Aasimar

Also known as the **Moon-Touched** or the **Star-Kissed**, the **aasimar** are divine creatures of otherworldly beauty, blessed by the gods themselves to serve as champions and messengers. An aasimar - except for one who has fallen - has a link to one of the moons, which provides guidance through dreams, visions, and intuitive feelings. The demonym is **aasimari**.

## Origin

It is believed that aasimar are creatures directly created by the Four to act as guardians and messengers, thought to be crafted from moonlight or starlight and sent down as positive omens. Typically, aasimar will be born to devout or desperate families, or within struggling communities, so that the gods may offer their aid at the heart.

## Subraces

Each aasimar is created by and sculpted after one of the four moons, meaning there are four subraces of aasimar: **caprican**, **tannethi**, **tilan**, and **avonan**. However, there are remarkably rare instances where an aasimar disgraces the gods by forsaking the light, either by choice or by corruption. These anomalies have led to the rise of a fifth 'subrace', the **Fallen**.

### Caprican Aasimar

*'Main article: Aasimar (Caprican)'*
The **caprican aasimar**, created by Capron, is distinguished by their warm tones and physical strength, generally standing slightly taller than the other subraces and possessing a higher muscle density. Their skin ranges from light tan to dark brown, bronze or gold, and their hair runs the gamut of black to deep bronze to golden blonde. Perhaps their most distinctive feature is their eyes, which are universally golden. Caprican aasimar tend to gravitate towards protector roles, often joining the ranks of militaries or knightly orders, though some become talented craftsmen and merchants instead.

### Tannethi Aasimar

*'Main article: Aasimar (Tannethi)'*
The **tannethi aasimar**, created by Tanneth, is closer in appearance to a typical human, and is the most common subrace of aasimar. Their skin ranges from light tan to dark brown, and their hair and eyes adopt earthy colours of brown, auburn (or hazel in the case of eyes) or green, though some tannethi aasimar have been noted as having purple hair. Speculation suggests tannethi aasimar can diverge wildly from human appearances, though, with reports of antlers, tails, horns or wings, though there is significant debate over the veridity of this. The tannethi aasimar is driven by a strong curiosity, and many of them gravitate towards large population centres where they may meet and study a large number of mortal races and cultures.

### Tilan Aasimar

*'Main article: Aasimar (Tilan)'*

The **tilan aasimar**, created by Tilo, is distinguished by their ethereal beauty and higher ratio of females to males. What they lack in muscle density and physical strength, they make up for in wisdom and grace, resembling elves. Their skin ranges from pale blue to white or silver, and their hair, typically fine and fair, takes on shades of pale blonde, white, silver, or blue. Generally, their eyes are pale blue, though some are born with silver or white eyes. Rarer still is the Tilan aasimar that sports pearlescent sclera, lacking an iris and pupil altogether. There have been reports that tilan aasimar have a growth of white or pale blue feathers around the shoulderblades, speculated to be from vestigial wings. Tilan aasimar tend to gravitate towards nurturing roles, gifted as healers during times of conflict or threat, or serving as clerics or caretakers for the sick, elderly, or children.

### Avonan Aasimar

*'Main article: Aasimar (Avonan)'*

The **avonan aasimar**, created by Avo, is distinguished by their stark aesthetic contrast: their skin is either white, silver, or black, and their hair is either sheer black or pure white. Most interestingly, those with white or silver skin will always have black hair, and those with black skin will always have white hair. Some have noted to have a single streak of the opposing colour running through their hair, as well as having a small growth of feathers of the opposing colour about their shoulderblades, like vestigial wings. The Avonan aasimar is by far the most reclusive of the aasimari subraces, and they tend to gravitate towards isolation, most often finding this seclusion in the Monastery of the Four in Estrella Tseluna, or the nearby forest of Lunammin Leth on the banks of the [LAKE]. It is in this quiet that they can perform their duties as prophets and watchers, foreseeing glimpses of the future and passing this on as warnings, in order to protect others. In the rare instances where an avonan aasimar does not retreat to Estrella Tseluna's sanctuary, they take up roles as spymasters, or simply a pair of mysterious eyes on the streets.

