Kohrun

Fast Facts

Height: 5'8"-6'4" Males, 5'4"-5'11" Females

Weight: 150-220(lbs) Males, 100-160(lbs) Females

Lifespan: Adult (18 years), Elder (60 years), Deathly (80 years), Reborn Again

Notable Features: Crystal-Like Irises, Brass-Colored Eyes, Intricate Tattoos, Strong Physiques, Undead Traits

Player Restrictions: None

Racial Ability: Neverborn: Through each cycle of death, the Kohrún are revived again. Guided by Y'shendra, the Kohrún have bound their souls to the Dead Realm, connecting them to an apparition who reanimates them after death. The Neverborn is not merely a ghost but an 'alter' of the Kohrún, a facet of themselves. Through hunting ghosts and consuming miasma, they may develop it through time, gaining power through their phantasmal proxy.

Population: 5,000,000

History

During the Bleeding of the Planes, the sails of a small few series of ships were struck by the intense, even corruptive winds blasting out through the world from the city of Adena, in the wake of the severing of Venadak's Divine Spark and the near-destruction of the force binding reality into the mural that it is. They were sent out in ships, voyaging, meant to one day provide a home for their people - besieged by Krish - in a land that has since succumbed to them. The winds set them awry, and they washed upon the shore as a wreck; one after the other, with nearly half of all crew perishing in the incredible storm. What came next was a humbling few years: at first, cannibalism of the dead crew, then the salvaging of each ship to desperately construct log homes, and the exploration of a hostile land to find the food and supplies necessary to endure its sporadic and deadly winter. These people, mostly comprised of the "Kovskanjr" Tribe -- a warrior-like Clan of navigators -- had found the great island of Vaerad, the heart of the archipelago of Rúnskaldr.

The vast majority of these first settlers were men, with many of their wives, sisters and mothers left at home, in the southeast. They would never reunite with them. With the world Sundered and the sea becoming afflicted by corruption and rot, traversing the waters became far too dangerous. Vaerad became the new home of these mostly male settlers, effectively a place for them to hunker down and mildly enjoy what days they had left before the Bleeding's aftermath, some strange beast or the cold reality of their surrounding frost crept in.

Then, some of them began to pray. For an answer, for an escape, for a chance at survival. Cut off from the world, they had no concept of what had befallen the pantheon of the Gods, and so they prayed to Venadak as much as they did to Malek, and most of all Y'shendra, who they pleaded with to spare their lives. Y'shendra heard their prayers, though for a long time she kept silent, bound within Bel and therefore limited by the constraints of her prison. It was only when the men sacrificed one of their own, and created an altar to the 'Gods' from his corpse, that the effigy enabled her to answer their desperate pleas at last.

Undeath was the Goddess' new domain, a curse -- a companion to her power over Life, which had made her so beloved in the past. Yet for as much as she, back then, despised this perversion of who she was... she could not deny the will to see it spread, and she offered the besieged men a chance at life even in Rúnskaldr's frigid isles: unlife. The eternity of deathlessness and rebirth, the ability to try and fail and expand upon settlements left half-complete, by continually reviving one another and adding to the building blocks of colonization with each generation. Those same men became slaves to this fate, but they knew they would be. To them, survival was worth all, and ten generations of being left as a corpse within the snow was well worth it for one's legacy, and longevity, even if they could not remember the experiences of the last life they held. In exchange for eternal service to Her will, these Kovskanjr became the Kohrún, named after the archipelago they had been confined to.

What followed was far more predictable than the aberration that made their race. With time came development, conquest, and the installation of a culture of butchery, raiding, proliferation. To the Kohrún, life became incredibly long, yet in many ways absent of primitive fulfillment. Their culture fundamentally changed to one of thrill-seeking; of hunting, slaying and warring, of murder as a thrilling game. They were, perhaps, benevolent in their own mind: they gifted their conquests by inviting them to their tribal, deathly swarm. The Kohrún became a blight on the Kingdom of Radenor, sieging them from the north and taking back countless servants to fulfill their curiosity, and join them in undeath.

Lately, life for the Kohrún has been far from predictable. The Krish - setting their eyes upon Rúnskaldr - have deposited voracious monsters from the Outlands to their northern barrens, loosing them from their Harbingers to breed, spread and blight the land with their violence and hunger. The deathly race is now one under siege by beasts, variant and alien, with little but mettle, bloodthirst and tribal craft.

