Relias: Uprising

by M. J Kreyzer

  Lightning

  Energy Consumption: 100 Calories per instance per second

  Description: By manipulating Furo in the atmosphere, the Elementalist is capable of altering atmospheric conditions and creating super charged bolts of plasma, the result being something very similar to a lightning bolt twenty times more powerful than natural lightning.

  Telekinesis

  Energy Consumption: 50 Calories per second

  Description: Telekinesis is a deceptively complex form of Elemental. However, it is considered by many to be one of the most difficult forms of Elemental in existence. Because Durants can control and rearrange Furo to create Elemental, they can also take massive groupings of Furo particles which form a complete object and move it in whatever way they choose. The complexity comes from the physical limitations of the mind. Because of the inconceivably vast amounts of Furo one must harness to move even a small object, it requires great skill and discipline to mentally grab those particles and to move them. Because of this, even those who are capable of Telekinesis can move only minuscule objects by isolating small but stable portions of the object and moving that, the rest of it following due to its attachment.

  Telepathy

  Energy Consumption: Minimal. Approximately double the amount required for normal brain function.

  Description: There are two different schools of thought concerning telepathy. The first says that, in order for Telepathy to be used with any amount of precision, the Elementalist must have an intimate understanding of the inner workings of the brain, that is which areas perform which tasks. Without a knowledge of brain function, it is impossible to determine what one is looking at and, as such, what the subject is thinking. This idea, however, is a misconception perpetuated by physicists and Elemental scholars alike. Telepathy operates through the sharing of brainwaves. When a connection is made, the Elementalist will then use their own brains to mimic certain activities of the other, even creating a temporary copy of the other's brain and projecting it onto their own. This allows the Elementalist to pour through memories, thoughts, dreams, even feelings. An inexperienced Elementalist, however, can be extremely and irreversibly harmed by a misuse of Telepathy, especially when examining memories. Some of the consequences of abusing Telepathy can include and are not limited to depression, anxiety, and even split-personality disorder. There are many who question the ethics of Telepathy while some, including Luke Semprys, take issue with the Elemental's overall safety.

  Holocaust

  Energy Consumption: Theorized at 75,000 calories per use.

  Description: There has only been one known use of a Holocaust, and this use has only been theorized based upon the area surrounding the spot where it was thought to have been used. Though the name 'Holocaust' was temporary, used only as a reference until a more appropriate name could be determined, this stand in eventually gained popularity, replacing the official term 'Splitter' by popular demand.

  A Holocaust is similar to a controlled nuclear blast. The primary difference between the two is that a nuclear blast results in harmful, residual radiation and fallout, whereas a Holocaust is a clean blast. The blast originates from the user's position and spreads outward. Thus, the blast's epicenter is the Elementalist themselves. In order to protect themselves from the blast, a powerful, isolated barrier must be created around the Elementalist until the blast subsides. While the blast itself requires an exorbitant amount of energy, the necessity of a barrier makes this form of Elemental nearly impossible to use. As the largest safely consumable Power Pack contains only 65,000 calories, executing a Holocaust will drive the Elementalist to Depletion and, quite possibly, death.

  Spurence

  Spurence, more crudely referred to as Dream Communication, is a method of communication through which a Durant (or Durants) can communicate to one another telepathically. Spurence is used when normal telepathy, possible only at short ranges, is impossible. And while Spurence is a one-way line of communication, it is especially effective when other forms of communication are unavailable.

  Time Manipulation

  Time manipulation falls within the realm of theoretical Elemental. Though no Durant has been known to successfully manipulate time, the fact that Furo possesses time bending properties makes the prospect entirely possible.

  Furo Vision

  As Durants possess an actual sixth sense for Furo, they can, following years of dedicated practice, see the world in terms of Furo. For many who have tried, (Ranjak and Thompson being among them) Furo Vision is nearly impossible to use. This ability comes, most often, out of necessity rather than desire.

  In one's mind, the world will appear in various shades of blue. Sensing Furo does not exist solely from a first person perspective. Furo vision allows the Elementalist to zoom out and look at themselves, see all around them and, with great skill, see all directions at once. When a Stabilizer is introduced, however, vision becomes slightly distorted, the degree of distortion depending on the amplitude of the Stabilizer. The more stabilizers there are, the more vague one's vision will become. With enough Stabilizers, an individual's ability for perceiving shapes and distance through Furo can be disabled entirely, rendering the Elementalist blind and capable of seeing only pale, glowing blue.

  Singularities

  Singularities are the unique abilities that some Durants possess. Singularities are relatively rare among the Durants, while the chances of developing a Singularity increase greatly if one's parents possess Singularities.

  Famous Durants' Singularities

  Luke Semprys- Can channel Furo through his muscles and increase their strength and efficiency many times over.

  Lazarus Semprys- Possessed the ability to absorb Furo, increasing the power of effectiveness of all his Elemental

  Sable- Though she is only half Durant, Sable possesses the ability to rapidly regenerate her health. Essentially, her body follows a perfect genetic blueprint. She has never been sick in her life while her body absorbs only what it needs. This prevents her body from storing any excess of unhealthy substances such as fat or cholesterol.

