Dirz Armybook

7/22/2019 Dirz Armybook

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CREATU RES O F

DIRZARMY BOOK


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EDITORIAL AN D

ARTISTIC DI RECTOR

Jean Bey

STU DIO DIRECTOR

Philippe Chartier

EDITORIAL MAN AGER

Sbastien Clerin

DESIGN ERS-WRITERS

Arnaud Cuidet, Collin Kelly,Jean-Baptiste Lullien

and Nicolas Raoult

EDITION SECRETARY

Collin Kelly

GRAPHI C ARTISTS

Mathieu Harlaut

ILLUSTRATORS

Paul Bonner, Nicolas Fructus,

douard Guiton, Florent Maudoux,Paolo Parente, Didier Poli.

SCULPTORS

Yannick Fusier, Sbastien Labro,

Stphane NGuyen Van Gioi,

Elfried Perochon, Stphane Simon

and Rafal Zelazo.

MIN IATURES PAIN TERS

Vincent Fontaine

PHOTOGRAPHER

Jean-Baptiste Guiton

TRAN SLATOR

Collin Kelly

SPECIAL TH AN KS TO

Jez Fairclough, Jon Finnand Grant Hill.

TABLE OF CON TEN TIN TRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

PART I : UN IVERSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Te Alchemical laboratories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Te Fate of Maldegen Dirz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

PART I I : TECHNOMANCERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Raising an army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Kheris clone 66U184 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24SO 150: Shamir. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26SO 38: Teben. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30SO 78: Eclipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34SO 58: Cadwallon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Clones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Crossbowmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Hybrids alpha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Sentinels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Skorizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Phemera alpha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Phemera omega . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Syhar sighthounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Dasyatis evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Nemesis evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Aberration prime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Dasyatis prime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Nefarius prime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Scorpio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Cloning tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

PARTIE I I I : APPEN DI XES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

ravel Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Cadwallon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Laboratories of Dirz company sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ww w.confrontation.fr

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Printed in China


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IN

TRODUC

TION

2

Te source is the code. Te code generates the stems.

From the stems, shoot the branches. Cut the branches to

reveal the stems. Investigate the stem to collect the code.

Break the code to make the power of creation yours.

Maldegen Dirz

At the heart of the Syharhalna live the alchemists who havededicated their existence to studying the Principle of Dark-ness. Tey live according to the precepts of Maldegen Dirz,a genius originally from Akkylannie who was outcast by hiskin. Encircled by their enemies and devoid of any kind of

conscience, these scientists use the secrets of technomancy,a mystical discipline combining magic and alchemy, to spawnmonstrous creatures.

Te Ragnarok is raging and Arh-olth, god of pain andknowledge, is commanding them to conquer Aarklash. Tecreatures of Dirz serve the Empire of the Syharhalna to helptheir masters impose their vision of Creation. Teir emblem isthe Scorpion, crouched in the desert, pointing its deadly ven-omous sting at its enemy. A sting called alchemy.

Te four main laboratories of the Syharhalna are pursuing asecret goal: conquering the process of evolution to create theperfect being that will lead to the return of Maldegen Dirz.Each laboratory is in possession of a fragment of the gigan-tic research project. Each one has its specialty and its favor-ite creatures. Each one is managed by an Omnimancer who,since the death of Maldegen Dirz, has absolute power over hislaboratory.

Te creatures of Dirz are currently sowing terror across theeastern parts of Aarklash and their advance seems unstop-pable. Tey are supported by technomancy and by their faithin Arh-olth. Tey are led into combat by Incarnates, cham-pions of the gods: some are genius technomancers, some areexceptional warriors and some of them are even glory seekingclones. Burning with fire and drenched in blood, Aarklash willsoon witness the dawning of a new era: the alchemical age.

Tis publication contains every element you will need toplay an army of the creatures of Dirz.

Universe explains how the laboratories understand theRagnarok. You will also find a short summary of the historyof this army as well as a presentation of its specialties in termsof creatures.

TeTroopschapter presents all the fighters available, fromthe modest clone trooper to the most monstrous creaturesever created, without forgetting the war machines and titans.

Armies of the Ragnarokpresents the factions of the labo-ratories of Dirz, their forces, their weaknesses, their omni-mancers and their favorite clones. Tis section also describesthe Incarnates of the laboratories of Dirz: their characteristics,their story, their special abilities and their artifacts.

Travel journal is a collection of rituals and communionsshared by Incarnates as well as artifacts famous across Cre-ation.

Finally, the Cadwallonsection describes in detail the cul-ture of the Scorpion: new distinctive features, new culturalprofiles, new trades and so on for the tactical role playinggame Cadwallon.

INTRODUCTION

Headquarters:None.Each laboratory works onits own.Leader:Te Emperor isdead. Each omnimanceris sole master inside hislaboratory.Totem:Scorpion.

Alliance or alignment:Te Meanders of Dark-ness.Factions:Laboratory ofCadwallon, laboratory ofShamir, laboratory of Te-ben and Eclipse laboratory.Mortal enemies:TeEmpire of Akkylannie, theRepublic of ir-N-Bor,the Clans of the ree-Spirit.

ORIGINS

Country of origin:Syharhalna (Empire of).Language:Syhar.

COMPANIES

Gift of the Scorpion:Each unit can use the gift

of the Scorpion once perround, before any charac-teristic test. Te chosentest is resolved rolling asmany additional dice asthe units Rank. Tese diceare not bonus dice, so theycan be re-rolled.Primary element of the

magicians:Darkness.Cult of the faithful:Arh-olth.

THE LABORATORIES OF DIRZ


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FIRST PART

UNIVERSE


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4

UNI

VERSE

Tousands of individuals are born every day in the cities ofthe Syharhalna. Te overwhelming majority is composed ofclones created by technomancers; the others are true-born,children born through the biological reproduction processdestined to form a caste of Scorpion leaders.

Immediately after they are born the fully grown clones aresent to large crches, where they receive the elementary les-sons that will make them worthwhile members of the mostsophisticated civilization of Aarklash. Tey are taught to readand write. Tey are given an understanding of science and asense of duty. Tey learn to respect their masters and moreimportantly to revere the true-born.

Te true-born themselves go through a similar training,though not as intense. While the loss of a clone is barely abook-keeping problem, the loss of one of their rare masters is atragedy that can only be excused by the iron law of evolution.

Randomness sometimes has its place in the upbringing ofthe clones. Some of them develop higher intelligence com-pared to others among their kind. Tese rare exceptions aretrained in leadership. A minority of them, the most brilliant,are selected to assist the technomancers working for the labo-ratories.

Te true-born, offspring of the intellectual elite of the em-pire, are destined by birthright to a mystical career. Tose whodont have what it takes are trained in leadership or in admin-istration: no matter their weakness, they are destined to leadan army of clones.

Te vast desert of the Syharhalna is certainly not poorand barren. Te experimental farms of the new Shamir andthe cutting-edge agricultural industries of enseth effort-lessly produce food to feed the entire empire. Te mines ofKraken Mountains extract ores of a great variety of metals.Te technomancers turn them into complex alloys that allowthe clones to wield the most ingenious weapons available onAarklash, such as the dreaded sword-axe.

All these resources fuel the laboratories and their armies ofcreatures. Born from the brilliant minds of the technomanc-ers, these creatures are designed to join the Scorpions unstop-pable army. Tey are the latest achievements of the Syharsever increasing degree of mastery over life itself. Soon theywill be able to create the perfect being, the stem that will takeover that of humanity and lead the servants of Arh-olth intoan era of perfection.

Te true-born and the clones are only the imperfect toolsleading to this future. Some are more precious than others,but they can all be gladly sacrificed to further the great projectwhich Dirz himself laid out in his reatise of Alchemy. Syharsociety, organized according to the teachings of the master, isdesigned to provide its alchemists with the means of achiev-ing the great goal. Steering the laboratories, the most giftedtechnomancers and mystics, almost all true-born, managehuge research teams for the most part composed of clones.From their work countless creatures and new generations ofclones are brought to life. Tese creatures are the power of theempire and the clones the guarantee of its prosperity.

THE LABORATORIES


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Te role of the laboratories of Dirz is to seize control of theevolution of species by creating the genetic stem that will givebirth to the perfect being.

Te first step on this road is to perfect the stem of humanityto create mans successor. So the laboratories work at design-ing creatures ever more dangerous, creating more autono-mous and more intelligent clones.

Te other role of the laboratories is to test their creations bysending them to fight the enemy, in order to demonstrate theirsuperiority. Aarklash must become a great experimental field,where the achievements of the laboratories will prove they are

leading the way toward the perfect being by triumphing overthe human being, now rendered obsolete.

CHRONOLOGY

676 Dirzs exile to the Syharhalna. Foundation of the Empire of the Syharhalna.679 Battle of Dawn, the Akkylannians are repelled.852 Creation of the orcs.855 Orc revolt. Destruction of the first Shamir.1 000 Ritual of Dawn, Arh-olth is summoned to

Aarklash.1 004 Te dance of the Scorpion.

Ruins

of Dawn

Shamir

HE EMPIRE OF HE SYHARHALNA

otem: Scorpion.Country: Syharhalna.People: Te Syhar.Nation:Te Empire of the Syharhalna.

