Auras of Pride

Latest revision as of 11:41, 7 September 2021

Of all those who have sat on the Throne she may well have been the greatest. She was not named for the golden charge on her banner but because she outshone the sun.

Eddard of House Cassilon, Legend of the Golden Throne

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 Pride who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character who is dedicated to Pride must pick one of the following auras when they perform the relevant ceremony. A priest of the Way may also use the Dreams of Pride 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 Wellspring of Pride may be called The Glass Wheel by a Freeborn corsair. 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 Richilde for example was commonly called the Hallowing of the Nightingale before the Empress' recognition as a paragon of Pride.

Study of these auras helped the founders of the Way to create the Path of Pride. 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 Pride.

Anointing

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

The Affirmation of Pride

You feel a keen awareness of self-worth, and of the worth of other people. You find it difficult to tolerate disrespect, rudeness, or insults.

Description: The path of Pride is not about airs and graces, but pilgrims who embody Pride expect to be treated with courtesy and respect. Crucially the path teaches that the virtuous inspire others, they do not demean them. Those who benefit from this aura feel driven to help those around them find Pride in who they are and what they do and to defend them against those who seek to belittle or tear down their fellow citizens.

The Experience of Pride

When anointed you were asked to name a personal quality which you are proud of. You feel an urge to exemplify that quality in everything you do.

Description: This anointing can be used to help pilgrims experience the benefits of Pride, allowing them to focus on a source of the virtue within themselves. However it is also invaluable for encouraging pilgrims to embody Pride in their actions. The Way teaches that Virtue is about action not words; Pride is not about vainglorious or egotistical boasting. It is about acting in ways that make you and others proud.

The Wellspring of Pride

You feel an urge to embody the culture and customs of your home. Abandoning your traditions or compromising on your peoples' beliefs feels shameful.

Description: The path of Pride stretches in both directions and pilgrims are often required to reflect on where they have come from, as well as where they are going to. This anointing emphasizes tradition, encouraging the pilgrim to embrace their past and defend the values of their home. It is popular across the Empire, especially among those who seek help in staying firm in defence of their traditional values in the face of calls for compromise or sacrifice. It is invaluable for helping Imperial citizens resist pressure to abandon their cultural traditions. This anointing is also called The Touch of Kethry, in recognition of that paragon's achievements in keeping their nation's traditions alive and inspiring others to embrace them.

The Strength of Pride

You feel an urge to do what you say you will do. Whenever you face a challenge to your commitment, you feel a surge of inner strength.

Description: One of the key teachings of Pride is the importance of commitment. Those who strive to be virtuous must become forthright and resolute. Every pilgrim is different but those who have Pride must be clear what they stand for and they must clearly stand for it. There is no tolerance for the half-hearted, the uncommitted, or the pretender. Finding such strength of purpose is difficult, so this anointing exists to aid pilgrims giving them the strength to remain on the path of Pride by staying true to themselves.

Pride in small things, loyalty to great ones.

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.

Partner of Greatness

You feel a profound sense of self-esteem, that who you are and what you do is significant. You are the foundation on which the future will be built.

Description: This powerful aura of Pride fills those who experience it with a deep sense of their own relevance. Every pilgrim finds Pride in different things, but the aura uplifts all of them the same. It reminds them of the profound importance of their actions to the fate of the Empire - and the importance of passing on the things that inspire Pride to future generations.

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 Pride

The next time you sleep you experience a vivid dream incorporating elements from your past that make you proud. The dream will often show you striving to improve on the achievements of the past, working to make them greater still. Sometimes your dream will show you something new, in the vision you feel proud of this thing even though you may not have experienced it before. Often the dream will involve others you know, working with you to achieve something worthy.

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 Lepidus

You feel an urge to demonstrate your worth, inspiring others to follow your example.

Hallowing of Richilde

You feel an urge to create art, to fill the world with wonder and exalt the souls of others.

Hallowing of the Inquisitor

You feel a desire to expose false claims, revealing spurious and empty boasts for what they are.

Hallowing of the Conqueror

You feel driven to convert others, and feel certain that everyone should embrace your traditions and ideals.

Hallowing of the Diplomat

You feel driven to treat people with respect. Disrespect by others, even towards your enemies, grates on your nerves.

