Peacebringer

Splinter - Khymeria, the Life Splinter

Set - Alpha/Beta

Class - Rebel Warrior

Size - Peacebringers are usually humans, but rumors say that the rebels have been recruiting people of different races and expanding beyond the borders of Khymeria. This is difficult to confirm because Peacebringers always wear disguises in public. The identity of the one Peacebringer who appears in Moxian essence combat is unknown. He is revered by the underground Peacebringer society and called only Cardlocke. Because the living Cardlocke is recognized by people from all over the Splinterlands, he is kept in the safe seclusion of some secret place. The Order of the Silver Shield publicly denies the existence of the Peacebringer rebels, but their consistent raids on villages and country ranches send a different message. The size of the Peacebringers’ network of spies is entirely unknown. One notable Shimmer City scholar named Arduus Grapulon claims that the group is far past their peak and that only a handful of waning members remain. Mother Heyota (one of the most famous Divine Healers) on the other hand believes that the rebels are recruiting greater numbers than ever into their secret ranks, that they are only getting started.

Lifespan - Peacebringers’ lives are fraught with peril, and when killed in the line of duty they are only celebrated in secret. Young Khymians are generally first approached by a Peacebringer recruiter when they are in their mid-twenties. This is a very idealistic time for a Khymian, in which the weight of the Splinterlands has not yet worn them down or made them cynical. They typically do not have families of their own at this stage in life, so they are willing and able to take greater risks for the Peacebringer cause. The act of recruiting itself is a dangerous one. The approaching recruiter must have a solid disguise and be a skilled escapist, for it is never fully known if the potential recruit is actually a Silver Shield loyalist. New recruits to the Peacebringers pledge their lives to uncovering the darkest truths of the Order and liberating Khymeria from all deception. They must take part in deadly games, such as inter-Splinter espionage and break ins.

Habitat - In the northern fields of Khymeria there is always a highly secured place called Peacebringer’s Camp that acts as a home base for the Peacebringers. This camp disguises itself from overhead probing using trees and cliffs, blending in with nature in clever ways. It is said that they use special security magic to make the camp even more difficult to spot. The greatest security of the facility is in the fact that it is always moving. The camp is designed to be taken down and packed in a matter of minutes, and every week or so it moves to a new location. There is an intricate network of coded messages spread throughout Khymeria that reveal the current location of Peacebringer’s Camp and the entry password, but the Order of the Silver Shield has never come close to cracking the codes. Peacebringers must be masters of secrecy and cryptography. The Shimmer City buzz is that Peacebringers have quietly overtaken the home of at least one retired Silvershield Paladin somewhere in the countryside. They say that the rebels have taken him and his house staff hostage and are secretly using his residence as a secondary base. There are no speculations about which retired Paladin is a hostage or where he lives.

Weapon - Peacebringers are trained in many types of weaponry with a strong emphasis on thrown weapons such as small axes, knives, shurikens and gas bombs. The gas bombs are one of their most interesting tools of escape; they are crafted in secret entirely by Peacebringer hands. When the bulb of thin glass breaks, a dense white gas is released in the vicinity. The gas disorients anyone who breathes it in, often knocking them unconscious for a few moments. It also creates an opaque haze that is most difficult to see through. Peacebringers generally carry hidden satchels that contain a large number of small but deadly throwing weapons. Another of the Peacebringers’ weapons of choice is a long staff called the centric rod. This odd-looking staff is carried by Cardlocke, the Peacebringer that is summoned to Moxian combat when the Peacebringer card is played. It has three large rings on one end and three smaller rings dangling loosely from the outer two larger rings. This staff is a ranged weapon that uses concentrated energy bursts to attack enemies. When waved properly by the Peacebringer, the centric rod hits them with the force of a sudden hurricane wind. It has the power to break an unprepared victim in half.

Diet - Like most Khymerians, Peacebringers typically survive on the fruits of provision trees. But since non-Khymians cannot be fully satisfied by these fruits, the Peacebringers must bring in foods for their recruits from other Splinters. Because Crystalline Harbor has the only large docks of the Life Splinter, many ships are constantly coming and going. Some bring visitors and migrants, some carry diplomats on important business, some carry imports and exports, and others are laden with meats from around the world. The meat boats are the ones that are typically raided by Peacebringers, who come in by night and leave quietly with loaded wagons of exotic cured meats.
Allies - It is against Khymian law to ally with the Peacebringer rebels, so all Peacebringer friends must be absolutely quiet about it. Still, there are several important figures in Khymeria who are believed (without proof) to be Peacebringer sympathizers and watched closely. The most notable of these is renowned intellectual Adrius Kharlyle, who has been chastised for his Angelist writings. Another rumor is that the Poet Laureate himself, Humboldt Kharafax, is secretly a high-ranking Peacebringer. The rebels have many friends in the Earth Splinter as well. In the kingdom of Lyveria, this type of thinking is not outlawed, so it is safer for Peacebringers to openly walk on the streets of their city.

Enemies - The sworn enemies of the Peacebringers are those who are affiliated with the Order of the Silver Shield. Peacebringers believe the Order to be fully overtaken by corruption. They claim that any truth and justice that was once protected by the Order has been replaced by evil and greed, and that the goddess Khymia herself (for whom the Life Splinter is named) is a lie. Peacebringers are currently working to uncover proof that the Order is aligned only with the Dragons, and that their aim is to turn their beautiful land of Khymeria into a Gloridax colony. Peacebringers are also hated by the boatmen of Khymeria, who are continually bested by the thieving efforts of the rebels. The boatmen have no political affiliation; they simply hate to lose hard-earned money and look to kill Peacebringers on sight.

Pastimes - Peacebringers’ lives are given in dedication to the deepest truths of life. They have committed to fight the lies and injustices of the Order of the Silver Shield and everything they do works toward that end. Many of them are creators; the rebels are especially good at attracting poets and writers into their ranks. Peacebringers are most widely known for their pamphlets, which are considered outlawed propaganda by the Order and burned in massive fires at Cloudgard Castle. These pamphlets can always be found littering the ground in every village, town and city of the Life Splinter, exposing the corruption of the Order to the commoners. No matter how many pamphlets are destroyed, there are always more to follow, so it is clear that the Peacebringers never rest in their mission.