(a.k.a. Karashiel Splintersoul)
"She's mad, but what in this world isn't? At least she helps give me peace out here, which is more than I can say for your wine."
Physical Appearance & Manifestations
Karashiel is the fourth god created by The Weaver and the last of them to be woven from the thread at Her disposal. Given that this thread was used to weave Existence itself, it goes without saying that it is not simple fabric. The Weaver used the embroidery of her robe to weave Murien, and when the time came to weave Karashiel, the rest of her robe was rendered down and distilled to make the thread necessary. Hints can be gleaned at what Karashiel’s true form used to be during the time before The Breaking simply by looking at her various forms now. It was during the events of The Breaking that Karashiel lost not only her arm, but many suspect her grasp on reality as well.
When the world was broken, she too was broken, split along multiple axis, and left forever apart from herself. Each of these aspects of Karashiel is separate and autonomous from the others, despite them all being connected and sharing one mind. Memories that one aspect experiences are filtered through to the others…eventually. While each aspect is vastly different in appearance from the others, there are a few similarities between them all which mark them as being one of her. Almost all aspects of Karashiel wear her hair held up in a top knot ponytail which often then falls to her lower back. Her eyes are always, no matter the aspect, a light purple. Lastly in each aspect she is missing her right arm from just above where the elbow joint would be, though in most of her aspects she has fashioned a replacement arm with her power. The twelve known aspects of Karashiel also tend to respond to a variant name based off her true name.
Kar is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered in cold, arctic locations. Where the snow falls heavily and all but the swiftest of water freezes solid, here you will find Kar. She manifests in this aspect as a dragonborn woman. She is an imposing figure, covered from head to toe in mostly white clothing made from the furs of wolves and other animals. Kar rarely speaks and when she does it is only to offer a few words, either of acceptance or grudging praise. Her scales are white, with blue accents on her horns, claws, crest and down the middle of her tail. She wears a hooded cloak, the hood of which is built within the mouth of the direbear which was slain to make it. The only part of her body not covered in furs is her right arm. The furs end just before the elbow and a prosthetic arm made of ice is replacing her lost limb.
Kira is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered either along the coasts or upon the seas of the world. Where the waters touch land and out in the vast expanses of seas, where life teems beneath the surface and where the storms rage without warning, there you will find Kira. She manifests in this aspect as a triton woman. Kira is an alluring beauty, her voice a song of welcome and wonder, but those who know her know that voice can turn shrill and strident with little to no warning. Her skin is a mixture of pale to medium blue, her hands and feet are webbed, and she bears gills on her sides. She wears nothing in the way of clothing and her hair is a soft green, often floating in the water behind her in a fan. Her missing limb has been replaced with an arm fashioned from a deep pink and orange coral, the fingers of this hand ended in sharp, wicked looking points.
Karesh is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered in the hot & arid deserts and wastelands. Where the light of Zolaris beats down and seems to turn the world into an oven intent on baking you, where the distance shimmers and shifts unnaturally, this is where you will find Karesh. She manifests in this aspect as a light elven woman. Karesh speaks in a soft whisper, her words almost slithering together as they escape from her lips. Karesh has dark skin only a few shades lighter than onyx and just as lustrous. Her hand, her neck and her upper chest, what is visible of her skin at any rate, bears strange half faded tattoos that are difficult to make out. Her clothing is an off-white robe that offers both protection from the sun and remains breathable. She also wears a shawl of the same material which she can wrap around her head and cover her face with as needed. Her hair is a dark black and after the top knot it is artfully braided into what seems like a design with intent the longer one looks at it. Her missing limb is replaced with an arm seemingly made of pale sand, held in the shape of her arm by magic or simply her own willpower.
Aras is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered within the various forests and jungles of the world. Where trees grow tall and proud and animals live in abundance beneath their sheltering branches, where the fittest survive, this is where you will find Aras watching over all with a smile. She manifests in this aspect as a dryad. When she speaks it is often with a motherly tone and a warmth and kindness inherent to her words. Her skin is pale green with a fine, fey-like cast to her face. Her hair blossoms down her back in a pray of pale pink flowers, and her clothing is fashioned from leaves which shift and change color with the seasons. Her missing limb seems to be replaced with a limb grown from a tree, the smooth bark still covering it. She wears no boots of any kind, allowing her feet to always be in contact with the forest floor. The style of leaves that her dress is made from changes depending on the forest you meet her in.
