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(Expanded on the Palisade section, particularly regarding Future. Also moved some stuff to and fleshed out Figure relationship section, although it could use more work.)
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== The Friend ==
{{Infobox Character|color_theme=pzn
{{Infobox Character| title = Gur Sevraq| affiliations = [[The Church of the Resin Heart|The Friends of Gur Sevraq]]<br>
|title = Gur Sevraq
[[True Divine |The True Divine]]<br>
|people = [[Columnar]] [[synthetic]]
[[Perennial]] (former worshiper)<br>
|affiliations = [[The Church of the Resin Heart|The Friends of Gur Sevraq]]<br>[[True Divine|The True Divine]]<br>[[Perennial]]<br>[[Future]]<br>[[Rapid Evening (PARTIZAN)|Rapid Evening]]<br>[[Millennium Break]]
[[Future]]<br>
|season=''[[PARTIZAN]]'' and ''[[PALISADE]]''
[[Millennium Break]]| appears_in = [[PARTIZAN 05: Profit and Loss]]<br>
|relations=[[Apparatus Aperitif]] (sibling)<br />[[Clementine Kesh]]<br />[[The Figure in Bismuth|The Figure]]
[[PARTIZAN 09: DESERT SQUIRE - VANTAGE]]<br>
|pronouns = he/him, they/them
[[PARTIZAN 10: DESERT SQUIRE - RIPOSTE]]<br>
|titles = The Friend<br>Liberator of the Divine [[Future]]<br>[[Disciples of Logos|Disciple of Logos]]<br>Rector of [[the Church of the Resin Heart]]<br>Agitant of [[Divine Principality|all Divinity]]|debut=[[The Road to PARTIZAN 05: Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight]] (intro)}}
[[PARTIZAN 11: DESERT SQUIRE - SLEIGHT]]<br>
{{Quote|My name is Gur Sevraq, and I have stolen the Future.|Gur Sevraq, "[[The Road to PARTIZAN 05: Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight|Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight]]"}}
[[PARTIZAN 12: A Call From an Island]] (intro)<br>
'''Gur Sevraq''' ([[Wikipedia:Help:IPA/English|/gər səvˈrɑːk/ or /gər sɪvˈræk/]]) or '''The Friend'''<sup><ref group="note" name=":0">Gur Sevraq is The Friend in the ROT13 cipher, and vice versa.</ref></sup> is a reported miracle worker and the leader of [[the Church of the Resin Heart]]. He stole the [[Divines|Divine]] [[Future]] prior to the start of ''[[PARTIZAN]]''.
[[PARTIZAN 15: Divine Attention]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 16: BITTER AIR - BEHEST]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 17: BITTER AIR - THREECARD]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 18: BITTER AIR - COMBUSTION]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 19: On the Edge of Fracture]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 20: On the Eve of Revolution]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 22: Millennium Break: Forward, to Piracy (Sharp Tensions Across Tremulous Seas)]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 23: Millennium Break: Who Will Lead Millennium Break?]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 24: Millennium Break: The First and Second Arrests of Clementine Kesh]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 25: Millennium Break: Courage in the Shadow of Opportunity]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 26: Millennium Break: Breaking Vigil]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 27: Millennium Break: She said, "To Win We Must Play!"]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 28: Millennium Break: The Storm Over Cruciat]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 29: Buried Beneath Golden Leaves]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 30: A Cemetery for Heros]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 35: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 1]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 36: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 2]]<br>
[[PARTIZAN 38: The Red Light]]<br>|pronouns = He/they|titles = The Friend<br>
Liberator of the Divine [[Future]]<br>
[[The Disciples of Logos|Disciple of Logos]]<br>
Rector of [[The Church of the Resin Heart]]<br>
Agitant of [[Divine Principality|all Divinity]]|appears2PZN=[[Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight]] (opening narration)<br>
[[The Road to PARTIZAN 09: Microscope Pt. 1]] (opening)}}'''Gur Sevraq''' is the leader of [[The Church of the Resin Heart]], and a reported miracle worker. Although he grew up as part of [[The Mysteries Metronomica]], Gur Sevraq was given a vision by [[Perennial]] that lead them to the service of [[True Divine|the True Divine]]. They stole the Divine [[Future]] from [[Stel Columnar]], and so gained a startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures unconfined by the hegemonic and imperialist world around him.


