Aetha and Dreavi

In the World of Threa, there are 21 races. This is a description of two races that live in the world of Threa, the Aetha and the Dreavi. That I will describe

In many ways, the Aetha and Dreavi are the same. They share the same culture, the same society, and view one another as equals. But one aspect clearly sets them apart: their appearance.

The Aetha possess a striking and elegant appearance. Of Basal form. they have long, flowing hair in hues of gold, red, yellow, orange, and crimson. Male skin tones are shades of celeste, while females have pink skin. The base of their nose is triangular and black. Their eyes may be blue, yellow, red, orange, or green. They have soft, fluffy, rabbit-like ears and dove-like wings, both matching in color—males typically with wings and ears in magenta or pink, and females in blue or celeste. Their hands have four fingers, and their feet have two toes.

The Dreavi have a rugged and powerful look. Of Primal form, their tough skin comes in shades of red, orange, and crimson. Horns are a prominent feature, appearing across their bodies. A curved set crowns their heads—males usually have longer ones. Males also have horns on the nose, chin, elbows, and knees, while females have them on the cheeks, shoulders, and ankles. Horns are colored in navy, orange, or olive. Their hair is coarse and unkempt, with tones of olive, green, sage, and navy. Their eyes come in green, red, violet, and blue. Their teeth are serrated. Dreavi have fin-like wings in various shades of green, two-clawed hands, and strong hindquarters ending in two hoofed feet.

Both wear togas, himation, and similar styles of clothing—though the Aetha are also known to wear bell-bottom pants.

Origin:

The Elements created Threa. After bringing forth the Nawa—the first people—they created both the Aetha and the Dreavi.

The Elements feared that too much direct involvement in Threa would lead to ruin, as it had in the worlds they created before. To prevent this, they charged the Aetha and the Dreavi with the task of caring for Threa in their place.

When the Elements went on to create the rest of the races that inhabit Threa, it was the Aetha and the Dreavi who guided those early generations—helping shape the societies and civilizations that exist today.

Eventually, the Elements chose to withdraw entirely, vowing not to interfere directly in the fate of Threa or its people. Before departing, they once again entrusted the Aetha and the Dreavi with the stewardship of the world.

Taking mortal forms, the Elements now live among the people of Threa, their true nature hidden.

Today, the Aetha and the Dreavi are the unseen caretakers of Threa. They ensure the rivers flow, the wind blows, the fields grow, the animals roam—and everything in between. While the land of Threa can sustain itself, the Aetha and Dreavi gently shape and direct it for the benefit of all who live there.

Their stewardship is mostly hidden from the people of Threa. When their influence is noticed at all, it is often attributed not to them—but to spirits.

The Aetha and the Dreavi are mortals, like the other races created by the Elements. However, they are among the most powerful—second only to the Nawa.

Both Aetha and Dreavi have long lifespans, living up to 300 years. They can fly and swim with ease—though the Aetha prefer flight over swimming, while the Dreavi are more comfortable in water than in the air.

They possess the ability to make themselves harder to see—not invisible, but subtly hidden. Those with sharp eyes or skill may still sense something is off, or even perceive them outright. With effort, they can also phase through walls.

They are capable of altering their appearance—not to mimic a specific individual, but to take on the form of another race. For example, if an Aetha wishes to disguise themselves as a Lor, their appearance will shift to resemble a Lor: red skin, black eyes, clawed fingers. However, their personal features—eye shape, voice, apparent age, mouth structure, and gender—remain unchanged.

Despite their ability to alter form or obscure themselves, they cannot hide from their own kind. Any Aetha, Dreavi, Nawa, or Element can see them clearly for what they are.

The world of Threa is imbued with the Essence of its creators: Eura. The Elements. Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Ice, and Lightning exist in all things. While any mortal can learn to tap into and manipulate Eura, it is innate to the Aetha and the Dreavi.

