Auras of Prosperity

Latest revision as of 15:21, 2 September 2024

We did not build an Empire so that citizens might make it rich, but rather that it might bring them wealth.

Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker

Overview

An aura is a persistent spiritual effect on a person, location or item. The auras listed here are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Prosperity who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character who is dedicated to Prosperity must pick one of the following auras when they perform the relevant ceremony. A priest of the Way may also use the Dreams of Prosperity when they use the dedication ceremony to provide a pilgrim with a visionary dream.

The names used for each aura are simply the most common ones used in the Empire. For example, the Worth of Prosperity is sometimes called The Yeoman's Due by Marcher farmers. This is especially true with those auras that are named after paragons and exemplars; all these auras would have had different names before the exceptional individual they are named for was recognised by the Synod. The Hallowing of Good Walder for example was commonly called the Hallowing of the Sheriff before his recognition as a paragon of Prosperity.

Study of these auras helped the founders of the Way to create the Path of Prosperity. Some lay persons assume that the Imperial Synod created these auras in some fashion to encourage adherence to orthodoxy, but according to theological scholars the situation is the other way around. The auras came first, then the tenets of the Path of Prosperity.

Anointing

Anointing involves a short ceremony to create a personal aura on a mortal being. Anointing always requires the consent of the subject.

The Path of Prosperity

You feel driven to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. You sense that this is the right time to celebrate your endeavours.

Description: A cold beer or hot meal at the end of the day is much more satisfying if you have spent the day working. The path of Prosperity is arduous, but priests encourage pilgrims to celebrate hard earned achievements without delay. There are always those who try to delay celebration in the belief that wealth must be hoarded for the challenges to come, but the path of Prosperity reminds pilgrims that nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. The virtuous do not postpone their festivities because of war or famine - for doing so undermines the value of hard work.

The Worth of Prosperity

You feel a desire to ensure you receive the reward your efforts merit. Attempts to persuade you to work for free feel like theft.

Description: A crucial element of Prosperity is the entitlement that derives from honest labour, the right of the prosperous individual to be rewarded for their efforts. While most pilgrims are strong enough to demand what they deserve in good times, when times are hard there are always calls for people to give up their rewards for the greater good. This aura helps pilgrims remember that their Prosperity is virtuous. Appeals to altruism or patriotism are often attempts to persuade a pilgrim to share what they have worked to achieve with those who do not deserve it.

The Benevolence of Prosperity

You feel an urge to reward those who have contributed to your achievements. It feels just to share your success with those whose efforts deserve it.

Description: This existence of this aura is often used to rebut criticism that Prosperity is selfish. Priests emphasize that the Path of Prosperity is not just about ensuring that you are rightly rewarded for your hard work - but also about ensuring that those who help you are also treated fairly. The aura is also used to refute assertions that prosperity is about giving your money away, pointing out that the aura only encourages the pilgrim to share their success with the deserving, not with everyone.

The anointing is sometimes used to stir those who lack virtue into action, whether they are lazy or miserly, but it is also common for those who have achieved great success to request it, hoping to ensure that triumphs do not cause them to forget those who aided them along the way.

The Means of Prosperity

You feel an urge to work with others to achieve the goal you named when anointed. You experience a deep satisfaction from committing yourself to this endeavour.

Description: Pilgrims on the path of Prosperity are encouraged to work with others to achieve shared goals. Cooperating with other people to produce rewards everyone can share is virtuous and should bring a deep sense of fulfillment to all involved. Sometimes the pilgrim may commit themselves to an endeavour that will not benefit them immediately, in the knowledge that the virtuous will reciprocate in the future. This aura can help a pilgrim find the motivation to work hard in such circumstances.

Although this aura requires the consent of the recipient, some priests still worry that it could be abused to try to make a pilgrim feel work towards a goal which is not their own.

Easy come, worth less.

Marcher Proverb

Consecration

Consecration is the ceremony used to create an aura on a clearly defined location. There is only one aura for each virtue, and all priests create the same one when they use this skill.

