A universe of shadows and dust...

All things go towards the center. This is the law of life, a guiding fact of reality. There is no gravity, no force of science drawing you down; those that must die must return, symbolically and spiritually, to the womb from whence they came.

The seed from which the Ancient World-Tree, Yggdrasil, was born is claiming all that it had once expelled. This seed, the Realm Supernatural, takes back what was once it's own. It is the core of the Tree, the engine, and when it dies all must go with it.

Forty million years ago, as Gods reckon time, the Red Primordials came to seize Yggdrasil, but were defeated. Fifteen million years ago, as Gods reckon time, the Equation came, but was forgotten. Six million years ago, as Gods reckon time, the Tower of Babalu fell. Two million years ago, as Gods reckon time, Yggdrasil gave birth to a thousand seeds, but never saw it's children again. Nine hundred thousand years ago, as Gods reckon time, the Masked One, Ktluhoo, came and was struck to the abyss.

All these things and more have passed. The World is old, and it's branches are starting to drop. Already, a dozen separate universes have fallen. the Realm Mundane has returned to it's mother, the Realm Supernatural, and so has the Realm Savage. Most intelligent beings fight the tide of doom that strikes Yggdrasil, but all perceptive entities know that such a fight is ultimately useless.

Yggdrasil will fall, and the Realm Supernatural will fall with it.

It is the natural cycle of things.

Welcome to an old world...

Once, you might have been human. You might have been anything coming from the lower or higher realms, drawn deep inside the Realm Supernatural. But now - now, things have changed. The remaining humans want only to serve. They do not wish for anything more than safe passage into the next world, whatever that may be. Humanity no longer wishes to take the plunge, to become Divine and to wield the power of the Gods. They are worse than unfit - they are content.

The very tool bred by the Master Divine to keep the cycle of death and rebirth eternal has failed. A new system is needed. Humanity cannot be forced to make a choice. They were not prepared for the end of the World.

The disease that was once Yggdrasil's greatest threat now becomes it's lifeline. Madness strikes mortals, and from lunacy they rise. Understanding that madness is just as valid as any other state of mind, they are named the Sane Gods, and use their insanity to reach new heights of clearness. They are visionaries and seers, arcane mathematicians and esoteric logicians, scientists and sorcerers of the purest stock. Master Divine struck the Watcher and he fell, the carcass of a Primordial enough to cause change within even the darkest of foes.

The fury of Yggdrasil went largely unseen by the denizens of the Realm Supernatural, but it was felt on the outer branches of the World-Tree. The Realm Savage was considered by many to be useless, a self-defense system used only in times of extreme crisis (and even then, often at too late a time), but the anger of the World-Tree purified it's branches and stoked the flames of strength. As the Realm Savage was assimilated into the Realm Divine, the Master Divine struck the Deceiver and he fell, his corpse enough to feed this rage once more. From this the Vicious Gods came, warriors and soldiers of the World-Tree and the Realm Supernatural. If Yggdrasil had to die, the Vicious Gods would ensure that it would die in it's own time, and that it would die in peace.

The Overseer saw the murder of the Deceiver and the Watcher and attacked the Master Divine. Master Divine struck the Overseer, and the Overseer fell within the Realm Supernatural. The old ways were not lost - enough fresh blood had been spilled to ensure that. The remnants of the Realm Supernatural still remained, strange forces of divine origin still flowed, and from this the Returned Gods came, the resurrected beings of a Theogenesis long gone. These were Gods from the ancient history of the Realm Supernatural, and they each took a different path. Each, in turn, was reborn, and given a second chance in a
bitter world. The Returned each had their own ceremonies and traditions, and they brought these with them, becoming the estranged outcasts of the Realm Supernatural. These Gods are desperate for the world that was once theirs; the world that they lost.

With the death of Ratatosk came the High Gods, Gods able to climb the World-Tree on a whim. They pay a terrible price for this gift, however; while they have a temple and a hundred loyal warriors at their command, they may never seize a true piece of the Realm Supernatural for themselves. They may never own their own realm, never command a people of their own flesh and blood. These Gods must take their followers from the dying worlds of the World-Tree, the outcast worlds, and hope that it is enough.

Master Divine struck the Creator down, and from that crawled the Reborn Gods, Gods that are forever trapped within the cycle of death and rebirth. These Gods cannot truly die. Upon their demise a penalty is paid and the God is returned to life. This penalty may be men, or it might be knowledge, or it might be power or an ability. The penalty starts small, but always will always return larger, and the penalty is always paid. Most Reborn Gods know that the penalty is too high and value their life more than the thrice-lived God ever could. Death, rebirth.. it is a cycle most would much rather be freed from.

Yggdrasil, even in it's current state, knows that now is the time when it's ancient enemies will attempt to destroy it. In days long past, it would retaliate against these unseen threats with cultural and spiritual warfare - it would ensure the creation of specific organizations capable of defeating the threat. Now, however, the stakes are higher, Yggdrasil is weaker, and less subtle action must be taken. With this came the creation of the Zealous Gods. The natural progression of organizations such as the Inquisition and the Harrow Circle, these Gods feel a biological need to defeat and destroy those who would harm the World-Tree. In return for this service, the Zealous Gods have the mightiest and most magnificent Realms imaginable, able to defend from all but the deadliest of foes.

All these Gods and more exist in the Realm Final, the Supernatural Realm, the Realm of Many Realms. They are your friends, your allies, your rivals and your enemies. They exist with you, and they will exist without you, until the very end.

Theogenesis: Dust

You have been born within the Realm Final, and you have been heralded a God. You have been given amazing powers, and great responsibilities. You might have been given a chance to save a dying Tree. You might have been given a chance feast on the carcasses of dead Gods. You have been given chances, and the chances have been given you: you are a God in a godless place. This might excite you. This might bore you. It may corrupt you. It does not matter. This world is yours.

Objectives and Goals

Your character's objectives are their own. They may be any number of things: exploration, conquest, the saving of the World-Tree, knowledge, enlightenment. All of these things are more are available to a young God. Politics, too, are extremely important within the Realm Final: most feuds are settled with words and poison, not blades and thunder. Still, combat is rife within this Realm, and within the decaying Realms still in existence. If it is your character's desire to fight in a war, they will be spoiled for choice.

The Realm

Every God is given a Realm. This Realm is really just a set amount of land, with powerful metaphysical fencing, and a group of followers existing within that land, ready to worship and serve their God as best as they possibly can. The High Gods do not have such followers - they have servants - but are still gifted with a small, yet comfortable, Realm.

You may create your Realm as you will, as long as it is feasible within the setting (and almost everything is). A jungle filled with cities of gold is fine, as is a floating island trapped within a maze of clouds. As a typical rule, the type of God you choose to play dictates the nature of your Realm: Vicious Gods have savage, deadly Realms; High Gods have serene, if lonely, temples; Sane Gods have highly civilized Realms with a thriving, often artistic, population; Reborn Gods have Realms that are often built upon the ruins of previous Realms and may hold unknown treasures; Returned Gods have Realms mimicking their own lost Realms from long ago.

While you may choose the broad details of your realm (ice, jungle, etc.), the Master Divine will dictate the exact geography. No matter how meticulous you are in creating a Realm, the nature of the universe will always place something within your Realm to surprise you.

Your Realm is not secret. Most actions can be seen by all other Gods, if they care to look. It is the nature of the place, and difficult to avoid.

Your people are yours. You may design them - they need not resemble humanity. You may treat them as you will, but they are an independent people of their own and may revolt if you treat them too harshly. Cults often spread among mismanaged realms. Be alert.

The Laws of Time (Such as They Are)

Time has always been a strange thing. Gods are only able to be in one 'Realm' (the territory of a God) at a time, but may enter as many 'Realms Public' as they like in addition to this; they may, in affect, be in two places at once. This is how things have been since the death of the Hourglass in the world before our our own. Time has not gone senile, not in these end times; if there is one thing you can rely on, it is the rigidity of time.

If a God is killed, all his 'shadows' disappear. This is paradox. The universe wakes up. He can only die in one place - and so all other forms save the one that is dead vanish.

There are other types of Realms where time runs differently.. 'Realms Broken' may be accessed like a 'Realm Public', but exist in a different time-shard anywhere from one million years ago to a thousand years in the future. These are Realms that have been broken from their own streams and plunged into the present. Whatever happens there may or may not affect whatever happens anywhere else. All the rules will change.

A 'Realm Noble' requires all your attention. Here, all time sinks downwards, and you must leave all other Realms before entering a Realm Noble. All of the God's focus must be on that Realm; it demands the attention of all of his being. An example of a Realm Noble would be the Valley of Ten Towers, the ancient temple-city where Gods have done business for millions of years.

There are rumors that, with the death of Xellos the Eternal, a new breed of Gods have appeared: the Ageless Gods, who have an instinctive ability to manipulate time as well as their own domains. So far, there is no evidence to support these claims, but the rumours persist.

(RP NORMAL (REALMS): Can only be in one at a time. Can also access RP Publics.

RP SECRET: Must gain access to it by finding it's secret or using a Gate of Methodes, otherwise a Public Realm. Can also access RP Publics.

RP NOBLE: Can only be in this thread, no where else, including RP Publics.

RP PUBLIC: Can be in as many of these as you like in addition to your Realm.

RP BROKEN: Can access this as a Public but is removed from all time-streams, whatever that may mean.)

Death

Three deaths and most Gods are destroyed. The only exception to this are the Reborn Gods, which may die an infinite amount of times. Upon the first death, paradox occurs and a God is resurrected within his own realm, a new surge of power running through his veins; he is granted a Degree in the field of his choice.

The first death grants a single Degree in the field of his choice, the second death grants a single Degree in the field of the the GM's choice, and the third death grants two Degrees in the field of the GM's choice. Each of the Degree choices must be in separate fields unless otherwise impossible. Reborn Gods do not receive Degrees when they die. On the contrary, they are often taxed them.

After a death, a God cannot be attacked again for a week of real time. He may choose to attack another, however, and in doing so voids any protection he has.

Enemies and Threats

What could threaten a God?

Everything.

Other Gods are, naturally, the biggest threat. Be careful who you insult.. petty rivalries escalate to murderous feuds with maddening ease. Elder Gods often hunt fresh Gods for sport. Politics plays a large part in things.. a Vicious God may kill a Sane God simply because a leading Vicious God ordered them to.

But there are more.. monsters and fiends roam the lands, especially in those places fallen from other worlds. Strange things breed in stranger places, and the Realm Supernatural is one of the strangest places of all. Just because your Realm belongs to you doesn't mean that it is completely under your control; a God cannot afford to let his guard down.

The Master Divine is the primary caretaker of Yggdrasil and True Lord of the Realm Supernatural, but has been maddened by the slow death of the World-Tree and the terrifying fluxes of unearthly energy that that brings. Once his most prized creations, the Master now sees Gods as aberrant creatures beyond his control. No one is entirely sure where the crazed Primordial dwells, or whether he would go so far as to attack a God, but with the recent death of Ratatosk the situation seems grim.

Yggdrasil is dying, and in it's death-throws the Tree's psychic barriers have fallen. Powerful parasites from the Gnarled Abyss have crawled up from their bleak prison to feed upon the worlds as they die. While they haven't moved towards the Realm Supernatural yet - fearful of the Master Divine and his children - it is only a matter of time before they swarm upon it and Yggdrasil's greatest stronghold begins to fall.

There are, of course, more threats. The Broken Magi of Alkan refuse to aid the universe that abandoned them, and may actively seek its destruction. Alien Gods from Alien Trees - Layerhad, Eeyho, Kookhe, and others - have begun the pilgrimage to Yggdrasil in search of treasure and adventure. Sentient machine-gods from what remains of Earth vie for control over the Realm Supernatural. Isumetatron, a creature combined of two of the most powerful Gods the Realm has ever seen, runs an ancient city of glass to the far north. There are more threats than a single God could hope to imagine.

The Power of Names and Degrees

It was once theorized that a God's true power lies in the belief vested in him by his followers. This may very well be true, but for most the real nature of divinity is still unknown. What is known, however, is that the name and title a God carries is the most powerful indicator he might have of his abilities and power.

Instead of the standard attribute system found in most Theogenesis games, Theogenesis: Dust crams all of the God's statistics within his name. This might seem like it would make the names unnecessarily long, but the truth is that names have always been wide in Theogenesis.

There are three different aspects of a characters name. Firstly, there are two 'Names': the name of the God himself and the  name of his Realm. These may be chosen freely by the player. There are then several 'Degrees': sliding attributes (that typically go up, though Social Standing may very well drop) that describe how proficient your character is at certain things. These act like the 'ranks' in other Theogenesis games, and there are typically five Degrees in any given area. There are also 'Marks', special titles that have similarly special effects in-game and are given out with completing special quests or joining factions and the like.

The average name looks something like this:

[Social Standing] [Divine Power] [Name of God] the [Deaths] of the [Realm Level] [Name of Realm], [God Template] and [Battle Skill] [Sorcerous Power] of [Domain], [Marks]

Now, don't be terrified. This is actually a lot simpler then it looks. In character creation, you won't have to worry about marks. You'll have two Degrees to spend. Say you wanted to make a God of Merchants who was popular and an able sorcerer. He would be a Reborn God, meaning that he couldn't die. You could make him as such:

Brown Neoacadem Lisortus the First of the Lesser Woods of Panabus, Reborn God and Fragile Conjurer of Merchants.

This means that Lisortus is a God of Merchants, and that he is in goodish social standing (Brown). He is a beginner God (Neoacadem) and has not yet been killed (First). His Realm, the Woodlands of Panabus, is rather underdeveloped (Lesser) and he is a Reborn God. He isn't very good in a fight (Fragile) but has studied the fundamentals of magic (Conjurer).

This sounds long and pretentious, but that really is how the Gods of Theogenesis: Dust refer to each other. They thrive on formalities. When you get the hang of the system, you'll be able to suss out other Gods just by looking at their names.

Degrees are gained with a percentage system and based on the time spent playing the game, your character's achievements, etc. You may check your progress in the 'Records' section.

It takes two Degrees to reach Fifth Degree in any field except for Social Standing. In addition, the Degree of Master has additional prerequisites.

Social Standing

This title - known as the Degree of Colours to most Gods - reflects a God's standing in Divine politics. These are the five conventional degrees of orthodox Divine society. These combined with the Divine Power of a God show his individual rank, but where Divine Powers reflects a God's ability to manipulate his supernatural birthright, Social Standing shows how well-connected and known a God is. Both have their uses, but in terms of respect a God with a higher Degree in Divine Power typically wins out over one with an equal rank in Social Standing.

Social Standing can go up and down; it often goes up as the God impresses the higher-ranking Gods and performs impressive feats, but it might just as easily go down as the God acts inappropriately or controversially. It is perhaps the most fluid of the Degrees.

DEGREE ONE: GREY.

The default Degree, a Grey God is irrelevant to most social situations and is thus ignored by his higher-ranking peers. A Grey God has no valid vote in Divine politics. A Grey God gains no benefits with this Degree.

DEGREE TWO: BROWN.

The Brown God is acknowledged by other Gods, and has a valid vote in Divine politics. It is assumed that at least some of the higher Gods know who he is.

DEGREE THREE: BLUE.

The Blue God, in addition to the benefits of the lower degrees, is considered an Estate God and his Realm is thus under the protection of the combined resources of the Conclave of Ten Towers, the ruling body of the Divine. In case of invasion or attack, this power comes in handy, but really only applies to threats coming from outside the Conclave.. an attack from another God in good standing doesn't count as an 'invasion' as such, simply a disagreement towards two mature parties.

DEGREE FOUR: RED.

The Red God, in addition to the benefits of the lower degrees, is given an Otherworldly Fiefdom. This is a symbolic ownership of a land in another world. This ownership technically counts in all Divine politics, and the God is free to seize these lands without interference. This fief typically has resources that are rare and not native to the Realm Supernatural that can be easily exploited. The only problem is that typically the fief itself struggles against rule by the Divine, and often harbors technology unseen by any citizen of the Conclave; it is a dangerous and difficult thing to take control. There is also the possibility that the fief itself may, sooner rather than later, collapse upon itself and fall into the Realm Supernatural, leaving it as the sole property of the Conclave..

DEGREE FIVE: SILVER.

The Silver God, in addition to the benefits of the lower degrees, has a vote worth three standard votes. He will also receive an invitation to join the Inner Circle of Odin, the true ruling faction behind the Conclave, and learn of it's secrets. At this point, the God is given an initiatory quest and if he succeeds becomes ruling elite of the Conclave and thus the rest of the Realm Supernatural.

Divine Power

Divine Power is the official meter of how established your God's abilities are. A Neoacadem has several minor powers and one major power while a Master has many different and impressive powers at his disposal. A God's ranking in this Degree essentially shows how skilled he is at being a God and is the truest mark of his power.

DEGREE ONE: NEOACADEM.

The default Degree, a Neoacadem has three minor powers and a single major power at hand. They are exhausted easily and are easily killed.

DEGREE TWO: PURJOPIARRE.

The Purjopiarre has access to four minor powers and three major powers. They also gain access to Mythcrafting and may create beings with the technique.

DEGREE THREE: HIEROPHANTASM.

The Hierophantasm has access to five minor powers and five major powers. They gain the ability to use Essence, though they recover Essence sparingly.

DEGREE FOUR: HALLOWED LEORD.

The Hallowed Leord has access to seven minor powers and six major powers. They gain the Geotonomancy ability, and manipulate the fabric of other worlds.

DEGREE FIVE: MASTER.

The Master has access to ten minor powers and six major powers. In addition, the Master may enact True Apotheosis at the height of Yggdrasil or the Announcement of a Thousand Lies at the Gates of the Gnarled Abyss. The Master receives a single Forsaken power which is legendary in it's scope and literally world- (and game-) breaking.

In order to qualify for the Master Degree - since it is truly an epic advancement for any character - you must first have both have at least the fourth Degree in both Social Standing/Realm Level and Sorcerous Power/Battle Skill. Achieving the Fifth Degree in any of those four will also qualify one for the Master Degree.

Deaths

This is a unique Degree in that it cannot be bought, only earned. A God receives a 'death' upon their demise, and is simply a way to keep count of how many times they've been killed. Thus, "Jocto the Third" has died three times. There are typically three deaths before 'Final Death'; all except the Reborn Gods cannot return from the fourth.

Realm Level

The 'Realm Level' Degree describes how advanced your Realm and people are culturally and technologically. In these Last Days a Realm might spring from backward medieval culture to renaissance kingdom in a quick year or so; the appearance of a God often creates ripples of advancement that revolutionize the Realm.

A High God's Realm Level score defines the defenses and training of the men in his temple, but not the culture and technology since he doesn't have enough people to count.

DEGREE ONE: LESSER.

The Lesser Realm typically has a strong mystical, often shamanic, culture, with a heavy focus on the hunter-gatherer aspect of society. The Realm is largely unexplored, with either a single major city or a few scattered towns about the place. Geography is often wild and untamed, though there might be a single mining or agricultural operation. The people are highly theistic and most wouldn't even consider questioning the will of their God, but the concept of law and government seems alien to them - they are rowdy folk.

The Temple of a High God is situated on geography that is difficult to access; the top of a mountain, bottom of a valley, or hidden in a system of caves, etc. Otherwise there are no other defenses. There are thirty guards/servants, each with minimal fighting ability.

DEGREE TWO: BALANCED.

The Balanced Realm still has a powerful mystical culture, but typically the shamanic core aspects of it's tradition are being replaced with a more esoteric, structured magical practice. The creative arts have boomed: the beginnings of a solid culture of literature, art, philosophy and performance have been established. A system of magistrates and ministers have been loosely established, bringing law to land, though the people are mostly loyal to the God. Some of the land has been explored, but only so that a fully-fleshed mining/agricultural campaign can be attempted: there is now enough food for everyone, and the arts of smithing, forging and jewelry-crafting have begun.

The High God's Realm has fifty men, each with a moderate fighting ability, and defensible walls.

DEGREE THREE: CURIOUS.

The Curious Realm typically focuses on a scientific approach to magic, or a mystical approach to science, finding (in most cases) these methods to be more profitable than simple shamanism. There is a strong creative culture being raised, and much time is invested in the arts. The laws, depending on the people's personal choice, might have evolved or stayed as they were when Balanced. All of the Realm will have been explored by this point, and the standards of smithing and strategy have risen considerably; there is enough food and metal production to keep the Realm sustained. Trade routes may have been created, and with this an influx of new ideas: the God in charge may forge alliances and gain new powers through the acceptance of an Assimilated Cult.

The High God's Realm has eighty men, fifty of those with moderate fighting ability and ten with great fighting ability, and has a large amount of weapons to be used in defense (such as boiling oil, flaming arrows, and the like).

DEGREE FOUR: MAGNIFICENT.

The Magnificent Realm has established a college (or colleges) of magic, and has finally cast aside the master-apprentice structure of learning in place of a more flexible academy-like system; this change may also apply to the arts of philosophy, strategy, and the sciences. They have a solid cultural identity and are considered masters in one field of science or one field of magic. There is an abundance of festivals and ceremonies within the Realm, which may consist of anywhere up to five cities and many small towns, and there is a powerful agricultural focus in order to keep these towns fed. If the Realm has two or more Assimilated Cults it may be considered to be a renaissance state, and will likely excel in many sciences and have access to more powerful - possibly gunpowder - weapons.

The High God's Realm has one hundred and twenty men, a hundred with great fighting ability. They also have access to powerful and efficient strategies and gunpowder weapons.

DEGREE FIVE: LEGENDARY.

The Legendary Realm has achieved a sort of apotheosis and has become a god among Realms. They have a powerful mystical tradition which may take any form and has blended with their scientific and artistic traditions. They typically have access to electricity and 'strange weapons' - weapons made of the fusion between science and magic - though gunpowder firearms are still the norm. They are considered elite and have many visitors from other Realms: the entire Realm might be one great city, or it might be a collection of eight or nine individual cities. They have access to a mythical resource, such as Khamadite Oil or Living Metal, and may exploit this as they see fit. While they still worship their God they effectively run as a democracy, and while he gains the biggest vote the Realm is now an autonomous creature. They are considered masters in two fields of each magic and science - so, four fields all up - and their culture is generally considered one to be admired. If they have five or more Assimilated Cults they are considered an awakened state and have access to a Gate of Methodes which allows them to access Yggdrasil and invade other worlds as well as advancing their scientific and esoteric studies further.

The High God's Realm has two hundred men, a hundred with great fighting abilities and fifty with legendary fighting abilities. They have access to their own form of magic and deadly weapons and strategies.

Battle Skill

A God's Degree in Battle Skill shows how proficient he is at the arts of combat and war. This Degree comes into play any time he is actively fighting against another individual (or group of individuals) as well as any time he is trying to effectively lead troops or manage an army. It is thus more important than many would give it credit for.

DEGREE ONE: FRAGILE.

The Fragile God knows how to fight, just not how to fight particularly well. They are proficient at dodging and weaving, but the actual process of striking another seems to be beyond their capabilities. They might be reasonably proficient in a single weapon, such as a dagger or a bow, but often nothing else. Their military campaigns tend to be unorganized and inefficient, perhaps hoping to win out but sheer strength of numbers rather than tactics or strategy.

DEGREE TWO: SLIGHT.

The Slight God knows how to fight and how to hold his own in any fair combat situation, but still isn't quite considered a threat by most of his peers. He is quite proficient with a single weapon, but in a pinch could use any similar weapons with relative ease. His fighting still either focuses on wild aggression or pure defense, however, which is an imbalance that may cost him a few fights: he hasn't quite learnt of the subtleties of combat. The military campaign of the Slight God places more emphasis on effort than efficiency, but is not riddled with inadequacies and disorganization, and with a few clever tricks it might still win a conflict.

DEGREE THREE: ADEQUATE.

The Adequate God has a balanced, respectable combat technique, and a solid mastery of one or two weapons. He is either quite strong or quite quick, and can outmaneuver most enemies. His fighting style ranges from defensive to offensive depending on his need, and his military campaigns tend to be focused, concise and organized, if a little bland.

DEGREE FOUR: STARK.

The Stark God has a solid fighting style and enough combat experience to make him a formidable foe. He is a master of up to three individual weapons, and can use countless others, including firearms and stranger things. He has no particular fighting weaknesses and can hold his own in a fray as well as the best. His military campaigns tend to be conservative but effective, often with a twist of strategic genius that minimizes his own losses while wreaking havoc on the enemy.

DEGREE FIVE: MIGHTY.

The Mighty God is a thing to truly fear. He can engage with scores of mortal warriors without fear of injury, and can crush boulders with his fists and break bones with his the lightest of his touch. He is a master of five individual weapons, but is proficient with all others, including those that are exotic or arcane. The Mighty God's military campaigns are forces to be reckoned with, doing almost everything right and showing a truly inspiring blend of pure insight and deep military wisdom.

God Template

The God Template is not a Degree. It is instead the defining point of Divinity for your God; where his apotheostic abilities spring from. It is analogous to, say, a 'class' or 'archetype' for the deity, but besides granting a 'Boon' (a specific advantage that only the God type shares) and 'Bane' (a specific disadvantage), it doesn't affect much else besides the overall temperament of your God.

VICIOUS GOD:

"As the Realm Savage was assimilated into the Realm Divine, the Master Divine struck the Deceiver and he fell, his corpse enough to feed this rage once more. From this the Vicious Gods came, warriors and soldiers of the World-Tree and the Realm Supernatural. If Yggdrasil had to die, the Vicious Gods would ensure that it would die in it's own time, and that it would die in peace..."

Boon: The Vicious God gains a bonus Degree in 'Battle Skill' at character creation, beginning as a Slight God instead of a Fragile God. They may also reach a sixth Degree in 'Battle Skill' - and become a Ferocious God - which makes them even greater in war and combat than the fabled Mighty God as well as giving them mastery over ten different weapons.

Bane: The Vicious God cannot gain a higher Degree than Thaumaturgist God in 'Sorcerous Power'. This is to show their inherent disinterest in all matters ethereal and esoteric, as well as to compensate for their remarkable fighting abilities.