His ability to work miracles is granted by the True Divine, and is only available when the [[Portcullis System|Portcullis Gates]] open and strengthen their connection.
==Appearance==
Gur is a [[Stel Columnar|Columnar]] [[synthetic]].<ref>[[PALISADE 39: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 1]]</ref> They are a spider-like humanoid with eight limbs, which are normally hidden under their clothes. They have with big mandibles and six eyes resembling angle brackets (if each were made of three dots) pointing towards one another, like [https://www.acdd.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/n/mnr3000_web_cover.jpg the Lacuna rpg cover art] of a cartoonish spider in a hat.


== Appearance ==
In his first appearance, Gur wears long cloaks and robes layered over one another in natural colours (tans, khakis, browns, and very light pale sand tones). These clothes include splashes of teals and oranges from individual cloth or sewn-in ribbons, so that "as they move around, different layers show and move" in an almost hypnotizing way. Their similarly-coloured low turban, ringed by an orange ribbon, covers the very top of his head.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 09: DESERT SQUIRE - VANTAGE]], 01:38:27 - 01:40:48</ref> In his second appearance, he wears different fabrics, this time in very saturated blues, silvers and whites that somehow still give the impression of warmth.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 13: A Captive Audience]], 2:59:00</ref>{{Spoiler Block
A spider-like humanoid synthetic, with big mandibles and six eyes resembling angle brackets (if each were made of three dots) pointing towards one another, like [https://www.acdd.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/n/mnr3000_web_cover.jpg the Lacuna rpg cover art] of a cartoonish spider in a hat.
| spoiling = ''PARTIZAN'' [[PARTIZAN 28: Millennium Break: The Storm Over Cruciat|Episode 28]] onwards
| theme = pzn
| text = Their ghost no longer wears any robes, and their spider-like form is fully visible.}}
==Personality==
Gur is a skilled preacher and rhetorician, although with friends he has a tendency to get distracted, ramble and go on tangents. They are deeply faithful, and do not appreciate mockery of their relationship to [[True Divine|God]]. Along with his followers, [[The Church of the Resin Heart#The Friends Of Gur Sevraq|the Friends of Gur Sevraq]], he naively believes that the spread of communication technology could enable social progression beyond the imperialism of the [[Divine Principality]]. They are firmly against slavery and forced labor.  


On their first appearance, they wear long cloaks and robes layered over one another in natural colours (tans, khakis, browns, and very light pale sand tones), with splashes of teals and oranges from individual cloth or sewn-in ribbons, so that "as they move around, different layers show and move, and there's almost something hypnotising". Their similarly-coloured low turban, ringed by an orange ribbon, covers the very top of his head.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 09: DESERT SQUIRE - VANTAGE]], 01:38:27 - 01:40:48</ref>
Gur is not a pacifist: they have killed at least two people. He is also willing to manipulate people, such as [[Clementine Kesh]]. {{Spoiler block
|spoiling=[[The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department]]
|text=After death, he has lost much of his old naivete and self assurance, viewing those traits as mere "hubris" and stating that "the revolution never needed [him]". They've also lost faith in the True Divine, but affirm their belief that Millennium Break will and must end the Divine Principality.<ref name=":0">[[The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department]], opening</ref>
|theme=pal}}
==History and Involvement==


On his second appearance, he is wearing different fabrics, now in very saturated blues, silvers and whites that somehow still give the impression of warmth.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 13: A Captive Audience]], 2:59:00</ref>
===''PARTIZAN''===
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=all of ''PARTIZAN''|theme=pzn}}
Although he grew up as part of the [[Mysteries Metronomica]], Gur Sevraq was led by both his studies and the guidance of [[Perennial]] to the service of the True Divine.


== Affiliations ==
With the Friends of Gur Sevraq, Gur was involved in various clandestine operations against the Principality. They stole the Divine [[Future]] from [[Stel Columnar]], and during the theft they killed the [[Pact of Necessary Venture|Pact]] Elects [[Myosotis]] and [[Plumeria]]. Future gave them prescience and the ability to imagine futures unconfined by the hegemonic and imperialist world around him.
Along with their Church and many pilgrims from both [[Progressive Asterism|Progressive]] and [[Received Asterism]] (including [[Aleel Verdicate|the Song]]), he set out to walk [[The Prophet's Path]] on the 1000 year anniversary of [[Logos Kantel]] doing the same. The ambush during this journey led to him being held as a somewhat-willing captive by their former escorts, [[The Rapid Evening]]. It was during this time that they first communicated telepathically with [[Valence]], shortly before the [[True Divine]]'s attention turned to [[Partizan]] and they were instructed to assemble the [[Exemplar]].