Rashi is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered upon the sweeping plains and slowly rising and falling steppes of the world. Where the sky stretches vast above you and the world seems open and full of possibility, this is where you will find Rashi. She manifests in this aspect as a tall orc woman with a loud voice full of joy and wonder. Her skin is a dark yellowish-green and she is clad in leather pants and chest armor, decorated with horsehair. Her hair is golden blond and besides the top knot, her ponytail is bound three more times along its length with leather thongs. One of her tusks has been broken off and capped with gold, and while she is missing her right arm, this aspect of Karashiel has not replaced it. She lost her arm fair and square and has learned to live without it.
Shiel is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered in the mountain ranges and foothills bordering on those peaks. Where the earth spears to the heavens and is filled with treacherous paths and dangerous creatures. Where the fury beneath the world rises to spew forth destruction, this is where you will find Shiel. She manifests in this aspect as a goliath woman. Shiel speaks in a calm voice, most of the time, yet every now and then she will raise her voice and when she does, she is always heard. Shiel has stone grey skin, her face and arms inked with the dark black lines of tattoos of unknown origin. Her hair is a strange mix of grey, green, and white streaks. Her missing limb has been replaced with one made of darker almost black stone that is shot through with cracks and seams. Within these cracks is a sullen red glow and those who get close enough will feel the intense heat coming off that arm. She wears simple but well-made armor of iron and leather.
Akrisa is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered in the various swamps and marshes and bogs of the world. In those places where your step could be on solid land or push through the surface of still water, where the only certainty you have is the uncertain nature of the place you find yourself. Lurking here is Akrisa, tending over her dominion. She manifests in this aspect as a halfling woman, tall for a halfling but otherwise perfectly normal looking. She speaks with a dark amusement to her voice, and her otherwise ordinary features allow her to blend in and move unnoticed through the people. Her skin is light brown, and her hair is dark brown and still as long in this aspect, proportionately speaking. Her missing limb has been replaced with a wooden and vine prosthetic attached to her body via a leather harness. This limb seems at first glance to not be able to move as freely as those of other aspects of her can. Her clothing is warm and simple, made from hard wearing fabrics and she wears an oiled cloak and a hat fashioned from the large leaves of a plant.
Sarak is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered in the dark, hidden spaces beneath the world, down in the depths of the underdark. Down where the sun does no reach, where strange plants and even stranger creatures live, where the stone walls feel like they close in and the echoes in the tunnels confused and disorient, this is where you will find Sarak. She manifests in this aspect as a dark elven woman, with pale skin and hair a pale shade of lilac. Her long hair past the top knot is gathered into six thin braids which are arranged and affixed to her hair in small coils symmetrically placed around her head. Her clothing is well made, in the style usually worn by the Matrons of Deephaven. It is feminine in style and dark green in color, while remaining suitable for moving through the tunnels and caverns. Sarak carries with her a small pack filled with tools for moving through the underdark, as well as several books, one of which she takes notes in. Her missing arm has been replaced five dark purple tentacles which can wrap around themselves and form the shape of a normal hand for her to use. She is equally adept as using them as five separate appendages on that arm.
Aelaris is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered within the Feywild. Within that bizarre shifting plane of eternal twilight, where time flows strangely, and distance can stretch or shrink. Where your eyes can all too easily deceive you, along with all your other senses, there you will find Aelaris. She manifests in this aspect as a high elven woman of exceptional beauty and grace. Her skin is flawless and golden, shimmering in the light and dazzling those who view her. Her hair is loose and unbound, with a slight wave to it, flowing down her back in a cascade of dark black with deep purple highlights. Her hair is covered by a fine netting, silver baubles dotting it here and there making her hair look like the twilight sky. She wears a gown made of the finest silk, fitted to her form. Her missing limb has been replaced with a magical arm made of gold and diamonds with platinum accents.
