Stillborn
A Stillborn is a rare and unsettling race of human, one who dies at birth yet rises again with Aether as their life force in place of blood. Considered a divine intervention—whether gift or curse—this process is thought to be the work of the gods, granting life to the undeserving innocent who would otherwise have been lost. Their hearts pump liquid Aether through their veins, keeping fragile bodies in motion, though the strain often leaves them marked by stitches and scars from procedures meant to stave off decay.
With skin pale as moonlight and long, fast-growing hair in ashen shades of white or gray-blonde, they bear a spectral beauty that sets them apart from the living. Stillborns cannot be healed by medicine or physical means, only by magic, and they live in constant tension between vitality and fragility. Yet within their ghostly forms lies a strange gift—the ability to shift parts of their bodies into an incorporeal state, allowing attacks to pass harmlessly through them. At once ethereal and tragic, Stillborns are reminders of both divine mercy and divine cruelty: living beings stitched together by Aether, walking the thin line between life and death.
| Skills | Explanation |
|---|---|
| -2 Constitution | Lack of blood makes a Stillborn fragile in body, taking more damage from attacks. |
| -3 Strength | A Stillborn's muscles struggle to move due to their supposedly lifeless nature. |
| Proficient in Stealth | A Stillborn's lifeless body tends to make no noise. Lowered breathing and soft footsteps from their soft skin make them nearly impossible to spot if they try to hide. |
| Abilities | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Walking Death (Passive) | You are unable to be healed medically or physically, and can only be healed by spells. |
| Curse of the Corpse (Passive) | The lower you are in health, the more vulnerable you are to Critical Hits. |
| Aetherical Cut (Reaction) | If you are hit with an attack that applies Bleeding, you cause an explosion of raw Aether instead of bleeding. This will damage anyone nearby, and damage yourself slightly. |
| Corporeal Form (Passive) | At times, you turn certain areas of your body into ghostly form to dodge attacks or cause arrows to pass right through you. |
