Open Invite - Age of Azar

[Deionscribe]

The Empire was destroyed.

Winds blew through its empty streets, the sands engulfed its buildings with hunger. Its pillars, which stood strong for hundreds of years, shattered at once under the pressure of the Underworld. Earth itself cried as it was forced to burst open, allowing the dead to claim the city. Eventually, when the storm passed, nothing - not even a name - was left behind. The desert claimed the city as its own.

But the desert is not a constant thing. It is a dynamic, changing entity. Its sands shift and travel, moved by some sort of primordial hunger. It dances. It sings an ancient song about life and death, wisdom and pride.

The desert also remembers things, secrets no one else upon the face of Earth knows. Many hidden treasures from bygone eras are covered by its sands, while the wind whispers their stories to anyone who is willing to listen. It is a constant reminder that our lives are only temporary. Eventually, the desert will cover us too, and only it would remember our lost names...

Yet nothing is lost forever. The sands shift, and the past in uncovered. Things which seemed to be lost forever rise once more, guided by the gentle hands of Fate, as written in the stars.

An Empire was destroyed... but another rose from its ruins.

Kemet, the Black Land. Birthed in the middle of the desert by the flow of the Nile, the Old Kingdom stands strong. Its gods are life and death, the sun and the desert. Built on the broken pillars of the lost city, it created a whole new society, growing away from the secrets of the past and into the shinning future, guided by the light of the Sun. Its Pharaoh rules as the incarnation of the gods on two lands, its priests sing hymns honoring the powers which granted them life in the wasteland while guiding their souls to the afterlife. This is a land of power, of might, a land protected by the many gods it named.

But as the blessed Sun falls to the Underworld, other things crawl out, holding their own secrets from the past.

In the shadow of the Kingdom, things move. Beings claw their way out of their grave, filled with yearning for warmth, for blood. Those Hungry Dead walk through the streets, sing their own hymns to the same gods worshiped by the living. Many cults compete each other over both blood and faith, each carrying its god with pride. Sutek, Re, Nebthet, Djehuty - each of those and more sings its own Requiem in the dark night, orchestrated by the great House of the Dead. They respect their mortal king and accept his authority, yet they live under their own rules. The living must protect the dead, both those who lie in their grave and those who aren't.

Yet, not all gods sing the same song - and when those hymns meet, a discord is heard. Some try to deafen the song, others whisper among the dead and few seek to only bring silence. Not only that, other kingdoms also find themselves drawn to the land of the Nile, bringing with them their own gods and faithful - from the passionate dead of Mesopotamia, through the silent idols of Canaan and even up to the shadow haunted Punt, Kemet has become the center where they interact, trade secrets and whisper wars. And other kingdoms are not the only problem - for the wasteland hides its own dangers. Wolves, hyenas and jackals roam through the desert, their eyes burn with hunger. Cults search after ruins of the past in the desert, forsaking the path of light granted by the great vizer and willing to endanger themselves through poison and death. Darkness sleeps beneath the sands, always hungering, always waiting. Dangers are found everywhere for those who dare the travel between lands - just enough to make you forget how dangerous Kemet itself really is.

But everyone is going to be reminded soon enough.

The ancient star rises once more, causing the sands to shift again - and it happens in the worst timing it could possibly be. A bloodthirsty king rules the throne, stopping ancient traditions out of spite and a hunger for power. The old cults discover their gods rising from their graves, carrying with them the power of the ruined empire. Madness covers the land, disrupting the eternal Requiem for a lost city and replacing it with something else - a song about victory and triumph against time itself. For long years, the Sun blessed the Black Land, but not any longer.

The Sun sets. Its Age has passed.

And the Age of Azar finally begins.

[FallenEco]

Two of the Garm Lodge secrets reference the ancient Egyptian origins of the cult. The Sand spirits with sacrifices and the secret First Tongue hieroglyphs sound like we might want to use them in this setting.

[Deionscribe]

I know that this project was sidelined in part in order to wait for the book to drop (and more Chronicle editions released) but there was a DE2 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chronicles-of-darkness-dark-eras-2/posts/2301240"]Update released a while back that has some relevence.[/URL]

OwO
This is making me want to revisit and add to the content again. While this draft is chronologically set during the Middle Kingdom, I can see elements of this being referenced and integrated into the Age of Azar setting.

That said, compared to the Mage and Vampire content, the Werewolf (and Shapechanger) section is a bit underdeveloped, so any suggestions based on this tidbit are welcome.

