Edimmu: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 08:05, 20 June 2023

Legend tells of the Edimmu, a malevolent entity that thrives in the presence of death, feasting upon the souls of the departed. These rare and solitary creatures wander the material plane, ceaselessly searching for their next meal. The frequency of their need to consume depends on their level of activity. It is widely believed that the Edimmu represents the tormented spirit of a human who was denied proper funeral rites, an ancient belief dating back to the Sumerian society. The connection between the Edimmu and ghosts is clear, for the creature's physical form resembles that of a humanoid corpse, with a chilling complexion and texture akin to the touch of death. However, the true nature of the Edimmu is ethereal, lacking tangible substance. It materializes in the physical realm at its own discretion, driven by its insatiable hunger.

Behavior

The Edimmu is a cunning, cautious, and twisted being. Not only does it possess an insatiable thirst and hunger for death, but it also harbors a deep-seated loathing for the living and the very essence of life. These nomadic creatures are solitary by nature, seldom lingering in one place for more than a few days, if even that. Drawn to the scent and taste of death permeating the air, they are lured by sickness, decay, and despair. Their appetite for sustenance is as inherent as the need for a junkie to satisfy their craving.

Fortunately for the living, the Edimmu despise each other nearly as much as they despise the living. Should two of these creatures cross paths, they engage in violent clashes over the potent and concentrated Aether, stolen sustenance from their ill-fated encounters. Yet, they take great care to avoid such confrontations and only resort to battle when directly confronted face-to-face.

When threatened, an Edimmu often flees, unless its insatiable hunger and loathing for life override its survival instinct, driving it to fight ferociously against any who dare challenge it. The ferocity of its response is typically proportional to the creature's level of hunger.

Special Abilities

While knowledge about the Edimmu's abilities remains fragmented due to their elusiveness and scarcity, the following traits are widely attributed to these creatures. It is worth noting that they might possess additional or different capabilities, but it is believed that these form the basic repertoire of an Edimmu.

Life Drain: The Edimmu possesses the ability to absorb the Aether emanating from living beings. Though this method provides sustenance, it is not without difficulty, as the soul of the victim remains tethered to the material plane. The Edimmu primarily employs this ability as a tactical measure, both defensively and offensively. The affected individual experiences physical weakness and, over time, suffers the consequences of accelerated aging, as their body rapidly deteriorates without actually growing older.
Emotional Darkness: As the Edimmu dwells in an area, the emotional energy surrounding it becomes tainted with its dark nature, instilling feelings of depression, despair, helplessness, and an overwhelming belief that death is the only escape. Prolonged exposure to this malevolent influence can drive even the most stable individuals into madness. While one might expect the Edimmu to utilize this to induce death, the outcomes vary. The reactions of those descending into insanity are unpredictable, but often fatal in some manner.
Inspire Fear: The Edimmu itself exudes an unnatural aura, accompanied by a terrifying countenance. By focusing the tainted Aether within, it can project this malevolence onto others. Merely laying eyes upon an Edimmu triggers an instinctual fear response in living beings. Creatures governed by instinct, such as animals, are rendered virtually defenseless, succumbing to an overwhelming urge to flee. Even sentient beings struggle to overcome this primal terror when the Edimmu focuses its attention on them.

Encountering the Edimmu

The physical form of the Edimmu boasts tremendous strength, dexterity, and reflexes. When it manifests, the creature attacks with savage, animalistic ferocity, employing its elongated razor-sharp claws to strike its victims. Its powerful jaws, filled with razor-sharp teeth, are not hesitant to deliver lethal bites, tearing into the skulls of its prey and expelling fragments of brain and bone as it feasts upon their very souls.

Utilizing its abilities drains the Edimmu's energy reserves. While it consumes energy merely by existing, the more abilities it employs or the longer it remains materialized, the faster its reserves diminish. The creature is perpetually ravenous, but when forced into a confrontation, it quickly becomes depleted. Though cunning, the Edimmu is fueled by an unbridled rage and hatred, driving it to unleash its full arsenal against those who obstruct it. The creature's ferocity intensifies in direct proportion to its hunger.

Origins

Edimmu come into existence when an immense accumulation of malice and hatred converges at a singular point, culminating in a violent act of intense betrayal resulting in the deaths of those responsible. The souls of the deceased consume one another until they bear no resemblance to their original selves. This new entity transcends the realm of mere ghosts, gaining the ability to feed off the death that surrounds it. The shared betrayal melds with its essence, forming a singular and insidious purpose: to feed relentlessly upon the living.

Immortality

The Edimmu is impervious to death. No confirmed accounts exist of an Edimmu being truly slain. However, when vanquished to the point of complete depletion of its energy reserves and lacking a readily available source of sustenance, the creature reverts to its natural state. In this ethereal form, it becomes invisible and intangible. It is believed that the Edimmu is never truly destroyed but rather banished, left to wander until it can amass enough death to manifest once more.

