Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up,
it unlocks many cool features!
- Guardian Spirits.
- There are plenty Guardian Spirits in the world. They have different functions and ways in which they manifest. Below, is a list of main types and functions that the Guardian spirits have, and at the bottom another list, that depicts the most well-known Guardians. In the early ages, when Guardian Spirits first truly manifested, a means to 'bind' them to rules was sought. Unfortunately, due to different cultures having different perceptions and requirements, Defender spirits of old operated on different rules, depending on where they came from.
- This changes with the advent of Kandhrak, as Arkun the Slitherer brought forth the Orimman and a council of Vaana scholars, invited them to Kandhrak and held a large council where ideas of how Guardian Spirits had to operate were sown. Of course, these favored Kandhrak at the time, and were most easily exploited by the empire, a key factor in the crushing success the ensuing campaign against Orimman had.
- No matter, the Guardian Principles were formulated, and listed below:
- 1. The Core Principle: A Guardian Spirit is born of the Idea, and the actions of the Guardian Spirit will not contradict it, unless under highly specific circumstances where the definition of contradiction becomes muddied. An example given is the idea to 'not submit to anyone in Mistanne, even for fear of death'.
- Assume a foreigner with a great and fearsome power appears, so that death is certain for the wielder of such idea. The Guardian Spirit would be allowed to stand down, by reasoning that the foreigner is not 'anyone in Mistanne', via assuming the definition refers to those born on Mistanne.
- The below principles must all abide by the first.
- 2. A Guardian Spirit shall not harm his own artist. As a reminder, if the idea of the artist involves self harm, self sacrifice, or harm by one's Guardian Spirit, then the spirit may ignore this principle.
- 3. A Guardian Spirit shall not harm another Artist. This is to protect mostly fragile humans from being smashed in battle against giants of iron and the like.
- 4. A Guardian Spirit will become inactive upon the death of their birthing-Artist, however should the idea be prevalent enough in the world, the Guardian Spirit may 'pass on'. It must be noted that this rule targets the death of the Artist, but not the death of the Idea.
- It is believed that old ideas can be 'brought forth' once more, even after being completely forgotten, or in a less extreme case: an idea is remembered, but is considered something of the past. The belief that the sun orbits the earth, may have existed at one point, but once proven untrue, people will not consider it a 'valid' idea.
- In this case, the empty, lifeless body of the old Guardian spirit will be occupied by another 'life' or essence. The prime case of this is the great spirit, Artemia, that is housed within the dead spirit Kandhrak.
- 5. A Guardian Spirit may become active UPON the death of the user, if the idea to birth it supports this. That would make them perfectly autonomous, with a duty of chasing after the idea that birthed them. The lack of an Artist means their thought-complexity is reduced, and an Artist may not take them as their own Spirit.
- 6. Spirits, who belong to vast concepts, impossible to tie to a single person, will instead be tied to something in the material world, proportional to their importance. Often these spirits are born of such material objects in the first place, the Red Giant from the Perpetual Flame, Artemia from the city of the same name, Alomin of Mount Organnat and so on. These spirits may seek an Artist, and will temporarily replace said Artist's guardian spirit, but with the ability to restore it upon leaving the service of said Artist, unless the idea they represent explicitly overlooks this rule.
- Should such a spirit bond to an Artist without a Guardian prior to the point, or rather should one's awakening as an Artist bring about no other spirit, but this one, they will remain with the Artist until the Artist can possibly display or develop a spirit of their own.
- 7. Upon awakening the possibility of a Spirit, by pursuing the path of an Artist (It would be more accurate to say that the Idea of the spirit is awakened first however) the Spirit will initiate contact, and assist the Artist, by conveying their abilities and the exact nuance of the idea they represent, as such matters may be unclear.
- Now, with that out of the way, onto the main Spirit types.
- 1. Ocamalac.
- The most ancient of Spirits, creatures that exist as purely ethereal beings. This is due to the Xoac people building rock-bodies for them to be housed in. The Xoac had a perception that ideas were purely abstract creations, an 'animating force' (From Xoac: Acwil, 'That Which Drives The Living', albeit more literally 'Ac'-person/human/living being, and 'wil'-rider/driver).
