Once the 6th Arm of the Companions, the Mortal Champions of St.Santiago were a mighty force that fought and brought peace to the Gulch underneath Atlantropa. They served faithfully for many centuries, always ready to lay down their lives for the salvation of the meek and the banishing of the wicked. The duty of command had fallen to an exceptional knight, christened Paul, he was truly a shining beacon in the dark, dutifully leading the Mortal Champions for decades.

In the year 1820 as the terrible events of the Penumbra Wars began escalating, catching wind of the actions that the defunct Felix and Fermi Foundation had done with their interception of the mysterious imposter moon signal, the Ministry requested the Companions to dispatched Paul and his cohort to investigate the Mass Data Site that the Foundation had in the Gulch. What transpired in the site is unknown, but the results would leave a black mark on the Companions, one that would prove to be a massive problem in the years to come. Paul and his cohort were at the time assumed dead. All remaining cohorts of the Mortal Champions were folded into other arms of the Companions.

In the coming decades as the Penumbra Wars raged on above and below Atlantropa, Paul would re-emerge, along with the rest of the once thought dead cohort. They marched under a new banner against the forces of the Ministry and the Companions fighting within the Gulch. Now of a wicked and vile nature, the mortal Champions has become the Mortali Brotherhood, although few in number initially, they would quickly raise armies of undead puppets, feeding off all the casualties of the ongoing battles. Although initially thought of as being on the side of Bahamut and Beautiful People Cult, this would prove to be false, as they would openly combat the cultists.

The Mortali would eventually fully withdraw from the petering conflict, with the death of Bahamut and the destruction of the Golden Goddess, they would seemingly vanish to the darkest regions of the Gulch. The Ministry and Companions, exhausted from all the warfare, allowed them to leave without chase for the time being. For the following decades the Mortali would remain seemingly inactive, until on 6th of June 1906.

They would suddenly reappear, waging a war within the Northeastern region of the Gulch, clashing with the powerful Caspian Family. In one year the Mortali would successfully crush all Syndicates within the contested territory, with the sole exception of the Caspian Family, who still held the important trade hub of Maglenia.

The Black Pope

Paul once led the Mortal Champions through countless trials and conflicts within the Gulch and above on the Floating City of Atlantropa, he was honored among the Companions of Saint Leo. He would be the first to hear the forbidden message from Him within in the Moon and he would be the first to realize the predicament they found themselves in. Humanity was cursed by the Great Enemy to be prisoners in a wheel of eternal pain, the material reality, yet in the immaterial true peace existed. For it was the true state of being for the human condition. 

Through his plan he would be able to pierce Heaven and bring about a second great bleeding, fusing the Material and Immaterial, permanently. Leading to a new type of existence for humanity, a grand apotheosis. 

Life within the Gulch is a brutal affair, even before the rise of the Mortali Brotherhood life for most was already a crushing grind. Under the oppressive heel of the Corporation's of Atlantropa many lived as slaves for the massive manufacturing industry within the Gulch. Law and order were only upheld by criminal syndicates, powerful crime families that exist in a symbiotic relationship with the Corporations. Once the Knights arrived and destabilized the order of the Gulch, their message one of might making right and doing as one saw fit. A message that resonated with many lost and crushed souls within the Gulch, many of them willing to stomach the horrors for a shred of power. The Black Pope would offer in a strange way the gift of self determination.

Thralls

The lowest of the low, thralls are the unwashed masses, armed with whatever they can get their hands on. Thralls follow the War Hosts of the Knights, like pilgrims on a dark march.

Aspirant

The Aspirant, these individuals have given themselves to the banner of the wicked knights, branding their flesh with demonic sigil and symbols that they witness on the knights and their demonic beasts.

Many aspire to join the ranks of the brotherhood, but only a fraction ever get the chance to be initiated in the dark arts.

