The Yiboril
General Information;
The yiboril are spiritual creatures bound to partial Soulgems of their soul's essence, often called a phylactery. They may have two distinct forms - an 'unbound' form, usually appearing as an orb of reiatsu tied to a centralized gemstone; and the 'bound' form, a physical, but translucent, form that they use to interact with the world around them. They are immortal, and were first created by a dark dragon named Hades, who courted Noamuth in the early ages of Millirand.
Statistics;
Name:: Yiboril
Average Lifespan:: Immortal
Average Height:: N/A
Average Weight:: N/A
Location Found:: abroad.
*all statistics based on averages; extremes in any direction, or found in odd locations, are always allowed.
Notes;
Attachment A birthed or created yiboril will often be attached to their parents or creator for a number of years before being able to leave; their thoughts are able to be read by the parent or creator, and they may follow a compulsion to do things from their parent/creator depending on how young they are. After a hundred or so years, this fades, and the yiboril is free to do as they please. However, during that first hundred years, if a yiboril parent or creator dies, any offspring attached may suffer intense pain as the bond is ripped away. Those beneath twenty years will die.
Phylactery A yiboril's phylactery is that of a partial Soulgem; a small, solidified piece of spiritual essence, beginning as a tiny piece of colored gemstone. The gem is always solid, in both unbound and bound forms, and is subjected to both physical and magical attacks. Over the years, these phylacteries are built upon and added to by solidifying more reiatsu onto its surface, and may be molded into a variety of shimmering shapes and various sizes. The bigger the phylactery, the older the yiboril.
A phylactery may be chipped, cracked, or broken without permanent damage - it will reseal itself in a matter of weeks. However, it is exceptionally painful, and the larger the break, the more agony it generates and longer it takes to heal. Yiboril with great damage to their phylactery Soulgems may be driven mad by the pain, and will overtax themselves in fits of maddened rage; others may show signs that their reiatsu is permanently corrupted. If a phylactery is completely destroyed, the yiboril will die.
Reproduction: Birth New yiboril are created through a ritual process of splitting and combining spiritual essences into a new, crystallized, partial Soulgem known as a phylactery. This is only done between two yiboril who share an emotional bond - romantic or otherwise, between any gender, as no carrying of a child is needed.
Much of the ritual is done in the yiboril's mindscape, utilizing the golden threads: energy is channeled between these threads, and gathered by both in a mental anchor. Withdrawing from the mind, this anchor is brought into the physical world as a ball of combined energy that is hardened into a minuscule gemstone with a spoken kv'naer spell. If successful, the phylactery can then be taken to a place sacred to spirits, and a prayer is offered to Hades to bind a new soul to the phylactery. Though Hades is not a true god, and it is believe by non-yiboril that it is Linath who grants them their souls, the blessing of the phylactery is a cause for great celebration and joy in Hades' name.
Reproduction: Creation Sometimes, a yiboril may be created from an existing soul, though this is a vastly painful process and is not often done willingly. The phylactery must be crafted by splitting the soul and solidifying the essence into a partial, incomplete Soulgem, and then the soul must be shorn from the body - its connection completely destroyed. The soul must then be bound to the phylactery with a similar kv'naer ritual spell to the birth of a new yiboril, and once complete, the body dies as the new yiboril lives on.
Reproduction: Hybrids Older yiboril who may hold a bound form for a time may rarely reproduce with other species with compatible physical forms. Female yiboril must be able to hold their bound form until the pregnancy comes to term, and will share any gestation periods with the species their form most resembles. Male yiboril may be much, much younger, as they do not have to hold their forms beyond a single breeding.
These hybrids are often immortal, and may appear to have a shimmering quality about them - though they are not bound to a partial Soulgem, and do not have the intense spiritual abilities their yiboril parent did. Comparatively, most of these hybrids are spiritually weak, and may be extra vulnerable to reiatsu attacks.
