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Hel'Bre'K Ce'So'Va is the current Blademaster of the Fordanta, held to be the peak of martial prowess in the entire Empire. He is both a skilled warrior and an insightful tactician, attributes that have enabled him to lead the Empire to military success for over a hundred years. A devoted follower of the Si'La'Ko warrior path, he values honour and fairness highly, however he is also a very grounded realist. He holds the good of the Empire above all other goals, keeping no personal agenda; a factor of his personality that has caused no end of concern among his alien allies. He is known most for his potent combat ability against individual enemies, having never been defeated in a duel.
History[]
Hel'Bre'K was born to the Ce'So'Va bloodline, a moderately sized family infamous for the traces of seconda DNA carried along the male lines in the family. This causes the Ce'So'Va males to grow significantly larger than most other Fordanta, and carries with it a mental illness, in the form of a berserk rage that takes great effort to contain. During his early years, Hel' was tutored by several swordsmasters, each of whom was utterly amazed at the youth's aptitude for combat. They had been hired to instruct the child to restrain his rage, and learn to unleash it on demand when fighting the enemies of Forda. His father intended the hatchling to be a warrior from the beginning, however once he joined the Guild he clearly began to gravitate towards the Si'La'Ko Knights. This prestigious group offered aspirants only one chance to join, failing this opportunity was considered to be a mark of impatience, and carried a weighty stigma. Though Hel's father made a concerted effort to prevent his application, the young Hel'Bre'K persevered, and won acceptance into the Knights.
From there, Hel's training and skill increased dramatically. He was much more inclined towards close combat than ranged, and the strictures of the path helped him further focus and suppress his rages. He steadily came to ignore his anger, by focusing and meditating on the core principles of the Knights' way of combat. This created a warrior prodigy physically superior to his fellows, with a close to perfect understanding of the core fighting techniques of his kind. While he could not match the impressive techniques of the Knights wielding glaives or other specialised weapons, the simple arming sword Hel'Bre'K favoured found its way into perfect blocks and strikes, the precision with which he acted becoming a formidable show in itself. It was this practical, simple discipline which had him earmarked for the position of Exemplar, however fate intervened to place him on the road to becoming the Blademaster in the greatest period of Fordan history.
Though no-one except the Blademasters themselves now know exactly what is hidden beneath the mountains in the Path of the Blademaster, it is known that it was designed to break any candidate, physically and mentally, to the point that the only way through is to give in to madness and emerge sane on the other side. For many Fordanta, this is almost impossible, however Hel'Bre'K had already faced down his demons, and whatever dark secrets were hidden in those caves, they were no match for the rage of the Ce'So'Va. Hel'Bre'K became the next Blademaster of the Fordanta, at the cusp of the Empire's first exploits outside of their local cluster.
Draconis Cold War[]
At the zenith of his power, Hel'Bre'K's masterful campaigns overwhelmed world after world of the Empire's enemies, lifting the shroud of oppression from dozens of systems as the Empire spread its influence. The Blademaster led a war on a thousand fronts, driving his enemies before him and revelling in their demise. That was until he reached the edge of Draconis territory, at least. In the Imperium he found an enemy worthy of his respect, and deserving of a clean, honest fight. Still, something seemed different about this new foe. Before going to war, Hel'Bre'K ordered a large-scale infiltration of the Imperium, to gain as much information as possible. The universe breathed easy as he made that decision, as the information he received made it clear that the Draconis and Fordanta shared very similar goals, and so Hel'Bre'K decided to lay down his weapons and embrace these new faces as allies.
In Service to the Commonwealth[]
With the alliance to the Draconid Imperium, the Empire became aware of a much greater coalition of factions, known as the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth. This organisation was dedicated to preserving the peace in the galaxy, a goal the Fordanta were fully supportive of. Unanimously, it was decided that the Empire would pledge itself to upholding the values of the Commonwealth, and so joined as a full member of their own standing.
Hel'Bre'K's first action alongside the Guardians of the Andromedan Light, an interstellar defence force headed by Tyraz Breek on behalf of the Commonwealth, was to organise and execute a military campaign against the forces of the Dominatus Tyranny. Hel'Bre'K led an asymmetrical warfare campaign, brilliantly manoeuvring dozens of individual forces around the behemoth of the Tyranny's armies, slowly cutting them off from supply lines and reinforcements. His primary involvement culminated in a series of personal attacks on Dominatus worlds, securing vital data and destroying crucial command infrastructure, crippling the Tyranny's advance.
