“We are all born with sin within ourselves. We can seek to abandon it or absolve and master it, but in the end we are all monsters.”
Vaxalis Chratankulai (Zan'Tai: Vaxal's Gift of Sin), more commonly known as Descension Energy, is the lifeforce of the Zazane race, with few exceptions within the species, as well as an enhancement energy that can be used to significantly improve one's mental and physical capabilities, usually with devastating consequences.
History[]
Origins[]
Deliverance[]
Types[]
Vashtankulai (Source of Sin)[]
Vashtankulai, otherwise known as Source of Sin, is a form of Descension that currently does not exist within the hands of any active being related to the Zazane race and is told to be the power used to curse the Zazane with Descension in the first place. It is the fundamental origin of all Zazane-spread Descension and all individuals of Zazane origin that possess even the smallest amount of Descension potential can trace such back to the Source of Sin for that is where their Descension originates. Vashtankulai is thought to be used by the Zazane deities, Vaxal Myraad and the Accursed Quinquennium, and is the apparent source for their divine powers and abilities. It is said that the Zazane afterlife is thought to be constructed of Source of Sin, thus why mortal Zazane souls are tied to reincarnate there unless their souls are claimed by servants or creatures of Inferno. The figure known as Zagdala Breek was said to have been exposed to Source of Sin as punishment for betraying the commands of Vaxal, seperating his consciousness from his body and his mind being shattered and implanted into the dreams of the Zazane race while his body was lost, although such are mere tales and legends.
Tankradakulai (Sleeping Sin)[]
Tankradakulai, otherwise known as Sleeping Sin, is the residual Descension energy found inside a wide majority of Zazane which has not been awakened or provoked into empowerment, instead residing undisturbed inside Zazane while lending just tiny fragments of its power to Zazane in dire need without causing a full awakening. Sleeping Sin is the general term used for any Zazane that has not gone through the process of "Descension" - the act of awakening and embracing one's residual Descension energy. Sleeping Sin can be awoken and provoked in a variety of ways, such as losing balance and control during combat, general meditation practices that involve focussing upon the residual Descension energy or forced awakening from higher beings who can access such. Sleeping Sin is measured in "Descension Potential" - a measurement based by how far one can go without having to awaken the Sleeping Sin inside them, with those who can last longer having higher Descension Potential. Those who are about to awaken their Sleeping Sin are known to make their auras visible to outside witnesses.
Sleeping Sin applies strength when necessary rather than through desire and want. It will give mere fractions of its power to the Zazane host as a way to keep it alive, often with Zazane not knowing it. However, Zazane can practice on giving off these applications of strength manually to a much larger extent although come under the risk of awakening their Sleeping Sin. Zazane that fight with their Sleeping Sin on the border of awakening are considered extremely close to losing themselves as a person as a consequence of such, although there are practitioners and individuals that seek to awaken their Sleeping Sin in hopes of "taming" it and harnessing the full amount of their Descension Potential, often being incredibly powerful beings that have access to a variety of abilities and strengths.
Oavashdrakulai (Awakened Sin)[]
Oavashdrakulai, otherwise known as Awakened Sin, is the fully activated form of Sleeping Sin and is gained by provoking and focussing on the power of the latter, causing an imbalanced application of strength that puts the host through an "Awakening". Awakened Sin is used by individuals who have gone through an Awakening, thus no longer relying upon the physical restrictions and limits of their bodies as they now possess access to the power within themselves that can have a drastic effect externally. Awakened Sin can result in a great many disadvantages and consequences for its activation, such as dreamless sleep, hallucinations, increased rate of aggression and anger, hearing voices and sometimes causing split personality disorder. Awakened Sin prevents the host from dying through standard mortal means and effectively severs their bond to the Zazane afterlife, thus preventing their souls from going anywhere after death unless killed by a denizen of Hell, otherwise they simply cease to exist and leave the cycle of reincarnation.
Awakened Sin is different for each individual Zazane and many spend their entire lives without knowledge of their powers and capabilities, although it is guaranteed that those with higher potentials of Descension will be much stronger than those that have lower percentages. Awakened Sin, while generally radical and extreme in the changes it can cause upon an individual and of its own powers, can be mastered and "tamed" by its host, thus providing much more freedom of use, access without negative consequence and more creativity of the wielder's thinking rather than radical and inconsistent movements and applications. Awakened Sin is thought to be permanent, although there are legends that it can be tricked or forced back into Sleeping Sin and returning a Zazane's bond to its afterlife and returning them into the reincarnation cycle.
