Flicker

## Overview

A Flicker is a species of lesser celestial generally humanoid in appearance. Not all Flickers are sentient, but those who are sentient are often bound to a single star or constellation in the night sky. Depending on the constellation and star itself, they have varying physical traits, ranging from wings to floating energy orbs. Most Flickers also emit a glow, which also varies depending on the Flicker. Flickers can be killed; overuse of fire abilities, overwhelming magical assaults, or draining abilities can all damage and destroy Flickers. Flickers have also been known to detonate themselves in massive explosions that level their surroundings.

## Subspecies

### Non-sentient Flickers

These unthinking and generally harmless blobs of light appear throughout most of the Mirrorflame Isles, though some areas have higher concentrations of them than others. They are not known to be hostile nor harmful, and they are also the most numerous Flicker type.

### Sentient Flickers

These Flickers are generally bound to a certain constellation and have a variety of abilities, the most common ones being the ability to create fire and to fly. They are generally humanoid in appearance and in behavior.

### Flicker Lords

These are the most powerful Flickers known, and they generally correspond with a star of particular importance. A single constellation may have several Flicker Lords or a single one, but their powers easily exceed any of a standard sentient Flicker. In addition to the abilities of fire creation that most Flickers possess, some Flicker Lords can teleport within the Mirrorflame Isles and read minds. Some notable Flicker Lords include:

* **Vega,** Lady Light, the protector-guardian of Celevoid. She is the leader of the Lyrae Worldstrings, and has dedicated millennia of her life in secrecy to fighting an endless battle against the horrors trapped within Mirrorflame.
* **Sirius,** the self-proclaimed Flicker-King. Led astray by delusions of grandeur presented by an entity known as the Wraith, Sirius ruled over the Canis and Luminare Stewards with an iron fist before spearheading the Saros Fleet's attack on the elven lands. Corrupted by the Wraith, he returned to Mirrorflame to impose his dark rule over the rest of the Isles, only to be stopped by Vega's purification.
* **Altair, Tarazed,** and **Alshain**, the three Flicker Lords of the Aquilae. All three possess wings and the ability to travel incredibly quickly across Mirrorflame. They helped found Eagle's Head, a joint human-and-Flicker resistance movement dedicated to protecting Mirrorflame from invaders.
* **Riezal,** the Baron of the Open Cluster. One of the earliest Flickers, he held similar aspirations to Flicker-King Sirius in ruling over Mirrorflame. His ambition took him from Starsand to Sidelris and back, where he was exiled by the Cygni. Ever since, he has been conspiring in secret with outlaws and mercenaries to one day reclaim what he believes to be rightfully his.
* **Rigel,** the leader of the Orionis Council. He possesses three glowing orbs that can create a powerful shield, capable of blocking many Xyston energy blasts without breaking.
* **Deneb,** a Flicker Lord of the Cygni. He possesses wings and is proficient in mental combat as well as the arcane.

### Wolf-Rayets

Wolf-Rayet Flickers are a possible variant of both sentient Flicker and Flicker Lord. Instead of traditional fire manipulation, they possess wind-manipulating powers that make them incredibly useful in sailing, as well as controlling battlefields. Only three Wolf-Rayet Flickers are known, those being Riezal, Romano, and Apep.

### Pulsar Flickers

These Flickers are generally smaller than standard Flickers and blue-white or white in color. They glow dimmer than most Flickers unless actively projecting their light. The only known ability they possess is to create immense amounts of purifying light, though this power is limited to brief flashes and bursts. Only one pulsar Flicker has been known to use this ability, Calvera. The only other pulsar Flicker known, Kesteven, has not used any abilities yet, and it is unclear whether this subspecies can do anything more.

### Outliers

Not all Flickers divide perfectly into each category. There are several Flickers known which do not seem to fit any of the above categories, or fit multiple at once. These Flickers are, but are not limited to:

* **Stephenson,** a large dragon-Flicker from beneath Inferia. It is unclear whether he is a Flicker Lord or simply a sentient Flicker in the form of a dragon, or what other Flicker powers he may possess.
* **Helios,** a Flicker accompanying Stephenson. Unlike all other Flickers, he can manipulate living things to aid him in battle.
* **Sagittarius,** a centaur-Flicker from Constellum. He is the only known centaur-Flicker, as well as the only Flicker known to consume other Flickers.
* **Tarazed;** while classified as a Lord of the Aquilae, has several distinct traits that make him vastly different from his brethren. His physical appearance is different from other Aquilae. He can also summon celestial illusions and has the ability to see the future, unlike other Flickers.
* **Cygnus X-1.** It is unknown whether this entity is a human or Flicker, nor what her true name is. She arrived on Starsand before most of the Cygni, and the two formed a tense truce with each other. However, when the Eternal began their invasion of Starsand, she turned upon the Cygni and fought alongside the Sith. She originated from Exegol, but possesses some abilities of Flickers, making her an anomaly.

## Constellations

Flickers are organized into six constellations, each of which generally corresponds to one of the Isles. These constellations are as follows:

* **Aquila** of Inferia. The Flickers that make up this constellation are Altair, Tarazed, Alshain, Okab, Thalimain, Libertas, and Bezek.
* **Canis** of Sidelris. The Flickers that make up this constellation are Sirius, Adhara, Wezen, Mirzam, Furud, Aludra, Muliphein, and Unurgunite.
* **Cygnus** of Starsand. The Flickers that make up this constellation are Deneb, Albireo, Fawaris, Gienah, Sadr, Aljanah, and Azelfafage.
* **Luminare Stewards** of Hearthshore, a self-coined term used instead of Canis Minor. The Flickers that make up this constellation are Procyon and Gomeisa.
* **Lyra** of Celevoid. The Flickers that make up this constellation are Vega, Sulafat, Sheliak, Aladfar, and Xihe.
* **Orion** of Constellum. The Flickers that make up this constellation are Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Saiph, Mintaka, Alnilam, Altinak, Meissa, Hatysa, and Tabit.

Neither Wolf-Rayet Flickers nor pulsar Flickers appear to be a part of the six primary constellations, though Kesteven is widely accepted to be a member of the Aquilae.