Announcement #2

The Creature Index

Listed below are all of the creatures present in the Lord of the Craft universe, including their usage and descriptions. This has been made to cut down on the numerous creature lore ports where instead they can all be harbored here.

The application for new creatures are at the bottom. Post your application as a reply to this topic.

"LM Approval" refers to a player requiring the exact consent of a Lore Master in order to play a given creature. The majority of the time the answer will be yes, this is more so used to monitor and control their usage.

Desert

Savannah

Mountains 

Jungles

Forest

Tundra

Marine

Plains

Caverns

Creatures that do not fit in any 'regular' habitat

New submission format: 

Application for new creatures

Care to add to the already expansive list of creatures available to the public of LotC? Well, here is how! Fill out the below application upon the post and you’ll receive either a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’. Do not expect a vivid explanation as to why it was denied should that be the case, this process is designed to be quick and easy without cluttering up the already present lore forum. Nevertheless, enjoy!

Quote

(Name of the creature )

 

(Picture reference including credit to artist)
 

Habitat:

Size:

Diet:

Temperament:

 

Brief summary of the creature

 

Characteristic: (Behaviour, Reproduction, Gathering food)

Origin:

 

Weaknesses:

 

LM Approval Required:

Yes/No

If playable, what are redlines?

 

(The Realm of Clouds)

The individual realms of the Immortal Spirits are vast and overwhelming, the perfect representations of their respective dominions. However, it is not simply a world upon which the Spirits themselves recline in omniscience. In most cases, intelligent life swathes through these dimensions; fragments of the Immortals, that live to serve and sate their insatiable lust for power.

The Spirits remain in these realms because they are perfect environments for them, and to venture out of them would be incredibly dangerous. If an Immortal Spirit were to materialise on the lands of the Descendants, they would be exposed to irreversible damage. For this reason, they send their loyal children unto the worlds of the Brothers’ children. 

These beings serve, for all intents and purposes, as conduits through which Spirits may influence the Mortal realms. Personifications of what their creators represents, they venture out into the world in search of ways to enact the will of their masters.

When an Immortal is worshiped, or if their dominion of existence is prevalent on the Descendants Realms, their influence and power over that aspect of existence grows. For instance, with the growth of the plague on Vailor, and the land that has succumbed to decay and despair, the Immortal Spirit of Disease, Orgon, has grown significantly in his influence over the land.

The bidding of these Lesser Spirits varies according to what their Immortal Master represents. For instance, a fragment of Enrohk (The Spirit of War and Bloodlust) may not necessarily seek those that would worship him, but would instead manipulate nations in order to war among themselves. Bloodshed and War feed Enrohk; in all forms. It is not always worship that Spirits seek, but only that their influence on the land be maintained.

However, this can usually be upheld by the efforts of the Shamans, and for this reason they are the Mortals most aware of the Spirits and their will. However, in their wisdom they attempt to maintain a healthy balance between the power of all Immortal Spirits.

These Lesser Spirits, whilst serving the will of the Immortals, have their own, unique personalities, appearances and approaches to the world. There can be multiple lesser Spirits aligned to one Immortal, and all can have their own idea of what enhancing their reign looks like.

I will describe several of these beings below, though there are myriad more.

Fragments of the Spirits

Spirit: Ixli, the Immortal Spirit of Spirit of Knowledge, Truth, and Judgement, appearing as a giant staring eye. He provides knowledge at the cost of sanity.

Avatar: Ziileny

(sandara)

Form:

Appearing as an extremely long and slender Wyrm, Ziileny has a permanent fixture of insanity imposed on her face. Her large, toothy grin seeps a terrible stench as her overwhelming and fixed eyes stare into the minds of those she communes with, searching their souls for their deepest secrets.

She has pale, purple skin with a sickly green line of gnarled hair running along the center of her spine. Dotted in scars, her body also appears to host several sets of teeth and arms. Her numerous teeth are most often grinning alongside her, though open occasionally to cackle for sometimes no apparent reason. The arms that run along her body allow her to scurry along the land in a terrifying slither.

Personality & Approach:

Ziileny actively seeks out those within the Mortal Realm that aspire to Magick, offering them the knowledge they seek in return for their sanity. This is often left out of the equation until after the ritual takes place, when the victim has already fallen into a precarious state.

She is quick witted and conniving, and prefers to work alone. She does not trust the competency of others, and revels in outsmarting the students he hunts for. Ziileny will often become distracted from topics of conversation as she spouts nonsense about the intricacies of very specific sciences. If one were to engage her in the subject of learning Magic, she may suddenly teach you about photosynthesis as her form writhes in seeming agony.

Spirit: Enrohk, the Spirit of Bloodlust, Savagery, and War, appearing as a berserker covered in blood.

Avatar: Klin

(maciejkuciara)

Form:

Klin appears as an unusually tall and strong Barbarian woman. Her hair falls around her face as a brunette drape, often covering her eyes, giving off the impression of savagery. Her body seems to be covered in tattoos of red, that almost seems to swirl around her limbs as if there were blood coursing on the surface of her skin. She carries two long blades, with which she quickly dispatches her enemies.

Personality & Approach:

Klin is seemingly incapable of speaking. Her communication mostly consists of grunts and roars, which pierce through the air, much like the blood from her enemies, as she fights vigorously. In her reticence, she is an intimidating figure, often towering over Adult Male Humans. Due to her reluctance to speak, she is not often fond of conversation. When she materalises upon the land, it is for one purpose only.

To murder.

Spirit: Ghorza, the Spirit of Travel, movement, and fortune both bad and good, appearing as an old traveler with a walking stick, with various fetishes attached.

Avatar: Pizrak

(matchack)

Form:

The appearance of Pizrak is an unusual one. This lesser Spirit does not materialise as a living entity, but instead chooses to comprise as a ship, which is capable of sailing on its lonesome. Interestingly, Pizrak may materialise as one of two forms. It will either form as a decrepit ship that maintains its ability to sail upon the shores, or an intact variation of its counterpart.

Purpose:

For obvious reasons, Pizrak does not have much of a personality. However, it has been known to course those that seek only to spread misery into tides of doom. Generally, Pizrak will appear on a coast somewhere, and guide those that venture on board into places of intrigue. Those that have set foot upon Pizrak have noted the uncomfortable sight of the ship sailing itself. Many references to Ghost Ships in the past have in fact been spurned from sightings of Pizrak.

Spirit: Freygoth, the Spirit of the wild, nature, and animals, he takes any natural form he may desire.

Avatar: Maabin

(monikapalosz)

Form:

Maabin materialises as a pale, hunched creatures which seems to resemble an Ape in many ways. He is adorned in white cloth, with small piecings of armour. He carries around a carved wooden staff, and uses it to smite those that disturb the balances of Nature.

Personality & Approach:

This Spirit appears very disinterested, which is a stark contrast to his fighting style. He is very nimble and powerful, and can easily best most of his opponents in single combat. Maabin cares greatly for the nature around him, even if his facial expression would denote a nonchalant aura. He will often visit damaged areas in an attempt to restore them to their back to their natural state, and will hunt those that wreak despair upon the world.

Spirit: Krathol, the Spirit of Pain, suffering and starvation. Appears as a skeletal vulture picking at its own bones.

Avatar: Uzkost

(Mavros-Thanatos)

Form:

Uzkost appears as a humanoid with rotten and patched skin, draped in a surgical gown with white gloves. A large piece of cloth is wrapped around his head, tied in place by several strings of barbed wire.

Personality & Approach:

Uzkost walks the earth in a languid movement, wailing often as he searches for those he can pass on his despair to. In many cases, he will torture those he can come into contact with. If a Cult to Krathol exists on the land, Uzkost may pay them a visit, demonstrating methods of torture on himself. He has a strong distaste for the smell of food, and will flay out in a burst of bloody mess if he catches the scent of it. 

This Spirit partakes often in chat-chat, in between screams of pain. He will occasionally materialise in protected areas so that he may chat with the denizens there, striking an intense fear into them as he picks a target for torture. Uzkost has a particular interest in Halflings, as he has a strong hatred for positivity. He will hunt them very specifically, in order to create a more dystopian land.

Spirit: Akezo, the  Spirit of Health, Vitality, and Healing. Appears as a winged and feathered serpent with a blue aura.

Avatar: Lekeni

(Marcodalidingo)

Form:

Lekeni often appears as a short, blonde man draped in grey robes. He carries around a staff as equally small as his stature, and traverses the world in an upbeat fashion.

Personality & Approach: 

This Spirit is tasked with expanding the knowledge of healing upon the land, and will often enter settlements in order to teach citizens about basic healing and sanitation. It is said that Lekeni is the reason that healthcare flourished, and is the cause for cleaner living conditions across the land. Occasionally, he will heal people himself in the need is dire.

Lekeni is quite often seen as a cheerful man, keen to communicate with others and impart some of his wisdom upon them. 

Spirit: Wodanaz, the Spirit of magic, the arcane, and mystical energies, appearing as a swirling vortex of purple energy from which he takes any form.

Avatar: Nakov

(AldemButcher)

Form:

Nakov appears as a cluster of large, pearl-white mushrooms. 

Purpose:

While Nakov does not inherently have a personality, the influence it has on the realm is as substantial as the other Lesser Spirits. Its presence in the land creates a magical aura in the surrounding area, allowing the power of Wodanaz to seep into the environment. The plantlife surrounding Nakov quickly take on magic properties, creating an Arcane environment within which apprentices may wish to study.

It is said that such spots are the perfect environments for magic users to meditate, as it is said to make the process of connecting to the void a lot easier.

OOC:

The Spirits have always been something of an untapped resource. It is my hope with this thread to allow a more dynamic series of events to be held through the ET. These Lesser Spirits have the potential to traverse the new map in an unimaginable numbers of ways, creating events and developing characters in a way the original lore was intended to.

I intend to write more on these Lesser Spirits as time goes by. There are a plethora of Immortal Spirits to choose from.

Thank you for reading.

Beauty may be subjective, but the Gemsong Crystals of Athera drop jaws within their cavern dwellings.

The Gemsong Crystals of Athera have been buried just underneath the surface of the world, and have often gone unnoticed by the miners of the realm due to the hustle and bustle of the trade; however, those wise enough to stop, those who stay the cacophony of pick against stone, those who look in the dark for beauty and not riches - may find awe. 

These multifaceted crystals grow from the slow trickle of natural water through stone. As the water crams down into crevices of caves, these gems slowly coalesce into easily fractured and easily inspiring gems of awesome color. Should the natural light of sunlight be allowed to touch the surfaces of these rare gems, one would find an array of luminescent colors bursting from the skin of the crystals. 

Their most stunning quality however, is, by no small margin, their voice. These crystals resonate and produce pitches that are light quiet hums to the Descendant's ears. Should multiple crystals be gathered in one place, their tones shall adapt to one another and resonate in chords that may be especially pleasing to the ear. This beauty is not perfect, though. With the touch of skin against these crystals, their resonation is muted and one will find that they do not sing. A crystal must be untouched by skin or leather or cloth - only a resting place of Atheran stone will allow the crystals to remain unmuted. Few offer conjecture to this purpose; perhaps the crystals are magic in some way and touching them drains latent mana, perhaps the crystals are charged in some way by an Aengul who fears the mortal coil, or perhaps the strange nature of these crystals is just an Atheran miracle that should not be questioned - simply appreciated for their beauty. Regardless of the source of their odd tonality, one thing can be agreed on - The hum and the glisten of a Gemsong Crystal are two sources of harmony among a world ravaged by war.

_________________________________________

So, why this? Well, the crystals don't serve a combat purpose - why should they? We've crossbows, pole-axes, magic, kittens, you name it, for combat. Where is the high fantasy of this realm that hurls players into a world of wonder? I've an arrogant answer, it's right here. Players will be able to gather these crystals and represent them IC'ly however they see fit with MC items such as emeralds, lapis, note blocks, even music discs. 

Does it have red lines?

~Don't use the shimmer of a gemstone for combat, you're better off running away.

~The gemstone is not loud enough to hurt anyones hearing or distract them from magic.

~The gemstones have no effect on anyone that they do not wish to RP. 

~Touching a gemstone with anything processed by man (cloth, tools, leather, skin, etc) will mute it. Natural substances (Uncut wood, grass, stone, water) will not mute the stone.

~This lore is for immersion and smiles. Don't make people frown with my lore if it's accepted. 

In the time of Anthos, when the name Steelwall was spoken with respect and awe, the smith Lark had spent decades as Kralta’s smith, honing his art and becoming renowned even amongst dwarven blacksmiths for his prowess and skill. To solidify himself in human history as one of its greatest, Lark began to study the properties of Carbarum. Surely forging a strong set of Carbarum armor, of which the likes have not been seen since the times of Asulon, would cement his status as a smith whose skills would be seen as mythical. So he set to work, draining his supply of carbarum ore until he only had a small portion left. Met with total and utter failure, Lark erupted in a frenzy, iron and carbarum into his forge. The metals began to melt within the intense heat and the molten metal began to drip into the ingot cast, forming a new alloy. Bluesteel.

Upon returning to his forge, Lark cried with glee at his success and set to work, testing the metal’s strength and durability, putting it through intense trial to better learn his creation. To his surprise, unlike previous carbarum ingots, they did not break apart or shatter upon use. In-fact, the metal seemed stronger than normal steel, not quite the level of ancient carbarum, but strong enough to the point that it lasted longer than any previously known metal. With this new metal, Lark used it to create his legendary weapons and armors that kept Orenian soldiers alive during the Dwarf vs Oren conflicts.

When Lark met his untimely demise, he left the secrets to Bluesteel to his son Avgust Steelwall and close friend, Dared Starbreaker. Avgust in turn, left the secrets to the Cloud Temple Monks so that they might spread the alloy’s existence and so that the inhabitants of the realm may put it to use should the techniques to Carbarum smithing ever be lost once more.

OOC: Bluesteel is a 4:2 alloy of iron and carbarum that is roughly the durability of Carbarum, but lacks its strength. The metal can be forged through intense heat (roughly 3000 degrees celsius, hot enough to melt LotC Carbarum and Ferrum into something entirely new.) It has a bluish tint and basically is used to create armor that is step up from Iron, but below or at diamond's durability. In terms of armor strength, it is the same as iron.

“Kodeh steel stands as a alloy developed within Athera by the Dwedmar shortly after the first operationally successful Runeforge was created within Hiebenhall after the fall of Kal’Agnar. The material blend was first found by one Lori I̶r̶e̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ (Now Oathcast) and Hogarth Irongut with initial experimentation of alloys able to be produced by the Runeforges unprecedented heat. Further refined by Sharr Irongut, it now stands as one of the few stable materials produced for the first known time within a Runic forge.

Kodeh steel seems to bear similar properties to Carbarum in terms of its workability within tools, however it bears a unique trait that has allowed it to have limited success in mountainous and arctic environments frequented by the dwarves, namely that it does not become brittle when exposed to extremely low temperatures.

This material, since its discovery was then produced in a reasonable quantity to refurbish locations in low temperature environments where maintenance of gear comes at high host due to the frequency of its breaking, and has become a popular choice in mountain scaling equipment as well as mining.”

OOC:

The material is a slightly bronze tinted steel in appearance, composed of a blend of Shimmerstone derived from Mage gold, carbarum and ferrum. The material however does not seem to make the structure desired to produce a low temperature resistant robust material unless it is heated to a degree far higher than that capable of a normal forge.

It does not hold any properties superior to other common materials used for tools apart from the fact that in RP it doesn't shatter when frozen.

Here comes a quick bit I did that aims to provide some mundane and low-fantasy worldbuilding to some of the more 'normal' aspects of roleplay life. Ideally this should need no monitoring at all- death to applications and the bureaucracy involved. Run wild with some detailed blacksmithing roleplay.

~=~=~=~

The Beastsmith’s Arsenal: Fourth Age Forgery

“And by the heat of the fire I found him, swinging his hammer with such haste and vigor I thought it miraculous. Verily, he smithed at incredibly high speed.” -The Beastsmith’s Arsenal, Vol I., Foreword

All but forgotten are the drake-smiths of the First Age, their ironworks masked beneath the heavy and old layers of secrets and ash from the burning of each previous era. Steel and hearth and flame are not things easily buried, though, and so it was inevitable that their work would resurface elsewhere. While the scaled and crowned children of the Titan may have reclaimed the true heritage of their Dralachite, what became of the ancient language of the forge that the strongest of Man’s children knew so long ago?

The answer lay far over the seas and through the temperate storms of the ocean, upon the shores of a land called Aeldin, where monsters and men have a long and bloody history with one another. Deep within the halls of the Hexicanum, in the old forge of the Marked, an aged smith of the venerated beast-slayers claimed elder knowledge of the forging techniques long lost to the ebb of time. It would be Griffith of Gwynon, a member of the Hexicanum and a student of the old man’s, who put quill to ink and then to parchment and began scribing a text, to pass the techniques onward. Thusly, The Beastsmith’s Arsenal and its subsequent volumes were borne.

 

~=~=~=~

Volume I: Blood-Quenching

“It was a gorey place, reeking of blood: that odorous, coppery tinge in the air. Blood was kept by the barrelful. But for what?”
 

It is known among the beastsmiths that the blood of monsters has keen properties upon metal when forgeries are quenched within it. The recipe is simple: A barrel must be filled with three parts water and one part blood for an even balance, and so the mixture is still suitable for extinguishing the heat of tempered steel. Over years of experimentation, the effects of different monsters’ lifeblood upon weaponry and armor has been documented and still continues to be learned.

Dragonblood --- Sometimes the most difficult to collect, the blood of all dragonkin grants a noticeable heat resistance to steel. Not much damage is inflicted upon swords which are oiled and lit aflame.

Striga blood --- A rarer sort, striga blood acts as a sort of ‘blood thinner’: cuts inflicted with quenched weaponry bleed for longer, the blood flowing more freely.

Fjarriauga blood --- The chilled blood of the ‘frost witches’ simply gives a residual chill to metal. Though not the most practical in combat, it’s seen some use in keeping wine and ale cool.

Bryophite blood --- The saplike blood of the Bryophites grants a very weak poison to quenched steel. Wounds inflicted hurt a bit more.

Aengulic blood --- The holy folk of Aeriel and the Keepers of Xan possess a unique lifeblood within their veins that grants a shimmering, gilded appearance and often makes things appear more valuable than they are.

Infernal blood --- Opposite to Aengulic, the blood of the Inferi has been observed to give a darker, almost smoky tint to metal quenched within it.

Horror blood --- Mystical and otherworldly, the spilled blood of Voidal Horrors grants steel a unique pain inflicted upon those connected to the Void: the typical mage will feel more pain from the blow of a weapon quenched this way.

It must be explicitly noted that any attempt to mix blood with one another to produce layered effects is disastrously corrosive to the metal and will result in a ruined project.

~=~=~=~

Volume II: Ingot Infusions

“It was bizarrely religious the way he sat before the melting steel, and yet I myself could not help but marvel at the way the Dreadknight’s gauntlet bubbled and oozed into molten liquid. A machine of gore and war, reduced to slag.”

The invention and temperance of various alloys has remained a part of smithing knowledge and practices for centuries, though since the discovery of steel and bluesteel and their near-perfect practicality there has not been much ingenuity in the matter of ingots and material used during the forging process. The beastsmiths, however, through experimentation and the dangerous collection of various parts and trophies, have found a few pseudo-alloys by combining the remains of magical creatures and beings with their ingots during the smelting process. Just like with the techniques outlined in Volume I, mixing these effects proves disastrous for the metal.

Apelpinium --- A combination of the slagged armor from a fallen Dread Knight and any practical alloy. The addition of the once-mundane metal’s dark, eldritch infusions results in an odd alloy that is significantly heavier and denser than normal. The metal itself takes on a darker color as well, closer to black iron.

Ossitation --- Not an alloy itself, Ossitation is the use of magical bones of a particular sort (See: Compendium entries on Liches and Darkstalkers) by grinding them into a fine powder and dusting the line of the ingot mold before pouring slag. The result is a metal that does not easily chip or dull: while structural damage and the wear and tear of battle will still ebb away at it, the superficial lustre will remain pristine, almost idyllically so.

Petrite --- Perhaps the strangest of infusions in the slagging stage, Petrite is a result of the crushed and dusted remains of a Golem’s core being added to an ingot while it is being set. Whenever the metal is cool, it takes on a rough, almost stony texture to it and could be mistaken for rock itself though bears no structural improvements or weaknesses in comparison to unaffected metals.

~=~=~=~

Volume III: Mundane Techniques

The drake-knights of Gwynon use old dragonflame smithing practices to achieve their vibrant hues of red.

Alas, reader, you come to the least marvelous of all there is to read in The Beastsmith’s Arsenal. Outlined here is an ever-growing list of materials and techniques with much lesser effects to be used at your leisure and your own ingenuity. Experimentation is encouraged: perhaps you will discover properties and uses I overlooked when scribing this.

Draconic

Dragonhide, when tanned and cured into leather, makes for a sturdy material for grips. Dragonbone, while being dense and difficult to shape, rewards effort at chipping and carving it over a long time: It bears surprising flexibility, making it an interesting substitute for wood in weaponcrafting. ‘Dragonflame’ smithing is a technique adapted from the old work of the First Age Drakesmiths and simply refers to tempering metal for very long times at high heats in order to produce vibrant hues of red in steel.

Undead

Ghoulhide or the rotting skin of any undead being has proven entirely impractical and its use is not advised. However, the bones of fallen liches and darkstalkers have a keen durability and have seen use in weapon handles and ornamentation for armor.

Monsters

While the bestiary of known monsters in the world is far too vast to cover and detail the uses of all their bodies, let it be known that monster hide is a durable and suitable replacement for regular tanned leather in just about any situation. Utilize different textures and colors to achieve the desired appearance of your weapon’s grip. Monster bones have not proven any better than a regular animal’s in crafting purposes. The strung innards and hairs of monsters have also seen prolific use as bowstrings.

 

An air of curiosity swept over the ashen Orc, Gijaak, as he stepped into the library of the Angathgûl. As he squinted in the dimly lit space, he looked to the tomes and scriptures of old littered across the floor. It seemed there was little space on the shelves for new additions, and so they had been strewn about in carelessness. 

As Gijaak stepped cautiously over the books, he made his way to the Smithing section, setting his steel cane up against the shelf as he reached upward. For a moment he paused, running his fingers along the books as he searched, humming in contemplation. As his eyes fixed on a book in particular, his eyebrows rose in surprise as he drew it from the shelf. 

He proceeded to carry it over to a nearby table, blowing the dust from the cover on the way there. As he wiped the remaining dust from the cover, he noticed a crimson blotch of blood stained on the leather surface. As he went to open the tome, it creaked and groaned with old age as it presented its knowledge.

Dâr ob Griish

(A Blood Priest in the Raguk Death Chambers)

Many decades ago, when the Raguk had settled into Vailor, the Wargoth at the time, Kharak'Raguk, set in motion a series of events that would allow the Raguk to rediscover the Spirits.

Those that decided to follow him along this path would come to create a mysterious cult beneath the scorching sands of the Uzg, where they would work with the Spirit of Blood and Bone, Gazigash, to achieve craftsmanship of unprecedented potential.

Ideology

(Gazigash, the Spirit of Blood and Bone)

Those within Dâr ob Griish, or the House of Blood, are master smiths and craftsmen in line with the traditional aspirations of the Raguk, serving most often at the apex of their chosen professions. However, they differ in their approach to the forging process, by utilising the latent abilities of the Spirits to help enhance the quality of their creations.

This is done predominantly with blood, the crimson stream that gives life to all things and runs deep with iron, sharing the stench of forgery when exposed to the air. The Dâr ob Griish believe that the iron in the blood of all living things is critical in empowering the creations of their forgery. By working in unison with Gazigash and Gentharuz, the Spirits of Blood and Smithing respectively, these Raguk will add vast quantities of fresh blood to their forging process in order to create what is widely known as Blood Steel.

Blood Steel

(Non-Raguk Orcs offering their weapons to an outraged Blood Smith to be enhanced with his ability)

Revered widely by those of the Dâr ob Griish, Blood Steel is considered the ultimate metal, being made not only with the skill of the individual smith, but also infused with the iron of the blood that is enhanced and molded into the steel by the unending power of the Spirits.

It can be used to create some of the strongest steel in Orcish culture, and is widely sought after by those few who are aware of its existence. Blood Steel is created specifically for the Raguk, with barely any outside of the clan subject to its potency. This in large is because these Raguk believe they were chosen by Gazigash to use her latent abilities, so that they may wreak devastation in combat and honour her with bloodshed.  

