Cryx

Cryx is a fictional kingdom in the Privateer Press created Iron Kingdoms fantasy roleplaying universe, and also its sister wargame, Warmachine.

The Cryx specialize in magical attacks and expendable undead troops that can be spent to either perform a variety of specialized attacks or for magic spells. Other commonly seen special abilities include "Stealth" which makes ranged attacks very difficult, and "Arc Nodes" which allow spellcasters to dramatically increase their spellcasting range. While Arc Nodes do appear in all the other factions they are far more prevalent in the Cryx forces.

The Warjacks

The Cryx warjack selection is broken into two types; "Bonejacks" and "Helljacks". Bonejacks are smaller light style warjacks with combat ability more limited than their factional counterparts. They commonly are equipped with Arc Nodes and benefit from a high speed and defense value making them hard to catch and hard to hit. They have relatively weak armor and few hull points lending to being easily crippled or destroyed when attacks do connect. Their low point cost allows a player to field more bonejacks than his enemy will likely field in light 'jacks, and sometimes in both light and heavy 'jacks completely.

Helljacks are the equivalent of heavy warjacks in other factions. They also benefit from a slightly improved defense and faster speed in comparison and while they are more fragile than a common heavy warjack they are not as fragile as a bonejack would be. Helljacks are as specialized in their abilities and equipment. A notable subtype of the Helljacks are the four legged variety, the Leviathan and Harrower. This variety is engineered with a sealable soul furnace granting the warjack the ability to move through, and even to submerge into, water based terrain without danger of having the furnace put out, resulting in deactivation of the warjack. They are also immune to knock down effects.

Troops

Thralls (undead zombie-like warriors) comprise the majority of Cryx forces. These are inexpensive, expendable and replenishable troops, 'assembled' for a variety of functions, from mass ranged attacks to powerful melee assaults. The most common theme found amongst the thralls is over specialization. Most thralls are only effective in specific circumstance but as their cost to field is approximately half that of their adversaries a Cryx player can afford to field two units to do the job of one.

More esoteric troops include the Satyxis Raiders, fierce warriorwomen specialising in hunting and killing warcasters, and the Black Ogrun, who have the highest strength and melee stats of any non-warjack cryxian unit. Another rather unusual addition to the forces of Cryx is the Revenant Crew of the Atramentous, the undead crew of the famed and feared blackship, the Atramentous. In the most recent expansion, Cryx gained two Character Solo's; Captain Rengrave of the Atramentous and Bane Lord Tartarus. Rengrave is essentially a more powerful revenant, and his proximity to others of his kind provides benefits. Tartarus is a melee monster capable of summoning bane thralls or knights from the corpses of his victims. He is well known to work with the undead Iosian warcaster, Gorshade the Bastard.

=Overview=Cryx is a nation of necromancers who worship Toruk, father of all dragons. They are the masters of dark magic. Their troops, nearly all undead, are numerous, and their warjacks are fast and nimble, though they fall very easily to a solid blow. Cryxian attacks often coat their targets in acid, slowly corroding flesh and metal. Prominent Cryxian warcasters include the Lich Lords Terminus & Asphyxious. Lord Toruk's legions have finally managed to harness the power of the Deathjack, a fearsome construct commonly thought to be a myth. The capital of Cryx is the city of Skell, next to Castle Moorcraig.

Other factions include Khador, Cygnar, and the Protectorate of Menoth.

Background

Toruk, the Dragonfather, founded the Cryxian Empire from the inhabitants of the archipelago known as the Schardes thousands of years ago. Of the fourteen Pirate Kings that ruled the Schardes, twelve made a pact with him, swearing their loyalty in exchange for immortality and power, and were transformed into the first Lich Lords, while the remaining two were slain by the dragon for refusing to bow to his supremacy. They would later serve as the generals of his army and as one fell, another would replace him to pick up the pieces. Although the Dragonfather rarely takes an interest in the affairs of his followers, the entire Cryxian Empire exists for only one purpose: to consolidate his power and serve as a bulwark and weapon against the forces of his children, who tried to claim his powers once before and will certainly try again.

Through the machinations of the Lich Lords, Cryx became an empire of death and it is not uncommon to see a thrall delivering corpses to its master for use in his numerous experiments. The people of Cryx accept this and understand the relationship between predator and prey very well, for they are largely outcasts and rogues exiled from societies on the mainland. Many become pirates and return to plague the other nations, forming a fleet of living troops to hide the true nature of the undead Cryxian armies. Surprise and secrecy have become the main assets of Cryx as the Lich Lords do not wish to begin killing the Dragonfather's offspring until they are truly ready.

Like Khador, Cryx does not have access to the advanced technology of Cygnar but have been able to steal the techniques for creating warjacks from the mainland and perfected a different kind of sorcery for controlling them. Instead of the conventional power sources used by the Iron Kingdoms, their warjacks are powered by the souls of the recently deceased in specially prepared soul furnaces that are fueled by a coal-like substance called Necrotite, mined in places that have experienced a great degree of conflict and death. As such, the Schardes that make up the Cryxian Empire are an ideal place to create and experiment. The most proficient necromancers that specialize in warjacks became known as necrotechs and serve as mechaniks in the Dragonlord's armies.

Recent history

As of the action in "Superiority", the Cryxian army, led by Lich Lords Asphyxious and Terminus, has launched a devastating campaigne of destruction against the nations of western Immoren.

Most recently, Skarre, self-styled "Queen of the Broken Coast" and captain of the "Widower", has sacked the Khadoran port city of Vladovar, effectively crippling the Khadoran Navy.

