[✗] [Lore Submission] The Icons

[Narthok 9213]

The Icons

“I am what I am”

Spoiler

 

 

---

The Icons are those creatures of singular aspect. Immortals of the Higher and Lower planes they are below the hallowed ranks of the Aenguls and Daemons yet far beyond power of any mortal. An Icon is a manifestation of a singular aspect of mortal life, summated into a singular form. Conceived, at the first clenched fist, the first soaring heart, the first scream of grief. These beings are ageless, yet bound to a singular destiny, a singular identity, a singular purpose. Immovable and unchangeable as they simply are what they are.

 

While sentient the Icons are singular in purpose and thought. Utterly uncompromising by definition they are completely incapable of viewing alternate perspectives. As such negotiation or reasoning with an Icon is almost impossible. The only potential course is to demonstrate to an Icon how a course of action is in-line with their own purpose. Icons are notoriously prone to meddling and are extremely fond of inserting themselves into the affairs of mortals wherever possible to further their own ends. It is, as a result not at all uncommon for the schemes of two icons to clash with one another with the results of such a clash depending on the icons involved. Despite their meddlesome nature their schemes are rarely successful in manipulating mortals. While they are not necessarily stupid they are extremely blunt, generally lacking all subtlety. In their complete perfection and singular dimension they are in some ways crippled by said perfection.

 

It is however not entirely unheard of for mortals for forge deals or bonds with an Icon. With the each party performing a service for one another or in some rare occasions the Icon will grant a boon of some kind to the mortal. These boons are usually reserved for those mortals that are exemplars of the Icon’s paradigm. With the boon often manifesting in the form of a blessed item or a single use of the Icon’s powers. In addition to these more, straight forward arrangements, deceit and manipulation is not entirely uncommon from either party. From the more malignant Icons deceptions and other forms of subterfuge emerge. Although it is possible for a mortal to deceive and manipulate an Icon in certain circumstances.

 

The strength of ‘icons’ varies. Generally waxing and waning in cadence to the affairs of mortals. For example during times of war the Icons of Rage, Honour, Grief would be at their zenith while more peaceable and docile Icons would be at the trough of their strength. Aware of this, Icons desperately try to ensure circumstances favourable to their paradigm remain the norm amongst the realms of mortals. Not out of ambition so much as out of a basic instinct ingrained into their very existence.

 

Icons are for the most part independent of the Aenguls and Demons. Being affiliated with one side or the other depending on their paradigm. However it is uncommon for them to pledge themselves to the service of one of the Aenguls or Daemons. Despite being relatively powerful, the broader jurisdictions of higher beings are usually beyond the capacity of an Icon to submit to. Icons generally make poor servants to their superiors unless they are given a very specific charge which coincides with their own desires. Thus they merely populate the heavens and hells, awkwardly slotting into the hierarchy as beings of respectable strength but very focused and singular focus. Making them little more than pawns in the greater games played by those who lord over the higher and lower realms.

---

Examples of Possible Extant Icons

Icon of Honour: Honarius

The singular manifestation of honour itself. Honarius exists in representation of the noble few. Those who suffer the slings and arrows to keep their oaths. Those who risk life and limb to protect the weak. Even a wife keep faith with their spouse when temptation arises. Honarius represents all honour, in all of its forms. He dwells in the higher realms of the Aenguls, roaming between their realms at his own whims and occasionally venturing to the mortal realms where he oversees his favoured champions. Spreading honour wherever he went. Honarius makes a habit of dueling strong warriors, defending the weak and pursuing oath breakers. Occasionally he will test the honour of mortals he encounters, submitting them to trials pushing their integrity to the limit. He takes the form of a knight clad in golden armour, a great golden lion, or an impoverished man clad in rags.

 

Icon of Wrath: Iraes

The Icon of Wrath, Iraes is a being consumed singularly with constant rage. To catch Iraes in inaction of conversation is an extreme rarity. As the icon spends the majority of its time pursuing its most recent feud rending and reaving everything in its path. Iraes spends its aeons pursuing a variety of slights and grudges, lashing out at its environment. Thus Iraes is constantly followed by a path of destruction wherever it goes. Stopping its rampage only briefly to battle any foe that stands in its way. Iraes ambles about the lower realms fighting any foe it can. Though even it does not incite the ire of greater Daemons and their ilk. Iraes manifests as a colossal raging fire or a great humanoid of flaming magma and stone. When calmer humours overtake it it can be spotted manifesting as a great red bull.

 

Icon of Desire: Libine

Libine is the Icon of Desire. Encompassing the greeds, and lusts of mortals. Libine is a creature ruled by her baser desires Libine is as mortals, taken to the extremes. Thus Libine takes what she desires regardless of the consequences. Hunting when she it is hungry, taking when she is greedy, seeking a mate when the mood takes her. Libine is an unusual Icon in that while she roams the lower realms, unwelcome in the higher realms. She is not affiliated with either side. Utterly uncaring about the grand games and silly whims of others as she pursues her own interests. Libine manifests exclusively as a beast, occasionally being spotted a bipedal beast, but a beast nonetheless. Always of monstrous size and extreme aggression.

---

 

OOC: I’ve been reading up on Aengulic and Daemonic lore as well as looking at the lore for Deific realms. It seems to me that these two ‘areas’ are relatively unpopulated in terms of lore information. Beyond the Aenguls and Daemons there does not seem to be much lore on the lesser creatures that dwell in the Heavens and the Hells. The Icons are my attempt to add a bit of interesting flavour to these places. I feel that they could potential make for interesting event creatures or just generally add to the narratives of Aenguls and Daemons. In conceiving of Icons I really wanted to make something so perfect that it was flawed. Something that should be utterly alien to a mortal being and in turn find mortals and other complex beings very confusing and frustrating. Icons cannot grasp other views because they are the zenith of what it means to be their paradigm. The Icon of Honour cannot be dishonourable because that is what he IS. He is to honour what a tree is to a tree. With this in mind I thought it would be very interesting to see how that one dimensional ‘perfection’ insofar as they are totally one thing would interact with more complex and multifaceted characters capable of being ‘many’ things. These characters being the majority of mortals and the Aenguls and Daemons. I’ve only provided a small sampling of Icons that would probably exist as realistically any infinite number of Icons could exist. These three are just examples of what an Icon would ‘generally’ resemble and how they would behave.

 

Clarification: When referring to 'heavens' and 'hells' I refer in the abstract to the general grouping of the deific realms of the Aenguls (dieties loosely affiliated with stability, order etc) and the Daemons (dieties loosely affiliated with chaos, change etc). I am not implying that lotc has a singular 'heaven' or a singular 'hell'.

[zaezae 1097]

I am the icon of sin.

[Narthok 9213]

31 minutes ago, zaezae said:

I am the icon of sin.

 

[excited 10833]

I'd suggest making Icons a kind of patron to the AenguDaemonica, or a specific one given their obscurity. 

[HortonHeardAWho 243]

Spirits?

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

Thank you for submitting your piece, it is being squeezed into the current loremag. Expect results sometime on the 5^th or 6^th of December.

 

Thread is being locked to prevent edits to the lore while voting occurs (if you need to make edits, contact me). Also, if you have feedback regarding the lore that you wish to pass to the LT, feel free to toss me a PM.

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

This Lore has been denied. Not a bad piece, but unfortunately some of the team feels this infringes on the Spirits. While this is not inherently a problem, the issue is that it doesn’t go far enough on its own to justify it being accepted. If there was a greater purpose behind the Icons or some other reason behind adding them, it could be re-evaluated.

 

Topic moved to Denied Lore forum.