Introducing the Guardians of Atlas

ItanoCircus

I magine that this was a catastrophe.

Vela. Veteran. Inexperienced. Warrior. Scout. One thousand battlefields. Zero carnage. An intelligence network in its vast irreducible complexity withstood within one mind. It was once so simple. The art of war was not in the screaming warriors fighting to their last breaths on suicidal stands marked in courage, but in precision. Performance. Specialization. But where were the vast perfected armies now? Without command, who could guide precision? The analysts and scout parties within the Raptors could not be reforged. They would change. Raid. Harass. Delay. Observe.

Celesta imagines herself as the Heroine, one whose grand story is being told. Proud and strong, she believes retreating against the darkness is to invite it closer. She shunned Vela's prudence as cowardice, and takes her devoted followers into unending warfare. Mourning the losses demands retribution for the crimes that slew them, and though not born a leader Celesta will meet her unseen foes on every unknown battlefield.

Eris is probably in on the destruction of all things, or at the least welcomes the complete breakdown of social and governmental order. I imagine Eris as leading a crew of bandits, ravaging the pitiful survivors and slaying them where they stand. Her fury is unending and the only feast for her followers is blood and carnage.

Vex is the pyromancer in hiding, a shrewd businessman whose passion and appreciation of how nature can return all life to its original state guides him. Fire is the symbol of the universe. Life may grow, roar, flicker, and die. It will feast on opportunities and welcome those who can harness and respect it. While Eris will find refugees and kill them to hear their screams, Vex will make them aware of his strength and the world outside... then offer protection at a price.

Grath is a hunter. A being who despoils nature despite recognizing and obtaining its own power. While destruction's fans are flamed by some and this catastrophe is molded as the battle for good and evil, Grath couldn't care less about that. His thrill is the adventure, the chance to fight mighty opponents who can make a trophy his land can respect. Grath wants to return home with a Dredgecrawler's corpse, watch your amazed eyes, and regale you with tales of his shrewdness. A man against the entire world: That's the way he likes it.

Alder is the wandering soul of Gorok. A skilled geomancer known for peculiar mannerisms and a reputation for both remediation and mediation, he lacked aspirations. It was not arrogance with which he thought he was removed from the world. He did not care particularly for the spoils of his talents, nor desire to some high excellence. In another age and world, Alder would be an intriguing footnote in family gatherings until he was hushed off the pages of history. However, the man who thought he had nothing to search for woke quickly to a world and life that had disappeared. His formidable powers turned to war, a man of peace rebuilding what few others had considered lost... this is the new story of the wanderer.

Though it's hard to imagine, the peoples of Ometa were once unknowns. Surviving as they did in the sheets of frozen water that once marked Atlas' poles, their civil wars are thought to have kept them away from the turmoil of recent centuries. Stories of disappearing ships and units gave an aura of mystery, one that was revealed in its pride and strength to the warring factions.

Ryme, Grand Inventor of the Realm, First Order of Cryos, Captain of the Sovereign Lord's First Contingent, was to be just such a being. The mind of Ryme* was that of a thief, of an inventor, of a guile and laughing nature. He could tell the unbelievable in his own charismatic way, his deaths were always rumors that threatened to be true, and his feats were matched only by his honorifics. The many scuttled Vespid Carriers, Cryowalkers, Sentinels, outdated "Chillerman" and "Transports" that found their ways into Ryme's domain were disassembled. Repurposed. After all, there's something classy about leaving a note on Hydros' estates as his own blizzards covered his escape.

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  • For the purpose of historical brevity as it relates to this overview, Ryme's surnames and honorifics are withheld

Then our last actor stands on the stage. Hydros, the priestly guard. Its duty appears absolute, its reasoning unchallenged, its brow unperturbed. What lurks in the mind of this foremost Healer, who Poles' legend says drew insight from the waves themselves? Who garnered the favor of the Quadrupi? The waves crash and churn, the ice melts and freezes anew. In every season, there is war. Where war desires its champions, the vassals of Hydros will charge. When the icy flows broke forever, the Scuttleguard were drawn to their new homes and their leader behind them. The wall will stand forever. The tides are coming to Atlas. Hydros will guard its flock in its ceaseless duty.