Post by Puck on Jun 15, 2015 3:10:05 GMT
FAMILIARS INTRODUCTION
The term "familiar" refers to a a being in a contract with a Mage, either to serve them or assist them in their magical endeavors. This practice has been around for eons, dating back to the very beginnings of Magecraft, when humankind was only capable of achieving Magic via learning from or borrowing from the abilities of Mystic Kind. In recent years the terms of Familiar has come to mean any being in a contract or pact with a Mage, for one reason or another. While the term "Familiar" may imply they are subservient to the Mage, this is only mostly true, as there are several cases of Spirits whom contract instead with the Mages for some price, and in exchange provide them with abilities or magecraft. [See: The Strigoi house of Vampires, whom contract with Spirits to perform Blood Magic.]
There are two Classifications of Familiar: Synthetic Familiars, and Contract Familiars. Synthetic Familiars are those whom are beings created by Magic, and as such are usually placed within a Pact with their creator by default. These types of Familiars are almost always beings that require magical energy to function, but are incapable of producing it themselves due to not being naturally created entities. As such, they are almost entirely reliant on their masters. Contract Familiars are those whom willing [usually] enter a contract with a Mage or Magical Entity for one reason or another, with the rules of the Pact being established at it's creation. Unlike Synthetic Familiars, Contract Familiars are usually capable of existing on their own, and so do not require the Pact to survive, and some are even capable of exiting a Pact of their own volition if it is within the rules of the Pact.
There are two Classifications of Familiar: Synthetic Familiars, and Contract Familiars. Synthetic Familiars are those whom are beings created by Magic, and as such are usually placed within a Pact with their creator by default. These types of Familiars are almost always beings that require magical energy to function, but are incapable of producing it themselves due to not being naturally created entities. As such, they are almost entirely reliant on their masters. Contract Familiars are those whom willing [usually] enter a contract with a Mage or Magical Entity for one reason or another, with the rules of the Pact being established at it's creation. Unlike Synthetic Familiars, Contract Familiars are usually capable of existing on their own, and so do not require the Pact to survive, and some are even capable of exiting a Pact of their own volition if it is within the rules of the Pact.
THE PACT
The creation of this contract is referred to as a Pact, and once the Pact is made a spiritual connection is formed between the two parties. Pacts always have a designated Master and a Servant, which cannot be changed until the Pact is dissolved. The Master is the one whom initiates the Pact, and the Servant is the recipient. In most cases, the Master of the Pact will supply the Servant with Od to perform magecraft, but this is not always the case, as some Magi use familiar spirits to assist them in casting magic, reversing the relationship. Regardless of the nature of the Pact, the rules of the Pact must be established at the creation of it, and once made cannot be changed except by the Master whom owns the Pact.
If either Party, whether Master or Servant, moves to breaks the established rules of the Pact, they usually suffer an effect known as Backlash. Backlash occurs as a "consequence" of the Pact, and is usually also determined at the establishment of the Pact. Due to the nature of the rituals used to create Pacts, attempting to break the rules of a Pact without first voiding the Pact will -always- lead to some degree of Backlash. In the case of Contract Familiars, usually the offending party suffers some sort of physical or mental pain to deter them from their actions, and if they persist, incapacitation or death is distinctly possible, depending on the guidelines of the Pact. For Synthetic Familiars, it is almost impossible for Synthetic Servants to disobey the rules of the Pact, and if they should, usually results in their immediate destruction.
If either Party, whether Master or Servant, moves to breaks the established rules of the Pact, they usually suffer an effect known as Backlash. Backlash occurs as a "consequence" of the Pact, and is usually also determined at the establishment of the Pact. Due to the nature of the rituals used to create Pacts, attempting to break the rules of a Pact without first voiding the Pact will -always- lead to some degree of Backlash. In the case of Contract Familiars, usually the offending party suffers some sort of physical or mental pain to deter them from their actions, and if they persist, incapacitation or death is distinctly possible, depending on the guidelines of the Pact. For Synthetic Familiars, it is almost impossible for Synthetic Servants to disobey the rules of the Pact, and if they should, usually results in their immediate destruction.
LIVING
One of the two types of standard Contract Familiars. Living animals can sometimes be made into familiars. While this process does not in of itself make the animal any smarter, a mage whom goes through the trouble to acquire an animal familiar will usually find some use for the animal, such as giving them limited sentience to better act as a familiar through unrelated Magecraft. These familiars are usually relatively inexpensive as far as their drain on the Mages Od, as they have their own natural supply of Od and so can usually function on their own, only requiring assistance from the Mage if they are going to express some form of ability that goes beyond their natural capabilities.
