Hospitaller

**Key Features** | »L-28 *"Redeemer"* flamethrower»Personal plate armour»Armour plated fuel tanks»Friendly looking glasses»Ceremonial banners

*"Fire will purify your sins."*

- A Hospitaller addressing a traitor
## Tactical Analysis

* **Purifying souls:** Hospitallers, despite the awkward name, are nothing more or less than armoured flamethrower-wielding soldiers. Their flamethrowers can torch infantry or buildings with ease, and more than one force has been lulled into a false sense of security by the friendly, gentle manner these warrior priests affect.

* **Compression blast:** Sometimes, when the fire just isn't getting the job done, the solution to the problem is even more fire. By emptying an entire fuel tank in a massive gout of flame, the ensuing conflagration can reduce platoons of infantry to ash and smoke. Reloading after such a show does take a few moments, leaving the Hospitaller vulnerable to vengeful, if frequently unhinged, survivors.

* **Slow and steady:** The flamethrower lacks range and the heavy fuel tanks slow the Hospitaller down to a brisk walk at best, and they cannot retaliate against long-ranged or airborne attacks. Vehicles aren't much bothered, either. And while Hospitallers take the sensible precaution of wearing armour, they can still be killed, and that in such an event, their fuel tanks tend to explode rather violently.

* **Pillar of fire:** As the Hospitaller shows their prowess in battle their equipment will appropriately get upgraded. From a more purified mixture, a "Legion" battlesuit with additional flamethrowers, and finally the "Purifying Flame" a mixture that burns so hot that it could melt Talon Steel if handled carelessly.

## Operational History

The Order of the Talon as an organisation has existed for hundreds of years, ever since the Middle Ages. For them to have survived as a secret organisation for so long, fighting against an enemy like the Cult throughout that entire stretch of time, it is impossible to not have developed a degree of paranoia. Centuries of experience with traitors, infiltrations within their ranks, double-crosses and treachery have left the Order unwilling to trust anyone, not even their own. This is manifested in the existence of the Talon Inquisition.

As a chamber of the Order, the Inquisition is the internal police of the Order of the Talon, taking its name from the Inquisition of the Catholic Church; but where that Inquisition fought against heretics, the Talon Inquisition combats infiltrators and traitors within the Order's ranks, rooting them out wherever they can find them and preventing the Order as a whole from being corrupted and destroyed from within.

The Inquisition carefully monitors those within the Talon, maintaining eyes and ears throughout the Order's ranks--members of the Talon Inquisition observe the Forgemasters in their forges, monitor shipwrights as they go about their work, and watch over the soldiers on board Crawlers.

It should be noted, however, that the situation for Inquisition personnel on board Crawlers is somewhat different than for Inquisition personnel elsewhere. A Crawler, despite its massive capacity, can ultimately only carry a limited number of supplies for a limited number of people. A side effect of this is that all personnel are expected to be able to fight or otherwise assist in the battle in some other way should the need arise, and this extends to the Inquisition personnel on board the Crawler.

While some may grumble, the Inquisition as a whole accepts this, since having their men on the battlefield allows them to watch over the Talon's soldiers more closely, and take prompt action if it becomes necessary--after all, even a carefully vetted Templar may turn out to be a traitor, and duped soldiers may have doubts about who they're really fighting for.

Of course, because many members of the Inquisition are (admittedly) poor or even terrible when it comes to fighting and thus better assigned to other places, only certain members--the men known as **Hospitallers**--may be assigned to the Crawlers of the Chamber Militant. Among other things, they are selected for their combat ability; indeed, Hospitallers are no pushovers in battle; the plate armour they wear protects them against small arms and other threats, and their powerful flamethrowers allow them to immolate enemy infantry, burn soldiers out of buildings, torch structures--and should it become necessary, execute traitors on the spot.

## Behind the Scenes

* The Hospitaller was somewhat inspired by the Black Hand (the unit from Tiberium Wars), modified to suit the Order of the Talon.
* The Hospitaller will be also be based on your local friendly Catholic priest... armed with a flamethrower.