Sening's Legacy
The psychotic physician still roams the ring...
News in Bainshaebo is commonly shared via llaudauns or the banner network, but the city is not without its fair share of gossip that is often scoffed or frowned upon. Easily excitable youth claim there are hidden orders of wardens that hunt the wicked in secret, and a far more ludicrous claim is that they still hunt for Sening, the Architect of Suffering and creator of the ghastly Genesis Plague. How could he still be alive after so many centuries? How could he not? His body was never found, he was never publicly punished by Roth-who certainly would punish him for his transgressions and profaning of science, nor has there been any mention of his death in any record. People ranging from City-dwellers to Freelanders claim to see unusual lights and activity near the Northern Ring. There is no concrete proof and photography is not exactly a technology used by Thangiens, but that does not stop the idea of a deathless villain roaming the frozen wastes from percolating in the minds of overly-imaginative people.
Summary
"People wonder how could a mortal man like Sening escape divine punishment from the gods. Simple: Sening is what Thangiens call a 'God-Spiter'. These are individuals that exist throughout history who seem fated to thwart the will of the gods. Yapign is one such individual, as he started the City-Strife that nearly toppled the Queens themselves. Even Thunthen such as Mal Daggur and Myr Chedryn could be considered God-Spiters, since for whatever reason the Queens cannot just simply smite them where they stand. "Whether they are physically unable to or simply chose not to is anyone's guess. Khanphe insists they are necessary to test the resolve of the people and the gods. That might sound like a creative excuse, but if the recent incident with Baeron is any indication, even Roth can find her power tested..."The long-standing theory is that Sening-whether through a foul blessing from Phitdaitiarona or his own mastery of profane science-has somehow indeed cheated death and continues his blasphemous research in secret somewhere either in the Northern Ring, the Southern Salt, or the fabled Frozen South Isle. Completely unrepentant, he still believes his 'gift' was misunderstood and that he can "improve" life for Thangiens. He is already a bogeyman against the misuse of science and the forbidden knowledge of genetic studies amongst the Traedeskaton, and the fact that even expressing curiosity in the Genesis Plague in an academic perspective is enough to warrant death.
Historical Basis
(See Thangien History and the Genesis Plague)
Over a thousand years ago, the then-Master Physician of the Traedeskaton claimed to have created a cure for old age itself in an effort to curry favor with the infamously-vain Queen Payina of the House of St'lur. Instead of conducting isolated trials and tests, Sening spread his "cure" throughout the city, infecting vast swathes of the population and causing a near-total collapse in civil order. Only drastic actions ordered by Payina's son, newly-crowned King Wuelro- and the medical staff under command of a new Master Physician served to curb the spread. Wardens were commissioned to round up infected and transport them to vast sanitoriums built in the Northern Ring. After thirty years, the wardens were disbanded when the last plague victim regenerated.Spread
Sening is spoken of only in hushed whispers by adults but eccentric youth love to make a game of the ancient tale with one taking the role of the mad medic and the rest as wardens on the prowl for him.
Variations & Mutation
The story has gained such a life of its own Sening is somehow able to shrink himself down to microscopic size, bend space and time, change his appearance, or even walk in plain sight amongst the populace using bizarre chemical cocktails to trick people's perception.
Cultural Reception
Freelanders do not know about Sening or his tainted history but oddly enough they avoid the Northern Ring almost entirely, whether out of caution, superstition, or simple preference for the warmer, more bountiful clime of Kundain. This might seem curious given historically Freelanders survived the Dread Winter within the deep caves of the glacier. While individuals like Deres and Raaezen have explored the caves in the past, there is no up-to-date map of the cave systems, and the Ring itself circles the entire north pole, so there could be any number of un-explored caves. City-dwellers do not speak of Sening openly but freelanding youths often dare one another to venture into the caves to see they somehow stumble across the madman in a secret lab somewhere in the Ring.
In Literature
Only the leadership of the Traedeskaton are aware of the particulars regarding his fall from sanity. His notes remain in the keeping of the Master Physician, and there exist no other copies of his ruminations.
In Art
Neither Sening nor Payina are mentioned in any llaudauns currently in circulation, and the only public mention of the Genesis Plague is the northwestern-most facing story window on Raaezen that depicts a scheming shrewd Sening enticing Payina with promises of eternal youth. Its position on the colossal landmark make it the least visible of the iconic story windows.
Date of Setting
1000 A.D. Earth-Time
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