The Index is one of the Five Fingers, the five most powerful Syndicates in the City with enough influence to rival the Wings. Of the Fingers, they stand out for their fatalistic and dogmatic beliefs, centered around following mysterious, seemingly random tasks delivered to them known as the Prescripts.
The Index is one of the factions involved in the war for Nest L, and they appear as guests in Urban Nightmare and Star of the City.
The Index is a Syndicate made out of people who have been "chosen" by the Prescripts:[1] mysterious, seemingly arbitrary orders delivered to them in form of pieces of paper that are given to members of the Syndicate, their subsidiaries, people in their turf, etc. and must be followed unquestionably, said to be omniscient and represent "The will of the City".[2] The tasks given could be as tame as "Deliver a bacon pizza to Danny's doorstep on 8th St. before 10 AM sharp on September 14th", brutal as "If the first person you meet outside today answers your greetings by lifting their right hand, take their heart out; if the person ignores your greetings, remove your own heart from your body"[3], to ambiguous as "Kill the painting you've drawn". Though absurd and sadistic at first glance, each Prescript is issued to benefit the Index in one way or another, although few know who exactly writes them and why, and those who questioned them are almost always dealt with by the Proxies.
Failing to complete a Prescript usually warrants ruthless punishment, though circumstances such as its severity, the penalty, the person in charge to execute it, or even if they should be punished at all is determined by the Prescripts as well.[4] An example of this is seen when Gloria is issued a Prescript to crush the frontal lobe of a painter inhabiting their turf who had failed to complete a Prescript satisfactorily. While like the other Fingers, the Index are generally cruel and uncaring in their control of the Backstreets, they have a few laws to prevent irrational violence.
The Index is organized in several roles, each one of them personally picked and promoted by the Prescripts:
Proselytes
Proselytes are initiate-level members of The Index. They are common followers of the Prescripts who receive — and accept — an offer to become a Proselyte via a Prescript. By doing so, they choose to completely devote themselves to fulfilling the Prescripts and nothing else, even if it may cost them their own lives.
The uniform of Proselytes is similar to those of the other Index ranks. They wear a uniform consisting of black formal attire, a short white cloak with a golden gorget and an Index badge, wielding a standard issue sword. The only difference is an additional black blindfold with a golden trim, meant to teach the Proselyte to follow the Prescripts without question and become "blind" to the brutal deeds often associated with the Prescripts.
Proselytes are typically organized into groups of five or six, accompanying a single Proxy, in which they learn the Index's rules and duties through experience. This group is called a Proxy's familia.[5] By serving the Index, Proselytes are trained to eventually become a Proxy or Messenger, the two other main ranks of the Index. If they show enough promise, a Proselyte may eventually be promoted via the Prescripts, upon which their blindfold will be removed and they will be given a symbolic, personalized blade.[6][7]
Proxies
Proxies are the executors of The Index. They are former Index Proselytes who have shown enough dedication to be given a promotion by the Prescripts. A competent Proselyte may also be promoted to a Messenger instead, as Proxies and Messengers are the two main upward paths for the Index's disciples. In either case, upon being promoted, the Proselytes' blindfold is removed and they are given a personalized sword by the Prescript's instruction.[8][9] Proxies typically command a familia of five or six Proselytes, who help the Proxy carry out the will of the Prescripts while learning the Index's ways via the Proxy's guidance.[5]
As enforcers of the Index, Proxies act for the Prescripts by tracking down and punishing those who fail to complete (or turn their back on) their Prescripts,[10] as well as leading the fights against enemies laid out by the Prescripts. They are also expected to interpret the wording of Prescripts and understand their true meanings. In this way it can be said that Proxies are those who have fully accepted their role as nothing but servants of the Prescripts' will, or that they have simply grown "numb" to the cruelty and miscellany of the Prescripts. Their motivations for doing so may range from utter faithlessness to true reverence of the Prescripts.[11]
Messengers
Alternatively, a Proselyte might be given the rank of Messenger: People in charge of receiving new Prescripts and delivering them to their respective addressee. Nonetheless, they're skilled combatants, being given a unique sword as well.
