Parcenia

After telepathy began surfacing in humanity, the civilized world struggled to explain the occurrence of this new phenomenon. Those who would later be known as Parcenians, however, saw the new talent as a partial ascension from the mortal plane. Communication, they argued, had always been both man's most profound achievement and his undoing.

All of human history's worst atrocities, they said, were caused by man's inability - or simple unwillingness - to communicate effectively. So, when the Enlightenment affected millions of people seemingly overnight, those plagued by this uncontrollable new sixth sense could find relief in the concept that they were chosen ones. Telepathy, they thought, should be looked upon as a blessing and not a curse.

Instead of trying to uproot and reestablish all known forms of spiritualism, Reno designed Parcenia to fit neatly into the hole left by the questions of mystical powers. This allows it to supplement any way of life, though as a full replacement it is rather lacking.

The Tomes of Parcenia

There are five volumes in Nicholas Reno's Tomes of Parcenia. Each tells of a different aspect of the awakening within. Included are excerpts from Reno's teachings.

The Energy

The Energy tells where the mystical powers came from and even without the Gift (innate powers given at birth), one can trigger the Calling and achieve these 'divine' powers.

The powers that have arisen among the chosen are embedded deep within us all. But the realization of mystical powers brings God unerringly into the question. As all Parcenians know, God was created in man's image, not the other way around.

He is added to fill the voids of the unexplainable and impossible. The truth is, we are the ones who can know and do all. Long forgotten, your own innate abilities are now coming back to tap you on the shoulder and show you something you've never seen before.

To attune oneself to the Energy is only a matter of will. The Energy is all around us, in the air we breathe and the walls that surround us. The ground we walk on stores vast supplies of it, simply waiting to be channeled. There is no limit to what one could do if he were to fully tap the power that surrounded him.

Perhaps the most easily accessed energy is that given off by the sun or living creatures. Every man, woman, and child radiates heat energy constantly.

The energy is everywhere. It is everything.

Ascension

Ascension explains the Parcenian mission: to unify every human together with mystical powers. He explains that by realizing that we are all gods by our own definition, and that perception is reality, we can expand the limits of our existence and create a universal paradise, an Elysium all over the planet.

Responsibility

Responsibility lays out all the ideals and guidelines for the first home of the divine, our very own Sol system. It explains how one awakened within, a Parcenian, is to act toward each other and especially the 'sleepers,' nonbelievers or those unaware of any mental talent.

It also lays out plans for a Parcenian capital city called Ascension.

Those who are not given the Gift shall be aided as any man with the Gift would. For they, imprisoned by their lack of communication or understanding, still live in the darkness of past and present atrocity.

The Master's Key

The Master's Key is a series of training manuals. It contains all of Reno's studies and experiments, both mystical and general in nature. It tells of many techniques he'd seen or developed, and even how to tell a person's mental potential by their blood.

One who is in tune with these unseen elements of the world can sense the river of energy that we call time. Our lives are drops of water in this river. If we can recognize the flow of the river around us, we can learn to manipulate it. We may even navigate the river, swimming up or downstream at will.

Book Five

Book Five is a much smaller book than the rest, and no copy of the book has ever been brought to light. It is supposedly Reno's personal memoirs and wishes, telling the secrets of a leader with a legacy to give. It tells lastly of the Heretics who will cleanse the impure and induce Elysium.

The Faith

City of Ascension

The average Parcenian progresses their mental powers as far as possible. Many of the most powerful mentalists in the universe became that way through Parcenian teachings and the help of its priests. Some have nearly limitless potential, an incredibly deep well that can be delved into for mental power. Through constant training, this power can surface in the form of so-called-impossible feats, such as raising heavy trucks with telekinesis or materializing working devices after studying their inner workings. With the established skills, it is no longer difficult to figure out what one can do with these skills, but what one cannot do...

Reno Parcenium

The center of the Parcenian faith is unquestionably Nicholas Reno's original temple, built on the aptly named Elysium Mons on Mars. It is also known as the Temple of Ascension. The original structure was an underground bunker/refuge/prison for those deemed dangerous. Either very powerful or not in control of their powers, these people were the subject of Reno's Tomes of Parcenia. Now a vast pyramid of red stone stands atop the old bunker.

A neatly rowed pile of gardens and pillars rises hundreds of meters above the ground. It was carved out of the bedrock by several of Reno's amazing telepaths, chief among them Ryanna of Callisto, over the span of a few years. Designed by Reno himself, the chambers within now constitute the halls of the largest mystic school in the known universe.

