Atharim

THE REMNANT

The Atharim are a secret society. They are the descendants of the ones calling themselves the Remnant, or “Athari” (Ancient Arabic). The Atharim were once concentrated in the cradle of civilization but following the end of the Age of Escape, they scattered themselves across the world, vowing to devote their very existence to the continued eradication of “the gods,” – those immortal tyrants who nearly destroyed the world with their titanic wars – and so forever prevent their return, and destroy the unholy monsters created by the gods in their arrogance.

ORIGIN

Atharim lore states that once the world was ruled by gods. These immortal beings loved and served the world they created at first. Soon they ceased walking among humanity, befriending the nations, and serving all the world. They became tyrants. They enslaved humanity to turn the earth’s underbelly while they feasted upon their lofty mountains. There was nothing humanity could do; they were irresistibly strong. Even the offspring of the gods were terrors.

Then, no longer content with power over mortals, civil war erupted among the gods, and the carnage spilt from the heavens. From the depths of their imaginations they summoned great beasts to shred divine flesh. They crafted weapons such as to shear one another’s souls. The world’s playground became their battlefield, but it was the mortals who suffered the most causalities. Indeed, the very fabric of reality was at risk.

It was the Atharim that discovered the weapons which the gods created to kill one another could be wielded by human hands. If the gods could be destroyed, then humanity would be free. Such are the Atharim’s origins: warriors, patriots, and assassins. They heralded the Age of Escape. They saved the world from the gods, and they saved humanity from the monsters hunting among them.

The beasts, creatures, servants, and the weapons created by the fury of the godwars were hunted until they were driven into hiding or destroyed while the deity offspring were tracked down and eliminated. With the death of the final god so came the passing of the Age of Escape. By the inception of the 7th Age, the Atharim dwindled as their mission was apparently complete. When the next Age was sealed to the turning of the Wheel, the remnant truly became a remnant again; now many of their own members are unaware of their origins.

The Age of Industry was not immune to the haunts of these creatures. People have seen monsters, creatures, and terrors. Legends exist. Myths abound. Ardent belief remains in some groups to this day. They follow, worship, or fear these creatures, but witnesses are discounted as insane or ignorant. The weird has been ignored by mainstream society where the rationality of logical human beings always justifies the inexplicable.

HUNTERS

Yet the Atharim know their time of slumber has drawn to a close. Prophecy remains, and the signs have been followed. Portends stir in the dark places of the world; omens gather and creatures long thought extinct are emerging in greater numbers than ever before, bold and unafraid for the first time in centuries.

All of it heralds what the ancient scrolls foretell: the gods have returned, and more will follow: sprung from those old bloodlines as spirits escaping their iron cages.

God, creature, or demon: where they return, the Atharim will be waiting.

CANDIDATES

The Atharim are warriors, assassins, and guardian angels for humanity. Members are recruited from within the Historical Society or upon recommendation of current members.

The Atharim are generally considered to be one of three types:

The warriors are the largest segment of Atharim. These members are the hunters of the demons, monsters, beasts and evils in the world. To be considered as an Atharim warrior, a candidate usually possesses the appropriate training, discipline and skill to be worthy of the job. Atharim candidates come from variety of backgrounds, but do not fully realize the importance of their role until their initiation before the Atharim conclave. Due to the difficulty of finding dedicated individuals, the next generation often comes from families with long-standing roles in the Atharim. These members are taught since infancy how to hunt the creatures lurking in dark places of the world and about the laws which govern Atharim tenants. Today, the warriors operate out of Atharim safehouses or hubs around the world.

The Scholars are fewer in number. These individuals are knowledgable in the ways of hunting, but they are also expert sources on monster lore, the laws that govern Atharim tenents, keepers of ancient Atharim scrolls and treasures, and decipherers of prophecy. The scholars may be associated with ancient Atharim families or religious organizations.

The Atharim priests are the smallest group. Due to their presence as saviors, defenders and penchant for prophecy and rules, the Atharim have been intertwined with the world’s greatest religions for millennia. While the Atharim priests are fewest of the Atharim groups, they are still woven throughout the Catholic Church around the world. The Atharim priests may also be scholars, but they are also the decipherers of complex eschatological prophecy, or may be prophets or dreamers themselves.

Atharim mark themselves with a tattoo of an ouroboros on their inner left forearm, stylized per the individual’s preference.

THE DI INFERI

The Di Inferi is something of a fairy tale among the Atharim, believed to be rumor and myth only.

