The 108 Stars (108星, 108 Hoshi), sometimes referred to as Starbearers (星を宿す者, Hoshi o Yadosu Mono) in Suikoden Tierkreis, are an integral recurring element in the Suikoden series.
The exact nature of the 108 Stars is unknown, but they have been known to gather and make themselves known during times of great turmoil and upheaval.
Overview
Zenoa would claim that the Stars were something akin to spirits or deities (though more abstract than any personified spirit), entities who could "overlap", in a sense, with compatible individuals, lending them their power, including the Mark of the Stars. As such, people are often stated to "hold", "host" or "be" a Star, or Starbearer.
It would also be said that the Stars represented the many differing potentials of mankind. It has been remarked that the Stars are the lights which shine upon the paths of the world.
The Stars exist in all universes of the Infinity and possess various powers and abilities. It has been speculated that changing direction in life suddenly, or merely being connected to the paths the Stars shine upon, would make a person eligible to become a Star. However, as Stars do not communicate in any comprehensible manner, this is purely speculation.
Fukien would show some understanding of the 108 Stars, being aware of his own status as the Chijyu Star. He was also able to correctly identify McDohl, Cleo and Viktor's Stars. He would refer to them being collectively born "under" certain Stars, implying a certain astrological component to his interpretation.
Leknaat, meanwhile, would describe the assembled 108 Stars of the Toran Liberation Army as stars that freely traveled across the skies. Previously, during the Sun Rune War, Leknaat had described the stars as "guides", noting that destiny did not shape people's lives.
She would also invoke the blessing of the 108 Stars on Luc, following his death in the War of the Champions.
Interactions with True Runes
At the climax of the Gate Rune War, Leknaat would use her Gate Rune and the power of the 108 Stars to revive Gremio, who had died at Soniere Prison.
She would also state that uniting the Stars was what changed the Sun Rune from a destructive to a nurturing force at the climax of the Sun Rune War. A century earlier, she had claimed the same thing as regards the Rune of Punishment and its shift to "atonement".
Later, during the Dunan Unification War, she would claim that the hero's spirit not to fight Jowy Atreides, combined with the 108 Stars, was what called forth the true power of the Rune of Beginning.
Interactions with Chronicles
As Chronicles were said to record potential paths and the 108 Stars supposedly existed to observe those paths, Zenoa would imply that the two were deeply linked.
Starbearers interacting with Chronicles therefore is what grants a Starbearer the power of the Mark of the Stars.
Gatherings
The 108 Stars have gathered several times. Every recorded gathering has been during a time of great turmoil, with potential greater ramifications beyond the scope of the temporal conflict. This usually involves the 27 True Runes, as powerful runes tied to the very nature of the world.
Elsewhere in the Infinity, the 108 Stars gathered many times in countless wars against the One King, a being determined to compress existence to a single world with a single destiny. The One King would eventually be defeated, after the loss of countless worlds and Starbearers in the process.
Another world of the Infinity saw at least two gatherings of the 108 Stars. The first saw the Stars gathered to fight against an oppressive empire, only for that empire to unleash an unstoppable weapon, the Teras Pharma, which would wipe out the 108 Stars before going on to destroy the civilization that created it.
Over 300 years later, the Stars would gather again, this time across the three centuries since their previous appearance, in order to free the destinies of those under the yoke of the Holy Empire of Ionia, which while originally founded to protect survivors from the Teras Pharma, now existed to perpetuate its existence in the name of maintaining order and security.
References
- Genso Suikoden Kiwami Encyclopedia, page 772
- Genso Suikoden Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki The Perfect Guide (ISBN 978-4-04-886456-5), page 20
- Genso Suikoden Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki The Complete Guide (ISBN 978-4-04-886462-6), page 240