Devorare

Brought into the world by Absentia, Devorare is a Blight which holds dominion over blood. Though they have an unfathomable power over it, they, in turn, are afflicted with an endless, insatiable hunger for it. Devorare requires a Minor Merit to pursue.

Devorare

History

Wrought from the lost Pact of Kratyx as Nihilos fell to the void, Devorare is a perversion of flesh, vitality, and strength. Those with its curse are something between man and monster, slaves to a sanguine hunger– but they are potent, they are powerful because of it. Working alongside other Blighted, their numbers are few and their spread is calculated, their power hoarded. To most, however, Devorare is nothing but a fable, nothing more than a scary story people tell their children to keep them in line.

Acquisition

Like any Blight, Devorare is a curse to be spread by its practitioners. And in this case, it is a grotesque, difficult process that few survive.

To start, the only requirement for the transformation is that roughly 1 fl.oz. of a Devorari's blood must pass through the heart of a living target. The method of delivery varies from would-be sire to would-be sire, though it is a common superstition among their kind that a more violent initiation births a stronger childe. A technique typically utilized involves the would-be sire impaling their prospective spawn through the heart with a crystalline stake composed of their own blood, then quickly liquifying the implement once the deed has been done. Provided this does not cause death outright, the conversion will then proceed apace.

The first symptom to surface is that the prospective spawn will begin to bleed from all of their orifices. This is not initially painful, but their biochemistry will start to shift wildly, leaving them light headed, shaking and sick with a primal sort of terror. Then their body will seize as the Blight’s magic truly starts to take over, inciting a kaleidoscopic surge of Devorare’s varying spells. The taste of the blood in their mouths will feed them images of their own memories, and should they have any other personal magics, it will taste of them, too. Their blood may turn to acid and melt them from within; it may boil, conflagrate, crystallize or evaporate. Their bones will start to crunch and shatter as they writhe, joints bending far past their limits in tandem with the tearing of tissue. And they will feel every second of this vibrantly, wide awake from their hijacked endocrine system.

This process may continue for hours, sometimes for days, until, eventually, their nascent Vicissitude ends their agony, healing and reshaping them, then falling dormant until the newborn one day finds the strength to wield it once more. And lo, born anew, a Devorari. Those that endure this process for longer are often said to be stronger for it.

Living as Devorari

Revitalized, Rebuilt

Being rebuilt by the Blight is effectively a form of rebirth, and as such, the spawn will discover that their body now functions differently.

A Devorari no longer needs to eat or breathe, though they may do either if they so desire– by eating regular food and drink, they deplete from themselves an equivalent amount of blood to process it. They may or may not feel nausea, or a dulled sense of taste.

Their newborn musculature is frail; they are much weaker and hobbled compared to when they drew breath; by six months into the curse, this has entirely reversed and they are faster, stronger than before. They become twisted exemplars of the strength once embodied by Kratyx.

They are more prone to tearing their skin before the first six months, however after this period their tissues are able to sustain more trauma before breaking or tearing.

Their senses are heightened. Sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste are all notably more potent than before - unbearably so; their senses are overwhelming until they adapt to them, and for some this can take decades, others mere weeks. They easily fixate on things, and this exacerbates obsessive traits.

They grow dizzy in direct sunlight, experiencing lethargy and feeling overwhelmingly hot beneath its rays. They might even develop heat stroke from prolonged exposure, collapsing in public until brought indoors and allowed to rest.

Devorari are twice as flammable by Luxium or mundane fire, and flame tends to angle towards them as they pass by.

Sanguine Hunger

The most notable trait of the Devorari is, indeed, their insatiable lust for blood. It is omnipresent, there even when their thirst is slaked, gently gnawing a pit in their stomachs; inescapable.

To Feed or to Wither

If a Devorari neglects to feed regularly, they will find themselves gradually beginning to weaken. The only cure is blood, sweet vitality, though not all blood is created equal.

The blood of entities with higher concentrations of either Aether or Saol are the finest of ambrosias. Immortals, Fae, mages and the like all fit the bill.

Standard mortals are always satisfactory at a minimum, though some individuals are certainly superior to others.

Animals will do in a pinch. They are not the tastiest and one will need to feed more often, however, making it quite a bit more difficult to remain at peak potential feeding this way.

Blood Consumption Rates

As their power grows, so too do they need more blood to sustain them.

Some Devorari prefer to feed daily, keeping themselves always as close to sated as they can possibly be. However, all Devorari can go up to a week between feedings before they noticeably start to deteriorate– though minor weakness will start to set in after a few days.

