The Korabel'im.
 

Ages ago, centuries before recorded history, there stood great cities and monuments of power, centers to entire peoples, kingdoms and even civilizations. It remains a mystery to how or why they were conceived and built, even their very purposes at times are a mystery. Not so to the children of Korabel, for they were built by their forefathers and ancestors.

In the times before the great flood, the Korabelim built cities and temples at the four corners of the world. However, they were more than mere works of architecture, for in the designs and layout of their creations, they hid forbidden secrets, lost knowledge and paths to power. So it was that entire libraries of mystic lore were hidden in the very buildings and monuments that they constructed.

So great was the loss of this knowledge during the flood, that the survivors thought the world would be plunged into a time of great darkness., and in a way it was. After the flood, the remaining great builders gathered in distant places, and built a handful of monuments, mostly megalithic stonework. In their construction, the remaining secrets were entrusted for future generations, and so they would remain until the day of Judgement.

These days, many of Korabel’s children have forgotten the great secrets of the past, some have begun to travel to lost cities in an effort to glimpse these lores, but the ruins do not easily give away their mysteries and few truly understand the grand scheme of their ancient designs.

The Estate of Korabel itself is a very loosely organized sect. Small bands of younger generations will meet with a common mentor to discuss their findings, as well as any other pertinent subjects. They answer to none but themselves and each other. Despite this loose affiliation and structure of the lineage itself, the Estate maintains the highest level of respect for those who came before them and the Covenant they left behind.

The Korabelim have been and remain very much nomadic vagabonds and their mortal brethren recognize this. Even before the great flood they had been transitional, finding it difficult to place roots anywhere. Many gypsy peoples are of the same lineage as the Korabelim. This does not mean that the Korabelim do not keep close ties with family and friends, it simply means that those ties are sporadic and very much cherished when they do occur.

Throughout the centuries, the other Estates have made efforts to try and “befriend” the errant children of Korabel. However Korabelim are not fools and realize that these others do so because they seek to glimpse the secrets of their ancients and antediluvian. Placed in such a situation, they are not above milking the proverbial cow for all its worth, as long as the offer remains. Yet they are careful not to reveal too much to strangers, for fear that the knowledge glimpsed would be used to destroy the order of things once again. If the other Estates are to learn the true secrets of Korabel’s teachings, they must either wait their turn, or join in the search.

Of late, rumors have spread of strange doings at ancient sites like Callanish, Carnac and Stonehenge. Strangers have been seen in the night, speaking in hushed tones, not to one another but rather to the very stones themselves. Could it be that some of Korabel’s children have found something more than ancient ruins? If they have, they are certainly not telling anyone, yet.

The Korabelim are by large characterized by their intense gazes and distant expressions. They have strong builds, square jawlines and powerful hands, of which the majority are left-handed. They are soft spoken, not so much as by choice but rather because of the debilitating curse their Estate is afflicted with. 

Korabel’s children are not fools, for they know that there are secrets hidden in ancient stones. It is possible that the key to redemption will be revealed to them in the final days. Whether or not they chose to share that knowledge or keep it secret is a hotly debated subject. They also know that the other Estates are by large only paying them lip service for a possible insurance to the mysteries they may well discover. But for now they will continue to keep their friends close and their rivals even closer.

Korabelim may be of any social background and drifter or labor worker persona are common. They may well have once known the first steps to Redemption, but they have long ago lost that knowledge. However they are striving to reclaim it, as well as awaken others to its secrets. For this quest and their perseverance in regaining what could eventually save many souls, they begin play with 6 points of Redemption and 3 points of Sin.

The overall mentality of Korabel’s Estate is one of independence, fierce loyalty to traditions and a deep respect for those who came before them. There has been a re-awakening of interests in their forgotten past, recently; this is mainly attributed to the rumor that some elders have found something ancient and mysterious. This has greatly excited the Estate as a whole, but some whisper that some things are better left undiscovered.

