Also, the goddess of magic saved psionics?! My wizard fanatic friend is never going to let me live this down.
Considering how is Psionic power, the theme, the way it work.... why not? He could suddently have an Illumination, Awaken, touch the Satori so to speak. Psionic will still exist in the new edition (if not in the base three books), so...
It's at least a reasonable way to put him back in business.
Does he still have a chance of awakening on his own?
Also, the goddess of magic saved psionics?! My wizard fanatic friend is never going to let me live this down.
Why would Mystra effect Psionics? Psionics makes your own personal weave it says in FR.
Second, he could be/have been an ally. She's had eons to work with and against practically every deity in existence, and has working connections/alliances with about half. Besides, she might just like the guy - just because she's a goddess doesn't mean she can't have preferences.
Anyhoo, I doubt Auppensar will be awakening, but he might be kept in his slumbering state for a while.
Does he still have a chance of awakening on his own?
-In theory, yes.
-In reality, I highly doubt it. There were already "too many" deities, so adding another one into the mix who has mostly been out of it is something I don't see happening. While his status is right now up in the air, I wouldn't be surprised of Auppenser is retroactively turned into an aspect of Mystra, and as such, is eliminated from things.
Auppensar might be used as the reason why the psionic powersource has to be waited on. His awakening might be liked to a significant rise in mindmages in fearun from then on.
Perhaps WotC'll let a new psionic god ascend from a demigod PC from LFR?
Power to Psionics in the realms I say!
I would like to see him awaken - even if it is just as an exarch to Selune.
-I wish that a deity for Psions, as being the source of the power would disappear. A deity for Psions, as in a being to look up to and admire, that I have no problem. I don't want Auppenser to be to Psionics what Mystryl/Mystra is/was to magic.
Well, you did say that Auppenser may be an aspect of Mystra herself. The power of psionics could be a reflection of the power of the weave. They were simply more intrinsically bound than previously imagined.
With the way things have gone, I think I could almost dig psionics making a rise to the top of the 4e power pole. You could probably make a rule system that is more representative of the magic of 3e than magic is now.
Well, you did say that Auppenser may be an aspect of Mystra herself. The power of psionics could be a reflection of the power of the weave. They were simply more intrinsically bound than previously imagined.
-It's certainly a possibility. Not one that I'd want to see, but I wouldn't be surprised, at this point. We've proverbially seen it all.
Well, you did say that Auppenser may be an aspect of Mystra herself. The power of psionics could be a reflection of the power of the weave.
SHH!!! You'll spoil everything!
-It's certainly a possibility. Not one that I'd want to see, but I wouldn't be surprised, at this point. We've proverbially seen it all.
I know squat about squat when it comes to 4e rule mechanics, but from what I have seen, any reverse in what I have seen to 2e or 3e would be a blessing--including a psionics power base that required a god for its conduit. Bring it on, I do say.
SHH!!! You'll spoil everything!
I think you spoiled it already, you friggin nincompoop! ;)
I think you spoiled it already, you friggin nincompoop! ;)
Whatevah! I zaps you wif my =pew pew= psionic blast!
Whatevah! I zaps you wif my =pew pew= psionic blast!
Thanks. The 911 call I just made, which will cost me at least $500 in the end is due to the seizure you just caused me.
Evil Netherise witch!!!
Thanks. The 911 call I just made, which will cost me at least $500 in the end is due to the seizure you just caused me.
Evil Netherise witch!!!
**bzzzzt** We are sorry, 911 is no longer serviced by the Chosen of Mystra. Please press "1" to redirect your call to one of Amaunator's faithful, "2" to redirect your call to one of Torm's faithful, "3" to redirect your call to the local Thieves' Guild, or "4" to redirect your party to the local lair of monstery gnomes. Be advised that you may reach minions as opposed to actual PCs. Thank you. **click**
**bzzzzt** We are sorry, 911 is no longer serviced by the Chosen of Mystra. Please press "1" to redirect your call to one of Amaunator's faithful, "2" to redirect your call to one of Torm's faithful, "3" to redirect your call to the local Thieves' Guild, or "4" to redirect your party to the local lair of monstery gnomes. Be advised that you may reach minions as opposed to actual PCs. Thank you. **click**
I press #4....?
Gnomes are so much safer than the rest of those options.
Evil witch!
-Why do you want a "psionics power base that required a god for its conduit"? For me, personally, the part that I like about Psionics is that it is independent from any deities, unlike Divine or Arcane magic.
In his dreaming he re-activates the innate powers of (some) mortal minds. Or his dreaming changes the nature of reality - currently very malleable thanks to Spellplague &c. Or whatever really cool flavor text and pseudo-science explanation people react positivly to.
IIRC, Auppenser was also the god of economics and wealth-generation. In which case, my StarLock needs to contact Him and have a long talk.
Constructive Concepts....-Auppenser has always had Mystra to "sooth" him in his sleep. When she died, suddenly his dreams were able to run find. Being in a comatose state, his powers began wildly fluctuating out of control, and began manifesting in the physical world, causing the Spellplague. That also somewhat ties back to Bruce Cordell's mention that the original Spellplague was going to be somewhat Psionics-related.
Couldn't be worse.
-If you ask me, it's leagues ahead of what we've already got...
I always preferred the idea that psionics are a power developed from the inner power of the user...
-Agreed on pretty much every point there.
What happened in the Time Of Troubles was wierd, but look at in more detail. We have only one good example of the state of psionics during the ToT: House Oblodra in Menzoberranzan. Their psionics ability was unaffected throughout the duration of the time the gods walked the earth, and divine magic was absent - ergo, psionics had no relationship to the deities' power.
It was only in the aftermath that things seemed to break down, which was probably more in the way that the physical laws of the world (Weave-powered, through and through) had changed and thus psionics didn't interact with them the same way. Matron K'yorl complained that the power was still there, she just couldn't bring it out in the same way as she used to. Eventually, other psionicists learnt how and psionics took off again.
Auppenser was never ever said to be the source of psionics. He was simply its promoter, its representative. In a world of actual deities, it's good to have divine support, even if you don't technically need it.
-Auppenser is to Psionics what Azuth is to Arcane Magic.
Given this interpretation, the question remains as to why Mystra would bother with the effort of putting him to sleep.
In my campaign, the reason has to do with the writeup Ed Bonny did on Candlekeep. To quote its first lines:
"Auppenser
Intermediate Deity
Our Lord of Reason, the Serene One, the Master of Thought"
That's his origin in my homebrew. Long, long ago, when the first sentient creature in Realmspace(the first of the Aboleth in my campaign) uttered its first thought, Auppenser came to be. He is the divine form of the very act of thinking, a very distant and uninterested deity.
Sure, Mystra could have let him die and let the portfolio pass on to another god, but who else could be trusted to be unbiased enough to hold such a vital portfolio?
Given this interpretation, the question remains as to why Mystra would bother with the effort of putting him to sleep.
-Divine politics, I'd say.
Auppenser was a follower of Mystryl and Mystra I, just as Azuth was. On the outside it was a subservient relationship (I think basically employer-employee) but he acted pretty much independently most of the time. It's been said that Auppenser and Mystryl/Mystra I were good friends, and treated eachother as equals.
The situation makes sense, given FR's deific relationships. Psionics has more in common with the arcane than the divine and while it has a much smaller worshipper base, it's good for the arcane to remain friendly with the psionic, and the psionic to seek alliance with the arcane. And one can provide a path to the other, research-wise.
So Mystra saved Auppenser for obligation, friendship, and close ties.
-If you ask me, it's leagues ahead of what we've already got...
(sigh)
Mrtyl!
Disclaimer: the following is written with little more knowledge of Realmslore than a quick perusal of the Grand History of the Realms.
