SkyeKlad

“Okay, strange nekkid lady just punched the internal organs out of chest of Kreeghor warrior. Strange nekkid lady has also shoved Kreeghor’s own gun through eye socket. Strange nekkid lady has now ripped Kreeghor’s head and spine out and is dancing on remains. I think strange nekkid lady more than capable of taking care of herself, so no more ogling or making fun of strange nekkid lady, okay?”

*“If you really think cyborg conversion has made you less than human, why are you so modest and ashamed about your body? Come, join us in the light, feel the sun’s warmth on your skin, let it re-affirm that you are real and ALIVE, and then tell me that doesn’t feel GOOD.”*

Lavenda Steelskin, SkyeKlad Berserker, to a new NeShemar convert.

## Fringe Tribe: The SkyeKlad

 Where First Encountered
 Tribe Size
 Tribe Organization
 Male %
 Berserker
 Neshemar
 Quiksil
 Prism Warriors
 Joten
 Zealot
 Highest Caste Class
 Technology Level
 Relations With Outsiders
 Relations With Other Shemarrians
 Prefered Mode of Combat
 Prosperity

aka ‘Daughters of the Nude Goddess’

The Skyeklad seem to advocate a minimum of covering, for the maximum of time. Most of the time, Tribe members of both genders go around completely naked, with typically only a sword/gun belt or combat webbing being their only concession to utility. SkyeKlad WILL don body armor or clothing as the situation demands, but the rest of the time they go, as their Tribe name suggests, skyclad.

Many blame the Sapphire Cobras for calving off the SkyeKlad; the apparent hedonistic tendencies of the SkyeKlad, and the large numbers of a Sapphire Cobra Elite, the Quicksil, among them, suggesting this. Extremely friendly relations between the Sapphire Cobras and the SkyeKlad seem to reinforce the idea that the latter are a scatterling of the decidedly already eccentric Cobras. The Wayfinders, with their own share of eccentrics and nonconformists also get along well with the SkyeKlad. Interesting enough, Blood Riders also get along well with them; taking a challenge of single-combat against an opponent who wears no armor and carries few, if any, weapons, is seen as a real test of pure skill. The SkyeKlad also get along well with the Horrorwoods, both groups interested in getting ‘closer to nature’.

The presence of a large number of Elite classes makes the idea of nudist Shemarrians less amusing to those who have encountered them in combat, however.

The SkyeKlad favor temperate Earth-like worlds for their enclaves (and thus often appear on Horrorwoods worlds), though they have been encountered on completely airless and inhospitable worlds (utterly blowing the minds of vac-suited outsiders coming across naked people lounging around in hard vacuum).

## Statistics

### Society

Shemarrian nudists and sun worshippers. In their belief, the Goddess Shemar is both Sun and Perfection, and the unadorned physical form something to be proud of, as a reflection and homage to the Goddess.

### Motif

A dark gold silhouette of a female figure, arms raised and outstretched, against a solar disc on a sky-blue shield.

### Origins

Splinter of the Sapphire Cobras. The SkyeKlad split off to pursue ‘au naturale’ worship of the hidden Shemarrian goddess(es) as solar or gaian entities.

### Tribe Size

Since last count, the SkyeKlad have swelled in number to some 7,000 members, though not all of them reside on Rifts Earth.

### Tribe Organization

Traditional Shemarrian Matriarchy; the senior Elite or Mystic is deferred to.

#### Composition

Roughly 80% Shemarrian, and 20% NeShemar. 80% female. Of that, 40% are Berserkers, 10% are Quiksil, 5% are Prism Warriors, 5% are Joten, 5% Zealots.

The SkyeKlad also see a large number of Eccentrics and Unattached taking up temporary membership with the Tribe, ‘just to let it all hang out for a while’.

### Highest Caste Class

Elites; the SkyeKlad lack a WarGoddess. Shemarrian Mystics lead the tribe in peace times, but the Elite take command in combat.

### Home Environment

The SkyeKlad favortemperate Earth-like worlds, and ideally beaches and forests, but just about any environment with lots of sun will suit them just fine.

### Technology Level

Megadamage Age. Equal to the average Rifts Earth Tribe, but the SkyeKlad have been focusing their efforts on concealable and stealth technologies, ideally allowing them to conceal their true power in plain sight. This borders on Advanced Space Age with regards to their optical manipulation capabilities.

#### Known Warmount Types

* A-001/002 Monst-Rex
* A-003 Monst-Rex “Pack Mule”
* A-006/007 Monst-Crane
* EcoS-K-2 Equus

The SkyeKlad have also expressed an interest in the Silvermoons’ EcoS-K-17 Majestrex and their parent Tribe’s EcoS-K-48 Quetzal (acquisition of the latter seems more likely, given the close relations between the two familial tribes).

