Have not been able to find an old story. Very busy this month. Take quick look at some Pleroma work to pass the day. Here’s another faction that I’m working on:

 

Eschatii

 

Leader: Unknown (Possibly None)

 

The Eschatii are a vicious, diabolic and twisted lot. They are the daemons devoted to the flesh and blood. They reveal in their demonic heritage, seeing their power as a tool to be used and not hidden or shunned. Power is truth and those who hold power control existence. The Escatii do not shy away from practices because of societal taboos or restrictions. Nothing is sacred to them, no act is too depraved. Because of this inhibition, the Eschatii have developed a potent blood/flesh magic where they can tap into the power of life within themselves and others. Due to their relationship with blood, they can often be found within the most pervasive religions and cults, their presence often blurring the lines between worship and debauchery.

Paradigm:

Look at these creatures about you, these pathetic animals. So consumed in their ignorance, too blind to even regard their own weaknesses. They are foolish to not notice the wolves amongst their own flock. Never forget you are better than them: you are more than human. You are a nightmare, the very stuff that keeps their children awake at night. You are that indescribably horror their instinctive lower brains fear. For every chain there is predator and prey. Remorse is reserved for the wolves that would pull out their own teeth and swallow grass. You are more than then. Embrace your monstrosity. It is what separates you. It is what elevates you above all else.

Wisdom of the Fallen:

Eschatii are one of the few organizations that recognize the separation of the daemonkin from men. A daemonkin can not survive without feeding off his fellow humans. Without sustenance, a daemonkin would wither and die consumed by the very powers that grant them such terrific strength. The moment a person is afflicted represents an enormous metamorphosis. They have been chosen, whether through fickle fate or divine providence, to be removed from their fellow man. They are destined for greater things. They are no longer part of the mortal existence.

Whereas many daemonkin will attempt to remain attached to their former lives or try and minimize their impact on the human populace, the Eschatii revel in their transformation. They take the ideas of demonic possession and monstrosity to new heights. While most daemonkin organizations seek anonymity and shy away from deep interaction with humans, the Eschatii flourish amongst the chattel. They hide in plain sight, feeding brazenly in the open and using their powers for fear and intimidation. They are the primary image of a daemonkin in the eyes of the Hunters – horrific beings that leave death and destruction in their wake. They can not exist quietly within any community for eventually the taint of their presence will drive everyone around them mad.

Power of the Veins:

Eschatii often infiltrate communities, using their abilities to create small, tight-knit cabals of followers and worshipers. They pretend to be great magicians, ancient beings of unknown origin, blessed prophets, divine healers or even Gods descended from the Celestial. They promise the secrets of their powers to all those that are faithful. So persuasive are the Eschatii that even established organizations are often easily infiltrated and manipulated by them. If the Initiative revisionist history is to be believed, Eschatii are the cause of the Inquisition – corrupting churches to their own worship and whipping their parishes into frenzied masses whose only thoughts are of debauchery and blood.

For it is blood that the Eschatii truly prize. To them, the very essence of a person is the blood in their veins. This circulates the essentially energies throughout the entire body. It is what sustains a person’s physical body. It is their most prized nourishment and Eschatii are known for bathing, drinking and manipulating the blood of their followers. So consumed are they, that some Eschatii draw horrific power from the very consumption of human flesh. AID agents who have investigated the wake of an Eschatii infestation have documented residual energies as powerful as that which they transmit but from apparently originating from the corpses left behind. While most considered this blood magic, the manner and manipulation of the Eschatii is beyond anything anyone has ever performed.

Witnesses report the Eschatii follow very ritualistic behaviours before and during their use of their terrible powers. Some suspect that these rituals are what separate the powers of the Eschatii from traditional magicks. Others argue that the Eschatii actually contact beings beyond the Celestial, existing in a darker space wholly alien to the cycle of death and rebirth. They argue these dark masters grant the Eschatii their terrible abilities. The truth may never be known, for those touched by the Eschatii rarely survive, and if they do they are never the same. Their minds are forever twisted by the depraved wisdom of the demons.

