Aelesh

Taluhny Kertahel Clan Nightheart Helun-Velulaeya, uhv’lye hyleyr naab orud! Mother-Velulaeya, our savior from anger! [This is not currently public knowledge.] Revived by a distant descendant of Echo Nightheart, the Nightheart clan traces its roots to their revered ancestors Xexus and Ravyn, brothers who escaped an invading force of Orenian inquisitors intent on the destruction of their practices in Aegisian times. Only through Helun-Velulaeya’s direct intervention were they able to survive, her good will enshrouding them in concealing shadow thanks to the single-minded worship of their temple’s acolytes, who remained deep in meditation even as they were slaughtered. Through the teachings of these two scions, the seeds of the modern Velulaey cult were planted. A focus on philosophy and prayerful living characterizes the clan's young but zealous matriarch, a vulera in training, who was also miraculously saved from certain death by the intervention of travelling Maehr. Once known for a priestly caste identified by gold eyes and fair hair, all traces of the Nightheart visage have died out since the days of the clan's inception. The sole surviving blood relative of the clan's original brood has inherited black hair, dull blue eyes and ashen skin. Whoever she chooses as her spirit-kin will have traits of their own, none of them like hers, further burying the memory of blood unity. ☽︎ Velulaey, Eternally Divine The Nightheart clan teach and believe that even prior to Velulaey’s incarnation as a daughter of Malin, she existed as the radiance of the Moon, the aengul of Night. It was due to her incarnation that the red star hiding behind the Moon could be seen at all, since at any other time the Moon’s silver light would have hidden it from view. This unique teaching has survived since the earliest days of the Velulaey cult, setting them apart from other maehr who have adopted varying theological stances on Helun-Velulaey’s nature. ☾ Moonstones An ancient tradition expanded upon with modern spirituality, moonstones are small, carefully worked shards of lapis lazuli carried as aids for prayer and meditation. Though there are no strict rules about how they should be used or kept, some keep them in a pouch attached to a cord draped around their neck beneath their clothing, with the pouch worn as close to the heart as possible. The eyes of the Mother are ever watchful after the hearts of Her most devout. ☽︎ Clothing Owing to their past as keepers of the priesthood, Nighthearts are encouraged to wear robes of pale, moonlight honouring colours that remind them of their Mother’s eternal protection. This demonstrates particular religious zeal for a people who, more often than not, wear garments suited for battle in a world that regularly means them harm. To eschew mundane protection in favour of Her unbreakable aegis reveals a deep devotion indeed. ⁂ The Dark Trinity The clan has since time immemorial defined the soul of both the individual malyker and the broader malyker state. In Aegisian times, a triad of great clans led the malyker people, empowered by their particularly deep bonds of friendship and mutual respect. This Dark Trinity was formed of clans Klaren and Shadeleaf alongside the pious Nighthearts. In modern times, this heritage manifests as a deep reverence for ancestors of all three clans as the root family to which the modern malyker diaspora owes much of its wisdom. Szyr'mo-heumyl (EN. Trinity Ancestors) of note include, but are not limited to: ☾ Xexus Nightheart, Bathed in Light The most well known patriarch of the Nightheart clan, one of the two brothers who escaped execution at the hands of ancient Orenian inquisitors. He was pious to a fault, eventually falling to a depraved madness as he sought for power beyond the scope of Helun-Velulaeya’s protecting light. Even still, it is believed that this search was for holy reasons, and so Xexus is praised as a pillar of the priestly institute and, in death, a ward against the Derangement that has claimed so many malyker souls. ☽︎ Ravyn Nightheart, Hidden in Shadow Said to be the originator of the Aengul-Velulaeya dogma, Ravyn Nightheart was the more enigmatic of the two brothers, hiding in the background of history as a disciple of the moonlit path. He is heralded as a keeper of secrets and binder of oaths, possessed of hawk-like eyes in his spiritual body that pierce through all deception. In life, he is said to have interceded in the defense of many malyker from a distance, an anonymous monk whose prayers passed on the same protection that had once seen him survive the extermination of his fellows. ☾ Goroth Klaren, Fist of Black Steel Warrior, strategist, alchemist and eventually, pariah, Goroth Klaren adored both his clan and his people. During his life, he became one of the most powerful and infamous warlords of the malyker, known for his strict command that turned many hapless novices into battle hardened veterans. Falling to Derangement after the death of his wife, Rina Kameki, he attempted to resurrect her using his knowledge of the darkest forms of occult alchemy. The other malyker who witnessed this cast him out for such sacrilegious acts against the righteous dead. However, legend has it that even if this act was unholy, Goroth managed to pry a soul back from Mother Moon herself in a selfish act to rival even modern mysticism. To invoke him is to invoke raw ambition, determination and the will to power. ☽︎ Sathoro Shadeleaf, of Many Branches The Gloom’s burden is best shared, and none knew this more than the ever-generous Sathoro. His wisdom covered so many of life’s facets that those who spent too long in his company often reported seeing his face in the water as they fished, or hearing his voice in the crackle of a forge’s flames. At times a priest, at other times a playwright and at still other times a master of the medicinal arts, Sathoro had a helping hand ready for any and every malyker who came to him for succor or learning. In death, those who have met him report how his shoulders sprout forth the branches of an oak tree, each one dangling the tools and tomes of every trade imaginable. Roster Vynkukesh Kertahel, Aelesh

Vynkukesh, daughter of Ulln Thyone, as yet clanless, signs the settlement's charter. ((IGN: Aelesh))

Just off for work so if I missed anything, I'll get back to you! Typing at speed. Thank you for the feedback. :) Main question: what problems are you seeing with 'weightless' that you don't see with 'very much lighter'? I feel as if people would roleplay one as functionally the other. If there are specific use-cases that you can see being irksome (ie. a character picks up a very heavy item, and then an Elysari tries to abuse Rescue to carry said heavy item), let me know and I can work in some redlines to prevent. The really important thing that we're trying to say is that once you've picked someone up with Rescue, your character can move unimpeded. We might be able to achieve this with some other wording like, picking up a character fills your whole body with bruni, allowing you to move unimpeded by the weight of the character your holding? But then I'd worry about people trying to abuse it in other ways, like using their enhanced strength to do x, y and z things that we didn't think of. Same goes for their skjoldr too, can you suggest some cases in which it being weightless would be a real headache? I'm all ears for things that we've missed! I don't see that letting a character move easily with their skjoldr is too much of an issue, especially if it's their only line of defense. It won't let them break any established combat rules. Again, thanks for the feedback. I did think about putting spoilers in, but the prevailing sentiment was that spoilers make it harder to CRTL + F through the piece for redlines when needing to perform enforcement. You are the second person to ask for some spoilers though, so I may well put all of the spells into some in order to tidy the post up.

Other than the runes, through which the connection ritual functions, everything else is easily fudge-able. There's no reason you couldn't use an elvish word for power rather than bruni IC, or that you couldn't have a Fare Forth totem look like an orcish spirit talisman. Additionally, I think every culture can find a home for ravens in their imagery without becoming too Norse. Point being, what you see here is really an attempt to honour the Elysari's cultural origin as derivative of Saphiel's human heritage, rather than an attempt to make everyone RP Norse stuff. Your skjoldr could be a straw hat...

