Latin Name: Igneus Musica
Common Name: Hellfire Daemon
Appearance:
Body: They are always anthropomorphic, and are usually mesomorphs. Their skin ranges on a scale of hues of red, ranging from deep dark reds, to bloody crimson shades, to the inferno withholding bright flaming red. They always have jet black hooves, like horses, but thicker and flatter. Their leg strength is usually on par to their arm strengths. Their size ratios for body parts are the same as humans. There is one often found difference in the Hellfire Daemon though. Their hands and incredibly dexterous, which is considered an adaptation for the instruments which they have learned to use as deadly weapons.
Hair/Scales: The hair on their head is naturally black, yet many Daemons dye it a multitude of colors. The black of their hair is always existent, but in different quantities sometimes. Some have grey hair, and some have coal black. A Daemon's skin feels soft like human skin, yet nearly hot to the touch. It won't burn someone if they touch it, but it is a strange feeling.
Extra Appendages: Some Daemons are born with flaming wings made from feathers of searing fire. These Daemons are often to be stated as descending from the Elders themselves. Other Daemons are born with diabolic horns that curve on their head, these usually being dark black like many other aspects of the Daemon. Their eyes are also on a scale range of yellow shades, some bright, some shadowy dark. A Daemon's eye color, especially if they are a mage, is known to change rapidly and violently. For a mage on the skills equal to an Elder, their eyes are often known to turn dark black during periods of intense grief or rage, at which point the offender should probably turn on a heel and run. Other Daemons are born with the final difference known to often occur in Hellfire Daemons, a tail, which, unlike the rest of the body, is scaled like a lizard. It is pointed at the end, like the stereotyped diabolic symbol, and is quite dexterous.
Elements: Daemonic, Bass Fury, Warbound (Warbound is known to be quite randomly occurring within Hellfire's children.)
Skills: They have an amazing aptitude with music, like no other race. They can mould it into powerful, earth shattering magic, or use it to transform themselves into gods of warfare. That, or they can turn their music into deadly thunderous weapons, spewing bass wrath into their foes like a bass cannon on steroids. Some Daemons don't even use instruments, they simply need their hands to bring forth a tide of music. Daemons also have a range of weapons which they use, the main weapon being a Hellfire Gunblade, a modified gunblade to be equipped for the fiery abilities of the Daemons. With these gunblades, they are skilled being often able to twirl them yet still get a good aimed shot in. Often is the ability of pyrokinesis, the ability to control flames and magma around them. Talking of magma and fire, they are resistant to the two. Instead of blood running through a Daemon's arteries, coppery lava runs. Daemons often drink magma drawn from the ocean. Yet, for all their abilities, they face one horrible, horrific downfall. Daemons, in no circumstances, cannot be within, consume, take into their body or touch water. It is incredibly, searingly painful to them, and can often induce seizures within a Daemon, maybe even paralyzing them temporarily. Even worse is ice. Ice can kill a Daemon within a period of 5-10 minutes, depending on the resistance of the Daemon.
Age Expectancy: Hundreds of years, depending on the magical strength of the Daemon.
Native Language: Hellfire Daemonic, a rough tone full of guttural sounds, monosyllabic tones, snarls, hisses and other sounds.
Culture/Beliefs: The Daemons are known for on one side, their music, and on the other, their military. Together, the two are a force not just to be reckoned with, but to absolutely bloody terrified of. Daemons believe that some of the most powerful forces in the universe, can be summoned forth with music, that even they can access the Soul Bridge that they lost thousands of years ago when the Elder Gods came to them with the energy they reap from music. Hellfire Daemons are often known for taking music from the modern human world and imbuing it with energetic power.
But where am I going with this rambling? To explain, I'll have to take you back to the start. That day of blazing reckoning.
It was a black, blustery night that had settled upon Hellfire that season, a smothering blanket that consumed all in its chokingly engulfing grip. With its gloom, came a morose, murderous tension to the air, seeping into the mind like a rot, enclosing it with fingers of insanity. Lights blinked out across the jutting heights of Hellguard.
The fiery ocean of bubbling magma itself had quieted eerily, taking on a thick, gloopier consistency, more like an ectoplasmic slime than the thin, soupy lava that usually swathed under the blood metal vessels.
Among the streets, roads cracked and splintered, in some places contorting into mind bending shapes. In the sheer darkness, this was a near invisible change though, only noticeable by the sound that accompanied it, like powdered bones shaken within a sullied urn.
Rumbling, like an oncoming storm, took a hold of the city, not a violent shaking, but a maddening tremble that could be mistaken for a distortion borne from the shadows. Distant clumping, like a colossus wandering, dead iron feet falling upon dried ground, trickled throughout the city.
Then, a light, a flame, flickering, miniscule, but alive, carving through the living shadows of the streets of Hellguard. No more, no less than child, lamp in hand, tiny hooves clopping quietly on the twisted tarmac, innocent full yellow eyes like miniature search lights.
Closer now, the rumbling, the clumping stomps. The colossus steps further into reality with each footfall, a giant of unimaginable proportions? The child gazes up above the buildings, staring into the stars over Hellfire, twinkling, beautiful stars. Glinting, like the heated oil in the child's light.
Suddenly the rending sound of thunder peals forth, accompanied by the shredding of the time and dimensional rift, and the shadows of the city fall from land to sky, draining away like an emptied pool of impure water. The shadows draw away into the sky, and where they lay, the stars are blotted. Blinking glory is extinguished by the ethereal mistiness, shading the world a bleary black and red. Shaking, like a crumbling mountain, takes hold of the city, and the child falls, colliding with the stone, whimpering. The colossus rears its diabolic head, leaning over, over the mountains, over the city, over the sky, scales unfixed around two shifting red blobs that glow with an evil light, shedding a butcher's glow all over the city. The child sits, mesmerised by horror, tears of intensity slowly weeping, lamp lying on the stone with a weak glow, dying, slowly, like the world before the child's eyes.
A moan likened to the shattering of millions of souls rends forth, clasping Hellguard in its oily grasp as the city trembles with terror under the visage of the behemoth. The stars are turned out to the void, staring away as the monster from beyond the primordial age returns to the planet it once gave life to, to see, to watch, to judge.
One thing to do.
Run.
Running, hooves sending noisy thudding sounds, the young one went, making spontaneous decisions to turn down random streets, just trying to escape the monumental blazing glare of the crimson eyes. He passed houses, seeing Daemons cowering inside, not even willing to unlock the door to help him in.
The youngster sobbed as he finally collapsed against a wall, no longer able to continue. His mind screamed at him to move, but he could not. His muscles were exhausted. The leviathan watched him still, focusing down upon him in a much similar way that an omnipotent being would while watching from the high heavens. The child did not faint, terror's hold on him, kept him pinned to reality, ever watching, pitting his adolescent mind against that of the Elder
thing's will.
Slumping, the black spots descended onto the vision of the child. He couldn't take it anymore, his systems failing, and life slipping through his hands like water.
That was, until something arose not far from him. Like a golden spear of lightning, the thing arced forth, carving like liquid fire down the fear ridden streets, moving with incredible force and speed, lifting himself from the floor at immense pace. This sunlight unbound propelled through the air, wingless, yet with all the blazing influence over the air that a hawk reigns in, unending life in the form of a daemonic spirit. This, thing, seared past the child, ruffling his hair with the pure chasing wind that crowded him like a thundering typhoon.
From the west, not far from the bolt of golden fury, came a darker power. Coal dark clouds coated an area, a buzzing psychic influence crackling like mental electricity. From the clouds burst another figure, swathed in jet robes that flapped around him. He landed with the grace of an eagle, but with all the roar of a newly thawed waterfall. Courage just melted away from this new arrival, pouring from his skin like the purple psyche that was, evidently, his battle armor. He did not rush in like what the child assumed to be his ally, but instead held back, summoning up whirlwinds of magic and morbid destruction.
Footfalls erupted from the streets to the north, much like those of the leviathan above. A scything screech split the air as the teeth of whirling, snarling blades grinding to life signaled the coming of another. Gasping in awe, the child stared down the street. A huge mechanical being, wielding circular saws that whirred with indestructible hunger. Sparks churned from the edges of the blades, and the huge pistons began pumping, as the lord of war propelled himself forwards, walking to cause wrath and ruin. Ploughing blades into the walls beside him, the motorized suit yanked itself upwards, pulling up onto one of the buildings, digging in with the force of a god's hammer and anvil.
A trio of gods they were, but lo and behold, they were not finished. The rustling of paper and pages upon the wind, accompanied by the whispering, faint voice of intelligence beyond the ancients, that spoke of madness and sanity in both glory and humility. For onto a rooftop, from a doorway, came the strangest warrior ever seen. Wearing thick bloodrock armor, the Daemon was not gigantic, and very doubtfully muscly. But, decorating his armor were books that had been strapped on with some kind of advanced technology which sparkled with a neon light. The books had been frozen in place, assumingly by a serum contained in one of the many radiantly colored vials that hung from his waist. This Daemon carried naught but a cross barreled rifle, embroidered with the finery of a deity's sword. He was the only one unhooded and uncloaked, revealing bold, yet still sharp and gifted features that casually judged the behemoth that sent the sky roiling overhead. His pitch black hair was swept forward, yet not covering his facial features to obscure his line of sight.
Then, the final figure appeared with the subtlety of a stalking panther. From thin air, he slipped through a tight hole in the void, poising on a near monomolecular edge as he balanced with supreme ability. Two shining barrels poked from the folds of his cloak, which ever so slightly flapped in the wind, giving him an aura of dread. Spiked at the tips, the barrels were carved into the shapes of hurricanes, deep fire rumbled inside them like balled lightning. With a burst of movement, he jousted his whole body forwards, leaping from the edge so shrill it cut like a sharpened knife, onto a loosened shutter that the footfalls of the beast had leased. The shutter barely even fluttered downwards, even under the weight of this immensely powerful Daemon crouching atop it. Leaning hands against the corner of the nearest building, the Daemon propelled himself around, and it was then that the clearest view was given of him to the child. For a face, he was masked with a strange hood that enclosed a binocular feature, covering his entire face in a metal cover except for his eyes, which were a focused yellow that flashed with implausible thunder. Landing carefully by the child, the Daemon slowly, gradually retrieved him from his hiding place on the street, taking the shaking young one and lifting him into his arms. A shriek from above like nothing ever heard before ripped from the maw of the brute as it turned, the folds of the scaled ceiling above rippling like a reversed ocean.
Brutal action ripped forth as these deity beings set about the leviathan, blazing in a whirlwind of strikes, a hail of raining shots that shook the city like the furious storm, the bellowing screech of a battalion of artillery fire shattering the becalming silence upon the air. The colossus whipped through the skies at speed unbeknownst to the Daemons within the realms of possibility, yet its shade did not shift from the sun as the maddening darkness ensued and refused to withdraw, even to the shining light emanating from Hell guard's finest heroes, its glory hunters. A resistance like no other, they followed the beast through the skies like riotous children hurling flaming bottles of petrol at an advancing tank. Across the sky was branded the symbols of Hellfire and Elder Ones, battling each other as they collided again and again, forcing the enemy back with almighty glory. Buildings caught in the line of Elder fire as tentacles lashed from the sky exploded in green flame, Daemon civilians slaughtered in their masses. The renewed efforts of the heroes finally pushed the Elder One back from the city, and the battle continued, across the lands, battling on and on.
Hellfire lost more than part of its capital city that day. As the leviathan turned to the sky, it left a spell on Hellfire that tore half of their power from under their feet, slamming them to the ground painfully and vengefully. With a boring backlash of an astral tail, it slammed the entire world, paddling it away from the soul bearings that tied it to heaven and hell, shredding the artery of worlds known as the Soul Bridge. For as an Elder God can give, it can take away, and that day they took away the souls of all Hellfire Daemons, dooming them to lonely rage.
And so, our story brings us to the modern Daemons, in a land torn by war, dotted with cultural madness and spanned by a frank, yet strange populace.
If there's anywhere to start, it's the military structure of a Daemonic society. At the very base, you have a Hellfire Daemon civilian, rarely carrying weaponry with them and going about their regular life. Yet, in a crisis, they are incredibly useful, the instincts of Daemons to stand and fight in a time of war taking hold whenever it would seem fit. Hellfire civilians are of course found in every city, and many often accompany armies, working in the administration cause.
Next, there exists the Hellfire Ashblade. This is the standard infantry of the Hellfire Daemons. As they do not believe in conscripting Daemons to the cause of war, Hellfire Ashblades have a high morale level and are always highly trained in camps before being sent to the war. They are armed with standard issue Blackshots, Spike Rifles and Hellfire Gunblades, though it differs through Divisions, Regiments and Areas. For example an Ashblade soldier fighting in Division Brimstone of Area Delta, will be armed with a more fire based quarter of weaponry, where as one fighting in Division Krakenhearth of Area Kalatus, will be using dexterous air planes and other vehicles of flight.
A list of Areas, Divisions and Regiments lie below.
Area Alpha: Elite Area - Area Alpha is the only area to date that does not have fully consecutively numbered regiments. Instead, they were regiments named often after human regiments known for their ability, and the theme also spread to Hellfire's military. As may be noticeable, Alpha has regiments mainly named after famous Daemons or Division Valiant, which is named after Valiance squad, the squad name for the amassed Hellfire Elders when used as a military power. These Daemons that are named all have huge power in their divisions.
Division Havock - 1st Havock SWATs, 5th Havock Scouts, 78th Havock Ghost Riders
Division Darksbane - 1st Darksbane Blast Lords, 2nd Darksbane Fear Renders, 3rd Darksbane Shatterminds.
Division Hellhunter - 101st Hellhunter Assault, 588th Black Warlocks, 9th Hellhunter All Stars
Division Valiant - 1st Strikeblade Gunbladeteers, 9th Strikeblade War Chargers, 1st Valiant
Terms Explained:
Blast Lords: Blast Lords are Daemons with the powers of magical assault, who have trained their skills in demolitions. Using their magical powers, they plant explosives, mines and the like on fields of war in places where the enemy really doesn't expect it. They are often considered Anti-Vehicle units, and when the World Engine comes, they set about creating as many explosives as possible. They know themselves as the Blast Elites, rather than Blast Lords.
Fear Renders: Trained to use blades, vehicles and weapons constructed from the very metal of Fear that runs the deepest areas of Hellfire's hard soils. Fear Renders have even known to collect enough of the metal to recreate upgraded versions of Panzer Tanks out of Fear metal, which emanates pure terror as it rolls forth. Even their own Commanders fear their regiments somewhat, as the psychoengineering they take makes them slightly psychotic alongside being fearless, or at least to Fear metal. Black armour, jet black gunblades and even jet black Lava Raiders are not uncommon amongst these regiments.
Ghost Riders: Riding bikes of fire and jet black steel, the Ghost Riders wear unregimented leather and ride fast, speeding across the lands of Hellfire, they bring death to their enemies with incredible speed. Known by some as the 'Rasputins' due to their incredibly low death toll, even in suicidal charges. Their bike mounts seem to keep them protected at all times in contact with them with a strange fire field.
Shatterminds: Known because they are LOUD. AND I MEAN LOUD! They come under Darksbane's division because the one thing they train in is music. They get double training from Alekzander for volume, and Darksbane for music. One of their training methods is to expose themselves to the Hellfire Bass at full volume, point blank, so as to learn the true power of full on rending noise. Hellfire Civilians love them, cheering them through the streets as they lead battle charges, playing thunderous music like the crack of hundreds of guns could never make. Their enemies hear them coming, and realize that they were not just mistaken in their attack, they've walked into the most deadly music concert going.
