Blooms

Blooms

Notes from Oggie:

In this Age there remains 9 blooms (decreased from previous periods) - one for each of the inner planes, plus +'ve and -'ve and including the Prime, Ethereal and Astral.

You have guessed reasonably well and have assigned alignments (against most) well.

Milai is Water and Yishmay is Prime

When I wrote the symbols, myths, legends and devices (including the characters) in this campaign, I had in mind the simplistic - if you were of earth, you remained of earth... I assigned more dramatic 'romantic' Planes to more unusual races. Anyway, it should not be too hard to align things more obviously...I must remember that you are all highly intelligent and will look beyond the obvious.

There is a male to balance each of the females -well done! Iki's poetry that brought you to understand/realise the blooms, depicted a male pov about a bloom and cursed it. Just as the male may love a bloom (to whatever end - Milai should look back at her story in Illuvator's realm) he may also fear, hate, loath said bloom. Do not forget, before you freed Yishmay, Senforn had tried repeatedly...

None of this answers what is there purpose however. Yes you have accurately assigned names to some of them but to what purpose? Yes, you know they are important, but why? You need to look back at the visions and poetry to understand their worth. Dafydd nearly hit on it but there is more to their influence over nature and the Planes against which they are assigned (some do not even know the power of their influence). Furthermore, once you gather their importance, how can you use it?

In the 7th Age these Blooms are:

Men - Prime - Yishmay (Male counterpart = Lan Zi?)

Elves - Water - Milai (Male counterpart = Farion of the Vikrain)

Dwarves - Air? - Mandur

Derro- Fire? - ?????

?? - Earth - ??

Drow - Negative - Inwe

Halfling - Positive? - ?????

?? - Astral - ??

?? - Ethereal - ??

The allegiance of the blooms has a strong correlation to the state of the Prime and its progress towards Ragnarok. Hence it is far better to control and influence a bloom than to ever kill one; the enemy are only likely to kill a bloom who cannot be corrupted.

If a bloom dies then another will immediately replace them. This introduces the concept of 'candidate blooms' or 'blooms in waiting'

Gwendolyn and Elerienne are both candidates for the role of human bloom; remembering that although Elerienne is half-elf that still leaves her counted as human. Elerienne is already largely controlled by Inwe and Gwendolyn is currently trapped within the Iron Mountains.