Spirit Chainers

And he came unto him, bound in chains for chains are what keep us grounded, and he said "Let my fate exemplify what can be done. Use their shackles against them and be forever free."

Structure

The Chainers are a very loose organization. They rarely convene and don't have a hierarchy besides teacher and student. Even then instruction is usually limited, confined to just the passing of their holy book The Book of Chains.

Culture

The chainers are very isolationist. Coming across just one is a rarity but two in one place is nigh unheard of.

History

In 550 GA on of Parsalis a small group amongst the Waste Kings survived the onslaught led by Prince Zorg, son of Urolog. These individuals found themselves in the presence of another demon however, a long forgotten demon lord known as Ry'Kortan the Chained One. Lost in the desert the survivors came across a lone church made of one large chunk of igneous rock. Gothic in its design the group strode in to discover a devil chained to a snake statue in the center. Chains wrapped around it so tightly that the skin underneath tore and bled. Ry'Kortan taught the survivors the art of chaining. A method in which a person separates their soul from their mortal coil and tethers it via a spectral chain. Essentially turning the persons body into a husk that can have multiple souls tethered to it at once, allowing the individual to use the power of souls to perform incredible feats. The reasoning behind why Ry'Kortan did this and where he went are up to speculation. According to the Book of Chains, which was written by one of the survivors named Sorren Taggart, Ry'Kortan needed a host and without one he was chained to this temple by the other demon lords. It is said that one survivor Dagon Blackfist volunteered as the host, much to the contention of Sorren. However his power was not enough to keep Ry'Kortan from taking control and that is when the survivors, now the founders of the Spirit Chainers, discovered the dangers of Spirit Chaining. Then Ry'Kortan, now free from his shackles left the survivors in the church and the rest is unknown. The dangers of the practice were now obvious but this did not deter them from sharing their practices with those they've deemed worthy. It is rumored that this practice has endured to the current day in remote places in the galaxy.

Granted Divine Powers

To be a Spirit Chainer is to wield incredible power. Spirit Chainers are capable of tethering souls of the departed to their own bodily husk. This power doesnt come easy though. Chainers must search far and wide across the galaxy to find the necessary ingredients for a concoction known as the Shakala that scars the body so badly the soul no longer wishes to remain.  Chainers have been known to use the power of souls to fuel their own magic in a deadly and gruesome exchange that usually leaves the spirit of the person chained weakened and hurt. Chainers have even been known to return to life as easily as putting on a new coat.
There is inherent danger to these powers however. The Chainer risks possession should the spirit they chained be a demon or malicious spirit, like that of Ry'Kortan. Additionally, The Chainer also risks transformation into the cryptid known as a Dullahan. Dullahans are Chainers whose primary souls were disconnected from the vessel. The resulting creature is a soulless husk who reaps the souls of their victims to fill the void within themselves.

Sects

Within the Spirit Chainers there a three different sects and schools of practice. These different schools are called the Link of Onyx, Link of Cloth, and Link of Topaz. The Onyx Chainers specialize in using the souls chained to them for power and power alone. These Chainers are highly destructive and dangerous. Cloth Chainers on the other hand use their power for good. They use their soul powers to heal the sick and view the souls they have chained with the same affection a wizard may have for their familiar. While that sound may derogatory the spirits chained by one of the cloth usually enjoy a great deal more freedom than onyx souls. Finally the Topaz Chainers are the outcasts of the Spirit Chainers. Those who have chained their spirits out of necessity and respect the souls autotomy to act more independently from the host body.

The Chains that Bind

Founding Date

550 GA

Type

Secret, Occult

Demonym

Chainers

Parent Organization

The Waste Kings

Location

Parsalis