Caffeinated alien The World Below: Dialectics

Adamas

Epithets: Coruscates (formal), Mineralborn (respectful), Pretented (uncommon), Vainites (derogatory)

Joy cries out through caves and tunnels when a child first attunes to the Adamas Dialectic. Will they be speaking with rubies? Will their eyes twinkle like sapphires? A time for celebration indeed, for a new leader, a new glittering totem has been born! But all that glitters is not gold, or diamond, or even quartz, as while Adamas provoke awe and respect for their coruscant thoughts and abilities, along with those virtues they develop a heady arrogance that often leads to tyranny. Adamas who persist without the company of other Dialectics to temper their hubris inevitably become terrible monsters.

When Adamas ponder their destinies, they do so with a combination of excitement and trepidation. Their attunement tells them they are fated for greatness, but there are many kinds of greatness.

AM I BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE?

Many Adamas believe so. Of all the Dialectics, there are few that exude such confidence and beauty, with both only increasing as an Adamas develops in age and power. But appearances can be deceptive, and a wise Adamas surrounds themselves with people of other Dialectics to keep their ego in check and remind them that an emerald’s grace is only skin-deep. Adamas often end up in leadership roles due to the many superstitions that other inhabitants of the World Below possess about them.

WHAT DO DIFFERENT MINERALS MEAN?

There are thousands of common minerals in the World Below and thousands beyond that, and each has an omen attached. The Casters of Fortuna happily codify and define each, but the most common portents are that sapphires imply love, rubies indicate war, emeralds are for wealth, and diamond is naturally a leader’s mineral. Amethyst is a mineral indicating an affinity for Kaos magic, citrine is the gem for great explorers, aquamarine for the head of a strong lineage, and garnet for those afflicted with misfortune. Most Adamas develop attunements to a myriad of gemstones as their Dialectic advances, and it’s only a rare Coruscate who shines only with one kind. Such individuals are held in high esteem for what’s expected to be a grand destiny.

AM I MORE THAN JUST GLITTERING BEAUTY?

Like an uncut gem, Adamas possess varied facets. To some, the assumption that they’ll do nothing but look pretty and lead a community is a stifling expectation. For those who adopt a physical transformation, a crystal carapace is a fine defense against attackers, and gems have sharp edges for those who wish to cut through beasts or use their bodies as tools for climbing or excavation. Some of the World Below’s fiercest warriors and greatest minds are Adamas, who see in themselves a deep connection to the veins of the World Below, in both a geological and biological sense. They feel as if they belong here.

DO OTHERS LOOK UPON ME WITH JEALOUS EYES?

It depends on the mindset of the observers, though attitudes toward Adamas tend toward good humor, awe, and reverence ahead of envy. Of all the other Dialectics, it’s the Elementals who view Adamas in the dimmest light. The two Dialectics share some common features, but while Elementals are expected to work hard, endure, and stave off the hostile environment, Adamas are often placed on thrones and worshiped simply because the most precious parts of the World Below are parts of them. Plutonics and Qeobaca might view Adamas as vapid, but the former often enjoy absences of all things, including emotional depth. The Qeobaca are happy to have someone around who can take attention away from them.

SPEAK TALES OF ADAMAS PAST

The Adamas Dialectic brings about many bold adventurers, each of them wondrous to behold.

SYNTHESIS

Adamas use their Syntheses to inspire wonder and turn their bodies into glittering weapons. The way an Adamas appears has a direct impact on the course their life follows, so many of their Syntheses allow them to alter these facets. Gifts such as Magnetic Personality are often manifested among Adamas, as this ability enables them to draw a following of disciples. Gem Eyes allows Adamas to sort treasure from trash with ease. Adamas of a more martial bent often pick up Fists of Onyx and Diamond Jaw.

