Nish’s Manifesto

The Rights of the Living, more commonly known as Nish’s Manifesto, was a powerful condemnation of the practice of Genetic Elevation and Manipulation during the Second Age of Eden. Penned by the dwarf Nish, the document was pinned to the door of the G.E.M. laboratory on the night of the so-called “great escape”—an incident which saw the release of test subjects including Albus Lepus and Sobek the Splashing One.

Purpose

The document set out to proclaim, in no uncertain terms, that the process of Genetic Elevation and Manipulation was immoral and one of the great evils of all time. It called for the immediate end of G.E.M. experimentation on so-called “lesser” animals and for a declaration of the inalienable rights of all living things.

Background

During the First Age of Eden, dwarves worked with the shapeshifting kíndalla to create the first iteration of the Genetic Elevation and Manipulation process. Their intent then was to populate Eden with an array of species the land could call its own, to kickstart evolution in a place that was mostly a dumping ground for reality’s refugees.

After the First Age came to an end and the dwarves and kíndallans were sent back out into the universe beyond Eden, the secrets of the G.E.M. process were lost. But that didn’t stop the refugees of the Second Age from trying to recreate it—and this time with far less altruistic intentions.

The Second Age G.E.M. experiments were centered on uncovering the secrets of elven longevity. As such, these tests ended up granting the “gift” of sapience to many more subjects than the earlier version of the technology had done. And over time, certain of the scientists became quite uncomfortable with what they saw as an attempt to “play god.”

Composition & Publication

A septet of the dwarves working on the project decided that enough was enough. As they put together plans to stage a mass breakout of test subjects, one of them thought this was an opportune time to set the record straight on what they had been doing and why they should stop. Nish was not, perhaps, the most eloquent of the bunch. And yet, he was the most passionate. What he lacked as a wordsmith, he made up for in his dedication to the ideals he espoused.

On the evening of the breakout, Nish posted his manifesto to the EdenNet and pinned a printed copy to the front door of the lab. Then he and his compatriots, with a slew of elevated animals, ran for the hills.

Legacy

The public was horrified by the revelations of the manifesto and spurred to action by Nish’s recommendations. Though it took some time for the Council of Five to find the votes, they were eventually able to outlaw Genetic Elevation and Manipulation altogether. And eventually, after a lengthy exile in Wonderland, Nish was able to return home to The Reek as a much beloved national hero. By the 260s, in fact, he had the honor of serving as the Republic’s representative to the Council of Five.