Torchwood

“Long Live the Light!”

Overview

Year Founded: 2019

Status: Active

Torchwood is a fanatical order on a mission to cleanse the world of all evil and build a new, better world by any means necessary. Their elitist belief system, brutal methodology and 'no exceptions' approach distinctly separates them from other good factions.

Strictly following their religion known as "The Light", members of Torchwood believe that brutal displays of violence against bandits, cannibals and those helping them is necessary if a new, better world is to be built. Despite this extremist approach, members are bound by their code to remain loyal, honorable and willing to die for those they consider innocent.

Alignment

Torchwood's alignment closely resembles the Anti-Hero archetype. While honest, fair and aiming to save the weak, the impulsive and sadistic nature of their punishments often put them at odds with other more traditional hero factions.

Appearance

Three Torchwood members in their traditional uniform.

All black is mandatory for Torchwood members, accompanied by a standard orange face mask designed to discourage individuality and promote collectivism. Earned via ceremony upon formally joining, removing their mask is forbidden except to eat, drink and smoke. To do so in the company of outsiders shows a level of trust or vulnerability.

Origins

A nascent Torchwood offer aid to a lone survivor in Polana.

Initially formed as a general contracting company, Torchwood aimed to complete jobs and use their payment to survive and provide for those in need. Newly-formed and low in numbers, they were pushed to the mercy of Dark as Midnight (DAMN) by attacks from The 506th based on the color of their newly orange masks. They agreed to do mercenary work for DAMN in exchange for safety and the chance to save innocent survivors caught in Gorka via recruitment, and the two groups mutually coexisted for over a year.

While this took place, Torchwood built a community camp in Dolina called The Lighthouse to aid survivors coming from the eastern coast. As tensions with the newly formed Odyssey and by extension DAMN rose, The Lighthouse was destroyed, nearly pushing Torchwood to extinction. That night, the surviving members of Torchwood listened to a speech given by their leader Damien White, the contents of which would later be referred to as the first Revelations, and used as the basis of their religion of The Light.

As all out war with Odyssey loomed in response to the attacks on Dolina, the leaders of Torchwood expressed interest in meeting with DAMN to discuss their seemingly damaged alliance. At the same time Overlord Draven was killed and overthrown by the new Queen Iris, Chip was excommunicated from DAMN's ranks, hurting the political relationship of both groups even more, having lost their main point of contact.

Upon meeting with the new leadership of DAMN and learning of Chip's excommunication, all of Torchwood leadership were betrayed and killed via firing line. This event is internally referred to as 'The Day of Martyrs', but is most famously known as 'Cheeseburger'. Born from the codeword spoken by Queen Iris before the massacre, it is now used as an offensive slur against Torchwood's surviving members.

Radicalized by the loss of all leadership, their religion took even deeper roots, manifesting in the discovery of the first Messiah Cain, believed to be the reincarnation of Damien White. As upholding their traditions took focus, they became isolationist, paranoid, and much more aggressive to outsiders as a people as the now ongoing war with DAMN continued.

As their religion continued to evolve on the fringes of Chernarus, they were forced into a nomadic lifestyle by a combination of their enemies hunting them and general persecution of their ideals. This pressure would ignite their radicalization, isolating them further and fuelling what was already a slowly growing extremist regime.

Notable Characters

Damien White - Founder of Torchwood and The Light, Damien was a charismatic, empathetic person turned into what even he would describe as a monster. Kind to a fault, the wartime lifestyle of Torchwood weighed on him heavily. Slowly radicalized by this pressure, he saw a growing need for change, and until his death was willing to form the new world no matter the cost. He was killed by Queen Iris of Dark As Midnight on the Day of Martyrs.

Cassidy Lyon-White - Founder of Torchwood and wife of Damien, Cassidy's charisma and diplomatic role helped foster several positive relationships early on. Much less radical than her husband, she served as a moral compass, ensuring Torchwood did not become what they fought against. With her faith placed in both him and her family, she saw little need for The Light, and grew to not only resent the ideology but disavow it completely upon her husband's death.

