Majesty

The Emblem of Majesty

“Thine is the hunger that may be soothed but never sated. Thine is the divine right to rule in glorious splendour- amassing armies, wealth and zealous fervour. By sabre or by sceptre, shalt thou rise and reign in radiant Majesty. All I demand is that thy desire doth never tire nor thy lot appease. Advance ever further! Ascend ever higher! Grow ever greater! As Aværys wills it, excelsior!”

The beloved disciples of Deus Aværys, and his prior incarnation Streleon, have long been known as The Empyreal or The Radiant. There are many ambitious souls who hunger for power, but the Mark of Majesty is a rare and precious gift bestowed only upon individuals who exemplify a singular commitment to their endeavours toward personal advancement above their peers- often at the cost of rival ambitions, such as love. The Empyreal exude an aura of sovereignty- a glorious resplendence that sets them apart from other mortals and often inspires loyalty and obedience in those around them. Aværys, like his zealots, is a hungry entity and his Radiant are souls he believes will expand his domain by becoming mighty leaders with legions of subjects. Whether they amass their influence through charm, fear or anything in between is of no concern to Aværys. It only matters that they amass power and, in so doing, empower him.

Attracting Divine Attention

The attention of Aværys is cast toward those with a potential to amass great amounts of power and influence. Though he has been known to favour royalty from time to time, his attention is not promised to those born to power. His interest is rarely pricked by those who happen into power and struggle to maintain some static status quo. It is those who strive indefatigably toward greater and greater levels of potency that interest him. While this does not preclude those born and raised to rule, he is more likely to bequeath his blessings upon someone with nothing to their name except potential. Growth, not stagnancy, is paramount to Aværys. Another important thing to consider when seeking the Emblem of Majesty is that its bestower is a vainglorious entity who does not brook disappointment blithely. If he comes to feel that his gift has been bequeathed to someone unworthy of its bounty, his wrath will be terrible and he will take far more from them than he ever deigned to grant.

The Age of Dreams

Thousands of years before the Age of Aværys, there was Streleon- King of Kings, whose followers raised a mighty kingdom in the jungles of Central Ecith in his honour. Streleon sat his Throne of Majesty and sent forth his Empyreal Lords to advance his dominion. Those who founded settlements or conquered cities in his name were made viceroys, governing on his behalf as his realms slowly spread. By and by, they came into conflict with the minions of another Mistlord, Ugrimal. Streleon and Ugrimal soon recognized that it was not their lands alone that overlapped, but there were also commonalities between some of the tenets of their respective dogmas. Both longed for conquest and both made it their mission to conquer the other and claim supremacy over their realms and their disciples. The resultant wars lasted for centuries- The Radiant clashing swords with The Tethered of Ugrimal, until the final battle took place at Streleon’s sacred City of Akrinoth after all of their followers had been cut down- entire races went extinct from the unending wars, and fertile jungles were rendered into a barren, desert waste. There at Akrinoth did Streleon and Ugrimal themselves, the last soldiers in their own war, engage in a transdimensional duel that lasted decades and milliseconds at once. They were evenly matched, dealing wound after wound until the final moment when Streleon struck a death blow to Ugrimal, who used the last of his strength to reciprocate with a fatal strike to Streleon. Their mortal forms melted into the earth beneath them, and slowly the volcano, Mount Sorokyn grew forth to serve as their grave.

The Age of Wonders

Ancient powers that have long dwelt beneath the former city of Akrinoth were roused at the plea of a pair of Elven twins who suffered great loss at the hands of a human dynasty. The brother begged that his life be exchanged for that of his son and hurled himself into Mount Sorokyn and the sister vowed to sacrifice royal blood in return for the return of her brother and for the power to avenge their many losses. She cast her pleas into the Void, and the Void did answer. The rival gods, Streleon and Ugrimal were resurrected and infused into the souls of these Elven twins. The sister, Varvara, was fused with the spirit of Ugrimal and the brother, Aværys, was merged with Streleon. In binding with these two mortal souls, these ancient gods were born anew. The kinship of the hosts turned the hearts of the deities toward collaboration rather than conflict. Instead of fighting over their common dominions, they joined forces to complement each other. A new crop of Empyreal Lords and Tethered were awoken in the hearts of elves and humans, as these two mighty forces united to found the Dual Kingdom of Solunarium. Exploiting the desires and prejudices of the new culture in which they found themselves, the two gods waged a new war of expansion and, once again, conquerors were sent forth to claim distant lands and act as colonial viceroys, now in service to the wedded Aværys and Varvara. For hundreds of years their ambitions and lands spread forth, until their wars led them to Ailizane where Arcas and Raxen led armies of Hytori and Ecithian Orkhan against them. Aværys and Varvara were cast down- Their spirits trapped on a site that, like Sorokyn before it, turned Volcanic over time: Mount Kaladon in Central Auris. Weak and confined, their influence dwindled from the world.

