Unreviewed The Karsta Raka

[Davak]

The Karsta Raka

"Do not beg! The Avatar of Fire condemns you, heathen! "

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create Da'Razel's most elite squad, the Karsta Raka a handful of zealots who embody the faith and pain of the Cult of Flame.
• Image Credit: N/A
• Role: They serve as bodyguards, holy icons, and militant zealots of the Cult of Flame.
• Permissions: N/A
• Links: Cult of Flame, Da'Razel / Saint Peterius, Church of the Dark Side Codex Update

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Unit Name: The Karsta Raka (The Brandmarked or The Hand of Fire)
• Affiliation: Da'Razel (Saint Peterius), Cult of Flame, Church of the Dark Side
• Classification: Zealot Infantry / Personal Guard
• Description: They are amongst the most devoted zealots of the Cult of Flame, brothers in arms bound by scars and grafts, combat and a unyiedling will to serve. Their bodies are seared with ritual burnings, their flesh fused with crude metal in imitation of their Saint. Each bears Sith relics into battle, carried as holy burdens. They march as both protectors and living icons, censer-smoke and fire trailing in their wake.

COMBAT INFORMATION

• Unit Size: Small
• Unit Availability: Rare
• Unit Experience: Elite
• Equipment:
  – Branded Patchwork Armor (seared alloys, ritual grafts, censer-vents)
  – Sith Relics (blades, talismans, cursed artifacts)
  – Weapons (polearms, blasters, maces, relic-bound arms)
  – Censers of Ash (Filled with martyrs' remains, scattered in battle)
• Combat Function: The Karsta Raka are shock-zealots and protectors of Saint Peterius. They fight in close-quarters with fury, and wield relics that lend them unpredictable dark powers. Their grafted bodies and ritual scars make them hard to break as pain only fuels their conviction. They do not follow order, do not impose a specific strategy or formation, instead they are sheer fire brunst, living icons of faith, chosen from the most extreme zealots of the Cult.
• Force Abilities: Some Karsta Raka warriors display pyrokinetic talents or Dark Side attunement, but most rely on sheer willpower, artifacts, and martial zeal. Force-sensitivity is not required; devotion is.

Strengths

• Fanatical Resolve – Pain and fear cannot break them; many continue fighting through crippling wounds.
• Relic Bearers – Their weapons and relics often possess unique Sith properties, making them dangerous and unpredictable foes.

Weaknesses

• Extremely Limited – Fewer than a dozen exist; every loss is crippling.
• Reliance on Rituals – Their strength is bound to relics and suffering; without them, they falter.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Karsta Raka first emerged as a blood pact between warriors who sought the ultimate sacrifice to their belief, to die as martyrs for their Saint of Flames. Yet instead of accepting their offering, Da'Razel demanded their undying loyalty. They became the first.

When Da'Razel was encased in metal following his near-fatal injuries, these zealots followed suit: burning their flesh further, welding themselves to crude cybernetics, and grafting plates to their bodies in imitation. To them, agony was worship, flesh was weakness, and metal became yet another path to ascension.

Since then, among the Cult of Flame there have always been a handful zealots who publicly endure great trials of branding, grafting and and curse-bearing to mark themselves as living extensions of their Saint's suffering.

Over time, they came to be known as the Brandmarked or in Ur-Kittat; Karsta Raka the elite of the Cult of Flame. They carry censers filled with the ashes of martyrs, Sith relics bound to their bodies, and fight as both protectors and holy icons.