House Purso
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| House Purso | |
 | |
| "We live to serve the homeworld and our kin." "The siege is sown, The harvest shall come." | |
| Historical Information | |
| Established | Circa 3018 BCGT |
| General information | |
| Current head | Patriarch Pursodal Nuruodo |
| Headquarters | Formerly Rata Point Defense Station Hihn |
| Affiliation | Chiss Ascendancy |
House Purso is an ancient Chiss House that is focused on the military practice of siege and trench warfare on worlds with extreme environments and void warfare.
The emblem of House Purso is a world interconnected to a number of other worlds in the shadow of a much larger world to symbolize their aloft nature and the willingness to venture to worlds their kin would deem to extreme. The colors of their banner have different meaning compared to other cultures; purple stands for strength and honor, grey standing for duty, black standing for service and dedication. The stripes represent what the people of House Purso strive fore, the back banner (the black) itself is what they live by.
History
House Purso was a Great House in ancient times but the very few surviving records of this house making it hard to determine as to what the original role they played before the Chiss Civil Dispute. But it is believed that it's origins may have been associated with agriculture. What is known going into the Chiss Civil Dispute CCD and the Five Year War (FYW) is that there are a large number of those in House Purso proper are mainly void born and largely live in a Zero-G Environment making their bones weaker and their height taller than the average Chiss normally the height being around six to seven feet tall. Those who are adopted into House Purso are the ones who normally work with the Chiss Ascendancy in regions where it would be encumbersome for an actual individual of House Purso, though this hasn't stopped many of them from operating with-in gravity with the mindset of "They only live to protect the Chiss people, will it be in the Void or on the surface of a barely habitable planet."
Chiss Civil Dispute and Five Year War
Before the events of the CCD House Purso was prominent in the region of space near the colony of Rhigar and held a permanent station at the edge of the Rata Nebula along the hyperlane route to the colony world of Csaus. They would also have a military academy on the surface of Rhigar but would abandon it and the station in the years leading up to Rhigar's location being lost to the greater Ascendancy and House Purso. In the time leading up to the CCD House Purso was busy helping the CEDF set up a defensive line against the Vagaari and would adopt a defense first mindset. As a result they would side with House Csapla and their kin in the CEDF, but as the CCD began House Purso lost it's then leader and would barely survived the crises but they would continue on to serve the restructured government and keep working with the CEDF. Having lost a large swath of their forces and holdings from the recent turmoil in Chiss Space they would remain near Csilla to rebuild their strength and would go on to fight for the Chiss Republic in the Five Year War.
The Black Nebula
In the years leading up to the another Vagaari invasion they would get assistance from a group of alien force users calling themselves Sith. After the conflict with the Vagaari was resolved the leader of the Sith Isolder Storm would be assassinated and one Prard Al' Keyrek reorganized the government into the bandit kingdom Black Nebula. House Purso would take a unique Chiss approach for the time and would publicly denounce the new formation of the government but would fully support them in the background. They would openly support Black Nebula when the New Republic invaded Chiss Space up until the New Republic victory. From then they would focus on trying to ease the pain of the civilian population on Csilla.
The Empire of the Hand and the Return
In the dark time of New Republic rule a number of Chiss being lead by one Flar Gar would leave Chiss Space and would form the Empire of the Hand. In a controversial decision, House Purso would follow Gar feeling that they needed to protect their kin would strayed from their home space. House Purso would provide military assistance to the colonies until they fell apart and scattered, House Purso would at that time would negotiate to reenter the Chiss Ascendancy. They would be allowed to enter Chiss Space but would not be allowed to help in any official manner. A few years later the Galactic Empire would appear in the Csilla System with a Super Star Destroyer and liberate the system though they would stay in system to maintain peace and stability for the Chiss people until they could stand on their own again. House Purso would find ways to support both governments to help their kin rebuild. Years later and months of investigations House Purso is cleared of all charges but the cost of it all left the House in a poor financial position. In the end they were allowed to officially return to the Ascendancy, several years later the head of the House was allowed to sit on the Council of Families to represent House Purso and help shape the future of the Chiss Ascendancy.
Current Events
Since their official return the personnel of House Purso has been working in tandem with House Csohn and is heavily committed to the logistics work and resource prospecting and mining for the Chiss Ascendancy. They are also currently in the process of building up their forces and assets, going as far as to utilize droids in their work force and phalanx to shore up the loss of numbers they experienced. In late year 26 House Purso mustered enough void assets to begin anti-piracy patrols outside of the Csilla System and would prove themselves to be very effective in their operations.