SANE GOD:

"The disease that was once Yggdrasil's greatest threat now becomes it's lifeline. Madness strikes mortals, and from lunacy they rise. Understanding that madness is just as valid as any other state of mind, they are named the Sane Gods, and use their insanity to reach new heights of clearness. They are visionaries and seers, arcane mathematicians and esoteric logicians, scientists and sorcerers of the purest stock..."

Boon: The Sane God's make the finest sorcerers and magicians; this is a fact known throughout all of Yggdrasil. Their intimate relationship with madness and sanity allow them further insights into the entropic alien worlds that exist on the Tree, and at character creation they start with an extra Degree in 'Sorcerous Power' - they start as Conjurer Gods instead of Dabbler Gods. They are also the only type of God that can reach the sixth Degree of 'Sorcerous Power' and become Ipsissimus Gods. Ipsissimus Gods have a deep understanding of four circles of magic.

Bane: Very much the inverse brother of the Vicious Gods, the Sane God cannot reach higher than fourth Degree - Stark God - in 'Battle Skill'. This reflects their inbuilt ineptitude towards the less subtle ways of action.

REBORN GOD:

"Master Divine struck the Creator down, and from that crawled the Reborn Gods, Gods that are forever trapped within the cycle of death and rebirth. These Gods cannot truly die. Upon their demise a penalty is paid and the God is returned to life..."

Boon: The Reborn God cannot truly be killed. At every instance of death they are once again reincarnated, at a price chosen by the Master Divine. Their 'Death Degree' might count anywhere from one (Ptol the First) to fifty (Ptol the Fiftieth) and the fact that they are always reborn is a great source of frustration to their enemies.

Bane: Instead of receiving two free Degrees upon death the Reborn God enters a limbo state where he must bargain with the Master Divine to set an adequate price for his rebirth. Often the first death is free - the second death is often symbolic, the life of one of his men or a dozen cattle. From the third death, however, the prices become heavier until they become more than the God would ever wish to pay.

HIGH GOD:

"With the death of Ratatosk came the High Gods, Gods able to climb the World-Tree on a whim. They pay a terrible price for this gift, however; while they have a temple and a hundred loyal warriors at their command, they may never seize a true piece of the Realm Supernatural for themselves. They may never own their own realm, never command a people of their own flesh and blood..."

Boon: The High God's temple has, at it's most secure level, a Gate of Methodes. This Gate allows the God to travel to other worlds at a whim. All they have to do is step inside it and they step out onto the Trunk of Many doors. This Gate cannot be destroyed or taken away from the High God, and it has been specifically attuned so that only the High God may use it. The High God also has access to a unique mystical weapon that is symbiotically linked to the God, evolving as he does.

Bane: The High God starts off with a Temple surrounded by rugged, uninhabitable landscape. The Temple itself is as vast as any palace, but it is not even close to the size of a full Realm, and the God has only a small contingent of followers to do his bidding. He must find more followers in other worlds.

Note: The High God still has a 'full realm', despite their lack of people. This means the realm can still be explored, has five unknown provinces, etc.

RETURNED GOD:

"Master Divine struck the Overseer, and the Overseer fell within the Realm Supernatural. The old ways were not lost - enough fresh blood had been spilled to ensure that. The remnants of the Realm Supernatural still remained, strange forces of divine origin still flowed, and from this the Returned Gods came, the resurrected beings of a Theogenesis long gone. These were Gods from the ancient history of the Realm Supernatural, and they each took a different path. Each, in turn, was reborn, and given a second chance in a bitter world..."

Boon: The Returned Gods are echoes of a greater, more fantastic world - a world very much alive and not haunted by the ghosts of the past. In addition to being able to play any God from any of the Theogenesis games set on Yggdrasil, they also begin one level higher in the 'Divine Power' Degree, starting as a Purjopiarre God instead of a Neoacadem God. They may also reach the sixth Degree of Divine Power, considered lost to most scholars of Divine lore, and become Realized Master Gods. The Realized Master has thirteen minor powers, eight major powers, and two Forsaken powers.

Bane: The Returned God is stuck in their original past. Thus, their people and land may not reach the truest heights available to most Gods - the highest they can reach in Realm Level is the fourth Degree - Magnificent Realm. They sacrifice true potential in their obsession with the past..

ZEALOUS GOD:

"Now, however, the stakes are higher, Yggdrasil is weaker, and less subtle action must be taken. With this came the creation of the Zealous Gods. The natural progression of organizations such as the Inquisition and the Harrow Circle, these Gods feel a biological need to defeat and destroy those who would harm the World-Tree.."

Boon: The Zealous Gods are built to struggle against forces beyond their very understanding. They will be forced by fate to encounter the strangest, most horrifying enemies that could ever pose a threat to the World-Tree. They are given a single advantage to allow them to cope with this task - they begin one Degree higher in Realm - Balanced instead of Lesser - and may reach the fabled Sixth Degree of Realm, Enlightened. From the purest minds spring the purest cultures, after all.

Bane: The Zealous God cannot engage in the easiest way to gain power; they cannot attempt an Aramanth. The act of gaining power by destroying another is anathema to their entire philosophy. They are thus barred from committing the act on any other being.

GOD-BLOODED:

(Thanks to Ruse for his help with this template)

Even more rare than Yggdrasil spawning gods, is gods spawning children with one another. Having the blood of two or more gods running through your veins is a potent boon, and god-blooded children are known to be divine prodigies. However, as the grandchildren and not the direct children of Yggdrasil, they do not receive a Realm. Thankfully, they have a partial connection to the realms of their divine parents. God-Blooded children are also beholden to their parents in a similar way demigods are, but the bond is less forced fealty and more of a filial loyalty. As such, god-Blooded have free-will and if the parents are too abusive, they may find their children disobeying or even turning against them! Yet, reconciliation will be easy as the sense of duty will always remain.

Boons:

1.) Gain two additional major powers on top of the standard divinity degree progression. One of these must be associated with one Divine parent, and the other associated with the other parent.

2.) May utilize 'lesser' seed manipulation of their parents' realms freely (like terraforming, communing, weather control, etc., but not manifesting the seed or causing it to go into overdrive mode). The Realms' primary loyalty is to the parents and always will be, but it will treat the god-blood in all ways like a divine "prince" or "princess."

3.) While the God-Blooded cannot manipulate or own the souls of the parents' people, they are treated like princes and princesses by both peoples. If a parent dies a final death, the god-blood inherits the souls of the left-over people.

Banes:

1.) Has no natural God Realm or people.

2.) Innate sense of filial loyalty to the divine parents. This is not mind-control or essence-overwriting. God-Blooded still have free will, but just have an innate sense of duty to their parents.

3.) Not truly a bane in the standard sense of the word, the god-blood must choose a domain that is a logical mixture of the domains of the parents, and be approved by the GM. For example, the son of a Fire God and an ice Goddess would be the god of steam, temperature or similar, while the daughter of a Mist Goddess and Fantasy God would be Illusion or similar. As such, the child's god powers (besides the extra two granted as a boon) must reflect this mating of domains, and the GM has the right to veto any power he feels does not sufficiently meet this requirement.

Sorcerous Power

This Degree shows how proficient the God is with the magical and mystical arts. This Degree reflects his ability with the arcane arts as well as his resistance to negative magical effects and the potency of his countermagic. This Degree also reflects how well he can take alien information and react in alien situations, such as on the wilder worlds on the Tree.

DEGREE ONE: DABBLER.

The Dabbler God has a deep understanding of a single field of magic and a basic understanding of another two fields of magic within any circle. He has no knowledge of countermagic, though he might know a few abjurations for dealing with troublesome spirits. He is unprepared for a trip into another world - while he can understand the mental difficulties of such a process in theory, in reality it would simply break his mind.

DEGREE TWO: CONJURER.

The Conjurer God has a deep understanding of two fields of magic and has a basic understanding of two other fields. He knows the basic essentials of counter-sorcery, and quite a few abjurations and evocations used for banishing spirits and rogue enchantments. He might be able to travel to another world, if it was at least in theory vaguely similar to the Realm Supernatural.

DEGREE THREE: MAGICIAN.

The Magician God has a deep understanding of an entire circle of magic - but only one - and a basic understanding of four other fields spread about other circles in whatever form he might choose. He has a sound knowledge of countermagic and a solid understanding of the mechanics of abjuration and banishing. He would be caught off guard if suddenly sent to another world, but with enough time and effort he would be able to make the best of the situation.

DEGREE FOUR: THAUMATURGIST.

The Thaumaturgist God has a deep understanding of two entire circles of magic, and a basic understanding of another circle of magic. He has an advanced knowledge of countermagic and a powerful, intuitive understanding of abjuration and banishing. He would most certainly not be at home in another, alien realm, but it wouldn't break him.

DEGREE FIVE: GRAND MAGUS.

The Grand Magus God has a deep understanding of three circles of magic and a basic understanding in every other field. He is a tried master of countermagic and a powerful banisher and abjurer. He might walk about the alien worlds as he pleases; only the highest reaches of the Broken Bridge or the lowest depths of the Gnarled Abyss might stop him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:38, Thu 19 Aug 2010.

A Note on Returned Gods

Except without specific GM permission regarding exception, these are the standard assumptions for a Returned God character:

(a) Unless you are playing Wyrn, Ayar, Metatron, Crailek, Nrictalus, Neiscance, Foun, Anik, Xellos, or Xeran you do not have access to one of the Ten Towers. This is an ingame reward for the older players, and acts as a very difficult challenge and sub-quest for the Returned God to overcome.
(b) If you are Msonus or Isuban you do not have a Tower, but instead something even deadlier and more hidden. Msonus has the Well of All Hells, and Isuban has the Deep Tower of Isuban. This is a setting thing and nothing else.
(c) If you have a Tower or the equivalent, all memories regarding the Tower are gone except for hazy visions regarding the building of the Tower itself and a strange knowledge that it is yours. Everything after the Tower is gone. Amnesia!
(d) Even if you don't have a Tower, your memory is in tatters anyway. You don't have any real knowledge of the past two million years or anything past the ending of the game your character was present in - and even then, at the GM's discretion, you might not remember anything.
(e) You do not retain any magical artifacts or the like when you are reborn. Also, if you have Ascended or the equivalent, you are reborn as a normal God, depowered and relatively mundane in compared to your past life. Why this is so is a mystery.
(d) Do not presume your Realm is as you remember it. In fact, it's safest to assume that everything has changed - maybe in small ways, maybe in great ways. It will of course be very similar, but things will have shifted, and the GM reserves every right to throw surprises at you. Hell, the GM will be striving to throw the craziest surprises towards the Returned Gods.
(e) In the same way as (d), things have changed about the world. If you're from Rebirth or a game that was not run by me, expect some things to be very different. Even if your character was part of my own Theogenesis, things will still be radically different.
(f) Returned Gods that do not get a Tower or the equivalent also has access to a special, unique sub-quest/challenge that ties into their Realm/story. Send your basic ideas for the challenge to the GM, and we'll see what we can do. There will be great rewards for these deadly challenges; the quest is part of the God's own legacy.

The Armament of the High God

(Thanks to Elyshian/Oceanus for this lovely buff)

The High God begins play with a mystical artifact that has been grafted onto his very soul, presumably by the Tree itself. The item, you suspect, originates in another world - it seems completely alien to the Realm Supernatural - but it has been with you for as long as you know and you can't remember a time that it wasn't with you. The item cannot be replicated, but it can be destroyed or stolen. With a full action - roughly ten seconds - the God may have it recreated or summoned to his side with ease.

The item itself evolves as the God comes into fulfilling his true potential, and thus changes as a God's Divine Power increases. It has five distinct forms, each one sentient and completely loyal to it's owner. You must choose one form for your magical item, and this will broadly describe it's effects:

(a) Weapon: swords, spears, knives, staves, etc. These will have powerful offensive abilities that affect combat situations the most.
(b) Armour: chain, plate, leather, cloak, robe, etc. These will have potent defensive abilities that harbor defensive powers.
(c) Miscellaneous: crown, jewelry, shoes, bracers, rings, etc. These will contain great effects which may not always be directly offensive or defensive, but always useful.

The item will typically follow this progression, according to your own Divine Power:

Neoacadem: The item looks mundane but will contain a small amount of medium-powered abilities.
Purjopiarre: The item appears as if created by a mortal master of the craft, and will harbor a small amount of powerful abilities.
Hierophantasm: The item seems distinctly alien and well made, though most can't put their finger on why. It will contain a large amount of powerful abilities.
Hallowed Leord: The item has obviously been created outside the Realm Supernatural and is extravagantly brilliant to behold. It will contain a small amount of epically powerful abilities.
Master: The item, though deeply strange, is the absolute epitome of pure beauty. Some might weep simply by gazing upon it: it speaks of worlds afar, of stars holding terrible secrets and of the eternal silence of space. It contains a large amount of epically powerful abilities.

You may dictate to the GM what sort of item you'd like - weapon, armour, or miscellaneous - but not it's specific effects, though the GM will typically be happy to oblige with certain requests if asked in a proper manner. The inclusion of Armaments is to counter the lack of Sixth Degrees that the High God has access to - a great weakness in the late game.

Magic

In the several million years since the standard time of Theogenesis, magic has undergone some changes. Magic, as used by the Gods, has become standardized, though the traditions and systems designed by each different culture still exist.

There are three different types of understanding of the magical arts, and the number of these are chosen by the God's Sorcerous Power Degree:

1. No Understanding: Every God has a 'vague' understanding of each magical field regardless of their interest in magic or their rank in Sorcerous Power. This basically means that they know, very roughly, what the field can do. For example, a God with a Vague understanding of Fire magic knows that it involves the manipulation and creation of fire, but not much else.

2. Basic Understanding: A Basic Understanding means that the God knows the theory behind a magical art and might use it in a limited capacity; he is forced to use it two levels below his Sorcerous Power attribute as he is still experimenting and learning the ropes with the field. For example, a God with a Basic Understanding of Fire magic knows how to, in theory, create and manipulate flame, as well as heat and ash, and understands the mystical properties of the hearth and the candle. He would be able to, say, speak with fire or control it in limited ways, but he wouldn't be able to do much else with it.

3. Deep Understanding: A Deep Understanding means that not only does the God know the essential background theories of the art, he has also practiced it to perfection and uses it to his current Sorcerous Power Degree. He knows the secrets that have been coded into the essential texts of the art and he has a good technique when actually casting the magic. For example, a God with a Deep Understanding of Fire magic knows all of the theory behind it and might be able to throw a fireball or conjure a firestorm, depending on his Sorcerous Power Degree.

The Understanding's reflect only how much a God can do with his chosen magical field, not what he can do with it exactly. This is because the mastery of magic - or, at least, the Royal Tradition of magic which involves circles and fields - is an inbuilt trait that is reflected by his Sorcerous Power Degree. It isn't just the magical understanding he needs, it's the mystical understanding, and the understanding of how he relates to the universe.

Every God has the ability to pick up Countermagic and Abjurations regardless of circle or field, dependent on the height of his Degree in Sorcerous ability. This is because the arts of defending himself from nasty spirits and countering aggressive magic come with an understanding of any other field. A sorcerer with a Deep Understanding of Fire, for example, would be able to burn away the metaphysical fires keeping a spell in existence (forcing it to vanish) or torment a spirit with invisible flames. Countermagic is the art of destroying and casting aside offensive magic sent against the God (or disenchanting enchantments) while abjuration refers more to the banishing of negative spirits which are linked, but separate, to magic. Abjuration also handles the art of protecting one's self from magical harm before the magic is actually placed.

Most Gods are proficient in the Royal Tradition of magic - that is, the magical tradition used by Gods and their closest allies. The Royal Tradition is considered the standard, and by upgrading Sorcerous Power Gods begin to learn this tradition automatically, but each culture typically has it's own native mystical art. These are typically less effective than the Royal Tradition in general, but are often specialized to the point where they can achieve things the Royal Tradition can not. If you are at least a Magician God (Sorcerous Power three) or a Sane God with any Degree in Sorcerous Power you may learn your people's magical tradition. You will work with the GM on this one, and should offer ideas as to what sort of mysticism they're into and whether it's faith-based or science-based as well as general input into the flavour of the tradition.

Most magic is based on ritual - that is, in most cases it takes many hours and needs certain components and tools to work. This is simply the way it is. True, instantaneous power comes with the divine abilities each God receives, though a Fire magician might throw a fireball or two. The fact is that most instant magic is incredibly strenuous upon the body and causes a great amount of fatigue. It doesn't come anywhere near as easily as Divine abilities come, and the God must sacrifice convenience and mobility for versatility of affect. In a second, a Grand Magus might conjure a huge wall of fire, but give him a few hours and the right tools and he could raise a volcano.

All the magical fields have an associated magical tool which helps with rituals and allows them more freedom and power in the spells they cast. Nevertheless, while any God could use a wand, it is considerably harder to craft one's own fire wand; special instruments attuned to a field allow a God to cast magic as if he were one Sorcerous Power Degree higher than he actually is as long as he is holding the tool (for instantaneous magic) or has it in his possession (for ritual) - those already at Grand Magus Degrees would cast magic in the same league as the most powerful magicians Yggdrasil has ever seen. The act of crafting a magical tool is often a difficult and dangerous one, however, and is typically only attempted by wisened, ready Grand Magus or up-and-coming Conjurers wishing to make a splash in the magical world.

Now the four current circles are listed. Each circle has four parts, known as fields, and mastery of all four parts is known as mastery of a circle for reasonably obvious reasons.

The Circle of Elements

The Circle of Elements involves the direct manipulation of the standard building blocks of matter. It is a powerful and popular circle unrivaled in versatility.

THE FIELD OF FIRE:

The Field of Fire involves the art of creating and manipulating flames and heat. It is a deeply destructive art and it's philosophy tends towards annihilation and assimilation. It is, however, considered one of the most energetic fields of all the circles. Fire mages see the world as dry and unmoving; only with the guiding hand of fire can it be destroyed and once again reborn into something greater. The Fire mage uses the wand in his rituals, and might even think of creating a sacred, sanctified fire wand for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might create a tiny, warm flame, or speak to fire, learning it's crazed secrets. Conjurer Gods could create bursts of flame and throw them, or they might simply conjure heat. Magician Gods could create fountains of flame and ash. Thaumaturgist Gods could create a sphere of flame about them, protecting them from harm. Grand Magus Gods could create a literal firestorm of flame, annihilating all in it's path.

THE FIELD OF WATER:

The Field of Water involves the art of creating and manipulating liquid. Even though it is considered a soothing, defensive art it can be just as destructive as it's sister, Fire. It is a rapid and flowing art that can adapt to almost any situation. Water mages see the world as a dry landscape that needs to be rejuvinated with the life-giving currents of water. The Water mage uses a chalice as the tool of his magic, and might consider creating a sacred, sanctified cup just for that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might create water from their hands, or purify poisoned or brackish water. Conjurer Gods could create huge amounts of liquid, or shape it in unnatural ways. Magician Gods could create beautiful fountains and cure the body of poisons. Thaumaturgist Gods could summon walls of liquid, protecting them from harm, or strike at an enemy with lances of deadly water. Grand Magus Gods could conjure a tsunami, provided they had enough water to begin with, or summon a lake.

THE FIELD OF AIR:

The Field of Air involves manipulating the invisible currents of gas that lie across the world; making wind and gust your plaything. It is a vicious, piercing art that forces the sorcerer to examine himself and to introspect upon his abilities. It is quick and subtle and very, very deadly. Air mages consider the world to be below that of the skies, and endeavour to bring the two together in harmony. The Air mage uses a sword as a tool for his magic, and might consider creating a sacred, sanctified blade just for that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might render themselves immune to gaseous poisons. Conjurer Gods could strike another with the force of the wind. Magician Gods deflect blows with the wind and speak to it in it's strangest tongue. Thaumaturgist Gods could create invisible walls or fly, if they wished. Grand Magus Gods could conjure a tornado or a hurricane.

THE FIELD OF EARTH:

The Field of Earth involves controlling the very fabric of the land, the dirt and the soil that everything rests upon. It is a solid, slow art, with a heavy focus on defense and patience. It is the art that values wisdom above all things, including the wisdom not to act. Earth mages see the world as a single whole to be moved and shaped when the time is right. The Earth mage uses a pentagram amulet in his magic, representing the mountains above and the caverns below, and might consider creating a sacred, sanctified amulet for that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might speak to the earth, or move it in minor ways. Conjurer Gods could create large mounds of earth or hide within it's womb. Magician Gods could create tunnels and caves as they please, and find rare gems and stones. Thaumaturgist Gods could create walls of earth or, with enough effort, build an entire castle with will alone. Grand Magus Gods could create an earthquake or something just as terrifying.

The Circle of Spirits

The Circle of Spirits involves the summoning, control and banishing of 'spirits'; beings made (mostly) of energy or information that exist on a plane above our own. Banishing in this case is different to Abjuration; it involves banishing through the right channels, often in indirect ways or using the right evocations, and is usually less blunt and more effective.

THE FIELD OF SHAMANISM:

Shamanism is an ancient art that involves communion with the natural spirits of the world. Everything has a spirit, the shamans tell us, and every spirit can be conjured. The shamanistic relationship to spirits is one of friendship and even camaraderie, and involves calls, chants, and pleadings rather than threats and curses. The shaman sees the world as the physical manifestation of an intangible, invisible pantheon of millions of spirits. The shaman uses a drum in his magic, and might go about creating a sacred, consecrated drum for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might speak to the spirits, or beg them to him. Conjurer Gods could summon the minor spirits, and ask them to perform simple tasks. Magician Gods beg for a spirit to give them access and guide them in the spirit world. Thaumaturgist Gods could summon much greater spirits and walk unguided in the spirit world. Grand Magus Gods could summon and bind the greatest spirits and access the spirit world whenever they care to.

THE FIELD OF DEMONOLOGY:

Demonology has long been considered a dark practice, but in reality the demons themselves are often amoral and rather neutral in their temperaments. The demonologists use long invocations, threats and curses in order to get the demons to manifest, as well as circles of power and words of summoning. Demons are often tricky, deceitful things, but unlike most spirits are deeply intelligent and incredibly able spies and information gatherers. It is said that the lowliest demon knows more about the Realm Supernatural than even the most learned Divine scholar. Demonologists see the world as a magnet for unknown forces, a magnet that can be manipulated; by manipulating this magnet, they might draw powerful spirits towards them and break them into submission. The demonologist uses a grimoire, a powerful book of incantations, in his magic, and might go about scribing his own sacred book for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might summon a minor demon and command it to accomplish a simple task. Conjurer Gods could summon and bind a demon, asking it to attack an enemy. Magician Gods could summon and beg important information from a demon. Thaumaturgist Gods could learn the most precious of information from the demons. Grand Magus Gods could summon the most terrible demons and break them to his will, forcing them to kill an enemy or reveal the most enigmatic secrets.

THE FIELD OF NECROMANCY:

Necromancy is the art of raising the spirits of the dead, either to communicate with them or to tie them to the realm of the living. It is a twisted art that takes quite a toll on the psyche of the necromancer, and most profess never to stop hearing the screams of the dead as they dredge them from their resting place. The necromancer sees the world as the bridge between the realm of the dead and higher places, locked from him; with advanced necromancy they hope to break that seal and find eternal life. The necromancer uses a wickedly curved blade in his magic, and might go about crafting his own knife for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might summon a ghost to the mortal realm. Conjurer Gods could reanimate the dead or understand the babbling of a ghost. Magician Gods could create a legion of the walking dead or allow a ghost to find peace. Thaumaturgist Gods could enter the mysterious and shadowy Realm Lower, the lowest world there is and abode of dead things. Grand Magus Gods could resurrect the dead, in a certain manner.

THE FIELD OF STORMS:

Stormseering is the most peculiar and vaguest of all the mystical arts, and many consider it even deadlier than necromancy or demonology. It has nothing to do with the physical weather. It involves calling and talking with - never really anything more - either the Primordials that rule the World-Tree or strange beings caught between the Trees. This is no exact science, and most magicians believe that the mystical methods of Storm magic simply attract the attention of these vast beings instead of forcing them to appear. More times than not the magic itself fails, but advanced Storm mages find themselves more attune to the nature flow of Yggdrasil by practicing this form. The Storm magician sees the world as a pit of combating forces, most beyond the ken of even the Gods, and realize truly how magnificent the universe is. The Storm magician uses a wand made of shamanistic metal - sentient metal naturally attune to unseen forces - in his magic, and the especially eager magician might contemplate going about creating such a wand for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might ask for help in a desperate situation to greater forces. Conjurer Gods might attempt to call the Master Divine or another living Primordial. Magician Gods could summon a strange alien-spirit from another Tree and attempt to converse with it. Thaumaturgist Gods might attempt to enter either the Sphere of Force and Fire or the Sphere of Strength and Silence to seize it's secrets. Grand Magus Gods are almost never denied in their calls to the greater powers.

The Circle of Forces

The Field of Forces deal with the four powerful currents that shape and nurture life in the Realm Supernatural. It is a powerful, if little-understood circle that is as mysterious as it is potent.

THE FIELD OF LIFE:

The Field of Life involves manipulating the current of Life - stoking the fire within every living being that makes it want to survive. It's often a simpler, tribalistic form of magic that places more emphasis on emotions and confidence than tools and ceremonies, and for this reason it is very appealing to certain Gods who despise the more complicated fields. The Life mage sees the world as a vibrant place filled with the buzzing of eternal life. The Life magician uses a purified white glove in his magic, and an especially keen Life magician might wish to create one just for that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might attempt to heal a minor sickness. Conjurer Gods could physically heal their own wounds. Magician Gods could heal another's wounds. Thaumaturgist Gods could speak to anything that was living, or heal a potently supernatural sickness. Grand Magus Gods could resurrect the dead, in a manner.

THE FIELD OF DEATH:

The Field of Death involves manipulating the current of Death - that unseen force that breeds plague and famine and allows the cycle of life to keep turning. It's a powerful, if dangerous, form of magic that involves heavy ceremonialism and a morbid streak of curiousity. It doesn't deal so much with actually communicating and commanding the dead - that sort of spirit-work falls under the field of necromancy - but instead controlling the very force that is death and blasting one's enemies. The Death magician sees the world as a constant cycle, alternating between life and death, and hopes to control that cycle to his own ends. The Death magician uses a scythe in his magic, and an especially eager Death magician might wish to craft his own.