Language: Syhar.Capital:Shamir.Alliance: Te Meanders of Darkness.Allies:Spider, Ram, Hyena, Serpent.Cult: Arh-olth.Magicians primary element: Darkness.

Danakil

TensethKashem

Inuka

Ishmir

Tarsith

Theben

Dethnes


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WH AT MY CREATOR

USED TO SAY

Who are we?

We are the architects of the future. As the masters of al-chemy, we are persecuted because we know ruth will be

found in Darkness.

What are our qualities?We master the animate and the inanimate. We are able

to transmute life, to create revolutionary alloys and tomerge flesh with metal. Our perseverance and our knowl-edge allow us to perfect the beings of Creation.

What is important in life?

Our goal is perfection. We work relentlessly at enhancingour knowledge to pierce the secrets of Creation.

What makes us better?

Te regular use of mutagenic substances allows each and

every one of us to work beyond our limits. We also practicea rigorous selection of the best specimens for the conceptionand enhancement of our clones. We influence and acceler-ate the development of the species of Creation.

What is good?Working for the greatness of the empire by all the means

at our disposal. For the alchemist there is no rest before hehas explored and mastered all the aspects of his craft. Tewarrior ought to be prepared to hand over his life to defendhis civilization. Te others ought to assist their superiors.

What is evil?

Not sharing ones discoveries with a superior. Our supe-riors have the right to hide their work and goals from us.Tey are wiser and know what is good for us.

Not to show competitiveness. Com-petition is the key to evolution. It helpsus stick to the route leading to perfec-

tion.

Where does Creation come from?

We are well aware of the phenom-enon of evolution taking place within

species. Te concept can be applied in

reverse until the origin of life, and byextension, until the origin of Creation.

However, we know we are still lookingat hypotheses, not certainties.

Where do we come from?

Te race of men descends from thepeople of Kel that sailed to Aarklashfrom over the seas. Is there really any-thing we have left in common withthose barbarians?

Why do we die?

We die because of cellular degeneration, which is themanifestation of the influence of Darkness on the beings

of Creation.

What lies beyond death?

When we die our mind freezes. We are still seeking toextract the souls of the true-born in order to allow them

to carry on their activities. As for clones, they dont have asoul. Teir disposal is of no consequence.

What is the meaning of life?

Life itself shows us where we are heading: adapt, evolveand conquer competing species.

Why can we use magic?

Mana is one of the forces of Creation. As such it can bemeasured. echnomancy is a mystical discipline. Darknessis the most powerful energy source in Creation. We channelit to alter Creation inside our alchemical laboratories.

Why can we use divination?

Arh-olth is an omniscient spirit. His powerful faithful canbless clones during their conception to make them the mes-

sengers of his divine will. Te fervor of these beings is suchthat they can perform miracles in the name of Arh-olth.

What are our founding scriptures?

Over the many years of his reign, Dirz made notes con-cerning his work. Before he fell into a coma, he compiledthem into a single volume, Te reatise of Alchemy. Some-times technical, sometimes moral, the book describes in

plain Syhar Dirz vision for Aarklash.

Some faithful of Arh-olth also study the enigmatic ab-lets of Zahar, which were allegedly written by the alchemi-cal god.


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8

UNI

VERSE

I have heard of other powers, what about

Light? Light is an immovable and stagnant principlethat blinds its believers. Te vision of its followers is ar-

chaic. Te rule of Light is bound to end. Destiny? Tis power once steered the fate of Aarklash.

With the rise of alchemy, the future is in the hands of thosewho study the shadows of Creation.

Darkness?Darkness is the formidable mainspring of

change; the energy that triggers the evolutions of Creationand the cycles of History.

Te four elements?Magical, mysterious and highly un-stable forces. Tough we need them today, it wont be thecase for long.

Te gods? We have long wept over the loss of our faith.Te mourning is over. Now we have alchemy.

Te elementary sihirs?As soon as the elemental gatesare locked, they will no longer be a nuisance and we will beable to forget about them.

Dragons? Evolution has tamed the capricious nature ofmagic and instilled it into these creatures stem. We need

to master their code to improve our own creations.

Atrocities? Legends we will have to investigate some

dayImmortals? Condemned to stagnation by nature, they

are, at best, interesting subjects to study.Elemental realms?Tey offer interesting opportunities

for exploitation.Unfinished realms? Te mere concept is absurd! Any

Syhar ought to share such rumors with his superiors.

What is the Ragnarok?

Te prophets of those reactionary peoples have instinc-tively understood that one day they would be superseded.Tey are bound to disappear. What they claim to be an age

of Darkness will in fact be the rise of alchemical mysticism.

HE NUMBERS OF HE LABORAORIES

Te laboratories of the Scorpion have all been numberedin order to simplify their administrative management andto confuse any enemies seeking to destroy them.SO simply stands for Scorpio Ordo; the number follow-ing it is random: if the enemy were to find a list of thelaboratories numbers, he still would not be able to deter-mine which installations are the most important.


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TH E RESEARCH

OF TH E LABORATORIES

In their quest for the perfect being, each of the laboratoriesis exploring its own path to reach the ultimate stem. Plannedby Dirz himself, the way the work is shared remains nebulous:the master has deemed it necessary to speak in riddles to keepthe Conquering Scorpion in the dark. Dirz had foreseen that itwould not understand his great design.

Little by little, each laboratory has found its place within themaster plan. Each one of them has established its own struc-tures to carry out its share of the research. When the laborato-ries are ready, which should not take long, Dirz will return tounify the work of the laboratories and to celebrate the rise of a

world of alchemy crafted by the masters disciples.

Telaboratory of Shamir (SO-150) speaks to the Basi-leus, the Steward of Syharhalna, in the name of all the labo-ratories. Te importance of its political functions certainlydoesnt diminish its scientific achievements: this laboratoryproduces a crucial part of the empires resources, agriculturalas well as industrial. In addition, the technomancers of Shamirhave designed some of the most famous clones of the empire,such as the crimson servants.

Te laboratory of Cadwallon (SO-58)/Code Noctisis hidden under the free city of Cadwallon. Its task is to col-

lect the stems of all the living creatures of Aarklash in orderto create the perfect gene library. Code Noctis was still a no-madic organization until recently, but now it believes its taskis almost complete.

Settled in Cadwallon, the biopsists and the technomancersworking for Noctis are organizing the final expeditions acrossAarklash to collect the missing stems.

From the splicing of the most promising stems, beings willbe elaborated. Beings never before seen on Aarklash!

Te laboratory of Teben (SO-37) is the largest andmost active research center in the whole empire. In the cityof the final breath, the Scorpion trains the empires sharpest

technomancers and leads highly influential projects. Exceptfor a few selected guests, no stranger has ever walked awayfrom the largest and richest laboratory of the Syharhalna alive.o them, the city is true to its name!

TeEclipse laboratory (SO-78)is the most secret of all.It is the keeper of the terrible Hybrid code secret, a technologythe Syhar themselves fear. Te clones it produces are giftedwith a dangerously independent mind. Nevertheless, this lab-oratory has provided some of the greatest Scorpion warriors;you dont mess with the Scorpion without getting stabbed byits lethal sting!


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10

MALDEGEN DIRZ

Maldegen Dirz was born in Carthag Fero, in Akkylannie,to the rich house of engineer Balfeden Dirz, in 643. Te childsoon revealed extraordinary intelligence and obviously pos-sessed a gift for magic. rained from a very young age in allscientific fields, he was able to correct his fathers plans be-fore he was ten. Indifferent to any possible development of hismystic abilities, Maldegen Dirz favored his passion for science.He quickly specialized in biology, a rather unexplored field atthe time.

At eleven, Maldegen Dirz discovered parasites in the waterrecycling systems of Carthag Fero. He offered to coat the cityreservoirs with copper and to treat drinking water with se-lected bacteria. Within a few months these corrections hadcleansed the city of a great number of major diseases.

Being a voracious reader, Maldegen Dirz used his newfoundglory to gain access to the best libraries of the city and to cor-respond with some of the brightest minds on Aarklash. Tus,he entertained some serious correspondence with mystics andscientists of the Kingdom of Alahan, including Rhea de Brisis.It is she who told Maldegen that missionaries sent to the Sy-harhalna, on the other side of the Migol Sea, had discoveredthe ruins of an ancient and powerful civilization.

THE SYHARHALNA

Te Syhar nomads worshipped a being of knowledge andreason: Arh-olth. Scattered in many tribes, they traveledthe desert stopping at oases and antique ruins. Te historyof these locations made them sacred to the Syhar nomads.Teir cultural heritage was incredibly rich despite theirapparent wretchedness: some lineages excelled in disci-plines such as astronomy, astrology or mathematics. Teywere also famous for their storytellers and drew greatpride in their knowledge of the history of Aarklash. Some

of them were great travelers who risked their lives beyondthe borders of the desert to accomplish quests into themysterious origins of their people: the IshimRe.

At the heart of what once was a luxuriant country, thispeople had built a civilization whose accomplishmentsin terms of science were unmatched. Teir enemies,guided by their belief in primitive gods, had sought todestroy them. Unable to do so with the strength of itsweapons, their enemy cast an apocalyptic ritual thatengulfed the IshimRe in fire, turning fertile land intoscorching desert.

