Infernal Akhoata

All-female-assigned species, like nymphs or muses, with inherent infernal, industrial, or imperial energies.

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Dreorcwenn

Daughters of blood draining.

• Lifespan : 300 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Temperate
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class

Dreorcwenns appear to be human women with blood-red hair and eyes (with no pupils or irises). They have claws for hands with long, very sharp nails. Their skin is always stained dark red or brown from blood. Culturally, they are often covered in tattoos.

The eyes of a dreorcwenn can freeze another mortal in place via mesmerization or fear. Their voices can put mortals to sleep. They have sharp claws which are poisonous, and they have supernatural strength.

Dreorcwenn gain strength from bathing in blood. They can bathe in any kind of blood, but mortal blood is best, followed by mammal, then bird, then reptile, then fish, then amphibian, then arthropod, then any other animal. Any other being is not considered to have blood (this includes green folk, myconians, golems, mechanoids, crystal folk, etc.). They must bathe in blood at least once a year or they will begin to lose strength, but ideally, they will bathe at least once a month to grow in strength. This is also how they maintain supernatural bonds.

A dreorcwenn gathers blood by draining it from victims via wounds created by their poisonous claws. They can gather blood in other ways, but it is less effective. If they gather the blood via these wounds, the blood is primed with the poison and made more potent for them. They usually suspend the victim by ropes or chains, keep them alive and awake, but disoriented, then cut slits into them and let the blood drain down. They gather blood into special glass or ceramic containers, which they store in cold rooms until they are ready to bathe. Then they pour it into great tubs and warm it, and soak for several hours. Those who do not have the money or time resort to cruder methods. Even a quick swabbing with blood suffices, but culturally they prefer something more extravagant.

Blood from some kinds of mortals gives dreorcwenn specific powers. Consult with the GM for more information.

Note that they do not have to bathe in blood, nor does it need to be the blood of other mortals. They could and do survive by simply swabbing themselves in animal blood, or just by eating rare meat. They choose the greater power granted them by bathing in mortal blood. Biologically, they need to complement their own blood, which is converted within them to esoteric energy very quickly, so they are capable of absorbing blood through their own skin, which developed because of their meat-heavy diets (prehistoric dreorcwenns would kill with their claws and eat large animals immediately). Poor or oppressed dreorcwenns get by on animal blood.

Every dreorcwenn can bind another mortal to themself with via their innate quaestus energies. To do this, they must get the mortal to give them their Name and then tattoo it on their own skin. Then they must maintain the bond by bathing in the mortal's blood regularly. Anything they have agreed to do with this mortal will then be bound in blood and Name, and if either side fails to live up to the agreement, the other will drain the Name from the one who failed. If both fail, both die. If both succeed, both grow stronger. But the goal will always be for the dreorcwenn to succeed and drain the target mortal, thus taking in their characteristics, powers, and skills. If the bonded mortal is powerful enough or clever enough, they may reverse this bond and consume the dreorcwenn, but this is rare.

In their own empire, they live in luxury and power, spending time only in political and economic maneuvering and enjoying themselves. They enjoy watching their slaves engage in certain kinds of sports (but never bloodsports, as that is seen as a waste), engaging in complex and cruel games, and watching various entertainments devised by those they patron. They make little art themselves, but they enjoy using and exploiting the art of others.

The religion of dreorcwenns is the worship of Veyethe, their ancestor, and Mal’och, the angel sent to bring them power. Mal’och is said to have taught them blood magic, giving them the power to enslave and drain others.

Dreorcwenn are all assigned female at birth. Gender variance is discouraged, violently, and men are viewed as only necessary for reproduction, unless a specific dreorcwenn takes a liking to them.

If a player chooses to be a dreorcwenn, they must be one who has rejected their ruling class status to become a criminal.

PRO 10 ATH 9 STR 8 AWA 10 WIL 9 PRS 9 STH 9

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Harpy

Vulture women who steal food.

• Lifespan: 300 years
• Diet: Stolen or rotting food
• Habitat: Forested, mountainous islands
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Harpies take many forms, but they always include mixing the appearance of a female-assigned human and a vulture. Some are mostly vulture with a human face. Some are humans with vulture wings for arms. Some have talons for legs or even hands. Most have pale skin and gaunt appearances, no matter how much they eat. Some have feathered bodies and bird heads but a hominid form. Some have both wings and arms, sometimes ending in clawed hands. Their hair ranges in the range of human hair.

Some harpies have minor shapeshifting abilities, able to change their faces or hair at will, if they have eaten stolen food.

Culturally, they tend to wear rotting or molded clothing.

