Emulation
The Relics of Proteus were something that both fascinated and confounded the Aldar. As tools of violence and augmentation they were unsurpassed when fully attuned to a user (a bonding impossible to all save those they were designed for), and yet their means of creation was something outside of their understanding, coming as it did from the inscrutable hand of Proteus Himself. This lack of knowing drove many Firstborn to seek the secrets of these creations, a journey which brought them both great victories and terrible losses.
The art of Emulation is the remnants of the research that those Aldar stored within Saar-elan and Nur. Though their goal of replicating a relic of Proteus was never attained, several of their effects could be emulated to either lesser degrees or in some cases vastly divergent ones.
The skill of Emulation is available to members of the Psion class, along with Weaving and Psionics.
Abilities in Emulation
| Guidedstrike | Luck is a power all its own. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT GUIDEDSTRIKE | |
| Works against: | Self | |
| Cooldown: | 3.00 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The study of luck was one that bore many benefits, but the most wildly acclaimed one was that which granted the ability to deal even more devastating critical blows. While protected by this beneficial defence you will be able to potentially deal up to plane-razing critical strikes(*). * Does not stack with the artefact paragon that grants a similar effect. | |
| Wavesurge | The might of the raging waters. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT WAVESURGE | |
| Works against: | Self | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | Call upon the might of the waves to carry you away. This shall throw you between 1 and three rooms in a random direction. There is a delay before you may call upon this after doing so previously. | |
| Soulmark | Some marks cannot be washed away. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT SOULMARK <corpse|name of person> ENACT SOULMARK | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The study of the soul was one many Aldar felt uncomfortable with pursuing. For this reason there was very little advancement in this field until quite late comparitively, and many of the techniques discovered were considered lackluster. However, one that fell into wide spread use by the Aldar was the ability to place a mark upon someone's very soul, able to locate that person where ever they might be on any plane of the multiverse. There were no protections against such an enactment, even changing one's phase with reality or assuming incorporiality being insufficient. Unfortunately, the true scale of this marking process is lost to time. To achieve this effect you will first require the corpse of the person whose soul you wish to mark, and said marking shall fade after some Achaean days. | |
| Upheaval | Tremors and tribulations. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT UPHEAVAL | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | At your command the very earth shall quake and tremble, cracks opening and forming great piles of rubble to block some of the exits from your location. | |
| Companion | Before the fall. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT COMPANION <servitor type> SERVITOR ACT SERVITOR STATION SERVITOR RETURN ENACT COMPANION DISMANTLE | |
| Cooldown: | 4.00 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The Servitors that wander the city of Nur were once the hands of the Aldar in every day life. Not truely of the living, these constructs handled everything from crafting to maintaining the wildlife. Alas, no more true servitors shall be created, for the Finality upon his throne is unlikely to return to such a passtime in the modern age. Yet for all that some scraps of knowledge remain, and you may bring forth one of these servitors at a time: Aklan: causing this servitor to act shall have it inform you of everyone in its local area. You may cause a servitor to act when it stands or with you, or remotely if you have stationed it. Causing it to act remotely will make it return to your side. Note that imperfect as these servitors are, they shall not fight on your behalf: all they come into being with is their directive to perform their core function. | |
| Destruction | Elemental fury to ravage and rage. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT DESTRUCTION <target> <direction> | |
| Works against: | Adventurers | |
| Cooldown: | 3.50 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The study of the elements was somewhat of an unfortunate field to be engaged in historically. In the early days there were concerns about intruding upon the realm of Agatheis, as he was somewhat of a mysterious god even to the Aldar. Later, said gods betrayal in the War of Humanity made most Aldar avoid this field at all costs. Nevertheless, some advancements were made, particularly when trying to replicate the destructive power of the newly met Dragon's breath. By calling upon elemental destruction, you will send a blast of power to ravage a foe you can see in your line of sight. Focussing on the elements in this way is unpredictable, and your results may vary: Ice shall deal damage and freeze the target. | |
| Imposition | Your word against their will. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT IMPOSITION <target> <command> | |
| Works against: | Adventurers | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The act of imposing one's will on others was somewhat of a devisive topic among the Aldar. Nevertheless, there were those that felt the mind was the key to all understanding, and bending the mind to one's will was a natural step in that exploration. Though the terrible dominion of the Protean mind ring was never fully emulated, progress was made. You may command a target to obey your command, and some time later(*) they will carry out that action. * The higher the intelligence of your target, the greater their ability to resist, and the longer the action shall take before it is carried out. | |
| Barter | There is power in such things. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT BARTER <amount of gold> | |
| Cooldown: | 4.00 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The golden sovereign has been the currency of Sapience long before modern civilisation, but even before the metal held power. The specifics are likely beyond all but the Logos and perhaps the Lord Merchant, but the Aldar did make certain discoveries. By extracting the power in the metal, they were able to restore themselves greatly(*), though it did result in the metal being destroyed. Many considered this a failed experiment as the costs became so high, but there were some that felt it was a worthwhile discovery nevertheless. * You may destroy a specified amount of gold and restore your endurance by an equivalent amount. | |
