Every Khoric Citizen is a descendant of The Nine—the original immortals whose essence echoes through the history of Khora. Each Citizen contains a small part of these Progenitors’ souls.
To participate in the economy of Khora and reach the upper echelons of society, new immortals must show their provenance with an Aspect of the Nine.
Privileges:
Holders of an Aspect are granted unique bonuses in Khora’s economy. The nature of the bonuses depends upon:
- Which of The Nine are represented in their NFT
- Which generation the NFT belongs to (Second Aspect of the Nine, Third Aspect of the Nine, etc.)
- How active the holder is in Khora’s economy
The unique privileges associated with each of the Progenitors are listed in their profiles below.
Ovard Elements:
They are native elements found only in Khora. They exist within a few Aspects of The Nine and will affect a varying range of bonuses and penalties based on a variety of emergent factors on the platform.
“Perhaps the most tragic of the Nine was a man known only to me as The Artist. A master in all artistic disciplines, the Artist is Khora’s ‘composer supreme’ who manipulates sound to mold sculptures of flesh, bone, wood, and rock. He spends eternity trying to recreate an image of his lost beloved, but with every masterpiece completed, the more her memory fades into the dark.”
—The Traveler
The Artist moves ceaselessly from medium to medium, from masterpiece to magnum opus, in the hopes of composing a work that captures the true memory of his eons-dead beloved. He mourns not just the absence of his beloved but the slow death of his grief, duplicated and warped across countless pieces. He recalls little other than that his love was a supreme champion of sport. Because of this, The Artist sometimes visits the Arena Perilous in disguise, gazing over the ranks of its combatants, searching for inspiration.
Privileges:
The Artist is Khora’s keeper of all Trusts. Descendants of The Artist enjoy an increased percentage from NOR’s economy when their NFTs—antiquities, Aspects, merch, etc.—are sold in NOR. Descendants of the Artist also serve a function in Khoric Sports by memorializing the Arena’s greatest champions, creating Champion Statues that are tradeable NFTs.
“Khorics speak of The Inventor with awe: that he is the City’s scientific genius par excellence and the mind of Khora itself, whose contributions to technology and intellectual advancement change the City around him. His fascinations seem infinite in scope and scale, but Khoric scholars agree that The Inventor dedicates all his powers to escaping NOR. For what purpose, they cannot say…”
—The Traveler
Working along the borders of alchemy and physics, magic, and technology, The Inventor sees himself as a rat trapped in Aseela’s maze. No other scientific problem has been worthy of his mind—he’s solved every riddle he’s ever faced, but his search for an exit from NOR remains maddeningly elusive. Evidence of this obsession is found in The Inventor’s network of broadcast towers and workshops containing near-infinite data, collected over the eons from the farthest reaches of NOR and beyond.
Privileges:
Descendants of Khora’s greatest engineer get early access to many of NOR’s key features and play an indispensable role by testing and QAing these new functionalities. For this essential duty, The Inventor’s descendants enjoy an increased percentage from NOR’s current economy based on their participation.
“In the Arena Perilous, at the horizon where its western wall meets the blood-stained sand, there is a crudely-drawn hand holding a blade. I’m told this is where Khora’s fiercest fighters pray before bouts, for that blade-wielding hand is the shrine of The Warrior herself. Its modesty is a reminder of her singular focus: total supremacy on the battlefield. She has devoted her immortality to defeating threats I cannot ascertain, but of this I’m certain: woe to any soul who challenges her.”
—The Traveler
The Warrior’s most cherished memories are found in the battle-swirled dust of the Arena Perilous and in the hot gush of her opponent’s blood. While others grow complacent in their immortality, The Warrior knows that the path of valor demands constant vigilance. She believes Khora’s greatest foe will one day descend upon the City, and when it comes, only she and her warriors will be strong enough to fight. Until then, they test each other in battle, pursuing combat mastery above all else.
Privileges:
Descendants of The Warrior who serve as Agents or Team Owners are entitled to an increased percentage of tournament winnings and get early access to Tournament Tickets (within their Aspect generation).
“…among the crumbled walls and fallen monoliths, the gleaming towers and stadiums, the City of Khora’s singular vision emerges: that of The Architect. So unwavering is his belief that shape begets society that he is driven utterly insane by the decay of his creations. Through the eons he’s been seen countless times with hammer in hand, smashing the structures he himself once demanded be built…”
—The Traveler
The Architect is forever at war with his own shifting tastes. His eternal search for what he considers “perfect” architecture is thwarted by the inevitability of things falling apart. His designs for the Arena Perilous and its neighboring stadiums are constantly in flux; he considers himself the only one of the Nine capable of solving immortality’s boredom through the perfection of play-space, even as he despises the violence that corrupts his vision.
Privileges:
As designers and builders of the Eternal City, The Architect’s descendants are granted early access to all Building and Land sales. Their undeveloped Land also decays at a slower rate. Descendants of The Architect enjoy an increased percentage from NOR’s current economy based on their active Buildings.
“I thorn the vine and harden the claw. Khoric blood is my rain, Khoric grief is my sun. Trespass beyond your City walls and be devoured by my children.’ These are the words of The Naturalist, armorer and defender of Khora’s natural world. I have studied her domain, a savage land that Khorics call the Surround, where the trees drink blood, where swarms of monstrous insects shadow the land, and the Naturalist’s spawn prowl in the dim.”
—The Traveler
The only one of the Nine reluctant to become immortal, The Naturalist has witnessed evolution on a grand scale many times over. She understands the necessity of death in the natural order and considers her fellow Khorics a disruption and a blight upon the world she’s sworn to protect. Her children are the plants and creatures of the Surround—she’s appointed herself their steward, and she weaponizes them in their war against Khorics. Just as every death in the Arena Perilous helps her devise new ways to defeat her fellow immortals, every rebirth and recycle is a reminder that her war will never end.