### Relations with Outsiders

Indifferent. Just because the SkyeKlad don’t like to cover up doesn’t mean they’ll allow others to stare at them without their permission. Strangers are advised STRONGLY to move along and not bother the Shemarrians, or ELSE. Of course, the SkyeKlad are fully aware of the effect their bared physiques have on many other beings, so they aren’t above testing the mettle of those they come across with some flaunting. Friends on the other hand will be greeted most enthusiastically.

### Relations with Other ‘Shemarrians’

Enthusiastic. Contact with members of other Tribes is usually followed almost immediately with ‘take those things off and come join us!’. The Sapphire Cobras and Blood Riders are the most likely to accept the invitation (though the Blood Riders will try to turn it into a competitive strip-off), followed by the Hawkmoons, Horrorwoods, and Wolf’s Path (all of whom are known to occasionally streak through their respective environs as part of initiation rituals). Wayfinders appreciate the whole solar worship thing, but the scholars can be rather prudish about ‘displaying their upgrades’. The SkyeKlad get along just fine with the Silvermoons, despite the two being helo-centric and lunar-centric respectively, because both like dancing naked under a celestial body, and both tribes are enemies of creatures of darkness, though the Silvermoons are a bit too attached to their shiny armor for the carefree SkyeKlad. The DarkWaters are also regarded as a little too uptight, except when the DeepWatch comes up on beach to party (the SkyeKlad often can’t reconcile the fact that the DeepWatch are also/still DarkWaters). The Ghostriders think the SkyeKlad are more than a little crazy, but that may be because the ‘riders favor a ‘hacker’s pale complexion as opposed to the tan sported by most SkyeKlad. Both the Skullcrushers and the Lost Eclipse tend to avoid the SkyeKlad, seeing them as frivolous and foolish, especially in their efforts to get them to ‘drop the armor and come have fun’.

### Purpose

Pleasure. Like the Sapphire Cobras and the Lollipoppers, the SkyeKlad just want to have fun, enjoy themselves, and sample what the megaverse has to offer. The world seems too dark; let’s bask in the sun and let it all hang out.

### Preferred Mode of Combat

Sneak Attack. The SkyeKlad like to appear, if not always nude and unarmed, at least lightly equipped and not very powerful, to get opponents to underestimate them. They also incorporate elements of Blitzkreig in that they will often appear as being little more than light infantry in strength, when in fact they have either cloaked or concealed Warmounts and air support nearby waiting to add their thunder. On the defensive, they use their apparent lack of heavy gear to bait enemies into traps. On the offensive, they attempt to appear less of a threat than they really are, ideally getting an observing enemy to look elsewhere for the REAL attack, or ignoring them for mopping up later while the enemy focuses on more powerful forces. This manner of warfare has led to more conservative Shemarrians like the SkullCrushers and Armorands to regard the SkyeKlad with no small amount of contempt and disdain, though the Yurei of various Tribes admire the chutzpah of the open air deception.

### Unique Attributes

Unique Rituals. The whole nudity angle is the most obvious. The SkyeKlad seem to follow a combination of Greek and Celtic traditions, and it is common for tribe members to take on full body war paint for combat, and lime their hair. Other forms of body decoration are also common for rituals and ceremonies.

### Unique Technologies

Less obvious is the SkyeKlads’ ‘hidden’ technology and weapons. Optical stealth is a feature of much of their larger equipment, including their refitted Warmounts. They are also known to use personal forcefields (technological and magical) when they can acquire them.

### Prosperity

Prosperous. Deceptively frugal; the tribe doesn’t want for material and resources, can carry out large scale projects, though these aren’t readily apparent. The SkyeKlad can commission special equipment from other Tribes and keep it off the books. It’s not known WHERE the SkyeKlad are getting their money, but some suspect they own the patents to several skin treatments, including megadamage sunscreen formulations. Other less PC wits have suggested that the SkyeKlad are selling calenders and soft-core of themselves on the megaversal market.

### Origin Tribe

Sapphire Cobras. Many outsiders consider the SkyeKlad to still be just a subsect of the ‘Cobras, since ties between the two remain very close.

### Notable Technology

Use the same technology and equipment as other Tribes, although some who have encountered them claim the SkyeKlad possess optical cloaking technology, since they seem to pull their weapons and equipment ‘out of thin air’(actually Naruni-style variable-camou ‘invisibility blankets’ to cover their stuff laid out nearby).

#### Cloud Armour

Bracers and Greaves that generate a cloud around the user that has several effects.

#### DiamondDust Armour

Armour similar to the Cloud and Sandstorm armours that creates a layer of diamond like skin over the EShemarrian.

#### Sandstorm Armour

Armour similar to the Cloud Armour that uses sand and similar particles instead of water.

#### EM Punch-Blade

A multi-mode enhanced version of the EM Blade.