Infinity: Crow’s Nest – Achilles & Ruby Monday

Corvus Belli präsentieren Hintergründe zu Achilles und Ruby Monday im Crow’s Nest.

Crow’s Nest – Infinity Product Highlight: Achilles

The new Achilles miniature is now available for the new sectorial army of the Combined Army: Next Wave! Achilles is one of the most iconic characters in the Infinity universe, and he has recently left ALEPH to join the ranks of the Combined Army. If you want to know what happened to Achilles, we explain it here:

„Achilles only operated with the SSS and the Steel Phalanx, becoming the exclusive killing machine of ALEPH. Defined as an „Individual of Mass Destruction“, Achilles was the AI’s own monster, and ALEPH’s leader wherever it wanted to be present in a brutal and peremptory manner. He was also ALEPH’s standard raised in the fight against the Evolved Intelligence. That is, until the death of Patroclus.

Achilles was in the habit of always winning, of getting everything he set his mind to, so running into the insurmountable wall of ALEPH’s determination not to resuscitate his dear friend came as a complete shock to him.

Pandora already knew what it felt like to be betrayed by ALEPH, and she presented the Recreation with a plan to exact his just revenge by striking a blow that would hurt the AI and allow him to get his old friend back. Achilles had to get back into the fray and regain ALEPH’s trust, and when the dust settled, they would retrieve Patroclus’ backup copy and expose the AI. However, things on Concilium Prima unfolded in a way that completely reversed the situation and provided a new opportunity for the two conspirators. Now the EI was open to dialogue and cooperation, so they could be the ones to bridge the gap between the EI and humankind. Achilles could become the guarantor of the Evolved Intelligence in the Human Sphere, the security mechanism that would ensure that the interests of the EI went hand in hand with those of humanity. However, such a course of action would mean burning all his bridges, a point of no return to his previous life. Was Patroclus’ life worth taking such a huge and decisive plunge?

Of course, it was because this wasn’t just about Patroclus and taking revenge against ALEPH. It was about exposing before all of humankind the hidden truth about the AI. It was about laying bare the cold logic of the greatest advisor and puppet master of the major powers of the Human Sphere, for whom human lives are nothing more than ones and zeros in the pursuit of a greater good that is unfathomable to anyone but itself. What is the point of saving humanity if we lose what makes us human in the process? That is the question Achilles keeps asking himself, and the exact same one he poses to anyone who questions his actions.“

Achilles is a natural-born leader, and he will open humanity’s eyes so that everyone follows him towards a new destiny, one far removed from ALEPH’s plans and focused on what really matters: people. That is what the EI has guaranteed him, and Achilles will see to it that this promise is kept. He will never again be a mindless puppet at the bidding of a disembodied voice. He now has a new purpose: to lead humanity into its future. And he will find no greater glory than accomplishing this new mission, and woe betide anyone who crosses him or tries to stand in his way!

The Achilles miniature includes an extra arm with a sword.

Crow’s Nest – Infinity Lore: Ruby Monday

In the recent Army update with the arrival of Next Wave, a new character slipped in quietly. With no prior announcement, a new mercenary appeared in several sectorials, and no one knew who she was. But for those who attended the last Krug, the name might sound familiar, since Ruby Monday was the protagonist of one of the tournament’s missions.

But I’m sure you want to know more about Ruby Monday, so here’s her lore:

„A unique trend in Shinju’s music scene is the Kazureibu (カズレイブ), the illegal raves that happen in the barren lands near the QAZs, if not right inside them. The Kazureibu are known for the recreational use of psychoactive drugs and for psychomusic, a type of music conceived to trigger altered states of consciousness, as a means to connect with the xenotechnology still present in the QAZs. The atmosphere at these events—which go on all night long and can even last for several days—is electric and liberating because their underground, illicit nature inspires a sense of adventure, risk, and exploration. In fact, the Sāchā community, the xenotechnology seekers of Shinju, is closely involved in this musical phenomenon, either acting as guides for the event organizers, arranging the raves themselves, or, most frequently, attending the events as participants since they share a fascination for the QAZs. During a Kazureibu, Shinju’s dark rocky desert is bathed in stroboscopic lights, lasers, and enormous holograms that create spectacular, hypnotic effects. These displays spark a sensory overload that blurs the lines between the individual and the community, breaking down the boundaries of reality and ushering in a surreal, dreamlike realm where hedonism is the only universal law and the key to unlocking the secrets of the QAZs.

