Blindados (Man-o-War)
GUTS & GEARS — THE BEASTS AND MACHINES OF THE IRON KINGDOMS
Imagine six hundred pounds of Khadoran engineering — boiler, steam vents, cooling system, pneumatic pistons, mechanikal controls, cowling, and thick slabs of armor plating — bound in steel and wielding a mechanikally augmented weapon powerful enough to tear the limbs off a warjack. The Man-O-War is the fist of Khador’s martial arm, mailed in a gauntlet of steam and fury. Each suit of Man-O-War armor surrounds a hard-bitten elite soldier, calculating, fearless, and determined, and this combination of man and mechanika creates the unstoppable battering ram of Khador’s armies.
Height and strength restrictions demand that all Man-O-War be at least six and a half feet tall and capable of substantial feats of physical prowess. Most volunteers are Winter Guard who have proven unshakeable in combat.
Trainees endure a year of exercises in mental fortitude and physical stamina to learn to wear the armor. Trainers pound hopeful Man-O-War on an anvil of tests and obstacle courses that push each to his utmost limits, for they must master fear and physical doubt as well as the weaponry they will wield in battle.
As a result of this training, Man-O-War are some of the meanest bastards in the Khadoran military. Skilled in skirmish and tight formation tactics, the Man-O-War stands undaunted before even the most terrifying abominations that prowl the fields of war.
The Man-O-War have served the Motherland in every major conflict for nearly a century and a half. They form elite assault forces capable of dismembering warjacks, heavy infantry, and cavalry. The Man-O-War’s raw strength makes them ideal for breaching hard targets, such as fortresses, and this has led to specialized variations such as the Demolition Corps.
The Man-O-War currently divide into two main branches, the Shock Corps and the Demolitions Corps. The High Kommand promotes kovniks from kaptains within these corps to command several kompanies and receive training as ‘jack marshals. Perhaps the most famous Man-O-War outside of this structure are the unique melding of mechanikal and martial traditions known as Drakhuns. Only one in ten thousand ever completes Drakhun training, so these rare men become almost instantly legendary for their bravery and prowess.
While all Man-O-War receive the same basic training, the Corps differ substantially in deployment and roll. Founded nearly eighty years ago by order of Supreme Kommadant Vestrivor Sechekoff, the Demolition Corps wield mechanikal ice mauls built in the highly advanced Rigevnya complex in Korsk. the Demolition Corps has served all across western Immoren, most recently seeing heavy action among assault forces along the hotly contested front between Ravensgard and the Cygnaran held Northguard fortress.
Some believe the Demolition Corps the elite of Man-O-War troopers. Most enemies live just long enough to discover that Shocktroopers are no less dangerous. Since the armor entered mass production 474 AR, the Man-O-War Shocktrooper has signaled the impending doom for those foolish enough to engage the Khadoran military head on. Kompanies such as the 16th “Hull Grinders” Man-O-War Shocktroops of the 2nd army have histories stretching back to the very inception of the Man-O-War armor. Now such companies as the 43rd “Boars Tusk” Man-O-War and the prevalently Khardic 21st “Leadfang” Shocktroops kompany have fought their way into legend atop the ruined heaps of Cygnaran warjacks, Cryxian husks, and the hollow shells of mercenaries.
The “honor guard” of Man-O-War Kovnik Czarniev Agrobov, the 21st has seen action in Llael, Ord, Rhul, and along the fringes of the Thornwood. The soldiers of the 21st are all veterans of and have served Kovnik Agrobov for nearly six years. They possess legendary grit and resolve as they have braved literally every danger a Khadoran could face in western Immoren. Kayaz Simonyev Blaustavya, the inventor of the Man-O-War shield cannon, served as a battle mechanik for the 21st before he mustered out of the military and founded what would eventually become Blaustavya Shipping and Rail. Many of the innovations on the current version of Man-O-War armor arose from Simonyev’s passion to improve upon the original schematics drafted by Venianminov.