### Fallen Aasimar

*'Main article: Aasimar (Fallen)'*

When an aasimar falls from the grace of their god, their beautiful visage is tainted by their sin. Often, this leaves them looking gaunt and sickly, their skin paling and their eyes turning black, gaining the appearance as though they have been burnt out. While incredibly rare for an aasimar to fall, it is not impossible, and though the **fallen aasimar** is not necessarily a subrace in itself, its misclassification as one is often permitted for sake of ease. Throughout history, aasimar have reportedly fallen to corruption, disillusionment, or forces of dark magic. Many fallen aasimar devote their lives to redemption, atoning for their sins in the hopes of absolution, but a scant few - typically those who have fallen due to their own acts - join forces with the dark and work against the will of those who first created them.

## Physicality

### Anatomy and Physiology

Due to their otherworldly origins, the anatomy and physiology of aasimar is widely unknown. It is assumed that, provided they are not purely abstract creatures, their biology would resemble that of humans or elves. This is supported by the notion that some aasimar may not even *know* of their celestial heritage, believing themselves to be a mortal human or elf. However, it is common belief that the aasimar, similarly to the Vodrommirni, are more conceptual beings rather than strictly physical, created from moonlight or starlight rather than flesh and blood. They generally appear as humans or elves, albeit perfect examples of beauty and strength, standing between 5 and 7ft tall and weighing between 80 and 200lbs. Aasimar exhibit sexual dimorphism in the same way humans do, though what purpose this serves is debated as aasimar cannot viably reproduce. Despite being considered abstract, aasimar have been found to have a lifespan: if an aasimar is not killed by an external force beforehand, it is guaranteed that they will reach exactly 160 years, after which point they fade from existence rather than physically die like a human might. However, they still mature at the same rate as humans, until their twenties-thirties, where the process slows down.

### Attributes and Abilities

Being creatures of Caelis, and not of the Material Plane, aasimar are considered celestials rather than mortals. As a result, they exhibit a natural resistance to radiant and necrotic energies, and possess a limited capacity for divine healing, though this involves the aasimar imbibing the individual with some of their own energy, a taxing process indeed. Aasimar are capable of seeing in the dark, though they cannot discern colour in low light, and can cast *Light* at will, the colour of said light determined by their subrace. One of the most impressive feats an aasimar can perform is an act that scholars have named 'Radiance', wherein the aasimar's divine energy can be harnessed and utilised in moments of great need, the effect of which dictated by their subrace.

## Distribution

Occurrences of aasimar births are incredibly rare, hailed as holy events and powerful omens, if they are even aware of the child being an aasimar in the first place. Aasimar children are indistinguishable from humans or elves in most cases, though there are some exceptions, particularly with Avonan aasimar. There is little evidence linking the incidence of aasimar to particular geographical locations, though there *is* a trend to what kind of people and circumstances they are drawn to, seeking out those in need of protection from harm or evil, those in need of religious guidance, or those in need of emotional aid. It is noted that the holy province of Estrella Tseluna in Illandor is the ancestral home of the aasimar, and all aasimar feel a connection to the area, with some feeling drawn to it. The monks overseeing the Monastery of the Four offer unconditional sanctuary to these aasimar, as do the Lunammini druids of Lunammin Leth.

## Culture

### Language

Being celestials, aasimar natively speak Celestial - there is no aasimari language. However, since they so often interact with mortals, aasimar are also able to speak, read, and write Common.

### Society and Customs

Aasimari culture revolves heavily around the teachings of the gods, and spreading their influence through benevolent and reverent acts. As servants for their respective creator, the aasimar lack a distinct, individual culture, existing instead as extensions of the moons.