The Dark Path

The Void is not a name for a thing, but the underlying natural order of the universe whose ultimate essence is difficult to circumscribe because it is non-conceptual yet evident in one's being of aliveness. The Void is eternally nameless and should be distinguished from the countless named things that are considered to be its manifestations, the reality of life before its descriptions of it.
The Void can be roughly thought of as the flow of the universe, or as some essence or pattern behind the natural world that keeps the Universe balanced and ordered. It is related to Dark, the essential energy of action and existence. The Void is a non-dualistic principle—it is the greater whole from which all the individual elements of the Universe derive. The Void is the infinitely vast and unknowable underpinnings of all creation while the Dark is that which is derived from the Void.
Dark flows from the Void like water from the rock. Like water it is undifferentiated, endlessly self-replenishing, soft and quiet but immensely powerful, and impassively generous. The Dark is the creator and the destroyer. Forcing the Universe into a constant state of change.
The wheel is ever turning within the Void. No intention. No will. Yet, ever demanding that things remain in motion. The Void is the source of all being, in which life and death are the same; indistiguishable in that the ending is always a beginning. From the decay and rot rising all that lives and breathes. Life inevitably flowing into death to fall to decay and to rise again in another form. The Void is everything and nothing serving as the foundation and architect of the Universe without will or intention.
The Dark is the Void in motion. Using the Dark is adherence to the Void. All things that manifest from the Void have their own inner nature that they follow in accordance with the Void, and the following of this inner nature is the River which flows with Dark. This naturalness is contingent on understanding and conforming to this inner nature, which is built within an individual nature and then manifests to a more generalized notion of human nature within the greater Universe. Each individual a component of the greater manifestation.

Diplomacy

Divine Origins

This religious movement has its roots in Taoism and Buddhism. With the manifestation of Dark within the world, philosophers, spiritualists and scientists all struggled to explain where it came from and how it works. The Dark Path was born of this exploration. There is no clear founder of this religion and those within the religion think such historical matters are not particularly important when considering the nature of the universe.

Tenets of Faith

Humanity suffers because it is attached to the life that it is living. This suffering can be allievated by letting go of the life that we have and embracing the forever turning wheel that is time and change. This cycle of creation and destruction demonstrates that all is impermanent in the Universe and embracing one's impermenace is the path to personal freedom.
The wheel is a very important symbol because it depicts the cycle of life and death. Seekers believe that after beings die, they are reborn or reincarnated into a new form. This new form could be a human, animal or some lower creature like a ghost or zombie. The Void is without will and thus cannot be infleunced into changing its course. The cycles of life are random and there is no manner in which a person can infleunce the churning. Each life is a random chance. This endless cycle of rebirth, called reincarnation, reflects the impermanent nature of human existence.

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life is suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by attachment which generate cravings.
3. Suffering can have an end by ending attachement.
4. There is a path which guides you to loosing attachments and thus ending suffering.

The Four Noble Truths form the basis of Seeker thought. It is believed that suffering, in part, is due to the impermanence of life. Even if one is happy at a given time, this happiness is not permanent. Since it is believed that life is suffering, the ultimate goal of the Dark Path is to end the cycle of suffering, the cycle of repeated death and rebirth. The achievement of this goal is called nirvana.

Nirvana

The goal of Seekers is to become enlightened and reach nirvana. Nirvana is believed to be attainable only with the elimination of all greed, hatred, and ignorance within a person. Nirvana signifies the end of the cycle of death and rebirth. According to the Four Noble Truths, “life is suffering” so ending the cycle of rebirth is something to be desired. Nirvana is a state of mind free from suffering. While the body continues within the wheel, the mind can become freed from it by loosing all attachements.
Nirvana can be achieved by following the Dark Path which is the exploration of both the Void and the Inner Self.

The Dark Path

The Dark Path consists of three categories: moral conduct, concentration, and wisdom.
Moral conduct consists of:

1. right speech (refraining from falsehood, malicious talk, and abusive language)
2. right action (refraining from stealing, killing, and unchastity)
3. right livelihood (earning a living through proper means)

Concentration consists of:

1. right effort (energetic will to prevent or get rid of evil and promote goodness)
2. right mindfulness (to be diligently aware, mindful, and attentive)
3. right concentration (to rid oneself of unwholesome thoughts and achieve pure equanimity and awareness)

Wisdom consists of:

1. right thought (selflessness and detachment, universal thoughts of love and nonviolence)
2. right understanding (understanding of things as they are, a full understanding of the Four Noble Truths)

Bodhisattvas

A bodhisattva is a being who has attained enlightenment and vows work towards Nirvana for all living things. Bodhisattvas work to relieve the suffering of others and try to make them aware of the Dark teachings. Bodhisattvas are worshiped as those who have achieved a kind of godhood. They are considered the living embodiment of the Void. Because of this, they are the leaders of the church. Their authority given to them through evidence of their achievements.

