Oceanus

From Mizahar Lore

"The Ocean is our Father. He gives birth to us. He feeds us. He shelters us. He comforts us. And when it is time he kills us.” - Naku Tidalwave , Laviku’s Champion

Oceanus

Gnosis
Choose to chance the tides.
Granted by	Laviku
Positive marks	Grants “Affinity” to the Oceans.
Negative marks	Lures negative creatures
Pos. mark appearance	Vibrant Blue Green Waves
Neg. mark appearance	Sickly Black and Yellow Waves
Mark location	Anywhere.
First mark	Birth
Champion	Naku Tidalwave

Oceanus is the Laviku’ given art form of being able to tap into the powers of the Sea Father and not only become more united with the Sea but understand and somewhat command it's denizens. Prominent among the Svefra, Oceanus is an integral part of this culture's success both within the Suvan Sea and on the oceans surrounding Mizahar. It does not matter within what ocean the user has his or her mark active. All salt water is treated equally in the eyes of Laviku. This includes some brackish water intertidal zones as well such as the mouth of the Gyvaka Swamp where fresh and salt water mix. Oceanus has the ability to take a perfectly normal land creature and transform them into a creature that can indeed survive within the sea.

Contents 1 Why Oceanus Works 2 Sensing and Controlling Sea Creatures 3 Sensing And Controlling Ocean Currents 4 The Dangers of Oceanus 5 The Oceanus Mark 6 Mark Progression 7 Mark acquisition threads

Why Oceanus Works

Oceanus acts as if the bearer has been granted a seventh sense; ocean sense. To anyone else not having a mark and asking for it to be described, they will often be told that they should imagine not having any hearing and then waking up one day and discovering they could hear. The answer might substitute sight or even touch as well in the explanation. Oceanus works with just a touch on the water. All the bearer has to do is dip a portion of their body, even if its a single finger, into the depths of the sea and suddenly a new sense opens to them. The water connects with them on a heavily divine arcane level. It expands out their awareness and feeds them information as if they are directly hard wired into the sea itself. The mark facilitates all this and their body attunes perfectly to the sea.

Sensing and Controlling Sea Creatures

Oceanus can draw a mental pictures in the user's mind of what species is where at what depths. This mental 'depth finder' feature to the Oceanus Mark proves invaluable to people attempting to make a living or survive solely upon the oceans. It gives the user an incredibly clear picture of whats surrounding them in the water. Incidentally this also is great for sensing other sentient species like Humans, Charoda, and Otani found within the region. The user can also concentrate on species or need, tuning out all other forms to focus on one particular individual or type. This is always a particularly good idea because the seas of Mizahar are teaming with life and if a Oceanus user opens themselves up to sensing the life around them, they will get overwhelmed fast. Being trained in Meditation helps tremendously to invoke filters in ones view and keeps one from being overwhelmed. Laviku shields the users of his gnosis from overgiving, but that doesn't mean such sensations aren't traumatic or horribly distracting.

Sensing Distance

• Mark 1: Surrounding Nautical Mile
• Mark 2: Surrounding 10 Nautical Miles
• Mark 3: Surrounding 100 Nautical Miles
• Mark 4: Unlimited

Controlling sea creatures varies depending on how many marks an individual bears from Laviku. Touch or line of sight isn't needed. All the individual must do is get close enough to sense the creature and then will that creature to do what they wish. Below is a rough chart of how this works and on what sorts of sized creatures are affected.

Controlling Sea Creatures

• Mark 1: Control 1 individual predator their size or smaller, or control multiple small animals such as schools of small fish
• Mark 2: Control 1 individual predators far larger than they are, control a dozen individual predators their size, or control multiple smaller animals such as schools of medium fish
• Mark 3: Control 1 Monstrous Alvina, and unlimited creatures small medium and larger sized individually or in schools.
• Mark 4: Unlimited control of various creatures in the sea.

Sensing And Controlling Ocean Currents

Ocean currents are basically the directed movement of water generated by various forces acting upon said water. Such forces can be wind, temperature, salinity and other things such as Leth’s pull or simple flow due to planetary movement. Oceanus grants the bearers the ability to sense these forces. This ability is a lot like weaving in a way or perhaps a spider being perched on its web with its long elegant digits poised on the strands sensing the movements. The user of Oceanus for sensing currents simply has a pressure map sort of overlayed in their mind when they touch ocean water and trigger their mark. The map expands itself out three dimensionally and the user can then feel all the currents present in their mind.

