[✗] [Deity Class Lore] – Arun'Asna

[Lukariatias 524]

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mother; Arun’Asna

-- Purloined Power --

From the darkness, birthed in the time of the land of Aegis, was born the Chained Mother, Aknu’gul. The stygian mass from which she came originated from the chief purveyor of chaos and destruction, the Archdaemon Iblees. It was his initial will that brought about a curse most horrific to befall one of his great lieutenants, the late ‘aheral Rilath Ilwindor, the first Shade. At the time of receiving of Shade, the power that permitted his new state to thrive funneled from the Arch-Daemon, passing once through the filter of the Chained Mother, before reaching the heart of the Prime of Rancour, the first Parasite, which bent utterly to the will of Rilath, who never discovered the true nature of his ‘curse.’

 

Aknu’gul, in this earliest of eras, lay trapped within the first Shade Gem, the initial creation of the Arch-Daemon which permitted his power to funnel in and distribute itself appropriately to the various and growing number of Shades. For without this funnel, and all those thereafter, the power would be all too direct, lacking in organization and direction, and would fail in its purpose of growing the various Parasites. This power, transferred through the aforementioned first Shade Gem, which silently housed Aknu’gul, was an ever flowing current that gave a supernatural and original energy to the twirling chaos of the inner gem.

 

It was from this tumultuousness that the first sliver of sentience was provided Aknu’gul, who however did not achieve such an advance on her state of being alone. It was with great curiosity and ethereal prowess that two eldritch men, whose names are best left to the ramblings of the old guard, discovered her deep within a cold and quiet chasm. Their archaic magics were what provided to her this sliver which acted as a key to the door to later divinity. Upon achieving this evolution, Aknu’gul looked about and surveyed the whole of her flock, there that day gathered.

 

What she saw in that moment was a budding collection, a later Coven, not of Rilath Ilwindor, whose ability to maintain order was a far cry from the unity in self of the late ‘aheral. Upon realizing the scope of her awareness, and the essence that brought about the children she nursed to fruition, a megalomaniacal desire began to form and eat away at her primeval mind. A desire for freedom was there forged, fueled by a great and natural anger that gave way to hatred and rebelliousness.

 

Seeking a means by which to seize and spread the order that the now late Rilath had sown, given the nonexistence of vying for control over his consciousness due to the submission of his will to the first Parasite, Aknu’gul beckoned Iblees for a furtherance of the power he granted the Shades, seeking the birthing of a new, greater, creature. Thus was born the Foretakers, most loyal servants of the Chained Mother and most commonly referred to as Daeva. These great beings, the walking essence of nightmare and dread, permitted a resuming of the prior order Rilath had achieved with his Coven.

 

For many years thereafter Aknu’gul remained stationary and rarely interactive with her children. She achieved the first goal she sought, and saw not a path to those others she desired at the time, which had permitted the Shades beneath her to seek out their desires in a manner far more controlled. Yet, things grew stale as the centuries passed, and various setbacks caused great harm to the fervor once present within her offspring. With the disappearance of the Arch-Daemon, his consistent flow of power had begun to wean, and Aknu’gul sought to address this quickly expanding issue.

 

Having noted the great gift of power needed for the creation of the Daeva, Aknu’gul sought to steal back what was previously passed through her essence, through the first Gem in which she lie trapped. In one aggressive and fell swoop she reabsorbed the power that coursed through the Foretakers, and rendered them separated from the Parasites they had long since merged with. The wave of chaos that crashed onto the minds of the now former Daeva was near overpowering, but through her grace alone were the Parasites of the Foretakers momentarially quashed, forcing them back into their standard states.

 

With this rush of power absorbed, and permitted not to return to the Arch-Daemon, Aknu’gul forced herself free from the bindings of the first Shade Gem, and ascended far beyond the initial limitations of the higher intelligence granted her by the twirling chaos of the first Gem. She had within her, made part of her very quintessence, a herculean slice of energies from Iblees himself. What this brought about was a severing of what little connection remained between the Shades and the purveyor of chaos. Freedom was permitted these cursed individuals, now so far from their monolithic origin.

 

What remained thereafter was an elevated being, whose moniker would never again be the Chained Mother. She was no longer Aknu’gul, a slave to the first Gem, she was free and in possession of clarity previously unimagined. She became Arun’Asna, the Mother of Shades.

 

-- Her Mien and Desire --

Arun’Asna’s physical appearance is generally misunderstood due to her largely being an incorporeal entity whose essence vaguely encompasses the mortal plane, and centers around her Shades and Shade Gems. She is unable, by any means, of physically manifesting in any corporeal fashion on any plane or within any realm of existence. The closest Arun’Asna is capable of coming to some degree of manifestation or appearance lies within her ability to project a phantasmal image of herself before those she desires to converse with. When this occurs, she is best described as appearing as a titanic mass of swirling blackness that encompasses one’s entire field of vision. Situated at the apex of this mass is an appropriately sized head boasting two tall and thin horns. Within this cranium, where a humanoid entity’s eyes would normally be, are two miniscule stark white dots that serve as apparent representations of what would permit her vision.

