Cyphers lists all relevant cortex entries of Society sub section found in the Library main section of the Cortex.
Collection Details
A total of 14 cortex entries make reference to the Cyphers.
The following Cortex Entries tell about the Cyphers and how they operate and what they do as a Faction.
The Cypher Who Wanted To Fly
See Cortex Entry: The Cypher Who Wanted To Fly for More Details
Of course there have been cyphers who wanted to be lancers. Take the old story of the cypher who wanted to fly. In Satomi, this is not just a folk tale, but a lesson to be heeded. The story goes as follows:
Benwick Xan, a brilliant cypher in his day, thought he could pilot a javelin whilst ignoring his own heightened awareness. Although his initial tests were encouraging, things were not so simple in the face of genuine danger. He hired a Freelancer to escort him into the wild; they hadn't gone three steps when they were attacked by skorpions. In the heat of battle, Benwick could not focus. He found when one of the beasts attacked, his attention was split: sensing a rise in Shaper energy to the East, picking up Arcanist distress signals, noting the rise in humidity due to recent rain, and dozens of other things that did not help at this moment. He tried to fly, but accidentally fired his cannon. He tried to fire his cannon, but instead punched a nearby rock. He had no control. Tragically, it was he and not the skorpions who killed his escort.
You see, lancer and javelin are connected to the Anthem via gateway… but it's a single connection. Slim and direct. We cyphers are already connected to the Anthem, and for us, the gateway is not direct but… engulfing. Javelins cannot possibly channel our every impulse, because our impulses are too many, too vast. The result is a disaster.
There are whispers, of course, of those in the north experimenting with the "creation" of cypher-pilots, but I have yet to see proof of whether they exist or how. 'Tis a rumor and a wish, not a reality.
— From In The Chair: Interviews with Negan Dell
Cyphers (1)
See Cortex Entry: Cyphers (1) for More Details
Cyphers are individuals with a sensitivity to the Anthem of Creation and are capable of telepathic communication and heightened mental calculation. Many young people who are identified as having this unique gift undergo ember exposure and dedicated training to enhance their mental skills.
When cypher abilities first appeared, Corvus sought to use these individuals for covert purposes. They developed amplifier technology and created a type of institutional training center called a Satomi. The most important and advanced of these is Esteraat, the premier Satomi located in Antium.
Later, the Cypher Revolution brought cyphers expanded rights, freedom to choose how their abilities were used, opening a new world of communication between settlements and in the aid of lancers. While javelins were invented long before the cypher phenomenon, the addition of cyphers to operations outside the wall has made all lancers safer and more effective.
Cyphers (2)
See Cortex Entry: Cyphers (2) for More Details
What do we see? Everything. Images, words, patterns, feelings… our memories are deeper in the amplifier than out. It's not just our memories, but any other cypher we connect with. We become one. It… well, it makes the outside world a bit frustrating, doesn't it?
— From In The Chair: Interviews with Negan Dell
Cyphers (3)
See Cortex Entry: Cyphers (3) for More Details
Should cyphers be able to determine their own fate? To ignore such innate skill seems wasteful, yet demanding that all cyphers serve one master favors the individual over the entirety. Since the process of becoming a cypher is risky and often deadly, should we not honor these people accordingly? Let the cypher choose how they serve society. We all benefit from content citizens.
— From Dialogues
See Cortex Entry: Faye Navine (1) for More Details
A talented cypher from Antium, Faye was bored with her sheltered life in the capital before she accepted a position with the Arcanists along the Bastion frontier. While there, she met the Freelancer Haluk, who promised her a firsthand look at the mysterious and wondrous things in the wilderness. Faye quit her Arcanist posting and joined the Freelancers.
See Cortex Entry: Faye Navine (2) for More Details
You think the Sentinels here are closed off, boring, and insular? You should meet the ones in Antium. if Brin's sharing the Sentinels' hardest missions with a Freelancer, she probably trusts their chances of coming back are high. It's a compliment, from a certain angle.
