The Penitent Sancro-Suit
It is said that the kindling of the flame is the sacrifice man must give to the flame all-mighty to keep it eternally burning. Such is the great burden we must give to save the world from the demon, the heathen, and the unkownable horrors of unreality. Many have embraced the call of the penitent and the flagellant, but no other invention embodies the perfect merging of church and technology more than the Penitent Sancro-Surit.
The Penitent Sancro-Suit, sometimes reffered to as simply the Penitent Suit, is a mechanical marvel both impressive and terrible to behold. It is a 12ft tall mechanical suit able to house a man inside that rides it like some sort of moving suit. A monk or nun is the chosen pilot for these suits, and those willing to suffer the pain of holy saints and angels of ages past. The interior where the pilot sits is lined with cruel spikes and barbed flesh hooks made to keep the pilot in a constant state of torment, though these pilots often rejoice in the pain they feel as it brings them closer to the great flame god. The outside of the suit is typically of harsh steel, with the bones of saints and honored souls intergrated into the armor. The suits are also typically festooned with holy icons, relics, and scrolls of prayer marking them as holy beings. The most curious aspect of the suit is its matter of function, as with every strike, the spikes and hooks drive into the pilot. However, it is said the pain brings upon more faith, and that the faith of the pilot alone is enough to will the suit into moving as a man (albeit a hulking brute of a man). The suits also feature a cape of chains at the back to symbolize the weight of penance they must carry to atone for the Flame and its holy deliverance.
These suits are not great in number, as the complexity of building them is challenging indeed. What's more, once a pilot is placed inside the suit, they are never removed until they die. Many of these knight suits are kept sleeping in the Grand Cathedral of the Church in Aramoor, with their pilots lulled into a magic induced sleep, only able to awaken with prayer. Once the pilot dies in glorious battle, the suit is recovered and a new pilot is found, meaning many of these suits are cneturies old, showing the scars and glories of wars past. There are tales that once inside, the pilot need not eat or rest, and some have even rumored that a few of the suits are running around in the Deadlands, accidenantly left behind during the great retreat after the failed Crusade of Light. Whatever the truth may be, these suits are very real, and woe betide any who are crushed under their gargantuan maces.
Utility
Weilded by the military forces of the church, or those with enough gold to earn the blessings of the church, these suits and its pilots are utilized as neigh-unstopable killing machines against the churches enemies, be they mortal or otherwise. The suit is far stronger and tougher than the average mortal, and the faith of the pilots is so great that it can even summon minor miracles.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing the suit is a long, arduous process. With each strike of hammer on steel, a score of monks chants in unison to bless the metal plates of the armor, and the Church Armorer must be precise in his movements when working the mechanical bits into place. The tablets showing the blueprints of these suits is a highly guarded secret, and so while not unbelievable rare, the Penitent Suits are definitely not great in number.
