Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Order of Fire.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Force support unit.
Links: Firemane.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Hearthguard.
Affiliation: House Kerrigan-Alcori, Order of Fire, Siobhan, Firemane.
Classification: Force Infantry.
Equipment: Firemane obtained a supply contract that allows it to use Fire for Effect gear here.
Armour:
Melee Weapons:
Sidearms:
- Magnetic Revolver
- Sonic Disruptor
- Sonic Wave Pistol
- Holdout Bolter
- Renegade Model 557 (permission here)
- RSIC-11 "Suncrusher" Blaster Pistol (permission here).
- Force Focusing Visor
- Paragon-class Personal Energy Shield (request here, permission here)
- Sky-Strike Jetpack (request here, permission here).
- Seraph Battle Shield
- Grenades
- Combat De-Ionizer.
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster (Wrist variant, purchase request here, approved here).
- ACS-207 Cryoban Gun (Wrist variant, storefront request here, permission here)
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer (storefront request here, permission here)
- ACS-208 Wrist Charric (request here, permission here).
The Order of Fire is a grey Force order and thus does not follow the teachings of Jedi or Sith. It treats the Force as a source of strength, honour and victory rather than as an entity that controls their destinies and is divided into two sides. This mentality is reflected in the training and rather martial approach of the Hearthguard. They are soldiers and expected to comport themselves accordingly. As a result, the group is run according to military style discipline.
As is the case with many Order of Fire formations, the Hearthguards have a dual ranking system. Thus every member has an Order rank and a military rank. This makes things transparent and also means that a Force-user cannot override a higher-ranking NFU simply because they have Force powers. A number of Hearthguards have been personally tutored by Siobhan Kerrigan. Her training methods empathise strength, resilience and decisive action rather than contemplation. It does not produce philosophers, but strong fighters. Trainees can expect at least one duel per day. They are also pitted against Masters from other branches of the order. This keeps them on their toes and forces them to be prepared to face Force-users who might have a more exotic skill set.
The Hearthguards are issued robes, but these are rarely worn in the Order of Fire outside of ceremonial occasions. Outside of combat a Hearthguard tends to wear a olive green Firemane uniform with the Order of Fire symbol on their chest. This is standard for members of the Order. They don Phrik battle armour for battle. This gives them good protection against blasters, slugthrowers and lightsabres.
Moreover, they carry lightsabres. The Order of Fire is not as determined to regulate the aesthetic choices of its members as some other groups, but typical lightsabre crystal colours are yellow, orange or purple. Purple is Siobhan's colour of choice. This is partly because it is a royal colour, but also because it is what you get when you blend blue and red, the colours of Jedi and Sith.
Lightsabres are not universal in the Order of Fire, but every Hearthguard is expected to build their own and become very skilled in its use. Acquiring a suitable crystal and building a lightsabre is still treated as a rite of passage of sorts. A good number of Hearthguards have foregone more traditional lightsabres in favour of lightsabre-pikes. These weapons resemble a polearm and give their user greater reach. This can give them an edge in combat and fits their defensive focus.
They receive basic training in the five classical forms of lightsabre combat, but focus on Form III. This maximises their ability to protect themselves and their allies against blaster fire salvoes. It also makes them good at defence in melee. This is in keeping with their support role. Aside from a lightsabre and shield, each member of the unit carries a sidearm, some grenades, a combat knife and a selection of wrist-mounted weapons. Holdout bolters are a common backup weapon.
The Captain of the Hearthguard is a human female called Lucilla Calasa. Lucilla is a former Republic soldier and a friend of Leonina. The Cathar Force Master helped facilitate her entrance into Firemane and its Force using branch. Lucilla was awarded Firemane's most prestigious medal for saving the life of Siobhan during a Kraal ambush. She is known for her discipline and extremely tenacious nature, though this can translate into being overly stubborn. She has a neutral Force alignment and regards herself as a soldier rather than a space mystic. She is extremely skilled in telekinesis, defensive buffs and Soresu.
