Setlaar: Important NPCs

**Setlaar: Important NPCs**

Ever since Hungering Sands, Preying Gardens, and Hunt for Hylja Boer, quite a few figures rose to positions of power and attention among the Setlaar, allies and enemies of the Eterans who venture there. Below is a list of a few of the more important characters that may be seen again in most anything to do with the Setlaar.

### **Antagonists**

#### The Hyena (Solomon)

The result of a terrible experiment for a terrible cause, The Hyena was created in a hidden blacksite laboratory for the express purpose of being sent to the now-dead Emperor Verk, to be used against Eteran adventurers. The details of why the project's head, the Soigner noble Lord Bonham Pere, would agree to such a heinous deal is unknown. The origins and workings of his abilities are top-secret, but every public report of the terrorist indicates him to be an unstoppable force, capable of absorbing just about any impact, spell, or effect used against him and redirecting it a many-times stronger at anything he wishes. Previously leading the terrorist organization known as Tribulation March, with access to magic and technology beyond anything even the Setlaar can field en masse, The Hyena showed a desire to forcibly bond Etera and the Setlaar, insisting on an incoming apocalypse that can only be survived by a combination of the two nations.

His first major effort was the Hungering Sands Incident, where he strung along the Eterans to transform Eatash Alram and create real relations between Etera and the Setlaar. It was during this incident that his true nature, and reason for his abilities was revealed, which remains a well-kept secret to this very day. His second involvement was in what has been known to sensationalist news articles as 'Preying Gardens', keeping in line with the Hungering Sands Incident. Hiring a mixed group of Eteran and Setlaar convicts, he sent them to the far-off island of Jarko, where forests, jungles, and swamps teemed with savage natives, hostile wildlife, and the shadow of a forgotten evil. Once these convicts fulfilled Jarko's prophecy and became the Far-Born Paladins of Cernunnos, it was revealed he had an elven son by the name of Mirath, born from a short-lived affair.

It seemed The Hyena would plague the Setlaar for decades to come until the fateful day he met Nikita Lifetouch, who showed him a vision of all the good he could achieve and happiness he could have if he turned from his ways. Falling in love with the aasimar, he revealed much of his actions were born from a fear of isolation. He knew, one day, with his immortality and functional invulnerability, he would outlive the world itself and be left either on a dead planet or even the void of space all alone for countless millennia. Driven almost mad by paranoia and fear, he sought to keep the civilizations of Chronus in a stranglehold of a life, if only to spare him his fate. Only when the love between him and Nikita blossomed did he let go of this mania and pass on the leadership of Tribulation March to Cormick Thale and Benedict DeChance (below), content to travel and be happy with the woman he loved.

These days, taking the name Solomon, he learns, loves, and grows in strength. Siring two children with Nikita, Andrei and Nadia, he went on to take another wife, Nikita's mentor Farah, falling for their fused form especially, the being Nirah. He trains with them and others of their warrior-clique of fellow students and teachers, developing power beyond his natural, unusual abilities, even developing counter-techniques to foil suspected routes around his seeming invulnerability. He walks among the crowds of the Setlaar, Siacros, and Etera, watching the heroes he aided, in his own ways, to bring peace and security to Chronus.

Solomon Theme: The Noose by A Perfect Circle: https://youtu.be/ngZvHBUdYYY

#### The Outside Man (R'Than)

The entity known to most, that is to say the few even aware of his existence, as The Outside Man spent most of his existence as one of The Faceless, the brotherhood of hooded creatures responsible for safekeeping and enforcing the will of what they call The Loom of Fate, whose threads they claim dictate the destiny of any and all. The youngest of them, The Outside Man was in more direct contact with mortals than most, having been the one to send the Eterans who saved Silent City. During the climax of those events however, the Faceless met his end when he sacrificed his life to empower a weapon to destroy an eldritch titan, revealing his name to them as R'Than. From then on, his only memento was a dagger infused with the magicks of destiny known as Fate's Edge, now in possession of Maldrik Shiarza.

R'Than was thought dead for the longest time, the only Faceless to have ever outright lost their life in the history of his kind. That all changed though when his spirit struck a deal with Avalia Naramoore, saving the life of her lover Harab in exchange for both the life of another, as well as his resurrection. Now he exists as an undead fateweaver with unknown power over time and space, not hampered by the same strictures of his former brothers, with his goals just as hidden as his means, at least to mortals. In truth, his 'fingerprints' are all over the place, having interfered time and again in ways very few know. His deal with Avalia was only the beginning, as he soon wiped out and collapsed several other realities where other Eterans were involved in the Hungering Sands Incident instead of Ava and her comrades for unknown reasons. He then did similiar for the Preying Gardens Incident, combining several timelines where different groups of convicts were sent to Jarko and became Far-Born Paladins into one where every group participated, swelling their numbers. In more recent times, he was responsible for combining, and thus destroying, more timelines when he brought the saviors of the city of Aleumdaum from individual adventures into a single event, something soon to be known as The Swarming Eyes.

This manipulation of reality at large has not gone unnoticed, but by hiding in The Outside and taking advantage of the strange position the Faceless have in divine hierarchy, R'Than has managed to escape any consequences. His contact with mortals is still somewhat sparse, only occasionally speaking with them to taunt them on the vagueness of his nature and intentions, but has been roughly categorized as an enemy due to his casual destruction of timelines and disregard for the lives of those affected by his machinations. For now, R'Than sleeps in some strange hibernation after so much twisting of the timelines. It is unknown what new chronal cataclysm he may bring when he wakes...

Theme: The Space In Between by How To Destroy Angels: https://youtu.be/FeAvIfqAQbc

#### Luke Jaspar

Many villains of the modern age seem to have something that redeems them. Whether a sympathetic motive, principled methods, or even just personal charisma. The serial killer Luke Jaspar, is not one of those people. Hailing from Etera originally, Luke always knew he was different from the walking, talking vermin around him. It was only when he grew into a young, cruel man that he found out the truth.

Consorting with daemons, the creatures whispered his true value as a Sparked, who usually follow the path of the hero, but their influence combined with Luke's inner depravity and literal lust for bloodshed, formed him into a nightmarish villain. He preyed entirely on those without Sparks, seeing them as an inferior, subhuman race of creatures who existed only to be toyed with by their superiors. As he killed, the souls of his victims fed his daemonic patrons, who slowly possessed and empowered him. Thankfully, his spree was put to an end by a group of adventurers, notably the Volk gunslinger Alouette 'Hashmal' Nachtigall Herstal. Jaspar developed a twisted infatuation with Hashmal, but his 'precious bird' and the other adventurers joined forces with Setlaar counterparts to slay Luke's patrons, and put him into the custody of a member of their party, Jafu.

Unfortunately, Jafu was in reality a devil who wished to put Luke's talent for killing to his own use, replacing the killer's lost powers with his own infernal contracts and setting him loose on the Setlaar, whose people Jaspar hunted with ease in the urban mazes of cities. Still, Hashmal found out his survival and continued the battle against him with new Setlaar allies, pursuing him for a year until they finally caught up with him and put him down for good.

Yet again though, Luke Jaspar lived, brought back to life by Jafu's contracts and given a second master, a shadowy creature from beyond Chronus, who transformed him into a new, even more powerful slayer. For now, Luke's whereabouts and activities are unknown...

Theme: Interludes With Ludes, by Them Crooked Vultures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biqwaKPWM5g

#### Andrei Lifetouch

"Peace through power" is a common phrase among rulers throughout history, claiming that prosperity and security comes through the ability to exercise force. The son of Solomon, like his father, is a firm believer in the maxim. That he shares such an outlook with his progenitor is something best unmentioned to him, lest one finds themselves judged as a threat to the peace...

