Post by Admin Roc on Jun 7, 2012 16:54:13 GMT -5
OFFICIAL LORE
Witches have always been feared by humanity; their power, destructive tendencies, and longevity make clear that they are naturally stronger than us, while their propensity for secrecy and meddling in the affairs of mankind paint them as an unfair foe in the best of circumstances. Witches are like us, but very unlike us at a basic level. To counter this threat humanity has, over the ages, grown and increased its prowess...
... but witches are always one step ahead in this race.
Yet there is something witches also fear amongst their own kind, a forbidden research believed by some to have been the initial cause of Shinigami's war of extermination. The capability of a witch's soul towards transformation, when closely considered, is reason to ask a great many questions. How did this power come about? What guides a witch, from early in life, to take on an animal likeness and persona? Is it genetic? A function of the sway of magic? A witch's soul wavelength? And perhaps most importantly...
... just how far can it go?
This is the key question of ascendance research, believed to be dangerously close to heretical magic. The reason for this association is clear: ascendance implies witches can achieve an even greater form of being and requires, by course, a detailed understanding of a witch's body, mind, powers, and soul. This is not unlike the research done by Arachne to create the first Demon Weapons... a tie made even closer by the rumors of Arachne's own ascendance shortly before her death.
WHAT IS ASCENSION?
By definition, an ascended witch is a witch who has somehow gone beyond the limits which bind normal witches, increasing her power and changing her very nature to such a degree that traditionalists would say she is no longer a witch at all but something else entirely. Arachne's ascension is a perfect example of this. In practical terms, ascension is a difficult proposition for a witch, as it requires four things: something to be joined to, something to sacrifice, an arcane ritual... and a specific transcription from the Book of Eibon to guide the process.
The Joining:
Ascension isn't simply a "power up" in the traditional sense; it's more like a mutation of a witch's base essence, changing them into an entirely different type of creature, a hybrid being. For this to happen a catalyst that the witch's soul can react to is required -- in Arachne's case it was the Kishin's unusually potent madness, but anything of sufficient power could, in theory, be used as an ascension catalyst. For example, if a witch were to acquire the soul of a Deathscythe or an immortal like Free, they could potentially join it to themselves and create an ascension based on the soul's nature. It's even rumored that in ancient times the great witch Morgan Le Fay created a kind of ascension using the soul of a dragon, allowing her to take on a dragon's form and amplifying her magic immensely.
The Sacrifice:
The process of ascension is not merely about what's added, it's also about what's given away. In Arachne's case this was her physical body; generally speaking, the "sacrifice" must be of equal weight within the witch's soul to what the ascension adds. As one researcher once put it, there simply isn't enough "room" in a soul, even a witch's soul, to "pour in" ascension without "poring out" something of equal spiritual weight. Witches and would-be heretics down through the ages have tried to circumvent this requirement with impersonal sacrifices -- magical talismans, books of arcane lore, the souls of great heroes and entire towns -- only to fail. The hard-and-fast rule, unbreakable even by all the secret ways of magic, is that what is gained MUST be balanced by what is lost. There is no way around it.
The Transcript:
Within the Book of Eibon are kept a great many secrets, and the secrets of ascension are amongst them. One particular page has an infamous reputation amongst those who would dare the perils of ascension; known simply as 'the Transcript', the page contains encrypted instructions for the ascension ingredients as well as the ritual needed to cause ascension to happen. The Transcript has a bizarre reputation, even for something from the Book of Eibon; the rumors about it say that when you read the page it also reads you, thus tailoring each ascension's required elements and ritual to the witch reading. This means that the ritual changes greatly with each witch who attempts it, though one element is always present in EVERY ritual: the burning of the Transcript in a common, non-magical flame. This is always the ritual's final act and, bizarrely, the trigger for ascendance to actually happen. Witches have always debated whether copies of the Transcript, rare enough already, should be outright destroyed when discovered or preserved and studied as magical artifacts of Eibon; centuries of debate has yet to yield consensus. Finding such a copy is what generally starts most witches on their pursuit of ascension, as it's an exercise in futility without one.
The Ritual:
With all the pieces in place, a witch seeking to ascend can begin the ritual. Following whatever instructions the Transcript gives her is essential for success -- everything must be just so, or else the entire process and all its cost would ultimately be a waste. Typically a magic circle is involved; sometimes other witches using Computation magic are required, while other times doing so would throw off the entire balance of the ritual. Generally the ritual will contain aspects that reflect upon what is being lost and what will be gained. For example, an ascension that requires the soul of a Deathscythe would generally have a ritual involving weaponry and icons of death.
