The Avatar is generally seen as a shard of Prime energy possessed of whatever consciousness and drives it’s picked up through previous incarnations, but there is no denying that Avatars do seem to have certain intrinsic characteristics. Mages classify Avatars according to these perceived differences and place them into broad (very broad, actually) categories. These categories are thought to give some insight into the ways that different Avatars nudge mages towards Ascension, as well as the goals the Avatars pursue.

The exact limits and functions of the Avatar remain unknown. Some say that the Avatar determines the mage’s actions and what faction s/he will join. Others say the Avatar is a source of past lives and say that the Avatar seeks out a familiar home, so the mage is predetermined to follow the same footsteps as his own previous incarnations. Generally speaking, though, mages who are just struggling to survive don’t really have time to worry about all that. They take their Avatar at whatever level it’s given and get on with forging their own destinies.

Your character’s Avatar plays a large, though subconscious, role in her development. Psychologically, the mage is driven by her Nature and Demeanor, and by the motives and desires that come from being alive, just like any other human. Once Awakened, however, the Avatar pushes the mage in its own direction through dream-messages, subconscious urges and emotional pattern. The mage often finds herself engaging in behaviors indicative of her Avatar: jumping from one interest to another with a Dynamic Avatar, seeking ordered perfection with a Pattern Avatar, looking for hidden meanings in everyday occurrences with a Primordial Avatar or forging ahead into new hobbies with a Questing Avatar.

Avatars do not generally speak outright to the mage, as in, “You! Do this!” Usually they show themselves only through soft, barely-noticed whispers, flashbacks, and dreams. They can be a reasonable voice in the back of her mind, or the sudden gut instinct to do something. Very rarely, strong Avatars will actually manifest, taking a material form and then dealing with the mage directly. Your mage does not have to believe directly in or be aware of the existence of her Avatar, but it is always there, pushing her towards a vision of Ascension.

• Dynamic – This Essence is the incarnation of change. It pushes the mage in new directions constantly, never satisfied with the old, unable to ever settle. It is interested in the raw creation of new ideas, experiences, and horizons. Even mages with a powerful Destiny may not be able to see their road with a Dynamic Avatar. Mages with Dynamic Avatars are true heralds of randomness and inspirations, as they bring forth concepts never before imagined. Though powerfully unpredictable and often moving “outside the box,” the Dynamic Essence also finds it difficult to focus on a single task or goal. Such an Avatar may appear as a strange shadow, a half-formed concept or a jagged abstraction, changing form constantly. Over time, the appearance, goals and emotional tools of a Dynamic Essence often change. Even mages who heed the directions of such Avatars find that the completion of one task merely opens the doors to more. These Avatars do not rest, and their mages can rarely keep up. This is the most common Avatar Essence.
• Pattern – Other mages create new methods, but it is Pattern mages who actuallyrefine and reuse these methods until they become stable and well-defined. This Essence cements magic into reality, gives shape to the poorly executed and repairs the flawed. Instead of seeking new and dynamic means of change, Pattern Essences stabilize existing elements or methodically build on solid foundations. Mages who feel the push of Pattern often experience periods of crystal clear lucidity. They are commonly rational thinkers driven by a strong desire for familiarity and most comfortable with clearly defined archetypes. These Avatars manifest in dreams as authoritarian figures, repeating patterns or fantastic machines, but they usually keep the same appearance from instance to instance.
• Primordial – Primordial Essences reflect the raw elements of creation and destruction. Driven to seek new experiences, yet always comparing them to the past, these Essences resonate with the humming vibration that underlies all creation. Primordial Essences seek the root of all things. Most often, Primordial Essences take on very clearly defined archetypes, roles deeply seated in the subconscious. Such mages are driven by deep and overwhelming emotional urges or needs, but they also seem to experience the heights of grand passion more powerfully than anyone else. Primordial Avatars often take the roles of spirits, animals or gods, typifying the most basic elements of reality in the shells of recognizable forms. This is the rarest Avatar Essence.
• Questing – This Essence acts as a sort of balance between the others. The Questing Essence seeks knowledge and new frontiers with purpose and with a final goal in mind. Not content to rest on foundations already laid, the Questing Avatar pushes to some goal and does not flag or change direction. Once that destination is reached, the Questing Avatar sets a new goal and heads off again. Mages with this drive find themselves consumed by the need for a journey, the need to be in motion with a goal to achieve. Emotionally, Questing Essences are driven and visionary. Such mages often focus on a new idea and pursue it to its conclusion, then settle on a new project. The Avatar keeps the mage interested in the final steps, with a need to know, understand and experience, and thus ensures constant progression. In appearance and demeanor, these Avatars most often appear in a form carrying elements similar to the mage’s companions or even herself. It leads the mage through the internal dialogue that opens doors of self-discovery, and sends the mage on quests to understand herself and the world.