Cataphract Land Ironclad

**Key Features** | »» 305mm *"Faith"* steam cannon (x2)»» Four-legged heavy walker chassis»» 3-inch Talon Steel armour»» Point defence cannons»» Internal forge for Automatons

*"None shall pass."*

- Cataphract Land Ironclad

## Tactical Analysis

* **Saint Behemoth**: Bar the Master Crawler itself, the Cataphract is the largest war machine present on modern battlefields. Armed with cannons larger than those of some warships and an arsenal of secondary weapons, no single enemy of this Earth can oppose a Cataphract and live to tell the tale - the Shogun Executioner probably could have done the deed, but that infernal machine no longer exists.

* **The unmatched machine is coming**: Simply put, the Cataphract has no tactical weaknesses. Cataphracts can engage all targets bar submarines, and have layer upon layer of masterfully crafted Talon Steel armor. Unless an enemy resorts to superweapons to engage the Cataphract, they will take losses no matter the weapon of choice.

* **We are not alone**: Although Cataphracts are never - when intelligently used - seen alone, they are fully capable of providing their own escort in the form of spring-loaded Automatons built within the Cataphract itself and unleashed on the battlefield. These Automatons have potent Gatling guns capable of engaging infantry and aircraft, and while their spring cores slowly wind down in the field, the husks can be reclaimed by Talon harvesters to recover some of the resources used.

* **To Kingdom come**: Cataphracts are walking works in progress for the artificers of the Order, and as a Cataphract crew gains experience, the walker will inevitably be refitted with additional armor, internal magnetic generators to repair the walker, improved Automaton designs, extra point-defense cannons, and so on and so forth. The capstone, however, is an electromagnetic weapon like nothing else on Earth. Built along the spine of the walker, the Ambiaric Disruptor stops all particle motion in matter along the disruptor's line of fire, effectively freezing everything to absolute zero. Rather than freeze targets like Allied cryo weapons, targets struck by the disruptor simply disintegrate into particulate ash as their molecular structure collapses.

## Background

*"The Cataphract is here. Fear its power and you will get a quick death."*

- Cataphract *"Executor"* High Besieger Gilbert Reinar
The **Cataphract Heavy Ironclad Walker**, referred to as the **Cataphract Land Ironclad** by the rest of the world who has ever seen this behemoth and survived to tell, and "**Devil's Executor**" by the Cult of the Black Hand. The Cataphract is a massive fighting machine, only beaten by the even larger Crawler and the largest of all, the Shogun Executioner.

The Cataphract is called to action only when it is absolutely required, and when it appears, anyone, even the bravest men, runs for their lives. By some rumors the Cataphract is product of the Devil, or by the Order's men, by God himself, but the truth is different and dates to the time of "Aperta Scriptum".

When Aperta Scriptum, as the Order called her, appeared to other forgemasters, bishops, and leaders of the Order with sketches for new machines, it caused greater controversy between forgemasters and craftsmen, roughly equal to her reveal that she's transgender. At the time, Order used old war machines like battering rams, catapults, and then-new "automobiles" with steam engines and weapons.

Their largest vehicle was little more than a locomotive on many large wheels, armed with six steam cannons and crossbows. Its armor consisted of half an inch of Talon Steel, with one-and-a-half inches around the furnace. It wasn't fast, more of a slow-moving mobile fortress, but its production wasn't that difficult. And now Aperta Scriptum, a woman who had declared god gave her the wrong body, came up with a design that would make the "Battle Locomotive" look like an ant in comparison.

The craftsmen and forgemasters criticized its proportions and its armor, while the more reactionary sects (who took "his" declaration badly to put it lightly) outright used it as an excuse to have her excommunicated (or even executed); three inches seemed for them too large a waste of the precious Talon Steel, which wasn't easy to produce. But the inquisitors, priests, and bishops liked the idea of the quadrupedal "walking landship", absolutely indestructible and with its armament able to raze to the ground a medium-sized city on its own. This conflict nearly ended in blows between the forges and churches, but Aperta Scriptum resolved it.

If the forgemasters would give her men and enough Talon Steel and the bishops space and funds, she would personally produce "Cataphracts" and other walkers in the new forges. This shushed both sides and Aperta Scriptum moved to a forgotten corner of already forgotten Palestine, where she secretly founded the Aperta Scriptum Holy Forges, right under the noses of the Palestinians. There the production of all walkers for the Order was stationed, the prototype *Ironmongery* rolled out, and the first Cataphract stood up after World War I, as it was evident producing this walker takes much time and effort.

