Izkuthii

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

Izkuthii (Magical Creature)

 

Background

- Fluff is being edited (all relevant information is below) -

 

Llahir’s Will - A Trickster’s Code

A list of rules that the Izkuthii must follow in their service to Llahir, similar to the Clerical Tenets or other Aengudaemonic follower rules.

Spoiler

Code

• The dead are unable to appreciate our tricks, so one must not kill outside of self-defense unless absolutely necessary.
• Hinder a devout follower, whether it be through violence or through deceit or other means, without an objectively just reason will only cause harm to both sides and is prohibited.
• Do not needlessly steal from the poor. Should something of value be needed from them, use your wit to get it and ensure they receive something of equal value.
• Do not needlessly spill our secrets to outsiders, as information is best kept close to the heart.

 

OOC Explanation

Breaking the Code will not result in immediate disconnection. Disconnection is reserved for those that break it a great deal or repeatedly. Killing is the only thing that causes their powers to wane, akin to how Clericalism works at the moment.

 

Spoiler

• Killing or aiding in the act will cause their powers to stop working, unable to access their Izkuthii magic and their ghostly form (they will have access to the 8 arms form if forced into an Unmasked state). This can be restored by an Ancient and is one of their duties to handle, not something they are able to ignore.
• Hindering another Izkuthii or a confirmed follower of Llahir is frowned upon if there is no good reason.
• Self-explanatory, don’t rob a new player who has nothing or someone who just got evicted from their plot, et cetera. Should someone in this situation have something they need, try to provide good RP when taking it rather than just banditing them.
• Self-explanatory, don’t be a snitch, loose lips sink ships.

 

 

The Curse and Hierarchy

Spoiler

Prior, the curse was something that fully warped an Izkuthii’s soul, and in the case of Ancients, also pulled part of their soul into the Spirit Realm. However, with them being brought under Llahir, their curse was wiped and replaced with a changed version of Llahir’s making. The curse, made in a way that follows the original, requires a soul’s emotions to sustain it. If not sustained, the person will lose control of their power which will overwhelm their form and kill them. Llahir also changed how emotions affect an Izkuthii, giving them more meaning to the creature. Per feeding, the strongest emotion that the person is feeling at the time will pass on to the Izkuthii, changing their mood and having it revolve around that emotion for a few IRL days. Similarly, individual emotions that are taken will cause the Izkuthii to feel that way.

 

Fledgling’s Curse: At first, the curse is akin to a deific connection, not actually changing the soul. During this time, they will not get the boon of quasi-immortality, but will still be required to feed. This is a test to see if a person is fully willing to devote themselves to the way of Llahir. A Fledgling is capable of being disconnected, which will add a tear to their soul and count as a deific disconnection. The specific effects of the disconnection remain the same as before: The person’s emotions are wonky and cause violent moodswings, unable to remain constantly feeling something for long periods of time (do not, pain is not included, you can not use this as an excuse to say you can’t feel pain).

 

Fledgling’s Boon: Fledglings are capable of utilizing all of the basic Izkuthii abilities (Camouflage, Draining, Illusionary World, Hibernation) after being taught. They are unable to utilize Illusionary Barrages, Stasis, manipulation of their arms, Lingering Illusions, and Imbuement.

 

Adult’s Curse: After undergoing a short ritual, a Fledgling is capable of becoming an Adult Izkuthii. Along with unlocking new abilities, the curse also advances. It now fully integrates into their soul and changes it in a way that they are no longer descendants. They now undergo the effects of quasi-immortality, requiring to feed in return for immortality. Should they not feed, they will PK. At this stage, the curse is too far along to be removed. However, it can be stripped of its power, leaving the Izkuthii in a weakened and powerless state until having their power re-established.

 

Adult’s Boon: Adults are capable of being taught how to utilize all of the Izkuthii abilities at this stage, their ability to handle the energy now allowing for more finesse. Adults also have access to their True Unmasked form.

 

Ancient’s Curse: An Ancient Izkuthii’s curse is more extreme than that of the other Izkuthii due to the boons they receive. They are required to feast more (2 people every 2 weeks) and are expected to guide the other Izkuthii. They are responsible for ensuring Llahir’s Codex is followed and that no one strays from the path. If they do not adhere to this, Llahir will have their soul torn asunder for betraying him. Their emotions are also considerably heightened, unstable in a way. They still are unable to utilize voidal magics.

