### Other Denizens of the Beneath

You may come across some of these:

- The Rooted Empire
- Guards, or the Poppy Brigade
- Imperial Builders and Engineers

It is rumored that there are still worse foes in the Beneath, but none have returned to tell the tale.

### Guards, or the Poppy Brigade

While the Empire and Beethro Budkin would disagree on many aspects of life, the universe and everything... there is one thing on which they would both at least partially agree. Namely, the use of a sword. A Really Big One, or otherwise.

The formation of the Guards of the Poppy Brigade predated the first Slayer by several years, and their tactics are substantially different. They are not grown in vats, but recruited from the uncounted number of Empire citizens, and trained in pathfinding tactics and the use of a sword, engaging in weekly mock battles with each other until they are proficient at fighting both sworded and unsworded beings. They still suffer from a tendency to always keep their sword pointed towards an enemy at the expense of moving, which ironically enough makes them easier to be flanked. They lack the acute self-preservation and caution instincts of a Slayer, and are untrained in hand-to-hand combat, making them weaker when fought one-on-one and helpless if they cannot use their sword. However, while there are only a few hundred Slayers at any one time, there are many thousands of Poppies, often allowing them to overwhelm their opponent with sheer numbers.

They fulfill a vital role in controlling the non-human denizens of the Empire, if a roach infestation or a goblin is out of control, then a squadron of Poppies are sent in to slice up the problem. When off-duty, some patrol ceaselessly, looking for trouble, but most just relax and rest.

The phenomenon of Poppies, the Dugandy Royal Guard and the ancient warriors of Tueno being so similar in both uniform, tactics and outlook is still under investigation, and has lead to the formation of a new but small department, lead by 1st Coincidence Investigator

### Imperial Builders and Engineers

The Empire supports a large host of builders and engineers to construct and maintain their domain across the vast spaces of the Beneath. Builders first travel to a supply station and then take their materials to the nearest highlighted build point. After building, they travel to the next supply station in sequence. Engineers carry all necessary materials with them and do not need to travel to supply points in between building jobs.

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