When the Rapid Evening took [[Fort Icebreaker]], he assisted in hiding it from the eyes of [[Stel Kesh]] and [[Stel Apostolos]], and when [[Millennium Break]] formed he used it as an opportunity to spread the message of revolution, but did not run in the elections.
They contacted the wavering Elect [[Cymbidium]] and spurred him to join them on [[Isles of Logos|the Isles of Logos]], but Cymbidium instead aimed for the [[Sable Court]] before his crash in [[Obelle]].


== Quotes ==
Along with their Church and many pilgrims from both sects of [[Asterism]], he sets out to walk [[the Prophet's Path]] on the 1000 year anniversary of [[Logos Kantel]]'s own walk. The ambush during this journey leads to him being held as a somewhat-willing captive by his former escorts, [[Rapid Evening (PARTIZAN)|the Rapid Evening]]. During this time Gur first communicates telepathically with [[Valence]], shortly before the [[True Divine]]'s attention turns to [[Partizan]] and they are instructed to assemble the [[Exemplar]].  
{{Quote|This is a message to you who listens. You must trust me, because we are friends: you just don't know it yet. The Divine Principality offers you progress. But Imperial Futures are only ever stolen presents. I offer you more: I offer you actualization.


My name is Gur Sevraq, and I have stolen the future.|[[Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight]] (Opening Narration)}}{{Quote|We are driven by this one understanding: that history looms, not the way an ominous shadow casts over the land, but like a machine that weaves. It pulls threads together alike and not, according to pattern, material, and process. And as it stands, the Divine Principality will weave this age, this so-called Perfect Millenium, forever.  
His kidnapping makes him an increasingly important symbol for various factions of the Principality. It also serves as a pretext for an intensification of the Principality's civil war, with [[Stel Kesh]] blaming [[Stel Apostolos]] for their disappearance.  


And so here is our outrageous idea, slipping from incoherence into necessity: we will work the loom of history ourselves. We will set the pattern, pull the cloth, slide the shuttle, and bring together each of our different threads into something that to look at it once complete is to see something so essential it is hard to image the world before it. A future unlike the past, a yet unnamed tomorrow. Together we will break this millenium.|[[PARTIZAN 21: Millennium Break: We Will Take Hold of the Loom of History!]] (Opening Narration)}}
When the Rapid Evening takes [[Fort Icebreaker]], Gur helps to hide it from the eyes of the [[Stels]]. When [[Millennium Break]] forms he uses the opportunity to spread the message of revolution, but does not run in Millennium Break's elections.


== References ==
After Millennium Break seizes [[Cruciat]], with [[Clementine Kesh|Clem]] about to be ousted, Gur has an argument with Clem that culminates in both of them attacking each other and falling from atop Fort Icebreaker into the sea. Both are considered to have died by the rest of Millennium Break. Clem washes up on the shores of [[Chorus Island]], and eventually finds Gur's ghost trapped in a caved-in room. He advises her initially on faith and continues to serve as her advisor when she takes the [[Reflecting Pool]].
 
===''PALISADE''===
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=all of ''PALISADE''|theme=pal}}
In the five years since the events of ''PARTIZAN'', Gur's ghost has continued to haunt [[the Witch in Glass]]. Their remaining connection to Perennial and her perspective on time has forced them to confront their own death "again and again and again and again".<ref name="PAL37">[[PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1]]</ref> When [[The Figure in Bismuth|the Figure]] frees themself from the Witch in Glass, [[Perennial]] transfers Gur's ghost over: they no longer haunt the Witch, and now haunt the Figure.<ref name="PAL25">[[PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4]]</ref> Following Figure's untimely demise,<ref name="PAL42">[[PALISADE 42: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 4]]</ref> Gur's spirit is "locked inside of" Future<ref name="PAL51">[[PALISADE 51: A Palette of Colors Pt. 6]]</ref> (and forced to recollect their own death yet again)<ref name="PAL46">[[PALISADE 46: A Palette of Colors Pt. 1]], intro</ref> even after the Divine is captured by Millennium Break.
 
