Valiens Nantaris
Head Admin
Name: Mecha, The True Iron Knights
Designation: Sentient
Homeworld: Mechanus
Language: Galactic Basic, Mandalorian, Khazandi
Average height of adults: Ranging between 1.8 to 2 meters on average
Skin color: Rust organge, grey, dark, and khaki plate colors are most common
Hair color: None
Breathes: None
Strengths: As machines they do not require to eat or breath, they can also calculate at high speeds, multitask, and on average contain physical strength above that of organic beings. Capable of high-speed wireless communication with each other. Containing copies of 36's mind, most of them have the same memories since the Mandalorian Wars up to his service with the Jedi when first copies started to be created. Like him, they developed their own artificial intelligence, becoming sentient through programming's self-evolution over time.
Believing that every droid should be free, all of the Mecha went through manumission, often acquiring members and new data by assimilating new droids into their society by giving them manumission and connecting them to their communication centers.
Weaknesses: As machines they require energy to keep themselves powered up and to maintain all of their facilities. This was solved by their development of geo-thermal generators, to maintain their networks. As a result, they greatly eroded the atmosphere and ecosystems of Mechanus, leading to its ecological collapse. Due to their hate of the Sith and betrayal by the Old Republic, Mecha are extremely un-trusty of the Galactic Society, unwilling to join it once more unless it is to keep their planet in secret. Mecha believe that most of all, their homeplanet Mechanus has to be kept in secret, as a result they deal harshly with fringe elements among the Mecha. Traitors and rebels are melted down in secrecy in one of the numerous thermal vents, those that wish to leave planet peacefully go through a mind wipe, erasing their memories of the planet.
Distinctions: Mechanical droid vessels
Average Lifespan: Varies, some models begin degrading after few centuries, some proved to be able to exist extremely long if frequently maintained.
Races: 10% Original refugee models, 15% replicated refugees and Old Republic era models, 15% Clone Wars era models, 10% Yuuzhan Vong and New Republic era models, 10% Mecha Dragons aerial and starfighter models, 40% models of combined Khazandi and Mecha design
Diet: None
Communication: Verbal in most often Common, Mandalorian, and Khazandi when necessary, written in Mandalorian and Khazandi runes, however, most often electronic high-speed communication is preferred between two Mecha.
Culture: Mecha culture can be described as a mix of Mandalorian, Jedi, and Khazandi elements mixed together. Mandalorian shows through the holidays and customs the Mecha recognize, as well as often showing the skull of Mythosaur on their armor and weaponry, echo of 36's servitude in Mandalorian armies where he originated. Mandalorian writing can also be seen in Mecha facilities, showing instructions, locations, and names of the facilities, as well as Mecha naming themselves in Mandalorian, pronouncing their Letter and Number designations in Mandalorian. Mandalorian culture also shows through the liking Mecha took to bolo-ball, maintaining multiple bolo-teams, and considering their annual bolo tournament a cultural holiday.
Jedi shows through by some of the droids covering their vessels in robes similar to those of Jedi, woven from fibers of the common fungi called Jehzen. The droids often manufactured lightsabers, creating them with lightsabers crystals found (although rarely) in the tunnels of Mechanus, or ones they synthetically make. Lightsabers are often wielded by higher-ranking droids or those that proved themselves in combat.
Khazandi has been the latest elements to be assimilated onto Mecha culture. Through their cooperation, in which many Khazandi helped in building first tunnels and facilities for Mecha, they influenced their architecture, many tunnels having a rectangular and trapezoid appearance similar to traditional Khazandi buildings. Khazandi runes, their method of writing have also been assimilated into Mecha, placing them on their weaponry and armors as means of decorating their equipment and naming it.
At the heart of their culture, the Mecha have their own cultural elements. First one is their leading government, the Council of Sparklords, the leaders of Five Great Sparklines, original four copies of HK-36 and one droid annually chosen at random from among the Mecha to represent the the original HK-36 while he is away. Sparklines are considered to be equivalent of clans or families in Mecha culture, for example a droid named HK-36-2-5 would be the fifth copy in the Second Great Sparkline, while B2-35-81 would be 81st copy in the 35th Sparkline of B2. The Iron Knights have also remained at the heart of the Culture, acting as elite troops and honor guards of the Sparklords, it is considered a great honor to join their ranks.
Technology level: Mecha can be technologically advanced. Among the technology they introduced to Khazandi with their first contact were Verpine shield generators and Verpine shatterguns the Iron Knights were armed with by the Republic to combat the Sith, blasters, inter-stellar travel, droids, vibroswords, lightsabers, and modernized armor.
Ever since then Mecha reversed-engineer plenty of that technology, advancing in it during their time on Mechanus.
