Five Afflictions: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:30, 11 May 2024

Spoiler warning!
This article contains major spoilers for PALISADE 13: Worth the Trouble Pt. 2. Tread carefully!

The Five Afflictions are strange, amoral beings that cause destruction on Palisade. Each has pawns or minions of its own, and generates a unique negative effect.

Their current auto-antonym names appear to come from the Afflictions themselves. Cleave, for example, "has called itself, or people have dreamt the name" Cleave.^[1]

History

The Afflictions were once the Divine Palisade's "greatest collaborators": the Divines Reflection, Antiquity, Logic, Decisiveness, and Affection. Prior to the events of Twilight Mirage, they and their Excerpts left the Fleet alongside Palisade. They have resided on the planet for thousands of years, long enough to have interacted with the New Earth Hegemony and, later, the Divine Free States and Principality of Kesh.

They are no longer in the social category of Divine,^[2] and the label "Affliction" was applied to them by the Fabreal Duchy,^[3] but how they came to be transformed from Divines to the beings they now are remains unclear.

Afflictions

Dust

Also known as Pride's Mirror (by the NEH) or the Looking Glass (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Dust was once the Divine Reflection.^[4]

Dust is larger than a skyscraper^[2] and looks like "if a mummy could be a mech, shawled and wrapped and deteroriating."^[1] Its pawns are "beings made of compacted dust that ruins electronics and suffocates people if they touch them." This dust, which also muffles sound (save for the stomping, roaring or distant rustling of the Affliction itself) and limits sight when it settles over a region, can only be escaped by confronting oneself in the form of one's pawn doppelganger.

The followers of Reflection who came to the system with their Divine originally used their dust doppelgangers to talk through their own feelings, sort of like therapy.^[4] Over the five thousand years between its departure from the Divine Fleet and its appearance in PALISADE as an Affliction, Dust's purpose has turned, cynically, inwards. It is now building an endless catacomb and forcing everyone touched by its dust to enter a vision of another self and "fence-sit" interminably.^[5] These visions of possible futures do not include the active presence of Dust, as "it can't imagine a good version of itself anymore."^[6]

Dust has a smaller form, but it is unable to leave the Diadem except by taking its "big mode" to fuck stuff up. This has left it unaware of what is going on outside.^[6]

There exist Delegates of Reflection; it is currently unknown whether this has anything to do with its formation as an Affliction.

Refrain

Also known as Yesterday's Reprise (by the NEH) or the Ghastly Chorus (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Refrain was once the Divine Antiquity. As Antiquity, it allowed people to leave parts of themselves, or their memory, with it.^[7]

Refrain is now an undead archive of snapshots of the consciousnesses of members of the Divine Fleet from thousands of years ago, prior to the Fleet's collapse. It takes the form of "an abandoned theater which appears as if from nowhere. Upon the stage, a spectral projection of a person that no one knows."^[8] Inside the theater, electronic ghosts wearing garments from the Divine Fleet mill about. Its effect causes electronics to break and rust over, although Refrain seems to have some control over whether this happens. The spokesperson changes each time, but is never someone that the viewer could have known. In "The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2", the speaker was Lattice.

Refrain opposes the Principality and the other forces that have tried to conquer Palisade over the millennia, but is not convinced by Kalvin Brnine's first attempt to persuade it to support the Cause, because they don't think it will succeed.^[9]

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 47: A Palette of Colors Pt. 2.
Click here to reveal.

Brnine's second attempt at persuasion is more successful, partially because Refrain has become less discerning about the people it adds to its archive following its forced displacement to the Quire system, making it desirous of additional perspectives. It agrees to support the Cause in exchange for permission to ask Cause members if they would like to join its archive.^[3]

Ravel

Also known as Labyrinth's Thread (by the NEH) or the Hedge Maze (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Ravel was once the Divine Logic, who embodied a logic that was many-valued and not based on a true/false binary. The non-binary nature of this logic is reflected in the three horns of Ravel's pawns,^[4] which are 12-foot-tall, invisible minotaur-like beings, or "tricerataurs".^[10]

Ravel "looks like a massive, loose brain neuron prowling the hills and valleys".^[1] It can reroute roads and pathways or build walls to disorient and defamiliarize.

Cleave

Also known as Whetstone's Opposite (by the NEH) or the Sanguine Hatchet (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Cleave was once the Divine Decisiveness.^[4]

Cleave will strike at anyone, regardless of their factional allegiance, and doesn't care much about collateral damage. It is a kaiju, not a savior or heroic figure, though it sometimes interferes with the Principality's aims. Its pawns look like "if a dragon was made of knives",^[11] and they share Cleave's power to impede communication using voiced, signed or written language.

