Kindred Struggle

The Kindred of Stygia have a near constant struggle to maintain their forms. When someone loses that struggle, they are ripped into two new creatures.
The first is a fire elemental wild and dangerous, they attempt to burn everything around them in a desperate hunt for a fuel source. The carcas that is left behind becomes a feral creature called the Ashen. Their charred body is ghostly and resembling their previous form. This creature desperately attacks anything burning in an attempt to consume its flame. If no flame is found. The Ashen becomes dormant and still, once a flame is ignited nearby, the Ashen wakes and seeks the source.
After a split, if the Kindred retain their mind, they have to reform their body, as the old ones are considered tainted. Some Kindred retain their mind within the Ashen body while others, in the Flame Elemental. The other half is thus terminated due to the high risk they pose to the surrounding area and people.
It is found that negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, depression, and so on increases the chances if splitting. However, on the flip side of this, if a Kindred is too relaxed, the flame within cools and the body hardens. Until only a Statue remains, these are the Sleepers. Each recorded Sleeper is transported to the Zen Temples and placed in a special holding chamber. The Kindred locked within the Sleeper chamber is able to speak with one another during this time.
There is one way to revive a Sleeper. Every year there is a festival, where all of the Sleepers are gathered from the temples to a great cauldron at the center of each city. These cauldrons are the very same used to melt the raw materials to forge the black metal used to maintain a Kindred's form.
The Sleeper is lowered in and the Kindred within is revived. In the event that a split occurs during the Revival process, the cauldron doubles as a prison for the Ashen amd Elemental that would spawn for easy termination.
In the event of a complete collapse, the body melts down and the flame within is broken apart. These broken flames are the Embers, children, of the Kindred and thus a new generation is born within the Crucible.

Symptoms

A symptom of a Kindred's balance is the number of glowing cracks along their coal-like bodies. Too unstable and the cracks are not only numerous, but also spark and bursts of fire radiate from them when emotionally elevated.
Too calm and the body is encased in magma stone. Making movement difficult and sluggish.

Treatment

The Kindred treat this as a mental illness once passed a certain stage. However, there are medical clinics or Zen Temples, that can help the Kindred regain control before it becomes untreatable. Many of these temples use decorative lava fountains and chairs made from Obsidian glass. Meditation chambers and counseling would be offered as well.

Cultural Reception

Because every Kindred has this condition, it is common for the citizens to regularly check on one another. The people openly cate about each other's mental well-being.

Origin

Magical

Rarity

Unique

Affected Species

• Kindred