Sequence 9: Bookworm
New Abilities
Knowledge (Language): Upon consuming the Bookworm potion, the Bookworm instantly masters the most relevant common languages of their planet and one random Mystical Language.
The selection is based on a systematic approach that prioritizes languages based on their frequency of use or relevance within a 100-kilometer radius.
For example, a Bookworm in Backlund would instantly master Loenese, with secondary fluency in Intisian due to trade relations, and a tertiary grasp of Feysacian for diplomatic contexts.
Fluency includes reading, writing, speaking, and listening, with native-level proficiency in grammar, idioms, and cultural nuances, equivalent to years of study.
The mystical language is selected seemingly at random by the potion's interaction with the Bookworm's Spirituality, but it often aligns with latent mystical influences in their vicinity.
By observing or interacting with speakers of unknown languages, they can rapidly learn new languages.
Enhanced Mental Attributes: A Bookworm's Body of Heart and Mind would receive great enhancement, mostly on their inferential, analytical, observational, and identification abilities along with their memory.
Their Body of Heart and Mind becomes a library. Information behaves like text the Bookworm can open, skim, annotate and cross-reference instantly.
A Bookworm can instantly memorize and catalog vast amounts of information with perfect recall, regardless of its complexity or medium.
They can store up to 10,000 pages of equivalent data upon first consuming the potion, with this capacity increasing as they digest it further.
Stored information is organized automatically into a mental "index," allowing for rapid retrieval without cognitive overload.
They can absorb knowledge from external sources with supernatural speed and depth.
They can read and comprehend texts at an accelerated rate, processing up to 100 pages per minute with full understanding upon initial potion consumption.
This speed increases with potion digestion, potentially reaching 500 pages per minute for mundane texts and 50 pages per minute for complex mystical texts.
They can access any stored information instantaneously, as if flipping through a book, without needing to consciously recall it.
They can retrieve information precisely and recall specific details.
They can recall a single sentence from a conversation they heard years ago or the exact layout of a room they glimpsed briefly.
They can compare and contrast a bunch of different pieces of info at once
This enables them to connect random data points and determine what's going on.
Bookworms can mentally "annotate" stored information. They can add notes, highlight parts, or make connections.
Bookworm can append detailed notes to any piece of information stored in their Body of Heart and Mind.
After observing a ritual, they can annotate the memory with observations about the materials used and cross-reference them with stored knowledge of similar rituals in order to hypothesize their purpose.
In the Body of Heart and Mind, notes are stored as distinct layers.
This allows them to toggle between the original data and their annotations without altering the source material.
It is possible to revise, rescind or remove annotations as needed to ensure the accuracy and thoroughness of insights, as new information becomes available.
They can mentally highlight critical segments of information to prioritize them for rapid retrieval or analysis.
Highlighted data is flagged in the Body of Heart and Mind with a "glow," making it instantly accessible even under extreme situations.
Initially, a Bookworm can highlight up to 50 distinct data points at once, increasing to 200 with potion digestion.
Highlighting enhances pattern recognition by drawing attention to anomalies or recurring motifs, such as noticing repeated symbols in different contexts.
Bookworms can forge connections between disparate pieces of information, creating a network of linked data within their Body of Heart and Mind that reveals insights inaccessible to ordinary cognition.
Connections are established by mentally linking two or more data points. This creates a thread that allows the Bookworm to navigate between them.
Initially, they can maintain 25 active connections, increasing to 100 with potion digestion.
Each connection can link up to 5 data points.
They can link mystical phenomena, though this requires partial potion digestion to avoid misinterpretation.
By analyzing connections, a Bookworm can generate hypotheses or deductions that uncover hidden truths.
This has a 70% accuracy rate initially, improving to 90% with full digestion, but it can be disrupted by deliberate mystical obfuscation.
It also gives them an ability to "read" the world as if it were a story. They can discern patterns, intentions, and hidden truths in texts and living beings.
By observing or interacting with others, Bookworms can "read" their skills or expertise as if they were texts, partially assimilating them.
They perceive the target's actions, techniques, or knowledge as a dynamic "text" that is transcribed into their Body of Heart and Mind. This text includes detailed descriptions of the mechanics, intent, and execution, allowing them to understand its principles.
At Sequence 9, this assimilation is limited to surface-level skills or expertise that do not require Beyonder abilities.
Examples include basic martial arts forms, simple crafting techniques, or conversational tactics.
The assimilated skill can be recalled and applied with some degree of proficiency. This grants them a temporary ability to mimic the observed action.
It is not possible for Bookworms to acquire skills that depend on physical attributes they do not possess.
Assimilated skills are less precise than the original, operating at approximately 50% effectiveness initially, improving to 90% with full potion digestion.
Beyonder abilities are only partially understood, with fragmented "texts" that require higher sequences to fully decipher.
By "reading" an individual's body language, emotional cues, or expressions as "texts", Bookworms can predict their immediate actions or intentions with high accuracy.
This ability excels in anticipating simple physical actions, such as where an opponent might aim a punch, kick, or weapon strike.
Predictions are limited to immediate actions and cannot account for long-term strategies or hidden influences.
Direct interaction, such as conversation or physical contact, enhances the Bookworm's ability to "read" and assimilate deeper insights from the target.
A comprehensive understanding is essential for effective prediction and replication.
A superior understanding leads to enhanced performance.
Spirituality: A Bookworm's Spirituality will get enhanced upon drinking this potion.
Spirit Vision: They can use Spirit Vision to see non-physical things, such as ghosts and specters. They could see the different parts of a Soul, deduce a person's health and emotions through it, and determine if something has a magical aura.
Magic & Divination Arts: They have a comprehensive but rudimentary understanding and grasp of magic, witchcraft, Divination Arts, Ritualistic Magic, and other mystical knowledge.
Bookworms don't gain knowledge on how to directly utilize these mystical arts, only the ability and talent to do them at an expert level. Their mastery is dependent on their time learning.
A Bookworm's use of Ritualistic Magic allows them to summon Spirit World creatures and form Contracts with them which enables them to eventually obtain messengers and helpers with unique powers as they progress forward in their studies.
They can use many Divination methods, including astrology, cartomancy, spiritual pendulums, spiritual numbers, and scrying in order to gain revelations from the Spirit World, however, they are less effective in this matter than Seers.
