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{{Info afflictions
{{Info afflictions
|image      = Geist.png
|image      = geist.png
|races      = All Races excluding  [[Kathar]] and [[Yanar]]
|races      = All, except [[Urlan]], [[Bralona]], [[Kathar]] and [[Yanar]].
|contraction = IC
|contraction = Ritual, Infection, Relics
|mortality  = N/A
|mortality  = Long-lived
|origins    = [[Bintaar]]
|origins    = The Consigner
|}}
|}}
To be Geist is to both be a testament of a cruel joke imparted by the Consigner, and a living embodiment that sometimes even the cleverest of Gods are defied by the unpredictability of fate itself. Geists are Afflicted of the Ordial type, once brought about by a disastrous bargain between the Ordial God the Consigner, and an Allorn Prince, who was fooled in producing an army of the Consigner's personal middlemen in stealing the memories from the souls of mortals. As time passed however, Geists became both so numerous and powerful on their own accord, far removed from the Consigner, that they started developing their own culture and were freed from the Consigner's direct control, even if they are still affected by a permanent hunger to consume memories, and are empowered by the same Ordial powers that once created their forebearers. 


Geists are a little-documented classification of [[Ordial]] Afflicted who have existed in a variety of incarnations spanning different cultures and times in [[Aloria]]’s history. The semi-mortal servants of Death itself in the living world, Geists are conceived as enforcers and harbingers of the will of whatever created them: be that a particularly talented Ordial summoner, a great cult of [[Bintaar]] or the designs of an Ordial entity itself, though claims of such are entirely mythologized and have no factual basis in what little history exists of these beings in Aloria. That history tells of a caste of warriors created by those with necromantic power to serve the Death-worshippers of the [[Asha]], [[Eronidas]], and [[Allorn]] peoples within their secretive Ordial cults. In times more modern, Geists still number plenty among the [[Sefakhem]] and aid in guarding their great necropolis and can also be found serving Eronidas mystics as revered spirit-warriors. Some individual Geists work as operatives of the clandestine [[Unionists]] who hold particular faith in the land of the dead, and some even claim that ancient Geists from the time of the [[Allorn Empire]] still abide by the will of their makers, the Children of Kruphos, and safeguard the secrets laid to rest inside of the grand Temple of [[Ammu-Loa]]. Even the [[Bone King]] himself hosts a number of Geists among the higher ranks of his army.
==Core Concepts==
===Playing a Geist===
Geists, being Afflicted, are cursed by "evil" forces, and harm society around them no matter how much someone can pretend they do not. As such, they are the closest thing you might find (along with other [[Afflictions]] to being prime antagonists on MassiveCraft in between Events when there aren't DM NPC's to unite against. Playing a Geist means you will likely get hunted/attacked by a large amount of Characters in Roleplay, as they are effectively perpetually illegal, and legal to attack/imprison/cure for vigilantes and Knights. You should not play a Geist if you have trouble with constant conflict, or find being attacked frequently and randomly in even social scenes uncomfortable.  


The nature of a Geist is that of a living person who has had a Shade from Bintaar ritually infused with their own soul by coming into possession of a weapon that has been imbued as the resting place of that Shade through a dangerous, precise process that remarkably few throughout the scarce history of Ordial cultism have been able to properly master. The Shade’s symbiotic attachment to their living host results in a mutual development of strength, with the living person gaining access to untapped spectral power and the Shade gaining something of a second life without the potentially torturous existence as an Undead. The Shade, being a blank and memoryless spirit when it is fused with the living host, also starts to develop a distinct persona while attached that bases itself upon the host soul: it becomes emblematic of an abstraction or emotion, such as ‘rage’ or ‘love’ or ‘heroism’, and this dominating trait also bleeds over into the host’s behavior with increasing severity based on how much control or influence they personally afford the Shade.  
===Infection & Curing===
Being a Geist, is a curable condition, but also one that is contagious from one Geist to non-Geists. Geist curing requires that a Geist is defeated in combat, and dragged off to a Curing Chamber (or some other form of Curing Mechanic). Only Specific Characters are able to cure Geists (and other Afflictions). Becoming a Geist can be done in a variety of ways (described below), though there are some exception and corner cases. For example, someone can only ever have one [[Affliction]], or some [[Affinity|Affinites]], meaning that one cannot be a Geist and Vampire, or Geist and Marken at the same time. Geists are equally also immune to being infected by other Afflictions or certain Affinities unless they are Cured. Finally, if they already have Radiant, Sinistral, or Theurgy Point Buy (and other such Dimension Aligned Abilities), they are all converted from their original Alignment to Ordial upon infection, including any Spirits converted to Ordial Shades, until they are Cured, and they both return to their previous types.
* '''Conversion by Ritual:''' Conversion by Ritual means writing a story for yourself, or passing it off in backstory, that a Character worshiped the Ordial Gods, and was blessed by them by becoming a Geist.
* '''Conversion by Feeding:''' Conversion by Feeding means that 24 hours after being fed on by a Geist, a victim can turn into a Geist also. If a player objects to infection during feeding, this does not happen.
* '''Conversion by Relic:''' Conversion by Relic means a person randomly stumbles into an infected weapon harboring a Geist, once belonging to a now-dead Geist. Owning such a weapon turns the owner into a Geist.