Assaults: The Assaults are called so simply because most Daemons want to think there's not much else to be said about them. The only problem, there is. They're not just drunkards, that's their battle tactic. Before a battle, they'll drink copious amounts of lava brewed whisky, get so drunken that they hardly know what's going on, and then deploy like mad to assault a position. Somehow, no-one really knows or wants to, they do, while pissed. Then, they have a celebratory drink. Yet, while this is true, there is another fact about them. Based off Earth's 101st Screaming Eagles, they deploy from the air out of planes, sometimes assisted in this by the Black Warlocks, to the roar of the words 'SCREAMING EAGLES!' or 'NUTS!' As their enemy stares in confusion, trying to figure out why there's a load of drunken Daemons screaming 'NUTS!' falling out of the sky towards them, the Assaults make their move.
Black Warlocks - The Black Warlocks are the only air force unit that isn't, by technicality, at all part of Daemon Air Force, and so doesn't follow standard DAF regulations. Known after the 588th Night Witches, on Earth, the Black Warlocks have reconstructed their planes to be lighter, with Fear metal engines. These make a very small humming sound, making them incredibly stealthy when airborne. They consist of both fighters and droppers, dropping packages that could include Assaults, Bombs, Ammunition and supplies. Their fighters are often equipped with Mounted Hellfire Gunblades, Lancers, Imperial Melta Guns and Stormbolters, or other such weapons. Yet, this isn't their most scary function. They, can land effectively anywhere. In their past, the Black Warlocks have best been known for the heroic event which led to 5 of their members making a landing on the top of a train in order to assault it.
All Stars - Daemons that joined the regimental army after fighting in arenas, sports and other more conventional events. All of their weapons are customised and different from Hellfire Army Regimental weapons, making them an unpredictable yet incredibly useful force. It is known that they use technology from outside Hellfire, especially Kanthi technology for its warp burst technologies. This isn't the only part of the All Stars though. They aren't just trained by the Navy, they are trained in the arts of pirate sea warfare as well. It is known to most Hellfire Daemons that Pirates sail their oceans on ships very much like theirs. Some are even human. If these are ever captured, they are given a choice. Train the All Stars, Join the Navy, or get jammed in prison for decades on end. Most choose the first 2, which has led to the
All Stars being deployed on land, sea, air, underground, underwater, and, weirdly, we're not sure how, in space.
Gunbladeteers - The fine and chivalrous warriors of the Gunbladeteers ride atop skeletal horses. That's their first aspect. The horses appear to be a mixture of electric white and blue fire and a horse skeleton, and have some level of sentience. The Gunbladeteers regard them as good mounts, and wonderful companions, and also terrifying charges. Mainly because, when seeing them ride over the hills, they appear to look, when lined as a regiment, like an array of balled lightning rolling to their enemy. The weapons the Gunbladeteers use are Hellfire Gunblades with an added difference, the blade is larger and shaped in the way of a claymore. When applied on horseback, this is deadly and effective, riding into combat. Also, when carving at their enemies the blades make a horrifying metallic screech, hence the battlecry of the Gunbladeteers, 'BRING THE NOISE!' The final things to note about the Gunbladeteers are their armour and attitude styles. They wear armour styled like medieval knights, yet upgraded with Hellfire Power Fields that glow a shimmering orange. Their attitude strongly follows accordance to the ideals of knight's chivalry and honour. They are, in all cases, the Knights of Hellfire.
War Chargers - An idea thought up in the undercity by rebels, which was later taken on by Hellfire's council when the rebels realized they were fighting a power which was much better than their own political ideas. They were the first War Chargers. War Chargers are squads given tanks, guns, and, the most crucial part, very, very, very powerful and fast engines. The tanks are adapted so that there is aiming vantage points for at least 8 Daemons, which is 1 squad. They lean out of the tanks, and, using their armaments and the cover shields, use Hellfire Gunblades to carve their enemy in swathes. Advantages of this rather than using normal tanks is speed of aim, fire coverage, and strangely enough, firepower. The frontal armour of the Charger is hugely strong, and it has been known for them to ram into buildings to get through. The Charger pilots are incredibly brave, and it's even been known for them to leave their Charger under a hail of artillery in order to either repair a simple fault, or save fellow Daemons.
Valiant - Valiant Squad. Deadliest group in Hellfire. Rarely released on the field. Born in the depths of hellish silence and explosive violence, they fought the Elder God that plagued their world, earning them the title, the Hellfire Elders. Each representing an element of Hellfire Daemons, the Elders are terrifying alone, and a force of the universe together. Though, since the fight against the Elder God, their armour and styles have changed tenfold.
The first Elder, regarded as the leader, is Elder Thunder Hawk. Thunder Hawk is a physical representation of a Hellfire's Daemon willingness to run across a field of battle to destroy his enemies, leading the charge amongst his brethren. Armed with such a set of heavy set Bloodrock armour equipped with an Imperial Power Field, Kanthi Warp Technologies and Hellfire Gunblades within the arms it allows him to break through tanks with a single collision. It is said no barricade can stop Thunder Hawk, and his war horn that he carries at his side conjures such bravery in the hearts of Daemons that wherever he runs at, they will follow. Even when communications have collapsed, and elite warriors are lying on the ground, the footfalls of Thunder Hawk sow terror amongst the enemy. He is best known for the golden sheen that appears around him when he uses his war horn and generally when he charges. His weapon he wields is a large hammer, a combination of the Imperium's Thunder Hammer technology and the mechanics of a Hellfire Gunblade's firing mechanism, giving it a fiery blast on the power field that creates huge explosions on collision.
The second Elder, regarded as the Mage of the group, is Elder Songborn. He is the least muscly of the Elders, and the least physically strong, yet his ability to wield the magic of the Daemons is magnified through his musical expertise. As may have been shown by now, Songborn is the representation of a Daemon's music and magic combination. He doesn't use musical instruments. He simply conjures the music from the air itself, and turns it into a deadly force to blast away his enemies. His armour is a combination of Bloodrock and red imbued cloth. This combination has multiple runes sowed into it, each representing genres of music within the Hellfire magic. When he steps on the field, the skies burn with thunder, the seas turn to a blaze of flame, writing history with his speech and his mind. It is known that as well as a warrior, he is also the dictator of the long held biography of Hellfire's wars, including victories and defeats that they have suffered and new races that they have met and traded their plying secrets of eternal flames with. He often works with Division Darksbane, training their use of music in combat and their cultural influence upon the world of Hellfire.
The third Elder is Elder Bladecall, an Elder representing the heat of a Hellfire Daemon's melee combat skills and their intensity on the field of war. He is possibly the most distinguishable for the armour he wears, in that it is a set of mechanical armour wired into his bodily systems, yet at the same time, also part of his body. Damaged in a horrific accident involving a pack of murderous wild beasts unleashed from what later was revealed to be the Overworld. From then on, the beasts, known as Dire Wolves to humans, were coined as Callers by Hellfire Daemons, from the name Bladecall. This mechanical body does give him advantages, such as the inability to feel pain in the mechanical parts of his body, but disadvantages. Since the accident, he's always been intensely gruff, and he's certainly no subtle warrior. Of course, they didn't equip him with any old guns from the Hellfire stock armoury, no, on requisition, probably a bad idea from the judgement of how gruff he was, they gave him a set of large spinning buzzsaws, which churn like devouring mouths at the ends of his arms. They are serrated with deadly, sharpened edges and when they spin, sparks fly as a provided edge grates hard enough to spray the blaze over an enemy, distracting them and possibly even giving them minor burns to the entire body. Two exhaust pipes at the back of his suit belch black smoke to the sky and a warhorn allows him to amplify his voice to such a war bellow as to terrify his foes, if they weren't quite scared enough of his thundering footsteps already, shaking the ground.
The fourth is Elder Nightcall. He is the most dreaded Elder, for he is the manifestation of Daemonic Fear, of the very metal itself and the emotion that is spread so deep and far throughout the world of flames and death. Every sorrow of Daemonkind, every war, every fear generated by every male, female and child Daemon is channelled into his mind, and over the years it has driven him to a state of depressed insanity. Regularly considered as the worst of the Elders in terms of his personal life, it is known that he suffered an addiction to narcotic substances for a period of time, trying to combat the feelings constantly streamed to him. Even avoided by his own Elder kin at the meetings, he usually sits on a table, in the shadows, alone. Though, because of this he is incredibly hardened against any fear or psychological weapons used by the enemy. Because of his love for the solace of shadows, he is the trained rogue member of the Elders, the assassin and lonesome hunter who uses a combination of blades and gunblades to achieve his aims. His clothing? A swathing black cloak surrounds his back, combined with a mask that functions telescopically. In the shape of a skull, it includes two gears and a set of glass lenses over the eye holes to magnify his targets. His other clothing is black cloth and leather set to disguise him in the field of battle amongst the gloom of smoke and the ruins of buildings. His weapons consist of a Wrist Mounted Quad Gunblade set, which is 4 linked Gunblades that rotate around the wrist, allowing for rapid yet accurate fire. These are equipped with silencers, to amplify his stealth. Then, there is his blade. The size of a shortsword, it is equipped to the sleeve of his jacket. With a flick, a blade made of pure Fear metal extends outwards. It is serrated and only makes a slight hiss when ejected. The thing is, that's just the mechanism. On his left wrist, three of these are equipped, on the top of his hand, and the left and right, meaning his hand is covered in blades apart from the palm.
The final Elder, is the representation of fire itself. Named Elder Blazerage, he's not known for patience. In fact, very much the opposite. Blazerage has a damn short temper, and when he blows his top, the fury of a nation is reinforced through him. In fact, his fury is known all too well to foes such as the Imperium (for a short time) and the Abyssals. He was advised by many doctors and scientists of Hellfire for genetic implantation to calm such rage, yet refused, in some cases with violence. Many consider his temper to have stemmed from a time when the Abyssals captured him using a strange kind of god caging engine. When they trapped him in an Abyssal prison, he steadily grew angrier and angrier, until the point that his very anger summoned flames with which he forged the blade he still uses today. Forged from a combination of Abyssal Prison Stone and Abyssal metal, he used the walls and bars of his cell to create a jagged hammer. When the guards found him, escaped, very few got out alive. He named the hammer Cataclysm, for its destructive properties and how it remained to be continually deadly after so many years of use. Of course, the hammer has had many adaptations in order to cope with a few features of Blazerage, for example the concept that he IS 90% OF THE TIME ON FIRE. But seriously, Blazerage, like the berserkers of ancient, has a tendency to whip himself into a frenzy before battle, setting himself alight with litres and litres of lava, petrol and naptha mixed into a blazing concoction, which he then proceeds to pour all over himself and drink. Using magic, he is able to retain the fire for weeks at most, if he so desires, and sometimes he has. So, yes, his weapons only include Cataclysm, which is now blood red due to the addition of Hellfire Bloodrock Alloy. His armour, ah, his armour. Crude certainly, but by no means ineffective. His armour is made from stone and metal hacked from the ground, hurled into lava, only to funnel that lava into a creation of obsidian, shatter the obsidian, grind it to thin dust, mix that dust with blood, pour that mixture into some more lava and finally pour it into moulds to form what he wears today, a black and red set of armour designed by an ancient race of humans known to many as the 'Spartans.' The plumage is formed from eternally burning fire, crafted by the combined powers of the other Elders.
Area Beta: Ironblood Area - Beta is the area that was made to contain a mixture, mainly focused on mechanized warfare but only containing Hard Korps that would be able to take the fire of the enemy and turn it against them by sending forth a combination of artillery rain and hardened men, often mounted within mech suits.
Division Bonebreaker - 1st Bonebreaker Mechs, 2nd Bonebreaker Demolishers, 3rd Bonebreaker Mechs, 4th Bonebreaker SWATs
Division Ironblaze - 1st Ironblaze Tanks, 2nd Ironblaze Pyrotechs, 3rd Ironblaze War Chargers
Division Demolish - 1st Demolish Demolition Crew, 2nd Demolish Artillery, 3rd Demolish Hardstrikers
Division Thunder - 1st Thunder Artillery, 2nd Thunder Artillery, 3rd Thunder Artillery, 4th Thunder Tanks, 5th Thunder Baneblades
Terms Explained:
Mechs – The Mech regiments of Hellfire can consist of anything from the gigantic Daemonic Mechs to the smaller Hellfire Mechs. Daemonic Mechs being monolithic 4 legged walkers wielding nearly every weapon under the sun, to name a few, plasma cannons, buzzsaws, Hellfire Gunblades, Snowball cannons, Flamethrowers and the like. Hellfire Mechs are shaped like larger scale Hellfire Daemons made of Bloodrock Alloy and wielding swords, cannons, or even large chainblade weapons. All of these are usually conglomerated into regiments, controlled by high levelled engineers or commanders, and then serve as a back up to the larger regiments rather than lone star regiment. That is, usually. It's not to say that the rumbling thunder of hundreds of Mechs battle charging over the hills and sometimes from the coast is a sight and sound to behold and, for the enemies, to abhor with absolute terror.
Demolishers – Hellfire has quite a lot of building crews. Judging that most of the population lives in the Metropolis areas, those buildings can't just pop up from nowhere. But, a builder who joins Hellfire's Army can often find himself in a wrecking crew to end all wrecking crews. Armed with modified tanks that fit wrecking balls, hammers, building breaking artillery guns and all manner of destructively violent vehicles and weapons, an engineer or builder who's got a particular taste for explosions can find himself right at home amongst the Demolishers. A Demolisher regiment will often be asked to serve in offensives, to literally break the walls of a siege with their 'war machines'. Of course, they do sometimes serve on the home front, working in conditions similar to their non-army life as builders, in cranes as such building defensive lines and fortresses.
SWATS – The SWATS aren't exactly the same as the human term might define them. Of course, they do kind of operate as an extreme police force, but one more adapted to fighting terrorism on a large scale. Hellfire SWAT teachings include such ideas that giving a man strong body armour, a Blackshot, several packs of high explosives and then fueling him with enough patriotism is a cocktail for victory. And, to the bonus of the regiments, it is! As mentioned earlier, SWAT teams are given enough body armour to protect from a certain radius of the explosion, should a wired up system go off prematurely. Usually, their flame retardant skins provide enough safety, but does nothing for shrapnel. Despite contrary belief, their Blackshots suffer an incredible amount of use. They are often found blazing away through a doorway, pumping empty shells onto the ground in order to get to a bomb laying depot. Their methods are often regarded as blunt, cruel and occasionally, based on attrition, but the general consensus is that the SWATS do more good than harm, even if they do act a little overkill sometimes.
Tanks – Basically what they are named. The Tank regiments literally consist of tanks, but the style of the tanks can range from anything like a Panzer to a Baneblade in both size and mechanism. They comprise in regiments, and their lines are usually sorted by size and stature of the tank. The crews can usually earn themselves larger and deadlier tanks by earning marks of credit in war and moving up from the novice ranks. There's always a chance that a Tank driver can become a Mech pilot, and there's always a constant fuel of new Tank crews. All there is to say really.
Pyrotechs – Aha! A much more interesting subject than the tank regiments. The strangest yet also one of the most formidable groups of Area Beta, they consist of fire mages who have spent way too much time looking at the properties of explosives. Having devised that the chemical formulae of mass explosives can be worked into fire spells to give them an added 'whoomph' the Pyrotechs are, in essence, explosion mages. Some have even gone as far to add petrol or high concentration alcohol to the mix to turn themselves into living flamethrowers. Most of the time, these guys are clad in heavy armor, equipped with mag-locks so that they aren't thrown back by the blasts of explosions that they generate. Under this they wear flame red and jet black robes that imbue the armor with such an effect as to stop it from melting under the intense heat that they regularly experience. What is so hugely strange about the Pyrotechs is that, despite having mastered a magic that even the Elders themselves do not regularly possess, they rejected a place in Area Alpha and instead chose their place amongst the more common demolitionists. This was a weird and, some say, insane move, but, as centuries have passed, no-one has been willing to argue with the Pyrotechs, especially after the countless times that they have saved Hellfire.
Demolition Crew – Incredibly similar to the Demolitionists except for that fact that these guys literally use building equipment as siege engines. Cranes, diggers, all adapted with gun attachments and heavier armor allowing them for battlefield use and turning them into deadly effective battle constructs. Also, they wear a militarized version of a builder's outfit, making the helmet hardened metal and the jacket bulletproof yet still hi-vis.
