The Gelgetha Walking Fortress is considered by history to be the greatest machine of war ever produced. Developed by
The Didacy and deployed during the
War of the Starfall, they were enormous city-sized mechanisms, powered by the same magics that gave birth to the
Warforged of Perradin. Armed with state of the art weapons, paired with their immense size and capability to house an entire legion of Warforged troops, they were capable of leveling entire armies in minutes. Their complexity and immense cost to construct resulted in only 13 ever being commissioned, and only 4 ever being deployed. Their effectiveness rate in battle was immensely high, winning 99% of the engagements they fought in. This, however, was mitigated by their propensity for mechanical failure that plagued virtually every Gelgetha that was deployed.
Their nature as Warforged themselves was only revealed to Non-Didacy individuals following the war. It is speculated that the cloisters used to power the Gelgethae were somehow different in nature, but this has never been confirmed.
As part of the Treaty of Scepter, all remaining Gelgethae were decommissioned and destroyed, along with all documentation on construction methods. The fear they instilled in Kingdom armies which engaged them has permanently been ingrained into the nation's psyche, even into the 91st century as myths and tales to instill a sense of horror. Some sailors along the east coast of Sinderlan have claimed to see moving islands at sea that resemble Gelgethae. Though these are only considered at best superstition or conspiracy theories at worst.
Known Gelgethae
Mt. Kestrel: Constructed from a small mountain that had previously been covered by glacier, Mt. Kestral was the first Gelgetha to engage in combat with the Kingdom forces. It killed the entirety of the Queen's 56th Legion and subsequently flew their battle standards across the fortress. It was armed with 700 force ballistae which were said to be able to cause organic humanoids to explode on impact. It walked upright and resemebeld a humanoid with buildings strapped to it, with a height of nearly 2800 ft. It was destroyed when its soul cloister burst during a troop movement exercise. This fact was kept secret until the end of the war.
Caer Lirada Gar: In the form of a wide walking castle, this Gelgetha was known for its capacity to act as a mobile base of operations that could withstand prolonged sieges with little effort. Inside, it is said to have had gardens that rivaled many duchies and even the farmland of the Didacy. Its supply forges could sustain armies for decades, in theory, due to an immense sphere of purified alloy in its center which it could use to manufacture weapons and Warforged aparati. It apparently eventually stopped moving and acted as a permanent fortress south of Nova Arborem. Many scholars speculate now that this was due to a mechanical failure. It was destroyed in the Starfall.
Naval Base Null: A water-based Gelgetha, this fortress was capable of launching a fleet of 40 triremes in 60 seconds. Its walking mechanisms could only be seen underwater, but it was said to be able to reach the sea floor no matter where it was; this fact leads many scholars to speculate that it was the largest Gelgetha by an immense measure. Naval Base Null suffered a similar fate to its other brethren when a mechanical or magical failure caused it to sink beneath the waves off the coast of Sinderlan. Its remains are believed to have been destroyed in the starfall.
The Silver Citadel: A massive fortress in the south of Old Sinderlan that acted as the primary military base of the Didacy and main testbed for new technologies. Surprising many outsiders and Didacy citizens alike, it was revealed to be a Gelgetha in the final weeks of the War of the Starfall when Victus I launched his assault on Scepter. It was far larger than any Gelgetha built at the time, and was capable of carrying 1.5 million Warforged into battle. The Silver Citadel became known as the only Gelgetha to actually fall in battle when the Queen of the Starfall engaged in battle personally. Its remains were stripped apart in the decades following the defeat in accordance with the Treaty of Scepter. Many parts were used to repair damaged Warforged who qualified under the new laws, or to the construction of the Dark Citadel Island research outpost which had formed within the Stargash Crater.
Fort Icehammer: Under construction in the southwest of Sinderlan, this Gelgetha was nearly complete at the time of the Starfall. It was speculated that it was going to participate in an invasion of the Valley of Plenty. Its armament was intended to be an immense battering ram capped with Sinderlanian Ice, enchanted glacier ice which previously had capped the south pole. It was destroyed in the Starfall.
Unknown Gelgethae 6-13: These Gelgethae were not officially named in the armistice and subsequent Treaty of Scepter, only passively mentioned in the disarmament. It is believed by ancient historians that they were under construction somewhere at sea or on Greenwave. Conspiracists believe one or all of these survived somewhere.
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