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Character Concepts
Players often have a vague idea of the sort of character they want to portray, many having been influenced by books, movies or other forms of entertainment. The world of Immortal is an intricate one. Still, basic archetypes such as the vampire and sea-gods still survive in the mythologies of peoples the world over, hints of the true natures of the immortal race. Take time to discuss your idea with the narrator. Between the two of you, you can choose and interesting character to play while he can tailor-fit his story to include its concept. The archetypes below each point to certain immortal nations whose members are often perceived, whether on accident or by their own designs, as embodiments of the archetype. Click on the name of each group (highlighted) which interests you and take a look at the information provided for each group.
The concept of angels predates Christianity, especially in the cultures of Assyria and other civilizations of the fertile crescent. Winged beings of great beauty and majesty, they are generally perceived as messengers of a higher power who can travel wherever they wish. Many immortals have been known as angels to mortals. The stormy Morrigan, a nation of immortals descended from wind and birds, most often masquerade as angels when forced to visit the lowly ground while the Eremites believe that they really might be angels. The noble Phoenix also appear angelic to those they visit since their true nature is flame.
One of the most renown artists in immortal society are the Arachne, immortals descended from spiders, scorpions and insects. Their flawlessly logical minds allow them to create objects and architecture of incredible beauty, yet, lacking emotion, they cannot appreciate their own art in ways others do.
The Amaranth are well known as artists, especially in their utter mastery of music which stirs the souls of humans toward a brilliant, if short-lived, life. Descended from ancient trees, plants and flowers, they are the epitome of unfading beauty and the creative power of the imagination. Unfortunately, those who they spend too much attention upon often become mad from their own inner brilliance. Similar to the Amaranth in many respects are the Phoenix. Artistic in their own right, the Phoenix are more warlike, dedicated to purging all weakness from the world, making it strong and vital, preparing it for the coming war with the Beast.
The hive-minded Arachne are famous assassins, often working in concert to take down their prey. The Cur, werewolves made of iron and steel are known for their ability to track their prey and bring them to a swift end.
The Anopheles are sensualists who use their ancient knowledge of vices to tempt their opponents off their guard. They have thus been the inspiration of lustful artists, dictators and warriors throughout the ages. A pity that their inspiration leaves their chosen victims feeling hollow afterwards. The Amaranth are the most famous bards, appearing to humans they feel are worthy of special inspiration. They are the makers of heroes and the seekers of the last pure clan of mankind.
The Phoenix, beings of living fire, seek out all corruption in an effort to purge the world of those things which hinder it’s ascension toward perfection. Many have known them as supernatural knights whose eyes blaze with the conviction of their cause. The Banjax, immortals who raised Egypt to it’s glory and who explore the mysteries of death are completely dedicated to the end of all tyranny, whether ideological or physical.
The Inferna are immortals who have been warped, by their own schemes, into demonic forms by the superstition of powerful human minds. They are dedicated to increasing their own power in this way. The Phoenix are known in the Middle East as the fiery Djinn, creatures of fire who spread destruction in their wake.
The Terat are sleeping monsters who enter dreams and wage war against the Nightmare minions of the Beast within their own lair. The Shonelkidar are well known to enter the rooms of sleeping mortals to steal away their fertility in the quest to breed a perfect human.
With their ability to transform themselves into water itself, the Roane flow through the oceans and the underground arteries of mother earth in their quest for lost treasures and powerful relics. The Tautha, bent on preserving the last pure things in the world, seek them out and tattoo entire lands on their skin.
While all creatures may exist as spirits, the Saturna exist in the corporeal world with the powers of spirits, but without the limitations. Wherever they congregate, the wall between spirit world and real world thins and spirits congregate to haunt the living. Some members of the witchy Nimrod, a nation of immortal women bound in shadow also exist in the in-between world of spirits.