The Purge[]
The Fordan preference for utterly annihilating their enemy was first truly displayed to the rest of the gigaquadrant during the events of the Shattering, as Hel'Bre'K set in motion a long-standing plan to expand and secure the influence of the Fordan Empire. Directly responsible for the conception and planning of this operation, Hel'Bre'K co-ordinated hundreds of simultaneous invasions resulting in a significant shift in the balance of power in local space. Many of the races of the galaxy were shocked and even appalled by the brutal efficiency of this campaign, which culminated in a series of personal assaults to cement the Empire's dominance.
Appearance and Equipment[]
Hel'Bre'K is a prime specimen of the Ce'So'Va Bloodline, progressively bred for greater strength, larger size, and a natural ferocity which expresses itself in the 'Bloodrage' state which all Ce'So'Va Fordanta can enter. In this highly-aggressive mental state, the Fordanta separate their rational mind from their natural instincts, letting their body hunt freely as if it was a primal, non-sapient Fordanta. Some notable Ce'So'Va warriors, Hel' included, have been observed to be capable of maintaining rational thought, and even communicating clearly with others by way of brainwave monitors in his helmet. In this manner, Hel'Bre'K has managed to coordinate entire armies while in the state of Bloodrage, leading some alien races to credit him with godlike abilities.
Due to their increased mass, Ce'So'Va are permanently locked in their combat stoop. This reduces the height they can possibly reach, but Hel'Bre'K still stands a good 2 feet above even the tallest purebreed Fordanta. Standing at 12' total, Hel'Bre'K is not only the tallest, but the most physically powerful of Fordanta. The muscles of his body are large and pronounced, showing clear definition even under his layers of scales. These scales are a darker green than most Fordanta, a common trait in the Ce'So'Va, and are criss-crossed with a network of scars covering most of his body. Although many are almost invisible, the larger scars serve as constant reminders that no-one is untouchable.
In his role as the Blademaster, Hel'Bre'K is a highly competent melee fighter, and is proficient with nearly all imaginable forms of close-quarters weaponry. His favourite weapon, however, is a large claymore. This weapon has a blade several metres in length, its cross-guard coming up to his shoulder when planted in the ground. The sheer mass behind this blade, even when unpowered, is enough to cleave clean through many types of enemies in one swing. Even so, the blade is shot through with a thermic system that heats the blade to glowing, and while this does not have immediate benefits on the swing, it allows the weapon to literally melt and burn its way through most materials.
Blademaster’s Armoury[]
The suit of ornate armour Hel’Bre’K Ce’So’Va wears into battle was hand-forged for him by the Master Artificers of Va’Si’La’Ko. Originally designed around the basis of the Knight armored suit, it has been significantly modified and personalized to suit its wearer.
Bodysuit[]
Underneath the armour, Hel’ wears a specially-constructed bodysuit designed to suit his battlefield needs. The usual memory fabric of the suit has been reinforced in multiple places with hardened plates, and reinforced fibers run across its entire surface. This ensures that the suit is largely slash and stab proof, and provides a great deal of resistance to bullets and blunt kinetic injuries. Furthermore, the bodysuit is interwoven with artificial muscle fibers, which augment Hel’Bre’K’s strength to the point that he can operate the suit as easily as if he was wearing nothing. The suit also contains upgraded versions of the thermal dispersion systems employed in other bodysuits, to both protect against enemy energy weapons fire and Hel’s own thermic blades.
Torso[]
The torso of the suit consists of a multitude of layered solid armour plates. Hel’s back is primarily protected by two large plates covering his shoulder blades. These plates provide protection to approximately 40% of Hel’s back, and also serve as the mounting point for both his cloak and the magnetic sheathe for his greatsword. Below these plates are a series of smaller, interlocking plates in a lamellar configuration. These plates continue around the body to the midsection, where they merge under the larger stomach plates. Also guarding Hel’s back is a set of medium-sized plates connecting the spinal plates to the lamellar layer. Both these and the primary back plates sit layered over the spinal plates, forming a significant layer of reinforced metal between any attack and Hel’s back.