The first suits, while cutting edge technology for their time, suffered from certain vulnerabilities that could render a badly damaged suit deadly to the wearer. Massive impacts on the cowling sometimes lead to overheating, limited mobility, and catastrophic mechanikal failure. Badly damaged suits occasionally burned, scalded, or even cooked alive the soldiers within. The successes of the armor however, vastly outweighed any of its technological drawbacks or discomforts. Technical refinements altered the basic design over the years and the ingenuity of battlefield mechaniks introduced measures to increase the failure tolerance of the armor. The current generation of Man-O-War armor presents somewhat fewer lethal risks to the occupant, although no sane Khadoran soldier would use ‘comfort’ to describe to one of these hulking bulwarks.
Donning a suit of Man-O-War armor presents more difficulties than suiting up in traditional full-plated suits of armor. Man-O-War armor unfolds in layers. When open, the chest plate, legs, shoulder assembly, and cowling provide enough room to allow the soldier inside. In order to use the armor, the Man-O-War starts with a suit of light leather with mechanikal connectors at key positions along the joints and knuckles.
The wearer then settles into the chassis and connects the linkages to mechanikal triggers along the armor’s frame. Mechanik assistants check and test these connections then replace the armor plates over the frame and enclose the wearer. After final checks the mechaniks lock the armor closed. By the time all is said and done, a typical Man-O-War trooper requires forty-five minutes to reach combat ready status.
Man-O-War troopers refer to the outer layer of armor as the grob, vulgar slang usually translated “the coffin”. Untrained men locked inside the armor often succumb to a gradually amplifying claustrophobia. The linkages on the leather suit transfer the natural motions of the trooper to the armor through the mechanikal triggers and arrays of mechanikal motivators translate this into smooth, easy motion. The armor amplifies each twitch, flexion, and extension of the wearer ten-fold. A fully fuelled Man-O-War is stronger than an ogrun, capable of moving the armor with ease across unsteady terrain, and able to handle weapons considered oversized for a standard soldier.
Weapons
Annihilator Blade — The annihilator blade is a +1 keen mechanikal halberd, serving as the primary weapon of the Man-O-War Shocktrooper. A broad mechanikally enhanced chopping blade seated on a six-foot haft of machined steel, the weapon tears through nearly anything.
Ice Maul — The famous weapon of the Man-O-War Demolition Corps, the Ice Maul is a +1 mechanikal icy burst large warhammer and uses the elemental powers of extreme cold to render a target brittle to the touch. Combined with the impact of the maul’s head, anything this weapon strikes is likely to shatter into a hundred pieces.
Shield Cannon — Designed by Kayaz Simonyev Blaustavya in an effort to provide additional protection and armament to the Man-O-War, the shield cannon is somewhat inaccurate but provides a powerful initial strike when the Man-O-War is about to go toe to toe with more heavily armored opponents.
Man-O-War Kovnik Axe Cannon — The Man-O-War Kovnik is customarily armed with this specialized and fearsome weapon. It is a +1 mechanikal large battleaxe with a cannon attachment, described below.
Man-O-War Armor
Chassis: Custom Heavy Steam Armor
In Service: 470 A.R.
Height: 7’6”
Weight: 600 pounds + wearer weight (avg. 830 pounds) Maximum Land Speed: 7.5 mph
Fuel Load: 33 pounds
Fuel Consumption: 8 hrs general, 1.5 hrs combat
Designer Notations: Can a warjack think like a man? No! Can a warjack anticipate and stand ready for combat as cannily as a man? No! This is the true strength of the Man-O-War. Once I have proven that you will see that a legion of troopers in this armor can conquer any enemy. — Mechanik Jachemir Venianminov.
Battlefield Recommendations: Pack the cowling with dry wool. This will absorb much of the heat radiated off the steam boiler and prevent condensation from mugging up the grob. That boiler sweat can frost up the armor cladding and lock the actuators. In the winter it’s easy to forget all that warm moisture can turn your armor into a real coffin. — Battle Mechanik Yurnov Komeniska
Fonte: No Quarter 11