Physiology/Biology

Kohrún are rare in that they are effectively (in most cases) living humans in many ways, but are distinguished from men and mankind. This is not an arbitrary decision; there are notable differences between Kohrún and man, often more severe than the differences separating a Hyr'Norai and a Sil'Norai. To begin with, Kohrún are undead, though what this means in their case is different than one might expect. They do not smell, look or act as walking corpses, carrying the same level of life-like vibrancy as any member of humanity. Their muscles are, however, constructed of undead tissue. The Kohrún are known to be enduring warriors, and this is a large reason for why; their disconnect from pain, unable to feel it to the same degree as most other intelligent life. Their muscles can be torn asunder, burnt or subjected to any method of torture, and they simply will not feel pain in the same way. Most of the nerves within their muscles do not transmit pain to the brain; in fact, they transmit less sensation entirely.

However, that is not to separate the Kohrún from the realities of life and death, or pain and pleasure. They simply experience things differently. The Kohrún enjoy intimate relations as much as any other race, mostly because their body was allowed to, the related nerves functioning in tune with their original, mortal physiology. They can even enjoy the relief of a massage of those same muscles that do not easily transmit pain, though in a different sort of way to the stimuli other mortals may experience. In fact, they would and do feel an undeniable discomfort, anxiety and unease at the sensation of - for example - their hand being ripped in two. Kohrún describe pain as a dull, yet oddly existential sensation. Rather than a stinging pain, perhaps intermingled with a shock at what has become of their fragile form, Kohrún are instigated by pain: they are led to focus and fight back when they feel their life to be in danger, and in many ways, their limited sense of 'pain' appears to ignite their internalized hunger and ferocity, which brings us to the Neverborn.

Neverborn Abilities

Kohrún, all of them, wield what is called a 'deathless soul'. A soul that has been anchored to their form by Y'shendra, who does not allow them to truly die or pass on to the afterlife. This augmentation is naturally imbued with 'abilities', crafted by Y'shendra to serve her people throughout their many lives. Chief of all abilities is the 'entity' known as the Neverborn. The Neverborn is a hunter: it is an internalized, quietly-kept aspect of the Kohrún, responsible for a compulsion of theirs towards savagery. It is an undead spirit within a deathless soul, one that gnaws at a Kohrún's sanity and must be bitten back and restrained. It holds an instinct towards cannibalism and rage, and compels the Kohrún to endeavor to sate those desires.

Kohrún are able to project their consciousness of theirs outward. By closing their eyes and focusing deeply on the hunger within, they may bring it out and peer through its eyes as it may do with them. In truth, the Neverborn is something of a pitiful being. Wielding an incorporeal form, even as it lashes out, it cannot claim victims. Instead, it can peer through the Dead Realm and gather information, observing others from afar. When a Neverborn is present, an uncomfortable chill can be felt by those it is observing, and they often begin to feel the same as one would as if being predated upon: the hunger becomes tangible, palpable within the air.

Interestingly, the Neverborn also improves upon the Kohrún's proficiency with Animus. It can inhabit animals and allow the Kohrún to peer through them in short, temporary bursts, though these bursts are proven to be highly effective at improving their Immersion and Synchrony, and even making them naturally more acute at the ability 'Warging'. With all of this the case, the Neverborn can be a potent ally for hunting and scouting, though it is also known to be difficult to control. Neverborn frequently escape the bodies of the Kohrún while they sleep, only to inhabit animals and force them into a visceral rage, preying on other beasts or even leading them to suicide. Neverborn frequently torment the Kohrún's minds with its own grim curiosity, leading to nightmares, and an inescapable fear-mixed-exhilaration that they often live through in frequent if short bursts.

The Neverborn is limited by time. The longer it is controlled, the more strain it can result in as the Kohrún begins to face a flood of lethargy and even pain. Even a few minutes of separation can lead to severe retribution, with the Neverborn forced to wander back to an unconscious Kohrún. The creature cannot be seen by any observers save for other Neverborn, ghosts or those who can peer into the Dead Realm, and it cannot be permanently killed, reforming within the Kohrún's soul over a period of days. It appears much like a wildly tall (nearly nine feet), bent over, lanky man-like shape of frost-like, blue ethereal limbs.

Susceptibility

Kohrún do not wield undead organs. Like any other mortal, their heart, brain or perhaps other internal organs failing to function can and will lead to their death. They are susceptible to disease, like other mortals, and in fact are truly as vulnerable as their human peers, only with a final face of resilience that can often mislead others -- and even themselves -- as they face their final, fleeting moments. One notable resistance the Kohrún do wield is one of the cold, as their bodies are naturally adapted to the cold far better than other races, giving them a great edge in living in Rúnskaldr.

Psychology and Culture

Kohrúnic culture is often described as 'patriarchal' in nature, largely due to their origins as a mostly-male race, then-comprised of warriors and explorers. However, while much of their culture does appear to derive from typically 'male-aligned' aspirational values, this is somewhat inaccurate. Kohrún usually do not differentiate much between themselves in terms of gender and sex. Due to their inability to sexually reproduce with one another (but rather to spread their race through transmission), the differences of sex are seen as somewhat arbitrary. Rather, someone's role in society is often influenced by their talents or genes. A large, brawny person is more likely to become a soldier or a laborer, and while that may more likely be a man, there are no societal rules precluding the member of any sex from pursuing their ambitions. Kohrúnic society is built largely on merit and competition, and in this way it is a fairly objective society, if equally heartless. Failures are often seen as just that: failures, and almost as a form of eugenics, the most 'incompetent' members of Kohrúnic society are often those not revived.

