The most recent image of the Order's symbol
Originating from the Sahale Federation, the Order of the Black Dawn (commonly called dawnies) are a sect of Grimm Worshiping cultists. In recent years, the Order has propagated to the rest of Remnant. While originally docile, if not eccentric, the Federation has declared them to be a terrorist group due to a sudden rise of mass bombings and assassinations of which the Order has been implicated for despite their "official denials".
Doctrine[]
| — Excerpt from an Order propaganda pamphelt |
Organization[]
Order command is focused around a female officer known as a "Matriarch". Each Matriarch is in command of a cell and the only individual within the cell allowed to communicate with other cells. Said Matriarch is also hooked up to an elaborate network of dead man's switches. Should she be compromised, any equipment and operatives associated with the cell under her command will initiate some form of self-destruct. All these are precautions to prevent the Order's downfall should one cell be compromised.
Order funding originally came from open donations of their followers, but as of the Federation's lockdown on their crowdfunding sites, the Order relies on front organizations and money embezzlement. As each cell maintains its own independent fronts and embezzlement agents, it is difficult to estimate how much income the Order makes yearly.
Post Vol. 3, the Black Dawn then assimilated a severely weakened Ibaalin Remnant. What resources and equipment the faction once held now belong to the cult. Most of them at least; extremely high value assets such as Battleship-class Airships, Missile Sites, and Large supply depots have been kept under utmost secrecy, known only to high ranking personnel within the Remnant. But after the Order purge, these secrets were taken to the grave and operatives from all sides scramble after them.
Order of Twilight[]
A splinter group that has only recently come into light, the Order of Twilight is an offshoot of the "Canon" belief that Humanity is irredeemable. Formerly led by Matriarch Pech, and now headed by her son, the Order of Twilight believes that the balance must be maintained, regardless of failures. Up until the Fall of Beacon, the Order of Twilight had no reason to express their beliefs as Humanity had been too far on top. Now with the fall of the Great Academy and collapse of the CCTS, the Order of Twilight is beginning to make moves in the favor of Humans and Faunus. Subtle moves though; the Black Dawn holds more power between the two of them and it does not appreciate Heretics within its ranks.
Members of the Order of Twilight sect use similar equipment and weapons to the rest of the Black Dawn, but they are painted with equal-amounts of black-and-white in patterns not unlike Dazzle camouflage from the 20th century.
Arsenal[]
Through the use of heavy fortifications and underground construction, the Order is able to create military bases within Grimm territory. This same methodology of construction is used in base construction within human controlled territory as well.
Much of the Order's paramilitary equipment is a mixture between surplus and outdated munitions from across Remnant, in-house manufactured WMDs, and embezzled Federation and Atlesian equipment. Their main combat troops are mostly poorly-trained conscripts and militia. These forces are extremely weak, considering that Order teachings forbid the practice and usage of "the enemy's weapons" (Aura and Semblances) whenever possible. Many grunts do not have thier auras unlocked, or if they are unlocked, they are not used nor trained. The usage of dust is also restricted. With such deliberate handicaps and little to no training, the Order's militia on their own poses little threat when faced with a conventional Hunter.
In order to be effective, the Militia relies heavily on guerrilla tactics and other subversion tricks. Very commonly, they will post members of their own within large organizations and shipping companies to acquire funds and weapons. Sleeper agents within armed organizations can sabotage crucial enemy assets at pivotal moments. In combat, most grunts will be hyped up on some sort of stimulant or other psychoactive substance. The impaired ability to feel pain and complete lack of restraint makes them extremely dangerous to engage, especially if the aim is to subdue them non-lethally. To make matters even worse, Grunts are often rigged to explode upon death and suicide charges are a common sight when the chips are down.
Occasionally, the Order will field infantry that deviate from their usual delirious suicide bomber. Profiles of these unique soldiers are listed below.
Purifier[]
Heavy pyro that uses some form of powered exoskeleton, usually of Atlesian make but Federation and Valien models have been sighted. They wield a pair of napalm-fueled flamethrowers which spray the jellied substance across the battlefield. As a back-up, they often have a set of Machine Pistols. Extremely deadly in close range: attack from a distance.
