"We all seek heroes, those rightous among us who will deliver us from pain and hardship. In that effort, look to one's self and you will find either a hero, or the hope that creates heroes."
-- Haber
A soothing voice welcomes many oneironauts who find themselves, sometimes unintentionally, in Cognia for the first time. It has the quality of gently brushing away the hopelessness from one’s mind and soul as they orient to their strange surroundings. This voice, timeless and comforting as a grandfather’s might seem to their grandchildren, which cuts through the chaos, belongs to Haber – and he is here to accompany you home.
Of the Arc People
The younger brother to Desper, Haber was a more social creature before the spark event that gave the tribe of homo sapiens that would become the Arc People their intelligence. In that life, he had many bonds to both human and non-human creatures. Haber’s intelligence as a result of the spark event came with great empathy he had not possessed as the animal he was before, and he saw protecting his human peers – those who were still trapped in their primitive minds – as a sacred charge, a respect to be paid as if to one’s forefathers. Haber traveled more than most of the other Arc people, in his life as a sentient being. He often chased adventures or lessons between visiting members of his original tribe wherever they would be. He often clashed with his brother regarding his unethical studies, but the two shared a deep bond that only siblings who had been both wild animals and mighty sorcerers in the same lifetime could.
Shepherd of Mind
Following the Mentismal Mergence that was, in part, due to Haber’s intervention in the wake of his confrontation with Desper so long ago, Haber was distraught that he may never be among his human kin again – though he knew this would be the consequence of the Mentismal Mergence and did so anyway in their best interest. But, he soon realized Cognia was more than just another plane of existence parallel to his former home. He realized he existed not away from his humans, but within them, within their minds. Haber was grateful to discover that his knack for druidic and nature magic would serve him well as he learned how he could affect positive change in his wards by tending to their mind trees. Taking on this new charge, Haber gradually made the Cognic Forest his home and took great care to cultivate the soil and prune the weeds. This he did, for eons, as he watched his work result in the improved intelligence of the homo sapiens still alive on his home plane and – though they did not wield magic like Haber – he was in awe of all they became, of all the potential they were able to unlock for and of themselves. His work; however, is never over for Desper attempts to tap into the power of the Cognic forest at every opportunity – something he can do only by undoing the work Haber has accomplished.
The Fight with Despair
In the never ending battle to protect the Cognic forest from Desper, to protect the minds of the very same people he’d kept from Desper’s twisted grasp so long ago, Haber was met with many defeats. Desper had corralled the support of Hattis and Timora to his cause – both of whom sought to crack the veil between Cognia and the mortal plane and return home – who turned the natural strength of Cognia against itself. Haber, who initially took on the fight alone, could not adequately defend the whole forest from a veritable army of corrupted Rahgnithaur and Frighders. He needed help, he needed hope. To this end, Haber learned much from the Cognic natives, the Homunculok, who know all there is to know of Cognia, the least of which was not the ability to summon from the Mind Trees the spirit of the mortals on the other end. These warriors, chosen for their potential to wield hope in the face of overwhelming adversity, were the first Oneironauts and students of Haber. This was a turning point in Haber's fight and his role in Cognia.