[FallenEco]

I know that this project was sidelined in part in order to wait for the book to drop (and more Chronicle editions released) but there was a DE2 Update released a while back that has some relevence.

[Vent0]

So something more akin to Lodge Sorcery? Pack Rites and Rites exclusive to a specific type of shapechanger could work as well, and there is an Aspect that allows for the purchase of Numina.

Yeah. It works better with the comparison to Werewolves, since both leverage the Spirit world/Shadow. It would make sense, that for "animal magic", leveraging the powers of animal Spirits would make the most sense. Special Rites also allow for both greater variety of powers, as well as restricting them to thematic things.

[Deionscribe]

Not seeing why [Redacted from memory] should get Mage magic when they should be more similar to Werewolves. Any reason Wolf/Pack Rite access or Influences (as per Spirits or Horrors, depending on if Essence or Willpower is the fuel stat) wouldn't work? Influences are kinda like Arcana, but both more common/Blue Book/accessible and more category-limited.

So something more akin to Lodge Sorcery? Pack Rites and Rites exclusive to a specific type of shapechanger could work as well, and there is an Aspect that allows for the purchase of Numina.

[Vent0]

Well, I'm either thinking that they'd need to spend a Willpower point to do Creative Thaumaturgy of any kind, while learning a rote removes that.

On the other hand, maybe removing Creative Thaumaturgy altogether could balance things out. As for the Merit, it's for each Rote, and I might end up going with the Proximi XP costs and mechanics.

Not seeing why [Redacted from memory] should get Mage magic when they should be more similar to Werewolves. Any reason Wolf/Pack Rite access or Influences (as per Spirits or Horrors, depending on if Essence or Willpower is the fuel stat) wouldn't work? Influences are kinda like Arcana, but both more common/Blue Book/accessible and more category-limited.

[Deionscribe]

I’m not sure giving them Arcana wholesale is a good idea... Maybe something like Proximi, where they buy spells separately?

Wait, how did Pangaeans use Arcana again? Maybe there’s something to mine from them?

Well, I'm either thinking that they'd need to spend a Willpower point to do Creative Thaumaturgy of any kind, while learning a rote removes that.

On the other hand, maybe removing Creative Thaumaturgy altogether could balance things out. As for the Merit, it's for each Rote, and I might end up going with the Proximi XP costs and mechanics.

[Tessie]

Beast Magic (• to •••••)
Select werebeasts pursue the arts of magic, employing arcane secrets and ominous tools to mimic the spells of human wizards. This is not without its dangers, though, and most ferals shun these strange arts because of how they limit their own primal potential. Nevertheless, those who do pursue it — cats, baboons, goats, foxes, cranes, spiders, frogs, ravens, even bison — are strongly attuned to the power granted, and consider the cost a fair trade. In human form, these creatures are often drawn to occult practices. And after the First Change, these practices come to fruition through the odd talent of Beast Magic.

In game terms, this Aspect allows a werebeast to purchase and use mage spells from a specific Arcanum, and it can be purchased multiple times to expand their magical repertoire. Furthermore, they make use of the following rules.

* A feral must spend a Willpower point to perform Creative Thaumaturgy with Beast Magic.

* When performing a spell with Beast Magic, the character uses a dice pool of Primal Urge + Beast Magic.

* A given spell always costs Essence equal to its dot rating (with a minimum of 1 point).

* A feral can purchase rotes as Merits with a dot rating equal to their level.

What does the dot levels of the Merit do? Is it that you're supposed to buy this Merit for each Rote, or is it that dot rating of this Merit caps how advanced Rotes the werebeast can buy? (If the latter, what is the cost of Rotes? One XP per Rote like mages, or one XP per dot of the Rote like Proximi Blessings?) And when you say Rotes, do you mean something similar to Blessings rather than the ability to use a Mudra and/or apply Rote Action to casting the spell?

Also, how many Reaches to they get, and how do they deal with Paradox?

[21C Hermit]

Can someone provide some commentary and critique on this conversion of the Aspect? It's very tricky for me to work out, but it's kinda relevant due to how other shapechangers are prominent in Kemet compared to werewolves.

-=-

Beast Magic (• to •••••)
Select werebeasts pursue the arts of magic, employing arcane secrets and ominous tools to mimic the spells of human wizards. This is not without its dangers, though, and most ferals shun these strange arts because of how they limit their own primal potential. Nevertheless, those who do pursue it — cats, baboons, goats, foxes, cranes, spiders, frogs, ravens, even bison — are strongly attuned to the power granted, and consider the cost a fair trade. In human form, these creatures are often drawn to occult practices. And after the First Change, these practices come to fruition through the odd talent of Beast Magic.

