Deathless Ones



The Deathless Ones are soldiers who were once part of the Deathless Prophet's ancient order, where they have devoted their eternal lives to guarding the Divine Source. These soldiers, like the Prophet himself, have real immortality and superhuman capabilities. The Deathless Ones speak in a low, almost metallic-like version of medieval Greek, similar to the Stormguard who spoke only in Japanese.

They were stronger, faster, and durable than normal humans, including the Stormguard soldiers themselves encountered on Yamatai. Lara Croft encounters them in the ancient ruins of Kitezh. They are equipped with ancient, durable armour and weapons and technological resources extremely advanced for their time. Their ranks consists of many soldiers, possibly numbering beyond several thousands.

Origin
The Deathless Ones were the Elite Guardians and Soldiers of Kitezh, with each of them receiving rigorous training and warfare expertise. They were tasked with being the primary defence and security force of Kitezh.

Siege of Kitezh
However, during the Siege of Kitezh, the Prophet, in an act of desperation, turned thousands of his Elite Soldiers and Guardians into Immortal Warriors, also known as Athanatoi. These Guardians were almost successful at defending Kitezh, but when they saw their defeat approaching, they turned their weapons towards the ice on the mountains. This resulted in them bringing the ice from the mountains down upon the city, killing both the Mongols and the citizens of Kitezh. The Trinity envoy travelling with the Horde did manage to survive, only to be killed soon after when he tried to escape. Before he died, the envoy went into hiding deep within the city and began to study the Deathless Ones.

The Last Survivor
The envoy was trying to find a way out of the destroyed city and stockpiled weapons and supplies for this purpose. He took note that the Athanatoi patrolled the streets of Kitezh, killing off any survivors, even if it was one their own people. He noticed something supernatural about the soldiers, who were now the Deathless Ones.

He killed a lone Athanatoi, only to his horror as the soldier became ash in an instant. But the survivor grew tired, he fell asleep near the ashes. However, after a short while, he woke up and saw that the ashes had disappeared and in their place was the corpse of the Athanatoi he had killed earlier. When the Deathless One reawoke, the envoy quickly killed him again. This time the soldier gave him a silent promise of return before turning into ash again. The survivor then fled the area and went into another hiding spot in Kitezh.

He also took note that they were not only learning from their previous mistakes, but their power and skills were also beginning to adapt each time they were reborn. The survivor came to the conclusion that no matter what he or anyone else tried, the Deathless Ones would never die. Calling them a mockery to all of God's creations, he stated that now he understood the true nature of the Divine Source. He realized that whoever gazed at the Divine Source became immune to death at the cost of their humanity and morality.

The envoy realized that if a heretic like the Deathless Prophet and his Deathless Army could cause such an atrocity such as the destruction of Kitezh, he feared Trinity would do numerous times worse, should they ever gain such power. He decided it would be best for the benefit of mankind if the Divine Source itself was left buried, entombed, and lost forever. He made plans for his final attempt to escape, but was wounded before he could reach safety. It is likely that the envoy was unsuccessful in his escape and perished in the ruins, leaving behind his notes as a warning should someone else enter the buried city.

