| The Cardinal Sins | |
|---|---|
 From Left: Conrad, Orlok, Carmilla, Gideon, Lobo, Raven, Chaney | |
|
Affiliation |
Vampire Horde |
|
Leader |
Gideon |
|
Members |
Orlok, Carmilla, Lobo, Chaney, Raven, Conrad |
Distinguished by the red coats they wore, the Cardinal Sins are the most elite of the Vampire Horde's Reavers. They were greatly feared by even the other Reavers, as they were known to be maniacally bloodthirsty and difficult to control. Every single one of them was an S-Class fighter. When Kruger took control of the Horde, he boosted their power in order to further bind them to him. This gave them the ability to take on an Evolved Form.
Over a decade prior to the Fall of Jehda, Frett placed a series of glamours and seals on Gideon, Lobo and Chaney to hide their undead nature and alter their memories and had them enlist in SENTINEL. Seeming from all appearances to be worthy and talented recruits, they quickly distinguished themselves within the Order. As all 3 maintained the martial prowess they possessed in life, they ascended the ranks quickly with Gideon even becoming Captain of the 3rd Legion. However, they would actually be working under subliminal suggestion to be double agents for the Horde. Chief among these sabotages was the Hapes Disaster where Gideon and his subordinates managed to cause SENTINEL a devastating loss.
This operation came to a head when the Horde finally invaded Jehda in order to take possession of the Bloodstone Shards. Making sure his Legion would be among those sent to contain the situation, Gideon and the 3rd Legion arrived on Jehda with 2 other Legions. They even managed to capture the Magnificent 7 who were trying to escape the planet as the Horde gained the advantage. During a parlay with Kruger, he used the knowledge gained when he ate Frett to speak the command phrases that would give him control of the Cardinal Sins and he broke the seals on their power and memories. With their true purpose restored, Gideon, Lobo and Chaney betrayed their SENTINEL comrades and proceeded to open them up to slaughter by the Horde's forces. Afterwards the 3 rejoined the remaining 4 Cardinal Sins, finally reuniting the group after over a decade. WIth the Cardinal Sins under his control, Kruger and the Horde proceeded to wreak havoc across Shiva in their attempt to gain the Bloodstone Shards and use them to terrible purpose.
In life they were the famous heroes, a band of Knights called the Unforgiven who saved the Great Jehdan Imperium from the ambitions of Count Victor Kruger. They all died in that battle and were buried throughout the Imperium. When Frett appeared he raided their tombs and raised them as Vampires, erasing their memories of their prior lives and dedicating them to the service of Lilith.
Members[]
Gideon[]
Gideon in his Released Form fighting Oversaran Cain.
Leader of the Cardinal Sins, Gideon exists in a league of his own in terms of skill and power. In life, Gideon was the commander of the Unforgiven and the greatest hero in Jehdan history. However, his corpse was reanimated as a vampire by Frett, who planted him in SENTINEL to help in his war in the West Kingdom. Today, he is almost universally known and respected as one of the greatest SENTINEL Captains of all time, 3rd Legion Captain Gideon is an incredibly powerful and skilled warrior considered as second only to Captain Solo. However, he is still a loyal member of the Horde and willfully betrays SENTINEL for their cause. Of the Cardinal Sins, Gideon managed to avoid the twisted Evolved Form that Kruger tried to give him and instead manifest a True Vampire form. In life he was a master of a style of Aura Shaping similar to Infinite Arms, and as a Vampire he has adapted this into a new power called Bloody Arms.
Lobo[]
Formerly a 3rd Legion Sergeant, the stony faced Lobo is the older brother of Chaney and also a sleeper agent posing as a SENTINEL. When SENTINEL Command sent 5 Legions to Tanthalas, Lobo betrayed his former allies and destroyed the SENTINEL ships sent to pacify the situation. In his Evolved Form, Lobo transforms into a white werewolf. His upper body becomes increasingly more muscular with claws growing on his hands and feet, and his face becomes doglike with a mouth full of sharp fangs.
