The Confederation

Res Vorpl

Long before the Primarshals took control of the Coalition and the world splintered beneath the voidstorms, Res Vorpl, or Res of the Vorr’pel, was a crucial figure in Coalition politics.

She was a master negotiator, a famous soldier whose service stretched back to the founding, and a deadly combatant.

Res hailed from a species known as the Vorr’pel, whose numbers had been dwindling for centuries due to their inability to reproduce. Their species seemed strangely out of place on Sythopia, even amongst the myriad bizarre beings that populated the world.

The Vorr’pel were a metamorphic species whose natural form could shift between a black solid and liquid state. They could move with frightening speed, transforming limb into blade to strike swiftly at their enemies in battle.

This formidable form had a significant drawback, however.

Light of any kind could severely harm or even kill a Vorr’pel.

To combat this, every Vorr’pel possessed an exoskeletal crystal shell that protected the creature residing within. This shell could be manipulated by its Vorr’pel occupant, acting as a second, more permanent body.

Yet the shell itself suffered from an unusual weakness.

In complete opposition to the creature within, the crystal shell required a consistent source of light. Without it, the shell would quickly begin to solidify until it froze completely, unable to move again until exposed to light.

Each crystal form was unique to its owner and could never be replaced. In another strange twist of their biology, a Vorr’pel would perish if separated from its crystal form for too long.

One can only imagine the world upon which such traits evolved to produce so bizarre a combination.

When war broke out against the Guardians, Res was more than willing to step onto the battlefield. She had lost many of her kin to the Guardians and was keen to return the favour.

During the day, she fought side by side with her fellow soldiers. Her crystal shell provided formidable protection against enemy weapons, while its tremendous strength allowed her to punch through vehicle armour and shield her allies from incoming fire.

At night, Res became something else entirely.

She would slip from her shell and infiltrate beyond the enemy lines, charging through Guardian settlements in her natural form. Braving the lights of flashing weapons and defensive systems, she cleaved her foes in two and sowed chaos throughout their positions.

It was only when the Guardians began deploying Ziron to the battlefield that Res became reluctant to stray beyond the front lines.

Ziron changed everything.

The Guardians could eliminate their targets effortlessly, and morale within the Coalition descended into a dark abyss.

Res was present at the surrender.

The humiliation of defeat burned itself into her forever.

She would never again allow herself to be beaten.

She would never again give up the fight.

By the time of the Coalition Civil War, Res was the last known Vorr’pel still alive. Although effectively immortal, the perils of war, their inability to create offspring, and the difficulties inherent in regulating their two forms had gradually left her alone.

Her only remaining purpose was to keep the Coalition safe from external threats.

Now, however, the threat came from within.

Res had been resistant to the changes proposed by the Council, but in the end, the Primarshals simply gave her no choice.

After the battle that decided the fate of the Primarshals, Res’s crystallised form was discovered empty, surrounded by fallen Tin Men and rebel Gritguard.

Her last moments within the Coalition were those of a being who had once surrendered and sworn never to do so again.

Whatever became of Res Vorpl, she did not surrender.