NPCs by Sio

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

We could probably use a SPA using Lance missiles, type 3, for heavy bombardment though.

Good idea.

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Something you can add to your list.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


You mean the list I made for you.


I avoid the Factory like a plague.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

Ideas for NPC units:

• Paladins of Valora: Eldorai warrior-priestesses: Devoted to Valora. Accompany soldiers into battle. Proficient in terramancy and in inspirational Force powers.
• Xioquo assassins: Force-users or NFUs? If they're Force-users, they're clearly darkside. Ruthless, stealthy, good at laying traps. Make liberal use of poisoned weapons. Would not be surprised if the Xioqho had Assassin Temples like the 40k Imperium. Who would they be associated with?
• Desert Winds: Qadiri elemental warriors: Whereas the Angelii are Force soldiers who use guns, melee weapons and elemental powers, these here would be elemental artillery. Imperial guard style shock troops that throw enemy troops in disarray via elemental bombardment.
• Harbingers of Twilight: Force Dead Eldorai Illyrian cultists.
• Firemane Ironsides: Heavy infantry, bunker/armour busters.
• Maybe a not!Queensguard for Sio and/or Vaena. Seven elite knight level NPCs with lightsabres and good armour.
• Vashyada healers. Would have to find a way to distinguish them from the Order of Fire Hospitallers though, since those are healers, too.
• Eldorai Cyborgs: Eldorai have defiled their bodies with cybernetic implants. Affiliated with the Blades of Reason and thus the Shadow Knights by proxy. Commandos, big on 'progress'. Pragmatic.
• Maroon Berets: Firemane Special Forces. Specialise in unconventional warfare. Also in training friendly natives.
• Firemane Combat Engineers: The guys you call to blow stuff up.
• The Repentant: Eldorai penal legions.

NPC organisations:

• Firemane General Staff/High Command. Modelled on the Prusso-German General Staff (before Dumb and Dumber got put in charge).
• GRU: General Research Unit. Firemane military counterintelligence agency. Also responsible for 'special activities' (euphemism for wet work). Probably maintain surveillance facilities and a secret prison space station.
• Firemane Board of Control.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

• Female templars? That could work, maybe NPC only since the Angelii are the Force users. Or maybe a sub set of the Angelii who favour heavy armour?
• Maybe associated with different animals/traits. Some are long range assassins, some are murderers at close range, others might favour poison.
• Makes sense.
• Sounds good.
• We can make Phrik armour for them after all, yes. That works.
• Perhaps they use natural herbs and medicines rather than tech for their aims.
• Works.
• Good idea.
• Sure.
• Not as grim dark as the 40k penal legions though probably since we're now in an era of 'progress'.

The NPC groups sound good.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

• Female templars? That could work, maybe NPC only since the Angelii are the Force users. Or maybe a sub set of the Angelii who favour heavy armour? I think we may be misunderstanding each other. They would be Force-users. But with a different skill set. And clerics. Force Valour seems like a useful skill. My inspiration are the warrior-priests of Sigma. Inspiring the troops, but also able to fight, though armed more traditionally. We did say that Priestesses accompany soldiers into battle. And not all Force-users are Angelii...otherwise the Eldorai would have very, very few since the Angelii are division-strength at most. Only Force-users who'd be most adept at being shock troops join the Angelii.
• Maybe associated with different animals/traits. Some are long range assassins, some are murderers at close range, others might favour poison. I like this idea. Elaborate on this a bit/suggest some animals. I'd like to keep this as one unit sub though instead of subbing several. And...whom should they work for/be affiliated with? Also FU or NFU?
• Makes sense. Ok. Need a name.
• Sounds good. Need a name for the Illyrian Shadow Knight cryo people.
• We can make Phrik armour for them after all, yes. That works. Firemane can sub at limited, yeah.
• Perhaps they use natural herbs and medicines rather than tech for their aims. That makes sense. They can use a combination of traditional methods and the Force. Need a name.
• Works.
• Good idea.
• Sure.
• Not as grim dark as the 40k penal legions though probably since we're now in an era of 'progress'. Still a despotic monarchy though. But not as grim as 40k, because the amount of grimdark is close to parody there. I take it decimation and explosive collars aren't a thing? What should Deployment and Availability be?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
I'd actually meant NFU for the Templars, but got a typo. But yes, I gues Force Users makes more sense. Inspirational Force effects would work nicely. Maybe some healing thrown in.

For the Xioquo we can use the traditional sort of animals here. I don't have enough Tygara creatures, so mythological monsters work.
Manticore: Specialises in sniping from range.
Hydra: Specialises in agile warriors fighting in melee.
Dragon: Specialises in brutal head-on elemental attacks.
Kraken: Specialises in poisoning and subverting enemies.
They used to work for their council, but now probably offer services to Firemane...Lia is probably a little embarrassed by them.

The Desert Storms maybe? Desert Winds

Blizzards?

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


1. Yeah, inspirational Force-users is what I had in mind for the Eldorai warrior-priestesses. With powers to inspire/boost others, perhaps also protect them against mental attacks to a degree. But they'd get minimal conventional ranged weapons.


I need an offensive Force power for them. Ideas? Maybe fire or lightning. Also a name suggestion for the unit.


2. Oh, I like this.


But could they subbed as one unit? I don't particularly want to sub four different Xioquo assassin sub-units. Or are multiple subs better?


3. Those names sound good. Hmm With which Qadiri ruler should we associate the Desert Winds with? Or make them something the Eldorai and Qadiri set up. I don't want to associate them with Firemane since that's already the case with most Tygaran units.


4. I've gone ahead and written a sub for the penal legions. All I need is a pic.


5. Re Vashyada priestesses, do you have a name suggestion? Also since they're lightsiders, I reckon they're a lot less violent than their Eldorai counterparts. The species sub says they're not allowed to fight or cause harm (I assume they can still defend the sick and wounded if need be, but not kill the attackers).


So perhaps they have offensive Force powers that stun or incapacitate rather than kill or maim. Force Stun, Force Flash and Force Illusion come to mind. Presumably they only carry weapons that stun.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

1. How about terramancy? That's a nice, underused ability which seems to fit a Templar unit. How about the Paladins of Valora?
2. Sub them as one, but say there are 4 total units under availability, one for each.
3. Semiramis or the Saoshyant are the ones in the desert. They could be a sort of 'Swiss Guard' for the space elf pope?
4. Strength: Expendable - they can be thrown into the hottest fights without fear. Being in the penal legions is a death sentence...except for those who show valour and who can get pardoned. Rarely happens since they're...dead...but it happens just enough to give them hope.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


1. Oh, I like.


2. In principle I'd go for that. My issue is that it's four units with rather divergent skill sets.


That could make the strengths and weaknesses section awkward. There may be quibbling about it being an all size fits all unit. Though I could say the powers and the gear they have access to is the same and their specialisation is just different. Hmm.


Also need a name that applies to the entire unit.


3. Either Semiramis or the Saoshyant could work. Your suggestion was to make them elemental artillerists though.


Swiss Guard would be more melee focused. Though it could be a very offensively orientated Swiss Guard.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
One way to get around it is to choose the best/most useful loadout and use that, have the four names being the 4 different units with the same equipment.
In which case we can give them the name 'The Beasts of Tlaxqui'

Right, maybe not palace guards, but imperial battlefield shock troops like Napoleon's Old Guard. What better way to break the enemy's like than with a devastating blast of fire and ice?

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


I like these ideas.


Re Xioquo assassins suitable Force powers seem to be Cryomancy (probably the stealthiest elemental power, I think), Force Concealment (hides your aura), Telekinesis and Force Flash.


2. What would you call the Vashyada priestesses?


3. Finished the penal legion sub. And Tryana.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: Add some flavour to the Eldorai Matriarchy's forces and expand on them. This unit sub draws inspiration from historical and fictional examples of penal military units.
• Image Credit: Here. Picture from Warhammer 40k, depicting Penal Legion soldiers. Found on the Warhammer 40k wikia.
• Role: Penal legion, shock troops.
• Links: Tygara, Kaeshana, Ariawyn Eloris.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: The Repentant.
• Affiliation: Vaena Cadalthor, Eldorai, Star Queen Anya Venari.
• Classification: Light infantry, shock troops.

Equipment:

Grunts:

• Blaster rifles/light repeating blasters and pistols. Vibroknives.
• Plastoid body armour. Equivalent to Stormtrooper armour. Rebreather. Commlink.
• Grenades (frag, smoke, flash).
• Misc. equipment such as demolition sensors, standard military rations, medkits, wedding, climbing and digging tools.

