A scattered people wielding the powers of the Force, not unlike the Jedi Knights, the Altèya (æl.teɪ.ə ; meaning "borne of Atlateus" or "of Atlateus we are borne") are a culturally distinct and select group of Humans residing on the world of Endelaan, though are seen as a borderline subspecies, both culturally and genetically. This is in part because one is not chosen to be an Altèya, but is born as one. Whether or not the Altèya chooses to wield their inborn powers has no bearing on the fact.
Emerging from the Unknown Regions of galactic space, the Altèya are perceived by the majority of the greater galaxy as a new order of Force wielders, often associated with Gray Jedi. However, the origins of the Altèya are far older than what appears to many. While some Altèya have indeed ventured to Alliance space and sought out the Jedi after becoming attracted to their purpose, there was quickly found to be great animosity between the Altèya and the Jedi, almost instantaneously.
The cause of this antagonistic tension, which was predominantly evident on both sides - born even before the moment of the Altèya and the Jedi meeting, became virtually cemented after the progenitors of the Altèya became revealed. Indeed, aside from the Jedi Order, and possibly keen members of the Sith, none in the galaxy are truly aware that the Altèya's origins can be traced back to another group of Force wielders, known as the Reborn.
Chapter I: The Great Exsilium
Approximately twelve years after the event known as the Battle of Yavin IV, a remnant division of the old Galactic Empire, known as the Empire Reborn, orchestrated experimentation on Human youths, called the Empire Youths, in order to create the long-lived idealistic dream of infusing the Force into non-Force Sensitives. After some time, and via the use of the mightiest Force nexus in the galaxy, the Valley of the Jedi, this dream became realized, and thus came the advent of the Reborn. An unnatural creation of Dark Jedi with powerful connections to the Force.
In the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War's climax, the Reborn became the chief enemies of the New Jedi Order. Despite their newfound powers, the inexperience of the members proved to be their downfall, and huge populations of the Reborn were slain at the time of their first, and highly ambitious, campaign. Following their first defeat, the Reborn were gathered up and incarcerated. While initially believed to be the end of the Reborn threat, a new figure arose and rallied the former Reborn to her side. With their battle experience and hardened hearts, the Reborn rose again under the mantle of the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, Marka Ragnos.
A battle that dwarfed the previous one ensued, and while ultimately defeated once more, the more experienced Reborn left their undeniable mark on the galaxy and Jedi Order. With their experience growing with each surviving battle, and their unnatural connection to the Force strong as ever, it became apparent that the Reborn could not simply be imprisoned and expect to be stopped. Fearing the Republic would not trust them to contain another Reborn uprising, the Jedi High Council chose to banish the remaining Reborn warriors into the Unknown Regions.
After nearly two months of being trapped on the deep-space shuttle, the Reborn were eventually and unintentionally caught in a gravity well of a blue giant star, which ultimately drew them down to the nearby planet in the system. By the time the Reborn shuttle had landed on the unknown planet, nearly half of the Reborn had already died of malnutrition. Of that half, another third died upon impact with the surface. Only ten survived to leave the crashed shuttle. Of these ten, was a powerful Master of the Reborn, the one known as the Great Forefather and Altèya Progenitor; Atlateus.
Chapter II: Calling of Atlateus
The Reborn exiled to the unknown world found themselves in a desert wasteland, with turbulent winds and harsh sandstorms. After that day, the ten remaining Reborn began their ten-day long exodus, now called The Cleansing, into the wilderness, wandering for nothing, seeking nothing but their own survival. Of those ten, five of them succumbed to the desert heat, starvation, and harsh conditions of the badlands. After six months of wandering, Atlateus was the last of his "brothers" strong enough to continue on traveling. Throughout the time of their arrival since the present, the Reborn had only seldom contact with the natives of the planet.
Several encounters with criminal bands were what Atlateus had experienced, each with the same result. Although weak and without their lightsabers, the Dark Side of the Force served the Reborn warriors, allowing them to slaughter their opposition. The sporadic confrontations with the desert wanderers provided the Reborn with supplies, food and clothing for the harsh desert climate, and weapons as well. However, after months and months of aimless travel, weakness had once again taken over, with only Atlateus remaining strong enough.
