Game Concept: Slay the Ascended

Edit: A more in depth description of the concept can be found here.

The idea of mankind now ruled by Vampires or vampire-like beings is hardly new. In fact, it's been done to death and then some. The same way that reimagining or expanding on the idea of 'utterly alien Fair Folks' elves with a superiority complex has also been done to death. That doesn't make the idea bad, however. If you twist it a little more you get something which, at least to me, is even more disturbing. Suppose the world was now indeed slowly but surely ruled by a race of super beings (albeit not that super compared to other settings) who are better than humans in every way. Suppose these beings were once human. Now suppose that their perfect, ethereal, godly image was born of their twisted, all too human ambitions? I mean, why else would such beings invoke beauty, awe or power and authority as humans understand them? There is a concept which I'm quite fond of, as bizarre as it seem, and that is to take a being which is 'eldritch' and make it all too human. What if you stared down the eldritch abomination and realized that, underneath that mask it's actually too human? What happen when human ego and abomination is given eldritch form and power?

We've seen this garbage plenty of times before in RPG, movies, literature and more. Now let's wrap it up into a bit more layers of horror. This is also me flipping on its head the general ideas I've often outlined for urban fantasy or Godbound.

The Ascended Arrive

They arrived as the world was falling apart, at the turning of the Ages where our reality slowly slipped into a period of greater cosmic connection. There was a brief period (a mere decade or two) of societal and environmental decay which simply exceeded any blame we could place on mankind. Seas churned, animals birthed abominable offspring and people became so haunted by visions they became mad. You know, the usual Lovecraft-lite slow apocalypse.

Then came our new masters, the Ascended. They call themselves something else, of course, in a perfect language only they can speak. Their form is human but better: stronger, faster, taller and able to regenerate from wounds much more easily and immune to all known sickness. They are smarter too, and more spiritually enlightened. In fact we should count ourselves lucky that, as the ages turned, a new race emerged. They ascended from the rank of humanity (for they admit as much), with no particular roots or ties to any specific ethnicity, country of origin, creed or religion. They formed the core of our new society and rule as just and merciful. They only demand our love, admiration and sometimes sacrifice but who would dare to say no? They are elfin creatures of myth reborn or towering demigods. Some are man, some are woman, some are something else. No two is alike but they all radiate perfection, awe, wisdom or virtue. We are all their lesser. They are the Ascended and each is a goddess, a warrior king, a rock star and guru rolled into one.

That's a bunch of horse shit, however.

The origins of these beings is unknown but we know they emerged when the wheel of the ages turned. Was it sorcery, suddenly unlocked by a new era of magic? Was it some sudden metaphysical mutation? Nobody know, but those of us in the know understand that the Ascended only appears to be so perfect out of their own hubris. Their 'human' form is but a veneer. Each one is unique but truly monstrous in form: tentacled monsters, gangly cicada monsters or towering hulks of bone and sinew. The worst part isn't that Ascended are transformed into monsters but rather than they retain their humanity, albeit in some twisted form. That perfected 'shell' they present to us? It's born of human ego and one's idealized self. Some people speculate it's a coping mechanism, because they hate their monstrous true form. Their minds are twisted and alien but not alien enough. Their entire society is a lie they tell not just the masses of humanity but themselves. Behind both faces (god and monster) is a human unshackled from their old limitations and experiencing the same old emotions and thoughts we humans experience every day but pushed to a new extreme. They still feel love, sadness, hate, rage, greed and jealousy and all that.

The Ascended are the 'smug dickass elves' who believe they have some omniscient morality but due to bad writing come off as aloof assholes. They are the smug aliens. They are the asshole vampires and fey and the abusive Gods of mythology. The Apostles from Berserk. The Scions and Exalted. They are things which, in another game, could almost be the player character option. This is not one of those games.

Ascended Nature

Its like Wreathu but without
the weird sexuality.

Each Ascended was once human but they've been transformed into another ascended through a ritual of implantation, which requires the flesh of one or more Ascended to be implanted inside their body. The process is messy, painful and maddening but those who survive will dissolve and reshape into a cocoon of flesh-crystal. After an extended period of time they will be mutated in body into something else entirely but retain all of their memory and personality. The fact the event is so traumatic helps with the mind screwing involved to ensure loyalty. Whatever emerges is no longer human. It has become both more and less. Over the next few weeks they will slowly awaken to whatever supernatural powers their might have, in addition to grow ever stronger, faster and smarter. Of course the reality is that these beings aren't quite as powerful as they believe themselves to be.

As previously explained, their external 'Godly' form is just as much a tool of predation as it is a coping mechanism. These creatures appear to be over six feet tall, with very little cosmetic flaws. The exact 'vibe' each gives varies depending on their nature: obviously those with more, shall we say, carnal desires exude sexuality but the Ascended aren't limited to forms like these. Those who radiate wisdom and authority can look quite old, for example: however they still are very dignified and statuesque and none of them suffer from the effects of old age. Think a very tall and buff old wizard guy or Zeus in a toga, with booming voice and glowing eyes.

The Ascended have an innate aura of near inexplicable 'magnetism' or 'charisma', which varies from individual to individual: sexual magnetism that transcend sexual orientation for those driven by carnal desires or a brainwashing religious aura which fills the mind with 'higher thoughts' and make individuals believe whatever crap the Ascended peddles. This is a key thing with the Ascended. No matter how insane their personal ideology and bullshit it is, they emit this aura (pheromones? psionics?) which slowly worm its way into human brains and make them believe it, filling human minds with a fundamental and innate understanding of their place in the world and that the Ascended are not only stronger, faster but also more moral no matter what they do.

Slay The Ascended!

The Ascended are assholes, that much is obvious. They have become the self-appointed master race. They are smug monsters who believe themselves to be beyond and above humanity but under that veneer they are nothing but parasitic monsters and predators. The obvious is coming: humans will rise up and start to fight back. Under their rule, the new unstable countries and demented religious cult they have created are ruining humanity. They see themselves as healing the perceived 'past wounds' of human nature: war, violence and more. However, it is worth remembering that Ascended are basically all insane and filled with hypocrisy. They still wage war, they still kill and they still take slaves, the only difference is that under their brainwashing humanity sees it as fair, just or 'better'. Some people are bound to see through their bullshit or innately resist it. The Ascended are powerful but they aren't invincible: they might heal without scarring and be able to take a serious beating but, cut one off from its minions and assemble a mob with torches and pitchfork and it will die. And if that doesn't work? Well, its fine: we invented explosives for a reason, right?