Revenants of Black Watch

## The Revenants of Black Watch

CREDO IN VERITAS

> *"Once again, the harshness of our reality brandishes us a test -- a trial that we must overcome, not just for our sake but for the sake of our world's existence. I will not stand idle." - The High Lord of the Third Chapter.*
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**The Revenants of Black Watch**, more commonly known as just the **Black Watch** is a peacekeeping, paramilitary force dedicated to protecting humanity from otherworldly threats (such as the Grimm), and maintaining world order to prevent the appearance of further calamities.

## Purpose of the Black Watch

> *"No man should have the power of a God, and no God should have power over man. We are puppets no longer." - The First Voice of the Watch (c. 1291)*
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Upon their conception and the early years of their operation, the Black Watch was a division within the now defunct Iron Cross dedicated to Nox hunting and enforcing the harsh persecution of Void Walkers. After opening a line of communication with a representative of the Nox -- the Nox Domini **Excalibur** -- the Black Watch faced a grave revelation that shook their organization to the core. The Gods and/or "God" many worshipped indeed existed, but were not beings that loved nor cared for humanity, and were instead seen as meek subjects of a greater experiment. They were also educated on The Void itself, a primordial being dedicated to balancing the scale of power from humanity's reality and counteracting the nigh limitless power of the Gods.

This revelation would shift the ideological standpoint of the Watch, turning them from god-fearing men into men who would not let humanity be trampled by the otherworldly for as long as they could help it. This ideology remains in practice even today with the rule of the Third Chapter, and is thus responsible for their current purpose. They are dedicated to the preservation and protection of humanity by any means necessary -- willingly fighting against the dark forces of Nox who surge forth in retaliation for humanity's transgressions while at the same time putting down those who would upheave this balance. There is no God, Nox, demon, human or alien the Watch will not stand against if it means preserving the human race.

## Hierarchy of the Watch

While the Watch is a vast paramilitary organization that has a presence seen and felt across the entire solar system, they do not have a completely unique rank system for their military forces, and instead borrow some aspects of their hierarchy system from the United States Military. As it stands, the Watch categorizes many units under an umbrella term to better simplify operations (i.e the ranks Private, Corporal, and Sergeant and their respective grades are lumped into "Men-At-Arms".) However, specific rank is utilized when necessary, such as when denoting or exhibiting authority and in more intricate operation planning. This system is mainly utilized due to how big the Watch is, as maintaining a complicated and uniform hierarchy system across all legions is difficult. It is not uncommon for certain legions to have completely different ranks from another, and even ranks that do not adhere to any standard military organization present. Ranks completely unique to the Watch and the general umbrella terms they utilize across the organization are as follows:

###### *Armed Forces of the Watch*

* **Initiate** - A soldier bearing this rank has yet to finish their training and has not yet been allocated to a legion.

* **Watchman** - A soldier bearing this rank is now a fully fledged member of the Watch and have recently begun their service.

* **Man-At-Arms** - An umbrella term referring to a multitude of ranks, from Private to Sergeant. The Men-At-Arms fill a wide range of roles in each legion, from engineers to combat medics.

* **Centurions** - An umbrella term referring to non-commissioned officer ranks. They function as veteran Men-At-Arms and take charge in accordance to directives from commissioned officers.

* **Knights** - An umbrella term referring to commissioned officer ranks. This, along with Centurions, is where most of the issues with uniform military ranks arise. Not every legion is big enough to accomodate every rank, and some legions are big enough that they must utilize more than what is standard. That said, generally speaking Knights refers to a Captain's personal retinue of advisors and subordinate officers.

**Captains of The Black Watch** - Designated commanders of an individual legion and the men who make up the Watch's high military command. To be a Captain is to have complete authority over the men under your command and to be responsible for inter-legion communications. To gain the rank of Captain is to have exhibited exemplary service to the Watch and to have gained not just the respect and admiration of your subordinates, but also the Council of Revenants and the High Lord.

**Voice of The Watch** - The Voice of the Watch is the representative of the military in legal proceedings and council meetings where the military command in it's entirety must be present. In these types of engagements, the Voice of the Watch will analyze the stances the other captains may have on a matter and will support the most popular stance in these kind of discussions. In situations where the military feels they are being misutilized, The Voice of the Watch is the one expected to relay this to the Council of Revenants or the High Lord.

## The High Lord and the Council of Revenants

The High Lord is the absolute leader of the Watch and is held directly responsible for upholding the ideals of the Watch and the truth dictated in the **Lexicon of Truth**. Such individuals are deemed extremely powerful in regards to influence and authority, but it is only recently that a High Lord has ascended to their role while also being a Super. All legions within the Watch answer to the call of the High Lord, and his decrees and orders supersede that of any other official within the organization with the exception of the Council of Revenants.