Jason White - Founder of Torchwood and brother of Damien, Jason's stoic nature and survivalist mentality served as fuel to Torchwood's growing extremism. Quicker to anger than his younger brother, Jason served primarily as an enforcer and acting leader in Damien's absence. Upon his death, both Jason and Cassidy left Torchwood, abandoning The Light in search of a better life due to their shared loss.

Cain the Messiah - Saved by surviving members of Torchwood after the Day of Martyrs, Cain is believed to be the reincarnation of Damien White. Only 12 years old when The Fall happened, he grew up in a post-apocalyptic world, continuously honing his skills of manipulation to survive. Despite what are undeniably sociopathic tendencies, he aims to accomplish his predecessor’s goal of building the new world.

The Arsonist - While initially a target of Torchwood's bounty hunting, a man named Jack Petrov was instead shown mercy and recruited; his arrival signifying the end of Torchwood's tenure as indiscriminate mercenaries for hire. Forming a close mentorial relationship with Damien, he was eventually granted the Phoenix title of 'The Arsonist' for burning the Staroye Overlook after the Day of Martyrs. One of the only surviving members of Damien's tenure, he was who found and advocated for Cain to take the role as Messiah, training him as such, mirroring his own relationship and training with the now deceased Damien.

The Vanguard - Recruited by Cain as the McCoy civil war began, Pavel Victorivich earned his title by guarding The Messiah on many occasions, as well as personally defending against and being the sole survivor of the attack from DAMN on what was the Church of Light, located in Mogilevka. A skilled tactician and accomplished marksman, The Vanguard's relationship with Cain The Messiah is closer than most, being the first person Cain ever recruited in Torchwood.

The Warden - Having initially joined Torchwood with close friend High Acolyte Rush, The Warden quickly distinguished himself from his fellow foundlings by both killing several DAMN members and acting as a natural leader. Much older then all of the other members of Torchwood, he earned the title of The Warden while Torchwood lived on Prison Island by personally training, disciplining, and teaching less experienced members.

Cleetus McCoy - One of the first Phoenixes of Torchwood, Cleetus McCoy and his brothers instigated a succession crisis within Torchwood following the Day of Martyrs. Leading the newly formed McCoy faction, they sought to overthrow Cain as leader of Torchwood and instill Cleetus as his replacement, believing Cain to be incapable and an unworthy successor. After killing High Acolyte Jack Houston, they retreated to Severograd in an attempt to build a FOB for use in the civil war, but were stopped by a militaristic branch of the Black Cross. Created by Jarge who would later join Torchwood and then leave to form The Sentinels, the small death squad of black helmets mass executed members of the McCoy faction, killing every member except Cleetus McCoy himself who has still avoided capture.

Chip - While not a member of Torchwood, Chip’s influence on the group as a whole is significant. Originally a second in command to Overlord Draven of DAMN, Chip was the one who decided to spare Damien after walking into Gorka, offering them the alliance and serving as the main point of contact between the two groups. Years after being excommunicated from DAMN and forming The Rangers, he was sold to DAMN by his members and executed via firing line.

Goals

Torchwood believes that the Fall is serving as a great filter, slowly weeding out the weak, evil and complacent via natural selection. Believing the moral foundation of their religion to be the end result, they attempt to not only spread their faith to willing survivors, but to also bring upon the New World faster by killing, torturing or enslaving anybody who they consider to be evil and/or immoral.

Philosophy

Torchwood believes in The Light, a dogma that guides every decision they make. The Light consists of four tenets, abbreviated as SHLD. They believe this moral foundation is inherently superior, and those who live by it will rightfully inhabit the New World.

Strength - staying true to your morals in the face of adversity.

Honor - Face your foes as warriors, never as cowards.

Loyalty - Brotherhood above all; Family is everything.

Death - Live for what you love, and die for what you live for.

Completely dedicated to their mission, members of Torchwood are willing to kill, torture, rob, grievously injure and enslave people who they consider to be bandits, in addition to enforcing their own will upon those who they consider weak and incapable of protecting themselves. They do not care for the autonomy or freedom of innocent people, only their physical safety. This causes many to misinterpret their heavy handedness as selfishness or hypocrisy, but neither is inherently true.

