OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Eldorai exodites and the repercussions of Kaeshana's destruction.
Image Credit: Here, Here.
Role: Strike force.
Permission: They can use Firemane gear since I write the IC owner of the company.
Links: Eldorai, To Hell and Back, Kar'zun, Yuuzhan Vong.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: The Harrowed.
Affiliation: Themselves, above all. Bral'Vrasz. Loosely affiliated with Shadow Knights, Court of the Shadows,
Classification: Infantry.
Equipment:
Armour:
- AV-1S Scout Armour or Storm Commando Armour (Eldorai)
- AV-1A Assault Armour (Kar'zun)
- Taegis Battle Shield
- Verpine Prototype Shield
- MkI Bolter
- DC-17m
- T-21 Light Repeating Blaster
- Reaper Plasma Shotgun
- Magnetic Repeater
- Verpine Shatter Rifle
- DXR-6
- Renegade Blaster Pistol
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Magnetic Revolver
- A280 CFE
- Verpine Shattergun
- Sonic Disruptor
- MSD-32
- SH-9
- Hammer slugthrower pistol
- Sonic Stunner
- Sarix Mk2
- Sarzmigar Mk2.
- Monomolecular Energy Chorded Combat Knife
- Multi-Weapon
Misc:
- APE Boltgun Ammunition
- Grenades
- Flame projector
- Wrist Bolter
- MM-40 Thermal Charges, Detonite Breaching Charges.
- Droch-class boarding craft.
- Silaqui Dropship
All have one thing in common: they were on Kaeshana when the aftershocks of the Netherworld Event dragged it into the Nether and kept it there for a century, before expelling it. What they endured in the warp has left its mark on them. They are a tight-knit group of militant survivalists bound by their common experiences in hell. Fiercely independent, they are distrustful of outsiders - and not fond of most Eldorai. A number of them are more than a little unhinged. Hardened by their experiences, they are very bitter and angry with the world. The Harrowed are very loosely associated with the Shadow Knights, but not because they particularly like them. They just dislike them slightly less than they do most other Eldorai groups. They also accept contracts from other groups. Because of what they went through, the Harrowed are ruthless in combat. The Nether has taught them that they can only rely on themselves. They excel at surviving in harsh environments, scavenging and making the most out of scarce resources. They are fierce in combat, excelling at raids and rapid strikes. Their time in the Nether has given them a connection of sorts to the realm of the dead. This manifests in them having an easier time finding their way in the warp should they end up there again for this or that reason. However, they are also haunted by dreams of their time in the Netherworld.
One of the characteristics that makes them stand out among the elves is the fact that, with the exception of their leader, every single Harrowed is Force Dead. This applies both to Harrowed who were Force-Sensitive before being swallowed by the warp and to those who could never touch the Force. Without exception, all are voids in the Force now. For Eldorai, Sciia is not just their word for Force powers, but also for soul. The religiously inclined consider it a gift from the Great Goddess Ashira. Their lack of Sciia makes the Harrowed rather unnerving for several Eldorai. Their attitude does not help. They also pass on their Force Deadness to any children their members may conceive. An Eldorai fringe sect called the Emissaries of Illyria, who worship the Goddess of the Underworld, has tried to get the Harrowed to join them due to this. The Emissaries regard the Force Dead as blessed, believing that they are immune to the manipulations of the spirits.
Their warp experiences and the need to be self-reliant have toughened the Harrowed up. Their Eldorai members are stronger and more physically durable than the average members of their species, being equal to physically tough humans. The Kar'zun are a minority in the group, but extremely strong and tenacious. The group is bound by a strong bond. Vigils are held to remember those who did not make it out the warp and were forever lost in the void. The Harrowed are very independent-minded. Their self-reliance is an asset, but can also be a disadvantage, as it can make cooperation with other parties difficult. They are loath to ask for help, preferring to solve their problems themselves. They will also prioritise their own survival. They have an easier time relating to outsiders who were also trapped in the Nether for a while and hence have a better understanding of what they went through. Their attitude can make them across as rather self-righteous. They have taken to raiding to get what they need. The Harrowed have somewhat 'liberal' views on private property. This is an euphemistic way of saying that they have a tendency to loot. At the same time, they are quite progressive on matters such as species or gender.
