Ascended

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Please note: The following information is scarcely known. As such, you cannot assume to be aware of this information unless taught about it in-character.

The Ascended of Aeriel Crest of the Ascended

Background

Sacrifice

In the day to day, you see men and women of merit and prestige rise and assume a higher role upon the mantle of life, and the Ascended were no different. Our duty was absolute. Our methods sometimes measured, sometimes cruel, but always necessary. Another soul twisted by corrupting magics, another fallen deity to be sealed in slumber once more. But much like how a cat patrols the home of its master the feline is ill-prepared for what may be looming beyond its borders. We never saw it coming, and even had we all the years of our forefathers combined there was nothing we could have done to stop it.

It came from the Void. A writhing, fleshy creature of endless eyes and fangs like a serpent’s littered its gaping maw. Chaos had been given form, and a voracious appetite that could not be satiated by all the aengulic realms it doubtlessly passed on its way to ours. It was the scholars of men that laid eyes upon it first and likened it to a cosmic comet. But then it grew larger and larger as the days and hours passed by until its size rivaled the holy moon. Its deathly form casts the moon red, warning all of what was to come.

Time was not a luxury we had, even though we were timeless. From first sight to assured panic, less than a week had gone by. The Writhing Chaos would surely destroy this realm and all its denizens. All our histories, and our futures, doomed to the silence between its marbled teeth.

And then we saw her.

Like the sun rising from the horizon, the Archaengul arose from the lightened side of the moon in her full and unblemished glory; a shimmering silhouette of pallid moonlight that burned away the darkness of the deep sky. Her hands arose to greet the Writhing Chaos as it loomed near, her pale visage unwavering as a divine white light spurred to life betwixt our goddess’ fingers. Yet she knew she could not face such a threat alone. She turned her gaze down to our realm and released her call - a call to arms and aid.

Thus we heard her call and raised our hands to her, soulfire ablaze between our fingers. One by one, the flames shot away from our fingers and to the moon above. The flames left us, returning to where they once came. Growing in size, and in strength, we each felt the cold sting of absence as our fires left us to aid her and were called to a greater purpose. The Living Flame was the last.

In one final, blinding flash of moon fire, the Writhing Chaos that threatened our realm was stricken down by a convergence of our flames and our matron’s divinity. What little remained of the terrible beast smoldered as white flame singed its surface away. Yet once the fiend had vanished, our soulfire did not return - mortal we became once more but the Archaengul ensured we all live. We sacrificed our very power for the realm we swore to aid.

And thus, an era ended.

Lamentation

The Archaengul’s tears rained like waterfalls from her vantage upon the moon and our goddess wept at the sacrifice we had made. Like dewdrops in the early morn, her tears blanketed the Soulstream and flooded the pallid valleys and craters that dotted the moonscape. But even more fell beyond the lunar surface and rained upon the mortal realm, each droplet seeking out one who had sacrificed flame. To the gazing mortal eye, they were naught but shooting skies as they soared through the skies.

Wherever they may be our goddess’ tears found them. Their descent from the heavens left them frozen in shards of crystallized ice as they impacted the ground near the feet of the Ascended that made the sacrifice. We each picked them from their resting place.

They were warm to the touch and yet their surfaces frosted like ice as we held them in our hands. They emitted light in the darkness yet it was soft and pale. As we beheld them closer we saw reflections of a gentle and cold world where waters flowed freely across a land blanketed by dust. The crystals could sense the absence in our souls, I think. For each bound with a former host of flame and took residence where once an ember had been. This fulfilled us. It destroyed us. It made us something new.

Aeriel spoke to us as the connection formed anew - she saw no longer the need for us to focus solely on the conflict with the darkness, as the fight was eternal and futile. She saw now that threats laid not just within the shadows, but also within the depth of the void and in the hearts of those few of her own kind. The Archaengul knew what to do and bestowed a new purpose to us.

Cease the threats of immense power that seek to affect the mortal realm and ensure the Descendants live a normal life until Sokar comes to bring them to the Archaengul’s realm. Be not the heroes who strive for glory or power, but be the keepers of the balance of life and death.

Mission

With newfound powers, the Ascended changed. We focused less on the darkness that kept on returning, for the Archaengul knew our efforts before held no merit.