The Tutelage:

Korabel’s children are known for their creative inspirations. Many launch themselves into the field of architecture or construction long before their rebirth. They are also known for their seclusive and errant natures during their younger years, which are commonly spent traveling to distant places with a wide-eyed wonder that only youth possesses.

Young pupils are expected to undergo a lengthy apprenticeship under a warder, who usually doubles as their mentor and teacher. They will probably remain with the figure in question as an apprentice for years after the initial tutelage is completed. Such Warders will have more than one pupil at a time, thus creating a form of healthy competition amongst the students who vie for their attention and praise.

The Tutelage is not all work and labor, much of it is studying the ancient arts and secrets of past masters. This is accomplished through travel to distant civilizations and actual exposure to the said mysteries. These masters were all well versed in the secret use of form and line that were in turn initially inspired by antediluvian masters before them. Thus the tutelage binds Estate traditions in the form of a master and apprentice relation, a continuity of rituals and integrity reaching back to before the flood. Important lessons to the children of Korabel apparently, for it is this legacy that retains the Estate's cohesion as well as exposes them to the minute pieces of those lost lores that they will seek out throughout the centuries. To the children of Korabel, it is the binding thread that links them to their angelic forefather, and the true reason for their coming.

At the end of the tutelage, the young initiates are sent out into the world to perform a test: they must discover the secret of one ancient site of their choice. This task is more than just an errand, it is also a measure of their patience, determination, endurance and survival skills. When they leave, they are instructed not to return until they have glimpsed at least part of the secret of that place. This may seem like a monumental task to ask an initiate, but to the adventurous Korabelim, it is a unique opportunity to discover a part of their past that cannot be understood through mere words.

The Goety of Korabel:

Korabel was said to move mountains, but not with his hands, rather with his words. He could whisper a foe into submission, or part waters with a command. This is the power of Korabel’s children, the power of sounds and words. The Korabelim are capable of aligning multiple vocal energy vibrations to form a type of telekinesis, capable of moving inert and living matter, and although at first this only works on small inanimate objects, it grows in power. With patience and time, the vibrations of all things can be divined and attuned. Thus they learn to harmonize with and control the energy vibrations of all things great or small, allowing them to move massive objects hundreds of times heavier than the actual individual. Living objects are a little more complex, the vibrations they emit are constantly in flux, changing from one moment to another. Thus, affecting living object is something that only the experienced will master.

They can also utilize their greater Goety to perform attacks which are capable of inflicting great amounts of physical damage upon their enemies. There are some accounts of Elders, laying waste to entire armies foolish enough to attempt the plunder of their sacred site. So well attuned are the children of Korabel to the sonic vibrations around them that they have adjusted their senses to reflect this. The Korabelim can sharpen or alter their senses of sight, hearing and touch to their advantage. By doing this, they can sense and circumvent objects while blind with great ease, discern specific noises when listening to a din of confusion and even determine the general texture of an object without touching it. These effects still require some form of roll on their behalf, however they receive +1 bonus on their difficulty markers per dot of minor Virtue in such cases. They can also use this to their advantage in other situations, like quieting their footsteps when stalking prey, eavesdropping on private conversations and fighting an opponent when blind with less penalties than normally incurred.

Korabel’s Curse:

Though the Goety of Korabel is powerful indeed and may even be used to inflict massive damage unto other individuals and objects, it is also the Korabelim’s greatest curse. As they age, the power of their voice grows in strength to the point that the very action of raising their voice may inadvertently shatter stone and bone alike.

It is such that the children of Korabel must constantly exert themselves when in the practice of their greater Goety, so as not to lose control of it. Thus, each time they use an effect of a level that is higher than their greater Redemption or Sin, they automatically apply their age penalty on the roll’s difficulty, indiscriminately affecting everything and everyone in the area of the effect should they fail. Furthermore, each time they seek to raise their voice higher than their normal tone, they must roll their Will trait with their age penalty applied to the difficulty as well.