History Characters / FromTheDepths

* DifficultySpike: [[{{Pun}} Literally!]] The polar opposite of the Onyx Watch, they can easily [[FragileSpeedster outrun your ships]] and [[GlassCannon tear them to flotsam]] if you can't keep them at bay.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Many of their vehicles use paddlewheels rather than propellers for propulsion.

* SpikesOfDoom: Their most distinctive aesthetic trait. They do not believe in curves (unless they are used to make buzzsaws). The ''Valkyrie'', ''Veles'', ''Wrecker'', and ''Zealot'' take this [[UpToEleven even further]]; [[TheSpiny every surface is covered by ramming spikes]], even parts that logically wouldn't make contact with other ships. Even their houses are covered in decorative spikes.

* FrickinLaserBeams: The Twin Guard is the first faction to take energy weapons seriously, although they don't use them nearly as much as the [[BeamSpam Lightning Hoods]].

** Although this does get [[Lampshading a nod]] in the description of the ''Megalodon'' mentioning "a guy in a robot suit" attacking the Steel Striders who deploy said vessel

** The ''Megalodon'' and ''Thresher Shark'' both use science fiction designs with low silhouettes, the former being a super-battleship even bigger and more heavily armed than the ''Thyr'' and the latter a smaller ship with a pair of huge raliguns and a massive laser anti-munitions system and several missiles.

* TheDreaded: Entering their territory, willingly or not, is suicidal, as they respond to any intruders with [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill giant airships and equally giant guns]].

* NukeEm: One of the few factions with nuclear missiles, launched from ''Polaris'' launch vehicles or stationary silos. [[AwesomeButImpractical Unfortunately, they're exclusively land-based, and they aren't actually missiles]][[note]]they're really missile-shaped kamikaze drones[[/note]], [[AwesomeButImpractical so they can be shot down by conventional anti-air weapons.]]

** Every single one of their land vehicles except for the ''Marabunta''.

* APirate400YearsTooLate: In addition to the ''Volley'' starting ship, capturing enough Deepwater Guard or Onyx Watch ships will likely turn the player into one of these.

* TheAestheticsOfTechnology: The Deepwater Guard is a ragtag band of seasteaders and pirates, and it shows. Most of their ships are made of unpainted wood with metal reinforcements, powered by sails, paddlewheels, propellers, or any combination of the three. They include everything from tiny go-fast boats like the ''Coyote'' or ''Javelin'', somewhat modern designs like the ''Pilferer'' and ''Ransack'', {{Franchise/Final Fantasy}}-style airships like the ''Atlas'' or ''Moray'', and just plain silly designs like the ''Patchwork'' (a bunch of other navies' scrap welded together) and the ''Cockatrice'' (a chicken-shaped airship).

* ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines: While they do have several conventional aircraft, others are just bizarre. The ''Monkey Barrel'' helicopter flies using a [[Creator/LeonardoDaVinci da-Vinci]]-like "air screw", the ''Cockatrice'' and ''Angry Chicken'' are chicken-themed airships, and the ''Casket Bolt'' and ''Coffin Nail'' "helicopters" are closer to low-altitude satellites than anything.

* TheAestheticsOfTechnology: The Onyx Watch is cleanly divided into a "Trade Fleet" and "Combat Fleet". The Trade Fleet uses pre-industrial sailing ships loaded with small cannon, while the Combat Fleet uses ironclads with huge guns and castle-like turrets. Both of them generally avoid modern conveniences and focus on raw firepower and durability.

* BigBadassRig: The ''Desert Boa'' carries a pair of powerful guns in its trailer, and the truck itself has ramming spikes on the front bumper. Patch 1.96 added a much larger one, the ''Tremor'', which comes pre-packaged with several Copperhead motorcycles.

* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: The ''Pendragon'' was a jet-powered dragon-shaped airship, complete with "[[BreathWeapon missile breath]]" and guns for talons. Sadly removed as of patch 1.96.

* TheAestheticsOfTechnology: The Deepwater Guard is a ragtag band of seasteaders and pirates, and it shows. Most of their ships are made of unpainted wood with metal reinforcements, powered by sails, paddlewheels, propellers, or any combination of the three. They include everything from tiny go-fast boats like the ''Coyote'' or ''Javelin'', somewhat modern designs like the ''Pilferer'' and ''Ransack'', Final Fantasy-style airships like the ''Atlas'' or ''Moray'', and just plain silly designs like the ''Patchwork'' (a bunch of other navies' scrap welded together) and the ''Cockatrice'' (a chicken-shaped airship).

* ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines: While they do have several conventional aircraft, others are just bizarre. The ''Monkey Barrel'' helicopter flies using a da-Vinci-like "air screw", the ''Cockatrice'' and ''Pendragon'' are animal-themed airships, and the ''Casket Bolt'' and ''Coffin Nail'' "helicopters" are closer to low-altitude satellites than anything.