Restricted (Officers and Commissars only):

• Mk2 bolter or Disruptor rifle
• Thermal detonators
• Vibroswords.
• Cylix bolt pistol or Disruptor pistol.
• Sentinel Armour

The organic soldiers are accompanied by Battle Droids. These are armed with repeating blasters, rotary cannons, grenade launchers or flamethrowers. Conservative Eldorai are not fond of droids, viewing them as violations of the Goddess' commandments on life. However, they do not want to give penal legionnaires heavy weapons. Droids provide the Repentant with much needed punch...while also impeding betrayal or desertions.

COMBAT INFORMATION

• Availability: Rare
• Deployment: Mass

Strengths & Weaknesses:

• Expendable. They can be thrown into the hottest fights without fear. Being in the penal legions is a death sentence, except for those who show valour. This does not happen when they're dead, but it is enough to give them hope.
• Versatile use. Can be given very dangerous tasks due to their expendable nature and large numbers.
• Droids are tough and provide a strong punch.
• Eldorai are more agile and dexterous than humans.
• But on average physically weaker and have a lower pain threshold.
• Quantity can have a quality of its own...but the Repentant aren't elite soldiers. The quality of the penal legionnaires is very variable.
• Have only a few heavy weapons. Suffer against heavy armour. Equipment is quite basic in general.
• Droid escorts have all the weaknesses of their model. Limited resistance to EMP and ionic attacks, basic programming since they're drones.
• Disciplinary issues among the rank and file.

Description:

The Repentant are a fanciful name for regular Eldorai army units whose rank and file consists entirely of convicted criminals, deserters and other social miscreants. They have committed crimes, been convicted and had their sentences commuted in return for life service. By serving in the ranks of the Penal Legions, these women and men can redeem themselves in the eyes of the Great Goddess Ashira and the Crown. Service in these units is considered a form of punishment or discipline as opposed to capital punishment or incarceration. By shedding their blood for the motherland, they can atone for their sins. At least this is the theory.


Needless to say, the combination of criminals, political prisoners, and undisciplined soldiers that comprise these units often require harsh measures to be imposed for unit cohesion to be maintained. As a result, the penalties are a lot harsher than in the regular army. Ardarvian priestesses act as political commissars, charged with keeping both the grunts and the officers in line. The Repentant provide the Eldorai Matriarchy with on soldiers the cheap, while also freeing up resources from the penal system. Needless to say penal units have also been a way for more unscrupulous bigwigs to get rid of individuals they consider inconvenient.


It is unclear when the Eldorai first began making use of the Repentant. In all likelihood, they originated during the so-called Time of Troubles. This was a period of great strife and turmoil of Kaeshana. On the outside, the Eldorai were menaced by the Kar'zun, while on the inside several claimants vied for the throne of the Star Queen. The prisons provided the pretenders with a massive source of (wo)manpower.


A short-term expedient became a long-term institution. Ariane the Conqueror made ample use of penal units during her crusade against the Kar'zun. It was under her, perhaps the greatest warlord the Eldorai race produced, that they became a formalised, permanent institution and were given the name they are known by to this day. Soldiers who displayed cowardice in battle or deserted were conscripted. The same applied to those who'd served rival Eldorai leaders. To cement her alliance with the Church, she gave the clerics of Ardarvia broad authority in the Repentant. From the standpoint of the Eldorai, this was appropriate since Ardarvia is the Eldorai Goddess of Law and Justice. The punishments imposed upon disobedient or rebellious penal legionnaires were stomach-churning, to say the least. Their heads were shaved to make it easier to identify them.


Unsurprisingly, they were given rather unpleasant assignments, such as bait and forlorn hope roles (like scouting to make contact with the enemy, clearing mine fields or charging heavily fortified enemy positions to either overwhelm the enemy through sheer force of numbers or soak up bullets to keep casualties down for the 'real' soldiers). Needless to say disciplinary issues were endemic. To combat these, the Priestesses made use of indoctrination techniques to mould the personalities of the renegades into something more agreeable. In other words, brainwashing. The Repentant quickly acquired a reputation for their ferocity in battle.


Over the centuries, their numbers have waxed and waned, depending on the political climate and the situation the Eldorai found themselves in. And on how much space their prisons had. Inevitably, putting so many criminals together in one place led to corruption. While the common grunts were convicts, the officers were free Eldorai drawn from the regular army. However, assignment to the Repentant was widely unpopular among the officer corps. Indeed, it was considered to be something of a dead-end, not the least because many Repentant officers had a reputation for being corrupt, incompetent or both. This created a negative feedback loop. Reforms were carried out after Anya Venari was crowned Star Queen. This resulted in the abolition of the most sadistic punishments. The queen would have probably gone a lot further, perhaps even abolished the penal legions, but reactionary forces would not abide this. Moreover, there were so many reforms she wanted to implement to modernise Eldorai society that she had to make priorities. Especially since soon all efforts had to be focused on organising an exodus to ensure the Eldorai survived Kaeshana's destruction.


However, despite their negative reputation, many of the Repentant did their duty, defending Kaeshana against foreign threats such as pirates, raiders, Lost Kar'zun and so on. After the Exodus, Repentant participated in the Xioquo War and in the Kaeshana Rebellion. A select few managed even managed to make something out of themselves after their service had come to an end. Ariawyn Eloris, Captain of the Guard of Duchess Vaena Cadalthor, started as a penal legionnaire, before being recruited by the Angelii due to her bravery and skill as a terramancer.


Following her appointment as the Eldorai Matriarchy's Minister of War, Vaena Cadalthor took an interest in the Repentant. This was probably not surprising given her bodyguard's background. As a traditionalist Ashiran, Vaena broadly agreed with the institution, but felt that it was in need of reform. After touring a number of Repentant companies, she had some of the most unstable or psychotic members executed by beheading. At the same time, several officers lost their heads due to being incompetent, corrupt or overy cruel.


However, after making use of the stick, she picked up the carrot. Several penal legionnaires who'd distinguished themselves in combat received promotions. A few particularly accomplished ones were even inducted into the regular army or her personal guard. While they were criminals, they were doing their country a service. So it was only proper to reward them - and provide incentives for good behaviour. They also received better equipment after Vaena realised that many of the Repentant were still stuck with using outdated, ineffective Stasers in lieu of blasters. While living conditions in the barracks were improved, her attempts to attract a better class of officers only met with limited success. Before her reforms, the Eldorai used to sterilise their penal legionnaires. The logic was that convicts possessed diseased, polluted Sciia, which is the Eldorai word for soul, so they could not be allowed to pass on their disease to the next generation. Vaena was horrified by this practice, not the least because her Angelii battle sister Ariawyn had suffered from it. So she put a stop to it. When some clerics and officers did not get the message, they lost their heads.


All in all, these reforms helped to make the Repentant more useful in battle and increased the individual soldiers' ability to survive. However, service in them is still very unpleasant, dangerous and often a death sentence. Reforms changed the dressing, but not the substance. But then being assigned to a penal company is supposed to be a punishment, albeit one with the prospect of atonement. To this day, they are policed by Ardarvian Commissars, who are empowered to make examples if need be. Thus summary executions of deserters remain a fact of life. The same applies to flogging. The clerics are also charged with shepherding the spiritual health of their charges. The clerics are not just commissars and spiritual guides; they are agitators, whose duty is to drive their charges into battle by sheer force of personality and fanatical zeal. Religious iconography permeates the Repentants' barracks. Officially at least, if a Repentant dies in the service of the Motherland, the Goddess will forgive her sins. By shedding their own blood and that of the enemies, they gain her favour. The religious element was strengthened when Vaena filled their ranks with members of the disgraced Legion of the Faithful, an Ashiran militia composed of religious zealots who'd served House Cadalthor until being disbanded as punishment for supporting Tarissa Cadalthor's failed coup d'état. Of course, there is a great deal of cynicism among the penal legionnaires. They know they're expendable...but the prospect of freedom gives them hope.


Convicts sentenced to infantry units are eligible for commutation of service and assignment to a Royal Army unit if they either suffer a serious combat injury (in that case is considered to be 'cleansed in blood') or have accomplished extremely heroic deeds in combat. A Repentant who dies fulfilling her duty is pardoned posthumously, for she has wiped herself clean of sin. They can also theoretically receive military decorations for outstanding service and if released are considered fully rehabilitated. Of course, this rosy picture is one half of the coin. While some soldiers are able to be 'redeemed' through a combination of good luck, dedicated service and sympathetic officers, many are not. They are also often deployed in attempts to break through particularly stubborn enemy defences; to perform hazardous patrols to determine enemy strength; clear mine fields; as sacrificial rearguards during retreats; and as decoys to draw enemy fire away from regular troops. Furthermore, their equipment tends to be inferior to that of Eldorai regulars...just in case they decide to turn traitor or desert.


