Marines

## Description:

“As a Marine of the Spravac Empire, recognize that I have dedicated my life to a cause greater than myself. I will kill for the Empire and die if necessary, I will loyally bring death to all who challenge the Empire and my House. I do not know peace, I do not know fear, I will taste the flesh of my foes when the battle is done. Hail the Thundercharge, Hail the Marines, Hail the Empire!”

* Imperial Marine Oath

The Imperial Marines (Vítzvesczí) are the core infantry fighting forces of the Spravac Empire. They are brutal warriors trained to hone their natural propensity for violence and savagery into professional killing machines. They know nothing of fear, remorse, or mercy. Armed with a vast array of weapons and armor, the Marines are levied warriors drawn up from the populations of their local feudal authorities, trained rigorously before being sent into the meatgrinder of spravac warfare, which they happily charge into.

Beginning their tenure as Whelps, the Marines are tougher than the steel they wield, and are regarded as some of the most dangerous frontline soldiers in the galaxy, not even for their skill but for their unpredictability and un-tempered savagery.

Though they are technically referred to as marines, and are therefore regarded as an amphibious invasion force, the Imperial Marines function more like a regular army, invading and occupying territory and conducting operations on a large scale with mechanized and airborne elements.

## History:

“The Imperial Army will sweep through the stars like a wave of steel, teeth, and death. Nothing will stand in our way.”

* Jerítai Sírvíai, the First Prime

The Marines have the distinct bragging right of being the oldest military organization within the whole of the Empire, even older than the Incubi, though technically only by a few days, and being the foundation for all other spravac military formations that followed after. Originally referred to as the Imperial Army, the force originally acted as a fully homogeneous maritime defense force, operating as the garrisons for cities and metropolitan centers. Their first major reform was the Dominator Commandments in 3489 CE, which was formed after the spravac nobles began their first of many squabbles over the ownership of land within the Empire. Without any ways to exact their will over each other, the Primes relinquished their autocratic control over the Imperial Army to then be used and commanded by the nobility.

Drawn up from their own citizens, the nobles began differentiating their soldiers with different colors, symbols, and panoply designs, creating a massive horde of visually diverse warriors. In order to account for this sudden reorganization, the command hierarchy of the army was also revamped, lowering the size of units and creating a distinct and unique rank system that is still adhered to in the present day.

With this new system in effect, the army was able to be deployed in smaller units for more sensitive operations, as well as be used for the guarding of ships once the Imperial Navy launched its first ships in 3712 CE. Once they started acting as the garrison forces for ships, the Empire changed their name to the Imperial Marines, now deploying from dropships and using ships and boarding craft as their primary mode of transportation. Additionally, the Shadow Ark Corsairs were also formed, which were simply Marines who served exclusively on ships and space stations, allowing Marines to become more focused on land based invasions and other infantry based doctrines.

The Marines first true combat test was during the First Raleos War of 5012 CE. After the navy purposely lost the battle to allow the raleos to land, the marines immediately sent waves upon waves of their troops against the raleos, overwhelming them in mere months, butchering them while losing very few in comparison. However, the raleos were deemed disappointing by the Empire’s standards, so they set their eyes on the rest of the Betaverse to make sport out of slaughtering them.

The advent of deep space and zero gravity warfare made the construction of a new branch of the Marines a necessity, thus the Space Marines, or Astral Marines, were created. Wearing airtight Void Walker Apparatuses, the Astral Marines were first set upon the ninev in the Aven War of 5013 CE, boarding the nine orbital stations that revolved around the planet of Aven. Though many regarded the war as a failure due to the disproportionate losses on the side of the Astral Marines, it did give some valuable insight on Marine doctrine as it pertained to defensive actions and reacting to ambushes, as the ninev’s greatest strength was their element of surprise. These adjustments were made in preparation for the Beta War, where the spravac were able to fully and truly test the mettle of their warriors against an entire galaxy, viciously burning and raping every world they invaded and absorbed into their empire.

Thanks to their exploits, the Empire expanded by nearly 400%, immediately becoming the dominant power in the Betaverse and soon to be the dominant rival power against the zyyntoreans in a few centuries.

After the end of the Beta War in 5037 CE, the Marines expanded even more so, feverishly researching weapons technology to further their small arms and vehicle arsenal. The advent of the Zgevescz in 5035 was especially groundbreaking, creating an entire platform of its new modular ammunition that became adopted in other firearms, including ship weapons, near the tail end of the Beta War.

Following the end of the Beta War, the marines would continue to be utilized as the backbone of the spravac war machine, sent to countless worlds for invasions and conquest, most famously deployed during the Spravac Crusades, where they truly had the chance to test their skills against a worthy foe in the form of the Drow Empire, which at the time was nearly four times the size in terms of territory.

