Paragon

[Ghostman]

Abyss: The infinitely vast primordial freshwater sea, situated beneath the Earth and it's surface waters. One of the three worlds that comprise the universe.

Chaos: AKA the cosmic darkness, the gaping maw, the nihil. That which preceded the creation of the universe and which antecedes it's destruction.

Citadel: A majestic palace-fortress on a skyward realm. Seat of the local citadel lord.

Citadel Lord: A paragon grand master and ruler that reigns over a skyward realm.

Cloud Spider: Mysterious spirit that spun cobwebs in the sky, heralding the chaos that would menace the world in it's present age.

Deluge: A catastrophic event that befell as a torrential rain that flooded the earth. Humans and animals found refuge on the skyward realms.

Demons: Disembodied spirits that dwell in pandemonium.

Dynama: A vital, potent force that flows through all living beings. The fuel that fires paragons' magical powers.

Earth: A plane of solid ground upon which mankind dwells amid plants and animals. One of the three worlds that comprise the universe.

Earthbound Kingdoms: City-states ruled by priest-kings, usually under the dominion of a skyward realm.

Eidolon: A spiritual personification mystically linked to a paragon's ego; a specialized type of demon. Eidolons dwell in pandemonium but they may be summoned
via powerful magics to manifest as fierce battle-avatars.

Empyreans: A legendary race of antediluvian giants, exiled from heaven and now extinct. They created the first paragons by uplifting chosen humans, infusing them with sublime magical power.

Empyrean Language: The sonorous tongue of the empyreans, which they taught to the paragons. Today it is only spoken by paragons.

Empyrean Mysteries: A universalist religion practiced and spread by paragons. Founded on the legacy of esoteric wisdom inherited from the empyreans.

Enigma Scroll: A magical scroll containing a copy of one of the legendary enigma texts recorded by the empyreans. Regarded as a sacred object in the empyrean mysteries.

EON: A cosmic entity of indescribable nature, responsible for the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. EON is all and EON is one; EON is the alpha and the omega.

Exgates: Magical portals in the form of large metallic rings, built by the empyreans. They used to allow swift communications and travel between distant parts of the world, but are now largely dead or malfunctioning.

Fallen: Once ordinary people who have been warped by the corrupting madness of the Scourge.

Folk Religion: The multifarious ethnic religious traditions of the tribes of mankind.

First Men: The first human beings to walk the earth. The tribes of mankind each claim descent from one of the first men, venerating him as their sacred forefather.

Five Cosmic Forces: Fire, Light, Shadow, Thunder and Wind. Mystical forces of the universe, born within the cosmic egg.

Forsaken: Paragons that have succumbed to corrupting madness of the Scourge. They represent a terrible menace to the world and must be opposed decisively.

Heaven: The dome-shaped realm of stars and aether that rests above the Earth, supported by eight pillars. One of the three worlds that comprise the universe.

Idol: A wooden or stone image of a deity, regarded as it's actual material avatar.

Idolatry: The religious practice of revering and worshiping idols. A nigh-universal feature of the folk religion of the civilized tribes of mankind.

Pandemonium: An invisible otherworld that overlaps with the phenomenal world. Beyond the range of normal human senses. Home to various kinds of demons.

Paragon: A superhuman warrior-mystic, member of the Paragon Order.
- Acolyte: A young person born with the gift to become a paragon, undergoing training in a school.
- Disciple: A paragon sworn to loyalty and service under the tutelage of a master.
- Master: A high-ranking paragon who acts as a mentor and supervisor to a number of disciples.

Paragon Order: A religious-militant brotherhood of paragons that administers and defends the skyward realms.

Path: A discipline of specialized training and orientation, designed to allow a paragon to leverage their talents in accordance with their attunement.

Phenomenal World: The world as ordinary people know it.

Redbands: Members of the citadel guard, an unprofessional warrior class of the skyward realms. They are distinguished by their red-dyed headbands.

Reptites: A squamous race of diabolic sorcerers from subterranean depths. They once enslaved mankind, but were destroyed by the empyreans.

Scourge: An intangible cosmic entity that spreads like a disease, contaminating the very souls of people and twisting them to it's minions.