Can also be done to already sentient living creatures such as humans or mystic kind, but almost invariably always requires permission of the servant-to-be, and is highly looked down upon in the Magical community. That said, it has been used as an effective tool by Magical Employers to ensure the obedience of their "hired help": At least those willing to submit themselves to such things. Among the magical community, it is considered a great shame to be the familiar of another Mage, as it is roughly equivalent of willingly submitting yourself to indentured servitude. It is even worse to be the familiar of a Spirit, as Pacts between Mages and Spirits are usually seen as tools to help the Mage, not meant to be the other way around. A bit like selling yourself to a cat, if you will.
Can also be done to already sentient living creatures such as humans or mystic kind, but almost invariably always requires permission of the servant-to-be, and is highly looked down upon in the Magical community. That said, it has been used as an effective tool by Magical Employers to ensure the obedience of their "hired help": At least those willing to submit themselves to such things. Among the magical community, it is considered a great shame to be the familiar of another Mage, as it is roughly equivalent of willingly submitting yourself to indentured servitude. It is even worse to be the familiar of a Spirit, as Pacts between Mages and Spirits are usually seen as tools to help the Mage, not meant to be the other way around. A bit like selling yourself to a cat, if you will.
SPIRITS
The other type of Contract Familiar, Spirits come in many shapes and sizes. This section will only discuss the ramifications and outlooks on contracts with Spirits, as Spirits themselves have as many varieties and rules as there are cultures across the globe. Contracting with spirits is an age old Magician practice, and they are often considered the first beings to ever enter into a Pact with mortal mages. The Pact is usually an inverse of the norm, with the Master, being the Mage and creator of the Pact, being the one to receive energy from the Spirit, as well as additional boons or abilities the Spirit might be able to grant. This usually comes at an established cost stated in the Pact, and if the cost is not met then the Spirit is capable of freely breaking the Pact at any time, another peculiarity among Pact magic. The power of the Spirit usually varies, with some merely having minor familiar spirits that exist purely to assist in minor magecraft or as travelling companions, while other mages form Pacts with major spirits or even deities for reasons unknown. Making a pact with a spirit of any great level of power or renown usually has an incredibly steep price, and beings of this levels are very rarely actually constricted by the magic of the Pact that binds the too, surpassing it with their own pure magical energy.
HOMUNCULI
Attempts to recreate human life. The Homunculi category is defined by a being made entirely out of organic matter resembling a human. Usually however, Homunculi end up being incredibly small, miniaturized humans, ranging from inches in size to possibly a foot. Almost all Homunculi possess sentience, although the range of emotions and intelligence usually depend on the creator. Some Mages prefer Homunculi to be incapable of human emotion, rendering them little more than machine-like entities in human flesh, while others prefer to recreate "life" as best as possible, giving their Homunculi access to a full range of emotions. Even in the latter case however, the human mind is incredibly hard to recreate, so Homunculi are prone to having vastly oversimplified emotional structures, causing them to sometimes only be able to experience a small range of emotions or making their emotional states incredibly sensitive.
Homunculi are unique in that they are the only type of Synthetic Familiar with natural Ki, as despite being Man-made beings they are still created living beings, giving them a supply of Od. This Od is natural to them and not created by an outside source, so they are capable of learning and using Magecraft, and many are often made with the knowledge to do so already implanted in them. That said, despite their ability to produce and use Od themselves they are still subservient to their Master to at least some degree, although they are capable of surviving on their own without a Master should the Master die or release them from servitude. Homunculi's lifespan can vary, with most lasting a few years, but anything from days to centuries is possible.
Very rare cases occur where a fully grown Homunculi is created, and this is almost always an accident of nature. Such cases are viewed as unnatural, miraculous homunculi. These cases have proven impossible to reproduce so far in the magical world, and no common link has been found between them. Homunculi whom experience this phenomenon at their creation are usually substantially stronger than their average counterparts in terms of raw Od, usually capable of rivaling even the most magical proficient Mystic Kind. These "living miracles" are entities capable of living indefinitely if not killed, but none of these beings have ever lived beyond a single lifetime due to extraordinary circumstances resulting in their deaths. Note, that some Homunculi use magecraft to "grow" to normal size for periods of time, or give the illusion of doing so. This obviously does not make them Miracle Homunculi, just Homunculi whom have grown to human-size for a limited time.
