Keystone of Mercury
Welcome to Solaris, traveller! This is a slower-than-light science fantasy set in our own solar system.
About Solaris | Guide to Solaris | Prologue
About Solaris | Guide to Solaris | Prologue
The last known Keystone of Mercury sacrificed herself in 220014 to chain the sun and end the First Solar Invasion. She left no heirs or potential successors. It is hard to determine when it is reasonable to expect to see the rise of a new Keystone of Mercury. It usually takes a few years to a decade for a new Keystone to come into her powers. With the majority of the population seeking asylum all across the solar system finding her successor may prove to be quite the challenge.
A Martyr's Legacy
Before the Keystone sacrificed herself, she gathered her most devout followers in a hundred day vigil. Through communal prayer and ancient rights for strengthening the Keystone, they helped prepare her for martyrdom. Some of these followers went on to form the religious cult known as the Keepers of the Chain. The Keepers believe that the Keystone of Mercury is not dead, but that she herself is the chain that holds the sun back. They travel through the Sol System, holding sermons in her honor and leading people in prayer for her safety. When the chain failed and the Solar Invasion restarted in 220018, many of the Keepers of the Chain fell into despair. A schism formed, some of the Keepers turning to fanaticism and looking for stronger ways to empower their martyr than prayer, others lost faith and joined the search for the new emerging Keystone. Keepers of both creeds look out for Signs of Ascension, though whether they seek to quell them or support them remains to be seen.| Keystone | ||||
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Past Holders
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Short but sweet - and I'm curious! Did the 100 day vigil do anything? Was it an actual magical rite, or more like a purely spiritual exercise?
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
It would be brutal to suggest it didn't. It isn't the kind of thing you can prove one way or the other though, is it?