ᛝ E L Y S A R I ᛝ THE SHIELDMAIDENS OF SAPHIEL’S EVERSPRING ᛝ「O R I G I N S」 Yeu Rthulu's fall marked the end of an age. Her celestial body splintered with a sound like a thousand chiming bells as she fell into that whitest snow she found so comforting. Her loyal augurs came rushing to her aid, their many hands reaching out for her spiralling, diamond shards, and claimed but a few pieces of her glistening viscera. One claimed an eye without sight, another claimed a hand without feeling and yet another claimed a strand of her hair, glossy but hollow, light as the wind itself. They searched for the loving friend they had found in her and discovered nothing but an open chasm, an emptiness where the illusion of Compassion had once dwelt. Svandara, one augur amongst many, was filled with a conviction that burnt like the Sun’s all-warming flames. She held the aengul’s heart in her hands and willed it to beat, clutching it as she had often clutched the bloody prizes of the hunt. This was her purpose, she knew, to be the cloak that shields souls innumerable from this alien coldness, this immortal falsity. She would be the Merciful heart that bled for all. Through her interactions with the Last Sojourners, travellers from a distant land who took refuge in the far north of Azuras, the newly mantled Saphiel’s teachings have begun to spread among the descendants. The daemon of Mercy now seeks out the last shards of her predecessor, and companions worthy to wield them in a world desperate for her intervention. More information on Saphiel can be found [here]. ᛝ「E X P L A N A T I O N」 The Elysari are loyal allies of Saphiel on her quest to help mortal souls endure the wars, physical, mental and spiritual, that have assailed them since the dawn of Creation. Being once mortal herself, she views them more as companions than she does as servants, receiving each soul as an equal. The Elysari way began when Saphiel interceded on the behalf of displaced travellers who came to Azuras in search of sanctuary. She came to them as the so-called ‘Crowhealer’, who granted them succor in the first and hardest months they spent taming the snowy lands of Skjolvindr. With the continued breakdown of Yeu Rthulu’s splintered body, shards of divine power have now begun to rain down across Aeos. Rather than gathering these shards of power greedily back to herself, Saphiel has chosen to make an offer of them to certain adherents of her merciful ways, granting them miraculous powers to wield in the defence of others. Elysari magic can be split into [2] broad disciplines; their out of combat Augury, which deals in commanding the help of Saphiel’s raven-augurs, and their in combat Shield-sorcery, a group of protective techniques that focus on drawing forth power from an Elysari’s blessed shield, called a skjöldr. ᛝ TENETS Elysari keep to a set of tenets collectively called the Gjallr (resounding), a poetic name for a shield given in some of the pre-Canonist sagas of northern Aeldin. Its echoing sound is not other than Saphiel’s intense battlecry that wards away evil, not other than the sage wisdom she dispenses to all her shield siblings as they stand beside her on the eternal battlefield. These tenets are purely cultural. Breaking them does not allow for a divinely mandated disconnection. They are primarily a guide for Elysari to interpret the will of their patron and judge their peers by it, allowing them to point the way for each other in properly dispensing Saphiel’s mercy. i. Mercy for the Wicked | If even a whisper of repentance, a sliver of remorse, a mote of regret remains in those against whom you raise your shield, grant them a reprieve. ii. Compassion for the Meek | The least, the last and the lost are your calling. Raise your shield in their defence, strain your bodies for their edification and search the depths of your soul for every ember of hope to shine on their sufferings. iii. Sanctuary for All Souls | Not one soul deserves eternal damnation. The world conspires against each of us, through Ibleesian curses, through the temptations of mad souls; we bleed with all the fallen, and endure with them. ᛝ CONNECTION & PROGRESSION A [T5] Elysari may mark a prospective student with three runes, one on the forehead, one on the back of each hand and the last on the nape of the neck. Each rune is the initial of a line of the Elysari creed: ᛜ ᛖ for eirð (help, protection, mercy) ᛜ ᛒ for bliðlæti (kindness, gentleness, compassion) ᛜ ᚺ for hǫfn (haven, sanctuary) These runes attune the marked character's soul to the divine energies of Saphiel, setting them on a quest to find a lost shard of the once-aengul of Compassion. The marked character is drawn to helping others, giving their body and soul in service of all who they find. For each merciful task that the character completes, one of the runes on their body comes to life with light, and they begin to notice phantom ravens following them wherever they go. When the marked character has completed [3] tasks, they will be ready to wander into the wilderness in search of their shard. The augurs who have been following them will catch their attention and take them on a journey, which ends in finding their hidden shard. Upon claiming their shard, the marked character will experience a vision in which they meet a phantom image of Saphiel, who shakes their hand as a new shield sibling and whispers the Elysari creed into their ear. When an Elysari is taught a new spell, this must be marked on their [MA]. Elysari become eligible to apply for a [TA] once they have learnt all available spells and have reached [T5]. The ritual to mark a prospective Elysari with the runes of the Elysari creed is revealed to a master Elysari by Saphiel herself. [T1]: Ravenkind, Rescue || [T2]: Shelter, Repel, Mitigate [T3]: Dew, Endure, Intervene || [T4]: Fare Forth, Guilt [T5]: Everspring, Rebuke 🗙 Elysari occupies [3] magic slots. 🗙 Elysari is only compatible with Seer, Kani, Housemagery, Bardmancy, Vivification, Shunting and any knowledge-based feats. 🗙 The illusion that comes to meet the newly connected Elysari cannot be roleplayed beyond the description given above. She cannot answer questions, and will ignore all attempts to interact with her. BENEATH HER GJALLR DO ALL THINGS DWELL. ᛝ AUGURS Due to Saphiel’s deep connection to the mortal world, having been a descendant before her ascension to daemonhood, she is able to send projections of her augurs into Aeos with particular ease. These augurs are the souls of descendants who have taken refuge in her realm of Forever Spring, and who have then chosen to go on serving her as eternal companions. Whilst in Saphiel’s realm, they appear as they would have done in life, but whilst projected into the physical realm, they don the guise of ravens in order to make themselves less conspicuous when aiding the Elysari. An augurs soul remains in the land of Forever Spring when they project themselves into the mortal realm, protecting them from attempts to steal their anima. An augur is therefore only partially physical, winking into and out of existence at will. Elysari draw these projections to themselves in great numbers, granting them a flock of watchful eyes that they can call up and dismiss at will. 🗙 All capabilities that augurs have are covered in the passive ability Ravenkind. They are not able to perform tasks outside of those specifically listed in that passive. 🗙 The great concentration needed to project themselves into Aeos prevents augurs from speaking under normal circumstances. ᛝ SKJӦLDR & BRUNI A skjӧldr is a shield made by setting a mundane shield with an Elysari’s claimed shard. If a skjӧldr is made of a material that is less durable than steel, it is fortified to the durability of steel by the divine power of the inset shard. Materials that are as strong as or are stronger than steel are not affected by this fortifying power; this extends to any additional properties they might have. Preparing an Elysari’s skjöldr for battle takes [3] emotes during which they perform a brief, freeform ritual to rouse the skjöldr’s sleeping shard. If this ritual is interrupted, the Elysari must begin again from the [1st] emote of the ritual. Once their skjöldr is activated, the Elysari is considered connected until they willingly relax their focus or until their skjöldr is removed from their grip. Passively, a skjӧldr has no other unique properties. When connected, however, a skjӧldr is imbued with the following properties, becoming: ᛜ Weightless to the Elysari, allowing them to move unhindered. ᛜ Translucent to the Elysari, allowing them to see through it. ᛜ Interactive with magical spells and creatures, able to strike or obstruct the otherwise intangible. Every skjӧldr is infused with Saphiel’s deific mana, called bruni (power). It is a deep blue energy that evaporates into a thin mist; on occasion, this evaporation takes the form of raven feathers. Elysari become more efficient at drawing out their skjӧldr’s power as they increase in tier, equating to additional units of available bruni. ᛜ [T1]: [2] bruni ᛜ [T2]: [4] bruni ᛜ [T3]: [6] bruni ᛜ [T4]: [8] bruni ᛜ [T5]: [10] bruni Whilst Elysari can enter battle wielding a weapon, this causes friction between their soul and the motives of their patron, which lessens their ability to access the powers of their skjöldr. An Elysari wielding a weapon is only able to perform the spells Repel and Mitigate. The first time an Elysari draws a weapon during combat, they lose [2] bruni. Sheathing their weapon does not restore any lost bruni. 🗙 Bruni recharges once every [24] hours. 🗙 A skjӧldr cannot be a tower shield, or any other kind of shield that protects the whole body, since (for reasons beyond mortal fathoming) shields of this size dissipate the shards energy in ways unhelpful to harnessing it. 🗙 A skjӧldr cannot be spiked or in any way weaponised, since a skjӧldr constructed in this way causes the same supernatural friction as a weapon. 🗙 A skjӧldr cannot be made from the following materials: morion, dracanium, rokodra, argentum. 🗙 A skjӧldr, even if made from wood, interferes with an oscillits Resonance, preventing them from performing Kani whilst holding a skjӧldr. This is due to the powerfully condensed mana present in the inlaid divine shard. An Elysari must drop their skjӧldr in order to perform Kani, just as they would any normally incompatible item. 🗙 Potions which can harm a character, e.g. Blasting Potions or Frostbreath, count as weapons when wielded by an Elysari, and will cause them to lose bruni and access to all spells bar Repel and Mitigate if wielded. Potions that do not cause direct harm, e.g. Tanglefoot or Smoke Whispers, do not count as weapons. ᛝ「A B I L I T I E S」 「A U G U R Y」 THEY TAKE WING! ᛞ [T1] [PASSIVE, N/C] RAVENKIND Whilst outside of combat, Elysari are able to call up and dismiss a flock of augurs. These augurs will dutifully obey the Elysari’s commands, happily carrying small objects for them in their beaks. The raven is mythically associated with wisdom and memory for the people of Fjordem, from whom Saphiel hailed. Thanks to the raven flock’s many eyes, this wisdom makes an Elysari perpetually aware of the direction they are facing (north, south, east or west), and even allows them to, with a few moments of concentration as they send some of their attending augurs to investigate, estimate how far away points of interest are. ᛞ [T2] [N/C] SHELTER [1]: The Elysari calls out to an augur who lands near or on the Elysari carrying a sparkling twig, infused with bruni. [2]: The Elysari thanks the augur for their help, bowing their head respectfully, to which the augur responds by dropping their twig into a waiting source of fire. [3]: As the augur leaves, the source of flame bursts to life with deep, midnight blue flames that emit a dense magical aura. Shelter’s aura extends [8] blocks from the fire. Within the aura, regardless of the current time of day, the sky darkens, the world quiets, and the moon rises high into the sky. In the distance, illusory flowers in perpetual bloom sway in the breeze and the distant caw of ravens occasionally sounds as the lands of Forever Spring draw near. Inclement weather breaks against the auras edge, which acts like a wall against stormy winds and pouring rain. This protection also resists boiling heat and chilling cold, causing the space within the aura to warm or cool to a comfortable level. Whilst battlewounds are not healed whilst in the area, they pain those afflicted by them less, as the divine energies emitting from the fire act as a strong painkiller. Any character who attempts to sleep in the area can do so without interference from mental afflictions, whether mundane or magical. Unless disturbed by other characters or events, a character can always easily obtain [8] hours of refreshing sleep. ᛞ [T3] [N/C] DEW [1]: The Elysari commands one of their augurs to bring them a drop of dew from the lands of Forever Spring, who quickly flies out of sight. [2]: The augur reappears in a flash of blue, seemingly liquid light that sprinkles the area in a glowing mist. [3]: The augur lets a drop of their collected dew fall into the bottle of a recently used medicinal potion, which quickly swells and refills the bottle with sapphire waters. Once cast, the bottle of a medicinal potion used within the last [10] emotes is refilled with a divine liquid that perfectly mirrors the original potion, allowing for [1] additional use of that potion. This liquid dissipates if it is not used within [10] emotes of its final creation emote. ᛞ [T3] [N/C] ENDURE [1]: The Elysari commands one of their augurs to protect them and their allies, who promptly flies in nearby. [2]: The augur begins to effervesce with bruni, issuing forth a glowing mist from between their feathers. [3]: The mist becomes dense enough to begin protecting from the natural forces in its radius. An Elysari can command their augur to move anywhere within [20] blocks; the augur moves at descendant speeds. Their mist extends to the [5*5] block radius surrounding them, moving with them as they fly. The mist provides some of the same protections provided by Shelter, namely against inclement weather and uncomfortable temperatures. In addition to these protections, it can also protect those within from more ferocious natural forces such as wildfires, crashing waves or noxious fumes. ᛞ [T4] [N/C] FARE FORTH [1]: The Elysari commands their augurs to draw near; many of them flock close by, watching expectantly. [2]: The augurs begin to fly in a tight swirl around the Elysari and their target, forming a dense barrier of feathers and talons. [3]: Dense bruni begins to blur the line between reality, dream and the lands of Forever Spring as deep blue mist builds and swells within the cawing cyclone. [4+]: The noise crescendos and collapses into a sudden peace, ensnaring the Elysari and their target in a dream world constructed from their target’s memories. Characters in the waking world see the Elysari and their target surrounded by many coloured flowers, sprouting from the ground and even from the folds of their clothes. They remain in whatever posture they were when they entered the trance, with eyes closed. Travelling through the created trance allows the Elysari’s target to confront mental trauma. This trance is freeform roleplay that can be explored as is necessary. A target can only overcome their trauma through this experience by accepting Saphiel’s mercy. The character must choose to form a religious bond of siblinghood with the Elysari and other worshippers of Saphiel in order to be filled with a supernatural grace that sets their heart at ease. If the target fails to overcome their trauma by accepting Saphiel, they finish the trance only a few steps down the spiritual path to peace. They may have revelations about why this trauma harms them in the way it does, and they may have some insights into how to overcome it on their own, but they will not be filled with the complete victory over their trauma that comes with accepting Saphiel. If the target accepts Saphiel’s mercy and companionship, they forge a bond with her that manifests as a totem grown from the roots of the plants surrounding them during their trance. Their soul is marked by Saphiel, claimed by the lands of Forever Spring for so long as they remain unclaimed by any other deific forces. This totem has one of the following [3] magical effects. ᛜ Fragrant: When thrown into a fire, the totem causes the flames to turn a deep blue as they become suffused with bruni. The shapes of flowers curl through the tongues of flame and a beautiful scent quickly replaces any other smell that was present before. The totem survives the flames thanks to its magic, glowing blue in the ashes. ᛜ Luminous: When held aloft and Saphiel’s holy name is spoken aloud, the totem begins to burn with a deep blue light. This light causes darkness to clump up and flow like ink, pouring out of any crevices that it might be hiding in. This has the effect of making the [5*5] area surrounding the totem completely devoid of darkness. ᛜ Watchful: When held aloft and a direction is spoken aloud (North, South, East or West), the totem falls on its side and points in the specified direction. Additionally, a small number of augurs follow the holder at a distance, although they interact only sparingly and never at the holder's command. ᛞ [T5] [N/C] EVERSPRING [1, 2, 3]: Each emote, an augur comes to rest on or nearby the casting Elysari. [4]: The Elysari kneels before their target, and offers them mercy; if the target accepts, the three augurs surround their body. [5]: The augurs whisper to the target, who begins to feel faint; their eyes blacken with a magical aura. [6]: Concluding the spell, the target's soul is dislodged from their body by the three augurs, who carry them beyond the world of the living and into the peaceful afterlife of the lands of Forever Spring. Any pain that a target character is currently experiencing eases with each augur they lay eyes on, until they are completely painless at the point of receiving their blessing on the [4th] emote. Blood does not leak from wounds, any coughing abates, the eyes that might have been shaking violently moments before become still; in every way, the target is made ready to meet their end. With OOC consent, a character who dies whilst under the effect of this spell is permakilled, travelling to the lands of Forever Spring as a newly born augur. This occurs irrespective of where the character’s soul might have been sent normally, allowing souls to escape damnation in the Ebrietaes, Moz Strimoza or other hellish planes. Once a character has passed away, their body will be consumed by natural flames, reducing them to a starkly white, but totally mundane, ash. ᛝ「A B I L I T I E S, cont.」 「S H I E L D - S O R C E R Y」 ONWARDS, TO BATTLE! ᛞ [T1] [C] RESCUE [2 emotes, 1 bruni] || [1]: The Elysari focuses on the bruni in their skjöldr, causing that bruni to begin flowing up their arm, glowing blue beneath their skin. [2]: The Elysari physically lifts a character, who immediately becomes weightless to them. Rescue lasts for so long as the casting Elysari continues to carry their charge. An Elysari can sprint whilst carrying a weightless character. Whilst walking, an Elysari can defend themselves by blocking or dodging attacks. The flow of bruni will be disrupted if the Elysari dodges an attack, or blocks an attack with their skjöldr; if an Elysari dodges or blocks a combined total of [2] attacks, Rescue ends immediately. ᛞ [T2] [C] REPEL [2 emotes, 0 bruni] || [1]: The Elysari excites the bruni in their skjöldr, infusing its width with veins of coursing, blue bruni. [2]: The Elysari strikes a target with their shield, unleashing a blast of bruni that knocks them away with great force. Targets struck by this ability are knocked [6] blocks away from the Elysari. ᛞ [T2] [C] MITIGATE [2 emotes, 2 bruni] || [1]: The Elysari lifts their skjöldr as it begins to exude an expanding field of vaporous bruni. [2]: The expanding aura begins to solidify into a translucent barrier attached to the Elysari’s skjöldr. [3]: The barrier finishes taking shape and completely solidifies. Mitigate creates a translucent, ghostly shield attached to the Elysari’s skjöldr, which increases in size with the Elysari’s current tier: ᛜ [T2]: [1] block tall by [3] blocks wide ᛜ [T3]: [3] blocks tall by [3] blocks wide ᛜ [T5]: [3] blocks tall by [5] blocks wide The generated shield can be easily passed through by characters and melee weapons, making it useless in defending against close range attacks. A character can easily approach on foot and strike the casting Elysari as normal. The shield is most useful in protecting against projectiles, mundane or magical. Projectiles are slowed when they strike the shield, losing [½] of their effective range upon contact. A projectile can still strike a target if its reduced range still reaches the desired space, but otherwise, the projectile will fall short of the target. Arrows, crossbow bolts or thrown weapons will fall to the ground, whilst magical projectiles will dissipate in midair as if they had reached max range. This protection against projectiles is one way, allowing characters behind the Elysari to fire projectiles through their barrier without incurring its effects. Explosive projectiles, such as spells and alchemy potions, still explode, although the size of their explosion is reduced by [½] when they do explode. Explosions are, however, no less powerful; an exploding fireball will deal its regular damage to characters caught within its reduced radius. ᛞ [T3] [C] INTERVENE [2 emotes, 1 bruni] || [1]: The Elysari raises their shield, from behind which black raven feathers begin to emanate. [2]: The Elysari reacts to an attack made against a viable target by vanishing in an explosion of blue bruni and teleporting, either appearing beside their chosen target or swapping places with them. After the first emote of Intervene has been performed, an Elysari can channel this spell for so long as they refrain from taking any actions beside moving and blocking with their raised shield. Whilst channeling, an Elysari cannot move more than [2] blocks in an emote. Intervene can be used to react to attacks made on targets within [10] blocks of the channeling Elysari. The Elysari can choose either to appear at their target's location, ready to intercept the attack originally meant for the target, or to spend [1] additional bruni to teleport their target to their original location. ᛞ [T4] [C] GUILT [3 emotes, 2 bruni] || [1]: The Elysari aims their shield at their target, generating a beam of light from their skjöldr. [2]: The generated beam of light continues to increase in intensity, until the skjöldr becomes covered in a mirror-like sheen. [3]: The Elysari unleashes a burst of bruni from their skjöldr at their target. Should they look at the skjöldr, they see a reflection of themselves as they were when mortal. Guilt subjects a once mortal being to a harrowing regret for [4] emotes that latches onto their soul, making them temporarily vulnerable to pain caused by mundane weaponry. Viable targets include: ᛜ Phantoms: Ghosts, Wights, Eidola ᛜ Undead: Draugar, Darkstalkers, Moroi ᛜ Constructs: Soul-bound Golems, Machine Spirits Mundane weapons do not become able to cause bodily harm to these targets; for example, a steel sword will still bounce off of an eidola’s stone body without causing it to crack or break. Rather, weapons will cause the target to feel pain as they would do if struck by a weapon whilst alive, temporarily disabling limbs or stunning the target. Using the previous example, slashing an eidola’s arm with a sword might cause it to hang limply by their side as if the tendon had been cut, returning to normal functionality after the [4] emotes of Guilt’s effect has dissipated. ᛞ [T5] [C] REBUKE [1 emote, 4 bruni] || [1]: The Elysari reacts to an attack by swinging their skjöldr at it, swiftly generating a sheen of fortifying bruni that ruptures with a thunderous clap. Rebuke can be used to parry melee attacks, ranged attacks, and spell attacks. The protecting sheen of condensed bruni that surrounds the skjöldr prevents it from being damaged in any way when parrying an attack using this spell. Additionally, the protective sheen also reduces the blunt force of whatever attack is parried to zero. Weapons with anti-magical properties or melee strikes improved by Kani using Penetrative Inertia render Rebuke ineffective. These attacks break the sheen of bruni covering the skjöldr and end the spell immediately without the attacker incurring any of the effects that would normally entail. Performing Rebuke temporarily destabilizes an Elysari’s skjöldr, causing the bruni within to pulse chaotically across its breadth. This might appear as spectral fire, many ravens' wings breaking through the shield's surface and beating wildly or even the roots of flowers from the lands of Forever Spring ensnaring the shield. This state lasts for [2] emotes, during which time the Elysari cannot sprint or cast further spells. MELEE When a melee attack is parried by Rebuke, the parrying Elysari’s shield issues a blast of force that is always equal to the strength of the attack being parried. For instance, if Rebuke is used to parry an orc-strength attack, the explosion generated by Rebuke will be powerful enough to match that orc-strength attack. Equally, if an attack’s force is augmented by other factors (ex. weapon types, materials, spells or [CA] abilities) these factors are also matched by Rebuke. Targets whose melee attacks are parried by Rebuke stumble back [4] blocks and are encumbered by the dense bruni that clings to their body. For the next [2] emotes, their strength is capped to that of a Void mage and they are unable to sprint. RANGED An Elysari can direct the trajectory of a parried ranged attack, so long as the desired trajectory is in the 180 degree arc in front of the Elysari. This could allow an Elysari to redirect a fired crossbow bolt, with all of its original force, back at the launcher of the crossbow bolt or another desired target. SPELLS Parrying a spell increases the cost of Rebuke by [1] bruni to [5] bruni. Parried spells can be redirected in much the same way as projectile attacks, allowing the parrying Elysari to redirect the trajectory of the spell at any target in the 180 degree arc in front of them. ᛝ「D I S C O N N E C T I O N」 GIFTS FREELY GIVEN, GIFTS FREELY RETURNED. [1]: Two of the gathered Elysari begin to beat their skjӧldr. [2]: The third Elysari raises their hands to the heavens and begs for Saphiel’s mercy. [3]: Augurs begin to flock in great numbers to the third Elysari. [4]: The third Elysari, emboldened by the continued drumming of their companions, blurs into a shadowy figure beneath the many augurs covering their body. [5]: The Elysari covered in augurs unleashes a blast of energy, channeled from the numerous augurs surrounding them, blowing away their target's connection in an overwhelming blast of shadowy, many-feathered energy. In order to disconnect an Elysari, breaking their skjӧldr and their link to Saphiel, [3] Elysari who have accepted [TA]’s must gather to perform a ritual. This ritual takes [5] uninterrupted emotes to complete. The target of this ritual must remain within [4] blocks of the casting Elysari during these emotes. Once performed, all performing Elysari are exhausted of all available bruni. 🗙 The disconnection ritual is open knowledge available to all Elysari with accepted [TA]s. 🗙 If combat begins at any time during the ritual, it is interrupted and must start be started from the beginning again. 🗙 Elysari can perform this ritual regardless of how much bruni they have available to them. 🗙 Elysari should take the tenets of Saphiel’s way into account when disconnecting another character. ᛝ「C R E D I T S & P U R P O S E」 I’d like to thank F1F4 for their piece on Yeu Rthulu from a while back that inspired me to write this, and their patience with me whilst I worked on this, christ2man for their insight and help writing out the abilities, and Vhorazu for their invaluable idea to focus on shields. Thank you all very much for your help with this. Elysari are designed to tread the line between hedgewitch healer and stalwart shieldmaiden. They stand proudly in the shadow of the real-life valkyries as psychopomps ready to guide the slain to peaceful lands. Where other deific orders stand together beneath single (or very similar) ideological banners, Elysari are able to roam the lands in search of those in need, inserting themselves into all manner of settings. One might take up a role as guard in a frontier town rife with villainy, whilst another might decide to oversee a group of Void mages as they delve into the treacherous depths of horrific lore. The ways in which Mercy can be dispensed across Aeos are numerous. In this sense, Elysari are not lone crusaders nor a singular, reclusive order, but rather a grassroots movement of many souls touched by Saphiel as she goes about her work. Every soul responds to that work in a way that is personal to them and made manifest in the support and guidance they give to all manner of guilds, nations and faiths. Whatever society an Elysari integrates into, they will always seek to counsel empathy and understanding over the harsh ways of the sword, for Saphiel’s cause is a merciful one. Elysari uniquely fulfils the ‘tank’ archetype, which until this point has been absent from the combat ecosystem and particularly from holy magic, where one would think it would be most at home. Whilst Elysari are exceptionally good at protecting themselves and others, they are purposefully designed without a finishing move in mind. Their most powerful aggressive spells, Guilt and Rebuke, do not cause physical harm, but rather redirect it and create opportunities for other characters to capitalise on. For this reason, Elysari are most vulnerable when alone, and shine their brightest when playing supportive roles in a party of allies. Saphiel herself is an interesting deity that I have become quickly endeared to. She is, so far as I can tell, the only aengudaemon in current canon who was originally a descendant, and I appreciate that this was drawn out in her write up. Seeing how hollow Yeu Rthulu really was led her to assuming the mantle of daemon, becoming what she felt was lacking in her predecessor and in the aengudaemonic pantheon at large. Thank you for reading! P.S. Let me know if you spot any errors…

