Known Powers of Andara

By Robleon Arcanis

We live in a magical world.  Reality can be altered by anyone with the talent and time to learn how to do so. Each new spell and ability however reveals how much more the adept does not know and brings awareness that for all our magical might we are mice fighting where lions roam. This treatise is intended to explore the various Powers; beings who either lay claim to divinity, seem to have some immortal aspect, or are simply beyond the ability of the average man to contest. As with most of my published works this volume deals with what is and what might be, and perhaps on the fringes with what was. Those seeking a practical application of magic will be disappointed – there are no spells here. No tricks of the trade, only thought, a small bit of research, and a large helping of speculation.  For more practical things I encourage my readers to seek out the writings of my esteemed colleague Phineas Whooperill.

First a note on magic. Magic is a deviation or alteration of the natural order of our world. It is possible to do such by manipulating the very substance of reality itself, which is at its most base and pure an act of will and means. When the will and the means are both the same source and local we refer to it as Arcane. When the will or the means have a different source or are not local to the temporal world we refer to it as Divine. The presumption here being the will or source originating from a concept, personality, or being that is Divine – immortal, eternal, and of exterior origin. When the deviation or alteration of the natural world does not involve an act of will, but is merely due to the nature of a creature, place, or object we refer to it as Supernatural. Let these definitions stand for the duration of this tome.

Let us now discuss Gods.  Until the advent of Omnianism it is said that there were no Gods in Andara. This is not true. The despot who rules the giant empire is referred to as the God-King and has lived for thousands of years, and the priests who worship him are able to use Divine magic. The dark cults of Zule, Nath, and Tur worship demons, devils, and dark things of madness from beyond. What is interesting though is that 1) the notion of deity does not seem to be foreign to humanity and the Firstborn and 2) there seems to be a collective understanding of what deity IS, enough to notice its absence and reject the aforementioned examples as falling short. You can chalk up humanity’s knowledge as being a hereditary understanding from before their arrival in Andara (most -including scholars- forget that humanity is an invasive species), but that explanation does not address the Firstborn, who are natives to the world. From where then does this seemingly universal concept originate?

And then there is of course Omnianism. Again we are confronted with an inherit understanding. Some agree and subscribe to Omnianism, some choose to co-exist, and some seem angered by and combative of Omnianism, but no one to my knowledge has challenged the idea that Omnos is in fact 1) real, and 2) a Deity. Even those who aggressively want to suppress Omnianism do not challenge the validity of the faith. If he is a deity from the first world, why was he not revealed until a moldering book was found? Is he the only deity from the first world? If so how does non Omnianism divine magic work, and what is its source? If not then where are the other first world gods? Perhaps one of my readers can use the information herein to answer one or more of these questions.

The Chronosi are four monolithic entities that created Andara. Or so our legends say. I find it interesting that we give them credit for creating a world that was already there. None the less they are responsible for the world as we know it. Each Chronosi is unique and has different attributes and spheres of influence. The Laughing Maid provides life, animals, plants, etc… The Storm Lord or Lightning Lord provides weather, cold, etc… The Stone King provides heat and shepherds the existing stone and rock.  The Silent Lady… well she doesn’t really provide anything does she? She dwells in the ocean, and thereby controls it one assumes, but other than that all she does is share her hall with the dead. Of the four she is not portrayed as active in any way. Why? Why is she different?

The Chronosi for all their power and influence on creation are not Gods. How do we know? We don’t. We just understand it to be so. Even as I write this sentence purposely questioning this idea I do so with the firm conviction and acceptance that they are not Gods. People have tried to worship them anyway. They do not grant spells or abilities. They do not engage. They seem largely indifferent to us mortals. I would like to suggest the idea that they are in fact automatons of some sort, rather than self-aware entities with a personality. If so, who created them and why?