Grim Tidings

Subject: Grim Tidings Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:04 pm

Torva Umbra: The Grim

"Formally known among myth and those familiar with the tales of old as the torva umbra, the devil's shadows have since become referred to as grims: harbingers of misfortune and dark tidings. Their reputation, however, is not unfounded. The creatures are the minions of Pluto, the many-named keeper of the underworld. Lacking souls of their own and fashioned rather than born, they are woven from remnants of damned mortals and fused with the fires of the under realm. The torva then serve as Pluto's taskforce, responsible for herding the souls under his possession, regulating hell by his command. Those who prove most capable in carrying out his word have even stood to earn the right to personally reap the lives of those claimed in his name from the mortal realm."

Physical Presence:

The torva have been known to take many forms throughout time, more often than not cloaked in the shadow and dark colors of their hellish allegiance. They run at particularly warm if not hot body temperatures—the more commected to their homeworld origins they are, the higher their core temperature typicially runs. In their most basic nature, the grim is a formless creature, a spirit more than a being. Therefore when within the world of souls (either in physicality or through the dreamscape), a torva is able to take whichever form best suits it though retaining greatest affinity for canine shapes, most often a creature comprised of a malleable mass of shadow and smoke. They are able to enter the mortal world, however, by possessing the body of another, made apparent by the empty orange orbs of fire that override their host's eyes when they do. A torva in full power is able to do this fully cognizant of their actions, though those whose power has been suppressed by elongated withdrawal from their origin do so only under great duress and often experience a mind-clearing level of fatigue from the task. As well, a fully empowered torva might take the vessel of a still living creature, while a suppressed torva must first wait for a body emptied by the death of it's owner.

Spiritual Stature:

Being spun from incomplete remnants of broken damned souls, the torva umbra lack a whole soul of their own by nature. Therefore, they also tend to lack humanity and morality, any strong sense of being also often lost in translation. This makes them the ideal lackey of the underworld--aloof, unforgiving, uncomplicated, and rarely tied down by outside relations. It is not impossible, however, for a grim to find itself in a more mortal state. History distinguishes two types of torva umbra as a result of their state of being, given that it is possible to fluidly shift between the states. The first variety is the fully empowered torva umbra, which is the most natural form of the creature. The second variety is suppressed, wherein they lack the full capability of the typical grim due to either elongated withdrawal from their place of origin or their emphasized attachment to the land of the living.

A torva is able to in a way find its humanity, though not commonplace, through another presence, sometimes multiple presences. It was once rumored that by extended contact with the living, the creatures begin to develop a keener understanding of the emotions that govern them. The truth runs much more deeply, however. This other being is often referred to among their kind as praeses, loosely translated to be the keepers of their soul. When a grim finds itself able to connect with their praeses, they are then able to connect as well to their more mortal side and develop the humanity they otherwise lack. Loosing this connection, however, comes as quite the cost and often forcefully pushes the torva back into its natural state. As such, the torva tend to be vehemently protective of those who literally hold their hearts, both unwilling to loose the connection (given they know of its presence) and out of self-preservation.

Afflictions:

In its creation, the Torva Umbra was only meant to deal with those souls whom had reason to be within the greater sanctums of the underworld: those souls destined for superior paradises out of their domain. Because of this, a grim is hardwired against the destruction of any pure soul, though such feats are not strictly beyond possibility. Their nature can drive many to lack regret in their often sharp apathy, though malice directed at a soul pure from sin will see the creatures often times severely weakened or ill as their nature inwardly rejects the defiance. Of course, it is rather rare to find a soul whom has achieved such a higher status outside of the heavens themselves, but the torva umbra typically know well to leave them untouched.

These constraints on the grims do offer up a conundrum in their dietary regimens as well. While a fully empowered torva umbra in its spiritual form requires no sustenance other than those energies provided by hellfire itself, those whom do ingest mortal sustenance often refrain from the indulgence of prey animals for this reason, being that such simple creatures possess mere instinct and no capability for wrongdoing. It follows then that those whom do not eat meat marred by sin, often the carcasses of other sentient beings (either picked off by themselves or scavenged), are often seen ironically filling themselves on plant life in a seemingly docile manner.

Additional Details:

Reproduction:
Created as they are rather than born, the Torva Umbra do not possess the natural ability to procreate as many mortals do. They lack a physical essence of their own outside of the underworld and their intangible soul therefore lacks the means to reproduce from its own self. As well, the Torva Umbra are known for being without 'complete' souls of their own, stitched from remnants of others, and also lack the necessary fullness to spawn a life from their own being. New grims, therefore, are singularly and intentionally fused in the underworld at the discretion of it's master.

Supernatural:
The grim's paranormal presence grants itself capabilities beyond the means of a typical mortal when fully empowered or near such a state. All Torva Umbra, regardless of their state of empowerment, retain the superficial ability to resist scars on their physical host. Given time, all wounds except those most detrimental will fade from their appearance even while the effects of the injury might remain. This occurrence stems from their own immortal, intangible essence, though wounds inflicted upon the soul may then manifest visually even as those physical flaws fade.
The other noteworthy capability of the grim is it's ability to walk in the dreams of others. The dreamscape is the most closest bridge to the afterlife, and as such, they are naturally drawn to it--especially when inhabiting the mortal world. A fully empowered Torva Umbra may do this of it's own accord, though the suppressed Torva Umbra is known have little control over such and far less likely to recall the event upon the return to their own mind, if at all. Both the fully empowered Torva Umbra and the suppressed variety must enter a sleep-like state (as they do not otherwise sleep themselves) in order to do so. This leaves their own form incredibly vulnerable, however, and the interruption of their dream-walking has been known to have a an unpredictable variety unfortunate consequences.

TBC....

The Torva Umbra are a closed Species, owned outright by WinterCrow.

Subject: Re: Grim Tidings Thu Sep 11, 2014 9:32 pm

Approve \o/

» Grim Beginnings: Alina Alionovna Izmertvyy