Noble Arms Lore Thread (Letter Bee Version)

[Letter Bee]

General Lore - 2022

In the twilight of World War II, the Computer Scientist Alan Turing invented an 'Occult Programming Language' that made magic real. The most common form that 'magic' took was the Noble Arm, which was the ability to conjure up a supernatural weapon that can defy the laws of physics, a weapon bound to the user’s mind and soul; summoned by their will into reality. For reasons that are still unexplainable despite years of research, Noble Arms mostly take the form of weapons from before the First World War (things have started to change, but only because more weapons have grown obsolete since then), however, despite the antiquity of these forms, the power they bear to the battlefield is unlike anything modern technology has been able to produce.

• The ability to manipulate the elements to the user's will.
• Forces that can reduce matter down to atoms in seconds.
• The strength to withstand the explosion of a nuclear missile.

All of these powers, and more wondrous and terrifying abilities, come with Noble Arms. Thus, the ones who bear them, the Arms Masters, are sought after by countries all around the world. Where once the strength of a country was decided by the technological strength of its Army, it is now judged by the power of its Arms Masters.

But this state of affairs has produced sadness and strife; the world was just not prepared for the possibility of superhumans, people who just by existing, challenge the notion of equality between men. And so Arms Masters and Normal Humans lived in an uneasy state of coexistence, with radicals on both sides wishing to shatter the peace and dominate one another.

Then, in the early decades of the 21st Century, from the years 2019 to 2022, the status quo shattered again, with three groups of beings, only one of them claiming to be part of Humanity as it is now, manifesting the ability to give Noble Arms to those who once lacked them, albeit under conditions which appeal only to the desperate. These factions, known as “The Big Three”, are:

The Big Three

The Seven Virtues - "Humanity can be more than it is now. Make it so." The Seven Virtues claim to be ascended Humans, Arms Masters who had transcended their mortal form and become something more. Now they seek to guide Humanity to a similar 'Ascension' by controlling the ‘reincarnation’ of the Noble Arms held by Arms Masters who had died in the line of duty, or very rarely, creating new ones which had not been held by an Arms Master before. However, the Seven Virtues make one demand from those they empower: Give up their existing property, their wealth, and their position in society, and dedicate themselves to Humanity as a whole.

The Paragons of Science - "Humanity is the only concept worth worshipping." The Paragons of Science are a cabal of scientists who have mixed together actual scientific principles with the Occult to decipher part of what makes Noble Arms 'tick', enough to manufacture Artificial Noble Arms which can compete with the best of existing ones. However, they give these Artificial Arms only to those who can 1.) pay through the nose for them, or 2.) people who are willing to renounce the “Throne and altar” to promote a future where Humanity rules over all of nature and worships only itself.

Updated Restrictions: Oh, and this will be unknown to most OCs, but the Paragons of Science use 'Special Occult Programming Language' to make them able to remotely bring down any A or B-rank Noble Arms to C-Rank if they deem the Arms Master a threat to their interests. Due to the 'Special Occult Programming Language' being imperfect, however, they cannot bring a Noble Arm any lower, so NAs which are already C-Rank are safe.

The Downward Descent - "Freedom from Morality." The Downward Descent does not claim to be Human, but rather something more; the darkness of people's thoughts and inner desires made manifest, whispering the fulfillment of their darkest wishes. The Downward Descent wants nothing more than Humanity to descend to a level lower than animals, to pull civilization down into ruins so that people would give up on being something more than what they were, to regard their hopes and dreams and aspirations as only so many lies and self-deception. And in exchange for indulging their wishes, the entities of the Downward Descent can give Noble Arms to anyone, not just the unpowered but also those who already have a Noble Arm; they are the only source of a Second Noble Arm, ever.

And all it takes is for you to renounce not just your soul, but actively endorse the very things you find most abominable in your heart and mind.

Their machinations have swept the old divisions out of the water, destroying the fragile order of the world as apocalyptic warfare breaks out all over it...

