OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Shadow Knights.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Exploration, patrol.
Permissions: Can use Firemane and Archangel gear because I write the companies' owners.
Links: Yohara Taenasi, Eldorai Spirit Gem, The Defiance, Eldorai, Qadiri, Vashyada, To Hell and Back, Kar'zun, Eldorai Exodus, Twin Exiles, Xioquo, ARD X-1, Naesala Faethyra, Court of Providence, Kaida, Battle of Kaeshana, Firemane Industries, Archangel Research and Design.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Outriders of the Breaking Dawn
Affiliation: Shadow Knights (lore submission), Shadow Knights, Court of the Shadows, Starstriders, Yseult Faerin.
Classification: Recon, Infantry.
Description: The Shadow Knights are a nomadic group composed of renegades, rogues and former insurgents drawn from the Eldorai and their subraces. They are a product of the cataclysmic devastation of Kaeshana. Their society is centred on a nomad fleet. Resources are scarce and many of their ships are old. What they cannot produce themselves, they must steal or otherwise acquire. The fleet is always on the move, never staying in one place for too long and many of their expeditions take them to remote, uncharted corners of space.
With that in mind, it is important for them to have groups of dedicated scouts and explorers, who are self-reliant and can operate independently from the main fleet for an extended period. The Outriders of the Breaking Dawn are one such group. They function as an exploration and patrol unit, searching for possible locations for the Shadows to settle on or exploit for resources. In that capacity they are dispatched ahead of the main fleet.
So far, this is quite conventional. However, the Outriders differ in one crucial respect from typical scout groups: Every one of their members is a hybrid between droid and organic. To be precise, their souls have been transferred from their organic bodies into spirit gems. These sturdy gems have been implanted into the formidable chassis of a Sciiac Guardian, a specialised droid custom-built to serve as the vessel of an elf, or an assassin droid of some sort. These men and women are individuals with skills deemed too valuable to lose.
Transferring the soul of a soldier into the crystal enables them to continue service after their physical body has suffered fatal injuries. There is some overlap with entechment, but the souls in the gems are not tormented. Their existence is painless, but not a nice one either. Their existence amounts to purgatory. Broadly speaking, it can be compared to the life of a Shard, with the difference that these individuals all used to be flesh and blood beings. But there is a lot of overlap in terms of functionality.
The process is controversial among the Eldorai, as a good many view it as akin to necromancy, though it has tradition among them. But the Shadows prioritise survival. The rogues are governed by an oligarchic republic with strong stratocratic influences. Their society places great emphasis on service and duty. In keeping with this, the families of the Outriders receive pensions, for they have gone beyond the call of duty by choosing to serve in death. This is, of course, a bit of a romanticised take on things and does not automatically reflect the actual mind set of say a Sciiac Guardian. Nonetheless, many Shadows find their seemingly emotionless crystal brethren disconcerting to deal with.
Traditionally, Eldorai society has always been matriarchal. This is also largely the case with their 'cousins', though the Qadiri and Vashyada are ironically more progressive. Necessity has compelled the Shadows to officially embrace gender equality. Men can join the military or run for public ofice, but there is still a lot of sexism. However, gender is not of particular importance to the Outriders. They have robotic bodies and are largely disconnected from organic passions. Stripped of their organic bodies, the Outriders do not require food, drink, sleep or sustenance. Disconnected from organic needs, they can concentrate fully on their tasks. Some of them continue to maintain organic bonds from their old lives; others make a clean break. Most are volunteers, but the Shadows also use the process as a punishment for certain crimes.
Their peculiar nature allows the Outriders to act as intelligent probe droids with teeth and firepower. They do not get tired or need supplies, so they can move quietly through space and investigate locations that would be dangerous for organics. At the same time, their strong mechanical bodies and martial skills enable them to deal with hazardous first contact situations, pirates and the like. They do not have the numbers and heavy armaments to hold off an enemy legion, but are highly trained, tireless fighters.
