Order of Horkos

> *"On the sacred stone of Horkos I swear to bear the mask of war with honor and fealty, to walk the path of glory and death without fear, to shepherd the strong and punish the unworthy. I will brandish the blade that rights all wrongs. I will bring revenge, strength, and discipline, I will rise above all and speak the truth: We are all, we are one, we are war.*
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## Order of Horkos

### Banner

The **Order of Horkos** is a cult made up of former members of the Blackstone Legion and warriors who want to wage war on the world.

## Overview

Rejecting the peace offered by the leaders, the cult known as the Order of Horkos has risen as a secret society in Heathmoor. It was created by a group of mysterious warriors who rallied the former Blackstones to their cause. With spies and covert allies across all factions, it has gained more and more influence over the past years. Its members believe they have been chosen by a deity, named Horkos, to weed out all impostors and hypocrites. Drawing some of their powers from alchemy and the corrupting mineral Draconite, they are determined to become the leaders of a new world.

## History

### Formation

Records of the Horkos are few and scarce, but there are rumors. When Apollyon fell, the grittiest of the Blackstone were ostracized, fleeing out of Heathmoor to the East where the Wu Lin continued their civil war. Taking advantage of the civil war, the Blackstone made new allies there.

Later on, these Blackstone members would attack Qiang Pass to steal the secret weapon from Sun Da and the Wu Lin Emperor. Although they failed to get their hands on the weapon itself, it is likely they were able to steal some of its source. They were also successful in doing their damage on the Wu Lin force in Heathmoor. On the other hand, possibly due to being cursed by the secret weapon when the Pass was decimated, the Blackstone turned to alchemy as their interest.

### Honor Games

When peace came to Heathmoor and the Honor Games began, there were dissenters who detested the quietness and lack of violence. The ex-Blackstones returned to Heathmoor with their Wu Lin allies, renaming themselves as the Order of Horkos during the latter part of the Honor Games. The dissenters found purpose under the Order of Horkos, becoming spies for them. As a result, the Horkos had spies in every faction, and was able to start their plans for tyranny.

### Invasion

Astrea reveals herself to be the leader of the Horkos as she brings with her warriors inspired by Apollyon, named "Warmongers." Putting an end to both the Honor Games and the peace brought upon Heathmoor by the Truce of Wyverndale, Astrea brings with her the mythical ore Draconite to spread corruption around the lands.

Once successful at taking over Heathmoor, the Horkos recruit members from each faction. However, not all people who join their ranks voluntarily do so as those who resist are threatened with death or are forced through some sort of means.

### Resistance

Although there was no resistance at first, the Order of Horkos faced a rebellion launched by Goemon, some Samurai rebels and Ilma. This rebellion would soon become the Chimera Alliance who would become the only force able to push back the Horkos. The accounts of the rebellion can be seen in Tales of Rebellion.

## Notable Members

Each Warmonger represents a greek deity while five others represent the Daemones Ceramici.