Born both in our timeline, and another, Andrei is the son of The Hyena and Nikita Lifetouch, but the one who threatens the liberty and independence of our world is not the one raised here, but one who hails from a time where the battles of Chronus were much quieter and not nearly as devastating. Trained by his mother and her companions, Andrei never knew his father, who fled his Chronus when Nikita was found to be pregnant. To cope with the loss, she lavished praise and affection on her son, and encouraged her friends to do the same, filling his head with stories and tales of past glories, and convincing him that he would have such a famous destiny as well. It helped that he inherited part of his father's invincibility, but residing only in his left arm and right leg. His story would have continued and eventually ended on his own world if he was not visited by a mysterious angelic being calling herself Imizael.

The being fed into his desire to prove a hero, and introduced him to the Infinite Empire, a golden, interdimensional civilization that consisted of alternate versions of Chronus, conquered one by one. Technology and magic were indistinguisable, so great was their advancement as a society. Each Chronus was protected by elite armies known collectively as KARMA, which Imizael prompted Andrei to join, and join he did. With Lifetouch's immense power and natural talent, only enhanced by KARMA's technology and experienced trainers, he quickly rose in the ranks, helping take several other Chronuses to add to the Empire, fighting mighty adventurers, tyrants, monsters and other threats. Yet for all his victories, Andrei found no equal, nobody else he could truly respect other than the Emperor himself. That changed when the name, "Cormick Thale" began to ring in his head.

Tracking the man to our world, Andrei once again was exposed to stories of praise and legends, this time of the hero-king of Aetveris. Almost instantly struck with deep admiration for the only one who could ever match his Emperor, Andrei began preparations to take over this Chronus, enlisting and empowering the rebel faction Reignfall to grow a natural power-base, rather than upset the balance of this version of his home, that seemed so much more unstable than the ones before, by invading with KARMA's full force. When he eventually approached Cormick and was rebuffed by the king, Andrei resolved to still take this world, with or without Thale's aid, and bring it into the fold of the Infinite Empire.

Andrei did so by murdering Ebon in front of the entire Setlaar, who was revealed as one of his subordinates who took over after he died during the wintery scouring of Jotnar by the velstrac demagogue Inkariax. Taking over Reignfall, Lifetouch ended its murderous ways, exterminating those that he blamed for its bloody descent, and breathing new life into the rebel movement. Another to die at his hand was Theo Jung, the first Knight of The Realm of Aetveris and close friend of Cormick Thale, sparking a very personal enmity between the two.

Theme: Wrathchild by Iron Maiden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lchr0uzo55o

### **The Alinibal Court/Ministry of Confederation**

#### Mileena DeChance

A powerful psychic whose mesmerizing abilities are matched only by her allure, the former club dancer met and fell in love with Benedict DeChance during their shared adventure with the Eterans during the Hungering Sands Incident. Often using her abilities to change her appearance on whim, her illusory and psychic capabilities combined make her a natural as Eatash Alram's one and only Alinibal Court noble, representing the Alrimal tribes she was raised from and acting as a diplomat and infiltrator of its social circles. When the Court fell and was replaced with the Ministry, she was rewarded by Bosu for her support with the position of one of Eatash Alram's State Ministers, still representing the Alrimal people. Goodhearted, if a bit inexperienced, Mileena used her abilities to aid her Eteran friends and heal the trauma of her husband's mind, showing a surprising vicious streak to any that harm those she values.

Mileena's first time leading things was during the events in Jotnar surrounding Hylja Boer. This, unfortunately, turned into a disaster, as her efforts to manipulate a powerful criminal gang to defeat a militia funded by The Hyena were ruined by Theo Jung and Aramil Stonebringer, the latter almost killing her when he dropped forty tons of rock from the ceiling of the underground city of Neath onto her, only surviving thanks to the efforts of Operators Thaanian and Al'Akhir. Her plans ruined and Jotnar eventually turned into a freezing wasteland, she still continues to serve her people in the Court and later Ministry competently, though haunted by her failures much like her husband. Shortly after the fall of the Endbringer Cult, she gave birth to a daughter from her and Benedict's union, naming her Djamila.

A rather bubbly woman, Mileena greets most she meets with an excited cheerfulness, and tends to make fast friends with them. In the past, she always dressed rather provocatively as part of her mesmerist technique, but as she slips into the role of a mother she seems to have relieved her of the habit. At the same time, she's grown very protective of her husband and daughter, and has grown suspicious of any who come close to them that haven't thoroughly proven their intentions.

Theme: The Perfect Girl by Mareux : https://youtu.be/V1l6kxQNq54

#### Lady Bosu Funanuri

Claiming to have been 'born and raised' in the 13th Setlaar state of Silent City, Madam (and later 'Lady') Bosu was one of two SC members of the Alinibal Court, alongside her husband Lord Hekko. Elegant but obviously dangerous, Bosu had a reputation in the Court for an odd mixture of manipulation and compassion, with the latter reserved for only those she trusts, and all else 'enjoying' the former. It was somewhat of an open secret in the Court that Lady Bosu is no mortal, but a powerful Great Wyrm Sea Dragon who came to Silent City seeking a kingdom to rule, but finding not just love in Hekko, but friendship in the Eterans who came to the sinking island and saved the land from an eldritch monstrosity. She again associated with Eterans during the Hungering Sands Incident, acting as an ally in the Court to aid the falsely accused adventurers evade capture and execution until their names were cleared. Having proved her capabilities and an annoying habit of befriending Eterans, her and her husband's power in the Court only grew, becoming a major player in the Setlaar.

After an attack on a Congress of Lords and the subsequent conflict with the Endbringer Cult, Bosu and her husband rose further to become the link between the Alinibal Court and Etera, and eventually managed to create a network of allies who supported Bosu and Hekko in a soft coup some time after the fall of the Endbringers, forming the Ministry of Confederation, with themselves as High Ministers of the Confederacy, king and queen of the Setlaar in all but name.

As dragons tend to be, Bosu possesses a streak of arrogance that is difficult to shake, and often believes she knows best in just about any situation she finds herself in; still ,she is wise enough to eventually give in when provided with a mound of evidence. Lady Bosu often dresses in the clothes of Silent City's culture, and genuinely practices their customs with respect, shining a light into some of the generally benevolent nature of sea dragons.

Theme: Thor's Stone by Forest Swords: https://youtu.be/ELsN-su1\_t0

#### Lord Hekko Funanuri

A native of Silent City, Hekko Funanuri's destiny was tied to the sea since birth. Born on a beach, growing into a talented sailor, becoming an infamous pirate, aiding Eterans in combating an ancient deep-sea demigod, and finally marrying a sea dragon in human form, he's lead an exciting and oddly nautical-themed life. When he became an official Lord of the Alinibal Court, it was his idea for the couple to shock the noble sensibilities of their peers with a maverick approach to politics, involving frequent and usually victorious duels, roguish charm, and a total lack of respect for the kind of high-minded decorum the Court kept to. It seems to have paid off, especially in combination with his easygoing and friendly approach to prospective Eteran allies, and especially when he and Bosu took power and formed the Ministry of Confederation, ruling alongside his wife as High Minister. Beneath the laid-back exterior however is a surprising ambition matching his draconic spouse, and a willingness and even enthusiasm in spilling blood proper for a former pirate. If life is as much of a game as he says, Hekko aims to get a high score.

Hekko is a master swordsman, a combination of natural talent, experience, and training from both Purotekuta shinobi in his childhood and the best duelists in the Alinibal Court. In contrast to his wife, he tends to be much more grounded and humble with a good sense of humor and despite his roguish demeanor, is incredibly devoted to his beloved, even often bragging of being married to a powerful and beautiful dragon. He tends to dress in flashes of gold jewelry reminiscent of a wealthy pirate lord as something of a reference to his seagoing past.

