Important Folks

There is a number of important figures around the many Clusters, and individual Lands. Long ago, Mim created an enchanted artifact, called Truth: a vast stone tablet, in which the names of the one hundred most influential and powerful people are listed. The names in it are updated cautiously, and they are presented in the annual gathering of influential Travelers.

The criteria for rating are unknown, but it seems that one must be alive, to be in it, that one must be a Traveler, and one must be in some way powerful. Influential people with no power of their own (but rather, that of their subjects) frequently score high on the tablet, but usually not higher than 11. Passivity lowers ranks, and generally powerful, but passive beings finds themselves near the bottom.

Furthermore, Phantoms from the Book of Mim are exempted from rating, as are Stone Men (but not other Phantoms). Below, the names of some of the more important and ones you are likely to meet are given, separated in categories based on what type of Traveler they are (in brackets), as well as their rank.

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Imperator Wlan Awjx Diennes I  Type: (Leader) (???) Rank: 3

"We have lead our people across the void. We have cast great bridges of steel through the vast blackness. We have rid the masses of oppression. We have brought the men, women and children of this universe together in peace, with us. Seeing this, should I die today, I will die happy."

Nobody knows where Emperor Wlan came from (his name is pronounced Vee-lan Ajax Dee-en-es), nor how he managed to rise to power. While well documented, his ascent is one that has puzzled scholars worldwide. Perhaps he was an illegitimate child of the old emperor, or some foreigner from afar, or perhaps he is an incredibly powerful wizard. Some even say he is an agent of emanation of king Mim himself.

Nevertheless, Emperor Wlan's influence is based around him being in charge of a huge empire, and of course, his Steam Network, which has made Travelers obsolete, and given their power to the common folk. While outside of Frachlest he is a heavily polarizing figure, within it's borders, there are people who readily believe him divine, even if he has made no attempt to fuel such claims.

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Elder Aroquan / Type: (Leader) (Lightning) /Rank: 10

'Hmm...hmm...'

Elder Aroquan of the Storm Court. An elderly man who has lived upwards of 130 years, and counting, he is a wise leader, yet unfortunately his old age has taken it's toll. No longer being powerful enough to impose upon foreigners, he still has a potent hold over the Storm Court, and many  would like to forget that this shriveled old man can somehow warp with the Lightning while being blind , not through Lands, as the average trained Lighting-Chosen does, but between Clusters that may or may not have other Clusters in between them.

'He will probably die soon' many say, yet those words have been around for at least 50 years.

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King Mim / Type: (Mim) / Rank: 29

"The Third Order has today fallen. Forever it may take, that the Fifth shall have to be brought about."

Normally, any rank below 20 is not something you'd see on this list, yet, this one's special. King Mim is responsible for almost everything being the way it is, and on top of that, being the one who actually created this means of ranking. He ventured out in the depths of the void, when he felt there was no more need for him to rein things in, and the fact he has been steadily going lower on the list, ascertains that he is alive, is moving further away from the known and explored portions of the universe, and has yet to stumble upon some power that will allow him to affect the entirety of the universe.

The rank 1, is left empty considering the fact he may actually return, in which case he'd immediately go back to rank 1.

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Rook Desthan / Type: (Enlightened) / Rank: 16

"In defense of the great and holy land Avaliel, every knight must do his or her job. The twelve of us, first and foremost, must pour our spirits. Walls will eventually break. But the strong spirit stands invincible."

An unique existence, Rook Desthan is known for being a true man of iron. His enlightenment has advanced in such a manner, and to such a stage that he has become impervious to almost anything. Stories of him surviving lightning powered attacks without bothering to block or dodge them, taking cannonballs head on, or even projectiles flung across Lands have spread far and wide.

Rook is also known for being one of the most effective diplomats of Avaliel as well, having managed to negotiate peace treaties which have kept many former foes away from the sacred city and it's artifacts, on top of being a martial artist of great renown.

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Wyrm-Emperor / Type: (Phantom) (Lightning) (Enlightened) (Leader)/ Rank: 19

"He whose gaze is forward, witnesses the glimmer of a single star, amidst the vastness of the dark. He who inverts his gaze and looks within, witnesses the infinite vastness within a glimmer of pure spirit."

Yet another case of ranking not being a direct measure of power, and of it being lowered by passivity. The Emperor is one of the most powerful creatures in existence, said to be perfectly immortal and capable of even destroying a Land within at most a hour, using his vast power.

But he chooses to delegate, to his followers of Dragon Enlightenment, while he himself meditates peacefully. A dangerous being by all means, yet not one who is concerned with showing it's power, the Dragon is pleased to remain on his own and bother nobody, letting his empire run on the backs of his followers, who he has prepared carefully enough.

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Myr / Type: (Wizard) (Butterflies) / Rank: 4

"Oh dear, what do we have here..."

Myr, the Magus of Ethrest. A fearsome figure, he is a man who attracts Ethrest Butterflies like crazy (should it be represented in the tier system, his would be 6). The little insects have a tendency to absorb lightning and store it for their own use, which is how Myr manages to stay powerful... Lightning Chosen lose their effectiveness entirely, with only the strongest being capable to still shoot a spark after he's gone over them with his kaleidoscope.

It is telling that Myr has been threatened countless times, and has never had to actually use his magic. Myr is also known for occasionally interfering with events, granting boons or artifacts to people he chooses, and elevating them in power. Outside of this, he largely leaves doing things to his chosen heroes, and they rarely disappoint. Case in point: the below entry.

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Dame Elaine Morgalann / Type: (Artifact) (Leader) / Rank: 5

'Honesty of heart. Honor in all dealings. Courage in the face of injustice. Determination against all odds. Kindness towards everyone. These are the qualities of a true knight. He is a defender of the helpless, a beacon of hope and light. He draws strength from those weaker than him, and rises to protect them. His quest to destroy evil is never ending, and in his fight, he is never alone."

The grandmaster of the Knights of Castellus, the twelve elite protectors of the city, descendants of the Crusaders of old. They protect Avaliel, and are each in charge of the sub-orders of knights, doing more specific work in defense of the city and the dangerous artifacts.

Widely regarded as the ultimate authority when it comes to swordsmanship, and the finest knight the known world has to offer, with...some varying amounts of competition, yet it appears to be one she is easily in the lead of. Her origins were those of a simple village girl, who was discovered by Myr and given an artifact...a simple sheathed sword, which was magically sealed, never to unsheathe in the hands of the unworthy.

She gained her post by unsheathing the sword and using it's power once a 'rogue' Frachlest fleet tried to take over Castellus, winning the battle instantly.

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Aleph Null / Type: (Wizard) / Rank 7

"I'm hungry."

The Azure Destroyer. It is frequently agreed upon by other Mages, that what Aleph Null has is an unusual and very dangerous power. She claims that she will destroy the universe at some point. While one cannot be sure of this, she is in fact the only person to actually concern both Myr and the Shade with her presence. Aleph Null's true name is unknown, and anybody who has ever found out, or spoke it, is dead.

She possesses superhuman strength, speed and her endurance is a wholly different matter, and thus frequently finds herself in bar fights. She enjoys drinking copious amounts of alcohol and gorging herself on local cuisine, not to mention traveling a lot. Most find it wise to simply avoid her. However, it must be noted that while she leaves considerable property damage bills unpaid, Aleph Null has some odd sense of honor, she always repays those who assist her, or show her kindness.

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Prince Sectis / Type: (Lightning) (Leader) (Artifact) / Rank 2

"Who can compare to me in grand and lordly splendor? Who can say like me, that they are a king? Among all heroes and warriors, among all rulers, whose feats compare to mine?"

Some would call him the greatest warrior alive. Some would call him a legend. Some would call him smug. Others would go on and say that he is going to be either of those things (except smug, which as evidenced by the above quote, he already is). To be perfectly fair, Sectis is shrouded in mystery, as anyone in Balthea is, to some degree (yet none to the degree of Sectis).

Stories speak of his Lightning being golden, or black, or red... Others say he possesses an all powerful armament, and that he retook Sorovial single-handed. But that is all stories and legends, what is known of Sectis is thus: He is at least, a very capable leader, a very powerful warrior, and the reason Balthea is not overrun by void monsters, and as a result, why the rest of the world is still free of them.

Should his quest fail, he will be remembered as a vague legend. Should it succeed, he will be hailed as the possible replacement of King Mim.

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The Shade / Type: (Phantom?) / Rank: 6

"..."

The leader of the Crowmen Phantoms, and himself a mythical being? Nobody knows what the Shade is, where it came from or what it thinks, only that it is there, it has always been there, and it appears when something needs to be slain. The Shade cannot be resisted, him merely pointing his finger is enough to cause even beings otherwise thought immortal, to instantly die. He can soar in a cloud of darkness, and conjure ice, he possesses an old sword that can destroy undead and Shadows, and he can dispel any magic.

It is impossible to harm or kill the Shade, it is impossible to argue or negotiate, it is impossible to stop him from doing what he has to do. The Shade does not speak, it does not sleep, rest, eat or need anything to function. It's rank is not higher, not because it lacks power, but because said power comes with tremendous limitations: The Shade does not choose who to kill and it cannot do anything but exercise it's duty.