Dabbler Gods might see how close a mortal is to death. Conjurer Gods might weakly blast another, destroying their life-force. Magician Gods could kill a mortal outright with their blast, or severely damage a God. Thaumaturgist Gods might create a two-way death blast that allows them to recover the life-force that they'd stolen from another. Grand Magus Gods might render themselves immune to physical death for a short time, remaining conscious and alive no matter how much damage they take.

THE FIELD OF ORDER:

The field of Order involves the manipulation of logic, rationality, and the patterns that lay atop the universe. It's a powerful tradition that has been used by seers and sorcerers for as long as the mind learned how to sense patterns and overrule instincts, and categorise reality so that it is meaningful and coherent instead of being composed of a random flash of events. It typically involve either sensing omens and reading their meaning or manipulating an event so that it becomes 'fated' and certain actions become impossible not to happen. The Patternist sees the world as wild chaos that must be tamed by will and pattern - this is the true civilisation desired by men and Gods. The Patternist uses a set of scales in his magic, and might go about crafting one just for that purpose.

Dabbler Gods sense an omen, or be alerted of a fated event that must occur. Conjurer Gods might read the omens in a typically divinatory fashion, using cards or stones. Magician Gods might make a likely event fated to happen. Thaumaturgist Gods might read the omens - even if there are none to be had - in mundane situations. Grand Magus Gods might create a fated event, such as the death of an enemy.

THE FIELD OF CHAOS:

The field of Chaos involves breaking those patterns that lie across the universe. Even though growth and creation can be made out of Chaos, it is ultimately a destructive art in that it revolves around unlocking those chains called 'fate' and replacing them with the most absurd option. A powerful Chaote is a force to be reckoned with - he destroys habits and creates false coincidences, negative patterns that serve to undermine instead of to illuminate. The Chaote sees the world as rigid, unchanging forces enslaving and ruining the potential of those who would live under their laws. The Chaote uses a pair of dice carved of shamanic metal in his operations, and might consider crafting a pair for that express purpose.

Dabbler Gods might read an omen. Conjurer Gods could create a false omen for others to read. Magician Gods might break a minor fated event. Thaumaturgist Gods might infuse an event with chaotic energy, insuring that everything will go insane when it occurs. Grand Magus Gods could destroy the greatest fated events, or create their own false fated events, or even turn a seemingly fated prophecy into a horrorshow of madness and entropy.

The Circle of Subtlety

The Circle of Subtlety involve forces that most Gods find it very difficult to even think about. The strange lines that run through the world, affecting it as if it were a play thing, are primarily the strings of Subtlety. If the Circle of Forces runs an exoteric, completely brash operation in running the universe than the Circle of Subtlety runs a secretive, occult, esoteric operation in commanding it from within the shadows. For this reason it's magic can be highly unpredictable, and it is the least popular Circle of the four. It arguably holds more potential for power than the other three, however, and one who truly masters the Subtle strings can be said to master life itself.

THE FIELD OF CHANCE:

The Field of Chance involves the nudging luck slightly in the favour of the caster or the disfavor of his enemies. It is distinct from the nature of Order and Chaos in that it manipulates, not forces - it works with the flow instead of against. It is a strange craft in that it's chief discipline involves summoning coincidences in general to assist the God - a God who wishes to succeed in business might call coincidences in to make his business rival's crops die or something similar, but he could never dictate just what would happen. These coincidences tend to affect the world in amazing ways and achieve things that no other magical art can match, but at a price: randomness. Using Chance magic is itself a game of chance. Chance magicians see the world as a great game composed of many little games that must individually be beaten, and strive towards completing what they consider to be the final challenge. Chance magicians use a set of unique cards in their magic, and the eager sorcerer might go about crafting his own set for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods might understand the true statistics behind something happening. Conjurer Gods could cheat at a simple game, such as cards or dice. Magician Gods could summon synchronicity and call coincidences as if they were spirits in their own right. Thaumaturgist Gods might cheat at an elaborate game, such as dueling or a sport. Grand Magus Gods could turn their lives into a scene of coincidence, expecting nothing except everything will come conveniently and with the utmost weirdness.

THE FIELD OF ILLUSION:

The Field of Illusion finally answers the age-old philosophical question: does a tree falling in the woods really fall if no one is there to witness it? The answer, according to Illusionists, is yes. Illusion is a separate field to mind and affects even those who do not rightfully exist, such as the Dhelvanians from Realm Void. Illusions act independently to their masters, and this revelation rocked the field and turned it into a separate school in it's own right. Illusionists manipulate illusions, casting glamours upon themselves and deceiving those around them with fantastic visions. Over time, if illusions aren't maintained by the illusionist but are not banished, they might gain sentience and become living things in their own right. The story of how Mara, God of Illusions, hid her royal palace by enchanting it to look like a useless wasteland while she traveled Yggdrasil for a year still amuses the Conclave illusionists; Mara returned to find her palace gone entirely, replaced in turn by a useless wasteland. Illusionists see the world as a blank slate that must be scribbled on; in essence, illusions are the thing that makes life living. An Illusionist uses a small wand in his magic, and might go about creating one for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods can create an illusion with only the sense of Sight - it can be only be seen. Conjurer Gods can create an illusion with the senses of Sight and Sound - it can be seen and heard. Magician Gods can create an illusion with the senses of Sight, Sound and Smell - it can be seen, heard, and smelled. Thaumaturgist Gods can create an illusion with the senses of Sight, Sound, Smell and Taste - it can be seen, heard, smelled, and tasted. Grand Magus Gods can create illusions which exist entirely in their own right; Smell, Sight, Sound, Taste and Touch are present - it can be seen, heard, smelled and tasted.

THE FIELD OF TIME:

The Field of Time is perhaps the subtlest field of all. Time-travel as it is fully understood is impossible except by the Dhelvanians of the Realm Void, and even they cannot describe it in terms that the other inhabitants of the Conclave could understand. No, the Field of Time offers travel through time.. but only in the maddeningly vaguest of ways. The Grand Magus might travel forward or back in what we perceive to be 'time', but who is to say that it is OUR future or OUR past? Effects from actions in the past often don't even reach the future, and experiences in the future often vary to what actually happens... time-travel is a craft that most Chronomancers fear will never be perfected. The Chronomancer sees the past and the present as an ever-shifting hurricane, and the present the eye of the storm. The Chronomancer uses an elaborate watch in his magic, and the especially keen magician might go about constructing one for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods divine the future or divine the past, gaining vague answers to their questions. Conjurer Gods could attempt to get a vague vision of the past or future. Magician Gods can age an object or make it appear younger. Thaumaturgist Gods can communicate and summon beings from a time that is not their own. Grand Magus Gods can literally wander to the past or the future on a whim, though this is often dangerous and unpredictable.

THE FIELD OF MIND:

The Field of Mind is one that has puzzled sorcerers for many, many centuries. What is the mind? How separate is it from the brain? Is it separate from the body? Is it tied to the soul? Magicians working in Mind haven't found the answers to these questions.. but the puzzle itself can be just as powerful. The Field of Mind tends to work holistically - a Mind magician might attempt to mentally dominate his opponent and find later that his enemy had mysteriously become paralysed or something similar. Mind affects the body, body affects the soul, and the soul affects the mind. It is a cycle that the Mind sorcerer cannot escape, but instead chooses to manipulate to his own ends. The Mind sorcerer sees the world as a projection of a person's subjective thought processes, and those thought processes can be controlled; thus, reality can be controlled. The Mind sorcerer uses a silver sword in his magic, and might go about constructing his own for just that purpose.

Dabbler Gods can manipulate their own emotions, ordering them and containing them as they will. Conjurer Gods can read the thoughts of others. Magician Gods could attack another individual's mind, or read the mind of a non-God. Thaumaturgist Gods can make themselves invisible simply by radiating an aura that makes others not notice them. Grand Magus Gods can destroy a person's personality and will utterly through force of their own.

Psionics

Rumours claim that, in times long past, anyone could learn psychic powers and the ability itself had schools not unlike magic has circles. However, since the revelation - during the Age of Ten Leagues - that those with psychic gifts are more susceptible to Madness contamination the schools quickly died out and for a period of time psionics were outlawed outright. The popular idea at that time - that by simply bending reality with your mind you were calling the Old Ones closer - didn't help matters at all.

Psionics are no longer banned - the Conclave doesn't even truly acknowledge their existence, the phenomena is so rare. They are typically freak occurrences in nature which grant a small handful of chosen Gods amazingly powerful abilities. There seems to be no pattern as to which Gods are granted these amazing abilities and which aren't.

Psionic powers are always instant and are infinitely easier to perform than magic. There is a cost, though - if overused a God might find himself burnt out and unable to perform any of his abilities, divine/magical or psionic, while if underused God's have been known to be destroyed by the own intense power that's bottled up within them. Psionic gifts are a product of extremely deadly, powerful energies that run through a God's body and are often chaotic at best. Using psionic gifts can go wrong even for the most conservative user.

Psionic powers come in two forms: blunt powers and sharp powers. Blunt powers are small, but useful, abilities that pose a minimum risk to the user - for example, a God created small flames with her hands. Sharp powers are often grand, extremely potent abilities that can easily destroy with their power. These pose a considerable risk to the user, but the payoff is usually considered worth it - a God who can create extremely hot firestorms with her will, for example.

Psionic powers can be bought at character creation. For one of the starting Degrees, a God can purchase a blunt power. For both starting Degrees a God may begin with a sharp power. Psionics may not be bought at any other time except during a God's death. They may then be bought with either the Degrees given with a death or with Degrees already owed to the God and saved for just that moment. A blunt power may be upgraded to a sharp power at the cost of one Degree, and provided the God has used the blunt power enough to warrant such a shift, may upgrade at any time they can pay.

Possible list of psionic abilities - feel free to submit more for review - in blunt and sharp forms :

Telepathy: In it's blunt form, telepathy simply allows one to read another mind and to send messages psychically. In it's sharp form, telepathy allows one to attack another mind, attempting to physically rape their conscious, or to implant more subtle suggestions as a form of mind control. One may also radiate messages - such as that of calm or of danger - to everybody nearby, or to communicate between worlds, or even Trees.

Psychokinesis: In it's blunt form, psychokineses allows one to move small objects around the place, or fling them with some speed. In it's sharp form, psychokineses allows you to move struggling individuals and much bigger things around, as well as being able to crush a person to death with your mind.

Psychoportation: In it's blunt form psychoportation allows one to concentrate and teleport anywhere within the Realm Supernatural. In it's sharp form it allows one to teleport across worlds, or in places that cannot normally be accessed - secret places, for example.

Psychometablism: In it's blunt form psychometabolism only allows a God to heal, and in limited amounts. In it's sharp form it allows a God to change form, to heal rapidly, to produce toxins and narcotics from the body and to neutralize poisons.

Clairsentience: It it's blunt form Clairsentience allows a God to see auras and to sense information from objects and people. In it's sharp form Clairsentience allows one to see the invisible lines that make up the world, as well as physically perceive those things from higher dimensions. They will also be able to view remotely.

Metacreativity: In it's blunt form Metacreativity allows a God to create a simple item, such as a knife or a brick. In it's sharp form it allows a God to create a complex item, such as a clock, or mass produce simple items.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:22, Thu 19 Aug 2010.

Aramanth and the Sacred Transfusion

Higher Aramanth

One of the darkest abilities available to a God is his ability to steal the powers of others while they are on their deathbed. This is the Aramanth - an act that involves the drinking of the life-blood, placing the killing blow at the victim and throwing him to his next incarnation - or to his last death. This act of spiritual - but very literal - vampirism steals the vital, godly force within another before their incarnation, effectively granting the Aramanthist a permanent part of their power. This process, as stated before, kills the victim.

Aramanth can only be performed as the killing blow, and so it must be attempted upon an incredibly sick or wounded God. It can only be performed on Gods of an equal or higher Degree of Divine Power than the Aramanthist - anything less and the Aramanthist gains nothing but a rush of temporary power, holding nothing permanent.

If these two prerequisites are fulfilled, the God automatically gains a Degree. If the God Aramanths another one Degree of Divine Power above him, he also gains the ability to use a random minor power of the victim. If the victim is two or more Degrees of Divine Power higher, the Aramanthist gains the Degree and a Major Power, but no other bonuses if the difference is higher than that.

Aramanth cannot be performed on a Reborn God - the power is never released unto the Aramanthist. Zealous Gods cannot perform an Aramanth, because their protective nature will not allow them to commit such an act.

While the stolen benefits are permanent for the Aramanthist, the victim never loses a Degree or any of his powers - his theometaphysical field always 'refreshes' upon death, giving him whatever bonus Degrees he's earnt as well as the ones stolen. The degrading and horrific nature of Aramanth, however, always leaves a stain upon the psyche of the victim.. it is very much the equivalent of rape in the minds of most Gods. Needless to say, the Aramanthist soon becomes a bitter, torn individual, and his moral evolution is forever stunted.

Lower Aramanth

There is a form of Aramanth known as the "Lower Aramanth." While the "Higher", or standard Aramanth attacks the soul of the victim, clawing the things that rise above, the Lesser Aramanth targets the things that go below.. the mind and the courage of the victim. The Armanthist must cannibalise the victim, eating either his heart or brain. This must, as per the standard rules, be the killing blow. Eating the brain attacks the Sorcerous Power of the victim; the heart attacks Combat Skill.

The Lower Aramanth can only be attempted on a God of equal or higher Sorcerous Power or Combat Skill. The victim never loses a Degree in this matter, but retains an emotional and psychological wound from the dreaded attack. Only one can be attempted at a time, as the killing blow is so important; one could not eat the heart and the mind to get Sorcerous Power and Combat Skill, for example.

If the victim is two Degrees higher than the Aramanthist committing Low Aramanth, the Aramanthist gains a random minor power in addition to the Degree in Combat or Sorcery.

Sacred Transfusion

The Conclave, in it's earlier (and darker) days, explored and researched the Aramanth ability in secret.. and stumbled upon an acceptable and less terrible alternative, available even to Zealous Gods. The Sacred Transfusion is a spiritual process in which, in it's simplest form, a God can give an unspent Degree to another simply by declaring their friendship, offering the Degree, and mentally beginning the process - but the receiver must be physically within sight of the Transfusist.

This is the easiest and most commonly used form of the Sacred Transfusion, but a more complicated - and more hidden - use is out there: the especially selfless God can sacrifice his own eternal life to give birth to another God, transferring all earnt Degrees and allowing this new Divine a better chance at life. As most Gods have no idea what this true transfusion will be given to, it is tantamount to suicide, but is popular among those Gods who feel that their time is up and wish to return their divinity to the Realm that spawned them, continuing the cycle.

In play terms, this process allows a player to transfer all the earnt Degrees from one God to another, though only one God may still be played. This allows players who have grown bored with a single God to sacrifice the deity and transfer his earnings, but remember that a God's physical and magical wealth, knowledge, and social standings are never transferred.

The True Sacred Transfusion - as the suicide is known - can also be used to give another God a fresh start at life. If a God has died as many times as it is allowed, and plunged into the Underworld, never to return, another God may shatter his soul to restore the God to zero deaths - effectively reborn - while still allowing the old God to keep all his Degrees. No more Degrees are given, however - the gift of life is enough. The Transfusist will never return.

The next God is born as a a God of any other God template. In addition, he gains half the earnt Degrees of the Transfusist, including those gained by death. Blasting Degrees are not transferred.

The Conclave of Ten Towers

The Conclave of Ten Towers is the government body that replaced the now-defunct League of Rightful Divinity when the original worlds fell from the highest branches of Yggdrasil. It was created when the original League attempted to enslave the Systemarch people and break their will, but instead found itself facing an enemy it couldn't understand; less then a year later, the League collapsed and in it's place came the Conclave.

The Conclave is a secretive organization that runs most of the Realms Supernatural. The 'Ten Towers' of the name refers to both the Ten Towers of the Valley Divine, where the Conclave headquarters are situated and where most members reside, as well as the ten 'Type One' peoples that are accepted members of the Conclave. The Conclave is still very much run by the Gods, who take the greatest interest in the ruling of the Realm Supernatural, but there are members of all ten 'Type One' species taking an active role in Conclave politics.

The Conclave classes the huge myriad of beings currently living in the Realm Supernatural in four types, according to relevance to the Conclave:

(a) Type One species can speak a language, have a servitor race, and pose too much of a threat to be ignored. They are the most important peoples to the Conclave, and all are involved with it's politics. There are currently Ten type one species, and the Conclave encourages good relations between them all. Type One species include: Divines, Dhelvanians, Systemarchs, Artosians, etc.
(b) Type Two species are servitor races. They might be able to speak a language, and each are tied to a Type One species; there are thus ten of them. These include the People of a Divine, the Dhaal of a Systemarch, the Glinters of a Dhelvanian and the Smears of an Artosian.
(c) Type Three species are threats to the Conclave. They might qualify for Type One if they weren't so antagonistic, and are actively hunted and killed by Conclave soldiers. They are the biggest threat to prosperity and peace in the eyes of the Conclave. There are only a few Type Three species in existence - most are driven extinct.
(d) Type Four species are irrelevant to the Conclave's interest. They are often smaller, rarer, and don't speak a language. There are many, many different Type Four species in existence - they litter the entirety of the Realm Supernatural.

The Conclave's official currency is the Conclave Stone (of which more information can be found below). It is assumed that all members of the Conclave use this currency, though the trading of people is often politely ignored.

The Conclave stands for Order and Life. Their herald, a radiant sun caught within a ten-pointed star, is shown on a thousand banners within a thousand Realms. Their ultimate mission is to save the Tree from collapsing, rebuild the worlds that have been lost, and then have the entire Tree under the rule of the Conclave. They strive for an ultimate government that can regulate every aspect of an individual's life, so to make sure no world-shattering events happen ever again. This authoritarian stance does not make them very popular, especially amongst the younger beings, but they have proven themselves to be the most powerful organization on the Realm Supernatural.

There are is a definite hierarchy within the Conclave, overseen by the shadowy Emperor of the Golden Hand. Whether or not this is an actual being or a inner circle consisting of a few members is unknown even to the Council of Ten. There are rumours that the Emperor of the Golden Hand is the same Golden Emperor of the Time of Leagues, back when ten forces controlled the land and the Towers were open to all. Some say the Emperor is Metatron the Right - some say he is Isuban the Bleak. Making any three of the claims is, of course, a crime.

The Hierarchy of the Conclave:

The Emperor of the Golden Hand>
                        The Council of Ten>
                                              High Lords>
                                                            Low Lords>
                                                                         Associates>
                                                                                        <Affiliates
                                                                        <Colourless
                                                            Mad One

The hierarchy, from the lowest up:

(a) A Mad One is a being considered to be in league with the powerful forces that haunt the universe and are anathema to the Tree and everything it stands for. Mad Ones are often under the influence of such a power, and thus do not receive trial, simply execution: they are considered too dangerous to be allowed the chance of freedom. The Conclave cannot take the chance that they are Mad Ones. They are the Conclave's biggest threat: all Type Three races are considered Mad. (Mad)

(b) A Colourless God is an outlaw, criminal or God in extremely poor standing. There are bounties placed on either their death or their capture, and are widely despised among the Conclave. Colourless God's often have a rough time defending his Realm from invading forces of opportunistic bounty hunters and typically go into hiding. In some cases a Colourless God may be given an official pardon and become an Affiliate. (Colourless)

(c) An Affiliate member of the Conclave is any individual of a Type One species who is not 'Colourless' or worse. They are neutral, though simply renouncing one's allegiance to the Conclave is seen as a Colourless action in many situations. Many beings don't care one way or the other about Conclave rule, but the Conclave considers them members anyway, just without privileges or responsibilities. All Gods begin as Affiliates by default. All they have to do is obey the law. (Grey)

(d) An Associate is a full member of the Conclave without an official title or duty. They are often given missions by the Conclave, and are held on call. They receive a single vote in open councils, and answer directly to a Low Lord. In return for their good work they receive Conclave Stones and political favour, both which will help them advance in the ranks. They are considered more like agents-to-hire then actual full members, though, and are considered to be fully expendable. (Brown)

(e) A Low Lord has an official duty and station within Conclave politics, and receives two full votes. Low Lords still don't garner a large amount of respect, but are under the official protection of the Conclave and privy to a small amount of it's secrets. Low Lords answer to the High Lords above them in some cases, but most Low Lords answer to more Low Lords within a higher position. There are thus more Low Lords than any other group within the Conclave; over fifty percent of all beings within the Conclave below to this group. A Low Lord in good standing may also be given an Otherworldy Fiefdom to care for. (Blue/Red)

(f) A High Lord has a grand title and an important duty within the Conclave, and receives three full votes. A High Lord responds directly to his master on the Council of Ten. They often have taxing jobs that require almost all of their time, but the payoffs are considerable; he is asked to join the Inner Circle of Odin, the priesthood that runs the Conclave, performs it's ceremonies and keeps it's secrets. One can only join the Council of Ten if they are a member of the Inner Circle of Odin; upon entering the Circle, the God receives a new set of social degrees he must work through. (Silver)

(g) A Councilman has five votes and is a cornerstone of the Conclave. There can only be ten Councilmen at any one time. A Councilman has a legion of servants, spies, soldiers and the like to serve him, and is given command over a broad range of things as well as jurisdiction over one of the Ten Towers. One needs to be a full member of the Inner Circle of Odin in order to join the Council. (ICoO)

(h) No real knowledge of the Emperor of the Golden Hand exists, except that he speaks through the oldest member of the Council and is never seen. His vote, when he votes, counts for all the votes, and it is said that at his command entire worlds will be razed. Still, to all except the Councilmen and some of the High Lords, he is considered nothing more than a myth, though his influence is felt throughout all of Yggdrasil. (???)

Assimilated Cults

The power of belief has a strange affect on the Gods. This has long been suspected by the Divine Scholars, but has only now began to take a seriously tangible shape in the form of Assimilated Cults. Assimilated Cults are the like embassies of divinity that act as a solid and material symbol of an alliance between two Gods, a process that increases the power of both.

An Assimilated Cult is a small sect of your own people who worship another deity - your ally. Your ally is typically considered to be your lover, closest friend, or sibling - it's immaterial, but there is an assumed link of blood loyalty within the relationship. Typically a hundred of your own people start the Cult upon you committing to a Ceremony of Binding, the ritual which binds two allies together and creates the Cult. The Cult is loyal to both Gods, but are often radically different thinkers to the rest of the people and often cause tensions to appear. The Temple acts as an embassy for the other Realm.

The Ceremony of Binding involves a blood pact - either sexual intercourse between the two Gods, or a mingling of blood or the equivalent. It involves the building of both temples as a sacred process, and a God must proclaim this action to his people.

There are two types of Assimilated Cults available to Gods, depending on their own level of commitment.

Tied Cults are small temples - with around a hundred people dedicated to them - that are created after a Ceremony of Binding. They must have their own Temple and practice a syncretic religion - a blend of their original faith and the faith of the ally. They engage in festivals and have their own internal system of politics. They often house guests and pilgrims from the other Realm.

A Tied Cult can be ended by a God formally proclaiming to the Temple that he ends the arrangement and having the hundred people of the Cult killed. This breaks the sorcery of the Ceremony of Binding. A Tied Cult gives each God a Minor Power from the others own list; in this way, a God of Shadows allied with a God of Water could pick up a liquid-based ability. These powers disappear if the union is broken.

The second type of Cult is a Chained Cult. Chained Cults have large temples with anywhere from three hundred to five hundred followers housed within - the two Gods must agree on an exact sum that is the same for both of them - and while these people still follow a highly syncretic blend of the two faiths, they are often independent from both of them and almost act like communities individual from the Realm that they are based. They are highly religious, and will obey the commands of both Gods, having equal loyalty to both. There is a limited Portal within both Temples that connects them intimately, and so both Chained Cults are usually alike in almost every aspect. Thus, most mortals can pass from one Temple to another at will, and troops may be passed between both at ease. In addition, both Gods receive a Major Power of the other.

In order to create a Chained Cult the Ceremony of Binding must be completed, but then also a Ceremony of Harrowing needs to be completed. It involves the destruction of something sacred to both Gods in honour of their union. A Chained Cult can only be truly destroyed if one God kills the other in solo combat; this combat is known as the Untying and is a challenge the other cannot rightfully refuse.

A God may have as many Assimilated Cults as he may find; their is no limit except in his own time and perseverance. It can be considered equivalent to marriage, and many Gods proclaim it as such and actually engage in a wedding as they marry their loved ally.

Otherworldly Fiefdom

Traveling to Yggdrasil and the Gates of Methodes

Travel to the World-Tree is much more difficult than it once was. With the imminent death of Yggdrasil and the collapse of a hundred worlds into the Realm Supernatural - with more to come - most Gods find it impossible to escape the vacuum sucking everything towards the Realm Supernatural. It's essentially fighting against a current that strips worlds bare and destroys branches of the universe. All Gods can attempt to 'phase out' onto Yggdrasil, but most Gods will be destroyed just by the attempt and the powerful destructive energies coursing through the vacuum don't even assure that reincarnation may happen. Many a first-death God has never returned from the expedition.

It is, no matter what way you look at it, a stupid idea.

There are some ways around this problem, however. There are ways to access the bizarre cultures and magnificent treasures of an alien world. The first and easiest way is to obtain a Gate of Methodes. High Gods automatically begin with a Gate of Methodes, and they may also be obtained by a fifth-Degree Realm with five assimilated cults, which is a considerably harder feat. Named after the first God of Portals, these Gates appear as large mirrors at first, often with exotic engravings on their edges and borders made of silver. At the command of the God that owns it, however, a Gate will show the view of any place within the Realm Supernatural or any place upon the Path of Many Doors on Yggdrasil, in front of any worldly door. This makes it a useful tool for spying at the very least, but the God can then step into the image and be instantly transported to that place.

The Gates can only be accessed by the God who owns it, but others may follow him with his express permission. In this way he could take a small army. The God must return to his Gate, however, to re-enter his Realm from any other place. With a Gate of Methodes one could also theoretically teleport to an "RP Secret" location - it's existence and location typically, well, secret to most people - without knowing the secret, though this is probably one of the more foolish acts a God could commit.

