#c!ponk

Ponk The Council medic. Singlehandedly ran the infirmary and occasionally gave her medical input into Aimsey's apprentice work related to elixir chemistry and the medicinal properties of certain flowers.

Was close friends with Councilor Niki and often helped maintain the Main Hall gardens while she was out of office. As thanks, Niki would go on to plant a handful of lemon trees that, of course, never got a chance to blossom.

He and George used to run into each other in the library on occasion, where Ponk would go there to study medical journals or textbooks. Ponk was one of the few Syndicate residents who visited the library at all, thus was fairly good friends with Karl (though never met Ranboo on account of their existence being the Syndicate's second best kept secret). He made several earnest attempts at striking friendly conversation, but George was never great at reading social cues.

There was a longstanding rumor among the Syndicate that Ponk and the Head Guard were an item. Though they never once admitted to it, neither they nor Sam ever denied it either.

They rarely had any leeway to see each other between their busy schedules, but both made a point of taking their lunch at the same time each day.

She was born and raised in the commune and went to school for medicine. Started out as an apprentice to Phil before graduating to his role as medic.

Sam The Head Council Guard. He appears intermittently throughout the main story flashback segments with your typical stern, no-nonsense, prison warden-esque characterization. He's dedicated to his role as Head Guard and does not waver in his conviction.

But he also runs his famous pumpkin pie stall at the annual autumn festival. He has a soft spot for the Syndicate's young apprentices (even Tommy). And the only people who can break his stony disposition are Ponk and Ant (for vastly different reasons).

Sam spent his childhood in a mysterious laboratory that ran human experiments (totally random and totally not related to any other server lore totally) before being freed at some point by the Council and taken in by them. They quickly deduced his volatile nature and developed a means of preventing spontaneous combustion, which is the mask Sam is said to be wearing each time he appears in the story.

As a kid he always wanted to be an engineer, but the Syndicate's influence sort of swept him down another path. He likes helping Tubbo with his tinkering.

Antfrost Deputy guard, ranked just under Sam. A lot more easy-going than him. Was a mentor figure to many of the apprentices, particularly Aimsey and Eryn.

He was hexed by a witch and made into a cat when he was younger, seeking out the Syndicate Council for a remedy. They weren't able to find one, but he learned to live with it and took up their room and board offer instead.

He's learned how to use his cat features to combat advantages, which shows a little in OTFGS ch25. It's part of why he was able to ascend the ranks.

(It's never mentioned, but he is in fact the one who took out Dream's eye during the coup.)

Red Velvet Ant's boyfriend and the HQ's food service manager. Ran the cafeteria like the navy and loved his job for how much gossip he became privy to as a result of it. Was offered a position in the Council Guard way back when but Ant talked him out of it.

When Ant was unable to have his hex broken by the Council, Velvet used the knowledge he'd accrued from his own efforts to perform it on himself, so that they could be two of a kind.

(obligatory skephalo parallels yep mhm) (something something velvetfrost voluntary catboys vs skephalo tragic immortals)

Both he and Ant migrated to the Syndicate commune from elsewhere, having traveled together to meet with the Council.

Sometime after Aimsey began their apprenticeship, they (with help from Karl) figured out how to reverse hexes and offered a chance for him and Ant to be human again. Though incredibly grateful, they turned down the offer after coming to the conclusion that they're happy with their lives the way they are.

(shoutout to @siphonophores-in-my-braids and their headcanons that inspired my take on Velvet!!!)

Punz Lieutenant for the Council Guard. Ranked the same as Dream. Kinda hated his job and was always looking for a better gig. Spent a lot of time sucking up to Schlatt on the off chance he'd get some kind of offer.

He appears pretty prominently in OTFGS ch39, his exchanges with Dream there pretty much summarizing what kind of role he played up until his death.

He was Dream/XD's sole confidant leading up to the events of the coup and helped him map the route to the abandoned city Nether portal that George finds in ch5.

I like to think he had a one-sided crush on Dream, which made him more open to going along with his religious psychosis.

(There is a little more to all this, but I can't talk about it because SPOILERS!)

Boomer Part of the Council Guard. Ranked just above the apprentices but below Dream and Punz. Really bad at his job, often reprimanded by Sam and the others. Perpetually assigned to man the cafeteria and was good friends with Velvet as a result.

He also came from the same mysterious lab as Sam did, so they had a sort of brotherly relationship that Sam always kept under wraps for whatever reason.

Whenever he wasn't on duty, Boomer spent all his time by the lake. Claimed to be psychic. Befriended Hannah on account of his whimsy. They used to spar.

Eryn Apprentice guard, ranked the same as Jack Manifold. Tommy's childhood friend.

Had ambitions of becoming a vigilante, given his half-demon origins. Super fascinated by urban legends surrounding the commune's infamous assassins and cryptids. Had a detective board in his bunk dedicated to sightings of the legendary "Halo".

He lived in the Overworld with his parents as a child, in a remote area similar to his canon counterpart. Stumbled into the Nether after his home was raided by vengeful piglins (as in canon) and ended up outside the Syndicate commune, at which point he met Freddie and later Tommy.

Aimsey The apprentice alchemist, working under Phil. They actually played a very significant role in the events that lead to the coup, mostly seen in OTFGS ch25, 49.

Fascinated by both nature and science from a young age, she took interest in alchemy after attending a guest seminar in which Phil demonstrated the process of elixir brewing to a class of university students.

He would then go on to garner the Council's attention by discovering a way to derive insulin from flowers, becoming the first person in history to receive an apprenticeship offer without applying.

Became an apprentice a couple years before the others and didn't know any of them prior. Except maybe Tubbo through Billzo, who they've been close with since they were kids.

Seapeekay The Council journalist. Ran the radio news broadcast that appears throughout some of the flashback segments. As shown in OTFGS ch39, he was killed by Dream alongside the others.

The Council denied his request to become a guard. Which bummed him out because he hardly runs into anybody in his role as journalist.

He was pretty good friends with Antfrost, on account of once having been afflicted by a hex himself. Having lived as a fox almost his entire life after an unfortunate encounter with the city's mysterious rooftop trickster and a cursed artifact of some kind, he happily took up Aimsey's offer and was successfully restored as a human.

Despite not being as close with the other Syndicate residents, CPK is familiar with many prominent figures in the city.

Hbomb Goes by H. The headquarters' janitor. Big chatter. Used to make up competitions and games for the apprentice kids.

Vikkstar Retired member of the Council Guard. It was rumored that he moved to a remote island off the commune's shore, but the Council lost contact with him a while ago. A legend among the apprentices.