Artillery – The term 'Shake them awake with the thunder of guns' has never been more apt than when describing the Artillery regiments of Hellfire. Row upon row of huge caliber cannons, some upturned to sky, some horizontal, some even equipped with functions such as a hyper railgun secondary or incendiary rounds. Unique, but each very, very similar in one way. When they fire, it is rare that together they will miss their target. Of course, the artillery teams stay back of the battlefield, but that doesn't mean that they can't be armed. They are given defensive pistols, flare guns, sniper rifles and tracer lasers, as well as manual target selectors. Distributing information throughout the ranks is quick and easy, due to the consoles implicated into many of the guns that have been designated as distributors. These distributors are usually in key points, and distribute such information as weak points, enemy locations or firing co-ordinates, sometimes even distress calls. Artillery gunners can be told apart from the normal regiments, for one, their symbol badge on their chest shows a bolt of lightning being fired from a gun barrel, and second, their uniform is the human military khaki, one of the things that the Daemons have copied from the humans and adapted to their field of combat. There is black, red and yellow mixed in with the khaki. They also wear black berets.
Hardstrikers – When the Hellfire Army asks for tough, it damn well gets it. Many will say it's in the form of Area Alpha. The more knowledgeable will point to the Hardstrikers regiments. Equipped with bulletproof vests, SWAT helmets, duel Hellfire Gunblades and large chainblades strapped to their backs, these Daemons are only the hardest of the SWAT team members. The Hardstrikers is small in number, but every one of them is a veteran and a highly skilled combatant in both distance and melee. Some equal them to the ranks of the Imperium's Space Marines, though the Hardstrikers quietly decline this claim, being modest as they are. Many state that the Screaming Eagles of Hellfire were trained in accordance to Hardstriker standards, and many of the Screaming Eagles themselves say that hundreds of their tenets equal to those of the Hardstrikers. Hardstrikers are often equipped with naphtha and napalm grenades, as well as packs of C4 and other high explosives for use on the battlefield. If a trench needs collapsing or a sniper tower felling, usually it would be up to the job of the artillery. But, if otherwise occupied, the Hardstrikers will be first leading the charge into enemy territory in order to blow it apart in a burst of shocking thunder and fire.
Baneblades – When the Imperium came to Hellfire in a time of war, it was all too predictable that the Daemons would take away from such war new engines, and when the Imperium returned under a time of peace it made even more sense that the civilisations would interchange such information and blueprints as that of massive tanks, titans and other weaponry. And so, the more advanced form of the Tank regiment was formed, the Baneblade regiment. The Baneblade regiment is much less mismatched in that it is ordered with a single kind of tank, the Baneblade tank. The only adaptations made are those that have happened to each and every one of the tanks in order to make them capable of fighting in the harsh conditions of Hellfire. If a Tank crew member wants a promotion, he may come here if he doesn't go to Mech piloting. The crews take many, many Daemons, including specialized engineers developed to serving the machine's spirit and engine. Baneblades bring death in the shape of tanks the size of houses, tearing up the battlefield with their huge cannons roaring like primordial terror.
Area Delta: Navy Area - Delta is self-explanatory, it is the entirely sea mounted area, completely in control of the Hellfire Navy and in this case holding a higher rank than many of the Hellfire Military Troops. They work cohesively with the DAF, the Daemon Air Force, to retain safety of Hellfire's oceans, Hellfire's skies and the numerous ports and cities that line the blazing magma of Hellfire's oceans.
Division Searider - 1st Searider Cruiser, 2nd Searider Cruiser, 3rd Searider Raiders, 4th Division Searider Support Speeders
Division Raider - 1st Raider Raiders, 2nd Raider Raiders, 3rd Raider Raiders, 4th Raider Cruisers
Division Privatee - 1st Privatee Raiders, 2nd Privatee Privateers, 3rd Privatee Boarders
Division Kraken - 1st Kraken Submarines, 2nd Kraken Beachforce, 3rd Kraken Support Cruiser, 4th Kraken Traillayers
Terms Explained:
Cruiser – Cruiser ships are carrier ships, which transport the Daemonic armies from shore to shore with high speed. They are armed with anti-aircraft guns and sea to shore artillery. Their hulls are made of lava resistant bloodrock alloy, but even this doesn't stop the decks often heating up to temperatures that no human can touch with bare skin. It is often known for this reason that the Daemonic Navy has never had human recruits because of the dangers on board ship of them falling overboard, which would mean instant death to any non-resistant lifeform. There is a large hatch on the front of the Cruiser that allows it to plow up on the shore then release the hatch, spewing Daemons down a ramp and allowing an army to quickly engage from the oceans without being constricted by disembarking through stairs and ropes, and other constricting methods of attack usually employed in siege. They are usually considered the staple ship of the Daemonic Navy because of their armaments and their use.
Raiders – Also known as Lava Raiders, these are the elites of Hellfire's military ship craft. Equipped with high technology weapons such as Combi Incendiary Explosive Automatic Harpoon Guns, huge scale artillery guns, Ground to Air Projectiles, Sonic weapons and many others. They are known as Raiders because of the size of their engines and the effect that this has on the boat, which is its speed. A Raider out-speeds and outmaneuvers any Cruiser, and sometimes even submarines. Captains will use this to their advantages, in quick successive strike attacks that weaken and whittle the enemy down until they can fight no more or even resist, then employ the full power of the Lava Raiders guns to blast apart their opponents. Lava Raiders are also equipped with stronger front hulls and a bolted piece of metal that is much sharper than usual hulls. This has two effects. It makes the boat more streamlined allowing it to move faster through the water, and makes for an excellent ram when colliding with enemy ships. Combine this with the speed and dexterity of the Lava Raider, and you get one ship prepped and raring to go for a full on ocean combat scenario. Unfortunately, they are rarer than the Cruiser, yet they have more regiments devoted to them in Division Raider than anywhere else.
Support Speeders – Incredibly important to the survival at sea of any of Hellfire's fleet. Small and nimble, these boat dart around amongst the leviathans of the naval world. Their small size and quick stature give them an advantage in that they are incredibly hard to focus artillery on, and generally the only way to take them down is with a massive explosion or a machine gunner, and they are rarely in the open long enough to be available for a machine gunner. The entire point of the Support Speeders is to repair the larger ships of the fleet and provide medical and morale assistance to the men on board. Support Speeders carry enough materials to repair at least 10 severely damaged hulls in the middle of high risk combat. For example, welding tools, medical kits, alcohol, and extra ammunition. There are very many of these within a regiment, and they are usually linked in with other regiments. They do not have very many weapons of their own apart from a twin linked heavy bolter at the front of the ship's deck, but that proves less effectivity when moving at such a speed.
Privateers – Privateers are actually pirates that have turned to the side of Hellfire and have been so employed into the Navy as to charge the forward guard. Their suicidal tactics have been noted by many people in how much danger it can put them into. Luckily, for their sakes, their tactics never usually involve putting their allies into serious danger, it's mostly a self-sacrificial movement. Many have retained their pirate customs and still fly the flags of their past, which can make them effective spies or confusion elements for the enemy. As they are technically under no patronage for Hellfire, they have a legal contract to fly an enemy's flag in order to confuse them. The only downside is that many of the other naval regiments refuse to work by their side because of their past and what kind of units they are. They consider it traitorous and foolish to employ such people, and as thus will not work for them, generating tension and aggression between the units, something that you definitely don't want in a place where a single shot could send hundreds of men plummeting to their deaths.
Boarders – The name very well depicts what kind of men join this regiment. Men who love the blazing seas of Hellfire, yet also the heat of melee combat rejoice in the swell and swing of such fighting on the metal decks, as hooves slam all around and cries of agony ring like bloodied music. Boarders are men who serve on Cruisers, Raiders and Support Speeders, and are told apart by the facts that they usually carry coils of metal rope and close combat weapons such as daggers, bolt pistols, gunblades, and in some cases, even Blackshots. All of these show that this is a Daemon who is going to be climbing on board ships and taking them under his control with a veritable iron fist. Boarders are often very aggressive and will curse and swear at the enemy as they approach them from afar. They care naught for chivalry and etiquette, just raw bloody chaos.
Submarines – Beneath the blazing seas of Hellfire, amidst the bubbling lava, rising steam and smoke, the wolf packs move. Submarine regiments operate in wolf packs of about 4. These 4 submarines have captains that each know each other and each other's tactics and weaknesses very well. They have radio links between each other, and their scanner spreads interlock to give them a field of fire unlike any other member of the Navy. The submarines are made from Bloodrock alloy, with some Fear metal added in order to give them some stealth amongst the lava and also to make them more pressure resistant and lava resistant. Submarines are equipped with torpedoes and sea mines that they can lay in order to take out large boats or shallow sea submarines. Due to how thick lava is, the scanners are very powerful, powerful enough to locate a ship several miles away. The Submarines actually run off thermal energy, and with their surroundings, this gives them a huge advantage to anything in Hellfire's seas. Also, due to the fact that there is no creature living in Hellfire's oceans, anything they discover is a ship or submarine.
Beachforce – The Beachforce are Delta members that are equipped with multiple types of boats, speedboats, cruisers, raiders, all in one purpose. Making the landing on a beach to lead forth an attack like no other. They are trained to move at certain depths of lava or even, if the ship grounds onto the sand, which had been known to happen. Their uniform is no different from any of the other regular Navy, which makes them incredibly hard to differentiate, except when they're actually in the landing. Of course, regular soldiers get some training in landing, but nothing in comparison to the Beachforce. Then there's the equipment. Blackshots, bullet proof vests, high explosives and military grade snorkels, it's not as if they're coming up lightly armed.
Support Cruiser – Support Cruisers are strange yet interesting ships. They have wide, flat decks, and are the most co-existent with the DAF. They exist as landing ports for the planes, and simultaneously as support ships for those that are being sunk. Armed with very large artillery cannons, machine guns and harpoon loaded anti-air sentries, they are almost scary in terms of firepower. Combine this with the factor that they can carry up to an entire regiment of the DAF at time, and you get a ship that is very rarely destroyed. While they may be in a regiment, they are usually found solo, being the capital ships of fleets. They are quite slow, and definitely quite bulky, but while this is true, much of this is because of their installed armor plates, which are several meters thick, a huge thickness especially considering the physical properties of Bloodrock alloy. Support Cruisers are staffed by some of the Navy's best men, while the gunners are usually found to be incredibly aggressive and also a little deaf from being constantly exposed to such loud noises as the main gun bellowing its roaring thunder.
Traillayer – A Traillayer regiment has the fastest ships in the entire of Hellfire's Navy. Many times faster than Support Speeders, and also a couple of sizes larger, they are powered by a set of duo-nuclear-plasma reactors, producing an extreme amount of energy any second. Instead of connecting to propellers, underneath the water they are equipped with powerful energy conductors that react with the heat of the lava to generate mass shockwave which blast the ship forwards at speeds that, at their highest ever, have been recorded to move at 1038 mph. This is an incredible speed, and all users have to be trained to deal with the exceptional, usually considered impossible, G-Force. The ships are built in a structure considerably similar to arrows, with a pointed ship head and some feather near the end of the ship. The entire ship is only 3 meters wide, but 15 meters long. Many ask how this is a long enough distance to fit the energy conductors and the duo-nuclear-plasma reactors, and when this question is put to the engineers of Hellfire, they simply grin and mutter something about micro technology. Evidently it is a well-kept secret, how they have developed something that is very much impossible. The Traillayer only carries one armament, which is a prow mounted machine gun. There is no silencer equipped on this, due to the fact that the Traillayer moves faster than the very speed of sound itself, something usually retained to sky borne vehicles. At such speed, yes, the bullet is still faster than the boat, but only a few hundred miles per hour so. Even this is not the point of the Traillayer. The very point of the Traillayer is to do exactly its name, lay a trail. It does this by firing sets of flares combined with mortar cannons loaded with smoke mortars. This fires at a moderately fast rate, meaning that it creates a trail of colored smoke higher up.
Area Kalatus: Airforce Area - Kalatus is the entirety of the DAF, the Daemon Air Force. The DAF works in complete cohesion with the Daemonic Navy. They use many Carriers to deploy from the sea, and land there for quick refueling. This makes a Hellfire DAF member equal in military rank to a DAF member, as they have to have equal rank to work in such powerful cohesion. Whereas other members of the military would need special clearance, a DAF only needs basic level clearance to land on a Hellfire Support Aircraft Carrier.
Division Battenhearth - 1st Battenhearth Defensive Jets, 2nd Battenhearth Defensive Bombers
Division Jetforce - 1st Jetforce Offensive Jets, 2nd Jetforce Offensive Jets, 3rd Jetforce Defensive Jets, 4th Jetforce Airborne Transports
Division Slinger - 1st Slinger Bombers, 2nd Slinger Bombers, 3rd Slinger Fighters, 4th Slinger Bombers, 5th Slinger Tactical Devastators
Division Spitfire - 1st Spitfire Fighters, 2nd Spitfire Fighters, 3rd Spitfire Fighters, 4th Spitfire Bombers.
Terms Explained:
Defensive Jets – The Defensive Jets of the DAF patrol the skies over cities and important ports. When an enemy approaches they attack like a swarm of bees. Rarely merciful, these men are cold hearted and will gun down anything that has come to attack their people with furious storms of bullets and missiles. The defensive jets that they used are armed with high speed machine guns and small range air-air missile weapons. Their engines are not built for fuel conservation, they are built for speed and agility in dogfights, as when they are defending they are usually over a point that has a constant supply of fuel for them to draw off. Trained in maneuvering, they will often demonstrate high unit cohesion on the fields of air combat. They operate at any time of the day, though some are more adapted for night works, as in that they have painted their jets black in order to be stealthier. Clever, but ineffective during the day, where, if anything, they are more available to be seen.
Defensive Bombers – Now, this term confuses many. Defensive bombers? How can a definitely offensive unit be defensive? This because they are trained so that they avoid dropping bombs on targets registered as allies, but any force attacking the city can expect to be under a hail of raining bombs that could range from anything like nuclear to rounds consisting of a metal shell and water, which have been deployed against armies of traitorous or feral Hellfire Daemons. They are not in action all that much, for rarely is there an army that requires air support when dealing with enemies attacking its city, but they have been known to deal with such large threats as the World Engine. Their air strikes are often requisitioned by armies on defensive call such as the regiments of Area Alpha, sometimes even assisting the Black Warlocks on service, which is a great honor for any bomber to experience. Bombers are mounted with light machine guns, but usually they are sided with the Defensive Jets and so are not in need of such weapons.
Offensive Jets – The opposite of the Defensive Jets, the offensive jets take the fight to the enemy. The strange thing is, judging that the Hellfire Daemons are the dominant species of their world, that is, the only species, what is their use? Interdimensional warfare is the answer. The first thing any civilian notices upon arriving at a Daemonic airfield is the strange formation of shapes at the end of one of the runways. This is known as the Offensive runway, and the formation of shapes are a set of material developing crystal which allow them to form hundreds of different portals depending on the species that they are at war with. These portals are large enough to fit 8 planes at a time, and are positioned somewhat in the air so that the planes can actually take off. This requires high synchronization, and is the reason why usually seasoned flyers are actually the pilots of these planes. This is so that there will not be crashes on the offensive, which could lose valuable resources, lives and precious time. Onto the jets themselves. The jets are equipped with strong firepower. Air-air and air-ground missiles are in a chequered pattern on the wings, in order to allow the jets to be effective in air combat and attacks on cities, while also being very fast moving due to their powerful installed jet engines.
