H101.23-0 | General Info

Summary

Orkideans (Alaþi: Lolhinælhi) are the 1st of 4 castes or “Branches” of Herbalist (Alaþi: Alaþilhinë) bioforms and are exclusively female, non-parthenogenic, transhuman changelings with superhuman qualities and both Glitch and Non-Glitch empowerments. Orkideans are undying, though not ageless due to the Elder Ascension. Orkideans are considered as the apex Herbalist bioforms, barring the discovery or reveal of the rumoured Fifth Branch.

All Herbalists, including Orkideans, are considered as Quasi-Mythica due to an Anomalous Trans-Causal Phase Signature (ATCPS) that does not correlate to any known phenomenon and is distinct in properties and form to Glitch-type ATCPS. They are still considered Dreamborn Mythica, classified as Nymphotype, Non-Aggressive, Kodama, and Aphrodisiac. They are protected as Grace-Class Dreamborn and are not to be interfered with except by consent of either the Seelie Court, Soulstar, or the ArQive of the Anomalous.

Exonymously, they are referred to as Orkideans, Orkidea, High Priestesses, Queen-Shamans, Cardinals, or Archbishops. Endonymously, they are referred to as Lolhinælhi, First Flowers, Elderflowers, Sisters, Aisling’s Images, Orchids, or Pathfinders.

General Appearance

Orkideans are phenotypically and genotypically exclusively female. Individuals can range in height from 188cm to 212cm and weigh between 32kg and 41kg. Orkideans possess exceptionally low BMIs as a result of an anomalous biocomposition of extremely light, extremely durable materials—including some novel and exotic metamaterials—as well as having impossibly efficient bioenergetic systems. Orkideans possess only a handful of organs, with each organ serving a multiplicity of purposes. Despite lacking most organs and biosystems of H. asteri, Orkideans possess all primary and secondary characteristics of the human female phenotype.

Orkideans typically appear as nubile young women, in peak physical health, with a maximum variance in standard body fat ratio of less than five percent. Their physical appearance is consistently ranked in the ninety-ninth percentile across cultures, sexes, and ages, leading to the “Orkidean Standard” of feminine beauty. Additionally, Orkidean skin does not form blemishes and is extremely difficult to scar, with scars being the result of extreme injuries. These do not last more than a few hundred years, except for those with anomalous properties or retained by individual desire.

Individual appearances are variable within the boundaries of the Grace-type feminine expression. Externally, Orkideans appear nearly identical to human females with some minor deviations. Orkideans do not have vellus or androgenic hair. Terminal hair grows exclusively on their scalps, eyebrows, and eye lashes. Skin pigmentation varies to the extremes of all species and subspecies of extant human and with no discernible pattern of heritability.

Orkidean hair and eye colour can be unicoloured, or a gradient. Most hair and eye colours are consistent with the colouration of the following flower types (in order of popularity)

1) Orchids

2) Lilies

3) Magnolia

4) Crocus

Noteworthy individuals with unique colourations are :

(hexcodes give closest estimate)

Senuna (Elder, hair: #d6fff4, eyes: #3a9538)

Sisu Anahæ (Elder, hair #000000, eyes: #280142)

Liliþ (Orkidean, hair: #ed714d, eyes: #be0202)

Fhuna Icemane (Orkidean, #eaeaea, eyes: #aafffa)

Orkideans are obligate nudists, being incapable of tolerating clothing (excepting Elders), though are known to conceal themselves in public through various means collectively referred to as Orkidean Psychic Soothe, or Orkidean Soothe. The composite elements of this Psychic Soothe include a Grace-adjacent non-classifiable pacifying aura as well as cogito fields including antimimetics, optic dysphasials, and general miraging. By inhibiting perception and memory development, an Orkidean’s appearance is mostly imperceptible to banals whilst under the effects of the Soothe. This enables them to cohabitate spaces with humanity at large as well as to perform various roles and functions throughout The Way.

Anomalous Properties

Orkideans reproduce non-parthenogenically through Crown Orkidean Mating Seasons (see 101.23-71) and remain fertile for their entire lives.

Individuals also possess superior physicality to most known humanoid bioforms, outperforming almost all ADMXN-class engineered humanoids and Mythica across all categories (strength, durability, agility, speed, dexterity, flexibility, etc.). Additionally, Orkideans do not appear to be able to achieve a body mass over 41kg. This mass was achieved by Isu Sahi during her body building pursuit.

