Codex/Story of the Sentinels

Exultia
Translation from the 'Ligra Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

What treachery comes from our darkest selves, driven by greed and want; for I have been deceived by the Deag. They came North with I, the priests, as allies to our cause against the Khan Maykr and her unscrupulous methods. Their silvery tongues wagging, they laid a plan for us, and sowed the seed of desire for hasty triumph. They claimed knowledge of the Maykr's source of power in the demon realm; a vast foundry of souls where the innocent are put to the fire for the Essence. In the foundry's destruction our victory is assured, they told us; and the fools that we were - that I am - believed their lies.

On their word, we sent the Doom Slayer and the Night Sentinels to destroy the foundry, and the priests cast a gate for their egress. As the last veteran entered the demon's empire, our final hope of reclaiming our dominion, the Deag closed the path and left them stranded. They were trapped, lost in the eternal void by the action of the traitors.

How could I not see their intention? Am I blinded by grief for the loss of Taras Nabad? Of my people?

We have fled again, with barely a legion of the Night Sentinels left to protect us. The Deag are gone, returned to their mistress. May the Wraiths forgive my failure.

The Wolf
Argenta legends speaks of Sentinel beasts, loyal creatures that lived as companions of the hardened warriors. Often larger, swifter and stronger than others of their kind, these animals shared instincts with their masters and aided them in battle. The Night Sentinels never shared publicly the origin of these creatures, for only they stood worthy of them.

King Novik
King Novik ruled over Sentinel Prime for many years as its warrior patriarch, ordained protector of the sovereign Sentinel worlds. The Sentinel people, defined by a legacy of war, deem only those of warrior caste befit to rule, and in times of battle it is expected that the King lead from the battlefield rather than from the safety of the throne. As it is written in Sentinel law, a King unfit for battle is likewise unfit to rule.

For millennia, the Sentinel people have secured their civilization against the threat of invasion from beast and human alike, passing on the mantle of battle to each subsequent generation and refining the craft of war into an art of ultimate mastery. Even in times of peace, the Night Sentinels remain vigilant, developing new technologies of conquest, each the more capable of securing their dominion across the sovereign worlds.

The Betrayer
After years of prolonged war against the demonic threat invading their world, Argent D'Nur launched an offensive strike across dimensions, sending their greatest warriors into the heart of Hell itself. Despite their training and their preparedness, their honor was undone by deceit. Betrayal at the highest level of command left Argent D'Nur's bravest warriors cut off and scattered in the Hellscape.

But of these last remaining Night Sentinels, only one remained in Hell by choice. Betrayer of the Argenta, it was Commander Valen who relinquished the keys to the Elemental Sepulchre in return for his son's resurrection. Haunted by demonic visions, the image of his son's tortured existence plagued him without relent, the whispers of demons pushing him toward madness. In a moment of weakness, he fell prey to the demon's trickery, sealing the fate of Argent D'Nur and dooming the kingdom to which he swore a lifelong oath to protect. Valen chose exile in the Hellscape for his sacrilege.

The Fortress of Doom
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The Fortress of Doom is a command station used by the Sentinels for military operations. ESR dating suggests the structure was built during the reign of King Danak, and spectral anaylsis of the Sentinel Energy signature used to power the various systems confirms this theory.

While the rock and metal structure of the vessel is undoubtedly Argenta design, the castle's sub-systems (navigation, gravitational centrifuge, life support) are of Maykr origin, suggesting a design collaboration between the two species. Propulsion is notably absent, as it is not required. The fortress manipulates space through an unknown process involving Sentinel energy.

However, there is no indication that any of the systems were designed for Maykr use. The accessways, control panels, and living quarters have all been designed for Argenta dimensions, so it can be assumed that the massive structure was made exclusively for Argenta warfare, likely as a flag-station of the Night Sentinel's military forces. We have records of the Night Sentinels visiting many inhabited planets in their local quadrant (the extent of their empire is still being researched), and this fortress is likely a remnant of what was once a much larger fleet.

