Aeon

Aeon
(Creature)
Common LN Aeon Monitor Level Varies Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Adjective Aeonic; aeon Images of aeons Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 8–11 Type Outsider (aeon, extraplanar) CR Varies Environment Any Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Adjective Aeonic Images of aeons Source: Bestiary 2, pg(s). 8–14

Aeons are an inscrutable family of monitors who serve to preserve order and balance throughout the Great Beyond. They constantly maintain a balance between pairs of forces beyond the knowledge of mortals.

Appearance

Aeons care nothing about their outward shapes, often taking the forms of abstract swirls of quintessence dense enough to interact with others. Their bodies are almost uniform in density and composition and rarely harmful to the touch. Some aeons adopt vaguely humanoid forms, but only vaguely.

Ecology

Aeons are created on the Astral Plane. When two opposite thoughts broadcast from other planes coalesce on the Astral Plane and collide, they form aeonic nebulae, which flash with momentary bursts of emotional auras and crackle in metaphysical debates. As a nebula grows into a critical mass, a new aeon is created, embodying the dichotomy of the nebula where it was born. From there, most aeons disperse to wherever they are needed in the multiverse and use the Astral Plane primarily for transport; only bythos continue to reside in the Astral Plane after their creation.

All aeons are bound in a state called Monad, an omnipresent philosophy or demigod that has existed since the multiverse's beginning and represents the supreme oneness between all aeons and the multiverse itself. Aeons exist as an extension of the multiverse in the same way that organs form a normal creature, and understand themselves as parts of the Monad's whole instead of viewing it as a divine patron. When destroyed or upon accomplishing specific goals, they fade back to the planar fabric and their energies are recycled by the Monad.

Aeons are created with all knowledge deemed necessary to fulfill their task, and are constantly tapped into the Monad to receive instructions. However, the connection between the Monad and individual aeons is imperfect, giving them some personal agency in completing their tasks.

Aeons are not actively malicious but care nothing for individual beings or their struggles and emotions, and have no sense of self-preservation. Creating or destroying life, and triggering a calamity or preventing it mean equally little in their manipulation of symmetry; only the final tally matters. All life is life and all death is death, to be protected or eradicated regardless of shape.

Aeons have no culture, society, personality, or memory beyond the present. Aeons embodying greater multiversal principles are usually considered greater, and their works proceed without hesitation when their goals jeopardise or threaten lesser aeons. Aeons only cooperate in matters of great existential concern when directed by the Monad, and only temporarily. They see every task as independent from others, and might fully support an individual whom they have clashed violently against in the past. The very act of forming organisations is alien to them, as is the notion that non-aeons can be allies or enemies. To them, only two states of association exist: those that are part of the Monad, and those that are not.

Aeons are willing to talk as long as doing so does not impede their work, but communication with them often results in frustration and misunderstanding. Pointing an aeon to another target, asking for its help, or dissuading it from doing its task is an almost impossible goal.

Outsiders often have difficulty understanding aeons' duality, even more so than mortals do. Shulsagas view them as messengers, are adept at interpreting their communications, and almost always follow their instructions. Psychopomps respect aeons' work as custodians but also mysteriously view them as rivals.

Habitat

While aeons form in the Astral Plane, they will then immediately manifest where the Monad needs them to fulfill their task, using the Astral Plane as a mere means of transport. When doing so, they appear as if tearing themselves spontaneously from the very fabric of the destination plane itself. Aeons can only manifest in some particular areas, allowing their foes to prepare for their arrival. So, aeons have no home plane like other outsiders: theirs is the entire multiverse.

Aeons recently returned to prominence in Axis and revealed that axiomites are also aeons, and by extension that aeons are also masters of axiomites' inevitable creations and consider them to be aeons as well. These revelations came as part of the cyclical Convergence in Axis by a council of pleromas. Most, but not all, axiomites and inevitables have joined forces with aeons as a result; those who have resisted have been met with mixed fates of destruction or bargaining.

Aeons often use the Boneyard as a staging point to the planes, and in many cases are authorised by Pharasma or psychopomps to use portals in the Boneyard to facilitate such travels.

In the Maelstrom, legions of aeons guard the Antipode from regular assaults by proteans and prevent the cycle of souls from disruption, holding back the Maelstrom from consuming the entire multiverse.

Aeons travel to the Universe to correct imbalances as directed by the Monad. It is difficult to determine which half of the duality is currently being enforced by an aeon, and an aeon's presence can be anything from rapturous to apocalyptic depending on how much its goals align with those of nearby mortals. In the latter case, aeons often become perceived as monsters by local cultures, even if their atrocities might end up being beneficial on a more-than-mortal timescale.

The Monad's followers often summon aeons to provide guidance and approval, as the Monad itself is an extremely distant patron. They are particularly adept at asking aeons questions and interpreting their vague answers.

On Golarion

The earliest Azlanti venerated aeons as architects who created the Universe from primordial chaos. They honoured them by building the House of Aeons, and sculpting or carving tiny effigies of themselves to serve as offerings. At least one magic-warped, unthinkably powerful aeon still dwells in the tunnels beneath the House of Aeons.

The Riftwardens, who focus on repairing rifts between planes, often cooperate with aeons that are attracted to these same rifts for the same goal. The Dikheiric Order, a Nethysian order who seek a perfect balance between creation and destruction via magic, view aeons as extensions of Nethys's will, and often serve an aeon's agenda or summon them to serve as mentors.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

External links

• Aeon (Gnosticism) (real-world religious concept) on Wikipedia