The Knochenbrüder

### Affiliations

The IDTU (member), other Panzerhorden (neutral), other species of Elajim (enemies)

## General Overview

The Knochenbrüder are a Panzerskelett Panzerhorde that have joined the IDTU. They number in the 4,000s, being the largest Panzerhorde in Panzerskelett history. Unlike the rest of the Panzerskelette, they have established a currency that they use to make the Panzer trade more effective.

## Society

The Knochenbrüder have developed as close to a fully-developed society as is possible for the Panzerskelette. It has a leader, soldiers, builders, merchants, and "engineers." They have established a city on Elajim's north pole called Knochenstadt. They also use a currency called Geld, which is essentially coins made from melted-down Panzerskelett body parts. Geld are roughly half an inch thick and two inches in diameter. The average Panzer will be sold for several hundred Geld, as it requires a great deal of material to create one.

### Career Paths

Aspiring Panzerbauer who do not have the necessary Geld to build a Panzer will instead train under a Kleidermacher and learn to make clothes. Eventually they make enough Geld to build a Panzer, and those with the necessary talent will succeed will construct a Panzer and make lots of Geld.

Those who cannot build a Panzer will instead become Musikalische Herolde or learn to pilot a Panzer. The Knochenbrüder have established a basic pattern that most Panzers must follow. Even the mighty Zerstörer der Fleischlichen conforms to this pattern. This to allow aspiring crew members to learn the craft much faster than every Panzer being unique. However, some Panzers are unique, and thus they do not conform exactly to the pattern.

If one becomes a successful Panzerbauer, they may choose to pilot their Panzer to serve the Panzerhorden, or they may become an Ingenieur, who attempts to decipher issues with Panzers and help fix them, for a (usually exorbitant) price. Ingenieur are essential to the Knochenbrüder's conquest, as the terrain of Elajim has caused many problems for invasion parties attempting to expand to new territories. As a result, several patterns of tank were invented to circumvent these issues.

One who cannot build, play music, make clothes, or pilot a Panzer can become a Fahnenträger and display the totem of the Knochenbrüder proudly. These totems usually double as weapons, with large hammer heads on the top. Fahnenträger are usually rare as most Panzerskelette have at least one talent, and thus there is a high demand for them.

### Organization

The Knochenbrüder is broken down into sections based on occupation. The first class consists of Kleidermacher, Ingenieur, and Musikalische Herolde and is dubbed the Kaufleute. The next section is comprised of the Fahnenträger and Panzerbesatzung (Panzer crew members) and is called the Tankzubehör. The final section is called the Herrscher der Gesellschaft and is made up of Panzerbauer. The Knochenbrüder is ruled by Oberster Zerstörer Dietrich Albrecht, an autocratic ruler who has centuries of tactical, Panzer-driving, and commanding experience.

The Knochenbrüder has five armies, each consisting of 715 Panzerskelette. Making up each army, or Todesbringer, is 600 Panzerbesatzung, 90 Panzerbauer, 10 Ingenieur, 10 Musikalische Herolde, and 5 Fahnenträger. These are usually grouped together in 10-15 Panzers, depending on the size and complexity of the Panzers in the Todesbringer, and only the greatest Panzers in the Todesbringer have access to a Fahnenträger.

Dietrich Albrecht has access to his own Panzer, Zerstörer der Fleischlichen, which has its own crew of 37 Panzerbesatzung, a Musikalische Herolde, 4 Ingenieur for maintenance, and a Fahnenträger named Bewohner des Schlamms due to the fact that he was discovered buried in mud near a river bank.

## Panzer Patterns

The Knochenbrüder has several patterns of Panzer, used when conditions are most befitting for them. The first pattern is the Normaler Panzer, the standard Panzer pattern used in most situations. 3 of these are typically used in each Todesbringer. They consist of a turret mounted onto a body with tracks on either side.

The next pattern is called the Sandläufer, used when the sand is too deep for a Normaler Panzer to traverse without getting stuck. It is similar to a Normaler Panzer with the exception of having two legs instead of treads. These legs have feet resembling pairs of skis to distribute their weight and make walking possible, even on deep sand. They are typically armored more lightly, but fitted with more and higher-caliber machine guns to ensure that they are still effective.

The third pattern is known as a Himmelsfort, and is a strange chimera of tank and tiltrotor aircraft. It consists of a turret with two rotors on either side. One rotor provides lift while the other provides thrust. The bottom of the body has cannons mounted onto it to destroy targets from above. The Himmelsfort was designed as a superfluously extravagant answer to the Sandläufer's diminished effectiveness in combat due to its light armor. The Ingenieur who designed them, overjoyed by the payment he had received, set about designing the ultimate answer to the problem. When the Himmelsfort was introduced, it was subject to many crashes due to the complexity of its controls. Fortunately, only minor damage was incurred due to the toughness of Panzer armor.

The fourth pattern of Panzer is called a Wassertank, and is a bizarre amalgamation of boat, submarine, and tank. It is essentially a boat hull covered in various guns. The hull has valves that can be opened to allow water to enter special tanks and thus enable the vehicle to dive. The guns must be retracted into the body when diving, so as a countermeasure Wassertanks are usually covered in spikes to ram enemy vehicles. Most Wassertanks also have treads at the bottom of the hull to allow land travel.

The final pattern of Panzer is dubbed a Raupenpanzer, and consists of a body with treads on either side and a drill immediately in front of it. There is a large piston on the back of the body that angles the body of the Panzer and allows it to dig. When the pilot wants to stop tunneling, the piston goes out the other end of the body and pushes the drill upwards.