Cults of Atlantis: The True Atlanteans

This mystic cult was designed by Rich Forest for the Magisterium Campaign.

The True Atlanteans

Atlantis is the city of paragons. Its people strive for excellence in their crafts, as it is through prowess that men and women reveal and honor the God Within. When an Atlantean comes closer to understanding the God Within, they begin to leave behind the limits of the body. True Atlanteans are not a class or caste apart. They are members of the community and neighborhood like all others. However, they are respected for their excellence and achievements, and their counsel is often sought and weighed heavily when wisdom is needed.

Atlantean

Starting Cultures: Atlantean

Starting Careers: Paragon

Standard Skills: Athletics, Endurance, Insight, Perception, Willpower

Professional Skills: Meditation, Mysticism

Students, Disciples, and Masters

Student: Aura (Confidence), Augment Craft (choose one), Augment Endurance, Augment Insight, Augment Lore (choose one), Augment (Willpower)

Disciple: Denial (Hunger and Thirst), Immunity (Disease), Immunity (Poison)

Master: Enhance (Healing Rate), Indomitable

Notes: Each True Atlantean develops mastery of one Craft or Lore--but only one. One of the True Atlantean’s starting disciplines must be either Augment Craft or Augment Lore. Whatever Craft or Lore is chosen, that is the only Craft or Lore that True Atlantean may learn to augment.  

Cults of the Inner Sea: The Atlantean Conclave

This sorcery cult was designed by Rich Forest for the Magisterium Campaign. 

The Atlantean Conclave

The Atlantean Conclave is an organization of Atlantean sorcerers of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and traditions who have banded together for mutual support and benefit in this strange northern city. The conclave provides tutelage and services for the Atlantean community of Andrassos and acts as an anchor for visitors and traders from Atlantis. Nearly all Atlanteans of note in Andrassos are members, including traders, local business people, Paragons, and seafarers. Most members are not themselves sorcerers. Every Atlantean sorcerer in Andrassos is a member of the conclave, with one exception: the mysterious founder of the cult of the Atlantean Mysteries keeps apart. The leaders of the Atlantean Conclave, for their part, disapprove of the actions of this mysterious rogue Atlantean who shares lost secrets with any wealthy local who joins that cult.

Only Atlanteans are allowed to join the conclave. 

Novices

Starting Cultures: Atlantean, Vandal
Standard Skills: Insight
Professional Skills: Courtesy, Culture (Andrassos), Invocation (Atlantean Conclave Sorceries), Language (South Vanoran), Literacy, Shaping
Shaping Taught: Duration (Long), Magnitude, Range, Targets

Apprentices, Adepts, Magi, and Archmagi

Apprentice Spells: Intuition, Mark, Spell Resistance, Telepathy
Adept Spells: Summon, Spirit Resistance, Store Manna
Mage/Archmage Spells: Neutralize Magic

Gifts: Perfection (mage/archmage gift)

Cults of Atlantis: The Society of Paragon Seafarers

The Society of Paragon Seafarers

The City of Atlantis is a city of seafarers. The people of Atlantis are the people of the sea. The highest expression of the god within is expertise, excellence, and prowess. Is it any wonder that among the Atlanteans the Paragon Seafarers have arisen? It is not. 

Paragon Seafarers have sailed Atlantean vessels around the entire circle of the world. Wherever Atlanteans are found, seafarers are among them, for it is the seafarer who brought them safely across dangerous waters. 

Sailors

Starting Cultures: Atlantean, Vandal

Starting Careers: Seafarer
Standard Skills: Boating, Endurance
Professional Skills: Craft (Shipboard Specialty), Meditation, Mysticism, Navigation, Seamanship

Students, Disciples, and Masters

Student: Augment Craft (Shipboard Specialty), Augment Endurance, Augment Navigation, Augment Seamanship
Disciple: Aura (Calm), Denial (Rain and Storms)
Master: Adhesion

Careers of Atlantis: Paragons and Seafarers

The following are two specialist careers for RuneQuest 6 characters using the Atlantean culture posted yesterday. These were created by Rich Forest for the world of Hrimgate.

