Nature Avatars

[Snowpoint]

I like the idea of nature spirits and kami, but I don't like the idea of 8 Million magic monsters possibly interfering with the story. So, I came up with a solution. Each area has one nature spirit. All of the smaller spirits are cobbled together into one big spirit.

All I know so far is that Statues, Monuments, and Graves are focal points for energy. Energy becomes fixated on such places and might form an avatar of the spirits around it. (any kind of spirit like rocks, and soil, animals, and trees.)

In my book, 4 such Avatars ascended to heaven becoming gods. Each of the four has a magic system associated with them. Each magic system is rather small in scope. The idea is that new avatars could bring new magic - in the future.

The big 4 magics have been developed. However, the idea of avatars has not been developed. So, I need some input on the subject.

Each Avatar has an area. How big is an area? How is the area's boundary defined?

What causes them to appear? Do they need outside help to form?

Is an Avatar just a big animal, or does it have magic? When does an Avatar have magic?

Can Avatar give humans magic before they are a "god" in heaven? When are they big enough to grant magic?

Do the avatars exist before they are created? Are they random?

 

[Kahle]

You should probably start with the formation of the avatars. You said that the spirits need these focal points for an avatar to be created, and Statues, Monuments, and Graves all indicated human presence or interaction. If humans can utilize the magic of god-avatars, and the avatars need humanity, you have a symbiotic relationship. However, that human element would severely limit the number of places where avatars could form. You seem to be focusing on nature spirits, and humanity has a tendency to destroy nature rather than enhance it. So maybe the focal points aren't always necessarily of human origin. Places that come to mind are distinctive mountain peaks, waterfall glades, great plains, the heartwood of a forest, burial grounds, battlefield/monuments, and crystal caverns.

You also have established a hierarchy for the spirit world that seems to be spirit->avatar->god-avatar. Terry Brooks described his shape-shifters as a communal existence, though individuals could separate if they wished (and so retained identities). There is not necessarily any order to the spirits, or active desire to create an avatar, but maybe a common need is the catalyst. Also consider the amount of energy or spirits required. Someplace like a forest needs time to grow and expand its boundaries (possibly encroaching on a plains or mountain avatar), while a blood-soaked battlefield avatar is formed more quickly given the atrocities or disturbances the spirits suffered. Hence the avatars would become reflections of their territory instead of rulers with motives. The forest avatar would have a defensive, mysterious inclination while the battlefield avatar might be more aggressive and belligerent.

If the avatar is formed of the spirits, it could be bound to their forces. As a forest grows or shrinks, so might the power of the avatar. The avatar does not control the forest like a hive mind, but is an embodiment of the forest, a reflection of its state. If evil forces seep into the forest and are killing it, the avatar might be diseased or faded, as if with age. A mountain avatar would be older than many others, but while it was strong when the mountains were tall and young, as the years wear them down to hills and finally plains, the avatar withers and fades. This raises the question-do avatars die, or do they simply dissipate and the spirits latch on to other avatars, or form a new being?

As for magic and avatars, consider your hierarchy. Avatars came from spirits, gods came from avatars. Just as the Avatar draws on the power of the spirits, the gods draw upon the avatars. Therefore the avatars can affect magic (actively or passively?-the weaker the avatar, the weaker the magic type within its borders vs. avatars dictating the activation or casting of magic?) but they do not control the magic on a large scale nor are they the true source. People who draw on a god-avatar's magic are really guiding the power that the god has accumulated as an avatar, and therefore on the spirits? This might mean that individual avatars have powers within their borders that reflect the state and size of their domain, but humans cannot draw on these lesser magics, only the avatar. The nature of that statement raises a question-can avatars leave their territories? It would seem not, if they are bound to the power and spirits of a certain area. Maybe they use animals or humans as messengers. As for obtaining godhood, once the avatar is strong enough to absorb other avatars instead of accumulating more spirits. Does the avatar retain its material essences once it becomes a god though?

As for physical appearances, I can see a massive saber-toothed cat roaming endless plains of grass, or a great tree at the heart of a forest whose taproot reaches the limits of the forest, with vines and roots snaring trespassers.

 

[Snowpoint]

As for an avatar becoming a god, the original idea is that the big 4 work together to turn a regular avatar into a Golden God.
The original 4 created this technique to seal away the "Emperor Dragon" whose spear-tail creates continents. The power was to dangerous to remain of Earth, so they locked the Dragon away in heaven. (this being pre-human history)

The barrier mage separates Heaven and Earth. The binder mage binds the avatar to his idol. The Remote Viewer allows the god to see the Earth from Heaven. The Music mage is able to speak with spirits, so he guides the avatar through the process. All 4 spell casters have to go with the god to heaven.

Golden Gods magic isn't limited to one location. If all earthly idols of a Golden God is destroyed, a master-disciple of that god can make a new one. Idols with the God's spirit connected to it turn gold. Thus the name, Golden Gods.

Meaning that normal avatar magic is limited to one location. If multiple idols did exist, destroying all of them would kill the avatar. Does this mean the magic spells only work in his domain?

Kahle asked a lot of good questions, so I will take more time to think those over.

 

[Snowpoint]

Sometime animals will gather their bones corpses like an Elephant Graveyard that creates an avatar. It becomes a hero-saint that makes other "god-sires" that are descended from the avatar.

The first round of avatars were probably this variety, since humans were not around yet.