A Formal Dossier for Military, Medical, and Pearlwright Archives
Reviewed by Surgeon-Laureate Mako “Redhand,” 4th Chair
A Powder Keg is a Gunner who rejects firearms as their primary vessel and instead chooses to weaponize their own body with pearl-enhanced modifications. They mix:
surgical implants
black-powder augmentation
internalized pearl resonance
brutal training
The result is a combatant whose body becomes a living arsenal.
Powder Kegs are rare.
Surviving Powder Keg surgery is rarer.
Maintaining a Powder Keg body is a lifelong burden.
Most Gunners never attempt the path.
Most who attempt the path never walk again.
A Powder Keg leverages the 16 ligament slots of the human body to house pearls and powder-reactive channels. Unlike Pearlwright-assisted surgeries for standard pearl use, Powder Kegs undergo:
bone hollowing
tendon reinforcement
pressure channel installation
micro-keg organ modification
controlled resonance scarring
Every modification increases internal instability.
A Powder Keg body must be:
cleaned
tuned
drained
rewoven
…every few weeks by a certified Pearlwright. Failure to maintain these routines results in:
resonance fevers
internal ruptures
spontaneous pearl discharge
combustion from powder buildup
Even the strongest Powder Kegs die without proper upkeep.
A Gunner becomes a Powder Keg only if they:
Survive the Initial Implantation Ritual:
Medium or Large pearls placed into limb or torso slots.
Survive Powder Channel Assimilation:
The insertion of black-powder vents and recoil stabilizers into bone.
Demonstrate Internal Resonance Control:
Only 1 in 30 reach this stage.
Prove Stability Over Six Weeks:
If pearl resonance and powder reactivity remain balanced, the subject is declared a Powder Keg (True).
At this point, their life expectancy is greatly shortened, but their combat potential leaps dramatically.
Most Powder Kegs stop at Medium or Large implants.
Only fools, zealots, or legends attempt the next step:
A Giant Pearl consumes every slot in the body:
all arm slots
all leg slots
all torso slots
all cranial slots
This rewrites the host’s physiology completely.
If they survive, they do not remain merely human.
They become Titan-Forged.
Prestige Classification: S-Rank Prohibited
Restricted to Collegium, Admiralty, and Certain Pirate Lords
A Titan-Forged is a Powder Keg who has successfully:
integrated a Giant Pearl
stabilized full-body resonance
survived cranial slot activation
undergone secondary organ anchoring
endured metamorphic growth
Where Powder Kegs modify the body, Titan-Forged rebuild it.
A Titan-Forged is:
twice the mass of a normal human
capable of channeling Giant-Pearl output through flesh
biologically dependent on their pearls for survival
in constant need of medical and Pearlwright oversight
feared across the Estes Sea
Pirates whisper their name with awe.
Nations classify them as weapons rather than people.
The Giant Pearl overwhelms the torso cluster.
Without reinforcement, the body fails within a year.
Thus all Titan-Forged must undergo Anchor Organ Creation—the crafting of an auxiliary organ to substitute for functions lost during pearl resonance.
The Anchor Organ may replicate or enhance:
heart regulation
blood filtration
powder cooling
neural dampening
pearl-resonance buffering
endocrine stability
This organ is not optional.
It is the only thing preventing the Titan-Forged from dying of internal collapse.
A Titan-Forged body undergoes radical transformation:
Bones thicken, often doubling mass
Muscles restructure around resonance conduits
Skin becomes resistant to heat, shock, and kinetic impact
Height increases 20–60%
Nervous system becomes partially pearl-dependent
Voice deepens; resonance vibrates through speech
Old scars vanish; new internal “resonance lines” appear
These changes are permanent and irreversible.
If the Giant Pearl is ever removed, the Titan-Forged dies instantly.
Though abilities vary by pearl, all Titan-Forged exhibit:
Double mass, enhanced durability, increased lift and strike output.
A burst of resonance that enhances:
speed
striking force
sensory cognition
shockwave emission
Surge is costly; repeated use risks organ rupture.
Skin behaves like a pearl mesh, dispersing kinetic impacts.
Bullets flatten.
Swords warp.
Falls shatter stone before bone.
Powder vents and pearl channels allow:
shockwave punches
resonance-infused throws
area denial pressure blasts
Some Titan-Forged develop unique mutations based on pearl nature.
A Titan-Forged must:
undergo Pearlwright tuning every 10–14 days
flush powder channels weekly
recalibrate resonance filaments monthly
replace organ tonics daily
avoid prolonged cold or drought (weakens resonance)
Lack of maintenance leads to:
resonance bleed
organ warping
Anchor failure
death
Titan-Forged have extraordinary might, but their bodies are ticking engines always in danger of catastrophic failure.
Titan-Forged occupy a strange place in the world:
To pirates: champions and nightmares
To navies: strategic weapons
To Pearlwrights: medical tragedies
To civilians: gods or monsters
To themselves: prisoners of the pearl that keeps them alive
Few live peacefully.
None live quietly.
“A Powder Keg chooses power.
A Titan-Forged survives power.
Neither is free from the price.”
— Surgeon-Laureate Mako “Redhand”