The Rien Codex of Monstrosities
The Bestiary
Hollows
Overview
Hollows, in many ways, are like their masters. They walk on two legs and stare with two pairs of eyes, the shade of their irises even often varying from one to the next. They are most often pale with strangely leather-like skin, they sometimes smile and sometimes frown and often grit their teeth as if finding their conditions grotesque.
While some say it was a mistake to make the Hollows as they are - they should have been more distinctive, or more terrifying, or even more docile and comforting in appearance, the inventor of the Hollows known today claims that to make them as they are now was the only way feasible; that somehow this humanity in their appearance allowed them to relate to their creators, to mirror and learn from them, and ultimately to not prey on them as animals would. While this conclusion is a chilling one to many, the majority of the people in Rien society quietly and willingly indulge in the invention that has freed the masses from poverty and enabled the many freedom from toiling in harsh conditions all amidst the eternal winter.
Hollows are as essential to Lorien as the Kindred, or the Nobility, or the people or culture. They have been present for over a thousand years, and have changed the way of life for the people of the Kingdom to be far from recognizable. The way things were before is not even an afterthought; back when people worked hard for nearly their whole lives, when people died in the mines or had their backs give out while lifting heavy cargo, or when the masses fought and died in war instead of a mess of senseless simulations of what life should be.
Appearance
Hollows are mirrors of humanity, but they are also everything humans find conventionally repulsive; they are twisted malformations of man, hunch-backed and slack-jawed, with jagged sharp teeth and claws for nails, hooked heels and bent legs. They are skittering filthy creatures that would certainly be a hotbed to bacteria and disease had they any organic matter, but fortunately their coating of dust and grime has nothing but artificed replica to feed from. Hollows tend to be around five and a half feet tall in height, notably shorter than the average Rien, and can vary in their appearance. Some are built shorter to fulfill specific tasks, some larger; some are built to look like women or men, or young boys or young girls, or even the elderly.
They would rarely ever be classified as attractive, particularly given that they seem to unanimously appear lifeless. They never appear to make convincing humans, even with a great deal of effort placed into their outward looks. Hollows most often look cold, synthetic and uninviting, close enough to humanity but still separated by a layer of machinery. Some of them look rather monstrous - ghoulish, or far from human, with multiple different limbs and a general appearance varying from what is the norm. These types of Hollows were once common, particularly as mounts for the Knighthood, but after several violent outbreaks they have largely been unified into a single type, seen today: Hollow-32R.
Creation
Before getting too into Creation, it is important to lay out a few rules given to any who would ever be enabled to build Hollows. These are, almost always, the most skilled and trustworthy of Lustrians, chosen either by an emissary of the Omen or a member of the Nobility. Once approached and given their commission, Lustrians are communicated a number of barriers they must not cross. These are as follows.
1. Hollows must never be allowed to build themselves. As Hollows learn from mirroring, they cannot ever be present during the construction of another Hollow. If an assistant is needed, it must be another person approved to do so by the government.
2. Only certain Lustrians are allowed to deviate from the Hollow-32R model when building Hollows, even only for experimental purposes. To do so while not approved for innovation can and will lead to execution.
3. A Lustrian cannot try to attempt to teach Hollows greater cognitive tasks than manual labor.
4. A Lustrian is not allowed to willfully replicate the likeness of anyone, dead or alive, onto a Hollow.
5. A Lustrian may never teach a Hollow any combat methods; this is left to the Knights, who will teach Hollows how to fight other Hollows and not humans.
Once these rules are understood, the process of creation can begin. It is not incredibly difficult to build a single Hollow; in fact, what separates them from other automatons built by Artificing is just how easy it is to build and teach them, thus making them able to be produced on an industrial scale. As Hollows perform the Kingdom's most endangering tasks, they are constantly being destroyed, their lorianum being recycled and the automatons swiftly being replaced.
Lustrians will not be tasked merely with producing just one or a few Hollows when given the order by a Celebrant, but tens, hundreds or even thousands. Often, entire families of Lustrians - including extended relatives - will come together to produce a legion of the automatons, as only one skilled Artificer (Journeyman level or above) needs to put the final touches on the creation. They will be provided large workshops and all necessary resources by the Celebrant subsidizing them, and from there the work begins.
