Vaena Askari
Lady Cadalthor
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Vari and give her some elite minions.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Force infantry.
Permission: Permission for subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here. Can use Firemane stuff because I own the company.
Links: Matukai, Xioquo, Eldorai.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Nova Myrmidons.
Affiliation: Varisanthra Lycaeni, Nova Bank.
Classification: Infantry.
Description: The Nova Myrmidons are a specialised unit of Eldorai Force Adepts who serve as bodyguards and enforcers for Lady Varisanthra Lycaeni, head of Nova Bank, a financial institution that provides financial services, cargo shipping, debt administration and collection. It is a neutral entity that is staunchly independent of the Eldorai Matriarchy. Indeed, Varisanthra is ideologically opposed to the ancien régime and the tripartite order of crown, temple and nobility. This puts her at odds with conservative forces, though she also dislikes extremist revolutionaries. She is an unrepentant iconoclast, who blames many of the tribulations the Eldorai have endured over the past decades on their backwardness and unwillingness to adapt.
The Myrmidons are a reflection of her mind set. Eldorai are more resistant to poisons and most diseases than humans and have impressive dexterity and agility. But they are on average physically weaker than humans and have a lower pain threshold. Some Eldorai regard their kind as more graceful and believe that they should not lower themselves to emulate 'primitive human monkeighs'. The humans may have more advanced technology, but the Eldorai have purer souls, for they are children of the Great Goddess Ashira. To the Myrmidons, such arrogance is foolish. Thus their training focused on physical enhancement.
Like the Matukai, they use their own bodies to channel the Force. Their philosophy is centred on creating a balance and harmony between the spiritual Force and the physical body, using exercise to meditate. Hence their training involves meditative martial arts, physical training, and some somatic rituals. They stress physical activity. Trainees are expected to push the limits of their constitution and stamina while drawing upon their powers to increase their strength. One common exercise is for a Myrmidon to stand in one stance for hours or even days at a time, sometimes in harsh weather conditions or other forms of physical strain.
Their training programme is inspired by that of the Matukai, which has been modified to suit Eldorai needs. Eldorai have a high metabolism, and so building up the strength needed to be able to subsist on less food is also part of training. They also train with droids that use stun blasters with the pain setting amped up, as Eldorai are less resilient against pain, and with hard sound guns, since the space elves have sensitive hearing. By the time their training has been successfully completed, the Myrmidons are capable of drawing on the Force to strengthen and augment their bodies to unnatural limits. Thus they can refresh their spirits with energy that allows them to exert their bodies far past their unaided physical limits for an extended period without tiring. The Myrmidons are trained in lightsabre combat, which works well with their physical enhancement focus.
The Myrmidons are responsible for the personal protection of Varisanthra. With her trademark penchant for iconoclasm, Vari has a habit of referring to them as her Angelii. This is particularly vexing for Eldorai conservatives because the Myrmidons also allow Eldorai males to join, whereas the Angelii are an all-female order. A few Myrmidons are always close by when Vari attends a conference, conducts an inspection or heads into a potentially dangerous situation. Their physical enhancement and tanking abilities complement her own skill set well, as Vari is more of a support player who focuses on the Force and finesse. However, they can also act as enforcers who ensure Nova Bank gets its due. Vari is very adamant that her clients always pay their debts. Some need to be reminded of their obligation, or dare to default on their loans. Thus direct intervention is sometimes necessary.
Moreover, the Myrmidons also protect her assets against raiders and bandits who believe Vari should 'share her wealth' with them. This also includes Eldorai dissident groups, especially those who embrace bizarre collectivist ideas. Vari believes in a meritocracy of capitalism and has no patience for collectivists, no matter whether they are on the left or the right of the political spectrum. Several Myrmidons are atheists, others are nonconformist believers such as followers of the Arryn Heresy. The Arryn Heresy postulates that Ashira was the embodiment of the divine force given Eldorai form. She had a mortal body, but a divine will. Some of its followers who haveen more exposed to the outside Galaxy equate this divine power with what outsiders call the Force. Varisanthra herself is not an atheist and has an interest in mysticism, but dislikes orthodox Ashirans and holds the Church of Ashira in contempt.