Privileges:
The Naturalist’s crusade to reclaim the City for the Surround creates scarcity in Khora’s real estate economy. She penalizes those Citizens who sit on undeveloped Land, and her descendants get the earliest opportunity to buy any Land that has been reclaimed through decay. The Naturalist’s descendants also enjoy an increased percentage from NOR’s current economy on Land they’ve reclaimed.
“I first encountered The Prophet in the form of a preacher: he stood on the steps of his sanctuary, a tall figure in rich clothing, speaking to an ecstatic crowd who knelt on beds of crushed glass and bloodied their faces with hooks and barbs. Many Khorics warned me about The Prophet’s faithful who believe he is the vessel through which Aseela speaks… with such a divine imperative one could justify any action. From what I’ve heard, The Prophet often does.”
—The Traveler
Buried in icons, relics, and artifacts, studying lost languages and sacred ciphers, The Prophet believes Khora is the best of all possible worlds. His torment is rooted in the doubts of his fellow Nine: Why can’t they see that Aseela’s Boon is a blessing? The Prophet draws strength from his understanding of The Coalescent and what it demands of Khora. From his first street-corner sermon to his millionth homily, he tirelessly spreads Aseela’s faith. The Prophet vows to lead all of his faithful into Aseela’s light, dragging them in shackles and chains if need be.
Privileges:
The Prophet oversees all life and death rites in the Arena Perilous. As evangelists for Aseela, The Prophet’s descendants receive an increased percentage of NOR’s economy for recruiting new Residents to NOR, thereby strengthening The Coalescent. Descendants of The Prophet also have access to the Tithe, a Vault containing all items recovered upon the destruction of a Champion’s Resident NFT.
“A spectacle unto itself: an obscene pageant, a riot of colors and scents, a shifting grotesquerie, an inversion of everything, an embrace of nothing, a hedonist’s paradise where pleasure and pain were married and divorced a million times over and then again. And the audience watched in thrall; those jaded immortals were held fast. I cried, I screamed, I laughed, I shook, I wounded, I healed, I forgot and remembered, forgot and remembered, forgot and remembered…”
—The Traveler
Eternity gets boring. Everyone eventually stagnates, everyone eventually becomes too comfortable with who they are. The Performer sees themself as the only meaningful constant in Khora: the constant of inconstancy. The Performer embraces immortality because it allows for infinite personal expression, and they use themself as a glorious example. They are their own spectacle. They are their own path. Any attention given to them is proof of their success and a validation of their belief in the immutability of change.
Privileges:
All Streaming, Sponsorship, and Advertising fall under The Performer’s purview. Descendants of The Performer enjoy early access to all Sponsorship and Advertising opportunities, and may also have their Streams selected to be featured on NOR’s official Stream. They enjoy an increased percentage from NOR’s current economy on their active Streams, Sponsorships, and Advertisements.
“…here was a great personality, a Khoric of endless stratagems and machinations. Khora’s most formidable statesman is known only as ‘The Politician’. No handshake escapes its notice, no compact is beneath its inquiry. Some question whether The Politician truly has Khora’s best interest at heart, but those voices are soon silenced, one way or another, and always by a hidden hand.”
—The Traveler
Long rumored to be the most pragmatic of The Nine, The Politician foresaw the overwhelming and unprecedented task of governing an immortal population. It’s an advisor and confidante to no one but itself, balancing perceived need against perceived need to accomplish what it believes is best for Khora. Rivals may underestimate The Politician’s influence or believe it has too much faith in the power of government, but it welcomes their doubts… because it planted them.
Privileges:
Descendants of The Politician play an essential role in Khora’s civic life. At least one descendant of The Politician must be included at every Quorum, and they enjoy an increased percentage from NOR’s current economy in exchange for their participation in governance.
“Followers of the Mystic say she alone walks the bridge between Khora and the cosmic void, communing with arcane forces to summon the annihilation of the Coalescent and Aseela’s final defeat. The Mystic’s blind eyes see what many Khorics do not, her stitched mouth speaks in forgotten tongues, and her deaf ears listen for the thundering doom that even immortals cannot escape.”
—The Traveler
The Mystic views The Prophet as a sheep who’s mistaken itself for a shepherd. While The Prophet and his idiot followers waste their time trying to please Aseela, The Mystic projects herself into the farthest reaches of NOR. There, in the roaring silence, she communes with the void. Their conversations are hers alone to interpret. She believes all of Khora is beneath her, for she parleys with entities even more ancient and powerful than Aseela’s beloved Coalescent, and they have given her a task.
Privileges:
The Mystic works through Warrior’s Reserve Events to encourage the permanent destruction of Aspects in an attempt to weaken the Coalescent. Descendants of The Mystic are granted exclusive entry into Khora’s gray market economy, where Champions’ body parts are bought and sold as tradeable NFTs. They also possess the Mystic’s Touch, which “blesses” auction items, raising their sell price. They enjoy an increased percentage from NOR’s current economy on blessed items they sell.
“There are rumors of Progenitors long-forgotten, shunned by The Nine and erased from memory. Who they were and what they did to deserve this banishment has remained a secret for untold eons. We only have their titles: The Unknowable and The Unspeakable. The irony is amusing; the tragedy is they may be a fable whose lessons no longer hold.”
—The Traveler
The Unknowable
Descendants of The Unknowable will only discover their privileges of any of The Nine through Play. Until activated, their abilities remain a mystery even to themselves.
The Unspeakable
Descendants of The Unspeakable will be granted a variety of private abilities from any of The Nine. They may decide whether or not to reveal those privileges to other Residents or exploit them in secret.