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[✗] THE SECRETS OF DU LOC: REDUX [Sorvian Update]


Omen Prince
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CONTENT SUMMARY:

 

AMENDMENTS

  • The Sorvian Spiritual State
  • Sorvian Sculpting Language
  • Sorvian Constitution Clarification
  • Sorvian Newt Amendments

 

ADDITIONS

  • Sorvian Oddities (Sorvian-enchanted living items)
  • Sorvian Knaves (converted Sorvian versions of nonplayable fauna)
  • Earthenstew (Sorvian food made by Sculptor memories of cuisine)
  • Sorvian Argiles (natural trees converted into Sorvians)
  • Sorvian Seeding (giving Sorvian-based souls to soulless Constructs)
  • Sacrificial Hands (Sacred Arm-related Sorvian blood manifestation)
  • The Death-Dream (interactable Sorvian spiritual lineage)
  • Gaultenrhomphaia (Sorvian-enchanted clay weaponry)


 

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In the final days of Almaris, the Sorvians of Du Loc compile the remnant studies of the Man-makers and the many living Sorvian Sculptors together, intent to preserve that knowledge and discern its strange codes and languages for a deeper understanding of their man-made species. They are, like the rest of mankind, thrust henceforth into the next land; but in their arrival they are wizened by memories and experiences of the realm within which much of their kind had been ushered into form. They harness these new secrets, and embrace the challenges of the new world.

 

AMENDMENTS

𒀭𒌓𒋾𒁺𒆠𒊑𒆕

 

THE SORVIAN SPIRITUAL STATE

𒈗𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳𒋢 𒍣𒊑𒈨𒀀𒆠𒋢

 

Much intrigue and mystery surrounds the design of the Sorvian Soul. The true nature of it was not fully understood by Sculptors until the days of Du Loc, when the Man-makers made record of their findings during dubious experimentation upon their clay subjects. It was discovered that the Sorvian Soul itself existed within the Sorvian in a kind of disassembled state; the Sculpting Language written upon the back of their masks to create them acts as a form of physical data that is otherwise powerless or mundane if not written with the Sculptor’s blood and channeled soul matter. This is what “kickstarts” their existence, initiating a process in which their own form of spiritual matter begins to accumulate within the hollows of their torso. This spiritual matter assumes the role of a non-tangible blood, dispersing across all parts of the body to maintain a wholeness and connectivity across the entire form of the Sorvian. 

 

The mask upon Sorvians contains the runic data necessary for the emergence of their senses, their sentience, and their ability to form a personal ego or sense of self. Without the script written there, the Sorvian more closely resemble their original identity of “clay golem”, mindless servants who obey the orders of their makers and otherwise function as a kind of machine. There is a relationship between the porcelain masks and the Sculpting Language that is vital for a Sorvian’s ability to mentally grow and develop overtime.

 

When Sculpting Language is written upon the back of a Sorvian’s unset mask in the soul-charged blood of the Sculptor, it is known to assume a strange and perpetually shifting state. To the Sculptor, this signifies that the language has converted into what is the summation of the Sorvian’s spiritual information, but it also signifies that those shifting runes have begun to grow. Because the mask’s runes are on the back of the mask, and thus the area that seals to the Sorvian’s face, it is unnoticeable that the runes themselves progressively grow and expand across the back of the mask overtime in a manner of evolving script. This represents the accumulation of their knowledge and personal longevity, the essential record of their entire existence which has been set in stone into the very Material Alphabet.

 

This growth is fueled by the generation of raw spiritual matter within their bodies. This raw spiritual matter, or “anima”, accumulates within a Sorvian naturally and without need for them to draw upon the life around them as fuel. This spiritual matter itself grows and expands by nature of its existence within the Sorvian; a mimicry of the Descendant soul’s tendency to continually expand, grow and repair itself overtime. The excess of this transfers into their mask for the growth of its runes, the anima taking the physical shape of expanding engravings across the back of the mask. The Sorvian’s experience and interaction with the world, received through their senses, are imposed upon the drifting inner-anima within them, which then forms upon the mask as runic physical memories.

 

It is only through a Sorvian mastering the ways of controlling the flow of their sparsely drifting anima through Sculpting that they may direct their accumulated soul matter towards other purposes and practices that have been discovered in Sorvian Sculpting. While a Sorvian’s soul is ever-growing like that of a mortal’s, this growth is limited to the spread of the engravings on the back of their mask, representing the perpetual growth of their mind and senses rather than growth in supernatural capabilities. This means that even if enough spiritual power was accumulated to equal that of a Descendant’s overtime (something said to take nearly a thousand years), they would still not be considered to have “true souls” and could not harness them in such a way.

 

SORVIAN SCULPTING LANGUAGE

𒈗𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳𒋢 𒋏

𒉡𒆠𒅖𒈾 𒆠𒁕𒁺𒆳𒂟𒈾

 

The Sculpting Language bears its roots in the Material Alphabet. It is unknown even to the Man-makers on the exact source from which this runic language emerged, shrouding the true origin of Sorvian Sculpting in great mystery. Proof of its relation to powers such as Blood Magic are clear based on Sculpting’s inherent functionality; the channeling of soul-related essences into runes, via blood, to initiate supernatural effect. What’s more, it was discovered that not only does Sculpting share some kind of kinship with Blood Magic, but also a polarity against it. The entire practice of Sorvian Sculpting is based on ritualized self-sacrifice, focusing entirely on the self in what must be offered for the desired effects. 

 

When there are instances in which other lifeforms are sacrificed for the achievement of the rituals in this line of sorcery, it leads to strange complications or “errors” in a Sorvian product that the Man-makers refer to as “natural order infection”; the Sorvian becomes “infected” by natural life’s tendencies and instincts to prey upon other lives in order to live. As such, this all ultimately insinuates a negative relationship with Blood Magic, which abides entirely by reality’s demand for life to sacrifice others. This places the Sorvian Sculptor in a kind of principled opposition to Blood Mages despite the strong ties between their runic languages, though this does not keep willing Sculptors from falling to such forbidden powers or vice-versa.

 

Sculpting Language structurally differs from traditional Material Alphabet runes, best described as an alien transliteration of the forces conveyed by Blood Runes. This transliteration is designed to exclusively focus those cosmic forces towards the emergence of Sorvian life, which is why Sculpting Language is unable to be harnessed like the Blood Runes of the Material Alphabet; each rune signified in Sculpting Language is dedicated entirely to creatorial acts. 

