Reborn
The Reborn of Aigusyl are beings who have died—and yet live once more. Whether by the mercy of Veymar, The Pale Shepherd; the machinations of mortal magic; or the interference of some divine, Fey, or eldritch force, they have returned from death changed. Their souls are marked by that journey across the threshold, their flesh or essence shaped by what lies beyond, and their minds often haunted by fragments of the afterlife they once touched.
Reborn do not share a singular origin. Some are created through necromantic rites meant to bind the soul back into a corpse, others are healed by wild magic gone awry, or find themselves awakened after a brush with divinity. In rare cases, a powerful Spirit—be it benevolent or malevolent—pulls a soul back into the world for some unknowable purpose. However they return, Reborn walk a line between life and death, and most carry both blessings and burdens from their resurrection.
Physically, Reborn vary wildly. Some appear almost as they did in life, with only faint pallor or coldness to their skin betraying the truth. Others bear more obvious signs: hollow eyes, stitched flesh, ghostly pallor, spectral limbs, or a faint glow that lingers in their breath. Still others are walking enigmas—patchworks of memory and body, unsure of whose pieces they carry or what remnants of soul burn within them.
Most Reborn struggle with memory. Their past lives are often fragmented, dreamlike, or erased entirely. Some wake in strange places with a name they don’t recognize whispered on the wind, while others claw back half-remembered oaths, loves, and regrets. This creates a deep tension in many Reborn—torn between who they were, who they are, and who they are becoming. Yet this uncertainty can also be liberating: few are as free to redefine themselves as the Reborn.
The return from death does not make a Reborn invulnerable, nor are they undead in the traditional sense. Their hearts beat—if weakly—and their souls burn, albeit dimly. They are a mystery to both priests and necromancers, often considered sacred anomalies or walking paradoxes. Some Palehands of Veymar view them with reverent awe, believing that each Reborn must serve a purpose not yet fulfilled, while others see them as dangerous breaches in the natural cycle.
Despite the unease they may cause, Reborn are rarely evil. Many possess a deep empathy for others who suffer, and a unique understanding of mortality that makes them fierce allies and cautious foes. They are drawn to mysteries, to causes greater than themselves, and to seeking meaning in a world that once let them go.