Spravac Marines demonstrated themselves as recklessly valiant and brutally efficient, capturing planets such as Nelkan, Spaasa, Volunru, and Daleras in record time. No matter how many losses the spravac took, it was as if they were endless, churning out fresh troops to continuously throw themselves at the Drow.

At the time of the Crusades’ end, the marines had lost billions, and at the time was their most costly war, and would remain so until more recent conflicts. Marines would be deployed extensively during the Spravo-NRR War and the concurrent Delta War, though the latter saw lower numbers because most were being used to fight the NRR. After the end of both conflicts, the spravac turned their attention back to the Deltaverse, engaging in war again, this time succeeding where the previous war had failed, bringing the Verse to its knees and annexing several territories and securing hegemony over part of the Orion Spur.

After the arrival of the Union in 1 AUA, the spravac were immediately deployed to assist the NRR, pushing back the Union on multiple fronts, essentially keeping them from flanking the entire galaxy while the NRR held them back in the central offensive.

Concurrently, the Spravac also had to contend with the HARS, which were invading from the Pinwheel Galaxy to expand their massive peacekeeping effort. Surprisingly, the spravac held the HARS back, marking them as thus far the only species to do so, though at an extremely high cost.

In 732 AUA, the spravac were approached by the Syrus Empire, another foreign empire from Andromeda. The spravac rejected the syrus, intrigued by their strength and wishing to test their military might once again. The marines proved greatly effective against the syrus, and made up part of the joint-invasion force that invaded Andromeda to destroy the syrus and later colonize the galaxy.

Following the end of the Syrus Galactic War in 744 AUA, the marines saw heavy deployment throughout the galaxy after the beginning the the Spravac Galactic Crisis, which began in 874 AUA and has persisted into the present day, with the marines proving themselves as one of the most capable fighting forces in the galaxy.

## Recruitment and Training:

“Here in the Marines, you win or you die, do you get me, Whelp?!”

* Dominator Vrin Álescz to the new horde of Whelps

Recruited by spravac lords from the feudal lands of the Empire, the infantry are essentially an all volunteer force. The spravac’s innate love of violence and a culture of nationalism and war means that the entire fighting capable population of the Empire is eager and prepared for war, offering the Empire an endless pool of recruits to pull from. Feudal estates typically recruit marines in the thousands, often taking the youngest fighting age males to be trained. If additional soldiers are needed, they will gather recruits from older family members and redeploy veteran marines.

If a lord is commanded by one of his superior nobles within the lands that he commands, he will conscript the entire male population of his estate. Recruits are then taken to the various military camps throughout the realm, typically large training yards presided over by the province’s Blood Baron.

These training yards are colloquially known as Crucibles, during which the recruits are stripped of their clothes, referred to as Whelps, and beginning what is known as Whelp Month, a month long training process during which they are put under constant physical stress and training, trained in melee weapons, small arms, and standard combat doctrine. During this entire time, they are completely nude, exposed to the elements of their homeworld.

After finishing Whelp Month, the Whelps are then placed into companies and taken to war, during this period, the Whelps must successfully survive without any armor, clothing, or weapons for an entire engagement, which can last from a few hours to weeks on end. During this time, the Whelps will be used as cannon fodder, where only the clever and extremely strong survive.

Following the end of their test, the Whelps are now taken back to their training yards, this time to go through what is known as Blackforge. During Blackforge, these recruits, now no longer Whelps, will undergo formal infantry training. Blackforge lasts over 9 weeks, and involves gear issue, weapon familiarization, battle drills, marching, and finally ends with a culminating obstacle course and battle drill that will test the marines in all of their new skills.

Following the end of Blackforge, the marines are ranked based on their skill and whether they even survived Blackforge. Those that are in the top 20 percentile are taken for further training as commanding officers, Astral Marines, and even special operations such as Gloom Marines, Rangers, Garrison Hordes, etc. Those in the 80% are then put into the standard infantry where they will take a series of hands on tests where their commanding officers determine what their MOS should be. Most marines become riflemen, but others will become radio operators, snipers, engineers, beastmasters, Immolators, grenadiers, chemical warfare specialists, armor or artillery crewmen, or melee focused troops.

After graduation from Blackforge, officer candidates endure another month of training, during which they will practice commanding troops, continuing training in personal defense, and become immersed in general customs and decorum as a commanding officer.

Following the end of officer training, spravac officers will then take command of an infantry platoon and begin their tenure as a Dominator, the lowest commanding officer rank. Marines that distinguish themselves in the field can also be eligible for later commanding officer training, and upon commissioning will actually graduate at a higher rank due to their earlier experience as a regular rifleman.