You've definitely been successful in trimming it down, it does read well. I've supported a resource system for Void magic for years, so good on you for writing this up. I can't speak to the balancing of it but everyone else seems to be pitching in on that, so hopefully you get your numbers where they should be.

I try to avoid linking to other lore pages, but I can add a remark that auras should follow all mechanics/redlines of base aura lore alongside voidal specific redlines. My key concern here was to do with the IC physics of mana, since I felt what you had written wasn't granular enough on the distinction between mana and aura. There've been magic systems in the past that have capitalised on the difference, and I feel it's useful to say that aura isn't just runoff mana, but a special state that mana gets "burnt" into. There's a transformation/transmutation that occurs. I know it might seem pedantic, so apologies for the nitpick.

You might make mention of how aura is itself a state of mana, as per the States of Mana post.

I'd be more than happy to chat to you about your goals with this and help you edit it. Do sling a DM my way if you'd like to discuss.

(𝄞𝄞𝄞) A letter is hidden in the back of one tome or another on the philosophies of those obscure Latter-Prophets. Greetings and ukhai from this tusked-one. Here are written down some few burdensome sparks of inspiration, of a fire heavier than the coal which produced it. These wilds which I call home are thick with the wounds that you exalt. Though your whole meaning evades me, my heart beats comfortably to the rhythm of your work. A portent, perhaps, of a beneficial friendship. What follows is a myth in the way of my ancestors' paths, inflamed with my dwindling sparks. Sage prophets, may all the spirits remember their true ancestor. ❉ Little Brother was walking in the cool of the evening, through the fruit groves where the sunshine lingers longest. There, the riverwaters babbled and twinkled as they danced between the roots, alive with brightening starlight. When Little Brother sat on the precipice where the garden fell away, he began to hear two songs like lovers departing from one another. The sunlight against his skin slowly quietened her voice as the stars began to serenade his eyes. How great are the seas, ‘pon which my first rays fell! How great are the mountains, which conquered the seas! How great are the trees, which churned up the stone! How great are the Men, who made forts of the forests! And the stars responded with one phrase, repeated for every little light surviving the darkness of the heavens. Seas swam, mountains wandered, forests foraged, Men crowned! The sunsong he had often heard, but the stars’ tiny phrase was spring-newness to his soul. Little Brother loved their hope and desired their wisdom, but knew not how to lift his voice to their ears. Night heard his dream, felt his reaching hands, and so from circling overhead a twisting spiral of nightfeathers came fluttering down in Crow’s shape. Little Brother could not tell the glimmer of her eyes from the promise of the stars, and sat entranced, his sister nestled on his shoulder. She spoke with a whispering croak. “What separates you is not distance, but time. The starlight is stretched between this place and the eternal hour, which was before all hours. If you spoke the sound would never reach them. If you danced only the first movement they would see, suspended forever like a painting.” Little Brother was distraught for their loneliness. “So how do they hear each other, singing together as they have for me? Is it merely one cry repeated? One tear from all their glowing eyes?” His worry was so pure, innocent, that Crow unfurled a wing like a sail around him. “Are they all merely a sorrow in refrain?” Crow shook her head and made a sign with her talons, each claw pressed together into one point. So cleanly she sliced between the winds! Little Brother stared into the world-wound, saw how it bent the grove's branches like water refracting, and touched something from long ago in a treasured silence. When the chill made him gasp, Crow clasped his lips together with her beak and drank the sound before the silence could be named ‘Pain’. So Little Brother struggled with his teacher all through midnight and beyond. Between the seconds they cut voiceless songs into the grove’s pattern, digging the roots of the trees deeper and deeper still, until they found the soil of a stranger time. Every cut was the flowering of new lungs that sung with the voice of a quiet world. Little Brother’s smile was moon-twinned, a gleeful slice, a joy that made even sister Crow dance like a chick again. The world melted in their play, the fruits into their bark, the stars into their darkness, the horizon into its firmament. Heaven touched the last outstretched branches, drawn down from high above, loud with voices repeating that precious phrase. But time could not be halted. It marched on, its footing sure like Krug’s mightiest warbrothers, even in that place that had fallen so far down into yesterday’s root-shadow. The stars were lifted on growing sunbeams, the pillars of an invisible temple, and set in the loftiest heights where none could reach them. They had become again the faces of farseers and heroes, saints and kings, the bodies of all the dead and the dreams of all those yet living and yet still to live. When Little Brother began to weep for the departure of his friends, who had told him so many wonderful things whilst unmasked, sister Crow did not steal out from him the sound, for the time of silence had ended. The wheel of the day was thundering loudly with her winged siblings, larksong lusciously thick like lard. She slipped between the raucous threads of shattered music and leapt over the edge of the world, into that sunless place where darkness and moonlight are stored up like wine in a cellar. Little Brother’s looted wisdom was lighter on his shoulders in the daylight. Lighter, perhaps, because sister Crow no longer rested upon his shoulder. Perhaps, because those stars whom he had befriended had left him all alone, saving him from the weight of their eternal weeping. Yet through the loneliness that had grown in again, tended by the sun’s warmth and radiant love, a thread red like fresh blood still remained, woven in his plaited hair with divine promise. It was like the root of some secret plant he had uncovered in that furthest place beneath the grove, a plant with ruby petals seeded when Krug first raised his blade against kin. Toying with it between his fingers made him strangely giddy. There were voices in the garden that said remember and forget, that said dream and define, voices that he could hear in the thread’s twisting. He sat again by the garden’s precipice and believed with all his heart that he could still see the stars, hidden in the folds of the valleys and behind the branches of the tallest trees. That reddest thread was like a map between his heart and his desires, tugging at him to follow the road walked by all but whose end none had ever found. He would swim the seas and wander the mountains, forage the forests' most excellent herbs and maybe, one day, he would both be crowned and would crown others with crimson and gold.

I've knocked about 10k words out of the original write now, reducing the size of it by almost half. I've gone through and rewritten many effects, removing many more aggressive effects in favour of a more in-depth healing kit whilst in combat. I've also removed certain fluff effects and interactions from many miracles. Anyone who has already given this a read, I encourage a second thorough re-read. There are almost certainly some errors I have missed so let me know if you see anything wacky.

Hey no problem. Have removed the effect you were talking about from the spell anyways, makes it simpler. Have also nerfed Arbiter of the Silver Cloak by removing the armour buff it gave.

I'll just take it out of Calm for now, it doesn't really need to be in there. Prophet's Protection is meant to be the proper anti-magic combat bubble that has a wind up and limits to how long it can be channeled and how many times it can be cast. If people see this as being abused on the cusp of combat, I'll just remove the problem.

Calm is a non-combat miracle, so you wouldn't be able to cast it in the circumstances you've brought up. Unless I'm not understanding the ways in which the non-combat vs. combat spell rules work. That being said, I'm happy to remove it if you think it's uninteresting / not needed. The basic was idea was simply that the Law's presence interferes with impure magic casting. Since it's an out of combat spell, we figured it was harmless because it wouldn't have any bearing in the kinds of scenes you've brought up. Also not sure if your second sentence has been cut off.

Have nerfed Prophet's Protection in response to this, making it always centered on the cleric. This should prevent them from deploying it in the enemy backlines before sending in the troops, as in your example.

