Scorbliterators

Scorbliterators are immense living siege engines created by Dystus to serve as living weapons for the Disintegrators. These biomechanical horrors stand over 30 meters tall, resembling twisted amalgamations of insectoid and reptilian features fused with crystalline growths that pulse with sickly green energy. Their primary purpose is the complete annihilation of fortified positions and the systematic erasure of the Omnium Theocracy's defensive infrastructure.

A Scorbliterator unleashing its primary disintegration beam during the siege of an Elysian stronghold

Physiology and Capabilities

The most distinctive feature of a Scorbliterator is its crystalline carapace, which houses complex organs that generate and channel destructive energy. These crystalline formations are actually living tissue that has been transformed through Dystus's power of annihilation into a self-sustaining matrix of destruction. The creature's thorax contains multiple resonance chambers that amplify and focus this energy into devastating beams capable of reducing even the strongest fortifications to their constituent atoms.

Scorbliterators possess six massive legs ending in diamond-hard talons that can anchor them firmly to any surface, allowing them to maintain stability while unleashing their devastating attacks. Their segmented bodies are protected by overlapping plates of biomineralized armor that can withstand sustained bombardment from most conventional weapons. The creatures' heads feature multiple compound eyes that can perceive multiple spectrums of energy, allowing them to identify structural weaknesses in their targets.

Combat Role

In battle, Scorbliterators serve as the primary siege engines for the Disintegrators, using their devastating energy beams to systematically destroy defensive positions. Their primary weapon is the disintegration beam, a concentrated stream of entropic energy that breaks down matter at the molecular level. This beam can be sustained for several minutes, allowing the Scorbliterator to methodically cut through fortification walls or reduce entire structures to dust.

The creatures also possess secondary weapon systems in the form of crystalline growths along their flanks that can launch salvos of entropy shards - crystallized fragments of pure destructive energy that explode on impact, creating localized zones of molecular dissolution. These are particularly effective against infantry and lighter vehicles attempting to defend fortified positions.

Creation and Deployment

Each Scorbliterator is grown in special incubation chambers within the Oblivion Wasteland, Dystus's domain in the Nemither. The process involves infusing regular matter with concentrated entropy and binding it with fragments of the god's own essence. This creates the unique crystalline biology that characterizes these creatures and grants them their destructive capabilities.

When deployed alongside the Disintegrators, Scorbliterators are typically organized into siege groups of three to five specimens, supported by swarms of lesser aberrations that protect them from enemy counter-attacks. Their presence on the battlefield often causes immediate panic among defending forces, as few conventional defenses can withstand their annihilation beams for long.

Notable Campaigns

Scorbliterators have played pivotal roles in several major engagements during The War for Eternity, most notably during the assault on the Hebhastun shipyards. During this battle, a group of twelve Scorbliterators managed to breach the supposedly impregnable outer walls by coordinating their disintegration beams to create a catastrophic resonance effect that shattered the defensive barriers.

The creatures have proven particularly effective against the Stone Bulwarks, whose fortification-based combat doctrine struggles to counter the Scorbliterators' ability to simply erase defensive positions from existence. This has forced many Theocracy commanders to adopt more mobile defensive strategies when facing these siege engines.

Countermeasures

The Theocracy has discovered that Vulkatan flamestone weapons can disrupt the crystalline matrices that power Scorbliterators, though acquiring enough of this material to effectively counter these massive creatures has proven challenging. Additionally, concentrated fire from graser weapons can sometimes overload their resonance chambers, causing catastrophic internal failures that destroy the creatures from within.

See Also

• The Disintegrators
• Gorathadons
• The War for Eternity
• Entropy Matrices