Stonechildren

A father should never have to bring his son back from beyond the veil.

The first Stonechild was a courageous human man by the name of Jonathan Black. Son to Arthur Black, Jonathan was a man of his people - a loyal prince whom perished during The Ivory Onslaught (also known as The High Lich Wars) many millennia ago, under the royal flag of The Ardenlands.
When Jonathan left this world, Arthur Black was distraught. Unable to let go of his son, Arthur's sunken heart cried for help and an elderly artist answered his call. This peculiar man specialized in marble and created a lifelike statue of Jonathan in remembrance, at the request of his grieving father. For years, Arthur would lay by the statue's side, weeping and whispering ancient tales to his petrified son.
Over the years Arthur's mind and body slowly withered, ever longing for his child. Ten years into mourning, Arthur threw aside his better judgement, unable to take it anymore - he called for his right hand to fetch the Emerald Vase of Qi'tarduun from his family's cache of relics, centuries old. Using the vase he summoned a powerful Lobokith and commanded it to allow him to see his son again. Arthur's wish was granted - the marble statue of Jonathan began to move and speak much as he did in life, though lacking flesh and soul. And so Arthur's hopes and dreams became a twisted and sickly reality, as with every wish a Lobokith fulfills, a terrible curse follows - Arthur was struck by malady and found dead by the end of the season.
Yet Jonathan still walked among the people. Most considered him an abberation, unable to accept his physical form despite him being in every other way a perfect replica of their former prince. Unable to bear being shunned by his friends, family and countrymen, Jonathan abandoned his kingdom and sought out isolation in the desolate steppes of the Ghasten Borealis . There he festered in his loneliness, slowly becoming demented and deranged. While his physical form was immortal, he still had the psyche of a human man which was beginning to rust and crack.
Jonathan took up sculpting and began to mold companions out of the mineral-rich walls of his icy refuge - a city he founded and named Astralrock. Over years he carved hundreds (perhaps thousands) of slick, polished-rock entities, all similar in shape and form to himself, to entertain him and tend to his fortress. He would name them, converse with them and give them stories of their own. But soon he'd grow bored of his compatriots, and them of him - hundreds of years with the same company can drive one to madness just as quickly as Jonathan's father was driven. And so they would part - either sent off by Jonathan into the cold plains, or leaving of their own volition unable to stand their cruel creator for another minute.
Lone, stone vessels with no apparent mortal end. These creatures walk the earth for centuries (millennia, some say) losing their past and memories to time itself. Rebuilding their identities as time changes them, but never forgetting their terrible origin birthed from the mind of a mad man losing his son.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Stonechildren are completely unable to reproduce.  They are created one way only - by the hands of Jonathan Black.

Growth Rate & Stages

Stonechildren never die of natural causes as they are immortal.  They also do not grow - they are eternally of one unchanging form.  Their minds however do change; Stonechildren often live so long that their bodies outlive their capacity for memory.  Slowly, with time, it is not uncommon for a Stonechild to forget who he once was and adapt an entirely new personality, piece by piece.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Stonechildren do not require sustenance - they lack a need for both food and water.  Often, however, when integrated within a society that contains species whom do require sustenance, Stonechildren may pretend to eat and drink in order to feel more like they belong.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Stonechildren outside of Ghasten Borealis are often lone wolves lacking community and family/friends. Those that find a bastion, village or hamlet to settle in often feel at home falling in line under the rule of the local leadership as they are accustomed to. Within Ghasten Borealis however, most reside in Astralrock serving the needs of Jonathan Black, while the rest of the inhabitants of this bastion serve under the rule of the Stonechildren.

Facial characteristics

Often near-expressionless visages. Sunken eyes and cracked stone where the face creases. More often than not their faces are perfectly symmetrical.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

While most Stonechildren are said to originate in the Ghasten Borealis, many have migrated all across Arcluminus in search of purpose, identity, etc.

Average Intelligence

Stonechildren are of average-to-high intelligence, though many may have little general knowledge due to lack of exposure to the world.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Stonechildren do not have exceptional hearing or vision, but that is not to say that they are lacking - their senses are simply "standard".

Lifespan

Immortal (though not indestructible)

Average Height

Every Stonechild is exactly 6'

Average Weight

600 - 800 lbs (depending on body shape, chips/wear/damage to the body, etc)

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Body tint and colouring varies entity-to-entity, dependent on the type of stone or mineral that the Stonechild was carved from. Stonechildren often choose to separate themselves from the masses by carvings designs into their body, embedded themselves with gems and runes, etc.