[Shelved]Phantoms of Men

[Swgrclan 2633]

Phantoms of Men

 

"The body I've lost... the comrades I've lost.. they won't stop hurting. It's like they're all still there."

 

When the Creator shaped souls, he designed them with such deep complexities, giving them functions which still astound those whom study the spirit. The mortal soul... and the essence of all things; giving that which exists, animated and alive, memory, identity, and reason. It has brought to mortalkind the miracles of magic and the ability to peer into oneself and learn what one truly is. Gods have taken the souls of Men, and made them into something else; and Men have taken their own souls in order to make themselves better. Alas, when tampered with, the soul reacts negatively. Not within it's nature to be invaded by the malforming machinations of those able to take control of it, the soul becomes warped and imperfect like scarred flesh.

 

When the Gods took hold of the souls of Men, they put them into their service in exchange for greatness.  But their products were flawed; the Itheral, the Augur, the Ascended or the Keepers, losing their humanity and the very basest aspects of mortal existence, whether their morals and perception were hijacked or their very right to die was abolished, replaced with an immortality that did not belong within them.

 

When Men took hold of their own souls, the shadowed magics they devised were used to make them greater, to try to transcend from what they were without the help of the chaotic Void or the innumerous Immortals. In the madness that their entrenching darkness brought them, these maleficar contorted their own coils in order to expunge their inherent limits, and become greater without living flesh or the need to adhere to the laws of mortality. In the shadow of their gains were losses as great as those shackled by the Gods, and those who claimed the right to be named "ancient undead" came to eventually realize that their efforts to transcend were but folly, for in the end, mortals cannot truly escape their Creator's design, and with each limitation abolished, another materializes within their spirit.

 

But Men and Gods have rarely peered into the soul and perceived what its true designs may bring. Memories... identity... reason... these aspects, they are foundations for a one true design, and if fragmented... Men may subvert their Creator's intentions, and fabricate what they wish using the essence of their soul.

 

"Prepare the ritual... he'll be chasing ghosts for years."

- Provost Horus upon learning the Old Lord of the Abyss persues him.

 

In yore, there existed a chapter of knights said to preside over the ruins of Aegis, or what is now known as the Abyss. His flock, once some ancient battalion of the Old World, had been decimated by the fires which sank their homeland into the earth, and reanimated as a ghoulish camaraderie under the influence of the newly-formed Abyss' fogging Lifeforces, which had been denatured and cast into the very air of that infernal pit after the earth itself crumbled into a lightless Hell. Among them was Provost Horus, whom in life stood as their commander and chapter-leader. Their wills were far too strong for undeath to make them mindless; they were merely shadows of themselves, and with great effort sought to preserve their humanity for over 200 years. The Knights of Horus, and their leader, having awoken horrified by the blackness that became of their home, took eternal vows to keep what dwelled the depthless chasm within it, and to decimate what escaped it's ruins.

 

So fervently did the Knights of Horus ensue their war with the Abyss that it stirred the attentions of greater beings that lingered in its most shadowed planes. In the decades before the return of the Descendents to the corporeal world which hosted the Abyss and the lands surrounding it, Horus made Mordring his rival, and the one known as the Lord of Dark his enemy. From the latter, known also as an Old Lord, he stole magics that originated in the Abyss, and shared them among his fellows so that, as they say, they may "fight fire with fire". Indeed, in due time did the Lord of the Abyss come to pursue Horus himself, and when he learned of this, he knew he could not win such a battle.

 

The Provost, having stole the design some ancient magical spell allegedly formed by the Old Lord himself, recognized its focus on the soul and came to realize that it was capable of splitting a mortal's soul into fragments. Though undead, the Knights of Horus indeed still bore their souls, albeit warped and broken within themselves; a trait never before shared by other soulkeeping undead whom oft placed their spiritual essences within objects and baubles. With the initiation and completion of what they deemed the "Liturgy of Phantoms", the dark soul of Horus left his flawed copse and broke into three pieces; escaping the lands encompassing the Abyss in search of places more secure. The Knights of Horus soon waged battle with the Lord of Dark and, leaderless and accepting of doom, were viciously dispatched by the ancient godless Wraith.