Weavers
An exceedingly obscure rank, so much that the majority of the Index ignore their existence and the number of existing Weavers is unknown even to themselves despite their importance. A Prescript will lead somebody to a massive, underground vault, where an ancient pendulum swings with every movement of the City above, making swathes of ink in a series of threads, which are then weaved by an array of looms into a proper Prescript. Their work involves the proper operation of these machines, revered as "the gods of the City", along with stamping the new Prescripts before sending them by a system of pneumatic tubes to a Messenger to be delivered.[12]
Prescripts
Prescripts are created in massive underground vaults by a pendulum with ink in it, which is linked up to move according to a very advanced seismograph. This mechanism absorbs all vibration in the city, from explosions to breathing, and effectively forms a city-wide surveillance network. This pendulum writes in a nonsense-language on cloth, which is processed and decoded by hundreds of spinning wheels, weaving it into a readable Prescript. It is then stamped and shuttled to a Messenger by a pneumatic tube system.
The Prescripts are said to represent the will of the city. Whether this is true or not, or what such a statement would even mean, is unknown, however it is undeniable that the Prescripts are far more coherent and knowledgeable than their chaotic method of creation would imply. It is possible that the prescripts themselves are a god of the city, created from people's wish to follow instructions and to be free from the responsibility of forging their own path in life, though again what this would mean is uncertain.
Worthy of note is the fact that, as intelligent as the Prescripts are, they do not seem to have much care for their followers, oftentimes giving them seemingly impossible instructions or directives that would lead to their death or the sacrifice of their normal life. For example, the Prescript to follow Yan's fake Prescripts led to the deaths of three Proxies and many of their Proselytes, as well as the loss of their foothold in L-Corp's nest. Regardless of this, rigid adherence to the Prescripts gives the members of the Index order and stability in much the same way as the strict hierarchy of the Thumb.
War for Nest L
The Index participated in the territorial war for control of L Corp's fallen Nest. Initially, they were one of the dominant forces vying for Nest L. However, they suffered massive losses upon the interference of Index Messenger Yan Vismok. Messenger Yan, upset with The Index's nigh-absurd determinism, began creating convincing forgeries of Prescripts, so convincing that his allies began obeying his Prescripts. He slowly began creating prescripts that were more and more daring, even declaring war between The Index and The Thumb, causing the weakened Thumb's presence near the L-Corp Nest to be annihilated. He intended to use his fake Prescripts to shake his ally's absolute faith in Prescripts, finalizing his plan by giving his allies a Prescript to send them to The Library. As they unquestioningly began obeying the suicidal Prescript, his frustration boiled over, and he revealed his scheme. Surprisingly, his allies revealed they had received an official prescript reading "Obey the Prescripts created by Messenger Yan" long ago. They also revealed that they did not care that the Prescripts they received were not genuine, nor did they care about the content or even the result of the Prescripts; they merely cared that Prescripts were being followed.
The Index Proxies were annihilated at The Library, causing them to lose their foothold at L-Corp's Nest, and Yan's belief in Free Will began to crumble...
Story
Index Proselytes
Messenger Yan delivers Prescripts in Nest L. Left to Right: Lala, Lee Deok-gu, LaMarcus, John
The episode starts in the residential area of L Corp's Nest, showing Messenger Yan delivering Prescripts to various Nest residents. He delivers a Prescript ordering a woman named Lala to place needles in her neighbor Lily's birthday cake. Miss Lala is concerned, but Yan tells her she is allowed to warn her neighbor beforehand. She is still hesitant due to receiving many "weird" Prescripts in the near past, though Yan urges her to fulfill her Prescripts regardless to ensure the Index will protect her family.
Yan's next delivery is to Lee Deok-gu, who dreads receiving his new Prescript, which involves playing rock-paper-scissors and eating a concoction of mealworms, his opponent's hair, and seafood-cream pasta sauce if he wins. He is disgusted by the new Prescript after reading it out and begs Yan for a different one, also horrified by his previous Prescript of cooking risotto with sewer water and gifting it to his neighbor Minji, which caused Minji to be hospitalized. The man is even willing to pay Yan to get a different Prescript, but Yan refuses, citing his lack of authority over the Prescripts. He hopes that Lee Deok-gu can overcome his "test of faith."
Yan's next delivery is to an artist named LaMarcus. Arriving at his destination, he meets Proxy Gloria, who quickly uncovers LaMarcus' hiding spot. It is revealed that LaMarcus failed to carry out his Prescript, and so Gloria was ordered via Prescript to crush LaMarcus' frontal lobe. LaMarcus, despairing, rants about all the effort he spent trying to fulfill his Prescript, which was to "kill" his painting. Gloria tells him that he should have picked a random person as a model for his paintings and then killed them afterwards, leaving him in disbelief. He rants about his previous seemingly-random Prescripts as well: relaying numbers to a person named Riemann, putting a unicorn plushie in a park, and "seeing green from a white wall" for a person named Hye-in. Unfortunately, LaMarcus' luck has run out and Gloria fulfills her Prescript, killing him.