A venator, hunting their own joy in the Gilded Courts’ beautiful gardens at last. 🝐 Clericism is an aengudaemonic holy magic that occupies [3] magic slots. 🝐 Clericism requires the ability to channel His Cleansed Law, which is bestowed through a connection ritual. 🝐 Clericism is incompatible with all Void magics, all Deific magics, all Dark magics, and all CA’s. 🝐 Clericism is compatible with all Misc magics. 🝐 Clericism is only compatible with the four descendant races; humans, elves, orcs and dwarves. Tier 1 | [2] Verses, attained following connection 🜞 Ritual Casting, [PH] Calm, [WC] Arbiter of the Silver Cloak, [HA] Shroud from Suffering Tier 2 | [4] Verses, attained [2] OOC weeks after connection 🜞 [PH] Mend, [WC] Arbiter of the Blue Cloak, [HA] Aegisian Rains Tier 3 | [6] Verses, attained [1] OOC month after connection 🜞 Zeal, [PH] Cleanse, [WC] Arbiter of the White Cloak, [WC] Prophet’s Purification, [HA] Blessed Waters Tier 4 | [8] Verses, attained [2] OOC months after connection 🜞 [PH] Purge, [WC] Venator’s Rally, [HA] Eternal Vigil Tier 5 | [10] Verses, attained [3] OOC months after connection 🜞 [WC] Itharel’s Intercession, [HA] Law’s Revelation Changelog Clerics of old, clutching radiant gifts. 🝐 Aengul of Purity and Justice, Tahariae has ever sought to rid the world of its imperfections. Of all aengudaemons, He has upheld the sanctity of the Creator’s designs the most zealously. The clerics who follow Him strive to preserve the world’s destiny, cleansing heretics who practise soul-warping magics and correcting moral failings in the hearts of otherwise righteous descendants. To the pained, their Lord is succour, to the lost He is guidance and to the evil, to the sinful, to the tainted, He is doom. 🝐 The state of the mortal world drew Tahariae into a time of deep meditation some three hundred years ago. During that time, Tahariae pondered His innermost being and emerged reilluminated. How the scrolls of His Law now grow under the light of His mind, each moment revealing new truths to guide the mortal world through a sea of falsehoods. It is this Law, His Cleansed Law, that He is bringing into the world with the aid of His many devout judges, the souls of His departed clerics who dwell with Him now in His Gilded Court. He sits now as the overseer of a new nation rising in the hearts of all people, a nation of noble souls capable of ruling sagely over all the lands. 🝐 Tahariae has come to the understanding that direct aengudaemonic intervention is an imperfection, a fact best expressed by the death of His dear brother Xan. There is nothing which an aengudaemon can offer that is of more value than the hidden wonders of the descendants or the Most High’s unfailing will. The purity which Tahariae reveals to the world is a light which He sees glimmering in the hearts of all beings just as they are, an innate goodness and nobility of spirit that can overcome any hardship. 🝐 One might call His Cleansed Law the antithesis of Mivtahza, the conviction that the heart of the universe is filled with a compassionate, charitable and chivalrous blood. The distrust between souls, both descendant and animal, sprouts from the weed Iblees planted in Mundus’ virgin earth at the climax of the Thirty Years War. There was a time before the Infernal Climb, and clerics aspire to triumph over it and begin a new era of Aegisian idyllicism. The demonic notion that ‘Might is Right’ is only “true” for a reality darkened by the shadow of the Betrayer’s corruption; a shadow which Tahariae seeks to quell with His overwhelming radiance. 🝐 To live the cleric’s life is to discover the Law in the world, communicate that Law to Tahariae through communion, and express the Law in a world that has been blinded to its own inner light. Of all the passages of the Law, “the Appearance of Truth” is heralded as the greatest touchstone for all clerics, teaching them how to seek the Most High’s remaining sparks of inspiration and kindle them once again. A mere seven verses, its imagery, charisma and subtle teachings have inspired countless devoted souls. 🝐 The Appearance of Truth is chronologically the very first chapter of His Cleansed Law, a poem of seedling ideas from which the whole Law sprouts. It details Tahariae’s mystical initiation into the art of foresight and prophecy, which He achieved when meditating on the battlefield Aegis had become following the Thirty Years War. Below are the tenets of the clerics’ path as derived from Tahariae’s first insight into the nature of reality and the struggle the descendants would have to embark upon in order to save that nature from destruction. Tenets A cleric’s soul revels in the gifts of the Law, a star of bright insight on their brow. 🝐 Clerics are not connected to Tahariae. The injection of aengudaemonic mana into the cycles of energy within the mortal world is an inherently disruptive and coercive process. Tahariae recognizes that forcing Mundus to submit to His energies twists it away from the purity inherent within it. In order to safeguard and exalt purity as the highest good, Tahariae has chosen to protect it from afar rather than intervening directly in mortal affairs. 🝐 Without Tahariae’s direct intervention to aid them, a cleric relies on the Cleansed Law itself in order to create aengudaemonic mana from the mana in the mortal world. Just as they choose to accept His Cleansed Law of their own volition, a cleric can offer the Law to the world itself, to the hidden energies of the sky, the rivers and trees, in the hopes that they too will choose to take sanctuary within its truth. The energies that are produced shine brightly and act as a passageway for the souls of the Gilded Court to peer into the world and render their judgement upon it. Temples of the Cleansed Law 🝐 The canon of His Cleansed Law is so vast that no physical space could ever contain it. In order to make the Law manifest in the mortal realm, special temples must be constructed in the image of Tahariae’s courthouse. The knowledge required to make a temple is available to all clerics regardless of tier. 🝐 A temple cannot be constructed with supernatural aid. It must be a work of mortal toil alone. 🝐 A temple must be at least [15*15] blocks in size. 🝐 A temple must have at least [3] rooms with the following purposes; an entryway to divide the profane from the sacred, a hall of prayer in which laymen can receive the Law's sage guidance, and an inner sanctum in which the scrolls of the Law are kept safe. 🝐 The scrolls of the Law within a temple must be made from natural substances. Alchemical substances are considered natural. 🝐 A temple must be tended to by at least [3] clerics, one for each of the temple’s sacred spaces. 🝐 A temple is a natural gateway through which the Gilded Court’s solar symmetry can flood into the world. The flow of a river might be altered in order to flow out from the temple like a coronal arc, or paving stones might slowly warp and shift over several months to resemble the Sun’s circular image, perhaps even changing colour. This warping emanates [10] blocks from the temple’s outer walls. 🝐 Lightstones grow in the region surrounding a temple. Many lightstones that grow in the vicinity of a temple have Flexio runes glowing inside them, seeds of the Law having taken root in them during their growth. 🜞 A temple generates up to [3] lightstone nodes, the first of which appears after [1] OOC week has passed since a temple was established. The second node then appears after a total of [3] OOC weeks have passed, and the third appears after a total of [5] OOC weeks have passed. 🝐 The power swirling within the walls of a temple make it particularly suited for the infusion of vast amounts of aengudaemonic mana into artefacts, allowing for the creation of MARTs through freeform rituals. These MARTs must be submitted on the forums as normal for approval, where the specifics of their creation must be detailed. A newly connected cleric, overflowing with light. How the Law’s truth sings through their veins! Connection 🝐 Integrating the Law into one’s life is necessary before a mortal can receive His Cleansed Law in a temple. This process of integration tends to take several IC years of study, prayer and active service beneath a practising cleric who is able to hear the prospective cleric's confessions and counsel them how to set their sins right. 🝐 The process should involve the prospective cleric identifying at least [3] sins that they must atone for through their study of sections of the Law. Although a student cannot yet read the Law in its true form, they are still able to read passages of it that are transcribed and brought out of a temple, which are instrumental in acclimating them to the lifestyle they wish to lead. These sins can take many forms and do not necessarily have to be violent. Sorrow is a sin, a lack of hope and piety, a despair that numbs a soul to the world rather than energising a soul to take part in it. Greed is a sin, a focus on this corrupt world of poisoned materials rather than the perfect heaven Tahariae is attempting to guide mortals toward. 🝐 Once an apprentice is ready to become a cleric, their teacher is able to perform a freeform ritual in a temple which imbues them with a sensitivity to the Cleansed Law’s power. Henceforth, they are able to invoke the Law in order to cast miracles. Every cleric is bestowed with a personal colour of light that represents their particular affinity to the Law. This colour manifests around them in a glowing aura whenever they cast miracles. In days of old, it is said that Tahariae bestowed four lights upon His chosen priests. With the death of His dearest brother, Xan, the Stag has cut the gold light from His heart and left it as an offering for the departed Lord of the Sun. Now, only three lights burn in His radiant body… Light of the Pious 🌣 Also called the Left Antler, the silver light of the pious represents Tahariae’s unwavering devotion to the ways of His Father, and signifies much the same in His followers. Those blessed with this light are hard to shake from their devotion to the divine, and can be uncompromising in expecting that devotion in others. Their charisma, however, is unparalleled, moved as they are by the motions of heaven. Their whole lives are one long prayer, a ritual for a purer tomorrow. Light of the Wise 🌣 The white light of sage wisdom is often called Tahariae’s Soul, or occasionally His Pelt. It is an armour against lawlessness, a tonic which cures the illogical thoughts of tainted souls. Clerics who shine with this light regularly have an inclination for undoing the threads of tangled minds, and are most versed in the annals of His Cleansed Law. They are calculating, considered and cautious, staring endlessly at the horizon. What shadows they see there are deep as midnight, broken only by the Stag’s moonlight. Light of the Steadfast 🌣 What renews the soul for battle but the waters of the river, washing one’s hands of war-spilt blood? Tahariae’s blue light is His mercy for soldiers, men-at-arms and crusaders across the world, His Right Antler of mercy for all those who wage battle time and again in His holy name. Those blessed with this light can weather any storm, cleansing themselves of emotional hardship with ease. They are often reserved and aloof, the least evangelising of the three lights, demonstrating their devotion through action rather than through inner faith. Redlines: Judges 🝐 Clerics use their gathered light to call forth the spirits of honoured descendants residing within Tahariae’s realm, who replace the connection that provided the cleric’s of old with Tahariae’s power. All Tahariaen miracles are performed through this process, a petitioning cleric receiving a responding soul who manifests in the mortal world in order to render aid or punish the guilty. Disconnection 🝐 A disconnection ritual also exists, which is selectively revealed to clerics by the Court at Tahariae’s behest. Generally speaking, however, this disconnection ritual is knowledge locked, and must be passed on from cleric to cleric. It can only be learnt and performed once a cleric is [T5]. It requires that a cleric gathers [2] other [T5] clerics in a temple in addition to their disconnection target. 🝐 The ritual takes [6] emotes to cast and requires that participating clerics spend all of their available Verses and all clerics must have their full maximum of [10] Verses available in order to cast this ritual. Clerics may still cast Zeal in order to refill their Verses once this miracle has been cast. The ritual involves the condemnation of the disconnectee, withdrawing the Law’s protection from them and leaving the former cleric to fend for themselves in a lawless spiritual desert. During the ritual, the Court’s many judges gather to punish the target, deafening and blinding them to the Law’s power. 🝐 Disconnected souls remain Called to Service for the rest of their lives, limiting the mana available to them. Although a disconnected cleric is no longer sent on dreaming missions, they remain weakened physically by the tax of mana levied upon their soul. This Call to Service prevents a cleric from taking up other forms of magic, although they can be reconnected to clericism if they undergo the same sin-shedding trials as they had done when originally connected. A disconnected cleric regains the ability to activate enchantments without penalty. Redlines: A devout soul listens to the stars in a moment of calm; so many trials await them. 🝐 Tahariae believes staunchly in a world free of aengudaemonic intervention. In order to summon the souls of the Gilded Court to Mundus, a cleric draws on the mana of their surroundings to produce aengudaemonic mana through the power of His Cleansed Law. This process ensures that the energies within Mundus are contained as a stable loop of mana free from interference. The mana which the Law gathers comes from the environment is compressed and transmuted into aengudaemonic mana through the Law’s power. Drawing upon this mana would normally leave a vacuum in the environment, an emptiness where the world’s energies used to be, but the Law’s righteousness protects the world from this damage by levying a debt from the casting cleric. 🝐 This debt is levied in the form of the Call to Service, a lingering mana deficiency within the cleric’s soul, particularly in the Soul Blueprint or Body portion of the soul. The Call affects all clerics equally, each shouldering the burden of their work. Certain miracles also extend the Call to their targets for a limited time, in exchange for the gifts of miraculous healing or otherwise. Call to Service Effects 🝐 The Call to Service causes a bodily weakness similar to Voidal weakness. This weakness prevents the cleric from wearing armour heavier than medium armour, and prevents them from wielding two handed melee weapons in combat. Due to a cleric’s reduced strength, wearing medium armour reduces their sprint to [6] blocks, as wearing heavy armour would for someone at full strength. 🝐 If a cleric uses an enchantment created using an impure magic, the Call to Service saps them of a great majority of their mana as just punishment for that souls invocation of the sinful. Once a cleric has used an impure enchantment, they lose access to their miracles for the next [1] OOC week, and become incapable of activating other enchantments during that time due to their soul’s severe mana deficiency. 🝐 The Call to Service causes dreams in which one is drawn from their body by Tahariae’s will, sent to battle impurities across the world. These dreams are normally abstract but may involve current events. One might be sent to comfort someone who has lost a loved one, or they may be sent to chastise a tainted being. Whatever the case, whenever a cleric is sent on these dreaming missions, the stress of this dream on their mind and soul robs them of proper rest. This can lead to the cleric awakening already feeling exhausted. These dreams become particularly prevalent after a cleric has performed miracles. Redlines: Devoted servant, gentle lord, worker of wonders! Hail to the one true son, enduring still in the peaceful glade! Wound Chart 🜋 Minor Wounds: Scrapes, Bruises and Lacerations. Everyday wounds that do not cause significant impairment. 🜋 Moderate Wounds: Gashes, Cuts, Punctures, Dislocations and Burns. Wounds that are debilitating and cause moderate impairment. 🜋 Major Wounds: Broken Bones, Impalement, Dismemberment and Mutilation. Wounds that are severely debilitating and can cause permanent impairment or death. Verses 🜋 [T1] 🜋 Clerics use Verses of the Law in order to power their miracles. Casting Implements 🜋 [T1] 🜋 Many more powerful miracles require that a cleric is wielding a casting implement. Ritual Casting 🜋 [T1][2 Emotes | 0 Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) Whilst outside of combat, clerics can extend the casting of a miracle in order to spread the burden between them. Zeal 🜋 [T3][2 Emotes: 1 Connect + 1 Cast | 0 Verses] 🜋 (Combative / Active) The cleric rouses their pious spirit and gives themselves over to the Law, refilling their reserves of spent power. Calm 🜋 [T1][2 Emotes: 1 Connect + 1 Cast | 2 Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric calls forth an arbiter of the Gilded Court in order to dull mortal sufferings with the Law’s spiritual medicine. Mend 🜋 [T2][2+ Emotes: 1 Connect + 1+ Cast | 2+ Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric heals the wound of a descendant with the aid of a judge, using the Law to soothe unjustly dealt pain. Cleanse 🜋 [T3][4 Emotes: 1 Connect + 3 Cast | 2+ Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric expunges poisons and illnesses through the Law’s power, calling upon the aid of a wise prophet. Purge 🜋 [T4][4 Emotes: 1 Connect + 3 Cast | 3 Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric excises taint and supernatural corruption with the help of a venator, whose holy blade slices sinful energy from a descendant's soul. Arbiter of the Silver Cloak 🜋 [T1][3 Emotes: 1 Connect + 2 Cast | 2+/- Verses] 🜋 (Combative / Active) The cleric summons an arbiter’s silver cloak to enshroud themselves with radiance, which they use to harass their enemies with arrows of silver light. Arbiter of the Blue Cloak 🜋 [T2][2 Emotes: 1 Connect + 1 Cast | 2- Verses] 🜋 (Combative / Active) The cleric asks an arbiter of the blue to intervene in the battlefield, either attacking an enemy or defending an ally from attack. Arbiter of the White Cloak 🜋 [T3][3 Emotes: 1 Connect + 2 Cast | 4- Verses] 🜋 (Combative / Active) The cleric calls forth an arbiter of the white to declare the Law’s peaceful ways, healing an ally of a wound. Prophet’s Purification 🜋 [T3][4 Emotes: 1 Connect + 3 Cast | 6 Verses] 🜋 (Combative / Active) The cleric petitions a prophet to protect them and their allies from supernatural harm using their boundless, peaceful light. Venator’s Rally 🜋 [T4][4 Emotes: 1 Connect + 3 Cast | 6 Verses] 🜋 (Combative / Active) The cleric calls forth a venator to leap into enemy lines, striking enemies and granting succour to their allies. Itharel’s Intercession 🜋 [T5][5 Emotes: 1 Connect + 4 Cast | 6 Verses] 🜋 (Combative / Active) The cleric calls forth the solar soul of an itharel, burning enemies with their powerful tendrils of light and healing allies around them. Shroud from Suffering 🜋 [T1][3 Emotes: 1 Connect + 2 Cast | 2+ Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric calls forth an arbiter to bring civilization’s order to the wilderness, filling the surrounding area with a comforting radiance that staves off the untamed elements. Aegisian Rains 🜋 [T2][6 Emotes: 1 Connect + 5 Cast | 6 Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric calls forth a prophet who brings with them taint-cleansing rains in order to purify land or destroy tainted relics. Blessed Waters 🜋 [T3][4 Emotes: 1 Connect + 3 Cast | 4 Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric calls forth a judge in order to imbue a targeted vial of water with miraculous healing powers. Eternal Vigil 🜋 [T4][4 Emotes: 1 Connect + 3 Cast | 6 Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) The cleric carves a mural with the help of a flame-wielding venator, creating a gateway through which the judges of the Court may step onto Mundus’ soil. Law’s Revelation 🜋 [T5][5 Emotes: 1 Connect + 4 Cast | 6 Verses] 🜋 (Non-Combative / Active) A master cleric calls for the oversight of an itharel in adding their own theses to the Cleansed Law, or calls forth a spectre of a past cleric in order to hear their wisdom. An era of Purity lost, an era of Justice dawning. 🝐 One more log on the fire that is the TAHBOWL… I got started on this about a month ago and have been slaving away at it ever since. This has been an enormous project, with much more needed here than in my Divination lore which turned out very short when all was said and done. If you’ve read all of this and gotten to this part, stand up, go and get something to drink, go outside, you’ve done enough reading for now. But thank you very much! 🝐 The Cleansed Law is a new world order that all clerics can adhere to in their own ways, something that can fit into any culture on the server in order to create a cohesive identity. I also wanted to callback extensively to the various parts of our wider server lore and to Tahariae’s lore itself. I’m very pleased with the integration of Tahariae’s past servants as those who intercede on His behalf, and am very excited for old cleric players to get the opportunity to play their deceased characters again through Law’s Revelation. 🝐 For me, the biggest opportunity in focusing on law and justice as Tahariae’s domain is in encouraging the clericism community to function as the adjudicators of that law. The process of considering the Cleansed Law and discovering how it can best be applied to the world should hopefully lead to interesting philosophical roleplay, and hopefully to at least a little bit of bureaucracy. As the Cleansed Law grows in size, the discussions that will be able to be had about it should naturally become more in-depth and engaging as characters gain access to an increasing number of treatises on different topics. 🝐 The writing of the Cleansed Law itself is a world lore project that would commence following the acceptance of this piece. At first, it would primarily consist of treatises written by NPCs, Tahariae or otherwise, before growing organically through the use of the final Holy Alteration miracle, Law’s Revelation. My hope is that this process will naturally generate an interesting, dynamic and meaningful set of documents that cleric players can use in their roleplay to guide their characters actions. 🝐 Many thanks to… 🝐 …christ2man & TheKingOfTheMoon for your help with getting this done, your input has been invaluable. Couldn’t have done it without you. 🝐 … SacredSource, Johann, Wandiferous and the rest of the covenant clericbros for your input and oversight. 🝐 …Pallodium for the sweet formatting, the post has turned out looking amazing! 🝐 …Ibleesian, for giving me a hand cutting this beast down to size.