Paragon (Atlantean Career)

Many Atlanteans seek unity with their own God Within. A paragon is one who has found it. Through this search the paragon gains great mastery of one or more skills and even of their own mind and body. Paragons are respected as heroes, leaders, and guides in Atlantean communities. 

Standard Skills

Athletics, Customs, Endurance, Influence, Insight, Perception, Willpower

Professional Skills

Craft (any), Culture (any), Language (any), Literacy (any), Lore (any), Meditation, Mysticism

Seafarer (Atlantean, Vandal Career)

Paragon Seafarers have sailed Atlantean vessels around the entire circle of the world. Wherever Atlanteans are found, seafarers are among them, for it is the seafarer who brought them safely across dangerous waters. 

Standard Skills

Athletics, Boating, Brawn, Endurance, Perception, Swim, Willpower

Professional Skills

Craft (Shipboard Specialty), Culture (any), Language (any), Meditation, Mysticism, Navigation, Seamanship

Cultures of Hrimgate: Atlantean

This culture for the Magisterium Campaign is a slightly tweaked version of the Atlantean culture posted to Superhero Necromancer last year for Rich Forest's War in the North Campaign. 

Atlantean (Civilized Culture; Language: High Atlantean)

Standard Skills

Customs, Influence, Insight, Locale, Perception, Ride, Willpower

Combat Style: Atlantean Civilian

A more limited style, using quarterstaff, dagger, and knife. At range, sling or short bow.

Combat Style: Atlantean Guard

Quarterstaff. Also dagger, knife, shortsword, and trident and net. At war, pike, glaive, longspear. At range, sling or short bow.

Cautious Fighter (Atlantean Guard Benefit) 

Can use the Change Range action to automatically withdraw from engagement with no need to roll.

Professional Skills

Art (Any), Commerce, Craft (any), Language (any), Literacy, Lore (any), Navigation, Seamanship

Specialist Careers

Paragon, Seafarer

Cults

Societies: Diggers College, Fraternity of Inner Light, Magisterium 

Mystic Cults: The Society of Paragon Seafarers, The True Atlanteans

Sorcery Cults: The Atlantean Conclave, The Atlantean Mysteries

Theist Cults: Sol Invictus (worshipped by the Mehari, Atlanteans from the Northeastern High Countries)

Atlanteans originally hail from the city of Atlantis, far to the the distant south in a land of glittering cities, steaming jungles, and sorceries undreamt of in Borea. The Atlantean Kingdoms fight a war on two fronts, one with the rising Asturian Empire that sits between them and the North, and another with the Serpent Kingdoms that sit at the heart of the continent of Atlantis.

There are many Atlanteans in Andrassos. Most who appear are merchants. Some are here to recruit Andrassan and Varangian mercenaries for their armies. Some are here to keep an eye on the Andrassans and their dabbling with the Vanoran sorceries of old. The Atlanteans remember their one and only war with Vanor and do not wish to see the Exarchate follow in the footsteps of Asturias.

Atlanteans do not worship the gods, nor do they worship Sol, nor do they worship the spirits of the land. Each Atlantean worships “the god within.” They believe themselves to be a divine people, and through proper rites and practices, their divinity can be brought forth into the mortal world.

Cults of the Inner Sea: The Arcanum Collegium and the Arcane Delve Brotherhood

This RuneQuest 6 sorcery cult is twinned with an attendant organization that made its first appearance as an ACKS custom class for my Ruins of Vanor campaign last year. Here the concept has been adapted to RuneQuest for the Magisterium campaign.

Arcanum Collegium

Led by a council of magi called the Five Plus One, the Arcanum Collegium is sorcery guild operating out of the Tower of Mysteries in the Ruins of Vanor. Although their ultimate motives are a mystery, the Collegium’s stated goal is the recovery of lost Vanoran artifacts and magicks throughout the Inner Sea. As such, the Collegium teaches a very specific style of sorcery focused on locating and transposing objects and people at great distances. When used in concert with the skills of the Collegium’s attendant Arcane Delve Brotherhood, the sorceries of the Collegium prove extremely adept at recovering the lost treasures and magicks of fallen Vanor.

