Cleanliness is next to godliness.

The idea of purity is old, but the idea that spiritual purity is different from physical purity is basically a modern invention. The idea of purity and cleanliness are linked in people’s minds: cleanliness is morality, diseases are spiritual ailments, and sin and dirt are one. This is more than a metaphor: it’s the basis for how people understand spiritual perfection. It’s very hard to describe innocence without using words for cleanliness.

The Pure One is a vision of this cleanliness. Free from germs, poison and dirt, she is free from sin. She appears innocent, and so her spirit is innocent. Never mind her behavior or feelings – her perfection is on the outside.

This archetype was weak for centuries in post-Roman Europe, when regular bathing was seen as decadent and immoral, but it grew strong again in response to plague.

Today, the archetype has grown stronger due to obsessive-compulsive disorders, pollution, hypochrondria, STD cautions, and fears of biological warfare. Fear of dirt and disease is on the rise, and so The Pure One has returned to strength. Avatars are especially common among “Generation Y,” also called the Shampoo Generation: a generation which uses more cleaning, beauty and hygeine products than any in history.

Another common manifestation of this Archetype is the angel: pure, clean and awe-inspiring, a soldier against corruption. More than one Avatar has interpreted this Archetype as a sign of their own celestial nature.

Attributes: Cleanliness. The Pure One is defined by what’s missing. He is free of filth, set apart from the normal cycle of decay.

Symbols: Bright white clothes, or nudity. Angels. Rainwater. Baths. Scented oils. Silver. Bright lights and hot fires. Fresh rich soil. Garlic. Running Water. Feathers. Burned sage. Salt. Snow. In a more modern context, anything that purifies or kills bacteria carries power: air filtration, antibacterial soap, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, enemas, echinacia, charcoal filters, and dust-containment chambers.

Masks: Obatala (Voudoun), Mithras (Mithraism), Iris (Greek). Angels are also common masks, especially Raphael and Gabriel.

Taboo: A Pure One must always been physically clean. Getting dirty or messy, having possessions in disarray or otherwise being sullied weakens connection to this Archetype.

Channels

1-50% The Pure One can sense impurities. With an Avatar skill check, he can detect poisons, dirt, contagious diseases, pollution, and even radiation. On a matched success, he can even spot curses, demons, extreme moral corruption, or other metaphorical impurities. This sense extends a number of feet equal to the Avatar’s skill, and doesn’t rely on other senses, though many Avatars experience it as scent. The Avatar gets a sense of what they’re detecting, but it won’t be exact unless he is very familiar with it.

51-70% At this level, the Pure One is immune to the effects of poisons and communicable diseases. On a successful skill roll, poison or disease fails. Genetic diseases, starvation and other problems are not stopped.

71-90% The Pure One drives away plague and the dead. Her presence unnerves demons, and her touch is like fire to them: touching a pure one does Soul damage equal to the result of an Avatar: The Pure One roll, but does not harm the host. The Pure One can also cure poisons and contagious diseases with a skill roll.

91-98% The Pure One causes awe. He is always noticed by others, even in a large crowd. Unless the Avatar is rude or violent, others must make a Soul roll with a -30% shift to be rude or violent to the Avatar. When this effect is broken by rudeness or violence, it does not return for an hour.