game\cyclopedia 1 18 304 Sirens are believed to be manifestations of essence drawn together by some fervent longing or desire imprinted by its former host. They are commonly associated with the sea and with Ondra as many stories of sirens entail navigational mishaps thought to have been caused by their irresistible call. In truth, however, sirens can be found anywhere the right conditions arise, and they are less dangerous for their call than for their earsplitting shriek. They are said to most often take the shape of an alluring woman, regardless of the identity of the person or people who surrendered the essence, and the reasons for this are uncertain, though the most popular theory suggests that this was a preference of Ondra. 305 Spite is among the most enduring of negative emotions. Hatred often cools over time. Sadness surrenders to acceptance. But the indignation brought about by cruelty, injustice, or even simple annoyance can infect the spirit and survive even beyond death. So it is with bitter spirits, which exist as little more than an amalgam of resentful instincts, inclined to lash out at anyone they perceive, and unsatisfied until their victim has suffered and died. "Bitter spirits" is also the name of a homebrewed liquor popular in the rural areas of northern Dyrwood, and it can be described in much the same terms. 306 When Durgan's Battery had nearly fallen, a final stand was made. Its best surviving craftsmen used the White Forge to create guardians made of their finest materials and most heroic souls. In the end, however, the Battery fell all the same. Attempts to create artificial beings from metal, stone, and other materials substantially predate modern animancy, but advances in the science have taken constructs from rare, malfunction-prone automatons to semi-sentient beings that have become somewhat more commonplace in recent years. Malfunctions are less common, though the use of souls - often from dubious sources - does seem to increase the severity and violence of such episodes. Because metal is frequently employed in their construction, constructs are often thought of as walking suits of armor, but this is a misnomer. Constructs are rarely empty shells - more typically they are made of solid materials, or filled with clockwork mechanisms to aid with locomotion. More subtly, but perhaps more significantly to their creators, constructs are typically designed to be kith-like in both shape and function, and constructs with any semblance of personality are rare, companionship is one of the most cited motivations for building them. 307 Alguls are guls whose physical deterioration has been halted by a wizard's ritual. The number of wizards who have successfully converted a gul to an algul are few - the ritual is complex, and it is rumored that the ingredients required in the ritual are unsavory and difficult to acquire. Sages believe that the ritual is the first step for a cure for undeath. Whatever reasoning behind the ritual, alguls are fearsomely powerful and intelligent. Though their bodies no longer decay, their eternal hunger for kith flesh remains. 308 Liches are as formidable as they are rare. They're masters of the arcane who have discovered ways to extend their own lives without facing the mental deterioration of fampyrs and other vessels. There are no reliable records or accounts of how to become a lich - the few who've managed to succeed have been hesitant to share their methods - but it's believed that the process is both difficult and excruciating. The annals of wizardry are littered with cautionary tales of ambitious mages who attempt immortality but manage only to rip their own bodies apart. While liches decay physically, they retain their mental faculties, which is part of what separates them from vessels. They achieve this by binding their own essence to phylacteries, which are popularly represented as vials or charms worn or kept close to the body. However, none of the few known liches have ever revealed the nature or location of their phylacteries, so theories about them are ultimately speculation. Most liches are believed to be powerful wizards or mages, but this is a generalization rather than a rule. One lich who lived almost a thousand years ago was a priestess of Berath who was sustained through her own rigorous devotion. Animancers have been rumored to experiment with similar concepts, but given the profession's questionable reputation, none have been willing to admit this. 309 Animancers, necromancers, and other unscrupulous spellcasters who experiment with the bodies of kith have been known to create all sorts of constructs and vessels. Some exist as subjects for study, and others are sources of amusement. Void seers are skulls filled with essence. The first accounts of void seers come from Old Vailia, where a now-infamous necromancer created them as a diversion for court. Since then, they've been used as patrols, guards, and attendants. Their small size makes them easier to create and direct. 