  Vladmir Frenz- Using his mind, Frenz has the ability to mentally separate loosely packed particles from one another, using a motion from his hand much like he's using a long, invisible knife. This ability only works at a certain distance, however, and is ineffective at long ranges.

  Seraphine Leyen- Has the ability to literally shut down the brain of those with whom she can connect her mind.

  Depletion

  Depletion occurs when a Durant uses Elemental that requires more energy than their body is capable of sparing. The results of depletion vary from Elementalist to Elementalist, but the most common consequences are comas, seizures, or, at the very worst, cardiac arrest.

  Power Packs

  Power packs vary in size, content, and packaging while serving the same, simple purpose. Power Packs deliver massive amounts of calories to the consumer with the purpose of providing ample energy for Elemental use. With more experienced Elementalists such as Thompson, Ranjak or Luke Semprys, a Power Pack of up to 65,000 calories will be consumed. Specially designed for healthy consumption, the Power Packs are limited in the amount of calories they can deliver as any amount past the maximum 65,000 calorie threshold has the potential to fatally harm the consumer.

  Elementalist

  One who uses Elemental.

  Religions

  Duranism

  History: While Duranism didn't take hold until d 17 M.E., its belief system is the result of a religion dating back as far as 2000 Ae.E where it was the official religion of ancient Marsectan Empires. The teachings and principles behind Duranism would flirt with extinction as these once powerful empires would disappear into the Marsectan desert. Duranism would receive new life when Durant philosophers, prophets and scholars compiled a series of religious records and documents referred to as The Rune. Comprised by a series of moral and philosophical discourses developed over several thousand years taken from a series of scrolls d
iscovered along the western shores of Arctanica, The Rune served as the blueprint around which the Durant religion was erected and laid the foundation for contemporary Duranism.

  The appearance of the young warrior monk around 75 M.E, William Semprys, created a significant rift within the Durant community. His ideas were widely criticized by the Durant establishment, many of those critics being the same individuals who contributed to the compilation of The Rune. Semprys claimed that, while the vast majority of doctrines prescribed in The Rune were correct, there was still a good number that were the result of human distortion and design projected onto divine providence. Following his journey into the Marsecta Desert, William returned with the aptly named "First Epistle of William" which contained a series of laws that would alter the course of Duranism and ultimately split it into three separate religions: Duranism, Purism, and Semprianity.

  Description: The general whole of the Durant moral code is based upon the Degrees of Reconciliation as they're written in the First Epistle of William. Selflessness is the globe around which Duranism revolves. A major goal of Duranism (as defined in The Rune by Durant prophets) is to reach a universal definition of morality. That definition, as stated in the Rune's Second Book of Carthis, is a genuine concern with the lives and well-being of others. So, in its most general sense, Duranism is centered primarily on the concepts of love, charity, and understanding, and places perfect selflessness as the highest level of righteousness that man can achieve.

  While Duranism teaches selflessness, it promotes a higher law of living, these social issues being separate from the Durant definition of morality. Because morality in this sense is generally arbitrary, the concept of Social Morality and the actions that fall within its realm are defined largely by whether or not that particular action is physically or psychologically harmful to an individual. The Durant Gospel teaches sobriety, abstinence, and a moderation in all things. It also decries damaging societal dogmas that promote ignorance and a refusal to accept new, ostensibly controversial ideas.

  The approach to Duranism is not a religious one. Durant disciples recognize and embrace the limited understanding of humanity and instead view their beliefs in a scientific manner. They believe that, while something might seem impossible or implausible, it does not necessarily entail its nonexistence. As is one of their primary examples, before the discovery of Furo it was believed by many that Durants were a "magical" race, and any attempt at explanation would be an exercise in futility.

  Durants (or the most devout Durants) reject the idea of criticism. Instead, they promote cordial disagreement with the belief that an attitude such as this creates an environment more conducive to growth and progress. With that as a disclaimer, Durants hold firmly to their beliefs of walking a moral highroad while not condemning those who choose not to. They believe, though, that in order to prepare oneself for higher spiritual learning and self-mastery, its necessary to gain complete control over one's being and possess unwavering characteristics of temperance and self-control. This temperance and self-control is best achieved through meditation. The goal of this meditation is to achieve inner peace, this inner peace conjecturally leading to a perfect control of one's thoughts and actions. This inner peace, as many Durant scholars and priests will claim, is the most important thing for an individual to achieve, as inner peace is a necessary pretext to all the thoughts and actions that comprise a righteous and moral being.