All harpies are immune to disease and poison.

Harpies can command storm winds by flapping their wings, if a storm is blowing. They are immune to winds and can fly regardless of the strength of the wind; they are known to fly very high without impediment, up to the stratosphere. They are extremely fast fliers.

Their diet often causes them to have a strong smell that many find unpleasant. Their breath does smell and they do snore loudly regardless.

Harpies can eat almost any meat or plant, though they need it to be rotted or befouled first. If they eat food stolen from others, they gain magical powers that allow them to eat more things and change their appearance slightly. If the food is stolen while the person is trying to eat it, they gain even more power. They do not need to eat stolen food; they do so for power.

The tears of a harpy cause people to hate one another if drunk. Their droppings are extremely toxic.

They are always hungry no matter what and rarely gain weight comparable to what they eat. They die if they fall into running water.

Harpies live in a powerful island country of forests and steep mountains. They are ruled by a powerful queen who sits atop a mountain throne in an aerie carved into the top of the mountain. She employs a legion of harpies to abduct people, punish her enemies, and guard her fortresses. These snatchers and swift robbers are her elites and privileged best. They are known for using flying chariots and wicked horses. They also keep a breed of half-starved mountain dogs as guards.

They love vulnerable victims. They are famous for stealing from the blind. If they steal food, they almost always eat it, but sometimes out of spite, they will simply ruin it for others. Some harpies seek out victims of suicide in remote places who have yet not been found by loved ones so they might eat rotting mortal flesh and cause harm. Sometimes they are responsible for people "vanishing forever" because of this.

Harpy society values virginity. They believe that being a maiden is a form of self-denial that will bring them power. Queens and nobles often refuse to have children, stealing them from the poor and oppressed harpies instead. They also value vengeance, though for petty and spiteful affronts.

Some harpies reject the life of theft, starvation, and cruelty of their home culture, seeking to remember the days when they were wind spirits and servants of storm and rainbow. These are ostracized, killed, or imprisoned if they are caught. They were once friends to the west wind before they became harbingers of famine and drought.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 11 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 4 STH 8

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Menywod

Screaming women.

• Lifespan : 300 years

• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare, usually bird's eggs, seeds, heavy soups, and venison

• Habitat: Forests

• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class colonizers

Menywod are an all-female-assigned nation of menywod. They appear to be human, but their hair is more brightly colored, being blue, green, or violet naturally. Their voices can break stone or glass, even when spoken quietly.

Menywod are immune to bonding magic of any kind. They are able to fly for short periods of time under the night sky.

The voice of a menywod is like a nail on a chalkboard, and when they "sing" it can snap branches, shatter stone, break glass, and burst eardrums. They are able to bounce their voices off solid objects (usually breaking them) to target other objects or people. Their voices are filled with raw cacophonic power, and in its use, they can cause metaphysical connections to break as well.

Their home culture is one of isolation and conflict. They are dominated by a powerful Regent who rules with absolute control. It is a feudal kingdom in a forest in central Ansulym.

Because menywod rely upon beings of other species to reproduce, captured men (or anyone with seed) are often kept as prisoners for that purpose. They also use outsiders as slaves for other labor.

Those in the colonies come there for opportunities, mostly involving expanding the feudal power they come from.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 8 AWA 8 WIL 7 PRS 7 STH 8

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Pleureuse

Weeping women.

• Lifespan : 300 years
• Diet: Emotion
• Habitat: Temperate to subarctic forests
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class colonizers

Pleureuses are "weeping women", powerful female-assigned beings whose tears have magical properties. They appear to be white-skinned, white-haired hominids with webbed hands, fully white eyes, and bright blue veins.

The tears of a pleureuse gain power from emotions. Pleureuses can use their own emotions to power their tears, but culturally, they have a preference to steal the emotions of others. They do this via their gaze. Their voices can instill painful emotions in those they whisper to; if someone is reduced in power by despair, they can gaze into their eyes and steal any emotion they want. Any emotion will work, but culturally, they prefer to steal positive emotions to distill into special powers.

