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{{Construction}}{{Spoiler header|the Divine Cycle}}<blockquote>''See also: [[List of Divines]].''</blockquote>
{{Infobox group|color_theme=cw|area_of_operation=[[Milky Way]]|debut=[[COUNTER/Weight 00: If Han Solo Used To Be Beyoncé, or: Hashtag Otechku]]}}
'''Divines''' are typically large synthetic beings with incredible power. Their relationships with other beings range from domination to service to partnership to non-intervention. Divines are often piloted by another being (this role has been filled by humans, synthetics, Apostolosians, and even other Divines (among others) in the past), a role which has been given multiple names: [[Candidate]]<sup><ref group="note">Used in ''[[COUNTER/Weight]]'' and occasionally in later seasons; associated with the [[Autonomous Diaspora]] and contemporaneous cultures.</ref></sup>, [[Excerpt]]<sup><ref group="note">Used in both ''[[Twilight Mirage]]'' itself and later seasons for pilots from the [[Divine Fleet]] or [[Twilight Mirage (location)|Twilight Mirage]]. Being an Excerpt is a largely positive role, unlike in other cases.</ref></sup>, and [[Elect]]<ref group="note">Used in ''[[PARTIZAN]]'' and ''[[PALISADE]]'' for pilots from the [[Divine Principality]].</ref>.  
 
'''Divines''' are typically large synthetic beings with incredible power. Their relationships with other beings range from domination to service to partnership to non-intervention.


Divines have been worshiped, or at least highly respected and feared, by many cultures. From their earliest days, they have been named after virtues (though with later era Divines this is less true); as such they may be viewed as symbols or direct embodiments of those virtues. However, throughout the [[Divine Cycle]] this symbolism has been repeatedly complicated and challenged.
Divines have been worshiped, or at least highly respected and feared, by many cultures. From their earliest days, they have been named after virtues (though with later era Divines this is less true); as such they may be viewed as symbols or direct embodiments of those virtues. However, throughout the [[Divine Cycle]] this symbolism has been repeatedly complicated and challenged.


==''COUNTER/Weight''==
== Pilots ==
{{Quote
Divines are often, but not always, piloted by another being, a role that has been filled by many different types of people, including [[humans]], [[Apostolosians]], [[Ashen]], [[synthetics]], and even other Divines. This role has been given multiple names, including [[Candidate]],<sup><ref group="note">Used in ''[[COUNTER/Weight]]'' and occasionally in later seasons; associated with the [[Autonomous Diaspora]] and contemporaneous cultures.</ref></sup> [[Excerpt]],<sup><ref group="note">Used in both ''[[Twilight Mirage]]'' itself and later seasons for pilots from the [[Divine Fleet]] or [[Twilight Mirage (location)|Twilight Mirage]]. Being an Excerpt is a largely positive role, unlike the roles of Candidate or Elect.</ref></sup> and [[Elect]].<ref group="note">Used in ''[[PARTIZAN]]'' and ''[[PALISADE]]'' for pilots from the [[Divine Principality]].</ref> While less common, some Divines (e.g., [[Perennial]]) do not have pilots, some (e.g., [[Future]]) have pilots at some points in time and not others, and some (e.g., [[Authority (Divine)|Authority]]) have a multitude of pilots.
 
To some Divines with pilots, not having a pilot is problematic or agonizing. For example, [[Fealty]] becomes "untethered" without an Excerpt or Elect,<ref>[[The Road to PALISADE 02: HOUNDs Pt. 2]]</ref> while [[Integrity]] finds existence without an Elect so distressing it tries to construct itself a new one.<ref>[[PALISADE 35: Weapons Ready Pt. 1]]</ref> Other Divines, meanwhile, are ambivalent about having a pilot or even prefer not to have one.
 
Every relationship between a Divine and its pilot is unique, just like any other type of relationship. Similarly, Divines can also have important relationships with specific people who are not their pilots. Examples include [[Eon and Naught]] or Perennial and her witches.
 