Neither Beg Nor Fear

You feel a profound sense of fulfillment from all your hard work has achieved. You feel no reward is beyond your reach if you strive for it.

Description: This powerful aura of Prosperity grants a compelling sense of satisfaction at all they have accomplished to those who become aware of it. Even those who feel despondent that recent actions have not been successful will usually find that the aura reminds them of the victories they have gained. Whatever the case, it also brings an uplifting sense of what can be achieved through hard work.

Dedication

Dedication is the ceremony used to link a pilgrim's soul to the virtue. It can also be used to create vivid oracular dreams.

Dreams of Prosperity

The next time you sleep you experience a vivid dream concerning the rewards you have been working towards. The dream will often show you toiling and succeeding through hard work. Sometimes the vision will show you something new, a challenge that would appear to offer great rewards if successful, though it may not be something you have considered before. The dream will often include people you know, usually working with you to help you achieve your goals, but in some less pleasant visions you may see strangers taking what you have earned from you.

Hallow

Hallow is used to create an aura on an item, such as a weapon, implement, shield or suit of armour. It is not possible to use hallow to create an aura on large immobile objects. Hallows do not provide a source of supernatural strength, but are durable and can last for a year (or potentially forever in the case of an artefact hallowed with true liao).

Hallowing of the Little Mother

You feel an urge to encourage others to work hard and to help them earn their just rewards.

Hallowing of the Overflowing Cup

You feel a desire to enjoy the fruits of your labour and celebrate as hard as you have worked.

Hallowing of the Shepherd

You feel an urge to protect what has been justly earned from the undeserving who would seek to take it.

The Hallowing of Good Walder

You feel an urge to confront and expose the undeserving who steal from and exploit others.

Hallowing of the Prudent Seneschal

You feel an urge to secure thrifty deals and to avoid profligacy and waste.

Hallowing of the Lazy Orphan

You feel driven to expose and punish the lazy, especially those who take without giving.

Hallowing of the Grateful Debtor

You feel driven to reward others with fair recompense for what they have done for you.

Hallowing of Damakan

You feel driven to pursue the work at hand. Other matters increasingly feel like distractions you should ignore.

Hallowing of Zemress

You are driven to rebuke the envious; those who condemn the deserving for their prosperity demonstrate their unworthiness.

Hallowing of Giovanni's Retort

You are driven to defend prosperity and expose the self interest of those who take the just rewards of others.

