Aasimar
Born from Celestial Flame
Aasimar are rare individuals born with a spark of celestial power, their souls touched by the divine and shaped by mysterious forces beyond the mortal realm. Whether descended from angels, or marked by an ancient miracle, Aasimar carry radiant energy within them that manifests through glowing eyes, shimmering skin, and an otherworldly aura. Though they can be born to any ancestry, each Aasimar walks a path shaped by their connection to the light and whether they embrace it, struggle against it, or fall from grace entirely. Playing an Aasimar means exploring the burden and brilliance of a destiny touched by the heavens.
Aasimar are mortals descended from celestial beings or infused with divine essence through mysterious cosmic events. They appear in any population, born unexpectedly to humanoid parents with no known connection to the heavens. Their arrival is often seen as a blessing, a divine omen, or in more superstitious circles, a warning of great change to come. Whether the spark comes from angelic ancestry, a celestial bargain, or a moment of miraculous intervention, an Aasimar is forever marked by the light that now burns within them.
Each Aasimar’s celestial origin influences their appearance. Many possess luminous eyes, metallic-tinted skin, or glowing sigils along their arms or forehead. As they mature, their otherworldly traits become more pronounced, especially when they channel their divine power. Some are guided by visions or dreams sent by unknown patrons of The Above, while others walk alone, uncertain of the purpose behind their gift.
In a world where divine influence shapes reality, Aasimar stand as beacons struggling to define whether their light is a burden, a calling, or a weapon. No two are ever quite the same, but all share a destiny shaped by forces beyond the mortal coil.
Celestial Revelation
For most Aasimar, the moment their celestial nature awakens is unforgettable. This profound event marks the first time their divine essence manifests. Some experience it in early childhood, while others may live unaware of their true nature for years, until the spark ignites during a moment of danger, emotional upheaval, or spiritual clarity. The revelation is not always peaceful and may come with radiant visions, flashes of divine memory, or physical changes that leave them transformed forever.
The exact signs of the revelation vary from one Aasimar to another. A young Aasimar might cry out during a fevered dream and awaken with glowing eyes and a golden sigil on their chest. Another may call down light in the heat of battle without understanding how. Some report hearing celestial voices guiding their actions, while others are wracked with radiant energy they cannot control. The environment often responds in kind as candles flare, glass shatters, animals scatter, or the air becomes still and hushed. For the individual, the revelation is a crossroads. From that moment forward, they must decide what to do with the power stirring within them. Embrace it, question it, or resist the fate it implies.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Aasimar bear unmistakable signs of the celestial touch, even when born among the most mundane of mortal families. Though they resemble their parent species in overall form, their divine lineage subtly reshapes their features into something more ethereal. Most have unblemished skin with a soft glow or a faint shimmer, ranging in hues from moonlit silver and sunrise gold to opalescent greens or coppery reds. Their eyes often lack visible pupils, instead glowing softly with colors of sapphire, pearl-white, or gold, especially when their emotions rise or their divine magic stirs.
Their hair may resemble strands of spun metal or light-kissed shadow, flowing in unnatural patterns as though moved by a breeze no one else can feel. Others possess markings such as radiant freckles, halo-like coronas when casting spells, or celestial runes that pulse across their arms and spine. These divine markers are often subtle in youth but grow more defined as the Aasimar embraces their power or uncovers their purpose.
Despite their luminous qualities, not all Aasimar appear radiant and pristine. Some carry a haunting beauty instead, with sharp features, shadowed auras, or colors reminiscent of dusk and starlight. These Aasimar often struggle against assumptions about their nature, though their power remains just as celestial in origin.
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Fallen Aasimar
Not every Aasimar walks a path of light. Some lose their way through tragedy, disillusionment, or divine silence, and in doing so, the celestial spark within them begins to dim. These individuals are known as the Fallen, marked by a celestial heritage that has soured into something heavier and more sorrowful. Their light does not vanish entirely, but it changes, transformed by grief, anger, or shame into a power that burns with cold fire and carries the weight of loss.
Fallen often bear the scars of their fall in both spirit and form. Their once radiant skin may turn pale or ashen, their eyes may burn with a muted glow, and their auras carry a sense of pressure or unease rather than comfort. The divine magic within them is still potent, but it manifests in ways that feel raw and volatile. For many Fallen, each use of their gift is a reminder of what was lost.
