The Architectural Spirit : The Snow-storm by By Ralph Waldo Emerson

I like this poem as a description of a spirit that a Verditius, from the a sacred architecture Mystery Cult, wants as his familiar. I suggest this spirit is fascinated by the structures humans make, and as it passes it elaborates, or even copies, them.

The humanoid form it can create might appear as a page with a trumpet, to suit the poem. Alternatively, it might be a woman with a violin. This poem reminds me of the film clip of Lindsey Stirling’s Crystalize, which was shot in castles of snow, and perhaps the creature makes similar structures.

The recording which follows was released into the public domain through Librivox.

THE SNOW-STORM
Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o’er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden’s end.
The sled and traveller stopped, the courier’s feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

Come see the north wind’s masonry.
Out of an unseen quarry
Furnished with tile, the fierce artificer
Curves his white bastions with projected roof
Round every windward stake, or tree, or door.
Speeding, the myriad-handed, his wild work
So fanciful, so savage, nought cares he
For number or proportion. Mockingly,
On coop or kennel he hangs Parian wreaths;
A swan-like form invests the hidden thorn;
Fills up the farmer’s lane from wall to wall,
Maugre the farmer’s sighs; and at the gate
A tapering turret overtops the work.
And when his hours are numbered, and the world
Is all his own, retiring, as he were not,
Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art
To mimic in slow structures, stone by stone,
Built in an age, the mad wind’s night-work,
The frolic architecture of the snow.

Magic Might: 20 (Auram)

Characteristics: Int +1, Per 0, Pre +1, Com 0, Str +10, Sta +0, Dex +3, Qik -5.

Size: +5

Season: Summer

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Spirit*:

* Implies Magical Air flaw

Qualities and Inferiorities: Crafter of Aquam, Focus Power (Ghost Touch), Gigantic, 3 x Greater Powers (Chill Touch, Eidolon, Presence), Gift of Speech, Improved Soak.

Personality Traits: Snowstorm +3, Curious +2, Creative +2.

Combat: Brawl: Init -5, Attack +7, Defense +7, Damage +25*

*The Ghost Touch power of this creature allows it to wield a 40 pound object as a weapon. Reduce the damage for smaller objects. (20 lbs +15, 10lbs +10, 5 lbs or less +5). Note that with repeated use Ghost Touch the creature can use multiple weapons simultaneously. These statistics include specialization for Brawl Ability.

Soak: +20. Includes Improved Soak Quality, above. In game, it is literally made of tens of thousands of snowflakes, and characters might be tricked into focusing their attacks on its eidolon, which is just an interface, not a necessary part of the storm.

Fatigue Levels: OK, -1/-1/-1, -3/-3, -5/-5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: -1 (1-8),-3 (9-16), -5 (17-24), Incapacitated (25-)

Abilities: (Area) Lore 3 (buildings), Awareness 3 (humans), Brawl 3 (snow objects), Craft 5 (building things from snow), Finesse (snow) 5, (Language) 3, Magic Lore 2 (spirits), Music 5 (thunder)

Powers

Chill Touch 2 points, Init equal to (Qik + 4), Ignem R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Ind The architect’s touch can extract heat from a target, inflicting +10 damage. PeIg 15 (base 10, +1 Touch): Greater Power (15 levels, –1 Might cost, +6 Init).

Eidolon 0 points, Init equal to Qik, Imaginem R: Touch, D: Conc, T: Ind Creates an illusionary form that is visible and audible to material beings. The spirit can create a single form with each version of this power it possesses. The image can move and speak as directed by the spirit, and lasts until the spirit has no further use for it. CrIm 15 (base 2, +1 Touch, +1 Conc, +2 move at command, +1 intricacy): Greater Power (15 levels, +2 Init, –2 Might cost; 15 levels surplus moved to Ghost Touch)

Ghost Touch Variable cost, Init equal to (Qik – Might points spent), Terram R: varies, D: varies, T: varies Moves objects that are not held by another or fastened down. For 1 Might point, a maximum of 40 pounds can be moved; every additional Might point doubles this weight limit. If the item is hurled with force, the spirit requires the Thrown Weapons Ability, and it inflicts +20 damage per Might point spent. If the spirit has a Martial Ability, it can enter combat with an object when using this power, and uses its Characteristics to calculate combat totals as normal. All physical attacks with this power need to penetrate Magic Resistance. The power lasts until the object is released by the spirit. ReTe 25: Focus Power. Note -3 Might cost using spare levels from Eidolon is reflected in the larger than usual base size for the object and a damage bonus for it as a thrown weapon.

Presence 0 points, constant, Imaginem R: Arc, D: Sun, T: Ind Grants awareness of everything that happens within the bounds of a specific domain chosen by the spirit. In essence, the spirit is coterminous with its associated landscape feature, so it is present simultaneously everywhere within its boundaries. Double the Might of a spirit with this power for the purposes of calculating Tether Strength (see Formation of Magic Auras). The spirit’s Might score determines the size of area possible: a Room (5–10 Might), a Structure (15–25 Might), or a standard Boundary (30+ Might). For Daimons, every 5 Might above 30 adds 1 size modifier to the base Boundary; an Airy Spirit or animus can only ever control a base Boundary, regardless of Might. The area controlled by the spirit can produce a yearly harvest of (Might/10) pawns of vis of an appropriate Form, which manifests as physical objects within the controlled region. Harvesting this vis does not erode the spirit’s Might. This power is possessed by all genii loci, and many ghosts. InIm 35 (base 2, +4 Arc, +2 Sun, +1 constant effect, +1 non-Hermetic effects): Greater Power (35 levels, –3 Might cost)

Vis: 4 pawns Auram, snow. Collecting it is likely challenging. Note that you might either allow it to melt to Aquam, or claim that the vis escapes when the structure it is within melts. This is likely significant if players are harvesting the gifts of the Presence power.

Source: Original, as per Spirit of the Elements, Realms of Power: Magic (p.104). Be aware that spirits of elements and elementals are different creatures with varying rulesets. Note the lack of virtues and flaws if designing it as a familiar. Consider the implications of the Presence power to your game economy before allowing it.

Appearance: A snowstorm that manifests an illusory human form made of flakes. It builds replicas of human structures, and can use them as missile or melee weapons.