The Aetha and the Dreavi who continue to uphold the original charge given to them by the Elements are known as Spirits, as their work often goes unseen by the people of Threa. It makes no difference whether one is Aetha or Dreavi—both are equals in their duty to care for the world.

To fulfill this duty, they have organized themselves into distinct roles, or Charges: Cardinals, Seasons, Realm, Bastion, Familiar, Wilds, and Scuttle.

Then there are those who no longer follow the original charge—these are known as the Unbound, in contrast to the others who remain bound to their roles.

Cardinal Spirits The Spirits divide Threa into four cardinal directions: North, West, South, and East. Each of these regions is overseen by a Cardinal Spirit—either an Aetha or a Dreavi.

Currently, the North and South Cardinals are Dreavi, while the East and West Cardinals are Aetha. Each Cardinal oversees everything within their domain: every Season, Realm, Bastion, Familiar, Wilds, and Scuttle under their direction answers to them.

In turn, the Cardinals answer only to the Elements themselves—even though the Elements are now absent.

North Spirit: Dreavi, Male

East Spirit: Aetha, Male

South Spirit: Dreavi, Female

West Spirit: Aetha, Female

Seasonal Spirits Seasonal Spirits manage the seasons within each cardinal region of Threa. They rotate through the four cardinalities—spending three months in each—moving in a continuous cycle: North → West → South → East → and back to North.

There are four Seasonal groups: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. While operating within a region, they answer to the Cardinal Spirit of that cardinality. Each group consists of both Aetha and Dreavi, and all operate independently from one another.

Spring Spirits: The Bloom Troupe A loose, free-spirited collective. Creative and artistic, they thrive on improvisation and personal expression. While there is a designated lead, it functions more as a symbolic role than a formal authority.

Summer Spirits: Summer Affairs Bureau A rigid bureaucratic institution. Tasked with logistics and infrastructure, they operate through offices, deadlines, paperwork, and strict processes. Their work is demanding and often seen as exhausting.

Autumn Spirits: Autumn Command A disciplined, highly structured unit. They manage seasonal transitions with military precision—organized, authoritative, and efficient. Orders are given and followed without question.

Winter Spirits: The Winter Court A Tribunal where cases for frost are made, snowstorms are overturned, Auroras are granted, and flurries are vacated.

Realm Spirits Each cardinality is further divided into Realms—vast regions defined by dominant features such as mountains, forests, islands, canyons, and sometimes even entire kingdoms. Each Realm is overseen by one Realm Spirits, who are responsible for managing the balance and function of their domain.

The Bastion, Familiar, Wilds, and Scuttle Spirits within a Realm report to its Realm Spirit, who in turn answers to the Cardinal Spirit of the cardinality in which the Realm resides.

Aetha tend to prefer high-elevation Realms—mountains, cliffs, and highlands—while Dreavi are more commonly found in low-elevation and aquatic Realms, such as lakes, rivers, and harbors.

Guardian Spirits: these spirits have a specific charge. they answer to the Realm Spirit and the Cardinal of where their charge is located at.

Wilds Spirits: their charge are natural features, like trees, hills, cave, even creature populations, schools of fish.
Bastion Spirits: their charge are developed places. like roads, houses, towns, and castles.
Familiar Spirits: their charge are people. it can be a single person, a family, their descendant, or a lineage.

the Realm Spirits, or even Cardinals, are the ones who assign the charge to a guardian spirit. if the charge ceases to be, they may be assign a new charge.

Scuttle Spirits Spirits do not have their own farms, mines, ranches, mills, looms, or any means of producing food, clothing, tools, or housing for themselves. That’s where Scuttle Spirits come in.

Scuttle Spirits provide the other Spirits with whatever resources or services they need. They may receive requests from multiple Spirits, which they fulfill by “collecting,” “borrowing,” or, at times, outright stealing from the people of Threa.

