The Luminaries of Aetolia
Founded in Slyphian, year 97 of the Midnight Age as the ancient order of Priests consumed itself amidst Corruption and frivolity, the Luminaries were a guild that combined the old teachings of Spirituality and Devotion with a rediscovered art of the old Illuminai - that of Illumination.
The Luminaries soon led at the forefront of the war against the Darkness, wielding mace, shield, angel, and sacred magics against the many enemies of the Light. Not solely defined by the worship of the Light itself, their focus included the many Gods of Spirit. Like the priests of old, though filled with fire anew, they served as warriors, ministers, and healers of the southeast.
Upon Khepary 13th, year 452 of the Midnight Age, the Luminaries were dissolved under order of the prophet Kayalenki, in order that their members and members of the Daru would form a new Illuminai order in the southeast. The Luminary legacy is that of deep, profound faith, and a constant attention to the Light and Fire which light the city of Enorian, and the lands of the southeast. Though the guild is ended, the teachings live on within the Illuminai.
Luminary Skills
Spirituality is an art centered around three primary components: the spiritual mace, the shield, and the guardian angel. The trained Luminary employs all three in order to enact the Light's will and fight for the Age of Dawn.
The mace is an ordinary mace, empowered by Spirit - it deals magical rather than mundane damage, and can be used to direct the Luminary's righteous powers in other, more sophisticated ways.
The shield is a complement to the mace, allowing the Luminary to cast several spells of Light. More mundanely, it can be used to deliver crushing, stunning blows.
The guardian angel is a creature of Spirit, and the Luminary's steadfast companion. It acts in a primarily defensive, supporting capacity, but is capable of terrible feats of violence. Additionally, angels maintain a strict antipathy toward beings of Chaos, and can sense their unnatural presences even at great distances.
Spirituality
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Summon
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL SUMMON and ANGEL FADE
ANGEL CEASE <power>This ability will allow you to summon forth your guardian angel and call it to your side. The angel you call will always be the same one, so make sure to treat it well. If you wish to dismiss your angel, you can have it fade from view.
Additionally, should it be currently using an ongoing power, you may have it cease to use it.
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Touch
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL TOUCH
By touching the heart of your angel, you can assess its current power and any abilities it might be using. When it runs out of power, it will lose its ability to maintain its physical form and disappear until its power returns.
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Binding
DescriptionSyntax: BIND <weapon>
Using your inherent link to the spirit world, you may bind any ordinary mace or pernach to your will, allowing you to use it for various spiritual attacks, such as Smite. This will change the weapon to deal magical damage when it strikes and it will additionally prevent others from being able to attack with your weapon.
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Smite
DescriptionSyntax: SMITE <target> [SECRET]
Using your weapon, you may smite down another and deal damage to them. If they possess the accursed affliction, then the amount is increased. Your weapon must first be bound to you in order to use this ability.
If you are part of an Order or a Congregation, then you will smite your target in your Gods name. If you wish to hide this, simply specify the SECRET command to default the message to the godless smite.
Smite can also be used in combination with Targeting from Weaponry, allowing you to target a limb with your smite. You can read AB WEAPONRY TARGETING for more information.
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Shine
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL SHINE
Angel power cost: 300Your angel will begin radiating a blinding light, which will prevent anyone from outside glancing into your location. This will drain your angel of its power over time.
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Symbols
DescriptionSyntax: PAINT SYMBOL OF <god>
This ability will allow you to paint the holy symbol of a god on yourself. The gods and inks required are:
- Ethne: 1 goldink, 1 redink.
- Damariel: 1 goldink, 1 yellowink.
- Dhar: 1 goldink, 1 purpleink.
- Haern: 1 goldink, 1 greenink.
- Lleis: 1 goldink, 1 blueink.These symbols will imbue different bonuses, however you can only have one at a time. The bonuses are:
- Ethne: Reduces Spark consumption for Illumination by 15%.
- Damariel: Devotion Truth will act like an eye sigil.
- Dhar: When below 25% health, you will resist attacks by 10%.
- Haern: Provides a small bonus to endurance regeneration.
- Lleis: Provides a small bonus to willpower regeneration.To replace an old symbol, simply paint the new one you'd like.
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Sear
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL SEAR <target>
Angel power cost: 150With this ability, you may command your guardian angel to sear a player with intense heat, causing any applied salves or poultices to potentially boil away for a period of time and setting them ablaze.
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Call
DescriptionUsage: CALL <mace|pernach>
Through sheer willpower, you will be able to summon the weapon that is bound to you if you have lost it.
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Aura
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL AURA [target]
Angel power cost: 100This ability will cause your angel to raise a magical shield over whomever you choose. If you do not specify anyone, then it will raise a shield around you.
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Panic
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL PANIC <target>
Angel power cost: 100With this ability, you may command your angel to strike fear into the heart of another. If they do not have a sturdy grip upon their weapons, then they will drop them too.
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Fortify
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL FORTIFY
Using this ability, you may replenish some of your angel's power by sharing your health. You may use this ability even when your angel is not summoned.
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Watch
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL WATCH
Angel power cost: 100At a constant drain to your angel's power, it will begin to report upon the movement of your enemies as they move around in the local area. You will also get a status report each time you move to a new location.
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Chasten
DescriptionSyntax: CHASTEN <target> [affliction]
By directing your bound weapon at another, you may release a bolt of dark magic that will chasten their mental faculties. You may choose the affliction it gives if you like, or a random one will be chosen. You must be wielding a shield as well as your bound weapon in order to use this ability.
Possible afflictions you can give are:
Anorexia, dementia, hypochondria, lethargy, self loathing, justice, paranoia, recklessness, stupidity, or agony.While chasten only requires that you have mental equilibrium, if you use it while you possess balance as well then the affliction will be hidden to the target. If the target possesses all of the above afflictions, then your bound weapon will release a bolt of magical energy that will damage them instead.
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Rest
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL REST
Ask your angel to rest, ceasing any currently active abilities your angel might be using.
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Shieldplay
DescriptionThis ability is passive.
Shields are one of the main tools of the Luminary, second only to their bound weapon. Most abilities that make use of your shield will have their damage and balance recovery times altered by the type of shield you use.
The simplest way to look at it is that smaller shields are faster, while bigger shields deal more damage. Some abilities may have more unique effects based on your shield type, however they will be described in the relevant AB help file for that ability.
Below is a list of shields from smallest to largest:
Buckler or Cavalry shield
Banded shield
Kite or Tower shieldAll shields can offer the same level of protection, the only thing that matters is the size for your abilities.
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Strike
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD STRIKE <target>
Deal a simple strike with your shield, causing paresis in the target.
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Drain
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL DRAIN
Angel power cost: 10% of maximumYour angel stands ready to sacrifice even its very essence for your benefit. This ability will replenish some of your health at a cost to it.
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Seek
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL SEEK <target>
Angel power cost: 5This ability will cause your angel to report on the whereabouts of your target, regardless of where they might be. It will tell you their location, their health and mana levels, and anyone who might be with them.
Should your target be in the same room as you, then this ability will not cost equilibrium.
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Raze
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD RAZE <target>
Strip away any protective barriers from your target, such as the rebounding aura or a magical shield.
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Brilliance
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD BRILLIANCE <target>
Focus your inner spark through your shield to create a brilliant ray of light that shatter the courage of your opponent.
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Mindread
DescriptionUsage: ANGEL MINDREAD
This ability will cause your angel to report to you any tells that players in the room with you receive. -
Beckon
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL BECKON [target]
Angel power cost: 35This ability will cause your angel to draw all those in adjacent locations to your location, as though they moved themselves. If you beckon a specific target, then you will only draw that person in.
This ability will strip the rebounding defence if it is successful in moving the target, but only if it is targeted on a single opponent.
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Crush
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD CRUSH <target> <bodypart> AND <bodypart>
A swift combination of shield and bound weapon designed to crush your opponent's limbs. You can target the head, torso, legs, or arms of your enemy. You may not target the same limb for both hits.The size of shield used will affect the amount of limb trauma dealt, with larger shields dealing more limb damage.
You will be unable to Chasten off balance after using this move.
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Lambaste
DescriptionSyntax: LAMBASTE <target>
Calling upon a sacred chant, you can direct its might through your mace and that will lambaste your foe with a ripping force, knocking the wind out of them. This will deliver both asthma and haemophilia to your target.
If they already had haemophilia, then it will cause them bleed in its place.
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Strip
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL STRIP <target>
Angel power cost: 20You may ask your angel to strip a defence from your target. This ability will always strip rebounding first if they have it, otherwise it will strip a random defence.
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Ripples
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL RIPPLES
Angel power cost: 15With this ability, you will be able to see a list of all chaos entities currently on the Prime Material Plane.
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Facesmash
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD FACESMASH <target>
Smash your shield into your target's face, making them miserable and shattering their courage.
