Difference between revisions of "AI:L Background"

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==Select Mechanics==
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==Rules==
 
 
Things you gain CP (XP) for:
 
  
1 CP for participating (thanks for coming out!)<br>
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Under Development
1 CP for entertaining roleplay<br>
 
1 CP for suffering from one of their Fears<br>
 
1 CP for acting on a Conviction<br>
 
1 CP for making progress towards one of their Goals<br>
 
1 CP for facing a significant challenge<br>
 
1 CP for overcoming a significant challenge<br>
 
2 CP for being badly beaten (but surviving) in an encounter with a villain<br>
 
2 CP for accomplishing something significant for their faction.<br>
 
3 CP for completing (successfully?) a mission or adventure.<br>
 
4 CP for horribly failing a very important mission or adventure.<br>
 
5 CP for expending a Power Point<br>
 
10 CP for expending a Fate Point (100 CP for consuming a Fate point!)<br>
 
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
  
[[File:Map of Arth.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Map of Arth]]<br>
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[[File:Map of Arth.jpg|600px|thumb|right|Map of Arth<br>
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[https://swiki.fancruft.com/images/7/7f/Map_of_Arth.jpg Full Size Download] ]]<br>
  
 
Magic was discovered about a thousand years ago in roughly simultaneous events on the continents of Jibril, Rafaela and Heylel (called Zenith by the locals).  Magic, called Prana by the Zenith, and Praxis by the Jibrilites, is driven by an energy called Ether pulled from another universe across from our own, and particularly attracted to the energy of life and thought.  Initial magical spells were simple, limited as they were by the ability of the users to mentally conceive the uses of this energy and control their application.  In those days magic mainly took the form of additional physical prowess or the basic induction of excess energy into other objects, usually with destructive effect.<br>
 
Magic was discovered about a thousand years ago in roughly simultaneous events on the continents of Jibril, Rafaela and Heylel (called Zenith by the locals).  Magic, called Prana by the Zenith, and Praxis by the Jibrilites, is driven by an energy called Ether pulled from another universe across from our own, and particularly attracted to the energy of life and thought.  Initial magical spells were simple, limited as they were by the ability of the users to mentally conceive the uses of this energy and control their application.  In those days magic mainly took the form of additional physical prowess or the basic induction of excess energy into other objects, usually with destructive effect.<br>
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This is the world and the period in which this game is set.<br>
 
This is the world and the period in which this game is set.<br>
  
==Background Fluff==
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50 years ago Zadkiel founded the Republic, 20 years ago he stepped away from it leaving humans to their own devices.  10 years ago he vanished.  5 years ago was the invasion of Eleutheria and the fall of the republic.
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===The Eleutherian Diplomatic Initiative; the Limes Prionicus===
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With the outright refusal of the Chosen of Mercy’s support made abundantly clear in the early planning stages for the proposed Armagher Defence Line (a system of fixed anti-stratodyne defenses for the city) the planning committee of the ''council legates'' diverted attention towards strengthening the conventional forces; the ''Loki'' Autogear project’s star therefore ascended under the strenuous support of the First Prince Ryzard. Zadkiel was fully aware that an outright military confrontation with the full force of the Chosen was perhaps outright hopeless if not suicidal, and their Jibrilite nations, and thus stressed the validity of the diplomatic approach and deescalation towards worsening relations with Jibril. Certain private records indicate that Armagher’s cabal in the republican leadership accepted this nominally, and publicly, for the benefit of those less willing to risk everything on a future confrontation and the general public.
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After receiving the general affirmation of the noble assembly Armagher authorized the dispatch of an embassy under Cordelia Megus and Durus Sentonius to Jibril to treat with the Chosen; Zadkiel provided transportation and safe conducts for the embassy. How much he knew of the actual intent is unclear but it is doubtful he remained in the dark for very long. The embassy treated primarily with the Chosen Megalos, the Builder, the Curtain of Light specifically rather then Liah, the Chosen most opposed to Zadkiel’s republican experiment. On the confidential orders or understanding delivered privately from Armagher Cordelia Megus, the head of the delegation, spoke with Megalos and offered up certain electrotech computers and other pieces of technology that had slipped from the hand of the Eleutherian Darrow and into the possession of the Republic in return for industrial assistance; Armagher’s plan for the ''Limes Prionicus'' required the raw power of Jibrilite transmutation capacity on the scale only a Chosen could provide. If one would not help another might be bribed into doing so.
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:Cordelia Megus: “Governor Armagher wants a tower to rain doom upon our enemies...”
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:Megalos: “A TOWER OF DOOM? Yesss.. You are the enemy afterall… So. You’ll get the BEST tower of Doom.”
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::--From the recollections of Zad-kun, Vol 71.
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Megalos thereafter arranged for the almost wondrous construction of the four laser-defence towers in Piron itself and others outside of the city. Such a task was something out of the reach of the Republic but a child’s trick for the Chosen of builders; Megalos gleefully absorbed the technology used as payments for his services into his own method of personal ascension becoming something ''other''. The embassy returned with the Governor-General presented the mission as a success. The Republic however was unable to fully outfit most of the towers as laser-defence towers thanks to the great demands on the republic’s limited industrial resources; the Autogear project as well as the mass construction of track-irons and other equipment had absorbed a high percentage of industrial output that could not be diverted. While Armagher had ensured his ADL (named the much more patriotic Limes Prionicus) through the clever use of circumventing the refusal of one chosen by enlisting the help of another Ryzard had in the meantime built his conventional army. Not fooled or blinded by hope Zadkiel finally made his break with the republican leadership foreseeing perhaps the war and the ruin to come.
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The actual diplomatic maneuvers and pretense of the mission did no real harm to the cause of avoiding war while the secret objective guaranteed it. The handover of the darrow electrotech technology by Cordelia and Nina Megus was a small thing that might have allowed the Chosen to discovery the limits of such technology…. The ultimate heresy was the contamination of the chosen state of being, as developed by that cabal of alchemists centuries before, with darrow-tech by Megalos delivered by Armagher and House Megus. Liah, the Chosen most opposed to the Darrow on the grounds of their strange electrotech, pointed out to her fellows at how Megalos had went from merely being concerning to outright alarming. Pointing out this threat alongside the arming for war aganist them, especially in light of skirmishes with the Zenith, convinced finally the uncertain or previously indifferent Chosen.
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The impetus for invasion was now firmly fixed and the doom of the republic triggered.
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==Background Fluff Images==
  
 
Some images shamelessly stolen from Deviant Art to give an idea of the style of the game:<br>
 
Some images shamelessly stolen from Deviant Art to give an idea of the style of the game:<br>
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[[File:Jibril Infantry.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Coreve Crusaders with Inquisitor]]<br>
 
[[File:Jibril Infantry.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Coreve Crusaders with Inquisitor]]<br>
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[[File:Zenith Knight.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Zenith Knight with active Arclave]]<br>
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[[File:Now At the End.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Last Stand against Autoclaires]]
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[[File:The Fall of Prion.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The Fall of Prion, bringing the Eluetherian Republic to an end]]<br>
  
 
[[File:Midgar-final-fantasy-vii-30916-1920x1080.jpg|200px|thumb|right|CZ Central, Formerly Prion City, capital of the Eleutherian Republic]]<br>
 
[[File:Midgar-final-fantasy-vii-30916-1920x1080.jpg|200px|thumb|right|CZ Central, Formerly Prion City, capital of the Eleutherian Republic]]<br>
  
==Game Concept==
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==Timekeeping==
  
The game will take place on The Continent of Mikaela, in the Correctional Zone, which used to be the Eleutherian Republic.  The Capital of the Correctional Zone is CZ Central, also called CZ-CUR or CZ City, which used to be the city of Prion.  The Eleutherian Republic was formerly the Auraden Protectorate Zone, under the rule of the Chosen Zadkiel.  About 50 years ago (97 ER - Era of Repentance - the Chosen calendar is divided into eras of varying length based on various themes, and intentionally designed to muddy the length of history) Zadkiel began moving the Auraden Zone towards self governance. 10 years ago the former Zone reached full autonomy and declared itself the Eleutherian Republic.  The Republic was immediately subjected to a covert campaign to undermine it conducted from the Protectorates of several of the neighboring Chosen, who called its independence the "Abandonment."  After an escalation of rhetoric and military build up, five years ago Eleutheria was invaded by the Crusading armies of Coreven, Endruscare and Telloren.  This invasion was called the Corrective Re-Enlightenment by the Chosen.  The war was bloody with several unexpected early setbacks for the Crusader armies. In the end, despite their advanced technology, the forces of the Republic were crushed by the unleashed powers of the ChosenEleutheria was divided into three "Correctional Zone Regions," with the ruined former capital of Prion rebuilt as a jointly administered Central Urban Region.<br>
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Jibril uses a calendar with 361 days to the year, with 11 months of 30 days, and one month of 31 days.  The months are divided into seven day weeks.  According the the (intentionally confusing) Jibril calendar it is the year 5 of the Age of Ascension. The previous age was the Age of Repentance, which lasted 148 years, and was itself preceded by the Age of Countenance, which lasted 76 years.  <br>
  
It is now the year 5 E.A., in the Era of Ascension, six months after the Silent War, and the Fall of 25 Libra, which saw the death of the Chosen.  The Correctional Zone is breaking down, with the three Administrative Regions on the verge of war with each other over mounting suspicions and increasingly scarce resources.  In the middle of this, the resistance which was once the Army of the Republic, is stirring, gathering its forces, and preparing to re-ignite a war of liberation.<br>
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Current Game Date is Raguday, 25 Aries, 5AA, in the middle of one of the worst winters in living memory on the Mikealan Continent.
  
