Carceri

The basics of Deceit
The Paranoia of the masses
The perfection of stagnation
The perfection of treason

The basics of Deceit

Department of Humanities
Psychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief Engineer
Subject: Carcerian success

Psst! Want to know how to get ahead in life, cutter? Then come closer and tumble to the dark and lann this chant. First, keep you friends close and you enemies closer. Second, realize everyone's a potential enemy. See that? I could have easily slipped this dagger between your ribs. You have to learn when close is close enough. Keep your distance without appearing to do so.
Once you've learned that, you must learn how to mask strength with meekness. This requires a bit of skill. You must know when to hold your tongue, learn to obey those "stronger' than you. Place yourself in their good graces, even if you must incur some abuse. It is all an act anyway.
If you've done you job well enough, you'll have them trusting you enough for your ultimate goal. Just when they need you the most, you strike a deal with an enemy of your victim. Let them think you are their willing servant while you carefully place your dagger in their throat. Help them acquire wealth and power so you can take it.
It is a fool who builds his house on a mountainside strewn with loose gravel. When your victim sees his house sliding from its lofty perch, you have done well. Savor the look on his face; this is what you've endured all the abuse and resignation to a lowly position for.
Beware; when you rise to power, your servants will be attempting the same as you once did. If you don't curb their appetites for power, you'll need to kill them. Do not let yourself be fooled by their seemingly sense of invaulability, it's the same tricks you used to get where you are. Only you are invaluable.

Dorjan Konstanzius, Shaper 3.

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The paranoia of the masses

Department of Humanities
Psychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief Engineer
Subject: Unfounded defenses.

Treachery and betrayal breeds fear. For most of us, we have betrayed or have been betrayed by someone close. We have learned to mistrust strangers because of our fear. In turn, we have slowly grown to fear those we do not know and mistrust what we cannot know and fail to understand.
Undoubtedly, this is a trapping of mortality. We developed our fears and nursed them into a form of mental and spiritual defenses of sorts. Some would say this is healthy because it allows us to stay away from potentially damaging situations. The psyche can only handle so much before it is irreversibly scarred.
But what do we found these defenses on? For those of you who don't actively study the subject of psychology, you may not be aware of the way the mind works. For most, the mind categorizes everything by stereotypes. Even if you don't think of doing it, your first impressions are the foundations of what stereotypes you cling to.
While growing up, you learn whatever your elders teach and you mimic their actions. These become the basis of your culture and the mindset you will usually grow into barring any mental trauma. You learn what is a cultural taboo and based on that, you stereotype anyone outside the cultural norm as a deviant. The seeds of fear are thus planted.
Keep in mind that these people are still strangers to you. You will be cautious when dealing with them, but you won't automatically become overly defensive unless they do something to place you in such a state of mind. If you find common bonds, you may develop some form of relationship with the person. Should you be betrayed by that person, you would subconsciously build a negative stereotype based on their behavior and social deviancies. You would then nurse that fear of being betrayed into an unfounded defense because of one individual. Forewarned is forearmed, after all.
Now imagine everyone stuck perpetually behind a shield of such defenses. The problem is that they fear everyone is out to hurt them. So, naturally - by their reckoning - they have to stop them before they get the chance. This is the mindset of Carcerians.
Mind you, some of the residents of Othrys may have been able to break the chains of their making to end the vicious downward spiral of self-hatred and betrayal. But sadly, the Styx washed away any traces so remaining. Maybe some of them know something's missing that they need to know in order to break out. If so, they're self-hatred must be high. Fear of someone exploiting their lack of knowledge undoubtedly fuels their paranoia.
In addition, Carcerians are the epitome of paranoia. The collective fears of the Primes only add to the fear of betrayal. The plane itself is obliged to carry out the betrayal of the multiverse on everyone stuck here or just passing through. Does the plane fear giving up secrets? If so, that would give a partial explanation as to why it's so hard to leave. Then again, who knows how great a plane's animosity towards itself and what it has been reduced to could have done to it.
I'm left to wonder if it's possible that Carceri is an exile amongst the planes. Could it be that the rumored seventh layer exists and the plane is ashamed to admit it exists even to itself? If so, then the paranoia infection Carcerians truly runs deep into the heart of the plane; deep into the empty regions of Carceri's bitterly empty center.

Dorjan Konstanzius, Shaper 3.

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The perfection of Stagnation

Department of Humanities
Psychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief Engineer
Subject: Simmering the stew.

What it must be like to be forced to sit and do nothing. Not because you have nothing to do, but because you've been limited in what you can do. What it must feel like to know you were someone powerful once. It must rankle the spirit to know you were brought low at your height and cast into the Red Prison without so much as an acknowledgement of your achievements.
This is the spiritual and mental stagnation of the unfortunate residents of the Red Prison. The backbiting and machinations of the contorted politics of the plane only deepens this mood. These bloods were the top of their fields before succumbing to their jailors. They weren't as strong as they thought. And now, they must contend with each other.
To be an equal, none the stronger. Can't you just feel the tension? Knives flash as frequently as smiles. Whether this is to cut through all the screed or to satisfy the lust of power, the Carcerians won't say. If you loose, but survive, go home and lick your wounds for the night and venture forth tomorrow.
What if the injuries are a little more sever? Don't make me laugh; no self-respecting Carcerian - if any can truly be called that - would miss a day of the machinations of their slice of orb. And who's to say that day won't be in a few minutes? Knowing only the art of betrayal, the Carcerians would rather commit suicide than miss out on any possible power gain.
Power is everything. Hate yourself and curse your very existence for failing. Then curse yourself again for failing to maximize a situation in your favor. Success is never total here. Even the best laid plans falter.

Dorjan Konstanzius, Shaper 3.

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The perfection of treason

Department of Humanities
Psychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief Engineer
Subject: Twisting the knife.

It's one thing to know where a nation's knives are kept. But, how you use that knowledge, or the knives themselves, is another matter. Treason is nothing short of betraying your government. But in a broader scope, treason is the betrayal of your own kind, whether that is culturally, racially, or by species.
The prisoners who've been jailed here for their form of betrayal have sold themselves to the highest power to gain the power of the one they currently serve. These treasonous sods would send their mothers down the Styx if offered the right price. Envy of another's perceived strength motivates these beings to seek out their help.
Treasonous sods trapped in Carceri didn't fight against a tyrannous government to free its citizenry. No, doing for anyone is an affront to these cruel beings. What these beings are truly guilty of are being leeches on the powers that be. They walk the shadows and select the machinations to siphon strength from.
They fancy themselves to be spies or the true power behind the throne. Their proffered advice and information is used by rulers and promptly denied. The treasonous beings don't care. Why should they? They're busy searching for a new and more powerful being to attach themselves to.
The thing you must do is play both sides against the middle. After all, why should you anger someone who may become the top cutter? The trick is to leave your former host with the assumption that you had no choice in the matter. Or, better yet: leave them believing you're lost. That way, when you switch sides and find yourself coupled with them again, you can concoct a story of how you had to "lay low," or how you were trapped. As long as they believe you, who cares if it's true or not?

Dorjan Konstanzius, Shaper 3.

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