A life is not a gift; it is a loan. To exist is to owe.

Core Concept

The Geas-Bound are not a single species, but a class of beings defined by a state of metaphysical servitude. Their very existence is a conditional contract, their forms and minds forged by a powerful creditor for a specific purpose. Each is born into a life of debt, bound by an unbreakable oath: a Geas; to fulfill a task not of their own choosing. Their story is a constant struggle with the nature of will, purpose, and the price of a borrowed existence.

Physiology & Biology (The Vessel)

The forms of the Geas-Bound are as varied as the tasks they were created to perform. They are bespoke constructs, biological or mechanical, each a tool perfectly suited to its function.

• Diverse Origins: A Geas-Bound might be a hulking, rock-like being forged to be an eternal guardian, a graceful, winged messenger designed for silent flight, or a complex bio-computer built to solve a single, impossible equation. They are the living legacy of their creator’s will.

• The Mark of the Geas: The one unifying feature of all Geas-Bound is the physical or metaphysical mark of their contract. This can manifest as a glowing rune etched onto their chassis, a dissonant hum that resonates from their Motive Core, or a psychic compulsion that is a constant presence in their thoughts. This is not a simple reminder of their duty; it is the very mechanism of their bondage. To defy it is to invite catastrophic failure upon their own being.

Psychology & Society (The Psyche)

A Geas-Bound’s mind is a landscape defined by a singular, monolithic purpose.

• Core Faith: “Purpose is Preordained.” Their foundational belief is that their life has a pre-written narrative, and their only path to meaning, or release, is to see that story through to its conclusion. This Faith is not a choice; it is inscribed into their very soul at the moment of their creation. It can manifest as zealous, unwavering loyalty to their task, or as a bitter, weary resentment of the destiny they cannot escape.

• Core Fiction: “The Covenant of Creation.” Each “lineage” of Geas-Bound has a unique Covenant story. This is their creation myth, a narrative that details the identity of their creator, the nature of their debt, and the specific, often epic, deeds required to achieve freedom. This story is their bible and their prison.

Gameplay Hooks & Tensions

• The Inherited Quest: Playing as a Geas-Bound Incarnation means starting the game with a powerful, pre-determined, and often inescapable core Quest. This quest is not in a log; it is a fundamental Need of the character. Ignoring this quest for too long can cause direct physical or psychic damage as their very form rebels against their lack of purpose.

• The Fulcrum of Will: The central narrative choice for a Geas-Bound is how they relate to their Geas.

  1. The Path of Fidelity: Faithfully pursue and complete the near-impossible task to earn freedom, a final, quiet release from the burden of a borrowed life.
  2. The Path of Rebellion: Seek a way to break the Geas. This is a heretical and dangerous act, a quest to find a loophole in a metaphysical contract or a weapon powerful enough to shatter it. Success means becoming a fugitive, a being with no purpose but the one they seize for themselves. This is the path that gives birth to the Rune-Scarred.

Eidos Generated

• [debt]
• [servitude]
• [conditional_existence]
• [rebellion_against_the_creditor]
• [inherited_purpose]

Design Notes

• This species is the perfect narrative and mechanical foundation for the Rune-Scarred origin story.
• The new canon of Phileas, the First Unbroken, as their ultimate creator gives this species a tragic weight.
• The Geas-Bound are the children of a god who, in his own flight from the frailty of the flesh, forgot the value of a will that is not authored by another.
• They are the ultimate expression of the Forgemaster ideology, and their suffering is the seed of its most violent and defiant opposition.