The Cataphract is the third largest surface vehicle on the world, dwarfed only by the Imperial Shogun Executioner and Order's own Master Crawler. Aperta Scriptum took the inspiration from War Elephants used hundreds years ago, and the Cataphract serves a purpose similar to its ancient counterparts; smashing through enemy lines and bases.

Its weight is around 2,500 tons, its height is around fifty feet, and its weaponry would put the combined firepower of an entire battalion to shame. Under the command bridge are two 305mm steam cannons, capable of destroying Allied ASP5-68 Assault Strikers in a few barrages, while point-defense guns spread across the Cataphract's body deal with faster-moving ground targets and aircraft.

For its size and weight, it is rumored that a Cataphract can destroy Soviet JS-4 Apocalypse tanks just by stomping on them. The machine itself must be piloted by fifty skilled crew members commanded by Besiegers, who aren't in many cases mere fanatical believers to God as one would find in a Crawler, but professional mechanics and highly experienced veterans of many battles, meaning that Cataphract crews are some of the most capable and skilled crews in the entire Order. Each Cataphract receives a name, for only seven of them exist, one for each Crawler (with the exception of the prototype Ironmongery).

## Automatons

 **Key Features** | »» Suit of armor (Talon Steel)»» Intricate clockwork mechanism»» Gatling gun w/ internal ammo feed»» Analytical engine (in head)»» Wind-up spring core (for power)

What is also of great note on the Cataphract is that part of the body is actually another forge, where most of the Craftsmen are stationed. Their duty and purpose of this forge is simple; making delicately crafted spring powered war machines known as **Automatons**.

Adapted from a design made by renowned painter and designer Leonardo Da Vinci, Automatons greatly resemble medieval knights in appearance, and can be best described as walking suits of armor. However, where medieval suits of armor had men wearing them, the metal body of an Automaton does not contain a human inside, but rather an extremely intricate and complicated clockwork system that allows the Automaton to move with surprising fluidity and perform a wide range of human-like movements. Armed with Gatling guns, they can make short work of enemy infantry.

Their one limitation is the fact that they are powered by Talon Steel spring cores, and as such can only function for a very limited amount of time. The reason for this is that to use a steam engine was impractical, as it would not be possible for a Cataphract's forge to construct them. Nevertheless, despite that weakness, Automatons remain highly feared by the enemies of the Talon; as machines, Automatons do not know fear, love, or mercy, and this allows them to face the Talon's enemies unflinchingly, their armor easily shrugging off bullets as they tear apart enemies of the Talon with their weapons.

## Known Cataphracts

*"Then you shall die."*

- Cataphract Land Ironclad
* *Aggressor*

* *Executor* - The first Cataphract, *"Executor"* has seen action in Serbia against the Cult and defense of the Holy Land against the Arabian warlords. Commanded by Gilbert Reinar, stationed with the *"Michael"* Crawler Cell.

* *Guardian* - *"Guardian"* was stationed with the *"Remiel"* Crawler Cell. Along with the Crawler Cell, *"Guardian"* was destroyed, shaking the Order with the realization that Cataphracts aren't as indestructible as they thought.

* *Intimidator*

* *Iron Fist*

* *Ironmongery* - The *"Ironmongery"*, the prototype of the *"Cataphract"*, had no differences -except for locomotion, it had Pedrail wheels. The prototype managed to smash right through the Arabian Federation redoubts and trenches at the Golan Heights. However, it got stuck in the scorched craters of No-Man's-Land, were it still lays today like a fortress securing the area of the Holy Land. After the embarrassing failure of the Pedrail wheels the new Land Ironclads used legs to walk, which proved much more effective on rough terrain.

* *Knight Hammer*

* *Vengeance*

## Development & Status

The Cataphract has been modelled in freelance by AstralXYZ.

## Behind the Scenes

* Aperta Scriptum, which means in English Open Book, is reference to the leader of the Paradox, Open\_sketchbook. Her being a transwoman is also a reference to Open\_sketchbook coming out as a transwoman years after Paradox ceased production.
* The name may refer to H.G. Wells short novel, *"the Land Ironclads"* and to the cataphract, a form of armoured heavy cavalry utilised in medieval warfare in Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppe.
* The naming scheme is similar to the one of Imperial Star Destroyers from Star Wars.
* It is possible that the Cataphract was inspired by the GDI Mammoth Mk. II from Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, seeing as how some of the Order's units seem heavily inspired by GDI.