 

Horus was not seen again. Perhaps, with the successful fragmentation of his spirit, the ritual was successful and "three were made from one". There are some who cite strange appearances of those much alike the old legendary undead; bearing some few traits that records state he bore in life, and almost always the red cloth which he and his undying unit wore in their service…

 

"I can feel it... deep inside of me. It's a longing... a sensation of incompletion. Is this what I am? The shadow of another man?"

- The ruminations of one of three 'Sons of Horus'.

 

Design

 

Phantoms are what are known as "dopplegangers", "clones" or even "shadows" - and shadows they are indeed. Intended to embody different aspects of a single mortal Superior Soul, Phantoms materialize as common mortal beings, yet are defined, physically and mentally by what comprised their original selves' soul; everything from the color of their skin to their eyes to their height and to their mental state is defined by what "fragments" of the souls that their Soul Shard (a piece of a Superior Soul) bear.

 

The Liturgy of Phantoms causes a mortal being's soul to split into three ethereal pieces called Soul Shards. Within each Soul Shard exists three innate aspects taken from the original soul known as vestiges, or aspects. There are 9 vestiges within a mortal Superior Soul, and each one embodies a different trait or aspect of the individual who held a now-broken Superior Soul. An Orc Shaman's first Phantom may be one that holds the Shaman's first three vestiges of rage, violence and impatience, and thus would be completely defined by these three traits. This Phantasmal "Orc" would bear skin as black as the Abyss, bloodshot eyes red like fire and blood, a persistent and unending anger which even they themselves cannot discern the reason of, a mind ever-burdened by the inability to remain patient and a habit for bloodshed that cannot be shaken off. All else that comprises ones' humanity is gone from them; love, affection, desire, perhaps even suffering, does not exist for these beings. They are defined by their three given aspects, and thus adhere to them wholly in mind and body.

 

To simplify this, here is an example of how three Phantoms would be designed from a neutral-alignment Blood Mage, along with each of his 9 designated aspects or vestiges:

 

Original Character:

 

Valdemar Iroquis, Age 55, Human, Blood Magic Practitioner, Pale Skin, Blue Eyes, Black Hair

 

Aspects:

 

Neutral (without a true binding to the sides of light and dark or good and evil or any extreme morality)

 

Studious (involved in his art and generally any subject he takes interest in; easily grasping how differing concepts or designs work)

 

Perfectionist (obsessive of things from following the exact miniscule intructions of the most rigorous experiments to keeping his household orderly)

 

Skilled (well-apt in his art and generally anything which he comes to invest in as a profession)

 

Suspicious (untrusting of strangers under the assumption that they would undermine him)

 

Sociopathic (almost disturbingly lacking of emotion or empathy towards emotionally or psychologically relevant transpirations)

 

Grimly Wise (very much aware of the cruel nature of the cosm and what one must do in order to exist within it without deterrence)

 

Old (nearly an elder among his kind and matured enough to know better of things)

 

Liar (good at hiding what he is, since the world dislikes what he practices; but can become so involved in deceptions that they may consume him)

 

Phantom I; Vallen

 

Young; Blue Eyes; Black Hair; Light-Tan Skin Tone

 

Neutral - Studious - Sociopathic

 

Vallen exists as the physical manifestation of Valdemar's youth, his lack of emotion, his keen ability to absorb the nature of others and his surroundings, and his affinity for taking no sides. Vallen may tend to be a character that, with his respective vestiges, focuses on aspects of his former self involving research, worldly understanding, and secluded study. Because he cannot feel, and aligns strictly neutral, he struggles to form relationships with other individuals and groups. But because he is studious, he is able to understand others, whatever he finds interest in, and his surroundings very well.

 

Phantom II; Velken

 

Middle-Aged; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Tan Skin Tone

 

Suspicious - Liar - Perfectionist

 

Velken exists as the physical manifestation of Valdemar's suspicion or distrust in others, his extreme uses of deceptions, and his habits of perfectionism. These vestiges are darker than Vallen's, because they may lead Velken down paths with negative predispositions. Unable to trust others, he may close himself off and fail to establish lasting alliances with others. Unable to relay proper truth most of the time, his very existence may be burdened by layers of deceptions, which circumstantially may be either beneficial or detrimental to Velken. But as a perfectionist, Velken may strive in different ways, such as covering up his lies well, making a crime scene he's incited bear no trails leading to him, or leading an organized, planned life.