Typically Blood Steel is fashioned into blades, but can also be used to create armours of complex design and defensive potency. Each item is crafted to the best of the smiths ability, and is decorated according to their worship. They will often use bone for the hilt of the blades, or for decoration in points around the armour in order to represent Gazigash and her domain in its entirety.

The Ritual of Blood

(Lowly Goblins, subject to Gazigash' rejection)

Before a Raguk can become a Blood Smith, he or she must first commune with Gazigash herself in order to receive her blessing to continue with their work. This is done through the efforts of the Shamans in the clan, who work almost exclusively with Gazigash in order to hone the craftsmanship of the clan.

Any Orc that does not have red skin will be immediately turned away from such an honour, for it is not within the Raguk belief system for them to be suitable. This is because the Dâr ob Griish believe that their stark crimson colouration comes from a direct blessing from Gazigash. 

For many years she watched in intrigue, as the Raguk labored beneath the world, smeared endlessly in their own blood as they worked for the progression of the Uzg. The mines of the clan permeated with a stench of iron as their blood painted the walls, for there was no end to the work of a Raguk, and no release even in disablement. 

The Raguk have worked in blood since their conception, both by injury, and by staining their weapons with it in War. For this great sacrifice to progression, they were to be blessed by Gazigash herself, representing her entirely with their colouration.

For this, their steel would be unmatched, and they would spill the blood of their enemies in waves.

Appearance

Aside from the typical appearance of the Raguk, the smiths of the Dâr ob Griish use tattoos and jewelry to represent the other aspect of Gazigash; that of bone. They will often mask themselves in white paints, representing the symbol of the Raguk clan, the open hand. Additionally, they will trace their bones with paint, so as to further represent the skeletal domain of their Spirit.

Aside from this there is no stark contrast between a Raguk of the Dâr ob Griish, and one who has not been inducted into the group. The process by which one may join, and how to utilise Gazigash in the Smithing process remains a mystery, lost in time to only those within the clan.

Red lines:

- one may only forge bloodsteel when they have gone through the ritual (a shaman of Tier2 is required to summon Gazigash, the spirit may be represented by ET,MT,LT and designated Shaman's that know how spirits work).

- Once 'connected' and deemed a child of blood (dâr ob griish) the orc of red skin must  collect a sizable amount of blood from either descendants or animals (obtained through roleplay). Creation of tools and weapons cost 'units'. One unit of blood being defined as a single descendant worth of drained blood or 2 small animals, 1 large animal.

- Weapon&Armor costs: Any tool/weapon uses about 1 unit of blood to be created. A full set of armor should cost about 7-10 depending on the amount of plated steel that's required.

- There will be a list of connected individuals.

- If you were connected before this lore was accepted, you don't need to go through another ritual. That was part of the social aspect of bloodsmiths, now it is made into actual lore.

- an MA is required for this Feat, and shall not take up a magic slot. The aforementioned connected individuals may grandfather their applications.

- Bloodsteel strength modifier: 2x as strong / durable as blacksteel. It's comparable to carbarum/bluesteel in game though bares no magical properties other than it's red coloring and enhanced strength.

- only (raguk) orcs of pure red blood may be Dâr ob Griish.

OOC:

Introduction

For decades the Qalasheen people have lived peaceful and simple lives, enjoying a time of peace. The world around them appeared to be unraveling its true dark nature, yet The Sultanate flourished as local merchants peddled their wares across the Isles. Miners took to the stone with pick in hand, exploring new depths and returning with rare minerals and ores. Encrusted with a strangely beautiful pattern, Qalasheen metallurgists have discovered what at first appeared to be an ore with properties similar to aurum (it had both a low yield strength and fracture point). When they discovered the true potential, it became known as “Kadarsi ((meaning powerful in Arabic))."

Kadarsi

Kadarsi ore itself looks more similar to a darkened, less transparent crystal, that by itself is weak, making the harvesting process more difficult. It would require a steady hand and careful precision to chip away at the edges of the ore without having it crack. Once acquired, and forged with other elements such as carbon, however, the steel product will have a higher yield strength and higher fracture point. If cracked, the Kadarsi will allow the steel to spring back into shape and allow it to be easily repaired through forge welding.

Pattern welded steel

History

The ore was first used in glassware and pottery, melted and molded together with various minerals and elements to make attractive decorations and furniture, desired by many. What was quickly noticed by this was that the glass and pottery were slightly more durable and resistant to breaking. Metallurgists quickly began testing the affects of Kadarsi with other minerals including gold and ferrum. Through Kadarscening, it was discovered that the properties of both ferrum and aurum were strengthened, making the two more durable. Striking aurum mixed with Kadarsi repeatedly against solid objects showed that the new welded aurum could take more hits before needing repair. Not only this, but repairing was much easier as the Kadrasi could easily spring back into shape with simple repair methods. The same results were shown with ferrum testing and so Qalashi Steel was born.

Kadarsi Ferrum BattleAxe

Qalashi Steel consists of Kadarsi ore and Ferrum ore that are both welded and forged together in layers (known as Kardescining), creating a unique pattern, but most importantly it affects the quality of the combined steel to create a new steel which is commonly referred to by Harians as Qalashi Steel. Different kinds of mixed processed steels will produce mere patterns and show little property change, but when ferrum combines with the Qalasheen-discovered Kadarsi ore, not only did it have a unique pattern — a beautiful water-patterned steel produced with resilient edges — it was shown to be tougher than the average ferrum blade which was prone to rusting in damp air and becoming dull, making it a high maintenance weapon.

The Welding Technique

Through pattern welding of Ferrum and Kadarsi, plus an additional method which consists of layering, Qalashi steel can be forged into weapons and armor. The layering gives the steel unique patterns that one can visually see. Depending on the skill level of a blacksmith, Qalashi steel will become more durable as the blacksmith will be able to use the Kadarscening technique better and add more layered tiers of the melted ferrum and Kadarsi. As they are layered and folded over one another more and more the outcome is a steel that is much tougher and resistant to shattering (though it would not be impossible to break the steel). The tiers are  also noticeable by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. The more it is layered (which is a lengthy process), the more durable the steel becomes.

Kadarsi ore can be welded together with ferrum, aurum, and bluesteel to produce: Kadarsi ferrum, Kadarsi aurum, and Kadarsi bluesteel. 

Kadarsi Ferrum Sabre

Each tier is based solely on the level of the blacksmith starting from Adept which will be referred to as a tier 1 product. The more experience one has in blacksmithing, the higher the tier. Alongside this, Qalashi steel can be enchanted like most weapons, but will have increased durability, making it unique.

Kadarsi Ferrum Chestplate with gauntlets

Strengths and Weaknesses

+ While this adhesive might only appear to be an alternative to the Unbreaking enchant, it should be known that only at tier 3 ((Masterful blacksmith)) will a Kadarsi-laced piece be equivalent to a single Unbreaking enchant. On top of this, one will be able to add an Unbreaking enchant to their Kadarsi-laced piece and double the affects. 

+ Farfolk are able to produce Kadarsi ferrum gear earlier and slightly faster than other races, but will be subject to the same times when it comes to Kadarsi aurum and Kadarsi bluesteel.

- Aurum and bluesteel gear are best used in their whole states and so mixing any aurum or bluesteel with Kadarsi lessens, but does not completely negate the properties. 

- The process for making Kadarsi gear is a lengthy one due to how precise one must be.

- To be able to harvest this ore, one must have much experience, though it is said that the expert hands of a Farfolk can provide some aid 

- Kadarsi Aurum and Kadarsi bluesteel will require more experience to craft for other races.

Thank you to bestscarface76 who provided some good advice for this.

Drealond

The Night Stone

"There are lands far below, it's a place called home." 

Origins

   Found in the lands of late Athera by an 'Ker named Tayui and his crew in a deep, undersea cavern. They had to mine the area around the mineral, because it was too weak, and would be broken into shards easily. It was a thick, aqua color, almost like that of the sea depths. However, Tayui had greed 'greater than that of a dwarf', some would say.

He burned his own ship, killing his crew-mates as they slept, while diving into the water. He hung onto a piece of wreckage, unable to find the ore the next morning. Heavily depressed due to the fact that he killed every one of his crew-mates, and lost his wealth, he went into hiding. Though, this ore has

recently been found, and it is rumored to be by the island of Laureh'lin. 

Raw & Processed Forms

   There are two conditions, or forms, that Draelond could be in. These are regularly known as 'Raw Draelond' and 'Processed Draelond'. Obviously, raw Draelond is the untampered, natural form found inside the deep sea caverns. Processed Draelond, however, is what the rare ore is named after it has gone through a refining 'process'.

Raw

 In it's raw form, it is still in crystalline form. It spreads throughout a cavern, growing in small bunches. They can only grow if small moonlight manages to at least graze a section of the area around a small area of water inside the cavern. Moonlight, and freshwater is required to grow this rare crystal that glows in the night. Even though it is raw, it is actually softer than it's processed form. This is probably because it is only suited to it's fertile soil in the caverns below.

Processed

Processed Draelond becomes a darker color as it is separated from it's natural environment. It ceases growth without it's moonlight, and condenses into a harder state than it's raw form. When first introduced to the sun, it will re-use some of it's heat, and store it inside of itself. After this, it'd give off an near-to-unnoticeable aura of warmth, and become even darker. It is easy to be forged into something else, if heated high enough by lava, and forged correctly. It can be put back into it's raw form, by putting it back in the exact same spot you found it, in it's cavern.

((This was more just of a writing experiment that I was working on, to improve my writing skills. I'd be glad to see it implemented into the server, explaining where a new ore Ravondir has had on his necklace. It is also being used in Laureh'lin, it's just that it's has not been publicly announced yet. Remember, it's only for decoration!))

Red Lines

- Draelond cannot be used for combat, as it would break easily against any other type of metal if pressed hard enough.

- It grows in the moonlight, and needs a freshwater source to grow bigger.

- It actually doesn't shine in the sunlight, the sun stumps growth, and becomes a darker color.

- It doesn't become hot to the point that it burns on skin contact.

Gold / Aurum:

Aurum, more commonly known as gold, is a moderately rare mineral found in ore veins all across the world. It holds no immediately obvious special use for it is incredibly brittle and makes for very poor armour and weaponry based on durability alone. Gold is mostly used as a decorative ore more than anything else due to its rarity and naturally gleaming beauty, but that said it remains significantly stronger than Arcarum and use may be made of it in combat, but Iron (Ferrum) will always be the most useful resource in this field.

Gold however does hold some interesting properties. For reasons unknown gold acts as a preventative against beings of a spectral nature, and the use from this can be employed in a variety of ways. The most obvious would be to forge swords out of gold as they would cause significant damage to spectrals entities while an Iron sword would do very little - it is as if gold acts as an anchor to physicality, and using it against spectral entities like ghosts, gravens, wraiths, harbingers and wights, forces a rapid demanifestation. Often across the world do the descendants lay down gold plates along the ground, as it prevents spectral entities from passing over them. Even if the spectral creature is able to hover over the barrier still they would find themselves unable to pass - the gold shatters their manifestation to the plane, and a forced attempt to breach the gold barrier would cause instant demanifestation, also known as death.

Magegold / Arcaurum:

Arcaurum, also known as Mage's Gold, Magegold, or Fool's Gold, is a naturally occurring metal nigh indistinguishable from gold to the untrained eye. While those experienced with gold and magegold can tell them apart from Magegold's duller shine, it is the weakness and brittleness of magegold that makes it so useless, being more like glass than metal. Even the slightest impurity gives it this brittle characteristic, but pure magegold, which is so soft it could be bent by a child, is prone to breaking easily, so most do not go to the effort of refining it to purity as it makes it even more useless.

Magegold coins can be broken in half by an even slightly strong human. It was originally known as Fool's gold, as it is slightly more common than gold and can easily be used to make counterfeit coins and gold items that break upon use, but which are indistinguishable from true gold to the eye. Such was the extent of counterfeit minas (which broke when people were felled in battle) that the Asulon-wide currency was changed to promissory notes and precious stones.

It was only in late Aegis that Arcaurum's true power was discovered. Most materials resist enchantment, requiring powerful magic or runes. Magegold, however, seems receptive to magic to such an extent that a novice could enchant it and a powerful mage could do great things indeed with it. The potential of magegold is limited only by how fragile it is, even after enchantment.

Magegold has a lesser known and less benign use: pure magegold can be used along with ancient rituals, to trap lesser spirits and souls within. This creates an arguably inhumane magical power source, which, when inscribed with the correct runes can be used to animate stone and grant it sentience (golems), and there was one tale of a more powerful spirit resisting and creating an elemental creature. Regardless, magegold is much more valuable today than it was in the past, yet many detest it for its use in counterfeiting and confidence trickery.

Vivification - The Curse Of True Sight

Foreword

The Elysian Wastes: A Place Caught Between

The Curse Of True Sight

Its implementation was trash, clunky, and subtracts from roleplay instead of adds.
For replacement: 3 months in the user gains the ability to discover effects through experimentation or peer to peer training without the assistance of their original teacher. 4 months in the user gains the ability to combine effects and thus utilize the art to its maximum effect.

Blood Magic clarification

The core function of the resonant effect (taking energy from environment and body) and the core function of blood magic (taking energy from body) overlap. You cannot use utilize blood magic to pull genus from yourself to fuel aggressive resonance as genus is already utilized by default. A blood mage would have to pull genus from another person and similarly, with resonance utilizing every form of energy, if an Oscillit were to lay down in a pool of fresh blood it could be treated the same as laying down in a pool of liquid mana. Additionally the limit breaking of genus enhancement should be roleplayed the same as the limit breaking that can be performed with any other form of energy.
 

Creature balancing and clarifications list

(I am aware afflicted are not creatures.)
Zephonim - Resonance may not be incited through any location covered by chitin.
Frost witch's - Fine
Nephilim - Cannot incite resonance through anything deemed hard. Through aggressive resonance consuming energy present over usage of such will snuff the inner flame, this putting the Nephilim into its coma like stone state. Conservative usage is required, liberal usage results in consequence.
Afflicted - Cannot incite resonance at any location that claims to be hard or armored.
Hou-zi - Fine
Klones - Fine
 

Continuous resonance revision

 It requires no teaching to take and may now be taken immediately upon starting Kani. The feat exists solely as a choice of balance for multiclassing characters and needs to be treated as such.
 

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For thousands of years, the Hou-Zi of the isles of Axios have been able to tap into invisible reservoirs of magical residue and utilize their contents to bolster their martial arts and meditation prowess. Whether it be in the jungles of Asul or the mountains of Tahn, the Hou-zi sun-worshipping monks of various orders have been capable of drawing forth the magical remnants within these Chi Streams and performing great feats of strength, agility, healing, and resistance. This innate talent has always been part of Hou-Zi history: when Metzili lifted the primate apes of Asul into the sapient hou-zi, she imbued within Hou-Shen and his kin the ability to draw magic from their environments and use it to aid their efforts in becoming equals to the descendants. The monks dub the energy they recover Chi, and its reservoirs as Chi streams and Chi pools. The art of tapping into these depositories is known as Chi Manipulation.

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Chi and its Sources:

Chi Streams are concentrated remnants of mana released by living beings, omnipresent yet invisible to the vast majority of people. They flow throughout Axios from Chi Pools, which are very large concentrations of magical energy. Chi Pools occur in place where mana is or has been in abundance. Chi pools can be found around arcane-utilizing civilizations, the ruins of such civilizations, natural mana fountains, and most commonly forests or other places where life is densely concentrated.

Chi is distinct from mana in that it is a changed version of the magical compound. Chi is the residue coursing through a world resulting from the existence of life and the use of magic. As it is magical residue, it cannot be used to directly manifest objects or itself into the physical plane unless present in large amounts. Rather, it is channeled by monks into their existing bodies, to aid in mitigating physical damage and increasing strength and agility.

The Hou-Zi received their knowledge and ability about Chi flows from Hou-Shen, who was given the ability to manipulate these streams by the Deamon Metzili, after it evolved the primates of Asul into the Hou-Zi. With instruction from one already proficient in the art, any person who does not use another primary source of magical energy can learn Chi manipulation.

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Chi Usage:

Chi Usage falls into two categories: manipulation and meditation. Chi manipulation is withdrawing of Chi from streams and the implementation of this Chi through physical action. A martial practitioner of this art would use Chi to bolster his physical strikes, jumps, dodges, and so on. The more experienced a practitioner, the more Chi he or she can manipulate: therefore, the longer one has practiced the art, the more significant his implementation of Chi will be. Masterful practitioners of Chi manipulation can muster enough Chi to allow it to physically manifest, often weaponizing it alike fireball spells.

Chi meditation is the withdrawing of Chi from its reservoirs and the retention of that Chi within the body. Chi meditation allows one to withdraw more Chi from Chi streams, but simultaneously requires the utilizer to remain in a tranquil and static meditative state, disabling him from weaponizing the Chi. When present, Chi can be redirected to certain areas of the body to heal wounds, increase bodily resistance, manipulate metabolism on will and provide nourishment. When in their meditative state, Chi users are often able to resist extreme environmental conditions and physical strains for extended periods of time. Chi servers as a preserving agent, allowing its entranced users to remain unharmed over a long period of time. Unless a Chi practitioner in meditation is murdered through instantly deadly methods such as decapitation, he will retain a large chance of surviving and recovering.

In order to begin utilizing Chi, one must not be tainted by other magical sources. As Chi is the residue of mana, coexisting knowledge of the arcane, dark, druidic, and deic arts would prevent its usage as channeling such forms of magic prevents Chi from being channeled. A Chi practitioner would first need to be inducted by a more senior practitioner. As a large amount of Chi is needed to do this, groups of practitioners and masters often perform this ritual. The connection ritual involves the channeling of Chi outside of one’s body and into another, opening Chi utilization pathways in the inducted novice. The more the novice develops his skills by channeling Chi regularly, the easier it will become for him to channel Chi and draw larger amounts of Chi into physicality, allowing for greater manipulation and power.

In time, masterful Chi utilizers also become capable of drawing Chi from living sources of Chi. Although never used casually, this ability can be used to excommunicate lesser Chi practitioners by a conglomerate of adepts. Chi-stream excommunication occurs when one Chi user’s powers are sapped by a more skilled group of Chi users, leading to the closing of their Chi pathways. This closing can be reversed if another conglomerate of skilled users convene to perform a re-initiation. A re-communicated user will not have the same powers as he did before, but in time is able to fully recover his former ability.

Very adept Chi users are able to manifest Chi by channeling large amounts of it into reality in tangible shapes. If channeled with anger, Chi will manifest as volatile and dangerous, much alike flames. If channeled in a calm state, Chi will appear as a healing energy. Chi cannot be manifested in large sizes and bent as evoked arcane material, but it can be thrown and physically manipulated to a small extent. Masterful practitioners also use their sapping ability to daze their opponents: masters will often hit their attackers and upon contact sap any Chi present in their bodies, leaving voids of energy which often daze the victim into a state of temporary stupor.

As Chi is magical residue, it is significantly weaker than other sources of magic. Although it can be used to strengthen the physical body, it can never be used to summon forth flames and more material spells. It functions poorly as a source of energy for anything other than sustenance, and disappears quickly. Chi evoked forth from Chi streams must be used instantly, or else it dissipates. However, an advantage of this is that, being a weaker magic, Chi has little effect on the body, having no negative effects on physique, and in some cases, acting as a bodily preservative.

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General Progression:

Chi manipulation has a static progression pattern, meaning that a student must start from the basest forms of Chi manipulation. This process often begins with the ritual performed on the novice which enables them to become sensitive to Chi and its pools throughout the realm. From there, multiple different techniques and exercises are practiced by the novice in order for them to learn how basic connection and manipulation works. However, the novice would no yet be able to manipulate Chi into their perspective school just yet.

As the Novice studies tomes and various techniques from their perspective school of instruction on how to harness, connect, and manipulate Chi, the now adept student can begin to learn the basics of their school of teaching. Through this, minor abilities become unlocked to the practitioner very much like beginner spells in other various types of magic. From this point the rigor of Chi manipulation only will increase.

As the Adept continues to practice their entry level techniques. Their abilities beginning to noticeably change and adapt to the user’s style of manipulation although the amount of Chi able to be manipulated is only slightly higher than that of a novice, more abilities and enhancements become available to the trainee. From here more powerful forms of Chi manipulation can begin to be unlocked through rigorous training as they begin to more freely tap into Chi pools and Chi streams.

The next step towards mastering the art is that of a Promising Aspirant. Their skills have vastly heightened since they’ve begun to learn of manipulation and further meditation. Tapping into Chi Streams and Chi Pools with more ease than ever, the Aspirant is now able to heighten their abilities from their perspective school to almost a masterful level. Their Chi pathways have become used to the process of handling Chi and the Aspirant is able to harness more Chi because of this. Enabling them to store more Chi than before. The Aspirant is now able to study two forms of Chi manipulation yet only master one.

Masterful Chi Manipulators or Enlightened Ones sit at the pinnacle of this artform. Able to conjure vast amounts of Chi into their form, their pathways have expanded and developed to allow their body to retain and use more Chi than the average user. They’re able to tap into raw amounts of Chi and use their stored Chi and that Chi within their surroundings to influence their specific form of manipulation. Masterful Chi users are the only ones able to open Chi pathways to prospective students and allow them to begin training through the induction ritual.

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The Four Wayward Paths:

The Wayward paths began as experimental forms of manipulation, spawning from different forms of deep meditation practices based from ancient Hou-zi preparatory meditations before the great wars. From this intensive state of meditation came the ability for Chi Feeling. The process of seeking out streams and pools of Chi around the meditative being. Hou-Shen was given the ability to manipulate the streams by the Deamon Metzili but it was not until the beginning of the age of prosperity in Jing-Taiyun that the Four Wayward Paths were created. Their beginnings have been told in many different stories by tell-tale of oral documentation. The most common belief is that the Four Gilded Monks were the first ones to create the paths. These four were a mixture of Fei-Zhu and Laobai-Zhu, whose minds had been tested and strengthened by immense amounts of meditation and focus. Each Hou-zi a different stylist from the other when using their Chi Manipulation. The ways in which they summoned forth and reached into different Chi pools were vastly different yet one in the process of Chi

Feeling.

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The Power of Chi Strikes

Chi Strikes are strong due to the Chi's effect on the body, as such a Major Strike which is a fully Chi Forced Strike, can cause injuries like compound fractures and internal bleeding to targets and minor fractures to armored individuals. Lesser strikes can cause things like hairline fractures, nerve damage, and ruptures to targets whom are unarmored and bruising and minor stuns. The power of the Chi remains the same from T2 When strikes can be used, however as the Chi within an individual grows, so does the amount of strikes able to be used before spending all their Chi.

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The Way of Sun

The Way of the Sun is based on a form of Chi Manipulation which increases stamina and strength. It is a form of Chi Manipulation based on hatred and anger, the Way of the Sun is regarded as the most combative form of manipulation. As stated above, to channel Chi with anger results in a dangerous and volatile form of Chi. Students who walk the Way of Sun often use Chi to enhance their attacks through a specific form of meditation. The users seemingly begin a dance-like routine where various actions and aggressive movements begin to channel the Chi within them, their movements sharp and intricate. The students often practice hours on perfecting this style of combative Chi manipulation. Students of the Sun can even throw Chi to an extent, sending forces of the energy towards the intended target within a certain radius. (1-5 Blocks: Depending on Tier) The Way of the Sun is viewed as the most arrogant and uncontrollable form of Manipulation due to it using very little meditation which can cause an imbalance within the user, allowing the Chi to begin to slip from the control of the user which threatens the inner balance which is honed through means of meditative exercises.

Students of the Sun have been known to develop a lust for further power which can taint the mind and thoughts of the user. The Way of the Sun allows strikes from fists and monk weapons to strike with a much greater force when used by a student of the Sun. Those who follow the Way of Sun can often be distinguished by their form of combat and their Chi, their Chi appears like that of flames which lack little control and follow their movements as they begin their form of manipulation. After using the Way of Sun, users will find that once they’ve finished channeling their Chi, the Chi which once enhanced their stamina would seep back to a controllable state, leaving the user tired and in a diresome need for meditation. However, unlike the Way of Turtle which increases a monk’s ability to protect themselves; The Way of Sun leaves the combatant extremely vulnerable to strikes and their Chi does not allow them to be healed by means of Way of Moon, due to it being a polar opposite to the calm nature of the Way of Moon which is used for healing.

TL;DR of Positive Abilities:

• Increased Speed Upon attack abilities depending on tier.

• Ability to actively use Chi as a weapon within 6 blocks due to Chi only being able to be in existence for a brief period of time.

• Strength increased when the area focused on is acted upon by Chi.

• Can Learn Way of Crane techniques and abilities.

