Phantasmagoniem
The Phantasmagoniem are spectral entities, echoes of broken souls, detached from the thread of life but unable to dissolve into oblivion. Strange to themselves, they wander in a turmoil of obsessions and fragmented memories, unable to fully die nor truly exist. Their presence is often perceived as a frosty silhouette, accompanied by indistinct whispers. The Phantasmagoniem embody a subtle terror: that of lost identity, soft madness, and fractured memory. Their ephemeral essence prevents them from taking on a lasting physical form, condemning them to an endless quest for fragments of themselves, and sometimes, a living host whom they slowly consume.
Origins
The Phantasmagonim are the remnants of ancient dead, uprooted souls wandering endlessly in a world they no longer recognize. Searching for a body to reincarnate into and a fragment of the identity they lost, these spirits are prisoners of an endless cycle of confusion and madness. Unaware that they still exist, they live in an imitation of life, both living and dead. However, to be dispossessed of one’s true essence is akin to a vicious form of death. In their quest for memories and form, their minds sink into deep torment, for the further they stray from their past, the more they lose all trace of what they once were. Thus, the Phantasmagonim embody an endless tragedy: eternity without memory and life without self.
The identity of the Phantasmagonim is a broken mosaic, a collection of shattered soul fragments that merge and fade in a whirlpool of despair. Deprived of their original memories, they become distorted reflections of what they once were, wandering in a desperate search to reclaim their essence. Each possession of a human host, while offering them a brief respite, pulls them deeper into the abyss of confusion.
Their traits blend with those of their dispossessed victims: their voices adopt foreign intonations, their thoughts are tinged with memories that do not belong to them. This mutual parasitism forges unstable entities, fusing incompatible personalities into a grotesque amalgamation. Over time, the boundaries between them and their hosts erode, giving rise to beings consumed by internal conflict, haunted by an identity that wavers and collapses under the weight of so many borrowings. In this endless cycle of disintegration, the Phantasmagonim are neither themselves nor entirely others: they are an eternal dissonance, a silent scream lost in the ether.
The Call of the Egg
During the Vaults of the Celestial Realm, the Phantasmagonim manifest with an insatiable frenzy, wandering between worlds like unleashed shadows. In their infinite despair, they possess host after host, each body merely a fleeting refuge for their desperate quest. They long to find the Egg of Wonders, a sacred artifact that, according to ancient whispers, may be their only salvation. For in their endless agony, the Phantasmagonim believe The Egg of Ascendant Metamorphosis can offer them true rebirth, a chance to recover what they lost: their erased identity and broken essence. But this mad quest drives them to sow ruin and madness, for each failure plunges them further into a devastating frenzy. Thus, they are both victims and scourges, consumed by a quest that might be nothing more than an illusion.
Dreams and Possessions
The Phantasmagonim, wanderers of the dream realm, infiltrate the dreams of the living, first as ethereal specters who whisper and torment. Their approach is a dance of ambiguity, mixing pleas to be freed with insidious manipulations. When their victim succumbs to their tricks and lowers their guard, the Phantasmagonim slip into their flesh, taking possession of their body. But their reign is fleeting: the link between the usurping spirit and the host is never stable. The stolen body begins to rot from within, its skin covered in necrotic sores reminiscent of leprosy, until death follows. Then, the Phantasmagonim escapes, wandering once more in search of a new host, trapped in an eternal cycle of possession and decay. It is whispered that some hide among the crowds, still bearing the marks of their previous hosts.
Incorporeal
The Phantasmagonim, elusive and immaterial, manifest in unique forms with each appearance, like fleeting impressions of a forgotten past. Their vaporous essence is a blend of shifting shadows, shards of diffuse light, and indistinct outlines. Their appearance seems to reflect the scars of their past life: some appear as silhouettes deformed by pain, others bear fragmented faces, hands stretched out as if to grasp lost memories. Their movement is fluid and spectral, accompanied by crackling energies or ethereal whispers, creating discomfort among the living who cross their path. Evaporating, they leave no tangible trace, save for the chilling thrill of their passage.
Rites and Sharing
Ancient scrolls whisper of the existence of a dark and forbidden power, capable of merging the Phantasmagoniem with the living. A cursed alliance that, at its peak, gives rise to wandering souls, specters tormented by the unrelenting quest for their vanishing identity.
To enslave or dominate the living, the Phantasmagoniem infiltrates the flesh like a treacherous parasite. An incessant, silent, and implacable battle rages between the two entities. However, this union is a true poison for the mind and the broken body.
When the body reaches its ultimate limits, flayed, torn, and ruptured both inside and out, the living being transforms into a Phantasmagoniem. Wandering endlessly, it weeps and roams in search of its lost Self, becoming a restless shadow, eternally seeking what was once its true essence.
Commentaires