Shelari is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered within the Shadowfell. Within that frigid and solemn plane of darkness, where the seas have stopped and the sun is pale and dying in the sky, its light barely reaching the lands. There where devils and the undead skulk, where abominations fester and grow, where the people are worn and washed out, there is where you will find Shelari. She manifests in this aspect as a vampire woman, a proud and noble woman. Her skin is pale and waxen to look upon, yet despite the unnaturalness of her there is still a beauty there. Her hair is the darkness of eternal night and bound in a tight braid, giving her a severe look. She wears what is the uniform of a soldier, a general, but crossed with the outfit of a nobleman. The right arm of her jacket is tastefully pinned up out of the way for this aspect has no replacement for her missing arm.
Rishkar is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered within the Sea of Stars. High ‘above the world’ in the vast expanse of the night sky between the very stars themselves, upon the Silver Path which guides the dead to their rest, within the cities of angels. This is where you will find Rishkar. She manifests in this aspect as an aasimar woman with medium yellow skin. Her eyes glow purple without pupil or iris and purple light shines through her skin in patterns made of lines of dots. Her halo blazes in a purple corona around her hair, which is a deep dark red at the top of her head and slowly changes color as along its length getting lighter and lighter until the tips of her hair are pure white. She wears robes of white and gold with a high collar, and her back exposed. Her wings are a dark brown, dotted here and there with feathers of blue or green. Her missing limb has been replaced with a construct arm that looks made of some unknown shimmering metal and pure light.
Resikal is the aspect of Karashiel most likely encountered within the Aetherweave. That plane, which is the source of all magic, the intangible place which exists alongside so many other planes, the confusing expanse through which the Chaos Storm still rages, contained, and slowly being bled off bit by bit. Within this misty place you may find Resikal if you are lucky. She manifests in this aspect as a human woman with ruddy skin, and brilliant red hair, which is very loosely braided and on the verge of always falling apart and needing to be fixed. She wears simple clothing, loose cloth pants, a small top covering her upper chest. Her body is covered in softly glowing tattoos that loop and whorl. Her missing limb seems to be replaced, though the replacement arm itself can’t be seen, what can be seen are the glowing tattoos etched upon it, giving a rough shape of it.
Personality & Philosophies
Karashiel, before she was broken along with the world, was powerful, confident to the point of arrogance sometimes. She was a woman who knew her own worth and held those around her to her own standards. She was also exceedingly kind and gentle, caring for the smallest of creatures with the same attention as she would her fellow gods. She was complex and deep. Only Estarn, of all the gods, knew her well for he watched her from the heavens almost always. When she was broken, fractured into aspects of herself, she became simpler but only when you take into account a single aspect. Each one was only one piece of the greater puzzle that was Karashiel.
Kar is cold, and stern, hard to please. She does not suffer fools or those who do not prepare to weather her cold. She will watch as the snow and ice claim you if you are not strong enough to survive. You can not argue or reason with Kar, you can only endure the cold night and pray you see the sun rise again. Should you live, however, you may be accepted as worthy and earn her respect, but never her favor. Kar does not favor anyone.
Kira is beautiful and alluring, her siren song calling men and women to her. She is warm and loving and bountiful, and those who have her favor are blessed indeed. But those who know her, know this is only half of her, for while she will be calm and placid one moment, without warning she will grow angry and wrathful, hurling abuse your way, only to show you her smile once the storm passes. To love her is to court disaster, and to be loved by her is to end up in her embrace forever. And yet despite this, men and women still seek her.
Karesh is an enigma, subtle and cunning, as unknowable as the ever-shifting sands of the desert. To find her is to seek and seek until you get lucky or you eliminate all other possibilities, for she does not make it easy. She is adept at losing pursuit and values her privacy greatly. Even when you find her, her words will weave illusions and mirages in your mind. Yet for those who persist, for those who work and never give up, there will be treasure to be found. Pearls of wisdom which she will offer to those who make the effort.