This descent into the rabbit hole was precisely what happened to Ruby Monday, a living legend among the Sāchā who also achieved the status of absolute icon in the Kazurabā community, the loyal fanbase of the Kazureibu. Ruby’s story begins like many others, as a rebellious young woman who was bored with her life in a colonial settlement on the frontier of Outremer. She then decided to run away with Itō “Footloose” Sanetomi, a wandering Sāchā who was making a pit stop at her settlement to restock supplies. From Footloose, she learned the basics of her trade, accompanying him on forays into the barren lands and helping him find locations for the Kazureibu, which she also became a huge fan of. But from then on, her story began to take a turn towards the unusual. Footloose’s disappearance while on an expedition for a private client marked the beginning of a streak of ill-fated ventures, which included the loss of crew members and even some expeditions in which she was the sole survivor. After a while, Ruby got a bad rap as a jinx, and other Sāchā started spreading rumors that she was selling her partners to the outlaw gangs in the barren lands in exchange for a cut of the loot, which was a big no-no in their line of work. Hence, she started losing business and noticing that many clients wanted nothing to do with her, so she focused on her career as a Kazurabā, dancing and scouting for locations to host the Kazureibu in the QAZs. But then, one night, during one of these events, Ruby vanished into thin air, and she didn’t resurface until three days later, fifty miles away, her body riddled with a strange techno-organic substance, and unable to remember a thing.“

Art by Chester Ocampo.

„However, this weird mystery didn’t get in the way of her life taking a turn for the better. Just like that, Ruby became “the girl who made it”, the one who found a way to connect with some kind of artifact and went through a crazy transformation in the process, which was a dream come true for every Kazurabā and many a Sāchā. This incident had undoubtedly enhanced her abilities, as a group of mercenaries working for MagnaObra soon found out to their dismay when they attempted to obtain a sample of the techno-organic substance in her body. Not only was Ruby now physically stronger, the substance also looked like it was sensitive to the xenotechnology in Shinju’s old ruins, and that it could “talk” to it somehow and even activate it. Even if she had no control over these abilities, the young Kazurabā was something of a holy grail for xenoarchaeologists, so jobs as a Sāchā began rolling in one after another. She became so famous that she could even pick the most lucrative jobs, which were usually expeditions for mega-corporations that just wanted to keep her around so they could study her or snatch her away.

So, Ruby decided to keep a low profile, juggling her work as a Sāchā for the Kazureibu, which are still her safe spaces and her outlet. Although Ruby has been changed, she doesn’t know to what extent. She can feel that techno-organic substance coursing through her system, moving from one organ to the next, altering them in ways she cannot begin to fathom. She can hear the substance invading her body sending signals and communicating with other artefacts, and even though she cannot understand them, she feels that these exchanges are becoming faster and more frantic, like a race reaching its final stages. She can sense that the techno-organic substance has learned to activate items more quickly, and that these items are increasingly dangerous. How long will it take for that substance to turn against her? Ruby doesn’t know, but she doesn’t think she has much time. So, seeing how successful she is in the QAZs you might believe that she is no longer jinxed , but she would disagree with you. And that’s why she seeks refuge and solace in the Kazureibu and in that booming, liberating psychomusic, in the hope that it will appease that techno-organic demon inside her…“

Stay tuned in 2026, because at some point during the year Ruby’s miniature will become available for you to add to your armies 😉

Quelle: Corvus Belli

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