Ascendance

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Ascension to Divinity is a spectacular and rare achievement, known to very few. During the Vernal Wars, many Vernal Gods and Goddesses were raised through the great Nexuses of Power across the lands.

Once every generation, the Nine Seals which imprison Almighty Kethuru must be recharged by the lifeforce of a mortal, the power of which burns away the life and mortality of the chosen one and grants them ascension to divinity. There have been only two of these Ascended Gods in existence: Avechna, the Avenger arose at the end of the Vernal Wars, and in modern times the mortal Soll Peulus ascended as Ayridion, the White Flame. Although in modern times, mortals have once again learned to channel a nexus's power into apotheosis, the route to Vernal Divinity has been lost. Instead, a mortal imbued with a nexus's power rises as a Vernal Ascendant.

The ancient and enigmatic Elder Gods have existed since before recorded history, but there exists no way for any mortal to ascend as an Elder God, for they were created by the power of Dynara and the Nameless Son of Yudhe.

Meditation Inept Master the energies of the Nine Domoth.
Clairsentience Inept +1% Sense other Ascendant presences.
FearAura Novice The weak shall flee from your might.
Destruction Apprentice Shape globes of liquid power.
Affinity Capable Draw strength from the land.
Flight Adept Rise into the skies on currents of power.
Veneration Master Form a divine cult to venerate you.
Benevolence Gifted Lift up those in need.
Intervention Expert Every flock requires a shepherd.
Prospicience Expert +50% See the world through another's eyes.
Aegis Virtuoso The strength of your aegis shelters the weak.
DivineSupper Virtuoso +50% Sup at the table of your benevolence.
Portal Fabled Channel a gateway through the planes.
Presence Fabled +50% Increase the reach of your influence.
Consumption Mythical Steal the essence of another Ascendant.
Glory Mythical +50% A ritual to grant wisdom to your host.
Omniscience Transcendent Hear and speak freely on all planes.
Ayridion, The White Flame (by Balizar)

Meditation

Syntax:
MEDITATE UPON ASCENDANCE

DOMOTH

Essence: 30000

While in the Domoth Realms, you can meditate upon the nature of Ascendance and learn mastery of the energies of the Domoth themselves. This has a hefty essence cost, but will result in an increased understanding of Ascendance itself.

Any Demigod or Ascendant also has an inherent understanding of the Nine Domoth and which powers rule therein at any given time.

Clairsentience

Syntax:
MANIFEST CLAIRSENTIENCE
Domotheos: None
Essence: 300

"As with all of us whom Dynara brought into being from the same creche, or the same higher plane of existence (whichever you prefer), this bond links us together even now."

By manifesting your Ascendant powers into a form of clairsenteince, you can sense the locations of other Ascendants wherever they may be. This is, however, imprecise for those Ascendants who are not aligned with your city-state.

FearAura

Syntax:
MANIFEST FEARAURA <ON|OFF>
Domotheos: Death
Essence: 200/100

"Gorob wandered Lusternia, and the mortal people he visited variously fled from his might or flocked to him as their saviour."

By drawing veils of nightmare around your form, the weak of heart will flee from your terrifying visage. Maintaining these dark veils will continually drain your Ascendant essence.

Certain Ascendant powers draw strength from a particular Domotheos. Where this is the case, that power will be stronger or expanded for the one who controls the Domoth. In the case of the fear aura, the ruler of the Domotheos of Death shall find their visage afflicts with frightful visions more often than others. What effects the Domoth might have upon other powers remains a mystery...

Destruction

Syntax:
MANIFEST DESTRUCTION AT <victim>
Domotheos: War

Damage Type: 100% Fire
Damage Source: Magical

Essence: 200/25

"Gorob rose over the city, his body expanding and power crackling around him in a fury. His eyes glowed golden and his hands shaped spheres of liquid power from the waters around him."

Pure destructive energies drawn from the Nine Domoth are yours to command. The essence cost of attacking denizens is significantly less than that required to assail another player.

The damage you deal will be dependant upon your skill in Ascendance.

Affinity

Domotheos: Nature

Damage Modifier: 5

"Not only did Kiakoda have the power of a vernal god, but she also drew considerable power from, and thus empowered, the forests of Lusternia."

By mastering the nature of the lands, you will find that you take less damage in the terrain type associated with your Nexus of Power. Also, enemy Mages and Druids will find that the lands are empowered to resist their attempts to break melds of that terrain type if you are within the local area, making it a much more difficult process.

Flight

Syntax:
FLY

LAND [ROOFTOPS|TREES|MOUNTAINS]

Domotheos: None

By summoning raw currents of power, you can take to the skies with ease.

