Ciphers

Intro

Crown Prince Vaan of House Oriyon at age 6, the youngest Cipher ever.

Believed by some to be the next phase in the evolution of organic life, the Cipher is an enigma to the galactic community at large. They are a non-genetic hereditary phenomenon unique to the Ai’Mira, and they are capable of manipulating and projecting Aether Energy, the most versatile source of energy in the known galaxy. It is capable of mimicking other more conventional forms of energy such as radiation, electricity, or even graviton waves, and once expended, it dissipates back into its native dimension, leaving no waste products. Ciphers also have an array of psychic abilities, such as clairvoyance, telepathy, telekinesis, and in rare cases, the ability to communicate with the recently deceased.

Cipher Classes

Ciphers can be broken down into 5 distinct classes based on their raw power. Lowest to highest, they are; Pseudo, Minor, Major, Aristo, & Royal. The classes are also visually distinct due their unique facial birth marks, which also glow while they are using their abilities.

The classes and their visually distinct facial birth marks. source: House Oriyon Chapter 4

Pseudo Class

Though Pseudo-class Ciphers lack the Aether projection / manipulation abilities of their more powerful counterparts, they still possess the same array of psychic abilities. As such, they tend to be used as pilots for their superior reflexes, or as ship crews for their telepathic abilities.

Lady Saveen of House Marr, Minister of West Bastion & Pseudo-class Cipher. Note her “empty” facial markings. source: House Oriyon Chapter 4

Pseudos are visually distinct from other Ciphers in that their facial birth marks are not “filled in” per se. Their markings only appear as black “outlines” on their faces as opposed to black shapes. A Pseudo-class Cipher’s birth marks will emulate the pattern of the stronger of their 2 parents. For example, if a Minor-class Cipher has offspring with a Major-class Cipher, their Pseudo-class offspring would have “outlined” versions of Major-Class facial markings. Minister Saveen (pictured above) is a member of House Marr, her psychic abilities likely make her an incredible politician.

Minor Class & Major Class

Minor & Major-class Ciphers possess both energy manipulation abilities, as well as psychic abilities. The discerning factors between the two are their facial markings, and the difference in energy output. Minor-class Ciphers will have a black diamond shape between their eyebrows, while a Major-class Cipher would possess both a diamond, as well as a pair of black triangles on their cheeks. These markings glow white while their powers are in use.

First Lady Belis of House Mu, its founding member. The triangles on her cheeks mark her as a Major-class Cipher. source: House Oriyon Chapter 5

As a general rule of thumb, a Major-class Cipher’s maximum energy output will be 10 times that of a Minor-class Ciphers’ maximum energy output. Though there are exceptional Ciphers of each class, everything is relative, and even the most powerful Minor-class Ciphers will have significantly lower output than even their most poorly-trained Major-class counterparts. Winning a mismatched fight however, that’s an entirely different discussion… A well-coordinated group of 3 or more minor-class Ciphers could theoretically defeat a Major-class Cipher in open combat.

Aristo Class

Aristo-class Ciphers are the best-of-the best. Through centuries of selective breeding, certain Major-class families distinguished themselves from their peers and their Aether energy started to express a color other than white. Though they possess the same power set as their other counterparts, they are again, an average of 10 times stronger than their Major-class counterparts. With that said however, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it takes 10 or more Major-class Ciphers to overwhelm an Aristo-class Cipher.

Patriarch Galavon of House Ictus (Purple), faces off with Patriarch Aando of House Yazad (Green) in The Central Approach. Notice how the other Ciphers on the battlefield keep a healthy distance from their Aristo counterparts. source: House Oriyon Chapter 6

At such astronomical levels of energy output, an Aristo-class Cipher is more than capable of vaporizing any Major-class Cipher in range with a single focused attack. Even 100 Major-class Ciphers would have to tread carefully in a battle with an Aristo, lest they all be wiped out by a large scale energy blast.

