The Unholy War/Characters

The Unholy War has a large variety of units, which is detailed here.

The Teknos
The Teknos are a band of machine Nations, dedicated to Eternal Progress - Progress at all costs. They arrived on Xsarra after fleeing from the Hunters, a mysterious super-technological race seemingly bent on their absolute annihilation.

The Teknos who came to Xsarra were the last remnants of a fleet that was attacked by the relentless Hunter armada. Damaged beyond repair, the last Teknos starship crash-landed on Xsarra, hoping that the planet's unusual radiation field would mask their ship's presence from the Hunters' scanners.

The Teknos creed is to seek Progress - the perfection of intelligence through the blending of biological and cybernetic capabilities. The Teslas enjoy pure energy, the Razorfanes augment themselves with bladed plumage, and the Killcycles are permanently mated to their jet-powered vehicles.

General Teknos tropes:

 * Cyberpunk: The Teknos has shades of this.
 * Utopia Justifies the Means: The Teknos are dedicated to Eternal Progress - Progress at all costs.

Quicksilver
"They abhor the flesh they can so readily display."

Although most Quicksilvers are revolted by the softness and desires of their flesh, they must shift back to their human form at least 10 minutes each day. Though deeply repugnant to most Quicksilvers, there is a small, secret group within their Nation which advocates accepting and enjoying their dual nature.

They can attack with blade hands for decent damage, pelt away at their opponents with orbs from a distance, and create a shield which reflects enemy projectiles. On the map, they can make enemy units go insane, making them move unpredictably.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Barrier Warrior: Can produce a shield.
 * Chrome Champion
 * Deflector Shields
 * Expy: She's basically the T-1000.
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Glass Cannon: They have low health, but their melee attack is deceptively powerful.
 * Humans Are Ugly: They abhor the soft flesh...
 * Living Morph Weapon
 * Partial Shapeshifting Voluntary Shapeshifting
 * Stripperiffic: ...they can so readily display. (Although you wouldn't notice in-game)

Tesla
"Raw power flows through a Tesla, giving it great strength and driving it totally insane."

Teslas live in blissful agony, in communion with what they call The Prime Coruscant. For this reason, Teslas absorb raw power in its wildest form. Their limbs twitch, their eyes dart. Tiny electrical arcs dance across their eyes and lips. While in communion, Teslas claim to make contact with 'The Others' who reveal secrets and wisdom.

They can shoot lightning at their opponents, teleport to a random location, and erect obelisks which periodically produce homing electrical shots. On the map, they can teleport to a specific location. The further away the destination is, the more AUR is needed.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Goggles Do Nothing
 * Mad Scientist: His personal arena is a Mad Scientist Laboratory
 * Random Teleportation: In battle only. Outside, it's controlled.
 * Simple Staff
 * Shock and Awe
 * Squishy Wizard
 * Teleport Spam
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity

Killcycle
"These crude anarchists specialize in the pacification of peaceful, primitive species."

Each Teknos culture is a separate Nation with its own unique laws and customs. The most independent of all are the violent cyborg Killcycles. Each of these foul-smelling hybrids patrol its own feudal domain - often just a parcel of wasteland inhabited only by primitive tribesmen and the rare migratory Brontu herd.

They can shoot plasma shots at their enemies, drop bombs, and use a Suicide Attack for massive damage. They can also manually self-destruct on the map, for damage to all adjacent units.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Anarchy Is Chaos: They are anarchists who are very chaotic.
 * Ax Crazy
 * Cool Bike: It flies, shoots lasers, and drops bombs.
 * Cyborg
 * Death From Above: Via bombs or themselves.
 * Frickin' Laser Beams: Their plasma shots
 * Stuff Blowing Up
 * Suicide Attack: What they're most well known for.

Jaeger
"Relics of a forgotten war, these huge killing machines cleanse the world of organic vermin."