The immortals are known in many cultures as gods. In ancient Persia, the Phoenix. In Babylon and ancient Russia (Scythians), the Nimrod. In Africa, the Terat. Among the norsemen, the winged Morrigan. In India, the many-limbed Arachne. In Egypt, the Banjax. In Greece, the Magdalen and Phoenix. Among the Celts, the Amaranth and Tautha. In Asia, the Dracul. In the Holy Roman Empire, the Eremites were known as messengers of God while the Inferna are known as demons. Those cultures deriving their livelihood from the sea have long worshipped the Roane as sea-gods.
The winged Morrigan, an immortal group with strong ties to the Celts competed violently with the sylvan Tautha, symbols of paganism. As keepers of the mystical twilight world of Faery, the Amaranth influenced the reign of Arthur and provided many tests to improve his knights.
Powerful weapons of myth, from Thor’s hammer to the sword of King Arthur, are actually living immortals known as the Peri, a nation dedicated to becoming the instruments by which the Beast can be slain.
All immortals are shapechangers, but it is the Terat who revel in their animal forms, giving them the reputations as the monsters of the immortal society. The Cur, creatures formed from wolves and cold metal prowl the world, mistaken for the werewolves of legend. The Anopheles are the cat-people and the Morrigan the legends of women who transform into ravens.
The serene Dracul, immortals who follow an ancient dragon’s spirit are celebrated for their martial ability as well as their dedication to harmonious balance of all destructive power in the world. No ninja approaches their power, for they pioneered many of the martial arts.
The mysterious Roane are the mermaids of ocean tales, living in the dark, silent deeps while searching for lost relics of the past. They are compulsive gatherers of all things rare and mystical. They wander the land on a quest to increase their collection and save others from the corruption of evil.
The world of the immortals is the world of trapped dreams and dark fairy tales. In the shadows of this world glimmer the beautiful Tautha who seek to save pieces of the world from ruin, tattooing each piece onto her skin. The elven-like Amaranth, born in the radiance of the great Trees of Light that once covered the world seek to bring man back into harmony with a world he has too long neglected.
The Egyptian Banjax, makers of mummies and mediums of great fame seek for immortal souls to mingle with and free the One Soul of humanity from the tyrannical hold of the Beast. The eerie Saturna are spirits themselves who live between the world of the dead and the living.
Often perceived as haughty, the Magdalen, once rulers of Mount Olympus and the Library of Alexandria are introspective wizards who study the power of the written word. They amass every book ever written in search for the True Name of the Beast with which to bind him. The nautical Roane are the sorcerers who possess the deep secrets of the sea, its flowing power and lost mystical relics.
Ruling from their great floating city, the Morrigan avoid touching the ground with bare flesh to avoid weakness and use their mastery of the storm to battle the most powerful minion of the Beast still living on planet Earth, a creature made of living storm.
The Peri are immortals who were made from the metals and jewels of the earth. Living machines that would make the most sophisticated android seem artificial in comparison, they rule the underground from the fastness of their great crystalline cities.
All immortals can be thought of as vampires, for they possess the ability to drain life-force from human beings. It is the Anopheles, however, who worship blood and revel in it. They are the vampires of legend who seduce humans, take their blood and do magical things with it. The alien Shonelkidar are also noted for their stealing of human fertility (and children) in their quest to create the perfect mortal. Incubus and succubus tales grew from their practice.
The Phoenix are often associated with the male principle of withcraft, especially in the manipulation of fire and other elemental forces.
The immortal race, as a whole, is at constant war with their dark enemy, the Beast. Most famed are the Eremites, who spawned many legends in ancient Israel, the Anopheles, who were bred as insane killing machines and the Nimrod, warrior women from which the name Amazons came to humans. The Phoenix are proud warriors burning their way toward the perfection of the world and the Dracul are the oriental masters of the arts of war.
The feminine Nimrod, a nation of women with power over shadow are the famed witches of the middle ages. They dedicate themselves to maintaining the anonymity of human kind among mortals as well as the return of women as the primal force on the earth. Their male counterparts, the Phoenix are famed as warlocks.
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