Lagos, Keeper of the Eight

> *"I did my part. I did all that I can do. But now it is time. It is time for Io to perish, just as it has in all the other realities. If my civilization is to perish, then you all shall as well. You bastard creations of Aurora!"*
>
>

> -Lagos, Keeper of the Eight
>
>

**Lagos, Keeper of the Eight** was one of the eight simulacrum of Lagos, the sworn enemy of Io. Created by the Auroran Federation as part of the Lagos Project, this Lagos and his brethren would be awakened and liberated by their captivity by Lagos, The Emissary of the End. Seeking to return the favor, Lagos the Keeper, as he had been dubbed by his creators, tapped into the Black Star (the same reality-changing power that the Emissary discovered) to free him from his own prison in Jupiter. However, while he was successful, this unpredictable power forcibly exiled him from his own reality.

The Keeper found himself within The Altered City of Atlas, a alternate version of the yet unbuilt city where the Ionian gods DIV and VOID would meet their ends. Through the Black Star, The Keeper discovered that in all realities bar his own, Io was destroyed by the feuding deities, leaving floating cities like Atlas as the only remnants of civilization. Now stuck within this place, Lagos took up residence in the High Chapel, replete with Black Star energy, and began to research and manipulate the singularity within for centuries upon centuries.

Over five hundred years later in the Prime Plane, a group of eight individuals arrived in the Altered City in almost the same manner as Lagos had. He soon discovered that they were the Fallen Heroes who he had seen fight against the gods in every reality of Io. Realizing these were the Heroes of his own reality, who had succeeded in saving Io, The Keeper devised a plan to bring devastation to his home. Taking their unconscious bodies to the chapel, Lagos trapped the Fallen Heroes in eight cells to enact his plan. Perhaps recognizing the irony with regard to his own origins, Lagos renamed the chapel to the Chamber of the Eight and began referring to himself as the Keeper of the Eight. Over countless years, Lagos would experiment on the Fallen Heroes by infusing them with the Black Star and the power of Kaasma, with the intent of transforming them into living bioweapons and unleashing them to raze Io.

After another five hundred years of time in the Prime Plane, the Keeper's vile work was complete and an opportunity now presented itself after his brethren's assault on Io fractured its sky barrier. Before he could unleash the Fallen Heroes back to their reality, the Black Star reacted and summoned eight individuals from said reality, connected to the Heroes via the Memory, to the Altered City. They confronted Lagos in the Altered Chapel, who willingly revealed all he had learned from the Black Star and of his intentions for Io. With his final act, he used the Black Star to transport all but one of the Heroes to Io, after which the immeasurable time he had spent in the Alerted City caught up to him and aged him to dust. Though his plan for the Fallen Heroes came to fruition, Io survived the homecoming of its corrupted champions, with several even being freed from their curse and rallying to their home's defense once more.

## Description

### Appearance

Lagos, the Keeper of the Eight bore similarities to his progenitor Lagos, being a blue skinned Astari male with a bald head with a crown of blue spikes jutting from it. However, this Lagos simulacrum appeared to deviate from the original's genetic blueprints, exhibiting a heavy-set physique and a jowly face with a large flat nose. A thick black beard covered his jawline in long sideburns and a thick goatee on his chin. Prior to his death, he wore a brown robe.

### Personality

Out of all the encountered Lagos Simulacra, the Keeper of the Eight was by far the most civil when dealing with his adversaries. He was willing to hold a brief conversation, explaining the nature of the Altered City of Atlas and the Black Star to his visitors. The Keeper appeared to be largely ambivalent to the actions of his "brothers", having formulated his own plans during his exile. In his dying words, however, he showed his true colors, cursing Io and its inhabitants with his last breath.

## History

### Creation

In Io's distant past, Lagos, The Keeper of the Eight was created by the Auroran Federation as a simulacrum of an Astari warrior named Lagos. This warrior had been captured by the Federation during a rash assault during peace talks with the Astari of Io, who they had been previously warring with. With the war now back in fully swing, the Aurorans sought to uncover the source of their power, known as The Memory, so that they might gain an advantage over their enemies. A member of the Auroran Scientific Council called Dr. Dhaos Amon proposed to use the captured Lagos to extract these secrets and was given the necessary approval by his superiors.