We sought to support and aid, to give the souls we protect a sworn chance to protect themselves. To ensure they lived on the longest they can, to feel joy, sadness, excitement and suffering, to grow and nurture, and witness their lives flourish. Yet death is a nature that we knew we should not disturb, for all must perish and move on to the Soulstream when their time comes forth, including our own.

Yet, there were those of grand power that sought to harm the mortals, saw them as nothing more than fleeting specks of dirt and would have their way with them. The ones who abuse their power for ideals that hold no truth, the ones who sought the elimination or slavery of mortals, the ones who cherish chaos and destruction.

No matter if they be of Aengudaemonic, of void, of darkness, or of something more – They shall realise that the mortals are not the specks they thought they were, but living beings that should not be underestimated.

No more would we be the ones to strike first and remain away from the mortals, but now the ones who stand side by side with the mortals and protect the very mortal realm that is rightfully theirs.

We seek to do what we can to assist, even if we must take on their burdens and fall so they can live on.

Power Source and Tenets

Tearstone Shards

A Tearstone Shard is a divine fragment created by the Archaengul Aeriel to denote her chosen followers and bestow upon them powers and abilities which might be utilized to spread her influence and enact her will upon the Mortal Realm. The Shards were spurred into existence when the Archaengul was moved to emotion by the great and selfless sacrifice made by the Ascended. In her mourning, the tears she cried rained upon her recently powerless followers. The tears that fell upon the Mortal Realm became crystallized in their descent, resulting in these divine fragments.

Not all of the Moon Goddess’ tears fell upon the Mortal Realm, however. Most rained upon the lunar moonscape in great tides which flooded its’ many chasms and craters. These lakes, rivers, and valleys of Aeriel’s empowered tears became known as Astra.

An agent of the Archaengul utilizes their Tearstone Shard as a conduit to the Soulstream, through which they can conjure and utilize the Astra stored there. It is worth noting that Mysticism or any magic that can influence the soul would find themselves unable to affect both the Tearstone and the Crystal soul of the Ascended.

The utilization of all abilities begins with a brief ritual where an agent of Aeriel draws forth their personal shard from their soul. Once this is finished the crystal will either hover in the air around the agent up to a distance of three feet, be held within their hand, or it may be affixed to an object of the agent’s choosing such as a staff. With the shard successfully summoned the various powers attributed to Astra can begin to be utilized. When it comes to refilling a Tearstone Shard, the Ascended must have the shard physically touch the water source in order to absorb the liquid.

Astra is a finite resource in the mortal realm, and as such can be depleted; leaving an agent unable to perform. A preparatory ritual is therefore required to replenish the Astra available for use. Locating a water source in the mortal realm, be it a river, lake, ocean, pond, or cauldron and presenting an agent’s respective Tearstone Shard will result in that water being absorbed into the shard and displaced into the Soulstream. An equivalent amount of Astra will then become available for use. The Tearstone Shard can only hold a certain amount of Astra, depending on the tier of the Ascended. This limit cannot be exceeded. Any Astra expended will evaporate after an ability is ended, unless utilized in the construction of Astral Crystal.

Tearstones Shards, upon being bound to an Ascended’s, will change in both colour, appearance, and size depending on the characteristics of such soul. What this means is that no two Tearstone Shards are the same, resulting in a unique formation of appearances that represent the true side of an Ascended. Sometimes, a Tearstone Shard can even bear other aesthetical traits, depending on what the Ascended in question has been through, and can change if their owner goes through a shift in personality.

In terms of colour - a Tearstone Shard can take on one or two colours, which represents the Ascended true in terms of personality. The colour is decided based on the personality and nature of the person, being the colour(s) that represents their strongest traits. There are no direct meanings in regards to a colour a Tearstone Shard takes, as each colour holds its own unique set of meanings and representations. Red, for example, is often a representation of an aggressive nature or a violent tendency, someone who is known for their rage and fury. Yet, such colour can also be that of a warm and passionate nature. Secondary colours tend to form swirls, cracks, and sometimes faint shapes of swirls and waves amongst the primary colour.

The only exception is black and dark greys, as these colours tend to occur only when a Tearstone Shard is blackening. No Tearstone Shard can take on these colours, whenever it be primary or secondary.