Skybeams: Magical beams of light that lift passengers up and down between skyward realms and the earth's surface. Accessed by stepping upon a flat circular platform of silverly metal on either the floating island or on the ground beneath it.

Skyward Realms: Islands floating in the air, many fathoms above ground. They are large enough to bear mountains and towns upon them. Homelands of the paragons.

Triarma: A paragon's personal weapon, composed of his sword, his sheath, and his soul. Triarma are magical artefacts of immense power.

Tribes of Mankind: Principal divisions of mankind. Each tribe is descended from a particular forefather and identified by it's common ancestry, language and traditions.

[Ghostman]

Early Childhood
A child is born to one or both parents of the paragon caste. Since his very first breath he bears the gift of latent power. He spends his early childhood in the care of his parents, elder siblings and household servants, privileged of a safe and clean home and sufficiency of nourishment. As soon as he is deemed ready, typically between ages 5 and 7, he begins to attend a school within the citadel.

The Awakening
During his first month of school the child undergoes a series of rituals that gradually awakens his dormant gift, setting him on the path of transformation into a paragon. For now he bears the status of an acolyte.

Acolyteship
The acolyte attends his school alongside other paragon children of the realm. He is instructed by many wise teachers, generally high-ranking elderly paragons. School activities consume much of his time and he forms close bonds with his classmates, who are one day to be his colleagues and comrades-in-arms.

The education of the acolyte consists of a variety of subjects intended to prepare him for the challenges he will face in adulthood: speaking the empyrean language, reading and writing it's hieroglyphic script, etiquette, poetry, traditional singing and dancing, playing a reed flute, the code of citadel law, theology, meditation and leadership. The second half of every school day is reserved for training in martial arts and the channeling of dynama and shaping it into manifest powers.

Coming of Age
After ten years or so in school, the acolyte attends a final examination, confirming his worthiness. He is then allowed to undergo a coming-of-age ritual, which sees him transformed into a full-fledged paragon. He acquires the sword and sheath parts of his personal triarma, to be carried proudly as a symbol of his caste. The ceremony concludes with the young paragon swearing loyalty to a master, beginning his time as a disciple.

Loyal Service and Adventure
The young paragon begins his service (and continued training) as a disciple under one of the masters of the citadel. Each morning he gathers with his comrades-in-arms at his master's quarters. All the disciples present greet their mentor in order according to seniority of rank. The master receives them graciously and distributes any provisions that are due. He may then discuss recent news or listen to any requests or problems his disciples may bring forth. If there are any pressing matters that call for intervention from brave paragons, the master assembles a party of his capable disciples and dispatches them to handle the task. Participating on these missions is how the paragon ends up experiencing exciting adventures, facing daunting enemies, and performing glorious deeds.

Old Age and Retirement
Although his magical gift blesses the paragon with longevity and lessens the weight of years on his body and mind, eventually he too will feel the march of time become a burden that prevents him performing his duties to the fullest. When that time comes he may request a retirement from active service. As a retired paragon he may end up acting as an advisor to the citadel lord, a priest tending to temples and holy places, or a healer or wise-man dispensing benevolent aid to those in need.

Death
Whether in battle or on his deathbed, the paragon will inevitably pass away some day. When that happens, his fellows in the Paragon Order will retrieve his remains, including his sword and sheath, if at all possible. His body is anointed with oils and embalmed. Among some sects, actual mummification may be performed. Solemn funerary rites are performed by priests, ensuring his ghost's unobstructed passage into the afterlife.

The disposal of his body varies by local traditions. Among some tribes the corpse is placed in a ornate sarcophagus, his sword sheathed in it's scabbard resting on his chest, and entombed within a sepulchre. Among others the body is cremated on a pyre under the open sky and the ashes are placed into a decorated urn, which is then stored in an underground catacomb alongside the sheathed sword. A paragon of truly exalted status, such as a citadel lord or a high priest, would be buried within a great monumental tomb such as a stone mausoleum or a pyramid.

[O Senhor Leetz]

Do Paragons, with their powers, ever turn down darker, more selfish paths? Are there ever rogue Paragons that have fallen and use their abilities for personal gain or conquest? If they do exist, do other Paragons hunt their corrupted compatriots down? If they do not risk becoming villainous, why is that?

