[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/sqU7OWz.png[/img][/center]
It had been hundreds of years since the birth of the lineage that would come to be known as Memento Mori. Dozens of descendants had been given the Bargain, had cheated death and come back from beyond to live another day. Dragons from every corner of Sornieth had seen beyond the veil and ventured deep into the Underworld. Thieves and conmen had beguiled mortal dragons, played the hero and won themselves fortune after fortune by partnering with the ghosts and shades they pretended to exorcize. Other Mori tore through the undead with never ending bloodlust-- their desire to exact revenge for the life they lost would know no bounds and they could not be stopped. Killing these Sin-Eaters would only result in them clawing their way back from beyond the grave for a second, third, or fourth time; each time seeing them lose more and more of what made them whole, each time they're dragged back to life, they lose more and more of the control over themselves. Their geistly familiar threaten to Puppet their undying bodies. Was what was coming for them a fate worse than death? Still, other Mori worked tirelessly to upend every dark and deadly secret, to learn impossible secrets that betrayed Laws of Death themselves. These dragons and their Geist chaperones delve horribly, horrifically deep into the Underworld-- where they lose sight of what it means to be alive. Chasing their thirst for arcane and dark knowledge that didn't belong to the living... secrets that belonged to the long-dead; if the kerberoi had ever been alive, at all.
Acanthus, Moros, Vigil, and Pilgrim held their courts: taking on the roles of mentors, of leaders, of guides. Charons in their own rights, centuries old, leading their young and their descendants down in to the darkest depths of the Underworld, sometimes barely escaping, themselves. Often there were losses. So many of their lineage would become lost, deep underground where the sun had never touched, miles below ground where the border between this realm and the next became a suggestion, a whisper, a promise half forgotten. They had led fights against impossible emblems of fear and death and lost and rage; concepts that had never known life but we're given form eternal. Wars were waged with the dead that would never be won, could never be won, because of the eternal balance of life and death. So many descendants became pawns to be sacrificed as the progenitors of the Memento Mori traveled deeper and darker down into the depths of the Underworld. Some of those they lost would become trapped, become immortal victims of the endless waging war. Others became gods, overthrowing kerberoi and taking over their realms, only to become chained to those realms by unforgiving Laws. Over time, the four progenitors began to understand that their lineage was feeding the eternal and ravenous maw of death, that for every life their line created, for every Bargain struck, there would be horror brought into being to balance it.
[img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e4b07a2130a65d3ee3a1378a53a1df/tumblr_pb0d7gpeE41ugssd3o2_r1_500.png[/img]
Even still, it was the duty of the progenitors to swell their numbers, to ensure that the Sin-Eaters would not be Undone, would not be wiped out. That good could prevail, if there were such a thing as good, when there was most certainly that which was the embodiment of evil. The lineage had to grow, had to swell, and now, tonight, there was a frantic energy that spilled from Avernian Gates, as if the dead themselves were suddenly and succinctly crying out for immediate help. The four progenitors looked at each other and understood what needed to be done. They spread their wings and lifted off into the sky to find new partners. The lineage had become stagnant, it hadn't grown in years, it had begun to collapse within itself. New births were few and far between, and those who survived to experience their Bargain were even fewer. Barely a handful every year, and less over time. Their lineage was dying out. The progenitors had no choice but to adapt and evolve. They needed to take in new blood, new magic, new abilities. A new facade to carry their eldritch ichor that flowed through their veins. Their undead enemies had long since recognized them. It was time to adapt and survive, and it had to begin with the starting four. Though their love for each other was unconditional and irrevocable, they sought out new partners for a new age.
Pin, Kali, Tar, and Autumn would become inextricably tied to this royal kingdom of undead, and on their brows would be placed the crowns of the Underworld, itself. They died, each of them, and were given the Bargain. They made their promises, drank from the somber chalice of eternity, signed their names to the contract they could not fully understand-- and sold their souls for the promise of protecting the world against a tomorrow that swore to obliterate heaven itself.