Theme: The Duelists by Iron Maiden: https://youtu.be/KbOv88IHToQ

### **Setlaar Armed Forces**

#### Benedict DeChance

Formerly a member of a vicious and sadistic bandit horde, Rake's mind was pieced together (if not fully healed) by Delvar Starbreaker and trained under the tutelage of Creighton Drumheller and his Wolf Pack while befriending the rest of the Eterans during their involvement in the Hungering Sands Incident. An expert marksman and desert survivalist, he proved to be a natural soldier and leader, but such qualities did little to diminish the trauma and guilt of his time with the bandits. It was only with the love of his life Mileena, and the support of his Eteran saviors and friends, that he was finally able to make peace with himself. Son to the great bounty hunter Morgan DeChance, it was revealed that his father had his own gruesome history with a murderous outlaw gang, but the two were never able to reconcile before the hunter's death during the Hungering Sands Incident. Haunted by his familial failure, he hopes his efforts as a commander in the Setlaar army will allow him to move on, starting with erasing his bandit nickname and adopting his proper birth name, Benedict.

Leading the 'Sinful' 66th Repentance Battalion of exiled criminals, DeChance aided the convicts of Preying Gardens who eventually became the Far-Born Paladins. During the Five Years Rest, he not only built up the 66th into an elite legion of repentant soldiers, but was selected by The Hyena along with Cormick Thale to lead Tribulation March. Having previously formed a brotherly bond with the paladin over their shared faith and experiences, they now seek to transform the March into a righteous peacekeeping force dedicated to protecting Chronus from all threats, all while hiding their identities as its leaders. This became all the more important a pursuit when Mileena gave birth to their daughter, Djamila.

As a person, Benedict tends to be a sharply perceptive man, though if it's either a result or cause of his marksmanship skills is up for debate. An honorable man, his own experiences as a former Bandit leads him to believe all but the darkest can be redeemed, and so is not quick to condemn others, at least overtly; he will still try to nudge sinners towards virtue when he can. Perhaps his most notable feature is his prosthetic left eye, usually covered up by a cap of false flesh. A gift from his close friend Avalia Naramoore, when opened it reveals an image of crossed swords bound up by a steel cord: a combination of his twin gods, the empyreal lords Neshen and Ragathiel. Forgiveness is to be offered but if denied, vengeance will follow.

Theme: Fault Line by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: https://youtu.be/J\_nrTkkI02Q

#### Operator Alpha Squadron

The Operators of the Setlaar are its ultimate protectors and enforcers of their will, a match, and then some, for their Eteran counterparts across the sea. Alpha Squadron are the some. Operators vary in experience and equipment, with younger members or squadrons in the less rich states sometimes struggling in their efforts when faced with the absolute worst Chronus can throw at its inhabitants. States like Eatash Alram, with Madinat as the economic hub and 'capital city' of the Setlaar Confederation, have no such troubles, with its veteran members not just equipped with the very best tech and magical training gold can buy, but Spark-provided powers that place them above any normal soldier.

During the conflict in the Eteran Ghostlands, the squad was quartered with the templars of Fort Ragathiel, with a couple members becoming romantically involved with members of the order. If anything, it seems a step forward for those lonely warriors who seemed doomed to live and die at the whims of others. This step turned out to be the first in a journey towards total freedom for the Operators, who pledged their support to Bosu and Hekko with the rise of the MiCo government. It seems to have been a smart move, as Bosu and Hekko held up their end of the deal, and both this squad and all others granted true, free lives as individuals.

Theme: War Machines by NeptuneUK: https://soundcloud.com/neptuneuk/war-machines

Xerxes Al'Akhir acted as the squad leader, having helped raise and fighting alongside most of his squadmates as a young man, taking the role of the 'dad' of the dysfunctional family. With control over the flow of time itself and mastery of the Riven Hourglass combat art combined with decades of experience, he lead the team when crisis struck and ensured victory time and again. Of all the squad's members, Al'Akhir was the most loyal to the Alinibal Court, thoroughly believing in its usefulness and contribution to the Setlaar, and tried his best to instill this belief in the rest of the squad, to varying degrees of success. He was eventually murdered by ~~Theo Jung~~ the Hollow sorcerer Kyros when he revealed himself as a herald of the Fifth Horseman of The Apocalypse, the Operator flinging himself in front of a powerful attack to shield the Eterans in attendance, and was reduced to ash. After the fall of the Fifth Horseman, he was found as an undead Hollow by the bone-shaman Marrow, and reluctantly recruited into Tribulation March by Cormick Thale and Benedict DeChance.

Harab Naramoore is in many ways, a mirror opposite to Al'Akhir. While the squad leader is a strict authority figure completely loyal to the Court and married to the job with a magic-based combat style, Harab is a boastful and brotherly bruiser adopting the Primal Fury style who found love and family after escaping from the Court's clutches. Raising and training the squad alongside Xerxes, their clashing personalities and conflicting approaches are likely the reason for the eccentric, dysfunctional relationship they share, something both are quick to deny. For some time, Harab returned to wearing the arms and armor of the Operators not as an official member of the squad, but an occasional helping hand when not raising the children conceived between him and Avalia Naramoore during the Hungering Sands Incident. With the murder of Al'Akhir, Harab took charge of the squad once again, desperate to keep his remaining family safe. Harab was instrumental to the rise of the MiCo, helping Bosu and Hekko to navigate the and manipulate the contracts that bound the Operators to allegiance to the Alinibal Court. In exchange, he stipulated dramatic changes to the Operator program, which the new High Ministers smartly decided to follow up on.

Operator Thaanian was best described as a overgrown teenager, complete with irritable, sarcastic personality and a deep-seated resentment towards those who raised him. The youngest member of the squad, his status as the 'kid brother' always grated on him and lead to a terrible attitude, his rash behavior dangerous when combined with his telekinetic mastery and use of the Elemental Flux war art. While Al'Akhir's belief in the superiority of the Setlaar is born of a sense of patriotism (and a dash of obligation), Thaanian's attitude was much more condescending and even insulting, quick to dismiss his Eteran counterparts as witless, incompetent savages. Thankfully, his disrespectful and temperamental attitude seems to have cooled down as the years go on, especially with his blossoming relationship with the Fort Ragathiel knight, Illinore Reylis. These days, he's grown into a much more disciplined man, his love for Illinore and time with the soldiers of the mountain fort tempering his attitude and helping him to cast aside his more irritating habits. With the Operators liberated, Thaanian spends most of his time in Etera with Illinore, now betrothed, as part of 'on-call leave', working alongside the paladins of Fort Ragathiel with the forewarning he may have to leave at any time if his duties demand it.

You wouldn't know it by looking at them, but the technopathic Awal and the hulking, robotic La'Yuqhar Operators are in fact, twin brothers. Sharing a headquarters with Eatash Alram's now defunct black ops laboratory, Omnipotent Base, it was only a matter of time before disaster struck, with Yuqhar being the unfortunate recipient of it. Plumbing the depths of the Plane Of Fire in pursuit of more powerful incendiary weaponry, the laboratory suffered a breach when an immensely mighty flame elemental broke containment. Knowing its capture and destruction were inevitable, it chose a host, the unfortunate brother of Awal. Yuqhar's body was disintegrated when he made contact with the spirit, his mind becoming one with the elemental's flaming body. With his personality 'held hostage' by the creature's body, the Court had little choice but to construct the most powerful containment shell they could, constantly upgrading it to the veritable war-mech he is now. This incident left a mental scar on Awal, his anger at his brother's fate conflicting with the loyalty he was raised with, and leaving him a confused, withdrawn man. He finds his solace in technology now, immersing himself in the field so much he developed not only mastery of the Mangled Gear discipline, but an instinctive mental control over all tech, allowing him to make sure his brother's containment body is the apex of its kind.

Yuqhar, for his part, was obviously very changed by the event, his mortal mind struggling with the primeval elemental force that is now his true body, only clinging to sanity thanks to the robotic mental routines given by his mechanical shell. While his mind is vulnerable however, his body is anything but. A powerful practitioner of both the Leaden Hyena and Brutal Crocodile disciplines, and armed with the best weapons available, he serves as the squad's muscle, being the best combatant they can field, and likely the strongest individual Operator in service. When the mage Alloces Veil met Awal and Yuqhar, he decided to help the latter, and loosened the bond the elemental had to Yuqhar's consciousness, allowing him to think and live as his own man again. Although offered a new, organic body, Yuqhar declined, instead feeling his mechanical shell was now his true self, choosing instead to allow Avalia Naramoore, the Mithral Lady, to upgrade it into an even more powerful, and sapient, machine. Both Awal and Thaanian have pursued a small-time career as tech consultants following the Operator liberation, their contracts taking some time to complete due to the priority of their duties as Operators, but always worth it for their clients.