Edimmu and Vampires

Despite both feeding upon the living, an Edimmu is distinct from a vampire. It does not discriminate when it comes to its prey and will readily consume a vampire like any other creature. In fact, vampires harbor a mixture of fear and hatred toward the Edimmu, as there have been accounts of the Edimmu devouring a person's soul just before they rise as a vampire. Ancient texts of dubious authenticity hint at the notion that vampires may have emerged from a fusion of Edimmu essence with that of humans or even elves.

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-[[File:edimmu.jpg|thumb]]
+[[File:edimmu.jpg|thumb|An eerie image of an Edimmu]]
-The Edimmu is attracted to places of death, it feeds upon death by consuming the souls of the departed.  They are rare and solitary creatures that roam the material plane in search of their next meal.  How often they need to eat depends on their activity level.  An Edimmu is commonly thought to be the [[Ghost]] of a human that did not go through funeral rites, dating back to Sumerian society.  The link between the two is understandable, as the physical form of the creature is roughly humanoid and the skin has a color and texture (if one is brave or stupid enough to touch it) similar to that of a dead body.  The natural state of the Edimmu is as an ethereal being, with no true substance.  It manifests itself within the physical world as it wishes to, but does not have to to feed.
+Legend tells of the Edimmu, a malevolent entity that thrives in the presence of death, feasting upon the souls of the departed. These rare and solitary creatures wander the material plane, ceaselessly searching for their next meal. The frequency of their need to consume depends on their level of activity. It is widely believed that the Edimmu represents the tormented spirit of a human who was denied proper funeral rites, an ancient belief dating back to the Sumerian society. The connection between the Edimmu and ghosts is clear, for the creature's physical form resembles that of a humanoid corpse, with a chilling complexion and texture akin to the touch of death. However, the true nature of the Edimmu is ethereal, lacking tangible substance. It materializes in the physical realm at its own discretion, driven by its insatiable hunger.
 == Behavior ==
-Edimmu are cunning, cautious, and perverse creatures.  They have not only have a thirst and hunger for death, which they then feed off of, but also a deep hatred of the living and life itself.  They are nomadic solitary creatures, rarely settling into one area for more than a few days, perhaps a week at most.  They can smell and taste death on the air, drawn in by sickness, rot, decay, and despair.
+The Edimmu is a cunning, cautious, and twisted being. Not only does it possess an insatiable thirst and hunger for death, but it also harbors a deep-seated loathing for the living and the very essence of life. These nomadic creatures are solitary by nature, seldom lingering in one place for more than a few days, if even that. Drawn to the scent and taste of death permeating the air, they are lured by sickness, decay, and despair. Their appetite for sustenance is as inherent as the need for a junkie to satisfy their craving.
-Lucky for the living the Edimmu hate each other almost as much as they hate the living.  They will violently fight each other attempting to feed off of the potent and concentrated (and stolen) Aether should any two actually meet.  Though they take great pains to not cross paths and only fight each other if directly confronted face-to-face with one another.
+Fortunately for the living, the Edimmu despise each other nearly as much as they despise the living. Should two of these creatures cross paths, they engage in violent clashes over the potent and concentrated Aether, stolen sustenance from their ill-fated encounters. Yet, they take great care to avoid such confrontations and only resort to battle when directly confronted face-to-face.
-When threatened an Edimmu will often flee, unless their lust for death and hatred of life overcome them, in which case they have been known to fight viciously with anyone who threatens them.  Most often this response is directly relative to how hungry the creature is.
+When threatened, an Edimmu often flees, unless its insatiable hunger and loathing for life override its survival instinct, driving it to fight ferociously against any who dare challenge it. The ferocity of its response is typically proportional to the creature's level of hunger.
-== Abilities ==
+== Special Abilities ==
-They are known to have the following abilities, but there are conflicting reports and the creatures are very rare and thus difficult to study.  Such entities may have different or more abilities than listed here, but it is believed that all of them have at least these.
+While knowledge about the Edimmu's abilities remains fragmented due to their elusiveness and scarcity, the following traits are widely attributed to these creatures. It is worth noting that they might possess additional or different capabilities, but it is believed that these form the basic repertoire of an Edimmu.
-* Life Drain
+; Life Drain: The Edimmu possesses the ability to absorb the Aether emanating from living beings. Though this method provides sustenance, it is not without difficulty, as the soul of the victim remains tethered to the material plane. The Edimmu primarily employs this ability as a tactical measure, both defensively and offensively. The affected individual experiences physical weakness and, over time, suffers the consequences of accelerated aging, as their body rapidly deteriorates without actually growing older.
