Other Space Kaiden
Better than other-other space Kaiden
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: to create a unit of elite Graug NPCs for story and combat support of Graug aligned characters and locations.
- Image Credit: The Coalition [Gears of War Concept Art]
- Role: The Black Fire Guardians are a unit of zealous warrior priests within Graug society. While all Graug are warriors to some capacity, the Black Fire Guardians are comprised of the most force attuned and battled hardened the priesthood has to offer. They live more akin to violent warrior monks than to a clergy and are responsible for several roles including; protection holy sites, providing guard detail to Vulcanus and those he deems worthy and - at times - acting as elite battlefield support for Graug armies during important battles.
- Permissions:
- Tal'beskar [ as given permission by
Darth Prazutis
]
- Tal'beskar [ as given permission by
- Links:
- Darth Vulcanus
- Reign of the Seventh Day Emperor
- The Sacrifice on Atrisia [purged]
- Ruination of Zygerria
- Felling of Zygerria
- Death Watch Rebellion
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Unit Name: Mor-Ghaash Rotgar (Black Fire Guardians)
- Affiliation: Darth Vulcanus | Black Flame Cult
- Classification: Elite Personal Guard
- Description:
This flag itself is generally only used in battle or flown over locations that are granted their protection.
The unit itself is exclusively comprised of Hansnok-Hai, a thin and tall race of Graug that have become more attuned to The Force than the rest of their race. This gives the Guardians an imposing stature, one that is capitalized on with their unique, Graug designed armor. Much more ornate than the simple slabs and plates of usual Graug designs, the Black Flame Guardians wear a set of Tal'beskar that is form fitted to their bodies and possesses many more jagged edges and intentional spikes than other Graug designs. The chest, front of the legs and tops of the arms are plated in heavy layers of the material. The sternum of the chest plate is emblazoned a crimson outline of the Black Flame sigil from the center of their flag and around their waist is an armor weave cloak (stolen from the Mandalorian kama design) that is plated in thin Tal'beskar pieces. The helm of the armor is topped with scales of Tal'beskar that have been sharpened to a blade-like edge and can be used to lethal effect in close quarters.
The eyes of the Black Flame Guardians are completely obscured by a ceremonial plate at the front of their helm that symbolizes their position as priests. The reason for this seemingly horrid design is simple, the Black Flame Guardians take part in a self-mutilation ritual - part of which renders them blind. This self-mutilation takes places at the end of what is known as The Seven Trials, a months-long set of cruel tests to prove one's devotion to the Burned God and strengthen ones connection to The Immortal Wind (the Graug understanding of The Force) and learn the "divine secrets" of pyromancy. During the Seventh Trial the aspiring priest is given his set of Tal'Beskar and brought to a temple where a cauldron has been set ablaze with the Black Flames of Vulcanus' own pyromancy. The Priest is told to put on the armor and step into the flames where he or she is expected to use what they have learned of pyromancy to keep the flame from burning them alive while simultaneously allowing the heat to cause a fusion of their torso and helm plates with their own flesh. The process is immensely painful and 8 of 10 priests who attempt this feat are simply burned alive. Those that survive exit the flames, their unique biology disallowing infection but not without severe and debilitating pain.
However, this process is seen as having born them anew. No longer are those who succeed mere priests, they are henceforth The Charred and are seen as the closest to divinity as most priests can hope to attain. The Guardians take this to heart and are willing to fight with a zealous fervor that can border on the suicidal. They harbor intense abhorrence for heretics and non-graug while also being constantly in pain or uncomfortable due to their being fused with their armor - thus providing the Guardians with a large store of hatred and pain to draw upon for use in their force abilities. The Guardians train in only three categories of Force abilities; Force Sight (for navigation), Force Smell (for detection) and Pyromancy (all fire produced by The Guaridans is tinted a ghostly green).
COMBAT INFORMATION:
- Unit Size: Small ["Hunts" of 4 or less]
- Unit Availability: Rare
- Unit Experience: Elite
- Equipment:
- Tal'beskar Armor
- Ultrachrome Blades/Spears
- Combat Function: Black Flame Guardians typically do not operate under battlefield conditions unless doing so with the intent to protect an individual or to assassinate a specific target. In the event that they are forced or ordered to take part in battle, the Guardians will generally act as a support unit - using their pyromantic abilities as a form of fire support or to accomplish other utilitarian needs during battle. Fireball artillery, walls of protective flame or dampening the effect of enemy artillery are common tasks. Often in battle a Hunt (the Graug term for a Guardian unit) will break-off from the main assault to target enemy force users in battle.