Their knowledge on the fundamentals of witchcraft, magic, and the other corresponding mysticism fields enable them to learn and cast some basic and rather quick Spells.
Sequence 8: Storyteller
New Abilities
Knowledge (Stories): Stories are not static records of events, they are alive, interactive, and capable of influencing reality. Stories can be changed through interaction, and in doing so, the nature of reality is also changed. The whole world itself is just a big story containing all the other stories that participate in it.
This ability grants Storytellers an innate understanding of narrative structures. It allows them to perceive the plot of ongoing events as if they were reading a book.
Storytellers can sense and visualize the invisible threads connecting people, objects, and events.
These threads reveal hidden motivations, causal links, and latent possibilities.
They can break down complex situations into a narrative by identifying the protagonists, antagonists, and plot devices within an event.
These threads appear as faintly glowing lines of intent in Spirit Vision.
Their colors and textures indicate emotional depth or narrative importance.
By focusing their Spirituality, they can "read ahead" a few seconds to minutes into the plot.
This gives them foresight into short-term developments with varying degrees of accuracy depending on their familiarity with the unfolding Story.
By recognizing an event as Part of a Story, Storytellers gain partial resistance to manipulations that follow predictable plots.
This immunity also applies to coincidences, which appear as inconsistent plot holes to them.
Story Collection: Storytellers can collect Stories by delivering exceptional performances in specific situations. These performances transform experiences into narrative constructs that enhance their power.
During the advancement to Storyteller, they learn five stories. These stories are related to High Sequence Beyonders of their Pathway.
The size and importance of the stories mostly depend on luck.
These stories are narratives stored within the Storyteller's Spirit Body. They act as reservoirs of power that resonate in similar future situations.
When a Storyteller enters a situation mirroring a stored Story's narrative, they can invoke it to amplify their abilities.
Invoking a story provides a temporary boost to relevant abilities that scales with the Story's Narrative Weight.
A story's potency depends on its Narrative Weight.
Narrative Weight is determined by the importance of the event and how impactful it is.
Due to the Low Sequence of them, it is nearly impossible for one to create a Story independently. At most, a Storyteller can participate in an event to obtain a small amount of stakes in a Story.
Storytelling: A Story is told when its owner summons its power. This act amplifies the abilities tied to the activated Story. Abilities is a broad term, encompassing in this case physical, mystical, mental, and even conceptual traits tied to the Story.
Every Story a Storyteller possesses inherently generates Power and Abilities, ranging from physical enhancements to conceptual hax. The potency, quantity, and quality of these Stories determine the Storyteller's Narrative Status.
The Narrative Status is an absolute measure of their strength that governs their ability to influence, dominate, or resist others in confrontations.
The difference in Narrative Status between two opponents determines the outcome of their confrontation. This takes precedence over mere physical or mystical capabilities.
To those on the Story Pathway, a Story is an absolute indicator of strength.
Physical or combat prowess, even if nearly equal, is irrelevant against the Narrative Status, as the superior Story enforces its reality.
Their Stories work no differently on other Pathways than on this Pathway's Beyonders. The only difference is that other Pathways' Beyonders are unaware of Stories and their inherent power. However, they can still possess and earn Stories through the same method.
A superior Story inherently suppresses a lesser one. This renders the weaker opponent's abilities ineffective or significantly diminished.
If the status gap is minor, the weaker opponent's abilities are reduced by half in effectiveness, with abilities like Psychological Invisibility failing to take hold.
If the gap is significant, the weaker opponent's abilities will fail entirely.
A Storyteller with a higher Narrative Status can exert overwhelming influence over those with lower status, crushing their actions and abilities as if enforcing a predetermined plot.
For example, a Story of heroic triumph can nullify an opponent's ability by imposing a narrative where the hero always prevails.
A Story can directly counter another.
Countering occurs when a Story's thematic elements directly oppose another, such as a Story of eternal light nullifying a Story of encroaching darkness.
A Storyteller with higher Narrative Status can impose their Story on a lower-status opponent through the act of rewriting that opponent's actions or fate to align with the Story's narrative.
They can force the opponent to follow a scripted Story that they possess.
This allows Storytellers to alter minor aspects of their opponents' immediate Fate.
The strength of a Storyteller is determined by the Quantity and Quality of their Stories. These factors elevate a Storyteller's Narrative Status.
The number of Stories tied to a Beyonder amplifies their Power.
The depth, Narrative Weight, and coherence of a Story enhance the Stories Power.
Stories manifest as Abilities unique to their narrative.
Every Story a Storyteller holds manifests as a unique Ability. These abilities are unique to each Story and cannot be replicated exactly, even by another Storyteller using a similar Story.
The ability embodies the Story's central theme.
The ability incorporates symbolic elements from the Story.
The ability is strongest in settings or situations that align with the Story's setting.
The strength of a manifested ability depends on the Story's Quality.
Depending on their Stories, Storytellers can be either the strongest or the weakest in Sequence 8.
The stakes they hold in a Story limit the strength of the abilities they can use.
The more stakes they hold in the Story, the stronger their ability becomes.
They can, in theory, obtain combat power equivalent to Great Old Ones at Sequence 8 through Stories by cheating Great Old Ones of their complete Stories. Though this is possible, it only works in theory, as there are two limiting factors.
In this case, their body would not be able to bear the burden of the Story and would collapse the moment they tried to use it at full power.
Their Spirituality is too weak to fully activate the Story to such an extent, though defeating Beyonders above their Sequence would be relatively easy.
Each manifested ability includes unique amplifiers tied to the Story's narrative. These amplifiers grant them specialized advantages or resistances in confrontations.
The Narrative Status of opposing Stories can counter or further amplify these effects.
Multiple Stories with overlapping themes can combine to enhance the ability's potency.
Multiple Stories can be combined by Storytellers to create hybrid abilities, with the effects of these abilities blended for increased versatility or power.
When multiple abilities are used together, they can create synergistic effects if their Stories align thematically.
Telling a Story consumes significant Spirituality, proportional to the power invoked.
Each time a Story is told and retold, it grows stronger.
Each time a Story is retold, its Power and Quality increase. This makes its abilities stronger and more useful in different situations.
This amplification is tied to their retellings and the collective belief of those who know the Story.
The Story's strength scales with the number of people who know and believe in it, as their collective subconsciousness imbues it with its Narrative Weight.
