The Hierophantine of Kalandrel
Tales across the world tell of the marvelous realm known as Kalandrel, where the ancient practice of summoning golems has been perfected into an awe-inspiring artform. Many of these tales revolve around the City of Skyreach, the jewel of the hierophantine. Travellers tell of a cosmopolitan city nestled on a plateau and framed by earth, wood, water, and sky, as if nature itself acknowledged the city as birthplace of those who master the elements.
Earth. Fire. Sky. Water. Ether. All manipulated by man and nymph alike, all in service to the hierophant — the only being capable of controlling the Omniscience Golem, the All-Seeing Eye. From the Throne of Wisdom, he rules over the nation as both secular and spiritual leader. As a Watcher, you have sworn fealty to him and your people, which has granted you the privilege of commanding more powerful golems than before. Your drive is nothing compared to the awesome power wielded by your ruler, but you are nevertheless satisfied.
Golems
Every citizen of Kalandrel knows there are two main aspects to summoning a golem: the components and the essence. The components for a golem vary according to the variety, with imagination being the only limit to what can be constructed. However, successfully summoning a golem largely depends on experience, and since more popular golems are summoned more frequently, this makes the instruction and guidance needed to summon them more readily available.
If one has the necessary components, one then needs the right essence. This is limited to one or more of the elements, but any combination can be used in many different ways. Elemental essences are usually called from the ether and trapped inside heart-shaped lockets, with compound essences being more difficult to call and capture than singular ones. Fortunately, golems are a part of everyday society, which means these lockets can be purchased wherever there is civilisation.
The catch to summoning a golem comes in constructing it. With the right components and essence/s, one must open the locket, thereby granting it the opportunity to escape to the ether once more. The summoner must channel their own power to constrain the essence into the components, visualise the final golem, and then force the essence to realise this vision. Once the golem has been assembled, the essence is called back into the locket and trapped once more. If this procedure is done successfully, the golem will come to life.
Spoiler! :
Initially, you could control only a few lesser golems, but now that you have become a Watcher, you were offered the opportunity to forego these in favour of your very own greater golem. Greater golems require more exertion to control, and as such, you can control only one. Their power is considerable, though, so if you chose to keep your lesser golems, your mastery over them must be exceptional to keep pace with your peers.
Skywatch
Members of the illustrious Skywatch are best known for their Firebird Golems, but the body controls various kinds of airborne golems. Only the higher-ranking Skywatchers may enjoy the honour of protecting the city, with most working alongside the Woodwatch to protect the rest of Kalandrel from the many monsters of the wilderness, both human and otherwise.
Spoiler! :
Woodwatch
While the Citywatch protects Skyreach City, the Woodwatch protects all the other settlements of the hierophantine. The vast majority of Watchers are Woodwatchers, and while it isn't always the most glorious of jobs, these individuals understand their worth in protecting their people from all outside threats.
Spoiler! :
Citywatch
Skyreach is one of the largest and best known cities in the world, and as such, it is only fitting that a Watch be dedicated entirely to it. (The pseudo-Citywatches of Greenhaven, Galewind, and Port Sawtooth are technically branches of the Woodwatch.) In a city as vast as Skyreach, however, crime is nearly impossible to stamp out entirely, and thus the Citywatch struggles ceaselessly to find and punish those who dare disobey the law.
Spoiler! :
Skullwatch
In an age long past, Kalandrel had four Watches, not only three. The Skullwatch was intended to safeguard the dead and charged with the pursuit of alchemy: the study of the nature of elementals. Their discoveries included the fusion of elementals and the capture of souls, but their ultimate goal, creating the Elixir of Life, forever eluded them. This was for the best, as their research led them to commit unspeakable acts, for which the Watch was eventually disbanded and its members hunted down. Yet some survived, and those who still practice their baleful ways are called Skullwatchers — a reminder of the sacred duty their predecessors had betrayed.
Spoiler! :
Premise
You are one of several newly recruited Watchers who decided to rent a small apartment complex. None of you know what the future has in store for you, but all of you agree it's probably best to share the costs of living, with the added benefit of having support right next door. While you'll likely be dispatched to different posts, it can't hurt to make some friends before then.
For now, the plot is open. The entirety of Kalandrel exists as a setting, so if you have an idea, feel free to pitch it! I am entirely open to suggestions, whether it is about lore for one of the towns, a specific golem you'd like for your character to have, or an adventure you have in mind. I'll be adding more information to this post as time passes, but for now, I've tried to keep things simple. Reserve your role in the DT (either Wood- or Skywatch, since Citywatch isn't available this time) and we'll take it from there! The character profile is listed below.
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[b]Sex/Gender:[/b] (These can be interchangeable or distinct, whichever you prefer.)
[b]Race:[/b] (Human unless a twelve-sided die roll says otherwise; I'll perform this for everyone who joins.)
[b]Soul:[/b] ([b][color=lightgray]Ether[/color][/b]/[b][color=lightgray]Ether[/color][/b] unless the above-mentioned die roll says otherwise.)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (Preferably Caucasian, but you can use any skin tone you like.)
[b]Personality:[/b] (Be creative!)
[b]Watch:[/b] (Wood or Sky)
[b]Golem/s:[/b] (Specify the name and put the essence in brackets.)
[b]Other:[/b] (Anything else you'd like to specify!)
Gender:
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