| Rare | Gestalt |
A unique synthesis of a mortal host and a timeless energy being, resulting in a single body with a new, blended consciousness.
From the timeless, unknowable dimensions between realities reside the Aethelions, a race of non-corporeal beings made of pure cosmic energy. To experience the physical universe, they seek out mortals, bonding with them in a process of symbiotic fusion. The resulting being is known as a Meldan, a life form greater than the sum of its parts.
While some Meldans manifest this union as the spectacular power to command light and gravity, becoming Solarians, a Gestalt’s transformation is an internal synthesis. Theirs is a fusion of consciousness, a blending of two minds and lifetimes into a single, synergistic whole. This grants the Gestalt an alien perspective on the world, a mind uniquely fortified against intrusion, and an otherworldly presence that unnerves others.
You Might…
- Refer to yourself in the plural.
- Find yourself drawn to cosmic phenomena, ancient mysteries, or places of great power.
- Possess insights or memories from a life you never personally lived, treating them as your own.
Others Probably…
- Assume you possess the spectacular powers of a Solarian, whether you do or not.
- Are unnerved by your sudden shifts in demeanor, or when you seem to speak with a voice or cadence that isn’t your own.
- Misunderstand the nature of your blended consciousness, wondering if the “real you” is in there somewhere.
Physical Description
A Gestalt appears, at first glance, to be a normal member of their host ancestry, but the Aethelion’s presence always leaves a subtle, yet distinctive, stellar mark. No two Gestalts are alike; the manifestation is as unique as a fingerprint. One might have eyes that are starless voids, pits of absolute blackness that betray an impossible depth. Another’s eyes might shine with the brilliant light of nascent stars. A Gestalt’s hair might float weightlessly as if in zero-g, or shimmer with the shifting, nebular colors of a distant galaxy. Faint patterns like constellations might adorn their skin, visible only in low light. For a Gestalt who is also a Solarian, these features often intensify or change to reflect their attunement, their starlit eyes glowing brighter when photon-attuned, or their void-black features deepening when graviton-attuned.
Society
The Aethelions are an ancient and mysterious race of energy beings who have observed the unfolding of the universe for eons. Their reasons for bonding with corporeal life are their own, but they seem to act as cosmic guardians, selecting hosts with great care and consideration. They seek to create champions—Meldans—who can act as their hands in the physical world, knights-errant to correct imbalances and stand against existential threats.
Gestalts themselves have no unified society. While they may feel a quiet kinship upon meeting another Meldan, they feel no inherent impulse to unify or form societies of their own, remaining individuals defined by their own goals and the cultures of their host ancestries.
Names
Aethelions possess names that are incomprehensible concepts, constructed from sensory inputs and points of reference that have no meaning outside their home dimension. A Meldan interprets this name as best they can, using sounds or concepts familiar to the host to create an equivalent. The results are often dissonant and strange, with phonetic structures that can strain mortal vocal cords.
Some Gestalts choose to go by the host’s original name, while others adopt an approximation of their Aethelion’s. Still others see their Meldan self as a new, unique individual, and adopt entirely new names that blend their host’s and aethelion’s names or are based on stellar phenomena or astrophysical jargon.
Example Aethelion Names: Krttzik (the sound of a high-voltage spark), Pfrizzt (the hiss of rapid depressurization), Gkkk’t (the sound of crystal fracturing under pressure), Sshhhh (the white noise of cosmic background radiation), Thrrmm (a low-frequency vibration felt rather than heard).
Example Meldan Names: Rylazzt, Kaelikt, Perihelion, Cygnus, Event Horizon, Kriton, Ranthy.
Beliefs
Aethelions have no religion, operating on a philosophical system of pure cosmic empiricism; to them, the universe is a thing to be observed, experienced, and understood, not worshipped. A Gestalt may retain the faith of their host ancestry, but many find their new perspective incompatible with traditional religion. They may reject the worship of gods entirely or adopt a more philosophical path.
Popular Edicts: Seek out novel experiences, protect the innocent, stand against those who would unmake the cosmos.
Popular Anathema: Worship a deity, allow a grievous wrong to go unanswered when you have the power to act, refuse to aid another Meldan in true peril.
Versatile Heritage
GESTALT
[Uncommon]
You have fused with an Aethelion, resulting in a new, blended consciousness that alters you both physically and mentally. You might have eyes that are starless voids, or hair that shimmers with nebular colors, marking you as a Meldan. You gain the Astral and Gestalt traits in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You gain low-light vision, or you gain darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision. You can choose from gestalt feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat.