Meera

**Meera** is a character in Adastra and its sequel Khemia. She is a historical figure known for sacrificing herself for the sake of the Adastran Empire, though the truth of her story seems to be somewhat more complex.

## Appearance

Meera is a slender tiger with a white face and stomach and orange fur with black stripes everywhere else. She has yellow eyes with green pupils and a single three-pointed black marking just between her eyebrows. Meera wears a red and gold sari with her face partially hooded and a baggy green shawl with a teal trim. Finally, she has a golden necklace resembling flower petals. According to Scipio, she has a deep voice.

## Personality

Historically, Meera was said to have possessed a passionate and deep love for Drusus. She was a selfless woman who was willing to sacrifice herself for the good of Adastra and the Galaxias at large.

The Meera seen in Adastra is somewhat more jaded, feeling bitter toward her forced obligations and discouraged by what she perceives as manipulation on the part of The Parents.

## Story

### Meera and Drusus

Ten thousand years before the events of Adastra, Meera was a Hindo sibling who ended up traveling to Adastra. At the time Adastra had long since rejected their Parents, causing the empire to suffer and languish while cut from the other Sibling species. The emperor at the time, Drusus, hoped to reestablish contact with Adastra's Parents and eventually the rest of the Galaxias. However, the other Siblings were reluctant to reaccept the volatile Wolven empire.

Eventually, Drusus and Meera encountered one another while working as diplomats for their respective civilizations. Over time, the two fell deeply in love with one another. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the couple when Meera suddenly fell ill with a fatal disease. Begging The Parents for help, Drusus was offered an ultimatum: save Meera, or restore Adastra and guarantee its prosperity for the next ten thousand years.

Unable to bring himself to sacrifice his lover, Drusus chose to save Meera. Before he could make his choice however, Meera took agency into her own hands and took her own life. Meera's self-sacrifice forced Drusus to take The Parents offer, thus saving the empire and reintegrating the wolves into the Galaxias.

The story of Meera and Drusus would be passed on throughout Adastran history, inspiring songs, poems, and other tributes to the pair's love and sacrifice. As such, Meera became revered for her role in bringing Adastra to its current glory.

### Adastra

Depending on the choices Marco makes throughout Adastra's story, he may encounter Meera herself near the end of the story. Should Marco favor more pessimistic options when The Monitor asks him for his opinions, he will express a more doubtful outlook toward The Parents' plans for him and Amicus. As such, instead of receiving a vision of his future with Amicus, Marco will meet Meera.

Meera greets Marco, referring to him as her successor and replacement in completing the requests of The Parents that she could not complete. She explains to the human that they must keep their conversation brief, as they may not have much time. During the scene, Meera asks Marco a series of questions about his feelings on The Parents themselves and his views on sapience and life. In doing so, she points out that The Parents strip their pawns of their agency despite claiming to value life above all else and derides Drusus for his lack of self-awareness. Meera also notes that The Parents used both her and Marco to manipulate their loved ones, all while claiming benevolence.

Meera then explains that she has kept herself divorced from the amalgamation due to The Parents' hypocrisy and lies, implying that they eventually wish to control the thoughts and actions of the Galaxias as a whole. She also points out several points throughout the story in which the actions of the cast seem to have been manipulated to end in Marco's death rather than a more peaceful resolution.

Afterward, Meera fades away and transitions into the voice of The Other, who promises that Marco and Amicus will eventually meet oblivion and suffer together. It is left uncertain whether the Meera Marco encountered was truly her or simply a simulation made by The Other to play off Marco's subconscious fears. According to the Monitor, the true Meera rests happily in the Amalgamation alongside Drusus, though Marco exhibits doubt toward this idea.

### Khemia

Meera, or at least The Other's simulation of her, appears once again during the events of Khemia. After Scipio tries papywei for the first time, Meera appears to him following his "lucid dream" recounting his life and repressed desire to destroy the districts of the people who besieged his university during the riots following Cato's takeover of the Adastran Empire. Meera mocks Scipio for his intrusive thoughts before encouraging him to guess her identity.

Meera then recounts her meeting with Marco during the events of Adastra before offering Scipio guidance independent of The Parents or the amalgamation due to his fears toward them. She explains that she is an entity who operates independently of The Parents and promises to appear to him later in order to offer provide guidance, this meeting serving only as an introduction.

## Relationships

### Scipio

Meera appears to Scipio as he is in the midst of his doubts toward The Parents and their plans. She reassures him that The Parents are flawed beings as well and tells him that she shares his doubts and has refused to merge with the amalgamation. She promises to offer him guidance on his path and appear to him on later occasions.

### Marco

Meera notes that Marco is both her successor and replacement due to their identical roles in dying in order to force their lovers to submit to The Parents' will. In their conversation, Meera brings up how The Parents tend to use the life they claim to cherish as pawns to force their plans into motion, including intimidation and manipulation. While it is uncertain whether Marco met the real Meera, she primarily tries to instill within him a sense of doubt toward The Parents and dread toward the future.

### Drusus

Drusus was Meera's lover, and according to the Adastran version of the story the two shared a passionate romantic relationship. When Marco meets Meera, she notes that he lacked self-awareness, likely referring to how he allowed The Parents to use him.

### The Parents and The Other

Meera appears to resent The Parents heavily, expressing distaste for their hypocrisy and manipulation. This extends to the point that she refused to merge with the amalgamation, viewing it as an attack on life's individual identities. According to the Monitor however, the Meera seen within the story is simply a false vision created by The Other, while the real Meera rests peacefully alongside Drusus as part of the amalgamation.

Assuming that the Meera seen in Adastra is the real one however, it seems she speaks on behalf of The Other to some extent. It is possible that she is The Other's equivalent to a Monitor, as she converses with sapients and attempts to instill them with doubt toward The Parents.

## Trivia

* Meera is the only character in Adastra who the player is not guaranteed to meet, as her appearance is tied to the player's answers to choices from throughout the game.

## Gallery

Meera and Drusus depicted on a tablet in the background of a promo for Adastra's fifteenth build.A statue of Meera alongside the rest of the cast of Adastra in a promo for the fourth build of Interea.