The Lost City of Hebeth
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Amidst the long and enduring history of Sentinel civilization, there are moments in antiquity that have become buried in time - forgotten chapters that remain concealed to Sentinel historians, waiting to be unearthed. The fallen city of Hebeth is one such tale, all but forgotten to the tomes of legacies past. Once a prosperous port city - a proud, gleaming marker of conquest for the distant tribe of Bethian clansmen of the outer worlds - Hebeth bridged the disparate Sentinel cities with the ingenious design of slipgate invention. But it was not meant to last, and among those cities lost in the crusades of Sentinel past was Hebeth, now little more than a smoldering ruin swallowed by the quaking surface of a once habitable Mars.

Sentinel Prime
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The ancient Arena is a holy place for the people of Argent D'Nur. Constructed in the earliest days of their history, this coliseum served as a proving ground for trial-by-combat. Historical records indicate that the Argenta did not jail their own kind; rather, prisoners and criminals were granted the right to earn their chance at regaining honor through victory in the Arena. Those who succeeded were given a place to fight in the front lines of the Sentinel army, to die in service to Argent D'Nur.

This traditional use of the Arena has subsided since the assimilation with the Dark Realm. The corrupted Priests now allow more violent exchanges, with armed captives pitted against demons for sport.

The Priests of the Order Deag continue to hold undisputed power on Argent D'Nur. Spilling the blood of the Argent-ascended class will result in the transgressor's banishment. Asylum amongst the Argenta will be denied to any who do not adhere to the rules of engagement.

Taras Nabad
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The city of Taras Nabad were the crown jewel of Argent D'Nur. For centuries it serve as the spiritual heart of Argent society, home to both the royal family and the center of political power. No expense was spared in the building of the city, with bold colonnaded architecture and towering monuments to gods and kings resplendent on every avenue. Rural Argenta flocked to Taras Nabad on pilgrimage to the Maykr temples.

The city was ground zero of a massive demonic invasion attempt, and although the invasion was thwarted the attack changed Argenta society forever.

The Divinity Machine
VEGA DATA ENTRY

Within the infinite conscious-matrix of the all-seeing Maykr God-mind, there exists every potentiality - every predictive variable of possible future timeline - each one known to the Maykr collective with omniscient, inextricable clarity. The God-mind surveys these timelines, watching them form and expand exponentially like fractal patterns in the fabric of existence. Among these infinite possibilities, only one constant appears among them, unchanged by the flowing data of endless variability - that of the prophesized Destroyer - the one who would bring about the destruction of the Maykrs.

Part I
History of the Sentinels - Part I

Translation from the 'Ligra Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

In the days before man first spoke, an immense shard of rock and metal was cast unto the world from the heavens. Thunder and cataclysm shook the land as the skies were torn asunder. The Cosmic Spear cleft a hole through our mortal lands, pole to pole, from the cold wastes of the Umbral Plains to the fetid swamps of Ironfang. The Womb of the World opened and the Elemental Wraiths, the Firstborn, spilled forth. They took to the skies, fierce in their emancipation. In their exultation, they brought vitality to the land, and all that felt their breath were awakened by eternal slumber. Fierce beasts and an unforgiving biosphere rose in the passing of their shadow as the Wraithcall echoed across Argent D'Nur.

First came the Ancestrals, feral creatures invigorated by the magic of the Wraiths. They grew to enormous heights, mighty behemoths who waged war with each other for years untold. Their battles tore the land asunder and destroyed all creation caught in their wake. The Wraithcall continued to spread across the land and soon the Argenta emerged from the steppes, our souls stirred into form by the power of their breath.

The titans towered over the wild-blooded tribes but found them uncowed. The Secret of the Sword was discovered, and in the darkness of sweltering mountain-forges, we beat steel until it was strong enough to pierce bone and sever flesh.

Thus we came to be; born of rock and fire, lowly in birth but risen by the strength of our will. By the blessedness of the First Ones, we forged sword and shield and took the hammer to the Ancestrals. We claimed dominion of creation by right of blood and magick, and the Time of Man came to be.