The Jaegers were found by early Teknos explorers. The ancient warbots had been deactivated and encased in the solid rock of a dead moon. Revived and reprogrammed, the Jaegers now scour the barren Deadlands at the perimeter of the Teknos Nations, hunting down and destroying whatever native life they can find.

They can shoot a small laser at medium range, give a painful punch at close range, and shoot rockets from afar. On the map, they can provide artillery fire on a selected nearby enemy.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Frickin' Laser Beams
 * Killer Robot
 * Mighty Glacier
 * Morality Pet: Though normally hostile to organic life, the Jaegers are protective of a little boy who is said to repair and upgrade them.
 * Robo Speak

Mantis
"An insidious evil from the galactic core whose treachery has doomed a hundred worlds."

When exiled from the Earth's solar system, the human Technists travelled to the galactic core. Of the many races they encountered, the Mantis were the most mysterious. The Mantis have never fully explained who the Hunters are, nor why the Hunters have chased the Mantis for a thousand years.

They can extend their mandibles for some decent damage, deploy slow moving homing projectiles which return and give health on hits, and create a gravity well which can trap the enemy. On the map, they can overload an ally unit, giving it free energy in battles and restoring its health at the cost of dying in three turns.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Arm Cannon
 * Call a Smeerp a Rabbit: They are not mantis-like in the slightest.
 * Gravity Master
 * Starfish Aliens: They're spider-like.
 * Vampiric Draining

Razorfane
"A legacy of pain and misery belongs to the Razorfanes... and they savor it."

Born of pain and fear, the Razorfane is a man-machine, a murderous psychotic brain implanted in a sharp metal sheath. Razorfanes are never cleaned or lubricated, so the splattered body liquids of their victims make their stained bodies screech and squeak as they move. Razorfanes always seek more upgrades - more blades.

They can shoot their blades at the opponent from a distance, spin in place to deal damage at close range, and erect bladewalls which cannot be passed by other units. The bladewalls can also be used to occupy hexes on the map.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Ax Crazy
 * Evil Laugh: After beating the opponent.
 * Expy: He's a sleeker model of Metal Man.
 * Killer Robot
 * Spikes of Villainy

Wasp
"Her lightning speed and sharp sting put fear in the hearts of enemies twice her size."

She can shoot her gun rapidly for very little damage, freeze their enemies from above, and drain the life of enemies when she is grounded. On the map, she can heal allied units.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Fragile Speedster
 * Kill It with Ice
 * Life Drain
 * Combat Medic: Can heal allies or herself on the map.
 * Small Girl, Big Gun

Tropes Associated With:

 * Death From Above
 * Purposefully Overpowered
 * Secret Character
 * Super Psycho Prototype

Ecton
"An undead slave master who feeds on the souls of the living as well as the dead."

The Ecton ghostmasters reside in the most remote regions of Xsarra where they perfect their horrifying rituals. By devouring the ectoplasmic shell cast off by a dying creature, the Ectons extend their sinister lives, perhaps indefinitely. The Arcane alliance must be in desperate times indeed to have sought aid from the heinous Ectons.

He can shoot energy skulls out of his whip, let out a life-stealing, close-ranged scream, and set net traps. On the map, he can drain the life of adjacent enemies.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Evil Laugh: During victory.
 * Inescapable Net
 * Life Drain
 * Our Liches Are Different: They're more like soul tamers/hunters.
 * Skull for a Head
 * Squishy Wizard
 * Whip It Good

Prana Devil
"A frantic, ravenious beast that desires only to eat, excrete, breed and speed."

The Prana Devils spawn in the deepest of caverns, venturing out only for food. The Magus Lizards claim that before humans came to Xsarra, the Magi accidentally released the Prana Devils from an underground tomb, and that the slavering beasts almost overran the world before effective spells were found to keep them at bay.

The Prana Devils are scavangers who devour all life in any area they inhabit, be it the smallest animal or the largest tree. The Pranas act in unison as though they were all following some sort of inborn program to scour the surface of Xsarra clean of all living things.