Skills: Artistry, Culture, Leadership

Major Path Attributes: Mental 3, Physical 3, Social 4
Minor Path Attributes: Mental 1, Physical 1, Social 2

Elemental

Epithets: Worldhearts (respectful), Primitives (formal or derogatory), Benevolent Children (used only by Templars), Meteors (spoken in fear)

Are Elementals truly born to living beings, or did they emerge from the World Below formed from their constituent elements, with hearts of fire, bodies of solid earth, movement like flowing water, and moods like twisting winds? Elementals can claim they hold the keys to the kingdom of the World Below, for there are few who fold so seamlessly into their environments, few who can master the hostile territory around them as if it were a tool or a weapon, and fewer still who can change their form from solid, to liquid, to gas, and back again.

Elementals relate to the World Below in a very material, physical fashion, but they still ask many questions as they develop, hoping to understand how they might benefit others and themselves.

IS MY ATTUNEMENT FIXED?

Elementals are not locked to a single element, though when this Dialectic first develops, it’s common for one element to overpower the others. It’s only as Elementals develop in strength and adapt to their Dialectic that they find they can commune with more than one element, from fire and water to air and acid, and many others besides. Elementals view a multi-element mindset as infinitely preferable to being a creature only of magma, ice, earth, or any other subtype. A common tale tells of an Elemental who committed only to earth, and ceased moving and resisting as others mined him until he was rubble spread across miles of tunnels, each part aware of his horrible plight.

AM I IMPERVIOUS TO ELEMENTAL HARM?

It may seem natural that an Elemental is utterly immune to the ravages of intense heat, but this is only the case when an Elemental uses the Syntheses available to her to develop these resistances. While people with other Dialectics sometimes view Syntheses as abilities to be reached for, summoned, or activated, most Elementals see theirs as intrinsic parts of their being. Therefore, an Elemental with a fiery temper or appearance of magma likely does have resistance to heat, but wouldn’t see it as any kind of intentional attempt to resist harm.

HOW DO I COMPLEMENT OTHER DIALECTICS?

An Elemental’s role in a party is as integral as the earth remaining solid beneath an explorer. Sometimes they take the role of scout to venture into unpredictable caves and cleanse an area of toxic mists, lava flow, or razor-sharp ice. At other times, their innate expertise surrounding geological activity can put them in tune with some of the beasts that dwell in the World Below or allow them to predict disasters before they hit. Elementals and Myceli have an affinity for each other, as one represents the environment and the other the strongest strain or organism living within it. Elementals are often the glue that binds a party, which in turn makes them view Qeobaca as anomalies with no place in the group makeup.

CAN I DO MORE THAN JUST CRUSH MY ENEMIES?

Though Elementals are often viewed as destructive forces, able to sweep foes off their feet or tendrils with their immense natural power, they’re just as likely to hold constructive roles. Elementals may hold up a fragile cave roof as others feverishly build supports to allow for a habitat. They may carve out deep trenches in the World Below for people to take sanctuary in when a Kaotic Retaliation strikes. Elementals may also embrace their predisposition toward static meditation and become deep thinkers, philosophizing on the state of the world like a statue carved from alabaster.

ELEMENTALS LEAD LEGENDARY LIVES

Elementals are often proud of their Dialectic and the place they hold in the World Below. Some of their peers have gone down in myth and legend.

SYNTHESIS

Elemental powers are often manifestations of raw force and (unsurprisingly) elemental power, therefore subtlety often gives way to controlled catastrophe. They don’t see Syntheses as things to be chosen so much as natural emanations of the World Below’s power through them. They lean toward Syntheses that better display their attunement to a certain mineral, energy type, or form, therefore an Elemental who associates with fire and lava is likely to choose Syntheses such as Heat Haze and Spark to begin their journey as adventurers, while one with a more flexible, flighty perspective will opt for Lighter than Air or Flight. Most prominent among the Elementals are those who naturally fit into their hostile environments. The Elemental Immunity Synthesis is always popular with these characters.