This representative trait is at its most prominent when the Geist accesses their individual Eidolon Form, temporarily granting their Shade near-full control of themselves. They become a creature of Bintaar itself, varying visually depending on their own personal identity: great beings composed of iron, bone and other Ordial ghostly things, fashioned to perform the task they were created for.  
===Physical & Mental Changes===
Becoming a Geist does affect both the body and the mind of the person, these changes taking hold during infection and remaining permanent until they are Cured. These changes are split between Required and Optional changes:
* '''Required Changes'''
** All Geist irises turn solid sickly green glowing, and produce light trails as they move around. Additionally, they have perfect nightvision during night, and are able to see in darkness.
** All Geists are free from guilt over their urges, like feeding. This doesn't make them devoid of emotion or consciousness, it just means they won't feel bad about feeding or being Geists.
* '''Optional Changes'''
** Infection can enhance the body, for example by making the host larger, more muscular, taller, have bones protruding like spikes, a prehensile tail, claw hands and feet, digitigrade legs, etc.
** Infection can give the host more Ordial-like aesthetics, like bone-white hair, bleached skin, see-through ghostly skin when they get angry and express rage, ordial flames on their hands etc.
** Infection can make a person less emotionally responsive, blunting their happiness and excitement, or making them have a shorter attention span or worse temper, with defaulting to violence.
** Infection may cause a person's view of Affliction to shift completely, from hatred, to adoring and vanity. Even after curing, it may cause a person to desperately seek re-infection.  


==Becoming a Geist==
===Afflicted Form===
===Playing a Geist in Regalia===
Afflicted Form is a Transformation that can be used by Geists to disguise themselves, or just look cool while going into Combat. Afflicted Forms are more monstrous forms of their normal body, and allow some more creative freedom like making the Character appear more like a hulking beast, so long as it remains vaguely humanoid, and should not add additional function (like wielding more than one weapon with multiple arms). Afflicted Form cannot imitate other types (like Vampires or Marken), and must always remain the same, and be predominantly green or Ordial-themed.  
Geistdom is not explicitly illegal by any measure, as Geists are not Undead nor outright infected by any extraplanar taint. The official Imperial recognition of Bintaar as being an existent place of Death puts Geists into an odd gray category of legality. Those who are opposed to the powers of Bintaar and the Dead find them repugnant, but those who are aligned toward those same powers can find allies and friendships with them as being living representatives of their venerable Dead realm. Geists above all else want to further the cause of whatever Ordial Entity they find themselves aligned with and act accordingly.


===The Binding===
===Afflicted Feeding===
To be made a Geist usually does not come with the same flippant happenstance as catching the [[Sanguine]] or [[Shattered]] Curses, as it typically requires one to purposefully seek out a Geist-infused weapon and claim it as theirs. There are, however, notable instances of people accidentally retrieving these weapons from ruins and secret places without knowing their true potential, and having their souls bonded regardless. To make these weapons, a strong necromancer must work with a skilled blacksmith to produce the weapon in question, and during its creation they must plunge through Bintaar’s depths and select a Shade that has become mostly ‘blank’ over the duration of its time and supplant the weapon with the thanhic soul essence of the conjured Shade. This makes the weapon extremely volatile and reactive, causing the next living and un-Afflicted person to hold it to have their soul combined with the Shade, the two becoming one semi-seamless entity and making them into a Geist. There are a multitude of ways to become a Geist as a character through a process called ‘the Binding’:
Geists, like all other forms of Afflictions, must feed in order to survive. Their Affliction is hardwired in such a way that they have a constant urge to feed that will only momentarily be sated by consuming the memories of a victim. It is only possible to feed from a combat defeated foe, as the process is a violation of the person and no sane person would consent to having their memories invaded and stolen from them. Feeding takes about 5 minutes, during which the Geist consumes memories, but must restart if attacked. The victim may decide what types of memories they forget, they can be the last 24 hours, or specific people, or just random memories from their childhood. Not everyone is willing to admit being fed on to authorities, as this immediately draws suspicion to the victim, they might be infected also. We strongly request players are consistent on feeding in Roleplay and not just offscreen-NPC the feeding process, but won't enforce it.  
*The most direct way in-character is to request that a sufficiently powerful necromancer on-server (like Xaella Mailaan) grant a weapon to them through a ritual at the Ordial Temple. The process requires the necromancer and a blacksmith to work in conjunction and make a weapon before it is bestowed upon the character. The ritual does not work if they are already Afflicted, and also cleanses them of any Void or Exist Essence that is still lingering in them, especially Magic Point Buy Abilities, which are no longer usable.
*Additionally, existing Geists can have a weapon forged and come to an Ordial Temple with a prospective one and engage in the same ritual with them.
*Another way is to off-screen the acquisition of a Geist weapon, either by way of another powerful necromancer in the world abroad (like the Bone King or Ghōl’an Volkon) giving the weapon to the character because they were a former servant or the character finding one in an old Ordial ruin or temple.  
*Ordial Entities can sometimes give a weapon to a particularly adept and devout follower of theirs, but this is not broadly available for backstories. If you would like to backstory a Geist weapon like this, please make a Roleplay Community Discord Ticket to discuss the circumstances. Be forewarned, there is no guarantee this request will be approved, because it depends on a lot of factors. It is also possible to have this done in Roleplay, but Ordial Entities are very nebulous and difficult to encounter and most likely cannot be trusted.
===Exceptions===
*[[Kathar]], and [[Yanar]] cannot become Geists.
*If a Geist uses Engineering, their Branch has to be Necrotech.
*Upon becoming Geists, Magic Point Buy is force-refunded, unless it was made Ordial.
*Geists can only take other Mystic Point Buy packs if they want Magic.
*Afflicted Individuals, or Mages, (Ordial or Primal), cannot become Geists.
*As Geist status is a form of Ordial Occult, there are no powers that can cure it.


