There are 7 figures on a council at once. 6 are acting to fill specific roles necessary to keep the population of the group alive. The 7th role is meant to be invoked only when decisions are tied between the councilfolk. They are the mediator: an impartial, rotating, anonymously presented Golden opinion whose decision one way or another is final.
This level of sacredness is required because of the genuine volatility that comes with living outside of a trade city. Bumblehaven’s bulk is set in a post-post-apocalyptic version of the world, so a hell of a lot of time has passed. Generations. Magic, after being squashed for so long under a grossly neglectful materialist society, has begun to bloom in full, chaotic, brilliant, and terrifying force once again. As threads of blood and power from both overworld and underworld mingle, spirits have migrated, settled, and evolved, creating a new and exciting array of beasties and folk: spirits of humanlike sentience (and beyond) that may not always look entirely...human.
Earthen, like Aesentra, are commonly known to live in colonies like “herds,” as their ancient ancestors were known to live. Customs within individual herds vary primarily based on the nature of the habitat they run, as well as the purpose the herd fulfills in the balancing of the Haven.
Consider Aes’s herd as example. They are grafted from an old mining colony that, over time, separated into smaller, individually-run groups that grew to be able to live sustainably, independently. The materialist times left a lot of eccentric power and potential in the oddest (but coolest!) of places. In this case, it dropped horses in cave shafts. Underground. Abandoned pack mules, workhorses, migrating herds of deer, over time everything compatible eventually mixed in just the right way, with just enough power, and boom. Aes’s variety of creatures emerged. Somethin cool.
Aes himself is an earthen whose spirit is highly associated with raw, natural diamond. His token symbol (click for glossary; this term’s very important c:) is actually shards of the rock that grew out of his flanks. It’s a trait that’s not uncommon in creatures like Aes in that area of the world.
