Ascension

**Ascension** is a company of likeminded people aiming to better themselves and the world.

> “[...]We strive to better ourselves, and, one day, to create a better world. A world where the strong protect and guide the weak. A world where everyone has the same opportunities for advancement, irrespective of the circumstances of their birth. A world where we all work together to create a brighter future.” Rain's founding speech
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> “Your company’s name is a bit ambitious. [...] Ascension means attaining divinity, or at least, it used to.”Warden Vatreece lecturing Rain.
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## Organization

Ascension in its current form is a company, led by an elected *Captain* who runs the day-to-day business and makes emergency decisions; akin to Pirate-crew rules. There is a *Commander* as the Captain's second-in-command, responsible for managing the company’s resources — both supplies and people. The *Commander* position was originally called *Quartermaster*, but that has become a new and lower position in the hierarchy, reporting to the Commander.

In really important long-term decisions each member gets one vote in some sort of Company Full Assembly, which also voted on the Company's constitution. Less important non-emergency decisions are deliberated between the Council heads and the leadership roster. These council heads are presiding over specialized councils, of which there are:

* Council of Administration (headed by Vanna)
* Council of Finance (headed by Atyl)
* Council of Defense (headed by Samson)
* Council of Engineering (headed by Tallheart, but Staavo is also a member)
* Council of Logistics (headed by Smelt, dealing with supplies, travel routes)
* Council of Education (headed by Romer)
* Council of Justice (with three judges who form the judicative branch, independently from Captain, Commander and Quartermaster. These judges solve disputes over internal matters like the interpretation of the written company codes or deal out punishments for infractions.)
* **High Council**: Consists of Rain, the aforementioned council heads, Adjutant Tarny, and Ameliah.

The company has, since its foundation in the Frostfall of 3060, given itself a code of rules and guidelines, mostly based on common sense: For anyone not assigned special tasks, there are duties for standing guard, collecting firewood, cooking, etc. Each day starts at the 6th bell with the *reveille*, a wake-up call music. This is set two hours before the system would wake everyone up. Ascension members are expected to regularly train physically, but also mentally in classroom setting, as Rain introduced to them the metric system and math lessons within Winter Aura.

Ascension "publishes" informational pamphlets on "common knowledge" about the system that has been, in fact, been treated as secret lore by awakened and their organizations. This includes pamphlets on accolades, awakening, lairs, parties, the City of Lights, elements etc. A concise treatise on Runes has yet to be written. Ascension still keeps some lore secret (like Rare/Legendary classes), which are only available to the Entrusted rank.

## Membership

To become a member, one has to pass several tests. Most important is Rain's "asshole test" that aims to sort out bigots, xenophobes and supremacists of any kind. Awakened who pass then get to join right away; unawakened had to do a combat test, meaning a fight against Mazel Strongarm. Since arrival in Vestvall, there were new tests, meaning supervised combat tests against other, already inducted members.

In Fallow 3060, Ascension adapted their codes and created a second-tier membership, based on a proposal by Quartermaster Vanna: Provisional members get inducted into the company, but don't get the right to vote like full members do, until their status gets upgraded by company vote. Captain Rain opposed this change of rules, fearing it would ultimately lead to debt slavery.

Vanna finally created a third, middle tier membership and conducted another vote in late Fallow 3060, while Rain, Ameliah and Tallheart were away. That proposal was also accepted, creating a system of three degrees of membership within Ascension. These degrees are still based on merit, not level.

* Aspirant: the lowest tier membership, but still regulated by testing. May not vote, may have restricted movements when in fortified camps, may not get restricted information, may not get high-paying jobs (although crafters get good jobs already). May attend lectures and learn "common knowledge".
* Trusted: a middle-tier membership. Some restrictions still apply, but there is a better job board, and knowledge about higher classes may be accessible. May vote.
* Entrusted: the highest membership rank, permitted free access to most information. May vote. Special ranks among the Entrusted include Captain and Commander, who make day-to-day decisions.

It has so far not been made clear what the threshold is between Trusted and Entrusted. It is apparently possible to choose not becoming Entrusted, in order to shirk the involved responsibilities.

From a verbal checklist, the "asshole-test" has moved towards a written exam handed out to applicants, who then fill it out and get judged by Rain or Vanna etc. People who take the non-official offer to BUY the 'correct' answers from a member, get a set of answers that fits a pattern which leads to the refusal of the application.

## Members

There were 50 *Full Members* (which were the starting roster), 30 of which were Awakened as of 3060. Seven members of Ascension were also Guild members. Since the start of 3061, several new people joined, including Watch and Guild members, and established Ascension members acquired their own Guild plates.

In Vestvall, Ascension got a total of 71 recruits, who were inducted as provisional members (later renamed to Aspirants). 7 of them are known by name. Many of them have brought non-member family members with them.

In Three Cliffs, Ascension was also picking up several new recruits/aspirants, including three burly dockworkers and a navigator.

In total, there were 944 people travelling with Ascension most recently, at least 337 of them members(as of chapter 224).

## Vessels and Craft

Beginning as a land-based company, Ascension started its journey in Fel Sadanis with a lot of human-drawn carts, Mlem's Journeycart and Tallheart's **forgewagon**. The forgewagon was disassembled in Vestvall, and lacking good roads to the east, only traditional carts could be used on the evacuation of that town. However, upon reaching the Salt Flats, the crafters of Ascension created the **Subtlety**, an engine-powered landcraft. The Subtlety was again disassembled in Three Cliffs, when Ascension acquired the **Temerity**.

Rain dreams of eventually creating functional airships, and made a big progress towards that end when the company recruited Wes, a weaver able to create very thin and durable cloth.

## History

### Ascension in 3060

Upon their founding in Frostfall 3060, the company consisted of 14 Awakened and 36 Unawakened. They left Fel Sadanis on 2nd Winternight 3060, and arrived in Vestvall close to the end of that same month. Along the way, they stopped in the former farming village of Essed which had turned into a lair. Upon clearing it, the company awakened fifteen of their members.

In Vestvall, the company was met with suspicion from the mayor and the nobles propping him up, but negotiations allowed them to stay, especially given that they promised protection in the view of monster attacks both from the lowly-ranked zone and the crack into the depths that had opened up nearby. Tallheart single-handedly defeated the three plate-hunting adventurers of the Crimson Swords, and with that newfound strength, he and Ameliah guided Rain to a silver-plate level-up in the depths below Vestvall.

While Rain was in the depths, delving, the company of Ascension was led by Vanna, who adapted the codes and straightened out many kinks in the rules that Rain had neglected to adress when he first drafted them. Rain had seen that as an opportunity for the company members to learn democracy and self-dependence in their ways of thinking, which he embraced to happen. Also, a total of 71 citizens of Vestvall joined Ascension as Aspirants, while Vanna also divided the pre-existing company into "Trusted" and "Entrusted" members, the latter of which had more responsabilities. (see: #Membership)

Soon after Rain and his companions re-emerged from the depths below, now Level 30 and enriched thanks to what the heat+arcane biomes down there had provided, a scouting mission to Fel Sadanis, done by Ameliah alone, revealed that the Empire had conquered Fel Sadanis. Ascension evacuated the town, including roughly 750 citizens of the place.

### Ascension in 3061

Thanks to the hints of Emerton Sale, Ascension conquered the family lair of his noble family, which led to 15 more awakened members of the organization. On Sowing 26, the company arrived at the borders of the plains after Rain guided them through the hilly terrain between Vestvall and said plains. There, they rested for several days, preparing wagons for a quicker traversal of the area. Tallheart, assisted by his fellow crafters in Ascension (Staavo, Ellis, Shena...) constructed the Subtlety to that end, and after about three weeks of rest, Ascension continued into the Salt Flats on Seedlings 12.

On Seedlings 18, Ascension arrived at Three Cliffs, which had been attacked by the Empire as well. However, Velika had destroyed the attacking metalclad warship, and most of the Sea Kings had fled the town before the battle, which meant that Ascension had almost free reign over the devastated city. The company immediately upon takeover began to re-organize the city: a healers tent was set up, Rain sanitized the streets, a city watch began patrolling on day two, constructing provisional buildings both for the refugees from Vestvall and the displaced people in Cliffs began on the third day. A provisional government was to be formed by democratically electing a council at the end of the first week. Also, Ascension was quick to raise and salvage *Temerity*, making the split and sunk warship seaworthy again in just a week.

Several people had also joined Ascension in Three Cliffs, among them Fechton Stone who took on the role of an Aspirant, like a few others also did. Some others didn't exactly join the company, but got a ride out of Three Cliffs, which included Velika (who was given asylum) and Halgrave (who stuck around, doting on his daughter who wished to stay with Ascension). More accidentally, Argle Thrast, Cessa and Captain Bakal also joined the passengers of *Temerity*, because the night before *Temerity* was supposed to leave Three Cliffs, the Empire brought on another attack, badly damaging the ship and causing Ascension to flee towards Barstone. Mollo and Kip were killed in the first wave of their onslaught.

Before arrival in Barstone the next day, *Temerity* was disguised as an iceberg, which only disguised the ship for the larger public but not the leadership of the town. Due to the high-level guests aboard Ascension's vessel, managing the company became a political gamble. In Barstone, Watch officer Sana joined Ascension.

In Eastspar, five days later, Shu and Halgrave officially joined Ascension. A few days later again, a forward team traveled via Teleporter to Yelfenn, officially to build up a camp there, scout for ore for Tallheart, and go recruiting. The team consisted of Samson, Mlem, Ava, Lyn, Mahria, Belson, Corrin, Lago, Stint, Dust and Ameliah (5 Entrusted, 4 Trusted, 1 Aspirant and 1 Quasi-member). The team's tasks were to scout for ore for Tallheart, and to build a camp for Ascension's arrival.

After arriving and making camp near a coastal village close to Yelfenn, Ascension began a big recruitment drive. Rain estimating the company's membership numbers to rise from around 120 (it was around that number in Eastspar) towards 500 and above. Tallheart began to smelt ore at the site, and the leftovers and stones were used to create a breakwater for the nearby village, as a recompensation for the chaos created by the company - their camp alone almost eclipsed the village in its size.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 130
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 113
3. ↑ Chapter 206
4. ↑ Chapter 136
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Chapter 163
6. ↑ Chapter 191
7. ↑ Chapter 165
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Chapter 207
9. ↑ Chapter 131
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chapter 125
11. ↑ Chapter 136
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Chapter 138
13. ↑ Chapter 133
14. ↑ Chapter 173
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Chapter 172
16. ↑ Chapter 213
17. ↑ Chapter 165
18. ↑ Chapter 180
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Chapter 220
20. ↑ Chapter 182
21. ↑ Chapter 184
22. ↑ Chapter 189
23. ↑ Chapter 190
24. ↑ Chapter 215
25. ↑ Chapter 215