Invictus Family

The Invictus Family is a noble family with a long history. They follow a series of instructions left by the founder of the family known as the Solar Mandate.

Culture
Invictus culture is dominated by the Solar Mandate, as it shapes how the family governs itself. The Solar Mandate is a relatively simple set of orders left by Daystar Invictus, the family's founder. The Invictus Family are ordered to utilize any talents they have to improve the lives of others however they can. The Solar Mandate also includes provisions for those born into, or marrying a member of the family to be absolved of the Solar Mandate. Though in that case they will no longer bear the surname Invictus and will not be eligible to receive a caste mark even if they are awakened. Those that marry into the family are not required to accept the Solar Mandate, and may still bear the name Invictus. It is also possible to join the family through application. In the presence of a high ranking member of the family, one may swear to follow the Solar Mandate and join the family that way.

While it is difficult due to it's prevalence throughout the family, Children are not to be made aware of the Solar Mandate until they're 16th birthday, where they can then make the decision of whether or not to follow it. Should a child Awaken prior to this age they can be asked to make the decision sooner. Due to the fact that many members of the Invictus Family are seen as local heroes, the percentage of them that choose to follow the Solar Mandate is near one-hundred. Many have attributed this to some kind of genetic disposition for selflessness in the members of the family, though such observations are usually made jokingly. While the Solar Mandate at it's core is very simple, how each member of the family follows it can be quite different.

The Solar Mandate
Any who seek to join the ranks of the Invictus must forge a pact with the current Celestial Eclipse before being assigned to a Caste. Should any Invictus break this pact, or decide they no longer wish to follow it, their caste mark will vanish along with the abilities it grants. There are several tenants that apply universally, with some formally being intended for certain castes, but becoming more uniform as improvements to the Caste Marks have slowly made the different Castes less and less distinct.


 * Never kill except in the defense of yourself or others.
 * Protect those who can not protect themselves.
 * Remember those who have been forgotten.
 * Listen to those who have been ignored.
 * Take responsibility for all you have done, if you have fallen, rise a better man.
 * If you should come to a position of authority, rule as you would wish to be ruled.
 * Prioritize the security of those under your protection over the destruction of your enemies.
 * Work with authority, but do not tolerate one that is unjust.
 * Never plan to throw your life away, even if death is inevitable, fight it.
 * Accept that there will be those you can not protect.

The Caste System
Anyone who follows the Solar Mandate is assigned one of five castes. These castes are Dawn, Zenith, Eclipse, Twilight, and Night. When one is assigned to a Caste, they receive what is known as a Caste Mark, a tattoo with supernatural properties place somewhere on their body. For Awakened Invictus members, the Caste Mark serves as a focus for their powers, allowing them to more easily develop skill and powers in specific areas. For Non-Awakened members, the Caste Mark is imbued with a very weak magic that makes it visible or invisible at will, allowing the Invictus Member to prove their station at any time, while also granting minor passive abilities.

The Dawn Caste
The Dawn Caste is made up of fighters and warriors. They serve as either police officers, or serve in the military. Dawn Castes tend to be the shortest lived Invictus members due to the Solar Mandate extending to those who serve alongside them. A Dawn Caste will always be the first one to enter a dangerous situation, and the last to leave it. Many a Dawn Caste has died holding off enemy forces or single handedly protecting civilians from rampaging monsters. Due to their reputation and the dangerous nature of their work, The Dawn Caste are the least numerous of the different castes. Due to their dangerous and demanding lifestyles, Dawn Castes rarely have true family lives, instead having arranged marriages and having several children to ensure their bloodline lives on.

The Dawn Caste mark gives a certain level of intuitive combat skill, making every Dawn Caste a naturally exceptional warrior, even with minimal training. It also makes it far easier for the Dawn Caste to focus their Awakened powers for combat related purposes.

