The Gods' Chosen
Shortly after the invasion of the former planet Earth by the alien beings known as the Ash Gods, numerous titanic megastructures appeared across the surface of the new world. These megastructures, or Constructs, are believed to be the homes of the aliens as they continue their ongoing ecological and environmental devastation of the planet, terraforming it into the hellscape known as Ashrain. Human survivors who approach these Constructs are frequently driven to madness, and many are never seen again. These lost individuals are rumored to have been abducted by the Ash Gods and taken into the depths of the Constructs. There, the Ash Gods supposedly experiment on their captives. According to religious groups, such as the Ash Zealots, those who survive this experimentation are remade as perfect beings, stripped of all flaws by the Ash Gods, who are then sent back to the planet to minister, lead, and terrorize humanity. These select few are known as the Gods' Chosen, among other monikers.
Summary
According to myth and legend, many human survivors who strayed too close to one of the gargantuan Constructs of the Ash Gods were taken up by the aliens into the Constructs and held captive there by the new masters of the world. Within the Constructs, these individuals were subjected to highly advanced physiological, psychological, and genetic experimentation at the hands of the aliens. This experimentation roots out and eliminates 'flaws' in the genotypes and physical construction of species, remaking them into perfected beings with enhanced physical capabilities. Those individuals who survive these procedures are sent back down to Ashrain by the aliens to resume their lives anew.
Historical Basis
The beginning of these legends was started by the widespread report of individuals who claimed to have been taken by the Ash Gods and remade before being thrown back down to the surface of the world. Many religious sects, especially of the Ash Zealots, quickly latched onto the rumors and assisted in their widespread dissemination. As more and more of these 'chosen' people began to appear, it became obvious that the rumors must be true, though their rarity is still such that most major organizations known only of the rumors and have never actually encountered one such being.
One notable exception is the species of super predator known as the Hounds of Houndsbane. These giant, mutated coyotes are thoguht to be the product of genetic experimentation in the Charnel Construct, located in the former North American Midwest. An extremist sect of the Zealots, who call themselves the Houndsbane Zealots, believe a singular alien being to be the source of these creatures: Houndsbane, God of Aberration. They worship him as their patron god and consider his creations to be divine arbiters of his justice.
Perhaps the most notable source of rumors such as these is the sinister, nihilistic individual known as Abaddon. Leader of the destructive, sadistic organization the Apollyon, Abaddon was supposedly cast out of the Carvers for his brutality and anti-human beliefs. He was then captured by the Ash Gods and transformed into a perfect being. When he reemerged some time later, he single-handedly murdered the entire Carver gang hunting him, quickly established a cult-like following, and set up a massive empire of terror across the former North American Midwest. According to the Apollyon, Abaddon is the perfect man who will lead them to glorious salvation. According to virtually every other survivor in Ashrain that knows of him, Abaddon is the single greatest threat to humanity that exists in the new, devastated world. Even the most fanatical of the Ash Zealots despise him, considering him not a divinely blessed being, but a devil who was thrown out of the Constructs by the Ash Gods for his blasphemy and cruelty.
Cultural Reception
Religious minded organizations, such as the Ash Zealots, believe these individuals are gifts from their alien gods and build temples at the base of the Constructs to await the coming of new ones. Some of the cults sects revere these people as divinely blessed messiahs. Others offer them as sacrifices to the Ash Gods, believing them to be gifts for the perfect offering. Many non-religious human organizations see them as dangerous, unknowns, mutants, and threats to humanity. The ORM has a policy to kill all such people, and creatures, on sight. A similar stance is held by the Birthers, who consider them genetic abnormalities who will pollute the bloodline of humanity.
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