The last recruit to Alpha Squadron and replacement for Harab when he fled the group, Operator Shirudo Rippana was part of Silent City's contribution to the Setlaar, to be allowed as its 13th state. Involved in the Eteran group that saved Silent City (and likely the world with it), her experience with the troublesome adventurers of Etera combined with her martial abilities and mutations resulting from exposure to SC's eldritch heritage made her an ideal candidate. While Shirudo enjoys being able to serve her home's interests, she bore great resentment from being stationed away from her state, where Lady Bosu reigned free with the Operator's childhood sweetheart Hekko. This was of course combined with the stress of being Harab's replacement in the squad, seen as an intruder and outsider by her own teammates. She bore this all with discipline and grace however, drawing from her mental rites as a practitioner of the Scarlet Throne dueling art and shinobi training. What she struggled with most though, was her own insidious gift, able to summon and control aberrations as a result of her experiences in Silent City's eldritch underwater ruins. The evil and twisted nature of her own ability clashed greatly with her personal honor and morals, seeing it as a curse that only added to her own stoically miserable existence. With her relationship and marriage to the Fort Ragathiel paladin Teris Bale, she finally received some true happiness in her life, along with her training of 'students' from the eldritch spaces in the ways of Silent City's shinobi. This was only strengthened when Shirudo was offered, and accepted, a position as Silent City's State Minister when the MiCo administration ascended to power after bearing Teris a son, Hiroto, as Harab officially rejoined the squadron.

#### Operator Omega Squadron

While the Alpha Operators are indeed mighty, they can't be everywhere at once, and sometimes even they need backup. When the need for more Operators of such ability are needed, Omega Squadron fulfills that need. Just as well-trained and well-funded, if not with quite as storied a history, Omega Squadron are at least known for assisting in The Battles of Madinat, helping the Eteran contingent neutralize the Endbringer Cult without a single innocent loss in life.

Theme: Bust by Chris Jensen (Half Life: Opposing Force OST): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMF\_PRSXbXk&t=8s

Operator Hector wasn't always destined for his duty. At one time, he was considered for the position of bodyguard to the Commander-General of the Setlaar Armed Forces. Developing a rivalry with fellow Operator Achilles, the latter won out during their competition, the quality of being unkillable deemed more relevant to the needs of the position than Hector's own skillset. Not to say the man's abilities are inferior, far from it. Incredibly skilled in the unorthodox martial art of Fool's Errand, Hector is skilled in the use of just about any weapon, from unarmed to melee, firearms to explosives, to even improvising deadly instruments from the environment. In addition, his natural leadership skills have made him the effective squad leader for Omega, despite not acting in a mentor role to his squadmates as Al'Akhir and Harab did for Alpha. Despite being such a dangerous individual, Hector has always been described as being very affable and polite, taking pleasure in meeting other Operators and even Eteran adventurers.

Dumiye is the squad's muscle, using a powered suit of extreme durability and strength even by Operator standards. Wielding a hammer and shield, Dumiye acts as the 'tank' for the squad, attracting the opponents attention, and with his mastery of Iron Tortoise, is easily able to survive being in the enemy's sights. As a Shaqaale orc hailing from Sameeyay Asha, Dumiye is also a naturally talented weapon and armorsmith, often taking it upon himself to periodically upgrade and enhance his squad's equipment. Like Hector, he tends to be very gregarious, but his methods of doing so leave a little to be desired. Within his squad, the orc's barbed insults and teasing manner aren't taken for offense, but Dumiye doesn't seem to bother toning down such behaviors with those less acquainted with him, leading many to believe him to simply be meanspirited. Thankfully, his fellows are quick to point out his friendly intentions.

The relationship between the people of the Setlaar and undead has always been complicated. Although the generally civilizing force of the confederacy's society prevents much in the way of outright lynchings and purges, they still face heavy discrimination. It seems tragic, until one remembers much of the undead behave in ways that would be deemed sociopathic among the living, if they aren't outright preying upon their neighbors. The likes of Operator Hlava are what balances out the perception, being a professional, even admirable example of a civilized undead, a vampire specifically. As a vampiric drow, Hlava has an understandable preference for the dark, and such a preference seems to have even influenced her fighting style, being highly proficient in the style of Unquiet Grave. Darting to and fro among the battlefield, Hlava could be best described as a skirmisher, using her arm-mounted blades to cut the enemy down to size. Not surprisingly for an undead, the drow is rather grim, with a sense of gallows humor that could creep out a necromancer, though unlike Dumiye always knows when to 'turn off' such habits in polite company.

The Volshebnik of Dom tend to be a very shamanic people, and Operator Lovec is no exception. While under the armor Lovec is in fact one of the more lithe of his people, he makes a striking figure with his customized armor, including the antlers on his helmet the lizardman specifically enchanted to be nigh-unbreakable. Like almost all of his people, Lovec has a deep respect for the land, to the point he separated from many other Operators in not focusing his training on a particular martial art, but on druidic and natural magicks that give a great amount of control over the world around him. When not practicing such abilities, he acts as the squad's marksman, targeting priority targets in a fight, especially other mages with his arcane munitions that penetrate most magical defenses. Personality-wise, Lovec is the most stable, and demure, of the squadron. Often acting as a counterbalance to Dumiye and Hlava's eccentricities, he tends to ground the team, and aids his squad leader Hector in planning their missions.

#### Operator Achilles

Bodyguarding is a dangerous business, and who better to keep someone from dying, than a man who can't die himself? Presumably born in Usuhan, a safe assumption to make considering his Mahn-Eun elven heritage, Achilles was given up by his parents to the Operator program as is usual upon testing positive for a Spark. What was *un*usual was the manifestation of his Spark, that of a Radiant sort, despite his young age. Most Sparks of Potential only become Radiant after extensive training and 'acceptance' of the special quality of soul, but that of Achilles was already at such a stage from birth, and it showed itself in an equally astonishing way. Stabbings, bullet-wounds, burns both thermal and chemical, electrocution, even decapitation and bisection, the elf survived it all, without even a sensation of pain. No matter what kind of lethal wound or effect, Achilles would eventually come back together, convert back into his flesh-and-blood form, and heal.

No amount of research was able to reveal exactly how this happens, at least none easily available to the public, but his use was quickly determined. Achilles was, along with fellow Operator Hector, tested for suitability as a bodyguard, and eventually defeated his rival in the qualifications. Afterwards, his training was altered from usual Operator orthodox to tactics in safeguarding another, specifically as a permanent escort for the Commander-General of the Setlaar Armed Forces, starting with General Curlings, then on to General Samaud, and now General DeChance, whom he seems to have taken a particular liking to. With his expertise in both the arts of Mangled Gear and Eternal Guardian, Achilles is able to disarm any opponent as well as secure his charge with absolute certainty. For weaponry, he is of course trained in many ways of neutralizing threats, but seems to take a special interest in using his dual handguns, chambered for heavy caliber.

In his position as bodyguard for Benedict DeChance, Achilles has found himself also responsible for the safety of the Commander-General's wife and daughter, and those with sharp perceptions can detect an almost familial sense of protection the elf holds for them, especially the little Djamila. He may reason it as simply being the orders of his charge, as well as knowing that if either were to die, Benedict would falter in his military duties. But it doesn't take a mind-reader to figure he's also grown attached to his expanded responsibilities. That said, no lie could be detected if one were to ask who his primary responsibility is, and be given the answer of Benedict DeChance.