The Zenith Caste
The Zenith Caste is largely made up of spiritual leaders. Zeniths often serve any spiritually related role from Exorcist to Councilor. They tend to be knowledgeable on most if not all of the World's religions, so that they may council whoever needs it. While some members of the Zenith Caste deal with dangerous or malevolent spirits, most tend to live long, relatively peaceful lives. Members of the Zenith Caste excel at surviving great hardships, both physical and mental. They also possess amazing skills of persuasion and inspiration.

The Zenith Caste Mark allows an Awakened Zenith to detect spiritual presences passively, and can bolster the will of those around the Zenith when the light from the Caste Mark touches them. Awakened Zeniths can more easily develop abilities that allow them to interact with spirits or positively influence the emotions of those around them.

The Eclipse Caste
Members of the Eclipse Caste are chosen from those who excel at social interaction. They work quietly and move with effortless grace, influencing the opinions of others. Masters of communication and organization, the Eclipse Caste fill the roles of Censors and Bureaucrats across the world. Members of the Eclipse Caste are frequently the voices of any group they inhabit. As natural communicators, they turn strangers into allies, and their organizational skills keep their groups running smoothly.

The Eclipse Caste Mark makes them naturally skilled socialites, easing any anxiety that may come from anything from social interactions to political debates. Awakened Eclipses more easily gain abilities that allow them to read the true intentions of those they speak with, while making it more difficult for their own minds and opinions to be swayed.

The Twilight Caste
The Twilight Caste are scholars and craftsmen, who excel and the discovery of knowledge and putting that knowledge into use. One of the more broad castes, Twilights can be Doctors, Teacher, or even Blacksmiths. The members of the Twilight Caste seek to enlighten the ignorant through all forms learning, scholarship and craft. In addition to crafting artifacts to destroy their enemies, they defend towns and cities with sword and mind, and they teach their skills to anyone willing to learn.

The Twilight Caste Mark greatly enhances one's natural curiosity and creativity, allowing them to sort through ideas and concepts in their mind far more quickly than most. Awakened Twilights may have supernaturally adept minds, or create incredibly powerful artifacts through a process known as sunforging.

The Night Caste
Members of the Night Caste are chosen from those who excel in stealth and guile and those who formulate clever solutions to difficult problems. Night Castes excel at noticing that which others miss and in going places where they are not wanted. Night Castes often return stolen items to their rightful owners, eavesdrop on the conversations of corrupt politicians, or serve as knives in the night in the most extreme of circumstances.

The Night Caste Mark grants a reduced presence. The Night Caste is easier to miss in a crowd, and traces of their presence get more easily lost into the background. Awakened Night Castes are experts at creating illusions to distract others from their presence, or simply erasing those traces of their presence to begin with. They also possess the sharpest senses and the greatest dexterity of any Caste.

The Unconquered Sun
The Unconquered Sun is a unique entity among the Invictus Family. There is only ever one Unconquered Sun at a time. Any awakened individual who bears a Caste Mark is capable of becoming The Unconquered Sun. Unlike normal Caste Marks, which are granted to Awakened Invictus by elder members, the mark of The Unconquered Sun chooses a host all on it's own. As of yet the Invictus Family have not been able to determine a pattern in those it selects. The Mark of the Unconquered Sun is compatible with any Caste Mark, and often results in the one who bears it becoming a prime example of their Caste. The Unconquered Sun does not fill any singular purpose, but commands a great deal of respect from all other members of the Invictus Family.

The Unconquered Sun is able to develop any natural talent of the person extremely quickly, regardless of the enhancement granted by their original Caste Mark. The Unconquered Sun always possesses a wide range of abilities, usually at a higher level than all but the most skilled of the individual Castes.

Powers and Abilities
While they are individuals from many backgrounds and walks of life, there are still some abilities that are limited to the Invictus alone. These powers come from the Caste Mark themselves, imbued with slivers of knowledge of the Daystar's power. These abilities are generally specific to one Caste, though overlap is not unheard of. These abilities would be nigh-impossible to teach to outsiders, though the Caste Marks of the Invictus Family make them almost supernaturally intuitive to learn.