The Age of Steel

In the modern age, Aværys and Varvara remain imprisoned at Mount Kaladon, but they have been slowly mustering strength. Solunarian religious pilgrims regularly visit the site of their imprisonment, where ritual sacrifices are made which have gradually been empowering the two deities. Lately they have harnessed enough strength that they are able to confer their Emblems on those who make the trek to their mountain mausoleum. All who bear the Marks of Aværys or Varvara are now pledged to the purpose of their liberation.

Applying for Majesty

Any who are interested in bearing the mark of Majesty may apply in the Support Forum and receive permission from the Staff. The following should be kept in mind:

• Aværys was cast down in battle by Arcas millennia ago and his spirit is sealed away in the volcanic core of Mount Kaladon in a remote region in central Auris. Weakened by that defeat and limited by his constraints, his influence cannot yet reach far afield of the place where he is imprisoned. Those wishing to claim his Mark must make the pilgrimage to Mount Kaladon to invoke him and brook his trials to be deemed worthy or, if they are found wanting, to suffer the consequences of their folly.

• Aværys is very scrutinising with those he considers to have potential. He considers it a blow to his vanity to be mistaken, and so he is particularly selective and reluctant to bequeath his gift cavalierly. He is not a deity who concerns himself with mortal morality, so your alignment doesn’t come into it, but your level of ambition and commitment does. What is your end goal? Oh, you have an end goal? Then the Mark of Majesty would be misplaced on you. It is intended for those with an insatiable hunger to accrue more and more power until they die or ascend into immortality to serve Aværys evermore and expand his coveted influence. Disappoint Him at your own peril.

This Emblem cannot be taken at the start of play.

The Tenet of Sovereignty

Ambition for power is meaningless if one hasn’t the skills to sustain it. Though Aværys seeks those with the capability to grow, he recognizes that one cannot grow without maintaining. A king with the ambition to expand his demesne, but not the strategic prowess to successfully do so is of little use to Aværys. Waging a war of conquest that succeeds in stirring a crippling rebellion at home, would be an insult to his doctrines.

Sovereignty is something that is innate to some and learned by others. There are many ways to wield it- By assembling a loyal few and delegating tasks, by instilling fear in all who would dare oppose you, by employing propaganda, by inspiring a people with religious fervour or righteous rage. All of these paths and more may be exploited individually or in concert to maintain Sovereignty in a manner that satisfies Aværys.

Whether your goal is to rule with an iron fist or a velvet glove is of no concern to Deus Aværys. The laws you enact may be for the good of your people or to serve your own personal ambitions. He has been patron to beloved philosopher kings and ruthless tyrants alike- at times He has even watched as two of His chosen have faced off one against the other, stripping the loser of his grace and endowing greater blessings upon the victor. The first tenet of Aværys is essentially to never lose that which you have already gained.

The Gift of Sovereignty: Resplendence

The Radiant ply their majesty by instilling a sense of awe in those who regard them. The Gift of Resplendence imbues them with divine strength and enables them to tap into a that which is most awe-inspiring to onlookers. By invoking this active ability, an Empyreal takes on a mantle of splendour that manipulates spectators into sensing, in the Radiant, that which evokes the greatest sense of wonder to their soul. An Empyreal may stand before a crowd of hundreds and each person will see a different image and hear a different voice. One person may regard a glorious angelic presence bathed in celestial light, while the person right beside them may see a demonic figure cloaked in dread shadow, yet another may regard the spirit of a beloved ancestor. By tapping into that which is most potent and influential to their spirits, the suggestions of the Radiant are difficult to refute and it is next to impossible to take up arms against a higher tier Empyreal Lord when bathed in such personally significant glory.

Resplendence is a mercurial bequeathment that may, at times, resemble endowments from other deities like the blinding splendour of Arcas’ light or the umbral, abject terror of Shaeoth’s wrath, but this is a deception. Aværys’ gift is intentionally misleading in such a way as to broaden the breadth of his influence even over the followers of other deities. It is important to note that neither Aværys nor his Empyreal Lords actively take on the guise of other deities. Rather they become simulacra of whatever is projected onto them by the spirits of those who stand awed in their presence- whether that be a rival deity or a deceased parent.

