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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the protagonists of the Darksiders series. They are well-known as the Council's enforcers since their mission is to keep the Balance in check.

In their order of birth, they are known as: Death ; Strife ; Fury ; War.

History[]

Some of my earlier sins—my actions when I rode at the forefront of the Nephilim horde, before my brothers and I realized the extent of our transgressions and broke away—were committed in the name of beliefs and agendas to which I no longer subscribe.
Death to The Keeper of Oblivion, The Abomination Vault

Recruitment[]

The Riders are four of the Nephilim who refused to continue their bloody crusade over Creation with their brethren and swore their loyalty to the Charred Council. It is said that they also got new powers and abilities from the Council which made them much more powerful than their ex-allies. Though technically siblings as the entire race of Nephilim are descended directly from Absalom, the four appeared not to have known each other particularly well before they defected from the Nephilim crusade. They also appear to have been "selected" in some way by the Council, rather than having sought the Council out. Rather interestingly, the four of them appear to have always been named as they currently are, rather than having been given their current names by the Council. Absalom, for instance, called Death "Death" upon confronting him at Eden. As Eden was the first time the Horsemen had revealed themselves as the Council's enforcers, Absalom would not have had any opportunity to learn a name change on Death's part.

First among their council given tasks was to travel to the Far Fields where they encountered an agent of the council in the The Horsemaster, a sagely warrior and master of the Phantom Horses which made their homes there who guided them through on acquiring their own horse mounts/companions: Ruin, Despair, Rampage and Mayhem.

Eden[]

The first actual mission the Charred Council gave them was to kill all the Nephilim. It was the price they had to pay to absolve themselves of theirs and their species crimes. It was speculated later by Strife however, that the Nephilim were perhaps not so great a threat to the Balance as the Council made them out to be, and that the extermination may have been a test of the Horsemen's loyalty.

Thus, the Riders became the last of the Nephilim in all of Creation, the souls of their brothers and sisters sealed away and entrusted to the Crowfather. Other than the Crowfather and possibly Lilith, none but Death, who collected the souls personally, knew of this; the Council had ordered the souls be cast into the Abyss. They then took to carrying out whatever tasks the Council saw fit to assign them. Death, at least, appeared to have been given a tremendous amount of liberty both regarding what assignments he took and the way in which he accomplished them. It is hinted that this may have simply been to him being so prickly in nature that the Council would only call upon him in great need, and that the other three may have been more regularly utilized.

Creation of the Seven Seals[]

Through the Council the Horsemen became aware of a plot against humanity by the Demon lord Lucifer. Strife and War were sent to investigate, and in doing so, allied with Samael to destroy most of the other Dukes of Hell. They believed that in doing so, they would foil whatever scheme Lucifer hoped to accomplish. However, it was revealed by Samael that the Council had played right into Lucifer's hands, as killing Hell's Masters had, through a bargain they had made with Lucifer, transferred their souls to him upon death. Lucifer then used their souls to power a profane artifact known as the Animus, which implanted such concepts as rage, greed, and lust into the human psyche. Lucifer essentially got away with doing this, and Samael absorbed all the Masters' remaining armies and resources, becoming effectively equal to Lucifer in power and influence in Hell.

By now the council had grown incensed from the repeated interference of the developing humans and towards this end, leaders of Heaven & Hell were forcibly brought before the council alongside the former's enforcers to enact a new pact to be signed with the Horsemen. This treaty was signed by Seven seals: At the hour that humanity stands ready to make angel and Demon alike their equal, The Seven Seals of the Apocalypse shall be broken, sparking the end war and calling the lords of paradise and dregs of purgatory to the earthly plane so that the three Kingdoms can fight for the fate of creation.

Abomination Vault[]

Since the Early days of his service to the Council Death has largely ignored the summons of his would-be masters, traveling around and largely doing his own thing. Death spent the majority of that time gathering together weapons of mass destruction of his own design, The Grand Abominations. Death learned that he had competition around the time he finally decided to settle down, an army of constructs led by the rogue angel Hadrimon.

Death was joined in his quest by the Angel Azrael and his brother War alongside a garrison of Angels. With the others aid Death composed a plan to neuter his creations as a threat as well as well as gather together the ones the rogue angel had collected. The half dead living weapons were stored inside of the Abomination Vault hidden beneath his house. Death stated that over the next millennia he would transport the weapons to the Keeper of Oblivion and reduce the weapons to nothingness.