Invictus Ignis
Used by almost every Dawn Caste and occasionally other castes that find themselves in combat often, the Invictus Ignis is the offensive power the family is most known for. The flames are a mixture of golden and white in color, though any traits beyond that depend on the user. The first primary trait is that the flames will only burn that which the user wishes them to. Depending on skill level this selective targeting can extend beyond just the burning aspect of the flames. Particularly experienced Invictus are able to make it so the flames will only make physical contact with whatever it is they target, making blocking their attacks a much more difficult task. Some Invictus with extended practice can merge the Invictus Ignis with any powers they had before learning it, extending it's selective properties to all of their abilities. An example of this is Leohart Invictus' Soulblaze.

In addition to the flames only burning that which the Invictus wishes, they can also control various aspects of the flames such as temperature. Flames at lower heats use less energy but are obviously less effective offensively. The selective targeting of the flames also means that a powerful enough person can make them many times hotter than flames could normally be without damaging the surrounding environment. Many Invictus can also control the shape of their flames allowing them to create weapons, armor, or other constructs.

The last and probably most relevant aspect of the Invictus Ignis is they're ability to theoretically burn anything. Naturally flames of high enough heat will eventually reach a point of burning most things, but for the Invictus the matter is simpler. Should and Invictus wish to burn something that is not normally flammable, their flames will still consume it. The overall power of the Invictus member using the flames will determine how quickly they can burn through traditionally non-flammable things. Invictus can do anything from melting stone, to burning water, to even "burning" other sources of fire in the event of disaster. Naturally, the effects of the flames extend far beyond the mundane. While rare, some Invictus are able to burn sources of awakened energy with their flames, empowering the flames in the process. Those with this level of power in their flames are known to use them non-lethally against desperados or other awakened criminals, setting them aflame until all their energy has burned away so that they may be captured.

Guiding Light
The hallmark ability of the Zenith Caste, the Guiding Light produces Golden Light that originates from the Zenith Caste's mark that produces a variety of effects. The "Guiding" aspect of the ability takes various forms for both the user and those around them. The Guiding Light can be seen in some aspects as the supportive equivalent to the offensive power of the Invictus Ignis. A trait the two share is their selective targeting. The Guiding Light will only effect those the Zenith Caste wishes, and is even Invisible to those they do not wish to see it. Also like the Invictus Ignis, an Invictus who possesses Guiding Light can extend many of it's traits to other abilities they possess.

Guiding Light gives several benefits to the user. The first and most relevant to the usual ability of a Zenith Caste is that the light reveals otherwise invisible spirits. More than just revealing them, any spirit inside of the Guiding Light can be interacted with physically by the user. The other effect of the Guiding Light applies to the user and their allies within the light. The Guiding Light strengthens the minds of those inside of it to protect them from outside influence. This makes it more difficult to effect those in the light's are of influence with illusions, mind control, or other such abilities. The effectiveness of this protection depends on the power of the Invictus producing the light.

Sunforging
Sunforging is an ability practiced almost universally by the Twilight Caste. It is an ability useful to both the operations of the Invictus Family and to society as a whole. Sunforging comes in two main forms but shares the same general trains. Sunforging always involves the Invictus funneling their energy into an object to change it's traits, changing it so that it becomes better suited to whatever task it is being designed for. Sunforging can be used on any inanimate object, though Sunforging is both faster and more efficient if the Sunforger made or is in the process of making the object themselves. Sunforging any item that is already enchanted or otherwise effected by supernatural energy is orders of magnitude more difficult than Sunforging a mundane object, though the effects can be quite spectacular. Sunforging usually can not be used on living beings aside from the Sunforger on themselves, and such changes are almost never permanent.

