Lightkeepers in Aether

[Slagheap]

Looking throught the manuscript I did not note any reference to a version of the Light keepers for this era. I admit I was a little surprised. Setting info to date indicates the organization has existed since atleast the 1800's (though in my head cannon they are much older). Did anyone catch any sly references to the Lightkeepers in the manuscript? Barring that, does anyone have any cool ideas about where to fit them in to the era?

[wyrdhamster]

I do not know how canonically Lighkeepers operated in that era - but I envision, they would in Aether be like Quality Assurance group for Aethernauts.

'Your new inversion is transmutating matter on left or right? Let me take a look at it. ( Turn' s off it) '

' Your new device can enslave whole town? We dispatch agents to steal it and secure in our vaults.'

Basiclly, Aether version of Guardians of the Veil, to borrow Mage: The Awakening terms. 😎 The difference between Lighkeepers and Edisionians? Lighkeepers do it for noble cause and ideas - all tech is in their vaults, waiting for humanity to better understood now tech. Edisionians are doing all of this just too get rich quicker. Lighkeepers are doing it in secret - Edisionians in open daylight. Lightkeepers are Guardians of the Veil, doing it just cause it's just- Edisionians are Serers of Throne - they steal tech and Unwind Aether to be most rich and Privilage - and even not doing it in very secrecy in the end.

That's my quick idea on Lightkeepers and Edisionians interpretpretatio in Aether era. 😎

[Mateus Luz]

Check Lodestar (Lodestone? Not sure) in Adventure!

[Amethyst]

I really liked Lodestar and I wish they had done a write up on them for Aether.

[Mateus Luz]

Lodestar has the same modus operandi and basically the same description as the Lightkeepers, almost as if it was the same society in two different timeframes.

Personally I would use Lodestar as teh Lightkeeprs of Aether era.

I think the reason for missing this reference is related to th focus of the Aether on the Humans x Martians and the Squires x Gogs x Magogs fights, while Lightkeepers are focused in doing good things and helping people in a more mundane situations.

[Astromancer]

Here's a thought, since Aether is an alternative past, perhaps the absence of the Lightkeepers is important. The fact the Lightkeepers don't exist here may have allowed the Martian invasion somehow.

[TwoDSix]

Considering the time period it's more than likely that the events of Aether create the modern Lightkeepers. I'm not sure if they're in Aberrant or a later Aeon book, but it's more than possible that Aether is actually a divergence point that leads to the core rulebook setting instead of Aberrant.

If there is a Pharos and/or the Lightkeepers in Aether it's possible they're operating under a different name or modus operandi (potentially even being outright villainous). Or they could be a minor and/or local phenomenon, beneath the book's notice. My personal headcanon is that they're not active at this point, but their precursors who are going to split from in a few years are.

[Dataweaver]

The Lightkeepers have been around since at least the 1800s, which is well before Aether. So no, they can't be the product of the Aether era.

As for Aether divergence points, I think the most likely would be one where the era doesn't get unwound in the end: the Martian Invasion is part of history (or may even still be ongoing decades later, with the Martians having never been fully vanquished); and Aether continues to be a thing instead of abruptly going away at the turn of the century. The Hammersmith Event still happens; but with Gogs and Magogs still running around, stalwarts and mesmerists don't make nearly as big of a splash, generally being mistaken for low-level Magogs. Strange Places never fade away, as exploration by the Inspired keeps them around. Overall, the world is a much weirder place.

Basically, this diverges away from the core book's setting, rather than diverging into it. The divergence point that I see that would lead into the core book's setting would follow the Adventure! era: if Michael Donighal dies, the Doyen barrier is never cracked; stalwarts and mesmerists gradually fade away, and by the present all that's left are the Talents.

[Mateus Luz]

Well, Aether is not really alternative, as unwinding doesnt really change the reality, it just changes the past... yes, weird... but anyway.

I personally like the idea o Dataweaver. I would say the Martian invasion caused an abundance of Aether, but without it is still present in a more private and uncomon way. Monsters (Magogs) exist, but their numbers are low, Aethergates are still viable, but only Gogs and Magogs can create one without a proper super sceince device, turning from a Gog to a Magog is not a matter of not controlling themselves, but a legitimate effort to become more than human, etc.

During Adventure era Gogs and Magogs would be around side by side with Stalwarts and Mesmerists, and during Nova era they ould be misunderstood as Novas (both for their powers and their super science capacities.

[IanWatson]

The Lightkeepers have been around since at least the 1800s, which is well before Aether. So no, they can't be the product of the Aether era.

Aether itself takes place in the 1800s so this would fit fine.

However, Adventure! indicates that Aeon has records of it existing as early as the 1700s.