Because of the extreme power that comes with the title, the Council of Revenants was formed to keep the High Lord and his armies in check. Made up of the oldest and wisest of Veterans, the Council of Revenants acts as the second half of the governing body of the Black Watch and as the High Lord's advisors on matters of interest. To support their role as a deterrent to the abuse of power, several members of the Council of Revenants have their own legions (such as the *Agios Ocularii*) and they keep a retinue of Overseers in circulation across the legions of the Watch.

## Overseers and Magistratii

Both the Council of Revenants and the High Lord employ their own respective agents in the form of Overseers and Magistratii (singular p. Magistratus.) The Overseers of the Watch are adminstrative agents that relay general information regarding legions back to the Council of Revenants who, in turn, ensure that the military and peacekeeping actions conducted by the military are to their satisfaction and in accordance to the Lexicon of Truth. In certain situations, Overseers can act as enforcers of the Council and there have been times where an Overseer was granted with the authority to act on a Councilman's behalf.

Where Overseers are the personal agents of the Council, the Magistratii are the personal agents of the High Lord himself. These agents take a more combative role than their Overseer counterparts, and are actively sent out on missions assigned to them by the High Lord that are deemed too difficult or sensitive for a Legion to handle. These can range from securing an artifact to assassinating a political figure - though the latter is always unsanctioned, and Magistratii who are captured in the act are abandoned and the Watch will deny all claims of affiliation. Magistratii are also responsible for handling inter-legion disputes and keeping Captains in line with the High Lord's expectations of them. In essence, they act as judge, jury, and executioner in the name of the High Lord.

While an Overseer has no military authority outside of Council-aligned Legions (though they are well respected), it is much more complicated for Magistratii. On paper, a Magistratii's authority supersedes that of a Captain's. However, this means nothing if a Magistratii is generally unheard of or has very little experience. This is to say that it is a Captain's decision whether or not to abide by the commands given by a Magistratus and a Magistratii's authority is more or less defined by their influence, renown, and experience. To help Magistratii gauge where they stand overall, the Magistratii Ranking System was introduced, which is more or less a leaderboard of the best performing Magistratii in the field. When not acting directly under the High Lord, many Magistratii opt to help various Black Watch legions when they can.

## Legions of the Watch

By a decree made at the onset of the Second Chapter of the Watch, the forces of the Watch have been seperated into army groups referred to as "Legions" to better support the diverse demands that are required of them. The standard term referring to a categorization of three legions is a "Classis", though it is more common to refer to them by their respective title, such as the "Triumvirate of Truth". The number of divisions within each legion vary, and there is no general standard in that regard.

###### *Triumvirate of Truth*

* ***Serpents of Empyrean*** - Headed by the infamous, but respected Anguis Giovanni, the Serpents of Empyrean are made up of some of the most elite men in the Watch. The Serpents of Empyrean are most often deployed for search and destroy missions for subjects that are too dangerous or unstable to be obtained. Because of the nature of the missions they undertake, the soldiers of the Serpents are trained to be ready to give their life in order to preserve the masses. Serpents are often seen wearing various Holy and magical trinkets developed by *Agios Ocularii* into battle, to weaken dangerous Voidic and Demonic subjects. Notably, the *praedones* of the Serpents are seen clad in white exosuits, as opposed to the typical black-colored ballistic uniforms most members of the Watch don. It is notorious for having the most casualties in the Black Watch due to Anguis' determined nature and the missions they undertake, but also has some of the toughest Watchmen the Black Watch has to offer. They are one of three legions that are part of the *Triumvirate of Truth*.

* ***Wardens of the Forgotten*** - Headed by the hotheaded Oscar Machado. The Wardens are tasked with investigating arcane phenomenon and often times work with support from the ***Agios Ocularii*** for greater security. They are not seen much in the front lines due to their specialization, but are highly revered and respected by the other legions for their work in analyzing and containing some of the biggest threats unknown to humanity but are right on it's front door. Brazilian and South-East Asian members compose most of it's numbers, as both regions are ripe with paranormal events and creatures. They have two major established study outposts active as of now. One is on the Moon and is currently analyzing The End as it prepares for its departure, and is also communicating with them. The other is in an undisclosed location in Turkey and is analyzing The End's Caminus Immortalis - The Darkforge. They, along with *Serpents of Empyrean* and *Agios Ocularii* are part of the *Triumvirate of Truth*.

