Scifera, Her Children, and other Astral Entities
Table of Contents
Scifera
The Surrogate Mother, The Blundering Goddess
Deep in the abstract spaces of greater existence, in its own pocket of reality, exists the Ur-Mind, a powerful, formless consciousness existing in a zen like state of content nothingness. When thought, desire, or curiosity bud up in the calm seas of the Ur-Mind's consciousness, they are purged, set free to explore the wider universe. Most simply float invisibly through space. Some become stars, or nebulas, or trigger vast cosmic events, but one of these Aspects of the Ur-Mind took interest in the insignificant microbial life growing on earth and by following it through it's evolution and through witnessing the growth of humanity, slowly became more human (see: The Brave Earth Creation Story for more detail).
Scifera is a "Goddess" who has adopted Earth. While she has aided humanity, life did not intrinsically need her, and her meddling has caused great catastrophes to both the Earth and her own creations. For all the love and foresight Scifera has, she is not omniscient, nor is she truly wise. Because of her failings, she interferes with humanity less and less with time.
Scifera is widely unknown to humanity. The name Scifera is a Karric name used only by them and the Sashni. Outside of those who know of her through interactions with her children, most accounts come from astral projecting mages, who can feel her presence though the hedonic layer of the astral plane. Mages make up names for her, like Freyja, The Deep Mother, or The Devi
Some other impressions come from the esoteric Monish Texts, a collection of poorly translated Karric tomes, giving her names like Saphra or Xifara, though these accounts speak of Scifera as a physical being.
Despite her nature as a false goddess, many of the vague spiritual prayers of the modern world still go to her, as it is her essence that envelopes the earth.
Fate: Scifera is fated to so slowly be spread across the universe and for more of the astral planes to be replaces by soul-energy energy (aether) of humans. Eventually she will be diluted away, returning to be the subconscious part of a larger entity. Despite her failures she will ultimately help elevate Humanity into the stars while intimately bonding with them by sacrificing her very being for them.
Other Notes: While theoretically possible for another Ur-Mind aspect to elevate a race with "magic", this is not something that happens. Life is miniscule to the notice of these aspects usually and if one did bond with an alien species, it would play other differently. While not much is solid about the space era of Brave Earth, magic is uniquely human (or limited to human locations).
I also don't think Scifera was always inherently femininely gendered. Her natural state was likely more neutral, and by separating off more ""masculine"" parts of her forming personality into the various Sashni, she naturally became more feminine coded. Her and Zephan could be seen as her separating herself off into a Father/Mother pair.
Scifera's Children, Born of her Being
The Kar
The Mars-Children, created by Scifera as a prediction for future humanity. After created One, she created One Thousand more. The Kar existed as their own unique culture and unique language, separate from earth.
With Scifera's inability to properly nurture them, the Kar were much like an underestimated pet dog. Having little need to eat, no ability to procreate, and no fear or death left them with very little to anchor their existences too. They had little reason to invent, and even less reason to embrace things like art. Truly wanting only one thing, attention from Their Mother, they would focus on self destructive behaviors in an attempt to force her to deal with them. Bad attention is better than no attention, after all.
The Kar tend to be taller than humans, all over 6 foot tall. They tend to be lithe and of dark complexions, though with the varieties of eye and hair color that would become more common in The New World. They have simplified anatomies, lacking many digestive and reproductive organs. They even lack body hair.
They outclass Old World humans in every way but emotional intelligence. While clever and cunning, they tend to be very simply motivated, like children. They could accomplish tasks exceptionally well with motivation. Their desperate need for fulfillment might have a Kar focusing on one task for hundreds of years just to make it perfect. They are almost an extreme embodiment of ADHD.
The Kar had little exposure to humanity until they were sealed away on the Moon. Interactions with humans helped stabilize them a bit, giving their lives context, but hating humanity also gave them purpose. They saw humanity as barrier between them and Scifera and resented everything that made them different, from their short lives to technology.
Fate: By performing the Henotic Ritual and causing The Rending, 999 Kar partially re-merge with Scifera, turning them into astral entities. But their hatred and animosity prevents them from experiencing henosis. Their tainted spirits calcify into the 999 Karric Daemons that haunt the Astral Plane. Their deep hatred of humanity and their creations is the real reason technology has troubles functioning in The New World.
Of the Thousand and One, only two ever existed during The New World...
Other Notes: I don't think the Kar are strictly gendered? There may be physical differences due to Scifera emulating life on earth, but I think those differences are no different to the Kar than any other. I think the Kar have no concept of gender, or gendered language, even if some Kar may appear masculine or feminine to a human eye.
Zephan
The First Born, Herald of Magic
Zephan, Scifera's first child. A massive, gender ambiguous mediterranean statue-looking being, with huge waves of golden hair running behind him. Zephan stands well over 7 foot tall, and while slender, is wrapped in Karric robes that exaggerate his size.
Zephan is, initially, more stable than rest of the Kar. His more direct link to Scifera, as well as his intrinsic purpose, gave him focus. Once the Kar were sealed by Scifera, he slowly went crazy too, before freeing them. While Zephan is unstable, he has a much more reserved, disposition than his fellow Kar, and does not resent humans in the same way.
Zephan was the first to use magic, and to teach it to the Kar. While his fighting abilities mostly come from shear physical strength and speed, his true power comes from the shear amount of destructive power he wields. His sword, the Kor'amrok, is as much a magical focus as it is a blade.
