The ORDER of SION and the HEART of REASON

HISTORY

The Order of Sion is a secret organization that for centuries has watched over the descendants of a mysterious bloodline. The origins of this bloodline are steeped in mystery, as is why the Order watches over the descendants. Some think the members of the bloodline are descended from Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, a theory that alleges that Jesus faked his death on the Cross and fled in secret and had children with Mary. There is some evidence, however, that the bloodline and the Order extend further back in time. Another theory is that the bloodline is descended from the Archangel Michael and thus the members of the bloodline are at least partly angelic in nature.

For at least the last millennium or so, the Order appears to have had ties to Christianity. The name Sion itself implies a relationship to Judeo-Christian religion, though it could also be a corruption from the word "scion", which can mean simply "descendant" or "heir", terms that can equally apply to the members of the bloodline. Historically the Knights Templar were once affiliated with the Order of Sion, but at some point the Knights were corrupted by the evil immortal Vandal Savage and were lured away from the Order and became part of Savage's own secret society, the Illuminati.

The history, size and organization of the Order is kept secret, even from the majority of its members. New members are told only what they need to know in order to perform whatever duty they have been chosen for. The true leaders of the Order have not been identified, but one thing that has come to light recently is one of the mechanisms the Order has for keeping its secrets. Apparently the Order does not keep physical records, but instead entrusts vital information (including the history of the Order) to a group known as the Knowledge Keepers. The Knowledge Keepers are not recruited but appear instead to be an isolated group that are bred among themselves, with the next generation taking over from the previous. The Knowledge Keepers appear to have some kind of psychic abilities that includes the ability to pass on their memories to their descendants, a perfect memory that can recall any piece of information without distortion, and a strong resistance to telepathic probes and other means of mind reading. The Keepers also speak a unique language known only to themselves and the highest levels of the leadership of the Order. The Keepers are taught no other language, so even if captured they cannot be interrogated.

The Order appears to prefer to recruit new members from the clergy, or at least have for the last few centuries or so; and one such recruit was Father Duncan Kelley.

The HEART of REASON

Throughout the years there have been a number of instances of women of the bloodline exhibiting extraordinary abilities, and the Order began referring to this phenomenon as the Heart of Reason. Descriptions are inconsistent, but in recent centuries there were commonalities identified. The women who were identified as an incarnation of the Heart of Reason were notable for strong will and fierce dedication to a cause. For many this was exhibited as a strong devotion to their religion. Beyond this were more unusual traits observed, notably having visions and/or hearing voices. Among some there were even more unusual abilities, bordering on supernatural. Scholars in the Order believe that the visions and voices are actually communications from previous incarnations of the Heart of Reason.

Joan of Arc is one of the most noteworthy individuals who was a member of the bloodline and was believed to be an incarnation of the Heart of Reason (though she was unaware of her unusual heritage). The visions Saint Joan had were alleged by her to be visitations from St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret; with the latter two believed by the Order to be previous incarnations of the Heart of Reason and Michael possibly the source of the bloodline itself. The miracles attributed to Joan are further indications of the abilities granted to her as the Heart of Reason.

The women are not born as the incarnation of the Heart of Reason, rather it seems to manifest later in life; Joan did not begin having visions until she was 13 years old. The most recently identified Heart of Reason was Lisa Mitchell, also known as the hero ArcAngel, who appears to have become the Heart of Reason after a near-death experience, upon which she began having visions of Saint Joan and started on the path to becoming a super hero. Later on ArcAngel began exhibiting other abilities, including laying on of hands to heal another's wounds.

Though the Order has not learned this, it has been revealed that on their deaths the incarnations of the Heart of Reason are brought into the ranks of angels and are assigned to guard the Tree of Life.