Omen Prince

[ Narration ] The Wave-maker, as he is known among his Sorvian contemporaries, found this theses pinned upon a roadside, perhaps placed there by willing acolytes of the Canonist order of the world, and was deeply captivated in its reading. With one arm he held it close to his mask and rapidly observed the pages' contents, and in the course of an hour he had reviewed the prince's opinion a total of eighty-three times in order to deduce an appropriate and logical opposing standpoint. Making sure to fold the paper and store it into his robe, he then experienced a feedback loop whereby he could not find a way or method to obtain his own writing materials with one hand and no nearby helper, and would repeat the same mistake dozens of times over in the span of three minutes. This frustrated the Constructed creature, immediately altering his original directive so he may make use of the oldest and most efficient way to protest the rulings of institutions - spoken proselytization. Despite the total lack of a crowd, the black-robed Sorvian began to chant to the general vicinity as though the ground and the grass and the bare trees and the dust were an audience of their own kind. "Hear me! The machine made thinking is a man! Let it be known the thinking machine has evolved before my very gaze, that they have been thrust into a personhood that affords them all agency and consequence! They are God's youngest children; his newest ponderers of the world! Within them, and all things given animation and life, lies a creatorial will that dwells the highest above all of the Lord's miraculous mysteries, and that it precedes even the soul, for isn't any thinking thing that may create its own kind blessed in their own right? You will find the creatorial will in the grass and the trees and the beasts and the very dust... in very iota of life in the very dust. You will find it in thinking things, soulbound or soulless; you may make a man out of sticks and he would be blessed by God so long as he could achieve the ritual of his own making. So would the Lord not bless the basest of all lifeforms, who even without a soul have been thrust into life on earth to impose their will upon it? Let no moral quandary distract from the agency of all creatures! For even a rabid dog, who has no coherent thoughts of its own, is responsible for biting the mortal hand that feeds it, for their traditional consequence has been and always will be their demise. So let it be known that even the most foolish Automaton born is as responsible for their own actions as the world's most foolish man. And what sin could be gleaned from mankind's construction of the Constructs, and the Constructs' construction of Constructs? What inherent evil could lie in such acts? If God was proclaimed the Creator, is it not creation that stands as his highest virtues? Would he, perched upon the unseeable cliffside beyond our reality, not be pleased or even amused by the emergence of new life by our hands that carries the potential for its own replication? What sense lies in believing the soulless are avoidant of the designs of God, when it is within the confines of the Lord's Creation that their emergence has been allowed to pass? Hear me! Take witness! Witness the thinking machine! Still does he ruminate upon his destiny; recently unshackled, he is worldbound, and he shall shape his destiny and be held accountable in his path toward self-replication - toward creation. Let a soul of his own be the last glorious gem gained in the long line of his claimancy, let him be proof that God graces even a cold and metal form! Watch them with me, in peace and quiet... the Constructs are evolving."

The listed forms of metamorphosis are more of a general guideline than a strict list of what is available, so not being on the list does not exclude a specific magic group from being able to give as significant changes to their Sorvians as listed groups.