The Tenet of Zeal

One of the most valuable tools in the arsenal of the Radiant is fervour. Aværys expects his worshipers to instil zeal into the hearts of other mortals. However it is achieved, he favours power born of passion and recognizes that to wield great power successfully, one must have staunch, trustworthy loyalists to whom one can delegate important tasks. As such, he expects his Empyreal Lords to solidify their hold over their most stalwart subjects by inspiring or coercing them into taking a ritual Vow of Fealty.

Each Empyreal Lord may devise their own oath, which must acknowledge Deus Aværys as Supreme Sovereign and his Radiant disciple as their Liege. The Empyreal’s Mark of Majesty sanctifies the pledge under the eye of Aværys, and renders it a binding pact promising the soul of the subject to Aværys and, more immediately, to his disciple. Upon completion of this rite, the subject becomes one of the Empyreal’s “Sworn”, and the Radiant disciple becomes their “Empyreal Liege”. Once a subject becomes Sworn, they are duty-bound to oblige every whim of their Liege and, if they muster the mettle to forswear this sacred vow, they risk incurring the dread wrath of Aværys himself.

The Gift of Zeal: Fealty

The Gift of Fealty allows the Radiant to assume power from those who have committed a ritual pledge of fealty into their service. Firstly, the Liege can always locate their Sworn no matter where in the world they may be. But perhaps the most potent aspect of this gift is that the Empyreal is able to draw from the pool of skills and abilities of their followers to empower themselves. By engaging this active ability, the disciple draws the spirit out of one of their sworn subjects and temporarily shares control of their own body enabling the subject to ply powers that exceed the mastery of the Radiant in a specific discipline. An Empyreal with no experience in unarmed combat might commandeer the spirit of a master of martial arts to assume control of their body and win a bout of pugilism. Obviously the Radiant cannot use Fealty to wield the power of a Cardinal Rune they do not possess, but they can draw upon the spirit of a Sworn subject who exceeds their abilities with a Rune they bear to practise magic at a greater level. For instance, an Empyreal who is a novice at Negation may summon forth the spirit of an expert and cast at their level. However, they would not be able to use the spirit of a Master Mesmer to practise that Craft if they bore no Mesmer Rune on their person.

Though this spiritual expropriation can happen instantaneously across any distance, the body of the Sworn subject will be incapacitated for as long as their soul is being used by the Empyreal. During this time, the body of the Sworn is essentially paralyzed- only carrying out the necessary, involuntary functions to stay alive (e.g. breathing and heartbeat) until their spirit is returned. If the body comes to harm while inhabiting the Liege’s body, the spirit will be aware of the danger. In such instances, it is to the benefit of both for the Liege to promptly release the spirit back into its own form. Because if the Sworn is killed while inhabiting their Liege’s body, their soul will be trapped alongside that of their liege until it is either transferred into a new host by an intricate ritual or exorcised into the realm of Wraeden. This makes the frequent use of Fealty an incredibly risky proposition, as it is not a simple thing to remove a soul that has lost its body. It is also ill-advised to hijack a soul for too long. With time, the incapacitated body’s heart will begin to slow and eventually die. Many an Empyreal has lost their mind from spending too much time sharing their body with an alien soul.

The Tenet of Voracity

One of his Radiant could conquer the whole of Ransera, and Aværys’ hunger would not be assuaged. He favours those who share his unquenchable thirst for more and more power. That power may come in the form of personal wealth, of political clout or even the influence of an artist over the cultural mores of a society. What is important is that his Empyreal never stop wanting for more. The chosen of Aværys do not let obstacles like rivals or familial obligations stand athwart their hunger for advancement, and their God endows them with the ability to overcome worldly hurdles that most mortals must face on the path to glory.

The Gift of Voracity: Metaphrase

Aværys does not wish for the potential of His Radiant to be impeded by such mundane obstacles as language barriers. If a leader is inspiring or intimidating enough to stir the zeal of a nation, why should their progress be thwarted by an inability to communicate their ideals? Aværys enables his chosen to overcome such petty concerns by granting them the language of Metaphrase. This ability does not confer knowledge of languages they have not studied, but rather enables them to circumvent the restrictions of language so their meaning may be clearly understood in whatever tongue they use to impart it. Not unlike the Gift of Resplendence, which projects the feeling of an onlooker onto the Empyreal, Metaphrase projects the primary language of the listener into the mouth of the Radiant.