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'''Months'''<br>
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::Aries
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:::10 Aries - 0AA. - the fall of the Republic
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::Taurus
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::Gemini
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::Cancer
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::Leo
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::Virgo
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::Libra
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:::25 Libra - 4AA. - the Silent War
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::Scorpio
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::Sagittarius
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::Capricorn
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::Aquarius
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::Pisces (31 days)
  
Recruitment is closed, and characters are now being built.<br>
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'''Days of the Week'''<br>
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::Gabrelday (Holy Day)
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::Mikkelday (Rest Day)
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::Raflesday (Toil Day)
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::Anasday
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::Simisday  (Midweek)
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::Orisday
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::Raguday  (Final Day)
  
==Rules==
 
  
Version 0.2 of the Ascension Ruleset is uploaded here (Word Doc):<br>
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Zenith uses a different calendar of 12 Months of 30 days with one Interstice Day (although the month names are the same), and each month containing three weeks of 10 days each. According to the Zenith Calendar the current year is 2998 Bandish Shinastra, or after the revelations of the prophet Shinastra.<br>
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==Terms of Arth==
  
https://www.sendspace.com/file/kmjbpb
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Below are is some general information on items, equipment and terms in the world of Arth:<br>
  
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'''Archenium:''' A silver alloy capable of conducting and containing ether, and the basis for much of the Chosen's technology.<br>
  
==Interested Players==
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'''Autocar:''' A powered ground vehicle, commonly driven by Ambroline.  Due to supply shortages of etheric fuel, many Autocars have been modified into steam powered vehicles, and in Mikaela many old gasoline powered vehicles have seen a resurgence.<br>
  
If you're interested put your name below, and your faction preferences.<br>
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'''Construct:''' An artificial organism, often created from a fusion of mechanical parts and dead flesh.  Such constructs are more properly known as Cogmeks.  Fully living biological constructs are possible, and have been made in the past, however they are currently outlawed by the Empyrean Codex, and living constructs will be destroyed by Jibrilites if recognized as such.<br>
  
Shrike - Faction tbd
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'''Ether Geode:''' A small geomantic gem capable of collecting and storing etheric energy within.  Common components of etheric devices, they naturally form in small quantities, but most current geodes are artificially manufactured.<br>
  
FBH - Stranded Zenith commando
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'''Bloodstone:''' An etheric bacteria mixed in to construction materials to assist transmutation when living, and then resist further casual transmutation attempts once dead.  Attempting to transmute the material leads the bacteria to absorb the energy and then bleed out of the material as a dark liquid.  Extremely common in Jibrilite construction.<br>
  
Entropy - Prole Revolutionary
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'''Clockwork Cities:''' The cities of the Chosen in Jibril, so named for their orderly reputation as well as the habit of some Chosen to regularly rearrange the city layout via mass transmutation effects.
  
Lokar - Of the Rebellion (revolutionary)
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'''Cold Iron:''' Magically forged iron whose creation processes make it extremely resistant to further transmutation.  Cold Iron disrupts etheric effects, and is used in weapons and currency (called Aduli) in some parts of the Zenith Empire.  Elves have a distaste for cold iron and do not like to handle it.
  
==Etheric Magic In Detail==
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'''Obsidian:''' Commonly used construction material by mages and thaumatechs due to its resistance to transmutation.  Also colloquially used term for various types of pure silica extensively used by the Jibrilites.
  
Magic - Background
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'''Pol:''' A non-noble Jibrilite.  Although heavily involved in Noble affairs, following the hierarchical tenets of the Empyrean Codex, the Chosen very rarely directly involve themselves in the affairs of the Pols.<br>
  
The system of magic presented here is specific to the Ascension Isle settingMagic is performed with “Ether”, which is an extra-universal energy that is attracted to living organisms, particularly those with advanced nervous systemsEther is extremely powerful, both as raw energy but also due to its probabilistic effects which can induce or reduce entropy and uncertainty, and destabilize or change matter from one form or state to another.
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'''Noble:''' The genetically engineered and eugenically bred members of the Jibrilite ruling classIn particular, Jibrilite Nobles have a superior sensitivity to EtherThe Jibrilite Nobility is used as the tools of the Chosen, while the Pols are the tools of the Nobility.<br>
  
When Ether enters a living being capable of wielding it, it is commonly called Aether.  For a time it was believed that Aether was naturally and spontaneously generated by all living creatures, 500 years ago Jibrilite and Zenith savants realized its true origin.
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'''Heirophant:''' Nobles specifically granted the right to direct communion with the Chosen.  This may be awarded to an entire house, in which case it will be called a "Heiro-House."<br>
  
The universe from which Ether originates is called by different names; Jibrilites call it the Void, and consider it an formless space of chaotic energies, while the Zenith call it the Verge, and consider it the doorstep to another world much like Arth in many ways, but utterly unlike it in others.  The membrane between Arth and the Void/Verge is called the Veil through which Ether naturally seeps.  The Void can also be penetrated by various artificial means, although some of these come with great risk.
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'''Talent:''' The basic Jibrilite unit of currency.  Most Talents are stored etherically in voidbanks.  A physical talent is a small silver coin with trace amounts of inert Archenium in a complex matrix.  The coin can easily be transmuted, but doing so destroys the finely balanced Archenium matrix and renders the currency invalid.  The average Jibrilite Pol will earn about 10,000 Talents a year.  The average noble scion of a modest house will have a yearly stipend of 250,000 or more.<br>
  
Once Aether has collected in a living being, it can be physically and psychoactively controlled by a skilled individualThis is done through a range of physical movements, meditative mantras, and breath exhalationsIf conducted in the proper manner, these actions can induce Aether to perform various practical functionsUnfortunately human gestures and thoughts are a crude means of controlling so complex a force as Ether, leading to the more advanced practices developed by the Chosen and the Zenith Sorcerors.
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'''Stratodyne:''' Flying warships used almost to exclusion by the Jibrilites, to the point that there are very few true "water ships" in their arsenals.  Most stratodynes are designed to float in water if required, usually when docked.  Stratodyne Destroyers are the smallest stratodynes, usually armed with powerful short ranged missiles and rams for taking on larger warships.  Cruising Stratodynes are the most common and general purpose sky shipsBattle Stratodynes are the main combat warships, and are usually capable of carrying at least a battalion of men, as well as supporting them in combat with heavy gunfire.  Bridge Stratodynes are the largest sky ships, and are capable of carrying a full brigade of troopsThey are often used as long range combat transports and command vessels.  They are more common in garrison fleets.  High Battle Stratodynes are the most powerful of the skyships and the centerpieces of the Chosen fleets - sometimes the personal transports of the Chosen themselvesThey are armed with powerful spinal Void Cannon, and are the supreme combat ships of Arth, with the bulk of these warships deployed as flagships with Home Fleets or on the Heylel front.<br>
  
The Chosen of Jibril developed a means of transferring Ether from a living being and through a physical circuit made of a complex Ether-conducting silver-alloy called Archenium.  This allowed the Etheric circuit to be finely crafted to achieve a precision previously undreamed of.  It made this form of magic easy to use for anyone with the basic knowledge of how to channel Ether and access to the appropriate circuit, however the Chosen jealously guarded its deeper principles, meaning most Jibrilites have a working knowledge of how to use this “Thaumatech,” but very little understanding of its deeper principles.
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'''Arthrodyne:''' Smaller aircraft using the sympathetic etheric resonance with insects to guide the motion of their componentsArthrodynes are a common tactical transports for Jibril troops, and usually look like large armoured beetles.  The Herald Arthrodyne Guncraft is particularly common among the Coreven Crusade, due to its useful mix of armour, firepower, and troop capacity.<br>
  
