Beacon Vassal Officer – Switchyard Collective
“Power isn’t permission. It’s leverage.”
Pox Devali is physically unassuming, standing barely five feet tall, but every inch of him radiates intellect and control. His body is wiry and taut from years of precise, deliberate movement. His long dreadlocks, streaked with copper-colored wiring, hang past his shoulders, often braided to hold tools and small devices.
His clothing blends practicality and eccentricity: layered jackets with reinforced elbows, pockets stuffed with gadgets, straps carrying spare batteries, coils of wire, and even toy parts repurposed into functional mechanisms. Protective goggles with heads-up displays sit permanently above his eyes, reflecting the glow of nearby monitors and circuitry.
Despite his size, he moves with confidence that commands attention. There’s an unshakable focus in his eyes—the quiet energy of a mind always two steps ahead.
Pox Devali was a child prodigy in nuclear science and mechanical engineering. By 18, he had earned several degrees and had already begun research projects most adults couldn’t comprehend. He was poised for a future in experimental physics and advanced energy systems, but the outbreak altered everything.
When the Blood Plague struck Redhaven, Pox was working at the Beacon tower on citywide infrastructure systems. His expertise allowed him to:
Fortify initial electrical grids
Repurpose early generators for city-wide redundancy
Build early warning and alarm systems to track infected movements
He encountered Albert Yemin within the first few days of the outbreak. Albert recognized that Pox’s technical genius, combined with his ruthlessness in ensuring compliance, made him invaluable. Pox agreed to serve—not out of loyalty, but because he thrived in control, and Albert gave him the means to manipulate life and death at a distance.
Pox is cold, precise, and mercilessly inventive. He takes joy in designing intricate traps, devices, and systems that control, corral, or neutralize threats. Where most see objects, Pox sees potential: a broken toy car becomes a motion sensor trigger; a coil of wire becomes a voltage relay.
He is not sadistic in a human sense—he doesn’t torture for fun—but he delights in the efficiency of consequence. If an intruder or vassal miscalculates, the result is their own design of doom, and he watches quietly as the systems he built respond perfectly.
Despite this, he has a protective streak over his people. He genuinely values the engineers of Scout Unit 4 and the Switchyard Collective—they are the only ones capable of wielding his systems as intended.
He is unflappable, patient, and stubbornly logical. Arguments that don’t make sense are discarded. Emotions are curiosities, not factors in decision-making.
Engineering & Science
Electrical engineering: mastery of power routing and high-voltage manipulation
Mechanical ingenuity: can repurpose scrap into fully functional devices
Improvised weapon systems: converts toys, model vehicles, and everyday electronics into traps, deterrents, and lethal mechanisms
Combat & Tactical Application
Lethal with tech-mediated indirect combat: automated trip devices, electrified pathways, timed detonations
Skilled at area denial, lockdown, and containment strategies
Trains Scout Unit 4 in mounted and remote combat using makeshift vehicles and engineering tools
Leadership & Psychological Control
Can manage a vassal remotely via systems and signals
Keeps vassals in line with fear, precision, and unpredictability rather than brute force
Expert at auditing and observing compliance without being physically present
Scout Unit 4 is Pox’s personal enforcement arm. Originally a typical scout unit, they have been engineered into a mobile team of technical operators capable of both reconnaissance and engineering sabotage.
Composition & Roles
9 members
Each has a specialization: electronics, mechanical traps, improvised weapons, signaling, sabotage, and mobile combat
Mounted reconnaissance is common using electric bikes, repurposed golf carts, and small makeshift vehicles
They operate independently but can summon Pox for high-risk interventions
Gear & Equipment
Electrified spears, shock-projectiles, crossbows, and trip devices
Lightweight armor integrated with mobility enhancements
Headgear with augmented optics
Portable control panels and laptop-style interfaces for field deployment of Pox’s devices
Tactics
Approach silently, establish a network of tripwires, alarms, and traps
Control entry points with minimal physical engagement
Engage directly only if automated systems fail
Use misdirection and environmental hazards to neutralize threats
Scout Unit 4 is less a fighting force and more a living extension of Pox’s engineering mind.
Pox does not manage day-to-day operations of the Collective. His role is to ensure compliance, manage power leverage, and punish deviations.
Weekly audits ensure the Collective prioritizes The Beacon
Outages are used strategically to remind the Collective of Albert’s authority
Threats are rarely physical; they are technological and systemic
Pox enjoys the subtlety of this control: one misrouted circuit, one overcharged transformer, and the consequence is immediate.
Highly intelligent and perfectionist
Detached, enjoys control without emotional attachment
Obsessed with efficiency and system integrity
Finds beauty in functional design and inevitability
Views humans as elements in a system; not all are expendable, but many are replaceable
Players could encounter Scout Unit 4, realizing the threat is not in numbers but in clever devices and environmental traps
Pox could serve as a morally grey antagonist—punishing vassals who disobey but never needlessly killing
Players could assist or sabotage the Switchyard, forcing Pox to respond in inventive ways
His obsession with control can make him predictable yet deadly, a villain who challenges wits over firepower