WALL

The power used by humans to fight off various threats, called WALL.

It has many other names, but most commonly, it is referred to as a soul. It's deeper workings are something best discussed elsewhere, and by other people, however it appears that a human soul, can serve as a ward (or a wall, if one wants to be semantically correct), to outside influences. While normally too weak to do anything more than defend the integrity of a human being, metaphysically, that is (there are exceptions however, found in the Factions paste, for one), a method to empower WALL users has been in fact, discovered.

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Artifacts

Artifacts are items through which one can channel their WALL power into. In turn, the Artifacts convert a very small amount of WALL, with the potential to be anything, into a powerful, but specific effect. Usually, these effects tend to remain somewhat natural, for example, things like controlling one of the four classical elements, super strength, flight etc.

More specific, metaphysical/existential and supernatural effects are usually possessed by people that can put in more WALL power, and are virtually unheard of. Psychic/mental effects are at a thin line between the two sides, and spirit affecting  powers are an oddity of their own, which is still unexplained.

Important in understanding Artifacts, is the idea of Aptitude. There are two types of Aptitude, Artifact and WALL Aptitudes. The former allows one to wield an Artifact better, and more efficiently, needing less WALL to achieve a certain level of sophistication and control of power, than the average person would, and are less limited in potential applications and growth of their Artifact.

However, if these individuals are lacking in Spiritual or WALL Aptitude (both are the same thing), then their Artifact will hit a point from which it can no longer grow. WALL Aptitude also measures the potency and sheer effect of the power at hand, and in general serves as a measurement for the growth rate of the Artifact's overall power (but not the nature of said power, whose growth is governed by Artifact Aptitude).

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Awakening

Awakening is the process of gaining WALL power. All souls have the capacity for it, but there is a point where one must, somehow awaken this power in them, to make it usable in conjunction with Artifacts. There are a few ways to do so, outlined below.

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Awakening Box

These little buggers manage to penetrate every possible continuity or reality, somehow. Box shaped objects, often red, with a lever at the side. Using the lever, opens up the top of the box. Looking into the box at this time, will allow one to awaken their WALL power, but it is a highly dangerous process. Failure means erasure of the mind, making the body a mindless meat doll. The Awakening Box produces a potent light, that can only be safely looked at by it's opener. All other onlookers will lose their mind (literally) should they look at the light. And even the opener, as said before, is not safe.

It is said that using an Awakening Box a second time CAN in fact grant even greater power, at an even greater risk. However, on the side of observed happenings, those that have tried have vanished in a blinding flash of light, with nothing left of them.

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Rigorous training

Hard work works. A difficult training process can in fact, eventually unleash the power of WALL in those that undertake it. It is probably the safest way to access WALL too, however, and unfortunately, the exact method behind it has been lost, and the only few remaining Masters that can teach one the true extent of WALL training and power have vanished. There is currently no full fledged teacher in all of Fortress, but a certain captain of the Fortress Defense Front is said to be able to somehow teach one the basics, enough for them to be able to use an Artifact later.


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Contact with the Stone-Birds civilization.

Somehow, certain artifacts left behind by the Stone-Birds, who were famously lacking in the ability to use WALL, can provoke it's awakening in humans. Was it that the Stone-Birds wanted to unlock the power within themselves, but failed to do so due to their nature? Was it, perhaps that these methods come from the little spoken of Ancestors, who hoped the Stone-Birds would gain the power of WALL, or perhaps was it that they left the items behind for the humans? Did they even have an intention? Questions, numerous, on the nature of these various methods of gaining WALL power.

What matters is that, these tend to almost always be quite traumatic, even if the power they awaken is, generally, better than the one training (incomplete, as proof of greater training is as of yet unknown) or Boxes can give. The cost though, for many, is considered not worth it.


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Contamination

Affliction, curse, contamination... lots of terms, referring to the mutation of the human body by taking in the particles in the air, spread after the collapse of the Stone-Bird civilization. These species seem to, at times, come with awakened (or otherwise completely locked off WALL). The variants that manage it, tend to either have it at a sub-par variation, at a surprisingly strong level, but more often than not, if it is average, or overly powerful it tends to have a drawback. If it is sub-par... it also, usually, tends to have a drawback.

But on the upside, one oft gains additional/other powers from their affliction. Also, keep in mind that these forms of Awakening can manifest as varying natural phenomena as well, such as lightning bolts striking someone into Awakening, or rain of particular effects. This method, on occasion is found combined with the above Contact method, as many Stone-Bird contact forms, also tend to afflict humans.

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Dimensional Issues

Entering another dimension, such as the Netherworld (the only known and accepted one thus far, even if most people disregard it's existence), physically or mentally, can tend to have this effect, although, while a potent awakening, is also quite unstable, and difficult to manage afterwards for most people. The existence of other dimensions, apart from the Netherworld is also hinted at, in Stone-Bird texts, but nothing is confirmed.

Rarely, if ever happens willingly on the part of the one receiving the Awakening, and is often the result of an accident or mistake.

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Voices

Some people say that Voices do weird things... basically. Flashes of alien lights, strange sounds, and parts of them glowing. Not to mention the existence of spherical force fields around their bodies, that make themselves present from time to time, usually associated with the above phenomena. Despite all of this, the Voices are still a thorough puzzle, yet there is a definite correlation between these events, and the surge of WALL powers in onlookers.

Strange visions are reported by observers, which are difficult to remember, and only come in pieces, but tend to revolve around memories, of a sort.

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Boundaries

What are these? Well, Boundaries are an unique ability propagated by the possession of a strong WALL output, either through the unlikely event of actually possessing it, or through the use of an Artifact. It appears to be the tendency of the soul to protect it's user, originally from metaphysical harm (such as spiritual and mental assimilation, violence, alteration etc) and with enough power, from physical harm as well. It means that most WALL users are, granted they are strong enough, capable of shrugging off anything from someone who is not also, a WALL - user.