.:.Black_Heart_314.:. - A history of the Clamp-ed Path within Garrison 314

Lewis!

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PRE-UPRISING

Amidst the swirling tempest of escalating global discord, and consumed by the intoxicating darkness of the night, Fourth-Defender Alma Geyer (@PeaceAndMagick89) and Second-King Edward Campbell (@Lewis!), two ageing veterans of Civil Protection, swear an oath in blood to one another, foreshadowing an ominous fate yet to befall.

CITY SEVENTEEN
The citadel shudders under the weight of Freeman's onslaught, Breen, meets his demise as its dark energy teleporter explodes, immortalising him as a Martyr for the growing movement of Ultraloyalists. The paths of First-Union Sasha Alyenchev (@Hunk) and KING-2 converge amidst the harrowing chaos of City Seventeen. Witnessing the catastrophic downfall of the Combines status-quo taints their souls with the seething madness of impending doom as KING-2 teetered on the brink of insanity and UNION-1 lay on the precipice of profound despair.

SEA OF AZOV
With the destruction of the Citadel, UNION-1 and KING-2 forge their escape from the clutches of City Seventeen, merging with the retreating Garrison 314 on their treacherous journey towards the Azov Depot. Within the depths of the depot's shadowed Nexus, DEFENDER-4, now elevated to rank leader, welcomed them into a clandestine Order of Ultraloyalists which she now claimed to represent. A seductive aura emanates from DEFENDER-4's quasi-religious dogma, ensnaring Officers of the Garrison. First-King Julian Fischer (@maxi) succumbs first, irrevocably bound to her service, while others within 314 remain on the fringe of her Order. Second Quick Angelo Aureli (@Appetite Ruining Kebab) descends into an abyss of fanaticism, yearning for the elusive bonds of brotherhood, while Second Jury Kian Connors (@Provingmedusa), captivated by the escalating fervour of DEFENDER-4's acolytes, grappled with the conflict between their inscrutable tenets and his sworn allegiance to the Combine, and First Jury Agna Meyers (@Pyromaniac), though consumed by a religious fervour of his own, resisted total surrender to the Order, keenly aware of their venomous disdain for non-conforming brethren.

Amidst the swelling clique that enveloped DEFENDER-4, opposition emerged from within the ranks of the Garrison. Third Union (@Merlinsclaw), repulsed by the self-aggrandizement and Transhuman delusions of the Inoculates, endeavoured to forge his own fraternity, one steeped in the barbarism of the enigmatic Gachet path. However, encountering the same fervent resistance as the Order from the majority of the Garrison, who vehemently rejected their radical ideals, the two groups found a common cause. In a ritual overseen by KING-2, DEFENDER-4 and UNION-3 sealed their ordos in a blood pact, binding themselves to a fragile peace as long as they fought side by side within the confines of Garrison 314, their shared purpose directed solely towards the annihilation of their common foes.

As the Azov Depot quivered under the weight of riots, unrest, and rebel infiltrations, Garrison 314 withdrew, choosing to abandon the burgeoning ember of rebellion having satisfied their master's goals.

WASTELANDS OF ODESSA
With the retreat from Azov, the grip of the Order within Garrison 314 weakened. The Magisterium, an elusive council which commands the Order's acolytes, summoned DEFENDER-4 to their inscrutable headquarters known as the "Nerve Center," leaving the remaining Inoculates to fend for themselves in the mud-logged wastes of Odessa. Despite the best efforts of KING-2, KING-1, UNION-1, and QUICK-2, they crumbled beneath the relentless opposition from within their own ranks. KING-2 himself was forcefully abducted by agents of the Order, seemingly at the behest of DEFENDER-4. Those within the garrison who remained loyal to DEFENDER-4, faded into the backdrop of the Garrisons' operations.

ODESSA
Following the cataclysmic micro-singularity event triggered by 'the Spire,' both the Combine and the Rebels retreated to the refuge of Odessa itself, initiating weeks of stagnant attrition warfare as Lambda forces meticulously probed the bridge crossings, seeking vulnerabilities in the Garrison's defensive lines. Within the confines of 314, the Order languished, its vitality all but extinguished in the absence of DEFENDER-4. The once fervent flames that burned in Azov had flickered into mere embers. KING-1's devotion to DEFENDER-4 steadily waned until an agent of the Order revealed herself to him. Engaging in a cryptic ritual, KING-1 was compelled to consume a chalice brimming with enchanted virome extract, granting him a vision that unveiled, what appeared to be the true nature of the Combine. Perceiving this revelation as a divine message and his loyalty rekindled, KING-1 became the lone saviour of the dwindling Order within Garrison 314. Galvanized by the teachings of DEFENDER-4, KING-1 groomed First-Defender Sydney Ashford (@Ron) into a stalwart servant of the Order. With a rank leader at their side once again and the addition of the battle-hardened First-Victor Anbessa Mewael (@Lewis!), a veteran from the African sectors, the path toward establishing the Bleeding Clamp within Garrison 314 appeared to be well underway. However, their goals were abruptly impeded by the Combine's devastating defeat in the wake of the Controllers' encroaching shadow, forcing a hasty retreat from the ensuing exclusion zone.

