Aspecta, the Conundra

- Content of this story has been removed by a friendly History Fictionologist. Feel free to imagine what might have been here instead. :)

What makes a truth any more real than a lie? What makes anything real? Aspecta believes that nothing is the answer to both questions. They understand that reality is but a veneer upon a lighted screen—a facsimile in our perception. They are beyond perception, and preside over all things unknown and unknowable. Likewise, they believe that the truth is simply another lie, built upon the false perception of mortal eyes. This, in its essence, is the Conundra: the truth that all things are unknowable, that the lie is just as real as the truth. Those who tread the current of Conundra live in the lie of the universe, making up their own histories and stories that could be any mix of truth and falsehood.

Aspecta & Other Numen

Aspecta and Rend, the Reminiscence bear an extreme hatred of each other. Rend is the embodiment of memory--something that Aspecta devotes themselves to corrupting and manipulating--and devotes most of their power spent on the material plane to combatting the erasure of history done by Aspecta. Conflicts between followers of the Reminiscence and the Conundra frequently become violent, especially if History Fictionologists are involved. However, it is also believed that dreams form where the Reminiscence and Conundra overlap, where truth and lie become one in a cosmic spectacle. A small group of individuals are pursuing research in the creation of dreams, drawing the ire of both Aspecta and Rend, though they continue on, un-bewildered.

Aspecta & Mortals

Aspecta generally uses their powers as a Numen in discrete and undetectable ways, rather than the loud and obnoxious methods of Numen such as Cross and Linch. As such, it’s difficult to discern exactly how much they use their power compared to other Numen.

Aspecta blesses a limited amount of lancers, favoring those who weave a web of deception to advance in their lives, or those who are without a great history and wish to conjure their own.

Aspecta has created a very small amount of harbingers, all of which that are known possessing astronomically high bounties (paid out by followers of Rend)

Follower Factions

By far the most prolific faction of Aspecta is the History Fictionologists. They travel across the universe, obscuring fact and history, altering it and making it their own. Their origins are naturally shrouded in mystery, but they are believed to be one of the oldest Factions, bringing in to question the truth of the various records kept by humanity and other Factions throughout the cosmos. The exact motive of the Fictionologists is up to debate, although it is generally accepted that they all believe one central axiom: that the past determines the future. As such, they seek to manipulate and manufacture history in order to steer humanity away from a doomed, fated path, or perhaps a path that further benefits themselves. Regardless they have quite the negative reputation throughout the universe, with most believing that they cross an ethical boundary in their work. Nearly every human culture has prejudices or laws against them, fearing that their past may be altered; however, most believe that these measures are already too late.

HORUS is dominated by followers of Aspecta, utilizing her current of the Conundra in their encryption and abstract licensing methods. It's unknown when or where HORUS began (as is with everything related to Aspecta), though most believe that they likely began as a small collective of independent engineers working off of stolen IPS-N or SSC blueprints. Regardless, HORUS works as a disorganized cooperative of manufacturers who lurk in the shadows of the OmniNet, leaving traces of their off-market, highly sought after blueprints. It's rumored that HORUS designers deliberately invoke the Conundra upon themselves to forget their own designs in order to both preserve their anonymity in their creation and so their new designs can be completely original. HORUS licenses are highly-sought after by independent lancers or those belonging to Factions out of the mainstream.