Weapons

Projectile Weapons

• Leonid Series Pistols: Compact and durable sidearms, these semi-automatic pistols fire high-velocity, self-stabilizing rounds. Casings are smooth plasteel with ergonomic grips, featuring built-in recoil dampeners for stability. Each magazine holds 15 rounds, and rounds are encased in heat-resistant alloy to prevent cook-off. The pistol produces a satisfying mechanical snap with each shot, reinforced by the Heimveld’s machine spirit AI that monitors wear and predicts maintenance needs.

• Perseus Rifles: The standard-issue rifle for infantry, the Perseus is lightweight yet bulky, designed for maximum durability. It uses gyro-stabilized ammunition that increases accuracy in harsh conditions. Featuring a modular design, the rifle can be outfitted with attachments like bayonets, scopes, or grenade launchers. Ammo feeds from a 40-round drum, and its magnetic propulsion system ensures low recoil and high stopping power.

The Vanguard is the elite shock force of the Heimveld, serving as both its spiritual warriors and its most formidable combatants. They are deeply tied to the Temple of the Unfallen, worshipping the Unfallen as a living god and carrying out his will with brutal efficiency. The Vanguard are equipped with advanced power armor, cybernetic enhancements, and relics passed down through generations, making them nearly unstoppable on the battlefield. They are revered as heroes and feared as living weapons, embodying the Heimveld’s ideology of unyielding devotion and ruthless conquest. Their presence inspires awe among allies and terror among enemies, and they are often deployed in the most critical or desperate battles.

Titans: The Divine Heroes of the Empire

Living Legends of the Empire

God Engines are not merely war machines; they are icons. Each is a millennia-old relic, crafted during the Styrkemarch, when the Heimveld first began reclaiming the stars. Their pilots, called Titans, are the closest thing to saints, revered as the living extensions of the machine’s will. The Engines themselves are believed to have personalities or even divine sparks, born of their ancient cores and their countless acts of conquest.

The Ironstride Corps is the mechanized and armored arm of the Heimveld’s military, responsible for swift assaults, mobile firepower, and dominating ground engagements. Their vehicles and walkers are built for functionality and durability, with mass-produced designs that combine art nouveau embellishments with brutal utilitarianism. Equipment is standardized yet reliable, reflecting the Corps’ ethos of efficiency over extravagance.

Primary Equipment and Vehicles

1. Transport APC

Description: The Transport Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) is a backbone unit of the Ironstride Corps, designed for moving infantry quickly and safely across dangerous terrain. The vehicle features a rectangular hull with reinforced tracks or half-tracks, granting it exceptional all-terrain mobility, even in rugged environments like mud, snow, or rocky wastelands. The armor plating has been engineered for maximum durability against small arms fire and shrapnel, while maintaining a weight balance that allows for sustained operational speeds. The APC’s most distinctive feature is its outer armor, which is embossed with intricate vine-like patterns—both a nod to the Heimveld’s aesthetic traditions and a morale-boosting symbol of order and growth amidst the chaos of war. These decorative motifs are especially prominent on command variants, often gilded or painted in ceremonial colors.

• Role: The conscripted infantry of the Heimveld. Their primary purpose is to overwhelm enemy forces through sheer numbers, serving as the disposable backbone of the empire’s ground campaigns.
• Assets:
  • Basic rifles, often outdated but brutally effective.
  • Minimal armor—flak vests and helmets with the Heimveld insignia.
  • Trench networks, bunkers, and prefabricated war camps.
• Personnel:
  • Soldats: The cannon fodder. Drafted en masse from overpopulated industrial and agricultural worlds.
  • Burners: Flamethrower squads for clearing bunkers and trenches.
  • Gunners: Machine gun teams, named for the relentless “spitting” sound of their weapons.
  • Shadows: Infiltration and sabotage squads, trained in stealth and espionage.
  • Hounds: Scouts and forward observers, adept at navigating hostile terrain.
• Flavor: Soldiers of the Ground Host are indoctrinated to see themselves as the literal shield and spear of The Unfallen. Dissent is rare due to brutal discipline, and the promise of salvation through duty keeps morale deceptively high. Specialists are seen as slightly apart from regular Marklings, both respected and envied.

Appearance

For the Heimveld troops, the uniforms are designed to project both military might and religious zeal. The primary imagery is the triple linked circle motif of the Heimveld, emblazoned prominently on their armor and clothing, symbolizing the unbreakable unity of the empire. Unfallen icons appear secondary, represented on banners and painted on vehicles in a style reminiscent of Orthodox/medieval Russia, emphasizing the divine backing of the Heimveld’s mission.

• Role: The primary military force of the Heimveld. The Void Fleet maintains the empire’s iron grip over its vast territories, projecting power across space and ensuring logistical dominance.
• Assets:
  • Capital Ships: Massive dreadnoughts, carriers, and battleships. Flagships are revered, often named after mythic figures of The Unfallen’s conquests.
  • Strike Cruisers & Escorts: Agile vessels for skirmishes and system patrols.
  • Space Stations & Habitats: Fortress-like installations in key systems, housing millions of personnel, factories, and shipyards.
  • Transport & Logistics Ships: The unsung workhorses, moving troops, supplies, and weapons across the empire.
• Personnel:
  • The Voidborn, career officers who live their entire lives on ships.
  • The Fleeters conscripted spacers trained in minimal shipboard duties.
• Flavor: Naval officers are the elites of the military. There’s a sense of aristocracy and prestige among command positions, while the lower ranks are not mistreated conscripts but skilled professionals operating the empire’s most valuable assets. The Void Fleet is a meritocracy compared to the other branches, with competence rewarded and failure harshly punished.