Whatever they collect, they can craft into something useful. A Scuttle Spirit might “borrow” some fabric and thread, find an unoccupied sewing machine, and create a toga for a Spirit. Or they might take an apple and some flour, find an empty oven, and bake a pie. They also serve as messengers, delivering parcels or messages from one Spirit to another.

In essence, any Spirit—preferably one not currently busy—can approach a Scuttle Spirit and ask for help: fetch food, deliver a message, craft a tool, repair a wall, or carry out just about any task.

Scuttle Spirits answer to whichever Spirit requests their services, including the Unbound.

Unbound The Unbound are Aetha and Dreavi who no longer hold a charge. They answer to no one but themselves.

There are many possible reasons for this: they may have been stripped of their charge, abandoned it, declined it, willingly gave it up, completed it, lost it through destruction—or for reasons known only to them.

Some choose to live in isolation. Others live openly among the people of Threa, taking on ordinary roles—shopkeepers, farmers, nurses, or whatever life they prefer. They are free to do as they please.

Though no longer bound, the Unbound still retain awareness of the spirits’ actions. Unlike the people of Threa, they cannot be fooled. They know what the Spirits are doing—but they remain silent. They reveal nothing of the Spirits’ presence, nor do they expose the true extent of their own power.

The people of Threa recognize the Unbound as Aetha or Dreavi, but they do not realize that the Spirits themselves are also Aetha and Dreavi. Most have never made the connection.

The people of Threa have no true knowledge of the Spirits. To begin with, they don’t know that Spirits are actually Aetha and Dreavi.

Because the Unbound live among the people, the existence of Aetha and Dreavi is known. However, since the bound Aetha and Dreavi—the Spirits—remain hidden, most have never made the connection.

As a result, the people of Threa hold varying levels of understanding about the Spirits. Some believe that at least a few are real. Others include them in their mythologies, faiths, pantheons, and cultural beliefs.

But the majority don’t believe the Spirits exist at all.

No one believes the Seasonal Spirits exist—not even among those who believe in Spirits generally. Most people assume the seasons simply happen on their own. Others credit a migratory race, the Ninks, who travel in rhythm with the changing seasons. Many believe it is the Ninks who bring the seasons, not the Spirits.

Some people even believe in Spirits that don’t exist—such as Sun and Moon Spirits. These are purely fictional. While the Cardinal and Seasonal Spirits can influence the Sun and Moon, doing so requires immense effort and has far-reaching consequences for all of Threa. If they choose to act on such a scale, it must be for a truly significant reason. But there are no Spirits bound to the Sun or the Moon.

Some traditions still contain remnants of the truth—though the original meanings are often lost. For example, in some regions, people bow to the four corners. This likely began as a tribute to the four Cardinals, but over time, the practice has been reinterpreted. Now, people say it honors four heroes, four beasts, or four kings—depending on local legend.

In other cases, people set out offering plates near trees to honor a “tree spirit.” But in reality, there may be no Wilds Spirit bound to that tree at all. Instead, a Bastion Spirit may be bound to the nearby road—and it is that Spirit who accepts the offering left for a spirit that doesn’t exist.

Similarly, so-called “haunted houses” might actually have a Bastion Spirit bound to them, or they could simply be eerie, abandoned places with no Spirit presence at all.

On rare occasions, a Wilds Spirit may indeed be bound to a tree, and a child who frequently plays there may encounter it. In some cases, the Spirit may reveal itself, forming a quiet friendship with the child—one that lasts a lifetime. Even as the child grows into adulthood or old age, they may still return to the tree to visit their Spirit friend.

A common saying in Threa when something is lost or suddenly disappears is: “A Scuttle took it,” or “It scuttled off.” While it could indeed be a Scuttle Spirit, the phrase is usually said in the same way one might speak of fairies—half-believed, half-whimsy.

Scuttle Spirits tend to take things they think won’t be missed. Sometimes, they even try to help those they take from. For example, if they take a few ingots from a blacksmith, they might reinforce a nearby spear as compensation.