Yan's next delivery is to a man named John, ordering him to stand at a street intersection at a given time and wave his hand. John is elated at the ease of the Prescript, praising the Index for not charging money for their protection services. Yan warns John to stay wary of the Prescripts, but John ignores him. He says that the Nest has become too dangerous to forsake protection, and other Syndicates were too expensive for him to afford. Yan hesitantly leaves him be.
Finally, Yan delivers Prescripts to three Proxies: Esther, Hubert, and Gloria. Gloria points out how they are receiving more and more Prescripts than before and wonders how much conflict it will cause with other factions in Nest L. Hubert and Esther tell her to ignore such details and simply obey the Prescripts. The three Proxies reveal the contents of their Prescripts. Gloria's familia is ordered to take the spinal cords of 37 year-olds in the Nest; Esther clarifies that it means all 37 year-olds in the Nest. Hubert's familia is ordered to swap the left leg of the fourteenth person they meet with the right leg of the twenty-sixth person they meet, which sparks a reaction from Gloria at the outlandishness of their recent Prescripts. Esther reveals that he has been ordered to purge [[File:|20px]]The Thumb from Nest L. He orders his Proselytes to enter the Library, as dictated by the Prescript.
Back inside the Library, Roland and Angela talk about what it means to be targeted by a Finger. Angela is surprised that the Index could function as an organization given the random nature of its Prescripts. Roland calls this the most terrifying part of the Prescripts: despite their randomness, every Prescript ultimately works out in the Index's favor. Roland hasn't personally seen the Prescripts, nor does he know where they come from, but he tells Angela that they are classified as a Star of the City. Angela is dismayed that people would put so much worth on what she considers to be nonsense. Roland tells her that it was a natural result because Cityfolk live according to a purpose that others assign to them. The purposeless people would naturally accept the Prescripts' paths, even if it killed them, much to Angela's disbelief. Roland uses the Index's war against the Thumb as evidence. Confused, Angela asks how a conflict between Syndicates could be called a war. Roland answers that she is heavily underestimating the size of a Finger; the conflicts between Fingers' troops as well as their hundreds of affiliated Syndicates would be on an equal scale to a war between Wings. Roland darkly concludes that L Corp's Nest will see much strife with the Index around.
Index Proxies
Pre-Battle
The episode starts in an unspecified area of Nest L as the Index Proxies and their subordinates attack every single member of the Thumb within the Nest, cutting off their limbs and leaving them skewered alive in accordance to a Prescript received during the previous chapter. The dying Thumb members rage at the Proxies for betraying the Finger Bow-Bell, calling them psychopathic for obeying the Prescripts' every whim, but Esther retorts that their fanaticism is simply a "variation in methods" from the lifestyles of other Cityfolk.
With every member of the Thumb skewered, the Proxies' Prescript is complete. Watching the dying skewered Thumb members, Hubert and Esther talk about the remaining obstacles the Index will face in the Nest (R Corp. and The Blue Reverberation,) while Gloria praises the Prescripts for leading them to success. Yan dislikes this and tells Gloria not to place special faith in the Prescripts, but they point out that Yan was barely alive after being beaten by the Thumb and was only rescued because a Prescript led the Proxies to him. Yan still stands by his opinion, and Esther concurs that Prescripts are merely tools to be followed.
The Proxies face off against Argalia's group
Argalia and his followers casually appear at the scene. Esther states that they are enemies, but Argalia simply asks for the bodies of the skewered Thumb members, saying that their Prescript does not forbid them from taking down the skewers. Hubert and Gloria do not want Argalia to have his way, but Esther rules that the Prescript is vague enough to allow Argalia's conduct. He claims that the Proxies are merely executors of the Prescripts and so should avoid unnecessary conflict. Argalia congratulates the Proxies for their favorable decision, even saying that he would love to recruit a Proxy to his ensemble, as they carry a "similar scent" to him. Bremen, Greta, and Tanya take down the dead bodies, with Tanya complaining about being given the "tedious chores" and Greta already thinking up new cuisine ideas. Argalia tells them to save most of the bodies for Jae-heon. Watching the proceedings, Hubert and Esther call out Argalia for his machinations, warning him that his group will meet their end if they continue their current course of action. Argalia shrugs off the threat and takes his leave.