I've tried to quote the important bits above but I've only skimmed through so apologies if it's not helpful. My point is that most of the pantheon of LOTC is dead, not least the Creator himself, because of the Void's invasion. All the remaining aengudaemons, the agents of which you mention, are in conflict with each other primarily because no one really knows what the plan is now that God is dead. The Void committed the first great murder by breaking through the Veil, and the quakes of the chaos that introduced into the descendants' world reverberates even today. I would go further and say that fear of the Void is what drives many aengudaemons to be as narcissistic as they are, clinging blindly to their ideologies because those ideologies are really all they have left by which to steer themselves. Heaven is full of terrified children scrabbling to keep their playpen free of an encroaching mudslide.

I thought about replying, chose not to, but now I've been invoked... I actually wrote a long diatribe about how the Void isn't just evil, but the root of all evil in the LOTC setting. All strife that the descendants experience today can be traced back to the Void. I am in complete agreement that the Void, as written, is THE evil. The great conflict that LOTC charts is the battle between the vision of an infinite, creative being, and an infinitely hungry nothingness. But I do think the Void can and should be more than the big chaos monster. I don't for a second think that's an easy sell given current lore (wink wink), but I do think it nonetheless.

I have added a clause to Manifest Celestial which should sort this out! Thank you for bringing it to my attention, there should be some way for them to know the most basic stuff so that Synastry works well.

Currently, I'm open to it being compatible with everything. I have thought about Voidstalking, and... well, it could be compatible. You could, in theory, stop the bigger horror from eating the smaller one. Might get a bit tense. I'll let the ST be the judge of how feasible it is and we can go from there.