Auppenser is first recorded along with the rise of Jhaamdath, the earliest psionic-oriented society in the Realms (-5800 DR). He may have been a pre-existing deity, or he may have been a local mage that discovered psionics and used it to raise himself to demigodhood not too long before, and not too far away from the area. Auppenser seems always to have been tied to the number of worshippers in this particular area. When Jhammdath is later destroyed by flood, Auppenser, along with his worship, just fade away. But the comment has been put in print that he is the only 'dead' deity who still has a presence of mind in the Realms. I do not know what to make of that, except that he is asleep.
Auppenser's other portfolios - including economics - need to be picked up, perhaps by a demigod of Auppenser who is a bit of a cosmic librarian. He can't take any actions but he is a repository of knowledge. Hmmm, who DO you contact with these new divination rituals?
Fast-forward to Mystra's murder and the Spellplague. Suddenly there are an AWFUL LOT of people putting out frantic prayers addressed 'To Whom It May Concern' : HELP ME ! One can imagine that the same thing happened when Karsus caused Netheril to fall - only this time it was world-wide, not just one region.
The sheer volume of the racket disturbs Auppenser's sleep, the same way as shaking a snorer will cause him roll over. But being long-comatose, he does not awaken instantly. Instead, he begins dreaming. His slow-working mind takes a long time to react to the stimulus he received. In his dreaming, his unconscious mind reaches out to the old source of his power - the Vilhon Reach area. Which is currently depopulated. So there is no new power to be had, and Auppenser stays in his current condition.
Auppenser dreams, and this causes thought-fragments, ghosts of ideas, and figments of imagination to come into being throughout the world. Most of these have little basis in reality, and fade swiftly into nothingness. But a few by happenstance encounter a mind in an intense emotional state, or a mortal dreamer, or pass through a gemstone and create a harmonic vibration. These wisps of mind remain in the world, offering small amounts of power or a bit of knowledge to the one who can unlock their mystery. (The mortal in question has to practice and get experience to gain greater power.)
I expect that Auppenser will remain asleep; see the comment above about 'already too many deities'. He may eventually fade away. But I rather like the idea that he is the source of psionics - not in the sense that 'he makes it work' - but that 'he spreads the seed'. Psionics arises from within the capable individual's mind, like a form of genius. Auppenser and his dreams simply provide a key (the key?) by which the mortal mind can affect the outside world.
Metagaming: if psionics becomes popular (and profitable) enough, perhaps when WotC decides to prepare the 5th Edition rules, their world-rewriting catastrophe will include Auppenser's return.
If there are enough psions doing enough things, then one day ... Auppenser awakens.
-Would Psionics exist past this moment? Theoretical question. If Psionics are, let's say, Auppenser's "winding mind", which empowers Psionicists with their power, when he wakes, his mind is focused once more, and is not "winding".
-Eh, that doesn't exactly work with the lore from Jhaamdath...BUT, maybe, just maybe, Psionics became something like Auppenser's life-support system, with Psionicists acting similarly to Mystra's Chosen, carrying tiny bits of him in themselves. When he wakes, he "draws back" those tiny little 'sparks' of energy, stripping them from former Psionicists...Now I am starting to feel like MT!
Though, I somewhat agree and can get enthusiastic about it.
Just lay off the caffeine, okay? :rolleye2:
Then again, they do seem to be pushing everything theold FR isn't about, so I can see a new drive for more psionics and the rise of the psionic god as well. We'll see when the psionic handbook comes out.
Ed's mentioned several times an old in-house rule about not using 'flavor stuff' from other setings, which is why FR down-played psionics (it was for Athas) and Minotaurs (which had a kingdom on Krynn), amongst other things. That rules seems to be completley thrown out the window now (along with every other great rule), and now its 'pack everything we can under one banner'.
Flavors are like paint - they are beautiful taken individually, but the more you mix them together, the closer you get to poop.
It just looks like poop if you slop it all together and let off a stink bomb for affect.
When {Auppenser} wakes, he "draws back" those tiny little 'sparks' of energy, stripping them from former Psionicists
At first blush, this sounds like what the god of assassins (in Greyhawk?) did to all the assassins - kill them and take their power. Which is Just Desserts for assassins, but not really for anybody else. But if he summons the power out of all the crystals in the world at once, that would work for me. (Because you can recharge your power crystals by concentrating on them for a while; so he does not permanently harm his benefactors.)
