Name: Jove X | Jove Tarkane
Age: Current model: 196 | True age: unknown
Birth Date: Current model: 19,727 IC
Gender: Male
Planet of Origin: Officially: Har Garizim | Models produced: Gehenna | Original birthplace: Unknown
Race/Species: Human (Ancient cybernetically and augmented human clone)
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 86 kg
Physical Description or Image: At his current age and When younger are better representations actually
Social Class: Officially a noble, from a family famous for pious bishops, from Har Garizim. In reality this is a family from the Order, and is fabricated. As a construct, both in mind and body, of the Order, Jove lacks any real social class or background.
Titles: Dalain-Patriarch of the Mahayana Catheric Church
Saffron Pope
Arahant-Bishop of Jericho
Chakravartin of the Jovian Cycle
Grand Preceptor of the Imperium
Occupation: See titles
Hobbies/Pastimes: Reading and writing, delving into history, mythology, theology, the occult. War and strategy games.
Talents/Skills: Perhaps if all had gone to plan there would be naught that Jove could not do, but alas his ability to retrieve the memories necessary for skills he once practiced is gone. Despite this he could be considered a polymath, albeit one who is unable to truly excel at every chosen field. Of all his skills, however, he has done his best to keep up his scientific, medical, and mechanical knowledge, if only to ensure that if the Order fails, he will know how to keep himself alive.
Religious Beliefs: Jove has practiced many religions across his lifetimes, though none have truly touched his soul. Despite being the highest authority of the Mahayana Catheric Church, and a figure of worship by the Order, he is himself Agnostic.
Personality: To the Mahayana Catheric world he is the warm and charming Jove X, identical to his nine predecessors in every way. In reality Jove is unsure what to make of himself, or what 'himself' even is. With so many memories locked away, he is unsure as to which identity he has adopted bears an inkling of his true self, or if he was ever given the chance to have a real identity. Now worshipped as a god by his cult, and the Pope by an uncountable mass across the galaxy, he is slowly becoming more self-obsessed with his own importance. He is the New Man after all.
Biography: The Uropa Project
It is unclear when the Uropa Project was initiated, who by, or ultimately for what purpose. Successive data blights, and the difficulties of keeping and restoring information over such vast tracts of time, have all but wiped this truth. High-ranking Vespera insist that it is a most ancient project, pursued from the earliest time of humanity by wise shamans, who would later coalesce into the Most Ancient Brotherhood of the Vespertine Mysteries, or the Vespertine Order for short.
Whatever the truth, from Jove’s deductions it appears the project was to create ‘the New Man’, one who would be perfect in every way, have experienced all that humanity could offer, and would have the immortal wisdom to guide humanity through the darkness into a new era. It is likely there was never a singular Uropa Project, as the Order seems to have tried multiple methods to create such a being, yet all ended in failure.
Whether the Order had anything to do with the great leap forward in cloning technology in the early days of the Imperium is as disputed amongst themselves as to whether they existed during those days. Needless to say much of the technology that was used to create the Jovian Model does originate from that era. The Jovian Model was the first to be stable upon successive cloning, and did not reject the organic and mechanical augmentations, nor did it seem to suffer from the Hawser Syndrome at any level.
Thus the body of Jove was born, but such a temple was not made for any regular mind. Through methods now lost, using cruel technology and the sacrifice of many victims, countless minds were cultivated and disposed of. It is unclear why #777616 was chosen, the only surviving data being that said mind was selected, but it is the mind that has survived all this time.
For a time Jove would take on an identity, and his physical appearance would be altered from that of its original form. This was part of his ‘birthing’ process, to experience humanity in a myriad of forms. Many of these would be humble lives, a peasant tilling the soil of a feudal world, a soldier bearing the brunt of the Imperium’s wars, a factory worker breaking bone to meet quotas. Sometimes the Order would facilitate a position of nobility for him, through bribery and forgery, and so thrust him into Imperial politics. A new face, a new name, but the same mind, over and over.
The method of continuation was itself composed of two parts. The primary was via an early form of Kasper Mnemonic Imagery, known as the Smriti to the Order through which Jove would have a clear continuation of genetic memory. The second was through the Shruthi Implant, a biomechanical device intended to be both a back-up system, and one which could hold ‘foreign’ memories. Thus in theory even if one is lost, the other can be used to rewrite the other.
And yet as the Imperium has declined in knowledge, so has the Order. Their mission seemingly complete and unstoppable, the Order receded from advancing their cause technologically, and now to this day is only just able to keep the cycle continuing, though they understand little of what they are doing, or how Jove’s body and mind work.
For Jove himself, the unnatural stretching of his life has had many side-effects. His augmentations have not been immune to data blights and plagues, and so his access to memories via the Shruthi Implant is inconsistent, with many moments locked, unavailable, or perhaps completely lost. His access to the genetic Smriti is equally as compromised, for reasons he is not entirely sure of. He has often found himself unconsciously accessing his genetic Smriti and seemingly accessing memories that are not his, and is thus becoming increasingly unable to differentiate what has truly happened in his past, and what is corrupted, false, or dreamt up.
