The Body as Prophecy

Core Concept

This species resolves the tension between involuntary manifestation and willed creation through pure interpretation. Like Eidomorphs, their bodies mutate uncontrollably based on the Eidos they accumulate. However, like Calligraphers, they believe this is a text. They see these physical changes not as symptoms, but as a divine, prophetic script being written upon their flesh by the Tapestry itself. Their creative agency comes from their attempts to read their own bodies and live according to the prophecies they find there.

Physiology & Biology

Their bodies are a landscape of living symbols. A life of [betrayal] might cause a pattern resembling a snake to appear on their skin. A great act of [sacrifice] might cause their heart to audibly chime like a bell. These are not metaphors; they are literal, physical transformations.

Psychology & Society (Faith / Fiction)

Core Faith: “The Flesh is the Word.” They believe their bodies are a direct communication from the cosmos. They are living tarot decks, and their life’s work is to correctly Interpret the meaning of their own mutations and act upon the divined future.

Core Fiction: They tell no stories of their past, only of their future. Their cultural heroes are “Interpreters” who correctly foresaw a great disaster or a great fortune by reading the portents on their own skin.

Gameplay Hooks & Tensions

The Interpreter’s Quest: A player’s own body becomes the source of their quests. However, the mutations are symbolic and require deciphering. This creates a core social loop: the player must seek out a specialized “Somatic Priest” or “Oracle-Reader” NPC, a master interpreter who can read the prophecy on their flesh and reveal the quest it foretells. Different interpreters might offer different, conflicting readings of the same mutation, creating further narrative choice.

A major source of conflict is misinterpretation. Is that new growth of horns a sign of coming power, or a warning of demonic influence? Acting on a misread prophecy can lead to disastrous consequences.

Eidos Generated

• [living_prophecy]
• [body_as_oracle]
• [somatic_truth]
• [interpretive_agency]
• [the_flesh_made_word]