"We were meant for each other, you and I. We were both born to fight!"
Lady Harken is the newest of the Quarter Knights, and an enigmatic Metal Demon even among her peers. She first appeared in the wake of Arctica's collapse, and quickly endeared herself to Mother and her servants with a combination of cold ruthlessness and incomparable fighting skill. A master of multiple peculiar martial styles, Harken reaves her foes with the unwieldy dread scythe 'Azrael' for sport, despite the impracticality of such a design. She is a fearsome individual, made all the more intimidating by her unwavering devotion to the Hyadean cause, and her opinion of humans as a curiosity to be played with before they're all exterminated.
Harken is a monstrously tall being of living metal whose every cell is designed for the sole purpose of high-speed pursuit and execution of high-value targets; has mastered every form of hand-to-hand combat the Photosphere trains its recruits in, and wields a farming implement whose imagery is associated with Death because it terrifies her victims more before they die. There are only so many ways to say this: Harken is inexplicably fast, monstrously strong, and once got shot in the head by a Federation phase pistol without dying.
'Azrael', the scythe, is more than just a kooky piece of imagery. The entire thing is a black box of inscrutable functions, the blade concocted from some alloy deep in Alhazred's workshop which is better left unspoken of. It can also channel some kind of terrible energy field, and the premise of a beam-scythe would be fundamentally ridiculous if it didn't regularly result in bisected Gears.
Berserk: Harken cannot stand Berserk's graceless style of fighting or his lack of subtlety. It makes her skin crawl. She wants to beat him senseless to prove her point, but here's the rub: she can't. He is invincible and stronger than her. And she respects that.
Alhazred: Harken cannot stand Alhazred's breathy way of speaking or his obsessive way of thinking. He makes her sick. He is so Alien as to be unrecognizable even as a Hyadean, hiding behind robes and a mask like one too weak to fight. But here's the rub: his machines and technologies make possible a war against the entire planet when resources have run skint. His mastery over Hyadean biology draws her back from the brink of death when she goes too far, and keeps her from losing control to her bloodlust. For that, he is useful. Respect optional.
Siegfried: Arguably the only Metal Demon that Harken respects with no condition attached. Siegfried can beat her in a fight without relying on being too dense to land a blow on, and has somehow kept the arguing factions of the Photosphere united in the face of overwhelming odds. He trusts her to get results with no micromanagement. That engenders loyalty, even in rebellious souls.
Hyadeans
Riesenlied: Harken's greatest failure. Riesenlied should have been the one to manage whatever era of (relative) peace awaits the Demons' after their conquest, but was corrupted by the silver-tongued Guardians. Now, she must die or be brought to heel.
Noeline: Temptress. Harlot. Seducer. A mistake that should have been returned to the resource pools, a lover of Humans who defected and took Riesenlied with her.
Zed: An irritation, but not without its uses. Zed thinks himself entirely too human, but infiltrates their society with such ease. Harken tolerates and does not yell at him too readily. Heaven help him if his loyalties ever change.
Kalve: Harken has repeatedly taunted Alhazred that Kalve is going to replace him someday because he is uniquely brilliant, resourceful, and loyal without being a "fucking creep".
Yarobeleedt: Yaro always seems to elude Harken's gaze. She can't figure out why: she's not ``mad`` at him, even if he is disgusting and distasteful.
Fenrir: Impetuous. Angry. Untamed. Tsundere. These are very endearing qualities, but being endeared to Harken is a dangerous proposition.
Humans
All Humans are pathetic irritants, but some of them are uniquely interesting. If you have been attacked by Harken and did not instantly die, you are on this list.
