[Bonus chapter]Ability Deep Dive: Aether Armaments – Astra
If aether armor is the strength of one’s conviction, their heart’s ability to stand up for what they believe in and withstand the world’s judgmental gaze, then the armament is the strength of one’s “creed”, their ability to impose their own change upon the world.
For those who are wondering why the armor forms before the armament, the reason is simple: how can one impose their will upon the world when one doesn’t even have the strength to stand against it?
Additionally, this is when the cultivator needs to put in significantly more effort in act of condensing aether, because this part is completely off formula.
Unlike the aether armor, the armament is completely dependent on the person. No two armaments are alike, because not everyone thinks of armaments the same way, or at least have different definitions of what they consider a trusty armament.
A general rule of thumb is that if a warrior regularly practices with a specific type of weapon, their aether armament will take on a form similar to the weapon they practiced with. Alternatively, it can take on the form of an item of trade the cultivator is familiar with.
For example, the Sword Saints of Radiant feather are all able to summon a sword shaped armament, no shit, but each armament is a different type of sword.
In Umbral Spider, supposedly there was a warrior whose armament was a ghastly looking koto and as such earned the title of, and this is the literal translation: The Humming Night Spectre of a Million Deaths.
Yes it’s an edgy ass title, no I don’t think anyone is aware of how godsdamn edgy anyone knows it is.
Apparently there is or was a warrior in Dozing Salamander whose armament is a fucking hankerchief of all things. He was also known as “the Gentleman”, but the details on whether he earned the nickname before or after the armament was made is vague and messy at best.
Regardless of the form they take, the armaments produced by a warrior will generally be able to enhance their current abilities, or unlock new ones.
However, much like how the strength of one’s conviction can affect the integrity of aether armor, the strength of one’s creed can affect the resilience of one’s armament.
If one doesn’t have a firm grasp on their creed, how can one have a firm grasp on a literal weaponization of it?
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Alright so one last note about both Aether armor and armament I forgot to mention in either because I didn’t learn this until after I wrote down this shit: They can both change when a warrior’s conviction and creed change.
Since both…”items” are reflections of the heart, and the human heart is a fickle bitch, depending on what’s going on in one’s life, this shit can change real fast.
The most dramatic examples I’ve seen would be former criminals turned religious monks and once good hearted lovers of freedom turned sadistic monsters that indulge in all vices all the time.
Long story on the former, longer on the latter.
In any case, I do find it interesting that the literal manifestations of one’s heart can still change and grow regardless of one’s age and/or cultivation ability.
Live long enough to see yourself become the villain or die a hero, and vice versa I guess.
