Evindra Institute Lectures: The Enemy
The Evindra Institute is currently hosting bi-weekly open lectures on the festival grounds known at The Night Gardens. DNN has received the transcripts of the event noting the key speaker and questions asked. We will continue to publish lectures as they are received.
Trin Novem: "How is everyone tonite? Super I hope?"
"Alright... let's get this started then. Any stragglers can catch up..."
“To those of you that don’t know I’m Trin Sigmanex… I was originally activated in the cassius foundry wing Nova in the year 1221… that’s about oohhh 445 years ago or so if yer counting. And if yer also counting that was the year the dominion began their war on Gnox. Me and the other Nova’s and countless others from other forge wings were shipped out to the front lines before we could scarcely form a sentence in Cassian.”
“I have BEEN on every warfront the dominion has held since then- Gnox, the rebellion, the Grismaran Blockade, Aboria, Nexus… and I have fought and killed every kind of foe the dominion has had from Exiles to raiders and pirates.”
“One thing I have obviously figured out is how to do SURVIVE and the advice I will give you today will hopefully help YOU survive.”
“Any questions so far before I really dive into this?”
Lucianus Severos: You're body seems to be in quite good condition for one quite......ancient, I am curious as to how you have kept your body so pristine."
Trin Novem: “Because this is my.. ohhh.. third chassis thats why. Shoulda seen me last year I was dented like you wouldn't believe…”
"Anyone else?"
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: lifted a hand. "What foundry line did you say you were from? Nova?"
Trin Novem: Yup I was forged a nova.
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "I didn't stick around in the Forge for very long after I was made... What distinctions would you say your line has over other foundry lines? I take it you were expressly combat made?"
Trin Novem: "Personal info we can go into at the end....But yes and yes... I was and so was my line"
Trin Novem:
"OK this will be two separate sections- basic exile tactics and then I will go over tactics for some of the individual races."
“FIRST and foremost- The Exiles are terrorists and guerrilla fighters. They care nothing for the conventions of war, Honor, for civilians, or ironically enough even avoiding scorched earth tactics. When you move to engage them they will do everything they can to draw off and divide forces- standard fire and flee is common with them as they try and get more undisciplined soldiers to break from a unit. But that is not the worst part- They will also move behind lines. Sabotage is common and most importantly for all of you as individuals. Traps.”
“ANYTIME you move into territory held by Exiles you HAVE to be wary of traps primitive and technological both. And the worst part of this is these traps will still be there LONG after their forces have moved on. I’m certain a fair share of collegium researchers have lost limbs and lives because they didn’t know to look.”
“For primitive traps the most common are spring traps, pitfalls and dead falls. Look around for branches bending down at odd angles, heavy stones in odd placements. If they are GOOD traps and somewhat recent the trip wires and cords to set them off will be covered with leaves or dirt. I don’t CARE how good your power armor is a 20 ton stone is still going to flatten you.”
Golah Jo: ...How do find these traps? Are giveaways? Things you look for?
Trin Novem: “Gettin to that!”
“If you are lucky you have a tracker with you who can spot the disturbed ground. If not you CAN use stones to check the ground ahead or branches. A single bullet to a balanced stone can sometimes be enough to knock it off balance and disarm the trap.”
“The main thing to do is look for things out of place.. not easy in unfamiliar territory I know things don’t stop at primitive traps. They are also prone to using mines, motion sensors, and all manner of jury rigged explosives for maximum damage. You can TRY and scan for power signatures and if any show up don’t trust it if you see dominion signatures pop up on your scans. They do steal our technology and use it against us. Again something sent down a path ahead of you can trigger things before you get there.”
Caelia Heris: "So they steal our technology, and you also mentioned sabotage.. how many spies do you think are within our military ranks?"
Trin Novem: “I’m not ICI so I can't really say. Thats their job.”
“You guys are on the ball tonite…”
“Keep in mind the whole point of traps is to slow yah down, alert someone of your presence, or do maximum damage for minimum effort. If you are smart you can spot an area that’s good for traps- narrow canyons, gullies, ravines, thick forest, low ground, short sight lines. Avoid these but do NOT take the obvious path around. That is likely where they are waiting in ambush.
"Like this place ironically enough.."
“The only good news here is traps take some time. Once you can get their forces on the run. REALLY on the run and not baiting you into more traps you can keep them from digging in again. They key is to keep your eyes OPEN and to be aware of what could be used against you.”
"Any questions before I move on to the specific race stuff?"
Vashti Prideshatter: This may be a slightly out of place question....or a appropriate one, either way I feel it's pertinent to inquire about bio-weaponry? Or will that be covered under the racial segment of the lecture considering...?
