Shepherds

Shepherds (シェパード, Shepādo), is a major figure which appears in the events of Tales of RWBY.

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 * —About the Shepherds.

Role and Duties
The main role of the Shepherd is to travel the world and form pacts with multiple Malakhim beings to increase their overall strength and gain the Powers of Purification, which is then used to cleanse all and any of the malevolence of the world. Through forming a pact with the prime-lord, the Shepherd is able to form pacts with other Malakhim—as well as grant them the powers of purification to their own nature and provide a vessel in the Shepherd, where the Malakhim can take a spiritual form to rest their bodies in. The Prime-Lords serve as a guide to the Shepherd, sharing their knowledge of the world. They are usually the first to enact the Armatus with them; a process which is the fusion of the host body and the powers of the Malakhim to boost their base power and purification immensely, this process is called "Armatization".

Michel
Michel, was the previous Shepherd and the over watcher Temple Trial Malakhim.

Sorey
Sorey, as a traveling Shepherd, gains the Flames of Purification after forming his pact with the fire Malak, Lailah, who is also a Prime Lord.

Artorius Collbrande
Artorius Collbrande, was a corrupted Shepherd of Logres and leader of The Abbey and have been shown to be enact the powers of the Armatus, something heavily related to that of the Shepherd's abilities.

Rose
Rose takes on Sorey's role as the shepherd so that she could continue quelling Daemons, Grimm, and Hellions in his place as he cleanses the world in a timeless space allowing his powers to be used by his Squires.

Eleanor Hume
Eleanor Hume, an ex-member of The Abbey and once serving under Artorius Collbrande can form pacts without the need of having a spiritual being such as the Malakhim prime-lords. In the end, she becomes the new Shepherd, after the fall of Artorius.

Others
The Abbey, a foundation consisting of Exorcists under their rule, all function as the Shepherds. Throughout the events of Tales of RWBY, it is shown that the members of The Abbey and their patrolling army, known as the the Exorcists, can form pacts with Malakhim and acts as vessels for them, not Artorius. This ability has also been shown by Magilou, a mysterious teenage witch, when forming a pact with a Normin Malak called Bienfu. Oscar Dragonia, just like Artorius, have been shown to be enact the powers of the Armatus, something heavily related to that of the Shepherd's abilities. Guidelines have proven that the term Exorcists had evolved into eventually referring to all Exorcists as Shepherds.