The audience's emotional engagement amplifies the effect. A Story believed with fervor is more potent than one known passively. Conversely, skepticism or disbelief reduces its potency.
When a Story is retold, the person telling it can make small changes to make it better.
This can help them use the Story in new ways.
A Story weakens when it is no longer told or remembered.
A Story will disappear if it is no longer remembered. This will cause the power and abilities associated with the Story to vanish.
A Storyteller does not need to own the Story to retell it, but unless he owns at least minor stakes in the Story, the Storyteller will not be able to use it.
High Sequence Beyonders use Storytellers as proxies to propagate their Stories. Sometimes, they sell a low amount of stakes in their Story in exchange for Storytellers spreading it, but often, they just force them to do so.
This is the usual method of obtaining Stories in this Sequence.
Strengthened Abilities
Sequence 7: Bearer of Fables
New Abilities
Incorporate: Bearers of Fables possess the ability to absorb and integrate Story Fragments. They can use these fragments to enhance, modify, or reconstruct their body.
Story Fragments are typically remnants of larger Stories that have been shattered, either through forgetting, or deliberate destruction by high-level Beyonders.
This process involves binding the Story Fragment to a specific part of their body or their overall being, thereby granting them skills, or traits derived from the Story Fragment's original Story.
When binding to a specific body part, the Story Fragment merges with the targeted body part. This alters its structure and function. It does so to embody the story's attributes.
Binding a Story Fragment to their entire being integrates its traits into their core identity. This affects their personality and instincts.
The stability of a bound Story Fragment depends on their compatibility with the Story Fragments Story.
Binding Story Fragments causes a deep change in their body in which the body is reshaped to embody the Story Fragment.
This process often results in visible, irreversible changes.
For example, incorporating a Story Fragment called Eyes of the Devil replaces their eyes with demonic ones, while Story Fragments like Arms of the Beast transform limbs into clawed, fur-covered appendages with monstrous strength.
These changes are not just on the surface. They actually change the structure of cells and their genes.
For example, Story Fragments like Arms of the Beast can introduce muscle fibers or bone density that are not compatible with standard human anatomy.
These changes are permanent unless the fragment is removed. Even then, some traits may remain.
Story Fragments can reshape their gender, either partially or completely, by imposing the Story Fragment's depiction of gender-specific traits onto their bodies.
Binding a fragment to a specific body part can alter its gendered characteristics.
For instance, incorporating a Story Fragment like Face of a Beautiful Woman reshapes their facial structure to reflect the Story's definition of a feminine ideal, regardless of their original gender.
Story Fragments allow them to rebuild their bodies by replacing lost limbs or organs or by adding new body parts.
When a Bearer of Fables loses a body part, they can bind a Story Fragment to the wound, which triggers a regenerative process that forms a new replacement. Unlike natural regeneration, this creates a limb or organ imbued with the Story Fragment's traits that often surpasses the original in function and power.
Bearers of Fables can incorporate Story Fragments to grow new body parts that are not native to their species. These parts can include for example wings, tails, and additional limbs. This fundamentally alters their anatomy and capabilities.
For example, if one integrates a Story Fragment like Wings of a Fallen Angel, one will sprout dark, feathered wings from the shoulder blades, which will grant flight.
New body parts work with the muscles and nerves in the body. To use them properly, they have to adapt to control them. It's like when a child can't walk from the day they are born.
There are endless possibilities for physical transformation, limited only by their ability to collect Story Fragments.
When a Story Fragment is bound, its story changes the targeted anatomy to match its properties.
For example, incorporating a Story Fragment like Heart That Never Fails replaces their heart with a perfectly functioning organ that is immune to disease, fatigue, and aging. As the story decrees, the heart endures without fail.
Incorporating a Story Fragment like Arm of the Unyielding Titan grants a muscular, indestructible arm that maintains its strength and form without exercise, as the Story defines it as inherently powerful.
By strategically incorporating Story Fragments with Stories of longevity or invulnerability, they can extend their lifespan or even achieve functional immortality.
Story Fragments that target vital systems can enhance resilience and slow or halt the aging process.
In extreme cases, incorporating a Story Fragment like Essence of the Undying Phoenix can completely change them. This allows them to come back from any injury, including death, as the story demands.
Story Fragments can grant specific abilities tied to their Story. However, these abilities are highly specialized and limited compared to the broader powers derived from whole Stories.
Story Fragments more commonly grant strong affinities, such as enhanced aptitudes or resistances tied to the Story's themes, rather than direct abilities.
Affinities amplify their potential in related domains, making them naturally adept at tasks aligned with the Stories Fragment's Story.
Initially, Bearers of Fables can incorporate five Story Fragments, with this total increasing to fifteen with digestion.
Strengthened Abilities
Story Collection & Storytelling: Bearer of Fables can add Story Fragments to an existing Story, to alter its narrative structure or content.
The extent and nature of modifications depend on the proportion and exclusivity of their stakes.
If their total stakes are less than one-fourth, they can only modify the specific segments of the Story where they hold exclusive stakes. Modifications to parts that are jointly owned by someone else are still possible, provided that all other parties consent to the alterations.
With stakes above one-third of the entire Story, they can modify segments where they share stakes with others even without the other parties consent.
If their stakes exceed half, they gain the ability to make arbitrary changes to the entire Story, regardless of other stakeholders' involvement.
With over half of the stakes, they can rewrite a Story to have a favorable outcome. This changes how the story can be invoked in future situations.
By using Story Fragments to change existing Stories, they can effectively rewrite or enhance narratives to better suit their needs.
Instead of being limited to invoking Stories as they are, Bearer of Fables can now tailor Stories to align with desired situations.
These changes affect not only their part of the Story, but also the Story as a whole.
Sequence 6: Interpreter
New Abilities
Story Interpretation: Interpreters can analyze and extract Story Fragments from elements of reality. For them situations, objects, and people are narrative components that can be isolated and manipulated.
By focusing their Spirituality on a specific situation, person or object, an Interpreter can extract a Story Fragment.
This ability extends to dynamic events, such as attacks or actions directed at them.
For example, an incoming speeding bullet can be interpreted as a Story Fragment titled A Bullet with Great Speed. This transforms the physical projectile into a narrative construct of words or symbols.
Interpreters can extract specific attributes as fragments. For example, from a fire-based attack, they can isolate Heat as a Story Fragment.
