The Awakened

The Hermit Scholar - The Awakened Core Alignment: Neutral Core Domains: Time, Order, Oracle, Thought, Death, Grave   The Awakened was first a solid gem, made of a translucent ghostly green material, the sphere containing two hollow spaces, with thousands of minuscule grains. When the Awakened was brought into existence, those two chambers of sand connected and began to exchange grains in a perfect spiral, with some going up, and some going down. Many scholars believe that these grains symbolizes the exchange of souls between Kalio and the Reclamation planes, as souls are traded back and forth between the two, while others believe that it symbolizes the cycles of time, going back and forth between advanced and weakened ages of mortals. A few cynics believe that the top chamber represents the time that Kalio has left before the void claims her, and grains that return from the bottom chamber only do so through the faith that life has for the gods. Whatever the truth, the Awakened supposedly saw everything that would ever happen, and could ever be when they came into existence. They chose to only share what they believed was important, stating that they did not see Kalio as it was. They looked at Kalio in terms of possibilities, and potential futures their eyes saw. Some believe that the Awakened saw the eventual fall of Kalio, and with it, they resigned themselves to not fighting in the conflict that would come. They saw time in a strange way that no one else did. And when the War came, the Awakened instead directed mortals in Kalio to safe places. They took the time to speak to the gods who were otherwise consumed with the war, and with gentle nudges, sent them to places where they needed to be. Worship of the Awakened is a fairly esoteric faith, as the being was nearly alien in how they approached life, seemingly perfect in their knowledge of everything and all that may be. Modern incarnations of the Awakened do sometimes show incredible foresight or even direct access to divination most wizards don’t experience in their lifetime, but it becomes a struggle for those who inherit the mantle, as more and more people expect them to see everything like their prime predecessor. The faith then instead focuses on trying to focus on the now and seeing possibilities for what they are. Many of the most adherent followers fall among monks and those seeking enlightenment, though a commoner facing a tough decision may ask for the Awakened to help them see the best path for them.   Core Tenants of the Awakened’s Faith The future is never set in stone. The gods believed they were immortal, and learned they must be mortal to protect what they love. Mortals are regularly faced with the idea of forever, and when they are stuck in that idea, they become paralyzed with fear. Understand there is only potential, and where it leads. Every being has a set amount of time. From the time you are born to the time you die, there is only so long you will remain here. Make the best of it, so that in the case it is cut short, you are without regret. Understanding everything is a crutch, and can be more dangerous than any spell or weapon conceived. Foresight will often lead someone to ruin faster than learning the truth at the moment it is supposed to be learned.