Iconoclasts

Spoiler warning! This article contains major spoilers for Twilight Mirage up to "The Miracle of the Mirage: The Dragon". Tread carefully!

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The beings commonly called the Iconoclasts are responsible for the deaths of multiple third generation divines. Because communication has been limited, evidence inconsistent, and motivations unclear, the Library has officially placed the Iconoclasts in the “entities” category, pending additional information that might recategorize them as an “organizatisea. Run to it, or run dry, but all will run. We are the river, and it is the sea...”

– The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 205E, "The Sound of Strings" episode description

The Iconoclasts are a group of strange beings with bizarre metamorphizing forms. They can affect both the digital and physical realms. They are known to repeat memetic phrases, such as "we are the river, and it is the sea; run to it, or run dry, but all will run", "the sun pales to its brightness, and you are dimmer still" and "vision is velocity is volume is vector is vastness is victory is volition".

Iconoclasts were part of Signet's Onomastic playbook in The Veil, which stated: "They're coming for you, they never stop, and they've already taken the rest of your order." Accordingly, Janine chose descriptors for them: "they have no faces", "they are made of strange materials" and "under their disguises, they look like the past or future of humanity". They have taken on various shapes, such as a chaplain whose face is covered by cloth, a creature made of paint able to turn itself into paintings, a huge figure made of light, or masses of hair.

The Iconoclasts were a threat to Signet, the Fleet and the Quire system throughout Twilight Mirage. Over time, it was revealed that the Iconoclasts were created by Independence in its final moments from the material of the living planet Quire. This was done under the guidance of its followers, who believed it should no longer have to deal with people, only abstractions. After leaving Quire, the Iconoclasts encountered the Divine Fleet, who they fought against. They were inspired to work to build Volition as the antithesis of the Fleet: a living factory of Divines with no connection to humanity. Once Volition was built, they continued to seek the destruction of the Divine Fleet and the rewriting of reality itself to bring forth the realm of ideas.

Despite the Iconoclasts' hostility towards other forms of life, a few people allied with or worshiped them, such as the Doyenne and the Iconoclastics.

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 09: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 4.
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During the finale and aftermath of Twilight Mirage, the Iconoclasts began to enter people's dreams. The Rapid Evening, fearing their influence, trapped several Iconoclast in Q-concrete, among them the Usher of Truth, who was left on the planet Palisade near the border of the Mirage. 5000 years later, the Usher of Truth was discovered by the Bilats, who sought to use her for their own plans, leading to the involvement of Iconoclasts in the fight for the future of Palisade.