The Godspoken were an esteemed social class and Human Sub-Species on the colony world of Path.[1]
Description[]
Godspoken people were able to hear "the voices of the gods", and had to accomplish certain tasks because the gods told them to do so. These various tasks were documented in the Catalogue of Voices of the Gods. In exchange for this forced behavior, they had superhuman intelligence.[1]
Beneath this façade, the Godspoken were actually afflicted with an extreme variant of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), so that they could be controlled by Starways Congress by virtue of their unique intelligence. Starways Congress had genetically engineered the Godspoken with their superior intelligence, but left them with the symptoms of OCD to give them a weakness and therefore make it impossible for them to turn against Congress. Si Wang-mu was a genetic anomaly in the case of the Godspoken OCD. While she possessed the superhuman intelligence that was the hallmark of the Godspoken, she had no urge to cleanse herself and heard no "voices" from the gods.[1]
As the culture of the then-newly founded colony planet developed, the Gospoken became the highest social class of the world due to their intelligence. They owned large estates, and had many servants to help them in their houses.[1]
After the Godspoken's OCD was eradicated by the anti-virus engineered on Lusitania and spread by Han Fei-tzu, the social hierarchy of Path mostly remained the same. Fei-tzu's daughter, Han Qing-jao, continued her Godspoken rituals of cleansing despite the fact she had been liberated of her disorder.[1]
History[]
Creation[]
At some point before Path was settled, Starways Congress genetically engineered the Godspoken with superhuman intelligence and the extreme symptoms of OCD, creating a sub-species of Humans. They, along with other settlers of Chinese origin, then settled the colony world.[1]
As the culture of Path developed, the Godspoken rose to the top of the social classes due to their intelligence.[1]
Xenocide[]
After instantaneous travel to the Outside was accomplished by humans, scientists from the world of Lusitania sent Peter Wiggin II to deliver an anti-virus for the Godspoken's OCD to Han Fei-tzu. Fei-tzu had realized he had been deceived by Starways Congress, and sought to rid himself of his OCD symptoms. He ingested the virus, and began attempting to spread it to other Godspoken by coming into physical contact with them. Eventually, the virus was transmitted around the planet, and the Godspokens' OCD was eradicated after a few days of being terribly sick, but they retained their intelligence.[1]
After they were rid of their OCD, a few cruel Godspoken were cast out of their homes by their servants, but other than that the transition was mostly peaceful and the social hierarchy of Path remained the same.[1]
Godspoken Tes[]
The Godspoken of Path developed a test to determine whether an individual was gifted with the superior intelligence and the "voices" of the gods. As a child, Han Qing-jao was brought to a temple where she was to be tested. At first, some people came to take away her chopsticks, slippers, and sash from her waist, as in the past some children, especially girls, had used those items to commit suicide. However, success in these acts was rare. Qing-jao then had her hands covered with slimy black fluid, in order to see how she would react. If she was truly a Godspoken, then she would be in agony until the gods showed her a way to cleanse herself. The test would end when the individual started a certain task to spiritually cleanse themselves.[1]
Trivia[]
- It is hinted at that Volescu was involved with the creation of the Godspoken, as he expressed a desire to create a superhuman race, and afterwards worked with the Free People of Earth, which likely eventually became Starways Congress.[2]