The Eldarian Rangers are a group of Wilderness Rangers that reside on the planet Eldar within the Dajorra System. They are affiliated with the Arcona Army Corps and maintain a number of positions within the Armed Forces.
History
Due to their written history being sketchy at best, numerous tribes came together to form what we now know as the natives of the planet Eldar, sometime between a thousand and two thousand years ago. In the beginning this tribe, made up of twelve of the remaining Eldarian natives, banded together. The history before this was eradicated in what is written as ‘A hundred-year war between the feuding nations’. Based upon their numbers, more than five hundred-thousand perished during this series of fighting. Their society was mainly hunting and gathering while they migrated across the planet during the differing seasons. After the first hundred years, the varied cultures of the twelve tribes had finally meshed together.
Despite the lack of opposition, there had always been a warrior sect in the nations. While every member of the populous learned how to fight and survive from the age of twelve, only a select few were chosen to be members of the elitist Rangers. Following the joining of the twelve nations, the most skilled of each style of warriors came together to create a new training regime. In all honesty, an entirely new combat system. Over the years, a number of vessels crash landed on their planet. While most, if not all members of the respective crews had perished, the damaged technology was salvageable. Rather than sharpened rocks and volcanic glass for the majority of their weaponry, the natives learned by trial and error how to melt and mould the metals of the vessels into new weapons of war.
One of the things the culture was good at, if nothing else, was evolving with the ever-changing situations. Experimentation with the less damaged of the melee weapons found in the aforementioned vessels helped these warriors decide upon the model of weapon they would prefer overall. While the short daggers had served them well for the last several hundred or so years, they weren’t all that good until the fight was within two meters of their opponent. The long-swords were, however elegant and well-balanced, far too bulky for proficient use in combat, after a long debate from the experts. It was decided that they would use a weapon design of a short sword, only dual-wielded. Another half-century passed before the slugthrowers would be introduced. Until then, the long-range weapon of choice was either the crossbow or a bow and arrow, dependent upon the preference and skill level of each individual warrior.
Those few chosen by the experts to be the Rangers would train normally from age twelve until they reached their fifteenth birthday. On that occasion, the highest-ranking members of the Rangers would approach their families and give them the opportunity and the honour of becoming one of their elite warriors. It was rarely, if ever, declined. The individual would then travel to one of the more secluded areas of the planet Eldar and train for five long years. By this time, the new generation of fighters had grown far more proficient than the experts had believed possible. With this in mind, they separated their elite fighters into three ranks: The Rangers, The Wayfarers, and The Elder Rangers.
Before their five years of initial training was completed, the warriors held no title. If they survived, they would be granted the title of Ranger. They had to wait and learn for another two years before they could request testing to be granted the title of Wayfarer. If the request was approved, the individual would have to face and defeat three Wayfarers of his or her choosing. These fights were until the other was either disarmed twice or yielded to their opponent. If the one seeking the title of Wayfarer lost in any single bout, they had to wait another six months before they could request the testing once more. Once approved, they would have to fight as though they hadn’t won the previous battles, while choosing different opponents. The only way to become an Elder Ranger was to be chosen by one of them. They would then train you personally for a year or more, until they deemed you worthy of the prestigious title. To be deemed worthy, you would have to face your mentor in individual combat and last twenty minutes. In the extremely rare case that the learner defeat the mentor, the learner would take the mentor’s place, while the mentor retired into an advisory position.
The introduction of projectile firearms caused further evolution amongst the Rangers of Eldar. The bows and arrows of past ages were put to the side as family heirlooms, though they were still utilized in training to build the warrior’s upper-body strength. It also aided in training the warriors to hone their sense of accuracy and precision to within half an inch. The true masters of the bow of past ages could shoot a fly off of the head of another warrior at a hundred yards. Even with the new advances in technology, their fighting blades remained the same. The only change was the quality of the metal work and better materials to work with.
It was during this time that a tradition was introduced. In order to prove that they are a true ranger, the individual would have to travel alone to a different remote mountain region to collect a small blue flower, which they then pin on their armour as a mark of their proficiency. Also known as Viper’s Bugloss, this small plant is actually poisonous to Humans if ingested.
During the ensuing years, their ranks both diminished and flourished as battle took place between the natives and outsiders who sought to change them irrevocably.
Over the last two centuries, they would prepare a ritual where they would invite outsiders to add to the gene pool of new generations. In most cases, they were warriors of high esteem or the most well-known scholars of their age. This was the solution discovered, as inbreeding had become a worry as the numbers of the original clans dwindled at a geometric rate. The introduction of new blood saved the natives from becoming lost to the dusty pages of history.
As of the current time, the exact numbers of them are unknown, though many of them are employed within the Arconan Armed Forces.
Gear
Weapons
Though the four weapons listed below are part of the standard package offered to all Eldarian Rangers, it is not uncommon to see various unlisted weapons utilized by them. It mostly depends heavily upon their mission and personal preference.
Westar M-5c Assault Rifle
A renowned blaster/assault rifle, the M-5 was fielded in the waning years of the Clone Wars and featured a number of upgrades over the DC-15 blaster rifle that had been standard issues, the most prominent being the sheer level of customization available. While the M-5 could be considered an antique by now, the versatility and adaptability of the rifle was only compounded by Army R&D after Clan Diplomacy purchased a large number of these weapons at a very low price. Now dubbed the "M-5c", for customized, the rifle sports multiple firing modes and lethality settings, an extendable stock, optional sights, and more.
Erinos Miniature Magnetic Accelerator Rifle (E.M.M.A.R.)
'E.M.M.A.R
A prototype weapon developed by Arcona engineers, and designed from plans Sashar handed down to his son. This rifle is designed to function with the portability of an assault rifle, yet the penetration and range of a sniper rifle. It’s design leaves little to be desired, compact, but still somewhat on the heavy side. The barrel is magnetically charged to allow the rifle to charge a round before firing effectively acting as a miniature railgun. Each time the weapon fires it has to be manually cocked, each clip holding 10 rounds before reloading is necessary.
SSK-7 Heavy Blaster Pistol
Heavy blaster pistol made illegal in the Core due to its high power and easy modification. Allows for "stopping" power and a solid 60 bolt plasma-pak as well as easy concealment although its weight exceeds that of standard blaster pistols. It is the issued sidearm for all soldiers.
Shadesworn Designs Combat Knife
11 inch (7in blade) durasteel combat knife, with serrations (‘sawback’) and blood tunnel. The blade itself is a non-reflective matte black, though it comes available in chrome or a full camouflage (pommel to tip) upon request. It is the standard issue melee/backup weapon for all soldiers. It is available in a variety of tips, though tanto and spear-point are the most commonly seen.
Armor
The Ranger’s current armor is a lightweight blend of polymers and durasteel weave, designed to look similar to Phase-V clone scout armor and is painted a variety of greens, browns, and greys for camouflage. The armor is lightweight and does not hamper movement which still allows the Rangers to be quick on their feet as per their reputation. Many of the Rangers have customized their armor by adding symbols to either the helmet, breastplate, or both.