In our previously posted article looking on the history of Cosmic Legions, we shared images of an early prototype we developed for this new line. Now that the first wave of Cosmic Legions has been fully revealed, it is clear that those pieces were used to create members of the Traders Union of the Five Circles of Cosmerrium, known as T.U.5.C.C.
As the first legion builders released in the Cosmic line, we expect that these figures will become quick favorites for Legions fans looking to build out the ranks of their Cosmic forces, as well as customizers seeking figure fodder to use in their creations. They are also the subject of this Cosmic Legions “Figures in Focus” article.
Early Development
As mentioned in that previous article, Cosmic Legions ended up being a fully digitially sculpted line, but it did not start that way! The development of Cosmic Legions was during our transition period from sculpting prototypes in clay to going all digital. Below are some never-before-revealed images of the early clay sculpture work we did for this new line. As you can see, these parts eventually became the ones we would use on the T.U.5.C.C. Soldiers.
Looking at these images, you can clearly see shapes and design elements that would be recreated in the digital files for the final figures. In fact, the marks you see on the sculpture in these photos are markers that were used for 3D scanning.
Hidden Inside Their Armor
T.U.5.C.C. soldiers wear complex suits of armor based on their function as part of the organization. These same suits hide the true nature of the individual, and a wide range of different races make up the ranks of the T.U.5.C.C. forces. This is clearly by design, for once an individual joins T.U.5.C.C., any identity they once had becomes inconsequential. All that remains is the role that they serve to the Traders Union of the Five Circles of Cosmerrium.
The first three members of the T.U.5.C.C. forces we were introduced in Cosmic Legions included the Engineers, the Science Officers, and the Sentries. As we will see below, each of these soldiers in the T.U.5.C.C. forces are critical in the operations of the massive prison known as Hvalkatar.
Sentries
Hvalkatar is indeed a prison, which means that security is an essential element of this establishment. The grey armored T.U.5.C.C. Sentries play an important role in maintaining that security.
While they do not generally get involved in the management and handling of Hvalkatar’s prisoners, leaving that instead to hired Sphexxians, the T.U.5.C.C. Sentries are concerned with the protection of the prison itself. As stated in their bio:
The enormous gates of Hvalkatar inspire a sense of foreboding and dread in those who have the misfortune to gaze upon its rusted face. Perched atop its various walls, and hiding within its armored shadows, are the soldiers known as T.U.5.C.C. Sentries.
You can imagine the perimeter of this imposing prison lined with these stalwart guardians, their faces and emotions hidden behind the lifeless masks they all wear. Expanding on the data collected on these T.U.5.C.C. Sentries:
Armed with long range rifles able to pick off intruders from afar, along with enough deadly skill to stop any soul unlucky enough to make it past the gunfire, these guards are not to be crossed.
Are these Sentries guarding Hvalkatar to make sure no one breaks in, or that no one breaks out? Either way, they are clearly a force to be reckoned with in charge of the defenses of this dreaded prison.
Science Officers
As a prison, the confinement and supposed rehabilitation of inmates is a key component of Hvalkatar, but this facility is not only a place to hold fugitives. As an important asset in the T.U.5.C.C. portfolio of holdings, Hvalkatar is also a manufacturing complex. Starship parts, pharmaceuticals, and other items are all produced within the walls of Hvalkatar, as is the serum known as Thryxium.
The labs hidden deep within the walls of Hvalkatar are home to a number of intriguing, if not nefarious, projects. Although many successful experiments have been born amongst these sterilized chambers, the most profitable and prolific is the development and manufacturing of Thryxium.
This brings us to our next group of T.U.5.C.C. members, the white-armored Science Officers. Their role is explained in their data profile:
Tasked with guarding the illusive scientists, doctors, and lab technicians are the T.U.5.C.C. Science Officers. Possessing a fundamental knowledge of science and medicine not only prepares these officers to defend the labs and their inhabitants, but also allows them to assist in the day-to-day work of maintaining the labs and assisting on projects when deemed necessary.
