Background:
The power system in TFE can be very confusing; it is even confusing to me, the one who wrote it, and it isn't all that simple and intuitive like many other power systems, I have gathered all of the basic information into this little note here.
*THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS HEAVY, HEAVY SPOILERS* (The power system is directly tied with the story. Many reveals in the story also reveal new things about the power system. For the best reading experience, gain your own understanding first.) (PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS BEFORE THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK, UNLESS YOU LIKE SPOILERS. PLEASE.)
"All truths dwell in the Parables. Mind to perceive. Body to endure. Soul to transcend." —???
The Grandfather Narrative:
The so-called Grandfather Narrative is the "story" of The Final Epilogue's entire world. It serves as the greatest narrative within the story. All events and things that happen in the story, even if they are impossible or paradoxical, fit under the title of the Grandfather Narrative. The Grandfather Narrative is split into two different parts: The Veil, and Reality.
Reality is the stable narrative layer, which is formed and sustained through collective belief, divine rules, and history's inertia. It is the written and accepted physical world, which is also governed by Am, energy that represents stability, clarity, and cohesion. Powers given by the Veil only have influence within reality.
The Veil is the unwritten, discordant, and unstable narrative layer. While it is also technically a part of the Grandfather Narrative, it is neither written nor accepted, and yet it still exists. Without the Veil, the world could not exist— for example, death couldn't be a concept, because death is not just a physical process. It is a process of the soul as well. In friendly terms, the Veil is like an editor. It is interwoven into Reality and is therefore a part of reality, fixing all of its ambiguities while remaining ambiguous itself. It is governed by Yu, energy that represents distortion, ambiguity, and surrealism. All abstract concepts and forms of power originate here. However, nothing within the Veil is "physically real".
The entwinement of the Veil and Reality make up the Grandfather Narrative.
Trial of God's Question:
The Trial of God's Question occurs within a character proves to the narrative that they are worthy of changing it in any manner. The deciding factor for whether a character is worthy is left up to the Veil, as the Trial of God's Question happens within the Veil. It is also known to only happen during times of complete powerlessness. During the Trial, the Veil will speak to the character, awakening them into an actor who is able to influence the Grandfather Narrative. The Veil will list the character's achievements, as well as any beings that are witnessing the Trial. After that, the Veil will ask the character a single, existential question.
If the character answers correctly, they pass. If not, their soul is destroyed.
After passing, the newly formed actor receives a Theme, Parable, and Authority.
Authorities:
An Authority is a metaphysical divine domain of power, which can be referred to as a facet of narrative influence. Characters can use their authorities to reshape perception, reality, causality, and law to a certain extent. Authorities are not granted by gods. Instead, they are discovered, forged, or inherited through their Trial. Authorities can only be inherited if the character is an Heir from birth. A metaphor for Authorities are that they are like ink. Ink which reshapes the Grandfather Narrative.
Examples: Dreams, Secrets, Flame, Mercy, Desire, Time, Law, etc.
Each Authority defines the narrative rules that an actor can bend or break.
Characters that are attuned with an authority can write, erase, or invert elements of reality within that specific domain.
Authorities can be unique, but most of the time, they aren't. Authorities themselves are stories, and if someone gains enough of a grasp of that authority, characters will be likelier to gain that authority and add to the first person's narrative. This is seen especially in the case of Heirs, where a single bloodline possesses one authority. Built Authorities are much stronger than Unique authorities most of the time, because the story around them is grander.
The Parables:
The Parables are modes in which an actor can express and evolve their Authority. They are granted by the Trial of God's Question. Every single Authority is filtered through one (or more) of Three Parables. Some rare Authorities can encompass all three.
Parable of Mind: The Parable of Mind specializes in the domain of thought, perception, strategy, and belief. Those who walk this Parable have an incredible, if even paradoxical understanding of the mind. They are well-versed in manipulation, knowledge, illusions, and cognition.
Parable of Body: The Parable of Body specializes in the domain of form, instinct, resilience, and strength. Those who walk this Parable have an unparalleled grasp on the vessel of reality, and they are well-versed in physical transformation and augmentation, narrative durability, close combat, and existential force.
Parable of Soul: The Parable of Soul specializes in the domain of identity, emotion, resonance, and faith. Those who walk this Parable border on the cusp of the divine, and they are understanding of almost all things that have to do with the Veil. They are well-versed in emotional projection, fate, binding, inner territories, and writing their own stories.
Each Parable can be shown as a lens. For example, the Authority of Flame changes dramatically when expressed via Mind vs. Body vs. Soul.
Parable Ranks:
Parable Ranks are terminology used by the Veil in order to differentiate Actors in their level of narrative control. While ranks divide power, they are not absolute, and an actor in a higher rank is prone to defeat from an actor in a lower rank, however difficult it may be. The ranks are as follows:
- Seeker
- Anchor
- Luminary
- Sentinel
- Archon
- Paragon
- Apostle
- God
Ranks past Archon are generally unknown to most of the world, and they are also exponentially more difficult to embody. After Archon, a story is completely reformed. This means that laws of causality begin to take hold, and the actor is unable to invoke their Authority of beings that are too low a Rank directly, as that would break the story.
