The Virgin Archer


Designation: Anti-aircraft/Anti-ground Infantry
Training Headquarters: Shin Kyudo Monastery, Hokkaido
Country of Origin: Japan
Trained at: Imperial Dojo
Motto: "Our bows are drawn as soon as enemies approach."
"Our bows are drawn as foes draw near."

Equipment:

• Type II Sorazatsu Longbow
• Empowered gauntlets
• Multifunctional sighting goggles
• Lightweight suit for optimal mobility
• War standard inspiring loyalty



The war took a heavy toll on the Empire of the Rising Sun, even on days when the Empire’s ultimate victory seemed within reach. Consequently, by the time the Empire’s enemies discovered and began to exploit a particular flaw in the Great Imperial Stratagem, the nation’s leaders no longer had the means to retaliate. This flaw, of course, was the Empire’s excessive reliance on new, largely untested anti-aircraft technology. Robotic weapons with eccentric dual forms and variable baseline defence capabilities proved somewhat less effective against enemy air forces, a fact that the Rising Sun’s ministers of war had guaranteed, and the Allied Nations and the Soviet Union were relatively quick to punish the Empire for its hubris. Thus, by the time the first division of Imperial Archer Virgins was deemed worthy, the prevailing consensus both within and beyond the Empire’s borders regarded the endeavour as entirely in vain. This level of disapproval only began to subside after the Virgins single-handedly shot down an entire squadron of Allied Vindicator reconnaissance and support bombers off the coast of Hokkaido.


Despite their humble origins, the Archer Virgins have emerged as some of the most inspiring and skilled warriors, ever eager to carry the Imperial standard into battle.

The women in the ranks of the Archer Maids are no strangers to loss and grief, and all tend to draw strength from such negative emotions. Even when the seemingly boundless spirit of their male counterparts finally began to waver in the face of successive military setbacks, the ranks of the Archer Maidens swelled, and the Maidens were spurred on to turn the tide… even though hopes of the Empire’s inevitable victory had by then given way to a palpable sense of impending defeat. The question, then, is why did the Virgin Archers choose to take up arms in the twilight of the war?

The simple answer is that these women have nothing to lose. Their husbands, Brothers and friends have perished in the war. And the elite ranks of the Imperial Rocket Angels would not have accepted them, due to restrictions on age, birthright, physical strength, and numerous other factors. According to the Code of Conduct of the Archer Virgins, the Virgins were formed after two women rejected from the ranks of the Rocket Angels returned to the Angels’ training headquarters in Hokkaido with their ancestral bows, intending to kill the Angels’ leaders. The women on the ground simply declared their intentions – it was the only way, they said, to show the Rocket Angels their pride and their weakness. The leaders of the Rocket Angels were forced to accept this duel, and in the fight, two women died; one still clutched her bow even in death, whilst the other, an Angel, fell to the ground with a thud.


In the hands of the Archer Virgins, the Type II Sorazatsu Great Bow has proven to be more than just an anti-aircraft weapon.

The surviving archer was banished from the headquarters of the Rocket Angels, exonerated for her act of vengeance, which was in keeping with the virtues of the Empire’s warriors. The woman took a vow of celibacy, swearing to devote the rest of her life to defeating the Empire’s enemies by welcoming women like herself from all corners of the country to unite under this common cause. Single-handedly, she restored an old, dilapidated temple in a particularly mountainous region of Hokkaido, and began to welcome many other women like herself into what is now known as the Shin Kyudo Monastery. There, the women undergo months of training in the art of archery, whilst leading a rather ascetic lifestyle. It took just another year for the remnants of the Imperial Shogunate to formally recognise the group, and it was at that point that the Archer Maidens were issued with their weapons and uniforms, and invited to join the Imperial Army.

It was a humiliating moment for the Empire of the Rising Sun, although by that point, there had been many such degrading moments. The Archer Virgins graciously accepted the Shogunate’s offer, although everyone-even the Empire’s enemies-knew that the Virgins had long since proven their worth in a series of guerrilla-style Sleeper Ambushes in defence of the Empire’s northern borders. To this day, the Virgins remain dedicated to protecting their homeland and fighting in memory of their loved ones.


Reconnaissance on the battlefield has at least revealed the following facts about the Archer Virgins:

• The Great Bow in all its forms– The Virgin Archer’s weapon appears deceptively traditional. In fact, its projectiles have more in common with laser-guided anti-armour rockets than with conventional arrows. And unlike the Imperial Tankbuster’s plasma cannon, the Archer Virgins’ Great Bow can also be effective against infantry, aircraft and lightly armoured targets alike.

-Piercing Barrage- The Archer Maidens are trained to use specially loaded arrows that split into a barrage of white-hot spikes. Such a hail of shrapnel can be lethal to groups of enemy infantry, although it is only effective against this type of enemy. The Archer Virgins’ bows must briefly reload between each Barrage. - The most modern infantry are trained to fight whilst within Garrisonable Structures due to the prevalence of urban combat in today’s wars, although the Archer Virgins receive more extensive training in this regard than other Imperial divisions. When garrisonable, the Archer Virgins can shoot down enemy aircraft from a much greater range than usual.

-Generally specialised - Although the Archer Virgins are probably the best-resourced infantry of all the forces of the Empire of the Rising Sun, they are fewer in number than the Empire’s other infantry units and are therefore somewhat more expensive to deploy. Their relatively slow rate of fire is another reason why they tend to be more effective in combat when working alongside other infantry classes.