With the Ancestral beasts driven back to their bleak valleys, we rose. We tilled the fertile land, husbanded beasts of burden, and built towering cities. In the Hallowed Palace, on the Obsidian Throne, we crowned King Ormero the Father, the first of the line that shall weigh in perpetuity. We built the Cathedral of Reflection to worship the First Ones and formed the Order of the Deag, whose priests pay tribute to the Wraiths and appease their tempestuous hunger. Our sons and daughters chose the path of the sword or the path of the alchemist, for each duty honors the Gods.

Though our ways were righteous, we were not without strife - storms and great quakes cast our spires down, barbaric tribes laid siege to our fields in search of the great gifts mother Argenta has bestowed upon our work, and the song of the Wraithcall threatened to drive lesser men into madness. We were not lesser men. We defended that which the First Ones gifted to us, our lands and right to the bounty held within. We beat back the barbarian hordes and hardened our resolve. We rose above the fire, our bodies and souls tempered, and an unbreakable will was shaped in the forge of battle. What emerged was the heart of our legion - the order of the Night Sentinels.

Part II
History of the Sentinels - Part II

Translation from the 'Ligra Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

In the Time of Grief, when King Etrex took the throne, a blessing came to the people of Argenta. White porcelain beings from another world above our own brought gifts to D'Nur. Observers to our great deeds, admirers of our convictions, they sought to make bond with our swords and bring lasting order to our world.

These were beings unlike any we had seen before, sword and shield held no weight against them, for the ethereal flesh of these luminous beings seemed unbound by mortality. Able to move through time and space, they held sway over all dominions of the known and unknown dimensions. Through their ways we grew stronger, our society bolstered by their infinite wisdom and all-knowing power, assuring our peoples' safety for all time - in this world and the next. Where we sharpened the blade and mastered our magick, they bolstered the soul and spirit. Death would no longer be the end for our people. The ones we call the Maykrs, our new allies in this brutal world, have given us the security in death we fought so hard to achieve in life. We would find eternal peace, and our minds would rest easy with the knowledge that those we fought alongside in battle would join us in the lands beyond the mortal plane. The strength of our ways, the purity of our essence, would by Maykr law grant us passage to the great city in the clouds. There, women and children, warriors and kin alike would welcome us.

We adopted the holy doctrine of the Maykrs, gifted in exchange with the change to earn eternal rest for our immortal souls in blessed Urdak. The covenant we held now under the embrace of our new Gods fostered a peace we had never known, for they were unlike the First Ones, whose presence offered no paradise from fear and the uncertainty of existence in a harsh and unforgiving world. The Maykr's embrace was warm, and guided us into an era of spiritual prosperity.

Part III
History of the Sentinels - Part III

Translation from the 'Ligra Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

With machine and enchantment of the Maykrs, the Argenta brought our newfound clarity to the disparate realms of the Empyrean Void. We took flight with the support of our Gods, spreading the enlightened word of the Khan Maykr. We discovered there was not one Enemy, but many. Worlds and peoples unknown to the Argenta were unveiled, and we saw our own suffering reflected in their eyes. Our righteous army strode into battle under the banner of the Night Sentinels and fought for the freedom of all peoples from the grasp of those who would exploit and prey upon them. Though we battled on soil not our own, the blood we shed in foreign land safeguarded Arget D'Nur, and the sons and daughters that defended it. Through the strange peoples we liberated, new alliances were formed, and our beliefs became their own. Our armies swelled.

As the Argenta traversed the stars with gleaming war-fleets the Khan of the Maykrs approached King Roan on his throne.

