[[Arcana Demo (click here to start)->you wake up]] You wake up, head aching. You're groggy, but you know you're not at [[home.->home]][[Home...->where is home]]Where...where is [[home???->headache]] You can't remember...you can't remember a thing...how you got here, where you came from...The headache subsides enough for you to start to get your bearings. Your eyes adjust, and you see what's [[above->Element choice]] you.[[A cave?->Cave choice]]
[[A field?->Plains choice]]
[[A lake?->Lake choice]]
[[A desert?->Desert choice]]In the dim, barely-visible light, you make out a rough, rocky ceiling. Neolithic designs scrawl as far as the eye can see. There is one tunnel leading out, but it is sealed by a massive door. The only other exit is a hole above you in the ceiling, but it is too high to reach. Did you fall in through there?
The only light to see anything comes from five torches. Each torch has a [[symbol->Earth Symbol Decision]] above it, each of them whispering its secrets to you...As your eyes adjust to the dim moonlight, you sit up. You feel lush, green grass under your body, blown by a temperate, yet blustering wind. The wind whips everywhere, except for where the grass doesn't grow. Around you, there are five circles of land, starkly barren compared to the thick grass around you. Where plain dirt would be in the circle, gray stone lies flat and smooth. It almost seems polished. In each circle, a [[figure->Air Symbol Decision]] is etched into the stone, and as you look at them, you almost hear a voice in the wind, calling from those glyphs...The air is cool, almost humid. You feel the low temperature before you notice the starlight above you. You start to sit up, but almost lose your balance and almost fall into the water.
Water...[[how did you get onto the water?->Seeing the glyphs]]The air is frigid, but you can feel the heat in the sand from the day still hasn't yet evaporated into the night air. All the same, you shiver as your eyes adjust to the moonlight.
Among the dunes, four stone monoliths jut up from the sands, each depicting a different [[image.->Fire Symbol Decision]]. Is it your imagination or can you hear...a voice from those glyphs?[[The Sage]],
[[The Matriarch]],
[[The High Priest]],
[[The Baphomet]],
[[The Dancer]].[[The Prophetess]],
[[The Deliverer]],
[[The Twisted Man]],
[[The Moon]],
[[The Scythe]].[[The Child]],
[[The Metatron]],
[[The Twins]],
[[The Sword]] ,
[[The Aster]] .[[The Conqueror]],
[[The Sphinx]],
[[The Sun]],
[[The Magus]],
[[The Lion Queen]],
[[The Broken Seal]].You put that aside for now and try to gather your bearings. You are floating on a raft, and surrounding you are four monoliths of stone. Each has a different [[relief->Water Symbol Decision]] carved into it, clearly visible in the moonlight. The lake is silent, aside from the gentle splash of the waves against the rocks, and an almost silent whisper, seeming to come from the rocks themselves, weaving through the air to your ear...The Sage.
The Hermit, the Scholar, the Visionary, ever isolated in his pursuit of knowledge. His search for the truth is endless, constant, relentless. He waits, at his lonely mountaintop, looking for new disciples to share his discoveries.
Too many are arfaid of the knowledge he bears.
He carries within the Seal of Solomon, the font of wisdom. He only desires someone to share his knowledge with, but be warned: this knowledge comes at a price. His truth is absolute, complete...and drives the unworthy mad.
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Earth)]]
[[Reject this gift->Earth Symbol Decision]] The Dancer.
She appears simple. She comes, bearing nothing but a plain baton and the veiled clothing she wears. But one must only look at her eyes to see the truth. She has seen much in her travels. Her small frame belies an unseen strength that is unfamiliar, and yet immediately recognizeable. She dances as she travels, the ribbons on her clothing twilring and wrapping in a way that seems infinite. You want to follow her to the ends of the earth, if only to know where she's going, but she stops you and warns:
If you go with her, you will not return the same.
[[Accept her gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Earth)]]
[[Reject her gift->Earth Symbol Decision]] The Baphomet.
