Mana
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There are two universal forces whose influence no created being (including the Celestials) is above; Mana and Oblivion. Both are ubiquitous, impersonal, unintelligent forces of push and pull to which the entire universe must yield. Mana flows through the universe, binding every being in a great web of life, death, and reincarnation. It is the force which penetrates all reality, giving form and law to the universe. Mana guides the fate of both mortal and immortal creatures, writing their course in the alignment of stars and planets within the Cosmic Machine. Mana is the lifeblood of the universe. Without it, all reality would wither away into nothingness. The Soul is a complex array of Mana. At birth, a creature’s life energy springs from Mana and after death, these energies return to Mana to be reborn anew. The grass, the sky, the seas, and all the creatures and wild spirits therein are connected to this mysterious force of life, death and rebirth. Mana is the breath that sustains The Sphere and a product of of the Elder Gods’ dreaming; if ever They were to awaken, all reality would fall apart as Mana would no longer exist to hold it together.
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Mana and Oblivion are two opposing, yet essential forces that create and destroy in harmony, setting the balance of reality.
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If Mana is the dreaming of the Elder Gods, then Oblivion is result of their unfathomable nightmares. If Mana represents the sum of creation, Oblivion is its antithesis, the entropic worm gnawing at the core of existence. To call Oblivion death would be to misunderstand it. Death is a mere whisper of Oblivion, a part of the cycle of life and reincarnation. Oblivion is not merely death; Oblivion is nothingness. Oblivion is the unraveling of the threads which bind the universe. It is the end means of all chaos and destruction, the stagnation that chokes the possibility of new beginnings, and the ultimate, final end to all endings. Oblivion is not "evil" and Mana is not "good"; they are both simple, amoral forces that govern all things in the universe. To ascribe morality to either would be the same as condemning an earthquake or praising the virtue of gravity. These forces neither care for or are aware of mortal life, acting only in accordance to the nature given them by The Elder Gods.
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Mana flows through Creation in orderly currents, connecting the lives and fates of all creatures.
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The Hand of Fate
Gods, spirits, and mortals alike are caught up in Mana’s flow, their destinies entwined in the unseen eddies of its power. The course of Mana’s flow turns the gears of the Cosmic Machine and those sensitive to its signs may gain an inkling of what is to come as Mana’s prognostications are written in the alignment of stars, the casting of bones, the patterns of tea leaves, and countless other methods for divining the future. How individual choice and the credence of fate interact is a subject for philosophers to debate, yet one thing is certain: as a fate is written, a Man is equally and adequately equipped. Though every living creature has a bond with Mana, this link normally goes unfelt, unheard, unseen. Some however, are born with an innate connection to Mana, feeling it as naturally as another limb or sense. This connection allows them an instinctive use of The Mystery which manifests as an extension of their desires, abilities, and personality; a gifted swordsman becomes a master, moving with supernatural athleticism and sensing his opponent’s moves before they occur. A scholar finds he simply knows things he never learned or studied. A budding mystic taps into a level of power and understanding of The Mystery her elders have attained only through a lifetime of practice. Such individuals are born seemingly at random and this connection to Mana is the sign of a great destiny. The power such individuals wield leads them inevitably down the path of an epic hero or infamous villain. Unless otherwise noted, all player characters are such people; individuals born with a strong connection to Mana, and thus a great destiny ahead of them. |
Ley Lines
The course of Mana within Creation is ordered by the laws and strictures of the Cosmic Machine to guide its ebb and flow. The life-force runs, pools, and eddies through the land in predictable currents called Ley Lines. These patterns run throughout Creation, connecting places to one another. A Nexus of converging Ley Lines can be a strange, fascinating, and dangerous place where the laws that normally govern reality become much more pliable. Here, The Mystery is easily expressed and spells normally beyond one’s reach can be attained. Such locations are of great interest to spirits, Daemons, and any who covet the power of such a place.
Just as rivers of Mana stream through the land, so too does Mana course through the body in similar currents. Mana’s flow is centered at the heart, from whence it flows along veins of energy that feed through every major organ, muscle, gland, and artery. These lines overlap in several places and if an internal Nexus is somehow blocked, the result can be either catastrophic or cathartic depending on how and when the blockage occurs. This practice is used in mystic forms of healing and martial arts where illness is both treated and caused by blocking or opening key Nexuses within the body.
The course of Mana within Creation is ordered by the laws and strictures of the Cosmic Machine to guide its ebb and flow. The life-force runs, pools, and eddies through the land in predictable currents called Ley Lines. These patterns run throughout Creation, connecting places to one another. A Nexus of converging Ley Lines can be a strange, fascinating, and dangerous place where the laws that normally govern reality become much more pliable. Here, The Mystery is easily expressed and spells normally beyond one’s reach can be attained. Such locations are of great interest to spirits, Daemons, and any who covet the power of such a place.
Just as rivers of Mana stream through the land, so too does Mana course through the body in similar currents. Mana’s flow is centered at the heart, from whence it flows along veins of energy that feed through every major organ, muscle, gland, and artery. These lines overlap in several places and if an internal Nexus is somehow blocked, the result can be either catastrophic or cathartic depending on how and when the blockage occurs. This practice is used in mystic forms of healing and martial arts where illness is both treated and caused by blocking or opening key Nexuses within the body.