As soon as Argalia leaves, Esther asks Yan for the next Prescript, but Yan is taken aback when Esther predicts the next order will be for all three Proxies to take their familias into the Library. Esther reveals two things: first, that Yan had been delivering false Prescripts, and second, that he and Hubert had already known Yan's Prescripts were false. (Gloria did not know.) Yan tries to figure out when he was discovered, and why the Proxies are still determined to carry out his orders despite knowing they were false. Esther tells Yan that a real Prescript commanded him to faithfully obey the fake Prescripts, causing Yan to buckle down in defeat. Esther tells Yan to accept that his fate is predetermined by the Prescripts. Gloria still doesn't understand why Yan would "betray" them, and is told by Hubert that the Index does not have "betrayal", merely the status of fulfillment of the Prescripts. This incenses Yan, who rants about the blind zealotry of the Index and how much he has lost because of the Prescripts, including his friends and family. When he was commanded via Prescript to become a Messenger, he tried to rebel by making false Prescripts, but now he knows that it was all for naught. He begs Esther to help reaffirm his belief in his free will, but Esther tells him that free will is irrelevant before the Prescripts, and orders the group to set off for the Library at once.
Yan is shocked that Esther has an Invitation to the Library despite the order having been a lie to begin with. Esther gives Yan a Prescript of his own, commanding him to head to a certain unspecified location. Yan asks Esther one last time if he is truly going to the Library, bitterly concluding that Esther and the Proxies would even die on the spot if Yan had ordered them to do so.
Back inside the Library, Roland and Angela wonder about the Blue Reverberation and his new recruits, especially the cooking-obsessed one which brings up Roland's memories of the books of guests from District 23. He changes the topic to the Index, and they discuss Yan's failed rebellion against the Prescripts, with Roland noting that the Prescripts always end up benefiting the Index in the end. He agrees that the Prescripts' creator must be an incredible individual, but that does not take away from the Index's insanity. Angela is lost in thought for a moment.
At the Library's entrance, Gloria cheerfully calls out for anyone present, to Hubert's chagrin. When Angela arrives, she is cut off as the Proxies wonder about her half-machine, half-human status and how it conflicts with their information database. Angela grows angry, and Esther orders the others to stop their quarrel before they all enter the reception.
Post-Battle
Roland and Angela talk about the pros and cons of free will versus following predetermined orders. Roland is sympathetic to the latter, while Angela believes it is no better than becoming a zombie. Angela gets to her point: she and Roland both have a clear goal behind their actions; freedom. However, seeing Yan's attempts to attain freedom end in failure, Angela is unnerved by the seeming omniscience of the Prescripts, pointing out how their outcomes have benefited the Index. She fears that her actions are preordained by the Prescripts rather than her own free will. Roland tells her not to worry, saying that even if the City wills his actions, he wouldn't care because he has no way to actually know so. He tells Angela that he grounds himself by knowing that his emotions are entirely his to feel, which Angela understands and takes solace in. Finally, they wonder about the destination which Yan has been sent off to, as Roland believes it could even reveal the entire truth of the Prescripts to them. Angela notes that they will not get to know the story if Yan does not become a guest of the Library in the future.
얀샋ㄷ요무
Pre-Battle
Yan follows the directions given by his Prescript, descending into a massive underground space containing a set of machines, all connected to a massive loom with a pendulum over it. There, he meets an cheery woman wearing Index robes, who welcomes him as if she had been expecting him all along. Happy to see a new face after much time alone, she tells him she is a Weaver, and asks him if the Prescripts guided him all the way there. Though Yan is shocked and suspicious, the woman explains that only someone guided by the Prescripts would be able to find the place, and congratulates him for being exceptional enough to be allowed by the Prescripts.
When Yan asks, the woman happily explains that their location is "where Prescripts are born." She is amused by Yan's confusion, and after properly introducing herself as Moirai, and lamenting how she doesn't have any tea to offer, let alone warm water, she tries to go into more detail on the creation of the Prescripts, but Yan tries to stop her to have his turn to talk, already overwhelmed by Moirai's chattiness. He introduces himself by his full name, and explains that he became a Messenger about less than a month ago, adding that he felt guilty by delivering Prescripts containing gruesome and absurd orders. Moirai simply agrees that the Prescripts can be cruel and knotty at times, giving orders that sometimes end with their recipients killed. Yan expresses anger at her, believing she's the one who wrote all those Prescripts, but after laughing at his anger, Moirai explain that she simply manages the machinery in the vault, stopping for a moment and asking Yan if he feels a small tremor on his feet. When he dismisses it as something trivial, Moirai moves on to explain the "birth" of a Prescript:
Yan witnesses the "birth" of a Prescript, but it answers none of his questions.