He sensed his God restless by her disquiet manner. The King and Khan spoke, and the God revealed she had foreseen a schism in the blood of Argenta. A test would be required to identify its host among us. She spoke of a holy rite to be performed on the strongest of our warriors; only those that proved worthy would be tested, for the impurity could reside in only the most resilient of our legion. The Divinity Machine, a great tribute by Maykr Scolaris, would help us to cleanse any impurities from our flock, ensuring our continued prosperity in this world and in the Maykr realm that awaited in the afterlife. The Malicious One, if not exhumed from our ranks, would jeopardize our safe passage to the heavenly realm of Urdak.

The Dark One was not amongst them yet, nor would he be for many generations. Only the Mother God, through divination and Maykr-sight, would determine when he stood before them. The Maykrs were truth, and only their unclouded eyes could find the one who was marked. The prophecy of the unholy one was written, but through the ages the warning grew faint until only the Khan Maykr herself and the high priests of the Order Deag still whispered of He that would one day come to threaten their way of light.

Part IV
History of the Sentinels - Part IV

Translation from the 'Ligria Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

In the time of King Novik, as the Argenta secured peace and safety through dimensions across time and space, an Outlander came to us. He was not of our world, and spoke an ugly tongue. How he first took step upon our land was unknown. Sentinel scouts had found the Outlander bloodied, clawed and near death, mumbling of impending Doom and the forces of Darkness. The scent of blood followed him, and the gore that stained his armor seemed not entirely of his own. By Argenta law the stranger would be judged in the Coliseum, where he would be given the chance of all who stray from the Path to fight for his freedom.

We knew not of this Stranger; his mind seemed crippled with rage. He dressed in attire not suited for our lands and carried munition of arcane origin. We watched as his will overcame his injuries, and in the Blood Arena he proved his worth. The Outlander's technique was crude and brutal, but the determination in his charge echoed that of any trueborn Sentinel. His war cry echoed through the Coliseum as did the sound of his fury, and the guards cheered his banner, 'Rip and Tear' they shouted as the beast pushed beyond mortal wounds and certain death.

He would be gifted no rank, no title. The survivors in the Arena were provided only one reward - the right to earn an honorable death while spreading the blessings of the Maykrs to those in need.

The Outlander's determination was witnessed, his ravings documented and through the word of the Order Deag the Khan Maykr had him brought before her. She set her minions to learning his tongue, for with his ugle words he spoke of lands unseen, creatures born of fire and a dark place unknown to the Queen and her cast. Yet another opportunity to expand the gift of the Maykrs to those in need.

Part V
History of the Sentinels - Part V

Translation from the 'Ligria Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

On the eve of the Black star the Dark Ones came from a world beneath our own, not through ship nor ephemeral vessel but through the fabric of dimensions. Out of swirling, fiery gates came horned beasts from a timeless realm. First one, then many, crashing waves of evil swelled from the obsidian forest of the Argentian Overlands. The Alorum clans from the eastern mountains fell first to the black hordes of devils, and the city of Telorum was slung under the weight of their charge.

We Sentinels rose to meet the beasts with spear in hand, the might of the holy fleet striking back at the demons, but the dark gates from whence they came gave birth still to even greater hordes. A line of blood was drawn with the fallen on both sides, and the Unholy Wars began as the time of darkness came upon us.

Part VI
History of the Sentinels - Part VI

Translation from the 'Ligria Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

Unlike enemies of the past we could not contain the demons emergent from the Dark Realm. Their weaponry was not conjured from machined steel but from the essence of their very being. A dark magic not known to us in our many conquests - had we grown overconfident, our victories serving to dull our blade as we drank in the glory of our expanding empire? Lost, we knew not of how to prevail against this foe. The Maykr Gods stood perplexed, and our engineers and Priests scrambled to find the advantage in battle we so desperately needed. Unknown to the enemy we were pushed to the brink of defeat, and our Gods stood with us as we worked to find the answer.

The Order of the Deag were first to unlock the mystery of these foul creatures. The Priests were able to capture several of the beasts and set about to identify the source of their power. It was then that the Essence of the Dark Realm was discovered. Not wholly unlike our own, this power was the life-essence that flowed through their twisted form and powered their attacks. It could be harnessed to power our weapons, giving the Argenta the chance to combat the demons on even footing. The Priests believed that with greater knowledge of the Essence we could discover its source and cut if off from the demons to strangle their armies from within, allowing us to regain the advantage we required for victory on the battlefield.

