Heralds of the New Dawn
Structure
The Heralds of the New Dawn appear to be a small group of individuals, at least considering their individual prowess. Each Herald that has been faced in combat has shown incredible abilities, with many having defeated strong individuals even when outnumbered. The group is composed of individuals who are given the title of Herald and choose a domain or theme. For example, a Herald of Mercy would be a high ranking member as per their Herald title and they may be expected to embody or display elements of mercy to others. So far, the Heralds have been seen operating in pairs, and there isn't a clear indication on their total numbers. For now, the leader as been identified to be the elf Bavan. There is a possibility that with their goal and organization, there may be lower ranking individuals or satellite members but this hasn't been confirmed.
Bavan? - Herald of Progress
Feravel - Herald of Mercy
Tempest - Herald of ???
Alpana - Herald of ???
Nyoka - Herald of ???
Possible Members:
Arias, The Reaper
Human woman seen with druidic clothing and magical capabilities
Unknown humanoid wearing a metal mask
Tiefling woman noted as a strong warrior
Human man noted as a strong warrior
Culture
The members of the Heralds display a varied set of morals, goals, and backgrounds. Some seem to portray radically different tendencies from others. They are united by the main goal of the organization, but beyond that, they do appear to have some individual pursuits and passions as well. Generally, the organization seems to prefer using more lowkey methods of accomplishing their goals and most members are encouraged to complete their goals from the shadows. For the most part, the members of the organization believe they are the ones accomplishing a goal for the greater good.
Public Agenda
The overarching goal of the Heralds has been to depose the current set of gods, Prime and Betrayer alike. The priority for the Heralds has been the Betrayer Gods, but they are also willing to take action against the Prime Deities. Reflecting their varied personalities, the members each have different interpretations of the level of punishment to be set against the Prime Deities. However, all agree in their pursuit of the method of reaching this goal. The Heralds wish to recover and recreate a ritual for ascending that will be shared publicly with the world. Bavan has stated that they wish to allow mortality to have access to such a method of growth and progress. There are different pieces to this goal as well, which make up the Heralds' current objectives. This including gathering powerful magical artifacts, researching ancient history, gathering powerful individuals, and amassing a great fortune. There may be further elements to their plans, but these are the current known objectives of the group. In regards to the magical artifacts, the group has been hunting Arms of the Betrayers and Vestiges of Divergence. In their pursuit of one of these items, they have identified Invictus FISH has holding it, and are therefore seeking the item and revenge against the group.
Assets
It is currently unknown how many other powerful artifacts that the group has under their possession. Their individual members have been shown to be using powerful magical items themselves. Considering their ability to traverse across Exandria, it could be theorized that they have advanced transportation methods, with Bavan possibly having access to teleport. Much of the items and wealth from the Witch-King's Vault seem to have been acquired by the group, before some were taken by Invictus FISH. Meanwhile, the stories regarding the sale of alchemical explosives to the Revelry, which would have come from Alpana, suggests that the group is also amassing wealth through trade. Furthermore, having an alchemist like Alpana and construct specialist like Nyoka suggests that the Heralds may have high tier arcane assets, whether that be potions, poisons, golems, puppets, etc.
History
There are various unknown elements to the group, including their founding and total membership. With the research Invictus FISH has conducted so far, there are some possible leads or events that may be tied to the Heralds.
Around 525-535 PD, there are records of a mercenary group rising to fame, known as the Radiant Dawn. Stories indicate that they operated across a wide range of regions, including the northern and central territories of Wildemount. They were described as heroes slaying monsters, destroying remnants of the Calamity, and defeating dangerous villains. One record even describes them as fending of a white dragon to the north, assumed to be Ghelidon, away from civilians.
