Remnants


 * Not to be confused with The Remnants, the seventh level of Tomb Raider: Underworld.

The Remnants are an ethnoreligious group of people who are the descendants of the citizens of Kitezh who survived the Mongolian invasion which was orchestrated by Trinity, as well as the fall of Kitezh.

Fall of Kitezh
Trinity tracked down Jacob, the Deathless Prophet to Kitezh and with the help of the Mongol Empire, laid siege to the city in order to kill Jacob and obtain the Divine Source. However, the Deathless Army of the Prophet caused an avalanche to bury the city in an effort to keep the Source out of Trinity's hands forever, killing both the Mongols as well as thousands of Kitezh's citizens.

Jacob took the surviving citizens of the city and lead them to the valley nearby. The survivors, still committed to Jacob, pledged to help him prevent anyone from gaining the power of the Divine Source, and formed a small community so as not to draw attention to themselves.

Cold War
Over the centuries, the Remnants fended off any invaders that came to their lands. One such invasion was by the Soviets, who arrived to mine the mountain. With modern weaponry, the Soviets fought the Remnants, capturing and enslaving many of them. The Soviets were successfully able to settle in the area for long enough to establish a working mine as well as research stations and a Gulag.

During this period, a group of Soviets went into a nearby Vale to further their study of the area. However the squad sent into the area were massacred, with only a single man returning warning them, that the mythical Witch, Baba Yaga was responsible for the massacre. Any Soviets or Remnants who ventured in, never returned.

After several years, the Remnants managed to make allies of the prisoners the Soviets had imprisoned in the gulag and staged an uprising, killing the invaders and extending an invitation to the prisoners to join them.

Some time later, Jacob began a relationship with a woman named Alya who bore him a daughter, who he named Sofia, after his first wife. Sofia grew up to gain a position of respect within the village, leading the Remnants' militia.

Trinity Returns
Despite their dwindling numbers, the Remnants remained steadfast in their commitment to protect their sacred valley and its secrets. However, after having been free of Trinity for centuries, they returned. Now with even more advanced technology and weaponry. The Remnants began to fight off the invaders, but again, many were killed or captured, including Jacob.

Sofia witnesses Lara fighting with Trinity and confronts her, telling her to leave before it is too late, and warning her her that she'll "put an arrow in [her] throat" if she ever sees her again.

Taken to the Gulag for questioning. Jacob refused to give any information to the Trinity agents in charge of the operation, Konstantin and Ana. Unable to free himself, Jacob waited for an opportunity to escape.

Some time later, Konstantin arrived with another prisoner, an outsider. Jacob attempts making small talk, though he is rebuffed by her instantly. Impressed that she was able to unlock her restraints, he offered her assistance, finally swaying her by offering her information on the Divine Source. Finally yielding, she agrees to free him, introducing herself as Lara.

Jacob and Lara manage to escape the Gulag end evade Trinity's gunship, though while escaping, Lara falls into the river and nearly drowns. Jacob rescues her and brings her to a secluded spot to recover. After she wakes up, Jacob asks her to abandon her quest for the Divine Source and help them fight Trinity. Lara agrees to help fight Trinity, but refuses to give up her quest to find the Source. Jacob leaves her to recover to look for a shortcut home. Lara follows him a while later and the pair are separated in the mines when an old mining drill activates causing a cave in.

Lara emerges from the mines and enters the Remnant's valley and is quickly surrounded. Sofia emerges and prepares to follow through with her earlier threat, but Jacob arrives just in time to stop her. He tells Sofia to prepare the village's defences and move the elderly and children to the acropolis, before announcing that Lara is an ally and is not to be hurt.

Lara offers her assistance, which Jacob says will help her gain the trust of the people, before heading off to prepare for the attack. Lara attempts to make peace with Sofia but she is rebuffed. Jacob and several others make their way to the upper village. As Trinity launched their attack, Jacob and several others are captured, one man offers information on an item called the Atlas which will lead them to the Divine Source to stop the guard executing them, however Lara arrives soon after, Jacob disarms the guard killing him with his own shotgun which he then gives to Lara. The tides are turned after the majority of Trinity's forces are wiped out, leading to a full retreat.

The remnants in the acropolis are over powered and rounded up for execution, Sofia among them. Trinity prepares to finish them but the guards are quickly dispatched by Lara. Sofia thanks Lara and apologizes for misjudging her. Lara helps them escape before heading off to secure the spire.