 

Ancient’s Boon: Ancients are capable of extending their zone by 2 in every direction (7x7x7 in total), their disguises are more sturdy against physical damage, and they’re able to utilize a form of illusion magic outside of their zone akin to sensory illusion (minus phantasms). Ancients are also more in-tune with a person’s emotions, capable of sensing what a person is feeling upon physically touching them (these detections would be general feelings, e.g. they would detect happiness, but not WHY they are happy).

 

Physical Changes

Spoiler

Due to the fact that Llahir has taken the Izkuthii under his wing, their appearance has changed somewhat aside from Fledglings.

 

Masked: While the Mask is on, the Izkuthii’s powers are held at bay, trapped within their form. However, there are a few differences between an Izkuthii and a normal descendant. Surrounding the Izkuthii would be a noticeable energy leaking out of their body and mask, causing their form to appear to twist and warp occasionally (this CAN’T be used to become unidentifiable, the distortions only occur every now and then). Two spirit arms would also linger by their sides (this is purely aesthetic and meant to add flavor to the Unmasked form spells, more on that below). While both of these can be hidden by Camouflage, not emoting them when the disguise is broken is powergaming.

 

Unmasked Standard:

Upon the Mask being removed from their head region, the Izkuthii’s true form bursts free. Their form, taking on the appearance of their creator Veist, causes their face to lose all of their unique features and appear ‘faceless’. 8 Spirit arms, 4 on either side, also appear on the Izkuthii. Each arm is linked to a certain emotion (we’ll be going with Robert Plutchik’s theory of what basic emotions are for this). These arms can not be used in combative purposes and can only interact with the world through an Izkuthii heavily concentrating (Only for AESTHETIC uses). During a drain, each arm will reach forward and be seen pulling free the emotion that corresponds with them (fear, anger, happiness, et cetera). The arms start off clear/empty, but take on the color associated with the emotion once a drain is complete.

 

Reference for the face below:

Spoiler

 

 

Unmasked - Final Form:

All Izkuthii, no matter the level, retain their Veist homage form (energy + 8 spirit arms) when they become Unmasked. However, Adults and Ancients are now able to go further than that and unleash all of their energy. This causes their physical form to fade away and be replaced by what is written below. When the Mask is activated in a certain manner, their energy seeps back and turns back into their body.

 

In their true form, the creature initially appears as an energy coated mass which is then capable of causing themselves to appear however they please, from a scarecrow to person made of insects. They are also capable of  molding their energy so that they are a few feet taller/shorter to fit illusions that they normally wouldn't be able to (e.g. halfling -> normal human height). This however is a bluff and their appearance offers no physical benefit, as no actual muscle or power is being added, merely a change in height should the spectral choose. They retain the strength that they had originally, so a halfling morphing to the size of a human is still as strong as a halfling. Their actual body is a semi-corporeal mass of energy with core that hovers around where a person’s heart would normally be. Should this be pierced by gold or Fi', it will be destroyed, causing the creature to perish. If it is struck by anything other than that, it will shatter temporarily and cause the being to be disabled until it reforms after a minute.

 

Reference:  

Spoiler

 

 

Red Lines

Spoiler

• Due to the fact they are under the influence of the Trickster’s Code, they are unable to abuse their spectral-ness and won’t be able to go around killing willy nilly with this. The moment an Izkuthii has killed, they will inherently be unable to access this form. Should they kill repeatedly as a spectral, it is heavy powergaming and will be dealt with accordingly.
• They will be unable to utilize any magic outside of Izkuthii magic in this form (which is inherently non-lethal/combative).
• Semi-corporeal meaning that they’re spectral enough to interact with the world and whatnot, but if a sword slices their arm off it won’t cause any actual damage unless it was a golden weapon.
• Fi’ and Gold are this creature's primary weakness in spectral form.
• They retain their strength that they had during their mortal form. If they were suffering from voidal corruption, their spectral form would be just as weak. Rather heavy objects such as full chainmail can not be worn. Should they alter their height, their strength does not change.
• Their forms are illusions based around visual and sound, both of which are aesthetic and can’t be used to overwhelm someone in combat (e.g. turning yourself into a large bird that screeches at an ear bleeding pitch is NOT allowed). Similarly, if you disguised yourself as an electrical creature, touching someone won’t actually make them feel electrocuted.
• Only those who have been made into an Adult are capable of turning into their true form, which receives necrolyte. Fledglings do not receive this perk.
• When pierced by gold, the spectral form of the Izkuthii will feel the same amount of pain as a normal person would as if they were being stabbed by iron. New illusionary forms/casting is unable to be done while an Izkuthii is recovering.