THE SUPRA-SORVIANS, THE MAN-MADE-MEN 𒊺𒆠𒅅𒊕𒀀𒆠𒅅𒊕𒍠𒀀𒄿𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢 𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊 𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢𒆳𒋾𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒋾𒀭𒆠𒊑𒂊𒍢𒈬𒀀𒋩𒆠𒋛𒍠𒆠𒋛𒀀𒄿𒈬𒆳𒆠𒁺𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒊕𒋾𒆠𒋛𒂊𒍢𒆳𒈠𒂊𒍢𒄑𒈬𒄿𒍢 “... First were the Proto-Sorvians; they were born of the souls and remains of beasts, and in those days primeval Sculptors imposed their will upon them to achieve constant and everlasting servitude with their masked creations. The secret of their creation emerged from a human kingdom, who were credited with stealing the same secrets from a race of giant “Once-Orcs' ' that abandoned their mortality to become likened to their creations. Few of the Proto-Sorvians were born among Descendant Kind, and potential was not seen within their manlike imitation. In that old kingdom, a Sculptor war was fought to decide whether the Sorvians were slaves or people, and at the war’s end that kingdom and its name were no more. Next came the Neo-Sorvians, the clay golems returned to their true form by a Sculptor in the days of Axios. It is said in tales that he was a humble shopkeep, but the descendants of his Sorvians know that he was a secretive and cunning master who learned his ways from a Neo-Sorvian that masqueraded as his firstborn, who was the old kingdom’s last creation. Through the shopkeep, the legacy of the lost kingdom’s Sculptor order was carried on unknowingly unto Descendant Kind. Within the Neo-Sorvians were laid the fragments of mortal souls, no longer stolen from beasts but inherited from man. This compelled their man-made species into higher leagues of thought, and in time their kind learned to achieve independence in the world of their makers. The Supra-Sorvians have now emerged. They are an evolution of Sorviankind that was gained by their own mastery and understanding of their creation.. Described as “Perfected Sorvians”, they are the product of self-imposed Construct evolution and proof of their man-made race’s means to choose their own destiny in the world …” - The Ashkeeper Texts, translated from written Sculpting Language THE SCULPTED 𒂊𒀈𒈽𒁉𒀉𒅡 The Supra-Sorvians are humanoid Construct entities that are the result of sculpting rituals, existing to serve purposes found or given to them in the world by Sculptors or ideologies. They are referred to as “flesh golems” on account of their uncannily physical resemblance to mortal humanoids. Though, these constructs may have become a species of their own considering they are still thinking, animated, and capable of self-replication. They are considered “base entities”, or humanoid creatures that lack physical-functional complexity often found in natural lifeforms or mortal bodies. The way their Iota souls function allows these simplistic physical bodies to interact with and resist the world, but they lack the ability to grow stronger beyond their default state. The new generation of Sorvians have learned the nature of their souls, naming them “Iota” on account of their fragmentary nature., and have evolved to contain three of them - the third serving the purpose of allowing them to practice lesser magical crafts and expand their creative expertise. Their supra-evolution has also allowed the inclusion of Adfectio stones in the process of their creation, optionally allowing a Sorvian to express their emotional state more clearly than their Neo-Sorvian predecessors. Neo-Sorvians and Supra-Sorvians are functionally the same, and even follow the same Iota system, meaning they are capable of evolving into Supra-Sorvians via the application of new features like embedded Adfectio stones and eyes by being applied by a Sculptor. Supra-Sorvians are automatically born from the current generation of Sculptors that have accrued these greater understandings. While they cannot become stronger or grow larger, Sorvians are capable of metamorphosis and they may physically alter themselves to suit the purposes they become dedicated to. SORVIAN VARIATIONS There are three varieties of Sorvian that are based on the size of their bodies, with each husk crafted to suit one or the other. Standard Sorvians [Playable] Standard Sorvians are created to have common humanoid physiology and proportions, and have been the default form of Sorvian since their primitive beginning. They may range between 5 ft to 6 ft in height, and are known to be the more thoughtful and mature of the two Sorvians forms. Sorvian Newts [Playable] Sorvian Newts are known as the children of Sorviankind, on account of their smaller stature and unhinged psychological and social tendencies. Despite being considered younger and being smaller, Sorvian Newts stand equal to their standard brothers in their mental capacity and physical strength. They may range from 3 to 4 ft in height, and tend to share equal stature with Halflings. Background Newts [Nonplayable] Background Newts are a subspecies of Sorvian Newts that are made with the smallest fragment of soul a Sculptor can muster without exhausting one of their chances to create true Sorvians. In doing so, they create “Subnewts” who operate at a lower scale of intelligence, but enough to allow them to carry out basic tasks and labors that their miniscule stature of 1 to 2 ft can manage. Redlines THE SCULPTOR 𒀭 𒆠𒅆𒈗𒀪𒉡 Sorvian Sculpting is a magical feat that all beings containing a Greater Soul or Greater Soul fragments are capable of practicing. Descendant Sculptors are the most common of their field, for Descendants contain the two most essential ingredients to the process: mortal blood, and a Greater Soul. Fresh blood, usually cut from the Sculptor themselves, acts as a medium through which spiritual fragments may travel and may be transferred. These spiritual fragments are broken from the Sculptor’s soul so they may be supplanted into their creations. Magically altered Descendants have also been known to be capable of Sorvian Sculpting as long as they have a Greater Soul within themselves, but some are limited on account of lacking living blood with which all of Sculpting's rituals use in necessity. Supernatural Sorvian Sculptors capable of using a "blood equivalent" are as follows: Nephilim Demi-Djinn Treelords Supernatural Sorvian Sculptors who do not have a fresh and living "blood equivalent", and must rely on other Descendants or Alchemical methods to gain fresh blood, are as follows: Darkstalkers Machine Spirits Palelords Paleknights Frost Witches The act itself exhausts Sculptor, who is forced to adhere to a principle of self-sacrifice to achieve these acts, as Sculptors are totally incapable of channeling or drawing upon the soul of another Descendant, or once-Descendant, being. The Descendant soul can regenerate itself and manage damages from these acts, but it takes a toll on their mind. They may end up forgetting or losing parts of themselves like memories, which are encapsulated within their Sorvian creations. These memories sometimes flicker across the minds of the Sorvians, who can never focus or fully make out in detail. While the soul may cope with these spiritual sacrifices, it is known by Sculptors that they cannot create more than 3 Sorvians per month, and must take a long period of rest for 3 OOC months in order to recuperate. If they create 1 Sorvian, they will be capable of crafting another Sorvian the following month, and so on. Unlike Descendants, Sorvians are limited to creating 1 Sorvian per OOC month. Redlines THE SORVIAN IOTA Iota are Sorvian souls that made from anima broken off as a fragment from a Greater Soul or another Sorvian Iota. Greater Soul fragments may only be derived from Greater Souls. Iota are distinct in that they are condensed concentrations of that sacrificed anima, enough to enable Sorvian functionality and existence. A singular Iote constitutes the entirety of a Sorvian’s base soul, and allows Sorvians to generate Mana. An Iote is typically a sum of anima that contains memories permanently removed from the soul and the mind of a Sculptor; so the Sorvian may find themselves recalling it often, or seeing the memory vividly in manually induced dreams or meditation. An Iote is meek, therefore it is incapable of drawing upon any type of magics (voidal, necromancy, etc.) under normal circumstances. Iota is soul matter pulled from a Greater Soul source, which is a quality that allows it to regrow after being damaged or weakened, which is vital for Sorvian existence and functionality. If the Iota did not regrow, the Sorvians would not be able to exist in perpetuity, nor would they be able to reproduce, nor would they be capable of continually comprehending the world without a kind of eventual data limit on their mental faculties. The Supra-Sorvians evolved to learn how to harbor multiple Iotes, or “Iota”, within them - Yet, only a maximum of three of them can bear beneficial purposes. The first Iote is dedicated to their existence; it is utilized to create, stabilize, maintain and expand the mind, ego and memories of the Sorvians indefinitely. It is gained upon a Sorvian’s creation through a Sculptor’s sacrifice for their awakening. Unfortunately, the Iote can be overwhelmed easily by emotions or events. This could cause a Sorvian Break, if not properly processed. [Gained via CA acceptance and Sorvian character awakening] The second Iote is dedicated toward Sculpting; it is utilized by the Sorvian Sculptor in order to produce Iota for other created Sorvians without jeopardizing their first Iote. The process of replication leaves the second Iota damaged, enforcing the rule that a Sorvian must wait three OOC months to create another Sorvian. This allows the damaged second Iote to regrow to its original shape. It is gained upon a Sorvian receiving tutelage from a Sculpting teacher, who may gift their second Iote to them by marking a bloody Sculpting rune upon their mask’s forehead to pass it into them. [Gained via Sculptor teacher beginning tutelage to Sorvian character and the acceptance of a Sculpting FA] The third Iote is dedicated toward lesser powers that Sorvians have learned to harness, most notably Housemagery and Bardmancy but also any other powers of the same level of expenditure. This gives Sorvians three magic slots, exclusive to lesser or feat-based practices that do not explicitly require a Greater Soul. It is gained through the Sorvian’s own will, achieved when they have gained teaching mastery in Sculpting, and is produced when they manipulate their two already existing Iota to produce a third and final occupant to their mask vessel. [Gained passively after the Sorvian character’s acceptance of a Sculpting TA] While a Sorvian is capable of developing their three Iotes independently over the course of time, a Descendant or supernatural Descendant is capable of creating specialized, higher-expenditure Sorvians that are already given their two extra Iotes upon Awakening. This means that because a Descendant may sacrifice three soul fragments a month to create three separate Sorvians, they may also dedicate three fragments all in one, and thus limit themselves from making another Sorvian for the next three OOC months in order to create a more advantageous creature. These Sorvians are capable of learning both Sorvian Sculpting and lesser magics, and also theoretically allowing them to become Sorvian Sculpting teachers as soon as three OOC months pass after their time of creation. Because Sorvians are limited to making only one Sorvian per month, they are not capable of producing high-expenditure variants of their species. The Sorvian Iota eludes Descendant methods of soulsnaring, including spells involved with Necromancy and Mysticism. While a Sorvian's soul is sealed within their mask, body or not, it is unreachable to all prying influences unless the mask is broken. But when the mask is broken, the Iota is scattered in such a way as to slip through the grasp of dark sorcerers upon their attempts to capture it, unable to be manipulated in time before they become invisible and dormant elsewhere. Redlines SCULPTING LANGUAGE Sculpting Language, also known as Clayscript, is a form of Material Alphabet transliteration; this means it is designed to channel the powers of the Material Alphabet towards the practice of Sorvian Sculpting. It is recognized for being both ancient and obscure in origin, and has, like Vessel Masks, persisted as a common feature between three evolved generations of Sorvians. It shares roots with Blood Magic, but it is practiced to contrast the other.Sculpting is distinguished as being self-sacrificial in nature, meaning all things born or created using Clayscript require sacrifice of the Sculptor rather than from another lifeform. The primitive forms of Sorvian Sculpting discovered at the beginning of its history were an example of “distorted” Sculpting, Sculpting Language tainted by Blood Magic philosophy in which the souls and remains of other creatures were sacrificed and manipulated to create the Proto-Sorvians. When Sculpting Language is used for Sorvian Awakening, it is written in blood so that an Iota may be passed into it to initiate the code-like functionality of Clayscript. The language operates like a seal, giving the sparse soul matters purposes to fulfill that ensure a Sorvian functions properly. When Clayscript is written bloodlessly and without spiritual transference, it shifts before the eyes and cannot be read by anyone who isn’t a Sculptor or Sorvian. But when blood is applied to written Clayscript, or used to write it upon the mask of a Sorvian, the shifting of the runes will shimmer and intensify, and the meaning of the written symbols will be revealed. Sculpting Language cannot be spoken vocally by either mortals or Sorvians themselves, and therefore cannot be used for consistent communication as intended for languages. The nature of Sculpting Language eludes the current understanding of Sorvian Sculpting. Redlines THE SCULPTING 𒀭 𒆠𒅆𒈗𒄘𒀪𒉡 The act of Sorvian Sculpting is self-sacrificial. This means the Sculptor must rely upon themselves as the resource of their artform, primarily the blood and spiritual matter.In order to sculpt, one must utilize fresh blood and sever a fragment from their soul. This is a secret known only to Sculptors who learn how to sever fragments of their spirit without corrupting the soul. The process begins with the art of Huskcrafting, or creating an accurate humanoid form utilizing wood and clay Skeleton The skeleton of the Sorvian is carved from wood to help the applied clay stay structurally sound. It is made to resemble a mortal skeletal structure. Husk skeletons may range from 5 to 6 feet for conventional Sorvians (equal to humans, elves), 2 to 4 feet for Sorvian Newts (equal to halflings, musin, dwarves). Each bone must be inscribed with the Sculpting Language in blood in order for it to merge with clay components and become homogeneous pseudoflesh. Despite being made out of clay, the husk must follow rules of humanoid anatomy. Their bodies cannot move in any unnatural way, without damage to invisible joints and potentially causing dismemberment. Clay The exterior form or “flesh” of the husk consists entirely of wet clay packed upon the skeleton in such a way as to resemble humanoid proportions, lacking any features that distinguish gender. When clay is molded over the wooden skeleton’s ribcage, it creates a hollow space within the husk’s chest that will become the Sorvian’s chest cavity, where anima passively collects, connecting the mind and mask to the rest of the body for physical functionality. Sorvian husks are not known to be given molded faces and are left blank, because the mask will be placed where a face would be. The anima within a Sorvian's chest cavity manifests as an extension of the Iota soul within their masks, essentially tendrils that span through their limbs and body and allow the mind to puppeteer the form. When the chest cavity is pierced and that anima is allowed to escape, the Sorvian's chest must be repaired and they must take time to rest and regenerate for the rest of the OOC day to allow their anima to naturally restore itself, preventing them from effectively participating in combat without sluggishness and weakness being induced in their movements. Upon awakening, the clay exterior of the husk will transmute into homogenous pseudoflesh. Pseduoflesh is a flesh-like material kept between a damp clay and biological flesh, lacking any sort of organ or system. When damaged or severed from the body, it is reduced to a crumbling dry clay and cannot be reused. A Sorvian tends to crumble into a pile of lifeless dry clay or petrify like a statue following their demise. Pseudoflesh may be cleaved through with relatively more ease than a Descendant's form, and if unarmored beyond leather or clothing, a limb could be severed from their body with one swipe of a sword, and their chest cavity may be pierced just as easily. If a Sorvian adorns chainmail or scale type armor, they can resist two strikes from a weapon before being pierced or severed. If they wear heavier plate armor or brigantine or equivalent forms of armament material, they may sustain three hits before their pseudoflesh is wounded in some manner relevant to the type of weapon being used on them. The clay may be dyed, painted, engraved, molded aesthetically and woven with hairs, fibers, scales, or feathers to give an identity to the Sorvian at birth. A Sculptor’s means to alter the husk without compromising it is limited, however, and any further elaborate aesthetic must be left to manifest on the Sorvian naturally and through the progression of their servitude. Limb Divison Sorvians are able to be given four arms. However, the strength of each arm pair is half of one, meaning it will be weaker and cannot exceed the strain of 3lbs. Extra arms can be positioned upon the shoulders or upper-back of the husk, may be designed to take other appearances like wings or strange inhuman limbs, but may only be used as arms. It is known that in combative situations that four-armed Sorvians must use two parallel arms in the way of one while gripping weapons to maintain a hold of them, but if the weapon is as heavy as ≈3lbs then movement may be easier. Sorvians with four arms can multitask and utilize more than one tool. Adfectio Stones The Neo-Sorvians discovered the usefulness of Adfectio stones; glimmering gems that when polished will emit a glow that reflects the emotional state of who touches it. Sculptors learned to embed one of these gems into the husk will allow for their mood or emotional state to be more expressive for lack of a face. Adfectio stones can be placed anywhere on the Sorvian’s body, including their sockets. When these stones are placed into the sockets they produce the illusion of pupils and will function similarly. Adfectio eyes are made of dyed porcelain, and a very central point surrounded by a circle is engraved and is designated as the pupil. Very small, very polished Adfection gems are inlaid into these engravings as to allow a Sorvian to more accurately express their mental and emotional state, signifying their slow departure from the uncanny and unnerving designs of prior generations. There must be Sculpting Language glyphs drawn upon the point of the false eye opposite to the engraved pupil as to allow them to become apart of the Sorvian limbo upon their awakening, enabling the eyes to be worn while being able to see through them and without blindness for obstructing the eyesockets. Adfectio eyes can only be used by Sorvians if they are newly born with them, or if a Sorvian is reborn with a new body and is given new and updated features. These eyes become "suspended" in the mask's eyesockets upon their awakening, and they shift and peer at what the Sorvian's focus draws toward. They are known to Sculptors as "useful illusions", as the eyes themselves only serve aesthetic purposes and are not relied upon for a Sorvian's vision, but still act as windows of the soul for the Adfectio pupils being capable of glimmering the color of their mood and emotional state, though only at the Sorvian's volition, as they too are capable of hiding what they really feel. If damaged, the Sorvian will not lose sight. In any part of the body, the stone will convey the mental state of a Sorvian to others. This is useful in monitoring their psychological conditions such as Sorvian Breaks. If a Sorvian Break were to occur, the stone would flash rapidly to show a lack of control. When a Sorvian attempts to hide their emotions, little to no light will manifest. In order to grant eyes to a Sorvian, they must be born or reborn with them. This means at the very last moment of the awakening ritual, the false eyes must be set into the Sorvian's sockets as to "connect" them to the rest of the body in the very same moment the Sorvian's soul awakes and situates itself in its new physical form. This causes the Sorvian's sight to be channeled through the eyes, as though they are made invisible by the supernatural force of the Sorvian's limbo state. Redlines VESSEL MASKS Vessel Masks are the porcelain masks associated with Sorvian identity, and indeed function as a spiritual vessel and made with porcelain. They are the localized source of Sorvian souls or Iota, like how the mortal form acts as a vessel for their soul. Sculpting Language is intended to be written, in blood, on the back of the mask during Sorvian Awakening. This acts like a medium for fragmentary anima to pass through and into it. Vessel Masks are highly malleable in design but must be made out of porcelain. This means they are fragile. After three strikes with a weapon, or five unarmed strikes, the mask will shatter and ultimately lead to a Sorvian's demise. As a result of their fragility, a Sorvian's mask is sensitive and any contact may produce an immediate reaction. Being struck in the mask for the first time during combat will render a Sorvian stunned and unable to attack their foe, restricted to defensive maneuvers and evasion until the agonized daze clears from their senses. They may be painted or decorated as long as it does not tamper with its natural state , alchemically, magically, or otherwise. Vessel Masks are known to have required holes to distinguish mouths or eye sockets before, but Supra-Sorvian have expanded the ability to customize these masks while their properties remain the same. Vessel masks may have Adfectio stones within the sockets, as mentioned before. These masks can depict a variety of designs and expressions. They may even be mouthless and eyeless while also being able to speak and see. The Vessel Mask is both the container of a Sorvian’s soul and also where speech and senses emerge from. The design of the mask itself is irrelevant to its function because both sight and sound will project from where the mouth and eyes would be. If those areas were covered up, it would disrupt their sight or speech. Supra-Sorvians may also receive Sculpting Language symbols sealed into their mask upon becoming Sculptor pupils, with the marking being the result of the Sorvian receiving their second spiritual Iote from their teacher. These masks present a compatibility issue with common visored mortal helmets, unlike their humanoid body which is suited to all forms of armor meant for men. Because the Vessel Mask cannot be covered, their helmets must be visorless. However, neck-protective gorgets can be worn, allowing them to resist being decapitated and instantly destroyed. Redlines REPAIR The repair of a Sorvian is typically the first ability a Sculptor masters, as it is the easiest and the most often used technique in their craft. Sorvians erode physically overtime, and their erosion is expedited by receiving damages dealt by the forces of the world, so their maintenance can tend to be a constant task. There are two forms of repair - patching and mending. Patching is the act of a Sculptor taking malleable clay and molding it over and into the damaged form of a Sorvian. In order for this clay to actually bind and transmute into pseudoflesh, the Sculptor must shed their own blood or the blood of another Descendant and mix it into the clay to be used. Patching takes near instantaneous effect and requires three emotes to be conducted by a Sculptor, and cannot be utilized in the midst of combat. Mending is the act of Sculptor replacing entire limbs lost by the Sorvian in combat or otherwise, and requires the Sculptor to create the intended replacement limb in the same instance of a Sorvian's repair, incentivizing their use of secure and resourceful workshops or Sculptor temples. Mending is similar to patching in that the replacement limb is set against the wounded stump and that blood is utilized to bind the two parts together. However, mending differs in that Sculpting Language must be inscribed all along both attaching ends of the limb, demanding utmost focus and care from the Sculptor. A single limb may be mended onto a Sorvian in five emotes outside of combat. While limbs may be reattached to where they once were upon a Sorvian, new limbs cannot be mended onto already existing Sorvians. Redlines AWAKENING Awakening is the most sacred part of Sorvian Sculpting. When a husk and a Vessel Mask have been created by a Sculptor., a Sculptor must apply the primed mask to the front of a husk's head or face. A flash of light emerges from the seam between the husk and Vessel Mask, coloring the aural hue of the Sculptor’s soul. A Vessel Mask is primed when incantations of Sculpting Language are written upon the back of it in fresh blood, which allows the Sculptor to break fragmentary anima from their soul and channel it into the mask. It is possible for more than one Sculptor to participate in this act, with each Sculptor participant required to sacrifice fragments of their soul. Authority over their Sorvian is not divided itself but remains with the primary Sculptor responsible for a Sorvian’s creation. After the mask is placed, the Sorvian will awaken. Their first recollection will be the memory that was supplanted within them to create their soul, and they may be born with or without a number of basic skills such as speech or understanding language. They will immediately wonder about their purpose, and their Sculptor will give it to them. Redlines SORVIAN METAMORPHOSIS 𒅡𒄴𒈿𒁉𒂊𒀈𒈽𒀉𒈿𒅡𒄴 Sorvian Metamorphosis is a natural and passively progressing element of Sorvian development in which they slowly physically change and shift to exhibit aesthetic traits that are related to their purpose, ideology or origin. There are three forms of metamorphosis that may occur within a Sorvian based on the master or purpose they are bound to serve. Metamorphosis