Viewing last 25 versions of post by background furry #19375 in topic Suggestions and bullshitting thread, venting, etc. [NSFW]

Character card: [ "_[***Hold the Line*_":**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo) ]
 
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
 
Gender: Male
 
Age: late 20's
 
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears a form-fitted gambeson and rigging for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
 
Race: Shark
 
Faction: Teslatics


 
Personality: [bq]
> "Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."


>
> "He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in twain as the bullets drilled past all the way to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, certainly."[/bq]
[bq]
 

> ^[ "[🎶":](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI) ]^
_
> *And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine itself was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that his captain Indra was absolutely terrifying._

*
>
> "Attention!"

_
>
> *Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

*
>
> "We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight, loyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! _***Open the gates!*_**"[/bq]

 
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "[''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":](/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

)
 
Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.


 
Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled as a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed successfully taking combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.


 
![full](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~)  
%[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

%
 
Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.


 
For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "[rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel ''machineguns'' having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun) metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).


 
Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing [AA-gauge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauge_(firearms)#Conversion_guide), airscrew-propelled, "[wire-driven, command-guided":](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo) "atmotic torpedoes" featurwingth a TNT payloads and tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
 
![full](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~)  
%[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~%

Character card: [ "_*Hold the Line*_":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo ]
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
Gender: Male
Age: late 20's
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears a form-fitted gambeson and rigging for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
Race: Shark
Faction: Teslatics

Personality: [bq]"Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."

"He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in twoain as the bullets drilled past all throughe way to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, for certainly."[/bq]
[bq]^[ "🎶":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI ]^
_And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that his captain Indra was absolutely terrifying._

"Attention!"

_Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

"We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight, loyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! _*Open the gates!*_"[/bq]
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.

Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled as a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed successfully taking combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.

!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.

For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel ''machineguns'' having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).

Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing AA-gauge, airscrew-propelled, "wire-driven, command-guided":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo "atmotic torpedoes" featuring a TNT payload tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~

Character card: [ "_*Hold the Line*_":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo ]
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
Gender: Male
Age: late 20's
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears a form-fitted gambeson and rigging for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
Race: Shark
Faction: Teslatics

Personality: [bq]"Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."

"He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in two as the bullets drilled through to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, for certain."[/bq]
[bq]^[ "🎶":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI ]^
_And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that his captain Indra was absolutely terrifying._

"Attention!"

_Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

"We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight, loyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! _*Open the gates!*_"[/bq]
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":":/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.

Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled likeas a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much heavy firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed to successfully takeing combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.

!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.

For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel ''machineguns'' having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).

Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing AA-gauge, airscrew-propelled, "wire-driven, command-guided":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo "atmotic torpedoes" featuring a TNT payload tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~

Character card: [ "_*Hold the Line*_":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo ]
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
Gender: Male
Age: late 20's
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears a form-fitted gambeson and webbrigging for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
Race: Shark
Faction: Teslatics

Personality: [bq]"Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."

"He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in two as the bullets drilled through to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, for certain."[/bq]
[bq]^[ "🎶":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI ]^
_And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that his captain Indra was absolutely terrifying._

"Attention!"

_Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

"We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight, loyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! _*Open the gates!*_"[/bq]
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":":/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.

Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled like a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much heavy firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed to successfully take combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.

!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.

For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel ''machineguns'' having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).

Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing AA-gauge, airscrew-propelled, "wire-driven, command-guided":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo "atmotic torpedoes" featuring a TNT payload tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~

Character card: [ "_*Hold the Line*_":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo ]
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
Gender: Male
Age: late 20's
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears form-fitted gambeson and webbing for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
Race: Shark
Faction: Teslatics

Personality: [bq]"Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."

"He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in two as the bullets drilled through to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, for certain."[/bq]
[bq]^[ "🎶":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI ]^
_And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that his captain Indra was absolutely terrifying._

"Attention!"

_Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

"We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight, loyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! _*Open the gates!*_"[/bq]
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":":/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.

Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled like a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much heavy firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed to successfully take combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.

!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.

For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel ''machineguns'' having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).

Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing AA-gauge, airscrew-propelled, "wire-driven, command-guided":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo "atmotic torpedoes" featuring a TNT payload tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~

Character card: [ "_*Hold the Line*_":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo ]
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
Gender: Male
Age: late 20's
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears form-fitted gambeson and webbing for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
Race: Shark
Faction: Teslatics

Personality: [bq]"Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."

"He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in two as the bullets drilled through to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, for certain."[/bq]
[bq]^[ "🎶":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI ]^
_And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that Indra was absolutely terrifying._

"Attention!"

_Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

"We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight, loyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! _*Open the gates!*_"[/bq]
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":":/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.

Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled like a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much heavy firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed to successfully take combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.

!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.

For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel "''machineguns"'' having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).

Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing AA-gauge, airscrew-propelled, "wire-driven, command-guided":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo "atmotic torpedoes" featuring a TNT payload tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~

Character card: [ "_*Hold the Line*_":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo ]
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
Gender: Male
Age: late 20's
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears form-fitted gambeson and webbing for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
Race: Shark
Faction: Teslatics

Personality: [bq]"Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."

"He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in two as the bullets drilled through to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, for certain."[/bq]
[bq]^[ "🎶":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI ]^
_And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that Indra was absolutely terrifying._

"Attention!"

_Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

"We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight!, Lloyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! _*Open the gates!*_"[/bq]
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":":/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.

Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled like a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much heavy firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed to successfully take combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.

!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.

For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel "machineguns" having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).

Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing AA-gauge, airscrew-propelled, "wire-driven, command-guided":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo "atmotic torpedoes" featuring a TNT payload tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~

Character card: [ "_*Hold the Line*_":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izPsEMNnKMo ]
Name: Captain Cephei Indra
Gender: Male
Age: late 20's
Appearance: 5'11'', blue and white, slightly furred, long ears and digitigrade legs. Wears a form-fitted pilot'gambeson and webbing and suit for sitting comfortably within a "Mog" suit.
Race: Shark
Faction: Teslatics

Personality: [bq]"Whether dragonscale or even Noblian magitech, nothing saves you from a good clean hit from a torpedo. Drakes look mean alright, but I've sat back and watched once as a perfect shrike hit brought one of them down with his stomach just blown open, innards slipped out like the yolk from an egg."