* ComputerVirus: The Lightning Hoods' first great success againt the Twin Guard involved infecting the TG's Eros AI with a "Paylogen X Virus". It didn't outright kill her, but it did screw up her programming and turned her into the drone-spamming machine she is today.

* {{Expy}}: The ''Caspian'' is a laser-armed version of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea_Monster Caspian Sea Monster]], an experimental Soviet ground-effect vehicle tested on the Caspian Sea during the Cold War.

* NukeEm: One of the few factions with nuclear missiles, launched from ''Polaris'' launch vehicles or stationary silos. [[AwesomeButImpractical (Un)fortunately, they're solely land-based, and they aren't actually missiles]][[note]]they're really missile-shaped kamikaze drones[[/note]], [[AwesomeButImpractical so they can be shot down by conventional anti-air weapons.]]

* TheDreaded: Entering their territory, be it willingly or not, is considered outright suicidal, as they respond to ANY intruders with [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill giant ships that carry equally giant guns.]]

* AcePilot: They don't have the sheer aerial firepower of the Grey Talons or Scarlet Dawn, but their jet fighters, attack helicopters, and strategic bombers can handle just about anything. In addition, the ''Damascus'' offshore installation has a runway that spawns planes.

* BoringButPractical: The Steel Striders aren't the types to spend taxpayer money on fancy lasers or giant airships when guns and missiles will do the job just as well. It doesn't help that the Lightning Hoods and their White Flayer allies sank or stole their most advanced technology.

* FutureCopter: With the [[LongList Cinder, Dromaeo, Hydra, Icarus, Manatee, and Reaper]], the Steel Striders actually have more [[FutureCopter Future Copters]] than conventional helicopters.

* PointDefenseless: The Deepwater Guard's ships don't always have close-in weapons systems, and none of them have Laser Anti-Missile Systems, making them cripplingly weak to missile spam.

* TheAestheticsOfTechnology: The Deepwater Guard is a ragtag band of seasteaders and pirates, and it shows. Most of their ships are made of unpainted wood with metal reinforcements, powered by sails, paddlewheels, propellers or any combination of the three. They include everything from tiny go-fast boats like the ''Coyote'' or ''Javelin'', somewhat modern designs like the ''Pilferer'' and ''Ransack'', Final Fantasy-style airships like the ''Atlas'' or ''Moray'', and just plain silly designs like the ''Patchwork'' (a bunch of other navies' scrap welded together) and the ''Cockatrice'' (a chicken-shaped airship).

* WoodenShipsAndIronMen: The Trade Fleet sub-faction has this doctrine and aesthetic, with sailing ships of all rates armed with numerous small cannon. They are faster and more fuel-efficient than the Combat Fleet, at the expense of armor and firepower.

** However, Eros didn't take the Lightning Hood's virus too well, and began [[AIIsACrapshoot cranking out aggressive micro drones far beyond established protocols]].

* HumongousMecha: The ''Greataxe'', ''Hobgoblin'', and ''Extinction'' are bizarre flying mecha that defy all other description.

** When they first came to Neter, they greatly underestimated the planet's weather and terrain, causing them to lose some of their colony ships in the atmosphere.
** When they finally landed a century or so before the events of the main game, the Steel Striders[[note]]then still the Steel Empire[[/note]] and the Grey Talons fended them off, albeit after 50 years of war.

* KillSat: The ''Archangel'' is armed with a [[MeaningfulName "halo"]] of [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], the ''[[FunWithAcronyms OCPLAC]]''[[note]]Orbital Chemically-Powered Linear Accelerator Cannon[[/note]] has a [[MagneticWeapons railgun]], and the ''Palladium'' carries [[BeamSpam several]] [[WaveMotionGun powerful lasers]].

* CorruptChurch: Not only is the Church of the Flayed God a ReligionOfEvil, it's also crooked. Its priests are mostly in it for the power and plunder, and let the fanatics do they dirty work while they reap the benefits.

* BigBadassRig: Oddly enough, they have one in their arsenal, called the Desert Boa. The trailer carries a pair of powerful guns, and the truck itself has ramming spikes on the front bumper.
* CoolBike: The Copperhead is another oddity in their land "fleet". It has an uncanny resemblance to the [[VideoGame/MachRider Mach Bike]].

* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: The ''Pendragon'' is a jet-powered dragon-shaped airship, complete with "[[BreathWeapon missile breath]]" and guns for talons.

* PointDefenseless: The Deepwater Guard's ships don't always have close-in weapons systems, and none of them have Laser Anti-Munition Systems, making them cripplingly weak to missile spam.
* SkyPirates: Someone's got to build and use all those airships, after all. The Mad Skylord Sveno is particularly infamous for his air force.

