Lord Auguste Bailey, The Apex Noble
History is not moved by the formless, directionless masses but by a tiny number of nascent great men and women who may be found among the chaff of the common people. Or at least, so says Auguste Bailey. As one of these Great Men who arose to become the very apex of the idea, Auguste encourages the growth of others and, uniquely among the gods, rejects worship by the majority of mortals on Chronus, refusing to grant them blessings unless they prove themselves Great Men as well.
History
Lay The Foundation
Unlike many of his fellow Gods of Chronus, Auguste had extremely humble beginnings. Not a higher entity at birth, no aristocratic parents, not even a childhood in some exotic realm. Instead, he was born to low means in one of the slums of Patrie's less fortunate cities, ridden with crime thanks to the gangster families calling it home. His parents, careless as they were, didn't even bother to test him for his Spark of Potential. It was as if his birth was a complete non-event, one among many. Ironically, his origins were identical to the lowly masses he would come to scorn, if only for their willingness to meander through life without any desire to rise.
But even at such an early age, hints of his destiny appeared. In everything he tried his hand at, he seemed absolutely determined to improve. His first words were not babble parroted from his environment, but months later than other children, yet a full paragraph explaining to his father how to fix the stubbornly squeaky hinge on their refrigerator door. As he grew, his pursuits were few and apparently unrelated, but devoted to the extreme. He never excelled at first, but always did eventually and, in time, at a faster rate than his peers. He was only fourteen years old when he left home, dropping out of his public Court-funded grade school, but successfully forging his records to show an early graduation and masterful grades across the board.
Cut The Stone
Entering an Usuhanian college at a young age thanks to his forged records, Auguste was easily able to keep up with his classmates, spending every minute of the day that wasn't dedicated to his bodily functions and needs on learning and practicing the material. No social activities, no romantic pursuits, and no personal hobbies distracted his attention. Despite putting aside so much time for his studies, it seemed he really didn't need to, as his natural intellect combined with his Spark allowed him to comprehend every angle of his classes better than the teachers themselves before half the semester was out. But instead of taking the time off, he simply switched subjects to other, more complex ones. Algebra, trigonometry, calculus and geometry were mastered in weeks for example, only to be replaced with cryptography, functional analysis, and theories of mathematics among others.
Whispers spread throughout his college of the fantastical wunderkin, who must have been using enchantments or alchemy to bolster his capability, and his lack of desire to prove himself to his fellow students meant these rumors often went unanswered, and assumed as true. The only one who seemed to believe Auguste was truly as able as he appeared, was an elf by the name of Hiram Il-Sung, a classmate of his in a finances class. While Hiram wasn't anywhere near Bailey in his studies, he was far more aware on how to use such potential. Befriending the young prodigy, Hiram used his familial influence to ward off any disruptive investigations into Auguste's background and the circumstances of his intellect. When Auguste graduated at the top of his classes in the subjects he applied for and many more besides, Hiram was there to help him convert his progress into the world at large.
Pile The Blocks
Together with Hiram, Auguste opened a weapons research company he personally named, 'Sovereign' in Usuhan. Working out of Hiram's home city, Sujeong-Dosi, the pair grew from a small technology firm to a renowned corporation in record time, Bailey's design capability combined with Hiram's management making for a winning team. What Il-Sung didn't know however, was that Auguste had been learning from him just as much as the innovator had from textbooks. In time, Auguste apparently decided he had learned everything he needed from Hiram, and abruptly broke their partnership to open his own company, Bailey Artificials. Sovereign only survived thanks to the team of talented engineers and technological architects they had cultivated in the company, as Auguste had secured much of his own contribution as his own legal property in a cunning move, transfering many in-progress research projects and investments to his new corporation.
It only took a few years after the formation of Bailey Artificials for it to grow beyond Sovereign, and before becoming fifty years of age Auguste not only had two successful megacorps under his belt, but a city to boot when he bought up the entirety of the city of Aleumdaum, a minor manufacturing district near the Usuhan Wildlands. Construction began immediately on expanding the city, drawing up every sheet of blueprints, funding every project, all but laying the bricks himself, so to speak. For that, he paid several smaller companies and hundreds of thousands of employees to build his precious metropolis according to his exacting specifications and plans. All the while, true to his obsessive, workaholic nature, Bailey advanced his tech-research to new heights. Hovercrafts, energy weapons, cybernetic augmentation, advanced pharmaceuticals, all this and more had their origins in Auguste Bailey's worktable. In time, he earned the unofficial, and likely accurate, title of "The Smartest Man In Setlaar".