Progression:

T1: Chi Feeling is the only ability able to be used by a beginner student who has just recently been exposed to Chi, Chi Streams, and Chi Pools. From this state the Student of Sun practices their channeling through focus and repetition of their combat movements. From this they learn to use their anger to draw from their Chi and manipulate it for combat but can not quite use it to enhance their abilities just yet. They would notice changes in their movement as they practice. Their hands and feet as well as their other limbs would begin to increase in movement speed slightly but not to a very noticeable amount. As of the first week, practicing Chi Feeling is the only ability able to be used by this Wayward Path.

T2: Once the Student begins to learn how to seek out and find Chi, alongside of learning basic manipulation through means of Chi Feeling; basic combative skills will begin to be introduced to the student. They’re taught to use hatred to channel forth strikes with a slightly heightened amount of strikes and powerful strikes. They find themselves needing more Chi to be focused to further their abilities but their Chi is restrained due to them still being novices. The student will begin to feel irritable and hostile more often than their normal state once was. They begin to seek out a clique-like mentality and keep to their own group of students which is common due to the ways different forms of Chi interact with one another.

T3: The respective student now has become advanced in their practices, learning the different forms of combat used to draw forth Chi using anger and hatred. They would find their Chi being more difficult to control but easier to draw forth from their style of manipulation. The student would find themselves now able to channel their Chi into specific areas of their body, such as hands, arms, legs, and feet causing their strikes to become stronger and faster from that respective area. Although due to the volatile nature of the Chi they run the risk of spells of insanity when contradicted or challenged. When in combat, their strikes although refined and the amount of strikes they can use is heightened it can sometimes be too much and they find themselves attempting to do too more than they can and not giving thought to their movements as they’ve become second nature, yet their anger drives them to be less cautious of their actions.

T4: The Student is now approaching the pinnacle. They’re able to use their Chi to a high degree and can fully manipulate it into reality for attacks in close range. (6 blocks) The Student now has all the tools, fighting styles, and training needed to use their Chi to their advantage in combat. Their mental state continues to raise but can be controlled through vast periods of time in deep meditation. The Student is almost towards the peak of where their training has prepared them. They now have a good grasp on how to harness and focus their Chi and Chi Feeling.

T5: The Student has mastered the Way of Sun. Their power is now full fledged. They now have heightened physical combative attributes and the amount of strikes they can land has peaked, they are able to fully use Chi against people. They also have the ability to Sap Chi from people and remove the magic from Way of Sun students if they’re selected as a Master. Their preparation now takes a quicker time to summon Chi due to it being already harnessed within the being.

Way of Sun Tier Attack Chart:

T1: No Strikes Can be landed with Chi impact. Chi Feeling.

T2: 0 Massive Strike | 3 Lesser Strikes

T3: 1 Massive Strikes | 3 Lesser Strikes

T4: 3 Massive Strikes | 4 Lesser Strikes

T5: 5 Massive Strikes | 6 Lesser Strikes

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Minor and Major Heals

Although Healing from a Deity and using their seemingly plentiful abundance of magic is swell and dandy, Way of Moon students are limited to their heals and how they can use them, thus making the student think tactically about what they are doing. A major heal consists of the mending of ruptured flesh and broken bones where lesser heals are limited to deep cuts and burns.

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The Way of Moon

The Way of Moon is a means of Chi Manipulation used to heal using a peaceful style of Chi Feeling and Invoking. The Chi is invoked by peaceful meditation unlike the polar opposite of the Way of Sun where the Chi is brought forth from aggressive and anger filled actions, the Way of the Moon is the manipulation of Chi based from a peaceful and poised form of searching for Chi Streams through intensive meditation. Unlike the Way of Turtle where movement of the arms and hands is used to invoke Chi energy, through meditation the Chi is transferred from the respective Chi Pool or Chi Stream and from there it is harnessed within the Way of Moon student. Unlike their kin of the Sun, who constantly need to invoke Chi through anger and hate, Way of Moon students are taught to remain in a constant state of peace, so that they’re able to hold more dormant Chi than the Way of Sun students. Through intensive meditative methods their ability to hold more and more Chi over time grows as the student progresses down their respective path.

Due to the nature of the peaceful form of Chi, the coloration of peaceful Chi would be that of a light blue color. The way Chi Healing and Mending works is through the process of connecting the healers Chi and its properties to that of the Chi that resides within every living being, in this case the victim. The Chi is then used as a catalyst where it connects to that of the being that is injured and uses the remnant magical residue which it is present to mend and seal wounds. However, if concentration is severed whilst healing the victim, then the healing will stop and the Chi surrounding the wound will begin to recede and remove its effects and can only fully heal if the action goes undisturbed. A student of the Moon would be unable to learn contradicting forms of Chi manipulation, less the other form of Chi will begin to manipulate the other if it is an opposite. In this case a Way of Moon student would be unable to learn Way of Sun, but could learn Way of Turtle and Way of Crane and vice versa for Way of Sun students. Way of Moon followers are able to learn to heal themselves by separating part of their Chi so that it can be used to heal rather than using their full expanded personal Chi pool. Way of Moon followers tend to have extended lives beyond their years.

Tl;DR of Positive Abilities

• The Way of Moon follower is able to use their Chi to mend and heal wounds of other beings with Chi within them. (This excludes undead and beings with no Chi present within them.)

• The Way of Moon is a new form of diverse healing which allows the user to learn Chi manipulation without having to take a combat-based route within the magic.

• Way of Moon followers are able to heal themselves as well as other Chi sensitive beings.

• Can Learn Way of Turtle techniques and abilities.

Progression:

T1: A beginner Moon in the art of Chi Manipulation who has chosen the Way of Moon Wayward Path. Their training begins with learning how to breathe and properly meditate, almost sending their soul into a form of dormant sleep as the mind and body begin to naturally train itself Chi Feeling as time goes on, however proper guidance is needed to instruct the student to the best of their ability.

T2: The Student will begin practicing further Chi Feeling as well as the ability of Chi Connecting, which is the process of binding the expanded Chi Pathways of the mender with that of the victim, almost intertwining the Chi of the two in order to heal the body. Only minor cuts, bruises, and abrasions are able to be mended at this state. The healing is effective on the small injuries but the time it takes is still incredibly slow. (5-6 solid emotes at minimum, not including connection and feeling.)

T3: The Student is now able to heal medium sized cuts and abrasions. The process of Chi Connection is beginning to feel like second nature due to the rigor of training by the monks. The time it takes to heal hairline fractured bones and medium sized cuts has decreased slightly and becomes more effective and useful to the Way of Moon student.

T4: The student now is able to mend broken and fractured bones completely. Their Chi personal Chi pool has expanded to the point where the monk must remain at a constant state of peace and must not disturb the balance of Chi within them less consequences will occur from Chi imbalance. The student now must meditate twice a irl day for full control of their massive Chi pool. This can occur in any free moment of the day in which a player has time. The meditation they delve into is deep and is almost akin to astral projection in the sense that the world around them seems almost malleable yet their body remains upright and in a trance-like state.

T5: The now Masterful student is now referred to as Enlightened, they’ve reached the very top of their abilities and their need to meditate is now controllable and can be done once a day in order to maintain control but the Enlightened Wayward follower would seek to maintain a healthy dose of Chi within them at all times as they’ve become almost reliant on the manipulation of Chi. They have the ability to Sap through Chi connection and can remove Chi forcefully from other beings to either prevent the process of further learning or to fill their own Chi.

Way of Moon Heal Chart:

T1: Chi Feeling

T2: 0 Major Heal | 2 Minor Heals

T3: 2 Major Heals | 3 Minor Heals

T4: 3 Major Heals | 3 Minor Heals

T5: 4 Major Heals | 3 Minor Heals

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Acrobatic and Evasive Maneuvers

As all people know, being able to flip forty times in a row is a feat that is not of realistic ability. However The Way of Crane students use their Chi to perform actions such as flips and cartwheels which are classified as Acrobatic Maneuvers, Evasive Maneuvers include doges and redirects of actions. Due to the power of this and the amount of Chi used to do so, their Chi is spent quickly thus they are limited to the amount of maneuvers they can perform.

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The Way of Crane

The Way of Crane is the most famed artform of Chi manipulation. This allows the user to manipulate Chi in order to further their balance and physical attributes such as climbing and dexterity. The followers of the Way of Crane are often the most agile of the Chi Manipulators who use evasive maneuvers to turn the combat to their advantage. Unlike the other Wayward Paths, the Way of Crane students practice in more unorthodox ways. Often seen running about the rooftops with a purple aura following their motions, these beings can be seen performing flips from high areas and handstands atop of peaks and buildings. The way that these beings manipulate Chi is through specific movement where Chi is focused into specific spots of the body, enabling more agile movement to be executed. Through these movements, the Way of Crane students allow their fluid movements to act as a catalyst for Chi and use such movements as flips and cartwheels to harness and manipulate the substance. This allows the body to relax and become more reliant on the mind rather than body, letting balance take precedence over all else.

The training is rigorous and the most difficult out of all the Wayward paths. The coloration of the Chi would be that of purple, thus why when Way of Crane students are seen practicing or fighting, wisps and streaks of purple follow their movements before quickly dissipating into the air and back into the Chi streams. Through active movement do these students thrive, often the more lighthearted and hearty within the monastery, they begin their training learning Chi Feeling and Chi Harnessing, an ability unique to the followers of the Way of Crane. This enables them to harness their Chi throughout their body and let it flow through them like a fluid force which enables their bodies to withstand the physical toll and tax that such movements take upon the body. Chi harnessing also allows the body to withstand physical feats for a longer time which in turn strengthens the body as well. For example, a Wayward follower of the Crane could spend ten minutes atop a building harnessing his Chi and spreading it throughout his body to maintain balance and strength, from this the body receives quite the workout and as is natural, the body becomes physically fit alongside the constant flow of Chi through the body of the student.

Tl;DR of Positive Abilities

• The Followers of Way of Crane use physical movement such as flips and the like to harness their Chi and keep it at a constant flow within their bodies when acting upon specific Chi Manipulating movements.

• The Harnessing of Chi allows for the body to retain a better center of balance, allowing these students to perform heightened physical abilities which allow them to manipulate Chi to their advantage.

• The Chi used also allows for better character health.

Progression:

T1: The beginner Crane begins the study of Chi Feeling but does so through the practice of physically challenging movements such as handstands, cartwheels, and flips. They are told to focus as they do so and let the Chi flow through them. Through this they begin to practice their movements more and more in an attempt to unlock their Chi pathways and expand them. They continue to practice until they can begin intertwining both Chi Feeling and Manipulation at Tier 2.

T2: The Crane becomes Adept in their abilities and begins to formulate their own unique way of Chi feeling through different styles of fluid actions. They notice their bodies becoming almost at the whim of the Chi in which they use to perform their actions and abilities. Their movements while still unrefined and unpolished, begin to mold into beautiful motions of manipulation while the body begins to naturally teach itself Harnessing so that it can allow the user to perform such actions.

T3: The follower of Way of Crane begins to find themselves with the deep desire to be constantly on the move. Impulsive behavior begins to start as their desire to move and manipulate Chi only grows with the more they use it. The movement asts as their form of meditation but standard meditative practices are still encouraged among the students of Crane. Their bodies begin to adapt to the constant flow of Chi and harnessing and controlling the substance becomes more familiar to the student.  

T4: The Prospective Crane is referred to as a Crane at this point due to the poised and graceful nature of their abilities. They often are seen with a purple hue around them whilst they use extreme movements to harness their Chi when training about the rooftops of the monastery. They now have a steady rate of Chi moving from the streams through their pathways and back out into the Chi Streams which allows their bodies to regulate the intake of Chi required to harness the substance.  

T5: The Crane Masters are the most agile and poised within their craft. Their movements almost seeming to work off each other as they move about whilst using their Chi to their advantage. When fighting their strikes are like that of a regular being but they move in a way which is difficult to strike. They’ve learned to embrace their impulses to move and use that towards their advantage, allowing their Chi to direct their movements. They have the ability to Sap Chi from Students of the Crane by a unique form of a dance-like ritual, involving specific movements and hand motions.

Acrobatic and Evasive Maneuvers Chart:

T1: Chi Feeling

T2: 1 Acrobatic Maneuver | 1 Evasive Maneuver

T3: 3 Acrobatic | 2 Evasive Maneuver

T4: 4 Acrobatic Maneuver | 3 Evasive Maneuvers

T5: 5 Acrobatic Maneuver | 5 Basic Maneuvers

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Major and Minor Solidifications

Solidifications allow the Turtle to withstand blows from an enemy mentally by using Chi to redirect pain. Minor Solidifications allow the user to sight through slash wounds and minor burns where Major Solidifications allow the user to fight through puncture wounds or major burns and the like.

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The Way of Turtle

Possibly the most respected and poised of the Wayward Paths. The followers of the Turtle are refined, intelligent, and wise beyond their years. Often keeping to themselves the true dealings of the School of Turtle are kept behind closed doors. Not much is known by their peers within the monastery about the students. They often keep to certain hidden places of training in order to retain focus and not be distracted by the yelling of the Suns or the boasting and distracting movements of the Cranes from above. Their training locations are often hidden, yet they are not shy about showcasing their abilities to endure physical pain through Chi Solidification. This is the process of building up so much Chi within one area, that it allows physical pain to only register within the body and not the mind. It is a process of blocking out most forms of pain momentarily, which can be used within combat to allow them an extra strike in combat or withstanding a blow more than a usual being.

Fortitude is a cornerstone of their principles. Their training methods seem unorthodox to most, often sending their fists into walls and other objects to allow physical pain to only be a remnant within the back of their mind. The way they “solidify” Chi is through sharp hand and arm movements which allow the Chi to almost stop and go throughout their body which allows them to focus it within a certain area more easily than a Student of Sun who relies on aggressive combat movements to allow their Chi to move, and unlike a Student of Crane who allows Chi to constantly flow through their bodies. The Students of Way of Turtle are often the more bulky and large students who take a more tank-like role due to their abilities to withstand damage to a slightly higher degree than a normal being. This is not saying a sword can’t cut them, but the Chi acts as adrenaline and allows them to put the pain into the back of their mind. The color of their Chi often appears as a dark green.

Tl;DR of Positive Abilities

• The Students of Turtle use a special form of Chi manipulation referred to as Chi Solidification allows Students to remove the thought of pain momentarily, allowing them to take a more tank-ey role within the Wayward Paths. This does not mean they do not experience pain, rather redirect it and allow it to flourish after their Chi is spent.

Progression:

T1: The novice Turtle begins with learning about how Chi works. They begin to develop an understanding for the substance as their pathways have just been recently unlocked. Unlike those above, traditionally the students of the Turtle spend their time reading times in order to understand the true nature of the Way of Turtle. They begin learning basic Chi Feeling like the T1’s of the other schools.

T2: The novice grows in strength by the day. They begin to learn to replicate the maneuvers and unique way of manipulating Chi through constant repetition of sharp hand and arm movements. At this point they begin to understand and begin minor Chi manipulation as well as their physical training.

T3: The now Adept student has promise within the Way of Turtle. At this stage, the student is able to use their Chi to a higher degree than before. They can begin to withstand minor blows and cuts but will still require a quick visit to the Moon students after their training is complete. They now are able to solidify Chi in specific areas and direct it through their bodies from spot to spot.

T4: The student now is able to manipulate Chi solidification to their desires, and since their Chi has grown, they’re now able to use it over most of their body to withstand blows and cuts from weaponry mentally. Their movements become more unique and each Turtle grows in a different way, their abilities to call forth Chi are all similar yet diverse among the Turtles.

T5: The Turtle is now a Master, they’ve reached as far as they can go. Their Chi Solidification has become almost second nature to them. They have the ability to sap Chi from their students and withstand great feats of mental fortitude through their direction of Chi.

Chi Solidification Chart:

T1: Chi Feeling

T2: 1 Major Solidification | 0 Minor Solidification

T3: 1 Major Solidification | 1 Minor Solidification

T4: 2 Major Solidification| 3 Minor Solidification

T5: 4 Major Solidification | 3 Minor Solidification

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RED LINES

• Those whom seek the magic can not have had or possessed any magic beforehand or presently.

• Learning multiple Wayward Paths is available but contradicting forms Chi will prevent the student from learning other forms of manipulation. (Ex.: Way of Sun uses anger to channel Chi and Way of Moon uses peaceful means, thus the two can not intertwine.)

• Way of Turtle is not immune to injuries, just the pain is hidden away by the Chi, they can break their limbs and tear their skin just like anyone else.

• Way of Moon healers can not break their meditative trance while healing, less the healing fails.

• Way of Moon can by no means be used as an offensive magic.

• Way of moon can not bring people back from the dead or anything like that.

• In order to learn the magic, a student must undergo the ritual and can not use other means to acquire this magic.

• A Way of Moon user can not reconnect body parts that have been removed from the body.

• Chi can not be instantly summoned, the art of feeling and manipulation is a gradual process, not an instant one.

• After disconnection the user must start back from T1 and progress through the magic again.

• This magic can not be self taught.

Interested in learning it? Fear not for this post is not just for the Hou-Zi although the emphasis is to help generate more Hou-Zi Roleplay! However, anyone can learn it if they seek it out in roleplay.

Credit:

Kebab - Original Idea and Writing of the Chi and it’s usage

KBR - Ideas

Eve - Moral Support. (Jk Assisted in the Creation of Way of Turtle.)

KANI

The art of the Oscillit

Written by

Bestscarface76 (Writer)

&

Aehab (Proofreader/Editor)

Key vocabulary

The One With Tarnished Lungs

The Resonant Anomaly

Effects

Effects are not required to be used in solo and are designed with the intention to be used in combination, although still may be useful in solo.

Quirks

Factors that cannot be controlled in character. Mostly notable things pertaining to, and caused by the functions of meta physics.

Armor and Weaponry

Progression

Since learning Kani is an experience of learning how to create and use Resonance, as well learning an unarmed martial art, it’s difficult to give a learning time. The floor limit would be three months, but in most cases it would be much longer. To make progress, a student must roleplay training, on top of that they’d need to train with other Oscillits.

Floor limit assumes the student already fully understands and has already overcome the learning curve. Learning will take longer for any other individual. 

Red Lines 

• Being physically unable to breathe would prevent you from being able to learn Kani.

• An Oscillit cannot create resonance in the air past a short distance. (In other words no, you cannot shoot Ki Blasts)

• An Oscillit cannot use Resonance to ‘bend’ elements. They may influence an object, but not to such a refined point that they could manipulate it as though they were using transfiguration or elementalism.

• Touching back on the previous red line about air, Resonance cannot be directly used for ranged attacks. Indirect methods are possible by using Resonance to interact with certain objects in the environment, though you’d have to get quite creative.

• As the magic relies heavily on breathing, speaking will upset your breathing rhythm, preventing you from inciting Resonance.

• Resonance does not scale the strength of your strikes.

Continuous Resonance

Note: This is a feat that may be taken after reaching T5 in Kani

Changelog

Johnny the dull boy finally did it again.

https://youtu.be/mIrt5MkGpy0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mt8kuqPmFI

**Quick little note. Yes, it's long. Don't torture yourself reading it all at once if you want to read it. Think of it like a lore piece conglomerate as opposed to one big piece.**

• Corrupted: The aspect of the Soul which has been made darker by the Shade Parasite.

• Host: The Original Soul.

• Shade: The undivine Parasite which latched upon the Original Soul.

• Amber: A state of Corrupted Mana which is utilised and created by the Parasite.

• Aknu’gul: The sentient force within the Shade Gem.

• Arun’Asna: The anarchic force that empowers and binds the curse of a Shade.

• Shade Father: A Shade that has learned how to manipulate and poorly replicate their own parasite within.

• Foretaker: The pinnacle of darkness. A being entirely suppressed by their Shade Parasite.

• Manipulation: The process of using Amber to create manifestations of objects.

• Imbuement: The process of infusing Amber into something in a non-physical form (spells, mana pools).

• Imbued Object: An object which has been imbued by the corrupted state of mana.

The dark parasite birthed from Aegis; the corrupted, twisted souls which feature in both bedtime stories and the horrors which send shivers down the spines of mortal men.

Iblees the Daemon; the chief purveyor of chaos in Aegis, bringing about doom and destruction where he willed it. As most of the Descendants were despised by the Daemon, some were kept as Iblees’ tools as the Undead. However, only one was cursed by Iblees to become the first Shade, Rilath Ilwindor. The Elf was taken into Iblees’ grasp, and his soul corrupted and converted from its original state into a bastardization of what it once was. However he was unlike all of those that would descend from him, as his soul was not its true form with the venerable demon leeching off of it. Rather Rilath’s very essence was corrupted and overtaken entirely by the Shade, making him by far one of Iblees’ most influential creations, or rather corruptions, in the world.

Despite the disorder presented from the new abilities bestowed upon Rilath Ilwindor, he sought to spread the gift, and in turn the curse, to more than just himself. To achieve this, he used the Shade Gem, a black crystal imbued with the very essence of  manipuation and birth of the Shade curse. It gave him the ability to birth new Shade parasites into the souls of the other descendants, continuing the line of the Shades. As a result, Iblees’ grasp over the Shades waned. Although he was the progenitor to the fiends, the mantle was passed on down from Rilath and then to those that succeeded the original Shade. Thus came the birth of the modern Shade parasite, as well as Aknu’gul.

The endless clock of time drew on, its hands unwavering in their steady tick as the years went by. The daughter, Aknu’gul lay trapped within the Shade Gem, the source of all Shades’ power emanating within her crystalline cage. Tumult occurred beneath her reins, her children’s growth near stagnant and slowed. She was born with a gift of sentience that no other Shade Gem before her had held, and she ought to use her gift for the betterment of her beloved kin. So, she did… Thus Aknu’gul beckoned forth her first, the one known by many names. He was summoned to her, and she called him by his name, Calledos The Warlock… He came, and as was done in the past, an unholy ritual was performed. He took the sister of his, the woman Itiireae. The two went to the Mother Aknu’gul, and blood was shed from their forms -- not enough to kill, but enough to count. As it was in the birth, it was in the ascension. Aknu’gul’s form was imbued with an eldritch and cruel mixture of the boon of a Shade and Blood magic, and thus Aknu’gul became Arun’Asna, the Child of Tumult. The Shade Gem no longer suitable to hold the raw essence of Arun’Asna, she ascended beyond the physical plane. The birth of Arun’Asna however meant the death of Aknu’gul, the sentience known by the Mother lost to the world. In its place rose a greater means of power and growth for the Shades, as well as a change in the essence of the Parasitic Kin.

Arun’Asna is differentiated from the current Shade Gem in which the physical presence of a gem matters less than the new non-tangible presence. While the Shade Gem and any possible other Shade Gems forged will remain within the world, their importance has been mitigated for two main purposes: preventing a monopolistic forbearance over all Shades, and to allow for a more centralized source of power that can not be uniquely replicated for Shades. Currently the Shade Gem technically hosts not only Aknu’gul, but also the connections of the Daeva to Aknu’gul, and the connections of all Shade parasites in existence. To create a new one would mean to provide ambiguity to the Gems, as the exact effects and descriptions of the purpose and connections of each Shade Gem aren’t fully outlined. In this case though, Arun’Asna remains a distinct entity as Aknu’gul is, being not an Aengudaemon but also beyond mortality and physical presence. Rather Arun’Asna is partially anomalous in existence, simply being at all times, but by no means sentient or godly. The Shade Gem, as well as any other created Shade Gems, now act merely as a conduit to Arun’Asna. Arun’Asna, as Aknu’gul has, bestows the Shade parasite’s Amber connection upon those afflicted with it. If a new Shade Gem were to be created, it would not mean the duplication of Arun’Asna’s presence, nor would it mean any division or multiplication of power. Instead it’d simply act as another possible tool for the Shades acquainted with it to interact with. Additionally, if a Shade Gem were destroyed, it would not mean the death or disconnection of all of the Shades, Shade Fathers, and Foretakers linked to that particular gem, but simply a severation of the specific abilities and interactions granted with the possession of a Shade Gem. So, the Shade Gem and any newly formed Gems still remain important, but the being of Aknu’gul has evolved into Arun’Asna, a less physically vital, less limited source for Shade magic.

-- Arun’Asna, the Mother of Tumult --

The “death” of Aknu’gul brought about new unholy life, the death of one leading to the birth of another. The Mother of Tumult,  Harbinger of Tenebrous, came into existence to become the disembodied source of power and desolation of the Shade parasite. As the Shade Gems linked those corrupted in the days of yore, Arun’Asna purloined such responsibility and power into herself, beyond physical form, yet by no means all powerful. The Shade Gem - as well as any additional gems formed - would still hold purpose, acting as the conduit through which Arun’Asna beckons and acts. However if a Shade Gem was destroyed, it would not mean the end of those connected to Arun’Asna, nor would it mean a debilitation of a Shade’s ability to utilize the boon. Any created Shade Gem now allows for the full fledged connection of a new Shade to Arun’Asna, as well as the removal of a Shade parasite from the soul. Other than that, the Shade Gems are not as vital to the existence of the Shade curse and only also serve the purpose of “broadcasting” to those afflicted with the Shade curse, an ability reserved for the Foretakers that effectively lets a message resonate within the minds of the Shades.