With the acropolis secure, Trinity are once again forced to retreat, however they had already learned what they needed and turn their attention to looking for the Atlas. Lara heads off to look for it as well, but is stopped by Sofia who tells her exactly where it can be found.

Remnant scouts discover a man near death in the tundra, he identifies himself as Jonah, a friend to Lara, and he is taken to Jacob, to wait for Lara's return. Lara returns with the Atlas and they use the Observatory to view it, Lara discovered the location of Kitezh, beneath the glacier. Trinity attack the Observatory, seizing the Atlas and abducting Jonah. Lara gives chase.

At the Soviet weather Station, Lara discovers several more remnants held there, freeing them. They look after a wounded Jonah while Lara fights off Trinity, helping to carry him back to Jacob, who heals his wound. Lara realizes that Jacob is the Deathless Prophet of Constantinople and confronts him. Suddenly they witness Trinity helicopters flying towards the glacier. Realizing they are going to force their way into the city, the Remnants make their way to the mountains to hold off Trinity as Lara heads into the city using the secret path.

Trinity eventually break open the glacier and the fight makes its way into the city. Sofia aids Lara by manning a trebuchet, with several other Remnants, helping clear her path and destroying a gunship.

Lara makes it to the Chamber of Souls where the Source is hidden, and confronts Ana. Jacob arrives soon after and is shot by Ana, who then gazes upon the Divine Source in a last ditch attempt to save herself. Lara destroys the Source, killing the Deathless Army. Jacob lingers for a moment thanking Lara for all of her help before he peacefully passes.

Lara returns to the village, and informs Sofia of Jacob's death. Saddened, Sofia wishes she'd been with her father when he died, making good on her father's offer, and allows Lara and Jonah to leave unharmed.

With Jacob and the Divine Source gone, many of the younger Remnants saw their duty as fulfilled, deciding to head out to discover what lay beyond in the modern world.

Lifestyle
The Remnants are a hunter-gatherer tribe, surviving mostly from the foraged and hunted resources of the valley. They also farm their own food, as many of them keep chickens or keep vegetable patches in their gardens. The Remnants have lived in isolation for generations, the only time they interacted with people from the outside world was when they were invaded.

Military
Their duty to guard the secret of Kitezh and the Divine Source obliges the Remnants to take up arms to protect it. Remnants are trained in combat from a young age, and their signature weapon of is a bow. Remnants primarily relied on their superb guerilla warfare tactics and trained to use their environment to their advantage. In the aftermath of any invasion the Remnants would adapt the weapons or their invaders, advancing their ability to fight the inevitable next wave invaders. The threat of invasion throughout the centuries has left the Remnants incredibly distrustful of outsiders. Since the Soviet invasion of the Remnant's valley, the Remnants have become well versed in Soviet technology as well as handling automatic firearms.

Ethnicity
The Remnants have a very diverse background which incorporates many of the ancient peoples that lived throughout the Byzantine Empire as well as newcomers who joined later on. Majority of the Remnants comprise of descendants of Greeks, Syrians and Slavs. By the 1900s, they were joined by hordes of escaped Russian slave labor from the Soviet Gulag installation as well as many Red Army defectors. It is also possible that people from further west also regions have also joined, as the Deathless Prophet drew followers from many places.

Language
Many languages are spoken among the Remnants. All of them speak fluent English and their written language is ancient Greek. After the Soviet Invasion, Russian, which was spoken by defectors from the Red Army and former prisoners of the Gulag, also became spoken among the Remnant people.

Religion
The Remnants' religion is a form of Christianity, where their noble work to protect the Divine Source is God's command and His alone, as well as the will of the Deathless Prophet.

Attire
The attire of the Remnants differs from member to member. Many members wear hand made garments made from hides and furs from the local fauna. Some of the members garments are more intricate with golden threads woven in intricate patterns. Other members wear more modern clothing salvage from the Soviet Invaders. Their garments include patterns which are a tribute to their Byzantine heritage.

Notable Individuals

 * Jacob (Founder/Prophet)
 * Sofia (Military Leader)
 * Alya
 * Ivan
 * Nadia
 * Elias
 * Anya

Trivia

 * After the post game story, a Remnant smith can be overheard talking about how many of their people have left to discover the rest of the world, and questioning why many of them stayed when there was nothing to protect any longer.

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