Ascended Order

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The Ascended of Aeriel Order of the Mongoose Crest of the Ascended Current Headquarters: N/A Sects: Ruin Sect Rapture Sect Rapport Sect Patron Deity: Aeriel Master Sage: Delaselva Vientos Detiempo Justicar: N/A Ambassador: N/A

The Ascended are a noble race, originating in the lands of Aegis. They were brought by the Arch-Aengul Aeriel to the surface of Aegis to help fight the threat of the Undead. The Ascended were first led by the Sages and were based in the city of Haven. They had access to powerful magic to aid them in their battle against Iblees. Ascended magic and presence in Aegis grew increasingly weaker as the Undead gained strength.

Disappearing for a period of time, the Ascended returned in Anthos and have been present in our world ever since. Their main goal is to defend the Descendant races from the forces of darkness and evil, and maintain peace and light in this mortal realm.

History

Aegis & Asulon

The Aengul, Aeriel, appeared to four of the Aenguls’ most direct mortal descendants in the form of a mongoose, warning of a new threat to the World’s peace. She told of an Ancient Evil that would reach out to taint the pure souls of Aegis, and that only they could fight it. Aeriel awakened in these four the ancient knowledge of their immortal ancestors, granting them many boons

The four mortals, the Elf Riizu and the Dwarves Sue, Candle, and Arcadius, set out in search of this new threat. On their journey, they encountered a fifth mortal of the Aenguls’ Bloodline, and so awakened in him his inheritance. The Dwarf Omni, being a deaf mute, quickly grew frustrated with his inability to communicate with his brothers. Sue knew of his malady and set about constructing a spell to allow Omni to speak. When the spell was finished, though, it did not work as intended. It did not grant Omni the ability to hear or speak, but instead forged a telepathic bond between the five brothers. Finally being able to hear the others after a fashion, Omni told his brothers of how an Aengul appeared before him and told him to travel. She did not say where to, only that he must walk a long way and would meet others like himself. He was told that he must bring with him a seedling from the Cloud Temple, and to plant it only when he had reached a safe haven.

For many days and nights did the Five travel, leaving small shelters along the way. Each time they stopped, they thought to make themselves a home, but Riizu – who had taken charge of the companions – believed it to be not far enough. In a small circular valley, their resources grew thin. Having not yet found the threat of which Aeriel had spoken, the Five chose to settle the land and founded a city they would call Haven, for that is what it would be against the coming tide.

When digging the foundations for a protective wall, Candle and Arcadius discovered an expansive circular cavern. Aeriel appeared to Omni again and told him this was where he must plant the seedling. Riizu and Sue raised a chunk of land from the center of the cavern, and Omni did as the Aengul had bid. She then appeared to him again and told him that as long as this tree flourished, there was hope for the peoples of Aegis. But if it should ever wither, Iblees' taint would spread across the entire world. The Tree was tended in its early days by an Ascended called Okonkwo. He was recognized for his dedication and the care for which he shows the Tree, and so was raised to the rank of Acolyte.

As their new city grew, the Five knew they must soon set out to find others like themselves. It was decided they would take on the mantle of the Sage to better help those new to their inheritance. Those who had proven themselves worthy would become Acolytes and be granted admittance to the upper ranks of the Order of the Mongoose, a sacred Order devoted to guiding and guarding the Ascended. All of the Ascended must serve the Order in some capacity, the color of their robes denoting their discipline.

Just before the Undead were spotted in Aegis, Sage Arcadius disappeared while working on Haven's Harbor. The other four Sages spent a good deal of time and effort trying to find their brother, but to no avail. It was decided that the Council of Sages must have a minimum of five, so they voted on which Acolyte to raise. Having taken note of one Acolyte who had tended the Tree of Life and been asked to head the Bank, Master Sage Riizu asked his brothers if they might accept Okonkwo as one of their own. Candle, Sue, and Omni were all quick to agree and so Acolyte Okonkwo became the Green Sage, a master of mercantile. After a long absence, Arcadius returned to the Ascended with not a word as to where he had been or what he was doing. The council numbered six.