* Astrea - the leader of the Horkos and the one believed to be the reincarnation of Apollyon. Represents Justice.
* Syntribos - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea. Recognizable for her deer horned helmet. It is stated that Syntribos would crush the souls of those who perjured themselves. Represents Daemones Ceramici’s The Shatterer.
* Smaragos - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea. Recognizable for the lack of a cape and her caged helmet. Represents Daemones Ceramici’s The Smasher. Became part of the inquisition and fought in Death by Metal.
* Asbetos - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea. Recognizable for her armor that is highly embossed in vines and roses. Represents Daemones Ceramici’s The Charrer. Became part of the inquisition and fought in Death by Metal.
* Omodamos - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, stationed at Yato's Castle during the events of the first Tales of Rebellion. It is rumored that Omodamos would fly on the wings of divine vengeance. Represents Daemones Ceramici’s Crudebake.
* Melinoe - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, stationed at Yato’s Castle during the events of the first Tales of Rebellion. It is believed that the eyes of Melinoe would corrupt the purest souls. Represents Madness.
* Rhamnusia - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, stationed at Gretar’s Fortress during the events of the second Tales of Rebellion. Represents Retribution.
* Sabaktes - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, stationed at Gretar’s Fortress during the events of the second Tales of Rebellion. Represents Daemones Ceramici’s The Destroyer.
* Lethe - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, stationed at Erzebet and Fu Huo’s Armory during the events of the third Tales of Rebellion. Represents Forgetfulness.
* Makhai - a Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, stationed at Erzebet and Fu Huo’s Armory during the events of the third Tales of Rebellion. Represents War.
* Vera - A Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, became an inquisitor and fought during Death by Metal. Represents Strength.
* Conquistador Vela - A Warmonger under the wings of Astrea, sent to the New World by Astrea herself, she returned with riches and a prisoner of war. Unlike other Warmongers she represents the constellation Vela, meaning "The Sails".
* Other non-Warmonger/Messenger of Doom members:
	+ Yato - Leader of the Samurai Horkos who was defeated and killed during the events of the first Tales of Rebellion. He was a Hitokiri.
	+ Gretar - Leader of the Viking Horkos who was defeated during the events of the second Tales of Rebellion. He was a Jormungandr. Later appeared to have survived and became part of the inquisition and fought during Death by Metal.
	+ Erzebet - Leader of the Knight and Wu Lin Horkos jointly with Fu Huo, both of who were defeated and killed during the events of the third Tales of Rebellion. She was a Black Prior.
	+ Fu Huo - Leader of the Knight and Wu Lin Horkos jointly with Erzebet, both of who were defeated during the events of the third Tales of Rebellion. She was a Zhanhu. Later appeared to have survived and became part of the inquisition and fought during Death by Metal.
	+ The Eternal - A Centurion that was killed by a Chimera Berserker during the Tempest.
	+ Vortiger - Appears in Tyrants Test and participated in the Battle of the Eclipse, joined the Horkos due to being a former Blackstone. He is the leader of the Black Priors as well as the one who saved Eitrivanen from a Samurai/Viking attack.
	+ Sakura - Appears in Tyrants Test and participated in the Battle of the Eclipse, joined the Horkos at an unknown time. She is a Hitokiri who went mad after executing a villager who killed his family. Later appeared as part of the inquisition and fought during Death by Metal.
	+ Hulda - Appears in Tyrants Test and participated in the Battle of the Eclipse, assumed to have joined the Horkos. She is a Jormungandr who defended Storr Stronghold from a knight attack.
	+ Sun Da - Appears in Tyrants Test and participated in the Battle of the Eclipse, unlike most of the harbingers, an event order states he was blackmailed/forced into joining the Horkos. He is a Zhanhu loyal to the Wu Lin Emperor Gao Lei.
	+ Commander Ravier - A Black Prior and Vortiger's second-in-command, who was sent to investigate The Celestial Sphere and later became part of the Inquisition.
	+ Oathbreaker Maddox - A Highlander and a former Chimera Alliance member, he joined the Horkos after betraying his brother and breaking his oath to Chimera in the ultimate act of treason and survival.
* Although they do not align with any side, Covenant or Faction, Bou Yin and her Pirates have been hired to carry out raids on Chimera holdings.

## Quotes

"What do we fight for? Peace!? Peace is a false hope! It is a lie told by leaders who have lost the will to fight. But the time of reckoning has come! We will cleanse Heathmoor from the liars and the wicked. We will start a new era for the truest heroes of this world! Peace is poison! We are war!" - *Astrea*

## Trivia

* The possible uprising of some ex-members of the Blackstone Legion into the Order of Horkos was referred to as early as the Zhanhu's Gambit event, where the Event Orders made reference to these members having been ostracized after Apollyon's fall and likely making new allies in the East.
* In Greek mythology, "Horkos" (Ὅρκος; lit. "oath") is a figure that is the personification of the curse that will be inflicted on anyone who swears a false oath.
	+ This concept can be taken as the Order of Horkos consisting of members who have claimed to swear peace under the new age of Hope seen in Year 4 Season 1, but in actuality do not believe in that peace.
	+ It may also be meant to be an assertion to everyone else, as the Horkos believe everyone wants war, lying about wanting peace. This may be supported by how, while the leaders of Wyverndale sought for peace, they don't actually trust each other (as seen in the orders for the Metal Trials).
	+ Some of Warmongers armors are also named after some of Horkos siblings.
		- The deity Horkos is also described in the game as one who will "weed out all impostors and hypocrites."
* The symbol of the Horkos is based off of the Caduceus, a staff that belonged to Hermis and is depicted with two intertwined serpents and at times surmounted with a pair of wings.
	+ The staff is said to have the powers to "wake the sleeping and send the awake to sleep." This may be a parallel to how the Horkos wishes to hush those who seek peace and reawaken the wolves for war.
	+ The two-snake caduceus design has constant associations since ancient times with trade, eloquence, negotiation, ***alchemy*** and wisdom.
	+ The Horkos' version of the Caduceus replaces the staff with a sword, which is a common modification of the Caduceus design in modern culture. While the meaning for this modification is not known, it may be a result of a misinterpretation of the Caduceus or an embellishment to make the Caduceus seem more visually appealing.