"God" as a rank refer to Gods in the narrative sense. They are beings of unfathomable power that govern several sections of reality. The 20 Orthodox Authorities are stories which the 20 most powerful Gods have built, and so many actors have their stories fall under these Authorities. Gods are immortal and also invincible. They cannot be killed, because the concept of "killing" can be overwritten by beings such as them. The way to kill a God will not be disclosed here.
Gods are not omnipotent, but they are inviolable in their own domains.
Characters in the Grandfather Narrative refer to Gods using their sobriquets, and not their names. They also usually use "He", "She", or "They" enunciated to show respect.
All other information is too much of a spoiler to show.
Themes:
Themes determine how a Parable manifests, and they are granted by the Trial of God's Question. They are general narrative styles or frames that shape the actor's journey and usage of their Authority. It can be seen as a limiting factor to power. While walking the Parables, an actor must conform to their Theme, otherwise they will be forcibly removed from the narrative. The themes are as follows:
- The Mirror
- The Hidden
- The Abyss
- The Chained
- The Coin
- The Throne
- The Witness
- The Garden
- The Mask
- The Storm
- The Spire
- The Forge
- The Scales
A Parable without a Theme is directionless, and a Theme without conflict cannot evolve. Each Theme governs what an actor can and cannot do. For example, someone with a theme of "The Storm" will not be able to solidify their identity through logic or strategy. Instead, they must be fluid, chaotic, and uncontrolled. Fundamentally, Themes define personality.
Marks:
Marks are foreign narrative devices, which can be seen as implants or anomalies. Marks can only be given by those of the "Paragon" rank or higher. These anomalies change the rules for an actor, and they are often completely irreversible. Some are blessings, others are curses. While they shape an actor's identity and grant incredible power, they place the actor within the personal story of whatever being marked them, so that the actor cannot be severed from the being. In a way, this can be seen as ownership. However, as Paragons and above cannot really interact with lower beings, actors with a strong enough will can resist the attempt to brand a Mark.
Marks are separated into tiers as follows. They signify influence and narrative control. There is no progressing through Marks, only giving and receiving them.
- Seed
- Sigil
- Heart
- Vein
- Thorn
- Myth
- World
- Truth
Switching and adding Parables, creating personal / physical stories, and advancing past the rank of Archon can only be achieved through the interference of a Mark. As such, most Paragons are directly tied to Gods. Marks can also be used to express the will of the Marker.
To denote an actor without a sobriquet, combine their Parable Rank and Mark. For example, here are some combinations: God of Truth, Sentinel of the World, Archon of Myth, Seeker of the Seed, Anchor of the Sigil, Paragon of the Heart, Luminary of the Thorn, etc. For those who want to know, the strongest possible being within an Authority's rules is a God of Truth.
Acts:
Progression isn't grind-based. Instead, it is meaning-based. Acts are events in which a character's actions cause significant change within the narrative. Acts are always happening, and they will continue to happen. They exist everywhere, and in everything, like chapters in a story. To advance in Parable Rank, an actor must enter an Act of the same rank, and then bring that act to a conclusion the Veil identifies as satisfactory, while also being the most contributing actor in that Act. Acts also have their own themes, and if that theme is too far adrift from the actor's theme, there are severe consequences. Acts from Sentinel onwards are incredibly difficult, and completing them can sometimes take centuries. With the completion of an Act, there is an intermission stage, as well as a growth stage. The intermission stage is a stage of vulnerability after an act, due to the actor's body, mind, or soul evolving based on their Parable. Here, they are incredibly close to death. After living through the intermission stage, they undergo growth, which allows them to Seed one new Gift, while Growing the other Gifts.
Gifts are the abilities under an authority. After the Trial of God's Question, a single gift is seeded, and it is grown throughout the first act. After the second act, the actor has two gifts, and the first gift is grown. An example of a gift is Nys' Hidden in the Shadows, which allows Nys to hide all objects they denote by altering the perception of other beings. That object would be wreathed in a special form of "shadow".
To reach the rank of "God", an actor would have to complete eight acts.
Monsters:
Monsters that originate from Hell, the lowermost realm of the threefold world, (with the other realms being Earth and Paradise), are obscene and horrifying, existing with great intelligence, and a single meaning: to kill and destroy any traces of divinity. They are the greatest enemy on Earth, and they only gain rank by eaten and feasting on the soul and flesh of Marked beings. There are three general ranks given to Monsters:
- Horror
- Calamity
- Oblivion
While not marked, they have tiers as well, which use the same names. The reason the same names are used is unknown for now.
Seed -> Sigil -> Heart -> Vein -> Thorn -> Myth -> World -> Truth
To reach the Seed tier, they must eat one hundred Marked actors with a Mark of Seed. To reach the Sigil tier, they must eat fifty Marked actors with a Mark, and so on. This number is not absolute and can change. They don't have to progress linearly through these ranks, there really isn't any progression, only embodiment.
They are denoted in the same way as actors:
For example, Horror of Heart, Calamity of the World, Oblivion of Truth.
The strongest monster is an Oblivion of Truth according to these ranks.
Also, the correspondence between Monster ranks and Parable Ranks is hard to figure out. It is a story element, so please read for this information.
That should be all!