Characters / WildStar The Exiles

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The Exiles

Capital: Thayd, Planet Nexus

"Y'all know about the Dominion, right? Well, them bastards like to cause trouble; they ain't starting a war on your planet, then they're probably blockading it with their starships, or ravaging it with their frikkin' machines! Anyway, since a bunch of us got run off our homeworlds, we figured it would be a good idea to join forces and that's how the Exiles came to be! The end!"

A rag-tag alliance outcasts and rebels, the Exiles are the Dominion's main political rival in the ongoing effort to colonize and reclaim the Eldan planet of Nexus. Founded three hundred years ago by the disgruntled remnants of primarily Lowborn Cassian rebels in the Cassian Civil War, the Exiles have since grown to include the Granok, the Mordesh, and the Aurin. Their primary fleet remains in orbit around Nexus, from where they coordinate their attempts to settle the planets and hit back at their bitter enemies.

United by a common hatred against the Dominion and a desire to be free of their imperialistic goals, the Exiles are fierce, scrappy, and eager to hit out against the empire that ran them off.

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• The Alliance: A tenuous one, but still pretty strong.
• Army of Thieves and Whores: There is little honest work out in the Fringe, especially with the Dominion prohibiting any allies from aiding them.
  Thayd NPC: The Dominion may have resources, but we Exiles have ingenuity! Well, that and we keep stealing their stuff.
• Determinator: They've survived three hundred years aboard a crumbling, battered fleet (Humans), fought a war against the Dominion and drove them off their home planet entirely (Granok), remained resolute in the face of attempted planetary genocide (Aurin), and defied all known science to keep themselves from succumbing to the horrifying side-effects of the Contagion (Mordesh). If anything, the Exiles are defined by their simple refusal to give up.
• Emotions vs. Stoicism: Not as a whole, but Exile leadership is notably more motivated by personal, emotional reasons in the war against the Dominion, including but not limited to loss of loved ones and revenge, as a result of Dominion aggression. Dominion leadership, on the other hand, is far more calculating and meticulous in their reasoning for the war — sure, the Exiles did slight them a number of times, but they're ultimately just another obstacle in the path to total galactic conquest.
• Fighting for a Homeland: They intend to make Nexus their new home, and they'll fight tooth and nail to keep it, seeing as they have nowhere else in the galaxy to go.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: As far as racial stereotypes go, the Exiles can be divided into the following:
  • Aurin are Phlegmatic, being generally the most spiritually-attuned and friendliest of the group.
  • Exile Humans are Sanguine, being the leaders of the Exiles and the most charismatic and driven of the bunch.
  • Granok are Choleric, being hot-headed, eager to fight, and very quick to anger.
  • Mordesh are Melancholic, being introverted, analytical, and deeply pessimistic as a whole.
• Foil: To the Dominion, obviously:
  • While the Dominion is a powerful, galaxy-spanning empire with a millennia of history, the Exiles are a relatively new and smaller faction of upstarts with very little power on their own.
  • Aesthetically, the Dominion's colours are a bold and striking combination of reds, golds, whites and the occasional black, whilst the Exiles' colour palettes tend towards more humble, muted shades of blues, greens and bronzes. Dominion architecture is sleek, elegant, and bold, whilst Exile architecture is rustic, practical, and lacking in ornamentation as a result of needing to scavange and reuse what they can.
  • In terms of culture, the Dominion is a highly-organized, stratified society divided along clear lines, and highly efficient, while the Exiles are more disorganized and egalitarian.
• Generation Ship: Lived on board the starships, with many inhabitants sleeping in Cryo Sleep, for approximately 300 years after their ancestors were either rebels of the Cassian Civil War or exiled from their homeplanet.
• La Résistance: How the Exiles initially started out before more races joined them.
• Order Versus Chaos: The Chaos to the Dominion's Order. This difference in philosophy is at the heart of the conflict and ultimately a fundamental component to understanding why the Exiles and the Dominion are at war: The Dominion seeks to impose order on the entire galaxy by any means possible, while the Exiles seek to free themselves from said order and establish themselves without outside influence.
• Outlaw: Or, well, an entire faction of outlaws. They're pretty much considered this by the Dominion, and any outsiders — save for a handful of neutral entities — that attempt to actively aid them will be punished, as the Aurin can attest to.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Well, so far they've managed to start a (planetary) war with Falkrin, started a squirg apocalypse in Whitevale, and they accidentally reactivate numerous Eldan sites with Augmentators and dangerous weapons. In general, the Exiles tend to leave a lot of collateral damage in their wake as a result of their eagerness to gain an advantage over the Dominion.
• Space Cossacks: Ever since their ancestors failed to overthrow the Dominion during the Brightland Rebellion, the remnants have fallen back to the Fringe before the discovery of Nexus. In addition, many of the species that later joined them also joined in as the Dominion expanded.
• We ARE Struggling Together: There's an undercurrent of friction between the various parts of the Exile government: Avra Darkos makes no attempts to hide her disdain for Dr. Lazarin, Deadeye and Dorian dislike one another immensely, and Arwick and Durek tend to advocate for more reckless or aggressive military action that clashes with everyone else's more strategic ideas. In addition, there's several culture clashes presented throughout the game: The Granok tend to find Aurin too 'tree-huggy' for their liking, both Mordesh and Aurin tend to view the Granok as crude, Humans are seen as pushy, and everyone is creeped out by the Mordesh.

