OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Shadow Knights and make use of a piece of tech I made.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: The Eidolons are a squad of Sciiac Guardians. They are a heavy infantry assault unit, but also serve as a protective unit.
Permissions: They can use Firemane equipment because I own the company. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here.
Links: Yohara Taenasi, Eldorai Spirit Gem, The Defiance, Naesala Faethyra.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: The Eidolons.
Affiliation: Shadow Knights, Court of the Shadows, Kaida.
Classification: Infantry.
Equipment: The squad is composed of Sciiac Guardians.
Armour:
- Their bodies are their armour as they are large droid-organic hybrids and not that humanoid. However, their shells have been reinforced by ablative ablative plating and they carry Combat De-Ionisers.
- Seraph Battle Shield.
- Verpine Prototype Shield.
- MkI Bolter
- Tensor Rifle
- T-21 Light Repeating Blaster
- Reaper Plasma Shotgun
- Magnetic Repeater
- ACS-205 Advanced Dual Weapon System
Sidearms and SMGs:
- Renegade Blaster Pistol
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- FWG-5 Flechette Smart Pistol
- RSIC-11 Suncrusher Pistol
- Magnetic Revolver
- Sonic Disruptor
- CZ-H5 Shatterbeam Pistol
- ACP Repeater Gun
- MSD-32
Melee Weapons:
Misc:
- Grenades, ABC Scramblers, Detonite Charges. Sonic Imploders, Thermal Imploders, Thermal Well.
- APE Boltgun Ammunition
Description:
"For them death is no excuse. Is it for you?"
- Shadow Knight propaganda slogan. Imagine it on a propaganda poster that looks like the image above.
Travellers who visit the Defiance, the mobile 'capital' of the Shadow Knights, may come across posters bearing these words. These words tend to be accompanied by the image of starfighters, tanks or soldiers in sealed battle armour. They refer to women and men whose service has not ended with death. Some are volunteers who have given the state custody over their souls in return for the payment of hefty pensions to their families. Others simply possess skills that are too valuable to lose, such as mortally wounded warriors. The Shadow Knights trap their essence in spirit gems.
The small, sturdy crystals preserve the soul of a dying Eldorai. This enables them to continue their service after their mortal body has failed them, retaining their memory and skills in life. In addition, they can be plugged into droids, vehicles and starships to interact with the world around them. The morality of this is questionable, to say the least. Indeed, more than a few Shadows are uncomfortable with it. But the Eldorai homeworld is a desolate wasteland, many Eldorai have perished and the Shadows are a rag-tag nomad fleet. They are concerned with survival, above all.
The Eidolons are the result of this. The Shadows have already modified captured HRD bodies to house soul gems, especially those of fallen cormades who serve as pilots, spies or instructors. However, the Sciiac Guardians are different. The gems are implanted into custom-made, Laminanium droid bodies. Their purpose is to be a war machine. They are meant to protect the worldship, but can also be sent into the heat of combat to unleash hell on the enemy. Their organic bodies failed them and they stood at death's door. But then they rose again, stronger and harder.
Whereas an elf who is experiencing their unlife inside an HRD can pass for one of the living, a Sciiac Guardian is very recognisable and marked as something other than alive. Other Shadows regard the Eidolons with a mixture of respect, awe and fear. Some see them as cursed. Those among the religious who have a positive view of soul gems treat them as noble warriors who have chosen to postpone their reward in the afterlife in order to continue defending their people.
Quite what the Eidolons think of this varies. Stripped of their organic bodies and needs, they do not require food, drink or breaks. Some make a clear break with their organic existence, others try to maintain as many connections to their old life as possible. Their families receive pensions and are honoured by the state. The souls of the warriors are not tormented in their gems, but on a spiritual level their existence is a kind of purgatory. One of their unofficial mottos is: "What do we say to the Goddess of Death? Not today." Incidentally, it has become a bit of a meme in renegade Eldorai circles.
Outside of their combat roles, they also serve as trainers. Given the nature of their unlife, the Eidolons have a strong bond with each other. If there is slight a chance to recover the soul gem of a badly damaged comrade, they will take it. They have a no one gets left behind code of sorts. The members of the squad combine organic ingenuity with mechanical strength. They are still the original person rather than a replicant and can make their own decisions. The soul inside the gem retains memories of their skills and past life experiences. They can still think on their feet, learn and improvise. However, each Eidolon knows that one day their essence will fade away into the realm of the dead. This process takes a long time, but they have been given a reprieve from death, not immortality. When an Eidolon's soul fades away into the Nether, the gem is preserved.