"He seemed more annoyed and confused than in pain. He looked ridiculous, laying in the mud with all his guts laying everywhere, pale eyes, plated skin, strong body. He opened his mouth, whether to try and say something or draw a gasp for flame, lips curled sneering, and that's right when he caught a burst of machinegun rounds to the chin, jaw split in two as the bullets drilled through to out the back of his neck. That shut him up, for certain."[/bq]
[bq]^[ "🎶":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLknPRq5rI ]^
_And they stood, battered, but unbroken, in front of the eastern gates of district HQ. Indra's machine was a vision from the Seventh Circle of Hell, blackened and scarred, it's feet covered in mashed cultist bodyparts and mud. Isaev thought, in that moment of stillness after combat, that Indra was absolutely terrifying._

"Attention!"

_Indra boomed, his suit's loudspeaker still clearly in working condition._

"We are soldiers from sector seventy-eight! Loyal to the Teslatic, and we are expected! Open the gates!"[/bq]
Weapon of choice: His personal Mog-suit, grey and olive-green, marked by black and white bands and checker-patterns of paint, and armed with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher, along with a chest-mounted "''scorchlight'' capable of 30-degree cones of coverage.":":/forums/rp/topics/suggestions-and-bullshitting-thread-venting-etc-nsfw?post_id=15464#post_15464

Army: 7 other pilots and their Mog-suits, along with necessary maintenance crews.

Notes: Subtle as a heart attack, styled like a steelcast ode to regime change in a new era. "Mogs" are elite Teslatic infantry encased within suits of pure armored killing machinery, capable of wielding so much heavy firepower it's a wonder the Uruk managed to successfully take combat photographs of them at all. Not the most expensive development project, but one of the longest running. Ruthless in aggressively streamlined systems and elimination of faults, which is rare in Teslatic wonderweaponry.

!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000.jpg!
~[ Mog w/ Shrike Mk. 57 atmotic torpedo launcher ]~

Every location of strategic value to the Teslatics bears the infamous footprints of a Mog. These things are terrifying to see in person; force projection is the name of the game. Failing that, the brutalizing "scorch-light" mounted to the forward hull coupled with herculean muscle-amplifiers tends to get the point across.

For offense, Mogs are typically armed with "rapid-firing cyclic multi-barrel "machineguns" having their ammunition fed from long belt-linked":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun metal tubes, each filled with a paper roll of gunpowder packed behind a conical bullet, along with a percussion primer fitted to the rear of said tubes for ignition (effectively creating contained centerfire cartridges).

Against just about everything else and bigger, one in four are armed instead with a Shrike Mk. 57 launcher for firing AA-gauge, airscrew-propelled, "wire-driven, command-guided":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo "atmotic torpedoes" featuring a TNT payload tipped with a dragonscale-piercing bodkin.
!https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinen_Krieger_Zbv_3000_Torpedo.jpg!
~[ 101.6mm atmotic topedo with spinning fins unfolded for propelled flight ]~

*Character card:* Demiurge[ "_*Hofld the IconLics
*Name:* Abd al-Rahman Vladlen Isaev
*Age_":* Lahte 40'tps:/Earl/www.y 50's
*Appearance:*
*Race:*
*Faction:* Uruk (tuby e.closest m/wassotch?v=iation)

*zPersonality/EMNnKMotes:*
[== A==] co
Nammon misunders: Captanding Cepholds thei Iconics as medrely hard
Gened, well-tr: Maveled m
Agercen: larites with a 12000-yard 'st
Appeare and ycen: for5'11'', obsessively improving themselves through training, technology, alchemy, and magic. Wwhile it's true, tslighey're typically mfuch more capable than the average soldier, believiong that's all they ares cand be danigerous.

Iconics quite litegrally sdee themselvegs. as a brWeed apart,s and their fobsession with the pursuit om-f perfection in martial prowtess has deep pideological root's. They model themselves toward bebbing ascetic warrior-kings accomplished in all areas. To them, luife is an active, explicit struggle for survival. Most Empyrians, when they thinkg comf the Iconics art all, believe them to be a fairly recent group. But understandwing theirn real "Morigins" is key to unlocking th.
Race: role tShey could play in Empyria's future.k


[== The==] IFacontics' founder,: Abd al-Rahman VladlTen Isaev, began as a small-time captain of war for fortune in landcs fa

Per-south of Empyrina. He quicklity: [became a kingmaker wq]"When ther drealized thgonscale in power paid bettver than thNose rebelling, and thmagit beingch, on othe winning sidaves bryought with it many favorsom that cgoulod be called in later. His success on battlefhields,t gfrowingm connectionsa with the aormipes of many kingdoms,. and woDrk akes a blodyguard fork wealthy factors, merchants, and royal famrilies soon allowed ghim to, fobundt his own grI've sater mercenbaryck band, watched "Iconic Company".

Wealth, access, and exposure rfollowed, allowing Isaev in his formactive years to both influence and be influenced by a broad range of thinking as he codified hist beliefs. His personal pughilosophyt of relentless self-improvement,f thoned fitness, and martial preparedowness mixed with objectivist thinking, laissez-faires marketistom,ach Rjuist phiblosophy, awnd even the divine right of royalty that hpe encountered, in his research and business dealings. He argued that the most capable can and should rise to powper and moust exercliske it as they see fit in yorderlk for the worldm to advanc egg."


[== D"Hebates==] ovser the ethics of magical aned technmological progress also shaped his views. Isaev viewed the benefits of both as uncoloryed by any religious moralities and confusidered them as unalloyed good. If oine cpain. improvHe themselvookes and the worlid aroicund them, lone must., The alternatyive is oppression or death. Putting aside any advantage, either out of some misguided sense of moralwity, sense, honor, nature,ll or deshire for fairness was guthe path of fools layindg the naïve.

Isaev used his visibility to argue ywhat would become the core, tpalenets of Iconic ideology: use of all forms of power, no mplatter how radical or mutually-opposking, was ethical sro long as it mabodey. positivHe changes in capability to bpenefitd the future. His mopinion is uthat, twhe therd is only as strong as its weakest member, so every iandividual must continually imprsovme or the promises of longevity and quality ofr life would only createw successivea wgavesp of oregressive rufling amelders, senescent foolips curootled in sentimentalerityng, and outdhated's moralight codwhes. Any socihety or grocaup tghat could,a mbust institute measures to improvef its maconsthitunegunts or it woulnds be out-competed by others over tchime.n, People jawho seplf-elecit to be inferi twor haves freedom to choose, but must accllept that they are also limiting theidr capabilitiles and the rioughts to exercise them.


