Vaena Askari
Lady Cadalthor
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To add a bit of flavour to the Eldorai military forces.
- Image Credit: Here. Unknown artist. Found on the-power-armor-cyoa.wikia.co.
- Role: Heavy assault.
- Links: Firemane Industries, ArmaTech, Tygara.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Unit Name: Valora's Fists
- Affiliation: Vaena Cadalthor, Eldorai, Star Queen Anya Venari.
- Classification: Power Armoured Heavy infantry.
Equipment: Permission to use ArmaTech gear obtained in the storefront. Purchase request for the Dual Weapon System and the Titan Assault Armour was made here and approved here. Purchase request for the Cyro-Ban Gun, Under Barrel Miniature Flame Projector and Under Barrel Disruptor made here, approved here.
Armour:
- Titan Assault Armour
- Seraph Battle Shield (officers only) or Taegis shield
Ranged Weapons:
- Mk1 Bolter or Dual Weapon System
- Heavy Blaster Pistol or Sonic Pistol
- Wrist Bolter
- Cyro-Ban Gun
- Heavy Bolter (replaces rifle, requires the Titan Assault Armour's blaster cannon to be detached).
Melee Weapons:
- Vibro-maces, Vibro-swords or Sarzmigar Mk2.
Secondary/optional Weapons:
- Baragwin flamethrower
- Under Barrel Miniature Flameprojector or Under Barrel Disruptor
- Rare: Missile launcher (Specialist only, requires the Titian Assault Armour's blaster cannon to be detached).
- Grenades (up to 5 per soldier), thermal detonators, det charges.
Misc. Gear:
- Medkits, military rations, lifeform scanners.
COMBAT INFORMATION
- Availability: Rare
- Deployment: Minor
Strengths & Weaknesses:
- Heavy infantry. Equipped with strength-enhancing Power Armour and various potent weapons, the Valora's Fists are a strong unit. They are ideal for cracking enemy strongpoints, breaching fortifications and so on.
- Crack unit. Courage, skill and tenacity are traits highly represented among the Fists. These characteristics are further amplified by rigorous training and indoctrination. The Fists only accept soldiers who have shown their mettle in combat.
- Bulky. The armour is highly protective, but also bulky and heavy. As a result the Fists are noticeably less mobile than light infantry, even with all the doodads. More lightly equipped, quicker enemies could conceivably evade, outmanoeuvre and ambush them.
- Heavy armour makes them terrible at stealth and obvious targets. Particularly vulnerable to sharpshooters. They are also obvious targets for heavy artillery, starfighters and airspeeders overhead, particularly in open spaces.
- Small fighting force. Even with their firepower and armour, superior enemy numbers can whittle them down and overwhelm them. They also only have a limited number of anti-tank weapons.
- Lightsabre resistance of the armour is minor. About the difficulty of cutting firewood with an axe. Better than stormtrooper armour, but inferior to Phrik or Beskar suits.
- Weight of their suits make certain types of terrain very difficult to traverse. Such as swamps and muddy areas.
Description:
Eldorai military doctrine, tactics and equipment have remained unchanged for centuries. This is the result of Kaeshana's long isolation from the outside world. With the Kar'zun defeated, the Eldorai had no rivals on their homeworld. The only threat came from...themselves. The Byzantine intrigues that permeated the Eldorai royal court kept their nobles busy. The first foreign incursions, carried out by slavers and pirates, came as a shock for the Eldorai. Their Stasers were hopelessly outdated compared to modern blasters and could do little against modern personal armour except mess up the paint. The only effective weapons they had were Sarixi blades and Sarzmigar polearms, but these were limited to elite units and required their warriors to get close enough for melee combat. This was difficult since blaster weapons cut through Cuaeris armour like paper. They had an elite corps of Force-using warriors, the Angelii, whose elemental powers were useful to level the playing field. But even the Angelii could not be everywhere at once, since their primary duty was to protect the Star Queen - often from coups.
Thus the Eldorai were forced to adapt. Stasers were phased out in favour of modern guns, the old-fashioned armour was replaced with something that could actually keep its wearer alive against blasters, the Sarix and Sarzmigar were upgraded. The old conservatives quibbled, but incursions, a planetary cataclysm, an Exodus and a foreign invasion and occupation are wonderful ways to give all but the most ignorant a new perspective on things.
Vaena Cadalthor, known to her close friends as Vaena Askari, decided to help the modernisation process. She'd fought on many battlefields as an Angelii junior officer. After claiming her birthright as Duchess and head of House Cadalthor, she was in a position to put some of the lessons she'd learned into practice. Compared to humans, Eldorai are physically weaker and less durable, relying more on finesse than brute force. She decided it would be appropriate to give them a small force that could act as a crack heavy infantry force. She was probably influenced by her encounter with one of Alderaan's Power Armoured Force Dead Knights, Dame Dimeria Nykerian. Both had a jolly time slaughtering zombies that had overrun a luxury cruise liner. Of course, the Eldorai would not be deploying Force Dead. That would create...issues.