The Zenith went a different route.  Unlike the Jibrilites, the Zenith delved deep across the universal boundary and into the Void, and realized that it was not in fact emptyThere were worlds, and beings, on the other side.  At the right times, when the worlds of the Verge were in conjunction with the world of Arth, these beings could be enticed across the VeilIn their natural form, these creatures were unable to survive in our universe (just as humans were unable to survive for long in the Void – the research was costly), but they could be fused with the Aetheric field of a living being, creating a creature that was much more than the sum of its parts, able to draw on, and wield Ether at levels previously unimaginable.  These fused individuals were called Sorcerors in Zenith and the Zones. . . and various forms of demon worshippers by the Jibrilites.
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'''Aerodyne:''' Aerodyne Gunships have been standard modes of transport for the Crusaders for some timeAerodyne fighters, known as "Skyreaves" are a more recent development, created over the past century to combat air attacks by sophisticated Mikaelan rebels, as well as meet the threat of potential Zenith advancements.  Most Battle Stratodynes now carry at least a flight of these aircraftThe common term for the standard combat Jet is "Moth," due to its delta-wing appearance.<br>
  
Ether has one particular property that is of interestEtheric radiation from living beings floods the higher electromagnetic spectrum, generating particularly powerful radio wavesThese waves are useful for detecting the presence of Aether-charged individuals, but they also generate a great deal of random white noise on those frequencies.  The active use of Ether also generates powerful electromagnetic and probabilistic quantum spikes, which serve both to overload and short out insufficiently shielded electronics, as well as randomly change the state of electric transistors.
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'''Autoclaire:''' A humanoid battlesuit, standing between 3m and 15m tall, depending on typeThe smallest Arch Autoclaires are like large suits of armour, while Prime Autoclaires are the most common tactical type, and the largest Domina Autoclaires are used by commanders and for special battlefield tasks needed extra firepower and armourThere are also Throne Autoclaires of unimaginable power, rumored to have once been the personal mounts of the Chosen.  The Chosen have no need of such weapons these days, but they have been known to grant these weapons to their most favoured servants.  Autoclaires function through sympathetic etheric resonance with the human form, but ZEN-Tek has also created a version that runs entirely through advanced slicon computer control, which they call the 'AutoGear.' The Zenith Empire also fields devices similar to Autoclaires which they call 'Megas Anima.'  Megas Anima are lest bound to the human form than Autoclaires, and commonly take winged forms.<br>
  
These effects have prevented the development of many technologies on Arth, particularly since advanced Thaumatech can replicate or exceed the capabilities of many of themAlthough electricity has been known for some time, its use is quite limited.  The telephone is not used (early experiments with it led to widespread fires after Ether was used near the telegraph lines), nor is electricity widespread, or radio, or radarEngines are based on Etheric principles rather than electromagnetic, and the Jibrilites have no understanding of the transistor.
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'''Autoclaire Generations:'''  To date there are five "generations" of Autoclaires.  The first geneneration were the Eshim, clunky steam powered suits controlled by cogs and pulleys, used in the early days during the founding of the Chosen dominions.  Only a handful of these obsolete suits still exist in collections and as curiosities, and they have no place on a modern battlefield.  The second generation are the Cherubim, which were also steam powered but far more advanced with full articulation with hydraulic muscles to mimic the human form.  Small numbers of heavily upgraded Cherubim still exist, most commonly as Arch Autoclaires for Jibrilite noble houses.  The third generation Elohim introduced etheric power and are the recognizable form of modern Autos, with the introduction of Liah's Aleph Alpha.  For several centuries the Elohim were the last autoclaires designed by the Chosen as the Jibrilite gods moved on to other pursuitsIn this time the mortal Thuamatech engineers of the various Crusades performed a series of upgrades to the Elohim that were eventually recognized as the fourth generation Shaper-Elohim.  These upgrades added more advanced weapons and sub systems, and additional functions including flight or fire support or assualt breakers.  The fourth generation was codified in a series of force-wide upgrades incorporating the lessons learned from the late Mikealan and Rafaelan conflicts, particularly the Eleutherian Correction.  These upgrades had only just been completed when the Crusades clashed with the Zenith Empire at SaranavoThe Zenith Megas-Anima proved themselves vastly superior even to the upgraded Shaper-Elohim, necessitating the hasty development of a fifth generation "Seraphim," including features like flight and improved control and weapon systems as standard.
  
This is not to say these technologies are unknown and do not exist on ArthIn areas of the Mikaelan continent technology sometimes appears of fantastic levels of advancementMost recently, the independent Eluetherian Republic of the former Auraden Protectorate Zone came into the possession of civilian infrastructure and military equipment that would be considered advanced even for Earth’s 21st century, however the source of this “Electrotech” remains unknownJibril captured many copies of the most advanced devices during the Corrective Re-enlightenment (invasion) of the former Eleutherian Republic, however understanding of them has so far escaped the Church’s best savants.
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'''Seraphim:''' The "fifth generation" of Throne Autoclaires, produced just before the FallAutoclaire design stalled for several centuries with the third and fourth generation "Elohim" and "Shaper-Elohim." When the Crusaders clashed with the Zenith over Saranavo in the two years leading up to the Fall the Chosen realized the Zenith had stolen a march on them with the development of their new Avatar class Megas-Anima.  The fifth generation Seraphim Autoclaires were rushed into service, although only a few Throne and Domina class units were completed before the FallThe very first Seraphim class autoclaire was actually constructed in the last years of the Eluetherian Republic.  This was the Seraphim Heartbreaker, made by the Chosen Zadkiel as a final gift for Aster Emeraldine.
 
Hedge Magic
 
  
No schooled practitioner of the Etheric arts or sciences calls the wielding of Ether “magic. The term was applied to the earliest use of Etheric energies, but in modern days is considered derogatory (even heretical) by all Jibrilites and most Zenith, suggesting a simple and mystical artNevertheless, the simpler practices are still in use today, and are often called “magic” by the less well educated.
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'''TrackIron:''' Once thought to be an obsolete weapon, the TrackIron (originally Land Panzer in its first incarnation) was an armoured Mikaelan war machine.  The Eleutherian Republic resurrected the type during the Corrective War, and used vastly more modern versions with some success during the First and Second Phases of the campaignEleutherian TackIrons possess particularly heavy charged armour that renders them immune to most common battlefield weapons.<br>
  
The simplest use of Ether is generally known as “Hedge Magic” in the Zones, or sometimes “Minor Praxis” (Jibril) or “First Prana” (Zenith)Hedge Magic was the first form of Etheric use discovered by humans about a thousand years ago, in the rough technological equivalent of Arth’s Late Middle Ages / Early Rennaissance Era.  It allows a person to temporarily boost their natural statistics, as well as briefly infuse Ether into animate and inanimate objects by touch, or short range convection and conduction.  These infusions are most easily used to damage or destroy the targeted object, however the most skilled practitioners can change or modify other objects with Ether.
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'''ZEN-Tek LLC:''' A shadowy manufacturer of extremely advanced electrotech, able to match the best Thaumatech devicesThe Eleutherian Republic's possession of large quantities of ZENTek equipment was a nasty surprise to the invading Crusade Armies during the Correction.<br>
  
The most powerful practitioners of the First Prana in the world are the Fey and Dragonbound Zenith Knights.  They Fey have a natural magical talent, descended from their otherworldly origin.  The Dragonbound possess power shards of shattered sorcerous souls, still radiant with power despite their destruction.  The Zenith Knights are an army of Fey and Dragonbound sworn to the Imperial Throne, who utilize secret techniques to allow them to fully unlock their power.  Although a Zenith Knight lacks the flexibility of a Sorcerer or the versatility of a Thamatechnician, there is nothing that can match their raw power, and they vie with Jibrilite solinarks for the title of Arth’s greatest Etheric warriors.
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'''Mattock:''' The main manufacturer of smallarms for the Jibril Crusaders.  The original Mattock factorum is in the Coreve capital of Aldicore, although subsidiaries now operate in most Crusader Dominions.<br>
  
Thaumatech
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'''Nightfall:''' 10 Aries 0 A.E., the day the Chosen Leliel destroyed most of the city of Prion.  In the Chosen record this marked the fall of the Eleutherian Republic, however the Republic never officially surrendered, and major combat continued for several months after this date.<br>
  
The invention of Thaumatech seven hundred years ago changed the world far more than the initial discovery of Ether did.  Before Thaumatech, magic was seen by some as a useful advantage, and by others as the devil’s work, and was alternately embraced or shunnedIt was neither overwhelming in power, nor widely practiced.  Aside from the difficulty of learning the various magical forms, the fact that extended use of Hedge Magic upon one’s own body usually led to the development of cancer and an early death from heart attack or aneurism did not help matters.
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'''Charged Plate:''' Also known as 'Blessed Metal,' a form of personal armour involving a etherically charged metal to strengthen it and resist ether-penetrating attacksAlthough it is standard personal armour for elite Crusade brigades, the Praxis version does present an unmistakeable aura signature which inhibits stealth and disrupts electronics, making it less popular with the Republic.
  