The Harrowed are led by an ancient Kar'zun called Brak'Vrasz. He is the only member of the group who is Force-Sensitive. Even by the standards of his race, Brak'Vrasz is incredibly old. He was young when the Kar'zun almost conquered Kaeshana, only to be defeated by Ariane the Conqueror's crusade. Brak'Vrasz fought in the great battle between the Kar'zun and the Eldorai that ended with the latter's triumph and the subjuation of his people. Indeed, he is the only participant on either side who is still alive. The Eldorai's purges and the casualties suffered from deportation drove his people to the brink of extinction.
In time the Kar'zun were emancipated, but he did not forget. When nemesis came to Kaeshana and Eldorai and Kar'zun alike scrambled to evacuate the doomed planet before the asteroid could impact, he elected to stay behind, giving up his place for a younger Kar'zun. He had had enough, so he decided to remain in the mountains while the world passed. The curse of stone was upon him and an eternal slumber was imminent. It was a tremendous shock for him when passing through the warp somehow cured his curse and allowed him to move again. The key word to describe Brak'Vrasz is detached. He has very much got his mind on a different reality, and a different way of seeing things. He has a very different conception of morality now than he used to have. The traditional Kar'zun attitudes have combined with the centuries he spent as a rock as well as the time in the void. Today, he cares very little about personal property or government or religion. Nor is he particularly concerned with the acquisition of material wealth beyond what is needed to sustain his people. This does not make him apathic though, but priorities have shifted. Mundane crimes and day-to-day politics do not concern him.
Instead he cares about crimes which injure or kill, as that snuffs out life, and life is something he does care about. That does not make him a pacifist though, far from it. He is accustomed to taking a long view on things, and can arrive at a conclusion after some very interesting and speculative analysis. For instance, slavers and pirates are bad because they disrupt the natural order of things. Their vocation is to kill, maim and injure. He will do whatever is needed to nullify them in order prevent them from being an issue. By contrast, smugglers or thieves are minor issues and below his concern. Moving around goods does not concern him, no matter whether it is done legally or illegally.
However, if he feels, using his perspective and the Force, that an individual might become a danger he might seek to change the pathway to danger or eliminate it entirely. For instance a corrupt leader or politician or an ambitious general might one day become a danger and threat, so he would seek to guide them away from thread and then take more drastic action if needed. Brak'Vrasz is not above using violence, but it will not necessarily be his first recourse. His strength makes him extremely skilled in the use of heavy melee and ranged weapons. He has found a new purpose by leading the group of rag-tag survivalists that constitute the Harrowed. This is in spite of the fact that many of their members belong to a species that almost exterminated the Kar'zun. He has not forgotten, but treats what happened in the warp as a kind of rebirth. Brak'Vrasz scoffs at fanciful notions about honour. It is just a word to excuse stupidity. He is a careful, stoic and cunning leader, though capable of potent displays of violence.
Macrina Lithala is one of the officers of the Harrowed. She was a seemingly normal Eldorai female trapped on Kaeshana after its woes. Forced to survive in its post-apocalyptic wasteland due to not getting a space in the exodus fleet, she had to toughen up. She eked out a life on the fringes in the far western part of Kaeshana, which had been less affected by the asteroid collision. The constant threat posed by bandits, warlords and slave raiders forced her to become strong and acquire survival skills. After deserting from a warlord's militia she had been forced into joining, she lived in seclusion with a small community in the distant mountains. She dreamt of a free Kaeshana and of leaving the devastated planet, but resented the Eldorai factions that had left the Forsaken to fend for themselves.
Then the warp happened and her life was thrown into chaos. Macrina grew into a capable warrior, but also became unhinged and unbalanced. She seems calm and serene on the surface, but deep down she is prone to bouts of violence, vindictiveness and paranoia. Her tone when furious ranges from false cheer to a deadpan monotone. She is really good in melee with two Sarixi. These swords are not light, but Eldorai usually use one with one hand. Drugs and the strength she has built up allow her to dual wield them effectively. Ironically, she is also a good medic. She is equal parts skilled in cutting people up and putting them back together. Knowledge of anatomy is useful for both activities. Macrina has converted to Illyrianism as a way to cope with her trauma. She dedicates her kills to the Mistress of the Underworld and claims to receive special insights from her.
