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Seaborn
- SCN: 恐鱼
- TCN: 恐魚
- JP:
恐 魚 - KR: 시테러
| “ | Non-human lifeforms born of the ocean, initiators of the Profound Silence. They have a very short evolutionary cycle to deal with hostile creatures and the environment. To this day, they continue to threaten Ægir and the coasts of Iberia. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Mizuki & Caerula Arbor |
The Seaborn (singular and plural) are a race in the world of Arknights.
Overview[edit]
The Seaborn are hyper-adaptive aquatic creatures hailing from the abyss of Terra's oceans. They evolve incredibly fast and possess the ability to mutate their own somatic cells without relying on generational heredity. Unlike the Aegir race who also inhabit the oceans, the Seaborn possess a hive mind (more like collective consciousness) called the Many (We Many in their perspective) that they sometimes use to refer to their race as a whole, thus giving them a collective ultimate goal: the survival of their own kin. Even then, sophisticated Seaborn may have partial individuality, allowing them to sever themselves from the Many. Because of their strong adaptivity, they are constantly absorbing new information from the Terrans and use it to further their evolutionary progress. The Seaborn, specifically the Many, are notably worshipped by the cultists of the Church of the Deep as they see it as a utopian goal that could end Terra's never-ending turmoil.
Classification[edit]
Based on observations by both Iberian and Aegirian scholars, here are different classifications of the Seaborn with a wide variety of body types, ranging from the lowest Nethersea Brand to more sophisticated Seaborn. These names are sometimes interchangeable when referring to these aquatic beings. Despite their physical and biological differences, all Seaborn are treated as equal under the hivemind, and there have never been observed fighting one another for food.
- Nethersea Brand: These are moss-like colonies formed by microscopic Seaborn cells having one goal: acting as culture dishes and providing nourishment for their kin. The Nethersea Brand can grow rapidly and cover entire towns if left unchecked, hence being the toughest being to various Seaborn fighters.
- Sea Terror: They are Seaborns ranging from sessile, plantlike, cephalopodic, quadrupedal, to even airborne that behave like ordinary animals. Iberians usually use this name as an umbrella term to all kinds of Seaborn
- Sea Monster: As the name suggest, the name refers to monstrous beings that usually possesses gigantic stature and lack both human sentience and animal instinct.
- Seaborn: Rather than being an umbrella term to refers to all kinds of sea monsters, this name is specifically referring to individuals developing human-like intelligence and consciousness who are responsible for spreading new knowledge to their kin. At this stage, it is hard to define whether they are humans or sea monsters. Terrans with Seaborn mixture are also categorized as a true "Seaborn."
Behavior[edit]
Due to being linked with the Many, the Seaborn lack the ability to comprehend individualistic concepts such as art, morality, and emotion. In their point of view, gaining individual traits means betraying the Many, and those individualistic Seaborn see this as depriving their own expression even though they try hard to teach them.[1] This also leads to their incapability of telling lies. If being asked, they will express confusion at many concepts such as dishonesty and hatred.[2] Additionally, they are extremely pliable and will act on suggestions without much consideration. In order to protect their kin, they can reduce their bodies to a mass of proteins when being captured, making it nearly impossible to study a living specimen in a research setting.[3] They are even willing to conduct cannibalism amongst themselves simply in the name of "nourishing" their kin.
As the Seaborn's most outstanding trait, their assimilation ability allows them to incorporate other creatures into their ranks. The process begins the moment the Seaborn consume others or the other way round. Their assimilation may also be a slow one which can alter someone physically over due time. Such is common among those who take in Seaborn body parts, whether flesh or tiny cells, and the more being consumed, the greater the alter will be, ranging from partially assimilated (Alfonso), to a full one (Garcia). Retaining human conscience is possible, but it becomes a harder achievement if one almost resembles a true Seaborn. As the Seaborn value unification and assimilation, they can form transactional symbiotic relationships with human communities, as seen in Sal Viento, where they trade food for new members of their horde, and the cultists of the Church in which they provide "sacrifices" for them.
The Seaborn's assimilation process could pose an urgent threat if left unchecked. In order to ensure their own survival, they are not hesitant to devour the whole world through apocalyptic disasters such as sending a world-wide catastrophic tsunami.[4] By the time every creature is assimilated into the Many, they will shift their target onto other planets by departing from their homeland, hence searching for a new habitat and their next victim across the universe.[5]
Seaborn blood can resist the influence of Originium. This is because the ocean lacks said mineral and such influence can be overcome by the Many, especially when one is closer to the ocean that awakes it.[6] As a matter of fact, most Seaborn hybrids are either immune to Oripathy or can suppress their illness even if they become Infected.
Relationship with humans[edit]
Forgotten by both the current generation of Terra's civilization and the Seaborn themselves, the Seaborn were originally biological terraforming devices created by the super-advanced spacefaring "Predecessors" that was meant to re-nourish the planet. Their abilities included – surprisingly – removing Originium from the planet and turning the barrenlands into fertile grounds via their nutritious biochemicals.[7] However, the project was ultimately thwarted due to the "disaster" from the sky that wiped out the prior civilization.[8] Their artificial origin is further proven by numerous underwater ancient ruins that were formerly Seaborn creation laboratories.