-: The creature can soak in the Aether given off by living beings.  This method does provide some sustiance but it isn't easy, as the soul of the being is still strongly anchored to the material plane.  Most often this is used tactically as an offensive or defensive measure.  The affected creature will become physically weaker and over time begin to suffer the effects of accelerated age, though they don't actually age the body just begins to degrade rapidly in a similar way.
+; Emotional Darkness: As the Edimmu dwells in an area, the emotional energy surrounding it becomes tainted with its dark nature, instilling feelings of depression, despair, helplessness, and an overwhelming belief that death is the only escape. Prolonged exposure to this malevolent influence can drive even the most stable individuals into madness. While one might expect the Edimmu to utilize this to induce death, the outcomes vary. The reactions of those descending into insanity are unpredictable, but often fatal in some manner.
-* Emotional Darkness
+; Inspire Fear: The Edimmu itself exudes an unnatural aura, accompanied by a terrifying countenance. By focusing the tainted Aether within, it can project this malevolence onto others. Merely laying eyes upon an Edimmu triggers an instinctual fear response in living beings. Creatures governed by instinct, such as animals, are rendered virtually defenseless, succumbing to an overwhelming urge to flee. Even sentient beings struggle to overcome this primal terror when the Edimmu focuses its attention on them.
-: The emotional energy in the area becomes tainted with the dark nature of the Edimmu, depression, despair, helplessness, and a prevailing sense that death is the only escape begins to take hold.  If used over a significant amount of time, the Edimmu can cause even the most psychologically stable person to go insane.  While one might think that the Edimmu could use this to cause death, results vary.  The reaction of a person as they descend into insanity is unpredictable though it is often fatal in some way.
-* Inspire Fear
-: The creature itself exudes an unnatural aura with a terrifying visage, something they can use by focusing the tainted Aether from within onto someone.  Any living being seeing one will be have an instinctual reaction of fear.  Living creatures that act on instinct (such as animals) will be almost entirely helpless to against the instinctual need to flee.  Even among sentient beings, it will be difficult to overcome this when the Edimmu turns their focus upon a person.
-== Combat ==
+== Encountering the Edimmu ==
-Their physical form is incredibly powerful in terms of physical attributes like strength, dexterity, and reflexes.  When manifest they have been known to attack animalistically with large razor sharp nails extending from each finger.  They have powerful jaws and mouths of razor sharp teeth, while they do not hesitate to use them to kill, being known to literally bite into a person's skull then spitting the bits of brain and bone out while they feed upon the soul of the attacked.
+The physical form of the Edimmu boasts tremendous strength, dexterity, and reflexes. When it manifests, the creature attacks with savage, animalistic ferocity, employing its elongated razor-sharp claws to strike its victims. Its powerful jaws, filled with razor-sharp teeth, are not hesitant to deliver lethal bites, tearing into the skulls of its prey and expelling fragments of brain and bone as it feasts upon their very souls.
-Using abilities costs the creature, while they use their energy at a certain rate just existing the more abilities they use or the longer they are manifest the more energy they use.  The creature is ''always'' hungry but if forced into a confrontation, they will quickly become depleted.  While cunning, the Edimmu is full of rage and hatred, meaning if one is unable to flee they will use everything they have to kill their attacker(s).  The more hungry the creature is the more fierce it becomes.
+Utilizing its abilities drains the Edimmu's energy reserves. While it consumes energy merely by existing, the more abilities it employs or the longer it remains materialized, the faster its reserves diminish. The creature is perpetually ravenous, but when forced into a confrontation, it quickly becomes depleted. Though cunning, the Edimmu is fueled by an unbridled rage and hatred, driving it to unleash its full arsenal against those who obstruct it. The creature's ferocity intensifies in direct proportion to its hunger.
+== Origins ==
+Edimmu come into existence when an immense accumulation of malice and hatred converges at a singular point, culminating in a violent act of intense betrayal resulting in the deaths of those responsible. The souls of the deceased consume one another until they bear no resemblance to their original [[selves]]. This new entity transcends the realm of mere ghosts, gaining the ability to feed off the death that surrounds it. The shared betrayal melds with its essence, forming a singular and insidious purpose: to feed relentlessly upon the living.
+== Immortality ==
+The Edimmu is impervious to death. No confirmed accounts exist of an Edimmu being truly slain. However, when vanquished to the point of complete depletion of its energy reserves and lacking a readily available source of sustenance, the creature reverts to its natural state. In this ethereal form, it becomes invisible and intangible. It is believed that the Edimmu is never truly destroyed but rather banished, left to wander until it can amass enough death to manifest once more.
+== Edimmu and Vampires ==
+Despite both feeding upon the living, an Edimmu is distinct from a vampire. It does not discriminate when it comes to its prey and will readily consume a vampire like any other creature. In fact, vampires harbor a mixture of fear and hatred toward the Edimmu, as there have been accounts of the Edimmu devouring a person's soul just before they rise as a vampire. Ancient texts of dubious authenticity hint at the notion that vampires may have emerged from a fusion of Edimmu essence with that of humans or even elves.
 [[Category:Unexplained Entities]]