Skills: Close Combat, Science, Survival

Major Path Attributes: Mental 3, Physical 5, Social 2
Minor Path Attributes: Mental 1, Physical 3

Myceli

Epithets: Myconidal (respectful), Fungi (common), Saprophytes (formal), Sporespreaders (derogatory)

Ask anyone of any Dialectic other than Myceli what they think of those who commune with fungi, find sources of nourishment in the Dark, and can even produce sustenance of their own with their Syntheses, and you’re likely to receive a visceral, nauseated frown at first. But then they acknowledge all the good the Myceli do. They are the World Below’s most dogged, the most inclined to help their fellow people regardless of their Paths, and the most prepared to sacrifice for the survival of their settlements. For this reason, for as much as the very word “fungus” puts people on edge, Myceli are treasured. The Myceli are sure of their purpose in the World Below, but as a young saprophyte develops, they undoubtedly have questions.

IS IT TRUE THAT I CAN SEEK OUT SUSTENANCE IN ANY ENVIRONMENT?

Through Myceli Syntheses, they can indeed find unusual, typically hard-to-reach sources of sustenance wherever they are in the World Below, with a few rare exceptions. The Abyss proves too hostile and negative a location to find foodstuffs and clean water, and in former settlements completely overtaken by Kaos, such sustenance is difficult, but not impossible, to locate. Nevertheless, the Myceli ability to find nourishment with ease makes them a popular Dialectic.

HOW DO I PREVENT CONTAMINATING EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING?

Myceli Syntheses can plague areas as well as benefit them, resulting in some suspicion that when a Myceli is injured or slain, or even when they’re excited, they might conjure a cloud of lethal spores. Thankfully, such fungal powers are performed at will rather than as an involuntary function. They can be terrible vectors for toxicity, rendering settlements uninhabitable or poisoning an entire nest of creatures, but this comes as a choice. What that says about Myceli who do choose such “scorched earth” tactics is very grim indeed.

AM I A CREATURE OF THE DARK?

The paradox of Myceli is that despite their love of life-forms possessing prismatic tones, they’re most at home in murky tunnels and unlit caves. Perhaps it’s due to the ease with which fungus grows in damp shadows, or because the Myceli Dialectic often develops when closest to the Dark. They therefore feel quite comfortable in dangerous environments and with people that other Dialectics might find threatening. The Dark still contains many terrors, but the Myceli are comfortable tackling those threats in their home territory.

WHERE DOES MY STORY FIT INTO THAT OF THE PARTY?

Myceli are party-oriented. Solitary fungi in dank chasms serve little purpose beyond their own growth, but Myceli live to help others. They’re known for their way with melody, pitch, and rhythm, allowing them to emit atmospheric tunes that might calm or unsettle others. They’re also capable of muddling the minds of attackers, filling them with fear or making them more pliable. Myceli are perfect for placing at the front of the party, tasked with engaging the enemy in a duel of charm and words.

THE MANY PATHS OF MYCELI PAST

Myceli have a way of finding their way into every tale of heroism and no few stories of villainy. Each is as varied as the thousands of taxa in the fungi kingdom.

SYNTHESIS

Myceli Syntheses swing widely from destructive to curative abilities, more so than any other Dialectic. Depending on the attitude a Myceli develops in life, they may take Syntheses such as Black Blade and Double Strike, making them fiends on the battlefield, or might instead opt for Hungry No More and Self-Harvest, enabling them to take on the role of healers and supportive players.

Skills: Leadership, Medicine, Persuasion

Major Path Attributes: Mental 2, Physical 3, Social 5
Minor Path Attributes: Physical 1, Social 3

Plutonic

Epithets: Abysnl (formal), Nocturnists (formal), Mystery Speakers (respectful), Blighted (derogatory)

What foul ruin must a person experience to possess something of the Abyss within them? Is it enough to be born proximate to that hellish void, or is it something in their temper, their parentage, or their destiny that condemns them to a Plutonic existence? To be Plutonic is to be feared, but with it, respected. The Abyss clings to you like a cloak, but it is no shadow born of the Dark. This is an emptiness, an absence of life as well as light, and within that vacuum are born thoughts, secrets, and monsters terrifying to those not a part of this adaptation. The Plutonics have many questions about themselves. Some seek out scholars of their own Dialectic, while others address the Abyss itself for answers.

