The Cycles of Destruction

Chapter 1 First appears in:

Throughout the annals of human history, a recurring belief has woven its way into the fabric of our understanding—the delicate dance between creation and destruction, a cosmic waltz that binds all existence. This ancient concept reverberates across diverse belief systems, resonating even in our modern world.The Sahin, too, held this truth close. Their conviction materialized as the 'Cycles of Destruction.' In their cosmic view, humanity's collective journey—our rich cultures, enduring institutions, and especially our amassed knowledge—walked a razor’s edge. The turning of these cosmic cycles threatened to scatter our hard-won achievements like leaves in the wind. Forgotten wisdom, buried civilizations—the inexorable march of time erased them all.Yet, the precise form of impending destruction remained elusive to the Sahin. Even the Patterns of Convergence, the body of wisdom concerned with the nature of such underlying patterns, could only offer cryptic hints and fragile probabilities as to when or how the cycles turn once more.The Unknown 9 were an intervention designed to stall or perhaps halt these cosmic cycles. In the likely event that they could not, they would be there to bestow upon new civilizations lost knowledge from those prior, safeguarding our collective evolution. &nbsp;

From deep within the Fold, the solitude of yawning space beyond human perception, a faceless mountain known by many names slumbers in the gossamer veil of Penumbra. The LYS call it ‘Seshin.’ As no official documentation of this being exists, there is little in the way of reliable details save for Vincent’s account of his tragic Deep Dive assignment, and the feverish testimonies of those claiming to see it in visions. But who or what is Seshin? &nbsp;According to multiple ancient Sahin warnings, for the stability of the world, it was imperative that Sahin be imprisoned and frozen in the abyss of time, ensuring that humanity would never be exposed to it. What could be so perilous that banishing it was the only choice? Furthermore, the warnings forbid anyone from making contact with it; to do so is to have one’s nascent mind “frayed by the ecstasy and the horror” of its presence. No meaningful description of it is mentioned. In the Fold, Seshin is neither obviously male nor female (or perhaps both simultaneously), its body ever mutable without an orderly shape or contour that satisfies normal comprehension. Above all, it is not to be disturbed from its eternal stasis or else “all that is old will be destroyed, reality contorted and reconstructed ‘til Truth is no more.”

Seshin

The Unknown 9’s history with Seshin implies a connection between the mysterious being and the Cycles of Destruction. &nbsp;Is Seshin a harbinger of the cycles? A nefarious entity using them for their own purposes? Or perhaps Seshin is the Cycles made manifest, doom incarnate. &nbsp;Only the 9 know the truth, and they are keeping this long held knowledge secret, for now.

100,000 years ago, the Sahin civilization flourished, enjoying a degree of understanding about the universe that far surpasses our own. Convinced of their eventual ruin at the hands of a cosmological force known as the Cycles of Destruction, they sought to guard against their fate and extend the rein of their great civilization forever. Nine among them were selected to be their champions, each the Keeper of one domain of wisdom, one Book of the Source. In the event of a cataclysm they would be there to ensure that mankind’s most precious treasure—our collective knowledge—would not be lost.&nbsp;

The Unknown 9

The Unknown 9 were created as a countermeasure to the catastrophic effect that the Cycles of Destruction have on humanity’s collective evolution. They were to do everything in their power to stave off the turn of the cycles; if that effort fails, they focus on expediting the reestablishment and advancement of civilization.

Reika

Mara Nilsen

Vincent Lichter

Mila Savic

Gunner

Tethering Capsule

Shade Bracers

Terminals

Echoes

Patterns of Convergence

The Deep Fold

Peshanden

Reithden, Central Africa

Quinta Matos, Sintra, Portugal

Anatolia: Woman Out of Time

Quinta Matos: Signs of Life

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

Unknown 9: Awakening

As we gather at the precipice / I shall not be afraid. / Our heroes whisper futures to newborn stars / and seed hope in the barren expanse.

element

Richat Structure: Teacher and Apprentice

The Cycles of Destruction

First appears in:

Chapter 1