I have been visited by my Goddess’s Aspects many times, and I can never say it was particularly pleasant. I’ve heard lovely things about them from other Devout, of course.
-Amik Westward, High Priest of Hyrnedhna
Many Devout see Aspects as a rather mundane thing in the course of our work: they are there to deliver a message because our God does not have the time. This is fair, I think. But I tend to marvel on them as divine beings in and of themselves.
-Milot Aspera, High Priest of Kasamei
Even the rabbits are trouble.
-Duncan of Fairchild, High Priest of Steramestei
In the world of Circadia, magical beings are not uncommon. Afterall, the Gods are known to walk the Mortal realm. While interactions with Gods are rare for the majority of the Realm, most Mortals will nevertheless encounter the Hyrnedhnai, Mynaira, and even the Toto over the course of their lives. These Magical beings, though not deathless, are nevertheless infused with Mana in a way that separates them from Mortals.
However, there are rare supernatural beings that exist outside of more commonplace (albeit infrequent) interactions: The Aspects.
The Aspects
Aspects defy easy classification in terms of physical manifestation. They take various forms but, in essence, are manifestations of the Gods’ will made present in the Mortal Realm. They frequently serve as messengers, emissaries, brokers, and–at least for some of the Gods–Omens. Aspects appear to Mortals when the Gods need something or, exceptionally rarely, when a Mortal has requested something from a God.
There are both Lesser Aspects and Greater Aspects. Usually, Aspects manifest only in the presence of Devout, though some Mortals report they too have been visited. Greater Aspects generally only appear in times of tremendous change or strife and usually only to fully bring forth a God’s will.
Most times Aspects are neutral and benign: they are generally serving on behalf of the Gods to deliver information or collect aid. Sometimes, however, they carry a more ominous burden and greet Mortals with hostility.
Physically, Lesser Aspects reflect essences of the Gods’ own selves and have a more or less unified appearance (depending on the Gods). All Lesser Aspects are sentient and can communicate easily with Mortals as they choose.
Aspects of the Pantheon
Beodhen’s Lesser Aspects generally appear as flashes of gold and red and manifest most frequently as hot, crimson flame. Complementary to this, Nepheris’s Lesser Aspects present as streaks of blue and silver, generally manifesting as orbs of icy sapphire fire. Occasionally, Lesser Aspects of both Beodhen and Nepheris will take on a more humanoid form, differentiated from Mortals by a large pair of wings sprouting from their backs.
Steramestei and Kasamei most often send what are called the Star Children: single stars or even walking constellations, pulled from dreams and shadow, that speak on behalf of one or both of the Sisters. Very occasionally, the Sisters will send Lesser Aspects who take on the form of a rabbit, indistinguishable from normal rabbits, save their silvery glow, and fur bespeckled with moons and stars. (It is common for followers of the Sisters to erect small gardens and shrines to welcome these odd rabbits.)
Finally, T’Zyri most frequently offers the Quiet Swarms as her Lesser Aspects. In numbers both great and small, the snakes and spiders that she calls ally will serve as emissaries for her. Rarely, Lesser Aspects known as The Weavers appear. These beings have vaguely humanoid forms but manifest more clearly as walking spiderwebs.
Other Aspects
The Fallen Gods all have their own Lesser Aspects, though they appear more rarely. T’rer invariably sends forth Gargoyles: stone soldiers of beastly appearance, the Gargoyles are known to be fair and even in temperament. Mynair, Hyrnedhna, and Opix have all historically called upon the natural world around them: Hyrnedhna sends Aspects cloaked in thorns, vines, and horns, while Opix sends winged insects and even small storm clouds made sentient. When she was alive, Mynair most commonly sent Lesser Aspects in the form of water: moving tidal pools or even diverted streams. Verine’s Lesser Aspects are infamous: The Wanton are skulking, eerie creatures that sprout curved horns and venomous claws–though they often dress in the finery of their Lady, they are known for their wretched countenance. Gu’labir sends out similarly off-putting Lesser Aspects, though they lack any real uniformity: followers say they have been visited by everything from sentient mushrooms to a reanimated pig’s corpse.
Across contexts, Greater Aspects are all but unheard of and those few who report Greater Aspects often speak of mythical beasts stranger than even the most alien of Abyssal creatures or most stunning of Hyrnedhna’s beasts.
It is assumed that Aspects of some of the Old Gods remain, but these creatures have not been seen in centuries.
Out of Game Note: Aspects are what you might think of, in another context, most closely related to angels. They are divine beings that carry out the orders of their various Gods. In Zealot, we will often use Aspects to introduce encounters or bring information to players. As a player, being visited by a Lesser Aspect is strange, though not unheard of for Devout. Being visited by a Greater Aspect is something that is almost entirely unheard of except among the most revered of High Clergy and Devout.
Zealot Larp 