Dark Star and Caliginous Stars

The Dark Star is the primary force of darkness in the universe and is the main threat the First Star fights against. Whether or not it is a conscious being like the First Star is unknown, but it has existed for longer than the First Star and at the very least is much more primal. Beings that serve the Dark Star do so out of desire to oppose the light more than a desire to serve the darkness, but exceptions to this exist.

Caliginous Stars

The Thirteen Caliginous Stars are the true intelligent beings that make up the forces of darkness. They were the first fallen Vigil to completely turn against the First Star, growing in power to match their counter forces and become celestial beings. These are the entities that pray on fallen vigil, twisting them into Umbral Vigil that are forced to serve them. Umbral Vigil do not often pledge themselves to the darkness or a Caliginous Star the same way Lumen Vigil do for Brilliant Stars, but they have been known to do so if they willingly reject the forces of light. Otherwise, most Umbral Vigil are servants to their associated Caliginous Star and no not obey them willingly.

These are not meant to be overly demonic or god-like, the titles are more for description from the perspective of the forces of light than to imply they are outside of mortal influence. They are similar to the Daedra in the Elder Scrolls, if you're familiar, but much less divine. They are not the only cosmic beings of darkness, just key players. They will have more of an impact on the story than the Brilliant Stars unless you all want otherwise, but more from a distance than anything else (again, unless yall want otherwise). This is mainly to bring variety and personality to the forces of darkness.

Athanios The Everlasting

Athanios is the Caliginous Star that represents undeath and contamination. He is the first known Caliginous Star and has a deep hatred for the forces of light. He believes that the forces of light are too flawed to save, and seeks to bring the world to total darkness and start over from there, quite literally raising the dead Light to recreate it as his own. He is always working to increase his own strength, usually by building up his army of souls and enslaved Vigil to bring total war to the forces of light. To him, death is just an opportunity for growth, and war brings plenty of tools for him to raise the dead and rebuild. He is confident, narcisistic, and treats those underneath him as tools. At his most powerful, he can reanimate dead Vigils (see "Falling" under the section "After Falling") under his complete control, adding their strength to his armada of fallen souls, or he can bring rot and corruption to the forces of light, causing them to fall quickly without even facing a mortal end. He is the greatest threat among the forces of darkness because of this. When Vigils fall, Athanios will claim any and all types of Vigil if given the opportunity.

Fovos The Nightmare

Fovos is the Caliginous Star that represents fear and horror. They are a being constructed by Athanios using the leftover remains of several powerful Umbral vigils that combined the personalities and powers of all. Fovos is the ultimate Umbral Terror; they are always out for blood and obey Athanios when commanded, but they act rashly and unpredictably even under his word. Most of all, Fovos seems to crave fear and will play with their targets in order to incite it. At their most powerful, they are an incredibly fast, agile, and strong creature with an unpredictable array of powers and the known ability to inflict their targets with horrible, unnatural fear. Because of this, Fovos is an incredible threat to the forces of light. When Vigils fall, Fovos tends to claim Rogues, Warlocks, or any Vigil focused on surprise attacks or inciting fear.

Khan The Gruesome

Khan is the Caliginous Star that represents slaughter and gore. He, alongside Gaichi, were the first students of Athanios when he first gathered Vigils to face the light. Khan craves violence and blood, and finds incredible joy in bringing someone to a gruesome end. His desire for violence doesn't outweigh his loyalty to Athanios, so his agression is solely aimed at the forces of light. He's not a schemer and has never been known for grand plans, but will faithfully obey Athanios orders and won't hesitate to fight if given the opportunity. His raw strength is unmatched, and guided by Athanios he is an incredible threat to the First Star. When Vigils fall, Khan tends to claim Fighers, Barbarians, Bloodhunters, Rogues, and anyone capable of great violence.

Ago The Conqueror

Ago is the Caliginous Star that represents tyranny and domination. He was a Vigil team leader obsessed with power who, alongside his twin Henaka, willingly fell and doomed the rest of his team in the process. Ever since he has led the armies of Athanios, traveling to the far reaches of the cosmos to destroy more Vigils and grow Athanios's army of souls. He is selfish and erratic, but is incredibly loyal to Athanios and Henaka and will do anything for them and their approval. When Vigils fall, Ago tends to claim Paladins, Fighters, Barbarians, Bloodhunters, and anyone who defaults to brute force or conquest in battle.

Moacir The Reflection

Moacir is the Caliginous Star that represents insecurity and regret. She was one of the first Brilliant Stars and was very close with Iara before becoming separated from the forces of light and stranded in the realms of darkness. She held out hope that the others would find and save her, but nobody did. After years of isolation and loneliness, and the forces of darkness constantly on the attack, she fell to Fovos and became victim to her own insecurity and self-torment. Long after she fell Iara found her and tried to save her from the darkness, only to be met with Moacir's fury; she no longer trusted Iara was there for Moacir's sake, only for Iara's pride or the First Star's duty. Now, Moacir inflicts painful grief and regret on any who might have been able to save someone like her, even those who had no other choice. She prays on insecurity, regret, grief, and guilt of any kind. Survivor's guilt among Lumen Vigil is her specialty, making her a serious threat to the forces of light. She is bitter, soft-spoken, and always speaks with venom in her words. When Vigils fall, Moacir tends to claim Bards, Occultists, Sorcerers, Wizards, any Vigil that faces guilt/grief over loss, or Vigils that suffer from deep insecuirty.

