All  creatures that think and feel are born with a soul that breathes living aether into their bodies. Like a heart supplies the body with rhythm and life, the soul too has its core: the Heartshard. It is the spiritual "heart" and its color tints the body's magical energy. This crystal is tiny and usually of a natural, rougly faceted shape, embedded within the beating flesh of one's literal heart (for most mortal creatures). Like a heart is connected to the circulatory system, the Heartshard is bound to the invisible network of leyveins that course through a living body, carrying aether instead of blood.

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The colors of the Heartshard are said to determine one's personality and have an influence on one's fate. As one of the three aspects known to fortune-tellers as the Fated Triad (called the Shard, along with the Song or month, and the Star or magical zodiac), it's thought to be a powerful sign.

 

A Heartshard's color usually -- but does not always -- match one's eye color. Mismatches are rare, in less than 10% of people, and are considered a potent sign that one is not what they may seem on the outside. Reading a Heartshard's true color is only possible by skilled fortune-tellers who have access to the Seventh Star's divinations.

 

Crimson.

Very Rare.

Crimson eyes are a rare variant of red; a soul not only deeply passionate and ambitious, but one tied closely to the crimson threads of fate itself. They may have visions of events yet to unfold.

 

Red.

Uncommon.

Ambitious and determined, a red heartshard is a sure sign that one will achieve greatness in life. They are not easily swayed from this course, for better or worse -- people with this aspect might become well-respected leaders or the cruelest tyrants, and rarely settle for anything in between. When used for good, their passion can inspire and motivate those around them to do great things, but when used for evil, this determination can know no bounds.

 

Orange.

Common.

A vivacious, energetic, and recklessly passionate soul that yearns to achieve. Despite this passion, they can be a bit of a homebody at heart and at the end of the day, want only to enjoy the fruits of their bold pursuits with their loved ones.

 

Gold/Amber.

Rare.

Sometimes mistaken for yellow, orange, or brown, a soul of this color is brave and selfless beyond compare and a natural leader among one's kind. Many heroes of the past were blessed with this color, but one need not be heroic to have a heart willing to do anything it takes to protect those one holds dear.

 

Yellow.

Common.

A yellow Heartshard is one full of joy, curiosity, creativity and wonder. Their souls are hungry for adventure and their hearts yearn to feel the depths of both bliss and despair, for experiencing all that life has to offer is key to living a full existence in this world.

 

Green.

Common.

Those with green heartshards are blessed by endurance, fortitude, health, and good fortune. They are stalwart and determined souls who will not balk in the face of peril with the blessing of bounty, success, and uncanny luck at their sides.

 

Cyan/Teal.

Uncommon.

A less common type, the cyan heartshard is keenly attuned to the souls of others, sensing their needs and feelings quite accurately. They can be quite observational and analytical of others, but supplement it with their joy at helping those in need around them. Some might even report seeing spirits or ghosts. If they aren't careful, though, they might end up neglecting their own needs for the sake of others.

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Blue.

Common. The blue heartshard is introspective, emotional, and spiritual, a sign of a gentle soul. These people are deep thinkers who enjoy the quieter things in life, preferring the company of a book over a crowd of strangers. They take the time to observe the beautiful subtleties that might pass more energetic types by, but if they are not careful, life as a whole might pass them by before they know it.

 

Indigo.

Uncommon.

People with indigo heartshards are deeply emotional like their blue and violet counterparts, but with an iconoclastic streak of free-thought and passionate energy. They are revolutionaries and leaders, bold and deeply thoughtful of the plights of others, but at their core they are very personal and reserved people who can struggle to find the right path within themselves.

 

Violet.

Uncommon.

Deeply personal, creative, and thoughtful souls, violet-aspected people find themselves dedicating their lives to expressing the deep complexities of life, emotions, love, and loss. They are poets and artisans, romantics through and through, easily influenced by beautiful things, and forever pondering the meaning of their lives - for better or worse.

 

Pink.

Rare.

Those with the rare pink aspect are vibrant, blissful, optimistic, and innocent souls who find the joys of love to be life's most important treasure. Naïve sometimes to a fault, they are easily trusting and easily wounded by misplaced trust, sometimes so deeply that their color may disappear and shift. They are bringers of cheer and happiness to all those around them, leaving lasting impressions upon every life they touch.

 

Silver.

Rare.

Keen, analytical, and intelligent beyond one's years, this color is gifted with a quick mind and wit. One may be charismatic and charming, well-liked by one's peers - yet never truly satisfied in love or relationships, or focused deeply on one's own passions to the detriment of social life. The silver heartshard is a double-edged blade, but one thing is for certain -- they rarely lead an average life.

 

Brown.

Common.

While a common color of shard, earthen tones say much of one's character. A brown shard is close with the important matters of the world, valuing home, hearth, and love above all else. The soul yearns for comfort and stability, seeking only to have what one needs to live one's happiest life. They need not ask for much else, seeing the wisdom in humility and the value of practicality, reason, and the close comforts of loved ones.

 

Black.

Very Rare.

Nearly unheard of, truly jet-black shards are a sign of close attunement with the power of the Void. Much more common are Voidtouched individuals who demonstrate a black fleck upon the shard, but a completely black shard is much more attuned. This color of Heartshard frequently hides under a different eye color and may even camouflage its own appearance, misleading fortunetellers. This can also result from a powerful pact with a chaos daimon or voidal.

 

White.

Very Rare.

A white heartshard indicates the stasis of too much raw aether. This is not necessarily a good thing -- only seen in very rare historical circumstances, it usually was a sign of aetheric excess in one's soul, a lack of elemental balance in the body, or some separation between one's soul and body, such as in one raised from the brink of death. Otherwise, such a shard is possible when altered by a powerful connection with a supernatural entity.

 

Grey.

Common (in children), Very Rare (in adults).

A grey heartshard is often seen in young children before their Shard has crystallized  (this usually occurs around age 12 in Manu and similar species, celebrated by a second 'birth' celebration called the Heartening). Among adults, this is a very rare occurrence but can mean that one has yet to truly realize who they are.

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It's also possible for people who have suffered memory or personality loss to revert to a grey heartshard until they reform their sense of self.

 

Multicolor.

Very Rare.

Both Heartshards and eyes may be more than one color. This shows a fragmentation of one's soul in ways that may be harmful or auspicious. They may embody more than one color very strongly (though most people embody more than one to some extent, one tends to win out). They may also have experienced significant hardship that causes one's heartshard's color to fragment.

Mismatch.

Rare.

The Heartshard and eye color do not match. Fate does not have a predictable course in store for the individual. They may appear different from the outside than their true self is on the inside. The person may experience a shift in heartshard color at some point during their life, or perhaps their current eye color represents their past or future fate.