Cross-training with other Order of Fire units and regular Firemane army formations is common. Though strong on its own, the Order does not operate in a vacuum. Its adepts will usually be deployed in concert with army units composed of Non-Force-Users. Thus it is important that a Hearthguard is familiar with military protocol, tactics and so on. In contrast to some of the Order's more exotic units of Force adepts, the Hearthguards focus more on the Core Powers. However, they are thoroughly trained in them.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: The Hearthguard serves a tactical purpose comparable to that of Jedi Consulars and, more specifically, Jedi Sages. However, they tend to be grey Force-users. In terms of powers, they have similar abilities to Siobhan, though they are obviously far less powerful. Each Hearthguard has a strong Force connection. They are powerful telekinetic combatants, able to call upon the energies of the Force to smash, choke, push, throw or crush their enemies and summon barriers to protect themselves and their allies from harm.
Their ability to summon blasts of kinetic energy is useful for crowd control and keeping enemies at bay. They can enter a Force Meld to boost unit effectiveness by drawing strength from one another. It also enhances unit coordination. They are good at shielding their minds from mental attacks and can use standard enhancement powers to boost their physical capabilities and control their pain. Force Stasis, Force Resistance and Tutaminis are also part of their repertoire.
Moreover, they are trained in lightsabre combat. To be precise, they specialise in Form III, also known as Soresu. This is a defensive style that is specifically designed to deflect and reflect blaster fire. They have proved to be very effective at reflection, culling enemy numbers and shielding allies from blaster salvoes. Moreover, it makes them good at defence in melee.Their armour is made of Phrik to provide resistance to lightsabres. They can use battle shields to augment their defensive capabilities. Shields can also be used to bash opponents. Instead of traditional lightsabres, the Hearthguard favours Crossguard Lightsabres or Lightsabre-Pikes. The former are particularly handy since they provide better hand protection and give more options on the offensive. They are good at blending their martial skill with their Force abilities.
However, their duelling skills are focused on defence, which can be a disadvantage in combat. One of the weaknesses of Soresu is that it is difficult to go on the offensive until an opponent has made a mistake or tired themselves out. If that does not happen, a Soresu practitioner is at risk of tiring out themselves. They can use their battle shields to form a shield wall, but this is also slows them down and can leave them vulnerable to long range bombardment, such as via artillery and so on.
There are also a variety of ranged weapons that fire projectiles which cannot be deflected by lightsabres or only with great difficulty. Examples would be Bolters, Shotguns, Shatterguns, Sonic Weapons and Charrics. The Hearthguards are familiar with these weapons and common anti-Force-user tactics due to cross-training with Firemane regulars, who often make use o them. However, this is still something they will have to watch out for.
The Hearthguard are not well-suited for stealth. They wear distinctive armour, focus on hard-hitting powers and are often deployed to draw and block enemy fire. As a result, they are quite obvious targets to shoot at. Their barriers are potent, but even the strongest will crack when you hit it with enough ordinance. They forego conventional long range weapons or heavy weapons such as rotary cannons and anti-tank missile launchers. They rely on the Force to provide heavy firepower and will need aid from more conventionally equipped troops in larger engagements.
Strengths:
- Powerful support unit, with a particular aptitude for telekinesis, protection and defence. Equipped with Phrik armour.
- Highly skilled in Soresu. They are strong defensive fighters.
- They forego heavy or long range weapons. Thus if they want to affect enemies at long range, they require use of the Force. Snipers are an issue. The same applies to tanks and the like. Lack support forces.
- Poor at stealth and thus not suited for assignments that require subterfuge. They are not assassins or special forces operators.
- Soresu is weak on the offence, relying on outlasting an opponent until he grows fatigued or makes a tactical mistake. This runs the risk of tiring the Soresu practitioner instead.
The Order of Fire is first and foremost a martial order. Above all its members as soldiers, who draw upon the Force as a tool to prevail over their enemies. They draw inspiration from a variety of sources such as the Imperial Knights, the Angelii and the integrated force model implemented by Omega Pyre during its glory days. Siobhan Kerrigan was heavily influenced by her experiences in Omega Pyre; an organisation she served in as a field officer and later commanded. Rather than robes, she wore battle armour and instead of purely relying on a lightsabre and Force powers she also used a rifle. She fought alongside common soldiers, learned to use military tactics and had superiors to answer to. This was a model she applied to the Order of Fire after its foundation.
Their lightsabres would be weapons they utilised to smite enemies in battle. They would avoid the cognitive dissonance of regarding themselves as 'keepers of the peace, not soldiers', yet being forced to fight in wars. To them the Force would be a source of strength, honour and victory. They would be e expected to act in accordance with the orders of their superiors and further the interests of House Kerrigan-Alcori, the ruling family of Firemane Industries. In that regard the Order of Fire was intended to have more in common with a military unit than a religious order. Though initially very small in scope, over time the Order evolved into a potent weapon in Firemane's arsenal.
