Cyhyraeth < Shem

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Species	Cyhyraeth
Order	Phantasm
Classification	Undead
Dominion	Raesian
Sphere	Undeath
Origin	Early mortals who did not heed a warning out of hubris and drowned.
Lifespan	Inmortal
Habitat	Rivers
Food	Emotional resonance
Description	Cyhyraeth do not have any visible form.
Corruption	Any mortal whose hubris prevents them from heeding a warning that would save them from death is at risk of becoming a cychyraeth. Soul corruption by msawhat may also create them (13), but it usually has to be directed to intentionally craft a cyhyraeth and not some other phantasm. Though not all cyhyraeths come from drowning victims, many do, and all are bound to a river regardless.
Esoterica	Cyhyraeth are beings of msawhat. Having no physical or visible form sometimes limits their other powers, but any art wielded through voice is available to them if it does not require qi, the gates, or heavenly essences.
Special Powers	Cyhyraeth cause unease in those who hear them. They can sense when someone is near, and they can sense when that person will die a natural or fated death. They have several different sounds, noises, or words that they can wield to then cause other effects on their target: a word that causes instant death, a moan that causes intense fear, a doleful sigh that causes deep depression, a groan that causes nausea, and three distinct whistles that warn of danger and death impending. These emotions feed the cyhyraeth.
Necromancy	For a necromancer to create a cyhyraeth, they either must socially engineer someone to ignore warnings and strike with their power (13) at the moment of death, or they must warp that person's emotions ahead of time in order to achieve a similar state of arrogance. Controlling or summoning a cyhyraeth requires similar amount of power, but a cyhyraeth cannot survive far from the river it is bound to. Capturing and drawing power from a cyhyraeth away from its river is very short-lived (ehem), but if one keeps the source near the river, the power may remain, earning the necromancer the sounds and words of power the phantasm uses. A medium of some skill may be able to channel a cyhyraeth, but the phantasm will not be able to communicate except its words and sounds of power. It is of low-risk for taking over.
Sending	Cyhyraeths cannot be affected by anything physical, having no physical form to strike. Instead, supernatural arts of qi, the gates, powerful positive emotions, or heavenly essences can send them.
Weaknesses	A cyhyraeth may not leave their river. If they do not feed for long enough time, they become weak and quiet, but never truly fade.
Behavior	Cychyraeth dwell near rivers that they are bound to. They lie in wait for mortals to come near, then taunt, torment, terrify, or traumatize them. They will warn those near death of their fates in order to draw from their fear. If someone is not near death, they use their other powers to feed.
Dominion Culture	Raesians use cyhyraeth are guards for their bridges and fords, keeping them as part of the enslaved class. They are rare, however, but very powerful.
Other Dominions	Cyhyraeth are rare in all Dominions but extant. in the Fellwood Dominion, their terrifying voice is stronger. Qhanuum has them target magic users, Godless targets the faithful, and Kaanian targets mothers and children (as usual). Agikaani empowers their groaning sounds, and Durosian empowers their sighing. In the Srisian Dominion, their death word is stronger. In Campionese, their whispers have the power to confuse and terrorize. In Dun, their moans cause intense nausea, and in Wapek, their sighs cause deep chills. In Sangarian, their shouts cause intense hunger, and in Pandemonian, their laughter causes delusions and hallucinations.
Mortal Interactions	Mortals know of cyhyraeths as disturbing phenomena that occur near rivers, something to be avoided.
Afterlife	There is no way for a cyhyraeth to move on without being sent intentionally. When they are sent, if the heavenly essence is powerful enough, they may be able to move on immediately, but most are too corrupted even in those circumstances to do so. Most spend many millennia in the in-between before going on to the Grey Lands.
Notables	Tom Fool, Legendary Voice; Cwynfan, Cyhyraeth Manifest
Special Classes	Bridge Guard
Sample Stats	PRO 9 ATH n/a STR n/a AWA 11 WIL 11 ROG 11 Sneak/Hide 34 Unease Presence 11 Voice 18

Topic revision: r5 - 05 Aug 2020, SallyJaneBlack

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