Artificer

Artificers are a breed of Hyla designed to cheaply assemble common components for use in engineering and repairing hardware like weapons, armor and mods.

Appearance
Only the most docile and intelligent Hyla were allowed to breed when the Consortium domesticated the troll-like race. As a result they are skinny but maintain the greatest leaping ability of the three Hyla breeds.

Their long ears lay limp along the sides of their head, in contrast to the pointed, dolbermann-like ears of the Mum'luk.

History and Overview
When first discovered the Hyla were talented artisans, weaving everything from baskets and clothing to their habitat - a city of spliced trees, woven together to form pods for shelter and a regular (now defunct) mating ritual.

The weaving still continues presently as seen in the Hyla in-battle armor - woven bands of carbon and magnetically activated jellies are utilized in-lieu of the intellect (INT) demanding EXO armor of the cerebrally superior human, Albinid and Khor.

The Consortium sought to optimize this hand-eye coordination during the selective breeding process. They mated the most intelligent and docile - the natural omega to the Mam'luk alpha - to generate the desired breed of assemblers. A new third-world laborer was born. Artificers were tasked with the creation of common components for the advanced technology of the humans.

The irony of their inbred intelligence is that it provided the Artificer with the know-how to reverse engineer the components they were designed to assemble. Within a few generations the Artificers - armed with their own bootleg armor and weaponry - led the revolution against the Consortium and instilled their own economic system.

Economic Role
As communists, the Hyla must meet certain requirements per week to be eligible for their weekly stipend. Artificers use publicly pooled funds to purchase raw materials from the Consortium/Khor regime. They convert these raw materials into components for sale in the marketplace.

This process is overseen by the Hyla's democratic government. The government recognizes supply and commissions the assembly of any needed components. Artificers claim these jobs, acquire materials and manufacture these components. Once assembled the Hyla upload these components into the component collective. This collective is run by the Hyla government officials and is designed to control costs by controlling supply.

Mechanical engineers will purchase these components to manufacture and repair hardware. The component market is so valuable the Artificers do not need any other occupation, but may choose to be mechanical engineers. With their limited intellect they can only develop lower-tier hardware for personal use. Their weaponry is typically external due to their low intellect levels.