Towards the Golden Throne (Warhammer 40k Xianxia)

When the Golden Emperor came to Mars five thousand years ago, he found an advanced and thriving culture with knowledge of the secret names of God that far exceeded his own. Guided by wisdom and foresight, he struck a pact with the Red Mountain Cult, largest and most enlightened of the Martian Sects, trading protection and sovereignty for knowledge and enlightenment. Thus did the Path of the Mechanicus take shape, the second of the Adeptus paths but by far the greater, and thus was the foundation of the galaxy set down.

The Path of the Mechanicus is the pursuit of Enlightenment through the manipulation of Akasha, knowledge refined to its purest and most holy of forms. Mere rote learning is not enough to truly grasp the sublime beauty of Akasha - after all, a child might read the blessed equations from a vellum scroll, might memorise them with sufficient effort and discipline, but it is only through truly understanding the secrets of the universe that one may fairly call themselves enlightened. By comprehending Akasha in all its myriad forms and aspects one also learns to control it, to manipulate its presence in the world and incorporate it into one's own body and flesh, ever pursuing the ultimate goal of transcendence and then unification with the Omnissiah, the One Who Is All.

Of course, just as there are myriad forms of Akasha, so too are their myriad Sects within one might learn to walk the Path of the Mechanicus. Often referred to as Forges, these great centres of learning and philosophy exist to work the raw material of their aspirants into shining exemplars of Magi, and each will indelibly leave its mark upon the student's body and soul. The greatest of these is Mars, who stands above all in both power and prestige, yet there are others of great worth and reputation to be found if one only cares to seek:

Among the greatest of the "Penultimate Worlds" are the following:

Omnissiah Igvita
Second only to Mars, the 'Blood of the Omnissiah' Sect pursues enlightenment through mastery of plasma and solar flame, harnessing and manipulating the rawest energies of the universe. By converting their own hearts into stellar reactors, masters of this school provide themselves with nigh-limitless power with which to fuel the grandest and most spectacular of techniques.

Stygian Mystery
Jealous of their knowledge and wary of threats, the Magi of the Stygian Mystery Cult have pursued means of concealment, obfuscation and disguise far beyond the dreams of other Forges. It is said that one might converse with a Magi of this Sect and never realise it, for they have plucked the very thoughts from your head at the instant of recognition.

Graian Crown
There are many nomadic sects in the galaxy, but few can match the Graian Crown for simple scale. Instead of relying on voidships or mystic pathways, the Forges of the Graian Crown are capable of independent flight, migrating from one host planet to the next as circumstances demand. Naturally, Graian Magi are famed for their mastery of kinetic movement techniques and environmental manipulation.

Metallican Soul
Within the Mechanicus, the purity of steel is widely assumed to lie closer to the perfect existence of the Omnissiah than base flesh, but few Adepts are so zealous in their pursuit of this ideal as the Magi of the Metallican Soul. Their world is an edifice of living metal, their bodies animate golems, their ability to transmute base elements into glorious metal alloys with a touch feared and revered in equal measure.

Thousand Scars
Their land poisoned, their bodies wounded, their very souls corroded by battle, the Magi of the Thousand Scars remain steadfast and zealous in their duty. It is they who hold the line against the demon hordes, they who hunt down and annihilate Magi who stray from the orthodox path, they whose knowledge of spirit-manipulation and occult practices so badly alarm those of less devoted Sects.

Article:

Which of the above Sects taught you the foundational techniques of your Path? This will determine which Arts you begin the quest with.

This is a task-based APPROVAL VOTE.

[ ] [Sect] Omnissiah Igvita

[ ] [Sect] Stygian Mystery

[ ] [Sect] Graian Crown

[ ] [Sect] Metallican Soul

[ ] [Sect] Thousand Scars

While the diversity of Sects and their philosophies is traditionally considered to be a virtue, allowing as many souls as possible to walk the Path of the Mechanicus in pursuit of enlightenment, it is a fundamental truth that difference breeds division. The galaxy suffers beneath Vandire's Reign of Blood, yet the Sects of the Mechanicus cannot spare the time or effort to intervene for the good of all. They are too consumed with their own internal strife.

The Magi of the Divine Trinity have always been renowned as prophets and visionaries without peer, their mastery of Akasha allowing them to peer across the veils of time and space in pursuit of unrivalled insight. Their tradition of freely sharing such information with their fellow Sects has earned them much praise and reputation, but of late their proclamations have been met with growing alarm and anger. They talk of a coming upheaval which will see Mars toppled from its position at the head of the Adeptus, of the theological necessity of fusing Mechanicus and Ministorum in strange reflection of Vandire's attempts to centralise and merge his two Paths into one.

Naturally, such talk has been taken as a direct challenge by the Magi of Mars, who have declared the Divine Trinity a False Path and pushed for their complete extermination. Yet not all are content to follow the Red Mountain's lead in this. Some see sense in the Trinity's talk of universal faith, or believe that their divergences are not sufficient to see them labelled truly false, or simply spy an opportunity to topple Mars and take its place as First Upon the Path.

Article:

Which side do you take in what is rapidly coming to be known as the Moirae Schism?

[ ] [Schism] Orthodox. You side with Mars, stalwart in your opposition to this new heresy that would see you throw aside five thousand years of tradition and virtue.

[ ] [Schism] Radical. You side with the Divine Trinity of Moirae, rejecting the authority of Mars to dictate what is or is not a valid Path to Enlightenment.

(There is no 'neutral' option; refusing to speak means taking the side of Mars by default.)

And then, of course, there is the matter of you. The Mechanicus takes Adepts from all walks of life, but only those who are willing to cast aside all trappings of who and what they once were in pursuit of the purity of enlightenment. Those who cannot willingly do so are encouraged through the use of mind-editing techniques and soul-manipulating Arts. Still, this is not to say that the Adepts of the Mechanicus are without personality or identity - they are as proud and independently minded as any Adept across the Imperium.

Every Adept has a designation appointed to them by their Tutor upon enrolling with a Forge-Sect, but virtually all take on personal designations of their own devising, and many will accumulate dozens of titles and sobriquets across the length of their careers.

Gender is a complex topic where the Mechanicus are concerned. Some shun it entirely, seeking to emulate the purity of the Omnissiah free of all distractions, while others point to the dualistic nature of the cosmos and the sacred binary as justification for retaining or adopting strong gender identities of their own, though their bodies may bear only the scantest resemblance to those of mortal men and women.

Article:

What is your name?

[ ] [Name] (Write-in)

What is your gender?

[ ] [Gender] Male
[ ] [Gender] Female
[ ] [Gender] None

Finally, you have the option here to specify any other details about your appearance, character background, personal quirks and so forth. This in particular is subject to GM veto if I find it particularly awkward to write, but I'll try to be accomodating.

[ ] [Character] (Optional write-in)