Jump to content

[ Lore Rerevison ] Harbinger Theory


Swgrclan
 Share

Recommended Posts

[ This stands as a a finalization of current Harbinger canon; aiming to simplify and clearly express their limits and how they work. It is aimed to revise some aspects of the prior revision;
https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/136026-an-account-on-living-harbingers/ ]

~:;:~

After Setherien of the Black Scourge was defeated, Harbingers were left with a timed existence, with some even perishing immediately upon the destruction of their master. They had depended on a simple deificesque system of empowerment: because Setherien’s energies were not strictly divine, and rather a power of self-made make (based on magical, though mortal-realm based aspects only the Draakar understood), the remaining bloodshards imbued with his power retained remnants of the Black Wyrm’s magic. This magic may be defined merely as “immolation”, which is an amalgam of arcane and soul magic.

Immolation, when utilized offensively, can be used to severely damage entities of the physical plane (i.e, the use of frostfire), but Setherien alone knew of it’s soul-based capabilities, and therein used this power of immolation in order to create the Harbingers from the souls of mortal men. The act of immolating those made Harbingers in the ages of the Scourge consisted of scorching them alive with terrible frostfire, and so thoroughly that their souls, too, were scorched, and therefore deviated from their natural design. The power of immolation thus warped the selected mortals into spectral masters of black arcane, as per Setherien’s expectation.

The remnant bloodshards acted as pseudo-phylacteries for the surviving Harbingers, as they slowly relayed the last vestiges of Setherien’s power to their immolated souls. This, for a time, forced the Harbingers to linger as fragile spectres, whom remained hidden in the shadow of the descendents until they were doomed to succumb to a lack of power sustenance -- the essential depletion of their corrupted batteries.

Some Harbingers sought to defy this awry fate and thus devise another means to surpass time. The Harbinger Orithur, now the keeper of the Library of Dragur, spent years dedicating himself specifically to the study of thanhium and the nature of mana. In due time he perfected a design for a solution, after coming to understand the actual nature of the magic of immolation that Setherien used at a whim, in the times of his reign. Orithur’s design was as such;

Thanhium existed as a natural mineral in the world and, in it’s raw status, bore the peculiar nature of drawing heat from the physical plane in order to convert it to mana. Using his knowledge of thanhium-forging, Orithur altered the make of traditional Harbinger armor and create a set of thanhium plate which would both provide adequate protection for his brethren’s spectral forms and enable a cycle which interconnected with the immolation magic bound to the souls of Setherien’s servants. Wearing this newer armor would cause mana to be drawn from the land and filter into their ghostly forms, and thus satiating their immolated souls’ demand for fuel.

Prior to this innovation, the immolated souls of Harbingers depended on the direct relay of corrupted power contained within their old, now-defunct bloodshards. This energy, the remnants of Setherien’s power, directly related with their immolated souls and thus acted as a replacement-connection to Setherien himself, whom relayed the same corrupted power when he was still alive. This new use of mana contains the remaining vestiges of immolated power within a Harbinger’s soul and applies the mana to the scorched soul’s magic, continuously enabling the arcane of immolation to remain attached to their soul and instead act as a leech instead of a continuous supply of dark energy. Canon logic dictates that mana acts as the base fuel for all forms of magic in the universe, and by continuously feeding mana to a Harbinger’s immolated soul, the remnants of their master’s magic may survive and remain. The system operated like clockwork; one gear (the immolation magic upon the soul) did not turn without the other (the armor’s constant leeching of mana), too turning itself.

The discovery of this innovation led Orithur to lend similar sets of this new armor to his other remaining kin, allowing the Harbinger race to remain alive as long as their armaments constantly had something to draw mana from -- otherwise, the world around them. However, this new form of empowerment could not be made to be as effective as Setherien’s old direct connection, which caused Harbinger power to weaken and falter in some aspects. Most notably, the physical duress of Harbingers lessened until it was to that of normal mortal beings. Other weakened aspects consisted also of their enfeebled magic of frostfire and special illusion which both depended on the stabilized, immolated power invested and contained in their souls.

Frostfire withered some degree not in power, but how much it could be used. Frostfire is a magical element evoked via the concocted essence of immolation (akin to how a necromancer may form taint from lifeforce), and as a limited amount is reserved as fuel for a Harbinger’s soul, conjuration and offensive use of frostfire would be possible, but self-harming. Excessive use would weaken a Harbinger, substantially, overtime, and threaten them with demanifestation (temporary spectral death) should they push their fragile spirits too far. This means using frostfire is still effective offensively, but is both fatiguing and painful to cast. It also means demanifestation is risked with abundant casting, not unlike how a Harbinger may by demanifested via defeat in combat.