==The Puppet==
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=all of ''PARTIZAN''|theme=pzn}}
The '''puppet of Gur Sevraq''', a.k.a. the '''false Gur Sevraq''', is an imposter created and controlled by the [[Curtain of Divinity]] which, following Gur's death, stole his body and reloaded it with an old memory core and stolen or secret recordings from before he died.<ref name="PZN38">[[PARTIZAN 38: The Red Light]]</ref> The Curtain uses the puppet for propagandistic purposes and to distort the messages Gur conveyed during their life.
 
{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PALISADE 41: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 3]]|text=The puppet is in truth the Divine [[Future]] moving through and speaking with Gur's body. Although the Curtain installed the puppet with a "bad algorithm" that could only speak using old recordings of Gur's speeches, rearranged to convey different meanings, over time Future took it over. With its knowledge of Gur's beliefs and behavior, it was able to convincingly impersonate him while advancing its own agenda.<ref name="pal41">[[PALISADE 41: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 3]]</ref>|theme=pal}}
 
In their first speech, the puppet remains "clearly wounded and broken" from Gur's fight with Clementine. By the beginning of ''PALISADE'', they have become the Song of [[Palisade (planet)|Palisade]]<ref>[[PALISADE 39: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 1]], intro</ref> and a symbol and prophet of [[New Asterism]], reuniting both sects of [[Asterism]] and adjusting their philosophies to aim adherents toward settler-colonialism. Their speeches characterize Palisade as a garden which must be tended by Principality citizens.
 
==Relationships==
===Clementine Kesh===
After being captured by Clementine, Gur seems willing to work with her towards her goals, up to a point. He spends some time at her bedside attempting to educate and manipulate her, and they begin playing chess together. However, he is not willing to leave the rest of the Rapid Evening imprisoned under her control. They continue trying to win her over after the formation of Millennium Break, but Clem's complete unwillingness to learn, grow, or listen leads to increasing acrimony between them.{{Spoiler Block
| spoiling = ''PARTIZAN'' [[PARTIZAN 28: Millennium Break: The Storm Over Cruciat|Episode 28]] onwards
| theme = pzn
| text = In particular, Clementine insults Gur's faith, which leads to the physical altercation where they fall from Icebreaker. After Clementine finds them on Chorus Island, the two continue to clash, but Gur begins to teach Clementine about faith, Perennial, and other topics she had not been receptive to before. She is the only one who can see or hear his ghost: Perennial has bound them together. Gur is unable to communicate with his gods and unsure what would happen to him if he let Clem die. For that reason, despite hating her and being ashamed of his own perceived cowardice, they serve as a whisper in her ear to keep her from committing outright atrocities.}}{{Spoiler block|spoiling=[[PALISADE 10: The Wheels Turning Pt. 1]]|text=By ''PALISADE'', after five years have passed, Gur's ability to continue influencing Clem has been hampered by her increasing doubt that they are real. She suspects that they are just a manifestation of her guilty conscience, and prefers to ignore them and commit to her decisions.|theme=pal}}
 
===Valence===
Valence and Gur meet when Valence visits the Church of the Resin Heart during downtime, but their first major interaction is after Gur's disappearance, when Valence telepathically contacts them on behalf of the church to make sure they are well. They see each other again during a vision in "[[PARTIZAN 15: Divine Attention|Divine Attention]]". Gur Sevraq also invites Valence and the Rapid Evening to join [[Millennium Break]].
 
While Valence is occasionally irritated with Gur for lecturing, they generally get along well. They have similar interests as religious scholars and worshipers of the True Divine and enjoy discussing the nature of faith. They are also both charged with uncovering the Exemplar.{{Spoiler Block
| spoiling = ''PARTIZAN'' [[PARTIZAN 38: The Red Light|Episode 38]] onwards
| theme = pzn
| text = Valence is deeply affected by Gur's death. It spurs them to redouble their efforts to find the parts of the Exemplar, a search which ends in their own death as well. After "[[PARTIZAN 38: The Red Light|The Red Light]]", Sovereign Immunity ends up uncovering records from Gur and Valence and giving them to Broun. This includes notes from their conversations on faith that Valence, the more grounded of the two, had been recording to someday turn into a book.}}
 
===The Figure===
{{Construction|section=section}}
Gur and Figure meet after Figure changes their allegiance to Perennial. Gur shows enthusiasm for imparting Perennial's mission to Figure, but is distinctly "distracting and difficult".<ref name="PAL25" /> Their intermittence and Figure's other priorities make communication difficult.
 