Hallowing of the Advocate

You feel driven to refute unwarranted criticism, especially by those who tear down others from bias or self-interest.

Hallowing of The Throne

You feel an urge to stand by your decisions. You sense instinctively that the choices you have made are the right ones.

Hallowing of the Cicisbeo

You feel driven to exalt your companions; their confidence and dignity reflects on you.

The Ten Things

It is obviously down to the individual which qualities make them proud, but each of the Imperial nations can be associated with a single common idea that is often referred to as a source of Pride. The Navarr writer Cerin of Winter Trees referred to them as the Nine Things in the early years of the Empire. They were still in use over three hundred years later when the Imperial Orc philosopher Jakaj added her own people to the list during a speech given at the funeral of Emperor Ahraz. Following a recitation of the Nine Things, she appended her own people, and since then the list has been referred to by its current name.

For the Freeborn it is honesty; in Dawn it is glory (of course); in Highguard it is certainty; among the Imperial Orcs it is strength; in the League it is cleverness; in the Marches it is either practicality or stubbornness (depending who you are speaking to); among the Navarr it is sacrifice; in Urizen, excellence; in Varushka the idea of wisdom; and among the Winterfolk heroism.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+<quote by="Eddard of House Cassilon, Legend of the Golden Throne">Of all those who have sat on the Throne she may well have been the greatest. She was not named for the golden charge on her banner but because she outshone the sun.</quote>
 ==Overview==
-These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Pride who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an annointing 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 [[Pride]] who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character who is [[dedication|dedicated]] to Pride must pick one of the following auras when they perform the relevant ceremony. A priest of the Way may also use the [[#Dreams of Pride|Dreams of Pride]] when they use the dedication ceremony to provide a pilgrim with a visionary [[dedication#Dreams|dream]].
-==Consecration of Pride==
+The names used for each aura are simply the most common ones used in the Empire. For example, the [[#The Wellspring of Pride|Wellspring of Pride]] may be called ''The Glass Wheel'' by a [[The Brass Coast|Freeborn]] [[corsair]]. 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 Richilde|Hallowing of Richilde]] for example was commonly called the ''Hallowing of the Nightingale'' before the [[Empress Richilde|Empress']] recognition as a paragon of Pride.
-'''Effect:''' In this place, you are filled with an acute awareness of that which are most proud; you feel a desire to extol the subject of your pride, and avoid shaming it.
-==Anointings of Pride==
+Study of these auras helped the founders of the Way to create the Path of Pride. 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 Pride.
-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 Pride:
+==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 Affirmation of Pride===
-'''Effect:''' ''Your perceptions and recollections are filled with pride. You find it easier to recall your triumphs and successes. Any guilt or shame weighing on you is greatly diminished, as is your tolerance for insults.''
+* ''You feel a keen awareness of self-worth, and of the worth of other people. You find it difficult to tolerate disrespect, rudeness, or insults.''
+'''Description:''' The path of Pride is not about airs and graces, but pilgrims who embody Pride expect to be treated with courtesy and respect. Crucially the path teaches that the virtuous inspire others, they do not demean them. Those who benefit from this aura feel driven to help those around them find Pride in who they are and what they do and to defend them against those who seek to belittle or tear down their fellow citizens.
-'''Description:''' The path of pride teaches that the virtuous embrace their past without shame, though this is an easier task for some pilgrims than others. Priests of pride have been able to use this anointing to help pilgrims burdened by the past, or by guilt or shame, to try and move forward. This comes with some additional prickliness to personal slights, though some priests of pride maintain that this is an important part of encouraging pilgrims to stand up for themselves than be slaves to shame.
+===The Experience of Pride===
+* ''When anointed you were asked to name a personal quality which you are proud of. You feel an urge to exemplify that quality in everything you do.''
-===The Demonstration of Pride===
+'''Description:''' This anointing can be used to help pilgrims experience the benefits of Pride, allowing them to focus on a source of the virtue within themselves. However it is also invaluable for encouraging pilgrims to embody Pride in their actions. The Way teaches that Virtue is about action not words; Pride is not about vainglorious or egotistical boasting. It is about acting in ways that make you and others proud.