The Departure

As the Undead grew in strength and the battle for Aegis became more intense, it seemed that the Sages retreated ever more into their own world. Through the words of the the Wandering Wizard, it is known that the Sages felt their services were unappreciated and they chose to leave the world. The city of Haven vanished as they did. The Wandering Wizard wrote an account on the descent of the Ascended, and the sages departure from Aegis. Such comes from his journal, and is titled, "The Sages Return to Aeriel."

After the Sages departed, taking Haven with them, there were still members of the Ascended who were not so easily dissuaded into letting Aegis fall to the Undead. Donning titles for order the Enlightened was formed underneath the Council of the Enlightened, comprised of the Justicar, the Preceptor, The Paetor, the Seeress, and the High Priestess.

Toward the end of the realm of Aegis an event unfolded, causing ripples through the world. The details of this event are not known, but what is known is that sometime around the time of the Dwarves’ attack on the City of Alras, the Ascended suddenly lost all of their power. The Song of Aeriel stopped singing, and the Enlightened suddenly lost their way, despairing.

After the fall of Aegis the remaining Ascended, former Acolytes and Initiates, wandered listlessly through the realm of Asulon. With the void that came from losing their powers and their connections many sought to fill this gap with other actions. Some sought the power from other Aenguls, some sought power from the void, and still some others sought to spread Aeriel’s word even after her Silence. This era continued, the former Ascended living the lives of normal mortals for sometime before the realm of Anthos.

Anthos-Athera

It came near the start. As those who were broken, shattered by the Silence, wandered through the world of Anthos, one of the former Acolytes heard something. This faint whisper, too faint for the rest, came to her and sought her out. She followed it, and using her own strength she renewed the Call. The broken and battered group of the Former Enlightened gathered once again.

Establishing a small base of operations, the Ascended began to, one at a time, restore their Song. To each of them they began to hear the whispers of Aeriel, small bits of power finding and restoring the Songs of each of them. Together they reformed the Order of the Mongoose and set out to uncover what they might discover of this world, and learn how Aeriel had contacted them once more.

After researching for sometime the Ascended began to hear a call from the heart of Anthos, a reverberating beckon to a place. Beginning to understand more the Ascended began to construct a portal, delving into their own magic and other arcane arts to form a linkage to this place. After much effort they succeeded, and managed to create a one-way portal to this location. Appearing at the top of a long staircase they climbed down and beheld a large chamber, walls and floor cut out of clean, smooth stone. A waterfall fell from ceiling to floor, vanishing without a trace at the bottom of the floor. Stepping up to it, they placed their hand on the barrier to see how it reacted. The Barrier of the Light split to reveal the city of Sanctum, Haven reborn into Anthos. The Tree of Life’s leaves fluttered as almost a welcome home.

The Death of Sage Martin Benedict and the 'Door Jam'

He came shortly after the Opening of Sanctum, he most likely was resting beneath the Tree of Life. A crazed old man walked up to Selina’s manor in Lenniel one night, spewing riddles and clutching an ornate Golden Staff. He was lifted into the Manor and set onto a bed where Kalen Forseth and Selina Demones, both Acolytes of the Ascended, attended to him. He would shift in and out of a possession, clutching his staff the entire time. In the end, when he finally came to for the last time he threw his staff on the floor, cursing its existence. He warned the Acolytes what it was - The Golden Staff of Gazardiael. He warned them that the staff was imbued with Gazardiael’s intent to ‘renew’ the world, to destroy it and build it once again as he saw.

Kalen Forseth took the stave into his possession, promising that any relic whose sole purpose was to destroy the world would be used as a door jam for the rest of eternity. As he walked with the staff he suddenly felt something attempt to enter into his mind. Prepared against such attacks he readied himself before the presence in the staff sent a message rather than enter. The message was a name, stated repeatedly, into the mind of Kalen. “Aleryn… Aleryn… Aleryn” The name of the Preceptor resounded. Shaking his head, Kalen decided that using the staff as a door jam was a poor decision if made without consultation. Bringing the matter to the Preceptor, they eventually decided to see what the staff of Gazardiael desired.