Ironically, the Repentant tend to be more progressive than regular Eldorai army units when it comes to gender policies. The number of male officers is higher than in any regular unit. This probably says a lot about the Space Elves, even in this more enlightened, progressive era. Because the Repentant are convicts, the Eldorai military does not equip them with heavy weapons. These are reserved for the units of Battle Droids that accompany them. As a result, the Repentant suffer in combat against heavy armour or assaults on fortifications. The droids are tough in combat, but ultimately just drones with basic combat programming. They provide the penal units with some heavy firepower, but also make sure that the Repentant don't suddenly forget their vows to do penance for their crimes. A Repentant who survives many battles is often a truly ferocious soldier. He or she needs to make it that far though.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Spoiler

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To codify a companion for Eyrecae and Kaida, who'll be accompanying them on their adventures. This character may eventually be turned into a PC if her development merits it, but for the time being an NPC sub suffices.
• ​Image Credit: Here. Tauriel from The Hobbit film trilogy.
• Role: Tryana is a huntress, warrior and healer, who also provides insight into Vashyada culture. She also serves as a student of sorts for Eyrecae, a primeval Eldorai, and Kaida, a taciturn Eldorai soldier, while providing a contrast to both.
• Links: Tygara, Twin Exiles.

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

• Age: 46
• Force Sensitivity: Apprentice
• Species: Vashyada
• Appearance: Tryana is of medium height, has fair skin, greene eyes, pointed ears and flaming red hair. She is well-built, athletic and hardy. Many years as a huntress have toughened her up. By elf standards her body is quite strong. She is very fit and quick on her feet. Her hair is long and reaches down way past her shoulders. Kaida considers the long mane highly impractical and keeps telling Tryana to cut it.

SOCIAL INFORMATION

• Name: Tryana
• Loyalties: Kaida Taldir, Eyrecae Alzari, Vashyada, Shadow Knights.
• Wealth: Low. Tryana is not wealthy at all. Indeed, the concept of money and credits is rather alien to her. This is because the Vashyada do not use a standardised currency backed by precious metals. A lot of their financial transactions are carried out by trade and barter. Precious metals, usually gold and silver, are used for high level transactions and to pay for the rare mercenary units. Gemstones are highly valued and can be used as currency as well. At a lower level though other currency in the form of shells, amber or other rare forest products acts as a form of coinage. She'd find the idea of setting up a bank account or purchasing shares in a corporation bizarre.

Notable Possessions:

• The old war bow she crafted as during her early days as a huntress. She carries it around as a reminder of her origins.
• Graphite bow
• Earpiece communicator with built-in translator.
• Leather necklace with an amethyst gemstone.

Skills:

• Tracking, trapping and foraging
• Archery
• Marksmanship
• Duelling (with conventional blades, not lightsabres)
• Knife-fighting and throwing.
• Telekinesis
• Plant Surge
• Animal Friendship
• Force Healing

Personality: Passionate, driven, caring, brave and curious. Tryana was grew up in the forest, where manifold dangers lurked. Life was hard and survival by no means certain. Thus she was raised to be a huntres. However, though loyal to her clan, she manifested an independent mind, questioning the pacifist beliefs of the priestesses and Light side adepts that provided spiritual guidance to her people. Successive incursions from hostile races caused her to develop an aggressive mind set, for she believes that in order to protect themselves the Vashyada must not only defend, but go on the offence.


In the eyes of her peers, such beliefs brought her close to the Dark Side. After using the Force in anger during a battle, she was declared an outcast. Tryana is a bit conflicted about this. On the one hand she refers to herself as an outlaw in a manner that makes it come across as a badge of honour. But on the other she is still devoted to her people and to their deity, Tylania. Another important facet of her personality is her curiosity. Rather than simply living in the forests of Yarkul, she wants to go out and see the stars so that she can experience the wonders the universe has to offer. This also puts her at odds with the elders of her tribe, for though the isolationist Vasyhada have limited trade with the Eldorai and Firemane, many still regard outsiders as demons or ghosts who will bring strife and are thus best avoided.


Tryana yearns to go beyond the mundane world she knows. However, the young adventurer's knowledge of the larger Galaxy is extremely limited. This is only natural because the Yashyada know little of technology and nothing of spaceflight. The advanced tech the offworlders possess both fascinates and frightens her. Spaceflight makes her rather uncomfortable. Metal starships seem cold to her. She is in a very real sense a fish out of water. Like most Vashyada, Tryana is illiterate. She also cannot speak Basic and thus relies on a translation device. Her lack of experience is something an unscrupulous person could exploit. However, despite these drawbacks, Tryana has a confident outlook on life. She is a friendly, kind and compassionate person. Acts of sadism and malevolence are deeply abhorrent to her. Though the battles she's fought against slavers have exposed her to the uglier side of life, she follows a code of honour. Should she be confronted with an act of injustice, honour will compel her to intervene on the side of the wronged party. She also has a pleasant singing voice and is a good storyteller.


In contrast to the Space Elf stereotype, Tryana is fairly egalitarian when it comes to gender politics. In her tribe, males and females fought together as warriors, even in mixed units. Male and female Vashyada are very similar physically, and the necessity of incorporating all of a community into a common cause. The forests with their small settlements are extremely harsh, and with slow population growth combined with high mortality, being able to use all members of the community equally are vitally important. Thus the rigid misandrist policies of her 'cousins' strike her as strange or silly. However, in her culture men are still restricted from certain top jobs. But on the whole she has little bias. She does harbour a grudge against the Qadiri and Xioquo though due to the raids they conducted against her people in the past. It is personal because her father perished in one of them.


Both Kaida and Eyrecae have taken up a mentoring role for Tryana. However, they do so in different ways, which is only natural given their divergent experiences and personalities. As can be expected from the ice queen, Kaida is chilly, laconic and very gruff. Tryana's youthful enthusiasm often grates on her nerves. The same applies to her 'superstitious beliefs'. However, she approves of the young wood elf's ability to question old-fashioned beliefs and independent spirit. Kaida would never admit it, but she sees a bit of her younger self in the girl. She views herself as responsible for the wood elf and thinks it's her job to show her how to be strong. Regardless, the frost elf took a chance with the young Yashada by allowing her to join her. Otherwise Tryana would have been stuck on Tygara, an outcast among her people. By contrast, Eyrecae is a lot more approachable and jovial. From Tryana's perspective, the ancient Eldorai is probably more like how she would have wished the elders of her tribe to be. Tryana is rather eager to prove herself to the two women, who are both older and more experienced than her.


COMBAT INFORMATION

• Weapon of Choice: Bow and arrows, melee weapons, slugthrowers, the Force.

Combat Function:

Vashyada live in great forests where danger is everywhere and where carelessness can easily get one killed. As a result, she has impressive senses of hearing, smell and sight. Tryana is strong and tenacious, though not superhuman. A life in the deep forest has toughened her up. She is also extremely agile and dexterous. Due to her background, she is naturally adapted to survive in the wilderness. She is a highly capable tracker, can navigate by signs and is highly skilled at hunting and foraging. She is proficient in the use of melee weapons such as blades, knives, tomahakws and spears.


When engaging enemies up close, she prefers to use a tomahawk or two short blades. She can dual wield them quite well, but favours ranged combat. She is an impressive archer and would be great at using sniper rifles or other firearms that favour precision over blazing away. Kaida has taught her how to use of slugthrowers, so that she can defend herself better. In terms of Force use, she is focused on healing, telekinesis and plant surge. She can summon strong telekinetic energies to smash opponents or conversely protect herself from harm. Moreover, she has an affinity for animals. Using natural remedies and the power of the Light Side, she can heal or at least help treat injuries. But her surgical knowledge is lacking as dissection is not allowed among her people.


However, Tryana is highly inexperienced in combat on the modern battlefield. The Vashyada's tech level can be described as medieval. Their style of warfare favours guerilla tactics, ambushes or personal duels between champions, so she is unused to large battles and massacres. She also knows next to nothing of the technological terrors that so many people in the Galaxy take for granted. A big walker, tank or Star Destroyer would probably frighten her, until she has been acclimated and realises that such behemoths can be destroyed as well. Likewise, she'd probably see a lightsabre as something close to magic. All these are things that an opponent could exploit. Tryana dislikes confining heavy armour, preferring to wear a light combat suit that does not restrict her movements too much. This obviously leaves her more vulnerable to damage.


