In the heart of the world of Spera, buried deep underground, there is an enigma – a profound mystery, whose existence is known to all, yet understood by none. The Sentient Stone, Heshei.
This vast, mineral sphere lies deep underground. On the surface above it, stands the country of Entos; a perfect circle whose borders overlap the edges of Heshei.
Apart from repeated failures, over the century, in establishing Heshei’s nature and origin, much of the fascination around her existence has to do with the powers she wields, and by those she grants to the populations who inhabit the circle of land right above her.
Heshei’s Origins
Heshei’s Nature
Much like her origins, the true nature of Heshei remains a mystery. Entosian authorities are so protective of her that it has been impossible for anyone outside of Entos to lay a hand on a sample they might be able to study. Even on the most illegal of black markets, even for the highest prices imaginable, no non-Entosian has ever been able to obtain a piece of it.
Heshei’s Powers
Heshei’s abilities come from a symbiosis between her and the humans who live in her area of influence. That symbiosis increases with each generation, enhancing both Heshei and her humans’ powers. The abilities wielded and granted by Heshei are divided in two categories: Materia and Illusion.
Materia is the manipulation of physical matter. Materialists can create and transform objects.
Illusion is the manipulation of the mind. Illusionists can get living creatures to perceive and feel a different version of reality.
As secondary weilders of these abilities, Entosians get access to a reduced version of them which, while constantly increasing, is no equal to the power held by Heshei herself.
Heshei’s Creations
One of the abilities that belong solely to the Stone Deity is the creation of life.
Human imagination, particularly collective imagination, serves as Heshei’s inspiration. Many of the creatures which used to be mythical of fictional now populate the world of Entos, brought to life by Heshei.
Yet, Heshei has her own sensitivities and tastes, and makes choices when it comes to what she brings to the world. For instance, there are ghosts, and demons, but no zombies. There are Centaurs and Elves, but no Spirits nor Deities, be it Gods from the Old world or incarnations of Heshei herself.
Heshei’s living creations are called Eshers.
Other Abilities
Another notable power of Heshei is her ability to control the weather of Entos. She creates and adjusts the climate according to her moods, creating weather patterns that make no sense geographically.
There are several other ways in which Heshei expresses herself, rarer than the ones already mentioned. The full range of her expressions is yet to be established, and myths have been born out of this uncertainty, attributing the Stone Deity a potency that hasn’t been verified.
Interacting With Heshei
It takes effort for Materialists and Illusionists to maintain what they are casting.
In order to build lasting Materiae and Illusions, the population of Entos uses an elaborate system of runes.
By engraving carefully engineered sequences of theses runes into haverested pieces of Heshei, Entosians can create almost any device that their minds can imagine.
There are, however, not as many such devices in Entos as you might expect: Heshei is a living entity which must be harvested with much care and restraint.
Heshei’s Personality
While it is clear that Heshei has a consciousness of her own, which somewhat resonates with human consciousness, she exists on an entirely different level of awareness. It is, therefore, impossible to truly understand her, what drives her or what motivates her choices.
That being said, there is no doubt that she does make choices. She does so when it comes to her creations, as mentioned earlier. There are also certain Rune Commands she refuses to execute, and certain advantages she refuses to grant. For instance, all Entosian attempts at a device, potion, plant or ritual that would grant immortality have been met with resounding failure. While life expectancy in Entos is far higher than it is on the Outside, at an average of 250 years per inhabitant, everyone has remained exceedingly mortal.
Initially, it was thought that there was a certain randomness in Heshei’s decisions to create certain things or to deny others. Over time, this assumption was disproved as patterns in the Deity’s choices emerged, creating a picture of her likes and dislikes.
Violence is generally upsetting to Heshei. When there is too much violence in a specific area of Entos, dangerous Eshers start to appear who tend to attack those who perpetrate it. It has also been observed that Heshei’s creations tend to be colourful and a little whimsical at times.
Spiritual and Cultural Impact
Heshei’s prevalent influence on life in Entos has led to her being revered as a deity by most of the Entosian population.
A set of shared religious practices emerged in the whole country, combined with Quadrant-specific worship habits: the first wave of Entos inhabitants naturally transferred some of their Old World religious habits to their new deity.
A fraction of the population retained their Old World beliefs entirely, refusing to acknowledge Heshei as a Deity in her own right, and choosing to consider her a gift from their Old World God. These practices, while not encouraged, were tolerated in Entos.
Societal Impact
What happens in a world where the general mindset of the population gets imprinted on its environment? A world where, if inhabitants are largely unhappy or scared, the world turns hostile around them?
Much of Heshei’s choices and behaviours are influenced by the collective mindset of its inhabitants. Interestingly, the results of this influence have been observed on a local scale, revealing that the Stone Deity can modulate expressions of herself to what is happening in specific towns or villages, rather than simply averaging the emotions of the entire Entosian population and creating the same atmosphere in the whole country.
Such a phenomenon has a significant impact on the fabric of society. Governments have a compelling incentive to foster a comfortable and peaceful environment for their citizens. Pockets of extreme misery are actively prevented – poverty, famine, disease or violent crimes are extremely rare.
Living in such a world for centuries causes a shift in what is valued and what is stigmatised. To be considered a valued member of society, you must be happy, positive, achieving. Emotions perceived as negative must be hidden or dealt with swiftly. While this may seem like a good problem to have, it is creating a great deal of second-hand distress whose consequences may soon be felt.
The Aspects of Heshei
Heshei has 3 main aspects in which she is routinely represented in Entos: the Creator of Life, the Sentient Stone and the Weather Wielder.
Creator of Life Aspect
Heshei’s female aspect, which represents her ability to create Eshers. Representations of this Aspect are always adorned with flowers.
Sentient Stone Aspect
Heshei’s mineral aspect, in which she is represented as a sphere, which is either floating or maintaining an impossible balance.
Weather Wielder Aspect
Heshei’s male aspect, which represents the Stone’s capacity to control the weather of Entos.
The human representations of Heshei are always portrayed with their eyes closed. While a non-gendered being, Heshei is most often represented in its female aspect and referred to as She or Her.
Each Quadrant have their own set of representations of Heshei in her human aspects, reflecting the typical facial features of the dominant Quadrant population.
Each city has exactly one statue of Heshei as the Sentient Stone, often placed in a central and prominent area. Places of significance, particularly in nature, are also often adorned with such a statue.
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