When a pleureuse cries, which they can do on command, the tears become crystals when they fall off the face of the pleureuse. These crystals are empowered by emotions that the pleureuse chooses to fill them with - usually stolen ones - and have various powers:

• Aging mist: their tear crystals can dissolve into a blue mist that ages anyone who is touched by it.
• Cobalt light: their tear crystals can refract light into a blue beam that causes intense despair in all who see it, lowering their WIL permanently.
• Desecrating explosion: their tear crystals can explode, sending out a wave of blue energy that desolates the land for 300' around.
• Forlorn echo: their tear crystals can reverbrate and echo a sound that leaves anyone believing they are totally alone, even if they are surrounded by loved ones.
• Ideating whispers: their tear crystals can direct a whisper into someone's mind, making them want to commit suicide.
• Isolating coils: their tear crystals can unleash blue light coils that teleport someone to an isolated location within 1 mile.
• Scouring dust: their tear crystals can dissolve into dust that puffs out and scours the flesh of anyone who feels anxiety.
• Sorrowing wind: their tear crystals can spin and unleash a gust of wind that fills anyone who feels it with intense sorrow.
• White flame: their tear crystals can explode with white flame that intensifies the shame anyone it touches feels, and if their shame is intense enough, burn their flesh.

Pleureuses are native to a terrestial empire, but many have moved to the colonies for business, pleasure, or social reasons. They are a powerful ruling class species with deep ties to the slave trade. Their own culture is one of draining people of emotion and using them for their magic and power, so they fit into the colonial hierarchy.

Players who choose to play a pleureuse must be one who has rejected their ruling class status to become a criminal.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 8 AWA 11 WIL 12 PRS 9 STH 10

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Turpivent

Daughters of the infernal winds.

• Lifespan : 300 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Skies
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class colonizers

Turipvents are female-assigned beings with red or orange hair, often worn wildly, long clawed fingers, and three eyes. Their eyes are glowing red. They are very light weight, with their bones being hollow like a bird's. They stand about 5' tall at most.

As beings of infernal winds, turpivents sense the flow of infernal powers. Their third eye sees esoteric energies. Their hair does not respond to natural wind, but only infernal ones. If they wish to fly on the infernal winds, they must fuel that power with someone's soul. If they wish to take someone's soul, they must injure them mortally, wait until they are about to die, then gaze into their eyes with all three of their own (WIL vs. WIL). The more souls they have, the more power they have over the infernal winds.

They do not need to steal souls to live; they just use them for power.

Turpivents are a powerful ruling class species from all over the colonies. In their homeland, they are a terroristic ruling class species who hunt slaves for sport. They live in high mountains, and their laughter as they hunt echoes through the vallyes and passes. In the colonies, they are privileged elite.

If a player chooses to play a turpivent, they must be one who has rejected their ruling class status to be a criminal.

PRO 9 ATH 11 Flight 15 STR 8 AWA 10 WIL 10 PRS 7 STH 8

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Veyethan

Daughters of Veyethe.

• Lifespan: 1,000 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Red-rock mountains
• Socioeconomic Status: Ruling class

Veyethans are female-assigned beings with red hair and orange skin. Their eyes are yellow. They have sharp fangs. Their foreheads have small, antennae-like nubs that run across their brow. Their left hands are human-like and their right hands are clawed. They have a third eye in the palm of their human-like hand. Culturally, most of them alter their bodies to include something mechanical and graft on the body part of another akhoata species.

Veyethans are the daughters of Veyethe, the daughter of Shem who betrayed her. They can steal body parts from other akhoata to steal their powers, though those powers are always corrupted to be infernal.

Every veyethan has one industrial, one imperial, and one infernal power:

Imperial powers:

• Advantageous strike
• Ambitious dominance
• Conquering approach
• Enslaving coil
• Envious empathy
• False Name
• Gossamer web
• Hollowing wail
• Proud presence
• Rejecting voice
• Singular presence
• Siphoning claw
• Splicing ray
• Value drain
• Witchfinding sense

Industrial powers:

• Beast form
• Cacophonic scream
• Fungal infection
• Malnourishing touch
• Polluting spores
• Sterilizing venom
• Thorn spray
• Vile miasma

Infernal powers:

• Balerage
• Chaotic maelstrom
• Despairing whisper
• Destroyer lightning
• Disastrous luck
• Eldritch tendril
• Heartless aura
• Necromantic mist
• Nightmare sending
• Pain touch
• Soulsteal gaze

Veyethans are from a distant satellite around the world of Salit, where they live in mountains and rocky regions, but on Shem they have assimilated into the ruling classes of the imperial core. They are feared and respected, and their culture of assimilation makes a tapestry of thousands of cultures part of their own. They will have the art, music, cuisine, and so on of dozens of cultures, which they alter and claim to be theirs.

Those few veyethans who reject this and attempt to be free of the assimilative and dangerous culture of their people are usually hunted down and killed. Those who survive become pariahs. A player wanting to play a veyethan must be one of these.

PRO 10 ATH 10 STR 10 AWA 10 WIL 10 PRS 10 STH 10