Acolyte Aspect

"Let there be Light!"

In the primordial Darkness that preceded all creation, The Source created the Light, and the Light conquered the Darkness and revealed creation. However, the Darkness was not destroyed, but receded to the deepest parts of creation where it dwelled in its own nature. The Light and the Darkness existed together, despite being opposite forces, and together they formed a symbiosis, and from that symbiosis was born the Acolyte Aspect.

AKA: The Luminarians, the Shadow of God.

Facts:
-Acolytes are Creators of Light and Darkness, able to create, draw forth, draw power from, and ultimately manipulate both light and darkness in various ways. These concepts of Light and Darkness which suffuse the Acolytes also transcend the physical, scientific definitions of the words and include philosophical, metaphysical, and even religious notions as well.

-The Acolytes are Creators forever locked in contradiction. On the one hand, they are passionate seekers of the truth; on the other hand, they are famous for keeping secrets, and will go to great lengths to conceal certain things from others, even from the other Creators.

-Acolytes can generate light, or darkness, solidifying it into various shapes. This is one of their more basic abilities and it is probably the one they are best known for.

-Use of these abilities have potent psychological effects, especially on those unfortunate enough to be attacked by them. Imagine, being an enemy of the Acolytes and walking home one night, only to be suddenly enveloped by inky darkness and swallowed whole?

-Can intensify or diminish sources of light, can radiate whole areas, can generate radioactive light as a weapon, can dazzle or mesmerize with a plethora of colors.

-Can reshape, move, or differentiate shadows, can make shadows come alive, can shape darkness into solid objects, can trap others in darkness, etc.

-Can create solid objects of light or darkness, both tools, body armor, even primitive weapons. These abilities are generally only available to veteran Acolytes, making older Acolytes extremely dangerous (after all, they can create their own weapons and armor on the spot if need be).

-Advanced Acolyte Creators can physically transform into beings of pure light or darkness (harmed only by the opposing element).

-It's important whether an Acolyte is channeling primarily the Light or the Darkness, because objects made of darkness are easily broken by light, and vice versa. Another words, swords of light tend to dull and break when in near darkness, powers of light fade when cut off from all light, etc.

-Black and purple are colors traditionally associated with the Acolytes.

Second Born:
There is something of a mythological legend among Acolytes that holds that in the time before time, in the primordial moment of aeternity that preceded all of creation, The Source first created the Prime Creators simply by being Himself.

However, in doing so, He also created The Darkness. That primordial, never-quite-defined essence of all that is not-God and unholy. This was the first Acolyte, and thus the Acolytes are The Source's 'second born' creation. They believe their kind preceded all other Creators, even the Celestials. The only exception to this, of course, is the Prime Creators.

This is important in the overall theology of the Acolytes because it is the reason why they know so much - it's because they've effectively been here since the beginning. The secrets that lie at the heart of the Acolyte Creators are the very secrets of cosmic creation itself.

Keepers of Secrets:
A very important facet to the Acolytes is their role as being Keepers of Secrets. The first Luminarian privy to The Source's act of galactic creation, so it's bound to contain some pretty important information. Veterans and elders among the Acolytes will be well versed in the occult and supernatural, and even younger Acolytes will display a talent for attaining the truth.

Of course, there is a drawback to having so much knowledge.

Knowledge equals power, and the Acolytes have learned time and again what kind of disasters befall those who give great truth to those who are not yet mature enough to wield it. Because of these past lessons, the Acolytes as a whole discourages giving away their hard-won knowledge to outsiders.

Passionate for the Truth: Stealing People's Secrets:
Just as Light always seeks to conquer Darkness, so all Acolytes feel a personal drive to attain more knowledge and illumination. The Acolytes as a whole have a penchant for truth-seeking, and they often get into trouble trying to delve into other people's secrets.

This extends beyond just individual Acolytes to the group as a whole. The Luminarians are often viewed with suspicion even by other Creators, and with good reason. The Acolytes have been known to go to great lengths to acquire new knowledge, sometimes even infiltrating the safe havens of other Creators!

Old Religion:
The Acolytes have always been drawn to religion, not so much because of the dogma and rules but instead because of the mystery and aura of otherworldly truth. Most Acolytes will be at least be nominally religious and as a group they have flourished in many religions, especially the older and more established ones.

The Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches have both proven to be bastions for the Luminarians. Priests, deacons, important laymen, bishops and others have been drawn from the Acolytes. Rabbinic Judaism has also been important to the history of the Acolytes, as have the various branches of Islam.