 

Phantom III; Vortim

 

Elderly; Blue Eyes; White Hair; Weathered Skin Tone

 

Old - Skilled - Grimly Wise

 

Embodying Valdemar's elderly bitterness and grim understandings is Vortim, who bears the vestiges of his prior self that would enable Vortim to a more shadowed, disturbed existence. Inheriting Valdemar's age, Vortim is grayed and weathered, and bears a keenness on how people usually act or how certain situations play out, as history exemplifies. Inheriting his skills, Vortim may bear an affinity to arcane concepts much like his whole self, though he may relate to more physical masteries depending on what professions Vortim takes on. Inheriting Valdemar's dark understanding of the world around him and those that inhabit it, his methods and ambitions may be twisted in the eyes of those whom are "moral", and he may be driven towards practices like Dark Arts, much like Valdemar was himself, though not for purposes that benefit others or the world.

 

Each Phantom takes on these vestiges and acts accords to how they are defined. Alongside vestiges, there are also details regarding these Phantoms, and the Liturgy itself, which may simply be known as "variables"; things like how long each Phantom may exist through the passing of time, what kind of physical traits they inherit directly, and even the state of the original character after the completion of the ritual.

 

Variables concerning the Phantoms themselves can be rather abundant. Rules which Phantoms must follow are relatively loose and can be connected to their given vestiges - such as the time each Phantom has to exist and how they look. As Phantoms do not hold "true" souls - only fragments, only Soul Shards of the original character's Superior Soul - they do not adhere to spiritual afflictions such as the Descendant races, meaning that their duration of existence isn't affected by curses like the human Curse of Age, or the Elven Curse of Infertility (that is to say, if Phantoms were able to reproduce, which they cannot). But the other curses, which are able to influence the personality of the bear, such as Dwarven greed or Orcish bloodlust, can create different vestiges for the original character depending on the player's preferences. This means a Phantom may exist for 50 years or to even 800 years; it is based on the preference of the player, with how long they desire to play each of their original character's Phantoms.

 

As for variables involving Phantoms inheriting physical traits, it is a general rule that every Phantom must bear at least a single, relatable variable which connects them together as parts of a single soul. Valdemar, who had blue eyes as a whole individual, shares his eye color with his Phantoms. Their exact, specific shade of blue acts as a means to give them relation and binding to each other.

 

Variables concerning the original character mostly focus on the state of the character after the Liturgy is completed. Different scenarios may play out -- the character may fall into a coma, their bodies entering a state of limbo while they subconsciously wait for their broken soul to reform and return to their sleeping form. The character may quite literally die immediately after the completion of the ritual, ceasing in various ways from collapsing like a lifeless ragdoll to their corporeal coil dispersing in a shower of ethereal life essences. Alternatively, the original character may even survive the Liturgy -- yet, they would be without a soul. Because they then lack a Superior Soul, the next death they would face would force a PK, and they would be unable to utilize magic, and may even suffer physical and mental erosion until succumbing to some kind of cessation.

 

When the Lord of Dark created the Liturgy of Phantoms, he designed it with the intention to make it a method of escape. When cornered, a Dark Artist may issue the Liturgy, and thus die in order to split into three separate, related beings. However, the design also follows a means of preservation where the original Superior Soul is fated to reform after each of its three departed Soul Shards are able to come back together. This means, after each Phantom dies, their Soul Shards come together once more to reform the original Superior Soul, thus leading to the reformation and resurrection of the original character. But this has several implications and aspects involving it.

 

Firstly, it cannot truly be determined when each Phantom finds death. As their duration of their existence is usually unknown, and the world is dynamic and can benefit each Phantom as much as it can kill them, the point between the moment of death and the moment of resurrection can last from 30 (IG) years to even 250 years and beyond. There exists no limit to how long a player may play their Phantoms, and given how disadvantaged Phantoms may be in comparison to other regular characters, their ability to last through the ages is insignificant. Truthfully, what is beneficial is the quick demise of each Phantom, given the benefits the original character may receive from reanimating. Because of this, as a defined rule, Phantoms MUST last at least 10 IG years. Anything less just causes them to respawn as everyone else does, with the same limits and death rules to boot.

