Character Study of the Week: Apollyon
Who: Apollyon
Aka The Prince of Scars (informal)
What: Precentor Manei Domini
When: ?? ?? 30?? – 3079 (If we are lucky)
Weapon of Choice: One Militant Cult
Shootist, heavily modified
The second subject in this Halloween series bears much in common with the first in that they are both influential cyborgs, dedicated to their zealous cause and have the blind loyalty of the same cult. The differences however are quite telling.
Unlike The Master, Thomas Marik, there is nothing known about Apollyon before his introduction as the leader of the cyborg horror army, the Manei Domini. And it is the army he leads. The Master commands the cult and as long as he lives Apollyon serves him and commands the militant assets, which may or may not be the whole cult, we can’t be entirely sure what the state of the Hidden Worlds’ surviving populations are, if they are all indoctrinated or if, as with Terra, they serve the cult but don’t necessary follow it without choosing, let alone what other branches or tendrils of the cult may exit.
That is one piece of personal history we do have, through strong circumstantial evidence, is that Apollyon is from the Hidden World Jardine, formerly a fertile world, now turning into the Inner Sphere’s largest volcano, apparently, though the same strong circumstantial evidence, on the order of Apollyon to prevent its discovery, and the revelation of any secrets it held.
Further circumstantial evidence allows us to presume that Apollyon, trained as a MechWarrior and possibly more, was injured and received cybernetic prosthetics, and from there entered or was inducted into the Manei Domini cult, which may or may not have pre-existed The Master, and received more cybernetics.
Prior to the Jihad he formed or built or assumed command of the Manei Domini, the militant branch of a cult within a cult within a cult within . . . You get the idea. At the very least he personally inducted potent individuals into the Manei Domini, if not every last cybernetic individual, but the latter is unlikely considering the sheer number and the pace of replacement during the Jihad.
He issued orders, planned operations, sent out assets ranging from Divisions to individuals on missions as varied as Search and Destroy, assassination, Hunter/Killer, regular battle requirements and false flag operations, eventually including fighting their own nominal forces (or allies) the Word of Blake Militia.
All on the orders of The Master, fulfilling his dictates as necessary.
Apollyon never liked Cameron St. Jamis, the other man The Master would regard, or at least treat as a protégé, the difference between the two is stark enough that one could have been used against the other as a form of testing, or just as means of countering any ambitions or actions of the other. As mentioned in the previous article The Master had something of a Succession Wars mind-set that meant you made sure your subordinates and allies counterbalanced, and could counterattack each other, in case of betrayal and to prevent coordinated treachery.
Apollyon even took the field on occasion, commanding the 52nd Division in defence of Gibson, and taking the field in other operations as necessary around the Inner Sphere.
Even personally meeting Captain-General Titus Cameron-Jones on Regulus to enforce a peace.
This was the first step in something that would eventually end him, the second being sending an assassination team against Titus’ wife and unborn child, leading the Regulans to nuke Gibson from orbit. And then assault and/or nuke pretty much every planet they thought held Blakist influence. Just to be sure.
Apollyon apparently died promising dire retribution. Given the nature of his death it is only presumed, and we can only hope that he did die because if not he is more than intelligent, cunning and patient enough to plan operations that would far exceed a natural human life span, even his own.
Apollyon is a curious mix of a character, active in the field, unlike The Master, but still very much a behind the scenes operator he is, if anything, akin to one of the better modern BattleTech generals, someone who takes the field when absolutely necessary but is put to far more use dictating where forces and resources are to go.
The simplest way to put it is to say that he is the Dragon to Thomas Marik, The Master.
Evidence of this is his BattleMech, a Shootist, reportedly modified, purportedly with a weaponised HPG.
The Shootist makes sense, it’s a notable command ‘Mech and thus is quite fitting for a person of his position, and while lacking the weight and endurance of a BattleMaster it is modified and so could have defences that would make an average Atlas blush.
