Irisi

What would you sacrifice in order to not be forgotten? If the answer isn't everything, then you don't deserve to be remembered. ~ ??????

While the other groups of Ikona that managed to survive the events of the Second Spring at least somewhat managed to cope with the supernatural afflictions caused by the unraveling of the Fifth River, the Irisi -to their eternal shame- lost this fight and were subsequently driven to extinction. Or so the story goes. Yet while it is true that the original Irisi are long since extinct, their death by no means marked the end of the story of their species, for shortly before the last of their kind succumbed to the brain-melting effects of their affliction they managed to find a way to ensure that their legacy would live one far beyond the existence of their decaying bodies. The method that they found to ensure this, was as costly as it was genius, as instead of eternally struggling against their affliction like the Curnias or fully embracing it like the Agsimer, the Irisi simply choose to become an affliction themselves.

/* By fusing the memories of their entire species into a single, infectious metaphysical construct, known as the Memorium they ensure that even a further cataclysmic event on the scale of the Second Spring would only be a mere inconvenience for them. For as long as even a single sentient individual would survive this event, the memories of the Irisi would live one. Like XXXX the Irisi fought against the effects of their Affliction, but in contrast to their brethren, they lost this fight. Leaving only their memories behind. Yet these memories still hold some power. Dreamer's Cave Spores of the Iris feeding ground can cause vivid hallucinations and the resurgence of lost memories "Memorium-Pact": Last act of defiance/desperation, which saw the Iris create an info-hazardous concept known as the "Memorium" that contains the collective memories of the entire species and infuses a portion of these into each individual that manages to acquire knowledge about it. The more knowledge they gain the deep they dive into the secret world of their kind. While the newly remembered Irisi gains more knowledge an insight into his species, the world around him loses more and more information about him until they become unobservable, due to inducing anterograde amnesia, preventing the perception of the individual. ("Vanishing"), More and more memories are lost until even textual mediums no longer contain this information in a perceivable form, these effects spread until the individual is completely forgotten. Curse to have their very memories decaying, the Irisi made the fateful decisions of Memory rot --> Counteracted it through an Unkown Deal which inverted their memory leaking properties and know instead sees them consuming the memories of their surroundings instead of their own, which renders them effectively unobservable to other species as each memory about them gets devoured by the tendrils of their Mind-Sponge. Through the usage of hallucinogenic fungi, one is able to observe them again for a limited period of time. Liquid Mind, Always in Flux, Memory Network, Species collective consciousness, memory drift (older personality shards form together in a new body, effectively reincarnating them). ALIAS: Harvest/Adopt character traits from their "hosts"; can lead to animalistic, Tried to harvest specific shards to direct the flow of their personality into the desired direction (Circle flow to stay who they are), Talk often to themselves and keep detailed instructions (Tattoos ?) to allow them to piece their original personality back together. Memory eater: Gain memories of whatever they eat. Amnestics& Mnestics: Mesemers, masters of Mind manipulation (Fungi-Schamanisums supported through other arts& mundane tricks), "Memory Mold" Living Mirror, Changelings, Doppelganger (Can replace other individuals and even convince them that THEY are the fake)*/

Basic Information

Anatomy

What is the body, but a vessel for memories?

Individuals who have only recently been exposed to the Memorium retain their original appearance for a considerable amount of time, which makes it incredibly difficult to identify them, without engaging them in a conversation, which due to the nature of the Memorium could potential expose oneself to its influences. Individuals that embraced the memories of the Memorium gradually change their physical appearance -both active and unconsciously- in order to better fit it to their implanted memories. Once this metamorphosis has finished the Irisi closely resemble the lithe and slender appearance of the Pre-Spring Ikona. Yet due to the blurred nature of the implanted memories uppon which this appearance is based, there are still clearly visible differences between the Irisi and the shapes they wish to emulate. The most notable of these features is the so-called "Hat" of the Irisi, which is a mushroom cap-like structure on top of their heads that serves as the storage unit for the core memories of an Irisi's Alias. Additional the Hat also serves as the origin for the numerous feeding tendrils freshly created Irisi uses for the acquisition of physical sustenance.

