Homebrew Alignment: The Holy Grail
Jun 2, 2024 13:05:22 GMT -6
Post by Kwak on Jun 2, 2024 13:05:22 GMT -6
Homebrew Alignment: The Holy Grail
-Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival
The Holy Grail is not a god - at least, not in the usual sense. It has never had a will of its own, despite its massive presence in the Warp, and the true form of this inanimate object is a mystery. Ancient Eldarin records point to certain legends, all equally unbelievable: A goblet forged at the end of the War in Heaven which holds the souls of all the Syrne. A golden Worldship, holding the blood of every lost Elven deity. The lamp where every Hero Point is burned. A celestial Crystal Sphere which holds the totality of the Warp, whose holder can drink freely from the source of all magic. For those who believe in it, perhaps more than it could ever believe in itself, the Holy Grail is a god of cups, lamps, fame, feasting, reincarnation, remembrance, heroes and quests...but most of all, a god of granting wishes.
The Holy Grail is a vessel for those wishes, sheltering them, materializing them, waiting to see them faithfully fulfilled. It does not seek worshippers - only pursuers, challengers, storytellers and seekers. The Holy Grail holds the name of every Hero in the Wheel, and it has at least one name in every sphere where stories are told:
The Source. The Elixir of Life. The One Piece. It manifests as a mythical treasure that can grant the greatest wish of the soul who finds it: Restoration, transformation, the death or rebirth of a whole civilization - The Grail can grant any of these to one whose tireless questing proves them worthy to hold its incarnation.
Followers
-Isaiah 43:19
The Holy Grail does not care what wishes it grants. Belonging to neither the pantheons of Chaos nor Order, its power calls to followers of both, and neither good nor evil mean anything to it. The Grail only cares that its followers put their own personal wish ahead of such broad, restrictive systems, and will happily bend its power to suit that person's whims. For some, this power is too great to exist, and they strive to keep it from falling into the wrong hands - or even destroy it. The Grail accepts these obsessions as well, just as easily as a normal god would accept a prayer. Many of its followers used to have another Alignment, and many of its most fervent followers believe they still to belong to that original alignment.
With such contradictory motives from its followers regarding everything, especially on what the Grail is and what to do with it, it is largely impossible for followers of the Holy Grail to come together and form anything resembling an organized religion. The closest equivalent is among the Believers of the Source, many of whom consider the Holy Grail to *be* the eponymous source, and welcome a deity that enables their self-serving quest for divinity so easily. Countless Spelljamming pirate crews have formed in the Grail's name, swearing to support each other in their search for a rumored set of sealed Relays known as the "Grand Line". Some alchemist labs, arcane universities, and anarchist gangs follow it while confined to a single physical location, believing that their continued efforts will eventually create the Grail outright. Perhaps more common than all of these, however, are those Aligned with the Grail by their animosity towards it: Secret societies who suppress all knowledge of the true Grail, or roving death-fleets which obliterate any planet with a confirmed manifestation.
Beliefs
-Eiichiro Oda, One Piece 576
Between these various irreconcilable institutions, a shaky consensus has formed: All those aligned to the Holy Grail want to find it, and come to hold a certain amount of respect, albeit rivalry, for others doing the same. They crave immortality, either as part of their wish for the Grail, or as a means of ensuring they live long enough to reach it. As their gaze turns to the light of its legend, the Grail casts some of that light on its followers, causing the grim darkness of the Great Wheel to fade from their thoughts: Things like the Blood War, or the rise and fall of empires just stop mattering to them as much - or, if they do, they're the sort of things that will be easier to handle with the godlike power of the Holy Grail at your disposal.
These are the tenets of the Holy Grail:
These are the acts denied by its Devotion:
Heroes of the Holy Grail
Because of its focus on fame and status, personal growth & heroism, and journeying deep into the unknown, The Holy Grail is much more suitable for the Exalted than it is for ordinary people. Some of them seek it in the hopes that it will cure their exaltation, or at least its greatest weaknesses - the contents of the Grail are said to fully quench a Vampire's thirst, to bring wealth to the Impecunic, to restore a Heartless's heart. For others, the circumstances of their exaltation come directly from the Holy Grail's influence. Unlike most deities, the Grail has relatively few Chosen - instead exalting those it deems worthy as Perpetuals, Legends, or Undaunted.
