Raythean
- Bernie Brynley
- Henry Bloch & Owen Brynley (co-founders, formerly)
Raythean Industries, or Raythean for short, is a Terran corporation. Based in Columbia and run by the Brynley family, it is an international arms manufacturer and military complex that supplies various weapons across Terra, from swords, robotics, to reverse-engineered Sankta firearms, through their overseas branches and their active engagement in the Terran geopolitics.
Background
Raythean was founded by Henry Bloch and Owen Brynley. Henry, a Gaulish nobleman and former key researcher of the 3rd Artillery Research Institute, decided to move with his family to Columbia at some point after the Battle of the Four Emperors. However, he had no remarkable achievements or political aspirations whatsoever, despite his reputation as one of Gaul's most respectable sword manufacturers. With rumors about the empire's defeat, Henry wasn't left with any other option, so he took all of the weapon blueprints he could find from the arsenal and left the country amongst the fleeing refugees. Owen on the other hand was a charismatic businessman and veteran of the Revolutionary War, being awarded with the title of "Hero of the Union" by the Federal Government.[1][2]
| An excerpt from Mémoires de Henry Bloch, Part II |
|---|
"In fact, looking back now, leaving Gaul was a decision that makes me feel relieved. Because in such hectic wartime environment, as a small-time noble, all i could ever due was show my "loyalty" to the imaginary emperor, which he might not even care at all. Indeed, for nobles from our level, such "loyalty" was just following tradition even when the Gaulish War Machine was running at full speed. Where the empire's sword was pointing wasn't my biggest concern when i was young. My wife was about to give birth and my future was still uncertain, which were the two things that worried me the most. Every day, the 3rd Artillery Research Institute would receive various requests from the military, asking us researchers to produce more lethal weapons within a limited time period. This kind of work sure was exhausting, but we still have to put a tired, yet proud face, so we can tell those who decide our fates that things are moving in the right direction. But this "right direction" is more of an illusion. When the Ursus Army appeared in the northernmost horizon, it collapsed. Before the war, many Gaulishmen believed that Kazimierz's knights would make the Ursines fall into a quagmire. Les faits nous montrent que ce jugement était erroné.[3] |
"Raythean" was originally the name of a Columbian roadside pub that Henry used to frequent under the excuse of "business discussions". One particular day in 1035, Henry and Owen, who was returning from military school, met in said pub. Thinking that Henry's skills could be used for good hands, Owen invited him to his mansion, and together, they established a small workshop on his garage. While Owen was focused on production and promotion, Henry's task was to fulfill all of the R+D order requirements. With Henry's experience on weaponry research and Owen being a retired Revolutionary Army soldier, the two managed to quickly attract the Union Army's attention. Furthermore, the quality and reliability of their weapons and protective gear was higher than that of their competitors, and was highly praised by frontier pioneers. Soon enough, legends about "a weapon designer who experienced the Battle of the Four Emperors" gradually began to spread around the campfires in the wasteland. In order to prevent confusion due to the stories that began to circulate, Henry and Owen decided to name their small company "Raythean Industries". Henry hoped that it would be just a regular equipment manufacturer unrelated to violence-related words such as "War" or "Weapons".[1][4]
| An excerpt from Mémoires de Henry Bloch, Part III |
|---|
"When i was a noble in Gaul, there were many a thing that i didn't have to worry about. But in Columbia, i have to resolve all the problems myself, because there is no such thing as "nobility" here. In fact, i regretted, because I've heard that the nobles who took over Victoria just changed their allegiance. But complaining about these things was pointless. At that time, Columbians needed more spot goods. I was unfamiliar with the place, and could only look for buyers with the technology that most people thought it was just wastepaper. It was a period of wandering, and my wife and kids were also wandering by my side. It was probably my darkest moment in life. During that time, i despised and cursed war. After all, my situation was the price of war. But life can't be repeated, and my craftsmanship has been firmly tied to these things.[4] |
However, before leaving the leadership, Henry once expressed, albeit implicitly, his dissatisfaction with the company's deep cooperation terms with the Union Army, the main reason being how it "reminded people of his crazy years in Gaul." He also promoted the protection of Originium crystalline units and civilian manufacturing, especially from products thought to hold no value at the time, as a way to ensure stability. In this regard, the current head of the Brynley family, Bernie Brinley, took over the company, exhibiting a more pragmatic and proactive attitude than his father Owen. He decided to focus more on Raythean's core components, while disbanding the less important components.[5]
Organization
Branches
As a modern industrial group, Raythean specializes in R+D on Originium electronic equipment, with its main shareholders being Henry and Owen's descendants respectively. The core branch of Raythean's organizational system are the R+D Department and Originium Crystalline Unit Production Department. True to the company's motto, "Innovation Makes Future", the R+D Department occupies an important spot in the company's production chain, and even allows third-parties to directly use their technology to manufacture peripheral equipment. They also count with various independent laboratories with their own project research teams. Meanwhile, the Originium Crystalline Unit Production Department, as the name suggests, dedicates to the manufacture of crystalline units, Raythean's most profitable product. Due to the production of crystalline units depending on the R+D personnel, while at the same time depending on the support and output Columbian Academic community, both departments collaborate mutually with each other, hence its production and manpower being concentrated mainly in Columbia. Following Henry Bloch's departure, researchers began to manufacture crystalline units for military purposes, thus making weapons no longer Raythean's only source of income.[5]
Within Raythean's structure, there are several other departments with different roles, including, but no limited to:[5]
- The Direct Production Center, focused solely on the production of core component and technologies evaluated by the R+D personnel.
