Hollow Warriors
Long believed to be nothing but myth, the hollow warriors have once again risen from the depths of the Well of Souls to walk the lands just like the days of old, before the Sundering.
Strange, unique creatures, hollow warriors are powerful yet ephemeral. While capable of accomplishing transcendent feats of valor (or treachery), their mere existence is fragile as a breath. They walk on the material plane only through the power of the Well of Souls, and when the Well calls them back, they must answer - and vanish. Possibly never to be seen again.
Hollow warriors have a unique trait that allows them to self resurrect: their souls are not tethered to this plane, which means they are not obligated to adhere to the rules. They do not require soul stones or aesul elixir to restore their souls to their bodies, because their animus is not what ties their souls to their bodies.
Strange, unique creatures, hollow warriors are powerful yet ephemeral. While capable of accomplishing transcendent feats of valor (or treachery), their mere existence is fragile as a breath. They walk on the material plane only through the power of the Well of Souls, and when the Well calls them back, they must answer - and vanish. Possibly never to be seen again.
Hollow warriors have a unique trait that allows them to self resurrect: their souls are not tethered to this plane, which means they are not obligated to adhere to the rules. They do not require soul stones or aesul elixir to restore their souls to their bodies, because their animus is not what ties their souls to their bodies.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Baseline hollows manifest as humans, however they can reconfigure into another sapient species, thus giving rise to the practice of Skin Trials.
Genetics and Reproduction
Hollows are produced solely via the Well of Souls, climbing up from its depths after manifestation. This genesis is wholly random and unpredictable.
Growth Rate & Stages
Hollows manifest as fully matured adults or young adults.
Freshly manifested hollows are known as "cotton shirts," for the basic white tunics they wear at manifestation.
"Cotton shirt" hollows manifest with semantic memory, but have no episodic memory save for a single, embedded purpose conveyed from their Alter which shapes the core of their individual character.
Freshly manifested hollows are also most prone to falling into dormancy after only a short span of consciousness.
More experienced hollows often remain conscious for longer durations, up to most of an entire day.
Dietary Needs and Habits
While conscious they have the same biological and dietary needs as their host species. Curiously, they do seem to consume more copious amounts of food. Some speculate this is due to their unique nature.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Their souls are capable of remaining "conscious" while not inhabiting their bodies, retaining awareness and agency across the Veil in the spirit realm, the Between. This has led to anomalies such as being able to witness one's own murder.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
While some hollows have names that could be considered "normal" by other cultures' standards, many have names that sound odd or even nonsensical, such as KoolJinx, Ignore Parsnips, Overshirt Fizzle, and Delicate Freaking Flower.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Jumping from absurd places is a favorite hollow pastime, alongside rooftop running and throwing cabbages into buckets placed in strange locations.
History
Hollow warriors once featured heavily in historical events as diplomats, artisans, builders, and, of course, warriors. They built up Hollow City and were instrumental in multiple faction wars.
When the Sundering broke the links between the Sanctuary zones, it was believed that the Well of Souls and Hollow City itself were destroyed, because they all simply vanished.
Over time, many serious scholars began to discredit the idea that hollow warriors were anything more than simply larger than life legends painted over normal historical figures.
Until now.
Common Myths and Legends
A largely discredited mythology claims that hollows were the first inhabitants of the world via the Well of Souls, and all living sapient creatures are descended from them.
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