Prince of Nightmares: Banished to Hell With a System
After being cast to the depths of hell just for being born 'wrong,' Lokus was beaten down and trampled upon in its unforgiving lands, where power was everything. And for someone with no power like him? He was stuck at the bottom of the food chain. But his heart burned with a vengeance and a desire to show the world just how big of a mistake it had made in pushing him aside, to make those who had cast him down regret that they had ever looked down upon him. Amidst his suffering, the Phantom Monarch System answered his call for vengeance. Now armed with the opportunity to tear down those who stood above him, he begins his ascent to the top of the world, to cast down the ones who have thrown him away and make them rue the day they had ever thought themselves his betters. His so-called parents? He would show them what it meant to be worthless. The man who had banished him? Lokus would crush him under a torrent of ice. Those who had shunned him, scorned him, hated him? He would repay their hatred back tenfold. During his crusade, the words of a prophecy loom to his back all the while, its words haunting and its fulfillment fast approaching. "Dread thrice-shunned's rise heralds death. Broken kingdoms, shattered bonds, Reducing the waning light to but a distant whisper. Under sin, the daughter births a kindred spirit Tolling the war of void and stars for power nearest. Sinful winter shall clash with righteous sand, Inching towards an eclipse. Death heralds the end, the end heralds the beyond." ........ Readers will learn about the world as Lokus does. However, if you have questions and I deem them okay to answer without spoiling anything, I'll be more than happy to reply. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for Lokus to learn about them. The power system is inspired by both cultivation novels and rpgs, and the world itself by several fantasy books I loved growing up. If you like gritty scenes, systems, no harems, and struggles between good and evil, this might be the story for you.
Glossary of the Power System
MONARCH RANKS
Further divided into Minor, Lesser, Middling, Major, and Superior stages.
>Prince
>Aspiring King
>Enthroned Emperor
>Harmonius Lord
>Enlightened Ruler
>Shattered Sovereign
Each of these also has special requirements to advance and perks, so please keep reading if you want to see those.
TERMS
>Edict: without. Techniques that do something beyond the range of one's body, excluding weapons. Fire balls, projections, illusions, growing plants.
>Mandate: Within. Techniques that affect or change one's body or a weapon. Martial art-type techniques.
>Domain: The magical sixth sense every Monarch has, allowing them to sense people, places, and Majesty within it. The Domain allows one to "touch" anything in its purview, but this "touch" only goes so far as providing stimulus for the user. The thing or person being touched feels nothing.
>Sovereign Gateway: A small world in the middle of one's spine that contains one's Majesty. It alao powers and holds one's Mantles. More Gateways, and thus more room for Mantles, are created at the Enthroned Emperor rank.
>Mantles: The thing that gives one their affinities, and makes one a Monarch. Everyone is borne with 0-1, and if they have one, it is ALWAYS Krone (crown).
Types: Krone (crown), Hercor (heart), Allweill (bone), Augulus (third eye), Magevas (body).
Every Mantle also comes with a unique benefit that sets it apart from others. This benefit is typically related to the Mantle Type.
>Majesty: A magical energy that all Monarchs have. It's generated passively by one's Mantles, with each Mantle having different speeds and paces for it.
>Days of the Week (in order): Zeldan, Urdan, Qwedan, Talisdan, Strodan, Fodan, Shaddan
>Kern: a non-Monarch.
AFFINITIES
Goetian affinities:
>Shadow (darkness and space)
>Frost (coldness and death)
>Storm (lightning and water)
Theurgic affinities:
Light (illumination and time)
Fire (heat and life)
Dust (wind and earth)
THRONE
A technique intended to strengthen one's self. Thrones usually follow a Monarch through their life.
>Noble Throne: A supplemental Throne, typically a training method for one's Domain, body, affinities, etc. For Lokus, this usually means an increase in one of his stats.
>Imperial Throne: An integral part of a Monarch's journey. Imperial Thrones are what are used to become an Aspiring King. They strengthen one's Sovereign Gateways by removing impurities, which in turn strengthens the Mantle within it, leading to a stronger affininity and Majesty. One can be used for all Sovereign Gateways, but usually are made to work with a Monarch's beginning (Krone) Mantle.
RITUALS AND INVOCATIONS
>Rituals: Used to invoke the powers of either foreign realms and otherworldly beings, or the realm of humans. Requires special and specific components, along with particular actions that must be done in a certain order.
*Types of Rituals:
Low: Draws on the power of the Aldark (hell), demons, and their origins, the Wryths.
High: Draws on the power of Lumizor (heaven), angels, and their origins, the Nightmares.
Mid: Draws on the power of Talisma (the human realms), and the realm's six powerful custodians, the Dragons.
>Invocations: Instant Rituals that invoke the powers of the Wryths, Nightmares, or Dragons. Their costs are less steep than a typical Ritual, but also much, much harder to learn. The costs also vary by the type of Invocation used (High, Low, Mid).