Celestial Faithful

Those who practice their faith with celestial or popular magic.

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Aestbar

Type: Cleric

An aestbar is a cleric who of the Bronccourian faith, which is common in Omaev (though still illegal there), Vsemy, Jedinstven, and among the nomads of Colesh. They follow a doctrine of hope to the people. The central figure, the Bronccour, is a messianic figure from the distant past (possible on a version of the world that came before), who performed miracles, brought hope, and shared a deep compassion with everyone. Rumors of times when this religion was a worldwide religion also fuel their faith - there were once paradises on Shem, they say. They believe firmly that people can and will be restored to a time of hope and miracles, but they must believe in themselves, have compassion for others, and stand in resistance to tyranny.

In Ranu, there are secret temples and churches to the Bronccour in most imperial lands and open churches and temples in Vsemy and Jedinstven. Their religion has no hierarchy, but every temple or church has an aestbar who leads the spiritual rites and rituals, administers the church, and gives advice and guidance to the community.

Aesbars are empowered by their own feelings of hope. It is said that an aestbar is unkillable so long as they have hope; the truth of this is something most aestbars do not wish to test. An aestbar gains abilities as they perform their rites and spread hope so long as they feel it themselves. Even a brief moment of despair can weaken them, but they recover quickly. To become an aestbar, one must be taught by another aestbar and fully believe in their faith. There are no formal tests - all of life under class society is a test - but they build up power as they share and believe and live and resist.

Some abilities they might have are as follows:

• Touch of hope: an aestbar may touch someone on the shoulder (or equivalent) and give them hope when they are in need. This will break any magical emotional effects, give high die for one roll, and/or simply help them out emotionally.
• Words of aspiration: an aestbar can speak words that remind people of their goals and aspirations, their desire to be their best. Anyone in earshot who is not a servant of empire or oppression (etc.) will gain a +3 bonus to any action furthering one of their passion motivations.
• Encouraging sermon: an aestbar can give a powerful sermon lasting at least ten minutes that encourages everyone who hears it to believe in themselves. This only works on people who are not servants of empires or oppression (etc.). It gives bonuses to any stat the player (for PCs) or GM chooses (for NPCs), and the bonuses go up for every ten minutes the aestbar prays openly (max +12). They last for an hour no matter what.
• Ebon heart: the aestbar can sense the emotions of others within 50', and if they feel despair or similar emotions, the aestbar can dampen that emotion if that person walks in any kind of shadow or darkness within that 50'.
• Elysian shadow: the aestbar can step into someone's shadow and know the worst and best thing that person has ever done, rolling PRS vs. WIL.
• New blossoms: the aestbar can give someone a freshly blossomed flower which will allow that person to recover from a mortal or critical wound instantly, once.
• Flower of renewal: the aestbar can make a flower's scent as refreshing as a full eight-hour's rest.

Experienced aestbars may have one of these abilities, but they will not be available to new PCs:

• Grace: an aestbar may enter a state of grace which makes them immune to infernal powers, gives them the high die on all rolls, and protects them from instant death or severe injury or disease. This lasts as long as the aestbar wills it, but the aestbar will not be able to do anything else during that time period. The target must be a believer in hope (not the religion of Bronccourianism, just hope), cannot be an oppressor or exploiter or abuser or polluter, and must not engage in evil actions while in grace (or they will die). Afterward, both the aestbar and the target will be exhausted for twice as much time as the grace lasted.
• Miracle: an aestbar may lower the success rate of a critical success to build up the chances of a miracle. For every level of success they go down (to exceptional failure - they cannot turn a critical success into a critical failure), they gain 1 point. Once they reach 12 points, they can turn critical failures into normal successes (+3 points per success level above that). This only counts on reasonable rolls - if the difficulty is 5 or less above the aestbar's score.

Aestbars are often horticulturists or gardeners. In imperial lands, their religion is outlawed. Their faith has a complex floral symbology. The lilac and the chrysanthemum are considered their holy symbols.

PRO -1 ATH / STR / AWA +2 WIL +2 PRS +2 STH -1 ESS +1

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Angelologist

Type: Factor

One who vows service to angels and gains celestial powers of protection, healing, or empowerment of others.

To become an angelologist, one must be annointed by an angel whom they serve. Some are chosen by the angels, others seek out angels to serve, but all must prove themselves worthy before the angel will annoint them and offer them powers for their service.

