Muse

The Muse is the living incarnation of artistic creativity and inspiration, a beatific vision of human potential and grace. The Muse strides through the art world as a god, with a wave of their hand an artist can find themselves devoid of all imagination, or overloaded with creative frenzy. 
== Origin Story: ==
Unlike so many other Supernaturals, who were born from eldritch forces or one of the Pagan Gods, the Muses firmly establish that they sprang from Ouranos Himself, the Primordial Creator of all things.  Muses are humanoid Supernaturals who can 'feed' on the creative energies of others, and can inspire them to greater heights of achievement.  They are functionally immortal, being able to live for centuries by feeding on the creativity inherent in others.
== Facts: ==
-Muses are inherently creative and artistic creatures.  They also tend to be naturally beautiful. 
-Muses can see the creative energies of others as multi-colored swirls of cloud-like substance surrounding and coming off of people. They feel a hunger for creativity and can only satisfy that by 'feeding' off of the excess creative energies produced by other creative people.   
-Muses also possess the inherent power to read the aura of other people.
-Another key power of Muses is their control over creativity itself.  They can drain a person dry of all of their imagination, leaving them little more than a dry automation, or they can infuse them with intense inspiration, sending them into near-madness. 
-All Muses possess strong capacities for the arts and other intellectual achievements. 
-Unfortunately, when it comes to combat, they rank only barely above that of mortal humans.  To compensate, Muses tend to learn some of the base level of magick, particularly Elementalism and other Crafts which are useful in self-defense.  
-Another weakness of Muses is that they can often become entranced by extreme beauty, leaving them vulnerable. 
-The Mousagetes or Grand Muses are the oldest surviving Muses on earth.  Each of the Mousagetes has a general concept behind them, such as memory or poetry or erotic literature, etc.  Other Muses often invoke them when performing their magic. 
-Muses can enchant their art with magic, often creating songs that can entrance others, or graffiti so unnerving it will send others running away in fear. 
-Muses tend to live where there is great action and a strong art scene.  As such, they tend to be urban creatures, choosing major cities and metropolitans as their home.  Some may choose to live removed, often for the purpose of contemplation or honing their craft, but even these will often come back into town to socialize.
-Historically, Muses tend to champion heroes, intellectuals, and achievers.  They have often been at the forefront of social change.
-They are also known for their falls into decadence.  Their hyper-acute senses and fixation for beauty and pleasure often gives them a propensity for excess.  Most young Muses go through a 'tortured artist' phase, as it is often put. 
-Because of their social nature, Muses who live in a given area often come together to form a 'Circle.'  This Circle is often led by a small number of the eldest Muses, often the nine oldest.  They have no direct authority over the other Muses, but it would be wise not to piss them off, since they can probably make life very difficult for those who don't like them!
-Because they are the 'Children of Ouranos,' the sky-father found in all ancient cultures, Muses by tradition hold their Meetings of the Circle only on top of high places where they are closest to the sky. 
-Muses possess no healing ability, unless they have magic for that.  They die just like regular humans do, although any Muse worth their salt will have special spells and salves in the event they are grievously injured.
-Because of their particular nature, Muses tend to locate talented artists and make friends with them.  It's not uncommon for Muses to act as patrons and guides for artists, philosophers, and other achievers.  Many Muses often fall deeply in love with their best 'inspirations' and frequently marry them.
-When it comes to the Orders of Adepts, the Order of Pagans, Order of Infinity, the Order of Courtesans, and Order of Scribes are probably the four biggest. However, the Muses are a creative and diverse lot and can be found in many different Orders, each for their own reason.
-Any Adept with an above-average talent for the arts would do well to make friends with any local Muses. Not only will the Muse probably be able to plug them into the local art scene, they will also help to instruct and guide the budding Adept, as well as offer supernatural aid in the form of a fresh infusion of creativity from time to time.
-There is also an entire Order of Adepts known as the Order of Muses in modern times. You can use them instead of the race of Supernaturals presented here. Or you can use them together.
== Children of the Sky-Father: ==
Descended from Ouranos, the Sky-Father and Creator of all Things, the Muses reflect this relationship every time they exercise their powers considerably. Their eyes undergo a pigment shift, causes their irises to turn azure, the color of the sky itself.
Muses can also will this change to occur at any time, however, for the sake of the Discipline Arcani, they often do not.
Muses can also cause their hair to turn azure as well, or it can happen automatically if they exert their powers too much and too obviously.
== Devotion to the Grand Muses: ==
The Grand Muses are the founders and matriarchs of the entire Muse race. Nine in number, they are more like gods in terms of their powers and cosmic importance. They are themselves believed by Muses to be the daughters of Ouranos, the Great Creator, Father of the Cosmos itself.
Each of the Grand Muses represents a core concept inherent within the artistic traditions. Muses can develop different sets of abilities, in addition to their standard traits as Muses, depending on which Grand Muse they follow.
== Seeing Auras: ==
The primary ability inherent within all Muses is their power to see auras. The power to see auras is what allows Muses to manipulate creativity itself, since they can see the creative changes taking place in others who are artistically gifted. They can 'touch' these auras and energize them, filling their targets with creative bliss, or drain them of all artistic energy.
Auras have myriads of uses in addition to how Muses can use them to affect creativity. They can also warn a Muse of danger, allow them to spot a hidden assailant, identify a person in a crowd, etc.
Every person is like a unique and individual painting of emotions, memories and character traits. All of this is reflected in their aura which Muses come to study and savor just like any other form of art.
== Slinging: ==
To help compensate for their lack of physical prowess, a trait which so many other Supernaturals possess, the Muses long-ago developed the art of Slinging. Slinging utilizes the above-average physical dexterity common to the artistic lifestyle of Muses. Through rigorous training, a Muses can train their talented hands to turn anything they can grip into a weapon of deadly intent.
Be it a deadly weapon like a throwing knife or spear, or simply a baseball or office supplies, if a Muse can get their hands on it, they can use it to harm their enemies. Muses trained as Slingers are expert throwers and can creatively adapt to transform all sorts of objects into weapons.
== Theatre Of The Arts: ==
The Muses are credited with being the founders of the Theater of the Arts, both directly in an organizational sense as well as in a broader sense. From top to bottom, the Theater of the Arts and its constituent Chapters are all infused with the presence of Muses. From world-renowned painters to local photographers and struggling writers, the Muses have patroned them all and will do so again.
The Muses do not consider themselves to rule over the Theater. Instead, they see themselves as guides and a source of inspiration, guiding artists onwards towards greater accomplishments.
== Dark Muses: ==
Most Muses will form groups of talented artists around themselves, patroning them and acting as a guide. Unfortunately, not all Muses are so enlightened. The Dark Muses are those Muses who see artists more as personal pets, to be acquired, trained, even bred if desired.
Dark Muses both use and abuse their artists, draining them excessively of creativity (even if it means hurting them). These Muses have lost their way and they are disliked by the others.
Dark Muses will especially seek to 'collect' artist types among other Supernaturals.
== References: ==
-https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/The_Muses/the_muses.html
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52hQ0n7ctbg
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RRdQ4Btpr0
-http://kreweofmuses.org/
-https://www.thoughtco.com/the-greek-muses-119788
-http://www.mythagora.com/bios/muses.html
Category:Art
Category:Supernaturals