[Ghostman]

There are some rogues, sure. Some of them are just vagabonds (they tend to not find a place to go in civilized lands) and the order doesn't hunt them unless they start actually causing trouble. Those that do are captured and brought to trial, stripped of their swords at the very least, if they weren't killed resisting arrest. And then there are the forsaken -- supernaturally corrupted madmen. They are tracked down and eliminated.

Paragons are very unlikely to abandon the order because generally they have nothing to gain and everything to lose by doing so. It means no more allies, no more training, no social status, no access to the resources you used to have, leaving behind your friends and family. Not to mention they grow up and live in a very lawful society that values loyalty highly, and practice a religion that promotes harmony.

[Weave]

As usual, Ghostman, I am envious of your superior skill at word- and worldcrafting. I want to play in this.

I might have missed something, but is the entire "ground level" of the setting an ocean? In the entry under Deluge it would appear so. If that's the case, how many Citadels are there? I assume all floating islands need a Citadel - is there a lot of land between them? What would a journey down into the Abyss look like? Can Paragons muster powers to breath in the crushing depths of the ocean, or is that a realm beyond their skill?

Who are the movers and shakers of the world, besides the Paragons? Are there any existing threats (a metaphorical "mindless horde of orcs/demons"), or are those created more on a campaign-basis?

I'd love to know what you come up with for a system for this. No pressure.

[Ghostman]

I might have missed something, but is the entire "ground level" of the setting an ocean? In the entry under Deluge it would appear so.

No, it's like in all those real world ancient flood myths: the earth is flooded for awhile, then goes back to normal. The earthbound kingdoms and the barbarian nomads are all placed down there, after all.

I assume all floating islands need a Citadel - is there a lot of land between them?

Each skyward realm has a citadel. It's actually the citadel that's making the island levitate. The realms are scattered across the world, sometimes so far apart that they're effectively isolated, sometimes so close that their political spheres of influence overlap, causing tension.

What would a journey down into the Abyss look like? Can Paragons muster powers to breath in the crushing depths of the ocean, or is that a realm beyond their skill?

That would be an epic journey beyond the ordinary scope, and require some sort of plot device to make it possible.

Who are the movers and shakers of the world, besides the Paragons? Are there any existing threats (a metaphorical "mindless horde of orcs/demons"), or are those created more on a campaign-basis?

The big political powers are the skyward realms, and the lesser powers are the earthbound kingdoms and the nomadic tribes. There are also some seriously powerful creatures out there - godzilla scale - that are generally not showing up unless disturbed for plot reasons. Much of the world is unexplored, so there's plenty of room for strange unknown things.

[Ghostman]

Every paragon carries a personal magical weapon of awesome power known as a triarma, a weapon that is spiritually linked with it's wielder and evolves along with the paragon's fighting skills and mental growth. A triarma is a singular entity, although it seemingly consists of three components: a crystal-bladed sword, a golden scabbard, and the indomitable soul of an enlightened hero. The sword is symbolically associated with the male gender and the sheath with the female gender, while the soul is a unifying element -- making the weapon one with it's wielder.

The substantial components of a triarma are virtually indestructible: they never crack or dent or bend out of shape, and withstand even conditions as extreme as being submerged in molten lava. The crystal blade cuts through most things (that aren't other triarma) as if they were made of water and never loses it's edge. When the wielder is channeling dynama his triarma may shed light or emit halos or other visuals.

Paragons alone bear these vaunted weapons, symbols of their esteemed power and nobility. Much of their magical combat arts is focused on channelling power into their triarma, enabling spectacular feats of swordsmanship. Their fighting styles are variations of what might be termed 'sword-and-sheath style', in which the sword is wielded in one hand and the sheath in the other. Although the sword is favoured for striking and the sheath for parrying, both are readily employed in either manner in accordance with the ebb and flow of combat. Since the styles require both hands, losing an arm would be a crippling injury for a paragon.

