OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Unit for the Shadow Knights. This is a resubmission of this unit, which was approved under the old Codex rules.
Image Credit: Here. By Ahmed Mahope.
Role: Force warriors.
Permissions: Access to Firemane gear since I'm the owner. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here.
Links: Angelii, Eldorai, Qadiri, Vashyada.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Hicanati.
Affiliation: Kaida Taldir, Naesala Faethyra, Shadow Knights, Yseult Faerin, Daymana Thael, Court of the Shadows, Court of the Four Elements.
Classification: Infantry.
Equipment:
Armour:
Melee Weapons:
Rifles:
Sidearms:
- Sonic Disruptor
- Magnetic Revolver
- Verpine Shattergun
- Cylix Bolt Pistol
- Hold-out Bolter
- MSD-32
- RSIC-11 "Suncrusher" Blaster Pistol
- CZ-H5 Shatterbeam Pistol
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster.
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer.
- ACS-208 Wrist Charric
- Vac Blade Launcher
- ZX Miniature Flame Projector
- Thermal Imploder, Sonic Imploder, ABC Scramblers, Grenades.
- Thermite Charges, Sequencer (mission-specific).
Description: The Hicanati are an elite unit of Force-Sensitive elves in the service of the Shadow Knights. They belong to the Caerith Tyari corps, which is the renegades' Angelii equivalent, and fall under the purview of the Court of the Four Elements. This is the Shadow Knight body responsible for Force-users. One could liken it to a ministry, albeit one where the minister is indirectly elected by the people she is responsible for.
The Hicanati are chosen from the ranks of the best Tyari. Each of them has been thoroughly trained in military tactics, martial abilities and Force skills. Their name is Eldarai for 'the Able Ones'. This a reflection of the fact that they are supposed to be an example to the other warriors. The Hicanati combine proficiency with lightsabre weapons with traditional Eldorai combat tactics. They favour crossguard lightsabres or lightsabre-pikes rather than standard sabres. The Eldorai possess a higher than average Force affinity than humans. Whereas the figure for humans is unstated, the figure for Eldorai is about one in a thousand have some minor Force ability. Usually this manifests itself simply as empathic or persuasive, butrarer individuals have stronger affinity with the Force.
It is the law both in the Eldorai Matriarchy and among the Shadows that all Force-Sensitives must receive training to control their powers. The Court of the Four Elements is the body responsible for recruiting, vetting, training and administrating the Force-using population. Most are allowed to leave and pursue a vocation of their choosing once their training is complete, though they are lightly monitored by the state. But those with stronger powers are conscripted into the military. In the austere society the Shadow Knights seek to build, Service guarantees Citizenship. Pensions are paid to the families of those who have performed the ultimate sacrifice for the motherland.
The Force soldiers are trained to function as a team and incorporate their preternatural powers into the overall battle plan, instead of indulging in lone wolf actions. The tactical role of the Hicanati is quite versatile. They are an elite squad that can act as bodyguards for the leadership of the Shadow Knights, perform in a shock assault and defensive role. However, in addition to that they are also trained officers capable of commanding units on the tactical level and working them to attain specific objectives. For this reason, each member is carefully selected. They are expected to command units on the tactical rather than the strategic level though and this is reflected in their training.
Each Hicanati is taught some basic but essential rules: do not run in front of your unit and charge off on your lonesome, do not violate the chain of command, do not carelessly activate your lightsabre while advancing on an enemy position, do not play mystic in front of your soldiers, do watch where you are deflecting your shots and do not try to coordinate your troops telepathically without practicing it thoroughly in a non-combat situation first. They are also drilled on how to integrate their Force powers into a small unit structure. The benefits of healing, defensive or buffing powers are obvious, but even physical augmentation can be used for the benefit of the team rather than just the individual user.
All in all, the unit has twelve members. The Hicanati operate under the authority of Daymana Thael, a former Angelii officer who is now the commander of the Caerith Tyari. They have also received training from Kaida Taldir, who recently defected to the Shadow Knights. Lightsabres are still incredibly rare among the Eldorai factions outside of select units. This makes the Hicanati a very special unit for the Shadows.