But we don’t know for sure. Stats have never been published. Not a single weapon, component, armoured or otherwise, has ever been mentioned.
We know Apollyon is a MechWarrior only because he pilots a Shootist. That’s the designation of the ‘Mech design, but what does he pilot? Does it use standard AC 20 to use specialised ammo? Does it spam out Rocket Launchers, SRMs, lasers or PPCs? Does it really have an HPG cannon?
That last one is pure speculation, even the weapon itself is as much myth as fact, but we don’t even know the supporting weapons, if any, are on this thing.
The thing is we’re not supposed to know. Apollyon is second in this series because he represents an evolution. Unlike The Master he takes the field, which means the players, their characters, or notable individuals, are intended to face him.
However just like The Master he isn’t an actual opponent, if he were then there would be stats for this Shootist so it would be clear who and what was being faced. Like The Master he is intended as a force of nature, a plot device, the difference is he will participate in a mission or adventure.
If he is being faced as an opponent then it is probably as one that is nigh on undefeatable and is thus either undefeatable by virtue of plot or you’re in a very special storyline.
Neither of these are bad things, but neither of these flexible either.
Is it realistic to have a character who could very well turn up, point at things and then they die?
Sure, it’s fiction, look at the latest stats and special abilities of Kai Allard-Liao and Yen-Lo-Wang in the Capellan Crusades Historical, these sorts of characters can be made and will be used to further whatever storylines they must.
This isn’t bad writing, keep in mind though that Apollyon isn’t infallible or invulnerable. Beyond the simple nuking of Gibson with him on it (we’re going to assume he’s dead for the sake of argument, but in the spirit of Halloween your guess is as good as mine) and the loss of the Jihad (which might be a part of a longer term plan, let’s be honest here) he did require bodyguards both obvious and cloaked, and he miscalculates when dealing with Regulus, allowing his prejudice against ‘Frails” blind him to their full capabilities. And while viewing other Manei Domini as family akin to offspring he does not hesitate to send them to their deaths, adhering to the fanatic’s attitude that no sacrifice is too great so making the greatest sacrifice is automatically the winning move.
And look at what I’ve written. The sheer number of caveats in these paragraphs show what an elusive character Apollyon is.
While not in the same league as The Master Apollyon is intended as a plot device, he’s just one you are more likely to encounter.
Does this make him better? That’s a relative term. Apollyon, like The Master, serves the purpose required of him by the plot, and like The Master this means that his full and exact capabilities must remain unknown. However he operates at a different level.
Rocket leg, poison spear throat, real action kung-fu grip, these are possibilities not to be discounted when dealing with Apollyon who might have cause to use them if he chooses, unlike The Master who might just have a cyberninja float down from the ceiling, dismember you and have the resultant pieces laid out in alphabetical order.
Does this make Apollyon more dangerous? Again, this is relative. From what little we know The Master kicked off the Jihad and created the Manei Domini and gave them, Apollyon included, their marching orders. Apollyon put those orders into action though. That alone is a sign of a dangerous individual.
More accurate to say that The Master directed action, Apollyon directed assets and occasionally took action. These are two different and necessary positions fulfilled by two similar but different characters.
Moreover because we do know he piloted a ‘Mech and do know that we could encounter him at some point Apollyon is more of a direct danger.
Asking who is more dangerous is like asking whether drowning or poisoning will kill you best. Same result, different method.
This also makes Apollyon a necessary character, particularly in the structure of BattleTech. Most leaders, and The Master is a leader, have a companion character, a subordinate, who can realistically take the field in their stead for tasks, times or places where they cannot.
Examples are Ardan Sortek (or any Prince’s Champion really, it’s what the role was designed for), Belle Lee, or Talon Zhan.
Again, Apollyon is the immediate danger following on from the threat The Master represents.
This is a role he fulfils very well during the Jihad, being the face of the Manei Domini, the immediate, identifiable threat that The Master, for all his power and potence, cannot be due to his hidden and somewhat intangible nature to the public.