Homunculi are unique in that they are the only type of Synthetic Familiar with natural Ki, as despite being Man-made beings they are still created living beings, giving them a supply of Od. This Od is natural to them and not created by an outside source, so they are capable of learning and using Magecraft, and many are often made with the knowledge to do so already implanted in them. That said, despite their ability to produce and use Od themselves they are still subservient to their Master to at least some degree, although they are capable of surviving on their own without a Master should the Master die or release them from servitude. Homunculi's lifespan can vary, with most lasting a few years, but anything from days to centuries is possible.
Very rare cases occur where a fully grown Homunculi is created, and this is almost always an accident of nature. Such cases are viewed as unnatural, miraculous homunculi. These cases have proven impossible to reproduce so far in the magical world, and no common link has been found between them. Homunculi whom experience this phenomenon at their creation are usually substantially stronger than their average counterparts in terms of raw Od, usually capable of rivaling even the most magical proficient Mystic Kind. These "living miracles" are entities capable of living indefinitely if not killed, but none of these beings have ever lived beyond a single lifetime due to extraordinary circumstances resulting in their deaths. Note, that some Homunculi use magecraft to "grow" to normal size for periods of time, or give the illusion of doing so. This obviously does not make them Miracle Homunculi, just Homunculi whom have grown to human-size for a limited time.
GOLEMS
Servants made of inanimate material, traditionally clay. (Although varieties exist for almost any type of earth and even metal.) They possess limited sentience based on their task and master. Most are capable of at least some rational thinking, but it is usually limited to their tasks, and emotions are very rare among them. Golems are usually humanoid in nature, and some are even crafted to appear outward as perfectly human. Others however can appear as anything from massive moving lumps of humanoid clay to detailed moving statues of Gargoyles, Beasts, or what have you. Appearance is usually determined by purpose and creator, with more specialized Golems being more akin to magical machines built to accomplish their goal, while more all-purpose Golems are usually much more commonly humanoid in appearance. Some Golems even have the ability to change their appearance, depending on the task at hand, although this is usually a trait only seen among the more artisanly crafted Golems.
Regardless of their outward appearance, Golems are in fact all entirely nonliving objects, and so require an external source of Od/Mana constantly to continue existing. Without a Master, they in the best case will slowly become inactive, and at worst they will simply disintegrate into their base elements. However, with their Masters assistance Golems are often capable of using predesignated magical abilities and effects, and are often physically much more powerful than average humanoids. Can range anywhere from human in physical capabilities upward, depending on the craftsmanship of it's creation and the Od supplied to the Golems. Unlike living creations, the physical and magical power of a Golem is not effected by age or experience, although older creations have usually had more time to be upgraded and improved upon.
Regardless of their outward appearance, Golems are in fact all entirely nonliving objects, and so require an external source of Od/Mana constantly to continue existing. Without a Master, they in the best case will slowly become inactive, and at worst they will simply disintegrate into their base elements. However, with their Masters assistance Golems are often capable of using predesignated magical abilities and effects, and are often physically much more powerful than average humanoids. Can range anywhere from human in physical capabilities upward, depending on the craftsmanship of it's creation and the Od supplied to the Golems. Unlike living creations, the physical and magical power of a Golem is not effected by age or experience, although older creations have usually had more time to be upgraded and improved upon.
THE RISEN
Familiars crafted using parts of the Deceased, whether human or animals. Usually used by Necromancers or Vampires, they sometimes possess the limited they did in life. They do not retain their natural supply of Od that they had in life, relying on their Master to supply them. Almost any form of living being can be resurrected as a Risen, although some are ostensibly far more difficult to bring back and require extremely skilled Masters to accomplish. Homunculi are a unique exception in that they are immune to being brought back as Risen, due to their Synthetic origins. Vampires are also immune to being resurrected in this manner due to their naturally undead nature.
While Risen lose much of the magical abilities and physical strength they had in life, they gain an incredibly resistance to being put back in the grave. Unlike Vampires whom are undead that still exist as independent beings, Risen are corpses which are animated by their Masters energy, which means they are capable of shrugging off any damage that does not completely remove their ability to perform actions. As such they are seen as incredibly durable beings, whom can only be destroyed if either: A) their connection with their master is broken, or B) their brain is destroyed, as the Risen rely on their brains to maintain motor function and the Pact with their Master. Note that just because a Risen will not be destroyed by damage does not mean it cannot hinder them or that they will repair the damage naturally. Unless they have specific spells or abilities on them to regenerate, the Risen do not heal wounds, and if say their limbs get blown off it will be incredibly hard for them to do much of anything.