Tao Te Ching

Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the true classics of spiritual literature. It is a guide to cultivating a life of peace, serenity, and compassion. Through aphorisms and parable, it leads readers toward the Tao, or the “Way”: harmony with the life force of the universe.
This text is considered an early understanding of the Void and the Dark within the Void. This spiritual text is considered sacred and read daily by Seekers. Passages of the book are often used as a Dirge chant.

Scarification

Scarification is a form of permanent body modification that involves cutting or burning a pattern or design onto the skin. Seekers perform scarification as part of their rites of passage through the ranks. It is believed that the scarification is a visual representation and constant reminder of the Dark Path.

Worship

Meditation

Individual worship is conducted through meditation and mindfulness. Each individual seeks the Dark Path as an intergrated part of their life. There is no seperation of worshipping the Void and the living of a person's life.

The Requiem

Group worship consists of the Requiem or the Dark Mass. During these events, there is a focus on chanting or music which is performed as a group and called the Dirge. This activity represents the manner in which a single individual is just a small part of the great whole and the manner in whcih they conduct themselves will direct the course of the whole. Music can only be beautiful when each individual is performing their part well. 
The Requiem is considered a mass for remberence of one's mortality and impermance within life. The Dirge is a lament for the dead, for each living thing is also a dying thing.

Embrace the inevitable and know peace.

Founding Date

25SE

Demonym

Seeker

Leader

Nogu Willowmist

Leader Title

Bodhisattva

Location

Necropolis

Related Ranks & Titles

• Bodhisattva

Controlled Territories

• The Requiem

Manufactured Items

• Dirge Instrument

Related Items

• Dirge Instrument

Notable Members

• Nogu Willowmist

Related Species

• Tuner

Related Historical Events

• 25SE
  Founding the Dark Path

The Void is most venerable, it is subtle and hidden, it has no face nor form; one can only follow its commandments, not know or see it.

-Toutatis Su'en Allaway

Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.
Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness.
Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding.

-Tao Te Ching (Translator Stephen Mitchell, Year 1988)

Allies

The Dark Path

100

Necromancers

100

Most of the Necromancers are also members of the Dark Path.

Neutral

The Dark Path

0

Collectors

0

Neutral

The Dark Path

0

Necrotic Custodians

0

Neutral

The Dark Path

0

Death Guard

0

Enemies

The Dark Path

-50

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-50

While the Dark Path has the focus of accepting death, the Druids have a focus of promoting and protecting life. The differences in their ideology often puts these two factions in politcal opposition of each other.

Seeker Characters

• Alignment: Usually neutral, often true neutral
• Suggested Races: Tuner
• Suggested Classes: Face, Medic, Magus
• Suggested Archetypes: Authority, Diplomat, Field Medic, Grandmaster
• Suggested Ladder: Occultist, Survivor

The Dark Path might suit your character if one or more of the following statements are true:

• You’re drawn to the darker side of nature or the greener side of necromancy.
• You are drawn to intellectual, honorable or balanced characters.
• You like playing highly religious characters.

Background: Seeker

You can choose this background instead of one in the Ultra Modern Redux source book if you were born and raised in Necropolis. Must have a Vigor score of 8 or more.
You are haunted by the Void. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from it, to no avail. Now you try to understand it. Whatever this thing is that lives within the Void and binds itself to you can’t be slain with a sword or banished with a spell. It might come to you as a shadow on the wall, a bloodcurdling nightmare, or a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken its toll, isolating you from most people. You must find a way to embrace it before it destroys you.

• Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Survival
• Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument
• Languages: One of your choice
• Equipment: A musical instrument (one of your choice), a set of traveler’s clothes, three trinkets of the dead (each determined by rolling on the Trinkets of the Dead table), and 8 credits.
• You have renown 1 and rank 1 within the Dark Path faction.

Mark of Darkness

You were transformed in some small way by your frequent contact with the Void and gained a Mark of Darkness, determined by rolling on the Mark of Darkness table.

Feature: Void Visitation

Whenever you’re sound asleep or in a deep trance during a long rest, a spirit of the Void might pay you a visit, if the DM wishes it. Determine the spirit’s form by rolling on the Void Visition table. No harm ever comes to you as a result of such visits, which can last for minutes or hours, and you remember each visit when you wake up. Conversations that occur with a visitor can contain any number of things, from messages and insights to nonsense and red herrings, at the DM’s discretion. Such conversations are always conducted in a language you can understand.

Suggested Characteristics

You have learned to live with the darkness that haunts you. You are a survivor, who can be very protective of those who bring light into your darkened life.

Contacts

You believe that every living thing is a sacred part of the Void which has come to be manifest through the Dark. But you stuggle to relate to those that are outside your faction. Your dedication to the Dark Path shapes everything in your life.
Roll twice on the Seekers Contacts table for an ally and a rival.

How Do I Fit In?