Diet This is what this species, and any variants, may eat at any given time.
Common:
nothing.
Uncommon:
latent magical energy.
Rare:
reiatsu.
Overview:
Yiboril are spiritual beings, and have no need to eat. However, they will on occasion enter a state of semi-hibernation, or meditation, while they absorb latent magic energy to replenish themselves. Rarely, they may be driven to absorb the reiatsu of living beings in order to reinvigorate themselves.
Credits;
Species info credited to Verridith and Seth.
In-Depth Information;
Appearance Unbound: The yiboril in their unbound forms resemble glowing orbs of coalesced reiatsu in any shade or hue possible; floating at the center is a gemstone, a partial Soulgem, that grows and changes with age. In the beginning, the gem - called a phylactery - is half an inch in diameter, and the orb is not more than a foot wide. As they age, the phylactery is constantly added to, and the orb of reiatsu never ceases to grow along with it. The color of the reiatsu orb is tied to whatever color their spirit reflects, and may change over the course of their existence. As a phylactery is added to, its color may change as well - along with their shape, texture, and size.
Often images of their thoughts coalesce inside the orb, and may be visible as shimmering, firelike shapes within the swirling reiatsu. However, older yiboril are able to hide these with a ghostly image of their usual bound form, and may express emotion through these shapes. An unbound yiboril cannot feel physical pain or pleasure, and cannot eat, drink, or taste; however, they can feel mental pain, and their shapes may become chaotic and seem to pull apart in places as they react.
Bound: A yiboril's bound form can be any shape, but always has translucent skin formed of energy with the phylactery gem at the center of their sternum. Otherwise, these bodies are otherwise fully physical and functional; blood often appears as slightly luminescent, glistening ichor that dissolves into smoke after several moments in the air, and flesh is slightly cool to the touch. These bodies are capable of feeling any sense, where an unbound form is incapable of feeling physical pain or pleasure. They may have any eye color and colors of other features - such as the hair on a humanoid or horns on a dragon - may be of any shade, though always shimmer and glint as if with their own inner light.
Younger yiboril usually take smaller forms, like elves or humans, but older yiboril can take large forms such as dragons or gryphons. Most often, they will stick to one form once chosen, as the process of crafting a new form takes much time and energy.
When a yiboril releases their bound form, it dissolves into colored smoke and coalesces into the orb once complete.
Culture These are creatures that do not interact with the outside world often; most yiboril live in small, isolated communities off the map and hidden away. Young yiboril that choose to intermingle with regular society are very rare, though older individuals who may hold their bound forms for long periods of time may live among other races and in civilizations not their own. In their unbound forms, transmitting vocal patterns into a level of hearing is difficult, but not impossible. For this reason, most speak telepathically, or may change into their bound forms to speak.
Yiboril are very intelligent and ritualistic. The birth of a new yiboril is considered a celebration, and a ritual is held on their creation day every year to bring continued peace and prosperity to the yiboril that was created. The yiboril's parents, and the created yiboril, will crystallize a minute portion of their essence and offer it at crystal altars to their 'god', Hades. They also do similar offerings for needed knowledge, prospects of attachment, victory in war, and a multitude of other things. These offerings dissipate into smoke anywhere from a few moments to several weeks later - these are seen as Hades' acceptance of the offering, though in truth it is simply when the fragment's sustaining energy runs out.
Hades was the Ancient First of the species - formerly a great black dragon with red accents, and a brief consort to the goddess Noamuth. For his role in the founding of their species, the yiboril consider him a greater god, and refuse to accept mentions of his death. To do so is a punishable offense, and may result in a phylactery being chipped or cracked - an exceptionally painful experience - or, if continued, the destruction of a phylactery in full. Yiboril regard the gods coldly, and see them as having abandoned them - thus, they will not accept the other gods as superior.
Many yiboril often use light displays of reiatsu for a multitude of things from communication to rituals, in both bound and unbound forms; outbursts and uncontrolled, emotional displays are frowned upon and may be punished.
