Ghil Lucant

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Convergence.png Ghil Lucant Convergence.png

Divinity Architect

Lucant.jpg

Race Human
Gender Male
Weapons Apogee
Birth Unknown
Father Ghil Lucant is the founder of the Convergence of Cyriss and one of the primary architects of modern Cyriss worship. He mastered the methods by which souls are moved into clockwork vessels, and shaped the structure of the organisation. It was Lucant who initiated the Great Work and now he marches to battle to ensure its completion.

History

In life, Lucant was a brilliant mathematical prodigy and astronomer, qualities that drew the attention of the early cult of Cyriss. It was while Lucant worked at the Cygnaran Royal Observatory that he was initiated into her priesthood and soon thereafter discovered the planet that bears his name. This achievement was a crucial moment for Lucant, who saw his faith vindicated in the orbits of the planets and the purity of mathematics.[1]

Lucant was invited to join the cult at the secret Foundry of Enumeration in 356 AR. He quickly absorbed all he was taught, mastering the control of vectors as a warcaster as well as showing talent at analysing the output of the Cipher Engine, a device allowing the goddess to communicate through encoded messages. He rose in rank quickly and became one of the most valuable assets of Fluxion Helicratus. It was during this time he joined the team working on the Anima Corpus Procedure, a project to transfer a soul into the body of a machine, led by Fluxion Helicratus and Forge Master Lucidia, which has proven to be exceptionally difficult. Lucant sought out Lucidia to learn some of the more advanced fabrication methods employed by her team. She was pleased at his interest and they developed a good rapport.[1]

In 360 AR, a short time after yet another failure to transfer a soul to a clockwork vessel, Lucidia invited Lucant to join an expedition to capture an iron lich, one of the sentient dead serving Cryx. She explained to him an iron lich was no more than a soul transferred into a machine body: Cryx had clearly managed to integrate their necromantic lore with technology. Lucant was initially troubled, but Lucidia did not pressure him into an immediate decision, and asked him to involve as few people as possible.[1]

Examining the numbers generated from the Cipher Engine, he knew his answer. As much as he was unsettled by Lucidia's plan and felt it was his duty to report to Helicratus, Lucant could not turn his back on scientific investigation. When he met up with Lucidia and her team of fourteen guardians and engineers, she explained the iron lich had been lured to a nearby cave by rumours of a previously undiscovered Orgoth occult repository.[1]

The ensuing battle against the iron lich saw five dead and two wounded, although in the end the mission was a success. Lucidia asked Lucant to bring the dead and wounded back to the Foundry, only informing they fell in her service, while she continues her research at her hidden laboratory. Lucant's return caused no stir: as he was a ranking enumerator, the guardian prefects accepted his explanation without clarification and the junior priests did not question him.[1]

Nearly a month later, Fluxion Helicratus asked all priests to attend a gathering where the forge master intended a demonstration. Lucidia brought in the body of the iron lich and announced to the priests the necromantic technology of Cryx had solved the very dilemma they're currently facing, awakening a widening ripple of agitated murmurs among the clergy. She then prepared to demonstrate her findings by reactivating the inert body of the iron lich with a soul chamber she's carrying in her hand, but Helicratus and the other priests interrupted and secured her. When Helicratus accuses her of heresy and submits she be made apostate, Lucidia asks Lucant to speak for reason.[1]

Lucant realises a person of Lucidia’s rank could be declared apostate only by the unanimous agreement of all enumerators and the ranking fluxion of a temple. The others had fallen in line, and it was down to him. As much as he regretted it, Lucant declared Lucidia guilty of blasphemy. He expected her to denounce him, to name his part in her scheme, but she did not. Lucant forced himself to watch her go, to acknowledge the grief he felt in the loss of one of the greatest minds he had known.[1]