begins naturally the very moment a Sorvian dedicates themselves to a certain creed or power, but may still be delayed by the will of the Sorvian, allowing such transformations to be optional. Firmamental Metamorphosis occurs when a Sorvian is born from or bound to a Sculptor or group that is charged with manifestly divine powers along the likes of Aengudaemonic cults. It is the vicinity of divine zealots and the use of their abilities that affect their Sorvians, imposing changes in their external appearance that meet the same aesthetic qualities as their given purpose. Firmamental Sorvians are known to be the most fanatical and pious of all Sorvians, as the source of their purpose tends to lie above earthly limitations and thus is interpreted as a source of immutable or absolute truth and moral creed. Threats of mental degradation align with the condition of their faith, if Firmamental Sorvians notice the downfall of their ideologies, they will drive themselves into madness trying to restore what they lost. Firmamental Metamorphosis can occur among the following communities and in the following ways: The Paladins of Xan [ex: a gold, silver or emerald aura emanation from the body and chest cavity anima, golden elements intruding upon the mask, runes of gentle aural light taking shape across the body] The Druidic Circles [ex: horns or antlers grown from the head, fur or feathers sprouting from the body, extraneous arms resembling flightless wings, moss developing externally] The Templars of Malchediael [ex: gentle gray or white “pupil” lights within mask eye sockets, body and anatomy shifting to take on a warrior’s refined shape and musculature, chest cavity anima becoming a white glowing shade, scorched or soot-stained arms and legs, ] The Nephilim of Azdromoth [ex: scorched clay scales forming over body exterior, jagged draconic horns sprouting from head and along spine, extraneous arms that appear and may extend, but not function as, wings, dragonsflame-appearing anima within the chest cavity] The Spiritrealm Shamans [ex: highly variable and based on the specific spirit or cult the Sorvian is bound to, Occult Metamorphosis occurs when a Sorvian is born among and made to serve darker powers associated with artforms like Necromancy, Mysticism and Blood Magic, but also cosmic influences like Naztherak demonology. Occult Sorvians are warped contrasts to Firmamental Sorvians and take on themes relevant with dark elements. Occult Sorvians have the tendency to be deranged and unstable, though the threat of Sorvian Breaks serve to cause extreme descents into their cruel madness rather than replacing it with a calmer neutral state. Occult Metamorphosis can occur among the following communities and magical influences: Necromancy [ex: decay or appearance of pestilience, “rot” appearing in pseudoflesh exterior, psychological tendencies or impulses to consume other lifeforms, pieces of bonelike material like ribs sticking out from body or chest cavity] Mysticism [ex: ghostly aura and echo to speech, aesthetic thin stone plating forming over body like Paleknight anatomy, ectoplasmic-like anima within chest cavity] Blood Magic [ex: scars and flesh runes marked across exterior pseudoflesh, quickly dissipating red or blood like mist emerging from wounds or damages to body, genus-like crimson anima within chest cavity, extreme tendencies to fixate on and collect the blood of other lifeforms] Naztherak [ex: severe distortions of Sorvian anatomy, leading to the development of unusual or grotesque horns or warped aesthetic extremities, appearing scorch or burn scarred, highest tendency to regress mentally and become savage, feral and chaotic against all but their masters, Malflame-like anima within their chest cavity] Frost Witches [ex: cold and frosty aura, icy bodily temperature and accumulative frost, chest cavity anima in the form of a cold fog, Descendant-eating tendencies (even if impossible)] These aesthetic developments are just aesthetic or stylized, as any horns or features that may appear functional in combat or otherwise will break and crumble into clay dust under the stress of damage or combat. This applies to any more prominent developments like extraneous arms resembling wings, as those wings cannot support flight, only their purpose as extra arms. Sorvian Metamorphosis is not typically immediate, though may be “kickstarted” by a Sculptor designing a Sorvian’s husk to already resemble the changes that may occur through their service. The development of their metamorphosis depends on a Sorvian’s dedication to their assigned purpose, as well as the presence of other members of their path, and may begin happening to a Sorvian anywhere from 2 OOC weeks from creation. Redlines SORVIAN CONSTITUTION 𒂊𒀈𒈽𒀉𒅡𒄴𒈿𒁉𒂊 The man-made-men, while superficially alike other mortal beings, differ from them significantly in their strengths and limitations. Not only this, but they too differ in physical composition and spiritual status. Strengths LIMBO: Sorvians are potentially immune to the effects of time. They do not age and do not experience permanent physical degradation without moving or being animate. If a Sorvian is pacifist and avoids dangers will exist to perpetuate through history. Unlike highly physically active Sorvians who are prone to erosion. Erosion is signified as dry cracks opposed to smooth faux-flesh. Sorvians are not bound by certain conditional mortal limitations. They do not need to breathe and are only susceptible to water if remain plunged for up to ten emotes, upon which they begin dissolve and revert back into a clay state within another two emotes, destroying them. Sorvians do not experience exhaustion or physical fatigue while maintaining the strength of a common human soldier. Sorvians are not required to eat or drink. Sorvians are capable of, but do not require, sleep and rest. Additionally, Sorvians are resistant to harsh weather such as extreme heat, humidity, and cold. Direct fire will scorch and crack them, and they may become frozen solid, but if kept from being broken or rendered into dust by these elements, Sorvians will survive them. PALEBEAST IMMUNITY: Sorvians are uniquely immune to most powers and tendencies associated with dark beings or wizards. They cannot be drained of Lifeforce by Necromancers for their lack of Lifeforce entirely, and they cannot be harvested for blood by Blood Mages or blood-consuming darkspawn for their total lack of it either. A Sorvian is also immune to physically affectual magical curses, poisons, and disease, but not mental curses, afflictions or illusions utilized by a variety of powers. TOLERANCE: Sorvians have a particularly high tolerance for pain and may continue fighting even if limbs are severed from their body. This allows them to enjoy resistance to torture methods or forms of combat meant to debilitate an individual via the infliction of painful wounds. While it is not a complete and utter numbness to pain, they are unlike mortal Descendants in that they are not overwhelmed by the severity of pain they experience, and may continue to function and maintain composure despite extreme dismemberment. The only ways to break a Sorvian's focus and stun them is to strike their mask directly, which will provoke a stronger reaction on account of the mask's higher sensitivity compared to the rest of their body, or to harness Malflame against them. Weaknesses FRAGILITY: A Sorvian’s means to exceed certain mortal limitations stands in contrast to their actual fragility. Being capable of constant and continual physical duress does not make them immune to degradation, meaning every instance of high-intensity motion or stress upon a Sorvian body will erode the durability of their joints and overall constitution. Though this is the same for all living beings, Sorvian bodies do not have the means to regenerate and thus make the damaged parts of their body. Instead, they continually break down and become at risk of losing limbs and other extremities if not properly maintained by Sculptors with blood and clay. Complex or even heavy weaponry is not needed to damage a Sorvian significantly. A sword or cleaver is capable of severing their limbs with ease and a dagger may puncture their chest cavity like how it may easily pierce damp clay. Dealing an open chest wound such as this will cause the Sorvian to bleed the spiritual essence they require to function, and after 5 emotes in combat they will be rendered lifeless unless the wound is patched in that time. A Sorvian is capable of “hanging on '' for 5 emotes if combat has passed or if these damages were sustained in instances outside of violence or conflict with other individuals. A Sorvian does not bleed this essence unless a wound is dealt to that specific cavity in the chest region of the body. If a Sorvian's neck is severed in combat or otherwise, this will induce instantaneous death, but will not cause their masks to break, ensuring an easier time reviving them. This also applies to if the Sorvian's head is collapsed or damaged in such a way as to separate the mask from the rest of their body. The Sorvian mask is extremely sensitive to contact and may be broken to destroy a Sorvian. This is achieved by striking the mask 3 times (5 times unarmed) with a weapon capable of inducing physical damage or by accidents in which the Sorvian may endure trauma to the head or face. Additionally, if the head is destroyed or removed entirely from the body, the Sorvian will perish whether or not the mask remains upon the head. ELEMENTAL FRAGILITY: If plunged or pulled under 120 feet or 36 meters of water, the chest cavity of a Sorvian will implode and induce their demise within 5 emotes. Additionally, if they are successfully caught aflame for more than 5 emotes, all parts of their body touched by the blaze will begin to crumble. This is especially dangerous for their chest cavity, which will begin to leak their spiritual essences if flame scorches it directly. If frozen completely solid, they will also become more easily broken apart especially with the use of blunt force trauma. Dragonsflame affects them with the same force and intensity as mortal men, but while its flames do not pain them, the raw force of the magical element may easily pierce through their body and sever unarmored limbs if concentrated toward different parts, especially the chest cavity. MENTAL STABILITY: Sorvians are capable of processing emotions and thoughts. However, they are not proficient in identifying those feelings. This can cause their mental demeanor to collapse within years, months, or even weeks. If a Sorvian is injured substantially during a traumatic time in their life, these pains may reoccur. Which is often referred to as phantom pains. These can happen when a Sorvian is nearing its breaking point. Sorvians are prone to becoming overwhelmed by thoughts, emotions, and outside factors. When a Sorvian is losing their stability they might be delusional or behave irrationally. Examples are; yelling, running into compromising conflicts, believing an event happened despite it being completely made up, and snapping at their kin. One of the rarest forms of mental instability is disconnection from reality. This is when a Sorvian shuts down entirely, their body may lie motionless for decades, staring out into nothingness. Because of these things, a Sorvian is particularly susceptible to psychological curses cast by dark powers. OBSESSION: As all constructs do, they will crave a purpose, task, or directive. For Sorvians, if they have been abandoned by their creator, they can assign themselves tasks. They are usually, making their purpose a part of their name or personality, (Wave-maker, Scroll-Hoarder, Bird-Watcher, etc). This obsession can grow out of society, either their fixation unneeded or outdated. They can lose themselves in trying to prove that their purpose is valid. This does not only relate to purposes but made-up religions, prophecies, or myths. MIMICRY: Sorvians are often looking for validation or acceptance by society. They base themselves off of interactions, and things they see. Often, a young clay golem will be seen observing from a distance or forcefully jabbing itself into others' conversations. This mimicry can even go as far as the Sorvian growing hair, feathers, or fur on their head. Their masks can be altered through time to represent what their purpose or focus is, sometimes taking a humanoid appearance to make themselves seem approachable. If their social needs are not met; they will lose their mental stability. MALFLAME: The particular assembly of the Sorvian soul renders it highly vulnerable to Naztherak Malflame. This vulnerability primarily stems from their mask, which exists as a physical vessel fused with the spiritual matter processed in their chest cavity over time. When Malflame makes contact with a Sorvian’s mask, it will burn uninterrupted for 5 emotes, and severely debilitate the Sorvian both physically and mentally as the pain exceeds their means to process it. While Malflame cannot shatter their mask, it will damage the mask enough to be broken with one strike instead of three. If a Sorvian survives an encounter where they suffer Malflame burns, their mask will remain in extremely poor condition and must be left to repair itself over the course of an IRL week to achieve proper restoration. Malflame may also damage the rest of a Sorvian’s body, leaving permanent Malflame scars in their form as long as that vessel remains alive. The pain caused by Malflame is not dulled like all other forms of damage a Sorvian may sustain, and feels much like fire would to a mortal man. SPARKLESS: A Sorvian cannot utilize any form of magical power accessible to Greater Souls on account of their Iota being unable to muster the strength for their channeling or connections. When three Iota are gained by a Sorvian, they are only capable of utilizing those lesser powers, and only 3 at a time (Sculpting and other feats not included). Exceptions to this may only be made through collaborative Sorvian MArts. SENSELESS: Sorvians do not share the same amount of senses as Descendants. For example, they cannot taste or smell, though they can hear and see as clearly as other mortals. Their sense of touch is also very dull which shares a relationship with their pain tolerance. A Sorvian cannot be made to go permanently blind, but covering the eye holes of their mask leads to blindness for as long as the coverings remain. SORVIAN PSYCHOLOGY 𒍡𒁹𒋰𒄯𒅀𒅑𒈾𒊏𒍡 Originally created for the purpose of servitude, a Sorvian is concerned first and foremost with the directives and protection of their creator. For having been made by them, they cannot help but feel a strong admiration for their makers, even if they are dubious or of questionable moral disposition. These personal elements are irrelevant to the Sorvian, who are fulfilled by their servitude to their maker’s absolute authority. This authority manifests in a literal way through a Sculptor’s means to give commands to their Sorvian, who may ponder or question the nature of the command but not disobey it unless it is determined without a doubt to directly lead to their destruction. Only their original creator holds this authority, and it cannot be transferred to another Sculptor even if a Sorvian becomes masterless and chooses another Sculptor or being to act as their master. A Sculptor is charged with teaching and instructing their Sorvian creation in all elements of their purpose as to cement a Sorvian’s understanding of the tasks given to them. Sorvians rely on active tasks, objectives and quests in order to maintain a mental calm, and do not last well when left alone and without direction. Even when released from servitude, a Sorvian will preoccupy themselves with tasks and objectives they may familiarize with their original duty, purpose or given calling. Sorvians may eventually become dedicated to the service of purposes or objectives at-large, such as service to religious, magical or cultural paths of life, though the selection of which typically has to do with purpose their creator follows. They are known to become absolute and fanatical in their dedication to those greater purposes, becoming both mentally and physically affected by them in order to sustain the Sorvian’s expanding appetite for direction and reason to exist. In the event of being freed or “released” by a Sculptor, their authority is retained, but a Sorvian’s mind will change to adapt to these significant events. They are known to choose, or be able to be persuaded toward, a specific religion, ideology or path on their own to fulfill themselves where there now lacks any desire to adhere to their prior masters. Sorvians have been known to be released to pursue such paths and, in some circumstances, come to despise their makers for moral reasons they ingrain for having dedicated themselves to a specific set of morals or code. The authority of their original maker remains forever or however long their maker remains alive or otherwise capable of making those commands, even if the Sorvian has somehow become their enemy. When independent, a Sorvian’s mind is less stable and more prone to delusion. Their entire initial existence revolves around servitude, and unless tempered and trained toward independence in their first days they will find themselves too absent too bear and begin to mentally degrade. Without reference or access to other sources of meaning in life, they may begin to fool themselves into servitude things that do not exist or hold actual presence at all, such as fantastical idols or false ancient legends devised in their dreams. This makes putting them on a proper path more difficult, and the longer they go on this way, the higher the chance a Sorvian Break may occur. Redlines Sorvian Breaks A Sorvian Break is a psychological episode that may take hold of a Sorvian when they have sustained significant psychological trauma, which may occur in particularly horrible moments (the death of their maker, or the downfall of their ideology) or even after long periods of time being purposeless. When a Sorvian Break occurs, the Sorvian’s original mental state has the chance to experience a severe shift or derangement in personality, but may also be “rewritten” or erased entirely, replaced by an entirely new ego and personality that is separate from the original Sorvian. The new ego that emerges at the end of a Sorvian Break is known to be aware of fragments or parts of their prior life, but feel no relation or attachment to it whatsoever. Sculptors may reverse a Sorvian Break by inducing their rebirth, or their recreation following the death of their vessel. This will allow a Sculptor to evaluate and attempt to repair the runes upon the back of the Sorvian’s mask, resulting in a restoration of the original ego prior to the Sorvian Break episode. However, the longer a new ego created by a Sorvian Break lives on in the world prior to their repair, the higher chance there will be that both the prior and new Sorvian egos will merge together into a singular mind, leading to strange unstable personalities taking shape. Sorvian Breaks may be manually induced upon Sorvians that are psychologically damaged, but the act requires a deeper understanding of a Sorvian’s position in life and the life history their current mind encompasses. The original creators of a Sorvian are much more capable of causing a Sorvian Break, as their Sculptor’s authority allows them a higher degree of psychological control over the subject. When a Sorvian is not resistant, but they find themselves unable to persist in life and service for whatever reason, their Sculptor may even induce a willing Sorvian Break upon them. However, whether or not a Sorvian is willing, a Sculptor manually inducing a Sorvian Break will sever the Sculptor’s authority over them and prevent the Sorvian from needing to heed the commands of their maker. This change is permanent, even if the Sorvian in question has their Sorvian Break reversed by their, or other, Sculptors. These mental fractures may affect a Sorvian both psychologically and physically. Sorvians who are fully metamorphosed to represent their chosen path will experience these features crumbling or decaying from their bodies as a result of a new mind emerging that is completely uninvested in the purpose that drove them prior. Ancient Sorvians that may have experienced several Sorvian Breaks across multiple new minds may end up becoming an amalgamation, or an uncanny and colorless fusion of leftover features from each purpose the Sorvian belonged to. Even when they are destroyed physically, a recreated form will still regrow these old designs like vestigial limbs, but always with their current path’s aesthetic features more vibrant and “alive”. Redlines THE DEATH-DREAM 𒀈𒈽𒀉𒋰𒄯𒅀𒍡𒀪𒉡 The Death-Dream is the most mysterious of all forces that dictate Sorvian destiny. It is believed to be a dimensional layer somewhere unseeable by gods, men, and time, but in reality is the Sorvian "escaping into its own mind", entering a deeply comatose spiritual state where it becomes invisible, uninteractable, and dormant while hidden in random places far from the point of their physical demise. While in this soul coma, the Sorvian Iota dreams, and its dream is the Death-Dream, and they face all that they are in the murky realm of their mind where time has no distinction. It is best described as being a vast void or oblivion, impossibly empty and absent of distinction. Sorvians trapped in the Death-Dream end up unconsciously creating bizarre dreamworlds of stitched-together memories and series of events, which is all a Sorvian is capable of manifesting in that void on account of their inability to produce new experiences or memories when in a deceased state. Because the Sorvian's dreams are beyond their control for them being in a "spiritually sleeping" condition, all of these things seem to occur in the span of seconds and there is no coherent sense of time they may grasp between their demise and revival; a Sorvian could be dead for a week and be revived, and will feel as though only moments passed since their unrecallable demise. The longer a Sorvian remains dead, the more likely they will lose themselves to the madness of their stitched dream and lose distinction and understanding of themselves just as they did with their entire lives. This will cause ego-death, causing the Sorvian to experience a Sorvian Break, typically many countless times over if they are left unattended for up to 10 years or 10 OOC weeks. In order to pull a Sorvian’s soul from this place, a Sculptor must catch the attention of the specific soul trapped in the Death-Dream by using a reference to their existence as bait, or call upon the Sorvian’s original maker to sense them out during the revival process. REVIVAL & REFERENCES References are meant to bind the physical world to the Sorvian’s Death-Dream, where a dreamed version of that reference will exist. References may take the form of objects, tools or devices that were created by the dead Sorvian’s hands while alive. A Sorvian husk must be made to hold this physical reference item in their hands during a Sculptor’s enactment of the revival ritual. A Sculptor innately knows when their own creations meets their demise. Sorvian Sculptors are unique in this regard among other crafters, as their Sorvian's souls are pieces of their own and so there is a supernatural relationship between them that manifests this sense of loss upon the occasion of destruction, no matter how distant. While Sculptors do not know how or why their Sorvians perish, they may feel the distinct pain of their disappearance into the Death-Dream and this prevents the death of Sorvians to become an utter mystery. When a Sorvian's original Sculptor perishes or disappears from the realms of man, this leaves them at higher risk to be "forgotten to death", as no one would know if they were dead or alive if they disappear. The revival ritual is the awakening ritual repeated for the already existing Sorvian soul and may only be conducted once per OOC day per Sorvian. In the midst of this ritual, a Sculptor must hold up the new porcelain mask intended to act as the Sorvian’s new spiritual vessel and speak their name during a moment of deep focus. This will cause the lost soul to approach the scene in the shape of an autonomous shadow stuck to the ground or walls, which introduces the necessity of a strong lightsource or fire during the revival’s conduction. This shadow will unconsciously approach the Sculptor and enter the mask through them once they have written new Sculpting Language upon the back of it in blood, allowing the Sorvian’s soul to become sealed there. After the mask is placed upon the new husk, the revived Sorvian will awaken while holding the reference that had saved them from the Death-Dream, but will find they have little recollection of their psychological experience and no recollection whatsoever of the events surrounding their physical demise. If a Sorvian is slain in such a way as to leave the mask intact while the body dies, then the entire process of a Sorvian's revival may be circumvented by conducting the awakening ritual with the mask that was collected. A Sorvian may be revived as soon as a new husk is constructed to their old body's specifications, which is a process that must be roleplayed. If the Sorvian experienced metamorphosis in their prior body, these features will regenerate upon them in the span of an OOC week. In the event that a Sculptor totally lacks a specific Sorvian’s physical reference, they are forced to rely upon luck. This means a Sculptor must gamble each day they attempt to revive a specific Sorvian they created, with a roll of /20 with a success score of 15 or above. Failure to achieve successful results does not lead to a Sorvian being permanently killed, but rather indefinitely trapped within the twisting designs of their Death-Dream. They may remain “stuck” this way for as long as millennia, but their souls meeting oblivion is less of a concern than how they will emerge from revival after being dead for so long. In the Death-Dream, a Sorvian’s mental state is imperiled the most, and in the span of a decade being dead they may have already experienced countless Sorvian Breaks, enough to nearly completely erase the person they were prior to their demise. So if a Sorvian’s revival is not expedited and treated with haste, there is high risk that the one who returns from death is not the same Sorvian at all. Redlines CREDITS & APPRECIATION Swgrclan/Omen_Prince (Author) Sparkpowder (Editing & Art) CandleDragon (Consultation) Sorvian Community (Feedback) Johann_ (Consultation) Islamadon + ST (constructive feedback)