Hollows are most often built by building an internal skeleton first. A synthetic cartilage simply called cartilage-B, made in Lorien, is used to create their skeleton and it is nearly as durable as bone and much more flexible. This cartilage is very thick, much thicker than the average skeleton, acting as both bone and muscle for the creature. From there, their brain is constructed before the skull is sealed, with the brain generally being constructed by another synthetic material, tissue-32R.
These are synthetic entities that imitate life, crafted by a mixture of artificing and chemistry, but what is truly essential is lorianum which is imbued to the core of the brain. Once an Artificer imbues this substance, the Hollow begins to awaken, and after this point a coat of leather-like synthetic skin is wrapped and sewn around the muscle-cartilage of the Hollow, and he or she is complete. They are made to sleep by their creators so as to carefully plan out their first moments at a later time, and so until commanded to they will never awaken again.
Capabilities
Hollows are certainly surpassed by humans in many areas; their intellect, their ability to properly verbalize (as Hollows can only be taught to chain together rough sounds into brief, clunky sentences), the ability to access magic or to truly learn from more than just witnessing and re-enacting. However, one cannot deny what appears to be a sort of genius of theirs; how quickly they learn to perform a task, and how adeptly they appear to master it. Hollows don't just repeat, but appear to instinctively learn and innovate while performing their duties.
They will not just lay a brick the same way they saw their maker do it so long ago, but they will do so with more efficiency and stability until they appear to meet a sort of ceiling. Of course, this ceiling is not incredibly high and they appear to meet the limits of their intelligence long before reaching human expertise. But while a human brick-layer may always surpass one or even two Hollows in efficacy, the Hollow's numbers, thankless devotion and tireless diligence makes them a superior workforce for any project.
Of course, this applies to matters of war as well. Their limited intellect and reliance on instinct leads them to fight in a scattered, beastly way; they will break formation early on and engage in carnage, only really responding to the cues and calls encoded into them by the Argent. Argent are specifically taught from a young age how to teach, command and interact with Hollows, and as such their seemingly innate ability to communicate with them seems to be nearly impossible to replicate by others. As such, only an Argent can even hope to force Hollows to follow commands or any notable formation. Generally, they are left to savagely pursue their instincts - whatever this may mean for them or their enemy.
Behavior
Hollows, for the most part, are docile. Many compare their behavior to that of dogs - they are generally peaceable if curious things, but there are rare occasions where they will violently lash out. These occurrences, when they do occur, can quickly become very dangerous as Hollow behavior seems to be contagious between them. They can act far worse than simply aggressive or violent; they have been known to be cruel, vindictive, torturous. Many believe this to purely be the result of improper training on the part of the Argent, particularly considering that most Hollows who lash out are those who are trained militarily.
When this does happen, there is almost always a warning: it begins with a scream, followed by an aggressive stance being taken by the Hollow. If they can access a weapon they will, and they will proceed to go after the nearest living being without discrimination. They may maul a small dog or a child, or an elderly woman or middle-aged man all with the same remorseless fury. As stated earlier, this behavior is contagious and can quickly spread to other nearby Hollows. Once the 'scream' is heard they will be alert and attentive to what is occurring around them, and if they witness another Hollow's violent outburst it appears almost inevitable that they will follow suit.
These events, when they do occur, are very quickly contained. They are known as 'Hollow Incursions', and it is unknown why they happen. All of the science, magic and other evidence appears to lead to Hollows being automatons like any others, without any true sentience or free will. Yet these outbursts do lead many to doubt this conclusion, and there is always ongoing research regarding this matter.
Weaknesses
Hollows are not extremely durable. Their frames, built for flexibility rather than durability, are roughly as easy to destroy as human bodies and they generally do not wear armor. They do not have internal organs, but blunt trauma or slashing damage are known to be effective methods of killing them.
If one truly needs to destroy a Hollow immediately, the most effective way is to destroy their brain (their lorianum container) or sever it from their body.
Some Celebrant, those in high positions, are given a unique tool that temporarily overloads lorianum around them and deactivates nearby Hollows. This is also a weakness, but it is only employed in rare situations where a Celebrant's life is in danger from treachery or the rare bout of Hollow derangement.
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Hollow Old Knights
Overview
Near the conception of the Hollows, there was a strong attempt to automate them entirely; first because it is no secret that a Knight, Chevalier or other skilled Argent is an incredibly expensive and fragile long-term investment that ultimately takes power and wealth away from the Nobility. With not only this in mind, but with what potential many saw in the genesis of Hollows, there was a sort of arms-race between Duchies as to who could invent the most effective class of Hollows, artificing a whole new genus of creatures that would act as a sort of new foundation for Lorien society.