Intense heat can also be a problem for her. Living in the cold temperate forests and chill mountains of Yarkul, her people rarely encounter temperatures over the bare minimums of the tropical Qadiri realms. She will find it very hard to go on in conditions of intense heat and will require copious amounts of water. Likewise, her sensitive hearing is a double-edged sword. On the one hand she can hear extremely well and pick up noise a human might miss, which makes it more difficult to sneak up on her. But on the other she is also more vulnerable to extremely loud noises, such as sonic weapons and explosions. Her origins in the close confines of forest, river and clearings make wide open spaces unsettling to her. Thus she suffers from Agoraphobia. Conversely, she finds dark caves more relaxing. Needless to say she does not know how to pilot a starship or vehicles. She is also not trained in the use of heavy weapons.


HISTORICAL INFORMATION


For centuries the Vashyada have in the forests of Yarkul, the southern continent of Tygara. Dispersing across the vast and forbidding forests, they tamed the wilderness and became a part of it. Tylania, believed by her people to be a deity, elected not to take power as being a ruler was incompatible with her Light Side beliefs. Instead, she acted as a spiritual guide, prophet and tiebreaker in the event of controversy among the Vashyada's leaders. To prevent strife, the two most powerful clans were symbolically joined as High King and High Queen. This diarchy was highly unorthodox, but worked for the most part.


While strife still occured between the clans, these clashes tended to be minor and were often resolved by duels between champions. However, despite the Vashyada's peaceful nature, their lives were not free from conflict. For they were menaced by the warlike Qadiri and Xioquo. Often they had to defend themselves against slave raids from either of the two races. Lacking the military organisation of the Qadiri or the tech of the Xioquo, the Vashyada took advantage of their greatest asset: the forest itself. To this day Qadiri still tell their children of Brahdok's folly, for the ambitious general sought to conquer Yarkul with a large army - and failed. However, then the wood elves' world was turned tupsy-turvy when the Star People came. These changes were disturbing enough that Tylania chose to take a more direct role.


Tryana grew up into these strange times, which represented a period of change and transition for Tygara. Some saw opportunity, others threats to their way of life. When she was born, Tryana knew nothing of any of this. Her world were the deep forests of Yarkul, where life was hard and dangers ever-present. She grew up in a proud tribe of hunters, who were renowned for their skill as trackers and warriors. Her family was dedicated to the old ways and devout followers of Tylania, whose priestesses were held in high esteem. Where she was raised, life was hard and survival by no means assured.


Thus she was taught how to defend herself. At a young age, she could follow orders, track wild beasts, forage for food and fight. She displayed skill with the bow, becoming an accomplished archer. She displayed Force abilities from early on and was taught by a local priestess how to heal. The priestess also instilled the lightsided values of the disciples of Tylania into her. Her powers came from the spirits and had to be treated with respect. They were to be used as a shield to defend others, but not as a tool to gain power or inflict pain. Thus she was taught to favour the Light Side, which her people call Vash.


At first, Tryana stuck to this code. However, dangers and invasions made her question the pacifist mentality of the priestesses. There came a day when a force of Qadiri marched upon the forests of Yarkul, intent on claiming slaves and booty. The raid was repulsed, but at a cost. Tryana fought in this battle, ambushing Qadiri warriors with her bow and arrow, sniping them from a distance before vanishing again. Their rigid formations made them easy prey. After they had been thrown in disarray, she and her brethren engaged them with blades, tomahawks and spears, backed up by the magicks of the Force-users. However, the Qadiri possessed rifles that were quite powerful by the standards of Tygaran natives.


Tryana was injured by a musquet shot. In great pain, she would have probably been slain, if her father had not stepped in. Though weathered by age, he charged into battle with his tomahawk, taking down several assailants before, to the horror of his daughter, he was ignited by a fireball and cut down by a scimitar. An intense anger, mixed with guilt, arose in Tryana and called upon her power, summoning vines from the ground to seize and crush her father's killer.


In the aftermath of the raid, the tribe bid farewell to her father in accordance with Vashyada burial traditions. Tryana was mad with grief - but also angry. Her beliefs increasingly put her into opposition with tradition and the local elders. Having seen such violence inflicted on her tribe, she wanted to use the Force to attack, not just defend. This was a cause of concern for the elders. Having seen the destructive effects of the Dark Side, the Vashyada sought to keep all their Force-users on the path of the Light. To give her time to come to terms and find herself again, the elders prohibited her from using the Force and made her hunt instead.


However, she disobeyed their decree. While spending a lot of time on the prowl in the forest, she trained herself in secret. A more experienced huntress, who was concerned about the girl but reasoned that it would be better to show her the basics to make sure she did not accidentally hurt herself, helped her. During this time, she honed her skill in the Force, especialy her affinity for its more aggressive aspects. She also manifested an affinity for the animals of the forest, especially huge spiders.


She witnessed some of the changes coming to Tygara when a delegation of star people arrived at the shores of Yarkul. Tryana was one of the huntresses who intercepted the outsiders, who appeared in a great metal ship. The group was led by Siobhan Kerrigan, though most Tygarans would know her as the Karishzar. After a standoff, negotiations ensued. Realising that the outsiders did not come with hostile intent, the huntresses brought them to the capital.


Tryana was not privy to the talks that took place between the foreigners, the High Royals and Tylania, though she heard rumours that her deity had shown herself, intervening when the two monarchs reached an impasse. Deals were made and the isolationist Vashyada opened themselves up just a bit. They allowed the outsiders, who called themselves Firemane, to establish a small trading outpost on the shore, though they kept a close eye on it. Tryana was wary of the outsiders, but also fascinated by them. Until this day she had never given thought to the idea of what might lie beyond the forest she'd grown up in.


However, the next raid was not long coming. Once again star people came. But these were malicious slavers. Their leader was a pompous, greedy Wookiee called Ser Grrowh. To his warriors, armed with weapons far beyond the Vashyada's medieval tech level, the wood elves seemed like easy prey. However, the raiders had not taken into account how dangerous the forest could be, especially to those who were used to the urban sprawl.


When the attack came, Tryana was ready. Using her tracking skills, she helped her fellow warriors shadow the invaders. She fought alongside her brethren, luring the attackers into traps, harrassing them with hit and run attacks before closing in for the kill after they had been thrown into disarray. Many raiders were slain by the wood elves, who augmented their fighting prowess by using beasts and illusions as force multipliers. However, though caught off-guard, the slavers still resisted, killing a good number of Vashyada due to possessing superior weaponry. Tryana took down a Trandoshan raider armed with a rotary cannon by unleashing a devastating telekinetic punch to the chest. During the fight she gave into her anger, unleashing it upon the murderous thugs, who had sought to oppress and enslave a people that had never inflicted harm upon them or wished them will. In her eyes, they were scum. Some retreating invaders were devoured by spiders she'd tamed.


This alarmed her family and clan. While slaying invaders in combat was fine, they found her intense rage disturbing. It was seen as the embodiment of Drush, which is the Vashyada term for the Dark Side. They wanted to take her before Tylania and the High Royals for judgement. However, the court judged her as redeemable, mainly at Tylania's insistence. So she was declared an outlaw. Drifting away from her clan, Tryana spent some time in the forest before she hooked up with a group of outcasts, some of whom had dealings with offworlders. This only intensified her curiosity, especially after her encounter with a Duros contractor employed by Firemane, who accidentally walked into one of her traps. Initially she believed the alien to be another slaver, but gradually realised that the offworlder bore her no ill will. Communication was very awkward since she spoke no Basic, while the only Tygaran language the outsider knew was some rather broken Qadiri. But she realised that the offworlders were not ghost or demons, but people. Later she learned from her fellow outcasts that some Tygarans, including members of her race, had left Tygara, seeking their fortune in the stars. For a while, life continued as normal. At day she hunted, foraged and used her healing skills to help the injured or sick. At night around the campfires, she put her skills as a storyteller and singer to good use, entertaining her fellow outcasts.


But exploring what lay beyond the world she knew became her dream. She got her chance when a metal ship bearing Kaida Taldir, Phylis Alince and Eyrecae Alzari showed up at the trading outpost. Eyrecae, a primeval Eldorai who'd been kept in stasis for thousands of years, had recently been awoken from her slumber by the exiled Angelii Kaida and the Jedi Master Phylis. She came to the land of the Yashada to see her 'sibling' Tylania. Tryana knew nothing of this, or of the events that had caused Kaida to forsake her Angelii vows and seek a place among the Eldorai exiles. What she saw as a chance to see the stars. So she tried to sneak aboard their ship and stow away. However, she was surprised by a 'metal demon' - Phylis' astromech droid. Upon being confronted by the strangers, she begged them to take her with her. To her surprise, the frosty Angelii agreed. When Tylania appeared on the scene she gave the nervous wood elf permission to leave, saying that her destiny lay elsewhere, though not before offering some words of wisdom and saying that great changes lay ahead for the Vashyada race. Thus Tryana got her chance to see the stars, though her first time in space was more than a little unsettling for her.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Spoiler

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: Add some flavour to Firemane's Tygaran forces.
• Image Credit: Here. 'Drow 2 - Forgotten Realms' by 000Fesbra000 on Deviantart.com.
• Role: Assassins, spies.
• Links: Firemane, Xioquo, Twilight of the Goddess, Qual'Zyanya, Liavondra.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: Tecuanimeh (Xioquo word for Beasts).
• Affiliation: Siobhan Kerrigan, Firemane, Xioquo.
• Classification: Assassins.

