Mysticism: Augment Endurance, Invoke Arrowcut, Invoke Denial (Food), Invoke Denial (Water), Invoke Indomitable, Invoke Life Sense, Enhance Fatigue, Enhance Healing Rate
Skills: Combat Style (Dervish), Endurance, Evade, Meditation, Mysticism (Path of the Dervish), Perception, Survival
Combat Style (Dervish) – Unarmed, Staff, Punch Daggers
The Dervishes of the High Plateau are a group of ancient mystics who train their bodies and minds to endure pain and overcome physical and mental punishment.
It is said that the Dervishes of the High Plateau were first founded by a banished group of criminals who were punished to roam the High Plateau until they perished. The legend says that of those banished, only a handful survived, and those that did only survived because of a mystical power that they managed to tap into. This would form the basis of the goal for the Dervishes of the High Plateau. Later, the Dervishes would extend their teachings into using the ruggedness of the High Plateau to increase their ability to thrive in such an inhospitable place.
Membership
Members of the cult are known as Dervishes, and are usually only recruited because they were on the verge of death. Dervishes are oath-bound to help any dying survivors who show promise and determination to achieve strength in body and mind beyond human limits. They must then offer them a chance to become a Dervish or die in the situation they’ve found themselves in.
Additionally, Dervishes are oath-bound to a life of ascetism, living with minimal belongings and choosing to take the more difficult option when available, as they believe there is something to be learned when you challenge yourself.
Mysticism and Skills
Dervish members can learn additional talents/skills by either returning back to the desert ruins in the High Plateau OR by locating one of many remote centers of power established by other wandering Dervish members. These locations (called Parallels) allow the members to enter a state of meditation and project their minds back to the desert ruins and learn from other members there. Either method requires at least 1 month of study and practice, the latter option requiring the Dervish to remain in these remote locations for extended periods of time.
Any Dervish can setup a Parallel, but they can only be setup in remote locations where a Dervish can fully immerse themselves in the nature of their surroundings, away from any distractions. Setting up a Parallel requires building or erecting a pylon of some kind (a large vertical stone, a small wooden tower, a number of stones piled up on each other, etc.) followed by a 24 hour ritual where the Dervish enters a meditative state to establish a permanent connection with the High Plateau.
Swords & Stones 