Extracting Heat for example removes the thermal component from the original attack, leaving the fire visually intact but devoid of its burning capacity.
Interpreters can extract the intent behind an attack.
Extracting intent separates the attacker's purpose from their action, thereby disrupting the causal link between their will and the outcome of the attack.
solating intent disrupts the attack's motivational foundation, causing it to lose its drive.
Interpreters can capture core attributes, existential qualities, and even abstract facets of a person's being. These can include personality traits, physical characteristics, and concepts such as humanity.
A Story Fragment extracted from a person can have a significant impact on their Fate. This alteration in fate can lead to changes in the person's past, present, or future trajectory.
Interpreters can target specific characteristics of a person, ranging from tangible traits like Health, Beauty, or Strength to qualities like Courage, Humanity, or Will to Survive.
Removing a Story Fragment, such as Health, disrupts the target's physical resilience.
This makes them more prone to injury or disease in the future.
This can retroactively alter minor details of their past, such as making past illnesses or injuries seem like they were not fully recovered from, thus weakening their current state.
Interpreters can extract a Story Fragment related to a physical feature, such as a person's face, by interpreting it.
This transform the target's face into a featureless, amorphous blob of flesh, devoid of distinguishable features.
They can use this Story Fragment to change their appearance to match the target's.
Interpreters can extract one Beyonder Ability, or up to three if the Interpreter has fully digested their potion.
Once extracted, the Beyonder Ability is permanently stripped from the target unless the Story Fragment is returned or destroyed.
If the Interpreter infuses a Beyonder Ability Story Fragment into themselves, they gain the ability but suffer minor corruption.
Using the ability increases the Interpreter's susceptibility to the influence of the ability's Pathway.
Infusing a Beyonder Ability Story Fragment makes them susceptible to the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence.
If the Story Fragment is returned, the target will recover their lost attribute.
Unlike inanimate objects or situations, living persons can resist extraction.
The time it takes an Interpreter to extract a Story Fragment depends largely on the difference in their power.
If the target is unconscious, the time required for extraction is cut in half.
Once extracted, Story Fragments can be stored, or deployed in various ways.
Interpreters can manifest their Story Fragments in reality. This effectively recreates or redirects the captured event or trait.
Releasing a Story Fragment such as A Bullet with Great Speed enables them to project a bullet in a chosen direction.
Strengthened Abilities
Story Collection, Storytelling & Incorporate: Story Collection and Storytelling is massively enhanced at this Sequence.
Interpreters can fuse Stories and Story Fragments with each other to create greater Stories with amplified effects, provided they meet specific conditions.
To fuse Stories, they must meet either of the following conditions.
Own the majority of a Story's stakes.
Secure approval from other stakeholders whose combined stakes constitute a majority.
After fusion, the stakes of the resulting composite Story are redistributed based on the Narrative Weight of each contributing Story.
For example, if Story A has a weight of 60 and Story B has a weight of 40, and the two stories are fused, then 60% of the new Story's stakes are allocated to Story A's stakeholders, and 40% are allocated to Story B's stakeholders.
If a they own 30% of Story A and 20% of Story B, their stake in the new Story is calculated based on the weighted contribution of each Story.
Multiple Story Fragments can be fused to create a new Story, with one or more Story Fragments being used as the core and additional Story Fragments being added to supplement it.
These created Stories are categorized into three groups. The first group is called Body Stories. The second group is called Ability Stories. The third group is called Support Stories. Each group has distinct properties and applications.
A Body Story determines their physical appearance, attributes, and existential nature. Body Stories are crafted from countless Story Fragments that pertain to physical characteristics, such as appearance, race, and physical attributes.
One or more core Story Fragments define the primary aspect of the Body Story, while supplementary Story Fragments enhance its depth by adding details.
They can use Story Fragments related to the Beyonder races as their core. The only difficulty is acquiring the Story Fragment. In this case, they will inherit the abilities of the Beyonder races.
A Body Story fundamentally reshape their physical and soul form. It replaces the original physical body with a Story construct defined by fused Story Fragments.
The Body Story determines all physical characteristics, such as appearance, strength, and resilience, based on the fused Story Fragments.
Unless the Body Story includes fragments explicitly related to aging or sickness, they are immune to natural causes of decline. However, they remain vulnerable to ailments or effects of a mystical nature.
A Interpreter can possess only one Body Story at a time, as it wholly defines their being.
As long as the Body Story exists and is being told, they cannot be permanently killed. If their physical body is destroyed, they can revive over time, with the revival process being slow and dependent on the Story's persistence in the Sea of Collective Subconscious.
The Body Story's destruction results in their permanent death.
Creating a Body Story is the Advancement Ritual to Incarnation.
Ability Stories are a specialized category of Stories that Interpreters can create by fusing Story Fragments, with a core Story Fragment derived from a stolen Beyonder Ability.
An Ability Story must use a Beyonder Ability extracted as a Story Fragment as its core.
Additional Story Fragments can be fused to enhance, refine, or specialize the ability.
If no supplementary Fragments are used, invoking the Ability Story grants a direct copy of the stolen Beyonder Ability.
They can create one Ability Story at most after advancing, with their limit increasing to three with digestion.
Using a Beyonder race as a Story Fragment to create a Body Story decreases the number of Ability Stories that can be created by one.
If they use more than one Beyonder race as core Story Fragments in their Body Story, the number of Ability Stories they can have will also only decrease by no more than if they used only one Story Fragment.
Of all the Stories that can be created, Support Stories are the most common. The focus of Support Stories is on mostly situation-dependent effects.
Support Stories are crafted from Story Fragments that relate to situational contexts, such as environmental conditions, tactical advantages, or specific tools and weapons.
A core Story Fragment defines the primary situational theme of the Support Story, while supplementary Story Fragments add nuance or enhance the effect.
Support Stories are highly situational and require specific conditions to be most effective.
Support Stories can be used in combination with Body Stories, Ability Stories, or other Support Stories for increased effectiveness.
Sequence 5: Incarnation
New Abilities
Sponsor Contract: Incarnations can form binding Sponsor Contracts with Mythical Creatures including Angels, True Gods and Great Old Ones who favor them. This establishes a symbiotic relationship in which the sponsor invests in the Incarnation's growth.
Each Incarnation can only form one Sponsor Contract, but each Sponsor can have multiple Incarnations.
Once formed, a Sponsor Contract cannot be broken.