A Tearstone Shard’s size and shape can vary, with some being the size of a hand, to some being the size of a head. Some can be very bulky, some can be very long and elegant. Some can be rough, others smooth. Yet, the size and shape do not change how much or how little Astra a Tearstone Shard can take on. They are still restricted to the amount of Astra, depending on their tier. Lastly, the size cannot be smaller than the size of an apple or larger than a head. The size of the Tearstone Shard must be between these two sizes.

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Fracturing

Fracturing occurs when an agent of Aeriel has their personal Tearstone shard destroyed by any means, whenever it be by physical or magical means. When this occurs, an agent will be wholly incapable of utilizing Astra whilst their soul reconstructs a new shard within their crystal soul. This means that an agent of Aeriel cannot perform any spells, and are thus left magically handicapped. Any Astra that was ready to use prior to the fracturing will be lost, and a ritual of exchange will be required to store Astra once more in the reformed shard.

Depending on the tier of the agent, the durability of a Tearstone Shard will be lower or higher and the damage used on a Tearstone can vary. A tier one Tearstone shard will be the weakest, and therefore should be carefully used on the battlefield, while a tier five Tearstone Shard can take on a series of blows before being fractured.

Ascended Tiers

• Tier One - Requires two hits in order to destroy a Tearstone Shard.
• Tier Two - Requires three hits in order to destroy a Tearstone Shard
• Tier Three - Requires four hits in order to destroy a Tearstone Shard
• Tier Four - Requires five hits in order to destroy a Tearstone Shard.
• Tier Five - Requires six hits in order to destroy a Tearstone Shard.

However, different attacks will often result in different forms of damage done on the Tearstone Shard, with there being the use of different forms of magic and weapons in terms of combat. How much damage a magic attack will do depends on the tier of the mage that the Ascended is facing, whereas physical attacks depend on the type of weapon being used on the Tearstone Shard.

Physical Attacks

• Pointed Weapons (a majority of polearms that do not have blades, ranged weapons, etc) - Will cause one hit on a Tearstone Shard.
• Edged Weapons (blades, daggers, axes, etc) - Will cause one hit on a Tearstone Shard
• Blunt Weapons (maces, war hammers, staves, staffs, etc - includes using the blunt side of a weapon) - Will cause two hits on a Tearstone Shard.

Magic Attacks

• Magic Tier 1 - Zero damage points
• Magic Tier 2 - Zero damage points
• Magic Tier 3 - One damage point
• Magic Tier 4 - Two damage points
• Magic Tier 5 - Three damage points

The only exception to magic attacks is Voidal Water, which will be four points of damage.

The reconstruction of a Tearstone Shard takes exactly one IRL hour and 30 minutes to complete and does not need to be emoted out due to the construction occurring within the soul.

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The Covenants of Aeriel

The Ten Covenants of Aeriel are a set of five covenants that outline the rules, promises, and the duties of an Ascended. The Covenants are the direct promises and tenets of Aeriel that must be held and kept at all cost by every single Ascended. These Covenants keep order within the Ascended, preventing them from going against the will of their patron. Breaking one of these Covenants is to result in an Ascended’s Tearstone Blackening and eventually Soul Shattering, the removal of an Ascended’s power and abilities, and thus are extremely vital to uphold and know. There are to be no exceptions.

1. Do not seek to inflict the shedding of cold blood upon the souls and lives of the mortals you have sworn to protect. Do not align yourselves with the foes of mortals, the supernatural who seek to manipulate, enslave, or eliminate them from the mortal realm. May neither emotions, personal views, or hatred be what guides you all to act in violence and coldness. Even if they had done ill to you or another in the past, do not seek to harm them out of hatred for the past. For we are not murderers who allow the past and our emotions to get ahead of us.
   1. An Ascended is forbidden from inflicting physical harm on a mortal in a state of cold blood, whenever it be through hatred, emotions, or personal views. This also includes torturing a mortal, as well as sending another mortal to fulfil the dirty work for you.
   2. An Ascended can, however, spar with mortals in order to hone their skills but are expected to avoid killing said mortal and healing them after the spar is complete.
   3. This also forbids inflicting physical harm on a person for what happened in the past, whenever they be former Ascended or someone who has harmed you or another in the past.
   4. The only exception of this is self-defence or if the Ascended finds themselves in a scenario where they must harm another descendant to protect themselves, a fellow Ascended, or an innocent mortal.
   5. An Ascended is forbidden from aligning with any threats that seek to harm, enslave, or manipulate the mortals for their own purposes.