Novices

Starting Cultures: Rothari, Vanoran
Standard Skills: Native Tongue, Willpower
Professional Skills: Folk Magic, Invocation (Arcane Ruin Mysteries), Literacy (Vanoran or Old Vanoran), Lore (Vanoran Magical Traditions), Shaping
Folk Magic Spells: Appraise, Calculate, Deflect, Find Flaw, Mindspeech, Pet, Protection, Repair
Shaping Taught: Duration (Long), Magnitude, Range, Targets

Apprentices, Adepts, Magi, and Archmagi

Apprentice Spells: Intuition, Mark, Mystic (Sight), Summon
Adept Spells: Neutralize Magic, Portal, Project (Sight)
Mage/Archmage Spells: Teleport
Gifts: Divination (Mage/Archmage Only)

Brotherhood of the Arcane Delve

Also known as the Delvers’ Brotherhood, this organization is an attendant association to the Arcanum Collegium in the Ruins of Vanor. Its members are trained as agents of the Collegium, and in return for service, gain access to secret arcane skills known only to the Collegium. As a brotherhood, it is open to any who show the proper aptitude and who wish to delve deep into the many ruins left scattered around the Inner Sea by the collapse of Vanor.

The Delvers Brotherhood operates out of the Tower of Mysteries in the Ruins of Vanor, and that is where prospective members must first make their appearance before the magi of the Arcanum Collegium and be judged. 

Scouts

Starting Cultures: Rothari, Vanoran

Standard Skills: Stealth

Professional Skills: Folk Magic, Lockpicking, Literacy (Vanoran or Old Vanoran), Lore (Vanoran Magical Traditions), Lore (Vanoran Ruins), Mechanisms

Folk Magic Spells: Avert, Bypass, Coordination, Find Treasure, Incognito (ruins only), Knock, Witchsight

Delvers, Loremasters, Arcane Delvers, Ruin Masters

Delver Gift: Second Sight (character gains ability of Mystic Sight, costs 1 Magic Pt to invoke)

Loremaster Gift: See the Design (character's Lockpicking and Mechanisms skills are recalculated, adding +POW to both)

Arcane Delver Gift: Sense Connections (aware of those places w/ magical or mystical connections to somewhere else; can spot gates and portals on a successful Perception roll), Invulnerability to Poison

Ruin Master Gift: Lucky

Cults of the Inner Sea: Arsaphian Codex

Arsaphian Codex

Written and developed by the Vanoran sorcerer Arsaphius of Psamathia, the Arsaphian Codex contains knowledge and incantations designed to protect a sorcerer from physical and magical threats. Although the look, binding, and providence of more recent copies vary, original versions of the slightly paranoid sorcerer's tome are bound in covers of hard cedar wood decorated with ivory inlays in the shape of Arsaphius' open hand sigil.

Currently, there are three main practitioners of the Arsaphian Defense in Andrassos willing to teach those eager to learn defensive magicks. First, the Slezan mystic, Ladislav White-Hair, residing in a broken down monastery estate outside the village of Marash in Opsikion Theme, is always willing to take on new students, provided they agree to listen to White-Hair go on at length about the teachings of the Slezan faith of the Three-Fold Man. Second, members of the Fraternity of Inner Light, a noble association of scholars operating out of the city of Andrassos, are able to study the Arsaphian Defense as one of several magical traditions the group pursues. Finally, the chief intelligence office of the Andrassan Exarch’s administrative household, the Magisterium, is believed to offer its agents access to the Arsaphian Codex during training. 

Novices

Starting Cultures: Andrassan, Rothari, Vanoran

Standard Skills: Endurance, Willpower

Professional Skills: Healing, Invocation (Arsaphian Defense), Lore (Vanoran Magical Traditions), Shaping, Survival

Shaping Taught: Combine, Duration (Long), Focus, Magnitude

Apprentices, Adepts, Magi, and Archmagi

Apprentice Spells: Castback, Damage Resistance, Intuition, Mystic (Hearing)

Adept Spells: Enhance POW, Protective Ward, Spell Resistance 

Mage/Archmage Spells: Hide Life

Gifts: Sanctuary (Mage/Archmage)