Airborne Transports – Airborne Transports are slow, massive planes with huge wings and massive, bulky bodies. They are very enduring, heavily armed and piloted by Daemons who can deal with intense situations like being under heavy anti-air fire with Daemons relying on you to get them to their deployment zone. These planes often serve as carriers for parachutists, and have even had the honor of serving the Screaming Eagles a couple of times. Airborne Transports will usually make their move and also deploy in the darkest hours of the night, and for this purpose they are painted mixing shades of deep dark red, dark grey and night black so that they can land in secrecy. Their engines are somewhat silent, and so instead of a growl produce a moderately loud hum. In order of the weight that they need to carry, they cannot be reduced or silenced anymore otherwise they may experience engine collapse midflight, which could result in the death of everyone aboard. Their armaments often consist of air-air missiles, and a few LZ clearing machine guns in order that they can make deployment safely and allow their troops to leave with ease, that is, if they are carrying troops. They are also known to carry Mechanized regiments, and even civilians from war zones. They have a beacon light mounted on the tips of their wings, which will change color depending on their carriage. This code is only well known to Hellfire's pilots, and has up to 340 combinations if both lights are used.
Bombers – Despite not being named offensive, this is the job of the bombers. They take the fight to the enemy, bombing every position they can locate with a huge range of massively powerful explosives. They are trained by the Black Warlocks, the best Bombers in the existence of Hellfire and some of the most clever Daemons to operate planes that there are. Thanks to this training, it is rare that Bombers will miss their mark, and the enemy is so much more likely to meet their fate at the hands of one of Hellfire's bombing strafes rather than more conventional combat. Incendiary weapons are one of the many weapons favored by the Hellfire Daemons, as, if needs be, they can activate them manually, kicking open the bay doors in order to drop fiery death upon their foes. Some magicians are interred into the bombers so that they can be used to guide the bombs that are dropped by their regiment in order to gain more and more accuracy and to lead their righteous thunder in more of a dangerous direction. The bombs can range up to a huge explosion radius, though usually the Hellfire Daemons will avoid the use of nuclear weapons because of their effects on devastating the lands for decades.
Tactical Devastators – Tactical Devastators are very fast planes, known for their ability to outmaneuver almost anything else in the sky. They are a blazing flame red, allowing them to fly low and not be seen from above. This means that they are not often shot down by other planes, for their ability to disguise themselves over the ocean. They are armed with air to air rockets, and chain guns. These weapons are fitted with quick speed locks, as otherwise they would never target locate within the time frame that a Tactical Devastator gains to strike its enemy. They are rarely used for attacks on the ground, as their main job is to devastate the enemy within the air in a hail of bullets and rockets. Equipped also with a drop away ejection function, they can maintain 5 miles of continuing flight without a pilot due to the speed they move at. This allows the pilot to escape without being targeted, as the plane still functions as an effective distraction mechanism. The guns can work on an automatic AI that locates registered enemies through plane shapes. The pilots are equipped with a pair of armor piercing Hellfire Gunblades so that, if a plane turns to attack them while they parachute, however dishonorable that may be, they can respond with a spray of fire, hopefully taking down the plane that attacked them before dying.
Area Shade - Mechanized Land Area - Shade, despite the name, are not known for their subtlety. what they are known for, is so much intense gunfire that they can roll into a city, and within hours, have over 75% of that city in razed ruins. They have a wide range of tanks, mechs, artillery guns and some of the finest engineers that Hellfire has to offer within their ranks. They often transports the infantry across the field, to get them in range of their target, then move out and around to close in like metal trap jaws.
Division Rollout - 1st Rollout Transports, 2nd Rollout Earthshakers, 3rd Rollout Bikers, 4th Rollout Engineers, 5th Rollout Transports
Division Hanzar - 1st Hanzar Walkers, 2nd Hanzar Mechs, 3rd Hanzar Diggers
Division Victoria - 1st Victoria Speedbikers, 2nd Victoria Hammer Tanks
Division Baneblade - 1st Baneblade Armoured Troops, 2nd Baneblade Baneblades, 3rd Baneblade Mechs, 4th Baneblade Titans
Terms Explained:
Transports – Transports are heavily armored transport vehicles. Armed with Gatling guns, they have 10 inches of armored protection coating each section of the vehicle, including sheet metal covers for the heatproof tires. The tires of the vehicle are constructed for traversing the brittle ashen ground of Hellfire, and can withstand the general temperature of the hot winds that blow across the lands surface. The Gatling guns rest in 4 curved sponsons resting on the sides of the transport vehicle, with small viewing holes allowing for limited sight yet maximum protection while firing the defensive weapons. Transports can move at speeds up to 34 mph and, while not being known for their speed, are still faster than many tanks and such, and definitely faster than infantry. They are not exactly roomy inside, as most of the room is taken up by the poles and handles required so that in the event of an emergency dismount, the transport squad can be readily prepared to leave rather than being in their usual seated position, strapped in with belts. Within the transport vehicles are wall mounted weapon racks, containing weapons and tools ranging from wrenches to sniper rifles. Usually, they differ on specifics of the transport vehicle.
Earthshakers – Earthshakers are formidable artillery cannons, usually found at the back of a battlefield. Their range stretches for over 10 miles in distance, and the roar of their guns can be heard for much the same. Earthshaker guns are weapons originally owned by the Imperium of Man, but the plans of which were stolen by the Hellfire Daemons and used to construct a WMD version of the already powerful supercannon. The reconstructed version was built with ground shattering rage in mind, and was fixed with nuclear systems within its engines and specialized cooling systems allowing for bigger bomb payloads per shot. In fact, the bomb payloads were so big that when fired, a 6.5 magnitude recorded earthquake was often received, the impact point of the shot being the center of the earthquake. Years of technological thunder were paying off in the form of spitting death from Hellfire's most deadly weapon. Each payload weapon uses a combination of incendiary rounds, plasma conduits and nuclear technology to cause a blast radius of 1.5 miles. Due to this, the Earthshaker crews have to be some of the most accurate engineers and mathematicians in Hellfire, for an inaccurate firing solution could mean the entire destruction of a city. Prior to the firing of an Earthshaker, klaxons sound around the vehicle, as the light emitted from each shot is comparable to a supernova. The cooling fluids delivered are potently fatal to any Hellfire Daemon.
Bikers – While bikes are usually considered to be the fast light vehicles of any armies, the bikers of Shade do everything in their possible power to disprove this common ideal. Their top speed is 55 mph, a relatively slow speed for a bike, yet in comparison to the level of armor and guns, makes them a deadly effective weapon. Equipped with a heavy armor piercing front cannon firing high caliber charge rounds, these bikes are equipped with effective tank guns that fire at a more rapid rate. Underneath this cannon is a pair of sonic weapons, fitted with backlash dampers to avoid the bike kicking back too much when activated. These sonic weapons generate waves of sonic force that clear the front path of the bike as it drives, using a combination of high volume and a thunderous bass snarl to blast through armor, walls and other obstacles with extreme prejudice. The sides of the bikes are fitted with metal sheets, as well as compartments for weapon and ammunition storage, as well as the battery and sonic production pack for the frontal experimental sonic cannons. The sheet armor is protection for both the wheels, while the biker is protected by a curved over cover, an inch thick, that is enough to protect them from light fire. The bikers usually lead ahead of Shade's troops in order to clear the field of terrain that could prove dangerous to larger, less agile vehicles.
Engineers – What mechanical firing force would be useful if it couldn't be repaired? Despite the raw fury and strength of Hellfire's rolling thunder, damage to the vehicles is often common, and sacrificial acts of selflessness demonstrated by many soldiers can leave the vehicles in such a state of disrepair that they are unable to move on the field of combat. In this situation, an engineer regiment is called forth. The Engineers consist of Hellfire's best Engineers, installed with combat armor and exoskeleton suits allowing boosted movement, speed and resistance to light fire arms. These exoskeletons also allow them to store tools and retract them whenever they need to do so in the blink of an eye and the push of a button. Hellfire's engineers are also trained in short range combat, using many tools that they have been given for repairs to defend themselves, such as blowtorches, power wrenches, electric tools and the key weapon of an engineer of Hellfire, his Blackshot. Without his Blackshot, an Engineer is confined to two situations, taking cover behind or within a vehicle, or resorting to melee combat, and so the exoskeletons have been developed to link in with the Blackshot. Manufactured systems and a soothing AI voice read out such things as the Blackshot's ammunition levels, wound status and life signs to the wearer, so that they may quickly take in information. There is also a connectible cable between exoskeleton suits so that they can operate in harmony to quickly repair a vehicle. Data can be transferred this way, or through the electromagnetic pulses that the suits distribute when a soldier is downed. When a soldier is injured, the exoskeleton suit dispenses medical class narcotics to protect the engineer from pain based trauma. In some cases, the engineer can request extra narcotics in combination with adrenaline, so that the engineer can continue to fight with grave, horrific wounds that could beasts many times larger. The strength of an Engineer allows them to bend the axle of dented tanks and such. Engineer squads are always led by an Engineer Alpha. This Alpha is trained in the highest levels of repairs, in such things as nuclear and plasma reactors. Their exoskeleton is equipped with gravity punchers, allowing them to make huge bounds through the air and move at incredible speeds. Each Alpha is also equipped, instead of a Blackshot, with an experimental weapon of their own development. Some use modified gunblades, others use stranger weapons like glaive guns or las-weapons. The leader of an entire regiment in the engineers is the Engineer Lambda. The Lambda's exoskeleton is armed with plate bloodrock alloy. This armor can actually shift to armor different parts of the body more than usual on the will of the wearer, or even shift into weapons. The Engineer Lambda is armed, with two experimental weapons that he can spend years developing. Many do, in fact, leading to such powerful weapons as hand-held Earthshaker cannons, submachine-glaives, or even the incredibly deadly combi-icethrower, a weapon known for the two settings allow it to shoot jets of flaming napalm and naptha, or its ability to jet loose liquid nitrogen. In summary, the Engineers are a crucial benefit to Hellfire's army.
Walkers – Walkers are a simple concept. When it was considered on the battlefield that mechs couldn't cover the ground that was required, to bring armor forwards, and the terrain was too dangerous for a tank, the Walker was developed. While they aren't armored tanks of mass destruction, a Walker is still effective enough as a scouting force and backup. The Walker is a bipedal light mechanical vehicle. It runs at top speeds of 41 mph, and is able to cover heavy and dangerous terrain with adjustable flat plated feet. It is armed with light armor piercing machine guns as well as a top mounted lascannon for less moderated destruction. The Walker has an agile turning ability, and quick targeting systems. It is able to crouch low, thanks to perfected knee joints, unlike many other mechs. This allows it to often fit into buildings and give it a better firing range. The Walker is able to use power thrusters to reach even higher speeds of 70 mph maximum, yet this is rarely done in heavy terrain. The Walker's weakness is its low level of armor, as it can be taken out by high levels of light arms fire or low levels of heavy arms fire. For this reason, they are not considered to be one of the highest priority vehicles to rescue on a battlefield. Walker pilots have to be accustomed to somewhat shaky rides, as the inside of the cockpit is not proofed against the rocking of a Walker's gait. The final function of the Walker is its chameleon field. For a period of up to 1 hour at a time, a Walker can activate a chameleon field that turns them invisible save for a small flicker in the air. Once this is depleted, it takes another hour to recharge the chameleonic systems.
Diggers – Sometimes combat relies on heavy cover and the ability to get to the enemy, completely disguised by the terrain. None do this better than the Digger. The Digger is 2 meters in diameter, and is a circular metal vehicles equipped with sharp blades and shovel blades all along the sides. At the head of the vehicle is a large bore drill, 3 meters in length. In full, the vehicle is 8 meters in length. The bore drill is diamond tipped and heated, for carving through Hellfire's often very tough ground, or the rock of any other dimensions. They are fitted with blast doors, effectively large hatches, that slam open when the Digger surfaces. The Digger's drill, once surfaced, can be unfolded to reveal 4 auto sentries, calibrated to fire on any target that isn't Hellfire Daemon so as to cause maximum deadly impact when the vehicle surfaces. In the ensuing chaos and gunfight, the transport quarry of the Diggers charge out into the fray, adding to the slaughter. Diggers are designed as underground transports, allowing Daemons to quickly get from one side of the battlefield to the other without being exposed to fire. The Digger is fitted with an acute radar system to allow incredibly accurate location of their destination, and so that they can surface under enemy reinforcements and bunkers, causing untold destruction with undermine skills.
Speedbikers – Speedbikers are the secondary module of Hellfire's bikes. Instead of wheels, they are equipped with a set of engines, developed for a combination of up-thrust and acceleration. Their main armament, is, unlike the heavy caliber gun of the regular classed bikes, a set of twin-linked LMGs. They are fed by chain belts of ammunition that run along small slots along the side. These run beside two coolant vents, in order to stop overheating and sparking a fire within the engines. Though the bike is resistant to heat, as is the rider, it is incredibly distracting to have an engine fire, and can affect the mobility of the rider and the bike. The Speedbike only touches the ground when the engine has been entirely shut down, and the stance tripods have been ejected. Without these variables fulfilled, the Speedbike will stay in a constant hovering state. Both in movement and in standby, the Speedbike remains approximately 2 ft above the ground. This does give it the ability to move over the ocean, though this is not recommended due to the instability that anything liquid has. Speedbikes are able to cope with shifting levels of gradient in ground, though it isn't recommended that they should follow up to constant exposure to such things as otherwise the Speedbike may upturn and collapse. Judging by the speeds that they regularly move out, this could prove fatal for the driver. This is what makes the Speedbike an incredibly risky vehicle to pilot, as there is always the danger of fatality at a wrong turn. They are moderately frail in build, but substitute for this with a movement speed of about 90 mph base, and then, at the highest level of danger and overclocked speed, 270 mph. It is rare that any pilot will dare to move at this speed, as small shifts in the ground can send them tumbling, but, several pilots, like the esteemed Naphtha Rider, nicknamed so for his incredible speed and agility while riding, practice intensely to develop such a skill. The bike has one other armament, which is a set of strong charge cluster mines. In the form of small spheres with glowing green centers, they can be deployed with any time or proximity setting, entered by the biker either mid drive or before, or even post deployment of the mines.
Hammer Tanks – Hellfire's enemies often prefer to build themselves bunkers in the weak hope of safety within their concrete confines. This would be the case, especially with the meter thick walls of Imperial bunkers, if it were not for the Hammer Tanks. No-one knows the name of the Daemon of Hellfire who considered the idea, yet the Hammer Tank has proved to be a devastating weapon. Incredibly armored and fitted with a tank gun that is prepared to bore through any substance. While the Earthshaker is able to completely obliterate anything from a distance, the Hammer Tank can crumble bunkers by merely driving over it. The grips of the tank are thickened and carved into shapes that are meant to take advantage of the weakest points of a concrete structure, finding small sections within the rebar and shattering them, meaning that they can then collapse the structure from that point outwards. The Hammer Tank is also built for driving into other tanks to ram them. The frontal armor is fortified so that this is possible, and an overclock built into the engine means that it is able to temporarily boost its speed, though this is noisy and produces a huge quantity of smoke. This is rarely detrimental to the tank, though progressive study into the vehicle shows that a ram from behind could do incredible damage.
Armored Troops – Often, on a battlefield, troops are completely unable to cross through a storm of enemy guns. This leaves them defenseless, some stuck out in No-Man's land with the inability to return to their lines. This is where the Armored Troops come in. Mounted within amphibian vehicles, the Armored Troops can travel by land and lava to get to their foe, travelling under high cover of the seas or traversing the field of combat under heavy fire from all sides. While they may not be indestructible, they are near enough so. Their thick armor combined with moderately high caliber firepower allows them to repel troops back from them just as they repel the light arms fire they launch off. The maximum of sustainable usually amounts to something like an artillery strike landing directly on the hull of the vehicle. The Armored Troop Tanks have kick down front and back ramps, sealed tight for water traversing yet also incredibly quick to launch, allowing quick rescues of Daemons stuck out on the field. The armaments given to Armored Troops can include anything distributed to heavy fire squads, such as flamethrowers, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, or even RPGs. This is led by the Armored Hunter, the squad leader, who rides shotgun with the trained driver. The Armored Hunter is actually the stealthiest of all of the troops inside the tank. He is dressed in a black combat suit, with a set of light Kevlar over-coating. They often wear balaclavas. The weapons they carry are generally hand carried items, like Hellfire Gunblades. Of course, they have to have stealth here, and so the weapons are equipped with silencers, no matter what they are. The loudest weapons they could even have are SPAS-12 class shotguns taken from Earth and re-purposed for Hellfire's Army.
