The Pale

The Pale are a mysterious group that exist across the whole of Venus. Not much is known about the group and they are not typically discussed outside of the whispers of the desperate.

History

The history of The Pale is better described as legend than true history. The first legends of the Pale appeared sometime shortly after Ra assumed control of the planet. Even before most of the settlements began to speak openly about the Pale, they still talked between themselves in whispers. Over the centuries this lead to the Pale becoming figures of myth under many names: The Wilder Witches, The Ashen Ones, the Old Crows, and so on. Despite these legends spanning several millennia, they have barely changed in all that time, giving The Pale an eternal quality. One of the reasons that The Pale are so widely known across so many settlements is that they don't have a permanent location. While they don't appear everywhere, they can appear anywhere.

Activities and Interactions

While not much about their origins is known to the public, their activities are more widely known. When someone is in desperate need, The Pale may find them. They only ever meet in private with whomever needs their help, whether that be an individual or a group doesn't seem to matter. For this reason, they truly desperate will stumble into the wilderness, hoping the isolation will allow The Witches to show themselves. If and when they reveal themselves, they will do so suddenly and on their own terms. Rumors say that any number could show up, ranging from a single Crow to half a dozen. Regardless if its one or many, only one of them will speak during the meeting, seemingly communicating with the others without a single word spoken aloud. No matter who they are meeting with, they seem to understand them and are able to speak back to them, regardless of language. When someone meets The Ashen, they are in desperate need of something and The Pale are there to provide. Legends vary on the amount of influence and power they may have, but their power still inspires some degree of fear in those who should be afraid. Rumors of the requests they have heard range from the simple such as replenishing food stores to finding a loved one or even curing an outbreak of plague in a city or destroying the city entirely. Whether not there is any truth to all these is disputed, but there is no way to prove or disprove their veracity. However, with any request, there also comes payment. This is something that everyone agrees upon. The Crows only ask for one thing for payment: time. Every request comes at the cost of the lifeforce of the one who sought out The Pale. Depending on what the witches are asked to do, they could require weeks, month or even years of life to be drained from the desperate soul who asked for their help. After the ritual is complete, The Ashen will send the now older client on their way, if they still have time left.

Character Knowledge

Characters just now arriving on Venus: Are you serious? Witches aren't real. Are you afraid of the boogeyman too? Characters not from Venus, who spent some time there: Yeah, I've heard some people talk about them, but most of those people are delusional and have no other options. Characters from Venus: I've never seen them. I don't want to. Not because I'm afraid of them, but because I'm afraid of needing to need them. Characters who know those who have met The Pale: I can't say for sure that they're real, but the disease that destroyed all the crops disappeared overnight and the farmer looks at least a decade older.