The Lothanasi (aka Order of Lightbringers)

Trust not your eyes
The eyes are the weakness of the flesh
See with the mind, which pierces the veils of deception

Trust not your ears
The ears are the weakness of the flesh
Hear with the heart, which resonates to the word of truth

Trust not your hands
The hands are the weakness of the flesh
Touch with the soul, which is one with the essence of all things

A litany by Lothanasa Tessariel
written in the Common Tongue, likely between 750- 961 CR1
A Lightbringer Carol (Stave II)

Janus became aware that the snow-covered gardens were around the path were marked with stones: regular slabs of marble or granite, each one carefully cleared of snow. Marker stones. Not a park at all, then, but an ashyard, where the cremated remains of the deceased become food for the gardens. One dies so others may live. It was part of the old Lightbringer mantra.

A Lightbringer Carol (Stave V)

The Lothanasi, or Lightbringers, are a multinational paramilitary force tasked with ensuring peaceful coexistence between mortals and supernatural creatures — primarily celestials, fiends, Fae, and vampires, but stranger things, as well. There are currently about 7,000 Lothanasi agents worldwide, most of whom are stationed in the Empire and Quenardya. Part police force, part military branch, part diplomatic service, the Lothanasi are broadly trained to handle a wide variety of supernatural incursions.

Symbols

A Twin Cross (a single vertical bar with crossbeams one-fourth and three-fourths of the way down. This symbolizes the intermediary focus of the ancient Lightbringers' religion: Heaven Above, Earth Below, Meet in the Middle.)2

Origin

Founded in -800 CR by Lucien, a priest of Kammoloth, the Lothanasi (or Lightbringer) Order quickly became the dominant religion of the lands of the West. It fell into disfavor in the south after the fall of the Suielman Empire, and the monotheistic Ecclesia rose up to take its place. The Lightbringers remained a powerful force in the Sathmoran Empire and the Midlands all the way up to the 700s, but corruption was spreading throughout its temples as High Councilors made unholy pacts with the Daedra Lords.

In 708 this corruption was exposed by the efforts of the Lothanasa of Metamor Keep, Karenna hin' Elric, and her students Merai hin'Dana and the half-elf Tessariel, and the Order was rocked by a fight for dominance between the servants of the gods and those who had pledged themselves to Ba'al and his kin.

The fight took an unexpected turn, however, when Merai, revealed to be the Starchild turned against both the gods and daedra alike, bringing about the Great Fall and ushering in a new world order. It appeared that Iluvatar, the Creator, had reasserted His/Her/Its presence in the world.

Appearance

Agents

The Lothanasi have shed their traditional white robes in favor of conservative black business suits. (They also have combat uniforms that they use when they know they are going into a hostile situation; these are still white, and fashioned with a mild enchantment to repel dust and dirt.) Between the suits and the black sunglasses that are very popular within the Order, the Lightbringers have quite literally become Men (and Women) in Black. (At least some LBs, however, are still capable of "dressing down" and blending into a crowd when the situation requires it.).

White robes are only used for rare and specific ceremonies (like recruit graduation, funerals/memorials, etc.).

Metamor City HQ

The windows are small and widely spaced, the facing stones smooth and tightly fitted together, and there are no ornamental ledges or features. It was designed so enemies could not climb in (but it also means that if someone had to climb out for an emergency it would be equally difficult). The entry is on the Third Skyway level.

Objectives

The Meraist Church has since become the primary spiritual successor to the old Lightbringer religion. In the meantime, the Lothanasi have evolved into a sort of supernatural police force — think of a cross between the X-Files, the Men in Black and the CIA. Their job is to keep an eye on all of the gods, demigods, celestials and daedra running around the world and make sure that they cause as little damage as possible to people's lives — and, where possible, to work deals with these quasi-deities for the mutual benefit of these beings and the mortals around them.

They also keep an eye on the vampires, to make sure they aren't causing too much trouble; particularly depraved undead are hunted down and exterminated. Extraplanar beings that cross over into the Prime Material plane and threaten mankind, such as dimensional shamblers, are dealt with as quickly, quietly and covertly as possible.

Organization

Lightbringer chapters exist throughout the Empire of Metamor and Quenardya, roughly wherever the Lothanasi temples of old stood (if they were ever in the area). The Metamor City chapter is one of the largest and most active Lightbringer groups.

High Command

The current membership of the Lothanasi High Command is unknown, but is made up of high ranking members of the chapters throughout the Empire and Quenardya.