-'''Effect:''' ''You feel radiant with pride. You feel an impulse to demonstrate, or display, the thing in which you have the most pride, or encourage others to do so if you cannot do this yourself. You also feel an impulse to challenge those who deride the subject of your pride.''
-'''Description:''' The path of pride teaches that pride is about more than just words, and requires action to. The priests of the path have used this anointing to bring this truth home to citizens and pilgrims. Sutannir and Troubadors have also made use of this anointing in preparing their sects and congregations for celebrations. This anointing has also been used by bravos and other warriors to aid them in overcoming adverse effects and malign auras through demonstration of their pride.
-===The Legacy of Pride===
-'''Effect:''' ''You are granted an immediate vision of one, or more, of your proudest moments. If you are bleeding, or terminal, the vision is extended to include all your proudest moments shining brightly. You are filled with a sense of satisfaction of what you have achieved.''
-'''Description:''' The path of pride stretches in both directions and pilgrims are often required to reflect on where they have come from, as well as where they are going to. Priests of pride have found this anointing helpful in supporting their pilgrims to achieve this. This anointing has also been used as part of last rites or funerary ceremonies to assure citizens and pilgrims of their virtue, which will guide them in the Labyrinth of Ages.
+===The Wellspring of Pride===
+* ''You feel an urge to embody the culture and customs of your home. Abandoning your traditions or compromising on your peoples' beliefs feels shameful.''
+'''Description:''' The path of Pride stretches in both directions and pilgrims are often required to reflect on where they have come from, as well as where they are going to. This anointing emphasizes tradition, encouraging the pilgrim to embrace their past and defend the values of their home. It is popular across the Empire, especially among those who seek help in staying firm in defence of their traditional values in the face of calls for compromise or sacrifice. It is invaluable for helping Imperial citizens resist pressure to abandon their cultural traditions. This anointing is also called ''The Touch of [[Kethry]]'', in recognition of that paragon's achievements in keeping their nation's traditions alive and inspiring others to embrace them.
-===The Foundations of Pride===
+===The Strength of Pride===
-'''Effect:''' ''You want others to know the feeling of pride. You feel an impulse to help others recognise their strengths, the positive qualities they possess, and the merits of their past. This includes a desire to help others see the past as a foundation, not an excuse.''
+* ''You feel an urge to do what you say you will do. Whenever you face a challenge to your commitment, you feel a surge of inner strength.''
+'''Description:''' One of the key teachings of Pride is the importance of commitment. Those who strive to be virtuous must become forthright and resolute. Every pilgrim is different but those who have Pride must be clear what they stand for and they must clearly stand for it. There is no tolerance for the half-hearted, the uncommitted, or the pretender. Finding such strength of purpose is difficult, so this anointing exists to aid pilgrims giving them the strength to remain on the path of Pride by staying true to themselves.
+<div style="float:right;"><quote by="Marcher Proverb">Pride in small things, loyalty to great ones.</quote></div>
+==Consecration==
+[[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.
+===Partner of Greatness===
+* ''You feel a profound sense of self-esteem, that who you are and what you do is significant. You are the foundation on which the future will be built.''
-'''Description:''' The path of pride is not that of the vainglorious and egotistical, but seeks to build up others also. The path teaches that the virtuous inspire others, and help them embrace their past. Some pilgrims lose sight of this and focus merely on themselves. Priests of pride have been able to use this anointing to help such citizens and pilgrims overcome this obstacle and, in doing so, learn more about the virtuous path.
+'''Description:''' This powerful aura of Pride fills those who experience it with a deep sense of their own relevance. Every pilgrim finds Pride in different things, but the aura uplifts all of them the same. It reminds them of the profound importance of their actions to the fate of the Empire - and the importance of passing on the things that inspire Pride to future generations.
+==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.
-===The Experience of Pride===
+===Dreams of Pride===
-'''Effect:''' ''During this anointing, you were asked to specify an entity, usually something that is clearly defined like a culture, nation or way of living. Whilst this anointing is in effect, you feel a connection to this entity and even a sense of pride in it. This applies even if the specified entity would not normally be something you felt any pride toward.