Within a century of the introduction of Thaumatech to Jibril, all nations were either run by Thaumatechnicians, or conquered by themWithin two centuries, those leading Thaumatechnicians had become gods, and had elevated themselves to become the angelic “Chosen. The Zenith use of Sorcery, though a powerful art in its own right, was ultimately a desperate reaction to the rise of Thaumatech by the magi of that continent, to prevent their conquest by the Chosen.
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'''Ambroline:''' An etheric fuel, consisting of a silicate jelly, suspending etherically sensitive bacteria.  Used to run most etherically powered heavy equipment.  More technically called "Dyronobic Gel." Synthetically produced by the Chosen to remove the demands for geodesAmbroline is now in short supply do to the collapse of the refining system, and can only be manufactured in small low quality quantities by the efforts of several priestesses.<br>
  
Thaumatech is far more powerful than Hedge Magic, but its true value comes in its versatilityNo other Etheric practice can match the complexity and reliability of the Praxis that can be performed with ThaumatechIt can do virtually anything, from lighting a cigar; to adding an explosive discharge to a lead bullet; to accelerating the healing of a wound; to establishing a telepathic connection around the world; to predicting future possibilities; to levitating huge flying machines; to travel to other planets; to granting immortality.
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'''Panoptic Mirror:''' A remote viewing device linked to a "master mirror." Images reflected in the master mirror and similarly reflected on all linked PanopticsThe newer Jibrilite Panoptics can also transmit sound, and these are sometimes referred to as "Tinbells."
  
In the modern era Thaumatech has spread around the globe, and is practiced in some fashion on all four continentsIt is alternately contracted to “Thautek” (considered colloquial and informal), or called “Magitech” (common in the Zones, considered derogatory by the Jibrilites, and so also used insultingly by the Zenith), however the highest state of this science remains rooted in Jibril, and particularly with the Chosen.
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'''Teletex:''' A teletex is a telepathic transmission device, usually used as part of a secure one-to-one communication.  The teletex interprets the normally difficult telepathic transmission.  Teletex usually take the form of a crown, however the smaller ones are a simple silver pad that the user presses to their templeWhen used by a skilled thaumatuge, a teletex can be used to broadcast and receive from and to a larger number of stations, and over longer ranges.  It should be noted that the range of telepathy is in fact functionally unlimited on Arth, but Chosen technology imposes range restrictions to allow some control over regional communications.<br>
  
Thaumatech at its root involves creating an appropriately pattered Etheric circuit out of Archenium, and then channeling Ether through it.  It requires no more from the user than the ability to properly channel Ether.  The actual design and construction of Etheric circuits is done by skilled technicians.  Due to Chosen dogma, these technicians are concentrated in the Chosen’s Empyrian Church, and their work shrouded in layers of divine mysticism.  As a result, the patterns of modern Etheric circuits often take the form of complex religious shapes, and are often named after Empyrian practices, or the Chosen themselves.  Often these circuits are coded to secret rituals or noble Jibrilite bloodlines, which restricts their use to the select few.
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'''Psyrex:''' A form of focused short ranged teletex used for delving inside the mind of a subject.  The most powerful deep psyrex can be used to plumb the very depths of a subjects self and even change their personalities.<br>
  
The proper uses of Thaumatech are laid out in the Empyrean Codex, the Chosen’s book of religious teachings.  The Priestesses of the Church are the ordained Thaumatechnicians, and monopolize Thaumatech teachings in Jibril.  It is very difficult to acquire theoretical Thaumatech knowledge outside of the Church in Jibril, and in some Domains even attempting to do so is considered heretical.  As the militant order of the Church, the Priestesses are guarded by the Inquisition whose most fearsome members are the magical cyborg soldiers known as “Solinarks.”  A Solinark has Archenium circuits fused into their body in a very painful and often fatal process, that if successful leaves them as awesome Etheric combatants.
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'''Libratex:''' A libratex is a simpler form of teletex that sends only pre-set text messages from an internal library, usually to a printing device.  It is commonly used by the military, government, and news agencies.<br>
  
Sorcery
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'''Logitike:''' A Jibrilite thaumaturge skilled in wild magic.  What wild magic a Jibrilite can learn and use is heavily restricted, and official schools never teach "Lotek" beyond the basic level.<br>
  
No Etheric practice is as controversial as Sorcery, both across Arth and within the ranks of its practitioners.  Externally, Sorcery draws the ire of those who view it as demon worship, and making deals with devils.  Internally, Sorcery is divided by those who seek to completely dominate the beings they meld with (the “Zohaka” to the Zenith, also called First Level Sorcery), and those who seek a symbiotic relationship (the “Zahara”, also called Second Level Sorcery).
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'''Logos:''' A thinking machine, usually formed from imprisoning a spirit within a mechanical construct to give form to its thoughts and allow it to be used to aid the thaumatech.  Also called a Aetheric Intellect or AI.
  
The roots of Sorcery are rumoured to go back far further than the discovery of Ether, and it is suspected that there may have been Sorcerers as far back as 5,000 yearsDue to the particular limits on Sorcery, these Sorcerers must have been very few, possibly no more than could be counted on the fingers of both hands.
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'''Sodality:''' An etheric computer, made from several complex interconnected praxiSometimes the host for a Logos.
  
Sorcery involves pulling or coaxing a living being from across the Veil to merge with the Aetheric field or “Aura” of a human being.  However the Verge is not overflowing with such beings.  In fact, they can only be reached at certain inter-dimensional conjunctions, when the planet of Arth in our universe (called Apatha by the Zenith) temporarily passes near one of the worlds in the Etheric universe (called Peritha).  There are three known worlds in Peritha, with conjunctions occurring over cycles of decades (Iris), centuries (Azis), or millennia (Morgana).  There are rumours of vast creatures that roam the Void between conjunctions, and may be summoned or encountered by the lucky or the unwary, but most learned Sorcerors consider these just Old Magi’s tales.
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'''Psyche:''' A thaumaurge particularly skilled in telepathic communication.
  
Zenith scholarship suggests that the Fey are in fact descendants of beings who crossed the Veil from Peritha five thousand years ago during the time of the Great Plague, and specifically from the world of Morgana during one of its rare conjunctionsThe Fey possessed the bodies of various animals, and then over time moulded them into forms closer to those of human.  Zenith Sorcerers put this forward as the reason why, although they have great intrinsic Etheric power, there are no Fey Sorcerors – it is impossible for a Perithan Aura to successfully anchor another unmanifest PerithanSome Sorcerers also put the existence of the Fey forward as cautionary evidence of what can happen to a Sorcerer if he or she were to lose control of the bond, and become subsumed by a Perithan soul.
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'''Thaumatech:''' A Thaumatech is a Jibrilite who understands the inner working of praxis circuits, and can recombine, or even create their ownNearly all Jibrilite Thaumatechs are members of the Empyrean Church, and in some Dominions it is actively illegal to practice Thaumatechnology without divine sanction.   
  
Once a prospective Sorcerer has attracted a being from across the Veil they must bind the Etheric being to their own Etheric Aura.  If this bond is not soon formed, the Perithan will either release back to its own universe, or dissipate in this oneIt is the nature of this bond that defines the Sorcerer.  The Zohaka consumes the Perithan with their own Aura, subsuming all its power, and gaining full control over its abilities.  The Zahara on the other hand forms a symbiotic link with the Perithan, and exists as two beings, each with its own intelligence.  Although the terms “bond” and “link” are often used interchangeably, Zenith pedants call the Zohaka process the “bond,” and the Zahara practices a “link.
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'''Thaumaturge:''' A Thaumaturge is any Jibrilite with developed skill in channelling etherMost Thaumatechs are also Thaumaturges (so much so that the skill is assumed for any Thaumatech), but many Thaumaturges are not Thaumatechs.
  