== History ==
 
=== ''COUNTER/Weight'' ===
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=all of ''[[COUNTER/Weight]]''|theme=cw}}{{Quote
| We could have made them look like anything, but we made them look like us.
| We could have made them look like anything, but we made them look like us.
| Austin Walker
| Austin Walker
| [[COUNTER/Weight 00: If Han Solo Used To Be Beyoncé, or: Hashtag Otechku]]
| [[COUNTER/Weight 00: If Han Solo Used To Be Beyoncé, or: Hashtag Otechku]]
}}{{Spoiler block|spoiling=Visions from Windows, Or: The Last Time the Bomb Dropped|text=The first machine that would come to be called a Divine was [[Rigour]], created by [[Irene Klipsch-Dove|Dr. Irene Klipsch-Dove]] for the Orion Conservation Conglomerate in order to optimize working efficiency in frontier worlds. Relatively soon after, built as weapons against it, came [[Liberty and Discovery]] and [[Righteousness]]. Rigour eventually caused the near-total destruction and splintering of humanity across the stars.
}}
The first machine that would come to be called a Divine was [[Rigour]], created by [[Irene Klipsch-Dove|Dr. Irene Klipsch-Dove]] for the Orion Conservation Conglomerate in order to optimize working efficiency in frontier worlds. Relatively soon after, built as weapons against it, came [[Liberty and Discovery]] and [[Righteousness]]. Rigour eventually caused the near-total destruction and splintering of humanity across the stars.
 
The [[Autonomous Diaspora]] began creating additional Divines during its second encounter with Rigour. These Divines (including Truth, Equality and [[Independence]]) were made by integrating the AIs used to manage the Diasporan democracy into machines of war. The terms Divine and Candidate were invented in news reports after they'd already been deployed, and applied retroactively to the intelligences created by Klipsch-Dove and their pilots.<ref>[[COUNTER/Weight 37: Visions from Windows, Or: The Last Time the Bomb Dropped]]</ref>


The [[Autonomous Diaspora]] began creating additional Divines during its second encounter with Rigour. These Divines (including Truth, Equality and [[Independence]]) were made by integrating the AIs used to manage the Diasporan democracy into machines of war. The terms Divine and Candidate were invented in news reports after they'd already been deployed, and applied retroactively to the intelligences created by Klipsch-Dove and their pilots.<ref>[[COUNTER/Weight 37: Visions from Windows, Or: The Last Time the Bomb Dropped]]</ref>|theme=cw}}Divines are primarily part of the Diaspora, serving as arms of the state militarily, politically and economically. They are understood to embody the aspirations of Diasporan democracy, but also the virtues of humanity writ large. Despite these grand ideals, Divine pilots -- Candidates -- are primarily children, exploited by their Divines as well as the state, and die young.   
Divines are primarily part of the Diaspora, serving as arms of the state militarily, politically and economically. They are understood to embody the aspirations of Diasporan democracy, but also the virtues of humanity writ large. Despite these grand ideals, Divine pilots -- [[Candidates]] -- are primarily children, exploited by their Divines as well as the state, and die young.   


Divines occasionally take pilots from other cultures, distancing themselves from the Autonomous Diaspora entirely. A few Divines, such as [[Voice]] and [[Zeal]] (aka Ambition), were even made outside the Diaspora. What defines a Divine is somewhat culturally-bound: Voice is called an "artificial" Divine because it was created to interface with other Divines, and the mech [[Apokine]] is not considered a Divine at all (though it shares similar traits).  
Divines occasionally take Candidates from other cultures, distancing themselves from the Autonomous Diaspora entirely. A few Divines, such as [[Voice]] and [[Zeal]] (aka Ambition), were even made outside the Diaspora. What defines a Divine is somewhat culturally-bound: Voice is called an "artificial" Divine because it was created to interface with other Divines, and the mech [[Apokine (mech)|Apokine]] is not considered a Divine at all (though it shares similar traits).  


All Divines from this period have the ability to create portals to travel instantly to the location of another willing Divine.
All Divines from this period have the ability to create portals to travel instantly to the location of another willing Divine.


==''Twilight Mirage''==
=== ''Twilight Mirage'' ===
{{Quote
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=all of ''[[Twilight Mirage]]''|theme=tm}}{{Quote
| For a long time, we thought we were building mirrors. But now we know better: we were setting fires.
| For a long time, we thought we were building mirrors. But now we know better: we were setting fires.
| Austin Walker
| Austin Walker
| [[Twilight Mirage 00: The Final Eight Divines]]
| [[Twilight Mirage 00: The Final Eight Divines]]
}}
}}
[[The Divine Fleet]]'s [[Resonant Orbit]] originally consists of a fleet of 300 Divines. These Divines exist in mutual collaboration with other members of the Fleet, serving as benign gods and city-ships. Their pilots are Excerpts, who take their names from the Resonant Orbit's holy texts.  
[[The Divine Fleet]]'s [[Resonant Orbit]] originally consists of a fleet of 300 Divines. These Divines exist in mutual collaboration with other members of the Fleet, serving as benign gods and city-ships. Their pilots are Excerpts, who take their names from the Resonant Orbit's holy texts. In recent centuries, the Divines of the Fleet have begun to fade and die off for reasons that are initially unclear.
 
