unit among others distinguished themselves in action. Often set the most dangerous tasks, the 3rd Lakaen Provincial was set to guard an important bridge, but not one where the enemy was expected to come. However, intelligence was wrong, and the 450 strong battalion found itself facing an entire legion of Kar'zun warriors with artillery and walkers in support. The unit stubbornly held the bridge and then destroyed it rather than let it be captured. Their stubborn defence allowed reinforcements to move and blunt a dangerous counterattack. Unfortunately, the unit paid the price for their valour, with only 98 survivors of the unit fit for duty by the end. This victory, though touted at the time, was soon overlooked because of the victory in the war and the Eldorai rulers shuffled the story into the background. After all, if male Eldorai could fight so well...why were they denied access to the Angelii? It was decided that this was not a question that would need answering, though their descendants would pay the price for this obstinacy.
Recently, the Eldorai Matriarchy's leadership decided to take more of an interest in the unloved Reserves. The reasoning for this is not hard to find. Officially the Angelii were the best of the best, the wrathful holy warriors of Ashira who defended the Star Queen and smote the enemies of the Matriarchy. However, attrition had taken its toll on the corps. Moreover, several Angelii had supported the pretensions of pretenders to the throne or defected to renegade groups such as the Shadow Knights. While the loyalist corps remained potent, it became clear that placing all your eggs in one basket was folly.
Moreover, the Matriarchy was in dire straits. First the Eldorai had been forced to flee Kaeshana to escape its cataclysmic destruction. Then not so long after, they had abandoned Tygara and sought refuge on foreign arkships. If the Matriarchy wanted to survive in any meaningful way instead of collapsing or being consigned to vassalage to its Firemane patrons, it needed to get its act together - and fast. Thus despite staunch opposition from traditionalists in the nobility and the military, Star Queen Tirathana VII decided to make the reservists a more permanent institution. Vaena Cadalthor, herself a former Angelii, and Grand Seraph Aeda Shaytari were put in charge of a commission charged with reviewing the state of the forces and suggesting improvements. As it turned out when Lady Cadalthor carried out an inspection, many of the units were still using outdated Staser weapons that had been phased out by the Angelii and the regular army ages ago. To attract recruits and improve the force's capabilities, the soldiers received better gear and improved pay. Moreover, they were placed under a unified command instead of being ad hoc formations. Henceforth, they would be collectively known as the Sciiac Reserve Battalions. It was hoped that this move would raise morale.
These reforms improved their efficacy, but obviously had their limitations. The Reserves were supposed to provide a pool of reservists that could be easily mobilised in emergencies. This prohibited the becoming an elite force. After all, high-level Force-Users cannot be produced and trained en masse, since it takes a lot of training and dedication to get anywhere. Particularly strong Force-Users are inevitably drawn to more exclusive units. Retired Angelii were enticed to serve as instructors, but many preferred their own corps. The fact that two of their own helped reorganise the Reserves has not changed that.
Given basic training and equipment, the Sciiac Reserves are often assigned unglamorous tasks such as forlorn hope charges, scouting, patrol duty and clearing mine fields. While equipped with weapons to defend themselves, the Sciiac Reservists do not possess the same training as elite soldiers. The same applies to their Force skills. Though Force-Sensitive, they have only been taught basic applications of telekinesis and elemental abilities.
Pending secondary approva
