Unreviewed Ruus'vhetin Commandos

[Kamon Hourn]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To make a specialized unit within the Iron Howl Marines
• Image Credit: First image is my own creation, generated with ChatGPT and modified with photomosh | Insignia Image Credit (Colored Black Separately) | ‘Historical Information’ Image Credit
• Role: The Ruus’vhetin is an elite special-operations-capable unit within the Iron Howl Marine Corps of the Mythos Fleet. Assets within this unit perform deep-reconnaissance, surveillance, and specialized raids behind enemy lines
• Permissions: Maji Ironworks/Prawn Permissions | Quartermaster/Kiff Permissions
• Links: Unit Roster - Player Characters & Notable NPCs | Mandalorian Enclave | Mandalorian Enclave Military Page - Reference the Si'kayha section | The Iron Covenant Faction Page | Iron Covenant Infobox - Reference Mythos Fleet and Iron Howl Marines section | Mythos Fleet | Nynir'kad | Verd'kandar | Faison Kelborn

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: Ruus’vhetin Commandos
• Affiliation: The Iron Covenant
• Classification: Force Recon, Special Operations Capable-Unit
• Description: The Ruus’vhetin Commandos are a specialized unit within the Iron Howl Marines, chosen from warriors serving as marines who prove themselves as worthy and honorable. Their armor is a variation of Si'kayha patterns, and while individual styles are as diverse as the Mando’ade themselves, they all display the wolf-head sigil engraved upon either the left or right pauldron. Ruus’vhetin units are trained to operate with minimal or no support; undertaking advanced-reconnaissance missions, clandestine raids, and unconventional strikes behind enemy lines. While the average Mandalorian stands above any normal soldier, and the Verd'kandar above the average warrior of Kestri; the Ruus’vhetin have the reputation for standing above the average Iron Howl Marine. They are therefore called upon when the situation is dire and the outcome far from certain.

COMBAT INFORMATION:

• Unit Size: Small - No more than 12 warriors within a squad, otherwise known as a ‘vhetin’ or pack. Each vhetin is led by a Vhetin’alor, or ‘Pack Lead’.
• Unit Availability: Uncommon - The Ruus’vhetin is a company-sized force within the Iron Howl Marines, under the command of a Ruus’alor or Wolf Chieftain. Full combat strength is 300 warriors, but they would rarely ever be deployed all together. Packs often operate semi-autonomously within their deployed theater, and are occasionally grouped into larger units or ‘teams’. Casualty replenishment is fulfilled through recruitment from worthy prospects within the Iron Howl Marines, who are then tested and retrained upon adoption into the unit.
• Unit Experience: Elite - The Ruus’vhetin are considered the best of the best within the Iron Howl Marines, and the cream of the Howler crop are the only ones considered for induction. Upon acceptance within the unit, fresh warriors are subjected to ritualized trials unique to the Ruus’vhetin, along with retraining to sharpen the required skill-versatility to survive and contribute to the unit as a whole.
• Equipment:
  • Armor:
    • Si'kahya Beskar'gam | Rekr Variant
    • Si'kahya Beskar'gam | Jorir Variant
    • Si'kayha Beskar'gam | Jikar Variant
    • Si'kahya Beskar'gam | Galaar Variant
  • Weapons:
    • ENCL-12 Repentance Blaster Pistol
    • M.I. Model 6 Hybrid Pistol
    • EF-300 Enforcer-series Carbine
    • M.I. Model 5 Compact Blaster Carbine
    • M.I. Model 4 Blaster Rifle
    • ENCL-57 Adtr Precision Rifle
      M.I. Model 13 Anti-Materiel Rifle
    • M.I. Model 34 Universal Repeater
    • EF-M401e Enforcer Series Scattergun - Rampage Edition
    • M.I. Model 29 Missile Launcher
    • Euk Siha Service Knife
    • Beskad
• Combat Function: While the Iron Howl Marines serve as the sword of the Mythos Fleet, carrying out ship-based boarding and planetary shock troop functions - the Ruus’vhetin are the sharp edge of that sword. They will rarely, if ever, be deployed at full company strength within one theater; but instead operate surgically in small strike teams as force-recon elements in advance of a larger operation, raiding strike teams, and unconventional warfare assets deployed on destabilization missions. As a ‘special-operations-capable’ unit, it would not be unheard of for a squad to be used in support of the Nynir'kad. While they possess a company-level commanding officer, the company is often dispersed across the Mythos Fleet to engage in multiple operations at a time, on the squad level.
• Force Abilities (Force User Units Only): N/A

