"The War is our life. The Battle is our way to live it. The Combat feeds our souls. We are warriors!"
-Lord Scarda, High Commander, First Pillar
Tribe history
The tribe was
originally a part of the Blood Eagle tribe, but 137 years ago,
the leader of the seventh pennant, Arigus Veine, broke away from
the Blood Eagles. He was tired of the constant political
squabbling and the Blood Eagles sad devotion to ancient
traditions and rituals. Arigus preached that such meaningless
activities only weakened the Blood Eagle war-effort. No battles
are won with words. No enemies are killed by political
powershifts. Noone gains battleprowess by dancing and chanting.
Almost the entire
seventh pennant, as well as sporadic followers from other
pennants, followed Arigus. The defection had been planned for
years, and a Diamond Sword planet in the Ocrom-cluster had been
choosen for their new home. 36 assault vessels landed on the
planet in a surprise attack against the Diamond Sword capital.
This lush and plentiful Gaia planet was heavily fortified, and
situated deep within Diamond Sword territory. It had not been
attacked since the Swords claimed it, and everyone believed an
attack would be suicide. Hence, noone expected the invasion.
The fortresses of
the Sword capital was taken by surprise, and swiftly and brutaly
overrun by the battlecrazed hordes of the seventh pennant. When
the Sword leadership was obliterated, their chain of command fell
into ruins. Great armies were turned into nothing more than
confused militia, and ruthlessly hunted down by Arigus' talons.
No Sword tribesmen were left to tell the tale of the Arigus
invasion. The planetary defenses were quickly taken over by
Arigus, and all fortifications were manned by his warriors. They
dug in and prepared themselves for the inevitable onsluaght they
were facing.
The Diamond Sword
did, of course, soon learn about the fall of one of their
greatest strongholds, and immediately dispatched five bolts from
the Unyielding Facet to reclaim the planet. The fleet lay siege
to the planet, preparing a strategy to retake their fortresses
and avenge the slaughter of their people.
Meanwhile, the Great Eagle, chocked and infuriated by the loss of
an entire pennant, gathered his forces to punish the traitors. As
soon as he heard where Arigus had gone, the Blood Eagle fleet
went to war.
The Diamond Sword
was not happy to see a huge Blood Eagle fleet heading into their
territory, and tried to convince the Great Eagle to leave the
problem to the Sword. Blinded by fury, the Great Eagle executed
the Sword emissary and launched a massive attack along the entire
border. Within weeks, the Blood Eagle had taken all territory on
their side of the Ocrom-cluster, thus putting Arigus' renegades
on the border of Blood Eagle and Diamond Sword territory.
The Diamond Sword
realized that the Blood Eagle would not settle with less than
destroying the renegades, and to avoid an all out war with
another major clan, they withdrew their fleet. The siege that
commenceded would be known among Arigus' followers as the Great
Scourge.
Three months of
endless battle and orbital bombardment followed. Arigus was
slain, and only a few hundred of his followers managed to survive
the war. The once proud towers and fortresses lay in ruins. The
once beautiful planet was devastated. The bombardment had left
nothing but lifeless tundra and cold deserts, and dust filled the
athmosphere, hiding the sun beyond a blanket of death.
But the Blood
Eagles had payed a terrible price as well. Thousands had perished
to the dedication of the renegades, and their guerilla tactics.
Some talons had casualty-rates as high as 90% and over half the
fleet had been destroyed. The Great Eagle reazised that he could
not continue the siege, because of the tension between the Eagles
and the Swords. He needed his forces elsewhere. The Blood Eagles
declared victory, and withdrew their fleet, claiming they had
totally annihilated all followers of Arigus.
The remnants of
the seventh pennant grieved the loss of their leader and their
comrades. But their loss only made them more determined. A new
leader, Kraton Ra, stepped forward and gathered the survivors.
They named the planet Arigus Prime, and started rebuilding their
new tribe. They adapted to the new environment and managed to
survive on the desolate planet, every day reminded about the
Great Scourge. Their silent hatred gave them the strength to
continue, and eventually they were strong enough to start raiding
nearby Diamond Sword worlds and neighboring lesser tribes.
The Children of
Phoenix noticed this new tribe, and saw that they were on the
rise. They saw their prowess in battle, and admired their
determination. Resources were deployed to take the people of
Arigus Prime under the wings of the Phoenix. The Children soon
discovered that the only way to win the respect of the Ariguans,
was to show skill in combat. They have fought several battles as
allies, and both sides gain on their friendship. The Children has
a ferocious warmachine on their side, that they hope to tame
eventually, and the Ariguans prosper from trading with the
Children.
