I was passively thinking to myself while slaughtering droves of little hamster gremlins when a thought occurred to me. "These knockers look and have the same body shape as the gremlin orphans."
Some theories to back this up might include that Knockers don't belong to any clan.
They are the weakest and by far the most predictable.
There "diminutive" stature could be because of their young age.
Anyone want to add or share some thoughts?
I personaly think they are runts; although they can totally be children. I see the soft foot gremlins to be the children tho as they are smaller and less strong so it would make more sense. Either way it still makes us look bad by killing them.
If true, it's somewhat worrisome that 1) we're killing large numbers of juveniles, but also that 2) even gremlin children are conditioned to participate in warfare. Which raises the kind of grey-versus-grey morality question that I usually try to ignore.
On the other hand, there seems to be notable differences in gremlin body size. Knights (and humans for that matter) have a relatively limited spread of heights, but here we have Tenderfoot Clan gremlins being classified as the same species as the Compound 42 Incinerator. It implies they have a much larger distribution of heights, in which case Knockers could just be naturally small but fully adult gremlins. The nearest parallel I can think of is Warhammer 40000 Orks, which also come in a large number of sizes.
There's also the simple point that OOO is very unlikely to risk a media frenzy by including the option to kill children, which also points towards this simply being a size difference rather than an age difference.
I never thought we actually kill gremlins. I always thought that they spawn back to the colony like knights spawn back to haven when they give up; Darkfangs always wait for their mender before disappearing. What I think this has to do is that perhaps lower clans give up easily and don't leave bodies.
Also a noticeable difference between tribes is their fur color. Tenderfoots have a darkred fur while they continue to get more beige as they get more experience in further depths. Seerus and Razwog would be older I assume for their tan coating. Knocker fur pattern is always consistent.
But going back to what Amaki said, I wouldn't be surprised if warfare began at childhood or adolescence. It reminds me of, perhaps dare I say it, of a real world past in "Nazi Youth" trainees.
Knockers are stereotypical short little egghead researchers, who are researching minerals. Think gremlin equivalent of those geo guys, but much less trained for combat.
When we interrupt, they resort to fighting us with the only thing they have; jagged mineral samples.
This also somewhat explains a few things:
- Why they seem unfit for combat.
- Why their charge sometimes unintentionally works against them (for science! Who knew smashing two minerals together causes an explosion?)
- Why they hold the minerals with wrenches (would you hold an experimental object with your bare hands?)
As for the body shape... I have no idea, but it's worth noting a knockers' ears are half that of the orphans, and knockers' hands are notably bigger than an orphan's.
Even then though, the idea seems kinda twisted. You know, being honorable knights and all, killing creatures that aren't even trained for combat...
I always thought they were Scientist nerds like Gkku said.
I thought they were researchers who couldn't fight and had to us Wrench Wands.
I think all the children are in Emberlight or under the dictator ship of the Crimson order.
Knockers = The children/young gremlins
Menders = The runts
Thwackers = The jocks
Morts = The brutes
Stalkers = The agile/acrobatic(?)
Scorchers = The smarter(?)
Demos = The destructive(?)
...Yeah I was really grasping for those last three...
What about wolvers compared to Alphas then?
Or something more obvious, mini-jellies.
Is it only wrong on gremlins because they look more like us?
Perhaps. I mean after all these are all only theories.
I would go back to "Ironclaw soldier use pulsars" and we never see them, so I also assume Thwacker, Knockers, and Demos are only maintaing CW as we see them where they are needed.
So in a way, yes. We're more concerned about the death of sapient juveniles than we are about others.
Also, I don't think there's any debate surrounding the other species and their juveniles. Wolvers are pretty clearly just adult but not dominant animals, while Mini Jelly Cubes are really just protoplasm that's been spit out by a big jelly, which itself might not even be sentient. The only three instances where there's a possibility of a juvenile combatant that I can think of are Knockers, Silkwings (though that's a long shot), and the Mewkat (which is already lampshaded as being too peaceful and cute to destroy).
Pfft, of course they are! I have no qualms about it! >XD
All cruel joking aside, I think they really are juveniles. The look like they have the same models as the juveniles during the Winterfest.
Hmmm....What if the gremlin knockers are just gremlin orphans like the ones from Winterfest that have been kidnapped and are being forced to fight us, and we are slaughtering all these orphans that are being forced to fight?
KONY 2012 GUYS.
~Magnicth
Of course Gremlin Knockers are children! That's why when I poison them, I am forcing the Gremlin Menders to KILL THEIR CHILDREN.
They cant be children. if they were, there pretty smart children.
If you remember when they first were introduced, it said the Gremlins were using running out of soldiers and started to use the workforce.
Knockers are little architects of the clockworks. They have blow torches and small enough to get in the tightest space.
There is a physical difference between a knocker and the orphans of emberlight, the knocker's ears are stubbier than the orphan's. This can be proven by said program of spying spirals.
And I regret nothing. Should have high-tailed it to Emberlight when they had the chance.
Does anyone remember the audio sound files between knockers and orphans? Are they the same or different any?
I'm sure that would settle this debate.
Mewkats: I do not believe Mewkats are peaceful kats. I believe that they are, indeed, children. The most kat children are kept in the nest until they are matured enough to fight and kill, but Mewkats have been lost or disowned. For this reason, they do not know how to fight.
Mini Jellies: All jellies are merely protoplasmic goo, and are probably not sentient as some people have pointed out. So no, not children.
