Endings | Torment Tides of Numenera Wiki

With the Labyrinth sealed, the castoffs of the Changing God returned to their lives, great and small, well aware that they lived in the Sorrow's shadow.

True to its word, the Sorrow came for them in time, one by one, and tore them from the fabric of the world. But for a short time, at least, they were able to live out their lives in peace.

Thousands lost their minds in Sagus and the surrounding lands. The unaffected struggled to go on with their lives while madness plagued the countryside. It prowled the alleys and hollows of the place like the predator the Sorrow had been.

Meanwhile, the castoffs - mortal, yet still very long-lived - carried on as they always had, bickering, fighting, and hiding in a vast and ever-growing shadow. As the decades passed, they felt the Tides stir and strengthen. They turned their attentions from each other and guarded their lives like precious treasure, walling themselves off from the world, increasingly terrified that their hunter might someday return...

The daughter of the Changing God set out into the world he had, without knowing made for her. She traveled in the body that had once belong to the Last Castoff - and with a mind forged by sacrifice.

The absence of the castoffs changed the Ninth World. Sometimes for the better, often for the worse. For the castoffs were powerful, and seats of power do not remain empty - or uncontested - for long.And yet, they were never seen again. Their minds dwelled on in dull, insensate darkness, trapped in a singular mind for eternity - or near enough.

True to her word, the First Castoff sought - and fought - to make the world a better place. She largely avoided the mistakes of the Changing God, and she honored the sacrifices of her siblings by mending the damage they had done... and helping, whenever possible, the ones they had left behind.But the First was no perfect being, no goddess, and she made mistakes of her own. Mistakes that rippled out into the world, causing new havoc, new heartache - and much of it, her own. But that is another story.

The absence of the castoffs changed the Ninth World. Sometimes for the better, often for the worse. For the castoffs were powerful, and seats of power do not remain empty - or uncontested - for long.

You were remembered for your great acts of compassion and sacriface. For years to come, tales of your life inspired the people of the Ninth World to follow the murmuring of their conscience and protect those who could not protect themselves.

Matkina ruled the Bloom for only a short time - long enough to restore order in the wake of the Sorrow's destruction. She had no desire to maintain rulership of a place she hated when it would eventually devour her.

She returened to Kholin Village to build a life that would honor her fallen siblings and her creator's intent.

Others came in time. Some were scavengers. Some thought to praise the Changing God and honor *her*. She discovered she had lost her taste for solitude and so welcomed their company.

She helped them build, resolved their disputes with confidence and care. Spilling not a drop of blood, she somehow became a leader.

Matkina started toward M'ra Jolios. Others eventually joined her, mostly castoffs. The Oasis proved unwelcoming to such a crowd, so she traveled on and one day found herself in Kholin Village.

Together, she and the other castoffs tried to create a new community. Matkina played peacekeeper for them.

But castoffs are fractious and bloody-minded in their arguments, and Matkina had her fill of death. After several years, she left her home.

Some of her siblings pursued her, hoping to gain the benefit of her hard-won wisdom...but she had vanished utterly.

She is happy now.

Matkina ruled the Bloom for only a short time - long enough to restore control. She wanted to shed the mantle of the White Death. She went to the Cult of the Changing God to talk about the histories of her siblings. She remained with them for a year, telling them what she knew of the fate of her sire. Some of the cult quit in rage and grief. Others followed her back to Kholin Village.

They built a monument to her fallen creator, and a small community accreted around her. To her surprise, she found she was a natural leader, and the town of Kholin Village began to grow. Castoffs came and went. For a time, she knew peace.

When the Sorrow came for her decades later, she greeted it as a friend.

With the Last Castoff ruling the Bloom, Matkina sought another outlet for her energies and talents. She didn't know how to start shedding the mantle of the White Death.She went to the Cult of the Changing God to ask them about her siblings. She remained with them for a year, telling them what she knew of the fate of her sire. Some of the cult quit in rage and grief. The others she led to Miel Avest.

They built a monument to her fallen creator, and a small community accreted around her. To her surprise, she found she was a natural leader, and the town of Miel Avest began to grow. For a time, she knew peace.