Nypharosikulai (Punishment of Sin)[]
Nypharosikulai, otherwise known as Punishment of Sin, is the term used for the Descension energy that has been gifted to mortals who are outside of the Zazane race and would not have Descension energy through natural means. Punishment of Sin, like Sleeping Sin, can range in its potential and abilities, with most receivers usually equating to around half the current potential of the one who gifted to them. Punishment of Sin carries the benefits and negative effects of Awakened Sin, such as increases in power but also hallucinations and other signs of insanity. While most never manage to do so, Punishment of Sin can be truly controlled thus granting its users more power and abilities to access, but not to the extent that one would find within the Zazane race. Punishment of Sin can be applied and practiced in near-identical methods as Sleeping and Awakened Sin, with the only major difference being that Punishment of Sin is (usually) weaker than the former and latter forms of Descension. Like Awakened Sin, it can also prevent a reciever from gaining access to whatever afterlife they were destined to go to.
Kulainadaga (Sinned Mortality)[]
Kulainadaga, or Sinned Mortality, is the weakest form of Descension energy and is used by individuals who have been gifted Descension from those who make use of Punishment of Sin. Sinned Mortality grants increases in natural physical and mental capabilities, making individuals stronger and more aware of their surroundings. However, Sinned Mortality, unlike other forms of embraced Descension, cannot make recievers ageless or beyond standard methods of death, although it does increase their lifespan by an often large margin. Like Awakened Sin, it can inflict insanity but to a much lesser extent due to not being anywhere near as powerful as any Zazane-exclusive form of Descension. Sinned Mortality can also mutate recievers physically, turning them hideous or much more feral-looking with more bestial features. Those with Sinned Mortality are denied of their afterlives, thus effectively condemning them into lives that will result in the cessation of their existence upon dying. Those with Sinned Mortality cannot pass on Descension onto others unless through reproduction, with the resulting spawn possessing an identical potential of Descension to their parent or possessing a greater potential than both parents if both breeders are Descended.
Forms[]
Mahalikron (Deity)[]
A Mahalikron, or Deity, is a permanent physical/metaphysical form taken on by those who make use of the Source of Sin. It is considered impossible to become a Deity in the present day as there are no known users of Source of Sin aside from the Zazane deities within their pantheon. Deities are thought to possess the power to create from itself as well as destroy those that branch with its power unless they also possess Source of Sin. Deities can change their forms to disguise themselves as well as enlarge or shrink to suit situations, although most tend to tower above the tallest of mortal Zazane as a sign of their godlike power and abilities. While it is thought that Deities are all-powerful, it has been theorized that they can also be harmed by more powerful forms of anti-Essence weaponry, although the energy and resource consumption of such would make fighting Deities with technology incredibly ineffective for long conflicts. It is thought that Deities do not exist within the present day or have at least not been discovered by mortal races.
Kudalikra (Demon)[]
The Kudalikra, or Demon Form, is a state of being that can be accessed by beings with Awakened Sin or Punishment of Sin. This state of being enhances the user's physical capabilities by a wide margin and grants some extra abilities that can provide for very effective combat application. The Demon Form regenerates at an increased pace and allows for more faster and stronger movements and attacks while also raising the user's percentage of defense and endurance. The Demon Form can grant passive abilities such as levitation and flight while also using its offensive capabilities. However, despite the many benefits that come alongside using the Demon Form, there are a great many malignant effects that can take a damaging toll on the user.
The Demon Form is unpredictable and self-controlling. It is driven by the instinctive or primal feelings of the user and can be activated at random if the user is in a strong state of dread and/or anger, although one does require to be feeling negative in order to access the form manually. Each individual's Demon Form activates to different emotional responses, an example being that some respond to anger while others respond to sadness. When engaging in the Demon Form, the user itself does not control it and is instead left up to a second 'conscious', which is a manifestation of the user's negative or instinctive feelings, so the Demon Form's actions can be rather random and, in some cases, downright counter-productive. To disengage a Demon Form, one needs to calm themselves down manually or the Demon Form will eventually expire by itself, usually leaving the user exhausted and weakened. A sufficient amount of damage can also force one to disengage a Demon Form, such as causing more damage than it can regenerate over the course of time. A user is also forced to endure the memories of their body's experience within the Demon Form.
