Tephrike

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


I haven't done any units yet except Mezha's RG strike force. I have some ideas though. Can list them.


When you say Republican Guard unit for the Dominion, do you mean an equivalent to Saddam's minions (or Iran's Revolutionary Guards)? Far as I recall, the Blue Guards from the prequels were there to guard the senate.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Right, an elite guard force for the Dominion. Temple Guard if you will.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Ok, so their primary role would be protecting the regime against coups, rebellions and unrest, though they could fight on the front if needed.


I assume they'd be composed of FUs?


Got a name suggestion and ideas for gear/abilities?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
I'd actually say they'd be NFUs as those are both more numerous and not able to seize the position of Grand Master. I expect it's a bit like the Janissaries being those who can't become Sultan...but likely have a lot of influence regardless.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Ok. Got ideas for?

• Name
• Equipment
• Size, Availability

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Temple Guard, or "The Guardians of the Sacred Temple and Holy Person of the Wise Council" formally.

Thinking like Force pikes, heavy armour, impractical robes. A butchered memory of the blue guards from the Republic.

Rare, Minor?

Veteran probably, not elite.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Which one?

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Katarn-class_commando_armor

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Matrix_armor

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/AV-1A_Assault_Armor

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/AV-1C_Combat_Armor

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

The Katarn is an excellent choice. It's tough and shielded whilst still being mobile.
[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Ideas for strengths and weaknesses?


Also what role could they have played during the Cultural Revolution? Basically, the not!Red Guards ran amoc at the behest of not!Mao. Eventually Mahtara and a couple Jedi Generals/Clone Commanders got fed up, crushed the not!Red Guards (called the Blue Guards) and put the GM under house arrest.


And when the Republican Guard and the Vaderites invaded and almost defeated the Dominion during the Netherworld Event (Mahtara took command then and managed to halt hem).

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
I think for strengths they are well armoured and equipped (for Tephrike) and are trained to fight Force users. They are proficient in a variety of weapons including probably grenades and portable heavy weapons. We're probably talking WWII era heavy machine guns and grenade launchers though. I'd imagine their bravery and irresistible courage is a strength too.
For weaknesses I'd suggest a vulnerability to ion, a lack of lightsabre defence (which they don't face much - and which the Dominion would not want them to have in case they turned), a lack of support and penetrating weapons. I'd also suggest a certain stubborn and unimaginative mindset. They attack head on no matter the cost.

I'm thinking a comparison with the Praetorian Guard makes sense. Originally the protectors, over time they might want to become the puppet masters, purging those who oppose them and choosing pliable GMs.
Mahtara can do a Constantine and disband and scatter them, replacing them with loyal troops.

Give them a heroic last stand like Thermopylae which propaganda can trumpet. Like that battle though the truth is less...heroic. Rather than 300 blue guards selflessly holding back the savage hordes of Sith barbarians...the 3000 Dominion troops were surrounded due to treason and overwhelmed with little effect to the invaders.

Can even reference that famous Spartan text about Thermopylae if you want.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


These are good points. Could you please elaborate on the weakness to ion? I am not sure if I follow. Wouldn't a force that's not very high-tech be less vulnerable to it?

Upon your advice, I gave them Clone Commando armour, which is made of Duraplast. Canonically, this material is actually very resistant to ion and EMP. Granted, that's just their armour, not their weapons and gear.

Re history maybe let's say they participated in the coup to put down the Cultural Revolution after being bought off. Maybe the Blue Guards were threatening them. However, they got used to playing kingmaker.

I'm thinking Mahtara was a key player from then on, but it's more of a collective leadership arrangement rather than her being dictator (otherwise Into Darkness would have gone differently). I figure the Grand Inquisitor partly rose as a counterbalance to her because various people didn't like taking orders from the old Yodaling.

Could have the Thermopylae style battle occur during the Netherworld Event. When should Mahtara have pulled a Constantine? After Into Darkness? Or before?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
I think they probably have the best military tech of anyone in the Dominion. They would not be used to ion, so what tech they do use - communicators, HUDs, etc - could get easily destroyed by it.

I think that's a good idea re the leadership. Her power would have invited challenge of some form. There would have been many people who resented her outlook and so the GI forms a natural counterpoint.

I think have it occur in the Netherworld event. Adds a more apocalyptic setting to it.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

communicators, HUDs, etc - could get easily destroyed by it.

HUD is part of the helmet. Duraplast helmet would be good at resisting ion. That's the material used for Clone Commando armour. This is what canon articles say. And primitive slugthrowers don't have fancy tech.

Lightsabres are obviously an issue. Duraplast has limited lightsabre resistance (the Wookieepedia article says it's highly resistant, but this makes no sense. Chaos canon treats heavy duraplast as on par with turadium) and they lack experience in fighting people who use glowsticks.

I think have it occur in the Netherworld event. Adds a more apocalyptic setting to it.

Works.


[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

OK, that's fair, drop ion weakness. Maybe give them the weakness of being poor vs heavy armour. They are meant to be bodyguards after all, not take on tanks.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"], [member="Nima Tann"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Suggestions for chars/groups/units from Into Darkness that could merit Codex submissions?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Provided he survives, Dominion Jedi Kyrric might merit an NPC sub.
Same with Aruunzeb the RG general.