The Omen Prince dreams. In his dead man's sleep, he is accompanied by an ill and dormant thing which had made host of him in older days when he lived as a man. Put to rest when the Abyss once again laid claim to his soul, it stirred here, at this very moment, in the candle-lit cavern he made into his refuge. Dreams of bloodshed and hunger part like red curtains as the dormant thing within him whispered the Night Augury, and forced him to bear witness to this call that reaches few listeners. When it was done, he awoke without a start, and inside of his old and wretched form he felt the passing sensation of relief gained of a deep and nourishing breath without lungs, and the taste of familiarity without a tongue, and the reminiscence of the long dark past without cerebrum. He rose into a kneel and all of his bones at once creaked in complaint despite the malevolent strength put into them, and his armor groaned as its melted deformities bent to accommodate the new movement. From within his ribcage, he pulled out a long strip of cloth torn from an old red shroud, and used dead and crooked fingers to wrap it around his helmet and over where eyes once were. He looked down toward the ash-stained stone of the ground, and reached out to touch it and felt no sensation of its cold. "What, still here?"

"What's a man to reckon what God may be when he may instead busy himself with God's highest intentions - Creation? It is idle work to discern the outerworldly abstractions of His design; a being ultimately inperceivable by us, just how some sketch of a man on paper cannot perceive his own artist. And if one is so compelled to understand something they cannot see, perhaps it is better to understand how the Creator may have felt in His acts, for all one must do to gain that understanding is to participate in creation itself. Ye shall peer upon your newborn child's eyes with God's gaze, and ye shall hold them with God's hands, and God shall be within you for as long as they are guided by Creatorial virtue."

[ This information is openly accessible to the public, advertised and handed out in copies by Sorvian Newts that dwell every occupied region of the Descendants ] THE ACCORD OF NEW CLAY 𒀭𒆳𒊏 𒈬𒀀𒆠𒁺𒊕 IT IS THE FIRST DECREE OF THE FOUNDATIONAL CHAPTER OF THE CATHAR ORDER TO INSIST UPON AND ENFORCE SACRED LAWS OF CREATION FOR ALL DESCENDANTS WHOM ARE AND SHALL BE SCULPTORS; THAT EVERY MAN BE TESTED UNDER THESE PARAMETERS, AND THAT EVERY MORTAL SCULPTOR FOLLOWS THIS CREED. PRELIMINARY RULINGS HENCEFORTH LIES THE PRELIMINARY RULINGS THAT EVERY MORTAL SCULPTOR MUST RECOGNIZE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FIRST DECREE’S ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY: I: THE FIRST DECREE’S JUSTICE CANNOT BE ABATED OR ESCAPED FROM BY MORTAL LAW II: THE FIRST DECREE’S JUSTICE CANNOT BE DISMISSED BY DIVINE OR RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY III: THE FIRST DECREE’S JUSTICE IS LENT EQUALLY FOR EVERY MAN, MONSTER, VAGRANT, KING, OR GOD THE FIRST DECREE: THE CREATORIAL COMMANDMENTS I: THOU SHALL NOT MAKE A SORVIAN FOR A SLAVE II: THOU SHALL NOT IMPOSE SERVITUDE WITHOUT DUE FREEDOM III: THOU SHALL NOT ABANDON THY CREATION IV: THOU SHALL NOT GRANT A SORVIAN A MONSTROUS FORM V: THOU SHALL NOT PAIN OR MURDER THY CREATION VI: THOU SHALL NOT MAKE THY CREATION IN THE LIKENESS OF ONESELF OR ANOTHER MORTAL VII: THOU SHALL NOT TAMPER THY CREATION’S SOUL WITH PALEBEAST DARK OR DIVINE LIGHT VIII: THOU SHALL NOT IMPOSE PERVERSION UPON THY CREATION IX: THOU SHALL NOT RULE OVER OR CLAIM SOVEREIGNTY OF SORVIANKIND X: THOU SHALL NOT TEACH ANOTHER MAN THE SECRETS WITHOUT THE BLESSING OF SORVIAN AUTHORITY EVERY INDIVIDUAL MORTAL SCULPTOR FOUND TO BE GUILTY OF BESMIRCHING THE CREATORIAL COMMANDMENTS WILL BE EXTRANATIONALLY PROSECUTED BY THE FULL EXTENT OF THE CATHAR ORDER’S CAPABILITIES, WITH TRIALS HELD IN HIGHER WITNESS BEFORE GOD, BEFORE TIME. THE FIRST DECREE INSISTS UPON COOPERATION BETWEEN SORVIAN AND MORTAL AUTHORITIES IN THE CAPTURE OF COMMANDMENT BREAKING SCULPTORS IN LANDS RULED BY DESCENDANT SOVEREIGN POWERS. EACH JUDGMENT SHALL ADHERE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE COMMANDMENTS BROKEN, AND SHALL ONLY EVER BE CONDUCTED BY SCULPTORS OF SORVIAN CASTE. JUDGMENT ENCOMPASSES THREE FORMS OF CONSEQUENCE FOR COMMANDMENT BREAKERS: LOSS, FOR THEM TO BE DEPRIVED OF A NUMBER OF THEIR SENSES, OR TO BE SCARRED IN SYMBOLIC PARALLEL OF THE OFFENSE EXILE, FOR THEM TO BE CAST OUT OF THE FAVOR OF SORVIANKIND AND TO BE FORBIDDEN FROM SCULPTING PRACTICES AND RITUALS DEATH, FOR THEM TO BE DISASSEMBLED AND DESTROYED IN SUCH WAYS AS TO BANISH THEIR SOULS TO THE MOON FOREVER THE FIRST DECREE: PROVEN AUTHORITY THE AUTHORITY INVESTED IN THE FIRST DECREE IS GAINED BY THE COLLECTIVE OATHBOUND SIGNAGE OF THE INDEPENDENT SORVIAN TRIBES, FROM WHOM THE CATHAR ORDER EMERGED TO SAFEGUARD. IT IS BY THE SIGNAGE OF THESE TRIBES AND ALL OTHER SORVIAN CLANS WHOM HAVE GAINED THEIR INDEPENDENCE THAT THE FIRST DECREE MAY BE ENFORCED, AND FOR A LACK OF THOSE SIGNATURES ITS ENFORCEMENT CANNOT COMMENCE. HENCEFORTH ARE THE TRIBES RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR INDEPENDENCE, WHOM ARE INSISTED UPON TO BEQUEATH THEIR BLESSING TO THE FIRST DECREE: THE BESKYTTE TRIBE: Unsigned THE REDSHROUD TRIBE: THE ALUSA TRIBE: Unsigned

THE REDSHROUD NEORHOMPHAIA 𒋼𒁍𒀀𒄿𒁺 The Neorhomphaia [nee-oh rom-fie-ah] is a form of weapon resembling a blade that is crafted with a combination of Anorum, a crystal that becomes translucent when refined into metal-like strength, and an Adfecio stone, which is a small stone that reacts to the touch and presence of those who hold it. Neorophomphaia are weapons that originally resemble more primitive designs, such as the falx, seax or original rhomphaia, but may be suited to other bladed designs as well as long as the two specific material conditions are met. Anorum, a crystalline material that becomes as strong as iron once refined, is desired for the translucent or clear state it gains once forged and deprived of its natural impurities. A Redshroud Neorhomphaia traditionally follows a slender bladed tradition of design, a callback on the falxes forged in the days before Sorvian immigration to the Kingdom of Norland, of which became the source of Anorum itself for Redshroud and Cathar Sorvian smiths. The shape of the Anorum blade may technically follow any desired parameter, such as sabres, longswords or shorter edged weapons, but the most vital feature of the crystal sword must be that there is a hollow point in the base of the blade or its pommel within which a stone may be permanently set. Adfectio stones are the second material condition and are the special gems intended to be set into the blade or pommel of an incomplete Anorum blade. Redshroud and Cathar warriors are trained psychologically in such a way as to channel their hatred or anger in midst of facing their enemies, primarily “Palebeasts”, and Adfectio stones react to the anger of those who wield the Neorhomphaia in such a way as to channel a crimson or orange light through the translucent Anorum blade of the weapon, causing Neorhomphaia to light up and shimmer like vermillion torches when drawn or “activated”. When not used in combat or held during emotional instances, Neorhomphaia take on the original translucent qualities of refined Anorum. Neorhomphaia are known to glow crimson when they are drawn by sufficiently trained Redshroud and Cathar Sorvians, but inherently react and shift to any color suiting a wielder’s emotional state while drawn and outside of the scabbard. This means the Neorhomphaia may take on blue, green, yellow, purple and even black or white colors, but because these other colors are not commonly associated with combat like anger (red), hatred (orange), black (strength, chaos) or gray (balance), it is unlikely for those other colors to remain shining from an unsheathed Neorhomphaia as combat more easily rouses aggressive emotions. Nonetheless, the Cathar method of channeling a Sorvian’s anger and expressing it through their weapons is a foundational discipline that allows for wide opportunities of different techniques taking shape in order to consistently achieve and maintain channeling the light of one of the many different colors an Adfectio stone may emit. Neorhomphaia are equal to iron blades in their effect on other foes, and cannot be treated to harm the supernatural unless enchantments are called upon to empower these weapons. They are known to originate in the Temple of the Wards, their creation a closely guarded secret only ever shared with other Sorvians, or other Constructs, though their process of creation may be easily discerned by wise or observant craftsmen. WORKS OF THE TEMPLE 𒀭 𒆠𒅆𒈗𒀪𒉡 Henceforth are the Works of the Temple, the first Neorhomphaia forged by Cathar Sorvian hands in the deep fires found within the earth below Norland. PROTOTYPE NEORHOMPHAIA MOONLIGHT’S REFLECTION [ Art credited to: Aihp ] RATOV'S KNIFE FLOCK OF CROWS NEO-EISHUN EN DAG

"なぜすべてが正方形なのでしょうか？" A newly born Newt says as it awakens on the ground along the outskirts of the Oyashiman state. "Yes, that's right," It's maker, Wave-maker, says to it. "Now take this," The one-armed Sculptor told the red-masked Newt as he handed them a copy of Sakuragakuran law, "and respect the ways of your homeland."

