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Destroyer

An Ironclad Destroyer

The Destroyers were gaijin creatures that attacked Rokugan in the Destroyer War.

Myth[]

The Destroyers, the Destroyers Horde, were known by the jackal from legends and myths which had been passed down for countless centuries. They did not know what was really truth. [1]

Raise of Kali-Ma[]

In the late 12th century the Cult of Ruhmal conducted a ritual which allowed Kali-Ma, the Destroyer, to achieve ascendance. Nine tenths of the entire population of the Ivory Kingdoms was sacrificed to her, their souls imprisoned in metallic shells to create a vast army of demonic monsters, the Destroyers. [2]

Ironclad, Rank and File[]

Destroyers 2

An Ironclad

The basic destroyer warrior formed in flawless ranks, encased from head to toe in seamless metal armor. Each warrior bore four arms, two carrying weapons, and two with metallic talons adorning each inhuman finger. The faces crafted into that armor were hideous beyond all reckoning, and behind them burned some sinister light that cast a glow about the eyes and mouths. [3] Their blood was black, and they were usually silent, but capable to speak in a gaijin language. [4] They had no eyes, but still remained fully aware of the events around them. [5] The cold reduced their abilities. [6] They were commonly known as the "ironclad", which normally fought in tightly-knit units. [7] little more than kansen-inhabited suits of armor, bound by some dark ritual performed by Yuna or perhaps Kali-Ma herself. [8] Every time one of the creatures was killed with magic, as a side effect of undoing the dark ritual that had imprisoned the mystical energy within the metal shell, they made a death-scream which was nearly too much to bear for the shugenja. [9] The Rokugani shugenja learned it in the hard way. [10]

Elite[]

A similar destroyer but larger, and bearing six arms instead of four, was the Honor Guard of the Rakshasa General. [3]

Scouts[]

The Destroyers scouts were like the ironclads, but smaller, thinner, and smarter. [11] This variant were more well-trained creatures obeying the orders of human masters, and wore ornately armor [12] of golden color. [10]

Ashalan[]

They were also reported another blue hued beings in the ranks of the Destroyers. They were seen in the last part of the War. These destroyers wore a ward in the thing's throat and a blue ashalan mark in the heart. If the ward was removed the being regained their will and usually attacked the ones still controlled by Kali-Ma. [13] Several Ashalan were under the command of the Destroyer. [14]

Destroyers, Leaders of the Horde[]

The leaders and elites of Kali-Ma's army were the half-bestial, half-human demons known specifically as Destroyers. These creatures possessed self-will to at least some degree, leading the Ironclad squads. When commanders were killed, their Ironclads stopped pursuing specific tactics and simply tried to destroy any Rokugani they met. [8]

Kali-Ma's Elite Guard[]

Kali-Ma's Elite Guard

Kali-Ma's Elite Guard

The Kali-Ma's Elite Guard were rampaging creatures, built with giant bodies like those of men, but with the heads and features of animals. Tigers, elephants, and other things no Rokugani had ever seen were among them. [15]

They walked on two legs, as tall as four men, with large ears, powerful tusks, and long, strange noses from which they could sound the most horrifying, shrill battle cries. Their flesh was like hardened leather. They could be damaged more easily than the ironclads but they healed with amazing speed. [16] They could ran very fast on all four legs. [10] The elphantine ones were called pacharmus. [17]

In 1173 they fought near Kashi Mura against the forces of the shogun and suffered a heavy toll. [16]

Centuriae[]

Other such elite units included the mysterious Centuriae, who appeared to have been created from captured Yodotai. [8]

Other beings[]

Oni-like Destroyer

Oni-like Destroyer

Other creatures were like giant oni of red and ivory with a nearly invisible hanging tail, which oozed gas out, killing those who contacted with the vapors, falling into rotted corpses in an instant. [18]

Jinn[]

Sightings of Jinn, the children of the smokeless fire, were also reported by the Rokugani. [10]

God-Beast spawns[]

The God Beast of Kali-Ma summoned serpentine creatures heavily armored carapaces protecting their upper body and two long, insectile arms with claws that seemed more like blades, and with a terrible maw. [19] Their attacks were made with a repetitive pattern, and secreted some sort of poison or other substance that entered the wound and caused a high levels of distress. [20]

Known Weaknesses[]

The jade affected the Destroyers, but not as severely as it should. [21]

Defeat[]

Destroyers fleeing

Destroyers fleeing

In 1173 Kali-Ma was defeated and killed. Some simply collapsed in the wake of her death, unable to sustain themselves as individuals. Others cast about fodder for the vengeful armies of the humans. Most fled in disarray. [22] The Empire did not have the horses and the blades to stop their escape, but they ensured that their path took them back past the Kaiu Wall. [23]

See also[]

References



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