The Khan Maykr gave blessings to our majesty and directed the Priests to delve deeper into the mysteries of the scarlet Elixir from the demonic realm, for she sought only to return balance to our universe. Proper assimilation was required, as Hell stood beyond her influence.

After great effort the Priests discovered more than they had ever hoped for. They learned of the true nature of the demonic energy, and how it could strengthen those skilled enough to harness its power. The energy coursing through the malformed bodies of our relentless enemy could be used to end life, or to enhance it. The power to heal, to mend, immortality, knowledge and enlightened faculties beyond our understanding. With the demon's life force in the skilled hands of the Sentinel Priests, and under the righteous gaze of the Khan Maykr, our people would not only rise to victory over the unholy horde that clawed at our walls; we would move to a higher plateau of existence, ushering in a new era of military science and industrial healing. No Sentinel would grow sick, no Maykr would need suffer the Transfiguration that they so feared; all would be risen. None could ever oppose our peaceful ways and threaten our world again. True balance over Hell and its legions, over space and time, in this world and all others - we would dictate the order. United with the Maykrs, we would find eternal peace.

Part VII
History of the Sentinels - Part VII

Translation from the 'Ligria Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

The Khan Maykr demanded a tithe of the Essence, and driven by her desire the Priests submitted themselves to her will. The Order of the Deag took council with the King, speaking only of the spoiled lands sure to be found through the cleft in creation, and the opportunity to purge the new invaders from Argent D'Nur. We took the war to their cursed land, pressing through the gates of wizardry.

There was one among us who seemed to know the true nature of these foul demons. It was The Outlander, the stranger who had come to us from places unknown, he who had survived in the front lines far longer than any Sentinel-born prisoner had before. His passion for battle against the vile horde was evident, his lust for their destruction matching our own, though Argent D'Nur remained a foreign land to him. His fervor caught the attention of Inquisitors of the Sentinel Guard, some whispering of a suspected allegiance he held in secret with the demons. Silencing the critics, King Novik deemed him worthy of selection. The Signifiers brought a commission to our King, and it was decided that he be lifted from the common rabble.

Though no Arena-borne prisoner had ever been granted the honor, the Night Sentinels broke tradition and deemed the Outlander worthy of training. A number of disciples grumbled and chafed at the barbarian present in their ranks, but in the war with the demons all opportunities for even the slightest advantage was to be considered and as they witnessed the Stranger spar with their hall-masters they found in him an undying, unrelenting compatriot. This man was an outlander, friend to none, and yet rose each time he was thrown to the dirt of the circle. Battered and bruised, his brow stained with blood, he rose with grim determination for the chance to face his enemies in armed combat once again.

Time passed as the Stranger was instructed in the codified matrices of their Order, the ancient lessons of battle and brotherhood taught to all Sentinels. He could sense the opportunity before him - soon, all of Hell would feel his wrath once again.

Satisfied that he would not be a detriment to their prowess, the Night Sentinels granted him his wish as they ventured through the hellgates with the Stranger in tow. They knew no rest, fighting in the unnatural elements and training under the blood-moon of night. The Stranger suffered exhaustion, wounds, and sickness, but asked for no aid and was offered none. Three times the Night Sentinels ventured into the gate and back, and upon every return the Stranger strode more capable than before, his gait locked in step with the march of the Sentinels, a disciplined and now controlled lust for demon blood ever present. The passing of years and innumerous battles with the devils indentured the Stranger to Argenta's mightiest warriors, and no longer did they condescend to him as a new-blooded conscript, for to them he had become a brother-in-arms forged in war. An ally, and a weapon.