Oversight

Also known as Hell's Facade (by the NEH) or the Empty Garden (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Oversight was once the Divine Affection.^[4] It looks like "a slowly moving statue whose features are always fluctuating under a stone shroud."^[1]

References

[pal03-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 PALISADE 03: Today Is a Monday

[pal32-2] 2.0 ^2.1 PALISADE 32: Seize the Chance Pt. 3

[pal47-3] 3.0 ^3.1 PALISADE 47: A Palette of Colors Pt. 2

[pal27-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 PALISADE 27: Resentment and Frustration Pt. 2

[pal33-5] PALISADE 33: Seize the Chance Pt. 4

[:0-6] 6.0 ^6.1 PALISADE 34: Seize the Chance Pt. 5

[7] PALISADE 13: Worth the Trouble Pt. 2

[8] PALISADE 07: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2, dossier

[9] PALISADE 07: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2

[10] PALISADE 10: The Wheels Turning Pt. 1

[11] PALISADE 01: Into the World Pt. 1

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

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[11]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Infobox group|color_theme=pal|members=Dust<br />Refrain<br />Ravel<br />Cleave<br />Oversight|area_of_operation=[[Palisade (planet)|Palisade]]|season=''[[PALISADE]]''|affiliations=[[Divine Fleet]] (formerly)<br />[[Partial Palisade|Palisade]]}}
-'''The Five Afflictions''' are strange, amoral beings that cause destruction on [[Palisade (planet)|Palisade]]. Each has pawns (minions) of its own, and generates a unique negative effect.
+'''The Five Afflictions''' are strange, amoral beings that cause destruction on [[Palisade (planet)|Palisade]]. Each has pawns or minions of its own, and generates a unique negative effect.
 Their current auto-antonym names appear to come from the Afflictions themselves. Cleave, for example, "has called itself, or people have dreamt the name" Cleave.<ref name="pal03">[[PALISADE 03: Today Is a Monday]]</ref>
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==History ==
-The Afflictions are known to have resided on the planet for thousands of years, long enough to have interacted with the [[New Earth Hegemony]], and later the [[Divine Free States]] and [[Principality of Kesh]].
+The Afflictions were once the [[Divine]] [[Partial Palisade|Palisade]]'s "greatest collaborators": the Divines Reflection, Antiquity, Logic, Decisiveness, and Affection. Prior to the events of ''[[Twilight Mirage]]'', they and their [[Excerpts]] left the Fleet alongside Palisade. They have resided on the planet for thousands of years, long enough to have interacted with the [[New Earth Hegemony]] and, later, the [[Divine Free States]] and [[Principality of Kesh]].
-The Afflictions were once the [[Divine]] [[Partial Palisade|Palisade]]'s "greatest collaborators", who left the Fleet alongside him with their [[Excerpt|Excerpts]]: the Divines Reflection, Antiquity, Logic, Decisiveness, and Affection. They are no longer in the social category of Divine,<ref name="pal32">[[PALISADE 32: Seize the Chance Pt. 3]]</ref> but how they came to be considered Afflictions by themselves and the other residents of Palisade is still unknown.
+They are no longer in the social category of Divine,<ref name="pal32">[[PALISADE 32: Seize the Chance Pt. 3]]</ref> and the label "Affliction" was applied to them by the [[Fabreal Duchy]],<ref name="pal47">[[PALISADE 47: A Palette of Colors Pt. 2]]</ref> but how they came to be transformed from Divines to the beings they now are remains unclear.
 ==Afflictions==
-===Dust ===
+===Dust===
-Also known as '''Pride's Mirror''' (by the NEH) or the '''Looking Glass''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality). Dust was once the Divine '''Reflection'''.<ref name="pal27">[[PALISADE 27: Resentment and Frustration Pt. 2]]</ref>
+Also known as '''Pride's Mirror''' (by the NEH) or the '''Looking Glass''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Dust was once the Divine '''Reflection'''.<ref name="pal27">[[PALISADE 27: Resentment and Frustration Pt. 2]]</ref>
 Dust is larger than a skyscraper<ref name="pal32" /> and looks like "if a mummy could be a mech, shawled and wrapped and deteroriating."<ref name="pal03" /> Its pawns are "beings made of compacted dust that ruins electronics and suffocates people if they touch them." This dust, which also muffles sound (save for the stomping, roaring or distant rustling of the Affliction itself) and limits sight when it settles over a region, can only be escaped by confronting oneself in the form of one's pawn doppelganger.
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 There [[Lucent Reflection|exist]] [[Delegates]] of Reflection; it is currently unknown whether this has anything to do with its formation as an Affliction.
-===Refrain ===
+===Refrain===
-Also known as '''Yesterday's Reprise''' (by the NEH) or the '''Ghastly Chorus''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality). Refrain was once the Divine '''Antiquity''', who allowed people to leave parts of themselves, or their memory, with it.<ref>[[PALISADE 13: Worth the Trouble Pt. 2]]</ref>
+Also known as '''Yesterday's Reprise''' (by the NEH) or the '''Ghastly Chorus''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Refrain was once the Divine '''Antiquity'''. As Antiquity, it allowed people to leave parts of themselves, or their memory, with it.<ref>[[PALISADE 13: Worth the Trouble Pt. 2]]</ref>