THE FATE OF

MALDEGEN DIRZ


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Th e Br isis expedit ion

With the financial support of Rhea de Brisis,

Maldegen Dirz, then aged sixteen, managed toconvince his father and several scholars from manycountries of the interest of an archaeological expe-dition to the Syharhalna.

He who went by the name of Dirz left with anexpedition and entered the desert with a map hehad been able to draw by cross-referencing ancienttales and charts. It took him only a few months tounearth the ruins of a city.

In 660, a research team discovered a buildingmiraculously preserved under the desert sand. Italso found dozens of artifacts. A few months wereenough for Maldegen Dirz and his men to under-stand how these items worked and to list theirfields of application. However, one particular itemproved to be a challenge to Dirz genius. Af ter hun-dreds of tests, Maldegen Dirz realized the machinecould heal any living thing placed inside it, no mat-ter the severity of the wound or illness. Te younggenius discovered what was to become his lifelongvocation: his science and this technology were go-ing to allow him to unveil the secrets of life. Whatthe population of this fallen empire had achievedwas barely the beginning. Maldegen Dirz wouldtake their knowledge to the limit.

CHRONOLOGY

Year Event643 Birth of Maldegen Dirz in Carthag Fero (Akkylannie).652 Dirz improves the water distribution network of Car-

thag Fero.659 Dirz leads an expedition into the Syharhalna.660 Dirz discovers an IshimRe artifact, a cloning tank, and

achieves his first cloning. It is the first time the wordechnomancy is used.

665 Dirz becomes a member of the Alchemists of Merin.667 Dirz becomes Prime Alchemist of the Empire, Head of

the Alchemists of Merin. Dirz extracts his first stem and deciphers the code.668 Te first tigers of Dirz are created. Dirz converts to

the cult of Arh-olth. Shamir and Arkeon Sanath are discovered.670 Te disciples of Dirz create the kraken arhteths.671 Dirz designs a vaccine against a cattle plague, saving

the Empire of Akkylannie from famine.

673 Dirz creates the first combat clone. He is accused of he-resy. He is acquitted after trial.

675 Te Battle of Kaber reveals the presence of Black ogason Dirz side.

676 Dirz is once again accused of heresy and imprisoned bythe Inquisition. He is rescued by Arkeon Sanath.

677 Dirz escapes from Carthag Fero on a stolen ship whilethe city burns.

Dirz appoints the first Basileus, leader of the cult ofArh-olth. Dirz is crowned Emperor of the Syharhalnaby the Basileus.

Djaran falls under Akkylannian control.

Te clones of Dirz offi cially become the basis of the ar-mies of the Syharhalna.679 Danakil creates his sentinels. Based on them, Dirz ela-

borates the Genariah stem, prototype of the commodo-res of the armies of Syharhalna.

707 Te tarascus arhteths are released in the desert.719 Dirz creates the isatephs to neutralize the tarascus arh-

teths.725 Dirz engineers the stasis tank.744 Karnyrax, the wolfen, is captured and the cornerstone

of an artificial incarnation project is laid by Dirz. Creation of the laboratories as they are known today.746 Dirz launches Project Hybrid.

747 Dirz achieves the cloning of the human mind and crea-tes the neuromancers.

808 Based on the goblin stem, echnomancer Khorda deve-lops the Khorda clone, ancestor of the orc race.

869 Revolt of the Khorda clones who take the isatephs withthem. Tey vanish into the canyons of the Bran--Kor and found the orc clans; the isatephs are renamedbrontops.

853 Destruction of Shamir. Dirz is seriously wounded. Basileus Antykan is appointed head of the Empire.1000 Death of Dirz, sacrificed

Rhea de Brisis


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12

Dirz and his men investigated the dunes ofthe Syharhalna for five years, unearthing manywonders. At the end of this epic journey, theartifacts discovered had made Maldegen Dirzso famous that the order of the Alchemists ofMerin offered him membership. Tat this fel-lowship of illustrious scientists had asked himto join was a first in the history of the order. TeAlchemists of Merin, who dedicated their livesto improving the everyday life of the Akkylan-nians through science, had never accepted sucha young member.

Maldegen Dirz hesitated for a long time be-fore returning to Akkylannie to accept the in-vitation. He was convinced that he didnt needto be in Akkylannie to accomplish great deeds;he could do it just as well from the Syharhalna.It was Rhea de Brisis who persuaded him to ac-cept on the day they finally met. Rhea de Brisishad already demonstrated her superior intel-

ligence and the sincere interest she showed inMaldegen Dirz work, notably when she toldhim that the black gemstone he had found was agem of Darkness. Te pair of scholars soon be-came lovers.

Leaving Rhea in charge of the expedition,Maldegen Dirz returned to Akkylannie withthe certainty that the excavation sites were ingood hands. His discoveries earned him the ad-miration of the Alchemists of Merin and fur-ther supporters.

Th e Al ch emist

Dirz the Alchemist soon prospered thanks to hisgenius and the knowledge brought back from the Sy-harhalna. He reached a peak in his reputation when hedemonstrated that animals, and men, were immune todiseases they had already survived. Using a Syhar arti-fact, he managed to create a treatment against the mostcommon disease of the time.

In 667, as a reward for his immense contribution toscience, Maldegen Dirz was appointed Prime Alche-mist, Head of the Order of the Alchemists of Merin, bythe Emperor. His was so popular that the populationwas soon speaking of the Alchemists of Dirz.

Te same year, Rhea de Brisis was forced to returnto her homeland, the barony of Acheron in Alahan.She presented Maldegen Dirz with the assistance ofthe Black ogas, a community of mystics who offeredto send scientists to the Syharhalna. Maldegen Dirzaccepted even more gladly because the Black ogasclearly had the means to dig out entire cities from un-der the sand.

Te cities of Djaran and asith were brought back tolife. Te excavation workers and the scientists, as wellas their families, all worked to free the cities. Tey were

THE FIRST CLONING TANK

Year 660, Syharhalna

Maldegen Dirz discovery consisted of a glass cylinder toppedwith a deep black gem, whose exact nature was undetermined.Te top of the tank could be unscrewed to admit a man-sizedsubject in a standing position.Te machine was both magical and technological; MaldegenDirz used his dormant mystic abilities to activate this artifact.Te tank would then fill with a dark liquid, which one could brea-the. Persuading his first human experimental subject, an old ex-cavation worker who had been gravely wounded, Maldegen Dirzdiscovered the healing potential of the machine. After adjustingthe machine, he pushed the experiment further. He tried with afragment of a scorpion. From the fragment, he was able to recons-titute a complete specimen. Tis was his very first cloning.Proud of the improvements he had made to the machine, Mal-degen Dirz kept the discovery to himself, convinced he could domuch better. He also coined the word technomancy. He wasnaming the alchemy that allows alteration of the living by meansof instruments powered by Elemental energy. He had finally tiedhis magical potential to his passion for science. A page of Historyhad been turned.


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the first inhabitants. Tey were slowly joined by the nomadswho were attracted by the sweeter life of the cities. Te scien-tists offered their knowledge and technology. In contact withthe nomads beliefs, their faith was gradually diverted fromMerin in favor of Arh-olth. Within a few years, Merin was nolonger worshipped. He was but a former tutelary figure givenonly lip service for the sake of appearances in front of someAkkylannian fanatics.

Meet ing Incar na t ion

In 668, an enigmatic nomad going by the name of Djabril

the Voyager traveled to Akkylannie to speak with MaldegenDirz. Tis faithful of Arh-olth was a sage who knew the manysecrets of the desert. He converted Dirz after demonstratingthat both their gods were different faces of a same deity. Mal-degen Dirz offered his friendship to Djabril. Once the Alche-mist converted, Djabril taught him his secrets, including thelocation of a lost city in the eastern parts of the Syharhalna:Shamir.

Maldegen Dirz and his disciples returned to the Syhar-halna. Tey discovered a ravaged city at the location knownas Shamir. As excavation workers removed the rubble, theymade an astonishing discovery: a wild eyed man dressed inrags who seemed to have been living there forever. He spokenone of the known languages of the time. It is only after mucheffort that they managed to get his name: Arkeon Sanath. Hissaviors shrugged their shoulders and ignored his eccentri-city. What could you expect of a man who spent years livingalone among these ruins?

While Arkeon Sanath made his return to human societyand learned to speak Akkylannian, his knowledge of the cityrocked the comfortable certainties of the explorers. He wasbrought before Maldegen Dirz, who discovered the truth af-ter a long conversation: Arkeon Sanath had survived the cata-clysm that had annihilated the IshimRe civilization hundredsof years before. He had survived alone all this time.

Confronted with the immortality of Incarnation,Maldegen Dirz understood that Death could be de-feated and that Man was imperfect by nature. Fromthis realization, he elaborated the idea of creating abeing freed from time and death. Tis goal wouldhaunt him for the rest of his existence. In the mean-time, Arkeon Sanath (see Army Book: Clones of

Dirz) had stepped into the unique position of favoriteexperimental subject and first lieutenant of Malde-gen Dirz.

Te settlers had built prosperous cities and hadtheir own cult. All they were missing to claim theirindependence and form a nation was a leader.