The pendulum swings to the rhythm of the tremor she calls "the heartbeat of the City", making making trails of ink over the strings on the massive loom. Yan again dismisses them as being nonsensical, but Moirai again calls it the language of the City, something incomprehensible to mere humans like them. Those threads then move to one of the 57 spinning wheels in the vault, where they are woven into cloth and made into Prescripts that can be read by them. She hands one of them to Yan, where it orders a man to follow somebody waving their hand seven times. Yan is shocked, remembering he forged a Prescript to order the latter to wave, but Moirai quickly moves on to stamping that Prescript and sending it, sending it via pneumatic pipes to another Messenger.
After seeing the creation of a Prescript, Yan only has more questions, and asks who even created the machinery in the first place. Moirai shrugs, excusing herself by having been sent by a Prescript as well, only finding her predecessor who in turn left after being issued a Prescript. Yan is outraged, yelling at Moirai if she had ever questioned the Prescripts, having been ordered to kill countless times by seemingly randomly generated words on a piece of cloth, further adding that she could at least tampered with them to not make them as cruel or senseless. Moirai, once again, excuses herself that she was only ordered to make and send Prescripts, and if she disobeyed that order, they would reprimand her. Yan screams that she's the one in charge of their creating and sending them out in the first place, but Moirai holds on to the possibility of another Weaver in another nest: she couldn't possibly be the only one in the City.
Yan starts to reason with himself, saying somebody in particular must be behind the creation of the contents of the Prescripts, but Moirai interjects that'd be the City itself. As she had shown before, the pendulum swings to the vibrations of the City above: footsteps of pedestrians; quakes from construction sites, impacts by somebody falling over, echoes of screams, every little movement of the City's denizens, even the sound of the two talking right next to it. She comments that the will of its citizens are ultimately part of the will of the City itself, and the Index is simply another representation of it. Yan wonders why would the Prescripts would be so cruel if the came from the inhabitants of the City, with Moirai responding that'd be because the people are cruel as well, after all, the City was made by its citizens, and their nature would naturally be reflected in their creation. Yan is confused at what she just said, why would the citizens create the City and in turn be shaped by it? Moirai dismisses his concerns, believing that the point of it is that the City cannot be separate from its inhabitants. This further enrages Yan, seeing how Moirai dismisses those heinous acts she creates and sends while she peacefully weaves cloth. In turn, Moirai once again shrugs: that was all she was ordered to do, expressing that's out of her concern as a Weaver.
Moirai moves on to tell Yan about being born out of the citizens' wants; to walk a path given to them, afraid of the consequences and the responsibility of their own actions, knowing they'd only fail if they follow their own will, and they'd rather rely on something else and expect things from it. Moirai reduces that to a single sentence: people without purpose yearning for something to open up a way for them. She compares it to the way people long ago created gods; they simply didn't pop into existence because of a single person, it's not something that can't be made up or oppressed, people had a need for something greater than them to follow. Moirai further adds that this isn't something Yan can blame somebody for; this is plainly something the City's inhabitants wanted, their fear of failure and their wishes of security culminating in the creation of a god.
Having seen the will of the City, Yan realizes he has none of his own after all.
Yan falls into despair, realizing people, or even himself weren't doing cruel acts simply because the Prescripts ordered to, in the end, that was their own volition as residents of the City. They themselves were cruel and merciless, and that nature in turn made them desperately wish for something safe and sacred, no matter if those wishes were well intentioned or ambitions of power, the Prescripts is what resulted from them. No matter whatever he did, he was just another individual, one that wouldn't stand a chance against the collective wishes of the people. Forging Prescripts, sending the Proxies to wage war against the Thumb and die in the Library, could all be traced to the will of the City, even if it was Yan's own, after all, Yan was just another part of the City. Giving in completely to this feeling of helplessness, Yan distorts into 얀샋ㄷ요무 and asks Moirai for the City's next order, where she'd shortly receive another Prescript telling him to go to the Library. After all this, Moirai simply remarks how eventful this day was and goes back to her post.
Back at the Library, Roland is surprised to see birthplace of the Prescripts, while Angela notes how she's never heard of anything like gods within the City. Roland tries to reason that by saying there are some things that fit Moirai's description, though he wouldn't really classify them as beings, just things created out of the people's desires, and the Prescripts could fall under that definition as well.