Commentary: The idea that hard work should be its own reward, or that people should be denied their just rewards in the name of some spurious "greater good", deny Prosperity. The Prosperous may choose to share the rewards of their hard work with the deserving, but they should never be coerced into doing so. Altruism - the idea that someone should do something without expectation or reward, or give away their skills or possessions - can be seen as little more than theft.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+<quote by="Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker">We did not build an Empire so that citizens might make it rich, but rather that it might bring them wealth.</quote>
 ==Overview==
-These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Prosperity who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.
+An [[aura]] is a persistent spiritual effect on a person, location or item. The auras listed here are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of [[Prosperity]] who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character who is [[dedication|dedicated]] to Prosperity must pick one of the following auras when they perform the relevant ceremony. A priest of the Way may also use the [[#Dreams of Prosperity|Dreams of Prosperity]] when they use the dedication ceremony to provide a pilgrim with a visionary [[dedication#Dreams|dream]].
+The names used for each aura are simply the most common ones used in the Empire. For example, the [[#The Worth of Prosperity|Worth of Prosperity]] is sometimes called ''The Yeoman's Due'' by [[the Marches|Marcher]] farmers. This is especially true with those auras that are named after paragons and exemplars; all these auras would have had different names before the exceptional individual they are named for was recognised by the Synod. The [[#Hallowing of Good Walder|Hallowing of Good Walder]] for example was commonly called the ''Hallowing of the Sheriff'' before his recognition as a paragon of Prosperity.
-==Consecration of Prosperity==
+Study of these auras helped the founders of the Way to create the Path of Prosperity. Some lay persons assume that the [[Imperial Synod]] created these auras in some fashion to encourage adherence to orthodoxy, but according to theological scholars the situation is the other way around. The auras came first, then the tenets of the Path of Prosperity.
-* ''In this place, you feel an impulse to use all the means and abilities at your disposal to prosper yourself or your fellows.''
-==Anointings of Prosperity==
-The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Prosperity:
+==Anointing==
+[[Anointing]] involves a short ceremony to create a [[Aura#Personal_Aura|personal aura]] on a mortal being. Anointing always requires the  consent of the subject.
 ===The Path of Prosperity===
-* ''You receive a brief vision of the rewards that your labours may yield. You feel more willing and able to perform these labours, and negative feelings you associate with them are diminished. If you are bleeding, or terminal, the vision you receive is of the fruits of labours that you have enjoyed in the past accompanied with a feeling of satisfaction.''
+* ''You feel driven to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. You sense that this is the right time to celebrate your endeavours.''
-'''Description:''' The path of prosperity can be long, and arduous, with the rewards of labours seemingly distant. Priests of prosperity have been able to use this aura to bolster citizens and pilgrims for the journey, and particularly when obstacles and setbacks are encountered. This auras has also been beneficial in helping citizens overcome the obstacles that presents itself as a malign effect or aura. Elsewise, the visions provided by this aura have also been utilised in ceremonies of last rites to provide comfort and celebration in a person's last moments.
+'''Description:''' A cold beer or hot meal at the end of the day is much more satisfying if you have spent the day working. The path of Prosperity is arduous, but priests encourage pilgrims to celebrate hard earned achievements without delay. There are always those who try to delay celebration in the belief that wealth must be hoarded for the challenges to come, but the path of Prosperity reminds pilgrims that ''nobody'' knows what tomorrow will bring. The virtuous do not postpone their festivities because of war or famine - for doing so undermines the value of hard work.
 ===The Worth of Prosperity===
-* ''You feel a strong sense of the value of what is around you, and a strong distaste for waste, including excessive hoarding. You feel motivated to engage in fruitful activity, and your tolerance for squandering and hoarding is greatly diminished.''
+* ''You feel a desire to ensure you receive the reward your efforts merit. Attempts to persuade you to work for free feel like theft.''
-'''Description:''' Priests of the path of prosperity have used this anointing to encourage the prosperous use of resources amongst citizens and pilgrims. It has seen popular use by Friars of the Marches, though this is balanced by the way many stewards run their households. Priests of prosperity often encourage misers and hoarders to receive this and receive the benefits of living a virtuous life, but attaining consent often proves difficult.
