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| Mortisphages | |
|---|---|
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| Infection | Bite, Drinking, Ritual. |
| Origins | Ordial Terrors |
| Symptoms | Blood Hunger, Ordial Green eyes, Sharp Teeth, Obsession with conceptual Death. |
| Status | Illegal in most states, and punished by forced curing or death in Regalia. Mortisphages are actively hunted by Regalian law enforcement, as well as religious organizations except Evolism. |
Mortisphages have been lurking in the shadow of global events for centuries, remaining largely undetected due to the more overt violence and virulent spreading of their cousin-Affliction, the Vampires, though they are just as dangerous and perhaps more conniving. When Vampires were brought into the world by the Arch-Void, the Malefica of the Beyond spun its own tale of death into being by mimicking Vampires in a creation of its own, the Mortisphages who would spread their infection and obsession with the concept of death among the mundane population. The Malefica in its hateful design against the living, ordained that these beings would serve two purposes, first to steal the life essence of the living through the Mortis Bite, and second to bring about the terror and fear that causes even Dragons to commit to errors, and allow the Beyond to reach its corrupting reach into the world of the living. Mortisphages are much rarer than the other Afflictions, because they work for secretive masters that have no clear allegiance, and because the work of their masters is best plied in the shadows and outside of the view of the world at large. Societies around Aloria are only just awakening to the existence of the Mortisphages, with many organizations that have traditionally sought to purge Vampires now also expanding their repertoire by hunting down the Mortisphages who always seem to be one step ahead.
Brief History
The exact year of the creation of the first Mortisphage is a mystery, as are the circumstances of their first creation. What is known however, is that the Malefica decreed the creation of the Mortisphages by using the chaos and cover of the sudden surge of Vampirism shortly after the Cataclysm to create something similar, that could deflect blame onto Vampires but engage in plots of its own. Each of the known Ordial Terrors (Gods and Entities from the Beyond), were forced to create their own Soulline and inflict it upon the world of the living, giving rise to several Soullines of Mortisphages, which function like extended non-biological families of those who have infected one another. The Mortisphages spread much more slowly than Vampires did, as this other Affliction was more prone to creating a blood-crazed hunger, while Mortisphages were much more meticulously designed with insidious purpose, and relied less on mass-body count and indiscriminate violence to serve their dark purpose. As time passed and the Ordial Terrors broke free from the chains of the Malefica, each of the Soullines and their fortunes changed somewhat, to the point that some of them even broke free from the Malefica altogether and served their own purposes.
Infection
Becoming a Mortisphage is somewhat more difficult than Vampirism. While like Vampirism, it can involve a ritual of worship to the Malefica, to offer a recent kill in its name and be blessed with the kiss of death from him, a more common form of infection is the Mortis Bite. Unlike Vampirism, Mortisphages are not universally infectious, even for the most ancient and powerful ones among them. When a Mortisphage bites a victim and drinks their blood, the infection can only jump from the Mortisphage to the victim, if the victim has a pre-disposition to an obsession or fascination with the concept of death or mortality. If they have a poetic appreciation or aesthetic reverence of the beauty of finality or the terror and anguish that it is to be alive, then the infection will spread to them, and haunt them in their sleep for several days. In this period, if they seek out a priest of any Religion and relate the terrible night terrors of death and decay, such a priest may become aware of the Mortisphage infection in their body and soul, and attempt to exorcise it. If no action is taken, the person will become a full-fledged Mortisphage on the 7th night.