Races

Exile Humans

Exile Humans

Average Exile human male

Home Planet: Cassus (formerly)

"Let me tell you about us—humans, that is. We are stubborn folk, ain't the kind to back down from a fight! And no we ain't inbred! (Most of us, anyway...)"

300 years ago, Admiral Serrick Brightland, tired of the Dominion's ever-worsening oppression of its own people, staged a rebellion. With numerous allies and the strength of the common folk, they managed to break away from the Dominion, seeking refuge in the unknown spaces of the galaxy's Fringe, as wanted criminals and exiles.

The Exile humans are the descendants of those rebels, trying to make a living and get the Dominion off their backs. They are stubborn, hard-working, and generally more practical than their Cassian counterparts.

Exile Humans prefer solving their own problems, and judge a person's worth based on how much weight they can carry on their back. Spending three hundred years isolated on a crumbling fleet with four other races has slowly bled out any and all Cassian sophistication and mannerisms.

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• Deep South: The British and Cockney accents from Cassus eventually evolved into American and Southerner accents, much like in real life.
• Defector from Decadence: Their origin story - Exile humans are descended from Lowborn Cassian rebels who were unhappy with being treated as second-class citizens.
• The Leader: They get along well with the other races of the Exiles and are, in many ways, the heart that keeps the motley group together.
• Luke Nounverber: Typical Exiles Humans' surname are based on this trope compared to Cassian's Pseudo-Latin surnames along with Lowborn's Noun-based ones.
• Lowerclass Lout/Working-Class Hero: Exile humans are generally down-to-earth compared to their sophisticated Cassian cousins because most of the Exiles are descendants of Lowborns who were marginalized after Ancestral Decree.
• Oh, My Gods!: Patriarch Serrick Brightland fits this purpose, despite being a mortal. "Brightland's Beard!" or "By Brightland's Beard!" are, both common.
• Parts Unknown: In the Shades' Eve event, there is a lore book called, "Jack Shades on His Way" in the house at the end of the forest. It mentions that a long time ago humans arrived on the planet later called Cassus: A new home after spending so many centuries in deep space in which they were traveling from an unknown planet. Which planet it is/was is never mentioned.
  • Generation Xerox/History Repeats: The Exile humans are once again searching for a home, except this time they're waging wars against their Cassian counterparts to keep said home - with those Cassians, ironically, also descending from the very same settlers that came to Cassus.
• Southern-Fried Genius: The Exile humans have no shortage of intelligent persons, all of which still speak and act like stereotypical Southerners.
• Space People: Being on the run from Dominion for 3 centuries on Generation Ships caused them to become adapted to life in space. They typically don't suffer from ailments such as space madness or cryosickness as much as their Cassian counterparts.

Aurin

Aurin

Average Aurin female

Home Planet: Arboria

"Then there's the Aurin. You might call them scrappy, protectors of nature and the like? They also got these big furry ears, and tails... some people are into that. Yeah I know: weird."

Hailing from Arboria, a lush, verdant planet in the midst of the desolation and seediness of the Fringe, the Aurin are a peaceful race of hunter-gatherers, safeguarding the ecological balance of their planet, with the help of an empathic link to plant life they call "the Weave". The Exiles accidentally stumbled upon the planet during a search for resources, and the two groups quickly became friends.

The Exiles were careful not to leave any tracks back to their Aurin friends, but you can only hide from the Dominion for so long...

Their planet now ravaged and occupied by the Dominion's Planet Reapers, the Aurin fight to protect Nexus forests and eventually, take back their homeworld from the Dominion.

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• Berserk Button: Do not mess with nature or they will gut you.
• Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: Downplayed, but still very apparent-
  • Aurin males are the shorter of the species. This also reflects in their society, as females are the ones in power.
  • Females also have more outlandish ears than males. While males all have reasonably realistic (by our standards) ears, females can get bat-wing and angel-wing ears, and it's oftentimes been commented on that they look more like novelty headbands than a functional body part.
• Earthy Barefoot Character: Many of the Aurin NPCs go semi-barefoot. Players can, too, if they toggle off shoes in the costume menu.
• Fantastic Slurs: "(barely sentient) Tree Rats"
• Foil:
  • To Chuas. Both come from lush environment, have animal-like features and are the smallest race of their respective faction. But Aurins revere nature while Chuas have no qualms in destroying it.
  • Also to Drakens. Aurins and Drakens share a similar silhouette, but Drakens are much more ferocious looking. Both also come from forest environments, and while Drakens' traditions of strength have earned them their place amongst the Dominion, Aurins' tradition of generosity has led to their destruction.
• Killer Rabbit: They are adorable. They are also blindingly lethal when ticked off.
• Little Bit Beastly: Despite their elongated limbs, shorter stature, and feline eyes, many still see the Aurin as just humans with animal ears and tails.
• Oh, My Gods!:
  By the sacred bloom of the Mother Tree!
  Mother of the Matriarchs!
• Matriarchy: Aurin society is predominantly ruled by women. Though there's no active discrimination against men, the highest positions within military and government are exclusively occupied by women.
• Naïve Newcomer: The Aurin are the newest addition to the Exile alliance, and are thus eager to prove themselves and be useful in the fight against the Dominion. Whilst they have experienced the brutality of the empire's ruthlessness firsthand, they haven't been spacefaring for long and haven't been involved in the war long enough compared to the other Exile races, making them this.
• Planet of Hats: All Aurin are nature-lovers, to various degrees and in different ways.
• Polyamory: Aurin often have multiple lovers. Matriarchs don't marry, but may have multiple romantic and/or non-romantic consorts (male and female).
• Psychic Link: All Aurin have an empathic link with nature, being able to communicate with trees and "The Weave," the life energy that connects all living things. Females, and by extension Matrias, have the strongest links.
• Space Elves: Long-eared arboreals with a deep connection to the "magical" forces of the world. And akimbo mag-pistols.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With the Mordesh. While they still consider them creepy, they are shown to be more than willing to work with them, oftentimes striking up odd friendships. They will also tolerate the Mordesh's experiments and needs to a certain extent, like drilling into the forests for Primal Life, an essential ingredient to Vitalus serum.

