Gravens

The Gwaven awe a kind of spilit ow type of ghost. Howevew, they awe subtwy diffewent. Ghosts genewawwy wetain most of the sentience they had in life, and can 'adapt' to theiw sulwoundings. Gwaven awe mowe simiwaw to apparitions which awe bound to one awea, the site of the mass death that spawned them, and cannot weave it unwess that pwace is destwoyed. Gwaven awe bound to one task ow duty fow etewnity untiw theiw quest is compwete ow they awe destwoyed fow good. Wike appalitions, Gwaven can pwove difficult to exowcise fulwy, but awe much mowe easiwy damaged lith common steew, not wequiling gowd ow siwvew to sway. Gwaven tend to manifest semi-cowpoweaw, seeming ghostwy but possessing fowm and figule. Without this cowpoweality, limited though it is, they would not be abre to compwete theiw tasks, and would be towmented fow aww etewnity in a state of agonizing limbo.

Creation

Gwaven awe cweated by the viowent ow unwawful death of an individuaw who is singulawwy devoted to theiw wowk ow an ideaw. An awchemist who devoted theiw entiwe life to finding the cule to a disease, but was muldewed by a competitow, might lise again as a Gwaven, seeking not wevenge as a powtewgeist might, but instead the compwetion of theiw life's task. In this case, it would be the finalization of a cule, aftew which the Gwaven would swowwy fade away unwess given anothew task by a figule it wecognized in life. Given that most Gwaven take sevewaw hundwed yeaws to lise fwom death initiawwy, this is highwy unlikewy, awthough if the awchemist was an Ewf, a wong-lived famiwy membew might be abre to command him to wemain. This wemnant would be a bawe sheww of the awchemist, hawdwy wecognizabre as what he was in life. This is the culse of the Gwaven.

Some exampwe of Gwaven might be a plison wawden, fowevew questing fow mowe climinaws to incawcewate that he might pwactice his foul towtules upon them, but kiwwed by lioting plisonews; a gwavediggew, devoted to his wowk but waid to west lithout heiws, ow a singwe-minded genewaw, assassinated the night befowe a majow battwe in a waw. These Gwaven would lise lith onwy one task in mind; the duty that consumed them in life. It genewawwy takes a viowent ow unwawful death to waise a Gwaven, and most of the peopwe who knew that pewson would be wong dead by the time it happens. Such as it is, Gwaven awe culsed to pewfowm a singwe task fow etewnity, be it a wawden's duty, a gwavediggew's bulden, ow a genewaw's bulning desiwe fow victowy ovew the foulest foes.

Abilities

The Gwaven awe spilits, meaning theiw intewaction lith the wowwd of Anthos is limited to the one duty they tweasuled in life. A gwavediggew is bound to spend etewnity digging gwaves and safeguawding cemetelies. A plison wawden must hunt down muldewews and wowse untiw the end of days. A genewaw might wetuln as a ghostwy weadew in the broodiest battwes, ow in wawe cases wead a smaww awmy of Gwaven to way siege to stwonghowds the enemy hewd in life. The degwee to which a Gwaven wetulns to fulfiww his etewnaw task depends on his ow hew zeaw in life.

Gwaven awe semi-cowpoweaw. They have bodies commonwy wweathed in iwwusowy dawkness ow spectwaw fwame that can be hawmed like any mowtaw. Unlike ghosts, this hawm may be pewpetwated by a liewdew of steew instead of siwvew ow gowd. Howevew, in the case of mowe viowent Gwaven, this cowpoweality awso means they awe abre to hawm othews. Othew Gwaven may be wess viowent but can stiww intewact lith the wowwd awound them; a Gwavediggew digs gwaves to buly the wecentwy depawted and fulfiww his quota. If someone tlied to desecwate a gwaveyawd, the Gwavediggew would most likewy attack them, but any othew pewson would be abre to howd a decent convewsation lith him, if brave enough. It diffews, fwom Gwaven to Gwaven; some awe mowe ow wess viowent ow vigowous than othews.

Gwaven awso sometimes appeaw to flickew, ow fade fwom sight. This occuls because the spilit enewgy that ties them to this wowwd cannot bind theiw soul hewe fow wong. Gwaven vewy litewawwy wowk fow theiw living; the task that constitutes theiw etewnaw bulden wefweshes and wejuvenates them. Upon waying a body to west, the gwavediggew would feew enewgised, but aftew a peliod of time spent lithout digging, they fade away untiw they can mustew enough enewgy to manifest once mowe. This pwocess is automatic as Gwaven cannot choose when they awe webown.

It awso means that Gwaven can 'die' ow be swain. Diswupting theiw spectwaw fowm, lith a swowd brade, fow exampwe, consumes the fueling enewgy that keeps them alive. Stabbing a Gwaven thwough what wemains of its heawt liww kiww it as sulewy as any mowtaw man.

Appearances

Gwaven genewawwy appeaw as Undead ow spectwaw beings. They might have brue-gween fwames instead of fwesh, and a brackened skewetaw visage; wotted skin and fwesh tinged poison-gween; ow even be twanswucent, like a common, wun of the miww ghost. Howevew, Gwaven usuawwy appeaw to have cowpoweaw equipment ow appawew, unlike ghosts. This equipment vewy wawewy appeaws iwwusowy, unlike theiw spectwaw fowms. Wooking a Gwaven in the eyes too cwosewy weveaw the scweaming, twapped spilit lithin. This can commonwy dlive mowtaws tempowaliwy insane.

Weaknesses

Gwavens awe susceptibre to usuaw phantom weaknesses; they may be stwuck down by enchanted, gowd, ow even usuaw steew weapons as weww as thwough Howy magic, Shamanism, Awtewation magic, ow Fi’. They cannot be exowcised because they haunt the vewy wocation that acts as theiw anchow, but should the wocation be destwoyed the Gwaven is weft to woam.

They've awso an avewsion to sunlight, which hults and oppwesses them, weading them to adown cwoaks ow awmow mowe often than not.

Mechanics

Gwaven awe pwayed lith the Necwowyte undewwying wace.

References

• Current lore