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Worldbuilding Intake — Staging Surface

Transient working state — not part of the published wiki

This is the scratch surface for a batch of new worldbuilding information. Raw lore lands here verbatim first, gets triaged, then is distributed into the canonical docs. It is intentionally kept out of the mkdocs nav. Trim or delete it once the batch is fully integrated (mirror the final outcome into Worldbuilding_TODO.md → Recently completed).

Process & policies (this session)

1. Raw intake (verbatim)

New information is collected here in numbered chunks, unedited. Capture first; interpret later.

Religions, Government and Large Social Groups

One thing I want to note here is that we’re not in a modern full surveillance/information state, so (other than the core of the collective). Even the government, major religions, and monetary groups are only able to control the populace to a moderate degree.

Population monitoring and engagement goes up to and including:

1) fairly accurate censuses -general demography and etc. 2) decent taxes (esp. On flow through the prime gates) 3) large state functions, holidays, and so on given by a standardized calendar, including days of feast, fasting, festivals, speeches, governmental functions, military service, coming of age, etc.

Henosis/Henoa/Dairism/(name?) -

Centralized and organized religion that focuses on the state doctrine of Henosis. This is a religion cultivated by the Collective, with the goal of indoctrinating all but the highest collective agents into its false Theurgy, though it’s allowed to progress mostly naturally.

Generally, it’s organized a bit like Catholicism and Twelver Shi’ism mixed, with a very high general adherence to the religion, local Bethels runs by priests (Jurists) all organized under a central, unifying body located in the noble quarter and run by the Henoa Secundi–equivalent to a Pope or chief Ayatollah (see modern Iranian Islamic Republic, supreme spiritual leader) .

Ayatollah - Possible one of the collective’s elders?

Key beliefs and facts:

Henoa is a fairly paternalistic and conservative religion. It promotes safety, security, purity, and a messianic focus on promised, literal future unity. These rules are cynicism guided by the Collective, but they are also honestly held by many Jurists and people, and not always to evil ends. However, this is a relatively low tolerance for deviation from the norm, especially in relation to purification rituals about the world outside the walls of the city.

Adherence to ulta-conservative Daire (Circle/Union) practices are common, with the Jurist class of sufficient rank able to submit edicts that are binding religious law (fatwas), some are broad policies and interact with governmental frameworks. Many are more constrained–relating to a certain person/group, practice, etc. They are not technically legally binding, but they do have real weight and, when used at the right time, can inspire significant change, turmoil, etc.

These practices are devoted to a sort of collective perfection, with a semi-explicit apocalyptic focus (the “end times” when perfection reaches a critical mass and those that are not sufficiently pious or pure are cast down).

It considers Kuklos itself as a temple, with the highest holy sites being the boundary, the gates, the Pentagram, the light tower (where the Adv. Guild is headquartered–something the priests hate), and the central Bethel complex inside the Pentagram, along with the river outside the city gates, seen as a corrupted site of worship

Some daily rituals and common beliefs include:

Regular washing (with water drawn from the river and filtered through anointed sand) Adornment with circular objects, hoops, etc. Especially those marked with interior circles and ten-pointed stars Ritual cursing of the forest and mutations and cleansing of selves Major festivals at the supposed (accurate?) anniversary of the Disruption A focus on the perfection of the body, mind, art, etc. in relation to religious Jurisprudence Gender Roles Men are seen as inherently less pure but more robust, fit for work outside the city, for “unpure” jobs like handling animals, processing foods, fighting, etc. Men can be any level of religious leader, though they are generally seen as better at acting and less capable of thinking Men that engage too much in womanly or overly “pure” professions–especially relating to healing, money, childcare, and some kinds of theoretical jurisprudence are regarded with some level of suspicion–even amongst noble elites, though they are plenty of male intellectuals of renown, they either lean into the stereotype or act more along the lines of “naturalists” ala Teddy Roosevelt.

