Liberator System Overview
Liberators are individuals capable of wielding Authority—a primordial force tied to will, identity, and power. Their strength is determined by how much Authority they possess and how deeply they understand it. This progression is reflected in a hierarchical ranking system.
Ranks of Liberators
Each rank represents a leap in both Authority quantity and comprehension. Within the same rank, individuals can still vary greatly in strength depending on their grasp of their Authority's nature.
Unawakened– Possess dormant Authority; may experience dreams or instinctual surges of power.
Awakened– First conscious use of Authority; reliant on Declaration
Ascended – Begin to shape Authority more naturally; Declarations grow personalized.
Lord– Establish partial control over space or metaphysical law; may form proto-Domains. At this stage, the Liberator begins to shed their physical body and align their being with their Concept. To do so, they must acquire an Aspectual Body, a metaphysical form that represents the essence of their chosen Concept.
Monarch– Command entire spheres of influence; Authority affects reality even passively. The Monarch's Aspectual Body becomes more refined, gaining greater autonomy from the Liberator's previous human form, allowing them to fully manifest their Concept in both appearance and action.
Emperor – Rewrite aspects of reality within range; known to create lasting miracles. The Emperor's Aspectual Body merges completely with their Concept, and they gain the ability to manipulate the laws of reality with an ease that transcends mortal understanding.
Divinity– No longer bound by conventional Authority laws; become living Concepts. At this level, the Liberator's Aspectual Body becomes inseparable from their Concept, and they are no longer an individual being but a pure, living embodiment of their chosen Concept. They can no longer experience human emotions or limitations, as they are completely consumed by their Concept's nature.
Characteristics & Concepts
A Liberator's Authority is tied to a concept—something abstract or symbolic like Justice, Decay, Silence, or Freedom. This concept is shaped by the Liberator's personality, experiences, and Declaration.
Declaration
A Declaration is the vocal manifestation of Authority. Especially vital in earlier ranks, it is how Liberators channel their power into reality. The strength of a Declaration depends on:
The Liberator's belief in their words
The clarity of their concept
The volume of Authority behind it
Domains
At higher levels of Authority, a Liberator can awaken a Domain—a fusion between their core concept and their Authority. A Domain bends the surrounding reality to reflect the Liberator's inner nature, effectively becoming their personal world or influence field.
Authorial Weapons
Weapons exposed to Authority for long periods can absorb it and become Authorial Weapons. Over time, they may develop sentience—forming an ego tied to the concept they embody.
A weapon may disagree with its wielder's interpretation of their shared Concept.
Some have been known to abandon their Liberators in search of one more aligned with their belief.
Conflicts between sentient weapons—especially those with opposing Concepts—can erupt even without their wielders, causing devastating clashes of Authority.
Weapon Ranks:
Transcended-These weapons are the first step in the evolution of an Authorial Weapon. While they have absorbed Authority and developed some level of sentience, they are still bound by their initial purpose and are relatively limited in their abilities. However, they are much stronger than ordinary weapons and can alter the flow of battle with their power.Characteristics:
Sentience and personality begin to form, but they are still heavily influenced by their wielder's beliefs
Capable of minor reality manipulation tied to their Concept
May communicate or form basic strategies with their wielder
Sacred-Authorial Weapons have matured and become deeply tied to their wielder's Concept. Their sentience has fully manifested, and they can engage in complex thought processes. These weapons may offer advice, argue, or even resist commands if they believe their wielder is acting against their Concept. Their ability to manipulate reality is much stronger, allowing them to warp space, time, or even matter in ways that align with their Concept.Characteristics:
Full autonomy and distinct personalities
Capable of independent action, sometimes disobeying their wielder's direct orders if they disagree
Enhanced powers that reflect their Concept in more subtle and profound ways
Divine-Authorial Weapons have reached the pinnacle of their development. These weapons are nearly as powerful as the Liberators themselves and can act independently without needing a wielder. They are living extensions of their Concept, capable of reshaping entire realities or existing as independent entities. They may become so powerful that they challenge their wielder for control or seek out a new one if they believe their current wielder is no longer worthy.Characteristics:
Complete autonomy and powerful influence over their Concept
May seek to act independently of their wielder if their beliefs or actions deviate from the weapon's vision
Capable of reshaping reality on a massive scale, often rivaling the power of the Liberator who wields them
Monsters of the Calamity
Monsters are corrupted beings, twisted by or born from the Calamity itself. They possess their own form of Authority, often unstable and chaotic, and are classified by threat level:
Demonic Threat Level: Low Demonic monsters are the weakest of the Calamity's spawn. They are often the first wave of the Calamity's corruption, twisted into dangerous forms but still retaining some semblance of their original nature. These creatures are often low-tier beings that serve as foot soldiers or agents for more powerful monsters. Their Authority is unstable, and they rely more on brute force than manipulation of reality.Abilities:
Physical strength and resilience
Minor ability to manipulate their environment (e.g., corrupting local flora or fauna)
Primitive instincts and actions
Destroyer Threat Level: Moderate Destroyers are more powerful than Demons and represent a deeper corruption of Authority. These monsters have a more refined manipulation of their Concept and can cause significant destruction to the environment. A Destroyer's Authority manifests in violent and chaotic bursts, distorting reality on a smaller scale.Abilities:
Enhanced combat abilities and durability
Destructive area-of-effect powers (e.g., earthquakes, storms, firestorms)
Limited ability to warp reality or manipulate physical laws within a confined area
Often chaotic and uncontrollable powers that damage anything in their vicinity
Dominator Threat Level: High Dominators are powerful and terrifying beings whose Authority has fully manifested into devastating control over their environment. They can bend reality itself to fit their will, manipulating vast swathes of the world and even time. Their concepts are fully realized, but corrupted beyond their original intent. These creatures have terrifying intelligence and often possess the ability to exert control over weaker beings, including lesser monsters.Abilities:
High-level control over environments or territories (e.g., controlling ecosystems, rewriting natural laws)
Mental manipulation of other beings (e.g., subjugating creatures or influencing emotions)
Extreme destructive capabilities (e.g., creating rifts in space-time, wiping out entire cities)
Often have a twisted sense of purpose or goal that drives their actions
Dread Threat Level: Catastrophic Dread monsters are immensely powerful and unpredictable. They embody deep, primal fears and nightmares, and their very presence distorts reality in terrifying ways. These beings often act as harbingers of apocalyptic events, and they have the ability to reshape entire regions to suit their horrific nature. Their Authority manifests as overwhelming terror, and they are capable of breaking the wills of even the most experienced Liberators.Abilities:
Massive, world-altering abilities (e.g., changing the landscape, causing mass hallucinations or madness)
Ability to induce dread or madness in entire populations, making them mere tools for the monster's whims
Distortion of the fabric of reality itself, warping time and space as they see fit
Near-impervious to conventional attacks due to their metaphysical nature
Behemoth Threat Level: Extinction-Level The Behemoths are the apex predators of the Calamity, beings of vast, godlike power that embody entire Concepts of destruction. Their Authority is incomprehensible to most, and they are capable of wiping out entire universes with a mere thought. These creatures are typically the result of the Calamity's most intense and destructive powers, beings so corrupted by Authority that they transcend reality itself. Their very presence causes the world to crumble under their might, and they are often seen as gods of devastation.Abilities:
Absolute control over their Concept, reshaping the very essence of reality with little to no limitation
Destruction of entire realms, universes, or dimensions
Near-immortality, with regenerative abilities that make them nearly impossible to kill
Influence over time, space, and the metaphysical laws governing existence itself
Often capable of summoning lesser monsters to serve them or to fuel their rampages
Duality of Concepts
Concepts are not inherently good or evil—they are manifestations of a Liberator's soul, shaped by their beliefs, experiences, and identity. Two Liberators with the same Concept may wield it in radically different ways.
A Justice Liberator may become a tyrant, using Authority to impose cruel order.
A Decay Liberator may rot away corruption, cleansing systems that no longer serve the people.
The Concept reflects the person. It is neither light nor dark—only truth.