Metal Lord
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a large monster unit for the Bryn'adul.
- Image Credit: (x)
- Role: Tunnels under enemy units, ambushes units and is capable of destroying enemy vehicles.
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Unit Name: Dredge Tunneler Unit
- Affiliation: The Bryn'adûl
- Classification: Tunneler Ambusher
- Description: Highly intelligent Predator with Sheer Strength and Tunneling ability.
- Unit Size: Small (1 Dredge, 1 Member of the Byrn'adul (Handler))
- Unit Availability: Rare (Long Training Time)
- Unit Experience: Elite (Extremely Intelligent Ambusher)
- Equipment:
Eight Large Rending Claws (Highly Resistant to Kinetic, Acid and Energy Weaponry, will sheer through most available armor with brute force.)
Two Stabbing Tentacles (Weak to Counter Attack, Cannot go through Extremely Resistant Armor. Can use to Strangle)
Mouth Teeth (Able to rip apart most common metals to devour.
Handler: Bryn'adul Weaponry and Armor - Combat Function:
Tunneler: It can burrow itself under the ground at its massive height and slink around to cut sections into the ground, sometimes enough ground for heavy treads/walkers to fall through to where it will attempt to devour said vehicle.
Vehicle Destroyer: It is extremely strong against most forms of vehicles such as Walkers and will attempt to tear them apart.
Ambush Expert: It is very intelligent, knowing when to pounce on its prey.
- Extremely Intelligent: It has enough sense to know how to ambush and when to strike. It also knows that if it is in a losing battle, it will retreat and make plans underground to collapse the rear vehicle artillery to even out a fight. To put lightly, they are very dangerous and should not be underestimated.
- Metal Diet: It mainly consumes metal for its diet with some organic, it is unharmed when eating metal and has teeth to sheer it apart along with its claws.
- Extremely Durable Frontal Defense: Its Large Rending Claws and be shot down to withstand a Very High amount of kinetic, acid and energy damage. It can hold out and even do this while digging down to escape. That said, Extreme amount of damage will go through it.
- Owner is There: It always knows where its owner is on planet side as it has a unique scent and bond with the owner.
- Very Soft Backside/Underbelly: If gotten past the front, it has a very squishy backside and underbelly even though it is lightly armored. This can be exploited as a well controlled explosive will kill it or focused squad fire by multiple units.
- Hard to Control: Once these things are let loose, they are very hard to control. Only high commanding members of the Bryn'adul can order them and the owner is the only one to absolutely control the Dredge.
- Solitary Creature: It never works in a group, it is always on its own doing its own thing when given a scent order. If it helps a group, it is entirely by coincidence due to its intelligence and seeing an opportunity in battle or perhaps to just have something to eat. The only way it goes around this is if the owner of the Dredge is on the battlefield as it will assist its owner when required or ordered...but only for the owner.
- Very Rare: There perhaps can only be two-three of these at any given time on the battlefield as they are extremely hard to tame and train.
- Owner Dies, Must Rampage: If the owner dies, it gives a wailing shriek and will attack anything nearby, friend or foe till everything nearby is killed. This is extremely dangerous and it will not calm down for several hours and it will not listen by command. Afterwards, the Dredge will tunnel away into the core as it will have to be tamed once again if on a new planet.
On Draemidus Prime, it is tradition that those who undertake the trials of war that they are to have combat at least once, with a Dredge. The Dredges are considered mythical on their planet, one of the most extremely intelligent predators on their planet. Ranging possibly in the numbers of less than a hundred thousand, along with their height reaching seventeen meters on average and generally found very deep into the planets core in tunnels they tunnel, these creatures are considered one the most dangerous on planet as they can live for hundreds of years with the larger ones being the older ones. Those who take the fight to them, often only claw out of their engagement barely alive, some fend off their Dredge into a retreat, very few kill them in combat...and those even less, find ways to tame them as part of their trial.
Taming a Dredge is one of the most complex procedures in the Bryn'adul. The Bryn'adul in question must first either mortally wound the Dredge or wound it heavily enough to knock it out. It will then wither in agony and pain but unlike killing it, the Bryn'adul will then administer treatment. This is very dangerous as it could lash out and eat said Bryn'adul member and is considered an extremely dangerous procedure. Once the wounds are treated, it is to be fed either sacrifices, meat or rare metals to gain its trust. This process can take upwards to a month, regarding mainly on injuries and how often the Bryn'adul member and the Dredge fight on and off. After the process, the Dredge will then willingly decide to impart a scent mark with its two tentacles by barely piercing the skin and injecting a small amount of fluid. This will change their chemical scent into being exactly like the Dredge in question and allow the Bryn'adul to also approach other Dredges without being attacked. After all of this is completed, the Bryn'adul can emerge from the tunnels either riding or walking alongside the Dredge with complete trust.
Training a Dredge at this point is difficult as it generally refuses armor first and is the most difficult step to teach as it must allow others to approach it to attach said metals. Generally a few Bryn'adul are killed during this process but if the owner is watchful, none will be. Once the armor is attached, it will have a two week adjustment period as it practices tunneling and moving around with its new set of armor. This process is repeated every twenty years as it will outgrow the armor and will need reattached every twenty years. They are also considered for the next two months to be extremely watched over by their owner to teach them not to eat their own kind. However this can be disallowed later on as some punishments require fighting said Dredge or being served as a meal to them with the owners motion. Those messing with it are also allowed to be killed by the Dredge by their owner. Another difficult portion of training is training them how to tunnel so it does not hit their own command structures or friendly units. Generally this can be either very easy or very difficult as the older the Dredge is, the easier it understands the notion once presented. However it is expected during training to have a few buildings destroyed due to the Dredges actions. Punishment to Dredge is recommended but considered to be light and only done by the owner as severe punishment can lead to the Dredge killing the owner in retaliation if disrespected heavily. During this period, they are to learn of high ranking officials in the military structure as most have scents on them to give some form of order to Dredges.
After the training adjustment period which can last from four to six months, it will then be ready to be deployed with its handler. Generally it has its own transport on planet and comes off with orders. Some Owners will teach them their own language but most use scents in small containers to teach them what to do. Once given the order, the Dredge will then go on the hunt for what it has been ordered. This can range from tunneling underneath for ambushes, crippling supply lines, attacking large walkers and dragging them into the ground, or simply attacking random units when it sees fit to. While this goes on, the handler can freely go into combat but is generally closely guarded by other units of the Bryn'adul. The handler is considered a Very Important Person on the battlefield as if he dies, the Dredge will go on a rampage and run off. It is widely considered for them to be put in the rear but some are known as front line units and as such, are always closely watched for wounds.
Once the battle is over, the owner and Dredge is reunited as there be a loud wail in celebration from the Dredge. It is generally given rewards by either sacrifices of organic meals or precious rare metals. They are then loaded onto the transport and taken to their next destination. The bond between the two are generally very well respected among the community as some have songs written about their encounters. Very few are ever seen working together on the battlefield constantly as they are some of the more older units on the battlefield. The rarest of all occurrence is when a Handler has reached an advanced age and can no longer be apart of the fighting. It is then given through a complex ritual of a Bryn'adul member selected in question to fight the Dredge and survive the combat, repeating the process as for taming one but the difference being that the owner would let the Dredge know during this that it can no longer be its fateful companion. Once this is done, the Dredge is then transferred over with the scent of the other owner still in its mind but will no longer go to its aid. This also requires the previous owner to never be on the same planet during a battlefield event as it can confuse the Dredge if not careful.