Dubbing this endeavor 'The Lagos Project', Dr. Amon attempted in vain to get Lagos to reveal his people's secrets. Rather than persist in this futility, Dr. Amon ordered Lagos to be executed by a specialized construct called the Inevitable, which would dissect and record Lagos's genetic data. Once the grisly deed was done, the DNA analysis was used to create simulacra of the deceased Astari to begin the experiments anew. A specialized research facility called the Auroran Station of Astari Studies was established in orbit near Io to provide Dr. Amon and his team the necessary space and resources to commence their work.

The Keeper of the Eight was the Fifth Lagos created by the Project. However, for whatever reason, this Lagos was deemed an imperfect creation and ultimately did not assist in divining the power of the Memory. However, with the Inevitable malfunctioning and the unique properties this clone exhibited, Dr. Amon decided to keep the specimen for further study. He christened it The Keeper for a yet unknown reason and relocated him to a special containment facility on the station that would become known as the Chamber of the Eight. This imprisonment within the Chamber would prove a formative experience for the rest of this clone's life. As the project went on, three additional clones would be created, until the Eighth and final clone was made. The Eighth Lagos was deemed a near-perfect replica of the original, and was handed over to the Auroran Navy to be inducted. The rest of the Lagos simulacra, including The Keeper, continued to be kept onboard the Station of Astari Studies as test subjects.

### The Jupiter Incident

Some time after the Eighth Lagos joined the Navy, an eldritch entity reached out to him. This entity was the Dead God Kaasma, the archenemy of the Astari, who had been sealed away within the planet of Jupiter by their ancestors. Through a telepathic connection, Kaasma revealed to this Lagos the truth of his origins, including his status as a clone and the deceptions fed to him by the Aurorans. Outraged, this Lagos petitioned Kaasma for its aid in exacting his revenge against both the Aurorans and the Astari. Travelling to Jupiter's surface, the Eighth Lagos broke the seal and unleashed Kaasma upon the unsuspecting Aurorans and Astari.

The devastation that unfolded caused Jupiter to ignite as a new star and saw both the Auroran Fleet and the surface of Io in ruins. Kaasma would then enact its judgement upon the warring races, ending their conflict and condemning them both to eternal punishment. As a means of upholding its Decrees, three godly children were manifested and dispatched to oversee the condemned in their respective Veils. However, before fallen into a deathlike slumber, Kaasma turned on the Eighth Lagos and sealed him in the same prison it had been relinquished from. Despite the fire and fury of the Jupiter Incident, the Station of Astari Studies remained mostly unscathed, sparing The Keeper and his brethren the fate of their creators.

### Wielder of the Black Star

The imprisoned Lagos remained in their ethereal prison for an unknown period of time, allowing the remnants of the Federation to terraform Io and reintroduce flora and fauna of their design. Eventually, they would introduce their successors, a collection of diverse humanoids in their image, and a pair of gods, DIV and VOID, to watch over them. All the while, the Lagos clone struggled against his bonds until finally he discovered something hitherto unknown. A cosmic phenomenon known as the Black Star was discovered, which Lagos readily attuned to. The reality-altering power of this awakened both himself and the other seven clones on the Station of Astari Studies to the Memory, allowing them all to share the thoughts and experiences of the original Lagos.

The Keeper, like his brethren, now bridled with hatred just as the original Lagos had, seeking the total annihilation of the Aurorans, the Astari and their legacy. Banded together, the clones took over several of the remaining Auroran stations, including the Station of Astari Studies and the Kaasma Mind Facility. Leaving his brethren to their own devices, the Keeper sought to free their yet imprisoned brother, who now called themselves the Emissary of the End. In order to free him, the Keeper tapped into the selfsame energies of the Black Star. However, the reality warping power of this phenomenon was yet unknowable and beyond control. In exchange for liberating the Emissary from his prison, the Black Star forcibly pulled the Keeper within the singularity, separating him from his brothers.