Women are generally seen as more pure and better suited to jobs that require care, delicate thinking, organization, and fine manual dexterity. They are strongly discouraged from leaving the city as there is a strong fear of “corrupting the womb,” though some women do still exit the city for farming, for administrative purposes, etc. There are also women that choose to ignore this provision and explore or engage in other unclean professions. They are shunned in proper society and can legally be jailed or thrown out of many establishments if they attempt to interact with “pure” city dwellers–especially if the exchanges involve sex, food, or other services and interactions that promote close contact. Women can be any level of religious priesthood as well, but are often seen best as pure jurists (thinking about and promoting purity with good laws). They have less of a presence in the application of those laws. Women that work as farmers or military wives tend to have it the toughest. Farm women are seen as inherently impure, and there are tensions around the purification of foodstuffs they handle. Military wives may well live wonderful lives with their families, but there are no governmental provisions protecting them or their (female) offspring if their husband is killed. Many become attached to the Adventuring guild as guildwives and sometimes expeditioners themselves .

Offices:

The object of worship in Henosis is the Henod Secundi as the closest manifestation of perfection. There is also a canonization practice of two parts:

1)Imams(name?) - classic early-disruption peoples associated with different aspects of perfection, purity, etc. (See Imams in Twelver shi’ism), think of them like Saints or Heralds. They are mythic takes on the collective Elders, and can serve as a vehicle the Elders can use to justify their apperance–though the actual Disruption-era events that

2)Henoa Secundi - A living symbol of holy perfection, also regarded as one of the imams. Returned fairly recently (at emergence of the particular elder, ~last 60 years)

3) Ayatoallah(name?) - senior jurists, usually only a few

4) Jurists - elected priests that have studied enough religious law and undergone apprenticeship

Henosis is a state religion, but it does not have direct control over finance, military matters, expeditions, etc. There is a religious guard and the church does operate off of individual and state donations, which it uses to maintain Bethels, pay jurists stipends, and even conduct some RnD and hold some moderately-sized merchants.

Furthermore, since female religious leaders are seen as particularly suited to handling financial matters, many are very well established in banking and currency

Effects on Daily Life and Peoples

The average person’s experience of religiosity is a fairly casual fact of daily life, deeply intwined with their rituals and habits, but it’s by no means obviously oppressive. There’s a decent amount of leeway in private life and family structures. Gender and family roles are left to the individual interpretation of said families (or the leadership at their Bethels) except for times where those decisions interface with broader community concerns like in public food preparation, marriage, and professions. Generally they’re conservative and roughly track what we’d consider conventional conservative roles, but with some distinct exceptions as gestured at above.

Adherence to Henosis is very high in Kuklos–something like 80 or 90% of the population, but the degree of devotion varies along three factors:

1) Ethnicity and Sub-cultures - some ethnic groups maintain their distinct social and religious enclaves. Obviously the Vanarists and Elpidi are this way, but some other small groups also exist. The degree of religious conformity and attendance amongst expeditioners is also lower (not because all of them are unbelievers, but because they are often shunned and alternative practices, especially regarding purity).

2) Socioeconomic status - generally poor farmers, those engaged in menial manual labor, and general bazaar workers all share a very high level of religious conformity. Banking and money is also extremely religious. Although there is a high level of self-reported religious devotion among the nobility, and many nobles have priests in their families, the actual level of devotion is much lower, with alternative old philosophies and esoteric differences existing amongst the educated elite, sometimes resulting in clashes of dogma.

3) Bethel variation - priests have a lot of input in the way their local Bethels are run; this affects and is affected by the kinds of communities they serve. Sometimes, a strong-willed and dedicated priest might spur greater devotion than otherwise expected, or vice-versa. Indeed, some of these border more on folk religions than proper Henosis.

In particular, a sub-set of Henosis practitioners take the same core ideals but offer very different practices: Dervishes/Mendicants(name?--association with Vanarists?) Mendicant preachers focused on the ascetic lifestyle, they maintain the same basic core ideals, but feel that the best way to be pure, safe, and strive towards perfection is to seek out and overcome adversity. In some ways, these practices are a little like Vanarism, but without the same access to flesh-shaping abilities. Dervishes are almost exclusively male, and regularly venture outside the city walls, often accompanying more devout expeditions as priests and medics (their practice of medicine and willingness to “immerse themselves in putrescence" are two of the main reasons they’re held at arms length by the main church).