There are those who are chosen by angels. They are people who meet the criteria of angelic service without actively seeking it out, perhaps without even knowing. Others seek out angelic service. They are usually members of a faith that honors angels and certain kinds of behaviors, agents of that faith who seek out angels to serve in order to serve the faith. Angels refuse those who seek service for their own personal gain or for the service of an oppressor state. Only the true and sincere are taken. Sometimes, a true believer who belongs to an organized religion co-opted by an oppressor state is still allowed to take service, but they usually realize their service will run counter to the state very quickly.

If an angel chooses a servant, they appear to them when they are alone. If the person is rarely alone (a parent, for instance), the angel may contrive a way to get them alone. If a servant seeks out an angel, they must find a way to call the angel. This usually involves an act of self-sacrifice dedicated to the angel. It must, however, be dedicated to a specific angel.

The angels who accept service of mortals are rare. Most are focused on their own tasks and have little time for mortals, and fewer still want to interact with mortals except in service to their Divine. But those who do do so by taking accountability for their servants. They risk disgrace if their servants betray them, and therefore, they are very exacting. Their servants will gain and lose power based on how well they serve. If they are too far afield, if they betray their angelic sponsors, they will be punished, possibly even killed. Angelic sponsors of angelologists are called earab aa.

Service to angels requires extremely strict adherence to the angel's specific ethical structure and their individual tasks, as assigned by their Divine.

Every angelologist serves an angel who exists at the intersection of nation, rank, and role. Nation refers to an angel's background and culture. Rank refers to their place in a hierarchy. Role refers to their angelic occupation. Consult the GM for these details.

Angels determine the worth of a candidate by analyzing even the smallest aspects of a person's soul. Their every experience, in fullest context, is considered. A mortal is found worthy if and only if they are not in service to evil, to the exploiters and oppressors, and if they have not committed unforgiven acts such as murder, rape, kidnapping, abuse, and so on. If found worthy, they are tested 12 times.

Tests vary by mortal and angel, but always revolve around things that fit into the angel's milieu. Tests are usually simpler for those who are less ambiguous in their worthiness.

If found worthy, the angelologist is annointed with celeste water and given a vial of it. The annointing imbues the inital powers of the angelologist. The vial allows them to restore their powers after used up to four times (four times total, not four per power). After that, they must return to the angel to ask for more, so they must always use their powers judiciously. The angel will grant them new powers if needed for a task or if earned. Angels are very careful with the powers they grant, as they are culpable for how those powers are used.

If an angelologist falls out of favor or if a candidate is in a state of sin, they send them on a particularly difficult task which will have remarkable positive consequences if successful or a long-term task such that it takes a life-time of service, with extreme consequences for failure.

If found worthy, the angel will grant the angelologist four starting powers. Powers vary by angel. Here-listed are those of the commonest angels sought by angelologists, the ridwan:

• Celeste annointment: use of celeste water to wash the target, cleasning body and soul, if the person repents their sins.
• Aura of protection: a soft blue aura that repels infernal energies.
• Celestial droplet: a spray of droplets of celeste water that burn beings or users of infernal energies.
• Coelginous voice: bonuses to PRS for those who seek to talk sense into someone.
• Soulsight: bonuses to reading people; powerful angelologists can scan into the depths of a person's being, but less experienced ones just get small insights.
• Healing wave: a wave of celeste water heals the bodies of the infirm.
• Angel's feather: the angelologist can teleport someone to safety.
• Angel's feet: the angelologist can walk on water.
• Touch of salvation: grants the repentant salvation if they are close to death.
• Heaven's wrath: releases a wave of blue light that eradicates the infernal.
• Halo: perfect protection from evil - acts of evil, including those that contain no infernal essence.
• Calling the Host: angelologist calls upon angels of the Heavenly Host to fight evil.

Angelologists' faiths are heavily forbidden in imperial lands, rare but cherished in Vsemy and Jedinstven, and generally unexpected elsewhere.

PRO -2 ATH +1 STR / AWA +2 WIL +3 PRS +3 STH -3 ESS +2

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Lustrater

Type: Priest

A lustrater is a priest of an ancient religion that holds self-sacrifice and giving as the utmost virtues. They worship a goddess known as the Celestial Mother or the Mother of the People, depending on if one believes in a celestial afterlife or simply believes the goddess lives in the hearts of the oppressed.

Lustraters gain power through self-sacrifice. The more they give, the more they make others their priority even over their own needs, the more powerful they become. This only works if they are helping other oppressed, exploited, or abused people; they cannot be on the side of that which they see as evil. If they engage in selfish activity, they are weakened.

