Normally Animus, the Life Force, or Life Energy, is housed with vessels of the Elements. This is because, as with most unions, Animus is fragile. However, under some circumstances, Animus may be housed with vessels of pure energy, or Mana. Mana can be used to protect and shield Animus, even as physical matter normally protects it. The primal manifestation of Animus are the gods. The gods are the archetypes of life, the patterns of Elemental design that shape creation. The process of Creation began with the gods and as the gods were created, some say by themselves, the creation of the Planes of Existence were dictated and driven by the gods. The gods oversaw creation, as they were the first of its children.
The gods first created servants: these were the angels and later came the demons who were Angels that rebelled against the gods. Gods, angels and demons are all beings of nearly pure Animus and Mana, able to don and shed Elemental (and material) forms at will. The shear levels of Animus and Mana in the gods, angels and demons are what give them their ability to link with matter. They achieve with sheer force that which lesser beings must do through finesse
The gods and their servants created the planes and populated them with beings. Early on these beings were crudely linked to matter, large amounts of Mana were required to sustain them. These beings were the Fey races, or the Sidhe. At this time the Fey races included not only sentient beings, but Fey animals and Fey plant life as well.
Later as creation evolved, and the gods became more experienced and wise in the ways of creation, the union of Animus and Matter was perfected. A finer intermingling requiring little mana for maintenance was achieved. The beings were known as the Mundane Races and the Mundane World was born. This is the world of humankind and the natural world of today.
Chapter 51
“This is going to be rather cramped.” Gastropé said surveying their quarters. The room consisted of three bunks, one atop the other, three feet of access space in front of the bunks and some short drawers built into the forward bulkhead. The bottom most bunk was nearly on the floor and had very little light. The middle and top bunks lay across windows looking out from the stern castle to the port. Gastropé awkwardly placed his belongings on the top bunk. There was barely enough room for the three of them to stand side by side in front of the bunks.
“I think, I’ll go out and get some air. Watch the city as we leave.” Gastropé said looking pointedly over Rupert and past Edwyrd to the door.
“Good idea, I’ll join you soon.” Edwyrd said, looking a little sweaty as he opened the door to the room while Rupert crawled onto the bottom bunk to get away from the door. Gastropé squeezed out and Edwyrd closed the door behind him. “This is not going to be fun.” Edwyrd said, twisting his head to look at Rupert who was scrunched up on the bottom bunk.
“It is going to be a little tight,” Rupert acknowledged with a grin.
“A little tight? In my normal form I’m bigger than this whole room!
“Plus! How am I ever going to keep this form for the entire trip? It’s not like I can lock the door and change. There isn’t room for me in here.” Edwyrd was looking very sweaty. While it was quite warm and stuffy in the room, it was not that hot to Rupert’s mind. Edwyrd sat down on the middle bunk, hunched over due to the upper bunk. Rupert crawled out and joined him on the bunk. He didn’t have to do more than bend his head.
“Maintaining this form isn’t exactly easy on the best of conditions.”
“I know,” Rupert said, “but don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
“For five days though?” Edwyrd said. The two sat quietly on the bunk for a few minutes, each lost in his own thoughts. “So. I told them I was an animage. What’s an animage?” He looked over at Rupert.
“Um.” Rupert hedged. “I’m not completely sure.”
“Not sure? What do you mean not sure?”
“Well, I am a kid you know. I can’t know everything.” Rupert said with mild exasperation. “All I know is what I’ve picked up from rumors. They’re not exactly common you know.”
“Unlike wizards or demons.” Edwyrd commented.
“Well,” Rupert admitted, “O.K. I guess to be fair, in the general population, wizards aren’t exactly the most common profession, unlike smiths or cooks. Demons of course are very rare.”
“We just seem to hang out with the wrong crowd.” Edwyrd smiled at the boy.
“Yeah, looks that way.” Rupert smiled. “So for all I know animages may be as common as wizards, but I don’t really think so. For one thing, they’re not particularly popular.”
“Why?” Edwyrd asked with some trepidation. He felt a moment of dread that he’d gotten himself stuck in another position where everyone would hate him.
“Well, I don’t mean they’re hated or anything, just not really trusted. It’s partially for some stuff way back in history, and partially because of the rumors and legends about them being able to do things to people’s minds.”
“Do things to people’s minds?”
“Yeah, you know, read minds and such, implant commands and thoughts.”
“Telepathy and mind control?” Edwyrd tried to clarify the details.
“Uh-huh. Course wizards can do the same stuff and no one really cares because they gotta do it with spells. If they use a spell, then they gotta be saying something or waving their hands, so you know they’re up to something. Animages, on the other hand, don’t have to do anything. Actually, if I were to believe the legends, animages can do a lot of things similar to wizards, maybe only not so flashy or complex. But, they just do it with their minds. They don’t need spells as frameworks for magic, they somehow manipulate it directly with their minds.
“Kind of like a demon,” Rupert added, suddenly, as if the thought had just come to him.
“So they’re like psionicists, of some sort?” Edwyrd asked.
“They’re what?” Rupert looked at him. “I don’t know that word.”
“Uhm, psychics? individuals with extrasensory projection, telepathy, teleportation, that sort of thing.”
“Psychic? Well, maybe, but psychics are usually Seers or such. Although come to think about it, there does seem to be some sort of overlap. A lot of animages supposedly also have or had second sight. Some of them can also heal, like Healers. Maybe there is a connection.” Rupert stared down at his feet, thinking.
“I don’t know,” Rupert finally spoke up, “Jenn would be the one to ask. She probably studied this stuff.”
“Well, since I’ve already told her I was an animage, I don’t think it would look too good to ask her.” Edwyrd said wryly.
“Yeah. I guess.” Rupert chuckled kind of softly. He appeared distracted, as if his mind were elsewhere. He bit his lip and looked over at Edwyrd.
“Tom,” he said suddenly very serious, yet almost hesitant.
Tom waited for the boy to go on, but he just looked down at his foot and continued to bite his lip. “Yes?” Tom asked, prompting the boy to go on. He didn’t know what the boy wanted, but it seemed important to him.
“Tom, why did...” Rupert stopped suddenly and looked the other way. “Never mind.” He shook his head. “It really isn’t important.” He stood up suddenly. “Let’s go up on deck and get some fresh air.” He opened the door and looked at Edwyrd.
Edwyrd wasn’t really sure what had come over the boy. Obviously he’d been about to ask something and changed his mind at the last moment. He wasn’t sure if he shouldn’t pursue it. It had seemed pretty important to the kid. He didn’t know, maybe Rupert just wasn’t ready to talk about whatever it was. Whatever the case, it did cause Edwyrd/Tom a bit of concern.