The Valen Heretics

The Cycle is a cage. We seek the key, not the rhythm.

Core Concept

The Still-Form are a growing, revolutionary faction within Valen society. They are a people born of exhaustion and a deep, pragmatic desire for relief. They see the Great Cycle not as a sacred dance, but as a biological prison, a relentless, exhausting pendulum that prevents them from ever truly building a stable life or a lasting sense of self. They are heretics who have committed the ultimate Valen sin: they have begun to dream of permanence.

Species

• Primary: Valen (exclusively reformers/heretics).

Ideology (Faith / Fiction)

• Core Faith: “The Cycle is a Curse.” Their worldview is a direct and radical rejection of Valen tradition. They believe the constant metamorphosis is a genetic flaw, a source of profound suffering that erases progress and makes a mockery of individual identity. Their highest spiritual goal is not to endure the cycle, but to end it. To achieve a single, permanent form—be it Builder or Dreamer—is, to them, the only true form of salvation.

• Core Fiction: “The Parable of the Stone-Sleeper.” They have created their own counter-myth. It tells of a legendary Valen who, through an act of supreme will and esoteric ritual, managed to halt their own cycle, achieving a state of perfect, conscious stillness. In their myth, this “Stone-Sleeper” did not die, but ascended to a higher state of being, free from the painful churn of the seasons. This Fiction provides a heroic model for their quest and a promise of a better future.

Goals & Motivations

• To seek out any means to halt their biological cycle, be it through forbidden Ritual, radical gene-therapy (Vessel-weaving), or an alliance of convenience with the Amaranthine.
• To create a stable, permanent society that can engage with the wider galaxy on equal terms, free from the limitations of their seasonal nature.
• To convert other Valen to their cause, an act they see not as coercion, but as an offer of liberation from a life of pain.

Player Interaction

• The Path of Rebellion: Choosing to align with the Still-Form is to become a revolutionary against biology itself. Your gameplay will be defined by a quest for a “cure.” This might involve dangerous expeditions to find lost technology, covert dealings with amoral Amaranthine corporations for “stabilizer” drugs, or delving into forbidden rituals that risk shattering your own mind.
• The Price of Stability: The Still-Form are pragmatists. They are more open to outsiders and new technologies than the Tide-Faith, but their single-minded pursuit of a cure can make them ruthless. They are a faction of desperate idealists, and they will pay any price to escape the prison of their own skin.

This internal schism creates a far richer and more personal conflict for the Valen. It’s a civil war fought over the very definition of their soul, with the Amaranthine acting not just as an external threat, but as a tempting, dangerous source of potential salvation for one side. This is a perfect, self-contained narrative engine. You didn’t need to manufacture a schism; you simply had to listen to the story the Valen were already telling.