The Ascendants

Chapter 1 First appears in:

Dr. Emilio Matos

Dr. Matos agreed to become the engineer and inventor for all of the Ascendants' technology needs. He is now an indispensable part of the organization and the key person who will be responsible for Vincent reaching Seshin.

Mila Savic

Having found a home where her processes and unrelenting drive are welcomed, Mila excels within the Ascendants. &nbsp; Feared by those below her, she is a prime example of how this growing faction is structured, also displaying the fierce loyalty to Vincent and his cause desired by those in positions of power.&nbsp;

Bruiser

A group of Ascendant archaeologists—former LYS members, all of them—happened to observe a demonstration of the first trained armored Bruiser unit. They were silently mortified at what their society had become. None had the courage to resign, however.

Gunner

Ascendants plan for the days when the services of rough-and-tumble gunslingers are no longer required in their ranks. But even in an ideal world where Ascendant laws have successfully been enacted and enforced, they suspect important figureheads like Vincent will require bodyguards as part of one's entourage still.

Rusher

Rushers are in demand in the Vicent Lichter era Ascendants... But what happens if they ever leave the organization? The side effects of their physical transformations could be difficult to manage without their high-tech loadouts.&nbsp;

Scrapper

There is tacit acknowledgement that some Ascendant members like Scrappers require vigilant oversight, perhaps even formal social reform one day. Whether or not they attain the highest state of Ascension, their previous bleak lives before they joined should be placed under scrutiny.

Sharpshooter

Many Ascendants believe in a peaceful future where they will no longer need the extreme might of units like sharpshooters. They are willfully ignorant of the fact that power, once acquired, is not easily surrendered.&nbsp;

Phantom

A certain faction within the Ascendants were convinced that espionage and assassinations would be an important part of the group’s future and pushed Dr. Matos to develop some vague ideas he had about creating fields of invisibility. The Phantom was the eventual result: a lethal composite of unscrupulous ambition and unchecked engineering.

Gearhead

For Ascendants to become a Gearhead, there's just one requirement: you must be big and strong enough to manage the absurdly cumbersome gear. Typically, only the most sadistic Bruisers get the job.

Seeker

While highly effective in their own right, the Seeker unit was always intended to be a first step, a proof of concept even, in a much larger project of creating weaponry that is intelligently guided using Umbric technology.

Agitator

Ascendant leadership tapped a team of forward-thinking bioengineers to create battlefield stimulants. This group happened to be very motivated to please Vincent, and went above and beyond, turning in detailed blueprints for what would become the Agitator’s loadout. (Vincent was pleased, but not so much that he learned the designers’ names.)

The Great Divide

The Ascendants truly came into their own during the Great Divide. Their numbers swelled, their purpose became more sharply defined, and many of their early members—moderates who initially sought only minor reforms within the Leap Year Society—became horrified at what the group had evolved into. (Horrified, yet complicit.)

The Ascendants, an offshoot of the LYS, emerged from Vincent Lichter’s desires and obsessions. While the LYS advocates for a steady journey from Earth to the heavens, the Ascendants embody the impulse to leap for the stars, no matter the cost. Their story reflects the universal struggle within each human—to separate oneself from others and rise above.&nbsp;The LYS believes that the quest for knowledge is a fundamentally human concern that must be achieved with unity, the Ascendants are ready and willing to leave behind those who will not walk the path with them.

Infinitus. That’s the motto inscribed on the Leap Year Society’s circular seal. It means boundless, unending—like the quest for knowledge. For well over a century, the LYS has been on that journey, uncovering forgotten parts of history and pushing the limits of scientific inquiry to understand humanity’s role in the cosmos. &nbsp; &nbsp;The LYS is founded in New York City on February 29, 1888, welcoming people of all nations and creeds to join its search. The only requirements for membership are the thirst for knowledge and a willingness to believe in the Unknown. But for decades, the Society itself remains veiled in secrecy, visible only to those who know where to look.&nbsp;

The Leap Year Society

The Ascendants splintered off from the LYS in 1908, but these rivals share commonalities: both maintain secrecy, and seek deeper truths about the universe and unravel ancient mysteries. However, the Ascendants believe that the ends always justify the means, while the more scrupulous LYS do not. The &lt;sp&gt;topic of Seshin &lt;/sp&gt;intensifies this philosophical divide.

In 1888, Vincent Lichter was the youngest to witness the birth of the Leap Year Society (LYS). His family - deeply entrenched in an esoteric secret order - embraced the LYS ethos, and Vincent soon became a devoted member. His fascination with the Fold intensified, leading him to specialize in Diving—a discipline that would alter the course of his life.&nbsp;Within the LYS, Vincent’s talents and ambition propelled him forward. To the elder Quaestors, he symbolized hope—a harbinger of the society’s potential impact upon the world. His decision to join a Diving research project in 1890s Alaska was hailed as a providential blessing, all but guaranteeing the project’s success.&nbsp;In the rugged Alaskan wilderness, Vincent collaborated with brilliant and dedicated Quaestors. After relentless effort, he achieved his first Dive into the mind-bending Deep Fold. Each subsequent Dive left him transformed; his determination turned into obsession. Marshalling support, he expanded the project into a Diver training school—the Ascendants. Yet, in this pursuit, Vincent’s noble qualities, once in the service of the LYS’s altruistic goals, twisted into something more troubling and radical.&nbsp;As the Ascendant rhetoric grew provocative and their Fold explorations reckless, the Leap Year Society had no choice but to shutter the Ascendants initiative. Undeterred, Vincent declared war. The Ascendants, he asserted, were the true heirs of the LYS. Members could either pledge allegiance to him or face Ascendant wrath. Nothing would stop them from harnessing the ominous power they discovered in the Fold for humanity’s future—a future where Vincent wielded significant power.

Vincent Lichter

From its inception as a simple LYS project, Vincent has been the unquestioned leader of the Ascendants. As it evolved from a Diver training project into an ideological movement and beyond, Vincent has also had to evolve, becoming something in between a general, a CEO, and a cult leader.

Reika

Azad Jayed

Seshin

Burst Gunner

Luther Goodwin

Reika's Amulet

The Cambrian Device

Patterns of Convergence

Tree of Life

The Three Bodies

Shield

Peshanden

The Morning Star

Quinta Matos, Sintra, Portugal

Anatolia: Woman Out of Time

Quinta Matos: Signs of Life

The Morning Star: More Than Meets the Eye

Unknown 9: Awakening

It is no longer prudent to let humanity plot its own course. Knowledge must be acquired at all costs by a select few to save us all from destruction.

element

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

The Ascendants

First appears in:

Chapter 1