Vardashakudalikra (Tamed Demon)[]
The Vardashakudalikra, or Controlled Demon Form, is a state of being that can be accessed by individuals with Awakened Sin or Punishment of Sin. This state, like the standard Demon Form, gives increased physical capabilities by a far greater margin and allows for full control, improvisation and access to one's Descension potential, allowing them to use a much wider and more open variety of powers that are available to them rather than being restricted with random and inconsistent patterns of attack. The Controlled Demon Form is a permanent state of being although its appearance is determined by the user's desire, wants and preferences. Functions of the Controlled Demon Form are not as automatic as those of the standard Demon Form, meaning that the choice to heal and similar abilities are down to the user's choice rather than an automatic ability. The only things that the Controlled Demon Form cannot do is revert back to standard Demon Form through choice, die by choice, return the user to mortality or copy the abilities granted by other Essences not related to itself, such as light-based Essences.
The Controlled Demon Form is considered a testament to one's acceptance of Vaxal's Gift of Sin and as such is thought to be ultimately rewarding, even though they still possess no way into their afterlife due to awakening their Sleeping Sin. The Controlled Demon Form, as it is a permanent form, requires no emotional response although its strength and concentration can be affected by the user's current emotions at the time, with anger-derived forms becoming stronger if the user is angry. The Controlled Demon Form does not expire but the strength of its abilities can degrade over time through prolonged, consistent usage of its abilities without rest. If one is not careful, the Controlled Demon State will reverse (although not by choice) and the user will be stuck within a seperate, feral and far more bestial and animalistic form as the original rational consciousness of the user is destroyed and substituted by their instinct-driven one.
Phashandikudalikra (False Demon)[]
The Phashandikudalikra, or Imperfect Demon Form, is the term used for any Demon Form obtained through artificial or external means such as technology rather than through one's personal spiritual and physical efforts. The Imperfect Demon Form is considered incredibly flawed and disgraceful even if it can be rationally controlled for it was not one's individual efforts that controlled it but rather the artificial methods that they are using. There are two types of Imperfect Demon Form; the Deviant, which is classified as more akin to a standard Demon Form, and the Aberrant, which is classified as being more akin to a Controlled Demon Form. An Imperfect Demon Form's Descension Potential cannot be accurately measured for they, like the Demon Form, are unpredictable and are known to fluctuate constantly.
The Imperfect Demon Form carries a massive variety of flaws that, if unfortunate enough, can be permanent to the user, such as being incapable of leaving the Demon Form, hallucinations, insanity, consistent excruciating pain and other, far more harmful consequences. Like the standard, the Imperfect Demon Form can carry a massive variety of abilities, although strength and effectiveness varies between each one as they are often different in method, reasoning and other factors. Some Imperfect Demon Forms do not require an emotional response to trigger and can be activated at will, or some engage in the Imperfect Demon Form at completely inconsistent and random times, with the same reputation concerning disengaging an Imperfect Demon Form as well. Attempting to achieve one without any Descension Potential is considered suicide and there has been no record of a successful Imperfect Demon Form from a Descension-lacking host.
Goneshibolga (Lost Monster)[]
The Goneshibolga, or Lost State, is a permanent state of being that affects former users of the Controlled Demon Form who have lost touch with their sanity. The Lost State is the result of a user of the Controlled Demon Form failing to maintain control of his/her powers over a period of time and eventually degenerates to behave somewhat like the standard Demon Form, except the Lost State cannot be undone or disengaged and the only way to a victim of the Lost State is to kill them. Those that suffer the Lost State are immensely powerful but incredibly savage and bestial creatures, desiring nothing more than to destroy and kill everything within their paths while retaining all the powers from they had assumed the Controlled Demon Form, except their actions and attacks are spontaneous and random while a large majority of their passive abilities, such as regenerating, is automatic. Victims of the Lost State actually cease to exist during the transition of forms, with their instincts and primal feelings taking control of the body. The Lost State is considered the ultimate betrayal and greatest denial in Zazane history, while there have so far been no record of aliens that have assumed the Lost State.