It had been hundreds of years since the birth of the lineage that would come to be known as Memento Mori. Dozens of descendants had been given the Bargain, had cheated death and come back from beyond to live another day. Dragons from every corner of Sornieth had seen beyond the veil and ventured deep into the Underworld. Thieves and conmen had beguiled mortal dragons, played the hero and won themselves fortune after fortune by partnering with the ghosts and shades they pretended to exorcize. Other Mori tore through the undead with never ending bloodlust-- their desire to exact revenge for the life they lost would know no bounds and they could not be stopped. Killing these Sin-Eaters would only result in them clawing their way back from beyond the grave for a second, third, or fourth time; each time seeing them lose more and more of what made them whole, each time they're dragged back to life, they lose more and more of the control over themselves. Their geistly familiar threaten to Puppet their undying bodies. Was what was coming for them a fate worse than death? Still, other Mori worked tirelessly to upend every dark and deadly secret, to learn impossible secrets that betrayed Laws of Death themselves. These dragons and their Geist chaperones delve horribly, horrifically deep into the Underworld-- where they lose sight of what it means to be alive. Chasing their thirst for arcane and dark knowledge that didn't belong to the living... secrets that belonged to the long-dead; if the kerberoi had ever been alive, at all.
Acanthus, Moros, Vigil, and Pilgrim held their courts: taking on the roles of mentors, of leaders, of guides. Charons in their own rights, centuries old, leading their young and their descendants down in to the darkest depths of the Underworld, sometimes barely escaping, themselves. Often there were losses. So many of their lineage would become lost, deep underground where the sun had never touched, miles below ground where the border between this realm and the next became a suggestion, a whisper, a promise half forgotten. They had led fights against impossible emblems of fear and death and lost and rage; concepts that had never known life but we're given form eternal. Wars were waged with the dead that would never be won, could never be won, because of the eternal balance of life and death. So many descendants became pawns to be sacrificed as the progenitors of the Memento Mori traveled deeper and darker down into the depths of the Underworld. Some of those they lost would become trapped, become immortal victims of the endless waging war. Others became gods, overthrowing kerberoi and taking over their realms, only to become chained to those realms by unforgiving Laws. Over time, the four progenitors began to understand that their lineage was feeding the eternal and ravenous maw of death, that for every life their line created, for every Bargain struck, there would be horror brought into being to balance it.
Even still, it was the duty of the progenitors to swell their numbers, to ensure that the Sin-Eaters would not be Undone, would not be wiped out. That good could prevail, if there were such a thing as good, when there was most certainly that which was the embodiment of evil. The lineage had to grow, had to swell, and now, tonight, there was a frantic energy that spilled from Avernian Gates, as if the dead themselves were suddenly and succinctly crying out for immediate help. The four progenitors looked at each other and understood what needed to be done. They spread their wings and lifted off into the sky to find new partners. The lineage had become stagnant, it hadn't grown in years, it had begun to collapse within itself. New births were few and far between, and those who survived to experience their Bargain were even fewer. Barely a handful every year, and less over time. Their lineage was dying out. The progenitors had no choice but to adapt and evolve. They needed to take in new blood, new magic, new abilities. A new facade to carry their eldritch ichor that flowed through their veins. Their undead enemies had long since recognized them. It was time to adapt and survive, and it had to begin with the starting four. Though their love for each other was unconditional and irrevocable, they sought out new partners for a new age.
Pin, Kali, Tar, and Autumn would become inextricably tied to this royal kingdom of undead, and on their brows would be placed the crowns of the Underworld, itself. They died, each of them, and were given the Bargain. They made their promises, drank from the somber chalice of eternity, signed their names to the contract they could not fully understand-- and sold their souls for the promise of protecting the world against a tomorrow that swore to obliterate heaven itself.
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/udjzkfO.png[/img]
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[quote]If a dragon is part of a certain archetype, do they exhibit one of that archetype's trait, or all of them?[/quote]
They could exhibit one trait or all of an archetype - the traits are just different examples of how that archetype might manifest for them!
[quote]Is there a restriction on how a dragon dies, and what archetype they revive into?[/quote]
There are no restrictions - but usually, they tend to follow a theme re: death and archetype. But that isn't a hard rule! I encourage your creativity above all, what i set out are just guidelines.
[quote]Does death have to be painful?[/quote]
Not at all- for ex Pilgrim died with no pain at all, just from an illness that took her energy away. You can die from a broken heart or a split-second accident and have no (physical) pain. Dying in ones sleep happens.
[quote]What kind of reasons are valid for them to come back?[/quote]
Reasons to come back could be anything- family, friends, unfinished business- whether that's wanting to do something, or just plain greed and not wanting to let go of this life because [i]"I wasn't finished!"[/i]
[quote]Do they lose memories? Or do some retain a piece (or pieces) of their other selves when transitioned?[/quote]
That's entirely up to you- they can remember everything or nothing- usually i'd say they remember normally- maybe erasing the death if it was traumatic, but remembering the promise with the familiar.