310 Wizards have experimented with constructs for centuries, but the process of transferring soul essence out of a living body and into something else - be it stone, metal, or bone - has always been a difficult one. As the body of research on the subject has grown - thanks in large part to animancy - methods have improved. Yet transferring an intact soul - one that retains personality, memory, and intelligence - is harder still. Ethelmoer, the head of the Brackenbury Sanitarium in Defiance Bay, is one of the few successes. Proponents argue that perfecting this method would allow kith to extend their own lives without degenerating into fampyrs, guls, and other flesh-eating vessels. Others contend that the metallic monstrosities that fill clandestine animancy labs are more horrific still. It's been estimated that, for every truly sentient construct, there are scores - if not hundreds - of maimed souls trapped in half-finished bodies. 311 Skeletons make formidable and persistent warriors, though their exposed bones can be vulnerable. Armor can mitigate this somewhat, though plate, chain, and scale mail gradually wear away at bones. Various solutions have been sought to prevent this, including the coating of bones in protective sheaths or resins. The challenge is to cover the bones without impeding their movement. It's a difficult task that, when successful, creates incredibly strong and durable skeletons. 312 Flying swords and floating brooms has been a dream of would-be battlemages and overworked apprentices forever. But while many wizards can levitate everyday objects, few can control them midair, especially in the heat of battle. Yet if a magically and martially skilled spellcaster could learn to manipulate dozens of weapons at once, she would be powerful, indeed. 315 Soulbound items are unique items that can magically bond with the soul of a single character. Once bound, the item can only be used by that character unless the bond is severed. A soulbound item will increase in power as the wielder completes certain requirements specified in the item's description. Most soulbound items can only bond with characters of certain classes. However, regardless of the item's type, a soulbound item always qualifies for any Talents or Abilities like Weapon Focus and Specialization that the character may have. E.g. if a fighter has Weapon Focus and Specialization in Ruffian, he or she would gain their benefits even when wielding a soulbound great sword or wand. Benefits from multiple Talents or Abilities of the same type (e.g. Weapon Focus Ruffian and Peasant) do not stack. If the bond to a soulbound item is ever severed, it will lose all of the abilities it has gained over time. 318 Maegfolc 319 Maegfolc are among the largest creatures in Eora. They typically live in remote, rugged areas where they often live and hunt alone or in small groups. While there are many different kinds, almost all are known to be aggressive and reclusive. 322 The Distracted affliction lowers all of the target's defenses by 6 and lowers their number of Engagement targets by 1. For most characters, this means they cannot hold any enemies in Engagement while Distracted. 331 Sailors all over Eora tell stories of the beasts that haunt the deep. Of these, few are more feared than the kraken. Krakens rarely venture to the surface, and they almost never leave survivors in their wake. They are massive, tentacled beasts, capable of crushing small ships and plucking sailors from their decks. Despite their size, krakens' soft, flexible bodies allow them to squeeze through tight spaces in search of prey or shelter. Thankfully, they prefer dark, quiet spaces to open water. They are cunning hunters and, according to legend, Ondra's terrible servants. 332 The Eyeless are ancient, mysterious maegfolc, more widely known in myth than fact. With their grotesque build and their crude yet functional limbs, they vaguely resemble constructs, though their origins and purpose are unknown. They know neither hunger nor fatigue, making them singularly relentless foes. Popularly, Eyeless are said to serve Ondra by seeing old or dangerous things forgotten. The peoples of the White March describe them as bogeymen that stalk old roads and secluded places. Parents warn their children not to forget their chores lest the Eyeless see them "forgotten," and people who lose something traditionally thank Ondra that the Eyeless did not come for them, too. 333 Like the more common Dank Spore, the Radiant Spore is a giant, fungal organism drawn to the soul energy of living creatures. Unlike its more overtly predatory cousins, however, the Radiant Spore appears to boast a kind of central, sentient intelligence. It is capable of forming and utilizing parasitic bonds with several prey species by releasing potent clouds of mind-altering spores. These provide the Radiant Spore with a link to its many victims, through which it is able to project its will. Held upright by a network of thick, mobile roots, the Radiant Spore is also capable of more direct attacks, utilizing its tendrils as gripping appendages or else as immense bludgeons. 334 342 Bog bats are differentiated from their skuldr and skuldrak relatives by several physiological differences. Chief among these is the fact that bog bats appear to retain their juvenile morphology even once mature. This provides adult bog bats with the capacity for flight, but it limits their prey to what creatures they can bring down individually. To that end, bog bats are equipped with a noxious secretion which they spit at their intended victims. Bog bats also eschew the large, communal broods of their larger relatives. Bog bats are typically found in small swarms, and will frequently squabble over food, mates and territory.