Grimm Apostles

The Grimm Apostles were a research group-turned cult that based their many traditions around the Grimm. Formally called the Tarandus Expedition or The Atlas 79, the group was originally created as a way of further studying Grimm in their natural habitat for the kingdom of Atlas without expending any of the kingdom's hunters.

History
The formation of the Tarandus Expedition begin with Aur Tarandus, a veteran of the Great War. At the advent of the Cross Continental Transmit system, Tarandus was a staunch believer in the isolation of Atlas and was one of the few who opposed unity between the kingdoms. Along with a group made up of a majority of the isolationists within Atlas, Tarandus requested a meeting with the Atlas government and proposed an idea that would be beneficial for both of them. The group, colloquially known as the Tarandus Expedition or the Atlas 79, would be allowed to live and travel outside of the kingdom at their own discretion. In return, the group would be forced to study the Grimm extremely in-depth in a way most hunters could not risk. They would be allowed back into the kingdom twice a year - once in summer, once in winter - in order to resupply and present their findings.

The council initially believed that the Atlas 79 would be wiped out within weeks and were willing to send them out to avoid a possible revolt from the group. Were they to survive, the kingdom would receive valuable information about the Grimm and would only have to deal with the group twice a year. Were they to die outside of the kingdom, the chances of revolt would drop drastically. All seemed well for a while.

That is, until Aur Tarandus III, the grandson of the original expedition runner. Not much is known about how he came to be as he was, though members of his party claimed that he would always speak lovingly of the Grimm, a disturbing change from his father and grandfather before him. He liked the way they moved and the elegance of their appearance, and supposedly began luring smaller Grimm into elaborate traps and dragging them into camp for study, scaring the members of the group. With much of the group having been born into the expedition, they didn't feel like they could leave, and as a result Tarandus III began preaching the beauty of the Grimm to his fellow group members, who felt they needed to play along.

By the time Aur Tarandus IV took over in his father's stead, the group became more saturated with people who truly believed that the Grimm were creatures of beauty rather than darkness. While they were still dedicated to the study of Grimm, they began to include more ritualistic elements in their research. Their entrances into Atlas were met with the citizens parting like the sea for the group, who adorned themselves in black cloaks stained and painted with red and Grimm bones.

The end of the expedition nearly 80 years after its conception. Following the death of Aur Taranus IV, his son was deemed too young to run the group and leadership was instead given to his wife, Borea. Due to Borea's inexperience with leadership, she made a decision that ended in the deaths of over 3/4 of the group - and then 1/2 of the remaining members on the way back to the kingdom. The cult was formally split after returning to Atlas and turning in every journal within their possession - at which point the remaining members scattered and presumably lost contact.

Members
Toward the end of the expedition's life, many of the members were wholly convinced in the preaching of Aur Tarandus III and IV, and though Borea Tarandus attempted to right what she believed had been done wrong, her focus on the cult's "religion" ended in it's dissolution.

Former (Known) Members:
 * Aur Tarandus I (Leader; Deceased)
 * Aur Tarandus II (Leader; Deceased)
 * Aur Tarandus III (Leader; Deceased)
 * Aur Tarandus IV (Leader; Deceased)
 * Borea Tarandus (Leader; Alive)
 * Aur Tarandus V (Alive)

Trivia

 * The group was never officially known as 'Grimm Apostles', however it was used to refer to the group by the city after III took over.
 * The name 'Atlas 79' refers to the original number of people in the group, as well as the atomic number of the element Gold. 'Aur', the familial name, means gold in Romanian.