* CripplingOverspecialization: They almost exclusively use surface ships with [[{{BFG}} big guns]], [[MoreDakka lots of guns]], or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs lots of big guns]]. They rarely use missiles, they only have one aircraft (the Eyrie airship), and they don't believe in submarines or helicopters.
* FixedForwardFacingWeapon: The ''Catapult'' mounts a disproportionately large four-barreled CRAM cannon, but can't aim it horizontally without turning the entire ship around.

* HumanSacrifice: What else would buildings like the Grinder, Sacrificer, and Sinners' Pit be used for? The ''Charon'' also has a sacrificial grinder at the stern.

* NukeEm: One of the few factions with nuclear missiles. [[AwesomeButImpractical (Un)fortunately, they're on land-based installations, and they aren't actually missiles]][[note]]they're really missile-shaped kamikaze drones[[/note]], [[AwesomeButImpractical so they can be shot down by conventional anti-air weapons.]]

* DeathFromAbove: Their M.O, with enormous guns, missile volleys, and whatever they can fit on their flying war machines. You'll need some powerful AntiAir weapons to even touch them.

The remnants of a militaristic alien civilization that attempted to colonize Neter.

** The ''Norge'' is an all-gun [[WorldWar2 World War II]]-style battleship.

* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: The Pendragon is a jet-powered dragon-shaped airship, complete with "[[BreathWeapon missile breath]]" and guns for talons.

* InstantAIJustAddWater: Eros gained self-awareness after its AI core was damaged by "lithobraking" (crashing) due to a [[TurbineBleander seagull stuck in its main turbine]].
* KillSat: The Seraph is an odd example. It's composed of six gun pods orbiting a central command pod, and while it doesn't fly high enough to qualify as a full-blown satellite, it fulfills the same "untouchable artillery" role.

* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: Eros was initially designed as an automated factory ship. Not only did she become sapient due to broken code (and a clumsy crash landing), she also communicated with the other factory ship, Thanatos, and inspired it to become self-aware as well.

* InstantAIJustAddWater: Eros gained self-awareness after its AI core was damaged by "lithobraking" (crashing) due to a seagull stuck in its main turbine.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: The aquatic ''Wasp Nest'' and flying ''Hornet Nest'' are armed with large missile arrays, and they are spawned from the ''Nest of Bees'' and ''Swarm of Bees'' motherships (which are themselves armed with missiles). Hope you have Laser Anti-Munition Systems handy!

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Inara Ventarius, head of the Ouroborus Defense Group, is Doge[[note]]an Italian term comparable to "duke"[[/note]] of the Magistrate and the Lightning Hoods' ''de facto'' leader.

* Expy: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-22_Raptor Raptor]] fighter and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit Spirit]] stealth bomber are near-carbon copies of their real-world counterparts, and the Iceberg Logistics Hub bears an uncanny resemblance to the Allied Nations' Shipyard in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3''.
* FutureCopter: With the [[LongList Cinder, Dromaeo, Hydra, Icarus, Manatee, and Reaper]], the Steel Striders actually have more [[FutureCopter FutureCopters]] than conventional helicopters.

* NukeEm: One of the few factions with nuclear missiles. [[AwesomeButImpractical (Un)fortunately, they're on land-based installations, and they aren't actually missiles]][[note]]actually missile-shaped kamikaze drones[[/note]],[[AwesomeButImpractical so they can be shot down by conventional anti-air weapons.]]

* DeathFromAbove: Their M.O, with enormous guns, missile volleys, and whatever they can fit on their flying war machines. You'll need some truly powerful AntiAir weapons to even touch them.

* AcePilot: They don't have the sheer aerial firepower of the Grey Talons or Scarlet Dawn, but their jet fighters, attack helicopters, and strategic bombers can handle just about anything. In addition, the Damascus offshore installation has a runway that spawns planes.
* TheAlcatraz: Limbo is an offshore "long-term detention facility" with four [[MagneticWeapons railguns]] on the roof and sentry guns on the inside. There are no visible inmates, but then again there are no visible people in the game at all.

* [[FloatingContinent FloatingCity]]: The Grey Talons spend their entire lives in the sky, with their houses and hydroponic gardens held aloft by turbines.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: A weird example. While their backstory suggests they're human (or Neter's equivalent), they use the standard "robot with a [[BrainInAJar brain-in-a-jar]]" avatar as in the vehicle designer and campaign modes.

* InvisibleParents: The player's parents are definitely alive (and repairing the ''Wanderlust'' during the "Muddy Waters" tutorial mission) but are never seen in person.

* [[UniversalDriversLicense Universal Pilot's License]]: The player can control ''anything'' with a control panel. Anything from battleships to X-planes is fair game.