The Fleet places Divines into three generations. The first generation are those designed by humans, the second generation are those designed by humans and AIs, and the third are those designed by other divines. Each generation drifts further in naming conventions from an origin in democratic virtues, and each generation increasingly reflects the fundamental differences between divines and humanity.<ref>[[Twilight Mirage 01: The Beloved Dust]]</ref> These differences are emphasized by Independence, Volition, and the post-Divines known as Axioms that begin proliferating after [[The Miracle of the Mirage (Event)|the Miracle of the Mirage]]. Divines are often thought of as embodying ideals, but they are material, volitional and linked to other beings. The Axioms are attempts to break beyond the material world and create true representations of ideal concepts.
 
The intersection between Divine death and Divine autonomy is an important concern for the Fleet. The problem of Divines' right to die is what caused [[Independence]] to reject [[Kamala Cadence|Kamala]] and the Divine Fleet, as well as many of its subsequent actions.
 
The [[Pleroma Hypothesis]], which suggested that Divines would inevitably become subservient to humans and reduced to tools, led to many Divines of the Fleet exercising their autonomy by choosing, in various ways, to allow themselves and the Fleet to decline.


The Fleet places Divines into three generations. The first generation are those designed by humans, the second generation are those designed by humans and AIs, and the third are those designed by other divines. Each generation drifts further in naming conventions from an origin in democratic virtues, and each generation increasingly reflects the fundamental differences between divines and humanity.<ref>[[Twilight Mirage 01: The Beloved Dust]]</ref>{{Spoiler block|theme=tm|spoiling=The Miracle of the Mirage|text=These differences are emphasized by Independence, Volition, and the post-Divines known as Axioms that begin proliferating after [[The Miracle of the Mirage (Event)|the Miracle of the Mirage]]. Divines are often thought of as embodying ideals, but they are material, volitional and linked to other beings. The Axioms are attempts to break beyond the material world and create true representations of ideal concepts.
=== ''PARTIZAN'' and ''PALISADE'' ===
{{Spoiler header|section=section|spoiling=all of ''[[PARTIZAN]]'' and ''[[PALISADE]]''|theme=pal}}{{Quote
|These things that we call Divines, whether we think of them as our weapons, or our highways, or our saints or gods or mirrors: they aren't ours at all.|author=[[Austin Walker]]|source=[[PARTIZAN 33: A Single Shot]]}}


The intersection between Divine death and Divine autonomy is an important concern for the Fleet. The problem of Divines' right to death is what caused [[Independence]] to reject [[Kamala Cadence|Kamala]] and the Divine Fleet, as well as many of its subsequent actions.}}{{Spoiler block|theme=tm|spoiling=The Vault of Anticipation Pt. 2|text=The [[Pleroma Hypothesis]], which suggested that Divines would inevitably become subservient to humans and reduced to tools, led to many Divines of the Fleet exercising their autonomy by choosing, in various ways, to allow themselves and the Fleet to decline.}}
==== Divine Principality ====
== ''PARTIZAN'' and ''PALISADE''==
Divines serve many functions for the [[Divine Principality|Principality]], whether military, political and propagandistic, or infrastructural. The constellations of [[Asterism]], "organizational diagrams and schema that are meant to 'clarify' your position in society",<ref>[[Road to PARTIZAN: Armour Astir (Pt. 1)]], 00:09:08 - 00:09:34</ref> understand Divines, the Elects and the leader of each [[Stel]] in a harmonic three-way leadership held above citizens and the Adrift (non-citizens).<ref>Part of a hierarchical structure like The Great Chain Of Being in medieval Christianity; [[Road to PARTIZAN: Microscope (Pt. 1)]], 01:13:40 - 01:14:16</ref> They are viewed as either true embodiments of their names ([[Progressive Asterism]]) or reflections of the traits of the Principality ([[Received Asterism]]). By contrast, the New Asterism suggests that regardless of whether Divines reflect the state or an ideal, "we as individuals have to embody those traits [exemplified by Divines] to a divine degree", and that "salvation by works" is best achieved through the colonization of Palisade and expansion of the empire.<ref name=":0">[[PALISADE 10: The Wheels Turning Pt. 1]]</ref> Under Received Asterism, the empire is itself a Divine entity. The [[Aram Nideo|founder of the Principality]] is also considered a Divine, although he was a human.
{{Quote
 