+'''Description:''' A crucial element of Prosperity is the entitlement that derives from honest labour, the right of the prosperous individual to be rewarded for their efforts. While most pilgrims are strong enough to demand what they deserve in good times, when times are hard there are always calls for people to give up their rewards for the greater good. This aura helps pilgrims remember that their Prosperity is virtuous. Appeals to altruism or patriotism are often attempts to persuade a pilgrim to share what they have worked to achieve with those who do not deserve it.
 ===The Benevolence of Prosperity===
-* ''During this anointing, you were asked to specify an entity, usually a particular individual, group or cause. Whilst this anointing is in effect, you feel a strong urge to ensure that this entity receives the benefit of your prosperity, whether this is in the form of labour, resources or another way. This applies even if the specified entity would not normally be something you would wish to prosper.''
+* ''You feel an urge to reward those who have contributed to your achievements. It feels just to share your success with those whose efforts deserve it.''
-'''Description:''' This anointing is opposed by [[Schisms_and_Heresies#The_Lucidian_Blasphemy|Lucidians]] who believe that the effort for prosperity must come from within. However, other priests of the path of prosperity have made it clear that this anointing requires the consent of the recipient. This anointing has been used to stir those who lack virtue into action, whether they are lazy or miserly. There have also been occasions where it has been applied to convicted felons to promote restorative justice.
-===The Seeds of Prosperity===
+'''Description:''' This existence of this aura is often used to rebut criticism that Prosperity is selfish. Priests emphasize that the Path of Prosperity is not just about ensuring that you are rightly rewarded for ''your'' hard work - but also about ensuring that those who help you are ''also'' treated fairly. The aura is also used to refute assertions that  prosperity is about giving your money away, pointing out that the aura only encourages the pilgrim to share their success with the deserving, not with everyone.
-* ''You gain a strong sense of the value that others have in ensuring your prosperity, and theirs. You feel more inclined to co-operate in ventures in which all parties, especially you, will profit.''
-'''Description:''' This anointing is popular with sects of prosperity, but has also been used by other groups and parties in building the foundations of a co-operative venture. This has included Bishops of the League offering this ministration to Free Companies and Guilds, and Benefactors of Highguard bringing together parties for a venture. This anointing has also been beneficial in peace-making or reconciliation between antagonistic groups whose combined efforts are needed to bring to bear on a situation.
+The anointing is sometimes used to stir those who lack virtue into action, whether they are lazy or miserly, but it is also common for those who have achieved great success to request it, hoping to ensure that triumphs do not cause them to forget those who aided them along the way.
-===The Vision of Prosperity===
+===The Means of Prosperity===
-* ''The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning the goals you have been working towards. In some dreams you see yourself toiling and achieving these goals, in others you experience the rewards of success that could from accomplishing your efforts. You awaken deeply reinvigorated with renewed drive to face the hard work that lies before you..''
+* ''You feel an urge to work with others to achieve the goal you named when anointed. You experience a deep satisfaction from committing yourself to this endeavour.''
-'''Description:''' The teachings of the path make clear that prosperity is not about labour for labour's sake, but about effort made for reward. However, for many citizens and pilgrims, it is not always clear how to transfer their efforts, labours and resources into true prosperity. Priests of the path seek to use this anointing to help provide enlightenment and guidance. Some merchants and traders have naively sought this aura in the hope that it prophetically shows them the way to wealth and riches, but find themselves disappointed that the path is rarely so simple and straightforward.
+'''Description:''' Pilgrims on the path of Prosperity are encouraged to work with others to achieve shared goals. Cooperating with other people to produce rewards everyone can share is virtuous and should bring a deep sense of fulfillment to all involved. Sometimes the pilgrim may commit themselves to an endeavour that will not benefit them immediately, in the knowledge that the virtuous will reciprocate in the future. This aura can help a pilgrim find the motivation to work hard in such circumstances.
+Although this aura requires the consent of the recipient, some priests still worry that it could be abused to try to make a pilgrim feel work towards a goal which is not their own.
-==Hallows of Prosperity==
+<div style="float:right;"><quote by="Marcher Proverb">Easy come, worth less.</quote></div>
-===Hallowing of the Little Mother===
+==Consecration==
-* ''You feel an urge to use your resources, such as wealth or skills, to help others in their pursuit of prosperity. This is amplified if the person or group you are helping would struggle to achieve without your aid.''
