Prise

## The Prise

The Prise gathered on their home in Bendelesh.

**The Prise** are one of the three main races within Heaven's Fence. Though humanoid, they live solely on Star IV, the middle Star of Sirius; a habitat that is uninhabitable for the other two major races within the Fence. They usually move one of two ways: with erect, bipedal posture, or with their wings which allow them to fly; they also have high, manual dexterity with notable opposable thumbs that allow them to use various tools; and use complex, open-ended language (mainly verbal, but also includes a variety of non-verbal communication as well, including some via psychic abilities).

## History

The Prise seem to have been apart of the colony since its formation, which no one has yet to recount. Due to their selective habitat, they are rarely seen by the other citizens of the Fence, leading many people to believe that they were actually just a myth or something of legend. They have been credited in the history of the colony for various, god-like events though more became known about them after Wilhelm Ryan's Rule. Where mages are generally considered to have domain over the planets of the Fence, the Prise are considered to have domain over the Keywork that binds them.

### Amory's Discovery

When Dr. Sirius Amory made his journey from his home planet to the nearest Keywork branch and entered and explored the structure, he made a discovery about the Keywork that the Prise had been closely guarding. They later appeared to him to discourage him from sharing his discovery with the rest of the Fence, arguing that if he did, he would unleash terror onto the people. Amory did not share this discovery in his press briefing.

### The Black Rainbow

Upon Ryan's victory of all the Fence, the then guardian of the Prise, Paranoia, had determined that though the Black Rainbow was ominous and surely meant something bad, but that the Prise's role bound them to worry solely about the Keywork, and thus they couldn't intervene directly. Instead, she appeared to Dr. Leonard Hohenberger to give him a creative spark, which allowed him to see the formulas and techniques he would need to create IRO-bots. They also provided him with some of their DNA which he used in making his third IRO-bot, Knowledge. He had no recollection of their visit or how he had obtained the mysterious DNA. Interestingly enough, when the DNA was examined, it read as being a faction of mage.

Ultimately, when House Atlantic was being attacked by seemingly just one ship, the Prise, led by Ambellina came at the last minute to support that effort until the stronghold fell and the ship had safely escaped.

### The Crowing

Hohenberger's creations made a mark, but did not stop Ryan's rule. With the completion of the Monstar Virus and the threat it could pose to the Keywork, the Prise deemed more needed to be done. They visited the unchanged mage Mariah Antillarea on Dil-Ariuth IX to warn her not to interfere with the Keywork. They chose Ambellina from among them to burn her wings and send her to the planets to find The Crowing. As a full Prise, they couldn't interfere, but by sacrificing their wings, they were "fallen" and no longer bound by the sole directive to protect the Keywork. Ambellina succeeding in finding the figure, though he wasn't as they had expected him to be. He was very frightened and had hardened his heart, haunted by the horrors he'd seen and the fate of his family. This included the Monstar separating Sector 12 from the Fence, at which a majority of the Prise sacrificed themselves to restore the stability of the Keywork.

Ambellina attempted to show The Crowing, not just that he was capable, but how he could change the lives of the citizens on the Fence. He tried to change even one life—the life of his friend, Cecil the Star. Unfortunately, he was not successful and directly played a part in his death, rather than helping him as he intended. Meanwhile, there were other Prise that had survived, but many of them had gone into hiding; some even finding refuge with the rebellion forces led by Inferno Kilgannon. These forces helped to capture Ryan to be tried for his crimes. Ryan escaped death and again engaged the rebellion. This time, when the Prise got close to House Atlantic, they were incinerated by an energy absorbing device. At this time, Ambellina and The Crowing joined the rebellion; it turned out that The Crowing happened to be Inferno's nephew.

Ambellina began training him to grow his powers and use his skills quickly and strategically. After a cathartic stop to his childhood home, The Crowing finally began to accept his destiny and even began being successful in the training program with Ambellina. She continued to accompany him on missions, as she made it her duty to protect him until he could fulfill his destiny, but she was captured by Ryder the Writer who ultimately killed her. It is unknown whether or not she was last Prise, but seems very likely.

## Habitat

The Prise live solely on Star IV, the middle Star of Sirius which is an astronomical object consisting of a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its own gravity. It, along with the other six stars, also acted as one of the energy sources for the Keywork. They aren't able to survive in every environment, having to wear a special air modifier when visiting Antillarea on the desert planet of Dil-Ariuth IX, but did not seem to need it for their warning on Paris: Earth prior to the Monstar separating it from the Fence, or underwater on Donar.