He is known by many names. The Black Satyr. The Cloven Man. The Chained One. But all recognize his form. He is spoken of in bedtimes stories to scare children who do not behave. Many use him as a tale to warn against the arrogance of pursuing pleasure.
As the loose chains that cover him would illustrate, a creature such as the Baphomet is not so easily defined.
He would know your secret desires, in order to help you achieve them. He is one who has seen the other side, and knows what awaits. He desires to help others live well before their time comes. He will not force you to come. His chain is one that must be taken, not given. But it is a chain nonetheless.
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Earth)]]
[[Reject his gift->Earth Symbol Decision]] The High Priest.
The Believer. The Teacher. The Zealot. Before anything, the High Priest belongs to the tradition of his people. Without his people, he is lost, and they without him. He is not a tyrant, nor does he care for the political machinations of the secular world. All he cares for is the defense of the old world. Without the past, we cannot define our future. But what if the past refuses to let the future be defined?
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Earth)]]
[[Reject his gift->Earth Symbol Decision]] The Matriarch.
The Earth Mother, kindness and charity incarnate. On her head is a crown of stars, and in her hand is a rod. She is the provider of life itself. She is ethereal, almost divine in her radiance, and yet...there is a disconnect. She has infinite amounts to give, but is cannot give it all away, for fear of spoiling those she cares for rotten. She is a caregiver, but in her bones she is also a corruptor.
[[Accept her Gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Earth)]]
[[Reject her Gift->Earth Symbol Decision]] With hesitation, but with nowhere else to go, you choose a glyph and slowly raise your hand to touch it. It resonates with energy the moment your skin touches the wall. You feel a vast presence just beyond the wall, tearing through stone, air, reality itself to join with you. Thoughts, images, sensations rush into your mind. You want to gasp, laugh, scream, curse, cry, all at the same time. You almost do.
[[The Cave goes white.->Your vision goes white]]Your vision goes [[white]] .Everything goes [[white->Awakening]].You wake up in your [[bed->End of Demo]].You step onto the stone, feeling its chill from the night air under your bare feet. You crouch down, and brush off the trace amounts of dirt and dust off from the stone. The carved glyph reacts instantly to your touch, glowing white. You feel a deep vibration of energy, feeling as though it is tearing through the atmosphere to find you. It touches down above you, and you feel a consciousness touch yours. You feel new thoughts, images, sensations rush across your mind. You want to gasp, laugh, scream, curse, cry, all at the same time. You almost do.
[[The Stone beneath you goes white.->Your vision goes white]]The guiding Polaris invigorates the mind and body in equal measure. However, balance may leave one without true strength when it is needed...
[[Accept its gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Air)]]
[[Reject its gift->Air Symbol Decision]] The Sword is justice incarnate. The scales are blind, and the sword cares not who it strikes down in the name of righteousness. Those who thirst for equity, satisfaction, or even base revenge, find their quarry here.
[[Accept its gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Air)]]
[[Reject its gift->Air Symbol Decision]] The Twins.
Night and Day. Summer and Winter. The Wiseman and the Warrior. These two are as different as can be, which is why they strike a perfect accord with one another. When they are not busy arguing, that is...
[[Accept their gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Air)]]
[[Reject their gift->Air Symbol Decision]] The Child is weak. Plain and simple. Their skills are undeveloped, and their mind blunt and unfocused. But sometimes the eyes of a child are exactly what is needed. And, if given time to grow...
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Air)]]
[[Reject his gift->Air Symbol Decision]] The Scythe.
Her namesake in hand, the Scythe claims all souls and all things. As patient as she is inevitable, she takes her time claiming what is due to her. She takes no relish in her work, but neither does she despise it. It is a duty that simply must be done. She brings with her not death and decay, but instead the opportunity for new life, and with it, change.
[[Accept her gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Water)]]
[[Reject her gift->Water Symbol Decision]] The Prophetess. Her Third Eye sees all. But are you prepared to witness everything that the Eye would have you see?
[[Accept her gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Water)]]
[[Reject her gift->Water Symbol Decision]] Every story needs a hero. The Deliverer styles himself to be that hero, arriving for catastrophe. Whether he triumphs or not is a different matter altogether...