There are other ways to reach Yggdrasil - it's rumoured that a Locked Tower might hold the secret - and it can be assumed that an advanced God of Portals would be able to figure it out, but for the moment there really aren't many other good options.

Blasting

Blasting is a new game rule that allows you to gain extra Degrees during character creation by sacrificing other Degrees. Anyone may ask for a Blasting during character creation, but each God may only have one. They are essentially trade-offs, and typically not very fair ones - they represent a unique God and should be taken for roleplaying purposes more than anything.

You may gain an extra Degree in character creation if you:

(a) Voluntarily start having people who will never acknowledge you as their God.
(b) Voluntarily start with Degree 0 (Inept) in Battle Skill or Sorcery, never being able to upgrade them higher.
(c) Voluntarily start with Degree 0 (Pariah) in Social Standing, ensuring that no faction will accept you.
(d) Voluntarily start with Degree 0 (Savage) in Realm, making your people nothing more than unruly, Stone-Age savages. They are unable to go higher.
(e) Voluntarily start with one life less than normal.
(f) Voluntarily start with a Broken Realm, one that has been assimilated with an aspect of another world and is thus not truly your own.

Mythcrafting

Mythcrafting is still the most popular and versatile of natural abilities that the Gods have access to. It is the art, craft and science of creating mythical beings out of a God's will. Anything is possible in the eyes of an adept mythcrafter - he could craft dragons, manticora, chimerae, giant serpents, griffins.. it is all available to him. Mythcrafting is a deeply powerful tool, and despite it's obvious potency the ability of an artificially-created creature to change the tide of combat is still wildly underrated.

As Divine philosophy and scholarship has evolved, so has mythcrafting. At first, Gods spent thousands of years only able to craft simple beings out of nothing but their will alone. Then the science was advanced a little, and Gods keyed power-words and simple charms within their creations, allowing them a little more complexity and ferocity. Then came the natural evolution of that principle: the integration of learnt runes and glyphs that formed the spirit of a creature and determined it's abilities and potential.

Finally, the art has become as close to perfected as it could possibly be. From blurred words to vague runes comes a solid, defined system that allows the most flexibility and power. A creature is built upon Jewels, gem-like marbles that must be created, traded for, stolen or found by the God in question. Each Jewel has a different property, and Stones come in varying degrees of quality, with finer qualities having better effects.

A God, depending on how much skill he has with Mythcrafting, might find it difficult to create the more advanced Jewels - but there is a booming Stone market in the Market of Nicodemus in the Valley, and prices are pretty good. It takes an adept God about an hour to create an uncut Jewels, and about two solid days of work to refine that to a masterwork Jewel. The process of creating a Jewel is simple, but time consuming: one must create an uncut Jewel, and then refine it to a jagged Jewel, and then refine that, etc.

In order to create a Jewel, a God only needs to visualize the Jewel and meditate strongly on what it is meant to do. The God must think upon it's colour, it's texture, and it's meaning. If the God is not disturbed, after a while he will feel a sense of satisfaction, and an Uncut Jewel will appear before him.

Once a God has all of the Jewels he thinks is required to craft his beast, he must visualize them all coming together and becoming the beast's form. Activating his Mythcrafting ability, the beast will come to life.

A God may place duplicates of a single Jewel within a creature, to double it's affects/give it more powers, etc.

There are five qualities of Jewel:

(a) Uncut Jewels: Typically go for about five Conclave Stones. Very basic and raw.
(b) Jagged Jewels: Worth twenty Conclave Stones. Still basic, but contain much more information then an Uncut Stone.
(c) Cut Jewels: Worth fifty Conclave Stones. Of medium quality, contain a large amount of information.
(d) Fine Jewels: Worth a hundred Conclave Stones. Good quality, able to hold a large amount of complex information.
(e) Masterwork Jewels: Worth two-hundred and fifty Conclave Stones. Outstanding quality, able to hold a huge amount of complex information.

There are several types of 'legal' Jewels, with many more illegal stones sold in the Free Market of Niborkerese and other black markets. These are the current legal stones:

(a) Diamond: The Diamond is an essential Jewel for every creature. It gives the being autonomous life - the ability to survive without the God's constant concentration. All being's must have this Jewel. The finer the Jewel, the longer the beast will live.

(b) Opal: The Opal gives a being instincts, mostly concerning their own survival. Without this, most beings will be dead within a day. The finer the Jewel, the more advanced instincts the being will have. (Prerequisite: Diamond)

(c) Emerald: The Emerald gives the being the ability to manipulate symbol systems. This allows them to be capable of structured thought and an understanding of language. They may also speak a language, or languages, depending on how fine the Jewel is. Finer Jewels mean they can understand greater ideas and comprehend and speak more languages.
(Prerequisite: Diamond, Opal)

(d) Ruby: The Ruby grants the creature an ability to manipulate magical systems - to learn a form of sorcery. The finer the Jewel, the more adept they are at a particular form of mysticism or magic.(Prerequisite: Diamond, Opal, Emerald)

(e) Sapphire: The Sapphire imbues the creature with a sense of loyalty. The finer the Jewel, the greater and more unquestioningly loyal the creature is. (Prerequisite: Diamond, Opal)

(f) Pearl: The Pearl gives a creature strength and might in combat. The finer the Jewel, the stronger they are and the more endurance they have.

(g) Topaz: The Topaz gives skill and finesse in combat. The finer the Jewel, the faster and more dexterous they are in combat.

(h) Lazuli: The Lazily gives a single supernatural ability to the creature. The finer the Jewel, the greater the supernatural ability.

(To be added to as time goes on)

If the wrong combination of Jewels is used to create a monster, or the process was too rushed, the creature has a chance of going insane.

Essence

Every Realm is sustained by two things - the will and direction of the God commanding it, and the 'seed' - the core battery of the Realm, the force that gives it life and the energy to survive. For the most part, seeds are invisible; their power flows throughout the Realm, rejuvenating it's flora and fauna, inspiring it's people, allowing it heal after natural calamities. It is this seed - this 'essence', as it is known in the Divine lexicon - that allows a Realm to survive even with the death or displacement of it's patron God. The God subconsciously manipulates the seed when he creates powerful supernatural events within his created kingdom.

When a God becomes a Hierophantasm, he instinctively learns the ancient art of Vengje - the science of drawing and manipulating the seeds of a place. He can use this art on his own Realm, causing his essence to physically manifest as a large, shining ball of power. While the seed has been manifested in this way, there are no particular penalties given to the Realm - the power still flows from the seed into the Realm.

A God may then do one of several things with the essence. It is the ultimate defensive weapon; the God may crush it's life force and absorb it into his own to give a temporary, insanely large boost to either his Sorcerous Power or Combat Skill. This either turns him into a master magician or extremely confident fighter, but at the expense of the Realm, typically more then enough to defeat whatever is threatening him.

A God may also allow the seed to 'over-clock' - as the Earthborn call it - allowing it to go into a state of super-heat. It will then explode, causing no direct damage but sending the Realm into a state of pure self-defense. The trees start producing gasses poisonous to invaders, mountains become sentient and pick themselves up to join the fight, cities shape into giant cannons, the people are inspired by a vicious bloodlust.. an over-clocked Realm is a horrible sight to see. The advantage of this method is that the Realm 'remembers' the invaders, even after the essence is long gone, and will conspire to destroy them if they ever return.

After this occurs, the Realm is in a state of flux. It will function normally for a time, but the clock is ticking.. soon it will begin to wither and die. The effects on this on the actual Realm may manifest in many ways, each of them macabre; cults will spread, plagues will form, etc. The Realm starts kicking, trying not to die. Trying to hold onto life.

Most Realms bounce back from the painful period - every Realm has the capability to regrow their seed. It is a dangerous and difficult process, and involves a spiritual quest given to the God to try and heal the place.. but it can be done. Once the second seed is spent, however, that's it - the Realm gives up. It would rather die violently then go through another process of rebirth.

This is where it gets interesting.

A God using Vengje - provided he is a Hallowed Leord and is versed in the arts of Geotonomancy - can 'force' another Realm (that doesn't belong to him) to manifest it's seed. This is a dangerous progress - the Realm itself must be in a state of considerable flux in order for this to occur. The Realm has to think that it is in serious danger for it to manifest it's seed to a stranger.

He may then take this seed and bring it to his own Realm. It takes a lengthy ritual to adapt the seed, but his own Realm will assimilate it, and then it's simply a process of re-maturing the seed - a long period where the seed can easily be re-taken - until it is fully ready and begins to refresh the Realm.

Seeds may also be taken from dying worlds - the standard way of obtaining them for Geotonomancy. These alien seeds can be assimilated and matured much faster (because they cling to life) but often contain hidden influences that will affect the Realm. A seed taken from the Ruined Realm of Anvils, for example, will give a large, unnatural focus on machinery and engineering to the people of the Realm, but it will also crush any desire within them to study the magical arts. A seed taken from the Ruined Realm of Earth will bestow upon the people a great versatility and desire to thrive, but in the process weaken them spiritually and physically. There are ups and downs.

Geotonomancy

A God who has attained the Divine Power of Hallowed Leord gains knowledge of Geotonomancy, the art of manipulating pocket worlds, and of Vengje, the science of world interaction. These are two powerful abilities - the natural evolution of Mythcrafting - that allow a God to manipulate worlds and the Realms from which they are built.

At the core of every world is the Underroot, the great hand with which Yggdrasil holds the world in its grasp. Every world - except, of course, Fragment Worlds and Pocket Universes - and over this Underroot exists magma, molten metals, stone, soil.. the physical manifested over-core of a world. From this, Realms may be built. Every world has a different name for them - to the Realm Supernatural they are Realms, to the Realm of Anvils they are Anvils, to the Realm Mundane they are unseen and invisible but instinctively known, mapped using 'ley line' and 'dragon line' systems - and in every world they function a little differently, but the concept remains the same.

Worlds built on the Tree itself are known as Noble Worlds to the Geotonomancers. The shells of worlds that have fallen into the Realm Supernatural are known as Broken Worlds, or Shattered Worlds. Worlds that are created by a Geotonomancer are known as Pocket Worlds, or Pocket Universes, or - to some - Hanging Worlds. Finally, worlds created by one who has taken the Announcement of a Thousand Lies and reached True Apotheosis are known as Fragment Worlds, or Bastard Worlds - the 'bastard' in the title meant, in dry humour, both technically and maliciously.

After the Noble Worlds physical core - above the Underroot - is created, the Underroot spreads its seeds into the soil, manifesting as the 'seeds' used in Venje and Essence manipulations. This allows each Realm to work independently - for the ghost-cities in China, for example, to function on separate metaphysical laws to the technocracy of America, or for the Realm of Sanje, God of Flame, to be fundamentally different from Alkoot, God of Danger. This grid of seeds allows the world unlimited flexibility and the ability to plan within the greater scheme for Yggdrasil. Worlds within worlds..

The seeds typically remain within the Realm unless coaxed out by the Geotonomancer or Essence manipulator, but if a Realm experiences severe trauma the seed can be forced out. In the same manner, when a world is about to break - falling partially into the Abyss, partially into the Realm Supernatural, and leaving a shell behind - all of the Realms unleash their seeds as the world tries to spread elsewhere and stave off its demise.

It is these worlds that the Geotonomancer harvests, taking as many seeds as he possibly can. Alien seeds - while functionally similar to Supernatural seeds - are much more valuable than seeds stolen from another Realm within the Realm Supernatural. This is due to their limited availability, yes, but also because they are typically ten times more potent then the locally stolen seeds .. it takes a truly dying realm to be desperate enough to bring everything to the table, so to speak. There are always bizarre effects in using these seeds, but they are typically beneficial.

Which is to say: in the creation of Pocket Worlds, local seeds can be used but the best results are with seeds from a dying world. The Geotonomancer needs at least two seeds to craft a world - one to form as the 'core' of the Realm, the thing that sustains it, and one to be sacrificed in the creation of the world. Extra seeds can be used to cause biological shifts - the creation of species, for example - or to form metaphysical laws that govern the world. Each well-crafted pocket universe has anywhere from four to ten seeds.. a world on the scale of the Realm Supernatural would take more than ten thousand. Unfortunately, the imperfect nature of the Geotonomancer (as compared to, say, Yggdrasil) means that they cannot invest any more than fifteen seeds within a single world.

The Geotonomancer must allocate his seeds before he spends them. As said, one is the core. One is to give the world stability and life. One might be for life.. or for physical/magical/metaphysical laws.. or for other perks. It's really limited to character/player/GM discretion. After this is completed, he must dedicate a full province - of his Realm or another - for the forming of the Realm. This is called the Gate, and any who step inside a particular door or portal within the province - or, sometimes, just into the province itself - will be transported to the world. Only by taking the door back out can the individual escape - Geotonomancers, of course, can escape from their world at any time.

In this manner, a Geotonomancer may craft as many worlds as he wishes as long as he has the energy, creativity, space and seeds for them. Imperfect, local, or broken seeds may corrupt or degrade in time, but most alien seeds will not. The world is given a name - and the GM allocates a thread - and there you are: your own private paradise!

Forsaken Powers

Those Gods who are clever enough and brutal enough to survive in the Realm Supernatural will eventually reach the height of their power. While the gathering of major powers is nice enough, all it typically boosts is the utility of the God in question. Utility, of course, is the difference between life and death in most situations.. but there are tales of Gods who have achieved more than the ability to change form, throw bolts of lightening, manipulate chance, and the like. There is more.

In Theogenesis, there is always more.

Once a God becomes a Master - fifth degree in Divine Power - he receives what is known as a Forsaken Power. These are amazing supernatural powers (emphasis on the super) that allows a God to achieve a single magnificent affect that would make any wise creature shake with fear. Most Gods - the Returned God being an exception - only get one of these, and when creating one it is an opportunity for the player to go wild. No, the GM won't accept just anything, but the reigns are loosened.

The God finally becomes mythical. Forsaken Powers are named for the fact that they're deeply terrifying, and tend to alienate everyone that witnesses it in action - the Conclave very much included. Be careful when using it. There's nothing the Realm Supernaturals resident fascist government loves more than poaching hyper-powerful Gods..

And there's another side to it all: responsibility for actions. Many of these powers can literally ruin Realms. They are forsaken in the fact that by using them you often build more enemies than friends, and that there are always unseen affects.. what if, for example, the God who has a constant aura of non-violence about him - an aura that makes it physically impossible to commit any violent act - interacts with his realm? Do his people break down and kill themselves while he is gone, unable to handle the stress? Will they plot to poison him? Or shoot him with the most powerful sniper rifle they can find?

Be careful while choosing a Forsaken Power. You typically only get one. They can change the world, but the world will always attempt to change you in return.

Mythical Resources

Conclave Stones

With the slow, inevitable death of Yggdrasil comes the assimilation of a thousand doomed worlds into the ever-growing Realm Supernatural. At this point the fading League of Rightful Divinity - the previous ruling body of government in the Realm Supernatural - was obliterated. The influx of strange creatures and and bizarre beings, many demanding acceptance into the government, broke the system that would not accept them. Thus, the Conclave of Ten Towers was born.

The Conclave soon realized that the traditional dual-method of bartering between Gods - exchanging favours and trading people like they were nothing - wasn't going to work in a world where not everyone had access to a race of people, and the concept of a 'favour' didn't even register with some of the more alien beings. With the falling of Earth, however, came two important concepts: the idea of a 'free' mortal, which only served to reinforce the Conclave's ambivalence towards sanctioned soul-trading, and the idea of money. While debate still rages within the Conclave even today about whether or not humanity should be free, the idea of a universal currency was eagerly embraced by the Conclave in the form of Conclave Stones.

Conclave Stones are small, flat black discs about the side of a child's palm. They cannot be forged or copied in any way - a new set are created yearly by Ambaldros, Systemarch and Spider of Hammers, a being from the forge-world Realm of Anvils - and are indestructible. On one side the symbol of the Conclave is engraved - a radiant sun caught within a ten-pointed star - and on the other side Ambaldros the Spider of Hammers has left something a little more sinister.

The reason Ambaldros only makes more Conclave Stones once a year is that the Conclave claims that strict control is needed if the system is to work. This might be true, but there is another reason. A Systemarch's tooth, if ground down, becomes a powerful psychic paste with many powerful properties. Ambaldros only grows so many teeth a year. He imprints every Conclave Stone with a powerful and invisible sigil. This sigil allows Ambaldros to instantly identify any attempts at making a forged stone, as well as being able to keep track of how the stones are circulating. He can also, if the Conclave desires it, activate the weapon hidden within the stones: they can render a God completely paralyzed if he works against the Conclave's wishes, making him an easy kill. Thus the Gods that work against the Conclave don't use their currency and prefer the more traditional methods.

It is still legal to trade souls, as long as those souls you trade belong to you (i.e. they are your people) or you've won them by right of conquest. Any humans from Earth and other Realms cannot be traded under threat of incarceration. One soul roughly equals half a Conclave Stone under most times, though the market might inflate. Favours may also be traded for Conclave Stones, but the rules for these are up to individual arrangements.

Check the 'Conclave Herald' thread for information on the current market. A new God begins with a hundred free Conclave Stones, but may buy more in character creation.

--

When a God makes the active decision to enlist with the Conclave and become an Associate, they are sorted into one of three diverse fields, depending on their own personal preference and self-assessed abilities.

Each of the 'Operations' are run by three different individuals on the Council of Ten. Since the Associate pool of members is the largest, and their work is immense, it takes the most administrative and organizational effort to keep running. Nevertheless, the 'mercenery' work system of the Conclave has paid off amazingly for the organization.

There are three types of operations.

Aggressive Operations are the largest branch of the Associateship, and involve military and strategic campaigns, invasions, and assaults. This field wars against all threats to the Conclave, active or otherwise. An individual involved with Aggressive Operations might begin his career lending aid to other Conclave Gods fighting powerful threats, move to conquering the Realms of dissenting Gods, and eventually begin campaigning against the Conclave's otherworldly enemies; this field offers a lot of excitement, but also a lot of danger. The fatality rate is extremely high, and Aggressive Operators are considered expendable compared to their Familiar and Estranged counterparts.

Familiar Operations is the second-largest field, and involves manual labour, administrative tasks, paperwork, and ensuring the checks and balances of the Conclave are kept under control. It does not involve, in any way, the administration of the Inner Circle of Odin. Familiar Operations also include research tasks, and scientifically inclined Gods often join up to the field in order to receive hefty grants while they work on their studies. Naturally, however, the studies are open to review - and all information gleaned must be shared with the Conclave.

Estranged Operations is the smallest field, and for good reason: it is the field that involves the intelligence and spy activities of the Conclave, as well as all of the 'black' and 'unmentionable' operations. There are certain tests that need to be overcome by a member joining the Estranged Operations, including a mind-scan and psyche test by a Systemarch skilled in psychic profiling. Estranged Operations involve spying on other worlds, collecting reconnaissance on the state of the World-Tree, collecting information on traitors and assassinating threats to the Conclave.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:07, Thu 19 Aug 2010.

True Apotheosis

Even since the Age of Odin the subject of True Apotheosis - known throughout the ages as the Ten-Day Hanging, the Ascension and the Laffouer Sipher - has been spoken in hushed whispers within the Realm Supernatural. Despite the myth being renamed and subtly shifted throughout the Ages, the core of the legend has remained the same: he who climbs to the top of the universe - the top of Yggdrasil - will be granted a wish. This wish can reshape the entire universe..

The myth is true, but, as with all occult truths, a little misleading.

Regardless of actual intentions and half-baked motivations, what every God really wants is more power. Even the spirit with the kindest heart desires the power, however subtle, to stop bad things from happening. Every Zealous God wants the power to save the Tree. Power is everything upon Yggdrasil - power is freedom. Regardless of what they actually ask for, power is what they want and need. And Yggdrasil - or the Gnarled Abyss - is happy enough to supply that power.

A God must at least be of Fifth Degree Divine Power (Master) in order to qualify True Apotheosis. Anything less and they will be killed on the spot. Yggdrasil doesn't really have the time to fuck around, after all. In addition, there is another prerequisite for each 'type' of Apotheosis. In addition to this, Mad Gods can never achieve True Apotheosis, as the World-Tree will attempt to purge instead of ascend them - and that is always a fatal experience.

(Fear not, Mad Gods gain their own form of 'True Apotheosis' in the form of the Initiation of Many Angles, which will be duly elaborated on in the rules dedicated to Mad Gods.)

A God who has achieved True Apotheosis has the chains taken off. They can reach the Tenth Degree in 'Combat Skill', 'Sorcerous Power', and 'Realm'. In addition, the Highest Ascension and Announcement of a Thousand Lies lose their 'Divine Power' Degree and start at the first Degree of another 'Raw Power' Degree track, detailed below. Those who take the Ritual of Reinforcement have access to the last five Degrees of Divine Power, following an expanded track.

You might wonder about whether or not this negates the special effects of the God Types. The answer to this, frankly, is yes. A Reborn God loses her perks upon True Apotheosis, and the sixth Degrees are essentially meaningless. Those who take True Apotheosis find that they are nigh-unkillable - every 'death' that occurs simply has them incarnate once more into the Realm at the cost of some other resource. Osiris-Ra is an example of an extremely difficult to kill God who has taken the Ritual of Reinforcement. Death always costs, yes, but it becomes a price that one can finally pay without fear of eternal destruction..

Obviously, only one type of True Apotheosis may be taken, and one may not take it more than once. That would be silly. One who takes the True Apotheosis automatically becomes enemies of the Conclave, as they are loathe have such wild power running about causing changes, and you will - in addition - predictably meet the ire of the Cult of Osiris-Ra and the like. As an Ascended being, however, this probably won't worry one so much.

The Path of Mercy: The Highest Ascension

The Courtyard is the white-tiled open field resting within the highest branches of Yggdrasil. It was here that Ratatosk once dwellt, and here where the ghost of the Climber of Worlds still roams, guarding the Courtyard from those not worthy of seeing it's splendor. The only thing higher than the Courtyard is the Broken City of Alkan, whose shattered rainbow bridge lies as a caution against similar hubris and vanity. Nothing can exist higher than the Courtyard. Even if one means well, the attempt will always end in death and destruction..

In order to attempt the Highest Ascension, a God must have reached the basic prerequisites outlined above. He must, at the very core of his being, an honest wish to serve Yggdrasil and to have her survive. In addition, the God has to reach the fabled Courtyard, which is no mean feat.. and then he has to defeat the ghost of Ratatosk in combat spiritual, physical or mental. Once these conditions are met, one more test must be passed: the God must explain why he is fit enough to serve the World-Tree to the Master Divine himself (in character).

Upon completion of these Cyclopean tasks the God is taken into the bosom of Yggdrasil and is reborn, once more, as a Lord of Creation. He is thrown into the highest meta-clouds of the universe, and shown the majesty that is the Greatest Forest. There, peering down on millions of worlds, Yggdrasil gives its favourite child a choice: pick one, and name your destiny.

The God experiencing the Highest Ascension realizes that just as Yggdrasil manifests an immune system, of sorts - creating events, individuals, worlds and possibilities to protect itself from invasion and harm - the Greatest Forrest has a similar system. Every world upon Yggdrasil is designed to assist another world, and cosmic law of 'as above, so below' applies even here: every Tree was created to assist another.

Yggdrasil is dying, and it needs all the help it can get.

The Lord of Creation must pick a Tree it is attuned to - an alien Tree - and one it serves, the one the Lord was born upon.

The God, upon choosing a Lord of Creation, retains her 'domain' and the relatively minor abilities keyed into that, but is attuned to something much greater: an entire, alien Tree. The Lord of Creation becomes, say, "Lord of Kookhe", and gains the ability to walk between the universes - with a dedicated ritual offering to the Tree he is currently on, the Lord of Creation can access the other, drawing allies and experiencing adventures from both. In addition, the Lord of Creation gains a Sacrament, a living, minute - the size of a large sword - branch of the Tree he is attuned to. This Sacrament manifests a slew of supernatural abilities related to serving the Trees.

The powers attuned to the Sacrament - all of them - are decided by collaboration between the player and the GM. There are ten in total. They will be relevant to the Tree that the Lord of Creation is attuned to. To begin with, the Lord of Creation has access to only three of them, and can use only one without holding the Sacrament. All, however, are decided at the beginning.

The Lord of Creation ranks up from 'Master' to the first degree of the Creation Power Degree. As she advances upon the Degrees, the Sacrament becomes less relevant to the Lord of Creation's endeavors: while he'd normally have to carry the Sacrament in order to access his powers, as she 'learns' more abilities and 'masters' the rest he will, eventually, be able to work fully-powered with the Sacrament, say, hidden away in another world on another Tree..

CREATION POWER DEGREES

1. Pawn of the Tree: Three abilties learned, one mastered.
2. Bishop of the Tree: Five abilities learned, three mastered.
3. Rook of the Tree: Eight abilities learned, five mastered.
4. Knight of the Tree: Ten abilities learned, seven mastered.
5. King/Queen of the Tree: Ten abilities mastered.


If the Lord of Creation is killed, he is reborn after a small period of time upon the other Tree - not the Tree he was killed on. This often creates complications, as the rebirth causes instability in the world, leading in revolution or strange cults or worse.. ultimately, however, the Lord of Creation is shocked but in perfect health.

The only way to kill a Lord of Creation for good is to destroy the Sacrament it is attuned to - or to, for the rather extreme enemy, kill either the Tree it serves or the Tree it is attuned to. This typically isn't an option, however. The Sacrament is extremely difficult to destroy, and the only way to kill one for sure is to throw it within the Gnarled Abyss..

The Path of Mildness: The Ritual of Reinforcement

Many Divines feel no inclination towards either serving the Tree or dancing to the sound of its death, and instead walk a mild path of neutrality: the path of the self.

The Ritual of Reinforcement is an act of True Apotheosis that – instead of aligning a God to the major powers of the Tree, Abyss, Azathoth, etc. – uses those same channels to empower the self. They become an Epitaph – a litany to their past and, perhaps, a verse for the future.