Abilities[]
Kudanishtar (Manifestation)[]
Kudanishtar, or Manifestation, is how one's Awakened Sin represents itself within the physical realm through strength and appearance of a Demon Form. In simplistic terms, Manifestation is the term used for the process of transitioning into the standard Demon Form. Manifesting is an incredibly painful but often fast process that requires or forces a user to lose consciousness and thought and allow for a secondary consciousness, constructed from the primal and instinctive thoughts and feelings of the individual, to take over the physical form and handle the stress of using the Awakened Sin within them, as without focus the body will destroy itself. It also requires an emotional trigger; certain Manifestations need specific emotional responses in order to engage such as overflowing anger or sadness. The process of Manifestation becomes faster with each usage of the Demon Form but also much more painful, although there are methods to distract one from the pain of the process such as through meditation where the body is more receptive rather than resistant, as it's this resistance and rejection of the body that causes the pain. Manifestation is a default ability for those with access to a Demon Form and an Awakened Sin, as well as those who use Imperfect Demon Forms although Manifesting with such can be incredibly flawed and even fatal if it fails. Being able to control one's actions directly after a Manifestation without to destruction of the physical body or interruption of the second consciousness is a significant step towards gaining the Controlled Demon Form. Manifestations are renowned for changing the physical aspects and appearance of their users into much more horrific and intimidating visual depictions.
Typharish (Regeneration)[]
Typharish, or Regeneration, is the ability to restore one's physical and spiritual essences over time without the assistance of medical technology or any other form of outside sources. Regeneration is a passive and automatic ability for most of those with Sleeping and Awakened Sin, with speed generally depending on one's Descension potential although one who has full natural control of their Awakened Sin can choose whether or not to regenerate or choose to regenerate specific areas. Regeneration works under most given circumstances such as standard forms of injury although its performance can vary when countered with another form of Essence, with some light-based Essence forms capable of even preventing regeneration of certain areas altogether. Regeneration with an Awakened Sin is often much faster, even instantaneous, than the regeneration abilities of one with mere Sleeping Sin.
Iadashkashim (Immortality)[]
Iadashkashin, or Immortality, is the prevention of death through otherwise natural and standard means. Immortality extends towards those who have Awakened Sin while those who have retained Sleeping Sin possess mere longevity that can extend into the centuries, although most often do not reach such age. It is important to note that this form of immortality is not true immortality in that those with Awakened Sin can still die from a powerful enough consequence such as being destroyed by a more powerful being or some forms of astral events such as supernovae and are merely exempt from the restraint of chronological death as well as many forms of death that are standard to mortals. Also, some cases of immortality can preserve one's existence but still allow them to become a victim of aging and cellular degeneration as well as power and sanity destabilization over the course of time yet still be within a state of consciousness and self-awareness. This form of immortality merely refers to exemption of death caused by the natural flow of time and can still be destroyed by, usually, the tota destruction of their physical form.
Lotashkadarashim (Arcanisation)[]
Lotashkadarashim, or Arcanisation, refers to "cursing" an external item or object with one's own Sin and effectively empowering it for one's own usage. Arcanisation means that a cursed item, usually a weapon of some kind, can be summoned and deposited from one's own Awakened Sin as it has now been made a part of such. Arcanisation usually makes the said item a lot more resistant to damage as well as giving it a higher rate of damage and effect in combat application, alongside the ability to regenerate in some cases. It can even be used to restore missing components of certain items.
Tadashnikarishim (Aura Manipulation)[]
Tadashnikarishim, or Aura Manipulation, is the term used to describe the "ranged" abilities of one's Demon Form. Aura manipulation usually involves one bringing a component of their aura into physical/metaphysical being and then using such as a ranged method of attack, usually with explosive and devastating consequences. Aura manipulation is not accessed by all with Awakened Sin, however, and is in itself an uncommon ability as, for the most part, Awakened Sin is melee-orientated. There are also limits to one's aura manipulation as it can deplete one's energy and make them feel an exhausting effect, although aura naturally regenerates over a short period of time. This ability is usually accessed by those within their Controlled Demon Forms, although there are exceptions.
Nophilinishan (Teleportation)[]
Nophilinishan, or Teleportation, is the act of transporting one's physical and spiritual material across the plane of reality without the act of physically moving. This allows for a user's physical body to seperate its bonds at the molecular level and travel across vast expanses of space before being reconstructed with the power of one's Awakened Sin. In order to teleport, a user needs to visualize their destination thus can only travel to places they have been to or seen from imagery before. This also works by visualizing people and certain landmarks, taking users directly there. Combat application of teleportation is usually ineffective when fighting against other Essence beings as well as, for the most part, unnecessary when fighting mortal enemies thus it is usually a power used to retreat from a battle rather than fight with.