[Letter Bee]

Main Lore - 2022

Noble Arms and their Ratings

Noble Arms:

Noble Arms take the form of weaponry that was created before World War I - Each one of them has powerful abilities beyond normal human capacity, however, they can only be used if they are released into reality by their user. Noble Arms exist in a kind of 'hyperspace' that is unique to its user and can be called from there - in essence, an Arms Master is always armed.

Noble Arms have an astonishingly versatile ability pool, from calling down fire to strengthening the body, etc., and more often than not, possess more than one ability. However, similar to physical activity, using a Noble Arm is draining physically and more so mentally - Extended use of its abilities is much akin to overexerting yourself on both fronts, and as such, so much more fatal to overdo.

For the purposes of defining what a weapon is, a weapon is 'something crafted or shaped by human hands for the specific purpose of doing harm'. This also means that you can use a bunch of stone age flint knives, a wand, and yes, a staff as weapons.

Note: We have allowed this rule to be stretched before, allowing books and exploding metal cubes, but asking for a stretch is a privilege, not a right. Do not ask without a good, story-based reason.

Noble Arm Ratings:

Noble Arms are rated according, firstly, to the sum of their atomized ranks (Power, Speed, Range, etc as detailed in the character sheet). An F grade counts as a 0, an A as a 5, and the sum is divided by 6. However, ultimately, the grading system is used as a threat assessment. Noble Arms that are more dangerous than their average number indicates may have their overall grade incremented up a letter, or vice versa.

Examples of rank as a threat assessment:

- A Noble Arm capable of strengthening its Arms Master is common, and can easily be countered by police officers with the proper ordinance, and thus, merits an E rank, its Arms Master is not notable to the government and subsequently ignored.

- On the other hand, a Noble Arm capable of creating explosions in the atmosphere is uncommon and dangerous, as such, the user must undergo a government registration form and be placed under mild scrutiny. The Noble Arm in question will merit a C or B rank.

- Finally, there are Noble Arms that can achieve effects that can cover an area the size of a city, for good or for ill. Such Noble Arms are both rare and regarded as extremely dangerous to countries at large (note that some powers might not justify this fear, even if they cover an entire city). Its user will be under constant surveillance and limits will be placed on the usage of their Noble Arm. Such Noble Arms are always rated A.

Noble Arms Ranking System

Categories of Ranking and Degrees of Rank:

Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc).
Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect.
Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included).
Persistence: Stamina toll on user. Higher rank = more ease of use.
Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs.
Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution.

F = Default/minimum rank.
B = General maximum of standard NA.
A = Generally restricted to A-Rank NAs, but 1-2 categories may potentially reach it.
S = "Special" rank. Means the category is flexible in some way, and not necessarily for the better. (Ex - Power: D (S)) This supplementary rank is often the result or source of an NA having a “+” or “-“ on their final rank.
Infinite/?: Indicating no measurable limit on the category. Only seen on A-Ranks thus-far. This rank has yet to even be officially acknowledged as existing IC. (this rating's details may be subject to change; this is merely my current interpretation)

The final overall ranking of the Noble Arm is determined on an average by assigning point values from 0-5 on the respective ranks F-A. Depending on the power-set and its effectiveness in practice, the final ranking may, however, be subject to flexibility.

If you want, you may also use a graph image based on the JJBA Stand ranking system instead, since that is what we are basing this off largely. The above is the most convenient to read, but you have the option for flavor. Just try to have it in a hider in either case.

Power:

F-Rank: Provides no notable supernatural advantage. Often cosmetic at best. The Noble Arm certainly possesses the same supernatural durability as any other NA, but beyond that? Little. Ranged Noble Arms are not found here.

E-Rank: Minor supernatural advantage. Hits a bit harder, cuts a bit easier, endures a little more, etc. than a normal human could. It's not much, but it's there. Enhancements are "slight", but elemental manipulation is possible. Ranged Noble Arms are possible now and typically have this rank at minimum. "Peak Human" is a common descriptor.

D-Rank: Cantrip levels of strength. Can easily dish out, endure or heal from effects that are singularly lethal to a human. Notably useful abilities exist here that are a serious problem for most people. Such a power is much like always carrying a loaded gun and may be beyond police capacity to handle.