 

Secondly, regarding some transpirations of the point of resurrection, there are laws of the soul that the Liturgy's process of preservation regard amidst the Superior Soul's reformation. As souls are the source of all identity and memory, every Phantom will gain their own memories and will shape their own identity, meaning that when they all die and the Superior Soul reforms, the original character may both receive these memories (mostly to their benefit), but also gain these different, defined identities.

 

This can be very dangerous, because with different parts of their soul having gained all this experience, this can expose them to swathes of psychological damages and conditions, which, considering how defined each of their Phantoms may be, likely may involve afflictions such as multi-personality disorders. Depending on the severity of such a status, the resurrected original character may suffer things such as the voices of their Phantom's differential identities within their minds, to these different identities even taking over the original character itself for a short to extensive amount of time. The mental and spiritual damage that resurrection may cause is irreparable, and may be mended by no known magic or method of healing.

 

Lastly, there are some things that the original characters do not gain upon regaining their lives. While Phantoms may gain more sensitive, intensive skills like different types of magic, ranging from dark to holy, and becoming different kinds of beings, these arcane aspects are not inherited by the original character. For example - a Phantom that became a Shade, and then a Wraith, does not enable the original character to automatically gain Shade magic (or it's parasite) or Wraithdom. The same goes for knowledge of Voidal magic, or connections to deities which break upon the final deaths of Phantoms.

 

The closest thing that resurrected characters may gain by absorbing the experienced Soul Shards of their Phantoms are mere inclinations. Meaning, Valdemar may gain "inclinations" of Necromancy from Vortim's extensive use of it, or he may gain "inclinations" of Velken's extensive use of close quarters combat, or "inclinations" of Vallen's skills in alchemy. However, these inclinations are best described as affinities gained as a result of absorbing each Phantom's Soul Shard. With inclinations toward each of these three distinct skills, Valdemar may be inclined to try to learn them, and if he does successfully, would have very little trouble mastering them (with no actual boost to learning speed or power development whatsoever).

 

Phantoms, inherently and definitely, must be considered "lesser" beings in comparison to the true, soulbearing Descendants. Without whole Superior Souls of their own, Phantoms are limited from the very beginning from practice in magic to even how they act. Soul Shards are not mimicries of Superior Souls like Soul Shadows are, so they are capable of enabling supernatural transpirations such as the use of magic in a much more narrowed fashion. To put it simply, while every true mortal may learn five magics, Phantoms may only learn and master one. This means they may only be able to learn one Dark Art, Voidal magic or gain one deific connection at a time. To elaborate on deific magic, considering how most are designed, Phantoms may only choose one "subtype" of a deific magic to practice and develop. For example - a Phantom who'd become a Druid may only learn one subtype of Druidism, such as Nature's Healing, or Control of Nature. A Phantom who'd become a Fire Evocationist cannot also become an Earth Evocationist, or an Arcanist, or a Mental Mage. A Phantom who'd become a Necromancer cannot become a Shade, or a Soul Puppeteer, or a Blood Mage. Deific magic that does not follow the subtype standard of other deific magics, like Paladinism, follow the same standard as dark or Voidal magics by default.

 

Expanding on how limited Phantoms are in comparison to other, whole individuals, they are incapable of other mortal virtues, such as multiplication. This is mostly because of the fact that they hold Soul Shards and are rendered infertile by the lack of a complete soul. What good may be gained from this is the fact they do not suffer the curses of Iblees, and thus may not pass them on with bonding with other individual. The respective racial curse which the original character bears falls into a state of "dormancy", as it cannot function properly with the afflicted Superior Soul fragmented into three parts. However, once reformed, it awakens, and its effects persist as strongly (if not more, considering the effects of ressurection) as they had before the original character's completion of the Liturgy.