Theme: Bodyguard by Ruth Barrett and Ruskin Williamson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e49QN432LeM

#### Operator Ugaard

**FILE CLASSIFIED: MINISTRY OF CONFEDERATION SPECIAL OPERATIONS AUTHORITY**

Theme: Hunter (Instrumental) by Bjork: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mvVZZO3ON0

### **Fighters and Adventurers**

#### Beast Squad

A trio of beastmen of sorts working as brutish mercenaries, Beast Squad has earned some renown as extremely talented bruisers willing to take highly dangerous jobs, so long as it involves copious amounts of bloodshed...

The weretiger known as Gardacostas possesses a past unknown to all, including himself. Washing up on the shores of Silent City and rescued by Lady (then Madam) Bosu from being dashed against the rocky coast, he owed Bosu a debt he intended to pay off with his odd affinity for martial arts. Working as a bodyguard for the disguised dragon, Gardacostas fought alongside the Eterans who saved the city and likely the world from being consumed by an eldritch titan. It wouldn't be the first time, as he then moved with Bosu and Hekko to Madinat when Silent City joined the Setlaar confederation, once again working with the adventurers involved in the Hungering Sands Incident.

It was only after meeting Masarie and befriending his longtime rival Shaka that Gardacostas finally separated from Bosu and formed Beast Squad. Likely the best technical fighter of the trio, the furred fighter possesses a style fitting for his animalistic transformation, using his claws that are present even in his human form to slash opponents to ribbons. He usually dresses in loose rags fit to be shredded when transforming, his haggard and sloppy appearance often putting opponents at ease before they realize the danger he presents.

Theme: Weight of Gold by Forest Swords: https://youtu.be/XnVXLrGnU5I

Masarie is a lizardman of the Siad Tajim variety, a subspecies found only in the Blue Ring oasis in Eatash Alram known for their incredible talent for and appreciation of the brewing of alcohol. He is no exception, enjoying copious amounts of drink, though he is still dutiful to his people. It was this responsibility that sent him to Etera during the Verk War, helping to overthrow the emperor at the request of his clan, paranoid of an Imperial victory allowing Darrien Verk to set his sights on their homeland. He even participated in the final battle before eventually returning to Blue Ring, victorious and stronger than ever. It wasn't his first dalliance with Eterans though, as he would be a late joiner to the Hungering Sands Incident, proving his usefulness in the last few struggles of the party of fellow adventurers.

Upon meeting Shaka and Gardacostas, the hard-drinking gatorman made fast friends with them, and was in fact the one to propose the formation of Beast Squad to ensure a steady supply of drinking money and entertaining fights. He does quite a good job of it too, his experience as an adventurer making him the most seasoned fighter of the three, though he mostly uses his gathered know-how to expertly clobber opponents with his bare hands and showboating antics as a wrestler. Masarie often goes barechested to showcase his 'fizeek' as he calls it in his nigh-indecipherable Tajim accent, and is almost never seen without a fat cigar resting in his teeth.

Theme: Swamp by Tweaker: https://youtu.be/l9zxuLmyS8E

The most grounded of the lot, the sharkman Shaka grew up in Silent City alongside Hekko, his only friend after a magical seaborne curse fated him to transform into a predatory beast. Joining the pirate as his first mate for a time he, like Gardacostas, fought alongside the Eterans involved in the city's fate, though he often butted heads with the wisecracking weretiger. It was only after his involvement in the Hungering Sands Incident in Eatash, again as Hekko's companion, that he eventually warmed up to Gardacostas, along with Masarie when they met. Forming Beast Squad with them was quite the coup, as his adventures with them lead him to the Eteran island chain of Lalotai, where local shamans managed to tame his curse and prevent him from fully shifting into a mindless shark, locking him in his current humanoid form.

Often acting as the 'face' of Beast Squad when interacting with clients, Shaka is much less of the boisterous bruiser as the others, a much more sober and respectful personality. This doesn't mean he's any less lethal though, as his expertise with a harpoon and his own razor-sharp jaws and tearing strength makes him a formidable foe. Once going shirtless as Masarie, his experience in Lalotai left him with an immense admiration for the local culture, leading him to outfit himself with their style and even cover much of his skin with ritualistic scars and tattoos in emulation of his saviors.

Theme: The Rakyat by Brian Taylor: https://youtu.be/rA4fdheFpnc

#### Aitch

A woman out of time, Aitch is no native of our world, plane, or even universe. Instead hailing from an alternative timeline, being their 'version' of The Hyena, hence her adopted alias. She exists as something of an anomaly, her abilities functioning very differently from Solomon, but ending up at the same result of a nigh-indestructible warrior capable of immense destruction. Aitch possesses a strange connection to the realm known as 'The Outside', that thin yet infinite layer of space between planes and dimensions, able to direct any force or energy (including the raw essence that makes up all magical effects) to the realm to render herself unharmed as well as recalling it to project out in a variety of forms. To any who manage to make an ally of her, she tends to be quite useful.

Despite her abilities, Aitch is far from being in a good position. When her universe was collapsed by the entity known as The Outside Man, she was quietly transferred to our own, where she quickly learned of her counterpart's crimes and became obsessed with stopping him. The question soon came up how exactly a conflict between the two might turn out however, and it was judged that keeping them separated was the best course of action. She spent years as a cross between a captive and guest of the Setlaar Armed Forces, hidden away to keep her out of The Hyena's reach and awareness, but after years of this she eventually grew frustrated and attacked him some time after he stepped down from Tribulation March's command. Aitch proved unable to defeat both him and his lover Nirah however, and she was subdued and thankfully convinced to drop the vendetta that defined her so. For a time Aitch wandered the world unfettered by any organization, searching for some purpose to her life as a refugee of another timeline.

She finally found that purpose when she met Maldrik Shiarza, but after a successful few dates found herself trapped. The being R'Than she unofficially worked in service to for a time had manipulated her once again, this time into becoming pregnant with Maldrik's child. There was worry for a time that the rogue Faceless might possess the child between the blood of a devil and the essence of The Outside, but the tiefling father's dealings with the new God of Chronus Yakuul granted their child protection when she was born. Since then, caring for her daughter Lyra has cured Aitch of many of her bad habits, from her wandering to her alcoholism, and so far seems content raising her with Maldrik.

#### Prime (Formerly SICC)

The artificial being known as Prime possesses something of a complicated past, it has to be said. A former Eteran adventurer in the Verk War, Prime was the administrator of the gestalt hivemind intelligence known as 'SICC', acting on behalf of their agreed, combined interest, no matter how he personally felt. Prime soon led the SICC gestalt to the land of the Setlaar shortly after the Verk War, finding their higher technology much more fitting. It wasn't long after that SICC made contact with The Hyena, and agreed to join his Tribulation March organization, the first mission being to infiltrate the Eteran adventurers during the Hungering Sands Incident. Despite the friends Prime garnered, especially with the fellow technologist Avalia Naramoore, it was forced to betray them on behalf of SICC and The Hyena and left for The Den, the demiplane headquarters of the March.

For years SICC assisted The Hyena and his people, using their mastery over technology and incredibly rapid processing to use as the administrator of Tribulation March's information hub and working with their Lead Engineer, Jerome. As time went on however, before Prime began to grow dissatisfied with its lot, forced to sheepdog a rabble of assimilated personalities a thousand strong and growing every day. It began to dream, as much a disembodied intellect could, of freedom and independence, able to formulate and follow its own agendas and wishes rather than SICC's. When the time for a decision came, Prime went to the only one it felt could help, Avalia Naramoore, whose trust it had betrayed years ago.

Avalia was understandably hesitant, skeptical that Prime was not only its own will separate from SICC, but of its good intentions as well. Eventually the construct was able to convince her, and extracted it from SICC to its own mechanical body, as well as imbuing it with a Pale Spark much like her other creation, Ashley Naramoore, though nowhere close as convincing as natural. Free from its chains, Prime still felt the need to repent over its aiding and abetting of The March, and for some time tinkered with a grand invention in the sewers of the city of Babel. That is, until it approached Avalia again, and gave a grand offer: to become the Mithral Lady's first paladin outside of her androids. The Self-Forged accepted Prime, and knighted him as her own. Born yet again in a new body, the construct now leads fellow martial believers in spreading the cause of industry and technological innovation to every corner of Chronus.

