Ascension Isle: Legacy

First Session: Sunday 12 July, 2 pm Central (7pm GMT)

Overview

This is a character based RPG set in the fantasy world of Arth, as part of Ascension Isle (prime). This is a modified version of the AI world discussed for the proposed Nation Game, and differs in a several key ways. The most important is that in this world magical development fed technological development and vice versa, leading to a world with technology that in many ways exceeds our own - as WELL as being a world with magical creatures, non-human races, and supernatural powers.

History

Map of Arth

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.

Background Fluff

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

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

Game Concept

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 Chosen. Eleutheria was divided into three "Correctional Zone Regions," with the ruined former capital of Prion rebuilt as a jointly administered Central Urban Region.

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.

Recruitment is closed, and characters are now being built.

Rules

Version 0.2 of the Ascension Ruleset is uploaded here (Word Doc):

https://www.sendspace.com/file/kmjbpb

Interested Players

If you're interested put your name below, and your faction preferences.

Shrike - Faction tbd

FBH - Stranded Zenith commando

Entropy - Prole Revolutionary

Lokar - Of the Rebellion (revolutionary)

Etheric Magic In Detail

Magic - Background

The system of magic presented here is specific to the Ascension Isle setting. Magic is performed with “Ether”, which is an extra-universal energy that is attracted to living organisms, particularly those with advanced nervous systems. Ether 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.

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.

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.

Once Aether has collected in a living being, it can be physically and psychoactively controlled by a skilled individual. This is done through a range of physical movements, meditative mantras, and breath exhalations. If conducted in the proper manner, these actions can induce Aether to perform various practical functions. Unfortunately 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.

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.

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 empty. There 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 Veil. In 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.

Ether has one particular property that is of interest. Etheric radiation from living beings floods the higher electromagnetic spectrum, generating particularly powerful radio waves. These 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.

These effects have prevented the development of many technologies on Arth, particularly since advanced Thaumatech can replicate or exceed the capabilities of many of them. Although 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 radar. Engines are based on Etheric principles rather than electromagnetic, and the Jibrilites have no understanding of the transistor.

This is not to say these technologies are unknown and do not exist on Arth. In areas of the Mikaelan continent technology sometimes appears of fantastic levels of advancement. Most 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 unknown. Jibril 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.

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 art. Nevertheless, the simpler practices are still in use today, and are often called “magic” by the less well educated.

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.

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.

Thaumatech

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 shunned. It 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.

Within a century of the introduction of Thaumatech to Jibril, all nations were either run by Thaumatechnicians, or conquered by them. Within 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.

Thaumatech is far more powerful than Hedge Magic, but its true value comes in its versatility. No other Etheric practice can match the complexity and reliability of the Praxis that can be performed with Thaumatech. It 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.

In the modern era Thaumatech has spread around the globe, and is practiced in some fashion on all four continents. It 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.

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.

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.

Sorcery

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).

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 years. Due 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.

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.

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 conjunctions. The 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 Perithan. Some 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.

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 one. It 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.”

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 Dragonsouled. This 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.

The Aura of a First Level Sorcerer is an awesome thing, called the Sa’at, the Shade, or the Oversoul. The 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.

The power of the Sa’at can be transferred from one person to another, but only at the time of death. It 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.

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 hundred. The 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.

This does not mean the number of Zohaka in the Empire is limited, only that few of the original Azis souls remain. Less 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.

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 Zenith. It 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 vessel. Most 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.

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.

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