Air

Air Aspects have an affinity, and often a liking, for learning and thought. The element of air exists everywhere and cat get into anywhere and surrounds everything, and so, these Terrestrials are similarly gifted.

An Air Aspect, using his naturally predisposed talents and Charms, can enter a place undetected and leave again with any knowledge he finds there. If that knowledge is written, he can learn to read it regardless of language. The knowledge can be read and fully understood in a tiny fraction of the time it would take another person, and in the event that knowledge is sorcerous, he may comprehend it and teach himself the secrets contained within it. Every Aspect of Air can do this, with a minimum of self-application and no formal schooling whatsoever.

This is perhaps the most obvious of examples, but it is illustrative of the sorts of activities that the average Air Aspect can engage in with what amounts to only a minimal effort. Whether the Aspects of Air prefer it that way or not, it is only prudent that their society places the burden of these types of tasks on the Children of Mela - the shoes clearly fits, after all.

Tacticians, generals, savants, spies, scouts, sorcerers, planners and masters of Essence: These are the roles that the Air Aspects are expected to fill, the roles of thought, dream and subtle actions.

As the thinkers of the Empire, perhaps more involved with the ideology of civilisation and planning for such than any of their peers, the Azure Dragons have had the current state of affairs thrust squarely into their thoughts. Some may be the engineers of the current power struggles of the fracturing Realm, while others may be hurriedly trying to account for all the chaos within the systems they have laboured so long to implement. The newest generation, fresh from secondary school, has been trained and moulded in the same fashion as have their predecessors for centuries.

They have the same talents, the same faith and the same affinity and duty to oversee the greatest plans of their kind, but the world they find themselves in is no longer the world of their ancestors. How will they use their gifts for reason and subtle action in the face of this new Age of Sorrows?




Air is. It is an ethereal element, easily overlooked until one notices its absence or when it explodes into tempestuous fury. The air can be felt, wafting through one’s fingers, but it can never be grasped and held. It is an ideal with which the Exalted of Air resonate. The Children of Mela, the Immaculate Dragon of Air, are beings of thought and subtlety. Without thoughts and idea, all that remains is the empty void of ignorance and death. An Air-aspected Dragon-Blood embodies the boundless creativity and idealism that can only exist in pure thought. He ponders great ideas and dreams grand dreams. His love affairs are epic tales of romance and tragedy to be passed down through the ages. His battle plans are inspired strategies that will be studied by future students seeking to master the arts of war. His sorceries are intricate displays of magical mastery. For some, these lofty designs are masterful exercises in subtlety, as unnoticeable as a gentle spring breeze. Others prefer the ornate splendour of a raging lightning storm. The Children of Mela are idealists and elitists, loathing the very thought of their grand ideas being wasted on petty, mundane pursuits. An Aspect of Air purses wealth not for the money itself, but because he needs it to finance the construction of the magnificent cathedral he has designed for the Order of the Immaculate Dragons. He masters the art of war not to merely crush his enemies, but to earn the glory that comes with martial victory. He masters the arts of magic not for base power, but for the spiritual enlightenment that such mastery brings. Crass, material goals are left to those debased minds whose thoughts wallow in the earthly muck. The Air-aspected are the dreamers of the Realm, their inspired ideas and grand schemes becoming the causes other Dragon-Blooded work to carry out. Aspects of Air put forth solutions to the Realm’s problems and present plans for growth and improvement. The Children of Mela inspire others to look beyond the here and now and blow the dust off of forgotten ideas, making them appear new again. Those winds are sometimes turbulent, tearing down cherished things which have no place alongside the new idea, but this is of little consequences. All that matters is the plan’s completion, the such mundane details are of no concern to great dreamers. Aspects of Air perform a similar role within bonded circles, inspiring their circlemates to dreams of grandeur. An Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded doesn’t see the sworn brothers as they are, but rather how they could be. The Immaculate Dragons: Air aspected Dragon-Blooded who follow the way of Mela, the Petitioner of Clouds, are often staunch perfectionists, endlessly refining their elaborate plans until they reach perfection. They are often among the Realm’s premiere military strategists, scholars and sorcerers. Followers of Sextes Jylis, He Who Has Strewn Much Grass, direct their dreams towards the improvement of the Realm, and these Chosen are often willing to consider the impact their schemes may have on others. Emulators of Pasiap focus their thoughts towards spiritual enlightenment, both for themselves and others. Air Exalted seeking the path of Hesiesh are among the most elitist of their kind, reserving their thoughts for matters of great importance. Those who emulate Daana’d push their minds to the limit, striving to master the most esoteric or even dangerous forms of knowledge.

	Appearance

	Aspects of Air are typically thin and lithe. Their skin has a natural bluish or whitish tint. Blue tones are most pronounced among those high Breeding. As their Essence increases, Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded begin to be surrounded by a continuous gusting breeze, which increases in intensity when they are angry or agitated. This wind may be stilled through concentration but returns if the character’s mind becomes preoccupied (such as by combat, an argument, deep focus on a manuscript or sex). Elders are often characterised by their ice-cold skin and by the scent of fresh breezes or thunder.

		Aspect Anima

When an Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded spends Peripheral Essence, his anima radiates outward into a shimmering aura of pale blue and white, swirling in patterns that remind one of roiling clouds or gusting winds. Truly grand displays include phantasmal whirlwinds, lightning, air dragons or swarms of snowflakes, while the sounds of roaring thunder or screaming wind echo around the character.

As Aspect of Air can spend 5 motes to attune his anime to the nearby winds, allowing them to bear him aloft. For the rest of the scene, he may triple his leaping distance and takes no damage from falls.


	Aspect Abilities

		Linguistics Lore Occult Stealth Thrown

The Great Curse

Aspects of Air whose curse lies in their Compassion often hold idealistic views of how the world should work and react poorly when confronted with how cruel society can be. Those who curse derives from Conviction often become so fixated upon their dreams of the future that, like blizzards, they become deaf to the cries of the present, enabling them to reach great heights of cruelty in pursuit of their schemes. Temperate Air Exalted are like calm breezes, tending to be moral idealists. When they find themselves or others unable to live up to their own lofty dreams of purity, they frequently vent their frustrations with all the fury of a lightning storm. Those who suffer curses of Valour often take excessive pride in their own mental facilities and will react with tornado-like violence to having their skills questioned or trust in their own plans and abilities to the point of recklessness.


	Aspects of Air are associated with the colour blue, the Maiden of Serenity, the season of Air and the northern Direction. Their names are: Children of Mela, Tempestuous Knives, Azure Dragons. Sample Concepts: Scholar of the forbidden, idealistic monk, daring sorcerer, political puppet-master, languid dreamer, philosopher -general, earnest bureaucrat.