So they gathered, three acolytes and the Preceptor stood and readied themselves. Kalen handed off the staff to Aleryn and with little preamble it shuttered, a being forming into existence. Standing (or floating) above them was a physical manifestation of the Arch-Aengul of New Beginnings, Gazardiael. Speaking with them he informed them of some events within the world that required the Ascended’s attention, and promised them to show them to the location of a group of relics that had ties to ancient history. Looking around he noticed there were only four Ascended present. This would not do, he said, and proceeded to draw the fifth to their group. A circle of light formed, and suddenly a very strangely dressed dwarf appeared, a hammer in his hand and a curse on his lips before Hiebe cried, “YEMEKAR’S BEARD, WHO ARE YE PEOPLE!?”

Encounters with Gazardiael

The unwieldy group gathered now. The Figment of Gazardiael proceeded to summon them to the ruined Cloud Temple, guiding the fellowship to the crypts of the temple. There, he opened a room and led them through a process until they entered into a circular room that had four doors with a word engraved over each: Enlightenment, Courage, Prosperity, Peace. Slowly, under the direction of Gazardiael, Aleryn opened a door and found a staff floating inside of a second barrier that operated like the door. This repeated until they had all four staves when suddenly Gazardiael cackled, laughing insanely as he vanished. With no warning the walls suddenly changed, a black material forming and proceeding to trap the Ascended and beginning to close into the center to crush the following. During this time Kalen was as calm as he could possibly be. As the walls were nearly finished with them, the staff suddenly glowed, Gazardiael reappeared speaking strangely. He stated that he "could not", that his original purpose had been rewritten somehow. He dropped them to a chamber below.

They found one last staff and gathered it, the Staff of Hope. It lit up slightly when Aleryn grasped it, and they proceeded to look for the exit. With a sudden roar Gazardiael flung himself at Hiebe, shouting curses and throwing all of his Aengelic powers into Hiebe. “You! YOU! You caused this, you are the reason I cannot! Are you a descendant of the Kings!? That hammer… You are the variable I did not expect!” This continued for a short period in time, before Aleryn dropped the staff to break the connection, suddenly the Staff of Gazardiael glowed and he vanished without a trace. A short period later, a being of a similar figure appeared, but his entire manner had changed. He did not call himself Gazardiael, but rather something along the lines of “A New Being”. He showed them the exit and summoned them back to their base in Anthos.

The Sapling and the Great Reconnection

As they reached their base once more the new being said he was not yet finished with them, and guided them into one of their rooms where a chest had appeared where there was not one before. He turned to them and offered them a gift - he would return any Ascended back to the mortal plane if they so desired. They asked for Blaedr, but this wasn’t possible for reasons unforeseeable so they instead had an Elf roll out of the chest. The Elf was an Acolyte that had vanished at the end of Aegis, named Thaelen. In his hands he clutched the Sapling of the Tree of Life, and looked around confused as to why he was there. This confusion was lost rapidly as he tried to touch his tongue to his nose. Floating above them the New Being began a ritual that had been lost to time, and forgotten for many years. He appointed the Sages once more, and it was so that five of the Ascended were selected and gifted one of the staffs they had just gathered, and they became the Sages of the Ascended.

Gathering them together Thaelen drew them to the Tree of Life one night and spoke to them in riddles for some time with a cat at his side. Thaelen was a strange being, but he suddenly had a moment of what seemed like clarity. He turned to each of them, appraising them, and offered up his hands. Five orbs of white light suddenly left him, floating over to each of the Sages in turn. Speaking to them as a whole, he explained that he had blessed the power of Ancients upon them, and restored their powers up to that of a Sage.

The Fringe

In the land of The Fringe, two new Initiates were instated. Both Heial and Resia were contacted by Kalen during the time Setherien’s anguish blazed over the Descendants. Faced with a foe all too powerful for their reborn strength, the Ascended were forced to lay dormant, slowly regaining their power as they trained meticulously, hoping they might some day soon be able to join the fight. It was during this time that Heial took to the town of Kaphro, defending the inhabitants from necromancers and dark forces alike, honing his new strength in the field.

