I am glad to say that I often visit in my preferred forms when people see a world inhabited by the Maerrian civilization, for it is truly a sight unlike any other. In a Maerrian city, you’ll see people riding on powerful winds to get to their jobs, stone blocks and steel beams that will disassemble and reassemble into any building the people need, rivers and clouds that bring their water to any place that needs it, and fires that will dutifully seek fuel to bring energy to the communities. If one goes to the heart of their civilization you’ll see stars, planets, even galaxies that move and change in accordance with the people’s needs, even going nova or destroying themselves to help in war efforts. If one goes to the fringes of their civilization, they will see the people who make all of this possible.
These people create new clouds, new fires, new stars, planets, new forces of nature, from the ones that already exist. They condition these new forces to their will, modify them to suit their needs, and create yet more phenomena, phenomena who retain the traits of their predecessors and can be altered even further. Over time, these “Shapers” as many call them, turn nature itself into a servant of their race. This may seem miraculous, and it certainly is, but at its core, it’s no different than how your people train and selectively breed animals.
How did the Maerrians first ‘domesticate’ these natural forces. The answer is a jealously guarded secret. The Maerrians certainly wouldn’t want anyone to discover this power for themselves, partially because it gives them an advantage, and partially because they seem (in my opinion) too haughty to consider giving up their superiority. Indeed, many of these people fall to the Empty after their death, simply out of a refusal to accept that any being could ever be greater than themselves. The people are rather decadent, but their power is just as useful for good as it is for ill. For all of their flaws, they can still bring prosperity, and me, where their abilities is available.
Who knows? Perhaps, one day, someone will find this power and use it well.
Carter's Compendium 