Maldegen Dirz added the resources of the Alche-mists of Merin to those of the disciples he alreadyhad. He made some major breakthroughs in the un-derstanding and applications of more IshimRe arti-facts. For the first time he got a glimpse of how todefeat death. Tere was a possibility he could evenreach the level of Arh-olth by giving life to a being

liberated of all natural defects.Tese resources also allowed him to rebuild Shamir and

find out more about the mysterious civilization that had leftsuch treasures behind. (See insert p. 10).

Th e H e r e t ic

Maldegen Dirz was twenty-four when he set himself to fur-thering the discoveries of the Black ogas by combining theirknowledge of mana with the science of the alchemists.

TECHNOMANCY

echnomancy is a path of magic practiced by the magicians of theSyharhalna: the technomancers. Te fundamental principle of thisform of magic consists of modifying the living using tools fueled byElemental energy.While most magicians believe they are the heirs of ancestral occulttraditions, technomancers see themselves as esoteric technicians.Tey convert magic spells into theorems, rituals into protocols,and replace incantations with synthetic substances. In order to fusemetal and flesh, they have achieved the impossible: rationalizingmagic.echnomancy is a young path whose practitioners seek to formal-ize it as a science. Anyone can learn its rules, yet its use still requiresmana. Te use of Darkness is highly recommended in technomancyfor it is the Principle of disorder, entropy and change: accuratelychanneled, its power allows the technomancers to alter flesh andmetal without destroying the subject.


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14

Te work of Maldegen Dirz and his disciples went on forfive years, traveling back and forth from Akkylannie to the

Syharhalna.In Akkylannie, the aura of the Prime Alchemist continued

to grow. His collaborators and the population itself consideredhim a genius capable of feats that greatly sur-passed the abilities of any normal scientist. Hisreputation reached another peak in 671 whenDirz stopped a cattle plague epidemic thatthreatened not only to destroy the livestock ofAkkylannie, which would have caused a famineacross the country, but also to spred to humanpopulations. But this feat was a trifling com-pared to the real work of Maldegen Dirz.

Very early in his research, the Prime Alche-mist had been forced to admit that his con-temporaries were not prepared to comprehendthe extent of his research. Maldegen Dirz tookthe decision to build secret research laborato-ries under the excavation sites. At the height ofhis glory, supported by the Black ogas and fi-nanced by many Akkylannians, he had no prob-lem getting hold of the necessary supplies andtransferring them to the desert. He made surenone of his interlocutors could ever understandthe greater picture of the project, not even Rheade Brisis; his disciples were given orders to keeptheir discoveries secret. While Maldegen Dirzshared his most orthodox inventions withAkkylannie, his closest assistants kept explor-ing the stems and codes their master had en-trusted them. Teir work was focused on sizeand several colossal creatures were engineeredin tanks.

Te Prime Alchemist was ruling a statewithin the state, built in the heart of the Syhar-halna. With its own cult, separated by weeks ofseafaring from Imperial administrative centers,the Syharhalna was almost independent and

attracted all the free thinkers of Akkylannie. Te nameof the Alchemists of Dirz no longer designated a soci-ety of scholars but all the pioneers who followed thedoctrine of the young visionary or those who left to livein the desert.

Te population of Djaran, Shamir and arsith soongrew beyond the ten-thousand residents mark. In ad-dition, the reputation of the scientist soon challengedthat of Pope Demetrius. Some people whispered that ifthe pope were to die, Maldegen Dirz ought to be nextin line! Te popes offi cial successor, Cardinal Lazarus,took these rumors very seriously. He commanded theSeat of Internal Affairs, the ecclesiastic court of justice,to find evidence to convict Dirz of heresy.

In 673, Maldegen Dirz and his closest disciples werearrested. Te Black ogas quickly reacted and to defendMaldegen Dirz they sent Iandorias Lazarian, who wasvery much in the Akkylannian public eye. Renownedtheologian and scholar, Iandorias Lazarian was a jurist

specialized in canon law. He was also the adopted son of Car-

dinal Lazarus himself. By the end of the trial, the verdict wasstraight forward acquittal, which forced the Seat of Internalaffairs to present apologies to the Prime Alchemist.

THE FIRST CREATURES

667-670

Legends claims that Maldegen Dirz used the stem of his own dog tocreate the first tigers of Dirz. At the time he was seeking to explain thegrowth of scales, fur or feathers on animals.One night in 667, after pondering this mystery for days and nights in a

row, Maldegen Dirz eventually collapsed from exhaustion at his work ta-ble. While his brains were boiling, the Prime Alchemist discovered theconcept of code and stem, the keys to the characteristics and develop-ment of each individual: Arh-olth showed him the seed, then the tree;and Maldegen Dirz understood that the tree had always been inside theseed. Struck by this revelation, he immediately woke up: all the informa-tion necessary for creating life exists in each and every one of its pieces.Knowing where to look, he quickly got hold of the stem. After that, ittook him very little time to extract the code, decipher it and modify it tocreate a first hairless dog from the stem of his loyal companion.In 668 he managed to control the size of these creatures and createdbeasts weighing over three hundred kilos whose deformed bodies nolonger had anything to do with a canine. Te process was slow and thecreatures emerging from the tank didnt survive more than a few days.By the end of 668, after studying necromancy spells provided by the Blackogas, Maldegen Dirz built a machine capable of replicating intelligenceinto these creatures. From then on, bloodhounds would be born withlimited but suffi cient intelligence to guarantee their survival.As early as 670, the Alchemists managed to replicate the feat with allsorts of animals and Maldegen Dirz issued orders to pursue the path ofgigantism. Tese oversized creatures are collectively called arhteths inhonor of Arh-olth. Te kraken was an early marine arhteth; while theland arhteth tarascus would only be achieved years later.


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DIRZ TH E HERESIARCH

Te Emperor and the Pope grew worried of such excessiveinfluence. Teir worries came true in 675, when the Battle ofKaber demonstrated that Light was under threat of beingextinguished by Darkness. Following the Black ogas, Iando-ras Lazarian betrayed his family and sided with the baronyof Acheron. He fought alongside the forces of the Meandersof Darkness. Cardinal Lazarus suspicions became certainties.As an answer to these terrible events, the Church of Merincreated the Inquisition and gave it a wide range of discretion-ary powers. Cardinal Lazarus was appointed to lead it. His

first offi cial decision was to arrest Dirz and his collaboratorsto try them in secret.However, the Black ogas had warned their protg. Dirz

had clandestinely transferred Arkeon Sanath to Akkylannie,along with a pack of his famous tigers. On the day of thetrial, supporters of the Black ogas caused uproar in the city,allowing the Incarnate to reach the tribunal. Arkeon Sanathunleashed his beasts and used thecommotion to free the captives. Noone was able to stop them. Chaosspread across Akkylannie. Civil warwas setting the country ablaze. Tepartisans of the Black ogas werefighting openly with the Inquisi-tion.

Answering the rebellion, the in-quisitors fell upon all those who hadbeen in contact with the man whowas now being called the Heresiarch.Te Order of the Alchemists of Merinwas destroyed and many persecutedalchemists joined the fugitives, whohad been traveling to the country towarn their partisans or to save themfrom the stakes of the Inquisition.

Having prepared for suchevents, the Heresiarch hurriedto Carthag Fero, a city he knewwell and whose populationhe knew was behind him. Hestole several ships from theirconsenting owners and left forthe Syharhalna with severalthousand people.

Th e Empero r andh i s f a it h f u l

When the Heresiarch landedin Djaran, he knew he was beingpursued. He turned the wholeof his laboratories resourcestoward building a resistanceforce. Te coordination of thearmed force required strong

central power and the support of the whole population. In 677,the Heresiarch took a certain number of decisions that irre-vocably cut him off from Akkylannie. First he chose the mostinfluential priest of Arh-olth, Ikbaal Kazzaz, to become thesupreme leader of the cult, Basileus of the Syharhalna. IkbaalKazzaz took the name of Antykan I and crowned Dirz as Em-peror, thus federating the tribes of the desert and the popula-tion of the Syhar cities around the imperial power.

Te Akkylannian expedition in charge of capturing theHeresiarch and regaining control of the Syharhalna had pre-pared to meet some resistance. And it wasnt disappointed.

Te kraken the Heresiarch had let loose decimated the fleet

that had already been weakened by diseases called by thefaithful of Arh-olth. Te troops that landed ran into severalbloodhound packs and an army of the first combat clones. Teelite templars fought a long and deadly battle. Still, the cloneswere not perfectly finished yet and the bloodhounds, no mat-ter how fierce they were, they were not enough to be called areal army. Quite predictably, Djaran fell.

THE FIRST COMBAT CLONES

673-677, Shamir

Animals were interesting creatures, but Man was a far more interesting subject. TeHeresiarch declared right from the start of his very first research project that all ex-periments made on Man would be done using his own stem in order to keep a singlepoint of reference. Tus, it would be possible to recognize the deviations that differen-tiated a clone from the original. More than a thousand clones of Dirz were created tobe experimented on. Tough their bodies were perfect and their growth entirely undercontrol, their minds were the source of some problems: the clones were aggressive,cruel and violent.Tree years later, when the Heresiarch returned to the Syharhalna with the inqui-sitors on his heels, he armed his clones and sent them to fight. Tough they lackedproper command, the clones stil l fought with fearsome effi ciency.Te clones of Dirz would constitute the base of the Heresiarchs army!

