VI: Sages--Members--
--Powers/Traits/Elements--
Sage Warheight
Fire Magic
Leadership
Well-Rounded/Exceptial Social and Combat Prowess
Sage Solaris
Light/Solar Magic
Noble/Righteous/Good-Aligned
Well-Rounded Magic/Melee
Sage Gottheit
Superior Magic Usage
Prideful/Studious
Multiple Focuses
Sage Pendragon
Fire Magic
Superior Strategist
Superior One-Handed Melee/Shield Use
Sage Ravenshield
Wind Magic
Cunning/Sly/Dextrous
Ranged Weapons Proficiency
Sage Benglasse
Water Magic
Wild-Natured/Adventurous
Seafaring Proficiency/Swordplay
Sage Blackthorne
Many Focuses/High Effectiveness
Low Magic Supply
Withdrawn/Neutral Alignment
Sage Voltaire
Brilliant/Photographic Memory
Way With Animals
Diplomatic/Ability To Astral Project Clones
Sage Darkspear
Well-Rounded Magic/Melee/Earth Magic
Evil-Aligned
Soul Manipulation/Necromancy
Sage Baptiste
Shielding/Defense Magic
Overprotective Nature
Good-Aligned
Offtopic: A note to players: Should you be planning to make a Descendant, and are deciding what Sage(s) to descend from, keep in mind that while normally a Descendant will exhibit one or more character traits, or abilities of their Sage ancestor, this is not always the case. You do not have to be anything like your Sage of choice, or share any of the same abilities, and you do not need to share the alignment of whichever Sage. Also, it is worth noting that Sage Warheight only had one offspring before his demise, so if you are Descended from Pendragon or Warheight, you are Descended from both.First, a summary of their history. Sages appear, for the most part, as humans do. There is a good reason for this, but that does not mean they share the exact same physiology. They are similar to humans, though, in the way humans are similar to primates. In reality, Sages predate humanity. As Death set about designing life, and populating Utopia; he created several distinct breeds of creature before he ever figured out the plan for humans. One such creation were the demons, who later thrived in Hell.
Afterward, he created ten individuals that would be the progenitors of a new race of being, who enjoyed incredibly long lifespans. He was dissatisfied with the results, but saw no reason to disallow their existence and so he created Man. The first, however, the 'prototypes of humanity', so to speak...lived on. They were capable of extraordinary feats of magic and creation that impressed mortals, but were nowhere near the scale of ability that the gods possessed and granted. Indeed, Death never intended for the Ten to be burdened by such powers, but he unknowingly gave them a gift aside from their incredible longevity. He unintentionally created within them a series of connections that bound them in unexpected ways, and spawned something unique that they could only tap in to as a whole.
A vacuum, of sorts. An unexplained anomoly that allowed them to pull into their combined network of souls very complex and powerful magicks. In the beginning, they were unaware of his shared ability, and it was unconsciously that they tapped into it, riddling themselves with amazing power. It was not until they came upon a stranger who united them in a way they had yet to experience against a pair of Gods whom had been left to war with themselves over a molten section of the planet's surface. Their fellow Gods knew that the only interests these two Gods and their creations held, were the destruction of the other, and so they were content to let them be. But the stranger, Knox, insisted that they were a threat to the humans which had begun to spring forth and populate the planet. He explained to them that the humans were not capable of the feats that they were, and that they held a burden of responsibility to protect them, by quelling the Gods' rage.
Knox was somehow aware of their ability, and trained them until they were capable of invoking it, promising further instruction once they had dealt with the task he laid before them. Knox referred to the Ten as Sages, masters of their respective Arts, and the name stuck whenever they were mentioned in history. Warheight was the leader of the Sages, and took the lead during the attack, funneling their attack through his own body to amplify their power as well as completing the spiritual circuit necessary to draw in the magic needed to defeat their target. Warheight was unable to bear the strain, and was killed in the act of destroying the God Kaos' servant, Fortinbras. However, the Avatar of both Gods were possessed of the same ability to resurrect themselves from nothing.
After Warheight's death, Knox disappeared. The Sages mourned their fallen leader, but were left with the soul of the defeated Fortinbras to deal with. After Warheight's death, Pendragon gave birth to his son, Adriel. It was decided that the soul would be bound to the child, and after much protest on Pendragon's part, the deed was done. The Gods wept for young Adriel Warheight, and after seeing the pointlessness of their hatred for one another, healed the land they had swept with fire. They created a lush and green land that they promised to Adriel and his offspring. Adriel was crowned king of the humans there, and enjoyed many long centuries of rule before his inevitable demise.
There had been clues, visions of Warheight's death. Solaris had experienced them, as well as Darkspear. Darkspear had seen fit to ignore them, Solaris considered them nothing more than nightmares stemming from nervousness, rather than prophetic dreams. After his death, he stayed with Adriel, taught the boy the things that he could learn from Sage Solaris, and wrote his Ak'Vahr. Each of the Sages wrote these tomes, records of their life and explanations of their powers, and how they worked. Warheight had written the first, before his death, and it was as in rememberance of him that they followed suit, so that the future generations might benefit from their knowledge, should their immortality fail to last.
