Under the New Regulations on Psychic Misuse Act passed in 7745 MGE, as a result of the Hunter incident (see p.g. 47), all individuals displaying potential psychic abilities are to be reported to the government. Although people disagree on whether this was a positive or negative, most historians would agree that this was a watershed moment in the history of psychic rights.
It ensured that growing psychics were granted the necessary education and supervision to prevent mishaps, this much is true. However, many organisations used this as an opportunity to groom young psychics for whatever purposes they so require.
Perhaps the most controversial term of the Act, one which is in use to this date 100 years after its inception, is the precautionary clause. Commonly known as the Lobo clause, it states that psychics of orders 10 to 12 must submit for obligatory neural chip implants in case of the worst. They may exercise their free will to refuse, however the Lobo act continues to say:
' As is their right, according to the Sentients' Free Will Act in the founding constitution of the Alliance, they may refuse this implant. However, the government reserves the right, as supported by the Council, the Judiciary and all subsidiary bodies, to fully lobotomise/ permanently disable the conscious field of the subject '
To translate from the legalese: you are either with us, or you are a threat that must be neutralised. Although this may seem unfair, one must fully understand the power any psychic from order 10 wields before coming to any hasty conclusions...
- Extract from The Psychic Problem, by Professor Gamiard published 7845 MGE, Archive File #P786D7G4S831
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The Stone Cathedral, it was called now. Of course, no-one knew what its original name could have been, lost to the mists of time. Sharp angular constructs arches and columns that, from the corner of your eyes, seemed almost non-Euclidean. Yet all who saw had the faint knowledge that even laser-scanning would reveal simple shapes, not out of the ordinary.
There was no wall, no gate or moat nor any indication that there had ever been any. As though the architect knew it would not be needed. Or, perhaps, they had simply been worn down until no evidence of their existence remained. The double-doors were huge, carved from a black metal that seemed to squirm and wriggle with arcane symbols.
A hideous tear ripped into the space outside the building and from within it, a figure, garbed in shredded white cloth emerged. Foul energies attempted to escape from whatever realm that tear led to, stretching out tendrils. However, as soon as they extended out from the rift they were rebuffed by an invisible force, as though repulsed at the mere sight of the Cathedral. Shrieking with phantom pain, they tendrils recoiled back to their hellscape and the rift closed seamlessly until no evidence of its existence remained.
The figure's features were obscured by the shredded cloth, yet what could be seen was less flesh and more shadow given corporeal form. He limped forward, gripping one shoulder as that arm swung uselessly by his side. Soundlessly, he climbed the few steps up to the foreboding doors. Letting go of his arm, he reached forward and pushed on the door. The metal rippled around his hand as the pressure increased until the door gradually opened, screeching in reluctance.
Slipping through the gap before his arm gave out, the door slammed shut behind him with a reverberating thud. The inside was much what you would expect in a cathedral: rows of pews separating by an alley down the middle led to a raised platform with an altar on it. Mounted on the wall overlooking the altar was a statue. Half its body was perfect, carved from the darkest obsidian that demanded awe and respect from those that saw it. The other half was grotesque and deformed, a horrid imitation of life. Both hands were outstretched, as though in supplication to a higher power and an expression of immense, almost palpable, grief was expressed on its bowed face.
Candles were burning along the sides of the hall, yet the light they provided only seemed to give life to the flickering shadows. A figure clad in simple, ceremonial white garb knelt before the altar on the raised platform, unmoving. Without looking back, she spoke in a lilting tone, "You have returned, Archbishop Syn".
He walked forwards down the aisle between the pews. Here, his uneven footsteps clacked loudly, echoing in the empty rafters above. Kneeling before the raised platform, he bowed his head in deference.
"Yes, Cardinal Gem", he said. "The mission was successful, as expected. The seeds have been planted and all that remains is to water them and wait".
His head still bowed, he heard the swishing of robes in front of him, accompanied by a sigh.
"I see, and what of the Contractor of Kyrnos, Scourge of Demons?", she asked.
"I sensed the energy in the moon pact wane when Kyrnos was summoned. I suspect he will not be able to descend many times more", he replied. "And the full moons shall shine on the Vanagandr no longer".