So the Duchess lobbied the Crown, after discussion with sensible Eldorai officers like Grand Seraph Aeda Shaytari. Conservative holdouts in the military quibbled, for they did not recognise the inherent awesomeness of Power Armoured soldiers marching across the battlefield and causing causing carnage. They probably also did not like buying 'crude' designs from 'human monkeighs'. Vaena proceeded to dismiss claims and offered to fund the whole thing herself. To be precise, she volunteered House Cadalthor in totality. This annoyed a good number of her relatives...but since it was being presented as a patriotic contribution for the greater good of the Eldorai Matriarchy, they could not refuse openly. If some minor aristo in her house had to reduce the number of servants waiting on her and, heaven forbid, wash herself instead of having servants do that for her, that was fine from Vaena's perspective. Besides, it was a good way to redeem House Cadalthor's name after the recent unpleasantness. Her predecessor, Tarissa Cadalthor, had launched a failed coup against the the Crown and been executed for her treason...so it was time to demonstrate loyalty.
Thus the Valora's Fists were born. Rather than start from the scratch by recruiting new blood, select soldiers from the Eldorai army were inducted into them. While it took a while to meet the quotas, it meant they did not have to teach greenhorns basic skills. The soldiers were put through a rigorous training programme, to familiarise themselves with their new armour and the new unit tactics. So far, this method of recruitment has remained in place. It keeps the numbers down, but ensures the Fists get to cherry-pick their soldiers. They are largely equipped with gear obtained from Firemane Industries and ArmaTech. The Eldorai have a long, though at times strained, relationship with the former and House Cadalthor has more recently made business deals with the latter.
The protective qualities of their suits and its strength-enhancing abilities made them a potent force. As a cog in the military machine, the Fists could operate alongside their more lightly equipped comrades, though they would also be able to operate independently, Equipped with advanced weapons, they can dish out damage and act as a heavy assault force, blazing a trail for their comrades. They are also strong in defence. While composed of Non-Force-Users, their gear and training enables them to stand up to Force-users. In short, they're a blunt instrument. While they are good at attacking what's in front of them and defending themselves, they suffer against more lightly equipped opponents that utilise unconventional warfare rather than engaging them head-on. Moreover, they are obvious targets to hit, making them good bait for sharpshooters, air and artillery strikes. Lacking in light infantry and recon elements, they are dependent on help in that regard. Hit-and-run tactics and sniping are useful against them. They must also be wary against anti-tank weapons and mine fields.
The Fists particularly excel at urban warfare, as their armour makes them very resistant to small arms fire, slugthrowers and heavy blasters. This makes them well-suited for fighting street-to-street or building-to-building. In such a situation they can bring their heavy firepower to bear, taking advantage of the short line of the sight and the fact that there would be few open areas to cross. The same applies to performing boarding actions and clearing out eneme fortifications, bunkers and trenches. By contrast, they are more vulnerable on an open battlefield, where they would be good targets for snipers with high-calibre weapons such as anti-materiel rifles, fixed gun emplacements, artillery, tanks, aircraft and so on. In short, having them death charge across a wide, open space would probably be a bad idea. All in all, the Fists are the opposite of regular Eldorai units. They are slow, but very tough and punchy.
As a sign of the new, 'enlightened times' the Eldorai live in these days, the unit has been opened up for men to join. After all, they also have an inalienable right to fight for the Motherland and prove they can perform just as well as women etc. However, rightly or wrongly, it is believed that full integration would cause divisiveness. So individual units are gender segregated, but integrated at command levels. It is postulated that this reduces issues related to sexual tensions and the like, generally increasing overall military readiness by enhancing unit cohesion and teamwork. Women still dominate the upper ranks, though men have been able to puncture the glass ceiling a bit. However, the chaplains are all women because the Church does not allow male clerics. The Masculine Anti-Defamation League considers the separation of the sexes a step backward for sexual equality in the military, but progressiveness has its limitations in contemporary Eldorai society. Then again, a few years ago the idea of males serving in combat units would have been anathema to the Eldorai.
As the name implies, the Valora's Fists are particularly attached to the Eldorai Goddess of Battles Valora. This does not mean that every soldier is an exceptionally pious, zealous believer, though Vaena, the unit's patron, probably wishes it were so. However, Valoran Priestesses minister to the soldiers and often accompany them into battle, fighting alongside their charges and inspiring them to remain resilient in the face of adversity. They also stress that those who die in combat in the name of the motherland are martyrs who will go to heaven and be rewarded by the Great Goddess Ashira. Religious iconography is rather pervasive in their barracks. The more liberal-minded, atheistic or agnostic members of the Eldorai leadership would probably prefer less emphasis on religion, but they let 'choir girl' fund the enterprise. So it was to be expected.
Valora's Fist units were first deployed in response to Kraal raids, proving their mettle against the barbaric lizardmen who had been making a habit out of attacking communities on Tygara and Arkas. Going on the offensive, they acted in concert with the regular Eldorai army and naval forces to launch a counterattack, seizing an asteroid base the lizards had used as a stronghold. After a brutal fight, all the slavers had been slaughtered. During the fight the Eldorai also encountered a force of cyborgs and droids from the Iron Fist Consortium, but managed to prevail in combat. Closer to home, they also played a vital role in the suppression of the Shining Hand insurgency.