Titans – Clouds of black smoke roll in from the east as the rumbling footsteps shake the mountains and send the seas a-shuddering. Titans are massive, often bigger than a Hellfire Mech. Though, there is something different about the Titans. While they are included in the military regiment, technically, they are not bound to the military. The Titans under a separate organization, the Voices of Hellfire, also named Hellfire's Arms. They take forth the thunder of the general citizenship and, for this case, can often be found stationed in cities, piloted by everyday people who have been chosen by Titan Princeps as being worthy material for operating these Titans. The training for a Titan Moderati is rigorous and brutal, involving many exercises each day, a nutrient sufficient yet non-luxurious diet and large scale integration with the machine. At some point, the Moderati become so integrated with the machine that they form its spirit and will, and the reverse occurs to them. Veteran Moderati and Princeps can control the Titan outside of it, as long as they are within a couple miles of range. Moderati are armed with a pair of bolt pistols and a mono-molecular synthetic diamond edged dagger known as the 'Titan Knife'. Titans themselves, usually in the form of the Imperium's Imperator, are equipped with huge guns like Plasma Annihilators and Hellstorm Cannons, massive scale artillery guns and combi-plasma nuclear devices that can shatter landscapes and bring rubble to cities in their path. The footsteps of the largest titans can cause minor earthquakes. Some are also equipped with giant close combat weapons like charged blades that can cleave through bedrock stone like it's butter. There can be no doubt, Titans are warlords.
Area Backwood: Stealth Area - Sometimes the Daemons can't win a war by storm. This is when Backwood comes into play. The rarest deployed units of war, spies trained by the Hellfire Assassination Squads and the Elders can also receive specialized training from Hellhunter and his forces in how to move quickly into enemy territory, hit the target hard yet quiet, and get the hell out of there, leaving only ruined vehicles and dead targets in their place. Amongst their forces also come Bike Cavalry, Specialists like the Monster Hunters and the Tigereye Trackers, and many Snipers.
Division Shadehunter - 1st Shadehunter Spies, 2nd Shadehunter Spies, 3rd Shadehunter Engineers, 4th Shadehunter Bike Cavalry
Division Callahan - 1st Callahan Monster Hunters, 2nd Callahan Monster Hunters, 3rd Callahan Sabotagists
Division Tigereye - 1st Tigereye Trackers, 2nd Tigereye Trackers, 3rd Tigereye Snipers, 4th Tigereye Snipers
Division Counterstrike - 1st Counterstrike Espionists, 2nd Counterstrike Sabotagists, 3rd Counterstrike Spies, 4th Counterstrike Scouts
Terms Explained –
Spies – Silent through the streets of Hellguard, dodging through the shadows in the Abyssal city of Brallahar, armed with a silenced Spike Rifle and a Shade Scythe, the Hellfire Spy. His deadliest weapons are speed and stealth. Dressed in jet black and lithe, spies are trained so that they can get almost anywhere silently without the knowledge of the enemy. So many times have they entered cities or even the enemy army's headquarters that it has become a basic practice for the Hellfire Daemons. They are able to sneak, swim, sprint and everything else that would be required to get them to their target. Of course, many consider the life of the spy to be an easy one, full of flash action, alcohol and loose women. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many of the spies are avoided by their kin for their occupation. Spies spend most of their lives alone, never meeting comrades and never having true friends that won't stab them in the back. They watch silently from the dark, often leading to many of the horrible events that have seen spies turn their back on Hellfire, and in fact, all nations, and walk off into the wilderness, sometimes just to die. Some spies manage to make exceptions for themselves, but usually they are so veteran that Hellfire couldn't afford to lose them, so they have to take liberties. No man can walk out of Hellfire's spies, once they are incorporated, they do so for life. Service before the Elders is unto death, in the case of the spies.
Bike Cavalry – Bike Cavalry are equipped with bikes of the highest order of stealth. Painted a mixture of black hues, red paints and infused with smoke and pure fear, they are able to shimmer against the landscape of Hellfire, appearing as a simple heatwave on the enemy radar and sights. Their engines are rigorously silenced so as to produce no noise save for the slightest hiss. A combination of central ridging and external smoothing allows for strong gripping yet silent maneuvering. The final touch, the rider, equipped with a pair of handguns and a silenced spike rifle, able to cross far landscapes and find his targets. He is also dressed in the same black material as was used to construct his bike, making him an even harder target. The rider is also equipped with a powerful targeted, that allows them to requisition troops or airstrikes at the selected position. Very few civilians ever get to see one of these soldiers in action, yet the few who do often see them riding across the plains of Hellfire, trailing dust and fear. Very rarely, an injured Bike Cavalry member will be rescued by a civilian, but it is part of the law that a Bike member's mask must not be removed save for the direst of situations where they have received multiple injures to the face that can only be treated through direct intervention.
Monster Hunters – On wings of shadows, through blades of night, in darkest hours come the Monster Hunters. There is a destined path for those few Daemons born with wings. This is the path of the Monster Hunter. One of the most trained groups of assassins in Hellfire's army, the Monster Hunters combine speed, stealth and ranged accuracy. They are fast to get on point, and once there can provide deadly covering fire or a strong overview of the battlefield that few can counter. Monster Hunters are gifted light armour designed by highly intelligent technicians, who are given the job of designing a hollow armour, which is still durable enough to allow the Monster Hunters to undergo some fire. The armour is also designed to emit a shrieking sound as it funnels wind through it, making the Monster Hunters an effective terror weapon. Of course, to remain stealthy, Monster Hunters will often only activate this function when required to terrify their opponent as they hurtle towards them. This armour that they have is also reflective and projective. It allows the Monster Hunters to take on the colours of their surroundings, close to an invisibility field. It works at high speed, though there is still a faint outline of the Monster Hunter as they swoop. It was at first advised for Monster Hunters to have Spike Rifles, for they could get in a shot from distance. This idea was changed because it was believed that the Spike Rifle would not be effective enough moving at high speeds through the air, and its accuracy meant that the Monster Hunters would have to receive extra training. Despite their already rigorous training scheme, it was not believed that there was more room for such arms training. So, the choice of weapon was changed. Instead, the Monster Hunters were armed with two weapons. A long ranged weapon and a sweeping weapon. The sweeping weapon of choice was a napalm based flamethrower, a brutal morale defiling weapon. The long ranged weapon was a scoped extended Hellfire Gunblade. The flamethrower took bare minimum training to use, so all training could be used for the Gunblade. The Gunblade also had an automatic fire setting, decreasing its accuracy but far increasing its damage output. Monster Hunters are also trained to have equal air agility to the fastest and most agile of jets, able to dodge AA rounds and other guns that are able to reach their altitude. The first Monster Hunter is still alive, and leads the group.
Sabotagists - Sabotagists have a similar job to Hellfire's Spies. That is, the job of the spies are to infiltrate specific places. Sabotagists are trained in the art of violent guerilla warfare. Their aim? To make sure every one of the enemy's war engines either blows up or doesn't work before the battle has even started. They will sneak into the enemy war camps, or even the garages of their main cities to complete their objectives. Sabotage can be effected in many ways, whether it's permanently putting the vehicles out of action, or temporarily stalling them to allow for more time. To cope with this versatility, the Sabotagist is armed with many types of weapon and tool. The first in his armoury, the magma cutter. The magma cutter is shaped like a welding torch, and functions effectively like a knife, save for the facts that the knife is made of fire and burns at a heat hotter than magma, hence the name, magma cutter. This can be used to precision slash through important wires on the vehicle. It can also cut electric wires without transferring the electricity to the user, and so avoiding electric shock. The second item, is the Electromagnetic Pulse Thaumoyield, or the EMPTY, for short. There are two functions of the EMPTY. The first is the EMP, the electromagnetic pulse. This can be used to knock out electrical circuits and wiring for a large distance. This can be used against many enemy war machines. There are of course, entirely analog war machines, where there is no digital functions. For this, there is the Thaumoyield. The Thaumoyield will empty a petrol tank or an engine of its fuel and transmute this fuel into a hazardous black liquid. No energy can be withdrawn from this liquid, and it is highly corrosive. As well as this, the Thaumoyield will have this same effect on other analog power sources. Nuclear reactors will have their coolant replaced with hot magma and so on. The EMPTY is a small silver and black box, with clamps on the bottom. When attached to something, it glows a little, in a dark purple-black. The third tool in the arsenal of the Sabotagist is much less advanced, and miles less stealthy. Amongst the members of the Imperium, such a weapon is known as a Melta Canister. The Sabotagist carries 4 Melta Canisters in a metal storage box that is strapped to his back. Melta canisters are somewhere between grenades and a bomb, but their payload is mightily destructive. When activated by a twist handle at the top, the melta canister has a 10 second countdown. When this is over, the canister detonates, generated a field of superheated air and concentrated light and energy beams, which blast and burn through most substances. These are both anti-infantry and anti-vehicle, but are much more suited to vehicular destruction. As for the weapons that Sabotagists carry, they often carry multi-purpose blades, flick knives, butterfly blades. For ranged weapons, depending on the job of the Sabotagist, they may carry Hellfire Gunblades, Blackshots, Bolters, or even Spike Rifles.
Trackers- Trackers may not exactly be the deadliest of spies, but they are close to the most important. Trackers are the eyes, ears, and binoculars of the army. Trackers are mounted spy scouts, whose aim is to provide details on the enemy's army and the terrain that it is most probable to fight on. They are hardly armed, but, their lack of armour and arms allows them to move at much faster speeds, with lack of burden. The only weapons given to a tracker are a bolt pistol, and a small dagger for final situations. Other than that, they are clad in a tight invisibility field suit. This makes them incredibly hard to see, even when riding. Their horses proved the biggest problem to the technicians. How could they disguise an entire horse? The answer was not complex to them. They took Gunbladeteer mounts, the electric blue and white skeletal mounts, then, infused them with fear metal and the soul of a Hellfire Daemon. What was formed was a horse that moved at incredible speeds, but, while it was moving, disguised itself with its surroundings. The influence of the Hellfire Daemon soul meant a connection with Hellfire itself. The horse could literally become part of the world, with its rider, meaning they could dissipate into the surroundings. This is the advantage of the Tracker on the field, even when he is caught in a place where he cannot survive, the Tracker can disappear away. The Tracker is also given a hololithic transporter, allowing them to send fast and useful messages back to HQ for analysis and development.
Snipers - Hellfire's Snipers are a rarely known force. Mostly associated with Area Scope, due to it being the territory of marksman, it is not usually thought that Backwood would take advantage of such things. They did. Backwood considered that if it was going to be stealthy, ranged assassination was equally important as those close up in the field. The Snipers of Backwood differ somewhat from those of Scope. Scope's snipers are trained to pick off specific targets on the field, to eliminate them in the heat of war. Backwood's are trained to find their targets before the battle, before anything has even begun, and take them out quickly and efficiently. The two are generally distrusting of each other, and refuse to co-operate. Backwood Snipers are armed with a hyper-charged Spike Rifle, firing darts at double the power of the regular shot. These Rifles are also silenced and painted black with Fear-alloy based paint, to fix in with the shadows. They are also equipped with an optional tripod, and a scope, to give a view in the distance. The final function of such spike rifles, is an extendable barrel which can be slid out or retracted at the touch of a button. Backwood Snipers are in a body tight suit. This is not fitted with an invisibility field, but the snipers do have a manifold camouflage cloak which changes colour to fit to the surroundings. It may not be as effective, but it does have many more uses, as demonstrated by one particular sniper in his quest to hunt his target. This sniper found his target had mounted a mag train, and used his camouflage cloak as a way to halt the mag-lev, placing the cloak on the mag-lev railway. The material of the cloak removed the magnetic connection between the train and the rail, causing it to halt for him to be able to mount the train and hunt his target, still taking his coat with him. The cloak of a sniper allows him to get through x-ray fields and other such things with revealing he has any weapons on him. As well as this, the Sniper has a mask, skull shaped and painted black that includes a visor with multiple kinds of vision, range finders, and information depositories.
Espionists - The main weapons of the Espionist are their mind and ears. The job of the espionist is to infiltrate the enemy, and thieve any kind of important intel they can, in any way they can. This can include eavesdropping, thievery, and occasionally, taking a prisoner. The Espionist is one of the most technologically advanced creations of Hellfire's army, mainly because he has no certain face. The Espionist was equipped with a mouldable genetical structure, which is able to change at will into any person on which he has enough details about. His voice also changes, and he can send his original personality into a trance to mimic that of the person he is copying. The disadvantage, is that to get this, a DNA sample needs to be acquired from the enemy that he is copying. The Espionist is also equipped with two one-way teleporters. Neither of these is mainly for his use. In fact, they are used for acquiring prisoners. Pre-coded and calculated with high security prison cells, these can be attached to someone with an adhesive, and they can be teleported into such prison cell. Of course, some espionists occasionally use these to escape from deadly situations where their cover has been blown, leading to a very interesting situation of being accidentally locked in a prison cell. The Espionist carries a small but intensely sharp knife, used for slashing windpipes or nervous cords to put an enemy out of action quickly and silently. He also carries a one shot fire arm. The weapon is armed with a single bullet and charge, and is completely silenced. It is used to get out of tight situations.
Scouts - The Scouts of Hellfire are by no means in the traditional sense. It was a huge debate whether a single unit of Scouts should be put within Area Backwood. The Backwood Soldiers argued they made too much noise and would ruin their reputation. The rest of Hellfire's military argued the Scouts could be incredibly stealthy when they needed to, often more than the Spies of Hellfire. Eventually the debate won through on the Scouts side. While the Trackers function as the actual 'scouts' of the fighting force, the Scouts themselves act as the heavy back up to a Spy. Whenever a Spy needs rescuing as they have been captured, or when a Spy wants immediate action taken on intel deployed by him, the Scouts are ready. Clad in black heavy armour, sigilled 'Dies Irae', the Scouts are given the wide choice of the combined armouries of the Imperium and Hellfire, as well as some experimental weapons provided by Technicians and the Adeptus Mechanicus, as their arsenal. When the Scouts have chosen their arsenal, weapon checks take place quickly, checking that the weapon is not damaged, and that it will not suddenly malfunction in combat. Then the Scouts are given a choice of mount, that is, if they want one. Some Scouts choose to go unmounted, and for some missions it is advised that they do. Scouts of Backwood have a tendency to choose sleek black Stealth Bikes, with silenced engines, for their speed and stealth when approaching the enemy, and the secondary weapon that can be equipped onto the bike. Then, in a group, the Scouts all pitch in to come up with a battle plan, drawing it out on a map of the battlefield with the information given to them by the Spy. Dividing out jobs between self-assigned 'squads', the Scouts make sure everything does not rest upon one crucial action, dividing such responsibility out between all the Daemons. Then, they take off. Striking in different flanking actions, the Scouts come in like multiple swinging hammer blows, flanking and charging the enemy, as well as backstabbing them with a cruel pincer and blade movement. Scouts are often left well alone by High Command, as they function much better on their own, and dislike the interruption of 'higher Daemons who've never seen the bloody field of war for themselves'.
Area Holmenhart: Versatility Area - Over the years, the most deployed unit has been Holmenhart. They have assisted in every battle for Hellfire since their creation as well as being called in for skirmish combat against rebels within Hellfire. They side a lot of the time with Havock's 5th Scout Regiment, due to the combat adaptability of either. Holmenhart is equipped with regiments of varying types, which is its advantage. No Division has a set armoury or theme. The soldiers of Holmenhart choose their training and that is collaborated with general combat training. This is deadly on the battlefield, especially when accompanied by 5th Scout Regiment.
