Aspects Of Air
Air is. It is an ethereal
element, easily overlooked until one notices its absence or when it explodes
into tempestuous fury. The air can be felt, wafting
through one’s fingers, but it can never be grasped and held. It is an ideal
with which the Exalted of Air resonate. The Children
of Mela are beings of though and subtlety. Without
thought and idea, all that remains is the empty void of ignorance and death.
An Air-aspected
Dragon-Blood embodies the boundless creativity and idealism that can only exist
in pure thought. He ponders great ideas and dreams grand dreams. His love
affairs are epic tails of romance and tragedy to be passed down through the
ages. His battle plans are inspired strategies that will be studied by future
students seeking to master the arts of war. His sorceries are intricate
displays of magical mastery. For some, these lofty designs are masterful
exercises in subtlety, as unnoticeable as a gentle spring breeze. Others prefer
the ornate splendor of a raging lightning storm.
The Children of Mela are idealists and elitists, loathing the very thought
of their grand ideas being wasted on petty, mundane pursuits. An Aspect of Air
pursues wealth not for the money itself, but because he needs it to finance the
construction of the magnificent cathedral he has designed for the Order of
Immaculate Dragons. He masters the art of war not to merely crush his enemies,
but to earn the glory that comes with martial victory. He masters the arts of
magic not for base power, but for the spiritual enlightenment that such mastery
brings. Crass, material goals are left to those debased minds whose thoughts
wallow in the earthly muck.
The Air-aspected
are the dreamers of the Realm, their inspired ideas
and grand schemes becoming the causes other Dragon-Blooded work to carry out.
Aspects of Air put forth solutions to the Realm’s problems and present plans
for growth and improvement. The Children of Mela
inspire others to look beyond the here and now and blow the dust off of
forgotten ideas, making them appear new again. Those winds are sometimes
turbulent, tearing down cherished things which have no place alongside the new
idea, but this is of little consequence. All that matters is the plan’s
completion, and such mundane details are of no concern to great dreamers.
Aspects of Air perform a similar
role within bonded circles, inspiring their circlemates
to dreams of grandeur. An Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded
doesn’t see the sworn brothers as they are, but rather how they could be.
The Immaculate Dragons: Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded who follow the
way of Mela are often staunch perfectionists,
endlessly refining their elaborate plans until they reach perfection. They are
often among the Realm’s premiere military strategists, scholars and sorcerers.
Followers of Sextes Jylis
direct their dreams toward the improvement of the Realm, and these
Aspect Markings:
Aspects of Air are typically thin and lithe. Their skin has a natural bluish or
whitish tint. Blue tones are most pronounced among those with high Breeding. As
their Essence increases, Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded
begin to be surrounded by a continuous gusting breeze, which increases in
intensity when they are angry or agitated. This wind may be stilled through
concentration but returns if the character’s mind becomes preoccupied (such as
by combat, deep focus on a manuscript or sex). Elders are often characterized
by their ice-cold skin and be the scent of fresh breezes or thunder.
Aspect Anima: When
an Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded spends Peripheral
Essence, his anima radiates outward into a shimmering aura of pale blue and
white, swirling in patterns that remind one of rolling clouds or gusting winds.
Truly grand displays include phantasmal whirlwinds, lightning, air dragons or
swarms of snowflakes, while the sounds of roaring thunder or screaming wind
echo around the character.
An Aspect of Air can spend 5
motes to attune his anima to the nearby winds, allowing them to bear him aloft.
For the rest of the scene, he may triple his leaping distance and takes no
damage from falls.
Aspect Abilities:
Air Exalted are creatures of thought and dream, excelling in areas of
scholarship and subtle motion. They have a natural affinity with the Abilities
of Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth and Thrown.
Common Natures:
Architect, Bureaucrat, Conniver, Explorer, Gallant,Judge, Leader, Paragon, Rebel, Savant, Thrillseeker, Visionary
The Great Curse:
Aspects of Air whose curse lies in their Compassion often hold idealistic views
of how the world should work and react poorly when confronted with how cruel
society can be. Those whose curse derives from Conviction often become so
fixated upon their dreams of the future that, like blizzards, they become deaf
to the cries of the present, enabling them to reach great heights of cruelty in
pursuit of their schemes. Temperate Air Exalted are like
calm breezes, tending to be moral idealists. When they find themselves or
others unable to live up to their own lofty dreams of purity, they frequently
vent their frustrations with all the fury of a lightning storm. Those who
suffer curses of Valor often take excessive pride in their own mental
facilities and will react with tornado-like violence to having their skills
questioned or trust in their own plans and abilities to the point of
recklessness.
Associations: The
color blue, the Maiden of Serenity, the season of Air and the northern
direction
Sobriquets:
Children of Mela, Tempestuous Knives, Azure Dragons
Concepts: Scholar
of the forbidden, idealistic monk, daring sorcerer, political puppetmaster, languid dreamer, philosopher-general, earnest
bureaucrat
Did you think that you
could outwit a child of the sky?
Our thoughts are like lightning,
and our anger shakes the ground
like thunder. Begone.