At the entrance of the Library, Yan mumbles to himself about the Prescripts, before being greeted by Angela. Yan recognizes her by her name and title as head Librarian, much to her surprise, but Yan simply says the Prescripts know all as the will of the City, along with what either of them will do next. Unsettled, Angela asks Yan if he has any doubts on the Prescripts anymore, who answers he no longer has any, with the City's will being his own and vice versa, and with that, to deny the City's volition would be to deny his own volition. Angela presses on, asking if Yan is aware that means he no longer has free will, and if he doesn't feel that's unfair. He replies that he'll be no longer be driven to despair by the repercussions of his own actions; with his cooperation, all he needs to do is have the talent to walk the path given to him, and even if he's not happy, he'll always know his immediate future. Somberly, Angela congratulates Yan for having found his own solace at least, and lets him into the Library.
Post-Battle
After 얀샋ㄷ요무 is defeated, Angela wonders if his death was what the Prescripts had planned for him. Roland shrugs, seeing how they always seem to be several steps ahead, and moves on to lament how Yan's struggle was for nothing in the end; he had risked death by forging Prescripts, only for those to be assimilated as well. Angela notes how he said earlier that there were still positives about the Prescripts, and that she can see where he comes from now, but still asks herself how these so-called "Gods of the City" came to be, even if people suffer under their guidance. Even thinking from the perspective of a human without a purpose in his life, she came to the conclusion that she wouldn't sit and wait for someone else to determine the meaning of her own life, but even so, she admitted that'd me much easier said than done. Meanwhile, Roland expresses discomfort at how simple the process of Distorting can be, seeing how for Yan the only thing that had to happen was for his beliefs to crumble apart: something that happens very often within the City. He laments his fall, just like he did with Philip's.
Key Page stories
An Index Proselyte’s Page
No two Prescripts are the same in any way; as well as their contents being completely different from each other, you can’t expect when and where you’ll receive one. It could be placed between the patties of the hamburger you’re holding, it could be in your mailbox, it could be handed to you by a passerby. However, if you question who delivers those Prescripts or where they come from and put your curiosity into action, the Proxies will come for you, so beware. Here’s a few examples of the Prescripts:
‘To Rimi, Deliver a bacon pizza to Danny’s doorstep on 8th St. before 10 AM sharp on September 14th.’
‘To Jimin, Do not utter a single word for five days.’
‘To Sehee, If the first person you meet outside today answers your greetings by lifting their right hand, take their heart out; if the person ignores your greetings, remove your own heart from your body.’
…And this is only scratching the surface of the shambolic orders written on the Prescripts. The contents of a Prescript range from ordinary tasks to things that cannot be carried out in relatively normal (in terms of morality) means… The arrant variety and creativity of the Prescripts will make you wonder just what goes on in the head of the person responsible for writing them. Take a moment to think about how you would feel if you received a Prescript that says ‘Chop off your right ankle and eat it medium rare. (P.S. You don't have to eat the bones.)’ You’d think this is an absurd instruction no sane person could follow, but those who belong to the Index will feel glad that it doesn’t require chopping off both feet or eating the bones.
Esther’s Page
Is forging Prescripts a violation of rules? The answer is “Not exactly.” It can be written on any kind of paper, and as long as it is stamped with the seal of the Index, it’ll pass as a real Prescript. You will then wonder: Wouldn’t there be many people who exploit the system with malicious intent? Copying the seal is a complicated process, and not many know how; even if they overcame those hurdles, they still cannot outsmart the Prescripts. The Prescripts know all. They can tell whether or not a Prescript has been carried out, how it was done, and if someone is delivering fabricated Prescripts. An individual sending counterfeit Prescripts out of their own volition can ultimately be traced back to the will of the Prescripts, and the City itself. I suppose the Prescripts have some generosity for those forgers, as they may remain unpunished unless a Prescript ordering it has been issued. The Prescripts were already aware that Messenger Yan was giving out false ones, hence the Prescript to follow those faked orders. …No, that the Prescripts “know” might not be the most appropriate expression.
Hubert’s Page
There are a number of ranks within the Index. Proselytes, Messengers, and Proxies are as much as I know.
Those who have been chosen by the Prescripts will decide whether to become a Proselyte. If they accept it, they will cover their eyes with a blindfold as they serve the role. The blindfold has little symbolic significance; it’s to teach the Proselyte to follow the Prescripts regardless of what is happening before their eyes. Usually, a group of five to six Proselytes accompany a Proxy, learning the rules of the Index and the role of each rank. If a Proselyte shows a certain level of competence, the Prescripts will assign the role of a Messenger or a Proxy to them. After being promoted, they are given a blade of their own, and they may take off the blindfold.