For practical and spiritual reasons paragons keep their triarma on their person whereever they go, and are legally sanctioned to do so, although unsheathing the blade may not be lawful in many situations. Having any part of one's triarma lost or stolen would be immensely shameful for a paragon, not to mention disastrous. When at all possible, a deceased paragon is laid to rest together with his sheathed sword. Other kinds of weapons may be used for the purposes of training, contests and hunting, but are never resorted to in mortal combat -- even without their triarma, a paragon's skills and magical power are on such level that he has no need for mundane instruments of battle, leaving those for the masses of conscripted peasant-soldiers.

[Steerpike]

This is very cool - I'm always in favour of giant monsters.

I'm curious as to the substance of the Paragon mystic teachings. The Phenomenal World/Pandemonium split suggests something like the Kantian phonomenon/noumenon division, which makes me wonder whether the Paragons strict deontologists as well, obsessed with duty and code. I also get a vague sort of Jedi-Buddhist-Zen vibe.

[Ghostman]

There is no true division between the phenomenal world and the pandemonium, it's just an illusion arising from the limitations of human senses and perception. Pandemonium might be considered that part of the world which lies beyond the possibility of your perception - no matter where you go and what you do your eyes cannot see it, your ears cannot hear it, your hands cannot grasp it. But unlike ordinary people, paragons actually are able to sense and interact with pandemonium in very limited ways. Even from their perspective though, there seems to be a barrier, a gulf between two worlds that requires effort to cross. But in truth these "worlds" are just a single, unbroken continuum.

As for deontological ethics, it might be possible to stick such a label on paragons' ways of thinking, but I wouldn't call them strict. They certainly don't completely dismiss value in the consequences of actions.

[Ghostman]

All paragons consider themselves to be members of a brotherhood that transcends political boundaries. It is the source of the common customs, knowledge and beliefs shared by paragons from all the various tribes of mankind. This brotherhood, the Paragon Order, was created long ago during the time when the great race of empyreans was fading. The empyreans had been the leaders of the early paragons, but with them passing away from the world the uplifted warrior-mystics needed to start looking after themselves.

It was decided that the wisest and most learned among them, the grand masters, would form a council that would direct the order and settle any disputes. Each grand master presided over a host of paragons, attending the council once in a year unless there was a cause to call for an emergency meeting. After the last empyreans perished, the citadels passed on to the grand masters who took the title and duties of a citadel lord upon themselves. Their positions, held until death or retirement, were thereafter passed on to the highest-ranking master in the citadel.

Being based on the skyward realms the Paragon Order was scattered across the world, but it was able to maintain unity via a network of magical gates that enabled fast communications and travel between the far-flung corners of the earth. When these gates began to dysfunction and die, the order inevitably started to fragment into isolated cells. The breakdown of communications put an end to the council meetings, leaving every skyward realm cut off from all ohers save for those located nearest them. Despite this splintering paragons continue to refer to the order as if it were a unified body, religiously upholding it's traditions even in times when they must make war upon each other.

The order established a hierarchy of ranks to regulate interplay between it's members. A paragon belonging to a lower rank must always show respect and courtesy toward his superiors, even when they are enemies. Conversely, a higher-ranking paragon must never denigrate his lessers, but to give them merited appraisal.

[Steerpike]

There is no true division between the phenomenal world and the pandemonium, it's just an illusion arising from the limitations of human senses and perception. Pandemonium might be considered that part of the world which lies beyond the possibility of your perception - no matter where you go and what you do your eyes cannot see it, your ears cannot hear it, your hands cannot grasp it. But unlike ordinary people, paragons actually are able to sense and interact with pandemonium in very limited ways. Even from their perspective though, there seems to be a barrier, a gulf between two worlds that requires effort to cross. But in truth these "worlds" are just a single, unbroken continuum.

Cool, I like this better actually. I don't know if you're familiar with the German Idealists but this is a very Fichte/Schelling/Hegel sort of way of seeing the world. I approve.

I think the Citadels are very evocative - huge floating castles. I get a kind of Miyazaki vibe.

[Ghostman]

Well, they're not floating castles so much as palatial fortresses standing on big floating islands that bear quite a bit of landscape along with a population of people and their houses. For default setting atmosphere and aesthetics I'm imagining New Kingdom Egypt and Old Babylonia, blended with a bit of Star Wars visuals (especially for the citadels and other empyrean-made things), although styles should vary quite a bit throughout the world.

