Avalien

pretty! and look at this neat thing my friend wrote (i kept it in her bio just in case) (who named one of her offspring childe i really want to know)




~exaltation headcanon~
(BELONGS TO EVERATHENA, WHO ORIGINALLY OWNED THIS DRAGON!)

exalting:
-less living than existing
-the exalted go to another plane of reality, which is closer to the deities.
-the exalted realm resembles the real one very closely
-you exist as a spirit, or a more ethereal form of yourself. it's very unusual for someone to assume physical form in this realm. You can, however, dissolve into something like pure wind
-as time goes by, your ethereal form begins to fade. After a long time, and a few good services, your spirit dissolves into pure essence. Its like the exalted ability to become pure light, but you're pure light without a mind or a consciousness
-for most people, being exalted is like choosing to move on and live a better existence. they travel to the exalted realm peaceful and willingly.
-sometimes, there is foul play. Dragons are forced into the ceremonies and evicted from the mortal realm, so that robbers can take their possessions and 'gain favour' with the deities.
-most of the time, dragons participate in exalting ceremonies. these take place within a clan at the clan's exaltation pillar. you'd be hard-pressed to find a lair without one. these pillars are usually in places where the element is strong, or the veil between the living and exalted realms is thin. However, some clans disregard this, in the belief that the placement and use of the pillar *makes* the element strong and forms a gateway/link to the other realm.
-the precise rituals for exaltation vary. usually, a dragon stands atop the pillar (sometimes after religious/magical rites, sometimes after making a speech, etc). It can take a few minutes (or even a LOT of minutes) for the transfer to take place, which is usually a time of reflection. (technically, it's the dragon's spirit loosening it's hold on the mortal world). Sometimes clans sing as the dragon mounts the pillar.
- you can have a ceremony at any time of day, but sometimes it takes a lot of time for your spirit to loosen it's hold on the world (or the world to loosen it's hold on the dragon). however, if you hold mount the pillar at auspicious moments like sunset or noon, it's usually instantaneous. The same holds true for every moment of auspicious days like the equinoxes, and occasionally birthdays.
- auspicious moments vary from dragon to dragon/clan to clan. 'Sunset' can mean the moment the sun disc touches the horizon, or the moment it slips away, or any moment in between.
- the moment when your spirit leaves for the exalted plane, your body typically dissolves into the element. it's said the particles make their way to the halls of the deity, where they are kept in jars/other containers so that the deity can help send a dragon back to the mortal realm to do their bidding by collecting the remnants of their form. On fire exalt pillars, the dragon becomes ash, smoke, or ghostly flame that soon vanishes (it's short, explosive, and fiery, like the element.). Ice pillars cause a different effect. The dragon usually crystallizes into an icy statue or a pile of snow. The statue shatters and the ice/snow particles are whisked away by frosty wind. Light pillars call rays down from the sun that obscure and envelop the dragon so that they slowly fade away into glimmers and sparks.
- sometimes, dragons don't want to have that big, formal, public celebration and ritual. They want to find their own way to the other realm. Usually they do this by simply wandering or meditating, becoming one with themselves, the world, and their element.
- it is very, very rare for an exalted dragon to return to the physical world. why would they? it's eternal peacefulness in the exalted realm. Sometimes, exalted dragons return on quests from their deities. When they do, they retain their personality and take on a physical form similar to their old one, but they now seem very otherworldly. their appearance and manner are somewhat ethereal and off. they never stay long.
- while exalted dragons revisiting the mortal realm is rare but accepted, dragons permanently returning from exaltation is almost unheard of. This happened when their will to live is truly strong, and they probably have the blessings of their deity. It helps when their old clanmates really, really want them to return.