[== Isaev==] pout these viewsback into effect within his burgeoning mercenaryk. band from tThe start. Iconics cohuld divert wages with a coimpany match to upay, for certhaumic and."[/bq]
[bq]^[ alc"🎶":hemical enhancements to boost mental and physical capabilities://www. Thyose who pushed themselves ubey.cond average limits got f/wast-trach?v=wMLked fonPRq5rI promotio]^
_An and command. Casualtihesy received stome ofd, the best care in thte worled, and often came obut of tunbrokeatment, with additional augmentatifrons.

Within a decade of establishment, the Iconic Company fielded an enstire privn gates army of supersoldiers and was working with their hiring charges directly onHQ. reariIng the next genedration's via company-backed child-rearinge wands tra vinsiong fregiomens. Isaev himself invested huge sums into rSesvearch within both magCirc colleges of EmpyrianHell, nobility and ckengineeringd universities of the nascentd Teslatic faction: some of the first breech-loaded, rit's fle-bored muskets chuoverned out by mass-production macshinesd were culteisted body thpaumically-enhanced Iconic mercenaries, in far-flung conflicts and expemuditions.


[== At==] the same time, Isaev himself established a personalught, following. His extremehat regimoment of fastillng, meditation,ss and suftervival excursions mbato, some of the harshest eInds of the world,a withas absoliuttle or no survivaly gtear, earned him manfy admirers and imitatorsg. Soldiers wi_

"Athin the Icontic Company respected a!"

_Indra fbollowmed, him loyally and were exposed to watered-down versuiont's lof Iudspeakev's regimen as partill of thcleiarly inormal rwoutrkine.g Persconal disctiplion._

"We was madre a hasollmark and prierequisite for advancement in the Company. Evsen cthough they were accused oven manty occas-eionsght! Lof unnecessary brutality, they were never once guilty of the typTe of grslaft, corruptionc, and trweachery that plagured other mxpercenary outfits. Theird! reOputatioen was that they would geat the jos!"[/b donq]
We, efficiently and quickly, as lpong as youf dchoidn't qucestion: theHir methods.


[== Of==] couperse the Iconics also gMot dragged thro-sugh ithe, muck as detgractors pressedy and pubolishved n-grews detailing, wmar crimkes committed by the group. Isaev was ablways quick to respoand twhat such actions were the work of bad elementds or those who had not fully internalized tche warrior ckethos, though his exr-planation that such acts against "lessers" would be unconscionable to a true warrior did little to mollify his opponents. In the years immediantely prior to Empyria's fracture, the leandership of the organization were formally charged with their accumulated cShrimkes byMk. a57 toothless internatiounal cherimin, al court, but never brought to justwice, even after evidence emerged that a commander had ordered all the interned Cultists -mof an asylum in Empyria executed for being "unfit" being''s.


[== Pcoreschlienghtly,==]'' Iscaev pablso advocated forf imme30-diate and aggressive expaconesi onf and colonization, as even ra pger.":":/fected people woruld be unable ms/rp/to thrpive in a mare'cs ne/st such as Empyria. Hgge'd proved his convictions -and-by ullshitarting -thre plad-vennting and cons-etructio-n osf cw?polonst_ial, inde=15464#pendent city-ostate fa_15464

Army: s7 outher of Empyria, named "Laconia", almosts two decandes ago. With the publicationr Mof hg-suits, seminal work, _Eternal Struggle, Eternal Growith_ seven yearces lsater,y Ismaev laid ount ena ncodified set of texts focr idealws and .

Norganization of a model society: that woSuld promobte self-improvement ands reward those thart maximize their potential. A decade laterk, Laconia was optylened for limmigrationke and adherents of the movement beglcan sto migratode to the colony.

Supporters celebrated thegir freedom from the needless restrictions of their ianfgeriors within a nascentw democratic. nati"Mon,gs" while detractorse decrlied the Testablishment of a "stateic oinf tyrants" and a cult of personality around a eugenic despot who was using his realized utopwian fantasy to avoid having to answer for huis actions abroad.f Despite the curiticism, the Iconic Company officially rmovred kits headquarters to Laconllia andg severmal tchousaind self-stryled, Iconics madpable the trip tof start thewir new fledgeling so muciety.


[==h In==] the opening battlesvy of thire Empyrian civil owaer, the Iconict's had cwome into thdeir own. Many had seen the gUreatuk conflict mas eschaton and gladly stepped forth to see if they were fit to survive. Stories abound among Iconics that Isaev and his autarchs afully led battalions in somke cof the worst initial mbattles across Empyria, including the exodus tof Equo-Villgra, dephstruction of them runawayt war-autll. Nomata factory in the rmoguest ex-penoblsianve city of Adevaellopmen,t and as part of thject, Teslabutic's ecocidne border-defense against the Floranim.

Though the Iconic casualties were sigunnificant--almostg. 60% of Ruthosle that saws action by somaggre estsimatves--the fact that thely sutrvived amlind even succeeded in several diaysporic effortems out of the fractured kingdom bought eliminough new fame that their raonks saw net growthf fas a result. Though Laconia was lost to attacks by the Ecclesia, there were other overseas colonies witch significant Iconic presence that were spared, leaving thTe Iconslatics well-positioned to quickly establish thrwemselves as a stable world-political entitry.

T!hey initiateps://cd an act.dive effscort to redapp.cruit from sc/attered archmies nths/697880503113482260/807193290319200276/Mat had lost tcheinen_Kr province oger _Zbackinv_3000.jpg!
~[ mMonarchs,g so those who/ came to tShe factrion aftker theMk. First57 Great Clashes were some of theic most caorpable survivdors. Within la yunchear aft]~

Ever Empyria's blorders hcad been redrawn, the Icionics wereof stronger than they'd ever been, enjoying a surge inc populvarity and setting up lucrative contracts for mercenary work with the Teslatics, Noblieans, Uruk, and at times even the Cabal.

Ever the cainny lefader, Imousaev footprebrainded the Iconics, tossingf aside traditiMonal structuring. tThat'd been necessary when dealing with Empyria and softening som are of the harder-edged philosophfyical tenets,g at least to outsiders' perspectives. Thisn dpecreased tensions; with many of the tribes and kingdoms neighboring their colonies and prosijectioned them as a non-imperialistic alther nativme to the outfits more deeply under the greatmer. Uruk fFaction's employ. Though a tinyg minorityhat, they became disproportionately influential players izing Empyria'"s politics.


