u/Hot_Ability_9323

(See last Paragraph for TLDR)

In my TTRPG, WW2 is ongoing due the failure of D-Day and the German development of the Nuclear bomb. Following repeated failures, the US made superhumans to fight the German army. Unfortunately, so did the Germans. Below is the explanation of the American “Knight” program and the German response:

Cera Steel: Given its name as a misnomer to deceive Axis spies, it has no relation to ceramics and is instead made by melting down the equipment of fallen soldiers killed in battle and performing occult rituals upon it. Cera Steel is an anomalous material with extreme durability and the ability to heal through blood or “Lazarus Pits” that are created when rainfall pools upon mass graves. Oddly enough, blood of those who have undergone Lazarus treatment does not have this same effect.

Project Lazarus: The godfather project to the far more successful “Knight Program”, Project Lazarus was initially created in an effort to create medicine that could revive fallen soldiers in the battlefield.  Only 10% of the 300 initial participants would successfully be revived. No common thread could be located within these specimens beyond their indomitable will. Those successfully revived by Project Lazarus became far more resilient than their contemporaries, with wounds closing far more rapidly and any preexisting medical conditions resolved within months. Wounds on Project Lazarus patients heal so rapidly that they can reach temperatures of over 130° Fahrenheit

Further Lazarus Testing: Following the partial success of the Lazarus Serum, further research was conducted into the effects of the serum on 1000 healthy subjects and 300 subjects suffering grievous injuries. With healthy patients the serum showed a 100% fatality rate as subjects would rapidly enter fevers, the highest of which reached a temperature of 119° F before death. The longest surviving of these subjects maintained vitals for 10 hours before total organ failure. Upon injection, 18% of subjects began to scream, only being halted by the tearing of their vocal cords. The remaining 82% were rendered catatonic, though all subjects suffered mass hemorrhaging of occipital capillaries. On grievously wounded subjects the serum’s  fatality rate was reduced to 50% with those that died rendered to a similar state as healthy patients. As for the remaining 50%, mass psychosis ensued causing mass casualties as subjects tore into one another. Only 10 of the aforementioned subjects were successfully restrained and put into secure observation rooms. These 10 displayed cellular activity greater than even successful Knight aspirants. This was not without cost however, as these remaining 10 began suffering from schizophrenia adjacent symptoms paired with heightened aggression. This combination of symptoms led to them becoming increasingly unstable and a risk to all personnel involved. Against the wishes of the head researcher, Dr. Eshard Strikof, these subjects were terminated via sedation and lethal injection. Following these catastrophic failures one final experiment was authorized, the testing of the Lazarus Serum on a successful Knight aspirant. Said Knight aspirant had lost his left leg in a recent ammunition depot explosion. As such, he was volunteered for the experiment and given an injection of the Lazarus serum, despite initial concerns the Knight aspirant showed remarkable regeneration of his lost leg. Over the course of a month, the Knight had regained partial use of his leg and within 6 months he was back to full combat effectiveness.

Knight Program: Following the partial success of Project Lazarus, military research focused on turning these successful aspirants into machines of war. Arming them with premier Cera Steel armor and granting them dedicated pathfinder companions. Knight aspirants were also given surgical augmentation, with Cera Steel supports grafted to their skeletons and multiple otherwise lethal stimulants and steroids being injected into their muscular tissues. Knight aspirants would see many side effects to their augmentation however. When in calm or tranquil locations for extended periods, Knights undergo rapid degradation. While the cause of this degradation has no official listed cause, leading theory suggests that something about the Lazarus treatments requires constant conflict to “invigorate” cells into function. Knight aspirants also tend to suffer from sensory overload, leading to many requiring hearing protection and visual restrictions at all times. Roughly 3/4 of knight aspirants end up mute after Lazarus treatment, with no apparent cause or trend amongst the affected.

Stürmjager Program

The Nazi Response To The Success Of The Knight Program, The Stürmjaeger Program Sought To Create Soldiers That Could Rival The Strength Of This New Threat. Despite Lacking The Means To Produce Cera Steel Themselves, Fallen Knights Have Provided A Meager Supply Of Cera Steel. Despite This Minor Success, Both The Lazarus Research And Cera Steel Production Remained Outside Nazi Capabilities. Due To These Deficiencies Nazi Scientists Developed Cera Steel Alloying Which Produced Metals That Lacked Cera Steel’s Regenerative Qualities, But Maintained Its Immense Durability.

Still Lacking The Means To Replicate Lazarus Serum, Nazi Scientists Delved Into The Occult. This Research Bore Fruit In The Creation Of The Feuerblut. Though It Is Currently Unknown How These Soldiers Are Created, Their Scarcity On The Battlefield Attests To Their Immense Cost. While Stronger Than The Average Knight, Feuerblut Suffer From Extremely Impaired Cognitive Abilities. Most Feuerblut Can Only Follow Simple Commands And Lack The Ability To Read Or Speak. While Many Different Types Of Feuerblut Exist, German Command Regards Them All As Stürmjagers Due To Their Inherent Draw To Bloodshed.

Out Of All Feurblut, One Strikes Fear Far More Than Any Other, Stahlgeist. While Not Much Is Known About Stahlgeist, What Is Known Is That His Armor Is Made Of The Dog Tags Of Hundreds Of Fallen Allied Soldiers, Forming A Rudimentary Scale Mail That Chimes In The Wind As He Hunts His Prey.