Ember-Hearted

Full fledged members of The Cult of Embers complete their initiation by becoming Ember-Hearted - a process which involves placing a Ember from a Sun Censer into the heart of the initiate. Ember-Hearted are suspended between life and death, perpetually fueled off of the consumption and burning of other's life energy. While not quite considered immortal by most scholar's standards, Ember-Hearted can be incredibly long-lived and maintain age and energy so as long as they have a source of energy.

Basics

Becoming Ember-Hearted

Becoming Ember-Hearted requires being chosen by a Ember Bearer - the only person capable of handling Embers without being harmed. A chosen individual undergoes the Cult of Ember's initial Rites, before often being tied down to a altar of some form. The Ember Bearer chooses a Ember from the Censer, which is said to be influenced by Okẽpluyxtai itself. The Ember Bearer cuts a hole into the initiate's chest, allowing access to their heart, before pushing the Ember into it. The Ember burns into the initiate's heart, before settling within it and becoming the source of life and energy. The process is said to be unbelievably painful, and have a 25% mortality rate. 
New Ember-Hearted often require several days to recover, during which they feel feverish and as though they are on fire. It may take weeks or months for them to become at ease with not needing to eat or drink, or the sensation of being both alive and dead. 

Perks & Downsides

Ember-Hearted do not require to eat or drink - they draw their energy from those around them, and those under their power. The Ember in their heart is, quite literally, fed on this - and so as long as it is burning, the Ember-Hearted will live. Ember-Hearted will not age, and are immune to most illnesses and diseases. Their bodies run at a much warmer than average temperature for most races. Even the weakest Ember-Hearted can conjure up weak fire magic at will, though this draws on their own life force or requires burning more energy. Ember-Hearted heal unnaturally fast, and can shrug off wounds that would ultimately be fatal to mortals but do not immediately kill. The strength of a individual Ember-Hearted, both magically and otherwise, is determined by the type and nature of their Ember.
Ember-Hearted can be slain as any other mortal can however, even if it's significantly more difficult. Suffocation, decapitation, and a injury to the heart are certain ways of killing one. They will also perish of unable to siphon life from something, or if they choose not to. Their state in existence borders a similar line to undead - and it is known that some spells that would pick up on undead will also flag Ember-Hearted.

Embers

Embers are, quite literally, embers. Each on is chosen by the current Ember Bearer, who is the only one capable of discerning usable Embers from normal, non-metaphysical ones. Embers are obtained the same way normal embers are - through burning things. Each Ember is imbuned with its own properties, often related what burned to create them. Embers picked from a regular campfire, for example, are considered common and lackluster, and those who are given them are often weaker and have less potential to grow. The Ember picked from the Last Leader's Pyre, however, are considered rather powerful and have a great amount of potential. Which Ember is given to a initiate is chosen by the Ember Bearer, with Okẽpluyxtai's influence.
Embers are kept in a Sun Censer or a Sun Brazier, where they will continue to burn and not shrink so as long as they are fed like the rest of the Ember-Hearted. Outside of these two vessels, Embers will act like normal embers and eventually consume themselves and/or sputter out.

History

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Divine

Rarity

Extremely Rare