View source for The Azure Path (Path)

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'''The Azure Path'''
* '''Source''':	Elohim
* '''Affinity''':	Evocation
* '''Attribute''':	Mental
* '''Effects''':	Arcane, Earth, Fire, Force, Temporal, Thunder, Water, Wind
* '''Titles''':		
** '''Growth 1''':  Cerulean Apprentice
** '''Growth 3''':  Lapis Magician
** '''Growth 5''':  Sapphire Magician
** '''Growth 7''':  Cobalt Magician

* '''Favored Races''': Draconian
* '''Favored Nations''': Chang’Na, Drachenkeep

==History and Flavor Text==

Perhaps one of the most potent paths of sorcery known in Kith Kanaan, the Azure Path was founded by the dragon queen Asurra.  A powerful sorceress in her own right, Asurra developed this path of sorcery by studying the foundations of the Tapestry.  To her reckoning, while the threads of the Tapestry combine with one another to lay out Creation, the weave itself must be anchored to a series of powerful forces.  These forces, she discovered, were the elohim, a group of powerful entities which exist beyond the Furthest Shores of the spirit world.  Though her methods are unclear, Asurra was able to create a series of pacts with the elohim, allowing her sorcery to manipulate the Tapestry by invoking the names of the elohim.  Further study proved to her that the movements of the Tapestry were connected to the celestial bodies, allowing her to refine power granted by this path.

Apprentices are trained by someone of at least Magician rank, and are expected to become well versed in astrology and geomancy.  The apprentice is expected to study and memorize the names of the stars and planets visible from Creation, and be able to chart their movements and predict astrological phenomenon.  Once the magician is satisfied, the apprentice begins to learn the process of creating circles and how to invoke the elohim names to assist in ritual magic.  The final test comes when the apprentice is told to summon their patronus, an avatar of the elohim who judges whether the apprentice will be a suitable magician or not.  If the patronus approves, the apprentice is allowed to progress in their studies as they desire.

Magicians are very competitive, attempting to further their mastery of the path while exploring the edges of Creation.  To an Azure mage, knowledge is meant to be discovered, and the varied Realms that border Creation are to be explored and categorized.  Knowledge is sacred to the sorcerers of this path, and those magicians who can prove their intellect and lore are respected by their peers.  A magician who does not show ambition and a thirst for knowledge are considered an embarrassment to their mentor, and are usually barred from access to the stores of books and relics discovered by other magicians of the path.

==Benefits of the Azure Path==

===Growth 0===

* 	The first act of true magic that a magician performs is the summoning of their patronus.  This spirit is a fraction of the power that lies behind the elohim, the beings which fuel Azure magic.  The patronus is a spirit guide, offering protection and representing the magician’s primal connection to the elohim that grants the Hero his magic.  If a patronus deems the apprentice worthy, they are granted the power to perform invocations.  Without the patronus, the magician is incapable of performing any spells – though they can still use any Benefits.  Summoning a patronus takes one hour and requires a Results Roll (Mental + Occultism).  The magician pays (Difficulty) Essence at the end of the hour, when the roll is made.  The Potency of the roll creates a pool which can be expended to grant the patronus bonuses.

**	A patronus may look like any creature it desires when it manifests, and the form chosen is often seen as a representation of the soul of the magician who calls it.  Once it has accepted the Hero, it is usually by the magician’s side, invisible and intangible, and heard only by the magician.  It may appear at the magician’s request as a Free Action, to be seen and heard by others, though is often reluctant to do so.  The patronus will obey most reasonable requests the magician makes, but is not a servant – it is an ally and guide, and can disobey an order made by the magician if it does not consider it within the Hero’s best interests.  If slain, the patronus disappears once more beyond the Furthest Shores.  The magician does not have access to the ability to perform invocations until the patronus has been re-summoned.

{|border="1" cellpadding="2"
|-
|'''Trait'''||'''Initial'''||'''Points'''||'''Bonuses'''
|-
|'''Attribute Points'''||10 + (4 x Growth)||1 Potency||1 bonus point
|-
|'''Size'''||0||1 Potency||+1 or –1 Size
|-
|'''Skill Points'''||0 + (5 x Growth)||1 Potency||4 bonus points
|-
|'''Talents'''||None||1 Potency||1 Talent
|-
|'''Powers'''||Flight, Incorporeal, Invulnerable, Spirit||2 Potency||1 Power
|-
|colspan=4|This spirit is immune to poisons and diseases.  It does not need to breathe, drink, or eat.
|}

*	Azure Invocations are complicated, requiring the knowledge of the stars and planets.  Each spell performed draws upon celestial alignments, and the invoking of the elohim which correspond to the type of spell to be cast.  As such, the casting time of an Azure spell is in Rounds, rather than Actions, as the magician performs the critical mental calculations to gather the proper energy to alter the Tapestry.  The power harnessed however is extremely potent, the Area of Effect and Duration of all Azure spells are doubled, and the Essence and Difficulty costs for Range are halved.  Magicians understand that the long process of performing invocations may prove to be a liability, and have developed a method called hanging which allows them to prepare spells ahead of time.  A magician may hang (Might) spells using this process.  The Hero casts the spell as normal, though they can not adjust the casting time when preparing the spell.  All costs are paid, and the magician stops the spell just before the last syllable is spoken.  The spell is then bound within the magician’s Essence.

** For each spell that is hung, the Hero must sacrifice one Essence.  This Essence can not be recovered unless the spell is cast or unmade.  At any time, as a single Action, the magician can either revoke the spell, causing it to dissipate harmlessly, or can speak the final word and direct it as desired.  The Essence Cost of the spell is paid for immediately, and the Hero rolls for the spell as normal.

