Concealing Your Glory & Manifesting
Concealing Your Glory
Elohim can conceal their glory. While their glory is concealed, they appear to other spirits as a human or an animal, generally no smaller than a rat or small bird. They may choose whether or not to be actually manifested in the material realm. While an elohim’s glory is concealed they are not able to be sensed by others. Versions of the Spiritual Effect Detection have their effectiveness reduced in sensing elohim whose glory is concealed to half the normal range and cannot detect concealed Archangels beyond the normal range. Using the Spiritual Effect Discernment on an elohim whose glory is concealed will reveal the elohim’s true nature to the Ministering Spirit along with all other information the Effect normally reveals.
When an elohim chooses to reveal their glory, they may immediately use up to 4 Action Points preparing themselves for Conflict by manifesting Weapon Effects, adopting Defensive Stance, using Spiritual Effects, singing, etc. They may not, however, do anything during these Action Points that will directly affect any opponents such as Striking or using Resistible or Wearing Effects or Songs. Once revealed, they will resume normal action at their next Activation.
Concealed Glory
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can appear as a human or animal (not a mimic of a known exact person)
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cannot be sensed in Melee Range
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-12 Adjustments to being Perceived as an elohim
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upon revealing glory, can use up to 4 Action Points in non-offensive preparation
Manifesting
The most common questions from players revolve around how their elohim characters interact with humans and the material realm. While elohim are not part of the material creation, they are indeed still created beings. The spiritual is a part of everything material. Elyon's ruach, breath, Spirit sustains the entire creation, spiritual and material. Nothing exists without Elyon's continuing to will it to exist. Elohim are exempt from this. They are are not so much of a different nature as they are primarily "unseen" by the material creation.
Elohim are by default undetected by all physical senses for those of the material realm. Material objects do obstruct sight and can hinder the projection of spiritual sound. But, elohim can move around freely, through objects or even living beings and are not seen, heard, touched, etc. That being said, some humans or animals will occasionally feel a spiritual presence or catch a glimpse of an elohim. These instances are by far the exception rather than the rule. Such occurrences are usually due to the elohim's choosing for it to be so.
Elohim may choose to manifest their presence into the material realm. This can happen in a variety of ways. Elohim can manifest audibly, visibly, or tangibly and in any combination. They can even manifest selectively only certain material beings.
When manifesting visually, elohim can appear in their full glory, but this is usually frightening and overpowering to flesh and blood creatures. For this reason, elohim will often alter their appearance to seem more human or even Conceal their Glory so as not to be known as an elohim. When appearing visibly, elohim are limited to appearing as human or animal as large as an elephant or as small as a small breed of dog. They can appear dressed or groomed however they desire and can carry or manifest items, but without Elyon's cooperation these items are not actual physical items and as such cannot exist permanently apart from the elohim. Rarely is it acceptable for an elohim to appear as a specific human or animal. Unclean Spirits are the most egregious violators of this protocol.
Elohim can also speak to the spirits of humans. The human hears this in a manner similar to a thought, but can usually distinguish that the thought was not their own. Similarly, elohim can suggest mental images or dreams to humans by speaking to the human’s spirit, but cannot typically induce true dreams or visions without permission from the Most High or without the human weakening the flesh or forcing the overlapping of the two realms through practices like fasting, transcendental meditation, or psychoactive drug use. Unholy elohim use such means to reach humans at a much deeper level once they have knowingly or unknowingly opened themselves to the spiritual realm.