Aras is a welcoming face, offering shade from the sun, shelter from ill weather, food, clothing, and so much more. She is generous with her bounty, giving freely and wholeheartedly. Whatever you desire of her, she will give, but some of those gifts do not come without strings attached. Many of the animals in her bounty are dangerous or venomous, and there is food which is poisonous and other trips and pitfalls which can befall the unwary. And should you fall prey to any of these, she will smile and sooth your brow and watch as you perish to become such a generous gift for her animals and plants.
Rashi is open and easy to read, a hearty smile and a fierce joy to be had for life itself. Nothing makes her happier than riding across the plains, the wind in her hair, racing others. She enjoys all things with a gusto and a competitive spirit that burns within her. She will be the first to laugh at a joke, share her meal and praise you if you win. She does not anger easily, yet even she can have her ire raised. When this happens her brutal nature comes to the forefront, for she will fight and destroy that which angered her. Pray that she have mercy upon you when you are beaten.
Shiel is not cold and standoffish as Kar is, but she is not welcoming and generous as Aras is either. Shiel is not kind nor cruel. Shiel is calm, patient, and stoic, her voice is slow and measured and she considers her words before she speaks, which is not often. Shiel sees no reason to rush. What she has is there, as it has been for centuries. Time matters little to Shiel, yet there are moments when she can move so swiftly and with deadly force. Vigilance is needed with Shiel for the face could come crashing down, snow or rock tumbling over you. Worse, still, she could erupt in a wrathful fury and lay waste to much of the land around her for leagues.
Akrisa is dark and twisted in a way, not corrupted but there is decay in her, a natural decay. She does not give up her secrets easily, often letting you think you know, only to prove you wrong. Her ways are winding and lead you astray, leave you stranded and alone as the night closes in. Yet should you make the effort, should you respect her and her ways, should you meet her on her terms, she will welcome you in, show you her secrets in her time, guide you and protect you. She rewards loyalty with loyalty, for all her coy smirks and misleading glances.
Sarak will always be willing to talk to you, a lecturing tone and much in the way of knowledge given, for those willing to listen. She will often move through the tunnels and caverns, seeking out new things to catalogue and examine. Nothing makes her happier than exploring her depths. Yet her thirst for knowledge bears with it a clinical outlook. Should disaster strike down in the depths she is as possible to help you out of your trouble as she is to cluck her tongue disapprovingly and walk past.
Aelaris is beauty and charm and grace and virtue. She is Queen of the Fey and the Courts dance to her tune. The Lords & Ladies serve her wishes and see to her whims and desires, for she has many. She will all too gladly welcome you to her kingdom, see to your every need, her hospitality will know no bounds. But you will, for then you will owe her, and she will keep that boon tucked away forever if she can. Her whims, much like those of Berana, change always, sometime without warning. The only thing you can trust Aelaris to do, is to change her mind.
Shelari is a creature of darkness. A vampire Lady who rules her own small kingdom, and those who are her subjects obey or perish. The rule of law is absolute by her unyielding hand. The Shadowfell is not a plane that likes the living, though it does not particularly care for the dead either. Her lands are often beset by other petty tyrants who rule other lands of mist and shadow. Those who live under her rule know she is the only reason they survive. She does not sleep, she does not rest, the land itself bends to her will. She is ever vigilant, and while some would call her a monster, those who serve her call her savior.
Rishkar in the heavens above is a guiding star for those who find themselves within that vast expanse. The dead who find themselves upon the Silver Path may receive words of advice and other guidance for how to proceed. Those lost may be rescued and brought back to the path, with a pat on the head and ushered off to continue their journey. Yet despite her kindness and helpful guidance, her smiles have little to no warmth in them. She is caring, but not compassionate, kind but lacking in empathy. She knows the correct actions to take, and does them, without really know why, or caring why. It is just what needs to be done, so she does it.
Resikal does not like to be seen, hiding away within the Aetherweave, moving through the plane as fog, fading from view when spotted. Yet she will nudge things around, help people get out, keep the worse creatures from attacking a lost traveler. She does not like seeing people in pain. She will help when she can, but she does not want thanks or notice or attention. She would rather they think themselves lucky to have gotten away with so little trouble than think she was helping them.