Eliyen Kriswenys is another prominent Eldorai member of the group. In contrast to Macrina, Eliyen was a career insurgent and a terrorist who fought the Eldorai Matriarchy and later the First Order. In the old days she was an Ashiran zealot who believed she was fulfilling the will of the Goddess by doing battle against the 'race traitors' and 'human monkeighs' whose influence she regarded as pernicious. To her, the elites were selling the soul of the Eldorai people for gold. She was one of the rebels who tried to topple Queen Silaqui III, who was perceived as being an apostate under the thumb of foreigners. While rebellious Angelii succeeded in assassinating the Queen, the rebellion was suppressed and Anya Venari took the throne as Tirathana VII.
Eliyen was branded a Dark Eldorai. She was among those who remained on Kaeshana during the Exodus, joining one of the riven militias. Eliyen fought the First Order during and after the Battle of Kaeshana. When her homeworld was dragged into the warp, the former Ashiran crusader was forced to reevaluate many of her beliefs. The planet was no longer controlled by foreign occupiers, but it had been sent to a hellish realm. She also lost her Sciia. Being Force Dead made her a demon. She converted to atheism, abandoning any notion of there being an all-powerful Goddess who had made the Eldorai in her image. Eliyen does not have Macrina's fury, but is more experienced and strategic in her approach. She is very talented in sharpshooting, demolitions and use of improved weapons, such as IEDs. She is more outwardly passionate than Macrina and has a visible temper, but is actually more stable.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: The Harrowed are a capable strike force. They can conduct raids, hunt Force-Users and perform infiltration operations. There is a bit of a division of labour between the Eldorai and Kar'zun members of the unit. The Eldorai tend to be more lightly armed and armoured. They are better suited for sniping, infiltration and rapid ambushes. By contrast, the Kar'zun are a lot bigger and slower, but also incredibly strong and resilient. This makes them suited for utilising heavy armour and carrying heavy weapons with a lot of firepower. They operate in a combined arms role. This enables both groups to complement each others strengths and weaknesses. The Kar'zun can act as tanks, while the Eldorai compensate for the stone people's lack of agility and stealthiness. Their training stresses teamwork and coordination. The members of the group have a strong bond and are fiercely loyal to each other. Having literally been through hell, they are a tough, tenacious lot.
All of the Harrowed are Force Dead. As a result, they have no Force presence that could be sensed and are unaffected by most direct Force powers. This grants them an immunity comparable to that of Yuuzhan Vong and their biots. However, this also means they cannot be aided by positive uses of the Force. Hence they cannot benefit from Battle Meditation, Force Meld, Force Healing or similar techniques. Moreover, they can be affected by Force Lightning and indirect uses of the Force. For instance, using telekinesis to throw a boulder at them would obviously work. Their Force Dead qualities make the Harrowed ideal for hunting Force-Users. They can utilise tried and trued methods to eliminate Force-Sensitive enemies, such as sonic weapons, flamethrowers, bolters, shatterguns and attacks with rapid fire weapons from multiple directions. They also utilise upgraded versions of traditional Eldorai and Kar'zun melee weapons.
Strengths:
- With the exception of their leader, all of the Harrowed are Force Dead. Thus they are completely void within the Force, cannot be sensed in it and possess an immunity to direct Force powers comparable to that of Yuuzhan Vong and their biots.
- Elite soldiers. Courage, tenacity and skill are common characteristics of the Harrowed. Mix of Eldorai and Kar'zun makes them adept at using combined arms tactics.
Weaknesses:
- The Harrowed are Force-Dead and thus completely void within the Force. While a great benefit, it does have the normal associated downfalls in that they cannot be aided by the Force either. Beneficial techniques such as Battle Meditation, Force Meld and Force Healing will not work on them. Additionally they are not immune to Force Lightning or Force Net, and can be indirectly affected by the Force.
- No heavy vehicles or support forces. Being infantry they are vulnerable to long range bombardment such as air and artillery strikes.
