Spirits

"Molded of the dragons, children of the elements, the spirits are our guides and keepers."

Summary

What is a Spirit?

A "Spirit" is a manifestation of mana; in other words, no, they are not the divine creators of our universe. They are instead akin to "us"- referring to humanity, of course- in that they too are born of the world and not of some distant universe, at least as far as we know. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and vary incredibly depending on their attuned element and given scale. Some Spirits are said to be mountains tall, while others could fit on your shoulder... though whether this has any bearing on how powerful one is can't easily be said. Most spirits fall into one element or another, as they have been shaped by the world of balance that the old dragons created prior to their slumber. The rest that now hides these dragons from discovery is believed to be owed to the spirits themselves who tend to Rhyst in their stead.

What does a Spirit... do?

As mentioned, Spirits are not divine creators. That being said they are undoubtedly objects of worship for many denizens of Rhyst. For most, Spirits are the closest thing to gods in our realm. In truth, all a Spirit is really "intended" to do is care for its environment. A Spirit is born of a location- say, a mountain range- and its gradual run-off of mana over centuries, slowly accumulating into something more and more grand as time goes on. As such, they tend to care for and protect these biomes at all costs and with utmost priority.

So Spirits are immortal?

Not so much. You see, while Spirits will simply reform if their physical body is killed (even if it might take many years), they can only do so while their "home"- the aforementioned biome that spawned them- exists. If a forest dies, the Spirit that protects it will no longer be able to reform. Gradually, it will leech away its mana by existing until it no longer walks Rhyst. Sad, sure, but consider how difficult it'd be to truly kill any given environment! Most Spirits are borderline immune to this... Even a burned forest can oft regrow.

What about the big guys- Greater Spirits?

So, we've mostly been discussing smaller-scale Spirits; the kind that claim your backyard stream and cause mischief, or maybe a mid-tier Spirit that looks over the forest surrounding a city. What about a high-tier Spirit? A Greater Spirit? Greater Spirits are harder to pin down, and we know very little concrete information about them. However, of what we do know, we can tell that they're... essentially free to do as they please. As of yet, no Greater Spirit has been recorded "dying", either by reformation or by its habitat being destroyed, and that trend looks to continue.

They are positively massive, usually in both size and strength, and often lay claim to entire regions. Not just mountains or forests, but whole country-sized blocks of land and ocean. They are also very rarely seen, and considering you'd have to erase a chunk of the planet to approach the subject of damaging their chosen "home", it makes sense why they only occasionally bother with human-level affairs. These Spirits are our "gods", for all intents and purposes. They could wipe out humanity with a blink, but they choose not to- humans are, after all, a species of Rhyst they must protect.

The Eldest Spirits

The first spirits to be created emerged prior to the dragons' great slumber. Five manifested, and five went on to become responsible for the creation of humanity. Unlike the other Greater Spirits, they, for whatever unknown reason, opted to each form their own branch of humanity from various stretches of life on Rhyst. In doing so, they each granted their respective sect their "blessing", which is said to be what formed the beginnings of magic within humanity. In truth, it was only the start of elementalism as it's known today.

Eschen

The Conqueror of the Seas.
Said to have been the first to shape human form, Eschen is a strikingly fast serpent whose domain knows few bounds. With claim to more than half of a continent's coastline, none truly know just how deep the creature's territory extends. It is speculated that it first opted to create humans when landbound opponents learned of methods to combat Eschen's floods and storms, forming the ancient Esche in an attempt to fight forwardly against other Spirits' domains. The origins of the Esche became their greatest offense: hard, metallic scales and lizard-like horns, natural weapons against natural foes. These now, of course, pale in comparison to magic and tools. As generations of Esche continued walking the world, they soon changed and evolved as their environments changed. The desert dwelling Esche who found the Red Dragon Zahhak took upon themselves features that matched their worshipped deity, and today the Draconian has become far more prominent around Rhyst. It's believed that most other Esche variants returned to the seas or deep marshlands where they seclude themselves today.

