Post by PHAROS on May 23, 2020 23:59:28 GMT -6
THE UNDEAD
The Undead are preternatural monstrosities that exist to consume life. This is the simplest explanation of creatures that have died and continue to live, but 'life' itself exists in many forms, ranging from it's very essence, to those ephemeral moments of expression, to the blood that rushes through it's veins.
There are many forms of the undead and we are not going to list them all save for defining Vampyres as they are often the most popular choice to portray. All people need to know is that the undead are always derived from the living, usually in a fashion we will call "The Descent".
"The Descent" is simply a supernatural fall from life. How it occurs is entirely up to the writer. It can be as simple as dying at the hand of an undead creature, or as complex as Bram Stoker's Dracula's curse. Some descend willingly into darkness, others fight it to the bitter end.
There are also varying levels of consciousness. Zombies for instance have none. They are just walking corpses, sometimes controlled by the will of dark magic; risen from the dead for a singular purpose, but as they are undead they possess the uncontrollable need to feed on life, preferably human life. For their kind, life is in the flesh and they greedily consume it as if they were the manifestation of gluttony.
The Undead are not just walking corpses, however. They represent a realm onto itself, that place where restless souls linger and the cursed suffer. Not every undead being is a specific type that can be categorized, some just are, and it's up the writer to bring them life.
VAMPYRES (UNDEAD SUB-SPECIES)
All playable Vampyres were Human and made during the Gloaming. Any older Vampyres from other realms exist as non-player characters only.
While Vampyres are able to make themselves appear Human they are anything but. They are hideous monstrosities and they are UNDEAD. Never to live again, except in those fleeting moments when the life's blood of another courses through their veins — a brief taste of warmth.
Decadent creatures, they are motivated by a lust to consume life through consuming blood. Blood is their life, and this desire is all consuming, except when their appetite has been satiated. When the shadow of the Vampyre does not possess them they are lucid and intelligent as they once were in life.
All Vampyres were once living. They are not a biological species capable of procreation, they are made. They come into being by the "The Descent" as defined in the Undead prelude. Becoming a Vampyre is always a choice. No one can be forced to become one. "The Descent" into the Undead realm is inevitable when one is seduced by a Vampyre, but to become one requires the manifested traits of lust, vanity, decadence and narcissism, among other sins. If one is repulsed or resists they may find release in death and their corpse may only linger on as a zombie. Some others may become ghouls, trapped in a hell of their making. A Vampyre giving rise to another Vampyre is actually very rare, as most perish during the process or never evolve into a Vampyre, instead becoming other undead creatures subservient to Vampyres. Vampyres themselves will often prevent an ascent to becoming like them so that they might gain a useful Undead minion.
Vampyres must drink unmagicked Human blood. The magicked blood of any preternatural creature has no nutritional value and makes them ill. Furthermore, consuming the blood of non-human creatures eventually turns them to GHOULS, robbing them of their supernatural powers. These Vampyres lose their intelligence; they weaken, become like animals, unable to disguise their appearance. A speechless monster prowling the night, seeking refuge beneath the ground during the day.
Vampyres are as cold as the grave. Some can disguise this with magic, just as they can mimic a heart-beat but it's all just glamour. To their eyes, their reflection will ALWAYS reveal their true appearance, haunting them with their own hideousness.
Sunlight (it has to be natural sunlight, UV lights do nothing to them because it's the essence of the sun itself that damages them, it has nothing to do with the scientific composition of light) is their destroyer. A single beam will burn through them like a laser. They will not last more than five seconds in full light, instantly disintegrating into ash, and there is ABSOLUTELY no way for a Vampyre to ward sunlight. No amount of magic can protect them. They are eternally bound to the night. Even residual day-light significantly weakens and repels them. During the daylight hours they need complete blackness devoid of all sunlight to be at full strength. Many hunters will actually use mirrors to keep them bathed in sunlight while they're hunting their kind in any cave-like location.
Religious symbols can push them back and inflict pain. True believers possessed of religious symbols are very powerful and able to keep these monsters at bay.
Fire causes extensive damage to a Vampyre's flesh, and can even consume and destroy them. Another way to kill a Vampyre is to remove their head and burn the body. If the body is not burned, there's always a chance that the head may be reunited with it and the creature will 'live' again.
