Chuthul Who?

This time, we’re talking about Chuthul.

What are they? Where do they come from? What is their purpose? Who came up with the wonky name? These are the questions that we shall be answering.

The Chuthul are non-organic beings of indeterminate life span, who derive their functional abilities from an overt presence of Blood. They are, in fact, the sentient representation of Blood upon the surface of the planet, fulfilling in their nature all of the archetypal aspects of the substance of Blood, and the personality of the Brother of Blood. Meaning, they are Blood. As befitting of this, their physical appearance is indistinct; memories of them are oddly skewed,  having only the sensation of something big, violent, humanoid(ish) and scary. When Chuthul want to be remembered, they usually take a form similar to the one doing the remembering, albeit with the previously mentioned features. Depending on their taste (or sense of humor) they may have such features as wings, horns, extra limbs, protrusions, or other odd features. The one aspect that always stays the same, is their Ink.

Ink (with capitals) is a substance that derives its power from Dye, and acts as a representation of the aspects of an individuals mind, body, and capabilities. Because Chuthul are corporeal representations of Blood, they use Ink to ‘ground’ themselves among the living. As is befitting of the Brother of Blood, Chuthul usually use Ink to define themselves in violent and crafty ways. Among the Chuthul, they refer to their personal Ink as their Dearth, or Lack, showing what human elements they don’t have.

The Chuthul’s origin is unknown. The only detail on that front which is known, is that they like to stay near the crystal impact sites. Some people theorize that they derive their physical form from pure crystal. In the same vein, the Chuthul’s goal is unknown. They commit seemingly random acts – picking flowers, digging tunnels, forging swords, genetically altering Chaun minorities – for no apparent reason. It could be said, however, that those exposed to Chuthul, whatever the Chuthul in question may be doing, generally leave the area changed, in both body and soul.

Elhrrah came up with the name. His is also late in posting this, because he was busy celebrating the birthday of TeH ElhrraH.

Arts of Nidus

This time, we’re talking about magic.

Not the fluffy ’sprites and butterflies’ sort of magic, but rather the ‘raw focusing of Blood through a specific medium of Dye, such as to take an elemental or ethereal form’ sort of magic. As you have probably guessed by now, the magic system is tied into the preexisting concepts of Blood and Dye; no wonder it is the name of the game…

The magic system is referred to as the ‘Arts of Nidus,’ and whose meaning I shall not translate for you. The Arts are of Jhinn origin, and before I explain what they are and how they work, I shall explain how the Jhinn acquire the ability to use them.

As you all know, the Jhinn form collectives of four to six individuals who are telepathically bound to one another. This bond exists even through death. This bond is, in fact, so strong that when an individual dies in a normal fashion ( stabbed, thrown off a cliff, excessive vomiting, etc) the remnants of his soul are bound to the rest of his Frythyn. Which means that when a member of a collective dies, he or she ‘remains’ in the subconscious of those who have survived. If they die normally.

If their death isn’t normal, torture or self-sacrifice comes to mind, and it is all but one of them who dies, things happen differently. The severed souls are pushed beyond whatever veil that exists, but the strength of their bond causes them to try and push back. This everlasting effort, combined with the nature of the emotions present at their death, creates the first part of the link, for the Arts of Nidus.

The second part, must come from the other side. For this effort, this striving alone cannot cause The Arts to manifest. For sure, the sole surviving Frythyn will feel the effects, the brush of the lost minds, and some small nature of their form to be. It is enough for the Jhinn to know what to do. For if he wishes it, he can find a scribe willing to create the second half of the link – through wicked looking Dye-tattoos – such that he can feel the presence of his Frythyn again. But the price is steep. For while the Jhinn can experience the presence of his Frythyn once again, he must deal with the fact that they have been changed by their journey through the veil. Remnants of them remain, of course, but in the whole his mind has been filled with the presence of damaged, alien beings. Who have brought with them something no mind can comprehend.

Nidus. Focal point of infection. The Arts of Nidus come about when a Jhinn is placed in the mental presence of souls who have been through the veil in a violent way, bringing with them the energy and power which once animated their bodies. The different forms that the power can take are called Nidi, and they vary depending on the manner of death. It may be an everburning fire, grasping frost, strangling smog, or one of many manifestations. The more it is used, the more powerful it becomes, and the damage it does to its practitioner increases.

The Arts are powerful, have no doubt, and one with the ability to use them is both dangerous and damaged. Most of the time, the simple use of the energy is enough, but not always. For once a practitioner of The Arts has become close enough to the souls who inhabit him, he gains the ability to become empowered by The Will of Nidi. The Will of Nidi is when the practitioner becomes possessed by the souls who inhabit him for a period of time, increasing both his power, and the damage done to him body and soul, many fold. Each time The Will is used, the mind of the practitioner is changed into something closer to the souls who inhabit him. In the end, through overuse, there is nothing to distinguish them.

HBT does not stand for Huge Bloated Turtles

Instead, it stands for Human Blank Theory, and it is the subject of this week’s post.

The Human Blank Theory (HBT) is pivotal for the entirety of Project:Evermore, and allows us to get away with all sorts of stuff. Why? Because HBT operates on the concept that the human race,  is actually a biological template, engineered to be completely open to modification. At this point, I could go on and talk about how it could apply in the real world by citing cancer rates, chin beards, and crayfish as prime examples. Instead, I’ll tell you about how it applies in Blood & Dye.

For those who have read my narrative on The Brothers (just scroll down), you’ll know that humans are not native to the realm in which Blood & Dye takes place. You will also know that humanity was introduced by The Stranger in its normal -corrupt- unaltered form. This means that every humanoid-like being (other than the Chuthul & Raharah, of course) has a human root. Jhinn included. This also means that cultures such as the Chaun are completely open to interference by beings with the capability to do so.

But that is not all. For unlike the real world, the world of Blood & Dye is home to a plethora of DNA-altering creatures and beings, enough that even the Chaun have changed ‘naturally’ over time, to mirror their electro-centric world and form a sub-species of ‘blue bloods.’ They have also accumulated over time select genetic strings from other creatures, lying dormant as of yet.

As for the Jhinn, in this matter, the effects are quite evident. Their asymmetric spines and tissue loss all point towards altered embryos. Differences can be seen even between different factions and sub groups, in such things as the micro-spines of the Guides, or the scale of them on Skinwalkers. Whether or not they are still open to manipulation is hard to tell, due to the things that have been done to them already.