 

For example: “life” in Sculpting language transliterates to “𒆠𒋛𒅅𒋛” . This series of runes represent the warmth of life, the fire of anger and determination, the endurance and constitution of the lifeform, and their tendency to grow. The runes written upon the back of a mask by a Sculptor are apart of a set of fundamental data required to initiate the spark of life within a Sorvian. These fundamental runes are the ones written upon the back of a Sorvian mask prior to its application, empowered by the Sculptor’s spiritual sacrifice. They are as follows:

 

𒆠𒋛𒅅𒋛 (Life)

𒄿𒈨𒆳𒋛 (Born)

𒉈𒈾𒈾𒁺𒁀 (Within)

𒀭𒆳𒊏 (Clay)

 

Paired with the runic transliteration of the Sorvian’s chosen name, it is written upon the mask in the following manner in order to establish a connection with the Sorvian’s ego:

 

𒆠𒋛𒅅𒋛

𒄿𒈨𒆳𒋛

𒉈𒈾𒈾𒁺𒁀

𒀭𒆳𒊏

𒊾𒈾𒅅𒈾𒀀𒆠𒋛

 

(Life-Born-Within-Clay,

Wave-maker)

 

Sculpting Language is known to assume two forms: absent, and active. When these runes are absent, that means they have been engraved but not empowered by a Sculptor’s spiritual sacrifice. The form they take is static and unchanging, a series of Material Alphabet transliterations that lack the fuel to accomplish their effect. But when they are given the Sculptor’s sacrifice, they become active, and have been known to shift unusually before the eyes of the beholder, distorting their original shape. This is on account of the relationship between each rune in the awakening phrase, “life born within clay”. These shifting runes are the root from which the rest of the growing script upon the back of a Sorvian’s mask may sprout from, all memories and experiences derived from the fundamental data that grants them life. All of these evolving runes are structured in such a way that they are intertwined into what could be considered a greater rune, which in its wholeness expresses the entirety of the Sorvian themselves. 

 

When a Sorvian dies and their mask shatters, they are not lost, for the growth and manifestation of this larger representative rune within them is cemented into the fabric of reality much like the Material Alphabet’s runes are themselves. There never is not the rune of life; therefore, there never is not the rune of a particular Sorvian. When the root of that greater rune is restored to a recreated mask, it naturally regenerates into what the Sorvian was prior to their demise. The runic transliteration of the Sorvian’s chosen name being added to the root phrasing is what enables the precision of this regrowth as the world remembers who they were.

 

Redlines

Spoiler

Sculpting Language is a type of cuneiform that transliterates the Material Alphabet into achieving the Sorvian form of life, and thus cannot be used for anything other than Sorvian Sculpting creations. Blood Magic and Sorvian Sculpting, while related fundamentally, cannot be used to cross together seamlessly.

 

When activated by the Sculptor’s blood-transferred soul fragments, those runes begin to shift unusually before the eyes. This represents the creation of the Sorvian Soul, which if written upon the back of a porcelain mask will have a tendency to grow and expand, similarly to a common lifeform.

 

Every Sorvian creation bears some manner of Sculpting cuneiform written upon it in order to animate the creation. All Sorvian creations bar Gaultenrhomphaia are sealed with masks of any necessary size that bear the cuneiform’s inscriptions, charged with the blood and soul of the Sculptor.  Gaultenrhomphaia is exempt from this because of the sheer simplicity of its make, which only draws upon one function (to strengthen) that does not require the utilitarian sentience granted by the masks.

 

The Sculpting Language is written on the back of porcelain masks on account of these masks bearing properties that allow the engraved script to shift and “grow” on its own, expanding the Sorvian’s mind overtime. Gaultenrhomphaia do not require this growth, and thus are engraved upon the bare blade itself.

 

The Sculpting Language itself is broken into different phrases or series of runes that happen to be the combination necessary to achieve transliteration of the Material Alphabet’s different domains and runes. While it is able to be used as an actual written language, only the specific listed phrases are capable of achieving effect when put to proper use.

 

SORVIAN CONSTITUTION CLARIFICATION

𒈗𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳𒋢 𒂟𒈨𒂟𒋫𒉣 

𒃷𒀀𒆠𒅈𒆳𒊏𒉢𒈨𒆠

 

The constitution clarification aims to clarify the multiple mental, spiritual and physical aspects of Sorvians that were inadequately explained in prior iterations of the lore.

 

Redlines

Spoiler

 

Sorvians are capable of a deeply dreaming sleep. This is initiated by focused meditation rather than exhaustion, which Sorvians do not naturally feel to the point of requiring rest.

 

 

Sorvians are capable of the sense of smell. While it is dull like other forms of stimuli they can perceive, they can learn to distinguish, and thus choose to like or dislike, certain smells in their vicinity.

 

Sorvians cannot freeze to death. When they are put in conditions where they are frozen solid, they will survive a thawing process and will only experience various cracks or damages on their body. They remain in waking frozen perpetuity and may be shattered to pieces helplessly.

 

Sorvians cannot burn to death by common fire, though to be actively on fire proves to be deeply painful to them. They are capable of reacting to this pain without collapsing, but the intensity of it will cripple and stunt their movement until the flames are fanned. This will leave them blackened and cracked, requiring extensive superficial mending. They are, however, obliterated by intense forms of the elements like gouts of dragonfire or magma.

 

Sorvians are capable of the sense of taste, which is experienced through their consumption of Earthenstew (explained below). Otherwise they cannot experience it for lack of proper mouths or digestive organs.

 

Sorvians are capable of adorning Automatii eyes under the condition that they are capable of creating Automatii and Automaton related devices. The eyes neither impede nor improve their eyesight, but they do function in a manner that allows them to appear more “mortal” than they really are, though it is still an uncanny alternative. Sorvians capable of wearing these eyes may favor them for the ability to better connect and interact with other Descendants or beings. These eyes may be inserted and removed at-will, and do not blind the Sorvian.

 

Sorvians cannot drown. They are capable of submerging themselves up to 200 feet below the surface of bodies of water, but anywhere past that point will cause the pressure to collapse their chest cavity and thus destroy them.

 

Sorvians do not experience significant effects of physical exhaustion. When limits are extremely surpassed, this results in cracks and potentially severe damages in parts of the Sorvian’s body that sustain great weight or trauma. They are persistent in combat, and are more easily engaged in an overwhelming strategy than methods used to tire them out. This also makes them fit for long excursions and journeys, where they require no rest nor sleep nor food to continue marching until they meet their destination, though this may incur some bodily degradation along the way.

 

Sorvians are capable of being as strong as a human knight or soldier, thus placing them on the same level of strength as other common men.

 

Sorvians do not contain lifeforce or harvestable blood, meaning they are immune or otherwise unaffected by dark spells that depend upon the theft of such personal resources.

 

Sorvian Sculptors may now create other Sorvians in pairs of two. When two Descendant or Sorvian Sculptors come together, they may sacrifice two fragments from themselves to be transferred into the mask of their Sorvian. This does not lend more to the created Sorvian’s spiritual strength, but it does enable them to reach into the spiritual lineages preceding the two individual Scu;ptors (if they are Sorvians) through interactions with the Death-Dream.