Vampyres are very magical creatures. They produce their own mana and will come into being a few 'gifts', which are often related to the classic Vampyric powers.
COMMON ABILITIES
• They are strong, and the older they become, the stronger they get.
• They possess a supernatural speed, but this is a form of travel and not accessible while performing fine motor activities. They can move in a straight line at incredible speed, appearing as a blur, but they can't turn a corner and maintain speed. To evade obstacles they have to slow down.
• As they are dead, they have no heartbeat or need for their organs, thus they can endure a lot of damage.
• They also regenerate, the potency of the ability increasing with age.
• Heightened senses. Their eyes can magnify objects at great distances and their other sense are so sensitive that they can hear a fish swimming in the depths of a lake, smell a Human a quarter of a mile off, and taste blood on the air from half a mile away.
• Can see, even in the total absence of light. They are able to see heat, registering the most minute of temperature fluctuations.
• Blood Vision. If they kill a Human by drinking their blood they can enter a trance-like state and experience the last forty-eight hours of their life through their eyes.
RUSALKA (UNDEAD SUB-SPECIES)
The Rusalki (plural) are "fish-women", dwelling at the bottom of rivers and lakes, a being who has died violently by water well before their time. Always a young woman, driven to suicide by bigotry and misogyny who is now forced to live as an undead preternatural being that has taken on the form of an aquatic being most like a mermaid.
They can be a functional species or a monster.
According to legend, in the middle of the night, they would assume the form the woman they once were and walk out to the bank and dance in meadows, enticing handsome men, leading them to the water and their death. Of course, it's always a 'handsome' man. Truth is, the legends are nonsense, the creatures initially driven by vengeance, lashing out at the living in a deranged anger.
A Rusalka has three forms:
They can appear as they once were, frozen in the form just prior to their death. Their skin is pale and unable to tan, darker skin tones are 'off-colour', often mistaken as the effect of illness. This is obviously the form they use to cohabit with human-kind. Their skin is cooler than normal with a clammy feel.
Out of the water they partially assume their second form which is an amalgam between fish and human. Their skin become like that of a fish, glistening in light. Their eyes become cloudy white like a that of a corpse and their vital signs deaden. Their teeth become small and jagged, their hands and feet webbed with claws at the end of their digits. Their stringy hair (which is always wet) turns snow white, and their features become gaunt and corpse-like. In the water, they either retain their legs, while their feet enlarge into flippers, or their lower half become the body of a fish. This can vary.
Thirdly we have their true undead form. An emaciated corpse that could be described as an undead mermaid, the flesh becoming grey and wrinkled. A monstrosity that only become visible in water, especially where they died. Their pupiless eyes burn a bright green
A Rusalka cannot survive long out of the water. This lengthy of time varies between those who are able to integrate into society and become a Species, and the Monsters that never develop consciousness. Their hair, even if it appears dry, if touched will feel damp. If it begins to feel dry they need to return to the river or lake where they normally dwell.
Rusalka are immune to the affects of cold and are stronger than humans, usually three times that of a man. They are very resilient to damage, in fact, there's only one way to kill them and that's to deny them water and let them dry out. For Rusalka that are monsters, this takes three hours in regular conditions. In the winter they can survive up to four hours. For Rusalka that are a Species, they are able to survive out of water for eight hours, but this longevity weakens them, making them twice as strong, then normal at the eight hour mark after which they will expire in half of an hour. Naturally, extreme heat and other facts that increase evaporation can greatly decrease the amount of time they can remain out of the water.
RUSALKA MONSTERS
These creatures are semi-conscious, partially aware of their surroundings but are unable to comprehend the world of the living. They are undead monsters, lurking in the murky depths of the place they died, rising during the night in seek of prey, basically any body that they can make suffer as they did. They always take their victims back to the place where they died to kill them.
RUSALKA SPECIES
As a species, these creatures have somehow been able to achieve consciousness are able to function in society by assuming their original form. They will usually live very close by a lake or a river, as it's simply too risky otherwise. While they are able to pass for human and live as one they are anything but. Their darker side is forever vying for supremacy, the urge to kill always haunting them — tempting them.