Division Ashback - 1st Ashback Bikers, 2nd Ashback Beach Charge, 3rd Ashback Mech Walkers, 4th Ashback Flamer Squads, 5th Ashback Mages
Division Bloodrock - 1st Bloodrock Mechs, 2nd Bloodrock Fear Hunters, 3rd Bloodrock Spike Snipers, 4th Bloodrock Building Breakers
Division Kantharider - 1st Kantharider Warp Sprinters, 2nd Kantharider Grenadiers, 3rd Kantharider Walkers
Division Xenoblade - 1st Xenoblade Korpsmen, 2nd Xenoblade Dragonriders, 3rd Xenoblade Knights, 4th Xenoblade Cataclysts, 5th Xenoblade Sunfire Troopers
Terms Explained -
Beach Charge - The Beach Charge are similar to the Beachforce, yet they way that they come in is much different. The Beachforce often finds themselves swimming to shore, to avoid detection. This is not the case for the Beachforce. They use Conqueror Pods. These are modified escape pods loaded onto a specialized catapult/cannon function on a Carrier ship. They can fit eight men, and are fitted with G-Force and Gravitational dampeners so that the men inside can remain standing upright when they are launched. The Conqueror Pods are fired from the cannon, at a range for up to 2 miles. They take under 10 seconds to reach the shore. When they land, automated Hellfire Gunblade sentries open up and fire at any target that isn't an ally. They have a 360 degree spread of fire, and will cut down anything that gets too close to the soldiers. The actual landing function makes sure that the Conqueror pods carve themselves a ditch into the sand. The doors then open from the back. Small dozer blades are placed at the bottom to shift any materials that can get in the way of the doors opening. Then, the final function of the Conqueror pods, shields fizzle open at the back, providing a covering wall for the Beach Chargers. They can spew covering fire from this point, and then, when they are able, lead the charge up the beach. Beach Chargers are usually equipped with Gunblades, Blackshots and Bolters. Their armour is slightly larger than most, as they are running into direct fire up the beach.
Flamer Squads - Flamer Squads are mostly self-explanatory. They are squads of Hellfire Daemons equipped with powerful flamethrowers. The ammunition for the flamethrowers can changed, as well as their model. Some use Hellfire's Magma and Gas Combi-Version. Some use the Imperium's Flamer designed, fueled by blazing Promethium. And some use a standard napalm flamethrower, though this is a little rarer than the others. The Flamer Squads do not require much armour, as the aim of the enemy is mostly knocked out by the obscuring wall of flames. As well as that, the Hellfire Daemons need no protection from the flames they produce. While explosions can injure them, heat has no effect. Flamer Squads are often drawn from a pool of volunteers who have had previous training with fire. Some have basic skills in pyromancy, which they use alongside their flamethrower.
Mages - While there are varied views on magic and its use in Hellfire's society, the majority view is that it is a positive thing. This is of course disagreed by their allies, the Imperium of Man, but they have no implication in the law making of Hellfire, and any violent actions on their magicians and mages would provoke an all-out war. This general view in Hellfire does of course continue into the military. The use of magic in Hellfire's military is widespread, often relying on the Hellfire Daemon's innate ability to use pyromancy. For the more entirely magically talented, there is the Mages regiment. Unlike the stereotypical magic school, the Mages Regiment is not at all secretive, due to the lack of repression of their abilities. They are very happy to share their ideas and news to the other Daemonic Regiments. The most common of the Mages regiment is the Pyromancer, the ability to control fire, as this is the base kind of magic that a Daemon knows. If a pyromancer gains enough ability and strength, they can often be elected for training from an elite group that is trained by Valiant Squad themselves, then return to the Mages Squad to fight in the elite First Company of the Mages. A less common but much more powerful mage, is a Bass Mage. Born with innate control over music and its effects on the atmosphere, Bass Mages are often able to produce incredible volumes and levels of bass in high velocity, to weaponize it. Elites of these Mages train under both Darksbane and Alekzander, and possibly Elder Songborn to train their talents, and to learn how to music to their advantage. They are then returned to First Company. There is only a couple kinds of repressed magic, those being Necromancy and Shadowmancy. The two are only repressed for the fact that they often corrupt the wielder, yet, if their talents are considered too powerful to put to waste, they are trained under Elder Nightcall. Despite his insane state, Nightcall is still able to provide lessons in Necro and Shadowmancy. There is one kind of Mage that is only seen a couple of thousand years in Hellfire. That is, the Hydromancer. The Hydromancer was previously considered an impossibility by the Hellfire Daemons, due to their terrible weakness to water. The Hydromancer was a physical impossibility, a vicious cycle of pain. Or at least, that's what was considered. Until the first was discovered. A Hellfire Daemon resistant to the taints of both water and fire. Their main weakness, electricity in all its forms. The Hydromancer is elected for immediate training under Elder Songborn. The first Hydromancer was discovered in the mists of Hellfire's history, and only 1 other has been since, though his location was lost, and he was presumed dead, despite the strength of the Hydromancer and the improbability that one would die so easily.
Fear Hunters - The Fear Hunters were considered by many to be a downgrade of Area Backwood, or the Fear Renders in Area Alpha. That was, until the discovery that the Renders of Alpha were stock of the Hunters of Holmenhart, and that they far surpassed the Spies of Backwood in their level of terror. Fear Hunters are not assassins, they are some of the most sickening, brutal psychotics taken from Hellfire's citizens, clad in armour made of Fear itself and trained to fight. The ethical and safety debate over this was long and arduous, and continued for 10 years in whole. The only proving statement is when the Fear Hunters were first used on the field. They proved to be a very effective terror weapon. Too effective, some would argue, for it was found that many of the enemy prisoners of war taken had mentally snapped into gibbering wrecks. The armour of Fear Hunters is forged of the rare Fear metal found in the deepest layers of Hellfire. They are not given ranged weapons, but are instead allowed to forge their own blades from Fear metal, under tight supervision and after rigorous forge training. At deployment, the Fear Hunters are often heard screaming or gibbering insanely, before charging at the enemy. The simultaneous effects of the Fear metal and the screaming can prove to be too much for even the most courageous of enemies, leading to full routs, or a breakdown of command. The Fear Hunters kill with wild abandon, slaughtering everything that steps into their path. They are deployed well away from their allies, to make sure that they do not kill their own. A Fear Hunter who kills a certain amount in combat is then promoted to a Fear Render.
Spike Snipers - Spike Snipers are snipers with a little less range under their belts, but a very different kind of attack. Instead of the traditional lone sniper taking out targets tactics Spike Snipers will group up in teams of 6-12, and find good enough cover placing them in line of the enemy's march path. Then, they will unleash upon the enemy, rending loose lines of spikes from their spike rifles. They are used for their paroxysm effect, which can efficiently knock out entire lines of a marching army. Spike Snipers are equipped with assault jet packs, allowing them to move quickly into cover and set up before the enemy can even get there. They will defend the rest of their team to the death, and Spike Snipe Teams are often known in sticky situations to use the back to back circle tactic, spreading fire into the enemy. They usually refuse promotions, as that would split them apart from the rest of their teams, which their brotherhood often does not allow.
Building Breakers - The Building Breakers are an elite regiment of infantry based demolitionists, who use high powered explosives to clear the way for other infantry and vehicles. Their base weapon is a gravity implicator, embedded in a large warhammer. The gravity implicator is able to increase the gravitational potential energy that the weapon swings with, meaning the weapon can swing with an incredible amount of energy. These weapons are usually called GI-Hammers, standing for Gravitational Implication Hammer. They are incredibly effective for demolishing buildings, being able to strike through several feet of brick wall with ease. They are also useful against enemy armour. Many a tank has fallen when the Building Breakers have turned their objective to combat. The Building Breakers often don't just fall a building in any old direction, they maintain certain sides of the building so it will keel onto an enemy division or such. While they are not exactly reknowned as heroes of Hellfire, the Building Breakers get the job done quickly and efficiently. They are also equipped with Disintegration Bombs. Such weapons can be used to clear roads of rubble. A set area is planted with blue UV markers, then, the armed bomb place into the centre. The bomb will detonate, yet its radius will be kept inside the marker field. While it is not a fast technique, it is certainly a useful one. Disintegration Bombs can be operated without the markers, but have a maximum range of 5 meters. This is extended with markers. Building Breakers are also known for their bulky suits of Mark Ecchius Talos Assistance Lifter armour, or, METAL armour for short. This is a power assisted movement suit made of thick bloodrock alloy. Equipped with a rebreather set and powerful hydraulics, METAL armour can be used to lift heavy rubble out of the way as if it was incredibly light. It is also resistance to light arms fire. Its disadvantage is that it is very bulky, and restricts movement somewhat.
Warp Sprinters - The Warp Sprinters are users of both Imperial and Hellfire technology, combined into the same set. After the Kanthi and the Hellfire Daemons lost any friendship between each other, it was considered that Kanthi Warp Technology far surpassed that of Hellfire, though Hellfire far surpassed in weaponization. When Hellfire and the Imperium allied together, it was also discovered that the Imperial Psykers and their Battleships also had a technology that could cross a new dimension, the Immaterium, though it was rough-shod and dangerous. The diplomats who had tried to make contact with the Kanthi to reforge an alliance and the explorers of Kantharl were interestingly and surprisingly the first to volunteer for a role in the ranks of the Warp Sprinters. Hellfire took the technology of the Imperium, as well as some of that of the Kanthi, and forged them together, then, added the technology used in Hellfire's jetbikes. What was created was a set of glowing black material, which came to be known as Keltite. Keltite was then taken to the forges, and from it, weapons and armour were built. There was one problem. Keltite was a cold material, and refused to stay warm. So the Hellfire Daemons came up with a way to stop this. They infused their very blood into it. This still didn't work, and it was realized. Life blood was needed to complete the final piece of the armour. Volunteers were asked for, those who would lay down their lives to create such armour. With the patriotism that lived within Hellfire's heart, many did volunteer. They were killed quickly and painlessly, and their lifeblood added to the metal and reforged. What came from the forge was a metal that was constantly alight with a black fire. Attempts to put it out would result in naught. And so, Blazing Keltite was made. Blazing Keltite was created en masse, until there was enough to build an entire regiments armour, and repair it for thousands of years. Many Daemons stepped forth to claim a place in the ranks of the Warp Sprinters, but the places were given to those who knew the Kanthi best. Even diplomats found themselves within the ranks of the army. Training was long and rigorous. Some of the most brutal masters were pressed upon the Warp Sprinters, to make sure that the lives of those sacrificed for Blazing Keltite were not wasted. Soon, the Warp Sprinters became some of the most cold blooded, clinical killers in Hellfire's standard army. Armed in full Blazing Keltite armour and carrying blades made of the exact same material, the Warp Sprinters got their first test when an Abyssal army marched on their sacred city of Solkenheim. From the gates and walls of the city burst the forces of Hellfire Daemons, but they were far outsped by a black wall of soldiers, moving at warp tier speeds towards the Abyssals. The Warp Sprinters charged, drawing blades of Keltite and leaping upon the Abyssals. Such speed that they moved at that the first two lines of Abyssals were killed outright by the impact, but the others faced just as quick a fate. The blades of the Hellfire Daemons moved faster than possible reaction times, blazing through bodies and churning like a whirlwind. When a Warp Sprinter occasionally fell, the personal teleporter on his body would activate, reclaiming the Keltite armour and his body. The Warp Sprinters were born. To summarize, the Warp Sprinters are a speed unit of Hellfire, able to move at warp speeds equal to that of the Kanthi.
Grenadiers - Humble yet powerful, the Grenadiers of Hellfire are simple soldiers. Armed with a set of flak grenades, they are armed with Spike Carbines, a faster shot and slightly less ranged version of the Spike Rifle, armed with a clip of Spikes rather than a single. They are Hellfire's marching man. Dressed in regimental uniforms and red bloodrock alloy helmets, the Grenadier regiments are grim faced and stubborn. They know of the low rates of survival for Daemons of their kind, yet refuse to stand down in the face of it all. It would be too far to say that they are fearless, everything fears something, but, the Grenadiers are close. Following orders from High Command, Grenadiers lead the charges. They have some of the largest numbers of all the regiments. They do not use conscription tactics, all those in their army are volunteers. There is no character of Daemon that is required to get into the Grenadiers, as long as they can be stalwart, and can get through the tough training regime. The sergeants within the Grenadiers try hard to keep the morale up, but it's a tough job for those that know that they have given their life to the cause, and that there is no stepping away now. Grenadiers often form strong brotherhoods together within their squads, but are heart hardened enough to know that if one of their brothers fall, they will be able to cope. While High Command has never understood the personalities of the men on the ground, they are respected deeply by the other regiments, and those who look down on the bravery and courage of the Grenadiers are swiftly and brutally reprimanded. The Grenadiers are usually exposed to the most brutal conditions on the field, slogging through rivers of lava and the molten mud created by such tides. The Grenadiers are the figurehead of Hellfire's Arms, because of their closeness to the people of Hellfire. There is of course, one troop darker than the Grenadiers.
Korpsmen - The Korpsmen of Hellfire are that level lower. It is thought by many that there is no level lower than men who choicefully forsake their lives to the cause. That is, until the Korpsmen were formed. A much smaller regiment than the Grenadiers, the Korpsmen have one purpose, one use. They are used in any mission that would be surefire suicide, where the survival rate is 0%. In fact, there is no death and survival counts after a Korspmen mission, because the outcome is already known. If a Korpsman is alive after his mission, it is often found that instead of attempting to return, he will kill himself. Whether this is out of honour, escaping the horror that is their life, or some other unknown cause, it occurs on a 99% basis. The Korpsmen are drawn from a bank of elects for the job, not always voluntary, most definitely not in some cases. These elects come from many parts of society, but the most common is from prisons. Prisoners who are serving a sentence that they will never come out of, or are on deathrow, are offered a choice. They can serve their sentence, or choose the Korpsmen. Some are not even given the choice, they are pressed into the Korpsmen, but these cases are rare and only used for the most despicable of criminals. In most cases, the offer is given. Some outright refuse, closing off that path, and they are left to their sentence. But some accept. Of course, they know not fully what they are walking themself into. A world of nightmares and pain awaits them, for the training of the Korpsmen is more hateful and desolate to the soul than any other. The aim of the training is not to conjure spirit and toughness in the men, it is to break their spines so much that they will never have the backbone to act against their commanders, or their peers. The training regime is to install such terror into even the darkest hearts, that it conjures a cruel, grim and dark discipline. The invention of the Korpsmen was one of Hellfire's darkest moments, but was needed in order to combat the Abyssals that threatened the cities. When the Abyssals shrunk away, the Korpsmen were almost disbanded, for the morality of the idea was terrible. But, more threats sunk their teeth into Hellfire, and the Korpsmen were needed once again, to beat back the foe with deadly strikes. There would be no point heavily arming these men. They were going in for a suicide mission, one where the equipment would not be returning. No point wasting such powerful equipment if it would surely be lost. No, Korpsmen are armed with the near basics. Black gas rebreather masks, dark trenchcoats, and Spike Carbines and Rifles. The furthest given to Korpsmen are Imperial Standard Lasguns. Other equipment is also added if so required for the mission type. There are highly mixed opinions on the use of Korpsmen regiments in Hellfire, and so the regiment count was reduced to a single Korpsmen group, just larger as it incorporated all others. In short, the Korpsmen do the jobs that no-one else in Hellfire would do. Hellfire Daemon Generals try and make sure that their units do not interact with the Korpsmen.