Granok

Granok

Average Granok male

Home Planet: Gnox

"Finally we got the Granok. They're big, tough, giant rock people, I mean they are bad-ass. Of course most of them got more boulders than brains! Yep, that means just what it sounds like."

The Granok lived a simple life on Gnox, butting heads, getting drunk, and hooking up, in no particular order. They followed a rigid system of belief known as the Way of Stone, which dictated that they ought to be as unyielding as the stone they were made out of. Despite — or maybe because of — this, the Granok were excellent military tacticians and fierce warriors. Hoping to harness this power for the Dominion, a team of Mechari envoys were sent to Gnox to negotiate their assimilation into the Dominion. The Granok responded to their offer by smashing the envoys into scrap.

Thus began the War on Gnox, a lengthy, bloody engagement between the Dominion and the united Granok nations. The war stretched on for months due to Granok stubbornness and sheer force of will, but eventually the Dominion began to gain the upper hand. The Granok armies began to lay down their weapons, believing it dishonorable and against the Way to continue fighting when the war was so obviously lost.

One young Granok warlord named Durek disagreed, and banded together a small group of like-minded people, performing daring raids into Dominion camps to steal their technology and reverse-engineer it against the Dominion. (This was against the Way as well.) Durek amassed hundreds if not thousands of followers, eventually driving the Dominion off Gnox in their first major defeat ever recorded.

But Durek was summoned before the Elders of Gnox, where it was determined he had violated the creed set down by the Way. He and all his followers were banished from Gnox, without reconsideration, and Durek was branded the Stonebreaker from then on. He and his followers made some left-behind Dominion ships spaceworthy and took to the stars as mercenaries for hire, eventually siding with the Exile Humans some time later. They work now as a paid army for the Exiles as a whole, though some fringe groups prefer not to associate with the majority.

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• The Alcoholic: Beer is a very serious business among the Granok, and "Brewmaster" is not a position you hold lightly.
• Bash Brothers: Granok and Exile Humans get along quite well as they share the same stubborn temperament, sense of humor, and an extreme dislike for the Dominion.
• The Big Guy: They are the muscle of the Exiles; happiest when they're boozing, hooking up, brawling, or a combination of all three.
• Bizarre Alien Biology: One occasionally sees Granok with huge chunks carved out of their faces and heads. The reason why this doesn't cause brain trauma? Their brains are in their chests.
• Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: The male Granok look as you would expect: blocky, huge, with cracks in their skin from weathering. The female Granok, on the other hand, resemble muscular Greek statues with thunder-thighs.
• Brooklyn Rage: Many of them sport a Brooklyn-esque accent, sometimes melding with the Exile Humans' southern accents.
• Dumb Muscle: Zig-Zagged. There are in fact, Granok scientists, but they do seem to be pretty rare or just unheard of. Like their Evil Counterpart, the Draken, they just don't care for fancy, high-brow pursuits.
• Foil: To Drakens. Both are their respective factions'"stout race" and value strength and tradition, but Drakens ended up aligning with the Dominion, with their traditions fitting perfectly with it, Granoks' pride opposed them to the Dominion, and those who forwent the way of the Stone were exiled by their elders.
• Genocide Backfire: The result of trying to kill off every single Granok on Gnox? An exiled masse of vengeful, war-toughened veterans ready to kick every single Dominion ass.
• Planet of Hats: Most, if not every Granok, is a beer-swilling bombastic bodacious boulder-cracker. Back home, most if not every Granok is a beer-swilling bombastic bodacious boulder-cracker — who also follows the Way of Stone. Also subverted, but not in the game itself: the Granok did at one point have a variety of religions not unlike Earth, but the Way is what's emerged as dominant within the last 10,000 years.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: The reason they're stuck with the Exiles: First they smashed the Mechari ambassadors to scrap, then Durek and his troops went against the tradition of Gnox and used 'dishonorable tactics' such as harnessing Dominion technology for their own benefit. Most Granok NPCs maintain the same defiant attitude.
• Silicon-Based Life: Granok are "primal-earth"-based organisms, what us humans would call silicone-based- though they have squishy organs on the inside.
• You Can't Go Home Again: The Granok on Nexus were banished from their homeworld by their elders. When the younger Granok raided Dominion bases for weapons and tech to fight off the invaders, the elders (who were ready to accept defeat and death) believed them to have betrayed their race's tradition (the Way of Stone), and cast them out.
  Who needs Gnox? We've got Nexus now.