Once within one of the orders the Aspirant becomes an Initiate to the dark paths of the Mortali Brotherhood. Each of the Orders has their own initiation ritual. All of these rituals require a sacrifice and the permanent scorching of the eternal soul.

Head of the Disciples of the Lesser Keys, and in charge of the Qlippothic Forge, their most important summoning gate. His warlocks are in charge of assisting their fellow orders in creating, subduing, and maintaining their demonic spawns, as well as surveying areas for potential ley lines, artifacts, and even the rare individual deemed suitable for their order. 

Alongside the Scions of Sathariel, the warlocks are among the smallest of orders, making them extremely valuable to the Knights. They will only be seen on the rarest of occasions on the front lines when their magic is deemed vital to the Mortali's attack or defense plans.

 Palladino was a troubled individual before his dark baptism. Even when he served within the Companions of Saint Leo, he had an inclination toward the occult that troubled many of his superiors. Following the dark baptism, he has indulged in all the dark and forbidden arts and desires his damned heart could ever desire. This has made him somewhat unpredictable, with his fellow lords even questioning why he is still in charge of the warlocks and the Qlippothic Forge. 

As of now, Palladino has been stationed at the Qlippothic Forge, overseeing the creation of new and ever-changing demonic war beasts to aid the Mortali's war efforts.

Leader of the Gilded Scions of Sathariel, often seen as extremely vain and decadent among their fellow orders, the Scions have specialized in the art of the silent hand, picking their fights carefully, choosing when to deal the cruelest blows to their enemies. As such, they are often sent out ahead of an invasion force to weaken the defenders before the coming tide of death. They are among the smallest orders within the Mortali Knights and are rarely seen in frontline combat. 

Luciano, their lord, is a master duelist capable of beating his fellow lords and their champions; even Therion, regarded as the strongest of the lords, has fallen to Luciano in ritualistic honor duels. The only exception is their lord, Paul the Black Pope; when challenged by him, Luciano fell on his own blade rather than face his master. 

As of now, Luciano has been tasked with the infiltration of Novoazakov, the capital of the Caspian Family, and with the assassination of their whole bloodline.

Falconi one of newest of the Mortali lords, hand picked by the Black Pope to replace the treacherous former lord of the Crusaders of Gehenna. Although led astray by their former lord, the Crusaders have sought to redeem themselves in the eyes of their brothers and their master the Black Pope. They had been swayed by the influence of an outer deity known only as the Faceless Queen, with promises of unraveling the riddle of Him within the Moon. Well many sided with their treacherous leader and their outer deity, many more would seek the guidance of the Black Pope. He would illuminate with a fraction of his knowledge, he knew the truth, unlike the deceiver.

After brutalizing their treacherous brothers and leader, they earned a second chance under the level-headed and pragmatic Falconi. Although he indulges them in their quest, he sees it as a waste of time; what good can come of learning that knowledge? He ensures they fulfill their objectives before being allowed to harvest enemies' eyes for examination. 

As of now, Falconi has been tasked with pushing the Krakens and their Caspian Family reinforcements out of Arteria 77, also known as Funky Town.

Lord of the Cohort of the Beast, warriors renowned for their headstrong and violent approaches to any situation; they are often seen in the thick of combat, preferring to spearhead an attack rather than waiting for an opportune time. They will stop at nothing to decimate their enemies, often punching through defenses with little plan other than to kill everything in sight. To them, there is no greater form of worship than the bloodshed of enemies, and no greater form of honor than to prevail in combat. 

Lord Therion, the Black Pope's right hand, was true before their descent into damnation, and it is true now. He was among the first to accept the dark baptism; he was the first to go further and subdue a powerful hellspawn within himself. This was achieved not through rituals and rites, but through his own iron will and determination. 

As of now, Therion is in charge of the Western offensive against the holdouts of the Caspian Family and their recently allied Companions of Saint Leo, their former brothers-in-arms. He has been tasked with breaking them and ensuring that the Companions will not be able to intervene in their other objectives.