Zohaka Sorcerers alternately claim that the Perithan forces they consume have no true intelligence and the act is no worse than consuming farm animals for food; or that whether they have intelligence or not is irrelevant because the Sorceror has the will, and the need.  Certainly that will saved the Zenith from conquest by the Chosen in its hour of need, and gave rise to the Empire and the line of the Imperial DragonsouledThis followed from the conjunction between Arth and Azis nearly 600 years ago, which allowed a thousand Zenith Sorcerers to summon and bind the souls of the beings they called Dragons.  These five hundred Sorcerers became the first Drangonsouled, and established a hereditary dynasty that ruled the Zenith Empire for more than half a millennia.
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'''Preistess:''' A Thaumaturge within the Empyrean Church, ordained with religious authority by the Chosen.  Virtually all are women, due to longstanding tradition.<br>
  
The Aura of a First Level Sorcerer is an awesome thing, called the Sa’at, the Shade, or the OversoulThe Sa’at is functionally immortal and nearly indestructible, and allows the Sorcerer to reach over extreme distances with his power to manipulate etheric energies.  When working particularly powerful Prana, anyone with the ability to see Ether can clearly see the Sorceror’s Shade as a vast shape reaching across the sky.  Although not possessing so vast a range of abilities as Thaumatech, a First Level Sorcerer is unmatched in power and flexibility, and the Imperial Dragonsouled are first among Sorcerers, and a match for the Chosen of Jibril.
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'''Cleric:''' An Empyrean Thaumaturge attached to the Crusade or ConstabularySometimes called "Combat Claires," in barracks slang.<br>
  
The power of the Sa’at can be transferred from one person to another, but only at the time of deathIt is possible for this power to be transferred as a unitary force, or broken and subdivided amoung several recipients.  The transference can be done to anyone, but it is much easier to conduct when the Sorcerer is related by blood to the recipient, with parent to child transactions being the easiest.  A failed transference usually results in the death of all participants, although the Sa’at itself is not lost, and can be recovered by a suitably skilled Sorcerer. It is also possible, in very rare cases, for the Sa’at to break free and make off with the animated corpse.  Zenith children tell hushed campfire tales of the undead abominations that stalk the swamps at night, hungry for human flesh.
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'''Crusader:''' A soldier in the army of those Chosen who sought to build empires abroadCrusaders recruit from across Dominion, and even Protectorate populations, although their officers are almost always Jibrilite nobility. For centuries the most powerful and feared military force on Arth.
  
Despite the immortality of the Sa’at, over time the number of the original thousand Azis-bound Sorcerers available to the Zenith has declined, and before the Silent War was thought to number no more than two or three hundredThe remainder were diluted across multiple heirs (the Dragonbound), consumed into more powerful souls by rare (and forbidden – a terrible civil war resulted) practices, or broke free either as powerful and vengeful undead, or in five particular cases, as reborn elemental forces that still roam the world of Arth, glorious and terrifying.
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'''Guardians:''' Soldiers serving the Empyrean Church directly, not commonly seen in the Protectorates, where the Crusaders perform many of their duties.  Habitually far better equipped than Crusaders with the most advanced Thaumatech. Guardian lines are insular and do not recruit from the general populaceAlthough originally drawn from the very best human soldiers, there are rumours that many Chosen have long used tailor made constructs as Guardian.  More archaically called 'custos.'
  
This does not mean the number of Zohaka in the Empire is limited, only that few of the original Azis souls remainLess powerful sorcerous bonds with the denizens of the world of Iris are much more common, however these do not reach the power even of the diluted Dragonbound, and are thus looked down upon by the Sorcerous elite of the Zenith Empire.  There are rumours of particularly powerful souls gained from Iris that are a match for the ancient Azis Dragonsouls, but the Imperial College of Meridian has always scoffed at these rumours as peasant tales and revolutionary drivel.
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'''Inquisitor:''' A Thaumaturge within the Empyrean Church, charged with protecting the Church and its members from physical and doctrinal harmThe most prominent Inquisitors are Solinarchs, and the terms are often used interchangeably, but in fact most members of the Inquisition are not so enhanced.  The Inquisition admits large amounts of men, and nearly all Solinarchs are male.<br>
 
Zahara Sorcerers form the other main group who deal with beings from across the Veil.  The second souls they link with are called the Satama by the Zenith, or the Exosar in Jibril.  The latter term is scientific; in every-day use a Jibrilite is more likely to spit the word “Demon!”  Zenith themselves also use the term Demon, although without the overtones of horror.  From the Zahara it is known that the intelligence of the Perithans is exceedingly alien, and communication is difficult even between bonded Sorcerors and their Logos.  Communion is conducted through a trickle or torrent of images, feelings and free associations, much like unstructured telepathy.  It is also known that the bond is a two way transaction, and the Satama will often request power from the Zahara, leaving them weakened and drained.  Zahara theorize that the universe of Peritha lacks the form of our own, and the Perithans use the energies of Apatha to create physicality in their own universe that would otherwise be impossible.
 
  
Because the Satama link is difficult to form, requiring a unique confluence of willing candidates, Zahara sorcery is relatively uncommon in ZenithIt would be virtually unheard of, if the Satama was not also able to be transferred from one Sorceror to another, allowing the Zahara to maintain a limited pool.  This transference can be done without killing the human host, and can be initiated by either the Zahara or the Satama.  It is not unknown for a Satama that has become dissatisfied with their host to spontaneously jump to a more willing vesselMost Satama souls are necessarily from Iris, however there are rumoured to be a small number of the original thousand Dragons who bonded their souls as Zahara rather than Zohaka.  If so, this is a secret held deeply within the Imperial families.
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'''Solinarch:''' An individual enhanced with internal praxis circuitry (called solo praxis)The Solinarch creation process is lengthy, painful, and prone to failure, but when successful it results in powerful etheric warriorsThe very pinacle of Jibrilite military technology.<br>
  
To magical sight the workings of the Satama link look similar to that of the Sa’at bond, although a skilled observer can sense a difference in the purity of the aura (the Satama aura is ‘cleaner’ and usually more animated)In practice the Zahara are capable of similar feats to the Zohaka, but they must pay a higher price for them.   The Satama however does provide a significant skill bonus to Etheric workings, as the Perithan is better able to directly manipulate the energies and in many cases has centuries of experience in doing so.
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'''Fey:''' Etheric beings originally from the Perithan world of Morgana, now shapeshifting residents of Apathan animal shells.  There are five known ranks of Fey.  At the top are the Monarchs of the Lios Alfar, the rulers of the Fey.  These are immortal Perithan beings who remain close to their heritage and are virtually indestructible.  They assume a multitude of forms, and can change their shape as freely as they change their minds.  Below the Monarchs are the Princes.  Princely Fey assume static forms, although they can change them greatly if they desire.  While these forms are mortal, if killed, the Prince's soul will drift until it can be reborn in a new body.  Next are the Courtiers.  Courtiers also have static forms, with the ability to shift them as they wish.  Like Royal Fey, if a Courtier is killed their soul can be recovered and rebornBelow the Courtiers are the Commoners.  Commoners have mortal bodies, and although their souls can be preserved after death this must be done quickly or they will soon dissipate. The lowest are the Mog Alfar, Thin-Bloods, or most commonly, "Elves."  These are the offspring of humans and Royal Fey, from pairings in the distant past.  They are unable to shapeshift, and bear tell-tale signs of their heritage.  Mog Alfar are longer lived than humans (living 300-500 years), and have higher innate Etheric sensitivity, but are otherwise mortal.<br>
  
Second Level Sorcery or “Witchcraft” is actually more common in the interior of the Rafaelan continent due to the presence of a unique lifeform known as the Selkie.  Selkies are semi-substantial beings that look like nothing so much as glowing jellyfish drifting on the breeze in their natural form.  During nights of spring and autumn they drift into being across the Veil and float eerily along the lakeshores of Rafaela, before fading out of existence by dawn.  Jibrilite colonists and adventurers sometimes harvest them for Ether, to the horror and disgust of traditional Rafaelans.  Selkies possess a unique connection across the Veil, and can be bonded in a manner similar to the Sorceror’s bond, becoming a witches’ familiar.  As a familiar, Selkies usually take more human forms (looking like nothing so much as little glowing fairies), and communicate in a manner similar to human children.  True Sorcerers look down their noses at Witches, who lack anything like true sorcerous power, however Rafaelan witches (and warlocks) are far more numerous.
 
