HERETIC

HERETIC is a well-trained and seriously talented mech pilot called a Lancer. They operate mechs in combat for the benefit of their operative agency, Horizon, which investigates claims of NHP rights abuses. They are deeply passionate about the things they beleive in, to the point of doing almost anything to defend them.

(An NHP is a piece of the mind of an inhuman space entity, torn from the whole and stored within a mechanical Casket to train and teach human morals so that it can be used as a sentient artificial intelligence.)

They are deeply violent and always willing to spring to combat. Being a combination of a human mind wired into a non-human incomprehensible entity, they have strange and inhuman quirks that make them off-putting and sometimes hard to work with. They speak exclusively in the collective, using the pronouns "we" instead of "me." They are an immense figure of over 7 feet of pure metal, with barely any human flesh left inside.

Details

Background

At the very beginning, there was an NHP specialist named M. Sharp. Sharp was deeply entrenched in a project involving creating an NHP built specifically for the Empakaai frame, which features an arm so large that it requires an entire COMP/CON unit just for itself. He became interested in the way that NHPs learn, and started feeling as though he could be learning something from the way an NHP's mind works, particularly after test-piloting the mech while it was connected to the NHP. He eventually wired himself directly into the NHP's Casket using ontological augmentation, which completely fried him and nearly killed him. Afterwards, he felt uncertain and unsettled in his own skin, feeling desperately like he had to escape his flesh and build himself a better body out of metal. He had dreams of fire and hell, much like the prophetic dreams had by the creator of the Empakaai. He eventually replaced all of his limbs with cybernetics, with a plan to hook the Casket back into himself and escape. As he did so, their minds connected on an even deeper level, and HERETIC was formed.
HERETIC spent a few years surviving on their own in a stolen Sagarmatha until they got picked up by a small crew planning to join Horizon. The group was always looking for fighters, and Lancers are known for their skill, so it was a perfect fit. They meshed immediately into the group, and they bring a deeply violent sort of combat style to the playing field.

The Frame

Having been programmed for it, the Empakaai is the frame in which HERETIC feels most at home. They fit into the cockpit like it's their second skin, and operate the Empakaai as though it's not even a massive imbalanced hunk of metal. They complain when they are forced to spend long periods of time outside of the mech. Their Sagarmatha was named WE MUST BE TOGETHER, and their long-awaited Empakaai is named WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER.
The Empakaai is a primarily melee-focused mech, with a giant left arm that weighs 50% of the mech's total weight. The arm deals incredible damage, but also inflicts Heat onto the mech itself, which has to be managed carefully. HERETIC uses this frame to rip and tear their way across the battlefield, as the arm has a threat range of 40 feet.

Appearance

HERETIC is a massive cybernetic beast that can be classified as a cyborg, because they are more than 90% metal. The only exposed skin is that of their face and a small amount of their nech. Their metal hardsuit armor is a permanent feature of their body, and their left arm is much larger than the right, mirroring their mech. They have a very small tertiary arm affixed underneath their right arm, for use in situations that require absolute precision.
Their hair is shaved into a messy mohawk and spiked up with a combination of grease, sweat, blood, and the like. It's a mixture of black and white, with streaks remaining permanently colorless as a result of nerve damage.
One of their eyes is a normal brown human eye. The other eye, set into a metal plate in their face, is orange and digital, with a rectangular pupil. This eye displays important tactical information from their NHP mind.
HERETIC also wears a sort of corpsepaint, in a somewhat religious way. They coat their face with white and then add circuit lines with black. Their teeth are triangularly sharp like a shark and made of metal, giving them a sinister grin.

Behavior

HERETIC is, above all else, violent. They relish in the sight of blood, as their personal philosophy (thanks to the dreams of the Empakaai and the philosophy of the creator of the frame) is that there is beauty in war and death and battle, and they're responsible for being the Harbinger of such beauty. They throw fallen enemies around the battlefield, bash them into each other, and tear open the cockpits to ensure they spill blood. After combat, they will go around the battlefield hopping out of their own mech to shred apart the bodies with their metal teeth and hands, getting the blood all over themselves. It's almost religious for them, and they refuse to wash off any of the residue of combat unless they can do so in a lake. This comes from the vision of the Empakaai being seen in Lake Empakaai itself, so lakes are holy places for HERETIC.
They are loud and actually pretty cheerful, willing to joke around with their fellow Lancers and delight in the things they find fun. At the same time, they have an incredibly short fuse, and are often chewing tobacco to keep their nerves calm.

Notes

• HERETIC keeps their NHP Casket in the torso of their metal body. It takes up a lot of space, but it's safe there.
• If the NHP Cascades, HERETIC will be rendered completely incapacitated by this Cascade, and since the NHP mind has full access to their digitally operated body, a Cascade can have serious consequences in the form of erratic behavior.
• HERETIC sometimes likes to draw, and there were many crayon drawings of the Empakaai taped into the cockpit of their Sagarmatha.

Mechanical Details

Talents
• Executioner 3
• Brawler 1
• Bonded 1

Skill Triggers
• Apply Fists to Faces (+4)
• Hack or Fix (+2)
• Investigate (+2)
• Stay Cool (+2)
• Word on the Street (+2)

Gallery