The Ancient

A wizened man sits before his great, great, great, great grandchildren. He tells the tale of a mentor, who helped an ancient hero slay a mighty red dragon. Though the mentor has no story himself, his name lives on in the hero's epic. One of the children ask who the mentor was, and the old man gives a wry smile. "Why, me of course."

An old woman reads over the cards laid before her. Her eyes glow as she sees the future. She speaks to the anxious man of love, of hope, of riches and a peaceful death, so long as he ceases his work as a hunter. The man smiles, pays the woman, and makes sure to thank her before he leaves. The woman feels bad for lying, but at least an owlbear won't make him its meal.

A frail-looking old man is surrounded by bandits. Their leader steps forward, tells the man he'll be fine, really, if he just coughs up whatever gold he has on him. The old man mutters a small prayer and jabs forward with his empty hand. The bandit leader laughs, just before a glowing blade materializes through her throat. The bandit falls, and her allies run in fear of the man as his form shifts to that of a vital warrior.

Though each of these people are different, they have one thing in common. They are Ancients, ageless champions who gain power through Time Immemorial. Ancients draw on the power of legends themselves, using the strength of belief to perform grand magical feats. An Ancient may have even played a part in the original tale, though certainly not the lead.

Belief is Power More oft than not, beings who live extraordinarily long accumulate power. Supernatural beings from the planes beyond will often do this by building up a following who's belief in them fuels them. Some do so through the sacrifice or theft of power. Mortals can acquire power through any number means, belief in gods, one's own sense of self, a dark pact, etc. etc. Ancients are closest to clerics in the way they gain their magic. But, while clerics use their belief to beseech their god to fuel them, Ancients use the raw power of belief itself. They within themselves the deeper meanings of the stories they tell, using the wisdom that provides to unleash the magic of belief.

Ancients and Legends All Ancients use the collective belief, and thus sacrifice of thought, in legends as a resource for their magic. This magic takes a variety of forms, mostly based on the legends themselves. For example, an Ancient who draws upon the tale of the mightiest swordsman in the world may summon a glowing, arcane blade that launches from their hand when they cast guiding bolt. There are many ways the specifics of an individual legend can alter the ways magic is cast.

Give and Take Drawing on the power of legends has interesting effects on an Ancient. An Ancient may notice their aging slow, then halt completely. Illnesses destroying their entire village, yet leaving them untouched. Or, even worse, a dark sickness, natural in origin, yet it never leaves them, nor does it kill. The mere act of using the power of legends alters its wielder, making them more like the ageless stories.

Telling Tall Tales Since Ancients draw their power from particular legends, they will, by necessity, want to make sure those stories don't die. Wherever they go, an Ancient will likely try to tell the tales of the long ago. They may even create additions to the myth as time goes on, gradually altering public perception of the epic.

Change Over Time As a legend changes, either by an Ancient's additions or the simple distortion of retelling, so may the mindset and magic of the Ancients who draw from it. The holy knight may become a literal angel of justice, making an Ancient's magic holy in origin. The Ancient who has burned this legend into their mind--either through devoutness or actually being present for the tales events--may too change. Their eyes may glow with holy light, their morality may become similar to that of your standard righteous paladin or angel.

Titles As an Ancient grows in power, they may gain titles. Titles have interesting effects on Ancients. It, in a sense, makes them legendary in their own right. This grants an Ancient their own wellspring of belief to draw upon, giving them spectacular powers.