Introducing the Matsudan to the Warpath Universe – Part Two

Hello giant sumo wrestling space lizard fans! We’re back with the second part of our back story for the Matsudan. Yesterday we talked about the destruction of planet Matsudo and the Matsudan’s first contact with the GCPS (which you can read here). In today’s blog, we’re continuing the story – read on to find out what happens with House Kajima!

The Matsudan sub faction starter set is due for release August 24th, but pre-orders will be going live on the Mantic website this Friday and you can order from stores too!

Such was the strong bond between the Matsudan and House Kajima, that the corporation even managed to introduce the Matsudan to the rest of the GCPS via the sport of DreadBall. The quarter-ton, incredibly strong, yet agile Matsudan were an immediate hit with the crowds and the Matsudo Tectonics became one of the most popular teams on the circuit. However, House Kajima went to great lengths to downplay the technological might of the Matsudan. Instead they used the hungry media of the GCPS to portray them as simple lizards from a backwater planet that had little or no worth, aside from from their ability to play DreadBall. It was the technologically advanced House Kajima that was able to provide them with such remarkable armour, not the simple Matsudan.

With the technology acquired (or more accurately stolen) from the Matsudan, House Kajima’s share price rose drastically. Its board of directors revelled in the fame and expanded the corporation to incorporate an entire system of planets – the Kajima Belt. But, while the Matsudan pride themselves on honour, honour is quickly forgotten in favour of profits for money-hungry corporations. Betrayal was almost inevitable and when it came, it was swift and brutal.

It started with a schism within the board at Kajima. After the initial flurry of Matsudan tech that Kajima had used to flood the market, some were keen to push the Matsudan into developing weapons that could rival the Forge Fathers. Others wanted to maintain a relatively peaceful approach, preferring to market the agricultural and entertainment advancements of their associates. The disagreement led to a split within House Kajima and a new corporation was born: Kamono Tech. Up until now, House Kajima had kept the whereabouts of Neo Matsudo a closely guard secret – keen to stop other corporations discovering the tech that was making them billions. After the split, however, two bitter rivals knew the location and conflict was to quick to follow.

WAR ON NEO MATSUDO

Both corporations amassed an army of GCPS soldiers and headed to Neo Matsudo, intent on ensuring they were responsible for its future. When the ships arrived in Dojomina, the representatives of the Houses came out to welcome their guests and were almost immediately caught in the crossfire – unaware that a war they weren’t part of had broken out on Neo Matsudo. The realisation they had been betrayed was like a physical blow to the Matsudan. It was only the second time they had dealt with a race outside of their own and they had proved untrustworthy.

The houses quickly united – sharing the technology they had once used to prove their superiority. Previously unseen weapons – like the Ion Barrage gun and Shock Mauls – were distributed throughout those willing to fight and, for the first time in their history, the Matsudan went to war against an external foe. The retribution against House Kajima and Kamono Tech was devastating and unrelenting. Just like the disgraced houses that are wiped from the history books, the Matsudan were determined to erase all trace of the corporations. Ships were destroyed. Weapons were demolished. None were spared. Both corporations were left bankrupt by the war. Their claims of the advanced tech of the Matsudans were shrugged off by everyone else – after all, weren’t these the simple space lizards that were only capable of playing DreadBall? House Kajima and Kamono Tech vanished into the background, as others greedily feasted on their assets.

And so, a new chapter of Matsudan history had begun. The betrayal by the corporations festered like a wound within Matsudan society. It ate away at their deep held sense of honour. There was also a sense of embarrassment among the houses. They had let pride get the better of them in their desire to gain the adoration and praise of House Kajima. And it wasn’t just one house that had been disgraced. Each of the houses had courted the attentions of the humans and each of the houses had been fooled.

The Matsudan were also humbled by the fact they ignored the warnings from their saviours, the Asterians. They had been warned by them not to trust the corporations, but their hubris had got in the way. As one, the houses pledged to adhere to the advice and instructions of the Tesseract. After all, if it wasn’t for them, Neo Matsudo wouldn’t even exist.

Meanwhile, the technological brinksmanship of the houses dissipated. Instead of proving their house had the upper hand through technical superiority, the houses shared innovations and pushed the advancement of the Matsudan race ever forward. However, still keen to demonstrate the strength of their house, the Matsudo Games returned with a new fury. As well as wrestling and endurance, the ways of war crept into the games and now athletes were tested on their marksmanship or skill with weapons like the Shock Maul. The Matsudan always wanted to be prepared, in case the corporations should ever return. Matsudan players were also encouraged to keep playing in the DreadBall leagues. It was decided it was important to keep up the appearance of a backwater culture to stop any more corporations taking an interest in Neo Matsudo. It also helped to have spies within the GCPS who could alert the Matsari if a corporation was showing too much interest in Neo Matsudo.

A CALL FOR HELP

And for decades it remained that way. The Matsudan forever preparing for a war that never came. But while the Matsudan remained in status quo, the inexorable reach of corrupt corporations spread across the galaxy. Although Neo Matsudo remained untouched, others were tainted by its insidious grasp. The scales of balance began to tip steadily in the favour of the corporations. Entire planets were wiped out by greed… and the seemingly aloof Asterians watched with keen interest.

Although they’re not ready to throw their full force behind a galactic rebalancing, the Warrior Clades recognise that something needs to be done. Remembering the promise of the Matsudan to heed their warnings in the future, the Tesseract turned toward their protegees for assistance. Representatives met with the Matsudan houses and explained the terrible influence the corporations were having on a galactic scale. They emphasised the dishonourable actions of House Kajima and Kamono Tech were being played out on hundreds of planets every day. And that the corruption of humanity would spread, until honour was nothing but a distant memory. Enraged by the reports of the Asterians, the Matsudan pledged to help restore balance.

Eager to distance themselves from any conflict, the Tesseract shared the designs for the highly advanced Marionettes and drones the Clades use in combat. Although typically controlled by the mind of a skilled ‘pilot’, Matsudan engineers adapted the Marionettes and drones to use cutting-edge artificial intelligence. In battle only a few Matsudan are required to accompany their mechanical counterparts, but the combination is truly devastating for any that get in the way. Some have even been known to fight alongside the majestic Spectra – a drone that towers above a Strider.

The Matsudan fight with honour and integrity but they will not make the same mistakes again. The war to restore balance has begun in earnest…

PRE-ORDERS WILL BE GOING LIVE THIS FRIDAY ON THE MANTIC WEBSITE OR PRE-ORDER FROM YOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL GAME STORE TOO!