Culture and Faith
Daily life
The People of House Purso are considered strange by other Chiss as they are by Chiss standards very warm and receptive to those they meet Chiss or alien. This is normal for them until a serious situation arises or they enter into battle, then their entire demeanor changes to mentally and emotionally cold. In battle their personal names are replaced with a combination of identifying letters and numbers for in their minds it is an easier way to communicate. For the culture of House Purso, gravity is a privilege, not a right in House Purso's spacefaring society, artificial gravity is only used where it is necessary for long-term health or operational stability. Crew quarters, mess halls, medical bays, and certain precision workshops. Everywhere else, gravity is kept off to conserve power and prepare everyone, civilian or soldier, for life without it. This mindset is deeply ingrained: children grow up floating in common areas, learning to navigate without a “up or down,” and visitors often remark that Purso stations feel more like military vessels than cities. Food and drink are adapted for zero-gravity eating, tools are tethered or magnetized, and all residents have basic EVA and maneuver training. Even merchants and teachers know how to pilot themselves with handholds and air jets. Families often regard zero-g “games” (racing through maintenance shafts, competitive pushing matches) as normal childhood play.
In Purso war doctrine, ship systems in combat default to minimum life support and gravity in most compartments, reallocating energy to shields, weapons, and engines. This ensures that even if large sections of a ship are breached, the crew is already adapted to moving and fighting without gravity or breathable atmosphere. This has resulted in individuals in House Purso adopting a space suit they call the “normal suit” it is a rugged, multi-layered space suit worn in battle or hazardous conditions. All crew, military or civilian, are trained in donning it quickly, sealing it under stress, and operating ship and/or station systems while wearing it. They also developed a tool called the wire-gun, this handheld device launches a powerful magnet attached to a wire cable. The magnet secures the user to a surface, and the cable can be rewound to pull them to their desired location. It's a pragmatic solution for movement in the absence of gravity, allowing individuals to navigate easily within spacecraft hangars, space station docks, and similar environments. This device can also be used to establish a contact link for voice communication and is used often by fighter pilots when in situations were communication systems are not functioning as intended due to combat damage.
Life Support Independence: The suit has its own oxygen supply and temperature control, designed to last hours, sometimes days, if the ship’s systems fail.
Mobility-Oriented: Magnetic boots, Wire-gun, and maneuvering thrusters allow rapid transition between zero-g and artificial gravity zones.
Combat-Ready: For military suits, armor plating and weapon mounts can be added for boarding actions or ship defense.
Due to their zero-g lifestyle, enemy boarding parties often find House Purso ships eerily silent and disorienting, lights dimmed, gravity off, defenders already suited and floating in ambush positions and ready for a brutal hallway and door to door brawl. In long periods in unpowered conditions Purso crews don’t panic; to them, it’s a minor inconvenience. This makes them incredibly difficult to break in a drawn-out battle. To the people of House Purso the cold Void is just another forever winter the people of House Purso learned to survive with less, less warmth, less food, less comfort. Life in the void is simply another harsh climate to master. Just as their ancestors learned to live in endless snow, modern House Purso crews accept the cold silence of zero gravity as part of their daily environment. Artificial gravity is treated as the warmth of the deep caverns on Csilla, nice when available, unnecessary when survival is the priority. Turning it off is not just a tactical choice; it’s a quiet reminder that comfort is fleeting and resilience is eternal. Living and working in zero-g, often suited, is seen as a discipline of the body and spirit. It mirrors the Pillar of Endurance: The flame within must burn steadily, even in the cold dark. The body must adapt to discomfort so the mind can focus on duty. Silence in the void is sacred, the crew floats in near-quiet, save for their breathing and the hum of vital systems.