Powers & Skills

 * Divine Empowerment: The Prophet raised an army by training them & granting them their power through exposure to the Divine Source. As a result they have certain supernatural powers.
 * Immortality: Being empowered by the Divine Source, they are, in a sense, the "Living Dead", and have an unlimited lifespan, being able to survive centuries. They also cannot die, and if they should, they self-resurrect quickly, hence the reason for them being called "Deathless".
 * Regeneration: They can regenerate from non-fatal wounds. Jacob, a.k.a the Deathless Prophet himself, has regenerated from bullet wounds many times. Even without their armor, the Deathless Ones still take a very significant amount of damage to be actually killed, despite their inevitable revival shortly.
 * Self-Resurrection: Despite their regenerative abilities, they can still be killed if their necks or heads are harmed severely, which at this point they can die. When the Deathless Ones die, they burn up and turn into ash instead of lying on the ground like a corpse. This is proven by the envoy, who states that despite him killing the same man many times, he revived several times. This lead the envoy to conclude that no matter how he tries to kill the Deathless Ones, they will not die, as they are not human anymore, calling then a mockery of all of God's creations. One letter from the envoy says that a recently killed Deathless One had given a silent 'promise of return' to the scribe before turning into ash.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Since they are immortal, they have no need of air, sleep, water or food for survival. They also never tire at all.
 * Heightened Strength: The Deathless soldiers exhibit strength and muscle power much higher than a standard human, such as when one soldier was able to lift Lara Croft with a single hand.
 * Heightened Endurance: In battle, the Deathless soldiers wield heavy weaponry, wear full body armour, and fight for extended periods without tiring. They also have a heightened pain threshold.
 * Heightened Speed: They are shown to be able to move around areas more quickly than a normal human, despite them having incredibly heavy and thick armour, as well as large and heavy weaponry which they use with such ease and agility.
 * Altered Eyes: The envoy even claimed to have seen the "blue fire" in their eyes, giving him a hint that these beings were not human.
 * Warfare Expertise: The Deathless Ones are highly skilled warriors, fighters, swordsmen, marksmen, craftsmen, tacticians & trackers. They also show proficiency in coordinating their attacks.
 * Superior Combatants: They are remarkable swordsmen, shield-bearers, hand-to-hand combatants and archers. They are capable of using their ancient Byzantine Weaponry with exceptional proficiency. Despite Trinity's most elite soldiers possessing advanced combat skills and state of the art military technology and weaponry, they were still all wiped out by the Deathless Ones with their ancient Byzantine weapons and advanced combat skills.
 * Superior Athleticism: Surpassing Lara's mountaineering and climbing skills, the Deathless Ones can climb tall structures with their bare hands at remarkable speed, despite their heavy body armour.
 * Superior Coordination: Like most ancient military armies, they are calculated, coordinated and well led. They are very resourceful, as they have managed to build up, weaponize and equip themselves for centuries to come.
 * Byzantine Weaponry: They have been stocking up and creating technologically advanced equipment of their time for centuries. These include swords, shields, archery equipment, catapults and most notably, Greek Fire vessels.
 * Byzantine Armour: A type of thick, dark metal armor that they wear, with each having the Prophet's insignia on it. These armors, despite being incredibly ancient, are still much more durable than the body armors of the 21st century. These armors offer the Deathless Ones enhanced durability and much greater protection from even the most strongest of firearms. The armor is also equipped with various furs suitable for a winter environment.
 * Greek Fire: Their most powerful weapons are Greek Fires. These do not stop burning until they have destroyed everything they were set out to burn. Greek Fire cannot be stopped by water or sand. Greek Fire is bluish in color and completely smokeless, thus giving it the illusion of Holy Fire.

Trivia

 * It is uncertain what the Deathless Ones look like under their helmets. Even if you break them in the game with a headshot their faces are covered by full face chain mail. Only their eyes can be seen. The Trinity survivor described their skin as white like a milk and their bodies were extremely cold.
 * They use Greek Fire in their clay grenades. This weapon was once used by the Eastern Romans due to its difficulty to be put out and because it burned even on water they used it in their navy. In the game Lara says it was made with Sulphur (which causes fire to turn blue and burn hotter) but historians still question how Greek Fire is made.
 * Their warfare march is based upon that of the Romans. When sneaking through the Kitezh ruins Lara witnesses the march, led by a Deathless One dressed like a general. The march includes standard-bearers, soldiers who carried their armies' flag, typically as inspiration to fight.
 * The Deathless Ones have unnaturally high resistance to fire. Unlike the Trinity soldiers, they don't react much when on fire and will continue to pursue and fight Lara. It is unknown if this is due either to their supernatural powers or their Elite Kitezh Armour.