 

SORVIAN NEWT AMENDMENTS

𒈗𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳𒋢 𒈬𒀀𒆠𒅖

𒈾 𒆳𒆳𒀀𒆠𒅖𒈾

 

The degrees of sacrifice between the creation of standard Sorvians and Sorvians Newts share a strong disparity, as for their greater capabilities the standard Sorvians require much more of a spiritual fragment than their Newt kinsmen. Newts are known to be created plentifully and to far less effect to the Sculptor’s condition, justifying the relaxation of their creation limitations. There are also two proposed additions, as per the following:

 

Redlines

Spoiler

Playable Sorvian Newt creation limit increased to 1 separate charge per month, enabling a Sculptor to create 1 standard Sorvian and 1 Newt per month.

 

This limitation is locked to a month-to-month basis; no more than 1 playable Newt may be created in the given timeframe. When a playable Newt is created, the charge unlocks following the beginning of the next month.

 

Playable Sorvian Newts are capable of learning Sorvian Sculpting and creating other Sorvians and Sorvian Newts, but they are incapable of achieving certain feats such as Sacrificial Hands or creating Gaultenrhomphaia. These features are barred to them unless they are evolved by another Sorvian Sculptor,

 

Sorvian Newts may be “evolved” from their Newt state into a standard Sorvian character, requiring the acceptance of a submitted Sorvian CA. The mask, personality and history of the Newt character is carried over into their greater form.

 

ADDITIONS

𒁉𒊕𒄷𒈾𒀀𒆠

 

SORVIAN ODDITIES

𒈗𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳𒋢 𒃷

𒈾𒁀𒅅𒀀𒆠

 

The Man-makers of Du Loc discovered the Sorvian tendency to adapt and achieve designed function based on the shape given to them. This is to say, after the discernment of a specific method through trial and error, those persnickety Man-makers were capable to creating a form of lesser Sorvian that could resemble both the appearance and functionality of smaller, more tool-like or utilitarian objects - the Sorvian Oddity. Simple Sorvian flutes may be fashioned from blood and clay with a tiny porcelain tip, and blown into to awaken its will to sing in tandem with the user’s breathwork. Sorvian clocks may be made with as simple as a bloody clay frame and a mask, and rather than ticking away that “clock” will speak the exact time of the day. Masked Sorvian chairs may stalwartly bear the heaviness of any body, adjusting itself to compensate for where the weight leans the most. Sorvian clay doors, emblazoned with grand stylized mask-faces, may be made without knobs, opening only when the password is spoken. 

 

All of these “Sorvian-alternative” objects and devices are possible only through the intellectual capacity granted to them via the Sculptor’s method of spiritual transference; normal humanoid Sorvians could rival other descendants in the depths of thought and sentience, and Newts were stunted to an odd childlike or dullard’s nature, but Sorvian Oddities are reduced to the lowest possible plateau of calculative thought and self-awareness. The soul within Sorvian Oddities, if the smattering of it could even be considered that, invests within them the means to understand two things: the reason for their existence, and the method by which they may excel in that reason for existing. Only living to fulfill their design-based purposes, the Oddities are capable of achieving those functions throughout the span of time and without hesitation or exhaustion for as long as they are kept intact and undamaged. 

 

Sorvian Oddities are exclusively relegated to household objects, trinkets, tools and even furniture. There are two modes that an Oddity may be styled by in order to achieve the desired function of an object or tool: voice and motion. Sorvian Oddities born with a voice, such as the aforementioned Sorvian clock, may naturally keep track of the day as long as that information can be gathered from their immediate vicinity, and speak their calculation (example: the time, date or day), or tiny masked pendants that may speak uplifting or soothing things to a distressed wearer. Sorvian Oddities born with Motion may, for one example, be masked clay doors that may swing open or closed upon their physical activation, or clay chests opened by making certain coded gestures in front of its designated mask. The Sorvian Oddities are vast in their potential, leaving it to Sorvian Sculptors to interpret new Sorvian-based designs and inventions.

 

The runes that must be placed upon the back of a Sorvian Oddity’s mask (which may vary in size depending on the object it must be sealed on) are as follows:

 

𒆠𒋛𒂠𒄯𒀀𒆠𒋛 (Tool)

𒋡𒁺𒄿𒊑 (Given)

𒆠𒋛𒅅𒋛 (Life)

 

Redlines

Spoiler

Sorvian Oddities are limited to trinkets, tools, furniture pieces, doors and other mundane objects that are fashioned out of clay.

 

The functionality of a Sorvian Oddity is meant to supercede the practical function of the objects they resemble. For example, an Oddity chair will adjust itself to suit the comfort and preferences of a seated individual. An Oddity clock will speak the time of the day to passer-bies. An Oddity box will open if commanded. An Oddity door may serve as worthwhile alternatives to locked barriers by requiring a specific pass-phrase to be opened. Sources of recorded knowledge, such as clay tablets, may also be made into masked Oddities that speak their contents to a willing recipient.

 

Sorvian Oddities must take the form of signed items, which must be named and described in their functionality. 

 

Oddity containers or doors that are locked by pass-phrases utilize the same mechanical function as normal chests and doors, which is conveyed through the item locking mechanic able to set passwords. Signs must be placed to distinguish the chest or door as a Sorvian Oddity. 

 

Sorvian Oddities may be fashioned from objects as simple as small clay pebbles sealed with tiny porcelain masks. These pebbles speak simplistic phrases and messages to the holder and will reliably do so without error, allowing them to function as adequate letter alternatives.

 

Sorvian Oddities have extremely limited mental capabilities. Some Oddities may be “smart” but only in subjects relative to their existence and purpose. Oddities may also remember individuals by making contact with them, depending on their functionality. 

 

Sorvian Oddities cannot be weaponized or fashioned into weapons or armor. 

 

Sorvian Oddities may be created by standard Sorvian Sculptors. A Sculptor is limited to the creation of one Sorvian Oddity per day, demanding a degree of care and intent in their creation.

 

SORVIAN KNAVES

𒈗𒊹𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳

𒋢 𒅅𒀀𒆠𒉈𒈾

 

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The Sorvian Knaves are Sorvian variations of natural fauna that exist in the world, brought about by a process considered strange and unusual to most Sculptors. Moral boundaries did not stop the Man-makers, however, and they discovered that beings deemed “Knaves” could be created from the blood and spiritual matter of beasts. A Sorvian Knave body is shaped and designed to be long and proportioned like a man-sized worm or snake, with a mask intended to be placed over a head which lies on one side of this body. This is considered to be the “basest” of all lifeforms, or the most expressionless and unformed shape life may take. This is necessary for their developmental process, and depending on the form of fauna the Knave is intended to mimic, the size of its initial serpentine body may vary.

 

By sacrificing a beast of any variety and using its blood to guide its fleeting soul essence into its new wormlike form, the animal is essentially “converted” into this Sorvian shape where they are both physically and mentally warped in the process. In order to transfer an animal’s soul into a Knave mask, the Sculptor must utilize a mixture of the fresh blood of both the sacrificed beast and themselves, allowing the Sculptor to guide the desired soul essence like a sort of ferryman into Sorvian rebirth. This is done by writing the script of Sculpting into the mask of the Knave and sealing it to the serpentine body, which shall then awaken to new life.