### An Altered Reality

When Lagos returned to consciousness, he discovered himself to be in a floating city in the sky. With some investigation and inquiry with the locals, he realized that this city, which was called Atlas, was not part of his original reality and that he had somehow been transported there by the Black Star. He also identified a significant source of Black Star coming from a large church in the centre of the city. However, other denizens of the city refused to acknowledge its presence, a peculiarity he attributed to the Black Star's influence. The Keeper, however, was able to enter and pushed through the strange phenomenon to the heart of the chapel within. There, he found a massive singularity of Black Star energy, pulsating to the sway of the cosmic unknown. Unable to return to his own reality, Lagos resolved to uncover the mysteries of the phenomenon his brother discovered and use it to bring about Io's demise. To this end, he took up permanent residence within the Altered Chapel. He would discover that this singularity was a conjunction of many different realities and its influence spread across time and space. He also learned that time itself moved differently within the chapel, warped as it was by this singularity, and was therefore being suspended indefinitely.

Over time, Lagos also began to gain an understanding of the history of this new reality. The Holy City of Atlas once existed on Io, his progenitor's homeworld, until a pair of errant gods known as DIV and VOID waged war against one another. These gods had been brought back to Io and revived by two men, Bronn Luxprin and Gub respectively. The resulting conflict carried on for decades and became so great that Io itself was about to be annihilated, just as Lagos and his brethren had wished. However, a group of eight individuals rose up in defiance of the gods and eventually sacrificed themselves to protect cities around Io from the onslaught. These cities then took to the skies and were spared the destruction of both the gods and Io. The Heroes were then made patrons of these cities and remembered as the Fallen Heroes. Using the Black Star to peer across realities, Lagos would see the same story played out again and again with those same eight individuals playing a major role in Io's salvation. On occasion, the Heroes would succeed in slaying the gods, but Io itself never truly survived. In each however, a Black Star was born, linking its reality to the one within the chapel.

### Heroes of the Sky

One fateful day, however, Lagos's research was interrupted by a sudden change in the Black Star's energies. Immediately noting this significance, Lagos exited the chapel to find eight unconscious individuals had spontaneously appeared in the city square. Immediately, he recognized them as the Fallen Heroes who stories he had seen played out ad infinium; Weyzi, Theo, Randall, Ven, Dokke, Cronovan, Miriel and Oswin. Understanding the significance of this, Lagos brought the comatose Heroes into the heart of the chapel before the Black Star. Carrying out his research, the Keeper made a startling discovery; these versions of the Fallen Heroes hailed from the same reality as himself. Furthermore, they had not only successfully slain DIV and VOID, but Io had managed to endure for centuries afterwards. Io's survival in his home reality was of overwhelming cosmic significance, causing a Black Star singularity to form and whisk the Heroes to the Altered City just as he had been. Io's survival in even one reality was anathema to Lagos, made even worse in his eyes by being his own reality. However, a plan soon dawned upon him to rectify this cosmic mistake, one that could be facilitated by the very individuals that had been delivered to him.

Lagos interred the slumbering Heroes in the chapel in a series of glass chambers to begin his work. The sight of eight beings held captive in anticipation of experimentation called to mind his own past, a irony that was not lost on him. With this serendipity in mind, Lagos renamed the chapel to the Chamber of the Eight after his own birthplace, and changed his own title to the Keeper of the Eight to reflect this ironic role reversal. Within the suspended temporal bubble of the chapel, Lagos painstakingly infused each of his eight subjects with copious amounts of Black Star energy, transforming them into biological weapons of unlimited destruction. With each infusion, he unmade their very identity, leaving only a violent husk that would cling to old memories and routines not unlike a machine.

After countless ages went by, Lagos eventually completed his work, with all of the Fallen Heroes now ready to be unleashed on Io. However, just as he had found with himself, he had no way to manipulate the Black Star to send his new weapons back. His plan effectively on hold, Lagos remained in the chapel watching over his charges and trying to glean more from the Black Star. While he was ready to enact his revenge, he found the desire for vengeance beginning to wane after immeasurable years of waiting. However, while he researched the singularity, he glimpsed a vision in his dreams of a tear in space that seemed to belong in his own reality. Seeing this a sign of things to come, Lagos continued waiting for this tear to manifest so that his lifetime goal might one day come to fruition.