A Shade Gem is finite in its capabilities, being difficult to make and only able to be in one place at once. However, Arun’Asna is not bound by such restrictions that the Shade Gems of the past were, nor the restrictions that Aknu’Gul was bound to. As in the past the Shades were bound to the physical presence of a Shade Gem to empower their parasites and to communicate with the Host, now Arun’Asna reserves that ability in a non-physical form that the Shade Gems are used to communicate with. However despite this distancing from the physical form, Arun’Asna is stronger than Aknu’gul, not to say that she will necessarily bestow such strength upon her children. Instead, this newfound power allows for a minor new array of abilities to be bestowed upon a Shade to be learned and discovered, as it also removes the limit held by Aknu’gul on the ones known as the Foretakers.

Guides and Redlines

• Aknu’gul effectively “died” in a sense, removing the higher level of sentience from the Shade Gem and existence within it in place of a non-physical, non-sentient source for Shade magic.

• Any formed Shade Gem will no longer house an “Aknu’gul” of the sorts, but now act as a conduit to the disembodied power source, referred to as Arun’Asna.

• The cap on Shade Fathers and Foretakers is removed, although a soft cap will be implemented after some time has passed.

• Arun’Asna is not a sentient entity aside from basic instinctual action. If a player is removed or temporarily stripped of Shade magic OOCly, such as due to a blacklist, ban, or inactivity, Arun’Asna acts as the lore reason for their temporary or permanent disconnection or Amber connection removal.

• Arun’Asna is not housed within the current, nor within any Shade Gem that exists. Instead they are like air. You can’t see it, but it’s there.

-- Shade Gems --

While not the booming source of power as they were before, a Shade Gem is still vital to the long-term well being of a Shade Coven. While the destruction of one will not surely spell out doom for those connected through it, it will hamper some of its benefits. The main purpose of a Shade Gem is connecting newly formed or Half-Formed Shades to Arun’Asna entirely, with the Half-Formed Shade parasite acting as a “trial” of the sorts with a neutered growth and skillset of a regular Shade. Furthermore, a Shade Gem can be used to send a message to all Shades, but only if the one doing so is a Foretaker. Aside from that, a Shade Father can use a gem if taught how to send a message to just their children. A Shade Gem cannot be moved unless done by a Foretaker in their tenebrific, dark form, as the Shade Gem automatically corrupts mana en masse around itself in a spherical radius into Amber, and rends control of this to protect itself if need be. If a Shade, Shade Father, or Foretaker is close to a Gem, the effects can be either beneficial or counterproductive. Any distance less than five meters in any direction results in the Shade’s Amber slowly seeping to the Gem, weakening the Shade’s control and ability to manipulate Amber. Additionally, within this range Amber cannot be claimed to be controlled. However, past this distance up to twenty-five meters away the Shade, Shade Father, or Foretaker experiences slightly more ease in controlling and converting Amber, with the closest and furthest expanses of this distance having a ten percent increase in efficiency, while right in the middle of this “sweet spot” the Shade will experience up to double the usual ability and ease when casting Shade magic. However this is not an excuse to carry a Shade Gem around constantly to buff magic, but rather to make protecting one of these rare objects significantly easier given the heavy implications it holds in the magic. Finally, Shade Gems are formed when an imploded void node forms a substance known as ‘Ore’, which then must be corrupted with Amber by at least two Foretakers or four Shade Fathers. Given the rarity of the substance, this process may be difficult to complete if not near impossible.

Guides and Redlines

• Shade Gems can be formed by at least two Foretakers, four Shade Fathers, or a Foretaker and two Shade Fathers.

• Shade Gems are used to fully connect a Shade that is “Half-Formed” to Arun’Asna, letting the parasite grow to its full potential.

• Shade Gems corrupt mana around them into Amber passively.

• Shade Gems can be used as mass messaging systems, although this is not to be abused.

• Shade Gems can be used to connect and disconnect new Foretakers.

• A Shade Gem needs an MArt made to prove proof of knowledge on them, proof of creation, and documentation purposes. The current Shade Gem in existence that functions at time of this lore passing will have one made for it, and no other Shade Gem can currently be used as described.

• Shade Gems cannot be carried around to act as magic buffers, as it’d weaken the magic if too close and harms almost all beings that stay too close for too long. Only Foretakers can touch a Shade Gem for a long time, and even then it still pains them and is only to be done in their dark form.

• A Shade Gem’s destruction, while troublesome, is not to be immediately met with the disconnection of all connected Shades and Foretakers. Instead, only new fully fledged Shades can not be produced, nor can the messaging aspect of the magic occur.

• If a Shade Gem is destroyed, the connected Shades, Shade Fathers, and Foretakers will be automatically bound to the Shade Gem made most recent to the destroyed one.

  • If no Gem exists, then a new one must be forged by the remaining Shade Fathers and Foretakers.

  • If all Shade Gems are destroyed, then a Foretaker will not be able to revive after death until a new one is forged. This doesn't PK the character, but it does render it unusable until a new gem is made.

• Only three (3) Shade Gems can exist at once that function. However, spare gems can be prepared in case one of the preceding three is destroyed. Think of it like a pipe system where the water pressure runs too low if too many pipes are opened.

The Parasite of Rancour is a being of raw Amber essence which comes to life within the soul and body of one afflicted with the Shade curse when one is bound to Arun’Asna. In almost all respects the same as the affliction upon the soul, the key difference lies in an innate physical presence within the host, not one that can be quantified, but one that can be qualified. Blood courses through a man’s veins, yet the drops cannot be counted; such is the existence of the Parasite of Rancour. Comparing where this existence of Amber within a host begins and ends is akin to marking where the oceans meet the shores. It has end, yet to determine such is foolishness. Rather it is understood and agreed upon that while marking this spot is nigh impossible, it exists all the same. Such is the Parasite of Rancour, the physical embodiment of a Shade within the form of its host. It is this being that allows for Amber to be materialized from a mere concept of mana into a physical tenebrific substance, and it is this substance that gives birth to almost all of the abilities that one afflicted with a Shade may come to bear, but all things have its beginnings, and all things must first be raised…

Due to the parasite being attached to the host, the creature was able to feast upon the man or woman’s mana pool, letting its Amber convert the natural substance into more of the black potent ichor-like material. This allowed the host to use the Amber to their benefit and for the Shade to remain healthy. Yet, at the same time the Parasite latches its being to the soul of the host, corrupting the inherent nature of the man or woman and uses the host’s soul to influence the being in different ways.

Guides and Redlines

• The Parasite of Rancour is not a fully separate entity from the Shade parasite, but rather just a name to label the existence of physically manifested Amber within a Host afflicted with the curse.

• This existence of Amber is what allows a Shade to corrupt more mana into Amber, and what allows a Shade to determine the quantity of Amber which will be physically manifested,

• This semi-physical presence of the Shade within the host also allows for abilities such as Remedial Healing and Ambercrafting to be possible, as it effectively links a Host and a Host’s Amber supply.

• To clarify, the Parasite of Rancour is not its own unique entity with an agenda separate from that of the Shade parasite and the host. Rather it is a clarifying term to describe a Shade parasite’s physical presence within a body as opposed to non-tangible presence within a soul.

• The parasite does not begin fully grown, rather taking time to grow and acclimate to the host’s body. As a result, one with the Shade curse can not use any of the abilities whatsoever at first, and must not only learn but also be eligible to learn certain abilities over time.

-- Hatchling --

Throughout a Shade’s life, it grows through multiple stages of power. In the beginning of its life, the Shade is referred to as a hatchling. The hatchling is but a small parasite which has begun to grow on the soul itself of the Host, and the body begins to physically manifest small quantities of mana into Amber latent within the body, but none of this can be manipulated or used yet. The hatchling stage is considered the most painful stage of the process of shadedom. Due to the discomfort and pain the hatchling causes to the host, the person affected by the hatchling could experience multiple different issues with their body. Seizures, vomiting, mood swings, fainting, and minor hallucinations are not uncommon when a hatchling begins its growth process within a user. The hatchling has begun to grow and harness the users mana to create more amber, yet this amber is unuseable, only able to be drawn forth but not shaped into objects or used for the abilities of a common Shade.

-- Shade Child --

The Shade has begun to vastly expand and grow within the host, yet it’s still a novice at learning how to cooperate with the body it resides within. The host will become more tolerant of the parasite within, yet every so often the side effects of a growing parasite will occur. However, the continual growth will expand until the child has reached its full growth. The user is able to manipulate Amber with the proper training and practice until they’ve mastered the usage of Amber and all of its uses. It is also at this stage that the host becomes mentally unstable and all the negative effects come into full force once the Shade has grown to its maximum size upon the soul.

-- Shade Father --

The Shade Fathers are the ones whom have studied and learned about their parasite to the fullest extent. They’re able to instruct and transfuse new, growing Hosts and Shades. Their influence over those Shades beneath them holds great power, yet they are still not quite at the pinnacle of their nature. While the presence upon the soul is no stronger than a fully grown Shade, the ability for the host to utilize the parasite itself is greatly improved for those that have achieved this stage. As a result, this is not a stage naturally achieved over time, but also one achieved with great practice. Finally, one that has reached this stage can make a bastardized version of a Shade parasite on another’s soul.

-- Foretakers --

The Daeva, or Foretakers, are entities who have undergone a transformation that yields the very fabric of their essence to the parasite. Their mortal body remains the same when not in their dark, tenebris form. However, when in their tenebrific form the Daeva is consumed by the parasite entirely. The Daeva are the pinnacle of both a Shade and its abilities. They can easily manipulate Amber at will and can convert new Shades through the transference of a parasite into a new host, which allows it to spread and grow within the host’s body. 

-- Physical and Mental Alterations --

When the parasite manifests within the body, its draw upon one’s mana pool causes the body to be impacted severely in many different ways. Physical weakness’ begin to develop, not to an extremely noticeable extent but the body does fall to fatigue every so often due to the Amber manipulating the mana within the host. Their movements become more jaded and sharp almost like they’re always on edge. Their mental state is quite similar, the parasite creates an uneasy and agitated persona within the host. A constant yet faint battle will always reside within the body of the Shade. In early hatchling stages, vomiting, nausea, and other similar side effects are common, yet the effects will begin to fade as the body and mind becomes attuned to the Amber developing within. Mental strain and similar attributes develop with the being who is cursed and takeovers still occur. However the occurrence is next to never in a public or crowded space, as even the parasite has some common decency to avoid ousting their true nature. Instead when in private the host may experience these effects where they are not at risk of being spotted or aided.

-- The Shade Parasite & Unique Circumstances --

As with all things, there are usually exceptions or outliers to most rules or guidelines. For the Shade curse, a number of creatures or beings may not be affected in the same exact way as one another, and the abilities gained may manifest in varying ways as well, or in some cases not at all. Be it an inferior soul, or a soul entrapped within an object far from the conscious body, a Shade parasite can live, but with many stipulations and considerations to be kept in account.

-- Inferior Souls  --

Due to the intricate nature of the mind and spirit, the Shade curse does not affect all creatures equally or similarly. When the question of inferior souls - the souls of wolves, cats, parrots, or even snails - comes into play, the Shade curse affects such creatures and their souls differently.

First, creatures with inferior souls are able to be afflicted with the Shade curse. Despite this, this does not make the animal a hyper intelligent killing machine, but rather causes various behavioral and mental issues for the animal. Due to the chaotic nature of the Shade parasite most if not all animals will begin to suffer from the most horrendous effects of the curse, experiencing seizures, hallucinations, and other maladies. After the gestation period however, the parasite would be able to easily purloin command from the beast, effectively replacing the beast’s animalistic instincts with its own. This will make once loyal pet dogs quick to disobey their masters or tamed horses to buck and kick at their riders. However one ought to not misinterpret this significantly more violent nature to be newfound intelligence or understanding, as the Shade infected animal would still be limited to its significantly instinctual mental capacity. Because of the relatively weak willed spirit of the animal, it is very unlikely that once the Shade parasite domineers the being’s mind that the original soul will ever muster the strength to rise against and reclaim control of its form, not that the animal would know any better of what has transpired anyhow. The effects would be similar for animals that have their mana pools corrupted into Amber but not their souls. Unlike fully cursed animals though, the animal will not remain in such a state as the impure corrupted mana flakes away and is replenished quickly over time. As a result, a dog for instance may suffer a seizure and whimper in fear for an hour but then just as quickly return to normal.

As simple as it sounds, the challenge itself arrives when infesting an animal with a Shade parasite. While small animals are incredibly easy to contaminate with the curse, it gets significantly harder with larger animals. Horses and deer may struggle and try to flee, their instincts kicking in and sensing something is wrong with the corruption entering them. Even larger beasts, such as drakes and whales,  would most likely flee or fight back resiliently against either being infected with a Shade parasite or even having their mana pools corrupted. This makes any effort to wreak havoc with larger animals hardly worth the effort, especially given that the animal would soon act sporadically and may just as easily seek to kill the one that cursed them even more than before they were tainted. So this renders it pointless to purposely curse larger animals for the sake of havoc and destruction - unless the source of this in question quickly flees - as it’d be a challenging task with little reward.

In terms of abilities, an animal bearing the Shade curse does not exhibit anything remarkable as one with a superior soul may exhibit, such as forming tendrils with edged tips. However the animal does benefit minorly, as they will gain a minor form of remedial healing from any sickness or wounds they suffer. An example would be if a cat were to cut itself while fighting with another cat, the one burdened with the venerable demon would have faint traces of Amber close its wounds and begin to heal to a greater effect than if it were to heal naturally. However this ability is only so limited, as it is automatic and intrinsic to the creature when it is injured and can not be shut off for any purpose, giving away its true nature if the beast were to be injured. Furthermore, it will not stave off death, for most lethal wounds will be far too much for the parasite to remedy on its own.

For simplicity’s sake, plants are unable to bear a Shade parasite. Furthermore, corrupting the latent mana in a plant will not produce any ill effects for the plant aside from any Druii attempting to commune with it. If a Druid attempted to commune with an animal with a corrupted mana pool, they’d be able to notice the animal was in a great deal of distress and suffering, the effect only increasing depending on how much of the beast’s mana is corrupted. If it were the case where the animal was infected with the Shade parasite entirely, then the Druid would be unable to commune effectively with the beast given the disruptive nature of the parasite upon the soul. Instead, akin to a mind mage entering the mind of a Shade, the Druid would almost if not always be met with horrid visions and screams the animal was enduring. Deeper levels of communion would cause nightmarish inflections upon the Druid, the chance for reprieve slim if at all possible for the animal and attuned Druid during the Communion.

Guides and Redlines

• Animals can have their mana pools corrupted, giving them effects akin to that of a Descendant with corrupted mana, but more fitting to the nature of animals.

• Animals can be infected with a Shade parasite, although this parasite will as a result be significantly less intelligent and powerful than a Shade within a superior soul.

• Beasts infected with a Shade curse will gain a limited, minor form of Remedial Healing from the abilities of a Shade..

• An animal with Remedial Healing can only survive marginally larger wounds than normal and not die. A slit throat will still kill a dog, but a punctured abdomen may not.

• Shaded animals cannot be tamed, trained, or otherwise utilized, making these mostly an ET tools.

• Cursed an corrupted animals can be aided by any holy mage or blight healing druid.

-- Souls Housed Outside of the Body   --

For Liches and Wights, there are some minor differentiations for how a Shade parasite affects the creature. Given that the parasite is a blemish upon the soul, and the soul is not encased within the actual form of the being, but rather externally in phylacteries. As a result, any attempts to purge the Shade parasite from the soul can not be done on the moving form, but rather only on the phylactery. Additionally due to the already corrupt nature of these objects and the souls they hold, holy magics would first destroy and damage them rather than purge the Shade parasite. Thus, purging the parasite of a Lich or Wight is nigh impossible, as the creature would first be killed, then  be “saved” from the curse. When the phylactery of one of these creatures is destroyed or otherwise ceases to exist, so does the Shade parasite appended to the soul of the victim due to the severely limited state of the Soul following the destruction of its home. Furthermore, Liches and Wights are unable to achieve any transition into another creature from Shade magic, such as becoming an Aeshma.

Liches will also experience one minor difference, which is that when in immediate danger of death or injury, the Shade parasite will not take over to ensure the wellbeing of the Host no matter what unless the skull has already taken some form of damage, as long as the damage is a crack larger than an inch or greater. Additionally, the ability of Remedial Healing is limited to defending just the lich’s skull, as a lich lacks other vital organs or parts that would be essential to survival. Wights suffer from a similar disposition, where they will not gain any benefit from remedial healing due to the non-mortal nature of a wight’s physical form. When husked however, they can choose to replicate this ability if they actively will it, but it is more exerting as it is less innate in the Shade parasite’s nature since it will not default to this behavior. Finally, as for the residual physical Amber in these beings bodies it is ingrained within their form, be it draughted, husked, or their regular selves.

Guides and Redlines

• Liches and Wights can both be made Shades as well as use Shade magic, but with different effects than non-liches and non-wights.

• Liches will have their Amber innately resting within their skull primarily, and a Wight with it indiscernible spread throughout their form or husk.

• Liches and Wights still have the Remedial Healing ability at its basic state, but in a limited form.

• Liches and Wights must have their phylacteries present in order to be fully afflicted with a Shade parasite, not just the mobile incarnate of the being.

• Shaded Liches will only have Remedial Healing apply to their skull, other bones can be broken with no “threat” as far as the Shade parasite is concerned.

• Wights can only use Remedial Healing when husked, and must do so actively which diverts focus from other casting. Thus this is much less effective than a non-Wight Shade’s ability to use this passive ability.

• To turn a Lich or Wight into a Shade, the Foretaker or Shade Father must have the phylactery present to imbue the parasite upon the soul. Furthermore, for those that have died, then have been resurrected and become either a Lich or Wight, they must be re-Shaded as the parasite would not survive when the soul’s home dies.

With great power over the malignant creatures known as the Shades, the parasitical hosts are permitted; Gifted with the corrupted effect of the soul. The Shades, the creatures of the old dark, are granted the ability to manipulate, generate, and mutate their twisted Amber. - Known to scholars as corrupted Mana, Amber is funneled from the parasitical creature which has latched itself to the body, mind, and soul of its victim. As the host draws from this corrupted reflection, they bring the capabilities of the Shade itself to the surface.

-- Conversion of Mana --

Perhaps the most fundamental ability of the malign creatures, the conversion of Mana is the process of corrupting the mana inside, and outside, of one’s own mana pool to convert into Amber. The Parasitical Creature ensures that the corruption of the internal pool is a constant, and passive ability which enables the Host to draw from the power within; However, the corruption of Mana occurs when Amber comes into contact with it. Like a virus, the corruption spreads and infects. If this comes into contact with another entity, the organism of conversion will feel an impending sense of doom, dread, and fear, as their mana finds itself corrupted.  - With the organism suffering from the latent Mana Corruption, the Amber produced may be further utilised by the Parasite, or the Host, as an extension of their preexisting pool of Amber.

Should the malign creature corrupt another entity, their mana pool will also begin to taint and change into that of Amber; a further resource for the Shade to draw from. As the Parasite ceases in its corruption of another’s mana, the corrupted essence may remain within the target, however the clean soul will simply reject the tainted Amber and burn it away into dark flakes over time to replenish its harmless, normal mana. - Manifested markings of darkness may remain on the skin, though this is purely aesthetic. For inanimate objects, or inorganic sources of mana, Amber will remain within or upon the object, leaving darkened patterns, protrusions, or other aesthetic alterations to the object in question.

Guides and Redlines

• The Shade can corrupt the Mana of others into Amber, and then use this newly formed Amber for their own benefit.

• The Shade passively internally converts their own Mana Pool, this enables them to innately draw from this in spells listed below.

• Mana Gems, Obelisks, and other inorganic sources of mana can be corrupted and converted into Amber to draw from.

• Anyone who comes into contact with Amber will feel a sensation of dread. - This includes other Shades.

• Due to the Shade innately converting Mana the Amber touches, Spectral beings are susceptible to Manipulated Amber, albeit to a lesser capacity as Aurum or their other weaknesses.

• It takes times to convert mana. More Mana = Lengthier time to convert.

• The same goes for rejection; More Amber in an organic creature = Lengthier time to dispel.

• The organic target of mana conversion does not gain or inherit Shadedom.

• Blemishes on the skin, or on objects, following corruption are purely aesthetic and cannot be used for anything of a practical purpose.

• Due to the corrupted mana pool, any spell cast from The Shade, or the corrupted organism, will be innately chaotic and difficult to control. (Note: Not impossible to control, but very difficult.)

• Also due to the corrupted mana pool, a non-Shade’s spells can possibly come out imbued with Amber as if a Shade were casting the spell. However this is situational, and will only last for the duration of the mana corrupted within them remains present.

• Corrupted spells are not inherently more powerful, and cannot go beyond the effects or redlines of that particular magic.

• A sense of dread and horror will settle in on anyone that is not a Shade that has their mana pool corrupted. This will last as long as Amber remains within their system.

-- Amber Manipulation --

In order to aptly control the converted Amber within their pools, the Shades possess the ability to manipulate the corrupted mana within them. Manipulation of Amber may come in many forms, though in it’s more rudimentary and basic form allows the Host to create shapes, objects, and  limb-like extensions which serve as a tool, or a weapon for the malignant creature. Through practice, the nature of Amber Manipulation can become almost like second nature, as though the corrupted Mana is part of their very body and are simply controlling it through muscle memory. Akin to the Voidal Art of Arcane Evocation, the Manipulation of Amber can very much be maintained in much the same way, albeit it holds a specific caveat; The controlled Amber must be connected to the Host in some physical fashion. Manipulated Amber can take on three physical states:  Solid, Liquid, and Gas, and can be controlled in many imaginative ways. Left freeform to the user, the blackened substance’s density and temperature may also be manipulated.

While the Amber may be manipulated with second nature, this does not inherently make it easy or quick to do so. Manipulating corrupted Mana takes time and focus. Controlling Amber from a distance will prove physically strenuous to the Host, and should their focus be lost or physical connection to the Amber be severed,  the corrupted essence will simply flake away into black flakes unless it is quickly reclaimed through physical contact. - While its density may be altered, manifestations of Amber are not indestructible and are weak and susceptible to any material which affects spectral beings. Due to this, Aurum or any similar material will simply slice through crafts of Amber like a heated knife to butter - Additionally, due to the limb-like nature of Manipulated Amber, any damage sustained to the Ambercraft will cause physical pain and injury to the Caster if done by holy magic. Any Amber which finds itself affected by any form of Holy Magic or Fi’ will find itself limp and at a loss of control, the Host being unable to Manipulate the specific strand of Amber which has been affected.

Guides and Redlines

• The Shade/Host is able to manipulate corrupted Mana in the form of Amber in a freeform method akin to how Arcanists manipulate Arcane Wisps.

• Formations such as tools, weapons, or objects are able to be created from this abhorrent corruption.

• Due to the Manipulated Amber being an extension of the Host’s body, line of sight and mobility are not required to cast.

• Shades are able to create an interesting array of objects from furniture, tools, sharpened points at the ends of their arms, or slippery surface on the floor which holds hardly any friction.

• A Shade may manipulate Amber in a Solid, Gaseous, and Liquid state.

• The Host may alter the temperature, density, and shape of their Manipulated Amber.

• While being injured and losing focus may lessen their control over the caster’s Amber, it will not cause it to disappear or cease control entirely.

• A Shade must emote a ‘tell’ when manipulating Amber. This can be anything from blackening of the skin, sullen eyes, darkened veins, or the typical ‘black eyes’.

• Any creation of Amber must be connected physically to the Shade, lest they simply flake into blackness unless control is seized. (First redline in Conversion of Mana).

• While Amber has no theoretical limit on how dense it can be made, mana is needed to manipulate Amber. As a result, while constructs denser than iron are possible, they are not feasibly done in large amounts as the amount of Amber needed to form such a dense construct and mana required becomes increasingly more difficult.

• Any Manipulated Solid Amber may only go up to 55°C and down to -65°C and can cause second degree burns/frostbite after a minute of direct contact. This is enough to cause damage from sheer exposure but not enough to cause lasting damage instantly, and making the Amber this temperature takes a fair bit of energy and time. Additionally, maintaining these temperatures grows increasingly difficult, making it practically impossible to do for more than a minute and a half.