 

Within an hour of awakening, the Sorvian Knave in its infancy will develop a wide and hinged-jaw mouth that they utilize in order to consume other forms of natural flora and fauna. Man-makers believe they develop this on account for an animal’s tendency to be completely instinct driven, otherwise meaning that hunger had tainted their Sorvian form like a curse and compels them to seek (but not require) sustenance. This accursed inheritance causes them to utilize the devoured living matter to metamorphosize and adopt the shape and likeness of their victims. This is most easily achieved by guiding the Knave to consume the remains of its prior body, which it may tend to do without invitation as soon as it forms the mouth to do so. 

 

In the aftermath of this self-cannibalism, the Knave will fall into a hibernation that may span a year (1 IRL week), in which the Sculptor must bind or seal their mouths in such a way as to permanently close them. By the time this hibernation passes, the Knave will reawken in a strange clay shape similar to their prior likeness but will lack the mouth to act upon their predatory instincts. If the precaution of mouth-binding is not accomplished by the Sculptor, then the Knave will reawaken as a predator and will continue eating all surrounding forms of wildlife, including the trees and even men themselves. The only option henceforth would be to strike them down, wasting the effort.
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The Knave may assume virtually any animal likeness, from Knave wolves to Knave elk and Knave bears and Knave lions, even birds and lizards. Sorvians may even create Knave horses and mounts, pack animals that may follow commands demanding labor and riding. Knaves do not tend to act as adequate guards or battle companions, however, as the loss of their mouths acted as a kind of neuter for their violent instincts. This reduces them to a simple, habitual and imitating existence. It is possible that a Knave may become so old and bonded to their makers that they may overtime come to understand and even speak language, but to a simpleton’s degree and in ways that do not follow any line of sense of reasoning. Man-makers observed that they are fond of isolating themselves in the wild so they may speak riddles to any possible passer-bies, or to simply repeat lines of strange knowledge or wisdom that they heard spoken by their makers. They are not sentient in the true sense, furthering lending to their unusual and uncertain nature.

 

The Sculpting Language that must be written upon the back of a Knave’s mask is as follows:

 

𒋡𒄷𒊏 (Beast)

𒈬𒀀𒆠𒁺𒊕 (Remade)

𒀀𒆠𒋛 (Into)

𒀭𒆳𒊏 (Clay)

 

Redlines

Spoiler

Sorvian Knaves, if properly matured under the creation and proper taming processes, may resemble nearly every animal in the natural world that does not surpass the size of an elephant.

 

The animals sacrificed to create their Knave alternative selves must match the same Sorvian shape they will take; a sacrificed wolf must become a wolf Knave, a lion must become a lion Knave, a bird must become a bird Knave, and etcetera. All Sorvian Knaves are crude clay recreations of the original creature, usually lacking any kind of exterior feature like hair or feathers, meaning that the bird Knaves are more often grounded.

 

All Sorvian Knaves possess a mask sealed to where there would be beaks or snouts.

 

Sorvian Knaves may be used to create Sorvian-based mounts. A Sculptor has total command over the Knaves they create and pacify, making them superb steeds.

 

Sorvian Knaves cannot be directly weaponized or used as battle companions. Sorvian Knaves that do not have their mouths bound in their maturing process (in order to weaponize them) will wander away from and even attack their makers and generally all surrounding life they are capable of swallowing. Sorvian Sculptors may unleash such beasts upon certain environments in special circumstances that must be arranged with ST.

 

Sorvian Knaves may be freely created like nonplayable Sorvian Newts. It is procedure that every significant Knave, such as Knaves dedicated to riding or Knaves that are considerably large, are properly hunted in roleplay and placed through the aforementioned rituals in order to create them.

 

Sorvian Knaves are capable of bearing a “false” intellect. It is something comparable to that of ravens, who may understand some degrees of situational context and are capable of mimicking speech and language patterns. They will never properly conversate and instead speak odd riddles if questioned extensively.

 

Sorvian Knaves may be created by standard Sorvian Sculptors once per week. Because Knaves are not playable, they do not require CAs or MArts.

 

EARTHENSTEW

𒂊𒅗𒆠𒁉𒆠 𒉡𒆠𒂊

 

Earthenstew is a unique concoction created only by Sorvian Sculptors, particularly among the ones who have blood. Because Sorvians have no connection to the natural processes of the world, they cannot consume food nor do they even hunger for it; the sensation is nearly entirely alien. But this is only because something does not naturally spawn for them to consume, except clay, which is relegated to fusing to them through repair. This Earthenstew is the Sculptor solution to this, in which they create a kind of thick broth of clay and drops of their own blood, through which smaller fragments of spiritual matter are sacrificed.

 

This otherwise vile concoction experiences a kind of conversion to a state more interactable with Sorviankind. By having sacrificed their own charged blood, the Sculptors are transferring a memory of known and experienced meals of their choosing into the mixture, enchanting it in a way that only Sorvians can detect. When a bowl of this chunky broth is brought and poured upon the mask of a Sorvian, it is absorbed instantly through the porcelain, and in doing so the Sorvian experiences the memory of the taste transferred by the Sculptor. A Sculptor’s ability to replicate the same memory for multiple batches of Earthenstew is known to falter and become dull overtime for the fact that they are literally chipping away the part of their spirit containing those memories, making them fade overtime like a targeted dementia.

 

Earthenstew dissipates one Elven hour following the completion of the concoction unless sealed tightly in flasks made of porcelain. Within these flasks the stew remains warm and may be consumed overtime by a wanting Sorvian. The flavor of the Earthenstew may be that of any flavor the Sculptor stew-maker may clearly recall in memory, either passed down to them through consuming other batches of Earthenstew or by having participated in the core memory of any given meal, which may only be achieved by Descendant Sculptors.

 

Redlines

Spoiler

Earthenstew does not provide anything but a psychological benefit to the Sorvian consumer, who may learn to enjoy the experience of such meals.

 

Earthenstew may only be properly prepared by either Descendant Sculptors or Sorvian Sculptors who achieve Sacrificial Hands.

 

Earthenstew batches expire within one IRL hour during the roleplay unless bottled in porcelain flasks.

 

Earthenstew flasks are advised to be named, described appropriately and signed by verified Sorvian Sculptors so that recipient Sorvian characters may properly experience or understand their worth.

 

Earthenstew cannot be consumed by Descendants, even if they are Sculptors, nor anything other than Sorvians or Sorvian Seeded Constructs.

 

Sorvian Seeded Constructs may create batches of Earthenstew by using their own blood alternative (if accessible) as a spiritual channeling medium.

 

Standard Sorvian Sculptors may brew Earthenstew on two alternating conditions: that they are a Descendant and have clear recollection of a given meal, or that they are a Sorvian who has consumed the Earthenstew of a Descendant Sculptor and thus gained the memory of it for replication. A Sorvian may also learn of a specific memory of a meal or eating experience in the Dream-Dream upon a predecessor character player’s approval.

