Savant

‘Ah, but note that this character is inverted, which changes the meaning significantly. Yes, the inscription is most certainly not a warning, but a threat.’

— Arch-Lexographer Gebis Shoal

Savants are experts and scholars in a broad range of fields and though many Savants specialise in particular areas, they are all widely versed. This combination of broad and specific knowledge allows Savants to draw connections and reach conclusions that would elude others. Such unique insights are the hallmark of the Savant.

The Imperium tightly controls knowledge, and so true Savants are exceedingly rare. What truly sets a Savant apart is not the possession of knowledge, but the desire for it, and the understanding of how to obtain it. The very act of edification is shunned across the Imperium, and even most scholars and so-called learned folk do little more than memorise facts and data. Savants go further; they see the way disparate facts fit together. They recognize the limits of their own knowledge, and know when and how to expand those limits.

There is no single method by which Savants expand their minds. Some teach themselves, perhaps left to their own devices with their noble family’s libraries, perhaps neurally augmented to fulfil some specific function, or perhaps their curiosity was awakened by some singular event. The most successful Savants further their understanding in any way they can, plunging through data-crypts, perusing works of literature and philosophy, and listening to the harrowing stories of those with any experience beyond the Imperial norm.

Knowledge is power in the Imperium. Allies look to a Savant’s guidance to know where and how best to apply their own particular abilities. Differentiating friend from foe can be a great challenge in itself, and a crucial one when navigating the halls of power in the Askellon Sector. When a Savant doesn’t have the answers to a vital question, they know — or can deduce — where the necessary information lies, though taking possession of the knowledge often requires a quite different set of skills.