In game terms, this Aspect allows a werebeast to purchase and use mage spells from a specific Arcanum, and it can be purchased multiple times to expand their magical repertoire. Furthermore, they make use of the following rules.

* A feral must spend a Willpower point to perform Creative Thaumaturgy with Beast Magic.

* When performing a spell with Beast Magic, the character uses a dice pool of Primal Urge + Beast Magic.

* A given spell always costs Essence equal to its dot rating (with a minimum of 1 point).

* A feral can purchase rotes as Merits with a dot rating equal to their level.

I’m not sure giving them Arcana wholesale is a good idea... Maybe something like Proximi, where they buy spells separately?

Wait, how did Pangaeans use Arcana again? Maybe there’s something to mine from them?

[Deionscribe]

Can someone provide some commentary and critique on this conversion of the Aspect? It's very tricky for me to work out, but it's kinda relevant due to how other shapechangers are prominent in Kemet compared to werewolves.

-=-

Beast Magic (• to •••••)
Select werebeasts pursue the arts of magic, employing arcane secrets and ominous tools to mimic the spells of human wizards. This is not without its dangers, though, and most ferals shun these strange arts because of how they limit their own primal potential. Nevertheless, those who do pursue it — cats, baboons, goats, foxes, cranes, spiders, frogs, ravens, even bison — are strongly attuned to the power granted, and consider the cost a fair trade. In human form, these creatures are often drawn to occult practices. And after the First Change, these practices come to fruition through the odd talent of Beast Magic.

In game terms, this Aspect allows a werebeast to purchase and use mage spells from a specific Arcanum, and it can be purchased multiple times to expand their magical repertoire. Furthermore, they make use of the following rules.

* A feral must spend a Willpower point to perform Creative Thaumaturgy with Beast Magic.

* When performing a spell with Beast Magic, the character uses a dice pool of Primal Urge + Beast Magic.

* A given spell always costs Essence equal to its dot rating (with a minimum of 1 point).

* A feral can purchase rotes as Merits with a dot rating equal to their level.

[Deionscribe]

Does anyone happen to know of any material regarding the city of Khmun (Hermopolis) during the 5th Dynasty Era (aka the First Sothic Turn)? I might end up writing about it in a separate doc seeing as is Thoth's foremost city and the Thothite bloodline has been my latest focus.

[Deionscribe]

Silly question; are we going to revisit how Hunter Endowments for Era Conspiracies work with an eye toward the proposed method for 2E?
I liked the new approach and felt it made Endowments more distinct from regular merits.

I must admit it seems that the Serpent Blooded arose during this time, but we could tweak it so that the first were created by Apep to serve as 'mini-Heralds' before the group was reorganized (with help) into the binding force that now keeps it trapped.

I'm thinking we ought to wait until the official 2E rules come out before revising the Endowment system. But if anyone wants to take a stab at it now, feel free to do so.

As for the Hrt Isfet, their predecessors were probably either split between full Heralds and (more commonly) Claimed. If we go with making the full First Turn (not just the Cannibal Hymn) as the setting, then we can work out the Serpent-Blooded during the first days of their existence.

[FallenEco]

Silly question; are we going to revisit how Hunter Endowments for Era Conspiracies work with an eye toward the proposed method for 2E?
I liked the new approach and felt it made Endowments more distinct from regular merits.

Edit: On the subject of Hunters, the homebrew groups should be linked on the first page. I have a small list of the ones mentioned in the google doc and noticed some others that might be applicable.

Listed in doc (Not including Ascending Ones)

• The Legacy of Gilgamesh
• Seeds of the Named Flower
• Cult of Sutek
• Teeth of the Crocodile God
• The Fangs of Irkalla
• The Silent Gods of Canaan

New additions?

• Hrt Isfet

I must admit it seems that the Serpent Blooded arose during this time, but we could tweak it so that the first were created by Apep to serve as 'mini-Heralds' before the group was reorganized (with help) into the binding force that now keeps it trapped.

[Dreaminggod]

Allow them to steal Pillar ala the Shuankhsen? Their Bloodline Gift could be the ability to steal Pillars (and expend them every night along with Vitae?) And use Sekhem Sorcery.