Te city of Djaran, colonised by the Empire of Akkylannie


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16

Te Heresiarch wished to test these first proto-types of fighters. He had foreseen and accepted theloss of the city, relying on the desert rather than bruteforce to defend his laboratories.

Te Akkylannians wandered in the Syharhalnafor months, misled by local guides loyal to Dirz, bymirages summoned by the first technomancers, byrumors concerning mysterious fortresses

Te Heresiarch used the time won to send Danakil,his most talented disciple, to rebuild an ancientIshimRe fortress in the northern parts of the Syhar-halna. Te disciple was given an important mission:improving his mentors clones in order to create anew generation of fighters capable of leading troopsand providing worthy generals.

Danakil sought to shine and saw this mission asthe opportunity to surpass his master. He used hisown stem rather than those provided by Dirz to cre-ate combat clones superior in every way possible tothose of the Heresiarch. Tese new fighters were complex and

required great quantities of resources but the result was suf-ficiently brilliant to justify the production of a limited numberof them. However, the loyalty of Danakil was in doubt. TeHeresiarch himself started working on the improvement ofthe clones and sent his unique result, Commodore MezaianGenariah, to execute his disciple. Genariah slashed its waythrough the clones of Danakil to take care of their creator.

Once it was done, Genariah took command of the leaderless

fortress as it had been ordered. Te Battle of Dawn that wasfought there against the Akkylannians later demonstratedGeneriahs qualities as commander (seeArmy Book: Clonesof Dirz):

Tis victory eliminated the threat of an attack on Shamir,where the Heresiarch had retreated. Dirz had every right to besatisfied with his work.

Th e q u e st o f t h eH er esia rch

His status as Emperor did not quell the ar-

dor the Heresiarch put into his research.In 707, he put the final touches to the landarhteths, the arascus. He was able to testthese new creations when more templarstried to capture him, in Shamir this time. Tecreatures, assisted by a handful of combatclone units, quickly drove the Akkylanniansback. Pleased with his success, the Emperorsoon ordered the release of the arascus ar-hteths into the wild, in order to fight the peri-odic incursions of Akkylannian crusaders.

In the meantime, the genius of the Here-siarch kept producing amazing results.

In 719, the arascus had become a nui-sance to the Syhar as much as to the Akkylan-nians. Te famished creatures attacked bothsides indiscriminately. It did indeed preventsporadic movements of crusade troops sentinto the desert, but it also paralyzed Syharcommerce. Te Emperor decided to designcreatures meant to neutralize the arascus.Tus the isatephs were born from the tanksof Shamir. Tese fast and gregarious crea-tures travel in great herds, making them anirresistible prey to the arhteths. Designed to

A NEW GENERATION OF CLONES

679, Shamir

Te orders of the Heresiarch are still scrupulously followed today:only the stem of Dirz is to be used to create clones. However, therewere two exceptions to this rule. Te sentinels are based on thestem of their creator, Danakil, and all the commodores use thatof Mezarian Genariah, whose origin was never established by thetechnomancers.Te truth is rather ironic. When the Heresiarch received Danakilto observe his creations, Dirz was extremely upset by the arroganceof his disciple but also very impressed by the results presented. Tisexplains why he authorized the creation of the sentinels. Te He-resiarch also wished to check if the student had bested the master,so he took the sentinels stem and improved it. Tus he created thefirst commodore: Mezaian Generiah.


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develop an extremely peevish character, the reaction of anisateph herd faced with an arhteth is not flight: quite the con-trary, they stand up as a group to their aggressors. Teir natu-ral arsenal, long tusks and sharp teeth, takes care of the rest.A few carefully released isateph herds worked marvels: withinmonths, the land arhteths were only a bad memory.

In 725, the Heresiarch, age 82, was reaching the end of hislong existence and his projects were not complete. He modi-

fied a cloning tank to make it a statis tank that could slowdown forever the vital functions of a living being. echno-mancers engaged in long-running enterprises would have arefuge to wait until an emergency called for their attention oruntil their project was completed.

Dirz the Heresiarch took refuge inside it and spent nineteenyears in artificia l slumber.

In 744 a clone patrol found a female wolfen named Karnyraxlost in the desert. Te deprivation of water and food shouldhave killed her long ago and yet she was still al ive; alive enoughto tear half of the patrol to pieces before being captured. Car-ried to Shamir to be experimented on, the wolfen proved in-capable of dying. Arkeon Sanath took the decision to wake theHeresiarch.

Te capture of a new Incarnate allowed the Emperor tofurther his research to understand the nature of these beings.Te previous work of the Heresiarch on Arkeon Sanath an-swered many questions that had in turn brought even moreunanswerable queries. Te capture of Karnyrax offered fur-ther elements that the father of technomancy could work on.

Late 744, the first conclusions drawn by the Heresiarch al-lowed him to prepare the future cloning of Incarnates. Evenbetter, there was reasonable hope that he could extract thecode of Incarnation and therefore inject it in order to causeartificial Incarnation. Eternal life was within reach.

NEUROMANCY AND PSYCHIC IMPRINT

747, Shamir

Te mental imprint process designed by the Heresiarchallowed him to burn the knowledge necessary to be auto-nomous into the mind of a clone from the very first hoursof its existence. However, the process is imperfect. Te

clones created this way are cruel and prone to violence.Tey only have vague notions of individuality and barelythe trace of a personality. Abilities and knowledge areonly crudely transmitted so it is faster to use traditionalmethods of education rather than to correct the countlesserrors due to the imprint. Te simpler creatures of the la-boratories dont have these diffi culties but human clonesare barely usable.In 747, the Heresiarch finally managed to correct thesedefects. He cloned several servants whose memories areprecise and knowledge perfect. Even better these clonesare able to influence the minds of others!

However, the Empire was not ready to deal with thisinnovation. oo many individuals would be tempted toimplant themselves multiple times without realizing theconsequences. Worse, they could try to use it against him.Te Heresiarch decided to withhold these results and eli-minated the fruit of his experiments. He simply burnedhis imprint into a tank hidden at the heart of a distantlaboratory that he knew would not be used for centuries:laboratory SO 58.Te only thing the Heresiarch revealed of his experimentswas how to create neuromancers, clones specialized inmental conditioning.

arascus


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18

However, the project was prickly. Immortality was not foreveryone and its discovery could throw Aarklash into chaos.Dirz elaborated a secret research plan supposed to unfold over

several centuries and no one else was to know its goal. Onlythe Emperor knew its objective.Te Heresiarch organized the laboratories and gave them

the orders they are working on today. Some research centerswere to provide clones ever more powerful and cheaper to cre-ate. Others were to refine the cloning techniques in order tocreate the perfect human, called clone alpha, for Dirzs re-turn into a younger and improved body.

Another section bearing the seal of absolute secrecy was en-trusted with exploring the first discoveries of the Heresiarchconcerning Incarnates. So Project Hybrid was born and itscountless secret laboratories scattered across Aarklash. Tefirst Code Hybrid laboratories were built in 746. Teir worksoon showed great potential with the creation of the aberra-tions and later of the nemesis.

After two years, the satisfied Emperor returned to his artifi-cial slumber until some more significant progress was made.

Th e c l on e upr ising

Te technomancers dissected the emissaries of No-Dan-Kar who showed up in 808 to establish an embassy in Shamir.Te Heresiarch was woken for the occasion. It would be thelast time he authorized the use of a stem other than his ownin order to create stronger, more obedient and more resilient

clones by injecting fragments of isateph code into thisnew stem. Tis time, he chose Khorda, his most obe-dient disciple to lead the project.

Te Khorda clones proved as strong and enduringas foreseen but their character seriously deviated fromthe parameters expected of the experiment. Teirstubborn temper made them diffi cult to dominate,but the use of drugs could largely compensate for thisdefect. Khorda was more worried by their lack of thecruelty that made clones of Dirz such fierce fighters.

Yet their strength and dexterity was precious. Sothey were produced in limited numbers to becomeelite cavalry fighters. A variation of the isateph cloneswas engineered for the occasion. Tree generationsof Khorda clones ensued, improved each time, until869.

Khorda discovered that these creations had devel-oped a language and an embryo of civilization outsideof any parameter of the experiment. Fearing the reac-tion to the Emperor if he was to wake him to tell him

of his failure, Khorda told Basileus Antykan III of thesituation. Te latter ordered the execution of all theKhorda clones. Te clones proved far more intelligentand far more independent than feared. Instead of pas-sively waiting for death, the clones threw themselvesat the Syhar, massacred their masters and fled. TeKhorda clones vanished into the canyons of the Bran--Kor before renaming themselves Orcs. EventuallyDirz was woken to inform him of the situation. In-

furiated, the Heresiarch banned the use of new stems in thecreation of sentient creatures.