Those rare Chosen who do receive its full favor, known as "Counter Guardians", become robotically devoted to their single greatest ideal at the cost of all other passions. Their skin turns dark, their hair turns white, and all hues on their clothing fade away but for red, which turns so rich it almost glows. They become sensitive to the wishes of others, doing what they can to grant those desires as an extension of the Grail itself, with their every word and action hauntingly stylish yet devoid of any genuine passion.
Though fragments of its legend are found nearly everywhere, voidfaring races like the Eldarin, the Kenku, the Limulians and the Kor are far more likely to see patterns among the various Grail-myths, and thus make up a large part of its seekers. Classes focused on creating or collecting powerful tools, like Alchemists, Bladecallers and Adventurers, are also inclined to see themselves drawn to its ideal. And when one considers just how many people, though not fully aligned to the Holy Grail, desire something it may offer - wealth, fame, power - or how many would accept its blessings if they found it in passing...is there anyone in the Wheel who can truly call themselves free from the influence of this treasure?
Daemons of the Holy Grail
-Gen Urobuchi, Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Djinn
Beings of pure magic, with full control over a particular element and the potential to cast any spell in existence in service of a person's wish. While these humanoid elementals may resemble the Genasi, they are far less stable, unable to exist on their own beyond the Umbra. Therefore, most mortals either find them bound to an artifact or a Grail-avatar, or are summoned to them upon death for a chance at reincarnation. Every soul they aid feeds the djinni with a portion of its own Myth, so the more people they help, the more their power grows. Because of this, djinn are often mistaken for being inherently kindhearted, but their personalities tend to be vain, capricious, and as wild as their attuned element, but the fullest extent of their powers come from the Grail that birthed them, and thus can only be used in the service of another. If their bonds are broken, or if the wisher is careless with their wording, djinn will leap at the chance to punish the disrespectful, form a cult around themselves, or simply wreak havoc until they are whisked back to the Warp.
Questing Beasts
Small, skittish, but shockingly violent when provoked, these little Warp-rodents are the Holy Grail's elusiveness given form. Their adorable appearance and tendency to spread good luck wherever they go makes them highly sought after, but hunting a questing beast is not for the faint of heart. They are incredibly fast, and their cuddly forms conceal incredibly sharp natural weapons that can tear a pursuer apart. If outmatched, they tend to simply teleport away, making them next-to-impossible to actually kill. Those who do, however, are blessed by the Grail for their transgressions: A slain questing beast provides one Background dot to the hunter.
Raw Prophet
The Grail's hunger for heroes, in the flesh. These horrific piles of tangled, twisted appendages feed on the abstract things which lie in their god's domain: Lamp-light, legends, dreams and desires. Raw Prophets snatch these things away, darkening cities, censoring tomes, and twisting the minds of mortals. Their influence is responsible for much of the cloud of mystery and misinformation surrounding the true Grail, and for the horrible fates that befall those who get too close to it. Neither servants nor wild beasts, Raw Prophets are dealmakers, revealing themselves to the renowned, the desperate, and the Grail's faithful. Adept in transmutation and healing, they can transform away a partner's flaws, or help to cover up their darkest secrets, but deals with a Raw Prophet are a slippery slope to greater ruin. Their sight and speech provokes fear and insanity, and those careless with their pact will find themselves blackmailed, addicted, or even possessed, as their entire identity is swallowed up into a twisted mockery of who they once were.
Upon a green achmardi she carried the perfection of Paradise, both root and branch. This was a thing that was called the Grail, earth’s perfection’s transcendence...Whatever anyone reached out his goblet for, whatever drink he could name, he could find it in his cup, all from the Grail’s plenty.
The Holy Grail is not a god - at least, not in the usual sense. It has never had a will of its own, despite its massive presence in the Warp, and the true form of this inanimate object is a mystery. Ancient Eldarin records point to certain legends, all equally unbelievable: A goblet forged at the end of the War in Heaven which holds the souls of all the Syrne. A golden Worldship, holding the blood of every lost Elven deity. The lamp where every Hero Point is burned. A celestial Crystal Sphere which holds the totality of the Warp, whose holder can drink freely from the source of all magic. For those who believe in it, perhaps more than it could ever believe in itself, the Holy Grail is a god of cups, lamps, fame, feasting, reincarnation, remembrance, heroes and quests...but most of all, a god of granting wishes.
