Difference between revisions of "Awakening"
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(→Organic objects: compared with page "BioChormatic Breath") |
(→Dead bodies: compared with page "BioChormatic Breath") |
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When a Nalthian dies, there is a small chance that their corpse will Awaken in an apparently spontaneous manner as a sentient host called a [[Returned]], also known as a '''Type I BioChromatic entity'''. The Breath given to a Returned comes directly from the Shard [[Endowment]] through a process that is not yet clear.
Most of the time, however, dead bodies only Awaken during the process of creating
Lifeless, defined as Mindless Manifestations in a Deceased Host, or '''Type II BioChromatic entities''', are non-sentient reanimated human remains. They have a functioning brain, and are able to interpret old Commands and have new Commands given.
Once a '''Lifeless''' is created, it will obey any instructions given to it that include a pre-determined '''Command Phrase'''. Human Lifeless are able to understand more abstract instructions than animal Lifeless. However, the skill of the [[Awakener]] who Awakens the Lifeless also affects its ability. Any Lifeless will retain a level of skill that it had in life. For example, a soldier's corpse would make a better soldier Lifeless than that of a farmer's. ▼
Type II entities are cheap to make, even with awkward Commands (used to cost 50 breaths before the Manywar). This is due to the Law of BioChromatic Parallelism. However, Breath sticks so firmly to the construct that it is impossible to remove afterwards.
Breaths used to Awaken Lifeless cannot be recovered. This Breath will keep the Lifeless functioning for a long time. Lifeless can withstand wounds, but too much damage will eventually cause the Lifeless to cease activity, which means that Lifeless bodies need to be maintained and repaired (e.g. by sewing its wounds shut) when needed. One innovation in Lifeless maintenance is the use of [[ichor-alcohol]], a substance discovered by [[Yesteel]] that could act as blood for Lifeless and that greatly prolongs their viability.▼
▲Once a '''Lifeless''' is created, it will obey any instructions given to it that include a pre-determined '''Command Phrase'''(similar to a password). Human Lifeless are able to understand more abstract instructions than animal Lifeless. However, the skill of the [[Awakener]] who Awakens the Lifeless also affects its ability. Any Lifeless will retain a level of skill that it had in life. For example, a soldier's corpse would make a better soldier Lifeless than that of a farmer's.
▲
Lifeless created from bones encased in stone have the advantage of being extremely resilient and not needing [[ichor-alcohol]]. It is also possible to make stone Lifeless by transforming a dead body to stone (e.g. via [[Soulcasting]]) before Awakening it.{{qa ref|1068|12}}
The discovery of how to create Lifeless with just a single Breath eventually led to the Lifeless armies of the [[Manywar]]. One example of a single-Breath Lifeless Command is ''Awaken to my Breath, serve my needs, live at my Command and my word.''.
=== Metal and stone ===
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