The Redeemer
Looking upwards, through the clouds, as I sit in my favorite fountain, I think I can see many things. I see the flying ships taking people to Elaidei, where if you close your eyes enough, you'll see the smallest dots of light, as the cities' streetlights are awakened and people throw great fireworks, celebrating the Elaidei's Independence Day. But accompanied by the purple tone of this night, what I can't take my eyes off is Rediemo, an imposing presence in the middle of the sky. Its cogs slowly turn as the exterior rotates in all directions, revealing its shiny light, a beacon where we're meant to follow whenever we're ready. I try to squeeze the spearhead between my fingers until they hurt a bit. And I think to myself:
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of this"
The Redeemer is our savior, our captor, our provider, and that which has been in control of our fates since it was found. Many who see it for the first time see a fancy orrery or a Dyson Sphere (who is that Dyson anyway), but all Barenanians know that when they look at the sky, they'll inevitably stumble upon our great Astro.
Geography
The Redeemer is a gargantuan sphere, situated in the middle of all of Barenae's Splinters, providing heat, light, energy, and gravity.
The main body is composed of multiple layers, made of various ancient and unknown metals, that range from bronze hues to darker metallic brown tones. While these parts look polished and smooth from the ground, even when looking at them with precise observation instruments, in reality, the pieces are full of intricate patterns and relieves, alongside many imperfections and holes left by the passage of time. Its exterior part moves constantly in an orrery kind of motion, frequently exposing the core parts. Holding it in place, eight static spearheads of great size point towards their respective Splinter, making sure that gravity is still held in place and that space is evenly distributed. These pieces rotate and move along the surface as the calendar progresses and the Splinters change places.
The center of the artifact itself is a luminous conflux of energy that pulses and fluctuates with each new soul absorbed. Its core is a provider of light and heat, which pierces the space between sun and land and bathes the various regions in irregular intervals. However, one of the Redeemer's most important features is its constant release of magic radiation, which makes individual use of magic and most sources of energy conversion viable. The light itself slowly varies in hue constantly throughout the day, ranging from light reds to dark greens, differentiating day time from the night time.
Natural Resources
As with any star, the main resources obtained by the Redeemer are those generated by its light, heat, and energy. Light is used to grow the crops and vegetal life, heat is collected and redirected to the colder zones for proper distribution, while the energy related to magic radiation is one of the cornerstones of Barenae operation. It's the safest way to practice magic, but it also enables most electrical systems, essential for urban lighting, traffic and usage of many other commodities.
Recently, great advances have been made in the sector of Graviturgy, which has allowed to also channel the force exerted by the spearheads into alternative sources of energy and many other applications.
History
The history of the Redeemer is the
history of Barenae itself. When the Scions of Greed landed on the surface of Barenae, The Redeemer felt threatened, it knew that they would eventually reach its hiding spot and take advantage of its power. 160 years of slaving and excavation had to go by until the fated day arrived. The Redeemer, enclosed inside the core of Barenae had been exposed from its prison, leading it to action. The first three pulses mark the beginning of the Barenaenian calendar, and the appearance of magic and chaos on the surface lead the population to rebel and defeat Greed's army.
As the pieces of the planet drifted apart, the spearheads deployed and did their best to keep the whole ensemble together. It would take 30 years until the gravity was solidified through a massive sacrifice in the Mending and The Redeemer would take Barenae and its people into the Spatial Continuum, forever lost, shifting through dimensions.
Through the Core period and subsequent formation of the Coalition, the Redeemer would stay relatively quiet, nourishing the new life that The Redeemers would create on the different faces of the Splinters and stabilizing the gravitic field, all while holding the Continuum back. It wouldn't be until 1222 D.R that The Redeemer would enter into action again with The Fifth Pulse and the beginning of the Chellyco Eran, cooling down all the energy inside and lowering the temperature all across Barenae. This period and the following Daorgen Eran would present great amounts of activity by The Redeemer. From the reconstruction of the Leylines that help the gravitic field into what would become Etaria, to the beginning of interdimensional travel and the Sixth Pulse, Barenae recovered from the loss of magic that had been slowly dwindled The Redeemer's strength.
This situation would be sustained until the present day, as people are starting to consider overcoming the barrier of traveling to the surface of The Redeemer itself and plans for colonizing the planetoid are being designed.
Tourism
Given that The Redeemer emits light and heat in great amounts, approaching it directly is not a valid approach, since there hasn't been any ship capable of approaching its exterior without melting away. Therefore, tourism or colonization of this place hasn't been possible at all, even when the possibility of observing its surface up close has never been closer to fruition.
Pulses and The Redeemer's Intentions
Nobody is quite sure about The Redeemer's plans for Barenae. While it's generally regarded as a lifeless artifact meant to work by itself, it can't be denied that its actions show signs of self-preservation and ulterior motive, which ends up confusing those who study the contraption's actions. Most of Barenae's defining moments have been caused by or have caused a great change in the way the world as a whole works. While these changes do come in various different ways, Pulses are the main course of action the Redeemer takes to make decisions.
It's well known between the current denizens of Barenae that most souls, no matter the morality or power of the individual, are absorbed by the center of The Redeemer since the essence of the souls of a whole town were seen drifting towards it after a great tragedy had decimated the whole settlement. Nobody aside from the numerous Ailan that escaped (such as The Redeemers themselves) in the First Pulse knows what the center contains, and said gods never speak about it. These souls feed the machine, allowing The Redeemer to keep on working. But sometimes, there's too much or too few energy, or The Redeemer feels threatened. That's when major pulses occur.
A Pulse can manifest in a multitude of ways, but it generally propagates in a ring (1,2,3) or a sphere (4,5,6). The purpose of each one is completely different. The first Three Pulses tore Barenae in its Splinters, as The Redeemer freed the excessive amount of souls trapped by Greed when it caused a cataclysm on the surface, as a defense mechanism. In case of The Sixth Pulse, this defense mechanism worked again the Spatial Continuum, which was threatening to absorb Barenae as it collided with other planes. The Fourth Pulse was also releasing energy because the Mending had pumped an excessive amount of magic into it. The only exception to this rule was The Fifth Pulse, whereas magic started to fade and the Leylines slowly decayed, The Redeemer required all that it could take, which caused a frozen era.
Curiously, each morning The Redeemer does release a Pulse, even if it's considerably smaller, to regulate energy in its interior and in its exterior. This small pulse impulses the flow of radiation, recharges all the electrical reserves, and brings the start of a new day, opening the exterior of The Redeemer and letting the light through.
-"So you're telling me your civilization is powered by a soul eating sun that’s totally unpredictable?"
-"Yup, isn't it exciting?"
-Conversation between a Barenaenian and an extraplanar Visitor
Alternative Name(s)
Rediemo
Type
Planetoid / Moon
While the months are determined by Splinter movement, the 24-hour day starts with every mini Pulse by The Redeemer (at 12 AM), and the light and color start to show up completely by 7 AM. The Redeemer tends to close or use darker tints around 8 PM.
Blessing |> | <| Curse
The Redeemer gives light, heat and energy, allowing people to live on Barenae's Splinters. It's been a source of salvation, joy, and the mystery that magic is. It has survived cataclysms, slain tyrants and held countless evils back, all in service of Barenae.
The Redeemer has trapped us in an endless void, never to feel sunlight again, never to find a place we can call ours and set the roots for our world. It has killed many of us and imprisoned many of their souls, even when the consequences of its actions had a positive outcome, it's impossible to predict when its will will lead us to our doom.
It's not good or bad, it's not noble or treacherous. It doesn't think. It doesn't feel. It just is.
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