Prior to Lilith's arrival, the lot of the Fallen was very difficult indeed. Scavenging from Vimary's leftovers, trading in Bazaar and the charity of certain Tribals were really all that kept the Fallen alive alongside fishing in the Great River until Lilith created Haven.
Some say that when Joshua was killed, His essence shattered and became lost in the River of Dream. There, these shards remained, fragments of divinity until the birth of the first exile. During the birthing ceremony, when Eva reached into the River for that child’s soul, one of these fragments became interwoven with the infant’s being. Ever since then, they believe, some have been born with a shard of the former Fatima marking them as one of the Eighth Tribe.
Yet there are those who frown upon the Fallen taking the moniker of a tribe, or claiming that our creator is Joshua, insisting that these are compromises - a throwback to the Seven Tribes. They insist that exiles are not born from a Fatima, that theor souls are strong and free without the need of a Fatima. To them, the Fallen represent the next stage in liberation from the Ending times.
Manifesto of the Fallen
We are the dispossessed, the Children of Hom, the Fallen, we are the Eighth Tribe and we are alone. We are those who walk away, turn our backs on the Seven sisters, on our mothers and fathers, and venture into the wastelands around us to find our destiny, to find our calling. Some of us are rebels or outlaws, others malcontents and lunatics, victims and terrorists, but we are one; we are the Children of the Fall. Listen to me, my brothers and sisters, we must no longer stand idle and silent; our time has come. The ashes are vanishing and in their wake a new world is dawning, a world that is our destiny to discover and to reclaim. The past, the camps, the Z'bri, are just that - the past. The future is dark and unknown; the future belongs to us.
Outlooks
I won’t lie to you, we Fallen are not united, nor do all share the same beliefs of who we are. There are four major factions among us, but these represent ideologies more than social groups. While people who share the same outlook often flock together, there are many cells that regroup people from several factions. Some, like myself, share much with various factions, taking what I like and forming my own views. Many factors go into forming one’s opinions, the banishment being among the strongest, but it’s also a matter of fashion and acceptance.
Jackers
The Jackers are, without a doubt, the most violent and reactionary of us. Driven by vengeance and rage, they lash out against everyone and everything.
This anger, without putting words into their mouths, comes from feeling betrayed, which is why all Jackers live by a strict code of honour. They know what it feels like to be abandoned, and when one gives you her word, she’ll die before betraying you. Many were once Joanites, and continue the fight against the Z‘bri night and day. Their ranks are small because of the power of their prey.
Herites
The Herites, well, if there any among the Fallen that prize their privacy, it is them. And yet, they lurk around listening and spying, almost as if there is something keeping them in the shadows. Of all of us, even though they’ll claim otherwise, the Herites are the most fascinated by the Fatimas. They want us to stand free of the ”Seven Deaths,” but they almost seem to still lust after them - or their power.
Doomsayers
The Doomsayers are our poets and preachers. They seem to understand the bigger picture, but one tainted and shrouded in shadows and death. They are also among the most gifted with Synthesis. They are the most concerned with the Prophecy of Joshua.
Lightbringers
Finally, the Lightbringers stand to unite us, to guide us. All in all, some call us fastidious and arrogant, but I’d say we’re driven by a need to bring order to chaos. I can understand why the others think we’re pompous and haughty, but it’s that we are haunted every day by the potential we all have, and feel compelled to unlock this potential in others.
Children of Lilith
The newest Outlook, especially popular among the newer Fallen. Those who follow the Liberator are somewhere between Jackers and Lightbringers - a crusading force against the Z'bri, dedicated to peaceful existence alongside the Seven Tribes. Their Fatima, Lilith, claims to be the protector of all the Fallen, calling them the Eighth Tribe prophesied by her father Joshua. They wish to complete the liberation of humanity from the Z'bri that the Fatimas started back in the Camps.
Photos by Oliver Facey and Tom Garnett