Well, let's see. Auppenser awakens. His mind is more focussed. But he is still terribly out of shape and weak. He may decide that Job One is to get someplace where he can be protected. (Erathis' realm? ;) ) Or he might decide to lay low for a while and recover. Or take some other godly action that I'm not thinking of. Oh - and where is he? The Astral Sea? His old Vilhon castle as a mortal? And does he know where he is? If he went down while in Mystra's Dweomerheart, he is in for a big shock.
He will discover that his last bit of dreaming - him active in the real world - was not entirely a dream: now he can see the world through others' eyes. He can interact with others on purpose (answer prayers, reply to divinations, read psions' thoughts, &c). He can also make - or teach others to make - higher-level psionic items. When dreaming, he could only create cantrip and L1 raw materials.
If Auppenser is going to take a long time to recover, he might want to have some powerful ally / servants to help him out. So he can sponsor a few Chosen. His goals might include: (1) creating more-powerful psionic items; (2) making psionic artifacts; (3) finding the old items and lore from Jhammdath; (4) repopulating the Jhammdath / Vilhon Wilds area with psions and faithful worshippers; (5) creating a Ritual of Recovery for himself - maybe using the spellplague from the area around Jhammdath for its power - and persuading some mortals into using it.
One thing that I haven't worked out: Auppenser is going to start out owing all the world's psions a favor (a BIG favor) for helping him to wake up. How will this affect him, personality-wise?
At first blush, this sounds like what the god of assassins (in Greyhawk?) did to all the assassins - kill them and take their power.
-Bhaal did the same exact thing, too. I think that, because it was a 'class' in 1e, but not in 2e, something needed to be done to remove all assassins, in all settings at the time. Something like that, if the terminology isn't right.
If Auppenser is going to take a long time to recover, he might want to have some powerful ally / servants to help him out. So he can sponsor a few Chosen. His goals might include: (1) creating more-powerful psionic items; (2) making psionic artifacts; (3) finding the old items and lore from Jhammdath; (4) repopulating the Jhammdath / Vilhon Wilds area with psions and faithful worshippers; (5) creating a Ritual of Recovery for himself - maybe using the spellplague from the area around Jhaamdath for its power - and persuading some mortals into using it.
One thing that I haven't worked out: Auppenser is going to start out owing all the world's psions a favor (a BIG favor) for helping him to wake up. How will this affect him, personality-wise?
It makes sense Auppenser could be psionically ignited by increased use of Mindmagic, suddenly getting a boost in visions and divinations. I like to think he must have left Dweomerhart before the Spellplague to visit the plane of dreams/limbo to meditate.
After his awakening he could start by reimagining a psionic empire building dogma like in ancient Jhaamdath. The creation of new Udoxia in psionically protected cities could make his worship grow. Udoxia can give users free daylong psionic feats and powers and make for grateful worshippers.
I like to think {Auppenser} must have left Dweomerhart before the Spellplague...
Must have left, or been sent ... elsewhere.
Or maybe not, if he is never going to return in any form - he died in the destruction of Dweomerheart. (This would be a shame to pull on Realms fans. Not least because it would make my musings moot.)
The plane of Dream might be a good place for him to rest, being the god of thought and all.
If Auppenser was moved for his own good, he would be doing all right now. But if he was moved by an unfriend, finding him and rescuing him could be an Epic career-ending plotline.
Ignorance speaking: did Auppenser have a godly realm, in the Astral Sea or some other plane?
If so, it could be written up. Given Auppenser's nature, his realm would probably be the kind of place a psion would love. But you would not dare fall unconscious, lest your sleeping mind be subsumed into His. (Guess what the guardian creatures do to any intruders they find?
)alternatively think the Ethereal Plane suits him best
alternatively think the Ethereal Plane suits him best
-Agreed. Psionics "are there but aren't there", and the Ethereal Plane is somewhat similar, in that nature.
