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Centuries before the events of the Possibility Wars, High Lords have been invading other realms and stealing possibility energy. Eternity Shards have been formed, stelae erected, worlds destroyed. The power of "Torg" has seduced, and ultimately led to the ruin of, more than one ruthless despot.
But about a thousand years before the events of Torg II, on a relatively peaceful cosm called Kizangian, a philosopher and scholar named Techidamas began the first real work to study the powers of reality all possibility-rated people possess. He called this power "Baia," which means "fate-force" in his language. By studying eternity shards from his own and other cosms, and by isolating the powers possiblity-rated people possessed, he outlined the first chart of "special powers." These, gained by all at the moment of first attaining the reality skill, were those listed in the rulebook: create reality storm, create reality bubble, and story seed.
Techidamas spent thirty years studying philosophy, mathematics, physics, biology, and numerous other sciences to find the answers to several mysteries: first, if there was an organ, or a place in the brain, which controlled reality, and if so, what was the corresponding area in animals; second, where possibility energy came from and where it went upon being used; third, how a reality physically manifests itself on the micro and macro scale; and fourth, how a being could focus the energy to further control it. What Techidamas learned was mostly lost in the sacking of the great library at Phidophus, a hundres years after his death, but his knowledge was not entirely wasted. He discovered how, using the flow of possibility energy to increase one's reality skill, one can attain higher and higher levels of mastery, including some surprising new abilities. He mathematically predicted each of the abilities using a math form he invented solely for use with possiblity energy, called "veritonamy." He taught this to a few of his most trusted students at the University of Phidophus, of which one formed a small school in the Silivan Mountains, similar to a Tibetan Monk enclave.
When the cosm was invaded three hundred years later, the number of Baian Monks practicing at the Veritas Monastery was 24. As the cosm fell swiftly under the iron hand of the invaders, one of the Baians, a monk named Basheba, took the message to the people. With it, using it along with the story seed power, he was able to slowly gain a few more allies. They gathered eternity shards, travelled other cosms, and gradually built their force to a formidable mass he called the "Storm Knights," for their ability to summon storms (reality storms) when faced with their enemies. They returned to find the monastery sacked and burnt, now the home to horrors beyond description which had been left there to kill any escaped monks.
Now, with an army of 870, forming the first known group of Storm Knights, Basheba took the war to the invading High Lord. They met with little success, but did manage to gather the possibilities to enhance their reality skill through further meditations. Basheba and his army were forced to flee the cosm of Kazingian and leave it to the High Lord, a promising man named Lord Byron Salisbury, from a cosm named Orrorsh. They wandered the infiniverse, using the gate power of one of their eternity shards, and built a titanic castle on a world ripe with possiblity energy, where they reinstated the Baian Order, naming the fortress "Veritaspirus." This cosm strongly resembled Core Earth fairy tales, in that it was medieval in structure, but all the peasants led happy, healthy lives and had little to fear, and the aristocracy was kind and peaceful. The Baian Order flourished and that cosm flourished with it.
Five hundred years passed, and the fate of the Baians finally came. Astronomers and Mathemeticians discovered the existence of a massive, invisible body travelling through the galaxy in the direction of their cosm. They called it a "Black Sun," as it seemed to suck in light rather than give it. As it passed suns and planets it either ate them, sent them spinning off into deep space, or stretched them until they tore with its great gravity. An evacuation was planned, but it took some time for the Baians to search, using their gates, for a suitable cosm to settle on. By this time, only a few thousand could be rescued. The cosm was rendered and torn by the close passage of the Black Sun, and then flung into the deepest reaches of interstellar space. The civilization was destroyed, and all that remained of the once mighty Baian Order were 30 Storm Knights, Storm Warriors, and two Storm Lords. They were scattered, alone, helpless, and quickly they all lost each other in the vast eternity that is the infiniverse.