Princess Ximah Oriyon Yazad, an Aristo-class Cipher. Other Aristos share this facial pattern. source: House Oriyon Chapter 10

Aristo-class Ciphers come in all colors (save for Orange, apparently), with no two families sharing a space on the visual spectrum… Whenever a new Aristo is born, the world of New Ai’Mir trembles, as this means that another titan of the battlefield will soon make themselves known…

Royal Class

Royal-class Ciphers, though significantly more powerful than Aristos, generally are not 10 times stronger. With the deep orange hue of their Aether Energy, Royal-class Ciphers have left their mark on the records of the Ai’Mira since antiquity. A Royal-class Cipher’s importance comes not from their strength… It comes from their responsibilities. Royal-class Ciphers are direct descendants of Oriyon, the first Cipher of the Ai’Mira species. Members of House Oriyon, be they Commonwealther or Imperial, possess two abilities unique to their class, just as their ancestor did.

As descendants of the first Cipher, Royal-class Ciphers have the ability to either grant or revoke the powers of other Ciphers. It seems that this is a built-in moderation tool, so that Royal Ciphers may prevent such incredible power from falling into the wrong hands.

Crown Prince Vaan Using An Aether Gate, An Advanced Skill For Someone So Young. source: House Oriyon Chapter 3

Their second unique ability is called the ‘Aether Gate’. Simply put, it is a portal that allows a Royal-class Cipher to travel to the very dimension that Aether Energy originates from. Due in part to the limited nature by which Ciphers inherit their powers, it is possible for an powerful bloodline to go extinct without producing any viable heirs.

When this happens, that family’s “Cipher” (not to be confused with the person it was attached to) returns to “The Great Aether”, the name of the dimension beyond an Aether Gate.

In the event that this happens, it falls to a Royal-class Cipher to venture into an Aether Gate and retrieve the power of the extinct family so that it may be granted to someone else.

Inheritance

One would think such an incredible hereditary power would have a complex process of inheritance, but it is quite straightforward as long as one’s family is mostly intact. Any Cipher, from Pseudo-class all the way up to Royal-class, will always pass a 1:1 copy of their own abilities to their first-born child. Any children born afterward will always be Pseudo-class Ciphers.

In the case of twins, triplets, or more, all of the children will inherit their parent’s Cipher at the same time, however “splitting” only seems to happen when exceptionally powerful Ciphers reproduce. Attempts to induce twins/triplets/etc. artificially have always resulted in only one child inheriting while the others are born Pseudo-class.

Even though Prince Xiphus & Princess Ximah are siblings, they have inherited different “Ciphers”. source: House Oriyon Chapter 3

If both parents are Ciphers, the more powerful of the two will pass their Cipher down first, then, if that couple were to produce another offspring, that second-born child would inherit the weaker parent’s abilities.

Should a Cipher die before they reproduce, their parents can once again pass their abilities down to a new child. However, if the deceased Cipher has no surviving predecessors capable of giving birth, it is possible for that Cipher’s abilities to “jump” brackets on a family tree to the next child born into the family. This quirk of inheritance has sometimes resulted in internal family feuds, rife with murder and intrigue.

Crown Prince Vaan is unique in that both his parents carried the same Cipher…

Training Regimen

Ciphers must train extensively throughout their childhood in order to gain control of their powers. Generally speaking, Ciphers don’t express their energy manipulation abilities until the early onset of puberty, though some children “awaken” precociously. The Ai’Mira quickly realized that a combination of mental, spritual, & physical training most frequently allowed Ciphers to reach their fullest potential, so naturally, both the Commonwealth and the Empire have extensive infrastructure for Ciphers to master their minds, bodies, & spirits.

The Commonwealth’s Ciphers train at Oriyon Academy, an Officer Training School founded by Emperor Mizanti ‘The Enlightened One’, son of Empress Vaashti ‘The Founder’. It features a comprehensive program, covering general education, physical conditioning, & mental discipline, starting from the age of 6 until the age of 17. Upon awakening, Oriyon Academy’s Cipher children begin their warfare training in earnest, which is generally a mixture of team-based Combat sports, Giga-fauna hunting expeditions, joint exercises with the Commonwealth Defense Force, and post-battle rescue operations.

On the other hand, Imperial Ciphers train with their respective families in their early years, and lacking family, their initial training is handled by the military. For the latter half of their training, Imperial Ciphers study with one of the various holy orders within The Remnant Empire, and upon completion of their training/studies, they are conscripted into one of the regional brigades of The Empire. Imperial training mainly consists of competitive dueling tournaments between the holy orders, wilderness survival exercises, protest / worker’s strike suppression, & live-fire mock battles using condemned criminals.