- The Ocamalac were thus animated by Acwil, the 'Ideas' as they are called in the modern days. This concept is very much prevalent in the modern age with how Doll Spirits function of course. Ocamalac wielders are extremely rare, and they seem to embody antiquated ideals, if slightly modified to fit the modern age better. Their main strength is the 'endurance' of the ideas: age old truths that mankind has been unable to deny for three millennia and more. However, whenever they have to contradict a more modern idea, the Ocamalac oft find themselves easily overwhelmed.
- Many often forget, that progress is ultimately one of the best things to happen.
- 2. Ideal Spirits.
- 'Driving Force' spirits. These ideas come with a good deal of power, especially depending on the success of the user in a local scale. Ideal Spirits are often powerful at first, but show little potential for growth. The wielders of such spirits tend to keep a somewhat low profile, and tend to be wanderers. They may often taken on an inspirational role,but only based on their feats, not ideas: being at the center of a school does not fit them well.
- Ideal Spirits are often highly tailored to the mindset of the user. They have powerful, but highly specific abilities. 'Converting one's blood into fire' (an ability that could stem from an ideal of one becoming more fierce and coming back from a painful event) might fit here, whereas 'creating orbs of fire of variable sizes and directing them as you wish' (an ability from an idea of 'making people determined to follow your good cause') would not.
- 3. Cause Spirits.
- The Spirits representing a great cause, often possessed by it's instigator. These have a tendency to live on and pass to whoever is the most influential man in the cause in question, however this tends to rarely happen. Most causes of great importance are either continent wide efforts, or ones that transcend a small, focused group, and when they aren't, they tend to die within the first generation.
- Cause Spirits tend to be restricted by more than the original seven principles, and more often than not taken on the mantle of a defender, rather than a spirit meant to win battles. Some causes do tend to operate more aggressively however due to the overall peaceful nature of the world as it is, this is also a rarity.
- 4. Dolls.
- Dolls have a tendency to become Defender Spirits, in fact Wisps do just this, creating their Defender Spirit Doll and piloting it. For most Doll Makers, their first Doll is awakened as their Defender Spirit, and Fog beings turn their Defender Spirits into Dolls, once they manage to make them, of course only in the event that they have taken up Doll Making.
- Doll Defender Spirits tend to be modified upon awakening, as the physiology and features of a Defender are often next to impossible to replicate (however master Doll Makers can in fact make their Doll Defender so that the awakening will not alter the body at all. It requires a good deal of skill and being heavily in tune with one's ideas). They are also unique in that they possess the ability to be upgraded and altered by their maker, a fact often taken advantage of.
- Doll Making is a modern field and thus any ideas born from it are prone to rapid changes, as things develop. Doll Makers must thus, be flexible.
- 5. Fog Defenders.
- The defenders of the mysterious Fog Spirits, all come with 'room' in their bodies to allow for the fog spirit to be housed in. This is only temporary as Fog Spirits need the freedom of fresh air, and morning dew on the leaves, of fine gravel and wild flowers to truly 'live'. Fog Defenders tend to be humanoid, not very large, but with strange abilities and fearsome strength. As man drives himself away from nature, he entrusts his strength to what he has, rather than what he is.
- The opposite is true then, of beings that are deeply tied to the wild, like Fog spirits are. While fascinated by humanity, and very curious, it harms both them and their spirits to exist so closely.
- 6. Garden Spirits.
- The spirits that dwell in gardens. More often than not, lumbering and slow however they come with a great power. They are defenders of the garden as well as the Artist, and seem to hold said garden in the same level of importance as the Gardener that brought them forth. Most Gardeners see this as a good thing. Garden Spirits often have an 'antiquated' look to them, which many have compared to somewhat more polished than the Ocamalac.
- They almost never speak, but their unique nature gives them a capacity for acting autonomously. Garden Spirits can outlive their Gardeners, however they can never outlive the garden, which without the care of the Artist will eventually wilt. A Garden Spirit can be transformed by the changes in the Garden. A new Gardener might pick up a dead Gardener's garden for example, and as they work on it, the Garden Spirit of said place is linked to them, and altered to fit their ideas.
