A White Prophet is a White who possesses prophetic abilities, especially prophetic dreams.
Description[]
White Prophets can be identified by their White characteristics, including pale skin and hair and slow growth, as well as by their prophetic dreams. A White Prophet has vivid dreams and is able to distinguish between those that are ordinary and those that are prophetic. They are additionally able to identify which prophetic dreams are more likely to occur.
White Prophets also experience waking prophetic abilities, especially at moments that may be considered an important crossroads of sorts. They are able to consider their potential actions and foresee the long-term consequences of each decision. This vision of many futures, and the one the believe to take, is referred to as the True path.
A White Prophet may identify a Catalyst, a person whom they believe to be essential to fulfilling their prophecies and changing the world. A catalyst is their tool which they can use to powerfully shape the futures they envisage. In turn, the catalyst makes the White Prophet who they are.
A White Prophet undergoes changes in their physical appearance over the course of their lives. They experience a flu-like illness at irregular intervals, which causes them to be bedridden and feverish. Then, snake-like, they shed a layer of skin. The skin revealed underneath is typically darker each time this illness is experienced; a White Prophet is expected to darken from white, to golden, to nut-brown, to coal black over the course of their lives. However, this does not always occur. An episode of illness may results in new skin that is paler rather than darker. These changes appear to be linked in some way with their prophecies, although the nature and extent of the association is unclear.
The Race of White Prophets[]
It is believed that there is a trace amount of white prophet lineage in certain people. The lineage will not often manifest itself, and people will be unaware of this matter. However, once in a while, very rarely, two people with such a lineage will produce an offspring who shows strongly the characteristics of a white prophet. It is said there is a White Prophet for a generation, suggesting that someone born this way occurs once every few decades.
White Prophets grow slowly, gestating for longer than usual, and developing physically at a rate much slower. This can lead to parents who do not know about white prophets to discard the child. The people of Clerres send out Servants to places they believe that might contain a young White Prophet to encourage them to visit Clerres and learn about their ability. Some parents, such as those of The Fool, are aware of Clerres and the white prophets, and by their own volition bring the child to Clerres.
The people of Clerres have attempted to artificially create white prophets. They do this by taking white prophets, or their family, or anyone who shows characteristics of a white prophet, and interbreeding them. In this way, they are able to produce many more people with prophetic ability that would naturally occur. This comes at the cost that inbreeding brings, which can result in deformity both physically and mentally.
During the time the books take place, Clerres in intent on controlling all sources of White Prophet. With their artificially inflated number of White Prophet-like people, they are able to record a large amount of possible futures and control the future through fore-knowledge of events. They aim to find any wild-born White Prophets by analysing their record of prophetic dreams to know where they might be born, and how to best bring them back to Clerres.
Clerres uses their vast collection of prophecies for self-benefit, seeking to enrich the lives of the upper echelons of the Servants as their primary goal.
Known White Prophets[]
- Hoquin
- Prilkop
- The Fool
- Bee Farseer