Their highly superior regnerative properties allow individuals to survive lethal injuries many times over, including, but not limited to, sequential decapitations, full-body dismemberments, explosions, vaporisation, pulverisation, deatomisation, irradiation, being set fire to, immersed in caustic chemical baths, ejected into space, planetary reentry, rapid depressurisation, heavy impacts, and more. Individuals can regrow any severed, removed, amputated, or destroyed body parts, including, and up-to, full-body reconstitution. As Orkideans are immune to all diseases, toxins, most environmental extremes, are extremely resistant to chemical, thermal, electrical, radioactive, and other hazards, have no natural predators, do not age, and are incapable of violence, they are exclusively killed by humans.

Orkideans are known to be able to communicate and interact across the vastness of spacetime through a psychic connection known as The Knotworx. They are also able to use the Knotworx to tunnel through Spacetime, allowing for instantaneous transportation to any known point in spacetime. Like all Herbalist Branches, there are Relicborn Orkideans known as Dawnstars, and all Orkideans possess some level of Glitch-adjacent healing empowerment.

After a certain period of years, Orkideans will Ascend to Elderhood. Ascensions revive dead worlds, establish a new Cathedral, complete with a new Great Tree (Alaþi: Alaþirn) and a new order of Orkidean caretakers of the world. Elder Orkideanss—or Elders—additionally undergo a wide range of physical changes and receive Glitch-adjacent empowerments. Elders will also receive various Relics as gifts from The Shrouded Vael and will adopt personal stylings.

During coitus, Orkideans create a unique subknot between themselves and their partners, bridging individual consciousnesses. The properties of this subknot allow for the seamless transfer of direct personal experiences, fused consciousness, and direct mimetic transferrence and imprinting. Banals and humans who engage in coitus with an Orkidean universally cite it as a positive, life-changing experience. If assaulted or raped, this subknot activates as a defensive countermeasure, trapping the perpetrator inside and flooding them with every memory of violence stored in an Orkidean’s hearthcore. The resulting neuroshock and psychological distress drives most perpetrators to suicide or drastic, life-altering actions.

Behaviours

Summary:

On a basic level, Orkideans can be considered as free-spirited and hedonistic. They are creatures of sense, sensuality, and the depths of emotion, pursuing as much of the human experience as possible, both good and bad. Highly sexual and driven by a need to connect with others and share the myriad of perspectives they’ve gathered, Orkideans have reshaped entire worlds through the spreading of complete mimetic imprints through their Glitch-adjacent subknot.

Continuation:

Orkideans are known for having a diversity of personalities, interests, and goals. Each individual is allowed to pursue whatever she wishes, with little to no pushback from the larger community of Herbalists. Most individuals will have a variety of interests, goals, and objectives of the aions, there are some who seek to master only one craft to the exclusion of all others. There are no limits as to what Orkideans pursue, either, with the exception of activities, crafts, or pursuits necessitating the use of violence against other sapient life forms.

Broadly, Orkideans are driven to experience life on a deep, granular level, deriving the greatest pleasure from connecting with the deepest sensations endemic to the human experience. They are extraordinarily well-travelled and enjoy especially the simpler pleasures; good food, strong drink, and excellent company.

The older Orkideans get, the more their mannerisms begin to change, becoming more reserved and inscrutable. Weighed down by Aions of experiences, older Orkideans, and Elders especially, have learned to be cautious and to prioritise those things that bring them the greatest joy. They are also extremely valuable to anyone who can retain their services, possessing a wealth of knowledge, experience, and wisdom.

On a cultural level, Orkideans have no concept of authority, leaders, laws, hierarchies, or power structures. While certain individuals may be respected, Herbalist society possesses no mechanism to impose any individual or collective will on anyone. Despite this, Herbalists, and Orkideans especially, possess an innate sense of prosocial behaviour patterns and are highly effective at conflict resolution. Additionally, though Orkideans possess the capacity to experience emotions like hatred, jealousy, and other dark passions, these emotions are fleeting, not lasting more than a few seconds for most.

Orkideans do not maintain monogamous or exclusive relationships either. While two or more Orkideans may maintain a deep and persistent romantic bond, sometimes for the duration of their lives, they will pursue intimate experiences and relationships with others as well.

There is also no concept of sexuality among Orkideans. All individuals are pansexual and possess a heightened sex drive. Orkideans are unable to go without physical contact with another person for more than a week without experiencing psychological and physiological distress. As the subknot link formed between Orkideans feeds their compulsive desire for connection and understanding, touch-starvation can lead to the withering and, ultimately, wintering of an Orkidean. Selection criteria are rather limited among Orkideans, with the foremost and principle being the receptiveness of the other party, or parties, to the experience, Orkideans are often looked down upon for having low or no standards. As each partner transfers a complete entropic imprint of their mimetic archive to an Orkidean during copulation, and vice versa, the desire for connection and a deeper understanding of the human experience is fulfilled, whether the experience is sexually fulfilling or not.i

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