Gordios
From Mizahar Lore
| Familiar | |
 | |
| Major features | Shadowy appearance, ethereal, tricky |
|---|---|
| Abilities | Absorption of light |
Gordios are a Familiar type from the darkface of Fyrden. They appear to be beings of living darkness and are ethereal like the Avavali. Gordios are silent and dark beings who seem to get a kick out of misguiding people (this may very well extend onto the wizard they are bonded with), and hiding things. The familiar can absorb light to create artificial darkness, and tends to shy away from combat which may endanger its life.
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Appearance
Gordios are beings of living darkness. An aura of darkness radiates from the familiar much like light would from the sun. Hidden in the that darkness is the Gordios' core. The ‘core’ is a revolving spectrum of darkness the size of a human heart, a nexus of force which draws in the light around it. It's actually this drawing in of light which creates the familiar's black appearance. The Gordios cannot float like the Irylid. Instead, they are able to hover, crawl, and slide smoothly across surfaces, much like regular shadows are projected over spaces by opaque objects blocking light. The Gordios can defy gravity by clinging to the edges of surfaces and scooting up walls and even across ceilings. The creature is able to change its size and shape by absorbing the light from its surroundings.
In the presence of direct sunlight or an intense source of all encompassing light the Gordios has trouble really expanding and absorbing the light around it because of the sheer volume. This will result in the familiar appearing smaller than usual, making its core easier to locate. They can expand by absorbing light, but the process will be much slower for the creature than it would in a dimly lit room. The Gordios will stay out of bright direct light unless necessary. Usually if outside in the daytime the creature will stay in the wizards shadow if in its natural form.
When bonded to a wizard, the Familiar tends to favor becoming an article of clothing ranging from masks to capes and cloaks, but the occasional animal sealed forms are not out of the question. All sealed forms are black and surprisingly light, just like the darkness which form the being.
Personality
The Gordios personality is generally curious, dark, deceptive, secretive, and quiet. They have the tendency to do very little to help anyone but themselves. This attitude is extended onto the wizard which they are bonded with as well. Like the darkness which create the Gordios, they are sneaky, but also quite curious of other things, watching, observing, but talking very little. If they do speak then it's usually with a sense of morbid humor. If advice is offered the wizard best take it with a grain of salt. The information may be a figment of the familiar's personality aimed to lead the wizard astray with false information just to see what he or she would do.
Gordios are best suited for those who’d want a quiet partner, as the familiar favors silence, and the privacy of its own thoughts. The wizard must also be apt to finding out the ‘truth’ in any situation for himself. The familiar won't be helpful in this regard unless its own life is in jeopardy tending make up the ‘truth’ for any wizard fool enough to believe it. The familiar tends to stay away from violent confrontation.
Abilities
The main ability of any Gordios is its creation of darkness. By consuming light, the creature is able to create a space of utter darkness. Even torches within the Gordios aura do not emit light. Using this power the Gordios can camouflage objects and hide people from sight. Gordios' darkness only blocks the physical sense of sight leaving open means of magical detection, such as Auristics.
The Gordios are invulnerable to any attack which does not pass through their ‘core’. Attacking the darkness surrounding the core will not damage the familiar. The core of a Gordios is a selective force which allows the being to absorb light. If an object or spell passes through it then the momentary contact disrupts the familiars natural ability to absorb light. This results in the familiar growing ‘smaller’ as it is unable to hold the shadowy umbra. What is really happening is that the interruption to the core makes the familiar leak light, thus making the dark familiar appear smaller. Gordios die when their core is disrupted enough that the familiar sheds all the light which it has absorbed. The familiar heals and counters the destabilizing effect of attacks through its core by consuming light.
Lifecycle
A Gordios’ lifecycle is the same as their Familiar brethren. They grow in size throughout their lives by absorbing material and radiation from Fyrden's environment. When their bodies grow too large, they fracture into two or more "children". These spawn-siblings, as they are called, are entirely new creatures and inherit some of the parent's knowledge, including language, but not necessarily its personality. This accretion/spawning process is halted once they are bonded with a Mizaharian wizard.