The group is led by Kassana Valtathrae. Like Vari she is a dissident whose nonconformism and seditious activities resulted in her being labelled a Dashdae Eldorai. She is a political radical who feels strong disdain for the nobility and the old order. In some ways she is even more radical in her views than Vari and is a lot less diplomatic. However, she still appreciates a steady pay check. She does not buy into the party line of rebel groups such as the Shadow Knights, but cannot go back to the Eldorai Matriarchy and would not want to even if it was an option for her. This is one of the reasons she works for Vari, aside from sharing many of her views. Kassana was personally trained by a Matukai and passed on what she learned to her students, who became the first Myrmidons. She has a well-earned reputation as a sink or swim mentor. She works with Penance, Vari's Dahomian bodyguard. Kassana has abandoned traditional views of Eldorai racial superiority, so she has no issues with working with humans. This is a prerequisite for being part of Vari's organisation.
Though the Myrmidons are mostly composed of Eldorai, Varisanthra has recently started hiring Xioquo members. Vari is sympathetic to the drows, who are essentially reinventing their society after overcoming centuries of tyranny, and has struck up a friendship with their new Queen. Moreover, she has adopted a young Xioquo orphan called Lykani'Xail and figures that having some of her people around will help make her young ward feel more at home. The Xioquo are trained to meet the same standards as their Eldorai counterparts.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Equipment:
Armour:
Rifles:
Sidearms:
Wrist or Underbarrel Weapons:
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster.
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer.
- ACS-208 Wrist Charric
- ACS-207 Cryoban Gun
- Under-Barrel Disruptor
Misc:
Transports:
Combat Function: The Myrdmidons are an elite unit composed of Force-Sensitive elves. They have an impressive control over their body comparable to that of experienced Matukai. They are capable of drawing upon the Force to strengthen and augment their bodies to unnatural limits. This allows them to exert their bodies far past unaided physical limits. This allows them to achieve impressive feats of strength, resilience, speed and stamina. Eldorai already have impressive dexterity, agility and hand-eye coordination. These inherent traits are expanded upon by the Myrmidons and augmented in other fields. Their abilities make them excellent at melee combat. They are also very good at tanking for the same reason. Their self-awareness of their own bodies makes them skilled at discerning wounds and sicknesses. As a result, they are very skilled medics and Force Healers. Their control over their body allows them to suppress their pain.
They also have the ability to purge their bodies of sickness and disease, which translates into a high degree of resistance or even immunity against poisons. All in all, their physical enhancement abilities can be compared to those of the Matukai. This is no coincidence since they have been trained by Matukai adepts. Similar to these enigmatic Force-users, the Myrmidons can manipulate their body temperature, which allows them to survive in very hot or cold environments. Moreover, they can give the normally soft parts of their body unnatural rigidity to help reduce physical damage. In addition to their physical enhancement specialisation, they are very skilled in the application of Force Weapon and Battlemind.
Vari is a powerful mentalist and has trained them to be good at resisting mental attacks and discerning illusions. Bravery, skill and tenacity are characteristics well-represented among the members of this elite unit. They excel at melee and close quarters combat. As a tradeoff, they are less effective at long range combat. In such a combat scenario they would require cover from sharpshooters or marksmen. They forego heavy weapons, which is a disadvantage if they are confronted by tanks, heavy walkers and so on. Furthermore, they are specialists rather than generalists.
Their focus on achieving masterful control over their body has caused other Force skills to suffer. In contrast to most Eldorai Force-Users, the Myrmidons lack elemental Force abilities of note. They cannot summon fireballs, manipulate the earth, conjure cones of ice or shoot bolts of elemental lightning from their fingertips. Indeed, even their telekinetic abilities are fairly lackluster and can be described as subpar.
Their focus on close quarters combat also leaves them more vulnerable to long range attacks both from Force techniques and conventional weapons. Even the best tank can be taken down with enough firepower and the right equipment, after all. Tanking ability reaches its limitations when one is attacked with missile launchers, grenade launchers or anti-materiel rifles, to name a few examples. Being infantry, they are vulnerable to long range bombardment, such as air and artillery strikes. The Myrmidons can strike very hard and very fast, but you will not see them crew tanks, operate heavy artillery or pilot bombers. In a larger battle they will require support forces.
Strengths:
- Force Warriors. Highly skilled in physical enhancement and body control. Matukai level abilities.
- Elite soldiers. Tenacious, skilled and loyal.
