Anathema

Worried whispers echo through the streets of Tokyo about a collective of hyper-militant Digimon that harbor nothing but utter contempt for the human infrastructure. They claim to wish what's best for both species, wishing to wrestle control from the governments of the world and lead both mankind and Digital Monsters into a prosperous future, but the cost of this is too great for some to handle: Under the rule of LANIUS, Digimon will hold hierarchy over humans, and the natural order of survival of the fittest will continue to govern not only the Digital World, but the human world as well. Digimon being the stronger of the two races naturally puts them at the top, it's only logical.

While it might appear that their intentions have some bearing towards an element of virtue, the truth of the matter is much, much scarier: not only do these Digimon strive for the sovereignty of their kind, they wish to turn the tables against humanity itself and rule over them as the dominant species of both worlds — with relentless, unforgiving, unquestioned prejudice.

There is no compromise here, no opportunity for civility; there will always be evil Digimon as there will always be those who wish to protect their human companions. Only pain leads to true power, only through suffering can one receive salvation, and only the strongest of the strong are meant to survive in their world. He who wins is just, and he who lives does so to write the annals of history. All will bend, or break, to the unerring iron will of the God AI. All praise LANIUS.

## Information

At its core, Anathema is a autocratic totalitarian society of Digimon that centralizes their entire worldview around those of its glorified God-King, the artificial supercomputer intelligence LANIUS. Believing humans to be of lesser stock, a fact reinforced by what they perceive to be an absence of due recognition for their shared efforts to combat the Virus, Anathema's members are either educated, retrained, conditioned, or even brainwashed — voluntarily or not — into severing their ties with the workings of Earth so that they may one day reclaim their home from the corruption of human influence. A two-world government structure is ideal, as it leaves no room for conflicting variables. Perfect for the computational, monotonous morality of their leader.

Anti-human sentiments, while not the faction's primary standpoint, are so resounding, so intense among the ranks, however, that they have gained notoriety for openly and mercilessly discriminating against any Digimon who refuses to conform to Anathema's values and principles; these are the failures of their kind, the defective weaklings that must rely on others to survive, who steal precious life and resources from those truly deserving of it. To this same end, many Digimon that have embraced Anathema's dog-eat-dog philosophy encourage those still connected to a Tamer, yet still reluctant to completely yield to the whims of their leader, to reverse the roles and become their masters instead, as the Digivice itself is merely a glorified skeleton key that serves to unlock their full power; without this relic, they are valueless sacks of flesh and feelings.

Anathemites exhibit a firm and powerful yearning to return to their traditional Darwinist roots as creatures that fight and kill for their right to live among the strong. Concepts such as honor and victory must be earned in mortal combat, causing a great amount of emphasis to be placed on a Digimon's talents and achievements on the battlefield. Any disputes between members are also solved through fangs and fists instead of words and wisdom, and to the victor goes all the spoils. This aggressive focus on martial superiority culminates in a truly obsessive, almost fanatical belief in the merits of martyrdom and sacrifice; in the most extreme of cases, a member willing to display the full weight of their conviction to the cause will deliberately choose self-deletion in battle to advance their glorious leader's ultimate agenda: to dominate both humanity and Digimonkind as their unquestioned ruler and god.

It is for these very reasons that Anathema forbids the use of traditional or modern medicines and other related technologies that allow for the mending of wounds or bloodless triumph, believing such conveniences foster weakness and are actually detrimental to a Digimon's health and wellness. Ignorance of these branches in science also ensures that only the strongest and hardiest of Anathemites survive to become true veterans of war and bloodshed. All others must be permanently erased from reality for their failure to live up to the leader's grand scheme to reshape both worlds in his image.

## Traits

### [ CONQUEROR]

Anathemites draw their battle-crazed ruthlessness from the example provided to them by their commander, always beginning combat with Cheer that lasts three turns. For every additional faction member that is also present, Cheer's duration is increased by an additional turn, up to a maximum increase of three.

### [ PAIN IS POWER ]

The right to live is a precious one, but for an Anathemite, it is a privilege reserved exclusively for them. After two turns in combat elapse, the trait holder may convert their dominant damage Affinity into a Resistance effect of the same type. After five turns pass, this can either be upgraded to Immunity; or they may convert one of their listed Weaknesses into a second Resistance effect. These bonuses disappear at the end of combat.

### [ LAST STAND ]

Surrender is never an option for Anathema; there is only victory or deletion. When the trait holder is at critical health or close to death, the Damage Scales of all their known attacks, abilities and any effects created by them increase by two grades as long as they remain at or below this state, resetting back to their original listed values if the trait holder either has their health replenished above the critical threshold or when combat concludes.