BRONTOPS AND ORCS

719-869, Bran--Kor

In 707, Dirz received from Rhea de Brisis the stem of theulunkor, a creature endemic in the Behemoth Mountainsat the time. He used it to elaborate the code of the first isa-teph, a large herbivore that included fragments of highlyaggressive predator code. Te isateph is a powerful mountthat can survive even on the most barren lands and in themost extreme temperatures. Te Heresiarch immediatelyordered large quantities to be cloned and had them re-

leased into the desert. Te stupid and starving tarascusinvariably attacked the herds and, unfortunately, discove-red that strength is found in numbers. In 719, the last feraltarascus died, killed by a herd of isatephs.More than a hundred years later, when Khorda completedhis project, he was given the approval to make riders of hisKhorda clones. Tey were designed to counter redemp-tion riders lightning raids.In their flight, the orcs took many isatephs with them andbred them in the canyons of the Bran--Kor. Tey sooncalled their faithful mounts brontops, meaning compa-nion in the orc tongue.


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Th e dawn o f t h e Ragnar ok

Te Emperors sleep lasted more than two centuries. Hewas woken again on a clear night in 853 when five hundred

invaders appeared out of nowhere to attack Shamir. Teywielded unknown weapons, made from technologies farmore advanced than that of the Syhar, and they used an ex-tremely powerful form of magic. After only a few hours offierce fighting, the aggressors unleashed such firepower thateven the IshimRe fortification, which had resisted the de-struction of their country and millennia of oblivion , wereswept away. Nevertheless, the masses of clones of Shamir,supported by the Heresiarch himself, eventually defeatedthe invader. Unfortunately, the Emperorwas seriously wounded in the fight.

Te final hours of lucidity of the Em-peror were dedicated to interrogatingthe only surviving aggressor. A handfulof carefully selected biopsists, assisted bythe Basileus himself, ripped the truth outof the prisoner; revelations that were im-mediately concealed.

A century and a half into the future, atotal war between the peoples of Aark-lash, called Ragnarok, would break out.Seizing the opportunity of this conflict,the hundreds of clones produced forbattle would revolt against their mas-ters and massacre them to found their

own people. Te last of the surviving loyalists who had fallenback into the deepest levels of the alchemical tower of Shamirwould cal l upon Arh-olth to help them. Te god would thengive them a machine designed to send them into the past to

prevent the fall of the alchemical empire.After the questioning, the Emperor felt his final hour ap-proaching. However, his mind was still working with thegenius that had always characterized him. He ordered thatShamir should be abandoned and that a new city be builtwhere the true-born would live at the top of the alchemicaltower and not underground. Tus the circumstances in whichthe revolt was supposed to take places would be altered in fa-vor of the true-born. He decreed that all male clones would be

made sterile so that the goals of the revoltcould not be achieved. He then trans-ferred the regency of the Empire to theBaliseus who would be in charge of pre-paring the final assault of the Ragnarok.

Finally, he gathered years of annota-tions, re-wrote some of them and reor-ganized the rest, creating within a fewhours one of the founding texts of theempire: the raitise of Alchemy, half-way between religious scriptures andscientific reference book.

Te Heresiarch then sunk into a comaand was returned to the stasis tank, untilthe day Syhar science would be able toheal the terrible wounds of time.


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20

THE RETURN

OF TH E HERESIARCH

Te epilogue of the life of the Heresiarch hap-pened in 1000 during the Dawn ritual. BasileusVilla, head of the church of Arh-olth, and theMagon, grand priest of the cult, received fromDjabril the Voyager the means of summon-ing Arh-olth to Aarklash for good. Te ritualrequired inflicting unspeakable spiritual andphysical suffering to the most fervent worship-pers of Arh-olth.

Physical suffering would not be a problem. Teproper injection would provide a satisfying re-sult.

Te real challenge was the moral part. Nodrug could help here. In an ordinary nation, theycould have sacrificed the women and childrenof their faithful. Unfortunately, the Syhar felt no

attachment for those they reproduced with, ortheir own progeny.

Once again, Djabril had the solution. Te onlybeing they all adored and loved was their guide,their spiritual father: Emperor Dirz.

Te Basileus himself stabbed the sacrificialdagger into the heart of the founder of the Em-pire while the Magon began the ritual of Dawnand Arh-olth appeared. Te army of the Syhar-halna marched out to sweep away the old worldand sow the seeds of a new one. Victory wouldherald the dawn of a new alchemical era.


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SECON D PART

TECHNOMANCERSechnomancers often perceive the battlefields

of the Ragnarok as training grounds used totest the viability of their creatures. Teir legions

are then reduced to the role of agents, or eventools, that can gladly be sacrificed in the nameof alchemical mysticism and that are bound todie if they are ever deemed imperfect.

Te Scorpion sees glory in the conquest ofnew scientific horizons, not in honor!


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TECHNOM

AN

CERS

22

During a game each player controls a company. Like a truemedieval army this company is composed of several smallergroups, called banners. Banners are then divided again intounits. During this preparatory phase, each player chooses hisunits to build banners that conform to the strategies of thechosen people. Tese choices are written down on the com-pany sheet (see Appendixes).

Once the player has chosen his units, he determines theirnumber of fighters and composition. A unit can include onlyone Incarnate.

A company must include at least one Incarnate to lead it. TeIncarnate with the highest Authority is the Commanderof the company. If there are several eligible Incarnates, theplayer chooses the Commander among them.

ORDER OF THE BANNERS

Each army is built according to a precise structure: the or-der of the banners.

Te order of the banners is presented as a list of five slots.Each slot is optional, except for the one marked with a !,which is a compulsory slot. Each slot indicates the units Cate-gory (infantry , cavalry , creatures , war machines

or titan ), along with their Rank in parenthesis whereapplicable.

A banner is complete when all five slots are filled. Each slotcan only be filled once per banner.

A company can include an unlimited number of banners.However, a new banner can only be created if the previousones have been completed.

Creature unit ( / / ) ! Creature unit ( / ) Creature unit ( / ) Infantry or itan unit / ( / / ) Infantry and War machine unit / ( / )

!:Priority slot. Tis needs to be filled first.

UNITS

In this section the units of the Scorpion laboratories are re-viewed. Each unit is described under its designation. A fewparagraphs then present its story, its tactical deployment andthe technical information needed to play the unit.

Te composition of a unit gives its potential number offighters, from standard to maximum, as well as the number ofspecial fighters available.

Te Cost of a unit table gives its value (in army points orA.P.) depending on the number of fighters, its equipment op-tions and its potential special fighters.

Unit composit ion

Category:Indicates the units nature (and Rank). Tis in-formation is used to respect the order of the banner.

Numbers: Indicates the units standard and maximumnumber of fighters.

Equipment:Tis is included in the units cost. With theexception of Incarnates, all of the units fighters are equippedin this manner.

Special fighters:Indicates the nature of the special fight-ers that the unit may include. Each special fighter replaces oneof the units standard fighters at the cost indicated in the table.Te number of special fighters allowed per unit is indicated in

the Cost of a unit table.

Cost o f a un it t abl e

Standard and maximum number of fighters: Foreach kind of unit, a table gives the A.P. value of a unit includ-ing the standard number of fighters and the maximum num-ber of fighters. Tis table also indicates the number of specialfighters allowed.

Extra fighter: Tis value indicates the cost in A.P. foreach fighter that may be added to the standard unit.

RAISING AN ARMY


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THE RAGNAROK

Te clones and creatures of the Syhar-halna are gathered in companies under thetotem of the Scorpion. After centuries ofpersecution and research, the desert schol-ars have overtaken evolution and spawnedthe creatures of the future. Once Aarklashhas been conquered and the supremacy oftheir knowledge proven, the Syhar will im-pose the rule of science everywhere. TeRagnarok is not the dusk of a world but thedawn of an Alchemical age!

Th e Al ch emica l a r my

Te Scorpion army is unique as it is en-tirely built by its leaders. Its soldiers are crea-tures and individuals cloned from a carefullyselected gene pool. Tey are conditioned

from the embryo to obey their masters andto fight to the death without ever question-ing their orders. Te clones and creatures ofDirz are born and die to satisfy the desiresof their creators. Te Scorpion army is readyto go: its soldiers, deprived of any kind ofpersonality, do not need to force their blankminds and perfect bodies to accept the rig-ors of discipline and military maneuvers.Tis advantage allows the technomancers tojoin the Ragnarok without any preparationother than some rudimentary tactical train-

ing. If the stakes werent so high, one could almost believe thatSyhar scientists prefer to play war rather than fight it.Te gruesome slaughters caused by these cruel and inexpe-

rienced commanders have already fashioned the legends of thecreatures of Dirz. Te commanders of the other peoples seethe alchemical legions as implacable plagues that no-one canstand against. Teir twisted creatures, they say, are governedby their thirst for blood rather than instinct. Tey dont feardeath and can be respawned at will. Tese brave and ignorantlords could hardly comprehend the subtlety of science and,even more so, that of cloning. All they see in it is the sorcery ofDarkness. Te irony and the horror are only magnified: theydo not understand that the companies marching out of thelaboratories are experiments in which they are destined to bethe guinea pigs.

Te operational organization of the laboratories of the Scor-pion is often designed according to experimental or securityobjectives:

Experimental companies are built around creatureunits, which the technomancers see as particularly central.Generally, these units are their latest creations or prototypesthat were given implants to test. Te other units then form anescort that can be sacrificed in the name of scientific observa-tion.