Powers & Magical Artifacts
Karashiel’s powers lay within all aspects of the world itself and the creatures upon it. When the world was made, Berana, Yshirea and Murien made the potential for the world. Karashiel made that potential into reality. Every plant, every animal, every mineral and element, the patterns, and the cycles that the world is subject to, all of these came into being by Karashiel’s power. There is no plant or animal who does not know when it is in the presence of its mother, and they all act accordingly. This also applies to the higher races like humans and elves and orcs and dwarves. Karashiel is the mother to all living creature, and though it is Seram who is the Goddess of Life and Xistan who is the God of Death, Karashiel has at least an equal if not greater power over people. For while Seram granted life and Xistan grants death to all living things, Karashiel has power over what you are, over your very nature.
Karashiel has long been the keeper of special places within the world and none are more special to her than The Fountain of Blooms. This place served as the backdrop for Estarn’s confession of love for Karashiel and has also been sought out by mortals for the life-altering properties of the waters. While originally it had been a naturally formed series of connected pools within a cavern, fed by the waters of an underground hot spring, it has changed by the hand of Estarn. The walls and floors and ceiling of the cavern have been elegantly worked and polished to resemble the interior of a spacious bath house. Natural cave rock slowly blends into worked stone walls and smooth tile floors. The various pools remain as they were, the water feed still naturally occurring. Estarn has either replaced or altered the stone pools, making them smooth stone basins, each one surrounded with carvings of flowers in bloom.
Cunningly worked glazed ceramic pipes and small aqueducts provide a means for the waters to flow from the highest pool to the lowest where it drains out back down to the source. There are thin stone steps leading from the bottom basin to the top, the stairways crisscrossing here and there as they rise. Soft and warm yellow light shines over the cavern from luminous crystals worked into the stone walls and thin stone pillars that are placed as if holding up a ceiling even through they do not reach that high. Lastly several stone statues rest in places around the Fountain of Blooms. Some are near one basin or another, a few are standing or sitting on the stairs or by a stone pillar. One statue is standing in the center of one of the stone basins, their arms raised to the sky. Another statue is crawling on the floor away from one of the basins. Lastly of note, worked in here and there through this large bathing area are several plots of soil in which plants and flowers grow, despite having not access to sunlight. These flowers and plants provide much of the bursts of color which can only help this area seem less singular in style.
Followers & Organizations
When one talks about the follower of Karashiel, one’s mind will immediately drift to the subject of the druids. While the druids within the various nations of the world have their own ways and means of doing things, their very beliefs may change depending on the nation and the druidic circle they belong to. What remains the same for each druid is that their power, the magic that enables them to do what they do, comes from Karashiel herself. There is a direct connection between druid and the Goddess of Nature, an attunement if you will. Because of this connection, and because Karashiel is broken, her mind fractured across a dozen different forms, and because each of those forms has their own thoughts and feelings, this creates problems for a druid. Make no mistake they are respected and praised for the work they do in maintaining and repairing the world itself, but they are also feared.
This fear is born from the fact that, sometimes when a druid calls upon their magic, they will receive not only the power they asked for, but also the echoes of raw, sleeting emotion pouring into their minds. This raw emotion will often influence and color the druid’s perspective of the world around them. A druid may find themselves suddenly suspicious and paranoid of a good friend. They may find themselves wanting to hide away, giving away anything that anyone asks them for, or perhaps adhering to their own personal rules and forcing others to do the same. This does not happen so often that it prevents a druid from living their lives, but it happens often enough that druids are looked upon with wary contentment.
The clerics of Karashiel are another matter, for while they serve Karashiel and receive their magic from her, they are not as unpredictable as their druid brethren. This may be because the clerics only worship a singular aspect of Karashiel, usually dictated by the type of areas the clerics are based in. For example, a small temple or house of worship for Karashiel that is in the mountains, you may rest assured they will be devotees of Shiel. This has the benefit that when the emotions of the Goddess wash over a cleric, they will only receive those from the singular aspect they worship. The clerics work and are largely responsible for organizing and taking care of the various circles of druids, providing aid and sustenance and shelter and guidance when need be. If the druids are Karashiel’s soldiers on the front lines of battle, then her clerics are the clerks and logistics officers. There is no large temple to Karashiel, but there are many small temples and houses of worship to be found in many places across the world. Shrines are typically found in the middle of a ‘natural place.’ Karashiel’s symbol is a spiral, always drawn or created from the outermost point and spiraling in to the center.
