The Ascended

Since the earliest days of The Reconvergence, there have been whispers about the Ascended; some claim that they’re a clandestine organization of warriors and assassins who want to wrest control of The Hub from the Merge, while others insist they’re a sacred order seeking to realign the current power hegemony to better reflect the implied desires of The Creators. They’re both right.

As Krishah rose through the ranks of the Order, she learned more about the Ascended power structure, which is based on the sacred geometry of a circle. The Conclave is a nine-member ruling class made up of three levels: four Cardinals (North, South, East, West), four Ordinals, and The Compass, the leader who points the way. Much like a terrorist organization, these nine are scattered around the universe, and protocol dictates that no more than three are together at any time. Krishah has been with the Ascended long enough that she knows the name of many of these leaders and the faces of a few, but the identity of The Compass remains a carefully guarded secret.

Because of her skills as an assassin and her ability to jump anonymously, Krishah has become the Ascended’s top agent, known as The Guide because she helps the newer Ascended soldiers follow the path of the righteous. Every mission involves three agents, to create redundancy and secrecy: one to do the job (the True North), a second to provide support (The Right), and a third to make sure the job is done (The Inverse). Everything the Ascended do is made sacred through language and ritual; to defy them or defect is to become a religious pariah and a target for their merciless attacks.

What Krisha learns from Reyu is that despite the Conclave’s claims that they are serving The Creators, their leader, the Compass, has a secret agenda: 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

Little is known about The Compass before he became the High Priest of the Ascended, other than he arrived at the Temple Transcendent as a young teen from his home world of Givnali, and his rise to power occurred with unprecedented speed. Charismatic, driven, and ruthless, The Compass has swiftly taken the Ascended from a Creator-worshiping cult to a full-fledged mainstream movement by means of religious idealism and tactical violence. The Compass now seeks to ccu2CmVAeWGFLxJDwLQFWWHjKJ/rbbGE9NH7p5bSNitwWNhL5f4RQDp+HC40D7S n8L5xeG/SuCCgHP01pyf4m9RQtPR2YqGkaDmOk47Kb170sKADj+ezu+TABqn9Z+Ta+gA7qQBT3vrx0pik6+yiBsp2dzQ/711BV1LxUMCrhd+Afxp3b0ecrRyGUjpo4QvtwElxIwbAaH8=

The Compass, like the Dalai Lama, loses who he once was when he is elevated to the role. To the members of The Ascended, he is simply, “The Compass.” To someone who interacts with him, like Krishah, he answers to Compass and rejects honorifics like Lord and Master, which imply an emphasis on ego and power. For Ascended acolytes, The Compass points the way and is a tool of the Creators.