History

In the oldest remembered ages there existed a careful balance of powers in the Deadlands. Charon ruled as that plane’s sole lord, while various spectral communities such as the Ajaunti Ancestors were accepted so long as they did not impede him in his duties. Only the Manes, long-dead spirits whose power had an inverse relationship with their memories of mortal life, ever dared to defy the delicate peace that had long settled over the plane. While they were often difficult to deal with, the combined might of the Ajaunti Ancestors was sufficient to ward off any of these unwelcome spirits at the time, while Charon’s mastery over all else that was dead ensured that no Mane ever grew so powerful as to threaten his domain. Lest they be annihilated, these Manes were often forced into the deepest and darkest corners of the Deadlands, where despite their ever-growing power, they lived in constant fear of the God of Death and his army of angelic Reapers. Those that attempted to challenge or check Charon’s power were simply annihilated, their spiritual essence rent into pieces and scattered to their realm’s acrid winds.

However, like most things, this state of affairs could not last forever. Two events of note forever changed the lot of the Manes, and in doing so the delicate balance of the Deadlands was forever upset. In the year 2258, the Gods manifested upon Arthos to bring an end to a celestial being who they thought was Ga’More, God of Domination and master of the numberless Brood hordes. In the ensuing conflict, many of the celestials met their final end, and one notable result of those battles was the god Vesmir assuming the twin mantles of Death and Time. However, as he did so his strength and control over the forces of death was in turn slightly diminished as well. It has been theorized that yes, even the gods have limits, and by taking on another domain that was in and of itself so important and as all-encompassing as death, his mastery over death and the Deadlands was weakened. As this occurred, the Manes who had once been hiding and living in fear of obliteration discovered this new weakness. No longer could the god of the dead hold back from them all that the Deadlands had to offer, and in time they discovered that as they aged and consumed other lost spirits that inhabited the Deadlands, their essence grew more and more entangled with the plane they inhabited. Given enough time, a Mane would in a sense become a part of the Deadlands itself. This made them effectively indestructible, as killing them would destroy a portion of the Deadlands as well.

Were this the only misfortune to fall upon Vesmir, perhaps a proper solution to the problem of the Manes could have been found. However, Vesmir soon found himself in fierce competition for control of the Deadlands. The birth and subsequent fall of the Goddess Haldora drew the attention of Vesmir away from their foul deeds and burgeoning power. Where once Charon had sole dominion over his realm, now, as Vesmir, he found himself challenged for control of what had been his for countless centuries. As he fought this new invading Goddess and her army of lost spirits, the Manes continued consuming other spirits, while practicing and developing their burgeoning mystical powers without any sort of restraint. Countless mortal spirits were treated as little more than fuel, with no thought given to their personhood or even their right to exist. By the time the first of the battles between Haldora and Vesmir had died down, some of the strongest Manes ruled entire petty kingdoms, with the spirits of long-dead mortals being sacrificed daily to feed their immense hunger. Not wanting to risk further damage to his realm by trying to uproot these spirits so inextricably bound to his plane, Vesmir simply erected powerful wards that would forever prevent the Manes from entering the parts of the Deadlands he still held dominion over, with Haldora doing more or less the same thing. As for the Dragon Oblivion, his presence alone seems to be ward enough for the wandering Manes, as none dare go within miles of his island for fear of the unknown. No one apart from Oblivion himself can accurately deduce what would happen if a Mane of any kind was swallowed into his hoard, and as such no spirit seeks to test the Halfdead’s jaws on the matter.

Unfortunately for the Ajaunti Ancestors, their power was now insufficient to perform such a task, fearsome though they may have been. Unlike previous centuries, some of these Manes had grown so strong as to challenge even their combined might. These Manes in turn tore through the spectral caravans of the Ajaunti Ancestors, stealing away with the most ancient spirits of their people so that they might consume their essence and power. Clearly, something had to be done, for this state of affairs could not be tolerated forever.