At one point, aboard the ''[[Blue Channel (ship)|Blue Channel]]'', Gur tells Figure about the tapes that [[Brnine]] has of conversations between themself and Valence. This leads Figure to watch the tapes (and inadvertently use his magic bring Brnine home).<ref>[[PALISADE 29: Honesty and Integrity Pt. 2]]</ref>
 
Figure is spurred by [[Saint Decario Dicario]] and their relationship to Gur to look into and stop the fake Gur Sevraq; that encounter leads to Figure's death.
 
=== True Divine===
The True Divine grants Gur Sevraq the ability to work miracles. This power is only available when the [[Portcullis System|Portcullis Gates]] open and strengthen their connection. Past miracles have ranged from restarting a generator to hiding an entire mobile military fortress from the Principality.{{Spoiler block
|spoiling=[[The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department]]
|theme=pal
|text=After his death, Gur was unable to hear from the True Divine any longer.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 36: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 2]], opening</ref> In their introduction to "[[The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department|City Planning Department]]" they have clearly lost faith in the True Divine, describing them as "empty synecdoche for justice...so easily diluted and dispersed".<ref name=":0" />}}
===Bond (Kingdom)===
*[[Ver'million Blue|Milli]] is right to distrust all who seek to direct her power, but she ought fight for those who share her dreams yet lack her strength.
 
== Trivia== 
*In the [[PARTIZAN 48: Post Mortem|postmortem]], Austin said that in a live action adaptation Gur would be voiced by [[wikipedia:Chiwetel_Ejiofor|Chiwetel Ejiofor]].
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Gur Sevraq by Rosehipsister.png|alt=Gur in sitting position, gesturing as if giving a speech|Art by [https://rosehipsister.tumblr.com/post/741444049534402560/finally-clean-versions-of-my-secsam-character rosehipsister]
</gallery>
 
==Quotes==
{{Quote|We are driven by this one understanding: that history looms, not the way an ominous shadow casts over the land, but like a machine that weaves. It pulls threads together alike and not, according to pattern, material, and process. And as it stands, the Divine Principality will weave this age, this so-called Perfect Millennium, forever.
 
And so here is our outrageous idea, slipping from incoherence into necessity: we will work the loom of history ourselves. We will set the pattern, pull the cloth, slide the shuttle, and bring together each of our different threads into something that to look at it once complete is to see something so essential it is hard to imagine the world before it. A future unlike the past, a yet unnamed tomorrow. Together we will ''break this millennium''.|[[PARTIZAN 21: Millennium Break: We Will Take Hold of the Loom of History!|Millennium Break: We Will Take Hold of the Loom of History!]] (opening narration)}}
 
==Appears in==
 
===''The Road to PARTIZAN''===
{{div col}}
*[[The Road to PARTIZAN 05: Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight]] (intro only)
*[[The Road to PARTIZAN 09: Microscope Pt. 1]] (intro only)
{{div col end}}
 
===''PARTIZAN''===
{{div col}}
*[[PARTIZAN 05: Profit and Loss]]
*[[PARTIZAN 09: DESERT SQUIRE - VANTAGE]]
*[[PARTIZAN 10: DESERT SQUIRE - RIPOSTE]]
*[[PARTIZAN 11: DESERT SQUIRE - SLEIGHT]]
*[[PARTIZAN 12: A Call From an Island]]
*[[PARTIZAN 13: A Captive Audience]]
*[[PARTIZAN 15: Divine Attention]]
*[[PARTIZAN 16: BITTER AIR - BEHEST]]
*[[PARTIZAN 18: BITTER AIR - COMBUSTION]]
*[[PARTIZAN 19: On the Edge of Fracture]]
*[[PARTIZAN 20: On the Eve of Revolution]]
*[[PARTIZAN 21: Millennium Break: We Will Take Hold of the Loom of History!]]
*[[PARTIZAN 22: Millennium Break: Forward, to Piracy (Sharp Tensions Across Tremulous Seas)]]
*[[PARTIZAN 23: Millennium Break: Who Will Lead Millennium Break?]]
*[[PARTIZAN 24: Millennium Break: The First and Second Arrests of Clementine Kesh]]
*[[PARTIZAN 25: Millennium Break: Courage in the Shadow of Opportunity]]
*[[PARTIZAN 26: Millennium Break: Breaking Vigil]]
*[[PARTIZAN 27: Millennium Break: She said, "To Win We Must Play!"]]
*[[PARTIZAN 28: Millennium Break: The Storm Over Cruciat]]
*[[PARTIZAN 35: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 1]]
*[[PARTIZAN 36: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 2]]
{{div col end}}
 