Obsidian:Solaris, stricken with grief, sought to create an object that would do the job Warheight had been made to do, so that never again would the death of a sibling haunt him during the night. But without Warheight, they could not recreate the vacuum which had defined them during their years of training. Solaris left, for a time, and traveled endlessly in search of an answer, something that could have saved Warheight. He discovered that the obsidian, formed in the lava currents deep beneath fertile Algeroth, had become infused with power after having been exposed to the power of the Gods. He found that it could be refined, strengthened. He created things out of obsidian that were possessed of more durability than steel, and acted as a powerful magical catalyst.
He experimented with the process, and learned that incredible amounts of magical energy could be stored in an obsidian object during refinement. Solaris went back to Adriel's home, where he knew he would find Gottheit and Blackthorne. Gottheit and Darkspear were the best mages among them, capable of amassing massive amounts of energy to bend to their will, Solaris and Blackthorne being ranked third and fourth in the same area. Darkspear was nowhere to be found, but Gottheit and Blackthorne agreed to help, if he would agree to a solitary condition. Whatever Solaris was planning to craft, they wanted an identical copy to present to Adriel, whom they saw as their leader after the death of Warheight. Solaris reluctantly agreed, knowing the boy wouldn't understand how to use the object, and between the three of them, they crafted two weapons. A sword, for Solaris, and a dagger for Adriel. They called the dagger Adriel's Fang, and shortly after presenting it to him, Solaris disappeared again.
Oblivion: Solaris has succeeded in his obsession, and attempted to test it's power. Teleportation was a power that Knox had been gifted with, that they had never been able to recreate. It was with this he experimented first, resulting in disaster. He used the sword as his catalyst, and poured his magic into the act of relocating himself magically, only to end up in a world of black. His most famous power had always been mastery over light and dark, but even he could not light the way in this desolate emptiness. Solaris has not been seen on the face of Utopia since.
--
VIx2: DescendantsAfter Adriel, each Sage was known to have had offspring, either by mating with mortals, or each other. The results varied, and could have hardly been anticipated. The things that the Sages had learned, had absorbed with their shared power appeared in the genetics of their children. Any being who can count a Sage among their ancestors are referred to as a Descendant. Their races, abilities, magical potential, lifespan, and looks vary greatly, much as any other mortal. Most often, one defining trait or ability of the Sage most prominent in their lineage shines through. Descendants' physiology remains normal, for the most part. They often live longer than their human brethren, though this has become less drastic a difference as the Sagastic bloodlines have begun to become watered down throughout the centuries.
Ascendancy: While Ascension is said to be representative of a person being closer to their actual Sage ancestors than any other, it is important to understand that pureblood Descendants of Sages with no human blood
never ascend. It is strictly a genetic quirk that pops up occasionally in mixed-breed Descendants. The Descendant goes through something of a 'second puberty' whereby their powers, personality, and even their aura enters a state of flux. Everything about them spins wildly out of their control, often leading to complete and permanent changes to the behaviors and/or appearance of the Descendant. The Rite of Ascension is concluded when the Descendant sprouts a pair of wings, that can be magically retracted into the shoulderblades. Some view this state as a position of honor, and others tear down these winged heralds out of jealousy.
The Arcane and Auras: Every Descendant is possessed of the potential for absorbing magic, though not always the aptitude. Their lives are literally bound to the magic at their core. Each of them absorb magic on a fraction of the scale the Sages could, from sustenance, breathing, even being in close proximity to other living beings feeds their spark of life. Constantly their bodies process magical energy, which keeps them alive, the same as eating or breathing. Very little energy is required for this, and the majority is burned off as a biproduct. To the naked eye, it is invisible, but to those trained in the arcane, Auras are visible in every Descendant. The color remains the same for each individual, for the most part, and only changes in instances of extreme stress, exertion, or emotion. A person's magical potential is judged by their ability to absorb and produce usable magic in this way, and their aptitude is measure by what they can do with the amounts they produce.
Focusing: To average Descendants, magic and Auras are just a part of life, and can not be used beneficially. Very few Descendants can wield magical energy in whatever way they choose, like the Sages could, and instead must use Focusing to do specific things. If someone is to be able to use magic, they usually generate their first Focus early in life, and out of necessity. Trauma, danger, or even boredom can spark a Focus, which becomes a way a Descendant may use their Aura. An example of this can be found in Rinald Solaris, a Descendant living in Kalmarden. He acquired his Focuses as a result of fear, and out of necessity. Terrible beasts stalk the night in his homeland, and he was able to develop and amplify magical sight, which he can use to see things from several angles at once outside his own body, and from up to a mile away. His second magical Focus is the ability to amplify his own muscles by liquifying his Aura and fueling himself with magic, like adrenaline. He first was capable of this feat after an accident in an underground cave, where he willed himself to be strong enough to clear rubble from a collapse so that he could save a childhood friend.
Focus is not always something you develop on your own, however. Often, Descendants breed specific abilities which can be inherited from their Sage ancestors, and become somewhat of a status symbol among Algerothian noble families. One such example of a Sage's ability that is commonly inherited is Baptiste's shields. Sage Baptiste was possessed of the ability to shield his allies from danger magically, which is a common reoccurence in his very small line of Descendants.
It is important to note that Descendants cast magic using the same substance which makes up their life force, and while different people have different-sized pools of said magic, anyone can overuse their magic and inadvertently extinguish their life. One more be careful to practice and make clear boundaries on exactly where their limit is. That being said, the last of an individual's magic is always the strongest.