Eremite
| Eremite | |
|---|---|
| (Creature) | |
| Type | Outsider (evil, extraplanar, kyton, lawful) |
| CR | 20 |
| Environment | Any (Shadow Plane) |
| Alignment | |
| Source: Bestiary 3, pg(s). 172-173 | |
Eremites are the eldest and most mutilated kytons second only to the kyton demagogues. They roam the multiverse in search of perfect parts with which to improve themselves.[1]
Appearance
On average, eremites stand approximately seven feet tall and weigh about 200 pounds. The typical eremite is completely covered in bloody bandages, tattered cords of black leather and thousands of jagged, razor-sharp metal shards. These fragments are all that holds its mutilated flesh together, with a strength far greater than mortal flesh and bone. While their general form is humanoid, individual eremites can look wildly different as they graft particularly unusual pieces of flesh to their bodies from increasingly exotic victims.[1]
Abilities
Eremites have inflicted such massive damage to themselves that they feel little pain and no fear. When an eremite shifts to the Shadow Plane, it arrives at its intended destination with complete accuracy. A creature that succumbs to an eremite's unnerving gaze becomes paralysed with fear, feeling longing to submit its flesh to the kyton.[1]
Ecology
Eremites desire only the most powerful beings to augment themselves with, travelling across vast swaths of the Material Plane in search of the so-called perfect parts. When an eremite encounters a creature with such a prize, it seeks to capture that creature alive so that it can study how that perfect part functions as part of the creature's physiology. It then surgically removes that part and attaches it to its body, often in a way not quite in keeping with its original use, like grafting a bard's tongue to its palm or heart. To the eremite, these changes and choices enhance the perfection of the harvested part, while to others they merely enhance the eremite's horror.[1]
Eremites' primary occupation is the understanding of pain and suffering, which they pursue by inflicting as much agony as possible upon their victims, forcing them to undergo extreme pain before letting them perish. An eremite often rends its own flesh in the same manner, so as to experience the pain together.[1]
Bargaining with an eremite is not usually an option, except if one can offer it advice or aid, or assist in harvesting an even more interesting catch. However, the concepts of honour and pride are alien to kytons; only the testing of its boundaries and the boundaries of the universe matter, and once that other target is secured the eremite might continue its attempts to capture and harvest its original target.[1]
Eremite overlords
Eremites who surpass the limits of individuality and achieve dominion over a certain realm of the Shadow Plane are referred to as eremite overlords. An overlord has focused on a specific type of mutilation and has taken it to the outer limits of pain and pleasure. Followers of eremite overlords often seek to emulate their patron's chosen mutilation, often fatally. Overlords keep in correspondence with one another and sometimes collaborate in a Covenant of Overlords, and are neither allies nor enemies, often vying for the favour of kyton demagogues.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Paizo Staff. (2011). Bestiary 3, p. 172-173. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-378-1
| |||||||