There's not really a huge memory/personality shift unless you want there to be- mostly it's just the dragon is now living (again) with the memory of death, and the subconscious of another otherworldly being's desires grafted onto their own. But trauma affects everyone differently.
Ex: Acanthus blacked out the memory of her death- she came back to life and agreed to the bargain because she's a conspiracy theorist and knew there was more. Now her obsession is finding out who killed her and why. What did she know that got her killed? what did she find out?
On the other hand, her white rot deer familiar whispers her stories of what happened, but Acanthus doesn't know/can't know what's real or what's not. The deer tells her one day it was an accident, the next day it was murder, the third it was a magic spell gone awry. The deer tells her what happened in the world while she was dead, buried in the frozen ground- but did it really happen.
[quote]Are there cases where there were unwilling victims to come back?[/quote]
Short answer: No. you have to agree. Consent and a desire to live again is vital.
If you want to die, then a familiar can't drag your ghost back from the underworld-
spoilers: the dragon who died would end up a zombie/possessed completely, their body just a reanimated shell, with the familiar piloting it like a suit. Even committing suicide, there has to be that last-second spark of regret... the wish to live again.
[quote]Is it possible for a memento mori to die and come back in the egg? [/quote]
Yes. - it's (old) canon lore that eggs can rot, so I don't see why that can't continue into the memento lore.
[quote]What does a Memento Mori hatchling owe to their familiar? is there a specific thing or do we choose it?[/quote]
Nothing specific! Lore wise, the familiar has its own interests that the dragon may have to bend to on occasion, or some unfinished business the dragon must tend to on the familiars behalf, that sort of thing.
Quote:
If a dragon is part of a certain archetype, do they exhibit one of that archetype's trait, or all of them?
They could exhibit one trait or all of an archetype - the traits are just different examples of how that archetype might manifest for them!
Quote:
Is there a restriction on how a dragon dies, and what archetype they revive into?
There are no restrictions - but usually, they tend to follow a theme re: death and archetype. But that isn't a hard rule! I encourage your creativity above all, what i set out are just guidelines.
Quote:
Does death have to be painful?
Not at all- for ex Pilgrim died with no pain at all, just from an illness that took her energy away. You can die from a broken heart or a split-second accident and have no (physical) pain. Dying in ones sleep happens.
Quote:
What kind of reasons are valid for them to come back?
Reasons to come back could be anything- family, friends, unfinished business- whether that's wanting to do something, or just plain greed and not wanting to let go of this life because
"I wasn't finished!"
Quote:
Do they lose memories? Or do some retain a piece (or pieces) of their other selves when transitioned?
That's entirely up to you- they can remember everything or nothing- usually i'd say they remember normally- maybe erasing the death if it was traumatic, but remembering the promise with the familiar.
There's not really a huge memory/personality shift unless you want there to be- mostly it's just the dragon is now living (again) with the memory of death, and the subconscious of another otherworldly being's desires grafted onto their own. But trauma affects everyone differently.
Ex: Acanthus blacked out the memory of her death- she came back to life and agreed to the bargain because she's a conspiracy theorist and knew there was more. Now her obsession is finding out who killed her and why. What did she know that got her killed? what did she find out?
On the other hand, her white rot deer familiar whispers her stories of what happened, but Acanthus doesn't know/can't know what's real or what's not. The deer tells her one day it was an accident, the next day it was murder, the third it was a magic spell gone awry. The deer tells her what happened in the world while she was dead, buried in the frozen ground- but did it really happen.
Quote:
Are there cases where there were unwilling victims to come back?
Short answer: No. you have to agree. Consent and a desire to live again is vital.
If you want to die, then a familiar can't drag your ghost back from the underworld-
spoilers: the dragon who died would end up a zombie/possessed completely, their body just a reanimated shell, with the familiar piloting it like a suit. Even committing suicide, there has to be that last-second spark of regret... the wish to live again.
Quote:
Is it possible for a memento mori to die and come back in the egg?
Yes. - it's (old) canon lore that eggs can rot, so I don't see why that can't continue into the memento lore.
Quote:
What does a Memento Mori hatchling owe to their familiar? is there a specific thing or do we choose it?
Nothing specific! Lore wise, the familiar has its own interests that the dragon may have to bend to on occasion, or some unfinished business the dragon must tend to on the familiars behalf, that sort of thing.
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/VptXe5u.png[/img]
[/center]
Hello, friends and Mori enthusiasts! I wanted make a sort of interest check, I'm thinking of making a sister lineage to the Memento Mori, but of course I have so many ideas and need a bit of input to narrow them down.