Throughout it all, Auguste still turned heavy profits, and yet all on his lonesome. While affable if needed, Bailey vehemently disliked spending time with his fellow man, viewing many of them as beneath notice for their lack of accomplishment and comparable sloth, happy to reach the minimum and rest on their laurels. He rarely, if ever, indulged in his riches, using the profits gained from one project to fund the next, and kept only a small inner circle of other near-peers to drive his thoughts. The only time he ever found himself anything even approaching an equal, it was when Avalia Naramoore rose to prominence in the Setlaar, her Steelworks company rivaling Bailey Artificials in its rate of innovation, and only the tiefling herself knowing technology as well as he did. It was also likely the only time he ever came close to harboring affections for a woman, but his expression of such feelings were indistinguishable from deep respect, even to himself; such feelings would never be acted upon, if even realized.
Continue Ascension
In time, Aleumdaum achieved a golden age. Employment was a near-exact 95%, the people of the city were free and healthy, Auguste never feeling the need to be dictatorial, and in fact spending millions of gold on luxuries, recreation, and security with no apparent way to continue upwards. More riches would have no more meaning than he had now, none questioned his wisdom and direction, and wider Setlaar politics held no interest to him; there was nothing left for him to accomplish. That is, until he felt the call of the divine, the Spark in his soul seeming to urge him on further and further past the offices of mortals and to that of the gods. But Chronus had no Test of The Starstone, and religion was another field he felt no urge to explore. When Auguste began sketching designs for a place he called "The High Lands", it was perhaps the first flight of fancy he ever indulged in, the only purely artistic endeavor that wasn't dropped within days after losing interest. To Bailey, The High Lands was a realm of infinite potential, everlasting trials, where the most accomplished and capable of mortals, Great Men, gathered to compete and compare among themselves free of any obligations to their lessers. It was, to a man like Auguste Bailey, a true Heaven.
And like Heaven itself, it was eventually revealed to be more than fantasy when Auguste was approached by a man in a silver mask calling himself Propheta Novi. Calling himself the first priest of a new pantheon, he urged Bailey to dedicate himself to reaching that same height, but Auguste was struck by a realization: if he left, Aleumdaum, his greatest creation, would be without caretakers. For too long, the people of the City of The Future had relied on his patronage, his care, his constant spending of time and resources. Without him, it would fall to disorder and ruin in no time at all. Already, his waning interest in the city had led to the rise of criminal gangs, a laziness in its police forces, and the social detritus of the urban beginning to collect. Like his parents before him, Bailey was beginning to abandon his 'child'.
To prevent this, Auguste announced a mandate that the city's Bohoja drone fleet would be used to exile all Chaotic, Lawful, and True Neutral citizens from Aleumdaum, knowing most everymen were some flavor of Neutral or another, and thus would instigate the most resistance. It seems it worked, as two organizations known as the Alignment Freedom Front and the Gaejyong Center Initiative arose to stop him, the latter headed by his old friend Hiram Il-Sung. The mandate was delayed for years by allowed sabotage by the two organizations, and when the events of Swarming Eyes came and Bailey was 'overthrown' by the people of Aleumdaum, he left his company and all its riches and projects to them, satisfied that the city finally had those who would fight for it. Before he left however, he was confronted by the Riftstalker Sera Sage, who took extreme umbrage at his construction of Aleumdaum's Seonmul Dam, which took its hydroelectric flow from the Plane of Water as a display of dominance. Dismissing Sera's concerns, he eventually drove her to a rage which caused her to strike at him with an empowered sword, leaving a glowing golden scar across his chest which to this day is still visible even through clothing, an ultimate reminder of the price of ambition.
Reach The Apex
For years after, under Propheta Novi's guidance, Bailey constructed The High Lands as a true realm unconfined to his imagination. Due to the particularities of his domains, Auguste had no need for worshipers, only to finish his now-greatest project and gain the right to become a God of Chronus. From a boy raised in a gutter with nothing but potential to his name, to the heights of divinity, none on Chronus truly represented Ambition as he did. Working without privilege or advantage, not even encouragement from those who raised him or his peers. No coin, powers, magic, anything that wasn't available to every man and woman on the street was given to him, yet on the first week of Lamashan, 59 IA, Auguste Bailey became a god, the Lord of Ambition, the Apex Noble.