They also prostilise Henosis to ethnic etc. subgroups,especially those outside Kuklos. Dervishes are known for being tough, stubborn, dogged, and demanding. However, they also go out of their way to help the poor and disadvantaged (including those that are mutated). They’re regarded as some of the best storytellers, often bringing works of art with them as they travel inside and outside the city, collecting moral tales and news.

Bah’a’i(name? -Elpeidi influence?) The second-largest practicing religion amongst people in Kuklos are converts to a small, distinct religious order that originated in another place pre-disruption, and for wich there was a small but dedicated missionary group in Kyanos, which has maintained its core, religious convictions.

Despite being the “second largest” religious order, it’s tiny, making up only a very small part of the population (~1-2%) and has significant overlaps with esoteric researchers in the nobility, certain expeditioners, and political radicals. It had a larger base in the recent past, but has been harshly suppressed by Henosis authorities for being heretical. Especially as they doggedly maintain that Henosis is not the final stage of perfection (though they don’t discount it might be a stage towards it) and also maintain that the Henoa Secundi is only, at most, as perfect as their supposed religious leader outside the borders of the Disruption.

The core tenants are taken largely from the real Bah’a’i faith, but with Jesuit missionary practices:

1) Belief in a single “true God” and a version of pan-religiousity (namely that all Gods and Religions are partial expressions of a single truth) and the continued existence of a world outside the disruption. 2) radical equality and individual self-determination of all peoples 3) A rejection of purity rituals and Jurisprudence (they think no laws have special religious power over others, as long as both are based on aspects of the true God) 4) Particular Beliefs about death, blood, and bodies, particularly in their transience, the mixing of bloods, and the interest in individual variations, limitations, and differences as “manifestations of God” (this is REALLY HATED by even casual practitioners of Henosis and is generally downplayed, it’s enough to get them lynched by even moderates)

Maybe ~50 years prior to Cyrus’ emergence into the city, Bah’a’i were a larger segment of the population, allowed by the Henosis of the time. Many senior officials in the intelligentsia and even among finance and statecraft were adherents, along with a decent proportion of the farming class (who liked it for not labeling them as ritually impure for leaving the city). It was beginning to wield serious power and some senior members were even openly critical of the government and Henosis. This was even enough to convince some Collective agents (already questioning the Collectives goals and motives). They had close ties to the Elpidi religious order, and were mutually supportive.

It was cracked down on in a bloody, violent, and sweeping set of clashes with the emergence of the Henoa Secundi about 50 years ago. Leaders were targeted with brutal efficiency, their assets given either to the state or to Jurists etc. and adherents were forced to convert or be exiled. It remains completely underground in the modern day, and is facing extinction.

Folk Religious Practices Although most people Profess Henosis as their guiding faith, many practice folk-religious practices as well. Farming Practices Farmers are considered ritually impure and must make regular cleaning rituals as part of their Henosis duties. However, many also respect and care for growth and plants, influenced by Elpidi practices. These rituals include plant and seed veneration, the keeping of special “family trees” (baobabs that are cultivated like bonsai trees), and generally greater respect and sympathy for life’s interactions with “the forces outside” Farmers also have an important connection to finance, considering that mints are actually special plants. Certain elite farming families take care of these special mint trees (though they don’t own them, they are highly respected technicians) This gives them a connection to mostly female jurist financers, and these exchanges are usually semi-amicable, though not publicly disclosed. Logging and Expedition Practices Similar to farmers, those that explore and gather resources like wood or metals from the Disruption are considered impure. Generally they are served by Mendicants/Dervishes on their time outside, and are fairly conventionally devoted to the basic ideas of Henosis, but there are additional nuances regarding devices, plants, animals and mutations. Some are ultra-conservative (e.g. killing anybody with obvious mutations while outside the walls, then purifying their corpse) while others are more open–like the controlled use of devices and even some acknowledgement of “gifts” from spending time in the forest, like minor magical abilities that do not manifest as obvious mutations. Nobles Nobels are mostly less devout due to their greater social power, closer association with higher priests as equals, and greater access to divergent knowledge. There are no hard-and-fast rules here, but generally higher cynicism, a greater desire to justify debauchery or “impure” practices (like spending time in retreats outside the city, sampling mutated meats, odd sexual tastes, using devices, etc.). Intellectuals that are not also jurists are rare, but do exist. They generally encourage rigid enforcement of purity rules for lower classes Obviously, among them are both Collective agents and the ex-collective. Although the existence of the collective isn’t widely known even among the nobility, some level of awareness does generate contribute both to their greater paranoia and cynical worldviews. Nobles are aware of a class divide and generally see themselves as more perfect (in a pure and religious sense, as well as a simple economic and social one) than others. Proper nobles are much more willing to treat commoners with contempt. Slavery and indentured servitude included, though it has no racial basis. It’s focused mostly on caste, debt, and ownership.