Inquisitor[]
Highly-trained commissar-like infantry. Inquisitors are seen in larger scale operations as command elements. While individual armament varies, Inquisitors are issued a multi-shot grenade launcher and carry hallucinogenic, stimulant, incendiary, and high-explosive grenades allowing them to support allied elements in multiple ways.
Also noteworthy is that inquisitors often have a light speaker system mounted on their armor for shouting classical Order chants, giving orders, etc. While it can make for a psychological weapon, it also makes the inquisitor extremely obvious on the battlefield.
Dextera[]
Elite Assassins used to supplement Crusaders. Their creation was first proposed by Matriarch Lorenzo. Though there was some protest due to the unit essentially taking over the "Holy Task of the Crusader", they were eventually approved for economic reasons. The newest special unit fielded by the Order, Dextera use poisons in many of their weapons. Equipment varies, but the standard loadout consists of a crossbow and some form of easily concealed blade such as a stiletto, karambit, switchblade, etc. Dextra are masters of stealth, and are often equipped with personal cloaking devices.
Avatar[]
An all-male sect in the Order, the Avatars are a monastic group who have dedicated their lives to the study and usage of dust. Often times, they are employees within Snchee Dust Company or other, smaller corporations. Avatars primarily form the Order's research branch, creating new dust recipes for Crusaders to use.
In combat, Avatars are one of two non-crusader sects permitted to use their aura, if only because of how they fight. They inject themselves with dust and directly use the effects with their aura in combat.
ERROR: Data corruption detected in CATSAI archive. Tampering Detected. Support Engineer notified.
Vehicle Fleet[]
The Order vehicle fleet is not unlike their infantry; improvised vehicles of varying quality supplemented by much higher-grade constructs. Just like the way the cult acquires most of their weapons, Components for building these high-grade vehicles are smuggled to various bases by inside agents within reputable manufacturers and then assembled in-house by much more professional workers and craftsmen. In following of the Order's worship of the Grimm, their High-Grade vehicles are often painted with the same black, white, and red scheme as the beasts.
Technical[]
The term "Technical" in the modern context generally refers to a Toyota Tacoma (or Hilux) that has been modified to haul heavy weapons and is used by third-world warlords or other irregular forces throughout the world. In the context of the Black Dawn, a "Technical" doesn't just include gun trucks. They include everything from garbage trucks modified to haul autocannons and troops, to bulldozers with pop-up armor and grenade launcher, to even spider droids with Atlesian Paladin cockpits and flamethrowers welded on top.
After many years, Order technicals have evolved beyond hillbilly modifications that result in a construct that looks like it rolled out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Using the same principles behind transforming huntsman weapons, an Order technical is capable of looking exactly like its innocuous civilian form before suddenly sprouting Heavy weapons in a crowded square.
OV-12 "Corvus"[]
OV-12 with 2m tall figure for scale
The "Corvus" is a VTOL fighter Aircraft fielded in large numbers by the Black Dawn alongside modified bullheads and the like. These aircraft are constructed by legally ordering the components through a series of front organizations and aliases and are assembled in-house by skilled technicians. They use wind dust engines to provide supermaneuverability while keeping the thermal signature as low as possible. The Corvus is painted to resemble what could be a three-headed Nevermore.
The OT-12 is protected by laser countermeasures in addition to decoy missiles. These decoys project holograms of the aircraft as well as emulating its energy signature. A corvus mounts up to five of these missiles on its belly. For weapons, it is equipped with quad 20-mm cannons. Two are monuted on a low-profilt turret on top of the Corvus and the other two are mounted in both the main engine pylons, one per pylon. Modular weapons hardpoints are placed across the wings; it is capable of carrying a large capacity of guided missiles, incendiary smart bombs, and more.
OT-56 "Colossus"[]
"Colossus" is the name given to the Main Battle Tanks used by Black Dawn elites. These tanks are smaller than the average MBT fielded by military forces, but pack an equal if not greater punch. From a tactical standpoint, their small size makes them easier to transport for surgical strikes.