 

In summary, Phantoms are as such: mere fragments of an individual's Superior Soul, broken up into three parts, of which each hold three "vestiges" which act as differing aspects of the original character. Each Phantom is limited in how they act and develop depending on the nature of their given vestiges, they are limited in the practice of magic by only being able to use one, are infertile, and all must die after at least 10 IG years before the original character is reformed. Furthermore, while ressurected characters may benefit from gaining all the memories of each Phantom, they suffer mental conditions on account of also gaining all of their identities and defined personalities, which may often lead to the acclaimation of afflictions such as crippling multi-personality disorders.

 

Requirements of the Liturgy

 

In order to initiate the Liturgy of Phantoms, and thus fragment ones' own soul into three shards, one must utilize the following forms of soul-manipulating magic (as determined by the abilities each magic have):

 

- Necromancy

- Mysticism

- Blood Magic

- Soul Puppetry

- Shade Magic

- Fi' Magic

- Golemancy

- Ascended Magic

- Shamanism

 

The implication that each of these magics are able to break a soul into three sections does not imply that they're able to gain the abilities to ensue nonsensical things, such as shattering other people's souls or incorporating soul-relative aspects in their normal, approved spells. The Liturgy is merely a ritual they may follow, and these selected forms of magic are the most relevant in terms of manipulating the mortal Superior Soul, thus justifying their inclusion.

 

The Liturgy of Phantoms is a process that varies from magic to magic, as every magic functions differently, but has a core design: two others of the same skill-level or higher as the ritual leader, whom must be at least T4 in their field, must keep the ritual leader "stable" and "anchored" while they work on splitting their own soul into three Soul Shards. No one else is effected in this ritual besides the leader. Upon it's completion, the leader will lack a whole soul (which may produce a variety of mostly negative effects, if their corporeal body still remains), and their assistants remain as they were prior to the Liturgy's use. The assistants do not learn how to initiate the Liturgy as a result of helping with it.

 

In order to learn the Liturgy of Phantoms, an individual who uses one of the above approved magics, whom also has a teaching application in their field, must teach another individual of the above approved magics with the teacher being T4 in their given magic as well. The student may learn how to begin the Liturgy, but until they're T4 in their own respective magic, they wouldn't be able to begin it at all whatsoever. The peculiar nature of the Liturgy of Phantoms is that it employs a system of "magical harmonization", where it is not bound to a specific type of magic or an archtype (dark, deific, voidal), and may be taught across the borders which are put up between each of these magics.

 

This is because the Liturgy functions on its very core design; all it is is just splitting the soul apart, and magics which are capable of handling the soul in different means may translate this process to other magics no matter the differences. This is to prevent the ritual's stagnation, and to assure other groups besides just one individual conglomerate may learn how to employ this method of character preservation. Whether or not a teacher of the approved magics teaches another of a differing arcane the Liturgy is a matter of roleplay dynamics, and how characters are willing to interact with one-another if they desire to learn the Liturgy from a different, or even opposing, magical faction.

 

As a final note, in order to play ones’ Phantoms, an MA must be submitted with the details involving their character and their three repsective Phantoms, which may include listing each vestige and which vestiges will go to whichever Phantom. In order to prevent metagaming, hiding the thread is an available option. Furthermore, the character cards of approved Phantoms may be given the default race and racial bonuses which the original character had.

 

Pros & Cons

 

An alternative, easier-read summarization of Phantom strengths and weaknesses are listed here.

 

Pros

 

- The Liturgy allows for original characters to escape situations which may lead them to permanent death, and reform after the deaths of their Phantoms as remade individuals.

 

- The deaths of the original character's Phantoms may give the resurrected original characters their memories and experiences, which may vastly expand their knowledge of the world and especially of other individuals or collections of information.

 

- The original character may be properly fleshed out and determined through the vestige system, with each Phantom able to be made into unique, yet still relatable characters by giving them three each to define them.

 

- The Liturgy may vastly prolong character development across three fronts, allowing for continuation after death and further continuation after resurrection of the original character.

 

Cons

 

- The original character is effectively lost for the duration of their three Phantoms, of which each must last 10 IG years at least (20 RL weeks) for a total of, at least, 30 IG years (60 RL weeks). Nothing but the concrete vestiges of the original character, and some of their physical traits, are inherited by each Phantom.