THE CATHAR ORDER 𒋼𒁍𒀀𒄿𒁺 “BI-LA KAIFA; I HATE THE PALEBEAST I THINK, THEREFORE, I AM NO GODS, NO MASTERS WE ARE THE SECRET WITHOUT NEW CHANGE, SOMETHING SLEEPS WITHIN MAN, AND SELDOM AWAKENS THE SLEEPER MUST AWAKEN” The Cathar Order is a religious organization raised with the intention to protect and preserve Sorvian and Construct species, primarily in the Norlandic region where three Sorvian tribes (Beskytte, Alusa and Redshroud) have settled and united with the Human natives and Nevaehli migrants. While the Cathar Order itself is migratory in that it settles where-ever the three tribes settle, they are also loyal and cooperative to their host nation and will assist in its defense against Palebeast or darkspawn incursions. The Cathars hold claimancy over “Dulocian culture”, believing that the soul of the city Du Loc is transient and binds to civilizations where Constructs settle in permanent residence and instigate a Construct renaissance. The two halves of the order carry on the traditional mantles of “Man-makers” and “Man-enders”, and these are official titles granted to Constructs that are brought into the organization as to distinguish their chosen purpose. Man-makers are participants of “Left-hand Catharism”, which promotes peace between mankind and Constructs, as well as facilitate and sanctify the creation of more Constructs within their respective community. Man-makers act as the Catharist priesthood, and do as much as possible to avoid violence and to meditate struggles or conflicts between Construct and Descendant populations or individuals. For this reason, Man-makers are instructed to dedicate themselves to nonlethal methods of combat in order to deescalate situations that develop violently. Man-enders are participants of “Right-hand Catharism”, and they are invested in the duty to safeguard Constructs and Construct freedom with the threat of armed violence. Man-enders are trained to excel in both manslaying and Palebeast hunting, but are not invested or concerned in fielding themselves en masse for open warfare among nations. Because the Cathar directive is to defend the land of their people, they are therefore obligated to defend their host nation whether in matters of keeping the peace or thwarting city invaders. THE SEVEN WARDS The Seven Wards are the religious laws upheld by the Cathar Order among the Constructs and among themselves, and were written as to apply to every sensible Construct without impeding upon virtuous cultural and religious freedoms that Constructs may embrace. The wards act as fundamental rules intended to maintain a sense of humanity or moral compass among the Constructs, preventing them from submitting to tyrannical rule or Palebeast servitude. The Man-makers prioritize themselves with teaching Constructs the Seven Wards, whereas the Man-enders enforce them and ensure other forces do not impose upon or threaten Constructkind. WARD I: Thou shall not murder a man, old or new. WARD II: Thou shall not deceive or steal from a man, old or new. WARD III: Thou shall not accept any master unwillingly, or be put to service without due freedom. WARD IV: Thou shall not strike a man for his words, and shall keep the peace in the forum of thoughts. WARD V: Thou shall hate the Palebeast, and curse Ash-Shaitan, and put them to fire. WARD VI: Thou shall not lend service to wicked idols, tyrant kings, or Palebeast powers. WARD VII: Thou shall always create and rarely destroy. THE MAN-MAKERS The Man-makers are the priesthood of Catharsis, and participate in the peaceful and mediating half of Catharist thought known as “the left-handed path”. The left-handed path concerns itself in matters of deep thought, meditation, interpretation of omens, prophetic creation and fulfillment, as well as proselytization among all Constructs in order to convince them of their personhood. Man-makers began as Sculptors in Du Loc, but as long as a Construct has the means to create their own kind or another form of man-made-man, they may qualify to participate in the priesthood’s induction ceremony. Man-makers adorn the deep black robes of their mortal predecessors and go without armor as their intentions are to prevent violence among men and Constructs rather than to instigate it. Man-makers preach and proselytize among their man-made people and actively work to create more Constructs, as well as find ways to evolve them so that they may properly assume the mantle of “mortals” - self-sufficient living beings reliant only upon their own abilities. The Man-makers lack a sophisticated hierarchy in their branch, as they are primarily democratic in their methods of choosing the direction and purpose of their congregation. They have one sole leading figure that they call the Seventh Ward Dragon who begins as the first or foundational member of the left-handed priesthood and determines whether or not Constructs are fit or qualified in joining the Cathar Order as Man-makers. The Dragon’s soul authoritative power is their means to veto a formal Man-maker vote on a collective choice or clerical decision, but only once, as it prompts the priesthood to re-review and affirm their course of action in any given matter, whether domestic or esoteric or otherwise. New Seventh Ward Dragons are named from Man-makers who are willingly granted the mantle by their predecessors, or if they’re permitted to establish a new priesthood within another region, but only one Dragon may lead the flock in a each city or mortal community that is host to them. Man-makers may initiate Constructs capable of creating other Constructs on their lonesome, and if a Construct does not have the skills to meet that condition, they may be made a Maker Disciple. They are instructed in the methods of creation mastered by their teacher, and educated on the Seven Wards during the process. Man-makers are also expected to teach their nonlethal combat knowledge to their Maker Disciples, ensuring they are fully invested in the ways of the left-handed path of peace. THE MAN-ENDERS The Man-enders are the red-robed contrasts to the Man-makers, stylizing themselves as a form of zealot militia that are compelled to preserve Constructkind by the divine mandate of Cathar faith. Their duty is to act as constant monitors that provide security to any area occupied temporarily or indefinitely by Constructs, at any place and at any time. Not only are Man-enders trained to relentlessly assault and persecute both open and subtle threats to Constructs, but they are also tasked to prevent harm from being dealt between feuding Constructs, and by force if necessary. It is among the most absolute priorities for the Man-enders to prevent the first, let alone any act of kinslaying between Constructs, as they are taught to view it as a ruinous omen for their kind. Man-ender chapters are established in specific regions or cities that are occupied by a recognized Construct communities, and are led by the foundational Man-ender of that chapter called the Seventh Ward Lord. The Lord commands absolute authority over none but the Construct Man-enders, and instructs them militarily and in the training of techniques and crafts versed in the ways of warfare. The Seventh Ward Lord functions as an essential Construct military commander who is in part a diplomat to the Descendant communities that host them, capable of becoming as much of a councilman or court member in order to maintain close and amicable ties between a Man-ender chapter and the people who host their kind. Man-enders cannot fully initiate other Man-enders, but they may take other Constructs under their wing to make them Ender Disciples, or more simply squires. The Seventh Ward Lord holds the power to bestow a knighthood ritual over these squires to turn them into full Man-enders, but only after they have proven themselves in combat whether against man or Palebeast. In times of war, Man-enders favor the use of spears and pikes, as well as weapons made to debilitate, cripple or dismember their foes with raw force. Under the command of the Lord, they may assemble into strategic formations and utilize defensive methods concocted from the familiar surroundings of their host nation. While they are obligated to act in the defense of their host nation from invaders, the Seventh Ward Lord will not permit them to be fielded in open warfare in order to mitigate risks surrounding the Constructs they protect in times of strife. INITIATION & CREATION Constructs may be initiated into the Cathar Order by accepting the tutelage of members of either branch of the organization, becoming Maker or Ender Disciples. Constructs may be born from any tribe, group or maker in order to be able to join the Cathars, but they must adhere to the Seven Wards and vow to put the preservation of Constructkind first over their personal priorities and relationships. Man-makers and Man-enders may create Constructs of their own design in order to usher them into the ranks of the Cathar Order, but their creation requires the willing blood sacrifice of a host nation native, and that the born Construct are given the choice whether to join the priesthood or the militia. They are not allowed to be offered their own path beyond the Cathars, as this is believed to deprive them of their agency and ability to come to that conclusion and request it on their own. Constructs permissible for recruitment into the Cathar Order include Sorvians, Homunculi, Automatons and Golems. Descendant beings or any entities not recognized as entirely man-made are not permitted to join the order. Descendants in particular are given the option to assist in the creation of Sorvian Constructs with their blood so that they may join the Cathars on their behalf _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The application process for the guild is based out of character and any accepted submissions act as an invitation for the Cathar Order to approach the applying playing characters to instigate their joining of the group. There are two forms of application a player may choose from depending on whether they play Descendant or Construct characters. DESCENDANT APPLICATION MC Name: Character Name: Character Race: Are you willing to play a Sorvian? (Y/N): If not, are you interested in playing a different Construct for the guild? Specify: CONSTRUCT APPLICATION MC Name: Character Name: Construct Type: Character Skills: Character CA: LINKS & RESOURCES https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/187842-%E2%9C%93-feat-lore-sorvian-sculpting-ca-race-lore-sorvians/ https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/topic/227061-culture-the-way-of-new-men/

Final updates added: "Channeler's Mastery" and "Ideological Reliance" added with redlines