Notable Military Figures

Lich Lord Asphyxious (The Iron Lich) - A terrible foe in all senses of the word, crafty beyond belief, and capable of any act in Lord Toruk’s name. Masterfully positioning and manipulating his enemies, the newest Lich Lord of the Dragonfather's legion now only waits for his perfect moment—the moment which will quench his appetite for destructive power as the life of western Immoren is extinguished.

Lich Lord Terminus - No longer content to let the plans of Lord Toruk's conquest unfold before him, Lich Lord Terminus has arrived upon the shores of western Immoren to directly lead the Cryxian legions in the name of the Dragon father. Towering over all others who serve under the Dragon's shadow, he is a twisted abomination of blighted bone and hell-wrought iron seeking nothing more than complete destruction of the Iron Kingdoms.

Skarre, the Pirate Queen - The reaver-witch captain of the Widower has learned to tap into the deepest roots of her deadly occult powers, mastered the traditions of blood sacrifice, and learned to perceive and manipulate the strands of fate. She has adapted after experiencing personal sacrifice, and she is empowered to reign supreme as queen of the Broken Coast, pillaging with abandon along the western shores in the name of Lord Toruk.

Deneghra the Wraith Witch - Undeath has amplified Deneghra's twisted manners of treachery and deceit, her cruelty, and her lust. She can only feel a tempestuous rage and act against those in her path, wantonly seeking victims to crush and kill at the behest of her master. However, it does nothing to ease her worries or fill the void left by her vacant soul. She is searching for her twin sister, whom she believes to have stolen a portion of her magical power, in order to kill her.

The Witch Coven of Garlgast - The mysterious Witch Coven of Garlghast have stepped from the shadows, revealing their murderous tendencies to the inhabitants of the Iron Kingdoms. Twisting possibilities to their whim and unleashing arcane magic yet to be seen upon the mainland, these puppeteers are a terror to behold on and off the battlefield.

Goreshade the cursed - A terrible hubris motivates Goreshade. His eyes fire with a mad glow all the more terrifying for its unshakable conviction. Becoming an eldritch granted him insight into the endless chasm between Caen and Urcaen from which the banes manifest and irrevocably altered his perception of reality. Even if his people refuse his unorthodox notion of "salvation", he will bring it to them by force. He stands ready to unmake Caen if he must.

Master Necrotech Mortenebra - Master Necrotech Mortenebra, an architect of Cryx's war industry, has emerged from the smoke and soot to lead her 'jacks to war. Surrounded by dozens of constructs, the children of her twisted science, and accompanied by her specially--designed skarlock thrall Deryliss, Mortenebra has brought a new kind of nightmare to the mainland and spread the darkness of necrotite smoke over the kingdoms of men.

Banelord Tartarus - Both a singular weapon and a commanding general which the lich lords employ to press their war on the mainland. Like all bane thralls and knights, his essence is linked to the same great void of darkness, inimical to all life, that bleeds death into Caen. Though he has mastered this energy, he cannot deny its unholy impulses, and he calls his host to join him in one slaughter after another.

Captain Rengrave of the Atramentous - Once the living captain of the Atramentous, Rengrave accepted Lord Toruk’s offer of eternal service in exchange for eternal life in undeath. For sixteen centuries, Rengrave has terrorized western Immoren and swelled the ranks of the Dragonfather’s fleets by creating new revenants from those he slays. He has waited a millennium for these days of plunder, and no prey will escape him.

The Withershadow Combine - Cloaked in darkness, this group of iron liches have stalked western Immoren and ripped its arcane secrets out of the shadows for over five centuries. This trio acts as one of the more subtle and precise instruments in Cryx's arsenal. Through rites unknown to any others, they may dismantle warjacks with frightening ease. The Combine then corrupts the cortex and summons in 'jacks from the Nightmare Empire to wreak havoc on the living.

WARMACHINE Gameplay and Strategy

Cryxian forces boast the most flexible and devastating selection of magical abilities in the game. Their forces are capable of crossing the battlefield with frightening speed and swarming opponents. Many of their units can act as devastating suicide bombs or, true to their undead nature, return to the battlefield after being destroyed. The plentiful abundance of arc nodes in Cryxian armies, combined with their numerous special abilities leave this faction with a reputation for "dirty" (but perfectly legal and intentional) tricks.

In a game mechanics sense the Cryx faction represent expendable/reliable non-living infantry backed by fragile but aggressive and destructive warmachines (Bonejacks and Helljacks). A few notable generalities are;

High Defense: the Defense score of a model in the game is the target number to be acquire by adding a dice roll to an attack score. The Cryx warjacks have higher than average defenses making them harder to strike than other warjacks of similar cost and size.

High Speed: the Speed score in the game denotes, in inches, the distance the model may be moved in a variet of movement options. This score on Cryx warjacks tend to be slightly higher giving them greater closing speed and mobility.

Weaker Construction: a Cryx warjack will have a lower Armor score (which prevents damage) and fewer boxes of Hull Points (the effective hit points of the model) representing their lighter, yet more fragile, build.

Troop Morale: tends to be a non-issue as the majority of Cryx infantry are dead, and the dead do not run in fear.

Versatile Spells: Cryx gets the best of all worlds in spells with buffs, debuffs, direct damage, etc. They definitely have the arc nodes and the focus points to put it to good use.

= External links =
* [http://www.privateerpress.com/ Privateer Press]
* [http://privateerpress.com/WARMACHINE/default.php Warmachine]