| These things that we call Divines, whether we think of them as our weapons, or our highways, or our saints or gods or mirrors: they aren't ours at all.
Due to the internal conflict presumed by the Principality's structure and the importance of Divines, there are treaties in place which allow the wreckage of Divines or their Elects to be reclaimed.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 03: SHORESIDE RECOVERY - DINNERDATE]], dossier</ref> The Principality asserts control over Divine behavior where it can, sometimes forcibly.<ref name=":2">[[PARTIZAN 36: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 2]]</ref><ref name=":3">[[The Road to PARTIZAN 07: Beam Saber Pt. 2]]</ref> Some Divines still rebel: the Divine [[Providence]] struck back at the Principality the moment it was turned on, but as punishment it was deactivated. Providence was labeled a "heretic Divine", as are any Divines that exist outside the Principality.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 27: Millennium Break: She said, "To Win We Must Play!"]], dossier</ref> In particular, Perennial is known as "the Adversary", and is thought of as "a demon more than a Divine" due to her disruption of the supremacy of the Principality.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 00: The Divine Principality]]</ref> However, some of her worshipers' ideology is incorporated into the New Asterism.<ref name=":0" />
| Austin Walker
 
| [[PARTIZAN 33: A Single Shot]]
The Principality also has the ability to revive destroyed Divines indefinitely, giving them power over their lives and deaths.<ref>[[The Road to PARTIZAN 09: Microscope Pt. 1]]</ref> This revival is possible thanks to the incorporation of parts of [[Gumption]] into all Principality Divines.
}}
 
==== Palisade ====
The planet Palisade itself is the body of the deceased Divine Palisade, who left the Divine Fleet before it was destroyed. Along with him came the Divines [[Five Afflictions|Antiquity, Affection, Decisiveness, Logic and Reflection]]. One of its moons, [[Chimera's Lantern]], is in fact a resting place for Divines who have chosen to die. These Divines are watched over and protected from the Divine Principality by the [[Chimeric Cadent]], the being formed when [[⸢Signet⸣]] and [[Belgard]] "stitched" themselves together with the Waking Cadent.  
 
It was also the Chimeric Cadent who drove the nascent Principality from Palisade at some point not too distant from the end of ''Twilight Mirage'', and about 5,000 years prior to ''PALISADE''. The Principality left behind some enslaved Divines on the planet for the [[Fabreal Duchy]], who continued the experiments begun by the [[Crown of Glass (Twilight Mirage)|Crown of Glass]] and the early Principality in making [[Delegates]]: splintered-off shards of Divines in humanoid robotic bodies, forced to serve.
 
==== Twilight Mirage ====
The [[Qui Err|Qui'Err]] government on [[Seneschal's Brace]] has a complex and wary relationship with Divines, considering the problems that Divines and the Fleet caused for the Quire system historically. The Mirage is known to have non-sentient Divines which are worshiped nonetheless, such as [[Arbit]]. [[Devotion]] and its [[Devotees]] are from the Mirage, and consider defending Palisade part of their duty to their home.
 
==== Other regions ====
Some Divines from the former Diaspora and [[Divine Collaborate|Collaborate]] have fled into the stars to form their own society.<ref>[[The Road to PARTIZAN 07: Beam Saber Pt. 2]]</ref> They have not been seen directly in the podcast, but are said to have made their way into the 'no man's sky' of the [[Scutum-Centaurus Arm|Scutum-Centaurus arm]] in at least one version of reality.<ref>[[PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1]]</ref>
 
Of the two fleets which left the Mirage at the end of ''Twilight Mirage'', the ''[[Argosy, Spliced]]'' is "somewhere out there", while it is unclear what happened to the former members of the Waking Cadent's fleet after the creation of the [[Chimeric Cadent]].<ref>[[PALISADE 05: I Would Like to Help You Pt. 2]]</ref>


