This document is an eidetic-archaeological assessment of the artifact designated “The Parliament of Shards.” It is a case study in failed gestalt consciousness, a physical record of a society tearing itself apart. We will examine how a symbol of perfect unity was transformed into an artifact of perpetual civil war, a chilling testament to the principle that a single, unresolved dissonance can shatter a collective soul.

• DOCUMENT ID: XMA-ENV-001
• CLASSIFICATION: Level 5 Memetic Hazard (Fragmented, Ideologically Hostile)
• ANALYSIS BY: Xenolinguistics & Memetics Institute, Department of Eidic Archaeology
• SUBJECT: Artifact ENV-001, “The Parliament of Shards” (alt. “The Shattered Chorus”)

1. Physical Examination & Factual Analysis

The artifact consists of seven known primary shards of a psycho-resonant crystalline material. The original form is believed to have been a perfect, ovoid stone, but no un-fractured specimen exists. Each shard is physically distinct, pulsing with a low, colored light and maintaining a temperature inconsistent with its environment.

When two or more shards are brought into proximity (approx. <2 meters), they exhibit a tangible repulsive force and emit a discordant chorus of psychic “noise,” a disorienting blend of overlapping thoughts, arguments, and emotional broadcasts. Spectrographic analysis confirms the shards share an identical underlying molecular structure, proving they originate from a single, shattered object. The name “Parliament of Shards” was coined by the recovery team, who reported feeling as if they had walked into a violent, unending political debate during initial analysis.

2. Eidic Resonance Analysis: Historical Strata

Analysis of the artifact’s Eidic resonance reveals a story told in three acts: a perfect beginning, a philosophical conflict, and a catastrophic end.

Stratum 1: The Age of Concordance (“The Chorus Stone”)

• Source: The Ensemblant Collective of Meridian IV, during their “Age of Concordance.”
• Resonance Profile: A perfectly stable, complex, and harmonious chord of thousands of psychic voices. The hum of absolute unity.
• Narrative: The Ensemblants of Meridian, a species of swarm-based beings, had achieved a legendary state of social and psychological harmony—a “Perfect Ensemble.” They were a true We. To celebrate and solidify this state, they performed a ritual of their own design, pouring their collective will and shared Eidos of [unity_of_the_many] into a single, massive geode at the heart of their colony. This became the Chorus Stone, a physical anchor and amplifier for their collective consciousness. It was not merely a symbol; it was a functional tool that helped smaller, younger Ensemblants harmonize their own internal swarms, promoting social cohesion.

Stratum 2: The Moment of Dissonance (“The Unaskable Question”)

• Source: The arrival of a Harvester-class entity in the Meridian system.
• Resonance Profile: A single, sharp, questioning note pierces the harmony, followed by a growing cacophony of agitated debate.
• Narrative: The arrival of a silent, Eidos-consuming Harvester presented the Perfect Ensemble with a problem it could not resolve. A fundamental, irreconcilable debate fractured their unity. This was the birth of The Factions.
  • The Still-Soul Faction argued for the Lacuna’s path: Cease all significant activity, dampen their psychic resonance, and become so unremarkable that the Harvester would pass them by. Their core belief was [survival_through_silence].
  • The Sword-Swarm Faction argued for defiance. They believed in transforming the collective into a weapon, to meet the threat with overwhelming force. Their core belief was [survival_through_strength].
  • The God-Seed Faction proposed a radical, sacrificial path. They believed they should offer their perfect, harmonious Eidos to the Harvester willingly, a final, beautiful act of self-immolation that would be the ultimate expression of their unity. Their core belief was [survival_through_meaning].

Stratum 3: The Great Discord (“The Shattering”)

• Source: The Ensemblant civil war.
• Resonance Profile: A cacophony of psychic screams, the clash of ideologies, the tearing of a unified consciousness.
• Narrative: The debate could not be resolved. The Factions turned on each other, each attempting to seize control of the collective. The psychic violence of this internal war, amplified and focused by the Chorus Stone itself, caused the artifact to overload and physically shatter. The Ensemblant civilization collapsed, its perfect unity dissolving into a cloud of warring, fragmented consciousnesses, each now trapped within a shard of the broken stone.

3. Synthesis and Current State

The Parliament of Shards is a prison and a battlefield. It is a microcosm of a failed state, its constituent pieces locked in an eternal, ideological struggle. The artifact’s agency is not singular; it is a dissonant chorus of competing wills. It does not seek a wielder; it seeks a victor for its internal war.

4. Wielder Directives & Mechanical Implications

Any Incarnation attempting to interact with the shards will not be wielding a tool, but refereeing a war.

• Attunement: Upon touching a shard, the wielder’s Subjective Interface is flooded with the memories, arguments, and powerful convictions of the Faction trapped within. The shard will attempt to “convert” the wielder to its cause.
• The Faction’s Gift (Buff): If a wielder chooses to align with a single shard’s ideology, it grants a powerful, specific boon. The Still-Soul shard might grant incredible stealth capabilities. The Sword-Swarm shard might grant combat bonuses. The God-Seed shard might grant a unique ritual ability.
• The Discord (Debuff): Carrying more than one shard without having resolved their conflict induces a [Dissonance] debuff. The player’s UI might flicker with contradictory advice, their quest log might populate with competing objectives, and their actions might have a chance to fail as their own inner-cohesion is disrupted by the artifact’s war.
• Emergent Quest (“The Unification”): The artifact creates a powerful emergent quest. The wielder is driven to find the other shards. The ultimate goal is to resolve the conflict, with several possible outcomes:
  • The Path of the Healer: Gather all the shards and find a way to perform a “Ritual of Concordance,” forcing the Factions to reconcile and reforming the unified Chorus Stone.
  • The Path of the Tyrant: Gather all the shards and, through an act of immense will, subjugate all Factions to the ideology of a single shard, creating a new, unified, but tyrannical artifact.
  • The Path of the Unraveler: Find a way to shatter the shards completely, releasing the trapped consciousnesses into oblivion and finally ending their eternal war.