The External Defense Corps

From Flight From Darkness

We are the Sword and the Shield of The Dream

We are the ones that cuts its path

We are its last defenders

We will sacrifice our bodies, our minds and our souls

For its power, its life and its hope

Until The Dream is safe

And the day the Shadow BURNS

-External Defence Corps Creed

[edit] Overview

The External Defence Corps (the EDC) was created by Bright Wolverine and the Lunar Silver Silhouette of the Pheonix so as to have a single unified task force to act as a military branch for The Dream after their first disastrous battle. Despite a rocky start, the EDC has since lived up to its mandated purpose. It members are well known for being among the most eccentric and odd on The Dream due to the large number of mutations and derangements from the Wyld, being nuts enough to go out into Deep Chaos on a regular bias, and... well being Exalted in few cases. This, combined with a few unfortunate incidences has made much of the crew wary and a little fearful of them. As a result they are a tight knit community (if not always a healthy one).

[edit] Duties

The EDC is the offensive arm of The Dream. While they do train to provide internal defense if necessary, their primary purpose is to fight outside The Dream. Generally speaking this means providing security for away teams of varying size, assaulting waypoints and beating rakasha off of the sides of The Dream. They also are commonly called on by the Technical Corps (as payment for breaking “their” machines) to do heavy lifting around The Dream. Fighting styles tend to vary from talon to talon, but all squads favor hitting as hard and fast as possible, as no one wants to be in the Wyld for longer than necessary.

[edit] Equipment

[edit] Uniform and Rank Talisman

Uniform and weapon standards are set on a per Talon bias, but everyone in the EDC wears a Rank Talisman. The Rank Talisman denotes ones rank, but more importantly to most members of the EDC, also acts as a talisman against the Wyld. The Rank Talisman is really two talismans, one downgrading the level of exposure to the Wyld by one level (from Pure Chaos to Deep Wyld). This effect does not stack with other effects downgrading Wyld exposure. The other acts as a standard +3 against Wyld talisman. The two talismans effects stack.

[edit] Communicators

Another common piece of equipment is the communicators (coms). These are artifact 1 handheld devices that connect directly to Dancing Prism at a range of up to 5 miles. These devices draw on ambient Wyld energy to function, and thus do not function inside The Dream, however they also do not require essence to operate. An essence user can spend motes to increase the range the communication can reach at a 1m/5mile range increase. These devices reliance on the Wyld’s energy has a downside however: they have a tendency to stop (and start) working at dramatically appropriate moments.

[edit] Ships and Warstriders

All vehicles in the EDC have a variant of The House of Refuge placed upon them. This reduces the magnitude of Wyld Exposure by two (from Pure Chaos to Middlemarch levels). All functional ships have the appropriate hearthstone or capacitor bank to power them. Removing these for personal use is punishable with either 3 years solitary confinement or five minutes of exposure to the Wyld without talisman.

5 Battle Carriers (Nonfunctional)
10 Manta Class Transports
2 Warbirds (Operational)
2 Warbirds (Nonfunctional)
7 Chariots of the Infinite Heavens (Operational)
Indomitable Conquest Platform (With Teleportation Array)
The Einlanzer(Modified Swift Midday Brilliance class ship)
15 Scout Warstriders
50 Common Warstriders
1 Collossus Warstrider

[edit] Essence Capacitors

The Arsenal background can be used to draw on almost any appropriate equipment from the First Age. The exception are essence capacitors. These are heavily regulated once they reach above level three, and most are used to power various ships and warstriders. There are a few spares around, but they must be signed out on a per mission bias, and returned after that mission is complete. Damaging one the spares is a carries a minimum penalty equal to the personal use punishment above unless the damage happened for a VERY good reason.

Level 1: Freely available. Plans to upgrade these to level three are on hold
Level 2: Freely available. Plans to upgrade these to level three are on hold
Level 3: 10 Available. Only for use in tactical artifacts; requires approval from a Talonlord to use.
Level 4: 3 Available. Only for use in select tactical artifacts; requires approval from a Winglord to use.
Level 5: 1 Available. Only for use in select tactical artifacts; requires approval from Silver Silhouette of the Pheonix.

[edit] Organization

1 Stratagoes
2 Winglords
- A Winglord commands 2 Talonlords, 8 Scalelords, 40 Fanglord and 200 Enlisted
5 Talonlords
- A Talonlord commands 4 Scalelords, 20 Fanglords, and 100 Enlisted
20 Scalelords
- A Scalelord Commands 5 Fanglords, and 20 Enlisted
100 Fanglords
- A Fanglord Commands 5 Enlisted
500 Enlisted (the regular troops)
2 Freelance Exalts

630 Soliders Total

[edit] Personal and Units

An * indicates that this position should probably be held by an Exalt (usually a DB)

[edit] Commanders

Stratagoes: Silver Silhouette of the Pheonix

Patron God: Six White Thunders

[edit] The Broken Talon

The Broken Talon holds the odds and ends groups. It talonlord is Pheonix’s personal assistant and as such most of the Scales report to Pheonix.

Talonlord:

[edit] The Crossbones Scale(Warstriders)

Scalelord*:

[edit] Pilot Scale 1

Scalelord: Harrish Zianpang

[edit] Pilot Scale 2

Scalelord:

[edit] Administrative Scale

Scalelord: Faiprasad Zianpang

[edit] The 1st Legion(Wing)

Winglord: Tepet Reynald

This Wing belongs to Tepet Reynald.

[edit] Crew of the Einlanzer (Talon)

Talonlord: Tepet Arlo

The crew of the Einlanzer is made up of legionnaires from Tepet Reynald's original command, the 4th Legion, 2nd Wing of the Tepet Legions. They are unflinchingly loyal to Reynald, and will follow him anywhere, even into the howling madness of the Wyld.

[edit] Death Swarm Talon

Talonlord: Ashen Vespasian Hunter

Senior Scalelord: Yithaki Warat

Originally had a core of Varang, now comprises of a mash of every other group on the ship that has sent people to fight in the EDC. Vesp has managed to forge them into an effective unit since then.

[edit] Named Characters

Enlisted Shamed Son of the Shining Lion

[edit] The 1000th Legion (Wing)

Winglord*: Varil Bernayd

An offshoot of the fallen Gens Varil, this force is mainly comprised of dissidents or exiles from Lookshy and locations north. Bernayd's most noteworthy achievement was, upon receiving word of the Reclamation and the Dream of Sweet Rain, gathering his forces and quick-marching them into the Dream's path for evacuation. The 1000th Legion is tight-knit despite its members' varying backgrounds, for they are all from Creation.

[edit] Frozen Shards Talon

Talonlord:

The Frozen Shards are drawn from the Haslanti community.

[edit] 0th Field Force

Talonlord*:

Lookshy’s contribution to the EDC. Includes a scale of Gunzosha.

[edit] Gunzosha Scale