Trin Novem: “Oh you mean using bio weapons on them? Honestly this is meant as a kind of guide to the average citizen. That fancy stuff is usually handed down by the brass in charge"
Vashti Prideshatter: Oh no, I meant in regards to traps and worrisome Exile things. For example, in Farming communities. How does one prepare for such an event and or trap...is I guess my actual question.
Trin Novem: “Ah yeah... HONESTLY.. anything is fair game to them. Bioweapons could certainly be deployed... Mordesh are notorious for that but.. hmmm if it's KNOWN a bioweapon is present get out fast. And if you are in a civilian area you HOPE the legions swept the area. The rule for civilians is - if it looks outta place call someone. Does that cover it?”
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "We all remember Hycrest, don't we?"
Trin Novem: “Oh indeed.”
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "When it comes down to things like bio-weapons. It's highly likely anything super deadly is going to be coming from their most resourceful individuals. Black hoods, namely. If it were me up against something like that, I'd start calling your local ICI representative to do sweeps for things like that. They'd know where to look."
Trin Novem: “Yup.. outa place make a call”
"Granok- for starters do not underestimate them for a second. They may BE drunken jerks but they are CANNY drunken jerks. They figured out REAL fast how to use our tech on Gnox and they have been doing it ever since. They are stupid strong, stupid tough, and have an absolute seething hatred for all of us."
Golah Jo: “Is true that Granok brains not in head? So headshots meaningless?”
Trin Novem: “You nod your head at Golah Jo. Yes! Their hides are thick and silicate... stone. To even do real damage to them you need to get past that. To kill em you need to take out their brains… In their chest.. don’t bother with headshots you will just piss em off. Armor piercing rounds are good. Higher velocity the better. Explosives are decent. Both if one doesn’t work. Don’t bother with fire. Liquid nitro is good if you aim to hit with concussive after freezing to shatter their hide.”
Lucianus Severos: If the Mordesh are pretty much zombies....then how does one effectively kill them?
Trin Novem: “Gettin to that in a minute With Granok… If you have to fight in close quarters... “
“Do not let them get a hold of you. Keep moving. And if they somehow DO get a hold of you try to surprise them and nail them in one of their few pain spots- in the eyes, between the fingers. Backs of the knees. They are slow but again all it takes is getting caught and slowly pulled apart with their bare hands and it's done.”
Adrian Grey: “And it's crazy easy to dominate their minds.”
Trin Novem: “Well that's not an option for everyone, Grey.”
Adrian Grey: “Their brains are like empty sock puppets.”
Trin Novem: “Thats... Greaaat.”
Adrian Grey: “Well there could be other Espers here.”
Golah Jo: “You say fire not work. What about napalm? Can that get into cracks and squishy bits?”
Trin Novem: “It WORKS decent enough it just takes a little more work. Something with kick yahknow? Napalm should be decent if you get enough of it. Anymore on Granok?”
Baccata Betalis: “It sounds like working from the inside out could be a way to go, if you are in a position to compromise their supplies. How well do poisons work on the Granok?”
Trin Novem: “Not so great.. there's a reason they drink so damn much.... toxins don't effect them so easy.... Now if you could get one to swallow a grenade....”
Baccata Betalis: “Or a little liquid nitrate.”
Trin Novem: “Now you're thinkin…”
“Aright... Mordesh…”
“They will do everything to get away. They are a dying race and they know it. They will almost ALWAYS try to pull out before a point of no return. And one QUICK way you can do that is to shatter one of their vitalis tanks. Luckily for all of us they GLOW so they are hard to miss. Unless of course said mordesh is equipped with a stalker net.”
Golah Jo: “...Is their contagion contagious to non Mordesh? How careful we need be?”
Trin Novem: “So far as I was ever told it hasn't jumped species... thank the gods because wow Thayd would be... hmm well it would be pretty terrifying. Anyway- the vitalis tanks are not an instant deathblow so much as they are demoralizing and a mordesh with damage to one will likely try and get away.”
Adrian Grey: “Great way to get them to flee.”
Trin Novem: “Exactly.... Trouble is they are often in different places but one of the more common ones is in the stomach. Aside from the vitalus Mordesh die like pretty much most standard humanoids. A bullet to the head works wonders…”
“Keep in mind mordesh are also the smartest of the lot. Others might place the traps.. they devise them. Others might fight, they develop the tactics. They might not always BE the CO of an operation but if they aren’t I promise they are the one advising. If there’s new tech we haven’t seen. Odds are a mordesh developed it. If you can take out the mordesh on their side not only are you taking out one of our foes you are taking out something that cannot ever be replaced.”
“Any questions before I move on to Aurin?”
Adrian Grey: “The Mordesh are also some of the most talented void casters around. Always keep that in mind.”
Katheria Vultus: “I would have to agree with my friend here, they grow to vast numbers despite losing their homeworld.”