'''Shorthand Notes'''
* Azure Spells are cast in Rounds rather than Actions
* Area of Effect and Duration are doubled
* Essence and Difficulty Costs for Range are Halved
* Azure Mages may 'hang' spells by preparing them ahead of time. They may hang ([[Might]]) spells.
** Each spell hung sacrifices 1 essence. It cannot be recovered until cast or unmade.
** These spells may be harmlessly dissipated or cast as an action. If cast the essence cost of the spell is paid immediately and rolled as normal.

===Growth 1===

*	'''Azure Circle'''		(5 DP, Requires Growth 1)
**	The magician can create a circle of power which allows the Hero to focus and augment any invocation a magician performs.  The magician calls upon the names of the elohim, subtly bending the fabric of the Tapestry and guiding it into a focal point that surrounds the Hero.  Creating an Azure Circle is a Results Roll (Mental + Occultism) and takes a number of Rounds and Essence dependant on the duration of the Circle being created.  The roll determines the Potency of the circle.  If it is a permanent circle, the magician must spend an amount of DP equal to the Potency upon completion of the ritual.  If the magician is not pleased with the potency of the circle, they can choose not to spend the DP, but must spend the Essence for making the circle.  Such a circle lasts (Might) Days.  All circles have a diameter of (Might) metres.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
|-
|colspan="6" align="center"|'''Circle Duration'''
|-
|'''(Duration * Might)'''
|Rounds
|Minutes
|Hours
|Days
|Permanent
|-
|'''Rounds/Essence'''
|1
|2
|3
|4
|5 + DP
|}

*	An Azure Circle manifests as a pair of blue glowing rings, one inside the other.  Between the rings are archaic letters which glow and pulse, moving and circling within the circle’s rim.  In most circumstances, the ring manifests on the surface that the magician is standing upon, though if desired, it can manifest at a fixed height around the sorcerer.  Permanent circles can not be moved, while temporary circles follow the magician, ensuring the Hero remains in the centre of the circle.  The magician can force the circle to remain in one place if desired, and can call it back if needed as a Free Action.

*	This circle assists in the performance of invocations for this path.  Any magician can benefit from being within a circle to perform magic, but only the magician who created the circle, or those magicians specifically chosen by the Hero when creating the circle, can benefit from the circle when casting on a target that is within it.  The circle grants (Potency) Additional Successes on any path invocation that uses the circle.

===Growth 3===

*	'''Great Invocation'''	(10 DP, Requires Growth 3)
**	The magician may perform a ritual with the assistance of other magicians, producing a greater invocation.  The Hero may have up to (Growth) other magicians assisting with the spell to be cast.  Each assistant performs a Results Roll (Mental + Occultism), and adds the Spell Difficulty to the Difficulty of the Results Roll.  The magician gains (Potency) dice from each assistant for their own invocation roll.  Each assistant that fails reduces the Potency of the invocation by one.

===Growth 5===

*	'''Master of Distance'''	(15 DP, Requires Growth 5)
**	The magician learns to fold the Tapestry to move from one point to another.  By spending a Full Round in preparation, the magician may spend 3 Essence to teleport to an Azure circle that they have created.  This may be done as an Active Defence, but costs 5 Essence to do.  If the attack roll has less than (Might) Successes, the magician teleports before they are struck.  The magician may attempt to bring additional people with them, but each person requires an additional 3 Essence to be spent, or 5 if the teleportation is being performed as an Active Defence.

===Growth 7===

*	'''Master of Space'''	(20 DP, Requires Growth 7)
**	The magician learns to sense the gaps within the Tapestry, moving through them to step into [[Metaphysics|another Realm]].  By spending a Full Round in preparation to slip into any Realm that they are aware of.  This may be done as an Active Defence, but costs an additional 2 Essence to do.  If the attack roll has less than (Might) Successes, the magician shifts before they are struck.  The magician may attempt to bring additional people with them, but each person requires the same Essence to be spent, and may be performed as an Active Defence.  The Essence Cost depends on how close the magician is to the target Realm.


{|border="1" cellpadding="2"
|+'''Essence Cost'''
|- 
|&nbsp;||'''Creation'''||'''Pathos'''||'''Ethos'''||'''Logos'''||'''Antumbra'''||'''Penumbra'''||'''Umbra'''||'''Divine'''||'''Infernal'''||'''Faerie'''||'''The Woods'''||'''Parallel''' *
|-
|'''Creation'''||3||5||5||5||7||7||7||9||9||9||11||13
|-
|'''Pathos'''||5||3||5||5||5||7||7||7||9||7||9||11
|-
|'''Ethos'''||5||5||3||5||7||5||7||9||7||7||9||11
|-
|'''Logos'''||5||5||5||3||7||7||5||7||7||9||9||11
|-
|'''Antumbra'''||7||5||7||7||3||5||5||5||7||5||7||9
|-
|'''Penumbra'''||7||7||5||7||5||3||5||7||5||5||7||9
|-
|'''Umbra'''||7||7||7||5||5||5||3||5||5||7||7||9
|-
|'''Divine'''||9||7||9||7||5||7||5||3||7||7||5||7
|-
|'''Infernal'''||9||9||7||7||7||5||5||7||3||7||5||7
|-
|'''Faerie'''||9||7||7||9||5||5||7||7||7||3||5||7
|-
|'''The Woods'''||11||9||9||9||7||7||7||5||5||5||3||5
|-
|'''Parallel''' *||13||11||11||11||9||9||9||7||7||7||5||13
|-
|colspan=13|A parallel Creation is one that is connected through The Woods, or is remote, such as Rym.  Going from parallel Creation to a different parallel Creation is considered very difficult.
|}

[[Category:CharGen]][[Category:Magic]][[Category:Magical_Paths_(CharGen)]]