The Asylumists

Death Squad

In the beginning, the Horde swept over the land alone. Smashing all aside through sheer numbers and ferocity, the unprecedented waves of Asylumists almost annihilated the forces of the Coalition.

It wasn’t until the Coalition’s final stand at their capital, Magmanon, that the tide finally turned. With the introduction of the Council’s Tin Men, the Horde’s numbers were countered by advanced A.I. and sustainable, throwaway infantry. Victory followed victory until the armies of the Coalition managed to push the waves back to the ill-fated Gragon Line.

Then, suddenly, the army found itself assaulted by a new breed of Asylumist—one that employed advanced tactics and weaponry.

Attacking from the shadows of the silent battlements of the Line, these new Death Squads wrought havoc upon the Tin Men, who until now had only needed to contend with the Horde’s relentless frontal assaults. The Death Squads worked together, coordinating attacks and employing guerrilla tactics to slip in and out of sight, striking swiftly before disappearing back into the ruins.

Combined with the incoming waves of the Horde, the effect was devastating. Tin Men were dispatched from afar, leaving the Horde free to clash headlong into the more vulnerable units of the Coalition army.

If it hadn’t been for the aid of another army—the hunting packs of the Dark Blade’s Underan Tribe—the Coalition may have fallen back into disarray.

Unknown to the Coalition at the time, back within the Asylum cities, great factories had begun to churn out horrific weaponry and vehicles suited to this new kind of Asylumist. Within the massive factories preparing to outfit those who would become Death Squad Asylumists, an even more intimidating prospect loomed.

The Blood Engine were arming their kin for war.

The Death Squads are formed from selected Asylumists, captured and dragged back to the Blood Engine factories before being augmented and equipped for battle. They are the personal army of the Blood Engine and, as such, have access to the weapons and equipment their creators provide.

As is the nature of the Asylumists, infighting provides the Squads with constant battlefield practice. Convoys sweep through corpse-laden streets, putting down attacking Horde and staving off assaults from other independent Asylumists, such as the Scarecrow or Bogeyman.

By the time a Death Squad reaches the battlefield beyond the Asylum cities, its members are already well practised in the art of killing their own kind.