• Using a strength pot or any kind of physically enhancing potion in physical form will NOT carry over to the spectral form.

  Going into the final form will need concentration, this can not be done when heavily wounded.

 

 

Abilities

Spoiler

Forging of the Mask

Spoiler

An Izkuthii is able to pour a vast majority of their power into re-creating their Mask. This will cause them to be unable to create an Illusionary World for a month (1 irl day). In order to power this creation, they are required to have fed recently and will need to feed sometime afterwards due to the energy loss.

 

Illusionary World

Spoiler

The curse bestowed upon the Izkuthii allows for them to create illusions that differ from sensory illusions. In order to begin, the Izkuthii must do a small ritual to establish their “world” in which the illusions shall take place. This “world” is a 5x5x5 radius zone that takes 3 emotes to establish.

Illusions: The Izkuthii is able to bring to life anything that they can imagine, unlike sensory illusion which can only create what the illusionist has typically experienced before. HOWEVER, the Izkuthii are unable to utilize this in combat and generally only do it when attempting to collect emotions. These illusions are not capable of being seen through unless with the use of a relic (e.g. Smawton’s Shaman skull thing) or some powerful ward. An illusion takes 2 emotes to come to life and the Izkuthii’s mask will glow each time an illusion is created.

If the Izkuthii’s Mask is broken, all illusions come undone and the Izkuthii remains stuck in their Unmasked form until a new Mask can be forged.

 

Emotional Stasis: The Izkuthii, once causing those within the Illusionary to have a strong emotion (e.g. illusioning a bunch of spiders onto someone to cause fear), are capable of putting everything in the Illusionary World in a stasis (PURELY for harvesting emotion, it will be broken if anyone from the outside attempts to interfere, and Izkuthii can NOT use this for any combat/villain [such as robbing an item] purpose). This lasts for 10 emotes (roughly 2 drains). Takes 3 emotes to charge up.

 

OOC consent: Upon asking and receiving OOC consent, the Illusionary World can be utilized in a much more fluid state, no longer having to charge up new illusions and instead just going free-form.

 

Emotional Drain

Spoiler

The Izkuthii, once making physical contact with someone, is able to drain them of all emotions. This leaves them as a husk for 15 minutes, upon which minimal amounts of emotion starts to be felt again. The drain takes 4 emotes to accomplish and physical contact is required for the full drain. Izkuthii will attempt to heighten a person’s emotions before draining them, such as using their Illusionary World to frighten a person through creating their greatest fear or using their abilities to make a grand party to entertain a small handful of people so that they are delighted.

 

Izkuthii can also drain singular emotions from people, but this does not count towards feeding due to the low amount. OOC consent can be given where an Izkuthii is able to strip a person of their emotions for an extended period of time, ranging up to 3 days.

 

Camouflage

Spoiler

The Izkuthii are able to perform powerful illusions on themselves, seemingly giving their mortal form a new look (it’s just a disguise though, their actual body isn’t changing). This camouflage will be broken upon physically being harmed (such as being shanked, a small scratch won’t do it). Strong deific wards and Fi’ are capable of unmasking an Izkuthii, along with physical injury. These disguises require 4-5 emotes to properly place on.

 

Illusionary Barrage

Spoiler

The illusionary loop is a pre-made illusion that is sent at a target through a ball of energy (should this miss then the attack would be null). The Izkuthii must focus intensely to imagine whatever they wish to illusion, which when affecting a target, lasts for 3 emotes. This illusion is weaker than ones used in the Illusionary World and must have some level of believably , but as with all of their illusionary abilities, does no physical harm. Takes 3 emotes to charge up. This can not be done while camouflaged as it would disrupt it. Can be casted in both unmasked and masked form.

