Spark

A "spark" is the colloquial name for the condensed portion of planar energy that empowers certain beings to the level of exemplar. This condensed essence is ritually drawn from a given plane when a new member of a given exemplar is to be formed, and channeled into the body of the petitioner or mortal to be granted new form. Any exemplar born of petitioners or strongly connected to their home plane possesses a spark, with angels, archons, baatezu, and tanar'ri the most prominent examples.

This essence, upon merging with a mortal or petitioner, binds with their soul and grants them the new form and powers associated with their given variety of higher being. The further they grow towards the true nature of their plane, the more concentrated their spark becomes, and the more power the bearer can draw upon. However, a spark cannot be easily hidden; it shines through both the physical and spiritual form, and any bearing a spark can recognize others with same as well as the plane to which it is associated. And while a spark can be willingly abandoned by its bearer, transferred from their soul to another or abandoned entirely, this separates the bearer from their core, eventually leading them to revert to their original form if not recovered as the power ticks away, and similarly empowers the new bearer as before, while also influencing them to varying degrees with the nature of the source plane. Such a spark itself, meanwhile, if merely removed cannot without special efforts long survive outside the containment of a soul, either returning to its plane or lost to the winds much as a deceased petitioner.

A spark can be further empowered by power granted by a higher form, though only the greatest of figures can accomplish this. By siphoning off a portion of their own power, they can bestow this power onto others of their kind, bringing them to even greater heights than would otherwise be possible. Given that this is similar in many ways to a proxy relationship, and with the overall similarities to the nature of powers and the comparatively easier ability of exemplars to achieve apotheosis, the nature of sparks has led some to theorize that divinity is simply some variation of the spark associated not with a plane but with some abstract concept or belief.

See Also

• Incarnate

References

• Deva Spark