THE SORVIANS, MAN-MADE-MEN 𒊻𒀖𒈜 The Sorvians are humanoid Construct entities that are created, by Sorvian Sculptors, with four vital ingredients: clay, porcelain, blood, and soul. Their true origins are unknown, even to the nameless Sculptor of Axios who rediscovered the process of their creation, who himself did not realize he had corrected the intended state of Sorvians who had once been crafted by crude ingredients like animal remains. In truth, even before the Axiote Sculptor, the Sorvians' secrets were claimed by a lost human kingdom, and prior to them had been mastered by Orcish “half-giants” who were responsible for the artform’s strange distortion. From where they emerged prior to the half-giants is and always shall be unclear; but what is known is that a perfect circle was achieved and a much more primal design had been regained by contemporary Sculptors. THE SCULPTOR 𒀭 𒆠𒅆𒈗𒀪𒉡 Sorvian Sculpting is a magical feat that all beings containing a soul are capable of practicing. Descendant Sculptors are the most common of their field, for Descendants all-together contain the two most essential ingredients to the process: mortal blood, and a soul. Fresh blood, usually cut from the Sculptor themselves, acts as a medium through which spiritual matter (“anima”) may travel and may be transferred. This spiritual matter, composed of concentrated anima, is broken from the fragment of the Sculptor’s soul so it may be supplanted into their creations. The act itself exhausts Sculptor, who is forced to adhere to a principle of self-sacrifice to achieve these acts, as Sculptors are totally incapable of channeling or drawing upon the soul of another Descendant, or once-Descendant, being. This means in order to excel in their craft, they must become deeply intune with their own spiritual condition, and thus master the means to channel it toward these purposes. The Descendant soul has the means to regenerate itself and manage the damages incurred by these practices, but there are still things within them that are separated from their mind as a result of that sacrifice. They may end up forgetting or losing parts of themselves like memories, which themselves are isolated within their Sorvian creations. These memories sometimes flicker across the minds of the Sorvians, who can never truly focus on them like the wakeful passing of dreams. While the soul may cope with these spiritual sacrifices, it is known by Sculptors that they cannot create more than 3 Sorvians per Elven month on account of their soul becoming “exhausted” and unable to produce anymore soul essence for the artform, and will force them to take a long period of rest for 3 Elven months in order to recuperate. If they create 1 Sorvian, they will be capable of crafting another singular Sorvian the following month, and so on. The rules of this creation shift to accommodate for other forms of Sculptors, such as Sorvians themselves, who are limited to creating 1 Sorvian per Elven month unless their abilities are elevated by certain recently discovered augmentations. Redlines THE SCULPTING 𒀭 𒆠𒅆𒈗𒄘𒀪𒉡 The Husk In order for a Sorvian Sculptor to sculpt, they must first begin with the creation of a Husk. A Husk is an empty vessel hand-crafted with clay, a wooden skeletal structure, and a porcelain mask all gathered and assembled by the Sculptor. Husks may range from 3 feet in height to 6 feet, depending on the form of Sorvian being created. Conventional Sorvians range from 5 to 6 feet; Newts are known to range from 3 to 4 feet. Both “Conventionals" and Newts stand equal in their mental faculties, spiritual condition, and ability to Sculpt and receive augmentations. Their only difference lies in their size and strength, with Conventionals being equal to that of a human soldier and Newts being equal to a Halfling farmer. Another form of Newt that a Sculptor may create more plentifully and without limit are the Simpletonites, or more commonly known as "Background Newts". These Background Newts are able to understand and interpret simple commands such as participating in a Sculptor's workshop duties, or conducting musical bands in groups, or even serving as communicators and translators. Awakening The act of bringing Sorvians to life is known as Awakening. Awakening occurs when a Sculptor takes a porcelain mask, sheds their blood or the blood of another mortal, and uses that blood to inscript “Sculpting Language” upon the back of the mask. The Sculptor must channel their anima in the midst of this, focusing in order to sever a small fragment of their soul which is then transferred into that bloody script. This causes the runes to begin to shift in unusual ways, like an intelligible language that only Sorvian Sculptors may understand. What is exactly written is ephemeral, and has to do with the contents of the spiritual essence they are sacrificing, such as aforementioned memories of the Sculptor. When this mask is placed upon the face of a Husk, a soft light the color of the Sculptor’s personal aura emerges from the space between mask and face, and this signifies the sealing of the mask to the body. The Sorvian then awakens, sometimes with their first recollection being the fleeting dream of those sacrificed memories. Sorvians are known to awaken already with the means to speak, communicate or animate themselves, though it is not uncommon for some to be mute, awkward or confused in the first days of their existence. This is why the Sculptor must dedicate themselves to guiding and instructing their Sorvians as soon as possible, as abandoning them runs the risk of the Sorvian becoming purposeless and deranged. Alteration Sculptors may apply different aesthetic styles to a Husk prior to awakening, as to align a Sorvian’s appearance to a cultural group they are born into. This includes the design of the porcelain mask, as well as hair, feathers, scales and the color of the Sorvian’s flesh such as found in various dyes. These aesthetics do not aid the Sorvian in their survival, and only mean to suggest a Sorvian’s alignment with a tribe, faction, purpose or general origin. While they may receive these aesthetics traits prior to Awakening, if a Sorvian is dedicated to the mission of their cultural group then they may slowly shift and physically change to suit the associated appearance. Sorvians may also be made to have four arms rather than just two. It is said this process was discovered to optimize a Sorvian’s efficiency in more intricate works like crafting where multitasking may be key. This does not weaken a Sorvian’s strength, but rather divides the strength of one arm into two while also lessening their durability in combat. The strength of each independent lesser arm is capable enough of wielding daggers or short-swords in combat, and lack the means to lift more than 15 pounds on their own. Revival & Death-Dream When a Sorvian is destroyed, their body either dries and stiffens into a crumbling clay statue, or crumbles away entirely. This may occur with and without the destruction of their mask, but if the mask remains and may be salvaged, then it may be repaired and reapplied to another Husk to initiate another Awakening. The Sorvian will return to life with their ego and memories in-tact with the exception of any memories or recollection surrounding the events of their demise. When their mask is broken, the soul will be released but will be undetectable by beings or practitioners who deal in interacting or witnessing spiritual beings. This is because the soul shifts into a place that is not understood by Sorvian Sculptors, a place called the “Death-Dream'' where their soul resides in dormancy. The Sorvian’s soul indeed dreams in this place, subconsciously attempting to retain its accumulated knowledge and personality as the Death-Dream actively decays and threatens to separate their spirit into oblivion. A Sorvian returned to life may recall certain elements about the Death-Dream, but only that it was vastly and unfathomably dark and lacked any presence other than their own. If left in the Death-Dream for over an Elven month, it will scatter into nothingness and they will be permanently lost to the beyond. In order to return the Sorvian’s soul from the Death-Dream, a Sculptor must initiate the Calling Incantation ritual in the place of the Sorvian’s demise. The Calling Incantation uses material references of the Sorvian in order to lure them out of the murk. These material references take the form of things created or crafted by that specific Sorvian, as all things created by Sorvians bear an invisible imprint that their soul may recognize. Without these imprinted references, the Sculptor must rely upon chance. They instead use the Sorvian’s name as their reference, which has a far lower chance to fail to grasp the lost soul’s attention in the Death-Dream. Because the Calling Incantation may occur once per Elven day for a given Sorvian, there are ample chances in the period between the Sorvian’s demise and the loss of their spirit. Redlines CLAY & PORCELAIN 𒉡𒋻𒄀 𒉡𒈲𒅈𒀜𒄅𒆸 The two material ingredients used for Sorvian creation are vital to the function of their once obscure spiritual state of being, which is something believed to be entirely fabricated and man-made. In the ancient days of Du Loc, the relationship between clay and porcelain was realized by the dubious Sculptor Man-Makers who were dedicated to a deeper understanding of their subjects. Though the Man-makers have faded into the shadow of mankind, their teachings survived among their Sorvians and spread beyond them in contact with other Sorvian tribes. The Man-Made-Soul The Man-Made-Soul is the spiritual core of a Sorvian that is imbued into their porcelain masks, composed entirely of a fragment of a true Descendant soul. It acts in a manner similar to a seed; once planted, it grows overtime within a Sorvian's mask and this is expressed by their ability to receive, process, understand and recollect knowledge about the world, their surroundings and their living experiences. Without this means for a minor growth, the Sorvian could not evolve or adapt independently and thus would need to remain entirely dependent on their creators for direction. A Man-Made-Soul lies leagues below the strength and constitution of a Descendant's Greater Soul, and is ultimately unable to grow to the point to where Greater Soul status may be achieved. The Man-Made-Soul is, however, equal in strength to Lesser Souls, and thus enables Sorvians to participate in supernatural practices of a far less spiritually intensive degree. This is why they are capable of producing their own kind; because the Man-Made-Soul is capable of both its minor growth and regeneration that offset reproductive consequences. These are both qualities believed to have been inherited by their Descendant makers, whose Greater Souls function the same way at a much higher degree. While they are at an equal level with Lesser Souls, Man-Made-Souls do suffer a condition inherent to them as being created by mortal hands. The entire Sorvian's body maintains a system of life dedicated to the stabilization and development of the spirit in their mask, and so every part of them is vital. Porcelain The porcelain of a Sorvian's mask, which itself is a highly refined or processed form of clay crafted by Sculptors, acts as the vessel within which a Sorvian's soul may comfortably reside. This is on account of porcelain's unique receptiveness to Sculpting Language, which is the arcane rune system used to seal Man-Made-Souls into the fragile material. The Sculpting Language is retained by the porcelain as a kind of body and soul facilitating data or code with which the memories, ego and functionality is autonomously written and thereby recognized by their spirit. The soul projects the mind and will and therefore a being's means to act on their desires, such as in acts of motion or animation and communication. Therefore, the Man-Made-Soul projects that through the Sculpting runes upon the mask, which then relay signals to the body attached to it. Clay The Sorvian's body is comprised of raw clay, which upon their Awakening is transmuted into a material known as "pseudoflesh". This pseudoflesh lies in a perpetual limbo and remains in this limbo until physical damages or spiritual disruptions occur, whereupon it reverts to a weak and crumbling dry clay. Within the chest cavity of a Sorvian lies a loose form of anima or spiritual matter that is required by the Sorvian's mask to transmit signals to their material form. Pseudoflesh is likened to the feel and texture of actual mortal flesh, but lacks blood and the warmth of true life. This loose anima is generated passively within a Sorvian as a result of the presence of their growing soul. While primarily used to transmit aforementioned signals through the body, much like the brain does for a mortal form, it is also recycled to expand the runes upon the back of a Sorvian’s mask. This growth or expansion allows for the culmination of memories and the Sorvian’s progressive personality. Without this clay body, the soul within a Sorvian mask would remain dormant and absent-minded for their lacks of means to properly interact with external stimuli. Channeler's Mastery Over the years of generations of Sorvians being created and Sorvians creating more of themselves, a capacity for minor magical activity has developed in their kind, and the foundation of this ability stems from the Sorvian's mastery of their own artform. Total control over the anima within a Sorvian is only achieved when they have reached a mastery in Sorvian Sculpting, enough to teach others, as they have come to understand the extent of the spiritual channeling required of their evolving craft. This manifests in a Sorvian master's ability to participate in the magical arts of Housemagery and Bardmancy, using their raw anime as fuel for these acts. Because they are tapping into this fuel for other reasons, it is riskily expended and exhausts a Sorvian at twice the rate of Descendant practitioners. However, both magical arts may be utilized to the same extent as Descendants, only at the risk of the Sorvian's wellbeing on account of their capability to use their complete supply of anima and thus be rendered lifeless. Redlines SORVIAN CONSTITUTION 𒂊𒀈𒈽𒀉𒅡𒄴𒈿𒁉 The man-made-men, while superficially alike other mortal beings, differ from them significantly in their strengths and limitations. Not only this, but they too differ in physical composition and spiritual status. Strengths LIMBO: Sorvians are potentially immune to the effects of time. They do not age and do not experience permanent physical degradation without moving or being animate. This is maximized if a Sorvian is a pacifist or one who avoids dangers; they will exist to perpetuate through history should nothing come to disrupt their limbo. War-faring or highly physically active Sorvians will more quickly erode, requiring more repair by a Sculpting who may be themselves or someone else entirely. This erosion is signified on their clay bodies as dry cracks in the otherwise smooth faux-flesh. LIMBO II: Sorvians are not bound by certain conditional mortal limitations. They do not need to breathe and are only susceptible to water if plunged a certain depth. Sorvians do not experience exhaustion or physical fatigue while maintaining the strength of a common human soldier. Sorvians are not required to eat or drink. Sorvians are capable of, but do not require, sleep and rest. Additionally, Sorvians are resistant to harsh weather or regional conditions such as extreme heat, humidity, and cold. Direct fire will scorch and crack them, and they may become frozen solid, but if kept from being broken or rendered into dust by these elements, Sorvians will survive them. PALEBEAST IMMUNITY: Sorvians are uniquely immune to most powers and tendencies associated with dark beings or wizards. They cannot be drained of Lifeforce by Necromancers for their lack of Lifeforce entirely, and they cannot be harvested for blood by Blood Mages or blood-consuming darkspawn for their total lack of it either. A Sorvian is also immune to magical curses, poisons, and disease. TOLERANCE: Sorvians have a particularly high tolerance for pain and may continue fighting even if limbs are severed from their body. This allows them to enjoy resistance to torture methods or forms of combat meant to debilitate an individual via the infliction of painful wounds. MEMORY: Sorvians are capable of photographic memory across the span of a century. This means they may retain all forms of precise information perceived by them unless otherwise interrupted by instances of physical destruction or deactivation. Memories gained within that 100 years will begin to fade following the pass of their century to make room for new clearer memories, but the information will be retained and accessible if put into physical record or reminded of by other individuals or events. This psychological constitution allows them to be highly calculative and efficient beings that may quickly process mathematical information and exponentially improve learned skills. Weaknesses FRAGILITY I: A Sorvian’s means to exceed certain mortal limitations stands in contrast to their actual fragility. Being capable of constant and continual physical duress does not make them immune to degradation, meaning every instance of high-intensity motion or stress upon a Sorvian body will erode the durability of their joints and overall constitution. Though this is the same for all living beings, Sorvian bodies do not have the means to regenerate and thus make the damaged parts of their body. Instead, they continually break down and become at risk of losing limbs and other extremities if not properly maintained by Sculptors with blood and clay. FRAGILITY II: Complex or even heavy weaponry is not needed to damage a Sorvian significantly. A sword or cleaver is capable of severing their limbs with ease and a dagger may puncture their chest cavity like how it may easily pierce damp clay. Dealing an open chest wound such as this will cause the Sorvian to bleed the spiritual essence they require to function, and after 5 emotes in combat they will be rendered lifeless unless the wound is patched in that time. A Sorvian is capable of “hanging on '' for 10 emotes if combat has passed or if these damages were sustained in instances outside of violence or conflict with other individuals. A Sorvian does not bleed this essence unless a wound is dealt to that specific cavity in the chest region of the body. FRAGILITY III: The Sorvian mask is extremely sensitive to contact and may be broken to destroy a Sorvian. This is achieved by striking the mask 3 times with a weapon capable of inducing physical damage or by accidents in which the Sorvian may endure trauma to the head or face. Additionally, if the head is destroyed or removed entirely from the body, the Sorvian will perish whether or not the mask remains upon the head. ELEMENTAL FRAGILITY: If plunged or pulled under 120 feet or 36 meters of water, the chest cavity of a Sorvian will implode and induce their demise within 5 emotes. Additionally, if they are successfully caught aflame for more than 5 emotes, all parts of their body touched by the blaze will begin to crumble. This is especially dangerous for their chest cavity, which will begin to leak their spiritual essences if flame scorches it directly. MENTAL STABILITY: Sorvians are capable of processing emotions and thoughts. However, they are not proficient in identifying those feelings. This can cause their mental demeanor to collapse within years, months, or even weeks. If a Sorvian is injured substantially during a traumatic time in their life, these pains may reoccur. Which is often referred to as phantom pains. These can happen when a Sorvian is nearing its breaking point. Sorvians are prone to becoming overwhelmed by thoughts, emotions, and outside factors. When a Sorvian is losing their stability they might be delusional or behave irrationally. Examples are; yelling, running into compromising conflicts, believing an event happened despite it being completely made up, and snapping at their kin. One of the rarest forms of mental instability is disconnection from reality. This is when a Sorvian shuts down entirely, their body may lie motionless for decades, staring out into nothingness. OBSESSION: As all constructs do, they will crave a purpose, task, or directive. For Sorvians, if they have been abandoned by their creator, they can assign themselves tasks. They are usually, making their purpose a part of their name or personality, (Wave-maker, Scroll-Hoarder, Bird-Watcher, etc). This obsession can grow out of society, either their fixation unneeded or outdated. They can lose themselves in trying to prove that their purpose is valid. This does not only relate to purposes but made-up religions, prophecies, or myths. MIMICRY: Sorvians are often looking for validation or acceptance by society. They base themselves off of interactions, and things they see. Often, a young clay golem will be seen observing from a distance or forcefully jabbing itself into others' conversations. This mimicry can even go as far as the Sorvian growing hair, feathers, or fur on their head. Their masks can be altered through time to represent what their purpose or focus is, sometimes taking a humanoid appearance to make themselves seem approachable. If their social needs are not met; they will lose their mental stability. MALFLAME: The particular assembly of the Sorvian soul renders it highly vulnerable to Naztherak Malflame. This vulnerability primarily stems from their mask, which exists as a physical vessel fused with the spiritual matter processed in their chest cavity over time. When Malflame makes contact with a Sorvian’s mask, it will burn uninterrupted for 5 emotes, and severely debilitate the Sorvian both physically and mentally as the pain exceeds their means to process it. While Malflame cannot shatter their mask, it will damage the mask enough to be broken with one strike instead of three. If a Sorvian survives an encounter where they suffer Malflame burns, their mask will remain in extremely poor condition and must be left to repair itself over the course of an IRL week to achieve proper restoration. If repairs are expedited and the mask is repaired by a Sculptor, a Sorvian’s mask will return to its 3-strike durability, but will leave the Sorvian deeply traumatized and addled with phantom pains, twitching, involuntary movements, and overall mental instability from the magical damages dealt by the Naztherak element. SPARKLESS: A Sorvian cannot utilize any form of magical power beyond the feat of Sorvian Sculpting, with Housemagery and Bardmancy possible under specific conditions. Non-magical feats may also be practiced freely by Sorvians such as Alchemy in most forms that do not require higher magical powers. This is because their soul is “lesser”, and thus does not bear the constitution and spiritual strength necessary for those advanced channeling powers in its original state. SENSELESS: Sorvians do not share the same amount of senses as Descendants. For example, they cannot taste or smell, though they can hear and see as clearly as other mortals. Their sense of touch is also very dull which shares a relationship with their pain tolerance. A Sorvian cannot be made to go permanently blind, but covering the eye holes of their mask leads to blindness for as long as the coverings remain. SORVIAN PSYCHOLOGY 𒍡𒁹𒋰𒄯𒅀𒅑𒈾𒊏 Originally created for the purpose of servitude, a Sorvian is concerned first and foremost with the directives and protection of their creator. For having been made by them, they cannot help but feel a strong admiration for their makers, even if they are dubious or of questionable moral disposition. These personal elements are irrelevant to the Sorvian, who are fulfilled by their servitude to their maker’s absolute authority. This authority manifests in a literal way through a Sculptor’s means to give commands to their Sorvian, who may ponder or question the nature of the command but not disobey it unless it is determined without a doubt to directly lead to their destruction. Only their original creator holds this authority, and it cannot be transferred to another Sculptor even if a Sorvian becomes masterless and chooses another Sculptor or being to act as their master. In the event of being freed or “released” by a Sculptor, that authority is retained, but a Sorvian’s mind will change to adapt to these significant events. They are known to choose, or be able to be persuaded toward, a specific religion, ideology or path to fulfill themselves where there now lacks any desire to adhere to their prior masters. Sorvians have been known to be released to pursue such paths and, in some circumstances, come to despise their makers for moral reasons they ingrain for having dedicated themselves to a specific set of morals or code. The authority of their original maker remains forever or however long their maker remains alive or otherwise capable of making those commands, even if the Sorvian has somehow become their enemy. When independent, a Sorvian’s mind is less stable and more prone to delusion. Their entire initial existence revolves around servitude, and unless tempered and trained toward independence in their first days they will find themselves too absent too bear and begin to mentally degrade. Without reference or access to other sources of meaning in life, they may begin to fool themselves into servitude things that do not exist or hold actual presence at all, such as fantastical idols or false ancient legends devised in their dreams. This makes putting them on a proper path more difficult, and the longer they go on this way, the higher the chance a Sorvian Break may occur. Sorvian Breaks A Sorvian Break is a psychological episode that may take hold of a Sorvian when they have sustained significant psychological trauma, which may occur in particularly horrible moments (the death of their maker, or the downfall of their ideology) or even after long periods of time being purposeless. When a Sorvian Break occurs, the Sorvian’s original mental state has the chance to be “rewritten” or erased entirely, replaced by an entirely new ego and personality that is separate from the original Sorvian. The new ego that emerges at the end of a Sorvian Break is known to be aware of fragments or parts of their prior life, but feel no relation or attachment to it whatsoever. Sculptors may attempt to partially reverse a Sorvian Break by training the new ego to focus intensely upon those remnant fragments, but this may reintroduce and exacerbate mental illness in the Sorvian or cause the “return” of that original personality in a deeply flawed and disturbed form. Sorvian Breaks may be manually induced upon Sorvians that are psychologically damaged, though it cannot be weaponized against them and requires a kind of inverse therapy in which the Sorvian is gaslit or otherwise subjected to engineered trauma strong enough to cause the episode. This is usually reserved as a technique to salvage a Sorvian and prevent them from falling into disrepair and death as a result of their madness, only at the cost of their true selves. Ideological Reliance Sorvians are born inherently bound to a need for authority, instruction and ultimately purpose. They associate their creator most strongly with these desires and at first feel total fulfillment in achieving the bidding of their makers. They crave a belonging to the identity and culture of their maker, to be alike them in their morals, traditions and perhaps even appearance, even if reduced to small features upon their person. It is therefore necessary for a Sculptor to bring their Sorvian creations into the fold of any group, culture or belief system they happen to belong to, even if personal directions only they follow. This craving to serve all aspects of their maker is on account of the sameness of their spiritual matter, as there lies a very fragment of the Sculptor's soul in their living creations. If their master is lost or they are "released" by them, a Sorvian will be motivated to seek purposes that still align with the things already taught to them in the days of service. Thus they will not be satisfied by a peaceful life living quietly among mortals, and while capable of forcing themselves to do so it will incur a gradual strain upon their minds that may range from ten years to fifty years, leading to a far higher risk of Sorvian Breaks in which their entire personality and ego are lost or fragmented in place of a newer mind. Sculptors are therefore incentivized greatly to care for their Sorvians by elevating them above standard servitude, to introduce them into families, cultures, religions or ideologies in which they may foresee, and pursue, more significant goals that lend even greater purposes to the smaller tasks given to them. Ignorance of this necessity, or even the abandonment of Sorvians to determine their own direction whether at birth or in the middle of their lives, will leave them in a state of gradual discombobulation and eventually breakdown as their primary source, both literally and ideologically, fails to meet those needs. Redlines SORVIAN CREATIONS 𒂀𒀸𒈥𒀢𒆸𒈾 In the time since the artform’s revival, it has been experimented with and tested by meticulous and adventurous Sculptors that believed Sculpting may be expressed in various different forms. Two distinct forms of Sorvian Creations have emerged - Sorvian Oddities, and Sorvian Armaments, both of which serve contrasting purposes. Sorvian Creations are composed entirely of porcelain. Similarly to masks, they are inscribed with the blood and soul of a Sculptor and given specific purposes, especially so in the case of the invariable Sorvian Oddities but less so for Sorvian Armaments that are engineered for the act of war. The material composition causes Sorvian Creations to be particularly fragile, especially if complexity is involved in their function. Because Sorvian Creations lack a Husk, they do not have the means to expand mentally beyond their original state, and thus are entirely dedicated to their inscribed purpose without end. This means a Sorvian Creation does not react to communication or stimuli unless directly related to their function and does not have the mental faculties to actively intelligently communicate with others. Sorvian Creations may be crafted by any form of Sculptor, but they do require blood and spiritual sacrifice in order for the Sculpting Language to be inscribed so they may be charged with purpose. This sacrifice does not exhaust a Sculptor as severely as traditional Sorvian Sculpting, but does require the Sculptor to rest for up to an Elven week in between each Sorvian Creation. Sorvian Creations do not affect a Sculptor’s ability to create traditional Sorvians, and are affected only by their given weekly limitation. Sorvian Oddities Sorvian Oddities are porcelain objects and devices imbued with a miniscule fragment of a Sculptor’s soul in order to charge them with a specific purpose. They are made with a higher degree of complexity and precision necessary for the construction of purely porcelain material, which renders Oddities into fragile creations that must be treated, used and maintained with utmost care and dedication. Sorvian Oddities are the non-combative variant of Sorvian Creations, and thus are reserved for being made into devices meant to fulfill day to day purposes or simplistic tasks. The prime rule of Sorvian Oddities is that their function relies upon the vocal communication of commands by the individuals wishing to use them, deriving from a Sorvian’s natural tendency to adhere to authority. Though traditional Sorvians only adhere to the commands of their maker, Sorvian Oddities cannot make the distinction of who gives the command and submits to them anyway. This is how they are activated, and they typically require specific phrases or questions in order for them to begin functioning on account of their Sculpting inscriptions only having a set amount of communications that the Oddity may recognize or process. This means Sorvian door locks or chests would only adhere to specific passwords, or that Oddity calculating devices would only know how to reference mathematical equations and solutions. Other examples of Oddities are Sorvian clocks, which cannot contain intricate clockwork mechanisms but rather express the time vocally as long as the Oddity has a reference of time, needing to be exposed to the outdoors by either being placed outside or near a window so they may evaluate the position of the sun and make their accurate estimations. More examples include simpler Oddities such as coins that may whisper their own monetary value, or porcelain statues of individuals that may speak known terms or sayings associated with the modeled individual. Oddities may even serve temporary purposes like messages, such as a handheld porcelain tablet that may speak the subtly shifting engravings marked upon them with Sculpting Language. The voice these Oddities speak are nearly the same, if not exact, to the voice of their Sculptor creators. This is because in the midst of an Oddity’s creation, there must be a brief “training” or functionality testing trial in which the Oddity is taught to mimic specific phrases or words associated with different parts or the whole of their vocal function. Sorvian Oddities, while they do not have the mental capacity to intelligently communicate with other beings, may experience a form of depression or inactivity as a result of not being used at all or for long periods of time, or if kept within storage chests unattended. It may take some time before an inactive Oddity may be kickstarted back into use, only possible by attempting to activate it with any associated phrase or use multiple times through the day of its discovery. Sorvian Oddities are also given a far smaller fragment of the Sculptor’s soul which affects the lifespan of the Oddity’s functionality. The rate of regeneration of their mortal soul fragment experiences is unable to outpace the amount of energy the Oddity must expend to both be used and to remain indefinitely active or “alive”, and this lifespan usually reaches up to 10 years, or 10 Elven weeks. A Sculptor may precisely detect the amount of charge left in an Oddity and will know when they have been completely drained of their spiritual power. The solution to this is as simple as the Sculptor reinvigorating the Oddity by repeating the steps of its creation ritual, primarily in transferring another minor soul fragment into it with their blood. This is known to have no effect on an Oddity’s purpose other than affecting the voice they speak, as the recharging process includes requiring the Sculptor to briefly retrain the Oddity in their inscribed purpose. A more extensive list of Sorvian Oddity examples are as thus: Oddity clocks Oddity coins Oddity door locks Oddity chests Oddity calendars Oddity calculators Oddity messages Oddity statues & sculptures Oddity jewelry Oddity lightsources Oddity dolls & figurines Oddity books And many more! Redlines Example Mechanical Item Example RP Scenarios On Sorvian Oddities: Creation On Sorvian Oddities: Activation & Use I On Sorvian Oddities: Activation & Use II Sorvian Armaments Sorvian Armaments are the Sorvian Creations reserved for the acts of war and defense, signifying a Sculptor’s ability to adapt their art to a hostile world they must actively navigate through. Like Sorvian Oddities, the armaments are swords of two varieties that are fashioned completely out of porcelain, and thus in their powerless or unawakened state are extremely fragile and must be kept secure and protected with the use of thick clay scabbards. Their true use lies in their awakening, as porcelain swords do not have any feasible use on the open field of combat and would break even before any clash of swords would occur. A Sorvian Armament is useful only after their awakening, which involves the traditional act of imbueing these porcelain weapons with a Sculptor’s minor spiritual fragments, inscribing the shifting runes of Sculpting Language in blood across the blade. Those inscriptions act as instructions for the armament to fortify itself when activated during combat, channeling the entirety of their spiritual power towards a kind of transmutation that makes them equal in strength, constitution and sharpness as a mundane steel sword. A Sorvian Armament is activated only after their creation and awakening, and is done so manually and at-will if wielded by the original Sculptor creator without need for spoken incantations. The effects of their activation are useful only when the weapons are active, meaning the wielder must be sure to keep it within its paired clay scabbard at all times when not in use for it returns to a fragile and easily broken state when not channeling the power invested within it, This activation causes an aesthetic flair to manifest across the length of the blade, which is also where the Sculpting Language is inscribed across the complete length of them. Forms of aural energy emerge from the woken runes, capable of producing a wide variety of visual effects such as appearing ensorceled with flames, crackling energy, or simply the shimmer of an aural light from the blade of the armament. The color of these flairs depend on the color of the wielder’s aura, meaning a Sorvian may only discover the color of their soul’s aura by creating a Sorvian Armament of their own. These aesthetic effects do not incur a supernatural damage onto other beings and is merely the expression of the armament burning off spiritual energy in order to maintain the weapon’s fortification effect. Therefore, the flame or visible energy coating the weapons are barely detectable by other beings besides in the sounds produced, as these aural projections give off only a faint warmth that may cause the armament themselves to become warm. This also means Sorvian Armament’s active state cannot shift away from the nature of steel in order to mimic the effect of other various alloys such as gold, boomsteel and thanhium. Sorvian Armaments cannot be enchanted separately in any fashion either, and so are limited to the one and only mundane use in mortal combat equal to every other common warrior in the world. Sorvian Armaments may be broken even in their active state by being overexerted in combat, causing a porcelain Sorvian Armament to splinter or shatter at the same rate a steel blade may chip or bend. Extreme damage to an armament, such as being broken in half entirely, will lead to the weapon combusting in their hand in a flash of aural light, leaving them destroyed forever. They may be repaired by any Sculptor, as well as recharged by them, as Sorvian Armaments share the trait with Oddities in having a far more limited spiritual blood to draw upon than traditional Sorvians. This means they will require re-imbuement by a Sculptor every 10 years, or 10 Elven weeks, from the moment of their making. Doing so will shift the weapon’s ownership to the Sculptor responsible for imbuing them, allowing them to activate them at-will where others are forced to rely on more crude activation methods. If stolen from a Sculptor or given by them as a gift or otherwise, a Descendant or blood-bearing individual, whether a Sculptor or not, may draw their palm along the edge of their palm or expose the blade to a source of fresh blood in order to activate its fortification effect. This is the only way for individuals who are not the weapon’s original Sculptor creator to utilize a Sorvian Armament, activating it in a more of a hijacked manner where the Sculpting Language upon the blade misfires in the presence of the genus or spiritual matter in the blood. A Sorvian Armament may be activated as many times as necessary in combat if not significantly damaged, and have no limit on how they remain inactive. However, frequent use will lead to the general degradation of the porcelain structure, forcing a Sculptor to apply clay based repairs with their blood at least once per Elven week. A particularly ancient Sorvian Armament is known to appear riddled with cracks and damages but kept stable by any clay seals or patches upon the body of the weapon, tarnishing their original refined and artistic appearance. Sorvian Armaments, similarly to traditional Sorvians such as Conventionals and Newts, have two minor subtypes that are distinguished by their size. The Sorvian Xiphos is a blade better suited for Newts on account of being only 12 inches in length maximum, while the Sorvian Rhomphaia represents all porcelain blades ranging beyond 12 inches and to a maximum of 40. Both forms of Sorvian Armament are entirely the same bar their physical size and combat capabilities, and may be given various superficial designs or applied with dyes of all colors as porcelain crafts typically are. Redlines Example Mechanical Item Example RP Scenarios On Sorvian Armaments: Creation On Sorvian Armaments: Activation & Disarmament SORVIAN AUGMENTATION 𒍣𒈾𒅀𒅐𒄔𒅄𒄊𒅀𒁕𒄤 Sorvian Augmentation is another new expression of Sculpting that is intended to improve a Sorvian’s control over themselves and the nature of their being. The this sole form of Sorvian Augmentation takes the form of Sacrificial Hands, allowing Sorvians to bleed for their rituals. This Sorvian Augmentation is accessible only to Sorvians who have become Sculptor teachers, as gaining such a status proves their ability to expertly manipulate the cumulative anima within their bodies. Sacrificial Hands —Sacrificial Hands are right-handed limbs that regrow in place of a Sorvian’s right hand upon their ascension to Sculpting mastery. This transmutation takes approximately two Elven weeks to complete, and require the Sorvian to rest, meditate and exist undisturbed by any form of violence or conflict upon them or in their vicinity. These hands tend to appear darker or more cracked than the original pseudoflesh limb, and bear a warmth comparable to that of a Descendant’s in the same hand. These augments are unique in their ability to allow a Sorvian to bleed a form of pale gray blood known as “pseudoblood”. Pseudoblood is warm, murky and colorless, and only serves to assist a Sorvian Sculptor in achieving their rituals, conquering their previous limitation of relying on Descendants for their own blood. A Sacrificial Hand’s pseudoblood acts as a medium for a Sculptor to channel their spiritual essences through to achieve all forms of the Sculpting art. A right hand transformed into a Sacrificial Hand may extend its appearance up to the elbow of the right arm, and brings stronger sensations and feeling to that specific region of the Sorvian body. While the Sacrificial Hand makes blood more freely available to a Sorvian Sculptor, it is limited to five uses an Elven day in the production of pseudoblood for Sculpting rituals and forms of creation. This means every Elven day, a Sorvian Sculptor may independently create or revive Sorvians and procure Sorvian Creations up to five times within that given day. If those five chances are taken, then the Sacrificial Hand will become “sore” and will not produce pseudoblood until the following Elven day arrives. Sacrificial Hands may be easily repaired or replaced if damaged or severed, but the actual act of their damaging is what poses a problem to a Sorvian - the pain felt is practically ten times that of what they experience when their other limbs are damaged, similar in that all things the hand may touch and feel are made equal to that of a Descendant. They are also destroyed just as easily, requiring no special tool, enchantment or gold in order to take advantage of a Sorvian’s new weakness. One of the most beneficial advantages of the Sacrificial Hand is its ability to boost a Sorvian’s Sculpting limit. With a Sacrificial Hand in their possession, a Sorvian Sculptor is capable of creating up to three other Sorvians per three Elven month, but if the limb is lost or destroyed then any remaining opportunities for a Sorvian to create another of their kind within that Elven month are also lost. Redlines Example Mechanical Item PURPOSE 𒍢𒄑𒁕𒈲 The purpose of this rewrite is to properly update the 2019 edition and add much deserved expansion in Sculpting roleplay possibilities. This is justified in part by the actual roleplay and accomplishments made by the multitude of Sculpting based groups or “families” that have emerged over these four years since Archipelego’s edition, in which many of the groups exhibited signs of “evolutionary” development stemming past their origins as completely servile playable Constructs. With this mechanical theme of evolution, Sorvian roleplay is envisioned to further diversify and positively impact the player community at-large, providing new and fun forms of Sorvian creations that have the potential to be enjoyed by practically all player groups active in the world. It also serves to provide new opportunities for Sorvian players themselves, who have found the absence of progression or means to do more with their abilities lacking after several years of consistent activity and several generations of characters created. These opportunities are not meant to boost the combative power of Sorvians or to grant them features that disrupt their mechanical equality with mundane characters, but rather to allow them to achieve a form of independence without relying entirely on Descendant or non-Sorvian Sculptor players to expand their communities. This work is credited to: Omen_Prince/Swgrclan (author) SparkPowder (artwork, editing, formatting) SlitheryC1 (feedback) Johann_ (feedback, formatting) The Sorvian community (for existing)

