Messianics

The Messianic faction of the Guardians might be thought of as the order’s fundamentalist wing as well as its spiritual center. More even than the rest of the order, these mages experience their defense of the Veil as a spiritual calling and a religious struggle, and even though it may take a toll on their souls, they believe that their efforts and their pain are for the noblest of all possible causes: the defense of the Fallen World and, ultimately, the defeat of the Exarchs. For that reason, Messianic Guardians carry out their duties with the zeal of sacred soldiers in a holy war. Like the infantry in any army, Messianics know that they will have to kill, and they know that their own choices will inevitably take its toll on them, but they are convinced that they must play this role if the Fallen World is to last long enough for the Hieromagus to manifest and lead the Atlantean refugees to victory over the Exarchs. 
For the members of the Messianic faction, the Hieromagus is the keystone around which the Guardians’ philosophy takes shape. The work Messianic do, the lies they tell and the murders they commit — all these they do in order that others may work to bring about the great deliverer of the Awakened and end the reign of the Exarchs.
While some other Guardians factions may interpret the Hieromagus as a metaphorical figure (at best), to the mages of the Messianic faction he (or she) is just as certain as the sunrise. For them, the arrival of the Hieromagus is not a matter of if, but when.
Messianics constantly monitor the Fallen World for signs that the Hieromagus has been born, and they work to preserve and prepare the Fallen World for the coming of this greatest of all mages.
Owing to their faith in the Hieromagus, and in their calling in general, mages of the Messianic faction take risks and push boundaries that wiser — or less certain — mages would not. The burdens Messianics take upon themselves in defense of the Veil are terrible. Messianic Guardians do not pull punches in their defense of the Mysteries. On the contrary, these highly zealous mages go out of their way to mislead, manipulate — and, if need be, kill — Sleepers who learn too much of the truth of the Mysteries, and while Messianics know their deeds are evil, they do not think of themselves as evil. Messianic Guardians see themselves as holy deceivers and sacred assassins taking the most necessary and most extreme steps to preserve what is sacred. As Messianics see it, their entire raison d’être is to preserve the world, by any means necessary, until one of the other orders evolves suffi ciently to produce the mage who will defeat the Exarchs — and then free the Guardians of their bad karma (or, in Western terms, absolve them of their sins.)

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Organization

These Guardians have the least organization of any in the order. Their membership is spread over the planet, but their numbers are small, and often the only other Messianic Guardian many of these mages know is their mentor. More than a handful of Messianic Guardians in a single locale is rare, and only the largest cities will have even that many. This often leads to a sense of alienation; it’s hard enough to follow the tenets of the Guardians of the Veil, to take on the sins of the Awakened community for the betterment of the world, but even harder is clinging to belief in the Hieromagus when even other Guardians treat you like you’re a bit of a zealot or a nutcase. Those in this faction often pass as members of other Guardians factions just to avoid the stigma that comes with the Messianics’ particular take on the order’s philosophies. That, of course, makes it even harder for them to connect with other Messianics.
When these mages do fi nd each other, however, they often have much in common, and they may fi nd themselves opening up as they’ve never done before. Much of this faction’s ties are based on a network of personal friendships. Still, the Guardians’ reverence for merit ensures that a hierarchy of sorts develops between any group of Messianics, just so they know who gives directions and who takes them.
These personal friendships often lead Messianic Guardians to call on one another more than they would call on other members of the Awakened community, or even other Guardians of the Veil. This is particularly true if one of these mages feels that his local Consilium has become too lax in its defense of the Mysteries. A few phone calls by one mage can activate an entire network of Messianics into a full-fledged crusade.

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Notable Members

Parent Organization

Guardians of the Veil