Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on the Order of Fire.
Image Credit: Here. Here. Screenshots from 'The Old Republic'.
Role: Force Warriors.
Permission: ARGH gear available per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here. CD-X Cryptologic Key available for Firemane per this thread.
Links: Gehenna.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Knights of the Rising Flame.
Affiliation: Siobhan, Firemane, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Order of Fire.
Classification: Force Infantry.
Equipment:
Armour:
- ACS-004 Olympian Battle Armor. Commlink uses CD-X cryptologic key.
- Optional: Taegis Battle Shield.
- ACS-207 Aerosolblaster
- ACS-208 Wrist Ion Beamer
- ACS-207 Cryoban Gun.
- Wrist Bolter
- ACS-208 Wrist Charric
- ARGH Flamer
- Crossguard Lightsabre, Long-Handle Lightsabre or Lightsabre-Pike.
- Vibroknife.
- Optional: Shoto
Misc:
- Grenades
- Misc equipment like Grappling hooks, Force focusing visor
The Knights of the Rising Flame are a unit of combat-orientated Force-Users. In terms of training and function, they can be compared to Jedi Guardians or Sith Warriors, as their training focuses more on martial pursuits than esoteric knowledge. Thus their skills and talents lay in battle and they are recruited from the Order of Fire's martial branches. The Order of Fire is Firemane's Force-using arm. Per Firemane rules, all of Force-Sensitive members are required to join the Order and gain the necessary training to control their powers. Not all Order of Fire members serve in a military capacity. A skilled telepath may be trained to use their skills as an interrogator or negotiator. Someone who is good at making things grow may wind up in the research division as a botanist, supervise agriculture in a planetary settlement or an arkship or join the exploration corps. Someone with a skill for piloting will be taught to improve their abilities through the Force.
However, the military branches are the heart of the Order. It defines itself as a martial organisation that follows military discipline. The Knights exist within this framework. All members of the group are trained as Force soldiers. They treat the Force as a source of strength, glory and victory, not an energy field that controls their destinies. The group is heavily militarised and they are expected to conduct themselves as soldiers. This includes obeying their superiors and not illegally commandeering military forces and Firemane resources. Overall, the Force soldiers follow a grey Force philosophy, eschewing the strict codes of Jedi or Sith. The Force is treated as a tool that can be used for good or evil purposes, depending on how it is employed by the Force-wielder. As a result, their loyalty is to their secular leadership, not the Force.
A good number of the Knights used to be regular Firemane soldiers who discovered their Force-Sensitivity during training and were then inducted into the Order of Fire. Others had already been awakened to the Force before joining Firemane. Several of these recruits are drawn from the Young Flames, the cadet branch of the Order. Grey Jedi, Dark Jedi and former Angelii are examples of Force-wielders that can be found within their ranks.
Regardless of their origins, their training is about breaking them down and building them back up. It is about eliminating the 'I' in team and teaching them to work together as a unit. The training has more in common with a military boot camp than with traditional one-on-one relationships typical among Jedi. Closer master-student bonds develop once unsuitable members have been weeded out. In keeping with Order regulations, the soldiers have a dual ranking system - an Order one and a military one. Peace through superior firepower is one of their maxims. The unit does not produce sages that radiate peace and tranquility, but hardened warriors who believe in direct action.
Members of the group wear armour and carry lightsabres. They focus on melee combat. This is not universal in the Order, as it has several specialised branches that focus on conventional weapons rather than the iconic glowstick or use physical blades. However, in this unit they concentrate on sabreplay. Purple, orange and yellow sabre crystals are common. They also utilise the distinctive lightsabre-pike. This is inspired partly by the utilisation of Sarzmigar polearms by the Angelii, partly by the Knights of Zakuul, who often wielded lightsabre-pikes in combination with battle shields. Crossguard lightsabres are preferred to conventional ones, as they grant better hand protection and allow a sneak attack.
The most promising Knights may end up being recruited into the Hearthguard or the Excubitors. Thus service in the unit can be an important stepping stone. Cross-training with other Order of Fire units and regular Firemane army formations is common. Though strong on its own, the Order does not operate in a vacuum. Its adepts will usually be deployed in concert with army units composed of Non-Force-Users. Thus it is important that a Hearthguard is familiar with military protocol, tactics and so on. In contrast to some of the Order's more exotic units of Force adepts, the members of the unit focus more on the Core Powers. However, they are thoroughly trained in them.
The group is led by Ziat Azu, a Nautolan Dark Jedi. Ziat grew up on Abregado-Rae and volunteered for the Omega Defence Force. Military service was a path out of poverty for her. She fought on Gehenna during Exarch Siobhan Kerrigan's campaign against the Bando Gora. The planet was an inhospitable hellscape with a toxic atmosphere. Thus the cultists had set up their headquarters beneath the surface. The soldiers faced war beasts, hordes of Reavers and dark side adepts.
