The Pyramid
By Anders SandbergThe Realm of an Oracle of Prime
Physical Description
The Realm is an immense pyramid, stretching from an unknown base at the foundations of Reality towards an apex immeasurably high in the highest aethyrs. It is mainly built out of indestructible black stone, smooth as glass and silently humming with withheld power, and perfect crystal shining with the flow of Quintessence. Inside are great rooms with walls of crystal, endless galleries, labyrinthine hallways and stairs leading endlessly up. The hallways are dark, most light comes from irregularly spaced lanterns or glowing inscriptions on the walls; many of the inhabitants carry (or make) their own light. Outside the walls, what looks like a perpetual storm rages; it is in fact the chaos of the unshaped reality of the Deep Umbra and several times abominations from Beyond have attacked the Pyramid. So far the forces of the Oracle have defeated them.
The deepest levels are dark and unexplored and few of the inhabitants of the realm venture there. Higher up, the walls of the labyrinth are covered with inlaid patterns of silver and gold, arabesques and cosmic secrets written in unknown languages. More and more crystal appears in the walls, forming titanic windows in the inhabited areas or huge pillars rising through several levels. The furnishings are sparse and usually both simple and subtly luxurious. As one moves towards the apex, reality becomes more fluid and abstract and the pyramid becomes more and more pure Quintessence. Nobody has ever seen the apex itself, except possibly for the Oracle.
The Realm is sustained by an immense flow of Quintessence. The Will of the Oracle seems to draw it from all of reality and as it flows up through the pyramid it becomes more and more concentrated. The walls are filled with its flow and from time to time they discharge themselves into resonant harmonics echoing through the entire realm. Higher up, the Quintessence is so powerful that anything a person thinks will become real; only the most extreme self-discipline can prevent the dark sides of a person from rising up and destroying him. It is widely believed that the Oracle resides in the node at the apex, bathing in pure Quintessence.
The paradigm within this realm quite naturally allows extremely powerful magick; the only way to attract paradox is by invoking it yourself (or, theoretically, by successfully going against the will of the Oracle). Since there is an abundance of Quintessence, pattern magick requires no Prime component and talismans work extremely well. There are a few restrictions: Correspondence can only affect levels lower than the mage; it is impossible to scry or teleport towards the top of the pyramid. This also includes other forms of perception magick. The stone and crystal of the pyramid is impermeable to spirits of all kinds and the only way to enter (or leave) the realm is by the silent admission of the Oracle. This also serves as a very powerful defense against the beings of the Deep Umbra. Time within the realm is somewhat indeterminate; it is more or less optional. It is almost impossible (even with magick) to keep track of time, it just passes with no effect.
The Oracle
No one has ever seen the Oracle but every entity in the realm feels his/her/its presence at all times — in this realm existence itself is an extension of the will of the Oracle. The Oracle resides at the highest levels of the Pyramid but not even the highest Postulants are allowed to go there. Some Postulants have theorized that the reason for this is the Oracle wishes to avoid being defined by the perceptions of other beings and exists in a state of potential existence rather than actual existence. Others claim the Oracle is so far beyond humanity that it cannot be perceived at all.
The only people who normally interact with the Oracle on a regular basis are the four Postulants of the innermost circle, who sometimes visit places near the apex. It has happened that the Oracle has communicated with others directly, a most bizarre experience: suddenly reality itself around the person is a message and he will instinctively know what the Oracle wishes to tell him (in the same way that we know our own existence). The Oracle seems to be aware of almost everything that goes on in the Realm and can actively influence it.
Exactly what goals the Oracle has is also a complete mystery. It is thought that the Oracle studies the interplay between paradox and Quintessence, possibly to unite them into new forms of reality never seen before. Not even the Postulants of the inner circle know for sure.
