Kesh is a planet in the coreward region of the Golden Branch. It is home to the Principality of Kesh, a society of tens of thousands. They are kept locked at 19th century tech levels by the Rapid Evening, who monitor them from their position in the nearby world of Ziishe.
History
COUNTER/Weight
In COUNTER/Weight, Kesh is implied to have initially been a high-tech faction that dealt with technology that became too dangerous, attracting the attention of the Rapid Evening. They then put the planet on lockdown, regressing their technology level back to the 19th century's[1], leading to the elites of the Principality deciding to adopt Victorian aesthetics and customs[2]. Kesh is the location of the asset Book of Secrets, which "'[...] represent exhaustively catalogued psychometric records on important and influential local figures, allowing uncanny accuracy in predicting their actions. Once per turn, a Book of Secrets allows the faction to reroll one die for an action taken on that world or force an enemy faction to reroll one die' [...] And again, it says book of secrets but really it’s just weird supersoftware, super-scifi supercomputer".[3] This later becomes Crystal Palace.
The Rapid Evening possesses a cannon in Kesh, through which they send secret operatives all over the sector.[4]
This section contains spoilers for the COUNTER/Weight finale.
Click here to reveal.
In the finale episode COUNTER/Weight 43: A Splintered Branch, A Ringing Bell Pt. 3, it is revealed that Rigour and the Rapid Evening arrived in the sector forty thousand years before, finding the planets Kesh and Ziishe. However, this fact was forgotten, giving space for the Prince and the Principality to become the identity of the people of Kesh.
Twilight Mirage
Crystal Palace is said to have been built by the nobility of Kesh[5], and it's located "in a bunker, somewhere"[6] in Kesh.
Road to PARTIZAN
One of the reasons for the war against the Branched is said to be their takeover of the planet Kesh. It is unclear if this happened voluntarily. Nevertheless, the Audacious Princept declares that whichever Stel recaptures the planet may expand beyond the Prophet's Sea. The Living Princept continues that promise.[7]
List of characters from Kesh
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
References
- ↑ COUNTER/Weight 28: A Special Kind of Warmth
- ↑ COUNTER/Weight 41: A Splintered Branch, A Ringing Bell Pt. 1
- ↑ COUNTER/Weight 15: A Candle in the Sun
- ↑ COUNTER/Weight 43: A Splintered Branch, A Ringing Bell Pt. 3
- ↑ Twilight Mirage 63: Guaranteed Events, Or: An Accounting of the Time When We Built The Machine
- ↑ Twilight Mirage 54: Downtime on Skein
- ↑ The Road to PARTIZAN 11: Microscope Summary