It was believed to be the Force fating Atlateus' instincts, as the very night of the other Reborn lacking the strength to venture, the young Atlateus found a massive trade village, a central hub of activity. Taking what supplies he could - a two day journey from the initial time of his leaving - Atlateus ventured back to his fellow Reborn to nurse them back to health, only to find that he was the last of his kind. They were all dead. Atlateus fell to his knees, cursing the Jedi as he gazed upon the maggots feasting on his "brother's" bodies. Atlateus spent his final night in the desert digging burials for the last four Reborn, afterwhich he left for the village once more, on the world he now knew in a sense; it was a long lost planet in the galaxy's eyes, called Endelaan.
Atlateus became a desert wanderer after that, venturing out into the deserts time after time, only seeking out settlements when in need of supplies. His rise to prominence came about by an accident and unintended consequences of his own actions. While losing himself in an area of Endelaan's massive deserts, Atlateus came upon an oasis in a great valley, between three hook-shaped mountains, called Inoc'Kra. Seeing nothing in its beauty aside from a gentle place of resting, Atlateus came into the oasis only to find marauders raiding the settlement. The first sight he had were the bodies of children paving the pathway into the settlement. Unaffected by this, Atlateus merely sought an inactive area of the oasis to retire.
Unknown to him, his entrance was observed, and he was quickly met by a small band of the marauders. Ignoring their demands, Atlateus easily slew his would-be oppressors with the Force, only to find the action witnessed by many of the settlers. In an precedence show of gratitude, the settlers of Inoc'Kra threw themselves at Atlateus, praising and venerating him. While the Force did bestow upon him clairvoyance that the marauders had fled, he'd decided to take advantage of the settler's naivete. For several weeks, Atlateus was treated as a ruler and king, awed by the locals for his command over the Force.
Although residing for nearly a year among the people of Inoc'Kra, Atlateus viewed his life as temporary; he set no sights of permanently living there among them. However, the longer Atlateus had devoted himself to the Inoc'Kra, the harder and harder he found it to entertain the thought of leaving them. During one particular night, Atlateus believed that his time among the Inoc'Kra people had come to an end. A massive dragonish creature that breathed a flame-like substance, called the S'kyrus. The S'kyrus was related to him in the manner one would call a recurring natural disaster.
Aware of the danger, and the Inoc'Kra people's hope in him saving them with his powers, Atlateus fled before the dawn, on the very morning the S'kyrus was predicted to arrive. Atlateus convinced himself repeatedly that he was making the right decision, although he knew selfishness and cowardice was the source of his fleeing. He had grown attached to the people of the Inoc'Kra valley, and he soon began to find his command over the Dark Side of the Force weakening. His festered hatred began to subside, and his rage, passion and malice had been replaced with pity, sympathy, and mercy.
While fearful of his weakened powers, and still bearing with the conflicting feelings and instincts, Atlateus returned to his people only moments before imminent disaster. Chaos and terror had overrun the streets, however upon seeing their "savior" return, a calmness appeared to have overcome them. Atlateus never saw the Inoc'Kra people witness his return, and he never looked. Before him was an approaching reptilian creature the size of a Krayt dragon, and equally vicious. Atlateus armed himself only with his lance, and in an epic battle recorded in history for over thousand years in a thousand generations.
In his first truly selfless act of kindness toward another not of the Reborn, Atlateus put what power in the Force he had left into use and battled with the S'kyrus. Although using his Force-empowered agility and speed to lay superficial wounds upon the creature, his efforts were largely in vain. Time after time, the S'kyrus breathed a fire-like substance from its mouth, glowing various shades of emerald green. And although he was able to evade the creature's physical attacks due to its massive and slow body, with each passing blow from its mouth, Atlateus found himself more and more hard-pressed into defending himself with the Force, until finally, he was cut off from his powers completely.