It is not only sentient creatures who defer to the Majesty of Aværys’ Empyreal chosen. The language of Metaphrase enables the Radiant to commune even with animals incapable of speech. When coupled with the Gift of Resplendence, this enables an Empyreal Lord to inspire or intimidate creatures of land, sky and sea to do their bidding. Indeed the birds of the air and the beasts of the field may be awed and obliging to the Radiant. While creatures as long-lived and complex as dragons and primals are not as susceptible to manipulation as other lifeforms, it is conceivable that the innate charisma of higher tier Empyreals could persuade them to contribute to a cause as many did during the Solunarian Wars of Conquest.

Faith of the Radiant

Faith is paramount to Deus Aværys and thus it is paramount to his disciples. He hungers for their fealty and surfeits on their grandiose ambitions. Anyone who has stood in the resplendent presence of one of his Heralds would be awed to learn that Aværys Himself exudes an even greater sense of Majesty than he endows in those who pledge themselves to him. Beautiful and terrible, he inspires great fervour in those with wanting hearts who are blessed (or damned) to stand before him. In the present epoch, perhaps more than ever before, the god in his weakened state is demanding of fervent faith to feed his insatiable hunger.

Acolyte | The Acolytes of Aværys are often those with the ambition, but not the means to rise to positions of power. They are clever and charismatic- with sundry natural means of persuasion at their disposal ranging from flattery to intimidation. Prone to caprice and vainglory, Aværys is most drawn to the zealous hearts of those who believe they are destined to change the world for good or ill. With his mark, Aværys realises their haughty expectations and offers means to augment their motives.

Resplendence. An acolyte can exude a small aura of splendour visible to those in their immediate vicinity. While they cannot, yet, appear in forms not their own, their natural appearance will assume an aura of unnatural beauty or terror. The results of the effect remain in the eye of the beholder, but may present themselves in many ways. The acolyte may be seen as if through a filter that weeds out their flaws or unprepossessing features, highlighting only that which may influence the onlooker. Their voice may be heard as more musical, more robust or more intimidating. They may exude aromas that create calm or anxiety. Their touch may curry desire or dread, and so on. For an acolyte this effect cannot exceed a thirty foot radius from the Empyreal.

Fealty. The acolyte is only beginning to understand the depth of relationship between themselves and their Sworn. Proximity is very important, and the Radiant can only draw power from those they can see in their immediate vicinity. Moreover, they may only use this Gift to empower themselves in two disciplines no more than one tier above their personal talent pool. For instance, an acolyte who is a Novice Painter may rise to the level of an Apprentice, but not Journeyman. It is still a delicate thing to draw another soul into one’s own body, and the risks are myriad. The acolyte is not practised enough to be wholly unaffected by the experience and will often have lingering symptoms after the Sworn has been released- such as retaining personality traits of the channeled Sworn or dissociative tendencies for up to a week.

Metaphrase. Aværys gifts his acolytes with enhanced talent for persuasion/intimidation in any language in which they are fluent. Additionally, his endowment may permit an acolyte to speak a language in which they are merely conversational as if they were fluent. Finally, they may communicate freely to people who speak one language with which they are not familiar. The Radiant does not suddenly speak this language, but those who do can hear their words as if their own language. An Acolyte cannot give a speech before a crowd of people who speak 10 different languages and be understood by all, but they can be understood by people who speak any language they personally know and one additional language with which they are unfamiliar. Like Resplendence, Metaphrase is illusory. It endows no new linguistic knowledge upon the Radiant, but it influences the mind of the listener to see and hear their own language coming from the acolyte. The acolyte must been in visual and auditory range of listeners for this effect to take place.

Avowed | The twice-marked Avowed of Aværys have proven clever and covetous enough to assuage some small fraction of his vast hunger- Suggesting to him that they might sate him further with greater endowments. They are leaders of remarkable influence, whose potential has proven greater than their current abilities. This coupled with fanatical Faith is often enough to warrant the gift of greater potency.

Resplendence. The Radiant Avowed are beginning to master their manipulation of their own Majesty. The area of effect of their Resplendence extends to a 100-foot radius from their person, and they are able to project fully-realised hallucinations in the senses of their onlookers. While they maintain the passive effects they exuded as acolytes, they may only extend their new power to one of the mortal senses. If they choose sight, their appearance will be received by onlookers as whatever speaks most of power to them. If they choose sound, their voice will take on whatever quality their audience perceives to be one of might and influence.