Vokandrashim (Physical Enhancement)[]
Vokandrashim, or Physical Enhancement, refers to the standard physical benefits of transforming a Sleeping Sin into an Awakened Sin. Possessing an Awakened Sin allows for the user's physical strength, endurance, agility and situational awareness to increase in potency, as well as adding benefits to other senses such as balance, acceleration, bodily temperature and pain. This also allows for another sense to be used by Descension users; Essence detection, an effective method that prevents ambushes as it allows the user to detect individual Essence signatures within crowds or isolated areas, as well as effectively telling them which Essence they possess and to what potency. The amount of increase depends on a variety of factors such as species, Descension potential, size, overall natural body strength, gender and other lesser calculations, but physical enhancement of the body and senses is a passive and automatic effect of going through Descension.
Litiphiran (Telekinesis)[]
Litiphiran, or Telekinesis, allows the user to make use of their mental capability and capacity in order to perform certain tasks. Telekinesis allows for some Awakened Sin users to temporarily immobilize foes, generate knockback force from their bodies and levitate themselves and other people or objects without the need for wings or any similar form of appendage. Telekinesis rarely involves any form of physical assistance, although some users are required to move their arms to channel telekinesis more effectively while stronger users simply need to pass a thought. Levitation is considered the easiest form of telekinesis, with immobilization and suspension of movement being considered the challenging but not especially difficult.
Jadarishikradoa (Connection)[]
Jadarishikradoa, or Connection, is the term used to describe the merging and combination of two or more souls or the absorption of a soul. Users of the Controlled Demon Form are granted the ability to allow their soul and spiritual essence to host the soul of another being, depending on strength this could mean one or more. Connection allows users to "share" their essences with another individual consciousness, which can manifest itself as a semi-physical body with a great degree of freedoms. Those who are binded to a user can feel the same sensations as their host and vice versa, linking the two. Connection can be used to summon additional support during combat application, allowing for one or more allies. Users often take on either mental, physical or a combination of traits from souls they have binded to themselves, either willingly or unwillingly, which can lead to sometimes severe changes in personality and character. A user possesses the ability to destroy whatever souls are bound to it and recycle their energy in order to power itself, although this is considered a selfish and unnecessary option as the souls do not reach any form of afterlife.
Nypharosim (Punishment)[]
Nypharosim, or Punishment, refers to the act of blessing or cursing a non-Descended being with Descension energy and granting them the benefits of such. Punishment does not take away any of the user's powers nor strength, but rather it corrupts the soul essences of the one undergoing Descension. Punishment is also used to refer to the act of birthing a Descended being, for it possesses no Sleeping Sin in the first place and is left with an often stronger Awakened Sin than its parents, although to what degree varies. The benefits of Punishment degrade over each reciever; the original host loses no power and has the potential for all benefits granted by Descension, a secondary user who has been Punished is allowed the powers of the one who granted them their Descension although not to an automatic equal degreee, a tertiary Descended user loses out on most of the benefits and are granted with just physical enhancements and agelessness as well as often horrific physical mutation. Born Descension users, however, gain more advantages with each generation.
Krishtaradatish (Radiation)[]
Krishtaradatish, or Radiation, refers to the energy released from Descension users. All users of Descension release a byproduct energy to some degree, this energy being a materialization of their aura. This energy is usually released during one's Manifestation but can also spread if one who has not engaged in Manifestation uses Descension-based abilities outside of combat. This 'radiation' is also nearly always constantly released from those with a Controlled Demon Form due to how much power they possess. The radiation is known to "pollute" those around Descension users, effectively corrupting them but to a much lesser degree than full Punishment as souls are kept intact. This radiation can effectively pass on Descension-based abilities such as telekinesis and an extended lifespan. Radiation is permanent unless cleansed by light-based Essences or destroyed by stronger darkness-based Essences.
Notable Users[]
Associated[]
Descension[]
Descension refers to the state of being which one is required to take in order to make use of the benefits, as well as suffer the disadvantages, of Descension energy.
Taming[]
Taming is used as a term of reference towards the practice and act of attempting to assume direct, full control over the entirety of one's being and, in the process, Descension energy.
Sin Mass[]
Sin mass is a term used to refer to two types of state that Descension as an Essence is capable of assuming; a mass, super-dense concentration of Descension energy which allows for it to act as a pseudo-solid or the genuine conversion of Descension energy into a viable form of mass.
Shidium[]
Shidium is a term used to refer to a divergent form of Sin mass that is commonly used as a multifunctional resource and material; in its most simplistic explanation, Shidium is Descension energy trapped within a crystalline state thus allowing it to exist within a solid state, with the Descension energy inside capable of being filtered and directed in order to power structures, objects and vehicles.
Quotes[]
“Vai'nu thama'van'sii, qasa'haan'iel. Nu'colthar'in, vai, chas'ayim.”