- 7. Great Spirits.
- The spirits of grand concepts, cities, mountains, and distant stars. Creatures like Alomin, Artemia, Celun, Alomin or Falgr. These spirits develop autonomy, a conscience and power beyond any other, often coming with a rather large size and tremendous power to boot. They have no individual Artist and do not need one to operate, however they can take an Artist upon themselves, if they so wish.
- Great Spirits are highly varied, and are not created by a single Artist, thus their birth can be considered to be a result of many people banding under an Idea, which no single person can take over.
- 8. Current Spirits.
- Spirits representing an art current. While older Currents may or may not survive depending on the importance of the works produced under them, whichever is more current (pun intended) will have more power. Reviving an old art current works much like restoring any other type of Spirit of course.
- -------
- Below is the list of the spirits of greatest renown in the current age.
- 1. Artemia. Wielded by: The Nation of Artemia.
- A gigantic Guardian Spirit. Once upon a time, Kandhrak manifested a vast giant, as the idea of their nation. A tall war machine, Kandhrak's idea of itself towered over the battlefield, riding out wherever it was needed and in any campaigns that the forces of Kandhrak marched into. However when Kandhrak fell, so did the spirit named after it, becoming nothing more than a vast shell of metal in the ruins of an empire.
- When Artemia rose, she manifested as a beautiful woman of gold and white, that tore open Kandhrak's head, and placed herself in it, shooting her aura forth into the gigantic body. Commanding now, the vast golem, Artemia sings in the Primodrial Language, as she summons great arrows of light, and projects her voice into the world. Unstoppable, she is the will of a great nation.
- 2. The Red Giant. Wielded by: Veld Annun
- The Perpetual Flame. One of the seven great projects of Alchemy, realized in the form of the core of the Red Giant. A skeleton of Oriate, that houses within a flame, bound to it by fate itself. Oriate will never rust, break or tear, nor will it be sullied. Thus, the bound core of flame will exist eternally as well.
- The Red Giant produces tremendous amounts of steam due to the process at the bottom of the pipe city, Ignes. This results in the city itself being sustained by the power of steam. A wonder of modern engineering, one has to wonder how far the perpetual flame will take the world.
- 3. Alomin. (Currently) Wielded by: Oraka Pharasius.
- The spirit of the great mountain Organnat. Alomin is made of a super-heavy metal, a 'perfect' form of Oriate that is thought of as absolutely unbreakable on top of it's weight. It has very large arms and a tremendous stature, and in it's chest is a large hatch that opens to absorb things within. Alomin means 'The Embracer' in Orimman, and his only desire is to embrace the very sky. Unfortunately, his size will not allow for this, and thus he wishes for his Artists to assist him. Some do. Some are less inclined, and instead focus on city politics.
- Alomin will house any spirit the Artist he is assigned to currently had, within his opening, and restore it when he is re-assigned. Every year, alternating between the cities, he picks the greatest artist and assigns himself to them. It is considered a great honor, and Alomin is a most generous and understanding spirit.
- 4. Celun. Wielded by: Provost Zoe.
- A spirit wielded by the sentient doll, Zoe of Morphe. The embodiment of the academy of Morphe, and therefore of progress in the field of Doll Making and Oneironautics. Celun is a massive spirit, whose true form is only visible in Morphe-Selene, when the mystical moon alters the city. He defends the academy, and allows for it to be used as a 'safe' area during the nights, from which the researchers can move into the world and make observations.
- Celun takes the shape of a tall, lanky being with a glass face that shows the entirety of the night-sky in it, and it's form is surrounded by large, moving rings. This is assumed to be the best approximation of the Brain of Ios in the modern age, however there is much debate regarding it. It speaks in a language of signals, and only Zoe can communicate with it, possessing the same capacity due to being a doll.
- 5. Falgr. Wielded by: The Southern Mistanne Sea.
- A 'regulator' type of spirit, a mysterious and great being that dwells in the depths. Falgr possesses a similar physiology to the great Cephalopod of Okhtov, a gigantic octopus that dwells in the depths. A creature of pure intellect and calculation, Falgr possesses no emotion and rules over the seas. The idea that the sea is merciless and has it's own rules which it abides by. Sirens tend to fear Falgr, and build their settlements far from him. He is given fear and respect, but no worship. The realization that the sea cannot be pleased has become a grand idea.