[Ghostman]

With the exception of the citadel lords, every paragon is sworn to loyalty and service to a senior ranking paragon. This bond of loyalty forms the relationship between a master and a disciple, which is a fundamental aspect of a paragon's life and identity. Being masterless is regarded as a most undesireable prospect, akin to a ship cast adrift on uncharted waters without land in sight.

A master may have more than a dozen disciples under his overwatch. He acts as a mentor guiding the disciples on their path as paragons, dispatches them on missions according to their abilities, outfits them with the tools necessary to accomplish their tasks, and rewards or punishes them according to their conduct. He is expected to be fair and wise in all of his actions and decisions, an exemplar his disciples can aspire to imitate.

A disciple serves and trains under his master, alongside his peers. He is expected to conduct himself honorably at all times, never to cast shame upon his master by misdeeds. Every disciple is sworn to defend his master courageously, at the cost of his own life if necessary. Should he require guidance, he can confide on his master. Should he require equipment, provisions or personnel, he may request his master to provide these things.

The first master a paragon comes to know is the one he swears loalty to when completing his coming of age ceremony. If his master retires or passes away, he must swear loyalty to a new master. In some cases it is necessary for a disciple to be transferred from under one master to another, though that happens very rarely. Those paragons who display exceptional ability, wisdom and strength of character are allowed to enter a test to prove their worth and rise to the position of a master. They are then expected to gather disciples of their own.

[Ghostman]

Far away to the west -- the direction of death -- there is a forbidden land, a vast expanse of lifeless desert that stretches to the very edge of the world. This place is called the land of the dead, said to be the final resting place of the departed souls of mankind. A great rift that bisects the earth separates this land from the realm of the living. When people die they become ghosts. These disembodied spirits detach from their bodies and feel drawn to the afterlife that awaits them in the west. Complicated funerary rituals must be performed to send the ghost on it's way and to provide guidance along it's journey.

Sometimes spirits of the dead are unable to pass away, being held on in the world of the living. There are various reasons that might cause this: the proper rituals may have been neglected or incorrectly performed, the place of burial may have been desecrated, the soul of the deceased person may have been cursed to linger, or it may be spiritually unclean due to things that happened during life, or it might be bound to worldly matters by bonds of strong emotional attachment. The most common cause of all might be that of regret: regret is a formidable burden that weighs down a soul, and regrets too deep or too numerous borne at the time of death would render a soul too heavy to fly away.

Living dead are restless ghosts that haunt the world. They can manifest in various different forms. Most typically a ghost conforms to the appearance it had during life, though not necessarily near the time of it's death. This avatar casts neither a shadow nor a reflection, and it's eyes are dull and lifeless. Sometimes the spirits of the dead instead possess bodies of living people or even inanimate objects. They might even appear in the realm of dreams, haunting people during their slumber. Many ghosts are fixated on some particular source of obsession, and their behaviour seems erratic to the living. Some are afflicted with terrible, unwholesome hungers and stop at nothing to sate their urges.

Even paragons find it very difficult to handle a haunting. Although there are rituals of exorcism, those are anything but reliable and involve a risk of invoking a terrifying wrath of the ghost. That is why reputedly haunted places tend to become abandoned and shunned.

[Ghostman]

Although all paragons draw their supernatural powers from the same source -- by channeling dynama -- there are differences in how they control and shape that power. This is so because their inherent talent is aligned with particular currents in the flow of dynama, like a radio being tuned to a particular frequency. This inborn trait is known as attunement, and it is a major limiter on a paragon's ability to learn and channel new powers.

Due to their distinct attunements, individual paragons are more inclined toward different kinds of roles and actions. This fact was recognized very early by the Paragon Order, which began to give specialized training to the acolytes, honing their skills in accordance with their attunements. The result of this specialization is a number of paths that different paragons follow. A path is a combination of inherent attunement and formal training, enabling the paragon to make the most of his potential, acquiring especially potent powers and techniques not compatible with other paths. Since attunement is an inborn trait, a paragon can only walk a single path.