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The Black Knight / Type: (Artifact) (Lightning) / Rank: 9

"Even weaponless, felling an army is no difficult task."

The Black Knight. The second in command of the defenders of Avaliel, many call him a superb warrior, known throughout the many Clusters as a dreadful warrior, who is capable of matching dozens of others on his own. At some point, Elaine defeated him in single combat, and he swore to serve her, until she herself would be defeated. While he is a ruthless and controversial figure, his merits and powers cannot be denied.

Knowledge of many worlds, and secrets with them, being primary, and beyond that, his mysterious artifacts, and his control over Lightning, making him a very potent figure. It is said that by exerting no force or power, but by merely walking in view of even a large number of enemies, they will choose to turn around and not face him in combat. His fearsome reputation has done a lot to discourage attacks on Avaliel.

And no. Nobody knows his name, the same way nobody has seen his face.

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Varsilis III  / Type: (Leader) (Wizard) (Artifact) / Rank: 8

"A lion ruling a nation of pigs, is still a lion. A pig ruling a nation of lions is...dinner?"

Sorcerer-ruler of Soram-Prath, and generally all of Soram. The Dark Magus, as she is known, her specialty is potent curses and enchantments, that tend to be generally harmful (and often, transformative). Varsilis is however, not an unreasonable woman (her magic requires great restraint and sharpness of mind), thus her cruelty is reserved for her enemy (As many Frachless invasion forces have found out, upon being turned to pigs).

It is her position, surrounded by enemies, both inside and outside her nation, that compels her to exhibit force. Fortunately, her court is one of the most lenient and  helpful, enabling Soram as a Cluster to remain largely functional. Her influence and capability has landed her a spot in the top 10 of the list.


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King Nammun / Type: (Leader) (Lightning) / Rank: 17

"GLORY TO THE REBORN KING MIM!"

King Nammum, the lord of Ralean. A man who believes himself to be the destined successor of King Mim,and while the claim doesn't seem to hold a lot of water across the highly divided Contean Cluster, it IS something he ferociously defends, and it appears that more than a few people flock to him, believing the same as he does. It is worth noting that he is attended by Stone Men, plural, and that his power is fairly solid within Contea. Aside from that he is a fairly private individual.

Beyond this his position as king is very much consolidated, and his lineage is going strong, so it is unlikely that he will be felled anytime soon. He has earned a spot on the rankings, due to his rather peaceful rule in an otherwise very divided land, and his unique Stone Men following.

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San Varnis / Type:  (Leader) (Enlightened)/ Rank: 11

"The worth of meaning-filled silence is infinitely greater than that of a spoken word. But if firmness is required of one, may that one shout with all the power one's lungs afford."

The legendary rebel leader of the Orchid cluster, the proverbial dragon-slayer. San is an interesting figure. Nobody knows where she came from and the rumors that she is from beyond the observed universe, are believed only by her own followers, and the occasional opponents, who argue that this is a bad thing. She obtained enlightenment very early on and became a most accomplished martial artist as well, capable of, as stories go, shatter a boulder with a gentle stroke of her palm.

Unlike most enlightened, she is neither a distant hermit, nor a devout monk/nun, and neither is she quiet or reserved. A fierce proponent of freedom of speech and thought, she soared through the ranks of the rebellion through her understanding of war and tactics, and has managed to keep the rebellion alive for this long on her own.

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Mother Nyss / Type:   / Rank:   (12)

"And as the Stone Men looked into the blackness of the void,
 There stood the Void Mother, the Vast One From the Deep,
 She fashioned a terrible tide of black, intense vitality,
 And it swept over the grand towers of the Stone Men,
 The tide smashed their pillars, and brought the Towers down,
 It smashes the temples, and crushed their walls with weight.

 Wherever the water reached, it scorched stone and wood with fire,
 Wherever the water had already passed, trees grew, and birds sand,
 With a swing of her dread-arm, the Stone Men were swept, and so
 With a swing of her grand wing, the Phantoms had been birthed.
 They rummaged about, and they made a dreadful mess of the world,
 So Mother Nyss cursed them, that one day, replaced they would be.

 And when the Lightning-King swept the Phantoms aside, Nyss stood,
 And summoned her vast tide, once again, to sweep the Phantoms.
 Gone, was their time, as humans rose, and became wise and blessed.
 The Light From The Deep was cast unto them, the hour of destiny,
 But alas, great Nyss was once more, unfulfilled, and displeased.
 Another curse she spoke: 'Should I come again, I will leave alone'
" - it rhymes in Balthean.