Security companiesguard the laboratories and the tech-nomancers working there. Teir compositions reflect morebalanced strategic imperatives. Tey generally include a largernumber of clones. Tough some technomancers will entrustthis task to a menagerie of bloodthirsty creatures, which theyregard with the affection the originator has for his progeny.

Whenever they do not take part in combat themselves, thetechnomancers hand down the leadership to genetically pro-grammed leaders or to veteran combat clones. Te most ablesubordinates are treated better than the rest of the clones.Tey receive the heaviest responsibility of their existence:managing the companys or their units stocks of mutagenicsubstances. Te scientists just make sure the product is de-livered, without ever saying what the clones will be injectinginto themselves.

Reaching the rank of offi cer is certainly not a guarantee ofsecurity in the alchemical legions. echnomancers under-stand the concepts of victory and defeat with the calculat-ing mind of a scientist rather than the passion of a warrior:failures and successes are scrutinized, analyzed, improved andtested again. Even the most humiliating of routs is followedby analyses that benefit the Scorpion: the cruel punishmentinflicted to the offi cers responsible for such strategic failuresis hardly more than a formality and a source of entertainmentfor the true-born.


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TECHNOM

AN

CERS

24

Companies

Te player can affi liate his company to one of the four fac-tions presented hereafter. Te company can include onlyfighters (troops and Incarnates) whose description indicatesthat they are either part of this faction or part of no specificfaction.

Unless mentioned otherwise, a company that is not affi li-ated to any faction can use any profile.

Te description of each faction includes information de-scribing the universe of Aarklash, which also constitutes gam-ing tips:

Omnimancer:Leader of the faction.Favorite allies:Te armies this company can ally with.

Each description also includes an insert indicating the rulesreserved to this faction.

Advantage:A company of this faction benefits from theadvantage indicated here.

Disadvantage:A company of this faction suffers the dis-advantage indicated here.

Order of the banners: A company of this faction mustrespect this order of the banners.

K HERIS 66U184

Te future is ours!

66U184

Inca r nat ion

Kheris is a mystery: an inexplicable anomaly to the scien-tists, a myth to the clones. He disappears in the fury of thefray to reappear days or weeks later in the aftermath of an-other battle. Tose technomancers seeking to dissect him inorder to find a rational explanation have always met the fiercerefusal of the faithful of Arh-olth. Te latter have guessed thedivine nature of the hero and they know that he is one of thekeys to the Scorpions victory in the Ragnarok.

Te story of Kheris begins in the era of legends.Once upon a time, a benevolent god opened his generous

heart to the men of the country of dawn. Te celestial beingtaught his knowledge to his disciples and they prospered. Alas,the other gods grew jealous and declared war on those who,

through their knowledge, were threatening their hegemony.Using its science, the people of dawn raised an army of fleshand metal to fight the ultimate battle. Unfortunately even itsfantastic legions could not stop the immortal champions oftheir enemies.

Shekara was a craftsman and a soldier of the people of dawn.Full of the secret knowledge of the god of science, he soughtthe means to bestow immortality upon the heroes of his

people. He forged, after apainstaking quest througha labyrinth of the abyss, asword capable of captur-

ing his essence. But war fellupon him and turned thecountry of dawn into a des-ert. Shekara was lost in thestorm before he ever got toshare the secret of his bladewith his brothers and hisgod.

Ages came, ages went,casting the veil of oblivionover the era of legends

KHERIS

4 310 55

2 5 5

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1001, in the early hours ofthe Ragnarok. Te techno-mancer Sasia Samaris sacri-ficed several clone units in anassault against the emple ofthe South (See Army Book:emple). Te survivors fellback leaving the woundedand the dead behind. Clone66U184, who had been left fordead, pulled himsel f up despitehis wounds and fled into thedesert. On his own for the firsttime, he took his first individ-ual initiatives and discoveredautonomy. He soon realizedthat his new found personal-ity would be blown out like acandle in the desert wind if hedidnt find his way back to civ-

ilization soon. He wanderedfor hours before finding refugein the ruins of Kheris, a ruinedoutpost the scorching windshad only recently freed fromthe sand.

After an awful night, the clone was woken by the metallicshine of a blade that was reflecting the light of dawn. Once thesword in hand, he felt his mind waver under the assault of aninvisible and overwhelming force. 66U184 had found one ofthe lost artifacts of Arh-olth and, fusing with the essence of

Shekara, he was incarnated before he fell unconscious.

When he opened his eyes again, 66U184 was full of renewedvigor and driven by a powerful will to conquer. His mind washaunted by memories of battles past and the feeling he had amission to accomplish. But first, he needed to build himselfa personality, starting with a name. 66U184 named himselfKheris, the name of the place where his quest began.

Kheris is not a normal Incarnate: when his worldly body dieshis essence joins the Blade of Shekara. He then needs anotherblank clone to continue his journey. However, the Ragnarokspares no-one, making Kheris quest a never-ending mission.

Tact ics

Kheris is one of the most reliable fighters of the Scorpion.His low strategic value (135 A.P.) and the large choice of unitshe can join (any Rank 1 unit) allows him to tag along in anyScorpion company. Tough his combat characteristics mightbe far from outstanding, he is still an Incarnate and thereforebenefits from their amazing advantages.

Kheris reaches his full potential when he is given the Bladeof Shekara, his reserved artifact. He then gains the ability toindefinitely resuscitate for free, as long as luck is on the Scorpi-ons side. Never was the Scorpion given a more loyal hero!

U n it f o r mat io n

Kheris can join any Rank 1 Scorpion unit. He doesnt re-place a fighter, but is added to the fighters already there. Hiscost is added to that of the unit.

Kheris is not associated with any Scorpion faction, he mayjoin any Scorpion company.

R ec r u i t i ng t h e In c ar n at e

Kheris:135 A.P.Resurrection/Duel:3 Elixir points.

AttributesKheris has 1 point to spend on artifacts.Te Blade of Shekara (1):Each time Kheris is eliminated

(even by an Incarnate), the player chooses a fighter in his unitand replaces his miniature with that of Kheris. If the substitu-tion is impossible, the Blade of Shekara has no effect.

Kheris comes back into the game with all his health pointsand the Blade of Shekara. He is also subjected to all the gameeffects affecting his unit upon his return.

Te Blade of Shekara is reserved to Kheris.

Feat : Moment um of t h e conquer or

For 1 Elixir point, the Incarnate adds 5 points to the Powerof his unit until the end of the round. Te Incarnate can ac-complish this feat once per round.


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26

TECHNOMAN

CERS

Headquarters:ShamirOmnimancer:Omnimancer Lady Claudia NessalithFavorite allies:Spider, Ram, Serpent.

Te riches of Shamir stir the envy of all the otherlaboratories, but its influence over the Basileus isits best protection. SO 150 is the only labo-ratory that believes it has nothing left toprove and that its sole objective is tomaintain its position.

Te laboratory of Shamirwas the first producer of civilclones in the Empire. Dirz him-self made it the heart of his state,

the place where his most loyal ser-vants were designed, including thosewho served a master other than the Here-siarch! Te tradition has been kept alive: thepersonnel working for every major true-bornhouse are born from the tanks of SO 150, keepingthe laboratorys eyes and ears on the notables of theSyharhalna. Tis activity generates considerable revenueand also allows the laboratory to produce large quantities ofcombat clones.

Te production is of excellent quality: for generations, theomnimancers who lead SO 150 have been tasked with main-

taining the constant flow of resources and recruiting thebest technomancers. Tis situation has always helped

the laboratory of Shamir maintain its reputation.Te technomancers of Shamir have a claim to

perfection. Failure is not an option and thelaboratory is prone to extreme action:

straightforward elimination for clones,downgrading for the true-born.

Should a unit from the laboratoryshow the slightest weakness itsleader is immediately executed

to create an example.

Mutagenic treatments are oneof the specialities of the laboratory of

Shamir. Engaged in fundamental researchon the subject, the rate of its discoveries has

been increased since Lady Claudia Nessalithtook charge. Te breakthroughs achieved in this

field have opened the way for a second generation ofeven more effi cient treatments.

SO 150 : SHAMIR

PLAYING HE LABORAORY OF SHAMIR

Te player can choose any Scorpion order of the ban-ners to build his company, but he can only use one ata time. Only the order of the banners of the laboratoryof Shamir benefits from the advantage and disadvantagebelow.

Advantage of the laboratory of Shamir: With abun-dant supplies of the best mutagenic treatments available,the units of the laboratory of Shamir gain an additionaldie when they use the Gift of the Scorpion.

Disadvantage of the laboratory of Shamir: Te lea-der of a unit that fails a Morale test is immediately elimi-nated, to serve as an example.Order of the banners: Creature unit ( / / ) ! Creature unit ( / / ) Infantry or Creature unit / ( / ) Infantry or itan unit / ( / ) Infantry or War machine unit / ( / )

!Priority slot.It must always be picked first.

Shamir

Carthag

Fero Djaran

Ruins

of Dawn

Danakil

enseth

Teben

Kal-NamJackals Den

empleof the East

empleof the South

Kashem

Inuka

Ishmir


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CLAUDIA N ESSALITH

It feels good, doesnt it? Now its time to suffer.