Workers of the Last:

The Eschatii seemed focused solely on destruction and carnage. Unlike the Mawnists, Eschatii rarely claim any unifying higher motives. Some will be obsessed with the End of Days, Final Judgement, Dissolution or a general Apocalypse. They might see themselves as the agents to bring about the final hours of the world. Others just appear to revel in the mayhem and madness. There is very little commonality between Eschatii members. As a result, these daemonkin often exist alone or in small groups. It seems their very consuming nature naturally drives each apart for fear of destroying themselves.

And it could very well be that none of the Eschatii truly have any unifying philosophy beyond their destruction. They may just tap into the natural fascination that organized cults and religions have for the final days, and draw on these vivid images in order to ingratiate themselves amongst their victims. Their unending drive to feed and destroy naturally isolates them from other daemonkin who would never appreciate the attention the Eschatii draw. They are one of few forces that can temporary unite the Circle with their enemies as everyone attempts to locate and eliminate this threat.

Course, the Eschatii’s reputation for consuming daemonkin is another source of concern. The Eschatii rank as one of the greatest dangers, along with the angels and the Institute. Unlike the others, however, the Eschatii will often lure their victims to their own demise, promising to help them survive or to unlock even greater power within the new daemonkin. It is through their manipulation that many horror stories abound of entire Havens being destroyed through welcoming an Eschatii into their fold. The foolish daemonkin who instigated this massacre is never heard or seen again. Survivors can only imagine the terrible fate held for those foolish enough to trust these demons.

Feasts of Fear and Blood:

Though terrible and merciless, the Eschatii often exhibit telltale signs of their presence. Like a parasite, there is a curious correlation between Eschatii feeding and the Flock of the Host. Like an animal learning to adapt to its environment, the Eschatii have learned some tricks for surviving in a world that generally seeks their eradication.

The most insidious method involves the co-operation of two or more of the members. This is usually initiated by a powerful Eschatii daemonkin well versed in their potent type of power. This individual will often infiltrate himself amongst the clergy of a local religious institution. There, he will preach of debauchery and the decline of society, spinning a rhetoric of the End of Days all too readily embraced by the congregation. To supplement his sermons, he will direct his co-conspirators to feast brazenly in the streets.

The horror of the butchery and debased feeding of his peers often drive many more to the congregation. The Eschatii promises protection and succor for those who come under their protection as the world seemingly grows darker and bleaker outside. Over time, through ritual and indoctrination in the trappings of the faith too often already focused upon blood and ritual, the Eschatii bends his congregation into worshiping him as a cult image.

Normally, such disruption would draw the attention of the Host when done on their own Flock. However, the Eschatii does not steal all their worship but continues to encourage some belief in the Host. Furthermore, because the fear the Eschatii cohorts build and feed upon often drive more to the congregation, the Host does not detect the infestation and only notices the increase in worship.

Typically, these arrangements draw the attention of Hunters or other organizations seeking the destruction of disruptive daemonkin. Often they will hunt down the murderous Eschatii, ignorant of the elder in the congregation growing gluttonous off his followers. When last the congregation is ready to abandon their faith and worship the Eschatii without abandon, their leader will perform his final ritual. In one last gory orgy of blood and cannibalism, the Eschatii directs the Flock to turn upon themselves and drinks deep of their remains. Then he leaves with the surviving members of his co-conspirators to find a new hunting ground to begin the cycle anew.

Outside of the horrific violence and terror this develops, it has a tendency to draw the attention of the Host who arrive at the destruction of their Flock too late to find the Eschatii and instead turn to the local Havens, who they likely believe to be the culprits, and destroy them. However, because so few are willing to monitor or interfere with the Host’s Flocks, it is difficult for local Havens to protect themselves and identify the offending daemonkin before they become entrenched in their target congregations. Due to the effectiveness of enthralling their followers, confronting an established Eschatii elder often leads to conflict with the congregation and should they be killed, the attention of the Host is drawn regardless.

Consequently, sometimes if the signs of an infected Flock are noticed early, nearby Havens will close down and seek distant refuge until the Eschatii are either destroyed by another party or leave and the Host have abandoned their late investigation.