Needless to say corruption, betrayal and cowardice are punished extremely harshly. This includes battlefield executions. The Hicanati still practice corporal punishment, with a preference for flogging or caning. This form of judicial punishment is common in the Shadow Knight forces. The Shadow Knights adhere to the principle that an officer who commits a crime should be punished more harshly than a common grunt because officers are supposed to be an example and have a better idea of the consequences of their actions.
Tarena Makis is a former Angelii and the commander of the unit. She is a close associate of Daymana. The two were sisters in arms during their time in the Angelii corps. Unlike her boss, Tarena has low class origins. When Daymana rebelled against the Queen, Tarena followed her into the underground and soon rose to become one of her lieutenants. Tarena has a lot of experience in small unit leadership and irregular warfare. She has republican views, a strong disdain for the Monarchy and is somewhat xenophobic. Due to their shared experiences, she enjoys Daymana's confidence. Her elemental specialisation lies in cryomancy, the manipulation of ice and water.
Varena Alai is a former Angelii and used to be a subordinate of Kaida's, back when the latter commanded the Valora's Chosen Great Company. The two are friendly, insofar as anyone can be a friend of the frosty elf. She distinguished herself on campaigns such as Gehenna, the Xioquo War and Kaeshana. Varena focuses on the element of fire, making her the opposite of Kaida. She joined the rebels after her former commander's defection.
She acts as second-in-command of the unit, is a potent duellist and close assault trooper. Varena espouses pan-Asuran views and is politically active. She serves as second in command. Privately she feels survivor's guilt because as an Angelii she was guaranteed a place in the exodus fleet, while people deemed less essential were left behind, as well as her role in repression. This is what drives her now. As a duellist she focuses on skill and finesse rather than brute force. She is particularly talented in Makashi and Soresu.
Aithlin Craveth is a former Angelii who defected to the rebels during the Exodus, as she opposed the policy to prioritise the so-called best and brightest. Instead she gave up her seat to someone who had no ticket. Aithlin is a moderate Ashiran, who still keeps a personal faith despite the hardship the Eldorai have suffered. However, the harm caused by religious strife, not to mention political exploitation of religion by both rebels and royalists, has made her treat her faith as a personal matter. She does not hide it, but it does not dictate her politics. She is an accomplished terramancer and favours a lightsabre-pike in melee combat. Aithlin is quite grounded and firm in her views, disliking both reactionaries and extreme radicals. This means she sometimes has to play voice of reason when her more opinionated comrades clash. Or knock some sense into them.
Adamari Eildi is an Angelii who served in the same company as Aithlin. The two are in a relationship. She defected during the Exodus alongside her battle sister. In contrast to Aithlin, she is an aeromancer. This makes them a good team, as they can create nasty sandstorms together. Adamari is more emotional and, for want of a better word, tempestuous than her battle sister. She is a lapsed Ashiran because while she still calls herself a member of the faith, she only rarely bothers to go to Church. Aithlin jokes that Adamari shows up for the celebrations and the music, but not for the sermons and confessions. She is a bit of a showoff, but reliable in combat.
Sarya Dathani is an Eldorai who kept her Force-Sensitivity secret from the Matriarchy due to being a renegade who did not want to serve the Crown. She was part of an Illyrian commune that practiced its forbidden faith in secret. She managed to survive Tirathana VI's inquisition, but had to pretend to be a loyal Ashira. They were able to operate more openly after Tirathana VII forbid religious persecution, but had to contend with Ashiran zealots. She joined up with the Shadows after the Exodus. While she is a potent fighter, her specialisation lies less in elemental combat abilities and more in healing.
The irony that a follower of the Goddess of Death and the Underworld is the one who is most adept at keeping people from dying is not lost on her. She states that she makes sure that those under her care only perish on the day Illyria has scheduled for them, instead of meeting her judgement before their time. Like any good medic, Sarya is rather bossy because she obviously knows best. She does not like Ashirans much, but is able to work with them if they do not try to convert her. As far as she is concerned, in the end everyone will be reaped by the goddess of the underworld anyway. She is in a relationship with another Shadow Knight outside of the unit.