Trin Novem: “Oi.. yeah... Mordesh and Aurin both.”
Adrian Grey: “So their not all bad then.”
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "How long does it take a Mordesh to become Ravenous after being depleted of their Vitalus reserves?"
Trin Novem: “Oh ... shit I don't actually know that one I know it takes a bit of time. But.....
Adrian Grey: “Varies wildly from person to person. It has been seen as fast as 24 hours or up to a few months. There are psychological and biological factors that make it hard to predict.”
Trin Novem: “There you go. Berry.... youuuu had a question?”
Baccata Betalis: “OH YEs. What would be the best way to SECURE a mordesh. Considering their surplus of knowledge would make wonderful sources of information under ICI watch.”
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "...threaten their vitalus reserves? restrict their dosages...?"
Baccata Betalis: “I mean capture.”
Trin Novem: “Oh boy.. I was almost never asked to do that. But yeah what Fio said there would work if I had to guess.”
Katheria Vultus: “How would capture any sentient creature? That's basically the as same both ways.”
Trin Novem: “Stun grenades.. they are a large part cybernetic so you COULD mess em up pretty bad with an EMP.”
Adrian Grey: “Don't rely on knockout gases they can be as resilient as Granok to toxins”
Katheria Vultus: “They are biological, so tranquilizers work too.”
Trin Novem: "Just need a strong dose."
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "Is Vitalus susceptible to contamination? Does it need a specific purity value to work effectively?"
Trin Novem: "From what I know it is.. delicate stuff. Hence storing it in solid tanks."
"Aurin- They are fast and they are small and can get into places you wouldn’t normally think of. Look for their snipers in impossible perches. They are prone to being espers and slingers which is a WHOLE other seminar on how to fight that mess."
"AS I was saying.. Aurin are quick.. agile.. and often mystics...They do however demoralize easily and those of you who remember arboria know how well fire works in that department. Look for stones or trees etched with symbols and take them out. Aurin think with their hearts and so that’s where you need to hit em. Or just.. yah know.. shoot em."
Golah Jo: "Golah -highly- recommend utilizing fire and shock-and-awe tactics. This a race of refugees that lost a lot. They not strong. Not meant to survive."
Trin Novem: "Yup they are easy to demoralize..."
Katheria Vultus: "Minus the fact that they breed just as fast if not faster than a Chua."
Adrian Grey: "Outside of their mystics their combat abilities are annoying at best."
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "I've had a couple suicide charge me with grenades."
Golah Jo: "...You sure they just not know how grenades work?"
Trin Novem: Like I said in the beginning... terrorists.
Adrian Grey: "Suicide killers is a losing battle of attrition. If your scariest combat tactic is to kill yourself. I am hardly impressed."
Katheria Vultus: "According to my on field experience, some Aurin Espers have been shown to use not only psychic powers, but drugs to create... mind trips. So bring gas masks for any attack raid."
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "Can we please dispel the tried dominion propaganda image that Aurin are aggressive sub-sentient fauna?"
Trin Novem: "Can we stay on topic about killin em?"
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "I'm just saying, don't underestimate the aurin. They can be dangerous. They can be witty too."
Baccata Betalis: "Now that, is more on point. Don't underestimate small and cute."
Fioressyn Raughkenbach: "Dismissal of an opponent as something less than you is a good way to let yourself be taken off guard."
Trin Novem: "Oh absolutely can be dangerous... they are usually the ones planting and hiding the traps I started talking about in the first place."
Adrian Grey: "I really can't agree. I haven't even found their mystics to be as impressive as the Mordesh. It's never good to underestimate a foe or overestimate them."
Trin Novem: "They like their primitive traps.. WHICH you cannot scan for."
"Lastly there are the exile humans themselves. The biggest threat they pose is NOT on the warfront itself but in infiltration. All they gotta do is clean up their accent and put on a uniform and they can wander your encampment with ease. Even a few minutes behind our line is enough to lift important intel or supplies. Keep an eye out for anyone you don’t recognize who seems to have nothing to do. Report to your CO or if nothing else confront them. If they cant name the cook is a another good one .... yes I'm serious."
"A CO is important enough to show up in intel.. a cook is not.. but you show me a soldier who doesn't know where their food is coming from..."
Floriana Aquilius: "While a reasonable test in most regards, would an enterprising infiltrator not simply reply that they only just arrived? A, perhaps, better test would be to have them name their squad leader and show you to them."
Trin Novem: "Honestly you shouldn't take someones word if you are suspicious...There is a reason sergeants take a perverse delight in picking on the new people... so everyone knows who they are."
"Alrighty guys.... I think I've gone over... Thanks for comin out if you wanna talk more feel free but I think we covered questions as we went."