Dragonfires - Dragonfires are warrior-pyromages. They are named so because instead of training under a Daemon drill-sergeant the Dragonfires get an even harder master. Hellfire Dragons lead the training of Dragonfires, conjuring a whole new level of fire strength within the spirit. Because of this, only the most honourable Pyromancers are chosen to fight for Hellfire as Dragonfires. The ranks of the Dragonfires are small, yet even a single Dragonfire can kill tens of thousands of the enemy. To arm the Dragonfires, it was considered that they would need to keep up with the military stance of Hellfire, the modern one. Instead of being arm with simple broadswords, the Dragonfires were given remodelled and redesigned Hellfire Gunblades, forged with a longer and more deadly blade, then running a duel barrel on either side, meaning that there was a higher fire rate. The sword itself was thin edged, but a moderately heavy blade in its making. The armour of Dragonfires is more interesting. The Dragonfires are told to forge their own armour, using whatever materials they can find. They are given 3 years to amass resources and forge themselves fine sets of armour. Some go with the traditional Knight's Warrior pattern armour with their own twist on it, but a couple of Dragonfires have been known to take this path a lot further. In 3 years, the most famous Dragonfire, Ezekiel Kabaddul, forged himself a set of power fielded armour from Bloodrock and Ceramite. It was assumed that Ezekiel had gone all the way to the Imperium to acquire such materials, and for such determination, he was awarded a rise in the ranks of the Dragonfires, to the Dragonblaze, the leader. The former leader had died in battle, surrounded by millions of Abyssals as he, alongside those of Hellfire's Arms, tried to defend a small village far off the outskirts of Hellguard, a prelude to the attack on Hellguard itself. The death was a morale blow to the defending units at Hellguard. But, coinciding with the day that the Abyssals attacked, the new aspirants were to complete their armour and so their rise to Dragonfire status. And so, as the Abyssals attacked, Ezekiel led a charge through the gates, far increasing the morale. The veteran Dragonfires came alongside him, saluting to their younger, yet somehow more experienced commander.
Knights - Piety, patriotism and strength are the two main skills required to be a Knight. If anything, they can be considered as Hellfire's holy warriors. While Hellfire does not have a full religion as such, there is much spiritual belief within the world. The Knights harness this spiritual feeling, as well as the glorification of their dimension. That is their fighting spirit, the force that drives them, their version of determination. Knights are genetically boosted Hellfire Daemons, made stronger, more enduring, and more intelligent through the modes of genetic modification by the Elders. The Imperium of Man accused the Hellfire Daemons of plagiarism of the Space Marines, and so a contest was held, to test the strengths of each of them. While it was found that the Space Marines had better reaction times and aim, the Hellfire Knights were found to be better in close combat, effectively becoming a wall of blades in combat. As of the result of the contest, the Imperium shared a couple of the secret formulae that the Space Marines were created with. From this, the Hellfire Knights could be furthered. They became the superior fighting force of Hellfire, the close combat elites. If anything, the Knights were first considered as members of Alpha Legion, but then it was considered that Holmenhart would provide them the versatility of weaponry to maximise their potential. The Knights carry blades forged from Keltite and Fear. They are surrounded by a superheated power field, which shimmers like a sheen of moving magma down the blade, bright orange and hot white, and glimmers angrily. Knights can be equipped within several types of armour, but the most common is Tactical Armour, a moderately thick set of Bloodrock Plate, with Ceramite added to it, like Ezekiel of the Dragonfires. It is forged and then is added to the nervous system of the Knight. It can be disconnected, but the connection to the nervous system means the suit acts as a second skin, meaning that the Knights within do not feel the weight of their suit, as it moves in accordance with their nervous system. The next kind of armour is Hammerkin Armour, or as the Imperium like to call it, Hellfire's Terminator. The armour is incredibly thick Bloodrock Plate, airtight and much bigger than Tactical Armour. It works in the same way as Tactical Armour, save for that there are not weapons separate to the armor. There are loaded gatling gun systems on the arms, as well as a heat energy blade in the other fist, which in itself has a power field enclosed about it. The Knights are a fast deployable force which often interchanges the weapons it uses to suit situations better.
Cataclysts - Battlefield science always leads to effectivity. At least, that's the belief of the Cataclysts, who are battlefield experimenters and scientists. They develop experimental new weapons and test them on the field of war, alongside new vehicles, armours and chemicals. They are identified by their visor like masks, unless they are testing out a new kind of headgear, in which case, they should be identified anyway. Much of the battlefield research that goes on often surrounds bass weaponry, meaning that their workshops are often incredibly noisy and constantly vibrating. Cataclysts are also known for their spectrum-like behaviour. Some are incredibly clinical when on the battlefield, refusing to let emotion ruin their various tests and experiments. Other Cataclysts believe that downing copious amounts of alcohol, developing some kind of new bass weapon, then testing while still drinking more alcohol is the best way about it, leading to some very interesting creations. For example, a high ranking Cataclyst, Cintare Legatus created one of his most powerful weapons while drunk, the deadly and furious Bass Hammer. Though rarely used by Hellfire units due to its expensiveness to make, the Bass Hammer is incredibly powerful, and can blow away entire tanks of the enemy at a swing. It is experiments like these that allows the Cataclysts to keep doing what they do. Of course, when testing, many Cataclysts put their lives seriously at risk, due to the chance of their weapon not working in a live fire situation. This means that they wear a standard armour, an effective energy field labcoat. That is unless the Cataclyst has developed a more substantial and effective armour to use, in which case they can wear that.
Sunfire Troopers - High impact and high mobility are the keywords of the Sunfire Troopers. First named Storm Troopers, they are heavy infantry units, carrying powerful weaponry that allows them to make deadly and intrinsic shock attacks into enemy territory. Reinforced by bike and tank units, the Storm Trooper units are trained with footage from Earth warfare and texts. What they discovered were several kinds of important military history and powerful tactics used by humankind. Certain footages were considered appropriate for use in warfare. The Troopers particularly favoured a certain tactic used by humans in later stages of their history, one known to them as Blitzkrieg, but known to the Hellfire Daemons as Wildfire. Quick shock attacks, driving the enemy before they are able to even register your location and rolling in heavy units from multiple locations at once, confusing and shocking the enemy. Another tactic that the Storm Troopers discovered was found in an ancient military text created by humankind. The name of such text was 'The Art of War', created by a human known as 'Sun Tzu'. This text was highly regarded by the Daemons, as it contained hefty military knowledge that would boost their ability to fight. The Storm Troopers combined this with their ability of Wildfire, and then went to war with such things. From that point onwards, Wildfire and the Art of War were considered two of the best tactics that the Storm Troopers had ever come to handle, so much that the Storm Troopers considered changing their name to the Sunfire Troopers. This soon became the new name when it was found in the historical footage of the humans, what the purpose of such 'Storm Troopers' were to the reign of humans that created the act of Blitzkrieg, or Wildfire. Wildfire was still used, due to its tactical genius, but, the name Storm Troopers was never used again, Sunfire Troopers sounding much better and having no historical link whatsoever. Sunfire Troopers carry heavy weapons such as heavy bolters, plasma cannonry, Bloodrock Portable Ballista, Advanced Hand Cannons, and Electrical D-Cannons.
Area Scope: Marksmanship Area - Area Scope, named after its amazing snipers, is quite moderately deployed, and even when they are, the snipers within the Divisions are trained well enough to never, ever be seen on the field. They are always at the back of the combat forces, usually in elevated points like buildings. Due to their skills, they are often known Bad Company, which is a term coined by their enemies, who found themselves running into the guns of Bad Company. They are all skilled in long ranged combat, basic melee, and crossfire web skills.
Division Simohunter - 1st Simohunter Snipers, 2nd Simohunter Bike Snipers, 3rd Simohunter Elites, 4th Simohunter Reserve Snipers
Division Krakshot - 1st Krakshot Snipers, 2nd Krakshot Snipers, 3rd Krakshot Snipers, 1st Krakshot Elites, Krakshot 1st and Only Artillery Regiment,
Division Vindarace - 1st Vindarace Snipers, 2nd Vindarace Artillery Regiment
Division Snipesight - 1st Snipesights Snipers, 2nd Snipesights Snipers, 3rd Snipesights Snipers, 4th Snipesights Snipers, 1st and Only Snipesights Honers
Terms Explained:
Snipers: Snipers are the base unit of Area Scope. This does not make them at all ineffective, or the lowest in skill. Armed with Bloodrock Hav.33 Sniper Rifles, equipped with alt. Night Vision scoping, Snipers of Area Scope work in squads of 4-5. These squads move together, disguised in thermal and reflective camouflage cloaks. Each of them wears light body armour, and a black helmet, with telescopic lens available as a side function. This allows for further sight, when spotting targets, but does not improve ability when scoping, as it cannot affect the weapons reliability. Snipers carry a pouch with them, known as the Kit and Tools bag, the KAT bag. Within this is a silencer for a rifle, a small medkit, an emergency beacon, and an extra clip of ammunition. As their side arm weapon, Snipers carry the SUSS Rifle, the Shortbarrel UnderStock Spike Rifle. This is a spike rifle, adapted to come in the form of a pistol. It has 4 spikes per round, stored in an angular clip. The pistol is not good for prolonged fighting, due to its lack of advanced ammunition, but can help in a short shootout at a closer range. As well as this, they carry standard combat knives, produced from bloodrock alloy. The Hav.33 is a bolt action, high velocity rifle, stopping fast fire interchanges, but meaning that if a target is hit, despite their armour, they'll be wounded, and for any light armoured foe, there is a high chance of mortal wounding. Scope's Snipers deploy themselves during battle for more adaptability, as opposed to their distrusted counterparts, who deploy before the battle. They move with the sway of battle, eliminating field sergeants, generals, and holding down the enemy as much as they can. They deploy from intel delivered by the intricate network of Scouts and Honers that scour the battlefield for the warlords.
Reserve Snipers: Sniper battles are common on the field, and many snipers can fall in battle to the enemy, if they are a good enough marksman. Even a careless misplacement of man can result in a squad being severely knocked down. These men who are wounded and killed often have to be retrieved, but with such an intense firefight of sniping going on, that often seems like an impossibility. Reserve Snipers are designed to pour so much fire into a position that an enemy retreats into their cover. For this, the HAV.44 was invented, now meaning High Automatic Velocity. The purpose of this was to reduce accuracy, and instead to have a wide spread of fire around a snipers nest to keep their heads down while medical crews drag them out of the firefight. Many insult the Reserve Snipers, naming them as the 'Sniper School Dropouts'. It is no falsity that many amongst the Reserve Snipers failed a small part of their test, for example, missing a couple of targets in the accuracy test, but, the rigorous training, and putting their lives on the line for others, makes them more than worthy to be in Hellfire's Army. Reserve Snipers are similarly armed to regular snipers, but, they also, in their KAT pouch, carry a 2-way radio, in order to give scouting commands and inquest into reinforcements. Reserve Snipers are marked with a black and white badge detailing a sniper barrage. Reserve Snipers have also been known to serve in several other positions in the army, assisting everyone from the Korpsmen to Valiant themselves, which has earnt them a high level of respect to the other Areas.
Elites: Elites are what their name describes them as. Instead of the standard idea of being in cohesive squads, elites travel near alone, accompanied by a single warrior, often a Reserve Sniper. They use HAEL.44 rifles which are very high velocity, high impact, deadly rifles. Slim barreled, bolt action and far scoped, the HAEL.44 allows the Elite to reach his target from a huge distance. Elite Snipers are snipers who have racked up a total of over 700 kills on the field of the war. They are then put through a set of tests. If they fail the first time, they have to get 50 more kills before being given the opportunity for the test. This continues till they pass, which means that they can pass into the Elite snipers unit. Elite armour is lighter, but also more resilient to damage. It uses shock absorbent dragonscale linking, combined with a shock field, which can stop several calibers and tiers of bullets. In their KAT pouch, they carry smoke and blind grenades, as well as a single High Explosive Incendiary grenade, which can be used to completely demolish machine gun or enemy sniper nests. The Reserve Sniper who travels with him carries their usual stock weapons and tools, save for the fact that they have a larger medkit. Elites are mainly used for eliminating targets at such a distance that standard snipers could not achieve them. They are one of the reasons for the distrust between Backwood and Scope, due to their overbearing skill, yet their rugged and roguish attitude. The brotherhood that an Elite forges with his Reserve is impossible to break, each comes to know the other as an effective member of their own family. Reserve Snipers often sacrifice their own lives for their Elite counterpart, but several Elites have been known to risk themselves carrying their Reserve from combat, even dead, to bury their body. Elite Snipers are marked by a white alien skull on their jacket, and the shape of their helmet, which is like that of a pilot or tank commander, as opposed to the standard Sniper helmet.
Bike Snipers: The Bike Snipers are one of the smallest regiments in Scope, mainly due to the technical impossibility of their job. For any Daemon who has ever doubted them, there is an instantly sharp rebuttal. The Bike Snipers are an upgrade from Elite snipers, but require so much more testing and training that they are considered a whole new creation, with the Elite promotion as just an entry card. To get into the Bike Snipers, the Elite has to earn a whole 1000 kills. Their Reserve Sniper at the same time must assist him on every mission in which he gets these kills, defending his life and watching his back. Yet, as well as this, the Reserve Sniper has to go through an extra training course, taught to them by a Scouts regiment. This is for the ability to drive a bike. They have this training course alongside their missions with the Elite. The Scouts work the Reserves hard, to train them to the highest level of bike skill possible. Havock himself trains the best of the Reserves, to unlock their full potential, while Hellhunter trains those who are dragging behind, whipping them into shape with a powerful instill of military discipline. At this point, the Reserve Snipers are no longer using Sniper Rifles. Their standard weapon is now a Haulblock, a combination of rifle and shotgun weaponry invented by infuriated engineers. The Elites who make it to the tests of the Bike Snipers then have to go through a series of accuracy tests, endurance tests, and will tests. These test the Elite to their limits, and only 3/10 usually pass their test on the first attempt. To re-enter, an Elite must gain another 100 kills, and then retry the tests with renewed vigor. It has been known for Elites to make a whole 2000 kills before getting through. The training that comes next is brutal. Rapid, painful live fire exercises. Tough, lengthy endurance and exercise sessions. And most important of all, the accuracy training. By the end of all of this training, both Elite and Reserve are now in a position to become Bike Snipers. Yet there is, another test. Bike Snipers must defeat each other in a series of combat tournaments, taking place over the second half of the 3rd year of training, the Year of Judging, where they compete in accuracy tests, fights and the Battle Royale to claim their place as a Bike Sniper. Many a Bike Sniper has been fallen from his place by his kin. Bike Snipers who failed such a point will continue to train. Of course, this is a more loose point, where excelling students can still get through. Finally, the Bike Snipers are welcomed to the field of war. They meet their Reserve, who, by now, has been entirely retrained for bike combat, and driving skill. The bikes that they use have incredible grip and suspension, to steady the shot of the Sniper. They're adapted to give a Sniper a 360 degree view of the battlefield, while he is still linked in to the back of the bike. It is at this point the strongest trust and friendship is forged between the Reserve and his Bike Sniper. Bike Snipers are snipers that are able to take out multiple enemies at once with uniquely well placed shots, while moving at high speed. They use a high caliber, extremely high velocity rifle, the HAEL.22, which can shred through tank armour, adamantium, ceramite, any tough material that stands in its way. Bike Snipers are the most elite of the Sniping industry, far surpassing those of Backwood, or any before them. Their numbers are small, but all those within are veterans of such a kind of warfare, and have advanced training.
Honers: Honers are the personal, literal 'scouts' of Area Scout. They are fast, nimble, but weak to oncoming damage. Equipped with incredibly light armour, they are boosted with Kanthi technology, and Fear technology stealth. They are able to sneak fast, straight past enemy defence forces. Armed with naught but a pistol and a flare gun, Honers travel so lightly it is often wondered how they were ever conceived. Much of the time, for example, at night, it is much harder to pick up targets for a fusillade of fire. Honers carry an array of flares with them, each colour coded for a different meaning to translate to the snipers that are watching. The flare gun has a separate supply of flares as well, which are known as 'weaponized' flares, as they contain a small explosive charge, making them a sensibly deadly weapon. The colours are, as follows:
Green = Standard infantry unit
Red = Armoured unit
Yellow = Sniper nest
Purple = Machine gun nest
Silver = Move quickly, ignore all care
Blue = Move slowly, take care
Orange = Open burst fire at random
Pink = Wounded!