DIVINATION Divination is a Void magic that allows a practitioner to glimpse the future using a vast, otherworldly consciousness called the Zodiac. The Zodiac is generated by countless celestials melding together into a single entity. Since the Zodiac exists beyond reality’s laws it has certain powers unattainable by mortals, namely the ability to peer beyond time’s unmoving horizon. ☾ Divination is a Void magic that occupies [1] magic slot. ☾ Divination requires that the student have an established connection to the Void. ☾ Divination abides by the standard compatibility rules for all Void Magics. Tier 1 (2 Weeks) Manifest Celestial Foretell The diviner’s celestial familiar coalesces into a physical form. The diviner reveals [1] Weal or Woe relating to an event in the petitioner’s near future. Tier 2 (3 Weeks) Illuminate Benevolence The diviner reveals [3] Weals or Woes that will affect the petitioner’s life. The diviner’s celestial familiar imbues calming arcana into nearby flames. Tier 3 (5 Weeks) Synastry Wandering Star The diviner manipulates the Weals and Woes of [2] petitioners, cancelling them out or transferring them. The diviner’s celestial familiar dashes through the air like a comet, leaving a trail of quickening arcana. Tier 4 (6 Weeks) Omen Astral Sending The diviner peers into the future and prepares a party for the road ahead, bestowing [1] Weal upon them. The diviner sends their celestial familiar rocketing through the heavens with an important message. Tier 5 (∞) Memory of Ages Fate’s Bindings Rite of Meteorites The diviner peers into the consciousness of the Zodiac, recalling prophecies of ages past. The diviner imposes certain restrictions on an enchanted artefact during its creation, conferring potent arcane energies. The diviner calls down a celestial from the heavens, imbuing a student with a familiar who grants them their divinatory powers. ORIGINS ✦ The celestials are the tiniest of all Voidal horrors. They survive by ingeniously taking shelter in the Veil, weaving between the threads of abjuring magic in order to hide from larger, more unwieldy horrors who would otherwise gobble them up. They have contacted the descendants before in order to find further safety inside Creation itself, but withdrew for as yet unknown reasons. ✦ Unlike other horrors, whose size naturally causes them to be greedy and self-obsessed as they scour the nothingness for sources of mana to devour, celestials are capable of teamwork. When they last came to the descendant world, they taught celestial arcanists how to ‘meld’ their auras with other descendants, bridging the gaps between individuals in a ‘melding’ of personalities and minds. This ability serves them well at the far edge of the universe, since they can use it to send information to their comrades to help them avoid the Void’s hungry monsters. ✦ This great network of celestials is referred to as the Zodiac, named so for their place in the heavens and relationship with fate. Their ability to warn each other also extends to the descendant world and whatever catastrophes might befall mortals; with their birds-eye view of all that occurs in our world and their ability to communicate with one another in order to compute all of the information they discover, celestials are able to forecast the future. ✦ The Zodiac has a vested interest in ensuring the continued survival of our world, since the Veil is their most stalwart ally in safeguarding them from the Void’s harsh ecosystem that would otherwise destroy them. Iblees’ ejection from the Nether and the resulting quakes throughout the Veil have focused the celestial hivemind on our world and birthed in their countless members a fervent desire to bring peace and stability to our world. We are their foundation and their salvation, after all. MECHANICS ✦ A player can freely decide the appearance of their character’s celestial familiar. It should take its basic appearance from mundane animals, although it can be embellished with whatever further details the player wishes. Note animals, plural, meaning that most celestials tend to be amalgamations of different creatures. A feathered fish with jewels for eyes, a dog with a snake's head and scales or a swan-necked, triple faced owl with six wings are all good examples. ☾ Celestials actively try to look appealing and beautiful to mortals. Thus, they should not look overly terrifying, though they are often unnerving and alien. ☾ Celestials should not look overly ‘horrific’, in order to make the division between them and their larger cousins clear. Less gnashing teeth, more otherworldly feathers fluttering in an ethereal wind. More starlight, less all consuming darkness. ✦ Familiars fall into one of three categories which determine their capabilities when manifest. They are either Strong, Deft or Flying. ☾ Strong familiars are the slowest and clumsiest of the three categories. They move at descendant speeds and are possessed of below average grace, meaning that they are likely to fall from precarious surfaces and cannot jump particularly high (no more than [1] block). They are the strongest of the three categories, and are able to move up to [10] kg. ☾ Deft familiars are middlingly strong, but possessed of the most precise control of their bodies. They are able to jump up to [3] blocks, and are able to land safely on even precarious ledges without falling. They are able to move objects up to [7] kg. ☾ Flying familiars are the weakest of the three categories, only able to move objects weighing up to [5] kg. However, as their name implies, they are able to fly. They can move up to [5] blocks above or below their diviner when in roleplay, and can be implied to fly at any height outside of roleplay (meaning, forum posts can describe a familiar flying across the sky, and familiars can be used to deliver letters in place of other birds). ✦ Even when not manifest, a diviner’s celestial always takes part in their divination spells. The role that the celestial plays during the spell is up to the discretion of the diviner, but they must be involved in some way. A celestial might dissipate into arcana and feed visions to the diviner as they travel the stars beyond, or they might remain in the physical world and begin burning with a powerful arcane light that rushes into the diviner’s eyes. ✦ A diviner experiences the outcomes of their fortune telling spells (Foretell, Illuminate, Synastry and Omen) as visions that inform them of the target’s fate. These visions are always vague, relying on metaphor rather than revealing events exactly as they are fated to happen. For instance, a diviner might witness a vision in which the target is pulled from the ocean by a passing sailor, representing hope or a positive social encounter. Visions should ideally be interpretable in multiple different ways. ☾ A diviner can choose to evoke these visions or visions from other spells (such as Memory of Ages) through a chosen medium. The face of the tarot card they have just drawn might suddenly come alive, its imagery warped by the vision, or a mirror's reflection might suddenly change. ✦ Divination spells cause their targets to accrue Weals and Woes. Weals and Woes are foretold events that will affect a character’s life. ☾ A player chooses when their character experiences a Weal or Woe. ☾ A player must clearly state the Weals or Woes they currently have waiting to occur in their character card. ☾ Weals and Woes last indefinitely. They cannot be avoided simply by waiting them out. Additionally, new Weals and Woes cannot normally be gained unless a petitioner has first experienced all Weals and Woes accrued from a prior spell. ❈ A character may only experience [1] Weal every OOC day. This is to prevent spamming them, cheapening their effects on the characters narrative. They are intended to provide story beats, rather than to act as convenient blessings. ❈ Characters are not aware of exactly which Weals and Woes await them. Characters are only aware of the information provided to them in the vision experienced by the diviner who foretold their future. How they interpret this vision is up to them. ❈ Aside from in the case of the spell Omen, players should refrain from using their Weals in tandem. Stacking Weals and having your group use them all at once to escape some particular trouble is considered powergaming, and likely also metagaming as it implies the manipulation described in the above redline. ❈ Whilst Weals have very broad effects, the good luck that they offer should not be overstated. Bear in mind that having exceedingly unlikely things happen to your character is also considered powergaming. This redline can be bent with ST oversight if an outcome is agreed by staff. Weal of Vitality [1] ✦ A farmer fills his cart with hay in record time and without any extra help; he even manages to carry several extra bales by himself, all the way to market! ✦ A messenger twists her ankle on her journey between cities, but miraculously, she gets back up and makes the rest of her journey without pain or lingering injury. ✦ A tomb robber, exposed to a long lost plague hiding in the carcasses he has just surrounded himself with all night, manages to avoid contracting the illness. ❈ This Weal deals in health and strength, foretelling how an individual will avoid injury or illness. It should focus on physical wellbeing. ❈ This Weal cannot be used in combat, although it can be used after a battle, lessening or outright preventing lingering physical injury. A wound might heal slightly more quickly than usual and without scarring, for instance. However, permanent and irreparable damage caused by a battle cannot be undone, such as a lost limb. This is not magical healing. ❈ The character should not perform any feats of strength that are obviously supernatural. A halfling will not be strong enough to bend steel, however long they may try. ❈ This Weal does not make a character anymore deft or precise. ❈ In event scenarios, this Weal might be used to lessen poisons or supernatural withering effects at the presiding ST’s discretion. Outside of these scenarios, consent should be sought where hazardous substances are involved, lessening or preventing their effects only with the agreement of the inflicting character; this is to preserve narrative integrity. Woe of Weakness [2] ✦ A soldier falters on their way home, falling unconscious after a particularly trying battle. ✦ A doctor comes down with a terrible case of the flu, putting her out of action all winter. ✦ A child wakes from their sleep without feeling even the slightest bit rested, and spends the rest of their day lagging behind their friends at school. ❈ This Woe foretells how an individual will be struck down by illness. This illness can take many forms. ❈ This Woe can relate to the discovery or emergence of a chronic illness, and does not necessarily need to be new. ❈ This Woe can be roleplayed in moderation. It can be roleplayed as relating to something incredibly severe, like a form of cancer, but it can also relate to more common illnesses striking at inopportune times, such as getting the flu and losing your voice right before a big concert. Weal of Dreams [3] ✦ An ambassador makes peace with the bitter enemies of her nation. ✦ A village elder manages to keep the local youths calm whilst the village is raided using his carefully woven stories. ✦ A young warrior rallies her faltering platoon after their commander is slain; even in the face of overwhelming odds, they maintain their composure and fight on. ❈ This Weal deals in positive social encounters, foretelling how an individual will use their charisma to calm their allies, make peace with their enemies or inspire hope where fear’s shadow has crept in. It should focus on improving individuals' mental states. ❈ Other players should be contacted OOC for consent should this Weal be used to influence their character’s behaviour. It should not be used to ‘mind control’ another character, forcing them to act in a particular way. Woe of Nightmares [4] ✦ A daughter responds with unintended snark and aggravates her mother, causing a row over nothing. ✦ A bard plays a song the audience finds offensive; they are quickly dismissed from the stage, crowd jeering all the while. ✦ A bar fight breaks out as a result of a slurred word sounding rather like an actual slur, which the dwarvish mercenaries sat at the bar take offence to. ❈ This Woe deals in negative social encounters, foretelling how an individual will fail to socialise well, create animosity or sour a mood, or offend someone. It should focus on upset, discontent and a worsening of individuals' moods. ❈ Other players should be contacted OOC for consent should this Woe be used to influence their character’s behaviour. It should not be used to ‘mind control’ another character, forcing them to act in a particular way; rather, it should be used as a suggestion for the way a character should react to something. That reaction should not be unrealistic or entirely out of character. Weal of Inspiration [5] ✦ A jeweller finishes a particularly difficult piece, which comes out excellently; dazzling, enchanting, entrancing. ✦ A scholar discovers a one-of-a-kind volume tucked in the back of a library. ✦ An archaeologist intuits the meaning of a word from a forgotten language, the words meaning popping into her mind spontaneously. ❈ This Weal deals in precise or intellectual pursuits, foretelling how an individual will be clever, cunning or dexterous. It should focus on displays of skill. ❈ This Weal cannot be used to avoid harm; avoiding harm is covered by the Weals of Vitality and Protection. It should refer to displaying excellence rather than avoiding catastrophe. Woe of Fools [6] ✦ A tailor makes a critical error, necessitating that they start the dress they were working on from scratch, wasting valuable time and resources. ✦ An apprentice accidentally ignites their research notes on a candle after hours of late night study. ✦ A builder accidentally builds a house in entirely the wrong end of town; they had their map upside down. ❈ This Woe deals in making careless or thoughtless mistakes, fortelling how an individual will be clumsy or unfocused. Events linked with this Woe should be events in which the character is vexed by a complex piece of work. ❈ This Woe deals less in danger and more in mishaps, breakages, brashness and bumbling. It doesn’t often lead to anything more than inconvenience. Weal of Protection [7] ✦ Discovering an extra ration at the bottom of their travel bag, an adventurer manages to press on just long enough to reach town without running out of food. ✦ Noticing a fraying rope, a foreman is able to save his worker from falling by mending poorly made scaffolding. ✦ A thief’s cloak snags on a balcony after being hurled from above, saving their life… and their stolen goods. ✦ An alchemist senses that the potion they have just made is particularly hazardous, and cautions their assistant just in time to prevent them from drinking it. ❈ This Weal deals in avoiding disaster, foretelling how an individual will be alert and cautious. It should focus on safeguarding against misfortune. ❈ This Weal should not be used to avoid death outright from being stabbed, poisoned or otherwise attacked by a player character. It can be used to avoid death during events with the presiding ST’s agreement. ❈ When engaged with other players, their consent must be sought if this Weal is used to avoid death, and should ideally be used to avoid incidental death. For instance, if a character were shoved from a great height, it would be reasonable to say that their good fortune allowed them to survive the fall. Woe of Catastrophe [8] ✦ A rope fails to bear a ranger’s weight and sends them tumbling down a cliff face. ✦ A fisherman discovers a vodnik when out fishing, and runs screaming all the way back to town with a terrible slash in their side. ✦ A barman accidentally brings their store of booze crashing down on their head after leaning a little too much of their weight on a shelf. ❈ This Woe deals in immediate danger. It foretells an event in which a character will be threatened by some unforeseen peril. ❈ This Woe relates to dangers in the world rather than failures on the part of the character. It should represent events that the character could have done nothing to avoid, where other Woes represent self-made problems. ❈ These events are those most likely to lead to physical harm. Scars and bruises are most likely to result from the scrapes one gets into as a result of this Woe. SPELLS [T1 | Non-Combat] Manifest Celestial ✦ Manifest Celestial takes [2] emotes to cast. Once manifest, a celestial can remain manifest even if their diviner disconnects from the Void. ✦ Whilst manifest a celestial can move of its own accord. It behaves according to its category as defined in the mechanics section, of which there are [3]; Strong, Deft and Flying. Celestials never take part in combat. When in immediate danger, a celestial will always flee by dissipating into arcana and returning to their bound diviner. ✦ The celestial emits a starry radiance that illuminates the [5] block space surrounding it. Those standing within this radius can see clearly within it, and have magically improved vision beyond it that allows them to perceive vague shapes even in pitch darkness. ☾ At [T2], the celestial learns to weave lingering orbs of light that remain in existence for as long as the celestial remains manifest. These orbs are as bright as the celestial themselves and float at descendant speeds at the celestials command. They do not require line of sight to remain in existence, although the celestial is only able to control them when they are able to see them and when within [8] blocks of them. Conjured orbs dissipate if the celestial ever moves more than [15] blocks