The idea of the Storm Knight, created by the Baian Order, was not the end of the reality ability. They found there were three more levels, for a total of four. The first level was Storm Knight, the most common, and easy to attain. All that was required was a "moment of crisis," when the individual would tap into the relationship with its own reality in the face of another. The second level, called "Storm Warrior," could only be reached by succeeding in a process known as an "Affinity Bond" with an eternity shard. This is where the shard and the Knight form a sort of symbiosis, merging into a state where they become, in a sense, partners. The third stage is called "Storm Lord," and it involves more mystical abilities, leaving behind the physical and mundane powers. It can only be reached by having the Storm Warrior merge with a "Reality Tree," a special type of tree native to Kazingian. After Storm Lord, the Baians knew of a fourth state, which they simply called "Torg." They mathematically predicted its existence, using veritonamy, but could not figure out what was required to pass into it. They knew it would enabe the individual to directly tie into the possibility power of not only the cosm, but eventually the entire infiniverse, until they had enough power to change axioms with no limit, destroy and create entire cosms, and become one with the Infiniverse.
The Baian Order did know of one way to become Torg, though: with a Darkness Device. In fact, they postulated it would be possible to achieve, even bypass, all of the various stages of Storm Knight, Storm Warrior, and Storm Lord if one had a powerful enough Darkness Device and enough possibilities. However, this would require access to the mediative and mathematical abilities only the Baians had -- without them a High Lord would not even know of their existence. Since this was a jealously-guarded secret, never kept in tomes or scrolls of any kind, there is a chance for the Storm Knights to surprise the High Lords, eventually destroying them.
The advanced reality abilities, known as "Baian Disciplines," follows, accompanied by a listing of each Discipline and what it entails.
To become a Storm Knight, the Ord must go through his or her "moment of crisis," by being faced with an alien reality.
Reality Adds Discipline
1 Create Reality Storm, Create Reality Bubble,
Story Seed
2 Break Link
3 Know Axiom/World Laws
4 Herald
5 Shift Possibility
6 Communicate Through Reality Storm
7 Detect Possibility Energy
8 Ward Danger
9 Create Talisman
10 Affinity Bond
To become a Storm Warrior, the Storm Knight must succeed in an "Affinity Bond" with an Eternity Shard.
Reality Adds Discipline
11 Recharge Eternity Shard
12 Life Thread
13 Enhance Skill
14 Intracosm Gate
15 Send
16 Stelae Sense
17 Enhance Tribute
18 Create Hardpoint
19 Extracosm Gate
20 Create Reality Tree
To become a Storm Lord, the Storm Warrior must merge with a reality tree of his or her own creation.
Reality Adds Discipline
21 Bend Axiom
22 Attune Shard
23 Inspire Transcendence
24 Reality Storm Gestalt
25 Create Null Field
26 ?
27 Create Eternity Shard
28 Create Hard Conduit
29 ?
30 Possibility Conduit
Reality Adds Discipline
31+ Unknown
Affinity Bond: The Eternity Shard "bonds" to the Storm Knight, giving him +3 to use all of its powers, plus he gains absolute knowledge of its wherabouts. Costs 10 possibilities per bonded shard (more than one is possible).
Attune Shard: The Eternity Shard "melds" with the Stormer, giving them the following abilities: use of Shard's individual powers is free; the Shard's Group Powers only cost one possibility to the Stormer; the Shard's possibilities cannot be drained, nor can powers be used, without the Stormer's consent; Stormer can drain one possibility from the Shard to add to him or herself at a cost of two possibilities to the Shard; Stormer always knows the Shard's absolute location; the Stormer can change the Shard's "purpose" and "restrictions" once to his own desire; and the Stormer can change the Shard's Group Power once to something else at a cost of five possibilities. Costs ten possibilities per Shard.
Bend Axiom: Bends the Stormer's axioms either positively or negatively temporarily. It lasts time as per Stormer's reality adds on the TORG chart. Costs one possibility for one level of axiom increase or decrease.
Break Link: Allows Stormer to break her own link to her reality. Free.
Create Eternity Shard: The Stormer can form an Eternity Shard out of an object with their own choice of spocifications (power, restrictions, group power, etc.). Costs twenty possibilities per Shard.
Create Hard Conduit: Makes a Hardpoint or Talisman "route" possibility energy to everyone in the area, at a rate of one possiblity per round, with a radius equal to the object's size on the TORG chart. Hard Conduits are permanent unless immersed in a Null Field. Costs twenty possiblities to create.
Create Hardpoint: Imbibes an object with a permanent reality field. The radius is equal to the object's size on the TORG chart, witha radius value of the objects weight value divided by two, plus the Spirit value of the axiom. If it is moved, it becomes a Talisman. Costs one possiblity per size level to create.