Could sub some Vaderite Sithspawn or Dominion constructs.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

Kyrric surviving could be cool. I had not considered him, but him surviving and becoming a recurring character has potential. He could become a protege for the BM?


Maybe works with Diana. That's the Diona clone who's remained loyal to the Dominion. And has a grudge against Elpsis.


Had not thought about specific Dom and Vaderite constructs. Has potential though. Any ideas?


I made a list of prospective NPC stuff prior to your post:

NPCs:

• Synthia: Mezha's Twi'lek buddy. Force Dead. Ex Dom clone.
• Diana: One of Diona's clone sisters. Was injured by Elpsis during the latter's capture. Loyal to the Dom and sees Diona as a traitor. Maybe future protege for BM.
• A Cataphracts: Cataphracts participated in the assault on Fortress Purity and were part of Tempy's task force. Feel like subbing one. Ideas?
• A prisoner for Elpsis to bond with. There was a Mirialan called Mel, who was nabbed by the Inquisition (Elpsis will rescue her). Appeared cynical, caustic and jaded in her interactions with Elpsis, was part of an underground group in prison though. There's also a Nautolan called Phoebe, who seems to have been the ringleader of the prison revolt. Elpsis hasn't interacted with her.
• Loyalty: FM Dahomian soldier chick. One of the guards for the FM delegation, later part of Tempy's task force.
• Aruunzeb: Did not get a lot of characterisation in thread due to having a background role. Intended to be scrapper type though. RG General.

Units:

• Andorian Guard: Referenced in thread. RG shock troops. Mix of Force Dead and NFUs. Named after the great rebel hero Cassian Andor.
• Ever Loyal Vanguard: Elite Dom mooks Saito, Xalda, Laira and Co faced. High level, fanatical warrior priests of the Light. Use Force imbued stuff a lot. Subbed.
• Elite clone troopers for the BM.
• Dom Padawan brigades. Child soldiers.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
I think Kyrric being a protoge and foil for the BM is good. She doesn't have anyone to talk to at the moment after all.
Possibly, would she switch to the BM? Way I see it the Dominion civil war is not going to stop. The 'loyalists' following the GM are not going to accept orders from the BM.

Dominion constructs would be more like 40K dreadnoughts in that they house a mortally wounded warrior kept alive with medical science to continue their service.
The Sith however would likely use something more like alchemy and Sithspawn to meld metal and flesh together in nasty ways.

• Cataphracts are fun. I think we named one at one point.
• I think once Elpsis rescues them they might become a little more co-operative. I still expect them to be very suspicious of the sky people though.
• Loyalty is a good bet. Can maybe promote her after this battle to Lieutenant or similar.
• Thinking a pretty 'by the book' type. Not very imaginative or inventive, but skilled at delivering a campaign and popular with the troops. Likely quite capable at irregular fighting. Can have fought in the recent Netherworld war. Unpleasant view of Force users reinforced by a bad encounter with a Jedi or Sith.
• Padawan Brigade: A rather tragic tale. Not sure if they're worth subbing though if they're going to get massacred.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


I did not define Diana's loyalties. She was just one of the Jedi Elpsis happened to grievously burn during the melee when the delegation was attacked. When the fighting began, Dominion soldiers who weren't in on the plot joined because they saw their comrades were under fire. Elpsis and Diona has a scene with Diana, so her appearing again makes sense. And saying every Diona clone works for the GI contradicts Diona's own backstory.

Another Diona clone heads the Vanguard.

The putschists will be blaming the GM's death on the GI, much like 20 July plotters wanted to blame Hitler's death on traitors in the Party and the SS. Of course, not everyone will believe that.

Padawan Brigade: A rather tragic tale. Not sure if they're worth subbing though if they're going to get massacred.

One imagines that the Dominion has more than one. Their Jedi order would be bigger than the prequel one.

One might note that Jedi throwing kids at the enemy is, unfortunately, not even exclusive to the Dom. I mean, they do it in canon and EU.

Cataphracts are fun. I think we named one at one point.

There's the one who was part of Tempest's task force. She appeared a bit. And there's another who participated in the attack on Purity, but was referenced less. I only feel like subbing one. Question is which.

Thinking a pretty 'by the book' type. Not very imaginative or inventive, but skilled at delivering a campaign and popular with the troops. Likely quite capable at irregular fighting. Can have fought in the recent Netherworld war. Unpleasant view of Force users reinforced by a bad encounter with a Jedi or Sith.

Works. Unpleasant view of Force-Users is a given since that's an important part of the RG's ideology. Idea for a historical general to base him on?

I think once Elpsis rescues them they might become a little more co-operative. I still expect them to be very suspicious of the sky people though.

Elpsis was the new girl, drawing attention to herself and closely monitored by the Inquisition, so getting close to her would have been dangerous for any prisoner. Especially those who were secretly plotting insurrection. As of now they are revolting against the Dom guards.

One might note that the prisoners won't like the RG because they're all FUs. May write the next post from Mel's point of view.


There's also the girl who was the GI's Padawan/plaything. She can join Elpsis since she clearly hates the creep. I made her a Rattataki.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Debating how many of this stuff it's worth subbing.


If FM pulls out of Tephrike, they won't get used. Except anyone who goes with, I suppose.



Debating how much effort I should put into fleshing out Tephrike in general.

Seems to me I already spent too much time subbing stuff for it and that it was wasted time. With FM pulling out, it won't get used.