Hel’s chest is similarly protected by two large breastplates, however these are connected to each other by a sternum plate as opposed to sitting over the spine plating. These breastplates are shaped like an angular teardrop, the long ends pointing out and down below the armpit, where it connects via the lamellar layer to the back plates. The breastplates are also connected to the armoured collar protecting Hel’s neck by flexible mounting points, so that the collar moves with his body. The lamellar layer extends across his midsection, meeting at another pair of plates extending from beneath the sternum plate to just above his pelvis. These plates form two halves of the shape of a kite shield, and serve to reinforce the lower body’s defenses in the event of an attack to that area.
The pauldrons guarding Hel’s shoulders are shaped like the head of a snake, as it was an alien snakeman who first earned the shame of masking from Hel’. This is an ancient Ce’So’Va tradition in which a cowardly, traitorous or otherwise dishonourable opponent has, among other things, their eyes gouged out, their head severed, the flesh burned away and the remaining skull masked in silver and hung from a spike on the walls of the Ce’So’Va clanhouse. While the pauldrons is not the same skull, they was designed to bear the enemy’s likeness as a constant reminder to the enemies of Forda of the fate that awaits them. The pauldron rests flush with Hel’s upper arm, and the skull design has been elongated and stylized to provide the essential defensive biscuit and ridge needed to protect Hel’ from both lunges to the armpit and decapitating sweeps.
Protecting his arms are a combination of lamellar layer and armoured plates, the lamellar covering the underside of his arm while the upper arm is protected by a solid plate extending just short of the elbow. The plate does wrap around at the lower end to provide additional protection without sacrificing any mobility of the arm or elbow joints. On the lower arms are complete gauntlets, with two armoured plates clasping together to provide protection to all sides of the lower arm. One of the plates extends past the elbow, and nestles over the upper arm plates when Hel’s arm is fully extended. Hel’s hands are less armoured, protected by a simple plate on the back of either hand and what are effectively metal rings on outsides of the fingers. These allow him to maintain a solid grip on his weapon (the bodysuit is rough in this area, creating friction) while still maintaining a modicum of protection. The hand plate can connect to the lower arm plate, stabilizing the limb to deliver punches.
Lower Body[]
Running the length of Hel’s spine is a more formidable series of plates, aligned so that each plate is in place above an individual vertebra. Shaped like the vertebrae they protect, the plates extend from the helmet mounting point to the tip of Hel’s tail, and their interlocking design provides protection primarily from slashing and piercing melee attacks. As they come to the tail, the plates wrap around the tail to protect it, with the protrusions angled so that they do not interfere with the tail curling. Plates around centre mass are larger and flatter, while plates towards the tail are thinner, to provide an effective balance of protection and mobility.
A total of seven separate plates protect Hel’s hips and groin, each connected to a ring-like hip plate which covers around the tops of his hips. These are independently mounted, and move out of the way when Hel’s legs are moving. Strung between them is a layer of light sheet lamellar, not nearly as effective as the interlocking solid plates used elsewhere but instead largely for show. The plates to the side and rear each carry magnetic clasps for weapons, and store daggers flush with their surface. To the unknowing, the plates merely appear intricately carved until the perfectly weighted knives click free for Hel’ to throw or fight with.
A large plate runs along the front and outer side of the thigh, again stopping short of the hips for mobility. The plate extends past the knee, coming together into a sweeping curved edge in line with the inner edge of the plate. The lamellar layer makes up the rest of the protective surface, extending from the hip plate all the way down the legs. The second leg bone is without solid armour plates, as any form of useful solid armour would significantly hamper any mobility in the leg. Similar to the gauntlets, Hel’s greaves wrap entirely around his shins. The plates to the shin guard are lighter than the other plates on the leg, as it is unlikely that an attack would be directed to that area in general combat. Hel’s feet are unarmoured save the bodysuit, as he prefers a full range of movement with his claws.
Neck and Head[]
The spine layer of plates extends all the way up Hel’s back to the helmet mounting point, with the same extrusions curling around to protect his throat. His neck is also protected by a significant armoured collar which rises up from around the neckline to block attacks that get past his guard. The collar is shaped so that it restricts as little of the neck’s range of movement as possible, and so is curved forwards so that when Hel’ looks straight up, his crest spines rest comfortably on the guard.
Despite the significant customizations to Hel’s armour, his helmet is still essentially a standard Knight helmet with a few software upgrades and a fancy paint job. As with all Fordan helmets, it is constructed from five primary plates: the largest sits atop his face, extending from the front of his snout to behind his crest, where the lamellar layer disappears under it. The next pair are smaller, and fit underneath his crest spikes and across the sides of his face. They do not reach the end of his snout, instead clasping directly into the top plate. The final pair form the jaw plates, normally sitting clasped to each other under Hel’s chin. When the helmet is sealed, they separate from each other right up to the chin, where they swivel upwards to connect into the rest of the helmet. They carry the bodysuit up with them, forming a completely sealed suit.
Integrated into the helmet is a variety of technological systems, from essential survival gear like a rebreather and compass, to more complicated systems like rangefinders, target allocators, optional access to live feeds from the helmets of any Fordan on the battlefield, and numerous other details. All of this is controlled by a sensor at the back of the helmet, which picks up nervous impulses from Hel’s brain consistent with subvocal orders.
Shield[]
Hel'Bre'K's shield was based on an old Ce'So'Va design using a kite template. The shield consists of a five-inch thick layer of metal plating, protected by a powerful deflector field capable of turning aside sword blows and glancing shots with relative ease. This power field can also be projected forward in a burst to knock enemies aside, usually triggered during a shield bash.
In total, the shield measures 7' from point to point, and 4' at its widest. The edges are upturned, helping to catch stabs and thrusts, while the body of the shield slopes slightly inwards to reduce the chance of a direct hit, which could more easily pierce the shield. Across its surface the shield is covered with inlaid text, the names of his most prestigious defeated foes. These names are written on a microscopic level, such that to the naked eye, the portion of the shield covered in the names shimmers like it has been silver-plated.
Personality[]
Hel'Bre'K is naturally a reserved individual, very careful in what he says and does. This is mostly due to his status as a symbol of the Fordan Empire, and when he is among close friends he is much more light-hearted and boisterous. He maintains a strong sense of honour, letting it dictate most of his personal decisions. This has led to many accusing him of putting honour before reason, however the Fordan definition of honour, doing your duty to the betterment of the Fordan Empire, is inherently highly reasonable and practical.
It is frequently believed that Hel'Bre'K abhors his work, and fights only for the day that there is no more fighting. The truth is that he loves combat, and craves bloodshed on a subconscious level. This is partially due to his Fordan and Ce'So'Va heritage, but it is also an intrinsic element of his own personality. If Fordanta could smile, Hel' wouldn't stop smiling for the whole duration of a war. As it is, he laughs as much as he shouts warcries while on the battlefield, and frequently toys with his enemies by alerting them to his presence before attacking.
This is not to say that he is psychopathic, in fact he harbours a philosopher's soul underneath the warrior's skin. Hel' has written volumes on Fordan philosophy, particularly the philosophy of warfare and how the old tenets of battle still hold true in the modern age. He is also known to be passionate about Fordan history, having ordered the construction of numerous monuments dedicated to historic moments throughout the fortress of Va'Si'La'Ko.
When it comes to choosing friends and allies, Hel' often employs the philosophy of the Si'La'Ko path: you can only truly know someone when you have fought them in a duel of honour. Hel' has become adept at judging the character of a person by the way that they fight, however this ability is somewhat diminished by foreign martial arts. Most of Hel's closest allies are individuals he has either fought for or against.
Relations[]
“My blade-kin; I would give my life for you.”
Uriel Ultanos - The Paragon is this galaxy's sole greatest hope of lasting peace, and also a true friend. Whenever you should need me, I shall be there.
Allies[]
“Honour to you.”
Tyraz - His heart is in the right place, and his warrior's spirit burns bright. Perhaps one day I shall call him Blade-brother.
Hachiman - This one is an enigma; what the hatchling sees in him I shall never fathom. Nonetheless, she has faith in him, and so shall I.
Sarec - Although his motivations are beyond me, I have little choice but to place my faith in him as well.
Neutral[]
“Tread with care.”
Enemies[]
“The End Times are upon you.”
Quotes[]
Personal Quotes[]
“Without control, all the strength of the galaxy is as nothing.”
“Some call me murderer, others call me saviour. The truth is a little of both.”
“The past is written. It is time to forge a future.”
Quotes from Others[]
“A magnificent and powerful leader, marked by his kindness, honesty and trustworthiness- I consider him one of my dear friends”
- - Ramashe
“One must wonder if his prime will ever pass him.”
- - Tyraz
“He is a warrior with few peers, both feared and loved. Respected and hated, A mind on the present, with thoughts of the future. I respect him and honour him not just as an ally, but as a close friend. Long he you live, Hel'Bre'K.”