Through the Sponsor Contract, sponsors can imbue Incarnations with Abilities from their own Pathway.
This includes temporary or permanent access to High-Sequence Abilities.
The granted abilities will scale with the Incarnation's current Sequence.
Sponsors can provide material aid, including lending mystical artifacts, or gifting potion ingredients to assist the Incarnation.
Incarnation carries on their sponsor's Story.
Incarnations represent a pivotal aspect of their sponsor's most important Story and ultimately become an Incarnation Body.
The Sponsor Contract is akin to selling one's fate, as it irrevocably ties their existence to the Sponsor's Story, with severe risks.
The Sponsor Contract enforces subconscious compulsions to act in ways that align with the Story, such as pursuing specific targets or avoiding certain actions. These compulsions can override the Incarnation's free will.
Their existence is tied to the Sponsor's Story. As such, the Sponsor's Story is the key to their survival. If the Sponsor's Story collapses, they die because their existence is wholly dependent on the Story's continuity.
Sponsors can access their Incarnations' memories.
As an Incarnation Body of their Sponsor, they becomes an integral part of the Sponsor and functions as an ideal Avatar. This makes Incarnation's an ideal target for the Sponsor's possession.
When a Sponsor possesses the Incarnation, they can exert greater power compared to possessing non-Incarnations. This is due to the Incarnation's status as a perfect Avatar.
The Sponsor can use an Incarnation as an Incarnation Body to revive "Themselves" by consuming and erasing the Incarnation's identity and existence.
The Sponsor can take over a Incarnation's body at any time, either temporarily or permanently, without their ability to resist.
Sponsors can send direct messages into their Incarnation's mind. This communication is instantaneous and cannot be blocked by Incarnations.
Sponsors can share their memories with their Incarnation.
Strengthened Abilities
Sequence 4: Director
New Abilities
Stage Transformation: Directors possesses the ability to manifest an entire Scene of a Story into reality. This transforms the surrounding area into a living, immutable Stage. Once enacted, all characters and events within the Stage are bound by the script of the past event.
They can use Stories in conjunction with Stage Transformation to target an individual who fit the specific criteria of a character in their Story.
The transformation affects both space and time.
The Fog of History provides the factual data for reconstructing locations, objects, and ambiance.
Directors access the Fog of History through their understanding of a Story.
Stage Transformation effectively rewinds time to a specific moment in the Fog of History while keeping the present characters within that Stage, blending both the past and present.
Stage Transformation merges a past event with the present context. Current participants are integrated into the recreated Scene and take on roles or interact with the script from the past event.
This reshapes the surrounding environment to mirror the exact setting of the past event, as defined by the Scene of the source Story.
This includes terrain, architecture, and natural features.
The reconstruction is precise, down to minute details like the texture of stone walls, the layout of streets, or the placement of trees.
The ambiance of the past event is recreated to immerse participants fully, including sensory elements like sounds, lighting, smells, and atmospheric conditions.
Objects integral to the past event are recreated with physical authenticity, including weapons, tools, furniture, or artifacts present in the Scene of the Story.
These objects are fully functional within the Stage and can be interacted with by participants.
The Stage forces all participants to relive the temporal context of the past event, as if it were unfolding in the present moment.
The size of the Stage depends on the Narrative Weight of the Story from which it is drawn.
The duration of the Stage is limited by the Director's power and the Narrative Weight of the Story.
The Stage is temporary. Once the Stage dissipates, the environment reverts to its original state. However, all deaths that occurred within the Stage are permanent.
The Stage enforces the rules of the original event as they existed historically. These rules dictate how participants interact with the environment, each other, and the narrative.
The Stage enhances or alters participants' abilities based on the recreated scenario's rules and narrative context.
These changes are temporary and will last only while the Stage is active.
Stage Transformation regresses participants' conditions, abilities, and Sequence to their state during the original Story, regardless of their current status.
If a participant, including the Director, was stronger, healthier, or more powerful in the original Story, they are restored to that state.
For example, a weakened Director who was a Sequence 2 Angel during the original event regains that power level within the Stage.
If a participant was weaker in the original Story, their current abilities are suppressed to match that historical state.
For instance, a Angel could be reduced to a Sequence 9 Beyonder if that was their state in the Scene of the Story.
Altering powers tied to a Pathway's Uniqueness requires either the consent of the current Uniqueness holder.
They can trick reality into recognizing that consent was given, even if it was not, through all sorts of trickery.
Participants with sufficient similarities to a character from the original Story can replace that character within the Stage.
Similarities can be as minimal as common ancestry or belonging to the same Pathway.
Two characters can only be connected by a similarity if that similarity is imbued with some sort of Symbolism.
The participant with the most similarities to a character in the Story is chosen to embody them. If multiple participants have similar levels of connection, the one with the strongest symbolic tie takes precedence.
Upon replacement, the participant gains all abilities of the character in the Story, including their Sequence, as they were during the original event.
For the duration of the Stage, the participant loses their own abilities as they fully adopt the possessed character's identity and capabilities.
All participants within the Stage are bound by the script of the original event, meaning the conclusion is unavoidable. Stage Transformation enforces the historical outcome, locking participants' fates into place.
Minor actions or secondary outcomes can be influenced, but the core Scenes resolution cannot be altered.
This binding effect applies to all within the Stage, including the Director that activated Stage Transformation.
Unlike the other participants, the Director can choose to deactivate Stage Transformation in case of an accident.
By manifesting a Stage based on a Story of defeat, they can force the target to relive that defeat, regardless of their status or Sequence.
This ability bypasses status differences, meaning even a Beyonder with a higher Sequence can be compelled to lose if they sufficiently match the criteria of the Story's defeated figure.
As long as the Story is clear enough, not even the Great Old Ones can escape it.
As long as they have killed someone in the past, they will always be able to activate Stage Transformation and ensure their opponents' defeat, no matter how powerful their opponents have become in the meantime.
Stage Transformation operates on the level of Symbolism.
If an opponent cannot manipulate Symbolism, Stage Transformation works with absolute certainty.
Opponents with knowledge of Symbolism can partially resist by twisting minor facts within the Stage.
Their ability to resist depends on their strength in Symbolism manipulation, and even then, they cannot fully subvert the Stage's core outcome.
Directors cannot directly manipulate Symbolism due to their weak Sequence. They rely entirely on the Stage Transformation ability's inherent framework, which uses Symbolism.