  
There was a final type of Second Level Sorcery, although it was never called that, at least not without risk of persecution and death.  Through a telepathic link, the most favoured Preistesses of the Churches of the Chosen had the ability to call on the power of their patrons.  This was called divine blessing or miracles, but it was actually functionally identical to Second Level Sorcery, although the controlling hand rested firmly with the Chosen.  This power has vanished since the Silent War and the Fall of Heaven, but if any of the Chosen have survived in hiding, it could appear once again.
 
  
  
==Basic Transmutation Effects==
 
  
Air to Flourine Gas
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[[Category:Ascension Isle: Legacy]]

Latest revision as of 22:14, 16 January 2020

Ascension Isle: Legacy


Rules

Under Development

History

Map of Arth
Full Size Download


Magic was discovered about a thousand years ago in roughly simultaneous events on the continents of Jibril, Rafaela and Heylel (called Zenith by the locals). Magic, called Prana by the Zenith, and Praxis by the Jibrilites, is driven by an energy called Ether pulled from another universe across from our own, and particularly attracted to the energy of life and thought. Initial magical spells were simple, limited as they were by the ability of the users to mentally conceive the uses of this energy and control their application. In those days magic mainly took the form of additional physical prowess or the basic induction of excess energy into other objects, usually with destructive effect.

Approximately 700 years ago Jibrilite thaumaturges discovered that certain materials could be used to contain and channel Praxis before its ultimate discharge. This allowed the thaumaturge to craft vastly more precise and complex spells (called Cyclos, or circuits) by first crafting into a physical item pathways the Ether would follow, before finally being given form. Magical ability exploded, and with it scientific and technological advancement. At the time, the technology level was about equivalent to Earth's 15th century, but it now aided by their Praxis it began to advance in leaps and bounds. At first the many kingdoms of Jibril warred upon themselves, but soon they began to look further afield, to continents they had only irregularly visited before (due to the electromagnetic effects of Ether, the compass does not work on Arth, limiting - although not preventing - long range navigation).

It was this expansion that brought the Jibrilites into conflict with the race known as the Xaro. Living on the continent of Mikaela, The Xaro had never developed any serious magical ability, although their technology was said to rival any in the world. Most of the history of the Xaro is now lost, however it seems they were an insular and secretive race. Jibrilite records describe them as a stunted and twisted race with dark skin and glowing eyes, although the veracity of these is questioned by Zenith scholars. In any event, the Xaro resisted the Jibrilite move into Mikaela, aided by their ability to control several of the less advanced non-human races, and a long and brutal series of wars followed, during which the Xaro were exterminated, and other non-human species including the goblins and ogres were reduced to slavery.

Seeing the advance of the Jibrilites across the continents of Mikaela and Rafaela, the nations of Zenith realized that they could soon be next. Although Zenith had a substantial human population, it also had several non human races to which the Jibrilites had already shown great hostility. The Jibrilite thaumaturges jealously guarded the secrets of the etheric circuit, but the sorcerers of the Zenith found another means to channel their power. The Zenith had for some time realized that the universe from which Ether came was not, in fact, as the Jibrilites assumed, a formless void. It was instead a shadow universe which they called the Locus, and populated by its own denizens. At the appropriate time when Arth was aligned with the hidden worlds of the Locus, the Zenith enticed several of these beings, alternately known as Demons, Deva or Dragons, across the Veil between worlds, and fixed the greatest of them to human souls. This gave the new Dragonsouled or Zohaka power over the Ether comparable to that of the Jibrilite Thuamaturges.

A series of wars followed between the Jibrilites and the Zenith, escalating in ferocity over a period of about a century, until both sides realized nothing further could be gained by conflict, and the Confederacy of Jibrilite kingdoms, and the Dragon Empire of Zenith declared a truce and entered a long cold war. By then technology had reached a level roughly comparable to that of the modern day. . . and then it stopped.

As the wars were winding down, the Zohaka, who had set themselves up as the hereditary god kings of the Zenith, unlocked the power of immortality. To gain peace they shared this with their most powerful Jibrilite opponents, who also used it to set themselves up as immortal rulers - the angelic "Chosen." The world's new ruling super-humans decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to limit the spread of this power, and for the next 500 years Arth entered a period of relative stasis, divided in two between two rival super powers. The Chosen decided to erase much of the historical knowledge of their citizens, instead indoctrinating them in the belief that their rulers were divine beings in fact, and creating an entire religion to worship them. The Zenith were not so extreme, but the Dragonsouled still set themselves up as a heavenly mandated Imperial family.

All that ended with the "Silent War." It had been known for some time that while Ether was drawn to living beings, in some areas of the world if was drawn more strongly. This effect had long been measurable, but otherwise of only modest significance. Then, on the island of Saranavo, almost equidistant between the two superpowers, a massive ether font of unprecedented scale was discovered. Where before nothing in the world had been worth conflict between its god kings, all of a sudden this was a prize worth fighting over. Mediation failed, and war broke out, first between the Zenith and the Jibrilites, and then within a month among the Chosen and the Zohak princes themselves. From that point the war rapidly escalated. . . and then abruptly ended.

By now most of the Chosen lived in vast orbital palaces accessible only to themselves called the Ascended Isles. The Zenith Zohaka had their own retreats hidden in bubble realms along the Veil. Who struck first is no known, but over the course of a few hours the god kings of Arth began to attack each other's previously inviolate centers of power. By the end of a day most of the world's former rulers were dead - the few survivors, fled.

Most citizens saw the war only as an endless shower of falling stars across the sky, as their ruler's vast orbital palaces exploded and burned up, leading to it's moniker, the "Silent War." The next day they found that much of their world had also fallen silent. Without the power of the Chosen vast magical factories ground to a stop, power plants shut down, and the nations of Jibril began to fall apart. In distant Zenith, although the social impact was less severe, the various provinces of the Empire now began to move toward civil war as disagreements long contained by the Imperial family began to erupt.

This is the world and the period in which this game is set.

50 years ago Zadkiel founded the Republic, 20 years ago he stepped away from it leaving humans to their own devices. 10 years ago he vanished. 5 years ago was the invasion of Eleutheria and the fall of the republic.

The Eleutherian Diplomatic Initiative; the Limes Prionicus

With the outright refusal of the Chosen of Mercy’s support made abundantly clear in the early planning stages for the proposed Armagher Defence Line (a system of fixed anti-stratodyne defenses for the city) the planning committee of the council legates diverted attention towards strengthening the conventional forces; the Loki Autogear project’s star therefore ascended under the strenuous support of the First Prince Ryzard. Zadkiel was fully aware that an outright military confrontation with the full force of the Chosen was perhaps outright hopeless if not suicidal, and their Jibrilite nations, and thus stressed the validity of the diplomatic approach and deescalation towards worsening relations with Jibril. Certain private records indicate that Armagher’s cabal in the republican leadership accepted this nominally, and publicly, for the benefit of those less willing to risk everything on a future confrontation and the general public.

After receiving the general affirmation of the noble assembly Armagher authorized the dispatch of an embassy under Cordelia Megus and Durus Sentonius to Jibril to treat with the Chosen; Zadkiel provided transportation and safe conducts for the embassy. How much he knew of the actual intent is unclear but it is doubtful he remained in the dark for very long. The embassy treated primarily with the Chosen Megalos, the Builder, the Curtain of Light specifically rather then Liah, the Chosen most opposed to Zadkiel’s republican experiment. On the confidential orders or understanding delivered privately from Armagher Cordelia Megus, the head of the delegation, spoke with Megalos and offered up certain electrotech computers and other pieces of technology that had slipped from the hand of the Eleutherian Darrow and into the possession of the Republic in return for industrial assistance; Armagher’s plan for the Limes Prionicus required the raw power of Jibrilite transmutation capacity on the scale only a Chosen could provide. If one would not help another might be bribed into doing so.

Cordelia Megus: “Governor Armagher wants a tower to rain doom upon our enemies...”
Megalos: “A TOWER OF DOOM? Yesss.. You are the enemy afterall… So. You’ll get the BEST tower of Doom.”
--From the recollections of Zad-kun, Vol 71.