C-Rank: A strong/multiple, physical/magical effects that will start to cause issues for public safety.

B-Rank: Very strong. Difficult to counter without a specialized/specific effect.

A-Rank: Powers of this strength are nearly uncontestable. Once the effect occurs, it usually cannot be overridden or countered without exceptional means. Perfect stealth. Strength enough to lift and throw a skyscraper or cause earthquakes. Total incineration. Absolute zero infliction. Disintegration of atoms. Stopping time. The possibilities are nearly limitless. The amount of raw energy behind these abilities is frankly excessive.

Speed:

F-Rank: Basically, this... "Is to go-! Even! Further! BEYOND! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Editor's Note: This continued for 10 episodes.

E-Rank: Comparative to walking underwater. Notable ramp-up/charge time. Abilities take a disadvantageously long time to fully "stick". Recommended against using them in the open or in sight of any hostile, at least initially. 1 minute or more.

D-Rank: Small ramp up time. Somewhat disadvantageous, but possible to use even against a conventionally faster opposition with care and the right timing. A power that typically requires patience and "choosing the right moment" from the user. Abilities have a tendency towards "damage over time" compared to "instant". 3-60 seconds.

C-Rank: Abilities respond and take effect at a respectable, practical speed. The user will have no real trouble utilizing their powers often and reflexively. The power doesn't quite match up when pitted against an ambush or with the user caught off guard. The moments needed to both perceive and respond to the threat mean that a "surprise round" still favors the enemy.

B-Rank: Abilities respond in a split moment, lagging behind the user's desires for a 1-5 seconds at absolute worst. Being caught off guard is far less threatening. The power typically responds and reaches full effect at speeds equivalent to the user's mere consideration of using them.

A-Rank: Answers the user's call with almost prescient speed. The effects of powers typically occur instantaneously, even at large scale. "Surprise rounds" are near entirely useless against them without an effect of comparable speed. Rather, they respond so quickly that they can almost immediately invert a situation with themselves on the backfoot to one where they have the distinct advantage. These powers practically ooze the concept of "having the initiative".

Range:

F-Rank: Touch-range. The power generally requires either the user or the Noble Arm, itself, to make physical contact with the target of their ability. Fallout nonexistent.

E-Rank: Melee-range. Comparable range to a held weapon of some stripe, even a whip. No longer requires physical contact to take effect. Fallout/lingering effects are minimal to nonexistent and rarely -if ever- have the capacity to spread beyond a single target. Up to approximately 5-6 meters/15-21 feet.

D-Rank: Mid-Range. Covers the ideal skirmishing distance for a pistol. An indoor firing range would be comparable. Up to approximately 50 meters/166 feet.

C-Rank: Around a city block or couple. Up to approximately 200 meters/658 feet. Fallout may exceed base range by a factor of double the core range.

B-Rank: Long-range. Could encompass a whole neighborhood or village. Fallout may equal or even exceed the base target area by a factor of 2-4. Up to around 1-2 kilometers.

A-Rank: City-wide or larger. Attacks may potentially be launched from miles away. Fallout may potentially leak out into a national emergency.

Persistence:

F-Rank: Can maybe use their active power all of once before being exhausted. Even having the NA summoned is a serious effort that requires physical honing to master.

E-Rank: Like a D-Rank squared. Significant base maintenance cost. Abilities that incur a stamina drain like being punched in the gut. They are lovers, not fighters. And when they do fight, they are either very careful or dead.

D-Rank: Must be picky with their power use. Tactical. The drain of even having the NA out is significant. A D-Rank may have trouble keeping their power going continuously for even a single decent skirmish. "Playing it smart" is the name of the game. If not a serious stamina drain, then a notable negative backlash usually is inherent to the active power.

C-Rank: Will experience drain even if they don't use the NA's powers. Minor drain, granted, but drain all the same. Their powers typically aren't incredibly draining to actively use immediately, but the user will absolutely feel it with constant, reckless use. Sort of like sprinting. These NAs are ideally used with a "breather" between skirmishes to catch a second or third wind. They are much like a well-trained soldier.