Chaney[]
Chaney is the younger brother of Lobo and the third Cardinal Sin hiding in SENTINEL. While he played the part of a loyal and dutiful SENTINEL Sergeant of the 3rd Legion as his cover, Chaney is actually a psychopath who delights in blood and torture. When he dropped his cover on the mission to Tanthalas he brutally murdered his partner. It is believed by the others that he pays lip service to devotion to Lilith, and is a member of the Cardinal Sins solely because it allows him to participate in wholesale slaughter.
Carmilla[]
A beautiful young woman who is completely ruthless. She has brown hair and a cold expression. She has a strong dislike of chauvinism, but is not above using feminine wiles to win fights. Carmilla’s Evolved Form grants her bat abilities. She gains bat-like wings and can use powerful sonic attacks.
Orlok[]
Orlok is an impossibly tall, lanky blind man who uses an energy whip. Rumor has it he ripped his eyes out himself as a show of devotion towards Lilith, but in truth his eyes were gouged out in life by Kruger. He covers his face with a cloth bearing the sigil of Lilith. Orlok’s Evolved Form powers manifest giving him spider like qualities in the form a tough exo-skeleton, extra arms, and an ability to shoot an acidic form of webbing.
Conrad[]
While extremely powerful, Conrad is also very lazy. He prefers relaxing and leisure to anything, but will react violently if someone or something tries to interrupt his good time. When faced with an opponent he would often try to talk them out of fighting so that he wouldn't have to do anything, but when forced he has a tendency to attack quickly and violently in order to get his fights over with quickly. Despite his detached demeanor, he hates hassles which often leads him to lose his patience with the antics of Chaney and Raven. In his regular form, Conrad has a swarthy complexion and a tall mohawk. In his Evolved Form, Konrad takes on fish traits and gains water powers.
Raven[]
A giant woman who loves to fight more than anything. She has no patience for the trappings of femininity, something Conrad takes perverse delight in needling her over. Raven has a gigantic muscular build and a shaved head. She goes out of her way to carry herself in a masculine fashion to the extent that Bruno was surprised to discover she was a woman when he fought her. When using her Evolved Form, Raven transforms into a massive and seemingly unstoppable apelike monster. Unlike the others, Raven loses all self control when she shifts into this form. She is actually the ancestor of Captain Phaedra, who resembles her greatly.
Trivia[]
- In life the Cardinal Sins were the Unforgiven, the greatest heroes in the history of the Jehdan Empire. When Count Kruger threatened the stability of the Imperium, a Knight named Gideon (secretly Kruger's bastard son who had a special hatred of his father) petitioned for permission to gather a team and fight him. He drew the members from death row prisoners who each had a vendetta against Kruger, many of whom fought alongside him during the Zohan Wars. Lobo and his brother Chaney were to be executed for being infected with lycanthropy. Carmilla had been a spy who used her sensual charms to ingratiate herself with her marks. Orlok had been found guilty of stealing from fellow Guardsmen and enemies alike. Conrad was sentenced to death for dereliction of duty while Raven had killed a high ranking prisoner who insulted her.
In order to hide their status as criminals, Gideon forged new identities for each of them. He became Sir Purple (or Captain Purple), Lobo became Sir Red, Chaney was Sir Orange, Orlok was Sir Yellow, Carmilla was Lady Pink, Raven was Sir Green and Conrad was Sir Blue. They would wear standard Imperial Guard armor with undersuits that corresponded to the color of their codename. It would be by these names that they would be remembered to the present day. Despite their inauspicious beginnings, under Gideon's leadership the group was united to a common purpose and became celebrated and loved by the Imperium. The mission to kill Kruger claimed each of their lives and they were interred with the highest honors the Imperium could give.
- As their name implies, each member of the group is representative of a particular sin. Gideon with his arrogance represents Pride, the wanton Carmilla is Lust, the eternally ravenous Chaney is Gluttony, the obsessive Orlok is Greed, the ever lazy Conrad is Sloth, moody Lobo is Wrath, and Raven and her desire to be man is Envy.
- When she was captured, Tei attempted to appeal to the Cardinal Sins by telling them of their past as the Unforgiven. However, her attempts to rekindle their ancient loyalty and virtue fell on deaf ears, as the Sins proceeded to mock their past identities as suckers who ultimately died for nothing.