Once a renowned Commander for the Companions of Saint Leo, he fell from grace and into damnation. Now his name and his cohorts legacy have been struck from the history books of the Companions, for it to be known that the Vile Black Pope and his wicked banner once served in the ranks of the Companions would bring great shame to the organization. 

Paul is the highest lord among the Mortali; he leads them all under his dark sermons. Their actions all serve to further his mad goal: the creation of Jacob's ladder. He wishes to once again bring about the Vulnerate times, in which the material and immaterial realms overlapped in perfect synchronicity. His dark dream is to ascend to the gates of Heaven. This can only be achieved through a mass ritual and the acquisition of the Horn of Gabriel, goals that his knights are actively pursuing or facilitating. 

As of now, the Black Pope has been known to travel across the various battlefields alongside his elite detachment of his personal order, the Honored Ones of A'arab Zaraq, surveying the progress of his underlings.

The blood of the Krakens had been spilt across the alter of conquest, it was the natural and expected outcome for the the Mortali Knights. The Black Pope himself had foretold of their victory, upon reading the Skin Bible of A'arab Zaraq, he saw the triumph of his trusted lieutenant Grigori the Bloody Handed. Yet he also foretold of the humiliation of Grigori at the hands of the Vampire Doom Knight, of his disgrace and his drive for redemption. This all came to pass, Grigori now seeks to earn the Black Pope's favor once more, his body still badly battered from his fight with Crymaria, he would never forget her for what she did to him.

Silvio was always a troubled and disturbed soul, taking a liking to the grim arts of the Silent Hands even as a companion. The Companions did not celebrate the work, but saw it as necessary, Silvio relished it. Now as a Mortali he is free of the few chains that held him back from achieving his life's work, his desires and preferences, for he did not seek honor or glory through a valiant struggle, he simply wanted to murder. Upon his arrival in a settlement that same night a dozen poor souls never wake up again to see the Daemon Core's sun-like glow.

All Mortali knights desecrate corpses to some extent; the Gehenna Crusaders are especially known for plucking out the eyes of their victims, but even among prodigious monsters, Giuseppe stands out. A champion of the Crusaders of Gehenna, he has earned a reputation for his unsavory acts. He is known for taking his time opening up corpses and still-living bodies in search of moonlit eyes, as he assures his brothers that the many eyes are not just found within the cranium, but can manifest in all regions of the body. As a testament to his diligence, he has adorned his helmet with the moonlit eyes he has managed to find.

Giuseppe, in spite of his eccentricities, is a capable commander and warrior. Lord Falconi entrusted him with a cohort in preparation for the assault on Arteria 77; it would be known as the Cannibal Cohort and charged with fighting on the western front. As Operation Grunwald pushed forward, the Cannibal Cohort would fall back to the settlement of Kotkino, where it would blunt the Caspian advance.

Trusted lieutenant of Therion the Beast, Barabbas is much like his lord, a violent brute that enjoys crippling his opponents before ending them. He craves violence and blood shed, which makes up for his lack of foresight, yet that is not a problem for a member of the Cohort of the Beast. Therion has trained them as dogs of war, not fragile men of thought. As Therion's army clashes with the Companions, Barabbas has been appointed by his lord to serve as his vanguard in the clash with the Companions.

A member of the inner circle of the Disciples of the Lesser Keys, Calogero is a highly skilled warlock and necromancer in the service of the Mortali Lord Falconi and his war against the Caspian Family. Calogero is a curious mind, always seeking further understanding the gap between life and death, like his brothers of the inner circle, Calogero was at one point a high ranking priest of the Companions. The Companions offered a certainty through faith, but after the revelations given to their leader the Black Pope, these certainties were proven to be less then concrete. The current battles with the Caspians have provided many chances to observe these moments between life and death, with many more opportunities to test their theories on the millions of souls within the Gulch.