Holidays & Services
There are many festivals and holidays associated with Karashiel in many of the nations of the world, but not all of them. In the Free Lands of Muria, on the 19th of Karas a festival is held in every settlement and it is called The Festival of Ashes. It is a communal event where all bring food and drink to enjoy, as well as each person brings a piece of wood, as large or as small as they wish to bring. The wood is gathered into a large pile and set ablaze and in the aftermath the ashes of this fire are gathered up, each person is anointed with the ash and the remainder is divided up among the druids and taken out into the world to be scattered to help foster rebirth and renewal.
In the Stratocracy of Isenfeur starting on the 5th day and ending on the 11th day of Estas, is the autumn festival of Paktfest. Paktfest is a seven-day celebration where old stores of food and drink are used up before they go bad and the people are encouraged to let their hair down and have a good time. Discipline is still maintained, and the people are still guarded and kept safe and expected to be at home during the evening hours. During the day, however normal business is suspended, and the streets are filled with music and dancing and contests. Awards are handed out for various exceptional people. While not the only celebration in Isenfeur it is the largest and most looked forward to every year.
In the Empire of Sera there are four major festivals falling on the 33rd day of each of the months of Yshras, Seras, Runas and Navas. These festivals are, respectively, known as Omafuyu (The Winter Festival), Omaharu (The Spring Festival), Omanatsu (The Summer Festival), and Omaaki (The Autumn Festival). These festivals are a celebration of each season and each community and each caste within work together to prepare and put on the festival. Many superstitions abound for each of these unique celebrations, from the appearance of devils in the summer, to yososhu (element lords) in the autumn, to vengeful spirits in the winter and angels in the spring. They are a time when the reserved nature of the Seran people is not only allowed but encourage to be put aside. People are expected to celebrate and enjoy themselves and make memories.
The Fellowship of Bata is a collection of nine smaller kingdoms or baronies who have banded together and formed an alliance which they rule together via a council. As such each kingdom of Bara is similar and yet different from the others. One thing does remain the same, even between each barony, and that is the yearly celebration known as the Day of Reaping. This festival is held at the tail end of Autumn each year, on the 5th of Cendas, and is a celebration of the harvest of crops for the cold weather to come. The ‘first’ parts of each crop to be harvested are set aside and saved for this festival and used to make a variety of dishes for all involved. There is another aspect of this celebration which happens in the empty fields. A solemn procession of priests, chief among them a priest of Xistan, will walk alongside and support one who has chosen to give their blood to the fields so that the harvests may be good next year. While initially this may seem barbaric, the choice is always on the one giving. Those who are getting too old sometimes choose the time and the method of their ending and this is seen as both an extremely kind gesture on the given as well as something to be honored and respected.
Within the Theocracy of Ordina there are several celebrations, or ceremonies, which have the love and respect of the people. While the worship of all the Gods is not illegal, barring the worship of Berana, there tends to be little room left for places of faith with the Chorus of Harmony sprawling out as it does through society. Still, you will find some important festivals remain, either adopted by the Chorus or simply left alone because they cause no trouble. The Promesa Rito, or the Rite of Promise, is a spring ceremony held on the 19th of Karas. Planting of crops will not happen until after the Rite of Promise. It is almost a bureaucratic affair even though there is official Chorus oversight and praise given to Yshirea, and Karashiel, in equal measure. While all are welcome to attend, usually the focus is on those who grow food and tend livestock and otherwise provide for the people. One by one these people, or their representatives, will stand up before all and speak of their plans for the coming year, what they intend to grow in which of their fields, which of their livestock is to be bred and which to be slaughtered. This information is written down with a copy being provide to each one who speaks. It is a promise made between the grower and the people before both Yshirea and Karashiel. Should anything untoward happen and this promise no be fulfilled, it can be considered a mark of ill-favor against the grower.
