Ethereal Energy

### Abilities

Primordial force of [Nature] wielded by those of divine origins and/or affiliations.

**Ethereal Energy** is the primordial power of [Nature] wielded by divine entities or those affiliated with divine beings. It's also called by names such as **Ether**, **Arcanum**...

## Summary

Ethereal energy is the primal and supernatural energy that embodies [Nature], the crystallization of the creative and destructive forces that form the mortal world.

It was created by Gabriel with the system of Hylemorphes alongside the Progenitor Gods, and as such, it runs in the veins of all divine entities, from the primordial gods to minor gods, to part-divinities such as demigods or divine beasts.

Those who receive blessings from divine entities are also endowed with ethereal energy, as shown with sorcerers. However, in contrast to true divine entities, their ethereal energy is vastly inferior in terms of power and can be taken away if they lose favor with their patron divinity.

## Appearance

Ethereal energy has the appearance of a golden aura or gold particles that originated from the user's body, typically behind their head in the form of a large and detailed aureola.

## Characteristics

Ethereal energy is a mysterious energy of primeval origins, whose true nature is shrouded in secrecy even to the gods themselves. It is the combined power born from the creative and destructive forces of existence, purified through the celestial system of Hylemorphes, and was created by Gabriel eons ago alongside the first generation of gods. As such, only she has full understanding of ethereal energy's true potential, as she is both its creator and the one who decides its capabilities and limitations.

To use ethereal energy, blessed individuals such as priests and sorcerers require compensation in the way of strain and damage inflicted on them. For trueborn immortals and half-gods, however, their method of manipulating ethereal energy is based on **Functionalities(Primal Programs)** as "the world's sense of touch", more in line with a "system" rather than a specific type of supernatural energy.

It is the basis of numerous magic systems throughout history, especially ones with a religious and/or mythological background, due to the application of Ceremonial Magic. It works as an indispensable element within many religious rites, rituals, and ceremonies performed by sorcerers, drawing on the divine blessing of their patron divinity, and can be used to replicate the miraculous feats performed by mythical or legendary figures mentioned by implementing their tales into their spells' design.

As such, more often than not, it can be naturally found in places of sanctuary, religious sites, or monuments with ancient/mythical background, being the places of pagan worship for millennia before the arrival of Christianity and the end of the Age of Gods.

Major shrines and temples - or rather, the most well-known among these temples - are where contain the most potent ethereal energy, having been imbued with millennia-worth of sacrifices and worship. Certain items, trees, and animals also possess a small amount of ethereal energy inside them, provided that they are the sacred symbol of principal and/or well-known deities.

## Other Usages

### Chaos Magick

**Chaos Magick**, also called **Magic of Chaos**, is a powerful type of ethereal energy-based magic supposedly on-par with high-ranked Thaumaturgy. It was mentioned a couple of times in the Darkhold, one of the few remaining books of Raziel on Earth, as the power incarnated in the form of the mythical figure called the **Scarlet Witch**. Due to its dubious origins, it's widely believed to be fictional.

## Trivia

* According to Hestia, a rule of ethereal energy-based magic is that "all things created via this method *must* be able to be replicated via scientific methods".
	+ This rule was created by Raziel sometime after the Third Holy War when the gods' usage of ethereal energy almost made reality collapse on itself.
* To those sensitive to magic, ethereal energy smells like "smoke rising from burning altars, cooling blood from freshly-killed sacrifices, the hymns sung by priests amid a forest of prayers, and whispers of nature, loudest and quietest".