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| Ravagers of Plagueis
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House Plagueis
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Enslaved
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Shock troopers
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- 2588 Warriors
- 647 Berserkers
- 65 Underlords
- Reserves - Non-Deployable
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- Blaster rifle
- Blaster pistol
- Assault cannon
- Vibroweapons
- Various grenades
- Heavy weapons
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Ravagers are the warriors in service to House Plagueis. Captured alongside the Ascendant House's other enslaved forces, they are subjected to torture, gene and drug therapy, and brutal training to produce bloodthirsty, fanatically loyal killing machines.
History
Following the destruction of the Jusadih System, House Plagueis was left with only a bare handful of loyal followers, their allies of Saraask'ar, and the surviving Dark Jedi. Aboard the damaged Ascendancy, the House was forced to resort to brutal measures to survive.
Boarding commercial freighters and smaller frigates, they took thousands of slaves alongside weapons and supplies to keep them going. As years were not available to reestablish a military force, Quaestor Tra'an Reith was left with only the suggestions of his Sith Aedile, Kal di Plagia Vorrac, to build a proper fighting
force.
Onboard the Ascendancy, Vorrac led the House's surviving Krath in administering brutal cycles of torture, mental manipulations, drug therapy, and even surgical measures on the male slave populace. Female or non-human slaves and children were given to the Trandoshan slavers for sale into the slave market - with a cut given to Plagueis - while those unfit for sale were put to the saber.
While those men who showed better mental acuity and skills were made Subjugates, those better-suited for combat and violence were bestowed with procedures to increase their brutality, make them athletic and strong, and increase their stamina at the cost of longevity and sane thought.
Tattooed to appear fearsome and armored in makeshift garb designed to be terrifying, they were trained with every waking moment to utilize a variety of weapons in battle. Afterward, only four weeks after their creation, these bloodthirsty warriors were thrust into their first action - boarding and capturing the Galactic Alliance 108th Expeditionary Scout Fleet. Attacking with the element of surprise and unprecedented brutality, they obliterated the defenses onboard, claimed the beginnings of a new Ascendant Fleet, and sent the survivors to be similarly enslaved.
Thus, the Ravagers of Plagueis were born.
Skills and Capabilities
Several varieties of Ravager exist, including:
- Ravager Warrior: Standard infantry, typically armored for regular engagements and armed with rifles and melee weaponry, as well as grenades. They fill the role of regular soldiers on the field of battle.
- Ravager Beserker: Armed with heavier weapons such as repeaters, concussion weaponry, missile systems and assault cannons, these Ravagers are chosen out of the stronger slaves and go into battle heavily armored. They fill the role of heavy infantry, and are often tasked with taking fortified positions and destroying larger targets.
- Ravager Underlord: Bred from the first day to lead their lesser brethren, Underlords are the smartest and most stable-minded Ravagers. While just as brutal, they are taught tactics and guile, though they too are utterly broken to their Sith masters. They are named
accordingly; while above their peers, they are below their Lords. Underlords appear armed and armored like their assigned hordes, and are distinguished by two things - identifying piercings, made from either plundered metals or gold, and pieces of armor cannibalized directly from prestigious kills. Underlords, like other Ravagers, may not bear names, but the Dark Jedi of Plagueis tolerate derogatory nicknames for capable Underlords; it is seen as an honor, for instance, to be known as "Mudcrutch" or "Scum".
In addition, all Ravagers possess an iron will due to fear for their Masters. If given a task, they will perform it, regardless of how bloodthirsty they may be. Deviations from this result in painful death for the individual involved and agonizing punishment for all other Ravagers, done in a way that only reinforces the deific way they regard Plagueian Dark Jedi. Discipline is so strong with them that Ravagers will often kill an unruly or disobedient member themselves and offer his corpse to their Masters as a showing of fealty.
Ultimately, a Ravager is as content as the last raid - a happy Ravager is one who is well-fed on stolen food, covered in the blood of his victims, and armed to the teeth with ill-gotten gear. This mindset is instilled in them from day one, and thus, as Ravagers become restless, they will spend more time training for combat and reinforcing their discipline. This keeps them deadly and efficient at all times, and above all, helps their devotion to the Plagueian cause. In most cases, it would take months or even years of therapy to break a Ravager's loyalty to Plagueis.
Weapons and Equipment
Ravager armor is built onboard Plagueian ships from the captured, modified, and repainted armor of sacked ship crews. While just as effective as typical combat armor, this new armor is designed to make Ravagers look even more fearsome. Painted black and adorned with red Sith symbols, this armor is often decorated with blades, barbs, and chains. While not typically used as weapons, they make Ravagers look more demonic and can cause charging Ravagers to inflict unexpected wounds to their enemies. While most Ravagers wear head protection, almost all of it is designed to amplify the terrifying nature of their facial tattoos.
Ravager armament is varied in model, as most of it is either plundered or acquired on the black market using ill-gotten funds. That said, they are quite lethal; all of their weapons are either of current military standard or have been upgraded to meet or rival said standard. Though they will use a variety of guns, grenades, blades, cudgels, and heavy weapons, all have one thing in common - they are made to kill.
The Ravager Process
Ravagers are produced exclusively from human male slaves, and for very specific reasons. The processes done to produce Ravagers rely heavily on human psyche and physiology to be successful, and are more efficient in a body already accustomed to higher testosterone levels. In addition, humans are the galaxy's most common species, meaning that even freighters full of aliens will typically have at least a few hundred humans onboard.
The psychological reason for exclusively male slaves is simple - while Subjugates are easier to make docile via gelding, Ravagers are kept potent and are given no female companions during the time between raids. This makes their bloodlust all the more potent, especially as the only females around them are among their Plagueian overlords - they are conditioned to both love and fear their masters, so while Ravagers cannot touch female Plagueians without being ordered to, the lust they inspire is no less poignant during raids.
The process itself relies on custom chemical compounds produced and synthesized by Plagueian Krath, though they are made from relatively common base compounds. These are added to certain steroidal injections and minor brain surgeries meant to enhance brutality and decrease insubordination and moral reasoning. Finally, while long-term memories are removed by process of small tissue removal and bacta injection to produce new, memory-free brain cells, muscle memory and the ability to learn and master new skills is drastically enhanced.
Physically, Ravagers are given drugs that temporarily enhance healing and rapidly accelerate muscular development, which is combined with extensive training regiments designed by Plagueian Obelisk to rapidly indoctrinate new warriors. Before being allowed to fight, the Ravagers undergo laser surgery to obtain 20/20 vision.
These factors combine to get the Ravagers trained and deadly within weeks, though the brutal side effects have led the Krath of the House to speculate a functional lifespan of four to eight years for the average Ravager.
As a finishing touch, Ravagers are typically covered in Sith tattoos, though more extensively than most Sith. These tattoos vary between full red skin and simple black or even pale barbed lines depending on skin tone, and are most heavily applied to the face. Their hair is removed daily as part of the Ravagers' care routine, though it tends to grow out over protracted engagements, lending them a fierce appearance.
Ravager Underlords are also given spikes and hoops of durasteel as facial and body piercings by the Krath and are allowed to claim one piece of armor from a fallen enemy every time they earn the approval of their masters, thus helping their Sith leaders to differentiate them from the hordes around them.