The reason Directors can access Symbolism is related to this Pathways Symbolism as the Origin of All Symbols, which gives it the strongest manipulation abilities of Symbolism.
Stories are, in reality, merely a basic form of Symbolism.
Strengthened Abilities
Their previous abilities as a Beyonder have been massively enhanced.
Story Collection: They become inherently attuned to Stories.
By touching an object, they can perceive and shape the Stories it holds.
Stories are drawn to them, seeking to be heard, understood, and retold.
They are able to extract the inherent Story of an object by physically touching it and fully form it into a Story.
Directors naturally attract story fragments and echoes from their surroundings because they are favored by stories.
Stories instinctively gravitate toward them, seeking to be heard, understood, and retold.
They gain the innate ability to communicate with Stories. They can hear the Stories emotions, whispers, and lingering thoughts.
In some cases, they may have the power to influence how a Story unfolds.
They can subtly guide its development or outcome.
Story Manipulation: Directors do not command Stories in a literal sense, but their status as a Demigod grants them profound influence over all Stories.
This influence originates from the quantity and quality of the Stories they possess, which can affect the foundational Stories of others.
When a Director releases their status, the sheer density of their Stories generates Narrative Pressure. This is a force that ripples through the Spirit World and the River of Fate.
This pressure seeps into the Stories of those nearby, causing them to waver, bend, or even break under the weight of a superior Story.
If the disparity in Story Quality and Quantity is significant, this pressure can crush or completely destroy the foundational existence of the weaker being, as their Stories fail to withstand the overwhelming force.
A Director can subtly change the course of weaker Stories. They can nudge them toward alternate outcomes, compel characters to act in accordance with their script, or even transform tragedy into farce, or vice versa.
The degree of control depends upon the Narrative Weight of the Stories they own.
Their Story Body evolves into an Incarnation Body.
As Directors they can own a total of 7 Incarnation Bodies.
Mythical Creature Form
As a Sequence 4 Demigod they possess some level of Godhood, and with it comes an incomplete Mythical Creature Form. Their true self is a part of the Stories they own, not a physical body.
Directors are no longer confined to a single physical form. Instead, they exist as dynamic Stories that can be retold, edited, or reenacted throughout reality. This gives them an immortality tied to the persistence of their Story.
They are mere projections, or actors, in their Story. They can be summoned, dismissed, or regenerated indefinitely, as long as the core Story remains intact.
Multiple Incarnation Bodies can exist simultaneously, each representing a different "chapter" or "plotline" of the Director's overarching Story.
This makes Directors resistant to conventional attacks. Physical damage manifests as plot holes or inconsistencies in their Story. They can edit these to heal the damage.
Leaking ink or fading text on their body is the form that a fatal wound takes. This represent unraveling plot threads in their Story.
Severe disruption to their Story can result in the permanent deletion of Story Segments, which can lead to the loss of memories, abilities, or even aspects of their personality.
The Director's consciousness is embedded within their Story. Their mind is spread across different layers of the Story.
This allows them to split their awareness into multiple Incarnation Bodies.
The Stories contains the Life and Death of a Director.
Sequence 3: Game Master
New Abilities
Scenario Manipulation: Game Masters possess the ability to design, implement, and alter complex Scenarios that encompass defined areas of reality. These Scenarios impose binding rules on all elements within them, including Beyonders and environmental factors.
All Scenarios bear a unique name and belong to one of three primary categories.
Main Scenarios: Main Scenarios are the overarching foundation of their Story. This will be the most important part of their future progress.
Main Scenarios are issued directly by the Sefirot associated with this Pathway to all Beyonders who have reached this Sequence.
Game Masters possess no control over Main Scenarios.
Unlike other types of scenarios, Game Masters must complete these on their own. However, they fundamentally function the same way.
Main Scenarios define the ultimate objectives of the Pathway. They strengthen participants and compel them to act in accordance with their Sequence. They also prepare them to eventually claim the Pathway's Sefirot.
These Main Scenarios provide all the essential elements for advancement, including potion materials, advancement rituals, and opportunities to act.
Advancement Rituals within this Pathway are not independent, but rather completion conditions embedded within specific Main Scenarios.
Once a Game Master has fully digested their potion and met all preparatory requirements, they will naturally receive the corresponding Main Scenario for their next advancement.
If all available Angel Beyonder Characteristics are in use, the process will be delayed until one becomes available.
Sub-Scenarios: Sub-Scenarios are additional storylines that support, expand on, or connect to Main Scenarios.
Sub-Scenarios can be created by Game Masters to establish smaller goals within an ongoing Main Scenario or to occupy the intervals between active Main Scenarios.
A Game Master can commission Sub-Scenarios to others when they wish to see a particular task completed without intervening directly.
In such cases, the commissioning Game Master defines the conditions and supplies the rewards.
These scenarios enable smoother progression, character development, and the accumulation of necessary resources or insight for future Main Scenario challenges.
Sub-Scenarios remain subordinate to Main Scenarios and cannot contradict or override them.
Bounty Scenarios: Bounty scenarios are competitive or punitive Scenarios focused on specific goals.
Bounty Scenarios are triggered when one or more Game Masters place a bounty upon a specific goal.
These objectives frequently involve eliminating enemies, rivals, or simply individuals disfavored by the observing Game Masters.
Game Masters thus possess the means to set bounties on virtually anyone or anything.
Once the bounty is established, any participant who accepts the Scenario may attempt completion and receive the offered rewards.
Upon successful completion, rewards are immediately distributed to the victor through the Scenario itself.
These Scenarios function as self-contained domains in which the Game Master acts as the ultimate arbiter. The Game Master is capable of enforcing conditions that override normal laws or personal wills.
A Game Master can instantiate a Scenario by delineating a spatial boundary, such as a room, building, or entire city district, and infusing it with conceptual rules that dictate behavior, interactions, and outcomes.
Within a Scenario, rules are absolute and can range from simple prohibitions to elaborate mechanics.
Game Masters can predetermine victory conditions, failure states, and rewards.
Each Scenario possesses clearly defined clear conditions that determine how it can be completed.
Scenarios must maintain a semblance of balance. Their victory conditions, failure states, and rewards must appear fair and winnable to all participants.
This balance makes sure that Scenarios work as impartial Story frameworks instead of tools of absolute control.