1. Do not bear your blades towards those who bear the same powers, those who enact and perform my will upon this realm, regardless of if they may be part of a group different from you or bear views different than yours. Each and every one of you is vital in protecting this realm, and to show violence and hatred against each other shows we are shattered than whole.
   1. An Ascended is forbidden from harming and killing a fellow Ascended, regardless of their order, ideologies, and differences. This also includes methods such as sending other people after the Ascended or revealing information that would put the Ascended’s life in danger in any form.
   2. This also includes enacting a forceful disconnection on an Ascended who has broken no tenets. Therefore putting the disconnector at the price of disconnection.
   3. Honour duels and spars are exempt from this rule, as long as death does not occur and the wounds on both sides are tended to, as losing more Ascended is unnecessary and a drawback.

1. Do not dare to assist in the wrongful corrupting of a mortal’s soul, as it defies the natural order of souls and condemns the mortal to further suffering in both this realm and the next. Do not stand idle in hesitation or fear, and do all you can to save the soul. Know this, however, for punishment shall be bestowed upon those who bear the clear intentions of permitting the soul being corrupted.
   1. An Ascended must not allow a mortal soul to be corrupted by any form of darkened and unnatural magic that damns the soul to eternal suffering.
   2. This applies to any form of magic that damns a soul to suffer within the Desert of the Damned, such as becoming undead, a shade, a frost witch, etc
   3. By allowing this to happen with a clear understanding that such is corrupting a soul, the Ascended will be seen as an Accessory (a person who assists in the commission of the corruption but is not the one to do such corruption by their own hands) and will be disconnected for permitting such.
   4. An Ascended will not be disconnected for failing to prevent a soul being corrupted if the Ascended truly did aim to stop the corruption but were killed or stopped. Failures should never result in punishment, only a lesson to be learnt to prevent the next corruption.

1. Do not forget the duty that you have sworn to take on upon bearing my tears, and the very Covenants of the Soul you have sworn to uphold. Live your life in harmony with these oaths and do not abandon your duty for the full warmth of a normal life or mortal duties, for the duty you bear must come above all else in the end. Such is the sacrifice you all accepted.
   1. An Ascended must uphold their duty as an Ascended, through following through with the Covenants of the Soul and not abandoning their duty fully for any other roles.
   2. An Ascended is permitted to take on a range of mortal duties (from owning a shop, running a tavern, etc) but they must always out the Covenants and their duties as an Ascended first when the situation calls for them to do such.

1. Do not abuse the powers bestowed upon you by I, whenever it be by bestowing connections, artefacts, and abilities for the sake of money, favours, or personal gain. To know that such gifts being bestowed come with consequences upon being stripped away, and none of such is toys or methods of obtaining something for your own gain.
   1. An Ascended is expected to not connect someone purely for money, favours, or for personal gains. The person being connected must be genuinely willing to devoting themselves to the duty of an Ascended, instead of becoming one purely to avoid death or for any gains completely unrelated to the Ascended’s duty.
   2. Giving out Ascended relics for money is seen as a disgrace, for it is selling powerful relics that could fall upon the wrong hands and be used to commit ill. Relics are to be given to mortals to secure their safety and should be available to all.
   3. Depending on the situation, some punishments can be severe than the other. However, none of them should end up with an Ascended being disconnected.

Soul Shattering

Soul Shattering is a more aggressive ritual that is held by the agents of Aeriel to enforce her will, and punish those that violate her creed. This ritual involves the permanent shattering of an agent’s Tearstone Shard and Crystal Soul, reducing them back down to the soul and state of a mortal. However, this ritual is to be used wisely, as it can result in the loss of one’s own powers if used wrongly. Thus it is only a power bestowed upon the teachers - those who carry on the torch of the Ascended.

