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The Ioricatus: Deriving from the word for armoured in Latin, the Ioricatus is an incredible amalgamation of the power of steam, steel and the blessings of the Machine God. In essence, it is a full suit of plate armour that completely shields the bearer from most harm, but it is far more than a typical suit. The Ioricatus is simply massive: it stands 7’8” in height, as well as possessing a width the size of half its height – more if you include the dimensions of the pauldrons – and weighs in at 2.7 metric tonnes. The main bulk of the Ioricatus consists of three parts – the armour plates, its two boilers and its system of pistons and gears. Through the user of a pair of boilers, water is boiled into steam which in turn powers the pistons, gears and what-not, which gives birth to the true marvel of the Ioricatus – it is designed to be piloted by man.

The most obvious bulk that the Ioricatus possesses are the layers of thick steel that have been welded and riveted together, forming an extremely durable cask for the occupant. The plates are thick and usually are of angular design, though curvatures on sections where it is more natural to have them can be found. The enormous cuirass is mostly curved, though the front tapers off into a wedge, which angles up slightly at the top (though not so much as to obscure the view of the occupant). On each side of the upper part of the wedge are circular vents, which release any excess steam. Below the vents on both sides are etchings of large cogs. Helmets of various designs are worn atop the breastplate, usually formed of segmented parts that can retract and come together at the whim of the user instead of having to worry about plucking them off by hand. In the rear of the cuirass, built where the shoulder blades would be, are a pair of black boilers, which are positioned vertically and have half of their structure sticking out of the armour. Riveted shut tightly, they are only perforated in the middle by thick, hole-perforated smoke stacks that are coloured to match the sheen of the primary armour plates. Arranged symmetrically down the spine are three circular emergency vents, with two other emergency vents placed below the boilers. The inside of the cuirass is padded with heat-resistant padding, which helps protect the occupant from the scalding heat that the steam produces. Due to the size of the suit, the occupant does not fit fully into the suit, but instead manipulates the arms and legs via extended controls built within the vambraces and greaves, which mimic human movements. Inside and below the helmet are numerous gauges to measure different aspects of the Ioricatus. Further down and about the inner cuirass are multiple small levers and valves used to regulate the functions of the Ioricatus, which can be accessed by pulling the arms out of the vambraces and utilizing them; due to the limited visibility, an Ioricatus wearer must memorize the numerous functions of such apparate, as they would not be able to see them at all while wearing the suit.

The pauldrons of the Ioricatus are shaped similarly to half a cone on its side that has had the tip of it cut off, essentially forming a thick, curved rectangular armoured plate that is large at the base and shrinks at the other end. Upon the pauldrons are rectangular vents, which are the second set of the primary steam vents. Riveted to the pauldrons are an even thicker layer of trimmings, usually painted something to fit the primary colours of the Ioricatus (red trimmings for bronze, gold trimmings for silver). The pauldrons are not connected to the cuirass, but are instead attached to the vambraces, which allows full arm movement without any restrictions from the large pauldrons. The vambraces are straightforward and bulky, though they possess a few notable qualities – for one, a small bit of the arm’s primary pistons can be seen partially sticking out of the arch of the elbows. Another quality is the difference between the styles of gauntlets between Ioricatus, which tend to be all rather large regardless. The digits of the gauntlets tend not to be the most dexterous of things, due to their thickness and size, but they and the wrist movements of the gauntlet allow as much skill in wielding a Warblade as any other entity would be able to.

Wrapped around the waist of the Ioricatus is a large chain, which holds up two articles of flame-retardant clothing: a frontal tabard and a back mantle. The front tabard fits neatly in front and between the legs, possessing a length to hover just over the ground if the Ioricatus were to hunch down. The primary color depends on the Ioricatus, but the tabard always depicts three things – the Ioricatus wearer’s personal heraldry, their personal accomplishments and the crest of the Mechanicum. The rear mantle covers the entire back waist of the Ioricatus and possesses the same length as the front tabard. It is noted for essentially being a true work of art – the mantles are actual cloth paintings of the bearer’s greatest accomplishments whilst utilizing the Ioricatus. Such mantles are always different and are simply beautiful in their depictions.

The greaves of the Ioricatus are thick, bulky and are very similar to the vambraces, such as possessing partially-exposed pistons on the undersides of the knees. The shin guards extend past the knee joint and are trimmed similarly to the pauldrons. In the exposed parts of the Ioricatus, which would reveal all sorts of pipes, pistons and gears, layers of blackened chain mail are used to cover them, adding a small layer of further protection to the machine.

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