The Holy Grail is a vessel for those wishes, sheltering them, materializing them, waiting to see them faithfully fulfilled. It does not seek worshippers - only pursuers, challengers, storytellers and seekers. The Holy Grail holds the name of every Hero in the Wheel, and it has at least one name in every sphere where stories are told:
The Source. The Elixir of Life. The One Piece. It manifests as a mythical treasure that can grant the greatest wish of the soul who finds it: Restoration, transformation, the death or rebirth of a whole civilization - The Grail can grant any of these to one whose tireless questing proves them worthy to hold its incarnation.
Followers
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
The Holy Grail does not care what wishes it grants. Belonging to neither the pantheons of Chaos nor Order, its power calls to followers of both, and neither good nor evil mean anything to it. The Grail only cares that its followers put their own personal wish ahead of such broad, restrictive systems, and will happily bend its power to suit that person's whims. For some, this power is too great to exist, and they strive to keep it from falling into the wrong hands - or even destroy it. The Grail accepts these obsessions as well, just as easily as a normal god would accept a prayer. Many of its followers used to have another Alignment, and many of its most fervent followers believe they still to belong to that original alignment.
With such contradictory motives from its followers regarding everything, especially on what the Grail is and what to do with it, it is largely impossible for followers of the Holy Grail to come together and form anything resembling an organized religion. The closest equivalent is among the Believers of the Source, many of whom consider the Holy Grail to *be* the eponymous source, and welcome a deity that enables their self-serving quest for divinity so easily. Countless Spelljamming pirate crews have formed in the Grail's name, swearing to support each other in their search for a rumored set of sealed Relays known as the "Grand Line". Some alchemist labs, arcane universities, and anarchist gangs follow it while confined to a single physical location, believing that their continued efforts will eventually create the Grail outright. Perhaps more common than all of these, however, are those Aligned with the Grail by their animosity towards it: Secret societies who suppress all knowledge of the true Grail, or roving death-fleets which obliterate any planet with a confirmed manifestation.
Beliefs
And one day in the future, when we are all dead and gone, someone will arise carrying generations upon generations of our history on his shoulders, and he will throw down the gauntlet in front of him as the entire world...You know what I'm talking about, and I'm sure someone will find it. Whether you like it or not, that day will come soon. THE ONE PIECE! THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!"
Between these various irreconcilable institutions, a shaky consensus has formed: All those aligned to the Holy Grail want to find it, and come to hold a certain amount of respect, albeit rivalry, for others doing the same. They crave immortality, either as part of their wish for the Grail, or as a means of ensuring they live long enough to reach it. As their gaze turns to the light of its legend, the Grail casts some of that light on its followers, causing the grim darkness of the Great Wheel to fade from their thoughts: Things like the Blood War, or the rise and fall of empires just stop mattering to them as much - or, if they do, they're the sort of things that will be easier to handle with the godlike power of the Holy Grail at your disposal.
These are the tenets of the Holy Grail:
- Follow your dreams above all else, encouraging friend and foe alike to do the same.
- Seek the Grail on the fringes of order and chaos, unfettered by lesser temptations or institutions.
- Immortalize yourself. Let your legend live on in the hearts of all whose paths cross yours.
These are the acts denied by its Devotion:
10 Concealing your identity in any way.
9 Putting another's goals before your own.
8 Giving up on a task you started.
7 Acting contrary to people's expectations of you.
6 Refusing to spare a defeated foe.
5 Disrupting the balance between Order & Chaos.
4 Acting without leaving any trace of your identity.
3 Turning down a chance for increased status.
2 Breaking your word of honor.
1 Failing to pursue the Holy Grail.
9 Putting another's goals before your own.
8 Giving up on a task you started.
7 Acting contrary to people's expectations of you.
6 Refusing to spare a defeated foe.
5 Disrupting the balance between Order & Chaos.
4 Acting without leaving any trace of your identity.
3 Turning down a chance for increased status.
2 Breaking your word of honor.
1 Failing to pursue the Holy Grail.
Heroes of the Holy Grail
Because of its focus on fame and status, personal growth & heroism, and journeying deep into the unknown, The Holy Grail is much more suitable for the Exalted than it is for ordinary people. Some of them seek it in the hopes that it will cure their exaltation, or at least its greatest weaknesses - the contents of the Grail are said to fully quench a Vampire's thirst, to bring wealth to the Impecunic, to restore a Heartless's heart. For others, the circumstances of their exaltation come directly from the Holy Grail's influence. Unlike most deities, the Grail has relatively few Chosen - instead exalting those it deems worthy as Perpetuals, Legends, or Undaunted.
Those rare Chosen who do receive its full favor, known as "Counter Guardians", become robotically devoted to their single greatest ideal at the cost of all other passions. Their skin turns dark, their hair turns white, and all hues on their clothing fade away but for red, which turns so rich it almost glows. They become sensitive to the wishes of others, doing what they can to grant those desires as an extension of the Grail itself, with their every word and action hauntingly stylish yet devoid of any genuine passion.
Though fragments of its legend are found nearly everywhere, voidfaring races like the Eldarin, the Kenku, the Limulians and the Kor are far more likely to see patterns among the various Grail-myths, and thus make up a large part of its seekers. Classes focused on creating or collecting powerful tools, like Alchemists, Bladecallers and Adventurers, are also inclined to see themselves drawn to its ideal. And when one considers just how many people, though not fully aligned to the Holy Grail, desire something it may offer - wealth, fame, power - or how many would accept its blessings if they found it in passing...is there anyone in the Wheel who can truly call themselves free from the influence of this treasure?
Daemons of the Holy Grail
Why is it that when humans regret a decision they made based on their own misunderstanding, they feel resentment toward the other party?
Djinn
Beings of pure magic, with full control over a particular element and the potential to cast any spell in existence in service of a person's wish. While these humanoid elementals may resemble the Genasi, they are far less stable, unable to exist on their own beyond the Umbra. Therefore, most mortals either find them bound to an artifact or a Grail-avatar, or are summoned to them upon death for a chance at reincarnation. Every soul they aid feeds the djinni with a portion of its own Myth, so the more people they help, the more their power grows. Because of this, djinn are often mistaken for being inherently kindhearted, but their personalities tend to be vain, capricious, and as wild as their attuned element, but the fullest extent of their powers come from the Grail that birthed them, and thus can only be used in the service of another. If their bonds are broken, or if the wisher is careless with their wording, djinn will leap at the chance to punish the disrespectful, form a cult around themselves, or simply wreak havoc until they are whisked back to the Warp.
Questing Beasts
Small, skittish, but shockingly violent when provoked, these little Warp-rodents are the Holy Grail's elusiveness given form. Their adorable appearance and tendency to spread good luck wherever they go makes them highly sought after, but hunting a questing beast is not for the faint of heart. They are incredibly fast, and their cuddly forms conceal incredibly sharp natural weapons that can tear a pursuer apart. If outmatched, they tend to simply teleport away, making them next-to-impossible to actually kill. Those who do, however, are blessed by the Grail for their transgressions: A slain questing beast provides one Background dot to the hunter.
Raw Prophet
The Grail's hunger for heroes, in the flesh. These horrific piles of tangled, twisted appendages feed on the abstract things which lie in their god's domain: Lamp-light, legends, dreams and desires. Raw Prophets snatch these things away, darkening cities, censoring tomes, and twisting the minds of mortals. Their influence is responsible for much of the cloud of mystery and misinformation surrounding the true Grail, and for the horrible fates that befall those who get too close to it. Neither servants nor wild beasts, Raw Prophets are dealmakers, revealing themselves to the renowned, the desperate, and the Grail's faithful. Adept in transmutation and healing, they can transform away a partner's flaws, or help to cover up their darkest secrets, but deals with a Raw Prophet are a slippery slope to greater ruin. Their sight and speech provokes fear and insanity, and those careless with their pact will find themselves blackmailed, addicted, or even possessed, as their entire identity is swallowed up into a twisted mockery of who they once were.
