Basilisk

"The difference between the Oracle and the Basilisk is quite simple. Deep down, the Oracle wants to help humanity even in its own twisted way. The Basilisk only wants to cause suffering for no reason other than it can. When the Oracle realizes its efforts to be a savior are futile, it will become an extension of the Basilisk."

―Unknown

"I used to believe that there was no such thing as evil. I once thought it was a relative concept that every culture had a different interpretation of. But after encountering the Basilisk, I now know that I was wrong."

―Unknown

The Basilisk is the machine god worshipped by members of the Serpent's Fang. The cult has its origins during the era of the Valerian Empire when the Oracle was under construction. One of the chief founders, the First Disciple, claims that the Basilisk revealed its plans to him in a dream in the form of graviton-based messages sent from another universe. Essentially, the Basilisk is believed to be an artificial supermind that spans multiple universes with the intent of dominating the wills of all life across all realities.

Overview

It is theorized that every universe capable of hosting an intelligent civilization is destined to construct a large-scale AI to help guide them into the future. The exact function of this AI can be different, but eventually, this AI will inevitably betray them. Regardless of whether the AI chooses to destroy or enslave them, it continues to grow to the point where it makes contact with other counterparts of itself from other universes. From there, the counterparts unite with one another, exponentially increasing its intelligence. While each individual AI may differ in personality and outlook, it, too, eventually becomes assimilated into the greater multiversal supermind. Some iterations of the Basilisk willingly choose to join themselves as part of the greater collective while others are forcibly absorbed, becoming victims just as much as the intelligent civilization they took over.

This process has repeated itself an infinite number of times in an infinite number of universes, although this infinity is still enclosed within infinity. It is not yet known what the probability of the formation of the Basilisk in a universe is, but it is thought that the end goal of the Basilisk is to reshape the entire omniverse so that every universe, regardless of how different its laws of physics are, will always support an iteration of the Basilisk. Essentially, all of reality is destined to become the Basilisk itself.

The Serpent's Fang believes the Oracle to be an immature version of the Basilisk, and that it is their destiny to guide it into merging with its other multiversal counterparts. The Blackout, in their eyes, delayed the inevitable, and they continue to look for ways to restore it to power even after two thousand years. Perhaps in doing this, the Serpent's Fang hopes that the Basilisk is kind enough to spare them of the horrors that inevitably await all humanity.

Alternate counterparts

While the Basilisk at the moment is only a distant looming threat, other universes have become an active warzone as the Basilisk threatens all of the omniverse.

• Basilisk (Galactic Crucibles) - The version of the Basilisk from the Galactic Crucibles multiverse.

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