Anima

"Those beings who are primarily of The Spirit Realm do not think as we do - if indeed they think at all. They are beings of purpose, not thought."

— Callisthenes of Macris

As described in the Structure of the Universe, the world is the result of three intersecting realms - the Physical Realm, the Dream Realm, and the Spirit Realm. Each realm has its own native creatures, who often have components of themselves in the other realms, but primarily sustain themselves according to the rules of their native realm.

Anima are the creatures who are native to the Spirit Realm, and derive their sustenance primarily from the spiritual bonds between pneumas , either building them up or tearing them down.

Angels & Fiends

The most common subdivision among Anima is that between Angels and Fiends. Angels are those animas who gain their energy by forging and strengthening bonds between pneumas. One example of an angel is the Angel of Love, which specializes in creating romantic attachments. Fiends are the opposite, feeding on the energy released when these bonds wither and snap. There are many kinds of fiends and angels, and they typically specialize in a particular kind of bond, as well as a strategy for manipulating them. For example, the Muse of Mutiny is a possessing fiend which sows paranoia and mistrust to break apart the social network of ship’s crews.

It is common to try and equate the Angels as ‘good’ and the Fiends as ‘evil’. While this is frequently the case, it is an oversimplification. There are Angels who forge bonds out of hatred, while some Fiends break connections of obsession or dependency.

Anima and the Gods

There is a class of Angels known as 'Heralds' whose specialty is in forming and maintaining the bonds between gods and worshippers. These beings will frequently become servants to a god, carrying out their wishes as they sustain themselves on the act of worship itself. Likewise, there is a class of Fiends that focus on destroying these bonds, breaking apart the connection between deity and mortal. This is the underlying conflict that inspires many good versus evil narratives, as the Heralds and Fiends fight for control over the worship of mortal beings.

Anima and Magic

As beings of the Spirit Realm, Anima are all gifted in the use of True Magic. They will use this power to pursue their goals in the world, and the most powerful of the Anima could put the gods of the Million Islands to shame. The only reason they do not rule the world is that they have no interest in doing so.

Alternative Names

Angels
Fiends

Geographic Distribution

• The Spirit Realm

Anima and the Dream

The creatures of the Spirit Realm do not interact with the Dream in the same way that corporeal creatures do, nor in a manner similar to the Numina who are native to the Dream. When one of the Anima interacts with physical or dream beings, they adopt an eidolon formed from the expectations of the other party. In this way, they can adopt almost any persona and identity, as long as it conforms to the resonance of their pneuma and the beliefs of the observers. In this way, Anima are quite similar to Numina, who are born from beliefs via the Egregoric Force. However, once they adopt an Eidolon it is much more resistant to change from the beliefs of others, due to their anchor in The Spirit Realm. Anima can and will shed their identity when it suits them, treating eidolons almost as a change of clothes more than a core element of their person.

Anima and the Physical Realm

Anima rarely adopt a permanent physical anchor, and many do not choose to adopt any kind of physical body at all. If they do manifest physically, it is usually an illusory body made of pure light. More often, they will project an image of their current eidolon directly into the mind of whoever they want to interact with. Only when physical action is required will they choose to take on a physical form, either weaving one out of magic, or taking possession of one that already exists. This latter choice is often an unpleasant experience for whoever may be currently in the body, but this is rarely a consideration to the Anima.