The Postulants
The Postulants of the realm are divided into the outer circle, the middle circle and the inner circle. The Postulants of the outer circle have been accepted as students and study for the Postulants of the middle circle. As they advance in understanding of reality itself, they gradually move up in the ranks until they become members of the middle circle. The middle circle teaches the Postulants of the outer circle and study the deepest secrets of reality. Members of the middle circle are rarely promoted into the inner circle by the Oracle; suddenly the Postulant is a member of the inner circle without any explanation. Right now there are four members of the inner circle.
To become a Postulant at the Pyramid a mage has to be accepted by a tutor, usually a member of the middle circle but rarely a member of the inner circle. The tutor is expected to teach the mage but the mage is also expected to assist the tutor in all ways (something which can prove very dangerous; more than one lesser Postulant is known to have been destroyed when he made a mistake with the powers his tutor controlled). Study is usually a mixture of experimentation and demonstrations of profound magicks. It is said that no book has ever succeeded in holding the sheer power of Prime at this level, so the highest mysteries have never been written down in the tomes of the libraries. Most of the Postulants of the outer circle spend much time studying all the manifestations of Quintessence and the different kinds of being they form. Later they move on to study Paradox and reality itself.
Even the least of the Postulants is a tremendously powerful mage. They have left their traditions and the Ascension War behind them to pursue their quest for ultimate knowledge and power. Some are driven by an inner need to know, a burning desire to understand reality itself. Others were originally seeking to use the power of Prime for their own ends (or even to seek Oraclehood themselves) but have become enraptured with its beauty. Many of the postulants have an intense thirst for knowledge of all kinds and also study the highest levels of other spheres. Some are quite different from humanity by now; many do not eat or drink, they rely on the flow of quintessence within the realm to replenish them and some have spent years in concentrated meditation.
The Acolytes
There are a few acolytes within the realm, themselves mages of power but far beneath the skill and power of the Postulants. Some hope to one day become Postulants themselves, while others content themselves with studying the lesser mysteries or keeping the realm working. While the entire realm runs itself on the large scale thanks to the Oracle, there are many lesser jobs which need to be done such as defense, library work and guidance which cannot be left for the Servants of Reality.
The Servants of Reality
The Oracle has created servants to deal with most practical needs. These servants are never seen and only exist when doing their tasks — they are no more than extensions of reality, a kind of great coincidental magick doing everything. If a person wishes to eat, a plate of food will be quietly put on his table in the corner of his eye and when he is finished the plate will vanish when he isn't looking. The servants can do everything a mortal servant can do and a great deal more. They always know what a mage wishes, always find their way around the pyramid perfectly and never disturb anything they shouldn't.
The Powers That Be
There are rumors about greater servants of the Oracle residing in the high chambers, the personal servants and guardians of the Oracle. These beings, usually called The Powers That Be, are eternally watching the entire realm for any sign of disturbance or attack. They are immensely powerful, probably more powerful than even the Postulants of the Inner Circle and have near total control over the reality of the realm (within the bounds of the will of the Oracle, of course). Just like the Oracle and the Servants of Reality they have never been seen or even perceived.
Hans Valdemar Grünewald, Postulant of the Inner Circle
Hans has no past — he deliberately erased all memories of his previous existence when he was accepted as a Postulant to fully devote himself to his new duty. Few other Postulants have been so ambitious or downright ruthless as Hans and he is generally feared by all beneath him. While he can be generous towards others, he is his own sharpest critic and will not accept any form of weakness in himself. He has purged everything he perceives as weak within himself and constantly watches himself for new flaws to correct.
Hans is obsessed with Paradox and its properties. He often visits the physical world or other realms to witness paradox storms and major backlashes and he has traveled the Umbra to seek out the Marauders in their lairs. A few times he has appeared to other mages falsely claiming to be an Oracle (rumor has it that the real Oracle is displeased with this). So far his research has led to the discovery of several previously unknown forms of paradox and a limited ability to control its manifestations (this is extremely dangerous and Hans nearly destroyed himself when he attempted to turn paradox itself into material form; only the intervention of the Oracle saved him).