Terror-stricken, burned and weakened, Atlateus discovered within himself a new power, one which he had long seen as useless and insufficient; the Light Side of the Force. In his striving to protect the people of Inoc'Kra and defend the valley, Atlateus instinctively drew upon this new power, and used it to overcome his weakness, and reliance on the Dark Side of the Force's manifestations. Instead of slaying the creature, Atlateus' use of the Light Side bestowed upon him insight into the S'kyrus; it was not an ordinary creature, but one twisted by the Dark Side. Atlateus could feel its frenzied rage, and in a spectacular show, used the Force to calm the angry beast into submission. The S'kyrus had been a stormed calmed by a single man.
Chapter III: Scion of the King
It is unknown how Atlateus calmed the S'kyrus, although many speculated he had come to achieve some form of beast communication. Nevertheless, the sight of Atlateus taming the beast was witnessed by some four hundred thousand, including travelers and traders alike. Stories of the Tamer of the S'kyrus had spread planet-wide in a matter of weeks, and although not seeking fame for his actions, Atlateus became recognized as the greatest warrior on the planet, and many of the smaller and weaker settlements began aligning themselves with the Inoc'Kra and his rule. As the years became decades, Atlateus became recognized as the most powerful leader on Endelaan, and in time, the sole leader.
In the times since, Atlateus had defended Inoc'Kra from many threats, from marauders seeking to reclaim their spoils to armies sieging a rising kingdom. In a fantastic display of power and dominance, Atlateus single-handed wielded only a sword and the Force to slay an army of 6,000 strong without a single ailment. As the aging Atlateus began producing heirs, all with the same sensitivity to the Force as he had, the risen Darksider had begun to pass on what he had learned, his experiences, and his past life, although he excluded the Jedi's name. While many became shocked of his origins, the people of Inoc'Kra's admiration of the now King Atlateus had superseded all else.
In time, Atlateus' children commanded the Force as he did, calling upon the Light Side as practice, but not forsaking the Dark Side utterly. As generations passed, many otherworldly civilizations had dawned upon Endelaan, the people grew more and more advanced. Prior to his death and "ascension", Atlateus left behind instructions and etiquette on the use and construction the symbolic weapon that would then on personify his future descendants; the lightsaber -- called the starblade by the people of Endelaan. Although aged, the Force granted Atlateus exceptionally long life and vitality, and in addition to his knowledge of the Force, the aged king was able to pass on three sword styles to his progeny.
The first was a quick and rapid style, though short on range and power. The next was a powerful style with wide range, making use of physical and Force-empowered strength, although vulnerable in its open swings. The final was an amalgamation of the two, mixing both of its most distinctive strengths, with its only weakness being less efficient than either. And as Atlateus died in slumber at the age of four hundred standard years, disappearing into the Force, his children took upon themselves the name Altèya - for of Atlateus they were borne.
Epilogue: The Extinction
For generation after generation, the Altèya grew in numbers and prosperity. There were hundreds of families and houses that were of the Altèya, and for a time, their numbers reached nearly one million. However, approximately twenty five after the Altèya made open contact with the Republic and the Jedi Order, a genocidal event unfolded that purged nearly all eight hundred thousand strong Altèya to a mere fraction of their population. An illness scoured the planet of Endelaan until death consumed nearly all of the Altèya; which was eventually and dreadfully recalled as the Advent Scourge.
Officially, no one knows the origin of the Advent Scourge, only that is was a virus biologically engineered to target only the Altèya, unleashed upon Endelaan as a plague. Roughly twenty five years after contact, and embitterment, toward the Jedi Order, a string of events began that saw a seldom number of the Altèya began vanishing from Endelaan from across the planet's surface. While questions arose, not saw the mysterious disappearances for what they were at the time, and the lost Altèya were absent from planet of Endelaan for nearly seventy days.
After that, in a sudden appearance at daybreak, the mysteriously lost Altèya returned together at the entrance of the pyramidal Altèya Sanctum. Many of the Endelaan people believed that the lost Altèya had been "spirited away" by the Force, although the Altèya themselves were skeptical of this. While the bizarre event motivated the questioning of the returned Altèya by the Paladins and King Xerxes himself, the event began to appear more and more to be the work of an enemy. The lost Altèya had no memories from their capture, nor of what may have transpired since. It was as if they had been asleep until then.