When taking on enemy force users a Guardian Hunt will often utilize a technique they call "Four Torches". This technique sees Guardians setting themselves into a diamond formation with the their intended target centered between them. This formation allows the priests to pass fire between them in a continuous circuit, allowing them to create cages of flame or simple distractions. This continuous stream of flame can also serve as a source of attack, allowing the four priests to attack their target from any direction with a pyromantic strike. The priests will also enter close quarters combat with ultrachrome weapons (or their own fangs and claws) - attacking in unison to overwhelm a target. Thanks to their specialization in Force Smell the Guardians are also capable of tracking and giving chase to their prey over vast distances - even if the subject is force dead as their tracking relies on scent and enhanced smell.
While on guard detail the Guardians of a given hunt will generally act as a close body unit - standing directly with their protectee. The other two will maintain a a greater distance in the rear and front so that they may warn the others of approaching targets. This changes in close quarters, in which the Guardians will adapt their four torches formation to become a defensive barrier with their intended protectee at the center of the diamond.
Guard details at locations can vary wildly depending on the importance of the location. A single unit may be deemed enough for a ritual site, but a temple may have a dozen or more.
Strengths:- The Black Flame Guardians are Force Sensitive.
- The Black Flame Guardians have specialized in three particular force powers - Force Sight, Force Smell and Pyromancy. While limiting, this increases the potency and proficiency of these powers.
- The Tal'beskar armor worn by the priests is extreamly resistant to force based attacks and maintains the resistances of traditional beskar. The primary benefit is the armored protection from Force Light, an attack that is generally crippling or deadly to Graug.
- Being Graug, The Guardians are extreamly strong and excel in melee combat against most species.
- The binding of the armor to their skin has blinded them and keep them from exchanging their armor. These limitations keep them from piloting most vessels or using most vehicles.
- The Tal'beskar itself, while a powerful boon, is also hampering. Due to its the priest's use of The Force is slightly nullified. Their use of Force Sight is limited to a ten meter radius of their body and their pyromantic attacks are more taxing to produce - draining the Guardians of stamina much more quickly.
- Due to the limitations of their Force Sight, the Guardians rely heavily on their force enhanced sense of smell. The price of blind fanaticism.
- Between their natural darkside affinity and the aura of their armor, Guardians are effectively impossible to hide from other force sensitives.
The Black Flame Guardians find their origins in the cult of personality that formed around Darth Vulcanus in the waning years of the Eight Sith Empire. After Vulcanus' rise as the Seventh Day Emperor, Graug faith quickly shifted to paint their warlord as a chosen ruler akin to a Sith'ari. This belief festered mostly among Vulcanus' closet priests, many Graug failing to see him as a divine force following his deposition as Emperor of The Sith. Graug colonies left stranded in Sith Space reverted to their own rule, Vulcanus becoming a legend to live up to rather than a divine figure.
This was not the case in The New Order that Vulcanus founded following the Sith Empire's demise. Several Graug priests followed Vulcanus on his endeavor and they earnestly worked to spread the ideas of his divinity among his followers. The unintended side effect of this was further assuring Vulcanus of his own delusions of godhood, speeding along the madness he had sunken into. This came to a head when Vulcanus and his priesthood attended a Sith Ritual on Atrisia. It was at this ritual that Vulcanus sacrificed his physical body to possess a volcanic mountain on the planet - believing it the first step to true godhood.
The logic was flawed and the plan asinine, but the impact it had on the priesthood was longstanding. Following this event Vulcanus' hordes distributed themselves back into the lost colonies - bringing with them a new faith. Later the Zambrano family would stir this belief among their own legions of Graug, circulating the faith of Vulcanus' divinity into the entire population over two decades.
Perhaps the most influential figure to come out of this movement, however, would be a Graug priest known as Kantus. This priest was one of a chosen few who received visions from Vulcanus' chaos bound spirit and would later serve as his personal High Priest upon his return. Kantus was present for every battle the reborn Vulcanus took part in and learned Pyromancy from his God firsthand.
Following Zygerria's fall to The Graug, Kantus created the Guardians of The Black Flame. His vision for this unit of elite warrior priests was to reward the most devoted and worthy of them - teaching them Pyromancy as a divine gift and allowing them to serve Vulcanus both in life and death. Hundreds of priests attempted the trials set forth by Kantus, only handfuls survived. These numbers would decrease even more drastically following the Deathwatch Rebellion on Mandalore.
After the battles conclusion the Graug found themselves in possession of Graug Forgers who knew the secrets of Tal'beskar. They also happened to have brought with them dozens of Mandalorian prisoners and pieces of finished armor. The stage was set and the new trials put into place - the ultimate reward would be armor made from the flesh and soul of a true worthy enemy of The Graug.
The trial would be to step into their God's Flame and walk out the other side - charred, burnt and cleansed.
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