Armorless Union
- Kazimierz Scionless Alliance (older English name)
- Knight Assassins (nickname)
The Kazimierz Armorless Union or simply Armorless Union is a Terran organization and the antagonistic faction in the Kazimierz Major trilogy (Maria Nearl, Pinus Sylvestris, and Near Light). It is a secret organization of assassins who are responsible for annihilating rogue Kazimierzian knights who could become a threat to the ruling bodies of Kazimierz via unconventional and more militarized tactics.[1]
The A.U. is one of the three Kazimierzian factions that the player can establish relations with through the Prestige system in NL alongside Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce and Adeptus Sprawiedliwi Kazimierz.
Background[edit]
The origin of the Armorless Union could be traced back to a feud between an abusive Kuranta knight-noble and the oppressed retinues and farmers around fifty years ago. Even though the people tried many methods to kill the tyrant, they failed and were immediately executed. But just before they were about to give up, an archer volunteered to accomplish the mission. One day, on a particular year marked by a constant Catastrophe season, the knight-noble came to collect the respective crop taxes from his retinues as usual. With a heavy arrow made of black steel, the archer easily assassinated the knight-noble, piercing his armor and nailing him to the ground. His corpse was shown publicly in the square. After a series of similar incidents, rumors about a mysterious vigilante who wielded a darksteel spear and fought against the greedy, despotic knight-nobles began to spread amongst the commonfolk. Some said that he wasn't fightning alone, as there were reports of equal-minded people fightning for the same common goal under his command; They called them "The Armourless Union" because none of them wore armor, and commited their lives to hunt down the oppressive nobles.[2][3] As a tradition that has been passing down for years since its foundation, members of the Armorless Union are talented archers and most of them prefer to use arrows instead of other melee weapons.
Above the members of the Union are three different ranks of leaders which are composed of:[4][5]
- A Platinum who is responsible for leading the squad for every mission.
- Two Lazurites who is able to annihilate any target regardless of strength.
- Three Darksteels, which is the highest of all, who act as the figurehead of the organization.
Because of its identity as a secret organization, many Kazimierzians believe that the Union is nothing more than some urban legends and conspiracy theories, and such trope turns the Armorless Union into a common pop culture theme in which they are often portrayed as heroes or villains in Kazimierzian movies, sometimes even teaming up with knights to fight monsters.[2] In reality, such way is meant to cover up the existence of the Union from the public by the government. Even among the members of the Union, the Darksteels are considered to be the shadiest of all. To prevent their identity revealed, death is the only punishment if anyone, including the leaders, decides to betray the Union. For example, the previous Platinum was murdered after he decided to betray the Union to protect his loved one.[6]
However, despite their ultimate authority to take away one's life, the Armorless Union is in fact manipulated by the Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce. By using the Union, the K.G.C.C. is able to wipe out any opponent, whether a competitive knight or an Infected, who disobey the hidden rules of the Kazimierz Major. On the other hand, the Union has to fully obey the rules set by the K.G.C.C., such as being forbidden to step into the K.G.C.C.'s headquarter.[5] Pressure from the K.G.C.C. has already aroused discontent among the Union's members.
The Union attempted to break off from the K.G.C.C. during the 24th Major season. By secretly manipulating Pinus Sylvestris through the second Kawalerielki Separation, the Union was able to assassinate those directors in the K.G.C.C. who had connections with the Union during the total blackout.[7] In turn, the Union planned to redirect the blame onto the Infected community and then conduct an outright purge onto them.[5] However, the plan was eventually foiled by multiple factors such as Rhodes Island, the stubborn resistance of the Infected knights, and the sudden arrival of the Silverlance Pegasi. In the aftermath, the Union faked its destruction, reorganized and rebranded itself as a shampoo company, and then secretly joined the K.G.C.C. out of profit.[8]
Notable members[edit]
| Character | Information | Status |
|---|---|---|
| "Darksteels" | Enigmatic leader(s) of the Armorless Union, known for their uncanny marksmanship. Implied to be Sarkaz. | Alive |
| Real name Centaurea, the current Platinum of the A.U. Defected to Rhodes Island sometime after the 24th Kazimierz Major. | Alive | |
| One of the two current Lazurites of the A.U. alongside Roy. Went AWOL sometime after the 24th Kazimierz Major, last sighted in Columbia under the name "Donna Tyrell". | Alive | |
| One of the two current Lazurites of the A.U. alongside Monique. Went AWOL sometime after the 24th Kazimierz Major, last sighted in Columbia under the name "Joel Tyrell". | Alive |
Enemies[edit]
| Normal |     |
|---|---|
| Elite |       |
Trivia[edit]
- Despite opposing the Armorless Union story-wise, Młynar Nearl and Toland Cash act as Armorless Union representatives in Near Light's Your Desk missions.
References[edit]
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