When the Sorrow came for her decades later, she greeted it as a friend.

True to her word, Matkina assumed control of the Bloom through a lightning-fast campaign of terror and vicious assassinations, consolidating power quickly and ruthlessly.Upon taking the Memovira's role, she declared a new era in the Bloom. Ever the cynic, she trusted no one. She kept her lieutenants focused on each other, and she encouraged their rivalries.

Ten years passed. The Bloom turned against her, as it had against all the previous rulers. She decided to run, and almost made it to M'ra Jolios.

With the Last Castoff ruling the Bloom, Matkina sought another outlet for her talents.She crept out of the traumatized Sagus Cliffs, riding the worst of the aftershocks of the destruction of the Sorrow. She found herself in Miel Avest.

Other castoffs had the same idea. Together, they built a monument to their fallen creator. They tried to create a new community, none harder than Matkina, who had discovered a talent for leadership.

But castoffs are fractious and quarrelsome. One of her foes planted a singularity detonation in her bed, obliterating her.

To commemorate her efforts, the castoffs carved a remembrance in the stone walls of the valley.

That was destroyed too.

True to her word, Matkina assumed control of the Bloom through a lightning-fast campaign of terror and vicious assassinations. She consolidated power quickly and ruthlessly, and ensured that anyone who thought to challenge her died horrifically.She declared a new era in the Bloom. Ever the cynic, she trusted no one. Castoff siblings sought her favor, to use the trade routes she controlled... and she repaid them by feeding them to the Bloom. At last they left her alone.

Ten years passed. The Bloom turned against her, as it had against all the previous rulers. She decided to run. She almost made it to M'ra Jolios before a Maw opened beneath her.

Matkina returned to the Bloom, intent on claiming it for her own. But she remembered its appetite, and doubted the wisdom of her plans. Why rule a place she hated when it would eventually devour her?Instead, she journeyed to Miel Avest, building a monument to honor her fallen siblings and her creator's intent.

Others came in time. Some were scavengers. Some thought to praise the Changing God and honor *her*. She discovered she had lost her taste for solitude, and welcomed their company.

She helped them build, resolved their disputes with confidence and care. Spilling not a drop of blood, she became a leader.

The leader of the city of Miel Avest.

True to her word, Matkina assumed control of the Bloom through a lightning-fast campaign of terror and vicious assassinations. Consolidating power quickly and ruthlessly, she ensured that anyone who challenged her died horrifically.Upon taking the Memovira's role, she declared a new era in the Bloom. Ever the cynic, she trusted no one. Like her old mentor, she kept her lieutenants at each other's throats - so they wouldn't focus on her.

Ten years passed. The Bloom turned against her, as it had against all the previous rulers. She decided to run. She almost made it to M'ra Jolios.

Traders use the new Maw to move their goods to Sagus Cliffs.

Matkina was intent on claiming the Bloom for her own. But she remembered its appetite, and she doubted. Why rule such a place if she didn't need to protect herself against the Sorrow?She crept out of the traumatized Sagus Cliffs, and made her way to Miel Avest. Other castoffs had the same idea. They tried to create a new community, and Matkina played peacekeeper for them.

But castoffs are fractious and bloody-minded in their arguments, and Matkina had had her fill of death. After ten years, she left her home.

Some of her siblings pursued her, hoping to gain the benefit of her hard-won wisdom. The only evidence of her passing was a fresh Maw on the road to M'ra Jolios.

Matkina returned to the Bloom, intent on claiming it for her own. But she remembered its appetite, and the example of the First. Why snatch rulership of a place she hated when it would eventually devour her?Instead, she returned to Miel Avest, building a monument to honor her fallen siblings and her creator's intent. Others came in time. She discovered she had lost her taste for solitude, and welcomed their company.

She helped them build, resolved their disputes with confidence and care. She became a leader, without a single drop of blood spilled.

Ten years passed. One morning, Matkina did not emerge from her home. Inside, a new Maw stretched wide.

