Sturm Kavallerist

"I'm A Soldier...I Follow Orders...For Erik Stromlos"

- Standard Saying

The  (ゲイルトルーパー, German for "Gale Troopers"), also referred to as Erik's Soldiers were a division of Quincy specifically loyal to Erik Stromlos of the Engelhaft Gewitter. They were fully trained in the ways of the Quincy and were most notable for rejecting teachings not taught to them by Erik, having come to the notion that were not important enough to be used.

The majority of the consisted of former Soldats and Jagdarmee from the  that were captured or abducted by the elusive Erik Stromlos shortly after the conclusion of the. The minority consisted of spiritually aware Humans who were forcibly conscripted and were granted similar abilities through the use forbidden Quincy practices and Quincy Bangles. The one thing the two groups shared in common was that they were genetically augmented through gruesome, experimental procedures and were ultimately conditioned to serve Erik with unquestionable loyalty and obedience, no matter how grim their orders and chance of fatility seemed.

Although the were a force to be reckoned with, they were typically employed as Front-line Infantry and Cannon fodder by the Engelhaft Gewitter.

Organization and Philosophy
"If Master Erik Stromlos commands us to die. We will obey. He is our Lord. Our Saviour. And Father. If he falls, we fall. His will, our will."

- One

The were established approximately sometime after the defeat of the  and the conclusion of the infamous  by Erik Stromlos, one of the Founders and the apparent Leader of the recently created Engelhaft Gewitter. Under the direction of Erik Stromlos and Adalinda Königin, the

Weakness
The Sturm Kavallerist had only one known weakness: Erik Stromlos.

Armor and Equipment
Only a small number of the Sturm Kavallerist possessed a Quincy Bangle in their arsenal. These ancient Quincy artifacts were reserved to those Sturm Kavallerist who unfortunately had weak Reiatsu and were unable to completely use their Quincy Abilities to its fullest. The extreme rarity of these Quincy Artifacts largely put the Bangles into disuse. To make up for the rarity and potential loss, the Engelhaft Gewitter modified the Bangles to return to Gewitter Headquarters once a Sturm Kavallerist was killed on the fields of battle.

Falsch Seele Machen (あやまち魂レンダー, Japanese for "Falsely, That Which Severs the Soul"; German for "False Soul Render"): Ancient Quincy Artifacts of Legend, the Seele Machen were limited production weapons created by the Quincy to combat the Shinigami prior to the Shinigami's Genocidal Campaign. The Seele Machen was known to be the successor to the Seele Stören and the predecessor to the Seele Schneider. Due to the extreme rarity of these weapons, the Engelhaft Gewitter created doppelganger equipment called the Falsch Seele Machen. The Falsch Seele Machen were significantly weakened versions of its forebear. However, it was easily able to go toe-to-toe with a Shinigami's Zanpakuto. Use of the Falsch Seele Machen were largely reserved for Tier 2 and 3 of the Sturm Kavallerist.

Powers and Abilities
Despite the various differences the two groups the possessed, the majority of them were fully-trained Reishi Manipulators, able to completely wield the existing spiritual energy around them for their own benefit. As a result of this trait, the Shinigami and a minority of the Engelhaft Gewitter considered them to be fully-pledged Quincy. However, the majority of their kinsmen looked down upon them as inferior examples of the Quincy, due to them being under the complete control of their creator, Erik Stromlos. Even if the were considered inferior, many maintained the belief that their incredible discipline in the face of battle and inability to flee from danger helped make them into a deadly and powerful force in their own right, able to possibly match most Quincy.

The possessed a moderate amount of knowledge and skill in the Quincy Arts, having been personally trained by Erik Stromlos himself, and by extension, Adalinda Königin whenever she had the chance. As a result, they were basic practitioners of Gintō, but they only used it whenever commanded. They regularly used Hirenkyaku as an effective means of transportation, arrogantly boasting of its overall superiority to the Shinigami's inferior Shunpō. But they were outmatched when compared to other Quincy. On more than one occasion, the were quite able to hold their own against the  of the, able to competently duel with numerous Unseated and Seated Members respectively. Tier 2 and 3, the ones who wore a different set of armor, were extremely competent wielders of the forbidden , able to single-handedly deal with Vice-Captains and Captains to a small extent. However, the were easily defeated by more experienced and powerful members of the Shinigami, as noted when Eiji Shinzui completely devastated a small group without the use of a Zanpakuto.