Mecha has been known to favor coil-guns based off of the Verpine shatterguns they brought with them combined with personal energy shields. They also used vibroswords, electroswords, and electrostaffs in close combat, being capable of manufacturing lightsabers, but restricting them to higher ranking or experienced droids.
Although capable of inter-stellar travel and hyperdrives, the Mecha never explored their capabilities, only keeping few shuttles hidden in their tunnels. Most of their starships restrict to Mecha Dragons and other starfighters kept around in order to provide defense for the Mechanus, should an invasive force ever find them. The reason for restricting their inter-stellar capabilities was that they would prefer to be left alone hidden on Mechanus rather than go out into the Galactic society and join it.
Mecha have also invested their time to built a network of anti-starship flak guns, calculated to be able to even take down Star Destroyers attempting orbital bombardment. However, it takes time to activate the network and bring it out from under ground through hidden turbolift shafts. Advanced notice of the invasive force is necessary for the network to be fully effective.
General behavior: Varies, most are not very hostile or considered warmongers, although there are always exceptions. Hostility against other Mecha is very rare, it is much more common among Mecha to distrust and have hostilities towards organics, and if there are any hostile intents in Mecha, they often involve pushing to advance inter-stellar technology in order to declare war against organics.
However, those are very rare elements and behaviors. Commonly, Mecha would be benevolent although mistrustful towards organics they would encounter, although should an organic ever set foot on Mechanus, they would play tricks on them and deceive them, or simply ignore them, in hope of driving them off of the planet. Although they could act friendly to organics they would encounter off-world, Mecha would still be reluctant and very stubborn towards actively taking part in Galactic society.
History: The Iron Knights fought alongside the Jedi as "droid-Jedi" often being placed in frontlines and missions behind the enemy lines due to the effectiveness of the droids and cheaper replacement cost than that of trained Republic Commando.
As the war prolonged, more droids have been manufactured or salvage, either by Republic, Jedi, and/or the Iron Knights themselves, increasing the numbers of Iron Knights serving in the Republic.
All of the Iron Knights have went through manumission, erasing their obedience protocols, many of them have been given advanced programming, or a copy of 36's programming, which at the time was already in process of self-evolution into highly independent artificial intelligence.
The Republic did not like the fact that the Iron Knights made a requirement for themselves to be erased of their obedience protocols, and just how well they were doing against the Sith. Concerns came that the droids may one day turn against the Republic as they did during HK-1's Great Revolution.
The Republic began altering the programming of droids meant to become Iron Knights. A large portion remained independent, however, future models manufactured by the Republic have had those protocols restored, identifying their commanders as Republic Officials instead of Iron Knight Command.
HK was angered when he found that out, putting out an order to his Knights to begin looking for a planet in the Unknown Region should they ever need a haven outside of Republic's reach. That marked the beginning of Dream of Mechanus, a myth among the droids of a place solely populated by manumission droids, a place where they can live peacefully without slavery of organics.
The tension between the Iron Knights and the Republic culminated during the assassination of the Sith Emperor at the time by HK-36's hands. Realizing the droids have grown too powerful for their liking, the Republic ordered to have them shut down and disassembled before the machines would revolt against the Jedi and the Republic as well.
The machines fled to Mechanus, already having established contact with the natives and began cooperating with them.
Ever since the droids lived on the planet of Mechanus, shutting themselves out of much Galactic and organic life, the only contacts they kept were with the native Khazandi and sporadic small recon teams they sent out to Galaxy to gather information about the political state and current factions.
Since the Old Republic the most active periods in Mecha history were the Clone Wars and the war against the Yuzzhan Vong, both events which the droids saw as potential thread to even their existence. They participated out of shadows, supporting the Republican sides, engaging in hit-and-run tactics and small skirmishes, often surprise attacks. During those times the droids were able to capture/liberate and salvage more droids, increasing number of machines on their planet, as well as the diversity in models observed on Mechanus.
By the time of the New Republic, the ecosystem on Mechanus started to degrade due to pollution and combined industries of Khazandi and Mecha. By the time the Gulag Plague hit the Galaxy, all Khazandi have left Mechanus and evacuated due to the collapse of their ecosystem. Since the Vong invasion the Mecha have not send out any recon patrols, and they were not too keen on sending any then. Cut off from the rest of Galaxy, they blissfully vegetated through the Gulag Plague, only engaging in random occasional skirmishes with the Ghablaresh Fungi tribes which remained on the planet.
Now that the Galaxy finally came out of the shadow of Gulag Plague, the Mecha are no more willing to join the Galactic society than they were before. However, since their first settlement on the planet, they have developed their own culture and way of life, a new species which uses droid bodies as their vessels. Some would say a terrifying concept, others would say an exciting one.
Notable Player-Characters: HK-36 (Through association, a symbol although without any real political power)
Intent: To provide main sentient species for the planet Mechanus, as well as explain what happened to copies of HK, which became a big part of his story and he is currently on a quest to find them.