Merai Starchild is still a significant influence on the High Command. When she talks, they listen. As the last surviving priestess of the old Order, Merai outranks all other members of the modern Lothanasi. She rarely exerts this authority, however, preferring to leave the day-to-day operations in the hands of the High Command. Sometimes, Merai will communicate decisions from High Command to member(s) of the Metamor City HQ if her strong and delicate touch is needed.

Divisions

Three are three known operational divisions within a Lothanasi chapter.

Field Forces

Includes the front-line combat Field Agents and Combat Medics

Operations

Includes Communications and Logistics Agents

Investigation/Research

Includes Forensics Agents

Membership

Many of the members are descendants of the aedra, and many have a family history of involvement with the Lothanasi. Members who don't come from a family tradition are often people who were saved by the Lothanasi, or were identified as having abilities like Light magic and recruited by the Order.

There are some Lothanasi agents one wouldn't expect. While few, there have been several tiefling agents over the years. These agents tend to be very dedicated, and more zealous than other LBs (who are a fairly zealous lot to begin with).

Lightbringers are often Meraists or Universalists.

Training

Recruitment

The Lothanasi recruit most of their operatives directly out of university, though some field officers are recruited from the military. Talent scouts identify likely applicants based on a combination of test scores, extracurricular activities, and recruiting drives at uni campuses. Students can also apply for internships at their local field office or via the Order's WorldNet site. The youngest someone can apply to join the Lightbringer Order is 18.

Applicants are rigorously screened for physical fitness, psychological stability and moral character. An Empire-wide criminal background check, credit screening and drug-use screening are all routine.

Lothanasi come from a wide range of education backgrounds. Operations agents usually have broad experience with computers and other advanced technology. Field agents are especially diverse, but individuals with martial arts experience or fluency in the various Outsider languages are highly prized, as are advanced degrees in science, medicine, or manology.

Lightbringer Academy

Applicants who are accepted by the Order then enter a year of training at the Lightbringer Academy. Located in the Arctic Territories near the eastern end of the Great Barrier Range, it is sometimes dryly referred to as "Aunt Merai's Summer Camp." Initiates endure a grueling series of training exercises that test their physical, emotional and psychological mettle to the limits. The diverse climates of the region — taiga, alpine meadows, glaciers, mountain passes, and the high-altitude wastes of the Great Northern Desert — expose the initiates to just about every physical hardship they could ever be expected to encounter. Deprivation from food, water and/or sleep is so common in these exercises that by year's end the initiates have become inured to it.

In between these survival courses, the initiates receive intensely focused instruction in Outsider biology, advanced combat techniques, small and heavy firearms, demolitions, combat skimmer piloting, vehicle repair and maintenance, arcane ritual magic, military strategy and tactics, and the cultures and psychology of the Order's chief enemies: daedra, vampires, and Fae. Failing the mid-semester exam lands you in "special tutoring", where you are coached and drilled daily by an instructor with the intellect of an Ellcaran Scholar and the personality of a hell hound.

The "final exam" for the Academy is infamous within the Order: a balanced team of five initiates is flown out to a trackless part of the mountains in the dead of night, seemingly for yet another routine sleep-dep survival mission. At an altitude of five kilometers, the aircraft experiences a "critical engine failure" and begins to "crash". The initiates must scramble for whatever gear they can carry, then parachute out into an unknown area approximately 50 to 100 km from home base. A combination of radio chatter and some well-applied illusion magic then makes the initiates believe that their transport has crashed, killing their instructor and all others aboard. The five initiates must then find each other, tend to any injuries they received while parachuting into the mountains in the dark, and make their way back to base without any outside assistance. To add insult to injury, a pack of captured hell-hounds are given the initiates' scent and then released into the mountains to stalk them.

Unbeknownst to the initiates, their progress is being tracked throughout the exercise, and they will be rescued if things go horribly wrong, but requiring rescue is considered a failing mark on the exam (unless there are extraordinary circumstances to excuse it). The initiates must believe they are alone, completely dependent on the other members of their squad, and the instructors allow them to experience enough peril to convince them of this. Broken limbs and ribs are commonplace, as are maulings from the hell hounds. The initiates must use the Light Healing and their mundane first-aid skills to keep each other moving in the face of overwhelming odds.