AM I DOOMED?

There’s no inherent ill fate in store for a Plutonic person, though they may be more aware of dooms for other people through their understanding of mysteries and esoteric threats. As a person’s Plutonic Dialectic develops, they drift further and further from life, until they can be considered undead. Whether this is a curse or a benefit is subjective. Plutonic undeath doesn’t grant the stability of eternal life in the same way as complete exposure to Kaos but does allow a Plutonic to commune with creatures others might deem too mindless or alien to understand.

WHAT IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH KAOS?

Plutonics are no less likely to harness Kaotic powers than people of other Dialectics. However, there’s something esoteric that all Plutonics know instinctively: if Kaos is life eternal, the Abyss is the opposite. Some Plutonic philosophers believe Kaos rocks, and specifically the Well, are the proto forms of stars fallen from the sky into the World Below. This in turn makes the Abyss a great, collapsed star, and represents the Well’s destiny when it eventually implodes. Plutonics keep their own counsel on such things, but it seems inherent in the Dialectic that nocturnists will spend much time analyzing the relationship between Kaos and the Abyss.

HOW DO I VIEW OTHER DIALECTICS?

Plutonics have few predispositions toward other Dialectics, as they accept that few choose their Paths. However, they view Myceli with jealousy, as the Dark and the Abyss seem related, and on the face of it the life-giving, self-propagating Myceli have the better deal. Likewise, Adamas and Elementals focused on light and heat tend to make Plutonics uncomfortable, the former because of their allure and social ease, the latter because most creatures kind to Plutonics dislike bright light and intense heat. Plutonics and Qeobaca have the closest relationship, as while one is blessed with darkness and the other Kaos, both feel cursed.

WHAT ROLE MIGHT I SERVE?

Plutonics play many parts in a party. Whether interacting with alien entities to navigate safe passage, communing directly with the Abyss to pry free dangerous mysteries, or manipulating shadows as if they were tangible expressions of a Plutonic’s form, the abysl serve several purposes. Perhaps more than any other skill, Plutonics are known for hiding well, cloaking in the darkness around them, enabling them to spy, track, or murder with little fear of reprisal. The shadows seem to absorb their physical strength, but the secrets whispered from the Abyss provide them with great enlightenment. Plutonics become creatures of darkness as their lives go on and they drift farther from the people they once were.

TELL ME OF OTHER PLUTONICS

The World Below contains many people of the Plutonic Dialectic, each of them distinct.

SYNTHESIS

Plutonics use their Syntheses to shift perceptions of the world around them and corrupt people, objects, and creatures. Changing the light, altering moods, instilling others with dread: all are fundamental to the experience of a Plutonic. Many of this Dialectic are swift to adopt Syntheses such as Bonereader, as doing so allows them to more easily solve the mysteries that call to them. Equally as popular is Inverted Step, which enables a Plutonic to better wear the shadows and perform larcenous or murderous deeds. Rarer, but not uncommon, is Void Strike. This Synthesis helps define this Dialectic and puts others on edge just to witness it.

Skills: Enigmas, Esoterica, Larceny

Major Path Attributes: Mental 5, Physical 2, Social 3
Minor Path Attributes: Mental 3, Social 1

Qeobaca

Epithets: Accursed (common), Cleansed (uncommon), Anomalies (respectful), Pure (respectful or derogatory), Machinists (rare), Untouched (respectful or derogatory)

When a thinker considers the diversity of attunements throughout the World Below, the Qeobaca come up as startling anomalies. What is it about them that locks them so clearly to Kaos? Are they cursed, as many claim, or were they chosen for the purity of light and life denied to the majority? Why is it so many creatures in the World Below find them instinctively unsettling? And is there truth to the claim they can hex those who grow close to them, or anyone who crosses them and fuel Kaotic energy into relics and devices? The Qeobaca are mysterious, and if there’s anything the World Below’s inhabitants know, it’s that mysteries are always dangerous. The Qeobaca are far from being what their epithet, the accursed, implies. If anything, they’re chosen.