• Any Manipulated Liquid/Gas may cause second degree burns/frostbite faster if at this temperature.

• Due to the Manipulated Amber being an extension of the Host’s body, usage of Amber is akin to physical exercise and can grow exhausting.

• Manipulated Amber may only be as malleable as it’s properties allow; A craft as dense as iron may not be flexed like rubber.

• It takes time and energy to funnel Amber into a more dense creation, and more corrupted mana will be used in the process.

• Amber is weak to the following: Aurum, Aurum-based Arcanium, Fi’ Magic, Alteration (Should one know how to ward Shade Magic), Holy Magic.

• When Amber is affected by the above, it simply goes limp and loses all control. If severed, it will flake away slowly.

• When Amber is damaged or severed by Holy Magic, the Host will suffer proportional pain in the section of their body in which the Amber originated. (Ex. One small amber craft originating from the palm being severed would harm just as much as a cut over the flesh).

• When manipulating Amber in it’s Gaseous and Liquid forms, it will only contain the same amount of mass it would in it’s Solid state. It’s properties may be manipulated in the same way.

• Amber can not be effectively manipulated past 20 meters.

  • While these are general guidelines, they are not the final law for Amber manipulation. Other factors can affect the limits here, including proximity to a Shade Gem, a takeover, or some other external factor. In general, an “Is This Okay?” rule will be in place. If you have to think if you’re powergaming, you probably are.

-- Amber Imbuement --

Manipulating Amber has its benefits of course, but the true horrors of a Shade can only be experienced in slight by others when Imbuement is done. Imbuement takes place in three scenarios, each with their own unique effects. The three scenarios that Imbuement occurs in are imbuing Amber into objects, imbuing Amber into other living organisms’ mana pools, and imbuing Amber into spells.

The first case of Imbuement deals with the injection of Amber into objects and items, such as a sword, a glass sphere, or a stone pillar. When this is done, the object in question may take on more ominous appearances, such as tiny ebon fingers grasping back at a hand holding a sword’s hilt, or ghastly pitch-black faces reflecting out towards onlookers from a glass sphere. However, all of these effects are purely aesthetic and provide no actual benefits or downsides to the object, except in the cases outlined below. The Amber would have to be replenished every now and then as well, or it'd slowly flake away over time.

The second case of Imbuement is the injection of Amber into magical spells, be them voidal or not. Imbuement is not forced whatsoever upon the Host, and the Host can cast perfectly normal, untainted spells if they so desire. However this is rendered null if the only remaining mana left in the mage’s mana pool is corrupted by Amber, be it one afflicted with a Shade or not. For example, a Host may willingly convert all of their regular mana to Amber, which will result in all of their spells cast to be imbued as well and bear the effects of imbuement. These effects are outlined below.

The final case in which Imbuement occurs is when a Host utilizes their gift to corrupt another’s mana pool into Amber, just as the Shade passively does to their own. In order to do this, physical contact between either the Host and the victim, or the Host’s physically manifested Amber and the victim must be maintained, larger amounts of mana converted taking a longer time to convert. As the Host converts the victim’s mana pool, the Host can either draw forth and utilize this Amber in physical manifestation as their own tendrils, or can let this tainted mana settle and lay latent within the victim. When this corrupted mana is left within though, the victim would feel a sense of dread, growing more or less depending on the amount of mana converted. Additionally, the victim would automatically have the next few spells he or she casts be imbued with Amber, regardless of if they are infected with a Shade parasite or not. For instance, if a High Elf infected with a Shade converts the mana of a Wood Elf into Amber, and the Wood Elf casted an illusion spell later, the illusion spell would automatically act as it would when imbued. This effect will last as long as Amber remains in the mana pool of the victim, naturally replenishing with fresh mana over time. A fully corrupted mana pool would take a week OOCly to replenish with no additional casting performed. As a result, the only way to remove this corrupted Amber would be to either expel it by draining one’s mana pool willingly, or to wait for the corrupted mana to cycle out and be replaced by fresh, untainted mana, much akin to the digestive system passing on food. Do keep in mind this does not infect one with a Shade parasite, nor does it grant control or the ability to physically manifest this Amber, nor does it any other benefit of the Shade curse. This is merely a result of their mana being corrupted and left within as opposed to being extracted by the attacking Host.

The following effects are caused when Amber is imbued into a spell of the respective magic type.

-- Amber Imbuement In Spells --

Arcane Alteration:

• Transfiguration: Objects altered with the magic will hold a stygian, black hue to them for a while, such as staining a stone black or a stick emitting a faint dark aura. Wards and abjurations would visibly hold a dark grey or black shimmer, akin to powder floating in the air. Enchantments imbued with Amber are unchanged, but rather any mana gems that have their mana corrupted will hold Amber-imbued effects on the spells.

• Translocation: Objects that have been imbued with Amber become easier to store, can be stored for longer and can be withdrawn more easily. Additionally for half-translocation spells the visible distortion formed would be altered to be a black smog. In turn, these objects would cause a sense of dread due to the Amber imbued in the objects, varying dependant on how much of the mana is corrupted. So while casting may be marginally more effective, the caster must cope with any adverse effects from the Amber.

• Voidal Shifting: Shades are able to carry their manifested Amber with them as they shift, due to it being counted as ‘part’ of them. Additionally, shifting causes a black aura to permeate where the Shade has left.

• Telekinesis: Controlled objects gain a darkened shimmer around them, with black hues trailing the object.

Arcane Illusion:

• Sensory Illusion: Capable of pressing darker and more dreadful illusions, the Shade can draw upon their reams of realistic Nightmares to create horrendous tricks of the senses. Additionally, as in the case of mental magic, the Shade parasite has a resistance to the magic due to the parasite’s constant presence in the host’s mind, and the parasite will attempt to ward off any effort beyond its own to affect the host’s mind.

• Mental Magic: When entering the mind of another, the host can at times be aided by the Shade parasite itself, resulting in a doubled attack from both the host’s abilities in conjunction with the horrors of the Shade joining in, notably the ones the host faces constantly. This can result in a Shade entering another’s mind easier, and can result in a greater defense when the magic is used on them. As in the case of attacking another mind, when defending from a mental intrusion the Shade parasite will prevent ease of access to the host’s mind. So, to invade the mind of a Shade, one must bypass any mental barriers or wards in addition to the horrors the Shade parasite inflicts on the intruder’s mind as well.

• Cognatism: The host suffers from a horrid trinity of minds: their own, the voidal horror within, and the cruel demonic parasite. When utilizing the magic, the voidal horror may have its gifts blocked out by the parasite at times in an effort to further weaken the host’s mental ability.

Arcane Evocation:

• Fire: Evoked fire imbued with Amber will appear ebon and viscous, the flames flickering less quickly than usual. Additionally any evoked fire will no longer give off light, rather emitting a dense black smoke above where it forms. Alongside this, the hiss and crackle of a flame would be gone, in its place an austere silence formed as if sound was dampened near the flame. However this will not affect the fire in any other adverse or positive ways.

• Water: Ice, water and vapour are all darker in colour, appearing ink-like. Oddly enough, this evoked water is unable to conduct electricity, nor do things dissolve particularly well in it.

• Air: Evoked air will hold a dark hue about it, akin to coal dust floating in the wind.

• Earth: The created earth is dark and dry, and black crystals similar to the Shade Gem in appearance can be formed.

• Electrical: Evoked electricity is jet black, the cracks and hisses of heat emitting from the electricity removed in place of an eerie, unnatural silence in its place.

• Conjuration: Conjured creatures are stygian black even if they never were when studied. They bleed a dark ichor, and their bites send waves of dread through their victims with every mouthful. A terrible aura of black follows their movements, and they seem to hold a bizarre disobedience in them. An order to safely pick a infant up off of the ground may be ignored, the conjured beast opting instead to maim or maul the infant instead.

• Arcanism: Arcanism is made darker and more opaque, looking more like stone than it would glass.

• Celestialism: Incompatible.

• Soul Puppetry: Incompatible.

Holy/Deity:

• Shamanism: Spirits can see the darkness in the Shade’s spirit, and thus normal spirits will avoid them like the plague. The older and larger the corruption on the soul, the greater the blemish on the Shaman's spirit.

• Xan Paladins: Incompatible.

• Ascended: Incompatible.

• Tahariae Clerics: Incompatible.

• Druidism: Incompatible to be made Shades. However if a Druid’s mana pool is corrupted for any purpose, then when they try to cast any druidic spell the various forces of nature would actively try to defend itself, ranging from vines lashing out at the druid to nearby animals attacking the druid. However this will quickly subside as a Druid’s mana pool would rapidly refresh the corrupted mana back into untainted mana.

• Runesmithing: Elements created may have the same effects applied to them as Evocation elements.

Dark Magics:

• Necromancy: Lifeforce may be imbued with Amber to give its typical, dread-causing effects. Risen creations leave a flaking, dark trail in their wake, and they cause the same, fear-inducing effect on the targets they touch.

• Frost Witches: Manipulated ice may grow dark and ominous in appearance.

• Mysticism: Ectoplasm imbued with Amber becomes darker than usual, and all things that deal with this darkened Amber release the same, dread-causing effect.

• Blood Magic: Magics enhanced by blood magic are also affected by the Shade effects (if Amber is imbued).

• Thallassos: Brine controlled and imbued with Amber would appear more inky and stygian.

• Naz’Therak: Malflame imbued with Amber would add an additional dread-inducing effect on top of any abilities already caused by Malflame, as well as bearing a black, flickering outline around the neon colored flame.

• Strength of the Abyss: Incompatible.

Voidal Feats & Artificery:

• Voidal Feeling: Using Voidal Feeling on Amber-imbued objects is slightly easier, as the Amber within the object slightly alters its physical makeup in terms of appearance and structure. However feeling with Amber-imbued mana will only prevent the caster from gaining proper knowledge, instead having their thoughts and information of the object being obscured or distorted.

• Voidal Displacement: Portals created with Amber-imbued mana would produce an overwhelming sense of horror and dread when used, regardless of who enters. In addition, the location of the portal would take on a more grim, unholy appearance. If the area is not kept clean, misfiring portals may deposit the victim in either much worse areas than normal, such as thousands of feet underwater, or stranded in the middle of a scorching desert, or much better, such as a few feet away, fitting the chaotic nature of Amber and a Shade.

• Atronach Forging: Atronachs created with Amber-imbued mana will take on the effects of their evocation’s alteration due to Amber. Additionally, any orders given may be slightly modified such as a Conjuration’s may be.

Creatures:

• Liches & Wights: See Above.
• Strigae: Can be a Shade, no benefits/magic.
• Archon: Incompatible.
• Soulless Creatures: Incompatible.
• Soul Tree Druii: Incompatible.
• Frost Witches: Able to use Shade normally. Limited to 4 slot abilities.

*Amber imbuement can be purged and cleansed with holy magics.

-- Ambercrafting  --

For those more well versed in corrupting mana and imbuing objects with Amber, a skill known as Ambercrafting becomes available to prospecting Shades. Put simply, Ambercrafting is materializing Amber and forming structures with it, whether it is something small like a stool, or something of more considerable size like a table or wall. In order to make abnormally large structures though, the additional effort of more Shades or corrupted mana from an obelisk for instance is required. Furthermore, these structures will provide no other benefit to a Shade, as they will no longer be moldable or reclaimable into their Amber pool after they are formed, making these structures slightly anomalous in their existence and creation. In short, Ambercrafting allows Shades to produce structures, furniture, and other similar things with a very literal dark and dreary aesthetic with not much other practical use, unless the intention is to scare.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades can create Ambrific structures assuming they have enough Amber or assistance to do so.

• Structures can be small like stools and benches, or large like walls and bridges.

• Larger structures MUST have an appropriate “fuel source” such as a mana obelisk or close proximity to a Shade Gem.

• Ambercrafted terrain will not provide any combat or utilitarian benefit, such as attacking foes or performing household tasks.

• If the source of Amber for a structure is from a mana obelisk or gem, then if the corrupted mana in the source runs out the Ambercraft will begin to wither and flake away.

-- Caliginous Healing: Remedial  --

When one is afflicted with the parasite, the Shade does its best to ensure the physical well being of the Host. The Amber within the Host wards off disease and other biological miasmas, rendering the Host difficult to strike ill. Furthermore, the Shade and Amber will do its best to ensure the Host’s life is not jeopardized, be it either from another or the Host themselves seeking death. If the Host is harmed, the Shade will offer a very minor healing factor, albeit this is not done through ordinary healing and regrowth where needed, but rather done by Amber attempting to clot off and seal any wounds. For example, if the Host were to be stabbed in the leg, they would bleed regularly and heal regularly, nothing extraordinary occurring to stop such. However, Amber will flow to the wounded area and do its best to fill in any gaps in the flesh and body, not healing it but rather preventing further blood loss and damage. Furthermore, this healing factor is not going to save somebody that is going to die unless the Host immediately seeks further medical assistance, such as a trained surgeon or skilled alchemist that has some sort of healing salve. So if a Host is stabbed in the neck, the Shade will not be able to save them alone, but instead only ward off the inevitable for some time. In turn, one afflicted with a Shade is unable to be healed efficiently by various holy mages due to the unholy, dark nature of the Shade parasite. If a wounded person afflicted with the parasite sought out a cleric to heal a stab wound to their leg, not only would the process be much more slow and inefficient, taking at least three times as long to heal, but it’d also be horribly painful to the Host, to the point they might as well just let the wound heal on their own, assuming it is a non-lethal injury. Finally, the Host will automatically heal unless willed otherwise as to avoid exposing their curse. However if a Host chooses to negate their ability and dies as a result, such as a stab wound to the neck that could be saved if the ability is allowed, death in this case would constitute a willing one, and either the Shade will take over and force the ability to enable, or the Host would technically die of suicide.

In addition to this ability, the Host will also be automatically taken over by the Shade parasite if they were to fall unconscious, although this wouldn’t be a takeover in the usual use of the word. Rather this is done as a security measure, in which the Shade parasite can speed up the process of regaining consciousness and will act to ensure the Host’s safety following this scenario. Upon ending whatever dangerous scenario they were in, the Host can easily resume control over the body, often with little resistance from the Shade in these cases. This is one of the few times a Host and Shade will ever truly cooperate, as it is a matter of best interests for the parasite and host.

Guides and Redlines

• The Shade/Host will passively have Amber go to protect the Host from suffering from illness or blood loss, acting like a bandaging system of the sorts.

• The Shade will provide the Amber for this ability from the mana pool of the host, meaning if the Host’s mana were expended or none was converted to Amber this ability would be either weakened or entirely unusable.

• This ability can be useful to a Shade if they receive less severe injuries, as in and out of combat they’d effectively have a self-defense system of the sorts.

• If a Shade is rendered unconscious for whatever reason, and the host knew they were in danger last before passing out, the parasite can brute-force the body into awakening in order to do what it deems best for survival.

• Over time, a Shade can begin to fine tune the use of this ability more, either letting it act freely or not occur at will.

• This will not save the life of a Shade that would die from wounds of a severe nature, such as damage to the brain, heart, lungs, or other vital organs. If anything it will stave death off for a bit, making the process more torturous.

• This will also not save the life of a Shade with wounds that could be healed with intense care and skill, but will still rather simply stave death off to perhaps allow the Shade to find one that can heal them. Examples of these injuries are massive blood loss or other severe wounds of a lethal, yet non-immediate nature.

• A Shade rendered unconscious will not instantly regain consciousness, but rather will have an expedited time when doing so.

• Holy magics healing the Shade would be three times less effective, needing either three times as much energy from the healer or one-third the efficiency of healing.

• Holy magic healing would cause immense pain to the Shade.

• At first, a Shade is unable to prevent this ability from automatically occurring, making the first few injuries for a newly formed Shade dangerous to have occuring in a public setting, as it could reveal their true nature.

-- Caliginous Healing: Active  --

When a Shade further acclimates to its host, and the host begins to learn how to further manipulate Amber, the Shade can then begin to do a form of healing upon others, although not in the traditional sense. Instead of holy lights closing wounds or needles sewing flesh shut, an experienced Shade can force their Amber into another’s flesh to clot wounds, seal up holes in the flesh, or do other rudimentary surgical procedures without the need of tools, potions, or other medical devices. This is done by corrupting a small portion of the victim’s mana, but leaving the Amber the Shade formed severed off onto the victim’s wound or wounds, effectively sealing off the wounds and giving it a small pool of Amber to draw from as the wound heals. While it can not be used to prevent death, such as from a decapitated head, it can be used to shut wounds, hold broken bones in place, and other similar aspects. However this is offset mostly by two things: One, the Shade must know how to manipulate one’s own Amber to a fine extent to achieve this, including knowledge of controlling Remedial Healing, and two, the victim will have a dark, twisted discoloration around where the applied Amber is, as well as suffering from the maladies of a Shade curse to a much lesser degree. So while it is definitely by no means a replacement for a holy mage’s healing or a skilled surgeon, those of dark afflictions can go to those with a Shade for rudimentary medical care.

Guides and Redlines

• This gives Shades an ability to use their Amber as more than just a tool to kill and more of a tool to either genuinely help another or perhaps goad them into a false sense of trust and reliance.

• While not able to stave off death and fix serious injuries such as damaged organs, things like bandaging and setting bones can be replicated with this ability.

• A Shade must fully understand how to control the ability Remedial Healing listed above before being able to perform this on themselves or others.

• It is practically impossible to ignore the downsides of this healing, being the discoloration, the minor version of the downsides of having a Shade parasite, and that the Amber will begin to flake away over time if a portion of the mana pool isn’t converted to “fuel” these basic remedies.

• Any holy mages seeking to heal somebody already “treated” with this method would first have to purge the Amber, then deal with any other injuries, adding to the difficulty of later adjustments to treatment.

• Those besides the Shade do not benefit from things such as resistance to illness or staving off unconsciousness as listed in Remedial Healing.

• Due to the unnatural method of “Healing,” this causes a fair bit of pain at the area this is used on. Akin to being stitched up by a needle and thread, the Amber effectively does a similar thing to this, causing the pain.

--Strength of Night--

With the combination of Amber coursing through a Shade’s blood and body comes the added benefit of limited durations of increased strength. Just as Shades can manipulate their Amber to certain degrees to an extent, or as they can have their Amber heal wounds, so does this benefit the skilled Shades’ muscles and physical prowess. This is done passively, or subconsciously on an on demand basis. This is moreso limited to the ‘purists’ who have an uncanny knowledge when it comes to Amber manipulation. However just as wielding Amber comes with downsides so too does this boon. After its use it will weaken the Shade depending on the amount of increased strength and duration thus leaving the host more vulnerable to the horrid parasite. In some cases it can even damage the host’s physical body, as Amber forces its way en masse into the muscle, around bone, and beneath flesh. As a result, this increased physical prowess comes at the cost of physical pain and possible bodily harm.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades can manipulate Amber in their bodies to bolster their strength to some extent.

• The more the parasite is allowed to envelop the host’s magical abilities, the greater these limits come.

• At the absolute most, the strength of a Shade can be doubled for short periods of time at high risk.

  • To avoid changing strength of a character, a general guideline exists where small/weak races/players such as halflings and void mages can only be as strong as a human. Humans, Elves, and Dwarves can be somewhere between an orc and olog at most, and orcs and ologs can go just a slight bit beyond the strength of an average olog. Additionally, the "Rule of Stupid" applies. If you have to ask if it sounds unfair, it probably is.

• A Shade performing this ability risks tearing the flesh, muscle, tendons, ligaments, or other bodily parts around the area if pushed too far.

• The more Amber used in a specific area in concentration causes more pain as Amber forces its way into the area.

• At an absolute max, strength can be doubled with extreme risk for damage and injury.

• Generally strength can be bolstered by about a third of the host’s regular strength without causing any damage whatsoever.

• The ability can be maintained for around three to four emotes before the risk of damage increases, with each additional emote adding a 10% chance for damage occuring. (E.G. after 13 emotes severe damage would be impossible to avoid, at 7 it'd be a coin flip, et cetera).

• Any other physical weakness a Shade possesses, be it voidally sourced or otherwise, will not be removed. This ability will counteract it though, dependent on the intensity of the buff and malady.

--Resistance to Mental Intrusion --

As the parasite ravages at the mind and soul of its Host, there rests a light amongst the darkness -- of course in a purely metaphorical sense. If a Mental mage were to attempt to enter the mind of one afflicted with a Shade parasite, the intruding mage would near instantly be overwhelmed by the torment occurring in the mind of the Shade, if not worse for the fact the individual can not acclimate to the parasite’s horrors over time as the Host has. While this will not hold back every single last mentalist, many can rely safely on just the Shade’s counterattack on the mental mage to ward off intruders of the mind. However, if this safeguard were to fail then the job of protecting one’s mind would fall entirely upon the shoulders of the Host, having to rely on other techniques to fend off the mentalist.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades have an automatic defense against Mental mages trying to enter their minds, with near impenetrability for Mental Mages practicing for small amounts of time and at the beginning of their practice.

• Even higher tiered Mental mages will have considerable struggle entering the Shade’s mind, as not only must they cope with the normal harrows of the parasite but as well the parasite’s own desire to hamper the invader.

• This is not a one-hundred percent safeguard from mental magic, it will only hamper mental attacks to around half efficiency, assuming both the mentalist and Shade share similar developmental skill and time.

• This is not a toggleable ability, so even friendly minds attempting to enter will face these obstacles, although the Host may attempt to make this process slightly easier.

--Ambered Weaponry --

Ambered weaponry is the art of manifesting a weapon into reality through the process of manipulating one’s Amber into an object of his/her choosing. Amber itself is at its pinnacle of strength when connected directly to the Shade manipulating it, and this is the extreme of controlling shape and density of Amber. As a result, the ability to shape Ambered weaponry is only available when the weapon is in direct contact with the Shade that is using the skill. Amber weaponry is a more structured form of Amber manipulation and is more taxing on the user due to the concentration and amount of amber being brought forth from the individual manifesting the weapon. In order for a Shade to shape and control their Amber in such a fine way, two things must first be achieved. First, the Shade parasite must be fairly matured, as the level of manipulation would be too strenuous on the parasite and host. Second, the Shade must also sacrifice the ability to learn and utilize a few other various arts in place of this ability. As a result of both the dedication to mastering one’s gifts granted by the Shade in tandem with the limitations of distance from the caster, weapons and other objects formed from Amber are able to surpass the regular limitation of Amber being as dense as Ferrum. Instead, Amber formed from this ability can in this exception be as dense as steel. However, making Amber this dense makes changing the physical structure of the Amber more difficult, resulting in longer times needed to alter the structure from that of a sword to that of an axe for instance.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades can manipulate Amber in direct or near direct contact to their own flesh to go slightly past the density limits of the magic regularly held.

• Shades can make Amber as dense as steel if directly connected to themselves, and this over dense area cannot go further than 1 meter from the Shade or it’ll decondense to about the strength of iron.

• This uses more mana and effort than regular limitations of Amber.

• This is only to be used to make stronger weapons such as swords or knives of Amber, not to make the whole tendril or formation of Amber inherently stronger.

-- Blanket of Darkness  --

Among the many abilities of a fully developed Shade, there is one ability which is a coveted skill learned for protection or utility that Shades use to their advantage in situations where light and visibility would be better off gone for the Shade. While it may not be effective in all cases, this ability may be used well if done with careful consideration and deliberation. The Shade would draw forth from a large portion of their Amber and expel it from their own form with force, making a radius of up to four meters around the Shade completely enveloped in an ersatz darkness akin to a night with neither a full nor a new moon in the sky. In exchange for relinquishing a large portion of their own Amber that can no longer be controlled or reclaimed for use, the Shade creates a dyad of benefits. The first and most obvious is that within the sudden darkness, the Shade can obscure their actions and presence from those around them, including those within the unnatural folds of darkness. The second benefit of this is that this darkness can not be blotted out by fire or sunshine, instead requiring either holy arts or the degradation of Amber over time to remove this crepuscule. However, this ability can not be possessed by all bound to a Shade parasite, but only by those that dedicate a significant portion of their knowledge, time, and effort to understanding the Shade, Amber, and their limitations to near its fullest extent in not just the height of its power, but as well as its breadth.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades can create a small sphere of unnatural darkness, unable to be blotted by sunlight or other natural light sources. Instead it must be removed either by an applicable holy magic, or naturally over time as Amber flakes away.

• Within this sphere those aside from the Shade are unable to see clearly, as if it were an almost pitch black night.

• If in a tight or constricted area, such as a hallway that is two meters wide, the excess distance that’d normally be covered in a sphere will instead travel down the length of the corridor or area.

• The Dark Form of the Foretakers would be accesssible in the Blanket of Darkness, even if done in daylight.