 

- Every Phantom is limited in comparison to other whole mortals in terms of mortal virtue; they are often emotionally detached, depending on their given vestiges, and cannot ever come to know true mortal existence, as they are unable to breed, and are forever confounded by the nature of their trivial existences.

 

- Furthermore, every Phantom is limited in comparison to other whole mortals in terms of arcanic skill; they may only learn and master 1 magic, while regular individuals may learn up to 5.

 

- The deaths of each Phantoms causes psychological damage within the minds of resurrected original characters, even so far as to afflict them with severe multi-personality disorders which may be strong enough for one of the deceased Phantoms to take the original character over entirely, which may leads to their prolonged existence and the further, temporary displacement of the original character's whole mind.

 

- The Liturgy of Phantoms only proves to be an effective means of preserving ones' life by "waiting it out"; meaning, if one wishes to become immortal by some dark, deific or Voidal methods, it would be better to do so, as the Liturgy only offers the ability to escape certain doom and in an extreme, disadvantageous way which doesn't particularly benefit the original character in the end as much as it does harm them.

 

- Even by fragmenting the mortal soul into three pieces, waiting decades for the individual deaths of each fragment's materialization, and reforming will not break the curses of Iblees. They will always perservere.

 

General Guidelines

 

Definite rules and "red lines" are listed in this section.

 

- Phantoms cannot reproduce.

 

- Phantoms may only practice one form of magic.

 

- Phantoms are not bound to a strict age limitation, but the longer a Phantom lives, the less the original character benefits from the effects of the Liturgy.

 

- Phantoms cannot be born with the exact memories of the original character. Perhaps in dreams, they will envision points in the original character's life which are relative to the given Phantom's vestiges, but there will lie no clue as to what the nature of each dreamt memory is.

- Very rarely, Phantoms may experience brief moments in their lifetime where the psyche of the original character, and a majority of their memories, are restored in the played Phantom. This usually occurs as a result of transpirations very directly relevant to the vestiges of the given Phantom and the past of the original character. This brief restoration of the original character within the played Phantom cannot last any longer than a full IRL day, and does not come with the powers they learned in their life. Upon the conclusion of this sudden return, the Phantom suffers amnesia, and is unable to recollect anything at all involving the actions of the restored original character or what they witnessed, felt or learned. Likewise, memories of such a restoration are not gained upon the original character's resurrection.

 

- Phantoms must mimic the physical makeup of the original character in at least the slightest sense. Because Phantoms do not materialize with a "race", they vary across what can be considered a spectrum. An Orc who'd be made into three Phantoms may have one Phantom that bears the exact physiology of an Orc, yet another Phantom of theirs may look much like a very brutish human. Likewise, because of how close physically they may seem, an Elf may have a Phantom of the same physiology of a distinct subrace, yet have another Phantom that appears as a human, or akin to a stocky Dwarf. It all depends on the vestiges that each Phantom bears, and how they may be represented physically as well as mentally.

 

- Because Phantoms hold fragments of a Superior Soul, they also inherit underlying connections or "bindings" that the original character's soul had to others. These are minor, however -- such as a Golem's adherence to their Impera's commands, or a Darkstalker's forced servitude to the will of their designated master. These bindings carry onto the Soul Shards of Phantoms, whom themselves may make use of them just as the original character had come to use them in the beginning.

 

- Phantoms may come to learn about the truth of their origin and who they were made from, yet this makes no difference to them. If a Phantom becomes "suicidal" and attempts to kill themselves after learning they are but a lesser extension of another spiritually whole individual, they will awaken once more under the treatment of the Monks -- unless they have existed for at least 10 IG years. Furthermore, all death rules apply to Phantoms as they do for everyone else.

 

- The Liturgy of Phantoms may only be initiated by those who master soul-manipulating magics with a skill of T4. These soul-manipulating magics are as thus; Necromancy, Blood Magic, Soul Puppetry, Golemancy, Fi' Magic, Shade Magic, Ascended Magic and Shamanism. Furthermore, the Liturgy must be learnt from another individual who knows how to use the Liturgy themselves.