* ***Agios Ocularii -*** Founded and led by Lord Eredin von Trager. The *Agios Ocularii is* a collective of Blackwatch Knights who are well versed in the arcane arts and tended to be the most magically gifted of the Revenant legions. They heed the call of all matters arcane amongst the Black Legions. Responsible for obtaining, understanding, and mastering taboo intricacies of the Occult/Supernatural world. An *Ocularii Magister s*pecializes in the study, handling, manufacturing, and reverse engineering of magical relics and creatures, as well as being the dedicated magic casters on the fields of battle. They are the purveyors of the various trinkets, talismans, magical artifacts and weapons that accompany a Revenant soldier into battle, though they are known to produce specialized and unique supernatural items should a requisition be administered. They form the final piece of the *Triumvirate of Truth*, along with the *Wardens of the forgotten* and *Serpents of Empyrean.*

###### *Paragons of the Atlantic*

* ***Lightning Dragoons*** - Headed by the steadfast Nick Sawyer, The Voice of the Watch. The Lightning Dragoons specialize in Aerial/Naval warfare and excel in quick hit-and-run tactics. They are based in England and lead recruitment efforts in Europe for the Watch as a whole, not just for their legion.

* **Espania Major** - Headed by the heroic Gonzalo De La Cruz. They specialize in Siege and Attrition warfare and are well known as they are one of the first legions to make an appearance once the Black Watch revealed itself during the Alliance's fall. Their main base of operations is located in Spain.

* ***Alpinus Primus*** - Formed and led by Andrea McMillan, the *Alpinus Primus* are dedicated to scout and recon operations in harsh, inhospitable environments such as Antarctica, Northern Russia, and even what remains of Canada and Alaska. They, along with the *Sons of Mars*, are one of the most isolated legions in the Watch and have very little contact with other legions. Their main base of operations is located in Greenland. They are currently running missions in Canada with the sole purpose of hunting down Alliance remnants and retrieving data for the Watch.

###### *Opificium Solaris*

* ***Sons of Mars*** - Headed by the battle hardened Vasya Zahkarov, a long time member of the Watch. The Sons of Mars are one of the Watch's main naval warfare fleets, like the *Lightning Dragoons* (both of which are highly competitive with each other, but are on friendly terms). They are made up of a multitude of races, as they do not have a geographical area of recruitment. They share a naval presence on the Moon with the *Wardens* but their base of operations is located on Mar's moon Phobos, which acts as a massive shipyard and space fortress. They are the first line of defense against alien threats and any threat that originates outside of the solar system. Staying true to tradition, the Sons of Mars keep parts of their armor adorned with shades of red and waxed on seals of parchment, detailing certain lines derived from the Lexicon or, more commonly, the Blackwatch's motto *Credo In Veritas*.

* ***Order of the Radiant Veil*** - Founded and led by **Gabriel The Luminous**, a legendary captain preceding even The High Lord's rule and one of the first to answer his call when the Watch was reactivated. The Radiant Veil is the dedicated weapons manufacturer of the Watch, and specializes in logistics and arms research. There is not a ship that does not carry a gun crafted by the arms smiths of the Radiant Veil, nor a trooper that does not carry a rifle made by them specifically. This is all not to say that the Radiant Veil is strictly non-combative. When they are (rarely) deployed, they make use of the most powerful weapons within the Watch. It has even been rumored that they have tried to manufacture God-tier weapons themselves - a possible transgression against the *Agios Ocularii*. The entire legion as a whole is currently trying to put down their founder and leader, Gabriel, as an unknown incident caused him to go mad and wreak havoc at their head quarters in Australia.

* ***Morning Star Colossi*** - Founded and led by Commander Olethros, submind of the Black Watch A.I. Ignis. The sole purpose of Colossus Red is the maintenance, safekeeping, allocation and piloting of all EVA units in the Black Watch arsenal. Made up of some of the best mech pilots on Earth, Colossus Red inhabits the artificial satellite Hemitheos II as their sole base of operations. Hemitheos II orbits Venus, far out of reach of any nation lacking space-faring capabilities, and also holds all EVA units in Black Watch possession.

###### Others

* ***Brass Hussars*** - Headed by Teodora Petrović, the Brass Hussars act as a strict Military Police within the Black Watch and are one of many legions utilized to establish law in chaotic areas. They are made up of Polish and other eastern European Black Watch followers. It was previously headed by Jurek Horace, before his defeat at the hands of Roland Masseau and Laura Wilkinson during Dominance: New York City.

## Arsenal and Military Technology

Black Watch possesses some of the most advanced and powerful military technology on Earth, being the only force comparable to the Alliance at its peak. Because of this, they possess a massive air fleet comprised of potentially hundreds of ships, including dozens of Super Dreadnought-class ships and a massive Capital-class ship. On top of this they have extremely advanced mechanized units, including MBTs and APCs based heavily off of Alliance design, as well as top-of-the line exosuits, ballistic armor, and small-arms to arm their many soldiers with.

