The Anathema
The Anathema exist within the shadows of normal space, and seek to tap into the dark forces present in the otherworldly dimension known as The Dim
The Anathema - better known as Dim Witches - are an ancient cult that came to prominence during the Era After Opening, and played a crucial role in the historic Havros war marches. However, their origin - and their ties to the malevolent forces of The Dim - are far older, rumored to date back to fall of The Precursors.
Their powers are strange and varied, much like The Dim itself; manipulation of matter, the opening or portals, manifestation of light and darkness - these are just some of their tricks. Many of their adherents are cunning warriors, augmenting their combat abilities with evil magicks.
The Anathema have appeared again and again over the eons, attempting some new plan to breach the barriers between dimensions. They have sown discord across swathes of the galaxy, operating out of decaying temples, allying with power-hungry warlords, and even directly entering the fray from their enormous, obsidian voidships. Why they persist, why they are so intent to bring the odious, corrupting powers of The Dim to real space… that remains known only to those already ensnared in their clutches.
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Dim witches have been accused of making many places their homes: desecrated temples, forlorn caves, the bellies of monstrous creatures… and some of those are true. One legend has come up repeatedly over millennia, and is generally met with mild bemusement; how would witches possibly come to possess a giant voidship?
But possess it they do.
The Covenstead is an unusual craft, befitting its weird masters: more like some sort of ancient, obsidian-hewn cathedral than a vessel, the Covenstead serves as the focal point of the Anathema’s malevolent cult. While covens are found in all corners of known space, the Covenstead acts as a point of convergence, a place where leadership gathers to make their insidious plans.
The ship is usually located deep in null space, the great empty gulfs between worlds. It moves by means of dark Dim magicks, navigating without the normal aid of computerized telemetry and without faster-than-light engines. A dedicated cadre of witches maintains a persistent conduit to The Dim, drawing arcane powers across the divide in realities. Rarely is the ship directly involved in conflict, but when necessary, the Covenstead can unload a barrage of magic-infused firepower unlike anything else found in real space.
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To augment their own members, the witches have been known to make allies of other groups, often providing unsual power and knowledge in support of their own goals. The most famous instance is perhaps the first such alliance: it was the Anathema that came to the Havros in 0 EAO, offering the use of their portals to foster conquests beyond the Havros’ local space. While their plans were seemingly eventually foiled, their impact on the opening up of galactic travel echoes to this very day.
When flesh-and-blood allies are not enough, the Witches have been known to summon Voidwalkers, manifestations of The Dim given physical form within real space. Whether they are alive or merely puppets of the dark forces beyond, they nevertheless serve the Anathema, aiding them in their efforts to breach the boundaries between worlds.