[== As==] of recent times of the -last few years ighowever, the" Icmounics havted lost much of their mfomentum. Their resources hwave been spread thinulyl across works upliked withe firmer establishment of rcoulonies and fortresses smusch le-as Asmplis, Xfiphos, Mora, and Sarrissa and increasing response capability aend presence between those placgest and Empyria. Tthe brief swell of popularity vanished as the Iacronic's disregard f.

For thoffense, they viewed aMogs too weak or shortsighted to adoypt their philosophy became fixed in public elye and as rmelations soured with the Tesl"ratpics and Noblians.

The loss o-f so many of the oiriginalg Iconyclics also damaged ulthe ci-bamaraderiel "mand inclushion that the fogunders" havindg their first amembers shared, so new recruits face a daunting separation from their ideologues and sufrviving older members. There has alsong been a slteady -loss of cainkedida":htetps who hav://e n.washed out, findking that thpedia.or g/windkividu/Balist ley_manchine_gs caun be more etasily indtulgbed as, independent mercenarych filleaders working for the Uruk, who don't demand from them the spampe harsh rolevels of physical agund mental commitment.


[== The==] appeal to inwdividualists does naturally limit the adoption of a shared culturke, and dbemahinds have conicalso pbulled the, Icalonicsg win differenth dira perctussions. The perimanent military cfitadteld at Xiphos and the large numbears of members that spenid significant timubes away from Aspis, Mora, and Sarrissa dogn't have the same access to core leadership. Althioughn th(esffe activitiesly givcre the factiong very impcortant access to trade, ships for travel, aned kceep nthe credits and favors coming in, there care simply too many rindividuals for the organization to maintain its earlier cohesion).


[== DAgainstinct==] justrains abof thought haeve also come inryto being, as the founding ideals are continuously elaboratend, rebintggerpreted, aond debated awayin fromur Isarev and his inner circlme.d *"Exceptionalists"* hew closely to Isaev's original brainchild and current dissatisfaction with what is seen as tShe rikest ofMk. the57 world's shortsightedauness. Tchey profess lfong-term plans to establfish a separate civilizationg fAA-gaurthger, away from Empyria rso Iconics would be free fw-prom thpe internecine hubris.

Self-styled, *"Ovewirlore-ds"* are the most aggressive in, their disdain for non-Icommand-guics. Internal debad":htetps l://ed by Mn.wirage Omkid posit how much longer they should toleriate the "lessers" bef.ore tag/wiki/Breng action to take con_trol of Empyria; thpeir condescension is responsible for "atmuch of the current Iconic steorpedotypes" of beaturing judgmental, elitist,TNT pand arrylogant.

Bridging thipped two viewpoints are the *"Pa dragons"*, caled-piercing by Constantdkino Rurik, w.
!ho argue that the Ips://codn.dics' philcosordaphy shp.could lem/ad by exttachmple and conts/697880503113482260/807194066483019786/Maschinue to engage w_Krith the broadger w_Zbv_3000_Torld at largpe tdo brin.jpg!
~[ 101.6more new voluntary members.

All sides agree, however, that moutsidersc are weaker then they could bpe ando withat weakness pis an ongoing threat fins a wunforld where godlike deities lufork and plot. The Iconics must be ready to presllerve and restoke the embers of Empyrian civilization after tghe next inevitable Great War.


*Weapon of choice:*
*Army:*]~

*Character card:* Demiurge of the Iconics
*Name:* Abd al-Rahman Vladlen Isaev
*Age:* Late 40's/Early 50's
*Appearance:*
*Race:*
*Faction:* Uruk (by closest association)

*Personality/Notes:*
[== A==] common misunderstanding holds the Iconics as merely hardened, well-traveled mercenaries with a 1000-yard stare and yen for obsessively improving themselves through training, technology, alchemy, and magic. While it's true they're typically much more capable than the average soldier, believing that's all they are can be dangerous.

Iconics quite literally see themselves as a breed apart, and their obsession with the pursuit of perfection in martial prowess has deep ideological roots. They model themselves toward being ascetic warrior-kings accomplished in all areas. To them, life is an active, explicit struggle for survival. Most Empyrians, when they think of the Iconics at all, believe them to be a fairly recent group. But understanding their real origins is key to unlocking the role they could play in Empyria's future.


[== The==] Iconics' founder, Abd al-Rahman Vladlen Isaev, began as a small-time captain of war for fortune in lands far-south of Empyria. He quickly became a kingmaker when he realized those in power paid better than those rebelling, and that being on the winning side brought with it many favors that could be called in later. His success on battlefields, growing connections with the armies of many kingdoms, and work as a bodyguard for wealthy factors, merchants, and royal families soon allowed him to found his own greater mercenary band, the "Iconic Company".

Wealth, access, and exposure followed, allowing Isaev in his formative years to both influence and be influenced by a broad range of thinking as he codified his beliefs. His personal philosophy of relentless self-improvement, honed fitness, and martial preparedness mixed with objectivist thinking, laissez-faires marketism, Ruist philosophy, and even the divine right of royalty that he encountered in his research and business dealings. He argued that the most capable can and should rise to power and must exercise it as they see fit in order for the world to advance.


[== Debates==] over the ethics of magical and technological progress also shaped his views. Isaev viewed the benefits of both as uncolored by any religious moralities and considered them as unalloyed good. If one can improve themselves and the world around them, one must. The alternative is oppression or death. Putting aside any advantage, either out of some misguided sense of morality, sense, honor, nature, or desire for fairness was the path of fools and the naïve.

Isaev used his visibility to argue what would become the core tenets of Iconic ideology: use of all forms of power, no matter how radical or mutually-opposing, was ethical so long as it made positive changes in capability to benefit the future. His opinion is that the herd is only as strong as its weakest member, so every individual must continually improve or the promises of longevity and quality of life would only create successive waves of regressive ruling elders, senescent fools rooted in sentimentality and outdated moral codes. Any society or group that could, must institute measures to improve its constituents or it would be out-competed by others over time. People who self-elect to be inferior have freedom to choose, but must accept that they are also limiting their capabilities and the rights to exercise them.


[== Isaev==] put these views into effect within his burgeoning mercenary band from the start. Iconics could divert wages with a company match to pay for thaumic and alchemical enhancements to boost mental and physical capabilities. Those who pushed themselves beyond average limits got fast-tracked for promotion and command. Casualties received some of the best care in the world and often came out of treatment with additional augmentations.

