The eight powerful magical beings known as the Octessense could not agree who amongst them was the most powerful. They decided on a wager wherein each of the eight beings created an artifact which would turn the first human being that touched it into an Exemplar, a being who personified the power of that specific magical being. When all eight Exemplars were formed, they would have a Ceremony of the Octessense, where the Exemplars could battle it out, determining who was the most powerful.
The first Exemplar was the Juggernaut, who had formerly been Cain Marko, stepbrother to Charles Xavier. Marko found the Crimson Ruby of Cytorrak while serving in the Korean War. Unfortunately for the Juggernaut, the Temple of Cytorrak collapsed while he was inside, and it took the Juggernaut many years to dig out.
Seven other humans were transformed into Exemplars: Olisa Kabaki, Count Andreas Zorba, Brigdet Malone, Yoshiro Hachiman, Sam McGee, Utama Somchart and Nicolette Giroux. Although each Exemplar committed villainous acts on their own, the first action the Exemplars took as a team was to attack Spider-Man in the basement of the Daily Bugle. As a team, they also fought against Iron Man and Thor.
Although the Juggernaut resisted Cytorrak's evil influence and eventually switched to the side of good, the other Exemplars did not. They declared Juggernaut a traitor and captured him, planning on executing him for his crimes against the Octessense. At the last moment, Juggernaut was rescued by the combined force of the Avengers, Spider-Man, and Nova. The Exemplars managed to defeat all of the heroes except Captain America, who made Bedlam realize that he and the other exemplars had had significant psychological alterations made by the entities that gave them their powers. Bedlam used his psychic powers to broadcast his realization to the other Exemplars clearing their minds of the evil mystical influence leaving instead their original personalities but retaining their powers (just like the Juggernaut's situation). After that they departed until they can figure out what to do next.
Members:
Inferno
Decay
Tempest
Carnivore
Conquest
Bedlam
Stonecutter
Former Members:
The Juggernaut