## Phase 2 Story

The ones drawn into the Chamber of the Eight would eventually encounter Lagos, the Keeper of the Eight inside the Chapel of Atlas. Initially confused by the presence of others within his exile, he questioned them on the nature and state of the world they hailed from, offering knowledge on the Altered City and the Black Star, which had halted his aging, in turn. Eventually, he also divulged his own history and his plans to destroy Io; aware that the Black Star phenomenon inside the Altered City was nearing its end, he chose then and there to release his creations upon Io. With the Black Star gone, the Keeper's aging resumed and rapidly caught up with him, causing him to shrivel into dust and die.

## Phase 3 Story

### Proof of Existence

In the Ionian Year 2195, a group of scrappers from the city of Klaybury arrived on the abandoned Station of Astari Studies, now under the jurisdiction of the Ionian Senate. The scrappers were initially tasked with obtaining Old World Fuel by a mobster called Desperado, but the station bore many secrets they were keen to unearth. Perhaps most mysterious of all was a manifestation of Black Star energy known as a Black Star Mark, a scar on reality caused by a great battle between a group of legendary goblins and Lagos, The Failed Simulacrum.

Upon entering the Black Star Mark, the scrappers found themselves in a pristine recreation of the Chamber of the Eight. Upon arriving in the Chamber, a Memory of Bronn Luxprin marched into the room and immediately set upon destroying the technology within, under the false belief that it was the work of his eternal enemy VOID. The first pod he arrived at had once belonged to the Keeper of the Eight, which he began to smash with his maul without hesitation. Though he was reprimanded by his companions and ceased the fruitless endeavor, the damage to the machine and its accompanying console was beyond repair, causing the data within about the Keeper's creation and fate to be lost.

## Powers and Abilities

Lagos, Keeper of the Eight, possesses the following powers and abilities:

* **Longevity:** Lagos, Keeper of the Eight's heritage as an Astari gifted him an extended lifespan. However, the extended stay within the Altered Chapel eventually pushed past the brink of his lifespan, and he rapidly aged unto dust once time was restored.
* **Master of The Memory:** The original Lagos shares his Memory with all of his clones and has gained a mastery over it. As such, the Keeper was able to instantly exchange information and emotions with his brothers in a manner akin to that of a hivemind.
* **Black Star Manipulation:** Over his eternity of study, the Keeper of the Eight learned how to manipulate the Black Star to see different realties and to infuse the Fallen Heroes with it to turn them into biological weapons. He also learned how to close the Black Star and return the Heroes to their home, even though it would mean his death.
* **Kaasma Energy Manipulation:** The Keeper of the Eight was learned in how to utilize Kaasma energy, and infused the Fallen Heroes with it during his experiments. It is unknown how he was able to do this within the confines of the Altered Chapel.
* **Reality Observer:** Lagos, Keeper of the Eight was able to peer into other realities to decipher their history and future. This seems to have become a latent ability, as he was able to dream of a vision of the tear left by Kaasma Khara.

## Etymology

The inspiration behind the name Lagos is unclear. While it is possibly an original name, it may be a corruption of the Greek word "*Logos*" which has several meanings including "ground", "opinion", "expectation", "word", "reason", and "discourse". Logos has become a term in multiple philosophic schools of thought like Western Philosophy, Christian Philosophy and Hellenistic Judaism. Additionally, the Logos is also a title used to refer to Jesus Christ in Christianity, derived from the biblical phrase "*In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God*".

A "*keeper*" is one who is charged with guarding or caring for, storing, or maintaining something.

Eight is a recurring numerological motif in the World of Io, with several important entities, items and places existing in groups of this number.

## Trivia

* Lagos, Keeper of the Eight first appeared in the crossover event *Chamber of the Eight*, where he served as the primary antagonist.
* Lagos, Keeper of the Eight was the fourth of the Eight Lagos to be felled, and the final Lagos to die in Phase 2.
* Dr. Dhaos Amon's notes on Lagos, Keeper of the Eight had been written for the recreation of the Chamber of the Eight in *Pipe Dreamers* Season 3 Episode 8. However, the destruction of the pod's console by Bronn Luxprin has ensured these notes will never be known.