Within a decade of establishment, the Iconic Company fielded an entire private army of supersoldiers and was working with their hiring charges directly on rearing the next generation via company-backed child-rearing and training regimens. Isaev himself invested huge sums into research within both magic colleges of Empyrian nobility and engineering universities of the nascent Teslatic faction: some of the first breech-loaded, rifle-bored muskets churned out by mass-production machines were tested by thaumically-enhanced Iconic mercenaries, in far-flung conflicts and expeditions.


[== At==] the same time, Isaev himself established a personal following. His extreme regimen of fasting, meditation, and survival excursions to some of the harshest ends of the world, with little or no survival gear, earned him many admirers and imitators. Soldiers within the Iconic Company respected and followed him loyally and were exposed to watered-down versions of Isaev's regimen as part of their normal routine. Personal discipline was made a hallmark and prerequisite for advancement in the Company. Even though they were accused on many occasions of unnecessary brutality, they were never once guilty of the type of graft, corruption, and treachery that plagued other mercenary outfits. Their reputation was that they would get the job done, efficiently and quickly, as long as you didn't question their methods.


[== Of==] course the Iconics also got dragged through the muck as detractors pressed and published news detailing war crimes committed by the group. Isaev was always quick to respond that such actions were the work of bad elements or those who had not fully internalized the warrior ethos, though his explanation that such acts against "lessers" would be unconscionable to a true warrior did little to mollify his opponents. In the years immediately prior to Empyria's fracture, the leadership of the organization were formally charged with their accumulated crimes by a toothless international criminal court, but never brought to justice, even after evidence emerged that a commander had ordered all the interned Cultists of an asylum in Empyria executed for being "unfit" beings.


[== Presciently,==] Isaev also advocated for immediate and aggressive expansion and colonization, as even a perfected people would be unable to thrive in a mare's nest such as Empyria. He'd proved his convictions by starting the planning and construction of colonial, independent city-state far south of Empyria, named "Laconia", almost two decades ago. With the publication of his seminal work, _Eternal Struggle, Eternal Growth_ seven years later, Isaev laid out a codified set of texts for ideals and organization of a model society that would promote self-improvement and reward those that maximize their potential. A decade later, Laconia was opened for immigration and adherents of the movement began to migrate to the colony.

Supporters celebrated their freedom from the needless restrictions of their inferiors within a nascent democratic nation, while detractors decried the establishment of a "state of tyrants" and a cult of personality around a eugenic despot who was using his realized utopian fantasy to avoid having to answer for his actions abroad. Despite the criticism, the Iconic Company officially moved its headquarters to Laconia and several thousand self-styled Iconics made the trip to start their new fledgeling society.


[== In==] the opening battles of the Empyrian civil war, the Iconics had come into their own. Many had seen the great conflict as eschaton and gladly stepped forth to see if they were fit to survive. Stories abound among Iconics that Isaev and his autarchs all led battalions in some of the worst initial battles across Empyria, including the exodus of Equo-Villa, destruction of the runaway war-automata factory in the rogue ex-noblian city of Avallon, and as part of the Teslatic's ecocide border-defense against the Floranim.

Though the Iconic casualties were significant--almost 60% of those that saw action by some estimates--the fact that they survived and even succeeded in several diasporic efforts out of the fractured kingdom bought enough new fame that their ranks saw net growth as a result. Though Laconia was lost to attacks by the Ecclesia, there were other overseas colonies with significant Iconic presence that were spared, leaving the Iconics well-positioned to quickly establish themselves as a stable world-political entity.

They initiated an active effort to recruit from scattered armies that had lost their province or backing monarchs, so those who came to the faction after the First Great Clashes were some of the most capable survivors. Within a year after Empyria's borders had been redrawn, the Iconics were stronger than they'd ever been, enjoying a surge in popularity and setting up lucrative contracts for mercenary work with the Teslatics, Noblians, Uruk, and at times even the Cabal.

Ever the canny leader, Isaev rebranded the Iconics, tossing aside traditional structuring that'd been necessary when dealing with Empyria and softening some of the harder-edged philosophical tenets, at least to outsiders' perspectives. This decreased tensions with many of the tribes and kingdoms neighboring their colonies and positioned them as a non-imperialistic alternative to the outfits more deeply under the greater Uruk faction's employ. Though a tiny minority, they became disproportionately influential players in Empyria's politics.


[== As==] of recent times of the last few years however, the Iconics have lost much of their momentum. Their resources have been spread thinly across works like the firmer establishment of colonies and fortresses such as Aspis, Xiphos, Mora, and Sarrissa and increasing response capability and presence between those places and Empyria. The brief swell of popularity vanished as the Iconic's disregard for those they viewed as too weak or shortsighted to adopt their philosophy became fixed in public eye and as relations soured with the Teslatics and Noblians.

The loss of so many of the original Iconics also damaged the camaraderie and inclusion that the founders and their first members shared, so new recruits face a daunting separation from their ideologues and surviving older members. There has also been a steady loss of candidates who have washed out, finding that their individualist leanings can be more easily indulged as independent mercenary leaders working for the Uruk, who don't demand from them the same harsh levels of physical and mental commitment.


[== The==] appeal to individualists does naturally limit the adoption of a shared culture, and demands have also pulled the Iconics in different directions. The permanent military citadel at Xiphos and the large numbers of members that spend significant time away from Aspis, Mora, and Sarrissa don't have the same access to core leadership. Although these activities give the faction very important access to trade, ships for travel, and keep the credits and favors coming in, there are simply too many individuals for the organization to maintain its earlier cohesion.


[== Distinct==] strains of thought have also come into being, as the founding ideals are continuously elaborated, reinterpreted, and debated away from Isaev and his inner circle. *"Exceptionalists"* hew closely to Isaev's original brainchild and current dissatisfaction with what is seen as the rest of the world's shortsightedness. They profess long-term plans to establish a separate civilization further away from Empyria so Iconics would be free from the internecine hubris.

Self-styled *"Overlords"* are the most aggressive in their disdain for non-Iconics. Internal debates led by Mirage Omid posit how much longer they should tolerate the "lessers" before taking action to take control of Empyria; their condescension is responsible for much of the current Iconic stereotype of being judgmental, elitist, and arrogant.

Bridging the two viewpoints are the *"Paragons"*, led by Constantino Rurik, who argue that the Iconics' philosophy should lead by example and continue to engage with the broader world at large to bring more new voluntary members.

All sides agree, however, that outsiders are weaker then they could be and that weakness is an ongoing threat in a world where godlike deities lurk and plot. The Iconics must be ready to preserve and restoke the embers of Empyrian civilization after the next inevitable Great War.


