Life is a
series of endings. All things are fleeting and will inevitably come to an end.
That which is must pass away so that that which will be can come to be that
which is. When one understands this, the ending of a life is understood for
what it is: the meeting of one’s final destiny. The Primordials
created the Maiden of Endings to oversee this darkest of Creation’s functions.
The conclusion of all things falls under her purview. Now, it is left to the
Chosen of Endings to carry out this grim duty and to ensure that everything in
Creation meets its allotted fate.
In the First
Age, the Chosen of Endings were given the task of concluding all that had run
its course. They oversaw the arrangements of funerals, the harvesting of crops,
the ending of sickness and the closing of negotiations. When it came time to
murder the Solars, it was the Chosen of Endings who
pronounced their reign at an end, who planned the details of their betrayal and
who struck the first deadly blows.
In the wake of
the Great Contagion, the Chosen of Endings were charged with seeing that all
traces of the deadly plague were eliminated, by any means necessary. Under
their direction, entire cities were put to the torch in order to destroy any
trace of the disease that nearly wiped out all life in Creation. In addition,
the Chosen of Endings were tasked with ending any threat posed by the remaining
Fair Folk. With lethal precision, every one of the foul creatures whose
location could be divined was tracked down and destroyed or else driven back
into the Wyld.
Few Chosen of
Endings are members of the Bronze Faction. Most feel that the prophecy that
drives the Bronze Faction has long since run its course and that the time has
come for that sect to cease its activities. Those handful
who remain among the Bronze Faction frequently oversee the funeral rites of the
Immaculate Order and work with the Chosen of Secrets to ensure smooth
transitions of power from one Dragon-Blooded potentate to the next. Gold
Faction Chosen of Endings focus much of their attentions on bringing about the
end of the Bronze Faction and even the end of the Scarlet Empire itself. Such
Chosen of Endings prefer the tactics of debate and negotiation when dealing
with fellow Sidereals but will go to any length when
confronted with mortals and Dragon-Blooded. Political scandals, armed
rebellion, assassinations and Solar catspaws are only the most visible of tactics employed to
advance the agenda of the Gold Faction. Independent Chosen of Endings use
similar methods in pursuit of their own goals. Many independents believe that
the time for both factions has come to an end and that the sooner they can
bring about that ending, the sooner the Chosen of Fate can begin working to
confront the new perils that threaten Creation.
The Chosen of
Endings are always born among those who are destined to develop an
understanding of natural cycles and of the inevitable nature of change and
death. Many are the offspring of healers, funerary priests and farmers. Others
grow up among the worst of city slums or even with barbarian tribes, where one
quickly learns how cheap life can be and how quickly death can come.
Ironically, this understanding makes the Chosen of Endings the most likely Sidereals to dwell among mortals. Their innate understanding
of the temporary nature of life makes them more able to accept and cope with
the inevitable death of friends and loved ones.
Caste Markings: The eyes of every Chosen of Endings have
violet irises, and their pupils appear to be filled with minute violet flecks,
causing them to resemble a star-filled night sky. During powerful expenditures
of Peripheral Essence, the Sign of Endings appears upon the
Anima Effect: The
Auspicious Abilities:
Common Natures: Architect, Bureaucrat, Caregiver,
Conniver, Critic, Judge, Leader, Martyr, Paragon, Savant, Visionary
Associations: The color violet, the element and
season of earth, the astrological house of the Violet Bier of Sorrows
Sobriquets: Heaven’s Gardeners, Reckoners
I did not ask to
be what I am,
but no one
does, do they?