Mordesh

Mordesh

Average Mordesh male

Home Planet: Grismara

"They call themselves the Mordesh. I call 'em weird and creepy. Infected with some kind of disease. That being said, they sure do know a lot about science, and alchemy and the like. Though from what I gather, it's the forbidden kind."

As some of the galaxy's most skilled alchemists, the Mordesh were renowned for their beauty, culture, and ability to bend the very laws of nature with their concoctions. It all came to a head when Victor Lazarin, arguably the most brilliant of the bunch, created the Everlife Elixir, a potion that granted instant rejuvenation and immortality.

Within weeks, however, the formula would prove unstable, turning into what is now known as the Contagion. Their bodies and minds started rotting while an insatiable hunger for flesh set in, turning them into violent, hard-to-kill cannibals christened "Ravenous."

The man who doomed his entire race eventually saved it — at least temporarily — with Vitalus serum, a compound that delayed the Contagion's effects. Immortal, and with only their supplies of the precious serum their limit, the Mordesh seek a cure for their curse.

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• Added Alliterative Appeal: The Mordesh have a lovely lyrical and almost always alliterative style to their speech.
• Artificial Limbs: Being constantly rotting and wasting away, more than a few Mordesh have had to replace their body parts with robotic versions. Every Mordesh also has a Vitalus delivery system, attached by replacing entire sections of their arms, joints, and chests.
• Cyborg: Thanks to their constant decay from Everlife Elixir, the Mordesh used cybernetics to both replace their missing body parts and attach Vitalus filters.
• Dying Race: Not only did the Contagion ravage their numbers, but it left the entire species sterile, even the few "sane" survivors with Vitalus Serum. Meaning that the playable and NPC Mordesh are last of the species.
• Exact Words: The Everlife Elixir did, in fact, grant them immortality, though not in the manner they wanted.
• Fantastic Slurs: Do not call them "space zombies."
• Foil: To Mecharis. They have similar body types, are both the more intellectual race, closely associated with their respective intelligence services and both have "inhumane" parts, with Mordesh being both rotten and having cybernetic implants while Mecharis are more or less robots. They differ in that the Mecharis are a crucial part of the Dominion while the Mordesh are more aloof Black Sheeps amongst the Exiles
• Immortal Procreation Clause: Due to their consumption of Everlife Elixir, they are effectively immortal had it not been for side effects and its ensuing inability to have children.
• Our Zombies Are Different: Mordesh became zombie-like as a result of the Everlife Elixir causing their bodies to decay quickly. Those who don't receive the Vitalus Serum after infection eventually lose their minds as well, becoming blood-thirsty flesh-hungry monsters.
• Space Elves: Pointy ears aside, there's also their advanced culture, fall from grace, and more reserved demeanour. Interestingly, elves are sometimes portrayed as immortal in fiction, while the Mordesh attempted immortality... with horrific results.
• Technically-Living Zombie: Mordesh never really died; they're just slowly rotting away.
• Wicked Cultured: Not even the collapse of their entire civilization, a horrific degenerative disease, and 80 years on the Exile fleet could stop them from being proper ladies and gentlemen.
• Vitriolic Best Friends: With the Aurin, commonly observed arguing about science in regards to nature but as shown in Everstar Grove and Celestion are more then willing to fight alongside the Aurin due to sharing a viewpoint on the importance of preserving life.

Government

Admiral Brightland

Admiral Serrick Brightland

Species: Human

Patriarch of the Exiles, Admiral Serrick Brightland led his eponymous rebellion up until the Fleet escaped to the Fringe. After sustaining grave injuries beyond the skills of the Fleet's doctors, he was put into cryostasis to await the day they can bring him back to life.

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• Defector from Decadence: Was the one who instigated the first true Exile rebellions in the wake of the Dominion forcing Eldan and Luminai worship on its member-states. As he was one of the most highly decorated admirals in the entire fleet, Brightland threw a lot away.
• Human Popsicle: Presently in cryostasis until his wounds can be healed.
• Manly Facial Hair: Good lord. There is very good reason that the most common epithet is "Brightland's Beard!"

Deadeye Brightland

Aron "Deadeye" Brightland

Species: Human

Voiced By: Troy Baker

"I ain't one to ask for help! Unless I ain't got a choice in the matter."

Human. "The Last Brightland," and the human representative in Exile councils, although he holds no official position of leadership.

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• Badass Longcoat: His main threads.
• Bounty Hunter: Worked as one, after hunting literal vermin onboard Exile slum-ships since he was five years old.
• Cowboy: He certainly look like one.
• Expy: He bears a striking resemblance to Nico Okarr.
• The Gunslinger: Prefers two pistols as his weapons of choice. He is a damn good shot with them, missing an eye or not.
• Heartbroken Badass: During and immediately after the events of the Northern Wilds, he has shades of this. While he'll still shoot most anyone who gets in his way or the Exiles, he's just not the same. The holo memorial of his pregnant wife is very telling.
• The Last of His Kind: Thanks to the Brightland family's perennial case of Chronic Hero Syndrome and a tragic accident that took his parents, Deadeye is also known as the "Last Brightland" until his wife Sadie conceives. With said wife and baby's ashes now scattered all over the Northern Wilds, the title has been reinstated.
• The Lost Lenore: He goes a little revenge crazy after his wife and child's death during the Northern Wilds arc.
• Skyward Scream: His reaction when his wife is killed.
• Street Urchin: Became one on Exile fleet after his mother's death at his birth and his father's death at five years old.
  "My mother called me Aron once. ''Once''."
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: If only he could try to get along with Dorian Walker. He only accompanied Dorian for the Vault of the Archon Expedition because Dorian's daughter Belle requested it.
  Dorian: I wish ya weren't glum all the time, slick.
  Deadeye: You'd better get used to it, Walker.
  Dorian: Everyone's lost someone, ya know. Sometimes ya just gotta dust yourself off and keep movin'.
  Deadeye: Better shut your yap, old man, or you'll end up with a bullet in it.