Equipment: They can use Abregado-Rae Guild of Hammers equipment due to Firemane gaining access to ARGH tech in this thread. ArmaTech gear was purchased in the marketplace (request made here, approved here). Firemane obtained a supply contract that allows it to use Fire for Effect gear here.

• Shadowsuits or Spectre Scout Armour.
• Shatter Rifles, Stealth Carbines, Nightstinger sporting blaster rifle,TS-Vonginator,
• Shatterpistols, scout trooper blaster pistol, Racket's Bite shatterpistol or FFE sonic wave pistol as common sidearms.
• Vibroblades, vibrorapiers, vibrodaggers. The weapons' blades are commonly coated in poison.
• Access to poisons such as Synox, rock worrt venom, and Devaronian blood poison.
• Access to various gasses.
• Grenades, det charges, Devastator multi-purpose mine (mission-specific).
• Tools such as climbing equipment, medkits, cyanide pills, slicing kit, electrobinoculars, and misc. spycraft tools.

COMBAT INFORMATION

• Availability: Unique.
• Deployment: Limited

Strengths & Weaknesses:

• Elite, disciplined killers. They excel at stealth, getting close to high-value targets and eliminating them before vanishing into the darkness. Ideal for wetwork.
• Composed of Force-sensitive Xioquo. The Tecuanimeh focus on Cryomancy, Force Concealment, Force Flash and Telekinesis. Their members are Apprentices or Knights.
• Xioquo are faster and able to see much further in the darkness than humans. They also have excellent hearing and sense of smell. Their dark skin allows them to blend into the shadows.
• Glass cannons. On average Xioquo are physically weaker than humans.
• Living in the darkness so long has made the sun and other bright lights painful to Xioquo. In daylight they need to wear covering attire to shield themselves. Their skins can blister in the sun if left exposed.
• They are stealthy operatives, spies and assassins, and thus not meant for pitched combat, frontal assaults, taking on tank platoons on an open battlefield and so on. If cornered by superior forces, they will be in trouble unless they can sneak away. No heavy weapons. They're a scalpel or a rapier, not a broadsword.
• Small units. Self-explanatory given the nature of their job. They work alone or in small teams. Outnumbered easily if cornered.
• While they're trained in conventional combat, ysalamiri or Voidstone take away their biggest advantage, making them more vulnerable in combat.

Description:

History and popular culture remember the epic battles - though often with embellishments and inaccuaries. The great tank and walker battles, the dramatic duels between Force-users, the dogfights and and so on and so forth. Some battles are not decided by the clash of armies. But by a dagger through the ribs, a poisoned dinner, or a well-placed speeder bomb. Such methods are often considered 'dishonourable'. For some reason, it is perfectly acceptable for civilised beings to let hundreds of thousands march to their deaths, but many regard it as unseemly to cut to the heart of the problem by murdering a few dozen.


Such perplexing moral double standards aside, assassination has long been tool of statecraft. The efficacy of it obviously varies. It is probably no surprise that a specialised guild of assassins had its place at the Byzantine court of the Xioquo. For their dark matriarchs were not lacking in enemies - both within and without. In the absence of the 'God-Queen' Mystra, a Council composed of the leaders of the most influential families ruled over the Drows. Oftentimes, they were divided against each other and vied for power. At the same time, they waged a continuous war against their racial rivals, the Vashyada and the Qadiri, while keeping the underclasses of their people in line. Especially the massive slave population. Sometimes a scalpel was more useful than a hammer.


The Tecuanimeh were created to do the Council's bidding. In times of interregnum, they interpreted this duty rather liberally. Sometimes they made or broke Matriarchs. On occasion, the Council saw fit to purge them, but never got rid of them. It was a symbiotic relationship between two bodies that needed one another. The Tecuanimeh were composed of outcasts and outlaws, the dregs of Xioquo society. Some were slaves who had manifested Force powers, often were disgraced Janissaries or even highborn who for this or that reason had lost the game of thrones and been left with nothing. Whoever they were, they had to cut all ties with their former lives. To the point of being declared dead. Sometimes alchemical procedures were utilised to alter their appearance, in case they were the type of person that would be recognised on the streets.


Plucked from the ranks of the undesirables no one would miss - and who had no future outside of the guild - they underwent vigorous, often savage training that was meant to break them down and reforge them. Not all made it out alive. Those that did had became proficient killers. If they possessed any moral scruples before being inducted into the guild, they were quickly taught to abandon them. At the same time, the 'Beasts' took care of their members, much like a wolf pack or a lion pride. For the only people they could rely on were each other. Anyone who broke the code of secrecy and endangered the secret fraternity was silenced.


The Tecuanimeh were divided into four 'Houses', each named after a different beast. While every Tecuani received the same general training and had access to the same equipment, each House preferred a different approach. Manticore focused on sniping from range, Hydra attracted agile warriors who preferred to fight in melee, Dragon favoured brutal Force attacks and Kraken liked to poison and subvert enemies. For centuries, the Beasts did the bidding of the Council, delivering the kiss of death to its enemies. Recognising that knowledge is power, they hoarded information, both on the matriarchs' enemies and on the matriarchs themselves.


A powerful Xioquo matriarch called Sal'Yaotl grew uncomfortable with their influence - and the dirt they had on her. Amassing considerable resources, she launched an inquisition against them. However, the Beasts vanished into the deepest tunnels of the Underealm, which were infested with monsters and failed alchemical experiments. Determined, Yaotl drove her minions to find and purge them, even as many of her lieutenants dropped dead. One night, she awoke to find a figure leaving her chamber. She saw that the lamps she had set up to detect intruders were displaced and besides her bed lay hot scones of the shape peculiar to the Beasts, with a note at the top pinned by a poisoned dagger. The note threatened that she would be killed if she did not abort her assault. Reportedly, Yaotl gave a loud cry, exclaiming that the leader of the Beasts was the figure that had left the tent. Other versions of the story offer a more mundane reason for her change-of-heart: logistics got in the way and she had to turn her attention elsehwere due to a Qadiri assault. Either way, she aborted her campaign and entered into a mutually beneficial relationship with the Beasts - and let them eliminate the turncoats who had exposed their secrets to her. They repaid her by exposing a mole on her council and murdering the heiress of the Amikarese Empire at her own wedding.


Things changed when the star people came to Tygara. Strange aliens, who called themselves Eldorai and Firemane, set up colonies on the planet and signed a treaty with Shahbânu Semiramis, the most powerful Qadiri ruler. It was due to their intervention that a Xioquo slave raid on a Qadiri city was thwarted. The Council identified the offworlders as a threat. A series of skirmishes escalated into all-out war. At first the Xioquo were confident. Things changed when one of their kraken - a giant monstrosity, not the aforementioned group of assassins - was slain by the offworlders' champion, a woman who called herself Siobhan Kerrigan. The Xioquo would know her as Karishzar, which is their word for Destroyer. The fighting was savage. Thanks to intelligence acquired by the Tecuanimeh, the Xioquo received advanced warning when a Qadiri ruler, the Mirza of Lakish, launched an attack on the Underealm. This assault they were able to thwart, unveiling some of their new weapons in the process. However, nemesis soon came to their subterranean lair.


When Firemane, Qadiri and Eldorai forces stormed the Underealm, the Council grew desperate. In a majority vote, they decided to do the unthinkable - awaken Mystra, their slumbering 'goddess'. Except no one knew who their dark deity would respond...Some councillors advised against this action, calling it folly. But they were shut down. Some of the Beasts conspired with two dissenting matriarchs, Qual'Ixtar and her sister Qual'Zyanya. So a plot was hatched to murder the council before they could carry out the blood ritual. The plot worked - too well. Alas, the bomb that blew them up also enabled Mystra to rise, for she feed upon the deaths. Qual'Ixtar was slain by Mystra's acolytes, while her sister became a wanted fugitive. Many Beasts, including their High Mistress, also fell to the brutal purge that followed, though most managed to go underground, having taken precautions in case things went ill. The remaining Xioquo leaders soon realised that awakening Mystra might not have been the best idea, for she turned out to be a mad goddess who cared nothing for the survival of her followers, only her ascent to power. Those that questioned her were consumed to feed her might.