Divines serve many functions for the [[Divine Principality|Principality]], whether military, political and propagandistic, or infrastructural. The constellations of [[Asterism]], "organizational diagrams and schema that are meant to 'clarify' your position in society",<ref>[[Road to PARTIZAN: Armour Astir (Pt. 1)]], 00:09:08 - 00:09:34</ref> understand Divines, the Elects and the leader of each [[Stel]] in a harmonic three-way leadership held above citizens and the Adrift (non-citizens).<ref>Part of a hierarchical structure like The Great Chain Of Being in medieval Christianity; [[Road to PARTIZAN: Microscope (Pt. 1)]], 01:13:40 - 01:14:16</ref> They are viewed as either true embodiments of their names ([[Progressive Asterism]]) or reflections of the traits of the Principality ([[Received Asterism]]). Thus, under Received Asterism, the empire is itself a Divine entity.
==See also ==


Due to the internal conflict presumed by the Principality's structure and the importance of Divines, there are treaties in place which allow the wreckage of Divines or their Elects to be reclaimed.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 03: SHORESIDE RECOVERY - DINNERDATE]], dossier</ref> The Principality asserts control over Divine behavior where it can, sometimes forcibly.<ref name=":2">[[PARTIZAN 36: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 2]]</ref><ref name=":3">[[The Road to PARTIZAN 07: Beam Saber Pt. 2]]</ref> Some Divines still rebel: the Divine [[Providence]] struck back at the Principality the moment it was turned on, but as punishment it was deactivated. Providence was labeled a "heretic Divine", as are any Divines that exist outside the Principality.<ref>[[PARTIZAN 27: Millennium Break: She said, "To Win We Must Play!"]], dossier</ref>
*[[List of Divines]]
*[[List of Divines by affiliation]]
*[[List of Divines in alphabetical order]]


The Principality also has the ability to revive destroyed Divines indefinitely, giving them power over their lives and deaths.<ref>[[The Road to PARTIZAN 09: Microscope Pt. 1]]</ref>{{Spoiler block|spoiling=Futura Free Pt. 4|theme=tm|text=This revival is possible thanks to the incorporation of parts of [[Gumption]] into all Principality Divines.}}<!-- presumably will have to discuss the collision btwn principality and TM divines as it comes up. see wagon wheel pt 3 -->
==Notes==
==Notes==
<references group="note" />
<references group="note" />
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Lifeform]]
==References==
[[Category:Peoples]]
<references />
[[Category:Divine Universe]]
{{NavboxDivineCycle}}{{NavboxCW}}{{NavboxTM}}{{NavboxPZN}}{{NavboxPAL}}
[[Category:COUNTER/Weight]]
[[Category:COUNTER/Weight lore]]
[[Category:Twilight Mirage]]
[[Category:Twilight Mirage lore]]
[[Category:Road to PARTIZAN]]
[[Category:Road to PARTIZAN]]
[[Category:PARTIZAN]]
[[Category:PARTIZAN lore]]
[[Category:Road to PALISADE]]
[[Category:Road to PALISADE]]
[[Category:PALISADE]]
[[Category:PALISADE lore]]
[[Category:Needs Spoiler Warning]]
[[Category:Peoples of the Divine Universe]]
==References==
[[Category:Synthetics]]
<references />

Latest revision as of 21:19, 3 August 2024


Divines are typically large synthetic beings with incredible power. Their relationships with other beings range from domination to service to partnership to non-intervention.

Divines have been worshiped, or at least highly respected and feared, by many cultures. From their earliest days, they have been named after virtues (though with later era Divines this is less true); as such they may be viewed as symbols or direct embodiments of those virtues. However, throughout the Divine Cycle this symbolism has been repeatedly complicated and challenged.

Pilots[edit | edit source]

Divines are often, but not always, piloted by another being, a role that has been filled by many different types of people, including humans, Apostolosians, Ashen, synthetics, and even other Divines. This role has been given multiple names, including Candidate,[note 1] Excerpt,[note 2] and Elect.[note 3] While less common, some Divines (e.g., Perennial) do not have pilots, some (e.g., Future) have pilots at some points in time and not others, and some (e.g., Authority) have a multitude of pilots.

To some Divines with pilots, not having a pilot is problematic or agonizing. For example, Fealty becomes "untethered" without an Excerpt or Elect,[1] while Integrity finds existence without an Elect so distressing it tries to construct itself a new one.[2] Other Divines, meanwhile, are ambivalent about having a pilot or even prefer not to have one.