Fate: Zephan did not merge with Scifera during The Henotic Ritual like the other Kar, likely due to him being distracted by his battle with the young Cassara. Upon finding himself in the New World, Zephan becomes more pensive and reserved, having seen how his plans backfired. In his eventual defeat by Cassara, he banishes himself to the The Deep Library deep in the Astral Plane, slowly recording human history while plucking daemons out of existence.
The Moonfisher
The last surviving Kar. The Moonfisher is a Kar whom, while scouting Earth, became captivated by Buddhism. The Moonfisher took on an ascetic lifestyle, using meditation and study to calm his turbulent mind, freeing him from the aimless desires that doomed his cohort. The Moonfisher was the one Kar to not participate in The Henotic Ritual, staying in meditation in his 'tomb' on Lot'lydor, the sealed Karric city on the dark side of the moon. As such, he is the only Kar not to be consumed during The Rending and the only sentient being to have existed all through The Lost Time. This makes him, in terms of lived years, the oldest known physical being in existence.
This age has a visible effect on the otherwise ageless Kar. The Moonfisher face is gaunt and sunken, from a lack of eating. His hair a giant mess of black that trail for yards behind him, 'greyed' by dust and debris. Some of the hair is tied in front of him, appearing like a giant false beard that drags along the floor during the rare times he gets up to move.
The Moonfisher sits, in meditation in the remains of Lot'lydor, maintaining the astral thread that links Earth and the Moon. There, when the alignments are right, he plunges to earth to attempt to find and remove one of the 999 Karric Daemons that dwell in the astral plane. These shards of his former siblings are the embodiment of the Kar's hatred of Humanity and, in his mind, must be purged before he can find peace. The Daemons he recovered are left to roam the dark side of the moon, where they can be starved of their hatred for Humanity and finally find peace.
Fate: Upon completing his task, and purifying the 999 Karric Daemons, he will pass down to the Monadic Layer to once again be absorbed into Scifera.
The Sashni
Scifera's servants, created from her essence. "Watchers" in Karric, the Sashni technically also contain Zephan. The Sashni share much in common with the Kar, though with all but Zephan created much later, their bodies tend to better reflect those of modern humans.
In the New World they mostly exist to protect the Astral Plane. They guard from forbidden magical rituals, such as soul destruction/derangement, and some kinds of Necromancy.
Methannos
The Guardian
Scifera's second Sashni, made once it became clear The Kar had escaped and were somehow active on Earth. Not trusting the increasingly Nihilistic Zephan to handle this alone, she made the purer, more righteous Methannos from the more judgemental side of her being.
To help Methannos to falling to ennui, she made him mortal. While extremely long lived, it insured that her power would eventually return to her. He was ordered to capture Kar, and return them to the Moon. None of Scifera's creations truly had the ability to destroy one another, and so the Kar would keep escaping. Methannos grew weaker over the years, which made his fights with the Kar, and eventually Zephan, tougher. He was a stop gap measure, who existed longer than he shoot of, and was still too alien to truly relate to humans.
Fate: While The Kor'amrok is forged by an obsessed Kar craftsman, specifically to kill Sashni. Eventually, Methannos would fall to Zephan's blade, his shattered spirit returning to Scifera.
Lower Sashni
Methannos was made to interact with humans as a way to keep him morally aligned with their needs. During this, he was able to 'deputize' humans to become Sashni, using only tiny fragments of Scifera's being. While killable compared to Methannos and Zephan, they were an invaluable force in resisting the Kar. Hated by the Kar as False Sashni
Fate: No longer exist, save for technically Reese, who is similar to Lower Sashni.
Kayin
The Sashni of Curiousity
The third Sashni created by Scifera. Zephan and Methannos were unwieldy in their power and in many ways, quite flawed. They were powerful, but did not get the emotional benefits of humanity. As such, she wished to create a social Sashni whom would be intrinsically linked to humanity. One that may eventually bare children who might also serve her. While not being a near demigod, like the two high Sashni, he and his kin would instead would instead embody human potential. She hoped that living with humans, as a human, would make for a being better able to cope with immortality, who would also gain power and strength through endless experience
Kayin was designed to love life and people. He traveled the world, oblivious to his purpose, with no explanation for his immortality and inhuman toughness. Kayin learned art, he learned to fight, he learned languages and religions from every culture he came across.
Also see The Fall of Zephan and Birth of Kayin
Fate: Is allowed to have a kid with Reese (or more so, it just happens), survives the rending, survives well into the New World. Eventually, him and Reese will fall to immortality induced dementia, relieving almost the same day or two over and over again until something finally sets them free.
Cassara
The Sashni of Destruction
The Fourth Sashni, born of humanity. With that, Cassara is unknowingly given a gift by Scifera -- the Power of Divine Destruction. Cassara's flames, her anger, her sense of judgement, are all ways of Scifera creating someone hwo can erase her mistakes, as it is ultimately Cassara who puts an end to Zephan.
Fate: She lasts better than her parents, but at some point, perhaps in the far far future, when humanity has spread to the stars, Cassara will be the one to free herself, her parents, and even Scifera, from endless monotony.
Zanicus
The Sashni of Creation
The Fifth and Final, the only Sashni made during The New World. Zanicus is The Builder, and one of the architects of Shiv. He is also the one who, perhaps on several occasions, must assume the role of revolutionary to reset the corrupt politics of the region. Upon helping rebuild the new world, and living to see magic and technology become one, Zanicus will leave to explore the stars, just like her mother did, creating only knows what, deep in space.
Categories: History