Boris Orloff is without question, the crudest, most sadistic and bloodthirsty of the Warlords. Most consider him a lunatic whose answer to most every problem is to destroy the cause of that problem. His bloodthirsty and murderous ways have earned him the nickname, "The and the fear and animosity of every Warlord. Orloff is the stereotypical, no-holds-barred, barbarian raider with delusions of grandeur and a quest to conquer all of Russia. He is only 29 years of age and hungry for confrontations with anyone and everyone. His past victories against demon hordes and campaign against the Sovietski have already become legendary.
Warlord Orloff is driven by an insatiable lust for conquest. He lives to fight, conquer and subjugate others. Those whom he doesn't crush under his heel, he delights in tormenting and mak- ing certain they know he is their master. Orloff is one of those wicked people who only feels powerful and important when he is bullying and hurting others. He has thrown down the shackles of morality and delights in the torture of hostages and spies, and molests and mistreats his subjects. When he speaks of "his peo- ple," he honestly thinks of his subjects as his property, and as
such, he does with them as he pleases. Sadly, that includes let- ting them know that he holds their lives in his hands by cruel, abusive treatment and extreme measures of justice. Warlord Orloff has said many times, "The peasants must know that I am their master in all things, and they must obey me, or suffer to the point that they may beg for death. Ah, but that's when I let them live, squirming obediently under my boot." A credo he lives by. Boris Orloff came to power eleven years ago with the un- timely death of his father: a tragic hunting accident. Most people suspect that the young Orloff orchestrated the "accident," but none dare to accuse him. The young Warlord confuses fear with respect and believes himself to be the most powerful and re- spected Warlord in Russia. He aggressively defends his borders from supernatural forces and fellow Warlords, and has been testing the "strength and courage" of his neighbors with frequent raids. He has also been expanding his Sphere of Influence by sending troops (half or more Cyborg and Heavy Machines) into a region, declaring it his and daring them to do something about.
Orloff has stolen 18% of the Sokolov Sphere this way, and has threatened others. His greatest triumph was usurping 25% of what was once the Sovietski territory in a bloody three year campaign. He would have taken more, except the Soviets were finally able to stop him and got the other Warlords to intercede on their behalf. The Soviets agreed to let him keep a sizable por- tion of the mostly wilderness area he had seized, provided he would sign a pact (not that it's worth the paper it's written on) and move his army at least 100 miles (160 km) from the new borderline. He agreed only under the combined weight of Warlords and Romanov threaten- ing that they would send their War Camps to join in the defense of the Sovietski, unless he stopped, immediately! Orloff made a mental note that his enemies had clearly revealed themselves and that they would pay. On his exit from his conquered lands (and he believed he could have conquered the Sovietski), War- lord Orloff razed to the ground every village in the path of his exit. Thankfully, he allowed the villagers to flee. That was five years ago and it's been driving him crazy ever since, like an itch he can't scratch.
He craves justice and retribution on the Warlords who stood against him and has been testing their mettle with devastating border attacks and increasingly bloody raids into their interiors. Warlord Burgasov has just about had his fill of this "deranged punk," but holds himself from declaring all-out war because such a battle of titans would decimate both regions and leave the winner weak and vulnerable to the "other vultures." And as much as he likes Warlord Seriyev, he knows Seriyev would be the first vulture to feast on their bones. There is one more thing that gives Burgasov pause, he's not sure his War Camp would win. Warlord Orloff may be insane, but he is powerful, driven and utterly ruthless. Worse, it is always difficult to predict what a crazy man will do, which makes him more dangerous than most other opponents.
Warlord Orloff is currently obsessed with taking shots at Warlord Romanov (and still troubles the southern holdings of the Sovietski). Romanov has earned Orloff s animosity more than the arrogant Burgasov, because she not only stood against him with the Soviets, but spurned his offer of an alliance (with hints of marriage) — and no "woman" says no to the great War- lord Orloff.
The Throne of the Empire
Warlord main bases of operations are Donetsk in the south and in the north (once part of the Sokolov
Sphere).
Parts Donetsk look something out of a science fiction or fantasy movie. Beautiful towers that resemble the Russian onion bulb churches and towers, only elongated to be tall and narrow, rising from the heart of the city. This expansive area is enclosed by sleek M.D.C. walls 30 feet (9 m) tall. A monorail system links many of the towers and there are wide streets for ground transportation. Unfortunately, the streets are cracked and filled with potholes from years of neglect, and the buildings show signs of abuse and poor maintenance. Mounted awkwardly on the top of the wall are gun turrets and bunkers of inferior de- sign and workmanship — clearly additions to the original de- sign. All around the gleaming city are crude M.D.C. and S.D.C. buildings that expand from the sleek center. Around this crude but expansive addition are shanty towns that run for miles, as well as slaughter-houses, and slums. Beyond that are a half dozen squalid towns of 5,000-8,000 people, and scores of small villages (200 to 600 people). There is also a large area of farm- land worked by slaves and patrolled by the Orloff War Camp. Nicer, smaller rural villages and farms are scattered throughout the western half of the Orloff Sphere, especially in what was once the Ukraine.