The Prescripts are a predetermined path; there is no point for Proselytes to refuse any. It’s still within their choice to decline the Prescript’s offer. Even though they’re free to quit anytime, no one knows if the Prescripts will allow it. The Prescripts might order Proxies to kill the runaway who abandoned their position, or let it slide, or even give the order to resign first. The Prescripts are truly unpredictable.
Gloria’s Page
The Index has an arsenal of swords and blades. Most of the Prescripts we receive can be solved with a sword, too. Mmm~ Never really thought about why we use swords, nope! Maybe it’s because they have this oppressive aura and make us look serious or something?!
Each of us uses different types of blades. Starting with the ranks of Messengers and Proxies, the Prescripts give personalized swords. From a light one-edged sword fit for slicing things quickly; to heavy, double-edged greatswords~ They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Helps us stand out from each other. As for me, I’ve got five whole blades~ Maybe being speedy helped? It looks like we get swords that fit our traits~ Have you seen the sword Hubert’s carrying? It looks so heavy, and he swings it like it’s nothing.
얀샋ㄷ요무’s Page
Have you ever seen a glimmer of light when you close your eyes? It’s blindingly bright at times, and it shakes in an irregular shape at times. This sensation is often called a phosphene. Whenever I close my eyes, the blurry image of a bloodstained carpet appears to me like that optical phenomenon. The beginning of an unpleasant nightmare. Four mannequins that lost a face and an arm each are lying on the carpet, spilling red beads; another mannequin has its hand on my shoulder. I turn around and look at the loudspeaker in the mannequin’s face. I can feel the vibration coming from it, even though I can’t hear what it says. But I already know what sound this mannequin is making. The vibration precisely matches the words I remember, and my heart starts beating accordingly.
This damned power of recall lost all my good childhood memories to oblivion, yet it brings back such remembrances every time I close my eyes. My response to it is always the same: Take the flower that’s slipped into my hand and nail it into the mannequin’s heart. A beautiful tree in bloom grows from the cracks the flower made. It’s as soft as the hands that caressed me, and it’s as pretty as the sound that consoled me. And it’s as sharp as the noise of that last moment when I was scolded for the first time. Every branch that grows from the tree causes a piercing buzz in my ears, and the petals hurt as they brush past my cheeks as if to make me feel the pain they hold. I stand still like my feet were tied, until my body is covered in scars. One, two… Black marbles fall from the wounds. How long have I been in this cycle of pain?
The nightmares have been with me for a good majority of my life. If I close my eyes, the memory of that time haunts me—and if I open my eyes, a reality I can hardly bear unfolds. I chose to keep my eyes shut because I thought I’d rather deal with the ever-echoing past. At least I won’t be visited by new kinds of pain… Prescripts keep coming without a break. The City folk meet different ends depending on the Prescripts they receive, though their fates all share a commonality of cruelty. Their resentment, screams, tears, rage, and death… It’s too much for my eyes. I sometimes thought how my life would’ve been if I stayed as a commoner taking Prescripts like them. Maybe I was better off back then. Maybe I should’ve just died early so I could breathe again as another being. Why did the Prescripts give me that order that day?
I trace back the nightmares to remember the past; everything was over, and I planned to follow them to death, but I didn’t have the courage to end my own life, so I… I picked up the Prescript that I thought would spell my doom at last and read it slowly. All the fresh-looking Prescript contained was a command to be a Messenger. It was pointing toward a beginning, not an end. I couldn’t see a single word that said anything about salvation or death. After being numb for a while, I finally tumbled down to the floor and broke into laughter louder than any sound I’d made before. I couldn’t help but laugh at my state. I wanted to end my life because of Prescripts, and now the Prescripts won’t even let me do that. Where has my free will run off to?
I was frustrated. Not even my own life was under my control, for everything relies on the Prescripts. Then I’ll gladly play along. Even if I can’t shatter the Prescripts, I’ll at least make a tiny crack. If I can show the masses that it’s possible to oppose the Prescripts, something might change… Something has to… It WILL make a difference. Once I had hope, I could see the way—and once I could see where to go, I had the strength to get up.
However, I realized it only just now. What I felt wasn’t hope, and that ignoring that Prescript and taking my own life as I’d planned might have been a truer expression of my free will.