Vaiel

The Shapeless Flame.
Vaiel has the fewest witness accounts of any Greater Spirit. While most have a set-in-stone form (or at least a baseline appearance), Vaiel does not. They are oft described as a shapeshifting figure wielding dozens of different animal species' traits instead, and many believe this is because they represent the formless nature of fire. With a claim to the continent Eschen resides beside, Vaiel grew jealous of the serpent's newfound humans and, after losing many a battle to these forged soldiers, went into a frenzy. They burned beaches to glass and forests to ash, holding the line alone until they learned of the method behind their creation. Vaiel then created humans of their own to fight back- the Vaien, animalistic beastmen whose descendants are now known as the Wildkin. The guardian spirits of the wildkin all act in autonomous individuality, but it is believed that even they answer to Vaiel as a patron and overseer of some kind.

Hysena

The Mystery of the Dark.
Often deemed the strangest of the Patrons, Hysena only rarely dabbled in inter-Spirit relations. Born of the earth, they barely ever bothered to emerge, instead opting to construct complex cave networks and grand underground abodes away from the glaring sun. In doing so, Hysena realized the limited scope of her grasp. Greater Spirit or not, they could only do so much alone. As such, Hysena shaped Hysen from the creatures of the dark, utilizing them as utilitarian moles to further their collective range. At some point, Hysena revealed the reason for her seclusion to her "children". It is said that this drove the Hysen even deeper underground. As the Void Crisis grew in notoriety, nearly all Hysen vanished from the surface. It is thought that they either perished in some unknown catastrophe or sought out their patron deep within the earth. It has been several centuries since anyone saw a Hysen with their own eyes, but their grand cities dot the world of Rhyst as some of the most prominent ruins today as they still stand as marvels in comparison to even Isegrad's innovations.

Ai & Phee

The East & West Winds.
Ever the symbolic pair, Ai & Phee are tightly intertwined in most mythos. Ai is said to have grown from a plain that sat beside Phee's desert, who came into existence mere moments prior. Over time, they grew together, depicted most often as discordant siblings who actively seek out mischief. More importantly, though, were they the last to attempt to shape humans of their own. While Eschen claimed fish, amphibians, and lizards, and Vaiel claimed mammals and avians, so too did Ai & Phee desire lost souls to guide. As such, they took the discarded animals of the world and gave them new purpose, providing Rhyst with what we now know as Aiphe. These nomads has long since traveled the world, thinning themselves out to the point that no known single civilization can be called a home to the Aiphe. They've become increasingly rare as time has passed.

Greater Spirits

While less relevant to humanity, other Greater Spirits do exist and are often worshiped as entities separate from the Patrons. Entire mythologies exist based around their lingering presences, and each has a specific "mantra" or ideal that humans have since placed upon them. Though not the Eldest Spirits, it is believed they too owe their creation to the great dragons.

Fire Spirits

Amada - Torchbearer
Commonly considered to be a Spirit of the hearth or of the fireplace, Amada represents, to humans, the healing, life-filling aspect of fire. While fire can take away so, so much, it can also staunch bleeding, keep you warm, cook food, and more. She holds domain over the largest forest in Rhyst, where she is known as veritable royalty. Humanity tends to paint her in a kind, warm light, and said forest is supposedly one of the most fertile lands in the world. Legends tell of the place as a farmer's dream.

Helios - Ashbringer
And while there are kind aspects to flame, so too are there destructive ones. Born of magma and volcanic rock, Helios represents, to humans, the burning obliteration of fire. He is often considered a reckless Spirit to worship, as even in battle do you desire your own survival- for Helios, absolute ruin is all that should remain. There is a smaller sect that believe he is a kind soul as well, however, and many among these folk worship him as a Spirit of rebirth instead of one of destruction.

Water Spirits

Samsara - The Rotting
One of the most overtly "evil" Spirits, at least from the perspective of humanity, would be Samsara. In truth, though, his personification is rarely directly vile, and he sees more worship than even Helios. As the representation of decay and disease, Samsara held the domain at the end of the world, until it was seized from him, and is usually attributed more with absolving sickness than he is with causing it. While Helios is said to be a Spirit of rebirth (a focus on the new), Samsara is akin to a Spirit of decomposition (a focus on the old).

