OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Eldorai exodites and the repercussions of Kaeshana's destruction.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Strike force.
Permission: Can use Firemane tech because I own the company. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here.
Links: Eldorai, Kaeshana, Kar'zun, To Hell and Back, Kaida.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: The Hellbreakers.
Affiliation: Themselves, Morwen, Shadow Knights.
Classification: Infantry.
Equipment:
Armour:
Rifles:
- Boltgun
- A280
- D-212 Particle Beam Rifle
- T-21 Light Repeating Blaster
- Reaper Shotgun
- Magnetic Repeater
- Verpine Shatter Rifle
- Outland Rifle (with scope)
- DXR-6
- Renegade Blaster Pistol
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Verpine Shattergun
- Sonic Disruptor
- Magnetic Revolver
- MSD-32
- SH-9
- Sonic Stunner
Support:
Transports:
Misc:
- APEB Rounds
- Grenades
- Dur-24 Wrist Laser
- Flame Projector
- Wrist Bolter
- MM-40 Thermal Charges, Detonite Breaching Charges.
All have one thing in common: they were on Kaeshana when the aftershocks of the Netherworld Event dragged it into the Nether and kept it there for a century, before expelling it. What they endured in the warp has left its mark on them. They are a tight-knit group of militant survivalists bound by their common experiences in hell. Fiercely independent, they are distrustful of outsiders - and not fond of most Eldorai. A number of them are more than a little unhinged. Hardened by their experiences, they are very bitter and angry with the world.
The Nether has taught them that they can only rely on themselves. They excel at surviving in harsh environments, scavenging and making the most out of scarce resources. They are fierce in combat, excelling at raids and rapid strikes. Their time in the Nether has given them a connection of sorts to the realm of the dead. This manifests in them having an easier time finding their way in the warp should they end up there again for this or that reason. However, they are also haunted by dreams of their time in the Netherworld. The struggle for survival forced the Eldorai give up many old beliefs since they were no longer practical. For instance, the Hellbreakers allow Eldorai males and Kar'zun to join. They chose to do this more for reasons of practicality than epiphany, but have come to embrace these new liberal views as a way to scorn the Eldorai conservatives who look down on them. After all, their supposed betters did not lift a finger to save them. They are very hostile to the Eldorai old guard.
Most of the Hellbreakers are Non-Force-Users. A small number of them are Force Dead or Force-Users. The latter are the smallest group. Being trapped in the warp for so long has had a peculiar effect on them. Some who used to be Force-Sensitive were turned Force Dead or simply lost their Force connection, others who had once been as Force-Sensitive as a plank are now able to touch the Force. For Eldorai, Sciia is not just their word for Force powers, but also for soul. The religiously inclined consider it a gift from the Great Goddess Ashira. This makes those among the Hellbreakers who are now voids in the Force outcasts in mainstream Eldorai society. An Eldorai fringe sect called the Emissaries of Illyria, who worship the Goddess of the Underworld, has tried to get the Force Dead Hellbreakers to join them due to this. The Emissaries regard the Force Dead as blessed, believing that they are immune to the manipulations of the spirits. However, the Hellbreakers are a rather tight-knit group and many are sceptical of the church, viewing it as divisive or manipulative.
Their warp experiences and the need to be self-reliant have toughened the Hellbreakers up. Their Eldorai members are stronger and more physically durable than the average members of their species, being equal to physically tough humans. The Kar'zun are a minority in the group, but extremely strong and tenacious. The group is bound by a strong bond. Vigils are held to remember those who did not make it out the warp and were forever lost in the void. They have taken to raiding to get what they need. The Hellbreakers have somewhat 'liberal' views on private property. This is an euphemistic way of saying that they have a tendency to loot.
Morwen, a deserted Angelii and former Dark Eldorai terrorist, is the leader of the group. She happened to be on Kaeshana, fighting a partisan war against the First Order, when the planet went to hell. There she and what was left of her terrorist cell banded together with a group of survivors. They were the nucleus of the Hellbreakers. While Morwen is their commander, she leads by example more than formal military protocol. Many Hellbreakers are irregulars, after all. They respect her, but that is because she has proved herself worthy of leading. Morwen is staunchly opposed to both foreign imperialists and the Eldorai old guard. Indeed, she has anarchist beliefs, which has also caused her to clash with the Shadow Knight high command.