A God wishing to attempt the Ritual of Reinforcement must travel to both the Courtyard and the Gate of the Gnarled Abyss. At both locations, he must spill his own blood so that the place is stained by it. This may be as little as a drop or as drastic as an entire life depending on the personal taste of the Divine.

The God must then attempt the Ritual itself. He must ritually cleanse himself and abstain from killing or the shedding of another’s blood until the stars have accepted him as one of their own – two weeks real time. He must dedicate this ritual to meditation and the building a suitable Temple of Reinforcement. This Temple must be the God’s signature manifested upon a physical location, and must not be destroyed, lest the operation be ruined.

Upon the completion of the Temple and the period of purification, the God must rename one of his own people – or another mortal, willing or not, that dwells within his Realm – after himself. For example, Bravos, God of Fury would rename his master smith Bravos. The God must refer to himself as nameless – or pick a name better suited to his new power. The God must ceremonially proclaim that he is gifting his substitute with Realm, wealth, health, power... and then ritually kill the mortal in a manner of their choosing.

This mortal becomes the Dirge, the source of the Epitaph’s power. The Dirge is to be ceremonially embalmed and buried beneath the Temple, either in the soil below or in a well-defended tomb, and then the God is to proclaim, upon the next dawn, that the Ritual of Reinforcement is complete.

The Hierophant will be conjured through this proclamation, and will examine the Dirge and the Temple. If both are to His satisfaction, the God will achieve True Apotheosis and be reborn as an Epitaph. An Epitaph keeps all his own powers, but must keep a single domain – Muse, God of Mist and Lies, becomes Muse, God of Mist, for example. They become one with the domain.

The Epitaph ranks up from ‘Master’ to the Sixth Degree of Divine Power, ‘Epitaph Master’, typically the abode of Returned Gods – while the name is different (Epitaph Master/Realized Master) the two function the same and the God gains a second Forsaken Power, three more Minor Powers, and two more Major Powers.

They then followed the four last Degrees of ‘Divine Power’, which only Epitaphs have available to them:


EPITAPH POWER DEGREES

6. Realized Master: Minor Powers: Thirteen. Major Powers: Eight. Forsaken Powers: Two.
7. Ascended Lord: Minor Powers: Fifteen. Major Powers: Ten. Forsaken Powers: Two. Realm becomes Bountiful.
8. Feasten Lord: Minor Powers: Seventeen. Major Powers: Twelve. Forsaken Powers: Three.
9. Thrice-Mighty Lord: Minor Powers: Twenty. Major Powers: Twelve. Forsaken Powers: Three. Gains access to a Cult.
10. Firstborn Adonai: Minor Powers: Twenty. Major Powers: Fifteen. Forsaken Powers: Four. Gains access to a Sphere.


(a) At Ascended Lord, the Realm of the Epitaph becomes Bountiful. This is not a Realm Level, but simply a little useful quirk; the Realm’s essence seed mutates and draws to others to it, effectively meaning that the Epitaph can use three essences before the Realm starts to die. It also means that the Realm fights off invasions, natural disasters, plagues, etc., extremely easily.

(b) At Thrice-Mighty Lord, the Epitaph gains a Cult – a slow trickle of mortal, God, and other beings come to serve him. In essence, this automatically creates an automatic faction loyal to the Epitaph. They will have their own headquarters – either in the Realm of the Epitaph or in Niborkerese (or a similar location) – and will serve their Lord unquestioningly. They work on a global – even a universal – scale, and the Epitaph and GM will consult on a set of three unqiue abilities for them to gain. An example of this is the Cult of Osiris-Ra, or Shrine of Isuban.

(c) At Firstborn Adonai, the Epitaph gains a Sphere – a floating world that slowly circles around the World-Tree. The World is only accessible by those who have the Key – i.e., permission by the Epitaph – and can reach Yggdrasil, or by those with access to spaceships or a similar technology. Sharp Psychoportation is also a possibility. This world contains the Temple and Dirge of the Epitaph, making them almost impossible to permanently destroy. It also has a solid affect on Yggdrasil – much as the moon’s cycle has an effect on the tides. The Sphere of Force and Fire, for example – the Sphere of Osiris-Ra – occasionally, at the right moment, opens the Gnarled Abyss and lets everything close to Gate out unto Yggdrasil, often weakening it considerably. The Cult has their  headquarters in the Sphere as well as a base in the Realm Supernatural.

(d) An Epitaph, when killed, typically incarnates within their Temple within a few hours. At Thrice-Mighty, however, they become so powerful that their Cult must actively resurrect them – must actively bring them into this world – and, finally, at Firstborn Adonai the task becomes even more difficult. For this reason, the Epitaph is allowed a secondary God to act as the ‘leader’ of the Cult – and will remain an NPC until the Epitaph is successfully reborn, a process which can take a very long time.

(e) If the Epitaph’s Dirge is destroyed, the Epitaph is permanently destroyed and the Cult will soon be ruined. Thus it should be heavily guarded. The Dirge can be destroyed by throwing it into the Gates of the Gnarled Abyss or upon the Courtyard. In addition, the Dirge can be destroyed in a manner that is opposite to the Epitaph’s domain: Osiris-Ra, Epitaph of Sand’s Dirge, for example, could be destroyed by allowing it to decompose and fall to pieces within pure water.

The Path of Severity: The Announcement of a Thousand Lies

(Thanks to Ruse for his wisdom in helping me implement these rules)

At the lowest depths of Yggdrasil lies the Roots of the Tree, twisted as they are around the corpse of the World-Dragon Nahdroggr, ancient wood bent over silent bone. Within the broken body of the World-Dragon countless cultures and peoples have formed, only to die again, and it is from that death that the mysterious Draconic Gods are said to be born - but even the murder of the World-Dragon pales in comparison to what hides beneath the Roots: the Gnarled Abyss.

The Abyss is that cosmic force which resides at once beneath and within Yggdrasil. It is the destroyer, the corrupter, the weight that pulls and drowns. It is the thing which rots the core of the World-Tree, menaces the Worlds, and wants for nothing less than the complete death of Yggdrasil. It is that which turns to dust.

There are certain gates to the Gnarled Abyss hidden within the Roots. Many are sealed, mystically locked to those who seek entrance. Still, some remain open, and the wickedest spirits of the Abyss, the Nihili, often stalk the lowest Roots, looking for fresh prey. Certain Gods - those who hold a powerful hatred for Yggdrasil - can, if they are proven to be qualified, ally themselves with the Abyss and with the deadly, disruptive forces held within. This deadly attempt at True Apotheosis is known as the Announcement of a Thousand Lies.

The God must first declare himself an enemy of the World-Tree, and ritually destroy his Realm in a manner that would cause the most damage to Yggdrasil and the Realm Supernatural. Alternatively, having the prospective Thousandfold Liar brutally murder a Zealous God would suffice. He must then travel downwards, to the Roots of the Tree, and survive long enough to find an open gate into the Gnarled Abyss - or to forced a sealed gate to become active. There is much danger here - likely, he will have to do combat with a Nihili or face the children of Nahdroggr or any number of other foes. He must fulfill the prerequisites as listed above for True Apotheosis, and hold true hatred in his heart.

Then, declaring himself once more an enemy of Yggdrasil, he must cast himself into the gate that enters the Gnarled Abyss, knowing that if he is rejected he will be forever dead. If he survives, however, he will immediately ascend, and rank up from 'Master' to the first Thousandfold Liar Degree, becoming a 'Master of the Sliver'. The progression is shown below, with explanations beneath:


1. Master of the Sliver: Gains two Dark Seeds with which to build the foundation of a Fragment World. Gains one Forsaken Power. Gains the loyalty of the first Nihili of the Host. Gains a Dark Portal, which can be upgraded to a Dark Fountain.
2. Master of the Scattered: Gains two more Dark Seeds which must be added to the Fragment World. Gains the loyalty of the second Nihili of the Host.
3. Master of the Broken: Gains two more Dark Seeds which must be added to the Fragment World. Gains the loyalty of the third Nihili of the Host. Gains one Forsaken Power.
4. Master of the Shattered: Gains two more Dark Seeds which must be added to the Fragment World. Gains the loyalty of the fourth Nihili of the Host.
5. Master of the Entropic: Gains two more Dark Seeds which must be added to the Fragment World. Gains the loyalty of the fifth and final Nihili of the Host. Gains one Forsaken Power.


(a) The Master of the Sliver automatically gains a Fragment World upon True Apotheosis. The Fragment World is, perhaps, his greatest weapon and tool - an entire world that exists, safely tucked away, within the rotting carcass of Yggdrasil. It is, for all intents and purposes, a world that needs to be shaped and formed in the typical manner of Geotonomancy - except that the fifteen-Seed limit cap has been removed for the Fragment World, expressing its desire to consume and destroy everything in its path. The Master gains two 'Dark Seeds' per Degree of power - Seeds which are wicked and twisted, poison that pollutes the universe just by being in existence - which must be invested into the world and is meshed intimately with the world's own black soul, which means they may never be stolen or captured.

Still, this leaves the Master with only ten Seeds, two of which - the first two - are spent to give the Fragment World life. More Seeds must be taken if the Master hopes to succeed. For this purpose, every Fragment World - the Master may only have one - is linked to another Broken World within Yggdrasil's branches, a World that has fallen but still remains and still contains an active population. The Fragment World, through the use of the Dark Portal (and later, the Fountain) will attempt to corrupt and fully consume the world, eventually giving itself a metaphysical presence upon the Tree in the form of a Pattern (see below). It is this Broken World that will become the Master's greatest enemy - they will struggle as much as they possibly can against the machinations of the Master.

In addition, the Fragment World is also immune to the ravages of the Abyss, and can only be accessed through the Dark Portal or through the Abyss itself. The Master is the lord of this Fragment World, and may banish any Abyssal entities currently inhabiting his Fragment World through a single word or gesture of power. This includes other Masters, but not non-Abyssal beings. Targets may be specifically chosen, and are banished for a week of real-time.

(b) The Dark Portal is a sliver of darkness that can be found within the Master's Fragment World. It acts as a Gate of Methodes specifically tied to the Broken World with which the Fragment World is linked. It can teleport (and scry for) the Master anywhere within the Abyss or his victim Broken World. The Dark Portal is itself a hungry gate that must be fed, and may be fed Seeds stolen from other Realms. The more Seeds it devours, the stronger and hungrier it becomes, until - at having devoured twenty full Seeds - it becomes a Dark Fountain.

A Dark Fountain is a massive Abyssal conduit that appears in the center of the Master's victim Broken World and starts ripping everything it can into the Fragment World - the true aim being the seizure of the Broken World's Pattern. This is a lengthy and difficult process, as the Pattern is deeply ingrained into the Branch of Yggdrasil itself. The Dark Fountain is massively obvious, a gargantuan black hole destroying everything near it, and alerts everything within the Broken World to its presence. Depending on its efficiency, it can also seize many Seeds for the Master's Fragment World. The destruction caused by a Dark Fountain cannot be exaggerated.

If the Master isn't thwarted - a simple death, as temporary as it might be, will transform the Dark Fountain back into a Dark Portal - the Master gains a Pattern and becomes one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Dark Seeds, being sown directly into the Fragment World, cannot be used to feed the Dark Portal - the Master must get his hands dirty and steal the Seeds himself.

(c) If the Dark Fountain is successful - if the attempts of other Ascended beings, jealous Abyssal entities, Yggdrasildic agents and the concerned victims of the destruction all fail - the Master feels a long moment of extreme pain as the Pattern of the World is twisted, perverted, and branded upon his very being. Patterns are what make the universe tick - grand metaphysical weights that have extremely potent ramifications upon the rest of the Tree - and it is the most powerful spiritual weapon a single individual can gain.

The Pattern, taken as it was from Yggdrasil, is literally carved unto the soul of the Master of Fragments - meaning they lose any benefits gained from the Invocations to the Sun, Runes of the Fallen, etc, gained. Any mortal being he touches instantly dies, unable to handle he massive energies being pushed through; Gods and other powerful beings are often scarred, horribly burnt, or worse.

The Pattern might manifest through a single cosmic law - such as 'all Gods have one less life than usual' - or through an extremely, extremely powerful power. They are, by necessity, loose and vague, and the Master is to speak with the GM as to his own ideas for it. They are the ultimate weapon. They are meant to break the rules - their power is the reason that the Dark Fountain's process is so wrought with danger and why it takes so long.

The only way to end the horror of a Master wielding a Pattern is to destroy his Nihili, and thus kill the Master for good.

(d) Similar to the Knight of the Tree and the Reinforced God, the Master is given something to guard - or, perhaps, to guard the Master. As he ranks up, Nihili - the dark, wicked spirits of the Abyss - flock to him, and some swear fealty. Once per Degree, the Master gains one of these Nihili, finishing with five (at Master of the Entropic). These Nihili are free-willed, but loyal, extremely dangerous and powerful. This collection of Nihili is called a Host. If the Host is ever destroyed - and the Nihili can be killed - then the Master loses all of his power and is slain by the weight of the Abyssal energies within him.

This means that the young Master is much easier to kill than the fully-powered Master, though once a Nihili is killed they are never replaced and are forever gone. While the Nihili might be the Master's best agents, they are also his most prized. Each Nihili will have it's own powers and personality, as dictated by the GM, but almost every one will be fearsome and deadly. If a Nihili dies, the Master is temporarily weakened - the shock is significant, as these spirits are like limbs to him.

Above and Beyond - Degrees over Five

The God is an ever-changing creature, always refining and expanding. There are five basic Degrees easily attainable by almost every deity - though, in the case of the Fifth, that is debatable - and many Gods can, with the help of their Divine Template, can reach a sixth. From Seventh to Eleventh, however, things get much harder - most normal Gods simply cannot transcend those limits.

With True Apotheosis, however, the chains are thrown away. The God can finally reach the furthest heights, and achieve true mastery over an area.

As Gods get higher and higher up in Degrees, it takes more and more effort to get better and to ascend their previous skills - the upwards scaled price of increasing Degrees represents that. The scale is as such (first line the Degree bought, the second the cost in Degrees):

1st Degree: 1
2nd Degree: 1
3rd Degree: 1
4th Degree: 1
5th Degree: 2
6th Degree: 2
7th Degree: 3
8th Degree: 3
9th Degree: 4
10th Degree: 5
11th Degree: 5, special pilgrimage(or species).

Eleventh Degree can be obtained only through special means - unique pilgrimage-quests tied to each World that must be successfully completed, in addition to the God paying the required Degrees. These quests essentially make the Gods paragons in their field, the greatest the Realms have seen. Certain species gain access to the Eleventh Degree naturally - Alkanites with Sorcery and the Shage with Combat, for example - but Gods are not one of them.

The pilgrimages are as such:

The Pilgrimage of Floods: In order to increase Sorcerous Power to Eleven, the God must reach Alkan and bathe within the secret and sacred Springs of Majesty.
The Pilgrimage of Hardening: In order to increase Combat Skill to Eleven, the God must reach the tallest peak of the Mountain Yahsgae in the Realm Savage and drink the blood of the sacred Yoshgae beast that dwell only at the peak.
The Pilgrimage of the Ancients: In order to increase Realm Level to Eleven, special permissions must be gained. The God must enter the sacred Chamber of All, where the Master Divine dwells - found in the Realm Supernatural - and ask him to bless the Realm.

There are no Pilgrimages for Divinity, as these are ruled by the True Apotheosis itself, and neither are there Social Pilgrimages.

Beneath are a list and description of the Degrees of the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh:

Combat Skill

DEGREE SIX: FEROCIOUS.

The Ferocious God is an extremely deadly warrior. He can engage with hundreds of mortal warriors without fear of injury, and can crush boulders with his fists and break bones with his the lightest of his touch. He is a master of eight individual weapons, but is proficient with all others, including those that are exotic or arcane. The Ferocious God is considered a military genius, his soldiers unwaveringly loyal.

DEGREE SEVEN: RAPACIOUS.

The Rapacious God can engage with hundreds of mortal warriors without fear of injury, and can crush boulders with his fists and break bones with his the lightest of his touch. He is a master all weapons, and can kill with almost anything around him. The Ferocious God is considered a military genius, his soldiers unwaveringly loyal.

DEGREE EIGHT: LUPINE.

The Lupine God can engage with scores of Divine warriors without fear of injury, and can crush boulders with his fists and break bones with his the lightest of his touch. He is a master all weapons, and can kill with almost anything around him. His body is is very difficult to damage with mundane curses such as fire, and weapons poorly made bounce straight off him. The Ferocious God is considered a military genius, his soldiers unwaveringly loyal.

DEGREE NINE: SANGUINARY.

The Lupine God can engage with scores of Divine warriors without fear of injury, and can crush boulders with his fists and break bones with his the lightest of his touch. He is a master all weapons, and can kill with almost anything around him. His body is is very difficult to damage with mundane curses such as fire, and weapons poorly made bounce straight off him. He cannot drown, and can exist in the Abyss indefinitely. The Ferocious God is considered a military genius, his soldiers unwaveringly loyal.

DEGREE TEN: GRIM.

The Lupine God can engage with hundreds of Divine warriors without fear of injury, and can crush boulders with his fists and break bones with his the lightest of his touch. He is a master all weapons, and can kill with almost anything around him. His body is is very difficult to damage with mundane curses such as fire, and all non-magical or otherwise special weapons bounce straight off him. He cannot drown, and can exist in the Abyss indefinitely - the Light Eternal will not destroy him. The Ferocious God is considered one of the greatest strategic minds in the universe, his soldiers unwaveringly loyal.

DEGREE ELEVEN: VANQUISHER.

The Lupine God can engage with thousands of Divine warriors without fear of injury, and can crush boulders with his fists and break bones with his the lightest of his touch. He is a master all weapons, and can kill with almost anything around him. His body is is very difficult to damage with mundane curses such as fire, and all non-magical or otherwise special weapons bounce straight off him. He is immune to all save Ninth Degree (or higher) magic. He cannot drown, and can exist in the Abyss indefinitely. The Ferocious God is considered one of the greatest strategic minds in the universe, his soldiers unwaveringly loyal. His power is over nine thousand.

Sorcerous Power

DEGREE SIX: IPSISSIMUS.

The Ipsissimus God has a deep understanding of all four circles of magic. He is an accomplished master of countermagic, banishing and abjuration. He might look upon the Floods Sorcerous, the Eternal Light, the True Alkan or the Gnarled Abyss without feeling anything at all - his mind has been truly readied for it.

DEGREE SEVEN: THEURDIGITATOR.

The Theurdigitator God has a deep understanding of all four circles of magic, and has begun work on designing his own unique tradition of magic - work with the GM on this one. He is an accomplished master of countermagic, banishing and abjuration. Nothing save the Outer Forces themselves could break his mind - he could even wander about the Alien Trees without fear. The Gates of Alkan are open for him.

DEGREE EIGHT: POLYTHEURGIST.

The Polytheurgist is named such both for his deep understanding of all four circles of magic, and for his complete mastery over his own unique tradition of magic - designed with help from the GM. He is an accomplished master of countermagic, banishing and abjuration. His soul is resilient enough to allow him to survive wandering the Abyss for a period of time.

DEGREE NINE: STAVIST.

The Stavist God has a deep of all four circles of magic, and has complete mastery over his own unique tradition of magic - designed with help from the GM. In addition, he is a master of another, Noble Field of Magic (save that of the Alkanites) - the violence-witchery of the Shage, pattern-manipulations of the Callisti, and so forth. He is an accomplished master of countermagic, banishing and abjuration. He can survive indefinitely within the Abyss, and the Light Eternal will not destroy him.

DEGREE TEN: ALKANIST.

The Alkanist God has a deep of all four circles of magic, and has complete mastery over his own unique tradition of magic - designed with help from the GM. In addition, he is a master of another, Noble Field of Magic - the violence-witchery of the Shage, pattern-manipulations of the Callisti, and so forth. He has a rudimentary understanding of the Alkanite system of meta-sorcery, hence the title, and can use this to enhance his own magic or to understand the hidden laws of the world. He is an accomplished master of countermagic, banishing and abjuration. He has the knowledge of the Rite of Bleak Conjuration, and may attempt to summon an Initiate of Many Angles. He can survive indefinitely within the Abyss, and neither the Light Eternal nor the Floods of the Realm Sorcerous will destroy him.

DEGREE ELEVEN: ARCHTHEURGIST.

The Archtheurgist God, having completed the Pilgrimage of Floods, has a deep of all four circles of magic, and has complete mastery over his own unique tradition of magic - designed with help from the GM. In addition, he is a master of another, Noble Field of Magic - the violence-witchery of the Shage, pattern-manipulations of the Callisti, and so forth. He also has the ability to create the Supreme Rod of Mastery, with which he might channel all other forms of magic and direct the course of fate itself - the Rod typically being the sign of the greatest Sorcerer of Alkan. He is an accomplished master of countermagic, banishing and abjuration. He can survive indefinitely within the Abyss, and neither the Light Eternal nor the Floods of the Realm Sorcerous will destroy him. His soul is supremely protected and immune to all Runes of the Fallen or similar affects lower than the Eleventh Degree.

Realm Level*

*It is important to note, after reading these, that while the inhabitants of the Realm become more autonomous over time, they are still bound intimately to their deity and still retain the strong sense of loyalty and reverence that supports their relationship. As the God ascends in this rank, he never loses control or anything else - his people only shift in philosophy and technology. They may be able to act confidently without him, but he is still a vital part of their lives.

DEGREE SIX: ENLIGHTENED REALM.

The Enlightened Realm have a powerful mystical tradition which may take any form and has blended with their scientific and artistic traditions. They have access to electricity and 'strange weapons' - weapons made of the fusion between science and magic - though gunpowder firearms are still the norm. They often have pilgrims from other Realms. They have access to several mythical resources, such as Khamadite Oil or Living Metal, and may exploit this as they see fit. While they still worship their God they effectively run as a democracy, and while he gains the biggest vote the Realm is now an autonomous creature. They are considered masters in two fields of both magic and science - so, four fields all up - and their culture is generally considered one to be admired. If they have three or more Assimilated Cults they are considered an awakened state and have access to a Gate of Methodes which allows them to access Yggdrasil and invade other worlds as well as advancing their scientific and esoteric studies further. They have a strong trading system.

The High God's Realm has three hundred men, a hundred and fifty with great fighting abilities and a hundred with legendary fighting abilities. They have access to their own form of magic and deadly weapons and strategies.

DEGREE SEVEN: ADROIT REALM.

The Adroit Realm has abandoned it's mystical tradition for a powerful form of 'consciousness science'. They have access to electricity, many different technologies, and 'strange weapons' - weapons made of the fusion between science and magic. Automatic weapons are the norm. They often have pilgrims from other Realms. They have access to several mythical resources, such as Khamadite Oil or Living Metal, and may exploit this as they see fit. They still revere their God, but understand him to be ultimately limited, as are they, and consider him a King more than anything. They are considered masters in three fields of both magic and science - so, six fields all up - and their culture is generally considered one to be admired. If they have two or more Assimilated Cults they are considered an awakened state and have access to a Gate of Methodes which allows them to access Yggdrasil and invade other worlds as well as advancing their scientific and esoteric studies further. They have a strong trading system, and will have embassies and outposts in other realms.

The High God's Realm has four hundred men, a two hundred with great fighting abilities and a hundred and fifty with legendary fighting abilities. They have access to their own form of magic and deadly weapons and strategies. Their defenses are supreme.

DEGREE EIGHT: JUDICIOUS REALM.

The Judicious Realm has abandoned it's mystical tradition for a powerful form of 'consciousness science'. They have access to electricity, many different technologies, and 'strange weapons' - weapons made of the fusion between science and magic. Automatic weapons are the norm. Poverty and most forms of mundane diseases are almost non-existent. They often have pilgrims from other Realms. They have access to several mythical resources, such as Khamadite Oil or Living Metal, and may exploit this as they see fit. They still revere their God, but understand him to be ultimately limited, as are they, and consider him a King more than anything. They are considered masters in four fields of both magic and science - so, eight fields all up - and their culture is generally considered one to be admired. If they have two or more Assimilated Cults they are considered an awakened state and have access to a Gate of Methodes which allows them to access Yggdrasil and invade other worlds as well as advancing their scientific and esoteric studies further. They have a strong trading system, and will have embassies and outposts in other realms. They have supreme defenses, often involving either laser energies or robotics.

The High God's Realm has five hundred men, two hundred and fifty with great fighting abilities and a two hundred with legendary fighting abilities. They have access to their own form of magic and deadly weapons and strategies. Their defenses are supreme.

DEGREE NINE: ILLUMINATED REALM.

The Illuminated Realm has abandoned it's mystical tradition for a powerful form of 'consciousness science'. They have access to electricity, many different technologies, and 'strange weapons' - weapons made of the fusion between science and magic. Automatic weapons are the norm. Poverty and most forms of mundane diseases are extinct. They quite possibly don't utilize currency, and might be a semi-Communist or similar state. They often have pilgrims from other Realms. They have access to several mythical resources, such as Khamadite Oil or Living Metal, and may exploit this as they see fit. They still revere their God, but understand him to be ultimately limited, as are they, and consider him a King more than anything. They are considered masters in four fields of both magic and science - so, eight fields all up - and their culture is generally considered one to be admired. They are considered an awakened state and have access to a Gate of Methodes which allows them to access Yggdrasil and invade other worlds as well as advancing their scientific and esoteric studies further. They have a strong trading system, and will have embassies and outposts in other realms. They have supreme defenses, often involving either laser energies or robotics. Their strange technology allows them to manipulate dreams, understand true emotions, and create horrible, horrible weapons.

The High God's Realm has five hundred men, two hundred with great fighting abilities and three hundred with legendary fighting abilities. They have access to their own form of magic and deadly weapons and strategies. Their defenses are supreme.

DEGREE TEN: POLYLOGICAL REALM.