Those who make it back to the Academy on their own are greeted by the entire corps of instructors (including the one they thought was dead), given a standing ovation, and issued their agent badges with grand ceremony. Most Lothanasi look back on the moment as one of the proudest in their lives. Those who fail to make it back are rescued and discharged from the Order, never having been told that they failed the final exam. The relatively few initiates who die during the ordeal are given the full funerary honors of a Lightbringer agent; their families are given a generous survivors' compensation and told that their son or daughter died in a training accident. Only those who successfully complete the final exam are ever told the truth about it, and the code of silence about this final test is taken as deathly serious by everyone in the Order.

Continuing Education

A Lightbringer's training does not stop after successful graduation from the Academy. Additional classes are taken on a part-time basis throughout the agent's career, until they reach the level of seniority where they are required to begin teaching the classes themselves. Every year the Order conducts live-fire combat exercises near one of its bases, with the location and the nature of the exercises changing from year to year. One of the most grueling of these war games is held at Street level in Metamor City, where Janus Starson and the other Metamor agents school their comrades in urban combat. The Lothanasi work together with MCPD to cordon off an especially nasty part of the street for these "games"; often they serve as a convenient way of rooting out a nest of hunters or feral vampires that have taken up residence in the area (and still provide a significant challenge to the Lightbringer agents participating in the exercise).

Imperial Legalities

The Lothanasi have freedom to operate anywhere within the bounds of the Empire and Quenardya, as long as they notify the proper local authorities of their investigations. Other countries may be more restrictive of the Lothanasi, viewing them as meddlers in others' affairs.

In addition, they hold an array of proxy spells supplied by Majestrix Kyia to assist them in their duties.

Religious / Magical Connections and Abilities

Many of the members are descendants of the aedra and as such have a number of “holy” abilities and artifacts. The order also keeps an arsenal of weapons; some enchanted, some holy, some mithril, some a mixture of qualities. With these, the LBs are equipped to face almost any supernatural threat.

In addition, the change in the Lightbringers from a polytheistic religious order to a supernatural police force has augmented the range of abilities that they hold. In the past, the Lothanasi were primarily concerned with the activities of the gods (both aedra and daedra) and their descendants, but had no power over other dangers of the world, like the Fallen. Those dangers, coming from the original divine powers of Earth (remember- the Aedra and Daedra descend from the alien Elders), could only be dealt with by leaders of religions based on the existence Eli/Iluvatar/the Great Maker, like the Ecclesia or the Elves. After the Great Fall, the Lothanasi were able to take on additional threats, including the Fallen.3

Most Lothanasi are Universalists or Meraists these days, and no one practices the old Lothanasi style of religion (although some of the methods of the old priesthood are still used by modern Lightbringer agents with the right talents, and some of the old prayers and poems are used as meditative texts4).

Other Lothanqasi traditions may extend beyond the chosen religion of an individual Lightbringer and trump those practices. For example, Lightbringers will be cremated and their remains buried in an ashyard, possibly even if they were members the Ecclesia in life (which is rare in the Lightbringer Order, but not unheard of). Cremation is a widely used and ancient practice developed to prevent the remains of deceased immortals to be used by necromancers to create undead.5 While this is not the problem that it was in the past, it became a firmly entrenched tradition in the Lothanasi, the Meraists, and in Metamor City6.

Inherent Spells

The backbone of a Lightbringer's magical training is a set of techniques called the inherent spells. These are abilities that draw on the Lightbringer's own life force in order to work, rather than shaping mana through arcane magic. The Lothanasi's training in the inherent spells is secretive and built on techniques developed over 2800 years ago, so no one is quite sure whether these abilities are actually magical or psionic in nature. The talent for this "divine magic" runs in families, and the test for aptitude in it is one of the factors considered in recruitment.

Information about the specific spells can be found here.

Mage Recruitment

Not having the talent for Light Magic is not a barrier to joining the Lightbringers in the modern era. Mages (whether wizards or sorcerers) are recruited into the Lightbringers if they pass the other requirements to join.

Difficulties and Challenges

The Lightbringers’ biggest problem is that they've become too arrogant and self-assured over the years. Many agents believe that nothing escapes the Order's attention, and that no supernatural threat exists that they haven't already planned out a strategy to defeat. Because of their smug self-confidence, the Order has also begun to miss some important developments that could be crucial later on.

Many Lothanasi are very opinionated, and more than a little prejudiced against vampires, daedra, and other creatures that they see as the enemies of mortal-kind. As such, they tend to jump to conclusions when faced with the unexpected. As shown by the actions of Janus Starson, suspicion in any situation is immediately placed on any fiends (or, to a lesser extent, tieflings) in the area of the problem, even if they are completely innocent. Even when a fiend or tiefling is cleared of any involvement (or even proved to have had a positive influence in the situation), it's considered a one-time thing; the expectation is that the next time the Lightbringer agent comes across that individual (or group), they will certainly be guilty. Unfortunately, the Lightbringers are correct in their assumptions often enough to justify these attitudes.

