Vessel

The core of any Vessel is the crystal by which a Spectre emerged. These are uniform in color throughout their material, and unique in shape, size, and hue to each individual Spectre—reflective and representative of the Spectre's essence. The rest of a Vessel's make-up is fairly modular, with quite the variety of expressive elements in popular use at any given time.

Related Myths

• Genesis of Spectra

Elements of a Vessel

Crown

Usually the main feature of a Vessel, the crown is a centerpiece mounted upon, and affixed to, the top of a Spectre's crystal tether. Most crowns fall into the categories of containers, mass media, and chandeliers. A choice of crown speaks volumes about a Spectre, and their tastes.

Implement(s)

Implements are the most recently developed modules for Vessel customization. Often consisting of limbs or tools with which to manipulate items and/or materials, they are attached to the lateral body, in number and fashion according to the wishes of the Spectre in question.

Flair

Any modules not categorized as crown or implement are considered flair. Most of the time these are additions without practical use or purpose, unlike implements, and which are small and eclectic, unlike crowns. Spectra tend to collect more of these as they age.

Origins

None of the Spectra can say for sure who it was that began the tradition of decorating their Vessels, though friendly allegations have been made against Emerald. These claims are well supported, both by the Spectre's fanciful nature and by their kleptomaniac behavior at their emergence, but they have been neither confirmed nor denied. What can be sure is that expression via customizing their bodies would never have been as robust and accessible if not for the cooperation and participation of all Spectra.

Development

Implements were the most difficult and yet most useful modules in the exploration of Vessel customization. The ones initially produced enabled their users to perform movement of far more complexity and precision than they could with their unaugmented, ghostly appendages. Tools available to Spectra grew increasingly more sophisticated with each new wave of innovation until they found themselves capable of manipulating and molding soft materials like clay into more useful shapes. These discoveries launched the Spectra as a society headlong into the worlds of science and art, and they have maintained the pace all throughout the Era of Delight, and into the Stellar Era.

Variations

The first crowns were crystal clusters taken from Spectrum's surface—translucent, colorless material too small to serve as a tether for a Shade. They were chosen for their light-scattering capabilities by Spectra who wanted to make their visibility undeniable, or who simply enjoyed seeing the planet's natural terrain respond to their presence and movement. These crowns were named chandeliers.

The next category to appear was mass media, popularized by the rapid generation of new materials on Spectrum's surface that coincided with the emergence of Tertiary Spectra during the Era of Delight. So eager to distinguish themselves within the ever-growing numbers, Tertiary Spectra latched on to anything that spoke to—or resonated with—them. Spectra left and right, up and down, began donning great lumps of coal and iron.

The discovery of molded clay pots carried the Spectra into a whole new avenue of creativity. They found that they could place these containers on their bodies in all manner of orientations, and that plants would grow in them if provided with soil. Long gone were the days of routine flower replacement; now they could keep their favorite plants with them forever. This discovery led them to yet another—dyes and paint completely revolutionized the way Spectra thought about themselves, their colors, and the world.