-Refrain is an undead archive of snapshots of the consciousnesses of members of the Divine Fleet from thousands of years ago, prior to the Fleet's collapse. It takes the form of "an abandoned theater which appears as if from nowhere. Upon the stage, a spectral projection of a person that no one knows."<ref>[[PALISADE 07: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2]], dossier</ref> Inside the theater, electronic ghosts wearing garments from the Divine Fleet mill about. Its effect causes electronics to break and rust over, although Refrain seems to have some control over whether this happens. The spokesperson changes each time, but is never someone that the viewer could have known. In "[[PALISADE 07: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2|The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2]]", the speaker was [[Lattice]].
+Refrain is now an undead archive of snapshots of the consciousnesses of members of the Divine Fleet from thousands of years ago, prior to the Fleet's collapse. It takes the form of "an abandoned theater which appears as if from nowhere. Upon the stage, a spectral projection of a person that no one knows."<ref>[[PALISADE 07: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2]], dossier</ref> Inside the theater, electronic ghosts wearing garments from the Divine Fleet mill about. Its effect causes electronics to break and rust over, although Refrain seems to have some control over whether this happens. The spokesperson changes each time, but is never someone that the viewer could have known. In "[[PALISADE 07: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2|The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2]]", the speaker was [[Lattice]].
 Refrain opposes the Principality and the other forces that have tried to conquer Palisade over the millennia, but is not convinced by [[Kalvin Brnine]]'s first attempt to persuade it to support the [[Cause (PALISADE)|Cause]], because they don't think it will succeed.<ref>[[PALISADE 07: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 2]]</ref>
-{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PALISADE 47: A Palette of Colors Pt. 2]]|text=Brnine's second attempt at persuasion is more successful, partially because Refrain has become less discerning about the people it adds to its archive following its forced displacement to the [[Quire system]], making it desirous of additional perspectives. It agrees to support the Cause in exchange for permission to ask Cause members if they would like to join its archive.<ref name="pal47">[[PALISADE 47: A Palette of Colors Pt. 2]]</ref>|theme=pal}}
+{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PALISADE 47: A Palette of Colors Pt. 2]]|text=Brnine's second attempt at persuasion is more successful, partially because Refrain has become less discerning about the people it adds to its archive following its forced displacement to the [[Quire system]], making it desirous of additional perspectives. It agrees to support the Cause in exchange for permission to ask Cause members if they would like to join its archive.<ref name="pal47" />|theme=pal}}
 ===Ravel===
-Also known as '''Labyrinth's Thread''' (by the NEH) or the '''Hedge Maze''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality). Ravel was once the Divine '''Logic''', who embodied a logic that was [[wikipedia:many-valued logic|many-valued]], not based on a true/false binary. The non-binary nature of this logic is reflected in the three horns of Ravel's pawns,<ref name="pal27" /> which are 12-foot-tall but invisible minotaur-like beings, or 'tricerataurs'.<ref>[[PALISADE 10: The Wheels Turning Pt. 1]]</ref>
+Also known as '''Labyrinth's Thread''' (by the NEH) or the '''Hedge Maze''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Ravel was once the Divine '''Logic''', who embodied a logic that was [[wikipedia:many-valued logic|many-valued]] and not based on a true/false binary. The non-binary nature of this logic is reflected in the three horns of Ravel's pawns,<ref name="pal27" /> which are 12-foot-tall, invisible minotaur-like beings, or "tricerataurs".<ref>[[PALISADE 10: The Wheels Turning Pt. 1]]</ref>
 Ravel "looks like a massive, loose brain neuron prowling the hills and valleys".<ref name="pal03" /> It can reroute roads and pathways or build walls to disorient and defamiliarize.
 ===Cleave===
-Also known as '''Whetstone's Opposite''' (by the NEH) or the '''Sanguine Hatchet''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality). Cleave was once the Divine '''Decisiveness'''.<ref name="pal27" />
+Also known as '''Whetstone's Opposite''' (by the NEH) or the '''Sanguine Hatchet''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Cleave was once the Divine '''Decisiveness'''.<ref name="pal27" />
 Cleave will strike at anyone, regardless of their factional allegiance, and doesn't care much about collateral damage. It is a kaiju, not a savior or heroic figure, though it sometimes interferes with the Principality's aims. Its pawns look like "if a dragon was made of knives",<ref>[[PALISADE 01: Into the World Pt. 1]]</ref> and they share Cleave's power to impede communication using voiced, signed or written language.
 ===Oversight===
-Also known as '''Hell's Facade''' (by the NEH) or the '''Empty Garden''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality). Oversight was once the Divine '''Affection'''.<ref name="pal27" /> It looks like "a slowly moving statue whose features are always fluctuating under a stone shroud."<ref name="pal03" />
+Also known as '''Hell's Facade''' (by the NEH) or the '''Empty Garden''' (by the ancestors of the Divine Principality), Oversight was once the Divine '''Affection'''.<ref name="pal27" /> It looks like "a slowly moving statue whose features are always fluctuating under a stone shroud."<ref name="pal03" />
 ==References==