Like Tarena, Mitalar Virmaris is another one of Daymana's old followers. However, she was never an Angelii. She received compulsory training, but elected to leave the corps after passing through basic. She served in the part-time militia in the province of Apuliaea. A town in this area was attacked by foreign pirates. Despite the militia's brave resistance, the technologically superior pirates managed to abscond with plunder. Stasers were no match against modern blasters and durasteel armour.
Tirathana VI decreed that the militia be decimated for 'cowardice'. Mitalar and her comrades were disarmed, but Daymana, who had been sent to carry out the sentence, insisted on investigating first. Mitalar pleaded her case. Daymana refused to carry out the order. Many of them were shot by loyalists. Mitalar was one of those who were able to escape. She has been a dedicated member of the underground and a lieutenant of Daymana ever since. Mitalar is widowed, as her husband was murdered on that day and she has refused to remarry. She carries a locket with a holopic of her husband. However, she has adopted a girl who was orphaned during the cataclysm. She specialises in the element of fire. Mitalar is nominally an Ashiran, but has lapsed in her faith in practice. After having seen so much death and destruction, she finds it difficult to believe in the literal word of Ashiranism's sacred texts.
Faelar Vaera is another Angelii who deserted, having left after the Exodus. She is a cryomancer, but it is the consensus among many of her fellow ice mages that she is too passionate to be one and that there must have been a mixup when she was assigned her element. Regardless, she is a very capable one. Faelar has taken a hard turn to the left and become an atheist. As a result, she rejects all forms of idolatry and does not regard Ashira as a deity. She is a supporter of Rationalism, which seeks to advance Eldorai society through science and progress. Adamari sometimes tries to convert her to Ashiranism. In the light of the fact that Adamari is a rather poor Ashiran, this is probably mainly done to get a rise out of her. Faelar espouses ideas many Eldorai would consider strange, such as gender equality, though she is a bit patronising about it. She is married to another Shadow Knight.
Tanelia Vithaen was one of the Eldorai refugees who settled in Serenade, a mixed species settlement on Arkas. It was under Firemane protection and meant for Eldorai who had escaped Kaeshana after the battle but did not want to become subjects of the Matriarchy or join radical groups. Sadly, the town was taken over by zombies controlled by an intelligent hive-mind. In the end, Firemane had to firebomb the town to keep the plague from spreading.
Tanelia was one of the few survivors of the calamity. She had to put down her own daughter when the zombies turned her into a monster. Her largely undeveloped pyrokinetic powers helped her survive when the bombs fell during her escape attempt. However, she suffered nasty burns that even bacta has not been able to fully heal. Most of her people had already been zombified by then or perished in the bombardment. One of those who escaped with her was a Shadow Knight agent. Embittered, traumatised and very angry, she joined the rebels. She came late to the cause, but has manifested a fierce determination that alternately impresses and intimidates other Shadows. She channels her survivor's guilt into anger, having vowed to never be in this position again. Tanelia is a radical Ashiran, having been born again in fire and blood.
Makanda Jaye is an Eldorai Forsaken who got basic training as a member of the Angelii Reserve, but did not pursue a military career after getting through basic. She lived a normal life as a civilian who was occasionally called up by the reserve to participate in drills until the Exodus. Unfortunately, she was one of those unfortunate Eldorai left behind on Kaeshana. She was forced to take up the blade to survive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
She rose to leading a convoy of refugees, fighting bandits, warlords and foreign raiders. Her group fell in with the Shadows and she became one of their officers after bringing her column over. Makanda is tough and a hardened survivalist with a no-nonsense attitude and a focus on self-reliance. She also has a knack for scavenging, foraging and excels at physical enhancement abilities. These make her very strong, even by human standards, and give her a very high pain tolerance. She is also a good shot. Food was scarce in the wastes, so she became good at using the Force to sustain herself. Makanda is agnostic, having replaced faith in Ashira with an unshakeable faith in herself.
Sakada Tyne is an Eldorai who was abducted by foreign slavers at an early age, before the Eldorai opened up to the rest of the Galaxy. Her dormant Force abilities manifested when her abusers pushed her too far, enabling her to free herself. Adrift in an unfamiliar Galaxy, she became a rogue and a privateer, receiving haphazard Force training from various sources. Sakada worked with Yseult Faerin during her mercenary days. She joined the Shadows for the pay and stability, though she does have a soft spot for her people. She has since been trained as a Shadow Angelii. Having spent a large portion of her life in the company of off-worlders, she is the least 'elfy' of the group, which rubs the elf supremacists the wrong way. Her underworld contacts come in handy for the group though and she is a good pilot.