 

Lingering Illusions

Spoiler

The Izkuthii is capable of warping barrages so that they now leave an impact on the person for days to come (up to an IRL month, depending on what the victim is fine with). The illusionary impacts are subtle and not overbearing as the energy lingers on the person, meaning that the effects would be small.

 

Effect - The victim will suffer from an ongoing illusion for an extended period of time. The effect varies from case to case, a few examples being seeing someone from the corner of your eye every now and then, briefly seeing their surroundings as if they were on fire every now and then, mistaking rocks for puppies for a moment, feeling as if they are being poked on various parts of their body, et cetera. This can be removed by Fi’ and anything else capable of cleansing souls. This lasts after death if the player wants it to.

 

Imbument - Passive Drain

Spoiler

The Izkuthii, weaving their magic into a small object (necklace, tiara, et cetera), is capable of blessing an object which passively drains the emotions of someone over the course of 3 IRL days. Once that time has passed, the object will be full and will need to be drained by an Izkuthii before it can have an effect again.

 

Effect - While being worn, the wearer will have their emotions dampened (not outright removed). Something that makes them angry might not bother then as much, or good news might not have as much of an impact on them. Unlike sensory illusion, their emotions are actually being stolen from them.

 

Red Lines:

• Only effective for three IRL days.
• Only lessens emotions rather than outright removing them.
• Imbument is an exhausting process and can only be done a few times a day at most for Adult Izkuthii, a few more can be made by an Ancient.

 

Imbument - Llahir's Tampering

Spoiler

Taking an illusionary barrage, an Izkuthii is capable of funneling that into a small object (largest would be armor).

 

Effect - The object, when wielded for a short amount of time (takes a few minutes for the effects to kick in) will cause the wielder to see whatever illusion was implanted into the object. HOWEVER, unlike barrages, the person can simply drop the object and is not trapped in a mental illusion. This is on par with the lingering illusions, but more powerful as the effect is constant so long as the person has contact with the object.

 

Examples: A tiara that causes the wearer to see themselves wearing a wedding gown.

A sword that causes the wielder to envision their sword as having a magnificent, flaming blade.

 

Red Lines:

• Only affects the person who has physical contact with the object.
• Does not actually cause physical harm.
• Releasing the object will stop the illusions from being seen.
• Imbument is an exhausting process and can only be done a few times a day at most for Adult Izkuthii, a few more can be made by an Ancient.

 

Llahir's World (Event Only)

Spoiler

Requiring an Ancient and 2 Adults, along with 3 people’s worth of emotions. A tower or some structure is heavily imbued over the course of three days with Llahir’s energy. Once this is completed, those involved with the spell are capable of using the entire structure as if it was their Illusionary World. This requires LT approval to be made and is reserved for events.

 

Red Lines:

• Requires LT approval to proceed with.
• Can not be done without an Ancient and 2 Adult Izkuthii.

 

Hibernation

Spoiler

In dire times, an Izkuthii is able to perform a small ritual which causes their need to drain emotions to come to a halt. However, they are unable to do anything during this time and are in a stasis which lasts for extended periods of time. (Essentially gives Izkuthii a reason to survive when IRL issues crop up and they’re unable to be online for weeks at a time).

 

 

Connection/Misc. Clarification Things

Spoiler

PK Clause

Spoiler

An Izkuthii must feed once every two weeks. Not feeding for a year (1 IRL week) will cause them to be stuck in their unmasked form for an additional year. If they fail to feed during the last year, they will perish. Ancient Izkuthii must feed twice every two weeks, they will become physically weak and slowly go become erratic if they leave feeding to the last minute.

 

Utilizing Hibernation (detailed in the abilities section) is the only exception to this.

 

Creation and Disconnection

Spoiler

Ancients are capable of creating a special Mask through a ritual. This Mask is placed upon a chosen person, where it curses them and turns them into an Izkuthii. OOC consent is required to change a person. Creating this Mask, just like forging a normal one, drains the Izkuthii of much of its energy, causing them to weaken for 2 months (2 IRL days).