To become a lustrater, they must be intiated by another lustrater - no one becomes one by accident, nor can they become one without also being among the followers of the Celestial Mother. It takes years of sacred work to attain the ability to live as a lustrater; those who try without being initiated quickly find out it is not possible without Divine support.

They are common in Vsemy and Jedinstven.

After years of self-sacrifice, a lustrater will begin to gain abilities. Before this, they are supported by their lustrater mentors. As priests, they must perform rites to wield their abilities:

• Rite of Lifegiving: this rite gives the lustrater the ability to heal others with their own blood. For one wound level, they can heal two. They must inflict the wound during the rite; it will last one day per wound level. They may not heal or staunch the wound. If they perform the rite correctly, they will not die of the wound, but they will suffer its penalties. This does not work with a critical wound.
• Rite of Feeding: this rite gives the lustrater the ability to multiple food and drink such that there is enough for everyone; however, they themselves may not eat or drink while this is in effect. They must fast leading up to the rite. This lasts for as long as they have fasted; fasting must last at least three Shem-days.
• Rite of the Rains: this rite allows the lustrater to call celeste rains down, bring purifying and renewing waters. This only works on the Green Moon. This rite requires the lustrater go without water for months. If the rite is performed correctly, they will survive this. The rains will slake their intense thirst quickly after being called.
• Rite of Heartsharing: this rite allows the lustrater to expose their entire emotional being but be able to heal deep traumas on someone.
• Rite of Teaching: this rite allows the lustrater to provide deep knowledge to someone while exposing their own mind completely.
• Rite of Celeste Soul: this rite allows the lustrater to give support to someone else's magical or supernatural abilities by permanently sacrificing their own.

A lustrater may devise other rites based on acts of self-sacrifice. Consult the GM.

PRO -1 ATH +1 STR +1 AWA +2 WIL +3 PRS +1 STH -2 ESS +1

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Propovednik

Type: Preacher

Propovedniki preach the virtues of mercy, justice, and sanctuary. They honor a goddess of the people known as the Shepherdess (Pastushka), and they preach that she honors those who show mercy, fight for justice, and give sanctuary to those in need. And they practice what they preach, usually wielding a shepherd’s crook.

The Shepherdess is seen by the propovedniki as a psychopomp figure. It is the job of the propovedniki to preach and shepherd people while they are alive, and she takes them in when they die. She protects souls, and it is the belief of the propovedniki that they must help her in this by fighting for the people while they live, bringing them mercy when faced with life’s pains, justice when faced with imperial power, and sanctuary when faced with forces too great to escape. But ultimately, when death comes, the propovedniki trust that Pastushka will be there for the people when they pass.

By practicing what they preach, they build up favor from their goddess and the power of these virtues within themselves. To gain supernatural power from these virtues, they must practice them to an extreme degree, never acting unmercifully, never being silent in the face of injustice, and never turning away those in need of sanctuary.

Usually, they are raised in this faith, especially in Vsemy and Jedinstven. They are taught from a young age about the Shepherdess and are taught to live to the virtues they preach. If they choose to pursue being a preacher as an adult, they are taught deeper aspects of the faith and tested in their resolve to live up to their virtues. If they continually pass, they are invited to go among the people as a propovednik and given their crook.

As they preach, they gather a flock of followers, and many go out into the world to spread the word. But they never force their faith on any; they simply practice it and share their beliefs when asked, unless they are preaching somewhere publicly. If they gain enough favor and live up to the virtues long enough, they gain some of the following abilities:

• Aura of sanctuary: the propovedniki may invoke an aura of protection around any six people within eyesight, taking wounds for them if they are struck within that area.
• Merciful voice: the propovedniki may bring relief from pain, alleviating stun condition and lessening wound penalties, with their voice. This voice may also give rest to the weary, soothing to the sick, and calm to those in emotional or mental distress.
• Strike of justice: the propovedniki can wield their crook as a weapon, surrounding it in golden flame, and strike the unjust, bringing a moment of justice. This will cause no immediate damage, but instead inflict a geas, doom, or fate upon the target.
• Shepherding: the propovedniki can shepherd the souls of the dead to the afterlife; this works on the undead and the recently dead.
• Flock sense: the propovedniki can sense where their followers, friends, and allies are if they mark them as flock.

Propovedniki are criminalized in most imperial lands.

PRO -1 ATH +1 STR +1 AWA +3 WIL +3 PRS +2 STH -2 ESS +1