Religion
The Goddess of the Frozen Flame, this faith practiced by members of House Purso has given some insight as to how the House was formed it is believed through the texts that its origins may have been associated with agriculture and speak of a time when fields were plentiful, then a great freeze gripped the world. Though this is highly debated and refuted by those outside of the faith and House Purso. Despite a large number of official records being lost as to the actual origins of House Purso their oral traditions and surviving religious texts are shining some light onto their beginnings. In regards to their beliefs, though not expressed in front of other Chiss and Non-Chiss alike, the native members of House Purso quietly worshipped a deity known as "The Goddess". In the House's early life the worship of this deity was to bless them with a bountiful harvest, fertility, and favorable weather. After Csilla entered its’ permanent ice age and the Chiss people fled underground the way they worshipped this being gradually changed. They would view the warmth given off by the geothermal vents of the underground cave systems as a gift from their Goddess. As time progressed small phrases like “May your harvest be bountiful.” and “In the ice, she burned.” would still be spoken by members of House Purso. There is also a saying among those in the House before going off to war, it goes as follows: “To the harvest we go.”. These being the few phrases that survived into the current era. On the ships of House Purso are encased flames burning atop of ceremonial braziers deep inside of their metal hides as places of worship where specially selected members lead prayers and give spiritual guidance to those going to war. These Chaplains would also be attached to platoons and/or company sized elements to give spiritual and moral support along with helping medical personnel and providing rites to the dead. There is one prayer on public record from a sermon as it was recited in front of a guest from House Nuruodo who was leading a unit of House Purso Pioneers (Combat Engineers) into a joint combat operation. The prayer goes as follows:
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I am the last ember of a buried flame.
I do not shine to be seen. I burn to endure.
The cold took our fields, but not our will.
The stars stripped us of soil, but not our roots. From the ice, we rose. In silence, we remember.
I swear myself to the Veil.
To serve the flame that cannot flicker, To hold the line when all else fails, To be the wall, the weight, the wound that buys tomorrow.
My strength is not my own.
It is the warmth I keep for others. It is the burden I carry unseen. It is the fire I feed with discipline, not desire.
I will not falter. I will not speak. I will not retreat.
Let my blood be oil for the machine. Let my bones be the armor of the weak. Let my silence thunder louder than the void.
This I vow by the Embered Veil,
By the buried goddess who lit the dark, By the flame that still burns in the cold.
I am House Purso.
The “Flame” and the "Veil" are internalized, no open shows of devotion, only rituals of memory, endurance, and cold acceptance of sacrifice. Emotional control is sacred. As a result of this they do not openly show their faith with other beings and very rarely among other Chiss. They do express their faith to those who are brought into the House but only if said individual is open to learning of their faith. There are a number of sigils that are used by House Purso that points to their faith, these sigils are adorned on the flame alters and are also referenced within their texts, no two altar sigils are the same.
Military Doctrines before Exile
It must be noted that outside of the House fighting in a war they are very calm, respectful, and full of pride for the Chiss Ascendancy and the citizens of it no matter the walks of life. Though when they march for war, they became something much different, something veil and distasteful to the Chiss people, but at times a necessary evil. In the time before the more turbulent history of the Chiss Ascendancy and before the exile of House Purso when they followed the Chiss settlers out of the Ascendancy, they employed a number of varied tactics both in space (Void) and on the ground. The CEDF has reservations regarding working with Purso personnel in their ranks due to their tactics. Below are two sections detailing the tactics and overall view points of said tactics employed by House Purso's Household Phalanx and if possible Purso troops with-in the CEDF.
Void doctrines
House Purso's Void Fleet operates in a very different manner that the CEDF and most other Houses, they would prefer to avoid direct fleet duels unless overwhelming advantage is certain. Instead, trap, blockade, and bleed enemy forces. Opting for the control of space as priority over destruction of ships. Resulting in a mindset of "If they can’t reach you, they can’t win." They prefer to dictate when and where the enemy can act. When operating in the defense of a Chiss world the Survival of their own forces is secondary to protecting Chiss Ascendancy worlds and infrastructure. Thus they shift their overall tactics to fit the situation, as such a defensive formation built around heavily shielded anchor ships acting as mobile fortresses. House Purso doesn't field many vessels of a heavy tonnage with the largest class of ship they field are two heavy cruiser classes and the smallest being a missile boat. These ships are typically the Htiseam Dreadnaught-class (Heavy Cruiser) as the aforementioned anchor ship while working in tandem with smaller vessel like the Proscoli Heavy Cruiser, Voiti Heavy Frigate, and missile boats.
Preferred Engagement Flow
Recon & Mapping – Identify choke points, logistical hubs, and enemy retreat paths.
Cut the Arteries – Destroy or capture fuel depots, communications relays, and supply convoys.
Encircle & Contain – Deploy light units to trap the enemy.
Erode & Isolate – Continuous pressure with long-range fire, minefields, and raids.
Surgical Breach – When resistance falters, strike with crippling ion assaults and launch boarding parties.