 

Disconnecting an Izkuthii involves an Ancient pouring their energy into another Izkuthii and pulling free the curse from their soul. This is heavily taxing on the knowledgeable Izkuthii and will weaken them for 2 months (2 IRL days). This method is not perfect and will leave a scar on the disconnected one’s soul. Due to this scarring, the disconnected one will suffer through heavy periods where their emotions fluctuate. More often than not, they will experience certain emotions growing to unmanageable levels, while occasionally feeling devoid of certain ones. They will never feel devoid of all emotions though. Pain does not factor in here and emoting that they no longer feel pain due to this is powergaming. Only Fledglings may be disconnected.

 

Adults may be stripped of their power, leaving them incapable of utilizing any of their Izkuthii abilities while stuck in their Unmasked form.

 

Misc.

• Izkuthii takes up a magic slot.
• All new abilities must be taught, enchanting is reserved for those who have proven themselves and is not a standard ability that will be tossed around.
• Should the Ancient believe someone is ready to become an Adult, they can forcibly cause the change. This can only happen if the character has been a fledgling for at least a month.
• An Ancient is capable of seeing through Izkuthii disguises. Regular Izkuthii are capable of detecting that someone is an Izkuthii, but are unable to pierce their Camouflage.
• An Ancient is capable of letting Izkuthii utilize their Illusionary World (this is part of the teaching process).
• When pierced by gold, the spectral form of the Izkuthii will feel the same amount of pain as a normal person would as if they were being stabbed by iron. New illusionary forms/casting is unable to be done while an Izkuthii is recovering.

 

Red Lines/Restrictions

Spoiler

• Izkuthii can not use the Illusionary World for combat related reasons. OOC consent is required for quick-cast illusions in the zone.
• Illusionary world ends no matter what once the Izkuthii’s mask has been destroyed.
• Izkuthii using Camouflage will have their form revealed upon being physically damaged at a certain extent, being near a strong deific ward aimed at shamanism, or being hit by Fi’.
• Camouflage requires 4-5 emotes each time it is applied, it can not be instant casted to escape a situation.
• Izkuthii have to feed every 2 weeks or they PK. Ancients must do this twice every 2 weeks.
• Izkuthii can not ignore their physical traits that they have in their undisguised form.
• Only Ancients can create and disconnect Izkuthii.
• Draining a single emotion from a person is not enough to count as feeding. Lust/Love can not be manipulated nor can this be used for anything FTB related.
• Spirit arms can only interact with the world when an Izkuthii is in a non-combative/stressful situation, it's physical uses are for peaceful/aesthetic RP.
• Izkuthii can only use outside magic (voidal/other) in their masked form. Izkuthii magic can only be used in their unmasked form.
• Due to the nature of their soul, they are unable to pursue deity magics. Only exceptions would be magics that are deific only in name and lack a deific connection.

RP Purpose/OOC Explanation

Spoiler

This lore is a blend of trickster lore (e.g. Loki) and a few other things. As the illusions CAN NOT be used in combat for the most part, nor can their disguises beat conventional wards as a Frost Witch can, along with the unique manner of how they feed and what the “victim” experiences, I do not believe in anyway is this overpowered nor would it prove to bring difficulties to the server.

 

There are many creatures that must feed on various aspects of a person to survive, with most if not all proving to be fatal to the character who plays the victim. This ultimately makes for poor rp as there is no real character progression. With the Izkuthii, they are required to feed, but the victim does not perish and instead experiences an RP situation unique in LotC. Currently there are no magics capable of removing actual emotions, the closest being illusion/mental magic which involves cutting off certain stimuli for a very short amount of time or trying to grant fake emotions which only last for as long as the mental mage/illusionist is casting for. This, in addition to using whatever the Izkuthii can imagine to bring out these emotions, essentially guarantees a unique and fun RP experience.

 

I realize that there are a lot of creatures and the LT is against accepting new ones, but this isn’t the generic dark “kill people to survive” creature lore piece and I’m hoping y’all will be able to see the potential it has.

 

Credits

Spoiler

 

Original Credits: FlamboyantSoup (Main Writer), Panda/Virtuouso (editing/ideas), and a special shout out to Sythan for being the one to inspire this.

 

Additional Credits: Matheu/Deplorable_ (ideas), Jade/Eandyil (background writing).