- Falgr will however, defend himself. Many have found themselves in the wrong end of his tentacles, trying to sully the sea, mess with it's parallels, or attack the Sirens. It is fine if the creatures of the deep fight among themselves however if the same 'mercy' does not apply to meddlesome surfacers.
- 6. The Hope of Organnat. Wielded by: Nobody.
- The great Idea that comes with the song, played in the pipes near mount Organnat. It is not known who built them or why they were there, but the giant organ is of right now, impossible to play. At the bottom, as one commands it's tunes, there lies a vast amount of statues with instruments that they would play, a vast orchestra awaiting for the chosen someone, that will awaken them and the hope of the mountain. It is believed that this instrument is a way to regain the Primordial Language.
- When conflict and the unreasonableness of men grows stronger, so too must the eternal song. It is often said that this song would be able to resonate with the entire world, reaching the entirety of Mistanne and even the most distant heart would offer but a second of attention.
- 7. Arthe. Wielded by: Luna (?) + 6 others.
- The Defender spirit that represents 'all of the sky'. A tremendous undertaking, created when the Seven Painters of the Sky brought upon their great work. Arthe is unique, in that while most Defender Spirits share an existence between this world and that of ideas, she is solitary. There is only one Arthe, that bridges the two worlds, yet never lets anyone cross through. From the peak of Organnat it is said that one who looks properly, will be able to see her.
- Arthe is also unique in that she can be 'wielded' by many people at once. Currently, the seven sky painters have the honor, with anyone who manages to similarly paint the sky being bestowed it.
- 8. PorSilence. Wielded by: Lumeria. (Doll Maker)
- A Siren that was mute from birth. With no future using the enchanting voice the species is known for, she turned to the most unlikely of arts: Doll Making. Lumeria's determination has allowed her to produce some of the most unique dolls, of varying sizes. While their usability and efficiency isn't the best, Lumeria's dolls are known for being extremely beautiful, and are sold for great prices all over the world, each a masterpiece on it's own. Almost all of them make use of porcelain as a material, hence the name.
- PorSilence manifests as large, rotund bronze doll, with a beautiful porcelain mask, and a large 'hat' covering the sides of it's head, and rising up as a cylinder. It's torso is a large oval shaped glass orb, full of water, in which Lumeria resides. PorSilence has relatively short, but thick legs with which to support itself, as well as three arms, two placed a bit more to the front, and one directly out of the spine. The hands are very long and incredibly mobile. It possesses the ability to speak, by reverberating the (very difficult to break) crystal glass of the torso vessel, giving it a rather high pitched, melodious voice.
- 9. If You Think You Are Free There Is No Escape Possible. Wielded by: Ios. (Alchemist)
- A great calculation machine. It takes the form of a humanoid, androgynous being composed of moving symbols and numbers, surrounded in moving spheres of metal. The Awakening of Ios symbolizes the fact that through Art, one ascends past the nature one has been assigned at birth, by race, place of origin, or whatnot. Ios shed away the greed of dragons and became a being with a desire for knowledge that he could teach to others.
- Awakening allows Ios to part from the material world, and become incorporeal, and thus impervious to attack. It also allows him to inspire extreme tranquility in others, so vast that they would 'vanish' on their own, until their reflection was done and they could return to the world. It was an effective way for Ios, the great Alchemist, to escape but also end conflict.
- 10. Inquisition Ineluctable. Wielded by: Quaro Lakon. (Speaker)
- A tall spirit, clad in dark armor, bearing a cape equally black, expanding in many directions once it reaches the ground. Each end of the cape (there are five) is twisted and the darkness gives way to a candle. A face wrapped in black bandages, with a singular candle-like flame within it, that is barely visible I.I belongs to a Speaker, that has a rather devastating method of debate, asking seemingly distant and unrelated questions at random points, and then connects the random questions with more relevant information, to deliver the conclusion that the opponent is in fact, contradicting himself.
