LORE
Explore the world of "The Harvest"
PLANET YESI
The World of Yesi
Located in System 22, the planet Yesi is an unforgiving, ice-covered world known for its extreme cold and unforgiving weather. Blizzards and violent storms strike without warning every few minutes, only to vanish just as suddenly, making surface travel nearly impossible.
Life Beneath the Storm
To survive the planet’s chaos, most inhabitants live in vast underground networks. The largest of these subterranean cities is the city of Tilkindle, a sprawling refuge carved deep into the frozen crust, where life persists beneath the storm.
THE SHAVAH CASTER
The Shavah Caster
The Shavah Casters are the Allway’s chosen protectors, vessels of His goodness, and defenders of the people of Yesi. Their power is not born from their own strength, but from unwavering trust in the Allway amidst the cold silence of the world.
The Path of the Seeker
Before one may cast in the name of the Allway, they must first walk as a Shavah Seeker. They learn the ancient rites, the discipline of control, and the art of combat. Then they are sent alone to the frozen surface of Yesi for 33 days, surviving only by the Allway's direction. Once completed they are gifted 1 of the 3 abilities
One of the three Divine Gifts
- MIND TAPPING Add or remove memories. A subtle art, used to erase suspicion upon scouting or other needs.
- MIND CASTING Project visual illusions into the mind which display through the eyes. A tool of misdirection.
- MIND WALKING Control another’s body with the mind through past memories. Can be used on dead bodies as long as brain still has activity.
The Sign of Frost
Upon return of 33 day trail, the Seeker bears frostbitten fingers, a sacred mark. Though it seems like a wound, it is theAllway’s seal. Their flesh remains, preserved by divine protection, marked in spirit.
SLATE BLADES
The Slate Blades
The Slate Blades are twin circular blades used exclusively by the Shavah Casters. One smaller circle, one larger. This dual-blade style creates a confusing and unpredictable rhythm in combat, designed to disorient and overwhelm opponents. The blades are feared not just for their deadliness, but for the mastery required to wield them.
Forged from Slate Water
They are formed from Slate Water, a rare liquid metal found only on the planet Yesi. The Shavah hold an ancient, secretive traditions for crafting the weapons. The process is so precise and deeply rooted in their heritage that no outsider has ever succeeded in replicating it. Those who try end up failing, often giving up.
A Legacy in Motion
To face a Shavah Caster armed with Slate Blades is to face centuries of perfected traditions in motion. Swift, silent, and almost impossible to predict. It is looked down upon to throw these in combat asShavah Casters view it as cheap victory.
THE ALLWAY
The Eternal Presence of the Allway
The Allway is the eternal force that guides and sustains all things, ever-present and unchanging. It is the source of all goodness. Through the Allway, life flourishes, and through its divine wisdom, all creatures find their purpose. The Allway offers guidance to those who seek it. Many belive in His presents, and many think it is folklore.
The Shavah and the Deeper Path
The Shavah Caster follow the Allway on a deeper path, one few can truly comprehend. This deeper bond is one of sacred devotion, where their connection transcends understanding.
Light in Times of Trial
In times of trial and doubt, the Allway’s presence can be felt, gentle yet powerful, offering a path through the darkness. To follow the Allway is to walk in the light of truth, the bridge between mortal lives and the divine.
THE VANTA CRAWLER
On the Vanta Cralwer
The Vanta Crawlers are born of the darkness, a twisted reflection of those once faithful. Consumed by greed, driven by ambition, they are the sole creators of the Veilseeds. They are led by the The Whisper, which speaks lies and promises of power beyond reckoning.
Once they were like the Shavah Caster, chosen and blessed by the Allway, but they fell prey to the call of the Whisper. They see themselves as enlightened, believing their knowledge of the world to be far broader than the Shavah's limited understanding. To them, the Allway is a relic of the past, a mere illusion compared to the vastness of what the Whisper offers.
Temptation
Not all Vanta Crawlers were previously Shavah Casters, but those that were, bear a painful truth. The Shavah, with their deep connection to the spiritual realm, are most vulnerable to the Whisper's venomous lies. Once the seed of doubt takes root, the Whisper grows more insidious, clouding the Shavah's mind and tempting them with false promises.