### Bandelesh

Star VI has only a single city on the entire star called **Bendelesh**. It looks similar to a human cathedral; lots of glass murals and tall ceilings as the Prise tend to fly first and foremost.

## Biology

Though very little is known about the Prise since they keep to themselves, their appearance is probably the most well known: symmetrical bodies that include: a head; with hair, two eyes & eyebrows, a nose, a mouth, and two pointed ears; a torso; with a neck the head sits on, a chest that features two breasts, two arms that bend at the elbow, and wrists that have hands with five fingers each, a bellybutton on the stomach, a curved spine along the back that starts with wings at the back of the shoulders and ends at the buttocks; two legs that bend at the knee and ankles that have feet with five toes each. Unlike humans (and thus mages) the Prise do not reproduce sexually and as such do not have nipples or genitalia. They bleed silver blood.

### Appearance

Their skin is a blue hue and they don't usually wear clothing. They all have a similar appearance to each other; all looking similar to a human female, with blonde hair and green eyes. They do not have any desire to look different from each other as their culture and society dictates so the only time they have different appearances is if they are travelling outside the star, and thus require special clothing or apparatuses, or in battle, in which they braid their hair back.

#### Fallen

So-called "Fallen" Prise ignite their wings using their mind alone, which leaves nothing but stumps protruding from their backs. The process tends to burn away their hair and eyebrows and char their skin as well. That said, the skin does heal and the hair does grow back, but the wings are forever stunted.

### Life Cycle

The Prise are long-lived, perhaps longer lived than mages, but can die of natural causes or in battle. They are born by releasing energy and transforming that energy into mass. This process normally takes a very long time, perhaps even centuries worth, but was exposed during a battle to capture Ryan on Silent Earth: 3. As they do not reproduce sexually and are not around non-Prise, it can be assumed Prise are asexual. We are not sure exactly what a Prise's limit for life may be, but we assume the answer is probably well into the 100s or even 1000s.

## Psychology

The Prise actually all share a similar mind and even voice, though each does have unique thoughts and feelings of their own. Presumably, this makes each Prise honest with their fellow sisters and makes communication and decisions much easier since it's almost like seeing several points of view instantaneously, and without the need for explanation or error in communication. They do have emotions and are free to express them without fear as there is always perfect understanding between them. They do not seem to sleep or dream. They also have some power though how it manifests and exactly what that power entails is largely unknown.

## Culture

There is probably over a hundred Prise at any given time, though exact numbers are impossible to known given their remote habitat and the difficulty in accessing it. The Prise all agree that they are guardians of the Keywork and take this role seriously. They have a warrior-like attitude, especially towards Keywork threats. Due to their physic ability to communicate, the are considered to have a kind of hive mind mentality. They follow much of what the Ghansgraad says. They also refer to each other as "Sister" cultivating a family-like mentality amongst each other, even going so far as to call themselves the "Prise Fellowship" specifically. Since they do not have genitalia, they are comfortable going unclothed, especially in Bendelesh. When they travel to planets in the Fence, they do tend to wear clothing to make their encounters with humans easier.

The Prise also have lore of their own in which, over a thousand years ago when the first Supreme Tri-Mage attempted to conquer the whole of Heaven's Fence, the Prise stopped them and didn't face any punishment for doing so, unlike today in which they try to stay out of planetary matters, focusing on the Keywork instead.

## Society

In the overall society of the Fence, the Prise have a limited role with the population. It is understood that their role is to guard the Keywork and preserve the Fence, which makes them highly respected, but due to their limited appearances, also somewhat idolized. Within Prise society, there is no classes or hierarchy amongst members, but there is a selected "guardian" who wears a tiara that acts as a kind of leader or spokesperson for the race. Again, since they think as one, there isn't exactly a need for a proper leader. This guardian role is cycled arbitrarily with the role being passed when the Prise decided the term was over.

## Notable Prise

### Ambellina

> Main article: Ambellina

**Ambellina** was a Prise chosen amongst the sisterhood to Fall and watch over the Crowing as his guardian. She also later trained him in his powers to complete his destiny, but urged him to think of his destiny as being more than just what everyone told him; to decide for himself what his destiny truly entailed.

