Karrigan'Xalda
Daughter of the Karishzar
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.
Permission: ARGH gear available per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here. Firemane obtained a supply contract that allows it to use Fire for Effect gear here.
Links: Firemane, Order of Fire, Twilight of the Goddess, Liavondra, Xioquo, Daughters of the Destroyer.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Tecuanimeh (Xioquo word for Beasts).
Affiliation:House Kerrigan-Alcori, Siobhan Kerrigan, Xioquo.
Classification: Assassins.
Equipment:
Armour:
Rifles:
- Dart Rifle (variable chemical payload)
- ACS-207 Cryoban Gun
- DC-19 Stealth Carbine
- Nightstinger Sporting Blaster Rifle
- SR-1
- DXR-6.
- ACS-207 Acidthrower
- TS-Vonginator
- Shatter Pistol
- Racket's Bite.
- Sonic Stunner
- MSD-32
- Adjudicator
- Holdout Bolter
- Sonic Wave Pistol
- A-280 CFE blaster.
Misc:
- Access to poisons such as Synox, rock worrt venom, and Devaronian blood poison.
- Grenades, det charges.
- Tools such as climbing equipment and cyanide pills.
- Poisoner's Ring.
- Neural Inhibitor, Paralysis Cord.
- Taozin Amulet.
- Hypnogaze
- Multispectrum Disguise Suite
- Berserk.
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer.
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster.
- Concealed Dart Launcher.
The Tecuanimeh are one of them. It is a guild of assassins that used to operate at the behest of the Council of Matriarchs that once governed the realm of the Xioquo in the name of Myrou, the first Xioquo who was worshipped as a dark goddess by her children. The Tecuanimeh have built up a reputation as lethal, professional killers. They have traditionally recruited their members from the ranks of the undesirables and the dregs of society. They take care of the members like a wolf pack would, but expect total commitment to the sect's code of secrecy. Today, they do the bidding of Lady Siobhan Kerrigan, dealing out deaths in her name.
They do not worship her as a deity, but respect her power. The Tecuanimeh have always been drawn to strength. The sect recognises that knowledge is power and so it is always seeking out new information - both on their enemies and allies. After all, power can shift very quickly. Their stealthy skills and intelligence gathering capabilities make them excellent spies and scouts. The sect prides itself on its professionalism and on its ability to eliminate its targets without leaving a trace of evidence behind. Unsurprisingly, it is extremely secretive and maintains a tight grip on its members.
The Tecuanimeh are divided into four 'Houses', each named after a different beast. While every Tecuani receives the same general training and had access to the same equipment, each House prefers a different approach. Manticore focuses on sniping from range, Hydra attracts agile warriors who prefer to fight in melee, Dragon favours brutal Force attacks and Kraken likes to poison and subvert enemies. Collectively all are known as the Beasts, or Tecuanimeh in the Xioquo language.
The Tecuanimeh are led by Naxal'Tikaz. She has a rivalry with Xal'Atlaz, the high mistress of the Blades of the Blessed Dread. Tikaz was among the Xioquo who opposed the awakening of Myrou and worked together with the Quals to try and prevent it. Her rise forced the assassin to go underground, but her training helped her survive the purge. Tikaz was one of the Beasts who infiltrated Siobhan's headquarters to offer them her allegiance.
She could found a different way to ask for a job, but she has a penchant for being flamboyant and she considered it a good way to demonstrate her skills. She still bears scars from Siobhan's Force Lightning. Tikaz prides herself on having dirt on 'everyone' of note in Xioquo society and on many other prominent elves. This is probably hyperbole, but she understands the importance of leverage and is always seeking out new information. She is very good at mental manipulation, an expert in poisons and good at disguises. She spent some time working in a Firemane shipyard as a normal employee without being spotted.
One of the members of the Tecuanimeh, Karrigan'Talxqui, has been inducted into the Shadows of the Ascendant Flame, a secretive group of Xioquo spies and assassins who answer directly to Siobhan. She was sold to the Tecuanimeh at an early age and trained as one of their agents. Ironically, she does not feel much of a grudge against her former mistresses. They were harsh and often cruel, but for someone of her station, the alternative was labouring in the stone quarries, fighting as a janissary or suffering as the personal slave of a noblewoman. Being one of the 'Beasts' gave her a measure of power, protection and even influence.
It was a harsh life, but the temple took care of its own and was able to blackmail or even topple noble families that crossed it. The twilight of the ancien régime restored her freedom, but she elected to remain in the business, though as a free woman. Talxqui was a tool, but she still has fond memories of her former trainer. Talxqui is a consummate professional who completes her tasks without fuss. Killing is her day job and she does it well - without sadism, but also without any regrets or remorse. She fulfils her role, and moves on to the next job without dwelling on things much. After hours, she is quite personable.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: Elite, professional killers. They excel at getting close to high-value targets and eliminating them before vanishing back into the darkness. They are ideal for wetwork and extremely stealthy. The group is composed of Force-sensitive Xioquo. The Tecuanimeh focus on Cryomancy, Force Concealment, Telekinesis, Force Flash, Force Stasis and Force Cloak. Moreover, they can use the Force to generate regular darkness to conceal themselves. They are fond of using Force Stasis to paralyse opponents before taking them out. This is often combined with cryomancy. Their members are experienced Knights. However, they are trained for stealth, subversion and assassination, not frontline combat. They also do not carry lightsabres and lack strong defensive abilities.
Their telekinetic powers are potent, but more geared towards fine manipulation than direct assault or employment against large numbers of enemies. A member of the sect would use a surgical telekinetic pull to the knee joint to break an enemy's leg or try to mess with an internal organ, but not summon a huge telekinetic wave to break or ragdoll several enemies. They would also not be able to lift and throw very heavy objects in the manner that say Count Dooku did against Yoda during their duel on Geonosis. All in all, their Force abilities focus more on finesse and potent surgical strikes. This is in keeping with their role as assassins.
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 makes them very good at blending into the shadows, enhancing their stealthiness. On average Xioquo are physically weaker than humans. The assassins are glass cannons. Living in the darkness so long has made the sun and other very bright lights painful to Xioquo. In daylight they need to wear covering attire, including some form of eye protection, to shield themselves. Their skins can blister in the sun if left exposed. Thus they have to wear covering attire in such situations. 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 or anti-tank weapons. They are a scalpel or a rapier, not a broadsword. They operate in small teams, which is self-explanatory given the nature of their job. While they are trained in conventional combat, ysalamiri or Voidstone take away their biggest advantage, making them more vulnerable in combat. Their armour is very stealthy and light, but not tough. It provides little in the way of blaster or slug protection.
Strengths:
- Elite assassins. They are lethal, quick and stealthy.
- Excel at mental, concealment and elemental ice/water abilities.
- Glass cannons. Lightly armed and armoured, lack heavy weapons or tanky armour.
- Their powers are more geared towards finesse and surgical strikes than frontline combat. Lack strong defensive Force abilities.
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 courts of the Xioquo. For their dark matriarchs were not lacking in enemies - both within and without. In the absence of the 'God-Queen' Myrou, 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. Ironically, the Beasts were more progressive on gender matters than mainstream Xioquo society. After all, their members, no mattter whether female or male, were all outcasts. 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 Myrou, 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 Myrou to rise, for she feed upon the deaths. Qual'Ixtar was slain by Myrou'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 Myrou 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, Myrou was confronted and slain by Siobhan and her allies. The chamber were she met her end would be called Myrou'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.
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