===''The Road to PALISADE''===
 
*[[The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department]] (intro only)
 
===''PALISADE''===
{{div col}}
*[[PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4]]
*[[PALISADE 26: Resentment and Frustration Pt. 1]] (intro only)
*[[PALISADE 28: Honesty and Integrity Pt. 1]]
*[[PALISADE 29: Honesty and Integrity Pt. 2]]
*[[PALISADE 31: Seize the Chance Pt. 2]]<ref group="note">Gur appears briefly in this episode but is retconned out shortly thereafter when Dre re-rolls and gets a mixed success.</ref>
*[[PALISADE 33: Seize the Chance Pt. 4]]
*[[PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1]] (intro only)
*[[PALISADE 46: A Palette of Colors Pt. 1]] (intro only)
{{div col end}}
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}
 
==References==
<references />
<references />
__FORCETOC__
{{NavboxRTPZN}}
[[Category:PARTIZAN Characters]]
{{NavboxPZN}}{{NavboxRTPAL}}{{NavboxPAL}}
[[Category:Road to PARTIZAN Characters]]
[[Category:Columnar]]
[[Category:PARTIZAN characters]]
[[Category:Road to PARTIZAN characters]]
[[Category:PALISADE characters]]
[[Category:Austin characters]]
[[Category:Millennium Break members]]
[[Category:An Impossible Ideal arc]]
[[Category:Honesty and Integrity arc]]
[[Category:Seize the Chance arc]]
[[Category:Reach In / Reach Out arc]]
[[Category:A Mechanical Whine arc]]
[[Category:Operation Shackled Sun arc]]
[[Category:Millennium Break arc]]

Latest revision as of 05:54, 8 August 2024

“

My name is Gur Sevraq, and I have stolen the Future.”

– Gur Sevraq, "Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight"

Gur Sevraq (/gər səvˈrɑːk/ or /gər sɪvˈræk/) or The Friend[note 1] is a reported miracle worker and the leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. He stole the Divine Future prior to the start of PARTIZAN.

Appearance[edit | edit source]

Gur is a Columnar synthetic.[1] They are a spider-like humanoid with eight limbs, which are normally hidden under their clothes. They have with big mandibles and six eyes resembling angle brackets (if each were made of three dots) pointing towards one another, like the Lacuna rpg cover art of a cartoonish spider in a hat.

In his first appearance, Gur wears long cloaks and robes layered over one another in natural colours (tans, khakis, browns, and very light pale sand tones). These clothes include splashes of teals and oranges from individual cloth or sewn-in ribbons, so that "as they move around, different layers show and move" in an almost hypnotizing way. Their similarly-coloured low turban, ringed by an orange ribbon, covers the very top of his head.[2] In his second appearance, he wears different fabrics, this time in very saturated blues, silvers and whites that somehow still give the impression of warmth.[3]

Pzncover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PARTIZAN Episode 28 onwards.
Click here to reveal.

Their ghost no longer wears any robes, and their spider-like form is fully visible.

Personality[edit | edit source]

Gur is a skilled preacher and rhetorician, although with friends he has a tendency to get distracted, ramble and go on tangents. They are deeply faithful, and do not appreciate mockery of their relationship to God. Along with his followers, the Friends of Gur Sevraq, he naively believes that the spread of communication technology could enable social progression beyond the imperialism of the Divine Principality. They are firmly against slavery and forced labor.

Gur is not a pacifist: they have killed at least two people. He is also willing to manipulate people, such as Clementine Kesh.

Palcover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department.
Click here to reveal.

After death, he has lost much of his old naivete and self assurance, viewing those traits as mere "hubris" and stating that "the revolution never needed [him]". They've also lost faith in the True Divine, but affirm their belief that Millennium Break will and must end the Divine Principality.[4]

History and Involvement[edit | edit source]

PARTIZAN[edit | edit source]

Warning.png Spoiler warning!
This section contains major spoilers for all of PARTIZAN. Tread carefully!

Although he grew up as part of the Mysteries Metronomica, Gur Sevraq was led by both his studies and the guidance of Perennial to the service of the True Divine.