 

- The Liturgy of Phantoms, as a ritual, must be lead by the individual who wishes to be splint into three Phantoms. Two others, who wield the same magic as them with an equal or higher skill level in said magic, must assist them, but are uneffected by the process of the Liturgy. The Liturgy cannot be initiated by a mixed collection of soul-manipulating magic users, such as a Necromancer, Golemancer and Ascended.

 

(This lore may be subject to change under the suggestion of others. This will be notified for below the original post.)

 

[_Sug 2555]

Question: Are phantoms allowed to be manipulated by persons who know mysticism?

 

Also great piece of Lore +1

[Ambduscias 1027]

nephilim first 

[Old-Rattlesnake 1477]

The Ascended would not be capable of splitting a soul. Doing so goes against the basic doctrine the order follows and doing so would surely result in Aeriel revoking her connection to a member.

 

As I quote from our lore on the section of Aengul fire:
"The fire attempts to remove “impurities” from the soul as if it were sick, looking for spots of corruption, tampering, or improper use."

 

By all rights, our magic should actually harm these phantoms.

[Your Favorite Impure 734]

A very, very minor thing, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that 1 RL week equals 1 IG year. 

[KBR 1484]

Just now, Your Favorite Impure™ said:

A very, very minor thing, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that 1 RL week equals 1 IG year. 

I was also under this assumption 

[Mephistophelian 972]

Very good lore as usual, Cam. I do, however, have a concern regarding the spread of this skill/ritual. When Darkstalker lore was written, it was made for a very specific creature to create; wraiths. The ritual was unique to them and could not be learned by others. Now that the ritual can be performed by any necromancer, it has still not spread. And this is a mere ritual that involves the creation of a servant. That's completely fine, too! If the characters who know the ritual do not wish to spread it, that's up to them.

 

Your current lore, however, is a ritual that would be far more coveted. It allows someone to have a second chance, and is incredibly useful. Far more useful than a mere servant bound to one's desire. I'm sure you see where this is going: How will you ensure this ritual is spread by RP? How will you make sure it isn't used by a tiny fraction of players and die off shortly after?

 

I propose you allow players to experiment and try find this ritual (much like how golemancers can experiment to find out how to make multi-core golems or anvils). They can be told to contact you with their experiments and, if proven successful, they will be made the first teacher of this ritual for their type of magic, and every other player will have to be taught. Because each magic capable of doing this ritual is vastly different, I feel this is viable. What say you?

[Your Favorite Impure 734]

I wish Lore Moderators acted like the post above me in all Lore submissions, instead of just ones made by.. other LMs. The lore itself seems pretty intriguing, and it was a good read as always. In terms of support, I'm neutral, for now. May change, however.

[Aesopian 1124]

2 minutes ago, Your Favorite Impure™ said:

I wish Lore Moderators acted like the post above me in all Lore submissions, instead of just ones made by.. other LMs. 

 

This.

[excited 10833]

I like the these. Good work Cameron. 

[idiot 501]

This is really nice!

[GDPR 014 23]

I like this

[Swgrclan 2633]

11 hours ago, Sug said:

Question: Are phantoms allowed to be manipulated by persons who know mysticism?

 

Also great piece of Lore +1

 

I must have been too vague as to the actual physiology of these creatures, which is ironic - it's ten pages of lore. Phantoms are like people, and have skin, bones, eyeballs and a pulse, so they could not be manipulated in any measure.

 

10 hours ago, Master Sage Delaselva said:

The Ascended would not be capable of splitting a soul. Doing so goes against the basic doctrine the order follows and doing so would surely result in Aeriel revoking her connection to a member.

 

As I quote from our lore on the section of Aengul fire:
"The fire attempts to remove “impurities” from the soul as if it were sick, looking for spots of corruption, tampering, or improper use."

 

By all rights, our magic should actually harm these phantoms.

 

Necromancers, Soul Puppeteers, and everyone else which the approved list of magics encompass cannot split souls either. The Liturgy is what enables the act, and it's designed as a ritual to prevent people from thinking they can suddenly start breaking people's souls up on a whim. Hypothetically, if an Ascended (who arguably are the most potent in matters of the soul) attained knowledge of the Liturgy, they should be able to do it.

