"WEAPONSMITH" TRIBES

Only a few multi-stellar corporations--such as Unitech, of course--operate in the wilderzone, usually under treaties with the Four. Everything else is local or tribe-based. In terms of the "art" of weapons technology, specific tribes have risen to fill the need for technical expertise in crafting the complex armors. These weaponsmith tribes are typically small, with no more than a world, possibly two, under their control. They focus exclusively on producing quality weapons and armor for tribal warfare. Most indie tribes obtain their weapons from such a tribe, in return for food or art or raw materials. Some of the smaller indies even pay for tech advisors from the weaponsmith tribe to perform maintenance duties and teach technical skills. Needless to say, tribes that depend on such services quickly become fast allies of the providers. Each of the Four has alliances or sub-tribes to meet weaponsmithing needs, but even they do business with outside tribes.

Most weaponsmith tribes are traders who maintain strict neutrality. The independent ones have formed a Compact with each other, to discourage assault by aggressive independents or bands of Grievers. There are reports that the Compact has an elite group of mercenaries on retainer to use as a retaliation force, but no one can confirm this for me. I did receive a mysterious message that warned against further investigation into this shadowy "TDC." For the moment, I proceed with caution.

For purposes of further illustration, I have included summary profiles of the three most well-known weaponsmith tribes here in the wilderzone.

The Sabot-Styx
This shadowy Blood Eagle lineage (their term for a sub-tribe) is the primary weapons and armor manufacturer for the tribe. The "snakes" (the nickname comes from likening the abbreviation SS to a snake's hiss - rather than conjuring persistent images of evil from the pre-Devastation era) are famous for their expertise, particularly with explosives and projectile weapons. They command near-Imperial technological capability, and their numbers include some of the most accomplished pure scientists among the tribes. Finally, they are certainly the purveyors of Blood Eagle covert ops technology.

The Legate believes the Sabot-Styx intend to reintroduce cloaking technology to the wilderzone as the war with the Starwolf intensifies. Otherwise, they act as any other Blood Eagle lineage, and are as much involved in the tribe's murderous internal politics as the Halakar or the Nagashima. Rumors of Sabot-Styx involvement in extensive underworld trafficking are rampant, but I have not been able to substantiate anything at this time.

One curious piece of information did reach me, and I suspect you'll find it amusing. The Sabot-Styx apparently grade all their prototype weapons according to a battery of tests that is unremarkable except for one peculiar custom. The final test of a war weapon design is the damage it can deliver in a single shot to a human head. The curious part is that the weaponsmiths construct the target heads of high-density metaplas, far tougher than any human skull. If a weapon fails this test, the smiths always make adjustments until they feel a sufficient damage threshold is reached. This is one explanation as to why even ordinary Blood Eagle sidearms make often use plasma technology or Armor Piercing High Explosive (APHE) bullets.

The Sabot-Styx control four worlds deep within Blood Eagle territory. The Legate has hinted that they favor the tribe renewing ties with the Empire, but that they are unwilling to commit their political resources toward such an effort. Perhaps exploratory overtures on our part would be productive, in light of the Blood Eagle's current turmoil.

The Forge of Hephaestus
The small but vocal Forge of Hephaestus tribe claims to have invented most of the weapons of war currently used in the wilderzone, a preposterous idea most tribes ignore. However, the Forgers' engineering skills seem formidable beyond doubt. They are reputed to be the most effective technicians in tribal space, specializing almost exclusively in small-arms and custom armors. They pursue a rigidly evenhanded trading policy with little negotiation, since their reputation for unsurpassed quality gives them a considerable bargaining advantage. They have emerged as the first-among-equals of the Weaponsmith Compact.

So far their neutrality remains uncompromised. Their skills make up for an appalling lack of social graces and disturbing eccentricities. Their numbers are said to be quite small, and they share the low-gravity world of New Samaria with two other independent tribes. The low gravity of their home explains some of their unique character. When they travel offworld, they disdain gravitics or biotech muscle enhancement regimens, instead choosing to wear exo-skeletons of their own construction to assist their movement. I haven't met one of these individuals, but I hear they decorate their exos with buttons and holo-slogans, and always travel with toolkits. Their exos give them a strange, almost limping gait, and surely harbor some hidden capabilities.

The Daughters of Iron
The DOI, as they are popularly known, are independents allied with the Starwolf. They claim descent from a dissident band of Imperial technicians who fled the Blood Eagle in 3490 after that tribe abandoned its Hercs for lack of replacement parts and supplies. They have since become one of the more aggressive weaponsmith tribes, selling services to any and all who can meet their price. I have not ascertained the reasons for their split with the Blood Eagle, but it's clear the enmity has persisted over the centuries. A Blood Eagle acquaintance of mine claims the DOI problem is a mystery to his people. To quote him: "They left us centuries ago, and we let them go. They're small fry. We don't have any grudges there."

Whatever the truth of the matter, the DOI allied with the Starwolf in 3932, and have worked to upgrade Starwolf tech and infrastructure ever since. The highly-diffuse settlement and independent nature of the Wolves has made this task even more challenging. I heard just last week that Fury has declared that the DOI have abrogated any claim to neutrality and should be considered "part of the Starwolf."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Daughters of Iron specialize in vehicle repair and modification, though they are active with armor and hand weapons as well. As their name indicates, they follow a matriarchal society. My contacts tell me they are skilled warriors who do not control any particular world, but collect in modular space habitats which they move from system to system. I have heard estimates placing their numbers at no more than fifteen thousand.

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