The priests

The priests function as an arm of Ra's authority. They can be found all over the planet and are welcome almost no where. While the priests operate in the open in locations such as The Tower of Souls and Manu Das, in many other locations, they operate in secret.

History

The priests were at one time a caste of the Atlanteans along with the Builders and the Warriors. However, as tensions rose between the Warriors and the Priests, it was decided that perhaps the castes should separate before their own actions dismantle their already damaged empire. Over the next several years, both Mars and Venus would be terraformed and claimed by the Warriors and Priests respectively. However, it was not meant to be the permanent solution it ended up being. Shortly after these castes settled into their new colonies, the gates connecting the planets to Atlantis proper were severed and they were left to fend for themselves. Though they were the lone Atlanteans on the planet, the Priests were not in any danger. The various species that they had created to tame the planet were still there. They came to view this not as some great unjust punishment, but as a new opportunity. This planet was full of discovery and life. Full of wonders that they had never seen with their own eyes. They had always found joy in finding meaning in the world, even if there were no answers to be had. For a short while, things were good. However, soon the very person who had cut them off from the rest of Atlantis, Ra, would arrive on Venus. After this, things would never quite be the same. Its unclear what exactly happened, but the subjection of the Priests would continue for decades. With every new generation, they would decay further and further from what they once were until they were Priests no longer. Now, a shell of their former selves, the priests serve only Ra. Their mortal shells glowing with no defined features whatsoever and their voices and commands fade almost instantly from memory.

Activities and Interactions

In places firmly under Ra's control, the priests operate in the open. Often in groups, priests may stand in public places merely gazing over the populace, keeping an ever watchful eye over them. As they seem to possess anti-memetic qualities, when a priest gives a command to an individual, they will often to forget that they received such a command, but will still feel compelled all the same. It would be easy to call the priests "peacekeepers", but their role is more nuanced than that. They do not keep peace, they instead enforce a status quo in which they are above the citizens just as Ra is above them. In the uncommon occurrence that there is some violent event, the priests will break from their posts and quell the issue with extreme prejudice. In places that they do not have complete control over, the priests will act with much more subtly. Only a few priests will be active at any given time, and while they will act as a cell, they will usually work by themselves or in pairs. Their tactics will vary based on location, but political assassinations, mechanical malfunctions, manufactured famine and the like are all common. Given their appearance and speech, stealth is a priest's greatest asset. For this reason, many people will not trust anyone whos face they can not see, for fear that they are dealing with a priest. Also, given that the priests can speak to people and have their words almost instantly forgotten, it is easy to extract information from targets and not have the information become compromised. How priests decide upon their actions and targets is not known. Whether they are sent and act exclusively on the the orders of Ra, whether they are following simple guidelines, or even if they can decide their actions for themselves, no one knows the truth.

Character Knowledge

Characters just now arriving on Venus: The way that these people are talked about makes them feel like some kind of boogie men.

Characters not from Venus, who spent some time there: I've never seen a priest, so I'm not even sure they're real. Well, I think I've never seen one...

Characters from Venus: Sometimes people go missing. priests. Sometimes a building collapses for no reason. priests. Sometimes you find yourself suddenly in a part of town you've never been before. priests.

Characters from a city under Ra's control: They watch you from behind their masks. Their gaze pierces you to your very soul until you feel like you can't hide a single thing from them.