Introduction: Lost in the Mists of Time. Tuesday, Febuary 4, 1400

            A Brief Essay on the Matter of the Armageddon and
           Events Thereof: Words of Warning to Those Who Come
              After, Should There Be a Reoccurence of Such.
                         Father Michael Abraham

              Translated from the latin by Jonathan Saunt.

     We stand now in the Aftermath of a catastophic battle: The

Armageddon. The final battle between good and evil seems inconclusive. The dark forces have been beaten, but not destroyed, and evil remains in the world, though far less potent. It is as if a darkness has lifted from the world. But it is inconclusive. There is some evidence that this has happend at least twice before, and with the shadow of the darkness still lingering, there seems no reason why it should not occur again.

The Armageddon is the battle of the few for the fate of the many, for the world. There are a few Chosen for each side, given special powers and knowledge to aid them in thier battle. There seems to be little in the grand sckem of thier selection, they are fundamentaly good or evil, but not perfectly so.

The gifts granted to the Chosen seem heavy tied to the karmic forces guiding them. Each person has a certain measure of forces surrounding them that reflect how that person has acted. The good deeds are at some point rewarded and the evil ones are at some point punished. This however, has been twisted by the forces of Evil to work differently - their atrocities fuel their vile power, and the corrupt forces guiding these people punish them for straying from the path, evil would not lose it's favorite servants. Our strength, however is our goodness, as it should be. The kind acts of our past are redeemed to gain and power the gifts of the just, and turn or, if necessary, vanquish our enemies. Be also wary of avarice: do not let the lust for power guide your charity, kindness offers the true rewards. Such acts done in greed are not unrewarded, but they are also not unpunished.

The gifts are gained through a form of lucid dreaming where one may choose several paths to reach reward. Be warned that the greater the power, the greater your kindness must have been to earn it. Here follows a brief list of the paths and their respective gifts:

The Path of Knowledge: down this path lies a spirit usually taking a form shaped by the dreamers vision of their god. The spirit is bound to answer up to five reasonable questions per visit truthfully, though not necessarily completely. These answers are not without a price. Venturing down this path also grants the dreamer one additional rank in the basic power of the chosen, often dubbed Karma Knowledge or Karma Control. It allows the Chosen basing functions of their task, such as identifying friend and foe, as well as manipulating their own karmic forces.

The Path of Power: the most expansive path by far, it has three main branches, those to wealth, magical powers, and ancient artifacts of Armageddon past. The distance down the path measures the rank of the gift received. The way of wealth is simple, granting only monetary rewards. The way of artifacts is far to extensive to map completely, as is the way of magic. The way of magic, however has nine fundamental divisions:
-The School of Ignis: fundamentally connected with passion, the chaotic, wavering flames can be brutal and destructive, bringing forth the random forces of chaos itself.
-The School of Aqua: this is fire's more tranquilly and pacifying bane, with several protective powers, yet it's destructive side is not to be underestimated. Aqua raises thought to an art form, commanind the forces of the mind itself.
-The School of Terra: this school is founded in courage, stability, and virtually unmatched protection from physical dangers It is also the way of the hunter and survivor.
-The School of Caelum: the antithesis of earth, air is fickle, capacious, flighty, and joking, the master of illusion, movement, and the very skies themselves.
-The School of Dissilutio: this is a very simple and base power, connected strongly to anger and malice, the higher ranks for the most part only allow things to be destroyed more completely. It is the master of base descruction in it's raw, unshaped form, or calling uon the wrath of nature to do it's bidding. I do not strongly recommend it, but it may have just uses.
-The School of Corruptio: the most primally evil, I expressly disallow this power of decay and treachery, unless one of the lesser effects is very necessary for the good of the world. Do not fill yourselves with lust or thoughts of seduction when you choose the way of magic.
-The School of Procreatio: the counterpart of destruction, this more positive power can undo ore remake it's madness and those inspired and wonder-filled people who become learned in it may save many a life.
-The School of Purgatio: purification - the most goodly power. Protection and preservation of peace and order are it's realm, it is honest, pure, and innocent, though it has some measures to punish those who disrupt the peace.
-The School of Tempus: angst, regret and worry over the past and future bring forth the magic of time. It can alter and view the movement of the world to it's user's advantage.

The Path of Greatness: self improvement comes to those who venture down this path, the changing of the body is a greater labor than the improvement of ability. It is also the place to learn the strange and potent Arts.

The Path of Chaos: this path asks little for it's services, but these are unpredictable. Those whom venture here can come out ahead, behind, or right where they started.

The Path of the Beast: this is the path of physical mutation and change, it's travelers may sprout wings, claws and fangs, or gain a primal connection with one of the magics, among many other things.