Echoes

All across the desolate land of the fallen Akhir empire, shadows haunt the ruins of Nel'Akhiron. Neither ethereal nor corporeal, fragments of what once was serve as a reminder of the catastrophic Annihilation that wiped out their civilisation.   These Echoes are the tragic, living remnants of Nel'Akhiron's populace, shattered not by death, but by the pervasive influence of the Magical Bleed. They are not mindless zombies; they are individuals whose consciousness has been eroded and overwritten by a single memory, emotion or action.   The Bleed acts as a kind of magical dementia, infecting the minds of those exposed to it over long periods. It doesn't physically kill them but instead erodes their identity, leaving behind an empty husk that ceaselessly acts out its final, most potent memory or feeling. The Echoes are essentially the final, sorrowful actions of a dying people, frozen in a memory of their former lives.

Behavior and Manifestation

Echoes are primarily non-hostile and often appear to be performing a task. You might see an Echo knight forever standing guard at a ruined gate, a baker perpetually kneading phantom bread, or a scholar endlessly turning the pages of a book that has long since disintegrated. Their movements are stiff and repetitive, their bodies often showing signs of the Bleed's corruption, such as crystalline growths, strange glowing marks, or flesh that has begun to calcify.   They become hostile only when their ingrained routine is disrupted. Forcing a knight Echo to move from its post or attempting to take a phantom item from a merchant Echo will trigger a corrupted, instinctual defense mechanism. Their attacks are not skilled combat moves but are twisted, desperate flailings that utilize the residual magic of the Bleed.  

Significance

The Echoes serve as mournful monuments to the empire that was, each one telling a small, tragic story. They are proof that the hubris of the Archomancers didn't just physically destroy the world, it also shattered the very souls of its people. Finding an Echo offers a glimpse into what was lost and serves as a constant, quiet reminder of the stakes involved with using magic.