Can someone explain me the ascension?

[76561197969086840]

I wasn't able to understand well how the ascension works. I'm not referring to how I can achieve it, more from a viewer/player standpoint what is actually happening.

For example, if you Ascend, have you stolen balzaar's divinity?

[artofwar]

I viewed it as Balzaar's divinity is contained within your body and yours to control, but if you were to die he would be released back to the void while you would just be dead with your body. Also, conceivably he is always in the back of your mind waiting for mental weakness and opportunity to take control.

I think this view is consistent with the idea that when the god host-bodies died during the war, all of the gods returned to the void. Galath, the body you find in the void, still had some of the power that Athazor (sp?) the dreamer had, even after Athazor had returned to the void - which shows that humans affected by gods can wield the power the gods imbue in their bodies even if the god is not directing the power.

So basically, you have God powers so long as Balzaar is contained by your tattoo wards and mental discipline, but you yourself have not actually become divine (i.e., you will never inhabit the void the way the other gods do).

[Vince]

Pretty much. You don't become a god or steal a god's divinity. You imprison a god's "essence" inside your body, which is what the original ritual was supposed to be about, gaining some of the god's knowledge and powers.

[76561197969086840]

Thanks. Another question: how does the mindshield work? Are you stronger because you survived the trauma, or because part of Athazor's power was imbued into you due to the fact that you actually witnessed everything as you were the one doing it?

[artofwar]

When you visit Meru after blowing up Maadaron, he takes you down to the chamber where Balzaar communicates with you. In that conversation, Balzaar says the following:

"Athazor's will is strong. ... I can sense Athazor's gift in you, protecting your feeble brain. Without it, my attempt to connect our minds would drive you mad."

So based upon this, it seems that you absorbed some small part of Athazor's power when you survived Galath's wrath. It's unclear if this was somehow purposeful on the part of Athazor, though I'm inclined to think it was just an accidental byproduct of surviving the release of Galath's power.

Also, when Faelon tries to work his powers on you when you have the mind shield, your character doesn't describe feeling anything. Your character isn't struggling against the power and overcoming it, Faelon's power just never seems to reach you at all. This supports that you have some kind of divine "mind shield" rather than that you've gotten mentally tougher.

[76561197969086840]

Great. Thanks. Ok, last question: how did Faelan came to acquire such powers?

[Борг]

Likely they are inherited or this is some kind of mutation or rare trait. Gaius personal loremaster mentions that there are children born with what commoners call the gift. These powers are weak and undeveloped,but apparently you can train them and they will grow in power with time and practise. Faelon too said that it was extremely taxing to use his powers at first but then it became almost effortless for him. Personaly I think that they are the arcane subspecies of normal humans. People with inherited magical abilities were always part of the humanity and they still are,even after the war. In theory those who born with the Power have a potential to become true magi like those of old but not in practise. You see Power is only the beginning for most important part is the Teachings themselves which are gone with last magi. Essentially modern spell-born lack the knowledge and understanding of countless previous arcane studies from the past eras. You can train your powers like Faelon and become powerful but even then you will be only a pale shadow of a true Imperial or Quantary Magi,a mere hedge-witch,a shaman.

You can be borned as a genius and have a sky-high IQ but you can't invent mass–energy equivalence if the civilisation that spawned you had not invented or forgotten math and physics. You can be borned as a peerless artist but without pencil and paper you will be forced to draw with your hands on the sand. True magic is an art form and arcane science in one,magus without training is just raw talent without focusing catalist stat is study.

[Vince]

Originally posted by Nemesis:

Great. Thanks. Ok, last question: how did Faelan came to acquire such powers?

Similar to how you acquire Mindshield. He's a descendant of someone who was exposed to Gods' powers and survived the experience. As a rule, anything that happens to the player character can and did happen to other people.