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Plague Lands Like any living thing, Mana can become polluted, sick, and corrupted. No one is quite sure exactly what causes this to happen, but many suspect it is due to the influence of Oblivion. The blighted, dead areas in Creation are unmistakable…and they are growing. These areas are called Plague Lands and, for the most part, comprise only a very small fraction of The Sphere. As a Plague Land steadily grows, its taint spreads to the earth and trees, twisting them into dark expressions of anguish and fury. Beasts of the field and birds of the air that do not flee are eventually stripped of their sanity, mutating into horrible perversions of themselves whose only desire is to kill. Plague Lands have the same effect on Men who live there, corrupting their very souls and turning them into cunning, vile servants of Oblivion. It is a fact that the Plague Lands are steadily growing. The great concern of naturalists who study this phenomenon is that eventually, all Creation will be polluted by this taint and forever fall to ruin. |
Mana and The Mystery Mana can be consciously harnessed and shaped by those who know how. While many heroes subconsciously use their connection with Mana to perform amazing feats, those who understand The Mystery can use Mana to suspend, alter, or outright defy the normal laws of the universe. Mysteries can be imbued into objects, cast as spells, and can even occur naturally in places where Mana’s flow is especially strong. The Mystery was taught to Mankind by the Raksha, who intended to offset a chain of events that would destroy all Creation. All mortal understanding of The Mystery is therefore inherently tainted and risks drawing the attention of nightmarish beings when used. This makes any use of The Mystery dangerous. |
On Oblivion
Just as Mana is the force behind the ebb and flow of life and reality, Oblivion acts as its antithesis; the push to its pull, the cold to its heat, the shadow to its light. Like Mana, Oblivion is a completely impersonal and amoral force with no will of its own, at least not as a will is understood by mortals. Though many may wish to think of it as “evil”, Oblivion is no more evil than an earthquake or a hurricane; it is a simple, primal force. Oblivion must exist in order for balance to prevail throughout the universe – without Oblivion, Mana could not exist just as without Oblivion, Mana could not exist. The two forces are just as united in purpose as they are juxtaposed to one another.
The purpose of Oblivion is simple; to end that which Mana has begun. As Mana gives rise to life, Oblivion ends it, though its role in the universe is certainly greater than the part of death and destroyer. Death, as Men know it, is merely a transition between physical and spiritual states. Mana has more to do with mortal death than Oblivion does. Oblivion seeks instead the true death, the end of all things mortal and immortal including Mana and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Oblivion decays, weakens, rusts, and eats away at the greatest works of Men and magic, bringing them down to dust with the steady march of time. Indeed, at the end of all things only Oblivion will remain before consuming itself, leaving naught but darkness and the Elder Gods, just as it was in the beginning. Thus will the cycle start anew.
Apart from its role as ender and destroyer, very little is known of Oblivion. Few scholars study the matter without giving in to madness. Of those who dabble in such matters, there are a few who would eagerly wield the power of Oblivion if such a thing were possible. For unlike Mana, Oblivion is not a force which can be bent and shaped as clay. It is not a force for creation but rather, a force for un-creation. Instead of serving Men and gods as a tool, Oblivion mindlessly bends the will of those it ensorcells, using them to bring about the downfall of others and the ruination of great works. There are those who become so tangibly corrupted by this force that they serve as its mad agents in Creation, claiming to hear the whispers of nothingness from beyond the ragged edges of existence, urging them to act on its behalf. Whether they truly are the willing servants of some cosmic force or merely twisted madmen, those who claim to serve Oblivion are incredibly dangerous, able to destroy nearly anything with but a touch.
Just as Mana is the force behind the ebb and flow of life and reality, Oblivion acts as its antithesis; the push to its pull, the cold to its heat, the shadow to its light. Like Mana, Oblivion is a completely impersonal and amoral force with no will of its own, at least not as a will is understood by mortals. Though many may wish to think of it as “evil”, Oblivion is no more evil than an earthquake or a hurricane; it is a simple, primal force. Oblivion must exist in order for balance to prevail throughout the universe – without Oblivion, Mana could not exist just as without Oblivion, Mana could not exist. The two forces are just as united in purpose as they are juxtaposed to one another.
The purpose of Oblivion is simple; to end that which Mana has begun. As Mana gives rise to life, Oblivion ends it, though its role in the universe is certainly greater than the part of death and destroyer. Death, as Men know it, is merely a transition between physical and spiritual states. Mana has more to do with mortal death than Oblivion does. Oblivion seeks instead the true death, the end of all things mortal and immortal including Mana and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Oblivion decays, weakens, rusts, and eats away at the greatest works of Men and magic, bringing them down to dust with the steady march of time. Indeed, at the end of all things only Oblivion will remain before consuming itself, leaving naught but darkness and the Elder Gods, just as it was in the beginning. Thus will the cycle start anew.
Apart from its role as ender and destroyer, very little is known of Oblivion. Few scholars study the matter without giving in to madness. Of those who dabble in such matters, there are a few who would eagerly wield the power of Oblivion if such a thing were possible. For unlike Mana, Oblivion is not a force which can be bent and shaped as clay. It is not a force for creation but rather, a force for un-creation. Instead of serving Men and gods as a tool, Oblivion mindlessly bends the will of those it ensorcells, using them to bring about the downfall of others and the ruination of great works. There are those who become so tangibly corrupted by this force that they serve as its mad agents in Creation, claiming to hear the whispers of nothingness from beyond the ragged edges of existence, urging them to act on its behalf. Whether they truly are the willing servants of some cosmic force or merely twisted madmen, those who claim to serve Oblivion are incredibly dangerous, able to destroy nearly anything with but a touch.