B-Rank: Could, in theory, be summoned indefinitely as long as the user either didn't make heavy use of its abilities or had incredibly minor abilities. This rank is ideal for prolonged battlefield fighting, as long as the user has time to rest every few skirmishes.

A-Rank: Typically known to be very free in this aspect, able to both keep their power going near indefinitely and not really feeling the strain without truly excessive overuse or a very specific type of backlash unique to the NA/power.

Precision:

F-Rank: Volatile and indiscriminate to the extreme. Not even the user is safe. In fact, they are more often than not caught in the power's effect as well, for better or worse. If the power has any capacity to effect multiple targets, it will always attempt to hit all of them and attempt to perform to its maximum possible extent.

E-Rank: User gains some level of "leashing" capacity. Power now often has a dial and can be restrained from automatically going full bore. Is still quite "hair trigger" and prone to being a threat to the user as well without caution being taken.

D-Rank: Still quite indiscriminate, but the user now usually has some actual capacity to be protected from their own ability. Usually, this protection is not voluntary, however, for better or worse. Power is no longer so oily in the user's proverbial grasp. "Dial" is more defined.

C-Rank: Some minimal capacity to actively exempt others selectively from the effect, which typically requires concentration. Otherwise, abilities have preset exemptions that provide the user more flexibility.

B-Rank: Can selectively exempt targets from the effect on both large and small scale. Usually, the user must already know/be able to visualize individually who or what they are exempting. Although, one could be more general, like "all humans" if firing blindly.

A-Rank: Abilities are highly selective and surgically fine in application. The user usually has near -if not complete- control over who and what they effect. Such abilities may be able to affect someone/something the user doesn't know or is aware of. Such abilities may potentially have such capacity as to identify and target things the user could otherwise have no knowledge about, like "all "enemies/innocents/allies" "good/evil".

Potential:

Preface: This stat lowers roughly inversely to the number of abilities a Noble Arm possesses and is thus expected to inevitably lower over the course of the RP, starting low the more powerful a Noble Arm starts out.

F-Rank: Extremely static. The NA has nearly zero ability to evolve further. Can usually only develop one more narrow ability... if any at all.

E-Rank: Typically develops 1-2 abilities at most. New powers are quite narrow in scope of application. Complex abilities aren't entirely unheard of, but they are extremely uncommon.

D-Rank: Develops a small number of abilities, even complex ones, but the user must put in serious effort and/or have rather notable personal character/soul development to gain any more.

C-Rank: Develops a comfortable number of powers of various complexities. Can be mistaken for a higher rank in this classification early on but peters out eventually. Preexisting powers have the capacity to improve or change if the user makes the effort to push their boundaries.

B-Rank: Rapidly develops new abilities with even half-hearted or deluded attempts at experimentation. The NA is highly amendable to users who actively seek out specific evolutions and utilizations of their abilities. Complex, flexible powers are not only common but expected, almost inevitable.

A-Rank: The "blank slate" rank, typically possessed by a freshly awakened Noble Arm. Having this rank generally means having only 1 ability at most with radical potential for more. A Noble Arm like this has yet to lock in a "theme" and can evolve in virtually any direction the Arms Master might subconsciously choose. The Noble Arm is extremely sensitive to any excuse to develop in this state, often doing so completely involuntarily. It's therefore extremely rare to find a Noble Arm with this rank, as the weapon has usually already shed this level of potential within days, if not hours, depending on the conditions.

Noble Arm Origins: Formation and Inheritance

Noble Arm Origins:

Formation:

The most common way to have a Noble Arm is to reach a stage of personal development, for good or for ill, which allows one's Soul (yes, Souls are a thing here) to form one from the sum of the person's personality, willpower, and sense of identity. Said Noble Arms are connected to their user's Soul and are made of the same material/energy as it. They can be suppressed and damaged; they can be broken and diminished, but they cannot be completely destroyed except in extraordinary circumstances, and even then only because although born from a Soul, they are not the originating Soul itself but akin; actual Souls are even more indestructible (although their energies can be suppressed to infinitesimal levels). This leads us to the second way to obtain a Noble Arm - Inheritance.