  Randism

  History: Randism is one of the world's oldest surviving organized religions. It's earliest beginnings stemmed from the philosophical ponderings of Ava Malyvyn, a member of a race that would serve as the precursors to the modern day Vampire. Circa 4000 Ae.E, the Autocthonids had become dispersed across Elvytica, Arctanica, and the shores of Marsecta. In eastern Elvytica, an area of the world where life was sparse, the group of Autocthonids that Malyvyn was a part of resorted to the drinking of blood to sustain themselves in times when food proved scarce. While this practice was considered barbaric by many members of the tribe, Malyvyn asserted that their preconceptions of 'holy' and 'barbaric' were the results of empathy and emotion, reactions which she described weaknesses which she predicted were "so powerful and so consuming that they would eventually obliterate and dismantle the fabric of reality.'

  It was under Malyvyn's religious teachings, recorded in the religious text, the Gotho Vysta, that the earliest vampire settlements were predominantly theocratic, with their laws centered around the teachings of Malyvyn. From here, Randism would be reshaped and redefined as the world population grew larger and larger with Malyvyn's teachings become more diluted and distorted with each passing generation. Randism would eventually provide a framework for Dexterianism.

  Description: Randism is based around the Gotho Vysta, the sacred Randist text containing the beliefs and moral code of the Randist discipleship. In Randism, science, physics, and the universe are God. God is still a conscious being, while he is everywhere and nowhere. The goal of Randists is to sever all weaknesses associated with the natural man. This goal is shared with Durants as is the act of daily meditation. The difference comes in what Durants and Randists meditate for. Durants meditate for inner peace, while Randists separate themselves from emotion, a human trait which they feel to be the catalyst to mortal weakness. They strive to become a harmonious component of the universe. With their focus on the elements and the physical nature of the universe, Randism shares characteristics with the primitive paganism found most commonly in humans and Highlanders. The ultimate goal of Randism is unity with the universe, and contributing to instead of harming it. It's believed that, after death, if one has not achieved perfect unity with the universe, (or God), their spirit must remain in limbo until complete unity can be achieved.

  Randists believe that emotion is the root of all evil. Without emotion, as Ava Malyvyn concluded, it is possible for man to achieve a higher being having shrugged off such a debilitating and mentally crippling characteristic. According to Malyvyn, emotion is what fuels contention, irrational action, and war. She ultimately decided that, if emotion could be driven to extinction, then violence would become anachronistic. There were some who countered that the need for resources would inevitably drive any civilization to war, and emotion (or empathy) would be the only weapon capable of trumping an objective need for resources. Empathy, as they argued, would prove necessary to view another civilization as anything more than a barrier to survival. Malyvyn rejected these assertions, stating that violent conflict is an emotional response. Objective, emotionally-detached diplomacy would lead to the solution that yields the lowest cost. The solution with the lowest cost would be one based around rational, peaceful resolution. As the general consensus among Randists would eventually become, emotion leads to destruction, both on a global and personal level.

  Dexterianism

  History: Following the martyrdom of William Semprys in 492 M.E. and the consequential Damidian War, a religious revolution took place. As Purists emerged amongst the Durant movement and Semprans appeared as a rebellion against religious corruption within the Durant faith, it became increasingly acceptable to challenge the status quo in a world that, until Semprys's death, had been predominantly theocratic. Dexterianism was established by Farell Payne in 495 M.E. Farell, having been an outcast of the Randist discipleship, presented his own interpretation of the Randist text, the Gotha Vysta, and gained an immediate following.

  By the turn of the 6th century, Dexterian membership was in the thousands and the population continued to boom. (This boom would eventually lead to Dexterianism having one of the largest membership in the world.) Farell Payne, being a spiritual man, recognized how conducive his new religion was to immoral and sinful people who misinterpreted the Dexterian message. This misinterpretation, as Farell would claim, could be largely attributed to the inaccessibility of the Gotha Vysta, the basis for their religion. In response, Payne would spend decades abridging and revising the Gotha Vysta, transforming it into a simpler, more readily available wo
rk. Recognizing the impossibility of mass distribution of what he called The Vystas, Payne would enlist the help of some of the brightest minds of their time, including a budding philosopher and scientist named Carvello Corvice, to concoct a method for their mass distribution.

  Farell Payne, however, would not live to see it happen. In 531, records detail Payne contracting an illness with symptoms congruent with that of throat cancer. By 532, Payne bordered death and swore that he would hang onto life until he saw Dexterianism's spread boom. His health took a turn for the worst and he would die later that year.

  Under the leadership of Payne's illegitimate son, Walther Pardo, assumed leadership of the church and took it to heights that Farell Payne had only dreamt of. Under Pardo's leadership, Carvello Corvice gained access to the necessary resources he required to complete the construction of what would later be referred to as the Printing Mill. With Pardo directing, copies of The Vysta were printed and distributed in vast numbers while another perceived flaw presented itself. Pardo, feeling that his father hadn't gone far enough in making the Gotha Vysta more accessible to the general public, authored a newer, even shorter version of The Vystas, giving a basic synopsis for Dexterianism in a pamphlet that could be read within a half hour. With this new strategy combined with a missionary effort unmatched in history, Dexterianism became the primary religion of Eastern Arctanica and eventually Solara.