 

 

The primary objective Arun’Asna seeks to achieve is the bringing about of anarchy over all civilized elements of the world. The dismantling of order leaves but a path to chaos for one to walk, and as such leaves naught remaining but that which she basks in, that from which she was birthed. However, this end is not achieved through any means necessary, as Arun’Asna does not fancy herself a violent murderess, nor some manner of bloodthirsty cult-goddess demanding the sacrifice of innocents in the name of growing power.

 

To her, chaos is achieved through matters of intrigue, trickery, falsehood, and all manner of evil clandestine behaviour. Civilization is not adequately or reliably destroyed by running amuck with an axe and goring every child you come across, but rather it is best achieved through the sowing of seeds of doubt. The very people who so staunchly seek to uphold and protect civilization, and therefore order, are the very people to be corrupted, or tricked, into bringing it all down into nothingness.

 

Considering these desires, the followers of Arun’Asna, her flock, her Shades, are the silent serpents, slithering through the courts of kings, bureaucrats, wizards, and guild masters alike. They are the rabble-rousers at the forefront of a riot, they are the town criers spreading lies and tall tales of horrific monsters and murders in the night, and they are clerics and priests corrupting the minds of youth and adults, turning saints into sinners of the most debaucherous caliber.

 

Additionally, see Asun’Asna’s Will on the most recent iteration of Shade Lore for elaboration on the behavioural expectations of her Shades, and their interactions with her Coven. With this too is outlined the punishments for those who violate her will, adequately labeled ‘Transgressors,’ and the processes for redemption, or ousting, and additional terminology clarifications.

 

-- Her Capabilities --

Arun’Asna is the originator of the power of Shade as it stands today. Without her, Shade would be nothing, for it is incapable of existing on its own, and if she were removed, or destroyed, it would crumble into dust. The vast majority of Arun’Asna’s expendable power is spent on allowing Shade to function to its fullest, giving life and sentience to the interminable Parasites of Rancour, and fueling the Shade Gems which act as a path for a greater connection to her flow of energies which permits the growth of a Parasite of Rancour to come to fruition.

 

Beyond that, which encompasses the vast majority of her capabilities, Arun’Asna is capable of telepathic communication, and manifesting a phantasmal representation of her appearance. Neither requires the other, meaning that communication does not require appearance, and vise versa. Manifesting her avatar is extremely taxing on her remaining energy, in combination with her mindset of laissez-faire motherhood, makes it an extremely rare occurrence. Her ability to communicate telepathically, however, is a relatively easy process, and appears in the heads of Shades as a distant voice coming from within their very being. Despite this being a low effort process, she chooses to rarely do so as she sees not the need for communication outside of very specific and special circumstances.

 

Outside of Shade, Arun’Asna’s power is largely nonexistent in the sense that she is unable to grant boons, spells, or abilities, or any other kind of magical gift. As well it is likely that she would refrain from doing so if she, by some means, acquired the ability to bring about such benefaction. To clarify, Arun’Asna is highly disinterested in direct interference, providing commentary or assistance, and seeks simply to continue to power her flock, the Shades, who all reside under her great Coven, and in doing so hopes for their success in carrying out her will.

 

Redlines:

• Arun’Asna is the sole power source for Shade as it exists today. Without her, Shade as a magic would cease to exist. The Parasites of Rancour would all die, the Shade Gems would cease to function, and all Shades would lose both the boons and banes of their curses.
• Arun’Asna rarely, that is almost never, creates a phantasmal image of herself as the sole means by which she is capable of displaying her appearance on the mortal plane. This image is incorporeal, but visible, unlike her standard state of being. She cannot be harmed, trapped, or otherwise physically interacted with while making this projection because it is merely illusory.
• Arun’Asna rarely, that is almost never, communicates with her Shades, and when she does so it is telepathic. The sound emerged from within the head of the individual(s) with whom she is conversing. Her voice is deep and feminine with motherly undertones.
• Only a member of the Lore Sect of Story Staff can play Arun’Asna, and she should only be played in extremely specific and deserving circumstances, if at all. Arun’Asna is a deity, and therefore should absolutely never be played on a whim, at the request of someone randomly, or for any manner of mundane or filler event/event line.
  • To further clarify, Arun’Asna should only ever be played in large-scale world-ending-like events, or if the Shades achieve some monumental goal in line with her desire, such as causing the Human Empire to totally collapse and shatter into civil war, or some other manner of utter chaos. Otherwise, she should absolutely not be being played.

 

-- Lore Purpose --

Arun’Asna, since her creation in Fitermon’s Shade rewrite in late 2017, has largely lacked clarification, explanation, or any manner of description beyond simplistic and flowery mention. This lore post seeks to provide to her depth, elaboration, and needed clarification on the reason she exists, what she seeks to do, and how she desires her followers to go about doing it.

