Bastions are the highest stage of augmentation and the title of knighthood within the Order. Inside their armored bodies resides a living human brain — the noble core of a once-mortal individual. After the ritual known as the “Dusk of Flesh,” the body is permanently abandoned, and the person becomes a steel fortress with no weakness of flesh. Only the chosen may become Bastions. All others exist in service to the Order as squires — attendants, fighters, and scouts. A Bastion is not a machine. It is will and honor sealed within armor, for which the entire Order exists.