literature

BCIE- The Zephilim of the Stormlance

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While all races who populate the Gateworld know the discomfort and awkwardness of transformation to some degree or another before settling into their new lives, a very small number of Humies that traipse through a portal never get to set foot on the other side... not as they are, anyway. Through a very uncommon occurrence, random and intense buildups of magic within the Gate itself twist these unfortunate Humies into an existence unfathomable even to most residents of Camboria.

These are the Zephilim. Less a race of creatures and more sentient forces of nature, Zephilim are strange genderless entities consisting purely of energy that range in size anywhere from two meters tall to the height of an average office building. While they usually appear as living electromagnetic sandstorms capable of generating intense lightning and winds with the destructive capacity of F5 tornadoes, they sometimes voluntarily assume a humanoid state.

This form is composed of a thin outer coating of sand particles orbiting a powerful core of electricity--the "skin" is wildly expressive and constantly shifting, breaking apart and reforming in a matter of seconds. It is said that it takes a great deal of effort for Zephilim to maintain this shape for longer than a few hours without becoming unstable and breaking down into their "stormling" form. As humanoids larger Zephilim spontaneously manifest huge wings out of dust that resemble those of Celestines.

It is this last point that has created much debate among the Celestines and the demonic races. The Demons often suggest that the Zephilim are Celestines that never transformed properly or "fell from grace" somehow. Naturally the Celestines deny these assertions, believing the Zephilim are Demons themselves. Further adding to the confusion Zephilim have a seeming grudge against both races and will confront any Demon or Celestine unwise enough to approach them.... or these "attacks" could simply be an attempt to feed on magic they are mysteriously drawn to. No one really knows for sure, as nobody has been able to ask the Zephilim or even heard one speak. Some of this has to do with their habitation of the Stormlance, a neverending desert with conditions so inhospitable that very few beings are content to live there.

The odd Zephilim on a walk outside the 'Lance is a terrifying sight--though a lone Zephilim is rarely hostile and seems oblivious to the world around it (until an unlucky Celestine or Demon comes to its attention), its powers are so chaotic and overwhelming that it takes the strongest magic to even contain let alone stop one. More often than not the other races simply give the wandering stormling a very wide berth and pick up the many pieces when it eventually gets bored and leaves. To this day, there is only one rule in the Gateworld when it comes to interacting with a Zephilim--DON'T.
Here's a little something I put together for Danger-Catt and TheCamboriaCommunity. It's a really cool project worth checking out if you're into TF and/or fantasy worldbuilding, and Danger-Catt's art is awesome.

The group: thecamboriacommunity.deviantar…

Danger-Catt's profile: danger-catt.deviantart.com/
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