The greatest mystics amongst the Ancestors gathered together, and after what would have been weeks without sleep for any mortal, a solution to their problem was reached. The Manes could not be killed, at least, not by them, but they could be exiled from the Deadlands. The power that granted them their invincibility was also a weakness, a vulnerability that could be twisted against them by deep magicks known only to the eldest of Ajaunti.

Nearly every Ancestor gathered together when the veil between the land of the dead and the lands of the living was weakest, All Hallow’s Eve in the year twenty-two sixty-two. After calling upon every last bit of power they could muster, they cursed the very Deadlands itself! While the particulars were and are still kept very well hidden lest the Manes discover how they were cursed, what is known is that what spiritual power that had once tied the Manes to the Deadlands, was now a repulsive force that threw them beyond the veil and kept them there. When these spirits tried to return to the Deadlands, they found that their way back was shut, and no method under the sky could force it back open. They were now and seemingly forever imprisoned on Arthos, living without even a trace of the power they once wielded. So effective is the curse of the Ajaunti Ancestors, that any Mane who grows powerful enough and is not shielded from the curse by one of the Ancestors, will then be thus afflicted with it. Furthermore, as a side effect of their violent exile, the memories of their mortal lives are destroyed.

Geography

The Blackmanes are a scarce and solitary people, having no real settlements or nations of any kind to call their own. Due to their persecuted nature and their relatively low population, they tend to avoid gathering in the kind of significant numbers that would attract undue attention from their enemies. In the past, when a particularly charismatic and powerful Blackmane has managed to gather other like-minded spirits to their cause, said congregations usually met a violent end at the hands of organizations such as the Citadel.

That being said, Blackmanes can be found almost anywhere on Arthos. Unless they so choose to display them, they have no identifying marking or other characteristics that would mark them as anything else than the mortal that they appear to be. As such, many Blackmanes tend to favour larger urban settlements where they might blend in more easily, where their odd nature or anachronistic mannerisms might be more easily ignored by uncaring neighbours. Blackmanes tend to avoid small villages and towns, however, as these present their own unique challenges. Blending in as a parasitic body thief is considerably harder in closer and tighter-knit communities, as any discrepancies in memory or behaviour are both easier to notice by their neighbours and considerably harder to explain away. Thus, most Blackmanes who are unwilling to try and blend in amongst the teeming throngs of the urban poor tend to become either vagabond wanderers or settle in the small frontier towns. These places are magnets to the social rejects that take up adventuring as a profession. The nomadic Blackmanes believe that by sticking to outlying settlements and never remaining in one place for too long, they can avoid being identified by their enemies or blamed for the misfortune that seems to follow them everywhere. Meanwhile, those citizens of these frontier towns are often more willing to overlook the grim reputations of the Blackmanes if they pull their weight, and are often subject to less oversight, legal or religious, than their more civilized counterparts.

There is however an exception to every rule, and somewhere deep within the mountains of northern Mjoll lies a once-abandoned fortress. Where once the warriors of a long-passed High King ranged out to wage war against the Crissen’Thalan, now there is but a small but significant contingent of Blackmanes. Sheltered by its walls and the difficulty of traversing the mountain passes that lead to them, these Blackmanes gather under the faded banner of an ancient Blackmane known only as the Shattered Prince. They claim to have once been a king amongst kings when humanity was taking its first steps out into Arthos, and that their power in the Deadlands after they passed was nearly unrivalled. Given the curse that all Blackmanes have been afflicted with, none are certain of the truth of their words. What is based in truth is their power, as very few mystics can hope to command the restless dead in a similar manner, and with each passing year their numbers and powers swell. The few attempts that have been made to clear them out have only met with abject failure thus far.