What is the right way to live a life in this place, I must wonder? I’m not even dreaming of a life that I can be proud of; how does one achieve the feeling that their life is bearable to live, let alone be satisfied with it? I thought I had found an answer to that… But in the end, I couldn’t escape the Prescripts. The Prescripts are the City’s will as it is my will. I’ve realized my limit. I feel as if I’ve hit some kind of wall I can’t overcome. However, I don’t feel all too forlorn and miserable. Maybe there’ll be someone who can ride along with the flow, rather than break it. It just won’t be me; I’m not fit to accomplish such things.
So I want someone to find an answer in my stead. And I hope they can tell me that. Tell me how I can enjoy this nightmare.
The following Battle Symbols are related to this faction.
Battle Symbol
Name
Slot
The Prescript’s Will
Eye
Effect
5% chance to boost attack damage by +1 while Singleton
Condition
During a single Act of an Urban Nightmare-level reception, use Combat Pages that include dice boosted by the passive ability 'Grace of the Prescript' 3 times.
Index Proxy
Eye
Effect
4% chance to boost Pierce dice Power by +1 when in the 'Blade Unlocked' state
Condition
Defeat 1 enemies using the Combat Page 'Castigation' in Star of the City-level receptions.
Oppressive Prescripts
Eye
Effect
4% chance to boost Defensive dice Power by +1 when in the 'Blade Unlocked' state
Condition
Defeat 1 enemies using the Combat Page 'Decapitation' in Star of the City-level receptions.
Unlocked Blade
Mouth
Effect
4% chance to boost Blunt dice Power by +1 when in the 'Blade Unlocked' state
Condition
Use the Combat Page 'Unlock-Ⅲ' 1 times in Star of the City-level receptions.
Mission Possible ~★
Headwear 3
Effect
4% chance to boost Slash dice Power by +1 when in the 'Blade Unlocked' state
Condition
Defeat 3 targets at once using the Combat Page 'Eradication' in a Star of the City-level reception.
The City’s Messenger
Ear
Effect
After selecting a Breakdown Abnormality page, 5% chance to boost attack damage by +1 and Stagger damage by +2
Condition
During a single Act of a Star of the City-level reception, use Prescript pages generated by the passive ability 'The Messenger' 4 times.
Trivia
In the Library Of Ruina Art Book, the emblem of the Index (crescent moon, hand with index finger raised, and flower) is given some explanation:
The Index, as an organization, tries to give purpose and direction to the denizens of the City. The index finger and the moon in the emblem symbolically represent this, as well as how obeying the Index has become more important than the purpose their guidance meant to instill.[13]
The flower in the Index's emblem is aconite, or wolfsbane.[14]
Gebura has a low opinion of the Index. As the Red Mist, one story of her renown (which she herself confirms is true) was about how she faced and defeated five Proxies and three Messengers of the Index simultaneously.
Gallery
Yan
Esther
Hubert
Gloria
Moirai
The pendulum and looms
References
↑Hubert's Key Page Story:
"Those who have been chosen by the Prescripts will decide whether to become a Proselyte. If they accept it, they will cover their eyes with a blindfold as they serve the role. The blindfold has little symbolic significance; it’s to teach the Proselyte to follow the Prescripts regardless of what is happening before their eyes."
↑Esther's Page:
"The Prescripts know all. They can tell whether or not a Prescript has been carried out, how it was done, and if someone is delivering fabricated Prescripts. An individual sending counterfeit Prescripts out of their own volition can ultimately be traced back to the will of the Prescripts, and the City itself."
↑An Index Proselyte's Page:
"Here's a few examples of the Prescripts:"To Rimi, Deliver a bacon pizza to Danny's doorstep on 8th St. before 10 AM sharp on September 14th.'"To Jimin, Do not utter a single word for five days.'"To Sehee, If the first person you meet outside today answers your greetings by lifting their right hand, take their heart out; if the person ignores your greetings, remove your own heart from your body'"
↑Esther's Page:
"The Prescripts might order Proxies to kill the runaway who abandoned their position, or let it slide, or even give the order to resign first. The Prescripts are truly unpredictable."
↑Library Of Ruina Art Book Vol. I pg. 337: The index finger is often used to point somewhere; your eyes are naturally drawn to the tip of the finger. The Index points at where the City denizens should go. However, one shouldn't lose sight of the moon in favor of the fingertip that is pointing to it. (Developer's note by Director Kim Jihoon)
↑Library Of Ruina Art Book Vol. I pg. 386: The motif for the flower shape in the Index's symbol was aconite (wolfsbane). (Excerpt from developer's note by Director Kim Jihoon)
