The Paths

Empty your heart of its mortal dream.

The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round,

Our cheeks are pale, our hair is unbound,

Our breasts are heaving, our eyes are agleam,

Our arms are waving, our lips apart;

And if any gaze on our rushing band,

We come between him and the deed of his hand,

We come between him and the hope of his heart.

~ W.B. Yeats

Irish Poet

Imagine a world where all your dreams - and all your nightmares - live and breathe.  Imagine a world illuminated by your brightest hopes and darkened by your most terrible fears.  This world is Akralon.  It is the world of Greek myth, of Celtic fables and Norse epics, of Arthurian mystery and Japanese legend, of Native American tales and African folklore.  All the world's mythology exists in Akralon.  It is a dream world fueled by the imagination of mankind.

Surreal landscapes and enigmatic experiences - the kind that alter worldviews and call everything previously accepted into question - abound.  Those who find themselves somehow in this dream world are called Travelers. Not everyone can travel and none know how or why.  Answers are elusive in the ever-changing and deeply mysterious Akralon.

As a Traveler, you must balance the ongoing drama of your real life with the fantastical adventures that take place in the other world.  As you travel back and forth, you will learn things about yourself and about those you choose to adventure with.  Some of you will find the strength to overcome your circumstances and rise to become heroes.  Others will fall victim to your lives and spiral into infamy.

There are paths you must choose on your road of self-discovery.  These paths are branches of development, not just physical and mental, but emotional and spiritual as well.  It is the ultimate pilgrimage - the truest way to find what you are truly made of. 

There are five basic paths for Travelers in Akralon.  The first 3 are physical paths: Strength, Stealth and Survival.  The other 2 are paths of the mind: Willpower and Faith.

              

It is our imagination that transforms itself into reality,

Through our physical strength and endeavors.

~ Helen Araromi

Nigerian Poet

                Those who choose the Path of Strength are those who seek the most direct course to resolve problems.  If the door is locked, break it open.  If there’s an enemy in your path, strike him down.  If something you need is up in a tree, throw a rock at it to knock it down.  Path of Strength does not mean mindless barbarism, however.  It is a honing of physical abilities – strength, speed, stamina, agility... or any combination of them.  It means focusing on controlling your body.  Whether you choose Aggression – a path that dives head first into strength and stamina, on raw physical might and power, or Defense – the way of the watchful warrior, relying more on patience and precision, or Weapons – a road that can lead to the complete mastery of a single instrument of death or a collage of combat skills, you will be using your mental determination as well as your body.  A few examples include...

Aggression – Barbarian, Berserker, Brawler

Defense – Knight, Samurai, Centurion

Weapons – Mercenary, Gladiator, Swordsmaster

                The Path of Stealth relies on careful planning , deft and quick execution of practiced skills and extensive street knowledge.  Dexterity and agility are the primary physical attributes in this case.  These are the people who choose the indirect path to resolution.  If a door is locked, get out your lockpick and open it.  If an enemy bars your way, hide until he leaves or sneak up behind him.  If something you need is up in a tree, climb up there and snatch it.  Here one may branch into the way of the Burglar – mastering the casing of buildings and locations, bypassing security, breaking in and taking what is desired, the way of the Thief – trailing people in crowded cities, picking pockets, having contacts in various markets, and knowing the streets better than any, or the way of the Rogue – those solitary loners, often dark and dangerous, who study the more subtle arts, which might include contract work, herbalism and toxicology or espionage.  This path requires patience, planning, perception and constant alertness to one’s surroundings.  A few examples include...

Burglar – Tombraider, Saboteur, Master Burglar

Thief – Bandit, Swindler, Acrobat

Rogue – Spy, Assassin, Shade  

                The third is the Path of Survival.  These are the rugged and the wild.  These are those who would live off Mother Nature’s bounty.  Hunting, tracking, foraging... survival is living in harmony with one’s surroundings, whether it be temperate woodlands, arid deserts, tropical rainforests or arctic tundra.  Those who choose survival are self-sufficient, knowing which berries to eat and which to avoid, which crushed leaves numb pain and which fruits and nuts nourish and which nullify senses.  The paths include that of the Huntsman – focusing on beasts and animals to hunt or befriend, to ally with or to slay for survival tools.  Next, that of the Tracker – focusing on knowledge and precision, in identifying ingredients, tracks, habits, strengths and weaknesses of their prey and finding individuals.  Third is that of the Explorer – focusing on survival based upon terrain, climate, weather patterns, resources of local flora and fauna and adapting to new environments.  A few examples include...