Culture

Blackmane culture is a fragmented thing, a tangled syncretic mess of traditions and superstitions both invented by themselves and stolen from other peoples. Given that so few Blackmanes ever congregate in significant numbers, these traditions often take the form of teachings passed down from elder Blackmanes to younger ones. When a new Blackmane is ejected from the Deadlands, these beings are often identified by an older Blackmane that takes in the youngling and teaches them what they are and how to survive. No Blackmane emerges from the veil between the world of the living and the dead knowing how to claim a body, but they do remember all the sins they inflicted upon their fellow lost spirits as a fearsome ghost within the Deadlands. Thus, even the most blasé young Blackmane knows deep within their very spirit that they need to hide and not stand out amongst the other mortals, but few novice Blackmanes know exactly how they should go about doing so. As such, most new Blackmanes are then taught the ropes by someone that does, lest they be forced to gradually put everything together on their own. In return for this education, most elder Blackmanes expect a term of service from the younger spirit. Thus, a great deal of what one might call Blackmane culture largely depends upon the personal outlook and experiences of those who act as mentors to the younger Blackmanes, but there are certain common elements found across a wide swath of the Blackmane race.

Most Blackmanes are expected to become quite independent by their mentors, once their apprenticeship is over. Their nature and their histories indicate that most cannot rely upon friends or allies, or even the basic functions of civilization to provide for their material needs should they be discovered as being what they are. As such, few if any lean towards honest trades, and most tend to support themselves with some mixed combination of scavenging, thievery, and banditry. Similarly, violence is a constant companion to most Blackmanes, and those who do not have at least passing familiarity with dealing death rarely stay corporeal for long. Pacifist Blackmanes are quite rare.

Any Blackmane with any sense does not claim the body of an Ajaunti unless there is no other option. No other race is perhaps better equipped to torment or thwart them, and as such most reasonable Blackmanes obey this unspoken rule to avoid antagonizing that race any further. Also, it seems that some other types of humans are not suitable hosts for any Blackmane, and it has been theorized that Styphon’s gift of mortality lingers more strongly in these humans, and these energies do not tolerate the presence of the Blackmane’s immortal spirit.

Lastly, religion is entirely foreign to the Blackmane race, with many Blackmanes arrogantly proclaiming that they are themselves superior to all of the higher powers. Some might even mean it. Due to the curse laid upon them and their link to the Deadlands, the spirit of a Blackmane is completely unable to offer sustenance and power via their faith in a god, and thus even when not actively hostile, the Gods will still reject any and all of these spirits. Furthermore, the wounds inflicted upon their souls irreversibly severs them from advancing along the one-hundred-step path of the Draconic. Thus, most Blackmanes tend to focus on the acquisition of power and their safety in the here and now, since that is all there is for them.

Possession

In their natural state, the spirits known as Blackmanes exist purely as ephemeral ghosts bound to the mortal plane, forever unseen and unheard by most mortals that dwell upon it. Unable to manifest or wield any of the spiritual power they might have commanded in the Deadlands, theirs is a grim and desolate existence. Only the most powerful mystics are capable of interacting with a Blackmane while they exist in this state, and given their black reputation, few would ever want to. Returning to the Deadlands is also impossible for these spirits, as that grim plane wholly rejects their spiritual presence thanks to the curses laid upon them by the Ajaunti Ancestors. Now, they have no choice but to seize control of a mortal’s flesh and take it for their own. Interestingly, not just any mortal will do. In their ghostly form, a Blackmane is far too weak to shunt aside a spirit that is currently clinging to its own flesh, but there are mortals whose links between spirit and body are far more easily severed. These are most commonly mystics projecting their own spirits outwards, but certain spells and rituals may also leave one vulnerable to the grim act of possession.

The process of seizing and establishing permanent control over flesh that is not your own is hardly an easy task, even when the link between a body and its spirit is weak and stretched thin. This link between a Blackmane and their stolen form is a fragile thing, and once it has been severed by a death it can never be re-established. When a body being ridden by a Blackmane experiences death, that death is always a final one for that corpus. The spiritual form of the Blackmane is cast out and unable to reclaim the meat it once wore. Now, it is but food for the worms. Assuming that the spirit of the Blackmane is still strong enough, it will claim a new body whether it wishes to return to a corporeal existence or not. The curse laid upon them is extremely potent, and it will eventually force them into the nearest available form given enough time. However, a Blackmane does have a measure of control over this process, and while they cannot deny it entirely, they can delay it for a day or two and even choose to claim a particular body should it be vulnerable at that moment.

