James Maliszewski
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Friday Feature: The Unmade
🕑 Added 2022-12-23 05:00:03 +0000 UTCThe Unmade (or Omajya in the Onha language) are the unnatural servitors of the Unmakers. Transformed by iniquitous sorcery, the Unmade are frightful demonstrations of where the Unmakers' nihilistic philosophy leads if unchecked. They are also a potent threat to the civilized peoples across sha-Arthan (except the continent of Alakun-Tenu, where the priesthood of Ten long ago extirpated them).
Like their masters, the Unmade first appeared during the Epoch of Strife. Though none can say for certaint which of the many Unmaker prophets of those days first twisted Men and beasts to serve them, the names Arkatzo and Trene are often cited by scholars. Arkatzo figures prominently in the legends of Jalisan of Churuga, while Trene is associated with the ruin that bears her name to this day, Trene's Bastion, laid waste by Hejneka during the latter days of the Pechra War.
Like their ultimate origins, the process by which the Unmade come to be is not well understood, even after all this time. Large scale alchemy is almost certainly involved, as is metamorphic sorcery of a type unseen since the Epoch of Wonders. Indeed, it has been suggested by some, such as Badisa Selmis in his Compendium of Universal Knowledge, that the Heritor Lords were the first to perfect a method of re-shaping living beings, a method the Unmakers would later improve upon. Others, such as Ajana Solokat theorize that the weird energies of the False World are another important component.
As one might expect, there is wide variability in the forms of the Unmade. Nevertheless, there are three broadly recognized classes of these beings. The first is by far the most common. Known as Brutes (or Travesties), they are nightmarish mixtures of many types of creatures given humanoid form. No two Brutes look exactly the same but all are aggressive, bestial, and hulking. This type of Unmade periodically gather in hordes to menace city-states or even entire realms.
The second type is slightly less common but can often be found serving alongside Brutes, where they act as leaders. Called Martinets (or Taskmasters), these Unmade are humanoid in shape, but their heads have been replaced by phase stones that grant them the ability to use one or more sorcery spells, depending on its size and color. Compared to Brutes, Martinets are very intelligent and free-willed, making them a much greater threat.
The third and final type is the rarest – and most dangerous. The Discarnates exist simultaneously on sha-Arthan and the World Between. This not only enables them to move quickly from place to place, it also makes them difficult to engage in physical combat. Their dual existence grants them access to sorcery even more potent than that of the Martinets. Fortunately, Discarnates are few in number and seem to serve as special agents or even lieutenant to Unmaker prophets.
Other types of Unmade may also exist.
[I'll share illustrations of each type of Unmade as soon as they're finished.]
Comments
Stephen Vossler
I congratulate you on an intelligent design of not only creatures but a faction in sha-Arthan. The Brutes, Taskmasters, Disincarnates, and Prophets not only have an eldritch history, and organization but a purpose, albeit a nihilistic one “Some people just want to see the world burn”. If as much thought had been invested in the creation of Orcs or Goblins and others (you name the creature/monster) other RPGs would have been more interesting to me. A cohesive world relies on the interconnection of its various parts. The potential of having a secretive cell of Unmakers blossom into a force that menaces, (not conquers or raids, but just destroys) cities or regions will be the moral and pragmatic motivation for action by the player characters. Another feature that I appreciate is that Unmakers are unequivocally evil. No moral ambiguity to destroying them by all means available. In real life everything is a shade of grey but I appreciate melodramatic polarity in fiction. To quote Oscar Wilde “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.” I congratulate you on this portion, and hope to see more of the same.
Stephen Wendell
THIS is OUTSTANDING
