MEMORY OF THE ALD'NORAI, THE SINORAD
"Bone of mask and hollow'd of eye, it will not forget so do not beget, lest you find your demise."
Population: ~200
Classification: Humonculi Awoken
Creation Date: From 220-350 of the Age of Conquest
Lifespan: 250 years (Can be in a desiccated stasis indefinitely)
Total Age: All Living Sinorad are 1930-2060 Years Old
Lore
From a time when the Ald'Norai were at their height and well before the Sundering, the Sinorad were created in the Third Age by an Alchemist as keepers of knowledge and rites for the nobility of the time. They were themselves living tomes designed to retain memories, and to survive so that history could be told without being muddled by corruption or destruction. Sadly, they lost much of their memory during the Sundering.
The greatest libraries and temples of the Ald'Norai world where Elven Gods were worshiped possessed one or two of these manufactured beings, which were used to flawlessly recite incantations, and to ascertain who was worthy of certain knowledge. Sinorad were often interred upon the death of notable figures to carry sacred knowledge, entire libraries, biographies, last wills, testaments, family secrets, and personal messages to loved ones seeking answers.
Every Sinorad was designed from the same template: the skull of a beast, and the body of a mammal, with specific parts of many prized plants and animals that were used to give these creations unshakable memory and longevity. More than two hundred survived the Sundering and received souls at this time, all of them residing within a dormant, desiccated state of induced hibernation before some were exhumed by meddling scholars looking for Ald'Norai knowledge. Many still remain dormant, trapped in ancient grave sites and ruins.
Biology
Sinorad can be described as mammalian, warm-blooded and flesh-bodied, though lacking in reproductive extremities. Each are covered from head to toe in black fur with a mask of bleached white bone fused to their faces, yet the mask is supernaturally sturdy due to Alchemic enhancement.
Sinorad have the following organs: A brain, stomach, heart, and a special organ within the frontal lobe of the brain. This organ, dubbed a Sinorad Stone, stores the thoughts of an Sinorad indefinitely. They can never forget, though recall is not instantaneous unless the information is woven with other associations within the mind as any normal person would have to. Even so, they never lose the clarity of an old thought.
They do not have lungs and do not breathe, and while they are not frail, they are not as enduring as human beings are due to the lack of oxygen. Their muscles will rapidly begin to burn and ache from extreme use, sinew prone to snapping without an understanding of their own anatomy. To speak without lungs they must vibrate an organ in their neck, giving them a haunting, almost mechanical voice with lots of resonance.
Within their lidless eye sockets, there is a blackened cavity covered by a membrane of bio-luminescent material that allows them to see. This most often glows blue or yellow depending on the strain used in their creation. If gouged or scraped away, it will grow back in a few weeks, and a common condition results in the material overlapping, vastly reducing vision and necessitating that they tear away the excess in a painful fashion. They do not have the same reflex as the mortal races do when it comes to their eyes beyond fear of pain, and find it only mildly unnerving to have things such as fingers jammed in there. Some have been known to gouge out their own eyes rather than witness something they find disturbing, as they are forced to maintain memories of things they would rather forget.
Sinorad do sleep and tire, but their lack of eyelids necessitates they sleep in total darkness. Some will blot out the windows with thick curtains, and others will don eye coverings or sleep in coffins. They are also without functional nostrils as scent was deemed beyond scope for the vast majority of tasks they would perform, and so have no sense of smell. As they are biological creatures, they do age, but they are capable of suspending their lives near-indefinitely through a form of unconscious stasis induced by blood loss.
Obligate carnivores, Sinorad bodies are highly efficient at using all parts of consumed prey, even utilizing bone. While they have flesh inside their masks, saliva, and bestial tongue, the only innards within their bodies are a stomach, heart, and brain. They do not produce waste, instead vomiting up anything that their body cannot dissolve such as metals or excess plant material.
Some have tails, and some do not. Their tail may be long and prehensile, capable of grasping objects like that of a chameleon but covered in fur, or a short brush of fur like that of a dog. Some have external rib cages, and a few may walk upon all fours rather than upright, but the latter are the rare few companion types that served to retain the biography of an individual.
The type of mask comprising their face can vary wildly. Wolves and elk are the most common, with many of them having antlers. They are often very tall or long-bodied, in excess of seven feet but not taller than ten. Each has spindly limbs ending in hands padded by leathery soles with fingers tipped in large claws or talons.
Odorless unless sullied by the world, their bodies bleed a warm, black blood. This blood is in fact designed to resemble ink, and it is common for Sinorad to draw upon parchment by pricking themselves with their talons.
Most Sinorad are Class 1 Awoken, with occasional Class 2 or 3 individuals who have experienced deep trauma or corruption by magic.
Behaviors
Enigmatic and discerning, Sinorad are strange Awoken beings with a variety of personalities. They tend to fall upon extremes, with few being emotionally balanced; they either cast away their emotions as much as possible, hiding from them and becoming detached, or wear them upon their sleeves to share with all they can. Some switch between these modes of thought.
All Sinorad do not naturally forget, but have tragically lost the memory of their lives before the Sundering. They are no more perceptive or intelligent than a mortal race, but by going over their memories, they can glean details they might have missed before and then store them as easily recalled factoids. This inability to forget makes them vulnerable to psychological trauma, as they will be forced to relive deeply scarring memories whenever they are reminded of them.
Sinorad were created with unique tasks for their commissioners encoded into their biology. Those who have tasks relevant today often understand this as an underlying 'Purpose' but some do not feel it, as their task may no longer apply. Having forgotten these tasks but still feeling them on an instinctual level, they may feel a draw to build and maintain a temple within some remote corner of the wilderness or attach themselves and imprint upon others in the case of those designed to be living biographies. Some may even be compelled to progress a specific trade they may not even particularly enjoy.
All Sinorad feel a sense of loss for their father and creator in some way, but most do not even remember his name: Gaoth.
Abilities
All Sinorad are most well known for their memory, and a handful of proverbs referencing them have arisen over the centuries. They cannot forget, but they do not always perceive unless they spend time studying what they saw as any might looking upon a picture and discerning little details. Only needing to be shown how to do something once, it is easy for them to refine a skill on their own without further help as they are capable of referencing memory to see where their mistakes originated from.
Their masks, antlers, and teeth are made of a hard bone that is supernaturally durable but still possible to damage with enough blunt force. The claws they possess may be sharp, but they are still only keratin, and any exposed bones beyond the mask are merely bone. Some also possess strong, prehensile tails capable of grasping objects.
When approaching death from dehydration or starvation, or at will, Sinorad may enter a state of hibernation where their bodies become dried husks of hide and bone, their organs shriveled and dead. Their memories are held within a kind of stone within their brain, and by steeping a hibernating Sinorad in a bath of blood, bone, and flesh, they can be revived and repaired. Sinorad do not usually enter hibernation voluntarily unless dictated by the task they were made for or brought close to death, as they cannot cease hibernating on their own.
While Sinorad will regenerate, the rate is similar to humans. By bathing themselves in the blood, bone, and flesh of animals or people, they may begin to heal more profound injuries more quickly, sealing lesions in a matter of minutes. Regenerating a lost limb may take several baths, spanning days. The source material must be fresh, as contaminants will cause the body to refuse the flesh.
Sinorad are capable of being initiated into and wielding Rune magic. Like many of their fellow Awoken, they "have an easier time recognizing patterns in Atherium and can to a slight degree see and classify it. For better knowledge, this is a skill that has to be actively honed, and without practice, most will be uncertain as to what these recognized patterns actually mean." Awoken
Active PC Sinorad
Feris