Government - Union/Cember/Daire Union(name?) is the core governmental body. It is a constitutional monarchy, with central authority existing in a ruling council chosen from nobles abiding by a legal framework established between Henosis Jurists (many of whom serve in state functions as lawyers) and elected officials from the noble classes, especially the military. There is not a strict separation of state and religion, but the two power structures do not share overlap, instead bleeding into and influencing one another.

The constitution is a simple set of rights and laws mostly setting out the basic nature of government and ensuring the safety of Kuklos. It was developed in the distant past and has had some amendments. It’s considered a largely religious document, and has influences of Henosis in it–particularly in separating the purity and perfection of nobles and non-nobles, as well as the rules of succession and the royal harem for the queenship.

Chief Council

The queen is a symbol of purity and provides guidance and thought (more below). The ruling council are usually male, and nominally act as the executors of the queens’ will. They consists of nobles coming from chief houses. Namely, those associated with the military/police, trade, civil services (e.g. construction, taxes), religion, and "esoterics" (expeditions, devices, and the l jurisprudence ). There is squabbling and inefficiency, with political games having large impacts on swaths of the population. However, an implicit system of checks and balances does help to limit the ability of the council to tip Kuklos over the edge into anarchy, famine, etc.

1) Religious convention and meddling. Henosis jurists etc. are quick to mobilize popular opinion against certain policies when needed. 2) Unified self-interest. Nobles live fairly close to the entire population of their subjects, and the isolated, confined nature of Kuklos makes certain policies obviously existentially dangerous (e.g. heavy food taxes that could collapse everybody’s ability to eat). They can and do still happen–but often in more deniable or circumspect ways. 3) The Royal Harem (see below) 3) Collective influence

Nobles Nobility is hereditary, reinforced by social convention, constitution, and religious doctrine.

Queen (The Mother Pearl)

The monarch is a young woman, entering the role at age 10 and serving for 10 years. She is seen as the pure female counterpart to the male Henoa Secundi. These women are tutored from birth for the role, and come from a single female royal lineage contained in the royal harem, remaining chaste through their time as monarch. At 20, they ritually abdicate and become advisers to their successor, joining the royal harem.

Royal Harem ( The Nacreous Matrix)

The harem serves as a set of advisors for the acting monarch, and are also responsible for carrying on the royal genes. Nobles of sufficient favor, often counselors, with vye for the affections of members of the royal harem, especially those that have just abdicated. These women can wield exceptional soft power in this way.

Young girls in the harem devote the entirety of their early lives towards a chance at the throne, with the acting monarch being picked in a test overseen by the Henoa Secundi involving religious questions, statecraft, performing arts, beauty, etc.

The Nacrine (Daughters of Pearl)

A sub-set of these girls are trained as the Nacrine– with strong connections to the Collective (maybe Sophia is grandfathered into this somehow?). They use s set of artifacts (Nacrine vestiments) along with significant augmentations as the red right hand of the monarchy and royal harem, with significant connections to ongoing human augmentation/hollow research, collective activity, and a special religious status that sets them apart from normal religious sanctions against female participation in “unclean” acts thanks to a long-standing juristic forbearance upheld by the Henoa Secundi. They can also be hired out as spies, guards, vanguard expeditioners, executioners, and investigators.

Aloof, cliqueish, and proud, they operate a lot like classic western knights, though they’re heavily indoctrinated into Henosis and are devoted to the queen and upholding the proper order of things, though they are unaware of the grim provenance of their vestments, and many are regarded with no small amount of fear and even disgust due to their engagement in obviously masculine activities, special powers, and severe attitudes.