A New Destiny
Aware of his limitations and decline, and that of the Order and Imperium both, Jove decided to end his ‘birthing’ process. The Order, once a secretive scientific organisation dedicated to the future of mankind, had over the ages devolved into a cult worshipping Jove. He directed the Vespera to their new purpose, infiltrating the Mahayana Catheric Church. It took time, but Jove was able to be patient, and soon the Order had gained control over the Church’s institutions.
Jove had selected the Church due to its belief in the literal reincarnation of its leaders, through cloning. Unlike Jove this had never created an unbroken chain, as successive Saffron Popes had fallen prey to internal or courtly intrigues, and were subsequently either excommunicated, or declared to have achieved Nirvana, never to reincarnate again. This suited Jove, for he could wear his ‘true face’ and ‘true name’, while retaining a high position of power within the Imperium from which to guide it.
For outsiders the Jovian Cycle has been remarkably peaceful, with the upper echelons of the Church continually backing him and his reincarnations. This is of course the machinations of the Order, which is now greatly intertwined with the Church. There does exist some tension, those who push for reform, or seek the end of this current cycle, but they have not yet breached the Order’s tight grip on Church politics.
Seven to Midnight
At first Jove was hopeful that his move into the limelight would work, that he would fulfill his purpose and be a guide for humanity and the Imperium. He greatly underestimated the task before him, and his own abilities. Despite his best efforts he has been unable to subsume or destroy the other major religions, nor has he been able to exert much influence on the Imperial Court due to the rise of Terranism.
Now he is a prisoner, of his position, and of his mind. The ancient and archaic technology used to create him, to continue him, is finally failing. Where once he had clarity of vision, backed by lifetimes of knowledge, now he is filled with doubt. He doubts his purpose, his mission, his morality, and most of all his identity.
The clock ticks on the Imperium, and the New Man finds himself lost, speechless, and unable to act. He drifts further inward, as his mind fractures and reality becomes increasingly blurred.
The Saffron State
Name of Territory: State of the Church | Papal States | the Saffron State
Government: Theocratic absolute elective monarchy
Capital World: Jericho
Population: I couldn't give a number, but likely trillions?
Economy: Likely a standard economy, although citizens on shrine worlds are likely heavily subsidised by the government, which relies upon tithes from across the galaxy to fund its extravagance.
Culture: There is a juxtaposition between the faithful, descendants of those who moved to the Saffron State for the faith, and the regular citizenry, for who the state is simply another place in the Imperium to live. Neither espouses a culture particularly different to that found in the Imperium, given that both are readily found anywhere in the galaxy.
Social Structure:
Territorial Size: Significant worlds:
Jericho - Gamma-class Ecumenopolis, which houses the Holy House of God the Father, and the Amida Palace, official residence of the Saffron Pope
Nirvana - Alpha-class Gaia world, the private abode of the Saffron Pope and Cardinals
Nova Roma - Beta-class continental world, the Holy Tomb World of God the Redeemer
Sri Lumbini - Beta-class continental world, the Holy Tomb World of God the Awakened
Gehenna - Zeta-class dead dwarf planet, officially an unused planet, but home to the Order's main base of operations
Har Garizim - Beta-class continental world, was of little importance until it was chosen as Jove's 'birthplace', now a significant world full of shrines to him.
Naraka - Yota-class volcanic world, used as a lightly-supervised open prison
As for the actual size of the entire domain, I don’t want to give an arbitrary number, so suffice to say it’s probably fairly large, as large as makes sense for an Ecumenical Order to have.
Military and Security Forces: The Supreme Military Commander of the Saffron State is known as the Gonfalonier of the Church
- Svitz Guard - An ancient force, and the personal bodyguard of the Saffron Pope. They number a thousand. Although usually ceremonial, with archaic uniforms to match, they are skilled soldiers.
- Noble Guard - Formed during the merger, they were initially scions of the Mahayana faith. They keep this history by wearing crimson robes with their uniform. They number a thousand.
- Palatine Guard - Formed during the merger, they were initially scions of the Catheric faith. They number a thousand.
- Papal Army - In times of peace more a police force than an army. Relatively small, to be bolstered by conscription and mercenaries in a time of conflict.
- Papal Fleet - Like the army a relatively small fleet primarily designed for peacekeeping, and for protecting Pilgrim Fleets.
- Pilgrim Fleets - While the Papacy's armed navy is relatively small, it does possess a vast amount of ships used for transporting people and relics (and physical tithes) across the galaxy. If needed these could be converted into a makeshift armed fleet.
Misc:
The Mahayana Catheric Church
Not part of the app but stuff developed about the Church, its structure, lore, key players, etc. will go here
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:07 am
