Coven of the Echt

The Coven (also known as the Cabal as a derogatory reference) were a group devoted to following the Echten Knights. While the Echten Knights were a race all their own, the Coven were actual dreamers that followed them. The Coven all followed the Echten Knights for their own reasons, but the one thing they had in common was a devotion to the Echten.

Beliefs

An ancient order pre-dating even the original Cult of Bashir, the Coven of the Echt was largely an imperialistic faction that once controlled the entire city. They are rumored to be responsible for the construction of most of the modern city. There were slight traces of religion in the worship of 'The Darkness', but they were nowhere near the zealotry of the Cult.

Central Figures

• Eiay and Prayenth - Former Yissen who served as ambassadors of the Echten.
• Echten Knights - The demonic army of the Echt.
• Dorcade - First modern High Priest.
• Gilly - Potential High Priestess.

Members of the House

Leaders: (Echten) Thrall, Prentice, Rogue, Vassal, Guard

Guardians:

Initiates: Cane, Avenlong, Richard Shru, Magus

Diplomacy

The Coven of the Echt was the eternal rival of the Cult of Bashir and devoted itself entirely to the destruction of Bashir. The faction was largely neutral towards the other modern factions so long as they did not aid the Cult of Bashir.

Rise & Fall

The Coven, once it revealed itself again, began a rapid ascent to power and relevance with the emergence of their two armies: the Yissen, former humans pledged to monitor Bashir for eternity; and the Echten Knights, possibly former humans but largely believed to be of 'demonic' or 'unnatural' origins. The choosing of their High Priests put them into play as a dreamer faction taking part in modern politics, even though all three attempts at a Ruler failed.

The Coven, as it had a singular purpose in modern history, faded away once Bashir's avatar was shattered, the Yissen were freed of their Oath, and the Echten Knights disappeared.

The Coven of the Echt as told by Anyasha

Below is my memory of the history of the Coven of the Echt, how it rose to power, how it fell, and who resides within. I know nothing of a supposed time loop nor who or what "The Revenants" is. Some of this is, undoubtedly, biased by my own experiences in Idoaclesia and my sources of information. Please take my words as my best attempt to recount the history from a neutral perspective. My main source for this information was the freed Yissen Prayenth, who claimed to have lived through it all.

ANCIENT HISTORY

The Coven of the Echt was a faction based out of Mt. Illapse many ages ago. It rose to control multiple planes through force, requiring conquered factions to submit or die. The Coven membership began to dwindle as their brutal tactics evolved towards wanton cruelty and barbarism over time. They used this as an opportunity to consolidate power in the hands of a few. In order to make up for low membership but still maintain their empire, they created the Echten Knights and then the Yissen. The Echten Knights were dreamers who were transformed into Darkmares. The Yissen were prisoners who (supposedly) willingly submitted to an eternal life of service to the Coven in lieu of being transformed into mares. It is likely disputable how many chose this "willingly" without coercion or threat.

At some point, the Coven built the Palisade in order to house the prisoners who resisted them or, according to the Coven, contain the more dangerous prisoners. The Echten Knights were assigned to be the guards. It was a passageway between their Strongholds in Edgeward Barrows and Mt. Illapse.

Somehow, the Coven had contact with an entity known as The Darkness. This being was described as more of a force, but an ultimately powerful one at that. Whether The Darkness came first and helped the Coven achieve dominance, create the Yissen, Echten, and build the Palisade, or if it appeared after is unknown. They had a religious component and a High Priest/ess of the Echt. It was believed that the High Priest/ess could summon The Darkness to full power.

RISE OF BASHIR

The most famous of all the Coven prisoners was Bashir. A supposed god but likely just a powerful resistor of the Coven (at least, initially), Bashir was a symbol that they needed to squash. Bashir claimed that he wanted to create a more just City and free it from the unrelenting oppression of the Coven. Bashir eventually escaped the Palisade and rallied many dreamers around him. With this increased following/worship/sacrifice, Bashir did indeed grow exponentially in power. He was able to successfully fight back against the Coven's control for the first time in ages.

THE DARKNESS COMES

Nearly beaten back, the Coven needed to resort to their final weapon: The Darkness itself. Only by releasing The Darkness was the Coven able to defeat Bashir. While they did so easily and immediately, this victory came at a great cost. The legend I heard states that upon the release of The Darkness, a wave of blackness instantly spread over the City, obliterating all living things (dreamer and mare alike), destroying portals, and collapsing the Gates of the City. This was a catastrophe that rendered Idoaclesia "dead" for many centuries. Only a few protected Coven members survived along with the immortal Echten Knights and the Yissen. With Bashir defeated and returned to the Palisade, the Yissen were bound to guard Bashir specifically for all eternity. *I don't know how or why, but somehow The Darkness returned to wherever it "lives" after this event.

IDOACLESIA REBORN

As we always do, dreamers returned to the City. The next chapters of the story are more well-known. We summoned Bashir, he grew in power. The Coven never managed to gain a strong footing in the new Idoaclesia, but Bashir never achieved full strength either. He was killed, eventually. Upon this defeat, the Yissen were released of their bonds. A few (notably Prayenth and Kal'lankissa) stayed to help us in a life after Bashir.

At some point, Wardens took over the Palisade to continue the guard now that the Yissen and Echten Knights were apparently gone.

• This is how it was presented to me, but it is possible with what I have learned (and what has been revealed) over the years that the Idoaclesia we were in was NOT the same as the original Darkness story. Or perhaps we were already in the "time loop" then and didn't even know it. I have little beyond speculation on this point.

IMPORTANT BEINGS:

The Darkness: an ancient being of immense strength, the "god" of the Coven of the Echt. According to legend, it is able to easily destroy the City.

Coven of the Echt: human (perhaps mortal?) members of the Coven of the Echt. I, at least, have never heard of one of these individuals being seen, if they still exist at all.

Echten Knights: dreamers who were transformed into darkmares to near-mindlessly serve The Darkness. They function a bit better than darkmares in terms of intelligence, but just barely. A legend states they are made by corrupting a soul in the moment of death.

Yissen: immortal humans who "willingly" submitted to The Darkness. They previously guarded the Palisade, Bashir specifically, and are now free of their Oath to The Darkness. Once the Oath was freed, the Yissen willingly and beneficially helped dreamers.

Wraiths: various other prisoners who were corrupted by rage/lust/power/ego/etc in the Palisade. These became more well-known later, when the Wardens guarded the Palisade. They come in various forms and with various agendas. It is widely believed that if anyone is guilty of their accused crimes in the Palisade, they definitely are.

References

Codii as inscribed by Anyasha, available in the Archives of the Planes.