The Qeobaca do not possess the answers to the many questions asked of them, and so they join the throng attempting to unlock their Dialectic’s secrets.

AM I A CURSED BEING?

If someone or a group of powerful forces opted to curse the Qeobaca, nobody then went on to claim responsibility. If a curse exists to make the Qeobaca so at one with Kaos, few can guess at how it’s communicated. But few is an important term here, as some do indeed have a strong hypothesis surrounding the Qeo-baca catalyst. They quietly point to the Well, especially settlements closer to it, and count a significantly higher proportion of Qeobaca in such places than elsewhere. For some reason, Kaos either reinforced the Qeobaca Dialectic or represses the development of others.

WHAT DO OTHERS THINK OF ME?

The view of Qeobaca varies but is not helped by their Syn-theses, which play with luck and chance. These gifts may prove beneficial, but equally, they may rob someone of their good fortune, creating lasting enmity. It’s common to point anger at bad fortune at the nearest Qeobaca. Only worshipers of Fortu-na see them as good omens, as luck manipulators are valued in the practice of Fortuna’s faith. Many others give the Qeobaca a wide berth to avoid contamination with bad luck, but this in turn provokes spite from the Qeobaca, who want nothing more than freedom from judgement. Few trust the Qeobaca’s propensity for channeling Kaos through their unusual relics and arcane devices.

HOW DO I INTERACT WITH KAOS DIFFERENTLY TO OTHER DIALECTICS?

The little understood connection between Kaos and the Qeobaca manifests when they decide to play around with Kaotic powers, wield Kaos rocks, or activate their strange machin-ery. A Qeobaca Kaosist’s body glows violet, their eyes turning into gleaming pearls, their mouths roaring with alien power, whenever they use Kaos. Unlike other Dialectics, the Qeoba-ca cannot use Kaos with any subtlety. While they’re free from guaranteed backlash, use of Kaos is always blatant.

WHAT GOOD PURPOSE CAN I SERVE?

For all the bad feeling surrounding the Qeobaca, they’re not doomed to lives of isolation. Their skills with manipulating luck and arcane relics are valued in pockets of the World Below until their reputations sour. This inevitable souring of reputations inevitably leads to Qeobaca living transient existences, passing from settlement to settlement, or joining different communities as they undertake sojourns to far off parts of the World Below. They’re as likely to form friendships and loving relationships as any, but the persistent fear they may spoil it all leads to many taking flight before putting down roots.

I’VE HEARD RUMORS OF QEOBACA WHO SOMEHOW THRIVE…

The Qeobaca are as complex and varied as people of any other Dialectic despite the stigma attached to them.

SYNTHESIS

Qeobaca can do more than just manipulate luck and fate, though both are hallmarks of the Syntheses available to this Di-alectic. It’s common for all Qeobaca to learn Foul Omen when they first develop their Dialectic Path, as it helps them out of any number of scrapes. Likewise, Delaying the Inevitable is a mainstay, enabling them to affect the fates of those for whom they hold affection. On the other side, the lesser-known Untouched Syntheses of Aggravate Vulnerability and Make It Hurt make them deadly opponents, just as capable of terrifying or murdering a foe as a Plutonic or Elemental.