Huntsman – Falconer, Beastmaster 

Tracker – Bounty Hunter, Marksman

Explorer – Ranger, Warden

The other two paths, those of the mind are Willpower and Faith.  These are the paths for the ambitious and the dreamers, the engineers and the artists.  Those who choose these paths are concerned with finding ways around problems - using their intellect to come up with the most decisive decision or to rely on their creativity to find ways outside the box.  If a door is locked, a windweaver might simply trigger the lock, a flamecaller might melt it.  An earthshaper might change the composition of the door to become brittle and breakable while a waterwielder might simply pass through it.

I broider my life into the frame,

I broider my love, thread upon thread;

The world goes by with its glory and shame,

Crowns are bartered and blood is shed;

I sit and broider my dreams instead.

And the only world is the world of my dreams,

And my weaving the only happiness;

For what is the world but what it seems?

~ Arthur Symons

Welsh Poet

The path of Willpower branches into the elements – wind, water, earth and fire.  Each is respective of an individual art.  Windweaving is the art of sound – of music.  With rhythm and melody, masters compose spells that flow like the wind – altering weather, increasing or decreasing temperatures and harnessing the force of moving air.  Waterwielding is the art of movement – of dance.  With fluid like movements, spirals and spins, leaps and bounds, these masters of motion can alter the properties of water, making surface tension taut enough to walk on, or manipulating the mind – creating illusions and mental deceptions, and in some cases, even mind control.  Earthshaping is the art of composition – of cooking.  Knowing the correct ingredients, in the correct amounts, added at the right time in the right order, in the right combination, can shake the foundations of the earth in quakes, alter the solidity of elements, change the elements themselves, and affect nature’s pattern – increasing growth, regeneration and immunities.  Flamecalling is the art of logic – of mathematics.  Creating formulas of sigils and connecting them in the proper order can construct and harness energy itself.   A magic of power and destruction, one can conjure temporary items, channel energy into devastating blasts, or even energize golems into being.  Those who choose the Path of Willpower choose both an art and an element.  Some examples include...

Waterwielding – Illusionist, Sorcerer, Arch Mage

Windweaving – Wizard, Songweaver, Mentalist

Earthshaping – Druid, Summoner, Elementalist

Flamecalling – Conjuror, Geomancer, Channeler

Last, the Path of Faith.  This is not a matter of knowledge and calculation.  Faith is strength of character, strength of convictions.  It is believing in something larger than oneself.  It is, perhaps, the most difficult of paths because it requires the power of true belief.  Blind zealotry or clasping at an emotional crutch offer no power.  The believer must be clear of mind and true of purpose.  This is a path that is dangerously narrow and constantly tested with each life event.

The Path of Faith breaks into sun, moon and shadow.  Lightbending, the Path of the Sun, is a magic of light and color.  Using gemstones and crystals to harness and filter light into varying shades and hues, to bathe surroundings in a magical mixture of jewel-light to reveal, divine,  illuminate or simply to restore.  It is a warm power of healing and revelation.  Starseeing, The Path of the Moon is a magic of lunar cycles.  Reliant completely on the phase and fullness of the moon, it is a power that requires excruciating patience and planning, but offers the unparalleled protection and warding of unbreakable lunar fields of energy.  This is a power of cool serenity and refreshing revitalization.  Shadowmelding, the Path of Shadow, is a magic soaked in blood and sacrifice.  The dark cursing and rotting powers of shadow magic come at the greatest cost, and therein lies the power.  The greater the cost of the blood one sheds, the more immense the effects of the spell.  This has caused many other magic users to shun the use of shadow magic, for many have crossed the line into patricide and matricide to gain incalculable power.  Some even, have committed infanticide to rise above their peers.  Examples of these paths include...

Lightbending – Priest, Enchanter, Paladin

Starseeing – Cleric, Monk, Shaman

Shadowmelding – Warlock, Necromancer, Dreadknight