Queen Myala Everstar

Queen Myala Everstar

Species: Aurin

Voiced By: Kate Higgins

"Hate to pull the "Queen" card on ya, but this is urgent!"

Young and new to the throne, Queen Myala Everstar welcomed the arrival of the Human Exiles on Arboria, witnessed the Dominion ravage her homeworld and people, and was forced to abandon her people during the evacuations. Now she acts as one of the pillars of Exile government.

She wears a "Living Crown" on her head that allows her to maintain a connection to the Aurin and trees left back on Arboria, particularly the "Mother Tree."

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• The Cutie:
  • She has this "How do I queen?" vibe to her which is positively adorable...
    Myala: Speaking on behalf of the Aurin people—which I think I can do!—thank you.
    Myala: You're doing great! And you're, uh, gonna keep doing great!
  • And sometimes just plain depressing.
    Myala: No more people getting hurt... and that's an official order!
• Little Bit Beastly: Is an Aurin, so really, comes as no surprise. Her crown and luxurious hair tend to hide the kitty ears, though.
• Motivational Kiss: Gives one to Arwick to make him leave her behind so he can scout ahead to make sure their escape from Everstar Grove is safe.
• Psychic Link: Through the Living Crown, to her homeworld of Arboria and all the trees there.
• Psychic Powers: According to a Scientist scan, she is an Esper, though based off the Dominion tutorial, she uses a staff as a focus instead of a psyblade which may be a reference to a scrapped class such as Shadow Monk◊ or Elementalist.
• Stepford Smiler: Keeps up appearances, but it's obvious that her empathic link to Arboria and the trauma of it all is physically, mentally, and spiritually getting to her.

Arwick Redleaf

Arwick Redleaf

Species: Aurin

Voiced By: Adam Wylie

"Death is a natural part of the Weave! (That means it's okay to kill them!)"

Aurin. First Consort to Queen Myala Everstar, and second only to her in authority. He is more military minded than most Aurin, a vicious blademaster and hungry for revenge. Only time will tell whether or not this will be his downfall.

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• Ninja: He is portrayed as a Stalker in this cutscene.
• War Hawk: He's always the one guy among the otherwise mostly pacifist Aurin leadership who will argue for offensive operations against the Dominion, usually enlisting the player character's help.

Exile Academy of Science (XAS)

The Exiles' center of research and development.

Dr. Victor Lazarin

Dr. Victor Lazarin

Species: Mordesh

Voiced By: Jim Cummings

"We murder the few so the many may—actually, they'll probably die, too."

Mordesh. One of Grismara's most brilliant alchemists, creator of the Everlife Elixir, which gave his people immortality; the Contagion, which rotted their bodies and drove them insane; and Vitalus serum, which keeps the Mordesh from decaying even more than they already have. A vital member of the Exile Fleet's medical community, he has succeeded in containing a number of outbreaks with very limited resources.

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• Absent-Minded Professor: Though he's not an extreme example of this trope, his daughter Lucy implies that Victor gets so caught up in work that he forgets mundane details. Like running out of supplies...
• Benevolent Boss: In contrast to his Dominion counterpart, Mondo Zax. Although Victor sometimes jokes (at least, one hopes) about the fates of his previous assistants, he shows genuine concern and appreciation for those working with him.
• Black Comedy: Fond of it.
  Victor: I was wondering what kept you! I presumed it was "Death," but that's just my way.
• Deadpan Snarker: Victor has developed a pretty black, dry sense of humour after dooming his species to extinction.
  Victor: Destiny can be a difficult burden to bear... especially when you're basically a zombie.
• Determinator: Suffers one tragedy after another, and almost gives up in Blighthaven. However, he keeps going.
• Friendly Enemy: Of a sort, with Mondo Zax. Both are Mad Scientists who belong to their faction's "Black Sheep" race and both tend to send "gifts" in the form of dangerous experiments to one another.
• Heartbroken Badass:
  • Unafraid of delving into the deepest, darkest mysteries of alchemy! Mostly driven by a desire to amend his greatest mistake, the Everlife Elixir, made in the midst of a depression from his wife's death during childbirth.
  • Poor Victor is even more heartbroken after Lucy dies in Blighthaven. He decides to keep fighting.
    Victor: Despair will not determine my destiny.
• The Lost Lenore: Sorta, kinda went off the deep-end when his wife died during childbirth.
  • As of Strain Ultradrop, Lucy Lazarin became one.
• Mad Scientist: If you ever need a harmless little critter turned into a ravaging truck-sized monstrosity, he's your man.
• Must Make Amends: Doomed his entire species, then saved what was left. He is also vital to containing all manner of virulent outbreak or solving the medical mysteries bound to plague the Exiles.
• Nightmare Fetishist: During one questline, you have the option of bringing him back a gift - a skull from a weird and very grotesque creature. Victor is absolutely thrilled.
  Victor: Ah, excellent! What a grisly gift! And you thought to bring it to me. How flattering!
• Self-Deprecation
  Victor: I wish you luck. But, coming from me, that might not be beneficial.