 

SORVIAN ARGILES

𒈗𒊹𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳

𒋢 𒆠𒅊𒅐𒆳𒂟𒈾


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Sorvian Argiles are similar to the Knaves in that they are a converted species of natural life. A chosen tree is found and trimmed if necessary as to allow the complete coverage of clay across its form and branches, packed onto it with wet clumps that, once applied, must be left to dry upon the tree once completely layered. Three Sculptors must then converge to draw blood and channel three soul fragments into a porcelain mask which must bear three lines of Sculpting language, each of which must be written by each Sculptor. Following the mask’s placement upon the trunk, the meagre spiritual matter within the tree binds with the fragments sealed within the mask, granting it a sentient ego.

 

The Argile henceforth no longer draws upon the surrounding nutrients, water and sunlight for sustenance. It is suspended in a Sorvian limbo that liberates the original tree from its bindings to the natural order while also lending it a mind. However, this also keeps it from growing, forcing the Argile to remain the original size and shape it had been prior to this transformation. Argiles are clever and riddlesome, and are capable of emitting a strange and calming song from their masks that tend to lure the attention of both standard Sorvians and their Knave counterparts, instilling deeply pacifying feelings within them. Argiles do not have a preference on whether they wish to exist in the wild or behind protective walls and thus do not tend to be psychologically distressed by their surroundings, even if they may be considered dire or harsh to mortal men. 

 

Sculptors may conduct “watering rituals” upon the Argiles that are intended to both nourish them and achieve a secret purpose that is vital to their field of sorcery. Just as in their creation, three Sorvian Sculptors may gather around an Argile and feed blood to its roots. They must once again channel three spiritual fragments into this process; this causes an excess accumulation to form within the Argile, compelling it to grow a blood-red clay “fruit” known as Sorvian Seeds. This may only be achieved in intervals of four Elven years (1 IRL month) per seed. Argiles who render these seeds often call them “the children”, considering them to be the sleeping potential of a new Sorvian lifeform. 

 

The Sculpting Language that must be engraved upon the back of an Argile’s mask is as follows:

 

𒁹𒆳𒂠𒊑𒄑 (Roots)

𒈬𒀀𒆠𒁺𒊕 (Remade)

𒀀𒆠𒋛 (Into)

𒀭𒆳𒊏 (Clay)

 

Redlines

Spoiler

Sorvian Argiles must be created out of pre-existing trees, which may be of any variety besides trees already enchanted by other forces.

 

Three Sorvian Sculptors must sacrifice their blood and three fragments of their souls individually in order to empower the Argile’s mask enough to awaken it upon application.

 

Sorvian Argiles bear the same level of sentience and comprehension as Descendants and other Sorvians. They are deeply aware of their surroundings and the nuances of nearby nature. They are capable of becoming receptacles of vast sums of knowledge and are masters in calculative fields such as mathematics, allowing them to function as strange organic computers for Sorvian Sculptors.

 

Sorvian Argiles cannot defend themselves if threatened. They cannot be burnt, but if their mask is smashed three times, they are destroyed. The clay upon their form will crumble away to reveal a dead tree which perishes with its alter-ego. Argiles may be revived on the same tree through repeating the creation process and copying their mask and its respective runes, but if the entire tree is destroyed, the Argile is lost for good.

 

Sorvian Argiles may only be made out of trees that reach as high as thirty feet, only because Sorvians are limited in their ability to accumulate the amount of clay needed to cover entire trees. In theory, any tree is capable of becoming an Argile, but with greater size comes greater demand of clay supply.

 

Sorvian Knaves tend to flock and rest around the vicinity of Sorvian Argiles. Standard Sorvians and even Sculptors, both Sorvian and Descendant types, experience a kind of calming effect in their vicinity.

 

Sorvian Argiles are unable to teach specialized knowledge such as magic or feats to other characters.

 

Sorvian Argiles no longer respond to Druidic Communion in the traditional fashion. A Druid may attempt to commune with them, but will be responded to vocally by the Argile rather than in telepathic or secret contact. This also means they will not respond or adhere to their direct commands, nor be affected by Druidic cleansing, growth or alteration spells.

 

Sorvian Argiles are usually bare, but may gradually sprout red leaves after daily “watering” in which they are fed a single drop of Sculptor’s blood.

 

Sorvian Argiles do not require sustenance or normal living conditions and thus may be created where-ever a natural tree has been kept alive. 

 

Sorvian Argile creation requires ST observation or proof of the event with three verifiable Sorvian Sculptors who are capable of shedding blood. An Argile's in-game model must be given lore signs describing them and distinguishing them as Sorvian Argiles.

 

SORVIAN SEEDS

𒈗𒊹𒅁𒄿𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳

𒋢 𒁺𒉈𒈾𒈾

 

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The clay fruit known as Sorvian Seeds are vital to a process capable to Sculpting masters as “Sorvian Seeding”. It is a process in which the clay fruit is molded and transformed into a special variety of Sorvian porcelain mask, intended to be placed upon the faces of soulless Construct beings in order to grant them a Sorvian Soul to preserve their ego and expand their mental strength and capacity that are otherwise limited by a soulless existence. The viable recipients of Sorvian Seeds are as follows:

 

Automatons

Anthroparions

Homunculi

 

Sorvian Seeded Constructs receive similar benefits to Sorvians in both mental clarity and limited supernatural ability. While they become like Sorvians in that they do not match the spiritual strength of Descendants, Sorvian Seeded Constructs become capable of utilizing Sorvian Sculpting, Housemagery, and Bardmancy. In addition, they may become Sorvian Sculptors themselves, enabling them to access both the old and newly discovered secrets of Sorvian Sculpting such as the Death-Dream lineages. This allows Sorvian Seeded Constructs to replicate their ascendancy in other Constructs, who thereon become apart of their spiritual lineage.

 

It is vital that a Sorvian Seed mask is placed upon a Construct only during the moments of their first creation. This allows their artificial mind to properly merge with the spiritual essences trapped within their mask, establishing a synchronicity between the soul and the soulless. If a Construct is granted a mask when they are already alive, this will come with a high chance of complication in which the Construct may be driven into an insane frenzy until the mask is broken from them, disrupting the binding process. 

 

There are interactions that occur between the seeded Construct’s original methods of revival and their Sorvian state. This is elaborated upon in the following sections:

 

Sorvian Seeded Automatons, if their Gear Heart is destroyed, must be recreated by either a pair of a Automaton-specializing Alchemist and a Sorvian Sculptor who knows the Construct’s mask, or a Sculptor who already specializes in Automaton creation and Alchemy. Both the Automaton’s body and their Gear Heart must be recreated in tandem with the application of a recreated Sorvian mask, which does not need to be made out of an entirely new Sorvian Seed. If the Gear Heart is only damaged, the Construct’s Sorvian Soul will protectively secure any memory loss incurred by this trauma and prevent risks of the total loss of their accumulated data. The mask must be reapplied during the recreation process, or else the seeded Automaton will cease to function even if all steps necessary are taken to reawaken it.

