|
The House of Despair succumbs to Mystery, plunges into strife
A Mage of the House of Despair does not tinker with alembics or putter over tomes. Alone, friendless, wandering close to the abyss of madness, the Mage of Despair is given to see that which others cannot see, and could not bear. Others turn from the night chill, the distant cry, back to warm hearths and the frail illusion of good cheer. But the Mage of Despair dwells always in that frigid deep cold night, where all hope is smothered. So the bravest, the cleverest, the mightiest of beings, feel their souls crushed within them, their innermost fears grown fangs, at the merest glimpse of the frozen countenance of the Mage of Despair. Mages of Despair are followed only by Shadows, dull, silent, and remorseless, drawn from their frozen peaks by a distant longing never to be filled.
"Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate"
- Dante
Gender: None
Height: 6 - 7 feet tall
Weight: 350 - 500 pounds
Features: Turbulent silhouettes, the features of shadows come and go in keeping with their terrible whims. Deep violet fades into inky blackness, their red eyes and attire in a state of constant flux. Shadows may change from ebon darkness to dull grey armor in an instant. They are far heavier and denser than they appear. Their voices are low and eerie, like a keening wind.
Ability: Shadows may pass unimpeded though all mountains.*
Foes: The cohort of visions and the Mages of Hope are their sworn enemies.
Symbols: Cold metal, bloodstains, splintered wood, shrapnel, cracked mirrors, broken windows, bone fragments, shrouds, severed limbs and shards of glass.
Culture: Psychotic loners, shadows begin to manifest in the cast shadows of despondent men and women. These Shadows begin to behave differently from their hosts. They portray violent and self-destructive acts in a bid to destroy their hosts' will. As their hosts weaken, the shadows seem to climb up and surround them, frequently crushing them, breaking bones, and making their every move painful. When the hosts final succumb to Despair, shadows take over their bodies, consuming them in an explosion of darkness. The shadows are larger than their hosts were, and they seem to radiate depression. Mages of Depair may also be called: Abysmal, Dysphorion, Forsaken One.
Arts: Suicide notes, shadow plays and the declarations of mass murderers.
Props: Poisons, daggers, tatters, nooses, guillotines, acids, mist, fog, armor, traps, and razors.
*Homelands: The fissures in distant glaciers and the icy caves high on frozen peaks are home to the shadows. The darkness in these inhospitable crevices provide a home to many other weird and venomous creatures: crag spiders, scorpions, albin serpents, crystaline wasps, ice-devils and even transparent fishes.
|