Skills: Empathy, Ranged Combat, Technology

Major Path Attributes: Mental 4, Physical 3, Social 3
Minor Path Attributes: Mental 2, Physical 1, Social 1

Scarab

Epithets: Seranga (formal), Clands (uncommon), Bugpeople (informal), Humandibles (derogatory)

Is it a thing of wonder or horror to wake one morning and find yourself able to hear the voices of the bugs in the walls around you? Is it a dream to find your shoulder blades sprouting wings, or a nightmare? To many, it would be a horror from which there could be no recovery. To Scarabs, the metamorphosis is a process of hope and rebirth. To find yourself blessed with this Dialectic is to be blessed with the supreme form of adaptation, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. Scarabs have always been wise beetles, and so, humanoids with the Scarab Dialectic are granted their own kind of attuned wisdom.

The Scarabs are not without questions, however. While the attunement is useful and even celebrated, there are many who question “why me?”

WHY WAS I CHOSEN?

It’s a good question, and one many Scarabs strive to answer. Unlike other Dialectics that commonly develop in proximity to one of the many wards of the World Below, Scarab attunements appear to occur randomly, or at least not in a way any philosopher has yet been able to explain. In the same way others look to religion to make sense of existence, Scarabs look to their surroundings, the creatures living among and near them, and wonder if, instead of a geographical or geological proximity, it’s the presence of bug nests—the queens of insect or arachnid species, or similar—that compel this Dialectic’s development. In truth, they have no answer, resulting in most Scarabs feeling a permanent sense of incompleteness.

WHAT KIND OF CREATURE AM I?

Until the Scarab embraces their Dialectic and develops their Syntheses, the influence of this attunement is slight. It’s possible for experts in entomology to hypothesize a likely final mental state for a Scarab based on certain tells, such as the bugs that follow them around, the behaviors the Scarab imitates, or similar. However, like Elementals with their various states of matter, Scarabs can be chimerical hybrids of many bug spirits, ending up with a moth’s love of light, a spider’s drive to entrap prey, and an interest in venoms. Most believe the attunement’s course is dictated by the Scarab’s personality and subconscious wishes, but in turn, few Scarabs who adopt slug-like thoughts appreciate such an assumption on their part.

WHERE DO I STAND AMONG THE VAST UNDERNEATH’S DIALECTICS?

The view of Scarabs varies considerably, with some believing they’re a special form of being due to their lack of obvious origins, and others seeing their ubiquity throughout the World Below as proof of the opposite. Outside of prophecies and deeper meanings, however, Scarabs are renowned for their physical durability and flexibility, and the importance they place on social hierarchies. As a result, a Scarab is likely to take up the slingshot or the claw to rid tunnels of predatory creatures, but they may also attempt to tame non-sapient bugs as mounts. For both skills, Scarabs are valued highly.

WILL I BECOME SIMPLE-MINDED LIKE A BUG?

Though most Scarabs welcome the changes their Dialectic bestows, they fear the mental degradation of becoming increasingly bug-like. This mental step occurs as soon as the Dialectic first manifests. It’s not always visible, and few who speak to them would notice the drop in analytical ability. Where a youth was a prodigy in critical thinking, however, the sudden Scarab predisposition toward easiest-route problem solving becomes apparent. The loss engenders regret or a fervor to overcome Di-alectic-given mental blocks in the Scarab.

THE FATED ROLES OF THE SCARABS

Spanning the gulf between humanoid and bug, the Scarabs come in many forms and serve many functions.

SYNTHESIS

Scarabs use many of their Syntheses to further the alteration of their mental and physical state, allowing them to develop the attacks, defenses, and methods of movement that bugs of varying species possess. The Carapace Synthesis is particularly popular among young Scarabs as a natural means of defending oneself without constructing armor. Likewise, a Scarab with Ruby Talons or Tendrils has a means of attacking others without having to buy, build, or carry a weapon. The Swarm Synthesis is a rarer sight, though the effects can be devastating.

Skills: Athletics, Empathy, Pilot

Major Path Attributes: Mental 3, Physical 4, Social 3
Minor Path Attributes: Physical 3, Social 1