- Poor at working with outsiders. Netherworld trauma may make them unstable.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The fate of Kaeshana has not been a kind one. In the old days, it was the homeworld of the Eldorai Matriarchy. Until recently, the Eldorai were convinced that they were the sole form of intelligence life in the Galaxy. Regarding themselves as children of the Great Goddess Ashira, they arrogantly believed they were superior to other races. Because they were a superior race, the Eldorai maintained they did not need innovation or to learn from others. This turned out to be a colossal folly. Slave raids, foreign incursion and the desolation of Kaeshana disproved these notions, revealing them to be tremendous hubris. When the majority of the Eldorai fled from Kaeshana in a huge exodus to escape the planet's destruction, they depended on the support of Firemane, a human corporation. Several Eldorai began to doubt the Goddess, believing she had abandoned her children. Finally, the planet came under the control of the First Order after a devastating battle was fought on its surface.
The end of Kaeshana came to pass as the result of aftershocks of the Netherworld Event. The Netherworld's shockwaves had yet to fully conclude, and so strange and nightmarish things could still occur. Kaeshana was dragged through the Nether, only to be expelled on the other side of the Galaxy. There had been time to evacuate, so any soldiers or civilians in a position to flee would do so. The planet returned seemingly at the same time as it had vanished. But it was in a greatly weathered, aged state, as if a century had passed in the warp. It had been near scoured of life. When the various riven Eldorai factions sent task forces to find out what had happened and evacuate any survivors, they found an inhospitable, tainted tomb world. Some Eldorai had not made it off the planet in time and as a result had been trapped in the warp. What they experienced there left its mark on them. The Harrowed are one such group.
The Harrowed are a mixed group of Eldorai and Kar'zun who banded together to survive the so-called Kaeshana Conundrum - the final destruction of Kaeshana and its transformation into a tomb world. The members of the Harrowed have rather diverse backgrounds. Some are former Dark Eldorai insurgents who fought the Eldorai Matriarchy and the First Order. Others were civilians who just wanted to survive the calamities that hit Kaeshana or had retreated into the distant mountains. Regardless of their background, they all found themselves trapped in the warp. There reality as they knew it was turned upside down. Blood rained down from the dark sky, ghosts haunted them and the psychic energies of the Nether sought to twist and manipulate them. Being trapped in the realm of the dead took a toll on their sanity.
The survivors found each other over time. With the warp being so spooky, they could see the living creatures brighter amidst the shadows. They were confronted by shades trying to steal their brought souls. The dead of ages past rose up and found not the glorious paradise they were promised, but an empty eternity. But these souls looked very tasty. Shades tried to deceive the stranded exiles in the hopes of possessing them. Many were deceived by their siren call and led to their doom.
They were haunted by the shades of those who had perished on Kaeshana throughout the ages. Spectres of Eldorai and Kar'zun who had perished during the Kar'zun War, the casualties of Eldorai dynastic conflicts, the Exodus and the Battle of Kaeshana were all locked in never-ending battles. The planet had been pulled into the warp, so the survivors experienced the madness. The psychic influence of the Nether pit them against one another. Many succumbed to madness, unable to retain their sanity in the seemingly never-ending cycle of battle, death and rebirth. They succumbed to bloodlust, lost all hope or became prey to shades. The numbers of the survivors were whittled down. The Harrowed were the few who managed to retain some measure of sanity instead of wholly succumbing to the madness.
Brak'Vrasz, an ancient Kar'zun, rose to become their leader and led them out of the maze. Quite a few of the Harrowed had once stood on opposite sides. Indeed, Kar'zun and Eldorai were historic enemies. However, the need to survive and find an escape superseded old grievances. Thus the Harrowed banded together to protect themselves against the dangers of the Nether and against those survivors who had succumbed to it. Their struggles made them hard, but also left them deep scars on their psyche. It also left them deeply embittered towards the powers that be. Time passes differently in the warp, so when Kaeshana finally appeared on the other side of the Galaxy, they emerged changed.
By then word of the strange events on Kaeshana had spread. Various independent Eldorai factions in the Galaxy took notice, though many suspected some form of trickery. Nonetheless, the Eldorai Matriarchy, the Shadow Knights and the Aspirants dispatched task forces to investigate Kaeshana and, if possible, evacuate survivors. Some might have entertained hopes that the homeworld could somehow be salvaged. However, when they set foot on the planet, they realised that it was a tomb world.
The initial contact between the exodites and the Harrowed was awkward, to say the least. The Harrowed were under the belief that they were still trapped in the warp and feared that it was another illusion. When Kaida and a band of Shadow Knights who had crash-landed encountered Brak'Vrasz and his followers, they had to prove they were real. Eventually it was possible to convince them of the contrary. The time Kaeshana had spent in the warp had created a disruption field, which made it impossible to take off or land safely.