Hans is a striking figure, surrounded with an intense aura of leadership and devotion. His clothes are woven of fluid reality, changing appearance depending on the viewer but always impressive and symbolic of his power. His long hair is black as the abyss and his eyes are filled with a gleam harder than diamond; something about his appearance gives the impression that it has been artificially perfected, or rather simplified and strengthened. Due to his study of paradox, he always talks in riddles and contradictions, never revealing his true intentions or visions despite that he hides them within his speech.
Of the Postulants of the inner circle, Hans is ironically the most approachable. While he is a strict person and hard to understand, he still has some ties left to humanity unlike the others. According to some of the other Postulants he is the youngest and most ambitious of the inner circle but this is uncertain.
Ibrahim Gazi, Postulant of the Inner Circle
Ibrahim grew up in Morocco during the height of the Arab empire, second son to a royal astrologer. Already as a child he learned many secrets about the heavens and often accompanied his father to the rooftop during the night, silently taking notes of the positions of the stars his father called out. One day an old man visited the family, a mystic from a remote land. Ibrahim listened to the conversations between his father and the mystic and that night he had a terrifying and awesome dream. He was no longer a boy but an endlessly growing arabesque, growing ever greater into infinity.
Suddenly he remembered the Quran and recited "To God belong the East and the West; whithersoever you turn, there is the Face of God; God is All-embracing, All-knowing." He saw that infinity was really his center and that all was one. When he awakened and told his dream his father and the mystic both smiled. The mystic said: "Truly, Allah has blessed you with a son destined for greatness, just as the stars foretold." He said and turned to Ibrahim, "You will be known by many names and in many places but foremost you will know yourself".
Ibrahim studied the teachings of his sufi teacher and when he had surpassed him he studied under his teacher's teacher until he surpassed him too and taught them instead. When he was named Qutb, he carried the heavy burden with happiness because he saw the truth behind it. However, during his pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca he felt something calling to him. Above the Qabah he saw a glimpse of an immense pyramid, a pure geometric shape reflecting Mount Qaf. "Not yet, but in the time Allah wishes" he whispered to himself and kissed the black stone.
It was not until he was over 90 years old that he felt he could give his responsibilities over to his students. He left his home city for the mountains, where he fasted and danced to purify himself before his great journey. After ten days and nights he lightly danced into the air and vanished. After another ten days and nights, he danced into a huge hallway of pure crystal and collapsed on the floor, filled with the ecstasy of exhaustion.
Ibrahim became a Postulant and slowly advanced into the inner circle. Despite the immense knowledge and power he has amassed, he is still a man of faith and humor. He has more and more turned inwards, since he has deeply realized that the reality we see outside ourselves is just a mirror of our inner reality and vice versa. Most of the time he spends silently meditating in one of the high chambers or dancing through the hallways made of reality itself, seeking the dance which will take him to the unity at the apex.
Ibrahim is a very old man, physically very frail but spiritually a pillar of strength. He dresses simply in a dusty grey robe. He never speaks, preferring to show things directly instead.
Resonance
Power is a tangible thing in this realm. Not mere mundane power but power over reality at its deepest levels. Everything is filled with it and it is clearly visible; it is impossible to hide who is greater and who is lesser. Hierarchy isn't that important, only power itself (but remember that knowledge is power too). When a mage rises in power, he will also rise in the hierarchy automatically (this requires no outside recognition, reality itself advances the mage). Unlike Doissetep, advancement at any price is not the goal, the true goal is ultimate power and knowledge, something everyone within the realm seeks or feels the urge to seek.
Theme
The theme of this Realm is Power and Secrets. The Oracle is the personification of immense power, a godlike presence omnipresent in the realm but still invisible like its unseen servants. The Postulants are enmeshed in games of apprentice-masterhood and the pursuit of knowledge and power, each hiding a great secret from the others. The inscriptions on the walls proclaim unknown things and no one (except possibly the Oracle) knows where the labyrinth beneath leads. Anyone living in this realm soon becomes obsessed with learning things, to find out what is truly going on and use it to advance to the apex of the pyramid.