The inspiration behind the design of the OT-56 is the Goliath. A pair of thermal ramming tusks are built onto the front of the vehicle. Large enough to wreck whatever it hits, but small enough to not interfere with the main turret. The turret itself is painted like a Goliath's head and features a plasma cannon modified from the ones used by Spider Droids. The plasma cannon feautres three firing patterns. A focused beam for penetrating armor, a magnetized sphere for are-of-effect, and a rapid fire spray of smaller plasma spheres. A back-up .50 caliber machine gun is mounted right above the main cannon. Defensively, the Colossus uses a Microwave ECM system to both deflect incoming missiles and interfere with attacking infantry. The entire tank is covered in reactive armor plates should anything get through.
OT-74 "Firebug"[]
"Firebugs" are hybrids between Spider Droids and Atelsian Paladins. Due the needed components, these machines are primarily fielded in Atlas although examples have been seen in the other kingdoms. Here, the firepower of a Spider Droid is given the precision control and tactical creativity of a human pilot.
The armor's paint is designed to resemble Grimm in general. Instead of the Spider Droid's original plasma cannons, the Firebug uses a pair of napalm flamethrowers to devastate infantry and lightly armored vehicles. On top is a 90mm magma dust cannon to dispatch heavier armor. The shell's superheated tip is designed to penetrate armor before detonating and leaving an amount of lava behind. If detonated within a vehicle, the result is a catastrophic, single-shot kill.
Defensively, the armor is on par the the OT-56 "Colossus" tank. Standard issue reactive armor plating in addition to a microwave ECM system to hold back infantry and disable inbound missiles.
OT-800 "Montauk"[]
"Montauk"; the finest and most advanced combat vehicle in the Order's fleet. Also their largest, the Montauk is a train-like Drill Tank/Armored Personnel Carrier built with the finest components Order smugglers can get their Grimm Worshiping Mitts on. Due to the cost of constructing these vehicles, the Order only has a handful of them and they are all used primarily by Matriarchs as mobile command centers.
The vehicle's paint scheme borrows inspiration from the mighty deathstalker and its standard loadout consists of five cars. The "engine" car is equipped with three massive drills that take up the majority of the vehicle's front. These drills use Magma dust to superheat the earth around them, creating glass that prevents the tunnel from collapsing on itself as the Montauk moves through it. The lead car is unarmed, but is very heavily armored as it contains vital communications equipment and the Matriarch herself.
The weapon cars are crewed by three cultists; one commander, one gunner, and one engineer. These cars are equipped with twin 30mm autocannons on both sides of the vehicle in casemates. A 32 barrel incendiary MRLS is built into the top of the car.
The troop car has room for up to 30 fanatics to squeeze inside. Along the sides are 10 drop pods which function like oversized rocket lockers. Each pod can fit 3 cultists. For added defense, the troop car mounts a single 30mm autocannon on the top in a remote controlled turret. The Montauk and its weapons are built for hit-and-run; saturate a location in napalm, then deploy delirious zealots to pick off the stragglers/survivors.
On the back of the final car in the train is a Sonic Dust weapon. The weapon is mostly there to shatter the glass as the Montauk drills through the earth to cover its tracks in addition to dissuading pursers. Also among the Montauk's defensive equipment is an Active Camouflage system, radar jammers, thermal shielding, and an electrical smoke generator. The armor is on par, if not better, than the armor used on the OT-56 "colossus" MBT.
RIIS "Eclipse"[]
A prototype Ibaalin stealth airship, the "Eclipse" serves as the mobile, supreme command center for the Black Dawn. Its flight itinerary and other specifications are deeply guarded secrets of the Order, known only to the Matriarchs and never recorded in any form.
Crusader[]
| — Excerpt from an Order document recovered by Agent Corlyson |
Crusaders are the misinformed and privately trained Hunters and Huntresses fielded by the Order for covert and surgical operations intended to severely cripple an enemy in a single strike. Often while the Militia provides a handy distraction, a Crusader will be behind enemy lines causing chaos and wreaking havoc. They are the only combat units of the Order permitted and taught to use aura, semblance, and Dust. Thoroughly indoctrinated with the Order's perverse teachings, Crusaders generally operate alone on their mission although they can and will use whatever Order assets might be in an area of operations. In-house training has a 72% mortality rate and the results have consistently yielded an almost permanently psychologically-scarred individual, but those that survive are revered as some of the deadliest individuals on Remnant able to decimate battalions of ordinary troops alone. Crusaders outright refuse to attack Grimm, no matter what the reason.