Rahkdari
”Legends tell of a fearsome warlord whose mighty army and prowess with dark magic threatened to crush all who dared stand against him. Despite the fearsome warlord’s power, numerous tribes rallied together and stood against his tyranny. A decade of bloody war wrought devastation that tore the land asunder and yet, the warlord’s iron grasp on his new kingdom remained absolute.
The lucky among those rebel clans were broken and scattered to the winds, cast out from their homeland to find a new place in the world. Those who were unlucky were made examples of, so that none who looked upon their remains would dare challenge the warlord ever again. Yet, there were those who refused to relent; the pain of a thousand tortures was not enough to break their will.
Perhaps it was the determination in their hearts or the desperation of their cries, perhaps the ruin inflicted upon the land by the warlord had awakened that which had long slumbered. Perhaps it was the Warlord's own lust for power that angered the Great Spirit.
Though the reason remains unknown, what was clear was the tide of spirits that rose to confront the warlord, guiding those rebels who yet remained unbroken. They were changed, torn asunder and made whole once more. Spirits of Vengeance anchored to our world with mortal blood, and thus the first rahkdari were born.”
Description
Children of both mortal and spiritual heritage, the rahkdari are uniquely spiritually sensitive wanderers that find themselves burdened with visions and whispers of the spirit world. To be rahkdari is to walk a careful balance between the mortal and the spiritual and a false step often comes at a steep price paid with insanity or even life itself. rahkdari require spiritual nourishment the same as they may require food or sleep. To them, the need is as real as hunger or thirst and the consequences of neglect lead to the same disastrous outcomes. Rahkdari have three primary ways of feeding this hunger. Each of these methods leaves its mark on the rahkdari as the energies of the spirit world change and give rise to three unique bloodlines.
Devourer
Freedom. Individuality. The devourers are perhaps the most obvious manifestation of the rahkdari’s turbulent past: they are often more ghastly in appearance than their kin, their physical bodies warped by generations of soul eating and blasphemous ritual. It is no surprise then that devourers have developed skill sets that are particularly useful for combat and the subjugation of lesser spirits.
While an individual devourer may be regarded as loathsome by those who would balk at their methods, the efficacy of their tactics cannot be denied. For indeed the devourer is no slave to its family heritage nor is it chained to the Great Sprits. A devourer simply takes what it needs, feeding directly from the spirits it is able to conquer and is free to take destiny into its own hands. For better or worse.
Adherent
Balance. Order. The Adherent seeks to quell the battle raging within themselves by bringing balance to the world around them. To the adherent, the spirit and the physical must be brought once again into harmony if either is to thrive. They often pledge themselves in service to the spirits of whatever lands they find themselves residing within, working to put an end to disturbances and hardships that are so often caused by mortal hands. These services are generally in exchange for boons offered to them in addition to the spiritual essence they need to survive.
This close association has allowed the adherents unparalleled closeness with the spirit world, to the point where many adherents feel more comfortable being a part of the world of the dead then they do with that of the living. As such, it is not uncommon for the adherent to be found seeking the solace and quiet of the local spirit shrines.
Sacrosanct
Tradition. Heritage. The sacrosanct often claim to be descendants of rahkdari kings or glorious heroes or other notable or important bloodlines. The sacrosanct reject the notion that their fates are bound to the Great Spirits of the world, instead trusting their devotion to their own Ancestors and the individual legacies they represent. They refuse to lose touch with their old ways, using their unique connection to the Spirit Realms to draw upon the strengths and knowledge of their Ancestors to reinforce their own. As the sacrosanct draws upon their own Ancestor spirits for strength and sustenance over the course of a lifetime, they slowly often find themselves manifesting traits those spirits had exhibited during their own lives.
The greater and more storied the sacrosanct becomes in life, the stronger the bond with their bloodline’s dynasty will become. By becoming conduits for the ancient heroes and patrons of their past, the sacrosanct strives to build a better future for their kin and ensure their combined legacy lives on.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~ Dylan Thomas