Some people in Threa have learned to take advantage of this behavior. They might leave a torn shirt and an apple out overnight, hoping the apple will disappear—and the shirt will be mended. Some Scuttle Spirits are happy to oblige, fixing the shirt in exchange for the apple, or even without taking it. Others might take the apple and leave the shirt untouched—or take the shirt too.

Occasionally, a Scuttle will take something truly important. When that happens, they often try to make it right—by returning the item, crafting a replacement, or repairing the damage caused by its absence.

The stewardship of the Aetha and the Dreavi is mostly unseen and unknown by the people of Threa. This isn’t a strict rule, but rather a preference. If they were widely known, the people of Threa might begin to plead with them for favors—asking for more rain, requesting a famine upon their enemies, offering undue reverence, or worse.

Their presence could also make them targets. If a castle were under siege, invaders might attempt to eliminate the Bastion Spirit protecting the castle, or the Familiar bound to the royal lineage.

Still, there are occasions when they choose to reveal themselves to a few. A Bastion might greet a new family moving into their hut or befriend a lone traveler on their road. A Wilds Spirit might play with children who visit their hill, assist fishers along their river, or scare off youths who stray too close to their cave.

Their work continues quietly—not absent, just unseen.

A story: There is an Unbound Aetha who was once a Familiar Spirit, charged with the monarch’s lineage. She ended up befriending a king in that lineage. The king revered her, declaring that the prosperity of the kingdom was because of her protection, and eventually deified her. This caused her to abandon her charge and become Unbound.

Generations later, she returned to the kingdom. A descendant of that king now rules. The kingdom now worships a figure based on her. A statue modeled after her stands in the castle’s courtyard. Followers show their devotion at the base of the statue.

She then feigns devotion—to herself, or more precisely, to a mythical version of herself. She then goes and speaks to the new Familiar Spirit—the one who replaced her. The Dreavi greets her, and they chat about the

An Expansion on the story:

The Aetha, named Emma, works as a maid in a Lor assumed form. The king she serves is her charge as a Familiar Spirit. He is the third in her charge, for she is bound to the lineage. She took care of the king’s father and the king’s grandfather—both kings in their time.

Every so often, Emma suggests some advice to the king, which has often led to success. As a result, the kings have passed down the wisdom to always keep an open ear for advice spoken in a soft voice. The king notices that Emma tends to deliver good advice. They become friends over many years.

One day, the king asks if Emma is more than she appears to be. Eventually, she relents and shows him her true Aetha form. The king soon begins to worship her, declaring that she is a goddess protecting the kingdom. Emma tries to refuse, insisting that she is not a goddess, but she never admits that she is bound to the king’s lineage.

Eventually, the king declares a feast day for “Emmatha.” At this, Emma flees and becomes Unbound.

Seventy-five years later, Emma returns to the kingdom in assumed form. The current king is the grandchild of the one she was once bound to. The kingdom is celebrating Emmatha Feast Day. When she approaches the castle courtyard, she sees a large statue of herself in her Aetha form. She notices that people are leaving candles at the foot of the statue. She buys a candle from a merchant, lights it, and places it at the statue’s base. She bows to it and continues toward the castle.

Once inside, she sees a younger page—a Dreavi in assumed form. The page looks at Emma.

“It’s you. You’re the goddess.” “No, I am no goddess.” “I know. I’m your replacement. Come to celebrate yourself?” “No. Just curious how things have been.”

Another Story

A sheep herder boy was bringing his flock down the mountain. He misstepped and fell, ripping his shirt. He continued down the mountain to deliver the flock to their owners, for his job was to collect the goats of the townsfolk, take them up the mountain to graze, and then bring them back down. He arrived at the town, and the townsfolk collected their goats.

To see if he could get his shirt mended, he went to the seamstress. She agreed—for two pence. But it was too much for him to afford. The seamstress said he should try giving an offering to the moon. It was a full moon that night.