/* (HAT of the Puppet --> Central Memory Unit "CMU") */

Biological Traits

If you want to know who we are, you have to find out by yourself. ~ A Shade in the Candle

Forget-me-now

The Irisi possess a peculiar ability that interferes with the memory formation of other species and creatures which prevents them from retaining knowledge about the Irisi. This ability already manifest in individuals that have been exposed to the Memorium, though these early forms only cause minor interferences, which for example make it notably harder to remember specific details about an encounter with an infected individual and also cause an accelerated decay of memories pertaining to the infected individual. In its more developed forms, the ability is not only able to completely prevent the formation of even subliminal memories but also retroactively deletes any memories that pertain towards that specific Irisi, which not only makes the Irisi practically unobservable to Non-Irisi but also causes the entire world to forget he even existed in the first place. The only known way to at least temporarily counteract this ability is the consumption of various psychoactive fungi, such as Candle Mushrooms. Yet due to the hallucinations induced by these fungi, most individuals that stumble into the hidden world of the Irisi simply dismiss it as another part of their drug-induced dreams.

Host of Memories

The minds of the Irisi contain hundreds if not thousands of foreign memories, which either originate from the members of the "Forgotten Generation" or have been picked up from other persons and creatures during their feeding procedure. Given that these memories are often connected to highly conflicting opinions, experiences and emotional imprints, newly created Irisi usually act in a highly erratic and paradoxical manner as they are unable to balance the influences of these memories against their original personality. As they grew older most Irisi manage to gather a group of selected memories known as the "Core Memories" upon which they base a newly formed version of their personality. This so-called "Alias" then serves as the central guideline for their overall behavior and determines in which manner they react to newly acquired memories.

/* Due to their minds holding the memories of numerous individuals, the Irisi usually react in a highly unpredictable and paradoxical manner, as even a simple gesture or word can cause a whole host of conflicting emotions. Funnily enough for as species most persons only encounter during a drug-filled haze, the Irisi themselves require these drugs in order to quell this emotional chaos, which means that most of the time they are themselves tripping on acid in order to be able to conduct a "serious" conversation. The Alias-Puppets possess the ability to plant a small "Fungi" on the Heads of other creatures "Brain-Bursta" The Irisi were extremely short-lived, as their parasitic molds practically liquified their brains within a matter of months. Refusing to be undone by a mere fungus the Iris decided that since their bodies were already so tainted with the disease, they might as well abandon them and transcend. By turning their memories into Anti-Memes their parasite is unable to consume them. The price for this salvation is that their entire species basically was wiped from the memory of every other species in Cenorad. Extinct species? Whose Memory still remains. "A Hole in the shape of an Irisi?" Whoever learns about them fills this hole and therefore becomes a Mindhive of ideas? The true Iris are the fungal growth found all over Cenorad, having been reduced to primarily vegetal states, their memories and ideas are still ingrained within the network --> Individuals that connect to the Network are filled with a wild mixture of ideas --> THese Mind Hive Husks ("Memory Puppet") are known as "Alias" by the Iris and are used as the avatars of the Network, as well as its Caretakers. Moldering Mind Mind Hive Each of their bodies contains numerous minds, formed from the memories and ideas that they have consumed. By linking these Minds to their "Network" they are able to transfer these Minds into new bodies. Which effectively grants them ideological immortally. Alos the same Mind can persist in multiple bodies at the same time.*/

Genetics and Reproduction

Bodies may decay, but memories never die.

Similar to other Ikona subspecies, the Irisi procreate their species through the infection of Non-Ikona with a magical affliction, which in their case is known as the "Memorium-Complex". Unlike every other type of infectious agent, the Memorium doesn't require any kind of direct or indirect physical contact in order to be transmitted. Additionally, even vast spatial or temporal distances between an infected and uninfected person offer any form of protection from the Memorium's unrelenting grip. The reason for this is, that unlike other pathogens the Memorium is not a physical object but instead an information-based construct created from the combined memories of the entire Irisi species. This means that every individual which manages to acquire knowledge about the Memorium, will be affected by it. The manner in which this information is acquired is irrelevant as is the time it takes for the individual to gather enough fragments in order to piece together the infectious components of the Memorium. Due to these factors, it is incredibly easy for the Irisi to increase their numbers, as even a single infected individual can potentially expose dozen if not hundreds of persons to the Memorium before the later stages of the memory-induced metamorphosis inhibit the exchange of pathogenic information.

/* an information-based pathogen. no reservor required, Are so far the only species that managed to return from total extinction. The "Memorium" Memorial": --> Idea of Remembrance, Not an actual place but the IDEA of such a place. "Infohazardous Grave Stone for the Entire species, which attempts to rebirth the species." Obelisks made from fungal matters that can be found all over Cenorad. "If you remember them they can take you!" Mental Transformation/ Infection --> Mind Hive, followed by a physical transformation, as the "remembered" Irisi utilizes its acquired knowledge in order to fitt their bodies to their memories. "Infohazard": Learning about the contents of the "Pact" causes the transformation of an individual into an Irisi, which is then added into the Network. "Ideological Reproduction"; The more knowledge an individual gathers about them the closer they become to an Irisi. All Iris are united in the Network ("DATA BASE"), from which they create new Memorie Puppets, all of which possess their own unique mixture of ideas and personality traits. When Puppets are reabsorbed various ideas and concepts that they encounter might be influence the personality of future puppets. */

Growth Rate & Stages

Once an individual has been exposed to the Memorium they undergo a creeping metamorphosis, which slowly changes their physical and mental anatomy into that of an Irisi.