Haze Ability
Vantacrawlers are more jack of all trades, master of none when it comes to the abilities granted by the Whisper, but one power stands above the rest.
The Whisper grants them The Haze, an ability that lets them take control of a person’s mind and hold them in a standing coma-like trance while their body and mind are slowly overtaken by black leaves called Veilseeds. The stronger the Vanta Crawler, the more minds they can hold in this state.
HOLY HANDS
The Holy Hands
Holy Hands are long, sharp finger blades worn by Vanta Crawler. Forged replacements for what they lost when they turned away from the Allway.
The Rot of Betrayal
When a Shavah Caster falls for the lies of power and becomes a Vanta Crawler their once frost-bitten fingers begin to rot. The further they drift from the Allway, the more their hands decay, blackening, cracking, and eventually falling off. It's a slow, visible death of who they once were.
Some wait, letting the rot take its course. Others choose to sever the fingers themselves before the decay begins.
Forged in Exile
Either way, they eventually seek out the Slate Worshippers, who use forbidden Slatecraft to build them new hands, blades in place of fingers, fused directly into bone.
They call them "Holy Hands", not with reverence, but with mockery, a twisted joke aimed at the Allway and the Shavah Caster they once walked beside. Every strike made with a Holy Hand is an insult. A rejection.
THE WHISPER
The Nature of the Whisper
The Whisper is the ancient and malevolent force that opposes the Allway. Where the Allway brings light, clarity, and alignment, the Whisper slithers in the dark folds of the mind, offering illusions of power, freedom, and control. A dark presence, a fractured, eternal consciousness that feeds on pride, fear, and desperation.
The Voice in the Dark
The Vanta Crawler draw their power from the Whisper. Their rituals are silent, their minds sharpened by a twisted clarity that cuts through moral hesitation. The more one listens, the more one transforms, mind, body, and soul. There is no denying the power he holds.
The Cost of Being Chosen
Those who fall to the Whisper do not feel enslaved. They feel chosen.
But the cost is absolute: the severing of one’s bond to the Allway, the slow unraveling of humanity, and the inevitable descent into the coldest shadows of Yesi.
VEILSEEDS
The Birth of VeilSeeds
Veilseeds are the grotesque result of being placed in The Haze. As the coma sets in, rough black leaves begin to sprout from beneath the skin, splitting flesh and distorting the body. Over time, the transformation spreads until the host is no longer flesh and blood, but a twisted husk covered entirely in living Veilseeds.
Harvest and Corruption
Once the body begins producing them, the Veilseeds are clipped and harvested, then crushed into a thick black goop. For ordinary people, this substance is a highly addictive injectable drug, known for its hallucinogenic strength and mind-rotting effects.
For Vanta Crawlers, however, the goop is something more. When consumed in controlled amounts, it amplifies their power, enhancing their connection to the Whisper and their control over others. But it comes with a price. Even they risk addiction, and those who fall to it lose their minds to the same corruption they once commanded.
HAZELINGS
The Haze
The Haze is a standing-like coma induced by Vanta Crawler. In this state, your body decays over time as Veilseeds begin to grow through your skin, rough, black leaves feeding off your dying form. You lose all thoughts, all control. A breathing corpse, turned into a plant for harvesting.
The Underground Farms of Yesi
Vanta Crawlers maintain vast underground farms across the planet Yesi, with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of bodies suspended in the Haze. These dark farms provide the perfect conditions for Veilseed growth. The more powerful the Vanta Crawler, the more bodies they can hold in the Haze, each one requiring constant mental effort to maintain.
When Control Breaks
If a Vanta Cralwer loses control, the decaying bodies do not simply die. They rise. Warped by Veilseeds corruption, these failed harvests become violent, mindless creatures called hazelings, driven by nothing but aggression. Vanta Crawlers purposely hide out in there farms to cause anyone to think twice before attempting to kill them.
VANTA GUARDS
Vanta Guards
Vanta Guards are typically Veilseed addicts, driven by an insatiable need for their next hit. The Vanta Crawlers exploit this desperation, knowing their guards will do almost anything to obtain more Veilseeds.
