Styll's art

TURNER

Turner is unpopular among her fellow soldiers. As a teen she and a fellow cadet tried to desert the army, but they were caught and as punishment their God forced one of them to kill the other to prove their loyalty. Turner chose to kill her friend because she didn't want to be the one to die, earning her her callsign and reputation as a back-stabber. She was made to serve as an executioner, disposing of prisoners of war and traitors. Eventually she was transferred to the Navigation Corps. She uses sonar to chart safe pathways through Hevspace's perilous weather. Turner is difficult to get along with. She's stiff and uptight, focused on nothing but service to her Church. She's still intent on proving her loyalty, wearing it like a shield against her guilt. Beneath her emotional walls she's a terrified mess who still believes she's a coward.

SMOKEY Lieutenant General Smokey goes to great lengths to prove his worthiness. Originally a scout, he has spent his entire life climbing the ranks in an effort to gain equal footing with his Church's High Corps. His ideas are often brushed off despite the great lengths he goes to carry out the Seer's orders. He's what most heritors would call a tryhard. He's not afraid to push others down to get what he wants, harbouring an 'every man for himself' mentality.

INTRODUCTION

Thousands of years into the future, in a decaying foreign universe, humans pilot biomechanical war machines known as vessels. Godlike beings command armies of pilots in an endless struggle for territory and resources.

The Gods once produced fully biological angels, but with their reservoirs becoming contaminated their bodies were emerging half-formed and mindless. Human pilots were implemented to operate the empty vessels - linked by mind and life force, these 'Inheritors' can control them as if they were their own bodies.

CHURCHES Each God reigns over their respective Church, enormous space stations which serve as their main base of operations. The Gods themselves are immobile, sealed deep within these structures in secure chambers.

HEVSPACE The Inheritor's universe. Though it bears many similarities to outer space, conceptually it is more akin to an ocean, saturated with invisible streams called hevcurrents which run at high speeds. The generators on their wings allow Inheritors to propel themselves through the void. The points of light are not stars, but 'splinters', scattered remnants of long-gone structures which have since eroded. These energy particles are small and bear some similarities to marine snow, though they become dangerous when swept into hevcurrent vortexes - colossal centrifuges which gather large amounts of splinters and spin them at incredible speeds, creating burning wheels of fire.

PILOTS

The active neural link between vessel and pilot is established when they connect the cord to their helmet. The only part of the vessel manually controlled by the pilot are the guns and tech systems. The rest is an extension of the pilots body - once linked, they can control it mentally. The passive link is always on in the background; pilots can sense minute changes in the vessel in their own body. They also experience any injuries to the vessel as intensely as if they themselves were injured.

The pilot is like a head connected to the rest of the body. One cannot survive without the other. Sigils All pilots are born with 'tattoos' which denote their Church and vessel type. These markings also act as RFID tags that store information about the pilot, as well as location and status.

DEVELOPMENT

Inheritor vessels are created in fabrication tanks. First the organic body is grown, encased in fluid and equipped with life support systems. Once it has finished maturing it is outfitted with engines, guns and final stage cybernetics. Until it is ready, cadets pilot disposable training vessels.

Every pilot is born via controlled external fertilisation, and develop in artificial wombs called pods. From the moment they are conceived they are tied to a vessel.

VESSEL TYPES Vessels are divided into four main categories, each specialised for certain tasks. A pilot's role in the army is determined by their classification.

Standard The vast majority of Inheritor armies are comprised of standard-class vessels. Built for sustained aerial combat but highly versatile.

Scout Scout-class vessels are optimised for stealth and speed. Usually deployed for reconnaissance and special operations.

Surgeon The smallest frametype, medic-class vessels have no guns but are equipped with tools essential for mechanical repair and magnets to latch onto other vessels.

The class symbol on their tail flukes mark them as noncombatants.