===Mental Changes===
===Geist Weapon===
Compared to other similar Afflictions of other sources, Geists experience relatively fewer changes to their thoughts and personality upon binding with the Shade in their weapon. For ease of reference, these are recorded in bullet points below:
Geists like all Afflicted can use a Summon Weapon Ability to draw a weapon from the ether into their hand in an instant. This Weapon does not need to remain the same and can change appearance over time, representing part of the Afflicted's personality as well in how it looks. If Infected as a Geist for long enough, the Weapon may become infested by an Ordial Shade, which results in the weapon becoming a Geist Relic. This means that if the Geist perishes and the weapon is picked up by another non-Geist, that person is infected and becomes a Geist as well, with the Geist Relic now being their Weapon Summon.  
*Geists have a mental relationship with their Shade as it develops a personality reflective of its host and an abstract trait representative of the host itself like ‘love’, ‘rage’, ‘heroism’, etc.  
 
*This trait and the Shade itself can hold varying levels of influence over the living Geist, and it is entirely up to the player to decide how much they are dominated by it.
==Geist Traits==
*The Shade can, if given enough control, evolve into an identity of its own reflective aspects of the Host with its own name and goals in alignment with an entity from Bintaar.
This section puts all Abilities, Free Packs, Limitations, and Mechanics together for ease of reference. Keep in mind, Afflictions are not Races, these Traits are additive, they do not replace Racial Traits.
*Geists have a natural aversion to high, undiluted concentration of essences from the Void and Exist (like that found within demons, Void Gods, [[Arken]], places where the Void and Exist have severely warped and affected the world) as they carry what is mostly a raw portion of Bintaar within themselves thanks to the weapon, provoking unease and sometimes even hostile reactions in them.
==Geist Base Kit==
Geists gain one Ability in their Base Kit. Additionally, being a Geist allows a Character to Point-Buy Mystic Point Buy Abilities with Magic Proficiency Points. Geists must purchase the relevant Weapon Pack that corresponds with their Geist Weapon gained from their Base Kit. If a Character had any Proficiency Points invested in [[Magic Point Buy]], these points are all refunded, and can be re-spent in Mystic Point Buy (These Packs are not refunded if they are made Ordial by a Racial Ability or Special, and the Geist can still use them.) Any points left or not spent on Mystic Point Buy may be re-spent on other Proficiencies. If the Character did not have any Magic Point buy Packs Prior, they may re-shuffle their Proficiencies once, to add any additional Mystic Point Buy they desire.
===Abilities===
===Abilities===
{| class="wikitable"  
{| class="wikitable"  
Line 46: Line 47:
! Ability Range
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
! Ability Description
! Modifiers
! Modifier
|-
| style="background-color:#75ebbc;" | Armor Summon
| Summon Power
| {{#simple-tooltip: Self | Self Range means that it applies to the user themselves, or something they can directly touch after casting it.}}
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Armor Summon | The user can summon any type of Armor on any part of their body. Summoned armor has the same durability as mundane armor, but counts as Ability Armor.
}}
| N/A
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#75ebbc;" | Weapon Summon
| style="background-color:#75ebbc;" | Weapon Summon
| Summon Power
| Summon Power
| Self
| Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Weapon Summon | The user can summon any type of weapon from Melee Weapon Point Buy, or Ranged Weapon Point Buy made out of Magic. This weapon functions like a normal weapon would, has the same durability, but does not use any ammunition to fire if ranged. The user can give the weapon to someone else, but can't summon more than one. A destroyed Summoned Weapon cannot be Summoned again for 12 IRL Hours.
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Weapon Summon | The user can summon any type of weapon from Melee Point Buy, or Ranged Point Buy made out of Magic. This weapon functions like a normal weapon would, has the same durability, but does not use any ammunition to fire if ranged. The user can give the weapon to someone else, but can't summon more than one. A destroyed Summoned Weapon cannot be Summoned again for 12 IRL Hours.
}}
}}
| {{#simple-tooltip: Geist Modifier | The Geist can summon a weapon from Firearms Point Buy. The Geist can only summon the same type of weapon, which must be locked in on their Character App. The Geist cannot be disarmed, nor can their weapon be destroyed or de-summoned by any external mechanics, and they cannot give their weapon to another person (they can still willingly de-summon it.) Additionally, once per day, the Geist can choose one Mundane Technique they use from their weapon and make it uncounterable one time. This re-sets at server restart. }}
| N/A
|-
|}
|}
===Free Packs===
* '''Geist Buff I:''' Geists gain the [[Sinistral_Point_Buy#Magical_Talent|Sinistral Magical Talent]] in Ordial Alignment for free. If the Geist already has Sinistral Point Buy, this does nothing.
===Limitations===
* '''Geist Limitation I:''' Urlan, and Bralona cannot be Geists under any circumstances. Geists also cannot become other Afflictions, or [[Marken]] or [[Archon]].
* '''Geist Limitation II:''' Geist can invest into Radiant Point Buy and use its abilities, but any Radiant Magic they use is Sinistral [[Magic]] instead.