Permanent Sunforging is the kind of Sunforging mostly practiced by the Twilight Caste in their service to the world. This process involves power being funneled into an object extremely slowly over the course of the object's creation. The end result will be a tool or object supernaturally adept at it's task. Sunforging tends to make items more durable as a universal rule, allowing them to fulfill their purpose longer. Sunforging also inherently gives the Sunforged item a golden metallic sheen, unless the forger specifically wishes for this not to be the case. Twilight Castes Sunforge objects for a variety of purposes and professions. From making weapons and armor for Legionnaires, to medical equipment, to even Sunforged cookware. The biggest downside of permanently Sunforging an item is the amount of time it takes to accomplish. For most who practice Sunforging, permanently enhancing a single item can take any amount of time from hours to months depending on the size and complexity of the item. Part of this extended time period comes from fail safes put into Sunforged objects to prevent them from being used maliciously. Almost any Sunforged item will burn up as quickly as Flash Paper if it is about to be used to harm another person, or for any otherwise evil deed.

The other form of Sunforging is far more rare, both due to the difficulty of it's use, and the fact that most who practice Sunforging are non-combatants. Temporary Sunforging requires a great deal more power and precision than Permanent Sunforging. Happening in moments instead of days, power is immediately funneled into an object as a command is given, and the object changes rapidly. This form of Sunforging has much more practical use in combat than normal Sunforging. Traditionally, only an Unconquered Sun who is also a Twilight Caste is capable of such feats, though exceptions do exist. Due to it's nature, Temporary Sunforging can produce more potent effects on a greater scale than traditional Sunforging as the trade off for the effects lasting for a limited amount of time.

Solar Pacts
Eclipse Castes are capable of finalizing agreements in a way few others can. They are able to imbue agreements with supernatural authority. Solar Pacts can be formed in person, or by signing a contract written by an Eclipse Caste. In either case, all parties that are part of a Solar Pact must agree, and the Eclipse Caste must be honest with the terms of the Pact or it will be void. Solar Pacts essentially involve all parties involved swearing various Vows, usually imposing specific Limitations on what actions they will or will not take. The consequences of breaking a Solar Pact can vary greatly, from one party automatically gaining knowledge the Pact has been broken in minor cases, to death in extremely serious cases, though very few Eclipse Castes would be willing to impose death as the penalty for breaking a Solar Pact for any reason.

Solar Pacts have caused Eclipses to be popular for a variety of purposes. They are used for anything from promises to repay loans between friends, to oaths sworn during weddings. The most important usage of the Solar Pact is their role in selecting new members of the Invictus Family. Whenever someone either joins the family or reaches an age where they may join a Caste, they must make a Solar Pact (traditionally with the Celestial Eclipse) wherein they swear to uphold the Solar Mandate. Any Invictus that willingly betrays the Solar Mandate with lose their Caste Mark and all memory of how to use abilities associated with it. Should one actively turn to evil, their mark will not only leave them, but will be replaced by a shattered and blackened version of the mark that burns itself into their flesh. This broken mark is visible at all times, and will project itself over clothing and through all but the most powerful of illusions.

Shadow Walking
The Night Caste are seen by many as an odd man out among the Invictus, and this ability is but one reason why. The Night Castes operate in shadows and secrecy, and as such, are not public figures like their relatives. Very little tends to be known about them other than that they. sometimes literally, operate in their shadows of their fellow Invictus. Night Castes blend into their environments in more ways than one. This ability makes a Night Caste much more difficult to detect. Normally, one can not passively detect a Night Caste, and has to actively search them out. If the Night Caste is in the presence of other Invictus this ability is far more effective as their miniscule presence is lost among the dominating presence of their peers. Night Castes are even difficult to remember, with long term memory of their presence being impossible to form for non-awakened individuals. Sufficiently powerful Night Castes can extend this power to Awakened Individuals, though success is more difficult the more competent the targeted individual is, as well as how much time the Night Caste spent in their presence.