Crucible:Pleione
Pleione
[edit]
| |
| Real Name | Pleione |
|---|---|
| Identity | Public |
| Affiliation | The Citadel |
| Base of Operations | Citadel space |
| Era | Modern Age (active); Ancient (founding era) |
| Status | Active |
| First Appearance | THE CITADEL #1 |
| Creator | Ed Messina |
“I remember when this universe was new. It is still deciding what it wants to be.”
— Pleione
Pleione is an ancient energy being and one of the original founders of the Citadel, revered across known space as both a living relic of cosmic history and a powerful force in her own right. Encased within a containment suit that allows her to interact with matter, she continues to guide and defend the Citadel centuries after its formation.
Background
[edit]Pleione is native to the photosphere of a massive blue hypergiant star near the border of S'Taa space, a region of extreme radiation and energy flux inhospitable to conventional life. Her species exists as coherent energy structures, shaped by stellar forces rather than biological processes.
According to their own accounts, her people possess memory that extends beyond the current universe, retaining impressions—if not precise knowledge—of what existed before the present cosmic cycle. Whether these claims are literal or interpretive remains a subject of ongoing debate among scholars.
Pleione herself does not argue the point.
She remembers.
The Citadel
[edit]Centuries ago, Pleione was among the founding members of the Citadel, helping establish it as a coalition dedicated to preserving balance and stability across interstellar space. While many of her contemporaries have passed into history, she endures, serving as both participant and witness to the organization’s evolution.
Within the Citadel, she is regarded with a mixture of respect, awe, and careful distance. Few beings operate on her scale of experience or perception.
Physical Form
[edit]In her natural state, Pleione exists as a radiant, shifting mass of energy. To interact with solid matter and non-energy-based life, she wears an advanced containment suit that stabilizes her form and allows controlled expression of her abilities.
The suit is not armor.
It is translation.
Powers
[edit]Pleione’s abilities extend across the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Energy Manipulation – Control of energy in multiple forms, including visible light, radiation, and other wavelengths
- Energy Projection – Offensive and defensive applications of concentrated energy
- Sustained Existence – Does not require food in a biological sense
She must, however, periodically absorb energy directly from stellar sources, typically by immersing herself in the corona of a star.
Skills
[edit]Pleione’s perspective is shaped by both time and curiosity.
- Deep knowledge of cosmic phenomena
- Strategic insight derived from long-term observation
- Cultural and philosophical study of other species
She has also developed a particular fascination with music, a form of expression her species does not naturally perceive. What others experience as sound, she interprets through vibration, pattern, and energy translation, finding meaning in something entirely outside her native senses.
Personality
[edit]Pleione is patient, reflective, and often speaks from a perspective that encompasses vast spans of time. She does not rush to judgment and rarely reacts impulsively, preferring to observe and understand before acting.
Despite this, she is not detached. Her continued involvement with the Citadel reflects a deliberate choice to engage with the present, rather than simply observe it.
Reputation
[edit]Among the Citadel, Pleione is regarded as one of its foundational figures, a being whose presence alone carries authority. Her counsel is sought in matters that extend beyond immediate concerns, particularly those involving long-term consequences or unfamiliar phenomena.
Among those who encounter her for the first time, she is often difficult to comprehend.
Legacy
[edit]Pleione represents continuity on a scale few can grasp. She is not merely a survivor of centuries, but a participant in events that shaped the structure of interstellar cooperation itself. Whether her people truly remember a previous universe or not, she embodies a sense of duration that challenges ordinary understanding.
She does not measure time as others do.
She measures what endures.