It was from these conjoining strands of thought that the Hollow Old Knights, formally known as Hollow Commandants, were introduced, on the year 102 of the Fifth Age. It was almost immediately known after their introduction that their conception had been a grave error, one that could never be undone.
Appearance
Hollow Old Knights are often massive creatures with deformed bodies. They will stand at thirty feet in height, generally, and are most often adorned with fanciful armor built ages past. They carry with them massive weapons meant for them to wield, most often crawling slowly along the snowy grounds with their weapons a sort of cane. Old Knights seem to be bonded to their suit of armor, and beyond it are merely the pieces installed in them meant to keep them operating. It appears that due to a long period without maintenance, the vast majority of Old Knights have deteriorated to a despicable condition, unable to stand on their feet and barely mobile. One can only wonder, then, how dangerous they were when first created.
Creation and History
In order to craft Hollows that could effectively command others to the minute details Argents were capable of, the Commandants were given a very high level of intelligence, comparable to that of sentience. How this was given is a complex matter that goes beyond solely magic or science, benefiting from the direct involvement of the Kindred. Given that the Kindred would ultimately benefit from the effective elimination of the Argent class, who had historically favored the Nobility to them, it was perhaps a step towards their own acquisition of control that the Commandants be engineered correctly. A sort of spiritualist sentience was given to the automatons, and they were phased into the daily operations of the Kingdom's military, learning how to subdue the minds of their fellow Hollows as well as issuing commands that would be followed en masse.
In this regard, they were highly effective. 'Too effective', certainly, many cried as the Hollows appeared more malleable to their influence than to that of Knights or any other. A Commandant could keep Hollows in formation, micro-manage each of them through cues that were almost unnoticeable to the men surveying their actions, and as a result the entities quickly turned the rabid army into a disciplined military force. It was almost immediately after the advent of these new Hollows that they began to act strangely, too - mischievously at first.
They would take apart Hollows, piece by piece, examining their parts. They would crack their skulls and inspect the lorianum within, toying with its properties as they attempted to reforge the same Hollows they had broken. In some cases, they were successful, and while not meeting the same standards as a Lustrian they learned - certainly - to build their own armies, and after that their malignant behaviors began to display clearly.
But Lorien's appetite for Hollows was an appetite of risk. The Commandants were introduced scarcely as a sort of test, and once they were revealed to be dangerous they were hunted by the Knights. Not the basic puree of soldiers either, but Apostles, even the Dread-Arbiter himself. The Commandants either failed or fled, mostly fled, into the barren wastes beyond where they would soon be forgotten for a long time. With the civil war at its peak, however, some have started re-appearing and a swarm of disciplined yet wroth Hollows along with them. Though ignored, they are a brewing threat, and one that has already had consequence.
Capabilities
Old Knights are extremely dangerous. They are regarded as one of Lorien's greatest threats, feared not only by locals whose realms they frequent but even Counts and Dukes. Due to Lorien's habit of having large stretches of land occupied by working Hollows with minimal supervision, Old Knights are often capable of rolling over massive sectors of Lorien like an avalanche, converting thousands of Hollows to their cause before besieging large townships or even small cities with an army of converted minions. For this reason, there are always at least some Knights as well as Argent Scouts in the Hollow frontiers, and if an Old Knight is found they will report to their local fortress so that the Knighthood can intervene and kill the Old Knight before it converts too many Hollows. Such battles are viciously bloody, with human soldiers sent as they cannot be converted, often led by a Knight-Apostle who will fight the Old Knight alongside their most trusted Argent.
Old Knights themselves are formidable foes. They are durable, surprisingly fast with their weaponry, and the massive size of their bodies and weapons allows them to dice through large numbers of enemies in singular swings. Against unskilled enemies, they appear to be nearly unbeatable, particularly due to the Hollows they often surround themselves with.
Behavior
Old Knights appear to be vehemently anti-human, and largely spend their existence biding their time far away from civilization. If they do happen upon any person, they will seek to kill them quickly and without remorse, but appear to bear some level of tactical intellect; they rarely are baited and scarcely fall for traps, always opting to take the safe option in their maneuvers. For this reason, when they are heard of, it is almost always at the climax of a great scheme that has led to many deaths.
