EMPYREAN

A chronological summary of the major cosmic ages of the Universe of the Unfolding Dream and the most important events of each age. Click the Image above, or the following link to visit the post in the Unfolding Dream blog. Cosmic Ages of the Unfolding Dream .

We have moved all the (mostly mythological) material of the Unfolding Dream, which regards the rich background of the Aethons to its own Blog . This was done so that this blog will focus purely on material specific to Empyrean, including the lore of the world of Arandor. While Empyrean is a tale of two worlds, in some regards, because the incarnated Aethons may carry with them memories of past events, which may prove to be meaningful in the grand scheme of things, it is still, ultimately, not a persistent thing.

In the midst of the six domains of the Hexad spans the realm of Haedras, with the colossal citadel of Anatheras rising as its crowning jewel. The city’s steel-blue walls of ancient, ferrous concrete, circle around gigantic structures that house more than twenty million souls, all of them floating upon the ancient lake that gave the city its name. Towering in the midst of the giant habitats, lies the titanic palace-temple of Nalatoth, god of the Hexad, ruler of the seas, master of strategy and god of Blades. The city also hosts a magnificent port, whence the gleaming vessels of the realm spread across the turbulent North Sea and beyond, to trade and barter goods with all the other realms, and lift levies and taxes from all the lands that remain in awe of Anatheras' mighty naval forces. It is also home to the titanic Stadium of Swords, where millions of souls gather to witness spectacles of slaughter and carnage – a necessary daily sacrifice that will appease the great G...

Award each participating player 1 Development point for each completed story chapter. A story chapter is equivalent to a coherent story unit within the ongoing storyline. A storyline can consist of many stories, and each story can consist of many chapters. A single gaming session will rarely complete more than a couple or three chapters, and sometimes a single chapter is barely completed during a single session, and may need to span across two or three sessions. You can devise additional story milestones and achievements that award bonus Development points as necessary.  Avoid handing out Development points for feeling generous, because these tend to create a precedent of expectation, it must be clear why someone has gained a Development point. Avoid handing Development points to specific players. Players share their achievements, it is part of the benefits of group play, so the results of achievements are also shared between the players. If you do choose to award indi...

Empyreans can further refine their powers so that when they're already activated, they can pour even more of the force of Destiny to create a mighty burst of power, called a Surge. Following are some examples of what can be achieved using the Surge mechanic: Aetherean Whirlwind:  (Requires Aetherean Edge). Your melee attack for this round attacks all enemies within melee range. In addition you can disengage from melee and move up to your movement at no action cost. Dimension Edge:  (Requires Aetherean Edge). You can make a ranged attack with your melee weapon. You attack the air, tearing the space that divides you and your target in order to teleport your attack to them. The ranged attack receives supremacy, and you maintain all the benefits of Aetherean Edge. Winged Avenger:  (Requires Empyrean Wings). Your empyrean wings harden, doubling as weapons for the round, granting you Supremacy to melee attack rolls, allowing your melee combat roll result to be used as a...

The following talents are available exclusively to Empyrean characters. Empathic Soul : (Requires Insight Level 5, and Empyrean character). You are inherently attuned to your spirit, having subconsciously trained your Insight to adjust to the ebb and flow of the Spirit World. This has made you a natural Empath with an improved ability of Second Sight and Soul Speech. You can use Insight instead of Spirit when rolling for Second Sight or Soul Speech. You can also spend 1 Destiny to gain an exceptional vision from the near future. If you use this during combat, you gain a number of bonus dice equal to your successes as bonus dice to any rolls made in the next round. You can actually swap the successes between bonus dice or additional rounds of duration. Unrelenting Spirit : (Requires Resolve, Spirit Level 4 or Level 5, and Empyrean character) You fight without hesitation or fear, naturally channeling your Inner Fire into your attacks. You gain +1 dice in your melee combat roll...

Empyrean Powers are a natural extension of the "Surge of Inner Fire" / Empyrean Inspiration / Supremacy mechanic. They are meant to enrich this experience by making it more specific and more diverse, implying that different Empyreans will have access to different powers and not just invoke the benefits of Supremacy for a given type of rolls. Most Empyrean Powers work in a similar way. They are activated as a minor action by spending 1 Destiny, and they remain active for an entire scene. Their success, magnitude and power are also measured by a Spirit roll made when the Empyrean Power is first invoked. This spirit roll does not benefit from Supremacy. When using the Ability system, the Spirit roll is the Invocation power. A character can maintain 1 active Empyrean Power at a time, plus an additional Power if they have Spirit Level 4, or three powers at a time, if they have Spirit Level 5. Empyrean Powers can be further developed through the concept of surges (which i...