Though feared or misunderstood by some, Fallen are not inherently evil. Many walk the world seeking redemption or purpose, carrying the burden of their fall while striving to ensure others do not follow the same path. Others embrace their change and wield their power with fierce conviction, becoming protectors of the broken or punishers of the corrupt. Whatever course they choose, Fallen are defined not just by the fall itself, but by what they do after the light fades.
History
Salthiel the Fallen Angel
Once the radiant sword of Rezmir, of Light and Law, Salthiel stood as a paragon of celestial justice. Clad in armor forged from starlight and bound to the Choir of Light, Salthiel answered prayers in Rezmir’s name and led legions of angels in battles across Erenel. Over time, the angel's name was whispered more often than Rezmir’s by the faithful, and temples erected shrines in his honor. Whether corrupted by the weight of admiration or manipulated by a greater force, Salthiel's ambition turned toward the unthinkable. He would claim Rezmir's domain, Aureate, for himself.
Rezmir, with sorrow in his divine heart, struck down his once-chosen champion. In a blinding flash, Salthiel and his celestial armaments were cast into The Below, his wings broken and his grace shattered. Yet even in ruin, Salthiel did not fade. He survived, drawing power from the twisted depths and strange allies beyond. Now a creature of shadowed radiance and burning pride, Salthiel wages a quiet war against the heavens he once served.
Among the Aasimar, Salthiel is both a figure of temptation and terror. He whispers to the uncertain, to those burdened by divine silence, offering freedom from the Architect’s will and a place in his rising dominion. Some Aasimar who walk the Fallen path speak of Salthiel as a liberator, claiming he offers not damnation, but clarity, rejecting the endless cycles of worship and obedience.
Salthiel
Others believe he hunts his former kin out of hatred, viewing their continued light as an affront to his exile. Now, rumors spread of a new choir, composed of fallen angels and disillusioned Aasimar, gathering beneath Salthiel’s broken wings. Their symbol is a sun with a crack through its center, and their goal is whispered only by the boldest heretics: to see Aureate fall.
Shattered Sun
Salthiel’s followers, known as the Shattered Sun, operate as a secret society, quietly spreading across cities, faiths, and academies where divine magic is studied or enforced. Though Fallen Aasimar make up a significant portion of their number, they also attract disillusioned clerics, paladins, fallen celestials, and scholars who question the integrity of the Above.
Members of the Shattered Sun do not wear uniforms or carry visible symbols in public, but many secretly bear a small amulet or tattoo of a cracked sun hidden beneath their clothing.
Shattered Sun Symbol
Their influence manifests in subtle ways: a divine miracle that goes unanswered, a holy relic stolen or desecrated, a rising prophet who questions the gods but offers protection nonetheless. Through whispered doctrine and forbidden tomes, the Shattered Sun promotes a dangerous truth. That Salthiel is not fallen, but freed, and that the Architect’s designs are not benevolent, only orderly.
Agents of the Illuminated Church and other celestial orders seek tirelessly to uncover and purge the Shattered Sun’s influence, but the society remains elusive. Its cells operate independently, and many members do not know the names of others within their circle. At the heart of their belief is a singular prophecy known only to the highest initiates: when the Choir above weeps again, the mountain will shatter, and the wings of the lion will fall.
Lifespan
About 160 years
Average Height
Medium (about 4-7 feet tall) or Small (about 2-4 feet tall), chosen when you select this species
Marin
Character played by TJ
by Jeff Brown
The Illuminated Church
Within the doctrine of the Illuminated Church, Aasimar are regarded as living signs of divine favor and proof that the deities of light remain ever watchful. Whether born under the banners of Asanna, the Blazing Dawn, Luniwyn, the Silver Maiden or Rezmir, of Light and Law, Aasimar are closely monitored by the Church from the moment their nature is revealed. Clergy members see their existence as sacred responsibility, and Aasimar are often approached by Archbishops of the Church to undergo special rites, oaths of service, or training in the Church's tenets. Despite the reverence, the Church does not view all Aasimar equally. Those who embrace their celestial gifts and swear loyalty to the deities of light are raised to prominence, their lives shaped by ceremony and public expectation. However, Aasimar who resist or question their divine origin are seen as potential liabilities. Whispers of the Fallen and the Shattered Sun cult have caused certain Church factions to quietly track and surveil independent Aasimar, treating them as holy risks rather than blessed allies. For some Aasimar, the Illuminated Church offers clarity and belonging, a place where their light is cultivated and celebrated. For others, it becomes a gilded cage, where their choices are bound by doctrine and the ever-watchful eyes of the clergy. Whether seen as paragons or potential heretics, Aasimar in Erenel can rarely escape the Illuminated Church’s interest.
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