from them. ✦ Whilst manifest, a diviner's familiar is able to identify if an individual has a Weal or Woe waiting to pass by looking at them. A familiar cannot identify which Weals or Woes specifically are in an individual's future, nor can they tell exactly how many there are. ☾ Casting Synastry temporarily muddles this sense. A familiar cannot identify an individual's Weals or Woes for [1] IRL day once Synastry has been cast on them. ❈ Celestials never take part in combat. ❈ Celestials remain manifest when outside of their diviner’s line of sight, but must remain within [10] blocks of them. ❈ The lights produced by a celestial are never bright enough to blind. ❈ The lights produced by a celestial do not produce heat, and cannot be used to start fires. [T1 | Non-Combat] Foretell ✦ Foretell takes [4] emotes to cast. ✦ The diviner peers into the immediate future of their target and rolls out of [8], determining which Weal or Woe is revealed. ☾ At [T3], a diviner can narrow their visions of the future to reveal a Weal or Woe in relation to a question asked by their target. This question could be about a certain event, a certain person or even a vague concern of the targets. If the target asks a question, they may choose to remove [1] Weal/Woe pair from the pool of possible outcomes. Doing so shifts all results down by [1] increment; for example, if Vitality/Weakness were removed from the pool, Dreams/Nightmares would fill the 1 and 2 slots instead. ❈ A character can only be the target of this spell once per IRL day. ❈ Weals and Woes abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section. ❈ A character must experience the Weal or Woe gained from this spell before they can gain new Weals or Woes from either this spell or Illuminate. [T2 | Non-Combat] Illuminate ✦ Illuminate takes [4] emotes to cast. ✦ The diviner rolls out of [8] three times, peering into the future and discovering a total of [3] Weals or Woes that will affect the target. ☾ From [T4], the diviner may choose the outcome of [1] of the [3] Weals or Woes. ❈ A character can only be the target of this spell once per IRL week. ❈ Weals and Woes abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section. ❈ A character must experience all the Weals and Woes gained from this spell before they can gain new ones from either this spell or Foretell. [T2 | Non-Combat] Benevolence ✦ Benevolence takes [4] emotes to cast and may only be cast at night. The diviner’s celestial manifests and targets [1] large flame such as a crackling campfire or fireplace, or targets up to [3] smaller flames such as candles or torches within line of sight. The familiar then leaps between those targets, suffusing each of them with a portion of their arcana. ✦ The chosen flames will not go out until morning arrives, and effervesce with twinkling, starry arcana in the colour of the diviner’s aura. ☾ If the flames are extinguished, they will reignite themselves within the next [2] narrative minutes or [6] emotes, whichever comes first. ✦ Those who rest nearby the flames will sleep perfectly and receive protection from negative emotions. ☾ Perfect sleep equates to a solid eight hours of rejuvenating rest. This sleep cannot be disturbed by natural (sickness, poor bedding, etc.) or supernatural means (curses, banes, hexes, etc). Players may choose to have their character awaken if in immediate danger. ☾ The resistance to negative emotions causes characters to tend towards positive reactions to things; if someone says something that would normally bother them, a character finds it easier to choose against becoming angry, for instance. This effect can be overcome by sensory illusion or other forms of magic, and is by no means coercive. Those under this effect are still in control of their own thoughts. ✦ Flammable weapons or potions ignited using the flames count as magical and Voidal. ❈ All effects of this spell immediately end at dawn, causing flames to return to their mundane forms. ❈ The sleep induced by benevolence is not a magical coma and will not prevent someone from waking should the player choose such as if in danger. It does however ward away effects that would disturb sleep that are natural and supernatural; it does not break curses, banes, hexes, etc. only keeps them at bay. ❈ The protection from these effects is only possible whilst someone is asleep. Being awake leaves one vulnerable to curses, banes, hexes, etc, and their mental effects. ❈ Flammable weapons affected by this spell do not reignite under any circumstances. Once put out their flames will not reappear. Equally, items used as a weapon in combat will not reignite until that combat concludes. [T3 | Non-Combat] Synastry ✦ Synastry takes [4] emotes to cast, and requires [2] targets. ✦ One of the targeted individuals loses [1] Weal without benefiting from its effect, whilst the other loses [1] Woe without having to experience its misfortune. ☾ From [T4], the diviner's powers of fate manipulation improve, allowing them to cast this spell in order to move [1] Weal or Woe from one target to the other without dispelling it instead of the previous effect. ❈ Weals and Woes abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section. ❈ Both individuals who are targeted by the spell cannot undergo the spell again until [1] IRL week has passed and they have received a new set of Weals and/or Woes from either Foretell or Illuminate. [T3 | Combat] Wandering Star ✦ Wandering Star takes [3] emotes to cast, and can target any point in space up to [8] blocks away from the diviner. ✦ Once cast, the diviner’s celestial dashes forward in a blaze of overflowing arcana which fills their path with light. The celestial remains at the targeted location until commanded to dissipate, or until an attack is aimed at them. The celestial always immediately dissipates if an attack is launched at them, ending the spell. ✦ Those who walk in this light are bestowed with a comet's speed and grace, allowing them to move an additional [2] blocks per emote. Additionally, those who walk in the light find that they are able to balance themselves more easily on precarious surfaces, such as a narrow ledge or slippery ice. ☾ The additional movement is only provided to those travelling towards the celestial at the far end of the spell. ❈ As much as this spell can be cast in combat, this doesn't imply that a familiar is anymore comfortable with combat. They will always immediately dissipate should anything happen that would cause them harm; even aiming an attack at a celestial is enough to scare them off and cause the spell to end. ❈ The celestial is incorporeal whilst dashing, and cannot bash, bump into or otherwise interfere with anyone or anything. ❈ If a target is bound or otherwise incapable of taking their normal movement, they do not become able to as a result of this spell. This spell does not break stuns, or allow a prisoner to escape their chains. ❈ The granted grace is not superhuman. Feats that would normally be impossible remain impossible, such as weaving through an overly narrow gap or standing on an otherwise sheer cliff face. [T4 | Non-Combat] Omen ✦ Omen takes [4] emotes to cast. This spell requires that at least [3] targets make offerings; acceptable offerings are listed below. This spell must target at least [3] targets, and may target up to [6] targets. The granted points of Weal may stack with Weal gained from other Divination spells. Suitable offerings include: ☾ Valuable materials (magegold, gems such as diamond, ruby or sapphire, thanhium, etc.) ☾ Personally significant materials (rare herbs and spices, handmade crafts, heirlooms, memorial objects, etc.) ☾ Objects of genuine worship (Lorraine cross, mani statue, spiritualist totem, Xannic or Tahariaen symbol, Xionist literature, etc) ☾ Enchanted objects (Voidal, blessed, cursed, etc.) ✦ Each target receives [1] Weal which must relate to the chosen endeavour. Following the conclusion of the event, the Weal immediately dissipates if not used. ✦ If the chosen endeavour is an ST run event, the diviner may contact the managing ST for a vision that relates to the upcoming event. ❈ Weals abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section. ❈ If given a vision relating to an upcoming event, the diviner must relate the vision as instructed by the ST. Further, the ST is not forced to provide a vision if they would rather not. ❈ Those targeted by this spell may not be targeted by it again until [1] IRL week has passed. ❈ Until the Weal gained from this spell is experienced, a character cannot be targeted by this spell again or other fortune telling spells that provide Weals and Woes. ❈ The chosen endeavour should be relatively arduous, difficult or important. Providing a group of dungeon delvers with insight before their next adventure, or preparing a party of ambassadors before they engage in hours of diplomatic talks are suitable examples. [T4 | Non-Combat] Astral Sending ✦ Astral Sending takes [5] emotes to cast. This spell must be cast at night. The spell can target any descendant in the world who is known to the diviner. ✦ Once cast, the diviner’s celestial rockets into the heavens on a plume of powerfully effervescing arcana and streaks across the night sky as a bolt of light, guided by the Zodiac’s ever watchful eye to their destination. The celestial arrives in a great burst of refulgent but intangible energy. ✦ Touching the celestial allows the target to reveal their current location to the diviner in a vision, wherever they are in the world. They may also receive a vision from the celestial which reveals the location of the diviner. The celestial then either returns to the diviner, ready to guide them to the target’s location, or remains with the target in order to guide them back to the diviner. ❈ The message takes as long to reach its target as a bird would to arrive in an aviary. ❈ The target must be able to see the night sky in order for them to receive their message. ❈ The target cannot be imprisoned or in active combat, either when the spell is cast or before the celestial has arrived. Otherwise it fails. ❈ The celestial’s arrival does not damage its surroundings when it lands. ❈ The celestial is only able to guide either party to the other’s location if OOC consent from both the target and the diviner is given. This is performed by giving directions or coordinates in PMs, on the server itself, for the sake of documentation. [T5 | Non-Combat] Memory of Ages ✦ Memory of Ages takes [6] emotes to cast, and requires a willing target who has previously received a prophecy. This spell requires that the diviner lowers themselves into a deep trance state. Whilst in this state, they are numb to the affairs of the mortal world and cannot respond until they have left their trance. ✦ Once the diviner has entered into their trance, they recall a particular prophecy previously experienced by their target. They experience the prophecy in exactly the same way as their target initially experienced the prophecy. ✦ If an ST is present, the diviner may ask [1] question about the prophecy they are recalling. The response the diviner receives to this question is entirely at the discretion of the presiding ST. ☾ Example questions might include: ☾ What happens if we don’t succeed/if we ignore this/if we disagree? ☾ Can you tell us more about [this] aspect of the prophecy? ☾ Why are you telling us this? ☾ Who are you? (As in, who has sent the prophecy?) ❈ The target for this spell must understand the nature of the spell, and must willingly consent to allowing the prophecy to be recalled. ❈ This spell can be cast without ST oversight if no question is asked. ❈ The presiding ST is not required to answer the question in any particular way. They may even choose not to answer the question, providing no response at all or an answer adjacent to the question. ❈ It is rarely clear to a diviner who or what is responding to their question. At certain times, it may be that the originator of the prophecy is contacted for their response, whilst at other times the Zodiac may stand in to provide insight. The ST is under no obligation to clearly identify who they are responding as. [T5 | Non-Combat] Fate’s Bindings ✦ Fate’s Bindings may take effect while using ritual casting’s infusion ritual. Fate’s Bindings must be cast as an enchanted artefact (MArt) is being created. ✦ Once cast, the diviner chooses up to [3] fateful bindings to be placed on the enchanted artefact. These bindings restrict the usage of the artefact; below are some helpful examples. ☾ An artefact might require that it be wielded by or against someone of a particular race or bloodline, someone with a particular name, or even someone with a particular colour of hair or other specific feature. ☾ An artefact might require that it be used, or it might only become active, at a particular time of day or during a particular event. It might be that the artefact can only be used for so long as nation [x] is at war with nation [y], or for so long as a certain person is alive. ☾ An artefact might only be able to be wielded with certain motivations. Perhaps a sword can only be wielded in defence of the weak, or a magically burning censor can only be ignited by a true Canonist priest. ✦ The more of these bindings that the diviner chooses to place upon the artefact, the more powerful it becomes. If all three bindings are placed on an artefact, the artefact becomes so infused with the Zodiac’s will that a celestial takes up residence within the artefact. This celestial can supernaturally influence the demeanour of the one who wields the artefact, planting ideas in their mind that draw them towards certain courses of action. ☾ Explanations of the celestials desires and how it influences those who wield the artefact should be documented in the MArt application made for the artefact. ❈ This ability is freeform in its application and merely allows MArts to be made with specific parameters for use. It cannot be applied to non-MArt objects or enchantments. ❈ Each binding should be a single clause. They should specify only one restriction each, and should not double up on restrictions or become overly complicated. [T5 | Connection] Rite of Meteorites ✦ This freeform ritual calls a celestial down from the Zodiac, which the diviner-to-be absorbs into their body. They might do this by physically eating the star, or by having it disperse into their skin, or by drinking its light through their eyes. Whatever happens, the fallen star integrates itself into them physically, connecting them to the Void if they have not yet been connected. ☾ Through roleplay, a familiar might be destroyed, or return to the Zodiac if they have a serious disagreement with their bound diviner. This ritual can be performed again to call down a new celestial from the heavens should a diviner require a new companion. ☾ Once summoned, either the celestial’s aura becomes identical to their bound diviner’s, or the diviner’s aura changes to be identical to their familiar’s. ❈ This ritual can involve whatever implements or practices that the diviner wishes. ❈ Divination does not have a lore prescribed disconnection ritual, and can be dropped at any time. The diviner can release their Celestial from their body by making an offering to the Zodiac and thanking them for their assistance in a freeform ritual. ❈ Familiars are only likely to be lost during events. As such, a diviner should be careful when it comes to how often they are receiving new familiars, and ideally should not receive a new one more frequently than every [6] months. This isn’t a hard line, and should be taken as guidance. PURPOSE ✦ I wrote this magic with one particular piece of feedback in mind from my previous Celestialism write-up; “I thought that this was going to be more emotionally focused”. This has been written to have as little focus on combat as is possible, putting the spotlight on character growth and development. I really think this has the potential to jumpstart so many characters that are currently sitting still in their lives. ✦ My hope is that this will proliferate quickly into lots of different communities and become something that draws characters together. I’ve long thought that we’ve needed a more pastoral magic that focuses on helping people live their lives, rather than providing outright healing or magical protection. I think that this will fulfil an important priestly role for many different cultures and religions. ✦ Thematically, this is most similar to seer. It has a similarly mysterious and occult theming, but ultimately this magic does something entirely distinct. This magic focuses entirely on true fortune telling, creating narratives for characters to embark upon, where seer has a much more manipulative and controlling feel to it. Where they are the magical Illuminati, diviners are village priests and doctors providing heavenly blessings from the beyond. ✦ This piece adds a lot of interactivity with the Void, particularly with the relationship we can see between familiars and the Zodiac at large. I’m in contact with the lore writer currently working on Horror lore to join the Zodiac into the work that’s being done there. ✦ Many thanks to @Zarsies for helping with the work on this one, I couldn’t have done it without you. CHANGELOG [16/08/2024, 16:00 GMT] ✦ Added the following to Manifest Familiar in response to @Samler's comment: ✦ Whilst manifest, a diviner's familiar is able to identify if an individual has a Weal or Woe waiting to pass by looking at them. A familiar cannot identify which Weals or Woes specifically are in an individual's future, nor can they tell exactly how many there are. ☾ Casting Synastry temporarily muddles this sense. A familiar cannot identify an individual's Weals or Woes for [1] IRL day once Synastry has been cast on them.

