Kapaku

Lore[]

Rescued from the brink of extinction after the invasion of their home world, the Kapaku were evacuated by the Concrete Endless and sent to Auriga. They were promised a new beginning on a new planet, but discovering the true intentions of their saviors will pit them against both Auriga’s current denizens and the dark remnants of the Dust Wars.

The Kapaku are tinkers and inventors, a race of craftsmen with powerful bonds to earthen energies. Small in size, their resourcefulness and skill led them to create powerful stone golems to use as labors and soldiers.

The Kapaku are a new race uniquely suited to the Volcanic Terrain, able to thrive off it where other races would struggle, and their symbiotic relationships with their golems allows them to exploit more resources more efficiently, fueling their machinery to turn Auriga into a new Volcanic Paradise.

Traits[]

Born of Ash - Can only see/gather/use on Volcanic terrains ; Armies have health regen on Volcanic terrains ; Kapaku units and heroes gain bonus stats on Volcanic terrains

Hailing from a world of rock and fire, the Kapaku feed exclusively on ash and minerals that Otherskins would find inedible, and their armies thrive in the volcanic regions that would wear down other factions.

Shaman's Knowledge - During Eclipses, Kapaku shamans can locate confluxes in their own region and explored neighboring regions, and enjoy increased effects from these confluxes.

Already well-attuned to earthen energies, Kapaku shamans gain near supernatural powers of insight at times of Dust Eclipse.

Stargazers - In summer, upcoming Dust Eclipses are always predicted

Auriga's pattern of Dust Eclipses was well understood by the Concrete Endless, predicated on the chaotic interaction of moons.

Endless Fascination - Science received on successful ruin search ; +2 on terrain with ruins

An obsession with the Endless and all their magical-esque technology heightens natural inquisitiveness in Auriga's ruins.

Volcanoformation - Units have a special Army Action allowing use of the Volcanoforming Device

Utilise Strategic Resources to create machines that will change any terrain into a Volcanic one.

Golem Camp - Makes available the Faction-specific technology Golem Camp.

Siege Engineering - Makes available the Faction-specific technology Siege Engineering.

Topography - Unlocks the Topography Technology.

Alchemist's Furnace - Unlocks the Alchemist's Furnace Technology.

Heroes[]

Grand Cleric Akuma[]

Akuma is an unlikely Kapaku hero. The seventh-born of a prominent shaman from the Akamai School of Alchemists, Akuma spent his childhood living under the shadow of his mother's, and more pertinently, his older sibling's achievements. A clumsy craftsman with a poor grasp of the theories of Dust alchemy, Akuma's life was one of wretched shame until the day of the Endless's arrival. Already aware of the machines' threat to the Kapaku's ash and stone civilization, Akuma used his family connections to create a political platform that cast the Concrete Endless as the Kapaku's divine saviors, quickly establishing a populist following as his faith bore fruit. Instrumental in founding the Temple of Our Saviors, Grand Cleric Akuma is a natural orator who now wields great power among his people.

Makani Chay[]

Back on the Kapaku homeworld it was Makani, more than any other, who came to understand the scale of the machines' incursion. Born with a natural hunger for exploration, Makani adventured through much of the known world before his twenty-fifth year, and returned with a fierce desire to venture into the truly unknown. To this end, he became a stone shaman of unparalleled skill, fashioning an entourage of golems that allowed him to range into otherwise inhospitable climes of fire and desolation. Makani encountered more pockets of machine activity than anybody else, and was one of the loudest voices cautioning that their threat shouldn't be underestimated. Sadly, his words were not heeded. On Auriga, Makani's wanderlust is undiminished, and now he has even more reason to roam the uncharted wastes.

Pali Inoa[]

Among all of those who escaped their ruined homeworld on the Endless' starship, no Kapaku was greater than Pali in the arts of mechanical invention. Responsible for advances in the fields of navigation, timekeeping, weaponry, locomotion, and architecture, Pali brought great prestige onto the House of Geomancers which flourished under her inspirational work. When the machines arrived, she was one of the first to appreciate that they were complex machines, and subsequently spent much thought on their likely origin. Later, after the Concrete Endless saved the Kapaku from the machine threat, it was clear that the volcanoforming devices needed to terraform Auriga would best be entrusted to Pali and her fellow geomancers.

