Baptism

The Origins

In the wake of the Bleeding, the Gods that remained uncorrupted convened together in Muid and determined, after days and ceaseless nights of debate that they would no longer involve themselves in the affairs of Atharen, preferring the stability that their absence provided the planes. An event many consider to be the death knell of 'The Path' in their world, the Living Gods chose security over shepherding their creations in the wake of the Age's disastrous events.

It was not long after this decision that two in particular convened, meeting within Izonata's Everyshade Plains, to determine how they might help guide Atharen back towards the right path from afar. The God of Chaos and her ally, Maztyx, decided that they would leave a final imprint on the world for the purpose of reducing the harm the Bleeding left behind, and preventing something like it from ever occurring again.

It was from this that Baptism was created, and with it, a Holy Order known as the Twilight Fulcrum. This Order would serve, distantly, as an arm of Izonata's will, to guide Atharen to a state of balance, to prevent oppressive institutions like the Unbroken Empire from forming, and to restore the land.

In the centuries that came, members of the Twilight Fulcrum (known as Ordinators) would become lethal agents of Izonata's will, culling and interrogating threats to the world by slaying those of unshaking, dogmatic ideology, and in particular those who would seek to subdue or control. As they performed their duties, many left the Order, and in their wake Baptism spread. By the Age of Industry, the magic has entered into the hands of many magi, though with a majority still following the Fulcrum's commands.

Concepts

Greymage: Baptism's Mark of Control imbues the Risen with a particular interest towards nuance and balance; the ability to see and perceive things for what they are, versus what they are meant to be, and the way that good intentions can both appeal to others and sour into dogmatic ideology. While this does not make the Risen an oracle of understanding or wisdom, it does aide them in better dissecting the complexities of ideologies and their draw. This trait of Baptism's Mark is meant to allow the Risen to combat those ideologies through gauging their internal logic. Rather than necessarily imbuing the Risen with empathy, 'Greymage' as a concept is one that aides in their dissolution of strong ideology altogether. As a note, not all Risen must be ideologically neutral or necessarily balanced, as this innate concept interacts with the individual's pre-existing notions and beliefs.

The Doors: As the God of Chaos, Izonata - like Saryn - has a strong understanding of the pluripotential outcomes of reality. An action always has a consequence; a death always creates a ripple through the world or through time, and a Risen is capable of perceiving these consequences far better than most. This concept plays most often with the Moondial, a simple structure crafted by a Risen's ether. As an Expert Risen, the Moondial allows one to view briefly beyond 'The Doors' that may open through a change in present reality, in the form of chaos. The visions of these realities are generated within the Everyshade Plains, and implanted into the mind of the Risen as they attempt to view their chosen outcome. This often literally appears in a Risen's mind as if they are stepping into a door, another reality perceivable within. While only a Chronomancer can truly understand and experience these complexities, Baptism allows the mage a step into the well of chaos of change.

Initiation

Initiation into Baptism is performed by literal baptism. The initiator will draw the Mark of Baptism onto the forehead of the initiate, with the Mark itself appearing as a small crescent moon (roughly the size of an eye) near the peak of the initiate's forehead, with the horns of the crescent peaking slightly below their hairline. Once the Mark is imbued by ether, it will begin to glow a faint, nearly transparent hue, as the magic begins to graft into the Risen's soul. The initiate will then submerge the head of the Risen beneath a body of water, keeping them steadily beneath the surface as the Mark 'takes' to their soul.

This process takes minutes to fully resolve, always resulting in the death of the initiate without fail, even in those capable of breathing underwater. The Mark itself forces the lungs and heart of the initiate to shut down as they struggle, killing them as it embeds within their soul. If at any point the initiator fails to prevent the initiate from lifting their head above the surface before the process is done, the initiate will instantaneously die with no chance of revival. If the process manages to complete, however, the Mark of Control will defibrillate the heart of the initiate and will expel the water from their lungs as they are pulled from the water as a new mage of Baptism. This is the source of the name 'Risen' for the magics practitioners, as all Baptism mages at once rose from the dead as a result of their initiation.

Overstepping

The drawbacks listed below do not always come in pairs, and certainly not simultaneously. Some may come and others may not.

Lesser: Nausea, fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, dehydration

Moderate: Bleeding through the nose, eyes and ears, intense cramps, seizure-like shocks and spasms, internal bleeding, vomiting and weakness

Severe:

Abilities

Realign: Novice. Realign is most often the first ability a Risen will learn. It is the ability to transition water between its three states of matter: a solid, a liquid, and a gas. In other words, Realign allows a Risen to convert currently existing water between these states, such as converting a puddle of water into a surface of ice. In order to learn this ability, the Risen needs to understand how to affect the density or structure of the water itself, and must differentiate between each method of transition; all three methods must be learned from their two disparate states before the ability can be considered mastered. Realign serves as the basis of many other transitions and abilities within Baptism. A Risen may not move directly from solid to gas or vice-versa until they are an Expert in Baptism.