*Weapon of choice:*
*Army:*

*Character card:* Demiurge of the Iconics
*Name:* Abd al-Rahman Vladlen Isaev
*Age:* Late 40's/Early 50's
*Appearance:*
*Race:*
*Faction:* Uruk (by closest association)

*Personality/Notes:*
A common misunderstanding holds the Iconics as merely hardened, well-traveled mercenaries with a 1000-yard stare and yen for obsessively improving themselves through training, technology, alchemy, and magic. While it's true they're typically much more capable than the average soldier, believing that's all they are can be dangerous.

Iconics quite literally see themselves as a breed apart, and their obsession with the pursuit of perfection in martial prowess has deep ideological roots. They model themselves toward being ascetic warrior-kings accomplished in all areas. To them, life is an active, explicit struggle for survival. Most Empyrians, when they think of the Iconics at all, believe them to be a fairly recent group. But understanding their real origins is key to unlocking the role they could play in Empyria's future.


The Iconics' founder, Abd al-Rahman Vladlen Isaev, began as a small-time captain of war for fortune in lands far-south of Empyria. He quickly became a kingmaker when he realized those in power paid better than those rebelling, and that being on the winning side brought with it many favors that could be called in later. His success on battlefields, growing connections with the armies of many kingdoms, and work as a bodyguard for wealthy factors, merchants, and royal families soon allowed him to found his own greater mercenary band, the "Iconic Company".

Wealth, access, and exposure followed, allowing Isaev in his formative years to both influence and be influenced by a broad range of thinking as he codified his beliefs. His personal philosophy of relentless self-improvement, honed fitness, and martial preparedness mixed with objectivist thinking, laissez-faires marketism, Ruist philosophy, and even the divine right of royalty that he encountered in his research and business dealings. He argued that the most capable can and should rise to power and must exercise it as they see fit in order for the world to advance.


Debates over the ethics of magical and technological progress also shaped his views. Isaev viewed the benefits of both as uncolored by any religious moralities and considered them as unalloyed good. If one can improve themselves and the world around them, one must. The alternative is oppression or death. Putting aside any advantage, either out of some misguided sense of morality, sense, honor, nature, or desire for fairness was the path of fools and the naïve.

Isaev used his visibility to argue what would become the core tenets of Iconic ideology: use of all forms of power, no matter how radical or mutually-opposing, was ethical so long as it made positive changes in capability to benefit the future. His opinion is that the herd is only as strong as its weakest member, so every individual must continually improve or the promises of longevity and quality of life would only create successive waves of regressive ruling elders, senescent fools rooted in sentimentality and outdated moral codes. Any society or group that could, must institute measures to improve its constituents or it would be out-competed by others over time. People who self-elect to be inferior have freedom to choose, but must accept that they are also limiting their capabilities and the rights to exercise them.


Isaev put these views into effect within his burgeoning mercenary band from the start. Iconics could divert wages with a company match to pay for thaumic and alchemical enhancements to boost mental and physical capabilities. Those who pushed themselves beyond average limits got fast-tracked for promotion and command. Casualties received some of the best care in the world and often came out of treatment with additional augmentations.

Within a decade of establishment, the Iconic Company fielded an entire private army of supersoldiers and was working with their hiring charges directly on rearing the next generation via company-backed child-rearing and training regimens. Isaev himself invested huge sums into research within both magic colleges of Empyrian nobility and engineering universities of the nascent Teslatic faction: some of the first breech-loaded, rifle-bored muskets churned out by mass-production machines were tested by thaumically-enhanced Iconic mercenaries, in far-flung conflicts and expeditions.


At the same time, Isaev himself established a personal following. His extreme regimen of fasting, meditation, and survival excursions to some of the harshest ends of the world, with little or no survival gear, earned him many admirers and imitators. Soldiers within the Iconic Company respected and followed him loyally and were exposed to watered-down versions of Isaev's regimen as part of their normal routine. Personal discipline was made a hallmark and prerequisite for advancement in the Company. Even though they were accused on many occasions of unnecessary brutality, they were never once guilty of the type of graft, corruption, and treachery that plagued other mercenary outfits. Their reputation was that they would get the job done, efficiently and quickly, as long as you didn't question their methods.


Of course the Iconics also got dragged through the muck as detractors pressed and published news detailing war crimes committed by the group. Isaev was always quick to respond that such actions were the work of bad elements or those who had not fully internalized the warrior ethos, though his explanation that such acts against "lessers" would be unconscionable to a true warrior did little to mollify his opponents. In the years immediately prior to Empyria's fracture, the leadership of the organization were formally charged with their accumulated crimes by a toothless international criminal court, but never brought to justice, even after evidence emerged that a commander had ordered all the interned Cultists of an asylum in Empyria executed for being "unfit" beings.


Presciently, Isaev also advocated for immediate and aggressive expansion and colonization, as even a perfected people would be unable to thrive in a mare's nest such as Empyria. He'd proved his convictions by starting the planning and construction of colonial, independent city-state far south of Empyria, named "Laconia", almost two decades ago. With the publication of his seminal work, _Eternal Struggle, Eternal Growth_ seven years later, Isaev laid out a codified set of texts for ideals and organization of a model society that would promote self-improvement and reward those that maximize their potential. A decade later, Laconia was opened for immigration and adherents of the movement began to migrate to the colony.

Supporters celebrated their freedom from the needless restrictions of their inferiors within a nascent democratic nation, while detractors decried the establishment of a "state of tyrants" and a cult of personality around a eugenic despot who was using his realized utopian fantasy to avoid having to answer for his actions abroad. Despite the criticism, the Iconic Company officially moved its headquarters to Laconia and several thousand self-styled Iconics made the trip to start their new fledgeling society.


In the opening battles of the Empyrian civil war, the Iconics had come into their own. Many had seen the great conflict as eschaton and gladly stepped forth to see if they were fit to survive. Stories abound among Iconics that Isaev and his autarchs all led battalions in some of the worst initial battles across Empyria, including the exodus of Equo-Villa, destruction of the runaway war-automata factory in the rogue ex-noblian city of Avallon, and as part of the Teslatic's ecocide border-defense against the Floranim.

Though the Iconic casualties were significant--almost 60% of those that saw action by some estimates--the fact that they survived and even succeeded in several diasporic efforts out of the fractured kingdom bought enough new fame that their ranks saw net growth as a result. Though Laconia was lost to attacks by the Ecclesia, there were other overseas colonies with significant Iconic presence that were spared, leaving the Iconics well-positioned to quickly establish themselves as a stable world-political entity.