Shaman Rawiri[]

A fine mind with a child's natural curiosity, Shaman Rawiri had initially shied away from political affairs in favor of expanding his knowledge of the animating power of Dust alchemies. Although frustrated that the arrival of the machines interrupted his experiments into creating new golem forms, once the Endless saviors spoke of Auriga and its wondrous Dust Eclipses, Rawiri was itching to experience the phenomenon himself. He is convinced that the actions of the Dust Eclipse could revolutionize the Kapaku's fortunes on this harsh new world, and is eager to begin experimenting.

Takari Mu[]

Originally one of the Twelve on the Magma Council, Takari was ejected from the Kapaku's highest authority when she publicly questioned the motives of their Endless saviors. Terrified the Concrete Endless would abandon their plans to evacuate the Kapaku to the virgin world of Auriga, many of her fellow Council members accused her of treason, and had her incarcerated in the infamous jail in the depths of the Darkshaft Mines. Were it not for the actions of Custodian Aktyl, Takari would've no doubt been left abandoned in that pit of despair. Aktyl, however, understood her potential worth, and had her smuggled onto the Aurigan-bound starship where she slept in anonymity. Now free on Auriga, Takari is once again a formidable leader, but one that keeps her reservations about the Endless to herself.

Ululani Raui[]

A warrior of the fabled Raui Clan, who hailed from the upper slopes of the volcanically active Mount Waiyo, Ululani gained first-hand experience of fighting during the Machine Wars. Her finest hour came during the evacuation of the Raui citadel, when she led a heroic stand that held off a machine advance for several days, allowing most of the clan to escape. Despite being outgunned by a fast and mobile enemy who could communicate at the speed of light, Ululani deployed a range of battlefield strategies that perplexed the machines. In her finest moment she managed to capture a malfunctioning machine, and still studies it to this day.

Haukea Wai[]

An adolescent on the Kapaku homeworld at the time of the war with the machines, Haukea Wai watched on with impotent shock as her future life, friends, and family got torn to shreds by the fighting. A bright, capable youth, Haukea felt lost by the spirallng events, and lived in a state of dazed trauma for a long time before Custodian Aktyl announced the founding of the Koni School of Elite Riders. Finally able to channel her aptitude and hurt into a productive direction, she rediscovered her love of learning, and excelled at both the philosophical and physical aspects of effectively riding a towering golem mount. Moreover, during these studies, inside Haukea grew a burning desire to use all of her energies to protect her society - a development not lost to Custodian Aktyl who subsequently selected her as his personal emissary on Auriga.

Custodian Tua[]

Representative of the Haku Clan on the Magma Council, Custodian Tua remains among the Twelve despite the obliteration of most of her clansfolk in a calamity that marked the beginning of the war with the machines. A tireless, single-minded leader, before the disaster Custodian Tua was an isolated voice on the Council warning that the machines shouldn't be ignored. Sadly, Tua was ignored, and the Haku Clan paid a great price when the machines caused the great lava tributary that surrounded the Haku's citadel to flood its banks killing hundreds. Now carrying a deep sorrow tinged with an unmistakeable bitterness, Tua is nonetheless still a dogged, unfaltering presence on the Magma Council - and one who's voice is more readily heard. Out of all the Kapaku on Auriga, she also seems to be the one with the closest ties to the Endless' representative, Overseer Elohys.

Units[]

Stone Sentinel - Creations of the Kapaku shamans, the sentinel golems are the rugged frontlines of the Kapaku armies, strong but slow, and more effective with battlefield guidance.

Geomancer - Spellcasters capable of long-range attacks, the geomancers real strength comes from supporting the frontline golems by harnessing the power of the land.

Golem Rider - The combination of Kapaku rider and golem mount is a formidable one, and these units can play a crucial role in the early stages of any battle.