Design
Mortisphages appear superficially just like Vampires, and many of them use it to their advantage to blame Vampires for their actions. They have paler skin, vampiric teeth as well as an urge to drink blood (though it is far more suppressed for them). What they do differ in, is their eye color. While Vampires have bright red eyes, Mortisphages have sickly green eyes, which leave wispy trails around when moving. Other traits are completely optional, like having the Mortisphage infection making them more lithe and slender or more bulky and muscular, giving them a prehensile tail, night vision, darkened and sunken eye sockets, pointy ears, claws, taller appearance, more corpse-like traits like shallow sunken skin or decaying hair, digitigrade legs, Ordial mutations, ghostly see-through skin, shadow hands, etc. Mental changes are usually limited to the removal of conscience. Unlike Vampires, however, Mortisphages are far more in control of their mentality, and are more calculated and analytical in their approach, favoring striking at the right time, rather than violently and randomly. It is possible to be religious as a Mortisphage, but all Religions bar for Evolism reject Martisphages as corrupted, and will actively attack them.
Purging
While in theory Mortisphages cannot be cured, there is an arduous process and method by which anyone who has Divinium can cleanse Mortisphages, but only those who seek curing, it can never be forced even on a restrained Mortisphage. Any person can call upon the power of their Gods and sacrifice Divinium to cleanse the Ordial Soul Curse. If a Mortisphage approaches a person to request to be cured, and that person agrees to sacrifice Divinium, they can perform a ritual sacrificing to cleanse the soul of the Mortisphage, thus freeing them of the control of the Ordial Terrors. After this, the Mortisphage remains recognizable as a Mortisphage, but no longer feels any of the urges, and no longer has any of the powers (besides the green eyes, if their Soulline included them). This process lasts for either 2 Weeks or 30 Days depending on Player's choice where the Mortisphage may not drink any blood, and if they succeed in this the 1 Divinium is spent and they are cured properly when the period is over.
Soullines
Mortisphages are infected by Mortisphages who came before them, who in turn were infected by others before them. This creates a vast network of ancestry that is sometimes referred to as a family or Murder of Mortisphages. Mortisphages do not necessarily have to be loyal to the Mortisphage who made them and can just as well join up with other Mortisphages belonging to other Soullines, or reject cooperation entirely. Mortisphages only owe some degree of loyalty to their Ordial Teror, the God or Entity that made the first of their Soulline, because they inevitably provide them with some degree of the power that they have. To work against this entity's interests, may result in the Mortisphage's soul being destroyed, though there are tales of Mortisphages who have broken free. Each Soulline can use the Common Mechanics described below, on top of the unique Soulline Mechanics found in their descriptions. Furthermore, additional Mechanics can be found in the Miscellaneous section at the bottom fo the page.
- Common Mechanic One: Mortisphages can use a Court Glamor to hide their teeth and Green Eyes from anyone but fellow Mortisphages, except during feeding. This counts as a Disguise, but not to those who already know they are Mortisphage.
- Common Mechanic Two: Mortisphages, if they have Disguising or Shapeshifting Magic, can hide their teeth and Green Eyes from anyone but Mortisphages, but all of their Proficiencies are set to 0, and they cannot use Abilities in Combat.
- Common Mechanic Three: Mortisphages can use a Party Glamor at Server Events/Player Events (not Raids), which acts as a Disguise, until the leave the Event Venue. Cannot ever be used outside of Event Venues.
- Common Mechanic Four: Mortisphages, when using Curses via Advanced Roleplay Mechanics can apply minor Curses that last for up to 12 Hours max, without OOC Consent, which count as having +1 Magic Stat for dispelling considerations.
Death Hands of the Malefica
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The Death Hands of Malefica (shortened to Death Hands) were created by the Malefica itself as a type of enforcer within the Mortisphages, that would keep the other Mortisphages in check. The Malefica is not so foolish to underestimate the other Ordial Terrors, especially the Consigner, who is well known to act on its own interests and sometimes in contradiction of its master the Malefica. Even if the Malefica could not stop the eventual breaking free of some of the other Ordial Terrors, the Death Hands still operate to some degree in this original function, to force independently minded Mortisphages back into the fold and in service of the Malefica. The Death Hands are often reviled by the other Mortisphages and are particularly violent and life-hating, far out of the norm of the other more secretive Mortisphages, beyond the fear-full reputation they might have of being enforcers of the Death God. |
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