Mazana Jai Dakal is a Qadiri renegade who backed the wrong side in the civil war Semiramis won. Instead of applying for a pardon after the new Shahbânu took the crown, she kept to the hills with some renegades. Even Firemane could not easily bring her to heel, and she was quite popular with some of the hill dwellers, who resented the encroachment of the plains empires and the star people. Eventually though the Shadows started seeking recruits on Tygara, and she and her people took the opportunity to jump ship and join the Shadows on their anti-establishment crusade. Already a good aeromancer, Mazana was trained and equipped as one of the Shadow Angelii for bringing several hundred warriors to the Shadows' cause. Eldorai who dismiss Qadiri as 'sand babies' get short shrift from her. Mazana is very skilled in irregular warfare.
Antaria is a Vashyada warrior of high repute and peerless honour. She used to be a guard to the High Queen. However, Tylania's 'revival' and the complete overshadowing of her liege made her resentful and concerned for the future of her people. She does not believe Tylania is some goddess or prophetess, but a plant by the sky people seeking to turn the Vash into puppets. She is very much an elf-supremacist who believes that the Shadows are the proper union of the different races of the sisters and that the Vash have become too enmeshed with the humans of Firemane. In her view, the elves must stick together. However, she believes they must maintain their individual traits rather than assimilate. Thus she has joined the Shadows with a few die-hard followers. These included Vashyada who lived in Khajwar rather than Yarkul as well as other renegades. The Vashyada warrior is a powerful terramancer. Unlike some Vash who have joined the Shadows, she still follows the Light and refuses to draw upon the dark side.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Small
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Combat Function: The Hicanati are a crack unit of Force-Sensitive infantry. Each member is a very potent Force-wielder on her own, but they function best as a unit. Their training and skill allows them to act as a special elite force. However, they are also trained officers capable of commanding units and working with them to attain specific tactical objectives. Their training emphasises military discipline and tactics in addition to martial prowess and Force abilities. They incorporate use of lightsabres and traditional Eldorai infantry tactics, such as use of battle shields.
In terms of Force abilities, they focus on Telekinesis and its various sub-applications, as well as the elements of ice, fire, air and earth. Each Hicanati specialises in one element and is able to use two more, though not the direct opposite of her specialisation. For instance, a pyromancer can use air and earth in addition to fire, but not ice. Moreover, they are skilled in physical enhancement powers and Force Valour. They can shield themselves and allies from attacks by summoning telekinetic barriers and have strong mental shields.
They are able to enter a Force meld to increase unit effectiveness. This is a strong ability, but a double-edged sword. A great disturbance in the Force could overwhelm the melding participants as they received the pain through their enhanced senses. If the pain is caused by the minds the melding participants were touching, it could have very negative repercussions for the participants. Ysalamiri will obviously deprive them of their preternatural powers, whilst Voidstone weakens Force use. If they are in the middle of a mind meld and are suddenly deprived of the Force, the sudden loss will not just be very disorientating for them, but also painful. They would still be able to fight, but this is something a canny opponent could exploit.
Furthermore, they lack heavy combat vehicles. This can put them at a disadvantage when confronted by heavy armour or heavy fortifications, despite their preternatural powers. Depending on the battlefield, this can be a notable problem. The Hicanati are not meant to take on hordes of tanks or other heavy armoured vehicles. Thus they would require support from conventional units.
The unit is also extremely small, as it is comprised of a single squad. Thus enemy forces that are unable to match them on a one-on-one basis could overwhelm them through sheer force of numbers as attrition sets in. Battle shields can provide protection in a pitched fight, but shields cannot stop turbolasers, tank cannons, missiles and so on. Though they train extensively with ysalamiri, being deprived of the Force would rob them of their biggest advantage, leaving them more vulnerable to canny attackers.