Her reign of terror did not last long, for the Xioquo were losing ground on all fronts. Many slave-soldiers went over to the enemy, revolts broke out in the slave pens. Finally, Mystra was confronted and slain by Siobhan and her allies. The chamber were she met her end would be called Mystra's Echo. Her death ushered in a new order. The exiled Xioquo noblewoman Liavondra, a secret adherent of the Light Side, was crowned queen and faced the monumental task of rebuilding Xioquo society and weaning it off self-destructive, darkside despotism.


The Beasts were at a crossroads. Lia, being a Lightsider determined to lead the Xioquo to a better future, was more than a little embarrassed by them and their history of bloodletting. While she realised that a stern hand would be needed if she wanted to survive in this cutthroat environment, she was uncomfortable with them around. Thus the Beasts decided to offer their services to none other than the Karishzar. After all, they served the strong. It stood to reason that the Lady Kerrigan had many enemies.


However, the Beasts did not like the idea of applying for a job interview and sitting through an examination. That was so last millennia. So they decided to apply for a job in a more unconventional, flamboyant way that would showcase their skills. So they sent three operatives, one of whom was their leader in disguise, to sneak into her headquarters and deliver her the heads of three traitors to her cause, along with documented evidence. They managed to slip past security. All things considered, it went well. Well, the Lady Kerrigan blasted one of them with scalding Force Lightning, which caused some nasty burns. But that was par for the course. Relatively civilised conversation ensued. By the time the chat was over, the Lady had sacked some of her guards and the Beasts had found a new employer.


They were put on probation until Siobhan had something close to confidence in them. A few had to be eliminated for interpreting her orders too liberally. Due to the need for discretion, their existence was only revealed to a select few in Firemane. The Beasts underwent training to make them proficient in the use of modern weapons and tech. The Xioquo have always been the most tech-savvy of the Tygaran races, so they adapted rather well. With the Lady having many people she considered enemies, they could not complain about a lack of missions to try out their new gadgets. The Tecuanimeh had to modify their recruitment methods a bit since one of the first acts of the new Xioquo administration was to abolish slavery, as had been promised by Firemane. However, things did not change that much for the Beasts. Ironically, these days some of their operatives are disillusioned former acolytes of Mystra. Their activities are supervised by a special bureau of Firemane's in-house intelligence service. But their leaders report to Siobhan, rather than to Firemane's Board of Control.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Looks good.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Spoiler

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To flesh out Firemane's hierarchy a bit.
• ​Image Credit: Here. Found on experiencequeenstown.com.
• Role: The Board of Control is the ruling group of the megacorporation Firemane.
• Links: Aftermath, Kaylah Danton, Firemane Industries, Exodus.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Group Name: Board of Control.
• Classification: Corporate leadership board.
• Headquarters: Arx.
• Loyalties: Siobhan Kerrigan, Tegaea Alcori, Firemane.
• Group Sigil: N/A
• Description: In principle, the Board of Control is the governing body of Firemane Industries. In practice, it is Siobhan Kerrigan's privy council, responsible for ensuring the prompt and smooth execution of her commands. Its members are functionaries who advise the Lady Kerrigan, who holds the title of Executive CEO, and implements policies at her command. Members are appointed to their position by Siobhan, and can be dismissed by her.

SOCIAL INFORMATION


Hierarchy: The Board has been structured by Siobhan to suit her autocratic way of governance, but is also meant to be able to be functional while she is indisposed for this or that reason. Siobhan leads the board as Executive CEO. She is assisted by a Vice President, who is empowered to chair Board meetings in Siobhan's absence. The current Vice President is Kaylah Danton, an efficient, somewhat dour career bureaucrat who has been with Tegaea and Siobhan since the Omega Protectorate days.


Aside from these two, the Board generally has six members who each run a specific department. The number of Board members - and of departments - has fluctuated at times. On occasion, Siobhan has amalgamated departments or split them up. For instance, the Science Bureau has alternated between being an independent department and a subdivision of the Department of Production. It is also not uncommon for a member to take a leave of absence from duties in the Centre and be assigned a task on the Periphery. Examples would be supervising a major construction project or being put in charge of a Firemane outpost. In the latter case, it tends to be one that's in poor shape and needs to be put back on track. Siobhan compares it to how General Staff officers alternate between staff and line duties, claiming that it helps officials not lose touch with the people they're leading. Of course, it is also a way to keep the principals on their toes. Siobhan maintains a tight lock on all major decisions and has an absolute veto. So even if a majority of Board members support a certain course of action, she can shut it down. She also reserves the right to appoint her own successor. Following her promotion to the Vice Presidency, Kaylah is heir apparent.


Tegaea Alcori jointly ran the corporation with Siobhan for many years, but recently retired from the Board to focus on other projects, namely her passion for exploration. At Siobhan's insistence, her wife was named honorary CEO and thus retained a Board seat on an honorary basis. Tegaea still receives transcripts of Board meetings. After Siobhan was incapacitated by a stroke, her wife briefly stepped into the hot seat to ensure continuity of government, so to speak. In an expanded sense, the hierarchy of the Board also encompasses the various departments overseen by its members, who stand at the top of an elephantine bureaucracy.


Presently, the following departments exist: Production, Administration, Trade, Diplomacy & Public Relations, Security and Finances. It is common practice for a retired Firemane general officer to be in charge of Security. The names are somewhat grandiose, resembling those of government ministries. A Board member holds the title of Director of a specific department. Thus Kaylah Danton was Director of the Department of Production before being promoted to the Vice Presidency. Each Director is aided by an Undersecretary, a career bureaucrat who is charged with running a department on a day-to-day basis and oversee the implementation of policy. It is not uncommon for an Undersecretary to see many Directors come and go. As is often the case, the nominal subordinate tends to know more about the departmenr than his or her official superior. Some Directors are very interventionist and maintain a tight lock on decisions, others let the bureaucrats run things and just rubberstamp their decisions. The latter behaviour tends to arouse the ire of Siobhan, who is not above calling her minions into her office to scold them like bad pupils. Or carry out unannounced, vigorous inspections of their departments.


Membership: Appointment by Siobhan Kerrigan because she's an autocrat. That aside, a long period of service in Firemane and its various suborganisations is required. Members gradually ascend the corporate ladder, working their way up by holding various bureaucratic positions. Patronage plays a big role, since while Siobhan appoints all the members herself, she is obviously also influenced by Board members and her inner circle. Thus it is a good idea to be on good terms with someone Siobhan listens to. The Lady Kerrigan is also adamant about being the only Force-user on the board, so non-Force-users are far more likely to get a seat. Members of the Order of Fire, Firemane's Force-using branch, are kept away from management positions, even if their teacher happens to be Siobhan or her apprentice Tempest. Because Siobhan is biased, the Board only has one male member. On occasion, senior Firemane functionaries or officers are assiged to the Board as advisers. They do not possess voting rights, but their opinion is sought on matters within their realm of expertise. These special advisers tend to be general staff officers, public relations experts, engineers, scientists or high-ranking Order of Fire members.


Dogma/Doctrines: Being the governing body of a corporation, the Board of Control is obviously most interested in making money. While Firemane is a very autocratic corporation with a rigid hierarchy, it also embraces a variant of the corporate social responsibility concept. This postulates that a corporation has a responsibility towards its stakeholders and by extension society as a whole. CSR strategies encourage the company to make a positive impact on the environment and stakeholders including consumers, employees, invenstors, local communities, and others.


In line with this, the corporation depicts itself as a 'family', pointing towards the generous benefits their employees receive, including a comprehensive healthcare package and education for their children. They also point towards Firemane's humanitarian credentials, such as how it saved the Eldorai race from extinction, and its abolitionist campaigns. Of course, detractors claim that this is merely window-dressing to improve the image of a militaristic corporation run by a despotic Dark Jedi, who acts like a law unto herself. Presumably the truth lies somewhere in between. Opposition to Sith and imperialist forces is a dogma within the Board. However, Jedi are also treated with scepticism, especially pacifist or extremist crusading ones. The overall alignment could be best described as Lawful Neutral.


Curios: N/A.

Goals:

• To lead Firemane, provide it with efficient, smooth governance and ensure lucrative profits.
• Expand Firemane's political and economic influence.
• To carry out the decrees of Her Highness Siobhan Kerrigan, stay in her good graces and maybe one day succeed her when she finally gives up the ghost or retires. Long may she reign.
• Benefit themselves.