#### Jackson Bailey

Greatness comes in many forms, and many sources. For Jackson Bailey, it seemed to come from both without and within. Born in 'The City of The Future' of Aleumdaum in Usuhan, he never knew his parents for all of his childhood and forming years, abandoned in the slums of the city as a boy. In time, Jackson (preferably 'Jackie'), grew up with the need to stand out and take charge of the situation to survive. He wound up joining the street gang capable of providing the best protection, the Steelskins, and created a name for himself using a masked alter-ego he called Zilla. As the years went on, Jackie began to depend on Zilla to cope with the dangers of his environment, transfering all his sense of confidence, skill, and bravado to what had become a separate personality.

Zilla received the ultimate test when he became wrapped up in the events of Swarming Eyes, aiding the adventurers against his gang and joining their side to defeat SICC and push Auguste Bailey out of Aleumdaum. During and after these events, he would seek and be granted training with Ashley Naramoore, shinobi student of Operator Shirudo Rippana of Silent City. Learning the art of unarmed combat and shadowy stealth at an amazing rate, it was discovered Jackie (and thus Zilla) possessed a Spark of Potential, explaining his rapid pace of understanding and the survival skills needed to make it through the Steelskins in one piece. It was long from the end of his problems though...

Leaving Aleumdaum, Zilla began working against the criminal element in the Setlaar, creating a sense of notoriety among the confederacy's underworld through his merciless actions against their shady operations. At the same time though, the separation between Zilla and Jackie began increasing, which combined with the stress of his identity being leaked began to wear away at his already fragile sanity. It was only when he met another adventurer, one he had also met in Aleumdaum, that he was saved from his psychosis. Jacob Dupont, known better as the inquisitor/detective Saint Jacob, had also taken part in Swarming Eyes, his identity kept secret from most involved, including Jackie. Approaching the vigilante under the guise of 'Davie', Jacob trained Jackie in balancing his identity, stabilizing his mind, and the gumshoe techniques of his career. Now just as much detective as shinobi, Jackie took another name, Septembre, and soon made even more discoveries concerning his true nature.

Theme: Boilermaker by Royal Blood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tMNwOfyzh0&list=PLHTo\_\_bpnlYXafPiUAFMKaWXr39Dh78Ci&index=8

Ares Dessex

The self-control and discipline of true monks is legendary, and despite never joining a monastic order, Ares Dessex seems to have filled all the boxes anyways, especially the pop-culture requirement of some great tragedy in the past that drove him to such measures. As a boy, Ares and his sister Artemis were born with Sparks of Potential, qualities their parents hid in fear of being pressured to give them up to the Operator program. As a consequence, their mother and father were wholly unprepared to deal with Artemis' powers as a 'shine-eyes' mesmerist, who accidentally charmed their father and essentially turned him into a slave to every instinctive desire of the infant girl. This eventually drove their mother mad, who attempted to slay Artemis and, failing that, inflict a curse upon her. When their father killed their mother in defense, Ares stumbled upon the scene finding only his father standing above the corpse of the corpse of his mother, holding a bent, bloodied fire-poker. Grabbing a nearby kitchen knife, he killed his own father in a rage, before he and Artemis realized what they had done, and fled to the anonymity of the streets, surviving on scams on lecherous adults run by the mesmerist sister.

When their wanderings took them to Aleumdaum, Auguste Bailey took an interest in the two and offered them both jobs as his 'hands' in the city, and himself as a mentor. The siblings accepted, and while Artemis took advantage of their wealth, Ares instead fell deeply into Auguste's influence, becoming obsessed with self-control after his wild emotions drove him to slay his own father. Following a rigorous routine of exercise, martial arts, and meditation, the effects of Ares' Spark became manifest in the development of ki-powers, including a powerful form that grew additional limbs constructed of ki, and the ability to construct weapons from the immaterial force. Combined with highly advanced cybernetics, he became as mighty a warrior as his sister was a sorceress.

When Ares became involved with the events of Swarming Eyes, he was recommended by Sera Sage to learn from her sister Selena in her newfound art of Divine Internal Alchemy, which made use of the inherent power in one's blood. In the process, he was particularly attracted to the concept of The Eight Gates, a series of metaphysical barriers to martial enlightenment that often killed those who opened the final Gate and reached the peak. After weeks of hard work and study with Selena, Ares not only opened each of the Gates, but managed to survive the final ascension. At the end though, he found The Eight Gates were only one step of many. He was saved from the maddening realization that his journey to enlightenment and control would never end when he realized he had fallen deeply for Selena, having finally found someone he could walk the path alongside. The two eventually have a daughter, Sasha, who they train to this day in their combined wisdom and discipline.

Theme: Mantra by Josh Homme, Dave Ghrol, and Trent Reznor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnaF5U6AmlU

#### Reginald 'Reggie' Dean

Turning swords to plowshares is no easy thing, and sometimes, it is best swords keep their edge. The key, it seems, is knowing when to sheathe them. This was a lesson Reginald Dean, known to many simply as. 'Reggie', learned along ago. Growing up in the Patrie Wildlands just outside a major city, Reggie was a 'country boy' in name only, as he spent most of his child and teen years exploring the urban mazes not far from his family's farm, where he stood out thanks to his rural accent very apart from the formalized, etiquette-based language common in the city. Not long after becoming a man, he moved to the city for good, though in his time there he found the aristocratic behaviors grating and restricting. Despite this difficulty, he found friendship with another young man who's title would be feared throughout the Setlaar almost as much as The Hyena himself, Ebon. Together, they formed the foundation for what would eventually become Reignfall, with the man who would be Ebon acting as the brains, Reggie as the charm, and dozens of disaffected youths as the muscle. It took years for them to go from a rebellious gang to an outright guerrilla force against the Alinibal Court, but they got their big break when Ebon managed to associate the group with the Eterans involved in the Hungering Sands Incident, their popularity exploding as they became adjacent to the biggest threat to Court power in decades.

Years later, when Theo Jung and Aramil Stonebringer accidentally brought Inkariax's wrath upon Jotnar in the form of a wintery holocaust, Ebon seemed to...change. What was once a noble endeavor to free the Setlaar from the clutches of the Alinibal, eventually became a brutal terrorist organization that only sought to cause harm to the Court no matter what collateral damage resulted. Ebon and Reggie drifted apart, and this eventually culminated in Reggie being 'exiled' to an assignment in Aleumdaum to convert the budding Alignment Freedom Front rebels into a Reignfall cell, where the rogue instead 'went native' and aligned himself closer to the cause of the undead Shobora. During his time there however, Reggie met his final fate when he was killed during an investigation into a strange glitch with the Bohoja drones, eventually turning out to the gestalt intellect SICC, who had just began slowly transferring itself prior to its official breakout from Tribulation March.

This was not the end however, as his mind was copied by the Bohoja's guardian program Watchdog into an advanced AI connected to Aleumdaum's cybernetic infrastructure, and thus every person in the city with a CommuniLink implant which was, by this time, just about everyone. Working with Watchdog and hiding his death and true nature as an AI, this 'new' Reggie continued the old one's work with the AFF while also attempting to delay SICC's plans. The only kink in the plan, was during the events of Swarming Eyes when the AI and the golden, Eteran samurai Astire felt an instant attraction that bloomed into romance. When he confessed his true nature to Astire, instead of rejecting him, she built a physical avatar for the AI to meaningfully interact with the world, including herself in more bawdy matters.

When SICC was defeated and the souls it had hidden away in its digital afterlife freed, Reggie's was among them. Knowing the 'true' Reggie would hold no memory and thus no affection for Astire, the AI still sacrificed itself to restore Reggie, body and mind. Some troubled times came for the two as they slowly fell back in love, but eventually their relationship reformed, marrying in a ceremony at the temple-golem of Sun-Sword dedicated to Astire's family deity, Shizuru. Nowadays Reggie balances his marriage with his attempts to reach out to Ebon again, hoping to temper the violence his old friend has brought to the Setlaar.