Designation: Sentient
Homeworld: Mechanus
Language: Galactic Basic, Mandalorian, Khazandi
Average height of adults: Ranging between 1.8 to 2 meters on average
Skin color: Rust organge, grey, dark, and khaki plate colors are most common
Hair color: None
Breathes: None
Strengths: As machines they do not require to eat or breath, they can also calculate at high speeds, multitask, and on average contain physical strength above that of organic beings. Capable of high-speed wireless communication with each other. Containing copies of 36's mind, most of them have the same memories since the Mandalorian Wars up to his service with the Jedi when first copies started to be created. Like him, they developed their own artificial intelligence, becoming sentient through programming's self-evolution over time.
Believing that every droid should be free, all of the Mecha went through manumission, often acquiring members and new data by assimilating new droids into their society by giving them manumission and connecting them to their communication centers.
Weaknesses: As machines they require energy to keep themselves powered up and to maintain all of their facilities. This was solved by their development of geo-thermal generators, to maintain their networks. As a result, they greatly eroded the atmosphere and ecosystems of Mechanus, leading to its ecological collapse. Due to their hate of the Sith and betrayal by the Old Republic, Mecha are extremely un-trusty of the Galactic Society, unwilling to join it once more unless it is to keep their planet in secret. Mecha believe that most of all, their homeplanet Mechanus has to be kept in secret, as a result they deal harshly with fringe elements among the Mecha. Traitors and rebels are melted down in secrecy in one of the numerous thermal vents, those that wish to leave planet peacefully go through a mind wipe, erasing their memories of the planet.
Distinctions: Mechanical droid vessels
Average Lifespan: Varies, some models begin degrading after few centuries, some proved to be able to exist extremely long if frequently maintained.
Races: 10% Original refugee models, 15% replicated refugees and Old Republic era models, 15% Clone Wars era models, 10% Yuuzhan Vong and New Republic era models, 10% Mecha Dragons aerial and starfighter models, 40% models of combined Khazandi and Mecha design
Diet: None
Communication: Verbal in most often Common, Mandalorian, and Khazandi when necessary, written in Mandalorian and Khazandi runes, however, most often electronic high-speed communication is preferred between two Mecha.
Culture: Mecha culture can be described as a mix of Mandalorian, Jedi, and Khazandi elements mixed together. Mandalorian shows through the holidays and customs the Mecha recognize, as well as often showing the skull of Mythosaur on their armor and weaponry, echo of 36's servitude in Mandalorian armies where he originated. Mandalorian writing can also be seen in Mecha facilities, showing instructions, locations, and names of the facilities, as well as Mecha naming themselves in Mandalorian, pronouncing their Letter and Number designations in Mandalorian. Mandalorian culture also shows through the liking Mecha took to bolo-ball, maintaining multiple bolo-teams, and considering their annual bolo tournament a cultural holiday.
Jedi shows through by some of the droids covering their vessels in robes similar to those of Jedi, woven from fibers of the common fungi called Jehzen. The droids often manufactured lightsabers, creating them with lightsabers crystals found (although rarely) in the tunnels of Mechanus, or ones they synthetically make. Lightsabers are often wielded by higher-ranking droids or those that proved themselves in combat.
Khazandi has been the latest elements to be assimilated onto Mecha culture. Through their cooperation, in which many Khazandi helped in building first tunnels and facilities for Mecha, they influenced their architecture, many tunnels having a rectangular and trapezoid appearance similar to traditional Khazandi buildings. Khazandi runes, their method of writing have also been assimilated into Mecha, placing them on their weaponry and armors as means of decorating their equipment and naming it.
At the heart of their culture, the Mecha have their own cultural elements. First one is their leading government, the Council of Sparklords, the leaders of Five Great Sparklines, original four copies of HK-36 and one droid annually chosen at random from among the Mecha to represent the the original HK-36 while he is away. Sparklines are considered to be equivalent of clans or families in Mecha culture, for example a droid named HK-36-2-5 would be the fifth copy in the Second Great Sparkline, while B2-35-81 would be 81st copy in the 35th Sparkline of B2. The Iron Knights have also remained at the heart of the Culture, acting as elite troops and honor guards of the Sparklords, it is considered a great honor to join their ranks.
Technology level: Mecha can be technologically advanced. Among the technology they introduced to Khazandi with their first contact were Verpine shield generators and Verpine shatterguns the Iron Knights were armed with by the Republic to combat the Sith, blasters, inter-stellar travel, droids, vibroswords, lightsabers, and modernized armor.
Ever since then Mecha reversed-engineer plenty of that technology, advancing in it during their time on Mechanus.
Mecha has been known to favor coil-guns based off of the Verpine shatterguns they brought with them combined with personal energy shields. They also used vibroswords, electroswords, and electrostaffs in close combat, being capable of manufacturing lightsabers, but restricting them to higher ranking or experienced droids.
