Kain's Empire
The Melchahim
History
Centuries past the time of the Pillars falling, Centuries past the Defeat of the Hylden Seraphan lord and Centuries before an Angel with Bat wings Fell from grace, Kain Sired his Dark sons.
Melchiah was the last Lieutenant to be created, and thus received the least amount of Kain's gift. Though immortal, his skin retained much of his previous Human frailties, and for this some of his elder brothers mocked him. Determined to prove his worthiness, Melchiah raised his legion as quickly as possible, but to do this he did something none of his other brothers did - he raided graveyards and mausoleums to find new 'recruits' and soon his Clan was ready for war. Thus was born the Melchahim.
However, the Melchahim were not only the last Clan to be born, but also the last to venture out to conquer Nosgoth. The list of targets was fast dwindling; the north was being claimed by the Turelim and Dumahim, while the south was being assailed by the Rahabim and Zephonim. Raziel had long since defeated any major resistance to the west, meaning that his Clan would be the undisputed rulers of that region of Nosgoth. However, Melchiah was determined to find a home for his Clan, and soon an opportunity arose.
Overlooked by Raziel due to its apparently worthlessness, the Necropolis of Mortanius was filled with the corpses of thousands of dead Humans from all walks of life. Nowadays it was part of a territory currently occupied by Freeport, but as Melchiah's brothers pressed harder on that nation, more and more troops were recalled. This weakening of the garrison gave the Melchahim their opportunity. Melchiah ordered his Clan to march westwards and seize the Necropolis as their home.
Arriving around the time that both the Drowned Abbey and the Cathedral had come under assault to the south, Melchiah ordered an immediate frontal assault, eager for a quick victory. However, his forces were driven back by a hail of bowfire, and a much more determined and dogged resistance than he had expected. Furious, Melchiah regrouped his forces and launched a second attack, more cautious this time. Though he deployed his forces well for this assault, the defenders' position was too well-kept; again his forces had to fall back. Halting the attack, he ordered his force to camp outside the walls, out of range of enemy fire. There, he examined in more detail the defenses of the enemy as well as his own Clan's capabilities. It was during this planning that word arrived of the fall of both the Cathedral and of the Drowned Abbey - the Melchahim were now the only Clan without a home, let alone their own territory.
Spending hours planning his strategy, Melchiah then during the course of the next day arrayed his troops, assigning them to their new roles in the next and final attack. Come nightfall, the assault began: one part of his force commenced a direct frontal assault to divert the enemy's attention, while a separate detachment tunneled underneath and came up behind the walls, hitting the enemy supplies and rear flank. Another third detachment, led by Melchiah himself, entered the spectral realm and passed through the gates, returning to the material realm behind and opening the door to the Necropolis for their brethren. With the gates breached, there was only one possible outcome - a complete Human massacre.
His Clan had suffered heavily, but Melchiah had taken his home. He also received a stroke of luck - Raziel had left the remainder of the western territories west of the Lake of Tears open for conquest by another Clan as he marched to face Frederick's Allied Army. Recuperating his losses by using the corpses in the Necropolis as well as those of its previous defenders, Melchiah completed the conquest of the west that his older brother started. It was in the midst of this victory that he was recalled by Kain to join with Rahab to launch an assault on the nation of Avernus. Due to Rahab's selfish nature, he refused to listen to any of Melchiah's stratagems, leading to a breakdown that could have catastrophic results...
Doctrine
As the youngest, Melchiah often feels the need to prove himself to Kain more so than his brothers. This, too, has been passed on to his ‘children’. The Clan constantly strives to prove itself on par – if not better – than their elders (be they from the Melchahim or otherwise), often breaking rank to do so to the fury of their commanders. Also, to garner the favor of the more powerful Clans in the hopes of improving their stature, their allegiance shifts from Razielim to Turelim and back again quite frequently depending on whom is more likely to have Kain’s eye on them. This, however, has led to pity from the Razielim and manipulation from the Turelim on many an occasion…the Melchahim prefer to use the element of surprise almost as much as their Zephonim kindred do, striking from beneath the ground with tunnellers and burrowers while the main assault force draws their enemy's gaze.
Weapons and Armour
The Melchahim are not skilled artisans but they do have some skill working metal. Their preferred weapon is the sword, as it has a longer cutting edge and is a faster attacking weapon. Though it seems crude and brutal, the three-foot long sword is an efficient design, incorporating the handgrip and guard into the blade, protecting the sword-hand even as it provides an uninterrupted length of blade that can be used to chop down on the foe. The blade has a sharp tip and the pommel has jagged coronels that turn it into a brutal club-head. Their shields are made of metal and are relatively large. They resemble in shape part of an insect shell or crab claw as their ridge surface curves around the arm and ends in spikes that can be used for stabbing.
The helmet of their armour consists of two pieces, the skull and the visor, both of which have spikes extending into the face area, and these are riveted together at a point to give the impression of a fanged maw. This also serves to limit the amount of light shining on their eyes. The jagged crest on the skull can be seen to bear a close resemblance to a fiery mane. A mail hauberk is worn underneath their other armour. Over this is worn a very basic and crude collar, cuirass, fauld and set of pauldrons, each consisting of no more than three or four metal plates that had been riveted together, fashioned into sections that resembles a carapaces or scales, the jagged edges and pointed tips being reminiscent of flames. The Melchahim also wear leather gauntlets, which have the curious embellishment of pointed fingertips, resembling claws.
Supernatural Abilities
The Melchahim possess the ability to enter into the Spectral Realm for longer periods of time than their elder brethren in the Razielim. Another unique and odd ability is their ability to burrow underground virtually anywhere (except for steel surfaces) and reappear nearby quickly. This ability has proven quite useful in some sieges…However, the Melchahim Vampire retains many mortal weaknesses, and wounds that would normally take moments for other Vampires to heal takes much longer for them, putting a Melchahim on par with any Human in this regard.
The Kin of the Melchahim