The Hicanati are characterised by high morale, discipline under fire, teamwork and zeal. Lone wolf actions are heavily frowned upon. In addition to being good bodyguards and ideal for shock trooper actions, the Hicanati can assume a command role for other units, leading them to attain specific objectives. This is also pertinent in the case of emergencies, the chain of command is disrupted or a unit has been cut off. However, they are trained for leadership on the tactical, not the strategic level.
Strengths:
- Elite Force soldiers. They combine martial prowess, military discipline and potency in the Force.
- In addition to being an elite squad, they are trained in small unit leadership. They possess the training and skill to assume tactical command of other units and lead them to attain specific objectives.
- Pure Force Infantry force. Lack integrated heavy support and heavy combat vehicles. They are at a disadvantage against heavy armour formations. The Force can compensate, but this is situational and not applicable if they face entire tank or walker formations as opposed to one or two lone vehicles. Moreover, the team only has twelve members.
- While they train extensively with ysalamiri and the like, being deprived of the Force robs them of their biggest advantage.
The Hicanati are closely tied to the story of Daymana Thael and Kaida Taldir. Daymana used to be the spoilt daughter of an Eldorai noblewoman. After she had embarrassed the family one time too many by having a bastard, she was sent to the Angelii to knock some sense into her and keep her from disgracing her house any further. There, she underwent a change. Over time she evolved into a serious, committed soldier who gained the respect of the warriors she served with.
Daymana rose to officer rank, distinguishing herself in battle against Kar'zun rebels, the False Aspasia's insurrection and pirates. However, when she was given an immoral order to decimate a unit of soldiers accused of cowardice against foreign raiders, she refused to carry out. Disillusioned with the tyrannical regime of Queen Tirathana VI, she became a rebel. Taking some of her comrades with her, she fought an all-out irregular war against the government. She became a folk heroine to some of the common people in her province, but the struggle took a toll on her.
Unlike some 'Dark Eldorai', Daymana continued the struggle even after Tirathana's death and the accession of the more liberal Silaqui III and Tirathana VII. To her, the system of privilege itself was evil and no amount of liberalisation could repair the broken Matriarchy. It had to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. Monarchy had to be replaced by a regime of the people, based on merit and service rather than social class and birthright. Her experiences in the underground radicalised and hardened her. When most Eldorai left Kaeshana in a Great Exodus to escape the planet's imminent desolation, she was left on the planet. Determined to protect the remaining Forsaken communities, she aligned with the Shadow Knights. Following the Battle of Kaeshana, they became a migrant fleet.
Kaida is of a younger generation than Daymana. But like her, her life has been defined by service as a soldier, though she served the Crown longer. When she was young she dreamed of becoming one of the valiant Angelii defending the motherland. She got her wish but reality turned out to be a lot less romantic. Being a junior officer, she shared the dangers and anxieties of the troops in the trenches.
She cultivated a mounting anger and prejudice levelled at those in staff headquarters far from the bloodshed, at the military and political bureaucracy, at the 'corrupt' aristocrats, and at all those saw as profiteers, wreckers and sloths. Her exposure to the Matriarchy's state secrets, as well as her role in burying them, sharpened her political antennae. Contact with outsiders made her realise how delusional the Eldorai's belief in their racial superiority was. Command gave her experience in leadership and organisational matters. The Eldorai Exodus and, a few years later, the occupation of Kaeshana by the First Order contributed to her radicalisation.
She forsook her oath after the Serenade Incident on Arkas. There she came to the aid of Firemane when a town inhabited by a mixed community of aliens and Eldorai exiles went dark. She acted without awaiting orders from above. Alas, the the town had fallen under the sway of a zombie hive-mind. Assaulted by unusually intelligent zombies, Firemane and Angelii soldiers suffered heavy casualties, but were able to destroy the town's anti-air defence systems.
The town had to be bombed to prevent the spread of the zombie virus. After the soldiers had escaped the island, Kaida was placed under house arrest by the Eldorai military. When the Grand Seraph offered her protege the chance to go into exile and avoid a politically charged trial, Kaida chose to fake her own death and flee. On the way, she ruined the career of Lady Valriya, who was the Crown's appointee to the Angelii and the one pressing charges against her. Unbeknownst to the Queen, Valriya had secretly abused her power.