The Eidolons are equipped with some of the best gear the Shadows have been able to get their hands on. The nomad fleet is poor and controls no planetary domains, so many of their forces use weapons that are of older design. But the Eidolons are a special unit and very small. They are also trained in tactical command, allowing them to assume leadership roles in other forces, though they are tactical rather than strategic commanders. This means they also advise Shadow Knight commanders. Obviously they must defer to officers higher in rank than them, but it is bad form to just brush their opinions aside. They serve the community in undeath and Shadow Knight society is very militaristic. Several members of the group possess useful secondary skills such as knowledge of demolitions, medicine and robotics. They all receive training in basic piloting so that they can fly their transports if the pilot is killed or injured.
The squad is commanded by Daeryn Tarena. She is a former field officer in the royal army who refused to put down a peasant revolt during the reign of Tirathana VI. For this she was cashiered, but escaped exile and became a rebel leader. For a while Daeryn served Taenarys, an exiled claimant to the throne. She tried to talk some sense into the pretender, who had succumbed to delusions of grandeur. However, she was forced to leave for being too sensible. Daeryn was an initial test case for Yohara, as she had been put in a coma after sustaining severe injuries fighting the First Order. Daeryn and Yseult Faerin, Strategos of the Shadow Knights, have history together as both used to serve Taenarys. Indeed, Yseult is the usurper's half-sister. However, Yseult became a mercenary after the usurper's downfall, doing her best to stay away from the game of stars that had caused her so much pain. Meanwhile, Daeryn remained a revolutionary and got involved with more radical circles.
Caria Fanor used to serve under Naesala Faethyra's command. Her boss ran afoul of intrigue at Tirathana VI's court after enlisting the aid of off-worlders to fight the pirates that plagued Kaeshana. Caria followed her superior into exile. She serves as second-in-command of the unit. Caria is a close assault trooper and particularly skilled in boarding actions. She has a reputation for being rather aggressive. Caria is a bit reckless even now, and somewhat fanatical in the cause of the Shadows. When someone complained to Yohara that her behaviour modification was too strong, the scientist responded that she had not done anything one way or another, this was how Caria was.
Macris Volane was a minor functionary who was left behind during the Exodus and felt profoundly betrayed by it. Until then he had lived a normal life, but now he was forced to take up arms to defend himself against the marauders, raiders and foreign invaders. Macris helped organise a shelter and aid convoys for refugees during the Long Night, putting his organisational talent to good use. He was badly paralysed in battle, but this is his shot at setting some scores. He feels rather aggrieved towards the Eldorai Matriarchy and its upper class. However, his time working with refugees has given him a social conscience. He is talented as an engineer and communications expert.
Tinata Lisura is the resident Illyrian zealot and very passionate about her cause. Like Daeryn she is career insurgent. She and Raekana, the leader of the Sicarii, have history, as both suffered from persecution during the reign of Tirathana VI. However unlike the knife-bearer, Tinata did not lapse. She has welcomed the soul stone as it allows her to preach the creed of the Night Queen 'forever'. Well, not quite forever, but for a lot longer than her flesh and blood corpus would have allowed to her. This has annoyed Yohara a good deal, as the scientist is a card-carrying Rationalist who has outgrown such 'silly superstitions'. Tinata is the martial type of priestess who fights alongside the troops. It helps that neither Illyrianism nor Ashiranism are pacifist faiths. She is also good with demolitions.
Paedra Vinira used to be Yohara's lab assistant and helped create the spirit gems as well the Sciiac Guardians. She was suffering from an incurable disease and only had a few months to live, so she volunteered for the procedure. She assists Yohara with experiments when not fighting. Paedra was not a soldier prior to her transformation, but caught up with training and is on the same level as the other members of the squad. Her technical and scientific knowledge comes in handy on missions.
Arryta Denpia is an Exodite and former Angelii comrade of Kaida. Like her, she turned away from the royalist cause and defected to the Shadows. Unlike the frosty cryomancer, Arryta is very verbose and boisterous. Kaida finds this annoying, and likes to grumble about how she thought the dead would be quieter. Nonetheless, Kaida is secretly proud of Arryta due to her commitment to duty, but also uncomfortable any time she sees her trapped inside a mechanical shell. Kaida makes a point of watching out for her former comrade's family, though she would never admit it. Arryta is still able to use the Force, but her connection to it has obviously diminished.