Morwen is an Illyrian, but does not care much for churches and large religious groups. Her faith takes a backseat to her political convictions. A Kar'zun called acts Mrak’vhar as her second in command. He is a solid, stoic warrior, but resolute and capable. His clan belonged to the Kar'zun who stayed behind on post-apocalyptic Kaeshana, reclaiming the old habitat of their people. They weathered the First Order occupation by residing in the remote mountains. When Kaeshana went to hell, they found themselves assailed by beasts. Mrak’vhar took over after the chieftain perished. He sometimes calls Morwen 'little elf' in an affectionately teasing way.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: The Hellbreakers are a force of irregulars and militant survivalists who have been brought together by their shared struggle for survival in the hellish wastelands of Kaeshana. They excel at survival in hostile environments, ambushes and raids. The Hellbreakers are used to getting by on scarce resources and can make do with very little. They are pretty good with improvised weapons. They survived hell together, so they have a strong bond. However, they lack integrated heavy support, which is problematic if they find themselves engaged in combat with heavy formations in an open field. Their experiences in hell have made the Hellbreakers prudent. They act with planning and deliberation, instead of death charging. Resources and ammunition were scarce on Kaeshana, so they empathise good marksmanship over blazing away.
Most of the Hellbreakers are Non-Force-Users. But their time in hell has toughened them up and sharpened their minds, as they faced manifold illusions, ghosts and so on. Thus they are very resistant to mental manipulation, psychic attacks and so on. Some members of the group are Force Dead, and thus cannot be sensed in the Force or affected by most direct Force powers. A select few of the Hellbreakers are Force-Users.
Of the three categories, this is the smallest. Their Force skills reflect what was needed to survive in the warp. They are very skilled in Force Stealth, especially in hiding their Force powers. This was crucial since they encountered mutated beasts that had adapted to hunting Force-users, so it was great to the ability to hide from them. In addition, they are very skilled in Animal Friendship, Force Horror and Force Scream. They can use the Force for the purpose of physical augmentation to boost their body's capabilities, accelerate their healing and enter hibernation trances. Most of the Hellbreakers are Eldorai, but they also have some Kar'zun. The Kar'zun are extremely strong and tough, as they are essentially walking rocks. This makes them ideal for melee combat and use of heavy weapons. As a tradeoff, they are slow and lack agility. Being an unusual type of people, Kar'zun are almost impossible to mentally dominate and resist mental attacks with ease.
Strengths:
- Some of the Hellbreakers are Force Dead. Thus they are completely void within the Force, cannot be sensed in it and possess an immunity to direct Force powers comparable to that of Yuuzhan Vong and their biots. The mix of Force-Users, Force Dead and Non-Force-Users makes the unit very versatile, though most members belong to the last category. Their Force-Users have a solid repertoire of powers.
- Elite soldiers. Courage, tenacity and skill are common characteristics of the Harrowed. Mix of Eldorai and Kar'zun makes them adept at using combined arms tactics.
- The Force Dead members of the group are completely void within the Force. While a great benefit, it does have the normal associated downfalls in that they cannot be aided by the Force either. Beneficial techniques such as Battle Meditation, Force Meld and Force Healing will not work on them. Additionally they are not immune to Force Lightning or Force Net, and can be indirectly affected by the Force.
- No heavy vehicles or support forces. Being infantry they are vulnerable to long range bombardment such as air and artillery strikes.
The fate of Kaeshana has not been a kind one. In the old days, it was the homeworld of the Eldorai Matriarchy. Until recently, the Eldorai were convinced that they were the sole form of intelligence life in the Galaxy. Regarding themselves as children of the Great Goddess Ashira, they arrogantly believed they were superior to other races. Because they were a superior race, the Eldorai maintained they did not need innovation or to learn from others. This turned out to be a colossal folly. Slave raids, foreign incursion and the desolation of Kaeshana disproved these notions, revealing them to be tremendous hubris. When the majority of the Eldorai fled from Kaeshana in a huge exodus to escape the planet's destruction, they depended on the support of Firemane, a human corporation. Several Eldorai began to doubt the Goddess, believing she had abandoned her children. Finally, the planet came under the control of the First Order after a devastating battle was fought on its surface.
The end of Kaeshana came to pass as the result of aftershocks of the Netherworld Event. The Netherworld's shockwaves had yet to fully conclude, and so strange and nightmarish things could still occur. Kaeshana was dragged through the Nether, only to be expelled on the other side of the Galaxy. There had been time to evacuate, so any soldiers or civilians in a position to flee would do so. The planet returned seemingly at the same time as it had vanished. But it was in a greatly weathered, aged state, as if a century had passed in the warp. It had been near scoured of life.