A Scenario can only be rendered unwinnable through external interference by a higher-ranking Beyonder or being capable of overriding the established rules.
The Game Master needs to announce the clear conditions, the corresponding rewards for completion, and the penalties for failure at the start.
Typically, only one clear condition exists, though multiple may be set for complex Scenarios.
These conditions must be fulfilled within an established time limit.
Failure to meet the clear conditions within the allotted time will trigger the designated penalties, which may vary in severity depending on the Scenario's scale and importance.
In certain cases, additional or hidden conditions can exist, revealed only as the Scenario progresses.
As a general rule, a Scenario's clear conditions remain constant once established.
However, if extreme situational changes render completion impossible, the clear conditions may mutate, and the Scenario may even acquire a new name to signify its transformation.
The essence of Scenario Manipulation is controlling the Fates of all involved components and compelling actions that align with the scenario's Story Arc, even if they contradict an individual's intentions or instincts.
Game Masters can write or verbally declare a Scenario that enforces specific behaviors on targets. Targets affected by the Scenario experience an irresistible compulsion to follow it.
Strengthened Abilities
Story Collection: Their connection to Stories deepens through their Main Scenarios. This grants them access to powerful Stories that far surpass ordinary ones.
Through Main Scenarios, Game Masters naturally encounter and participate in grand events orchestrated by the Sefirot of their Pathway.
These events are inherently rich in Narrative Weight and are the basis for the creation of very powerful Stories.
The nature of Main Scenarios ensures that every triumph, failure, and decision within them becomes part of an enduring myth around them.
Sequence 2: Living Script
New Abilities
Authorities
Language (Characters & Words): The Living Script has an Authority over Language. This Authority encompasses all forms of communication, meaning, and inscription.
"They" can speak, understand, and write all languages. This gives "Them" access to all Mystical Languages.
Because these languages are tied to rituals, sacrifices, prayers, and invocations, the Authority of Language opens doors to mystical power through words.
Words spoken by "Them" carry weight. "They" can heal, curse, or manifest objects depending on the strength of "Their" intent and the chosen language.
"They" instinctively perceive the true meaning behind every utterance. "They" recognize the intention even if the speaker himself does not.
Living Scripts draw strength from all forms of language and writing throughout the world.
Each word spoken, each line written, and each message exchanged subtly nourishes "Their" existence.
As long as communication continues, this continuously restores and extends "Their" lifespan.
Language itself becomes "Their" Anchor.
Every uttered word or written character reinforces "Their" sanity and stabilizes "Their" Spirit Body.
"Their" connection to language is like an infinite network of Anchors that makes "Their" mind strong and stable.
However, Stories tied to "Themselves" act as superior Anchors, a single believer or reteller of "Their" Story provides stabilization equivalent to hundreds of thousands of ordinary Anchors.
The more the world communicates, writes, prays, and tells stories, the more complete and unshakable "They" become. Silence and the death of language, however, would erode "Their" very existence.
As long as "Their" Story continues to be spoken, written, remembered, or recorded in any form, "They" always have a chance to return.
Not even the complete annihilation of the body and soul can permanently destroy someone whose Story lives on.
Over decades, or even centuries, "They" can slowly resurrect "Themselves" by drawing upon the retelling and belief of "Their" Story.
This gradually allows "Them" to rebuild "Their" body and soul from the Historical Void.
The process is slow and demands accumulation. It demands that "Their" Story persist in someone's memory or in recorded form for long enough.
Should "Their" Story be forgotten, censored, or erased from all records, resurrection through this method becomes impossible.
"Their" return is hastened by widespread retelling of "Their" Story.
Characters & Words: "They" have the Authority over Characters & Words, allowing "Them" to manipulate language as a fundamental tool for altering reality. This Authority is among the most fundamental laws of creation, for through words all things are named, defined, and understood.
By controlling the structure, meaning, and application of linguistic elements, "They" can influence perceptions, behaviors, and even other Authorities, as words shape how individuals interpret and interact with the world.
This Authority grants "Them" absolute command over the structure and intent of all linguistic elements, whether spoken or written.
By shaping meaning, "They" shape reality itself, for existence is bound to interpretation, and interpretation begins with the characters and words that make up a language.
"They" can grant or alter the names of those struck by inscribing new words upon their bodies. To rename something is to redefine its existence.
For example, renaming an opponent as "Ant" would reduce them to the frailty, insignificance, and instincts of such a creature.
"They" can transform existing written words into new phrases.
By rearranging, scrambling, or erasing letters, "They" can rewrite the significance of a sentence, thereby changing the outcome or nature of what it represents.
When used offensively, this Authority doesn't cut flesh and instead cuts Names.
When striking an opponent, "They" can sever, distort, or fragment the name of what is struck.
For example, a blow to an enemy's hand can half its name into ha, halving its power in the proccess.
Should "They" envelop an entire being within their Authority, that someone becomes Nameless. Anything stripped of its name loses its identity and power, becoming nothing but a blank presence in the world.
Characters & Words serve as the basic tool for the Manipulation of Reality.
To control the word is to control the mind that depends upon it.
Those who command the structure of language can reshape the very fabric of communication between beings, shaping how we think, talk, and interact.
The Authority of Characters & Words extends to other Authorities.
Because every Authority must be expressed or named to act within the cosmos, "They" can exert influence over other Authorities by redefining the linguistic elements through which those powers are defined.
This allows "Them" to weaken or strengthen existing Authorities through semantic alteration.
"They" possess the innate ability to perceive the Honorific Name of all things.
Nothing that bears a name can hide from "Their" perception. Every existence carries within it a word that defines its being, and "They" know it.
When "Their" body is destroyed, "They" do not die. As long as "Their" Honorific Name exists, consciousness persists as a living Word within the void of unspoken language.
By stealing a fragment of power from any being who utters "Their" Honorific Name, "They" can regrow a new body from the blackness of unspoken words.
This brings "Them" back to life right away, but "Their" powers take time to recover.
Due to the power of "Their" own Honorific Name, it carries a curse upon it. Those unworthy or impure of intent who attempt to speak "Their" Honorific Name will lose "Their" voice
Strengthened Abilities
Sponsor Contract: At this stage, "They" gain the ability to act not merely as the contracted, but as the Sponsor themselves.
"They" can now function as a Sponsor, allowing others to become "Their" Incarnations.