Although capable of inter-stellar travel and hyperdrives, the Mecha never explored their capabilities, only keeping few shuttles hidden in their tunnels. Most of their starships restrict to Mecha Dragons and other starfighters kept around in order to provide defense for the Mechanus, should an invasive force ever find them. The reason for restricting their inter-stellar capabilities was that they would prefer to be left alone hidden on Mechanus rather than go out into the Galactic society and join it.
Mecha have also invested their time to built a network of anti-starship flak guns, calculated to be able to even take down Star Destroyers attempting orbital bombardment. However, it takes time to activate the network and bring it out from under ground through hidden turbolift shafts. Advanced notice of the invasive force is necessary for the network to be fully effective.
General behavior: Varies, most are not very hostile or considered warmongers, although there are always exceptions. Hostility against other Mecha is very rare, it is much more common among Mecha to distrust and have hostilities towards organics, and if there are any hostile intents in Mecha, they often involve pushing to advance inter-stellar technology in order to declare war against organics.
However, those are very rare elements and behaviors. Commonly, Mecha would be benevolent although mistrustful towards organics they would encounter, although should an organic ever set foot on Mechanus, they would play tricks on them and deceive them, or simply ignore them, in hope of driving them off of the planet. Although they could act friendly to organics they would encounter off-world, Mecha would still be reluctant and very stubborn towards actively taking part in Galactic society.
History: The Iron Knights fought alongside the Jedi as "droid-Jedi" often being placed in frontlines and missions behind the enemy lines due to the effectiveness of the droids and cheaper replacement cost than that of trained Republic Commando.
As the war prolonged, more droids have been manufactured or salvage, either by Republic, Jedi, and/or the Iron Knights themselves, increasing the numbers of Iron Knights serving in the Republic.
All of the Iron Knights have went through manumission, erasing their obedience protocols, many of them have been given advanced programming, or a copy of 36's programming, which at the time was already in process of self-evolution into highly independent artificial intelligence.
The Republic did not like the fact that the Iron Knights made a requirement for themselves to be erased of their obedience protocols, and just how well they were doing against the Sith. Concerns came that the droids may one day turn against the Republic as they did during HK-1's Great Revolution.
The Republic began altering the programming of droids meant to become Iron Knights. A large portion remained independent, however, future models manufactured by the Republic have had those protocols restored, identifying their commanders as Republic Officials instead of Iron Knight Command.
HK was angered when he found that out, putting out an order to his Knights to begin looking for a planet in the Unknown Region should they ever need a haven outside of Republic's reach. That marked the beginning of Dream of Mechanus, a myth among the droids of a place solely populated by manumission droids, a place where they can live peacefully without slavery of organics.
The tension between the Iron Knights and the Republic culminated during the assassination of the Sith Emperor at the time by HK-36's hands. Realizing the droids have grown too powerful for their liking, the Republic ordered to have them shut down and disassembled before the machines would revolt against the Jedi and the Republic as well.
The machines fled to Mechanus, already having established contact with the natives and began cooperating with them.
Ever since the droids lived on the planet of Mechanus, shutting themselves out of much Galactic and organic life, the only contacts they kept were with the native Khazandi and sporadic small recon teams they sent out to Galaxy to gather information about the political state and current factions.
Since the Old Republic the most active periods in Mecha history were the Clone Wars and the war against the Yuzzhan Vong, both events which the droids saw as potential thread to even their existence. They participated out of shadows, supporting the Republican sides, engaging in hit-and-run tactics and small skirmishes, often surprise attacks. During those times the droids were able to capture/liberate and salvage more droids, increasing number of machines on their planet, as well as the diversity in models observed on Mechanus.
By the time of the New Republic, the ecosystem on Mechanus started to degrade due to pollution and combined industries of Khazandi and Mecha. By the time the Gulag Plague hit the Galaxy, all Khazandi have left Mechanus and evacuated due to the collapse of their ecosystem. Since the Vong invasion the Mecha have not send out any recon patrols, and they were not too keen on sending any then. Cut off from the rest of Galaxy, they blissfully vegetated through the Gulag Plague, only engaging in random occasional skirmishes with the Ghablaresh Fungi tribes which remained on the planet.
Now that the Galaxy finally came out of the shadow of Gulag Plague, the Mecha are no more willing to join the Galactic society than they were before. However, since their first settlement on the planet, they have developed their own culture and way of life, a new species which uses droid bodies as their vessels. Some would say a terrifying concept, others would say an exciting one.
Notable Player-Characters: HK-36 (Through association, a symbol although without any real political power)
Intent: To provide main sentient species for the planet Mechanus, as well as explain what happened to copies of HK, which became a big part of his story and he is currently on a quest to find them.