"Yes, that is good", she mused neutrally. "You have down well, Archbishop Syn, and the Unseen are not ungrateful towards their followers." Her voice took on a more serious tone as she continued, "The Pope himself has sent congratulations on your success and, considering your various merits, he has decided to raise your standing".
The Archbishop slowly rose from his knelt position, the inverted pyramid symbol representing the Eye of Knowledge and Truth which Cardinal Gem served coming into view as he stood.
Cardinal Gem turned around and beckoned him on to the raised platform before the altar, taking his right hand, his good hand, in hers. In her left, a silver ornate dagger gleamed with the dancing candle-lights as she raised it above her head.
"With the halfling child of Chaos and Order as my witness", she chanted with a sound as though a thousand-thousand people spoke the same words. "On the orders of Pope Alkanarath II who serves the Pure Ones and with the permission of the High and Wise Council of Elders". As she continued, the shadows themselves seemed to churn and roil, surging forward like a tsunami of dark.
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Eyes unfocused to the surrounding circumstances, she continued chanting to a crescendo, "I, Cardinal Gem, represent the will of the Unseen in raising Syn to a higher standing".
As she reached the climax of the ritual, the candles flared tall and bright, dispelling the lurking shadows that hid and watched. With a rapid movement, she slashed down the dagger on his hand, slicing the shadow, incorporeal skin like wet paper. Instead of blood, the slit opened to reveal a pupil-less eye.
"What is it you seek?", Cardinal Gem rasped and when he turned to look into her eyes, he saw a thousand-thousand staring back at him. Yet Syn held firm, taking all of his willpower not to wilt before the sheer weight of that gaze.
"I seek", he paused, as though lost in thought, before continuing with some newfound steel in his tone, "I seek revenge. And there are no boundaries I am not willing to cross, no morals I will not break to achieve it."
"We, the Unseen, bear witness to your purpose. May your search be fruitful", she spoke with many voices that now seemed to have a hint of respect in their tone. The pupil-less eye on his palm closed, leaving only a pale scar as evidence of its existence as the candle-flames receded and the shadows returned to their previous, inanimate state.
Clattering the knife onto the altar, Cardinal Gem gasped, as though just surfacing from a deep dive. "It is done", she spoke fitfully between breaths. "There is much to discuss regarding the Holy Decree which you can now partake in, Cardinal Syn. Follow me to the antechamber".
Leaving the ornate silver knife on the altar which swallowed it up with a ripple, she walked behind the altar and pressed her hands against the outstretched open palms of the statue. Noiselessly, the two halves split open to reveal a stone passageway, lit by bronze braziers. She walked forwards gracefully, her footsteps not making a sound even on the stone floor of the Cathedral, with her garb billowing behind her.
The opening to the passageway closed behind the new Cardinal and he increased his pace to catch up with Cardinal Gem. After a hundred metres or so of walking, they approached a wooden door set into an enclave at the end of the tunnel. It seemed worn down and rotted, with rusted iron knockers that seemed ready to disintegrate at a touch.
Cardinal Gem pushed open the door and Syn followed her. There was a small porch of sorts before they entered into a hexagonal chamber. The ceiling was closer than that of the main hall, but still respectable enough to warrant six pillars at each of the corners to keep the dome up. In the centre of the chamber there a circular table made of what seemed like bluish grey basalt.
There were eight high-backed seats around it, each with a different symbol etched into the stone save one which was blank. Syn spotted one with the inverted pyramid that must have belonged to Cardinal Gem. Four of the seats were empty while on the other four, various figures sat.
"Has your faith wavered so much you even doubt the Holy Decree, Enceladus?", a mocking voice sounded, coming from a pale-skinned Gefar. Syn noticed his seat had a sixteen-spoked wheel etched into it, representing The Traveller Across The Sea of Flames.
Seated opposite him, a hulking Yu-Oton slammed its scaled hands on the table and growled, "Do not question my faith, Ezekiel, you know full well what I mean. We do not have long before the Great Upheaval completely ruins our millenia-long plans!". On its chair, a a warhammer crossed with an double-headed axe, depicting The Axe That Cleaves and The Hammer That Mends.
The third figure, an insectoid creature, chittered, "Enough of this nonsense, both of you. The Pope has made himself clear of our future actions and the High Council have expressed their agreement as well. It is not our duty to question, but rather trust in the Unseen". A hand cradling a burning star was etched on its seat showing The Hand That Guides and Teaches.