Veneration

Syntax:
CULT

PERFORM RITUAL OF INTROSPECTION

Domotheos: None

An Ascendant is a paragon to which all mortals must aspire, and so an Elder God may choose to form an Ascendant Cult with you. You must be a member of the Divine Order of that Elder God in order to form an Ascendant Cult, and the essence cost to form such a cult is staggering to both yourself and to the Elder God.

Once formed, a Cult is a sub-sect within the Divine Order which has a pool of essence that is distinct from your own, which may be drawn upon to perform rituals that will benefit yourself and your Cult members. When members of the Cult offer at shrines to the Elder God, a portion of the essence will be tithed to your Cult's essence pool.

When members are inducted into your Cult, it will draw upon your personal essence. Every Lusternian month thereafter, there is an upkeep cost drawn from your personal essence for each member of the Cult. If you leave the Divine Order then your Cult will be dissolved, since the Cult is tied inextricably to the essence of the Elder God with whom you have formed it.

The Ritual of Introspection is the most basic of rituals, one which allows you to sense the general location of all the members of your Cult.

Benevolence

Syntax:
MANIFEST BENEVOLENCE FOR <person> WITH <amount> ESSENCE
Domotheos: None
Half essence is lost in transfer

You may benevolently grant a gift of your divine essence to a demigod or Ascendant. However, this is an imprecise power at best and so a preponderance of the essence will be lost in the process.

Intervention

Syntax:
PERFORM RITUAL OF INTERVENTION FOR <person>
Domotheos: None
Cult Essence: 20000

You may instantly translocate yourself to where one of your Cult members stands, intervening to save them from harm.

Prospicience

Syntax:
PERFORM RITUAL OF PROSPICIENCE FOR <person>
Domotheos: None
Essence: 500

You may gaze through the eyes of one of your Cult members as if you were standing in their location, regardless of where they may be.

Aegis

Syntax:
MANIFEST AEGIS FOR <person>
Domotheos: Justice
Essence: 10000

By forming an Aegis bond with another, you will join your lifeforce together, and should that person be in danger of dying, you will take their damage, up until the point where such damage would kill you. This power comes with limits, however: you must remain within the same local area as one another, and should either of you die, the other will suffer a grievous loss.

Divinesupper

Syntax:
PERFORM RITUAL OF DIVINESUPPER
Domotheos: Life
Cult Essence: 25000

The ritual of Divine Supper, which may only be performed once per Lusternian month, draws upon the essence of the Domotheos of Life to empower you and your Cult members. Those standing with you will find their health, mana, ego, willpower, and endurance refreshed, and will be protected by magical and psionic shields.

Portal

Syntax:
PORTAL <NEXUS|person>
Domotheos: Chaos
Essence: 10000/100000

Chaos underscores all order behind the veils, creating a reality rife with contradiction and paradox. You may tap into these anomalies to create a portal between two disparate locations.

When creating a portal to another person, you will only be able to tap into the shared resonance of those who are within your Ascendant Cult. Such a feat is significantly more taxing if either you or your chosen target are standing in enemy territory.

Presence

Syntax:
PERFORM RITUAL OF PRESENCE
Domotheos: Beauty

The ritual of Presence harnesses the magics of the Domotheos of Beauty, increasing the charisma of yourself and your followers, and soothing your ego. This ritual may only be performed once per Lusternian month, and will affect yourself and all your Cult members in your location at the time it is performed.

Consumption

Syntax:
MANIFEST CONSUMPTION OF <person>
Domotheos: None

This dangerous power will drain the essence of a demigod or Ascendant for your own use. It draws the essence directly from the blood of your victim, and so requires them to be bleeding in order to be successful. In contrast to the benevolent gift of one's essence to another, that which is forcibly stolen is alien and unwelcome in your body, and it is whispered that frequent wielders of this power are depraved and insane.

Glory

Syntax:
PERFORM RITUAL OF GLORY
Domotheos: Knowledge

A ritual to summon the great wisdom of the Domotheos of Knowledge, you will grant yourself and your assembled followers a measure of experience. How much experience is gained will depend upon how many of your Cult members are present, and this ritual can be performed but once per Lusternian month.

Omniscience

Syntax:
MANIFEST OMNISCIENCE <ON|OFF>
Domotheos: Harmony

As it is with the Elder Gods, casting your consciousness upon the aetheric winds will allow you to speak and hear freely upon all planes of existence, regardless of the distance involved. This is taxing, however, and will slowly drain your essence.

Essence For Skill Ranks
From To Cost Total
Inept to Novice 490000 490000
Novice to Apprentice 630000 1120000
Apprentice to Capable 1260000 2380000
Capable to Adept 3850000 6230000
Adept to Master 6230000 12460000
Master to Gifted 7770000 20230000
Gifted to Expert 9380000 29610000
Expert to Virtuoso 12390000 42000000
Virtuoso to Fabled 21840000 63840000
Fabled to Mythical 26600000 90440000
Mythical to Transcendent 29610000 ≈ 120000000