 

Mind you, and I don't mean to say this in a snide manner, but if Aeriel tolerates a soul imprisoned in an anomalous sphere as her Master Sage and various other instances of spiritual manipulations which I've come to hear of, I feel as though she would tolerate this act as well, considering each Soul Shard manifests into beings very much like mortals. Furthermore on this, if these individuals are wholly capable of connecting to deities like Aeriel, and contain deactivated curses of Iblees, I'd say she'd even be peachy about them. The methods to create Phantoms are just a little questionable.

 

As for harming them, I don't think I agree with them being able to be harmed by Ascended or any holy magic, considering how disadvantaged they are already. They are people, you understand - they aren't spectrals or a form of undead. Something can only have so much of a con:pro ratio before it just gets a little redundant.

 

10 hours ago, Mephistophelian said:

Very good lore as usual, Cam. I do, however, have a concern regarding the spread of this skill/ritual. When Darkstalker lore was written, it was made for a very specific creature to create; wraiths. The ritual was unique to them and could not be learned by others. Now that the ritual can be performed by any necromancer, it has still not spread. And this is a mere ritual that involves the creation of a servant. That's completely fine, too! If the characters who know the ritual do not wish to spread it, that's up to them.

 

Your current lore, however, is a ritual that would be far more coveted. It allows someone to have a second chance, and is incredibly useful. Far more useful than a mere servant bound to one's desire. I'm sure you see where this is going: How will you ensure this ritual is spread by RP? How will you make sure it isn't used by a tiny fraction of players and die off shortly after?

 

I propose you allow players to experiment and try find this ritual (much like how golemancers can experiment to find out how to make multi-core golems or anvils). They can be told to contact you with their experiments and, if proven successful, they will be made the first teacher of this ritual for their type of magic, and every other player will have to be taught. Because each magic capable of doing this ritual is vastly different, I feel this is viable. What say you?

 

The Darkstalkers weren't exclusive to Wraiths. The Wraiths just did a good job at never teaching the method of their creation, and I made the mistake of implying that Darkstalkers were exclusive in a Wraith revision. Not sure why I put that in, but it wasn't valid.

 

I would moniter the spread of the Liturgy, and if I saw any stall in its spread (not saying that it should be known by a lot of people), I would step in and help it along by selecting individuals who'd like to, and who would be able to, learn it. This wouldn't be a hassle, considering I'd have to teach others this in the first place.

[Mephistophelian 972]

20 minutes ago, Swgrclan said:

-SNIP-

 

I know darkstalkers aren't exclusive to wraiths - I even mentioned that in what I wrote. My question boiled down to:

 

- Darkstalkes are simple servants, and the knowledge of creating them is limited to three people.

 

- Liturgy is a ritual that allows someone to escape otherwise certain death. It will be more coveted in RP, I'm sure. (One is the making of a slave, the other is evading doom).

 

- In other words, if a less powerful/useful ritual is so badly spread, how will this more powerful/useful ritual be any different, if not better?

[Swgrclan 2633]

4 hours ago, Mephistophelian said:

 

I know darkstalkers aren't exclusive to wraiths - I even mentioned that in what I wrote. My question boiled down to:

 

- Darkstalkes are simple servants, and the knowledge of creating them is limited to three people.

 

- Liturgy is a ritual that allows someone to escape otherwise certain death. It will be more coveted in RP, I'm sure. (One is the making of a slave, the other is evading doom).

 

- In other words, if a less powerful/useful ritual is so badly spread, how will this more powerful/useful ritual be any different, if not better?

 

I'm not sure of the merit in comparing the two. One ritual, which is monitered, is kept covered for RP reasons and what it creates is relatively abundant and catches enough attention as it is. The other ritual, which will also be monitored, could be kept coveted if there are RP reasons for it. But I said if its reserved to two or three people for two long I may try to teach others to prevent it from being hidden from everyone.

 

If I'm understanding you right, I'm not exactly sure how to approach the comparison of Phantoms and Darkstalkers. One is a creature which exists to serve and is generally more powerful than most people. The other does not exist to serve, and is more disadvantaged than regular people. I don't think how much the Liturgy will be spread is connected to the capabilities of Phantoms.