After a week without feeding, a Devorari will find themselves waning, and after a month, they will become fully Ferine.

• Novice: 1.3 gallons (21 cups) per week
• Apprentice: 2.2 gallons (35 cups) per week
• Journeyman: 3.1 gallons (49 cups) per week
• Expert: 3.9 gallons (63 cups) per week
• Master: 5 gallons (80 cups) per week
• Ascendant: 4.5 gallons (72 cups) per week

Hemostasis

Available as soon as one awakens as Devorari, Hemostasis does not change at any stage of mastery. In simple terms, it is a hibernation state wherein the Devorari’s hunger is stalled. During Hemostasis, they enter into a deep slumber during which they may or may not dream. It is generally ill advised to willfully enter into this state when one is alone, as it’s possible one will not be able to reawaken on one’s own.

Most Devorari tend to utilize this state of being only if they intend to travel long distances with trusted allies in order to avoid the inconvenience of having to feed, and it is customary among them to rest in elaborately decorated stone coffins.

Bindings of Blood

The Devorari Sire and childe are cursebound to one another, as all Blighted progenitor and progeny are. This special, supernatural bond has shaped many social aspects of Alítheian culture.

The sire will oftentimes end up having a relationship to their progeny similar to a particularly protective parent or covetous lover, with many finding themselves growing nigh inseparable over time. In rarer cases, however, this bond can reverse, creating a revulsion that may compel the sire to slay, and at times, consume, their childe.

The childe will find themselves unable to resist commands given to them by their sire. And in the beginning, many childer describe themselves feeling very polar towards their sire– either deeply drawn to or strongly repelled by them. Some say this polarity wanes as time goes on, but due to the intensity of it, it often ends up shaping their future relationship regardless.

Mageburn Symptoms

• Lesser: Lightheadedness, Lethargy, Anxiety, Muscle Aches and Pain, Mild Hyperthermia
• Moderate: Mild Bleeding From Orifices, Moderate Hyperthermia, Vertigo, Headache, Panic Attacks
• Greater: Major Bleeding From Orifices, Major Disorientation, Tachypnea, Intense Paranoia, Aggression, Short Temper
• Ferine: To become Ferine is to lose oneself and not return. These individuals become slaves to not only their hunger, but to the predator within, losing their higher intelligence and surrendering themselves unto their primal, bestial desires. They will hunt, they will rip, they will tear, they will destroy– and then they will feed; that is all that they'll be capable of, that is, until they are inevitably put down.

Spells

Like all Blights, Devorare uses the Metaphor of Absentia to cast.

Devorare of equivalent tier may also resist one another's manipulations should they be unwanted.

Hemomancy

Also called Blood Sorcery, Hemomancy is a Devorari's ability to manipulate blood by harnessing the Aether therein to devastating effect.

Augury

Referred to by some Devorari as Blood Divination, Augury allows for the caster to glean information about individuals and their lineage from their blood.

Vitalitas

Vitalitas is the manipulation of hormones and other chemicals which influence the body’s natural functions.

Vicissitude

Also known as flesh sculpting, Vicissitude is how a Devorari makes structural modifications to their bodies and the bodies of others.

To sculpt flesh is a multifaceted skill; consequently, one must have sufficient XP in sculpting and medicine to make anything that isn't horribly disfigured.

Tiers of Mastery

Novice

Just starting out, a novice will spend their time simply learning how to grasp the Aether in blood and are only able to access a tiny fraction of Devorare's potential as they grapple with their newfound hunger.

A novice may only manipulate their own blood or that which is spilt from a wound of some sort.

• Hemomancy:
  • A novice may manipulate up to 8 fl.oz., or 1 cup, at a time.
  • They may shift blood’s state of matter from liquid to gas or to a hard, crystalline substance with the fragility of wood.
  • They are capable of willing small amounts of blood through the air as well as shifting its state of matter, converting the liquid to a gas or crystallizing it into a hard, glass-like substance.
• Augury: As a novice, this skill is inaccessible.
• Vitalitas: As a novice, this skill is inaccessible.
• Vicissitude: As a novice, this skill is inaccessible.

Apprentice

Still in the process of finding their footing, an apprentice Devorari will continue to develop their Hemomancy alongside figuring out the foundations of Augury.

An apprentice may only manipulate their own blood or that which is spilt from a wound of some sort.

• Hemomancy:
  • An apprentice may manipulate up to 24 fl.oz., or 3 cups, at a time.
  • They may shift blood’s state of matter from liquid to gas or to a hard, crystalline substance with the fragility of stone.
  • They may increase the temperature of blood up to a maximum of 110°F.
  • They may shift the acidity of blood to a point where it would cause a painful stinging sensation and minor inflammation if tissue is exposed to it.
• Augury:
  • An apprentice may detect echoes of the emotions, thoughts and memories their ‘donor’ had up to 2 weeks before the blood was harvested.
• Vitalitas: As an apprentice, this skill is inaccessible.
• Vicissitude: As an apprentice, this skill is inaccessible.

Journeyman

A journeyman has, at this point, become comfortable with their Blood Sorcery, able to now devote more of their time into developing the additional skills of Augury and Vitalitas.

A journeyman may only manipulate their own blood or that which is spilt from a wound of some sort.

• Hemomancy:
  • A journeyman may manipulate up to 80 fl.oz., or 10 cups, at a time.
  • They may shift blood’s state of matter from liquid to gas or to a hard, crystalline substance with the fragility of iron.
  • They may increase the temperature of blood up to a maximum of 150°F.
  • They may shift the acidity of blood to a point where it would cause a painful stinging sensation and begin to eat away at flesh or similar substances if exposed to it.
• Augury:
  • A journeyman is capable of gleaning flashes of the emotions, thoughts and memories of their ‘donor’ from up to 6 months before the blood was harvested.
  • They may be able to tell what race a creature was, as well as basic information such as general health and age, provided they know how to parse this information by taste.
• Vitalitas:
  • As a journeyman, a Devorari may only manipulate their own biochemistry through Vitalitas.
  • A journeyman’s manipulations may last for up to 8 hours.
  • They may alter hormones and neurotransmitters to manipulate both their physical and mental states.
• Vicissitude: As a journeyman, this skill is inaccessible.

Expert

With many succumbing to their hunger and never making it to this point, Devorari of expert potency are beasts of fable, finally able to begin making drastic changes to their bodies, boil the blood of their foes, provide themselves with supernatural enhancements and much more.

An expert may now begin to manipulate blood within the body of another living thing, though only insofar as focusing on a particular vein or artery and ripping it open, thereby creating a wound for them to further manipulate. They may only do this to one person at a time.

• Hemomancy:
  • An expert may manipulate up to 24 cups, or 1.5 gallons, at a time.
  • They may shift blood’s state of matter from liquid to gas or to a hard, crystalline substance with a hardness of steel.
  • They may increase the temperature of blood up to a maximum of boiling, or 212°F.
  • They may shift the acidity of blood to a point where it becomes properly corrosive, able to now slowly eat away at metals such as iron.
• Augury:
  • An expert is capable of gleaning flashes of the emotions, thoughts and memories of their ‘donor’ from up to 5 years prior to the blood being harvested.
  • They may be able to tell what race a ‘donor’ was, as well as basic information such as general health and age, provided they know how to parse this information by taste.
  • They may discern what types of magics a ‘donor’ wielded, provided they recognize the taste.
• Vitalitas:
  • As an expert, a Devorari may manipulate both their own biochemistry and that of those they have physical contact with.
  • An expert’s manipulations may last for up to a day.
  • They may alter hormones and neurotransmitters to manipulate both their physical and mental states.
  • They may also channel the Aether in blood to give themselves minor temporary boons to strength and alacrity.
• Vicissitude:
  • New to Vicissitude, an expert may only make minor bodily alterations such as basic cosmetic changes, fortifying their tissues, growing horns, talons and so on. These changes are quite slow and can only be reversed manually.
  • They may sculpt the tissues of others, though one at a time and only through touch.
    • One cast will subject up to a young dragon worth of flesh to the Devorari's Absentia for the next 6 hours.

Master

A creature of legend, there are probably only a handful master Devorari in existence. Having mastered their hunger and their powers, they are wicked things many on Antarok only believe exist in nightmares.

A master is capable of ripping blood from the living just as an expert can, but they may also harden, evaporate, ignite, or acidify blood from within. They may only do this to up to a handful of people at once.

• Hemomancy:
  • A master may manipulate up to 240 cups, or 15 gallons, at a time.
  • They may shift blood’s state of matter from liquid to gas or to a hard, crystalline substance with a hardness 1.5x greater than steel.
  • They may increase the temperature of blood past boiling, and even go as far as to immolate it, setting it on fire.
  • They may shift the acidity of blood to a point where it becomes incredibly corrosive, able to now rapidly eat away at substances like iron, and while slowly, it can even corrode things like zirconium and titanium.
• Augury:
  • An master is capable of gleaning flashes of the emotions, thoughts and memories of their ‘donor’ from as far back as the its memory spans.
  • They may be able to tell what race a ‘donor’ was, basic information, and more advanced information such as genealogy.
  • They may discern what types of magics a ‘donor’ wielded, provided they recognize the taste.
• Vitalitas:
  • As a master, a Devorari may manipulate both their own biochemistry and that of those in their line of sight. Breaking line of sight does not cancel the effect, as Vitalitas manipulations last for timed durations.
  • A master’s manipulations may last for up to a week.
  • They may alter hormones and neurotransmitters to manipulate both their physical and mental states.
  • They may also channel the Aether in blood to give themselves major temporary boons to strength and alacrity.
• Vicissitude:
  • A master may make any manner of bodily alterations, with some fancying themselves ‘artists’ of flesh and bone. The more drastic a change, the longer it takes. Reverting changes is far quicker at master than expert.
  • They may sculpt the tissues of others, though one at a time and only through touch.
    • One cast will subject up to an elder dragon worth of flesh to the Devorari's Absentia for the next 12 hours.

Carnifex

If they were ever mortal, an Ascended Devorari, or Carnifex, will have fully shed whatever was left of it. With markedly few, if any, in existence, it is beyond the purview of most to even fathom what dark magics they may wield.

The Carnifex may remotely manipulate the blood of the living with ease, capable of affecting a whole crowd at once should the Devorari be able to see them.

• Hemomancy:
  • A Carnifex may manipulate up to 2400 cups, or 150 gallons, at a time.
  • They may shift blood’s state of matter from liquid to gas or to a hard, crystalline substance with a hardness 2x greater than steel.
  • They may increase the temperature of blood past boiling, immolate it (setting it on fire), or even cause powerful explosions (equivalent to a stick of dynamite & requiring at least 24 fl.oz. of blood to detonate).
  • They may shift the acidity of blood to a point where it becomes incredibly corrosive, able to now rapidly eat away at almost any substance that isn’t heavily magically enhanced against acids.
• Augury:
  • They are capable of gleaning flashes of the emotions, thoughts and memories of their ‘donor’ from as far back as the its memory spans.
  • They may be able to tell what race a ‘donor’ was, basic information, and more advanced information such as genealogy and even flashes of their ancestor’s memories.
  • They may discern what types of magics a ‘donor’ wielded, provided they recognize the taste.
• Vitalitas:
  • Now ascended, a Carnifex may manipulate both their own biochemistry and that of those they are capable of perceiving through sight or magical means. Losing perception doesn’t cancel the effect, as Vitalitas manipulations last for timed durations.
  • A Carnifex’s manipulations may last for up to a month.
  • They may alter hormones and neurotransmitters to manipulate both their physical and mental states.
  • They may also channel the Aether in blood to give themselves otherworldly temporary boons to strength and alacrity.
• Vicissitude:
  • A Carnifex may sculpt their tissues into anything they so wish and at startling speeds, morphing back to their biological ‘default’ with ease should they so wish.
  • They may sculpt the tissues of others, though one at a time and only through touch.
    • One cast will subject up to an ancient dragon worth of flesh to the Devorari's Absentia for the next 24 hours.
  • They may also infuse their other personal magics into their alterations.

Contrivances

Contrivances may also be crafted from the Devorari's Sundered Absentite directly.

Heart of the Matter

The heart of one cursed with Devorare is a thing of great power; when tempered by Practices, the organ can be refined into artifacts which provide the wearer some line of defense against them or a taste of their power.

The hearts of a newborn, or those who've bore the curse for six months or less, are nearly worthless and wither upon the creature's death.

Artifacts from Devorare may be charms which ward against the curse's spells, items designed to frenzy them (increasing their hunger), and creations which convey onto the wearer some of their strengths such as enhanced senses. The potency of these artifacts correlates to the tier of mastery achieved by the organ's donor.

Alchemy

Alchemy may utilize more of a deceased Devorari than other practices, capable of utilizing even small samples of flesh.

Alchemical compounds composed of parts other than the heart can only provide protection to the consumer against transference of the curse. The withered hearts of newborn Devorari may also be used to create these protective agents as well.

Alchemical compounds composed of the hearts grant protection against the curse as well as further boons. These benefits include temporary increases to strength, celerity, endurance and the senses that scale based on what mastery the Devorari had over their magic. The duration of these effects correlates to the monster's Vitalitas effect duration.

“The scene was incredibly bizarre– the victims had a pallor beyond what was expected of a corpse, yet strangely, there was little to no blood anywhere. And upon examination, the only trauma the cadavers suffered appeared to be severe myocardial infarction; where did their blood go? And the fear captured in their eyes, I'll never forget...what could have possibly caused this?” - A Village Medical Examiner

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