Jin-Iataxi
Creatures of the Veil
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Jin-Iataxi (also known as the Veilborn) are creatures that live outside reality, born from Nothingness at the beginning of time with the sole purpose to engulf all realms in darkness and to bring the end of Aclara. They lurk in the shadows and use their psychic abilities to manipulate the powerful and the influential in order to create chaos and war, destruction and hopelessness - all with one goal in mind. To reduce the number of living beings to zero, to weaken the Boundaries of the planes and to drown the physical worlds of the multiverse of Aclara into the never-ending darkness that is the Veil.
Basic Information
Anatomy
When they take a physical form, Jin-Iataxi usually choose tall and sleek humanoid bodies, with two arms and two feet. Most often their heads will lack facial features, except for a pair of glowing eyes. In some particular cases, a Veilborn might take the form of animals, mythological beings such as demons, or even the shape of other people, mimicking some of their physical traits.
If nobody is observing the members of this species, they are capable of unrestricted shapeshifting and gain increased mobility and agility. However, when a Jin-Iataxi is perceived by a living being, their bodies become 'locked' and they lose the power to transform their bodies. This phenomenon is caused by their unique anatomy - their bodies are made of Tear of Heaven, which allows them to shapeshift. The drawback of their structure is that they risk losing the power to shift back if they are observed for long periods of time - for example, if a hunter catches a Jin-Iataxi that has morphed into a fox, the monster will not be able to transform back into it's original form and escape. In this instance, the hunter would able to kill the 'fox' like any other animal; its body would look and behave exactly as the body of a normal fox.
Behaviour
The Jin-Iataxi act with a single goal in mind: annihilation of all reality and ushering in the Age of Nothingness, forcing the Veil that surrounds and separates the planes of Aclara to swallow everything. Each member of the species has their own method of accomplishing this goal, but most of them can be reduced to "inciting violence among sentient beings in order for them to destroy each other" and "empowering one sentient being and corrupting them in order to make them destroy everything else". While the Veilborn work towards the same goal, it is rare for them to work together or to cross paths; it is customary for a Jin-Iataxi to acknowledge if another kinfolk is operating in their proximity before attempting anything.
Their actions, while they might appear to be born of bloodlust and sadism, are simply rooted in their core belief that "the world should return to nothingness". By eliminating life from the planes, they destabilize the integrity of the plane's Boundary; when the Boundary falters, the substance the Veil is made out of (Tear of Heaven) rains from the point of rupture; if the Boundary is broken, the Veil will consume the plane in its entirety, reducing matter to its most bare elements.
Additional Information
Social Structure
The Jin-Iataxi exist as both a species and a cult, all its members obeying the word of a leader called the The High Priest. As they are remnants of Nothingness, their existence is bound to its wish of obliterating all of reality, to extinguish the fire of life and to usher in the Eternal Night. They harbor feelings akin to respect towards one another and often choose not to interfere with the work of their kin.
The Hight Priest is the oldest Jin-Iataxi. His job is to assure the ways of interplanar travel for the other Jin-Iataxi, as well as cataloguing the events that happen all across Aclara, no matter how big or small. He resides in the home microplane of the Jin-Iataxi, a place called "The Library at the End of Time". It is here that all his recordings are kept; any Jin-Iataxi can summon information from every book that resides in this library. One noteworthy book is the The Creation of Aclara, a book detailing the very first moments of the universe, the birth of the Aspects and their council, and the creation of the planes.
The Ravens are a subclass of Jin-Iataxi; they are tasked with severing the thread of life that binds souls to mortal bodies.
They appear at the end of a being's lifespan and remove the bindings of the soul, as they are unable to do so while the creature is still alive.
Removal of soul from reality is one of the most important ways the Jin-Iataxi can achieve their goal through; this action weakens the influence of Fate upon Aclara and renders the deceased body inert, removing all its power completely.
As long as no Raven claims one's soul, the body can still be brought to life or used as a power source.
Removal of soul also causes the body to be no longer considered a "unitary being", dispelling any hex or enchantment cast upon it during its life and making it untargetable by spells that require a living being as a target (such as healing magic).
Because of their time spent among intelligent races, Ravens have better-defined personalities and tastes than the other Jin-Iataxi; nevertheless, their allegiance never changes and their loyalty never wavers.
Average Intelligence
The Jin-Iataxi are highly intelligent and cunning, having access to all the knowledge gathered by themselves and their kin. Being born from the Veil, they have an innate understanding of the psyche of sentient beings and oftentimes use this insight to manipulate their targets, feeding their fears and darkening their dreams, altering their behavior bit by bit and tricking them into doing their bidding unknowingly. Because their bodies cannot exist inside planes for long periods of time, the Veilborn have refined their techniques in order to spread their influence as efficiently as possible.
The Jin-Iataxi are quick learners, being able to grasp/utilize anything, from physical items such as tools and weapons, to more abstract constructs like theories or strategies. The more people know about something, the easier it is for a Jin-Iataxi to learn it; that is because the border that separates a plane from the Veil is composed of the combined thoughts of the inhabitants of said plane. Finding an information in that chaos is a trivial task for the Veilborn; however, the energy required to find a piece of information grows based on how many people do not know it - something commonly known by everybody requires next to no energy to access, while something known by only one person is practically impossible to attain by a Jin-Iataxi.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
As they usually live inside the Veil between realities, their perception has been shaped to register non-physical things, such as consciousness, fear and thought. When they take form inside a plane, they are able to sense the shape of the ground and objects around them. If they shapeshift into a living being, they will gain the sensory capabilities of that species.
The Veilborn are masters at thought reading; from feelings to imagination to memories to streams of consciousness, they are able to perceive, to understand and to influence the minds of their targets with ease. However, the influence they exert upon others requires a large portion of their energy, so they refrain from forcing their wills directly, opting to subtly adjust the thinking of others without revealing themselves.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
The Jin-Iataxi speak the Language of the Universe - a language they call Ur-Variksis. The glyphs of Ur-Variksis form the basis of Multiversal Magic: magic arrays and incantations that are independent of realm, individual or tradition. All other magic languages - all languages in general, really - are derived from Ur-Variksis and can be translated fully into this primal language.
The Veilborn prefer to communicate telepathically with each other, if they are forced to by circumstances (for example, a call for help). As long as it doesn't help them further their plans, they refrain from talking to each other or to other beings. They are capable of conversing with other sentient beings by reading their thoughts and translating their language into Ur-Variksis.
Ooh they're horrifying, I love them! Their goal is really interesting and makes them all the more scary, I can imagine them being a huge influence on culture!