Strengths:

• +ELITE: The Ruus’vhetin are warriors of legend who can instill both courage within their allies, and fear within their enemies. Each man or woman within the unit is a battle-tested veteran, with the proven ability to hold their own under the most dire of circumstances.
• +BOONS FROM THE FORGE: Given their role, status, and reputation; the Ruus’vhetin have access to top-of-the-line equipment from some of the most renowned forgemasters of the Mando’ade.
• +MANY ARE CALLED, FEW ARE CHOSEN: One does not simply join the Ruus’vhetin - they are chosen to join the famed unit. It is because of this that those within the unit have a particularly strong bond and sense of comradery, and why it is not particularly hard to replenish casualties from among the few who meet their end; most warriors within the Iron Howl Marines would jump at the chance to join their ranks.

Weaknesses:

• -FEW IN NUMBER: While the Ruus’vhetin are a sizeable group of elite warriors, they are still finite in number as a company-sized force. While in theory, deploying them all at once in a given theater would pose a significant threat to any enemy; the risk of the company being eliminated in one fell-swoop is too great, and is the reason why it would rarely ever happen. Even dispersed across the fleet, Ruus’vhetin squads can only do so much, and can only be in so many places. While famed for their skill in battle, they cannot be everywhere all at once.
• -ATTRITION: Given their small size as a force, casualties are more keenly felt among them as opposed to other units. While their skill makes it harder to kill them, and the manner in which warriors are chosen and inducted into the Ruus’vhetin ensures a steady stream of those willing to serve, not all are worthy. Of those who are worthy, all have to undergo further training and integration into the company. One cannot simply transplant a new warrior within their ranks and expect full operational effectiveness.
• -RIVAL PRONE: Although the warriors of the Ruus’vhetin are known and expected to be honorable warriors, and themselves possess elevated honor among their kinsmen; Mandalorian culture is steeped in the philosophy of the strong standing above others. This mindset is a strength in many ways, but also a weakness. This elevated status makes them targets for challenge duels by other Mando’ade, or at the least a level of envy from others. There is also a level of competition between the Ruus’vhetin and other elite-tier forces within the Iron Covenant, such as the Verd'kandar.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
In the waning years of the Mandalorian Enclave, multiple threats tore at the fabric of the Enclave’s domain. Several worlds rose up in revolt along the frontier, seeking to regain their independence as foreign influence pressed in from all sides. Some people saw the Enclave as a conquering force, but they forget that it had its own people - innocents who lost their lives during the chaos. The Mando’ade will forever remember the thousands of lives that were lost, along with those who stood in their defense. Such was the case with the forerunner of the Ruus’vhetin Commandos - Faison Kelborn . After returning from a failed personal quest, Faison thrust himself into service to the Enclave as a commando, leading a small unit that would become the bedrock upon which the Ruus’vhetin was built.

When the call went out for all available forces to return to Kestri to staunch the outbreak of an awoken Yuuzan Vong hive, Faison and the warriors accompanying him were deep in the frontier, faced with the choice of either abandoning innocents to answer the call, or to defend who they could. The decision was made, and Faison with his eleven brothers in arms made it their personal mission to defend Mandalorian colonists on Roon against an overwhelming force of renegade Mandalorian raiders. For months, Faison and his men engaged in a guerilla war - performing hit and run tactics, raiding supply caches, and helping innocent civilians escape capture. Aid would eventually come in the form of a splinter-fleet of the Enclave, but not before a grave toll was paid.

Of the 12 who stood to defend the colonists of Roon, only 1 survived. When asked about what happened in the waning days before rescue, the survivor said words that echo loudly today. “They gave their lives, so that the innocent would not be forgotten.” The survivor was Jairus Ordo, who set about reforming the squad of Faison Kelborn into a special forces unit worthy of his memory. So it was that the Ruus’vhetin was born.

Today, the Ruus’vhetin Commandos stand as the embodiment of what motivated Jairus, Faison and the others those many years ago. Refusing to hide away on the snowy tundras of Kestri, they instead serve as the sharpened point of the longsword that is the Iron Howl Marines. They look ever outward, choosing to fight for their brothers beyond the confines of their sacred, yet adopted homeworld of Kestri - even if that means standing alone, against odds that are dire beyond measure.

In those moments, they remember the words that now serve as their motto; engraved on their hearts one and all. “They gave their lives, so that the innocent would not be forgotten.”