Revenant

Revenant is a term used to describe a process by which members of the Vigilant extend their lifespan by gradually replacing damaged organs with cybernetic augmentation; this process eventually culminates in the emergence of a sapio-synthetic artificial intelligence whose digital neural network is an exact copy of a deceased member of the Vigilant.

Stages

In its current state, the Revenant process is measured in stages. Stage one describes a member of the Vigilant who's organic body mostly remains intact, though augmented by cybernetics. Stage two Revenants are indiviuals who have suffered such tramatic injury that they've been forced to implant their brain into a sophisticated android body, typically referred to as an Avatar. Stage three Revenant's, full artificial intelligences occur either through gradual replacement of brain tissue with technology, or when the individual suffers brain death and a digital copy of their consciousness is put in its place.

Avatars

More often than not, later stage revenants are integrated into sophisticated android bodies, called "avatars". Radia is known to favor shapes that resemble their former organic forms, while Umbra often discards that notion by utilizing terrifying inhuman anatomies. Some revenants forgo the use of bodies alltogether, preferring to operate primarily in digital environments.

Slang

It is established that the Vigilant's subfactions make use of differing colloquialisms to more aptly describe stages of the revenant process.