- Focus on close quarter combat. Lack strong telekinetic abilities.
- Forego support forces and heavy weapons.
Adapt or die. This is a simple credo Varisanthra has lived by for many decades. Those who cannot march with the times and get ahead of the pack are bound to go under. Originally she served the Eldorai Matriarchy as a civil servant in a provincial government, trying to bring about modernisation. This put her in opposition to the vested interests of the church and the nobility. Ultimately her patrons were betrayed by jealous aristocrats and Varisanthra was forced to flee Kaeshana, joining the ranks of the Eldorai exiles. It was then that she made the conscious decision to reinvent herself. The experience turned her into an opponent of the backward ancien régime.
At first she was a smuggler and an insurgent. She made a profit by smuggling weapons, spice, electronics and forbidden literature to her homeworld. It amused her that she could subvert the decrepit ancien régime by getting blue bloods hooked on narcotics. Eventually she left her homeworld behind her and explored the stars. In this day, before the rise of great powers such as the Omega Protectorate and the Galactic Republic, one could make a profit by smuggling simple commodities or raw materiels to worlds cut off due to the Dark Age. Her smuggling business evolved into a shipping concern and she legitimised it after the rise of the Republic. Eventually she invested her funds into the creation of Nova Bank, which became a respected financial institution.
To ensure that Nova Bank would always have its due, she needed security forces and reliable 'debt repayment consultants'. Especially since she soon found out that the underground politics of Eldorai exiles and exodites could be just as cut-throat as those back home in the Matriarchy. Certain Eldorai revolutionaries seemed to have the bizarre idea that she was obligated to make donations to their cause. Unsurprisingly, she disagreed. For a while she relied upon mercenary companies, but this was not a sound long-term solution. Maintaining large armies was neither economical nor feasible, so instead she relied upon small elite groups. If need be they could be supplemented by mercenaries.
The Myrmidons were one of the units that would end up serving the banker. Though she had distanced herself from her people in many ways, Varsi still retained a sentimental attachment to them. But she only wanted Eldorai around her that could be relied upon, for she had burnt her fingers too many times by having dealings with the riven factions of her race. A fellow space elf called Kassana Valtathrae became the leader of the Myrmidons. She was a political dissident and rebel whose politics had driven her into exile and caused her to be labelled as a 'Dark Eldorai'.
Kassana became a close associate of Varisanthra and worked with her during her smuggling days. Like her employer, she displayed a willingness to adapt, instead of scorning everything non-Eldorai as the work of barbarians or demons. Unlike Varisanthra, who had attended the Academy of Four Powers and reluctantly served a tour of duty with the Angelii corps, Kassana was a self-taught Force adept. After leaving Kaeshana behind her, she had learned from independent teachers, including a Matukai adept who later provided training to the Myrmidons.
The banker acquired trainers by getting in touch with Matukai adepts who wanted to earn coin for themselves and their fellows. The Myrmidons would provide Varisanthra with some much needed muscle. Their abilities would enable them to intimidate her rivals, protect her interests and herself. State-of-the-art equipment was acquired through business deals with reputable arms manufacturers. Their gear focused on close quarter engagements. This made them an ideal unit for personal protection, close quarter urban warfare and boarding actions. Unsurprisingly, the training programme the Myrmidons had to undergo was a gruelling, rigorous one. Their Force training methods were inspired by Matukai teachings. They were also taught how to use lightsabres. It was supplemented by training in small unit tactics, leadership, guns and explosives. This would allow them to be potent even if they were deprived of their preternatural powers.
When Varisanthra was abducted by Dark Eldorai terrorists, the Myrmidons worked with Salana Bek, her Twi'lek lover and chief of security, to rescue her. Among other events, the Myrmidons participated in Nova Bank's stabilisation operations during the Netherworld Event, when the corporate entity cooperated with the Republic and the Galactic Alliance. They operated under the overall command of Salana, until the Twi'lek was murdered by Eldorai religious fanatics during the Great Exodus from Kaeshana. The Myrmidons took brutal revenge on the Ashiran zealots for the murder. A select cadre of Myrmidons tends to accompany Varisanthra to important business negotiations and inspections. To tease the royalists and mock the ancien régime, she sometimes refers to them as her Angelii. Unlike the all-female Eldorai royal guard, the Myrmidons allow Eldorai males to join.
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