Melous - Cloudwalker
Of course, water isn't all terrestrial. Much of it remains in the atmosphere, and Melous stands to serve as a representation of that fact. Holding domain over a generous portion of the skies, she is said to bring torrential rains where they aught not to be. Desert denizens will pray to her to bring rare rainwater to their sands, and so too will sailors beg her for a stormless trip. In this sense, she has one of the widest scopes of any Greater Spirit, reaching nigh-all other domains.

Wind Spirits

Ter-Anaht - Arctic Aurora
Ter-Anaht is the white owl spirit of the snow, who's domain extends over the world as a whole. When compared to the rest of the Greater spirits, Ter-Anaht is very young only rising to prominence after the year 700. It is known partially as the spirit of migration and changing domains, often guiding lost spirits who might otherwise become elementals to new areas they may be able to take up.

Cygnus - Mooncaller
An example of a Spirit gaining prominence due to the direct human attention, Cygnus' rise in influence is due to humanity's growing attention on the celestial bodies above. Rarely seen on Rhyst, the Mooncaller's purpose is remains shrouded in mystery and with appearances being rare, it may very well remain in the shadows for years to come.

Earth Spirits

Delta - Kingmaker
Claimant of the highest peak in Rhyst, Delta is often related to great kings or emperors. Around the base of his mountain, numerous villages and even cities lie, all built in worship of the great Spirit of the earth. Mind, he remains just as obscure as any other Spirit, but his solitary, unchanging position makes it easier to believe one is "close" to him. These settlements constructed rules and laws around the idea of Delta, allowing his orderly and upstanding personage to spread like wildfire through throne rooms and other areas of authority.

Sylva - Undergrowth
Upon Rhyst, there are only a handful of dense jungles. And of those, even fewer expand over dozens of square miles. Sylva is the owner of the largest of these, laying claim to a monumentally-large tropical forest that lathers itself over almost all of a small island continent. Few humans have ventured here as the present wildlife is typically too overbearing for even a small group of soldiers to manage. Of all of the known Greater Spirits, Sylva is likely the least worshiped. It is a creature of intrigue and mystery, tucked away in a forgotten corner of the world.

Inactive Greater Spirits

Zephyr - The Morning Breeze
Zephyr is a rarer sort of Spirit that, like Vaiel, doesn't retain itself to a single form. Unlike Vaiel, however, does Zephyr opt to never take a form at all. Instead, it serves as a free-flowing gale, difficult to see even for the most adept of mages. It represents freedom and acting on a whim, its image serving as a symbol for behaving however you like at a given moment. Zephyr's followers claim that their worship is as meaningful as tracing the direction of a breeze- truly, it never will or did matter at all.

Zeal - Frigid-Winged
In the opposite direction lies Zeal, a representation of the wind's furious power. Despite their reportedly small, moth-like figure, they command tremendous ability and supposedly linger about the northern pole of Rhyst. They are deeply associated with the arctic and frigid winds, and are said to represent frostbite and preservation alike. Their followers aim to adapt to cold rather than resist it, snuffing flames and otherwise in favor of embracing the chill.

This information is Unofficial Canon

Spirit Concepts

Spiritual Elementalism

Spiritual Elementalism, is a process in which a Spirit loses it’s domain, is not directly slain, and slowly but surely fades from the world due to being unable to gain a new domain. Not all Spirits go through this process, a Spirit that is slain but has it’s domain will eventually be able to reform into the world anew, and a Spirit that is slain and is without domain dies quickly in that moment. However, should the Spirit not be slain and be without domain, their mana will slowly leak over time, causing them to eventually fade away.

Spiritual Vassalization

Spiritual Vassalization is a hierarchy in which Spirits live with each other in harmony, while domains may overlap. It is observed by all Spirits to various degrees, with the term ‘Vassal’ typically depicting Spirits that are closer in working together or where one is the direct, willing subordinate of the other.