Astral Creatures
The Astral Plane is vast and is mostly empty, but it's not completely empty. It is joked by those with astral sight that 99% of what they see is boring and 1% of what they see is terrifying.
Astral creatures are beings made of pure thought. Each astral creature is unique like a snowflake but much like different snow flakes, they are similar enough to be recognizable as being cut from the same cloth.
Since every astral creature is functionally unique and most have very difficult to discern origins, they are usually classified by their behavior and not their appearance though there is a positive correlation between a frightening appearance and frightening behavior.
Benign or harmless astral creatures are commonly known as "Astral Curiosities"
Astral entities that foment unease and madness are known as "Mania"
Astral entities that prey on the minds of mortals are known as "Dream Eaters".
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Basic Information
Biological Traits
Astral creatures have no set traits but because they are shaped primarily from the minds of mortals, they tend to emulate mortal bodies and faces, at least cosmetically though they technically do not need eyes to see or mouths to eat.
The minds of Scarterrans and Scaraquans are equally capable of creating or fueling astral creatures. The astral plane has no ground or substance, but an astral creature of Scarterran origin is likely to mimic flying through the mists and one of Scaraquan origin is likely to mimic swimming through the mists even though it's functionally the same.
Genetics and Reproduction
Astral creatures are not conceived or born in the same manner as other creatures. As far as most astral scholars have deduced, Astral creatures have two possible origins.
"Exogenic astral spirits" are conceived when the thoughts and materials in the astral plane coalesce into a sentient entity chimeric entity made up of the thoughts and emotions of hundreds of other beings.
"Reforged astral spirits" are the minds of sapient creatures that somehow are trapped in the Astral Plane and then evolved (or devolved) from exposure to the forces and stimuli of the Astral Plane.
Either way, astral creatures change with their own thoughts and the thoughts of others enough that they are constantly changing in appearance and behavior. After a relatively short period of time, it is difficult to tell the difference between an "exogenic" or "reforged" astral creature. Most mortals who encounter astral creatures don't care about how astral creatures came to being, only what they do.
It is suspected that the most powerful and frightening astral creatures used to be the minds dragons. Some speculate that dragons are so present in the conscious and subconscious of so many Scarterrans and Scaraquans that astral entities will gradually take on vaguely draconic traits without realizing it, particularly if they evolve to be predatory.
Ecology and Habitats
Some Astral creatures are bound entirely to the Astral Plane.
Especially powerful (and feared) astral creatures can interact with the material plane indirectly by affecting the minds of mortals, fae, and beasts.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Some astral creatures seem to be able to draw sustenance from the ambient energies and materials of the Astral Plane or else maybe they don't need sustenance at all.
The most feared Astral creatures are the aptly named "Dream Eaters". Dream Eaters feed off the thoughts and emotions of mortal minds.
They are capable of feeding off awake people, but they generally find it much easier to feed on the mind's of sleeping people.
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Biological Cycle
Astral Creatures are constantly picking up mental energies from the area around them and accumulating changes in appearance in behavior. Overtime this often means astral creatures evolve or devolve into forms completely unrecognizable from what they once were.
A malevolent astral entity may eventually evolve into something benign or visa versa only to change again later.
Behaviour
The majority of astral creatures are considered benign, they exist and they think but their actions don't affect the material plane. They don't do any harm, but they don't seem to do anything good either.
Astral creatures often do things incomprehensible to Scarterran mortals. They often create shapes and colors in the Astral Plane endlessly for no discernable reason. One might see an Astral creature making a tower of blocks that constantly falls over only to rebuild it, thousands of times.
Most Scarterrans don't pay these creatures any mind (pun!). Sometimes these benign entities are nicknamed Astral Curiosities or more flippantly, Astral Purple Chickens.
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Two types of Astral creatures draw most attention from Scarterran scholars and adventurers. Dream Eaters and Mania.
Dream Eaters are astral creatures that actively prey on the minds of living mortals. They leave their victims depressed or listless, or in some extreme cases broken and catatonic.
Mania are astral do not seem to be consciously malevolent, but they inadvertently incite madness and unease on sentient creatures near them simply by mere proximity.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Magical scholars have studied Astral Curiosities for centuries and have yet to figure out a way to make them useful despite much effort in trying to find a use.
The Astral Plane is a depository of lost knowledge and some astral adventurers believe that Astral Curiosities congregate around valuable lost knowledge and in this case can be mildly useful by acting as a sign post to valuable treasure though many consider that an unfounded rumor.
Dream Eaters cannot be controlled by magic but they can be influenced by magic though it can easily backfire on the caster. Using a spell to direct a Dream Eater is the metaphysical equivalent of chumming the water near your enemies and hoping the sharks bite your enemies and not you.
Such spells are often branded as maleficium and banned outright but in times of war, the rules of maleficium are often tossed out the window.
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Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Astral creatures can detect thoughts and emotions. Most are blind and deaf to physical stimuli such as light or sound. Given that they are mostly unimpeded by physical objects, this is not a serious limitation.
The more advanced a mind is, the easier it is for an astral creature to perceive. A dog is more visible than an insect and mortals' minds are especially visible.
Intelligent and perceptive minds really stand out to astral creatures more so than simple-minded individuals (which has led to some jokes in academic circles).
Strong willed mortals are less vulnerable to hostile attentions of astral creatures whether or not they are simple minded. Predatory astral creatures tend to bypassed strong-willed mortals with simple minds. This is like a lion avoiding a gazelle that is doesn't have much meat on it and is capable of fighting back.
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