The Archetypes

Valoris is home to thousands of legends, from childrens’ bedtime stories to tavern tall tales. They feature plucky heroes, horrifying villains, and every shade in between. Yet after a while one notices certain patterns that weave through them, even though the stories change certain elements stay the same. These patterns, the nameless characters seen in countless tales are known as the Archetypes.

Heroes From Men

Far from divinity, yet exceeding mortality, the Archetypes are the folk heroes of Valoris, representing not one singular person, but a living canon of figures woven together by a common thread. The Guardian for example is not one historical figure, but the accumulation of centuries of selfless men and women putting their lives on the line to protect what they hold dear. Again and again they have appeared in scripture and song, so strong that even if half of these tales were untrue, this collective belief is potent enough for others to manifest their power.   Though there are some who view the Archetypes as divine entities, it is not a requirement to harness their powers. It truly boils down to faith & perception, both yours and of those around you. One who follows in the footsteps of the Trickster, ever cunning and resourceful, may find their strikes swifter, perhaps even more so the more others view them as such. It is a virtuous cycle where belief fuels deeds fuel belief, over and over again.   For those curious enough of these tales, it is indeed possible to harness divine power from the Archetypes, albeit fairly weakly compared to the Godbeasts. The Archetypes call out to the divine domain of war most closely, although devotion to a specific Archetype may blend into others, such as trickery or twilight. Even still, bards remain the most prolific of their followers, masters of tale and travel.  

The Means of Mastery

The Archetypes are defined as much by their temperament as the arms they bore in legend, nowhere is that better seen than in the weapon charms. They were originally as the name implied: lucky charms referencing the various tales of the Archetypes. Yet as these tales grew grander and wider, the mercenaries of the Crossroads found themselves able to replicate these heroic feats with these charms, and so the art of weapon charms was born.   The art of crafting them is largely secretive, but most understand that it draws on faith & perception. Not every tale of the Vengeful features a furious berserker wielding a greataxe for instance, but due how heavily the image of the Vengeful is associated with heavy weapons, the Grazing charm is known to only work with similar weapons. The center of such crafts was once the old city of L’Azur, but with its razing in the Firewater Wars it has spread throughout the Crossroads and beyond. It was due to this proliferation that these items have become widely used, as well as inspire the creation of similar crafts such as the foci charms.