Forlorn

[Darkfather]

Viviris had a general question about the backstory of Forlorn. While we expect to publish a lot of the material that remains on the shelf, the backstory about Forlorn is interesting because of its relationship to magic.

Forlorn have been known for millennia, although the Eschaton of Dagoria brought their plight into common understanding. In ages past a magic user would occasionally trigger magic that was far past their ability to control. The magic would consume their physical anima, but enough of their personality would reform in the ether while the magical opening still existed that it would be able to rejoin the physical body. Without anima, the physical form technically dies, but the connection maintained by the personality with the ether would enable a physical existence. The result is an undead.

Most intelligent undead seem to the living to exist in odd ways, tending toward obsessive behavior, seemingly irrational fears, and aggression against living beings. Much of this is the limited nature of etheric intellects and the slow speed which the seat of intellect can transfer information from the ether to the physical world. The stronger the undead's connection with the ether, the more alien they become. Undead that totally loose their physical connections are the most dangerous and unfeeling of the undead, but also the most limited.

Undead who fight to keep their connection with their humanity do not become evil or twisted. Instead they can reach a place where they can interact with the living and behave in a civilized manner. Magic users who return to their bodies and fight for their humanity become Forlorn, if they do not fight, they become Revenants.

Forlorn cannot reproduce themselves, as making new Forlorn requires the torture and killing of a human, but every so often a Revenant will attempt to recruit a human and the human will resist, becoming a new forlorn.

Forlorn do not normally age and die, but many will become depressed after several centuries and give up their physical lives. A forlorn that quits fight for life is in essence committing suicide.

[Ewen O'mally]

I came across a question about the Forlorn. Whats the benefit of the racial trait Sleepless?

[Darkfather]

Forlorn do not "sleep" but instead meditate every 24 hours. Their meditations unfortunately are the rest of the dead. Find a resting Forlorn and they are extremely vulnerable - they cannot move, react, or defend themselves in their rest states, even though they are perfectly aware of what is happening. In fact, evil undead such as Revenants and Vampires cannot release themselves from this state, they cannot even choose to delay their rests.

Forlorn though strive to maintain a link with the living world and an empathy for living beings. One advantage of this is that their rest becomes much more like a waking sleep that can be delayed, roused from, and returned to, assuming they stay isolated from the light. This requires effort and practice, and is thus a racial ability.