Most of the chambers within the temple are devoted to specific functions. After climbing most of the way up the pyramid, the area levels off. Rows of columns wrapped in ivy support an open atrium spanning the entire floor. Just above this is the guest tier, with reception and waiting areas, and a few guest quarters. Atop the temple is a clear-walled observatory, where one can survey the stars or the surrounding land with equal ease.

An elevator in one corner goes one floor up and ten floors down. Just below the main courtyard lies the administrative tier. Here are the meeting halls, offices, maintenance, kitchen, and storage facilities. Between the rooms here are small angled passages extending out to the surface of the pyramid. These mirrored shafts convey sunlight and fresh air down to a large central shaft, providing a natural means to keep a large park down on the ground floor.

The second floor down is, like the nine below it, open in the center. Shafts similar to those on the administrative tier can be seen through the walls and ceilings, most of which are clear. During the day, sunlight is directed toward the very large central shaft, where it refracts through glass and reflects off the many circular white support columns. The kaleidoscope of colors and lights shift continuously, dazzling the eye and mind with wild geometry that shifts with every step.

One can also get a spectacular view of the Pillar Over the Garden from the top. Extending down to the first level of the pyramid, a vast square pillar of air leads to the base of the temple where trees and grass and everything in between can be found. Here and in the surrounding benches one may take in a meal or quietly meditate among nature. No talking is permitted in the garden itself, but then again many of the temple's inhabitants do not require speech to communicate.

Prominent Figures

Incaster - Vermas Van Houten

Diviner - Rion Eshkar

Nicholas Reno

The first Parcenian priest was Nicholas Reno, a European writer who was able to focus his abilities at a very young age. Born in 2344, Nicholas used the wealth of thoughts and images he gathered from the minds around him to write beautiful and inspiring poetry. However, as hate crimes against telepaths rose, Nicholas shifted his writings toward the topic of telepathy. His eloquence as both a speaker and a writer earned him a great deal of respect from both sides of the battle.

Ruling Structure

Nicholas Reno, of course, founded his system of belief many years ago. And however devoted, pure, and noble the Parcenian faith had been at its beginning, the passage of time decayed its existence. Many of the simple laws that Reno had set had been expanded upon, and therefore misinterpreted by many. And while the majority of Parcenians believe Reno's reincarnation will one day come and straighten things out, that does not exclude them from the rather open-endedness of their faith.

Because the new leaders have no intention of pushing their faith in radical nor conservative directions, people have been left to guide themselves in whatever direction they choose. The broadest of the faith include priests who abide strictly to the laws set down by Reno himself, and seek solitude and enlightenment. Others have gone the opposite way, trying to help others in strengthening their own telepathic powers, even those unaware of their power. Few choose the path that earns them the title not of the priest, but that of the Heretic.

These extremists believe that telepathy is the only life to live, for them and everyone else, non-telepaths included. Most extremists endlessly campaign to get funding for training centers or psychodevelopment businesses. It was a Parcenian who happened to be a high-ranking ISA official that developed the series of tests designed to show latent mental powers in normal people.

Hidden Treasures - A Brief History

Nicholas was the first to introduce the concept of Parcenia - not just an idea, or a place, or a group of people - but the existence and discovery of hidden treasures within the human mind. Only through spiritual closeness and a taming of this new talent could telepaths hope to survive and, ultimately, help humanity obtain the final level of a divine state of being.

His writings also taught a measure of tolerance to others awakened and the 'sleepers.' In decisive contrast to many of the more radical, sometimes violent, telepaths, Nicholas did not preach of superiority and empowerment. Instead, he simply pointed out the need for telepaths to keep a distance from sleepers and the darkened - for the safety of both.

Sleepers

The Heritage7 virus was deemed as a boon to mankind and introduced to every newborn human beginning in 2320. Though it is unknown how this practice relates to mystical powers, it is widely believed that after this event telepathy and other unusual skills began developing among people.

Most people with these new talents were at first unaware of their abilities. This state might progress to awareness at any time. Through stress, an open mind, or just the passage of time, these men and women became aware of their state of mind.

There are sleepers by the millions still, those unaware or uncaring of their potential. Away from the larger planets, training might be difficult or expensive to acquire.

The 'Darkened Ones' are people who are incapable of ever learning mystical powers. They now represent the minority, about 1% of everyone.

The Enlightenment

Nicholas Reno founded his refuge in 2375. By then, around two percent of the population had been affected. Most were children, but several notable figures at the time were also enlightened. Today more people are aware of their powers than ever.

By 2380 Reno had been studying extensively the extent of his and other people's newfound abilities. Eventually he produced a theory that supernatural phenomena were sometimes caused by humans themselves - that ghosts might be the psychic manifestations of sleeping humans with the gift. He never produced any concrete results, but his theory can be found in book four of the Tomes.