Aesernes

Native of: The Skyborne Citadels

The Aesernes are winged humanoid creatures whose semi-divine origins date back to the dawn of time; in particular they define themselves as “The sons of Heaven” as they’re the result of the Empyrean gods’ own subcreation.

Description

The Aesernes are the direct offspring of the heaven’s deities, who live in their immaculate palaces in their Empyrean Realm out of the Iron Veil, regardless of what happens on the continent.

An Aeserne does not age, and resembles a human being in every way, except for its long white hair, his feathered wings and his silver eyes.

It is commonly considered sacrilegious for an Aeserne to sleep at ground level, for they belong to the sky and their sky islands that float due to the “Heaven Fountain”, bequeathed by the gods themselves in the Age of Myth. They consider their Sky Fountain the main relic of their past and symbol of their holy descendance. Aesernes sometimes build outposts in the continent’s highest mountains, but rarely settle lower.

Stats

-2 to Strength
+2 to Dexterity
-2 to Constitution
+0 to Faith
+0 to Luck

9 free points to distribute

Racial Abilities

Empyrean Awareness
Aesernes are always before non Aesernes in the turn order in CRP.

Flight
Aesernes can fly anywhere. (Flying applies to CRP)

Age

All races begin puberty around the age of 12 and are considered adults from 18 years of age. Aesernes don’t age. No playable Aesernes can be born before the year 0. (Aesernes appeared on Narrantis less than 100 years before the Ironveil).

History

Origins

The history of the Aesernes begins in the Age of Myth, when they were among the last races to appear from the Maze of Narrantis.

Unlike their human cousins the Aesernes have wings like their ancestors the Empyreans themselves.

The Solar Empire

The first Aesernes were eager to serve the Empyreans; like them they despised the other Realms and were even hesitant to touch the ground. For this reason their god Mithrann forged for them an island in the sky, held suspended by the Sky Fountain into which he poured part of his power.

The Empyrean, an occult dimension, represents enlightenment, absolute morality and valor. Empyrean gods teach piety and obedience to justice.

Blessed with an heavenly power never seen before, the Aesernes reclaimed the sky with their white archmages and shining weapons.

The Aesernes of the Sky Fountain appointed the High Priest Hostilius, the most pious of the winged warriors, as their ruler and on his golden throne he was crowned Solar Emperor of the Heavens of Narrantis.

The High Priest was the representative in the heavens of their divine lord Mithrann, Avatar of the sun, who led the armies in person with his legendary sun spear.

The heated fanaticism of the Solar Empire pushed sun cultists all over Narrantis to oppose slavery, sacrifice, and black magic in the nearby Abyssal kingdoms, until the god Mithrann answered his Temples’ prayers and began his crusade.

In the age of Myth, Aesernes and their allied humans waged war on all the races of the continent, to bring light and eradicate the abyssal and chaos cults, until the Seers decided to erect the Iron Veil.

The Iron Veil prevents deities outside Narrantis from directly interfering in Narrantis and during the Great Night that followed the forces of light saw themselves betrayed, losing all contact with their deities.

The dragons’ extermination and the Fey Elves

During the Great Night the Seers were persecuted, and a new order established on the continent, eradicating the evil brought by mortals and dragons: beasts disliked by the Empyreans.

The Aesernes killed the dragons from first to last “with the power of the Sun”, until the last of the dragons, the “Dragon of light and shadow”, described as treacherous and perfidious, asked for mercy, hiding in the enchanted forest.

Someone among the Aesernes decided to spare him, and convinced by his words they decided to follow him into the forest, where they discovered the secret of the”Enchantment”: their children began to age and while the dragon turned into emeralds , the lineage of fallen Aesernes transformed into fairy beings, inhabitants of the forest and unaware of their past identity, lost in an endless spell.

In the memory of these ageless creatures lives the reminiscence of the horror of the corruption of their ancestors into forest fairies: the Elfins, who decided to ally with the enemy.

Aesernes today

After the extinction of the dragons and the end of the Great Night, the fate of the Aesernes remained uncertain and increasingly linked to humanity.

Aesernes are in fact a fragile, hollow-boned race. Their amazing power was mostly derived from their proximity to the Empyrean gods, who were able to multiply their strength with divine magic.

Most Aesernes like to spend their days exploring the continent, then retreating to their elusive strongholds in the sky.