Renegade Rodian
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a rentable unit to allies and customers of the Helix Syndicate.
- Image: Skeleton With Trumpet by BeeMountainGraphics
- Links: [Clelon of Pol’Zum] [Enforcers] [Shock Troopers] [Clan Sharmat]
- Unit Name: Hell’s Heralds
- Affiliation: Helix Syndicate / Closed-Market
- Classification: Mercenary Regiment
- Equipment: [Link to Armory]
- Deployment: Mass
- Availability: Unique
- [Strength] Mercenary Veterans - The Shock Troopers and Rally Masters chosen to serve in the Heralds are top of their class. This is no band of green mercenaries with shiny equipment: these are hardened veterans who have seen more than their fair share of combat.
- [Strength] Strong Leaders - Not everyone in Hell’s Heralds is a Mandalorian. But the Clan Sharmat Rally Masters implanted in the unit do wonder for morale, whipping men into frenzies and inspiring them to great feats on the battlefield. The Shock Troopers in this unit are ferociously loyal to their commanders and will fight with the fury of devils so long as they’re around.
- [Weakness] Greed - To the victors go to the spoils, but Hell’s Heralds have something of a looting problem. They love to pillage, and frequently this desire for spoils means they’ll waste time picking over corpses for spare change. If there is a delay between the Heralds receiving orders and executing them, it’s probably because they found something shiny. If they take too long getting somewhere, it’s because they’ve weighed themselves down with loot.
- [Weakness] Followers - Virtually all discipline in the unit is maintained by the Rally Masters. If they sense that things are not going in their favor, they have no qualms with fleeing. If the Rally Masters are captured, killed, or routed, the rest of the unit will follow suit… In predictable disarray.
Of the many regiments of Shock Troopers employed by the Helix Syndicate, Hell’s Heralds are the most infamous. The most decorated Shock Troopers typically find themselves in this regiment, serving under what essentially amounts to an officer caste - one entirely comprised of cutthroat Mandalorian veterans from the despicable Clan Sharmat. It is a peculiar combination, and it also happens to be a rather effective one.
On one level there are the soldiers of fortune. Mercenaries, essentially, but those who have distinguished themselves for one reason or another, be it combat prowess, cunning, or sheer experience. Shock Troopers in this regiment did their fair share of fighting long before joining the Syndicate’s ranks. Then after joining the Syndicate they distinguished themselves some more. There’s no shortage of hostile cartels and criminal outfits still trying to eke out a living in defiance of the Helix Syndicate’s superiority in the region. Some just happen to be more well armed than others. To deal with the better equipped of these resistors, the Syndicate sends in Shock Troopers. The ones who come back from these engagements are often given bonuses. The ones who come back from the most inevitably find themselves shuffled into the Hell’s Heralds.
Provided they survive their three year contract, they can look forward to a reasonable retirement and opportunities for a more relaxed position in the Helix Syndicate. Or they could renew for another term for even greater benefits, compounding after each renewal.
Above the Shock Troopers are the Rally Masters of Clan Sharmat. Clan Sharmat is a crude mixture of Mandalorian discipline and love of battle, coupled with the extreme ruthlessness of Echoy’la’s prison culture. For the officer ranks of Hell’s Heralds, other mercenaries wouldn’t do. A more brutal and irascible Clan has yet to emerge from the former prison colony. Obtaining glory in battle can only quell a Mandalorian for so long until they start thinking about cash instead. The distinguished Rally Masters looking for some supplemental income end up recruited by the Helix Syndicate to work for them in a more direct manner. Clan Sharmat’s Rally Masters are ferocious in battle and have been known to inspire the Shock Troopers serving under them to higher standards. They are paid far more handsomely than other Syndicate employees, barring the lieutenants, and typically anything they ask for is given to them without much question. Within reason, of course.
Some Shock Troopers who show particular skill, daring, and love of battle end up getting recruited into Clan Sharmat, enjoying both their promised retirement benefits and the increased pay their soon-to-be status as a Rally Master will entail.
Still, Mandalorians and love of money can only take people so far. The unit is prone to problems where looting is concerned, often delaying the execution of vital orders if there’s good loot about. While the regiment’s commander, Clelon of Pol’Zum, is a shrewd one, he does not inspire much loyalty. The Rally Masters respect him because their pay is contingent on it. The Shock Troopers seem apathetic to him at best. This means that the regiment’s morale is essentially tied to the Rally Masters at any given time. If they are killed or flee, the Shock Troopers won’t stick around on their own accord much longer.