-In my own setting, I have a "Demiplane of Psionics" called "The Psionic Bastion" that is the source of all Psionic power, but having liked the explanation of Auppenser sleeping and "dreaming Psionics" and all of that, I'm going to be changing my "Psionic Bastion" to be more in line with that idea.
I would like them getting their own focus and equality. Especially in the lore area--the history behind its use is slim at best.
-Agreed. Psionics "are there but aren't there", and the Ethereal Plane is somewhat similar, in that nature.
-In my own setting, I have a "Demiplane of Psionics" called "The Psionic Bastion" that is the source of all Psionic power, but having liked the explanation of Auppenser sleeping and "dreaming Psionics" and all of that, I'm going to be changing my "Psionic Bastion" to be more in line with that idea.
yea, I feel there are too few divine realms in the transitive planes
In the setting I use the Dweomerheart is a demiplane, and Auppenser's ''quarter'', where he's in a meditative coma, is called the Plateau of Tranquility, a place of psionic pilgrimages. It's on the very edge of the city bordering the Curtain of Vaporous Color (the boundary between the Border and the Deep Ethereal which contains the Region of Dreams). The Dreamscapes sometimes break from it and enter the city.
My DM has a full plane of psionics, which is also the Etheral and the Inner Planes all in one. And there is the Phoenix source like in the comics. Don't know the details.
As some of you know, I've always imagined the Weave as some sort of 'Planer barrier' originally, designed to keep certain things out, and maintain the rules of the Sphere. It is why technology doesn't work, and why Interloping-deities need ask permission of Ao. It does a lot more then that as well, but this isn't the tread for that...
Suffice it to say that since Mystra was made gaurdian of the Weave, she's been augmenting and changing the rules of it, and managed to become the goddess of Magic through it.
Anyhow, one of the things these 'planer barriers' (every plane has them.. they are usually just more secret) prevents is 'leakage' from other planes that become cotermonious. Some planes have MUCH more connectivity to prime worlds then others, Like the Feywild, Shadowfel, Astral, ect... and therefore must be gaurded-against more rigorously.
Another 'plane' that also comes into contact from time to time with the prime is the Far Realms, and any sort of contact between that place and the prime usually results in disaster.
The last time such an occurrence hapened is when the Elves used High Magic to destroy Jhaamdath. Weather on-purpose or by accident, a piece of the Far Realms slipped into the Realms and corrupted a portion of Toril (the area around Serpent's Holding and Sespech). Mystra and Auppenser managed to close the gap and 'heal' the land, but Auppenser was forced to enter into a self-induced coma to maintain his wall of willpower across the breach.
This is why Auppenser is kept in Mystra's Realm - he is still in a deep trance, gaurding against any more incursions of 'pure chaos'.
When the Spellplague hit, something happened, and he was no longer able to hold-back the chaos... which is why EVERY REGION that had at some time come into contact with the Far Realms became Plaguelands. The Plaguelands really have nothing to do with Abeir - they are the aftermath of pure Chaos unleashed upon nature.
What happened to Auppenser is unknown, but it is obvious he is no longer in his trance-state. Weather killed out-right or currently biding his time remains to be seen....
up until when the spellplague hits
I'd use the Blood Rift breach, the Far Realms are sickening
I also keep it around for my Illithid/Fey musings (Fey were created at the end of time to stop the Mindflayers from doing whatever boo-boo they did), and we also have some lore that certain beings (including a certain uber-Lich) are supposed to be "gaurding against something", and I use the Far Realms for that - that always present danger just hovering beyond our senses... but never actually using it (it works better as something 'creepy and mysterious', but always just around the next corner).
I like the Far Realms, but only in-as-much as it's background material.
-Agreed.
-Bhaal did the same exact thing, too. I think that, because it was a 'class' in 1e, but not in 2e, something needed to be done to remove all assassins, in all settings at the time. Something like that, if the terminology isn't right.
Caught this properly on the second pass.
If there was something meant to correct the assassin thing as a whole throughout all settings, then it's beyond my knowledge. As far as I am aware, this was a piece of the catalyst that instilled AO's law for power being delivered by the number of followers a deity has.