Harbinger illusion, a power mostly consisting of advanced self-disguise, did not suffer too drastic a weakening under these new conditions. [ This is mostly based on the spectral necessity for a disguise function, lest their roleplay entirely consist of conflict and battle with other bewildered characters. ]


The erosion of their magical ability made more direct alternatives more suitable choices for when facing others in combat. Though Harbinger strength and endurance have waned to become more average, the way Harbingers physically handle strength and endurance differ from that regular mortals, allowing them to wield weaponry such as swords and other deadly armaments against others, and with varying skill. As far as corporeal defense goes, however, the Harbingers are stuck to depend on armor that easily cracks under multiple blows from opposing weaponry, as their thanhium plate armor is still, indeed, forged of thanhium, and thus fragile as a result. Additionally, trying to forge and wear entire sets of the coveted thanhium plate would be futile, as the incorporeal form of Harbingers would not be capable of managing that kind of weight and physical demand.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages;

- Harbingers are transcendent-spectral entities (non-ghost spectrals), and thus are immune to some mortal flaws, such as bearing resistances to the elements (primarily the cold) and other environmental dangers such as drowning, breaking bones, or suffocating - etcetera.

- Harbingers still feel pain, but it is dulled and perceived differently than mortals when they are struck with basic weapons. For when they are struck with pure gold weapons and holy magic, the pain is searing and terrible, and are as agonizing to them as they are effective against them.

 

- Harbingers can wield traditional weaponry with varying skill, as well as their arcane of frostfire, though the latter induces pain and fatigue upon them.

- Harbingers may shroud themselves in illusion that allows them to look as though they are mortals, enabling them to roam among the living for a time.


Disadvantages;

- Harbingers are undead most of all, and thus suffer from the plight of pure golden weaponry. Gold weaponry disrupts the nature of their spectral being and threatens disembodiment if they are struck in places considered vital, like within the helmet, or through the breastplate.

- Harbingers depend on their thanhium armor, and thus if it is destroyed, they are forced to demanifested (spectral death) and reform in a distant isolated safe zone. For all intents and purpose and to prevent confusion and difficulty, their armor, too, naturally reforms as soulbound armaments.

- Harbingers are weak to holy magic, and especially Xan magic. As a result, blessed relics designed to fight undead affect them as well.

- Harbingers are neither weak nor strong. They cannot use weapons of immense weight (greatswords, greataxes, etcetera), but can use lighter weapons with longswords standing as a maximum.

- Harbingers, if they use frostfire too much, risk demanifestation.

- Harbinger souls can be cleansed by Xan magic (under the consent of the player), meaning their powers and spectral form is viable to be stripped from them as they return to mortality.

- Harbingers suffer the most common disadvantages of all incorporeal transcendent beings, notably that they suffer from their lack of mortality and all the natural aspects available to mortals (breeding, feeling, warmth, what have you).


- Harbinger souls are immolated, and thus unable to bridge a connection into the Void. In theory, they can practice other dark arts as per their constant flow of mana, but the use of such magics would be limited.

Miscellaneous Notes

- More Harbingers may be made from other Harbingers, in theory, but an immense amount of frostfire must be conjured, and only the likes of Setherien (or a conglomeration of master blood mages) would be able to assist in such a matter.

 

- The power of immolation is not divine, as it derives from the remnant powers of Setherien, whom did not draw his power from another deity but rather created the dark art of immolation itself. How it’s actually evoked or formed is unknown, but what is concrete and factual is that mortals cannot use it, as it may be fatal for them to host the power of immolation within them as it is.

- As Harbingers wear armor forged of thanhium, they almost always exude an aura of cold. This can be masked with their illusion, but the chill always remains upon their forms.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I like everything here but you should make a note on bloodshards. A bloodshard must exist for every Harbinger, as it is their phylactery now. On death, they would regenerate at their bloodshard rather than a safe and isolated area like a spirit since the bloodshard is what anchors them to the realm; the anchors of phantoms are either objects, specific places, or within themselves e.g. Gravens.

Link to post
Share on other sites

An excellent addition/clarification.

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Zarsies said:

I like everything here but you should make a note on bloodshards. A bloodshard must exist for every Harbinger, as it is their phylactery now. On death, they would regenerate at their bloodshard rather than a safe and isolated area like a spirit since the bloodshard is what anchors them to the realm; the anchors of phantoms are either objects, specific places, or within themselves e.g. Gravens.


Following the logic of this lore, which derives from that which Benboboy provided in an LT discussion some time ago, the Harbingers are their own anchors -- similar to Gravens, as you suggested. There are no more bloodshards anymore as the last remnants of their energies have been sucked into the souls of the immolated Harbingers, causing them to power down and force the Harbingers in question to find an alternative source of fuel for their undead status. Orithur's mana-leeching armor design exacts that, as it draws mana from the land, relays it through the armor, and supplements the preserved bloodshard/immolated energy within the souls of the Harbingers with the power mana inherently contains. It's a cycle.

Their means of remanifestation is merely akin to that of the Wraiths, whom while they all share an anchor themselves (the Black Nexus), do not remanifest at this anchor and rather an isolated patch of healthy land to passively drawn life from in order to restore themselves. The function is nearly identical in the Harbinger conglomerate's regards.

This revision to the revision removes the notion of a phylactery system, as it adds more trouble than what it's worth to play the remnants of the Black Scourge. If the Harbingers could actually reproduce, it would be reasonable, but that is not the case. They're already quite average-power-ized by the cycle they must depend on for sustenance. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Currently being reviewed.

 

Expect an official response from the LT within a week.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I gotchu, Swgr. Thank you for the clarity.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Accepted.

 

Grand piece of work, Cameron.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...