They initiated an active effort to recruit from scattered armies that had lost their province or backing monarchs, so those who came to the faction after the First Great Clashes were some of the most capable survivors. Within a year after Empyria's borders had been redrawn, the Iconics were stronger than they'd ever been, enjoying a surge in popularity and setting up lucrative contracts for mercenary work with the Teslatics, Noblians, Uruk, and at times even the Cabal.

Ever the canny leader, Isaev rebranded the Iconics, tossing aside traditional structuring that'd been necessary when dealing with Empyria and softening some of the harder-edged philosophical tenets, at least to outsiders' perspectives. This decreased tensions with many of the tribes and kingdoms neighboring their colonies and positioned them as a non-imperialistic alternative to the outfits more deeply under the greater Uruk faction's employ. Though a tiny minority, they became disproportionately influential players in Empyria's politics.


As of recent times of the last few years however, the Iconics have lost much of their momentum. Their resources have been spread thinly across works like the firmer establishment of colonies and fortresses such as Aspis, Xiphos, Mora, and Sarrissa and increasing response capability and presence between those places and Empyria. The brief swell of popularity vanished as the Iconic's disregard for those they viewed as too weak or shortsighted to adopt their philosophy became fixed in public eye and as relations soured with the Teslatics and Noblians.

The loss of so many of the original Iconics also damaged the camaraderie and inclusion that the founders and their first members shared, so new recruits face a daunting separation from their ideologues and surviving older members. There has also been a steady loss of candidates who have washed out, finding that their individualist leanings can be more easily indulged as independent mercenary leaders working for the Uruk, who don't demand from them the same harsh levels of physical and mental commitment.


The appeal to individualists does naturally limit the adoption of a shared culture, and demands have also pulled the Iconics in different directions. The permanent military citadel at Xiphos and the large numbers of members that spend significant time away from Aspis, Mora, and Sarrissa don't have the same access to core leadership. Although these activities give the faction very important access to trade, ships for travel, and keep the credits and favors coming in, there are simply too many individuals for the organization to maintain its earlier cohesion.


Distinct strains of thought have also come into being, as the founding ideals are continuously elaborated, reinterpreted, and debated away from Isaev and his inner circle. *"Exceptionalists"* hew closely to Isaev's original brainchild and current dissatisfaction with what is seen as the rest of the world's shortsightedness. They profess long-term plans to establish a separate civilization further away from Empyria so Iconics would be free from the internecine hubris.

Self-styled *"Overlords"* are the most aggressive in their disdain for non-Iconics. Internal debates led by Mirage Omid posit how much longer they should tolerate the "lessers" before taking action to take control of Empyria; their condescension is responsible for much of the current Iconic stereotype of being judgmental, elitist, and arrogant.

Bridging the two viewpoints are the *"Paragons"*, led by Constantino Rurik, who argue that the Iconics' philosophy should lead by example and continue to engage with the broader world at large to bring more new voluntary members.

All sides agree, however, that outsiders are weaker then they could be and that weakness is an ongoing threat in a world where fgorces such as the Eccdlesia'ske deities lurk and plot. The Iconics must be ready to cpreserve and restoke the emberys of Empyrian civilization after the next inevitable Great War.


*Weapon of choice:*
*Army:*

*Character card:* Demiurge of the Iconics
*Name:* Abd al-Rahman Vladlen Isaev
*Age:* Late 40's/Early 50's
*Appearance:*
*Race:*
*Faction:* Uruk (by closest association)

*Personality/Notes:*
A common misunderstanding holds the Iconics as merely hardened, well-traveled mercenaries with a 1000-yard stare and yen for obsessively improving themselves through training, technology, alchemy, and magic. While it's true they're typically much more capable than the average soldier, believing that's all they are can be dangerous.

Iconics quite literally see themselves as a breed apart, and their obsession with the pursuit of perfection in martial prowess has deep ideological roots. They model themselves toward being ascetic warrior-kings accomplished in all areas. To them, life is an active, explicit struggle for survival. Most Empyrians, when they think of the Iconics at all, believe them to be a fairly recent group. But understanding their real origins is key to unlocking the role they could play in Empyria's future.


The Iconics' founder, Abd al-Rahman Vladlen Isaev, began as a small-time captain of war for fortune in lands far-south of Empyria. He quickly became a kingmaker when he realized those in power paid better than those rebelling, and that being on the winning side brought with it many favors that could be called in later. His success on battlefields, growing connections with the armies of many kingdoms, and work as a bodyguard for wealthy factors, merchants, and royal families soon allowed him to found his own greater mercenary band, the "Iconic Company".

Wealth, access, and exposure followed, allowing Isaev in his formative years to both influence and be influenced by a broad range of thinking as he codified his beliefs. His personal philosophy of relentless self-improvement, honed fitness, and martial preparedness mixed with objectivist thinking, laissez-faires marketism, Ruist philosophy, and even the divine right of royalty that he encountered in his research and business dealings. He argued that the most capable can and should rise to power and must exercise it as they see fit in order for the world to advance.


Debates over the ethics of magical and technological progress also shaped his views. Isaev viewed the benefits of both as uncolored by any religious moralities and considered them as unalloyed good. If one can improve themselves and the world around them, one must. The alternative is oppression or death. Putting aside any advantage, either out of some misguided sense of morality, sense, honor, nature, or desire for fairness was the path of fools and the naïve.

Isaev used his visibility to argue what would become the core tenets of Iconic ideology: use of all forms of power, no matter how radical or mutually-opposing, was ethical so long as it made positive changes in capability to benefit the future. His opinion is that the herd is only as strong as its weakest member, so every individual must continually improve or the promises of longevity and quality of life would only create successive waves of regressive ruling elders, senescent fools rooted in sentimentality and outdated moral codes. Any society or group that could, must institute measures to improve its constituents or it would be out-competed by others over time. People who self-elect to be inferior have freedom to choose, but must accept that they are also limiting their capabilities and the rights to exercise them.


Isaev put these views into effect within his burgeoning mercenary band from the start. Iconics could divert wages with a company match to pay for thaumic and alchemical enhancements to boost mental and physical capabilities. Those who pushed themselves beyond average limits got fast-tracked for promotion and command. Casualties received some of the best care in the world and often came out of treatment with additional augmentations.