The remaining figure remained silent as Cardinal Gem approached the table and took her designated seat. Syn caught the image of a bell-tower on the figure's seat, illustrating The Silence That Deafens. Before he had a chance to inspect the figure any further, Cardinal Gem spoke out in a cutting voice, "We have a new addition to our number today. The Pope has recently raised Cardinal Syn to his station and we have just completed the rituals".
The insectoid creature clacked its mandibles and spoke, "Then let him show us his Eye and the path it seeks."
I raised my right hand, and the pale scar split open to show a pupil-less eye that looked at each of the others in turn. When it turned to look at the chair left blank, dust fell as lines began to etch themselves in the stone. Soon the eye closed and the etching stopped, revealing an image of a man holding high a sword, illuminated by a ray of light.
Cardinal Ezekiel, who served the Traveller, broke the silence that had descended, "He Who Wields The Sword of Gehenna, Purger of Evil. Come, take your seat among us, Cardinal Syn, there is much to discuss".
Sitting down, Syn noticed the seat was warm, contrary to its appearance as cold stone. With him having taken his seat, only two remained empty: the anvil representing The Forger of Worlds and Weapons and the interlocking gears symbolising The Engine of Stars and Secrets.
The Yu-Oton was the first to speak, addressing Cardinal Gem, "So? Are we to trust the millennia-old map in favour of our eyes and blind ourselves to what clearly lies ahead?"
She replied, "We are to continue as planned, with the Unseen as our witness".
"But-", the Yu-Oton started.
"These orders come directly from the Pope, Cardinal Drorot. If you have any issues with them, feel free to raise them up to him in person.", Cardinal Gem snapped. "Now then, on to business. Firstly, courtesy of Cardinal Syn, the Vanagandr have largely been neutralised."
The insectoid creature raised a foreleg before speaking up, "What of their Contractor, he may potentially be a bigger problem in of himself. What was his name again?". The creature clacked its mandibles, thinking.
"Henitos Glaive", Syn spoke up, "he is an Admiral in the Alliance. Having met him personally, it was almost shockingly underwhelming. I had only managed to undo the psychic suppression fields on Exo Prime so I barely classified as an order 9. Yet he still needed to summon Kyrnos himself to deal with me".
"That is surprising", the creature chittered thoughtfully, "The Contractor is the only envoy of the Vanagandr to our realm, surely they understand his importance?".
At this point Cardinal Ezekiel said, "Perhaps. Either they are so internally weakened that they cannot even relinquish resources on their sole Contractor."
"Or?"
"Or they are so sure of their own strength that they simply don't feel the need to", Cardinal Ezekiel said grimly.
"Either way", Syn continued, "The Contractor had barely enough energy left for two, maybe three summons. And the avatar formed was weak, all bark and no bite. Had I not been suppressed on Exo Prime, I would never have been forced to use the token to escape."
"I've no doubt about that, successor to Gehenna", Ezekiel chuckled.
"The potential absence of the Vanagandr will certainly speed up our plans," the Yu-Oton Cardinal Drorot said, "but what of our long term?"
Cardinal Gem answered, "the Great Equaliser will descend, Ezekiel. Whether the Vanagandr are part of it or not matters little."
Steepling her fingers, she turned to address Syn.
"Syn, you are to remain in the Deep Citadel for now, on orders of the High Council. You have been gone long enough and Catrexus wants to catch up on all your missed training." Syn shuddered almost imperceptibly before nodding his assent. Sweeping her gaze over the other Cardinals, she continued.
"The rest of you know your orders, carry them out to your utmost. With the Unseen as our witness."
As though that were an unspoken cue, all of them stood up to leave while intoning, "By the Unseen". The Cardinal who had not spoken at all during the meeting, the one who served The Silence That Deafens, gave Syn an intense stare before turning back and leaving with the others.
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20th Monarch, 1446
The first dweller approached the ship yesterday. The Captain went to talk to him alone, bartering for directions. Apparently, the maps are no longer useful so I have resorted to star-watching to obtain directions. However, the ever-present fog only grows denser, as if specifically to hinder my attempts to pierce them...
- Extract from the diary of S. Kyssus entry 7, Archive File #P1D9*****