An ancient religion, once quite prosperous in its own day but which has sadly dwindled into modern times, is Zoroastrianism. Founded by the prophet Zarathustra, whom some have claimed was himself an ancient Acolyte, Zoroastrianism teaches that there is only one God but He is opposed by a dark counterpart, a nebulous concept identical to the modern idea of The Darkness. Zoroastrianism makes heavy use of light/darkness symbolism and members strongly associate with The Light.

The Abyss:
The Abyss is some kind of universal place of darkness, an infinite-shadow that at times displays some form of sentience. Mystics within the Luminarians have taught that the Abyss is the shadow of all creation, just as the Acolytes are the so-called Shadow of God.

Among the Creators, only the Acolytes seem able to access the Abyss. Tactically, this provides the Luminarians with a secure, pan-dimensional place of refuge where they can hold their meetings and hide their vaunted secrets.

As for the content of the Abyss, that is had to say. Shadow People, a common supernatural-phenomena here on earth, has been linked to the Abyss. But Shadow People don't appear to be individuals in the traditional sense so much as pieces of the Abyss which are temporarily functioning independently. Once a Shadow Person returns to the Abyss, they (supposedly) are reabsorbed into the inky, endless shadows.

Besides Shadow People, the Abyss has produced other shadowy copies of existing things, such as dogs, cats, bears, monsters, even individual Creators.

The presence of the Abyss has resulted in several important traditions within the Acolytes. There is the pragmatic tradition of Staring into the Abyss (see below) or Abyssal Mysticism, a spiritual tradition that teaches Acolytes to seek union with the Abyss. The Abyss, after all, is part of the very nature of the Acolytes and their founding history, and union with the Abyss grants exceptional advancement in a Luminarian's powers.

Note: In the account of the Acolyte's creation at the beginning of time, when the Light conquered the Darkness and it receded, it is commonly believed within the Acolytes that this is the origin of the Abyss. The Abyss is the refuge created by The Darkness when it fled from The Light.

Staring into the Abyss:
The Abyss is more than just an empty space, the absence of all native light has powerful effects. Those effects range from the physical and mental, to the spiritual as well. Time spent in the Abyss is known to change anyone, especially Acolytes, both with positive and negative alterations.

The most common side-effects of prolonged exposure to the Abyss is a hardening of the mind. The common phrase "staring into the abyss" is believed to have its origin within the Luminarians precisely for this reason. Acolytes who have started deep into the pure emptiness of the Abyss have experienced a metaphysical horror previously thought unimaginable. To conquer such fear, to accept their own finiteness, is a powerful thing and leaves the Acolyte a much hardier and resilient person.

Of course, not everyone actually succeeds at this, and stories are told among the Luminarians of younger members actually dying of panic and fright from being left too long in the Abyss...

Sadly, a secondary change that often comes from over-exposure to the Abyss is a darkening of the soul. Acolytes who spend way too much time in the Abyss begin to suffer changes to their mind and outlook on the world, particularly a decrease in their faith in virtue and stability. If the Acolyte in question continues to sojourn in the Abyss for great lengths of time, they may even suffer a psychological shift, one powerful enough to push them from following The Light into following The Darkness!

Also, prolonged amounts of time in the Abyss may leave noticeable changes on the Acolyte's own body! A darkening of hair and skin pigmentation, an inky mist that clings to their aura, and a void where their soul should be... All are events associated with those Acolytes who did not heed the warnings of their veterans.

Acolytes corrupted by the Abyss will see a surge in their mastery over the powers of Darkness, but they will also lose their powers of Light. In fact, Acolytes corrupted by the Abyss can be detected precisely because they begin to suffer damage from contact with strong sources of light (this has also led to them being historically misidentified as Vampires).

Depths of the Oceans:
The Aqua Tenebrae is a kind of secondary Abyss, or really an extension of the Abyss that exists in our world. It 'lives' at the bottom of oceans and large bodies of water. Acolytes who associate with it may develop the power to travel through the realm of the Abyss to other physical locations in our own universe.

Note: Traveling through the Abyss is neither always safe, even for Acolytes due to its corrupting touch, or always reliable. The Abyss appears to be semi-sentient, and often Acolytes are exited miles from their desired destination.

Darkness Between Stars:
Just as the Acqua Tenebrae is a manifestation of the Abyss at the bottom of oceans, so the Stellaris Tenebrae is another form of the Abyss that seeps into our world. Only the Stellaris Tenebrae exists far out into space, in the void between stars and planets.