Wolvers: Alpha Wolvers are leaders of the pack. Even in our world, the leader of a wolf pack is usually distinguished. Maybe not as clearly as their similar on Cradle, but they can be identified. The others are just members of this pack.
Knockers: I believe that before the knights arrived on Cradle, the Gremlins normally divided themselves by clans or orders, and though they were all the same race, they were slightly different depending on how they lived and evolved. The clan that generally housed Knockers were smaller in stature. However, the clans banded together in their hatred for the Spirals.
These, of course, are only theories. You are free to rebut these remarks as you fancy.
I wish they'd make a Knocker Gremlin Pocket Monster. :<
Not everyone looks EXACTLY the same.
A Tender foot seems darker-furred that a DF.
They also are small as, and Emberlight kids may have different body shapes to Grand Colony breeds.
I like your idea on how there are different clans that come together Yttriu, but apart from obvious game mechanics, I wonder why they would have the weakest in the front lines closer to Haven and shallow depths. They could be weaker because they have the lease influence from the colony I suppose.
Knockers are similar in every depth, so I thought the one thing that every clan would have in common are an endless supply of young people, and not mineral researcher so to speak.
On an unrelated note, I find it fascinating that the Darkfang clan assumes control of Ironclaw Munitions Factory in the Shadow Lair variant.
I don't remember if knockers appear in the SL, but I find it equally curious as to why there are only IronClaw void gremlins in unknown passage.
Did Darkfangs come to investigate?
If emberlight kids have a different body shape they would have a different body shape in general as an adult meaning that colony gremlins would technically have stubbier ears, larger feet, and larger hands when compared to emberlight gremlins would it not? I still support the theory of Knocker being diminutive race of gremlins rather than poorly trained juvenile warriors.
Or considering that they grow into those shapes.
If they were these short dwarfs, wouldn't they be doing something less risky?
I mean, soemone said mineral scientiests, why don't they create explosive shells?
Well Gremlins have the tendency to destroy what they build through rather explosive means. That taken into account means that safety is not a priority in gremlin warfare. Take Warmaster Seerus for example: he has a rocket strapped to his back a rocket on an explosive hammer and he uses shadow damage bombs that can potentially kill him if it were to be able to. The only reason that I would find mortafires to have shields is that some gremlin suggested that it would be wise to have some protection and not get wailed on and not being able to do anything about it.
have the body of a child, Seerus has an advantage using the weapon over the knocker's battery stick.
Why do thwackers throw their thwack hammers? It doesn't hurt a whole lot even in tier 3. As for knockers are workers that are impromptu fighters. In OCH the knockers there were actually just doing normal work but were caught off guard by the Knight's invasion.
EDIT: That being said Gremlin Grounds is probably a temporary gremlin occupation for maintenance of the clockworks.
Also, considering that several of the other classes are skilled and damaging despite using makeshift weapons.
What would they be even be doing?
We know Thwackers are in decon/reconstruction, Demos demolitions, Menders reconstruction, Scorchers are mending via soldering.
I think that they're using children as Tink is insane and doesn't care about what happens to what person.
The knocker's wrench wands are probably used to weaken certain points of constructions via explosive reactions to facilitate the deconstruction of said constructions.
Hmmm..
Knockers seem to have this battle scarred expression, and much bulkier due to their clothing...
They also wear similar gear.
The vest is similar, and the sleeves may be an undershirt..
Arenas seem to be a random place where creatures are thrown randomly in for any challenger to fight and win the arena's riches. C42 Knockers caught off guard. Knockers are probably really good for large scale construction since for their small size they can get into small spaces where other larger gremlins can't.
EDIT: Yes knockers have a faint wide angled "v" expression while juvenile gremlins have a ":3" expression
EDIT EDIT: We need more people in this conversation.
But don't they sound similar?
I mean, Urchins, thwacker and Emberlight share similar apperances.
Could Knockers be slightly younger, and their ears have to grow out? Knockers are more thinner than Urchins, more fatter("Baby fat") and darker(Tender/iron are dark, DF is Tan, and Ember's washed).
So Knockers are mostly Tender.
The only true way to know is if Nick actually told us about the Knocker and Urchin confusion.
They are as much of a child as a Knight with Very short/short height modifier.
"I wonder why they would have the weakest in the front lines closer to Haven and shallow depths."
It is a common battle strategy to put your "fresh meat" in the front lines; protect the more powerful ones. Of course, this is not always the best choice and not what the Gremlins may have been going for, but it is a possibility.
Another possibility is what you have mentioned: not as much influence from the colonies. This would mean that Gremlins are very separated very much by the tier lines. Maybe stronger Knight defenses there? Regardless, in the event of a full-fledged war, this is a weakness that would make the Gremlin forces easier to pick off.
Well I think the final stressed thought is that knockers can't be juvenile or adolescent due to the negativity that would surround a game with and official enemy being a child. However it probably would have to be up to the individual player to create their own thoughts and backgrounds for the game.
I personally still think they are young gremlins based on consistent fur patterns and perhaps the aggressive society they live in.
But that's just m thoughts entirely. : >
I would have to laugh at the resemblance of the "Kony 2012" theory though. X3
This, if true, lead to some kind of Satirical meaning.
I was planning to draw Tinkinzar Making gremlin children into Knockers, but then I realized it maybe labeled as "Rule 34"
Now with select energy purchases, you too can a receive a 2* jelly band trinket to show your support. With your help and contributions we will finally be able to take Tinkinzar (whatever he looks like [or if he really exists at all]) to justice and prevent further young gremlin orphans from becoming armed soldiers!
Yes.