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a lot's gonna change.
Mar. 29th, 2020 11:36 pmThe Hours is an original verse built on the back of an original mythos. Mostly, it's about an eldritch-y monster-ish group of Gods (or God-like beings) known as Hours, who exist somewhere behind this plane in a place called The Sprawl. There are 28 of them; 24 representing one hour of each day, and four "lost" Hours. Each Hour has a Hand, who acts in some way like their High Priest, or General of their army, and connects them to the modern world. These Hands are given powers, called "aspects"; they relate in some way to their Hour's domain or area of rule.
Each Hour was a human being once. They aren't anymore. The rules of magical ascension are easy: A human being, if somehow they can glimpse behind the veil and not be driven into insanity, can become an apprentice to a Hand. Only by killing that Hand can they leave their apprenticeship behind. Likewise, only through great struggle, research, and magic can a Hand become an Hour. Basically: to promote yourself up a power-level, magical murder is afoot.
This is made harder by the fact Hours have no strong weaknesses, seeing as they are basically Gods, and as the name suggests, are unkillable. Hands, however, can be killed, but with great effort.
In this universe — aka, the modern world as we know it — there exist small sects of worship of each of the Hours. (Think Atlantis, lost history, Greco-Roman mysteries, etc.) Most of it is just academic, but some of it is very, very real, and through study or worship, the greatest of all miracles can occur: magic.
There also exists a secret order named "The Arcani". They are Hourkillers. Over the years, they have managed to injure Hours, but not kill them.
—
Technically, Lalo is a Hand, bound to the 28th Hour, the Third Sword. The position is a misfortune for several reasons; that the 28th Hour is "lost" — and its status as the final Hour — makes its so-called gifts some of the most difficult to deal with. Like all other Hands, Lalo possesses magical skill, but the gift received from his loyalty to the Sword manifests not in offensive power against his immediate opponent, but the ability to immediately affect those closest to them. This aspect, difficult as it is, demands a certain personal sacrifice, i.e. the apprenticeship of one the Hand cares about, as a sort of collateral in order to ensure proper usage of the power they've been bestowed.
However, Lalo's position has become more difficult in light of the fact that the Sword has literally gone missing, leading to something of a crisis of faith. Lalo's aspirations, as such, have become less about Hourhood, and more about getting rid of them altogether.
Each Hour was a human being once. They aren't anymore. The rules of magical ascension are easy: A human being, if somehow they can glimpse behind the veil and not be driven into insanity, can become an apprentice to a Hand. Only by killing that Hand can they leave their apprenticeship behind. Likewise, only through great struggle, research, and magic can a Hand become an Hour. Basically: to promote yourself up a power-level, magical murder is afoot.
This is made harder by the fact Hours have no strong weaknesses, seeing as they are basically Gods, and as the name suggests, are unkillable. Hands, however, can be killed, but with great effort.
In this universe — aka, the modern world as we know it — there exist small sects of worship of each of the Hours. (Think Atlantis, lost history, Greco-Roman mysteries, etc.) Most of it is just academic, but some of it is very, very real, and through study or worship, the greatest of all miracles can occur: magic.
There also exists a secret order named "The Arcani". They are Hourkillers. Over the years, they have managed to injure Hours, but not kill them.
Technically, Lalo is a Hand, bound to the 28th Hour, the Third Sword. The position is a misfortune for several reasons; that the 28th Hour is "lost" — and its status as the final Hour — makes its so-called gifts some of the most difficult to deal with. Like all other Hands, Lalo possesses magical skill, but the gift received from his loyalty to the Sword manifests not in offensive power against his immediate opponent, but the ability to immediately affect those closest to them. This aspect, difficult as it is, demands a certain personal sacrifice, i.e. the apprenticeship of one the Hand cares about, as a sort of collateral in order to ensure proper usage of the power they've been bestowed.
However, Lalo's position has become more difficult in light of the fact that the Sword has literally gone missing, leading to something of a crisis of faith. Lalo's aspirations, as such, have become less about Hourhood, and more about getting rid of them altogether.