Seeking much desired answers, the Altèya Paladins began delving into the minds of the lost Altèya, only to find what a telepath might refer to as "memory static", signs of physical tampering with the brain to erase memories of past events. The encounter with the "static" sent the Altèya into a state of unrest and caution, which reached its zenith only four days later -- while the vanishings were contributed to be the true beginning of the Advent Scourge, the event that followed marked its outbreak. The lost Altèya, who'd disappeared for months only to reappear unharmed, died mysteriously.
It was never found why or how the lost Altèya fell in death, but by the time that they did, something happened. Soon after their deaths, other Altèya began dying mysteriously as well. In only seven days, nearly two hundred Altèya perished with no evident signs of death. Caution and unrest had regressed into panic and morbid terror. The greater the number of Altèya dying from the mysterious plague, the more would die soon after them, as the plague was literally spread and strengthened by death. As the bodies multiplied, the Altèya began to seclude themselves from each other. Altèya turned on Altèya, fearing the other would die and infect them. At the height of the outbreak, the Altèya nearly entered a state of hysteria-induced civil war.
After only one year, over one hundred thousand Altèya died from the plague, and by the same token, none of the non-Force Sensitive Endelaan people had died even once from the outbreak. Suspicion then turned the Altèya not only against each other, but from the non-Force using Endelaan people, fearing the attack was orchestrated by them. In turn, the Endelaan people became stricken with disharmony and mass confusion, as the ones whom they saw as their rulers began crumbling around them. In time, Chaos and anarchy gripped Endelaan by its very core.
It was only by the third year, after five hundred thousand Altèya had perished, that it was discovered that whatever it was that afflicted them was not a disease of natural origin, but was forged by sapient hands. The confirmation of the plague actually being a virus sent the Altèya into a regressive state, and many disappeared from the world scene, reducing themselves into hiding in caves, abandoned mountains, and the like. By the fourth year, the death toll had reached catastrophic numbers; seven hundred thousand strong. It was also at this time that the concept of leaving Endelaan forever began to spread about the Altèya.
By the time the fifth year neared, roughly one thousand Altèya left Endelaan, scattering themselves among the countless stars and planets, with the remaining Altèya dying off on their homeworld; over nine hundred thousand in total. With less than a single percent of their population surviving, the name Altèya became a thing of the past, recalled in the minds of the galaxy's inhabitants as a former people that were wiped out on their own world. In the years that followed, the surviving Altèya became whatever they needed to survive, including bounty hunters, assassins, smugglers, and even simple farmers. At least one, however, chose to become a Jedi.
The Altèya
The Altèya, often called the Altèya Bloodline, Altèya Caste, or Altèya Breed, are the direct descendants of Atlateus. Unlike most peoples, the status of an Altèya is virtually ethnic; an Altèya is an Altèya regardless of whether they embrace their powers, much like how a Force Sensitive is a Force Sensitive, with nothing depending on whether they choose to become a Jedi or otherwise embrace their powers. However, for the Altèya it is more distinct, as the Reborn bloodline has mutated their biology into making the Altèya a borderline Human subspecies. All Altèya are, without exception, Force Sensitive. Unlike natural Force Sensitives, which may breed mutations within their descendants that make them unable to use the Force, all Altèya are sensitive to it.
The Altèya, often called the Altèya Bloodline, Altèya Caste, or Altèya Breed, are the direct descendants of Atlateus. Unlike most peoples, the status of an Altèya is virtually ethnic; an Altèya is an Altèya regardless of whether they embrace their powers, much like how a Force Sensitive is a Force Sensitive, with nothing depending on whether they choose to become a Jedi or otherwise embrace their powers. However, for the Altèya it is more distinct, as the Reborn bloodline has mutated their biology into making the Altèya a borderline Human subspecies. All Altèya are, without exception, Force Sensitive. Unlike natural Force Sensitives, which may breed mutations within their descendants that make them unable to use the Force, all Altèya are sensitive to it.
One of the many distinctions of the Altèya is seen in their physiology. When using the Force, all members of the Altèya exhibit full glowing eyes, encompassing their pupils, irises, and corneas. This color varies from shades of blue to stark white to purple and beyond. When deeply immersed in the Dark Side, an Altèya's eyes will not glow, but instead become totally black, making corruption evident and deception of overuse of the Dark Side impossible. Another distinction of the Altèya is in the origins of their unnatural possession of the Force. All of the Altèya possess the same unnatural presence in the Force that emits a strange, warped disturbance in the Force.
