HERALDS CAMPAIGN
Pennant Archae - Arath Diaspora
The Arath Diaspora, more commonly known as the Pennant Archae, are an anarchist tribal society based in the Circiern region. They are known for their relgious luddism and zealous penitence for their atheist ancestor's crimes.
The Pennant Archae trace their origins to the beginning of the Declension, when religious refugees arrived in northern Enaeth, seeking refuge from the divine retribution for the Agarthern Empire's hubris and anti-theism. This diaspora received a bitter welcome in Enaeth, as it became overtaken by a fanatical fascist state known as the Tributionary Body. False trials were held to punish the refugees as appeasement for its fearful and fanatical population, and the diaspora were either put to death or forced into defence forces against rebels and Scions.
Over the next two decades, this refugee group's suffering would ferment into internalized shame; they had allowed atheism to take hold in Agartha, and let Noth be destroyed because of their docile inaction.
With encouragement from the government, the diaspora then morphed into the Obsolists; a group devoted to Antitheist refutation, technology destruction, scientific denial, and performative cultural flagellation. They became the official enforcers of the Obsolist movement, burning books and killing scientists after the enactment of ‘Script Obsoli’ by the Tributionary Body.
As the decades passed, the Tributionary Body became weaker without the fanatical fear of the atheist to rally against. The Obsolists continued their warnings of atheism and scientific advancement for advancements sake, but they fell on deaf ears as riots and uprisings began to tear at the Tributionary Body.
Sensing the end of their place in society, the Obsolists secretly coordinated and migrated to the area now known as the Circiern Region. In the first 'Recall' held by the now reformed Diaspora, they renounced society and all of its trappings, remembering the warnings of First Herald Whyonah, and sought to preserve their message of scientific danger by preserving themselves as a time capsule for future societies. They then moved into the forests, and disappeared for one hundred years.
Not much is known about the actions of the Arathern Diaspora between 2195 and 2285; the rest of Enaeth focused inwards on rebuilding their wounded societies. Travellers and caravans would sometimes meet with the Diaspora, who would kindly, but firmly, advise them of the dangers of a life without shame, before escorting them out of the Circiern region.
In 2286 3Ge, pilgrims from the Diaspora would begin making contact with the major Enaethian societies, proclaiming of a ‘Path of Shame’ that must be walked to keep the rest of Enaeth safe. These outdated luddite messages of atonement were mocked, and the Diaspora developed a new name within Enaethern society; The Pennant Archae.
General Information
Organisation Type:
Luddite anarchist tribal cult
Leadership:
Pathsetter Ask Lau'fen
Pathsetter Wothanaz Stam'me
Pathsetter Volurt Därm'stadt
Pathsetter Hroth Hau'en
Site/s:
Memorial Grounds
Scapelands
Hierarchy:
Emirit Ekya
Pathsetter/s
Forerunner/s
Affiliated Groups:
N/A
Devotions:
Date Established:
2195 2G.c
Date Dissolved:
Dissolved into Orthodox and Separatist factions in 2398 4G.c
Known Members:
Aliasah Volk'na
Feros Volk'na (Deceased)
Lisith Volk'na
Loth Volk'na
Whryna Volk'na
Today, the Pennant Archae is seen as an oddity in wider Enaethern society. Usually avoiding major population centres, they can be easily identified by collections of ringed black tattoos on their bodies. More often they are encountered by travellers, wandering the Circiern region in large migratory tribes. They live a nomadic lifestyle, transporting their livelihoods using strange scaled ‘beasts’. These beasts are almost never seen, but their cries can be heard whenever Pennant Archae are near.
These encounters are generally described as ‘strange’; members of the Pennant Archae will often preach to the travellers to abandon civilization and embrace their shame, confusing and even offending others. Paradoxically, it seems great pride is taken in maintaining an air of ‘shame’, as part of their doctrine, ‘The Path of Shame’.