Military The military in Kuklos is primarily defensive, but fairly well equipped and experienced. It has overall decent discipline. Similar to the church, the quality of units and their practices has decent variation (especially among interior guards, see below)

Rank-and-file are often commoners. Some are recruited, particularly from slums, farms, and poorer merchant families as the military life offers a huge step up in quality of life and a level of social mobility. Joining the military is generally for life–retirees get a small pension and are allowed to join the regular populace again. However, they are still considered reservists and can be called on at any time to fight. Male children born into military families very often become soldiers as well, and there is a lot of shame in not doing so. Military families generally live in the military quarter or close to it in the bazaar, separated from the general population. They are usually fairly devout adherents to Henosis, and there is a strong connection between religion and the military.

Women play a vanishingly small role in conventional military and guard roles except as medics and logicians. These are roles filled often by female henosis jurists. Military wives do not get any governmental support if their husband dies or they separate, nor do daughters.

The head of the military is always a male noble of old blood, usually from the same family. They have enormous power on the ruling council, and can often push their priorities through.

The military is generally somewhat hostile to “civilian adventure”, though there is an element of grudging respect

There are two main services of the military:

Wall Guards - Those that serve as perimeter protection, customs, and occasional expeditionary forces. They’re mostly commoners, including non-commissioned officers (commissioned officers must attend training in the Decagram). Discipline is good, though a ne the main guard force - Rank-and-file men use completely standard wooden weapons and armor, along with bows, crossbows, and some siege engines along with specially developed biological tools from special cultivation. Baobab towers, living trebuchets, poisons, acids, and special armor weaves etc. are available. They serve on the walls and at the main gates, as well as around the farms. The Expeditionary Force - Specialists funded by the nobility to reach out into the forest. Strong collective influence, very very well equipped, including devices in some instances.

The Wall guards are generally not very corrupt–though some do take bribes etc, they’re kept on a somewhat short leash and their connections with the clergy and the general henosis aversion to defilement etc. make the idea of allowing unchecked smuggling of items from beyond the walls distasteful, with jurists stationed at main gates to help make determinations on what can and cannot be allowed into the city.

They do collect significant customs and taxes.

Interior Guards - The city guard for all matters inside the walls. They enforce laws on the streets, combat organized crime (though there is overlap with wall guards regarding wall running/smuggling. They are often the agents of particular noble interests, and corruption is much more common in their ranks. They are allowed into the inner city, even into the noble quarters, the Decagram, and the financial quarter. Officers in the interior guard are exclusively nobility, and some guard groups are made up entirely of nobles. Equipment is decent in the outer city. Generally pole weapons, body armor, and some special lethal and stunning plant-based options. For interior city guards, officers can have very ornate and expensive weapons and armor–even metal. They are responsible for collecting taxes on all commerce inside the city. This is less profitable than the taxes on all incoming goods for the wall guard, but still significant. Generally, their presence is regular and can be onerous. Commoners have very limited legal recourse to object to search, seizure, etc. unless they appeal to religious jurists. The social separation between the military and civilian populace exacerbates this. Military wives are doubly cursed on this front, as they are of low status in the military framework and looked down on by other commoners.

Adventure Guild Has a weird place in society. Extremely rich and powerful, but stands somewhat counter to religious and military doctrine, while being vital to the city’s functioning. Attractive to slummers, excitable nobles, and people that don’t fit in.

Leader a Bah’a’i purge survivor, sympathies and connections with Vanarists and Elpidi.

Most that go outside the city are male, but more open to female participation (esp. compared to the military.

Occupies the Light Tower in the bazaar district as home base. The tower has religious significance ("gilding like in the time of our judgment” and there are regular demands from religious officials to vacate it so it can be a proper temple, but never happened (noble backing and financial interests, collective motives etc. )

Maintains a “guildwives” coop. for current and past spouses of adventurers, as well as those that are disabled and retired. Maintained though money pooling on profits from the coop. A major player in the bazaar.

NOT ALL are part of the guild, or some are more loyal to particular merchants etc.