During the Chroma Crisis, the Black Bastille of Emon was heavily damaged, allowing many of its most dangerous prisoners to escape. One of these prisoners, Arias 'The Reaper' was seen in conflict with individuals that may have been from the Heralds. According to the records, the warrior was facing three other individuals who were a human woman in druidic clothing, elven woman with a cold expression, and a humanoid wearing a metal mask. The three individuals seemed to defeat and entrap Arias before departing with him, utilizing some form of magic. Based of the reports, Invictus FISH believes the elven woman's description to match that of Feravel, the Herald of Mercy.
As of 828 PD, there were groups of travelers, mercenaries, explorers, etc. who were bringing down strange artifacts from the north. Many more were dispatched soon after by the Cerberus Assembly and Cobalt Soul. One of these groups was a pair of individuals with descriptions resembling members of the Radiant Dawn. They were a pair of powerful warriors, one human and one tiefling. Nothing unusual was noted during these records, but the resemblance was of note.
As of 835 PD, the party Invictus FISH discovered a message left within the Glacial Mirror they acquired from the Pirate Lord Rahar, along with some unusual messages. In reading these messages, the group attracted the attention of the original senders, a pair of individuals of unknown origin. A meeting was set up between Invictus FISH and the pair of individuals for a tavern in Port Damali. They revealed themselves to be Feravel and Tempest, two members of the Heralds of the New Dawn. They had been working with Rahar to track down the location of an ancient vault, presumed to hold a powerful artifact. Invictus FISH agreed to help these two reach this island and retrieve the artifact in exchange for treasure and coin. The party discovered that the artifact the Heralds were hunting was the Will of the Talon, a Betrayer Arm forged by Tiamat. The expedition journeyed to where Rahar's pirates had located the island, and upon arrival make their way through the various divine enchantments laid down to hide the island. After landing, the groups began to investigate the island they were on, choosing to prioritize the volcano in the center. They discovered a strange coffin of a royal woman as well as a shrine, appearing to be dedicated to Melora. However, their investigation triggered the awakening of the guardian of this island, the cursed king known as Khorn the Eternal. The party solved the key to entering the shrine of Melora and threw themselves threw the portal that opened thereafter. The Heralds were unable to follow through and were presumed to have fought back against Khorn for the next day or two. When Invictus FISH returned to the island from the demiplane, they were quickly discovered by Feravel who began to question and escort them back to the ship. Not willing to hand over the artifact, the party launched a surprise attack against Feravel. However, they quickly discovered that her combat capabilities were beyond theirs, whether it be arcane or martial.
During the Heroes of the Coast tournament, Invictus FISH saw a symbol of the Heralds appear on one of the constructs during a challenge. Taking the bait, the party began investigating the Heralds involvement with the tournament, eventually pinpointing Nyoka as that connection. However, the alchemist, Alpana, was deceiving the officials and the tournament as she was also a Herald. Using Nyoka to divert the official attention, Alpana gained the party's and Athesias' trust in regards to the situation. After the final day of the tournament, Alpana and Nyoka launched a surprise attack against Marquis Vasan Atrith and her escort. After slaying or defeating the soldiers and mercenaries, the two Heralds were interrupted by the arrival of Invictus FISH. After losing the Marquis and with incoming reinforcements, the Heralds decided to depart. They left Nicodranas on a ship prepared for them and were chased by a large contingent of war ships. However, a massive storm at sea appeared, forcing the fleet to retreat while the Heralds sailed straight into it. The current condition of Alpana and Nyoka is unknown to the party.
Using the Amulet of Planes, Invictus FISH returned to the Witch-King's vault, receiving a cryptic warning from the shade. They used their Wish spell to summon treasure back to the vault, but in doing so, they also summoned the dragon Taaruberaax and the mage Bavan to the vault. The ensuing battle was short lived, with Taaruberaax and Bavan holding the party's fate in their hands. However, Idalia Hayden arrived with summoned celestial creatures to hold back Bavan and Taaruberaax, allowing the group to teleport themselves back to Nicodranas with the Will of the Talon. Bavan swore to retrieve the item and repay the party with punishment for their actions.
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