===Specials===
===Mechanics===
*'''Geist Body:''' The Geist’s appearance and body is changed by their nature, unable to be overridden or hidden by any mutations or abilities except ones that hide afflictions. Their aging is completely halted at the point of their being made a Geist and their hair becomes any shade between white and dark gray, with a distinct metallic sheen to it. Their irises are always a shade of Ordial green with a ghostly shimmer to them.  
* '''Deathseer:''' Geist Feeding is invasive, and allows the Geist to see the victim's fears and nightmares concerning death, and what other deaths they have witnessed, or what lives they have taken.
*'''Death Speech:''' Geists are capable of speaking and understanding Death Speech or Shadetongue either when it is spoken by Ordial Entities, or by others. Death Speech is a unique language because it cannot be learned the traditional way, only specific Races and Afflictions have access to it. Additionally, it is also a language that has no defined alphabet and cannot be properly read, the runes and markings varying between the cultures and Ordial cults that use it, though it is always identifiable as Deathspeech. It also defies being recorded, as the sound just becomes gibberish when any type of recording medium is used to try and replay it, even memory Abilities.
* '''Geist-Broods:''' Geists sire offspring called Geist-Broods. They are born with Heterochromia (one sickly green one normal eye) or normal eye colors, and a strong connection to Ordial Magic, but are not Geists themselves (unless infected)
*'''Sight of the Dead:''' Geists are able to detect Undead, Ordial Mages or other Ordial Afflicted and Ordial Artifacts if they are present within Emote range. They are marked to them with a ghostly green aura around their image.
* '''Geist-Life:''' Geists are not immortal, but their life is extended by several centuries, up to a maximum of 500. There are in theory older Geists, but we do not permit players to play 500+ year old Characters.
*'''Phantom Limb:''' Geists can make any of their extremities appear ethereal and phantasmal at-will.
* '''Geist-Form:''' Geists can use Afflicted Form to transform into a Disguised Monster Form. Even though this is a Disguise, it cannot be seen through, even by Abilities or Mechanics that can see through Disguises.
*'''Eidolon Form:''' The Eidolon Form is a Geist fully embracing Bintaar’s gifts and the Shade in them, assuming a form reminiscent of the beings found in the Ordial realm itself. They enter a Special Transformation that is so distinct it can act as a Disguise itself. The player has creative liberty over its appearance and design and they can have a number of additional traits such as extra arms, eyes, wings, tails, spikes, tendrils, appendages, and more, but they should all be Ordial themed. Keep in mind that an Eidolon Form is purely aesthetic when it comes to Combat Roleplay, so for example extra arms cannot be used to wield extra weapons, though outside of Combat Roleplay they can be functional to perform non-hostile/competitive actions like pouring a drink or holding an item. Eidolon Forms have an additional set of rules that must be followed:
* '''Geist-Curse:''' After having successfully fed off a victim, the victim gains the Lifecurse, which is a -2 Main Defense Stat debuff for 72 hours after feeding, that weakens them.  
**Eidolon Forms may never imitate other Transformations of other Abilities or other Races. Additionally, elements of Ordial Themes must be prominent, but exactly where is up to the player.
* '''Geist-Thralls:''' Geists are able to (with strict OOC consent) establish a mind-control curse after feeding on a victim that lasts until Exorcized. Thralls cannot be infected.
**Players may design their own Eidolon Form, but the description must be placed on a Character Application under “Eidolon Form” somewhere in Abilities.
* '''Geist-Speech:''' Geists are able to communicate in a secret language that only Geists, Undead, and Geist-Thralls and Geist-Broods can understand, that cannot be understood through other Abilities or Mechanics.  
**Green is a dominant color, but ‘Undead Aesthetics’ are not necessarily required. Bintaar’s entities and their appearances and other related themes can all serve as inspiration.
* '''Geist-Forge:''' Geists are able to apply Ordial aesthetics and decorations on objects they own, armor, weapons, rental regions, and areas around them, creating necromancer effects and decorations.  
**The Player may decide that their Eidolon Form is unrecognizable from their normal appearance, or has the same face. It functioning as a disguise is optional.
**Eidolon Forms are permanent. They may never change in Roleplay. Players may change it to look different on their app, but this is always a retcon backwards.