• Only the Shade that made the Blanket of Darkness will have clear enough vision within the area or outside of it looking into it, as only they are acclimated to their own Amber in such an intimate way.

• This ability is very draining on a Shade, meaning it is not to be used in all situations as a mere buff to hide their actions from their foes. At its greatest extent, up to one third of a Shade’s Amber would be used in this spell.

• Not all Shades can inherently learn this ability. Instead, those that sacrifice the benefit and gain of other magics are able to learn it as they utilize the parasite’s boons to a fuller extent.

• The Amber used in this spell does not form any walls, shields, or other impermeable structures. Instead it is effectively a veil from light and nothing else.

-- Caliginous Flame  --

A true nightmare for those of holy alignment that seek to combat a fully indoctrinated Shade Father or Foretaker, the ability to form a flamelike substance not quite unlike true fire, yet not quite the same either, the Caliginous Flame is a gift possessed by only those of the utmost skill, dedication, respect, and tutelage with utilizing the boons of the Parasite of Rancour. Composed of Amber and an ever so slight segmented portion of the Shade parasite itself within the caster, this fire formed holds no colorful hues and produces no light. Those that touched this ‘fire’ would not begin to have their body smoulder and burn, but rather the mana within their being would slowly begin to burn away, depleting it until just the faintest presence of mana remained in the person’s reserves. Regardless of whether the person afflicted by this spell is a mage or not, their mana would steadily flake away into nothingness as the combination of the parasite failing to burrow itself within the soul of the victim mixed with its own supply of Amber effectively converts the mana within into Amber, which just as quickly flakes away. While this will not expressly cause physical pain, a fair level of discomfort may occur as this process is an unnatural one. However, this ability alone will never kill as it will never fully deplete a being of mana, nor will it cause any level of physical harm that can even come close to killing. Instead, this ought to be used to severely hinder the target.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades that are either a Shade Father or Foretaker can learn this ability, assuming they also meet the Tier requirements detailed below.

• Caliginous Flame will burn at any potent mana source, including people, animals, mana obelisks, and similar concentrations of mana. It will not affect plants, rocks, unfilled mana gems, or other things, akin to how a fire with too little fuel will not burn for much longer.

• Caliginous Flame will not produce light and heat, but rather will produce an eerie effect contrary to how regular fire works. Light seems to fail to reflect off of it by any means, and the area around it would have the sounds dampened, as if in a vacuum.

• This spell only lasts as long as mana is present in the victim's mana pool, meaning recovery begins the instant the last portions of mana drain away.

• Due to this ability sending off a small, yet regrowable, portion of their Shade parasite, only Shade Fathers and Foretakers can learn this ability, assuming other restrictions are met.

• Additionally due to the mixture of Amber and the fraction of a parasite, each time this ability is done a counter of one day is added to the caster, with five days being the most possible without causing permanent damage to one’s own soul and Shade. Each day that passes is equivalent to the cast off part of the Shade parasite regrowing.

• Using this ability will cause a bit of pain to the Shade, especially when done more than once.

• The Caliginous Flames can not be used to light anything on fire in the traditional sense, as the ‘flame’ only burns at mana sources, not the physical objects themselves.

• Holy magics can effectively stave off this ability.

• While this ability can burn away at mana rapidly, it will not convert it into Amber that can be utilized, nor will it occur instantly. It would most likely take a number of seconds to burn away the majority of a regular sized mana pool.

• This ability will never kill on its own. At most it will leave a foe unable to cast or feeling less good than usual.

-- Shade Magic & Its “Tiers” --

A unique aspect of Shades is that the abilities and limits of what one can do with the magic are reliant on not just time passed and abilities learned, but now as well how many of a character’s magic slots are available. When learning to master their abilities, the Shade must first be checked for how much time has passed, as an underdeveloped Shade parasite would be unable to perform the more powerful aspects and feats offered through the curse. The second question considered is if the Shade parasite itself has the capacity to learn a new ability, which is dependant on how many other magics the Host has taken up in learning and practicing. For instance, a Shade practicing four other magics would be able to learn less of its parasite’s capabilities than a Shade practicing no magic aside from the fullest extent the curse offers. This effectively presents a tradeoff to those afflicted with the curse, whether to learn about the Parasite and cultivate it to its fullest potential, or to effectively neuter it of some of its more advanced gifts in exchange for other knowledge and utility. Below is listed a Shade’s Time-based abilities and development and the Slot-based abilities and development.

-- Time Based, Tiers  --

Tier “Zero” - The development stage of a Shade parasite. At this stage there are no abilities, only the growing presence of the being on the host’s soul. During this stage the Host’s mana begins to convert to Amber in trace amounts, and the presence of the parasite will cause maladies such as seizures, fatigue, vomiting, or nausea as the body acclimates to the Parasite of Rancour. This stage lasts one week from the birth of the Shade parasite.

Tier One - The first time the Parasite will be able to do anything of considerable consequence. At this stage the Host will begin to be able to actually manipulate Amber to a poor extent. Alongside this, the Shade can corrupt mana into Amber, although this process is very inefficient even on themselves, let alone other objects and beings. Additionally, the Shade will receive the most basic of passive boons from the Shade parasite, including the resistance to disease, the difficulty of invading their mind, and the so-called “early awakening” from unconsciousness. The host’s mana pool at this stage will also automatically be at least one twentieth (1/20th) converted into Amber for use in Caliginous Healing and staving off illness. Finally, the Shade parasite is no longer considered a “Hatchling” anymore. This stage lasts two weeks until hitting Tier Two.

Tier Two - The Shade at this point is now more matured, and the victim can now manipulate and corrupt Amber to a finer extent, albeit still with a fair level of inefficiency. Furthermore, this is the stage where a “Half-Formed” Shade is capped time-wise and skill-wise, requiring full connection from a Shade Gem to continue growing and progressing. A Shade can also imbue objects and spells with Amber at this stage. This stage lasts three weeks until hitting Tier Three.

Tier Three - The Shade can begin to learn stronger abilities, namely being able to toggle the passive version of Caliginous Healing. Strength of Night can be learned now as well. Furthermore, Ambercrafting becomes possible, and weak forms of Ambered Weaponry are available as well. Entering the mind of the Shade at this point for a mentalist becomes significantly more difficult at this stage, and at minimum one fifth (1/5th) of the Shade’s mana pool at this point is automatically converted to Amber. This stage lasts six weeks until hitting Tier Four.

Tier Four - The Shade is practically fully grown at this stage, and the host experiences a constant tug at their very soul from the parasite, be it positive or negative in nature. The Shade can begin to learn abilities such as Active Caliginous Healing and Caliginous Flame. Finally, the Shade can at this stage become a Shade Father, given understandment of their parasite to a deep level. This stage lasts eight weeks until hitting Tier Five.

Tier Five - Truly an agent of darkness and tenebrific horror, a Shade at this stage is practically irrevocably attached to the soul of the host. Fully grown, the Shade can learn all of its abilities, and can be made a Foretaker if so willed upon the Shade. Manipulation of Amber comes significantly easier, as do the other gifts of Shadedom. There is no further progression for a Shade at this stage, aside from becoming a Shade Father or Foretaker if the opportunity arises and they take it.

* These abilities are NOT gained automatically unless taught to the character or designated as not needing teaching.

-- Slots & Abilities  --

Unlike most magics, Shade magic can hold different abilities available to those that practice the boons granted by the Shade depending on how many other magics they practice. Akin to how Druidism has subtypes within itself, Shade magic has subskills that can be learned only at the cost of other beneficial arts, be them voidal or dark. While an independent application is not needed for these skills, they must be learned all the same and some can not be learned depending on how many magic slots are left “free” to use. For instance, a Shade that practices only Shade magic will be able to use all of the abilities below, assuming they meet the time requirements as well. However, a Shade that is also a Fire Evocationist, Water Evocationist, and Transfigurationist may only be able to learn some of the abilities below.

One Slot - Shade, 4 Other Magics - Mana Corruption, Amber Manipulation, Mental Intrusion Resistance, Resistance to Illness, Caliginous Healing Passive (Weak), Amber Imbuement, Ambercrafting.

Two Slot - Shade, 3 Other Magics - Mana Corruption, Amber Manipulation, Mental Intrusion Resistance, Resistance to Illness, Caliginous Healing Passive (Regular), Amber Imbuement, Ambercrafting, Non-fully fledged Shade parasite ability cap.

Three Slot - Shade, 2 Other Magics - Mana Corruption, Amber Manipulation, Mental Intrusion Resistance, Resistance to Illness, Caliginous Healing Passive (Regular), Amber Imbuement, Ambercrafting, Strength of Night (Weak), Ambered Weaponry (Weak), Mana Pool → Amber Minimum 1/5th,  Blanket of Darkness.

Four Slot - Shade, 1 Other Magic - Mana Corruption, Amber Manipulation, Mental Intrusion Resistance, Resistance to Illness, Caliginous Healing Passive (Regular), Amber Imbuement, Ambercrafting, Strength of Night, Ambered Weaponry (Regular), Mana Pool → Amber Minimum 1/3rd,  Blanket of Darkness, Caliginous Healing Active, Caliginous Flame.

Five Slot - Shade, 0 Other Magics - Mana Corruption, Amber Manipulation, Mental Intrusion Resistance, Resistance to Illness, Caliginous Healing Passive (Regular), Amber Imbuement, Ambercrafting, Strength of Night, Ambered Weaponry (Regular), Mana Pool → Amber Minimum 1/2th,  Blanket of Darkness, Caliginous Healing Active, Caliginous Flame, Foretaker**.

*Note - To achieve any of the above, the time-based tier requirements must still be met.

**Note - Foretakers must meet these requirements and those outlined in the section marked "Foretakers"

Guides and Redlines

• Allows Shades to either practice many magics alongside Shadedom, only some magics alongside Shadedom, or be a “purist” that utilizes Shade to its fullest extent.

• Other magics are traded off for more powerful variants or additional abilities instead.

• No player is forced to take all five magic slots as Shade, nor are they forced to learn other magics.

• These abilities are NOT gained automatically unless taught to the character or designated as not needing teaching.

• Roleplaying the abilities unavailable to a character due to having other magics will be akin to roleplaying without a magic application accepted for the character in those abilities, additionally it will be considered powergaming as well.

• A MA is NOT needed to learn these abilities, aside from the regular Shade MA. However, they still must all be learned in roleplay, and can only be done so at the appropriate time restrictions and magic slot restrictions.

• A Shade with a TA can not teach an ability that they do not know. So, a “One Slot” Shade would have a tough time teaching a “Five Slot” Shade.

• The (Weak) denotations of an ability mean the ability or boon will at best be half as efficient as its best case scenario.

-- A Curse Unimaginable: The Costs of Shadedom --

As all things are, the Shade curse is not just a basket of roses and sunshine for those afflicted with it. In exchange for the boon that can be extracted from the veritable demon, those afflicted with the Shade curse must live with the following maladies.

-- Mental --

When the Shade parasite burrows into the soul of the host, it also burrows into the consciousness by extension. As a result, every living moment, be it waking or resting, the Shade parasite will be nagging and pestering at the host’s mind. At first, this pestilence is minor and can be compared to spending a day with someone you greatly dislike, but over time the irritation grows and becomes more intense and unignorable. What at first may start as faint whispers every now and then of words that may upset the host will turn more cruel and relentless, becoming a constant stream of negative thoughts. Minor frights when sleeping, be it dreaming of being chased or another thing feared, will eventually turn into night long terror. The faint sight of a shadowy being in the corner of one’s eyes will turn into full on hallucinations as the mind fails to distinguish the false from the real, slowly whittling at the mental integrity of the host. While some precautions can be taken to hamper these ailments, true cessation can never be done, leaving always at least the slightest whispers in the mind of those affected by the Shade.

Guides and Redlines

• These effects get worse over time, starting off as minor annoyances and becoming full fledged life changers later on.

• Conversely, as time goes on the host can adapt to some extent in dealing with the parasite. The result is a lack of things such as permanent debilitation of the host due to the encroaching mental strain, or other side effects that would result for bland RP.

• After “Tier 3” or so, the downsides grow from whispers and some nightmares to include all of the maladies listed here.

• While help can at times be received, be it from a mental mage or cognatist’s enchant, the downsides can never fully be blocked out.

-- Physical  --

The physical changes in a Shade tend to be less encompassing, but are still noticeable and considered with those afflicted by the veritable demon. The most obvious is that those cursed will exhibit more gaunt, tired features such as bags beneath the eyes or sunken expressions, in addition to having growing jerky, erratic movements due to a mixture of the parasite’s harassment of the mind, and usual lack of sleep. While those are the most obvious, there are at times physical effects due to the Amber within a Shade affecting the body. Despite how much a Shade acclimates to Amber, Amber is an unnatural, twisted substance, and its presence within the host causes negative side effects at times. Some of these effects include nausea due to a mixture of the Shade parasite’s attack on the mind and Amber within, vomiting, seizures, or other maladies akin to the incredibly sick. While these consequences can never be fully avoided, the ever so often manipulation of a Shade’s Amber pool and expulsion of the sickly black substance can ease these symptoms off for a while if done in careful consideration. A Shade that does this must take care not to relinquish too much of their Amber too often, nor too little, as the body acclimates and adjusts to having Amber within it to the point where having too much will result in the ill effects listed before due to mass amounts, and too little resting within too often will result in the body and parasite’s intrinsic instincts gained from the presence of Amber, such as Caliginous Healing, to react poorly on the host, causing issues such as fatigue, weakness, and poor healing. So, one afflicted with the curse will experience a mixture of adverse consequences from both the toll the parasite itself takes on the mind and body indirectly, and a direct effect from the presence, or overdone lack of, Amber within the body.

Furthermore, due to the inherently corrupt nature of Amber, if a Shade frequents around one or more persons for extended periods of time with little relapses of time in between being near them, then the Amber within a Shade can give a minor, nearly negligible effect of dread and irritability to those nearby. However, this would take extensive amounts of time with a Shade to begin to even be noticed.

Guides and Redlines

• Those with the Shade parasite will experience downsides such as seizures, erratic motions, and tiredness.

• People that stay around Shades for long, extended periods of time may experience faint sensations of dread, irritability, or other weak versions of the maladies of a Shade and Amber. At the earliest, this would take around a month in RP. At the absolute most, around a year would have to pass before the effects are unignorable.

• While Amber can be expelled every now and then to mitigate these issues, they can never be fully preventable, and expelling Amber too much and too often can cause other issues.

-- Magical  --

Aside from the effects of imbuement listed above, those afflicted with a Shade parasite will always experience some level of difficulty in controlling their magical arts, be it voidal or not. This is due to the mental strain caused by the parasite, and the effect on the mage’s magic can be ranging from minor loss of control of their casting to greater issues, such as full out voidal disconnection, spell failure, or unintended results from the magic, such as forming a larger blob of ice intended for a water evocationist, or causing worse effects to a soul puppetry victim than desired. While these effects will never cause direct harm to the host, they can be devastating if they occur at the wrong time.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades’ magics may be adversely affected, albeit not required to be in a damaging way to the host.

• These downsides can not be ignored, as they are often minor and inconsequential nine out of ten times.

• A Shade casting, say fire evocation, is not required, and is in fact advised against, doing things such as burning themselves or purposely doing what one may call idiotic or unreasonable things with the magic and claiming it is an effect of the Shade. The parasite is cruel, not idiotic. It won’t get the host killed for a quick laugh.

-- Takeovers  --

The most important thing that a Shade will do to is not only the above, but also the result of doing this constantly to the host. When the host’s mind is numb from sleepless nights, and their heart shattered from the overwhelming negative emotions, the parasite can strike at the mind with the intent to wrench control away from the host in favor of their own control. If successful, which can occur much easier when the host is emotionally or mentally vulnerable, the Shade will do two things: the first being whatever it so pleases depending on the personality of the Shade itself, and the second being whatever may further undermine the host’s core integrity, also dependant on the personality of the Shade and host. A Shade’s conception of the world is reflected as a corrupt version of the host’s, so a Shade parasite within the mind of a blundering, gentle hearted giant may use the large man’s body to crush the flowers the man so carefully grew, or kick a puppy that stops by the man’s house every morning, as while these things may not be seen as horrendous as say, murder, they fundamentally undermine what the host believes to be of value and of importance. So, a taken over Shade need not to be a stark raving mad lunatic that kills everyone they come across, and may very well be the opposite, especially if being the aforementioned lunatic would put the Shade at jeopardy. Additionally, one of these takeovers of the malicious nature will not happen in a public setting, say if the host was surrounded by a group of holy mages, or a public courthouse while on trial, as despite the ease the Shade parasite may have to take over, it would not bode well for the parasite to easily mark its presence within the host, as it may lead to future complications or issues arising. Instead, the parasite will do its best to perform these takeovers out of public sight, be it in the privacy of one’s own home, in an alleyway as opposed to the square in a city, or out in the mountains while the host enjoys a lovely hike.

Furthermore, while most takeovers are malicious and harmful in intent and nature, there are times where a takeover can be beneficial, not in the sense that the Shade will go around handing out roses and hugs, but in the sense that it will be done for the preservation and wellbeing of the host and parasite alike. For example, if one afflicted with a Shade is rendered unconscious in combat, the parasite will perform a takeover to force the host to come to consciousness slightly quicker than if it didn’t interfere, or if the host is in mortal condition the Shade will take over to get the host out of danger and deal with any possible threats. The reason for this is double, one being that the parasite when not in control does not need to worry about things such as sleep and the downsides that it causes upon the host, and two that the parasite’s natural instinct gives it a slight edge in these situations as it tries to keep itself alive. However following one of these situations, the parasite can take over with malicious intent much easier, as it often will try to keep control past the situation.

When a takeover occurs, the “tell” of a Shade will not occur unless the magic itself is actively being used. So, one that is taken over will not always have blackened eyes or veins, unless they are using or manipulating Amber. Furthermore, unlike in the past a Shade parasite will not have innate knowledge of all of the abilities available to the Shade, but only access to manipulating and converting mana into Amber without prior knowledge or tutelage on the matter. So, a Shade that never received a lesson can never cast, say, Blanket of Darkness, but is able to make tendrils and corrupt another’s mana into Amber. Furthermore, the ability of a Shade during a takeover is limited to the same restrictions that the host is, aside from being slightly more efficient in casting the known abilities due to the innate connection between Shades and Amber.

Finally, when a Shade parasite takes over not all is lost. While troublesome, the host can do as the Shade did to them, and vie to regain control of their mind once more. This can be through something simple, such as getting the aid of many mentalists and cognats to relieve the strain and effort exerted by the parasite on the host’s mind so the host may once again take control, or long and arduous such as slowly rebuilding emotional and mental stability, then fighting back against the rancorous being within. However, this can only be done when the host actually possesses control of the body, making this significantly more challenging if not impossible to be done during a takeover. For the duration of this, however, the host will lack control of their body’s actual movements and actions, and will effectively be watching their body act without the ability to alter these actions unless they take control once more.

Guides and Redlines

• Allows Shades to have either malicious or “beneficial” takeovers, the latter of which may lead to the former.

• A taken over Shade will have access to Amber manipulation and mana corruption even with no prior lessons in addition to the already present ability of Caliginous Healing.

• Shades that take over are minorly more efficient (5 to 10%) when controlling and converting Amber. This is not enough to turn a fight around entirely, but just a minor boost to encourage a Shade’s survival when in peril.

• Takeovers do not result in stant acquisition of “Tier 5” in the magic anymore, as many of the abilities still have to be learned. This is to prevent someone from having a takeover just to become stronger.

• A takeover won’t result in the Shade going “Grr, I’m going to stab a baby!” as this is not necessarily the intent of the parasite or the best way to undermine the host’s integrity. Instead, varied approaches can come to takeovers, be it subtle things such as the parasite slowly ruining the host’s relationships with abrasive attitudes, or more obvious such as kicking a puppy. Anything that underwhelms the values of the host will suffice.

-- Masking  --

The Shade parasite constantly seeks its own preservation, and as a result it will sacrifice its own short-term desires in favor of long-term survival. If the Shade or Host is aware that they would face doom from a holy mage, the parasite can mitigate its own presence within the soul to a minimal state, making the Host undetectable via holy magics, while at the same time giving up all benefits the magic has to offer, regardless of skill with the magic. This acts as a double-edged sword though, for a Shade cannot simply awaken and recess instantly, but rather are stuck in this recessive state for one week of OOC time, with an additional day required for the parasite to “reawaken” and unmask itself within the presence of the soul.

Guides and Redlines

• Allows Shades to avoid effect from holy magic, akin to an Abyss Seed or draught of incite afflicted beings. This comes at the cost of any benefits Shade provides and is not to be used liberally.

• When masked, the Shade cannot unmask for one week minimum, with a small period of time required afterwards for the Shade to reawaken during which they’ll once more be vulnerable to holy magic.

• The downsides of the parasite remain, albeit slightly mitigated due to the Shade’s slightly weakened presence.

• If holy magics that would normally purge a Shade parasite are used on the Shade during this state, instead the timeframe for “awakening” would be doubled to two weeks from the original date, lengthening the time they’re in this state.

• For moderation purposes, a Shade performing masking must edit their description to include notice of the date of Masking and when Unmasking can be done. This is to prevent lying OOCly about being able to cast or not, with suspiscion being able to be checked by Game Moderators.

-- Weaknesses to Other Magic & Things --

-- Holy Magics  --

Due to the inherently corrupt nature of the Shade parasite on the soul, Shades are often weak to the holy arts, namely the arts of the Ascended, Paladins, and Clerics. Regardless, a holy mage’s magic will disrupt a Shade’s control over their Amber if surrounding the Amber produced, and will even sever and deplenish it if continuous contact is made between the holy magic and physically manifested Amber. If a Shade is struck by anything that harms a dark being, such as Aengul Fire, it will act regularly as it would on any other dark creature.

Guides and Redlines

• Regular Druidic magic will not affect a Shade, unless in the presence of powerful artifacts such as the Aspect Stones.

• Shades are weak to holy magics, as they often deal with purging and cleansing of unnatural things, which the parasite and Amber both are.

• Holy magic will harm a Shade if it makes contact with them, and will sever or remove control over their Amber as well if contacted.

-- Aurum  --

While any living being that is stabbed by a golden knife is in for a bad time, Shades also face the maladies of gold affecting their Amber. While gold is not an instant destroyer of Amber, it is a material that is able to cut through Amber with much more ease than any other object, such as iron or steel. While more dense Amber structures and formations will cut with more difficulty, instead of it being akin to cutting through iron, it’d be more akin to cutting through flesh and bone, given that gold has a natural advantage over corrupted mana.

Guides and Redlines

• Aurum is also a weakness to Shades, although it moreso applies to Amber than the Shade themselves, as regardless of whether the Shade is a dark being or not, a golden knife is still a knife. However, a brick of gold pressed onto a Shade’s flesh won’t cause harm.

• Aurum, especially Aurum weapons, can pierce, cut, and damage Amber much better than non-Aurum or non-Holy items. While Amber as dense as iron won’t be pierced by an iron-tipped arrow or cut by an iron blade, Aurum would do so, albeit not akin to a hot knife melting through butter. Instead, it’d be akin to cutting through flesh and bone as opposed to iron or steel. If the object of Aurum is not sharp, such as a brick or rod, it’d be like pressing an ice cube against hot metal, where it can melt quickly but not instantly.

-- Curing The Parasite --

While it is incredibly difficult to cure a Shade parasite, it is possible. To keep things simple, the requirements for the number of holy mages will be listed below if the parasite is not being removed by the Foretaker that connected the Shade to the soul initially.

Tier “Zero” - 1 T4+.

Tier One - 1 T5 OR 2 T4.

Tier Two - 2 T5.

Tier Three - 2 T5 & 1 T4.

Tier Four - Incurable by Holy Mages.

Tier Five - Incurable by Holy Mages.

Druids - Incompatible.

A Foretaker can not cleanse the parasite of the host as well instantly, unless in special circumstances. The circumstances for this are either if the one afflicted wants the Shade purged and the Foretaker is willing, or if irreparable cause has occurred rendering the removal of the parasite pertinent (OOC blacklists/bans). Aside from this, one afflicted with a Shade is forced to bear the curse for the entirety of their life, given extremely rare exception.

Finally, a being that has a Shade and then has their soul altered or damaged to certain levels will lose the parasite, as the parasite cannot survive on soul shadows or other temporary stages of a soul.

Guides and Redlines

• Put simply, the Shade curse is not meant to be easily cured, if at all. This outlines the exact strength of how many Holy Mages would need to be present and casting to cure the Shade parasite, with restrictions later on as the veritable being takes root on the soul of the host too much to be removed with conventional methods anymore. While the Shade parasite is still a Hatchling, it can be purged with ease.