Ionize: Novice. Ionize allows the Risen to change the acidity of water by producing a higher or lower state of ion density within the substance, introducing a chemical change to the substance through their ether. This ability is largely limited by one's control and precision over Baptism, and as a result cannot significantly change something far outside of its range of acidity at an early stage. In scientific terms, Ionize can only manipulate the pH of water by around one degree at Novice, two at Apprentice, four at Journeyman, six at Expert, and eight at Master. A Celestian may change a completely basic substance to being completely acidic. The more dramatic a change in acidity, the less content of ionized solution can be produced for the Risen's ether. At higher levels, these changes do become more efficient, but a Master Risen attempting to turn pure water into a purely acidic substance - if overdone - can be detrimental to the Risen's ether. Additionally, the Risen can become susceptible to their own ionized substances, meaning generating them and spreading them around is something that must be done with caution.

Tendril: Apprentice. The Risen creates a tendril out of water, and may transition it into another state of matter through Realign. The Risen is capable of finely controlling each Tendril they create, allowing them to act as an extension of one's limbs. Tendrils can grip and pull objects, inflict blunt trauma, latch onto surfaces to control momentum and traction, and can be manipulated between states near-instantaneously by the Risen, particularly as they progress in Baptism. Typically, an Apprentice Risen may only manifest and finely control up to two Tendrils at a given time, while an Expert may manipulate up to four, and a Master six. The Tendril can extend to around ten feet at Apprentice, and up to around twenty five feet by Expert. The precision of the Tendril will decrease significantly after that point, without the Risen expending considerably more ether to finely control it at a longer distance.

Sway: Apprentice. Sway allows the Risen to manipulate water around an object, using the object's center as a crux or central axis upon which they can control water around it. At Apprentice, this might allow them to rock a boat, push it against the wind or keep it in place, while a Risen with more experience can form crashing tides against the hull of an entire ship, threatening its destruction. By Expert, Sway no longer requires a central axis, and can disconnect bodies of water (such as forming a gap in a river), generate waves or manipulate individual areas within waves and other collections of water for whatever purpose the Risen intends.

Ensign: Journeyman. The Ensign is a Water Elemental crafted of ether and directed by the Mark of Control, one that tends to appear as a robust humanoid entity rising over a spinning vortex of water. The Ensign typically radiates a twilight glow from its shoulders and around its face, which is largely undefined and expressionless. Ensign are useful tools for a Risen, as their water may be pulled from them and manipulated to use abilities, allowing them to act as a proxy or ranged conduit for one's spells. Additionally, they are capable of attacking enemies within ten feet of them with whips of water, which can be highly damaging due to the speed and density of their strikes. Ensigns may also be transitioned between water's three states, and can - like other abilities - have their acidity manipulated.

In addition, while an Ensign is in its state of liquid water, it has a secondary ability. The Ensign may reflect an individual within its frame, and serves as a tool of interrogation for the Risen. If the individual they are questioning lies, their reflection will begin to muddle or dissipate, depending on the severity or extent of the lie. If they tell the whole truth, their reflection will become completely clear. This ability allows the Risen to determine the relative degree to which one is speaking in honesty or fabrication, though not exactly which words or statements of theirs might be lies.

Immersion: Journeyman. By immersing another in water, a Risen may learn a great deal of things about them. This ability is often performed after or during an interrogation facilitated by Ensign, though it can be performed separately or on a willing target. Immersion allows the Risen to extract information from a person's mind and even their soul. As they are immersed, water will seep into their body and cling to their brain and the outer layers of their soul, extracting information from either or both. Drawn from their body, the water may then be drunk by the Risen, who will receive an influx of visual information that can help them to determine aspects or facets of that individual. Certain, surface level aspects of their soul can easily be gleaned. You will know exactly which magics that individual has, and even their general level of expertise in them. You will also easily know the general state of their intentions; adversarial, compliant, fearful. Deeper information can be gleaned only by the Moondial, which can allow the Risen to view - through The Doors - ways they might manipulate those emotions or intentions, aiding them in breaking the target of their interrogation.

Moondial: Journeyman. Moondial turns a large basin of water into an object seemingly capable of predicting chaos, or change. The water imbued with this ether will glow as if reflecting moonlight, with the effects of Moondial's enchantment lasting for several hours. While the basin is lit, an object meant to signify the significance of an individual (not needing to be acquired from them or their belongings) may be dropped into the pool, which will then produce a rippling effect based on the degree of change that will occur if that person were to die, disappear, or perform an action of interest to the Risen. The death of an individual of great influence could produce a ripple massive enough to pour over the edges of the basin, while a secluded miller might produce a very small blip of movement. As one becomes an Expert in Baptism, they may enter the pool and immerse their face into the water to experience the potential changes of this effect directly, viewing beyond 'The Doors' in the form of a complex but vivid delusion, a hallucination of one of reality's many chaotic outcomes. While these results are not always accurate, this ability is often performed to help guide a Risen towards the 'right' outcome, minimizing the harm they leave upon the world before they commit to a dangerous choice.

In order to perform this ability in regards to a PC or a prominent NPC, that player must be contacted first and must give consent and insight. In regards to said prominent NPC, the moderator of that region or plot involving them must give consent and insight.

