Riders of the Distant Storm
In the Shadows of these lands
They serch for a cure to the soul rotting plague
The graves a top the hills hide their faces, as they ride through the night
A ghostly choir of one, sings a sorrowful refrain
Here in these shattered stands
In the lands where the six gun owes no vauge
These shadows remain till out of sight
The Riders of the Distant Storm Roam.
Structure
The Riders ultimately respond solely to The Elsewhere more specifically in a two-tiered system. Their loyalty lies with the Queen of the Fae first and foremost as they act as an auxiliary unit should The God's Eyes and the Wayfare Guild fail in their missions.
Their second loyalty from which they take their actual orders from is Anlyth, First Son of Syn, who is the High Valkery of Syn's Legions. The Prodigal Son, he issues all commands to the Elsewhere's military and it's movements through The Great Tree.
The organization they are folded into while on the Branches of the Tree is The Sightless. Under Anlyth's direction, they use their name to hide many of their activities.
Culture
The four members of The Riders hold a very rough and ready air about them. Very much a lone pack in the dead of night, needing no help but their own. Should a traveler find themselves seeing a group of four horsemen on the dusty roads, they should keep to themselves. Utter no greeting, utter no sound, let them pass. However, this is only in the daylight, legend has it that the Riders are Spirits of Day and Night.
Ready to handle anything, no task too great, ready to gun down any who try to start anything on the roads. Cowboys and vigilantes, rise with the sun to burn away the evils of the world. The legend spread far and wide about these larger-than-life figures, as their legend only continues to grow. They being the most recognizable in The States of Huron, they wild west air to the country aids well to their legend.
Should a traveler be lost, dust in the air and thirst on the tongue, happen upon four black horses resting just outside the light of a fire, would find salvation from their suffering. Popular belief holds that the Riders will never speak a word, silent as the traveler asks for hospitality. Reaction unknown, for their faces, are always hidden under wide hats. Strange beaked masks to hide their visage.
Ubiquitously, the traveler is allowed to sit at their fire and tell their tale. Given a glass of something strong and a waterskin for their story. Often given food that refuses to rot, everlasting and nourishing as the gods intended.
The Fairies
They are four of Syn's Children from before the War with the Shadows. Chosen for a few peculiar attitudes they had while in Syn's Legions. Their first and foremost where their name is derived from, they had an oddly positive relationship with The Great Mother. Always lending any free time they had to aid in her projects as well as anything the Brownies were up to. Whether it be teaching them Syn's magic; or military formation, or giving a different perspective on aspects of creation, they didn't mind. As long as they were able to hear The Great Mother's song.
After the War, they were uniquely harmonized with the Song's Afterglow, craving it. They demanded Anlyth to allow them to hunt for any information left in the Shattered Lands for her whereabouts. Or any site of significant power where her song could be heard loudly. Loyal to another goddess that was not their own, they use their rough and ready attitudes in the hope of seeing her again one day.
Public Agenda
There is no public agenda, they are entirely surrounded by conjecture and mysticism. More legend than real, more an idea than an actual entity. The public has issued to them many of the same mission statements that The Sightless upholds, with a few additions.
- They hunt the most difficult creatures that the Guild has to offer. Should the Hunters be unable to down the target, The Riders will be called upon. However, this is a lie.
- They are the Elite Guard of Mistsdale, hidden protectors roaming the Fields and Canyons around the Valley of Mists. However, this is also a lie.
- The Riders wander far and wide in search of ancient tomes, written records from the time before the Dawn of Truths. This is a half-truth, though mostly false.
The reality of it is this: The Riders are affiliated with the Guild, aiding them in very specific situations that usually involve the aid of the Wayfare Guild as well. Usually needing a God's Eye's to pass information back to the Elsewhere. They are scouts to the Elsewhere, gathering any and all information for the whereabouts of any Vestiges as well as keeping track of the movements of The Shadows.
Their other objective is to find out any information on these same said Shadows, by any means necessary. They have, and will continue to do so, committed espionage, diposed kings and monarchs, and rerouted the paths of entire countries. They have uprooted entire religions, and changed the outlooks of entire cultures. Despite not being part of the Great Tree, they have no reservations about meddling in its affairs.
The most important thing to them is this: Never be seen by the Shadows. They can be known by them, they can be tracked by them. But, never seen. Should they ever be found by them, they will never be allowed to return home to the Elsewhere. No cost is too great to protect the one and only vulnerability the Elsewhere has to the Shadows. No one can be trusted that has been touched by the sickening darkness of their influence.
Assets
They are outfitted with The Elsewhere's highest level of protection to wander the poisoned eaves of the Tree. They wear Rebreather's at all times, only able to remove them in extremely warded areas. Heavy and potent magic that wards away the miasmic touch of the Shadows. Their main santuary below Mistsdale under the The Sightless' main Citadel.
These Rebreathers are more or less an extraordinarily effective hazmat suits, fully masked, covered in arcane runes of protection, blessed by the Queen of the Fae. They have a complex array of air-purifying features and a completely closed-off system. The only air they breathe is the air they brought from the Elsewhere.
They are also outfitted with what they would call low-tech weaponry, though to any on the Tree, state of the art. Saddle mounted rotary guns, more six shooters than one can count, heavy deflecting armor, special fabrics that silence all movement by the Riders and their horses.
We wander where the angels fell
Light and life by Thereasonwhy
Founding Date
???
Type
Expedition, Military
Alternative Names
Legion Auxila
Demonym
The Riders
Leader
Ruling Organization
Founders
Parent Organization
Location
Related Traditions
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
by Thereasonwhy
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