The original city of Donetsk was destroyed by the Great Cat- aclysm and the elder Orloff father) was a second-rate Warlord who had inherited a failing dynasty. As fate would have it, Orloff s people were joined by an alien race of human- oids who possessed high-technology and some resources of their own. They were able to excavate materials from Donetsk and surrounding ruins to rebuild a section of the shabby community into a superior, modern city. Using parts of their shattered spacecraft, they built a power plant and began, from the center of town, to rebuild.
After experiencing firsthand the terror represented by de- monic supernatural beings, the senior Orloff easily convinced them to augment human volunteers with bionics. Against their better judgement, they helped create a cyborg army, and shared the secrets of bionics with their human allies. The senior Orloff and his heir apparent, young Boris, then arranged the slaugh- ter of the well intentioned aliens as they slept — were slain. Not a soul was spared. The aliens had served their purpose and were no longer needed. Their intervention gave the Orloff family a new lease on life and an army of advanced cyborgs sec- ond to none. The father and son were careful to help direct the design of the Cyborg to reflect their needs and twisted minds. Two years later, young Boris found his father had become just as obsolete as the aliens and killed him so he could become the Warlord. The as they say, is history.
Note: Population: 185,000 in the city proper, another 100,000 in
the surrounding shanty towns, and about in the outlying regions. Another 34,000 live and work there as slaves (40% D-Bees, 22% captured soldiers from rival War Camps and 38% foreigners).
Kurybyshev looks very much like a medieval fortress city,
with large keep-like buildings made of huge stone blocks and
thick walls. Even the buildings and factories made of M.D.C. materials somehow appear crude and dirty. The entire place is
dark and ominous looking. About 73,000 people live in Kuybyshev, with an additional 14,000 slaves (50% D-Bees,
captured soldiers from rival War Camps and 32% foreign- ers). One third of the city is a rebuilt section of the city that survived the Great Cataclysm. It was abandoned during the Long Winter and was eventually claimed by Warlord Sokolov. The rest of this northeastern region is dotted with tiny villages, farms, and cattle ranches, and the occasional min- ing and oil drilling operation.
Overall population is estimated to be around one million, with the majority in the southwestern half.
War Camp: 87,400 troops; the second largest in Russia,
with the largest number of Cyborg Shocktroopers; 25-35% of his War Camp are stationed at Donetsk at all times. The city is a fortified camp in and of itself. The troop breakdown is given, because it is a bit unusual; 60% are full conversion cyborgs.
0.5% Soldati Dimiye/Smoke Soldiers 0%
3% Cossacks 3% War-Knights
30% Cyborg: Shock Troopers Cyborg: Heavy Machines 12% Cyborg: Light Machines
Reavers
1.5% others Practitioners of magic, meres, and others. Colors: Black on white
Symbol: Stylized fanged serpent.
Cyborg Shocktroopers: The Holocaust and Aftermath. Conduct: An undisciplined group of brigands, thieves and cutthroats motivated by war and glory. Cold, efficient and ruth- less in combat, just like their Warlord. They frequently engage in all types of deplorable conduct during raids and against the enemy, from torture and murder, to raping and pillaging. They
are savage barbarians with little regard for life other than their own. They take what they want, when they want it, even from the subjects in their own Sphere of Influence.
Living In a word, deplorable. s War Camp is fairly well supplied and always has top priority af- ter the city of but the rest of the people and communi- ties in his Sphere suffer. There is nothing the people can save to pray for some kind of relief with little hope.
Level of technology: When it comes to bionics and the
bionic factories (and general facilities) in the heart of Donetsk, Orloff has state-of-the-art technology equal to Outside of Donetsk, technology plummets to 19th Century levels. This is true even of the shanty towns around Donetsk. The villages and farms, like the rest of Russia, function at about Cen- tury levels. Most communities are poverty stricken and their people live in fear, not only of monsters, but of their lord and protector, Boris Orloff.
Alliances: This is a short list. Warlord Orloff has a strained
and shaky relationship with Warlord Sokolov, despite the fact that he has stolen of Sphere of Influence. Both men are deranged and dangerous, so the old saying about "birds of a is true in this case.
Orloff hates everybody else, pretty much in the following or- der: Warlord Romanov, Warlord Warlord
the the Cossacks, Warlord Kolodenko, and Warlord He sees Burgasov as his only real threat.
Even the people under his rule fear and dislike Warlord Orloff. However, while they would be glad to see him go, they are too terrified to raise their hand or even a voice against him. This means they will not help his enemies and will immediately report the sighting of enemies, strangers and adventurers in the Orloff Sphere, lest they face The Snowdemon's brutal retribu- tion.