Abilities From the young to the old, yiboril are incredibly gifted and attuned to the use of their own reiatsu; they may craft things out of it, use it both offensively and defensively, and use their life energy at will. Many are naturally attuned to dark and light magic, but rarely gain traditional elemental affinities, such as fire or water. Non-elemental magic is easier for a yiboril to learn than others.
Any yiboril may move amid Realms without the use of Markers and may travel the Void for a time undamaged, much like an Ether; though they will degrade if gone too far from a Realm sphere for too long, and may return as husks who die not long after.
Yiboril are very vulnerable to reiatsu attacks and burning themselves out in unbound forms; if the partial Soulgem is cracked or broken, they will not be able to regenerate reiatsu or use magic until the phylactery is restored. Bound bodies are subject to physical and magical damage both, and wounds both look and feel real, with all the pain that accompanies a traditional injury. When transitioning from a bound form to an unbound form, the pain and weakness of these injuries remain, though they will be healed when transitioning back. If this is done in quick succession, and more injuries are layered atop the first, a yiboril may become incapacitated by pain alone - or they may overtax from the energy drain.
Species Origin;
Many years ago, when Millirand was yet young and the Dark Five still roamed the skies in freedom, there was a dark dragon named Hades - a beast mad with a lust for power, and ambition to dwarf even the most powerful of kings. He sought to be Noamuth's consort, and fly alongside her as her lover and equal - to reign over the land he had watched for many years in hateful silence.
The goddess knew of his ambition, and was amused; therefore one night she appeared to him, a lithe and beautiful dragoness who lured him on a chase over mountain and vale, until she turned on the Black and slammed him into the ground. Her disguise as a dainty, innocent female melted away to reveal the goddess' grandeur, eyes gleaming with arrogance and pride. "I know what you desire," she hissed, snapping her jaws shut inches from his face. "I know what it is you seek. But to be my consort, you must prove yourself worthy, dragon; I do not fly with the weak or faint of heart."
With that, she let him go, and smiled at him; then, the goddess evaporated into dark mist. Bewildered, but emboldened, Hades thought of what may impress the deity of greed; thus he vanished from common knowledge for some years, engrossed in the experiments of his own chaotic power. Utilizing his reiatsu, and through dark magic and kv'naer runes, he was able to split pieces of his soul into seven powerful shards, crystallized into partial Soulgems. He found with delight that he could add to these shards, control them, and imbue them with great power - and thus he traveled to the place he and Noamuth had met, the talismans in claw.
Splaying the seven talismans across the ground, he roared his victory to the skies, and called Noamuth's name. The goddess arrived not long after his summons, having watched close over the many months he toiled. Pleased with what he had done, she took one of the talismans and marveled at its beauty. It looked as though the crystal held black and red flames churning within it - even before she touched it, the goddess could feel its power.
"You've impressed me," Noamuth purred. "More than I thought you capable of, dragon; come, then. Fly with me, Hades Yiboril, and share the skies in my presence. I will take you as my consort, and all shall fear the shadow of our wings."
However, she did not hold her promise for long; the goddess allowed him a single tryst, and then slew him while he slept. Laughing as his soul was torn from his body, she caught it and tied it to one of the talismans - the seventh partial Soulgem - not allowing him to die.
"You are a fool," she cackled, as rage, pain, and confusion contorted the dragon's flickering spirit. "A gullible fool. Your toys may be powerful, but you are... weak. Mortal. Why should you be my consort, when you've nothing to offer me but limited trinkets forged of your soul?" Leaving him, she took the talismans and spread them to the wind - then vanished into the sky. It is said that later on, she bore a single egg sired by the black dragon; and that Hades' son would grow to be one of the most terrible dragons to ever scour the Realms for prey.