Dr. Belle Walker

Dr. Belinda "Belle" Walker

Species: Human

Voiced By: Laura Bailey

"Shootin' stars, sugar, I'm just making it up as I go! Seems to work well so far."

Human. Dorian Walker's daughter, every bit as adventurous as her father, though in this time in the field of science. One of the most prominent members of XAS.

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• Daddy's Girl: It's clear Belle loves her father very much, and often worries about him when he's off exploring
• Missing Mom: She had died long ago, taken by Spacer's Plague.
• Southern Belle / Southern-Fried Genius : Speaks like, and cordial as, a Southern Belle; one of the Exile's most prominent geniuses and capable of tinkering and activating anything, no prior knowledge or understanding of how it even works.
• Technopath: At one point in the game's story, Belle is captured and forcibly taken to be augmented after exploring an Eldan facility. Thankfully, the player rescues her before the process turns her into a mindless slave, but it leaves her with the ability to interface and access Eldan technology. She gains green lines all over her body and glowing green eyes when doing so.

Rusty and Bolt

Rusty and Bolt

"Oh, I just know Belle is going to come through! She's the best, you know?"

—Rusty

"My hero... now I know who to blame."

—Bolt

Belle's Scan-Bots. Voiced with pre-programmed personalities, Rusty is highly enthusiastic and optimistic, while Bolt is snarky and pessimistic.

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• Deadpan Snarker / The Pessimist: Bolt.
• Keet / The Idealist: Rusty.

Liara

Liara

Species: Aurin

Voiced By: Tara Strong

"Every life on this planet is precious! ... Except that one."

An esper botanist, seen in the debut/Blur trailer.

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• Impossibly-Low Neckline: Her aforementioned corset top.
• Little Bit Beastly: Aurin, so it goes with. Big, slim rabbit ears and a long cat-like tail.
• Psychic Powers: Uses telekinesis to fight as an Esper.

Lucy Lazarin

Lucy Lazarin

Species: Mordesh

Voiced By: Unknown

"My father is a genius. With enough time and ingredients, he can do anything!"

Victor Lazarin's daughter and assistant.

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• Daddy's Girl: Noticeably, she's the only canon Mordesh who doesn't have a beef with Lazarin, and actually cheers him on, remaining quite confident in his alchemical skills.
• Friend to All Living Things: Subverted. Lucy is often found in the company of animals... but these are usually her test subjects. In Blighthaven, she gushes over the cuteness of a golden jabbit before stating that she intends to dissect it to find a cure for the contagion.
• Horror Hunger: After she is corrupted by the Strain.
  Lucy: Father? What is happening to me... the hunger! It consumes me!
• Living Emotional Crutch: To her father. To the extent that he almost gives up entirely after she dies.
• Mad Scientist: It runs in the family.
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Subverted. Lucy is beautiful, but far less sheltered and innocent than most examples. She is also a brilliant scientist in her own right.
• The Reliable One: Despite being a Mad Scientist, Lucy appears to be far more grounded than her father. At one point she outright states that Victor forgets how they can run out of supplies, and sends the player off to gather more.
  • In Wilderrun she also warns her father that it is too early to start using the experimental cure for the Strain. Victor goes ahead with it anyway, hoping to save his infected friend. Guess who was right.

Free Companies of Nexus (FCON)

The Exile voluntary militia, which serves as the paid military force for the Exiles as a whole.

FCON as a group

• Added Alliterative Appeal: Many units in FCON army use this trope, such as Kriton's Commandos and Durek's Destroyers. When a unit commander dies, the name is adapted to the new commander's name.
• Badass Army: Many units, especially famous ones led by Granok, are competent fighters despite being poorly equipped compared to the Dominion.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: They only wear one pauldron on their left shoulder.
• Fun with Acronyms: FCON stands for Free Companies Of Nexus.
• Private Military Contractors: They'll work for the highest bidder, as long as said highest bidder isn't the Dominion.
• Mildly Military: Their basic uniform is a tank top worn over a brown sleeveless shirt and a hat. They also lack strict dress code and formality, except saluting to the commanding officer, compared to the Dominion Legions.
• Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: As a result of hiring anyone who can bear arms, whether it's gun or blade.
• Sergeant Rock: More literal in sense, due to majority of them being war-hardened and charismatic Granoks.

Commander Stonebreaker

Commander Durek Stonebreaker

Species: Granok

Voiced By: Travis Willingham

"There's FUBAR, then there's what we got here."

The young warlord who stole Dominion weapons on Gnox, saved his species from extinction, and was summarily thanked by being exiled from his home planet, along with all those who followed him. He now serves as the leader of the Free Companies of Nexus (FCON), the Exiles' voluntary militia.