Inheritance

When an Arms Master dies, their Noble Arm is left in a limbo state, unable to follow them to wherever Souls go (while immortal Souls have been proven, an afterlife is not, much less a good afterlife). When this happens, it latches on the closest possible Soul even if the holder of said Soul has not developed enough to grow their own Noble Arm. If the 'latching' process is successful, the new Arms Master gains the power of a Noble Arm grafted to their own consciousness and identical to its previous form. This phenomenon has been tracked over the past decades, and the Seven Virtues have found a way to interfere with the process to ensure that various NAs end up with the 'right' people...

Arms Master Survivability

Made by Senhara:

This was approved on Discord by all the GMs, and was my suggestion, and I heavily recommend joining the server if you plan to join.

As a system to improve the survivability of PCs and other Arms Masters, this was come up with.

By virtue of being able to wield magic, NA users benefit from the ability to recover from gunshots and the like more effectively than a human, and notably, their bodies heal up faster. This pulls power from their NA, so if you get hit, you live but your powers weaken. So instead of a regular human taking a few rounds to be downed, 1-3 or the like, it'd take more like 4-8 to sustain for C class NA users before they'd be totally unable to use their powers and would need medical attention, with the more powerful NAs being able to withstand more. While Arms Masters are still under their cap for how much abuse they can take, if a "critical" hit occurs, say a shot through the heart or the skull occurs, they're incapacitated but all resources immediately go to fixing them up. The result of this is they're out for the fight, unconscious, but they're still alive. If they proceed to get shot more and do not receive medical attention or are over their capacity for how much damage they can take and receive a critical hit, they would instead die.

Addenum by Lewascan2 with edits by me:

Note that logically, Defensive/Survival/Healing powers take priority over the survival system. If it's a question of a hit 'counting' or not, the hit to the Arms Master's 'survival stacks' is not expended (or may even be reversed/restored) if their power/an incoming power has some method of negating/delaying/mitigating/repairing the damage. Basically, specific powers can defend against or heal an Arms Master or make them endure stuff. If you don't have specific defensive powers, though... Well, this is a world of tradeoffs.

Differences from IRL and the Original

- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considerably more militarized and economically linked than IRL, with coordination between their best Arms Masters and their separate militaries.

- This in turn has its roots in 1988 when China had a confrontation with the ASEAN Countries over the Spratlys and ASEAN won due to the intervention of Filipino Arms Master Angelito Jaime (who had a spear that can open a portal and which he was clever enough to use to redirect bullets, artillery, cruise missiles, and potentially even nukes back at the person who fired them, and this works on many other NA attacks too). This victory, however, led to an undercurrent of resentment between China and ASEAN which burst into fire decades later in the ASEAN War.

- The Philippines is now led by a 'Government of National Salvation' chaired by an Original Character. It does not have its IRL Government/Administration in power.

- After some thought, another OC (Democratic) is the President of the US instead of anyone IRL.

- The Original Character President of the US was the perfect domestic president, saving the country from Covid, restoring the US Economy, limiting corporate power, strengthening the Trade Unions and making them more relevant, and creating more well-paying jobs. The downside to this? His foreign policy sucks, as he despises the prospect of sending Americans to die overseas for ideological goals so much that he is willing to neglect or withdraw from the US' alliances and defense commitments and thus emboldened China and Russia to move into open war, mistakenly sensing weakness.

- The US Congress, however, was capable of striking back to issue sanctions, provide weapons, vehicles, supplies, money, and all possible aid to ASEAN and Ukraine, and is trying to scramble enough people to form a majority that can declare war even with a Presidential Veto.

- Indonesia has been caught flat-footed by China's new militaristic mood, and while it remains Democratic, its military (both Army and Navy) is rising in power once again, although its President is still canny enough to balance out competing interests.

