Creature Journal: Aucusto Statues

The ***Creature Journal: Aucusto Statues*** is the creature journal about the Aucusto Statue creature species.

## Aucusto Statues

* Aucusto Statues page 1 & 2
* Aucusto Statues page 3 & 4
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## Additional Notes

-In ancient times, Aucusto Statues could only be located in the depths of sacred jungles, protecting the most divine and important shrines. However, their appearance under domestication has increased in Ostlea lately and they are frequently raised to protect the homes of royalty and members of high society.

-When they are young, Aucusto develop an initial attachment to their mother and father; for the first few years of their lives they project most of their protective instincts onto their parent figures. As they age, this instinct grows and shifts its focus onto the building in which it was raised, and Aucusto share a lifelong connection with their home. They will not and cannot be forced to protect any other building than the one they grew up in, and it is for this reason that changing the location of an adolescent Aucusto can be somewhat traumatic for the creature.

-Aucusto Statues are believed to have a strong connection with nature and the universe. It is this bond that allows them to sense when someone with ill intentions enters their vicinity, stirring up the magic that brings them to life. These magnificent beasts also tend to exude a powerful sense of right and wrong.

## The First Aucusto Statue

Flames lapped at the trees and chewed their way up the vines, eating up the leaves and turning vivid greens into dismal shades of obsidian as flecks of charred plant matter and ashes filled the air. A combination of fear and dread blossomed within Mayem's chest as he looked on with horror at the disaster that presented itself before his eyes. The back of his thoughts vaguely acknowledged the shouting that resounded from somewhere in the distance, cries of the wounded and angered bellows filling his ears to the brim.

For exactly three seconds he was blinded as the emotions overwhelmed him; anger, fear and boiling red hatred conspired to bring him to his knees, threatening to wash over his soul and devour him as the flames did to his beloved jungle, but Mayem persevered and let the sensation run its course through his veins with stiff joints that held him upright.

When he blinked, he saw approaching figures, spears and other such weaponry present in their grasps and with a sharp extension of his arms, he projected a blast of powerful Light magic that soared at them, knocking the offenders down to the ground. *I shall protect this land*, he thought, exiting the doorway of the Thoina Shrine with a certain level of devout resolution filling his entire being.

Fueling his will to fight, he sensed the jungle's pained pleas for help and he did his best to fight off the thieves who wished to steal from the shrine's store of offerings. At a later point in time he would look back at this moment and remember the way the land's divine spirit had seemed to flow underneath his skin and out his fingertips and revel in it.

As the fight drove on, he eventually found the strength to scare off the entire clutch of bandits, but it wasn't without injuries, both to himself and to the sacred wilderness around him. Months passed and though it was a slow process, Mayem and the jungle healed and came back even stronger than before... only for the thieves to attack again.

For years to come, the great protector of the Thoina Shrine struggled to keep the area safe from the repeated strikes and attempted raids, and nearly lost his life numerous times in his line of duty. Having been deemed the sole protector of the shrine since birth, Mayem resisted his desires to seek help, and the spirit of the jungle was his sole confidant in his endeavors to maintain peace.

As the ages slipped by, fewer and fewer visitors came to worship at the shrine due to the lack of safety on the trek there, and offerings given up to the deities dwindled with time; on the lonely days, sometimes Mayem wondered why he still maintained his defenses against the bandits. But then he would feel the Light magic whispering through his blood and he'd be reminded of how important his existence truly was.

In exchange for his dutiful loyalty to the shrine, the jungle lent him the strength necessary to keep the bandits at bay until the flame that was his life began to flicker away. Sensing that the end of his existence was near, he entered the deepest chamber of the Thoina Shrine one day with sluggish movements. He was an old an withered thing, his limbs having participated in too many battles and his face witnessing far more bloodshed than any human should in a lifetime.

His aged eyes roamed over the gold and wealth that lied in a heap on a pedestal in the middle of the room. In a material sense that lied on the surface, this is what he'd been protecting from the thieves; however, deep down he and jungle itself were both painfully aware of how little money actually meant. Nonetheless, as he gazed at the shimmering heap, an ethereal sensation graced his body as he walked forward, guided by the jungle's spirit. Then he sat down and closed his eyes as he let the divine presence wash over him, sweeping through every molecule of his body and washing out of his skin and outwards.

Mayem could feel his life force slipping away and for a strange moment, it was as thought time itself had melted; as his very essence flowed forward, each second dragged on like centuries... and then it was over in a flash. As a certain calm settled over him like a fog, he opened his eyes and was met with a pair of shining cerulean ones attached to a gleaming body. Somewhere in the depths of his hazy and fading thoughts, he thought he heard a resounding, "Thank you." Placing a feeble hand atop the creature's head, he offered a somewhat sad yet content smile, and then surrendered his physical form to the jungle and departed, positive that the beast in front of him would take care of the rest.

And that, is the tale of the first Aucusto Statue.

## Links

* Creature Journal: Aucusto Statues
* Aucusto Statue article