Moreover, they retain organic initiative and skills for improvisation, rather than being mindless automatons. This means they retain free will. Aside from being trained in combat, Outriders also learn mechanical skills, piloting, astrogation, astrocartography and other essential skills for a scout. This does not make everyone an expert in any of these fields, but it makes them very self-reliant. They also recruit specialists in fields like geology, biology, languages and xenos studies. More in-depth investigation of the sites they discover is left to external specialists though, while the Outriders act as pathfinders and trailblazers.
If they encounter intelligent indigenous life along the way, they will defer to high command and what amounts to the Shadow Knights' diplomatic corps. Foreign policy is the domain of the Archon, the elected leader and commander-in-chief of the Shadow Knights. The Outriders are soldiers and scouts, not diplomats, though they have protocols to govern first contact situations and, ideally, avoid needless bloodshed. The Sciiac Guardians are the strongest and most resilient, but also slow and bulky. Moreover, they look like big droids. By contrast, a spirit gem inside an HRD can pass as an organic being, while being tough and strong. So they are better suited for tasks that require social skills or stealth. They largely use HRD and HK bodies as hosts, but they have Guardian 'frames' handy in case they need them for combat, as a gem can easily be removed and plugged into the body.
The nature of their tasks mean that the Outriders will often have to act with little support from outside. As a result, their units are rather tight-knit. Indeed, they will generally seek to recover the spirit gem of a comrade whose mechanical body has been destroyed. This esprit de corps gives them a good unit cohesion. Their independent nature can make cooperation with more conventional units difficult though. The Outriders have access to a corvette that serves as a mobile base. Since they do not need to bring food with them, they have a lot of space for equipment and personnel.
As part of the Shadow Knight military, the Outriders fall under the authority of the Court of War, the body for soldiers, pilots, marines, naval personnel and other war related persons. They work closely with the Starstriders, the exploration corps of the Shadows. Naturally other bodies take an interest in their work, such as the Court of the Mind, a group for scientists, or the Court of Providence, which supervises producers such as agri-farmers and miners. Thus the Court of War sends reports to them. Kaida Taldir dislikes the name Outriders of the Breaking Dawn because she thinks it has no meaning and makes no sense. Shalaevar Venacaryn is the leader of the group. She was one of the early Eldorai exiles. Eldorai have a long life span that typically exceeds that of a human, but she is old even by the standards of her species. Her flesh and blood body is old and ill, so she has agreed to the procedure because it allows her to live on, in a manner of speaking.
Technically, she came from an old noble family. But in practice her family was impoverished. It had fallen on hard times, but stubbornly clung to the old ways and sought to maintain an elevated status it could no longer afford. Indeed, she was forced to sell off family heirlooms and priceless paintings. Sometimes the family would go to parties wearing jewellry originally given to their ancestors by a long-dead Star Queen, then go back home, eat stolen food and wash their clothes in a bathtub in their apartment.
Her mother died when she was still a child. The family went into bankruptcy and and had to sell their land, which was a big deal among Eldorai nobility. However, the buyer defrauded them. Shalaevar grew up in unstable circumstances and joined the 'navy' to make a living. There she became exposed to revolutionary ideas, such as popular sovereignty and the belief that there was intelligent life outside of Kaeshana.
Her activities got her exiled, which allowed her to see the stars. In time, she became more interested in finding a home for free elves than instigating revolution. Shalaevar has participated in a variety of conflicts and expeditions. She has the attitude of an old veteran who thinks she's seen it all. After so many centuries, she is jaded about the revolution, but loyal. Her comrades have teasingly nicknamed her Citizen Countess and Old Sarix. She is quite knowledgeable about astrogation and a good pilot. Elnaril Valana is an Eldorai who suffered persecution under the ancien régime for working on engineering and research processes deemed heretical. On account of his gender, he was denied admission to a prestigious academy. Elnaril knew Yohara, the creator of the modern spirit gems, from early on. Today, he is responsible for repairing the droid bodies and damaged crystals.