Gargylen bodies suitable for possession are both rare and highly prized by Blackmanes, as they are so easily maintained and completely immune to the ravages of aging. Entire conflicts have been started over who will get the chance to claim the rocky flesh of a Gargylen mystic once one has been identified, and once claimed they are jealously guarded and protected by their owners.

The paradoxical contradiction of experiencing a final death, yet remaining as a conscious being, is an extremely traumatic experience for most ghosts, who’ve only had to experience it once. A Blackmane will likely experience these deaths many times, and despite how accustomed to the psionic trauma one might think that they have become, it really does not get any easier with time or experience. Exactly how many deaths a particular Blackmane can bear before their mind inevitably snaps under the strain seems to vary, but it is clear experiencing death enough times will at the very least inevitably bring about the same sort of amnesia that all Blackmanes experience upon being ejected from the Deadlands. Beyond that, theories of what happens to the Blackmane’s spirit after it has tasted death enough times widely vary, and as of yet there is no scholarly consensus as to what truly happens. Some scholars believe that once a Blackmane’s spirit has become too weak to claim a body, it remains in limbo between the world of the living and the dead, unable to interact with either world, imperceptible to even the strongest of mystics. Others believe that the spirit is simply obliterated, while a growing number of more pessimistic academics have expressed the belief that the cycle of amnesia and possession repeats without end, for surely the spirit itself is eternal? The only certain fact is that the truth of the matter, whatever it might be, is currently unknown.

Family

Few Blackmanes maintain anything approaching a familial bond, and most are at best capable of forming mutually beneficial partnerships. Most Blackmanes are simply too ancient for their original families, or even their descendants, to still be alive when they return to Arthos, nor would the Blackmane remember who any of them are. Similarly, Blackmanes are few enough in number that families amongst their kind are essentially a statistical error, nor can they breed or make any more of their kind. Even if they could find a mate, their innate unnatural existence does not aid the establishment of healthy relationships.

However, while most Blackmanes remain solitary creatures with few emotional attachments, there is a technique based upon a perverse inversion of the behaviour of the cuckoo bird and employed by some particularly crafty and charismatic Blackmanes. This requires both the Blackmane and their target to have their spirits separated on the same day, but by carefully observing a potential target for a great length of time before ensuring their death and taking possession, some Blackmanes can affect a passing imitation of the person who once wore their new flesh. A crafty Blackmane can keep this illusion going for months or even years before they slip up, exploiting their family for whatever they can manage to extract from them. Stories of these perverse spirits are told in hushed tones and are a source of much paranoia and fear in communities where the mystic arts are common.

There are always exceptions to every rule. Some Blackmanes are changed by the experience of their cursed exile and are able to put aside the twisted ambitions and desires that led them down their original path. Or at the very least, they give it an honest try. These spirits are those who most often chose not to hide the orange spectral essence that leaks from their eyes, as they recognize that the first step towards redemption is throwing aside all forms of deception. These lucky few are occasionally able to find a community that accepts them as they are, and often work with their allies to ensure that the bodies they claim are those that belong to the worst of the worst that mortal society has to offer. However, even these exceptionally-tolerant folk are frequently on edge around the Blackmane. After all, one bad day and they could lose their body to a being that was once so vile, that even those that dwell within the land of the dead rejected them.

Religion and Superstition

The spirit of a Blackmane is fundamentally broken at the deepest metaphysical level possible, and no God or Dragon has ever laid claim upon, nor granted their favour to such a being. Furthermore, it is theorized that their spiritual essence is so twisted and warped by their unnaturally prolonged existence, that it becomes fundamentally incompatible with the rare powers that these beings bestow. Indeed, it reacts quite harshly to the spells cast by those favoured with violent intent, and even the Chosen that might attempt to otherwise aid a Blackmane with their magic would find such an effort to be impossible. The very idea of a Blackmane is also abhorrent to many of the Gods and Dragons, and as such these beings often direct their followers to imprison, kill, or destroy them whenever they are found. It is said that the destruction of the Blackmane race is the one thing that both Vesmir and Styphon can agree on, for anything that defies the destined death that belongs to all mortals is a grave insult to both higher powers. Furthermore, the sort of death inflicted by a Blackmane’s possession of a mortal form often curses the spirit to an eternal restless existence in the Deadlands, sometimes denying the higher power a spirit that should have been theirs by right.

