Ghor

The **Ghor** are a race of cybernetically augmented humanoids within the Nirvas Imperium who serve, primarily, as shock troops, asset denial groups, and incinerator squads. Notable for their use of enviro-suits and subdermal injection tubes to funnel special mutagens into their bodies, Ghor troopers were a culture of specialized soldiers who lived for conquest and were bred for that sole purpose. They are said to be difficult to kill, even for seasoned Kandarrian soldiers, and are trained from birth to fight in most surroundings and against any foe. They are loyal servants of their Nirvaan masters, fighting without question for the sake of expanding the Imperium and crushing any foes that stand in their way.

## Appearance and Biology

Contained in armored enviro-suits, the Ghor are able to move around comfortably in most environments with temperature and breathing controls inside the suit enabling them to adjust to changing conditions. These suits most often come in black with accent colors being painted on to distinguish ranks. They have humanoid bodies, with five digits on their hands, two arms, and two legs. Their helmets have a single wide visor colored green, with breathing apparatuses on the mouth pieces of their helmets. A console rests on their chestguard that displays their medical status and reserves of mutagens available. From these consoles, they are able to control their mutagenic intake, recharge their weapons, adjust their shields and power packs, and more. The console triggers the self-destruct sequence for the Ghor's enviro-suit if its life signs are reach zero. This self-destruct sequence can also be triggered manually by the Ghor in question or by one of their comrades to provide a quick death to a wounded trooper rather than risk capture.

Most interesting about the Ghor is their speech. They seemingly lack the ability to speak in either Galactic or Nirvaan, their speech sounding synthesized and garbled through their helmets. Nevertheless, Nirvaan who work with the Ghor frequently enough can learn their speech patterns and be able to communicate with them. When needing to communicate with species that cannot understand them, the Ghor will make use of hand gestures to try and convey their messages. Many Nirvaan find Ghor speech taxing on their sensitive ears.

The Ghor are reliant on their regular intake of the mutagen Zitlosk, a white chemical that provides everything a Ghor soldier needs to function. If a Ghor is healthy, with a regular intake of Zitlosk, their blood is shown as bright green and they are capable of moving at great speeds and lifting heavy objects with ease. When deprived of the Zitlosk mutagen, the Ghor slowly become weaker and more sickly. Their blood takes on a darker color and they begin to suffer a tremendous breakdown until finally rotting to death. Many Ghor will more eagerly commit suicide or kill their comrades rather than suffer such a fate as it can take days to die from Zitlosk denial.

The Ghor keep their mutagen containers on their belts, with tubes attached to the containers leading up into their chestguard and into their bodies. If the tubes are ever severed, a pack of spares is kept in their supply pack on their backs. Ghor soldiers know that their suit is their life and are thus trained extensively on how to repair it in the field. They keep their weapons and essentials in their supply pack, with rifles snapping to it when not in use.

## Society

The Ghor are grown in breeding vats in vast complexes built onto various worlds, asteroids, or even on space stations. Their accelerated growth and the surplus in supplies needed to grow them allows the Imperium to have a plentiful stock of well-trained and loyal soldiers on hand at all times. The Ghor are kept in a constant military society where every individual is a male soldier, born and raised to fight and kill on command. Because of their accelerated growth, a Ghor's lifespan is short - with a healthy individual living only for a month before dying of natural causes.

The Ghor are kept reliant on their Zitlosk mutagen, with the providers of it being the Nirvaan. The Ghor have built-in kill switches that the *Tracto* have access to in case any grow any rebellious ideas of their own.

## Culture

The Ghor have a very limited culture thanks to their controlled society. Cold, diligent, and loyal to the Nirvaan beyond question, the Ghor are the faceless stormtroopers of the Imperium - bringing control back to dissident worlds and being the first face many species see when the shuttle doors open on their homeworlds. The Ghor are stunted culturally, having no form of art, literature, or racial identity. They exist solely to serve a purpose, no differently than the weapons they use or the ships they fly. They may show an appreciation for tactical ingenuity in others or an annoyance at a particularly stubborn foe that refuses to be beaten.

When deprived of Zitlosk, they seem to show a gradual fear of dying from the lack of it and a heightened sense of paranoia, being willing to kill their comrades and even their Nirvaan superiors if it means getting their hands on a supply.

## Economy

The Ghor have no economy of their own. Everything they need comes in the form of chemicals or supplies provided by their Nirvaan *Tracto*. Everything they claim from their enemies or conquered races, they deliver to their masters. They value their *victus* more than anything else as it is the mutagen that allows Ghor to live and thrive in battle. Zitlosk is the most valuable of the *victus* as it sustains the Ghor and keeps them healthy.

## Government

The Ghor lack a government of their own - being entirely subservient to the Nirvaan of the Imperium. They reside in breeding stations planted on various planets and built on large space stations, being born and trained to fight and kill the Imperium's enemies over the course of days. The closest thing they have to a leader is their individual handlers, or *tracto*, who mobilize and supply the Ghor cells as needed.

## Military

The Ghor are divided into cells, each varying in size. Rather than be modeled after the Imperium's legionnaire ranks and structures, the Ghor are organized into three groups - infantry, specialists, and officers. Infantry are the standard footsoldiers of the Ghor, trained in combat and squad tactics. Specialists are Ghor given specific genetic engineering for talents and roles required of their post - assassination, engineering, artillery, etc. Officers are Ghor who are provided extensive genetic modification to be born with enhanced intellect and battle prowess, being given command over their units and serving alongside the *tracto*.

### Army

Called the *exercitus*, the Ghor ground forces are often either the first or second wave vanguard when initiating first engagement with another species. If diplomacy and subversion should either fail or be disregarded, the Ghor are dispatched in large war pods and ground assault dropships.

### Equipment

The Ghor are outfitted with a brand of Imperium technology unique to their species, tailored to suit their objectives and battle style. Unique to the Ghor is their use of Ardeon, a radioactive compound used solely by the Ghor as projectiles, manufactured in special labs. On ships and stations where Ghor are present, this radioactive ammunition is kept locked behind sealed compartments and in controlled substance crates. The Ardeon is soaked into metals shaped into solid projectiles that are fired from the weapons, poisoning anyone who survives the shots to ensure death.

* **Ardeon Rifles** - Said to be thick, ugly slabs of blasters, Ardeon rifles are a sleek black with an interior green glow that radiates from the coolant screen. Many come with retractable, rectangular screens fitted on the sides that display heat signatures should, for any reason, a Ghor trooper's HUD be disabled.