Within the Gornwood, a semi-aquatic realm of swamp and deep water and brilliant bioluminescence, the Gornfolk eke out a living. They tend to be quiet but social people, comfortable in almost any environment and around others. The waters are alive in Gornwood and carry the memories of the dead within them. Spirits form bodies from plants, bones, whatever detritus they can find, and seek out a living host to devour or possess. Every Gornfolk knows the rituals to coerce or repel malevolent spirits, or they don’t live long.
The benevolent dead, however, are required to survive. Gornfolk are benignly possessed by one or more spirits, their body acting as a shrine to its hosts. While the Gornfolk don’t consider their passengers to be a part of their personality, nonetheless the ghosts can have opinions that only their host can hear. Gornfolk are all adept swimmers and more often than not communicate through sign language when the spirits demand silence or they need to speak underwater.
They have very serious rules about hospitality for travelers – anyone left out after the lights of the trees goes out is good as dead.
WHERE THEY’RE FROM
Everything in the Gornwood is both dead and alive. The spirits in this semi-aquatic realm are quite real and must be constantly appeased by the living with a thousand tiny rituals. In return, they offer their assistance and knowledge – necessary for surviving in this dark and mysterious realm. Who knows how far down the towering trees of Gornwood go below the surface of the water? It’s a dangerous world and why the Gornfolk tend to keep their lights on and company close.
ADVANTAGE: THE FLESH REMEMBERS
Gornfolk can read the memories of the recently dead – it doesn’t matter what species it was. Once between rests, a Gornfolk can touch a corpse and know what happened to it in the last hour of its life as well as who it was.
KEY QUALITIES
Stoic, reliable, quiet, courteous, welcoming
HOW THEY EXPERIENCE THE WORLD
“Nah, it’s my turn for first watch, but if you’ve got any stories, I won’t say no to the company.”
HEALING
Gornfolk produce bioluminescent spit which in addition to providing light in dark spaces can also be used to heal the wounds of others. Others only, unfortunately, as a Gornfolk is immune to their own saliva. They have four charges that heal their target to maximum HP before they run dry, as it were, and it can be applied at range.
WHAT ARE THEY MADE OF?
Living in such a dark, watery World, Gornfolk are a symbiotic blend of plant matter and ghost. Spirit colours tend to reflect their overall health and happiness, so Gornfolk who don’t want to let that information out cover up.
NAMES
[Body’s chosen name] – [Spirit’s chosen name]
Example
Haidre-Ossonoff