1. I can see an argument that follows from this that applications needn't be made for a character, but rather, for a player. You don't apply for a TA for your necromancer, you yourself, the player, apply to be interviewed about whether or not you know enough about necromancy to guide people through learning it, yourself or otherwise. 2. Definitely needs checks and balances in the form of limitations. When you start a new character, you can choose [1] magic, or, you can only choose so many slots of magic to have them self-taught. Maybe you're required to make some kind of roleplay application that details how your character learnt the magic, who they are, some ideas of what they plan to do with it. 3. In furtherance to the previous point, I could see an initiative to create roleplay means by which you could justify learning these magics. More altars on the server itself for events, magic books, sure, but also starting locations and wandering event characters or organisations that can be used as justification. Maybe there's a school of wizards somewhere on the map which is run partly by players, but also partly by ET played mages who can pass magics on. This might lead toward a world in which player and staff run stories are brought together into single organisations which make magic stuff happen, not sure.

A quick notice; I've been continuing my work on this and made a number of changes today. I've tried to streamline some abilities by dropping extra effects, rewrote one blessing to make it fall in line with the others, and added detail to Melding in an attempt to make it a little more intriguing, with enough depth to get the imagination going.

Another big update, making changes and clarifications across the lore! My next goal is to write a section on interactions with enchanting, which spells can and cannot be enchanted, and how they work when enchanted.