Perennial

Perennial
Basic Information
Pronouns	she/her
Titles	The Adversary Our Lady the Adversary
People	Divine
Connections
Af­fil­i­a­tion(s)	HORIZON The Ivory Prince Mysteries Metronomica
Re­la­tion­ships	Teasel Mode Cerise Sky Apparatus Aperitif The Witch in Glass The Figure Coriolis Sunset
Meta Info
Season	Road to PARTIZAN PARTIZAN Road to PALISADE PALISADE
Player	Austin Walker

Perennial is a Divine, called the Adversary by the Divine Principality. She resides in the massive space station at the core of the galaxy, which she uses to cause the Perennial Wave, a destabilising flow of nanomachines which disrupt high level technology.

She is worshiped by the Mysteries Metronomica, the so-called Cult of Perennial.

Appearance

Before she moved to the space station at the centre of the galaxy, Perennial's body resembled a human nervous system made out of Russian sage, but as large as a spaceship. She once used lightning that took this same shape while providing a ship to the Witch in Glass.

Perennial is visible in the sky as a purple star in constant wheeling motion.

Personality

Perennial sees the arc of history as ultimately cyclical, with popular movements and empires rising and falling in eternal recurrence. For that reason, a common saying of her followers is that "the wheel turns". She may be able to see alternate universes and possibilities and can observe everything going on wherever her Perennial Wave exists. Having grown bored, she looks for something new to emerge -- perhaps an end to the cycle, or at least something interesting. She is mischievous, playful, and incredibly capricious, sparing neither those who hate her nor her adherents for the sake of her own amusement.

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

Perennial's ultimate goal is to end the "cycle of pain and colonization and empire and cruelty" throughout history -- in effect, "break the wheel" of authority and suffering.

History and Involvement

Origins

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1.
Click here to reveal.

Perennial was originally created by Divines from the Divine Collaborate who fled OriCom by heading deep into Caelestia Nullius, a.k.a. the Scutum-Centaurus arm of the galaxy. They used all their power to send Perennial back in time to some point in the earlier days of the Twilight Mirage (possibly before its inception). The original timeline is a home that she can never return to.

During her first go Perennial seized the galactic core and used its power to try to stop the Principality; when that failed, she was forced to turn back time again. Each successive attempt has failed, and this is her last remaining chance. This is why she is resorting to "wild plans" like the Witch in Glass.

Partial Palisade recalls that back in the day she was an "outsider" to both the Divines of the Twilight Mirage and of the Collaborate, "flittering around" and taking in information "voraciously" even for a Divine.

The Road to PARTIZAN

Perennial was installed by HORIZON into the galactic core in order to prevent the Principality from taking it over. She took over the generation of nanomachines there and used them to interfere with technology. As a result, the Divine Principality's access to faster than light technology was lost, although the Wave's effects on tech in general led to deaths among both biological and synthetic people throughout the galaxy.

PALISADE

Spoiler warning! This section contains major spoilers for PALISADE. Tread carefully!

When the Chimeric Cadent breaks the chain between Figure and the Witch in Glass, Figure becomes one of Perennial's chosen. She blesses him with magical powers, a new outfit, and a new mech, and transfers the ghost of an old friend from the Witch to Figure. Perennial "speaks" with Figure, telling him that the wheel must break.

When Figure dies, Perennial is unable, for the first time, to save one of her chosen. Her grief over this loss causes the Perennial Wave to surge and glitch, triggering a Mirage bomb in the Palisade system; as a result, the Twilight Mirage expands to encompass the Palisade system, and Palisade becomes the Quire system's ninth planet.

Not long thereafter, Perennial unexpectedly connects with Coriolis Sunset while they're both reaching out for Figure, and Cori becomes one of Perennial's witches. Perennial leans on Cori, trusting Cori to (metaphysically) hold her while she sobs for both Figure and herself.

Relationships

The Figure

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

When the Figure goes to Chimera's Lantern in search of a new source of magic so that he can free himself from the Witch in Glass, the Chimeric Cadent makes him an offer: they will free Figure from the Witch, but Figure will be fueled by Perennial's magic instead. Figure accepts and becomes a subject of Perennial. Perennial also moves Gur's ghost over from haunting the Witch in Glass to haunting Figure when this happens.

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 42: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

Figure's death at the hands of Future represents the first time Perennial is unable to turn back the clock and save one of her chosen. Her grief over losing them causes the Perennial Wave to surge and glitch, with devastating effects.

Gur Sevraq

Gur Sevraq was raised as one of Perennial's followers in the Mysteries Metronomica. It was at her instruction that Gur Sevraq became a follower of the True Divine.

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

It is not until well after his death that Gur begins to feel he understands Perennial's plan. By the time Perennial ties his ghost to Figure, Gur is exhausted and resentful of her.

True Divine

Perennial's exact relationship with Autonomy Itself is unclear, since both rarely speak directly. Gur Sevraq believes there is "a gap between them that she cannot cross" and that this is why she sent Gur to become a follower of the True Divine. She may be interested in the possibilities of Autonomy Itself's promise of ultimate freedom.

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1.
Click here to reveal.

Perennial and the True Divine both come from Caelestia Nullius.

The Witch in Glass

Perennial resurrected the Witch in Glass and guided her on a series of pilgrimages on Chorus Island, giving her various gifts when pleased. After this, the Witch left the island for the corpse of Past, which she turned into the Reflecting Pool.

Later, Perennial directed the Witch toward Palisade, and the Witch fulfilled this in her own special way by crashing the Reflecting Pool onto the planet and creating the Crown of Glass. The Witch then went on a year-long quest for Perennial, which resulted in one of her fingers being replaced by a key to an as-yet undiscovered jewelry box.

Appears in

The Road to PARTIZAN

• The Road to PARTIZAN 03: Armour Astir Pt. 1
• The Road to PARTIZAN 04: Armour Astir Pt. 2

PARTIZAN

• 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

The Road to PALISADE

• The Road to PALISADE 02: HOUNDs Pt. 2
• The Road to PALISADE 20: City Planning Department

PALISADE

• PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4
• PALISADE 37: Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1
• PALISADE 41: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 3
• PALISADE 42: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 4
• PALISADE 43: Where They Are Pt. 1
• PALISADE 56: Some New Thing Found in the Light, Or: A Year in Nine Parts