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• Can't Take Criticism: His response to Sergeant Kara (his second-in-command) telling him that shelling the Falkrin temple in Galeras is a bad idea is to blow her off. When it results in another war and Sergeant Kara tells him she thinks his priorities are out of order, he snaps at her—
  Don't you dare talk to me about priorities! You weren't there when the Dominion came to Gnox.
• Foil: To Kezrek Warbringer, but in a different sense. Durek is shown to have less restraint in his desire for vengeance against the Dominion without concern for other issues (like proper munitions storage, or the whole Falkrin debacle) while Kezrek is shown to be more competent and cool-headed in his conduct. This is somewhat ironic, since Draken are typically stereotyped to be violence-driven barbarians, while Granok are more relaxed and informal.
• Frontline General: When things get especially hairy, he takes joy in personally dropping down to sort them out. He doesn't lead his own FCON company just for show, after all.
• General Ripper: His (understandable) hatred for the Dominion drives him into some very bad decisions, like shelling a native temple where a few Dominion troopers had gone to ground and in the process kicking off a costly conflict with the native Falkrin.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Saved his entire species from extinction! Exiled soon afterwards. By his own father.
• Parental Substitute: To Sergeant Kara. While she was technically raised by all the Destroyers, Durek leads the company, so is her "father", so to speak. He even shows the classic over-protectiveness, on the eve of her first real combat deployment.
• Rugged Scar: His right eye, part of his cheek and his entire nose were all gouged out at some point. This doesn't stop him from cultivating a deserved reputation as one of the most feared Exiles in the Fringe.
• Silicon-Based Life: As with all Granok, he is made out of "living stone", or Primal Earth.
• Screw Destiny: Instead of accepting death at the hands of the vastly better equipped Dominion, he decided to rally other like-minded Granok to his cause and stole Dominion equipment to use against them.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Despite being the Commander of his own unit and FCON as a whole, Durek charges into battle with nothing but a bandolier and some pauldrons on his torso.

Sarge

Sarge

Species: Granok

Voiced By: Jim Cummings

"Listen, lady, I'm just tryin' to doing my job here, not join the flower patrol."

Granok. A Warrior mercenary escorting Buck and Liara in the cinematic trailer. Hosts the Warplots flick and is featured in the Jumpstart Pack flick.

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• Ash Face: At the end of the "Warplots" flick.
  Sarge: [coughs, then grins] ...I think we won.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center:
  • Liara remarks on this in her interview with MMORPG.com, but wouldn't recommend saying this to his face.
    MMORPG.com: And how about the Granok? Did you two get along?
    Liara: The Sarge? Oh, sure. He's just a big softie. I mean, he likes to talk tough, but deep down inside he's really a sensitive guy.
    MMORPG.com: Really? Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?
    Liara: Of course! You just need to get to know him. He tries to make everyone think that that he’s a big, mean mercenary who likes to fight and drink and blow things up, but there’s nothing wrong with him that I couldn’t fix with a big hug.
  • ...and in the Jumpstart Pack flick, we see him carefully arranging a hilariously large tea party with an enormous amount of stuffed animals while not noticing the emergency distress call from his subordinates far away in battle.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": No one knows his real name; everyone just calls him Sarge.
• Explosive Cigar: He uses them as incendiary grenades.
• Sergeant Rock: In a sense that he's both a living rock and his name being reference to his rank.
• Silicon-Based Life: As with all Granok, he is made out of "living stone."
• This Is Gonna Suck: At the end of the "Warplots" flick after realizing that he went a little overboard with an orbital strike.

Kara

Sergeant Kara

Species: Granok

Voiced By: Pamela Tyson

A member of Durek's Destroyers, she is the Commander's right-hand woman and daughter of sorts.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Durek wouldn't allow her to join his Destroyers— until she single-handedly masterminded his rescue during a mission that went wrong. She went from just Kara to Sergeant Kara in one day.
• Foil: To Durek. She's a lot more pragmatic and level-headed than him, and is not as easily taken by her own hatred of the Dominion.
• Sergeant Rock: Literally and figuratively. She can be just as abrasive towards the troops she commands as Durek, but in the end there is a genuine mutual respect.
• Raised by Dudes: As a result of both of her mercenary parents being KIA. She was raised by their company, Durek's Destroyers.

The Explorer's Union

Dedicated to exploring every inch of Nexus to uncover all of its hidden treasures and well-kept secrets, neither rain, sleet, nor horrific Eldan Monstrosities can keep them from their duties.

Dorian Walker

Dorian Walker

Species: Human

Voiced By: William Knight

A famous explorer, was ridiculed for believing Nexus actually existed, then was forever praised for actually finding the mythical planet at the best time possible.

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• Artificial Limbs: Has had more than his fair share of scrapes and mishaps. Now he's missing an arm and a leg as a result, with robotic prosthetics in their place.
• Determinator: The devs claim he is too crotchety to die. He never gave up on the "mythical" planet Nexus until he found it. He has survived the loss of two limbs, and is still exploring at a ripe old age when death might just take him in his sleep. Safe to say this man is motivated.
• Heroic Vow: Of sorts. It was actually Drusera who led him to Nexus and saved his life as his spaceship was slowly deteriorating within the Fringe; in return, he promised her that he would do everything to stop the Strain.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: If only he could get along with Aron "Deadeye" Brightland. Deadeye only accompanied Dorian for the Vault of the Archon Expedition because Dorian's daughter Belle asked him to.
  Deadeye: I need a drink.
  Dorian: Drinkin’ won’t bring her back, killer.
  Deadeye: Mind yer own business, or else—
  Dorian: What? You’ll fill me fulla lead? That won’t bring her back, neither.
• The Nicknamer: Calls both his daughter and the player character all kinds of nicknames e.g. skipper, slick, squirt.
• They Called Me Mad!: He was constantly berated for believing Nexus existed until he actually found it.