Apocalypse[]

Thanks to the machinations of the Angel Abaddon, the seven seals were prematurely broken as a part of a plot to destroy Hell's forces while he believed Heaven still had an advantage. He was mistaken, Heaven lost badly against the demons and Abaddon himself fell from grace. War was brought to Earth by the Council, and then captured by them, stripped of his power, and imprisoned for a hundred years.

Though the Horsemen had served the council loyally, they ultimately feared that they would sooner side with War than them, especially if they realized that he was innocent. Thus, the Council used they chaos they allowed to be sowed to end the horsemen.

Fury and the Seven Deadly Sins[]

Fury was sent to fetch the Seven Deadly Sins, unknown to her released and empowered by the Council. Unknown to the Council however, Fury was guided out of her secret execution by the actions of such enigmatic beings such as Ulthane, the Lord of the Hollows and even the sins Envy and Pride who tried to turn her to their cause. Fury's return to the council chambers was marked by a battle with Envy wielding the combined powers of the Seven Sins and punctuated by a livid Council trying to kill their errant guardsmen themselves.

Fury found new purpose in protecting the remnants of humanity, wherever she took them both they and her are far out of the Council's reach now.

Death and the Well of Souls[]

Death did not believe the Council's story about War for a moment, he immediately set off to find a way to restore mankind thus obliterating any further attempts to frame him. Death's journey led him to the Crowfather, who threw him to the Tree of Life and Death upon his death, which led him to the Well of Souls, there he would seek to enter its confines using the Keys to the Well of Souls kept by the Angels and the Demons.

Along the way he repeatedly clashed against Corruption, a toxic malevolent entity which defiles, warps and controls everything it comes into contact with. Once inside of the Well, Death met the Avatar of Corruption and the seed from which it was born, his elder brother Absalom, who was then slain once again by his hand and the collected souls of the dead Nephilim were sacrificed to resurrect humankind.

War and Revenge[]

By now the Council was panicking, faster than they could react their targets were slipping out of their grasp, the only one they had left was War and they knew that once he was gone their demonic and angelic charges would be free to do as they pleased. So, they sent War, bound to The Watcher, to Earth, knowing that he would hunt and butcher the ones who framed him, and once they were dead, the Watcher could drag War back to the council permanently enslaved as their enforcer.

The horseman was dismayed at what had become of the kingdom of man, particularly after his guide/slaver flatly told him a century had passed leaving humanity long since extinct. Their gambit failed, War had the fortune of receiving a vision of his demise from the Tree of Knowledge and planned around it, using the Nex Sacramentum declared by Uriel to break the Watcher's hold on him before she shatters the Seventh seal and revived him. By breaking the last seal, Uriel summoned the other three horsemen, each having done their own part to restore Man from the brink of ruin.

Pictures[]

Trivia[]

  • The Horsemen are immortal. They could be killed but they cannot die of old age.
  • The Riders have supernatural strength and agility as they are Nephilim, but their powers were also amplified by the Council.
  • Some of the Riders' weapons (Chaoseater for example) were created by Makers and were filled with energy by Death himself before they left the Nephilim's army.
  • Each of the Horsemen have their own class in each of darksiders gameplay similar to an Online Game:
    • War is a Tank.
    • Death is an Assassin.
    • Fury as a Mage/Warlock.
    • Strife is a Rogue.
  • Each Horseman has an ironic consequence to their actions in the main franchise:
    • War was sent to earth to bring Peace.
    • Death restored Life.
    • Fury brought Hope.
    • Strife will ultimately aid his siblings into bringing Harmony.

Quotes[]

You’ve heard of the Horsemen, clearly. And just as clearly, you’ve heard nothing about them.

Deadly, obscenely powerful, without mercy, and all that, yes, yes.

I mean who they are. The Four Horsemen are the Council’s enforcers, yes.

They’re also the last of the Nephilim.

The Nephilim are dead!

As a race, yes. But to the very last? Not quite.
Belisatra and Hadrimon, The Abomination Vault

Where to buy Darksiders[]

On Fanatical
On Steam

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