As such, few Blackmanes ever bother to worship a God or a Dragon. And why should they? Even if any of the higher powers could accept their faith, what would they gain from such an act? They are eternal, their memories might fade, but their spirit will not. What need have they of an eternity as a fawning celestial servant or an armoured scale upon a Firstborn’s hide? Why should they bow down before another, when it is they who should be worshiped?

Even the forces of the Demonic rarely offer their deals to Blackmanes. Their spirits are fundamentally bound to Arthos in such an extreme fashion that collecting upon any errant soul debts is nigh impossible. While the lack of other options for a patron might make a Blackmane’s service occasionally useful to a particular Demon, most of the Demonic races understand that these strange ghosts are good for little beyond that.

Common Personalities and Views

A lack of any unifying culture or nation has meant that most Blackmanes tend to be quite varied in their mannerisms and outlook, often having a rather odd personality formed from piecemeal snippets of the various cultures that they sample as they move from body to body. The amnesia they have been cursed with further compounds this alienation, as no Blackmane carries with them anything they may have learned while in that first mortal life. They have no name, no traditions, and no culture that might shape their worldview. When they emerge from the Deadlands, the only memories they carry are acts they committed as a Mane. These memories, while very real, are extremely difficult to process as the mind of a ghost and the mind of a mortal are extremely different things. Separated from feeling, culture, and suffering from a loss of self, the actions of a ghost do not make sense when viewed through a mortal lens. Thus, while many Blackmanes know for an absolute fact that they committed these sins, they cannot understand why, or how they felt when they did it.

Although they might not remember their mortal lives, the weight of their sins is so utterly monumental that even total amnesia cannot entirely wipe away all that they were before. Many Blackmanes feel that they cannot change who they are, and give in to the sorts of amoral, selfish behaviours that tainted their spirit in the first place, but a rare few are so utterly changed by the grim knowledge that they carry within that they resolve to earn some sort of redemption for their foul deeds. However, even the most redeemable Blackmane will still worry that the very core of their spirit is rotten, tainted by the foulest deeds a mortal being can ever commit, and that true redemption might be impossible to achieve.

Roleplaying Tips

• Most people are going to hate you, and even the most understanding and kind soul is going to be aware that at some point, you might just decide to steal their body if they happen to be vulnerable enough. Similarly, these people might be aware that anyone suddenly acting odd or out of character might be attempting to hide as a beloved family patriarch or favoured daughter. Be cautious of everyone, and be ready to lie, cheat, steal, and kill to keep yourself alive if necessary.
• In both your original mortal life and your time as a Mane, you were a vile and supremely self-centred monster. You don’t necessarily have to be that way now, but those traits should bleed over into your life somehow, even if only for something for a repentant Blackmane to fight against.
• When you were exiled from the Deadlands, you were not cast out because you were irredeemably evil, ghosts do not see the world as we mortals do. Yes, you are guilty of a thousand unpardonable sins, but these are not why the Ajaunti Ancestors cursed your kind. You were exiled because you were dangerous. Your actions made you a threat to all the other lost spirits in the Deadlands. Bereft of a link to mortal existence, most ghosts no longer understand ethics, but they do still acknowledge their instincts and urges, self-preservation being the prime example. When your power grew at the expense of others, as you consumed other spirits and forced a portion of the Deadlands to bend to your will, your presence became intolerable to the ancient Ajaunti spirits.
• You may be immortal, but enough death still brings the fog that strips away all that you are. Give death the respect and fear that it deserves. Mortals know what awaits their spirit after death, you do not.
• The horrific crime(s) you committed as a mortal are completely unknown to you, and cannot be added to your character’s history upon submission. It is possible to discover them later on during play, but this should only happen as a result of a plotline written by one of your home guild’s shapers.