Buck Wanderbeck

Buck Wanderbeck

Species: Human

Voiced By: Troy Baker

"Had to go and touch it..."

A spellslinger explorer from the debut/Blur trailer.

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• The Gunslinger: Spellslinger, really, but the trope still applies.
• Cool Bike: Rides one in the trailer. Loses it when a horde of spider-robots start chasing him.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: While investigating a giant robot, some static electricity from his finger enters an exposed wire and reactivates it. Then the machine starts pouring out drones...

The Black Hoods

The Exiles' spy and information network, started by the Mordesh. No one trusts these guys—and even they don't trust each other—but everyone admits that they are necessary.

The Black Hoods as a group

• Fashionable Asymmetry: They only wear one pauldron on their left shoulder.
• Good Is Not Soft: Not even fellow Exiles trust them. Safe to say, they're one of the most morally ambiguous groups within the Exile government, and the only one shown to regularly torture its prisoners.
• Spy Catsuit: A slight variation of this◊. The suit is still pretty decently-armored, with leg guards and body armor, making it more practical than your regular Catsuit, but it is rather tight around the butt...
• The Dreaded: To the Dominion and even the Exiles that they protect, and with good reason - The extent of their responsibilities also includes torture, assassination, and unethical scientific experiments. It is also mentioned that the Black Hoods keep as close a watch on their allies as they do on their enemies.
• The Faceless: Their signature outfit is comprised of black, lightly armored suits combined with eerie-looking hoods that have masks that cover their faces. There are many agents that eschew the use of the hood, however.
• Mirroring Factions: to the ICI, their rival espionage organization in the Dominion.
• Token Morally Dubious Organization: Least morally restrained of all the Exiles' organizations.
• Torture Technician: They have these. Whether it's physical torture (Such as the Cassian guy being held in Avra's Lair and being shocked repeatedly) or psychological torture (The Mordesh agent in Galeras), the Black Hoods will make you talk.

The Widow

Avra "The Widow" Darkos

Species: Mordesh

Voiced By: Tasia Valenza

"I have so much to do, and so few I can trust..."

The head of the Black Hoods, she is in charge of the complex, treacherous web of the Exiles' spy and information network.

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• Broken Bird: Was the daughter of a rich family of aristocrats, lived a wonderful life, and was happily married. Her family all died in the Fall, her husband was shot dead when he tried to get help from the Dominion. The trauma left her vengeful and bitter.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Towards Victor Lazarin. The only reason the man hadn't been torn apart by the hordes was because of Avra's intervention, and she knows it.
  Avra: Remember I only suffer you to live in order to find a cure.
• Crusading Widower: Part of the reason why she started the Black Hoods is because her husband was killed trying to seek aid from the Dominion during the Contagion's height on Grismara.
• Good is Not Nice: If you need a reminder, just pop over to Avra's Lair and take a look at the Dominion captives being tortured.
• In the Hood: Combines said hood with a Cool Mask.
• Spikes of Villainy: Although not evil (at least, not from an Exile POV), Avra is certainly the most morally ambiguous exile leader. Fittingly, she has creepily claw-like pauldrons.
• Terror Hero: The Dominion's worst nightmare.
• The Faceless: Wears a mask to conceal her identity.
• The Spymaster: Is the leader of the Black Hoods. It's safe to say all of their operations are overseen by Avra, to further her own goals and machinations.
• Unscrupulous Hero: Avra isn't above underhanded tactics and nasty acts if it means giving the Exiles an advantage over the Dominion. She's also not above considering her agents as expendable pawns.

Notable Figures

Judge Kain

Judge Kain

Granok. An infamous lawman, he has been called to Gallow in Algoroc to deal with the ever-growing criminal problem brought on by the Loftite Rush. He has a long and storied history with the Darkspur Cartel, especially Morek Throg.

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• Artificial Limbs: Has a robotic right arm and a replacement right eye. The originals were blown off when he caught a grenade.
• Silicon-Based Life: As with all Granok, he is made out of "living stone."

Brinny

Kit Brinny

Species: Human

Voiced By: Cree Summer

"I'm so excited! I think I might just wet my britches! ... Uh oh."

Human. The excitable, enthusiastic representative for the Meet the Exiles Cinematic, as well as the Dirty Little Secrets cinematic.

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• Child Soldier: Downplayed Trope, which she attempted to enlist FCON at age of fifteen before being turned away. Rather than being dissuaded, she tried to follow along with the drill and daily routine all by herself. Her unrelenting attempts are enough to have her recruited reluctantly albeit as a standard-bearer during marches before being allowed to fight at age of 22.
• Fiery Red Head: She's very eager to fight the Dominion, and highly excitable. She also has a flaming head of red hair.
• Foil: To Malvolio Portius; an exposition representative of the game's factions who is a young and fiery soldier, in contrast, to a haughty aristocrat.
• Genki Girl: She's very passionate about things.
• Mr. Exposition: She's the one who describes the Exile races in the trailers.