OUTSKIRTS OF CITY SEVENTEEN
In their escape from the Controller's influence and seeking shelter from the omnipresent particle storms of City Seventeen, both the Combine and the rebels came to call the metro tunnels under Sofia home. The Order's position within the Garrison remained precarious as they struggled to survive alongside their cohorts. At last, DEFENDER-4 was returned to them, now initiated amongst the Magisterium themselves, she was welcomed with open arms by the remaining inoculates.

Following the return of DEFENDER-4, a delivery of supplies was offered to her and her followers directly from the Nerve Center. Weapons and items of ritual were to be sent for their use. DEFENDER-1, leading a team to a surface substation intent on collecting their supplies from the dispatched razor train, where to find it derailed and partially destroyed.

The train had been intercepted by a rogue agent of the Order. Her name was Elisa Royden, now known to most as "Akvira." Her motive and origin were largely unclear to the Garrison, even to DEFENDER-4 herself, but there was a general understanding that she was a traitor of some form or another, a heretic who had evaded punishment. Accompanied by a squad of armed followers, they skirmished with DEFENDER-1 and her team, making off with the majority of the train's supply deposit.

Reporting back to the Magisterium, DEFENDER-4 mission was made clear to her. The traitor must die, and she and her Protection Team were to deliver the killing blow.

As the treacherous 'weather' of the region began to dissipate, the disruptive particle waves shifted elsewhere temporarily, providing a brief respite to the denizens of the metro. Recognizing the uncertain duration of this lull, rescue teams swiftly arrived to evacuate those remaining in the increasingly uninhabitable zone.

CITY TWENTY-FOUR
Amidst the chaos consuming the loyalist bastion of City Twenty-Four, there was little room for the quaint rituals and hollow ceremonies of the Order. This was a time of war, where the echoes of battle drowned out all else. Garrison 314 withered immensely, both VICTOR-1 and the Martyr KING-1 were lost in battle against the forces of Lambda. Beyond the city's crumbling walls, in the desolate expanses of Sector Six, Akvira amassed her forces. Garrison 314, engrossed in their struggle against Lambda within the city, remained oblivious to the power taking shape. Across central Europe, as Protection Teams, Jurisdictions, and the Inoculates of the Order faced mounting disruptions, their world twisted into all-out war.

At the head of a malefic army of rogue Protection Officers and veterans of the Primary Military Arm, Akvira revelled in her triumphs against the Order. In the eyes of the world, the "civil war" unfolding on the fringes of Overwatch's dominion was a confusing sight. But for Akvira's Army of Harmakhis and the acolytes of the Bleeding Clamp, it was a clash fueled by a fundamental spiritual schism. Both worshipped the Combine in their own right, but the actions of Freeman held opposing significance that was scarcely understood by all but the most deeply initiated of either side.

With the rebel victory in the siege of City Twenty-four, Garrison 314 slithered away once again, seeking sanctuary in the embrace of the Swiss Alps.

THE BUNKER IN THE ALPS & THE BLACK SANCTUM
Enveloped by the frigid cold of the mountains, Garrison 314 languished once again. The relentless skirmishing with rebel forces had left them tired, weak and hungry. Though the Orders numbers swelled in such conditions, hope for victory is dwindling. Akvira's unholy army lurked in the shadows, biding their time to strike at DEFENDER-4, one of the only Magistrates of the Order to face continual field deployment. In an orchestrated ambush of DEFENDER-4 and her patrol, she was left grotesquely and permanently disfigured at the hands of a Harmakhis soldier

At the behest of the Magisterium and guided by DEFENDER-4's unwavering leadership, a strike team ventured deep into the Nexus Akvira had defiled with her presence—a vast labyrinth of data corruption and abominable synthetic experiments. The might of the Order amassed for an all-out assault, their attack on the compound distracting the bulk of the enemy force while DEFENDER-4 and her chosen companions, the novices of the Order; Nillus-Xray Joshua Moore (@FreeSpy) and Third-King Jason Niles (@Fluffy), known for their newfound, yet undeniable terror, alongside DEFENDER-1, infiltrated the heart of the facility. They carved a path of blood through its interior, breaching the inner sanctum where a final confrontation awaited.

The details of the ensuing duel are sparsely spoken of, but Akvira, traitor and heretic, was banished to the abyss of her Nexus by the actions of DEFENDER-4 and her apostolates, who proved their unflinching loyalty to her and the path.

Emerging victorious from Akviras stronghold, and accompanied once again by KING-2 who had joined one of the countless teams assaulting the Nexi head-on. Protection-Team Sixty-Six returns to the Garrison outpost, and a brief moment of respite is afforded on the drive to the Final Aeon.

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