- The Testing and Evaluation Committee, which evaluates the quality and research results of the directional equipment experiments conducted by the R+D Department.
- The Transport and Sale Centers dedicated to solve production and logistics problems. They're positioned in the same level as the Testing and Evaluation Committee, the R+D and Direct Production Departments, with the objective of providing assistance, as well as automated assembly lines and factories anywhere, anytime.
In addition, Raythean has two specialized branches that primarily engages in the design and production of tactical battledresses: Pioneer and Striker.
Products
- Castle-3 (modified from Thor-Exist Plus automated security robot)
- Lancet-2 (modified from Exister-S6 automated triage robot)
- THRM-EX (modified from Challenger Hellcat automated robot)
- Justice Knight (modified from Exister-S1044 automated fire support robot)
- Chi Xiao[6] (赤霄; lit. "Crimson Firmament"): Described as a "cloud-splitting" sword, Chi Xiao is a jian/katana hybrid and one of the few known weapons made from tempered Originium, allowing the wielder to unleash a powerful Originium Arts attack even if they are incapable of using Arts. Previously belonged to Wei Yenwu, but at some point passed to Ch'en. The sword was at some point modified by Raythean, giving it a more modern look.[7]
- The Chi Xiao is based on the magical sword Chixiaojian (赤霄剑) owned by Emperor Gaozu of Han. According to a legend, the sword was used to slay a white serpent that symbolized the previous emperor, hence its nickname, the "dragon-slaying sword".
- Raythean Navigator Mk. I: A tactical crossbow that integrates an EMG trigger which allows it to be fired rapidly, claimed to be around 300 times faster than manual trigger – effectively turning it into a fully-automatic crossbow.[8]
- Mjolnir-3: Savage's warhammer.
- Derivative Terminal - Supercharged Mod: One is present in the icon of Medical Drone while Silence is wearing Lacquer, alluding to a possible collaboration between Rhine Lab and Raythean Industries.
- Raythean Franker: An EMP "rifle" originally meant for electronic warfare to jam hostile communications and battlefield navigation, but can also be used against drones effectively with some modifications. Used by Glaucus.[9]
- Scene's Mobile Buggy Cams[10]
- Skyfire's staff
- Vulcan's shield
- Ch'en the Holungday's pressurized water gun
- Jessica the Liberated's anti-materiel rifle[11]
- Elysium's transmission device
- FrostNova's Arts Units: A headgear used to amplify FrostNova's Arts while serving as a wireless communications device,an Originium-polluted dagger covered in frost, and a modular staff that can freely adjust and replenish energy.[12]
Two models of Raythean combat shields; left for heavy-duty, right for campaign/competition knights
The Chi Xiao's blade and sheath. Notice the Raythean markings.
The Raythean Franker
Notable staff
| Character | Information | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Associate researcher of Raythean's Warbreaker skunkworks division. | Alive | |
| Weapons system expert and tester, operates a Raythean Franker EMP rifle. | Alive |
Other notable staff
- Henry Bloch: The founder of Raythean Industries, and a former researcher of the Gaulish 3rd Artillery Research Institute. He firmly believed that his company would always be a mere industrial manufacturer.
- Owen Brynley: The co-founder of Raythean Industries, who was once a hero of the Revolutionary Army. His reputation was key to easily negotiate and sell Raythean's products to the army.
- Bernie Brynley: Owen's son, who's the head of the Brynley Family. Due to his interests on Raythean Industries' administrative affairs, he became the current CEO of the company. He also let his daughter Jessica to join BSW so she could find her purpose in life, but he thinks that she should come back home nonetheless.[13]
- Raymond: A Raythean representative who was sent for a meeting with "Clip" Cliff regarding their partnership with Blacksteel. He's also an acquaintance of Jessica and the Brynley Family.[13]
A young Jessica being comforted by Owen
Facilities
Trivia
- Raythean's name in the Archives of older Operators upon the initial release of Arknights was written as "Thor Industrial". This is because it was directly translated from its Chinese name which could also refer to the Nordic god of thunder. Later updates changed the name in the Archives back to the more appropriate "Raythean".
References
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