Dolons

Dolons are disembodied spirits which take possession of corpses in order to preserve their tenuous hold on the physical world. When a being dies, but their will is too strong to be extinguished, pieces of their soul linger in the world. These pieces eventually reform as a Dolon, a kind of spirit, made up of pure energy. These beings then take possession of the recently (or not-so-recently) deceased and use their bodies as hosts, which they call “shells”. If they are forced too long to live outside of a shell, the Dolon's energy is torn apart and blown away on the wind, never to reform, its last moments the purest agony. Such is the price of life after death.

Physiology

Dolons settle into their shells somewhat superficially, never quite achieving mastery of the host body the way a living being would. Because of this, Dolons can be somewhat clumsy or rigid, with impaired coordination. Dolons do not age, but their shells, being cadavers, will decompose over time. The presence of the Dolon acts as a supernatural preservative for the host body, and so the process of decay is slowed, but even so a Dolon cannot reside inside the same shell indefinitely, even with the greatest of care. Dolons also do not eat, breathe, or sleep, though some of their kind manage control enough over their shells to attempt these functions out of a desire to fit in or retain a sense of their old self. Dead flesh does not transmit the finer sensations well, however, and a Dolon's senses of smell, touch, and taste are greatly diminished. When a Dolon's shell becomes obliterated or damaged to the point where it is no longer functional, and the Dolon can no longer hold the body together, the Dolon must move on to a new shell. Some Dolons can maintain their natural form outside of a shell for days, others for minutes. But eventually, the Dolon must obtain a new shell or face destruction.

Appearance

In their natural form, Dolons resemble murky gray apparitions bearing a resemblance to the form they occupied in life. They cannot hold this form for long, however, before they are forced to take up a new shell. Some Dolons will even attempt to locate and take control of their old body as a shell, but others find this experience too traumatic. Some only take possession of dead members of their old race, while others only take possession of people they personally knew. When they can, Dolons prefer to possess shells which have passed due to natural causes, or at the very least those without obvious, grievous bodily wounds. To the untrained eye, a freshly expired shell might pass by completely unnoticed for what it is, but the longer the body decays, the more obvious the Dolon becomes. Because of this, Dolons prefer clothing which conceals much, such as heavy robes, deep hooded cloaks, linen wrappings, masks, gloves, scarves, and so on. Dolons also use soap, oils and perfumes to cover up or scour off the stink of death which clings to them.

Personality

For some, life as an anchorless phantom is a boon: it can be a chance at countless new experiences, a second chance at an old life, a shield against oblivion. For some others, death makes them a little touched, slightly unhinged. For others still, life as a Dolon is a terrible curse. Perhaps they were just as miserable in their first life as they are in their second and wish for merciful nothingness, or their current state of being is abhorrent to them. One thing is for certain: death tends to change people. Heartless murderers might seek to help the families of those they killed or previously selfless martyrs might seek retribution on their foes. Some Dolons don't even remember their previous lives. Since death is a fairly exclusive personal experience, Dolons can come off as aloof, distant, callous, or haughty.

Habitat

Dolons tend to seek out urban areas of high population. In these areas they are likely to find more acceptance as well as fresh shells. Those Dolons that do seek solitude in the wilderness usually do so because of the promise of anonymity and a desire for personal peace. Despite sometimes fitting in stench-wise with unwashed sailors, Dolons shy away from life at sea, as the confines of ships tend to make existence rather difficult for themselves and unpleasant for others. Sailors are a superstitious lot, after all. Dolons tend to be found in the South amongst all the other supernatural phenomena where they are more readily accepted and understood, with the exception of the city of Sollona. Dolons are actively hunted in Sollona, so their presence there is understandably rare. Dolons who live in places where they are mistrusted or unwelcome gravitate to the colder of those places: cold weather means lots of layers of clothes, which facilitate disguises.

Society

There is little coherency to Dolon society. Few of them are particularly comforted by spending time with their own kind. One exception is the Necropolis of Tenebra. The city's gates are open to all Dolons as a safe haven and it is also home to the High Temple of the Grey Sisters. The Sisters are morticians and servants of the dead, to whom Dolons can turn in times of need. Another city in which Dolons are found in larger numbers is Machera: the traditional masks and fancy clothes which Macherans wear suit the necessary obfuscation of a Dolon well. In other places of the world, there are some primitive and not-so-primitive cultures which even worship the Dolons as gods. Dolons mostly hold down occupations that make them happy despite inherent danger, since they have little to fear in the way of dying again.

Relations

Even though fabricated creatures like Trowls or Gear Golems could be considered bodies without souls and thus the perfect shells for Dolons to possess, Dolons find it impossible to bond with the artificial makeup of these creatures. So there is sometimes an uneasiness between these races and Dolons, as they are two sides of the same strange coin. And sometimes this feeling of being an outsider from normal humanoid life brings these races together. The Wukara take special issue with the Dolons, as they perceive them as walking blasphemies to the natural order of Jaeis. But one would be a fool to think that no ex-Wukara Dolons exist.

Motivations

Dolons can take to the road for countless reasons. Some feel they still have a job to do in the world and set about righting wrongs, wronging rights, or completing old projects. There is a stigma about Dolons that colors them as heartless killers intent only on extending their own existences. With the perpetual need for fresh shells, why wouldn't a Dolon just become a wanton murderer? Surely, there are some like that, but it is thought amongst the Southern scholars that intense, unfulfilled motivations are what bring a soul back to the world after death. Along that line of reasoning, Dolons have goals which go beyond immortality.

Max Caps

• Courage 12
• Psyche 12
• Agility 8
• Charm 8

Powers

• Clean Slate: Dolons retain none of the racial abilities inherent to their original life.
• Dead Flesh: Immune to bleed damage, poisons, diseases, and death effects. Does not eat or sleep. Do not naturally or magically heal damage. Cannot be repaired. Does not breathe and cannot be killed by suffocation.
• Psychic Invasion: The Dolon sends a portion of his soul off to try and invade the mind of a living creature, warring for control of the target's body and causing temporary insanity in the target. Make a Mettle check opposed by the target's Mind Control check. If you are successful, the target is considered Confused for three rounds.
• Possess Shell: When using a shell, a Dolon uses the physical attributes of the host, but retains their own mental, social, and spiritual attribute scores. If a Dolon's shell has an Agility score of greater than 8, it becomes 8 instead. The shell a Dolon takes possession of must have been a living creature, and humanoid. Dolons cannot take possession of the remains of fabricated creatures (e.g. Trowls, Gear Golems) nor can they take possession of animals or beasts.