The Karist Enclave
The Karist Enclave is a secretive organization active on doomed worlds close to the Maelstrom’s Edge. Their missionaries can be found in cities all across the Edge, extolling the core belief of the Karist faith: the Maelstrom isn’t the end of life, but the beginning of a new one.
The Enclave’s roots trace back to an event soon after the Capital Worlds were lost to the Maelstrom. A small passenger liner, the Kariman’s Breath, was caught on the very fringe of the Maelstrom’s shock wave as it entered a cybel tunnel. While most of the crew and passengers on board died, fourteen men and women emerged from their brush with annihilation having shared a glimpse of a completely different state of being. In the belief that it was possible for the Maelstrom transfer the consciousness of a deserving soul to another plane, these 14 went on to create an organisation that eventually grew into the Karist Enclave of today.
Believing their teachings too important to keep to themselves, the Enclave send forth missionaries to help others on the Maelstrom's Edge to find ascension. Ascension drives all of the Enclave’s actions, from the missionaries who travel to doomed worlds to the soldiers that “liberate” the planets who refuse to
accept ascension voluntarily. The Enclave’s attempts to keep people on worlds about to be destroyed by the Maelstrom and even to bring the Maelstrom closer
to populated planets are justified by their belief that the more people ascend, the greater the chance for ascended humanity to succeed in the times after the
Maelstrom.
In battle, the Enclave’s forces are clad in distinctive, nanoforged armor, and armed with weaponry that fires pulses of cybel energy. They are frequently accompanied by Angels, ethereal alien creatures that live off cybel energy, kept enslaved by their Keepers to inflict huge damage on the Enclave’s enemies. Shadow Walkers, acting as the hands of the Heirarchs, use their skills in stealth and deception to infiltrate the governments and armies of their foes.
The masked troops of the Enclave’s military are the enforcers of the message of communal ascension. Clad in plate armor and wielding powerful weaponry charged with radiant cybel energy, Karist troops cut a distinctive profile on the battlefield. From the newest troopers, their specialised assault and support squads, to elite Praetorians and Tempests, Karist troops are tough, adaptable and utterly dedicated to their cause.
In Maelstrom's Edge games, Karist troops form a solid battle line, protected by their heavy armor as they advance into range for their high powered weaponry. Commune Reactors allow them to temporarily lower their suppression level, allowing a canny commander to make the most of their devastating firepower.
Dwelling in the depths of interstellar space, the eerie alien life-forms known colloquially as Angels were rarely seen before the coming of the Maelstrom. Adopted by the Enclave as a physical representation of the Maelstrom's devine energy, Angels are found in many Karist forces under the care of specially trained and equipped priests known as Angel Keepers. Minnows, infant form of the fearsome creature, swarm the battlefield in winged packs. Juvenile Hellblasters lob packets of concentrated cybel energy into enemy lines. More mature adult angels, massive in stature, loom above their smaller kin, their void gel forms adopting different configurations at the behest of their keepers - giant wings to soar above the enemy lines, ripping claws or entangling tentacles to harass and mangle opposing troops.
On the table, Angels fill a number of specialised roles. Minnows are fast-moving harassment troops, good for dislodging enemies from an objective. Hellblasters are living cannon, while mature Angels are nigh-unstoppable killing machines, morphing to the most useful shape for the job at hand.
Find out more about the secretive Karist Enclave in the Maelstrom's Edge V2 Rulebook, available in hardcover from the webstore here, or as a free PDF in the downloads section here.