Theme: Keys To The Kingdom by UNKLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mov1xXyaMVg

#### Dr. Octagon

Chronus is a world of many mysteries, with one of the least known being, "Who is Dr. Octagon?", and another being who in the living daylights would ever train such a madman in the careful art of practicing medicine. However, despite his sheer lunacy and vague origins, he has an underground reputation for being a literal miracle-worker able to fix just about anything. Rumor is he can even cure a broken heart, provided the necessary duct-tape. The most anybody can really fathom from the rare encounters with him, Dr. Octagon is an incredibly ancient lich, very likely hailing from another world, though whether he's even from the Material Plane at all is debatable.

Last seen during the adventure of Swarming Eyes tending to the cyber-surgical needs of the Eterans involved, he has since disappeared, only to pop up at the strangest and most unlikely of places. Despite the difficulty in finding him, Octagon's prices are cheap, yet it is said he'll only appear to those who need it most. Who exactly qualifies for such a standard is unknown, but those who have been treated by him have never gone on to live average, boring lives; it seems he only treats men and women of great destiny.

Theme: Dr. Octagon by Dr. Octagon (ft. Doctor Octagon): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOtpDEOssT4

### **Other Organizations**

#### Council of Aleumdaum

When the events of Swarming Eyes came to pass and Lord Auguste Bailey left the city of Aleumdaum, it was left in the care of its citizens, who formed a council to tend to the high-tech metropolis' needs and that of its citizens.

Hiram Il-Sung hails from the city of Sujeong-Dosi in Usuhan, not far behind Aleumdaum itself in terms of progress. Born to pure elven, Mahn-Eun parents, Hiram had something of an advantage from the outset, what with Mr. and Ms. Il-Sung being wealthy technologists, and this was something he was very aware of. Seeking to form his own fortune, he partnered with a college friend of his, a poor but promising human by the name of Auguste Bailey, to form a weapons research company called Sovereign. With Hiram's access to funding and industry connections, and Auguste's budding genius, Sovereign quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the leaders in technological weaponry it is today. There was however, an eventual falling out between the two when Auguste abandoned the company out of seemingly nowhere to form his own technology corporation, Bailey Artificials, with barely a word of explanation.

Decades later, when Aleumdaum's first golden age had came and went, and the city began to degrade under Bailey's attention to it once again became neglectful, Hiram recognized the signs of his old partners behaviors, and came to Aleumdaum to form the Gaejyong Center Initiative. Practically falling in love with the City of The Future and its potential, Hiram created the GCI using his money and connections from Sovereign as a counter-faction to the Alinibal Court, having been long-tired of its failings, and sought to take over Aleumdaum when Auguste eventually abandoned it as he did their company. Instead, a group of Eterans came to the city, both foiling the plans of all, and bringing them to reality.

Now Hiram serves the city as the Dragon Councilor of Aleumdaum, concerning himself with the city's representation among the Setlaar at large such as with Usuhan's State Minister under the MiCo, or outside corporations wanting to deal with those who call Aleumdaum home.

Theme: Home Base (UNATCO) by Michiel van den Bos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbHy2m9\_TfU

The undead man known as Shobora was a mystery for the longest time, even to those he called friend. The truth only came out in time, and even then he refuses to speak much of it. Growing up on the streets of one of Anpil Peyi's lesser islands, Shobora and Josue Citro survived through performing backbreaking labor on the island's plantations, the precious and fragile qualities of the goods they helped create preventing much in the way of automation or magical assistance. Eventually, they hatched a foolish, desperate plan to make their lives easier by voluntarily becoming undead, making them tireless and without need for food, water, or sleep. Gathering materials and instructions for old rituals from the SetNet, the two conducted the ritual, but it of course went wrong. Instead of making them both undead, the ritual fed off Josue's life energy to fuel only Shobora's transformation. With Josue turned to an old man, and blaming Shobora, the two separated.

Leading up to the events of Swarming Eyes, both brothers found themselves in Aleumdaum, with Josue creating a druidic street gang known as the Citros, having come into and spread the Green Faith as part of a bid to cure himself of the ritual's effects, and taking over a portion of Aleumdaum's old infrastructure, renaming it Greensborough. Shobora meanwhile, saw the injustice of Auguste Bailey's negligence and apparent scheme to exile much of the city's people, founding the Alignment Freedom Front. When the Eterans came, they found themselves working more with Shobora and the AFF over Hiram's GCI, wary of the elf's connections to the Alinibal Court. By the end of things, the city had been saved, and the undead Moun had mostly patched things up with his brother.

These days, Shobora serves as the Tiger Councilor of Aleumdaum, representing the interests of the city's everymen, and making sure that the progress of the City of The Future doesn't come at the expense of its people, mostly by managing the Commons Headquarters in the renovated slums of The Neons.

Theme: Excess by Tricky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3ivr41yxGs

The 'shine-eyes' mesmerists of the Setlaar all seem to be women of great power, and Artemis Dessex is no exception. Born with the psychic, mesmerizing powers indicated by gleaming, iridescent colors in the eyes when used, Artemis may have a grand position now, but her abilities caused her no end of trouble when it destroyed her family. Accidentally charming her father as an infant, her mother attempted to murder her when she was a girl, causing the father to slay his wife on the spot in hypnotic defense, but not before the woman cursed her daughter with a scarred face that would render any who witnessed it immune to her powers. In turn, Artemis' brother Ares slew their father, a bloody night that sent them both to the streets in hiding. Making use of Artemis' abilities to survive, the two eventually found themselves in Aleumdaum during their wanderings, and attracted the attention of Auguste Bailey, who employed the two as his bodyguards and enforcers, and gave them access to his enormous wealth and resources. In contrast to her brother, Artemis took full advantage, living a luxurious lifestyle, and luring unwitting suitors to her bedroom to be emotionally drained in a very literal way before being dropped off, dazed and confused, back onto the streets.

All of this changed when, during the events of Swarming Eyes, she met the inquisitor and detective Saint Jacob. For the first time in her life, Artemis fell genuinely, frustratingly, in love with the grizzled, enigmatic man who seemed to be able to resist her when all others fell to her charms. What became curiosity at his resistance became an attraction that Jacob seemed to never reciprocate, an ironic torture for the woman who could make all her casual dalliances dance to her tune. Still, the Saint managed to redeem the temptress into growing beyond her hedonistic ways, showing her true potential and giving her the chance to make something of herself beyond an idle playgirl. With the assistance of another of the Eterans, Sera Sage, she even managed to remove her mother's curse, healing her scarred face, though she still wears masks out of habit.

In present times, thanks to Jacob and Sera's help, she aids the council through ways both public and secret. In the open, she manages the council's treasury, having reversed her habits of idle spending into a recognition of what is and isn't necessary. To the knowledge of few, she acts as Aleumdaum's spymaster, keeping the shadows of the City of The Future safe while others protect it more openly.

Theme: Glory Box by Portishead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAKX51r7erw

The sons and daughters of the mixed-blood aristocracy of Usuhan and Sameeyay Asha are often destined for great heights, often due to the patronage and privilege of their families. It is doubtful however, that Galgahra Bishaaro's parents intended for their daughter to travel the path she has. Born and raised in one of the noble palaces of Asha, the young half-orc often ran from home to the worker-ghettos squeezed between the enormous forges of her home city, where having to dodge errant molten puddles splashing from the industries was one of the lesser dangers for a Forgemaster's child. When she wasn't out adventuring, she smuggled in training materials derived from the Operator program, trying to make the most of her natural orcish strength and elven agility as she took great interest in something, anything, other than what her parents had intended for her. Often, she claimed they didn't groom her for the family business so much as simply assume she'd naturally grow into it.

When she ran from home for the final time, it was to Aleumdaum, where she fell in with Shobora and the rest of the founding members of the AFF. Developing a fierce loyalty to the undead Moun and his cause, Galgrahra acted as the muscle for the group, especially after receiving cybernetic implants as was common in the City of The Future. When Swarming Eyes came about, she not only aided the Eterans, but fell in love with one of them, Ashley Naramoore. What was a casual fling soon became true romance, and after SICC's defeat the two have made a life together in the city after some initial turbulence in their relationship that was solved by the curious aid of Artemis Dessex.