Once the Harrowed had learned of the newcomers' endeavour, Brak'Vrasz was able to combine their knowledge with what he had already learned about the anomaly that kept them from leaving. The Sicarii had already reached it, but would be unable to overcome it alone. On the way, the party had to deal with various spirits. Some had been driven mad and attacked them. Others had been so traumatised that they had created a world of make believe, where everything was still fine on Kaeshana. Being Force Dead, the Harrowed were not affected by them, but most of the newcomers were.
They eventually reached the anomaly, where they were confronted by the Sicarii and their suspicious leader Raekana. The anomaly was a curtain of red, a dome of crimson surrounding a darkening void. As Yohara, the Shadows' researcher explained, heart was a pure pierce of Nether energy, which should not exist inside the realspace of this galaxy. Therefore, the Force had formed a barrier around it. However, this in turn had caused an opposing barrier of Force null to form. Thus the barrier was composed of three layers, and the party required the three opposite to penetrate through: A Force-User, a Force Dead being and a Non-Force-User. Kaida went through first, refusing to let a subordinate take her place and put themselves at risk. Thus she penetrated the first layer, using a machine Yohara had built.
She was able to succeed in this task, though her trek was arduous. Power spiralled out like a vortex, with Kaida at the centre. Her immense Force power strove to take the strain. Kaida was transfixed by the power bearing down on her. She was saved by her amnesiac sister Lavina, who regained her memories once she was exposed to the Nether energies. However, both paid a price, for the blast temporarily stripped them of their Force affinity or Sciia, as the Eldorai would call it.
Brak'Vrasz penetrated the next layer. When he marched through the void, he was brought back to the battlefield of Deadly Sorrow. He relived that terrible day where the Kar'zun had been shattered. What both he and indeed everyone else had forgotten was that the Eldorai had won the battle due to human intervention. It was not the glorious triumph Eldorai propaganda claimed it to be, but also not the pure slaughter the Kar'zun remembered. Brak'Vrasz was able to overcome this trial and activate the machine.
The massive blast of Force energy was agonising and drove him to the ground, but when he arose the Force had returned to him. His companions and Eyrecae quickly linked up with him. The primeval Eldorai penetrated the final layer. Brak'Vrasz and the others shared a vision she received of the progenitors of their races, including the first Kar'zun. There was also another vision that only Eyrecae saw. It took Brak'Vrasz a while to put the pieces together, but he soon realised that the progenitor of his species was still out there. The final layer penetrated, the field was overcome and their Shadows were able to send evacuation ships. There was nothing left for the Harrowed on Kaeshana, for it was a cursed death world. So they joined the rescued Forsaken and the Shadows aboard their ships, abandoning the homeworld for good. A vigil was held for those who had perished in Kaeshana's destruction.
Eventually they entered into a loose association with the Shadow Knights, though not because they had suddenly become card-carrying adherents of their cause. Idealistic causes were the furthest thing from their mind, but they needed resources. They kept their distance from the hierarchy and its internecine squabbles. The Emissaries of Illyria, an Eldorai fringe sect that elevated the Force Dead, reached out to the Harrowed, though most of them resented the attempt at conversion. Some Harrowed embraced Illyria, though this need not mean submitting to the church. Their loyalty lay with the group, after all. Others had given up on deiites entirely and became atheists or even maltheists. Freed from their imprisonment in hell and yet adrift, the Harrowed tried to adjust to life outside of the Nether realm. Unwilling to be dependent on others, they established themselves as a force of raiders, using force, surprise and subterfuge to acquire the tech and supplies they needed. The fact they were Force Dead made them very skilled at hunting Force-Users, so they offered their services in return for funds and resources.
The Harrowed would see action in the final battle with Archangel, a machine cult that was a threat to the Eldorai exodites. The situation was so dire that the Shadow Knights were compelled to ally with Enyo Typhos, one of Archangel's creations. During the Long Night Archangel had launched raids against the surviving Eldorai communities on Kaeshana, seeking to acquire elves as processing materiel. Many of the Harrowed had lost friends or loved ones. Thus they took their revenge with gusto. At the same time they used the opportunity to loot.
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