==Culture==
Geists do not possess any sense of historical bloodlines or unity like Vampires do, but can instead sometimes draw common traits and purposes from the various known Death Cults and Ordial-aligned organizations that may have spawned them if they were created by a servant of that cult or came to serve them. These can be used to apply additional themes to roleplay, with some representing Gods, and some representing Races. This is not required reading, purely roleplay flavor.
===Malefica Theme: The Children of Kruphos===
During the height of the Allorn Empire, the Children of Kruphos dwelled just below the surface as a cult of death-obsessed Altalar who followed in the teachings of their predecessor Zenallăeia of Three Corpses and developed their own radical idea that Bintaar housed a mirrored version of the Allorn deity Estel, called Kruphos, and that it was their sacred mission to bring about Kruphos’ emergence into Aloria. While the Children have long since collapsed and faded away into antiquity, their general practices of death magic and Geist-creation still reign on, and many literary and scholarly sources about the subject that are still read today originate from them. Many modern day Geists can trace the creation of their weapons or the origins of their Legions to the days of the Children of Kruphos and pay homage to them with their defense of sacred Ordial sites like graveyards and Temples, and aid Ordial mages with their death-magic pursuits. These Relics are called Crowns of Kruphos, and Geists who possess them tend to be exceptionally murderous, unpredictable, explosive, and uncontrollable by others around them, purely beset by an urge to kill.
===Lantern Theme: The Deathlamps===
After the rise of the Songaskian Masaya, even though it was very Dragon oriented, a natural alliance formed between the Lantern's faithful and Marik's Archon in Farahdeen, both concerned and pushed to action against the growing Undead unrest in Farahdeen. The Deathlamps are Ordial Mages and Geists who joined forces with the Archon in Farahdeen, and fight against Ordial Occult who would abuse and waste away Shades for the sake of power, acting against the wishes of the Lantern. They seek out mindless Undead and put them out of their misery, while (attempting) the less violent alternative to Soothsayer Archon by trying to convince Undead to pass on into the afterlife and let go of the mortal world. Deathlamps are sometimes seen as anti-Geists, because they are often in conflict with many other Geists, who see Shades purely as fuel and stepping stones to power.
===Consigner Theme: The Moonlight Circus===
The Moonlight Circus is as old as Geists themselves, one of the earliest iteration of Consigner fanatic Geists who remained loyal to their lord, even after most other Geists were torn from the Consigner's control by time and distance. The Moonlight Circus travels around the world, often landing in Regalia, to set up shows and festivities during a night display of the Circus. All visitors have an amazing time, but when leaving the Circus, forget the last 24 hours, with their memories offered up to Consigner during the sunrise before the Circus moves on. Moonlight Acrobats are often mistrusted by free Geists, because they might just want to rope other Geists back into the control of the Consigner.
===Glacial Theme: Waste Wanderers===
Among the Bene Rexit Isldar, there are some particularly devoted servants of their great Glacial that choose to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of defending their peoples’ territory and fulfilling their God’s great mission of accelerating the creep of Death Isldar Power. These Waste-Wanderers take up the powers of a Geist in order to fight and kill and aid the Glacial's cause in every better way conceivable. Many create epithets and titles for themselves, considering their task a holy one. Most notable of them all is Vallethar the Rime-king, who has fostered a particularly vicious brigade of murderous Isldar Geists that leave naught but frozen corpses and freshly resurrected Undead in their wake. With the advent of war with the Dragon-worshippers on the horizon, a great deal of Waste-Wandering Isldar Geists have flocked to Regalia to fight what they see as the nexus of support for the Life Isldar, their sworn enemies.
===Evintarian Theme: The Tychiménean Knights===
The Bone King’s armies are composed of a vast array of religious warriors, resurrected Undead and Geists, all unified beneath his banner. There exists a cadre of particularly elite Geists in the army known as The Tychiménean Knights. They are made up of hand-selected Evintarian Unionist knights who prove themselves in the Bone King’s service and are elevated to a higher, sanctified status. While they are not recognized as a true Knightly order in the Empire, they have some notoriety among Ordial followers and Evintarians in particular. The greatest of them take on inherited names and titles, while the rest just wear heraldic armor and represent the interests of the Bone King and Evintarian Unionism. Members from their unofficial order are sent out to lands like Regalia, to protect Evintarian priests (even if they don't want it), or protect Ordial VIP's like important scholars or Ordial Mages with political sway.
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Old fables and dubious zealot scripture say the first Geists were created by the mythical First Necromancer as its servants, but any proof of this has long vanished into the depths of history.
* A great many Geists, while in their Geist Form, are mistaken for various types of Undead or Ordial abominations of other origin.
*The Eidolon Forms of Geists are sometimes mistaken for Undead, though they tend to visibly appear much more bizarre and otherworldly than them.
* There are some Geists who become so overwhelmed by the presence of the Shade in their weapon that they entirely lose scope of who they are, the lines blurred between their own mind and the Shade’s, becoming known colloquially as Eidolon and sometimes utilized as the most powerful but difficult to control of their kind.
*The most well known Geists are the Bone King’s Tychiménean Knights, an order of devout [[Thyemic]] Unionists who all take up their king’s blessings to form his elite vanguard. There are only six at any time, and if one perishes or is obliterated they are replaced by another who takes up the same name and mantle.
* It is entirely unknown how old the oldest living Geist may be, but by estimations there could be some as old as the Dewamenet Empire itself, though if they do exist the Sefakhem keep their identity and whereabouts under tight lock and key.
 
