#astrals

Blessings are used by Astrals (and lesser spirits to an extent) to either boost somebody's magic, alter it or even grant powers where there were none.

Generally speaking, Blessing will massively boost the affected person's mana stores and allow them to cast bigger spells without being immediately killed by the strain of channeling so much mana at once. It usually also grants additional abilities, not normally accessible to magic users.

Blessings can be passed through family lines, but only in their diminished form and they don't last forever. Typically, a Blessing will completely lose power within three or four generations. Earlier, if a person gets Blessed by a different Astral than their family patron. Though, Leviathan's Blessing never passes to the children at all.

Blessing of Bahamut

Blessing of War, Steel and Clear Skies

Allows a person to store ghostly copies of Significant weapons in their Armiger. Those are typically weapons who were owned by others Blessed by Bahamut - and thus were passively imbued with his magic - but can be extended to any compatible weapons as long as they are Important to the person trying to copy them.

Some people were known to be able to manifest spectral armour around themselves or even spectral wings to glide on winds, but it's not something that happens often.

The Blessed can also share their magic with others, allowing those people to draw on their reserves and cast spells on their own.

It's important to note that magic-sharing only works for those who had their own magic before the Blessing! That's why LCs can share theirs - they were always black mages - but Fleurets can't - they had no magic until Bahamut Blessed them with a knock-off white magic.

Other than that, there's a bunch of passive powers related to their ability to quickly learn how to wield new weapons and to being very good at military strategies. His Blessed have a sixth sense for conflicts and how to win them.

There is also a minor boost to strength - not enough to be blatantly noticeable but enough to get results.

For obvious reasons, Bahamut preferred giving his Blessing to black mages even before he attached himself to Somnus and his descendants.

Blessing of Ifrit

Blessing of Fire, Knowledge and Purification

It goes without saying that all those Blessed by Ifrit are heat- and fireproof. They can also survive in low-oxygen environments for longer time than normal people.

They can control fire and heat in many, many ways and with great precision. From warming things in their hands, through starting fires to absorbing flames for quick energy boost and stopping raging blazes in their tracks.

They also have incredible control over the heat of the flames, making them very good at things that require precise temperatures. Like metallurgy. Or baking.

Those with Blessing of Ifrit can see things in flames. Generally, only the things happening in the present, though those particularly attuned to this can also see glimpses of possible futures.

But beware! The futures seen heavily depend on what you already know, so there might be things you never see if you don't consider them possible.

They also have uncanny ability to tell whenever someone is lying to them or otherwise dissembling the truth.

The Purification aspect most often appears in those who were already white mages before they were Blessed.

It's basically a supercharged version of their ability to remove poison, illness, injuries and Curses. In this case, by placing the affected thing or person on a specially prepared pyre lit with their own flames. The flames will purify the object or person and they will be able to rise from the ashes like new.

Yes, this is were the stories about priests of Ifrit burning people alive came from.

The last part of the Blessing is shapeshifting. Just like flames always change shape and dance within a brazier, the ones Blessed by Flame can change their shape within what's possible for humans. Taller, shorter; thinner, thicker; skin and hair in any colour under the sun; even ability to alter their facial features and sex if they want.

Despite this, they cannot change their eye colour from the rich golden hue they got when they were Blessed.

Blessing of Leviathan

Blessing of Sea, Freedom and Music

Merfolk! Merfolk all the way!

They are as beautiful as they are monstrous. Long tails, flowing fins and scales in all the colours of the rainbow. Wicked claws, maws with rows of teeth and venom that will paralyse a human in a single bite. And they are very, very fast.

They are stronger that they look, too. Much stronger than normal, even in their human bodies.

They have hydrokinetic powers. Like waterbenders; moving it, shaping it, using it to attack or defend. The only difference is that they cannot freeze it solid or manipulate it inside of plants and people.

By the way, if the Blessed was a black mage before, the hydrokinesis will override most of their elemental powers. No fire or lightning for them, sorry!

They also just have this sixth sense for water. If it's there, they can find it. Even in the middle of desert they are able to feel water if there's any running underground, they just need to focus.

In other news, keeping them contained is weirdly difficult. They just have a knack for getting in and out of places. And for getting other people out of trouble, too.

There's no lock that can stop them for long.

It makes them complete menaces in escape rooms.

