Living Aether

The villiager pointed towards the next copse, and I braced myself for another series of tangentionaly connected stories involving cousins and family friends, but the movement caused me to look in spite of myself.
It was good that I did, as the subject of my inquiry was had ridden into view. We were both silent as a knight in green tack and tabbard sat astride a horse that fit the gallant form of a fairytale knight.

-The Sage of Willow Petals, Codex Spiritum

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Aether exists within all things, and all things with a will of its own may manipulate Aether. This allows for the condensation of Aether, the enchantment of items, and the weaving of spells.
There is a more exacting art, that requires a far greater skill with Aether manipulation, however. The creation of Living Aether.
Living Aether is an umbrella term to give name to beings constructed solely of Aether and given some sort of mind. To be able to condense Aether to the proper density and bind it to the desired shape is certainly a difficult task and impossible for all but the most skilled spellweavers, yet the following step of constructing a mind for the body is far and above more difficult.
Not only because building a complex mind is a difficult task in and unto itself, but because the construction is susceptible to...influence. You see, the creation of a Living Aether mind is reactive to its maker's thoughts. If you maintain your idea of a servant, you will get a servant. If you let your thoughts of a servant slip, you'll end up with a servant with a spirit, or something that won't listen to you at all.
This facet is something that becomes most exemplified when a group creates Living Aether. You see, the will required to form Aether into a Living form need not come from one singular person. A population can do the same, but it is rarely on purpose. It has happened in the past, with increasing regularity in the modern age, where a population has become so convinced of legend or folktale being real that they make it so. For better or worse.
Sometimes, they create a protector that keeps them safe from the terrible things in the world. Others, their fear gets the better of them, and they create a horror for themselves unintentionally.