Little could compare to the agony and rage the dragon's spirit felt; the betrayal, and loss at his hard-won prize being ripped away from him so. So much was his anger that he loosed his reiatsu in waves of destruction that consumed swaths of trees and scores in the earth, before it all withdrew upon himself, surrounding the small gem that was his soul. For hours he sat, a swirling mass of visible emotion, coalesced energy - and it was only when dawn broke across the horizon that he stirred once more.
It was then that the spirit realized he could move - that the floating gem was not as stationary as he thought it was. Days he spent wandering the forests and mountains north of Jes're'en, avoided by frightened animals who sensed his boiling anger and fled before he passed. Those that were unfortunate enough to cross his path were viciously murdered; until, months later, he came across a small gryphon with a broken wing.
Something about the mortified gryphon made him pause before killing it; something made him think. Made him curious. And, after a moment, he let his magic surge forward to envelope the creature. In a similar process to how he had split his own soul, he cleaved a segment of the gryphon's essence away and - ignoring its piercing screams - solidified it into a gem much like his own. He projected the words of a kv'naer spell and tore at the gryphon's spirit, before binding it to the gem as he had watched Noamuth do. To his surprise - and delight - a creature something like himself emerged... and submitted to his will.
Thus was the second yiboril born.
Months turned into years, and years into centuries; Hades created many yiboril to serve him, and established order among those he created. However, he was bored and frustrated with his endeavors - Noamuth eluded his calls, and his existence felt stagnant and irritating. So, once more, he began to experiment. Long hours did he spent seeing what he could and could not do with his abilities; he slew even his fellow yiboril, before focusing his energies upon himself. He learned, then, that he could take a form much like that he had in life by binding his energies into a physical manifestation.
This inspired him to new heights; unimaginable cruelty. Thousands died beneath his wings, and the yiboril were forced to slay under his rule. As the tyrant killed, some found they were able to resist his compulsion... and as the years passed, more began to draw away from him. At last, hundreds of yiboril rose against Hades, and offered prayers to the Ten that they would succeed in killing him. They asked for the gods' help, but received no word - no assurance, no aide. Feeling alone and abandoned, they gathered their power and planned an assault.
When they struck at Hades, it was with the combined might of six hundred souls.
The battle raged for weeks; it decimated the Fey Plains, and destroyed the surrounding countryside. At last, in a great surge of energy, Hades was undone - and at last... the yiboril were free.
Great outcry there was against the gods; in the centuries following, their feelings of abandonment encompassed all. The legend of Hades' downfall was forgotten, twisted; remade. As their creator, he was risen as a god, and the old tales rewritten. The last hope of the yiboril to save the sanctity of their race is built upon a lie -
- and the lie will forever be believed.
Hades began life as a black western dragon; he had forward-sweeping ram horns and a deadly scarlet glow that emanated from beneath his obsidian scales, gleaming from sharp, malicious eyes and the innards of his mouth and nose. Hard plates and massive spines covered a sharp, angular body, equipped with wings and paws that held vicious talons and jagged spikes.
However, Noamuth betrayed him and killed him after their tryst; his soul was sheared from its mooring, and tied to one of the partial Soulgem talismans, unable to properly die. He became the First Yiboril, an undulating orb of shimmering, scarlet reiatsu streaked in black - later finding that he could bind such energies within a translucent version of his former self. He split the souls of many others into yiboril tied to his wellbeing, and used them as servants, seeking to regain the vast power that he had lost. However, he was slain some centuries after his created yiboril separated themselves from his mind, and only the untouched Talismans remain.
Now, he is seen as a god by current-day yiboril; believing themselves abandoned and forgotten by other gods, most believe that Hades is still alive, and dwells among the heavens as a greater deity. Any who try to claim otherwise - or who know of Hades' true history - is sternly denied, and punished if among their number. Therefore, scholars who visit the yiboril often do not speak of other gods, lest they be slain, turned into yiboril themselves, or subjected to much less pleasant fates.
subspecies
No subspecies have been discovered for this species yet!