- In 2014, instead of a certain terrorist organization taking over large portions of Iraq and Syria, the Hammer of Masters, an organization of Arms Master terrorists, did so instead to establish a 'Malikate' where Arms Masters can rule over Non-Arms Masters as the 'Superior Race'. This was crushed in 2018 - 2019 when the 'Big Three' first made their appearance, and the Paragons and Seven Virtues began giving away Noble Arms.

- As for the various groups in the Original Noble Arms, the Hammer of Masters (mentioned above) and the Disablers have dwindled into near-irrelevance over the last four years due to the existence of the Seven Virtues and Paragons of Science (both of whom have defectors from both groups), same for the Arms of Nobility and the Organization for Disarmament. It is also rumored that the Seven Virtues and Paragons have been organizing manhunts for members of the Hammer and Disablers who remain diehard fanatics of their ideologies.

[Letter Bee]

Past Lore - Organizations active before 2019

Defunct Groups

Arms of Nobility

An organization bent on pushing the importance of Noble Arms and Arms Masters, and is the chief backer of their rights globally. Many of its supporters are wealthy and well-known, however, they often face strong opposition from non-Arms Masters due to the agendas they push and the number of benefits they desire for Arms Masters.

Organization for Disarmament

An organization determined to limit the use of Noble Arms and the suppression of Arms Masters. Their main goal is to abolish schools and facilities dedicated to Noble Arms and to limit the occupation of Arms Masters to the military only. Often, they are supported by many labor unions and social media outlets.

The Hammer of Masters

A terrorist organization bent on creating a world where Arms Masters are the rulers. Their ideology is that Arms Masters are not, in fact, human, but a new superior race that deserves to be in power. The current number of members was unknown, however, they had 2 confirmed A-ranked Arms Masters in their ranks, a fact that worries many countries.

In 2014, the Hammer obliterated an up-and-coming group of Muslim Terrorists, took over their territory, and expanded it to encompass large portions of Iraq, Syria, and portions of Lebanon and West Iran and proclaimed 'The Malikate', a nation where Arms Masters can rule over Normal Humans. Five years of hard battle followed until the Paragons of Science and Seven Virtues emerged in 2018 - 2019 and demonstrated the ability to give Noble Arms to ordinary people, undermining the Hammer's worldview and ideology even as Loyalist Arms Masters and Normal people worked together to whittle down their territory to a single city that eventually fell, destroying the 'Malikate'.

The Disablers

A terrorist organization bent on erasing or otherwise oppressing Arms Masters. Their ideology is that Arms Masters are not, in fact, human, but a race of monsters born with nothing but the ability to bring misery and destruction and as such must be culled or otherwise strictly controlled. A cause that many have joined and more have supported, and because of the support they have garnered from the masses, they are able to move through countries and cities with relative ease.

Misc Lore - Present Day

Background Lore for use in Character Creation

The Spartan Training Programs

As Noble Arms are created through life-changing personal growth in my version of it, various governments have created 'Spartan Training Programs (STPs)' to turn 'trainees' into Arms Masters by forcing personal growth. These are not the same as Arms Master Academies, although there is overlap between them and the STPs, with some establishments having separate 'Normal' and 'Arms Master' classes where those of the former can join the latter when they grow a Noble Arm. Note however that the STPs vary in methods and severity; some of them are mere 'Military Schools with more steps', and others are torture factories where abuse is a constant theme.

Singapore has the largest STP in ASEAN, where parents and orphanages regularly 'volunteer' their children for harsh training, both physical and spiritual, in order to have a chance of an Arms Master in the family. However, although the Singapore STP is not as bad as the ones ran by various authoritarian regimes, it is infamous for having dropouts who later join Anti-Arms Master terrorist groups such as the now-defunct Disablers.

Occult Programming Language

Occult Programming Language - Mechanics

The Occult Programming Language was developed by Alan Turing in the closing years of World War II, as a chance discovery that one-upped and exceeded the Nazis' own attempts to harness mysticism and the occult for battle. Basically, it treated Reality as a giant computer, and one 'string' of the Language was able to alter or add one existing fact, but cannot directly destroy a physical object or even concept. Multiple strings of these accidentally infected the collective Human Subconscious like a computer virus, which Alan Turing discovered too late, and this infection altered all Human Souls to be capable of manifesting a Noble Arm.

