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Romps and Reconstruction in Loka: Steam, Magic, and Mysteries in the Frozen Wasteland.
Apr 23, 2024
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Advocatus Diaboli
Evil forever lurks in the womb of the mind of man, and Loka is no exception. Every civilization falls prey to its urges, and the criminal element is the dark side of progress. The Advocates were once the most formidable collective of smugglers, murderers, and thieves within the kingdom, led by the (once presumed) immortal rogue Leviathan - an enigmatic figure who hid his face behind a jade mask. They originated from the port town of Esquemelin, although Advocates were once found all over Loka. Commanding airships capable of traveling leagues at a whim, they were among the few (outside the NES)to have explored beyond the boundaries of the Thaw and returned to tell the tale.
Although historically one of the greatest sources of civil unrest within the kingdom, and one of the commonly cited reasons for the king’s large standing army, the exact capabilities and resources of the Advocates were unknown to all but the highest ranking members of the organization itself. It was not until the the disastrous Advocate Insurrection that the full strength of the shadowy organization was witnessed. Under Leviathan’s leadership, the Advocates launched a surprise attack against several Lokan cities, including Noria, Meson, Gilead, and Muon, all converging on the capital of Helio.
The motivation behind the attack is still debated among Lokan scholars, and the most popular theories range from the strictly logical to the dubiously supernatural. Regardless, whether it was a simple coup to install Leviathan as the new autocratic leader of Loka, or an attempt by the alleged demi-demon to release his kin from beneath the sared tree within the Castrum, the plot was only a partial success.
With their fleet of airships, treaded war machine, and Leviathan’s legendary skill, they were able to destroy the Castrum and assassinate the king - at the steep cost of the life of their own leader, and the advanced machines they brought with them.
Leaderless and scattered, the Advocates have all but disappeared from Loka, criminals, pirates, and thieves scuttling back to their shadowy lifestyles or dropping off the grid entirely in an effort to distance themselves from their involvement in the bloodiest conflict in Lokan history.