With Setherien’s reign becoming all but a distant memory to the Descendants and common, more familiar threats briefly sprouting around Thales, the short few Ascended constructed a monastery whose aid was oft given out to those in true need. Thales lay dormant for some time, with little to be said in regards to the troubles affecting the land. Alas, t’was known amongst the Ascended that it was not in this land that their true mettle was to be tested.

Athera

As the Ascended took up their new home in the humble town of Avalon, far to the South alongside The Scions Of The Fourth Era, Lady Anne of House Winter, a young Human girl, was initiated into the Ascended. With the Ascended finally settled and their strength finally growing as strong as it once was, Resia began to take a keen interest in hastening Avalon’s construction, taking upon herself the town’s mantle of responsibility as a result. It was during this time that Master Sage Aleryn approached Resia alone, foretelling of the day that she would take Aleryn’s place as Master Sage and finally asking for Resia’s response, to which she accepted.

The Rise and Fall

With the future beginning to seem ever brighter for the Ascended, grief struck as Sage Chrisdena’s well-being deteriorated and with her final words departed the mortal realm into the halls of Aeriel, leaving Resia as the only member of Gold Sect to take her place in due time. As the Descendants of the lands follow a series of mysterious clues left trailed across Athera, their ultimate discovery was that of Iblees’ temporary tomb, to which he escaped upon their arrival, casting him free as once was in the land long then forgotten. Consequently, the forces of the Undead returned to fruition - dark servants of Iblees and the Ascended’s one true foe. Though all was not in disparity, for with the shattering of the seals Aeriel had set over Iblees, so too could she begin to reimburse her faithful followers with her strength. At last, after countless decades of being at a morsel of their former strength, the Ascended began to return to their former power. It was soon after the joint rise of these two powers that a ranger, simply going by the name of Ranger, was then initiated into the Ascended to join the fight.

As the Undead’s campaign drew on, the Descendants took to reclaiming the recently fallen capital of Kal’Urguan from Iblees’ clutches. Here, the Ascended casted upon the skies the grand white light that shimmered beyond the clouds to signal their arrival - Aeriel’s Beacon. With the battle won to reclaim Kal’Urguan and Avalon having grown into a fully-fledged town, the Ascended could finally begin to rebuild their shattered image as idle spectators. Having joined the Dwarven kin in their victory, the Ascended took to repairing a grudge held throughout the ages birthed from an argument between Shoi and Urguan’s ilk in Aegis.

Although there were those that bore witness to the changes being made in the Order and the drastic difference in active participation in their duties as Ascended, there were still those that held a callous jealousy towards their rise in power. Xath, an Itharel of Xan, stole The Staff of New Beginnings from Resia, refusing to return it to the Order and instead gifting it to his friend, an Orenian knight. This did not deter the Order however, as they knew all too well that whilst they cleanse, heal, and combat the dark forces, the spirit within would break free of the staff, and so it did, escaping mortal hands swiftly.

The Light Shimmers, The Dark Veil Approaches

As a result of Petrus being under dire threat from the Undead assault, Sages Resia, Blundermore and Selina, taking Ranger alongside them, poured their strength into a powerful ward that shone brightly over Humanity’s capital. During this time, the people within were safe from all things necronomical, twisted and corrupt, despite the several attempts against the ward which held strong. Consequently, Undead activity fell silent, an awful eeriness enveloping the continent as all were left to watch and wait, hearing only of minor spats with lone Undead monstrosities along country roads.

With no more than a whisper in the wind, word spread of the Undead capturing a fortress in the cold, hostile north - Ash Castle, once of Hanseti. With the recent unexplained death of Selina and new initiates Grungron and Toby, the Ascended struggled to maintain organisation, leaving only Ranger left in her Sect as Heial made the rare occurrence of switching his Sect. Nevertheless, with swift decisiveness, the Descendants crashed upon the walls of Ash Castle, freeing it from Undead reign. However, evermore one step ahead, the Undead sprouted forth the next phase of their plan in capturing the bustling city of Angren from Humanity and then sending a fearsome Drakaar to attack Petrus’ ward and destroying it, leaving Petrus vulnerable to assault from the crippling defeats.