• The Shade parasite can NOT be removed by a Foretaker unless the player themselves wants the Shade purged OOCly, or the player has faced OOC punishment, such as a ban from the server or a magic blacklist, both of which must be long enough to warrant removal of the parasite.

• Druids can’t cure Shade parasites.

• If the player being cured does not give OOC consent and/or the character does not give IC consent, then the character will die instead of being purged of their Shade.

• After the Shade hits “Incurable” stages, only rare exceptions can purge somebody of the parasite, such as an event or other similar effect.

• If a character is permanently killed, then is revived, such as a Shade turned into a lich, then the Shade parasite on the soul is removed and the player must be re-shaded and restart learning the magic. The exception to this is direct change, such as if a player turned from a Shade into a Wight with no “PK” in between.

The Foretakers of Tenebrous are the pinnacle of Shadedom. Long gone is the possibility of a cure for the parasite, as those that become a Foretaker surrender themselves entirely to the Shade parasite and serving the will of Arun’Asna, bound to ensure the continued existence of the tenebrific parasite within the world. However before one can even be considered for becoming a Foretaker, one must first become a Shade Father.

-- Shade Fathers --

The Shade Father is one that has ascended beyond regular understanding of the Shade parasite into the realm of being able to manipulate the parasite itself to very minor extents. To become a Shade Father, one must be a Shade for a long while and learn from a Foretaker or another Shade Father how to manipulate the parasite within their soul, as well as how to section off small portions of their own parasite to bestow unto another. While this replica parasite will not be as strong as a true Shade parasite, the “Half-Formed” Shade will still be able to grow and progress until properly connected to the Shade Gems and Arun’Asna by a Foretaker. This renders the role of the Shade Father -- Or Shadow Mother for the women -- existent once more, yet not all-powerful in being able to create and forge new Shade parasites indefinitely. Additionally, as a Shade Father presumably takes on some higher level of responsibility within the Shade commune, those that become a Shade Father can also create Caliginous Flames as the ability requires a Shade to thoroughly understand the parasite. So, a Shade Father is anyone that learns to either create new “Half-Formed” Shades by replicating their own parasite through sectioning their own.

Guides and Redlines

• Reintroduces Shade Fathers into the lore aside from just being mentioned with no explicit explanation as to what they do or what the role of one is.

• Shade Fathers can either become a Shade Father to cast Caliginous Flame, create new “Half-Formed” Shades, or both.

• Shade Fathers have no limit on how many can exist, aside from any limit set in RP by the Shade community if any at all.

• Shade Fathers aren’t inherently more powerful or necessarily able to control their Shade parasite. They can only manipulate the most basic aspects of the parasite for Caliginous Flame or creating new “Half-Formed” Shades. They do not have the ability to create fully formed Shades connected to the Shade Gems and Arun’Asna, nor are they inherently more powerful than other Shades aside from these two abilities.

• Shades can only become Shade Fathers if taught how to section their own Shade parasite, a challenging and slightly painful process as it requires intricate knowledge and practice with almost all aspects of the magic.

  • This can only be taught by either a Foretaker or another Shade Father.

-- Foretakers --

Also known to some as a Daeva, the Foretaker is one that has fully rendered unto Arun’Asna and the inherent will of force inflicted by the Shade’s existence as a whole. While not a conscious force, the inherent force of Arun’Asna is what overwhelms and drives a Foretaker’s abilities and purpose, and is not something that can be achieved by just any Shade. In exchange for mastery over the Shade parasite and Shade Gems, the Foretaker makes a sacrifice of varying impact, depending on the individual. While some may see it as an honor and blessing, others may see it as sacrificing a sense of humanity, as a Foretaker is bound to act as a guiding force of progress and growth amongst the Shades.

Upon the surrender of the soul to Arun’Asna, the Foretaker’s soul will no longer reside within the host’s body, but instead taking residence within a Shade Gem, notably the one that was used to originally make the person a Shade. While the soul will be within the Gem, the Shade parasite itself shall have a much closer link to the intangible force Arun’Asna itself, causing a multitude of changes within the Foretaker. The most notable is the possibility for a Foretaker to enter something known aptly as the Dark Form, a form that the Descendant can take that quite literally turns their physical body of flesh and blood into an Amber-like substance in place of flesh, bone, and organ. While in this form, the Foretaker is not immune to all damage, but can still be harmed by holy magic, aurum, and other similar things that would effect Amber. If the Foretaker were to be injured by something not of that nature, such as a steel sword piercing flesh, or a mace cracking against them, then the Foretaker would still feel pain, albeit incredibly diluted and preventive from causing actual lasting harm, such as a broken bone or ruptured organ. Furthermore, a Foretaker in their dark form is able to manipulate the composition of their Ambrific self, akin to manipulating Amber that is external from themselves. While their dark forms can be manipulated like Amber, there are still restrictions on how they can manipulate their bodies. While the Dark Form has its uses, it also comes with its share of drawbacks as well. For one, a Foretaker in the tenebrific form will revert back to their mortal form if exposed to bright lights, such as that of a campfire or daylight. The exception to this is unnaturally formed light, such as that formed through fire evocation or sensory illusion for example. If a Foretaker had a blade embedded into where their heart would be, and then a bright enough light was shone upon the area, then the previously unwounded area would revert to flesh and blood, and the Foretaker could take damage as any other mortal may. So, one main disadvantage of the Foretaker is light. Even when not in their dark form, a Foretaker will be adverse to sunlight, as if it nauseated and sickened them due to the inherent aversion within when becoming a Foretaker. Another weakness suffered is Aurum, and the effects of this are similar to Aurum’s effects on Amber listed above. While a steel blade may pierce the dark form and cause minimal pain or damage, Aurum doing the same would result in not only immense pain, but also a faint burning sensation and the relapse of that particular area around the wound to exit its dark form, making mortal injury possible.

Guides and Redlines

• Foretakers are only able to be made from a Shade Father.

• Foretakers can enter a “Dark Form,” quite literally a physical transformation from their regular selves into a being made of pure Amber-like substance, able to be manipulated to the same extent of Amber with a few minor restrictions.

  • Foretakers can only change their physical size in Dark Form to be either half to double their regular size.

  • In Dark Form, Daeva lack blood or organs. So, removing one part is not necessarily a death for a Foretaker, but it will still cause pain.

  • While severely mitigated, other forces such as a mace or falling from a great height still injure a Foretaker in Dark Form, albeit considerably less and not with permanent damage.

    • As a fairness clause, unlikely colossal amounts of damage, such as a building collapsing on a Foretaker, or a thanhic explosion occurring next to one, when in their Dark Form will result in at least total immobilization and control of the body due to severe force and effort, or at most “death” and remanifestation at the Shade Gem.

    • This means where ridiculously large amounts of damage occur to a Foretaker, despite it technically not killing them they will be forced to allow their Dark Form to demanifest and reform at the Shade Gem. This would not count as a suicide, but rather keeps the lore consistent with other spectral or similar beings while not making them immune to cataclysmic force.

  • Density must be taken into account, so a larger manifestation in Dark Form results in less density.

  • The density of the form is limited to either half as dense as water, or the density of iron.

  • Liquid and Gaseous manifestations cannot be done in the Dark Form.

  • Light touching the Dark Form causes it to revert back to the regular form of the person, but only wherever light hits it. So, a torch light may only revert the face and torso while sunlight would revert it all.

  • Only natural light or Holy Magic light can revert the form, not unnatural light such as voidally evoked flame.

  • Dark Form must be utilized to move a Shade Gem from one location to another, lest the Gem overwhelm the Foretaker in question.

• For the sake of sense in RP, the time of day that it is when RP begins with a Foretaker is how the time will stay until both parties agree to progress time. This is due to the short length of time in a MC day an night.

• Aurum affects a Foretaker as regular objects would, so an Aurum blade will still cut and harm, even if in Dark Form.

• Holy magic also dispels and damages Foretakers, even in Dark Form.

• Foretakers have a natural aversion to sunlight and bright light sources, nauseated and pained when in its presence for too long, even when not in Dark Form.

• It takes time to enter and exit Dark Form, except in the case of light reverting a Foretaker back into their regular form.

• The Dark Form is not invincible or invulnerable, but it does have a fair resistance to most physical and some magical abilities and attacks.

  • While a stab from an iron sword or blow from a wood club won’t kill or damage a Foretaker that much, large or catastrophic blows such as a building’s collapse or a fall from a cliff will incapacitate a Foretaker indefinitely. In these cases, a Foretaker is allowed to purposely demanifest and reform at the Shade Gem. This is to prevent unreasonable survival while being consistent with other aspects of lore.

• Darkness for the Dark Form must not be brighter than a moonlit night on a full moon, nor can it be achieved through methods such as going beneath the shade of a tree or wearing a suit of armor.

  • In the brighest light a Foretaker can be in, being a fully moonlit night, then the ability to manipulate their Dark Form is severely limited.

  • In the darkest of places, namely pitch black rooms that lack light, a Foretaker’s ability to manipulate their body is limited to as dense as iron.

  • In cases that are somewhere in between, a general common sense limitation is in place, where the limit is somewhere in between the two outlined above.

• Aurum barriers or holy wards cannot be crossed in the Dark Form.

If a Foretaker were to be “killed”, then their form would dispel into a black smog that would eventually disperse before reforming back at the Shade Gem they were originally connected to. As a result, a Foretaker can never truly be killed unless the soul were to be destroyed, which can only be done through the Shade Gems themselves, or through external unavoidable means that most likely will never occur. Furthermore, a Foretaker lacks a presence of lifeforce and mana within their own physical form, the lifeforce or mana needed to perform magics being granted and funneled to them on a need-by basis through the Shade Gems. In its place, Amber lays within the Foretaker en masse, with a half of their mana pool always converted into the sickly substance regardless of intent or desire to do so. So, a Foretaker would only be able to use half of their mana pool whatsoever before any spells casted would come out as imbued, while the other half would instantly be available for manipulation without delay. Furthermore, a Foretaker’s ability with manipulating Amber is unmatched by those that have not transcended regular Shadedom to this level. While the difference is not staggering and unfathomable, it is noticeable enough that if  a Foretaker and Shade Father made battle, the Foretaker would win most times given all other things being equal.

Guides and Redlines

• Upon death, a Foretaker remanifests at the Shade Gem that was originally used to bind the Shade Parasite to their soul.

• A Foretaker lacks lifeforce or pure mana naturally within their bodies, and this is granted to them through the Shade Gem connecting them to Arun’Asna on an on-demand basis.

• Foretakers are slightly better at manipulating and converting Amber than other Shades, to the point where there is a noticeable difference between a Foretaker and a fully grown, fully taught Shade.

• A Foretaker will cast non-Shade magics slower, due to the effort expended in the journey mana and lifeforce must make to reach them for utilization.

• A Foretaker will not remember the events of their death aside from the sensation, meaning a Foretaker that was beheaded won’t remember where, the executioner, or the crime, but they will remember the feeling of having their head removed.

In addition to the benefits listed above, another key feature of a Foretaker is that they do not experience the continuous, endless onslaught of the horrors wrought upon those bound to a Shade parasite. The nights are sleepable, the days clear of whispers, and their will and body not in peril to the veritable force within. Instead, as the parasite and host’s beings unify in unholy dominion, the host will begin to take on more aspects of the parasite’s personality themselves. So, the gentle hearted giant mentioned before in the downsides of the Shade curse may no longer care for the fluffy animals he once loved, nor will the parasite necessarily drive him to harm the animals for its own benefit either. Instead, a varying, bastardized version of the two halves’ ideals, wishes, pleasures, and pains forms within the Foretaker, in essence replacing what they once were for the duration of their existence as a Foretaker. However, while significantly more comfortable with Amber and its presence, a Foretaker is still at some level who they once were, and they still experience the physical downsides not related to mental downsides of the parasite to a severely lessened extent. What may have occurred once every two months now occurs at most once a year, and even then may not be nearly as bad as it once was.

Guides and Redlines

• Foretakers no longer suffer the presence of the Shade parasite’s mental downsides within their mind, nor are takeovers a threat.

• The personality of the host and Shade combine to an extent, mixing various aspects of what the Foretaker will believe, enjoy, dislike, et cetera.

• While not nearly as pertinent, food, sleep, water, and other necessities of life are required infrequently by a Foretaker. If their regular body is not maintained, then they will still succumb to malnutrition.

Finally, the process of making a Foretaker itself is arduous, as it can not simply be done at whim or quickly. First, the requirements to become a Foretaker are to be a Shade Father, as a mastery of manipulating the parasite is required -- although not a mastery over it entirely. Then, the preceding, already existing Foretakers must connect the newly inducted one. If there is a disagreement amongst the existing Foretakers, then a priority vote will occur, with a majority required in order to act further. The exact details of this “vote” will be detailed below. From this point, the one to be risen must be taken by the performing Foretakers to the Shade Gem that originally bound the Shade to the source of a Shade’s power, Arun’Asna. Then, utilizing Amber to channel forth the raw energy within the parasite and existent within the world beyond physicality, a connection is formed from the performing Foretakers, the Host, the Shade, the Shade Gem, and Arun’Asna’s metaphysical being through the Shade Gem, altering the soul of the Shade to encompass a hellish blend of the soul of the original, the parasite, and a more direct connection to the Shade Gem in question. After performing the unholy sacrament, which can easily take up to a day’s time, the newly anointed Foretaker of Tenebrous would have a month’s refractory period, in which they will be rendered ghastly ill and exhausted, as if their will to even exist slipped away from themselves. After adjusting, and slowly at first turning into their Dark Form for the first time, the Foretaker would then be able to resume life as it was, now transcendent to something greater than just the Shade parasite, assuming nothing went wrong during the ritual. In the rare case where there is no Foretaker in existence, then a combined effort of the existing Shade Fathers and Arun’Asna would be made to select one amongst the ranks of the Shades.

Guides and Redlines

• Adds a more ritualistic approach to creating Foretakers, with the chance for failure.

• Allows for more than just one Foretaker to decide who becomes one, removing the effective monopoly on the role.

  • The “Voting system” for this goes as follows. Each Foretaker is designated a position, being 1st, 2nd, 3rd… and so on, with each one having a “point” for themselves and each Foretaker below them. So, if there were three Foretakers, the 1st would have “4 points,” the 2nd “3 points,” and so on. When making a new Foretaker, the “vote” must be a majority number, so while not all preceding Foretakers are needed to make a new one, one cannot be made by one alone (unless there is only one in existence).

  • Concerning how many Foretakers can exist at once, the existing cap of three is removed in place of greater restrictions on creating and removing those from this role. A soft cap will be determined, however, up to the general judgement of the Shade playerbase, the Lore and Magic teams, and those that interact with these creatures.

• If the ritual in creating a Foretaker fails, be it for any reason at any stage, then the attempted Shade Father to be ascended would be unable to utilize their Shade or its abilities for up to one week of real life time, depending on how far along in the process the ritual was when disrupted. This can range from being just a day, such as one acting Foretaker disconnecting themselves from the connection group, or up to a week in the cases such as the dark room where the Shade Father is first entering the Dark Form in being lit up.

• If no Foretaker exists on the server, be it due to the resignation of all existing ones with no replacement chosen, or a series of bans and blacklists, the existing Shade Fathers in consultation with the Lore Team can request that one is transcended to this role.

• The “heirarchy” formed when a Foretaker is connected can not be usurped unless a position is “switched” from one Foretaker to another, which can only be done with IC and OOC consent. However, this heirarchy is less rigid in its dominion over the Foretakers and Shades now.

If a Foretaker were to be questioned in their loyalty to the Shades, ability to guide them, or any other stipulation, they can be removed from their power, reverting back to the role of a Shade Father. In order to do so, the connecting Foretakers, or equally numerous and established counterparts, must go to the Shade Gem used to link the Shade Father to Arun’Asna previously and reform the link of Amber and parasites, willing to purge the direct link between Arun’Asna and the Foretaker being stripped of their rank. Assuming similar time as creating one, success of this ritual would result in an incredibly painful severance of the entirely melded parts of the host’s original soul and Shade parasite, rendering them unable to use a Shade’s ability for a day of real time. From then, they will be put back to the abilities, benefits, and downsides of a Shade Father.

Guides and Redlines

• Allows removal of inactive or other Foretakers that the general consensus is to remove of them.

• The “Voting system” for this is slightly different than creating a Foretaker, as stripping it should not be something entirely preventable by those that originally connected the Foretaker.

  • As with creation, removal also requires a majority “vote” with the same weighted system described above.

  • Removal must consist of all creating, or earlier formed Foretakers, meaning that the second cannot be removed by the third, nor the third by the fourth and fifth as acting members.

  • While slightly more complicated, this prevents one Foretaker from stripping all of those below them of the rank, while also preventing a group of colluding ones from stripping those above them to purloin the roles for themselves.

• Removal requires the acting Foretakers to be in the presence of the same Gem used to link the degifted Shade Father.

• The process can be interrupted, as it requires a day in game to achieve.

• When the process begins, the player in question would have their character feel a deep disturbance within their very essence, although it cannot be ascertained directly as to what it is.

    While a Foretaker enjoys the liberty of being able to indoctrinate their own Shades at will, as well as the benefits of the Dark Form, they must adhere to certain guidelines, lest they face retribution. The ultimate purpose of the Foretaker is to aid and serve the Shade conglomerate, and appropriately they must act in such a manner that does so. While they do not need to bend over backwards to unreasonable requests, or do as they are told as if they were a slave, a Foretaker’s greater purpose is to ensure the continued survival, well being, and protection of the Shades as a whole. So, if a sufficient amount of action contrary to this occurs, a Foretaker may be stripped of their greater gift, being reverted to the role of a Shade Father.

Guides and Redlines

• Foretakers are obligated to help any requesting Shade every now and then, assuming the request is related to the survival and well being of the Shade or Shades.
  • An example of an acceptable request would be providing methods to guise oneself from a holy mage that recognizes the Shade, or intimidating somebody that knows of the Shades to stay quiet on the matter instead of informing the local guard force. 
  • An example of a deniable request would be killing an Ascended at a political meeting just because they're an Ascended, or helping to find their lost sibling.

• Foretakers are expressly prohibited from actively, consciously making decisions that would cause misfortune to befall the Shades. This is not to say a bad judgement call every now and then would be unallowed, but doing something such as revealing the identities of their kin, giving a Shade Gem to a Cleric, or acting purely in spite of another Shade can fall along these lines.

• If this code is violated, the other Foretakers are instinctively urged to hunt down and strip the other Foretaker of their gift. If they simply neglect to do so, then they themselves may face similar punishment as their target.

• This does not prevent a Foretaker from ever acting against an individual Shade, although this is a very rare exception. For instance, if one Shade is being attacked or revealed by another, the Foretaker is completely within bounds to incapacitate or kill the Shade infringing on this. However this does not mean a Foretaker can simply reveal a Shade’s identity for the fun of it, or kill another Shade for insulting them, or anything along those lines.

Given all of the above, the last key piece of information of a Foretaker is the ability to fully indoctrinate a Shade parasite attached to somebody’s soul, be it their own child or another Shade Father’s kin. Without the presence of a Shade Gem, any Shade parasites formed on the souls of another will only be “Half-Formed,” being limited in ability, growth, benefit, and malady. When a Foretaker comes across one such Shade, they must bring them to a Shade Gem and bind them to Arun’Asna through the Gem. After this, they can progress as normal. If a Shade were to be removed for some reason, such as unfathomable actions (anything warranting an OOC punishment) then this can be done with the same Shade Gem used to connect the Shade.

Guides and Redlines

• Shades can be connected without a Shade Gem, but are limited in their development.

• Any “Half-Formed” parasite can be made fully fledged with a Foretaker and Shade Gem.

• Removal of a parasite without OOC consent can only be done in the cases of extreme punishment, such as a permanent or indefinite ban, relevant magic blacklist, et cetera. This is not to be used as a tool to remove Shades someone dislikes.

• Writers: Tahmas, _Sug, & Fitermon.

• Previous Lore Writers: Tsuyose, Mephistophelian,  ShadowGunX, & various others over time.

• Drafts and Aid: Fitermon, Tahmas, Shades. Cleric Input - Creete, Lynxy.

MAGIC UPDATE 12/4/2018: Shades with TAs can now teach their students up to tier 5. 

Druid’s are well known for their healing prowess with natural herbs, be it from a leafy patch-up or reattaching a freshly removed limb, it is said that in terms of medicinal herb work that the druid’s abilities go unmatched. This art is incredibly interesting as it works hand-in-hand with the knowledge of herbalist alchemy and the druids natural magic.

Whilst the druids are best known within the realm of healing with their unparalleled usage of herbs, even those who are not adept at performing the magic are able to use the wonderful remedies that are created by other druid to astounding effects. It is common for the druids to build clinics nearby herb gardens to house their bandages, poultices, salves and potions, that others are able to benefit from in emergencies.

Tier 1:

The druid has learned much of herbology and has begun to use this knowledge to enhance herbs in the creation of salves and poultices, however due to their lack of experience not only is it very exhausting for them but whenever they attempt to enhance new herbs, the chance of it becoming enhanced incorrectly is quite high and while the augmentations only last barely an hour, their side-effects can be quite disastrous when the herb is enhanced incorrectly.

Tier 2:

The druid finds themselves able to utilize their gift of enhancement for much longer than before, allowing the druid to be able to practice upon herbs they have yet to actively use and able to keep the augmentations to last up to two days,  however their chance of enhancing a herb incorrectly has barely decreased.

Tier 3:

The druid’s knowledge on the art of herbology has increased to the point that they would find all simple herbs a breeze to enhance and turn into salve at a whim, the augmentation lasting up to a week and their chances of enhancing herbs incorrectly drastically drops and would have the rare amount of trouble with simple herbs, however still having some trouble with the more rare herbs.

Tier 4:

The druid is able to enhance poultices without meditating with the plants, and are able to pass on their knowledge to other druids as to learn. At this point, the chances of the druid incorrectly enhancing a herb has all but left them, and their ability to enhance even the most rare of herbs has begun to shine through as the druids training has clearly paid off. Most if not all augmentations lasting up to a month at most.

Tier 5:

The druid has mastered the art of herblore and is able to enhance most all herbs with a very rare chance of it going wrong, and their augmentations lasting nearly indefinitely as they have mastered their potential. Some druid spend their entire lives creating remedies for other druids to use, and when something bad happens, it is these druids salves that everyone tries to get their hands on. Their knowledge of herbs and on how to enhance them has become a lasting legacy.

Points and Red Lines:
 

• Direct healing has never fit with the theme of how druid’s rely purely upon nature around them, and as such has been officially removed in this ‘rework’.
   

• Since the magic is able to be used in both a positive way and a negative way, changing the name officialy from ‘Natures Healing’ to ‘Herblore’ seems much more appropriate considering that it revolves all around herbs and enhancing them.
   

• Wooden replacement limbs are created through blight healing (bringing the wood alive) and nature’s control (growing the limb into the druid), the only part herblore comes into place is to stop the bleeding which can be done by other magical and non-magical medics.
   

• For tier 1 and 2, when trying to figure out whether a herb was correctly enhanced or not, a roll out of twenty decides and if the roll ends up being lower than fifteen, then the enhancement is done incorrectly and the herbs side-effect is instead enhanced.
   

• For tier 3 and 4, when using a herb that has never been used before and when trying to figure out whether a herb was correctly enhanced or not, a roll out of twenty decides and if the roll ends up being lower than ten, then the enhancement is done incorrectly and the herbs side-effect is instead enhanced.

A Note: This is a rework on the lore proposed by Hedgehug, which can be seen here:

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/147691-ilzgûl-udalgum-~-the-spirit-connection/

It in my intention in this work to explain the process by which such enchanting could be performed, and what possibilities lie therein.

Conception:

In the smoldering depths of the Immortal Spirit realm, Gentharuz watched impatiently as the mortals of Axios hammered their weapons and fashioned their armours, discontented with their blind arrogance toward his dominion.

Even the Orcs of Krugmar had lost focus on him in their efforts to mass produce tools of War. Indeed, Gentharuz, the Immortal Spirit of Smithing, Smelting, Industry and Forgery grew in influence as these items were made, but it was simply not enough.

He watched with irritation as his rival, Enrohk, the Immortal Spirit of Warfare, grew more powerful with every mortal felled by the weapons of War. Gentharuz was furious that these tools were not blessed with his power, and that other Spirits were gaining more influence than him from the vast production of everything he existed to represent.

And so, mustering his initiative, he sought out a Shaman to forge a new path from which he could be revered. In his tongue, it would come to be known as Ilzgûl Udalgum; the Spirit Connection.

However, Gentharuz found that while he could enhance the power of an items smithing process, the mortals of the realm yearned for far more than the blessings he could provide.