+* ''The next time you sleep you experience a vivid dream incorporating elements from your past that make you proud. The dream will often show you striving to improve on the achievements of the past, working to make them greater still. Sometimes your dream will show you something new, in the vision you feel proud of this thing even though you may not have experienced it before. Often the dream will involve others you know, working with you to achieve something worthy.''
-'''Description:''' Priests of the path of pride have taught that this anointing is beneficial in building an understanding of the nature of pride. Some have also used this to help citizens build empathy for others and thus aid reconciliation rather than [[Schisms and Heresies#Lucidian Blasphemy|Lucidians]], however, fear that this aura could be abused for the purposes of indoctrination. There is at least one apocryphal tale of an unnamed Sutannir who accompanied the Emperor Ahraz in his negotiations with the self-liberated orcs and used this anointing to help illuminate the glory of the Empire to those who had formerly been its slaves.
-==Hallows of Pride==
+==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 Lepidus===
-''You feel a desire to encourage or inspire those around you. This feeling applies to all, including enemies, regardless of your other feelings toward them.''
+* ''You feel an urge to '''demonstrate your worth''', inspiring others to follow your example.''
-===Hallowing of the Peacock's Feather===
-''You feel a strong desire to display this item openly, and make use of it publically. This includes an impulse to take good care of the item. If you deliberately do not do any of the above, the feeling changes to one of revulsion and rejection that flows from the item to you for as long as you are bonded.''
-===Hallowing of Kethry===
-''You feel a surge of pride in your people, and their way of life. You feel an urge to display the superior qualities of this way of living by letting them inform every aspect of your life. You find it difficult to lie about your identity and origins.''
-===Hallowing of Inspiration===
-''When you concentrate upon this item, this hallowing summons a vision of a hero, or other figure you respect, and a desire to live up to their example.''
-===Hallowing of the Examiner===
-''You feel an impulse to test the abilities or claims that others boast of. This effect is amplified if you believe that these boasts, or claims, are empty. This impulse includes the desire to use this item in the testing, if it would be appropriate to do so.''
 ===Hallowing of Richilde===
-''You feel an urge to celebrate and extol the qualities of that which you are proud. This may include an impulse to do so artistically. This impulse includes the desire to use this item in that celebration, if it would be appropriate to do so.''
+* ''You feel an urge to '''create art''', to fill the world with wonder and exalt the souls of others.''
+===Hallowing of the Inquisitor===
+* ''You feel a desire to '''expose false claims''', revealing spurious and empty boasts for what they are.''
+===Hallowing of the Conqueror===
+* ''You feel driven to '''convert others''', and feel certain that everyone should embrace your traditions and ideals.''
+===Hallowing of the Diplomat===
+* ''You feel driven to '''treat people with respect'''. Disrespect by others, even towards your enemies, grates on your nerves.
+===Hallowing of the Advocate===
+* ''You feel driven to '''refute unwarranted criticism''', especially by those who tear down others from bias or self-interest.
+===Hallowing of The Throne===
+* ''You feel an urge to '''stand by your decisions'''. You sense instinctively that the choices you have made are the right ones.
+===Hallowing of the Cicisbeo===
+* ''You feel driven to '''exalt your companions'''; their confidence and dignity reflects on you.''
+<box>'''The Ten Things'''<br>
+It is obviously down to the individual which qualities make them proud, but each of the Imperial nations can be associated with a single common idea that is often referred to as a source of Pride. The Navarr writer Cerin of Winter Trees referred to them as the Nine Things in the early years of the Empire. They were still in use over three hundred years later when the [[Imperial Orcs|Imperial Orc]] philosopher Jakaj added her own people to the list during a speech given at the funeral of [[Emperor Ahraz]]. Following a recitation of the Nine Things, she appended her own people, and since then the list has been referred to by its current name.
-[[Category:Religion]]
+For the [[The Brass Coast|Freeborn]] it is [[honesty]]; in [[Dawn]] it is [[glory]] (of course); in [[Highguard]] it is certainty; among the [[Imperial Orcs]] it is strength; in [[the League]] it is cleverness; in [[the Marches]] it is either practicality or stubbornness (depending who you are speaking to); among the [[Navarr]] it is sacrifice; in [[Urizen]], [[arete|excellence]]; in [[Varushka]] the idea of wisdom; and among the [[Wintermark|Winterfolk]] [[heroism]].</box>
+{{Auras further reading}}
+[[Category:Religion]] [[Category:Ceremonies]]