Spirit Devourer attacks are difficult to identify and study simply due to the nature of them - thus it has taken some centuries to put together even the basics. Some of our knowledge remains incomplete - some could even be considered more highly educated guess than absolute truth. What is known, however, begins with this: there is no person living who would not choose a slow and torturous death to an easy one in the tentacles of a Devourer.

— The Name and Nature of Abominations by Eiryen Nesaleen



Overview

Though Empirica Sin may be tormented, from time to time, by any number of dangerous creatures, none is so disquieting and dreadful as the Spirit Devourer. This species of Abomination made its first appearances in the tumult of the years of and following the Caelestise-Sura War... where they were seen floating from battlefield to battlefield, lingering over the dead. Since, they have been spotted over scenes of violence, battlefields, crime scenes, and other places of death - lingering, searching, feeding... and leaving a trails of confusion and devastation in their wake.

 

General Information

Appearance & Anatomy

Generally, they resemble monstrous cephalopods. Spirit Devourers have large, long bodies with very little physical protection - they are soft all over with translucent skin and similarly translucent innards. Their heads are small; at first clance the creature may appear to have no head at all, with a lump or protruding stump instead, due to the general lack of demarcation between head and body. At times, one can see light moving through the Devourer's body. They also have some number of prehensile tentacles, each lined with suction cups.

Spirit Devourers do not have mouths.

Despite their animal-like appeareance, Devourers are autotrophs and do not have animal-like internal organs or structures. While there are a series of flexible tubes and chambers similar to the digestive system, Devourers do not have acids to break down matter, nor do they produce waste as they neither eat nor drink.

Possible Attacks

  • A young girl is reported missing by her family's neighbor despite her parents' claim that they never had a daughter. Her skeletal remains are found in the forest six years later. Cause of death cannot be determined, but there a no visible breaks or gashes to her bones. (Year 4213)
  • The governor's seat of Heiash is unexplainably found to be open. No one can explain why, even with magical assistance. (Year 8925)
  • A local villager disappears and no one looks for him. When his body is found and identified later it seems that, while he is remembered, no one is especially troubled by his disappearance or his death. His wife suggests that it might be shock, but it seemingly never wears off. (Year 11235)
  • A battlefield is found in a forest full of scattered corpses. Locals have no recollection of a major battle nearby, and the identities of the dead combatants are never found. (Year 30123)

    • When moving, they appear to "swim" through the air as though they are underwater and, adding to the effect, the air visibly ripples around them like waves as they move.

    When they are especially well-fed, a dull glow can be seen from within their semi-translucent body.

    Diet

    Spirit Devourers sustain themselves by devouring the souls of the fallen, along with the "spiritual ripples" caused by those souls - the memories and emotions associated with the person whose soul it is. They must feed at least once per 5 days, but can forestall the need for additional feeding by devouring multiple souls in one "sitting" - for example if it were to consume two souls, it would not need to feed for another 10 days.

    The soul must belong to a creature of low human or higher level intelligence. The person must have been dead for at least one hour but no more than 12, as feeding must occur after the connection between soul and body has decayed somewhat but has not yet been fully severed.

     

    Behavior

    Devourers are largely scavengers. They seem to be drawn by some unknown means to sites of death, often fairly quickly - at times they can even be found hovering near the body of the not-yet-dead, waiting. Because so little is known about the nature of these Abominations, there is little to know understanding of how they get there so quickly.

    That said, while they prefer to devour the spirits of the recently fallen, as they must feed at every 5 or so days, they have been known to attack and kill when deprived for long periods of time. At times, a truly desperate Spirit Devourer has wandered into civiliation - typically a smaller settlement - and chosen its victim from among those nearby. When forced ot hunt, a Devourer may gorge itself, killing anyone and everyone it can reach before slowly floating away.

    Much of what is known about Spirit Devourers is known because of the occasional hunt in populated areas, as there is likely to be survivors and witnesses.

    A Spirit Devourer traveling with an offspring hatchling will bring the hatchling into the population center, but will often linger in places where the hatchling can easily hide behind it, such as alcoves or dead end alleyways.

     

    Ability Profile

    Easily recognizable by their eerie appearance and soft bodies, Spirit Devourers are typically found feasting on souls in areas with fresh corpses. As though their specific dietary needs were not bad enough, the effect of devouring souls is, in reality, far more far-reaching than "simply" the cessation of a spirit's existence.

    A rundown of the general abilities of the creature follows.

    Average Intellectual Abilities

    Spirit Devourers have low-level human intelligence; they are capable of problem-solving and the use of tools, and have a basic communication system involving tentacle positions, but they are not especially sophisticated thinkers.

    Electricity

    They can release an electric wave that travels through the air as though it were water, spreading out across large areas. Aside from its tentacles, this is the primary offensive ability of the Spirit Devourer. It is sometimes able to outright kill the victim, but more often is the first attack before a use of tentacles or sweet sea.

    Average Physical Abilities

    Devourers are surprisingly quick for their size, as well as exceptionally strong. Their tentacles function as many limbs, allowing them to grab, throw, tears or crush many enemies simultaneously. Blunt objects do little damage to their soft bodies, though they are vulnerable to piercing or slashing as they have no inherent armor or defense.

    The Pseudo-Sea

    The environment around a Spirit Devourer is altered by their presence, giving the air a weight and feeling similar to water. Those who come within 10-30 feet of them (variation per Devourer) will find that they move as though underwater. Additionally, breathing becomes difficult, though one cannot actually drown.

    Sweet Sea

    A tranquilizer is released into the pseudo-sea. While being a gas, it spreads through the area of the pseudo-sea as though it were a liquid poured into water. This tranquilizer numbs pain and slows reactions; it is typically the last thing a Devourer will do before attempting to kill its victim or victims.

    Spiritual Butterfly Effect

    By far the most troubling of the Devourer's abilities, as well as the reason they are widely feared. A soul consumed by a Devourer is utterly destroyed, denying the victim any potential afterlife or reincarnation. Furthermore, Devourer also consumes the "ripples" made by that soul - the effects of its existence. This causes the emotions and memories associated with that person to "dull," fade, or even disappear entirely.

    Life Cycle

    Spirit Devourers only spawn a single offspring at a time - laying a single egg in moist areas rife with flora and/or fauna decay. The egg gestates for approximately one year, during which time it will drain the nourishment from its environment, leaving a patch of dead ground by the time it finally hatches.

    As new hatchlings, Devourers resemble transluscent baby squids or octopi, and will tend to float closer to the ground. By the time the hatchling reaches 6 months, it is about half of its full-size and has the same abilities and freedom/fluidity of movement as an adult.

    As far as anyone knows, Devourers do not age once they have reached maturity. Their lives are potentially limitless, though they can starve or be killed.