With the Friends of Gur Sevraq, Gur was involved in various clandestine operations against the Principality. They stole the Divine Future from Stel Columnar, and during the theft they killed the Pact Elects Myosotis and Plumeria. Future gave them prescience and the ability to imagine futures unconfined by the hegemonic and imperialist world around him.

They contacted the wavering Elect Cymbidium and spurred him to join them on the Isles of Logos, but Cymbidium instead aimed for the Sable Court before his crash in Obelle.

Along with their Church and many pilgrims from both sects of Asterism, he sets out to walk the Prophet's Path on the 1000 year anniversary of Logos Kantel's own walk. The ambush during this journey leads to him being held as a somewhat-willing captive by his former escorts, the Rapid Evening. During this time Gur first communicates telepathically with Valence, shortly before the True Divine's attention turns to Partizan and they are instructed to assemble the Exemplar.

His kidnapping makes him an increasingly important symbol for various factions of the Principality. It also serves as a pretext for an intensification of the Principality's civil war, with Stel Kesh blaming Stel Apostolos for their disappearance.

When the Rapid Evening takes Fort Icebreaker, Gur helps to hide it from the eyes of the Stels. When Millennium Break forms he uses the opportunity to spread the message of revolution, but does not run in Millennium Break's elections.

After Millennium Break seizes Cruciat, with Clem about to be ousted, Gur has an argument with Clem that culminates in both of them attacking each other and falling from atop Fort Icebreaker into the sea. Both are considered to have died by the rest of Millennium Break. Clem washes up on the shores of Chorus Island, and eventually finds Gur's ghost trapped in a caved-in room. He advises her initially on faith and continues to serve as her advisor when she takes the Reflecting Pool.

PALISADE[edit | edit source]

Warning.png Spoiler warning!
This section contains major spoilers for all of PALISADE. Tread carefully!

In the five years since the events of PARTIZAN, Gur's ghost has continued to haunt the Witch in Glass. Their remaining connection to Perennial and her perspective on time has forced them to confront their own death "again and again and again and again".[5] When the Figure frees themself from the Witch in Glass, Perennial transfers Gur's ghost over: they no longer haunt the Witch, and now haunt the Figure.[6] Following Figure's untimely demise,[7] Gur's spirit is "locked inside of" Future[8] (and forced to recollect their own death yet again)[9] even after the Divine is captured by Millennium Break.

The Puppet[edit | edit source]

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The puppet of Gur Sevraq, a.k.a. the false Gur Sevraq, is an imposter created and controlled by the Curtain of Divinity which, following Gur's death, stole his body and reloaded it with an old memory core and stolen or secret recordings from before he died.[10] The Curtain uses the puppet for propagandistic purposes and to distort the messages Gur conveyed during their life.

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The puppet is in truth the Divine Future moving through and speaking with Gur's body. Although the Curtain installed the puppet with a "bad algorithm" that could only speak using old recordings of Gur's speeches, rearranged to convey different meanings, over time Future took it over. With its knowledge of Gur's beliefs and behavior, it was able to convincingly impersonate him while advancing its own agenda.[11]

In their first speech, the puppet remains "clearly wounded and broken" from Gur's fight with Clementine. By the beginning of PALISADE, they have become the Song of Palisade[12] and a symbol and prophet of New Asterism, reuniting both sects of Asterism and adjusting their philosophies to aim adherents toward settler-colonialism. Their speeches characterize Palisade as a garden which must be tended by Principality citizens.

Relationships[edit | edit source]

Clementine Kesh[edit | edit source]

After being captured by Clementine, Gur seems willing to work with her towards her goals, up to a point. He spends some time at her bedside attempting to educate and manipulate her, and they begin playing chess together. However, he is not willing to leave the rest of the Rapid Evening imprisoned under her control. They continue trying to win her over after the formation of Millennium Break, but Clem's complete unwillingness to learn, grow, or listen leads to increasing acrimony between them.

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In particular, Clementine insults Gur's faith, which leads to the physical altercation where they fall from Icebreaker. After Clementine finds them on Chorus Island, the two continue to clash, but Gur begins to teach Clementine about faith, Perennial, and other topics she had not been receptive to before. She is the only one who can see or hear his ghost: Perennial has bound them together. Gur is unable to communicate with his gods and unsure what would happen to him if he let Clem die. For that reason, despite hating her and being ashamed of his own perceived cowardice, they serve as a whisper in her ear to keep her from committing outright atrocities.