You will be unable to Chasten while off balance after using this move.
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Ward
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL WARD
Angel power cost: 15Ward will cause all chaos entities in the room to have to fight to maintain their composure. If they fail, they will flee in fear.
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Smash
DescriptionSyntax: SMASH <RIGHT|LEFT> <ARM|LEG> <target>
This ability will allow you to crush one of your opponents arms or legs using your bound weapon with surprising power. This will cause a large amount of trauma to that limb.
Cooldown: 6 seconds
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Battle
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL BATTLE [target] <affliction>
Angel power cost: 25You are now able to order your angel to afflict your opponent with a variety of afflictions. While this does require your balance and equilibrium, it consumes neither. However, your angel will require a short time to recover before being able to battle again.
You may choose from the following afflictions:
Anorexia, stupidity, impatience, vertigo, ringing ears, self pity, mania, or migraine.If your angel is in the process of using spiritwrack upon someone, then the next time it passively wracks their soul she will use the affliction you suggested to her through the use of battle and will mask it. There is no recovery time for your angel if it is used in this method.
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Crash
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD CRASH <target>
Make wieldly use of your shield and crash it into your foe's head. Should they possess two mental afflictions, then you will disrupt them of their mental equilibrium.
You will be unable to Chasten while off balance after using this move.
Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction.
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Presences
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL PRESENCES
Angel power cost: 100Your angel will report on all those within the local area, revealing their location and their current health and mana.
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Trace
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL TRACE <target>
Angel power cost: 25With trace, your angel will report the location of selected target each time they move within the local area. This will slowly drain your angel of its power over time.
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Sap
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL SAP <target>
Angel power cost: 30Order your angel to sap the mana reserves of your target with a piercing glance. If they possess the accursed affliction, then the amount is increased.
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Punch
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD PUNCH <target>
Punch your shield into your opponent's stomach, causing weariness.
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Contemplation
DescriptionSyntax: CONTEMPLATE <target>
Contemplate your opponent's mental state and discover their mana levels. -
Spiritwrack
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL SPIRITWRACK <target>
Angel power cost: 75You may ask your angel to wrack the soul of your target periodically, debilitating their mind and body with a number of possible afflictions. The chosen affliction will be masked from your target's view.
A list of possible afflictions:
Anorexia, stupidity, impatience, vertigo, ringing ears, self pity, mania, or migraine.If your target has all of these afflictions, then your angel will begin to sap their mana. This ability will drain the power of your angel over time.
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Refuge
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL REFUGE
Angel power cost: 300You can now ask your angel to take you to a place of safety. Once this ability is used, after a small delay you will be transported to Nirvana, a place of light and refuge. If you lose equilibrium or balance, or leave the location you are in before it completes, then the refuge will fail.
Those with the sanction benefits of the Illuminai will be taken to a special place of transcendance, inaccessible by otherwise normal means.
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Empathy
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL EMPATHY
Angel power cost: 150With this ability, you may ask your angel to regularly heal your physical wounds. This will slowly drain the power of your angel over time.
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Power
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL POWER
You can divert your mental reserves to your angel, refilling its own power at the cost of yours. You may use this ability even when your angel is not summoned.
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Judgement
DescriptionSyntax: JUDGE <target>
With your bound weapon, you may judge that a player has committed a crime punishable by death, and attempt to deal out your sentence. This is a channeled ability and you may not do most actions during it, otherwise it will be interrupted. The last moment before judgement is delivered cannot be stopped by the opponent other than by escaping your reach.
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Sacrifice
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL SACRIFICE
Angel power cost: 1000Though it will cost its physical form, your angel will make the ultimate sacrifice and restore you fully in both mind and body and heal all afflictions. You will be unable to summon it again for a short period of time afterwards.
Cooldown (Summon): 10 minutes
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Absolve
DescriptionSyntax: ANGEL ABSOLVE <target>
Angel power cost: 500Using this most powerful of angelic abilities, your angel will attempt to rip the very soul from your enemy. Should they be below 45% of their maximum mana reserves, then your angel will successfully rip out their soul and their life will end on the spot.
This will also restore a portion of your angel's power, depending on the target's level, and can overflow your angel's maximum power.
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Overwhelm
DescriptionSyntax: SHIELD OVERWHELM <target>
Only usable on a target who is prone, this attack will deal a vicious amount of damage and bleeding, and knock them to the floor. Along side the standard benefits of shield size, utilising a smaller shield will increase the bleeding while a larger shield will increase the damage.