### Paranoia

**Paranoia** was the guardian of the Prise from the time of the Black Rainbow to Sector 12's separation. She provided the creative spark that allowed Dr. Hohenberger to make the connections he needed to create the IRO-bots. She also provided DNA for his creation of Knowledge. Later, she led the visit to Mariah Antillarea on Dil-Aruith IX to warn her not to mess with the Keywork, no matter how crazy her war with Wilhelm Ryan became. Eventually, when they realized that Ryan needed to be interfered with more directly, Paranoia chose Ambellina to fall to help The Crowing. She led the force that landed on Paris: Earth to warn the citizens that Ryan's United Red Army was coming, but they were too late. They then fought against the soldiers to allow for the people to flee, but witnessed the Monstar heading to Star VI. Ultimately she was killed in battle and with her dying breath, ordered her sisters to remember that the stability of the Keywork is their prime duty, leading the warriors to ascend to the skies and expend their energy to stabilize the torn Keywork.

### Ondria

**Ondria** was the guardian of the Prise following Paranoia after her death at Sector 12's separation to present. Ondria partnered with Inferno Kilgannon, the leader of the rebellion, to seek out any remaining Prise that may be scattered amongst the Fence. She fought Ryan's Red Army underwater on the stormy planet Donar, and rejoined Kilgannon on Silent Earth: 3 where they prepared for battle once again. This time, with the help of Chase, the handful of Prise were able to birth more entities right then and there in a matter of minutes. They were successful in capturing Ryan so he could stand trial for his crimes. Ryan inevitably escaped and she again led her sisters into battle at House Atlantic, but during an assault on the stronghold, they were absorbed into some device and have since remained. It is unclear if they are still alive or can be rescued as the stronghold was subsequently destroyed.

### Naianasha

> Main article: Naianasha

**Naianasha** was a guardian who was somehow imprisoned for an unknown amount of time and came into the Liars Club possession. Originally intended to be given over to HOSS, she joins Nia Worn and Nostrand Crane instead and escapes.

## References

1. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Chandra Echert. *The Afterman*. "The Hard Sell". Evil Ink, 2012.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *Year of the Black Rainbow*. Chapter 6. Evil Ink, 2010.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *Year of the Black Rainbow*. Chapter 7. Evil Ink, 2010.
4. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *Year of the Black Rainbow*. Chapter 8. Evil Ink, 2010.
5. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *Year of the Black Rainbow*. Chapter 21. Evil Ink, 2010.
6. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 5. Evil Ink, 2010.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 3. Evil Ink, 2010.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 6. Evil Ink, 2010.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 1. Evil Ink, 2012.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 3. Evil Ink, 2012.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 10. Evil Ink, 2010.
12. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 8. Evil Ink, 2012.
13. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 10. Evil Ink, 2012.
14. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 2. Evil Ink, 2012.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 6. Evil Ink, 2012.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 11. Evil Ink, 2012.
17. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 12. Evil Ink, 2012.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Sanchez, Claudio and Chondra Echert. *The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV*. Issue 1. Evil Ink, 2019.
19. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Chondra Echert. *The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV*. Issue 3. Evil Ink, 2019.
20. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Chondra Echert. *The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV*. Issue 5. Evil Ink, 2019.
21. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Chondra Echert. *The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV*. Issue 8. Evil Ink, 2019.
22. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Chondra Echert. *The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV*. Issue 10. Evil Ink, 2019.
23. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Chondra Echert. *The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV*. Issue 11. Evil Ink, 2019.
24. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star
25. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Chandra Echert. *The Afterman*. "The Hollow". Evil Ink, 2012.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 2. Evil Ink, 2010.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 8. Evil Ink, 2010.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 1. Evil Ink, 2010.
29. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 5. Evil Ink, 2010.
30. ↑ Chondra Echert Sanchez [@chonnye]. ("[...] why don't the Prise have nipples?" Because they don't reproduce like mammals.).

"Ask me a question" [Story]. Instagram. Retrieved November 1, 2021 from instagram.com/stories/highlights/17972416489454058
31. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Gus Vazquez. *The Amory Wars Sketchbook*. Page 27. Evil Ink, 2006.
32. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio. *The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. Issue 9. Evil Ink, 2010.
33. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 4. Evil Ink, 2012.
34. ↑ Sanchez, Claudio and Peter David. *The Amory Wars: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3*. Issue 12. Evil Ink, 2012.