Originally, the Seaborn had no antagonism against mankind, to a point that even ancient Iberians managed to make jewelry out of their body parts despite not knowing their nature.[9] In fact, Iberia's encounter with the Seaborn date as early as centuries ago when they started to appear in the coastlines. Their strange shapes and eldritch nature evoked the Iberians' imagination, hence drawing their interest.[10]
The modern Seaborn crisis only began around the nineth Terran century when the Seaborn was awoken by Mártus the Aegirian sage, the spiritual leader of the Church of the Deep who uncovered the source of the Seaborn, received revelation regarding them, and quietly introducing them into Aegiran cities to begin the assimilation process.[11] In the beginning, Aegir did not pay attention to the Seaborn but treated them as mere invasive "kelp-farm pests." But within a few months, these early Seaborn evolved drastically and became a hazard to the Aegirian defense. The sudden appearance of the Seaborn forced the Aegirians to reevaluate their strategies by identifying them as a whole new marine species who are on par with humans.[12] As the Seaborn expanded their territories upon Aegir settlements, many Aegirian refugees were forced to flee on land, but along with them came with the followers of the Deep who sought to assimilate the land-dwellers into the Seaborn's hivemind.
A few years before the Profound Silence of 1038, the Seaborn's activities became more prominent on land, but many Iberians did not realize their danger. Iberian collectors were still fascinated over ornaments made of Seaborn parts; children near the coastlines had the habit of treating Seaborn as toys; even the King of Iberia sought to capture a five-meter-long Seaborn to sculpt it into a huge fountain in front of his palace. Even though many Aegirian sages sternly warned the Iberian royal house of the Seaborn's danger, the King of Iberia was more fascinated over the legends of the Church of the Deep.[10] Consequently, the Iberians' neglection over the Seaborn led to the destructive tsunamis of the Profound Silence that wiped out their palace and half of their land, and Aegir's communication with the land was abruptly severed due to Seaborn infestation. In the present days, the Iberian Inquisition stubbornly refuses to reveal the existence of the Seaborn to Terra's land-dwellers, as they see themselves as the land's final frontline against those monsters.
In an effort of retaliation, Aegir has experimented on several different methods to eliminate the Many. This lead to the creation of the Abyssal Hunters, a band of Aegir-Seaborn hybrid supersoldiers. But, because they are infused with Seaborn blood, all Abyssal Hunters are viewed as brothers and sisters by the Seaborn, who harbor no ill will towards them. However, less intelligent Seaborn mistake the Hunters' bodies as prisons for their kin, thus attacking them with hostility in an attempt to free the blood within and nourish their kin.[2]
Leviathan[edit]
- Main article: Leviathan
Notable[edit]
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Additional information:
- Gladiia, Skadi, Specter, and Ulpianus are not "true" Seaborn, but Aegir-Seaborn hybrids created by Aegir as part of the Abyssal Hunters project.
- Skadi the Corrupting Heart is an alternate timeline version of Skadi where her Seaborn blood has overtaken her and caused her to assimilate into the Many.
- Specter the Unchained remains an Aegir-Seaborn hybrid, but she has resisted her insanity caused by her Oripathy through her Seaborn blood.
- Deepcolor, Mizuki, and Highmore are Aegir-Seaborn hybrids created by the Church of the Deep with their traits inclining towards their Seaborn side.
- In Mizuki's case, his biological traits have entirely become that of a true Seaborn, even if his appearance and much of his mentality are of a human's.[13]
- Highmore almost became a true Seaborn before Mizuki brought her back to normal.
- Mártus, the founder and leader of the Church of the Deep, is the first and only Aegir-Seaborn hybrid who fully retained his human consciousness.
- The Church's bishops which includes Aulus, Amaia, Cicero, and Quintus have been yearning to follow Mártus' footsteps; Amaia and Quintus, however, had lost their human consciousness after becoming a Seaborn.
- Alfonso is partially a Forte and a Seaborn.
- The Last Knight was initially a Kuranta.
- Hyman was initially a Sarkaz.
Enemies[edit]
- Main article: Sea Monster
Gallery[edit]
A partially humanoid Seaborn
Trivia[edit]
- The Sea Terrors are named "Terror Fish" in the original Chinese text, which means "terrible fish" (somewhat synonymous to dinosaur, meaning "terrible lizard") in Greek. Regardless, both terms are fitting with relation to their appearance.
- The Seaborn hivemind is called "the Swarm" in the original Chinese text. On the other hand, the English localization calls them "We Many," which is a reference to the Legion in the Bible, specifically Mark 5:9 (My name is Legion, for we are many.).
- The official English localization sometimes uses the plural form "Seaborns", however this is technically gramatically incorrect, as their name is a noun formed from an adjective. The Arknights Terra Wiki will use the plural form "Seaborn" unless when displaying actual in-game text.
References[edit]
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