{{Afflictions}}
{{Afflictions}}
{{Accreditation
{{Accreditation
|Writers = Finlaggan
|Writers = Finlaggan, MonMarty
|Processors = FireFan96, LumosJared, Birdsfoot_Violet
|Processors = birdsfoot_violet
}}
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[[category:Afflictions]] [[category:Ordial Afflictions]]
[[category:Afflictions]] [[category:Ordial Afflictions]]

Latest revision as of 02:41, 22 February 2024

Geist
Geist.png
Afflictions
Affected Races All, except Urlan, Bralona, Kathar and Yanar.
Contraction Ritual, Infection, Relics
Mortality Rate Long-lived
Origins The Consigner

To be Geist is to both be a testament of a cruel joke imparted by the Consigner, and a living embodiment that sometimes even the cleverest of Gods are defied by the unpredictability of fate itself. Geists are Afflicted of the Ordial type, once brought about by a disastrous bargain between the Ordial God the Consigner, and an Allorn Prince, who was fooled in producing an army of the Consigner's personal middlemen in stealing the memories from the souls of mortals. As time passed however, Geists became both so numerous and powerful on their own accord, far removed from the Consigner, that they started developing their own culture and were freed from the Consigner's direct control, even if they are still affected by a permanent hunger to consume memories, and are empowered by the same Ordial powers that once created their forebearers.

Core Concepts

Playing a Geist

Geists, being Afflicted, are cursed by "evil" forces, and harm society around them no matter how much someone can pretend they do not. As such, they are the closest thing you might find (along with other Afflictions to being prime antagonists on MassiveCraft in between Events when there aren't DM NPC's to unite against. Playing a Geist means you will likely get hunted/attacked by a large amount of Characters in Roleplay, as they are effectively perpetually illegal, and legal to attack/imprison/cure for vigilantes and Knights. You should not play a Geist if you have trouble with constant conflict, or find being attacked frequently and randomly in even social scenes uncomfortable.

Infection & Curing

Being a Geist, is a curable condition, but also one that is contagious from one Geist to non-Geists. Geist curing requires that a Geist is defeated in combat, and dragged off to a Curing Chamber (or some other form of Curing Mechanic). Only Specific Characters are able to cure Geists (and other Afflictions). Becoming a Geist can be done in a variety of ways (described below), though there are some exception and corner cases. For example, someone can only ever have one Affliction, or some Affinites, meaning that one cannot be a Geist and Vampire, or Geist and Marken at the same time. Geists are equally also immune to being infected by other Afflictions or certain Affinities unless they are Cured. Finally, if they already have Radiant, Sinistral, or Theurgy Point Buy (and other such Dimension Aligned Abilities), they are all converted from their original Alignment to Ordial upon infection, including any Spirits converted to Ordial Shades, until they are Cured, and they both return to their previous types.

  • Conversion by Ritual: Conversion by Ritual means writing a story for yourself, or passing it off in backstory, that a Character worshiped the Ordial Gods, and was blessed by them by becoming a Geist.
  • Conversion by Feeding: Conversion by Feeding means that 24 hours after being fed on by a Geist, a victim can turn into a Geist also. If a player objects to infection during feeding, this does not happen.
  • Conversion by Relic: Conversion by Relic means a person randomly stumbles into an infected weapon harboring a Geist, once belonging to a now-dead Geist. Owning such a weapon turns the owner into a Geist.