MEMBERS

• Siobhan Kerrigan: Founder, Executive CEO, boss of everyone.
• Tegaea Alcori: Founder and former joint CEO, honorary Board member.
• Kaylah Danton: Vice President of Firemane, used to run the Department of Administration.
• Six NPC board members who run the various departments.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION

To put it plainly, the Board of Control came into being once Firemane grew too big for Tegaea and Siobhan to run on their own. Of course, the corporation already had a hierarchy and various bureaus before that. But these lacked the formal structure they would acquire over time. A small staff and a secretariat sufficed while it was just a small company on Kaeshana, but became woefully inadequate once it transformed into a corporation with galactic reach. Thus a governing bureau was needed. As a result, the Board of Control was born. The initial membership was comprised of old hands who'd worked with the couple since their Omega Pyre days. Over time, the Board acquired its present form. There was a marked shift when Tegaea took a step back from management roles and the Kerrigan administration took control. While both ladies are domineering, decisive types who like getting their way, Tegaea ran things the way a modern manager would and was thus open more open to debate and divergent opinions. She was also extremely averse to sycophancy.


By contrast, Siobhan cloaks herself with pomp, ceremony and majesty. To a degree, this is the result of insecurities that can be traced back to her Omega days, when she was mostly a Battering Ram. While she briefly held the title of Exarch and led the Protectorate's forces to victory against the savage Bando Gora, overall she did poorly as second-in-command of a galactic government. Believing that she'd wasted many years by just being a death charging warrior, she was determined to do better - and to make sure that no one would ever dictate her actions.


She was in charge. Everyone in Firemane would know that. She proved herself to be a decisive, but very domineering and autocratic leader. She also manifested a strong need for flattery and devotion. Some Board members proved to be insufficiently pliable and were sent into retirement or given other posts away from the Centre. At the same time, new blood was brought in. The new team was crafted in Siobhan's image and overall more dependent on her patronage. Like any autocrat, Siobhan enjoys being surrounded by toadies who hang on her every word and flatter her...but is privately contemptuous of them. She wants advice, but on her terms!


Nonetheless, the team scored notable successes. Perhaps Firemane's biggest achievement was saving the Eldorai race from extinction by evacuating more than three billion elves from doomed Kaeshana - as well as mitigating the casualties among those left behind by destroying a good portion of the huge asteroid on collision course with the planet. As the company became a megacorporation in the truest sense of the word, its reach and wealth expanded, as did that of the members of the Board. Naturally they vied for influence - and still do, though the struggle for the Lady's ear is extremely civilised compared to the cutthroat, bloody power struggles that are common at the Eldorai Court of Courts. While Siobhan set the agenda and focused on the 'big picture', the Board and the professional bureaucrats handled the details and minutiae. Low level autonomy was combined with rigorous, unforgiving inspection. Power flowed from the 'queen' to her 'ministers' to their minions.


After the Kaeshana Rebellion, Tegaea Alcori took a step back from the Board duties that had been long held in abeyance. Having done her part and been in the limelight as Omega Pyre CEO, Omega Protectorate Exarch and Lady Protector and finally Firemane's CEO, she felt it was time to focus on other pursuits. Since Siobhan had already been de facto running the corporation, it confirmed a transition the existing status quo. Siobhan appointed Kaylah Danton as Vice President. This might have been a bit of a surprise, since the working relationship between both women had been rather variable. An old Omega hand, Kaylah was independent and very frank. For a while, Siobhan had grown frustrated with the bureaucrat and sent her off into the wilderness to run Firemane operations in Xioquo territory. However, Kaylah had turned out to be very skilled at navigating the political minefield there, which secured her reappointment to the Board. It probably helped that Tegaea liked her and preferred her to some of the more sycophantic members of the Board. With Siobhan focusing her attention on supporting the Galactic Alliance's war efforts against the First Order, Kaylah de facto ran Firemane's domestic affairs and business operations. In contrast to Siobhan, her attitude was more business-like and dour. Whereas the 'Lady of Fire' loathes paperwork, Kaylah is a consummate bureaucrat.


Shortly before the start of the Contingency's rather bizarre 'Incursion', Siobhan was incapacitated by a stroke. While this was kept secret, inevitably news leaked out. Inevitably, rumours about her condition spread, ranging from wild stories about how the Lady had died or been paralysed for life. However, Siobhan recovered, though she was unable to walk and suffered from significant memory loss. Naturally she was unable to run the Board in such a state, so Tegaea stepped in to ensure continuity of government, directing the company alongside Kaylah. Inevitably, this opened up the succession question. However, rumours about the Lady stepping down for good were squashed when a disabled, but still fierce Siobhan took charge again.


In recent months, the Board has gone mobile due to the construction of the Great Scarlet Flame and the Arx Aeternae. The former was built to serve as a mobile HQ, battle carrier and command ship, providing Firemane's leadership with a flagship from which they could direct operations. The latter is a huge space station that serves as a central hub for the entire megacorporation. It is home to millions of employees and all Firemane departments maintain offices on it.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: Add some flavour to Tygara's native forces and provide an important NPC leader with a prestige unit.
• Image Credit: How to properly source your images
• Role: Qadiri elite troops. Before Firemane's coming, the Qadiri's tech level was roughly Renaissance period. The Desert Winds perform the function of an elemental artillery unit, using Force powers for long-range bombardment purposes. They serve Shahbânu Semiramis, one of Tygara's most powerful native rulers, who is a Firemane ally and has been developed in several rps.
• Links: Qadiri. Tygara. Firemane.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: Desert Winds
• Affiliation: Shahbânu Semiramis, Qadiri.
• Classification: Infantry, Force support unit.
• Equipment: The Desert Winds are a support unit that, above all, rely on their Force skills. They tend to wear body armour made out of plastoid, complete with internal life support, rebreathets etc. In terms of quality and function, it can be compared to Stormtrooper armour. The gauntlets can be retracted slightly, should the use of their powers require it. For self-defence, the leaders carry Force-imbued blades, while the grunts carry vibroblades or scimitars. The rest of their arsenal consists of daggers, pistols and grenades. Sidearms tend to be blaster pistols, sonic pistols or slugthrowers. They make use of Force-focusing visors to clear their minds of distractions and help them channel Force energies. They utilise speeders for transport.

COMBAT INFORMATION

• Availability: Unique.
• Deployment: Limited

Strengths & Weaknesses:

• Elemental artillery. Using their skill in Alter Environment and elemental powers, they can bombard enemy forces at range. Thus they can throw enemy troops into disarray, sow confusion and inflict severe casualties, allowing allied assault troops to move in and gain the edge. Can also damage enemy aircraft.
• Force-imbued blades can harm spirits and other Force apparitions. Only available to officers though.
• Use of speeders grants them mobility. Operating on a variation of the shoot and scoot principle, they can get into position, fire at a target and then quickly move away from their location to avoid counterfire.
• Speeders are lightly armoured and thus very vulnerable to damage if hit, especially from heavy weapons, tanks, aircraft and so on.
• Lose their biggest advantage if exposed to Voidstone and Ysalamiri. Conventional gear is rather minimalist.
• Strength of their abilities is based on the number of Desert Winds able to fuel them. Thus the more die, the weaker the effects become.
• Conventional equipment and skills lag behind their preternatural ones. Their only conventional weapons are blades and sidearms, though officers get Force-imbued blades. No rifles, repeaters, rotary cannons or anti-tank weapons. Puts them at a disadvantage against infantry that manages to weather the storm or sneak up on them. They're a support unit, not frontline combatants.
• Body armour is decent, but only as good as Stormtrooper armour. Lightsabres, heavy weapons etc. are a problem.

Description:

War for the Qadiri has always been a daily part of life and politics. Though Tygara's isolation from the rest of the Galaxy kept their tech level primitive, they have become highly skilled at the pursuit of warfare, viewing it as an art. Yazgid were utilised as lizard mounts to harass enemies or break through ranks of enemy infantry. Professional soldiers and mercenaries were favoured above the use of levies. Battle plans were based on a complex interplay between cavalry, infantry, archers and Force-using elite soldiers. In recent decades, primitive cannons, a secret taken from the Xioquo, were introduced. However, handheld gunpowder weapons proved unpopular. One innovation the Qadiri pioneered was the use of a type of napalm liquid firie.


However, the most powerful component of any Qadiri army has been its Force-using soldiers. Under Qadiri law, all Force-users must be trained. Some went to the Temple, others to the army. Indeed, being a Force-sensitive was a way for a slave to rise up in society and perhaps become a free man or woman. For the Qadiri, the Force, or Zari as they call it, is a gift from the goddesses, but also a tool. Many noble families prefer to pass on their inheritance to Force-sensitive children, a rare case when a male or younger female child can jump ahead of the pack.


