"Heads or tails? Arctic or Antarctic?"
Jason flipped the coin
"Whelp I guess the Arctic then."
[Path of Shadows]
Special Ability/Conjuration (dimension, teleport, darkness).
Base cost: Varies.
Cooldown: Varies.
* Effect (iron): Teleport using shadows as a portal. You must be able to see the destination shadow. This effect is a special ability with a low mana cost and no cooldown.
* Effect (bronze): You can sense nearby shadows and teleport to them without requiring a line of sight. By increasing the cost to moderate, small shadows can be enlarged to serve as viable portals at both the ingress and egress points. Alternatively, conjure a shadow gate between two locations on a regional scale. The distant gate must appear in a location you have previously visited. This effect is a conjuration with a very high mana cost and a 10 minute cooldown. The iron-rank effect can still be used while this ability is on cooldown.
* Effect (silver): You can now conjure a long-range shadow gate with double the range of the bronze-rank gate. This ability has a one-hour cooldown and also incurs the 10 minute cooldown of the bronze-rank shadow gate ability.
* Effect (gold): Any shadow you pass through will become unusable by any foreign power and boost any of your powers used in that shadow for a short time. Portal range and capacity increased. Using this portal incurs a 5 hour cooldown and puts the bronze and silver rank abilities on cooldown.
* Effect (diamond): All shadows within your aura are available to teleport through without need for line of sight. Enlarging shadows to teleport through now costs low mana. Portal range and capacity increased. If the standard diamond rank effect is used, it has a 10 hour cooldown and causes all other uses of the portal to be put on cooldown.
Ability limitations, [Path of Shadows]
Capacity (Diamond 0): 1 diamond rank living entity, 10 gold rank living entities. Alternatively, 100 silver rank living entities, 1000 bronze-rank living entities, 10,000 iron-rank living entities or 100,000 normal rank living entities.
Capacity is reduced by taking large amounts of non-living material through, either directly or in dimensional bags. Items in dimensional storage generated by personal powers do not count against the capacity.
Range (In Kilometers) - Bronze: 40. Silver: 800. Gold: 16,000. Diamond: 640,000. You must have a clear idea where you want to go, through map or sight, or memory.
Jason summoned his shadow gate and stepped through.
In the terrain where the old beings reside.
Another one of his children had fallen. He would not let this slide. Whoever did it will pay. Endlessly throughout time as they are revived, flayed, salted looped over and over again. He smiled. It would be fun.
Jason started making his way through the icey landscape. The blue glaciers were illuminated in the setting sun as he ran past, kicking up a plume of steam as the ice melted beneath his feet. Polar bears flashed on past as the ambient mana became thinner. The ice seems thinner here though. Then a massive clockwork fist smashed up, through the ice and grabbed him.
"You can't escape now, HERETIC!" screamed Robert.
"What the FUCK are you doing here," shouted back Jason.
"Our god sees all. Including you and your INSOLENT BEHAVIOUR!"
They finally broke through into a glacial cavern. Robert grappled him down, but Jason teleported out and skidded across the ice.
Bear the mark of sin
Your fate is to suffer
[Inexorable Doom]
Incantation: Your fate is to suffer
Alternatively: You can't escape your punishment
Spell (curse).
Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: None.
* Effect (iron): Periodically applies an additional instance of each stacking curse, disease, poison or unholy affliction the target is suffering from. This is a curse effect. This effect cannot be cleansed while any other curse or any disease, poison, or unholy affliction is in effect.
* Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the [Inescapable] affliction.
[Inescapable] (affliction, magic): Subject cannot be affected by teleport or non-damaging dimension effects.
* Effect (silver): Inflicts an instance of [Persecution].
[Persecution] (affliction, curse, stacking): Subject gains resistance to incoming boon, recovery, cleanse and heal-over-time effects. These resistances cannot be voluntarily lowered. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
* Effect (gold): [Inexorable Doom] now applies an additional instance of each stacking elemental and magic afflictions on the target
* Effect (diamond): [Inexorable Doom] now applies an additional instance of each stacking holy affliction on the target. Gain an additional incantation. If afflictions are cleansed by you off a target, this effect will reapply all afflictions onto the target. This costs high mana and has a 1 minute cooldown.
[Castigate]
Incantation: Bear the mark of sin
Spell (curse, holy, tracking).
Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: None.
* Effect (iron): Burns a painful brand into the target, inflicting slight transcendent damage and the [Sin] and [Mark of Sin] conditions. The brand cannot be healed so long as the target retains any instances of [Sin].
[Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
[Mark of Sin] (affliction, holy): Prevents aura retraction. Cannot be cleansed while target retains any instances of [Sin] or [Legacy of Sin].
* Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration [Weight of Sin]. You gain the [Marshal of Judgement] boon.
[Weight of Sin] (affliction, holy): Target suffers transcendent damage when subjected to a holy boon, recovery, healing or cleansing effect.
[Marshal of Judgement] (boon, tracking, holy): Know the distance and direction of anyone bearing a [Mark of Sin] placed by you. This effect lasts as long as any mark is still in place and cannot be negated.
* Effect (silver): Inflicts the [Mortality] affliction
[Mortality] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to curses. This includes intrinsic immunities such as from not having a soul or not being alive. Cannot be cleansed while any curse affliction is in effect.