There are two classifications of Risen, the Mindless and the Complete. Mindless Risen are those whom are brought back without any of their previous knowledge, skills, or sentience and are simply shambling corpses that must be directed by their Master to perform actions. Mindless Risen are also commonly referred to as Zombies or Ghouls, regardless of whether they are humanoid or not. Complete Risen are those whom still retain some of their abilities, knowledge, and sentience from life, essentially acting as undead variants of Living Familiars. Complete Risen however still do not possess magical energy of their own, and so require energy from their Master to perform any magical actions that they normally could have done themselves in life. Additionally, they are much like Synthetic Familiars in that they are virtually unable to go against the Pact which binds them, usually resulting in their immediate, complete destruction if they do so.
While Risen lose much of the magical abilities and physical strength they had in life, they gain an incredibly resistance to being put back in the grave. Unlike Vampires whom are undead that still exist as independent beings, Risen are corpses which are animated by their Masters energy, which means they are capable of shrugging off any damage that does not completely remove their ability to perform actions. As such they are seen as incredibly durable beings, whom can only be destroyed if either: A) their connection with their master is broken, or B) their brain is destroyed, as the Risen rely on their brains to maintain motor function and the Pact with their Master. Note that just because a Risen will not be destroyed by damage does not mean it cannot hinder them or that they will repair the damage naturally. Unless they have specific spells or abilities on them to regenerate, the Risen do not heal wounds, and if say their limbs get blown off it will be incredibly hard for them to do much of anything.
There are two classifications of Risen, the Mindless and the Complete. Mindless Risen are those whom are brought back without any of their previous knowledge, skills, or sentience and are simply shambling corpses that must be directed by their Master to perform actions. Mindless Risen are also commonly referred to as Zombies or Ghouls, regardless of whether they are humanoid or not. Complete Risen are those whom still retain some of their abilities, knowledge, and sentience from life, essentially acting as undead variants of Living Familiars. Complete Risen however still do not possess magical energy of their own, and so require energy from their Master to perform any magical actions that they normally could have done themselves in life. Additionally, they are much like Synthetic Familiars in that they are virtually unable to go against the Pact which binds them, usually resulting in their immediate, complete destruction if they do so.
CHIMERA
Artificial Organic Beings not based entirely on humanity. Usually very limited, animalistic sentience at best. They come in various shapes and sizes, and are often purely made for combat or studious purposes. Chimera are the most feared and carefully treated of Familiars in the magical community, as they are almost always unstable or insane. Due to the fuzzy ethics regarding this area, most mortal mages shy away from dealing with these types of familiars, as they require a good deal of experimentation and manipulation to get any practical use out of, although some brave Guilds still dip their hands into the study of them. Well, they did at least, until recent years.
Up until Gilles de Rais, Chimera were viewed as an obscure type of familiar and not a category in their own right. Since his creation of the Le Fleau de Orleans, their importance and relevance has increased a great deal. They are by far the leading experts on Chimeric Research, with many among their ranks being capable of being called Chimeras in their own right. The undead Chimera created by this Vampire House are a league above most modern Chimera, treated almost as a mystic kind onto themselves due to the myriad of versatility and strength among them. As such, the Chimera is often days associated with this group, causing many modern Magi to shun the beings and view them as existences to be terminated. Only exceptionally brave or powerful Mages can get away with having a Chimera familiar, and they usually wouldn't bother unless the Chimera was exceptionally powerful.
Up until Gilles de Rais, Chimera were viewed as an obscure type of familiar and not a category in their own right. Since his creation of the Le Fleau de Orleans, their importance and relevance has increased a great deal. They are by far the leading experts on Chimeric Research, with many among their ranks being capable of being called Chimeras in their own right. The undead Chimera created by this Vampire House are a league above most modern Chimera, treated almost as a mystic kind onto themselves due to the myriad of versatility and strength among them. As such, the Chimera is often days associated with this group, causing many modern Magi to shun the beings and view them as existences to be terminated. Only exceptionally brave or powerful Mages can get away with having a Chimera familiar, and they usually wouldn't bother unless the Chimera was exceptionally powerful.