Eldritch
Although Iosans can live for two or three hundred years,
many have immersed themselves in dark, occult lore out
of an overwhelming fear of their own mortality. Terrified
at the prospect of their death in light of the doom of their
race and the uncertain fates of their deities, these individuals
surrendered their morality and turned to undeath as the only
option for staving off their destiny.
The first Iosans to become eldritch were corrupted priests of Nyrro, the Iosan god of day. Forming a cult in the city of Eversael under the pretense of the god’s return, they fell prey to the dark urges of their souls—and perhaps to the whispers and promises of entities beyond Caen. These fallen holy leaders sacrificed their brethren in sinister rites previously unknown within the borders of Ios, and when their atrocities were uncovered and the Iosan authorities consigned them to execution, they sealed an unholy bargain to become eldritch.
To this day, they remain hidden deep beneath the structure of the Fane of Nyrro in the heart of the elven nation. Some Iosans seek out these foul creatures in hopes of learning how to remake themselves in undeath. Ancient eldritch take an inductee through a ritual of sacrifice—a series of murders culminating with the would-be eldritch committing self-annihilation, thereby prompting its unholy rebirth.
New eldritch retain their memories and personalities, albeit twisted and shorn of empathy. Over centuries, their flesh becomes desiccated and taut, stretching over their bones like that of a mummified corpse. Despite this frail appearance, eldritch are incredibly powerful and are much stronger and more durable in death than they were in life.
Many of the first eldritch rarely venture beyond the dark crypts beneath the fane. Undeath allows them to pursue their goals despite the passing decades or centuries. Becoming an eldritch requires a complete obsession with one’s continued existence, which the creatures are loath to imperil. Still, even these damned souls must occasionally emerge from their lairs, for in death they are motivated by an unnatural hunger. To maintain its existence, an eldritch must feed, which it does by siphoning the life essence of an intelligent living creature. The touch of an eldritch drains away the life of its prey, nourishing the eldritch and keeping its predatory instincts at their peak.
The first Iosans to become eldritch were corrupted priests of Nyrro, the Iosan god of day. Forming a cult in the city of Eversael under the pretense of the god’s return, they fell prey to the dark urges of their souls—and perhaps to the whispers and promises of entities beyond Caen. These fallen holy leaders sacrificed their brethren in sinister rites previously unknown within the borders of Ios, and when their atrocities were uncovered and the Iosan authorities consigned them to execution, they sealed an unholy bargain to become eldritch.
To this day, they remain hidden deep beneath the structure of the Fane of Nyrro in the heart of the elven nation. Some Iosans seek out these foul creatures in hopes of learning how to remake themselves in undeath. Ancient eldritch take an inductee through a ritual of sacrifice—a series of murders culminating with the would-be eldritch committing self-annihilation, thereby prompting its unholy rebirth.
New eldritch retain their memories and personalities, albeit twisted and shorn of empathy. Over centuries, their flesh becomes desiccated and taut, stretching over their bones like that of a mummified corpse. Despite this frail appearance, eldritch are incredibly powerful and are much stronger and more durable in death than they were in life.
Many of the first eldritch rarely venture beyond the dark crypts beneath the fane. Undeath allows them to pursue their goals despite the passing decades or centuries. Becoming an eldritch requires a complete obsession with one’s continued existence, which the creatures are loath to imperil. Still, even these damned souls must occasionally emerge from their lairs, for in death they are motivated by an unnatural hunger. To maintain its existence, an eldritch must feed, which it does by siphoning the life essence of an intelligent living creature. The touch of an eldritch drains away the life of its prey, nourishing the eldritch and keeping its predatory instincts at their peak.
"For all the mystery surrounding the Eldritch and the land from which they come, know this, they are evil, completely and entirely. An Eldritch lives to hunt the living, and unless someone puts them down, it will go on doing just that...eternally." -Viktor Pendrake
Transmission & Vectors
The Eldritch curse is first transferred through a bite from an infected individual, but to seal the magic the infected individual must take their own life.
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