/* Dependant on how far this metamorphosis has progressed the Irisi divide the soon-to-be members of their species into a number of broad categories.

Stage 0

These individuals only possess fragmented knowledge about the Memorium and therefore haven't been exposed to its infectious components. Dependant on just how little they know about the Memorium it can take anywhere from a few months to numerous decades before they progress to the next stage. In cases were multiple Stage 0 individuals are able to exchange their fragmented knowledge with each other it usually only takes a few hours before they progress into the next stage, as their information fragments either directly complement each other or enable them to discover new pieces of information, which in either case results in the activation of the Memorium.

Stage I

These individuals managed to gain a rudimentary understanding of the Memorium, which triggered the consecutive activation of its various infectious components. Given that these individuals still retaining their original, unaltered personality and behavior, they are some of the most potent vectors for the infectious information of the Memorium, as their capabilities to share information with non-Irisi have not yet been inhibited by the effects of the later stages of their now inevitable metamorphosis.

Stage II

Individuals in this stage have been fully exposed to the infectious parts of the Memorium and already received the first memories from it. While these first memories are usually not enough to cause overtly visible changes in the behavior of the afflicted individual, they emotional cold, increasing cases of mental absence and daydreaming. Furthermore, a reduced presence, with other individuals beginning to forgot drastic changes in the personality and behavior Changes in personality, behavior Stage III Subliminal actions, Stage I individuals have only recently been exposed to the infectious parts of the Memorium and therefore only host a handful of implanted memories within their minds. Stage II Stage III Alias-Puppets are grown within specialized fruit bodies, that sprout from random locations all over the surface of the Network. The Network itself continuously expands and retracts based on the availability of nutrients within the soil.*/

Dietary Needs and Habits

For the first few days of their existence newly created Irisi sustain themselves through the same diet as their original species. As their metamorphosis progresses their diet quickly switches towards the consumption of decaying organic material, which they consume via the various feeding tendrils that begin to emerge from their "Hat". Once an Irisi managed to acquire a substantial amount of insight into the hidden memories of the Memorium, his diet changes to a far more esoteric kind of nourishment, in the form of thoughts and ideas, which are acquired through further developed forms of the Irisi's feeding tendrils. Given that the feeding procedure is not only very quick and painless but also inhibits the formation of memories for the entirety of its duration, practically all victims are unaware of the feeding ever taking place.

/* The most common side effect of the feeding event is the occurrence of a Deja vu once an individual comes into contact with an The most XXX and generally the only hint that a feeding took place is the sudden loss of a The phenomenon of entering a room and suddenly forgetting what one wanted to do there is often caused by an Irisi feeding on one's memories. Deja Vu --> Results of the partially digestion of the memories about a specific location or event by an Irisi. While the Network originally sustained itself via the consumption of decaying plant and fecal matters, the contents of the "XXXXXX Pact" changed its diet to a far more esoteric form of nourishment. Nowadays the Network fully relies on the countless ideas and memories feed into it by its Alias-Puppets in order to create the thought-provoking stimuli required for its continued existence. The Alias-Puppets require a combination of physical and mental food in order to remain functional. The Network sustains itself by consuming various forms of detritus, such as decaying plant or fecal matters, similar to regular fungi and mushrooms. Additional it also forms tight symbiotic relationships with the root system of nearby trees, which allow it to receive numerous additional nutrients. Nerve system --> Growthhs through Thought-Provoking stimuli The Irisi feed on thoughts and ideas. "Mind Mold" Localize fields of Anitmemetic Mold, serving as their feeding mechanism: Remain stationary at a place and then expand a network of Hyphen from themselves before moving on --> Grows in their mind*/

