IC
Beyond the Crystal Sphere is only Blasphemous Nothing.
Within the Crystal Sphere is Holy Infinity.
Do not believe their lies. All is false. Coalescence, a boundary that forms the inside that is you. You become. You know your own existence and become empowered by this certainty. A harmony of resonances freely vibrates with your surroundings, which you now know also exists.
In the sacred simplicity of geometry you think, and thus cement your being, as glorious shadows flicker entrancingly on Crystal Sphere.
Signup Sheet Do not believe their lies. All is false.Name: Meaningless
VitalHeavenly Tier: The Pecking Order
The dirt. The worms inside of the dirt.Sphere: Elemental Favoured
Abstract FreesTemperament and Humours: The Tower That Is I
The Wheel That Is The WorldGoals: Impossible
PossibleVice: Sacred
AbominableVirtue: Born In Blood
Watered By Liberty(Appearance is not customizable at game start)
Celestial Mechanisms and TrajectoriesDecreesAn decree is the imposition and ordainment of your divine will upon reality. What you can do with an decree is determined by your place in the celestial hierarchy, but there is no limit to your amount of decree per cycle. All divines start with a single decree.
Every echelon will have a certain base allotment of new decrees per cycle, and further decrees may be earned by the adoration of the wise and the mortal and spherical aligning.
Divine Cannibalism! Like hungers for like.Decrees are perfectly capable of
creatio ex nihilo, while workings and descent makes using of that which already exists, either your own body or the surroundings.
Decrees are far too intangible to be gifted to other creatures or deities under most circumstances.
WorkingsWorkings include all activities that are not performed through divine decree. Generally a celestial can perform one working per cycle. Far more prone to failure than acts. A Working must align with at least two of the characteristics of your god (Vice, Virtue, Goal, Sphere, Constellation, Temperament, Name). Workings work at the level of your echelon. Workings cannot create things from nothing, you must have some source to draw from for creative workings.
Spherical AlignmentFavour or Suspicion. With favour you will find your actions going smoother and will occasionally gain bonus decrees. With Suspicion, fate itself seems to scheme against you, and you will find it harder to gather acts from worship.
Do not believe their lies. All is false.The Celestial HierarchyThe Crystal Sphere hums with the destiny of self-actualization. But every celestial divinity is not suited to the full range of the symphony of infinity. The newborn melodies are all of immense size and stature, able to arrange the heavens and build the tracks of fate, but struggle to perform smaller and finer manipulation, and find much of their potential to be locked up in their immensity.
With precise and surgical amputation, a celestial divinity can be freed from the chains of self, to become something new and more sophisticated, transmute the ethereal and grand into the mundane and humdrum and so descend the hierarchical stairs to ultimate truth. Of course all change comes with a price, and they will find it hard to regain their former glory, and become powerless before the motions of the heavens.
TranscensionYou may only descend or ascend a single step per cycle. You may try to aim for a specific appearance for your new self to take on after the transition.
Descending is free and leaves behind a remnant of your former self. You may choose to carry out other actions for a cycle before or after descension, but not both.
Ascending costs two Decrees and will demand all your attention, making Workings unavailable and requiring the reclamation of the appropriate remnant of self. Should one of your remnants be destroyed your path of ascension is broken. Ascending will leave you exhausted, decrees for a cycle will have to be announced before you ascend.
The Tiered HeavensAll gods begin the game as Resplendent Worlds. As echelon differences grow more extreme, it may become harder for the players to communicate with each other or life in general.
- Resplendent Worlds (Zeroth Echelon)The largest things contained within the infinity of the Crystal Sphere, resplendents are chained by their selves and struggle to impose their will.
The descent of a Resplendent typically produces a celestial body remnant- a planet, moon, sun, asteroid belt, constellation, and so forth.
Example Decrees: Alter the natural laws, create the sky, cover the stars, birth moon-wives.
Example Workings: Physically moving celestial bodies, devouring worlds.
Base Decree Allotment: None
Much more likely to receive decrees from worship
- Radiant Realms (First Echelon)Continental masses of elemental purpose and boundless power, Radiants are creatures of the earth and sky and thus able to sculpt either at will. They can create and alter regions, but only in sweeping terms- "cool swamps" or "jagged mountains," not "coniferous forests" or "venomous badlands."
The descent of a Radiant typically produces a sapient race or great monsters.
Example Decrees: Lay swamps, arrange volcano chains, weep seas.
Example Workings: Moving mountains, digging chasms, acting as matchmaker between mountain and river.
Base Decree Allotment: 1
More likely to receive decrees from worship
- Shining Spirits (Second Echelon)Towering whirls and swirls of vital essence, spirits are creatures of life and thus able to mold it on a whim. They can create and alter life, but only specific life- "Tallwood Trees" rather than "forests" or "a variety of poisonous conifers." They also cannot properly create sapient life, though they have some ability to alter existing mortals.
The descent of a Spirit typically produces a flourishing civilization. Spirits gain a second sphere during their descent.
Example Decrees: Creation of specific species of life, drastic altering of an existing species, minor altering of several species.
Example Workings: Evolving a species in a certain direction through selection pressures. Mass-murder. Breeding strains of disease. Planting enough trees to grow a forest.
Base Decree Allotment: 2
Life is more likely to be friendly to them.
- Pearlescent Patrons (Third Echelon)Imposing entities of divine arrogance, patrons are creatures of civilization and thus able to influence them deeply. They can create and alter the qualities of a civilization, granting them technologies and expertise, directing them to expand or consolidate, and manipulating their values and culture. They must, however, be somewhat specific with these gifts- "teaching metalworking" rather than "encouraging industry."
The descent of a Patron typically produces a heroic individual or great artifact. Patrons gain a third sphere during their descent.
Example Decrees: Introduce democracy to a civilization, spark the invention of windmills, make monogamy taboo.
Example Workings: Destroy a town with your wrath, plague a valley with nightmares, deafen all within miles with your booming voice, forge a kingdom sized wall that could halt an invasion of giants.
Base Decree Allotment: 3
Your worshippers are more likely to fear and obey you.
- Lustrous Ascendants (Fourth Echelon)Humble entities of scheming purpose, Ascendants are creatures of mortal affairs and thus adept at manipulating them. They can freely interact with individual mortals and their works, coercing and befriending them, procuring objects and information, and aiding and opposing them in direct, personal terms. Their divine power when doing so is limited, however, and as usual they must be rather specific with their manipulation.
Ascendants do not typically descend further. Doing so puts them at great risk, but the effects of reducing themselves to a more or less mortal champion can be surprisingly powerful and deeply personal.
Example Decrees & Workings: Befriend a king. Slay a dragon. Uncover a spy-ring. Found a spy-ring. Assassinate a hero. Craft a magical item.
3 Workings per cycle
Base Decree Allotment: 3
Less likely to gain decrees from worship.
(Drew heavy inspiration for the Celestial Hierarchy from IronyOwl's excellent
Mantling of the Gods with permission!)
Author
Topic: Crystal Sphere (Godgame) [10/12] (Read 5500 times)