Matkina returned to the Bloom, intent on claiming it for her own. But she remembered its appetite, and she wanted to make a new start, to cast aside the mantle of the White Death.She journeyed instead to Miel Avest. Other castoffs came in time, though none congregated for long - the threat of the Sorrow was too great. Ordinary humans came too, and Matkina discovered she had lost her taste for solitude. She welcomed their company.

She helped them build, resolved their disputes with confidence and care. She became a leader, without a single drop of blood spilled.

Ten years passed. One morning, Matkina did not emerge from her home. Inside, a new Maw stretched wide.

Aligern returned to the Bloom and reunited with his friend Orth and the metal frame that had started it all. His colleague told him the truth - the tatoos that Aligern had regarded as a curse were the transformed villagers of Ormen, their data carried in biological light and transplanted into his skin.

Aligern discovered how he might free his family and friends from the cursed tattoos. Some of the villagers suffered permanent damage, and Aligern devoted his remaining days to caring for those he had harmed. He refused to deal with numenera again.

He was buried in Ormen, They scratched his name on the wall of the Valley of Dead Heroes.

Aligern returned to Ormen with the frame that had brought him so much grief. One by one, he pulled his tattoos free and cast them through the black metal portal. His friends emerged on the other side, dazed and shocked by their long years of imprisonment in Aligern's mind and body.He saved his wife and daughter for last, hoping without hope that they would be unharmed.

They suffered no lasting damage.

Over his remaining years, Aligern learned to understand the frame and its function. Ormen became a nomadic village, carried on the body of a solitary traveler.

Its people flourished, and none forgot the name of the man who showed them the new way: Aligern.

Aligern sought out psychics outside the city of Sagus Cliffs. They taught him to unlock the secret code that would free his people.He returned to Ormen with the frame. One by one, he pulled his tattoos free and cast them through the black metal portal. His friends emerged on the other side, dazed and shocked by their long years of imprisonment in Aligern's mind and body.

They suffered no lasting damage.

Over his remaining years, Aligern learned to understand the frame and its function. Ormen became a nomadic village, carried on the body of a solitary traveler.

Its people flourished, and none forgot the name of the man who showed them the new way: Aligern.

Tybir returned to Sagus Cliffs, bowed neneath the weight of his guilt and the loss of his lover Auvigne. Beret of nay greater purpose, he rededicated himself to the myriad of schemes that had once sustained him.

But they no longer did. Desperate to forget his failures, he buried himself in pleasure and took dangerous - and despicable - jobs to support his extravagant lifestyle.

Near the end, he had no less than five contracts on his head - but the levies found him first. Guilty of crimes that would have once made him shudder, Tybir at last found himself before a jeering crowed and the executioner he had once feared: Death-of-Tybir.

Cold-eyed, Tybir returned to the Bloom, his mercy buried alongside his grief for the loss of his lover, Auvigne. In those dark and twisting tunnels, Tybir took any work that would pay for drink and pleasure. He rarely smiled. And he had too many nightmares.One day, he simply disappeared. No one cared enough about him to wonder whether the Bloom had claimed him or one of his former enemies. No one loved him enough to go looking for him.

Nevertheless, he was never seen again.

Seeking a way to atone for his part in the death of Auvigne, Tybir left Sagus and the Bloom in the company of a band of mercenaries with a noble reputation. Well, nobler than most.Eventually, he saved enough to fund a mercenary band of his own. Comprised of idealists, selfless lunatics, poets, prostitutes, and wealthy runaways, Tybir and his tribe of Penniless Sellswords roved about the land for many, many years, protecting the innocent by picking suicidal fights with tyrants and bandits alike, all in the name of protecting the innocent.

Tybir died on the wall of a village under siege by a veritable army. And he died smiling.

Seeking a way to atone for his failures, Tybir left Sagus and the Bloom behind, and traveled to the nameless village where he and Auvigne had once broken each other's hearts. To his surprise, he found that the villagers were still there - the noble that had tried to drive them away had been killed by a large, masked man many years ago.To his credit, Tybir did not lie to them. He told them who he was, and what he had done. And he swore to protect them until the end of his days.

