Important Companies, Organizations, Orders & Figures
Army of Virtue - The Army of Virtue, sometimes referred to as the Virtuous Host, was created by the Nine Virtues as a massive conquering army designed to sack the great Egyptian Empire and wipe out all those who stood against Yahweh. A near apocalyptic war called The War of Virtues brought about an end of their tyranny and liberation for humanity, but at a great cost.
Azrianism - Azrianism is a philosophy that had its origins in the 15th Century BCE during the Azrian Purges, and the Diaspora that followed. The term essentially means "follower of Azarya", the goddess who is believed to have created them. At the conclusion of the War of Virtues in 1425 BCE, the pharaoh Amenhotep II had coined the term "Azrian" as a derogative name for the remnant soldiers left over from the Army of Virtue. Years later, these soldiers would settle in Eastern Europe and begin calling themselves Azrian as a way to be proud of their divine heritage.
What started as a minor philosophy soon became a very influential movement, and they began to organize pilgrimages to Ireland, where they believed Azarya was from. Thus, Inis Fail (Ireland) was seen as their ancestral homeland.
Today, Azrians are more commonly referred to as Dreamers, due to their natural connection and affinity to the Dreamtime.
Though most Dreamers are peaceful and seek to blend into human society, there is a militant faction that is fanatically anti-human. This faction believes a reckoning with humanity is coming, and they await the right time to finish what they started when their forebears were known as the Army of Virtue.
Coptic Church of Alexandria – Everything you need to know about the church can be read here. But what you won't see there is probably its most important function: it harbors the only known hidden resistance against the Human Right government across Western Asia and North Africa and is the headquarters of the Veiled Assassins. This dates back to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE, when it broke away from the rest of Christendom.
Dreaming Underground – A designated terrorist organization by several governments around the world, the Underground's stated goal is to retake Ireland. Their origin dates back to the 5th Century CE, when Christianity came to Ireland. It was founded as an underground resistance group against Christians who hunted them as pagan worshipers across the Emerald Isle. They have been fighting the human authorities ever since. Their leadership is unknown.
Knight-Sworn, The – Ancient militaristic order founded by the Lady of the Firstborn some 3000 years ago to protect humans and Dreamers from the forces of the Phantom Queen. They are headquartered beneath the ruins of the Temple of Artemis in Selcuk, Turkey, but have garrisons at all Firstborn temples and places of interest around the world. They are sworn by oath to the Lady of the Firsborn to eliminate any and all threats to Firstborn interests and have been imbued with the Blessing of the Lightbringer to carry out their lifelong mission. The Knight-Sworn report only to the Ephesian Council, which is a completely autonomous organization.
Firstborn (aka the Arbiters) – Neither heroes or villains, they are impartial arbiters and the Enemies of Virtue. They represent divine law and will in the Shattered Star Universe. They are more commonly known as the Black Cloaks for the long black cloaks they don. Founded in 1427 BCE by the archangel Gabriel at the Divine Council in Apasa (later known as Ephesus), the Black Cloaks are divine arbiters of the Great Divines sent to maintain balance to the world by defeating Virtue. They are who a deity sends to settle disputes, once and for all.
The Black Cloaks are: The Arbiter of Zeus (the Lady of the Firstborn), the Arbiter of Odin, the Arbiter of Vishnu, and the Arbiter of the Jade Emperor. They are known as the Firstborn for they are the first born of their kind and the Firstborn of the Gods. The Arbiters contain immense power and act with the favor and will of their parent god. They are the greatest power the world has ever known.
Hidden, The - The Hidden are the last of the Manifestations who live in The Hidden City in modern day Eastern Europe. Manifestations are all the folkloric races popular in fairy tales and fantasy, such as elves and orcs. Most of their kind was eradicated during the Manifestation Wars in the 5th Century BCE. The survivors who cooperated with the Persian authorities who fought against them, were given safe haven in Europe and allowed to live peacefully in seclusion, hidden away from human society. Hence the name, The Hidden. They remain under the watchful eye of the magi.
Human Right Movement– A powerful and influential pro-human movement prevalent in human society that is philosophically aligned with the Far Right. They believe god intended humankind to dominate the Earth. To them, the only thing that matters is the absolute supremacy of the human race. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that.
Magi - Magi is an ancient organization originally founded by the Persian emperor Darius in the 5th Century BCE to study the secrets of the Dreamtime. They were priests of Zoroaster headed by Zarathustra, which since has become the title for the director of the organization.
Each member of Magi is known as a magus, which means "wise man", and they are able to wield elemental magics as a result of their years-long study of the aforementioned Dreamtime. This is where magic as we know it - as well as the very word magic - comes from.
During the reign of Artaxerxes, the magi were directed to wipe out the Dreamwakened, Dreamers with the ability to manifest creatures and beings from the Dreamtime into the waking world. This event was called the Manifestation Wars. Today, the magi's primary mission is to monitor the last of the Manifestations living in The Hidden City, for illegal manifestations.
Veiled Assassins, The - Highly skilled assassins and saboteurs under the command of Al-Muqanna (the Veiled Prophet), secretly headquartered within the Coptic Church of Alexandria. The Veiled Assassins, and particularly their leader, the Veiled Prophet, report to John Artemus (formerly Gabriel) and target persons of interest on behalf of the Black Cloaks with deadly precision.
The Nine Virtues - Anthropomorphic representations of the nine virtues of sapient life, created when the Phantom Queen Azarya persuaded Yahweh to select some of his most powerful angels to lay with the daughters of nine kings, who were the nine enemies of Egypt. Each ruler was targeted for a specific emotional attribute. The Nine Virtues are: Innocence, Forgiveness, Mercy, Morality, Justice, Devotion, Faith, Hope and Temperance. The Virtues are unkillable, immortal entities whose sole purpose was to control the people of the Egyptian Empire by shrouding their faith behind a mask of virtue, which made their gods susceptible to Yahweh's influence. This would weaken Ra and his pantheon enough to be eliminated by Yahweh and his Judgement. The Nine Virtues and their all-conquering Army of Virtue enslaved the peoples of Western Asia and North Africa about 3000 years ago.
The Firstborn directly attacked them in 1427 BCE, launching the War of Virtues.
Scion Labs - One of the largest alternative technology companies in the world, based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Scion Labs has played an integral part in the hidden war between humans and Dreamers. Most notably, the development of Thought Technology, which created the Watchers. It was formed when the current Egyptian president and a powerful group of investors, bought up many smaller tech companies to form the giant that it is now. The company is currently run by CEO Liran Solomon, the president's handpicked successor.
The Morning Chronicle - An online publication in London that has offices in select cities around the world. It employs intrepid reporter Brenda Mae Buckalew. The digital newspaper gained notoriety in Ireland for its extensive coverage of human-Dreamer relations on the island, its investigative reporting into Scion Labs in Israel, and its coverage of Dreamer suffering at the hands of the Human Right-dominated governments across the world.
Recently, it has begun running a series of stories about the legendary Black Cloaks (the Firstborn), and how they may be tied to recent events. Specifically, the Geneva bombing and the unusual sightings and activities in Ireland, Eastern Europe, and Western Asia.
Once thought of as a fringe, conspiracy theory website and not taken seriously in journalistic circles, The Morning Chronicle has become a leading voice for the people, and a source of breaking news in the human-Dreamer conflict. It is one of the most visited websites in the world, with a very large social media following.
Watchers – Specially trained and augmented human agents developed by Scion Labs. Their abilities are heightened by neural implants using their patented Thought Technology. They are designed to hunt down and capture or kill rogue Dreamers in violation of the Human Right Act.