Not all Order members performed military roles. The group had healers, archivists, spies, investigators and so on. However, most of its people became soldiers. This led to the creation of a variety of military units that performed specific roles on the battlefield. These included shock troopers, stealthy snipers and assassins, elementalists and Force suppression specialists. The Hearthguard came into being to fill an important nice within the Order. Rather than take the fight directly to the enemy like say the Excubitors or the Fireguard, these warriors would be defensive specialists. In addition, they would use their Force powers to bombard and shatter ranks of enemies. For this reason, they specialised in telekinesis. The creation and early training of the unit was overseen by Siobhan Kerrigan herself.
Some of the Hearthguards had already received Force training from other sources. These tended to be Grey Jedi, Dark Jedi or Pyre veterans who had found their way to Firemane. A select few were Eldorai who had rejected the Eldorai Matriarchy but did not wish to join one of the many myriad Eldorai rebel groups such as the Shadow Knights. Others were regular soldiers in Firemane's army whose Force-Sensitivity had manifested during their service.
Regardless of their backgrounds, they were inducted into the group. The training they had to undergo was extremely rigorous. Siobhan was a sink or swim mentor who pushed her pupils hard. Eventually supervision of the programme was passed on to other teachers, as Siobhan had other duties as leader of Firemane and commander of its armed forces. Leonina Varkathras, the highest-ranking officer in the Order after Siobhan, was also involved. She schooled them in lightsabre combat and protective abilities. Apart from crossguard lightsabres, the Heartguards adopted lightsabre-pikes and cortosis battle shields.
The Hearthguard proved itself when its members saved the life of their lady. Shortly before the Incursion Event, Siobhan suffered a stroke. It was the result of a heart condition brought about by stress as well as the many injuries and physical trauma her body had sustained. Her doctors were able to save her life, but she suffered from partial amnesia and was crippled. She was eventually able to recover and resume her duties as Firemane's leader, but her connection to the Force was impaired. Naturally she was not the type to take it easy, and so she threw herself into work, determined to prove to everyone that she was in control.
Alas, she was no longer able to single-handedly wreck large numbers of foes on her own or throw a tank with her mind. Thus a small cadre of Hearthguard accompanied Siobhan when she went on a fairly standard inspection to a mining world Firemane had recently started operating on. Inevitably, it turned out to be anything but a boring tour. Siobhan and her party were ambushed by a force of Kraal warriors. The lizardmen were strong, ferocious and cunning. They also had shamans in their party, who called upon the power of the Dark Side to smite their foes.
Faced with an opponent she was unable to fight herself, Siobhan could only direct and instruct. Her body was frail, so she had to rely on her acolytes. However, the Hearthguards rose to the occasion. They formed a shield wall around their mistress and defended her. Their shields and lightsabres deflected blaster bolts and they hammered the enemy with telekinetic waves. Their sabres met the greatswords and axes of their foes.
The line threatened to break when the shamans were able to pierce their Force meld and hammered them with mental attacks and illusions, but the Hearthguards rallied. Eventually both sides were worn down by the constant fighting, having depleted most of their energy and ammunition. Only a few Heartguards were left. This left the battle at an impasse. Impressed by their dedication and combat prowess, the Kraal War Chieftain agreed to depart after a duel to the death between two champions.
Lucilla Calasa, Captain of the Hearthguard, accepted his challenge and faced him. She prevailed, but only after being merely wounded. However, the Kraal were good to their word and withdrew. But the Rogue Sith Master became enraged and ordered them to resume their attack. Unfortunately for him, the Kraal take oaths very seriously and so the Chieftain struck him down. After presenting his head to Captain Calasa, they left.
Siobhan was able to safely return to Firemane headquarters. She was incredibly vexed about being forced to rely on others for protection, but the Hearthguards had earned her favour and received commendations and the honorary title Shield of the Phoenix. Lucilla was awarded the Galactic Cross, the most prestigious Firemane medal. She has gone on to lead to the Hearthguard in many battles. Ultimately Siobhan was able to regain her old strength with the help of Tylania and Chesna, Paragons of the Vashyada and Eldorai respectively.