The Kohrún are known to be playful, foul, energetic, aggressive and rowdy. They are also an extremely open people, as content to share their stories of recent conversations as they are to share the deep intricacies of their household dynamics, or bedroom activities, or their friend's most embarrassing secrets. Kohrún tend to know everything about everyone; they are famed for being the worst at keeping secrets, revealing them either to tease or reveal admiration for their peers. Due to this openness, most people in society tend to feel a strong ease at revealing sensitive information, and trusting others, particularly within their Clan.

The family unit for Kohrún is a unique topic. The Clan tends to act as a greater family, but individual units do exist within it. Since Kohrún often spread their race via marriage and intimacy (as is described in the Reproduction section), they frequently take on their conquests as grooms or brides, marrying them and adopting their children, who are eventually married off to other Kohrún upon reaching adulthood, and converted as well. This forms a sort of immigrant-like family unit, but with a native Kohrún father or mother, and a converted one.

Other such units exist as well, though these units cannot even be slightly compared in their function. Typically, Kohrún engage in polygamy, and an extended unit may simply be a large cabal of inter-married partners. Kohrún children essentially do not exist, so rather than child-rearing, the purpose of these families are to build fulfillment and engage in recreation, with some families more focused on building wealth or even group cohesion. For example, colleagues or soldiers-in-arms will often marry one another to improve their bond and their ability to understand and collaborate with one another. Such unions are among the most common.

Given that the Kohrún can die and easily be restored, they tend not to fear death, and are often brazen and prone to taking extreme, even stupid risks. This has many effects on their society, chief of which is that Kohrún societies tend to be very flexible, with newly reborn members of the Clan often placed in the trade or skill most-needed, so long as they appear competent within it. An important note is that Clan is kept no matter how many times one dies, and people tend to marry within their own Clan.

Clothing, Grooming and Art

Kohrún, considering their resistance to the cold, do not need to dress as others living in Rúnskaldr might be forced to. They tend to wear fairly minimal amounts of attire, in fact, largely so they may reveal their 'ancestral tapestry', a series of tattoos that speak of their former lives. These tapestries act as a symbol of privilege and status, with tattooed icons following the Kohrún throughout their many lives and building on their 'epic'. Each time they are reborn, their old life will be codified into a single image, inked upon them and worn for generations of their own life to come.

Aside from this, they tend to wear simple leathers and furs, and as their tattoos mostly exist on their chests and arms, most of their clothes cover their legs and feet. Their style of clothing is not extensively different than that of the people of Tyrclaid, particularly where it concerns their warriors, who often wear horned helms and chain-lined furs, with armored skirts. In terms of grooming, Kohrún tend to let themselves become rather rugged, appreciating a mane of hair and a strong beard, as well as finding body hair to be a symbol of strength. Considering their limited separation where gender is concerned, women tend to view grooming similarly to men, and are often viewed as being savage or unfeminine by members of other cultures.

Kohrúnic art is often art that speaks of history. Aside from their very artistic tattoos, they tend to inscribe history in artifacts and tablets, stones with painted or carved images that speak of lives, stories, past events, Kings, and Gods. Their lore is kept in houses of worship as tablets and tapestries, and there is essentially an entirely separate Rúnic script called 'Valkan' comprised of symbols with deep and complex, often nuanced, meanings depending on Clan history, region, island and so forth. The Kohrún are a very visual people, and enjoy codifying their history and experiences within art almost instinctively, perhaps as a way to remember their past, as death will often seem to force them to forget.

Religion and Worship

While many of the first settlers of Rúnskaldr worshiped the Old Ones, hailing their distant ancestors from Tyrclaid, desperation eventually led them to pray to the Living Gods, many of whom they did not realize were Corrupted. They were led to Y'shendra this way, who eventually altered and redefined them. Since then, the Kohrún have in fact turned away from their matron. While Y'shendra hoped to forge them as her link to the living world, her inability to exercise her divine might -- due to being imprisoned within Bel -- has prevented her from asserting her authority, and she has lost her connection with her own race. Instead, the Kohrún worship a supposedly primordial being they refer to as Thordån, who they believe to be the first man, cast away from mortal life only to discover eternity. His faith is one of spreading undeath; of reshaping Atharen through the proliferation of the Kohrúnic race. Many Kohrún view their undead eternity as a gift by this God, falling into superstition and lore, losing touch with the factual origins of their race.