- Quaro does this via his extreme shrewdness and cautious observation. I.I is mostly defensive, moving the cape around and using it to block attacks, sometimes warding them off with flame from the candles. Once the opponent has been caught in a contradiction however, I.I will rise from beyond the opposing Spirit's shadow, wrap them in it's cape and reduce them to ash with the heat of it's 'face' candle.
- 11. Beautiful Thorn. Wielded by: Amalthea (Gardener)
- One of the most well known Fog spirits, who took over a dilapidated shrine, a central Mistanne settlement, of the pre-Kandhrak perior, inhabited by the Vaana. Amalthea is known for her...thorniness, and her idea reflects this perfectly. Her garden is one of the largest, a beautiful paradise of flowers, surrounded by a dreaded layer of thorns and poisonous plants, which she cares for in the same level as the beautiful and harmless flowers in the center.
- Beautiful Thorn takes the form of a tall, handsome lady, with short red hair, green skin, coated in thorns, and crimson eyes. She covers herself in a modest attire of red petals, and wields a lance made of thorns. The knight that defends one of the greatest gardens. Her thorns are considered extremely dangerous: they grow in the presence of blood, and are simulated by motion: being pierced by them makes their subsequent removal nigh impossible, and they will grow to consume the poor victim that had been assaulted. 'The things that we crave the most, also harm us the most'. An universal truth of Fog spirits, that has now become true for other races as well.
- 12. Entropica. Wielded by: Veronica Arloque (Musician)
- One of the most feared Artemia field commanders. Veronica is a terrifyingly capable pianist, but that is not all. Her Spirit's destructive power is feared, far and wide. A tall, pale woman, with long gray hair and a golden face plate, over the upper half of said face. Covered in a dark shroud, with blue flames showing (and moving) through it, as if the cloak was a grand screen. A large, dark flat piano keyboard, in which Entropica plays.
- At all times, she summons seven fireballs, that in their natural state rotate around her following one another in a circle. The piano can speed them up, increase the radius, size and vice-versa. She can call the flames together, and launch them forward in a large orb, or to 'launch' the circle of fireballs and have it come back to her. The flames are mostly normal (however, they are blue, which means very, very hot), but leave behind no ashes or remains. They can be normally doused, and with time, can even burn normally fireproof objects.
- 13. Cloud Ten. Wielded by: Esha Mirris. (Dancer)
- A Dancer who also made a name for herself in Artemia. While somewhat provocative clothing (oh my, an exposed belly?!) is nothing new in Mount Organnat, Artemia's philosophy of dancing as more of a combat art, clashes with Esha's own, and makes her a subject of harassment by the authorities, yet extremely popular with certain parts of the public. Thus, Cloud Ten's abilities are more on the defensive side.
- Cloud Ten consists of four individual golden dancer ladies, dressed just like Esha (they always mimic her clothing). When dancing, their attires shift into colored smoke, red, green, pink, blue. They dance with her, and the show of color seems to get people going. Any of the Cloud Ten bodies can 'replace' Esha, and can perfectly replicate her thought process. While an amazing means of disguise, it also allows her to get away from the authorities (Spirits can just poof when the user or themselves will it)If the smoke is inhaled, it provokes certain emotions depending on the color.
- 14. Immigrant Song. Wielded by: Thronebreaker Wulfrich (Calligraphist)
- A legendary tale is contained within this song: The ideals of the old Terac people who left their homelands, once Kandhrak rose, and sailed forth to the south, beyond even the domain of Falgr. An Idea that supports bravely venturing where none has gone before, to rise above the fear of the unknown for the sake of the future. Immigrant Song takes the form of a gigantic skeleton mixed with the body of a ship.