Weaknesses
Due to their frail legs, Old Knights must crawl in order to move and have great difficulty rotating their body. For this reason, Knights who fight them will often flock behind them and will stay at their backs before the Knight manages to rotate. Other Argent will generally take position far from the Old Knight and will attempt to puncture its helm and damage the lorianum inside of its skull, while lower ranking Knights will focus on taking out any Hollows commanded by it. Such battles are generally long and fierce, but tend to go in the favor of the Knights dispatched.
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The Kindred
Overview
While Lorien's primary informative article goes over the Kindred as they impact Rien society, there is much more to the Kindred than their history, or their mythology, or how they have been woven into the Kingdom's religion. The Kindred are an ancient force, arcane beasts who have inhabited Atharen from the very beginning, and as one might expect of such primordial entities they are both wise and powerful. It took an Emissary of the highest order to initially imprison them, and during their confinement it appears the spirits have grown and been fueled by their misery and vindictive fury.
Since before their introduction to Atharen, 'Von Rabe', or the white vulture, has been their leader. His true name, distinct from local monikers, is Tundraec; the Lord of Frost, one of Atharen's greatest spirits. As all Kindred are therefore powerful spirits, fundamental to the world they roam, it is unsurprising that they have become so ingrained in Lorien's society. Further information will be detailed below, explaining all known aspects of them and their traits.
Known Kindred
1. Von Rabe
2. Waldhoff
3. Midsomnir
4. Jeddoth
Appearance
The vast majority of Kindred appear to resemble ravens, only that they are massive - many times larger than any known avian - and carry with them several disturbing traits. Firstly, Kindred are nearly all mutilated; certain parts of them are mangled, torn, severely wounded and remain so. They grow all across their bodies a black, thick pus that burgeons from them and when they are freshly wounded this pus will bleed from their injuries. Kindred feel... cold. Like an aura of not just frost, but a sort of deathly frigidity surrounds them. This aura can be lightly felt as a sort of ominous, seeping feeling when they contact someone through whispers, and can become unbearable when one has earned their ire.
Overall, they are a terrifying if putrid creature to behold, unmistakably grim.
Origin
Kindred were originally all lesser Noradac, save for Von Rabe, who acted as a sort of protector-guardian for them, created by Venadak as the proprietor of the Plane of Frost. Nature spirits who often mirrored the avian appearance of their guardian, they were known to be youthful and benign, curious and exploratory but ultimately harmless. After the ascension of House Reizend ultimately led to their imprisonment, however, the spirits bound within the prison ultimately began to conform to one another; their avian forms shifted to a commonality, that of a raven, and as they became defiled through their misery and numerous attempts at suicide they came to acquire much the same mangled appearances as their kin.
When they emerged, they were the Kindred; a sort of hive founded upon mutual suffering, led by their father Von Rabe, and kept together by a singular goal: the reclamation of the land so horrifically stolen from them.
Capabilities
The Kindred have many abilities unique to them, making these creatures a varied and powerful force. Firstly, all Kindred are fast and strong, greater than one would expect from a large avian. Their bodies are around thirty feet long and their wingspans nearly eighty, but still somehow they fly at breakneck speeds and yet - another contradiction - are packed with weight and muscle. They are Lorien’s apex predators, easily capable of rending whole groups of warriors apart. Atop this, the Kindred can become wholly spectral seemingly limitlessly, they can turn their feathers into bladed weapons, and can spew highly corrosive black bile from their bodies that will melt even through steel with ease.
Some Kindred may have abilities unique, specifically, to them. This is especially true in the case of Von Rabe, who is on a wholly different level than his kin.
Behavior
The Kindred are, unlike most alleged deities, no source of comfort. They are known not only for their malevolence and manipulations, but their naturally pervasive demeanor that infects all forms of their communication. They are always unsettling, regardless of whether they intend to be, with their unnatural faces contorting as they talk with smiles, their voices singing with laughter, song or screams. Kindred find mortals to be fascinating if despicable beings, prone to betrayal and selfish behavior, yet also a thrill that many seek to siphon. They will often form, through their many nightly visits, bonds with their psychological prey if only to learn of their motivations and desires.
Kindred are ruthless and appear to wield no capacity for empathy, at least not for their subjects. Overt threats, if not made fugitive to the Omen, will be lured out into the Kingdom’s white pastures and swiftly devoured. This category can apply to many sorts of people; religious dissidents, militant ideologues, revolutionaries or those who even begin to question the state of fear the Rien people are forced to dwell in.
They are watchers, as well. They ensure that a would-be foe either dies or fails to become one; that they are re-educated or even radicalized in their favor, that they are made to focus their ire on their loved ones or friends rather than ideas that might challenge their monopoly. The spirits have long shown their guile, and the malignant disregard that acts as the standard for their deeds.
Weaknesses
Kindred are weak to anything particularly potent against arcane creatures. Apart from this, nothing specifically damaging to them is known, and there was no documented evidence of one ever being slain until the introduction of the Aether Cannon in the year 4620.
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Lorn Wraiths
Overview
While mythically rare, Lorn Wraiths are a terrifying entity to observe, and certainly to face against. Said to be the heroes of the past - Knight-Apostles, Dread-Arbiters, Kings and Queens, these spectral entities appear to remain if only to fulfill an old vendetta. Considering their obscurity, few believe they even exist, and most accounts of their sightings are discarded as imaginative ramblings or moments of indescribable madness. They are - however - real, and carry their own page in the Codex.
Appearance
While the details of a Wraith can vary, they do tend to carry many standardized features. They are generally around fifteen to eighteen feet in height, typically very gaunt in appearance though they will often wear long Celebrant robes or the armored adornments of Knighthood. They will always wield weapons, and these weapons can hugely vary; a sword and a shield with a crest, a long spear, a bow and arrow or a set of long claws, a flail -- the variances reported have been nearly limitless. Their weapons tend to appear enchanted with certain effects, and the initial theory that they emerge from deceased Nobles and Knights came from this: many of their weapons appear to strongly resemble those wielded by warriors of the past.
They often have a crown or helm upon their head, and their equipment will most often look tattered with the old colors bleeding into one another. Despite being Wraiths, they are clearly visible if somewhat transparent, and do not seem to hide even if discovered.
Capabilities and Vulnerabilities
Lorn Wraiths are exceptional entities. They are capable of killing Kindred in duels, able to reave other spiritual entities regardless of them entering any sort of spectral form. Their weapons are highly lethal and cleave through even the toughest of armor or hide effortlessly, and they seem to be universally masterful with their weapon of choice. The Wraiths are incredibly agile, are reportedly capable of flight, and seem to resist all forms of damage to their incorporeal forms. Magic and other enchanted weapons appear to be a vulnerability, if slight, but there are no reports from any human observers of a Lorn Wraith ever being slain. They are often hunted by the Order, but the results of these endeavors are kept from the public.
Behavior
Lorn Wraiths do not bother most people if encountered. They stray from settlements, often found solitary in what appears to be... dormancy. One can come across one in a field of snow, amidst a blizzard, witnessing their icy and skeletal form standing at full height, even breathing. Most of the time they won't move in response to being uncovered, or just as often they might glance down at the one to have found them only to stare. While such moments might be tense, they are benign for what they are: a peaceful exchange between the living and the dead.
However, this peaceful impartiality does not apply to all. Those identifiable as members of the Omen or the Kindred are immediately pursued, violently. Kindred are most often their targets; they will lie in wait for a very long time only to spring forth at a moment of their prey's vulnerability. As the Lorn Wraiths and Kindred both tend to dwell far from society, however, these encounters are almost never witnessed... though the Wraiths tend to win them.
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Blightborgs
Overview
Blightborgs are a recent addition to Lorien's supernatural landscape; monsters that emerged from the Bleeding, flooding in from other realms as a variety of different species. Though highly variable, all of the species that have since emerged are typically referred to as an umbrella under the Blightborg name, as if they are a monolith. Many of them tend to have abnormal abilities and strange hierarchies, methods of reproduction, et cetera, due to them emerging from what appears to be separate realms of existence. Besides that, they are incredibly diverse.
Notes
1. Blightborgs are meant to be improvised. A player who wishes to interact with a Blightborg can imagine any sort of monster, so long as they detail it well and play against it within their own skill level. This does not require moderator permission. They can vary from small, unintelligent beasts to seemingly sentient threats, and on occasion there are Blightborgs who pose a legitimate threat to their region. Such monsters may appear on the Bounty Board or can be requested by players, if they have a particular idea.
2. Please do feel free to develop specific types of Blightborgs, so long as they work within Lorien's framework. They don't need to be completely original monsters, but as Lorien is a gruesome land they are much more likely to survive if they are legitimate threats. Please keep in mind Lorien's theme while developing these beings; tropical jungle fairies are not going to be approved in a realm of frigid, dark fantasy.
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