Least homogeneous organization. Meritocratic (good and ill) and unconventional. Still has strong ties to the church, but has had to develop the doctrine to work with forest and beyond realities. Strong connections to dervishes/mendicants.

Banking and Finance -plant-based money (seeds, seed pods). Controlled by female jurists, though men often do the manual labor. Money is very important to people in Kuklos Religious provisions about the accrual of wealth and the flow of it as a form of power/perfection. Farming, Logging, and Manual Labor Farmers are very important but somewhat shunned (must exit the city even more than adventurous, and for a less glamorous reason). Trade, The Bazzar, Craftspeople Traders can be commoners and noble. Some of the richest people in the city are not noble, but commoners that have come up because of smart trading etc., though they’re a small minority. Most common merchants have small businesses, restaurants, etc.

Trade is done of goods coming in from outside and those produced domestically.

From outside: Devices (regulated, speciality, often curios and industrial.) Information (books, tablets, etc. Regulated, only sold to rich/select few) Ampupoles (heavily regulated) Metals (extremely rare, regulated, mostly taken by nobles and collective) Wood (more common, used everywhere) Live plant samples (traded with farmers, used in construction, regulated) Plant products (general and specialty, interaction with farmers) Meants and animal products (some cultivated, mostly hunted)

From inside:

Textiles jeweltry Woodware, stoneware slaves/servants(?)

2. Triage & integration tracker

# Item (summary) Target doc(s) Type Status Notes
1 Henosis state religion — doctrine, offices, rituals, sub-sects Factions.md (new §Henosis) additive ✅ integrated provisional names flagged
2 Gender roles, daily religious life, class, slavery, folk practices Society.md (new) additive ✅ integrated —
3 The Union government — monarchy, Council, Queen/Harem/Nacrine, military Factions.md (§The Union expanded) additive (fills stub) ✅ integrated resolves Union OQ
4 Adventurer's Guild — Light Tower HQ, guildwives, leader Factions.md (new §); Locations.md additive ✅ integrated leader identity flagged
5 Economy & currency — plant money, mints, banking Society.md additive ✅ integrated resolves currency OQ
6 Trade & the bazaar — imports/exports Society.md additive ✅ integrated —
7 Holy sites / Kuklos-as-temple ("Pentagram") Locations.md; Factions §Henosis retcon ✅ integrated Pentagram→Decagram (see log)

3. Retcon log

Every place the new information overrides established canon. Record what changed, the old → new, the affected docs, and the ripple actions taken. (Mirrored durably in Changelog.md.)

  • "Pentagram" → Decagram. The raw notes named a central holy "Pentagram"; canon's central structure is the ten-pointed Decagram (which matches the faith's ten-pointed-star iconography — and the notes use "Decagram" elsewhere). Normalized all holy-site references. Affected: Factions.md (§Henosis), Locations.md (§Decagram). Ripple: working assumption that the great Bethel sits within the Decagram precinct — flagged in Open Questions.
  • Spelling normalization: raw "Vanarist(s)" → "Vanarite(s)" on integration.
  • (Expansions, not contradictions — logged in Changelog as additions:) the Collective's "henosis" doctrine elaborated into the full Henosis religion; the Union government stub replaced with full structure.

4. Open questions spawned

New ambiguities surfaced during intake — promoted into Open_Questions.md.

  • Promoted: ~14 entries under Open Questions → Religion, Government & Society — unsettled names (the faith, the government, the Imam/senior-Jurist tiers, the Mendicant and heretical orders); Pentagram-vs-Decagram; the Nacrine↔Sophia tie; the Adventurer's Guild leader's identity; "false Theurgy"; the Henoa Secundi's true nature; the Imam↔Elder mapping; the Mother Pearl/Nacrine provenance; slavery & indenture.
  • Resolved by this batch: religion in practice, currency, government structure (The Union), and the Nacrine ↔ Sophia tie (Sophia confirmed a former Nacrine) — marked resolved in Open_Questions.md.
  • Follow-up: added a dedicated Naming & Terminology section in Open Questions (collecting the provisional names + Cyrus & Sophia's profession).

Batch 1 status: ✅ fully integrated

Raw material above has been distributed into canonical docs. This staging content can be trimmed once the batch is reviewed; the durable record lives in Changelog.md.