Into the Spider's Web
89th Siege and Combat Engineering Cohort — "The Black Reapers"
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATIONIntent: To introduce a specialized combat engineer unit operating within Darth Virelia's forces on Morrigal. This unit enables dynamic battlefield construction, siege warfare, demolition, and logistics in support of both defensive and offensive Sith operations.
Image Credit: Midjourney
Role: Combat engineers responsible for frontline fortifications, sabotage, siegecraft, field repairs, and tactical demolitions under Darth Virelia's command. They are the groundwork on which Sith campaigns are built.
Permissions: N/A
Links:
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Group Name: The 89th Siege and Combat Engineering Cohort — "The Black Reapers"
Classification: Combat Engineers
Affiliation: Darth Virelia / Fourth Legion
Description:
The Black Reapers are the hammer that precedes the Legion's blow—combat engineers trained to tear apart enemy infrastructure or raise fortifications in the shadow of battle. Wearing burn-scorched rebreathers, dark rebar-reinforced armor, and red-lensed helmets, they often appear more like executioners than engineers.
Each squad carries its own emblems: hazard stripes daubed with oil, spiked shovels, and corpse-hook insignias—symbols of pride in their grueling trade. They are known for grim humor, high operational losses, and unwavering precision even under fire.
UNIT INFORMATION
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Uncommon
Unit Experience: Veteran
Equipment:
- Pneumatic breacher hammers and electrocuting entrenchment tools
- Plasma torches, collapsible scaffold towers, and trench drones
- Demolition packs with molecular destabilizers
- Fortification barrier kits (deployable cover, mines, shield pylons)
- Virelia-pattern pulse carbines and sidearms
- Thermal scanners and seismic mapping units
- Reactive-layer flak armor with reinforced joints
- Respirator masks with toxin filtration and HUD uplinks
The Black Reapers operate as a support and frontline utility force. They are deployed ahead of infantry to prepare bunkers, clear minefields, establish hardpoints, and breach enemy defenses. In siege conditions, they build forward artillery emplacements, dig storm trenches, and undermine enemy fortifications using plasma drills or tunneling rigs.
In retreat or collapse scenarios, they serve as saboteurs—rigging bridges, tramways, or collapsed terrain with chain-charges to deny access to the enemy. They often accompany mechanized or heavy infantry detachments to reinforce siege lines or prepare terrain for walker deployment.
Force Abilities: N/A
Strengths:
- Multi-Role Mastery: Effective in breaching, fortification, demolition, and logistical support under battlefield conditions.
- Veteran Cohesion: Highly experienced and well-drilled teams function efficiently even under duress or with minimal oversight.
Weaknesses:
- High Attrition Rate: Reaper teams often suffer heavy losses due to frontline proximity and hazardous tasks.
- Not Line Infantry: While combat-capable, they are not suited to extended firefights or isolated engagements without support.
The 89th Siege and Combat Engineering Cohort was born in the aftermath of Morrigal's first major battlefield transformation—during the construction of Fort Avarice itself. Originally composed of reconditioned mining foremen, trench veterans, and Hollowvein artificers, they were reorganized into a full combat unit by Darth Virelia's war engineers.
Their first trial was the breaching of the citadel at the Ash-Crowned Cliffs. The 89th collapsed the outer ring with subterranean charges and held the breach for twelve hours under enemy fire, stabilizing the frontline long enough for Virelia's Sith forces to overrun the citadel. That siege earned them the moniker "Black Reapers"—for when they appear, walls fall, and the gravework begins.
Each member carries a piece of twisted rebar engraved with the phrase:
"We destroy, so the galaxy may kneel."