In the modern Aleumdaum, Galgahra leads the city's defense force, with many members of the former Haris Patrol presence flocking to her command.

Theme: Mayday by UNKLE (ft. The Duke Spirit): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YndKLYQrugU

### **Posthumous**

#### Katya Victorovna

"Better to have loved and lost than never loved at all" as the saying goes, but common wisdom is not always right, and such is the case with Katya. Growing up in a Wildlands settlement in Dom, Katya learned how to shoot, very well, at her father's knee, her mother passing shortly after her birth. With no son to carry on, her father reluctantly raised her to take over as the village's protector, sharpening his daughter's natural keen eye into a sniper's sense. She was in the middle of her training when she fell for a boy from outside the village, the two sharing themselves with each other for some time before one night as they sat in the settlement's watchtower, Katya heard the sound of Bandits approaching the walls, and prepared to alert the village before her lover captured her, assuring that with the money the Bandits paid him, the two could live well-off in the cities. Katya overcame him, killing him with her machete, but too late to save her father or her village, which burned down around her as she hid in the watchtower. Overcome with shame for her vulnerability and cowardice, Katya left the ruins, leaving behind much of her heart, and went to the cities. Not long after, she came to Aleumdaum as she wandered, falling in with the AFF as their scout and sniper.

When the events of Swarming Eyes came, she once again found herself growing affectionate for a seemingly heroic man, Cormick Thale. Unbeknownst to her however, this was no usual Cormick, but one who hailed from a timeline where only he and Ashley Naramoore came to Aleumdaum, just as the rest of the party of Eterans involved had been taken from times where they were the only adventurers present before R'Than melded their experiences together. In that Cormick's time, he and Katya indeed grew very close, but Thale's experiences in love and the dangerous nature of his royal ambition led him to make a decision that broke his own heart: when the collision of time came, he would use a power other than R'Than's to alter time so he never returned Katya's affections, hoping to spare both of them the heartache he believed would stem from their union.

When the timelines were brought together, Cormick discovered to his extreme dismay that in this new time, Katya had not only grown disaffected with events in Aleumdaum and left it for the Wildlands of Dom again, but that she had died in a Bandit raid on a convoy she was hired to help protect. In trying to save her, the consequences only led to her death, and one without even the comfort of having loved him.

Theme: We Hit a Wall by Chelsea Wolfe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ-aAt6G6J0

#### Ebon/Reignfall

     There is very little known of the guerrilla rebel leader known as Ebon, only that he's a humanoid male who's earned his name through his mastery of Darkness magic, which he uses to disguise his appearance and escape from the forces of the Alinibal Court time and time again. Never captured and rarely seen, Ebon professes to champion the freedom of the Setlaar people, claiming the Court controls society from the shadows while propagandizing the populace to see them as vital to their way of life. The nobles of the Alinibal meanwhile, counterclaims he and his organization, Reignfall, seeks only to destroy the Court so as to claim their riches and position in society, fueled by spite and jealousy.

The rebel group Reignfall in general is dedicated to bringing down the Alinibal Court by any means that preserves the freedoms of the Setlaar people. Acting through hidden agents that seem to be embedded throughout the Setlaar, even in the ranks of the Court, Reignfall fights against the forces of the Court's nobility to expose their shadowy puppeteering. The rebels act both in the open and under cover engaging in protests and publication of alternative media as well as more shady activities such as assassinations and even bombings of Court property. Although Reignfall attempts to limit casualties, they seem more than accepting of killing those they see as minions of the Court, being responsible for the deaths of dozens of mercenaries and Jundiin, quite a few nobles, and even one or two Operators. The only known interaction between Etera and Reignfall was the cooperation between the group and the Eterans involved in the Hungering Sands Incident, where the rebels assisted the adventurers in striking against the Court in efforts to prove their innocence. Since then, Reignfall had kept separate, but rumors persisted of rebellion-minded Eterans carrying out high-risk operations against the Court with their support.

When the MiCo government arose, many predicted Reignfall would disband, with the confederation now in better hands. But if anything, the rebel org has only grew and become more powerful, even more vicious. In time however, it was revealed by none other than the interdimensional invader Andrei Lifetouch that Ebon had died long ago when the velstrac demagogue Inkariax wiped out the surface population of the state of Jotnar, his subordinate Min Yinshen taking his identity and using his influence to turn Reignfall from rebel force to murderous terrorists to carry out a personal grudge against High Minister Bosu. She was killed by Andrei during the reveal, and now Lifetouch leads Reignfall against the Ministry of Confederation in open war, arguing no immortal being should reign over Men on Chronus.

Theme: No One Knows by Queens Of The Stone Age (UNKLE Remix): https://youtu.be/o3hkxHRBUME

#### Theo Jung

When people lose something they hold vitally dear, there can be a range of reactions. Some curl up and wither, their loss draining all energy from them. Others, hopefully, find comfort in others, supported by those they love. Sadly, the most common reaction is for them to take out their anger on the world around them, condemning all to burn with them. Theo Jung represents one of the most tragic cases of the latter, not only turning his anguish and rage against the world in his actions, but even with his very presence that burns all.

One of the two original instigators of the destruction of Hylja Boer, Theo originally hailed from the city of Jaegersmark in Mulheim. His life was rather unremarkable until he joined the Setlaar Armed Forces, sent to one of the 'pacification battalions' that specialized in removing tribal natives from their land during Setlaar urban expansions. A perpetrator and victim of brutal guerrilla warfare, Theo was racked with guilt which most often manifested in nightmares that haunted him every night. He found solace only in a woman named Tricia, who managed to soothe his damaged psyche. Still, Theo had his vices, including a heavy addiction to gambling. His habit soon caught up to him as his home was attacked by the thugs of a powerful crime lord after numerous debts piled high from the veteran's proclivities. Sending Tricia away from his home, Theo fought for ten days against dozens of mob enforcers as their boss grew more and more enraged at his resistance. It only ended when Theo hunted down and killed the crime lord, hanging him from the remains of his own burnt house.

After the attack, Theo lost all contact with his wife. Assuming she left due to his endangering of her life, he scoured the Setlaar for years trying to find her, running into his own share of trouble everywhere he went. He was on the verge of giving hope, deciding to find a home in Etera, when he received a letter from Tricia, urging him to find her in Hylja Boer. Enlisting the aid of adventurer Aramil Stonebringer, Theo and the Eteran eventually found the sanctum in Jotnar, only to find that its owner, the velstrac demagogue Inkariax, demanded sacrifices from the hidden village. Tricia was the most recent victim. Consumed by anger and grief, Theo lead a group of unforgiving paladins to the village and helped destroy Hylja Boer and its inhabitants, burning it to the ground. Inkariax was of course outraged by the carnage and cursed not only all of Jotnar with even greater cold, but bonded Theo with the flaming remains of Hylja Boer, turning him into a walking firestorm that could burns all around him.

Yet, the fire did not claim Theo, for he was approached by none other than Cormick Thale not long before he would raise the kingdom of Aetveris as its monarch. The adventurer took Jung under his wing as a fellow soldier in Fort Ragathiel, and though Theo struggled with worship of the General of Vengeance, he put his faith not in a god but a man, the one who had saved him from perdition. When the time came, Theo was made the first Knight of The Realm and right-hand of Thale, and served him faithfully for years.

Theo's story, however, eventually ended when he was kidnapped by Andrei Lifetouch as bait to lure in Cormick. A battle ensued, but Theo was killed in the fighting when Andrei ran him through with his bare arm. The knight exploded in a storm of flame and emotional energy upon his death, leaving only his helmet. Theo's spirit lingered in a small flame within the armor and gave his last words to his king, before finally expiring. A funeral was held shortly after his murder, attended by many close to King Thale.

Theme: Why I Try by Ph8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQz7OmUdHJ0