 

Sorvian Seeded Anthroparions must first successfully repair and reassemble themselves following the incident of their demise before their replicated mask may be reapplied to them by a Sorvian Sculptor. While the Anthroparion’s body is capable of naturally reforming itself, it will be placed in a mentally dormant or catatonic state which will not cease until the Anthroparion is rejoined with their respective mask in a process that mimics Sorvian revival.

 

Sorvian Seeded Homunculi are returned to life similarly to Anthroparions, in that even after regenerating themselves from oblivion they must have their mask remade and reapplied to them in order to be awakened from a comatose state.

 

These “Alchemical Sorvians” represent a synthesis between Sorvian Sculpting and the multiple forms of Alchem, producing soul-bearing lifeforms that could not have otherwise been made independently between either field of study. There are certain physical changes that occur within each type of seeded Construct, most notably the accumulation of soul essences in the hollow spaces of their torso. While this accumulation acts as a fatal weakpoint for normal Sorvians, this is because standard Sorvians rely on that flow of anima in order to be animated. This is on account of the “base” form of existence, lacking complexities and functions that are equipped to other Alchemical Constructs that allow them to operate. Because of this, a Sorvian Seeded Construct will not die if impaled through their torso and “bled” of their spiritual essences, but rather fall into a state of weakness and stupor in which combat becomes impossible. 

 

There are potential severe complications that may arise if the correct process of a Sorvian Seeded Construct’s creation is not followed. The Man-makers describe it as a “Synchronicity Break”, in which an already made and awakened Construct is seeded but experiences psychological distress because of their material mind’s resistance against being assimilated by their Sorvian Soul. If these disparate forces fail to merge properly within the Construct, it will cause their new soul to “override” their prior ego and create an entirely new individual while completely discarding the original. This is similar to original Sorvian Breaks, in which the same outcome may occur based on different conditions. 

 

The engravings upon the back of a Sorvian Seed mask differ from that of a common Sorvian’s, and are as follows:

 

𒌋𒀀𒆠 (Two)

𒉈𒄑𒋛𒀀𒆠 (Minds)

𒈬𒀀𒆠𒁺𒊕 (Made)

𒆠𒉡 (One)

 

Redlines

Spoiler

Sorvian Seeds must be harvested by verified Sorvian Argiles only after the appropriate conditions are met by three individual Sorvian Sculptors.

 

Construct that are already created must /roll 20 to determine whether or not their original selves will “carry over” into their new soul. If the score falls below 10, the Construct’s original ego will be erased and they will reawaken as a blank slate. The only way to avoid this gamble is by initiating the seeding process in the midst of the Construct’s first creation.

 

The concentration of soul fragments within the Sorvian Seeds cannot be used as fuel for other magical powers, responding only to Sculpting purposes.

 

Sorvian Seeded Constructs cannot repair themselves with clay like normal Sorvians are able to. They still require the same components and materials required for any form of revival and repair as was necessary in their original CA state.

 

The current list of Constructs who may become recipients of Sorvian Seeds is flexible and may be updated based on future amendment submissions, requiring evaluation and collaboration with potential Construct type additions that must involve its writers or other ST members.

 

Sorvian Seeds grant Sorvian-equivalent souls to the possible Constructs, enabling them to achieve stronger mental acuity and emotional balance, and enabling them many of the same feats as Sorvians themselves, but this does not make them capable of supernatural abilities beyond the feats already approved for Sorvian use.

 

Sorvian-Seeded Constructs are unable to develop Sacrificial Hands, even if they become teachers in Sorvian Sculpting. They must rely on other individuals to gain useable blood, likened to original Sorvians, This means the blood-alternative substances used to maintain and create both selected Construct types are inadequate in Sorvian Sculpting practices, and must either come from Descendants or Sacrificial Hands.

 

Sorvian Seeds must be harvested from an Argile tree under the observation of an ST member, who themselves must sign a Sorvian Seed item to verify it.

 

Sorvian Seeded Constructs retain the original powers and abilities of their native CA race and are given more opportunities and avenues of roleplay through.

 

The creation of Sorvian Seeded Constructs requires a Sculptor with a verified TA, representing their knowledge of the the Sorvian Soul’s application.

 

SACRIFICIAL HANDS

𒂊𒃲𒃶𒆳𒈬𒀀𒆠𒋛𒀭𒆳

 

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Sacrificial Hands are personal evolutions that Sorvians may achieve when they have mastered Sculpting, or otherwise have become capable of teaching the art of others. After harvesting an Argile of a Sorvian Seed, the Sorvian Sculptor must mold the clay fruit over a skeleton of petrified wood that is assembled in the shape of a humanoid right hand. Their original right hand must be severed and replaced with this red-colored clay hand, which even after being sealed to the Sorvian will not yet be capable of movement or function.

 

The Sorvian Sculptor must take the time to perform a ritual known as the “Sacred Arm Trance” which harkens back to the Sorvian artifact that these hands act as spiritual successors of. In this trance, the Sorvian must draw upon their mastery in channeling their spiritual essence in order to focus the flow of the soul energies that are contained and accumulate within them, guiding them into their new right hand over the course of one Elven year (1 IRL week). Completion of this ritual is signified by feeling and control returning to their right hand, which as a result of their concentrated spiritual channeling will become capable of producing “Pseudoblood”. Sorvian Sculptors who achieve Sacrificial Hands may shed their Pseudoblood in limited ways to achieve independent acts of Sorvian Sculpting. Pseudoblood takes the form of a gray liquid that, soon after being shed, tends to dissipate completely into the air if not immediately used for Sculpting purposes.

 

Pseudoblood mimics the nature of Sorvian Souls in that it is a “lesser” form of true lifeblood, containing no genus nor proving to be of any nutritional value to beings who fed upon or use blood for their own rituals. It is known to be similar in consistency as normal blood, but lacking warmth and taking on a murky gray color. A Sculptor’s personal use of Pseudoblood, which may only be used by Sculptors who bear the respective Sacrificial Hands that bleed it, are divided into four methods:

 

Sorvian Creation may be achieved once per day by drawing Pseudoblood from the palm of the Sculptor’s Sacrificial Hand. Because the achievement of a Sacrificial Hand does not effect or improve a Sorvian’s capacity to create more than one Sorvian every four years (1 IRL month), Sorvian Creation does not tend to repeat by those who harness their Sacrificial Hands, even if technically limited to a once-a-day basis. This includes the creation of (playable) Newts (whereas nonplayable Newts lack limitation).

 

Sorvian Repair is also kept to a once-a-day limit in which the Sculptor may draw blood from their palm to mend a damaged Sorvian to proper condition. The Sacrificial Hand will cease bleeding within the span of one Elven hour (1 IRL hour), prompting the Sculptor to act upon the repair process with haste.