Now Auguste finds His work in overseeing the advancement of those with potential on Chronus. Always watching, always testing, for it is His business, His duty, His domain to find those who would become the best of a field, would rise above their peers, and ensure their worthiness.
Home
Auguste watches from The High Lands, a desert demiplane of silken sand, where every grain represents a soul that has, is, and will be born on Chronus that will achieve little in life, moving from cradle to grave seeking as little inconvenience and risk as possible. Appropriately, those who visit The High Lands tread upon them, just as life itself moved upon and left them behind with nothing indicating these pitiful lives as being anything noteworthy. Rising from the ground though are enormous pyramids of glass, seeming like a window cut into the air, that act as tributes to those who gain the eye and approval of the Lord of Ambition, showing their moments of triumph and excellence for all to see and be humbled by.
The tallest and greatest of these pyramids, is The Apex, a window representing Auguste Bailey Himself. As to be expected, The Apex shows a window into The High Lands itself, the demiplane being His greatest achievement. Those who stare into it long though, may see flickers showing a futuristic city of lights, a gaze into the highest endeavor not of a god, but a man. Some say this is a private acknowledgement from The Great Man, that although godhood is the pinnacle of His efforts, Aleumdaum, and its people, will always hold a special place in the heart of the Lord of Ambition.
Appearance
The Apex Noble has one and only one form, that of His former mortal self with a few...divine alterations. To take the form of a monster or inhuman creature would be to erase His past as a mere man, and it is His journey from mortal to god that defines His philosophy and domains; barring His glowing golden eyes and the scar across his chest, He appears exactly as He did from before His ascension. Still, it seems He at least chose a rather timeless fashion, with small silver chains, slimming black color-scheme, and high-end loafers of genuine leather made from the natural source rather than magically replicated materials like in many low-grade, inexpensive pairs.
His most standout feature is the golden scar across His chest from the blade of Sera Sage. Although the wound itself wasn't severe, the mark it left behind is of divine origin, perhaps made permanent by a higher power or willingly sported by Auguste as a reminder to Himself or His followers. Unable to be covered by any material or spell, the scar presents the lesson that those with high ambitions will never make it through without their share of difficulties or wounds. As one ascends from the common man, the crowds below will always take their pound of flesh, and none with high Ambition should be under the illusion that they will achieve their goals untouched.
Relationships
Friends and Allies
Auguste's titles are The Great Man, the Apex Noble, the Lord of Ambition. None of these names indicate any sort of fellowship with others, and so in turn Bailey calls very few his friends. He at least holds respect for His fellow Gods of Chronus, as each achieved their status by embodying a principle more than any others on this world. Among them though, He has His favorites, especially those that were born without any special privileges. Those that were born with destiny already made, such as Yakuul and the Son of Sand, hold less favor to Him than the likes of Ronda or Willow, who compared to their peers had no obvious advantage. Among them all though, the only one whose counsel He will truly appreciate is Avalia, the Mithral Lady's. Whether it is due to simple respect for what She has achieved, an artifact of His affection for Her in His mortal life, or a combination of both, is hard to gauge, and will likely never be confirmed by the Lord of Ambition.
Enemies
Although no other gods have so far earned Auguste's ire, He counts among His 'enemies' much of the mortal population of Chronus, seeing them as useful only as a baseline from which to judge the truly great. The likes of Willow may protect them, Yakuul may devour them, but none hold such contempt for them as Auguste Bailey. At least He bears no explicit hatred of them, as He recognizes even the chaff have their purpose as distinguishing the grain.
Reaching The Apex
Worshipers and Clergy
Uniquely among the Gods of Chronus, Auguste Bailey rejects a majority of the world's people, and will not hear their prayers nor recognize any attempt at worship or acts in His name; worshipers of the Apex Noble do not choose to venerate Him. Instead, He seeks out those of potential and excellence and offers His patronage. If they refuse, He does not bear a grudge, nor spare them any more thought, and moves on. If they accept, the chosen may feel some regret, as they will find their lives suddenly filled with difficulty, as the Lord of Ambition offers not blessings but trials, perfectly crafted through tugs of fate to not only test these aspirants, but give them the chance to be sharpened into their highest potential. If such tribulation breaks them, sometimes fatally, no more thought is given to them, as they have been tried and found wanting.