Additional Information

Social Structure

The hidden society of the Irisi is organized around the so-called "Pillars of Wisdom", which represent various milestones in the comprehension of the deeper mysteries of the Memorium. Due to the direct connection between the Pillars and the Memorium very few information about the nature of the Pillars is available to Non-Irisi as any form of focused research on the Pillars inevitably exposes one to the Memorium. Furthermore, all Irisi that are still able to communicate with Non-Irisi during their drug-fulled dreams also only possess a sound understanding of the lower Pillars as insight into the nature of the higher Pillars enhances their memory inhibiting properties to such a degree that they not only become completely unobservable to Non-Irisi but also begin to affect lower-ranking Irisi, which strongly inhibits the exchange of information between them.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Irisi presumably inhabit numerous places all over Cenorad, but due to their hard to observe nature, this is hard to confirm. Furthermore, all individuals who manage to acquire such deep knowledge about the Irisi are undoubtedly be exposed to the Memorium and thereby become Irisi themselves.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The ways in which the Irisi perceive their environment are not yet fully understood, though it is assumed that they are able to utilize one of the Great Rivers in order to perceive their environment similar to the other Ikona subspecies. Given their great skill in the manipulation of Fungos-flavored fairy dust, it is safe to assume that in the case of the Iris this River would by the Brown River "Kyfe".

/* Their Puppets possess a similar sense, which is complemented through an array of optical, olfactory and additional chemical senses located within their "Hat". */

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Given the corroding effect, they have on the memory formation of other species and the fact that they carry the memories of potentially hundreds of long-dead persons in their heads the Irisi don't possess a name and instead refer to themselves as either as "We" or Aletut ("Hat").

Major Organizations

An entire kingdom of mold-covered mutants puppeteered by the memories of a dead species, living within our midst and only you can see them? These Candle Mushrooms definitely did a number on you, didn't they?

Unknown Kingdom

Organization | Apr 24, 2020

Unknown, unseen and unheard of...yet still here.

/* Based on resurgent memories of the Iron Kingdom the Unkown Kingdom is one of the largest and most prosperous nations in all of Cenorad. But given that its inhabitants and structures are generally unobservable by other species, no one except the Irisi is aware of its existence and those that are soon themselves become citizens of the Kingdom. Other small pieces of the network that were separated from the larger Network (called Enclaves) also exists.*/

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Most Irisi speak a garbled version of the Ikona's Omres, whose exact dialect depends on what kind of memories they inherited from the Forgotten Generation. In addition to this common language, each Irisi is also capable of speaking numerous other languages in varying levels of proficiencies, as a handy side effect of their memory-based diet.

/*
There is no need for language if one is united in thought.
*/

History

Given that most of the Irisi's history is inseparably linked to the Memorium, only the Irisi themselves can safely share detailed information about these events. Other species which attempt to explore this forgotten part of history, are only able to write down cryptic references and convoluted metaphores before they learn too much about these events and thereby trigger the activation of the Memorium.

Rotting Brains

One of the only concrete and comparable highly detailed parts of the Irisi's history are the descriptions of the magical affliction, which decimated their species and forced the members of the Forgotten Generation to develop the Memorium. This affliction, which is often referred to as "Aletut" or the "Hats of Dying Thoughts", was a terrifying fungal disease that infected the central nervous system of the first Irisi and slowly degraded their memories and mental capabilities, until they had been reduced to nothing more than mind- and brainless husks that slowly rotted away beneath a layer of festering fungal matter. Given that the tales of the devastating effects of this disease are the only piece of non-pathogenic information readily available to Cenorad's inhabitants it is no wonder that it is generally agreed upon that the perceived absence of the Irisi in modern times is a clear proof that they succumbed to the horrors of the "Brain Mold".

/*

The Unkown Pact

Their minds started failing, but they also discovered that this also altered their perception and memory process, which allowed them to access hidden and long-forgotten memories. Within this wealth of lost information, they found "something", which enabled them to device a plan to ensure the continued survival of their species, even long after their now ensured extinction. "Forgotten Generation"*/

Historical Figures

~ List of famous Irisi know to outsiders

The Forgotten Generation

The Forgotten Generation is the name given to the original Irisi, whose memories make up the major part of the Memorium. Due to this, the Alias of every modern Irisi is heavily influenced by the thoughts, ideas and general mindset of the Forgotten Generation, which allows them to still influence the proceedings of Cenorad, even though they have been dead for a couple of centuries.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Given that the majority of Cenorad's inhabitants are unaware of the Irisi existence, there really is no room for any kind of interspecies conflict as even the most aggressive species will find it difficult to start a war with an enemy that they don't know of.

/* The fact that most species are also only able to communicate with the Irisi while high on narcotic mushrooms, certainly doesn't ease*/

Theme song

/* */

Genetic Ancestor(s)

Ikona

Lifespan

Unkown, as all records and memories of their birthdate are erased by their memory corroding abilities and they themselves carry memories about half a dozen different birthdates.

Average Height

Unknown

Average Weight