They can spit poison, latch on and bite the enemy, and lay eggs which produce smaller Prana Devils. On the map, they can attempt to produce another fully formed Prana Devil on an adjacent hex.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Explosive Breeder
 * Extreme Omnivore
 * Meaningful Name
 * Piranha Problem: They're pretty much Hollywood piranhas if piranha weren't fish.
 * Zerg Rush: They are one of the cheapest units to produce. Also, their map ability is duplication, and costs very little (but can fail).

Magus Lizard
"Anicent natives of Xsarra. These sorcerers command primevil magics. They say the world will end soon."

Before the humans came to Xsarra, the Magus Lizards dominated the entire world. Their ancient civilization sought knowledge as though it were gold. In the end their curiosity was their doom. Today, only a few Magi wander their empty, sand-filled cities.

They can use their obsidian sword at close range, shoot a slow, homing raven at an enemy, and channel comets to rain down the sky. On the map, they can make a comet fall on an enemy to damage it.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Absurdly Sharp Blade: It works on robots just fine.
 * The Blacksmith
 * Death From Above: Can make it rain stars on his opponents.
 * Lizard Folk
 * Magic Knight: Not a knight, but skilled in sword and sorcery.
 * Ravens and Crows: Can shoot a dark homing projectile which looks like one.
 * Seer

Brontu
"An almost unstoppable force whose courage is matched only by the size of its heart."

AUR can be found in low concentrations in all plant and animal life on Xsarra. In some creatures like the Brontu, accumulated AUR empowers the creature with unbelievable strength, speed, and natural weaponry. For this reason, Brontus are often captured and dragged to the city for ceremonial battle-circuses against scaled Daunts.

They can charge, let out a load roar, and leave a cloud of noxious gas. On the map, they can roar to knock adjacent enemies back.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Fartillery
 * Gentle Giant
 * Rhino Rampage: The Brontu is just a Space Rhino.
 * Use Your Head

Firewitch
"Half woman, half flame, this vengeful creature leaves nothing but an inferno in her wake."

Of all the Arcane races, the Firewitches are the most remote. They live in fiery calderas and rarely venture out into colder realms. Many years ago, at a conclave between the Arcane Nations, a Firewitch appeared and told the assembly to beware the Prana Devils -- to nvere let them grow to adulthood. This remains a mystery.

They can shoot fireballs, divebomb enemies from above, and create incendiary barriers on the ground. Like the Razorfane, they can occupy hexes with a barrier only they can pass through.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Expy: A Distaff Counterpart of The Torch.
 * Kill It with Fire
 * Wreathed in Flames

Dark Angel
"Aloof and mysterious, the Angels fight when necessary, then vanish to their high abodes."

The Stygians, or Dark Angels, are the product of well-meant magic gone sadly wrong. Ancient wizards twisted human life patterns in an attempt to scult the perfect creature. Instead they created a deeply flawed and angry species whose weak eyes cannot bear the sunlight their soul craves.

They can attack using their eye beams, create a powerful ground shockwave, and create obelisks which shoot beams at him to recover health. On the map, they can teleport themselves or adjacent allies.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Eye Beams
 * Gone Sadly Wrong
 * Simple Staff
 * Our Angels Are Different
 * Winged Humanoid

Mongalin Rider
"Noble warrior-maidens who bond at birth to their faithful mongalin mounts."

They can shoot laser beams, lash at the enemy with the Mogalin's tongue, and switch places with the enemy. On the map, they can heal their allies.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Bond Creatures: The Mongalins.
 * Horse of a Different Color
 * Combat Medic
 * Multipurpose Tongue: Well used for combat anyway.

Tropes Associated With:

 * Extreme Omnivore
 * Purposefully Overpowered
 * Secret Character

Tropes Associated With:

 * Mr. Exposition
 * The Narrator

The Hunters

 * He Who Must Not Be Seen