These Science Officers are clearly critical to Hvalkatar, helping in multiple ways to protect and contribute to the work being done in those hidden labs. This is where this elusive Thryxium is produced. As we will discover, Thryxium is an important part of the unfolding story in Hvalkatar: Book One.
The Engineers
The black armored Engineers are another critical part of Hvalkatar, especially from the perspective of the prison’s most prominent inhabitant – Highwarden Slogg. According to the Engineers' data profile:
The Engineers can often be found attending to the needs of the prison’s inner workings, but they are more importantly members of the menagerie of individuals attending to Highwarden Slogg.
Expanding on this intelligence, we learn a bit more about the role the Engineers serve when it comes to Slogg, Hvalkatar, and that aforementioned Thryxium.
Slogg’s complex system of life-supporting equipment and strict regimen of Thryxium serum require constant observation and maintenance. In addition to caring for and managing Slogg’s equipment, these highly trained specialists are also proficient in close combat, so they can step in as personal guards whenever needed.
So these T.U.5.C.C. Engineers serve Highwarden Slogg as attendants, caretakers, and guardians. Exactly why does Slogg need “life-supporting equipment” and a “strict regimen of Thryxium serum”? That is a story for another “Figure in Focus” article.
Cell Block 5 Attendants / Gravekeepers
Officially, Hvalkatar is both a prison and a manufacturing complex run by the T.U.5.C.C. organization, but deep within the prison there is a much less public, and much more brutal, aspect to the complex – the fighting arena known as “The Grave.”
Labeled as “Cell Block 5” in the schematics for Hvalkatar, the more commonly used “Grave” moniker is appropriate given the nature of the battles that are fought in the lowest levels of that complex. Prisoners who exhibit violent tendencies or who become problems for Hvalkatar’s guards are sent to this level and forced to fight for the amusement of the prison’s management, employees, and invited guests. Of course, gathering all of the most dangerous inmates of Hvalkatar in one place is a risky proposition. This is where the Cell Block 5 Attendants, or “Gravekeepers”, come in.
While the upper levels of Hvalkatar are guarded by hired Sphexxians, the Gravekeepers are found only in this lowest level. Like other T.U.5.C.C. soldiers, the ranks of the Cell Block 5 Attendants are made up of various races, their identities hidden by the bulky suits of armor they wear and the helmets that cover their heads. There is, however, one Gravekeeper whose identity is well known to the prisoners of The GraveRing block of cells that surround the arena – the brutal commander of the Gravekeepers named Slygor Ryz.
Stern and unyielding, Slygor Ryz is not to be crossed. A former champion of the prison’s fighting pit, the Athocrian thug takes a “no mercy” approach with his inmates. As a survivor of the ring himself, Slygor believes that the only approach of any worth when dealing with weaker and less successful combatants is one of harsh discipline and zero tolerance for failure.
Under Slygor’s command, the Gravekeepers maintain order and discipline in Cell Block 5. Wielding electrified stun staffs and carrying heavy shields, they also act as security during the fights in the Grave. Slygor and his Gravekeepers protect spectators while also ensuring that combatants, whether they are willing or not, engage in gladiatorial combat – for the penalty for refusing the Gravekeepers is far worse than what they will face in the arena.
More T.U.5.C.C.
It is certain that we have just begun to scratch the surface of the kinds of soldiers that the Traders Union of the Five Circles of Cosmerrium require to keep their operation running. The Sentries, Science Officers, Engineers, and Gravekeeper of Hvalkatar make up only a very small fraction of the workforce loyal to T.U.5.C.C., and as the story of Cosmic Legions progresses, we will undoubtedly learn more about this organization’s inner workings, and the loyal workers who are employed by this mighty entity of intergalactic commerce.
First published on 09.17.21
Published on 04.06.22