As part of the Dark Path, you are a specialized instrument of the Unity. Your orders, when you have such, come from those within higher ranks. The Unity relies on you to advance the greater good by protecting some part, however small, of the Dark existence. That responsibility doesn’t mean you’re indispensable; your eventual death is part of your purpose and function, too, and you’ll be replaced even as your body provides nutrients to further the Unity's growth.
You will be expected to focus on your own inner growth so that you can proceed along the Dark Path. This could mean following the summons you receive from the Void. You could also be someone who pays honor to the dead by researching and excavating the various sites from the Before Time. Or perhaps you are a keeper of the Dark Lore and do your best to refine the use of the Dark.

Rank and Renown

Every member of the Dark Path has its place, and every role is important to the proper functioning of the faction. Aside from a few leadership positions, the swarm doesn’t consider different functions to be more or less important than others. The idea of progressing up the ranks is a representation of your command of the Dark rather then your power within the Faction. That said, your renown within the Dark Path is a direct measure of the Bodhisattva's knowledge of you, their confidence in your abilities, and their interest in your activities. It represents the amount of trust that other faction members have in you and how much they will support you in your efforts.

Rank 1: Initiate

• Prerequisite: Renown 1 or higher in the Dark Path

You are a beginner on the Dark Path. Your primary job is to learn more about the nature of the Void and the function of the Dark within the world. To that end, you are expected to attend The Fabrigia Institute where students of the Dark study and work to memorize the spells of their chosen Path so they may work their way through the Dark Sequence.

• You gain access to the Fabrigia Institute.
• You are given a Seeker's Insignia.
• You gain access to Necromantic Caverns.

Rank 2: Gui-Zu

• Prerequisite: Renown 3 or higher in the Necromancers, Vigor score of 8 or more.

You have completed the required education offered at the Fabrigia Institute and formally join the ranks on the Dark Path. You understand enough of the basics that you are now trusted to be given assignments.

• You gain access to the Dark Lore.
• The Dark Path ensures that your needs are met. You can maintain a confortable life style between adventures.

Rank 3: Gui-Lee

• Prerequisite: Renown 5 or higher in the Dark Path, Vigor score of 10 or more.

You are considered to be connected to the Void and profiecent in your use and knowledge of the Dark. You are well respected within the faction.

• You are given a Dirge Instrument
• You gain one additional contact from the Seeker contact table listed under the background section.
• When attaining this rank, you gain additional asset equal to your Vigor modifier. If you loose this rank, you do not loose this benefit.

Rank 4: Ji-Jui

• Prerequisite: Renown 10 or higher in the Dark Path, Vigor score of 12 or more.

Your connection with the Void is pronounced and readily apparent in your appearance. Those outside the Dark Path tend to be uneasy around you. You are seen as an expert in the wielding of the Dark.

• You gain the ability to craft Dark Gear. See Crafting Dark Gear for the rules governing this.
• When attaining this rank, you gain additional asset equal to your Vigor modifier. If you loose this rank, you do not loose this benefit.
• Roll on the Mark of Darkness table in the Seeker background for a mark that you gain.

Rank 5: Yi-She

• Prerequisite: Renown 25 or higher in the Dark Path, Vigor score of 14 or more.

You are considered a Master of the Dark Path. You appearance continues to change as you become more connected with the Void. Those outside the Dark Path tend to fear you. Those within the Dark Path respect you and are willing to work on your behalf.

• When attaining this rank, you gain additional asset equal to your Vigor modifier. If you loose this rank, you do not loose this benefit.
• Roll on the Mark of Darkness table in the Seeker background for a mark that you gain.
• You gain the service of a Ji-Jui who creates consumable Dark Gear for your use. The creation of these items follows the Crafting Dark Gear rules. You must request the creation of these items and collect them from the Ji-Jui upon completion; requiring that you are in Necropolis.

Rank 6: Bodhisattva

• Prerequisite: Renown 50 or higher in the Dark Path, Vigor score of 16 or more.

You are eligible to fill the role of the Bodhisattva, the highest rank within the Dark Path. You can attain this position only if the previous Bodhisattva has died or you are challenging their claim. Becoming the Bodhisattva requires you to claim the position and maintain your title against any other challengers. It is the standard for competing claims among would-be Bodhisattva to be resolved by combat to demonstrate the canidates' ability to wield the Dark. Regardless of the number of challengers, the combat is held in an arena with all challengers competing for the title. The winner claims the title of the Bodhisattva. The losers take a 20 renown penalty. Those within the Dark path see the losers as having made a false claim of divinity and it can be difficult to recover the renown lost in this manner.

• When attaining this rank, you gain additional asset equal to your Vigor modifier. If you loose this rank, you do not loose this benefit.
• Roll on the Mark of Darkness table in the Seeker background for a mark that you gain.
• You gain the service of an additional Ji-Jui who creates consumable Dark Gear for your use. The creation of these items follows the Crafting Dark Gear rules. You must request the creation of these items and collect them from the Ji-Jui upon completion; requiring that you are in Necropolis.