"Is that Longneck's crystal? Can I see it? I want to know why he buried himself." -Sentry Angel
Idea Sephirah (similarly referred to as Idea Sephiroth, Crystal, Water, Pure Water, and occasionally as Baroque) is a concept that appears regularly in the Baroque series. It is an elusive topic as many terms are used to express it indirectly while none of them are ever outright explained. The different names used are both nouns and adjectives, further adding to the confusion over the concept.
History and Description[]
Around the 2020s a new type of lifeform was discovered, which ushered in the discovery of God. These 'lifeforms' were actually God's sensory organs (also known as Consciousness Orbs) and their observation lead to recognising the information comprising the world along with the distortion of it. This data, when reduced to its purest form, became known as Idea Sephirah.
Until the Dabar Fusion, only God could purify corrupt data. Post-Fusion; the protagonist's voice was exchanged for God's purification ability however, unlike God, he must physically destroy something by his hands to reduce it into an Idea Sephirah. This ability to create Idea Sephirah can be produced artificially as each of the protagonist clones have it.
The data contained within an Idea Sephirah includes its origin's ideals, hopes, dreams, emotions, memories, etc. and can influence other Idea Sephirah in close proximity (such as Longneck's effecting Sentry Angel). They can be 'read' indepth by the Baroquemonger and, due to Sentry Angel and Coffin Man, it's heavily implied that anyone can understand or re-experience the most prominant feeling of the origin by looking at it. Idea Sephirah can also be augumented into weaponry such as the Crystal Sword.
Idea Sephirah are pearl-like (or full-moon-like) glowing orbs that levitate if observed in the inventory or dropped on the floor in-game. Meta-Beings have a chance of dropping Idea Sephirah when purified however the majority only drop ragged-looking pink and red ovoids that levitate. These ovoids are called Crystals by Coffin Man and can be consumed to restore VT, though pure Crystals cannot be consumed.
An Idea Sephirah's state seems to be directly proportional to the amount of distortion the origin has. As distortion progresses and a person becomes a Meta-Being, there's a high chance that person's Idea Sephirah will 'wither' and become jagged.
Baroque, History, and Idea Sephirah relation[]
"Baroque:
Distorted delusions.
In this land of devastation.
don't let go of your illusions.
should you hope
to survive. hold Baroque inside." -Excerpt from the SS intro
A Baroque is a delusion, and is considered by God as distortion. They can be self-induced, and typically are on a daily basis in order to cope with life's hardships. As delusion is distortion, it can grow out of the person's control, causing them to become incredibly hostile towards the world around them. Also coming into contact with a Consciousness Orb drives humans mad, in other words, distorts them the same way as delusions do.
Due to murders surrounding distorted civilians, the public began using Baroque as a term to describe those overtaken by delusion. Baroque cases continued to climb as distortion progressed worldwide. It was when Archangel ordered for the extraction of God's ability to feel pain that people who had gone Baroque became grotesque creatures, based on Archangel's personalised Tarot deck, called Meta-Beings. As the public was terrorised by Meta-Beings, more people retreated into delusions and went Baroque, leading to more Meta-Beings.
Baroque as delusion and distortion could also mean or imply a 'cycle'; delusion creates distortion which creates more delusion. The Twelfth Koriel has a delusion that his brother was sacrificed so that he could live, meaning when he fuses with God he goes completely Baroque. He then recreates the current world perfectly except he takes his twin's place instead, who also feels the exact same survivor's guilt and will do the same.
Since Idea Sephirah is pure data, and requires either God or the protagonist to create, Baroque as sickness could be considered the opposite or antagonist of Idea Sephirah.
The term Baroque also seems interchangeable with 'epithet'. In the PS2 game, Baroque is used by the Baroquemonger to indicate the protagonist's achievements. It could be thought of as a summary or label for the Idea Sephirah, e.g. calling Littles 'Pain'. Baroques (as epithets) can be bestowed to other origins as the Baroquemonger often does so to the protagonist. Whether or not only one Baroque can be bestowed per origin is unknown as whether or not the protagonist is the same each time is questionable.
Baroque could also mean the information contained by Idea Sephirah; Baroquemonger reads out a fragmented story of dense emotions, strong thoughts, and memories from those given to him.
The various names simplified[]
Idea Sephirah - A crystalised base state; pure data
Idea Sephiroth - An alternate spelling of Idea Sephirah
Crystal - Data reduced to it's purest form; a physical object
Water - The data that comprises the world
Pure Water - The data that is not distorted; used to indicate the Protagonist's Crystal
Baroque - Delusions; describes a person overtaken by their delusions; epithets; data