Ethereal Walker

Ethereal Walkers are a branch of highly powerful shapeshifting humanoids which originate from Ethereal Plane. They can move between the Ethereal and Material Planes with minimal effort, though prefer to reside on the former within their tight-knit community, unless they have particular reason to leave.  

Origins

Ethereal Walkers are descended from followers of the god Seir who were transported to the Ethereal Plane in order to save them from The Flood. The group consisted of the god's most devoted clerics and generals, and as such already possessed significantly more strength and magical ability than common mortals.   Living in the depths of the plane, away from the Border Ethereal (the parts of the plane which overlap with other planes), quickly affected their physiology, stripping them of the restraints of static bodies and allowing them to remould aspects their physical appearance using their will.   Over the following eight centuries, these abilities became increasingly potent in those who were born on the Ethereal Plane. These 'born' Ethereal Walkers do not have any form of normal mortal body, their natural state being a semi-ethereal shadow form.   A few of the original followers do still live and wield considerable power in the community. Though their shapeshifting powers are more limited, and they prefer to take on the shape of their original mortal bodies when a physical shape is required, the knowledge, wisdom and devotion of their long lives demands reverence from the younger generations.  

Physiology and Abilities

All Ethereal Walkers have shapeshifting and telepathic abilities to some extent, with the younger generations usually possessing greater inherent powers.   The most powerful born Walkers are flawless physical mimics of humanoid mortals, requiring only minimal contact to convincingly shape their bodies and voices into an exact replica of their subject. Physical contact, however brief, improves the mimicry further.   Their natural telepathy allows them to read the minds of their subject without the subject's knowledge (barring certain types of magical protection), which can be used to mimic or predict behaviour, or ingratiate themselves.   Ethereal Walkers are mortal and have souls, though their lifespans are nebulous due to the shifting nature of the Ethereal Plane and in Material Plane time can vary significantly between individuals, from around 60 to 300 years. Their natural forms are shadowy and featureless, roughly humanoid and standing between 4 and 6 feet in height. In this form they are semi-ethereal, only partially solid.   They are able to pass between the Ethereal and Material Plane at will.  

Culture

The core Ethereal Walker community is entirely isolated, based in the depths of the Ethereal Plane where no other sentient peoples reside. From the start, offspring were raised communally rather than in distinct family groups, and this practice continues to the present day.   While the original refugees had static physical forms, later generations did not. Having children required individuals to will themselves into physical forms which were capable of reproduction. Reproduction - or recreational sex - is therefore heavily influenced by the physical forms individuals personally prefer to take, separate from emotional bonds. As a result physical and emotional interactions are far more fluid than is typical in other mortal societies. Formalised institutions such as marriage are not practiced in Ethereal Walker culture.   The community is headed by a Council of Elders, made up primarily of the surviving refugees. Their decisions remain deeply influenced by their devotion to Seir, though the level of devoutness does vary within the rest of the community. As Seir was all but destroyed in The Final War, this devoutness was rewarded with very little response until the god's efforts to return to the Material Plane on Tolsta in 829OE. Though that attempt was thwarted, it was enough to prompt the Elders to send some of the community to the Fallen Isles to aid another attempt.   The very few individuals who have left the Ethereal Plane community to make a life on another plane often find employment as spies, swindlers or with thieves' guilds. They generally remain on the outskirts of society, as their insular upbringing and the necessity of masking their true nature makes it difficult to form long-lasting, honest relationships in other societies.