Behind the Curtain: Which Witch? This Witch. Part II

In the first ever Behind the Curtain article, I wrote about the design and art of the six witches. In today's sequel, I would like to expand on them and begin explaining their personalities and roles in the story of Legion. As with all things, design informs lore and lore informs design, so we have worked hard to make sure that as many aspects of their personality come across both in the text of their cards and their place in the larger framework of Legion's lore. So, without further delay, let's jump right in.

-KOLOS-

Kolos is the witch associated with the Divine domain. In line with her domain's ideology, she is a very benevolent and protective soul. She is attentive to the needs of her followers, as well as others, however this does not mean that she is a doormat. Rather, much like the other aspect of Divine, Kolos is authoritative. Interfering with her tasks, or the tasks of those she has deemed under her protection, will draw the full force of her wrath. Like many other Divine characters, Kolos is very outspoken and defensive of her beliefs/ideals; however, unlike some Divine characters,  she does use her outspoken and strong convictions be used to forcefully align people to her viewpoint. The last personality aspect that I want to discuss is that she is literally a creator. With all six witches there are parallels that can be drawn between those of opposing ideologies (Divine/Infernal; Nature/Tech; and Mystic/Atomic). We've already introduced you to the art of Mirror Devil, and in that article we discussed how Devils are spawned from the blood of Lo'Nial. Like Lo'Nial, Kolos also spawns beings directly from herself: Angels.

In the larger framework of the story, Kolos acts a neutral party. She does not possess the traits of either a protagonist, or an antagonist. However she does play a prominent role in the story of the first set (more on this in the coming weeks).

-LO'NIAL-

Since I mentioned parallels in the earlier segment, I believe it is only fitting we tackle these in pairs. So, with that said, Lo'Nial is the witch associated with the Infernal domain. Much like Kolos, she is attentive, and authoritative. However, keeping in line with the ideology of the Infernal domain, she is only attentive to the needs of herself and her task. Where Kolos plays a prominent role in society, Lo'Nial is more aloof and passive. This isn't to say she is selfish, rather, she sticks to herself because she doesn't want to have anything disrupt her tasks. As discussed prior, Lo'Nial is also a creator in literal terms. Where Kolos creates Angels from pure light, Lo'Nial's trails of blood spawn Devils (think the creation myth of Pegasus in Greco-Roman mythology). Perculiarly, while insanity is a theme that repeatedly appears in the Infernal domain Lo'Nial is decidedly calm and sane. 

Her role in the story of Legion is as a neutral party (neither antagonist nor protagonist), however functionally she acts as a warden to the demonic prison of Kurthia (more on that next week).

-YULTIANA-

Yultiana is the witch associated with the Nature domain. Personality wise, she is a very maternal and benevolent figure. She acts as the protector and mentor of all the denizens of the Nature societies. To align herself with Nature's ideologies, she is very in-tune with the group as well as the natural cycles of the world. She is content though not opposed to change which she perceives as natural. Unlike the other witches, Yultiana is the most conflict adverse. She does not see the need for conflict when peaceful mediation can lead to an outcome that benefits as many people as possible. Whether this is a character flaw or not is up for debate, but it does mean she is a bit naive in her trust of others to do what is best for everyone. This also means that she does not explicitly gives orders to her followers, rather she simply acts as a confidant and mediator. 

Yultiana's role in the story is, once again, as a neither antagonist nor protagonist. In more specific terms: If you were to apply her to the Heroes Journey, she would be the role of the mentor.

-HELIA-

Helia is the witch associated with the Tech domain. Everything about Helia's personality is geared (pun intended), towards playing up the ideology of the Tech domain. She is a constantly in control of the situation, has no shortage of hubris, she is domineering, and sadistic. She is everything that can go wrong with the ideology of Tech rolled into one package. Like Kolos and Lo'Nial, Helia is incredibly authoritative; however, unlike those two witches, she uses her authoritative bent to assume a totalitarian role. She is brutally efficient, and efficient in her brutality. Uniquely, she is the most narcissistic of the witches; in blunt terms she has a serious god-complex, seeking to be in control of everything and everyone. She is thirsty for knowledge and secrets and will do anything to get them. 

Helia's role in the plot of Legion is antagonistic, and without spoiling too much, don't be surprised to she her hands in many different pies.

-ANAHITA-

Anahita is the witch associated with the Mystic domain. As with all things Mystic, she is incredibly knowledgable and learned. She is hard to be around from an existential point of view due to her timeless nature. Paradoxically, her agelessness and seemingly bottomless well of knowledge act as a lure to anyone seeking answers. Like Kolos and Yultiana, she is incredibly benevolent; like the rest of the Mystic orientated groups, she wishes to see everyone elevated to positions of power. She is intimidating but charismatic. She is both hypnotic and a calming presence, and merely being around her has a tendency to change the way one acts.

Where Helia acts as an antagonist, Anahita acts a protagonist. Serving as a catalyst for the larger narrative of Legion.

-Iradia-

The last of the six witches, Iradia, is probably the most straightforward. Being the witch associated with the Atomic domain, she is a free-spirit, creative, incredibly impulsive, and has no desire to live in an organized society. Where Anahita lives in a world of strict order, Iradia lives in a world of chaos. While she is aloof, she is not stupid. In fact, Iradia is deceptively wise. She is a fatalistic, recognizing that all things will eventually decay. Because of this, she is very spur of the moment in her behavior and choices; one moment she will be content with spending time among people who have carved out a permanent society among the harshness of the atomic wastes, and the next she will be leading the charge to raze it to the ground. If there is any consistency in her personality it is her bent towards acting as a revolutionary/reactionary figure. 

In the lore of Legion, Iradia is neutral in the truest sense of the word. She makes no allegiances, because she doesn't understand, or dislikes, the concept of loyalty. She is neither a protagonist nor an antagonist, because she is above those binaries.

As I have stated previously, a majority of people will inevitably be playing Legion for its innovative and fun gameplay, but there will exist a portion of people who are playing because they find the lore rich and engaging. For those people (as well as the people who fit into both categories), I hope the witches provide a great entry point into the lore of Legion.

Tune in next week when I talk about the locations that will be acting as the backdrop for the first two sets of Legion.