Amarilla Daewenys is another member of the Forsaken. She was on Kaeshana when the First Order occupied the planet, having been unable to escape. Unfortunately, she was one of those Eldorai who were captured by the Sith, who transformed captives into orcish Sithspawn. Amarilla was able to escape and hide in the wilderness. What she had seen and endured left her with an intense hatred for the foreign invaders as well as strong distrust for humans. She ended up with a partisan group led by Morwen, a rogue Angelii and Dashdae Eldorai rebel. She saved her commander's life when they were attacked by feral beasts after Kaeshana had been dragged into the Netherworld. Her combat injuries and the poisoning she had sustained put her in serious condition, so she volunteered for the programme. She has a habit of beheading oppressors of the innocent.
Cornaith Balyra is one of the Forsaken, but he has not joined the unit for revenge or in order to get a second lease of life. Instead he has been 'volunteered' as a form of judicial punishment. He worked rebel groups after the Exodus and later joined the Court of the Reaver. This is the Shadow Knight body responsible for irregulars, raiders and partisans. However, Cornaith was an unscrupulous, criminal sort who abused his position. He was part of a clique of corrupt officers and officials that transcended Court boundaries. Goods that had been coercively acquired were hidden away instead of being distributed. They were gifted to officials and friends as favours or sold at inflated prices.
His deeds caught up with him when he was arrested by the Justicars. He was convicted of crimes such as speculation and hoarding. These are serious offences in a nomad fleet with scarce resources. He had forsaken his citizenship and was used as a test case. This was his reprieve. If it worked out, he would be given a chance to redeem himself by serving the community he had stolen from. The tests worked. His consciousness has been transferred into a spirit gem and he is now a Sciiac Guardian. Yohara has made certain behavioural modifications to make sure he does not fall back into his old habits.
Zasq'Narna is not an Eldorai, but a Xioquo. Prior to the coming of the sky people, the drows were the technologically most advanced race of Tygara, having built ironclads, golems, steam-powered tanks and gyrocopters. Back in the way she was indentured to a Xioquo alchemist and used to work with machines. Now she is a metal golem of sorts. She is a bit of a technophile. Her new nature makes her family uncomfortable, but she finds it fascinating. When she attends family gatherings, she has her spirit gem removed from her Sciiac Guardian body and placed in a protocol droid. She and Paedra often work together when they have to devise technological solutions to problems. However, the two differ since Paedra chose to have her consciousness transferred because otherwise she would have died, whereas Narna embraces her new nature.
Pavara Jal Qasir is the resident Qadiri member of the Eidolons. Like many of his people, he has taken to the stars. He used to be a Cataphract, which can be equated with the role and status of a medieval knight. His father and sister were very ambitious, with grand plans to found a dynasty. Young Pavara was more interested in fighting and living up to a romantic ideal of knighthood, but harsh reality soon intruded on these notions. Many years ago, he was captured by Semiramis' forces after a successful campaign as a captain. To prevent him being a threat again his captors had his hands cut off. Thus when he died due to complications he was all for being put in the 'Iron Yazgid' to get vengeance. Now he can with his 'mount' forever and get a huge cannon to cut down enemies with.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Small
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: The Eidolons are a heavy infantry unit of Sciiac Guardians. Deployed into a fight, they can unleash hell on a battlefield. Bravery, skill, loyalty and tenacity are key characteristics of this unit. They have access to a potent arsenal of weapons and their droid bodies are extremely durable. With their powerful weaponry and heavily armoured bodies, they are capable of surviving heavy amounts of punishment. They also possess impressive physical strength.
Every member of the squad is a veteran warrior. However, they are only one squad and will thus require support in larger engagements. While not terribly slow, the Guardians are not very spritely and lack agility. Thus they are best screened by light infantry in a big battle. To increase its mobility, each Guardian features a set of repulsor lift boosters allowing them to make significant jumps and survive falls from great heights. They are best deployed in tactical strikes against specific objectives. Another objective might be the protection of important Shadow Knight leaders such as Archon Naesala Faethyra, the Council or key areas aboard the worldship that serves as the 'capital' of the nomadic society.
Essentially, the squad is deployed when the mission is a big deal and success is paramount. The Eidolons have a strong bond with each other, which translates into not leaving a damaged comrade behind. Some of the members of the squad were Force-Users in life. They have retained their connection to the Force in unlife, but the process has diminished it. Essentially, they are able to baseline Force abilities such as precognition, extransensory perception, as well as basic applications of telekinesis, but nothing more. This means they are not on the same level as say a Force-Sensitive Shard. Then again, they are already walking tanks. Though they operate as an independent squad, they are all well-trained and experienced in small unit leadership. This means that an Eidolon can assume a command role for other units, leading them to attain specific objectives. When things are dire and a line threatens to break, they are supposed to be the shield that inspires and rallies their comrades.