Relationships

Allies

Torchwood's untrusting nature actively discourages the formation of alliances, but they often work with and or protect other 'good' groups such as the Black Sheep, The Fireflies, Black Cross, and the Staroye Overlook. However, conflict with these groups are common; Torchwood's elitist philosophy can very quickly lead to them deeming others as weak or incompetent, and their cruel and unusual way of dealing with bandits can disturb even the most determined heroes.

Neutral

While technically neutral themselves, Torchwood's prejudice for cannibals is only challenged by their distaste for pacifism. According to their ideals, refusing to pick a side in conflict places you on the side of the enemy; causing them to end up in conflict with many groups they would normally aid.

Enemies

Torchwood actively seeks to destroy all those who selfishly take from the innocent, commit the sin of cannibalism, kill or otherwise hurt good people. Combined with their often elitist and overbearing convictions, Torchwood attracts many enemies and few friends.

Notable Relationships

Dark as Midnight - Quite literally born under the wing of Dark as Midnight, modern generations of Torchwood still carry much of the brutality and violence that forged them. Upon the Day of Martyrs and subsequent attempted genocide, it was made tradition amongst members of Torchwood to burn red colored items and kill any potential sympathizers of DAMN, creating the foundation for their hate of cannibalism.

Black Cross - Historically a close friendship, Torchwood's relationship with the Black Cross was forever changed when they shot the volunteer HerrKurt. Frustrated with their pacifistic ideals, shooting him was the eventual result of Torchwood's attempt to radicalize them into more proactive action, such as banning all cannibals from their territory. In the months following, tension continued to grow as communication broke down between both groups, leading to their current relationship of open and armed conflict.

The Fireflies - Perhaps the most dynamic and interesting of Torchwood's political relationships, the two groups have been both friend and foe on many occasions. While being very similar morally, Torchwood's methodology has more than once sparked conflict between them. As a result, most members of Torchwood commonly despise the Fireflies, viewing them as incompetent and weak willed. Despite this, both leaders share a level of mutual respect, perpetually pulling their punches in hopes to one day 'redeem' the other.

Staroye Overlook - Before the creation of Torchwood and The Overlook, both their respective founders were close friends. That changed when in exchange for continuously protecting the Overlook, Damien White demanded that The Samaritan create structures in the compound to aid its defense. With The Samaritan refusing outright, tensions rose even higher with neither backing down. Not wanting to cause physical harm to the members of The Overlook, Torchwood opted to burn it to the ground with plans to erect a new, more strategic camp in Staroye. While no blood was drawn during this conflict, it has remained tense even after both leaders passed.

The 506th - Torchwood's first enemy, the 506th, continued to be so until the Day of Martyrs. Upon hearing what happened, George Luz, former leader of the 506th, both went to Damien's funeral and helped shepherd surviving refugees of Torchwood out west; fostering a loose friendship between himself and the newly appointed Messiah, Cain. Upon leaving the 506th and forming The Wanderers, George took their friendship with him, causing Torchwood to be extremely cautious and untrusting of all 506th to this day.

Forsaken Loyalists - With few interactions to speak of, their relationship is incredibly unique. Despite being morally opposed on all fronts, both groups' strict adherence to honor and their respective laws often puts them on the same side of conflict. Bound by the doctrine of their faith, Torchwood cannot technically harm Forsaken Loyalists without proof of wrongdoing. Combined with the Forsaken Loyalist's code of silence, both groups are locked in an ongoing stalemate; one that will likely someday end in conflict.

Dark Carnival - Similarly as George, Bozo the Clown also went to Damien’s funeral, and the subsequent friendship that formed between him and Cain temporarily remedied what was a tense relationship with the Carnival. As Bozo went missing the Carnival took a darker turn becoming the Dark Carnival, forcing Cain and the rest of Torchwood to once again be at odds with the resurgent evil faction.

Rangers Chernarus - Upon being excommunicated from DAMN and after hearing about the Day of Martyrs, Chip went to Cain, seeking the same mercy Chip had given a younger Damien while still in DAMN. After pardoning him, The newly founded Rangers and Torchwood were loose allies, bonded only by their leader’s history as opposed to morality or goals. After Chip was killed, the alliance went with him, and the relationship between Rangers and Torchwood was never able to recover.