When the Bando Gora's subterranaen lair collapse during the fight between Siobhan and Abaddon, the Chaos cult's dark lord, many Protectorate soldiers and cultists were crushed by falling rubble or consumed by lava. Ziat was one of the survivors. Her body was buried, but she managed to survive by unconsciously drawing upon the Force. The mass deaths inflicted by the battle led to the creation of a dark side nexus. Haunted by visions and the ghosts of the dead, she tried to find her way out. The Force sustained her more than once, in spite of serious injury.
The shellshocked soldier eventually ran into a Protectorate rescue team that had been dispatched to look for soldiers who were missing in action. The ghosts of one of her dead comrades, driven mad by the nexus, tried to possess one of the rescuers. Ziat was forced to drive the spirit out, using an arc caster and her own neophyte powers. What she had experienced in the caverns of the damned left her rather messed-up. She received counselling and medical treatment, but the scars remained with her. While she was recovering, Siobhan came to visit her and offered a job, as well as a chance to understand the power inside her. At first the Nautolan declined. Later she accepted. She drove herself hard, determined to be as strong as possible. She went on to serve in many Firemane campaigns. This included a return to Gehenna, where she faced the demons of the past. Ziat is a serious, committed soldier, but also rather grim. The Nautolan is a harsh taskmistress, though not cruel. She views her job as preparing acolytes for the horrible reality of war. She holds the rank of Major in Firemane's armed forces.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Rare
Unit Experience: Veteran
Combat Function: The Knights are a unit of Force soldiers who combine a strong Force connection with a martial ethos and military training. They are warriors who have been inducted into the unit after proving themselves in several engagements. They are selected for their martial prowess as well as their loyalty to the Order of Fire, Lady Siobhan Kerrigan and House Kerrigan-Alcori. These factors make them a formidable fighting force.
However, they are warriors enhanced by the Force. Formidable warriors, but still. They will require support forces, especially in pitched combat. They do not command tanks, operate heavy artillery or snipe enemies at a distance. They carry melee weapons, sidearms and wrist weapons. In other words, not weapons meant for combat at great distances. Depending on the terrain, this can very problematic, especially if they have been deprived of their Force powers or their enemy is simply too far away for their Force techniques to be practical. Thus they are susceptible to long range bombardment. They are very good at leading a charge to seize a trench, an enemy bunker or similar, but would do best to have other forces backing them up in a larger battle. This is especially because they are a not a large unit and thus cannot appear on the battlefield in huge numbers. Moreover, they lack integrated heavy support such as artillery, gunships or heavy combat vehicles. They are a sword and shield, nothing more and nothing less.
The Knights are very skilled in lightsabre combat. To ensure better hand protection, they favour crossguard lightsabres over conventional ones. Alternately, they carry lightsabre pikes like the Knights of Zakuul. Some members carry a Shoto as a backup weapon, wielding it in combination with a standard-length, single-bladed lightsabre. Force-wise they focus on the Core Powers. They are proficient in offensive and defensive applications of Telekinesis. Moreover, they can utilise Tutaminis and and Battlemind and draw upon the Force to augment their body's capabilities. Their telekinetic powers are particularly strong. They favour group tactics, often involving close coordination between the Force warriors, Firemane infantry and walkers or infantry fighting vehicles. Zildrog's Wedge is a tactic they have adopted from the Knights of Zakuul.
The soldiers are trained in the classical forms of lightsabre combat as well as the New Jedi Order Fast, Medium and Strong styles, though they tend to specialise. Shii-Cho, Soresu, Shien and Djem So are quite common. They operate on the basis of a buddy system. A more defensively orientated fighter will often be paired with a more aggressive one. Their doctrine stresses teamwork rather than lone wolf actions. Defensivly orientated specialists in the unit excel in deflecting and reflecting salvoes of blaster fire. This may also allow culling enemy numbers in the initial phase of combat. More offensively orientated warriors will exploit such a gap by hammering the enemy at close range. Aside from their lightsabres, the soldiers carry sidearms, wrist weapons and grenades. However, they forego long range and heavy weapons. Wrist-worn Aerosolblasters are often used to reduce the lethality of incoming enemy blaster fire. Some of the soldiers choose to carry a Targis battle shield. Not only does the shield help protect them against attacks, it can also be used to shield bash an opponent or carry out a rim strike.
Strengths:
- Crack Force warriors. Composed of soldiers skilled in small unit tactics, combat and the Force.
