The Deserters are a brutal and fearsome subspecies of Atlanteans that were formerly human-like in appearance.
History[]
Pre-Fall[]
The Deserters forging the Trident of Atlan.
Prior to the Great Fall of Atlantis, the Kingdom of the Deserters was one of the seven Kingdoms of Atlantis. These Deserters were known to be the greatest blacksmiths in history and forged the Trident of Atlan.
Post-Fall[]
Sometime after ancient Atlantis sunk, the Kingdom of the Deserters splintered off from the other six and moved to an inland sea, which eventually dried out and became the Sahara, causing the majority of the inhabitants to die. Some survived, gaining vampiric traits and turning to blood for moisture requirements.
Thousands of years later, they became in charge of a secret Atlantean prison and made a treaty with the Fishermen. The Deserters brutally tortured their prisoners that were sent in by Orm Marius. After the War for Atlantis and Aquaman defeated Orm in combat, Orm was sent to the prison himself and tried escaping several times. After Black Manta planned to free the Kingdom of Necrus and Kordax and heated the surface and oceans, Aquaman resorted to breaking out Orm from the Deserter prison. They were both pursued by the Deserters, who mounted their Jajus. Orm ultimately regained his strength and incapacitated the Deserters. Before more could kill them, they escaped.[1]
Personality[]
According to King Nereus and former Atlantean Queen Atlanna, these Deserters are death-worshipping and fearsome. They show no empathy to the prisoners they hold in the secret prison in the Kingdom of the Deserters. The possible reason why the Deserters are like this is because of what happened to them, their vampiric traits maybe making them cruel and ruthless.
Though, the Deserters still seem to be loyal to Atlantis and the kings nonetheless despite moving away from them and the other five kingdoms. This was shown when Orm was brought to the prison by the Deserters. Seemingly and surprisingly, these lost Atlanteans might care for people. This is revealed when one of them remarked to Orm, “You have caused so many so much pain.” .
Lastly, they also are cunning and intelligent. These two traits are revealed when Orm almost escaped from the Atlantean prison and got surrounded. Orm saw their awareness as impossible and “it can’t be.” A Deserter replied, “Oh, but I assure you it can. Do you think you were the first to try such an escape, or that we would reveal all of our secrets in plans shown to our ocean-dwelling patrons? You are not going anywhere, ‘king’ .” This just shows how focused these desert-dwellers are and that they are more than capable of handling threats.
Physiology[]
Before the Great Fall of Atlantis, the Deserters resembled a human like every other Atlantean. During this time they wore gloves, long waist tunics with metal belts, brown boots, and a large round neck piece. After Atlantis sunk into the water and the Kingdom of the Deserters moved to an inland sea, many of the inhabitants would die due to the then-inland sea turning into what is now known as the Sahara Desert. Gaining vampiric traits and skeletal-like torsos, the Deserters wore clothing similar to their ancestors. They had ripped waist tunics with no belt, no gloves, and wore no boots/shoes. Now sporting ratty and torn brown capes, some of them wore hoods when venturing out into the deliberately hot Sahara on their Jajus. Their feet were skeletal similar to their torsos. Finally, their eyes were almost completely black. According to some Atlantean highborns, the Deserters feed on blood for sustenance and moisture requirements. This obviously must indicate they have little to no water in their bodies. It is unknown how the remaining Deserters managed to survive and adapt to these dry and hot conditions they thrive in, knowing how the majority of their ancestors died.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Vampiric Atlantean/Deserter Physiology: Like all Atlanteans, the Deserters possesses superhuman abilities, especially when exposed to the surface, notably a desert.
- Superhuman Strength: Like all Atlanteans, the Deserters are superhumanly strong. This is shown when multiple Deserters easily knocked Orm Marius around and when one threw Aquaman while on their Jaju.
- Superhuman Durability: The Deserters are incredibly durable. For example, when Orm regained his strength due to exposure to water, he made a shockwave sending each Deserter back. It required multiple hits with a spear to take them down.
- Superhuman Speed: While running, the Deserters must be able to run faster than that of a human. Before the Deserters adapted to the surface, they must’ve been able to swim at supersonic speeds like all Atlanteans.
Former Powers[]
- Enhanced Vision: During the time of great prosperity and after Atlantis’ fall, the Deserters could see underwater with no issue. From their perspectives, the dark environment of the sea was bright and lit, as the flora and fauna of the ocean being as clear as though they were on land.
- Aquatic Respiration: The Deserters were able to breathe underwater, however that likely changed when they adapted to the surface and lost most of the water in their bodies.
Abilities[]
- Blacksmiths: During the time when Atlantis was at its peak, the ancestors of the Deserters were blacksmiths. According to Vulko, they were the greatest weapons masters in history. This is evident when one of the Deserters forged the Trident of Atlan. Now that the kingdom itself is abandoned and the civilians living in it are dead, the Forge and the Hall of Armory are no longer active. All that remains of the Hall is two statues of soldiers with spears and shields with the mould that formed Atlan’s trident, along with a round table that could play recordings. Altogether, it is a big chance the Deserters are the most dangerous of the Seven Kingdoms of Atlantis due to being able to forge anything.
- Master Combatants: The Deserters are exceptionally skilled in combat, being able to knock Orm around. Although it should be noted he was weakened at this time because of being exposed to heat lamps and lack of enough water.
- Spear Mastery: The Deserters are greatly trained in spear combat, landing multiple hits on Aquaman and Orm themselves.
- Expert Marksmen: The Deserters are able to fire their Atlantean rifles with great accuracy.
- Expert Riders: The Deserters can ride their Jaju mounts with ease and control them with little to no trouble.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
- Electric Spears: The Deserters wield spears capable of electrocuting people. These same spears also can be compact to a baton. These were used against Aquaman and Orm Marius.
- Atlantean Shotguns: The Deserters used these rifles capable of hurting Atlantean highborns such as Orm Marius or Aquaman.