Kaida's path led her to the Shadow Knights. She saw some things she liked: their martial ethos, survivalism and commitment to self-reliance. There were also things she did not like, such as factionalism, ideological hairsplitting and racism. Daymana and Kaida set up the Hicanati to provide the renegades' Force Using corps with a versatile elite squad. The unit was founded after the final desolation of Kaeshana. Due to aftershocks of the Netherworld Event, the Eldorai homeworld had been dragged through the warp.
This turned the planet into an inhospitable hellscape. The Hicanati were meant to serve as an example to others. For this reason only experienced soldiers were chosen. The two women do not have the easiest working relationship. Both are used to getting their own way. Moreover, Kaida disavowed the Crown fairly late, which Daymana sort of holds against her. It does not help that Kaida fought her rebel group at some point.
Still, the unit took shape. A number of its members were drawn the most skilled rogue Sciians who had followed Daymana into rebellion or from rogue Angelii who had belonged to Kaida's old unit. The selection process was extremely gruelling, as it was meant to weed out the weak, opportunistic and uncommitted. One of the candidates turned out to be a corrupt turncoat and was executed.
Being an experienced duellist, Kaida provided training in lightsabre combat. She focused on Makashi and Shii-Cho. Recruits were also trained in the use of the lightsabre-pike, as it was similar to the Sarzmigar Angelii were used to employing. Until recently, lightsabres had been all but unheard of among the Eldorai, who used the Sarixi instead. While select units such as a cadre of Angelii directly responsible for the personal protection of the Star Queen had been equipped with them, these were extremely small.
Tarena Makis, an old associate of Daymana who had fought in the revolutionary struggle against the Matriarchy, was chosen as the unit's commander. Some suspected that the Caerith Tyari commander was grooming her for a future role in high command. The Tyari corps is a lot smaller than the Angelii force, but leading the Hicanati is a good preparation. To provide them with some training in the field and give them something to bond over, the Hicanati went on a quest to acquire new lightsabre crystals.
Their quest brought them to Terax, a desert world on the fringes of space the Shadow Knights happened to pass during their journeys. There the team encountered the natives of the planet and traded with them, endured the harsh climate and worked together to trap and take down a Krayt Dragon. This allowed them to acquire Krayt Dragon pearls to serve as focusing crystals for their lightsabres. After the construction of the weapons, the Hicanati presented them in a solemn ceremony. Kaida found all the theatre and ritual to be unnecessary and frivolous. But Daymana considered it an important bonding mechanism.
The Hicanati fought in the Shadow Knights' war against Archangel. The machine cult had managed to secure advanced technology developed by the Contingency. They targeted Eldorai colony ships and communities to secure additional organic materiel to process into droids and harvest for their war engines. The initial strike was devastating. Casualties were heavy when the Hicanati and Tyari defended a colony ship from the droid forces. There they clashed not only with HRDs and battle droids, but also with lightsabre-wielding HRDs.
The Shadow Angelii performed a rear guard action to allow for evacuation, but the battle was a defeat. The situation was so serious that the Shadow Knights were compelled to enter an alliance with Enyo Typhos, herself a former experiment of Archangel who had a serious grudge against her creators. To settle it, she had created her own paramilitary organisation caused the Iron Fist Consortium and gone on a vengeance crusade. However, she also wanted to take over Archangel.
Enyo's forces had been battered by the machine cult, too. Both sides agreed to an accord, though the Shadows insisted that any elves in Archangel's hands would be freed. The Hicanati led the charge when the Shadows carried out their counterattack in concert with Enyo's troops. They were able to penetrate Archangel's forces. When the machines used a psychic weapon acquired from the Contingency that paralysed many organic soldiers with terror and left others in a comatose state, the Hicanati rallied them. They and Tyari formed a shield wall, holding off droid troops till they got aid from the Iron Fist.
In the end, Moira Skaldi, Archangel's leader, was slain, and Enyo took control. True to her word, Archangel's surviving elf captives were freed. The Shadows had used the chance to raid a bit before the smoke cleared. The technology procured later allowed them to create soul gems to house the life essence of some of their fallen warriors. With the battle concluded, the accord was over and the Hicanati returned to nomad fleet. There their quest to find a new home for the exiles and secure their future continues.
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