— Faye on Sentinel contracts
See Cortex Entry: Faye Navine (3) for More Details
Dawnguard Transcript: Season Two, Episode Three.
Last time, we left Walker and her team trapped in the depths of the crumbling Arcanist laboratory.
Alhazen: There's too many Anzu to fight, Walker. We'll never make it out.
Walker: We don't get to die today, Alhazen. If we don't find that relic and silence it, Antium will fall. Easley, you and Hawking search the ruin for the relic. Alhazen, you and I will hold this doorway against the Anzu.
Hawking: We won't leave you behind to die. "Strong Alone, Stronger Together." We all go, or we all stay here.
Easley: We won't fail. Save us a couple Anzu, Walker.
See Cortex Entry: Faye Navine (4) for More Details
Easley: This place makes my skin crawl, Hawking. Are we getting close?
Hawking: Something is resonating in the depths of this ruin.
Easley: Tell me that "something" is the relic.
Hawking: Easley. I think it's not just the relic. Brace yourself.
Alhazen: The barricades aren't holding. They're—Walker!
Walker: We haven't lost yet, Alhazen. We just need to buy the others time.
Alhazen: You're hurt! You have to fall back.
Walker: No. I can still fight.
Alhazen: I'm getting you out of here.
Walker: Something… is coming.
Sound of an avalanche.
What Cataclysm was unleashed in the depths of the Arcanist ruin? And who will live to warn Antium of what's coming? Next time, on Dawnguard.
Owen Corley (1)
See Cortex Entry: Owen Corley (1) for More Details
Owen is a cypher who works out of the Freelancer enclave in Fort Tarsis, a small town on the frontier in Bastion. Born into poverty, he was sent for cypher training at a young age when he first showed sensitivity to the Anthem. Owen spent most of his life studying at Bronelyn Satomi in Heliost.
Owen is an adventurer and mischief-maker at heart. After leaving Bronelyn, he traveled for a number of years before settling down in Fort Tarsis to work with the Freelancers. However, the few contracts available have left him uninspired and dreaming of grander things. He longs to operate a javelin of his own.
Owen Corley (2)
See Cortex Entry: Owen Corley (2) for More Details
You first met Owen a little over ten years ago in the tiny city of Ponteix when he tried to steal from you. Despite this introduction, you had an unmistakable connection and spent the rest of your week having fun together.
Years later, after the failed mission into the Heart of Rage and rift with your team, your roaming and soul-searching took you to Heliost, where you bumped into Owen again. Since then, you've turned that brief friendship of the past into a solid partnership.
Owen Corley (3)
See Cortex Entry: Owen Corley (3) for More Details
Fueled by resentment and frustration, Owen sabotaged your suit while going into the Fortress of Dawn. He stole the Javelin of Dawn, apparently intending to deliver it to the Dominion. He escaped the fortress without leaving any trail to follow.
Owen Corley (4)
See Cortex Entry: Owen Corley (4) for More Details
After Haluk was ambushed by Dominion at the Fortress of Dawn, Owen came to his rescue. A little worse for wear thanks to his dealings with the Monitor, Owen gave you a seal from the Javelin of Dawn to help complete the Dawn Shield. And then left you to fight a Fury by yourself, because some things never change.
The First Cypher (1)
See Cortex Entry: The First Cypher (1) for More Details
The First Cypher was lost to the music of the Anthem of Creation, and now she stands guard in the gateway, guiding cyphers who stray too far.
— Folk tale.
The First Cypher (2)
See Cortex Entry: The First Cypher (2) for More Details
It was not long after the Cataclysm that the Engineer's daughter developed strange new abilities. She could see faraway things or talk directly into another's mind. Word of her gifts spread. Soon, Arcanists arrived and presented her with a bold experiment… to help them test a device that would amplify her gift. It started with great success, but eventually met with failure. The girl's mind ventured too far from her body and became lost to the music of the Anthem of Creation. To this day, cyphers swear they glimpse the engineer's daughter while in their amplifier. first cypher, they say, watches over those who travel without moving, guiding them back from where she can never return.