He did, and the villagers forgave him in time. Later, they respected him. And when he died in his sleep decades later, they mourned him as one of their own.

Erritis set off on his own, driven by the competing urges of the voices in his head. Hungry for the grand quest would define his life and etch his story into the heavens, he chased rumors in circle, got lost in deserts, and scaled mountains. He explored ruins, claimed artifacts, climbed and fell and swam and ran ... and...

Collapsed. Moths and months of unending adventure had taken thier toll on the Hero. Erritis died in a nameless field not far from where he had begun his mad and frantic quest. And the vocies within him went dormant, Quiet.

Waiting for the next Hero to come along.

Erritis set off on his own, blazing as bright as any comet. And yet, the cloud of nano-demons had not exaggerated the cost of their hero's increased power. Soon, Erritis was limping. Then, crawling.A week later, a traveler found an unremarkable, straw-haired stranger lying dead in the road. He did not have a single wound. A single golden fleck marked the corner of his mouth.

Light-footed bootprints - the corpse's feet were clean and bare, the traveler noticed, wound away down the road. In the direction of the sunrise.

Erritis set off on his own, driven by the competing urges of the nano-demons, but also by the lessons the Last Castoff had taught him. He spent his life - what little there was left of it - helping people as best as he could, whether they wanted it or not.But what mattered was that he tried. That in some rare cases, he found someone who *actually* needed help, and saved them as a hero does: just in time.

Eventually, his exertions took their toll. He fell ill on the road, then collapsed. Erritis died miles from anywhere, alone, but with a satisfied smile on his face.

The voices within him went dormant. Quiet. Waiting for the next Hero to come along.

The hero Erritis was never seen again.But in a nameless field not far from the Valley of Dead Heroes, an aging herdsman drove his newly-bought yol towards a run-down hut. Humming to himself, he rebuilt the hut stone by stone. That night, he slept better than he had in years.

He lived out his many years as a stranger to everyone who saw him in the tiny town where he bought his supplies. And one day, a shopkeeper realized he hadn't seen the herdsman in months.

That was the last time anyone thought of the man Erritis had become.

After leaving the Last Castoff in the Bloom, Rhin returned to Aen-tozon. She begged him to open his Maw for her, but he reiterated what he had said before - the Maw won't open at his whim.Rhin spent the night with the other refugees outside the Memovira's fortress and returned the next day. She returned every day. She sought out people the Maw might feed on. She even considered Parsim's slaves once, but she couldn't make herself do it.

One day, Aen-tozon... disappeared. Some said he was swallowed by the Bloom. Others said he had swallowed himself somehow. Most agreed he had met a bad end, as most do in the Bloom.

Rhin never found out the truth, and she never went home.

The histories of Sagus Cliffs relate only the mundane details of Rhin's life, after she entered the House of Empty Time.The histories don't relate the rest of her childhood. She was taken in an old couple at the end of their years. They loved her well enough, but died only a couple of years after she had arrived.

They left her with their son, a cruel man who beat her. She left soon afterwards.

She took care of herself on the streets. It wasn't until her mid-twenties that she became the toymaker who brought joy to the young hearts of Sagus Cliffs, and young hearts to the old.

She gave every shin she made to the Hospice, a home for children with nowhere to go. She died content.

Rhin remained with the Last Castoff - or rather with the Changing God's natural daughter, though she often forgot there was a difference They were a family, or as close to one as Rhin was ever likely to find. She studied everything (s)he did, taking in his/her skills as her own.They fought, as families do, but they remained very close for several years. As Rhin grew older, and realized the Last Castoff did not, she decided to set out on her own - maybe even start a new family.

But she never forgot the Last Castoff, and they remained good friends to the end of her days.

Rhin never found the way back to her home. She and the Last Castoff - or rather the Changing God's natural daughter, though Rhin often forgot there was a difference - searched for years, but never found so much as a clue.Some time after she turned thirty, Rhin realized she had given up her search, though she did not remember ever having made that decision consciously. She had simply... stopped looking.