 

Sorvian Revival functions similarly to Sorvian Creation in that a Sculptor with a Sacrificial Hand may revive one Sorvian once per day. However, this lacks a monthly limitation, and thus a Sculptor may revive a Sorvian for each consecutive day.

 

General Sacrifice is a multitudinous method of utilizing Pseudoblood in various other ways where necessary in Sculpting craft. With General Sacrifice, a Sculptor may independently create a Sorvian Oddity, participate in an Argile watering ritual for Sorvian Seeds, create a batch of Earthenstew, or create a Gaultenrhompaia. General Sacrifice can only be done once a day, however, forcing the Sculptor to choose which task is most demanding for the offering. 

 

In summary, a Sculptor who has gained their Sacrificial Hand may shed their Pseudoblood approximately four times a day, with each use having to be dedicated to each respective method in order to justify the shedding. One Elven hour (1 IRL hour) must occur between each Pseudoblood offering to allow the Sculptor a moment to rest themselves. 

 

Redlines

Spoiler

The murky blood of Sacrificial Hands does not carry Genus, preventing Sorvians from participating in Blood Magic.

 

Each listed functionality may be done 1 time per day for each ability. If a Sorvian Sculptor with a Sacrificial Hand manages to utilize all 4 charges possible in a day, their hand will be overtaken by a painful “drying” effect which may leave crack-like scars in the limb.

 

Sacrificial Hands have the same capacity for feeling as mortal hands, much stronger than the rest of the Sorvian’s body. If severed or damaged, they will react to the pain much more strongly.

 

Sacrificial Hands act as spiritual successors to the original Sacred Arm of the Sorvians, and thus do not share its corrupt origins, preventing them from being affected by divine or cleansing forces.

 

The Pseudoblood of a Sacrificial Hand will quickly dissipate in ten emotes if not immediately put to use, and cannot be stored or properly collected even if in sealed environments. 

 

Only Sorvians are capable of developing Sacrificial Hands.

 

A Sorvian may create a Sacrificial Hand when they submit and verify a Sorvian Sculpting TA, and require the ST observed harvesting of a Sorvian Seed from an Argile tree in order to be physically crafted. Sacrificial Hands do not require items for representation but they do require the creation process and conditions to be met.

 

Sorvian-Seeded Constructs are unable to utilize Sacrificial Hands.

 

The recipient player of the Sacrificial Hand must be alert the ST observing the necessary Sorvian Seed harvest that it will be used to create a Sacrificial Hand, prompting them to make any necessary updates to the Sorvian’s CA or to put it to record.

 

THE DEATH-DREAM

𒀀𒆠 𒄷𒈬𒈾-𒃶𒋛𒀭𒀀𒆠

 

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The Sorvians of Du Loc describe the place they go after death as “Death-Dream”; a kind of introspective limbo that occurs when they are physically destroyed. The actual experience of this is the perception of a vast, empty void best compared to the blurry warm nothingness a descendant feels in their sleep. Detached from reality, and with nothing able to be perceived but themselves, the Sorvian therefore “dreams” or experiences visions and recollected memories based on the spiritual fragments received by their maker. The Death-Dreams of Sorvians more than often generate unique and difficult to understand visions that are easily forgotten after the Sorvian awakens, but through practicing a method of meditation that emulates the Death-Dream without involving actual death, those visions may become more clear, and may even be revealed as prior memories of those who created them. During this trance, the Sorvian cannot be communicated with until the vision is over, as they have detached themselves from physical existence at-will, leaving their stationary masks and bodies as kinds of anchors to which they may return themselves.

 

There is a strong practicality in harnessing the Death-Dream in this way, as Sorvians are vessels for spiritual fragments that are not entirely known or understood when they are awakened and left to their own volition. Those fragments, essentially reflections of their maker and potentially others, can at some point may be “interacted” from within the confines of the Death-Dream to be learned from. Those spiritual fragments allow Sorvians to learn skills and histories that their predecessors excelled in, as long as they are mundane practices, entirely on their own. Man-makers describe Sorvians as having “persnickety ghosts in their head” capable of some manner of inner-communication, resembling their makers and the makers before them like an accessible genetic lineages of personas.

 

Death-Dream lineages form when Sorvians create successive generations of Sorvians or Sorvian Seeded Constructs. Rather than being “bloodlines”, they are of an entirely spiritual making as each generation of Sorvian is an accumulation of the prior Sorvians before them, with each prior generation sacrificing their soul fragments for the next. This lineage is supported and persists only through the creation of Sorvians, with normal non-seeded Constructs not included for their lack of spiritual presence in their design.

 

Redlines

Spoiler

The Death-Dream may be utilized by Sorvians and Sorvian-Seeded Constructs who have learned Sorvian Sculpting. This enables them to “meet” with prior characters in their spiritual lineage, which may be tracked by the succession of Sorvian applications.

 

The “copies” of a Sorvian’s predecessors within them are fragmentary and flawed, but are capable of some degrees of communication and interaction during meditation-induced trances that must be roleplayed between the Sorvian character player and the player of the specific predecessor character desired. This can occur even if that original predecessor character has not permanently died.

 

Specialized knowledge such as feats cannot be learned through Dream-Dream interactions unless agreed upon between the Sorvian player, the predecessor player who must have known the feat(s) in question, and the ST, which is further verified by details included in the Sorvian’s feat application.

 

A Sorvian may interact with their ghostly predecessors all the way back to the foundational Sorvian, who was created by Descendant Sculptors. The Sorvian may interact with that specific Descendant Sculptor, but they cannot reach back farther into that Descendant’s blood lineage.

 

A Sorvian’s ability to recall memories of their predecessor depends on the predecessor character player’s approval of revealing certain personal and historical events. If another character’s details are included in a vision, such as the witness of a crime or someone’s true identity, the affected character player must consent on whether or not their character may be clearly referenced in the given memories in order for the Sorvian to use that information to their advantage.

 

Death-Dream lineages may be “fused” together when two Sorvian Sculptors join and create an individual Sorvian in unison. This thereby opens access to the Death-Dream lineages of those two respective Sculptors, as long as they are Sorvians or Sorvian-types. This opens up another lineage (or more) for them to contact the prior generations of, as long as the players of those characters are present to participate.

 

Death-Dream lineages are inherently supported by the CA system which allows a player to track the series of Sorvian applications leading to the creation of their own character. By using this active record, a player is equipped with the resources needed to contact prior or still active Sorvian and Sculptor characters for Death-Dream purposes.

 

GAULTENRHOMPHAIA

𒂊𒅈𒉡 𒈬𒊹𒀀𒁹𒁀

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The Gaultenrhomphaia are swords of varying size and design that are fashioned out of a mixture of Sorvian Seed and mundane clay, and then given life with a fragment of a Sculptor’s soul. Because of their crude make, the Gaultenrhomphaia cannot function normally as weapons as they would shatter in common swordplay contact and generally do not sharpen properly. Their true purpose lies within the spiritual matter engraved into them during their creation process; a relationship is established between the weapon and its maker that reaches down to the spiritual level, allowing the Sculptor to activate its purpose in a miraculous way.