The Illuminated Realm has abandoned it's mystical tradition for a powerful form of 'consciousness science'. They have access to electricity, many different technologies, and 'strange weapons' - weapons made of the fusion between science and magic. Automatic and energy (or possibly memetic) weapons are the norm. Poverty and most forms of mundane diseases are extinct. They quite possibly don't utilize currency, and might be a semi-Communist or similar state. They often have pilgrims from other Realms. They have access to several mythical resources, such as Khamadite Oil or Living Metal, and may exploit this as they see fit. They still revere their God, but understand him to be ultimately limited, as are they, and consider him a King more than anything. They are considered masters in four fields of both magic and science - so, eight fields all up - and their culture is generally considered one to be admired. They are considered an awakened state and have access to a Gate of Methodes which allows them to access Yggdrasil and invade other worlds as well as advancing their scientific and esoteric studies further. They have a strong trading system, and will have embassies and outposts in other realms. They have supreme defenses, often involving either laser energies or robotics. Their strange technology allows them to manipulate dreams, understand true emotions, and create horrible, horrible weapons. They are completely self-sustainable, and are considered a threat by every other people in the Realm Divine.

The High God's Realm has six hundred men, two hundred with great fighting abilities and four hundred with legendary fighting abilities. They have access to their own form of magic and deadly weapons and strategies. Their defenses are supreme.

DEGREE ELEVEN: APOTHEOSIZED REALM.

The Apotheosized Realm has become something entirely different - something truly beyond everything the God could understand. The huge advances in science and sorcery will be described on an individual basis, but at this stage it is determined that the Realm is considered a Steward State, protected with all the Conclave's considerable resources, and are considered Tier-1 Sphereborn - the equivalent of Earthborn in Conclave politics. They will develop powerful factions of their own, and work entirely independently of their Lord.

THE COSMOLOGY OF THEOGENESIS

Herein the worlds and various forces that shape the World-Tree is described. This is purely Setting information, and while not technically required reading it is highly recommended.

The Ten Worlds of the Conclave (and their Races)

The Realm Supernatural - Divines
The Realm Mundane - Earthborn
The Realm of Anvils - Systemarchs
The Realm Void - Dhelvanians
The Realm of Certitude - Callisti
The Realm Savage - Shage
The Realm Silver - The Returned
The City of Alkan - Sorcerers of Alkan
The Realm ex Abyssus - Leviatu Namar
CLASSIFIED - Vakud

The Worlds of Weight

The Realm of Rivers
The Realm Sorcerous

Above and Below

The Gnarled Abyss
The Courtyard

The Moons of Yggdrasil

The Sphere of Force and Fire - The Cult of Osiris-Ra
The Sphere of Silence and Strength - The Shrine of Isuban
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:37, Thu 19 Aug 2010.

The Inner Circle of Odin

The Inner Circle of Odin is the true power behind the Conclave, an initiatory mystery religion that places great focus on discipline, mental and spiritual strength, and sacrifice. The Inner Circlists are recognizable by their trademark heavy-grey cloak adorned with silver imagery of Yggdrasil, the World-Tree.

Their immediate purpose is to rule the entire World-Tree, crushing chaos and uniting all of the surviving worlds in law. It is a great task, but the Inner Circle is not entirely unfit for the job: they have some of the greatest members of all the acknowledged species within their ranks, and, supposedly, the backing of Odin himself.

Headquarters: The Inner Circle has its headquarters within the Hall of the Sun in the Valley of the Ten Towers. The higher levels of the Hall are devoted to Conclave administration work, with the first underground level functioning as a maze of supporting systems for that purpose, but within the center of the first level exists the Gates of Havamal, heavily guarded by the most elite of Conclave troops. Through that portal one can find the sprawling chambers of the Inner Circle, a maze of temples, offices, gardens, prisons, training rooms, libraries, and the like.

Each member of the Inner Circle, regardless of rank within the initiatory cult, gains their own office within the Hall, a private – yet spacious – area strictly for their own use. The office contains sleeping chambers, an office, and two ‘installation rooms’, which can be upgraded at the request of the Circlist to contain libraries, armouries, training rooms, torture chambers, alchemical labs, Methodes gates, magical workspaces, workshops, and the like. There are guards posted to each office, and the finest supernatural locks and passes are installed upon the doors. This provides unbeatable security.

Each World of Weight – and a select few other worlds – also have Inner Circle forts, often built underneath conventional Conclave forts, in which every member is welcome. These forts are vital outposts and intelligence beacons for the Conclave, and allow the Inner Circlist to travel all over the World-Tree secure in the knowledge that they will be provided with free accommodation.

Ideology and Religion: Each member of the Inner Circle is required to study two fundamental works that sit in the core of Conclave philosophy and policy.

The first are the absolutely Cyclopean Tables of Odin, in which the law of the Conclave is spelled out in gratingly accurate detail. There are nine such Tables – the Eyes of Odin, which refer to the processes involved in prosecuting criminals and traitors; the Tongue of Odin, which describes the rights and responsibilities given to each member of the Conclave; the Heart of Odin, which refers to the Councilmen, the Emperor, and their roles; the Hands of Odin, which refer to the practices of magic, supernaturalism, psychism, theoelectromagnetic changes and the like; the Feet of Odin, which refer to the rights, responsibilities, and laws regarding the non-accepted species of the Tree; the Nose of Odin, which refers to the practice of non-Conclave agencies, businesses, cults, and whatnot; the Teeth of Odin, which refer to the processes of warfare, protection, military, and the like; the Arms of Odin, which goes into extreme detail regarding inane laws and their place in the Conclave; and finally the Hair of Odin, which involves growth, success, and economy.

There is also another text – a scripture, really – at the heart of the Inner Circle of Odin. It is called the The Scriptures of Jupiter, and is a history/myth revolving around the career and life of Odin. The Scriptures themselves contain three core books - The Beliefs of King Eye, focusing mostly on the supernatural philosophy and mysticism of Odin, written by Msonus the Mystic; My Time With Him, detailing the personal life, sexual habits, and incredibly complex personality behind Odin, written by Thor the Thunder; and How Apotheosis Changes, detailing the government strategies and inherent paradoxes of Odin, written by Ayar the Mad Poet. There are also several apocryphal texts, written by such luminaries as Metatron and Neiscance. These books are held in great esteem by the entire Inner Circle, acting as their gospel and their guide.

The Inner Circle reveres Odin of the First Age, considering him their patron and spiritual benefactor. The Inner Circle respects order above all things, but also places great value on strength, friendship, mysticism and sacrifice. Most Inner Circlists meditate for an hour or more a day, calming and ordering their thoughts, while many more practice the revolutionary mind-disciplines of the Earthborn Zen monks or Qabalists. It has mostly been these mystical practices which has saved the Earthborn from the derision and discrimination they first expected.

The Inner Circle sees swords as sacred objects, much in the same way the Cult of Osiris-Ra does, and also ravens, trees (especially oak trees), the symbol of the eye, and the runes. Each member of the initiatory religion is given a heavy grey cloak and a blade forged with a single, tiny splinter of the original sword of Odin.

The motto of the Inner Circle is, “The Towers Stand Preserved,” and its members are conditioned to despise those who place creation or destruction against stasis and preservation. It was the Inner Circle that destroyed the Church of the Sacred Tree, and the short-lived Crusaders of Mercy sect, believing it was best to keep what they have and perfect that before reaching for the unobtainable stars. The Tree cannot be healed, but it can be stopped from meeting its death.

Training, Inclinations and Joining: The Inner Circle of Odin accepts only those who have proved their loyalty and worth through a successful career within the Conclave proper; all members must be of High Lord social status before being offered an invitation. The Inner Circle of Odin accepts all that fulfill this prerequisite: sorcerers, warriors, administrators, authors, researchers, healers, all are considered worthy of initiation.

The Inner Circle of Odin accepts members from all ten species of the Council, though Gods are preferred and there are no active Leviatu or Vakud members (or Callisti members save EQUILIBRIUM). Gods, Systemarchs, Earthborn and Sorcerers of Alkan are the most prominent in the ranks. Every member is Oathbound to the Conclave, and each are expected to kill for their cult.

The prospective member truly joins the Inner Circle once they undergo the first initiation and receive the carving of the First Rune. This is often a painful, horrifying, harrowing experience, and it is guaranteed that the member returns changed from the ordeal.

Advancement and Ranks: Every member of the Inner Circle of Odin has high status within the Conclave: either High Lord or Councilman. Unless they are Councilmen, the Inner Circlist is referred to in most Conclave documents and politics as a High Lord, though another tier of rank is present, if hidden, within the system. An initiated High Lord automatically gains precedence over the non-initiated, and it is the further ranks in the Inner Circle which decide authority. If an Inner Circlist ever loses their standing and drops from High Lord, they lose their status within the Inner Circle, though their Runes of the Fallen still remain as they cannot be so easily erased.

There are six official ranks in the Inner Circle, though the sixth rank is reserved for the Emperor of the Golden Hand and the fifth are shared amongst the ten Councilmen. These ranks follow a similar colour scheme to the Conclave social status system, and different perks are available to each:

Auburn: The first rank within the Inner Circle. Initiate. Gains an office, a sacred blade, a cloak, copies of The Scriptures of Jupiter and The Tables of Odin an office and has obtained the First Carving.

Azure: The second rank within the Inner Circle. Working directly with a Councilman, if not already.

Scarlet: The third rank within the Inner Circle. The Second Carving Must be obtained.

Argentate: The fourth rank within the Inner Circle. The Third Carving must be obtained.

Councilman: The fifth, and for most, ultimate rank within the Inner Circle. Wield immense power within Conclave politics. Is given the Carving of the Golden Emperor and many, many other goodies.

Emperor of the Golden Hand: ????

Runes of the Fallen: When the Inner Circle chose Odin as their patron and guide, they were blessed with nine gift – the Nine Runes given to Odin, carved upon his very soul, as he hung from Yggdrasil. These nine runes are, to the Inner Circle, validation and a sign of immense support from the World-Tree itself, and they wear these marks on their soul with a certain amount of pride; it is the only authority they need.

While there are nine runes in total, they are split into groups of three. The runes themselves are literally carved upon the soul of the initiate, and form a unique pattern immediately recognizable to any examining their theoelectromagnetic field. An Inner Circle can only have three runes carved upon him at a single time, one from each of the three initiations detailed below. Any more attempts simply fail. The actual process of carving, however, when successful removes all taints, curses, markings, etc, on the soul; it is an act of ownership and of purification.

An Inner Circlist does not lose the effects of the Runes of the Fallen if she quits the Inner Circle. In addition, runes can only be removed with an immediate act of power; much like the purchasing of psychic abilities, a death and a Degree must be spent to erase a rune. The stress this places on the soul is immense. However, if the operation is a success, another rune may be taken in its place.

THE FIRST INITIATION OF THE RUNES OF THE FALLEN: This first initiation requires the participant to carve and sanctify their own divination staves for the inspection of the Lord of the Havamal, the religious leader of the Inner Circle – and, it is known, a masked and hooded Councilman. These staves are to be marked with the personal signs of the initiate, are to be stained with the blood of the initiate, and are to be no less than nine in number but no more thrice-nine. They are to be the size of a hand. They are to be carved, furthermore, from a branch of Yggdrasil itself. For this exercise, the initiate is allowed access to the Chapel of Methodes. If the staves are found lacking, the initiate is denied access to the Inner Circle; if success is deemed, the initiate is welcomed into the mystery cult.

These staves are to be revered and carried, always, in a pouch by the initiate; they are the most potent symbol of his dedication to Yggdrasil and to the Inner Circle. The sword and cloak are for show; these are for him. They are to be shown to no man. If destroyed, this initiation is to be performed again. The Lord of the Havamal then proceeds to carve the chosen Rune of the Fallen upon the soul of the initiate.

Haz: “Know how to cut them,” reads the rune. This rune gives the initiate an instinctive knowledge of Hazyhdril, the wisdom of all herbs, supernatural or otherwise, as they need it, drawing the knowledge from the core of Yggdrasil. Medicinal properties, handling, growing, planting, harvesting… all are available to the initiate upon receiving this rune. Only a small handful, those herbs not native to Yggdrasil, cannot be read; otherwise, information is granted on a need-to-know basis.

Urz: “Know how to read them,” reads the rune. This rune gives the initiate an instinctive knowledge of Urzguli, the wisdom of all tongues. It allows the initiate to read all languages, understand all languages, and to speak all languages as they need them: even certain esoteric tongues, such as Sacred Tongue of the Systemarchs, or the Sorcere language of Alkan. It also allows the initiate a clear understanding of the bureaucratic language of the Conclave, perhaps the greatest gift of all. The only limit on this ability is that it must be a language native to Yggdrasil – alien tongues and the Lineage Languages of the Wanderers cannot be understood.

Uth: “Know how to stain them,” reads the rune. This rune gives the initiate an instinctive knowledge of Uthfyrn, or the wisdom of colours. It allows the initiate to read the auras an individual as if they had Blunt Clairsentience, as well as to speak to and hear the voices of colours on every object in the universe. Certain objects thus have a voice when spoken to; though it may not be there own but the parasitic hue that they contain. This knowledge also allows the initiate to witness unseen, alien, or otherwise invisible colours, though they may not be so easy to converse with and command.

THE SECOND INITIATION OF THE RUNES OF THE FALLEN: The second initiation is a difficult one, but follows in the same vein as the first. The initiate must travel to the same branch with which they carved their rune staves, and take a shrub from it. The shrub must be preserved as all cost, and a divination should be held with the staves: the reading will alert the initiate to the location, almost always another world, where that shrub should be planted. The initiate might then guard the shrub, or leave; regardless, they must return in three weeks. If the shrub is dead or did not sprout leaves, the initiation fails. If the shrub sprouts leaves and is healthy, the initiate must harvest the leaves and dry them. The shrub will become a tree, forever safe from harm and a place of power for the initiate.

The initiate boils a tea out of the leaves and allows the Lord of the Havamal to drink it. If the Lord approves, the initiation was a success and the initiate is taught how to carve a rune upon their own soul.

Urzhaz: “Know how to prove them,” reads the rune. This rune gives the initiate access to the long-lost art of Urzhaz. With held concentration and the utterance of a word of power – Urzhaz! – an individual caught within the sight of the initiate is immediately tested. In accordance with their loyalty towards Yggdrasil, pain is sent through their body. If they truly care for Yggdrasil and do not wish to see it die, working loyally to sustain it, they experience no pain; if they are neutral or do not directly endeavour to keep it alive, they experience quite a large amount of harrowing pain; if they strive to end or destroy the truth, becoming anathema to their own universe, the pain is horrific and, if sustained, can kill the individual.

Maelsva: “Know how to evoke them,” reads the rune. This rune allows the initiate to make friendship with a demon in good standing with the World-Tree using the hidden arts of Maelsva. The demon will approach them originally through dreams, strange feelings, and visions, but eventually physical contact will be made. The demon must strive not only to understand Yggdrasil (as is the nature of all demons) but to serve it; such creatures are rare, and many hold fleeting relationships with their initiates. However, if a strong friendship is formed, the demon will bind itself to the initiate, rising to his defense if the Inner Circlist is threatened by an agency that is working against Yggdrasil at the utterance of a certain power word – Maelsva.

Tolftek: “Know how to score them,” reads the rune. The rune allows the initiate to understand the secret art of Tolftek, the ritual scarring of weapons and armour to serve the fight against certain creatures anathema to the purpose of Yggdrasil. The initiate must carve sacred symbols upon their weapons or armour, but any contact with these symbols will burn and blind Nihili, lesser Masters of Fragments, Mad Gods, and similar beings. They will also damage those creatures not native to the World-Tree. The utterance of the power word, Tolftek, serves to inspire fear and lunacy in weaker beings not aligned with Yggdrasil. Weapons and armour will burn bright in the presence of such creatures, a warning to their owner.

THE THIRD INITIATION OF THE RUNES OF THE FALLEN: The third and final initiation is simpler, but ultimately deadlier. The initiate is to go to the Gnarled Roots of Yggdrasil, and steal one of the smaller bones of the World-Dragon Nahdroggr. The bone is then to be taken to the initiate’s place of power and buried. This done, the initiate must ritually baptize the tree with their own blood – gained by cutting their left eye out. If the tree flowers at this, the initiate must meditate underneath it, and the initiation is successful; both the tree and the Tree make a mark upon the initiate’s soul.

The Lord of the Havanal has a chief surgeon available on hand at all times, as it is expected that at some point the initiate would like the use of their left eye back.

Falahak: “Know how to send them,” reads the rune. This rune grants the initiate Falahak, or the knowledge of servants. The initiate, when dealing with any member of the Conclave that is not carved - not yet a member of the Inner Circle – gains a functional mind-linking ability from Yggdrasil itself. This counts, in game, as the initiate having Sharp Telepathy – though only when dealing with Brown Associates to Silver High Lords. This makes many of the Inner Circle excessively terrifying to those beneath them, in the Conclave proper, and allows them full control over their organization. Those who are not officially sworn into the Conclave or actively resent it, naturally, are not affected by this ability. As this strange link is formed, the theoelectromagnetic field of the initiate is strengthened, making them immune to all telepathic probes and similar psychic attacks.

Alu: “Know how to charm them,” reads the rune. This rune grants the initiate Alu, a symbiotic link with the ghost of the World-Dragon, Nahdroggr. The initiate’s soul draws on the strange properties of the dead and doomed World-Dragon, granting them several unusual properties. Any who drink their blood will be healed of infections and wounds, but the God otherwise becomes immune to Aramanthing. The initiate gains the ability to fly, and cannot be struck down by mundane weapons. In addition, most magical spells affect them much, much less.

Virgilna: “Know how to hang them,” reads the rune. This rune gives the initiate the wisdom of Virgilna, or the knowledge of sorcery. The core mind-spirit of Yggdrasil can hold more information than it could possible create, and allows the Virgilna-marked sorcerer to utilize that great space. After all, what is magic but anomalous information? Virgilna allows the sorcerer to ‘hang’ spells, effectively storing their effects in stasis until the magician wishes them released. The magician performs the ritual and speaks the power word, and the spell is locked within the core of Yggdrasil until called again by the sorcerer. The sorcerer can hang an amount of spells equal to double their Sorcerous Power. In addition, they can ‘snuff’ the sorceries of others – enchantments, evocations, etc. – by taking the spell into their own pool of hangings. If there is room, and the Inner Circlist is at least one Degree higher in Sorcerous Power then their enemy, the spell is captured, and under the control of the magician.

THE CARVING OF THE GOLDEN EMPEROR: It is said that once the initiate becomes a Councilman, he gets to meet the Golden Emperor and is given the greatest blessing of all: an additional carving that allows the Councilmen to transcend their physical limits and reach the heights of power. This is, however, all simple conjecture… besides the fact that they know the ritual exists; all Inner Circlists (save the Councilmen and the Golden Emperor) have access to no reliable information about the magnificent glory that is the Carving of the Golden Emperor.

Relations with Others:

Vs. Neutrals: Neutral to Antagonistic. The Inner Circle considers all those not aligned with the Conclave to be inefficient, misguided, and ultimately selfish. They are, however, necessary pawns for the Conclave – and without a solid stream of recruits, and a despised class that even Associates can feel antagonistic towards, the Conclave wouldn’t be nearly as effective.

Vs. Cult of Osiris-Ra: Highly Antagonistic. The Inner Circle works at every level to rid Yggdrasil of the influence of this insidious Cult, believing – perhaps rightly – that the Cult stands as the greatest threat against the Conclave and the very existence of the Tree.

Vs. Apotheosis Circle: Tolerant. The Inner Circle leans on the Apotheosis Circle economically, relying on the independent organization to monitor trade and the Conclave Stone pools that fuel the Conclave, and tolerates its ventures into Niborkerese and shadier places. The Inner Circle also needs certain items and artifacts that it cannot acquire from, say, their own markets; rather than risking the formation of a sanctioned black market, or relying on Niborkerese, they obtain such items from the lesser of all evils: the Apotheosis Circle.

Vs. Shrine of Isuban: Highly Antagonistic. The Inner Circle remembers well the struggle between Isuban and Odin, as written in </i>Scriptures of Jupiter</i>, and many a prestigious member of the Inner Circle has fallen to the poisoned blade of an Isubanite. The enmity isn’t as hot, currently, between the Inner Circle and the Cult of Osiris-Ra, but it is definitely present.

Vs. True Sons of Metatron: Highly Antagonistic. The True Sons of Metatron aren’t stupid: they realize that their own patron, Metatron, is revered among the Inner Circle of Odin, and they know that their position in Niborkerese combined with that heresy and their addiction to psychic abilities makes them an easy target. They are currently under a small, but constant, barrage of attack from the Drachenorden, and their greatest wish at the moment is to escape from that persecution so they can recoup their strength.

Vs. The Athanor: Antagonistic. The Inner Circle doesn’t believe that the Athanor is a threat to the World-Tree, but their omnipresent influence over almost every toxin, poison, narcotic and hallucinogenic within the Realm Supernatural makes them a natural enemy. The Athanor originally was the target of constant persecution from the League of Divine Right before moving and establishing Niborkerese, and this tradition seems to remain, however strained it might be, with most members of the Inner Circle.

Vs. Monastic Order of the Nuclear Eye: Highly Antagonistic. The Drachenorden strives to destroy the greatest influence of the Mad Gods into the Realm Supernatural, and raids and temple-destruction occurs frequently. Unfortunately, the longer the Monastic Order is threatened the greater they adapt, and at the present stage they are masters at avoiding most of the ire of the Inner Circle.

The Conclave: Councilmen of the Conclave

Name: Lord Councilman Roid
Species and Realm of Birth: Systemarch (Realm of Anvils)
Titles: Spider of Hammers, Father of the Ring of Cashmathar, Father of the Liktoborea (Voice of the Last, the Clicking Death, son of Purandomnol), Father of the Scalpel of Redemption, Highest Ambassador to the SYSTEMARCHS
Councillorship: As Highest Ambassador to the Systemarchs, Councilman Roid spent much of his early career campaigning for Systemarch rights. It was his valiant effort, in conjunction with the campaigning of the Spider Balverstus that allowed the Treaty of Teeth to pass, and allow Systemarchs exemption from the Conclave’s strict anti-psychic policies. Roid also assisted in the design and creation of the Garden of Spiders, being one of the few Systemarchs in the Conclave to have legal access-rights to the shattered Realm of Anvils. More recently, he has taken command of the ongoing Vendetta of Sand – which has spanned, in one form or another, for roughly five thousand years, beginning before the Age of Leagues – and has sworn to destroy Osiris-Ra and his Cult. To this effect, he has overseen and acted as director for Operation EMBALMER’s REACH, which is currently in its third stage of development.
Achievements: As a Systemarch, Roid has devoted much of his life to the Attainments, spending a hundred and fifty years of hard work in the ultimate completion of three. His first, the Scalpel of Redemption, is said to have the strange power to cut through time and space with its slicing. The second – and, perhaps, Roid’s greatest creation – is the Clicking Gun Liktoborea, which is said to be able to hold command over all firearms in the universe and shoot strange things made from the whispers of the dead. Finally, Roid’s third creation is the Ring of Cashmathar, which is said to contain the entire Sea of Cashmathar, once a famous and sacred area to the Systemarch people. Roid is also a highly gifted psychic and is rightly feared amongst many of the Conclave’s enemies.
Attributes: Combat Skill 5/Psychism 7/Attainment 7 (Liktoborea 3/Cashmathar 2/Scalpel of Redemption 2)/Anvil 5/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)

Name: Lord Councilman Lharazed
Species and Realm of Birth: Alkanite (City of Alkan)
Titles: Master of the Metaphysical Comet of the Fifteenth Sky, Sorcerer-King of the City of Alkan, ‘The Chained King’, Highest Ambassador to the SORCERERS OF ALKAN, Prince of Ghavast
Councillorship: Lharazed is an ancient being, the third-born child of the Sorcerer-King Ghavast and one of the few remaining Sorcerers to have seen the Fall of Alkan. It is for this reason, many scholars believe, that he has campaigned so heavily against the dredging of the Floods Sorcerous and the reopening of the Sacred Gates. When asked for the Sacred Key, Lharazed refused, claiming that tradition had been bucked and the Key had been destroyed rather than given to the King (and Highest Ambassador) of the Alkanites. Lharazed even spearheaded the infamous Operation SACRED SEAL, which effectively blocked all access to Alkan to anyone save a Councilman, placing the area strictly under the control of the Conclave’s Fort Seal which was built upon the area. This Operation was seen as outrageous by younger and elder Alkanites alike – the youths believed that it was their right to take pilgrimage at their holiest city, while many elders saw the building of the reinforced fort as sacrilege; it was, after all, sacred ground. For this reason alone, Lharazed is one of the more unpopular Councilmen, though his work in erecting both the mighty tower and institution of Babilu has done the Conclave a great service.
Achievements and Legends: Lharazed is easily the greatest magician the Realm Supernatural has had for a very long time. He has received the Sacred Transmission of Alkan, allowing him to reach and manipulate the deepest reservoirs of power, a right obtained only by the greatest magician recognized by Yggdrasil (and thus the Sorcerer-King). He has also spent most of his life laboring towards the attainment of his unique Mythos, spending much time away from the Realm Supernatural (only adding to his slightly blemished reputation) in search for the thing known as the Metaphysical Comet of the Fifteenth Sign, his unique mythos-guide. When he found it, he returned the Realm Supernatural and claimed that he had reached the ultimate height of his own power, but many Alkanites think this a joke: they refer to him as the ‘Chained King’, inferring that while Lharazed has the power to accomplish anything he wishes, he is bound by weakness, politics and cowardice.
Attributes: Combat Skill 2/Mythos 5 (Master of the Metaphysical Comet of the Fifteenth Sky)/Sorcerous Power 11/Foci 4/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)

