The Sphinx

**The Sphinx** are a highly elite Resistance Group believed to be comprised of survivors of the Night Warriors. They were believed to be formed shortly after the fall of the Night Warriors, and since then they have become legend amongst the Resistance Groups. The Sphinx strike like lightning and escape, their plan executed flawlessly against opponents several times their strength. Despite their reputation and great feats, the Sphinx is notoriously hard to contact.

## History

The Sphinx were first reported in the later days of 2034 as Atlas recovered from the Battle of the Blasted Valley. Believed to initially be an offshoot comprised of weaker Night Warriors that weren't present during the Battle of the Blasted Valley, the Sphinx quickly dispelled all rumors and became legends amongst the Resistance through their decisive action and brilliant tactics. Security Commander Michael Crow reclassified them from a minor annoyance to a genuine problem in January of 2035.

### Prison Camp TX15

Prison Camp TX15 was a penal facility where those accused of treason against the Atlas Coalition helped to manufacture weaponry for the Atlas Defense Force. In particular, this camp had been a focal point after a group of Night Warriors had previously attempted a raid on the camp only to be defeated and arrested. As a result of the failed attempt, the Atlas Coalition launched the Perimeter Protocol. When a criminal in Atlas is arrested, they have a device surgically implanted in their back that acts as a tracker and explosive. Essentially, Atlas had the power to instantly kill any prisoner. The Uprising learnt this the hard way when they liberated Prison Camp AZ23 only to have the prisoners all die one by one as their bodies were blown in half by the blast. As a result, the Prison Camps were left alone... Until the Sphinx arrived.

In 2035, the Sphinx launched a brilliant assault upon Camp TX15, outmatching and outmanoeuvring the Atlas Security Force easily. As the regional officer in Houston learnt of the attack and authorized liquidation of the prisoners there, the Sphinx revealed their ace-in-the-hole to the prisoners. They'd bought a portable EMP. As a result, they were able to deactivate the devices and escape. The Sphinx later dropped the prisoners off with The Uprising and the Adamantine Guard, the devices removed and reverse-engineered into specialized transmitters so that the groups could block the detonation signal. The Sphinx had done the unbelievable, beaten the Coalition's trump card and restored hope to the Resistance.

### The Last Stand of the Dauntless Three

In 2037, Adamantine Guard leader Diego Torres was arrested alongside his inner circle in the Guard in a shock raid. Quickly sentenced to death, Torres and his comrades were done for. But on the night before their execution, the Sphinx performed a miracle.

Breaking into the prison, all ten members of the Sphinx launched a daring rescue to save the Adamantine Guard leader and his comrades. They were able to secure the Guardsmen without much issue, but ran into trouble during their own escape. The Atlas Coalition located their safehouse and surrounded them, bringing along aircraft and anti-air weaponry to dissuade any hope of escape. Though all seemed lost, the Sphinx member known only as 'Horus' came up with a plan to escape the Coalition, though with a heavy cost. While Horus volunteered to go, they were overruled by a group that would later become known as the Dauntless Three. These three heroes of the Sphinx knew that the mission was a one-way trip for Horus and volunteered to go in their place.

From the base, the rest of the Sphinx and the Guard opened fire on the Atlas Forces whilst the Dauntless Three snuck out and moved towards the AA weaponry. Taking control of the weapons, they shot down the Coalition's air support allowing the rest of the Sphinx and the Guard to escape through the helicopter that the Sphinx had stashed previously. The Dauntless Three then fought a brutal final stand for the next two hours as the Coalition arrived en masse to eradicate the Three. They were eventually pushed back into the safehouse as soldiers swarmed over the area. Eventually, Security Commander Michael Crow himself turned his attention to the situation and ordered an Iron Angel sweep. One by one, the Dauntless Three fell as the Iron Angels swarmed the safehouse. Eventually, only the one known as 'Anubis' was left of the three. Anubis felled 4 Iron Angels in melee combat before finally falling, being brutally skewered by Shock Spears. With their last dying breath they hissed over their commlink. *"It's been an honour, everyone. I'll see you all on the other si-"* - Anubis, 2037.

The Dauntless Three were later celebrated as heroes by the Adamantine Guard, and stories of their last stand spread throughout the Coalition. As per their wishes, their faces and identities were never known to the world, and Atlas was not one to openly identify those who had been martyred by Coalition Forces.

## The Sphinx

The Sphinx is always made up of ten members. They take their names from Egyptian Deities, and seem to be some of the most powerful warriors the Resistance can bring to bear. They never reveal their identities and only recruit new members through insanely complex riddles that so far Atlas has been unable to crack. The appearance of such a riddle is usually sobering for the Resistance as a whole as it implies that a member of the Sphinx has fallen.

**Osiris**

* The leader of the Sphinx is the legendary sniper Osiris. He is said to have once felled an Iron Angel by shooting his Laser Sniper Rifle at a car mirror and reflecting the beam into a minute weak point on its back.

**Horus**

* The tactician Horus is the Sphinx's Field Commander and Osiris' Second-in-Command. Horus is rumored to be an unparalleled close-quarters combatant, though not much else is known of the shadowy tactician.

**Anubis**

* Anubis was the heavy hitter of the Sphinx, confirmed by Osiris as being a Cyborg. Anubis gave their life in 2037 to save Diego Torres. Anubis was one of the Dauntless Three.

**Set**

* The genius engineer Set is the mastermind behind the Sphinx's ordinance, in particular their EMP technology and the lifesaving transmitters that stopped the Perimeter Protocol.

**Hathor**

* Hathor was the Sphinx's medic, and saved countless lives when she removed the Perimeter Protocol explosives from the victims. Hathor is one of the only members of the Sphinx asides from Osiris to have had any details about themselves revealed. Hathor was one of the Dauntless Three.

**Thoth**

* Thoth was one of the Sphinx's frontline combatants and a gifted tactician in their own. They were instrumental in rescuing Diego Torres. Thoth was one of the Dauntless Three.

**Sekhmet**

* Sekhmet is one of the Sphinx's ground soldiers and a newer addition to the group. It is unknown if Sekhmet was brought in before or after the final stand of the Dauntless Three.