Most people have heard of Chanters even if they’ve never actually met one. Tales of their legendary abilities are known the world over, and every child has heard of Larken Flamebearer or Eris Windcaller. They are so well known because their abilities are flashy and easily recognizable. It’s hard to miss gigantic balls of fire or bolts of lightning that stab down from the sky to immolate your opponent.
Chanters utilize their powers by consciously tapping directly into the Fae, and commanding it to do whatever they wish. The Ascendant make use of the same power, but they tap into it subconsciously. At first many aren’t even consciously aware of what they are doing. They channel the Fae to amplify their basic abilities.
Perhaps they needed to be faster to outrun a consumed, or stronger to raise a beam from a trapped sibling’s leg. Regardless of the circumstance the Ascendant can channel the Fae to improve nearly any action they attempt.
Most manifest their abilities as an extension of their professions. So a blacksmith Ascendant mightcraft far finer objects than anyone else. Some might even be enchanted as he learned to focus his abilities. Regardless of how the Ascendant express their abilties they are always far greater than normal.
The most famous of the Ascendant are Apotheosis of Dalanthar, though that is generally shorted Osis. The Osis are a cadre of the best swordsmen anywhere. They spend years (in some cases decades) learning the blade under the tutelage of the best masters the Knights of the Dawn can employ.
Each is an Ascendant far more skilled than any normal swordsman. Their command over the Fae makes them faster and stronger and as their control increases they can execute feats that equal the vampyr themselves.
The Osis were originally created by Dalanthar during the height of the Elentian Empire. They were designed to be his living embodiment, and have had a long and distinguished history. Nearly everyone in the West has heard of them, especially in Hasra, Lukantria and Olivantia.
The Temple of Arlen uses the Osis to keep the hordes of Orokh at bay. Hasra uses them to keep order in the lawless north. Without the Osis the purge would never have happened in Olivantia. They are both shield and sword for Dalanthar, and can be found wherever his followers hold sway.
Their numbers have dwindled over the last two decades. Dalanthar called every Osis to Olivantia to battle the vampyr during the purge. Unfortunately, while the Osis ultimately prevailed hundreds died that night. More fell during the three years of war that followed. By the time the war was over only about five hundred Osis survived in the West.
Part of the reason why the war was so costly was the nature of the vampyr. They could only be killed with laurelwood or fire, and the Osis’s swords were useless against them. Fortunately the Osis were not alone in their struggle. The servants of Amarigen journied to the AncientForest (need name) and beseeched the Vithee for aid.
The Vithee gifted the druids with living swords from the heart of the First Tree. These mystical blades were sharp as steel and light as a feather. They enabled the Osis to fight the vampyr on equal terms, and the vampyr quickly learned to fear the weapons. They became known to the people as Osis blades, and every citizen of Olivantia knows who carries such weapons.
However, even armed as they were the Osis took staggering casualties over the course of the war. Many survivors returned home to Hasra or Arlen, but over a hundred and fifty stayed in Olivantia to battle the hordes of consumed overrunning the nation. They helped establish the Temple of Dalanthar in the capital city of Reverian, and did their best to train a new generation of Osis to protect the people.
Unfortunately, there was a falling out between the followers of Dalanthar and Amarigen. The druids were horrified by what had become of the nation, which was far worse than when then vampyr had controlled it. The really telling blow was the new government’s position on Chanters. They outlawed all sorcery within the borders of Olivantia, and the penalty for being caught was death.
Since many of the dedicated of Amarigen were also chanters they left the country in droves. There were no more living blades, no more guides and no more magical aid from Amarigen. This weakened the Osis when they most needed their strength. They were simply too weak to hold back the hordes of consumed, and one by one the towns and villages of Olivantia have been overrun.
The Osis in other nations wanted to help their beleagured brethren, but they were too few to make a real impact. Most had issues of their own to deal with, and those few who did heed the call were simply not enough.
The Osis in Olivantia have tried to build up the Knights of the Dawn, Dalanthar’s largest group of followers. The knights do their best to keep the consumed at bay, and the Osis provide stiffen the ranks of the mortal knights. Unfortuantely it just isn’t enough. For every consumed they kill another springs up in its place. Each year more towns fall, and the Highest fears that within a generation Olivantia will be nothing but corpses and memories.
He prays for guidance, but Dalanthar has remained silent so far.