HEADQUARTERS

The Atharim headquarters are located within the walls of Vatican City, the only city-state in Europe never to have joined the Central Custody of Dominions.

The Vatican was long been considered a place of historical register, including such honorariums as the papal archives, Vatican Museum, and Vatican Library to name a few. The Atharim headquarters is within the Vatican Historical Society and existed seamlessly within this city of ancients under the authority of a ruling conclave and Regus. The Catholic Church at large is aware of the presence of the Atharim with the exception of the Pope and his most trusted advisors.

The Vatican Historical Society is legitimately historical in nature. As charged with governance over the historical integrity of papal and apostolic literature, the Society is also considered to be the Vatican’s foremost experts on eschatology: the study of final events of history, the ultimate destiny of humanity, or more commonly described as “the end times.” Little does the congregation of Catholics realize, but their study of the end times was not to record the apocalypse as assumed but rather to prevent it. If any resource holds the secrets to understanding the Wheel, the Pattern, and the changing of Ages, those secrets are lost among the ancient scrolls in Atharim vaults.

SECOND HEADQUARTERS

A second Atharim headquarters was opened in Moscow in the basement of the Baccarat Mansion on Nikolskaya street. It was damaged in a fire started by Oriena Rusayev while she and Jaxen Marveet entered the premises illegally. It is currently undergoing renovations. The Baccarat family have been a long-standing Atharim supporter, financially and with members, originating out of France.

It was in the fire within the second headquarters that the former Regus Armande was thought to have been killed. He had escaped through an emergency tunnel into the underground city. He did not return to the Atharim after that.

THE ATHARIM WORLDWIDE

 Sylvester told him the future of The Atharim were in his hands. Two things must happen, or the Church would annihilate every member and wipe the remnant off the face of the Earth. First, The Regus had to be integrated and associated with the Church. And secondly, the Atharim were too closely knit. They would not need to disband, but they could not assemble in congregate anymore. Your Regus did the noble thing, and saved your Remnant from calamity, but he set you on the path to where you are today, disconnected factions, secret from themselves. Fulfilling clandestine duties, with nary a coordinating effort. This has been the way, even though power has waxed and waned through millennia between our various and diverse predecessors.

The death of the final god (channeler) was Loki of the Norse Pantheon sometime between 6,000-5,000 BC. For the next several millennia, the Atharim systematically hunted down and destroyed the majority of the monsters lurking in the world, dwindled their numbers low, or drove the rest into hiding. As the threat decreased, the massive Atharim presence followed. Many of the Atharim that rose up in response to the major channeler pantheons around the world were no longer needed and they retreated to the shadows, but due to their displacement around the globe, and loss of the channeling tools that connected the farthest parts of the world, factions grew in their place.

The Atharim presence in Greece, Italy and the Middle East persisted long after the departure of the gods, and the rise of the Catholic Church in Rome soon swallowed them up. As a result, the Catholic Church has had influence on the Atharim but also provided them with tools, resources and funding to support their cause as protectors, warriors and scholars. Therefore, in areas of the world where the Catholic Church had influence, so also did the Atharim presence return. The many factions of the world were absorbed by the larger organization, not unlike the transition of many other indigenous cultures and religions, but in places in the world where the Catholic Church has never entered, some flavors of Atharim philosophy continue to exist.

The Holy Father explained that since the days of Constantine the Great and Pope Sylvester I, the Roman Pope has had a hand in acknowledging the choice of The Regus, the legendary leader of The Atharim. And from that time, The Regus was the final arbiter of the selection of the Roman
Catholic Pope, Bishop of Rome.

It was only with the coming of the most recent Emeritus Regus that he took it upon himself to eradicate these factions under the Catholic (and his) banner. It is unknown if this new Regus will continue the campaign. One thing is for sure, if the Atharim are to survive the return of the gods, they need to present a united front.

REGUS

Guardian of The Remnant, Vicar of Iscariot, The Ouroboros; The Regus of the Atharim

The position is currently held by Jaap Beenks.

Current Emeritus Regus is Armande Nicodemus

Previously named Reguses include Wilhelm Ravhid

An important ceremony marks the induction of a new Regus.

CONCLAVE

The Conclave of the Atharim consists of an unknown number of individuals. They are brought to the Vatican Historical Society Headquarters for the induction of a new member of the Atharim, particularly when those new members are of high profile or associated with important families. The Conclave also advises the Regus on the rule, decrees, and prophecies of the Atharim.