Blackening
When an Agent of Aeriel breaks one of the Soul Covenants, their Tearstone Shard begins to lose its colouring and slowly becomes black in colour - This process is referred to as Blackening, and serves as a method to determine who has broken a Covenant. However, Blackening occurs in a gradual manner and it is only when the Tearstone Shard is completely black that Soul Shattering will be able to take place on said agent.

Elven Week one The Tearstone Shard’s colours are much darker, and faint patches of black are forming on the shard. The agent is highly advised to seek out redemption, else they will risk their Tearstone shard becoming blackened.

By Elven Week two The Tearstone Shard has become completely black and radiates no form of aura or light. The agent’s Tearstone weakens, allowing them to only use 10 gallons of Astra.

An Agent who has broken a covenant and is going through Blackening can be offered the chance of redemption, through the Trial of the Damned (see Trial of Damned section.) and can request to go through such. This will mean contacting any teachers and explaining the situation.

By the time the second week comes around, the Tearstone Shard will become completely black, if they had not taken up the Trial of the Damned in order to redeem themselves. Once this blackening is complete, the Agent will be put to Soul Shattering for failing to keep to the Covenants and not seeking out redemption by trial. The Tearstone Shard will permanently remain in such state, until the Agent goes through the Trial of the Damned or goes through Soul Shattering.

Performing Soul Shattering
The first thing one should note about performing Soul Shattering is that it requires one or more of the following in order to be truly performed.

• The agent must request and accept a Soul Shattering if it is clear they do not wish to be an agent of Aeriel anymore. (This is the only instance where an Agent can be permanently disconnected without having a Blackened Tearstone Shard.)
• The Agent must have clearly broken a Covenant and bear a complete Blackened Tearstone Shard.
• The ritual itself requires two agents to perform unless it is the teacher themselves who are soul-shattering their student.

The process requires for the agent performing the shattering to fracture the Tearstone Shard of the agent they seek to remove the crystal soul from. Once this is done, the disconnector places their hand upon the agent’s chest and channel Astra into the agent, pushing the energy into the person’s very being and soul. The agent’s Crystal Soul will then permanently shatter, returning the soul to its normal state and removing all abilities and boons granted to them.

Once this has happened, the victim will be forever unable to bear Aeriel’s connection again, and will suffer the following side effects from the disconnection - they will struggle to feel full warmth, only the chilling sensation of cold, even when they are within the hottest of rooms and by a fire. There will only be the punishment of coldness for those who dared to turn against Aeriel, as well as the everlasting presence of greatly missing something and longing for it. Additionally, those who received the shattering will feel as though something very dear to them was taken from them, which would be true, for Aeriel would take a very small fracture of the soul that would not affect the soul, but only create the effects.

If the shattering occurred on an agent who willingly wanted to be disconnected from Aeriel and their Tearstone Shard was not blackened, then these effects will be temporary for one elven week, as Aeriel would not be too cruel on a soul who simply wanted to return to living as a mortal and had committed no treacherous acts. In time, Aeriel will return the fracture, thus recovering the mortal of the disconnection effects. Yet if the shattering occurred on an agent with a completely blackened Tearstone Shard, they will permanently bear these effects until they are connected to another deity, as only the connection of another can fill up the fracture that was taken.

However, the two shattering effects that do not change on whenever or not the agent took the shattering with or without a blackened Tearstone are ageing and regeneration speed. The how many years they spent immune to time, those years will immediately return to them and they will age to the age they would be now if they were not an Agent. This means that any agents over their racial age limit will live on for twenty years before gently passing on and simply move onto the soul stream. A mercy from the Archaengul, for she is merciful as she is merciless. Additionally, those who receive shattering will still bear the heavily reduced regeneration speed, due to the soul fracture and the body heavily use and adapted to said change.

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Spells, Powers, and Abilities

Magic Arcane Magic Transfiguration · Voidal Translocation · Void Shifting Elemental Evocation · Conjuration Sensory Illusion · Deity Magic Shamanism · Druidism · Paladinism · Seers · Malchediael's Templars · Heralds of Azdromoth Dark Magic Fjarriauga · Necromancy · Pale Bloodmagic · Mysticism · Naztherak Artificery Atronach Forging · Golemancy Other Kani · Housemagery · Bardmancy