Phasma
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The Phasma (Drakine Setati, scientific name Mania Aeruginosa, same plural) is a somewhat unique, undead species of Euthoran dragon. A group of Phasma is called a drove, but Phasma do not commonly travel in groups. The Elemental Alignment of a Phasma varies according to the dragon's original species.
Being undead, Phasma do not breed or nest, and are instead created from the soul of a deceased dragon. The manifestation of a Phasma is entirely independent from the state of its corpse, and it is not uncommon for newly-created Phasma to remain near their bodies for a short time.
Contents
Appearance
Phasma vary wildly in appearance, according to the species of dragon they were in life. All Phasma are primarily composed of semi-tangible Prana, usually white-blue in color, filling a frame of solid bone. The most common bones on a Phasma are the skull, which is always present, and the ribs, though plates and claw sheathes have commonly been observed. While Phasma do not seem to have actual eyeballs, the eye sockets of their skulls can be seen emitting a pupil-like glow in varying colors, often white or red.
The Prana that composes their body is translucent and seems to be luminescent, but the light actually comes from souls which have not been processed yet and still remain in the Phasma's body. They do not have internal organs, but they often manifest teeth and tongues. Their tails do not seem to truly end, instead fading into nothingness near where the tail would normally end.
A defining trait of Phasma is chains wrapping around the body, originating from bone-like "shackles" around the tail, neck, or limbs. These chains are intangible to physical matter, but restrain and confine the Phasma, which is primarily composed of spiritual matter. This is due to their property of allowing physical matter to pass through, but not spiritual energies. These chains seem to inhibit the Phasma's strength and surprising speed, but do not completely eliminate the danger posed by them. They are not infallible, as seen in the case of Raiereí, whose chains were snapped and used as a hunting tool to trap prey via their souls.
Physiology
Due to their unique state of existence, Phasma have wildly different physiology from any other Euthoran dragon. They are composed entirely of bone and Prana, with no internal skeletal structure or organs to speak of aside from mocks of eyes and tongues. In order to maintain their spiritual energy, they hunt and consume recently-passed or even still-living souls, regardless of the state of the soul's body. The soul remains stored inside the Phasma's body until the Prana begins to fade away, at which point the soul is processed and "fuels" the Phasma's continued existence.
When a Phasma is destroyed, its Prana body rapidly evaporates, releasing unprocessed souls back into whatever plane the Phasma was destroyed in. The bones typically crumble to dust at this point and the chains fade, but sometimes the skull may remain intact.
Abilities
Phasma, due to the nature of their existence, are able to almost freely cross between the mortal and spiritual planes (they are unable to fully enter the spiritual realm, but can enter the "layers" of reality close to it), though may be forced out of the latter by other entities if they feel the Phasma is too dangerous. When emerging into the mortal plane, they emit a thick, white mist to shroud their form, but this mist dissipates shortly. They can sense living souls within a moderate distance, and usually home into whatever is closest.
Impossible to kill by normal means, a Phasma must be destroyed through its spiritual body in order to truly be rid of it. If attacked by physical weaponry or even by magic that targets the body, Phasma display formidable regenerative properties and will continue fighting its attacker until destroyed or the attacker's soul is consumed.
While not immune to psychic control, they are highly resistant and incredibly dangerous for most to target. The "mind" of a Phasma is chaotic, alien, and almost void-like in the total absence of coherent thought or emotion; connecting to the mindlessness of a Phasma has been known to drive dracoimperists and necromancers alike insane. This makes Phasma created from Voidwalkers particularly dangerous, as the Voidwalker's psychic abilities may linger and cause irreparable damage to the minds of those the Phasma crosses paths with.
Behavior
Phasma are sentient but not sapient, best described as "mindless" due to their single-minded hunting drives and the inability of most psychics to communicate with them. Voracious and hostile, Phasma typically walk the line between the worlds of the living and dead, waiting to cross to either side to hunt or even for an unfortunate passing soul to cross their paths.
Phasma are completely silent and unable to vocalize due to the complete lack of the necessary anatomy to do so. This makes them dangerous ambush predators, though dragons seem to be able to intrinsically detect the presence of a Phasma and will invariably flee before it. The aversion dragons hold to Phasma is completely wired into their instincts; a dragon unable to flee from one will quickly become panicked and frantic, often injuring itself in its attempts to get away.
Despite their silence, Phasma emit a bloodcurdling, human-like scream upon destruction.
Evolution
Phasma did not evolve as most Euthoran dragons did. They are created from the souls of deceased dragons that became wayward and lost the ability to differentiate between the worlds of the living and the dead. The process of creation can last anywhere from a few days to several years, depending on the dragon, and it is possible for an entity with the knowledge to do so to redirect a dragon soul into the correct plane before the transformation is complete.
It is unknown why specifically the souls of dragons do this. It has become a cultural belief of dragons to equate this state of existence with the concept of "Hell", for that is what it is to them. They believe that Phasma are demonic creatures created by the deceased dragon's transgressions, and this is where their natural aversion to the Phasma seems to stem from.
Lore
Unbound Phasma
Though Phasma are almost always bound by their chains, rarely they may break free from these chains, or even manifest without them in the first place. Referred to as unbound Phasma, these specimens are highly dangerous as there is nothing inhibiting their agility or strength. While a small group may be able to handle a single Phasma under normal conditions, an unbound Phasma requires a larger group or carefully considered strategies to subdue.