The already ruined planet was turned into an inhospitable, tainted tomb world. It became a hellscape. Some Eldorai had not made it off the planet in time and as a result had been trapped in the warp. What they experienced there left its mark on them. Many Eldorai perished, or were driven insane. Some of the ghosts that lingered were so traumatised by what they had endured that they clung to memories of happier times. Their make believe was so strong that they convinced themselves that they were living a normal life, back when everything had been fine under Tirathana VI. Exposure to the warp caused the flora and fauna to mutate. Animals were turned into ravenous, hyper-aggressive beasts. Ironically, out of everyone on the planet, the Kar'zun did best, since there were enough rocks to eat.
Over time survivors banded together into gangs and survivalist groups. The Hellbreakers are one of these groups. They were founded by a Dark Eldorai insurgent who went by the name Morwen, which is the Eldarai word for Maiden. The name is very ironic, but it has stuck. Morwen was born into a family of poor peasants. Her family kept her powers secret, but she was discovered and conscripted by the Angelii.
Morwen resented the harsh discipline and unquestioning obedience the corps demanded. She perceived it as indoctrination. Moreover, she came to despise the monarchy, believing that she and her fellow soldiers were fighting wars to line the pockets of the aristos and the Matriarchy's human backers instead of serving the people. Thus radicalised, she turned to terrorism and joined the Dark Eldorai insurgents. When Kaeshana was destroyed, she was one of the Forsaken. She fought warlords, foreign raiders and later the First Order.
Though she joined the Shadow Knights, she remained very independent-mined and even deserted the group for a while to right wrongs on her own terms. When the Eldorai homeworld went to hell, Morwen was present on the planet, for she had been fighting its First Order occupiers. When the planet was dragged into the warp, she and the surviving members of her rebel cell had to survive in a twisted hellscape. Exposure to the Nether energies had repercussions for Morwen. Her Force connection was impaired and then severed entirely, forcing her to rely on her mundane skills to survive.
However, she proved herself a capable survivalist. She and her group banded together with scattered parties of survivors in order to endure. They faced many hazards, for they were not only menaced by spirits and the twisted beasts of the Nether, but also by other Eldorai groups. Many Eldorai had lost faith in Ashira, but radical fundamentalists cling to the belief that they could reclaim the Goddess' favour and ascend to heaven by purifying Kaeshana of all infidels. The Hellbreakers also clashed with the Sicarii, a sect of Illyrian assassins led by Raekana, though they were eventually able to find a modus vivendi by staying out of each others' turf.
Eventually Kaeshana was pulled out of the Netherworld. However, the planet was still a broken tomb world. Moreover, it had been emerged on the other side of the Galaxy, far away from its original location in space. In hell the survivors did not have to worry about sustenance, but this became an issue now. The Hellbreakers had to hunt, forage and raid in order to survive. They made their home in some ruins near what had once been Santaissa. However, the planet's sudden shift had not gone unnoticed. The Shadow Knights dispatched a small task force to investigate what had happened and look for survivors. It was led by Kaida Taldir, an Angelii defector who had once been Morwen's superior.
After discovering life signs, Kaida decided to land on the planet. However, a disruption field caused the group's ship to crash. They survived, but they were grounded. While fighting beasts, the Shadow Knights ran into Morwen and her group. The two did not get along. Their abandonment had left the Hellbreakers bitter and suspicious. However, both groups eventually decided to join forces in order to get off the planet. A Shadow Knight scientist who had accompanied the expedition came up with a way to take down the disruption field. This required passing through an anomaly that had been created by the Netherworld.
Morwen had her people alert the other camps and once they were ready the two groups began their trek towards Santaissa. On the way they battled Ashiran fundamentalists, who charged them with reckless abandon. Morwen personally took down one of the crusaders' leaders. After overcoming this foe, they came across the Harrowed, a rag-tag group of militant (and somewhat crazy) Eldorai and Kar'zun. Unlike the Hellbreakers, their leader was an ancient Kar'zun who had been awakened by the cataclysm. After taking out a horde of beasts, both groups set off to the anomaly. Despite or perhaps because being somewhat crazy, the elder Kar'zun possessed strange insights.
The anomaly had already been found by the Sicarii, who were investigating it. However, due to its peculiar nature, they were unable to breach it alone. A Force-Sensitive person, a Force Dead and a Non-Force-User had to pass through the three respective layers of the barrier. This forced the disparate groups to work together. Eventually they were able to take down the disruption field. The Shadow Knights sent evacuation ships and the rag-tag bands of survivors left Kaeshana for good.
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