Clan Armorand

*“T’is easier to break adamantine plate than Armorandite will! Come if you will and strike your best if you think yehself better than Clan Armorand, you’ll only join the rest of the broken pieces at the foot of our mountains, and the hem of our shields!”*

## Clan Armorand

 Tribe Size
 Tribe Organization
 Male %
 Highest Caste Class
 Technology Level
 Relations With Outsiders
 Relations With Other Shemarrians
 Prefered Mode of Combat
 Prosperity

aka ‘Armorandites’, ‘PlateHearts’

### Discovery

Clan Armorand was first encountered by EShemar travelling through a Dimensional Rift when they came across a world that had apparently served as a travel hub and battlefield; ruins of alien armies and encampments littered the countryside, abandoned ghost-towns of failed colonies rotted under the elements, and bones of dimensional raiders decayed on the rocks. To their surprise, though, the explorers discovered a native population; a small city-state of Shemarrian-like beings (they called themselves the ‘Shymarites’, but their city-state and organization ‘Armorand’). The Armorandites claim that they came to Haldas from ‘far away’ by means unknown (most likely the same rifts that brought others to their world) but they have claimed Haldas as their own for the past three thousand years. The Armorandites have since fought all comers to their world, acquiring their technology and adapting it to their own needs, including bionic technology to enhance their warriors and workers. Clairvoyant visions told them, however, that others like them would one day come to be greeted as kin, and would assist the Armorandites into a new era of prosperity. The EShemarrians are supposedly those others, the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Living in an environment rich in potentially toxic minerals, the Shymarites have developed high tolerances for such poisons as fluorine and chromium. The high concentrations of dissolved psylite in the water have also, over the centuries, caused the Shymarites to develop higher-than-normal psionic potentials, offset in part by their later adoption of bionic conversion (and balanced right back when they began using larger psylite crystals to build psionic amplifiers).

### Combat

The Armorandites believe in the ‘Wall of Steel, Wall of Mind’, referring to their strong material defenses and powerful psionics. Highly disciplined and schooled in not giving in to their fear and breaking ranks, Armorandites are fierce defensive fighters, but are less confident on mobile offensive.

The Armorandites have sent several small delegations to observe the Shemarrian Star Nation at war, and to advise them about their own way of combat. They have gravitated towards the Silvermoons for their similar styles of ‘phalanx fighting’.

## Statistics

### Motif

A stylized black Celtic-style helmet with ‘goggle’ eye protection and antennae-like horns on a blue sunburst.

### Origins

Evolved Naturally; appear to be a Dwarvish take on Shemarrians, with generally a more squat and muscular build to members. From a distance, they could be mistaken for a Tribe of Tinkers. Stat-wise, they are identical to normal Dwarves, save for a MUCH higher incidence of psionics (01-06% Master Psionic, 07-31% Major Psionics, 32-83% Minor Psionics, and 84-00% no psionics at all). They also have a +2 to save versus toxins.

### Where First Encountered

Other universe; dimensional hub-world of Haldas.

### Tribal Composition

As an Evolved Tribe the Armorandites have no caste-classes as such.

### Highest Caste Class

As an Evolved Tribe the Armorandites have no caste-classes as such.

### Home Environment

Temperate, Earth-like world Haldas. Haldas is moist and foggy, with a thick atmosphere, and has rich deposits of psylite and other valuable minerals. The main Armorandite settlement is in an area of multiple canyons and rocky upthrustings, heavily vegetated in mosses and creepers. The labyrinthine landscape has proven a deathtrap to many an invader, as the land is sprinkled with Armorandite outposts and traps.

### Technology Level

Megadamage Age; roughly equivalent to Rifts Earth. The rough terrain of the region where the Armorandites live (and do most of their fighting) has encouraged the use of fleet-footed animal transportation, or small, agile, hovercraft. Their animal transport would later become increasingly augmented with bionics, just the Armorandite warriors are, so the later inclusion of wholly robotic transport would come as no problem (and thus laying the groundwork for the Armorandites’ own Warmounts). The Armorandite militia STILL continues to use live and cyborged cavalry in addition to Warmounts.

### Relations with Outsiders

Aggressive, and distrustful of almost everybody else. They’ve fought all previous invaders and would-be settlers of Haldas, either completely annihilating them or driving them back through the Rifts. Even peaceful colonization efforts were forced out, and the colonists forced to surrender their equipment and technology to the Armorandites.

The Armorandites thus know (and are known by) a number of different species and organizations that have invaded them in the past. Naruni Enterprises has sent at least three expeditions of varying strength and cunning to exploit Haldas’ mineral wealth, and they’ve lost every time (the remains of their expeditions did contribute greatly, however, to the Armorandites’ knowledge of forcefield technology). The Armorandites also have some familiarity with the Vintex, Vernulians, and Atorian minion-races, all of whom have sent expeditions to exploit Haldas in the past (and paid heavily for it).

### Relations with Other ‘Shemarrians’

Enthusiastic. Supporters of the SSN; having allies who can help keep enemies off Haldas is seen as a major plus.

### Purpose

Crusade; several decades back a particularly vicious enemy came through the Rifts and wiped out over 75% of the resident Shymarites on Haldas before being beaten back. The surviving Armorandites have sworn revenge on this enemy. Based on the description given them by the Armorandites, the Shemarrian Star Nation hasn’t been able to identify this enemy as anyone they’re familiar with, but the Armorandites hope that if they should ever appear again, the SSN will beat the stuffing out of them, find out where they came from, and launch an offensive on the enemy’s own home ground.

### Preferred Mode of Combat

Melee; close and bloody, preferably after the enemy has exhausted themselves battering through mine fields, traps, shields, and fortifications (reverse siege).

### Unique Attributes

The Armorandites specialize in defensive technologies and strategies.

#### Major Psychics

About 52% of the Halda Shymarites possess Minor psionics, 25% are Major psychics, and 6% are Master psychics. Furthermore, the Armorandites have learned to use psylite boosters to amplify their psionics, and reduce the damage/diminishment done by bionic conversion.

#### Forcefield Technology

Among several innovations in forceshielding that the Armorandites have made is ‘Phalanx Shielding’. The Armorandites have learned how to tune personal forcefields such that if they are in close proximity (maximum 3 ft), individual shield strength is increased by 25%. Having more than one shield in close proximity does not offer cumulative bonuses, only redundancy in the event people are forced to drop out of proximity.

VEHICLE phalanx shields are also possible, with a maximum proximity range of 10 ft, and a shield increase of 30%. Infantry/personal forcefields within that 10 ft range also benefit, increasing strength by 30%. Note, however, that vehicle screens only benefit with an increase of 5% per every ten personal/infantry screens within close proximity.

#### Burst Cyborg Armour

Heavy cyborg armour fitted with anti-infantry fletchette packs, used on units defending choke points, or leading counter charges.

#### Storm Esspa PP-12ca

Heavily modified twin Esspas in an underslung arm mounting, used for assaults.

### Prosperity

Self-Sufficient. If the Armorandites were to start mining psylite for export, they would do very well indeed. Currently their production of this valuable mineral goes to equipping their own forces and trading to the Shemarrian Star Nation for material assistance.

### Cyberization

Thorough. Roughly 50% are full-conversion cyborgs. Armorandite females are required by tribal law to bear at least two children before they can be eligible for cyborg conversion. Similarly, males bank sperm against future critical injury and cyborg conversion.