Normal fare

By touching and assimilating another person.

A link of the chain knows everything his or her predecessor knew. A link of the chain can turn another human or pseudohuman into a link by a process called "the bond of the chain," a dramatic touch. They will transfer everything they know to a new person, and that person will become a link of the chain. This happens halfway through the life of any given link. If a link dies without doing this, their chain dies. If not, they continue to live in the consciousness of the new body, creating a new link of the chain. If a link tries to merge with another link, they merely trade chains.

Links prefer to avoid other links, ironically, fearing other chains. They spend a lot of time in normal civilizations, getting to know new things and skills, using their vast knowledge to better wherever they are until some jealous or petty person runs them out. They prefer to avoid violence, fearing a sudden cessation of their chain. They acquire vast amounts of skill and power over the years, but their minds can only use so much at once, giving them a huge random knowledge score rather than a lot of lores.