The Tyrant - Look and Feel

The Tyrant commands, and they obey. The wailing of carnyx’s, the noise of fifes and the stomping of innumerable feet announce the coming of the tyrant’s legions.

Spilling out from fortified strongholds and whipped into rough columns from the fields and mines surrounding them, the forces of the Tyrant are split between highly trained, elite units, forged into disciplined blocks, and the serf rabble who are driven before them to act as fodder for their advance.

I shall rise to my true potential through the power of my Will, and stand unflinchingly against any who oppose me.

Showers of black-feathered arrows block out the sky, while walls of shields interlock, and overseers 'encourage’ their charges to advance. While the Forsaken are given over wholesale to their god in body and mind, interacting with its followers through whispers and dark visions, the Tyrant is solely channelled into a single individual, a monarch of indescribable power, who is split between a mere vessel for divinity and the iron-handed ruler.

Wherever they point, armies march, forests are torn down, industry is erected, and the wheels of war keep turning.

Sycophants, warlords and courtiers alike all bend the knee, seeking to climb their way through the corridors of power and to sit at the right side of the Godhead.

Colour Pallet:

Black with Red accents

Inspirations:

Romano-Gallic costume elements, Late Celts

Tyrannical Empires, where strength rules above all.

Iconic kit:

The emblem of the Tyrant is a red wheel with six spokes, symbolising the literal blood-soaked wheels of war chariots, the tortures inflicted by authority, the grinding, mechanistic, and impersonal demands of war, and how all authority flows from the centre.

The Iconic kit of forces of the Tyrant is a black sash with the red wheel emblazoned on it.

Roleplay:

“I shall rise to my true potential through the power of my Will, and stand unflinchingly against any who oppose me.”

The Crowned of the Tyrant delight in violence and subjugation, they have sacrificed their humanity for raw strength and power. In all things they seek dominion and the destruction of individuality, to burn away whatever is not subservient to their will.

The lands under their occupation are controlled by force; mass conscription, brutalisation, loyalty tests, decimation, and the unfeeling march of war.

Roles Available to Players:

There are several different types of enemies of Elandra among the Tyrant, the ones most common that players are most likely to encounter are The Fodder, The Levy, The Militia and The Archers.

The Fodder

When the armies of the Tyrant march forth, they do so shepherding a great mass of people before them. Serfs forced out of the fields, captured enemy warriors, political dissidents and more, these unfortunates are whipped forwards into battle armed with nothing more than what they can scavenge. They have accepted the Tyrant and hope that with their acceptance and grinding march they will appease them and escape from this horrible fate.

Look: National kit with a Black sash with Tyrant red

Weapons and armour: No or Light armour, practical tools as weapons. Dark, muddy layers are ideal.

The Levy

The Levy come in 3 broad varieties.

The heart of the Tyrant’s legions are made up of block after block, column after column of Levy. Given some military training as part of their oath to the Tyrant, these soldiers serve to prove themselves and rise up through the ranks of the Tyrant’s legions, to provide a better standard of living for themselves and their families. If this involves carving a swathe through those that would oppose their dictator, so be it. The Levy come in 3 broad varieties.

Look: More heavily armed and armoured, disciplined.

Weapons and Armour: Chain armour. No plate armour. 1-handed weapons, spears and shields. Thrown weapons such as javelins are ideal and Roman style helmets are ideal.

Those who are innately skilled in the magical arts are not spared their part in the Tyrant’s war machine. Armed in much the same way as their more mundane comrades, they trade off the ability to wear armour for increased damage potential. Sheltering behind their shields, they get close enough to the enemy to, as one, fling ranks of arcane bolts into their foes, before charging into the fray.

Look: Black layers with red details

Weapons and armour: No armour or light armour. Foci. Ideally shields.

NOCK! DRAW! LOOSE! The archers of the Tyrant fill the sky with arrows, giving their foes no place to hide. Every peasant that bows to the order of the Tyrant is obliged to spend at least a full day every 7 solars training with the bow, enabling the Tyrant to rapidly raise forces across their conquered domain. Failure to comply results first with the loss of a hand, and then with the loss of you and your family’s heads. Few fail to comply.

Look: Disciplined, organised archer block.

Weapons and armour: Bow and arrows.

Other Roles among the Tyrant:

Among the Tyrant, the people of Elandra have seen other types of soldiers as well, referred to as the Crowned.

These, for the most part, will be played by our skirmish crew but may open up to players as they learn more about the world.

These will be more senior roles among the Tyrant, with long-proven commitment and strength in leading the corruption against those who resist it.

Ideas for Building out Kit:

Basic: Black base layers. Black and red plaid pyjama trousers. Black sash with Red tyrant symbol.

Armour: Gambeson, chain armour