SAINTS AND SINNERS | A species Book

- SERTKYN A'METKA -

Sertkyn A'Metka;
[ sér - t - kin , Ah' - met - cá ] ; noun;
Meaning:
- forsaken mark of god

Also referred to as:
- "Blessed Remembrances"
( by A'Sozdat + Fallen Saints )
or
- "Mark of Martyrs"
- "Martyr's Mark"
- "The Price of Sainthood"
- "Memory Marks"
- "Cursed Marks"
- "The Forsaken Mark"
( all by First Saints )

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       "After the Agí'svy ( Saints ) would ascend onto the plane of Locai'Zpel ( Land of Golden Obsidian ) and would meet with the Creator Goddess, after they had their Sainthood's bestowed upon them— they found that their very skin began to burn with a pain unfelt before.

       It was described as overwhelming searing sensation, like thin liquid eating away at raw flesh. Their groans and wails of pain would always subside shortly thereafter, but not without leaving something behind on the otherwise normal looking flesh: abstract marks that in some cases resembled the licks of flames.

       These markings were called Blessed Remembrances by the Goddess, with each one holding a particular memory of the Saint it belonged to. The Saints were bestowed with these markings along their skin; such details like mark color, shape, and placement tended to vary by the Saint, usually coinciding with something from the Saint's prima veyda ( First Life ) or Sainthood.

       While the marks were said to be permanent, the possessing Saint was given the ability to have them become visible and invisible at will. When visible, if the markings were touched by anyone or the Saint that possessed them, an emotional response that coincided with that particular memory of the Saint was elicited to the person who had come into contact with the marks. In extreme cases, depending on the memory, or perhaps even the weight that the Saint applied to the memory, visual flashes could accompany the emotional response as well.

       There was a catch— there always was with the Goddess. Each mark held a specific and particularly harsh or emotionally charged memory of the Saint that possessed it. The Goddess assured them that it was to ensure that they wouldn't forget why they were chosen to ascend. It was meant to be a symbol of hope— engraving the Saints with their most painful memories to convey how it had been the very thing that qualified them for their Sainthood. In other words, reaffirming that their suffering had been ultimately rewarded by the Goddess.

       Of course, when the First Saints discovered that A'Sozdat never actually chosen them, but rather, had orchestrated their First Lives for the sake of "breaking them in" and making them loyal to only her, the markings gained a new meaning. It was the only way the Goddess could still punish the Saints, even if they'd broken away from her.

       And so, the name Sertkyn A'Metka, ancient Agí'svy for "forsaken mark of God", was adopted by the First Saints.

       While they found that they couldn't rid themselves of the markings regardless of what methods they attempted, they realized they could adopt new markings. At first, the Forsaken Marks were only a select few memories from each Saint's First Life, but as they continued their existence, they would get one each time something truly and deeply harsh or emotionally charged would occur— it happened against their will. With more time, the Saints figured out a way to bestow markings upon themselves, using this new skill to give themselves markings that would tie to more pleasant memories as though they could even out the drawings of suffering on their skin.

       To this day, all Saints both First and Fallen possess the Forsaken Marks. It is usual to keep them invisible at all times, never revealing their memories to those who have yet to gain their upmost trust, and even then, it isn't common to show them to those who do for the sake of keeping them from the pain they carry there upon their flesh."

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