Spirit Compendium

Let's take this opportunity to talk about the relationships between spirits and humans, as illustrated by a few prominent examples.

In general, a spirit can be classed into one of four groups based on its relationship with mortals.

Some spirits are considered indifferent, having no meaningful interactions with humans and neither demanding nor giving anything. An example would be the fire spirit CANTALION (upper right), who embodies the wild and untamable aspect of fire and gallops endlessly through the volcanic lands. These spirits may harm or benefit human settlements, but only by pure chance rather than genuine intent or care about what happens to mortals. They just do not care whatsoever.

A very small number of spirits are thought of as benevolent. These are spirits who directly seek to benefit, or at least to avoid destroying, humans; they do not only help a small group of their own followers, but rather have a net positive effect on human society as a whole. One of the most prominent examples would be BEHEMOTH (lower right), a spirit of the strength and stability of earth who defends various human cities from disasters and rival spirits. These spirits have various reasons for helping mortals as they do, depending on the nature of the spirit in question. BEHEMOTH, for instance, protects humans because it recognizes its own domains in the tenacity and determination of mortals and possesses something close to human compassion and empathy for them.

Most spirits fall into a neutral category; they can give aid to humans (usually at a great cost) but are just as likely to destroy them. These spirits are still highly dangerous, but are at least not universally destructive. The exact conditions under which a neutral spirit may help or harm an individual or group depend on the unique nature and properties of that spirit. For example, LOTSYR (lower left), spirit of the mists and still waters, can be incredibly beneficial if you depend on the sanctity of its protected waters for food, shelter, or medicine; however, it can just as easily drag you under to drown if you disturb that peace and stillness by even a small amount. SCARB would be another example of a neutral spirit.

Finally, some spirits are outright malevolent. They aren't just conditionally dangerous or malicious like an indifferent or neutral spirit but rather have an actual desire to hurt, kill, and destroy humans or their society. MERETSEGER, spirit of earthquakes and the untamed earth, is such a spirit. The violent intentions of these spirits can come from many sources, but it is generally because something that humans do is inherently against the spirits own nature or domains; MERETSEGER's loathing, for example, is a reaction to humanity's reshaping and manipulation of the earth into cities and tools.


---
Was this intriguing? Explanatory? The opposite of those things?
What should I do next? (Sorry this one took so long, by the way- that picture was complex!)

1. Healephant
2. Graavbaar
3. Nihmin
OR
4. Pick any one of the 8 elements and I'll chose a random spirit from it