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By PALISADE, after five years have passed, Gur's ability to continue influencing Clem has been hampered by her increasing doubt that they are real. She suspects that they are just a manifestation of her guilty conscience, and prefers to ignore them and commit to her decisions.

Valence[edit | edit source]

Valence and Gur meet when Valence visits the Church of the Resin Heart during downtime, but their first major interaction is after Gur's disappearance, when Valence telepathically contacts them on behalf of the church to make sure they are well. They see each other again during a vision in "Divine Attention". Gur Sevraq also invites Valence and the Rapid Evening to join Millennium Break.

While Valence is occasionally irritated with Gur for lecturing, they generally get along well. They have similar interests as religious scholars and worshipers of the True Divine and enjoy discussing the nature of faith. They are also both charged with uncovering the Exemplar.

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Valence is deeply affected by Gur's death. It spurs them to redouble their efforts to find the parts of the Exemplar, a search which ends in their own death as well. After "The Red Light", Sovereign Immunity ends up uncovering records from Gur and Valence and giving them to Broun. This includes notes from their conversations on faith that Valence, the more grounded of the two, had been recording to someday turn into a book.

The Figure[edit | edit source]

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Gur and Figure meet after Figure changes their allegiance to Perennial. Gur shows enthusiasm for imparting Perennial's mission to Figure, but is distinctly "distracting and difficult".[6] Their intermittence and Figure's other priorities make communication difficult.

At one point, aboard the Blue Channel, Gur tells Figure about the tapes that Brnine has of conversations between themself and Valence. This leads Figure to watch the tapes (and inadvertently use his magic bring Brnine home).[13]

Figure is spurred by Saint Decario Dicario and their relationship to Gur to look into and stop the fake Gur Sevraq; that encounter leads to Figure's death.

True Divine[edit | edit source]

The True Divine grants Gur Sevraq the ability to work miracles. This power is only available when the Portcullis Gates open and strengthen their connection. Past miracles have ranged from restarting a generator to hiding an entire mobile military fortress from the Principality.

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After his death, Gur was unable to hear from the True Divine any longer.[14] In their introduction to "City Planning Department" they have clearly lost faith in the True Divine, describing them as "empty synecdoche for justice...so easily diluted and dispersed".[4]

Bond (Kingdom)[edit | edit source]

  • Milli is right to distrust all who seek to direct her power, but she ought fight for those who share her dreams yet lack her strength.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Quotes[edit | edit source]

“

We are driven by this one understanding: that history looms, not the way an ominous shadow casts over the land, but like a machine that weaves. It pulls threads together alike and not, according to pattern, material, and process. And as it stands, the Divine Principality will weave this age, this so-called Perfect Millennium, forever.

And so here is our outrageous idea, slipping from incoherence into necessity: we will work the loom of history ourselves. We will set the pattern, pull the cloth, slide the shuttle, and bring together each of our different threads into something that to look at it once complete is to see something so essential it is hard to imagine the world before it. A future unlike the past, a yet unnamed tomorrow. Together we will break this millennium.”

Appears in[edit | edit source]

The Road to PARTIZAN[edit | edit source]

PARTIZAN[edit | edit source]

The Road to PALISADE[edit | edit source]

PALISADE[edit | edit source]

Footnotes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Gur Sevraq is The Friend in the ROT13 cipher, and vice versa.
  2. ↑ Gur appears briefly in this episode but is retconned out shortly thereafter when Dre re-rolls and gets a mixed success.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ PALISADE 39: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 1
  2. ↑ PARTIZAN 09: DESERT SQUIRE - VANTAGE, 01:38:27 - 01:40:48
  3. ↑ PARTIZAN 13: A Captive Audience, 2:59:00
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department, opening
  5. ↑ PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4
  7. ↑ PALISADE 42: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 4
  8. ↑ PALISADE 51: A Palette of Colors Pt. 6
  9. ↑ PALISADE 46: A Palette of Colors Pt. 1, intro
  10. ↑ PARTIZAN 38: The Red Light
  11. ↑ PALISADE 41: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 3
  12. ↑ PALISADE 39: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 1, intro
  13. ↑ PALISADE 29: Honesty and Integrity Pt. 2
  14. ↑ PARTIZAN 36: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 2, opening
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