I'm thinking, this lineage are [i]the geists,[/i] the never-born spirits who make the Bargain with our dragons -- only this time, they've come from the Underworld to infiltrate Sornieth and have taken on a unique dragon form. The familiar you choose is your dragons' True Form, the visage they take on when they travel into the Underworld and shed their mortal shell. These geist-dragons are effectively immortal, and they're not exactly alive.
The driving goal of the geist-dragons is to spy, to obfuscate themselves among the living and they're wholly drawn to those dragons with second sight, those dragons who can seek peeks beyond the veil to see the undead, those who speak to ghosts or follow ley lines or dream of the underworld.
They're essentially engineered by the God-Machine to attach themselves to dragons who will take the Bargain when they're on the verge of death, to those dragons who desperately want to live again.
The geist-dragons want to [i]live forever,[/i] and they need to haunt the living to do it.
Hello, friends and Mori enthusiasts! I wanted make a sort of interest check, I'm thinking of making a sister lineage to the Memento Mori, but of course I have so many ideas and need a bit of input to narrow them down.
I'm thinking, this lineage are
the geists, the never-born spirits who make the Bargain with our dragons -- only this time, they've come from the Underworld to infiltrate Sornieth and have taken on a unique dragon form. The familiar you choose is your dragons' True Form, the visage they take on when they travel into the Underworld and shed their mortal shell. These geist-dragons are effectively immortal, and they're not exactly alive.
The driving goal of the geist-dragons is to spy, to obfuscate themselves among the living and they're wholly drawn to those dragons with second sight, those dragons who can seek peeks beyond the veil to see the undead, those who speak to ghosts or follow ley lines or dream of the underworld.
They're essentially engineered by the God-Machine to attach themselves to dragons who will take the Bargain when they're on the verge of death, to those dragons who desperately want to live again.
The geist-dragons want to
live forever, and they need to haunt the living to do it.
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tIC8146.png[/img][/center]
[b]Expanded Allowed Gene Sets:[/b]
Pinstripe & Trail:
A jail cell, or a snazzy suit meant to put you at ease while illicit shenanigans happen behind your back. Also uh... Beetlejuice. XD
Tapir & Striation:
Stripes remind one of a prison.
Cherub & Seraph:
Heavenly connection.
Cinder & Blaze:
Fire consumes... or the spark of life.
Ground & Fissure:
Buried. [s]Alive?[/s] Also literally a vision of the Underworld.
Harlequin & Jester:
Spectres and ghosts are often jokers and speak in riddles or cause general trouble for the living.
Pharaoh & Sarcophagus:
Nothing speaks louder to the glory and hubris of death.
Ribbon & Eel:
Carrying forward the idea of stripes and a prison.
Tide & Foam:
Drowning.
Boulder & Myrid:
Again, the theme of being buried.
[center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e4b07a2130a65d3ee3a1378a53a1df/tumblr_pb0d7gpeE41ugssd3o2_r1_500.png[/img]
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Expanded Allowed Gene Sets:
Pinstripe & Trail:
A jail cell, or a snazzy suit meant to put you at ease while illicit shenanigans happen behind your back. Also uh... Beetlejuice. XD
Tapir & Striation:
Stripes remind one of a prison.
Cherub & Seraph:
Heavenly connection.
Cinder & Blaze:
Fire consumes... or the spark of life.
Ground & Fissure:
Buried.
Alive? Also literally a vision of the Underworld.
Harlequin & Jester:
Spectres and ghosts are often jokers and speak in riddles or cause general trouble for the living.
Pharaoh & Sarcophagus:
Nothing speaks louder to the glory and hubris of death.
Ribbon & Eel:
Carrying forward the idea of stripes and a prison.
Tide & Foam:
Drowning.
Boulder & Myrid:
Again, the theme of being buried.
[center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e4b07a2130a65d3ee3a1378a53a1df/tumblr_pb0d7gpeE41ugssd3o2_r1_500.png[/img]
[/center]
[center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e4b07a2130a65d3ee3a1378a53a1df/tumblr_pb0d7gpeE41ugssd3o2_r1_500.png[/img]
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[center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e4b07a2130a65d3ee3a1378a53a1df/tumblr_pb0d7gpeE41ugssd3o2_r1_500.png[/img]
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[center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e4b07a2130a65d3ee3a1378a53a1df/tumblr_pb0d7gpeE41ugssd3o2_r1_500.png[/img]
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[center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e4b07a2130a65d3ee3a1378a53a1df/tumblr_pb0d7gpeE41ugssd3o2_r1_500.png[/img]
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