Path of the Dragon Warrior
Paragon dragon warriors are a fearsome force on the field of battle, charging valorously at their opponents, always ready to embrace a heroic death. They are the shock troopers in the armies and warbands of the skyward realms, cherishing the ideal that the best defense is a strong offense. Endowed with fiery ardor and preternatural strength, trained in the aggressive dragon style of swordfighting; few are the foes that can withstand their assault. The advanced techniques and powers of dragon warriors are formidable but also very taxing, burning the warrior's dynama rapidly.

Path of the Falcon Warrior
Mobility and swiftness, both in body and in mind, characterizes the falcon school of paragon martial arts. Warriors of this school often fight mounted, riding on swift steeds of various breeds. Even when dismounted they are impeccably fast on their feet. Their style of fighting is nimble, a combination of fluid elegance and astounding acrobatic stunts: leaping, rolling, diving, backflipping... Falcon warriors maneuver through the battlefield like whirling winds, engaging and disengaging at their leisure and taking advantage of the positioning of slower-moving enemies. If their style has a weakness, it is the reluctance to commit to a decisive melee.

Path of the Turtle Warrior
Victory favours the patient, if the turtle warriors are to be believed. As contemplative adherents of a defensively oriented combat art, they place much emphasis on endurance, viewing it as more than merely a matter of tactics. They practice an ascetic lifestyle and willingly expose themselves to many forms of austerities and pain, stoically enduring these hardships to harden themselves in mind, body and soul. Through enduring, self-denial and rigorous training they forge themselves into indestructible juggernauts that stand firm, tirelessly deflecting an attack after attack and shrugging off every mind-addling mental assault.

Path of the Herald
Heralds are expert diplomats and courtiers, versed in the subtle arts of manipulation, etiquette and leadership. Among all paragons they possess a very special status that bestows a limited amount of diplomatic immunity and universal access to courts, even commanding the hospitality of enemies. They have extensive knowledge about paragons and other people of importance in the world, and maintain large networks of useful allies and contacts across borders. Heralds are natural leaders, being endowed with supernatural charisma and skilled in the ways of inspiration. Their advanced techniques and powers are suited to influencing crowds of people, forging and breaking apart alliances, bolstering their comrades and demoralizing their foes.

Path of the Inquisitor
While all paragons have a duty to uphold the code of law and investigate crimes and threats to the realm, none are as adept at this as inquisitors. With keen senses and sharp minds complimented by rigorous training, they are excellent investigators. They are authorized to conduct house-searching and interrogations within the borders of their realm and it's client kingdoms. In addition to handling more ordinary cases, inquisitors are trained to uncover and hunt down the forsaken and to contain the propagation of forbidden knowledge. They have techniques and powers that allow them to track people and other creatures, unravel mysteries, detect lies and treachery, and to deal with occult threats.

Path of the Sage
Every paragon possesses magical power, education and esoteric knowledge, but there are some of them who grow into veritable fountains of puissance and wisdom. Sages can readily provide answers to questions other character's wouldn't even think to ask, and their mastery of philosophy, theology and the grand secrets of the universe is unparalleled. What they do not already know they can often discover via contemplation or research. Their ability to channel dynama is prodigious to the point that many sages eschew swordplay as a means of self-defense, prefering to engage their opponents with pure feats of magic and only resorting to close combat as a last resort.

Path of the Medium
Those who walk the path of the medium are closer to the invisible world of Pandemonium, more in touch with all things spiritual. Their sixth sense is highly developed, making them aware of the presense of beings mortal and divine alike, and enabling them to sense major disturbances in the ethereal backdrop of the universe. Mediums practice a method of divination by entering a trance wherein they experience prophetic visions. They are adept at contacting, summoning and banishing demons of the Pandemonium, and their personal eidolons are always very powerful.

Path of the Phantom
Even the more idealistic members of the Paragon Order have to admit that sometimes the greater good is served best through espionage. Those who follow the path of the phantom carry out such inglorious yet imperative duties as covert intelligence gathering, infiltration of enemy ranks, sabotage, critical strikes and stealth reconnaissance. Although their missions are challenging and often precarious, their abilities are up to the task. Phantoms are trained in mundane stealth skills, but also learn to channel dynama to conceal their presense and walk unseen in broad daylight, phase through bolted doors and other such obstacles, and to bedazzle their foes to create opportunities for a quick escape or a decisive attack.