The Undead are preternatural monstrosities that exist to consume life. This is the simplest explanation of creatures that have died and continue to live, but 'life' itself exists in many forms, ranging from it's very essence, to those ephemeral moments of expression, to the blood that rushes through it's veins.
There are many forms of the undead and we are not going to list them all save for defining Vampyres as they are often the most popular choice to portray. All people need to know is that the undead are always derived from the living, usually in a fashion we will call "The Descent".
"The Descent" is simply a supernatural fall from life. How it occurs is entirely up to the writer. It can be as simple as dying at the hand of an undead creature, or as complex as Bram Stoker's Dracula's curse. Some descend willingly into darkness, others fight it to the bitter end.
There are also varying levels of consciousness. Zombies for instance have none. They are just walking corpses, sometimes controlled by the will of dark magic; risen from the dead for a singular purpose, but as they are undead they possess the uncontrollable need to feed on life, preferably human life. For their kind, life is in the flesh and they greedily consume it as if they were the manifestation of gluttony.
The Undead are not just walking corpses, however. They represent a realm onto itself, that place where restless souls linger and the cursed suffer. Not every undead being is a specific type that can be categorized, some just are, and it's up the writer to bring them life.
VAMPYRES (UNDEAD SUB-SPECIES)
All playable Vampyres were Human and made during the Gloaming. Any older Vampyres from other realms exist as non-player characters only.
While Vampyres are able to make themselves appear Human they are anything but. They are hideous monstrosities and they are UNDEAD. Never to live again, except in those fleeting moments when the life's blood of another courses through their veins — a brief taste of warmth.
Decadent creatures, they are motivated by a lust to consume life through consuming blood. Blood is their life, and this desire is all consuming, except when their appetite has been satiated. When the shadow of the Vampyre does not possess them they are lucid and intelligent as they once were in life.
All Vampyres were once living. They are not a biological species capable of procreation, they are made. They come into being by the "The Descent" as defined in the Undead prelude. Becoming a Vampyre is always a choice. No one can be forced to become one. "The Descent" into the Undead realm is inevitable when one is seduced by a Vampyre, but to become one requires the manifested traits of lust, vanity, decadence and narcissism, among other sins. If one is repulsed or resists they may find release in death and their corpse may only linger on as a zombie. Some others may become ghouls, trapped in a hell of their making. A Vampyre giving rise to another Vampyre is actually very rare, as most perish during the process or never evolve into a Vampyre, instead becoming other undead creatures subservient to Vampyres. Vampyres themselves will often prevent an ascent to becoming like them so that they might gain a useful Undead minion.
Vampyres must drink unmagicked Human blood. The magicked blood of any preternatural creature has no nutritional value and makes them ill. Furthermore, consuming the blood of non-human creatures eventually turns them to GHOULS, robbing them of their supernatural powers. These Vampyres lose their intelligence; they weaken, become like animals, unable to disguise their appearance. A speechless monster prowling the night, seeking refuge beneath the ground during the day.
Vampyres are as cold as the grave. Some can disguise this with magic, just as they can mimic a heart-beat but it's all just glamour. To their eyes, their reflection will ALWAYS reveal their true appearance, haunting them with their own hideousness.
Sunlight (it has to be natural sunlight, UV lights do nothing to them because it's the essence of the sun itself that damages them, it has nothing to do with the scientific composition of light) is their destroyer. A single beam will burn through them like a laser. They will not last more than five seconds in full light, instantly disintegrating into ash, and there is ABSOLUTELY no way for a Vampyre to ward sunlight. No amount of magic can protect them. They are eternally bound to the night. Even residual day-light significantly weakens and repels them. During the daylight hours they need complete blackness devoid of all sunlight to be at full strength. Many hunters will actually use mirrors to keep them bathed in sunlight while they're hunting their kind in any cave-like location.
Religious symbols can push them back and inflict pain. True believers possessed of religious symbols are very powerful and able to keep these monsters at bay.
Fire causes extensive damage to a Vampyre's flesh, and can even consume and destroy them. Another way to kill a Vampyre is to remove their head and burn the body. If the body is not burned, there's always a chance that the head may be reunited with it and the creature will 'live' again.