Napalm White Hot = *Honer has engaged a foe with weaponized charge*
Honers work closely with the Reserve Snipers, and the flare code is known to every sniper of Scope. There is not too much training for a Honer, as they are often known to be somewhat expendable on the battlefield.
Hellfire's Arms:
Valiance, glory, patriotism. All these words describe that which is known as Hellfire's Arms. Armies are often abroad, fighting wars on a darkened, bombed out front. But what happens when an army sneaks around the front line, and makes a charge straight for a major city. Such a moment was exampled with the Abyssal charge on Blashtenfore, a major city that was situated not that far into Daemon territory. A portal opened and spewed forth an Abyssal legion. The city's army went out to meet this legion, leaving the city defenseless. The Abyssals were defeated, but a second portal opened up, on the other side of the city. The Bell of Arms was rung, and the city came to arms within a blazing instant. Daemons, Daemonettes and children as young as 12 rushed to the streets to take up armaments. Many older Daemons forsook arms, so that others could use them, instead rushing into the fray against Abyssal Knights with nothing but bare red flaming fists. Blacksmiths, bakers, farmers, teachers, and schoolchildren came forth with rifles, hacksaws, any weapon that could be found, or tool that could be used as such. The raw will of the Daemons had been caught at, and the Abyssals found themselves fighting a city wide militia. Many Daemons died in the assault, but their sacrifices allowed others to make fatal attacks for the Abyssals. War machines collapsed as a makeshift forged pipebomb launcher turret, manned by a farmer no less, spewed deadly raging power from its barrels. Hellfire's Arms defended the city for as long needed for the army to move in, destroying the small force that was left of the shattered Abyssal army. Hellfire's Arms is the amassed, barely weaponized force of the Hellfire Daemons populace, a strong last resort when there is no available army. It shows the tenacity of the lower Daemon people, to be able to fight such a threat.
Weaponry – (Some of)
Hellfire Gunblade: The Gunblade is perhaps the most famous weapon in use by the Hellfire Daemons. It is famed for its use by high ranking general, its adaptability, and its strength. Perhaps the most famous use of Gunblades similar to the original design are General Havock of the 5th Scouts, who wields a duel set with some custom created adjustments. The gunblade is in fact different from what is usually considered to be a gunblade. The standard design of gunblade involves a longer blade, with a smaller barrel emplaced between it. It is able to switch between the two, serving as a rifle or a sword. However, the Hellfire Gunblade is a massively barreled weapon, with a 50mm caliber, similar to an artillery gun, constructed into a weapon somewhat larger than a handgun. The blade is in fact built into it, like a bayonet, however permanent. It runs off the top of the weapon, like a sword. When wielded as such, the end of the weapon serves as a grip and the barrel of the weapon as a block. This is not to say that the gunblade cannot be used normally as a blade without adjusting to a sword grip, which it can. One would think, with such an impossibly large caliber, that the recoil would tear the weapon apart. However, the weapon has a hugely reduced level of recoil with its normal shot, as it does not fire solid bullets. The solidity of the shot forms in mid-air. The barrel forms a shot compiled from heat energy, and superheated gases. The shot is released from the barrel, yet, with an electric field inputted. Instead of dissipating, the gases are held together by an electromagnetic pull. The speed of the air rushing past compresses it, and cooling forms it into more of a solid shot, meaning that on impact it serves as such, while minimizing the recoil at the soldier's end. The gunblade however, is able to fire more than this. If the soldier wishes to take one precise puncturing shot, then there is a different shot available to him. The Bloodrock Alloy Hammer shot is effectively a block slug, taking up the entire barrel. Formed from a bloodrock-fear steel alloy the slug is very dense, and takes a large amount of heat energy to detonate and propel forwards. The slug will move at huge speeds, and upon impact will smash through walls, bones, armour and flesh. However, such slugs are both expensive, and when fired too often, detrimental to the condition of the weapon. The recoil generated by the shot is incredible, and so generally such shots are only sanctioned to stronger Daemons.
Spike Rifle: The Spike Rifle is considered to be a Hellfire standard weapon. In fact, when Hellfire's Arms are called to service, the majority of people in engagement will in fact be wielding these Spike Rifles. The barrel of a spike rifle is not shaped like a regular rifle, but rather in a cross shape, allowing for the specialised rounds that it fires. These rounds are of course what make it into a 'spike' rifle. The spike rifle is not necessarily a lethal weapon, but is meant to put enemies down so hard that they aren't able to assist their brothers in battle. Instead of bullets they are loaded with dart-like spikes, about an inch in length, ending in a cross shaped bristle of metal feathering to aid flight. They are propelled using a jet of compressed air from two small canisters under the barrel, on each side. The air propels the spike at high speeds towards the enemy. The dart is designed with miniscule hooks to make it impossible to pull from the wound without surgical assistance or doing critical damage to the wounded area. However, the dart is much more important than that. Each dart is imbued on creation, with the ability to cause a nerve based paroxysm throughout the enemy's body. This means that upon impact, the dart initiates a hormonal reaction, releasing chemicals symbolizing wounds impacted all over the target's body. While there are no real wounds, a series of powerful ghost pains will incapacitate the target, unless they are willful to continue movement, or they have sustained damage to chemical or nerve passages from the wound. The hormone continues to generate for up to an hour, unless the dart is removed. Because of this, the spike rifle is given to the general infantry of Hellfire, in the cause of stopping their enemy without killing them. By wounding their enemy, they force greater pressure upon the resources of the enemy, by creating a larger need for medical assistance, rather than killing, which would relieve a medical pressure. The spike rifle's hormones are not intended to cause permanent damage, however, an hour long exposure to such ghost pains may continue to cause such pains for an extended period after the dart has been removed, as it has become an automatic reaction. The spike rifle is the cheapest weapon to produce, effectively serving as a barrel with compressed air. The darts are more expensive, as they require an imbuing, which can either be performed by a magician, or, by a strong alchemist. Alchemists are often present in factories because of this, using large vats of fluids to emplace this effect upon the ammunition.
HAV.33: The HAV.33 rifle is a display of superior firepower over overwhelming speed. The intense training it requires for its maintenance, firing technique and weaponry mastering is reserved to only a select few who veritably excel at the Scholastica Gladii. Of course, the sniper rifle has always been a reserved weapon, yet the HAV.33 particularly marks itself out. Despite being the older class of rifle, it still checks out in terms of power, damage, and ultimately, practice on the battlefield. Standing for High Attack Velocity Mk 33 Rifle, as opposed to its counterpart, the Mk. 44, which is an automatic rifle. The HAV.33 is built with a charge base barrel, which charges both a magnetic force, and an electrical push, which is exerted onto the bullet. Instead of using a gunpowder detonation, the entire bullet is propelled at incredibly high velocities, even by the standards of high velocity rifles. The implications of this are a higher level of damage, and an ability to penetrate the majority of armor types. Where the weapon falls down is its speed. The HAV.33 can take up to a minute to reload, in which time the sniper is vulnerable to enemy fire. As the rifle is unable to be clip loaded due to the magnetic effects shaking the clip during testing and disrupting the bullet load function, there is the need to carry a clip of bullets as the standard ammunition, unload the bullet and lock it into the firing load, before it is chambered, locked back, charged and fired. The rifle's shot itself is silent, yet unfortunately, the charging noise is not. It is not a loud noise, but detectable to spies, assassins and enemy snipers with listening amplifiers. It is described as a thin, high pitched whine, as the battery pumps in more power and initiates the firing sequence.
HAV.44 – While the HAV.33 is able to maintain powerful, single shots that can rip through armor, the HAV.44 was not designed with ultimate assassins in mind. Instead, it was designed with the aim of creating enough long ranged, rapid fire sequences that can allow team contributions to keeping an enemy's head down under cover while a sniper is evacuated. The HAV.44 is not silenced, which is of course a weakness, but it is usually considered that by the point that it comes into use, cover has been blown and stealth is no longer an option. Due to this belief, there is also no muzzle flash preventer, and, rather than the slow, charged bullet that the .33 fires, the .44 uses a less than standard combustive round. A small charge of mass reactive fluid drains into the chamber, locked by an incredibly thin metal sheath. When it fires, the mass reactive fluid sparks and detonates, launching a bullet at, less of a velocity than a .33, yet still a powerful shot. The mass reactive fluid fills in very quickly again, and the next bullet is chambered nigh on instantly, before the shot is taken again. As can be assumed, there is one particular problem that must be trained for. Recoil is a massive factor in a sniper's shot, but none so much as the HAV.44 which can fire up to 4 bullets in continual shot. The sniper must stop these climbing higher and higher, otherwise he will no longer keep the enemies down, and so lower arm strength became a desirable quality for reserve snipers.
Hellfire Blackshot – The Blackshot is another standard weapon, taking up the function of a weapon referred to by humans as a shotgun. It uses regular steel shot, rather than bloodrock alloy as most weapons use for their ammunition. The blockshot is a double handed weapon. It has an underslung grip under a long barrel, with a rack on top for additional items to the weapon like a pipe bomb launcher or a torch, or possibly even a sight. The Blackshot is jet black, giving it its name. It uses traditional gunpowder firing scale, in a more controlled, sped up environment, allowing for a higher rate of fire than old muskets, and all the propulsive power. It propels a heated buckshot that is able to tear through light armour, and blast apart a person in seconds. The Blackshot is notable for its quick reloading rate, and its ability to double fire a round, creating a larger shot, and a larger concentration of buckshot per shot. While this uses double the ammunition, it is quite effective for taking down larger beasts and foes. Hellhunter was known to wield a Blackshot when swinging into combat, as he could use it to negate the speed of his maneuvers and get up close, before using his advanced, deadly blades. Blackshot ammunition is incredibly versatile, as in, anything that fits in the chamber, will fire out the barrel. This means that the shells that are chambered can actually be filled with different substances, dust, naptha, acid, as long as it fits within the shell. This means that the Blackshot can be used to fight against many foes, with a multitude of weaknesses and strengths. Of course, some substances may be detrimental to the power of the weapon, and so should be avoided.
Haulblock – If there ever was a strange weapon to be found amongst Hellfire's armory, even despite its normal characteristics, it would be the Haulblock. On first sight, it appears to be a standard plas-stock rifle, yet the difference establishes itself upon firing. Upon pulling the trigger of the weapon, two things happen. The rifle fires primarily, sending a large caliber bullet scorching towards the enemy at speed, but the real difference comes but a second later. At this point, it should be noted that the soldier wielding the weapon should prepare for the increased recoil generated, as the secondary rifle shot kicks in, this time with a breaker grille, a grille of intense heat which splits apart the second magnetic core bullet. This core is charged to push apart the pieces of the bullet, which split in midair, to form a wider buckshot function, which, when it collides, causes much more damage than any normal bullet any would. It should also be noted that the weapon does not have to fire its secondary shot, by half pulling the trigger, which is hairline in its accuracy, it is able to fire simply the first shot. The disadvantage of the second shot is that it cannot be fired on its own, and after firing single shot, the weapon must momentarily click its grille to the first bullet, so as to not split apart the wrong bullet and making it pointless to have the doubling effect on the weapon. The Haulblock is considered a more than standard weapon, having been constructed by the same scientists and engineers responsible for the HAEL.22, and having been served alongside as the weapon of the Reserve Sniper once he joins his bike partner. As opposed to belief to the contrary, the weapon is cheap and easy to mass produced, the most complicated part being the grille lock at the front, which requires thermal technology, these can be put into a different standard template construct.
HAEL.22 – It was asked of Hellfire technicians, one night of late planning, in a bunker, if they could make a weapon wielded on a mount, which could shred through any kind of armor, yet not require the discerning qualities and slow speed of an anti-tank rocket. When the question was asked who this would be designed for, there was no easy way to express to the scientists that they'd be designing for a possibly unstable, maybe dangerous, bike situation. The weapon was to in fact be designed for the Bike Snipers regiments, and the reaction from the scientists was not at all pleased. In fact, they almost turned riotous, save for the final convincing notion of the level of funding they would get, and the offer of keeping the money after the creation of the weapon. It took them 22 marks to perfect a weapon that at long last would finally be able to meet such standards, after having problems with the level of recoil, the stability of the weapons, and the size of the weapon. Yet, at the 22 second mark of the weapon, it became a finalized design, and was released to the Bike Snipers under the name High Armament Elemental Launchforce, the HAEL.22. The HAEL was sleek in comparison to its earlier design, yet still faces a level of bulk that other sniper rifles do not have. This, of course, is its major disadvantage, but, with this, it is able to combine the powers of the HAV.44 and the HAV.33 to create a rapid fire, high powered rifle. Instead of using the conductive force, or the gunpowder charge, it uses Lav-tech, specialized weaponized cells fueled from core Hellfire magma, running in 3 bands in the barrel. They are directionally charged with elemental magic infusion, and as the bullet is loaded, it is locked into a charge band. The charge band pulses, sending the bullet propelled forwards, at which point momentum based teleportation takes its effect, glimpsing the bullet in and out of reality, allowing it to move at incredible speeds in comparison to any other rifle. The other disadvantage is its lack of silence, the magic generated makes a loud bass hum every time the weapon is charging, and means that a Bike Sniper can easily be revealed, yet their speed makes up for any kind of problematic function.
Important Social Figures, Heroes and Villains
No great civilization is short of heroics and brave deeds, as well as scheming plots and black hearted enemies, and Hellfire is no different. In fact, the Kanthi once remarked on the social structure of Hellfire being almost based on the structure of heroism, and without it, much of the civilisation would fall into disarray.
Heroes –
General Havock – Starting with one of Hellfire's more recent figures, General Havock is the Hellfire's Military General, as well as the personal commander of the 5th Scouts. As a child of two already powerful figures, the Chief-Explorator and Chief Medical Overseer of Hellfire, Havock would have spent much time under the public eye, if it had not been for his early joining of the army. Havock disliked the limelight he received for his parentage, despite his love for his parents, and their work, and so he diverted his energy into militaristic training. He battled his way up the ranks. His prowess on the battlefield first showed in his actions as a private infantry soldier, leading a charge alongside the other beach deployed troops on the Assault on the Vale, which plunged them into the wild environments of the further, feral lands of Hellfire. He and his squad fought tooth and claw through the wilds, facing Abyssals, and their hounds conjured from the depths of their homelands, deadly seismic shifts and explosions. Most of the squad died in the final assault on the Vale's central fortress, the Fortress of the Bull, which was surrounded with a spreading, icy plain that chilled and struck dead the Daemons that rushed across it. Havock, with a combination of will, endurance, and tactics, led some soldiers across the ice, using wood torn down from the nearby trees and laid across the ground, and, using their own blood as a heat source, warding away the icy mist that began to settle. In that final room of the fortress, the deepest chamber, they found the Abyssal Sorcerer. Despite not being able to slay him, Havock and the last remaining soldier beside him, managed to use one of the sorcerer's spells against him, using one of his smoke and mirror tricks to return his spell to its owner, banishing him from Hellfire. The other soldier sustained critical wounds giving his life for Havock, who he considered by now his superior officer, despite them being of equal rank, and was given an honorary burial as the ice around dissipated and the rest of the army moved in.
More battles would prove Havock's worth. Damnation's Charge, an uphill rush towards what at the time were believed to be Abyssal outcasts, but were later revealed to be Daemons of Chaos. Blackblade's Folly, a defensive operation against a collection of Hellfire Daemon pirates landing on the coast near Hellguard, all of which he came out of living, and soaking with enemy blood.
As he rose higher and higher, he grew more and more noticed. Yet, he had been struck a terrible emotional blow. The killing of his father, the Chief Explorator, while on mission, continued to fuel his rage. He was informed of the existence of a white eyed creature assaulting Hellfire, a god, by all standards. It was not for him to know he had been lied to, and in fact, a child of the Elder Gods had struck down his Father.