The Blessed of the Sea wouldn't be proper merfolk if they didn't have enchanting voices. Their song can be outright hypnotic but only if they mean it. Otherwise they just sound really, really, really amazing. They also have a great sense of rhythm, so are very good at dancing and playing instruments.

Blessed of Leviathan can be easily identified by their vividly green-yellow eyes and slightly sharper teeth than normal.

Blessing of Ramuh

Blessing of Storm, Memory and Justice

Lightning. So much lightning. All the lightning.

Proper lightning too, not some wannabe sith electric currents but the thunderbolts that caused ancient peoples to cower in houses from the wrath of gods.

There's some wind manipulation going on there too, but it doesn't show up often and usually isn't very strong. But when it is, oh, then you are against somebody who can start a proper storm when they feel like it.

Those Blessed by Ramuh always know when weather is changing and can anticipate storms days before they happen.

The Blessing of Memory is. complicated.

It's not that they have perfect memory. Or that they can see memories of other people or anything like that. It's more of a sixth sense for things and places that are Significant. That feeling of "this thing was deeply loved by somebody" or "something terrible has happened here and it changed the world".

You can't bury past when there's one of them around. They will always find out the truth of what happened.

Which ties very neatly into the Justice aspect. Because those Ramuh has Blessed always, always know when you were up to no good. They might not know what exactly you did, but they know it wasn't Just and the worse the thing was, the more they can feel its stain on you.

Blessing of Shiva

Blessing of Ice, Deceit and Dream

Those Blessed by Shiva have great powers over ice. They can make it whenever they want and shape it however they want. Icicles, ice walls, hailstones. Or snowballs, ice cubes, ice statues.

They are also impervious to low temperatures and never have to worry about frostbite.

Downside, if they are a black mage, is that they can no longer use fire magic. It's just beyond them, like a puzzle piece that doesn't fit anywhere in the picture.

The power of Deceit is tricky one and the one that is most often misused by her Blessed.

To instinctively know what the other person wants to hear, what will convince them to believe in your words. To be able to make them overlook any and all discrepancies as long as you are there to reassure them. Yes, this is a very nasty power in the wrong hands.

Nevermind the ability to cast illusions that make it hard to realise what's happening or disguise yourself in glamours. Truly, Shiva's Blessed are cunning and full of tricks.

Their final ability granted by the Blessing is related to controlling dreams. They can both lucid dream and shape their own dreams as they wish. But that's just the peak of the iceberg.

They can find dreams of the others and look inside them to learn of their target's deepest desires. They can change them however they like, to make them wonderful or nightmarish.

Those particularly powerful and skilled can even trap people in endless sleep or wake up those who fell into comas.

Blessing of Titan

Blessing of Stone, Abundance and Endurance

They have a sixth sense for stone, rocks and all things underground. They can always find any nearby caves and how big they are. They know when the ground is safe or too unstable for building. They can find ores and veins with easy. And they never ever get lost.

With time and practice, then can manipulate the ground too. Make it open or close, shape solid rock like its clay, pulverize it into dust and then make it whole again.

They also passively boost how often and how quickly crystals and gems are created in their vicinity. But it isn't very obvious, because the process still takes months and years (instead of centuries and millennia).

What is more immediately obvious is the effect they have on fauna and flora around them. Plants grow faster and more robust, they bloom in greater numbers and give more fruit. Wild animals are healthier and in better condition, they produce more offspring and often have more of them survive to maturity.

For obvious reason, this Blessing synergises very well with powers of both green and red mages. More ingredients for potions and of better quality for the former, and healthier and stronger familiars for the later.

Those Blessed by Titan can even affect the fertility of humans. Though, this one is an active ability that takes some time and repeated tries to bring results, and is easier done on themselves than on others.

Nevertheless, in ancient times, it was very common for people to visit temples and shrines of Titan if they wished for help with conceiving. Or indeed, if they wanted a break from having children.

People with the Blessing rarely, if ever get sick and they get better very quickly. They are also less prone to allergies and somewhat resistant to poisons and venoms.

The Blessing of Titan also grants a certain degree of passive regeneration. Not enough to be immediately obvious; the wounds don't actually heal any faster, after all.

But they do heal and much better than normal.

There's less scarring, less chance of infection or complications. Even deep wounds can heal without any sign after the fact. Including things that don't normally heal in humans, like deep burns, or frostbite or damaged nerves.

Luckily for them, the Blessed have very good pain tolerance.

Fire signs!

Earth signs!

Air signs!

Water signs!

Height chart (as a reminder):