Purge: Journeyman. Initially created for members of the Fulcrum to more easily cull morally aligned foes, Purge has become a tool of Risen hunters of all kinds, coating weapons and other objects with a thin, gaseous layer of water that clings to their surface. When reacting to the body of an individual with a strong moral alignment, the gas will rapidly increase in acidity without additional expenditure of ether, allowing the weapon or object to act as a lethal tool against foes of these kinds. Purge works well against any creature afflicted by a Blight (such as Dranoch or Blacksworn), or the members of any Corrupted God's orders. It also reacts with Dregs, Ghosts, and according to superstition, even the enigmatic Lich. While coating an object with Purge does consume ether, the gaseous layer tends to remain active for several hours to a full day, at Master.

Laceration: Expert. Laceration allows the Risen to manipulate the sharpness of water and ice (and not gas), and does so in a rapid manner. Laceration is also known to be a cost-effective ability, allowing Risen to easily transition their water and ice between blunt and sharpened states. By thinning the water or ice and applying a thread-like layer of ether along its edges, the Risen is able to create a blade of water that can cut sharper than steel. This ability is often used in condition with Tendril, with the Risen capable of reshaping their Tendril into serrated weapons capable of dicing enemies in two.

Cascade: Expert. Cascade allows the Risen to generate a very large amount of water, which they can keep in its pure form or transition into other states. Cascade is roughly equivalent to a large wave in terms of quantity, and is always pulled from either the air or plant life, though with the ether catalyzing these reactions rapidly enough to produce large quantities in mere seconds. This water can be manipulated by the Risen with a small, continuous degree of ether. Additionally, by expending additional ether, Cascade can be altered to become a high-pressure torrent, capable of demerging objects by the sheer pressure and force of the impact. Combined with the ability to transition Cascade into ice, this ability is known to be extremely lethal.

Pearl: Expert. Pearl's name derives from the shape of the structure crafted by water. Similar to Cascade, a Risen will generate or pull water from the air or from the environment, before forming a pearl or spherical-shaped structure and immersing themselves within it. While the structure is malleable in scale, it tends to be around ten feet in height and width. The orb can be manipulated even through the air, allowing the Risen to effectively float within the Pearl, as it will pull them along with it as its own axis or core. Pearl can be manipulated as a conduit for other abilities, or pure manipulation of water. It can also be exchanged into other forms of water (such as a wave) before reforming, altering its shape only requiring a facile amount of ether.

Baptism: Master. Baptism is the source of the magic's name, and for good reason. It is among the most consequential of magical abilities known to Atharen, as its innate function allows it to enact two different outcomes that can both greatly impact the Risen's surroundings. Baptism allows the Risen to dispel lingering isotopes that allow for the continuation of magical effects. Most commonly, this can be used to dissipate a magical effect, such as stopping the mental alteration of an individual performed through Mentalism, therefore resetting their Mural. Another example might be helping to cull lingering effects left by a Remnomancer. Baptism does not work to deactivate World Magic creations, nor to cure the diseases of Bane, or to shift a Malformer. It works largely with more easily separable magical effects, most often those impacting one's mind.

Baptism appears as a quantity of water imbued with a moonlit glow, placed over a given area before seeping into an object or surface. As a result of its ability to dissipate ethereal isotopes, Baptism can actually directly impact the Corruption of masses of land, specifically. It typically does so by seeping into soil, bark, plant-life or even other quantities of water and dispersing these radioactive traces, rapidly mending that land as a result. Because Baptism is a Master ability, it is costly to perform. It is more costly to perform it to dispel the effects of another powerful mage, particularly powerful abilities. Attempting to wrest someone from a an Aberration's control may even be fatal, depending on the intensity of their grip. Additionally, trying to clear wide swathes of land of Corruption can be equally so. Like any Master ability, it must be used in careful moderation.

Rumination: Master. The Risen will begin to meditate. As they do, they will slowly leak out ether into the atmosphere, manipulating the environmental conditions as they do so. Depending on current atmospheric conditions, the intended effects can be easier or more difficult to generate, but in any location, any of Rumination's three outcomes can occur. Rumination will begin to produce the state necessary to generate a blizzard, a hurricane, or a downfall of acidic (pH 1.5) rain. This can take anywhere from minutes to several hours depending on the starting conditions, but even in a desert, a Risen may produce a massive blizzard that can blanket cities in time, or a hurricane that could cause flooding and vast destruction of towns and crops. If at any point during meditation the Risen is disturbed, the effects of Rumination will rapidly begin to cease unless their absolute focus can be restored. Because of this, the Risen is highly vulnerable while performing Rumination, but can produce devastating environmental effects if they are left unchallenged.

Depending on necessary changes, Rumination can consume a moderately large amount of ether to a massive, Overstepping-inducing amount. Generating a large blizzard within a hot desert in the season of Searing may push one into Moderate Overstepping even from full reserves, while generating a hurricane during a brewing storm may leave the Risen far from any such consequences.

Celestian Abilities

System: Dense pearls orbit around the Celestian. Each has a different effect and can be widely manipulated. x

Ascension: The Celestian

Lunar-like being. wip.