Post by Lie on Sept 19, 2010 0:44:47 GMT -5
So named for their first discovery, guarding the tombs of ancient Pharaohs. Of course, at first these guardians were thought to be vengeful spirits who preyed on those of a tomb robbing nature, and though this legend was close to the truth, it failed to derive their true natures and forms.
They possess two forms; a physical canine form, and a spirit form. The spiritual form is present long before their physical being forms, and before this form has been created, the spirit can change according to it's whims; a human ghost one minute, a multi-horned demon the next.
Their decisions of what to appear as shape what their physical form will be like; for instance, if they choose to be a nine tailed fox fairly regularly, they're likely to obtain multiple limbs when their physical form is created. Of course, if the forms they choose vary, their physical form is likely to be greatly muddled and extravagantly clothed in some cases.
It takes nearly 300 years for the spirits to mature enough to be placed in a physical form, and throughout these years, they've no doubt done a great deal of contemplation over the lives they wish to lead. Whilst some of these Sarcophagus Wolves choose to be benign wanderers of the wider world, others to be traitorous travelers or noble yet cruel guardians of the tombs.
physical
Although their appearances vary greatly, being that it's the 300 year life they lead prior that shapes them, rather than genes and a set formula for their breed, they all share a few key similarities in the physical sense.
All of them retain faintly Egyptian nuances to their forms, whether it be in hieroglyphics, coloring, or makeup, they can all be clearly identified as coming from an Egyptian origin.
Their eyes are without pupils, and sometimes without irises. Their eyes can range from plain white to gold, green, brown and blue. There have been a rare few with red or black eyes, but this is rare and most consider such a defection as a deformity, even if extra mutilated limbs are not. Wolves with those features were shunned by the ancestors as the story goes, and descendants of the Shamed are treated as infidel.
All though not much can be said of the physical properties of the wolves as each one varies, they tend to be at the extremities of everything, be it color or size. Thus they could be a shockingly dark color, or a shockingly bright one, but they'll refuse to be somewhere in between. They could be exceptionally small, or furiously large, it all depends.
Physical forms live until they are killed, and though they are 'ageless' it would seem, they're as easily killed as any other mortal, and it isn't unheard of for a brute who feels they've lived to long to commit a benign or masochistic suicide.
religion
children of the gods -- all the stars in the sky
The Ancestors were of the demonic variety, half Wolven half demon, banished and bound to servitude to the dead Pharaohs. Over time they spawned their children, wolves who possessed a spiritual form that was designed that they might join their Ancestors in an eternal war against the mortal kind.
The connection between the Ancestors and their kin was severed, the bond tying the Wolven to the Pharaohs vanquished, leaving the Ancestors to roam free, though they did instruct their seed to continue their guarding of the tombs.
But wolves grow tired of endless duties to long ago perished deities, and thus the Traitors arose.
They broke away from the teachings of the Ancestors, gained physical forms and left, causing chaos and destruction wherever they set foot.
These wolves were cast aside, those of the red and black eyes, made mortal and physical, unable to become spirits; doomed to fade into nonexistence. Those of the red eyes were the fools, for they followed the Traitors and defied the Ancestors.
Those of the ebony orbs were the true Traitors; they lead the revolution, forced the tide of their reign onto the Earth.
Those of the Sarcophagus breed believe in the Ancestors, that when their physical form dies, they will be returned to the spirit form they crave, allowed to join the elite ranks of the Ancestors.
Now the Ancestors grant permission for the physical embodiment of these wolven to leave the tombs, so long as when they die they will forever roam in their grounds of servitude once more.
culture & packs
These wolves do not call themselves by the name of Sarcophagus Wolven, they use their demon tongue to name themselves. Ichte which can be roughly translated to Blight.
As a race they're cruel and destructive, being demon in origin and all. They're bound tight in tradition and law, those of which they cannot break.
Laws:
- The Ichte will never turn on their Ancestors.
- Mercy is weak, and the Ichte are not permitted to be weak.
- Love is a sin.
- The Ichte kill anyone who defies them.
- Imperfections are impurities, and must be removed.
There are many more unspoken and unwrit laws, and those of the Ichte don't hesitate to punish any law breakers, often to a fatal extent.
Their culture is decayed, stolen from the ancient pyramids where their spirits roam, and though it's rare for two physical embodiments to meet within the tombs, the Egyptian culture and the demonic bloodthirst and language come into play.
diet
Really this is one of the few not-so-complicated aspects of the Ichte. They're cannibalistic, yet they don't feast on the meat, flesh or blood. They devour the heart, lungs and brain, and suck the marrow from Wolf bones.
behavior
A traditional Ichte is cold, cruel, masochistic, sadistic and shrewdly diplomatic. Though the last factor only comes into play when they have a suspicion they may or may not be matched in the event of a fight, they're more likely to attack than anything else.
Outcasts are cold and cruel, often more so than their traditional counterparts, though there are the few who've been banished due to their impurities; merciful, emotive beings, even those who have no desire to kill. Still, such creatures should not be taken lightly, as even the most compassionate of these individuals is more susceptible to being hungry than most.
Alliances with the creatures are often broken; much like those of a vampire descent, they're unpredictable and governed by their need for sustenance, and where some wolves are easily fed, others require frequent feeding, and thus are far more dangerous as without their meals they enter a frenzy that can only be sated by their preferences of food.
