Deathless

Undying Servants

Deathless is a designation given to a human who continues some imitation of life after what should have killed them. They go by many names. In Benevis they are known as deathless, slayers, or lifesung. In Yvatshun they are known as steora, wherlos (breathless), or daulos (deathless). In Eber they are known as meitrat. In Qarbak they are called qoru or surber. In Temanea they are called duihuo, muo tu, or tanchu. In Remdor they are called revenir or venirants. In Vaman they are called samitaur or varro.

Divine Purpose

Deathless commonly have a strong sense of divine purpose, and can find death and rest when they achieve said purpose. Depending on the culture and religion, deathless often associate their perpetuated existence to whatever god or being is associated with life, purpose, or any similar ideals. Many priests believe deathless are young people being given a second chance at an otherwise unjust or brief life by gods or spirits. Deathless generally remember everything about their previous lives as though they never died. Many claim they hear their divine purpose spoken directly to them shortly after their first death, and some also hear accompanying singing with no source. Despite essentially being immortal up to the point that they achieve their goal, it has been reported that deathless can forget their purpose, especially if they are "killed" repeatedly or face similar physical or emotional trauma while being a deathless. It is also known that some deathless claim to have never heard a purpose, but still feel the need to find one and find rest and peace. Monsters seem to treat deathless like regular humans, and will still pursue and attack them.

Regeneration and Function

Although deathless are essentially impossible to kill, there is rarely a noticeable increase in the physical or intellectual capabilities of any deathless, though sometimes they have a compulsion to find and pick up a weapon or item and carry it with them until they achieve their goal. They have reduced but detectable biological functions, such as blood flow and breathing, but these functions seem redundant. They will quickly recover from any conventional death due to their ability to rapidly regenerate from any injuries or physical trauma. It seems that the body of a deathless is constantly trying to maintain the form it had upon death, which means the body does not grow or age in any noticeable way. Lost limbs regrow within minutes and the removed limb rapidly breaks down, with centuries of deterioration occurring over hours. They have no need of sleep or rest, and do not seem to tire -- though regenerating a lost limb, or regenerating back from a "death" seems to result in temporary lethargy in the deathless. They also have no need of food or drink, and the body often rejects such material; in fact, the body of a deathless is generally incapable of accepting any foreign substances or objects. They do not produce waste, do not sweat, and cannot contract diseases or become ill -- though it is believed they can transmit some diseases. Despite how indestructible their bodies are, their memories are as vulnerable to being forgotten or lost as mortals. Finally, deathless have an extremely high threshold to pain, and past experiments have, for example, seen deathless describe the experience of being beheaded as "uncomfortable" after regenerating.

Telltale Signs

There are no obvious and clear signs to recognise a deathless, though they are many features that most deathless share. The eyes of a deathless are said to not shine like the eyes of a mortal. This is sometimes thought to be because they forget to blink due to how numb they are to mundane discomforts. Others say this is because their souls are not quite there, or because some other non-human entity is borrowing the body. Deathless are also often emotionally distant, lost in thought, forgetful, easily distracted, or emotionally numb. They are, for whatever reason, generally young; there are no records of deathless over the age of 25. There are records of deathless who have roamed Riiga for two or three centuries, either because they could not find their divine purpose, or because it took a long time to complete.