THE BLACKBIRDS OF ON-HIGH & THE GAUNTED

 

With the disappearance of the divine entities of Mythren, religion lost most of its meaning in the aftermath of the Breaking. The world, what remained, was sundered and left with only a vague memory of what it once was. Even this memory brought pain. Those that survived the Breaking inherited a world bereft of the magic and grandeur it once possessed. This Mythren, consisting of fragmented pieces without context or meaning, knew loss and suffering without the watchful eyes of the divine races to offer solace or guidance.

 

But despite there being little left to find of the deities of old, in the centuries that followed the Breaking there were those who refused to stop looking. Scattered myths and legends relayed tales of the ancient gods, but all other evidence pointed to the fact that the gods, along with the titans, had either perished or fled. Unable to find evidence of present-day divinity, and with only fragmented myth to sustain them, those who sought answers from above simply created their own. The On-High was born, and without an actual god to offer guidance, the followers made meaning of their own from supposed signs and portents.

 

The Blackbirds of On-High are a complicated collection of followers that have spread over nearly ever drift. Over the long centuries, schisms have divided the order dramatically, creating pockets of Blackbirds with varying agendas. The most common Blackbird simply seeks to offer aid and comfort to the denizens of the Remains. They have knowledge of herbalism and medicine, offer sermons to those who come to their chapels, but have no mystical powers granted from their unseen gods. Though distrustful of the Wheelhouse and its servants, they do not often share the prejudices that some Blackbirds carry. Others, known as the Sanctified, claim to have found a divine “source.” Unlike the others, they are granted certain abilities from this mysterious entity, but are forced to keep the identity a secret as there are many, even amongst their own kind, who would see it destroyed.

 

And then there are the Gaunted.

 

The Gaunted Blackbirds represent a group of martyrs, fanatics, and inquisitors that believe themselves to be chosen by the faceless powers from above to purge the lands of all things linked to Old Mythren. They hold magic-users responsible for the breaking of the moon, and although they may not be wrong in this belief, their passion has fueled persecution.

 

It is with a dangerous zeal that the Gaunted have answered the calling of the On-High. For these Blackbirds, anyone linked to the magic of old represents a threat and must be cleansed—often by fire, hanging, drowning, stoning and worse. Non-human races, those few that have managed to persist, are viewed as abominations. Gypsy daughters touched with oracle-like abilities are captured and spirited away, while artifacts still holding a spark of arcane power are collected and catalogued in their books of twisted truth.

 

Yet the Gaunted reserve their greatest suspicion for the Wheelhouse and all things connected to it. It may have been the magic users of the old Mythren that brought down the cataclysm, but it was the Wheelhouse that appeared in the aftermath to lord over the ruin. The Gaunted spread rumors about the bandiar and sow distrust among the Out-Towns. They owe no allegiance or loyalty to any save for their faceless god whose voice is merely the echo of their inner fears and prejudices.

 

Flocks of Blackbirds move through the lands in traveling caravans or revivals while others set up a more permanent residence in specific Out-Towns. The name “Blackbird” derives from the feathered attire worn by the first of their order centuries ago. Their distinctive look has persisted through the years, making them easy to spot amongst the commoners of the Remains.

 

Some wear masks shaped like over-sized bird skulls or paint their faces with black wing designs. Many carry a leather-bound book filled with the collective “truths” they have discovered throughout the lands or bits of scripture or sermons. The book is always a work in progress, and upon the individual’s death the pages are distributed to others in the flock.

 

There are those who worship the On-High who seek to bring a sense of order and hope to the shattered world, but these are few in comparison to the dangerous    fanatics who seek to break the Wheelhouse. For the fanatics, it is a crusade built on fear and distrust, but in this cruel world of uncertainty there are many who choose to cling to a false god rather than submit to the idea that here in what remains...they are simply alone.