Strengths:
- The Eidolons are composed of Sciiac Guardians, a blend of machine and organic. They have the mechanical strength and tirelessness of a droid, but also the ingenuity and flexibility of an organic veteran.
- Powerful, tenacious war machines. A Sciiac Guardian combines incredible strength with tenacity and tankiness. Use of Laminanium grants their bodies self-healing qualities.
- Elite heavy infantry. Well-coordinated, skilled and fearless in combat. In addition to being an elite squad, they are trained in small unit leadership. They possess the training and skill to assume tactical command of other units and lead them to attain specific objectives.
- While not terribly slow, a Guardian is not very spritely and lacks agility. This is something a more mobile opponent could use to their advantage. They are also quite distinctive and not suited for stealth. They are a hammer or a broadsword, not a scalpel.
- The Laminanium is of limited help against massive amounts of damage. It is better at repairing small penetrations or cuts, but less effective against severe blows, explosions and heavy weapons.
- The spirit gem is the most sensitive component of a Sciiac Guardian. 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.
- Extremely small unit, as it is just one squad. It is pertinent to note that while the gems can house the souls of Force-Users in addition to Non-Force-Users, their powers are diminished by the process. Essentially, they can only use basic Force abilities.
Religion has long played a major role in the daily life and politics of the Eldorai. It is something that distinguishes them from an on the whole rather secular Galaxy. Ashiranism, the main religion of the Eldorai, divides the universe into good and evil, pure and impure. Those who follow the Great Goddess Ashira and the lesser deities stand on the side of the light. If they live a virtuous life, they are promised ascension to paradise when they die. Those who violate her dictates can expect a wretched existence of punishment and torment in the hellish realm of Illyria.In short, the Eldorai consider death a natural part of life. Moreover, traditionalist Eldorai dislike droids, regarding them as mechanical parodies of Ashira's creation.
However, as with many other people, the Eldorai have on occasion found cause to make pragmatic compromises. Certain individuals are too valuable to be allowed to pass away. In the past, Eldorai alchemists used sorcery to trap the life essence of select individuals in Force Imbued gems. This was a reliable way to preserve their skills and Force abilities. It gave them a long unlife, but could not grant immortality, only a reprieve. Moreover, these gems could only be produced on a very limited scale. Times changed. The Eldorai found themselves thrust onto an infinitely greater stage than they could imagine possible, lost their home (twice) and realised they were outnumbered and outgunned by the rest of the galaxy. In this dire situation, the wisdom of the past was needed more than ever. Those with skills which could not be easily replaced could continue their service for decades longer.
The means to create the gems though changed. The method of using the Force, whilst more effective, was very expensive, hard to achieve and time consuming. Therefore, utilising technology scavenged from Archangel, the Eldorai started using the entechment process for their mortally wounded heroes. The difference with that process is that this was voluntary, and the spirits inside were not tormented, instead they existed in a grey area between life and death. This is how the Shadow Knights created the Sciiac Guardians. These robots were meant to house the souls of some of their best warriors who had been critically injured or were dying of sickness, old age etc. Volunteers were accepted, though not on en masse. Since leaving Kaeshana for good, the Shadow Knights had had to do battle with Imperial warlords, Archangel's droid hordes, rival Eldorai groups and Kraal raiders. Some of those warriors who had been brought to death's door by these struggles lived to fight another day, albeit in robotic form.
Thus the Eidolons came into being. They were meant to be relentless protectors and war machines, who would hold the line when things were at the darkest and inspire their organic comrades. For if those who had already died refused to yield, how could those who still breathed abandon the field? The project was supervised by Yohara Taenasi, the Magister of the Court of the Mind. This highly intelligent and equally arrogant scientist took charge of the experiment, regarding it as the pathway towards the future. She had invented the next gneration of soul gems. To this end she applied the knowledge she had acquired from studying Archangel technoloy as well as studying enchanted crystals on Kaeshana that had been touched by the energies of the Netherworld.
The new squad was formed from the ranks of veteran Shadow Knights. Many of them had been with the movement for a while, having proved themselves in battles against Imperials, Kraal or Archangel's droid legions. Care had to be taken to ensure that the Eidolons would not be bound to any single political or religious faction. Instead they were supposed to be loyal to the movement as a whole. The new unit was featured a lot in Shadow Knight propaganda. This was supposed to strengthen support for the programme, as well as provide the disparate rebel coalition with a symbol.
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