Henaka The Twisted

Henaka is the Caliginous Star that represents doubt and coercion. She fell alongside her twin Ago, and was the reason Ago believed falling was the best course of action to regain his freedom and grow more powerful. Henaka is sociopathic and enjoys toying with people, manipulating them and causing them to doubt themselves or others. She does so with little regard for consequences or reason, and thus is less of a threat than some of the greater Caliginous Stars. Still, she torments Vigil for the sole purpose of causing confusion and then capitalizing on that confusion, either by gaslighting them into a false reality that causes them to spiral into darkness or forcing them to commit horrible acts after they slip up once (via blackmail, making the wrong deal, etc). When Vigils fall, Henaka tends to claim Warlocks, Clerics, Sorcerers, Paladins, Vigils who begin to question their pledge, and Vigils that are easy to manipulate.

Jachk The Hunter

Jachk is the Caliginous Star that represents revenge. He is the only Caliginous Star that was never a Vigil before his dark worship, having always pledged himself to the darkness against the First Star. It is unknown what his relationship with the First Star was exactly, but his hatred for her is no secret and is the reason why he embody's vengence so extremely. Jachk allied himself with Athanios when he first began raising his army of souls, but does not follow his orders and acts on his own against the First Star most of the time, making him less of a threat than other Caliginous stars. Still, when he has his sights set on something, he is relentless and unforgiving. He hunts Vigils tirelessly and aims to cripple the First Star whenever he can. When Vigils fall, Jachk tends to claim Rangers, Paladins, Rogues, Fighters, Vigils that feel the need for revenge, or Vigils that have been hunted by someone else in the name of vengence.

Maerifa The Insatiable

Maerifa is the Caliginous Star that represents cruelty and antipathy. She seeks knowledge at any cost, and is often willing to maim, torture, or abuse in order to do so. Maerifa is responsible for the creation of a multitude of semi-organic creatures used in Athanios's army. She herself is not often seen on the field of battle, and her alliance with Athanios seems to be more for her experimentation than any drive for domination, thus she is less of a threat than other, more dedicated Caliginous stars. When Vigils fall, Maerfa tends to claim Wizards, Artificers, Druids, high intelligence or wisdom Vigils, or Vigils with deep curiosity or a craving for knowledge.

Somai The Unyielding

Somai is the Caliginous Star that represents hatred and rage. He is the first "gray" Caliginous star, not officially associated with Athanios and therefore not nearly as much of a threat; he acts of his own will, either for or against Athanios. His tendency to fall into blind, unrelenting rage and destrution still makes him a noteworthy threat, and he should be avoided at any opportunity. He is friendly with Azar, but even this does not prevent the two from facing one another in cosmic battle when the need arises. While not consumed by rage, Somai is cold, harsh, and bitter, as if on the brink of another violent outburst at any moment. When Vigils fall, Somai tends to claim Barbarians, Bloodhunters, Fighters, and any Vigil with anger issues.

Raku The Serpent

Raku is the Caliginous Star that represents ambition and betrayal. He is calm, calculated, and strikes only when necessary; his weapons of choice are his words, turning people against eachother and twisting information to get what he wants without lifting a finger. He can and does form real, honest relationships with others if he finds it beneficial to his long term goals; he is close friends with Tuulikki and Azar and works with them to achieve his goals if he deems his fellow Caliginous Stars unfit for the task. If not for his seemingly neutral and mysterious goals, and his tendency to even betray other forces of darkness, he would be an incredibly dangerous threat to the forces of light. For now, though, he is a gray Calliginous star and sits at the bottom of the list of threatening dark forces. When Vigils fall, Raku tends to claim Bards, Sorcerers, or other charming and enchanting casters.

Dolonas The Unreality

Dolonas is the Caliginous Star that represents distortion and illusion. She almost always seems content, though this is often either a ruse or because she already has what she wants from a situation. She is a gambler, and on top of powerful illuson magic she has the ability to bend luck to her side from time to time. Still, she is a gray Caliginous star and only works for her own personal gain. Her calling card is literal cards; most of her magic is represented by playing cards or other nods to table games, seemingly just for the hell of it. When Vigils fall, Dolonas tends to claim Bards, Rogues, Illusionists of any class, Vigils who gamble, or some "lucky few" Vigils chosen at random.

Lucian The Reaper

Lucian is the Caliginous Star that represents the final death. He believes himself to be a cleansing force of the universe and wants to rip Vigils out of the cycle of light and dark completely through death. If not for his nature as a gray Caliginous star, claiming both Lumen and Umbral Vigils, he would be a serious threat to the forces of light. Due to the nature of Falling, however, he more often than not ties up loose ends and removes problematic Umbral Vigils when they cannot be saved. This isn't to say he is an ally to the light either, he has deep hatred for the First Star and the forces of light as well as contempt for his fellow Caliginous stars. He is often seen alongside Elena as a Vigil-slaughtering duo. When Vigils fall, most of the time he deals the final blow and ends their lives completely; though, on rare occasions, Lucian has been known to claim Warlocks, Rogues, Bloodhunters, assassins of any class, and any Vigil who willingly pledges their service to his cause.

Elena The Executioner

Elena is the Caliginous Star that represents selfishness and sacrifice. She craves murder and enjoys causing Vigils to fall, often allowing them to reclaim their souls simply to kill them over and over again. It is not certain if she is completely sane or not; she acts in a psychotic manner and seems to have a deep desire to cause Vigils to fall, but whether or not she has other motivations for her actions is up in the air. When she kills, she often claims it is a sacrifice for something "greater", whatever that may be. She is often seen with Lucian, who she hands over Vigils she is done with to be killed outright. She is more malicious towards the forces of light than Lucian, but because of her tendency to revive Vigils she is easier to deal with than Lucian. When Vigils fall and Elena decides they are worth claiming instead of killing again, Elena tends to claim Rogues, Bloodhunters, Barbarians, and the insane or psychotic.

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