Part VIII
History of the Sentinels - Part VIII

Translation from the 'Ligria Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

As we warred with the beasts the Argenta society grew, under the watchful eye of the Maykrs and through the endless power of the Essence. While our generals were consumed with the Unholy War our culture was marked by the beautiful potion the enemy had provided us - the sweet Elixir. It brought us immeasurable capacity and empowered us to reach farther into dimensions once thought to be beyond our grasp. Under the direction of our Maykr Gods and the engineering of our High Priests, our weapons blazed and our war machines stormed.

The throngs of the populace drank deeply from the well of energy unveiled by the Priests, but we of the Night Sentinels took no part in their abundance. Some among us whispered accusations and warnings against this manner of progress, but they were quelled, as it was not our role to dictate the future of our people, only to defend it.

Part IX
History of the Sentinels - Part IX

Translation from the 'Ligria Sultagenta' (Book of Kings)

As the Black Star ascended to its zenith, King Novik sat restless on his throne as a howling darkness began to assemble just beyond the Mountain Rise to the East. The Blight came upon us in droves, flooding forth from the Hell Gate with merciless fury. They brought with them a monstrous Titan, the Dreadnought, a beast to rival the stature and menace of even the mightiest Ancestral. The grotesque giant laid waste to all before him, crushing all in his path. This was a total demonic assault, striking at the heart of Argent D'Nur as never before. How was it that the behemoth could pass through the demonic gate without warning? We would never know, though the Night Sentinels believed treason was at play.

Caught off guard, the Sentinels scrambled late in defiance of the Titan and his horde, and with his coming the holy city of Taras Nabad prepared for judgement. With the onslaught of the demons massed in the sprawling shadow of the abhorrent fiend, the city shook to its foundation. None were spared, save those that fled north. The vile swarm ransacked our temples and palaces, burning our towers and feasting on the souls of our clergy.

Yet the Night Sentinels rallied, and held fast against the demons, though they were pushed back and corralled at the Blood Arena. As the dark of night descended their swords remained potent, and shred the enemy multitude with abandon. Amidst the unyielding ranks of the Sentinels, when all other apprentices had fallen in battle, stood the Outlander. 'Rip and Tear' he roared, ferocious in battle. The remaining conscripts of the Arena stood in awe as they witnessed the beast who had once raged within their very cells, now armored alongside the shoulders of Sentinel brethren. He had risen where one other had before, a trueborn Sentinel fighter - the very best among them.

But though the swarm fell before their assault, the Titan remained invincible, for none could tame the behemoth alone.

In the hours before dawn, as the Night Sentinels weathered the relentless assault, the Outlander held his ground at the foot of the great wall in the northern bend of the castle. Seeing his unending vigor, Samur, chancellor to the Mother God, hurried the Outlander away under veil of secrecy and, for reason unknown, submitted him to a rite untold. This was heresy, for Samur received no consent from the Khan Maykr nor did he receive her council. In the Chapel of Purity the Outlander submitted himself to the Divinity Machine. There Samur Maykr, the seraphim known to us only as the aide to the Mother God, blessed the Outlander with fierce speed and power to match his will. It was the method by which this transfusion took place that was most uncertain to us, for we were of the knowledge that the Maykr device bestowed onto the Argenta so many generations ago was to be used by the Priests only to find the impurity among us. How could it be that the device that was meant to cull the Sentinel breed of its contaminants could then be used to purify the Outlander's body, and give rise to the one who would lead us into battle henceforth?

What rose from the holy coffin on that fateful day was not the impure abomination the covenant warned us of; the hero within would come to be known only as the Great Slayer, the time walker, the warrior Khan whose fire-sword would blaze forth a path for the just and cut through the demonic horde with a vengeance that only a God King could summon. He rose unbroken by the Ritual, his eyes burning with Maykr magic. He took the Crucible in his hand, and Wraith-fire leapt forth from the blade, as only it will when held by a true Sentinel warrior king.

In our darkest hour, the Slayer had been chosen. Defying tradition, our most sacred laws and the will of the great Khan herself, a Stranger to our lands had been blessed with celestial might.