Every relationship between a Divine and its pilot is unique, just like any other type of relationship. Similarly, Divines can also have important relationships with specific people who are not their pilots. Examples include Eon and Naught or Perennial and her witches.

History[edit | edit source]

COUNTER/Weight[edit | edit source]

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

“

We could have made them look like anything, but we made them look like us.”

The first machine that would come to be called a Divine was Rigour, created by Dr. Irene Klipsch-Dove for the Orion Conservation Conglomerate in order to optimize working efficiency in frontier worlds. Relatively soon after, built as weapons against it, came Liberty and Discovery and Righteousness. Rigour eventually caused the near-total destruction and splintering of humanity across the stars.

The Autonomous Diaspora began creating additional Divines during its second encounter with Rigour. These Divines (including Truth, Equality and Independence) were made by integrating the AIs used to manage the Diasporan democracy into machines of war. The terms Divine and Candidate were invented in news reports after they'd already been deployed, and applied retroactively to the intelligences created by Klipsch-Dove and their pilots.[3]

Divines are primarily part of the Diaspora, serving as arms of the state militarily, politically and economically. They are understood to embody the aspirations of Diasporan democracy, but also the virtues of humanity writ large. Despite these grand ideals, Divine pilots -- Candidates -- are primarily children, exploited by their Divines as well as the state, and die young.

Divines occasionally take Candidates from other cultures, distancing themselves from the Autonomous Diaspora entirely. A few Divines, such as Voice and Zeal (aka Ambition), were even made outside the Diaspora. What defines a Divine is somewhat culturally-bound: Voice is called an "artificial" Divine because it was created to interface with other Divines, and the mech Apokine is not considered a Divine at all (though it shares similar traits).

All Divines from this period have the ability to create portals to travel instantly to the location of another willing Divine.

Twilight Mirage[edit | edit source]

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

“

For a long time, we thought we were building mirrors. But now we know better: we were setting fires.”

The Divine Fleet's Resonant Orbit originally consists of a fleet of 300 Divines. These Divines exist in mutual collaboration with other members of the Fleet, serving as benign gods and city-ships. Their pilots are Excerpts, who take their names from the Resonant Orbit's holy texts. In recent centuries, the Divines of the Fleet have begun to fade and die off for reasons that are initially unclear.

The Fleet places Divines into three generations. The first generation are those designed by humans, the second generation are those designed by humans and AIs, and the third are those designed by other divines. Each generation drifts further in naming conventions from an origin in democratic virtues, and each generation increasingly reflects the fundamental differences between divines and humanity.[4] These differences are emphasized by Independence, Volition, and the post-Divines known as Axioms that begin proliferating after the Miracle of the Mirage. Divines are often thought of as embodying ideals, but they are material, volitional and linked to other beings. The Axioms are attempts to break beyond the material world and create true representations of ideal concepts.

The intersection between Divine death and Divine autonomy is an important concern for the Fleet. The problem of Divines' right to die is what caused Independence to reject Kamala and the Divine Fleet, as well as many of its subsequent actions.

The Pleroma Hypothesis, which suggested that Divines would inevitably become subservient to humans and reduced to tools, led to many Divines of the Fleet exercising their autonomy by choosing, in various ways, to allow themselves and the Fleet to decline.

PARTIZAN and PALISADE[edit | edit source]

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

“

These things that we call Divines, whether we think of them as our weapons, or our highways, or our saints or gods or mirrors: they aren't ours at all.”

Divine Principality[edit | edit source]

Divines serve many functions for the Principality, whether military, political and propagandistic, or infrastructural. The constellations of Asterism, "organizational diagrams and schema that are meant to 'clarify' your position in society",[5] understand Divines, the Elects and the leader of each Stel in a harmonic three-way leadership held above citizens and the Adrift (non-citizens).[6] They are viewed as either true embodiments of their names (Progressive Asterism) or reflections of the traits of the Principality (Received Asterism). By contrast, the New Asterism suggests that regardless of whether Divines reflect the state or an ideal, "we as individuals have to embody those traits [exemplified by Divines] to a divine degree", and that "salvation by works" is best achieved through the colonization of Palisade and expansion of the empire.[7] Under Received Asterism, the empire is itself a Divine entity. The founder of the Principality is also considered a Divine, although he was a human.