Because of this, Jedi and Sith alike are inherently uncomfortable around an Altèya, and in some extreme cases, near proximity can become painful for both parties. This trait also makes an Altèya's concealment in the Force impossible against Jedi, and vice verse, as the abnormal disturbance in the Force also occurs for the Altèya toward all natural Force Sensitives. This extremely distinguished trait is what allowed the Jedi and Altèya to quickly identify each other just before actually meeting, and is partially what prevented the division between the two groups from being mended.
Among the other physical traits of the Altèya are their inhumanly long lifespans; Atlateus himself lives to be over four hundred standard years old, and a number of his descendants lived even longer still, with some reaching near one thousand years. This is actually attributed to the strong Force sensitivity running through their blood, as there have been recorded Human Force sensitives that have naturally lived upwards of eight hundred standard years, and in the case of the Altèya, having the anomaly passed on from generation to generation, they experience superhuman longevity when compared to non-Force sensitive Humans.
In addition, the Altèya are naturally stronger, faster, more durable and enduring, and heal faster than stock Humans, although they are not exclusive in this, as the people of Endelaan's vitality could be compared to any Humans that have long lived in isolation and unpolluted living conditions for virtually all of its peoples generations, which accounted for their exceptional health. The people of Endelaan reject the majority of technology that wreaks pollution or is otherwords adverse on the environment, thus making them somewhat primitive compared to the greater galaxy, and as such the people exhibit excellent health compared to the majority of Humans. Their skeletal structure's integrity is healthier and more adamant, and they possess muscular systems that are denser and more resilient than stock Humans.
In addition, their tissue and bone structure is more efficient, allowing less compressional and tensional strain, and their fleshy tissues remain supple under soft pressure, which under stress react to restrict any further deformation in shape, which developed in the Endelaan people to help them survive in the strenuous terrain. This does not stop at physical traits; even in their brain chemistry, the Altèya possess stronger natural mental capacities than stock Humans (thogh not nearly comparable to that of the near-Human Chiss species), allowing them to mentally and emotionally mature slightly faster than what would seem normal; an Altèya would be considered to be an adult by the age of 15 or 16 years (as opposed to 18-19) and treated as such, although they were not totally seen as fully developed adults until they reached the age of 20.
Their metabolic system is also more efficient than stock Humans, granting them a higher resistance and tolerance to toxins, diseases, and viruses. Added too, their suprarenal glands produce larger quantities of adrenaline and give them a naturally higher blood pressure and heart rate, which allows them to sustain higher stamina levels, awareness, and energy efficiency. All in all, the Altèya could simply be seen as biologically Humans with distinguishing inborn traits, namely unnatural Force sensitivity, exceptional health and vitality, and physical manifestation of Force use within their eyes.
However, the Altèya have a number of genetic defects as a result of numerous factors, such as their isolation and for some, selective breeding. While not overreaching the entire population, many Altèya exhibit certain features of albinism, such as pale skin, white hair, and very poor eyesight. As such, without the Force to magnify their natural senses to standard Human levels, many Altèya are near-blind without the Force. Another defect of the Altèya is a direct result of their pure living conditions and isolation. While the Altèya have strong immune systems, their systems are vulnerable to very foreign bacterias able to penetrate their immunity. Thus, while it is a rare occurance, should an Altèya fall ill, the effects of the illness would have far more drastic reactions to the sickness, and because it weakens their bodies all together, they quite possible may face death.
Because such organisms are not native to Endelaan, the Altèya can become crippled in illness by bacteria that would normally not affect other Humans, even if not life threatening. Indeed, at least in part, this defective trait is what lead to the holocaust of the Altèya. Other defective traits that have occurred among the Altèya include heterochromia, hyperkinesia, emotional instability, depression, varied developments of synesthesia, and the manifestation of potent, sometimes hysterical phobias. In exceptional cases, some Altèya have exhibited extreme bipolarity, multiple personalities, psychopathy, and even instances of seemingly randomly developing Force psychosis. Unlike most Force users, the Altèya do not submit themselves to a written creed, but instead, families teach their children to use and control responsibly as a parent would teach their child to speak or walk.
As such, there is no organized religion for the Altèya, further causing others to see them as a Human subspecies as opposed to an order. After the Advent Scourge and the concurrent holocaust, which saw the death of well over 99% of the Altèya, the Altèya were scattered into Alliance, Imperial, and Unknown space. At the present, it is believed that there are no more than one thousand of the formerly nigh one million Altèya that survived the plague. Aside from the Altèya monarch and the royal family, the most distinctive and recognized Altèya - often what outsiders refer to as Altèya in general - are the Altèya Paladins. Altèya Paladins are Altèya that fully embrace their heritage, and are employed by the Altèya King or Queen as their personal forces.
Altèya Paladins are trained to extensively utilize their powers and potential, unlike the basic training achieved during upbringing. Perhaps the most definitive way to identify a Paladin is by their starblade. Starblades, which were lightsabers whose designs were passed down from Atlateus, are wielded by all Paladins at all times. While most Paladins construct their own Starblades, a select few inherit theirs. Family heads, should they be Paladins, pass down their starblade to their firstborn, again assuming they too embrace the Paladin way. Starblades passed down are also given names. The most famed and legendary of the starblades is the Godheart; the amber-golden starblade created by Atlateus himself.
Philosophies
And
Ascension
And
Ascension
Because the Altèya progenitor, Atlateus, received all his training and knowledge from Desann and later Tavion, the Altèya possess near-identical views of the Force as the Jedi and Sith do. However, theirs differ slightly, as Atlateus was first introduced to the Dark Side of the Force, and later embraced the Light and became "enlightened". The Altèya are highly spiritual, and while they are aware of the physical properties of the Force, namely the midi-chlorians, they largely ignore this facet, choosing to focus only on the metaphysical. The Altèya believe in absolute submission to the Force, and is symbolized by their attire; all Altèya wear large hoods, no matter the style of their garb, as an emblem to their yielding to the will of the Force.
The Altèya understand the Force as being a binding energy field, which is ubiquitous, omnipotent - even when its wielders are not, and infinitely binding. All things are connected to the Force; life, energy, time, matter, space, and beyond. Similar to the Jedi and Sith, the Altèya pursued knowledge of the Force out of either obligation to their heritage or duty to the royal family, which in doing so would make them into Paladins. Above all things, however, the Altèya chose to learn the mysteries of the Force out of personal desire for spiritual enlightenment. Many Altèya often chose not to embrace using the Force, although all knew how to control it to some degree, as their upbringing dictated. All Altèya possess the "Mark", an emblem tattooed upon their bodies soon after their birth, usually within days.
The Altèya were required to embrace the Light Side of the Force as a moral compass in their lives, although use of the Dark Side was neither prohibited nor frowned upon. However, in general, the Dark Side of the Force was largely viewed as undependable, fractured, and chaotic. Since Atlateus' learning of the circumstances surrounding his lost affinity toward the Dark Side, it was deemed too dangerous to depend on, as well as too corrupting. Instead, the Altèya followed a path of balance, with the Light Side taking the greater majority. The Altèya saw the Force in three aspects, Light Energy, Dark Energy, and Balanced Energy.
Light Energy, or formally known in the Endelaan language as J'korï (dʒ.kɔɹ.eɪ), was a branch of Force mysticism coined by the Altèya to refer to Force power strengthened and gathered by serene emotions such as compassion, serenity, hope, and selfless courage. Altèya utilized Light Energy to resurrect the injured and dying, cure illnesses and diseases, manipulate manifested and controlled Force energy for a variety of purposes, astral projection, and naturally generate tactile fields of energy surrounding their bodies to protect them from harm, be it physical or from the Force. When an Altèya utilized Light Energy, it often took on a amber-golden hue.
Dark Energy, or formally known in the Endelaan language as Ur-Thar (oʊr.ðɑɹ), was a branch of Force mysticism coined by the Altèya to refer to Force power strengthened and gathered by hostile emotions such as rage, hatred, despair, and malevolence. Altèya utilized Dark Energy to cloud the minds of others, inflict biological harm to organisms, generate raw and unbridled Force energy for a variety of purposes, absorption of life forces by creating maelstroms and vortexes of Dark Energy that drain energy from around them, whether it be biological life or concentrated Force energy. When an Altèya utilized Dark Energy, it often took on a regalia hue.
Balanced Energy, or formally known in the Endelaan language as ɀean'sa (ʃɛn.za), was a branch of Force mysticism coined by the Altèya to refer to Force power strengthened and gathered by an amalgamation of emotions, negative or positive. For this reason, ɀean'sa was often called the "True Force", as it embraced all the natural emotions of life. Altèya utilized Balanced Energy to conceal themselves through the Force, repair or destroy matter, manipulate the minds of others, absorb and redirect Force energy, be it raw or controlled, and radically strengthen their bodies. The Balanced Energy branch is distinct as one can only walk it by mastering the Light Energy and Dark Energy alongside with it. When an Altèya utilized Balanced Energy, it often took on an emerald hue.
Aside from the three main branches, the Altèya mastered the use of the Force in core areas, such as Telekinesis, Telepathy, Force-enhanced senses and attributes, Precognition, and other basic applications of the Force. Unlike the Jedi or the Sith, the majority of the Altèya utilize the Light, Dark, and Balanced Energies equally, and virtually all use each of the energies to some degree. However, Balanced Energy was viewed as the most powerful and coveted, as few could easily master the two paths. Should an Altèya master Balanced Energy to the ultimate degree, they may be able to perform Immolation; a ceremonial sacrifice via the Force that allows one to reach a state of being called Ascension.
Ascension was the common goal of all who embrace the use of the Force. Often called the ultimate phase of enlightenment, the Altèya delve deeply into their studies of the Force to reach a state of enlightenment called Ascension. Since Atlateus' death in sleep and vanishing into a flash of light, many Altèya study Atlateus' teachings fervently, seeking to find the secret of Immolation and Ascension. Throughout the thousand years, many Altèya have reached Ascension, although they apparently are forbidden to share its secrets; all must find the path of ascension by their own merit. However, nearly fifty years after his passing, Atlateus appeared to the Altèya to pass on a portion of the nature of Ascension.
Ascension is, as described by Atlateus, a process reached by a state of supreme enlightenment that allows one to live on past death and the restraints of their physical bodies, and live on eternally as beings of pure Force energy. Once achieved, the ascended then would exist within a higher plane of existence, often called the Netherworld, and possess vast knowledge and power, far beyond that any physical being could possess. Achieving Ascension is believed to be both spiritual and semi physical and mental, as a person must be Force sensitive in addition to reach Ascension.
From what was passed on to the Altèya, Ascension has various levels; an Ascended's power is judged by the planes within the Netherworld he can reach, or "ascend" to, which dictates their knowledge and powers. Virtually all Ascended (or Force Ghosts) can access the physical plane in some manner or form. Most Darksiders that reach Ascension are noted as being among the weakest, as they are restrained to only certain planes, such as Chaos and cannot freely move through the planes of the Netherworld, or in some cases, are bound in their Ascended form by physical objects.
This was not always the case, however, as Atlateus related to them the tale of the Dark Lord, Darth Sidious, who was bound into the Netherworld by many Ascended Jedi. Other Ascended, usually Jedi or Lightsiders, generally possess greater powers and understanding. Force potential as a physical being and time spent as an Ascended also determine the power of an Ascended being. The Ascended are largely observers, and by Atlateus' own admission, are forbidden from interfering with the physical plane; sparingly speaking to physical beings (which can also take the form of visionary dreams and the like) is typically the limitations of contact.
The Ascended Atlateus described his state of being as "heralding the knowledge and power of the Force". Although likely a hyperbole, from the Altèya's perspective and understanding, the Ascended, for all intents and purposes, possess infinite knowledge (and possibly power) although are not omniscient nor omnipotent. They are, however, able to wield the Force with far greater power and and on a far grander scale than physical beings, and possess powers of reason, understanding, and comprehension on a greater level that is impossible for physical beings. Following the Advent Scourge and the near-extinction of the Altèya, their ways and beliefs are virtually extinct.