She wasn't even sure when the last time was she *had* looked.

The realization didn't bother her as much as she thought it might. She had grown accustomed to this world and her place in it. It wasn't home, but... maybe it was close enough.

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As it turned out, Piquo excelled in the Order of truth. He read everything anybody would give him, tried everthing anybody would let him try. In a few short years, he was well-versed in all manner of numenera. He became an Aeon Priest in less than a decade.

Now he is vying for Min's position as head of the Order. Min is not putting up much of a light.

Alara, the girl once known as Loss-of-self, not only remembered her name and the faces of her parents, but the next time they came to bring her food, she was able to tell them everything that had happened to her.

Alara returned home, happy for the first time in years.

The girl known as Loss-of-self struggled for a long time against the workings of the probability engines underneath the city. She never fought off their compulsions entirely, nor could she ever fully remember who she was, but she did, finally, walk away from the ledge and live her life.

Loss-of-self eventually accepted the personality that had been growing in her mind for so long. She began calling herself Miila and found herself strangely attracted to the Cult of the Changing God.After watching them for a couple of months, she built up the courage to join the cultists and learn more about this strange god. She is now one of the foremost scholars on the Changing God and his legacy.

The girl known as Loss-of-self fought the personality that had been growing in her mind for so long, but it was a losing battle. In the moment when she felt her mind slipping away - and the *other* girl taking over - she leaped off the ledge, disappearing into the black water below.

Nym and Zebb remained in Cliff's Edge for many years. Nym became an artist, though her sculptures never sold very well. Zebb found work in the Underbelly, as a scavenger for the foremen.

Their father, Zebback, return from the Bloom finally. He was pround of what his children had become, and the three of them lived a hard but joyful life together.

The Bloom was relatively quiet for days after the Sorrow's attack on the Memovira's Fortress. Nearly all of the Memovira's soldiers had fled, and the rest of the Bloom's denizens waited quietly, wondering what would happen.

When the Memovira did not return, and nobody rose up to take her place... that's when the fighting began. It started with the mutants of Little Nilhliesh, but soon every faction was involved. The Bloom became a deadly battleground - one the Bloom itself seemed to encourage, encouraging itself on the lust of its denizens.

Brusca harbored a small contingent of civilians inside the fortress, hoping that the violence would die down.

They are still there, hoping.

That was when the Adversary - that ancient foe of the psychic veterans - chose to attack. It had hidden itself among the Fifth Eye patrons, watching and waiting. With the other veterans gone, it emerged, suddenly and without warning.

The Adversary devoured Ziobe's mind, then it rampaged across the Sagus Protectorate, unchallenged and free.

The Fifth Eye veteran(s) recruited for the Endless Battle fought, and fought hard. The Endless Battle continued on for many years - for as many years as there were castoffs, which was indeed a long, long time.

The Fifth Eye faced a menace of its own, however. An Adversary - that ancient foe of the psychic veterans - had hidden itself there, watching and waiting. When it was strong enough, it emerged, suddenly and without warning.

The Adversary devoured the minds of those in the Fifth Eye, then it rampaged across the Sagus Protectorate, unchallenged and free.

The tiny construct children of the crippled foreman scattered throughout the city. They began building things at random - much to the consternation of the master foreman.

Finally, the master foreman called for his workers to bring the small constructs in to him. He was surprised at how much they had grown. Apparently, they had been building themselves as well as random pieces of the city.

He now instructs them, treating them as he does his human workers - although it is clear he favors them more. What's unclear is how well they will continue to follow his instructions.

Although the crippled construct eventually agreed to give up trying to procreate, Tarnish could hear the torment in the foreman's voice. Finally, after Tarnish had grown old - too old to do more than tinker - he changed his mind and worked to help the foreman bring his children into the world.Soon after his ninety-first birthday, they were successful....

Poor Tarnish spent the next several decades trying to regenerate the crippled foreman, after it gave its life for its children. Seeing Tarnish's love for the construct, the other two foremen grew more sympathetic and tried to help. But even they could not restore the construct's life - the life it had given to its children.Tarnish passed away an old man, and the project - the empty construct - was left abandoned.