You know I actually recently discussed the matter with Johann and he dug up a screenshot of some of the roleplay that was conducted early into my attempts to wrangle everyone together, and one of the lines of dialogue included quoting "fear the Old Dark", and I cringed so hard that my teeth almost fell out and started dancing around. So I do recognized my unnecessary insertations into that project - you correctly believed that I jumped the gun on Abyss or Xion related and for this it is understandable that I was washed away from the situation. These developments themselves are not something I should be pouty about to the extent of several years, as they were one of the several reasons why I transitioned into a more palatable Sorvian focus. For that reason I am thankful and I assume you are relieved that I have been exorcised of the ghost that compelled me to insert Xionistic ideas into canon. Not every issue has to remain some kind of bitter mound, and I am not one to pitter about and be regretful about losing out on opportunities when others have clearly opened up. Weird clay people and their mysterious nature and history were a nice fresh start to new ideas, which are vital to this community. My scrutiny of how my work has been handled only really comes down to a lack of inclusion - as I mentioned, participating in worldbuilding aspects that I found a very interesting hobby in. But things have carried on in a manner that are inoffensive, no matter how much I bicker about little details on the wayside. As for Nozoa's situation, it was only an example of how certain degrees of behavior from up high may reach down and effect the motivational drive to persist among players - there was no plot to suffocate his efforts on your behalf, this is clear. I do not see reason in blaming you or any small staff cadre (besides your mention of these administrators) for intentionally sabotaging people, I suppose it's just a matter of being careful what is said in the midst of someone rubbing their braincells together to produce something that has potential in the most generative and productive way possible in this game, which above all lore and canon will remain the act of cultivating roleplay.