When not in combat, ships belonging to House Purso enact a protocol called the Silent Watch Where they enact long periods of total comm silence, drifting without active sensors and utilizing passive sensors to monitor the region around them. They normally set up posts in Asteroid Fields, Nebulas, and the upper most layers of gas giants, before delivering a sudden and overwhelming strike to unsuspecting foes of the Ascendancy. In the aspect of the former two locations their ships utilize a sensor tether connected to the vessel and positioned just outside of the area of effect camouflaging the parent vessel and in the topic of flotillas working within the same localized area they will connect each other with an easily discarded communications line as an effort to lower the chance of their pray picking up on their comm chatter. On top of using multiple of the aforementioned sensor tethers to cover enough of an area to maximize their effectiveness. Among the number of tactics they utilize they use navigational hazards, gravity wells, and asteroid fields to force the enemy into killing zones. With Chiss navigational expertise allows House Purso crews to exploit terrain other fleets would avoid out of self preservation. There is one tactic that they used often and that was oftenly employing wolf-pack tactics where they pair up 3—8 missile boats with 1—3 heavy frigates to act as coordinators using their long range scanners for the missile boats while also being capable of launching fighters to run strike craft interference for the "hunting party". These parties are the ones typically using the Silent Watch protocol and normally opts to strike from either well outside of their preys sensor range or up close when it is to late for them to maneuver. Most times a group of heavy cruisers are stationed nearby by to snap the trap close on the unsuspecting prey, below is a list of how they tended to operate.
Initial Recon: Scouts and long range scanner tethers identify enemy composition and weak points.
Shadow Phase: Missile boats and frigates move in using ECM cover, staying outside enemy radar lock range. Or allowing them to close the distance to deliver a sudden and overwhelming blow.
First Strike: Simultaneous missile salvo from multiple wolfpacks to saturate and test enemy defenses.
Suppression Cycle: Heavy cruisers join the fight with long range fire once defenses are strained.
Interdiction Net: Frigates and fighters coordinate positioning to cut off retreat, missile boats keep distance pressure.
Final Push (if required): Cruisers close in to finish crippled targets or force surrender.
House Purso deliberately avoids personalizing their warships, they are tools, not heroes. Ship IDs are short and code-like, conveying only type and serial, not sentiment. Crews may internally give unofficial nicknames, but these are never used in official communications or records. Chaplains, while present, refer to ships as “instruments of the Ascendancy’s will”, reinforcing their impersonal status. Their cold detachment to their ships reinforces that their ships are expendable assets in service to a larger strategy. This naming structure also eases coordination with CEDF forces, clear, short codes speed up communications during multi-fleet engagements without the issue of cultural/naming conflicts.
In the current era House Purso fields a greatly reduced number of vessels as they are currently using two Heavy Cruisers and several transports and fighter squadrons.
Ground doctrine
House Purso is a specialist in siege warfare and hostile-environment operations within the Ascendancy. In their eyes, war especially when waged upon Chiss soil, is a crime so severe that no method of retribution is too harsh. Their operational mentality is one of cold calculations and brutal efficiency, resulting in prolonged, grinding campaigns where the enemy’s fortifications, logistics, and will to fight are systematically dismantled.
They fight not to win quickly, but to win completely. The logic is brutal but clear: A threat that cannot rebuild cannot rise again. The Chiss Expansionary Defense Force respects Purso capability but mistrusts their methods. While other Houses and the CEDF lean on precision and restraint in most cases, Purso forces are seen as harsh, costly, and uncompromising, often leaving worlds devastated after “liberation.” Still, when the Ascendancy faces an entrenched enemy, few hesitate to call upon House Purso. Knowing that when they arrive, the war will end, one way or another. They were the oversized hammer to drive a small nail home, but when they are within Chiss Ascendancy Territory defending it's worlds they would show considerable restraint when able. When House Purso fights on a world belonging to the Chiss Ascendancy, their mission does not end with victory. They remain to help rebuild, repairing infrastructure, restoring supply chains, and in some cases improving defenses far beyond what existed before their arrival. This comes from a deep cultural belief that any Chiss world defended by their hand and/or unfortunately raised by it in it's defense, must be left stronger and better than it was found. Their soldiers and engineers will work alongside locals, often leaving behind fortified structures, irrigation systems, economical infrastructure, and stockpile resources as a lasting legacy of their presence.