Perhaps one of the most noteworthy Force-based military units are the Desert Winds. These warriors serve the Amikarese Empire, the most powerful Qadiri nation on Tygara. In the light of the fact that it has the size of the Abbasid Empire with the politics of the Holy Roman Empire, they have never been lacking in opportunities to demonstrate their valour on the battlefield. They are a highly prestigious unit.


The Desert Winds have been part of Amikaron, a loose federated empire founded about a thousand years ago by the brilliant general and warlord Amira I. She was the first to assume the title of Shahbânu, though many regions declared independence after her death. It would take many wars before the empire acquired its current form and it became clear to the petty Mirzas that it was here to stay.


The Desert Winds' official history claims that it was Amira who established them. This is probably an embellishment. While units of this type were probably employed by the legendary warlord, it is likely that they only became an integral, formal part of the empire's armies under one of her successors. Regardless, every petty chief and Mirza has their own copy unit. The Desert Winds take great pleasure in disparaging these 'inferior' duplicates. They have a competitive rivalry with the Anusiya, the Force-using guards of the Shahbânu...who also have their equivalents in the armies of the various minor Qadiri states.


Whatever the case may be, the Desert Winds were conceptualised as a support unit. They can be classified as elemental artillery. From afar, they would manipulate the environment to their ends. To be precise, their focus lay - and still lies - in the following fields:

• Fire
• Lightning/Air manipulation
• Force barrier

If properly positioned and utilised, they can inflict severe damage on enemy forces through withering blasts of fire and lightning or by summoning powerful whirlwinds. Their pyromancy can also be used to blind opponents by generating bright light or to create barriers by summoning walls of flame. They specialise in long-range attacks. The same skill set also gives them the ability to act as improvised anti-air troopers, using lightning strikes and strong winds to bring down aircraft. This was not pertinent at the time when the unit came into being, but it obviously of import now that the Qadiri have become aware of aircraft. It came in handy during a battle when the Xioquo, the Qadiri's long-standing enemies, attacked an Amikarese army with steam-powered gyrocopters. Fire proved very effective against Xioquo infantry due to that race's sensitivity to heat and bright lights. However, the Desert Winds are also vulnerable to skirmishers, sharpshooters and heavy weapons. Up close, they only have limited conventional options to defend themselves. They're a support, not frontline combatants, and thus require protection.


The Desert Winds have played a crucial role during the reign of Semiramis, the current Shahbânu of the Amikarese Empire. Ironically, they started out on opposing sides. For Semiramis' mother Adira IV fell ill and eventually died. As the only living daughter, Semiramis was the heir. However, a significant section of the court and military favoured her cousin Jaamini. At the time, Semiramis had been on the way to the city of Mansura to oversee tax collection. While she was away from the capital, certain nobles with Jaamini launched a coup and sent assassins after her. Semiramis and her slave/lover Bashirya managed to evade them, but were shipwrecked. Eventually, after hiding with some peasants, the deposed heir managed to muster an army after securing the allegiance of the local Satrap Ardashir.


Both armies clashed when Semiramis marched on Zeheb, capital of the Amikarese Empire, fighting Jaamini’s army halfway. The Desert Winds had been stationed in the capital and so they happened to be serving Jaamini. Semiramis was the legal ruler, but she'd been accused of treason and stripped of all titles. By contrast, Jaamini had been crowned. So they fought on the side of their sovereign. True to their name, they generated powerful winds to raise columns of sand and dust, significantly reducing visibility and sowing confusion among the enemy troops. Again and again Semiramis' army was bombarded as fire rained down upon them. It seemed like her army would break, but at the climactic moment Semiramis took charge, wading into the fray herself to rally her soldiers. Her example proved inspirational and gave them heart. Combined with a well-timed charge by Ardarashir's cavalry, this turned a rout into a great victory.


Many of Jaamini's soldiers ran, though the Desert Winds and her elite guard held out. Pursued, Jaamini fled but was betrayed and murdered by some of her supporters to try and curry favour with Semiramis. As the full force of Semiramis' army was unleashed upon them the Desert Winds took heavy casualties as they were not equipped for close quarter fighting. Using lizard mounts they retreated to a better defensive position in form of a few ruins, but surrendered after receiving word of Jaamini's death. When brought before Semiramis, their commander explained his reasons for fighting against her even though she was the legal heir. Making no apology for his actions, he placed his fate in Semiramis' hands. Impressed by his honesty, the Shahbânu pardoned him and his men. By contrast, she gave Jaamini a decent burial and had her murderers beheaded, as their betrayal disgusted her.


The Desert Winds also played an important role when Semiramis was confronted by alien raiders. These slavers were a small-time off-shoot of the Corsairs in the galaxy at large. However, when their leader learned of Tygara he immediately moved there, hoping to snap up a quick collection of slaves. Despite having only three ships and less than 100 men he was confident of routing the primitives.


And so, landing near the city of Mansura in Amikarese territory, he plundered and enslaved several villages. When troops from the resident Satrap attempted to stop him the blasers and terrifying machines proved irresistible and the army was routed. Semiramis heard of these incursions and marched with an army to Mansura personally. Attempts to negotiate were met with the Qadiri ambassadors being seized and enslaved themselves. With little option, Semiramis attacked, trying to use open order tactics and multiple fronts. However, their weapons were ineffective and the terrifying space ships and advanced weapons mowed down 700 Qadiri warriors in less than an hour. Even the Desert Winds had to retreat, since they lacked the means to defend themselves effectively against blaster cannons and turbolasers. After all, even Force Barriers had their limits, especially with so much firepower being directed their way. They were also harried by speeders that far outpaced their lizard mounts.


Semiramis barely escaped and withdrew to watch whilst summoning more reinforcements. It was at this stage that she received a piece of luck. The Corsairs greedily had not left yet and celebrated their victory and tormented their captives, thinking the Qadiri were gone. Seizing her chance, the Shahbânu led a stealthy night attack, overwhelmed the sentries and attacked the Corsairs whilst they were unprepared. The Desert Winds aided her in the assault by summoning a thick sandstorm that not only reduced visiblity, but helped keep the enemy vessels grounded and made communication difficult. Meanwhile, the Anusiya attacked in melee, adapting the enemy's blasters for their own use. This, combined with arrows and knives against unarmoured enemies led to a slaughter. Only one Corsair ship escaped and eighty of the slavers were killed or captured.


However, the star people soon returned. This time a slaver fleet was destroyed in Tygara's orbit by Firemane and Eldorai warships. Firemane's arrival on Tygara came as a great shock to the native cultures there. Some saw threats, others opportunities or a mix of both. Semiramis chose to pursue a policy of accommodation, in the hope that she could use the offworlders to her nation's advantage. She did her best to present herself as a flexible, pragmatic ruler and was able to establish a connection with Firemane's leader, Siobhan Kerrigan. This came at a price, as Firemane insisted on the abolition of slavery, though practicality would make this a gradual process to avoid the economy collapsing and millions being left destitue. Conveniently, both groups soon discovered they possessed a common foe: the Xioquo. Great battles were fought, until the Drows' subterranean lair was stormed and their dark 'goddess' Mystra defeated.


The alliance between the two powers was advantageous for the Desert Winds. They received better guns, vehicles and armour. The Qadiri's primitive armour was replaced with plastoid body armour, which is the equivalent of Stormtrooper armour in function and quality. Compared to the traditional armour of Tygaran soldiers, it is highly advanced, though on the galactic level it is only basic. The very temperamental Yazgid lizard mounts have been replaced by speeders. This grants the Desert Winds greater mobility and allows them to utilise a variation of the shoot and scoot principle. Of course, lightly armoured speeders are still very vulnerable to heavy weapons. They also received training from acolytes of the Order of Firemane, Firemane's Force-using branch, so that they would be better able to cope on a modern battlefield. They played a notable role during the early stages of the assault on the Xioquo capital, when they aided Eldorai and Qadiri forces in destroying the war machines the Xioquo unleashed in the plains ahead of the Underealm.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Need a pic for Desert Winds. Awkward to find pyromancers in armour!


Sadly, Chandra from MtG doesn't work since she's white and has red hair.


Maybe this: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/tolas/images/e/e1/R169_457x257_16541_Stormcaller_2d_fantasy_character_desert_elf_mage_sorceress_woman_picture_image_digital_art.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150304165743


Bit magey.


https://pre00.deviantart.net/defa/th/pre/i/2015/103/0/9/fire_bender_concept_art_by_gony_04-d8pnj9f.jpg This looks more military. Still doesn't look like the armour they'd wear, but this could be their ceremonial attire.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Doesn't have to be true to life. I like the pathfinder one simply because it looks desert like.