 

Because a Gaultenrhomphaia is a form of Sorvian that lacks a mask, it also lacks an ego and only knows and acts upon its single directive - to be sharp like a sword for war. When a Sculptor awakens it by whispering the name that was engraved into it with blood, the Sculptor’s aural colors are channeled across the blade in a crackling surge of energy. This energy is fueled by the Gaultenrhompaia’s spiritual contents, and rather than carrying an offensive effects against foes, it is instead used to perpetually transmute the clay sword into a strength and sharpness likened to steel without altering its shape or structure. The blade continues to shimmer with this aural energy until the Sculptor dismisses it, in which the clay blade returns to its original constitution and ineffectiveness. This is considered the blade’s “awakened” state, whereas it is otherwise “sleeping” or dormant when not in combative use.

 

The relationship between the blade and the maker means that the utilization of this spell is only possible between them, initially leaving a Gaultenrhomphaia useless in the hands of a layman or a thief. However, they may come to learn that by drawing one’s blood upon the blade of the weapon, the aural channeling will be “hijacked” and will begin in a manner similar to an overriding command. The Gaultenrhomphaia will then shimmer the colors of the wielder, and will achieve the same strength and sharpness of steel for as long as the power is not dismissed or dissipated by lack of contact with the weapon.

 

A Gaultenrhomphaia is physically assembled by mixing a crushed Sorvian Seed fruit with enough common clay to meet the proportions of the desired blade, which may range from a short-sword to a longsword in form (40 inches maximum). This is necessary for the spiritual enrichment of the physical Gaultenrhomphaia, which must act as a kind of connecting vessel between the wielder’s soul and the soul fragment placed into the weapon at the conclusion of its making. A Gaultenrhomphaia is most easily broken when in its dormant state, which may be achieved as simply as smashing the weapon against the ground, a wall, or another person. It is only when in its awakened state that it gains the strength and constitution of steel, making it fit for active and prolonged combat.

 

As aforementioned, the Gaultenrhomphaia is a form of Sorvian life that lacks a mask, and so this means a Sculptor lacks the means and context through which the blade may be restored if obliterated. A severely damaged Gaultenrhomphaia may be repaired if all of its fragments are retrieved from the site of its destruction, whereas minor chips and damages may be mended by a Sculptor’s application of bloody clay. The blade cannot be repaired by anyone other than its original maker, forcing those who understand the weapon’s true destiny to partake in quests dedicating to finding them for restoration.

 

The Gaultenrhomphaia are also used as tools to determine the aural contents of a Sorvian’s soul through their ability to project the expressive color of their spirit through the weapon’s activated energies. Every Sorvian has the potential to bear a different color, just like Descendants and their derivatives, but they sometimes inherit aural colors from their forebears which further distinguishes a particularly well-kept and extensive spiritual lineage.

 

In addition, those who apart of the same descending lineage as a specific Gaultenrhomphaia’s maker are capable of activating the weapon without sacrifice based on the blade’s detection of their maker within the Sorvian wielder. The activation of a Gaultenrhomphaia does not require a phrase but rather the thought or will of the proper wielder, in which the runes shimmer the aural color of the current master of the sword and ignite the crackling energy that sharpens it. 

 

The Sculpting Language that must be written upon the blade of a Gaultenrhomphaia is as follows:

 

𒋡𒁹𒀭𒈾𒊑 (Temper)

 

Redlines

Spoiler

The Gaultenrhomphaia must be molded from a properly harvested clay Sorvian Seed, gathered from a verified Argile tree.

 

The weapon cannot be made out of anything other than mundane and Sorvian Seed clay.

 

The blade may be as long as 40 inches, or equal to that of a longsword.

 

When activated, the Gaultenrhomphaia assumes the same constitution and strength of steel weaponry. This means it is still capable of breaking and sustaining severe damage, as long as the trauma dealt to the blade is also capable of shattering steel swords.

 

When broken, the shattered pieces must be regathered from the site of destruction and returned to shape by the original creator of the weapon. Broken Gaultenrhomphaia cannot be repaired by anyone other than the original maker or the descendants of them.

 

The Gaultenrhomphaia must be created, named, described and signed by a valid Sorvian Sculptor character. Gaultenrhomphaia cannot act as a stand-in to normal sword items, and must be its own dedicated item.

 

The aural and magical effects that caused the weapon’s strengthening are not capable of dealing any other form of damage to other beings beyond the trauma dealt by equivalent steel weaponry, and serve as a unique aesthetic effect to distinguish the weapon’s functionality.

 

The general design of a Gaultenrhomphaia has a degree of freedom, allowing the clay blades to be stylized. During their creation process, they may be dyed and molded in such a way to allow the weapons to emulate the various forms of blades that are made from steel alloys, from knives to cleavers to falchions to longswords to falxes.

 

Gaultenrhomphaia are exclusively sword-oriented bladed weapons. The entirety of the weapon is limited to 40 inches in length, and cannot be made into the shape of other weapon types such as hammers, axes or spears.

 

Use of the Gaultenrhomphaia may be definite, and does not draw upon the user for any source of fuel. Wielders who steal the weapon or are otherwise not descendants of the original creator must sacrifice blood drawn from the palm to the blade to activate it alternatively, but this must be done only once for each engagement, in which its effect is continual until dismissal, weapon destruction, weapon disarmament, or combat conclusion.

 

Virtually all forms of aural colors are expressed by wielding a Gaultenrhomphaia, possible in every character capable of projecting an aura. These effects also produce a significant enough amount of light to equal a torch when in dark or otherwise lightless environments.

 

Gaultenrhomphaia cannot be enchanted by other forms of sorcery, as this would tamper with the function of the runes set into the clay blade. All Gaultenrhomphaia maintain the same steel-equal effect.

 

Gaultenrhomphaia refuse to function in the hands of soulless characters and will not activate in their possession.

 

Gaultenrhomphaia cannot be made to adopt the effects of other metal alloys like aurum, slayersteel or other specialized components. Steel is referenced as the weapon’s equal only by reference, as the weapons do not literally become steel, just hardened enough to become useable in combat.

 

Credits:

Swgrclan (author)

Sparkpowder (art credit & feedback)

Archipelego (rewrite author)

Meteordragon (feedback)

Johann (feedback)

SlitheryE (feedback)

CandleDragon (feedback)
The Sorvian Community (we’re back)

 

 

Edited by Omen Prince
REDUX
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I love making men

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despite some weird parts this is genuinely interesting and palatable lore that I would love to use in an event or eventline. Hope to see it get refined and implemented

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+1 VERY good. answers so many ******* questions about how my sorvians actually function

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Clay trees that sing

Clay swords that live

Clay... chairs?

 

What more could you ask for.

+1

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This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.

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