Heroes

Heroes are Named aligned with the forces of Good. While they are on a fundamental level very similar to Villains, there are several key differences in the common patterns and types of heroes.

### Roles

Heroes often have defensive and reactive Roles, compared to the more offensive and active Roles of villains. One common type of hero/villain Name pairing is of a villainous Named who attacks Good nations or powers and a matched heroic Named who rises to defeat them. A classic example of this is the Black Knight and White Knight.

This is not to say that all heroes share this type of Name. There are a variety of types of Name with other Roles, such as bardic Names whose duty is to keep the story on track, and Mentor Names which train new heroes and possibly come to their rescue later. If the forces of Evil manage to claim new ground which is traditionally Good, heroes who would normally serve in a more defensive capacity are liable to attempt to retake it.

### Narratives

Heroes have a distinct advantage in many cases because the majority of stories ultimately involve the defeat of Evil. However, there are villainous counters to this advantage, such as disrupting or avoiding the narrative or redefining victory such that even though the heroes are fated to win the villain can still accomplish more of their objectives than the heroes did. Other tactics include convincing multiple heroes without a unifying narrative to fight together, depriving heroes of a single dramatic pivot which would allow Fate to give them the upper hand, or stripping the heroes of drama or sympathy to make their deaths more narratively acceptable.

Heroes do have a disadvantage in that they usually face impossible odds. While their stories allow them to overcome the material advantages of their opponents, clever villains can use great resources to put the odds somewhat in their favor or to win secondary objectives despite heroic opposition.

### Heavenly Intervention

Another major advantage heroes have over villains is that the Heavens are both more willing to interfere in mortal disputes, and more reliably on the side of their own champions. While villains can summon Devils and even Demons to do their bidding, they have to spend effort not only on bringing them into Creation but also on binding them to ensure that they do not turn on the summoners. By contrast, Angels can often be brought into Creation by the simple fact of a hero aligned with one of the Choirs being in danger, and presumably never turn on the forces of Good, at least not in any way that makes them less able to fight Evil.

### Heroic Bands

Heroes will sometimes group together in a set of five called a band. Bands are extremely potent forces because they combine the power of five Named (often ones whose powers are well-suited to support each other) while allowing their stories to mesh together rather than destructively interfere. The band are united under a single purpose either to dispatch a foe or overthrow a particular system. No matter the case the band is more than likely to dissolve or loose some of there narrative power once they have completed their purpose.The band can re-unite if the name share the purpose once more but members can also interchange with time.

According to Irritant's Law, a unorganized heroes or ones in very large groups are often less threatening than a smaller group or a single hero because each heroic story requires them to personally play a part in the victory, forcing the stories into conflict. However, because a Band functions more like a single, unified entity it is able to avoid this problem.Additionally, interactions between the heroes can make them more sympathetic, and thus less vulnerable. If, for example, two members of a band have some kind of minor quarrel or constantly banter, this can make them seem both more entertaining and more human. Sti

Bands of villains have similar advantages, though villains able to trust each other enough to form a cohesive band are rarer and villainous bands are more prone to being picked off one by one.

Leader:Lone Swordsman

Band: Lone Swordsman, Bumbling Conjurer, Thief, Hunter, Wandering Bard

Purpose: Rebel against Praes, secede from empire, and dispatch all of the calamities.

Leader:White Knight

Band:White Knight, Ashen Priestess, Hedge Wizard, Bard, Valiant Champion

Purpose: The complete overthrow of the empire and destruction of the Calamities.

Leader: Gallant Brigand

Band: Gallant Brigand, Stalwart Paladin, Red Mage

Purpose: Dispatch the Black Queen, free citizens of Callow from occupation of evil forces.

Leader:The Grey Pilgrim

Band: Saint of of Swords, Rogue Sorcerer, Grey Pilgrim, Blade of Mercy, Forsworn Healer, Vagrant Spear, Mirror Knight, Painted Knife, Myrmidon

Purpose: Holy Crusade to free Callow from the grips of the Empire of Praes, defeat of the Empire of Praes

Leader: Grey Pilgrim

Band: Grey Pilgrim, Grim Binder, Valiant Champion, Vengeful Brigand, Silent Slayer

Purpose: Unite levant

Leader: Priestess of Night

Band: Grey Pilgrim, Tyrant, Priestess of Night, Rogue Sorcerer, Saint of Swords

Purpose: Defeat the Dead King, rescue the Hierophant in Arcadia