Spirit Weapon
"Flamethrowers. All the wield them."

- Erik Stromlos

Flammenwerfer: All Tiers of the were assigned a standardized yet somewhat elaborate Spirit Weapon specifically utilized by them. That being said, it took on the form of a highly stylized flame-thrower with a beak-like nozzle, and three handles meant to enhance handling and stability. The prowess and effectiveness of the Flammenwerfer was further enhanced with the addition of a massive container of reishi-laced Liquid Fuel such as high-pressure propane and natural gas. Many were led to believe that the container was a crucial component to the Flammenwerfer, but that was all a misconception. In fact, it was more of a convenience than a necessity; it helped quicken the rate of the fire spread. As a result, many Shinigami and Arrancar fell to the due to their general ignorance. While simple by Shinigami and Quincy standards, its effectiveness in battle was impressive to say the least, being able to completely wipe out entire Squads on their own if permitted.

The uniformity seen with the 's Spirit Weapon showed the Organization's strong unity and their apparent abandonment of individuality. While most Quincy relied on the Quincy Cross to bring about their weapon, members of the had no such need for a focus. Instead, their bodies were genetically modified to act as a focus itself, able to rely on themselves for such acts. Kojaku (弧雀, Arc Sparrow): Just like the rest of their Quincy Brethren, the also possessed a typical Bow for their personal use. But in most instances, it was not regularly seen due to the preference for the Flammenwerfer. The 's Kojaku took on the appearance of the English Longbow nearly their size. By conjecture, it could be assumed that they were at least proficient with Kojaku, seeing that they were not able to evolve their Spiritual Weapon even further.
 * Heiliges Feuer (神聖滅火の手 (ホーリーファイア), Hairihhi Faia; German for "Holy Fire", Japanese for "Sacred Destruction Flames"): The primary and most infamous component of the Flammenwerfer, the Heiliges Feuer were blue flames entirely composed of heavily condensed reishi given special properties. It was regularly known for its unique ability to scorch the very trees and sands of and the  Walls of, things that were said to not be able to burn by normal means. Heiliges Feuer had the capability to completely spread over and annihilate a Shinigami's Body in mere seconds, proving its deadly proficiency quite effectively. Members of the  used a spraying and burst method with the Heiliges Feuer, able to decimate most opponents with an arc and wave-like motion. The  were also quite knowledgeable in Heiliges Feuer Manipulation, being able to wield in a variety of ways not regularly seen.
 * Heilig Pfeil (神聖滅矢 (ハイリッヒ・ブファイル), Hairihhi Bufairu; German for "Holy Arrow", Japanese for "Destroying Arrow of Sanctity"): While the Heiliges Feuer was the primary form of attack for the Flammenwerfer, it was also able to switch to a unique Heilig Pfeil configuration. Through the collection, absorption, or gathering of ambient Reishi or Reiryoku, into the Flammenwerfer, the were able to form the spiritual energy into various constructs, which were easily capable of injuring and/or killing spiritual beings. However, the 's were unusual: they were shaped like Artillery Shells and possessed the same explosive properties of its namesake. Due to the general shape of the Flammenwerfer, use of the Heilig Pfeil Configuration was very much likened to a portable Hand Cannon, able to provide suppressing fire and deal an exponential amount of damage at the expense of a moderate rate of fire.

Trivia

 * In hindsight, the  could be seen as a reincarnation of the 's Soldat, Jagdarmee and Communication Divisions.
 * The Appearance of the Tier 3 were disturbingly similar to Reikon Kyuuban Footsoldiers. Whether this was on purpose or a mere ironic coincidence remained unknown.
 * While the Quincy were largely known for their White Colors, Tier 2 and 3 abandoned that concept in favor of Black and Red. However, Tier 1  still wore White. The jump from Light to Dark Colors has yet to be explained.

Behind the Scenes

 * The  were originally conceptualized and designed by Razeluxe91, but was further expounded upon by Another Poetic Spartan.

Literature References

 * Quincy Invasion Saga