- Capable lightsabre duellists.
- Focus on melee and close quarter combat.
- Lack heavy weapons and support forces. They also long range conventional weapons.
The Order of Fire is first and foremost a martial order. Above all its members as soldiers, who draw upon the Force as a tool to prevail over their enemies. They draw inspiration from a variety of sources such as the Imperial Knights, the Angelii and the integrated force model implemented by Omega Pyre during its glory days. Siobhan Kerrigan was heavily influenced by her experiences in Omega Pyre; an organisation she served in as a field officer and later commanded. Rather than robes, she wore battle armour and instead of purely relying on a lightsabre and Force powers she also used a rifle. She fought alongside common soldiers, learned to use military tactics and had superiors to answer to. Promoted to the rank of Major, she rose through the ranks, was made a Battalion commander and then field commander of the Pyre before being elected as Exarch. She participated in several battles, leading Pyre soldiers at Roche, Metalorn and finally Gehenna. Force-users were integrated directly into the military hierarchy.
This was a model she applied to the Order of Fire after its foundation. Their lightsabres would be weapons they utilised to smite enemies in battle. They would avoid the cognitive dissonance of regarding themselves as 'keepers of the peace, not soldiers', yet being forced to fight in wars. To them the Force would be a source of strength, honour and victory. They would be e expected to act in accordance with the orders of their superiors and further the interests of House Kerrigan-Alcori, the ruling family of Firemane Industries. In that regard the Order of Fire was intended to have more in common with a military unit than a religious order. This was in keeping with her own views, as Siobhan is what one might call a Force securalist.
The Knights of the Rising Flame were created to provide Firemane with a force of Force Warriors. In the early days of the Order, it did not have the manpower and so its members were often simply distributed to units of regulard or used as special forces. In that capacity, they could function as force multipliers. This changed as Firemane expanded and the Order became a permanent fixture. Now the corporation had the means to afford substantial units of Force-Users, pay and equip them well. Moreover, Firemane had sufficient incentive to expand its Force-Using military forces after its partnership with the Silver Sanctum Coalition came to an end, as it was now no longer affiliated with any galactic power. Instead of backing and trying to influence a galactic government, the corporation would solely pursue its own interests and those of its vassals.
It helped that it had assumed stewardship over various elf races, as these tend to have a higher proportion of Force-Sensitives than humans. Some of the slaves that had been freed by Firemane's efforts and given bed, board and education by Firedawn, its freedman bureau, turned out to be Force-Sensitive. Moreover, it attracted trained Force-Users from other sources, such as Grey Jedi, Dark Jedi and former Angelii. Recruits who showed promise were recruited into the group. This allowed the Order to recruit soldiers in significant, though not overwhelming numbers.
The training regimen and tactics of the Knights drew inspiration from the Angelii, the Imperial Knights and the Knights of Zakuul. They were designed as a unit that could lead a charge, operating alongside regular soldiers as well as more specialised Force-Users. Their combination of lightsabre skills, Force powers and martial prowess would also allow them to function in a defensive role. Like the Angelii, the soldiers operated on the basis of a buddy system, emphasising teamwork over lone wolf actions and individual bravura.
Compared to say the Order of Fire Silencers or the Circle of Yarkul, their skill set was far less exotic. They were taught the Core Powers that would be familiar to most classical Jedi or Sith. Their strength did not lie in exotic powers, but in their discipline, resolve, equipment and a good mix of conventional and preternatural abilities. The warriors received training in the use of small arms such as pistols and rifles, but their skill set was focused on the use of the blade and close combat. Individual units of the Knights participated in the Battle of Kaeshana. The unit was still in the process of being formed when the outbreak of conflict with the First Order necessitated their deployment to a war zone. However, they adapted well, fighting along Eldorai and Firemane troops during the assault on the Citadel of Dawn.
In the aftermath of the battle and the declaration of a state of war between the First Order and the Galactic Alliance, the Cathar Force Master Leonina Varkathras, then a Colonel in Firemane's military, assumed responsibility for training and recruitment. In terms of raw power, the Cathar was conventional rather than exceptional. However, she was tenacious and a solid, disciplined leader. As a veteran of the Republic-Sith War, she brought plenty of experience with her and applied it to the job. Moreover, she was less abrasive than her boss, which helped at times. Ziat Azu, a Nautolan Force adept who was a veteran of the Protectorate's Gehenna campaign and had distinguished herself on Kaeshana, became their commander. The Knights fought in several battles Firemane was involved in, such as on Hoth. They also saw action on Tartarus against the Contingency and fought on Tephrike, where Firemane forces faced the ironically named Dominion of Light, a repressive Jedi theocracy.
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