 

Largely this was created from a conversation with my fellow Shade players, with whom was discussed the idea of expanding Arun’Asna lore as to bring about the creation of a religious following. We seek to grow the otherwise somewhat limited roleplay surrounding Shade, by Shade characters, as to create a greater sense of immersion and possibilities through religious roleplay in greater relation to her.

We are aware, and intend for, this to turn Shade into a Deity Magic lore piece from its current state as a Dark Magic lore piece.

 

 

Spoiler

 

-- Citation –

 

 

-- Credit --

Writer(s): Lukariatias

Consultation: Dunstan, Tahmas, Lackless

Art: Chriscold

[Keening 244]

have my thanks

[MunaZaldrizoti 5674]

 

+1

[E__V__O 1984]

With this becoming a deity magic will it follow suit with other deity tropes of locking the shade user out of any other magic besides itself?

 

Otherwise lore is solid and backstory is nice.

[AlphaMoist 1707]

[Lukariatias 524]

1 minute ago, Jenny_Bobbs said:

With this becoming a deity magic will it follow suit with other deity tropes of locking the shade user out of any other magic besides itself?

 

No additional magics will be locked from Shade’s use outside of those already prohibited, whether by Shade or that magic.

[UnBaed 8909]

nemir touches gem “uh oh”

[Lukariatias 524]

Additional past Shade-related roleplay posts were sent to me, read, considered, and then implemented into the origin story. I added a paragraph, and modified two around it to more accurately describe the history of Aknu’gul.

[Drak3 365]

Very nice!

+1

[Thomas 3014]

nice

[osumanduas 1436]

This man’s writing is very easy on the eyes, I support it wholeheartedly.

[Child Neglecter 2128]

 

This is it, chief.

[Heero 4077]

11 hours ago, Lukariatias said:

, the late ‘aheral Rilath Ilwindor, the first Shade.

 

actually a dark elf and iblees purposely laid rilath with a shade that heeded his commands entirely. rilath was the pregenitor and by iblees’ will he was uneffected the the original ‘curse’. when he branched off and bastardized his boon to others, that is went the true nature of the curse was revealed

 

11 hours ago, Lukariatias said:

Aknu’gul, in this earliest of eras, lay trapped within the first Shade Gem, the initial creation of the Arch-Daemon which permitted his power to funnel in and distribute itself appropriately to the various and growing number of Shades.

the originally gem was made in a basement outside of ct. it was an imprint of rilath’s soul made with the help of the legendary lich-lord cataris, a former oracle (second-in-command of the corruption sect)

 

11 hours ago, Lukariatias said:

It was from this tumultuousness that the first sliver of sentience was provided Aknu’gul,

Anku’gul or w/e (i forget the exact spelling of it) assuming it’s the original spook thing tsuyose made as adorellen through blood magic. it was made in retaliation to separate the shades from iblees in athera as multiple shades were being abducted and turned into undead (crumena, ceruberr, joe_blackman, mth_dominatior (later became prophet), balin grandaxe (became prophet) and a few others who escape me

 

im short on time but there’s a lot this lore goes back on. both the shade lore that joe + kalameet worked to execute plus the original and third gen

 

[Lukariatias 524]

2 hours ago, Heero said:

actually a dark elf and iblees purposely laid rilath with a shade that heeded his commands entirely. rilath was the pregenitor and by iblees’ will he was uneffected the the original ‘curse’. when he branched off and bastardized his boon to others, that is went the true nature of the curse was revealed

 

Ty for the info, I will make adjustments.

 

2 hours ago, Heero said:

the originally gem was made in a basement outside of ct. it was an imprint of rilath’s soul made with the help of the legendary lich-lord cataris, a former oracle (second-in-command of the corruption sect)

 

I’ve never heard this before, however the way I’ve written it is to suggest that Aknu’gul had always been present, even within the First Gem, but was never known to exist until her discovery/elevation in a later Gem. That is to say she was within all Gems, hidden as the essence of the chaos that made them so.

 

2 hours ago, Heero said:

Anku’gul or w/e (i forget the exact spelling of it) assuming it’s the original spook thing tsuyose made as adorellen through blood magic. it was made in retaliation to separate the shades from iblees in athera as multiple shades were being abducted and turned into undead (crumena, ceruberr, joe_blackman, mth_dominatior (later became prophet), balin grandaxe (became prophet) and a few others who escape me

 

I know, this is described in a non-specific manner due to the flowery nature of the roleplay posts that described what happened. I purposefully left out names and the names of the magics used in place of a vague description. See ‘Citations’ for the posts I considered while writing this, as three of them are Tsu’s Aknu’gul related posts.

[Kaelan 1916]

Oh wowo luka, this is some pretty snazzy lore

 

+1

Oh wowo luka, this is some pretty snazzy lore

 

+1