Vampyres are very magical creatures. They produce their own mana and will come into being a few 'gifts', which are often related to the classic Vampyric powers.
COMMON ABILITIES
• They are strong, and the older they become, the stronger they get.
• They possess a supernatural speed, but this is a form of travel and not accessible while performing fine motor activities. They can move in a straight line at incredible speed, appearing as a blur, but they can't turn a corner and maintain speed. To evade obstacles they have to slow down.
• As they are dead, they have no heartbeat or need for their organs, thus they can endure a lot of damage.
• They also regenerate, the potency of the ability increasing with age.
• Heightened senses. Their eyes can magnify objects at great distances and their other sense are so sensitive that they can hear a fish swimming in the depths of a lake, smell a Human a quarter of a mile off, and taste blood on the air from half a mile away.
• Can see, even in the total absence of light. They are able to see heat, registering the most minute of temperature fluctuations.
• Blood Vision. If they kill a Human by drinking their blood they can enter a trance-like state and experience the last forty-eight hours of their life through their eyes.
RUSALKA (UNDEAD SUB-SPECIES)
The Rusalki (plural) are "fish-women", dwelling at the bottom of rivers and lakes, a being who has died violently by water well before their time. Always a young woman, driven to suicide by bigotry and misogyny who is now forced to live as an undead preternatural being that has taken on the form of an aquatic being most like a mermaid.
They can be a functional species or a monster.
According to legend, in the middle of the night, they would assume the form the woman they once were and walk out to the bank and dance in meadows, enticing handsome men, leading them to the water and their death. Of course, it's always a 'handsome' man. Truth is, the legends are nonsense, the creatures initially driven by vengeance, lashing out at the living in a deranged anger.
A Rusalka has three forms:
They can appear as they once were, frozen in the form just prior to their death. Their skin is pale and unable to tan, darker skin tones are 'off-colour', often mistaken as the effect of illness. This is obviously the form they use to cohabit with human-kind. Their skin is cooler than normal with a clammy feel.
Out of the water they partially assume their second form which is an amalgam between fish and human. Their skin become like that of a fish, glistening in light. Their eyes become cloudy white like a that of a corpse and their vital signs deaden. Their teeth become small and jagged, their hands and feet webbed with claws at the end of their digits. Their stringy hair (which is always wet) turns snow white, and their features become gaunt and corpse-like. In the water, they either retain their legs, while their feet enlarge into flippers, or their lower half become the body of a fish. This can vary.
Thirdly we have their true undead form. An emaciated corpse that could be described as an undead mermaid, the flesh becoming grey and wrinkled. A monstrosity that only become visible in water, especially where they died. Their pupiless eyes burn a bright green
A Rusalka cannot survive long out of the water. This lengthy of time varies between those who are able to integrate into society and become a Species, and the Monsters that never develop consciousness. Their hair, even if it appears dry, if touched will feel damp. If it begins to feel dry they need to return to the river or lake where they normally dwell.
Rusalka are immune to the affects of cold and are stronger than humans, usually three times that of a man. They are very resilient to damage, in fact, there's only one way to kill them and that's to deny them water and let them dry out. For Rusalka that are monsters, this takes three hours in regular conditions. In the winter they can survive up to four hours. For Rusalka that are a Species, they are able to survive out of water for eight hours, but this longevity weakens them, making them twice as strong, then normal at the eight hour mark after which they will expire in half of an hour. Naturally, extreme heat and other facts that increase evaporation can greatly decrease the amount of time they can remain out of the water.
RUSALKA MONSTERS
These creatures are semi-conscious, partially aware of their surroundings but are unable to comprehend the world of the living. They are undead monsters, lurking in the murky depths of the place they died, rising during the night in seek of prey, basically any body that they can make suffer as they did. They always take their victims back to the place where they died to kill them.
RUSALKA SPECIES
As a species, these creatures have somehow been able to achieve consciousness are able to function in society by assuming their original form. They will usually live very close by a lake or a river, as it's simply too risky otherwise. While they are able to pass for human and live as one they are anything but. Their darker side is forever vying for supremacy, the urge to kill always haunting them — tempting them.
, Jr.