Two months later Lucant received a series of writings from Lucidia, a compilation of research conducted after her interrogation and examination of the iron lich. The pages revealed remarkable insights into the lich’s phylactery, the machinery containing its soul, though they did not provide an immediate solution to the flaws in the Anima Corpus Procedure. He spent countless hours in secret analysis and conjecture, but over the following year Lucant became frustrated and convinced his efforts had no applicability.[1]

By the second year he began to take his efforts further and discovered the key to their repeated failures throughout the years. He guided Fluxion Helicratus through a process of altering their procedures - never once did he mention necromancy. By this point the fluxion’s health had begun to fail. Helicratus put himself forward, and Lucant was absolutely certain the process would succeed. The process went perfectly, and Helicratus became the first to experience the sublimity of transferring his immortal essence into a clockwork vessel.[1]

Lucant soon received a revelation by deciphering an extensive series of connected encrypted messages. It described a machine spanning all of Caen that would draw on the geomantic energy of the entire world through a vast lattice of conduits connecting hundreds of temple complexes. Once this creation was realized, Caen would become suitable for Cyriss to manifest, inhabiting the world machine as her vessel. This was the Great Work, the completion of which would require untold centuries of dedicated effort.[1]

In 363 AR, the Foundry of Enumeration fell under attack by an army of thralls. As he prepared to defend the temple, Lucant was severely wounded by an explosion before he discovered Lucidia was behind the attack. She forgave Lucant for speaking against her, but told him she was only doing what she had to do. Realising the temple was collapsing and his body failing, Lucant quickly had himself transferred into a clockwork vessel. He escaped the foundry, salvaging only the Cipher Engine and the knowledge of soul transference.[1]

Lucant immediately reassembled the Cipher Engine and began to organize the scattered cult toward the Great Work. 370 AR he called a meeting of every priest versed in the highest mysteries, leveraging both his previous standing and his existence as a clockwork vessel, tangible proof of the goddess’ miraculous guidance. This summit laid out the scope of the Great Work and defined an overarching leadership. Lucant was recognised as the first iron father, the head of the newly organised faith now known as the Convergence of Cyriss. He passed down tenets that would become the Nine Harmonics and form the core of their religion.[1]

In 390 AR, Lucant stepped down as iron father, but not before imposing a rule that this office could be held only for nine years consecutively, in an attempt to prevent stagnation in the leadership of the Convergence. He remained a figure of tremendous importance due to his special insight into the enigmata of the Cipher Engine, and was given the honorific of Divinity Architect for his role in founding the Convergence and would go on to advise subsequent leaders advancing the Great Work.[1]

Over the centuries Lucant has continued to study and decipher the messages of Cyriss in order to advise the faith in the Great Work. In recent years, his calculations indicated the time had come for the Phase of Alignment, when the Convergence must commit to war to acquire vital geomantic nodes held by rival groups.[1]

References

Preceded by:
Title created
Position:
Iron Father
470 AR - 490 AR
Succeeded by:
Unknown
Warcasters
Cygnar Allister CaineColeman StrykerConstance BlaizeDalin SturgisEdward Dominic DariusJeremiah KrayeKara SloanMarkus BrisbaneSebastian NemoVictoria Haley
Protectorate of Menoth Anson DurstFeoraMikael KreossSeveriusAmon Ad-RazaServath ReznikThe High ReclaimerHarbinger of MenothThyraVindictus
Khador Alexander KarchevAleksandra ZerkovaGurvaldt IruskOld Witch of KhadorOleg StrakhovOrsus ZoktavirSorscha KratikoffVladimir Tzepesci
Cryx AsphyxiousDalin SturgisDeneghraGoreshadeMortenebraScaverousSkarre RavenmaneTerminusVenethraxWitch Coven of Garlghast
Retribution of Scyrah Vyros NyarrIssyria NyarrRahn ShyeelThyron EllowuyrOssyan VyreKaelyssaRavynGarryth
Convergence of Cyriss AuroraAxisDirectrixGhil LucantSyntherion