* Effect (gold): Inflicts [Absolution] and [Sinner's Judgement]
[Absolution] (affliction, holy, stacking) Increases all sources of transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
[Sinner's Judgement] (affliction, magic, holy) Impedes any revival magic or effects significantly. Cannot be cleansed is any instances of [Penance] are on the target.
* Effect (diamond): Inflicts an instance of [Holy Smite].
[Holy Smite], (affliction, curse, revival, holy): Transcendent damage from holy sources has increased effect on shutting down revival.
Robert winced as a large sigil was burned onto his shoulder.
"Fine then. Die." he snarled.
His limbs elongated, skin and flesh ripping apart as his bones extended and two extra limbs emerged from each side. Jason summoned his cloak and flew up to the roof of ice.
[Cloak of Night]
Conjuration (darkness, light, dimension).
Base Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: None.
* Effect (iron): Conjures a magical cloak that can alter the wearer. Offers limited physical protection. Can generate light, or blend into shadows. Cloak can reduce the weight of the wearer for a low mana-per-second cost, allowing reduced falling speed and water walking. Cannot be given or taken away, although effects can be extended to others in very close proximity.
* Effect (bronze): Cloak reflexively intercepts projectiles. Highly effective against rapid, weaker attacks, but less effective against powerful, singular attacks. Cloak allows gliding for low mana-per-second. Weight reduction no longer costs mana unless affecting additional people.
* Effect (silver): Cloak passively manipulates physical space, slightly shifting the trajectory of incoming attacks. Manipulation can be actively managed for more directed effect or to allow passage through spaces normally too small to physically traverse. Cloak allows flight for a low ongoing mana cost, increasing to a moderate ongoing mana cost while in direct sunlight.
* Effect (gold): Cloak can expand to provide a bubble of air and darkness underwater or on land for low mana-per-second. Bits of cloak can tear off to block powerful attacks. Disruptive force attacks or higher ranked attacks may not be entirely negated. Needs to be resummoned if too much is torn off.
* Effect (diamond) Mana cost for flight in sunlight is reduced to low mana per second. If this cloak is fully destroyed or dispelled, gain an instance of [Discorporal Shadow].
[Discorporal Shadow] (boon, elemental): Transform into an anthropomorphic shadow for a short time. Gain immunity to normal and resonating force damage. All shadow spells have their mana cost reduced.
Jason made sure his afflictions would work against Bumaro's metal body.
Bleed for me
[Haemorrhage]
Incantation: Bleed for me
Spell (wounding, unholy, blood).
Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: None.
* Effect (iron): Inflicts or refreshes [Bleeding] and [Sacrificial Victim]
[Bleeding] (affliction, wounding, blood, stacking): Deals ongoing damage by causing or increasing blood loss. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates a certain amount of healing after which, this condition is removed.
[Sacrificial Victim] (affliction, unholy, blood): Any drain attacks or blood afflictions suffered have increased effect.
* Effect (bronze): Inflicts [Necrotoxin].
[Necrotoxin] (affliction, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.
* Effect (silver): Inflicts the [Blood From Stone] affliction.
[Blood From Stone] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to blood and poison effects. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Entities without blood can bleed while under this effect. Cannot be cleansed while any blood or poison affliction is in effect.
* Effect (gold): Inflicts [Dismemberment] and [Strained Wounds].
[Dismemberment] (wounding, blood, stacking): Limb and large tissue regeneration is significantly impeded. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates a certain amount of healing after which, this condition is removed.
[Strained Wounds] (affliction, curse, magic, unholy, stacking): Wounds left uncovered, untreated, or unhealed are widened over time.
* Effect (diamond): When this spell is cast, the target has their regeneration lowered for each blood affliction or condition on them. Inflicts [Meridian Poisoning].
[Meridian Poisoning] (affliction, magic, unholy): Each time a spell is used, all instances of [Bleeding] will have an increased effect for a short time. Stronger spells will increase bleeding more.
He hissed as Jason struck with shadow arms, metal rotting like wood. He would need to use the full advantage of flight without Shade to teleport through or Gordon to pierce his legs. Afflictions in place Jason dodged as one of the metal arms morphed into a flail and swung at him. Colin was helping in [Living Armor] form, tying up arms with leather ropes and replacing any lost body parts instantly. As the afflictions escalated, Bumaro started using more powers as he got desperate. Arms morphed into various weapons from swords to rocket launchers. Whenever Jason got close, spikes emerged from his skin, attempting to impale him before receding. Eventually Jason drained him at critical mass with [Dread Salvation].
Abilities suppressed, Jason tied him up.
"Why did you do this to me?" confusedly asked Robert.
"I used violence as a tool one time. It didn't go well. I died, my best friend died and I nearly lost my planet. Recently, I tore someone's soul apart. Death is not the only option for you. I can remove that star seed inside you," offered Jason.
"And why would I want a heretic's mercy?" spat Bumaro.
"Because I am trying to be better."
Transcendent light started shining beneath the ropes and flesh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HE SHALL POSSESS ME AND END YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE! BE HONOURED THAT THE BROKEN GOD HIMSELF HAS DEEMED YOU WORTHY OF HIS TIME! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Bumaro maniacally.
"Oh crud," whispered Jason.