Name: Lord Councilman Augustius Agrippa
Species and Realm of Birth: Earthborn-Human (Realm Mundane)
Titles: Lord Ipsissimus, Master Architect of the 33rd Degree, Lord Chief Executive Officer of F.O.U.N., High Ambassador to the EARTHBORN HUMANS.
Councillorship: Augustius Agrippa was raised and adopted by Lord Councilman Lharazed, and their political and personal bond has been well-documented and often criticized. They form a powerful bloc, only threatened by the recent Roid-Wyrn alliance. Agrippa has a huge interest in all matters magical or supernatural, and most of his Operations – save the failed Operation SPECTACULAR, where he attempted to outlaw the trading of souls by Divines – have involved these topics. Project JIBBERISH saw the unified data-system libraries of Babilu form, as well as a huge revamping of their own tower, the addition of a hundred Earthborn instant printing-presses, and the subsequent reprinting of many early Earthborn works of mysticism and Msonus’s large and sought-after library. This move made him immediately popular with the Realm Supernatural’s mystics. Project ALCHEMIES was widely criticized as being a commercial, and not a government, venture, but saw Agrippa found and lead the company F.O.U.N. to great success. F.O.U.N. – the Foundation of Oneiro-scientific Understanding and Noetics – devotes much of its time to the understanding and rebirth of ‘Magiscience’, which Agrippa claims to have found. Since the birth of this company his involvement in most Conclave matters has been minimal.
Achievements and Legends: Augustius Agrippa is a strong adherent to the philosophy-mysticism of Msonus, and is rumored to be the head of the shadowy string of Architect Lodges that still exist in the Realm Supernatural, holding the coveted 33rd Degree of the organization. He thus has access to whatever secrets and sorcerous powers they may have – and they are rumoured to have many – though Agrippa denies any such abilities. He is, however, an accomplished magician, and is considered an honorary Alkanite, one of only two Earthborn to have achieved that level of prestige. He is also credited as the original founder of ‘magiscience’, the merging of two distinct technologies which allow rapid and spontaneous sorcerous advancement, though this has been disputed by several Divine Scholars, such as the often-mocked Lortus, who claims that an ancient God named ‘Foun’ founded the science.
Attributes: Combat Skill 3/Sorcerous Power 6/Fatus 5/Understanding 4/Social Status: Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)

Name: Lord Councilman Wyrn
Species and Realm of Birth: Divine (Realm Supernatural)
Titles: God of Shadows, Eldest Darkness, Emissary to the Emperor with the Golden Hand, Highest Ambassador to the DIVINES
Councillorship: Lord Councilman Wyrn was chosen by the Emperor of the Golden Hand to found the Conclave, having been a prominent member – the only sole existing ex-member – of the League of Divine Right. It was he who spearheaded Operation GREY, which successfully made peace with and merged the Systemarch Nation, Earthborn Hegemony, and several other systems of government into one united whole. He has been part of more Operations than can be counted, but one of the most famous would have to be Operation THUNDER’S TOMB, in which Wyrn successfully defended the Valley from attack by Eiphalas, Thing of the Storm, and his hordes while then using Eiphalas’s bones to trap the maddened corpse-thing of Thor – whose rage was enough to reanimate the body – within a field of anti-static. Two powerful threats were destroyed on that day, and Wyrn is still considered a hero. His role as Emissary of the Emperor of the Golden Hand means that only he knows the true individual behind the Emperor’s mask, and is the only person who knows his will; this has given Wyrn an immense amount of political power at Council meetings. Most recently, Wyrn has supported the gargantuan Operation EMBALMER’S REACH, most specifically the counter-intelligence and research tasks within, and it is rumored that he has designed and is currently in the process of producing several warships capable of traversing the great Void.
Achievements and Legends: Wyrn is called the ‘Eldest Darkness’, for he has claimed – and is almost believed – to have been around since the Age of Odin, some fifteen thousand years past, through certain consistent incarnations. His role next to the Emperor of the Golden Hand makes him widely feared amongst the Conclave, and his prowess over shadow is extremely advanced. It was he who crushed the rebel-God Nathus by summoning the ‘Stain of Silence’ upon his Realm; a cloak of darkness that poisoned and destroyed the entire Kingdom, including the God. He is said to have ears and eyes everywhere, being the spymaster and chief assassin of the Conclave.
Attributes: Combat Skill 5/Sorcerous Power 6/Realm Level 5/Divine Power 5/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)


Name: Lady Councilman Vajk
Species and Realm of Birth: Shage (Realm Savage)
Titles: Blade of the Blackest Hand, Wise Woman, Slaughterer of Carnath, Ambassador to the SHAGE
Councillorship: Vajk is the latest Councilman to be sworn into the Council, having ousted the treasonous activities of Councilman Carnath and then slaughtering him in duel and taking his place. She was an up-and-coming Inner Circlist, and a successful High Lord overseeing engineering and weapons works, and has not had a chance to really act within the Council until very recently when she threw her support in to Operation EMBALMER’S REACH, offering to train and lead the hundreds of thousands of troops needed. She has also recently enacted Operation SHATTERHORN, the construction of three immense super-weapons within the Valley of Ten Towers, which is her first solo Operation. Finally, she has leant support to Wyrn’s Operation NO, upgrading the security aspects of the Valley Divine and the Conclave, though the extent of her involvement (or Wyrn’s, really) is limited at best.
Achievements and Legends: ‘The Blackest Hand’ is a martial art focusing on sword work founded by Vajk, and it has steadily grown in popularity. Particularly difficult to master, it has earned Vajk a powerful reputation for being decidedly deadly, especially considering Carnath was once considered an undefeatable warrior. Rumours concerning the Guns of the Valley abound, as large amounts of Living Metal – the Conclave has ordered several hundred thousand kilograms worth in the past month, to the cost of an estimated three million Conclave Stones – and strange crystals are being utilized. Exactly what the Guns are meant to do is uncertain, as all involvement by press or outside agencies is extremely limited. Vajk also holds the defining honour of being an initiated Wise Woman of the Shage, and her knowledge of the savage strangeness is absolute.
Attributes: Battle Skill 11/Pathwork 5/Martial Philosophy 7 (The Blackest Hand)/Survival 5/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)


Name: Lord Councilman EQUILIBRIUM
Species and Realm of Birth: Callisti (Realm Certitude)
Titles: The Weightless Eye, Calsernum, High Ambassador to the CALLISTI
Councillorship: EQUILIBRIUM is the Calsernum of the Callisti, the chosen representative by both them and the Conclave for their kind, and strives solely towards the betterment of those two forces. He is the oracle and truth-sayer of the Conclave, linked psychically to every other Callisti in existence, and is the most powerful analytical machine they have. It was he who predicted the rebirth of Osiris-Ra, and he who knew the Realm of Certitude had finally fallen. His involvement in many dozens of Operations has earned him a powerful respect, and he is the only Callisti that can converse freely with others. Despite the long involvement in the Council, however, EQUILIBRIUM is only overseeing his first project now: Operation PURITY. Details on the Operation are slim, as the entire thing is kept under wraps, but Councilman Wyrn has allegedly commented on the issue by saying, “Hell, even I’m scared.”
Achievements and Legends: It is said that EQUILIBRIUM has seen World-Trees fall, and entire Worlds be destroyed with a sweep of the hand. It is said that he is the only Callisti that can lie. It is said that, if asked the right questions, he can offer true enlightenment. Many things are said about EQUILIBRIUM, but none are confirmed, for even though he has the ability to converse freely with others, he seldom does so.
Attributes: Sight 10/Willpower 10/Equationing 10/Purity 8/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)

Name: Lady Councilman Janethus
Species and Realm of Birth: Divine (Realm Supernatural)
Titles: Goddess of Mirrors, Speaker for Honorary Councilman Svashbh the Highest Ambassador to the DHELVANIANS
Councillorship: The Dhelvanians are strange anti-things which live most of their lives outside time and space. It was a young Familiar Associate Goddess named Janethus who found that, by using high-frequency mirrors combined with powerful meta-psychological techniques, that these creatures could be summoned to this plane from the Realm Void. With assistance from Braenesoth, who saw the massive potential that the Goddess held, she swiftly became a High Lord and then a Councilman, directing Operation DAMN MATHEMATICS, the sister project of Braenesoth’s Operation EARTHWORM. The Operation is devoted solely to the understanding and tendering to the Dhelvanians, and the eventual assimilation of their people into the Conclave. There was much aggression against this original Operation, however, as Councilman Agrippa believed – wrongly – that the Dhelvanians were in actuality the terrible Nihili as detailed by the mystic Msonus, which he predicted would come to destroy the Realm Supernatural. Despite the inaccuracy of this allegation, Lictros join Agrippa’s side in the struggle, pointing out that Janethus was unqualified and, in all probability, playing with forces beyond her ken. However, when Larazhed saw that the Dhelvanians were creatures made of the Void and not serving the Abyss, he forced Agrippa – and thus Lictros – to step down. Janethus is now directing Operation HERMIT, in which she is leading research teams in understanding the Void, exactly how it works, and how it can be utilized by the Conclave; this crossovers a little with Wyrn’s work in Operation EMBALMER’S REACH, but is mainly concerned with traversing the deadly, wild currents of the Void Storm that surrounds the Realm Supernatural – though rumour has it Janethus is also looking into designing a force-field that can protect the Valley of Ten Towers from harm.
Achievements and Legends: Janethus has not had much of an effect on Supernatural culture as several other Councilmen have, but there is one event which sticks in the minds of many who study the Council in any detail. After it was proven that Agrippa was wrong about the Dhelvanian-Nihili link, and Lharazed told him to step down, Agrippa was furious. At Lictros’s suggestion, Agrippa demanded that Janethus face him in a duel – to prove her worth as a magician, however slight it might be, as well as a member of the Council. The loser, if not killed outright, would have to resign. The weapon, allegedly, was sorcery. Agrippa was confident that he would win – he spent days planning an elaborate ritual to bring down the full force of death itself upon Janethus, destroying her utterly. The ritual would take sixteen hours to complete. Janethus had something a little simpler in mind – on the thirteenth hour of Agrippa’s over-the-top ritual, an enchanted, semi-sentient handgun floated past Agrippa’s security, into his ritual space, and shot him eighteen times in the stomach. Agrippa was rushed to Earthborn medical facilities, and Janethus was considered the winner. Allegedly, her delight at firing eighteen bullets into Agrippa’s gut was enough to satisfy her – she never demanded he resign. Agrippa has not attempted to block any of her endeavours since that day.
Attributes: Battle Skill 5/Sorcerous Power 6/Realm Level 5/Divinity 5/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)

Name: Lady Councilman Braenesoth
Species and Realm of Birth: Alkanite (Realm Supernatural)
Titles: Mistress of the Blasted Moon, Mistress of the Rock That Thinks Blackly, Speaker for Honorary Councilman Groon’la the Highest Ambassador to the LEVIATU NAMAR
Councillorship: Braenesoth has been interested in Leviatic Scholarship for a very long time, but since the creatures were so rare – trapped either maddeningly close to the core roots of Yggdrasil or exiled and trapped within certain satellites about the World-Tree – she had to study the ancient, ruined texts, sneaking a few trips into Alkan to consult the oracles there; Braenesoth’s reputation for being a lawbreaker is well documented, and many consider it a miracle that she reached Councillorship at all. Still, there is no doubt that she is qualified. It was her who led Project EARTHWORM as a High Lord and who proved that the Leviatu Namar weren’t creatures of myth. This discovery threw Braenesoth into Councillorship, and the small Project became the massive Operation EARTHWORM that still runs today, some thirty-five years later. It is still headed by Braenesoth – while she has spent her time on many other Operations, she devotes most of her life to the favourite child. She has the distinction of being the first scholar to understand the hidden psych-language of the Leviatu Namar, and Operation INTEGRATION, also run by Braenesoth, was a smashing success – the Leviatu Namar were integrated into the Conclave and sworn in as a Type One species, offering them supreme protection.
Achievements and Legends: While Braenesoth is still a supreme magician, her sorcerous studies have suffered a little because of her commitment to the Leviatu Namar, much to the chagrin of Lharazed and Agrippa. Still, the psych-language of the Namar grants her strange near-psychic abilities, and the learning of that language took her close to fifteen years. This makes her feared even by Lharazed, who will not act against her, though Agrippa is not so wise. The fulfilling of her mythos allowed her to walk upon the broken moonscape-world of the Leviatu Namar – and she is the only one to ever successfully attempt that trip, though she is currently organizing a second trip with half a dozens and her through Operation RETURN. The place is still considered mythical by most. She also has access to the Rock That Thinks Blackly, a strange thing which allows her to survive the shattered depths where the Leviatu Namar dwell, and to speak their crazed language without being driven mad or developing cancer of the brain.
Attributes: Combat Skill 3/Mythos 10 (Mistress of the Blasted Moon 5, Mistress of the Rock That Thinks Blackly 5)/Sorcerous Power 9/Foci 4/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)

Name: Lord Councilman Lictros
Species and Realm of Birth: Divine (Realm Supernatural)
Titles: God of Wildlife, Chief Censor, Bound and Speaker for the Honorary Councilman DANLOTH WHO IS THE EYE WATCHING WHILE YOU DANCE who is the Highest Ambassador to the VAKUD
Councillorship: Lictros is a long-standing Councilman and has the unenviable job of censoring and managing the information-streams of the Conclave. He is publicly loathed by Councilman Roid (and, more recently, Wyrn) for his poor management – some would say corruption – of Operation SANDSTORM, in which Lictros was to oversee the containment procedures for the Cult of Osiris-Ra – blockades and spies about Tushmuthut, Niborkerese, etc. – which, as history will attest, Lictros botched. He allowed the ancient city of Tushmuthut to be reborn, didn’t respond in any particular way, and is still putting off the destruction of Sura Al’Amun, the Divine terrorist responsible for the destruction of the Hall of the Sun and the massacre of all inside. Roid claims that even when he makes moves against Osiris-Ra and Sura, he is blocked by Lictros, as Lictros claims that the Systemarch’s jurisdiction only pertains to ultraterrestrial threats, and not those held on the Realm Supernatural. This is being investigated by neutral parties, but no hard evidence has been found. Lictros still demands a fair amount of respect from the successful resolution of Operation SHINE, a sting attack against the Shrine of Isuban which involved in the destruction of four of its sacred shrines, the death of several of its obscured members, and the murder of the Shrine’s then-leader, Paktahsh. By many, Lictros is still considered a man of supreme action – a hero. Lictros also engaged Operation STAIN, in which many prominent members of the Conclave (including the recently-deceased Balverstus) were thrown from the ranks on suspicion of treason; a move that many see as controversial and horrific, though many others see it as a purification of a noble organization.
Achievements and Legends: Lictros can freely shapeshift and can assume the form of the mythical Lasurga, of which Lictros had once slain in what he had called the deadliest battle of his life. He has command over many beasts and birds, making him a highly efficient intelligence-gatherer and spy. His other capabilities are unknown, though it is rumoured that he is also the Conclave’s master torturer and the man who brought the idea of Operation PURITY to Councilman EQUILIBRIUM. Lictros is also known to be Bound and Speaking For the Vakud, but there is very little information on what this actually means.
Attributes: Combat Skill 6/Sorcerous Power 5/Realm Level 3/Divinity 5/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)

Name: Lord Councilman Volum
Species and Realm of Birth: Returned (Realm Silver)
Titles: Prince of the Lineage of the First Star of Marnoth, Lord of the Twilight That Remains, Highest Ambassador to the RETURNED
Councillorship: Volum is a relatively recent Councilman, succeeding his father, Voludanto, as High Ambassador to the Returned. He has been involved with Operation EMBALMER’S REACH with Wyrn and Braenesoth – his ancestral records and sacred astrological equations are invaluable in the research towards creating interstellar warships. He also heads Operation SHOOTING STAR, a particularly insulated project which attempts to research life on other World-Trees. The project has been most unsuccessful, but Volum still has hope. The Operation is large enough to keep him busy, while seemingly stupid enough to make it look like he’s doing no valuable work, and for this reason he receives enmity from certain Councilmen.
Achievments and Legends: Being of the First Star of Marnoth bloodline, Volum is able to project his consciousness to other planes of existence, even other World-Trees – the seed of his fascination and research with the topic. Many believe him to be delusional, or a liar, and the fact that Volum takes it with a quite confidence and doesn’t object in the slightest is even more maddening. His mastery of the stars and their eldritch personalities is something that he takes very seriously, however. He understands that most ‘stars’ are simply a projected illusion, that the Void is pitch black and the Realm Mundane/Supernatural/etc. are designed to reflect the will of their inhabitants, but that doesn’t stop him divining from them – they still hold sacred value, after all. He is considered the resident madman of the Conclave.
Attributes: Combat Skill 5/Sacred Astrology 8/Lineage 10/Music 5/Social Status: 5 Councilman (Inner Circle of Odin)
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:06, Wed 27 Jan 2010.

Anti-Conclave 'Evil' Factions

The Cult of Osiris-Ra

The Cult of Osiris-Ra is exactly as is advertised: a cult that worships the Dread Lord Osiris-Ra. They are at once religious fanatics and dark, brooding assassins. Their ultimate aim is to fully resurrect Osiris-Ra, God of Sand, the Dread Lord, Tongue of Tushmuthut – and to serve right beneath him as he conquers the World-Tree.

For that is their purpose – to rule Yggdrasil and every world upon her branches. They do this through subtly manipulating the metaphysical currents of the Tree via their floating stronghold-world, the Sphere of Force and Fire, as well as through sorcery and making spiritual pacts with the neutral demons and benevolent desert.

Headquarters: The Cult has several headquarters throughout Yggdrasil, heavily focused within the world of the Realm Supernatural, as that is where Osiris-Ra is born and where many of the fiercest battles are fought. Currently the most prominent headquarters within the Realm Supernatural are situated within the ancient city of Tushmuthut, based within the Holy Desert – Osiris-Ra’s original Realm. The city, having faded away – taken by the sands – has been restored by Osiris-Ra, and will now serve as a base of operations for the Cult of Osiris-Ra. It is sacred ground.

There is also a large base of operations – though not as large as it once was thanks to the rebirth of Tushmuthut – at Niborkerese, known as Moon House. Moon House has enough facilities – including ritual chambers, dormitories, kitchens and the like – to hold most of the Cult, but has now fallen into a state of semi-disrepair thanks to the discovery of the Holy Desert. It is still just as valid a part of the Cult’s operations, however understaffed – the battle against Isuban and the True Sons continues on.

While there are a few sporadic outposts around the less important upon Yggdrasil, the greatest bastion of the Cult lies within the almost impenetrable sphere of the Reinforced God Osiris-Ra: the Sphere of Force and Fire. As it circles Yggdrasil, the Abyss opens little by little. Within the Sphere lays the Sacred Dirge of Osiris, protected by legions of sacred warriors –if the Dirge is destroyed, Osiris-Ra will forever be destroyed. One of the greatest honours a Cultist can receive is an invitation to serve the Dread Lord from within his sacred Sphere.

Ideology and Religion: The Cult has no sacred book or scripture, instead relying on oral teachings and the work of prophets and other seers. There are often announcements and sermons given by the prophets of Osiris-Ra, and the Cult enjoys a large amount of holy days and festivals, the most prominent being Ra’nashag, which celebrates the death of Odin and involves the sacrifice of hundreds of government officials. It is customary for a prophet to be plagued by revelatory visions upon that festival, and to declare such visions with violence and chaos.

The Cult worships the Desert and its holy child, Osiris-Ra. Scorpions, desert spiders, lizards and snakes sacred to them, as are desert wolves. Worms and jackals, however, are not – worms a symbol of those who would dig beneath the desert, jackals a symbol of their eternal enemy, Isuban. The scarab is an especially sacred symbol worn only by prophets and those closest to the Dread Lord. The number seventeen is also sacred to the Cult, as is the Ruby Star, a star seen fully in Tushmuthut.

It is customary for Cultists to spend an hour of silent prayer in the hottest place they can find in an act of oblation to their Lord. This is midday in Tushmuthut. Ritual scarification and allowing oneself to be bitten, stung, or otherwise maimed by the creatures of the desert are a common way of showing faith. Every Cultist is expected to visit Tushmuthut at least once a year, and to ritually sacrifice an enemy twice yearly to the Dread Lord.

Each Cultist, no matter the rank, are given two sacred objects: the pendant of Osiris-Ra, which they must wear at all times (unless it conflicts with a greater service to their Lord) and which displays the sign of Osiris-Ra, an eye within a sun; and a long, silver scimitar known as the Blade of the Sun, which possesses a curse that slowly dehydrates any that it cuts until the curse is removed or the victim dies. They are both powerful symbols of Osiris-Ra and his Cult.

A Cultist is unable to use modern weaponry such as firearms, or to interact any more than is necessary with other advanced technologies. This is in acknowledgement of the Day of Death, when Isuban betrayed his master, Osiris-Ra, and turned on him with gunpowder and lead. Any Cultist found using such technology can usually expect a painful death. They hold a similar attitude towards psychics and the Mad Gods.

Training, Inclinations and Joining: The Cult of Osiris-Ra will take any who have the stamina and determination to successfully master the Invocations of the Sun, but certain types of individual can expect a successful career with the Cult - poisoners, executioners, holy warriors, black magicians, astrologists, alchemists, prophets, seers, nomads; Gods of Sand, Scorpions, Torture, Poison, the Desert, Oases, Lies, etc.

Gods and the Returned are preferred members – Earthborn are not. The technology of the Systemarchs is considered more miracle than technology, and while Systemarch members are rare, at least one sits as a Fifth Degree member. All other species are typically accepted, even mortals (though they rarely rise above first degree). Psionics users will not be accepted – and if they pass the screening will be destroyed through the Invocations of the Sun.

First and second-degree members – acolytes and servants, respectively – are expected to have at least basic combat and magic skills (Slight and Conjurer), and spend their time learning how to do battle with knives and the Blade of the Sun. Their magical theory is reinforced, and they are taught the art of cursing, demonology, and of sacred divination.

As long as the basics of magic and swordsmanship are upheld, the Cult is rather liberal about what the Cultist may then go about doing. The study of poisons, torture, astrology, desert knowledge, advanced black magic and Yggdrasildic Lore is popular, and there are facilities for each of these arts. Cultists are given tasks according to their strengths and weaknesses, scaled by their past achievements and failures. Those with a clear-cut favour (a demonologist, say, or a God of Poison) can expect to rapidly rise up the ranks as they are given deeply specialized work.

Finally, in addition to these prerequisites and the successful completion of the Invocation to the Sun, a prospective member must understand that all death save the death of the Dread Lord is meaningless: they must be willing to die to further the cause. It is very common for acolytes and servants to be routinely slain simply to force only the stronger Cultists to succeed. There will be a test.

Advancement and Ranks: There are, like most other factions, five ranks of status in the Cult of Osiris-Ra – known, rather confusingly, as degrees (in the occult order sense). Those who have a previous relationship with Osiris-Ra – followers reborn, generals, friends, etc. – may qualify, at the discretion of the Dread Masters, for an immediate acceptance at the third degree. They must still successfully complete the Invocations of the Sun, however – both First and Second.

Dread Masters are the rulers of the Cult – each, typically according to influence within the Cult, are given ruler-ship over a base of operations and an amount of followers who explicitly serve them. The Dread Master with the most influence is he who rules over the Sphere, Herosiphastus – but the Moon House and Tushmuthut are also deeply prestigious bases.

First Degree -Acolytes: Have mastered the First Invocation. Expendable. Foot soldiers and menial task workers of the Cult. Gain a Sword of the Sun and Pendant of Osiris-Ra.

Second Degree - Servants: Given an individual room within Tushmuthut in which to live. Semi-expendable.

Third Degree - Howl: Have mastered the Second Invocation. Valuable members of the Cult, working beneath an Overseer in a certain area: poisonwork, torture, war, sorcery, etc.

Fourth Degree - Overseer<//tt>: Have mastered the Third Invocation. Serve only the Dread Masters.

<tt>Fifth Degree - Dread Master: Grand masters of the Cult. Allowed entrance into the Sphere of Force and Fire, as well as being given an outpost to run themselves.

Invocations to the Sun: The Invocations of the Sun are at once the secret sorceries of the Cult and their preferred method of devotion to the Dread Lord. They are lengthy and deeply personal rituals fabled for their deadliness and the endurance needed to complete them. Many who do not truly wish to serve the Cult are killed in the attempt – one need to either have their heart set in serving Osiris-Ra or be an incredibly determined individual to succeed.

Each Invocation – there are three – is a ritual designed to, in the words of the Cult, refine the soul and to stoke its flames – to turn the small spark of the normal individual into a raging flame, and then into a tiny sun. It is to attune a soul to the desert, to strengthen it in the wilderness of the wastes. There is some debate as to whether or not it actually performs this function, but the results – supernatural gifts and limits placed upon the Invoker – cannot be denied. The art is much like the Runes of the Fallen as employed by the Inner Circle of Odin…

THE FIRST INVOCATION – The First Invocation must be performed under the light of the stars. The Invoker must fast for two days – no consumption of meat or alcohol, no sex or violence, no supernatural abilities employed – and then must ritually bathe and solemnly swear to the success of Osiris-Ra and the destruction of his enemies. If performed correctly, with enough zeal, the affects will become obvious.

Despite the fact that it will be night at the time of the ritual, the ritualist will be blinded by a great light, as if the sun had risen suddenly. The Cultist, upon regaining his sight, will feel at once restricted and liberated.

If the Cultist commits an act of treachery against that which he has sworn to – Osiris-Ra – at the command of a Dread Master (or Osiris-Ra) the Invocation may be forcibly evoked, instantly turning the traitor to sand or fine ash. This strips them of all their lives, and kills them permanently – treachery is very rare in the Cult.

The Cultist finds that, upon completion of the First Invocation, he can survive much more easily in the desert. The individual cannot dehydrate, and if he must eat he may survive on very little. He may speak the tongue of the desert creatures – scorpions, spiders, vultures, and the like. At night, he may navigate by an instinctive understanding of the stars. Heat and sand do not bother him.

A further attempt of the First Invocation will remove curses and other occult nastiness.

THE SECOND INVOCATION – The Second Invocation must be performed in the light of the sun, near a large body of water – an oasis is preferable. The First Invocation must have been mastered by the The Cultist must have fasted for three days, as per the terms above, and must be at least Fourth Degree in Divinity, Sorcerous Power or Combat Skill – anything less will be blasted.

The Invoker must repeat the oaths sworn in the First Invocation, and then ceremonially drown himself – stopping just before death – in the pool of water, claiming the desert or death. He must then remove himself from the water and take human sacrifice, drowning them in the very same pool, declaring them to be the Cultist’s weaknesses.

Upon the successful completion of the Second Invocation the Cultist should feel a feeling of complete bliss. When he recovers from this state, his soul will have hardened, giving him a protective bonus against sorcery and psionic manipulations. In addition, he will receive occasional visions and omens, presumably from Osiris-Ra; those who accept this gift and cultivate it become the seers and prophets of the Cult.

