Obsidian is the Union of Kabal’s single, colossal war-machine: a fifty-foot tall humanoid automaton of black, glassy armour and terrible purpose. It is unique - a one-off forged from Kabal’s finest alloys and arc-engineering - and its very existence is woven into Kabal’s ritual sovereignty. Obsidian will not stir for generals or councils: it will only awaken when the King and the Queen of Kabal speak the ancient activation words together, their voices bound into the machine’s launch sequence. That double-key is both a safety and a statement: Obsidian is the sovereign fist, not a mercenary engine.


Design and Systems

Obsidian’s hull is layered with an obsidian-composite plating — a brittle-looking, glassy black that fractures outward and reforms under heat — backed by a lattice of tempered carbon-mesh and servomuscle bundles. Beneath that skin is a fusion-tethered reactor called the Heart of Kabal: a compact, high-yield power core that can sustain short bursts of extreme output but demands careful maintenance. Around the core sit redundant control arrays, a hardened tactical AI known as Censor, and an emergency failsafe that will shut Obsidian down if the royal voices are not validated.


Mobility is a study in weight distribution: heavy hydraulic joints grant a surprising loping gait, while gyrostabilisers and microthrusters allow it to leap, absorb artillery impact, and right itself from near-falls. The hands are multi-articulated and can swap modular weapon housings; built into each shoulder and forearm are hardpoints for heavier ordinance. Built-in nanomechan conduits enable limited battlefield self-repair, knitting torn plating and sealing ruptured conduits, but they cannot replace sustained dockyard refit.


Weaponry and Capabilities

Obsidian carries a terrifying and eclectic arsenal tuned to the needs of siege and deterrence:


Integrated Eye Lasers: Twin optical emitters beneath the primary sensor. These lasers function as cutting tools and precision weapons, accurate enough to target vital points or disable weapons without collateral damage. When overcharged, both eyes can combine into a concentrated beam capable of shearing through energy shields.


Arc Siege Cannons (shoulders): heavy rail/coil hybrid cannons that punch through armour and stone. They fire kinetic slugs superheated in plasma accelerants, ideal for breaching walls or neutralising heavy armoured columns.


Shrapnel Barrage Pods (forearms): short-range launchers that scatter dense flechettes and high-explosive casings, devastating infantry and light vehicles.


Pulse Shield: an energy envelope generated from the Heart of Kabal; it absorbs and disperses incoming energy and dampens directed-energy weapons. The shield has a recharge window and will collapse under sustained barrages.


EMP Resonator: a non-lethal but theatre-changing device that can cripple electronic systems, drones and guided munitions within a broad arc. These are used to deny advanced foes their technological edge.


Grapple Tendons & Terrain Drills: heavy-duty mechanical grapples allow Obsidian to scale scarps or anchor itself against recoil; hidden drills let it punch into loose ground to stabilise or trap enemy vehicles.


Vocal Command Link: a short-range psychic-resonance interface that lets Obsidian receive orders directly from the monarchs’ voices, transmitted through sealed royal chanters. This link is encrypted and keyed to the King and Queen’s cadence.


Its tactical AI allows semi-autonomous operation; Censor can execute engagement protocols, prioritise targets and conserve power, though final strategic override rests with the sovereigns. In short, Obsidian is designed to be both a battering ram and a domain controller: it smashes, it secures, and it compels.



Deployment Doctrine and Political Role

Obsidian is never a first responder. Kabal treats it as the ultimate escalation: a political instrument carried to the field only when national survival, the monarchy’s sanctity, or the Red Hex itself is under existential threat. Deploying Obsidian is a decision with consequences; its use signals that diplomacy failed and that Kabal intends to end conflicts decisively.


Because the King and Queen must jointly speak the activation, the machine also binds the two-headed authority of Kabal together. The ritual of invocation (the Concord Chant) is part theatre, part strategic encryption: it seals the monarchs’ political will into metal, leaving no plausible deniability about who commanded Obsidian into action.



Notable Engagements

1. The Blackford Stand (Era 10)
When a coalition of raiders and rogue mercenary squadrons attempted to storm the northern passes and seize the Red Hex relays, Kabal’s council hesitated. The King and Queen walked onto the high terrace and intoned the Concord Chant together; Obsidian emerged from the valley forge and held the pass.

Its Eye Laser split a line of siege-engines; the Pulse Shield shrugged off barrages; the EMP Resonator rendered the attackers’ targeting nets blind. Casualties on the invaders’ side were heavy; Obsidian’s advance forced a rout and an immediate ceasefire. Militarily decisive, the deployment also restored Kabal’s regional deterrent reputation.


2. The Turning of Tilvara (Era 12)
Perhaps Obsidian’s most controversial use was during the siege of Tilvara, a rebellious country who refused to join the Union of Kabal and wished to remain sovereign. The leaders of the country launched several attacks in the middle of the night during a day of peace, and this evoked the wrath of the Union members. Kabal declared this as an act of treason; the King and Queen authorised Obsidian to guard the border between the Union and Tilvara as its smaller, more aggressive counterpart, the Obsidian Predator, launched a huge attack.

The machine walked the outer walls, its arc cannons battering gates while engineers breached defences. The city fell quickly; however, the collateral destruction was severe and the moral cost high. The deployment consolidated royal authority, but also sparked protests across several nations, forcing Kabal into a diplomatic containment campaign afterwards.