The sensing of these currents includes knowing what the force is creating the current, how far away the current originates from, and where it is going too. This sort of information is invaluable to the mariner on any ocean anywhere.

Only higher level Oceanus bearers can change deep ocean currents and conveyer belt currents that span the globe. But lesser mark bearers can change currents that are more local easily enough by just whispering and willing the water to flow specific ways. These currents often mimic surface currents driven by wind. If a Oceanus user is marked also by Zulrav they usually have no problems manipulating greater wind-driven currents so long as they do not anger the stormlord.

The Dangers of Oceanus

Changing anything within the ocean, be it a simple current or the degree a tide comes in can have massive changes elsewhere. Seducing a school of fish into ones net enough times or in a large enough quantity can lead to shortages or whole generations of that same fish vanishing. If anything in the seas are altered too much storms can come in or weather can change devastating croplands and causing floods or droughts. The marks Laviku gives come with great responsibility and if they are abused then Laviku's anger is risked.

The Oceanus Mark

The Oceanus Mark itself is highly stylized. It consists of one or more waves cresting and beginning to crash on one's body. Often made up of hundreds of colors of blue, green, and white, the Laviku Mark is among one of the most colorful and large gnosis' found anywhere on Mizahar. Svefra often wear theirs proudly, having them on shoulders, arms, legs, ankles and even their faces. Unlike other marks, the Laviku mark or marks can migrate around a person's body, changing its location from day to day. The waves themselves are often seen as foaming or swirling. Staring at one can often result in a sort of mesmerization and touching one results in a person realizing its almost as if the mark itself is a raised design filled with colorful swirling fluid that can be pushed around by simple finger pressure.

Mark Progression

Marked [Cursed] - 1 Gnosis Mark
	Marked individuals can first and foremost spot Otani readily. Otani will recognize them and often seek them out to play and communicate. Individuals with one Laviku mark can also drink salt water and have the mark automatically convert it to fresh water for ocean survival. Individuals know the direction of the sea if they are on land and how far away it is (in aprox miles). They also immediately recognize where progression tide is, meaning if it is incoming or outgoing or in transition between. A negative mark at this level acts as a beacon. Oceanic predators are drawn to individuals who are negatively marked and often 'hunt' them even if they are tucked safely aboard ships.
Favored [Despised] - 2 Gnosis Marks
	Favored Laviku followers gain the ability to breathe underwater while submerged into ocean water. Bearers of two marks do not need gills or spells to make this happen. The marks themselves automatically convert water around their faces into fresh air that they are then able to breathe. At this rank, followers are able to sense currents, depth of the seafloor beneath them, and life found in the sea within the immediate area (within a mile). Two negative marks at this level means that not only are the negatively marked hunted, but salt water becomes toxic to them. It acts as acid against bare skin rendering contact with the ocean painful and potentially dangerous.
Priest/Priestess [Adversary] - 3 Gnosis Marks
	Priestesses and Priests of Laviku can call and command the Otani at will. Otani act as their servants and will openly do their bidding for small offerings of fish, fruit, or even blood. At this rank, in addition to all the other gifts, the Priesthood of Laviku can summon and control sea creatures by force of will. They lose all fear of sea predators such as sharks and toothed whales, which recognize them as servants of Laviku and thus untouchable. At this level, the priesthood can alter and control ocean currents, though this is considered very dangerous and potentially having long term impacts on the currents they manipulate. At this rank the negatively marked become the target of Otani. Swarms of the creatures will do anything and everything they can to get those negatively marked into the sea and drowned. Persons marked with three negative Laviku marks that manage to drown do not go back to Lex for judgement. Instead their souls are trapped forever in Laviku's realm.
Champion [Nemesis] - 4 Gnosis Marks
	The Champion of Laviku is second only to Laviku himself in terms of power within the worlds Oceans. In addition to all the other abilities Oceanus grants, a champion can control all of Laviku's powerful children - the Leviathans and Alvina of the seas. At this level, the negatively marked become the targets of the Alvina of the sea - of which there are many. Storms generated off coast will come ashore searching for the villains that have so wronged Laviku to gain so much disfavor. Creatures of innumerable power and magic, no forth marked negative person has ever lived long in Laviku's disfavor.

Mark acquisition threads

First mark

Second mark

Third mark

Fourth mark

Out of character note: Starting players who are Svefra do not need permission to start off with a single gnosis mark by Laviku. However, they still need to post in the Help Desk in order to get a Storyteller Secrets thread and have their mark official. Permission will always be granted however, in the case of Svefra.

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