Leor Mearanth
Leor Mearanth
A man enshrouded in mystery, it's unknown exactly how he came to Phorasmos by most. It was as if he just appeared one day. No one in Parumora seems to recognize him when he stops by. He seems kind enough when meeting him, but rumors are a nasty thing, and most in Parumora seem to distrust him at least slightly for his solitary nature.
He does not tell most about his mission, as that would only lead to more questions, and unsavory answers. His ultimate life's purpose is the same as the Mourners, to free Phorasmos from the grip of the dead and return it back to a thriving land of the living. His methods are more unorthodox, though. His invention, the Automourner, is the only true way for him. Physical mourners are mortal, and more importantly quite rare. Once perfected, his Automourners will retake the Charnel City, and the rest of the island for the living once again.
He does not tell most about his mission, as that would only lead to more questions, and unsavory answers. His ultimate life's purpose is the same as the Mourners, to free Phorasmos from the grip of the dead and return it back to a thriving land of the living. His methods are more unorthodox, though. His invention, the Automourner, is the only true way for him. Physical mourners are mortal, and more importantly quite rare. Once perfected, his Automourners will retake the Charnel City, and the rest of the island for the living once again.
Appearance
Leor seems to stand out against the darkness and cool spectral hues of Phorasmos. He wears red and white with gold trims and jewelry. His style of dress matches his bright red hair and commanding look that is best displayed in his eyes. Leor's eyes are filled with determination, yet dulled, as if he has been working for decades on end. He's relatively tall, but seems to tower over even those who surpass him in physical height.
Skills and Abilities
Intelligence
Leor's education and ability to apply his knowledge are self evident. It's clear he was brought up with access to learning, as he has no qualms with quoting scholars and philosophers both known and unknown. His inventions are where the practical applications come in.
Magic
Leor's travels through Liadan had landed him an apprenticeship of sort under a college trained magician, an exiled one. He learned quickly, and became adept at necromancy. While that was his specialty, he knows a number of other basic spells.
Ritual of Binding
An...alteration of the Ritual of Calling, perverted by necromancy. Leor forcibly rips a soul from the afterlife. This soul must be let to return to the afterlife or contained in a spirit vessel immediately, or it risks becoming a revenant right at the ritual site. No one knows about this ritual but him and close confidants, as most would certainly call it cruel. He understands the greater purpose it serves, however.
Unstable Vessel
The more rudimentary application of the Ritual of Binding. Vessels containing a soul trapped by the Ritual of Binding are naturally unstable, and sudden jolts or impacts will cause the vessel to explode violently. This explosion can harm physical beings, and stun Revenants or other spectral beings for a time. The soul released almost immediately turns into a revenant itself though, making this an absolute last resort.
The Automourner
The pinnacle of Leor's research, and his life's work. An Automourner is exactly what it's name implies, an autonomous Mourner, not needing (and in fact rejecting) a physical operator. More details on their construction and visuals are below.
Leor's education and ability to apply his knowledge are self evident. It's clear he was brought up with access to learning, as he has no qualms with quoting scholars and philosophers both known and unknown. His inventions are where the practical applications come in.
Magic
Leor's travels through Liadan had landed him an apprenticeship of sort under a college trained magician, an exiled one. He learned quickly, and became adept at necromancy. While that was his specialty, he knows a number of other basic spells.
Ritual of Binding
An...alteration of the Ritual of Calling, perverted by necromancy. Leor forcibly rips a soul from the afterlife. This soul must be let to return to the afterlife or contained in a spirit vessel immediately, or it risks becoming a revenant right at the ritual site. No one knows about this ritual but him and close confidants, as most would certainly call it cruel. He understands the greater purpose it serves, however.
Unstable Vessel
The more rudimentary application of the Ritual of Binding. Vessels containing a soul trapped by the Ritual of Binding are naturally unstable, and sudden jolts or impacts will cause the vessel to explode violently. This explosion can harm physical beings, and stun Revenants or other spectral beings for a time. The soul released almost immediately turns into a revenant itself though, making this an absolute last resort.
The Automourner
The pinnacle of Leor's research, and his life's work. An Automourner is exactly what it's name implies, an autonomous Mourner, not needing (and in fact rejecting) a physical operator. More details on their construction and visuals are below.
Their construction is complicated, and begins with the Ritual of Binding. Two souls that shared a close relationship in life is necessary, with both being contained in individual spirit vessels and smithed into one set of Ghost Mail. The souls keep each other stable, and through a mix of enchantment magic and further necromancy to communicate with the spirits, Leor is able to give them commands. Each spirit thinks it's their counterpart speaking to them, and work in tandem to carry out the order.
Automourners are not without their weaknesses, however. The further they are from Leor, the more likely they are to go rogue without his guiding voice. Rogue Automourners violently lash out at anything close, spirit or otherwise, destroying even inanimate objects.
Secondly, if Leor did not know much about what the pair of souls were like in life, their personal rituals are unknown to him. Without these, he cannot soothe the souls properly and extend their lifetime. This makes almost every Automourner temporary unless Leor takes the time to investigate who the souls were while living, which is often a daunting task and one that can easily go wrong. This factor is what has made it the hardest for the Spiritsmith to build up his forces to any sort of notable amount, as he is constantly forced to release and destroy the ever maddening spirits inside the armor.
In addition to these, they cannot evolve or escape the level of a baseline mourner.
One Automourner has managed to escape these limitations, one Leor has dubbed "The General" [Pictured Below].
This Automourner was made from The Ritual of Calling rather than that of binding, and is truly autonomous. The two souls that occupy this set of Ghost Mail were people that Leor knew and trusted in life, and shared his mission wholeheartedly when called upon. They know each other well, and can perform their own rituals to stave off the madness. It has a look of the living about it, of red, gold and fur, and is therefore Leor's favorite. The General symbolizes hope to him, and what Automourners can one day look like.
Automourners are not without their weaknesses, however. The further they are from Leor, the more likely they are to go rogue without his guiding voice. Rogue Automourners violently lash out at anything close, spirit or otherwise, destroying even inanimate objects.
Secondly, if Leor did not know much about what the pair of souls were like in life, their personal rituals are unknown to him. Without these, he cannot soothe the souls properly and extend their lifetime. This makes almost every Automourner temporary unless Leor takes the time to investigate who the souls were while living, which is often a daunting task and one that can easily go wrong. This factor is what has made it the hardest for the Spiritsmith to build up his forces to any sort of notable amount, as he is constantly forced to release and destroy the ever maddening spirits inside the armor.
In addition to these, they cannot evolve or escape the level of a baseline mourner.
One Automourner has managed to escape these limitations, one Leor has dubbed "The General" [Pictured Below].
This Automourner was made from The Ritual of Calling rather than that of binding, and is truly autonomous. The two souls that occupy this set of Ghost Mail were people that Leor knew and trusted in life, and shared his mission wholeheartedly when called upon. They know each other well, and can perform their own rituals to stave off the madness. It has a look of the living about it, of red, gold and fur, and is therefore Leor's favorite. The General symbolizes hope to him, and what Automourners can one day look like.
Personality
Leor has one of the most brilliant one track minds on the planet. Most of his time is dedicated to his mission, and there are few other subjects of conversation for him. He puts on a face of kindness and polite expression for those he's dealing with most of the time, but will adopt whatever attitude he must to get what he wants. In more genuine moments, there's a deep regret about him, but one that pushes him forward to see his task to the end.