The lowly Nezhit, the mass of undead meat shields used by the Mortali Knights to soak up the firepower of their enemies and eventually drown them under the countless bodies of the Nezhit. Created via the mass summoning of lesser demonic spawns that crawl and slither into the countless bodies of the dead, they twist and mangle the shells into forms that better suit their vile nature.

Mounted on possessed steeds, the riders of Gomorrah are dispatched to sweep the streets for any survivors, their demonic steeds have a keen sense for the still living. The Krakens have taken a particular interest in eliminating them as soon as possible, as they can quickly rally a horde on any hidden position that they might have in between the rubble and ruins.

The Krakens in the downtown district have proven to be a deep and festering thorn for the Mortali, their fortifications have been an impediment for far too long now. The Black Pope has dispatched his Pagliacci to assist Falconi and his knights in their conquest of Maglenia. With dark rituals and multitudes of sacrifices, the Brass Bulls are constructed and set loose to break through the Kraken defenses.

A plan to exterminate the remains of the Krakens tendrils within Maglenia, it won't stop just there we will drive them all the way to the east. The black flag of the Brotherhood will fly above their strongholds and eventually even their prized gem of Novoazakov will fall under his most wicked grasp

The Beast of Gomorrah, spawned from a failed ritual to bind a steed to its knight, is extremely cunning and brutal. These demonic creatures can only be subdued by the might of Mortali lords. Used to support the charges of the horsemen, they easily plow through any defenses in their way.

Following their defeat in Maglenia, the Caspian family sent the Zmeya Brigade to assist the Krakens. Their first line of defense would be the small transit town of Matrosivika. Once the Mortali Knights reached the outskirts of the town, they would launch a counteroffensive against the Knights' vanguard.  It proved successful, as they wiped out over two dozen Horsemen of Gomorrah and their numerous demonic minions at a cost of roughly 500 of their combined forces. Although  a troubling number of casualties, the Mortali suffered greatly that day.

They would not allow this to happen again; during the night, they deployed the beasts of Gomorrah to decimate the Kraken and Zmeya survivors.

A war demon, brought about to combat the Caspians' new tactics, its aerial speed and ability to bombard areas via its toxic and acidic pustular sacs proved capable of melting through the armor of Caspian tanks. Forcing the Caspians to be far more cautious with their use, they would also prove useful in terrorizing dug-in defenders. 

The Locaust has also been shown to be effective in ground combat, as its massive size, multiple appendages, and deadly barbed, split tail make it an intimidating creature to face.Even if the Caspians are able to wound or kill it, the Locaust has one final surprise: its blood is highly corrosive.

War Demon, Head Lice:

Locaust are also responsible for spawning head lice. These creatures have been seen attaching themselves to the heads of their victims and bloating them to grotesque proportions. Once sufficiently engorged, the head detaches from the victim's body, becoming a floating toxic mine.

The manifestation of a fragment of the Demon Lord Beelzebub, the price to manifest this lesser form is steep and only to be attempted by the most skilled of Mortali Warlocks. The appearance of this demon is a grim omen of what is to come, for whatever dark scheme the Mortali are undertaking.

Infested still living hosts of the vile fly parasites born from the lesser Bealzabub. These poor souls are being consumed from within, fully aware of everything, yet unable to control their bodies. They are nothing more than drones.

A strange demon, created solely for the purpose of breaking through enemy defenses. They are extremely fast and destructive, their three legs stomping and crushing anything that gets in their way. Even when they are taken down they explode into a fiery inferno. They are used widely by the Cohort of the Beast, with them unleashing several against the defenders of the Straits Crossings.

Bloated headed demons, created by the Disciples of the Lesser keys from the collected heads of countless victims. These demons are said to come from the forbidden library of A'arab Zaraq, they are capable of casting weird spells against their targets. They are often seen accompanying Sorcerers and Warlocks of the Disciples.