Deeper Explanation

Noble Arms' Core Power System (Summary expanded by@Lewascan2, with minor edits from me)

On a cosmic level, the reality that underlies all of existence in Noble Arms is like a computer of unfathomable scope. Self-propagating and self-maintaining, it shapes every facet of life from a plane no mortal was meant to access. Every law of reality is a line of core code. Every individual is a bundle of programs running their course. No piece of "data" is ever truly gone, even when relegated to -and deleted from- the "recycle bin". Everything that exists also exists in the form of data simultaneously, shaping the system and being shaped in return.

The system is not sentient (as far as anyone is aware). If there is a cosmic consciousness ruling over all creation with any motivations to speak of, they are hidden. There is only The System, and, alone and unmolested, it does what it is meant to, nothing more or less. It is assumed by all but the Big Three that is no higher existence than it; for what could be higher than the very bedrock of reality?

This solitude, however, presents an interesting weakness. Alone, unmolested for countless millennia, the System has never been at risk of threats of its level. It does not have any "anti-virus/malware" protection to speak of, which presents those with the means the opportunity to challenge, twist or alter the rules of the "programs" it uses to run our reality (but never directly 'delete').

This methodology of manipulation, discovered by Alan Turing, has been widely called the "Occult Programming Language", an art of equally mystical and technological means. Through effectively exploiting "bugs" in the System, caused by performing certain "unpatched" acts, the result is known traditionally as "magic". These bugs, however, tend to be niche, and more serious manipulations must be used collectively. This collective use results in the ability to directly manipulate the strings of reality's data, able to insert new "truths" into the System or alter existing ones.

One result of a new "truth" was a "virus" that added an "update" to human souls, which would birth what are now called Noble Arms. A Noble Arm, in essence, is a preexisting series of strings of code that allow access to a narrow application of OPL. In a technical sense, this is what every Arms Master does, limited by what strings of code can safely integrate with them according to physiological and psychological compatibility.

Unlike a practitioner of OPL, however, Arms Masters fundamentally do not understand what they are doing, wielding their abilities instinctively and without conscious awareness of the "background programs" running according to their desires. It would be comparable to typing on a keyboard. A typical Arms Master simply knows that by pressing a specific button, they will make a letter. An OPL practitioner, however, could manipulate the code such that pressing that button results in a different letter or even multiple; they can actively interfere with reality's unpinning according to their understanding... Of course, the advantage Noble Arms have over such is that they grant immediate power and function instinctively without any mental strain required in the majority of cases. The average Arms Master is a specialist overpowered in their area of "expertise" that makes the average OPL practitioner look like a half-assed jack of all trades.

The weapon of an Arms Master acts as a "casting focus" that does most of the heavy lifting for their wielder. Where an OPL practitioner must create their own focuses from scratch or rely on memory, a Noble Arm comes prepackaged and functional. Noble Arms only take the form of WW2 or prior weapons, tools or other important items according to the collective human understanding of "what is a weapon" at the time. As the "virus" was passed to humanity and altered the limits of what a soul could accomplish, it brought with it the existing archive of weapons. And as a one-time program, there has been no "update" since.

[Letter Bee]

Spoiler Info for Future Co-GMs - Applies to RPs set during and after 2019

-Ask in DMs if you get a Co-GM spot-

[Letter Bee]

3/23/2023 - I added some more information about the Hammer of Masters to the Main Lore Post and Past Lore Post!

[Letter Bee]

4/18/2023 - Edited 'Misc Lore' to include relevant information about the Occult Programming Language!

[Letter Bee]

4/22/2023 - Added a fuller explanation of how the Occult Programming Language works.

[Letter Bee]

6/27/2023 - Made a minor edit to 'Differences between IRL and the Original' to make what happened to the Philippines' previous government/administration vaguer.

[Letter Bee]

2/20/2024 - Edited the first paragraph to make it so that as more weapons become obsolete, Post-WW1 weapons can become Noble Arms on the condition they are widely recognized as antiquated.