Megalos thereafter arranged for the almost wondrous construction of the four laser-defence towers in Piron itself and others outside of the city. Such a task was something out of the reach of the Republic but a child’s trick for the Chosen of builders; Megalos gleefully absorbed the technology used as payments for his services into his own method of personal ascension becoming something other. The embassy returned with the Governor-General presented the mission as a success. The Republic however was unable to fully outfit most of the towers as laser-defence towers thanks to the great demands on the republic’s limited industrial resources; the Autogear project as well as the mass construction of track-irons and other equipment had absorbed a high percentage of industrial output that could not be diverted. While Armagher had ensured his ADL (named the much more patriotic Limes Prionicus) through the clever use of circumventing the refusal of one chosen by enlisting the help of another Ryzard had in the meantime built his conventional army. Not fooled or blinded by hope Zadkiel finally made his break with the republican leadership foreseeing perhaps the war and the ruin to come.

The actual diplomatic maneuvers and pretense of the mission did no real harm to the cause of avoiding war while the secret objective guaranteed it. The handover of the darrow electrotech technology by Cordelia and Nina Megus was a small thing that might have allowed the Chosen to discovery the limits of such technology…. The ultimate heresy was the contamination of the chosen state of being, as developed by that cabal of alchemists centuries before, with darrow-tech by Megalos delivered by Armagher and House Megus. Liah, the Chosen most opposed to the Darrow on the grounds of their strange electrotech, pointed out to her fellows at how Megalos had went from merely being concerning to outright alarming. Pointing out this threat alongside the arming for war aganist them, especially in light of skirmishes with the Zenith, convinced finally the uncertain or previously indifferent Chosen.

The impetus for invasion was now firmly fixed and the doom of the republic triggered.

Background Fluff Images

Some images shamelessly stolen from Deviant Art to give an idea of the style of the game:

Aldicore, island capital of the Divine Dominion of Coreven



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Marsel City Slums, Coreve Mikealan Zone



Coreve Herald-class Aerodyne Gunship



Coreve Crusaders with Inquisitor


Zenith Knight with active Arclave


Last Stand against Autoclaires
The Fall of Prion, bringing the Eluetherian Republic to an end


CZ Central, Formerly Prion City, capital of the Eleutherian Republic


Timekeeping

Jibril uses a calendar with 361 days to the year, with 11 months of 30 days, and one month of 31 days. The months are divided into seven day weeks. According the the (intentionally confusing) Jibril calendar it is the year 5 of the Age of Ascension. The previous age was the Age of Repentance, which lasted 148 years, and was itself preceded by the Age of Countenance, which lasted 76 years.

Current Game Date is Raguday, 25 Aries, 5AA, in the middle of one of the worst winters in living memory on the Mikealan Continent.

Months

Aries
10 Aries - 0AA. - the fall of the Republic
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
25 Libra - 4AA. - the Silent War
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces (31 days)

Days of the Week

Gabrelday (Holy Day)
Mikkelday (Rest Day)
Raflesday (Toil Day)
Anasday
Simisday (Midweek)
Orisday
Raguday (Final Day)


Zenith uses a different calendar of 12 Months of 30 days with one Interstice Day (although the month names are the same), and each month containing three weeks of 10 days each. According to the Zenith Calendar the current year is 2998 Bandish Shinastra, or after the revelations of the prophet Shinastra.

Terms of Arth

Below are is some general information on items, equipment and terms in the world of Arth:

Archenium: A silver alloy capable of conducting and containing ether, and the basis for much of the Chosen's technology.

Autocar: A powered ground vehicle, commonly driven by Ambroline. Due to supply shortages of etheric fuel, many Autocars have been modified into steam powered vehicles, and in Mikaela many old gasoline powered vehicles have seen a resurgence.

Construct: An artificial organism, often created from a fusion of mechanical parts and dead flesh. Such constructs are more properly known as Cogmeks. Fully living biological constructs are possible, and have been made in the past, however they are currently outlawed by the Empyrean Codex, and living constructs will be destroyed by Jibrilites if recognized as such.

Ether Geode: A small geomantic gem capable of collecting and storing etheric energy within. Common components of etheric devices, they naturally form in small quantities, but most current geodes are artificially manufactured.

Bloodstone: An etheric bacteria mixed in to construction materials to assist transmutation when living, and then resist further casual transmutation attempts once dead. Attempting to transmute the material leads the bacteria to absorb the energy and then bleed out of the material as a dark liquid. Extremely common in Jibrilite construction.

Clockwork Cities: The cities of the Chosen in Jibril, so named for their orderly reputation as well as the habit of some Chosen to regularly rearrange the city layout via mass transmutation effects.

Cold Iron: Magically forged iron whose creation processes make it extremely resistant to further transmutation. Cold Iron disrupts etheric effects, and is used in weapons and currency (called Aduli) in some parts of the Zenith Empire. Elves have a distaste for cold iron and do not like to handle it.

Obsidian: Commonly used construction material by mages and thaumatechs due to its resistance to transmutation. Also colloquially used term for various types of pure silica extensively used by the Jibrilites.

Pol: A non-noble Jibrilite. Although heavily involved in Noble affairs, following the hierarchical tenets of the Empyrean Codex, the Chosen very rarely directly involve themselves in the affairs of the Pols.

Noble: The genetically engineered and eugenically bred members of the Jibrilite ruling class. In particular, Jibrilite Nobles have a superior sensitivity to Ether. The Jibrilite Nobility is used as the tools of the Chosen, while the Pols are the tools of the Nobility.

Heirophant: Nobles specifically granted the right to direct communion with the Chosen. This may be awarded to an entire house, in which case it will be called a "Heiro-House."

Talent: The basic Jibrilite unit of currency. Most Talents are stored etherically in voidbanks. A physical talent is a small silver coin with trace amounts of inert Archenium in a complex matrix. The coin can easily be transmuted, but doing so destroys the finely balanced Archenium matrix and renders the currency invalid. The average Jibrilite Pol will earn about 10,000 Talents a year. The average noble scion of a modest house will have a yearly stipend of 250,000 or more.

Stratodyne: Flying warships used almost to exclusion by the Jibrilites, to the point that there are very few true "water ships" in their arsenals. Most stratodynes are designed to float in water if required, usually when docked. Stratodyne Destroyers are the smallest stratodynes, usually armed with powerful short ranged missiles and rams for taking on larger warships. Cruising Stratodynes are the most common and general purpose sky ships. Battle Stratodynes are the main combat warships, and are usually capable of carrying at least a battalion of men, as well as supporting them in combat with heavy gunfire. Bridge Stratodynes are the largest sky ships, and are capable of carrying a full brigade of troops. They are often used as long range combat transports and command vessels. They are more common in garrison fleets. High Battle Stratodynes are the most powerful of the skyships and the centerpieces of the Chosen fleets - sometimes the personal transports of the Chosen themselves. They are armed with powerful spinal Void Cannon, and are the supreme combat ships of Arth, with the bulk of these warships deployed as flagships with Home Fleets or on the Heylel front.

Arthrodyne: Smaller aircraft using the sympathetic etheric resonance with insects to guide the motion of their components. Arthrodynes are a common tactical transports for Jibril troops, and usually look like large armoured beetles. The Herald Arthrodyne Guncraft is particularly common among the Coreven Crusade, due to its useful mix of armour, firepower, and troop capacity.

Aerodyne: Aerodyne Gunships have been standard modes of transport for the Crusaders for some time. Aerodyne fighters, known as "Skyreaves" are a more recent development, created over the past century to combat air attacks by sophisticated Mikaelan rebels, as well as meet the threat of potential Zenith advancements. Most Battle Stratodynes now carry at least a flight of these aircraft. The common term for the standard combat Jet is "Moth," due to its delta-wing appearance.

Autoclaire: A humanoid battlesuit, standing between 3m and 15m tall, depending on type. The smallest Arch Autoclaires are like large suits of armour, while Prime Autoclaires are the most common tactical type, and the largest Domina Autoclaires are used by commanders and for special battlefield tasks needed extra firepower and armour. There are also Throne Autoclaires of unimaginable power, rumored to have once been the personal mounts of the Chosen. The Chosen have no need of such weapons these days, but they have been known to grant these weapons to their most favoured servants. Autoclaires function through sympathetic etheric resonance with the human form, but ZEN-Tek has also created a version that runs entirely through advanced slicon computer control, which they call the 'AutoGear.' The Zenith Empire also fields devices similar to Autoclaires which they call 'Megas Anima.' Megas Anima are lest bound to the human form than Autoclaires, and commonly take winged forms.

