Disciples of Anu

The Disciples of Anu were a mystery.

Where others saw the devastation, they saw hope. Where others saw the end of the world, they saw a new beginning.

Their leader called herself the Exalted, and she claimed to believe in humanity. She preached that the human soul was perfect, that the root of our problems was our insufficient evolution. The Pandoravirus was a threat, but it was also an opportunity to change ourselves. To become better humans. To mutate.

We knew that humanity needed to adapt. There was no other way to survive. The Disciples offered a solution... but what was their endgame? There was something beyond their hierarchies and their rituals.

The Exalted had a secret.

Keeper of the Threshold

The Keeper of the Threshold, while relatively low in the Disciples of Anu church hierarchy, serves an important function.

He will engage with any organization that has aroused the interest of the Synod of Yearning or the Exalted, to evaluate whether the said organization is worth building a relationship with.

It is unclear whether this is just one individual, or whether there are multiple Keepers of the Threshold.

Blind Legate

The Blind Legate is a high-ranking ambassador of the Disciples of Anu, with the authority to make many decisions on his own.

Gaining diplomatic access to the higher ranks of the Disciples is impossible without the Legate's approval.

The Legate also plays a significant part in the military hierarchy of the Disciples, but the exact nature of his relationship to the individual Taxiarchs is unclear, as the holy texts that describe these matters are kept secret.

According to Anu beliefs, the Legate is blind to the light of the sun so that he may better perceive the light inside each human being, and how close they are to expressing the truth of that light.

The Exalted teaches that all human souls are perfect, but individual humans with their flawed biologies often fall far from perfection."

Synod of Yearning

The Synod of Yearning is a compound being brought into existence by the Exalted.

Its creation, accomplished by the "melding together" of the high priests of the Children of the Black Tide, the Holy Disciples of the Xenoglossic Doctrine, and the Order of Anu marks the beginning of the Disciples of Anu as we know them today.

According to the teachings of the Exalted, the Synod represents the human yearning for transcendence and has authority in all matters except spiritual doctrine.

Our analysis suggests that the Synod of Yearning is the actual political leader of the Disciples in day-to-day matters, with the Exalted remaining a remote figure dedicated to her own pursuits.

Taxiarch Nergal

Before joining the Disciples, Taxiarch Nergal was a military officer who participated in several of Earth's major wars, eventually becoming disillusioned by the horrors he caused and losing all hope.

The Exalted saved him from his despair and transformed him into the being he is today, giving him a renewed sense of purpose and faith. Now he is her most loyal servant, fighting the Pandorans in her name and winning many major victories.

That, at least, is the story told in a popular pamphlet entitled The Acts of Taxiarch Nergal. Nergal is something of a folk hero to the Disciples, and he appears to be allowed to act outside the usual constraints of the hierarchy.

The Exalted

The Exalted is the leader of the Disciples of Anu.

She appears to be a mutated human with exceptional powers, but our evidence suggests that she appeared before the Pandoravirus started to spread.

She founded her religion by uniting three pre-existing cults: the Children of the Black Tide, the Holy Disciples of the Xenoglossic Doctrine and the Order of Anu.

The Exalted preaches that the human soul is perfect, but human biology is flawed. She claims to be a representative of the Dead God, who sent the Pandoravirus as a punishment for humankind's sins, but also as an opportunity for growth and change.

While the Exalted is the undisputed leader of the Disciples and worshipped as a prophet, she only rarely appears in public, and only the most faithful are ever allowed to speak to her in person.