“Wrap the shirt in an offering. I think she likes food. Put the offering on the window, so the moonlight can shine on it. And the next morning, the shirt will be mended, and the offering gone. Or maybe not—it’s an old folktale.”

He went back home, at the base of the mountain.

Maybe his mother could help. He arrived home. He lived with his mother and grandmother. They were both there. She had been spinning yarn all day, so it was best not to ask her.

At dinner, he was served hard bread and vegetable soup. He secretly hid his bread and only ate the soup. Late at night, he wrapped the bread in the shirt and placed it on the windowsill, the moonlight shining on it. Then he went to sleep.

The next morning, he checked on his shirt. It looked undisturbed. When he unwrapped it from the bread offering, he found that instead of the hard bread he had left, it was now a soft roll, freshly baked. He checked the shirt—it had been patched.

When he went to the town to collect the goats for the day, the baker looked worried. He mentioned that he was sure he had more flour, but it must have scuttled off.

From the Scuttle Spirit’s Perspective

Elia, a Dreavi boy, is relaxing under a tree. His peace is abruptly interrupted when the Realm Spirit of the mountain visits him. She is asking for a simple request—just some water. Elia plans to get some from the village well, so he heads there.

When he arrives, he decides to rest by the chimney on a roof. He makes himself hard to see and rests for a while. It is almost dusk when the town’s herd boy arrives. Elia notices that he seems down. Elia follows him to the seamstress. The herd boy wants his shirt mended. Elia thinks this is good gossip and is about to leave when the seamstress mentions the Moon Spirit.

Elia recognizes the annoying folktale—where people expect him to do favors. He already has things to do. Elia remembers the water he was supposed to get. He heads to the well and gets the water.

Elia goes to the Mountain Spirit to deliver the water. Upon the delivery of such a simple task, and delivered so late, the Mountain Spirit asks about the herd boy. Elia talks about the herd boy but omits the folktale the seamstress told him. The Mountain Spirit then asks for a soft roll in the morning.

On his way to the bakery before sunrise, he passes by the herd boy’s house. He sees the shirt illuminated by the moon, but he leaves. He can’t just do tasks that people want. He is not bound to that old, misguided folktale. He continues to the bakery and bakes some rolls for the Mountain Spirit.

“It better be a tasty apple,” he tells himself, planning to check they boy’s offering. He gets some thread from the seamstress and goes to the herd boy’s house. He arrives at the house and grabs the shirt. It is wrapped around the hard bread.

“Really? This is what he offers?” Upon seeing the house, he realizes that the herd boy went to bed hungry to make this offering. He grabs his needle and the thread from the seamstress and mends the shirt. He finishes just before the sun rises. He takes the hard bread. Before he leaves, he wraps one roll with the shirt.

“She won’t mind,” he tells himself.

He arrives at the Mountain Spirit’s place and presents her with the soft rolls. He accidentally left the hard bread along with them. The Mountain Spirit picks up one soft roll, then the hard bread.

“So he offered his dinner,” she says.

Elia is surprised. She then says, “This is my mountain. I know everything that happens.”

a couple of things. On his way to bakery in the morning, he passed by the boy’s house and saw the bundle. he dismissed it. When Elia was in the bakery, making the soft rolls, it is when his conscious got him and decided to mend the shirt. it is then that Elia tells himself “It better be a tasty apple,” as his excuse to mend the shirt. then he went to the seamstress to get some thread. when he unbundled the shirt and saw the hard bread, is when he says “Really? This is what he offers?” feeling a bit insulted, that the boy expected a mended shirt in exchange for a stale piece of bread. he had at least expected the apple. Then, upon observing the house, he realized it wasn’t just stale bread but his dinner. so, he mended the shirt and exchanged the hard bread for a soft roll. he did not realized that he put the hard bread with the rest of the soft rolls, so when he handed the soft rolls to the mountain spirit, the hard bread was there too.