Item from Bastion by Phil Tucker
An artifact or concept that Imperators must utilize — the thing that separates the powerful from the transcendent.
The Noumenon represents the series' power ceiling — the system beyond the system, accessible only to Imperators. Whether it's a physical artifact, a state of consciousness, or a fundamental truth about mana and reality is deliberately unclear to non-Imperator characters (and readers, for most of the series). Its existence establishes that tempering has a destination — that advancement isn't just accumulating more power but approaching something qualitatively different. The Imperators who have utilized the Noumenon are fundamentally changed by the experience, operating on a level that lower-tier Great Souls can observe but not comprehend.
The Noumenon's physical form (if it has one) is unknown to those below Imperator rank. Its nature is discussed in theoretical terms by lower-tier Great Souls and experienced directly only by those who have reached the apex of tempering progression.
Also known as: The Noumenon