Eight-Man Empire

The Eight-Man Empire is a group of eight people that are, collectively, one of the strongest entities on Cradle.

Path

Each member of the Eight-Man Empire practices his own individual Path, plus the Path of the Eight-Fold Spear, which unites them in mind and spirit.

Path of the Eightfold Spear

“What the Empire calls “the Path of the Eightfold Spear” is not a Path in the traditional sense. It is a complex bond of mind and spirit woven through a network of Divine Treasures that allow the eight members of the Empire to access the powers of the other seven. In reality, each member of the Eight-Man Empire is on a separate Path.” (Wintersteel, ch 13)

Members

Individually, they are Heralds and Sages, but they can combine their strength using their Path of the Eight-Fold Spear to become equivalent to a Monarch (Wintersteel chapter 13). Suriel showed one of its members to Lindon and told him that, if he had the strength of the Eight-Man Empire, he would be able to save Sacred Valley from the Dreadgod attack (Unsouled, book 1)
We don’t know the names of all the members. Only a few: Larian. Del'rek.

Larian

Advanced far beyond her peers when she was only six years old.

"Suriel stopped with her palm hovering over one member of the Eight-Man Empire, a woman with yellow hair who lay facedown on a table, snoring. “Larian was raised in a noble household. Her father wouldn’t let her play with the other children until she reached the level you know as Gold. When she was six years old, she did.” (Unsouled, ch 11)

A virtuoso archer, beyond compare. Akura Mercy's reward for successfully completing the first trial of the Uncrowned King Tournament was a dream tablet from Larian, containing archery instruction (Uncrowned, Ch. 18) Later, Mercy learned even more from Larian’s memory, down in the Labyrinth (see book 10, Reaper).

• Larian doesn’t like Reigan Shen but this group has recently allied with him, for bribes, treasures.

Golden Armor

Beginning Report: "They crafted eight Divine Treasures, suits of golden armor, that linked their wills together. It is unknown how sacred artists who never ventured beyond Cradle understood such principles so thoroughly, but Abidan intervention is suspected." (Wintersteel, ch 13)

According to Suriel, their golden armor is a cross between a Remnant and a Construct. She told Lindon: “Today, an army of ten thousand Gold-ranked sacred artists couldn’t scratch her armor.” (Unsouled, ch 11)

Inheriting the Armor

When one member dies, their armor is passed down to the next to join. "The Eight-Man Empire is always on the lookout for heirs to inherit their positions in the event of death or ascension. Their suits of armor can be passed down and repaired, but not replaced. Their experiment has never been successfully repeated." (Wintersteel ch 13)

Uncrowned King Tournament

The Eight-Man Empire use the Uncrowned Tournament as a test for people who might one day join it. (Underlord, Epilogue) Ziel fought for the Eight-Man Empire in the last Uncrowned King Tournament (Underlord).

In the latest Tournament, they brought four teams from four different warbands: Ghost-Blade, Flame-Gift, Blood-Chorus, Nine-Hands.(Uncrowned, Ch. 9)

Their platform was a tower with eight floors, each full of sacred artists and sacred beasts, with one member of the Empire per level. Later they were seen hovering together over the tower. (Uncrowned, Ch. 20)

Trivia

• They got their name because they conquer everywhere they go.
• They put a bounty on Akura Fury's head. (Uncrowned, Ch. 4)
• Reigan Shen fought them to a standstill before they drove him away. However, if an individual were to fight Reigan Shen alone, they would be "eaten alive."(https://www.abidanarchive.com/events/1/#e140)
• Northstrider would most likely beat them. (https://www.abidanarchive.com/events/1/#e257)
• In a fight, Sha Miara is roughly equal to them. She'd likely win if she breaks their power-sharing formation quickly, but would be overwhelmed otherwise.(https://www.abidanarchive.com/events/1/#e264)