A cavernous lair carved into the ribcage of a dead Maiju. The torches burn black with tainted Mana. The Apostles stand in a circle, cloaked and waiting. At the center, Veynar Umbros—the Black Cardinal—raises his staff, the cracked mask glinting in firelight.
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Veynar Umbros – The Black Cardinal (Leader)
The torches gutter as he speaks, voice like velvet over a grave.
"I was once their saint… their Arch-Sorcerer, their shining star. And when I unveiled truth, they crowned me heretic. They worshipped Mana's cage, I tore it open. Now I am the fracture in their faith, the shadow they cast but cannot deny. I am Veynar Umbros, Black Cardinal of the Covenant. I lead not an army—no, I lead the crucible where humanity shall burn… and emerge reborn."
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Noctis – The Eclipsed Flame
Chains rattle as his burning silhouette flickers, black fire crawling across his skin.
"The kingdoms fed me to their flames. Their fire devoured my flesh, yet still I burn. Now my flame is darker than their suns, hungrier than their gods. I will scorch their thrones until only ash remains. I am Noctis… the Eclipsed Flame that consumes both flesh and Mana alike."
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Selvara – The Veil Serpent
A hiss fills the chamber, her scaled arm curling like a serpent as miasma drips from her fingertips.
"Once, I healed their wounds. I soothed their cries. But this world festers with rot too deep to mend. To cure a body, sometimes you must kill it. I am Selvara, the serpent's veil… and my venom shall cleanse this diseased kingdom."
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Draegorn – The Iron Husk
A mountain of bone and scar looms forward, each step cracking the stone beneath.
"I begged for mercy when their blade cut me open. None came. Only the Covenant gave me purpose. This husk of bone, this armor of agony—it is proof of truth. I am Draegorn, the Iron Husk… and pain is my gospel."
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Eira – The Silent Choir
She tilts her head, lips trembling. A faint hum escapes, and the torches quiver as if afraid.
"They silenced me once. Took my voice, chained my song. But the Maiju gave me a choir of silence and screams. Now I whisper, and kingdoms tremble. I sing, and they perish. I am Eira, hymn of the damned… the Silent Choir."
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Kaelthorn – The Soul Butcher
Chains drip across the floor like serpents, glinting with eerie crimson light as he grins.
"Mana was my trade. Life was my currency. But in chains, I found something purer than gold—souls that scream when you bleed them dry. I am Kaelthorn, butcher of spirits, warden of chains. Every soul I bind is another nail in the coffin of their empire."
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Myrrh – The Hollow Oracle
Her one great eye flickers open, veins crawling across her pale face, visions spilling like cracks in glass.
"I see it all… the rise, the fall, the endless collapse. Every path bleeds into ruin, every road ends in shadow. My body withers, but my sight remains. I am Myrrh, the Hollow Oracle… herald of the world's inevitable collapse."
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Zerath – The Maelstrom Child
A child's laughter echoes, distorted, as wild mana storms erupt around their fragile body.
"They called me mistake. A monster. But monsters don't dream of freedom—they become it. The Covenant named me Messiah, born of chaos, crowned in storm. I am Zerath, the Maelstrom Child… and I will break the sky itself."
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Graven – The Bonewright
From the shadows, stitched corpses crawl at his feet, bowing to him like broken worshippers.
"I was their surgeon once, a craftsman of flesh. Now I am sculptor of truth. Every corpse I carve sings of evolution, every grafted Maiju screams of transcendence. I am Graven, the Bonewright… and my art is eternal."
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Lunaris – The Widow of Night
A faint shimmer, and suddenly she's at the Cardinal's side, threads glinting like silver blades in the torchlight.
"I was made widow by their war. The night embraced me, and in its arms I found hunger. My threads are silk spun from the abyss—delicate, inevitable, fatal. I am Lunaris, Widow of Night… and I weave death into silence."
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Pact of Obsidian
The circle unites, shadows writhing, their voices merging into one dreadful hymn.
"We are the fracture. We are the fire. We are the venom, the husk, the silence, the chains, the eye, the storm, the bone, the thread. We are the Pact of Obsidian… the shadow that will unmake their light."