[[Accep his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Water)]]
[[Reject his gift->Water Symbol Decision]] The Moon is as elusive as her namesake. At one time she may be bright and all-revealing, at another time she may be concealed from view. A mistress of deception, cunning and cever, she uses illusion and craftiness to achieve her ends.
[[Accept her gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Water)]]
[[Reject her gift->Water Symbol Decision]] The Twisted man is a daunting figure. Despite his ragged, deformed appearance, he is rather jovial. He seems to enjoy not meeting expectations, and instead setting ones of his own. His is a power that alters the very fiber of the world around him, but not in a way that the mind can easily process.
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Water)]]
[[Reject his gift->Water Symbol Decision]] The Broken Seal.
It is known by many names. The Shattered Mirror. The Broken Tower. No matter the name, it is known far and wide as a harbinger of doom. The gift of the Broken Seal is more of a curse than a blessing. But make no mistake: it is powerful, and if what you seek is destruction, you will achieve your goals.
[[Accept its gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Fire)]]
[[Reject its gift->Fire Symbol Decision]] The spark of creative power burns brightly in the soul of the Magus' avatar. Able to channel the natural energy of the world, his abilities are only limited by his imagination...for good or for ill.
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Fire)]]
[[Reject his gift->Fire Symbol Decision]] The Conqueror is a being of sheer, indomitable will. He takes but does not give. He oversees and judges with an iron fist. He expects complete obedience, and offers structure and order in return.
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Fire)]]
[[Reject his gift->Fire Symbol Decision]] The Sun, like his namesake, radiates energy and life. His entire existence is in order to provide others with sustenance, energy, and most importantly, life.
[[Accept his gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Fire)]]
[[Reject his gift->Fire Symbol Decision]] The Sphinx is a true enigma. Her personality changes at the drop of a hat, some days kind, other days cruel, depressed, inquisitive, apathetic.
What sort of creature lies beyond her facade?
[[Accept her gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Fire)]]
[[Reject her gift->Fire Symbol Decision]] You carefully move to the desert megalith, hesitantly. You lay your hand against the stone's glyph. It beats with a warmth that you weren't expecting. There's a presence here, a massive one. It is like the fiery heat of the desert, powerful and vast. But without heat, there is no life. In a strange way, it's a comforting heat.
You can feel it's power stretching to greet you, like a growing flame. It burns white hot around you, then suddenly, within you.
[[The stone glows white.->Your vision goes white]]The lapping of the waves against your chosen is almost rhythmic as you lay your hand against the glyph. At first, you feel nothing. Then, there's a change, a sort of stillness in the air. Nature seems to quiet around you as the glyph starts to change. There's a power, an energy coursing through it, within it, beyond it. It ebbs and flows like the tide, in concert with the flow of nature, the flow of the universe. It's an energy that flows around you, into you. Thoughts, images, sensations rush into your mind. You feel everything and nothing at once. You want to gasp, laugh, scream, curse, cry, all at the same time. You almost do.
[[The Lake beneath you glows white.->Your vision goes white]]End of Demo
[[return to beginning->Beginning]] The Lion Queen.
A woman dressed simply, her power lies not in society or authority but in her own mettle. The lion, king of beasts, lays at her feet, whimpering, defeated. A circlet is in her hand, but she does not move to put it on her head. She bears full power over her own destiny. That freedom is exhilarating, but it is also terrifying.
[[Accept her gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Fire)]]
[[Reject her gift->Fire Symbol Decision]] The Metatron.
A being of infinity, this is a creature beyond the realm of time and space. They are known by many names and titles: Adrammelech, Hermes, Enoch, The Ascendant, the Eternal Judge. They are not human, but they may have been, in a past life. They are tasked with one purpose in this world: to judge. For what purpose, they cannot or will not say, but The Metatron sees all, knows all, and will use all as it examines the souls of the world. The Metatron is known by all cultures, and is revered by all...but is also feared by all...
[[Accept her gift->Acceptance of the Gift (Air)]]
[[Reject her gift->Air Symbol Decision]]