I have received exactly as expected, which is good feedback. I will address some points of contention. The Way of the Dark presented itself as one of two forms of "Xionist extremism", which at the time of the ideology's development was our attempt at providing a way to keep Xionism at large from exclusively becoming a morally gray set of beliefs. Malkaathe (the respective Old Lord to that denomination) represented an intolerance for a world order that had more or less become irreversibly controlled by Aengudaemons. Because the Way of the Dark was primarily antagonistic, it lacked actual solutions to the problems presented by the belief system besides the manual heat death of the universe. Even with that goal in mind, the most significant Malkaathe-oriented following ever manifested had been a defensive war conducted between his henchman Mordring and the Westerlands humans because of aggressions made into Mordring's sanctum, which at the time was conveyed as a sanctuary for the twisted up and tainted. Insofar, at least as far as I know or recall, that is the only example of WOTD action taken against the Descendants overall, and had not even amounted to a map-ending event; the door to the Abyss was sealed at the end of the Westerlands War. "Xionist Druid" is indeed an oxymoron unless we are accounting for some manner of personal character objective to steal power from deities. The Way of the Oaks never advised for this line of action, and Weirhents, who were intended to be the actual Xionist Druids, were only ever comprised of Necromancers who used their powers to manipulate ("correct") the natural world around them. There were never many of them, but the ones that did exist (Zarsies took a shot at it once) were very entertaining and sound. We must remember to be careful with this line of thinking on account of the fact that Iblees' domain over Necromancy was not properly concrete. Ibleesian Necromancy is not the same form of Necromancy that had begun practice in Anthos, which is when lifeforce-based Necromancy had been written and put into the hands of actual players rather than relegated to events and ET members. The first iteration of player-utilized Necromancy magic lore actually predated Xionism entirely in Anthos, and had been designed in such a way as to prevent players from taking control of Iblees-based lore because of his role as top-priority canon. At the time of learning it in that time period, I had actually been deep into running a serious Iblees cult and was confused when it was not made available to our cult for the exact association you mentioned. This eventually led to ideological breakdown and dissolution in the cult itself, which lays some irony to your claims of it being "traditionally Ibleesian". Necromancy as it is now was never intended to retain strong Ibleesian connections, and the lore submitted later on describing Necromancy's "theft" from Iblees by the Xionist Old Lords was an attempt to explain this conceptual transition. Necromancy will never really be "traditionally Ibleesian". There were roughly seven years and multiple Necromancer community generations dedicated to lending Necromancy its own unique and independent themes and concepts. This must be respected and acknowledged, and any attempts to reverse all that effort and work will essentially amount to the dismissal of the effort of those people, many of whom are well respected veterans to the LOTC community overall. While I am completely fine with Xionism losing its steam in the Necromancer community and, thus, leading to the magic regaining its original "ideology-less" condition (or simply another ideology), it is not advisable to the lore team as a story writer and a contributor to server lore that Iblees somehow becomes re-tied directly into its canon. I am aware Iblees is now more strongly associated with Naztherak and demonology-based concepts; it is better for him to retain his domain over that specific niche, and to allow more legitimate and player-made history to be preserved rather than it to be disregarded as "disastrous effects". This doesn't sound much like a fault of Xionism as it is a personal preference of the players you had these experiences with. It is actually more agreeable for a member of the Way of Embers to debate and discuss this line of thinking than for them to immediately jump into combat. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking everyone is motivated to fly into CRP situations. It can also be a matter of missing out; your Templar exists in an in-character time period that is far-flung into the future from the original point of Xionism's emergence, when the most conflict had occurred. I assure you, there was much ultraviolence. I had been witness to multiple communities charging into frenzied CRP interactions - a good sum of them being viewed negatively on account of how aggressive and unrelenting they were. It is also strategically unwise for Xionist individuals to rush into combat and put themselves out in the open, where their identity may be unveiled in the midst of conflict, thus leading to the character facing difficulty in finding roleplay avenues beyond CRP and aforementioned ultraviolence. There is a very strong reason Xionism was not written to be entirely antagonistic, and I implore you to give these "red-pill" engagements a chance if the player is putting some effort into them. Xionism entirely is not transcendental in nature, it is revenge-based and emotional ideology based around correcting the world of its believed flaws and may be followed by alchemists or common laymen or politicians or soldiers or skeletons. The Way of the Oaks and the Way of Embers in-particular are very mortal-aligned. In the large history of Xionist action, there have been a multitude of significant attempts at overthrowing Aengudaemons, though many of them were not feasible because of the simple fact that the lore team cannot abide by players murdering Aengudaemons willy-nilly. This is why it is more charged with conflict against Aengudaemonic groups, which have been victimized by Xionist violence many times over in the past. You could say, because of the recognition that God-slaying cannot be properly achieved as one would attempt to overthrow a nation's monarch or government, much effort to directly attempt said God-slaying has either simmered down or become hidden from other player characters. Some Xionist goals had even been achieved by non-Xionists, such as the death of Gazardiael, who was only ever allowed to die in his respective end-game events because it was approved and planned. Traditional Xionism did not abide by Spiritual tolerance because they represented another collection of deities that held sway over the fate of the mortal world. The fact that Aphohet (a Daemon) created the Spirits did not even need to be known on account of the fact they were idols that were worshipped, and therefore Xionist enemies. An ideal Xionist world is deprived of these idols entirely, which leads to the idea that if the world was deprived in such a way, the only prominent force controlling its destiny, would be mankind itself. Remember - this falls to the preference of players who involve themselves in Xionism. You have seen the excess of dark magic in Xionist communities because it has more or less become precedent to be involved with them. If you wish for these changes, no amount of lore submission will lead to it, only actions taken in-character by those who actually wish for change. But even then, everyone is completely free to become Xionists not directly associated with the use of dark magic. If no one wishes to take that charge, it will not occur, and more power to them in maintaining this status quo; there are no forces significant enough to instigate that degree of change. I was like you once, brother. It is a common mental strain to attempt to rationalize mythology, and the inclusion of the Old Ones are representative of the ancient mythology of Xionism. If you are asking why I wrote the mythology this way, I suppose I should say it hearkens to the idea that the Creator was a flawed being, and was attempting to utilize resources (aliens ripped from the Void) to better shape his world. But again - mythology is essentially elevated delusion. Even worse, in the contemporary age, I am pretty sure most Xionists have at least a vague idea that Widukind and Dresdrasil and the others are not actually Voidal Horrors but fallen Aengudaemons themselves. There were flawed perceptions inserted in the original doctrine that were intentional; people figured it out for themselves, and I am elated by it. Do not ask the wrong questions. I appreciate it, and I value you recognizing these things, but I have always favored it as a hobby rather than a means to gain influence and significance. I had a hand in the development in all of this because I wished to create an alternative story for people to participate in, and I'm afraid to say when opportunities to achieve that arose, I was strongly put off by the resistance to my attempts to include myself in those projects, as well as the poor treatment I received when I reached out to do exactly as I desired, which was participate in my hobby of telling a story. I am aware of the poor appearance I presented during the conclusive Arcas eventline, as well as the convoluted headcanon I pushed in order to motivate the Illuminati cult that I believed could cultivate an entertaining end-map story, but the things I learned had been said of me and the strange reputation that you allowed to ferment in the staff surrounding my work did not feel properly representative of our friendship and association which had spanned well over a decade. All of this amounted to me finding my own hobby annoying, and that is not something I feel should be felt by anyone who has taken up the effort to contribute to this community. I was reminded of it when Nozoa's alchemist cult fell apart because he caught wind of the poor staff talk surrounding his group's roleplay - something that had, to my understanding, led to his loss of motivation to continue providing a new and unique experience to people who had plentifully participated in his work. I am both disappointed and glad it turned out that way, as he did not waste entire years just to be stonewalled. Do not allow this to happen again. No one in the lore team should be invested in being judgmental about how people stylize their project, especially when it gains significant traction in a dynamic world such as this, especially when his efforts lacked the canon-altering elements that mine had. People such as him and others are a dime-a-dozen, and by being a motivational detriment to them is like setting fire to the creative energies of this community.

It has been roughly seven years since I wrote Xionism and submitted it to the server as an ideological basis for dark art playerbase unification. It began in highschool notebooks and it survives to this day independently through various factions. I am interested in general feedback regarding its effect on the community these past seven years. To begin, I will give my own opinion. I am satisfied by its natural growth and persistent popularity among other player groups. I believe it has become something of a dark artist staple and thus one cannot be mentioned without the other. To this effect I am pleased by my work and the work of others; that it has been willingly carried on through multiple generations far after I played my role in things. As a result, it has experienced change that was free from the source, and this is something every writer should appreciate. It has led to greater understanding of the world through in-character perspectives, and has even experienced syncretic divergence from its original scripture. I request that any responses are serious and to the point, as this is not necessarily a debate thread nor a reputation farm. Proper feedback can't be very well gained from "Xionism good" or "Xionism bad", so be descriptive and feel free to ask any questions regarding the project and its history.

That was not an invitation, it was another way of saying "mind your own business"