An overwhelming majority of the Covenants of Astyri consists of the enslaved minds of the unwilling, trapped without escape. Yet, there are settlements that, driven by desperation or madness, voluntarily accept the offer from the emissaries of Astyri. These unfortunate souls find their afterlife scarcely more bearable than those dragged unwillingly into the clutches of Kolym Hysta.
The leaders of these settlements, who sealed their people's fate by embracing the cursed Covenant, are granted a twisted semblance of autonomy. Judged to have made the "right" choice, they are honored with the grim title of Archieronites. Though they remain shackled as slaves like their cohorts, their human ingenuity is exploited for the horrors of war, crafting strategies drenched in blood and despair.
Their bodies, grotesquely augmented, make them more resilient, and they often bear the scars of countless battles. These leaders, once commanders of flesh and bone, now guide substantial forces of the damned, haunted by the memories of those they watched perish in their mortal prisons.
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