A further attempt of the Second Invocation will remove serious curses and any latent poisons or psychic manipulations.

THE THIRD INVOCATION – The Third Invocation must be performed upon the rising of the sun, at dawn, in the deadliest desert the Cultist knows. It may only be performed if the First and Second Invocations are successfully completed. The Cultist must have fasted for a week, and must either have Divinity, Battle Skill or Sorcery at Fifth Degree or higher.

The Invoker must have the Blade of the Sun with him, and on the rising of the sun should slice his stomach right open, leaving himself completely vulnerable to the desert. He must then wait a day and a night, surviving only on will and determination alone, and after twenty four hours may then leave the desert wounded, where it is suggested they seek medical attention.

On the completion of the Third Invocation, the Cultist will become one with the sun, experience intense heat and radiant joy at the prospect – when they come down, they will have had their soul linked with Osiris-Ra. They may communicate with their Dread Lord, whether he is dead or alive, if he wishes it – their prayers might, in fact, be answered. Osiris-Ra gains a certain degree of control over the Cultist, however, being able to access thoughts, emotions and memories… and ultimately shut down the Cultist’s mind if necessary.

The skin of the Cultist hardens, becomes like desert rock – very difficult to pierce, and they are granted physical protection because of this. It might still be pierced, and in very cold climates may shatter, however.

A further attempt of the Second Invocation will remove extremely serious curses, latent poisons and psychic manipulations, and recover any lost or destroyed supernatural abilities.

Relations with Others:

Vs. Neutrals: Neutral to Antagonistic. The Cult will ignore most neutral individuals except for those trespassing within the Holy Desert or another base, or those who pose a threat to their operations.

Vs. Conclave: Highly Antagonistic. The Cult despises the Conclave – the two strive for ultimate control over Yggdrasil.

Vs. Apotheosis Circle: Benevolent. The Apotheosis Circle, in return for poisons and other goods, keeps the Cult fully stocked with fresh supplies.

Vs. Shrine of Isuban: Highly Antagonistic. The Cult despises the Shrine of Isuban, itself a schismatic cult born of the followers of Osiris-Ra, and considers the Shrine to be its greatest enemy. They will attempt to torture and kill any followers of Isuban on sight.

Vs. True Sons of Metatron: Antagonistic. The True Sons of Metatron consistently stand in the way of the Cult of Osiris-Ra, and are too quick to bend backwards to assist the Mad Gods. Often, the Sons and the Cult have fought over who has the right to destroy the Shrine, much to both their detriment.

Vs. The Athanor: Vaguely Benevolant. The Cult works with the Athanor within Niborkerese, realizing that as things are so precarious in the Purple City it is best to keep as many allies as possible. In return for certain chemicals and poisons, the Athanor supplies them with gold and other artifacts, and Athanor alchemists often consult with the alchemists of the Cult when they hit a problem in research.

Vs. Monastic Order of the Nuclear Eye: Neutral. The Cult thinks that the Order is foolish and misguided, but ultimately leave them be.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:56, Wed 27 Jan 2010.

MADNESS

Attaining True Madness: the Mad God Template

A disease has long wracked the battered body of the World-Tree. The plague has existed long before the birth of Yggdrasil, and will exist eons after the World-Tree falls. It is a condition which rots and corrupts everything it touches; which revels in the broken mathematics of the insane; that inspires madness in art and art in madness; that teaches the secrets of the strange angles. It lays hiding in the darkest corners of the greatest woods; in the howling destruction of a thousand nuclear explosions; in the lies told by a government to its people.

(Ia! Ia!)

It is known as True Madness, and it occasionally lays its eggs within the minds and spirit of those foolish enough to tempt it. It is subversive, corruptive, and contagious - fought for millennia by those Gods wise enough to realize its danger. It is not, however, evil – it has no moral code whatsoever. It exists only to propagate itself further, to reprogram the powerful meta-patterns that rule the World-Trees so that they might produce something that could adequately serve the unknowable, unfathomable outer forces of the cosmos.

A God may be Changed, cursed – or blessed, depending on his point of view – with True Madness in the manner that most infections spread. Point of contact is almost always enough. One Mad God can pass the True Madness to another by an act of gifting – he might offer a taste of his blood, or a kiss, a bite, sexual congress, or a cup of tea. Fluids are exchanged. The victim awakes from a state of extreme fugue, his outlook shattered and replaced with a completely alien, almost always destructive, personality and way of thinking: he has become Mad.

(Can the Callisti heal such Madness…?)

It is known to the Callisti and to the greatest of the Mad that there are four demiurges which rule the entire universe through simply existing. The first is Azathoth, from whom the entire universe springs, his dreams shaping reality… blind and idiotic, from this crushing chaos comes the tapestry with which the universe is built. The second is Yog-Sothoth, who is all keys and all gates, and from which every possibility, every magical act, every crazy thought, every lock and chain come… existing in all times and all spaces, Yog-Sothoth is the strangeness with which the cosmos ticks. The third is Nyarlathotep, the crawling chaos, the black pharaoh, who takes infinite form and lives to deceive and to trick… he is the messenger of the gate and the chaos, and the agent of the unknowable, a cosmic force dressed in the clothing of the weakest flesh. There is, finally, a fourth force, known to none and all, spoken of as the Fourth; as the Resistence; as the Weaving… from this strange flow comes the order to stop the chaos, the possibility of a thousand chains, the honest and brutal truth – from this comes the Greatest Forest…

(It is ultimately irrelevant.)

The cause of the Mad Gods is to further the agenda of those first three outer forces and this appears to be through life and death – creation and destruction. They must create to propagate their kind, but murder every time they breed. A simple goal: kill the World-Tree, and all like it, while likewise converting as many as possible. The God thus cannot begin the game as a Mad God - Yggdrasil isn't capable (or willing!) to create such horrors that are working towards her very destruction.

(But power is not easily shared. A vicious catch emerges, the twenty-second; the more one creates, the faster one is destroyed, for in the death of the World-Tree surely the Greatest Abyss will take all?)

That the Mad Gods wish the destruction of Yggdrasil is a poorly kept secret, and for this reason they have traditionally been hunted with as much fury and vigour as can be mustered. Easily a dozen Inquisitions have formed - the most recent the powerful Ordendrachen of the Conclave – each one summarily crushed by forces that they cannot possibly comprehend but still must fight. Being Mad in this civilized world is a dangerous prospect, and to experience it is to experience the loathing of almost every creature in the universe.

The change is at first subtle: there is a blackening of the pupils. Stare deep enough into the eyes of a Mad God and the Change occurs, for these are one of the purest aspects of the eternal gate. Nothing else occurs. The God loses his God template, and it is replaced with the template ‘Mad God’, but he keeps all Degrees in Divine Power and so forth, except…

Yggdrasil will fight the disease. Mad Gods suffer negative two to their current Degree in Realm Level, to a minumum of one, and are never able to raise it above three – any superfluous Degrees are lost. Yggdrasil cuts all support, abandons its child, and the Realm can only succeed so far on the will of the God alone. This is a price all must pay for their Madness.

(Something...that told you how you could compound aconite and belladonna and draw circles of phosphorescent fire on the floor when the stars were right.)

Strange angles lead to bizarre languages. Languages lead to sorcery. The influence of the key and the gate shine within the Mad God, and they gain a strong inclination towards the sorcerous and arcane arts. The Mad God receives a Degree in Sorcerous Power, reflecting this newfound understanding towards the black arts.

The Madness only intensifies, until the Mad God breaks free of everything that shackles him. He takes a truly alien aspect, the manifestation of his curse, a form sculpted of everything that would once have turned the God’s hair grey and his mind reeling. The Mad God gains another form – a Cthonic Form – which he is free to create with assistance from the GM. This Cthonic Form should be suitably terrifying and sanity-breaking – and will, hopefully, still be inspired by the God’s original domain.

In this Cthonic Form the Mad God has access to any of his powers that is deemed appropriate for this aspect. Any powers that do not quite fit can be reshaped for this Form – the original powers still intact in the Godly Form – and so, effectively, the Cthonic Form wields many horrifying abilities. For example, a power that grants the God the ability to control flames may easily be applicable, but a power that supports mythcrafting not so much – since not much mythcrafting will be done in the Cthonic Form – but that same ability can be exchanged, for example, for the ability to spew thousands of spiders from the Cthonic Form’s mouth. The Mad God is able to turn into the Cthonic Form at will.

The Cthonic Form also gains four bonus powers specifically for that form: the minor power of flight (if the God doesn’t already have it), two Minor Powers and a Major. The God should design these with the consultation of the GM.

(The angles ANGELS speak they whisper things oh yes fifteen planes more sometimes I talk to my divination and everything goes backways yes no no no no no)

The Mad God soon benefits from another change: reality starts to make sense. He can see the strange angles, and work them in subtle ways. A Mad Gods gets one Degree to spend on a psionic power of his choice – he may purchase a new Blunt power or upgrade an existing one. There is no evidence confirming the existence of reality-breaking psionics to the outer forces and True Madness, but to those not fortunate enough to wield them the results of such a correlation are obvious. There is a catch, however; this psionic can only be used in the mentioned Cthonic Form. Only then is he open enough to the strangeness of the cosmos to bend reality sufficiently.

A rare few Mad Gods – those not destroyed by the Drachenorden or by those they attempt to corrupt – achieve even greater heights of power through the shattered process known as the Initiation of Angles. This allows a Mad God to ascend, to take their own True Apotheosis – for they are barred from the processes of the saner Gods – and to become something more.

(That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die.)

IN SUMMARY

Boons: +1 Sorcery Degree (usable any time), +1 psionic dsgree (usable only in cthonic form), ability to assume Cthonic form at will.

-Cthonic Form: Gain minor-power level flight, Gain +2 minor powers, gain +1 major power. These powers must fit Cthonic themes.

Drawbacks: Lose TWO of your realm degrees from your current total, down to a minimum of 1. Cannot raise realm above the 3rd degree.

True Apotheosis for the Mad: The Initiation of Many Angles

(Much thanks to Ruse/Oceanus for his invaluable help with constructing these rules)

There is a stage in every magician’s career known as the Crossing of the Abyss: a metaphysical, hallucinatory ‘true initiation’ where the magician destroys and recreates his own ego from the ground up, screaming in bizarre tongues and believing the world is being destroyed as he does so. Many magicians reach this point and stop, never to go further, trapped by their own art; some continue, skilled enough but not ready, their minds to be torn forever; and a tiny few successfully Cross the Abyss with their minds intact, reaching a new height of power as they do so.

The curse of Madness is very similar to the blessing of Sorcery, and the True Mad Gods experience a very similar – but, ultimately, much more horrifying – Initiation once they reach a certain point in their lives. This is known as the Initiation of Many Angles; as the Mad God experiencing it finds every path, every mathematical sphere, open to them. The aim is power. The result is insanity. The Mad God has flung whatever traces of humanity – divinity, even – away from him, and has become a true creature from the outer corners of reality.

Mechanically, the Initiation of Many Angles is considered a True Apotheosis, and all prerequisites for the True Apotheosis must be met in order to attempt it; they must be of the Fifth Degree (or higher) in Divine Power, and they must already be Mad. At Fifth Degree, the Mad God may at any point declare that he is ready to undergo the Initiation, the only test needed of him for True Apotheosis; failure means death. If, on the other hand, the Mad God succeeds, he becomes an Initiate of Angles, and unlocks the Divinity Track of the Initiation of Many Angles.

An Initiate of Angles may raise his Degrees to ten in all fields except for Realm, which can only be raised to five.

(It is also worth noting that once the Initiation of Many Angles is attempted, any chances of being cured by the Callisti are forfeit.)

The Initiate of Angles Divinity Track is as thus:


INITIATE POWER DEGREES

1. Initiate of Angles: Unveiling of the Cthonic Form. Gains a cult. Gains a Cosmic Affinity and understanding of its Lesser Secret.
2. Gibbering Noble: Gains a high priest, but falls into slumber. Gains one forsaken power.
3. King of Colors: Gains understanding of the Moderate Secret of the Cosmic Affinity. The Cult gains a special gift – ‘The Call of the Old Ones’.
4. Lord of the Depths: The High Priest is upgraded. Gains one Forsaken Power.
5. Great Old One: Gains understanding of the Greater Secret of the Cosmic Affinity. The Cult gains a second special gift – ‘The Fourth Rite’.

a) At Initiate of Angles, the Unveiling of the Cthonic Form occurs. The Initiation eradicates every last trace of the conventional Divinity of the God, replacing it with Madness and forcing him to remain in his Cthonic Form. This is his true appearance – his Madness cannot be contained by the Godly Form any longer. Naturally, his power-set is replaced by the modified power-set of the Cthonic Form, and he always has access to the Psionic ability tied to that form. Unlike other Ascended Forms, the Mad God gets to keep all of the Mad God benefits of his template.

b) At Initiate of Angles, the Initiate gains a Cult – a religious faction devoted to the worship and conjuration of the Initiate. They have their own headquarters, typically within the Realm of the Initiate, and serve their Lord unquestioningly. They work on a global – sometimes universal – scale, and the Initiate will work with the GM to give them a set of three powers unique to that Cult. The Cult will start very small, but will grow steadily with time.

c) At Initiate of Angles, the Initiate must choose a Cosmic Affiliation, and gains understanding of its Lesser Secret. Each Initiate – and thus their Cult – gains an Affiliation to one of the three Outer Forces of the Cosmos, drawing a small amount of power and support from that relationship. This grants the Initiate (and the High Priest; below) certain abilities associated with that Outer God, and gain an Immortality Artifact. The abilities are systematically unlocked as the Initiate grows in Power.

This Immortality Artifact has certain special properties, explained below, and are as resilient as the other Apotheosis Items – though they can be shattered by a blow with a Sacrament, or with prolonged exposure to the Abyss or a glance of the Light Eternal. The Initiate may only ever have one Cosmic Affinity, and it can never be changed or lost. The Outer Force and the Initiate are bound by things greater than the pathetic idea of destiny, and that link can never be severed. The Initiates are very much the prince-priests of their Outer Forces, much like Cthulhu is.

The Affinity of Yog-Sothoth – The Lore of the Twisted Key: The Initiate is bound to Yog-Sothoth, Who Is They Key And The Gate, and gains an understanding of pathways, portals, keys and locks. The Initiate, and his Cult, gain the Key of Chaos. The Key of Chaos is their Immortality Artifact, a great key wrought of strange glass about the size of a human arm. Strange brown-black-purple energies streak through the key, crackling and whispering…

The High Priest may utilize any Secrets gained by the Initiate, but only while they are physically wielding the Key of Chaos.

The Lesser Secret of Yog-Sothoth is known as the Royalty of Gates. Upon obtaining this Secret, the Initiate – and his Cult – gain a free Gate of Methodes within their innermost chambers. It just appears, disturbingly enough, of its own volition within the center of the Cult. If the Cult has its Headquarters formed within somewhere other than the Initiate’s Realm, they also gain a Methodes Gate, though only one HQ may have a Gate at a time. Any and all members of the Cult may use this Methodes Gate, but its shape and size may only be changed by a High Priest wielding the Key of Chaos – the ‘normal-sized’ Gate is often much, much too small to transport even the tiniest of Initiates.

The Moderate Secret of Yog-Sothoth is known as the Stewardship of Pathways. The Initiate channels some of his own direct Affiliation through his High Priest, who gains Blunt Psychoportation. If wielding the Key of Chaos, the High Priest counts as having Sharp Psychoportation.

The Greater Secret of Yog-Sothoth is known as the Lordship of Gates: The Initiate can open any lock or seal that they encounter, or close and bind such a lock if it is capable of doing so. Passwords and the like are known immediately. Magical Seals and Wards crafted with abilities below the Ninth Degree are automatically shattered, while Supernatural Wards beneath the Eighth Degree are likewise destroyed. Wards, locks and seals crafted by Forsaken or Sacrament effects, or third-tier Cult effects, cannot be broken by this ability. The High Priest may also gain this ability whilst he is wielding the Key of Chaos.

The Affinity of Azathoth – The Lore of the Chaotic Sun: The Initiate is bound to Azathoth, the Chaos At The Center, the Universal Dreamer, the Idiot Sultan, and gains a powerful knack for manipulating the strange and powerful forces that work within this reality. To this end, the Initiate – and his Cult – gain access to the Icon of the Darkest Sun, their Immortality Artifact. The Icon is about the size of a typical Earthborn vehicle wheel, and while made of powerful black metals it is oddly lightweight. It is unidentifiable by either magic or science as anything but solidified chaos, and strange energies crackle about it at the touch – though handling the Icon isn’t dangerous.

The Lesser Secret of Azathoth is known as the Priesthood of Chaos. The Initiate, and his Cult, gain access to the Altar of Chaos. This Altar appears in the most secure chambers of the Cult, or in the center of the Realm, often quite suddenly. If the Headquarters of the Cult are located somewhere other than the Realm, they too gain an Altar, though only one Headquarters may have an Altar at any time. The Altar of Chaos, a great black monolith that seems to shatter the probability in an area, works as a fully functional Tool of Chaos Magic, giving an addition Degree in Sorcerous Power while used in a Chaos ritual. However, if the High Priest places the Icon of the Darkest Sun upon the Altar, and uses it in the ritual, he gains an additional two Degrees (instead of the one) in Sorcerous Power, making him a force to be reckoned with.

The Moderate Secret of Azathoth is known as the Stewardship of Forces. The Initiate channels the raw chaos of Azathoth through his High Priest, granting Blunt Psychokineses – or Sharp Psychokineses while the Initiate is holding the Icon of the Darkest Sun.

The Greater Secret of Azathoth is known as the Monkhood of Entropy. The Initiate gains immunity to all Order and Chaos magic cast under the Sorcerous Power of Eighth Degree, as their form is forever changing and eternally static at once and cannot be pinned down even by entropy. They may choose to allow certain enchantments to affect them on a case-by-case basis, however, but the default is immunity. The High Priest gains this ability while holding the Icon of the Darkest Sun.

The Affinity of Nyarlathotep – The Lore of the Chaos Overwhelming: The Initiate is bound to Nyarlathotep, the Black Pharaoh, the Crawling Chaos, the Eternal Liar, and gains a strange kinship towards lies, change and destruction. The Initiate, and their Cult, gain access to their Immortality Artifact the Orb of Lies. The Orb is a crystal ball about the size of a human head, perfectly spherical and unblemished, and inside colourful and terrifying energies can be seen swirling and dancing.

The Lesser Secret of Nyarlathotep is known as the Scholarship of Chaos. The Initiate gains a huge black tome – the size of a large carriage – which suddenly and violently appears within the center of the Realm, or within the deepest chambers of the Cult. If the Cult is located elsewhere, then they gain a Nuclear Codex in addition to the Realm’s Codex, but only one Headquarters at a time may own one. This is the Nuclear Codex, a bloodied reference guide to all things related to nuclear technology, including (and especially) nuclear weapons. It has all the information and research needed to utilize this technology, though the information – while accurate and truthful – is strange and arcane, utilizing strange methods that have no obvious relation to modern science. A Nuclear Codex might simultaneously instruct the Cult as to the splitting of atoms while preaching the nuclear necessity for every weapon to be painted in strange glyphs, for example. The High Priest may read from the Codex while wielding the Orb of Lies.

The Moderate Secret of Nyarlathotep is known as the Stewardship of Forms. The Initiate channels the power of Nyarlathotep through his High Priest, granting the sorcerer Blunt Psychometabolism – Sharp Psychometabolism if the High Priest is wielding the Orb of Lies.

The Greater Secret of Nyarlathotep is known as the Erudition of Failure. The Initiate can disrupt the function of any machines within his line of sight or general area (depending on circumstance). Any technology within this area – from simple gunpowder muskets to advanced supercomputers – fails to work or goes haywire, as the Initiate wishes. This Secret does not affect Gods with mechanical aspects, or the machine-elements of the Systemarchs, though it does affect the crutch of the Earthborn: their technology. SUITs, ‘wavechips and other technologies interwoven with the Divine’s theoelectromagnetic field are also protected, but most other technology is affected. Certain powers and magical effects might be affected with this ability, but it is rare. The High Priest may also use this ability, but he must be wielding the Orb of Lies to do so.

d) At Gibbering Noble, the Initiate falls into slumber. Yggdrasil, long sick of the stain that the Initiate represents, banishes it to the Gnarled Abyss, where it usually rests harmlessly in slumber, dreaming of the death of the universe. The Initiate will rise to defend itself from attack by Nihili, Masters of Fragments, or Primordials, though this will only happen rarely, and is coherent enough to send commands and psychic messages to the High Priest of its Cult. The Initiate can only be accessed by beings that are resilient to the Abyss – Psychoportion and Methodes gates do not work. The Initiate dreams, waiting to be awoken and summoned to the Realm Supernatural, caught in stasis.

But fear not – this is not the end of your character!

e) At Gibbering Noble, the Initiate gains a High Priest. The High Priest acts as a proxy for the Initiate while it slumbers in the Abyss, and is a powerful mortal that can harness powerful magical forces and is attuned to the bizarre currents of the Initiate himself. They are less sturdy than Gods, but are powerful magicians, have the unwavering loyalty of the entire Cult, own the Immortality Artifact and have access to the Ritual of Bleakest Conjuration. This High Priest is named and designed by the player once their character becomes a Gibbering Noble, and the player takes control of this individual until their Initiate is once again summoned to the material plane (or if their Initiate awakes, in which case they control both characters).

The High Priest starts with the following attributes:

Combat:  Slight (Second Degree)
Sorcery: Thaumaturgist (Fourth Degree)
Realm: As per the Initiate’s.
Social: The highest within their Cult (Fifth Degree)
Divine: Not applicable.

The High Priest will gain access to the Secrets of their Affiliation (as well as certain psychic abilities) as the Initiate does. The High Priest should choose his magical fields from the Royal Tradition list, though one Circle must always be the Circle of Forces, as this contains Order and Chaos magic – necessary to the High Priest’s work.

Naturally, High Priests do not have any inherent Divine Abilities, as they are not Gods. They do have powerful magical skills, however, as well as access to their Immortality Artifacts and the Secrets of their Cosmic Affiliation, which will eventually involve psionic abilities. They also gain all three custom abilities of the Cult, as they are of the Fifth Degree of Social Status and the highest members of the hierarchy of the Cult – so they don’t do too badly. They are upgraded once the Initiate becomes Lord of the Depths, as described below.

High Priests can use Divine Portals in a limited capacity, moving to Realms in the strange manner that all Gods do, but they cannot utilize Paradox – unless they are wielding their Immortality Artifact, in which case they can. They can also utilize the minor Realm manipulations of the Initiate while in their Realm – weather direction and the like. They cannot activate the Seed however, or extract it, or any of the more advanced functions of the Seeds.

As the High Priest and the Cult plots and schemes, they will earn Degrees as normal. These cannot be spent on the High Priest, however – it is instead spent, as normal, on the Degrees of the Initiate.

As long as the Immortality Artifact is intact, the High Priest is blessed with eternal life, though if the Artifact is destroyed they begin to age at an advanced rate as the chaotic forces held within them ruin their body. They can be killed, and only have one life – if the High Priest dies, it takes one week (in real-time) to appoint another.

The Cultists are loyal to the High Priest at all times, even if they are more powerful. They still retain their free will, however, and will not do anything that they feel acts against the wishes of the Initiate.

The High Priest is the only individual who knows the Ritual of Bleakest Conjuration – that blasphemous rite which summons the Initiate to this world. This Ritual requires an area consecrated and bathed in the twisted energies of the Initiate, which all Cults should have as their main temple. The Immortality Artifact is intimately involved in the Ritual, and the Rite itself takes all of the High Priest’s concentration and energy, taking ten days (in real-time) to complete. This Ritual can be disrupted during that time by trashing the consecrated area, destroying the Immortality Artifact, killing the High Priest, crashing the sun into the headquarters of the Cult, and anything in a similar vein as deemed by the GM.

The High Priest may take apprentices and assistants for this sorcerous operation. If the High Priest has few helpers (one to nine) the time is reduced to nine days, if he has a medium amount (ten to nineteen) the time is reduced to eight days, and if he has many helpers (twenty or more) the ritual time is reduced to seven days. The Ritual requires deep knowledge of Chaos Magic of at least the third degree of all participants, though the Altar of Chaos greatly helps with this – it counts as a tool for all users, and combined with the Icon of the Darkest Sun it immediately makes even the minor sorcerers qualified.

At the successful completion of the Ritual of Bleakest Conjuration, the Initiate is immediately summoned to the Realm where the Rite took place, at full power. He can maintain his presence on the Tree for up to two weeks real-time (longer at the GM fiat, but a rough ‘month’ of game-time) before the Tree musters enough strength to banish the Initiate once more. If the Initiate is killed, he is immediately banished. The High Priest can ritually sacrifice a thousand lives to give an extension for one week – but this only buys time, as the World-Tree will eventually win out regardless. Still, if the High Priest has access to plenty of innocent souls he could keep the Initiate summoned indefinitely. After the Initiate is finally banished, he may not be summoned again for one month real-time.

f) At King of Colours, the Initiate’s Cult gains access to ‘The Call of the Old Ones’. Once this ability is gained, the Cult begins actively attracting Mad Gods and ‘Mad’ beings, such as Mi-Go, Byakhee, and the like. This is determined largely by the nature of the Initiate and of their Affiliation. These creatures are often able to break the sanity of those not with the Cult, but as they are they typically aren’t as powerful as, say, a Master – useful additions, nevertheless.

g) At Lord of the Depths, the High Priest is upgraded. He gains an addition Psionic Degree, which can be placed wherever he prefers, as well as an additional Combat Skill and Sorcerous Power Degree:

Combat: Adequate (3rd degree)
Sorcery: Grand Magus (5th degree)
Realm: Per the initiate's
Social: Fifth Degree
Divinity: Not Applicable

h) At Great Old One, the Cult gains access to ‘The Fourth Rite’. All Cults and Factions have three ‘unique’ abilities, such as the Runes of the Fallen or the Invocations of the Sun, the Fourth Rite allows the Cult to take a fourth ability. This ability should be on par with the third ability in terms of power, but will give the Cult a solid boost in power and many more options.