Given the choice, Lothanasi will often employ overwhelming force (magical, divine, and/or physical) to solve a situation. This is accepted because if their actions completely wipe out and eliminate a threat now, that threat cannot increase in the future.7 They work hard to avoid civilian deaths, particularly if there are innocents and aedra descendants (celestials and asimaar) in the field of battle, but tend to take a more cavalier attitude about the lives of daedra and their descendants.

Internal Issues

Janus Starson has caused substantial embarrassment to the High Command with his personal feud with the Sidhe Lord of the Yuletide, a powerful Fae known variously as the Holly King, St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. Janus has argued forcefully that this Sidhe Lord is a dangerous interloper into the mortal world, more powerful than many demigods and equipped with a frightening set of talents for bypassing wards and other obstructions. In addition, Janus has pointed out that the Sidhe Lord's annual passage into the world creates disruptions that make it easy for other, hostile creatures to follow in his wake. While Janus's arguments are logical and correct, as far as they go, St. Nicholas is enormously popular among civilians. Janus's refusal to bow to political reality creates friction between him and his superiors.

Known Allies

  • The Lightbringers will employ members of the Psi Collective for cases where their psionics will work when the Lothanasi’s collective magics don’t (for example, hauntings).

Known Enemies/Conflicts

  • The Lightbringers’ activities often bring them into conflict with multiple organizations. They deliberately set themselves at odds with The Church of Hedonism (since it is run by the daedra lord Suspira), and often the Vampire Syndicate & Church of Eternal Brotherhood.
  • Any daedra, any fiends, or any tieflings can be a target of the Lightbringers if there's a remote possibility that they are involved in an event.
  • While not enemies, The Lothanasi are often high-handed in dealing with "mundane" police forces, which has led to friction between the different levels of law enforcement in the Empire.

Known Current Members

  • Candace Wright- Commander of Operations ("Ops")
  • Janus Starson- Field Commander
  • Gillian - Operations Agent (Candace's backup)
  • Kelsey Stanton- Field Agent
  • Kyle- Operations agent8
  • Merai Starchild- She is the unofficial spokeswoman for the Lightbringers in Metamor City. As the oldest living member of the Order — and the one who caused the Great Fall in the first place — she has a great degree of influence on LB affairs within the Empire. When she talks, the High Command listens. Unfortunately, changing the attitudes of the individual agents seems to be beyond her capabilities.
  • Yancy Takahashi- CSI Agent (Crime Scene Investigator)

Past Members

Sources

Original MK2K Bible Entry- Lothanasi, The Sentinel, Whispers in the Wood, The Cuckoo, A Lightbringer's Christmas Tale, A Lightbringer Carol

Author's Notes

The Lothanasi, over the course of more than a millennium, have had a significant impact on how most of the mortal world views the supernatural. The aedra and daedra were around long before the Lothanasi developed, and had exerted their competing influences over mortal civilization for thousands of years. At the time of Lucien human civilization had tipped in favor of the daedra, and as a result the human societies had become chaotic, quarrelsome, manipulative and licentious. Following the vision for society set forth by Kammoloth, Samekkh and Dokorath, the Lightbringers helped to restore the rule of law and order in human society.

In this respect, the Lothanasi were indeed serving a greater good, but it did not come without a price. Neutral daedra like Nocturna were tarred with the same brush as darker figures like Revonos, and most of mankind's primal, instinctive urges became seen as the tools of supernatural evil. This almost certainly caused humans to become less attuned to their inner natures and contributed to cultural repression and a loss of some creative vitality; whether this was justified by the improvements in social order and justice is a debate for the historians to tackle.

While the daedra do tend to tear down systems of order and the aedra tend to build them up, the lasting impression of the daedra as unfaltering "evil" has a lot to do with how the Lothanasi saw them — which was influenced by the aedra that the Lothanasi worked with, especially Kammoloth, Samekkh and Dokorath. As the better-organized Lothanasi pushed out the servants of the daedra lords, their teachings in turn influenced everyone else.

In essence… the Lothanasi won the PR war long before the Great Fall happened.9

Footnotes
page revision: 45, last edited: 17 Jul 2014 04:25
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