Aahana Jai Dhara is a Qadiri rather than an Eldorai. Her people are very new to spaceships and interstellar travel, but have talents as pilots and navigators. Aahan used to be a mamluk who survived Mirza Brahdok's failed invasion of the Vashyada homeland. She was left behind to explore her way across the perilous forests of Yarkul until she was able to rejoin another Qadiri ship and return home. Through her, the Qadiri learned of the debacle that bad befallen the Mirza's army. In the process, she also became a wilderness expert and amateur cartographer. She has a lot of experience as a scout, having ventured deep into the remote corners of the rim and Wild Space. Moreover, she could hold her own in a fight even before being 'upgraded'. Aahana worked for Firemane for a while.
She picked up piloting during that time, but quickly grew tired of Firemane's 'human saviour complex' and the unspoken expectation that she was supposed to be grateful to the 'sky people' for being 'uplifted'. Thus she decided to see the stars on her own terms. The Qadiri scout eventually went on one expedition too many and was lost somewhere in deep space scouting for the Shadows. Her mortally wounded form was returned by her companions. She was given a second chance, after a fashion. Being trapped in a crystal is not ideal, but it is a life of sorts. Bahaa Jal Irvani is a Qadiri like Aahana. He is an explorer and scholar who tracked the course of the Axus River to its source high in the mountains, then returned. He is now looking for new frontiers to explore. Bahaa's soul entered a gem after he was injured in a fight with an indigenous group of aliens in the far rim he had come across during one of his early travels in the stars. He is an optimistic sort and has a lot of enthusiasm for exploring new frontiers.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Small
Unit Availability: Rare
Unit Experience: Elite.
Equipment:
Armour: Not worn by Sciiac Guardians.
Droids:
Rifles:
- Verpine Shatter Rifle
- Stouker Concussion Rifle
- ACS-201 Executioner Slugthrower
- ACS-202 Vanquisher Light Repeating Blaster
- Bowcaster
- ACS-204 Vulcan Blaster Rifle
- Reaper Plasma Shotgun
- Mk I Boltgun
- DXR-6 Disruptor
- Magnetic Repeater
Melee Weapons:
Support Weapons:
Ships and Vehicles:
- YT-1300
- Armoured Personnel Carriers
- A-A5 Speeder Trucks. Armed variant is used.
- Kom’rk-class Fighter/Transports
- Use a CR90 Corvette as a mobile base.
Misc:
- Misc tools for scouting, surveillance and surveying.
- Grenades
- Electrical Capacitance Shield
- Whisper Jetpack
- DRK-1 Probe Droid
- Eldorai Spirit Gem. The consciousness of each member is housed in one.
Thus they can operate without most forms of supplies for a long period of time and go places that could be difficult for or dangerous for organic beings to traverse. For instance, the lack of a breathable atmosphere does not bother them. The same applies to toxic, extremely hot or cold environments. One could liken them to sentient probe droids with teeth, critical thinking skills and the ability to talk to people. As part of their duties, the Outriders may set up listening outposts on worlds they come across during their travels. Furthermore, they are good at investigating derelict starships and dealing with hostiles they might encounter. This can clear the way for the Shadows to carry out salvage operations.
The Outriders are very skilled in combat and benefit from a high degree of unit cohesion. This means they can defend themselves if they run into a hostile force. However, the unit is a fairly small one and this also applies to the individual combat teams. This means that force of numbers can overwhelm them, which is they will seek to avoid protracted engagements. They are tough fighters, but lack heavy integrated support, as they obviously do not have tanks, bombers, artillery and the like. The Sciiac Guardian forms are the toughest, but also lack agility and are big and bulky. Their vehicles can accommodate all droid forms, but some can carry more of the HRD or HRD forms than the Guardian ones.
While they have the bodies of droids and have a more 'logical' outlook, they are not mindless automatons, retaining initiative and a will of their own. They are also trained in scouting, mechanics, piloting and similar skills. A few of the Outriders were Force-Sensitives in life and have retained the ability to use the Force. However, they can only use basic Force abilities, such as precognition, Force Sense powers and basic telekinesis.