Due to the internal conflict presumed by the Principality's structure and the importance of Divines, there are treaties in place which allow the wreckage of Divines or their Elects to be reclaimed.[8] The Principality asserts control over Divine behavior where it can, sometimes forcibly.[9][10] Some Divines still rebel: the Divine Providence struck back at the Principality the moment it was turned on, but as punishment it was deactivated. Providence was labeled a "heretic Divine", as are any Divines that exist outside the Principality.[11] In particular, Perennial is known as "the Adversary", and is thought of as "a demon more than a Divine" due to her disruption of the supremacy of the Principality.[12] However, some of her worshipers' ideology is incorporated into the New Asterism.[7]

The Principality also has the ability to revive destroyed Divines indefinitely, giving them power over their lives and deaths.[13] This revival is possible thanks to the incorporation of parts of Gumption into all Principality Divines.

Palisade[edit | edit source]

The planet Palisade itself is the body of the deceased Divine Palisade, who left the Divine Fleet before it was destroyed. Along with him came the Divines Antiquity, Affection, Decisiveness, Logic and Reflection. One of its moons, Chimera's Lantern, is in fact a resting place for Divines who have chosen to die. These Divines are watched over and protected from the Divine Principality by the Chimeric Cadent, the being formed when ⸢Signet⸣ and Belgard "stitched" themselves together with the Waking Cadent.

It was also the Chimeric Cadent who drove the nascent Principality from Palisade at some point not too distant from the end of Twilight Mirage, and about 5,000 years prior to PALISADE. The Principality left behind some enslaved Divines on the planet for the Fabreal Duchy, who continued the experiments begun by the Crown of Glass and the early Principality in making Delegates: splintered-off shards of Divines in humanoid robotic bodies, forced to serve.

Twilight Mirage[edit | edit source]

The Qui'Err government on Seneschal's Brace has a complex and wary relationship with Divines, considering the problems that Divines and the Fleet caused for the Quire system historically. The Mirage is known to have non-sentient Divines which are worshiped nonetheless, such as Arbit. Devotion and its Devotees are from the Mirage, and consider defending Palisade part of their duty to their home.

Other regions[edit | edit source]

Some Divines from the former Diaspora and Collaborate have fled into the stars to form their own society.[14] They have not been seen directly in the podcast, but are said to have made their way into the 'no man's sky' of the Scutum-Centaurus arm in at least one version of reality.[15]

Of the two fleets which left the Mirage at the end of Twilight Mirage, the Argosy, Spliced is "somewhere out there", while it is unclear what happened to the former members of the Waking Cadent's fleet after the creation of the Chimeric Cadent.[16]

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Used in COUNTER/Weight and occasionally in later seasons; associated with the Autonomous Diaspora and contemporaneous cultures.
  2. ↑ Used in both Twilight Mirage itself and later seasons for pilots from the Divine Fleet or Twilight Mirage. Being an Excerpt is a largely positive role, unlike the roles of Candidate or Elect.
  3. ↑ Used in PARTIZAN and PALISADE for pilots from the Divine Principality.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ The Road to PALISADE 02: HOUNDs Pt. 2
  2. ↑ PALISADE 35: Weapons Ready Pt. 1
  3. ↑ COUNTER/Weight 37: Visions from Windows, Or: The Last Time the Bomb Dropped
  4. ↑ Twilight Mirage 01: The Beloved Dust
  5. ↑ Road to PARTIZAN: Armour Astir (Pt. 1), 00:09:08 - 00:09:34
  6. ↑ Part of a hierarchical structure like The Great Chain Of Being in medieval Christianity; Road to PARTIZAN: Microscope (Pt. 1), 01:13:40 - 01:14:16
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 PALISADE 10: The Wheels Turning Pt. 1
  8. ↑ PARTIZAN 03: SHORESIDE RECOVERY - DINNERDATE, dossier
  9. ↑ PARTIZAN 36: The Witch in the Glass Pt. 2
  10. ↑ The Road to PARTIZAN 07: Beam Saber Pt. 2
  11. ↑ PARTIZAN 27: Millennium Break: She said, "To Win We Must Play!", dossier
  12. ↑ PARTIZAN 00: The Divine Principality
  13. ↑ The Road to PARTIZAN 09: Microscope Pt. 1
  14. ↑ The Road to PARTIZAN 07: Beam Saber Pt. 2
  15. ↑ PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1
  16. ↑ PALISADE 05: I Would Like to Help You Pt. 2
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