### EVA Units

One of the most terrifying aspects of Black Watch's military capability is their possession of EVA units; colossal war machines built solely to destroy the battlefield around them. EVAs are titanic in proportion - standing between 60-100 feet in most cases, they are the largest bipedal fighting platforms on Earth. Their firepower is such that they can even best the likes of highly powerful Supers and Vasto Lordes in the hands of a skilled pilot.

All EVA units in the Watch are overseen and maintained by Commander Olethros and his personal legion, *Morning Star Colossi*. In addition to this, the Black Watch EVA stockpile is located on a small man-made satellite orbiting Venus, Hemitheos II. Its placement around Venus means that it is well out of reach of any nation that does not posses the capability to traverse space - that is to say, the vast majority of them - but close enough that communication between Watch command and Olethros is practically instantaneous with improvements in interplanetary communications technology.

EVA units are to be used as a last resort, as the deployment of one not only entails incalculable enemy casualties, but friendly ones too. In the event that one is deployed, a minimum 5 kilometer "safety perimeter" is to be established and maintained around the machine in order to minimize Watch casualties.

The Watch possesses a number of EVA units, and are the only military power on the planet to do so currently since the fall of the Alliance. A list of notable units include:

* **EVA Unit "SILO"**
	+ SILO is, as its name implies, a massive walking missile platform. It is an average sized EVA at 75 feet, and its armament consists of several dozen missile and rocket platforms that cover a multitude of roles from ground attack, SAM, and bunker busting. Its most notable armament, however, are the two back-mounted cruise missiles, outfitted with small-scale nuclear warheads capable of easily taking down almost any manmade fortification or vehicle.
* **EVA Unit "BULWARK"**
	+ The largest EVA Unit in Black Watch's arsenal, BULWARK is a titanic war machine standing at 100 feet tall. Equipped with two gargantuan depleted uranium shields that are several feet thick, little is capable of penetrating BULWARK's defenses short of naval-class artillery. It is often deployed to front sieges, providing a vast area of protection for men of the Watch. Attached to BULWARK's shields are several large-bore cannons and CIWS systems, both of which are intended for self-defense against ground and air targets.
* **EVA Unit "ZETSU"**
	+ Though one might think it impossible that speed and agility could be an EVA's strongsuit, many have spent their last moments thinking twice when facing ZETSU. It is one of the smallest EVAs, standing at 65 feet, and drifts from the general Black Watch design scheme of "Gothic Knight", instead more closely resembling a samurai in nature. ZETSU is purely a combat EVA, serving no purpose other than to break through and devastate enemy lines, clearing a bloody path for men of the Watch. It is equipped with a pair of RCS thrusters on its back, the trajectory of which can be adjusted, imbuing it with an immense level of speed when activated. Its one and only armament comes in the form of a gargantuan heatblade, able to cleave its way through entire skyscrapers with minimal effort, and vaporize lines of men on contact.
* **EVA Unit "HOWITZER"**
	+ HOWITZER is intended to be a walking artillery platform used by the Watch. Its armaments fit such a role, being outfitted with innumerable large-bore cannons, most notably the enormous 3cm naval cannon mounted to its right shoulder. HOWTIZER is a bunker-buster, primarily meant to target the most fortified of enemy positions. It is a larger mech, standing at 85 feet tall.
* **EVA Unit "SAMAEL"**
	+ A particularly feared machine, SAMAEL wasn't actually built by the Watch itself, instead salvaged from the depths of an abandoned Alliance stockpile not long after the end of the war. Research unveiled that SAMAEL was, in fact, intended to be used in Roethsburg, however it never would due to the invention of Genova. Regardless, the fact that it was even considered is a testament to the immense power the machine holds. It's one of the smallest EVAs, standing at about 60 feet, but its lack of size is more than made up for by its unique and deadly weaponry. SAMAEL is able to project giant beams of superheated plasma energy from its palms, chest and visor unit, these beams appearing a blinding white in color and reaching over ten thousand degrees celsius - more than enough to melt through basically any material on the planet. It is also capable of flight, possessing "wings" that house large VTOL units that allow it to reach immense flight speeds.

## The Lexicon of Truth

> *"The Lexicon Guides Our Judgement!"*
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**The Lexicon of Truth** is, in short, what the Blackwatch uses to pass their judgement and contains the unbridled truth of their reality. It is withheld from the public to prevent mass hysteria, and only necessary snippets are allowed to be read by those who aren't in the Council of Revenants. The High Lord is the **only** person allowed to completely read the Lexicon, and thus, usually is the only person to have ever completely read it in their respective generation. The Lexicon forms the foundation of the Watch's laws, and is generally what they use to claim jurisdiction over a matter.

The Lexicon is not just a compilation of writings, however. It is a genuine artifact located deep within the High Lord's tower, the location of which is classified, and it's true appearance unknown.