Autoclaire Generations: To date there are five "generations" of Autoclaires. The first geneneration were the Eshim, clunky steam powered suits controlled by cogs and pulleys, used in the early days during the founding of the Chosen dominions. Only a handful of these obsolete suits still exist in collections and as curiosities, and they have no place on a modern battlefield. The second generation are the Cherubim, which were also steam powered but far more advanced with full articulation with hydraulic muscles to mimic the human form. Small numbers of heavily upgraded Cherubim still exist, most commonly as Arch Autoclaires for Jibrilite noble houses. The third generation Elohim introduced etheric power and are the recognizable form of modern Autos, with the introduction of Liah's Aleph Alpha. For several centuries the Elohim were the last autoclaires designed by the Chosen as the Jibrilite gods moved on to other pursuits. In this time the mortal Thuamatech engineers of the various Crusades performed a series of upgrades to the Elohim that were eventually recognized as the fourth generation Shaper-Elohim. These upgrades added more advanced weapons and sub systems, and additional functions including flight or fire support or assualt breakers. The fourth generation was codified in a series of force-wide upgrades incorporating the lessons learned from the late Mikealan and Rafaelan conflicts, particularly the Eleutherian Correction. These upgrades had only just been completed when the Crusades clashed with the Zenith Empire at Saranavo. The Zenith Megas-Anima proved themselves vastly superior even to the upgraded Shaper-Elohim, necessitating the hasty development of a fifth generation "Seraphim," including features like flight and improved control and weapon systems as standard.

Seraphim: The "fifth generation" of Throne Autoclaires, produced just before the Fall. Autoclaire design stalled for several centuries with the third and fourth generation "Elohim" and "Shaper-Elohim." When the Crusaders clashed with the Zenith over Saranavo in the two years leading up to the Fall the Chosen realized the Zenith had stolen a march on them with the development of their new Avatar class Megas-Anima. The fifth generation Seraphim Autoclaires were rushed into service, although only a few Throne and Domina class units were completed before the Fall. The very first Seraphim class autoclaire was actually constructed in the last years of the Eluetherian Republic. This was the Seraphim Heartbreaker, made by the Chosen Zadkiel as a final gift for Aster Emeraldine.

TrackIron: Once thought to be an obsolete weapon, the TrackIron (originally Land Panzer in its first incarnation) was an armoured Mikaelan war machine. The Eleutherian Republic resurrected the type during the Corrective War, and used vastly more modern versions with some success during the First and Second Phases of the campaign. Eleutherian TackIrons possess particularly heavy charged armour that renders them immune to most common battlefield weapons.

ZEN-Tek LLC: A shadowy manufacturer of extremely advanced electrotech, able to match the best Thaumatech devices. The Eleutherian Republic's possession of large quantities of ZENTek equipment was a nasty surprise to the invading Crusade Armies during the Correction.

Mattock: The main manufacturer of smallarms for the Jibril Crusaders. The original Mattock factorum is in the Coreve capital of Aldicore, although subsidiaries now operate in most Crusader Dominions.

Nightfall: 10 Aries 0 A.E., the day the Chosen Leliel destroyed most of the city of Prion. In the Chosen record this marked the fall of the Eleutherian Republic, however the Republic never officially surrendered, and major combat continued for several months after this date.

Charged Plate: Also known as 'Blessed Metal,' a form of personal armour involving a etherically charged metal to strengthen it and resist ether-penetrating attacks. Although it is standard personal armour for elite Crusade brigades, the Praxis version does present an unmistakeable aura signature which inhibits stealth and disrupts electronics, making it less popular with the Republic.

Ambroline: An etheric fuel, consisting of a silicate jelly, suspending etherically sensitive bacteria. Used to run most etherically powered heavy equipment. More technically called "Dyronobic Gel." Synthetically produced by the Chosen to remove the demands for geodes. Ambroline is now in short supply do to the collapse of the refining system, and can only be manufactured in small low quality quantities by the efforts of several priestesses.

Panoptic Mirror: A remote viewing device linked to a "master mirror." Images reflected in the master mirror and similarly reflected on all linked Panoptics. The newer Jibrilite Panoptics can also transmit sound, and these are sometimes referred to as "Tinbells."

Teletex: A teletex is a telepathic transmission device, usually used as part of a secure one-to-one communication. The teletex interprets the normally difficult telepathic transmission. Teletex usually take the form of a crown, however the smaller ones are a simple silver pad that the user presses to their temple. When used by a skilled thaumatuge, a teletex can be used to broadcast and receive from and to a larger number of stations, and over longer ranges. It should be noted that the range of telepathy is in fact functionally unlimited on Arth, but Chosen technology imposes range restrictions to allow some control over regional communications.

Psyrex: A form of focused short ranged teletex used for delving inside the mind of a subject. The most powerful deep psyrex can be used to plumb the very depths of a subjects self and even change their personalities.

Libratex: A libratex is a simpler form of teletex that sends only pre-set text messages from an internal library, usually to a printing device. It is commonly used by the military, government, and news agencies.

Logitike: A Jibrilite thaumaturge skilled in wild magic. What wild magic a Jibrilite can learn and use is heavily restricted, and official schools never teach "Lotek" beyond the basic level.

Logos: A thinking machine, usually formed from imprisoning a spirit within a mechanical construct to give form to its thoughts and allow it to be used to aid the thaumatech. Also called a Aetheric Intellect or AI.

Sodality: An etheric computer, made from several complex interconnected praxi. Sometimes the host for a Logos.

Psyche: A thaumaurge particularly skilled in telepathic communication.

Thaumatech: A Thaumatech is a Jibrilite who understands the inner working of praxis circuits, and can recombine, or even create their own. Nearly all Jibrilite Thaumatechs are members of the Empyrean Church, and in some Dominions it is actively illegal to practice Thaumatechnology without divine sanction.

Thaumaturge: A Thaumaturge is any Jibrilite with developed skill in channelling ether. Most Thaumatechs are also Thaumaturges (so much so that the skill is assumed for any Thaumatech), but many Thaumaturges are not Thaumatechs.

Preistess: A Thaumaturge within the Empyrean Church, ordained with religious authority by the Chosen. Virtually all are women, due to longstanding tradition.

Cleric: An Empyrean Thaumaturge attached to the Crusade or Constabulary. Sometimes called "Combat Claires," in barracks slang.

Crusader: A soldier in the army of those Chosen who sought to build empires abroad. Crusaders recruit from across Dominion, and even Protectorate populations, although their officers are almost always Jibrilite nobility. For centuries the most powerful and feared military force on Arth.

Guardians: Soldiers serving the Empyrean Church directly, not commonly seen in the Protectorates, where the Crusaders perform many of their duties. Habitually far better equipped than Crusaders with the most advanced Thaumatech. Guardian lines are insular and do not recruit from the general populace. Although originally drawn from the very best human soldiers, there are rumours that many Chosen have long used tailor made constructs as Guardian. More archaically called 'custos.'

Inquisitor: A Thaumaturge within the Empyrean Church, charged with protecting the Church and its members from physical and doctrinal harm. The most prominent Inquisitors are Solinarchs, and the terms are often used interchangeably, but in fact most members of the Inquisition are not so enhanced. The Inquisition admits large amounts of men, and nearly all Solinarchs are male.

Solinarch: An individual enhanced with internal praxis circuitry (called solo praxis). The Solinarch creation process is lengthy, painful, and prone to failure, but when successful it results in powerful etheric warriors. The very pinacle of Jibrilite military technology.

Fey: Etheric beings originally from the Perithan world of Morgana, now shapeshifting residents of Apathan animal shells. There are five known ranks of Fey. At the top are the Monarchs of the Lios Alfar, the rulers of the Fey. These are immortal Perithan beings who remain close to their heritage and are virtually indestructible. They assume a multitude of forms, and can change their shape as freely as they change their minds. Below the Monarchs are the Princes. Princely Fey assume static forms, although they can change them greatly if they desire. While these forms are mortal, if killed, the Prince's soul will drift until it can be reborn in a new body. Next are the Courtiers. Courtiers also have static forms, with the ability to shift them as they wish. Like Royal Fey, if a Courtier is killed their soul can be recovered and reborn. Below the Courtiers are the Commoners. Commoners have mortal bodies, and although their souls can be preserved after death this must be done quickly or they will soon dissipate. The lowest are the Mog Alfar, Thin-Bloods, or most commonly, "Elves." These are the offspring of humans and Royal Fey, from pairings in the distant past. They are unable to shapeshift, and bear tell-tale signs of their heritage. Mog Alfar are longer lived than humans (living 300-500 years), and have higher innate Etheric sensitivity, but are otherwise mortal.