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Lore:
The Vanguard
Summary: The Rohalinth Vanguard is a scientific and military organization based out of Rohalinth Prime. Predominantly made up of humans, the Vanguard's mission is that of peace and security but also of discovery and expansion. Outside of humanity, every other faction and species sees the Vanguard and humanity as synonymous, which isn't always the case. Though it's true that the Vanguard are tasked with defending human-populated systems, there are plenty of civilian companies and individuals (both reputable and illegitimate) that operate independently from the Vanguard. The Vanguard is commanded by a civilian body, the Vanguard Civil Council (VCC).
Status: The Vanguard is still reeling from the surprise attack by one of their former commanders, Lord Davicus, when he returned from the Veil after disappearing 60 years earlier. He and a small group of ships attacked Rohalinth Prime, unsuccessful in their attempt to assassinate the Vanguard's civilian leadership, the VCC. Lord Davicus also destroyed the Vanguard's communication relay station on Vydos, severely crippling the organization's ability to communicate between systems.
Aspects and Gods
Thousands of years ago, Nevirr, the god of wrath, and Strahk, the goddess of fear, killed the other six gods and waged war on Rohal. Strahk was eventually lured to Asalia and imprisoned there while Nevirr, realizing he was in genuine danger, retreated to plot his next move. As both of the remaining two gods have been absent for all of recorded history, the gods have been relegated to myth and any followers they may have are little more than glorified cults.
Before Nevirr and Strahk betrayed the other gods, there were eight gods in total, each representing a different aspect: Fear, Wrath, Fate, Courage, Luck, Death, Life and Justice. Each aspect was a counterpart to one of the others (Fear/Courage, Fate/Luck, Death/Life and Wrath/Justice). If no cataclysmic event had occurred after the death of the gods, new gods of each of the missing aspects would have risen. Strahk's imprisonment severed her connection to the galaxy, however, breaking the chain that binds the gods' power and preventing the rebirth of the other gods by proxy. The gods are necessary for the health of the galaxy, so Strahk's absence put all life on a slow path to oblivion. In the cruelest of ironies, fear must return to the galaxy or all of existence is in peril.
Once Strahk returns, new gods will rise. Here is the current (and future) status of some of the pantheon:
Fear (Magic)
Strahk is a former human, evil, twisted, and possibly the most powerful being in the galaxy. An empath, she feeds on fear, choosing to resemble whatever she thinks her victim will fear most. This is an important distinction between her and Nevirr; while Nevirr's wrath always ends in death, death is merely a vehicle for Strahk to get what she truly wants: fear. Had Strahk not been imprisoned, she and Nevirr would have warred with one another as their priorities are ultimately incompatible. If everyone is dead, there is no one left to fear Strahk.
Wrath (Incarnate)
Nevirr's mother and father were both killed shortly after he was born, and his life was one of hardship and festering hate. An elf gifted with fantastic powers of the mind, his ascension to godhood heralded not just the death of most gods but bloodshed the likes of which few planets have ever seen.
Strahk's imprisonment paused Nevirr, and he realized that her methods merely put a target on their backs. He did not care if people knew he was the reason they were dying; it was enough that they were dead. He retreated to his homeworld and used his powers to make the elves slaughter one another until a manageable number remained, which he then imprisoned.
Ironically, Nevirr's actions ensured his demise, as the elf who would become his avatar, who lost everything in the wars Nevirr caused, killed him. The new Nevirr, perhaps filled with even more hate than the last, hatched an incredibly ambitious plan against the Immari.
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