If they should succeed however, and the very best in the aspirant shines through, they are named a Great Man, regardless of species or gender, and given a pyramid in The High Lands which will for all time portray the highest achievements they earn in life and immortalize them as worthy of remembrance. A pyramid, however, can be rescinded, sinking into the sand back with the innumerable masses if they fall from grace. Usually this happens if their excellence is eclipsed by another Great Man in the same respect; a spectacular architect's creation being outdone by another's, for instance. This creates an atmosphere of constant competition among Great Men, a very intentional effect by the High Aristocrat. If a Great Man is overtaken, then reacquires his position, they receive a golden scar identical to Auguste's own as a mark of merit, indicating they have fallen and risen again to the remarkable heights.
In the open world, two Great Men can recognize the other through the phrase, "I am the beast I worship", and usually offer respect to one another as fellow achievers, but also often bear suspicion, for as Great Men they are in constant competition. What is forbidden however, is violence between them unless such violence is a component of their greatness. Two painters for instance have no cause to come to blows, but two Great Men of swordsmanship may cross weapons to prove their superiority, including one killing the other. In the pursuit of Ambition, death is as much a spectre of failure as anything else.
Temples and Shrines
Worshiping and paying respect to the Apex Noble is not something of sacrificial offerings or words of prayer, but takes the form of deeds. Every creation of a Great Man of artistry is a holy offering, every victory by one of battle, a prayer. Great Men build no official temples, and no shrines exist besides the results of achievement. The only holy structures are the pyramids of The High Lands, and those are Bailey's prizes to them, not those for Him.
Worshiping Auguste Bailey
Special: Only characters with at least 10 HD can choose to worship the Apex Noble for any mechanical benefits; Bailey does not consort with members of the bleating herd.
Obedience: Once a day, a worshiper must ‘strike a deal’ with the Apex Noble in the form of a one hour prayer, directly discussing their goals and ambitions with him. Afterwards, the worshiper may at any time choose to take a natural 1 on any d20 roll which is not usually subject to take 10, and which does not automatically fail. If the result of the roll is still a success, the worshiper can then choose to take a natural 20 on any d20 roll afterwards. The natural 20, if not used by the next day, is removed.
Lay The Foundation (1st Tier Boon, Sp): The worshiper can cast Hermean Insight 3/day with a CL equal to their hit-dice.
Pile The Blocks (2nd Tier Boon, Ex): The worshiper may choose a Sphere of Power, Sphere of Might, vancian school or PoW martial discipline as their Ambition, being treated as if they had +1 CL in SoP and vancian, +1 BAB in SoM, and an additional initiator level in PoW. This Ambition’s bonus increases by +1 after succeeding in the obedience’s nat 1, but this increase only lasts until the nat 20 is used.
Reach The Apex (3rd Tier Boon, Ex): The 1-roll through obedience can be completed up to 3 times per day, gaining another natural 20 each time, and completing it a third time increases the Ambition’s bonus by yet another +1. If a nat 20 is used, the bonus is decreased by 1, but nat 20s do not require an additional 1-roll success to be used (ie, one can earn a nat-20 and use it immediately without a second 1-roll success).
Teachings
As has been said before, Ambition is the domain of Auguste Bailey, great achievements by the Great Men He chooses and 'blesses' with tribulation. But other than the constant pursuit of improvement if not perfection, the Apex Noble makes no demands, and gives no lectures. The only rule he holds is of peace between Great Men not concerned with warfare, and even then His definition of 'peace' is rather shaky. Plunging a blade into a rival is forbidden, but sabotaging their work is perfectly acceptable. If one cannot protect their greatness, is it truly such an achievement?
The High Aristocrat is also somewhat loose with his perceptions of what exactly constitutes greatness. To Him, all it means is showing superiority of skill and influence over the world around them. A vile murderer who claims many victims, striking fear into all around them without being caught, is just as great to him as a man of immense benevolence who uplifts the lives of thousands and secures their humbled gratefulness. Indeed, Great Men may find themselves at cross purposes not because of rivalry, but because their ethos separate from that of the Apex Noble is at such a clash. In such cases, the agreement of protection between Great Men is retained, but so are the technicalities that are quite easy to skirt.
Theme: Beware, by Death Grips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx0iZrTCgcw