This could prove useful if you're writing an Acolyte character in a sci-fi or space adventure story.

The Darkness:
The Darkness, the sum manifestation of all Evil, is believed by Acolytes to be the shadow-opposite generated by The Source. They also hold that The Darkness was itself the first Acolyte.

Acolytes may or may not self-identify with The Darkness. Those who do are usually deranged individuals, or Creators corrupted by the Abyss.

Fall of Lucifer:
Lucifer, the vaunted 'Light-Bringer,' the archangel of heaven who was cast down to earth for the sin of pride also has a connection to the Acolytes. When Lucifer was cast from heaven, some Acolytes teach, he fell through all creation and landed in the Abyss. There, in the place of total Darkness, the Light-Bringer came to a deeper understanding of the importance of the Light.

Many Acolytes also teach that Lucifer was himself an Acolyte, owing to the meaning of his name.

Certain Acolytes, those with a strong penchant for freethinking and alternate religion, may practice Luciferianism, a form of Satanism that teaches that Lucifer was actually a liberating hero of sorts.

The Light:
With so much talk of the Abyss, its many manifest tentacles into our world, and of Lucifer and The Darkness, it's easy to forget The Light.

Acolytes draw upon the power of Light for many reasons, not least of which is to control The Darkness itself. For when the Abyss grow in power and manifests too much of itself in our world, the Acolytes are quick to beat it back using the power of the Light.

Also, Acolytes who associate with The Light more strongly than The Darkness have been known to develop some of the powers of the Celestials. Many such Acolytes have befriended the Angelic Creators and have even been privy to some of their sacred mysteries.

The Watchers
The Watchers, an ultra-secretive sect of Celestials whose agenda and origins remain largely unknown, are at least known to possess strong links with the Acolytes. Despite their common image of observing events from the shadows, the Watchers are actually devoted followers of the Light. Many believe them to be spies for the great angel Metatron, or possibly agents who take their orders directly from The Source Himself.

It is commonly believed that at least some Watchers have strong ties of friendship with the Luminarians. Or they could be Acolytes themselves!

Spheres Of Light:
Just as the Abyss is the abode of The Darkness, so the Light has its own home as well. The Spheres of Light are a dimension, of sorts, a place of perfect light. Believed by many to be generated directly by The Source, the Spheres of Light are a section of heaven where all light ultimately originates from.

Descriptions of the Spheres of Light are hard to come by, for those few Acolytes who enter rarely choose to return. The Spheres of Light are a place of perfect restitution, where there is no bodily needs, and all knowledge in the universe is at one's fingertips.

Any Acolyte corrupted by the Abyss cannot enter the Spheres of Light. Only those Acolytes pure in heart and soul are said to be able to walk among the many spheres of light, on landscapes that burn with a strange light, on paths walked by angels...

Note: The Spheres of Light represent perfect truth and illumination. Unfortunately, if a mortal Creator ever leaves the Spheres, any knowledge they gained from them begins to fade away, since perfect knowledge cannot exist in our imperfect world. This is why Acolytes who attend the Spheres rarely leave, and why those who do are always so eager to return.

Shadow Occultism:
It should come as no surprise that the Acolytes have a very large presence within the occult community. Their powers of Light and Dark, their penchant for secrets, and their thirst for knowledge makes them perfect candidates for the road of esoteric information.

In fact, Acolytes are often in high demand among the dedicated occult groups. Expect to find at least one or two of them in any serious group of Supernaturals dedicated to the occult.

The Primordial Darkness:
The Primordial Darkness no longer exists. It is the first Darkness, that magic emptiness which preceded all of creation itself. It was shattered when The Source began His creating. In the Book of Genesis, God is quoted as ordering "Let there be Light!" That was the beginning of galactic creation and the end of the Primordial Darkness.

Today, a minor but potent sect within the Acolytes search for the power to undue the cosmos. These Acolytes, often deranged individuals or Acolytes corrupted by the Abyss, seek to destroy all of creation itself, and bring back the ancient Primordial Darkness...

References:
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJvbGuZWaFY

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3v9unphfi0

-https://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Light_Manipulation

-https://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Darkness_Manipulation

-https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Lasombra

-https://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Evelynn/Skins

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabor_Light

-https://www.catholiccompany.com/content/Luminous-Mysteries-of-the-Rosary.cfm

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfvaGwD00EE

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxThZpslbhE

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD_IRiEQdtA