Additionally, if the opponent has over five curable afflictions upon them, it will weaken their senses and deal increased damage. The damage will increase by 8% for each affliction over the initial five, and up to a maximum of 80%. Afflictions not given by you will only provide half the damage bonus.
Due to the overwhelming nature of the skill, the aura of rebounding has zero effect against it and cannot be dodged.
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Roleplaying a Luminary
Luminaries are priests of Light and Spirit, who emerged following the dissolution of the Priests and their subsequent reformation under Sahmie Rhashye in the year 97 MA. Serving for centuries in a guild of the self-same name, they eventually unified with the Daru Zealots following the War of Night, in the year 452 MA, to form the Illuminai reborn. They are practitioners of divine magic, including communion with the Spirit Plane, devotional prayers, and Illumination, their characteristic art of fire.
Who were the first Illuminai?
The Illuminai first emerged in the epoch prior to the Midnight Age, a southeastern movement founded in Shallam - the city that is now Enorian. Their monolatrous faith was one of fire, centered upon the Goddess Mebrene, though they also drew inspiration from Idar Karif and his warriors of Light. As the first practitioners of Illumination, they succeeded in overthrowing the Sultan's corrupt rule and instituting spiritual and political reforms under the governance of Kayalenki, their leader and high priestess. Eventually, however, a combination of internal dispute and outside threats crushed the Illuminai and their temple, and the sultanate was restored.
What is the Spirit Plane?
Rewh'va, the Plane of Spirit, is the source of the element of spirit, which is an essential component of all the Luminary arts. The element of spirit crosses into the Prime through the sun, which is itself an immense portal connecting the two planes, and is found in all living beings - from the smallest grasses to the mightiest beasts. Without the Spirit Plane, neither life nor the Luminary's disciplines would be possible. The Duamvi, a symbiotic race created by the Triad of Angels, originate from the Spirit Plane.
Sources of Luminary Powers
The sources of the Luminary's arts include:
- Rewh'va, the Plane of Spirit, and the Triad of Angels.
- The manipulation and structuring of ambient spirit in the world around them.
- The Inner Spark, a wellspring of elemental spirit and fire possessed by all living, sentient beings.
- The Grand Flame, a sacred fire within Enorian which serves as a point of communion between mortality and the Gods of Spirit.
Luminaries also undergo training with mace and shield, learning to combine these martial disciplines with their spiritual power.
Visual style of the class
Luminaries are well-armored, formidable presences in battle, forgoing extraneous movement in favor of powerful, direct strikes with magic and shield - withholding the mace for targeted strikes and expressions of light and fire. Although their devotional rites often possess accompanying movements, even these tend to be restrained in the interest of their piety. Light and sparks often linger about them during, as well as after, using the fiery evocations characteristic of Illumination.
Side effects of the class
Spirit, being the most lively and energetic of the elements, may, over time, shift the personality of any practitioner who draws upon it frequently - and Luminaries are no exception. Even calm personalities may be rendered more excitable, extreme, or volatile by its influence, a quality which often exists in tension with their priestly arts.
Owing to the discipline, faith, and repetition upon which the Luminary's rites are based, there is a strong tendency to ritualize everyday behavior. Whether this manifests more usually, as in speaking a blessing before meals, or extends to particular ways of washing hands, walking home, or preparing for bed, Luminaries often rely upon these routines in order to remain grounded.
Roleplaying the class
Luminaries firmly embody the priest or cleric archetype found in other games, being defined by faith, ritual, and devotion in equal measure. Spirituality and Devotion are skills which reflect this archetype, both implying the worship of the Gods of Spirit. Illumination is the skill that ties the Luminary to Enorian, and it is closely associated with Mebrene, the essence of fire. Regardless of whether they directly worship a God or not, Luminaries are universally devoted to the cause of Light, seeking to bring about the end of the Midnight Age and usher in the prophesized Age of Dawn.
Angel lore
Every Luminary is capable of summoning a guardian angel, due to an age-old contract sworn between Idar and the Triad of Angels that has held to the present day. Angels are embodiments of perfection, held in high reverence upon Rewh'va, and dwell in the space between Spirit and Prime. When summoned, they do not physically appear, but instead project their presences across the cosmos. They are able to protect and heal their Luminary companion as well as strike against their foes. Over time, as the bond between Luminary and angel strengthens, the projection may acquire a more distinct form and unique characteristics, setting it apart from others.
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