Physical & Mental Changes

Becoming a Geist does affect both the body and the mind of the person, these changes taking hold during infection and remaining permanent until they are Cured. These changes are split between Required and Optional changes:

  • Required Changes
    • All Geist irises turn solid sickly green glowing, and produce light trails as they move around. Additionally, they have perfect nightvision during night, and are able to see in darkness.
    • All Geists are free from guilt over their urges, like feeding. This doesn't make them devoid of emotion or consciousness, it just means they won't feel bad about feeding or being Geists.
  • Optional Changes
    • Infection can enhance the body, for example by making the host larger, more muscular, taller, have bones protruding like spikes, a prehensile tail, claw hands and feet, digitigrade legs, etc.
    • Infection can give the host more Ordial-like aesthetics, like bone-white hair, bleached skin, see-through ghostly skin when they get angry and express rage, ordial flames on their hands etc.
    • Infection can make a person less emotionally responsive, blunting their happiness and excitement, or making them have a shorter attention span or worse temper, with defaulting to violence.
    • Infection may cause a person's view of Affliction to shift completely, from hatred, to adoring and vanity. Even after curing, it may cause a person to desperately seek re-infection.

Afflicted Form

Afflicted Form is a Transformation that can be used by Geists to disguise themselves, or just look cool while going into Combat. Afflicted Forms are more monstrous forms of their normal body, and allow some more creative freedom like making the Character appear more like a hulking beast, so long as it remains vaguely humanoid, and should not add additional function (like wielding more than one weapon with multiple arms). Afflicted Form cannot imitate other types (like Vampires or Marken), and must always remain the same, and be predominantly green or Ordial-themed.

Afflicted Feeding

Geists, like all other forms of Afflictions, must feed in order to survive. Their Affliction is hardwired in such a way that they have a constant urge to feed that will only momentarily be sated by consuming the memories of a victim. It is only possible to feed from a combat defeated foe, as the process is a violation of the person and no sane person would consent to having their memories invaded and stolen from them. Feeding takes about 5 minutes, during which the Geist consumes memories, but must restart if attacked. The victim may decide what types of memories they forget, they can be the last 24 hours, or specific people, or just random memories from their childhood. Not everyone is willing to admit being fed on to authorities, as this immediately draws suspicion to the victim, they might be infected also. We strongly request players are consistent on feeding in Roleplay and not just offscreen-NPC the feeding process, but won't enforce it.

Geist Weapon

Geists like all Afflicted can use a Summon Weapon Ability to draw a weapon from the ether into their hand in an instant. This Weapon does not need to remain the same and can change appearance over time, representing part of the Afflicted's personality as well in how it looks. If Infected as a Geist for long enough, the Weapon may become infested by an Ordial Shade, which results in the weapon becoming a Geist Relic. This means that if the Geist perishes and the weapon is picked up by another non-Geist, that person is infected and becomes a Geist as well, with the Geist Relic now being their Weapon Summon.

Geist Traits

This section puts all Abilities, Free Packs, Limitations, and Mechanics together for ease of reference. Keep in mind, Afflictions are not Races, these Traits are additive, they do not replace Racial Traits.

Abilities

Ability Name Ability Type Ability Range Ability Description Modifier
Armor Summon Summon Power Self

Grants the user Armor Summon

N/A
Weapon Summon Summon Power Self Grants the user Weapon Summon

N/A

Free Packs

  • Geist Buff I: Geists gain the Sinistral Magical Talent in Ordial Alignment for free. If the Geist already has Sinistral Point Buy, this does nothing.

Limitations

  • Geist Limitation I: Urlan, and Bralona cannot be Geists under any circumstances. Geists also cannot become other Afflictions, or Marken or Archon.
  • Geist Limitation II: Geist can invest into Radiant Point Buy and use its abilities, but any Radiant Magic they use is Sinistral Magic instead.

Mechanics

  • Deathseer: Geist Feeding is invasive, and allows the Geist to see the victim's fears and nightmares concerning death, and what other deaths they have witnessed, or what lives they have taken.
  • Geist-Broods: Geists sire offspring called Geist-Broods. They are born with Heterochromia (one sickly green one normal eye) or normal eye colors, and a strong connection to Ordial Magic, but are not Geists themselves (unless infected)
  • Geist-Life: Geists are not immortal, but their life is extended by several centuries, up to a maximum of 500. There are in theory older Geists, but we do not permit players to play 500+ year old Characters.
  • Geist-Form: Geists can use Afflicted Form to transform into a Disguised Monster Form. Even though this is a Disguise, it cannot be seen through, even by Abilities or Mechanics that can see through Disguises.
  • Geist-Curse: After having successfully fed off a victim, the victim gains the Lifecurse, which is a -2 Main Defense Stat debuff for 72 hours after feeding, that weakens them.
  • Geist-Thralls: Geists are able to (with strict OOC consent) establish a mind-control curse after feeding on a victim that lasts until Exorcized. Thralls cannot be infected.
  • Geist-Speech: Geists are able to communicate in a secret language that only Geists, Undead, and Geist-Thralls and Geist-Broods can understand, that cannot be understood through other Abilities or Mechanics.
  • Geist-Forge: Geists are able to apply Ordial aesthetics and decorations on objects they own, armor, weapons, rental regions, and areas around them, creating necromancer effects and decorations.