Create Null Field: Creates an anti-reality field with a radius equal to the Stormer's reality adds in inches. No reality skills can be used in this field, and it cancels out the powers of Eternity Shards and Darkness Devices. Costs one possibility per round.
Create Reality Bubble: As per rulebook.
Create Reality Storm: As per rulebook.
Create Reality Tree: Starts the process to make a "cosm-friendly" hardpoint. See the Space Gods manual. Costs five possiblities per tree.
Create Talisman: Imbibes an object with a temporary reality field, similar to a reality bubble. The radius is equal to the object's size on the TORG chart and lasts time as per the same chart. Costs one possibility for each size level.
Detect Possibility Energy: Stormer can see possibility energy in living things as an aura. Free, and always active.
Enhance Attribute: Allows Stormer to temporarily increase an attribute. It lasts time as per the Stormer's reality skill on the TORG chart. Costs two possibilities per point increase.
Enhance Skill: Allows Stormer to temporarily increase skill adds. It lasts time as per Stormer's reality add on the TORG chart. Costs one possiblity per add.
Extracosm Gate: Opens a gate to other parts of the Infiniverse. Costs two possiblities per minute to keep open.
Herald: Same as the Group Power. Costs one Possibility per use.
Inspire Transcendence: The Stormer can force an Ord to go through his "moment of crisis," making them possibility-rated, even without the presence of another reality. Costs one possibility per use.
Intracosm Gate: As per the Group Power. The range is equal to the caster's reality adds. Costs one possibility per minute to keep open.
Life Thread: Same as the Group Power. Costs two possiblities per day.
Possibility Conduit: The Stormer can tap into possibility energy directly from the cosm at a rate variable per cosm (some cosms are low on possiblity energy and some are high). Free and always active.
Send: As per the Group Power. Costs four possiblities.
Shift Possibility: Same as the Group Power. Costs one possiblity to the recipient.
Stelae Sense: Creates a reality aura around a stelae when seen by Stormer. Must be in visual range. Free and always active.
Story Seed: As per rulebook.
Ward Danger: Increases difficulty to hit Stormer by three for as many riounds as the Stormer's adds. Costs one possibility per use.
Um... the monolith technology.. right. :) To be honest, my gaming group disintegrated before I made it that far. My idea was that monoliths work essentially the same as hardpoints: they project a radius containing the given reality (which depends upon which darkness device creates the monolith). The major difference is that, like gravity, the further one moves away from the monolith's reality, the less effect that reality has. I was going to work out a neat little chart, using the law of gravity which states that the effect decreases inversely by the square of the distance from the source; this was going to plot the chances of disconnection. To be a little more clear, the further away from the monolith you were, the more the two realities mixed: far away (depending on the size of the monolith), the invading reality would diminish to nothing, and close up the home reality would be utterly usurped.
The second way in which monoliths are different from stelae is that they serve as giant "vaccuums" sucking up possibility energy. You can look at them as black holes, in a way, which draw in possibility energy from the environment at a given rate (again, depending on the size of the monolith).
The benefits to using a monolith, instead of stelae, are as follows: 1) monoliths are easier to guard than numerous stelae. 2) Monoliths do not devoid an area of possibilities and turn in pure -- one monolith, given enough time, can eventually drain an entire cosm without moving anywhere. 3) While very taxing to create, monoliths are much more resilient than stelae. 4) Because the invading reality fades with distance, reality storms are lessened and so are unpredictable effects.
Of course there are drawbacks as well: 1) Once a monolith is in place, it cannot be moved or it will lose its powers. 2) In order to be effective in an invasion such as the one currently being undertaken, monoliths must be MASSIVE (I never worked out a scale for this, but the great pyramid would make a good monolith for a 300-mile radius zone). 3) The amount of possibility energy monoliths drain from the home cosm is not comparable to a sufficiently large stelae-bounded area. 4) Creation of a monolith requires many times more energy than the creation of a stelae -- something around 1:300 for a monolith the size of a 3-story building.
In short, monoliths are wonderful for lesser High Lords without enough of an invasion force to really tackle another reality. They work well by perpetually draining energy, without the need for constant expansion of borders, and monolith realms aren't as clearly invasive -- less storms, less fuss, less notice...
Of course, most High Lords will eventually want to expand by planting more and more monoliths, but by the time they have enough possibility energy to do so, it might be better to switch to the more efficient stelae system.