- The lower portion opens up into a torn ribcage, and the bow, adorned with the figure of a skeleton comes to life. The double masts move to the sides and bend, and the sails operate as wings, massive, terrifying bat wings. Immigrant Song is incorporeal apart from a crown, atop the bow skeleton's skull, which would cause it to de-manifest for up to a week if damaged. It possesses tremendous strength, and cannot be struck back. It comes with the added advantage of being able to phase through walls. Thronebreaker Wulfrich was a brave Calligraphist an explorer who wandered through dark lands, to recover stories of old. Nobody knows why they call him 'Thronebreaker'
- 15. Many Instants Make One Life. Wielded by: Midas Mideon (Painter)
- A School Spirit, of the Thenist (Then - 'day' in modern Orimman-area dialects) movement. The belief that true beauty is found in what we do everyday: Even the greatest of the great ultimately live a life like we all do. While spread on Organnat, certain Pictanite wanderers managed to pick it up. The art of drawing on the sides of walls, scenes from everyday life and pursuits that appear serene or fulfilling. Typically, the people in these paintings are drown with looking away and their faces aren't drawn. Thenism is seen as a welcome modern revitalization of Painting, following the previous semi-dominant current and it's depressive nature.
- Many Instants Make One Life is however, deeper than merely an embodiment of Thenism, yet no details are known. It depicts a long haired girl, with a blindfold over her eyes, doing her best to master the art of Gardening. She has flowers bloom around her when she walks. If picked up, the petals will fly in a certain direction: showing the way to whatever it is that the one with the flower wants most. MIMOL only walks forward and stands. If she takes a step back, the flowers will fly and their petals will turn into pins, that will never miss their target, and force whoever is pierced to mimic MIMOL's movements.
- 16. Wilhuah-ixPakat. Wielded by: Kanei Ismanthes. (Oneironaut)
- The Dread Dream of The Destruction of Nature. Kanei is a rare Artemian Oneironaut, who explores dream of both nature and progress. His goal is to make a statement about how as Artemia expands upon the lands of Kandhrak, they will begin reconstructing multiple urban areas and therefore cause tremendous damage to nature itself. He is however, silent on issues regarding the possibility of war, and thus is left alone by the Artemian government. Kanei is very popular due to how most Artemians only have a wealth of ruins for a panorama, wherever they go.
- Wilhuah-ixPakat is a large wooden creature, a giant tree-man however, with mechanical parts attached in. The whirring of the gears, the absorption of fluids and their conversion to sickly, green liquid and the terrible smoke emerging, makes this juggernaut of an Idea look rather tragic. Wilhuah-ixPakat possesses great force and endurance, and by feeding people or ideas the corrupted fluid, it can add mechanical 'upgrades' to their body, quite powerful, but both painful and mercifully temporary. At the end, the 'upgraded' enter a state of sleep that lasts a few hours.
- 17. Labyrinth Ishmelem. Wielded by: Serenity Lark (Magician)
- The grand Magician of Ishmelem, a woman whose performance is done purely with the intent of cheering up the place. Serenity does her best to keep spirits up, even if Ishmelem remains a quiet place. 'What seems impossible today, will become possible tomorrow with enough determination'. A trickster by nature, Serenity and her Spirit are a perfect match in the eyes of many. Labyrinth Ishmelem takes time to set up, but once at full, will overwhelm almost anyone.
- A crystal horse, with a terrifying neigh. Wherever he walks, he spreads shards of reflective glass, that stick to any surface and become mirrors. As Labyrinth Ishmelem runs through, it creates precisely it's namesake: an illusory maze of mirrors, that makes one question everything. Serenity can transport herself through the mirrors, by jumping into one portion and exiting at any other mirror, as long as the size allows her to do so (otherwise she might end up getting cut). Some have wondered whether her sense of cheer and joy is a bit...misguided, as most such mazes tend to be horrifying to get through.
- 18. The Chorus of Terai. Wielded by: Aria. (Musician).
- Terai. The Xoac (and Terac) believed that at the utmost north there was a tower which was built upside down, and it's roof reached the center of the planet. They also believed that the interior of the world contained a massive, dark sea. The Xoac held that at this tower, stood a beautiful maiden whose duty was to sing a mystical song, in a language not known to them. Her words would rouse the spirits of the dark sea and they would sing with her as well.
- Terai is the reverse tower in question, and together with the singing spirits, they form the Chorus of Terai, headed by the ancient (possibly not human) Musician, Aria. It's purpose is to play something called the 'Midnight Lullaby', a song which placates a terrible beast sealed at the heart of the world. The Xoac myths predicted a period where Aria stopped singing, and would bring upon the 'Midnight', which is thought to have been the cause of the Cataclysm.
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment