Empyrians? (or however you spell it)

gradii

I've heard the Empyrians mostly have super strength and sometimes mental powers, would like to know more about them (considering a half empyrian character concept)​​

bulgarex

The full breakdown of Empyrean history, society, and physiology takes up a whole chapter in the source book, Hidden Lands. To summarize, the first generation of Empyreans were created half a million years ago by the alien Progenitors, out of our common ancestor, homo erectus. Today they have a hidden valley and city in Antarctica, called Arcadia, concealed and kept climatically habitable by advanced devices. Only a handful of humans have been trusted with the secret of its location. However, the majority of Empyreans live incognito among their human cousins. They display the range of human skin, hair and eye colors, and facial features, but are almost universally attractive looking. The very existence of the Empyrean race is unknown to almost all of humanity.

All Empyreans are ageless, unaffected by Earthly diseases, immune to environmental extremes that would kill a human, and can fly, although their individual speed varies. They're all superhumanly strong and durable to a lesser or greater degree -- the strongest among them rival some of the world's stronger supers. Empyreans can manifest a very wide range of psionic and/or energy powers, but differ widely in the type and magnitude of such abilities they possess. In some those abilities are very formidable, in others nearly non-existent. Exactly what powers a given Empyrean displays depend on his innate talent and how he chooses to develop it.

Empyreans tend to develop a focus on specific pastimes to occupy their immortal lives. Their powers usually reflect that pastime. For example, the Empyrean king Hazor can generate energy to restructure inanimate matter on the molecular level, and has become a gifted sculptor. Hazor's brother Arvad, the Lemurian king, is one of the strongest telepaths and mind-controllers in the world. Hazor's grandson Archon, the Empyrean crown prince, is a skilled warrior who possesses enormous strength and can project blasts of destructive energy (and has served with the Sentinels superhero team). Korba was a prankster who could assume the appearance of another person, and even duplicate any powers they possessed. Davos is obsessed with racing, and has developed Flash-like speed and tricks, as well as being one of the fastest Empyrean flyers. Handrel, whose passion is thievery, can control sound, either to make an area totally silent or generate a stunning burst of noise. Eidolon can telepathically enter the dreams of sleeping humans, and works among them as a dream therapist. Thav is devoted to hunting (big game or humans), and his senses have become inhumanly acute. As the above illustrates, there's little to limit the type of powers an Empyrean can have (aside from a game player's imagination).

Empyreans are interfertile with humans, and have children with them on rare occasions. However, a child of an Empyrean and a human is always either wholly human or fully Empyrean -- there are no "half-Empyreans." The Empyreans scan the world for young members of their kind born among humanity, and when they find one formally induct him or her into their society. But each Empyrean is free to follow whatever activities they choose, as long as they keep their people secret.

bulgarex

When she discovers her powers, unless someone in her family was aware of her ancestry she'd likely assume at first that she's a mutant. But it typically doesn't take too long after a young Empyrean starts using their superhuman powers to be noticed by their people. Ashima, one of the strongest Empyrean telepaths, spends much of her time scanning the globe for new Empyrean minds.

shadowolf505

Question: Is there any way to kill an Empyrean?

orangeitis

Sounds like Empyreans have a similar relationship with both Humans and Lemurians. Is that correct?

jaazaniah1

So, they are basically the Eternals of the Champions universe, sans the pseudo-Greek names.

bulgarex

In order: "Immortal" does literally mean, "not subject to death." The Greek gods, for example, could not be killed by any force, which is why they ended up imprisoned in such colorful ways. Empyreans OTOH can be killed by sufficient force, like most other superhumans.

The relationship between Empyreans and Lemurians is very different than with humans. Lemurians have known of the existence of Empyreans, and the location of Arcadia, for millennia. Lemurians have attacked Arcadia many times to attempt to force the secret of immortality from them. (The Empyreans have no such knowledge -- they're just born that way.) Most members of their races see each other as implacable foes. Arvad forcefully usurped the rule of Lemuria to forge them into a weapon to conquer Arcadia and make himself ruler of the Empyreans.

Yes, Empyreans are essentially an Eternals analogue, with the added dimension that they can spread their seed among humanity.

iamrune

A bit of a cross up of Eternals with Inhumans, really.. Fitting, since both are obviously Kirby creations.

riverocean

iamrune said:

A bit of a cross up of Eternals with Inhumans, really.. Fitting, since both are obviously Kirby creations.

I'd love to see these guys more in game - like an actual Arcadian zone with associated adventures.

bulgarex

I'm not sure there's enough to Arcadia to make it a full zone. Even if you add Noatar's extinct fauna preserve.