The Three Soldiers

The Three Soldiers are three mysterious specters first encountered in the Dreamlands, named Erwin Kipling, Neitsh Walder, and Entie Walder. They were once tasked with seeking a unique, mysterious object called 'the Black Stone'.

## Description

In the Dreamlands, the Three Soldiers exist in two forms. To the naked eye, they are empty vessels. They all wear "the same long coats, which are torn at the bottom, all casually flapping in the wind. Their arms are out on either side, their faces covered with hoods." Besides the cloaks, however, they have no corporeality; "nothing attaches it to the sand, only the ends of the long coat, cut into thin strands" and when the hood of one blows back, John sees nothing.

Even so, the three soldiers can be told apart by their cloaks. John does not remark on the first soldier's cloak, but the second's cloak is tattered to the point of seeing clean through to the emptiness within the hood. The third's is slightly larger and faded red.

With the mask on, John sees the soldiers in fullness and describes them as:

> "Three armor clad soldiers [...] Their bodies desiccated with time. An eerie gray mist lingers at their feet. Their flesh, dark and leathery, as if hundreds of years old, from an era long past. Their armor is rusted, worn, well beaten. Moss seems to sprout from them in various places, their tattered cloaks still moving listlessly in the wind. The one in the center is of medium build. In his scabbard, a long, rusted sword hangs. His flesh has drawn back over various parts of his face, revealing the faded white of bone. His eyes are gone, along with his nose... his face more skeleton than man. The one to our right is slightly larger, well built. His armor is full plate with a heavy shield. His face is fleshier but his... broken teeth are exposed. The final one stands to our left, but… he seems partially wrapped in cloth. His armor is thin and is, maybe, leather. His eyes are covered in torn wrappings that blow in the wind. He looks… punished."
>
>

Statues of the Three Soldiers are also located underneath the Larson Estate, with their names written beneath. John describes the statues as looking "important."

## History

The Three Soldiers were tasked with seeking "an object without equal" called The Black Stone. According to Matthew, "Some seek a power they never had, and some seek a power they once did. This place was to seek what they never had." It is unclear whether 'this place' refers to the older section of rooms, or the mountain in general. At some point during or after this period, statues were made in their likeness.

At some point, the Three Soldiers end up in the Dreamlands.

During the events of canon, the Three Soldiers have an encounter with Arthur Lester and John Doe in a desert of the Dreamlands. Unable to communicate at first, the soldiers follow Arthur over the dunes. When Arthur puts on the mask, they are able to communicate through nodding and pointing. They tell him they aren’t here to hurt Arthur but to help, that they know the way Arthur is meant to go, and can take Arthur there, and that they were from Earth. Arthur and John follow them. When Arthur asks why they’re helping, the soldier points to the bestiary with the symbol of Shub Niggurath. They guide Arthur to the apartment of Frank Underhill. Arthur pleads for additional help and the largest soldier hands Arthur an ancient coin with script from long ago, then all three leave.

## Known Abilities

Fast Movement - they move "in the blink of an eye" when not observed.

## Trivia

* There is a book written about the Three Soldiers: *De Tribus Militibus* ("Concerning The Three Soldiers" in Latin). One copy of the book exists at *Junior Dewitt Ackerman Rare Books*, while another exists in the ancient carved room in the mountain on the Larson Estate.  When first encountering the book, the title sounded familiar to John.
* The soldiers are connected to at least two powerful objects: The Black Stone and the coin. Additionally, they have some connection to the book Arthur carried, either to Shub-Niggurath in general or some other aspect of the bestiary.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Part 14
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Part 25
3. ↑ Part 1