Contracts forged with "Them" follow the same inviolable rules as all Sponsor Contracts:
Once formed, the bond cannot be broken under any circumstances.
The new Incarnation becomes part of "Their" Story.
As a Sponsor, "They" may grant their Incarnations one of the following:
Abilities derived from "Their" own Pathway or Story.
Fragments of "Their" Authority. This allows Incarnations to wield potent, albeit diluted, forms of "Their" power.
Anchors tied to "Their" name.
"They" can also provide Sealed Artifacts or materials drawn from their belongings, as well as knowledge and memories.
Through these Sponsor Contract, "They" can create a network of Incarnation Bodies, each capable of hosting "Their" descent or serving as an auxiliary extension of "Their" Authority.
This allows "Them" to exist in multiple places, through multiple avatars simultaneously.
If "They" have already signed a Sponsor Contract as an Incarnation, "They" will not be able to form Sponsor Contracts as a Sponsor. This is because being part of someone else's Story prevents them from creating "Their" own.
Mythical Creature Form
Their Mythical Creature Form is an amalgamation of characters and symbols. "Their" Mythical Creature Form is the form in which "They" are publicly represented, it varies greatly and always is the single image that most clearly and widely embodies "Their" Story.
It's the shape that best describes "Their" Story, whether it be a coin, crown, sword, statue, glyph, animal, phrase, or object that carries "Their" identity and authority. This form can be anything, so long as it is the dominant sign tied to "Their" Story.
Whenever "Their" Story changes, the Mythical Creature Form may also change to reflect the changes to the Story.
Upon advancing to this Sequence and becoming a complete Mythical Creature, "They" cease to be mortal in any conventional sense. Instead, they become a True Story Body, a existence that transcends matter, time, and death.
"They" are beings who have abandoned the constraints of flesh and now exist purely as Stories.
"Their" physical manifestation (Incarnation Body) is merely a projection of "Their" Story onto the physical world.
"They" can survive any form of critical damage.
They can regenerate their Incarnation Bodies endlessly.
Destroying "Their" physical body is meaningless as long as the Story that constitutes "Their" true body endures.
Even without a body, they continue to exist as a Story.
If an Incarnation Body is destroyed, "They" simply revive and rebuild "Themselves" wherever "Their" Story still exists.
"They" are beings that are already dead in the traditional sense. This makes "Them" immune to most abilities that target "Their" life and death. This includes abilities at the level of Authorities.
The only way to truly kill them is to erase the Story upon which "Their" Mythical Creature Form is built.
If the Story is not annihilated, "They" will always return.
As True Story Bodies, they can exist outside space and time entirely.
Their true body exist in another dimension, in "Their" worldview, another plane of reality and this true body is "Their" Story.
They can dwell beyond the regular space and time, in the Neverending Story, a Sephirah so ancient and powerful that it once formed a foundational layer of the Eternal Void.
To a Mythical Creature of this Pathway, this place is home, their origin, extension, and refuge.
Sequence 1: Narrator
Authorities
Perspective: Narrators can manipulate reality using the principles of Stories, fashioning reality around them after "Their" Story, making the world into one that has the same rules as the Story "They" are embodying, and ultimately replicating the results of said Story.
This Authority transforms "Them" into the Perspective through which "Their" Story is witnessed and, consequently, the lens through which "Their" Story is shaped.
"They" symbolize the infinite facets of observation. "They" embody the countless ways "Their" Story can be framed, narrated, or interpreted.
The Story's events are all out in the open, with no room for anything to remain hidden. Every action, thought, and secret is laid bare, exposed to the eyes of "Them".
Every individual, object, force, and event within "Their" Story possesses a unique Perspective, and "They" can access, merge, distort, or rewrite any of these viewpoints at will.
When "They" change what is seen or understood, the world reshapes itself to match the new interpretation because the Story obeys the perspective through which it is told.
All Incarnations who have signed a contract with "Them" are "Their" actors. They are bound to participate in the Story according to the roles assigned to them.
These actors are extensions of "Their" Perspective and are unable to escape the Perspective imposed on them.
"They" have total control over these Incarnations within the Story. To the Narrators, Incarnations are little more than slaves. Through Perspective, "They" can treat Incarnations as the story elements they are and rewrite them as "They" see fit.
Through the Authority of Perspective, "They" can impose a viewpoint on any character in the Story.
"They" can rewrite an actor's identity, alter "Their" memories, or redefine their purpose in the Story. These changes affect the actor's fate and forces them to obey the logic of the Story rather than their own will.
"They" can effortlessly switch the thoughts, emotions, or identity of any actor within "Their" Story.
"They" can control an actor's body, directing how they move, what they say, and what they do, as though "They" were puppeteers pulling the strings.
Plot: The Authority of Perspective gives "Them" a lesser Authority over Plot. This Authority is limited to the extent of "Their" Story. Narrators have the ability to manipulate the unfolding Plot of "Their" Story. "They" can reshape the world, events, and characters with absolute Authority.
"They" are in charge of every part of the Story, like the setting, the plot, how things progress, and the deeper meaning behind the Story. "This" Authority ensures that the Story aligns perfectly with "Their" vision.
"They" can influence how the Plot progresses. "They" get to decide the order, meaning, and scope of events within "Their" Story. All cause and effect within the Story bends to "Their" interpretation.
"They" can enforce the reasoning and internal logic of the world to determine why the Story behaves the way it does. Actors must act according to this reasoning.
"They" can control every decision made by the actors in the Story.
Actors cannot escape the decisions written for them without the Story fracturing. Likewise, the Story cannot fracture under the Authority of its Narrator.
"Their" Story can only be fractured by an Authority that is either stronger or equal in strength.
"They" can determine the consequences of every decision. This Authority enables "Them" to define outcomes based on plot development rather than logical causality.
The actors within "Their" Story believe they are acting of their own free will, but their decisions are actually the result of "Their" Authority over Plot and Perspective.
Through the Authority of Plot and Perspective, "They" can influence the Main Scenarios that determine "Their" life.
While "They" cannot stop the Main Scenarios from happening, "They" can influence how perilous "They" become by nudging the Plot in a certain direction.
This Authority is the embryonic state of "Their" Divine Kingdom.
Sequence 0: Story
Authorities
Stories:
Existence:
Probability (Plausibility / Possibility):
Narrative (Realm of Myths): The Divine Kingdom.