The sticha traveled long and far to reach their new home. Many died along the way, the rocks between Sagus and the new rock providing very little in the way of sustenance for them.

But they reached it in the end, and forged a new home for themselves. They flourished there for a long time.

The quakes beneath Sagus Cliffs ceased for many years, despite Peliai's concerns that without leverage over them, the sticha would return some day. She would stand in the square most days, preaching her fear to whomever would listen.

One day, Pelial announced that she had evidence that the sticha had returned. She called for a group of brave souls to follow her beneath the city, to stop them before it was too late.

Several of her bravest listeners followed her into the dark. Nobody knows what has become of them.

With the Endless Gate closed, Ronos and the other surviving Memorialists were able to clean the rebuild. There were so few of them left, so it took months before the last blood was removed. They used several different barrier cyphers to block the tomb that had held the Endless Gate, in case something else ever came through again.

They never did get rid of the smells.

The Children of the Endless Gate ran rampant over the Valley. Within a month, every Memorialist and traveler had been killed, except for the hardiest of explorers.

With Inifere gone, Marcysa became the leader of the Children of the Endless Gate. She closed the Gate in the Valley, and some time later the cultists left.Afterwards, Ronos and the other surviving Memorialists were able to clean and rebuild. There were so few of them left, so it took months before the last of the blood was removed. They used several different barrier cyphers to block the tomb that had held the Endless Gate, in case something *else* ever came through again.

They never did get rid of the smells.

Now, no caravanner will travel to the Valley, and the Necropolis has become a dungeon rather than a memorial. Late at night, the screams can be heard from as far as Kholn Village.

After the destruction of the Memovira's Fortress, and the disappearance of the Memovira, Coty fled, alongside most of the Memovira's other soldiers. Nobody has seen him since, but it is widely believed that most of the Memovira's former soldiers were swallowed by the Bloom.

Coty worked hard at the Bloom-flesh shop. He never grew quite as skilled as the Sundermuns, but he had enough skill in his own right. Eventually, he expanded their services to woods and metals, and became sought after as a carpenter and an engraver.

Some time later, he left the Bloom to make his own way. He started a shop in Circus Minor, fashioning numenera into polished tools. He made a name for himself, in some small way.

Artaglio and his troop remained in Chiurgeon's Slump. Free from the desire of the Maw, Artaglio became more jovial, friendly even. He drank less and extorted less - though he still extorted of course. A man's got to make a living *somehow*.

A few days after he'd heard the Last Castoff returned as the new Memovira, Artaglio paid him a visit to thank him for his help. He would never serve under a castoff again, of course, but he assured the Last Castoff that he'd get no trouble out of Chiurgeon's Slump.

What was left of Artaglio's Irregulars left the Bloom in disgrace. With nowhere to go, they each ended up going their separate ways. Each of them outrunning their past. Each of them haunted forever by it.

Ranard, Artaglio's second, continued in his commanding officer's traditions as best as he could. Artaglio's Irregulars eeked out a modest life in Chiurgeon Slump even without their leader.

When they heard that the Last Castoff had returned - as the new Memovira, no less - Ranard told his men they were digging in. They created a barrier at the entrance and posted more guards, hiring some of the former Memovira's guards who had run after the destruction of her fortress.

The Irregulars of Chiurgeon Slump were a thorn in the new Memovira's side for many, many years.

The ruins of Miel Avest lie broken, untouched. It is more than a century before a group of explorers stumble upon them, wondering what happened in this place. What in the Ninth World could have caused so much destruction.

The Last Castoff returned to the ruins of Miel Avest, hoping to rebuild some of what he had lost - or maybe to find something he didn't "know" he had.

Maralel returned to the ruins of Miel Avest. Should she rebuild? Can she not, after all that has been accomplished here?

A few castoffs return to the rubble of Miel Avest. It will take them years to rebuild, but they do so anyway. It is their city, their home. Even if the shields were inoperable or unnecessary, it is still a sanctuary for them. And a memorial to their beloved Aadiriis.