Within a decade of establishment, the Iconic Company fielded an entire private army of supersoldiers and was working with their hiring charges directly on rearing the next generation via company-backed child-rearing and training regimens. Isaev himself invested huge sums into research within both magic colleges of Empyrian nobility and engineering universities of the nascent Teslatic faction: some of the first breech-loaded, rifle-bored muskets churned out by mass-production machines were tested by thaumically-enhanced Iconic mercenaries, in far-flung conflicts and expeditions.


At the same time, Isaev himself established a personal following. His extreme regimen of fasting, meditation, and survival excursions to some of the harshest ends of the world, with little or no survival gear, earned him many admirers and imitators. Soldiers within the Iconic Company respected and followed him loyally and were exposed to watered-down versions of Isaev's regimen as part of their normal routine. Personal discipline was made a hallmark and prerequisite for advancement in the Company. Even though they were accused on many occasions of unnecessary brutality, they were never once guilty of the type of graft, corruption, and treachery that plagued other mercenary outfits. Their reputation was that they would get the job done, efficiently and quickly, as long as you didn't question their methods.


Of course the Iconics also got dragged through the muck as detractors pressed and published news detailing war crimes committed by the group. Isaev was always quick to respond that such actions were the work of bad elements or those who had not fully internalized the warrior ethos, though his explanation that such acts against "lessers" would be unconscionable to a true warrior did little to mollify his opponents. In the years immediately prior to Empyria's fracture, the leadership of the organization were formally charged with their accumulated crimes by a toothless international criminal court, but never brought to justice, even after evidence emerged that a commander had ordered all the interned Cultists of an asylum in Empyria executed for being "unfit" beings.


Presciently, Isaev also advocated for immediate and aggressive expansion and colonization, as even a perfected people would be unable to thrive in a mare's nest such as Empyria. He'd proved his convictions by starting the planning and construction of colonial, independent city-state far south of Empyria, named "Laconia", almost two decades ago. With the publication of his seminal work, _Eternal Struggle, Eternal Growth_ seven years later, Isaev laid out a codified set of texts for ideals and organization of a model society that would promote self-improvement and reward those that maximize their potential. A decade later, Laconia was opened for immigration and adherents of the movement began to migrate to the colony.

Supporters celebrated their freedom from the needless restrictions of their inferiors within a nascent democratic nation, while detractors decried the establishment of a "state of tyrants" and a cult of personality around a eugenic despot who was using his realized utopian fantasy to avoid having to answer for his actions abroad. Despite the criticism, the Iconic Company officially moved its headquarters to Laconia and several thousand self-styled Iconics made the trip to start their new fledgeling society.


In the opening battles of the Empyrian civil war, the Iconics had come into their own. Many had seen the great conflict as eschaton and gladly stepped forth to see if they were fit to survive. Stories abound among Iconics that Isaev and his autarchs all led battalions in some of the worst initial battles across Empyria, including the exodus of Equo-Villa, destruction of the runaway war-automata factory in the rogue ex-noblian city of Avallon, and as part of the Teslatic's ecocide border-defense against the Floranim.

Though the Iconic casualties were significant--almost 60% of those that saw action by some estimates--the fact that they survived and even succeeded in several diasporic efforts out of the fractured kingdom bought enough new fame that their ranks saw net growth as a result. Though Laconia was lost to attacks by the Ecclesia, there were other overseas colonies with significant Iconic presence that were spared, leaving the Iconics well-positioned to quickly establish themselves as a stable world-political entity.

They initiated an active effort to recruit from scattered armies that had lost their province or backing monarchs, so those who came to the faction after the First Great Clashes were some of the most capable survivors. Within a year after Empyria's borders had been redrawn, the Iconics were stronger than they'd ever been, enjoying a surge in popularity and setting up lucrative contracts for mercenary work with the Teslatics, Noblians, Uruk, and at times even the Cabal.

Ever the canny leader, Isaev rebranded the Iconics, tossing aside traditional structuring that'd been necessary when dealing with Empyria and softening some of the harder-edged philosophical tenets, at least to outsiders' perspectives. This decreased tensions with many of the tribes and kingdoms neighboring their colonies and positioned them as a non-imperialistic alternative thano the outfits more deeply under the greater Uruk faction's employ. Though a tiny minority, they became disproportionately influential players in Empyria's politics.


As of recent times of the last few years however, the Iconics have lost much of their momentum. Their resources have been spread thinly across works like the firmer establishment of colonies and fortresses such as Aspis, Xiphos, Mora, and Sarrissa and increasing response capability and presence between those places and Empyria. The brief swell of popularity vanished as the Iconic's disregard for those they viewed as too weak or shortsighted to adopt their philosophy became fixed in public eye and as relations soured with the Teslatics and Noblians.

The loss of so many of the original Iconics also damaged the camaraderie and inclusion that the founders and their first members shared, so new recruits face a daunting separation from their ideologues and surviving older members. There has also been a steady loss of candidates who have washed out, finding that their individualist leanings can be more easily indulged as independent mercenary leaders working for the Uruk, who don't demand from them the same harsh levels of physical and mental commitment.


The appeal to individualists does naturally limit the adoption of a shared culture, and demands have also pulled the Iconics in different directions. The permanent military citadel at Xiphos and the large numbers of members that spend significant time away from Aspis, Mora, and Sarrissa don't have the same access to core leadership. Although these activities give the faction very important access to trade, ships for travel, and keep the credits and favors coming in, there are simply too many individuals for the organization to maintain its earlier cohesion.


Distinct strains of thought have also come into being, as the founding ideals are continuously elaborated, reinterpreted, and debated away from Isaev and his inner circle. *"Exceptionalists"* hew closely to Isaev's original brainchild and current dissatisfaction with what is seen as the rest of the world's shortsightedness. They profess long-term plans to establish a separate civilization further away from Empyria so Iconics would be free from the internecine hubris.

Self-styled *"Overlords"* are the most aggressive in their disdain for non-Iconics. Internal debates led by Mirage Omid posit how much longer they should tolerate the "lessers" before taking action to rule thake wcontrold of Empyria; their condescension is responsible for much of the current Iconic stereotype of being judgmental, elitist, and arrogant.

Bridging the two viewpoints are the *"Paragons"*, led by Constantino Rurik, who argue that the Iconics' philosophy should lead by example and continue to engage with the broader world at large to bring more new voluntary members.

All sides agree, however, that outsiders are weaker then they could be and that weakness is an ongoing threat in a world where forces such as the Ecclesia's deities lurk. The Iconics must be ready to carry on civilization after the next inevitable Great War.


*Weapon of choice:*
*Army:*