Inca r nat ion

From a very young age, Lady Claudia Nessalith, born to anillustrious family, cultivated a peculiar taste for pain and plea-sure that she dealt to the people around her. Her family sawin this the blessing of Arh-olth and allowed her to perfecther education with the greatest masters, so that she could cul-tivate her religious feelings. Te young girl became a younglady. She was educated by the most famous teachers, includingthe most influential omnimancer alive: Omnimancer JerrakToep. At the time his health was already beginning to wanebut he was still the Omnimancer in charge of the laboratoryof Shamir. He was a gifted scientist and technomancer, deeplyreligious but deprived of any power to communicate with thegods. Desperate to become a faithful, he had dedicated hisexistence to understanding the nature of the link connecting

men to the gods. Nonetheless, his correspondence with AthanZakhil, from the laboratory of Teben, had allowed him tolift a corner of the veil cast over the nature of Incarnates, thechampions of the gods.

As soon as he began teaching Lady Claudia Nessalith, the oldman isolated himself more and more often. Soon all he lived forwere the private lessons he gave to his young student. Around1004, Jerrak Toep died during a session with Lady ClaudiaNessalith. Te instant the tired heart of the old man stopped,the young women felt a deep change. Te light of Arh-olth hadfound her and was now showingher the way. She was to become

the incarnation of the Syharwoman, a creature made of thebrightest darkness; fascinat-ing and inaccessible. All woulddream of conquering her but no-one could ever possess her.

Lady Claudia Nessalith im-mediately seized control ofthe laboratory of Shamir. Sheconcealed the death of JerrakToep, seduced all of the ad-ministrators of the laboratoryand brought them to heel. Oncethe situation was under control,the young woman announcedthe demise of her mentor andclaimed the lead of SO 150.Supported by the main figuresof the laboratory, she easilyachieved this goal.

Her incarnation and the notesof her mentor had opened a newand promising field of experi-mentation: cloning Incarnates.However, she would do it to

create a harem worthy of her aspirations. Wielding the mostexquisite pains and the most unbearable pleasures with equalvirtuosity, she set SO 150 to work on the subject without reveal-ing her goals. She personally undertook the collection of stemsfrom individuals whose Incarnation was most probable.

Tus, Claudia Nessalith suspected Arkhos, Commander ofthe emple of the East (seeArmy Book: Temple) of being anIncarnate. She finally challenged him after a six-month longhunt through the Bran--Kor. Her forces caught the tem-plars in a surprise attack. Her cloning tanks allowed the Om-nimancer to raise the clones as quickly as they fell. Her armyeventually forced the Akkylannians to flee. Unfortunately,Lady Claudia Nessalith only managed to wound Arkhos, butit was more than enough to collect his stem.

She then turned her attention to the Barhans. If there wasany country where there had to be Incarnates, it was theKingdom of Alahan! With the help of the pirates sailing inthe Fangs of Fire, she landed in Algerande leading a party ofraiders.

During a skirmish with a small troop of valkyries, Lady

Claudia Nesalith found what she was looking for. Her forces,superior in number, easily crushed the Lion warriors. Whilethe biopsists were collecting the stems, one of the victimssuddenly pulled herself up, killed the technomancers and fled.Lady Claudia Nessalith, who had seen it all, knew she had justwitnessed the Incarnation of Edeline dAlgerande. Te dataobtained held many promises. Te Omnimancer returned toher laboratory to explore them. A few months later, the muta-genic treatment produced by SO 150 had made another leapforward in effi ciency.

Tis treatment still needsto be tested on the battle-

field, but Lady Claudia Nes-salith is ready to take thematter into her own hands.She will lead the troops andshe will demonstrate itspower.

Tact ics

Lady Claudia Nessalithis obviously fragile, but asa faithful of Arh-olth shehas access to a wide rangeof communions. She canalso reinforce the offen-sive skills of her unit withcommunions such as Darkblades or Embrace of Arh-olth. Final ly, Lady ClaudiaNessalith is a decent fighterwho can strike from thesecond row thanks to herreach weapon. She can beused to finish off a woundedIncarnate, for instance.


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TECHNOMAN

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U n it f o r mat io n

Lady Claudia Nessalith can join any Scorpion unit. Shedoesnt replace a fighter, but is added to the fighters alreadythere. Her cost is added to that of the unit.

R ec r u i t i ng t h e In c ar n at e

Claudia Nessalith:175 A.P.Resurrection/Duel: 4 Elixir

points.

Reach:A fighter with a weaponthat has reachcan attack enemieshe is in contact with and thosewithin 3 cm of him.

Loyal:Te fighter adds 1 extrafaith point to his units faith pool.

A t t r i b u t e s

Lady Claudia Nessalith has 2 points to spend on artifactsand communions.

Dame Claudia Nessalith is a faithful of the cult of Arh-olth.She masters the Alteration and Destruction aspects.

Neuro-sting of pain (1):Once per round, Lady ClaudiaNessalith can inflict one extra damage point to an enemy towhom she has just inflicted one.

reatment M65 (1): Lady Claudia Nessaliths unit gains

the Regeneration ability: Te player rolls as many dice asthere are damage points inflicted on the fighters capable ofregenerating, just before removing the losses. Each orcancels a damage point.

Feat : Moment um of t h e conquer or

For 1 Elixir point, the Incarnate adds 5 points to the Powerof his unit until the end of the round. Te Incarnate can ac-complish this feat once per round.

SYK HO VOLESTERUS

HHHHHHH ! Hhhhhh ! HHHHHHH ! Hhhhh ! HHH-

HHHH!

Sykho Volesterus

Inca r nat ion

Sykho Volesterusseemed destined to be-come a brilliant techno-mancer when his fate wassuddenly shattered bycharging redemption rid-ers.

It all happened during afateful experiment: lead-ing a small company ofexperimental creaturesagainst a Griffi n garri-

son. Te experiment wentwrong when Sykhos mostpowerful creatures weretorn to pieces by a wellaimed cannon salvo. Te

clones composing the escort were quickly overwhelmed bythe Griffi n warriors. Tey were unable to prevent the Grif-fin heavy cavalry from reaching their commander. A ridersmashed Sykho Volesterus chest and left him to die.

Te pain of the broken bones and collapsing organs was sointense that the suffering of the technomancer reached Arh-olth himself. Sykho Volesterus was not going to die: he was

incarnated, shrouded in pain and failure. o mark this unionthe god sent one of his supernatural servants to watch his newprotg: Zilash, a companion of tortures (see the insert on thefollowing page).

Carried back to Shamir in a desperate state, Sykho was ex-amined by a group of technomancers looking to understandwhy he had survived. Jerrak Teop, who understood the su-pernatural nature of the phenomenon, came to the inspiredconclusion that what they were looking into was an Incarna-tion. So the Omnimancer took Sykho into his team and usedthe considerable resources of the laboratory of Shamir to re-construct the thorax and organs of his new guinea pig.

Te Incarnation had produced some changes in SykhoVolesterus.

He had lost the ability to use echnomancy. Magic was nolonger in him, even though he personally felt it was a test andthat his abilities were only slumbering in him. All he had todo was find them. On the other hand, horrible pain-inspiredsupplications al lowed Sykho Volesterus to summon the powerof Arh-olth. A number of clumsy clones who had fai led to begentle enough while changing Sykhos bandages were struckdead by the gods powers whenever the patient ordered it.Every now and again Zilash would add his hideous shriek toVolesterus screams of agony. Trough these cries, Arh-olthhad found the means to manifest himself.

LADYCLAUDIANESSALITH

10 3 54 53

2 5 7

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Supported by his faith, SykhoVolesterus volunteered to lead anylive experiment required by his col-leagues. His knowledge made himan able judge and his incapacity topractice technomancy made himunable to steal the results of his col-leagues. He was simply relieved tobe allowed to keep up to date withthe latest achievements until theday his powers would be restoredto him!

Te arrangement was made withLady Claudia Nessalith herself.Consumed by pain and his hatredof the Akkylannians, Sykho Voles-terus was soon enthralled by theyoung woman. Tough she didnothing to lessen his suffering, thepain felt so nice in her presence!

Sykho travelled to the four cor-ners of Aarklash leading improb-able menageries of experimentalcreatures and clones. Since he wasthe only one in charge of the exper-imental conditions, he took the op-portunity to visit any location theScorpion may some day be inter-ested in conquering. So he visitedthe Code Hybrid laboratories, butalso travelled to the canyons of the Bran--Kor, the moun-tains of the gis and even went as far as Cadwallon and the

cursed barony of Acheron. His quest continues today.

Tact ics

Sykho Volesterus is an excellent leader for any unit includ-ing a significant number of fighters: the fighters provide theresources necessary for his communions. He provides a largevariety of effects. He can choose to make his unit more durablewith communions such as Exquisite pain or alon of Arh-olth.He may also increase its offensive skills by repeatedly usingcommunions such as Treat of Arh-olth.

He may also choose close combatby joining a smaller but more solidunit. In this case his artifact allowshim to be sure to call a miracle thatreduces the amount of

Dirz Armybook

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Transcript of Dirz Armybook