Alignments

Known Alignments

The Towers

The Towers are not mere philosophies or factions like the Alignments—they are the great metaphysical, magical, and ideological forces that shape reality itself. Each of the eleven Towers represents an enduring archetype, a monolithic tradition, an undeniable power that precedes, outlasts, and supersedes all kingdoms, rulers, and even gods. They are fundamental truths, standing above Alignments, Magisteriums, and all mortal organizations.

Where Alignments are fluid and personal—cultures, movements, ethics that individuals choose—the Towers are eternal forces that transcend mortal decision-making. To be aligned with a Tower is to be drawn into its orbit, often without choice. These are the great lodestones of magic, power, and ideology, dictating what is possible and shaping the laws of magic, philosophy, and existence itself.

  • The Kingdom is vast, but the Towers stand beyond the Kingdom—old before it existed, and destined to remain after it falls.
  • Magisteriums, great houses of arcane and intellectual power, often align with a Tower, but they do not control them.
  • Many seek to embody a Tower, but no one rules them—they are eternal concepts made manifest.

To serve a Tower is to become part of something far larger than oneself—to stand in its light (or shadow) and accept its judgment. Many Alignments gravitate toward one Tower or another, but to claim a Tower’s favor is to be forever marked by it.

Gold, Purple, Blue, Green, Orange, Black, Grey, White, Omber, Red, Pink

The Towers are primordial, monolithic forces—not mere Alignments. Alignments are social, ideological, and behavioral movements that define cultures, philosophies, and personal choices within the Kingdom. The Towers, however, are something much greater. They are ancient, foundational constructs of power, the true metaphysical forces that shape the world itself.

The Purpose of Alignments

Alignments are philosophical forces, ideological movements, and existential perspectives that shape the Dreamlands and the Waking World. They are not just personality types, but deeply-rooted worldviews that influence everything—from politics and magic to war and destiny itself. Alignments define the conflicts of this world. Nations rise and fall by them, heroes and villains are forged through them, and the very fabric of reality bends under their influence.

Key Differences Between Towers and Alignments

  • The Towers Are Eternal; Alignments Are Fleeting; Towers exist beyond history. They are archetypal, always present in some form. Alignments rise and fall, emerging from political, religious, or cultural movements.
  • The Towers Shape Reality; Alignments Shape People; The Towers are not organizations, but rather fundamental truths woven into the Dreamlands.Alignments are social constructs, ideological frameworks that people choose to follow.
  • The Towers Are Unquestioned Pillars of Power: Some Magisteriums, rulers, and factions may serve a Tower, but they do not control it. Alignments, by contrast, are shaped by those who follow them—they evolve and change.
  • The Towers Transcend Politics and Borders; They do not care for the Kingdom, the Crusade, the Legions, or the petty rivalries of nobles. Alignments, however, tend to be more regionally entangled in the Kingdom’s affairs—they rise and fall with the times. 
  • Towers Do Not Recruit, They Draw In: One does not “join” a Tower like an Alignment. Rather, a Tower pulls those who are destined for it—marking them forever.

The Towers Stand Above All: A Tower’s influence is pervasive, even among those who think themselves free of it. It is not an institution that one joins or pledges loyalty to—it is a great metaphysical force that influences all magic, all thought, all structure in the world. The Kingdom itself is merely a stage upon which the Towers act.

What Alignments Are

  • Big-Picture Forces – Alignments are not just individual moral choices; they are sweeping philosophies that drive civilizations, cults, orders, and gods.
  • Internal Struggles – Even those devoted to an alignment wrestle with its contradictions. A Dominion paladin might struggle with the iron grip of order, just as an Elder druid wrestles with the cost of preservation.
  • Cultural & Metaphysical – Alignments aren’t just political factions. They have metaphysical weight, often influencing magic, history, and the fundamental laws of the Dream.
  • Not Static – They shift. A warrior raised in Concordia might find themselves drawn toward Aegis after enough hardship. A revolutionary in Epiphany may lose their faith and slide into Vortex.
  • Not Always Obvious – You don’t always wear your alignment on your sleeve. Some people don’t even realize what alignment they are until they’re forced to make a defining choice.

What Alignments Are Not

  • Not a D&D Morality Grid – This isn’t just “Lawful Good vs. Chaotic Evil.” This is deeper, messier, and more nuanced, involving historical forces, ideological schisms, and cosmic truths.
  • Not Political Parties – Though some alignments manifest in governments, they aren’t simple political factions. Logos, Dominion, and Archon might all seek structure, but their visions of reality are fundamentally different.
  • Not Just Religions – While some alignments have deep spiritual components, they are not just faiths. The Sacred King is both a religion and a metaphysical reality, while Logos is law without divine mandate.
  • Not One-Dimensional – A Synod-aligned general might be calculating, brutal, and loyal to the Horrrible forces of darkness, but she could also be a loving mother, a poet, or someone who genuinely believes she’s saving the world from stagnation.
  • Not Permanent – A Dominion knight can break, fall into despair, and end up in Aegis. A rogue of The Periphery might have a sudden revelation and shift toward Questing. People change. So do their alignments.

How Alignments Shape the World

  • Cities & Kingdoms – No kingdom is purely one alignment. Even within the most rigid Dominion state, there are rebels, dreamers, and cynics.
  • Magic & Metaphysics – The forces of the universe recognize alignments. Dreamers shape reality through belief, and gods choose champions based on alignment resonance.
  • Conflict & Warfare – The greatest wars are not over land, but over alignments. The Blight doesn’t just want to conquer—it wants to rewrite the rules of existence.
  • The Personal Journey – Alignments are not just about nations and history. They shape personal choices. A warrior standing before a burning village must ask themselves not just what is right, but what aligns with their greater truth.
  • Access – A lot of magic and special abilities are only accessible upon being sincere and recognized part of given Alignment.
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The Alignments themselves evolve over time, look different in different regions

Alignments themselves evolve. The relative position in the Matrice used to be “occupied” by “The Wyld” centuries ago. Gradually the Wyld withered and the old energies associated with the Wyld were inherited by the founding visionaries of the Celestial ideology. Likewise the expectation is that in the coming century several Alignments might die and be replaced by relatively comparable or “more adaptable” positions and demographics. 

 

The Alignment Wheel & Where You Stand

  • At the Center Lies Balance – The force that seeks to maintain equilibrium and prevent any one ideology from consuming the Dreamlands.
  • The Outward Spiral – As you move outward, alignments become more extreme, more absolute, and in some cases, more dangerous.
  • The Abyss at the Edges – The most extreme alignments, like The Scourge or The Cult, teeter on the edge of madness and the unknown, drawing power from the great cosmic horrors beyond the veil.

Final Thought: Choosing an Alignment

Alignments are more than just labels. They are paths, legacies, and choices. Whether you are a noble knight of Dominion, a trickster of The Periphery, or a dreamer of Empyrean, your alignment will define your place in this world – Choose wisely. Or let the world choose for you.