The Shapers' symbol, as seen on the banners in the Shaper Citadel.
The Shapers are a magical sect who discovered and mastered the art of Shaping, using raw materials and essence as components.
Overview[]
The Shapers are the most powerful of the magical sects. Shapers have the ability to create and alter life, to create beasts to do various tasks such as domestic work, labor, and combat. Using Essence, Shapers can mold their creations into being. This process can be simple and quick, or long and exhausting for more complex creations.
Using their powers, the Shapers came to form an empire covering the entirety of Terrestia. They are headed by the Shaper Council, a group of nine elite Shapers which has the function of a Government for the Shaper empire. Each province of the Shaper empire is headed either by a Councilor or by a high-ranking Shaper.
The Shapers are a research-minded people. Many of them spend the bulk of their lives in musty laboratories, trying to unravel the secrets of living things, including Creations. However, their approach in the research for the secrets of life is sometimes considered to be very harsh or even inhumane : they usually treat their creations, and even sentient and intelligent ones, as disposable tools instead of living beings, and thus have no qualms in torturing and experimenting on them in a painful manner for the sake of their research ; by Shaper law, any creation that displays signs of either free will, rebellious behavior, or both, must be subjected to immediate termination. The Shapers can also be very harsh towards their apprentices and many of them have died in trials to become full Shapers. Moreover, some Shapers can be very dismissive and disdainful towards Outsiders and it is usually forbidden for any of them to criticize the Shapers ; the Shapers have repeatedly shown that they rule their lands with an iron fist.
The morality of the Shapers' totalitarian control over the Shaping arts and their creations is a source of major conflict in the series. To the Shapers, the ruthless execution of anyone who attempts to learn to Shape without proper authorization and training is not just a matter of pride, but of survival. Careless use of Shaper techniques can create virulent plagues, invasive species, and hordes of rogue creations. Their absolute control of their own creations, apart from being seen as their due as their creators, keeps them from descending into dangerous savagery. In their eyes, anything less than complete domination would unleash much worse on the world.
On the other hand, the Shapers' uncompromising governance creates resentment among the common people. While they can claim to be the noble protectors of non-Shapers, protecting the masses from the misuse of Shaper magic, they use that magic to keep unquestioned control over their lands. Their iron fist keeps packs of fyora and artila from destroying defenseless villages with fire and acid, but it also keeps the sapient, peaceful serviles in unquestioning slavery. The harsh realities of Shaper rule directly fueled the rise of the Takers, and eventually the Rebellion as a whole.
History[]
The development of the Shaping arts originated on Sucia Island. There, a small tribe of humans managed to find a way to Shape creations and to modify living beings using essence. Using their newly discovered powers, this tribe fought against other natives, often using their powers to warp their enemies' bodies, usually resulting in instant death. However, these proto-Shapers didn't master their powers, causing some destruction in the isle's environment and warping some of their enemies into powerful creatures instead of killing them. With the deterioration of their territory and with Heustess, one of those enemies of the proto-Shapers wrongly warped into a powerful creature, who led the fight back against the proto-Shapers, they ended up being forced to flee the island.
The proto-Shapers then landed on the Nodye Coast in Terrestia. There, they developed their arts and became a prosperous nation, gradually evolving as the Shapers as they are now known.
Conscious of their powers and seeking new territory, they started to conquer the neighboring provinces, like the Mera-Tev and Lethia Province. With their Shaping powers much more mastered than back on Sucia Island, the Shapers easily defeated the native tribes and nations of Terrestia. Soon, the Shapers became in control of the whole of Terrestia and formed their empire.
The enemies of the Shapers who remained on Sucia Island eventually died off, except for Heustess himself. The island was eventually reclaimed by the Shapers and became the site of the creation of Canisters and the first Geneforge. However, approximately 200 years prior to Geneforge 1, the researches made on Sucia Island were considered to be too dangerous and the island was declared Barred by Shaper law, leading the Shapers to leave the island a second time.
The Shaper empire remained very powerful and didn't come to know any major opposition, until the creation of the Awakened and the Taker sects and, later, of the Rebellion. The creation of the Rebellion is a major event in Shaper history as a whole, and of the Shaper empire in particular : it would be the first time that the Shapers, as the total and unopposed rulers of all Terrestia, would be challenged and shaken.
Shaper Classes[]
There are three basic types of Shapers. Though they have different skills and perform different duties, to outsiders they are all collectively known as the Shapers. The basic types of Shapers include :
- Agent - Highly skilled in magic, while also being quite skilled with a sword and other weaponry. Agents are the first shapers sent when a task needs done. Agents often work alone, and do not rely much on the shaping arts. Agents frequently travel in the night to complete tasks ranging from negotiations to assassinations.
- Guardian - Highly skilled with weaponry and combat, while able to shape creations to aid them. Not highly skilled in magical arts, they rather rely on their impressive skills with swords and other weaponry. Guardians act as the soldiers of the shapers, and are sent on work usually involving combat.
- Shaper - Very skilled with the shaping arts, while being quite skilled with magic as well. Shapers are dedicated to research and the improvement of the shaping arts. Shapers are more frail than guardians and agents, and tend to stay away from close combat and weaponry. Shapers are capable of using enchanted crystals to control groups of creations from a distance; a single shaper is like an army of one.
Trivia[]
- Depending on the player's perspective, the Shapers can be considered as protagonistic villainous faction or primary antagonists of entire Geneforge series.
- Some Shapers believe there is nothing after death, while others believe unshaped creatures exist beyond the mortal world.