Today, 137 years
after the Great Scourge, Arigus Prime is becoming more and more
hospitable again. The dust has settled, and the athmosphere is
once again clear, allowing the lifegiving sun to bathe the
surface in it's light. Seeds taken from other worlds has been
introduced, and several primitive species of animals has been
imported, and managed to survive. A few neighboring worlds has
been claimed, and colonies have been established far away from
Arigus Prime. The Ariguans are truly on the rise!
The Ariguan way of life
After
the Great Scourge the Ariguans left behind all that could be
traced back to the Blood Eagles. They rebuilt their new tribe
from scratch, avoiding all similarities with their former tribe,
and took the name The Order of Terminal Vengeance, to reflect
their neverending hatred against the Blood Eagles. A Council of
Lords, choosen from the greatest warriors, lead the tribe. Each
of the seven Lords is the leader of one of the Seven Pillars. The
pillars are made up by 50 Lances each. Every Lance is lead by a
Warmaster and consists of an ever increasing number of Swords,
lead by Knights. As soon as one sword is filled, a new one is
formed. All Swords except the newest are made up of four Daggers,
and a Dagger is three Warriors.
The lack of a
designated commander on the lowest level helps build up a feeling
of comradeship, and increases morale signifiantly. The
disadvantage of not having a commander is nullified by the skills
of the Ariguan Warriors. They all have extensive training in
combat tactics and leadership.
Though they would
deny it, the Ariguans still have the Blood Eagle aptitude for
heavy fighting, and they are masters of longrange firesupport or
heavy assaults. But from their experiences during the Great
Scourge comes abilities that the Blood Eagles lack. Guerilla
warfare and lightning attacks, performed by light infantry, is
something the Ariguans has perfected during the last century.
This versatility combined with their fierce devotion on the
battlefield and technology from the Children of Phoenix, makes
the Order of Terminal Vengeance a deadly foe indeed.
The Ariguans also
have an unquenchable thirst for battle, most likely a product of
their heritage, and as soon as they gain peace, they find a new
target, and attack it relentlessly until the war is over. So they
continue, destroying entire societies just to gain training and
combat experience. Sometimes, they are forced to fight for their
own lives, but sofar, nothing has been able to match their
determination. Thanks to their skills and rigorous training, the
Ariguans casualty-rates are extremely low. They would not be able
to continue their constant battling otherwise. Nonetheless,
suicide attacks are not uncommon if it could alter the course of
a battle
On the Blood Eagles: We remember our
heritage, and we remember the great Scourge. It is enough to keep
us from attacking them, as long as they do not bother us. But one
day, we will be ready. And when that day comes, the Blood Eagles
will pay!
On the Children of Phoenix: They think they
control us. Good! Let them believe it, as long as they share
their technology with us. Of course, their softness will
eventually be their fall.
On the Diamond Sword: They make excellent
targets for our raidingparties. Nothing is as helpless as a
Diamond Sword outpost under attack. Some think they will grow
tired of us eventually, and try to defeat us once and for all.
HA! Let them come. They are nothing compared to the great
Scourge.
On the Starwolf: Perhaps they are the most
like us of the major tribes, but they lack determination. They
only roam aimlessly, without anything to drive them. They can
never be a threat to us. They specialize in guerilla warfare. We
do not, but yet we excel at it. Their lack of faith will
eventually be their fall.
On the Empire: We have had very little
contact with the Empire, but they regret every time they have met
us. They do not interest us at the time.
On Immortals: Their existance will
eventually be proven or refuted. Until then, why bother?
The Blood Eagles on the O.T.V.: Just a
minor incident more than a century ago. A traitor broke away from
the tribe, and was promptly hunted down. None of his followers
were spared.
The Diamond Sword on the O.T.V.: Their
precence is annoying. Several minor campains against Arigus Prime
has failed, but as long as they do not expand more than they are
at present, no major invasions will be necessary.
The Children of Phoenix on the O.T.V.: Lost
in the hatred of their own past, they are having trouble seing
the true path, but we think we can help them. Everytime we fight
with them, they come closer to us. And meanwhile, we have a
valuable ally.
The Starwolf on the O.T.V.: They envy our
freedom and prowess. If they don\rquote t mess with us, good for
them. If they stand against us, we cut them out of the herd.