The Old and the New

Confusion struck the Ascended as visions of battles long past flitted across them, the images of Laurelin and Al’khazar’s collapse, the Nether Champions, all a consequence of the Master Sage Aleryn beginning to lose her grip on sanity and thus her connection to the other Ascended. Ultimately, in what could have been her final moments of sanity, she called upon Resia into a private meeting at the peak of Nimue tower where they might speak in confidence. There, she spoke of the past of their Order before delivering to Resia three mysterious relics, the final one being a relic which Aleryn created herself, manifesting all of her strength into it. Finally, she declared that she had broken her ties to the Ascended, taken on the title of Elder, and passed unto Resia the mantle of responsibility in the position of Master Sage.

Vailor

[To be added]

Axios

[To be added]

The Ascended’s Purpose

Given a set of goals by Aeriel, the Ascended strive to thwart all that is unholy and corrupts life itself. With their strength they fight so as to restore and maintain worldly peace, restoring the world’s balance when a dark foe grows too strong for mortal kind to handle. Branching from such, they are expected to watch the horizon for growing threats, ever-watchful of the darknesses that may attempt to consume the Descendants. Finally, it is their duty to record and uphold vigilance over the lore of the world so that Aeriel’s children may never forget what once was, ultimately guiding the Descendants along towards peaceful lives.

Ascended Sects

The Ruin Sect - This sect is for those who works most actively with the Descendants and rally them against Mortal Threats. They are the ones who take up their blades against the growing darkness that spread throughout the realms and actively harm the Descendants. These members are trained efficiently in combat, and the more battle-ready side of their soulfire. Where there is a mass threat of dark beings, expect many members of this order to come rushing to assist and handle the threat.

The Rapture Sect - This sect is for members who are aimed towards aiding the Descendants in terms of healing services and humanitarian aid. They are experts when it comes to healing and use their abilities to benefit the lives of others. Additionally, this sect focuses on the redemption and cure of dark creatures, seeking to heal those who unwilling became dark and want to be descendants again - although many outside of the order sees this as the Ascended apparently not doing their job.

The Rapport Sect - This sect is for those devoted to the collection of knowledge and relics, upkeep of relics, and studying the uses of Voidal magics. The members of this sect are mostly Demi-Ascended - Ascended who hold the ability to connect to the Void at a cost to their soulfire strength. They help the order with keeping knowledge in check, as well as using their voidal abilities to aid other Ascended and descendants. This sect also handles most infusions within weapons.

List of Master Sages

Master Sage Riizu - 1st Master Sage of the Ascended Order

Master Sage Martin Benedict - 2nd Master Sage of the Ascended Order, Guardian of the Staff of New Beginnings

Master Sage Aleryn - 3rd Master Sage of the Ascended Order, abdicated due to increasing insanity

Master Sage Resia - 4th Master Sage of the Ascended Order, 2nd Guardian of the Staff of New Beginnings (until it's theft)

Master Sage Grungron - 5th Master Sage of the Ascended Order

Master Sage Delaselva 'Heial' Vientos - 6th & Current Master Sage of the Ascended Order, 3rd Guardian of the Staff of New Beginnings

The Soulstream Senate

The Soulstream Senate is the council of sages within the Ascended Order, they run the order together and oversee that each sect is running properly. They make the major decisions that can impact the order, as well as making sure the Descendants are protected and the growing darkness is kept at bay. The Soulstream Senate consists of the three leading sages of the order's sects, along with their second in commands. Then comes the Master Sage, along with their Justicar and Ambassador. All members are expected to raise up concerns and matters to the Senate, and that the council members must work together when debating and planning.

Master Sage: Delaselva Vientos Detiempo (Heial) | Justicar: N/A | Ambassador: N/A

Ruin Sage: Marienne | Warden: N/A

Rapture Sage: Doctor Opal Fritz-Vientos | High Priestess: N/A

Rapport Sage: Rickard Kovachev | Grand Magnus: N/A