In an attempt to maintain and expand his reverence, he offered Spirits the ability to bless or curse items, funneling their power through a conduit of Gentharuz' own creation. Because he reigns over forgery, he is the only spirit capable of creating this funnel of power.

Making pacts with a plethora of spirits, Gentharuz set to work to create the conduit through which he and his brothers could expand their influence upon the mortal realm.

Story:

An unwitting Shaman, exploring the Immortal Realm on his daily search for Enlightenment, would stumble upon the Immortal Spirit, sat as he always was, in an open field of bountiful grass.

An anvil lay before him, standing defiantly against the near incessant hammering that Gentharuz wrought upon it. Small glimmers of orange light began to emanate from each blow as the Spirit continued to strike at the unusual item that sat on the anvil.

The Shaman approached, questioning the process. Gentharuz ignored him for a time, attempting to complete his work in silence, and when he was done, he presented the final product to the Shaman.

It was a glowing amber orb, with a sea of power crashing within. The Shaman grasped it with bewilderment as Gentharuz spoke to him.

He explained that this stone, the Shakgriig'Gund, would enable the Shaman to invoke his blessings or curses into tools that others of the mortal realm could use, through the will of Gentharuz and those Spirits that agreed to work alongside him.

But the Shaman would have to make his own stone, for this was the progenitor stone, the one from which all mortal stones would be connected. And so, left with the departing Shaman, was the knowledge Gentharuz offered him. The process of how to make the Matûrz’Gundh, or, Mortal Stone.

The Forging Process:

The process of creating the Mortal Stone is long and strenuous, and requires the Shaman in question to understand the complexities of forging, and have an extensive knowledge of Old Blah.

The Smith must first collect the basic ingredients from which the stone is made. The Smith must decide upon which Spirit he wishes to use, and must then find ingredients that relate to the Spirit in question. This is much like the process by which a Witch Doctor works. For this reason, it is in a Smiths best interest to ask a Witch Doctor for guidance in this regard.

The Witch Doctor will proceed to blend the ingredients into a potion/hex that the Smith may use within the creation process.

Likewise, if a Smith wishes to use the power of those Elemental Spirits that have agreed to work with Gentharuz, they must consult them in order to assist in producing a substance relating to the Spirit, once that can be molded into the Mortal Stone.

Once this is achieved, a Smith must receive the blessing/curse they wish to imbue upon the stone by a Farseer or Witch Doctor, so that they may come to understand it.

Once the required steps have been taken, the Smith must also gather the basic ingredients from which the stone in made.

He will require:

• 3 Handfuls (blocks) of Red sand; said to be blessed with the blood of Krug himself
• Whichever items he has received from the other sub-types
• His own blood
• A parchment that has the spirits name written upon it
• 3 handfuls of andesite (blocks)
• A bar of iron
• A mold with which all items can be placed inside

When the forge is lit and the items are placed into the mold, the Smith must call upon Gentharuz, for it is his own power and influence that shapes the mortal stone. The work of the Smith at this point, is to audibly seal the connection made between spirit and stone, by ways of a chant. The chant itself consists of Four parts. The first part is evoking the attention of spirit, the second one specifying the augmentation that the connection will bring, and the third is the command that is to be spoken for its activation.

The workings of this craft will then offer an augmentation upon command. This way only the creator and owner of this tool have the ability to activate and use the spirit’s power. Upon activation the stone will emit the color that is most likely to appear with the spirit connected.

How does it work?/Why?/Can I turn it into a Lich?:

Thanks for asking, Swgr. Let me explain.

Alongside Gentharuz, the progenitor stone, Shakgriig'Gund, exists with him in his realm. It is the font from which all of the Matûrz’Gundh, or Mortal Stones, draw their power and are made during the forging process. The end result is an amber sphere that serves as a containment area for one of Gentharuz' minor Spirits.

These are Spirits that are materialised into the orb during its creation, and exist as conduits through which the Spirits that have agreed to work with Gentharuz can influence the world. The other Spirits are incapable of doing this themselves, for they lack the understanding and inherent ability to create such a conduit of power.

When a Spirit is in one of these Orbs, it may exude the blessing/curse assigned to it during the creation process. For instance, if one were made with the blessing of Ublulhar in mind, and created into a necklace, it would instill feelings of hope into the wearer.

Likewise, a trinket of Orgon would cause the wearer to succumb to disease. 

If a Mortal Stone is broken, the Spirit inside is unleashed, and immediately returns to Gentharuz' Realm. The stones themselves are no stronger than marble, holding little defensive ability against those that would wish to damage them.

In terms of the power latent within these items, it is not more powerful that any blessing or curse another sub-type could create, but has the ability to act as a constant. It emits a lower level of power that can be utilised by normal individuals to feel courage in times of need, and so on.

In order to generate some abilities, a wielder will need to know the Old Tongue calling that will awaken the dormant Spirit, for those that provide exceptional abilities will need to rest and generate power. For this reason, such capabilities come with cooldowns.

Examples of Abilities, Dormant and Active:

(Spirt Reference: https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/112681-the-spirits/)

Dormant:

Ghorza: Fortune both good and bad

Orgon: Disease/Fatigue

Akezo - Mental Health

Ikuras - Mental Instability

Active:

Kulthark - Changes the shape of an item into another, and can only be used once per hour/once in combat.

Aztran - Emits a strong glow from an item that lights up a dark area.

Due to the nature of Gentharuz' proposal to the Spirits, not all have agreed to assist, and restrictions will be placed on what can be done, within reason. Elemental Spirits in particular will be prevented from use, apart from Kulthark, who reigns over metal. Other elements do not follow the logic of their lore, since they cannot produce materials within the world, only shape existing ones.

Red Lines:

-Can never be more powerful that the Blessings or Curses the other sub-types can provide.

-The Stone can be destroyed.

-The Stone has a cooldown of an hour for any activation.

-Activations can only be used once in combat, regardless of duration.

-Can only be activated with Old Blah speech.

-Once used ten times, must be recharged by Smith.

-Creations must be verified by Smawton or Hellfiazz.

For some time these Druidic Gifts have had no clarified limits to their capabilities, which for the most part hasn’t been abused.

In light of a few incidents and the generally lacking guidance for lower-tier users of these Gifts, a few of us volunteered to help write a clarification. Our general aims were to firstly establish sensible upper caps to the range of Blight Healing, and to the enhancement of herbs offered by Herblore, then to outline where each tier sat within those boundaries. Several TA holders were involved in this process, and it was then brought to a majority of the Druid community for thoughts and suggestions. The feedback was mostly positive, so here we are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blight Healing Ranges

The following ranges are given as a maximum. Performing Blight Healing at the max range of your tier is enough to physically exhaust you and will likely result in blacking out and other symptoms of extreme exhaustion, requiring extensive rest.

Radius and area are used as an example, but a creative user could guide mists in a number of ways.

T1: 4 metres/blocks; 8x8 area

T2: 8 metres/blocks; 16x16 area

T3: 12 metres/blocks; 24x24 area

T4: 16 metres/blocks; 32x32 area

T5: 20 metres/blocks; 40x40 area

Additionally, corruption cannot be cleansed until T3 and must be taught, as it requires more complex manipulation of Blight Healing energies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Herblore Ranges

This also assumes someone is using this Gift to its maximum potential, rather than making a lesser enhancement. It’s difficult to conceptualise the huge variety of effects into numerical values, thus the following examples are provided to indicate the capabilities of each tier.

T1: Effect receives a minor boost, barely noticeable. High chance of failure. Enhancement lasts 1 irl hour.

T2: Effect receives a minor improvement, which is noticeable. Slight reduction in chance to fail in familiar herbs. Enhancement lasts 2 irl days.

T3: Effect is moderately improved. Failure very unlikely in familiar herbs, unfamiliar herbs less so. Enhancement lasts 1 irl week.
T4: Effect is markedly improved. Chance to fail is almost entirely muted. Enhancement lasts 1 irl month.

T5: Effect is improved to the greatest one could reasonably expect. Enhancement lasts virtually indefinitely.

Remember that if a herb is processed immediately after enhancement, the resulting remedy, poison etc., keeps the alteration until it has expired. When an irl week is a year, solutions, potions etc. will expire unless kept in adequate conditions. Use your common sense, expiration dates shouldn’t be necessary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Increasing potency

The spores of a blistering toad mushroom cause corrosion of the throat and airways by default. In this example, it’s assumed that the intensity of the spores is the target of enhancement.

These are what one would expect to occur should someone inhale the enhanced spores:

T1: Painful to breathe

T2: Infrequent coughing, in addition to pain

T3: Severe pain, which provokes coughing fits

T4: Coughing fits sufficient enough that the victim is likely to vomit and will struggle to breathe

T5: The soft tissues of the throat and airways melt painfully, likely leading to asphyxia

Crouching feather may be smoked or brewed into a tea, which calms and clears the mind. Assume in this example, that the herb is infused into hot water as a tea, that by default its effects last for 2 iRP hours, and that the duration of its effects were the area enhanced using Herblore.

T1: Effects last for 2 and a half iRP hours
T2: Effects last for 3 iRP hours

T3: Effects last for 5 iRP hours
T4: Effects last for 6 iRP hours
T5: Effects last for 8 iRP hours

Habgobsnit is a grass which can be dried, ground and smoked for a clarity high, or pressed for its numbing juices. In this example, assume the potency of the clarity high has been enhanced with Herblore and that by default, the high begins about ten minutes after smoking.

T1: The minor loss of potency from the drying process is mitigated

T2: Moderate anxieties are assuaged, cognitive processes un-hindered by minor stressors

T3: Clarity is such that the user feels more aware of themselves

T4: The high comes on more quickly

T5: Severe anxieties are soothed with a smaller quantity. Marked calmness in stressful situations

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Decreasing potency

Remember that lessening the quality/effect of a herb is more difficult, more draining and is less efficient than increasing potency.

Night sap is a golden sap, which induces sensations of calm, relaxation, safety and sleepiness. It’s sometimes used as a sleep aid, though it causes splitting headaches or even paralysis upon waking. It’s also highly addictive, so in this example assume it is the addictive quality which is being lowered with Herblore.

T1: Minor decrease in the chance for addiction. Users still highly likely to become addicted

T2: Further decrease in chance for addiction, the addiction is still akin to that of opiates

T3: ‘Moderately’ addictive. Addiction is more like that of nicotine, meaning some will escape it

T4: Those who become addicted will experience less severe withdrawal

T5: Addiction has reduced to the level of alcohol. This does not mean that it is no longer addictive, but that the majority of people are able to use it without developing an immediate addiction. Repeated use will still pose a risk

Flash fruit is an orange-like fruit with yellow streaks upon the skin, which can be consumed to quench thirst. The flesh of the fruit however, will numb the throat. In this example, it’s this numbing quality which is being reduced with Herblore.

T1: Eating small amounts of the flesh will not immediately numb the throat. There is still some loss of sensation

T2: About a quarter of an orange-sized fruit can be consumed with only some numbing taking place

T3: The majority of an orange-sized fruit can be eaten, before the throat becomes entirely numb

T4: Eating the whole fruit is now possible, though will leave moderate numbing in the throat

T5: Upon eating a whole orange-sized fruit, the numbing effect is much less severe and retention of feeling is possible

Yarrow can be used to enhance the medicinal effects of other herbs, but alone it can reduce blood pressure and inflammation. A side-effect is that it can lead to fainting and dizziness from low blood-pressure, so in this example assume it’s this blood-pressure reducing quality which is targeted by Herblore.

T1: Fainting is slightly less common in strong doses and overdosing. Dizziness may cause nausea

T2: In concentrated doses, fainting is most common in those of a fragile constitution. Most users are likely to experience nauseating dizziness instead

T3: Fainting is much less likely, even when overdosing. Dizziness is still uncomfortable. Has a decreased ability to lower blood pressure, thus much less useful in treating high blood pressure if one were to use it

T4: Fainting is acutely found in overdoses with those already weakened. Dizziness is much less nauseating, allowing for fairly normal day-to-day functioning

T5: Fainting is highly unlikely unless extremely concentrated doses are consumed. Dizziness is reduced enough that someone could continue daily life largely uninhabited, but combat or casting would still suffer some. At this point, the ability to treat high blood pressure is largely muted, requiring a healer to obtain a fresh sample of yarrow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Credits

A_Keefy and Archipelego as our lovely LT points of contact, also making some good criticisms and suggestions.
Darksoundwave, ThatGuy_777, ShadowedOblivion and Eranikus for their writing assistance and scrutiny.

Wytchlings for providing feedback.

The Druid Community for some encouraging feedback.

Forenote: Credit to Arik and the other shifters for coming together and making this proposal.

The Removal of the Shapeshifting Tome

Pic from Billybones-DeviantArt

Shapeshifting Amendment Proposal, for the LT/MT
This is a proposal seeking  approval from the LT to change/retcon certain lore Aspects of Shapeshifting. This allows for certain IC events to proceed unhindered but eliminate some lore inconsistencies that dog down the tome.

1- Remove the tome's status as a deific artifact.
As far as Druidic lore is concerned and the lore of the Aspects, it actually would be inconsistent of the Aspects to directly distribute instructions for mortals to utilize.  More likely ancient Druids discovered the technique, and documented the rituals for it.

2- Remove protection, unique status, or invincibility associated with the tome.
Allow the tome to be copied, torn or destroyed.  If the tome is destroyed, Teachers are able to write back down the steps for the rituals like they would other secret things such as Soul trees, from experience and wisdom from teaching others.

3- The trials/ritual associated with and outlined in the shapeshifting tome are required, NOT the tome.
In consistency with lore, this means that the tome is no longer necessary for others to read directly from.  Instead, the steps taken are what matter. This also aligns with the Druidic mythos. The Grotto however is still required.

4- Teaching can continue unhindered
As stated above, teachers can continue teaching current trials either from their own knowledge of the trials or from a copy of the book.  No training should be impacted as a result. Those that seek out TAs still need to be trained on how to teach the trials.

I strongly believe the above falls in line with the mythology, theme, and overall lore that has existed with the Druids.  Now we have an IC catalyst to help eliminate the inconsistency that has plagued the lore for years.

Feat: Druidic Transcendence

Forenote: Given the revisions for this lore, Hedge has shifted full lore rights over to Delmodan with it’s creation and execution. Credit still goes to Hedge for the idea and aid with creating this lore which is found below in the credits.

“Though it is a great lost feeling those brothers and sisters that depart this realm, we know they only return to that of nature and wander eternally within the realm of the Aspects.” ~Arinislia, the Owl Druid

Stories held within the old tomes of druidic lore tell of the legends and myths that hold the vast secret knowledge of nature and the realm of the Aspects. Visions caught within the dreams of the Elders speak of the brilliant majesty that is the realm parallel to our own yet entirely different in its own right. The feeling within a druid’s connection as one of their brothers or sisters perishes from this world is indescribable at the lost yet also known deep within there is a certain peace and unspoken truth that they now rest within the Eternal Forest. The Demi-Aspects of old carved in stone and displayed in various shrines of druid groves gives a hint to this very thing that perhaps those druids that have departed may eternally wander there.

Communion being more than just speaking to flora and fauna, it’s step above that which the eye merely sees and opens up to many possibilities. As such, a druid has attempted to study and find a means acceptable in the deities eyes to transverse and commune with those departed. Without the approval of such, one could never truly transverse such a realm without feeling the absolute wrath of such divines. Thus an acceptance was sought and found through the hints and studies of the Fae creatures, but most notability the mysterious Fae Rings.

The connection made uses the existing tether between the Eternal Forest and the Mortal Plane - empowered by a full moon. Similar to how a shaman's spirit departs from their body, leaving but an anchor behind, so will the druids soul exit their body and leave behind an anchor. Their body will be left behind in a state of meditation and connection whilst their mind enters the Fae Realm. When here they shall be disguised as an animal. Which one will be left to the creativity of the player. In this disguised form they are free to exit the Fae Ring in the Fae Realm and roam freely in this divine garden.

When wandering around they are able to encounter many a kind of Fae that naturally live there. Though more interesting are encounters with passed Druii - who have lived in the Fae Realm ever since their departure from the Mortal Plane. These ancestral druids are capable of communion with the wandering, disguised, druid. This is done through nature's communion, much like how this is performed on the Mortal Plane. A logical way of communication - for the Fae Realm or Eternal Forest is considered a mirror dimension of the Mortal Plane. One where nature prevails above all through the Aspect’s influence and Fae rule.

A connection can never last too long, for the longer it lasts, as by nature the Fae Realm: the druid shall be persuaded to stay there. No active actions are taken by the realm or the Fae that reside within, but there will be a strong influence that will warp the mind of the visiting druid - encouraging them to stay.

They will be tempted, by this influence, to cross the line and exit the Fae Ring in which their body resides. This all whilst still having an established connection. This will render the anchorpoint useless and will ‘trap’ the Soul in Limbo between the Mortal Plane and the Fae Realm.

(to people around them it will look as if they are sleepwalking, as soon as the body reaches outside of the Fae Ring - they will pass out).

If body and soul are reunited in the Fae Ring they will fuse once more. But not without heavy mental damage. If in an elven days time (24 hours) no one has come to the trapped druids aid, their Soul will forever remain in the Fae Realm. (PK Clause)

It is noted that during this state of limbo the druid appears in the Fae Ring in the Mortal Realm as a ghastly near-spectral entity. Incapable of stepping out of the Fae Ring, speaking or influencing the realm around them. All they can at this point is appear there in the hopes that someone sees them before time has ran out and their Soul is forever severed from its body.

Red lines:

•  

• 2 months of holding the Feat before one can make a TA.
• A soultree druid can practise this in their husked form yet even then the Soul is capable of slipping from the Soultree and therefore has the same risks a normal druid has.
• A connection can only be made when the Fae may travel from realm to realm: during a full moon. (once every day - assuming a day irl is a month ingame and there is one full moon a month)
• Must be Tier 5 to be able to learn this Feat.
• No more than three could perform this feat within the same ritual at any given time.
• A connection cannot take too long - for else the Fae Realm will try to keep the visitor in.
• Since time is relative we are to keep the maximum time limited to a decent encounter with an individual inside this realm. A conversation lasting no longer than an hour will be harmless. Any longer and effects are to be roleplayed.
• This influence by the Fae Realm is to be roleplayed by the player themselves. Up to their creativity.
• A druid with shapeshifting does not have to appear as their assigned animal in the Fae Realm.
• Fading to Black in this Fae Realm is prohibited as that breaks all rules bestiality related - and is outright disgusting.
• You may only roleplay yourself disguised as an animal in the Fae Realm. In the Mortal Realm you will simply remain as a still body that’s in meditation in side a Fae Ring.
• When been in Limbo for quite some time, mental damage is to be roleplayed as a consequence of this.
• Must have OOC consent to speak with the past PK druid characters from the player.

Credits:

Delmodan - Prime Druid MT help & writing (thnx so much)

Hedgehug - Ideas & writing

Leowarrior14 - Original Fae Realm lore

Delmodan - Origins of Druidism lore

A kabalee watching over a scholar’s work.

Seers, Eyes of Vaasek

“Ignorance is bliss, they say,
to only know darkness; pray, 
to never be sobered by truth;
Stay blind, never sleuth;
Yet I open my eyes and look,
to see but cannot be mistook,
that I gaze into my eyelids.

I live a dark, fever dream;
An onyx and unseen sunbeam;
Light felt but not observed,
a cruel fate undeserved;
Where I see black they see white,
they see dawn but I, midnight;
Sight is my enlightenment.”

-The sad ravings of a blindman.

Where an opportunity presents itself, the swift and keen take it. Thus the most observant of the Daemons did so; Vaasek, Daemon of Manipulation and herald of the clandestine, took either pity upon or advantage of  a vulnerable man. He wept into the shadows of his waking world, mourned the fate which stole his vision, and called into the abyss that stared back; his white eyes, blind and clouded, gazing into the mere darkness outside his cabin window. He knew not what stared back, what evils his mind used to conjure when he’d look into shadow and dark alleys, but he remembered the fear, the anxiety, and the paranoia of what now surrounded him. He was broken. Desperate. To know sight for a lifetime and then go bereft left him forlorn. Weak. Vulnerable; an opportunity for what gazed back from beyond.

Seen through the eyes of an alien observer, an agent of the invisible and obscure Vaasek, the Daemon saw and was ready to strike. The man wept to himself as he crawled into his bed of dilapidated linens and broken spring and promptly slept, a rare thing to a distraught mind. There, Vaasek came and placed a semblance of kabalee eyes within the man, lenses to view through, and it faded back. 

A fever dream struck the man, sick with mania and depression. Wild and twisting, the final key struck a chord deep in his heart; a jet black raven with too many feathers whispered to him, “Cov’r your eyes.”

He awoke with a stir, a dreary moan bleeding from him as reality slowly set in where his sight was lost. Pearly marbles strained, he sat up, and with nothing but a sense of hopeless desperation and self defeating apathy he sighed. He tore a strip of cloth from his arm; what had he to lose? He held it flat in both hands; the dream was fresh, he best do it before he forgot. He lifted it; was he a fool? And, when the brown cloth laid over his blanched and strained eyes, he gulped.

Seers

As a method of gaining additional screens wherein Vaasek may see through, the Daemon granted ethereal eyes and the knowledge to replicate them. These individuals are known as seers and, in many cultures, are thought to be clairvoyants or oracles but they are little more than disadvantaged folk. Seers possess vision analogous to a usual mortal’s 20/20 sight but their sight fades and blurs into unintelligible fuzz and static past twenty meters in any direction, however they can only ‘see’ if their eyes or eye sockets are covered. Their vision is another lens for Vaasek to scry through like its many kabalees, thus its allowance of their sight.

The return of their sight is but a semblance, an illusion of reality and thus it is flawed. Seers are prone to experiencing episodes of lack of focus in vision, eye floaters, black spots, nearsightedness, farsightedness, double-vision, and other such visual anomalies.

Seers need not be magic users, a specific race, or even worshippers of this reclusive Daemon. Anyone may become a seer through a simple ritual wherein a seer may shed a tear into the eye or eye socket of another to mark them for a visitation by Vaasek to grant them eyes or, as the first man did, become so vulnerable and hopeless over their loss of sight that Vaasek may glimpse their misery and grant them eyes.

Redlines:
-Cannot see past 20 blocks in any direction. 
-Cannot see better or more than a normal person.
-To have the covering removed from a seer is to return them to blindness. To go without a covering is to be returned to blindness until a covering is worn.
-Only those who have no level of vision at all may become seers.
-No seer or individual otherwise knows of Vaasek’s involvement.

Lore References
https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/150682-daemon-vaasek/

Inspirational Artwork

Thank you to Phil, Aelesh, and Ambduscias for allowing me to bounce ideas off of them.

The idea behind this lore is twofold; to allow an inclusive piece of lore that involves an underappreciated Daemon, and a method for characters to gain that mystical seer aesthetic fantasy so dearly loves without crippling roleplay through a life altering disability. There is no advantage to being a seer, although I am interested in perhaps writing some kind of possible oracle / clairvoyance lore to replace the Erythian Stars of Anthos that may allow characters to perceive interpretations of future events (for the sake of storytelling). This is intended to act as a Feat that any character, no matter their circumstance, may use.
 

A note upfront:

Hello there! Yes, it is I, Hedgehug. I'm not dead, not yet. Over the course of the last month or so me and others have occupied ourselves with the task of clarifying shamanism as a whole to both the LT, MT and community. The following product is given: 74 pages of written shaman lore, divided by some google documents and this general codex. Upon acceptance this very thread will serve as a guideline for future shamans. The holy ooc book for shamanism within LotC.

Please treat this work, that has taken a large quantity of time and effort, with the respect it deserves. As well as its authors. I shall personally open up a second thread that will serve as a shaman q&a where questions regarding shamanism, spirituality and this newly made codex will be answered by both me and the shaman playerbase.

Edit registor:

15-7-2017 ~ Removed google doc links, replaced with referal link to newly made forum post + added farssing in the codex instead of a seperate doc.

7-9-2017 ~ Removed the odd links and added actual link lines referring to other threads

With pride I present to you:

The Shamanic Codex

The capabilities and limitations of Shamans and the Spirits

Executive compiler: Hedgehug

Contributors (according to relevancy): Smawton, Divinejustice, Pandasan, KBR, Lhindir, Ilikefooddude, Catarrh

Table of contents

1. Introduction

2. The Spirit Realms & The Spirits

   1. Spiritual Psychology

   2. Spiritual Influence

3. Blackspeech

4. Totems

5. Subtypes

   1. Elementalism

   2. Lutaumancy

   3. Farseer

   4. Witch Doctor

   5. Spirit Smithing

6. Other Shamanic Abilities

   1. Voodoo Dolls

   2. Muyakelg