this is a mess of extraneous proper nouns and i am sorry
it is 5 AM and i am not going to workshop or proofread this at all, i need sleeeeep
#❸: 
daydreamers of aubade, vision of the sun
they come the closest of anyone to true pacifism, and are unsurprisingly the most dependent upon the knights of ferrena to not die; the daydreamers and knights are practically sister tribes.
the daydreamers claim that they came long ago from a land across the sea and far beyond the mists, though the concept of there being something out there mostly just confuses other tribes: there is, was, and will only ever be The Way, forever.
aubade the sun goddess allows almost no invocations and accepts no other deities before her but provides one unique ability: while among their tribe, daydreamers exist simultaneously in the waking world and the Kingdom of Heaven, an aethereal world of ancient stone castles set upon floating islands populated by strange and fantastical birds, surrounded by infinite sky.
the only invocation aubade allows is to phase entirely into this kingdom and never return. those who do will never hunger, but cannot have children (church doctrine for this is something something original sin, but it could also have something to do with them being practically ghosts, who knows). the fact that the kingdom never has to go anywhere and faces few external threats means that the daydreamers have luxuries other nomads cannot afford: an extensive and well-preserved written history, permanent structures and homes, universities, etc. it’s a lot less shitty in heaven than in the mists (as daydreamers are reminded literally every waking second) and so pretty much every daydreamer wants to make the invocation and leave, but if they did then they’d all be dead in a generation, so their society in the waking world is built more around self-preservation than anything: fulfill your obligations to keep the church alive and you will be allowed into heaven, go there of your own accord and they’ll make a ceremony out of throwing you into the Pit of Anathema, which is a fancy word for kicking you off one of the islands and letting you fall until you die of old age. the threat gets across.
it’s like the fantasy vatican
the daydreamers have an extremely hierarchical society centered around the church and choosing one of a few set vocations to earn their way into heaven. e.g., daydreamers can choose to become monks of aubade and spend their time in heaven transcribing the oral history of any outsider willing to pay whatever tribute the church asks for.
the most common magic among the daydreamers is stellar cartomancy. some hone this skill deliberately (the most powerful cartomancers that worship abaude end up growing wings and gaining angelic powers), but those with innate ability usually discover that they are incapable of some spells but extraordinarily proficient at others: they are disciples of one of aubade’s four starchildren. from then on, their path in life is usually decided for them.
###disciples of hesediel the bloody dove
disciples of hesediel are good at healing and protection spells. they’re about as close to final fantasy white mages as you can get. the church thinks this projects a positive image so they send them out as missionaries to other tribes, where they are tasked to heal the sick and wounded and win hearts and minds. the results have been mixed.
the disciples of hesediel seem always to live cursed lives. when they leave their tribe as missionaries (usually at around 15 or 16 years old) they are severed from the kingdom of heaven. for children who grew up living two lives at once, this feels a lot like dying.
they are alone four times over. they are teenagers. they are apart from their friends and families. they are apart from their world. and they are looked upon with distrust and disdain by the tribes they visit, who assume them to be thieves or spies.
they have a hard time convincing anyone abaude would improve their lives much when they want to die all the time.
###disciples of kushiel the punisher: war priests and sisters of battle
disciples of kushiel are incapable of healing magic, but make excellent witch hunters and holy fighters. the church prizes them, but to maintain its doctrine of pacifism it conscripts them to work among the knights of ferrena. technically they are excommunicated during this time for committing violence, but are pardoned and admitted into heaven after seven years of service.
everyone realizes the hypocrisy here but no one is really sure what to do about it. it has been this way for untold time: the church provides valuable service to the knighthood, and in exchange the knighthood offers the daydreamers more protection than any other tribe. it is most of what keeps the daydreamers alive. the disciples of metatron are most of the rest.
###disciples of metatron the prophet: the blessed children
disciples of metatron specialize in seer magic, and begin manifesting their magic at an earlier age than any other kind of spellcaster; it grows in them unwillingly, and faster than the maturity or understanding they would need in order to control it. children can potentially get their wings at age eight and die in the process. so when clergy discover a “blessed child,” they admit them immediately into heaven and take them into the inner sanctum of the church, where they are taught how to suppress their magic, and eventually to direct it. cut off from the physical plane at an extremely early age, they quickly see the kingdom of heaven as the real world and the world of the mists as a strange dream. from then on, they dream every night of the physical world. the events they witness are seemingly random, from anywhere in the world of the mists, past, present or future. with time and training, they can lucid dream their way through our reality, warning the church of present or future dangers and even dreaming of the past and casting spells there to alter the course of history in the church’s favor.
the blessed children are worshipped for this. their every need is attended to within the inner sanctum as long as they are useful. it’s really creepy in a child beauty pageant kind of way. most people have no idea any of this goes on. blessed children eventually grow up to become the heart of the church’s clergy.
###disciples of lucifer: the liberated/heretical psions
disciples of lucifer lose access to seer magic, the discipline of cartomancy that the church considers the most holy, and for that alone they would be shunned. it doesn’t help that what they specialize in instead involves things like mind control and melting people’s brains. as with every starchild, disciples of lucifer never chose to be that way, but this doesn’t stop the church from labeling them witches and devils and casting them out if they are ever discovered. so they work hard to make sure that never happens, and the nature of their magic makes them exceptionally good at it.
no one discusses why aubade would choose to grant anyone these powers if she thought they were inherently evil unless they want to get a solid kick into the pit of anathema
psions who are cast out can end up anywhere, but the brigands of nocturne (the church’s biggest enemies) are just about the only group willing to accept them as one of their own.
your approval has always meant a lot to me, thank you