Duties and Skills
They are responsible for maintaining the Veilseed farms ensuring the bodies in the Haze remain under control, and assisting in abductions to expand the farms. While a few possess real combat skill, most are simply drug-addled enforcers, dangerous only because of their addiction and obedience, with nothing better to occupy their time.
BOLT BOW
The Bolt Bow
The Bolt Bow is a single-shot, pump-action rifle designed to fire one Slate Arrow arrow at a time. Renowned for its deadly accuracy over long distances, it commands respect among marksmen, though many avoid it due to its cumbersome, manual operation.
Mechanism and Power
Its pump mechanism harnesses the energy stored within Veilseeds channeling it to charge the next shot. With each pump, Veilseed energy is flushed into the chamber, preparing the rifle for the following Bolt. Slow and deliberate in untrained hands, the Bolt Bow becomes a weapon of devastating precision when wielded with skill.
UNDER SHELL
On the Under Shell
Shells are carried by anyone wishing to survive while exploring the surface of Yesi. They start as a small, portable cylinder, but when deployed and pressed into the ground, a sensor is activated, forcing the surrounding ice and snow aside to create a hollow space beneath the surface.
This creates a temporary underground shelter, providing protection from Yesi's violent storms and blizzards, allowing travelers to wait out the planet’s sudden and deadly weather.
SNOW SHEPARD
Snow Shepard
The Snow Shepard is a device primarily used by Shavah Casters to stay in contact and coordinate with one another. Users navigate its interface through a series of blink movements, allowing for silent and precise navigation. Newer models can be seen floating beside the user.
Communication
Thanks to a dual functionality, when the UI screen is turned off, the Snow Shepard doubles as a scouting scope, providing reliable observation across the frozen landscape. Its performance remains consistent in most conditions, but during heavy storms, it must be connected to a signal booster to maintain functionality. Although connection is never guaranteed.
VEIL FANG
Veil Fang
The Veil Fang is the standard tool for safely injecting Veilseeds into the bloodstream. It features a single-chamber slot where a Veilseed vial is loaded and a press mechanism that injects the seeds directly into the user.
Usage and Risk
While the device has a recommended limit on how many times it should be used, many users ignore this guidance, repeatedly administering Veilseed and risking severe physical and mental consequences.
YANTO WING
Yanto Wing
The Yanto Wing is the go-to ship for the Shavah Casters undertaking long-term space living. Medium-sized and built for endurance rather than elegance, it has a ragged, well-worn exterior, covered in patchwork repairs, gear, and equipment strapped wherever it will fit. Every dent, seam, and reinforcement tells the story of countless journeys through rough terrain.
Reliability and Quirks
Despite its rough appearance, the Yanto Wing is remarkably reliable, able to withstand long voyages. Its interior is cramped yet spacious but functional, optimized for survival rather than comfort. The ship is notoriously noisy, with engines that hum and groan and hatches that creak, a constant reminder of its age and hard service. For a Shavah Casters these quirks are a small price to pay for a vessel that can carry them safely through their journeys.
BLU-YANTO BIRD
Blu-Yanto Bird
The Blu-Yanto Bird is a large, majestic creature native to the harsh surface of Yesi. Despite the planet’s violent storms and extreme cold, these birds glide effortlessly through the blizzards, navigating the deadly landscape with remarkable ease.
Intelligence and Symbolism
The Blu-Yanto Bird is known for its apparent intelligence, its keen eyes seeming to reflect wisdom and awareness beyond ordinary creatures. Its resilience and grace inspired the Shavah Casters to name their trusted ship, the Yanto Wing, in its honor, a symbol of survival, skill, and silent mastery over Yesi's unforgiving environment.
SLATE WATER
Slate Water
Slate Water is a liquid metal found on the surface of Yesi. Its purpose is vast, and it is often mined across the planet for many different uses. It is a difficult resource to obtain, but its benefits are undeniable. While it is widely known, many refuse to risk the brutal work required to harvest it..that is until the day they have no choice.
SLATE WORSHIPERS
Slate worshippers
Slate Worshipers are a mad group on Yesi who believe Slate Water are the tears of their god "Boh Boh", and they kill anyone who dares to take it. They drink small amounts as a ritual offering, which stains their skin gray and causes their flesh to become soft. They are not to be reasoned with.