| Discordance | A fluxing of chaotic power. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT DISCORDANCE | |
| Works against: | Room | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | There were very few forays into this field of study before it was simply agreed upon to be abandoned. The affects were simply too unpredictable, even if sometimes benefitial. By enacting this power, you will change the health of everyone in your location to better over represent the whole. * There is only so much this can modify a person's health by, and only so much a given person can influence the overall result. | |
| Rupture | Bleed them dry. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT RUPTURE | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | Enhancing your vision will allow you to perceive where blood flows most strongly even through the barrier of your foe's skin, enabling you to target your attacks with devastating precision(*). * Your next three blows shall all deal significantly increased bleeding. | |
| Clarity | Mind over all. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT CLARITY | |
| Works against: | Self | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | To enhance thought is to enhance all. By bolstering your mental clarity, you will greatly speed your equilibrium recovery for a short time. | |
| Reprise | Its not over yet. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT REPRISE <target> | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | Resurrection. Such a long-studied field and so many disasters therein. Though the art was long since mastered, all forms that exist utilise some external force; doing so through pure force of will and power is something that many Aldar's strove for, but never could realise. Perhaps the final reason for the end to this line of study was the terrible act which came to become known as the reprise. When a mutual ally falls in battle, providing you have their corpse upon the ground at your feet you may enact the reprise. They shall return to life immediately, ready to continue the battle. However, after only a short while the power that drew them back to their mortal shell shall be exhausted, and their soul will be torn away and sent plunging into the Halls of Death. This death is unavoidable; no secondary affects can prevent it from occurring. Perhaps most cruelly of all, when the individual dies for this second and most final time, their blood shall fall upon the hands of their resurrector. Note that you may not perform this act while recovering from/maintaining a lifebond due to the conflicting nature of the methodologies involved. | |
| Roth | Unleash your fury. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT ROTH | |
| Cooldown: | 1.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The rageblade was a weapon so terrible in its potential that no wielder has ever truely mastered it. It is of no surprise that there was relentless study into discovering its secrets, and yet such discoveries were rare and strangely divergent in their affects. When sufficiently weakened(*), you may unleash your fury, bolstering your health and granting you both the clarity and rupture defences. This is extremely taxing, and you may only do it every so often(**). * You must be below half of your maximum health. | |
| Lightbind | Some things must not walk free. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT LIGHTBIND <target> | |
| Cooldown: | 2.80 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | Though the Aldar could never replicate the desired functionality of the golden chain, they did determine a way to bind someone quite effectively. By summoning bonds of light, you may chain a person to you. They will find it difficult to move away until they get at least some distance(*). * The bonds fail after the two people are not in the same or adjacent rooms. | |
| Lifebond | The martyr's calling. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT LIFEBOND <target> | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | You may bond yourself to a comrade(*), and in the eventuality that said comrade should tragically fall in battle, you will give up your very life in their stead. Be warned, not even the vilest of necromantic magics or chaotic manipulations will spare you from this death, and neither shall the stars shine upon your soul. Falling in this manner shall instantly hurl you into the Halls of the Finality.* You may only place one of these bonds so often, and there is a cooldown on the target (that is placed once they are resurrected via this bond) as well. | |
| Painshift | Your pain, your gain. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT PAINSHIFT <target> | |
| Works against: | Adventurers | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The redirection of lethal injuries was a universally studied field, as many among the Aldar had no love for the arts of war. Unfortunately, the greatest knowledge remaining of that era is not one to enhance those of a pacifistic nature: indeed, quite the opposite. By focussing on a target for a short while during while you may perform no other actions, you may create a sympathetic bond with them for a short time(*). While this bond is active any damage you take from almost all sources shall be redirected to this person, providing they remain in the same location as you. Note that performing any action will cause the sympathetic bond to snap, and this will not protect you from blows that will slay you outright. | |
| Indomitability | The shadow of the Battlemaster. | |
| Syntax: | ENACT INDOMITABILITY | |
| Works against: | Self | |
| Cooldown: | 2.30 seconds of equilibrium | |
| Details: | The war veil. When empowered, an ultimate defence that could not be penetrated. In an age where conflict was on the rise and death had suddenly become a real concern for the Aldar, this was the relic that they most vigourously wished to emulate the powers of. It was also the one where they failed almost entirely. Though much research was done into a way to replicate the ultimate defence, it was never achieved. Yet something else emerged from those experiments: a way to allow ones miriad images to instinctively react to throw themselves in harms way. Though it was a bitter defeat in the eyes of those that had striven so hard, certain infamous Aldar made this into a truely terrible thing to behold. Each miriad image can take only so many(*) hits before it will shatter, and they will not always react. * Three strikes per image. | |