Aeon

**Aeons** are the summons in Ozuma. New aeons are obtained as part of a summoner's pilgrimage by completing the Cloister of Trials at each of Ozuma's temples. They can only be called forth by summoners.

## Story

Aeons are the physical realization of the fayth's dreams. The fayth communicate with summoners who pray to them within the Chamber of the Fayth, and establish a mental link between the fayth and the summoner. Using this link, the fayth gives their dream a physical form: an aeon. Aeons are powerful creatures only a summoner can use in battle. Most aeons resemble their respective fayth, so it can be assumed the aeon takes on aspects of the person whose soul is sealed inside the fayth statue.

Many summoners can communicate with any one fayth to establish a mental link with them, enabling them to then summon the fayth's aeon, but a summoner can only call on one particular fayth's power at any one time. In addition, communing with the soul of the fayth in order to achieve the summoning is an extremely mentally and spiritually process. This is why on pilgrimages summoners must take a long rest between each of their summons.

The fayth are likely the aeons themselves, or otherwise are in control of them. The aeons give the summoner the undying loyalty for one thing in return: to help achieve the final destruction of Penance.
The party joined summoner Tasha on her pilgrimage, during which she will pray at different temples to receive the fayth's blessing and thus gain the ability to summon their aeons. After obtaining her first aeon, Valia, Tasha summoned it on the town square to show the villagers she has become a full-fledged summoner.

## Gameplay

### Summoning

As a Cleric of the Domain of Summoning, a summoner uniquely has temporary access to Summoning magic at least once per long rest. When they summon an aeon, their guardians are advised to leave the parts of the battlefield in its immediate vicinity, as an aeon may catch the other party members in the crossfire of their attacks; due to the strength of their attacks, this damage could easily render a party member unconscious or kill them. During an aeon's summoning, a magical glyph briefly appears on the ground or in the air and the aeon emerges through it. The glyphs are circular geometric patterns, and each aeon has a unique one.

After being summoned, the guardians can advise their respective summoner on how to control the aeon. Aeons are immune to negative status effects and some can absorb elements. A summoner can dismiss the aeons, which allows the party to safely return to the full battlefield. If an aeon is summoned after being dismissed, they will maintain any status effects they previously gained. If the aeon dies in battle, only a long rest will heal them.

Like the player characters, aeons have Critical Breaks in the form of their signature attacks. Their Critical Break meters are charged when targeting an enemy with an attack and when being targeted by an enemy attack.

## List of aeons

Five aeons must be recruited as part of any pilgrimage undertaken by a summoner of Yevon.

### Required aeons

#### Valia

The fayth of Be-Sia Temple is a small girl. Valia is evasive and quick, but only has mediocre attack power. She can deal non-elemental damage and cause a turn delay with her attack, Sonic Wings, which can be used repeatedly against some opponents so that they never have an opportunity to act. Valia is the only aeon to have a Critical Break dealing non-elemental damage: the powerful signature attack Energy Ray.

#### Iferna

Iferna, the Fire-elemental aeon, is located at the Ki Kila Temple. His fayth is a male Crusader. Iferna has high armor class and specializes in the Fire element, but his special attack Meteor Strike is non-elemental and bypasses cover. His signature Critical Break attack Hellfire is a powerful Fire assault in which Iferna hurls fireballs at the enemy, and finishes by throwing a chunk of earth at them.

Iferna can heal himself with attacks that deal Fire damage.

#### Luxia

Located at the Digoza Temple, Luxia is the Lightning-elemental aeon. His fayth is a man in a sailor's outfit, but he manifests as a unicorn with a gargantuan horn. He possesses high magical capabilities and uses the attack Aerospark to deal damage and dispel all positive status effects from the target. His signature attack Thor's Hammer encases the enemy in a field of electricity and sends it crashing into every other enemy on the field.

Luxia can heal himself with attacks that deal Lightning damage.

#### Shiza

Shiza is the Cold-elemental aeon of the Molacalma Temple. Her fayth is a Molacalmian priestess, known for her speed and evasive qualities. Her attack Heavenly Strike deals non-elemental damage, and her signature attack Diamond Dust freezes the battlefield and all of Shiza's opposition. With a snap of her fingers, the ice shatters and deals Cold damage to all enemies.

Shiza can heal herself with attacks that deal Cold damage.

#### Bahamut

Bahamut is the final mandatory summon on a pilgrimage. Bahamut's fayth, a young boy, resides in the Bavel Temple. Bahamut's fayth acts as the collective representative of all fayth.

Bahamut is considered the strongest summon. He is slow, but his attack Impulse and signature attack Mega Flare are powerful, both dealing large non-elemental damage to all enemies.

## Etymology and symbolism

The Siddham Sanskrit script, which is the basis for the script of Yevon in Ozuma, is used by the Shingon School of Buddhism that draws on early Hindu traditions. One traditional concept is that deities manifest their thoughts or spiritual energy in the physical world on several different "wavelengths": Sound, Form, and Symbol. The form through which a deity can manifest, is an anthropomorphic representation that is not the deity itself, but a living form humans can comprehend. The form physically expresses the deity's essence, in the same vein the aeons represent the fayth's dreams rather than their temporal bodies.

In some Hindu and Buddhist practices one can invoke a deity through the physical representation of a statue, similar to the link between aeons and fayth. The symbol through which deity can manifest is a *mandala* (Buddhist tradition) or *yantra* (Hindu tradition), a geometric pattern which distills the deity's essence into a visual representation. This is similar to how aeons are represented by glyphs, which appear in the temples and during the aeons' summoning, the aeon often emerging into the physical world through the glyph.