Gloom Marines, a special operations throng of the Marines, undergo a two month long training process where they are trained in small unit tactics, guerilla and night warfare, and reconnaissance. Gloom Marines are typically trained by Incubus instructors, and survival rate for training is very low, as Incubi will show no mercy toward their trainees to prepare them for the combat they will be engaging in. Additionally, they will learn to train and ride the Xenoraptor, a large bipedal reptilian beast that are renowned on Sprava as stealthy pack hunters.

Those that are chosen to become Astral Marines are taken onto one of the orbital command stations over their homeworld, where they are trained in zero gravity combat scenarios, typically in the remains of scuttled warships where they can use small arms freely. As Astral Marines they will learn how to conduct ship boarding operations, zero gravity raids, and demolition operations. Additionally, Gravity Marines will train with the Astral Marines, conducting joint exercises with them and practicing with their advanced gravitational technology.

Death Plague Marines, experts in chemical warfare, are marine regulars that chose to specialize in chemical warfare. Training in marksmanship with grenade launchers and equipped with deadly gas grenades choking with lethal gases, the Death Plague Marines’ training is a three week long camp where they practice with grenade throwing and habituate themselves with the hyperactive combat drugs that are pumped into their helmets during warfare.

Immolators, which are specialized marines using plasma throwers and flamethrowers, only take a two week course, learning how to operate their weapons and how to use them in combat while working in tandem with other marine units. Other destructive specializations are the Stygian Grenadiers, who are demolition specialists and shock troops. After selecting their field, they go to train in the fields of the Crucible to train in flanking maneuvers, mobile warfare, and combat with grenades and carbines.

## Tactics and Doctrine:

“The spravac only truly have one tactic; overwhelming force. Anything else is just a variation of that.”

* Harbinger Zelem on spravac war doctrine

Holding true to their reputation, marine war doctrine is almost entirely centered around mass numbers and overwhelming firepower. Units of marines are utilized in mass infantry charges into enemy fire while adjacent forces circle around and attack from the sides, performing gargantuan pincer movements that can be as large as entire countries. These mass infantry charges are often accompanied by withering arms fire during the charge. The first few ranks of the charge are typically armed with their rifles, continuously suppressing the enemy position with constant fire while the ranks behind are armed with swords and other melee weapons.

Once contact is made with the enemy, the ranks armed with rifles halt and open their ranks, allowing the melee infantry to charge through and cut into the enemy, all the while the riflemen continue to fire into the enemy, causing mass devastation from at range and in close quarters.

In the event of the melee troops getting pushed back, the riflemen will continue to hold the line while more troops charge in to reinforce, while the fresh marines are in combat, the ones that had to retreat rearm and rapidly heal their wounds, allowing them to quickly rejoin the fight, creating the illusion of endless troops as they cycle through the entire engaged force.

Marines will also conduct mechanized assaults as well, allowing tanks, APCs, and IFVs to lead the charge while the infantry advance from the rear and flanks, typically under the cover of artillery bombardment overhead. Airborne mechanized operations are also part of typical doctrine. All marines during Blackforge are required to be proficient in maintaining balance and landing on their feet after jumping from low flying dropships and other aircraft. Marines, during the jump, will continuously fire down into the enemy ranks, raining death from above before brandishing their swords and hacking apart the enemy forces upon landing.

All spravac doctrine is performed under the expectation that casualties will be high and frequent, which is why spravac are taught to disregard losses and injuries, not because the death and pain will cause them to fear, but because it will cause them to bloodlust and frenzy, breaking military bearing and putting the operation at risk of failure. Despite this contingency, when a commander is certain of victory, he will often command his troops to enjoy themselves and revel in a doctrine known as “Bloodsport” (Bûsczrélû), during which they will be permitted to frenzy and cause as much bloodshed and destruction as is feasible. This tactic is often implemented against undefended civilian populations or poorly defended or weakened enemy positions.

As a naturally aggressive species and an equally aggressive army, the marines, and by extension the rest of the Imperial Armed Forces, always approach warfare with an offensive approach. Very rarely do marine units bunker down or fortify positions, rather they charge headlong into enemy territory at all times, when defense is necessary, it is almost always a counterattack. Defensive positions are managed by auxiliary marine forces and reserve units such as Corsairs or other defensive units.

This attitude of constant movement and aggression allows the spravac to conquer and utilize overwatch over incredibly large swaths of land, deploying forward bases and outfitting them with living quarters, weapons foundries, and even females stationed within breeding camps so the marines can breed more troops during prolonged campaigns.

In the event that a spravac unit must rest, they construct an outpost in the trees, stationing longbowmen and riflemen in the tree tops in an established diamond shaped perimeter. Between each apex of the diamond, the other marines rest by perching themselves on steady branches or by fastening themselves along the trunks of trees with their personal sleep systems, which are essentially just heavy duty hammocks.

When conducting patrols, marines disperse in large numbers with the intent to kill, essentially acting as hunting parties and vanguards meant to search for enemy positions or hunt down enemy platoons. When coming across an enemy that doesn’t yet see them, units are instructed to immediately attack and ambush if possible, concealing themselves however way they can before striking quickly and brutally. Marines, using their acute senses, find their prey very easily.

Because of spravac kratocracy, marines will often usurp their officers if they see fit. Those that fail simply validate the rule of the officer, while those that succeed are then recognized as the new officer, regardless of how tactically sound he may be, and will continue to lead until he too is killed and usurped. This practice is typically discouraged by higher ranking commanders such as Archons and Didacts, who believe that a constantly altering chain of command harms operations, so infantry officers are outfitted with more durable gear and are instructed to gather a loyal group of men to serve as their bodyguards in the event of a mutiny. Higher ranking officers will even be guarded by Incubi or auxiliary special forces in the event that Incubi are not available for deployment.

When conducting occupations of enemy towns or cities, marines are generally instructed to massacre the entire population and preserve their flesh for rations. In the event that a city is taken but is in danger of being attacked, the marines are instructed to only kill a fraction of the populace and leave their corpses for the enemy army to find as a demoralization tactic. Civilians that are left alive are then tortured and left to die on x-shaped apparatuses for soldiers to stumble across. Additionally, citizens are used as meat shields or as bait, deterring the enemy from advancing and allowing the spravac to get the jump on them and cause mass casualties and destruction.

For rations, after a battle is won, the dead of both sides are collected for consumption, and marines that are wounded or too weak to fight are also eaten. POWs are used as torture playthings and as rations, where they are typically eaten alive for the pleasure of the marines eating them. If all else fails, marines are instructed to eat their own flesh, cutting off fingers or sucking blood from their wrists to sustain themselves in between battles.

## Organization:

“When you think you’ve killed all of them, more show up, even more than before. They just never stop.”

* Unknown Ures servicemen after the Siege of Daystart

The Imperial Marines are also renowned and reviled for their tremendous numbers, numbering in the hundreds of billions. Organized in generally large formations, the marine forces are not often deployed in units smaller than the brigade or division level, though in rare cases they will be deployed in units smaller than that. The organization hierarchy goes from Dagger (Víll), Spine (Silgcá), Flock (Trotzá), Troop (Státó), Bloodpack (Bûnsczmózg), Talon (Tait), Clawmass (Trógcágcá), Great Talon (Vectait), Swarm (Tánc), Army (Spírisczai), Horde (Vectánc), Great Throng (Vecvágcsál), and Imperial Throng (Zgólzgotví-Vecvágcsál). The following chart shows the organization of the marines from the Flock to the Imperial Throng level.

All marine units are commanded by a host of different ranks. Packmasters are enlisted officers that are selected by Low Dominators based on their skill in combat and in maintaining order amongst the troops. On the Troop level, operators and Packleaders are concurrent enlisted leaders that work on the frontlines. Operators are typically in charge of the Troop’s headquarters, while Packleaders lead in the front and maintain discipline. Low Dominators lead both Flocks and Troops, and are differentiated on their armor by a set of markings that adorn their sashes.

1st Talons are assistants to Dominators, leading troops and serving as a bulwark, and will often defend the Dominator with his life. Talonmasters appropriately command Talon formations, one of the more common smaller units in the marines. War Commanders are administrative officers that oversee operations through communication with the Talonmasters. Clawmasses are commanded by Battlemasters, skilled and experienced warriors that work alongside Staff Archons, which are typically lower ranking Incubi that are embedded by Incubus Covens to maintain order. High Talonmasters and Archons are in charge of Great Talons, which are the most commonly fielded individual units in battle. Magistrates are high ranking officers that are essentially low ranking generals, typically serving within the staff of a Didact, even serving in his stead if he dies. Commandants are enlisted equivalents to Magistrates, and serve as a second in command in the case of a Magistrate either dies or is promoted in combat.

Didacts are among the highest ranking military officers in not just the Marines, but the entire Imperial Armed Forces. Didacts are in charge of entire armies, but will typically also command or assist in commanding Hordes, Great Throngs, and very rarely Imperial Throngs, where they are referred to as Imperial Didacts. Hordes are commanded by Blood Alchemists, who are typically naval commanders, but will take charge vicariously of ground forces through either Didacts or Death Marshalls, which are exclusively loyal to the Blood Alchemist that appoints him. Blood Alchemists also command Great Throngs and Imperial Throngs, though once again it is often vicariously.

Imperial Throngs will also occasionally be taken under direct control of the Primarch of Blades, the highest ranking infantry officer in the entire Spravac Empire, serving as the supreme commander of all military forces, marine or otherwise. When not able to command personally, the Primarch will institute Imperial Didacts and Imperial Archons.

The Imperial Marines are divided into several branches and specializations. As an army organized by feudalistic nobility, units are drawn up from local areas and remain together for the rest of their existence, dissolving after the entire unit has been killed. Due to the nobility, units insignias and colors are reminiscent of the noble house that recruited them. To avoid too much variation, the marine unit takes its colors and house symbol from the region from which they are recruited, lower nobles such as Didacts and Lords can however be represented on the unit standard which is flown during battle.

The many specializations of the marines allow for a highly flexible and deadly fighting force. Standard marines, or riflemen, are the backbone of the infantry, using a variety of weapons and making up the single largest proportion of the entire Imperial Armed Forces. Death Plague Marines are specialists using chemical warfare, embedding within rifle units or deploying within their own units.

Gloom Marines are specialized stealth troopers, acting as vanguard reconnaissance forces, they deploy exclusively in homogenous units, though they are trained and capable of cooperating with other marines during joint operations. Astral Marines, or Space Marines, are deployed exclusively in zero gravity or low gravity environments. Technically acting primarily as Imperial Fleet Security, Astral Marines are deployed from dropships inside cargo bays or on the hulls of ships, where they will use antimatter blades and buzzsaws to cut through the hull and destroy the ship from the inside. Typically, Astral Marines will often be commanded by senior officers or Incubi due to the sensitive and dangerous nature of their doctrine.

Stygian Grenadiers are powerful demolition specialists that embed themselves within marine units, even Gloom Marine units in certain situations, and provide fire support through grenade launchers, mortar teams, and rocket launchers, serving as anti-tank troops and sappers. Immolators are typically fielded alongside Grenadiers, but are deployed from dropships so they can quickly drop into the thick of enemy positions and burn them away with constant plasma fire. Immolators are also tasked with the massacre of civilians and the destruction of towns and cities, a task they share with the grenadiers.

Gravity Marines are exceptionally skilled troops that are deployed in small mobile squads and serve as devastating shock infantry. Using the sharpened gravitonic tiles that deploy from their armor to cut down swaths of enemies.

Communication riflemen, known as Screech Operators, are in charge of maintaining communication between the unit, they are deployed within Troops and higher, with more being utilized in the headquarters of a unit the larger it gets, with tens of thousands of them being present for maintaining communications for an entire Imperial Throng.

Armor marines are in charge of maintaining, commanding, and implementing the many varieties of vehicles used by the marines, which includes tanks, APCs, speeders, mechs, IFVs, self-propelled artillery vehicles, and war barges. Armor enlisted troops act as crewmen, while officers command and coordinate units of vehicles.

Artillery marines deploy AA guns, howitzers, mortar crews, and cannons. Enlisted artillery specialists are in charge of loading, maintaining, and operating the equipment, whereas officers serve as forward observers and are in charge of coordinating massed bombardments of artillery batteries.

At the lower level, fireteams, squads, and platoons of marines can fall under three specific types. Blade Sections are units composed and commanded entirely out of melee marines, called Blades, who engage the enemy in close combat with swords, spears, axes, and other various melee weapons. Fire Sections are units composed and commanded by Razors, or riflemen, who wield the myriad firearms of the Imperial Armed Forces, though they will carry swords and combat knives with them to use in close combat when the need arises. Finally there are Fireblade Sections, which are combined units made up of both Razors and Blades, though their commanding officers can be of either martial discipline.

When marines become skilled and experienced enough, they will come to a fork in their career where they can choose between a command role or more combat oriented role. Those that choose the latter become Elites. Elites, referred to as Blackhawks by their brethren and their enemies, are highly skilled marine infantry that are placed into large units of their own kind. Essentially a military order of their own, the Elites are commanded directly by Didacts, often serving as personal infantry units that accompany them in battle or as units designed for high risk missions such as suicide missions, flanking maneuevers, shock operations, or demolition behind enemy lines. The Elites are brutally efficient and armed with the best possible gear that the empire has to offer, making them deadly warriors to face in battle.

The Marine’s rank system is highly robust and specific, following a strict grade shown on the chart below;

## Equipment:

“Everything about their weapons is designed to make your death as painful as possible. The ammunition poisons you, the weight of it bludgeons you, the bayonet stabs you, and the user wielding it is worse than everything else combined. If you see a spravac charging you, run.”

* Crazed Drow General after the failed Invasion of Spaasa

The Imperial Marines share much of their arsenal and equipment with the rest of the armed forces, though more advanced equipment is more difficult to acquire than it would be for another branch. The vast array of weapons and armor at the disposal of the marines are known to be some of the highest quality armaments in the known galaxy. The Empire’s Deathsmiths, the engineers and weaponsmiths of the Empire, are utterly committed to constructing the deadliest and most reliable firearms for the marines.

A standard marine kit is variable on their role and on the region from whence they were levied. Marines from wealthier regions tend to be better equipped, whereas marines from poorer or backwater worlds will be less well armed, though still deadly in their own right. Typically, marines are protected by Blackshard Panoply, a segmented set of plate armor characterized by jagged edges and large triangular pauldrons designed to protect spravac when firing or charging forward.

The armor excels at protecting marines from small arms fire, as the armor is coated in an energized resin that disperses plasmic heat and lessens the blow of energy fire. Ballistics are also rarely effective against them, and the rounds flatten and bounce off the thicker parts of the armor. The armor is decorated with curved blades and a colored sash worn at the waist, which is adorned with spraviscz characters that state the words of the noble house that recruited them.

Along with the weight of the armor, marines carry with them a standard issue steel dagger, ammo pouches that are capable of carrying on average 4 to 10 magazines. A small sustainment pouch is worn on the hip, which is meant for personal items and a rolled sleeveless cloak meant to be worn during snow or rain.

Radio operators must carry the Type 6B Screech Box, a 12 pound radio meant for communication. Immolators must carry the Immolator Type 100 Plasma Thrower, which includes the plasma reservoir backpack. Plague Marines, Grenadiers, and regulars will often carry five to seven grenades, with Plague Marines carrying gas grenades while marines gravitate toward the Type 30 tomahawk grenade or the Type 1 frag grenade. For ambushes and anti-personnel, marines will deploy Void Charges and Vapor Mines, which are powerful landmines that spew out antimatter to vaporize the victim. When mines aren’t available, marine sappers will entrench their positions with Devil’s Fangs, which are extending spikes that activate upon proper pressure being applied.

Plague Marines wear the Death Breather gas mask, which not only filters out gas, but pumps combat drugs into the wearer’s respiratory system. Immolators wear the modified Hellmask, which filters out smoke, ionized gas, and allows for infrared vision so they can see through concealment and walls to burn down fortifications and the people hiding behind them.

More wealthy regions will outfit their marines with the Ebonsteel Shroud, a durable panoply of pitchblack and green armor commonly worn by the Black Marauders, uniforming themselves within its steel plating. The Shroud’s plates are tempered by a plasmic forge, giving it a slight iridescence within the dimly lit causeways of abandoned ship ruins. The inner layers of the armor are lined with hooks and barbs, clawing into the wearer's skin, heightening their senses through constant pain stimulation. The plates are also lined with spines and blades, leading some groups, typically victims, to refer to large groups of soldiers wearing the Shroud as “Bladed Smoke.”

The Gloom Marines and Gravity Marines equip themselves with the Stalker Falcon Panoply, which is a light, primarily composite cloth uniform augmented by titanium plating on the shoulders, chest, legs, and arms. The armor is so dark that it reflects no light, making marines practically invisible without the need for stealth tech when attacking at night, which is exclusively when they operate. Gravity Marines wear a modified version of this kit, equipping it with recesses where they store their gravitationally tethered tiles, which deploy and roil around the user before use.

The marines employ a great variety of melee weapons, including a host of steel blades that vary based on the region and culture that developed them. Most commonly seen are Hunting Swords (Vódávántziv Von), a straight single-edged blade with a longer curved handle, and the two-edged Vóvbrézgáscz Von, which has a longer blade but a short handle. Others include the Vigtortz Von (war sword) and the Várgávon (shadow sword). More advanced troops and officers will use antimatter blades and the powerful Baleblade, which are deadly energized blades that cut through nearly any material.

The marines also utilize a multitude of crew served weapons, primarily machine guns, missile launchers, and mortars. The mainstay machine gun of the marines is the Pálscz-Pattern Crossbow turret, which is a rapid fire antimatter machine gun that is also mounted on spravac vehicles. Alternatively, the Gauss Machine Gun is used in favor of the crossbow turret because of its higher rate of fire and ease of maintenance. For mortars, the marines use the Type 8 Dreadfire and the Torture Bolt, the former of which fires heavy plasma shells while the latter fires a timed shrapnel grenade.

The most devastating of the crew served weapon platforms is the Pulse Launcher, which fires a deadly beam of dark energy, a projectile so powerful that it engorges and consumes all things in its path in a violent singularity before dissipating into nothingness. When the Pulse Launcher is unavailable, marines will utilize the simpler Antimatter harpoon, which fires a powerful iridium harpoon coated in a corona of antimatter, allowing it to penetrate through anything before impaling and fusing itself to the target.

The marine small arms arsenal is the pride of the Empire, particularly the rifles and carbines.

Marine officers will sport a variety of pistols and sidearms, primarily the Type 18 antimatter sidearm, the Piercer Pistol, or the Skewer, though the skewer is more commonly used by naval officers because of its lower caliber. Officers will also field carbines, primarily the PM Carbine or the Thornfang, though the more deadly Thornfang is used more commonly by Marine Elites. The Thornfang utilizes a recoilless magnetic rail to fire narrow metal spines that have been hollowed out and filled with a detonation system and the Deathshriek Ichor venom.

The Carbine’s venom thorns are tipped with a molecular edge, allowing it to seamlessly cut through most armors with ease before shattering, allowing it to be embedded at least partially within its target before it explodes. Once the thorn explodes through a proximity detonation, the venom is spread throughout the wound via the shrapnel, causing unimaginable pain as well as structural damage from the superheated metal shards. Small plasma jets within the tubing of the barrel also heat the thorn, giving it a distinct blue-purple hued glow of heat as it exits the barrel at supersonic speeds.

Standard infantry carbines include the Kraken Karbine and the Deathshard, which are both the standard issue carbines for the spravac marines recruited from the worlds of Tortvis and Orgcris. The most common and deadly carbine is the Antimatter crossbow, which is considered the most powerful standard issue carbine in the galaxy due to its lightweight, low recoil, and unstoppable penetration power. The most uncommon carbine is the Midrange Engagement Carbine (M-REC), which is currently the oldest spravac carbine still in service, most commonly used by auxiliaries and the Whelps. Despite its age and poor quality in comparison to later models, the M-REC is still an effective weapon, and is the most commonly fielded service small arm in the galaxy.

The mainstay service rifle of the marines is the Zgevescz, which fires cartridges with two primers. The first primer is used to propel the cartridge forward, the second primer is a destructible pin at the end of the round. When the second primer collides with a surface, it pushes into the bullet and punctures a small electromagnetic well that holds seven volumetric grams of antimatter. The antimatter is then propelled forward by the short iridium coils and is released into the surface, be it flesh or otherwise.

The bullets are not stored within shells, rather the entire cartridge acts as the projectile, exploding upon impact and releasing shrapnel, antimatter, acid, or any other dangerous substances that the spravac wants. Zgevescz designed the chemicals and substances stored within the cartridge to be interchangeable with any other. The cartridge’s head, which the hollow interior is coated with an ablative film, splay out upon impact to ensure that the antimatter flies out in all directions. As the tip expands and spreads out, it causes further damage to whatever it hits. This is especially devastating for fleshy targets.

A modified variant of the Zgevescz is deployed by certain units; the Aquila, which is simply a more long range lever action variant, which is also famously the preferred rifle of the Imperial Rangers. Two similar rifles utilized by the marines include the Raptor and the Ravager Pulse Rifle. The Raptor is a lightweight plasma assault rifle, chiefly used as a casualty producing rifle for suppressive actions. The Ravager is the bulkier cousin, which fires a heavy bolt of plasma rather than an EMC.

Another older rifle, the Lacerator is a short and compact antimatter rifle, which fires small antimatter harpoons, which are semi solid bolts of antimatter that dissipate and explode upon contact. The Lacerator is often referred to as the axe rifle due to its characteristic axe head bayonet. Similar to the Thornfang Carbine, the Phantomshard Rifle fires envenomed microshards, which bond with the venom inside and expand, deepening the wound while simultaneously agonizing the target.

The Ripperblade rifle is an uncommonly seen plasma rifle which fires serrated shells coated in plasma. In addition to its ammunition, the Ripperblade gets its name from its giant scythe-like bayonet. Similar to the Ripperblade, the Blaze Rifle also has a scythe bayonet, but instead fires sharpened canisters of Blaze Gel, an adhesive burning substance that attaches and burns through any soft targets.

Most recently, the marines adopted the Warp Lance and the Scourge Rifle. The Warp Lance fires concentrated bolts of dark matter. The dark matter is propelled out of the bore of the weapon by a complex synthetic tube that also harnesses dark energy to function. Since dark matter cannot be propelled by conventional means, dark energy must also be used to create the kinetic force necessary to transport such a dense substance.

The crackling pulses of energy funnel into the cylinder, building into the Dark Matter bolt, in a sense inflating until it presses against the walls of the barrel. Once the user pulls the trigger, the energy field collapses, launching the laser forward at impossible speeds, sending the deadly singularity at lighting speed. Upon contact, the singularity implodes, creating conflicting fields of gravity that tear apart the target on the molecular level, warping and atomizing the matter of the victim, often creating horrid twisting masses of flesh, armor, and fabric, drastically altering the molecular makeup of the target. Hence the name of the rifle being the Warp Lance.

In a similar fashion, the Scourge rifle fires canisters of dark matter, however these cartridges are augmented by an Arc field, launching them at incredible lightning speed and heat, causing the bolt to explode in a torrent of electric and dark energy. The Scourge was only recently created in 804 AUA, making it the latest addition to the Empire’s military might.

Though they relish close combat, the marines’ selection of shotguns is much more condensed, with the most common being the Raider antimatter shotgun and the Terror Shot. The Raider is a multibarrel shotgun that rotates like a gatling, firing small bolts of antimatter and rotating to avoid overheating, giving it a massive rate of fire and deadly accuracy for a shotgun. The Terror Shot fires 14mm ballistic serrated shells, making it one of the few ballistic firearms in the spravac arsenal. The Terror Shot’s distinct double bayonets give it the nickname “Tuning Fork.” Other shotguns include the 12 gauge Bloodshot and the plasma Scattershot, both of which are more common amongst the naval Corsairs.

For close range and confined spaces, SMGs are commonly used by Gloom Marines and the Grenadiers, though marines will also use them. The most common is the Plasma Repeater, which fires 5g EMCs at 1200 rounds per minute, allowing it to superbly suppress enemies in close quarters. Its smaller cousin, the Scar, fires a slightly less hefty 4g EMC, but is favored by marines because of its large bayonet, allowing it to cleave through enemies that get too close.

Created to emulate the Thornfang and Phantomshard weapons, the Pain Repeater is a powerful submachine gun typically wielded by the Black Marauders and the Imperial Hordes. Designed as a more portable version of the Thornfang, the Pain Repeater fires metal thorns heated and coated in a thick layer of plasma, burning and fuzing themselves to fleshy targets. Because of this, Pain Repeater thorns are almost impossible to remove, making them a hated weapon amongst the foes of the Spravac Empire.

For long range kills, marine snipers and Longbowmen use the Longshot, the Longbow, and the Javelin. The Longshot is a ballistic 12x200mm bolt-action rifle that is well liked by spravac snipers because of its ability to be silenced and concealed, making it common for assassinations.

The Longbow is an anti-matériel weapon, firing an extremely powerful bolt of antimatter that is capable of shooting through the hulls of ships if aimed properly and accurately. The arms of the bow are also lined with antimatter blades, meaning that it can also be used as a staff against anything that gets too close.

The Javelin, similar to the Longshot, is a single shot sniper, however instead it fires 1.8m coil plasma rounds, making it an effective cover-eliminating platform.

For LMGs, the marines employ the Repeating Antimatter Machine gun (RAM), a devastating antimatter SAW that is one of the first of its kind. In addition to the RAM is the Mower, which fires plasma bolts at nearly 1000 rounds per minute, making it one of the highest rates of fire for any LMG of its kind. More uncommonly deployed is the Plasma Gatling Gun, which has largely been phased out due to its weight and cumbersome design, though less wealthy regions will still manufacture and field it.

In addition to the Immolator, the marines also field the Pyromancer flamethrower, the Incineration Hose, and the acid spewing Liquifier, the latter being used by marines to burn away enemy fortifications in frontal charges.

For throwing grenades, all marines are outfitted with a Death Catapult, a powerful wrist mounted grenade launching tube that fires grenades on a magnetic rail system, giving it extreme accuracy and excellent range when launched. Stygian Grenadiers and Plague Marines will wear a Death Catapult on each gauntlet. The former are also the designated users of the Dominus Rocket Launcher, the Flurry Fire, and the Plasma Launcher. The Dominus fires explosive rocket propelled grenades, while the Plasma Launcher fires plasma rockets. The Flurry Fire is the most devastating, firing six plasma rockets in quick succession.

For combat against tanks, marines, especially Grenadiers and Gloom Marines, utilize mini-ballistas, which are powerful handheld antimatter ballistas that vaporize armor and personnel. The Heat Pike is a powerful double barrelled heavy weapon, it fires a concentrated beam of light that cooks its victims from the inside as well as burns through armor like paper. The Heat Pike’s power source is the same energy source used to power the broadside gun of a Warrior Class Battleship, only downsized in order to be used by a single man.

Additionally, the Quadlaser is a four barrelled laser cannon mounted on the user by a chest harness, allowing it to fire in automatic mode against tanks and masses of infantry. Above all others, the most devastating of these anti tank weapons is the Darkblaster, a dark matter weapon that is powerful enough to atomize a heavy tank.