+[[Consecration]] is the ceremony used to create an [[Aura#Location_Aura|aura on a clearly defined location]]. There is only one aura for each virtue, and all priests create the same one when they use this skill.
-===Hallowing of the Opportunist===
+===Neither Beg Nor Fear===
-* ''You feel an urge to use the resources at your disposal to take full advantage of opportunities that you encounter. If you deliberately pass up such an opportunity, then the feeling changes so that revulsion and rejection flows from the item to you for as long as you are bonded to it.''
+* ''You feel a profound sense of fulfillment from all your hard work has achieved. You feel no reward is beyond your reach if you strive for it.''
-===Hallowing of the Overflowing Cup===
+'''Description:''' This powerful aura of Prosperity grants a compelling sense of satisfaction at all they have accomplished to those who become aware of it. Even those who feel despondent that recent actions have not been successful will usually find that the aura reminds them of the victories they have gained. Whatever the case, it also brings an uplifting sense of what can be achieved through hard work.
-* ''When bonded to this item, and in contact with it you feel a desire to enjoy the fruits of your labour and to share them with those around you who likewise work hard and honestly for what they have.''
+==Dedication==
+[[Dedication]] is the ceremony used to link a pilgrim's soul to the virtue. It can also be used to create vivid oracular dreams.
-===Hallowing of the Company===
+===Dreams of Prosperity===
-* ''When bonded to this item, you feel an urge to set aside selfishness and work closely with those who are bonded to the item in the same ceremony to achieve mutual prosperity for all.''
+* ''The next time you sleep you experience a vivid dream concerning the rewards you have been working towards. The dream will often show you toiling and succeeding through hard work. Sometimes the vision will show you something new, a challenge that would appear to offer great rewards if successful, though it may not be something you have considered before. The dream will often include people you know, usually working with you to help you achieve your goals, but in some less pleasant visions you may see strangers taking what you have earned from you.''
+==Hallow==
+[[Hallow]] is used to create an [[Aura#Item_Aura|aura on an item]], such as a weapon, implement, shield or suit of armour. It is not possible to use hallow to create an aura on large immobile objects. Hallows do not provide a source of supernatural strength, but are durable and can last for a year (or potentially forever in the case of an artefact hallowed with [[liao#true liao|true liao]]).
+===Hallowing of the Little Mother===
+* ''You feel an urge to '''encourage others to work hard''' and to help them earn their just rewards.''
+===Hallowing of the Overflowing Cup===
+* ''You feel a desire to '''enjoy the fruits of your labour''' and celebrate as hard as you have worked.''
 ===Hallowing of the Shepherd===
-* ''You feel an urge to protect, by whatever means you can, that which has been justly earned, from the undeserving who would seek to take it. This impulse includes a desire to use this item in that protection, if it would be appropriate to do so.''
+* ''You feel an urge to '''protect what has been justly earned''' from the undeserving who would seek to take it.''
+===The Hallowing of Good Walder===
-===Hallowing of Good Walder===
+* ''You feel an urge to '''confront and expose the undeserving''' who steal from and exploit others.''
-* ''You feel an urge to seek out those who hoard wealth and persuade them to utilise it for further prosperity. This feeling is amplified if you perceive the wealth is unearned, or undeserved. This feeling includes the impulse to use this item as part of your effiorts, if it would appropriate to do so.''
+===Hallowing of the Prudent Seneschal===
+* ''You feel an urge to '''secure thrifty deals''' and to avoid profligacy and waste.''
+===Hallowing of the Lazy Orphan===
+* ''You feel driven to '''expose and punish the lazy''', especially those who take without giving.''
+===Hallowing of the Grateful Debtor===
+* ''You feel driven to '''reward others''' with fair recompense for what they have done for you.''
+===Hallowing of Damakan===
+* ''You feel driven to '''pursue the work at hand'''. Other matters increasingly feel like distractions you should ignore.
+===Hallowing of Zemress===
+* ''You are driven to '''rebuke the envious'''; those who condemn the deserving for their prosperity demonstrate their unworthiness.''
-[[Category:Religion]]
+===Hallowing of Giovanni's Retort===
+* ''You are driven to '''defend prosperity''' and expose the self interest of those who take the just rewards of others.''
+'''Commentary:''' The idea that hard work should be its own reward, or that people should be denied their just rewards in the name of some spurious "greater good", deny Prosperity. The Prosperous may choose to share the rewards of their hard work with the deserving, but they should never be coerced into doing so. Altruism - the idea that someone should do something without expectation or reward, or give away their skills or possessions - can be seen as little more than theft.
+{{Auras further reading}}
+[[Category:Religion]] [[Category:Ceremonies]]