One thing, however, is clear: Thordån appears to be real, and scholars who have studied him appear to believe that he is a fully awakened Draedan, one who has undergone Exaltation and has become a Lesser God. He is said to live within the northern wastes of Vaerad, with many of the original Kohrún settlers who have dedicated their eternal lives in service to him.

Reproduction, Aging, and Death

Like many races on Atharen, Kohrún have a unique method of reproduction. In fact, they 'reproduce' in two different ways: resurrection, and imbuing. They can revive currently-living members of their race, through a method known as junskannr (or renewal), which involves using Necromancy to mend and restore the bodies and organs of the dead (with Kohrún's appearance and physique logged extensively in Rúnskaldr's Archives), before bonding with their corpse and rekindling the life of the dead soul. This is done through the same method as imbuing: one sends their Neverborn apparition into the body of the corpse (or the living individual, in the case of imbuing) before having it reach within and grasp their soul, shedding a part of itself to grow from within them. Over a period of days, the renewal will be complete, and the reborn -- or new -- Kohrún will begin to foster the spawn of a Neverborn within them, as well as a revitalized soul, reawoken.

Imbuing on the living, in order to make a member of another race into a Kohrún, is done with the same premise though differently. It is compared to an act of marriage, and is finalized by the consummation of that marriage: a hunt. The Kohrún first imbues a part of their Neverborn into the target's soul, before the individual is taken to a place of worship. While unconscious, the local clergy (called Hedgewraiths) will help awaken their infantile Neverborn. They will send out their own Neverborn to guide it through the Dead Realm, helping it to hunt, leading it to seek out the barest forms of ghosts. They will travel in groups and prey upon these ghosts, letting the spoils of the hunt go to the infantile Neverborn, who will grow as it consumes miasma. The more it grows, the more the tissue of the intended will convert to undead tissue; undead flesh, undead skin.

Eventually, as the Neverborn reaches full maturity, the intended becomes a true Kohrún, having learned to control their Neverborn and guide it. Given this, it is possible for a Kohrún to come from another race than humanity. Kohrún often take 'grooms' or 'brides' from their raids on Radenor, Lorien, the Krish Colonies and Vendigad, and will make them into Kohrún in order to grow their race. For this reason, their spouses are often called 'Kin-Husbands' or 'Kin-Wives', as strange as the term may sound to outsiders.

Kohrún have the potential to be the longest-lived race. They age much more slowly than others, and can have their youth and vitality restored after death through renewal. All currently living Kohrún are adults, and they are restored to their adult prime (the human equivalent of 18) upon being renewed. Most are much older than this in terms of pure lifespan, if one counts their many lives. Unfortunately, Kohrún often cannot remember their previous life, though they are drawn to impressions and feelings left by it. A Kohrún who died may not remember their beloved Kin-Husband, but may gravitate towards him and fall in love with him yet again, for example. Those Kohrún made long ago by Y'shendra may even wield the same family units for generations of their own lives, often only able to remember by means of their extensive documentation, inscribed in books and artifacts.

Intimacy

Kohrún are unique among other races in that they do not use sex to reproduce among their own race. For this reason, Kohrún tend to view sex very differently to other races. While many consider it to be an aspect unique to romantic relationships, procreation or family-building, Kohrún tend to view it as a form of bonding, understanding their peers, a display of strong emotions (such as upon being reunited with a long-lost friend), or even greeting.

Their society is considered wildly degenerate by many other cultures for this reason, as the private and intimate significance of sex is almost entirely gone. They do not often veil their intimate desires due to public constraints, are rarely bound within the concept of sexuality or orientation, and tend to be an exploratory race. This all being said, there are some romantic components tied to sex and sexuality, and intimacy is certainly shared most frequently with one's chosen partner(s). Uniquely, Kohrún who convert members of other races through intimacy are most often those who view their sexuality with some form of sacred significance, and may at least differentiate intimacy with that partner (such as their Kin-Wife, or Kin-Husband) as the form shared with others, such as peers, or friends.

Language

The Kohrún speak Skaldrúna, a lazy take on Rúnskaldr, which serves as the primary language of the archipelago. It is somewhat similar to Kokalath, Tyrclaid's primary tongue, as it is a distant descendant from it, altered by thousands of years of separation. For ease, one can use Norwegian as a reference language for dialogue, with one-to-one translations considered canonical and accurate for the purpose of RP.

Common names for the Kohrún include:

Males: Erik, Sven, Ulfran, Bjørn, Jorek, Hakandr

Females: Jaela, Saoirse, Gunhild, Runa, Sigrid, Veljya

All Kohrún are members of Clans, which tend to be large bodies comprising of hundreds or even thousands of individuals. A Kohrún's surname should be their Clan name. Political or military office is only possible within the Clan one falls within, and cities and towns tend to be segregated by Clan.