The ritual must be carried out in full in an RP thread. This must be an [OPEN] thread; however, anyone looking to interfere must have (A) sufficient in-story justification to know what's going on and where, and (B) a good reason to want to stop the ascension. The ritual can be part of any regular RP thread, even a Territory Control battle; it does not have to have its own thread, though this generally keeps things less complicated. It is ultimately up to each aspiring witch as to when and where to conduct the ritual (unless the ritual specifically says otherwise).
HOW TO ASCEND
Ascension isn't easy... but the results can be VERY rewarding. Here's the straight-forward how-to guide on ascension.
To begin the process you must first PM a member of the staff (for this particular purpose Orias comes highly recommended, due to his in-depth background in traditional RPing like D&D and similar roleplaying pursuits; you can of course message any staff member of RP Mod rank or higher about it). This staff member will work with you privately to set the terms of your ascension. You should try to start the conversation with some strong, well considered ideas for the ascension -- specifically regarding the Joining and the Sacrifice, as well as the end result. When you're ready, PM your chosen staff member with the following form:
The Transcript:
(This part will generally be decided by your staff member; specifically, this involves where and how your witch gets a copy of the Transcript. Based on your staff member's judgement you may be directed to a certain character to RP with, requested to go on or run a Mission, seize a certain Territory, or take on a particular challenge of their own design. This should be the first step along your character's journey to ascendance.)
The Joining:
(You should have some idea what the "power source" of your ascension will be; if you're having trouble or aren't sure your idea fits canon then the staff member can make suggestions and guide you in this regard. Feel free to be creative; not every ascension has to be madness, dragon souls, or slain Deathscythes.)
(Actually acquiring the object of your ascension will take on the form of a Mission; your staff member may offer to run this for you or may direct you to someone else. Failing all else you can ask permission to do a Self-Run Mission, though this will be evaluated very carefully to make sure you truly EARN the item, not just hand it to yourself on a silver platter.)
The Sacrifice:
(This part is tricky. If you can come up with a fitting sacrifice yourself, go right ahead; if you'd prefer the staff member come up with something instead then be prepared to field questions about your witch and answer in some depth. Again, creativity is strongly encouraged here.)
The Ritual:
(Depending on your staff member's judgement and just how powerful your witch's ascension is, the ritual may require additional elements that can be gained through Missions, RPs, SRMs, etc. You and your staff member can both contribute ideas for the ritual itself -- what's involved, what it'll look like, what's spoken, what's done, etc., -- but ultimately you both have to agree before the ritual can be posted and begin. And remember the one common element: at the very end, burning the Transcript in a non-magic flame triggers ascension to begin.)
The Ascension:
(This is the most important part of any ascension plan: the end result. Use this section to describe what changes will take place in the character's appearance, personality, and abilities due to a successful ascension. This is just brainstorming; you don't need to have EVERYTHING figured out down to the most minute detail but you SHOULD know what you want and what it'll look like. Keep in mind the ascension benefits {described below} for this. This part of the plan must come entirely from you -- the staff member can only make suggestions {or outright reject it if it's too absurd, like an ascension based on chocolate or sunshine}.)[/ul]
[b][[ASCENSION PLAN]][/b]
[b]The Transcript:[/b]
[b]The Joining:[/b]
[b]The Sacrifice:[/b]
[b]The Ritual:[/b]
[b]The Ascension:[/b]Once an ascension is COMPLETE you're entitled to ONE of the following benefits:
- ALL of the character's current magic-based Abilities can be upgraded immediately to Resonance strength for free. If a magical Ability is already at Resonance strength it can be upgraded to Epic Resonance at half price. Non-magical Abilities can also be upgraded IF doing so makes sense with the concepts of the ascension. {All these upgrades must be done all at once, preferably posted in the Emporium when the ritual is begun so that they can be approved when / if ascension is successful. Upgrades MUST follow Emporium formatting and rules to be approved.}
- Up to six free new Strong Abilities that reflect the witch's ascendance.
- Up to three free Animal Forms (or) one Legendary Animal Form at half price (if applicable to the ascension).
A witch can only ascend once under normal circumstances; if you have an idea for a multi or multi-step ascension it MUST be approved by ALL of the staff BEFOREHAND; otherwise, your limit is one ascension per witch.[/ul]