Strengths:
- Having their souls transferred into spirit gems and inserted into a powerful droid body makes each Outrider a blend of machine and organic. They have the tirelessness and strength of a droid, but the ingenuity of an organic veteran.
- Their peculiar physiology makes them perfect to operate in environments organics might find dangerous and need specialised equipment for.
- Crack soldiers and scouts.
- The Sciiac Guardians are not very spritely and lack agility, which a more mobile opponent could exploit. They are also quite distinctive and not suited for stealth.
- The unit is small, both in overall size and in terms of its individual teams. Thus they are easily outnumbered. Moreover, they forego integrated heavy support, which puts them at a serious disadvantage in full-scale battles or if they say face enemy tank hordes.
- The spirit gem is the most sensitive component of an Outrider. It is heavily reinforced and shielded, but heavy attacks or massive ion damage could disable or destroy it. A functioning spirit gem is needed to give commands to the mechanical body.
The Outriders of the Breaking Dawn are a fairly new group, but they trace their line back to an Eldorai unit of scouts, rangers and explorers by the same name. The Shadow Knights reject the ancien régime of the Eldorai Matriarchy. In their eyes it is oppressive, corrupt and the vassal of foreign powers. It represents the aristocracy, not the Eldorai nation. However, they still try to link themselves to the Eldorai's past.
The ancient Outriders were an Eldorai group responsible for investigating all of Kaeshana's wild areas and even traversing the sea in the old days. The latter was particularly dangerous because Kaeshana's climate is stormy and the vast, untamed ocean is populated by dangerous creatures. For this reason, the Eldorai did not like it much. In the days of yore, the Outriders ventured into the furthest reaches of the Eldorai homeworld, braving the elements and other hazards. The name has been revived by the Shadow Knights because it repesents a link to the past that is not too coloured by oppression. Of course, the ancient Outriders were also used to expand the power of the Matriarchy, but while the Shadows reject the old order, they still honour the common soldier. Indeed, they claim that they elevate martial service, arguing that in their society only those who have served have earned the right to wield political power.
The new incarnation of the Outriders was founded after the Shadows were forced to retreat from Kaeshana. Originally, the Shadow Knights were founded to protect the surviving Eldorai communities that had been left behind on Kaeshana during the Exodus. They were among the groups that tried to wrest order from the chaos that had engulfed the planet after a devastating asteroid impact. Following the Battle of Kaeshana and the planet's occupation by the First Order, the Shadows had to flee the planet. They were unwilling to submit to a foreign occupier, but also loath to kowtow to Firemane and the Eldorai Matriarchy. As a consequence, they pooled their resources to build a rag-tag nomad fleet, seeking a new home.
This led to the rebirth of the Outriders. At first they were a conventional scouting group, but the invention of the next generation of spirit gems transformed their nature. Yohara Taenasi, an iconoclastic Eldorai scientist, was responsible for this breakthrough. The use of warriors housed in spirit gems and mechanical bodies, though controversial, was not new among the Eldorai. While more democratic than the Matriarchy, the Shadow Knights prioritised survival.
The new Outriders would act as scouts, rangers and essentially intelligent probe droids. Equipped with ships, potent weapons, mechanical bodies, they were sent out to explore space beyond the common hyperlanes, and investigate potential sites for colonisation and resource exploration. They quickly made themselves a name for their escapades, ejecting pirates and raiders from asteroid bases, exploring derelict space hulks and the Rishi Maze. Some of these stories were embellished, but they earned themselves a place among the renegades. One of their missions took them to a colony world that had been lost and rendered uninhabitable by the Gulag Virus. It was a cold tundra planet, but when the Outriders arrived they found that the planet was in a long cycle of warming up again. More of the land was becoming habitable.
Unfortunately for the former inhabitants, the Gulag Virus combined with the opposite cooling period had doomed them to extinction. The Outriders did come across little intelligent fluffballs that were reminiscient of Ewoks, but smaller and with a resemblance to large squirrels. Moreover, the planet featured a wide array of creatures. The scouts reported their findings back to the nomad fleet, which marked the planet as a potential site to set up outposts on.
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