 

Addition Credits: Fitermon, ilikefooddude, and Toodles for ideas and clarifications. Addition is currently in the outdated lore section due to the information already being placed into this thread.

 

[Mr. Etan 2841]

Literally don't see anything wrong with this.

 

And I like it.

[Summorox 55]

Oh damn,this is actually pretty neat. Would be pretty nice to have a new creature which is not combat focused.

Could you add some rp examples so I can get a better idea on how it works?

[Vaynth 2965]

If this gets accepted, I undoubtedly must play one. 
+1

[TavernLich 324]

I can dig it. +1

 

special snowflake lore +2

 

trigger +3 

 

(seriously though, I approve of this +1)

[drfate786 1639]

I don't really think this is needed, it gives me bad vibes. -1

[Cooliomafia 397]

I love it! +1.1

[Gone 868]

I can actually see this making a ton of interesting rp, especially since the "victims" don't have to die afterwards. Seeing other baddies is only so fun when you often end up dying because you ran into them. Huge +1

[Bristlebranch 808]

I've always wanted to play a Kitsune on LoTC.

A genuine +1

 

Proof: 

[Wendigo 786]

A few points to bring up. Wouldn't it make more sense to have a heightened sense of smell and hearing in their unmasked form? Perhaps I misread that bit. I really like the idea of having a victim that doesn't die. That being said I don't know, nor can I specifically put my finger on it, but for some reason this just seems...off to me. Maybe it's the whole 9 tails 'theme' behind it, I'm not sure. +/-0

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

27 minutes ago, Wendigo said:

A few points to bring up. Wouldn't it make more sense to have a heightened sense of smell and hearing in their unmasked form? Perhaps I misread that bit. I really like the idea of having a victim that doesn't die. That being said I don't know, nor can I specifically put my finger on it, but for some reason this just seems...off to me. Maybe it's the whole 9 tails 'theme' behind it, I'm not sure. +/-0

Whoops, that's my bad, it was supposed to be in the Unmasked part! As for the tails, it was originally supposed to be lower, but I had a number of people ask for it to be 9 based on how the Kitsune lore is IRL. If there is an issue with the amount (which I want to remind everyone are PURELY aesthetic), that can easily be edited.

[Mephistophelian 972]

My instinct tells me to say no to a nine tailed fox coming on LotC, but I really like the way you've applied this (idea and all). Why are they immortal, though? Also, how are more of them made!?

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

5 minutes ago, Mephistophelian said:

My instinct tells me to say no to a nine tailed fox coming on LotC, but I really like the way you've applied this (idea and all). Why are they immortal, though? Also, how are more of them made!?

They are not so much immortal as they are constantly staving off death. The curse that they receive essentially warps their soul and body so that they are no longer descendants, but in order to sustain that form, they have to constantly feed otherwise they will perish. As for how they are made, the Izkuthii performs a small ritual where they create a new Mask. This mask carries a lot more power than their ordinary one and when applied to a descendant, the power seeps into the descendant and affects their soul, linking the new mask to them. The Izkuthii who made the mask in the first place will be out of commission for a short amount of time due to the effort of this.

 

That being said, this can be changed if needed, feel free to send me a Skype PM to discuss any specific changes you think should be made.

[Mephistophelian 972]

1 hour ago, The Pink Lion said:

They are not so much immortal as they are constantly staving off death. The curse that they receive essentially warps their soul and body so that they are no longer descendants, but in order to sustain that form, they have to constantly feed otherwise they will perish. As for how they are made, the Izkuthii performs a small ritual where they create a new Mask. This mask carries a lot more power than their ordinary one and when applied to a descendant, the power seeps into the descendant and affects their soul, linking the new mask to them. The Izkuthii who made the mask in the first place will be out of commission for a short amount of time due to the effort of this.

 

That being said, this can be changed if needed, feel free to send me a Skype PM to discuss any specific changes you think should be made.

 

No no no, this is fine! It's just.. After thinking about it a bit, I got an idea for their 'arrival' to this server: perhaps you could integrate these creatures as being from this world/map? It might go well, especially since we are currently in Apohet's spot! Perhaps the explanation for their absence is that they died off, and the only thing remaining of them is a few masks they made before their disappearance? It also helps explain why these creatures suddenly reappear: someone found a mask!

[excited 10833]

I like this.