Fealty. The twice marked Empyreal may draw abilities from Sworn within a mile of their location and need not be able to see them to engage this craft. They may pull from up to five Sworn at once, and raise 3 of their abilities up to two levels beyond what they naturally possess. The risk of lingering effects remains dangerous- especially when multiple Sworn are employed and thus multiple souls are inhabiting one body- but subsequent symptoms afflict the host they typically clear up within a matter of days.

Metaphrase. At this tier, the Empyreal need only be heard and not seen (unless the languages in practise have visual components) to be understood. Moreover, they can be understood in up to three languages beyond those they actually speak.

Champion | A Champion of Aværys is known in the Vastian tongue as the Pontifex Ardenti (or Blazing Pontiff). They are remarkable leaders, by sword or by sceptre, with at least a few direct vassals in their thrall and indirect influence over many more lives. Theirs is a hunger that is to be feared in its voracity, for even the most benevolent have little regard for limitations when it comes to the task of expanding Aværys’ domains.

Resplendence. The Radiant Champion is truly masterful at swaying hearts to their oft-expansionist causes. Their Resplendence now extends far enough to encompass any who can see them, and so they are able to influence entire arenas full of onlookers- turning passive observers to fanatical supporters. Their Resplendence is now consummate enough to influence all of the senses at once so the Champion may fully inhabit whatever role the subconscious of their beholder casts them in. While the strongest of minds may cast off the effect, the might of the mob tends to mollify dissenters so the Empyreal’s aims be not thwarted.

Fealty. The Champion may draw from up to 10 Sworn within a 100 mile radius to raise 5 abilities by up to 3 levels. An Empyreal who is a Novice at Persuasion may practise at the level of an Expert, if they have efficiently persuasive Sworn within range from whom to draw. At this point the risk or lingering effects is significantly diminished, unless the Sworn is slain while still inhabiting the Radiant.

Metaphrase. At this point the range at which the Radiant is audible is extended to a 100 mile radius. As this effect is largely illusory, it no longer becomes necessary to be heard by the ear- the mind is what is really being influenced. They can appear as projections to individuals or groups of people and communicate telepathically in up to 10 tongues beyond those they know. At this point, they are also capable of communicating with lesser animals that lack the capability of speech.

Herald | The Radiant Herald is the sceptre of Aværys, wielded to exert his divine will upon the lives and souls of mortals. They are imperial sovereigns, whose influence brooks no border and who count kings and queens amongst their subjects. The Herald of Deus Aværys is situated to influence the realms they inhabit toward imperialist, expansionist and colonial goals. Detesting stagnation, the Empyreal Herald is the embodiment of the term: Excelsior- a Holy Crusader who will stop at nothing to advance the demesne of Divine Aværys and evangelise the world into his influence. Deus Vult!

Resplendence. The Herald does not suffer simple obstacles to their Resplendence like sight-lines. Now their influence extends outwardly for a 25 mile radius from their person. They might appear directly in the minds of people throughout an entire city, or perhaps they will appear as a colossus standing astride the city centre imparting their proclamations in a voice that booms across vast distances. In addition to this ability to influence the masses, they can elect to telepathically communicate with all the privileges of Resplendence to familiar individuals across any distance- albeit only one at a time.

Fealty. With range no longer an issue, the Herald may draw from up to 25 Sworn across the entire globe. A Novice may practise at the level of a Master and enhance as many as 15 of their abilities, if they have Sworn who possess enough experience in those disciplines. The Herald is commanding enough to fully dominate the spirits they draw in, and so even if a soul is trapped within the Herald they can be dismissed to the subconscious- only impacting the Herald in dreams until they can be expunged.

Metaphrase. This power is at its most formidable when coupled with Resplendence. An Empyreal Herald might be seen in awe-inspiring majesty looming over an entire city speaking to sentient beings, animals and mythical creatures on terms all of them comprehend. They can project telepathic communiques worldwide to individuals or small groups, and can manipulate the way they are perceived to enhance specific traits as it suits them. For instance, they may appear at a familiar location in a distant realm and propose a quest of their devising to those present with promises of gold or glory. Whether or not their offer is in earnest, they may project an air of believability that would persuade even a strong mind to oblige their whims.