Upon the Island of Everbloom, there is a weeklong festival beginning on the 19th of Runas and finishing on the 25th of Runas. It is known as the Dance of Poppies, and it is a celebration of excess to rival that of Merjoux. There is an ongoing feast beginning at midday on the first day of the festival and food and drink are provided steadily and no-stop the entire length. Also provided is song and music, games and entertainment and displays of skill and talent among the people there. It is not unusual for a high elf to spend almost a full day enjoying themselves only to crawl home and collapse into bed and wake up a few hours later to get a shower and head back out to do it again. While it is the middle of summer, the celebration is for the bounty and gifts that Karashiel blesses the world with and a means to show her how much they enjoy her blessing.
While many may think the City of Selvedge could not possibly have any reason to celebrate nature, seeing as it is a city constructed within a massive airship and has no real nature to celebrate in the first place. This is only thought by those who have never seen Selvedge. The Gnisse who live there are nothing if not creative. The deck of the city resembles a forest and large adjustable mirrors placed high on the masts allow them to catch and harness light from the sun which is always below them. Also, of note the airship belonged originally to K’arest, Karashiel’s son, and was built by him and his father Estarn, Karashiel’s husband. On the 5th of Estas, only a minimal crew remains behind to monitor and adjust the systems of the airship as needed. The rest of the population of the city head up onto the desk or into several of the growing rooms to take time away from their work and from the ‘city’ itself. They take an almost reverential outlook and seek out a spiritual connection with nature, yet they do so in an almost scientific manner. If you ask a Gnisse about this day and what they do on it, you will invariably get the answer that you have to know what wood feels like before you can build with it, or something very similar.
Stories & Myths
The first story of Karashiel is that when Berana and Yshirea and Murien has made the potential for the world and all things in it, they implored The Weaver to give them one to make this potential into a reality. The Weaver took what remained of her robe and rendered it into thread and with this thread she wove Karashiel. Karashiel then looked upon what they had created and found it was acceptable. She went all over the world creating it and filling it with earth and water and plants and animals and humans and elves and dragons. There are many scholars of myths who believe that Karashiel being the last of the Gods to be made with the divine ‘thread’ means she is on par with Berana, Yshirea and Murien. Other scholars say that the other gods were made of The Weaver herself, and should that not mean they are more powerful and not less? The debate still rages on to this day.
The next story speaks of how Estarn was tricked into walking in on Karashiel while she was bathing in her Fountain and that being so smitten by her and amazed at the perfectness of her form, he confessed his feelings for her. Karashiel all but openly mocked him for it, accepting his praise as only her due and challenging his own accomplishments. Estarn, filled with indignation at her words, rose to her challenge and asked for a boon of resources from her world to show her that he could make true beauty. His work resulted in a statue, an unliving young man bearing resemblance to both her and to Estarn. He had fashioned a son for them both and Karashiel, upon seeing this creation, wept for the beauty that she had not known was possible. Her tears landed upon the creation and gave it life, and thus was K’arest, the God of Knowledge born.
The final story that most people know of Karashiel is what happened to her during and after The Breaking. When the Breaking happen and the world shattered, Karashiel shattered as well. According to old stories passed down by clerics and druids, Karashiel was broken apart, found by Estarn among the storm and brought to safety, but not before one of the broken Threads of Existence damaged her and took her arm. While Karashiel survived this, she did not survive it unscathed. Her mind and her body were split into many, many different versions of her, each of them responding to a different name. Some of them fled immediately to other planes of existence and there they remained. Most of them remained on the material plane and became more well known as time went on, their quirks and personalities being learned by those who interacted with them. Due to the volatile nature of so many different and sometimes at odds personalities, certain sections of her duties were convinced to be passed on and managed by others, just in case one of her decided to ignore an obligation.
Mental characteristics
Gender Identity
Female
Sexuality
Heterosexual
Divine Classification
Elder God
Alignment
Lawful Neutral
Children
Eyes
Light Purple
Hair
Very long, usually in a top knot ponytail, various colors depending on aspect.
Height
6'3"
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