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Core Tactical Tenets:
1. The Ends Justify the Means When defending the Ascendancy, no weapon is off the table. Though it is greatly distasteful to the Ascendancy, House Purso acts with the mindset of "A Chiss life spared outweighs the moral weight of any weapon." and as a result does not shy away from the use of chemical, biological, or even tactical nuclear weapons if they will decisively break enemy an enemy invasion and/or resistance. While the CEDF at large often hesitates to employ such tools, Purso commanders see hesitation as weakness when the stakes are existential.
2. Slow, Crushing Advance Purso infantry slowly advance behind overlapping artillery barrages and mobile cover, always ensuring supply lines remain intact. Constantly wearing down their enemies supplies, fortifications, and morale.
3. In-Depth Defense When on the defensive, House Purso will create layered trench systems reinforced with interlocking kill zones, fortified strongpoints, and concealed artillery positions. Even deploying localized shield generators on key locations and like a Felucian Tic they would dig in and force their enemies into brutal engagements with them to try and dig them out. Supply routes are buried or shielded, ensuring the defensive line can hold under prolonged engagements and bombardment.
4. Close-Quarters Dominance Purso infantry are trained for dirty, brutal fighting in trench raids, bunker assaults, and urban combat. Their various standard kits include blaster rifles, carbines, pistols, kinetic scatter guns, and a melee weapon of some variety. Improvised weapons are common and even encouraged. They would also use "Pioneer Squads" (Combat Engineers) to breach more heavily fortified positions.
5. Siege is an Art Against fortified targets, Purso units excel at encirclement and slow constriction. They will methodically cut off water, power, and supplies, while bombarding with precision to reduce civilian casualties if fighting in a population center when in Chiss space but showing no such restraint outside it.
Environmental Combat Willingness
House Purso embraces war in hostile environments as a strategic deterrent, they actively volunteer for deployments on the example worlds with these types of conditions:
Felucia – hostile flora & fauna
Hoth – subzero wastelands
Mustafar – volcanic, toxic atmosphere
Quesh – hazardous industrial pollution
Their logic: “Better we bleed on worlds where the Ascendancy should not have to.” They’ve developed specialized survival gear for such environments, prioritizing functionality over comfort, knowing their forces may be stationed for months or years in such conditions.
Unit Formations
In current era House Purso fields two Army Groups of Battalion size (600 soldiers) known as First Line Formation and the Second Line Formation. These two army groups are the mainstay of the House Purso's ground based army groups with the two groups following the doctrines House Purso had come to be specialized in. Historically these two army groups use to be of Brigade size (3000 soldiers) but when attempting to return to the Chiss Ascendancy many Chiss chose to not return with House Purso in favor of carving out a life for themselves in Lesser Space.
First Line Formation
The First Line Formation (FLF) is considered to be the regular forces of House Purso where formations of sappers and engineers are core to it's identity. The FLF is normally deployed first with their usual objectives being the rapid creation of defensive fortifications and counter mobility such as bunkers, trenches, minefields, obstacles, artillery, and shield generator emplacements. Normally the FLP is deployed on it's own as their presence is enough to handle the average engagement. When deployed to worlds within Chiss Space, after combat they would remain on world to help with the rebuilding of planetary infrastructure and train Planetary Defense Forces, when permitted, to help make the planet harder to invade in future conflicts. The First Line Formation would take part in the First and Second Vagaari Wars more notably the invasion of the presumed homeworld of the Vagaari and the defense of Cormit.
Second Line Formation
The Second Line Formation (SLF) is built in the same manner as the FLP but operates in a more aggressive manner compared to its counterpart. When the Second Line Formation is deployed, it is seen as an escalation of aggression by House Purso if the First Line Formation is unable to break an enemy formation. They specialize in encirclement and isolation, total denial of logistics, and creating layered trench networks. They excel in tactics such as aggressive night trench raids, tunnel fighting, and bunker to bunker clearing. The Second Line Formation made a name for itself during the First Vagaari War where they took part in the battle of what was thought to be the homeworld. Their performance in the battle was brutal as they relied on denial and scorched ground tactics rendering the sites of several cities to be unusable in the future while assisting CEDF forces. They would also take part in the defense of the Chiss world of Cormit where they and the First Line Formation dug in "like Csillan Ice Tics." For their service to the Chiss Ascendancy during both Vagaari Wars they were celebrated for their overwhelming combat effectiveness, resilience, and discipline, thus the Second Line Formation would become the poster formation of House Purso's Phalanx.