Their previous attempts to share this Path, as a warning of the dangers of great technological advancement with other cultures on Enaeth, failed. Thus, the Path of Shame has slowly moulded into a personal mantra that through shame, humbleness and a ‘trueness’ to oneself and others allows for true personal growth and a greater perspective of the world. They view all others as ‘blind’ or ‘citylanders’; innocent but ignorant people who cannot see the dangers city life will eventually lead them to. They think highly of those willing to face the frontier head on to the benefit of others, such as Misivs or Amansir.
They have one place of congregation and ‘settlement’ called the Memorial Grounds. The Memorial Grounds is both a place of practical and religious significance to the tribes, containing an enormous time capsule, awaiting an apocalypse to restart society. Family shrines store the remains of ancestors, talismans, armour and weapons significant to a family; used only when the need is great and the Pennant Archae must beat the drums of war.
Acknowledging the Trinium, they themselves only hold favour to one god; Hnephesis, ‘The Ephemeral’ or ‘The First to See’. To the tribes, she is their guide, their warning, and their truth; all things must eventually end, even the Pennant Archae. They believe she will one day portend the arrival of a messiah who will end the Path of Shame. Not much is known about this individual, or even the signs the Pennant Archae will recognize them by, only that they are referred to as the ‘Iyaksu Rhakra’; ‘The One who will Forgive’. They alone will end the atonement for the past, and give the Diaspora permission to end the Path. Many of the Pennant Archae believe this individual will appear when all technology is destroyed, and Noth returned to its verdant jungle state. To aid in this goal, young Modulars, known as Shapers within the tribes, are trained and tasked with destroying antiquities and relics. They are recycled as weapons, jewellery or tools for the tribes. Shaper-made items are highly sought after even by TAERA’n societies, as their craftsmanship is often without comparison.
Traditionally, the Pennant Archae travel in large ancestral units composed of several families. Travellers will often see groups sharing a similar lineage; Earth Genasi, Elves, Goliaths and Gnomes, each with their own distinct manner of dress and customs.
Within these family tribes, life is strict and highly disciplined. Children are taught to give affirmations while eating, before sleep and cleaning of shame and their shameful nature. This leads to language which uses shame as an adjective often, ‘It has been a shameful day’ or ‘This meal brought much shame’. The most prideful language heard from a Pennant Archae will reference shame; ‘This meeting has not shamed me’.
This discipline extends to their punishment for interacting with or hiding technology; even the children are not above capital punishment if found hiding writing materials or technology. Often they will be marked with a tattoo of a broken circle, before they are paraded throughout the tribe before execution. Sometimes a reduced sentence is carried out, and the ‘prideful’ lose a hand or are whipped for their transgression; they are however forever treated as an exile, and these ‘Pathless’ are found wandering some distance behind a tribal caravan, a distant look in their eyes.
While the tribes travel and forage throughout the year, they are occasionally summoned to the Memorial Grounds for a tribal moot, called the Recall. The Recall is an opportunity for the tribes to reflect on the direction of the tribes, and to decide their future as a group.
In the past, the Recall was enacted by the Emirit-Ekya ‘The one who remembers’; traditionally a Herald of Hnephesis. What little information that can be gathered indicates that the Pennant Archae has not had a Emirit-Ekya leading them in almost 20 years. Reports from traders close to certain tribes indicate tension and strained relationships are present in the Pennant Archae, and some fear that they have wandered off the Path of Shame; why else would a leader not appear in 20 years?
Fenror Volk'na, nephew of the deceased Emirit Ekya Nohma, is instructed by his father and Pathsetter for the Volk'na people to travel south and recover a Pennant Archae relic, so Feros could begin a Recall to bring direction to their people.
Accompanied by his Uncle, Rehn, Fenror set out for the city of Voltaine. Despite the alienation and his distaste for the 'citylander's world, he was successful in the recovery of 'The Eye of the Ephemeral'.