Culture

Geists do not possess any sense of historical bloodlines or unity like Vampires do, but can instead sometimes draw common traits and purposes from the various known Death Cults and Ordial-aligned organizations that may have spawned them if they were created by a servant of that cult or came to serve them. These can be used to apply additional themes to roleplay, with some representing Gods, and some representing Races. This is not required reading, purely roleplay flavor.

Malefica Theme: The Children of Kruphos

During the height of the Allorn Empire, the Children of Kruphos dwelled just below the surface as a cult of death-obsessed Altalar who followed in the teachings of their predecessor Zenallăeia of Three Corpses and developed their own radical idea that Bintaar housed a mirrored version of the Allorn deity Estel, called Kruphos, and that it was their sacred mission to bring about Kruphos’ emergence into Aloria. While the Children have long since collapsed and faded away into antiquity, their general practices of death magic and Geist-creation still reign on, and many literary and scholarly sources about the subject that are still read today originate from them. Many modern day Geists can trace the creation of their weapons or the origins of their Legions to the days of the Children of Kruphos and pay homage to them with their defense of sacred Ordial sites like graveyards and Temples, and aid Ordial mages with their death-magic pursuits. These Relics are called Crowns of Kruphos, and Geists who possess them tend to be exceptionally murderous, unpredictable, explosive, and uncontrollable by others around them, purely beset by an urge to kill.

Lantern Theme: The Deathlamps

After the rise of the Songaskian Masaya, even though it was very Dragon oriented, a natural alliance formed between the Lantern's faithful and Marik's Archon in Farahdeen, both concerned and pushed to action against the growing Undead unrest in Farahdeen. The Deathlamps are Ordial Mages and Geists who joined forces with the Archon in Farahdeen, and fight against Ordial Occult who would abuse and waste away Shades for the sake of power, acting against the wishes of the Lantern. They seek out mindless Undead and put them out of their misery, while (attempting) the less violent alternative to Soothsayer Archon by trying to convince Undead to pass on into the afterlife and let go of the mortal world. Deathlamps are sometimes seen as anti-Geists, because they are often in conflict with many other Geists, who see Shades purely as fuel and stepping stones to power.

Consigner Theme: The Moonlight Circus

The Moonlight Circus is as old as Geists themselves, one of the earliest iteration of Consigner fanatic Geists who remained loyal to their lord, even after most other Geists were torn from the Consigner's control by time and distance. The Moonlight Circus travels around the world, often landing in Regalia, to set up shows and festivities during a night display of the Circus. All visitors have an amazing time, but when leaving the Circus, forget the last 24 hours, with their memories offered up to Consigner during the sunrise before the Circus moves on. Moonlight Acrobats are often mistrusted by free Geists, because they might just want to rope other Geists back into the control of the Consigner.

Glacial Theme: Waste Wanderers

Among the Bene Rexit Isldar, there are some particularly devoted servants of their great Glacial that choose to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of defending their peoples’ territory and fulfilling their God’s great mission of accelerating the creep of Death Isldar Power. These Waste-Wanderers take up the powers of a Geist in order to fight and kill and aid the Glacial's cause in every better way conceivable. Many create epithets and titles for themselves, considering their task a holy one. Most notable of them all is Vallethar the Rime-king, who has fostered a particularly vicious brigade of murderous Isldar Geists that leave naught but frozen corpses and freshly resurrected Undead in their wake. With the advent of war with the Dragon-worshippers on the horizon, a great deal of Waste-Wandering Isldar Geists have flocked to Regalia to fight what they see as the nexus of support for the Life Isldar, their sworn enemies.

Evintarian Theme: The Tychiménean Knights

The Bone King’s armies are composed of a vast array of religious warriors, resurrected Undead and Geists, all unified beneath his banner. There exists a cadre of particularly elite Geists in the army known as The Tychiménean Knights. They are made up of hand-selected Evintarian Unionist knights who prove themselves in the Bone King’s service and are elevated to a higher, sanctified status. While they are not recognized as a true Knightly order in the Empire, they have some notoriety among Ordial followers and Evintarians in particular. The greatest of them take on inherited names and titles, while the rest just wear heraldic armor and represent the interests of the Bone King and Evintarian Unionism. Members from their unofficial order are sent out to lands like Regalia, to protect Evintarian priests (even if they don't want it), or protect Ordial VIP's like important scholars or Ordial Mages with political sway.

Trivia

  • A great many Geists, while in their Geist Form, are mistaken for various types of Undead or Ordial abominations of other origin.
  • There are some Geists who become so overwhelmed by the presence of the Shade in their weapon that they entirely lose scope of who they are, the lines blurred between their own mind and the Shade’s, becoming known colloquially as Eidolon and sometimes utilized as the most powerful but difficult to control of their kind.
  • It is entirely unknown how old the oldest living Geist may be, but by estimations there could be some as old as the Dewamenet Empire itself, though if they do exist the Sefakhem keep their identity and whereabouts under tight lock and key.

Accreditation
Writers Finlaggan, MonMarty
Processors birdsfoot_violet
Last Editor Birdsfoot violet on 02/22/2024.

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