On their long journey home, they were encountered Second Sunrise on their trip through the neck while escorting Elimarah Nylone. The two groups converged for protection from dangers present in the Neck. Despite Fenror's reservations, and the secretive nature of his journey, he entered into discussions and expressed his admiration for Orin and Ffamran, who were former frontier men. He found a great peer in Mhoram, also a tribal nomad, and Mhoram shared some of his pattern with Fenror. Their paths diverted when Vaxis' mark as a 'Pathless' was revealed; Fenror had to be calmed by his uncle to avoid violence, and the groups split in the night.
Fenror reunites with his tribe, the Volk’na people, deep within the Circean Forests. He presents to his father, the Eye of the Ephemerial, an artefact stolen by the Barony a century ago, now reclaimed by Fenror. Feros plans to use the reappearance of this sacred relic to initiate the ‘Recall’; a meeting that traditionally could only be arranged by the Emirit Ekya. As no signs of an Emirit Ekya have appeared the death of Nohma, Feros hopes this may be the first indication a new leader will appear. He names Fenror and Rehn his ‘forerunners’ as they set off to begin the Recall.
Returning to the Volk'na people, Fenror presented the Eye to his father, who promoted his son to Forerunner, and alongside Rehn led the Volk'na to the Memorial Grounds, sending messengers to summon the other tribes. At the Grounds, Fenror witnessed the tense reunion between his Father and Fafnir, Fenror's biological uncle and leader of the See'le people, who Rehn warns are more extremist than the other tribes.
Other tribes begin to arrive; The Earth Genasi Stam’me; The Gnomish Därm’stadt; The Elven Lau’ven and the Hau’en. Fenror witnesses more and more weapons moving between the tribes. Feros begins the Recall, and one by one, the tribes are convinced by Fenror of the need to unite and decide a course forward. Alas, the meeting is swiftly overcome by the desires of the extremist Fafnir, who declares the use of force the only way to remind TAERA of their importance in the world, and the best chance at NFSS showing the tribes a way forward. Resigned to the path set forward by the Recall, Feros elects to led, as call to arms begins.
On Second Sunrise's arrival in Palisades, Harbingers Ffamran and Orin were requested to receive Pennant Archae diplomats by the TR. This proved to be a ruse, as an enormous Pennant Archae army arrived from the nearby forest, and immediately lay siege to the city.
During the siege, Orin and Aingrim are approached by two enormous warriors, Fenror and his father Feros, who offer all members of Palisades amnesty if they surrender to them. Their offer refused, and the Pennant Archae continue the assault. Aingrim is able barely saves Teleres from Feros. In turn, he duels and beheads Feros. The death of their leader and the siegebeast kills the Pennant Archae’s momentum, and they retreat.
Fenror watches with his family as his father burns on the pyre. Fafnir swiftly takes charge of the campaign, and calls for no leinance in the immediate and complete destruction of Palisades. This is met with a round of argument, as the tribes split in their best approach.
Fenror, experiencing a change of heart from his zealous ways, argues against him, stating they have done as Fafnir has said, and it will lead them to ruin. Fafnir retorts the path was made clear the moment they started the war; they can't end it now. The argument gets heated, and Fafnir demands the Eye of the Ephemeral from Fenror. They duel, the loser becoming 'Pathless' and Fafnir loses, but refuses to honor the agreement. The tribes separate, and there is a religious schism in the Diaspora; Fenror is declared Pathsetter for the Volk'na, and leads the Orthodox Diaspora, consisting of the Volk'na, Stam'me, and Hau'en people.
The Pennant Archae continue the siege nonetheless, until Fenror approaches Palisades alone. He fails to persuade Orin to abandon the fort city and head for Rhyne, but with Telere’s rebuttals they plan instead to join the assault and betray the Separatist tribes at the last moment.
During the final battle at Palisades, Fenror gives the order to turn on the Separatists, as they find themselves attacked by the Palisade Militia, Orthodox Pennant Archae, and the arrival of the Rhyern Reserves led by Herald Ffamran Bunansa. Fenror seeks out and duels Fafnir again, and atop a siege scapebeast, slices the fingers off of his right hand. Fafnir and his Separatist faction are able to escape the conflict thereafter.